originofduthie.pdf

POSSIBLE ORIGINS OF THE NAME

DUTHIE

There are no records to explain our origins. However, there are several possibilities

and these will be considered here.

At the end of this epistle has been added findings related to DNA results analysed by a

group sponsored by National Geographic and IBM to plot the distribution of humans ( as

we now know them, since origination some 60,000 years ago in central Africa.

By Shipwreck

It is of interest that some of the early first names, or perhaps nicknames, in the

northeast of Scotland were of Dutch origin. These include - Alick, Alickie, Johnockie,

Anicke or Anneke, but perhaps this has to do with the northeast custom to diminutive

names. The Dutch certainly had a great interest in the northeast of Scotland. It is

thought that they introduced herring fishing to the area. Scotland had traditional trading

links with Flanders. In the mid 1500s, the Dutch offered several barrels of gold to

purchase Keith Inch (an island off Fraserburgh harbour) as a base. This was not

accepted.

According to “The Forgotten Monarchy of Scotland” by HRH Prince Michael of Albany, it

mentions “As previously stated, the French union had been cemented through David I

and wife Maud de Lens, but few historians comment on the importance of the resulting

trading advantage. Scotland was actually attached to a monopoly situation , for Maud

was not only a cousin of the Count of Flanders, she was also a cousin of Godefroi de

Buouilllon, Guardian of the newly kingdom of Jerusalem.

A common tale in the northeast of Scotland is that the Duthies originally were survivors

from the wreck of a Dutch ship. It is said that the local folks called them Dutchies and

eventually Duthies. If this is the case then there is no single genealogical line to follow

as there would have been several sailors from different families. Furthermore, this

would unlikely explain why there were pockets of this name along the east coast and

not inland. The writer does not feel that this story can be correct.

Immigration from Europe

From “St. Margaret Queen of Scotland” by David McRoberts “The pagan Vikings

founded a settlement in northern France, accepted Christianity, and with the genius of

there race for adaptation, they took the nascent feudalism and chivalry of France, the

quickening of scholarship and the arts and the great spiritual revival of Cluny, welded

them together and, from their Duchy of Normandy, propagated a new fashion of life

throughout western Christendom”. The Norsemen (Normans) had settlements along

the northern coast of France (Think of Norman as being Norseman). Many family

names in Scotland originated in northern mainland Europe. Today, these names

comprise of a large percentage of the Scottish population. The arrival of William the

Conqueror in 1066 brought Norman names such as Barclay, Bruce (as in Robert de

Bruce), Cumming (Comyn), Grant, Fraser, Gordon, Hay, Lindsay, Meston, Stewart, etc.

Is it possible that the Duthies had Viking connections?

There are less than 3,000 Duthie families in the whole world today. This would suggest

that the name is of relatively recent vintage in the United Kingdom. The International

Genealogical Index (IGI) records of the British Isles of the 16th century only list a John

Duthie born in Angus in 1584 and another of the same name born in Clackmananshire

in 1592. However, in the years between 1570 and 1599 in Lincolnshire, and in no other

shire, there were nineteen births with names sounding something similar to Duthie.

These include Deughtie, Dewtie, Dewtye, Duty, and Dwty. Note that all the people with

the above names were only living in coastal areas. Also, bear in mind that words were

written as they sounded to the listener.

By the 1600s, there were naturally many more records available in the IGI records. In

Scotland, we are still only seeing names spelled Duthie or Duthy in Aberdeenshire,

Kincardineshire, Angus, Perthshire, Stirling, Clackmananshire, and Midlothian. All of

these counties are on the east coast of Scotland. There is one of a “similar” name in

London in 1661, a James Duthaies. In England we continue to find people of the same

spelling as described in the previous paragraph.

Gordon Johnson of Aberdeen uncovered a book entitled The History and Regality of

Musselburgh by James Paterson. A de Thomae Duchtie, known locally as Duthy, is

recorded in Mussilburgh (old spelling) in 1534. However, the spelling of his last name is

also given as Dughtie and Douchtie.

“Loretto, near Musselburgh (near Edinburgh) is celebrated as the sanctuary of the

Virgin, of whom it had an image, and the residence of a holy man, a hermit, who, it

would appear from a charter of James V, in 1534, was that actual founder. We learn

that the hermit was called Thomas Duthy, or Duchtie, as he is styled elsewhere, of the

order of St. Paul, first hermit of Mount Sinai, and that he had a grant from the Bailies of

a petr a, or stony piece of land, in the territory of Mussleburgh, for the erection of a

chapel in the honor of God and the Virgin Mary of Loretto. There can thus be no doubt

that Thomas Duthy, who had brought an image of the Virgin from Loretto, in Italy, was

the founder of the chapel. The circumstance, in fact, is recorded in the “Diurnal of

Remarkable Occurants.

