Accepting, against all the facts, there are still those peddling romantic ideas of the first ‘Carruthers’ sailing up the Solway Firth on a Viking Longship, jumping ashore and starting the Carruthers line. This is definately way off piste and not true.
This blog will lay out the facts, based on current evidence and research, to educate those who wish to be educated, and put this myth to bed.
Our identity
Carruthers, is a Scottish Border clan and family that can trace their ‘name’ back to its first use in the 11th century, when surnames came into vogue through the influence of the Norman knights invited into Scotland by David I. This is the same as many other Scottish lowland and border names who were not of Norman descent. As such and in a similar vein to us, many of whom took their names from the places they lived/lands they owned ie topographical names not patronymic. As such the name Carruthers as a surname, never existed before the 1000’s AD, however we were on the land well before that.
Our name comes from an old Brittonic fort, the groundworks which can still be seen. The area around it eventually became known as Carruthers, being made into a parish in its own right and eventually merged with Middlebie and Penersax in 1609. The old fort was situated above Carruthers farm, on the top of Birrens hill in Waterbeck, Annandale with Carruthers Fell as its northerly backdrop. The name itself, is from the Brittonic language meaning Caer (fort) of Rydderch (pronounced Ruthers in that ancient language).
So is there a link to what is now Scandinavia?
Our DNA research, using Big yDNA testing, suggests that around over 2000 years ago, a male from what is now Sweden arrived on the eastern shores of Scotland. This was obviously well before the age of the Vikings (AD793 to roughly AD1066) and well before Norse were considered Norse. Eventually arriving into the lands of what is now Annandale, interbreeding with the local population ie the Selgovae occured which in turn lead to our Chiefly line being ‘born’ as it were.
Starting with the first use of our name we have; Carruthers of Carruthers (circa 11th century), through to Carruthers of Mouswald (1322-1548) and after their extinction to our current Chiefs, Carruthers of Holmains (1322-to date). The progenitor of the Carruthers of Holmains line was Thomas 1st of Mouswald’s younger brother John and also the great grandson of William, the first recorded use of the Carruthers name.
Does that mean Carruthers can claim we are descended directly from this ancient Celtic tribe, well no, not necessarily but what we can say is that Carruthers rose from the lands of the Selgovae and among Selgovae descended people who were not Viking, nor Gaels, nor even Normans, but rather off strong and ancient Celtic stock.
So, who were these ancient inhabitants?
The Selgovae
Well before reivers, castles and clans, the Selgovae ruled the Border hills. This Iron Age tribe fought the Romans, survived north of Hadrian’s Wall, and left a legacy that still echoes in the culture of the Anglo-Scottish Borderers and the reiving families who came after them. They were a Brittonic (Celtic) tribe who inhabited the region during the late Iron Age and the early Roman period (roughly 1st–3rd centuries AD) that we know of. Their known territory covered areas of southern Scotland, specifically in what is now Kirkcudbrightshire and Dumfriesshire. Their territory included parts of the Southern Upland region, stretching from Annandale and Liddesdale and into the eastern Borders, encompassing ancient counties like Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles
This placed them squarely on Rome’s northern frontier when the empire pushed into Britain. As such they continued to experience Roman military campaigns, starting in the 1st century AD and the advances under Agricola (AD 40-93). Eventually, they found themselves, between Hadrians Wall and the Antonine Wall, making them part of a contested occupied frontier zone. This lasted until around 120AD when the Romans pulled back to Hardrians wall, leaving only Blatobulgium near modern Lockerbie as an outpost.
However, as a tribe they were never fully conquered in a long-term sense but instead their interaction would have ranged from intermittent warfare to trade, raiding and an uneasy coexistence. There is some evidence to suggest that they were considered a fierce and troublesome foe, hence the huge Roman presence in their lands and did not submit willingly. As such, the generations of Roman occupation it is said, only hardened their resolve and tribal identity.
The name Selgovae itself is thought to come from a root of the Brittonic language meaning “hunters” or “people of the chase,” which fits well with a landscape of hills, forests, and river valleys of their homeland, which was ideal for hunting and pastoral life, the latter having helped shape the existing landscape. The Brittonic (P Celt) language was once spoken throughout the whole island of what was to become Britain, with its closed living language being modern Welsh.
The Selgovae sadly left no written records of their own, so everything we know comes from Roman sources, especially from the Greek Geographer Ptolemy in his writings, Ptolemy’s Geographia. It was written in the 2nd century BC, and lists them as one of the tribes of northern Britain. There are however, traces of Iron Age hillforts scattered throughout the Selgovae lands reflecting their population, which were used for defence. They also reflected the status of their chief/local warlord ie Caer Rydderrch – Caer Ruthers, from which we take our name. As previously alluded to, there were also many Roman military sites, the remnants of which can still be found in the region.
To survive, they were mainly subsistence farmers who grew crops where viable, raised livestock and supplemented these food sources with hunting and raiding. They lived in a well defined and structured family-centered society, which interestingly along with their raiding traditions did not die, but rather were solidly reflected in the Border way of life for many centuries to come.
The Selgovae were also traders and craftsmen making iron tools and weapons, both with intricate workings. They wore bronze and glass jewellery similar to other Celtic tribes and wore clothing of woven wool, which they made themselves. Their religion, according to researchers, followed the general Brittonic traditions and Gods of the island, where homage to the pan-Celtic Goddess was revered.
Their Legacy
So what happened to them? Well, we know there is no evidence of depopulation and therefore like our own ancestor, there was a merging with and into the other Brittonic groups in the area. This occurred without doubt after the Romans left in 210AD as they became part of a larger Brittonic community which was to become known as Yr Hen Ogledd (the Old North). This eventually saw Selgovae descendants absorbed further into the ancient kingdoms of Rheged (centred in Cumbria & SW Scotland) and Strathclyde (600AD-1000AD).
As such no Scottish clan can actually prove direct descent from the Selgovae or in fact any other Brittonic tribe, however territorial continuity matters through the families which later dominated ancient Selgovae lands and likely absorbed local populations to include such as Maxwell – Nithsdale and Carruthers – Annandale.
The clans, although they themselves arose centuries later, would have had followers who were almost certainly descended from earlier Brittonic inhabitants, including Selgovae stock. Therefore, we must be more aware of cultural inheritance, rather than surname inheritance, which in our case only appeared in the 11th century, as previously mentioned. This makes Selgovae ancestry a deep-time foundation, and not a clan label.
However, as a Celtic tribe, along with others, they contributed culturally and genetically to later groups in southern Scotland and northern England to include the proud and ancient name of Carruthers.
Carruthers Heritage
So, what can we take from this research, well our lands sit inside the core Selgovae territory, not near the marginal areas. As such within our lands were river crossings, ancient forts, roman roads and camps, which could all be considered strategic choices for movement and trade. Place names to include Middlebie and Annandale, are from the Brittonic language first and foremost, and adopted later by the Anglo-Norman infusion into the local speech. As time passed, our Chiefs who held the lands became lairds over Selgovae descended tenants and over generations, whether part of the whole or not, became indistinguishable from them.
It is therefore fair to say that Carruthers, are not Viking, Norse, Gael or Norman, but there is a strong likelihood that our lineage stretches back through the mists of time to the Celtic inhabitants of the ancient region in Scotland, known as Annandale. You can’t get much better than that
Promptus et Fidelis
Non Sto Solus
