Long renowned for their tradition of military bravery, the Graham Clan is of ancient origin. Traditionally, the Grahams claim descent from Gramus, a Caledonian chief who breached the Antonine Wall in 420 in order to repel the Romans from their occupation of Scotland. The first authenticated record is of William de Grahame, who witnessed the David I's charter of the Abbey of Holyrood in 1128. He was later granted the lands of Abercorn and Dalkeith by David I, and the Grahams went on to marry into a family of Celtic royalty and so obtained further lands at Strathhearn in Perthshire.
The Clan became famed for their military prowess, to the extent that they justly earned the title "the gallant Grahams". It was in Scotland's struggle for independence against England that the Grahams first shone in the volumes of Scottish history. Sir John Graham of Dandaff was the right-hand man of the great Sir William Wallace, and died fighting the English for the control of his homeland in the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. His nephew had met a similar end two years earlier at the Battle of Dunbar, carrying the banner of King John Baliol into battle. Sir John's son, Sir David Graham, became the first to acquire lands in the Highlands for the Clan, including the territory of Montrose. Clan Graham's loyalty to the Crown of Scotland did not go unrewarded. In 1445, the Chief of the Clan, Sir Patrick Graham, was created Lord Graham. His grandson, William, was made 1st Earl of Montrose in 1505 by James IV, and laid down his life for the King at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Subsequent Chiefs earned their successors further royal titles. James Graham was created Marquis of Montrose in 1644, and James, 4th Marquis, was raised to the Dukedom of Montrose in 1707.
During the Great Civil War which engulfed the British Isles in the seventeenth century, James Graham, 5th Earl and 1st Marquis of Montrose, fought for Charles I as a ingenious commander and gained his reputation as Europe's leading general. Montrose, commanding a small force, having defeated seven Covenant armies during 1644 to 1645, briefly reconquered Scotland for the King. Unfortunately, the tide of war turned against the royalist forces and Montrose left Scotland on the King's orders, only to return after the Charles I's execution to wage war against the roundheads under the banner of Charles II. He was captured after the Battle of Carbisdale in 1650 and was taken to Edinburgh, where he wrote his famous poem on the eve of his execution. He was then hanged and his body quartered and sent to different regions of the country for display. Such a ignominious end did not befit a soldier of Montrose's calibre, however, and upon Charles II being restored to the throne, the General's remains were given a magnificent state burial. Almost forty years later, yet another clansman, General Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee - "Bonnie Dundee" to his admirers or Bloody Claverhouse to his enemies - died at the head of his victorious forces at the battle of Killiecrankie.
The current Chief is the 7th Duke of Montrose, who held the position of Rhodesian Minister of Defence from 1965 to 1968, and now resides in Salisbury, Zimbabwe. His heir, the Marquess of Graham, lives at Drymen, in Scotland.The Clan crest is a falcon preying on a stork, and the Clan motto is "Ne oublie" - do not forget.
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