That Thomas was not only a Scotsman, but a native of Mussleburgh, seems highly

probable. Amongst the town’s papers there is a precept for infefting George Preston in

“ane croft of land called Halleswalls, lying to the south of the village of Newbiggin, within

the liberties of the town of Mussleburgh, betwixt the lands some time of Thomas

Dughtie, on the south of the arable lands of Inveresk on the west, &c. This precept is

dated 6th January, 1523, ten years prior to the hermit’s arrival with the image. The

individual here mentioned was probably himself or his father. If himself, he may have

passed the intervening years fighting the Turks.”

In the novel “The Yellow Frigate” by James Grant, Routledge, London, reference is

made of Thomas (no last name mentioned), the hermit of Loretto. The shrine

eventually lost its good standing was torn down and the stone used to create the

present tollbooth of Mussleburgh.

A letter by the writer of August 2000 to Father Mullan of the Lady of Loretto and St.

Michael Church in Mussleburgh asking for any additional information has brought forth

no response.

A few family members have said that Thomas Arthur Duthie (#58) had a genealogist

work on the Duthie ancestry and reported that we are derived from a Saint Duthil or a

King Duthil. The family of Thomas are however, not aware of any such work being

done nor has the writer found a Saint or a King by that name.

The only person of this surname that the writer has been able to find is a Sabaude

Duthil born in Dax, Landes, France about 1689.

Now Duthil could easily be handwritten as Duthie and vice versa. There are two Duthils

in Scotland. One is in parish #96B in Invernesshire (now known as Highland, and the

other at parish #132 Elgin. I am not sure of the pronunciation of Gaelic but Duthil could

be “cheatharnaich” – warrior’s glen. There certainly was no Saint or King associated

with these wee places.

A Duvty is recorded as burgess of Aberdeen in 1507, while a Gilbert Duvty was also a

burgess of the town in 1567. Could this name have become Duthie? Incidentally, there

do not appear to be any people living today in Scotland named Duvty so this would add

credence to the thought that the spelling was changed.

Perhaps the people with Duthie/Duty sounding names may have originated some-where

in Europe – possibly France. A clue might be in the name of the hermit, “de Thomae

Duchtie”. Perhaps, there is a link between the English written names of the 1500s;

Deughtie, Dewtie, Dewtye, Duty, and Dwty and, the Scottish written names; Dughtie,

Douchtie, Duvty, Duthy and Duthie. As far as the writer is aware, only Duty and Duthie

survive today. Interestingly, there appears to be none of the name Duty in Scotland and

very few in England but very many in the USA. No genealogist, according to the

Genealogical Research Directory (GRD), is researching these afore mentioned names

except Duty and Duthie.

I, Fred (#1), am told that the name Duthie, in Inverallochy, was pronounced slightly

differently some seventy years ago. One old person said it sounded like “Duthoy” while

another said it was like “Duthi” with the “i” as in ink. To “spice up” interest the following

is a picture taken from the side of a house at 13 Shore Street, Inverallochy. The house,

when occupied by a Robert Duthie in 1779 was a single story. When the second story

was added, the carving was raised. There is no written documentation but plenty of

possibilities.

Of further interest, there are people by the name of Duthier and Duthiers. The names

are known in France, Switzerland and the USA.

Of Ancient Scots

Here is an extract of Surnames of Scotland , page 234, by George F. Black, for the

New York Public Library .

" DUTHIE . The name may commemorate S. Dubhthach of Tain. It is a shortened

Anglicization of MacGille Dubhthaigh , "son of the servant of Dubhthach". The Gaelic

name for Tain is Baile Dhubhthaich , "Dubhthach's town". Marjory Duthe had a tack of

Hundclett in Holme, Orkney, 1492 (REO., p. 407). Seven of the name are recorded in

Dunblane and neighborhood from 1598 ( Dunblane ). Patrick Duthie is in Insches, parish

of Glenbervie, 1612, and four more of the name are in record ( Brechin ). David Duthie

appears in Ballbrogie, 1744 ( Dunkeld ), and Alexander Duthie was a planter in Jamaica,

1769. The name is said to be common in Angus and it is also recorded in Banchory-

Devenick.”

