Brechan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Brechan was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, where they held a family seat in the town of Brechin.

"This place derives its name, of Gaelic origin, from its situation on an acclivity rising from the banks of the river South Esk; it is of very considerable antiquity, and was formerly the seat of a diocese, the cathedral of which is now the church of the parish. " 1

Isaac of Brechin in 1178 was one of the first to use the name as a surname. In their early history they seemed to be closely related to the church and church activities, and frequent mention is made of their relationship with the Bishops of Brechin. Conjecturally this Isaac may have been the spearhead of many of the Norman families invited north by King David I of Scotland about 1130, and granted lands at Brechin. 2

Sir David Brechin (d. 1321), Lord of Brechin, a royal burgh in Angusshire, was eldest son of Sir David of Brechin, one of the barons of Scotland who attended Edward I into France 1297. "His mother, whose Christian name is not known, was one of the seven sisters of King Robert Bruce, but his father seems to have favoured the English side up to the king's victory at Inverary in 1308, when he retired to his castle of Brechin. "3

Much further to the south in St. Ive, Cornwall, England we found this interesting passage: "There was a little king of Wales named Brechan, from whom the district of Brecknock derived its name. This king had twenty-four sons and daughters, who finally took up their residence in various parts of Devonshire and Cornwall, where they lived as hermits; on which account they were considered as holy martyrs, saints, or confessors. One of these, whose name was John, took up his abode in Cornwall, in a parish that has assumed his name." 4