Abberkirdo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland

The Abberkirdo family saga is rooted in the people of the Pictish Clan of ancient Scotland. The Abberkirdo family lived in the old barony of Aberkirder, in Banffshire.

Early Origins of the Abberkirdo family

The surname Abberkirdo was first found in Banffshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhanbh), former Scottish county located in the northeasterly Grampian region of Scotland, now of divided between the Council Areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire, in the old barony of Aberkirder, where one of the first of the Clan on record was John Aberkirder who rendered homage to King Edward 1st of England, in 1296. ^[1]

The first Thane of Aberkerder was John de Aberkerder ( fl. 1242.) He is thought to have died c. 1286-1289. His descendant Symon, Thane of Aberberder founded the Chaplainry of St Marnan ("for the souls of his ancestors." ) Symon was succeeded by his daughter daughter, Sybil de Aberkerder, who died prior to 1328. (W. Douglas Simpson, 1931.)

Aberchirder is a village, in the parish of Marnoch, "derived from Sir David Aberkerder, Thane of Aberkerder, who lived about the year 1400, and possessed great property here." ^[2]

Kinnairdy Castle, 10 miles south of Banff, is the fortress seat of the Celtic Thane of Aberkerder. The tower portion was built about 1420 by Sir Walter Innes, whose father had married Janet de Aberkerder, heiress to the thanage. Her father Sir David Aberkerder, Thane of Aberkerder (fl. 1400) held most of the parish or Aberchirder at that time.

Important Dates for the Abberkirdo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abberkirdo research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 146 and 1468 are included under the topic Early Abberkirdo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abberkirdo 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 Abberkirdo include Aberkirder, Aberkerdour, Aberchirdour and others.

Early Notables of the Abberkirdo family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Abberkirdo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Abberkirdo family

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 Abberkirdo: James Aberkirder who settled in Virginia in 1690.

Citations

1. ^ 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)
2. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.