Although all are agreed that the Nesbitt/Nisbet family is of Scottish lowland origin, the times and means by which it became established in different areas remain uncertain. The Chief’s line, Nisbet of that Ilk, is well documented at West Nisbet, Berwickshire, in the 12th century (at that time spelt Nesbit - the more ancient form of the name). The descent from Earl Gospatrick (also claimed for the Swinton family), proposed by John Nesbitt Dowling, is plausible.

It’s impossible to enumerate all the Scottish lines of Nisbet, but some well-known landed branches of the family include:

Chart by Tom Nesbitt, 2007, drawing on new DNA evidence

The 17th century was the beginning of the spread of N/Ns well beyond Scotland: to England and Ireland and to North America (sometimes directly, sometimes - later on - via Ireland). A particularly intriguing question is when and where from such large numbers of Nisbets came to be in Northumberland and Durham, in coal-,mining communities.

This brief note will be expanded in due course; in the meantime, readers are referred to the Research resources pages.

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