Clan Erskine

Earls of Mar, and 'Bobbing John', who led the '15.

Origin: Glasgow & Strathclyde, Scotland
Motto: Je Pense Plus
Famous bearer: John Erskine, 'Bobbing John', leader of the 1715 Jacobite Rising
Register: Scottish clan

Territory of Erskine

The seat of Clan Erskine

Seat vacant

Chief

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Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Clan Erskine has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Erskine clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

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Motto

Je Pense Plus

“I think more”

What does the Erskine name mean?

From the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire, just south of the River Clyde, held by Henry de Erskine in the reign of Alexander II.

The history of Clan Erskine

The family takes its name from the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire. The Erskines supported Robert the Bruce, and his son David II appointed Sir Robert de Erskine Keeper of Stirling Castle. Robert later served as Lord Great Chamberlain of Scotland from 1350 to 1357.

His grandson was created Lord Erskine. From this branch descended the Earls of Kellie, and the 6th Lord Erskine was granted the earldom of Mar in 1565.

That earl became known as 'Bobbing John' for his frequent switches of loyalty. After raising an army of over ten thousand for James VIII, he led the Jacobite Rising of 1715, to inconclusive effect.

Champions of the Erskine name

The bearers whose lives are inseparable from this surname. Each has their own page, biography, achievements, geography, connection to the family.

Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
The Edinburgh-born advocate whose defences of Thomas Hardy, John Horne Tooke and the leaders of the London Corresponding Society at the Treason Trials of 1794 secured the modern English law of seditious libel, and whose 1806 to 1807 tenure as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain crowned the legal career of the foremost defender of political and religious liberty of his age.

Castles the Erskine held

Strongholds this name held for a decade or more, look one up, or rebuild it to explore.

Braemar Castle
Built in 1628 by John Erskine, Earl of Mar; forfeited to the Crown after the earl led the 1715 Jacobite rising.
Kellie Castle
Owned by the Erskines of Dirleton for much of the 17th century; Erskine was created Earl of Kellie in 1619.
Old Tulliallan Castle
The estate was purchased in 1700 by Colonel John Erskine, son of David Erskine, 4th Lord Cardross.
Mains Castle
Bought by David Erskine in the 19th century; Shipley Gordon Stuart Erskine later sold the estate.
Alloa Tower
Medieval residence of the Erskine family, later Earls of Mar, from the early 14th century; the 6th Earl's Alloa House of 1710 incorporated the tower as its annexe.
Kildrummy Castle
Held Kildrummy after the Elphinstones until its abandonment in 1716, following the failure of the Jacobite Rising of 1715.
Dunimarle Castle
The Erskine family built the 18th-century mansion that stands beside the medieval ruin.

The castles of the homeland

The great strongholds of the homeland, look one up, see what it looked like in its prime, and recreate it to explore.

Edinburgh CastleRestored · prime 1520

Stirling CastleRestored · prime 1542

Glamis CastleStill standing · prime 1900

All castles in Scotland → · Strongest castles in Scotland → · Castles of Europe

Play As Your Clan

Explore history as a ErskineStart your story →

Pick any year from 500 to 1945 and any place on earth, the Erskine country, or a shore no Erskine ever reached. The chronicler sets the scene; the deeds are yours.

Notable bearers of the Erskine name

John Erskine, 'Bobbing John', leader of the 1715 Jacobite Rising

Stories of Clan Erskine

Bobbing John raises the standard at Braemar
1715
On the morning of the sixth of September 1715, in the Braes of Mar above the head of the Dee, John Erskine, sixth or twenty-third Earl of Mar (the regnal numbering depends on which catalogue), formerly Secretary of State for Scotland under Anne, formerly Tory loyalist under George I, and now suddenly the leader of a Jacobite rising, raised the standard of King James VIII of Scotland (James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender) on a hillside above his ancestral hunting-lodge at Invercauld. The flag had been brought up from London by the Earl of Linlithgow's daughter sewn into the lining of her riding-cloak. By the testimony of the Aberdeenshire factor Thomas Strachan who was on the hill, the gilt ball that crowned the standard fell off as the standard was being raised, an omen the Highland people present took for certain. Mar's army of about five thousand grew to twelve thousand by November. He held back from a decisive engagement with Argyll for ten weeks, fought the indecisive Battle of Sheriffmuir on the thirteenth of November (which he could have won) and the rising disintegrated through the winter. Mar was attainted, fled to France, and lived out his life in exile, an embittered Jacobite intriguer earning the nickname Bobbing John for his repeated changes of allegiance.
Read the story →

Frequently asked

What does the surname Erskine mean?

From the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire, just south of the River Clyde, held by Henry de Erskine in the reign of Alexander II. The family takes its name from the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire.

Where does the Erskine family come from?

The Erskine family is rooted in Glasgow & Strathclyde and Stirling & the Forth Valley, in Scotland. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Renfrewshire and Stirling. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.

Is Erskine Scottish or Irish?

Erskine is a Scottish surname; its home on this atlas is Scotland, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated. The same or similar spellings can surface in Irish records, but the lineage documented on this page is the Scottish one.

How old is the Erskine surname?

The family takes its name from the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Erskine name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Erskine family known for?

Earls of Mar, and 'Bobbing John', who led the '15. The family takes its name from the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire.

What is the Erskine motto?

The motto of the Erskine family is "Je Pense Plus", which translates as "I think more". Family mottoes were registered with the chief of the name and carried on the heraldic arms and battle-banners.

What does "Je Pense Plus" mean in English?

"Je Pense Plus" is the motto of the Erskine family. In English it means "I think more". The phrase is typically rendered in Latin, though some Highland families carry their motto in Gaelic and some Norman lines in Old French.

Is there a Erskine family crest or coat of arms?

There is no single coat of arms that belongs to everyone named Erskine. Heraldic arms were granted to individuals and descend through specific documented lines, so a "family crest" matched to a surname alone is decorative rather than genealogical. In Scots heraldry the convention is different again: clansfolk wear the chief's crest inside a strap-and-buckle badge, the crest stays the chief's property, worn in allegiance rather than owned. The motto associated with the principal line is "Je Pense Plus".

Who is the most famous Erskine?

The best-known bearer of the Erskine name is John Erskine, 'Bobbing John', leader of the 1715 Jacobite Rising. Their life and connection to the family are profiled in full on the dedicated champion page.

What stories are told about the Erskine family?

The Erskine family is associated with Bobbing John raises the standard at Braemar. Each story has its own page on this site with the full account, the date, the location, and the other families involved.

What is the story of Bobbing John raises the standard at Braemar?

On the morning of the sixth of September 1715, in the Braes of Mar above the head of the Dee, John Erskine, sixth or twenty-third Earl of Mar (the regnal numbering depends on which catalogue), formerly Secretary of State for Scotland under Anne, formerly Tory loyalist under George I, and now suddenly the leader of a Jacobite rising, raised the standard of King James VIII of Scotland (James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender) on a hillside above his ancestral hunting-lodge at Invercauld. The flag had been brought up from London by the Earl of Linlithgow's daughter sewn into the lining of her riding-cloak. The event is dated to 1715.

Where is the Erskine surname found today?

Scotland is the primary historical home of the Erskine surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same Scotland origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Erskine family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Erskine family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name, the family motto, famous bearers of the name, traditional stories and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of Scotland so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Erskine family today?

The seat for the head of the Erskine family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.