The Clan History

The name Carnegie derives from the barony of this name in the parish of Carmyllie, Angus. The Carnegies of Southesk, the first family, were previously designated by the Gaelic township name of Balinhard, also in Angus, and are descended from John de Balinhard whose forebears held these lands. The name first appears in records about 1230 in connection with the Abbeys of Arbroath and Balmerino. John, the 1st of Carnegie died in 1370 and was succeeded by John Carnegie of that Ilk. The direct line of this family died out in the mid 16th century and the lands of Kinnaird were acquired by the Carnegies of Kinnaird, Brechin who hence restored the title Carnegie of that Ilk. From this family, John of Kinnaird was killed at Flodden in 1513 and his son Robert was captured at the Battle of Pinkie, knighted on his release and made an Ambassador to France. His son Sir John was loyal to Mary Queen of Scots till her death. He was succeeded by his brother, John whose son David, 8th of Kinnaird was created 1st Earl of Southesk in 1633. The Earldom of Northesk was given to John his brother who descended from Lord Lour, younger brother of the 1st Earl of Southesk, becoming Earls of Ethie. (The North and South Esk rivers cross the county of Angus). The 5th Earl was forfeited after his support of the house of Stuart in the 1715 Rising. He is commemmorated in the song in "The Piper o' Dundee". The 5th Earl had no issue thus the title passed to a cousin Sir James Carnegie of Pitarro. He reinacted the title lost after 1715 and became the 9th Earl of Southesk. The heir by his marriage to Princess Maud inherited the title of Duke of Fife and is second cousin to the Queen. The most famous bearer of the name was Andrew Carnegie, the son of a weaver whose family emigrated to Pennsylvannia. Starting work in a cotton mill at 13 he rose to become one of the leading railroad magnates and the foremost ironmaster in the United States. In his published work "The Gospel of Work" he wrote "The man who dies rich dies disgraced" and hence he spent the remainder of his life distributing his wealth and creating the Carnegie free libraries in Scotland. The present head of the Carnegies, the 11th Earl of Southesk, still lives at the clan seat in Angus; Kinnaird Castle, Brechin.

CARNEGIE: The name originates in the Barony of Carnegy in Angus. The Carnegies of that Ilk, originally 'de Ballinhards', descended from Jocelyn de Ballinhard in the 13th century, whose descendant in 1358 obtained ownership of the Barony and adopted the name. In 1409 Duthac de Carnegie acquired the lands of Kinnaird by marriage to the heiress Mariota but perished on the field of Harlaw two years later. John, 4th of Kinnaird, fell with his king at Flodden in 1513 and family loyalty to the House of Stewart gained his successor position as a Lord of Session, and Mary Queen of Scots' ambassador. The 8th Laird, Sir David, was created Lord Carnegie in 1616, and by Charles I made Earl of Southesk in 1633. The Royalist 2nd Earl was imprisoned by Cromwell, and such abiding loyalty to the Stewarts led to the forfeiture of their estates following the 5th Earl's proclamation of the 'Old Pretender' at Montrose in 1715, and his participation in that Rising. This Earl being devoid of issue, the family representation passed to the 3rd Carnegie Baronet of Pitarro who repurchased the estates and to whose descendant the Earldom was restored in 1855 as 9th Earl. The 11th Earl married Princess Maud, daughter of Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife. and such union bringing also the Dukedom of Fife to the family. Almost concurrently with the Southesk Earldom, Sir John Carnegie, Lord Lour, brother of the 1st Earl, acquired the Earldom of Ethie in 1647, but had it altered to 'Northesk' in 1666. Two Northesk Earls were celebrated Admirals, the latter being 3rd-in-Command under Nelson at Trafalgar. From the earlier common lineage, and from the respective earldoms, many cadet families evolved throughout Angus and Kincardineshire. Perhaps the most universally celebrated of the name was Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) who from humble origin in Dunfermline, Fife, rose to make a vast fortune in railways and steel in America.

Motto: "Dread God"
Badge: A winged thunderbolt.
Names associated with the clan: CARNEGGIE CARNEGY CARNEGI CARRYNEGGI CARRINEGY CARNIGY CARNAGY CARNEAGGIE CARINNEGI CARNEGIE CARNAGIE KERNAGY KORNEGAY BALINHARD BALLINHARD CARNAGE