Location: Scotland

Surnames/tags: Napier Scottish_Clans
Scotland Project > Scottish Clans > Clan Napier
Welcome to Clan Napier
Clan Napier Team | ||
---|---|---|
Team Leader | Charlotte Shockey | |
Team Members | Erik Napier |
- Clan Chief: Francis David Charles Napier, 15th Lord Napier and 6th Lord Ettrick. Hereditary Chief of the Clan Napier. Succeeded his father in 2012.
- Crest: A dexter arm erect couped below the elbow Proper, grasping a crescent Argent
- Motto: Sans tache (Without stain)
- Slogan/War Cry:
- Region: Fife and Midlothian; District - Central Belt
- Historic Seat: Edinburough
- Plant badge: Heather
- Pipe music:
- Gaelic name:
Clan Team
Team Goals
The focus of this team's work is to identify, improve and maintain profiles associated with the Lairds and Chiefs of Clan Napier together with members bearing the name Napier, the related families and those recognized as septs of Clan Napier.
Clan Napier Sticker
You can put this on your profile:
{{User Scottish Clan|tartan =Scotland_-_Clan_Tartans-133.jpg|clan = Clan Napier}}
Team To Do List
This list will be developed by the Team. If you are working on a specific task, please list it here:
- promoting the entries of those bearing the name Napier on Wikitree.
- ensuring entries appearing on Wikitree are as accurate as possible, correcting mistakes once spotted.
- encouraging interest in and study of Clan Napier
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Septs
Clan History
Clan Napier is a lowland Scottish clan rising in the Lothians with the historical seat being Merchiston Tower, now part of Napier University in Edinburgh. The current Clan Chief is Francis Napier, 15th Lord Napier & 6th Baron Ettrick. He has an heir.
Traditionally the Napiers are descended from the ancient Earls of Lennox who were one of the Celtic royal families of Scotland and Ireland. One theory holds that a "naperer" is "a person in charge of table linen in a royal or manor house” and that the original Napiers must have been “naperers” as an office for the royal household. However there is not much evidence for this title being used in Scotland. Another origin for the name is that one of the knights of the Earl of Lennox, possibly a younger son of the earl, distinguished himself in battle in support of William the Lion. After the victory the king singled him out praising his valour by saying "nae peer".
In 1625, Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston, the first Lord Napier, presented an affidavit to the College of Heralds, in which he described this origin of the name Napier, as having been bestowed by the king (probably Alexander II) on one Donald Lennox in recognition for acts of bravery. He states:
- “This battle went hard with the Scots, for the enemy, pressing furiously upon them, forced them to lose ground, until at last they fell to flat running away, which being perceived by Donald, he pulled his father's standard from the bearer thereof, and valiantly encountering the foe, being well followed by the Earl of Lenox's men, he repulsed the enemy, and changed the fortune of the day, whereby a great victory was got. After the battle as the manor is everyone advancing and setting forth his own acts the King said unto them "Ye have all done well but there is one amongst you who hath Na peer," and calling Donald into his presence he commanded him in regard of his worthy service and in augmentation of his honour to change his name from Lenox to Napier, and gave him the lands of Gosford and lands in Fife and made him his own servant, which discourse is confirmed by sundry of my old evidencies and testimonies wherein we are called Lenox alias Napier."
The first certain reference to the name Napier is in a charter of Malcolm, Earl of Lennox some time before 1290, in which he granted lands to John de Naper in Kilmahew and Dunbartonshire. The Napiers held the lands at Kilmahew for eighteen generations until 1820.[1][2]
Clan Branches
Other Names Associated with the Clan
- Naeper, Naiper, Napair, Napeir, Napeire, Naper, Napir, Napper, Neaper, Neiper, Nepar, Nepair, Nepeir, Neper, Nepere, Neppar, Nepper, Naperus, and Napierala.
Allied Clans
Rival Clans
Clan Research and Free Space Pages
Source Material
- Clan Napier
- Wikipedia:Lord_Napier
- Wikipedia:Barons Napier of Magdãla (1868)
- Wikipedia:Napier_baronets
See Also:
Image Credits and Acknowledgements
- Thank you to Charlotte Shockey for creating the page and gathering all the information together.
Information below this line should be summarized and incorporated into this Team page. Detailed information should be moved to additional Clan pages.
Battles
- Battle of Flodden
- Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
- Napoleonic Wars
Castles
- Kilmahew Castle, Cardross, Dunbartonshire, is the ancestral home of the Napiers of Kilmahew. It is now a ruin.
- Merchiston Tower, Edinburgh, is the ancestral home of the Napiers of Merchiston. It is the centre of the Merchiston Campus of Napier University.
- Other castles built or owned by the Napiers include Culcreuch Castle (Fintry, Stirlingshire) and Lauriston Castle (Edinburgh).
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