Cluney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The Cluney family saga is rooted in the people of the Pictish Clan of ancient Scotland. The Cluney family lived in the lands of Clunie in Stormont, Perthshire. "This place, which is of remote antiquity, is distinguished as the scene of a battle between the Caledonians and the Romans under Agricola. In a field near the Hill of Gourdie, are still remaining several mounds, in a parallel direction, separated by trenches of equal length, called the "Steeds Stalls;" and here the advanced guard of the Caledonian army was posted to watch the movements of the Roman army, which was encamped on the plains of Inchtuthill, about two miles to the south." 1

Early Origins of the Cluney family

The surname Cluney was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) where "William de Clonin witnessed a confirmation charter by Alexander II to the Abbey of Arbroath c. 1214-1218. The ward of Eugene de Cluny is referred to in 1263. William de Cluny of Perthshire rendered homage in 1296, and appears again on an inquest at Perth in 1304. Another William de Cluny, chaunteur of Breghyn in the county of Strivelyn, also rendered homage in that year and is mentioned again in 1305 as Sir William de Clony, chaplain to the bishop of Brechin. Adam Cluny of Fifeshire also rendered homage in 1296, and John de Cloni or de Cloney of Fife was one of the Scots prisoners taken at Dunbar Castle in the same year." 2

The mentions of "rendered homage" in the preceding paragraph refers to King Edward I of England's intrusion into Scotland.

Cluny is a parish in the district of Kincardine O'Neil, county of Aberdeen "The name of this place, signifying, in Gaelic, meadows interspersed with rising grounds, is descriptive of the appearance of the locality." 1

Early History of the Cluney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cluney research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1296, 1616, 1686, 1757, 1784, 1787, 1790, 1791 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Cluney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cluney Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Cluney include Clunie, Clooney, Cloon, Cloone, Clowney, Clune, Cluney, Clunis and many more.

Early Notables of the Cluney family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Clunie (1757?-1819), "the supposed author of the beautiful Scotch [(Scottish)] song 'I lo'e na a laddie but ane,' born about 1757. He was educated for the church of Scotland, and licensed by the presbytery of Edinburgh on 29 Dec. 1784. He then became schoolmaster at Narkinch, Fifeshire, and possessing a fine voice and some musical skill acted as precentor in the parish church. In 1790 he was presented by the Duke of Buccleuch to the parish of Ewes, Dumfriesshire, and...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cluney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cluney migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Cluney:

Cluney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Cluney, who settled in Philadelphia in 1866
Thomas Cluney, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1868

Contemporary Notables of the name Cluney (post 1700) +

Ryan Cluney (b. 1984), American professional wrestler who uses the ring name Ryan McBride
John C. Cluney, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 5th District, 1946 3
Edward G. Cluney, American politician, Representative from New York 33rd District, 1940 3
Henry Cluney (b. 1957), Northern Irish guitarist, founding member of Stiff Little Fingers in 1977

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html