geographical area

[mtgoatwoman]

has anyone ever heard of an area of Scotland referred to as the "flattops"? my Ritchey family is supposed to have originated there in Scotland but no other name place can be remembered. i do know the MacRitchie/Ritcheys are sept of MacIntosch clan with origins in the mountains, highlands, around LochNess. thank you.

[sancti]

What names and dates do you have?

[mtgoatwoman]

earliest date i have is minsteracres st peter bywell northumberland christening in 1713 for joseph ritchey (reachy) and calculated his father cuthbert as b.1692 died around 1747 burried at castle eden; i have tried to make the connection to scotland but, again, the only hint i have is a reference to the area our family refers to as "the flattop of Scotland."as our place of origin. no date only this vague reference.

[sancti]

It might refer to the Pentland Hills running south west from Edinburgh. Well away from the clan culture of the highlands

[mtgoatwoman]

thank you for the hint; i remember that one contact i had mentioned that it was highly probable that it was a single family and/or one extended family that came to be in England rather that a mass exodus. i appreciate your help. kathleen

[Forfarian]

i do know the MacRitchie/Ritcheys are sept of MacIntosch clan with origins in the mountains, highlands, around LochNess. thank you.

Please be very careful about this sort of thing. There is a lot of arrant nonsense peddled by the Brigadoon industry about surnames, clans and septs. In particular, just because a particular surname is said to be a 'sept of Clan xx' does not mean that everyone with that surname is descended from Clan xx. Merely that some people who bore that surname were associated with Clan xx.

G F Black, in his book Surnames of Scotland, says of Ritchie: "Formerly a common Border surname. From 'Richie', a diminutive of Richard, with intrusive t. In some instances curtailed from MacRitchie". He quotes early references in Perth, Brechin, Inverness, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh (2). He also quotes two early uses of Richie as a given name, in Stirling and Dunfermline.

Of MacRitchie, he says, "A Highland border name, 'son of Ritchie' .... The Macritchies are really Macintoshes descended from a Richard Macintosh. He quotes early references to the name in Dalmunzie, Glenshee, Clunie and Caputh, all in northern Perthshire.

The only thing you can reliably conclude from your surname is that you had an ancestor whose name was Richard. As described by Black, some (Mac)Ritchies were indeed descended from Clan Chattan (Macintosh) but the name Richard is of Germanic origin and occurs all over Europe (Richard Wagner, various kings Richard of England, Dick Whittington etc etc) and a moment's reflection will make it plain that not every 'son of Richard' is of Scottish, let alone Highland clan origin.

If your ancestor's father was named Cuthbert, I'd say that points to your particular line originating in the Borders.

However I have never heard of the 'Flattops'.

[mtgoatwoman]

thank you forfarian; that makes sense and fits with other parts of the research, that flattop may refer to pentland hills running south and west from edinburgh and "well away from the clan culture of the highlands"_sancti and the research i've done on the area of minsteracres , pointed out by another rootschat member on another thread, with reference to the 1600's from hilary bronski_"...minsteracres would have been little but a farm and cottages in the midst of the debatable borderlands between england and scotland...".  "ritchey w/intrusive t; formally a common boarder name." i will document all of this on the family tree along with the vague reference to "flattops" and continue to add bits as they come along and leave "a trail of breadcrumbs" for our future generations to ponder on. sincerely, kathleen