(Notes – “ may commemorate”, also that the name was not common in the 1500s and

then only scattered along the east coast. I would very much like to think our name has

origins here as Black suggests. In Tain it is recorded that in 1560 “St. Duthac’s relics,

including “ane heid of silver callit sanct Duthois hede”, are removed from Tain for safe

keeping and never seen again.

Black also gives the following:

“DUTHAC . The Scotticized form of G. Dubhthach . The OIr. name is Dubthach , mod.

Ir. Dubhthach , gen. Dubhthaigh as in Ua Dubhthaigh , usually Anglicized Duffy or

O'Duffy, but rendered Duhig in county Cork, and Dooey, Dowey, and Duhy in Ulster.

The Welsh is Dyfodwg . The earlier nominative is Dubthoch (as in Liber Armagh), and in

ar. ogham inscription at Lamogue, county Waterford, Dovatuc-eas . In ON. spelled

Dufthakr . Dubhthach was arch poet of King Laeghaire, converted by S. Patrick.

Dubhthach , coarb (comharba) of Columcille, died 7th October 938. Dubhthach

Albanach (i.e. 'of Alba') 'chief soul friend of Ireland and Scotland', died 1065. (AU.).

Duftach, "sacerdos", was one of the witnesses to confirmation of the church of Holy

Trinity of Dunkeld to the Abbey of Dunfermline before 1169 (RD., p74). He is probably

Dustah ( f misread as long s ), 'sacerdos et abbas', probably a Culdee abbot of S. Serf's,

who appears as witness to the settlement of a dispute between the Culdees of

Lochleven and Robert Burgonensis in the reign of David I (RPSA., 118). As forename:

Duthacus de Carnegy, 1410 (REB., I, 27). Duthac Ker was burgess of Edinburgh, 1482

( Nuebotle , 304) and Duthac Rutherfurde was killed, 1495 (Trials, I, p.20). From S.

Duthac comes the Gaelic name of Tain, Baile Dhu'aich ( Dhubhthaich )."

tack - an attachment coarb - see comarb - the head of the famies comprising an old

Irish sept; the successor in an ecclesiastical office, abbot, vicar sacerdos - priestly

(sacerdotal) liber - a book.

The Mearns of Old by James Crabb Watt, K.C., explains:

Duthac (Duthow, Dubtach) (d. 1065), bishop. Of Scottish origin, Duthac studied for

some years in Ireland; on his return he was consecrated bishop. He worked mainly in

Ross. He died on 8 March and was buried in Tayne. After seven years his body was

found to be incorrupt and was translated to a more splendid shrine. William Worcester

describes him as “the saint reckoned to be the most venerated in the land of Ross”.

Some of his miracle stories are picturesque. A guest at a party, who drank too much

and had a headache, sent some pork to Duthac asking to be cured. His disciple left it

on a grave with a gold ring while he prayed. A kite (hawk) stole them both, but Duthac

conjured back the kite, returned the ring, but let the kite eat the pork. There are

dedications at Arbroath, Kilduich, and Kilduthie; his shrine was by King James IV and

many others. Feast: 8 March.”

In a book entitled The Mearns , the place name Arduthie is described as follows:

“Stonehaven Station (railway) stands on it. Formerly, Arduthoquey. Ard , a plateau,

between Cowie and Carron; and Duthan, a saint, Duthac’s height. Or, tuath , graves;

the height of the graves, meaning the ancient sepulchres, including the grave of King

Malcolm. There are references in the Annals to tribal disturbances and slaughter in

Fetteresso mentioned passim * in the text. Or, ard , dubh, and coy , the height where the

dark marsh is. Here there was within living memory a marsh in the centre called the Lily

Loch and Dews Loch. Or, Ard-dubhachaidh , blackfield point. Duthac was a fairly

common name, and they were not necessarily all saints, and except in this name there

is no trace of a Duthac here; but there are many modern Duthies here . There was

St. Duthac, a contemporary of St. Patrick, 432; and the Tain man, with the holy shirt, at

least 500 years later. Baldutho, Fife - Duthac’s Town. There was a Duthac Carnegy of

Cookston, Forfar, who fell at the Battle of Harlaw.”

* scattered

Bold letters are of my doing so as to emphasize.

According to " Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland ", St. Dubthach, otherwise St.

Duthac, was born in Tain "in this region is the town called Thane, where the bones of

Dutho, an holy man (as they say) do rest - - -. The saint's shirt, known in Latin as

"camisia Sancti Duthaci", was a noted relic in mediaeval times. It was preserved in one

of the churches within the saint's sanctuary at Tain, and in the fourteenth century was

worn by the Earls of Ross as a charm when going into battle".

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: