The Dormont line began when William, younger son of John Carruthers 5th of Holmains and younger brother of George 6th of Holmains, who received the Charter of Corsopeland and later Nether Dormont in 1552. This initiated the cadet line acquiring the estate of Dormont in Dumfriesshire. The land itself has however been in the continuous ownership of the Carruthers family since 1452 having initially been granted to the Carruthers of Mouswald and through them to Carruthers of Holmains, by Robert the Bruce.
In the Dormont registered arms, matriculated from the arms of Holmains, the Lyon has placed a ‘bordure’ depicting cadetship of Dormont to the chiefly line of Carruthers of Holmains.
The suspected remains of the old fort (Caer Rydderch or Rythyr), lies beneath the groiundworks of an old roman fort and can be seen on Birren Hill above the farm of that name – Carruthers Farm, still on the Dormont Estate.
In 1913, Major Francis J. Carruthers, 11th of Dormont, late of the Kings own Scottish Borderers matriculated from the 1672 Arms of Holmains to represent the House of Dormont. These arms were painted on the Dormont Letters Patent by the renowned heraldic artist, A.G. Law Sampson. They are differenced by replacing the two Chevrons with Chevroneles and adding a bordure Or (gold border) and are blazoned: Gules, two chevronels engrailed between three fleur-de-lis Or, a border of the last for difference: Above the shield is placed a helmet befitting his degree with a mantling Gules doubled Or and on a wreath of his liveries is set for the Crest, a Seraphim volent Proper, and in an Escrol over the same this Motto, “Promptus et Fidelis”.
As in all arms taken from a senior line, in this case the Holmains Arms, and in order to represent their closeness to that bloodline as a Cadet, a gold border is set around the Dormont Arms themselves as can be seen above.
The present incumbent represents the 13th generation of Dormont and is James (Jamie) Alexander Carruthers, 13th of that line, who matriculated from his uncle the Dormont Arms. Dormont are distant cousins of the current Chief, Peter Carruthers of Holmains as can be seen below:
