Author Topic: Williamson  (Read 61711 times)

Offline Thowdfettler

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Williamson
« on: Wednesday 18 January 06 07:30 GMT (UK) »
A number of years ago, before my genealogy interest, I purchased a Williamson family history chart from a stall at a vintage steam rally.  Since researching my Williamson line I have become intrigued to learn that most info on this chart is basically factual, and fits in with my own research, to date.   How ever, one detail still evades me,   namely that in the 12th and 13th century that the name of Williamson was a recognised Scottish border clan in it's own right, with it's own clan chief and recognised by Parliament.
I can find no other record of this, other that the name being associated the clans McKay and Gunn.
Would welcome any help on this subject.
Willamson, Morton, Annan/Dumfries/Chorlton on Medlock/Hulme/Manchester
Jardine, Applegarth/Dumfries/Chorlton on Medlock/Hulme/Manchester
Little, Dumfries/Chorlton
Metcalfe. Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire/Ingleton Yorkshire
Smalley. Blackburn,
Dyce, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Lobban, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Smith, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Gordon, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Milne, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
Watt, Aberdeen
Houston, Paisley/Renfrew
Simpson. Clayton le Moors/Accrington/Earby/Yorkshire

Offline suttontrust

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 18 January 06 19:28 GMT (UK) »
I traced my family from Williamsons in the Shetlands, and came across the same information you have about the clan.  It seems to have been a "sept" or division of those clans.  It has its own tartan, but that's more to do with marketing.  I don't think we can make much of it unless we can trace our Williamsons back to the Gunns or McKays.
Godden in East Sussex, mainly Hastings area.
Richards in Lea, Gloucestershire, then London.
Williamson in Leith, Vickers in Nottingham.
Webb in Bildeston and Colchester.
Wesbroom in Kirby le Soken.
Ellington in Harwich.
Park, Palmer, Segar and Peartree in Kersey.

Offline Thowdfettler

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 18 January 06 22:00 GMT (UK) »
Hi, nice to hear from you.

I dont know if I agree or disagree with your theory,  as I don't understand the scottish clan system.

Would you be prepared to enlighten me and explain.  ie What exactly is a sept ?  and how does it fit in with a clan.  If it is correct that the Williamson family or name was a clan in it's own right,   then how could it be a sept of another ?.


Another few paragraphs from the said Williamson chart.

The family name Williamson is believed to has descended from the Strathclyde Britons.  This ancient founding race of the north were a mixture of Gaelic/Celts whose original territories ranged from Lancashire in the south, northward to the south bank of the river Clyde in Scotland.
Tracing it’s ancient development, the name Williamson was found in Peebles.  This family was a recognised border clan with it’s on chief and acknowledged by Scottish Parliament.  In the 12th  & 13th centuries their influence on border life was great, and they had territories at Hutchinfield, and Balgray moving north to Banniskirk in Caithness.  Meanwhile they branched south to Melbeck Hall in Cumberland, New Hall in the same county to Keswick, Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland. 

By the year 1000AD, border life was in turmoil.  In 46, 6 chiefs from the Scottish side and six from the English side met at Carlisle nd produced a set of laws governing all the border clans..  These were unlike any laws prevailing in England or Scotland, or for that matter, any where else in the world.  It then goes o to give some examples of such laws.

The document goes on to state that in 1603, the unified English and Scottish crowns under James 1 dispersed these unruly border clans, clans which had served loyally in defence of each side.  The unification of he governments was threatened and it was imperative that the old ‘border code’ should be broken up.  Hence the Border Clans were banished to England, Northern Scotland and to Ireland.  Some were outlawed directly to Ireland, the Colonies and the New World.

Many border clans settled in Northern Ireland, transferred between 1650 - 1700 with grants of land provided that they undertook to remain protestant.  Hence they became known as the ‘Underakers’. 

The Scottish Williamson Coat of Arms is or was as I understand I, was the same as that displayed on my site profile, apart from there was no crescents,   these I believe were added to the Irish side and depicted their  agreement to the protestant rule.


By the way,  I have three of these Williamson family origin documents,   the Scottish,  the English and the Irish.

