What does the surname Johnstone mean?
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Multiple 'John's towns' exist in Scotland, but the surname is first recorded in Annandale, Dumfriesshire, in 1174. The earliest record of the surname is in 1174, one John of Johnstone in Annandale, Dumfriesshire.
Where does the Johnstone family come from?
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The Johnstone family is rooted in Ayrshire & Galloway, in Scotland. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Galloway. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.
Is Johnstone a Scotland surname?
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Yes, Johnstone is a Scotland surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is Scotland, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.
How old is the Johnstone surname?
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The earliest record of the surname is in 1174, one John of Johnstone in Annandale, Dumfriesshire. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Johnstone name took its modern form within that long settlement.
What is the Johnstone family known for?
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The fighting Johnstons of the Western Borders. The earliest record of the surname is in 1174, one John of Johnstone in Annandale, Dumfriesshire.
What is the Johnstone motto?
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The motto of the Johnstone family is "Nunquam non paratus", which translates as "Never unprepared". Family mottoes were registered with the chief of the name and carried on the heraldic arms and battle-banners.
What does "Nunquam non paratus" mean in English?
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"Nunquam non paratus" is the motto of the Johnstone family. In English it means "Never unprepared". The phrase is typically rendered in Latin, though some Highland families carry their motto in Gaelic and some Norman lines in Old French.
Who is the most famous Johnstone?
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The best-known bearer of the Johnstone name is Sir James Johnstone of Dunskellie (c.1550–1608), victor at Dryfe Sands. Other prominent figures of the family include William Johnstone the Galliard (d. c.1610), brother of Sir James.
Who are some famous Johnstones?
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Notable bearers of the Johnstone name include Sir James Johnstone of Dunskellie (c.1550–1608), victor at Dryfe Sands and William Johnstone the Galliard (d. c.1610), brother of Sir James. Each is profiled on the family page, with cross-links to the geography, stories, and historical events tied to their life.
What stories are told about the Johnstone family?
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The Johnstone family is associated with The Galliard's stroke. 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 the Galliard's stroke?
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On the wet saltmarsh of Dryfe Sands at the confluence of the Dryfe Water and the Annan, three miles north of Lockerbie in Dumfriesshire, on the late afternoon of the sixth of December 1593, Sir James Johnstone of Dunskellie, then about forty-three years old, the chief of the Johnstones of Annandale, with about four hundred of his clansmen-and-allies, broke a Maxwell host of about two thousand under John, eighth Lord Maxwell. The Maxwell column had committed to crossing the confluence under tight numerical superiority; the Johnstone horse caught it in column at the ford and rolled it back across the marsh. The event is dated to 1593.
Is Johnston the same family as Johnstone?
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Yes. Johnston is a historical spelling variant of the Johnstone name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.
Where is the Johnstone surname found today?
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Scotland is the primary historical home of the Johnstone 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 Johnstone family cover?
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The Clan Rising page for the Johnstone 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 Johnstone family today?
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The seat for the head of the Johnstone 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.