Where did the name Yarrow come from? What is their coat of arms? When did the Yarrow family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

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Coat of Arms > Yarrow Coat of Arms

Yarrow Coat of Arms and Name History

Yarrow

Origin Displayed: Borderlands

Spelling variations of this family name include: Yarrow, Yarro, Yarroe, Yarrowe, Yarrowhall and others.

First found in Northumberland where they were anciently seated on the English/Scottish border.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: a bearer of Yarrow, who is on record in Virginia in 1696; Francis Yarrow, one of the settlers who came with Governor Cornwallis to Chebucto, Nova Scotia, in 1749.

Some noteworthy people of the name Yarrow

Peter Yarrow (b. 1938), American folksinger and guitar player, member of "Peter, Paul and Mary"
John Yarrow (1817-1898), poet, orator and painter
Sir Alfred Yarrow (1842-1932), English shipbuilder, philanthropist, 1st Baronet
Bethany Yarrow, singer, songwriter, arranger, producer

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Coats of Arms: History
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Coats of Arms: Elements
Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

Learn More About Borderlands Surnames

DISSOLUTION OF THE BORDER CLANS

In 1587, an act of Scottish Parliament condemned certain border families and clans for their lawlessness. Later, in 1603, when the crowns of Scotland and England were united under James VI of Scotland, he found it expedient to disperse the unruly border clans to England, northern Scotland and to Ireland. Some were even banished directly to the Colonies. In 1246, six chiefs from the Scottish side of the border met with an equal number of their counterparts from the English side at Carlisle, where they drafted a unique set of laws governing all the border clans.

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SCOTLAND: THE JACOBITES

The Jacobites were the supporters of the Catholic James II, whose brief reign as king of Britain was marred by religious conflict between the monarch and his largely Protestant subjects. In 1669, James converted to Catholicism while serving as Lord High Admiral. News of his conversion leaked out to the general public in 1673, and he was forced to resign from his post due to the ensuing controversy. Although the outraged aristocracy attempted to exclude him from the succession, they failed to do so and upon the death of James' elder brother Charles II in 1685, their fears of having a Catholic king became a reality.

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