History of the Dalrymple Surname

The earliest authentic record of this name occurs in a charter granting their lands to Kennedy of Dunure in 1371. Three generations are mentioned in the charter, the eldest of whom was Adam de Dalrymple. Adam lived in the time of Alexander III and, dying in 1300, left a son, Gilchrist, who was a contemporary of King Robert Bruce. Malcom, son of Gilchrist, divided the lands between his two sons, John and Roland. Kennedy first obtained the lands held by John in 1371, and six years later added those held by Roland's son Hugh. William Dalrymple, son of John, obtained the lands of Stair-Montgomery by marriage to the Kennedy heiress and became the first Dalrymple of Stair.
Some generations later, in 1544, James Dalrymple of Stair joined the earls of Lennos and Glencairn against the regent Arran. His son, also James, signed the Confession of Faith and joined the reformed religion in 1562. An opponent of Queen Mary's marriage to Darnley in 1565, he obtained remission in 1566, and in the following year, after the abdication of Mary, he declared his allegiance to the infant King James.
His great grandson, James (1619-1695) served in the Covenating army 1639-1641 and, becoming an eminent lawyer, rose to acclaim as a statesman during the Cromwellian government. Rather than take the Test Oath, he resigned his posts in 1681 and fled to Holland. He returned with King William of Orange and was reappointed Lord President , and in due course became 1st Viscount Stair. Although he made important contributions to Scots Law, his memory is stained with the blood shed in the Massacre of Glencoe. Families descended from the 1st Viscount include those of North Berwick and Hailes in East Lothian, and the Dalrymples of High Mark in Wigtownshire. The Dalrymple tartan is a reconstruction of a pattern found in a family portrait and is of unique construction and colouration.
This database is derived mainly from information found in Volume II of The Peerage of Scotland (pages 519-539) by Sir Robert Douglas. There are some discrepancies in the lineage of James Dalrymple, back to William de Dalrymple, with that of Burke's Peerage and Baronetage. In such cases, Sir Robert's data prevails.