Stuart
Willamson, Morton, Annan/Dumfries/Chorlton on Medlock/Hulme/Manchester
Jardine, Applegarth/Dumfries/Chorlton on Medlock/Hulme/Manchester
Little, Dumfries/Chorlton
Metcalfe. Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire/Ingleton Yorkshire
Smalley. Blackburn,
Dyce, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Lobban, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Smith, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Gordon, Inverurie, Aberdeen
Milne, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
Watt, Aberdeen
Houston, Paisley/Renfrew
Simpson. Clayton le Moors/Accrington/Earby/Yorkshire

Offline suttontrust

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 18 January 06 22:09 GMT (UK) »
I got the stuff about "septs" from a website (by googling williamson and clan).  It just means a division or offshoot, I think.  The trouble is that "Williamson" is an extremely common patronymic which would have arisen all over the UK independently, so proving one's descent from those who were part of Scottish clans would be difficult.  If you've got back far enough to establish a link, good for you.
Godden in East Sussex, mainly Hastings area.
Richards in Lea, Gloucestershire, then London.
Williamson in Leith, Vickers in Nottingham.
Webb in Bildeston and Colchester.
Wesbroom in Kirby le Soken.
Ellington in Harwich.
Park, Palmer, Segar and Peartree in Kersey.


Offline 04nawillia

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 03 October 10 22:46 BST (UK) »
I just stumbled across this message board, and being a Williamson who's only the second generation to be born outside of Peebles in my family I can support some of the peebles-related links which is one of the most common origins listed for the name. It is also right that there are close ties to the Gunn and MacKay clans, but i'd never heard anything of the Williamsons before the 19th Century, and with it being a common patronymic name I doubted it went back much further!

Cheers for this,

Nathan Williamson
(great grandson of William Williamson, a great name if there ever was one!)

Offline mikewilliamson3

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 20 October 10 13:17 BST (UK) »
On a slightly different track...

My Williamsons come from West Yorkshire around the Keighley area. I've traced back to Richard Williamson, whose son John was a worsted spinner (mill owner) born 1797.
I've got stuck with Richard and haven't found much info on him, although I've lots on John and his family if anyone is interested.

Cheers

Mike

Offline SnowriderJ

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #6 on: Monday 10 January 11 22:19 GMT (UK) »
After stumbling onto this site, it may be worth a mention that the clan MacWilliam (Mac meaning "son of") was a highland clan existing from early 11th century to the latter part of the 12th century until warring and conflict from neighbouring clans severed their lineage and forced them apart.  Once this "extinction" of sorts occurred, some members were assimilated into clan Mackay, Gunn, and MacFarlane as we know today.  Although MacWilliam isn't what we're debating today it should be noted "Mac" meaning "son of" is consistent with "son of William" hence Williamson, as surnames have an evolution of their own.

http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/macwilliam2.html

Offline Forfarian

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 11 January 11 17:01 GMT (UK) »
Beware the guff and poppycock propagated by the Brigadoon industry, which would have us believe that every Scot is descended from a Highland clan, and that we all cherish our ancient clan links including tartans, almost all of which were invented long after the Battle of Culloden and the efforts of the UK government to extirpate the clans.

The surname Williamson is a patronymic and means exactly the same as MacWilliam, that is, 'son of William'. Nothing more and nothing less. The name William is of Germanic origin, and exists in several European languages - Gaelic Uilleam, German Wilhelm, Dutch Willem, French Guillaume, Italian Guglielmo and so on. William is one of the four commonest male given names in Scotland (along with James, John and Alexander).

So a moment's thought will tell you that the surname Williamson must have arisen independently in many places, and that not all bearers of the name are related to one another.

In particular, it is nonsense to suggest that everyone whose surname happens to be Williamson can possibly be connected to any specific clan. It is very likely that there were people surnamed Williamson (or MacWilliam) living in the territory, and under the protection, of this clan or that, but that isn't a sound basis for researching family history.

For a start, the majority of the population of Scotland always lived in the Lowlands, so the majority of Williams, and hence of their sons, would have been Lowland born and bred, with no connection at all to the clans of the Highlands.

So unless and until you have found a definite link to a Williamson who was associated with a clan, just ignore the possibility of a clan connection. All you will achieve is to confuse yourself andf complicate your research unnecessarily.


Never trust anything you find online (especially submitted trees and transcriptions on Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and other commercial web sites) unless it's an image of an original document - and even then be wary because errors can and do occur.

Offline ankerdine

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Re: Williamson
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 04 October 12 18:48 BST (UK) »
Can someone enlighten me? I was told that the Williamsons were sent to the north of Ireland from Scotland as part of the "Plantations" But someone else said it was under another "settlement" "invasion".

I have a John Williamson with a wife Helen McColville somewhere in Ireland c1780-1820 but this line ends there.

Where do I go from here?

Judy
Blair, Marshall, Williamson - Ayrshire, Wigtownshire
Saxton, Sketchley - Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire
Brown, Green - Rutland
Hawker, Malone, Bradbury, Arnott, Turner, Woodings, Blakemore, Upton, Merricks - Warwickshire, Staffordshire
Silvers, Dudley, Worcs
Deakin - Staffordshire