The Clan History

There are two schools of thought regarding the origin of this name, one asserts a Gaelic origin, the term for 'little stream' being 'dobharach', but it could also mean 'black stream'. The other, less convincing, is that it comes from the French phrase 'Du Roi', suggesting a Norman origin but this is specious. There is also a suggestion that they traveled to Scotland with Queen Margaret in 1069 but there is scant evidence for this. It seems clear that the name pre-existed as land called Durie, which was granted to a younger son of one of the Earls of Strathearn. Therefore, the Durie and their antecedents have been in Scotland since the earliest times. Records of the Duries originate from Fife in the 1200s.
Durie held the estate of Grange (including Rossend Castle) in Kinghorn and Burntisland. This castle, like so many other in Scotland was visited by Mary, Queen of Scots. However it was part of the estates taken from the family during the reformation. Arms of one of the Durie family can be seen above the castle entrance. The estate of Durie near Leven was granted to them but the estates were sold in the 1600s to Sir Alexander Gibson who later took the judicial title Lord Durie. Durie House, built by later owners (the Christies), still stands. Another estate of Craigluscar near Dunfermline, and the house built there, remained in the family till the early 1900s.

Abbot George Durie (1496-1572) was the last Abbot of Dunfermline (1530-61) before the the Reformation. He was appointed an Extraordinary Lord in 1541 and became a Lord of the Articles and a member of the Governor's 'Secret Counsale' in 1543 and a Lord of Council and Session, and Keeper of the Privy Seal, in 1544. He strongly supported Mary Queen of Scots and became bitterly opposed to reformations of the faith. He later fled to France and arranged for relics of Saint Margaret to be transferred to Jesuits at Antwerp and later theb Scots College in Douai, but these (alomng with othyer relics in Spain) were subsequently lost. The Abbot's brother who was Bishop of Galway in 1541, was a great enemy of John Knox. The animosity was understandable as the Duries' strong Catholic beliefs would have been at odds with Knox's teachings. A cousin, John Durie, was a noted Reformer and preacher, and was a close friend of Knox and Melville.

The Abbot's sons continued this; both were educated in Paris, John became a Jesuit and was implicated in a plot to depose Queen Elizabeth I and place Mary Queen of Scots on the throne in her place. George had another son, Henry. He retained the Craigluscar estates. He was married to Margaret McBeth, a herbologist of some repute she attended the birth of many royal children and was responsible for saving the life of the young Charles I.

In later years a number of Duries had distinguished military careers to rival their earlier ecclesiastical ones. George Durie was a captain in Louis XIV's Scots guards and his brothers fought in Flanders. After a spell without a recognised chief Lt Col. Raymond Varley Dewar Durie of Durie was recognised in 1988. His military career spanned 35 years with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders distinguished by his actions during the Chinese civil war and Japans invasion of China.

He died in 1999 aged 93 and the chiefship passed to his son Andrew Durie of Durie, DL, CBE.

There are two schools of thought regarding the origin of this name, one asserts the Gaelic origin, the gaelic for 'little stream' being ‘dobharach’. The other more convincing is that it comes from the French phrase 'Du Roi' , suggesting a Norman origin. There is also a suggestion that they traveled to Scotland with Queen Margaret in 1069.
Early records of the Duries originate from Fife in 1119 and the families reputation rose through their involvement as administrators to Princess Joan, sister of Henry III of England. Other charters from the 13th and 14th centuries originating from Fife also bear the family signatures.

The estate of Craiglus-car, near Leven was granted to them and the house built there remained in the family till the 1900s. The Durie arms can also be seen above the entrance of nearby Burntisland Castle. In 1563 this castle like so many other in Scotland was occupied by Mary, Queen of Scots, however it was part of the estates taken from the family during the reformation. The estates were sold around 1614 to Sir Alexander Gibson who later took the title Lord Durie.

Abbot George Durie (1496–1572) was the last Abbot of Dunfermline (1530–61) before the the Reformation. He was appointed an Extraordinary Lord in 1541 and became a Lord of the Articles and a member of the Governor’s ‘Secret Counsale’ in 1543 and a Lord of Council and Session, and Keeper of the Privy Seal, in 1544. He strongly supported Mary Queen of Scots and became bitterly opposed to reformations of the faith. He later fled to France with the relics of Saint Margaret which were subsequently lost. The Abbots brother who was Bishop of Galway in 1541 was a great enemy of John Knox. The animosity was understandable as the Duries' strong Catholic beliefs would have been at odds with Knox's teachings. The Abbots' sons continued this; both were educated in Paris, John became a Jesuit and was implicated in a plot to depose Queen Elizabeth I and place Mary Queen of Scots on the throne in her place.

George had another son, Henry. He retained the Craigluscar estates. He was married to Margaret McBeth, a herbologist of some repute she attended the birth of many royal children and was responsible for saving the life of the young Charles I.

In later years the Durie's had a distinguished military career to rival their ecclesiastical one, George Durie was a captain in Louis XIV’s Scots guards and his brothers fought in Flanders. After a spell without a recognised chief Lt Col. Raymond Varley Dewar Durie of Durie was recognised in 1988. His military career spanned 35 years with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders distinguished by his actions during the Chinese civil war and Japans invasion of China.

He died in 1999 aged 93 and the chiefship passed to his son Andrew Durie of Durie, DL, CBE.