In conjunction with the Annan Festival, and a beer festival in the town, Carruthers will hold their first official Gathering over the weekend of August 24-25 in Annan, Dumfriesshire.
Annan as a town is situated in the old West March it does of course take its name from Annandale and the river Annan which runs through it to the Solway Firth. It sits within Carruthers ancestral lands who owned lands on both banks of the river.
The Chief’s family: Asher (son, younger of Holmains and heir), Madam Judith of Holmains, Dr Peter Carruthers of Holmains (Chief), and their daughter Abigail
Current Planned Itinerary:
24 August
The gathering will run in conjunction with the festival itself and the events being held. There is also a beer festival going on that day in the town. A Carruthers tent will be situated at the festival which will be occupied during the part of the day by one of our senior genealogists, our Director of DNA Research, our Commissioner and our Convenor. The Chief will be present and will share his time between the tent with other Chiefs and our own.
At around 4:00 we will congregate at the Annan Distillery, a few minutes walk from the town where you will not only meet our chief, but observe him taking his oath to our clan and family and our affirmation of the same. At this point he will give a short speech of welcome.
There are speakers organised to include our Convenor Dr George Carruthers, who will discuss the history of the family, Ross McEwen, LLM, FSA Scot, who is a senior member of the leadership of Clan MacEwen and a Trustee of the Heraldry Society of Scotland, who will offer a talk on Chiefs and Chieftains in our modern world,o is a senior member of the leadership of Clan MacEwen and a Trustee of the Heraldry Society of Scotland, who will offer a talk on Chiefs and Chieftains in our modern world, and Philip Tibbetts, Lyon Court Vexillologist and March Pursuivant Extraordinary at the Court of the Lord Lyon, who will speak about the heraldry and flags of the Border families. There may be a third speaker added to the programme but we are awaiting details.
This will be followed by time to chat and enjoy each other’s company before the meal is served, after which we will dance to the cèilidh band to finish off the evening.
25 August
We will again meet at the Distillery at 10 am for a tour and whisky tasting, after which a light buffet will be laid on. At around 12 for those who have booked, a tour of Carruthers sites in the area will commence accompanied by a tour guide.
After this, you will have free time to enjoy the area at your leisure.
There will be a cost for the dinner/ dance, the buffet and the tour. Cost will be kept to a minimum but is still being calculated as prices come in.
Official Carruthers merchandise will be on sale during the day of the 24th, in the Carruthers tent.
For further details please contact the Clan Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Mr Michael Carruthers : michaelcarruthers100@gmail.com
Places to Stay:
River Annan with the town of Annan in the Background
Annan and surrounding areas, lands of our ancestors.
The fords or “waths” which cross the eastern Solway Firth were the routes taken by invading armies for more than two thousand years. Their principal routes were then up into Annandale and Eskdale, of which Carruthers played their part in the wars and skirmishes of the area.
The Roman Empire of course was not confined by Hadrian’s Wall and they invaded what is now Scotland many times and established large camps and fortifications in Annandale itself, when securing their roads for their campaigns further north.
In the 13th and 14th centuries the Bruce family, who were the Lords of Annandale, took a very active role in the struggle for Scottish independence and the lands on both sides of the border suffered the consequences of outright war between England and Scotland. As a source of history, Annan itself was made a Burgh of Barony by the Bruces in the 13th century but the charter document was most probably destroyed during the border wars. This charter was re-erected by King James V in 1538.
Carruthers received thier own Charter of Lands in 1320 from Robert the Bruce and during their tenure as Lords of Annandale our family were their Stewards, as well as Keepers of Trailtrow Preceptory, Foresters of Annandale, and Guardians of the Old Kirk Ford at Hoddom.
Even in the times when both Scotland and England were at peace the valleys were subjected to raid and counter raid for around 300 years as the powerful families on both sides of the border made their living as “reivers”. The “reivers” were fast, well armed horsemen with no allegiance to either country who rode by night to steal cattle and any moveable goods. The many fortified tower houses and other structures, scattered around the area are a grim reminder of that turbulent past.
These include the ruins of Mouswald Tower, but for Holmains tower, only the groundworks can be see. The ruins of Threave Castle still stand, where Carruthers were Captains in support of Maxwell, and Comlongon Castle where Marion, daughter and orphan of Simon, last of Mouswald was found dead at the bottom of the battlements, allegedly killed by the Douglas for her lands. Little Dalton Kirk on the Old Holmains estate holds many a Carruthers.
As such, both the town and area around it are steeped in history, covering events and places Carruthers were involved. For instance in 1605, Holmains as Steward Depute of Annandale (one of the first Justices of the Peace for Dumfriesshire), along with other Lairds were called to quell the disturbances at Newbie Tower, just across the water from Annan. It seems some Maxwells and Jardines had taken the tower and killed its head. The Privey Council had sent the order to retake it and hold it
It is a place to relive and experience the land of your ancestors and further our chief sends a personal invite to you to attend.
Clan Commissioner for the UK, Michael Carruthers :michaelcarruthers100@gmail.com