Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Thomsons / Thompsons and King Robert the Bruce

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I like Robert the Bruce. For all sorts of reasons I'll not bother boring you with. So I was pleased a few weeks ago when a certain Mr Anderson was good enough to scan a page from The book of Ulster Surnames by Robert Bell, which he blogged about here.The Thompson/Thomson entry reads -

'...The name Thomson is among the first five in Scotland and in the Lowlands was of the same derivation as in England – 'son of Thom'. It was first recorded in 1318 when John Thomson, 'a man of low birth, but approved valour', was commander of the men of Carrick (in Ayrshire) in Edward Bruce's invasion of Ireland...'

The Bruces also came from Carrick - Turnberry to be precise, where their castle was on the site of today's famous golf course. So I did some checking and it was this same John Thomson who led the Bruce retreat from Ireland in 1318.

In the prolific Rev Thomas Thomson's A History of the Scottish People from the Earliest Times (1895) p 252 it says

'...the handful of Scots who survived the defeat were rallied by John Thomson, the leader of the men of Carrick; and having extricated them from the throng he effected a dangerous retreat to Carrickfergus, where they embarked for Scotland...'

I'm sure if I look at Barbour and other early texts I'll find the same Thomson. Our family tradition is that our Thompsons also came from Ayrshire, between Kilmarnock and Troon. The paper records we know of only go back to the mid 1700s, and even that early there was a Thompson family living in the townland where we still live today. I have no idea if I am descended from this much earlier Ayrshire John Thomson, and I expect there's no way to be sure.

But while there's doubt there's always hope - I'm glad he was a Bruce man and came to Ulster with them.

4 comments:

Alan said...

Are you sure he didn't build a feed mill on York Rd. before he retreated back to Scotland? ;)

Mark Thompson said...

That explains everything!

Julie Collins (nee Thomson) said...

Hi,

I too am researching the Thomson's, as I am one. I believe I have traced my family back to the the area around Ayrshire. I have been researching old maps and there is an area called
Thomastoun nearby Turnbury. Back in the 1400s there was an old Castle there which was called Koif Castle (you can see it on the map). I wonder if John Thomson was given this land and Castle as a reward, possibly by Robert the Bruce, for commanding Edward Bruce's army into battle in Ireland.

The land on which this Castle once stood is where Culzean Castle now stands. I went there last week and they confirmed that this is the land where Koif Castle once stood. Just how it was acquired by the Kennedy Family, I don't know, but there original castle was further up the coast. Please do get in touch if you have any further information.
Kind regards,
Julie Collins (nee Thomson) my email is juliecol999@gmail.com

Julie Collins (nee Thomson) said...

Hi,
I would be happy to do a DNA test with any of the Thomsons from Dumfries and Galloway, Aryshire, Northern Ireand and in the Highlands, Glenshee etc, to see if we do indeed all belong in one Clan. Is anyone up for a DNA test, as I think it would be a definitive moment! Regards,
Julie (Thomson) Collins