Guthry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name Guthry. It is a name for someone who lived in the barony of Guthrie in the county of Angus. The surname Guthry belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Guthry family

The surname Guthry 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, and in Forfar in the Barony of Guthrie. The first recorded member of the Guthrie family was a Guthrie who was sent to France after William Wallace in 1299.

Adam de Guthrie witnessed documents relating to a burgess of Dundee in 1348, and Jon of Guthere was a juror on the marches of Woodwrae in 1388.

"[Guthrie is] a parish, in the county of Forfar, 8 miles (N. W.) from Arbroath. This place confers its name upon the very ancient and distinguished family of the Guthries, one of whom, on the resignation of the guardianship of Scotland by Sir William Wallace, in 1299, and his retirement into France, was sent by the Scottish nobles to solicit the return of that hero, in order to assist his countrymen to expel the English invaders. His descendant, Sir David Guthrie, who was lord high treasurer of Scotland in the reign of James III., purchased from the monks of Arbroath, the church of Guthrie, which had for many years been attached to that abbey, and founded here a collegiate church for a provost and three prebendaries. Sir David Guthrie also erected a spacious and strongly-fortified baronial castle here, which is still entire; and on his decease, the manor passed to his son, Sir Alexander, who, with one of his sons and three of his brothers-in-law, fell in the battle of Flodden Field. " 1

Early History of the Guthry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guthry research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1457, 1461, 1479, 1492, 1600, 1612, 1620, 1636, 1649, 1661, 1665, 1676, 1890, 1964 and 1984 are included under the topic Early Guthry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guthry Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Guthry include Guthrie, Guthree, Lahiff, Guttrie and others.

Early Notables of the Guthry family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir David Guthrie (fl. 1479), Lord Treasurer of Scotland in 1461, the son of Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum; John Guthrie (d. 1492), Scottish prelate, Bishop of Ross; William Guthrie (1620-1665), a Scottish Puritan minister and author, best known for his book The Christian's Great Interest; John Guthrie (d. 1649), Scottish...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guthry Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Guthry family to Ireland

Some of the Guthry family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guthry migration to the United States +

Scots left their country by the thousands to travel to Australia and North America. Desperate for freedom and an opportunity to fend for themselves, many paid huge fees and suffered under terrible conditions on long voyages. Still, for those who made the trip, freedom and opportunity awaited. In North America, many fought their old English oppressors in the American War of Independence. In recent years, Scottish heritage has been an increasingly important topic, as Clan societies and other organizations have renewed people's interest in their history. An examination of passenger and immigration lists shows many early settlers bearing the name of Guthry:

Guthry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Guthry, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 2

Guthry migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Guthry Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Richard Guthry, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the schooner "Jane" from Galway, Ireland

The Guthry Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sto pro veritate
Motto Translation: I stand for the truth

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)