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surnameMark Nesbitt of that Ilk is Chief of the Nisbet/Nesbitt family (equivalent to a Highland clan). The concept of chiefship is perhaps less well-developed in the Lowlands of Scotland, than in the Highlands, but bears the same significance in Scottish law. The Chief of a clan is recognised by the Lord Lyon as bearing the undifferenced, “stem” form of Nisbet arms, and thus usually represents the oldest (recorded) family in the family heartland.
Some large clans, such as the MacDonalds have a Chief and subsidary Chieftains, but this is not the case in our family. The Chiefs of all clans considered substantial enough to have a “following“ are granted supporters by the Lord Lyon - these are the two boars holding up the shield in the Arms illustrated above.
Although the recognition of a Chief is determined by Scottish law, his or her role (there are several woman Chiefs, most notably Lady Saltoun, Chief of the Frasers) is very much up to the Chief. Most Chiefs, whether or nor resident in Scotland, are actively involved with their clans, usually through the clan associations.
The Nesbit(t) or Nisbet surname is recorded in Berwickshire, from the 12th century onwards. A plausible path of descent can be traced from 1444; after this, the father-son descent from Sir Philip Nisbet of that Ilk (1444-1523) to the Chief, and current holder of the arms, is clear. The family intermarried with other Border families, including Haldane of Gleneagles families, and the Swinton family, with which our arms have in common three boars' heads.
The Nisbet family lost its estates at the time of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639-1653). Sir Alexander Nisbet of that Ilk (c. 1580-1660) was a fervent supporter of Charles I, but was to lose three sons as well as his newly built tower house, Nisbet House. The family motto, "I byd it" (I endure it) was all too appropriate. The eldest son, Sir Philip Nisbet, was executed in Glasgow after the Battle of Philiphaugh; Col. Robert Nisbet was captured with Montrose and executed at Edinburgh in 1650, and Major Alexander Nisbet was killed at the siege of York in 1644. His youngest son, Adam Nisbet, had one son, Alexander Nisbet (1657-1725), the well-known author of A System of Heraldry. Nisbet "The Herald" died unmarried, and is commemorated by a memorial in Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh.
The family's male line continued through Sir Alexander's brother, the Reverend Philip Nisbet, who had moved south to York and become Rector of St. Martin's Micklegate. The Reverend Philip was a fervent Coventanter and supporter of the Parliamentarian cause. The future history of the family was to centre on York, then London. The family's interest in its Scottish ancestry of the family was muted until the researches of my great-grandfather, Robert Chancellor Nesbitt, author of Nisbet of that Ilk (John Murray, 1941, reprinted Phillimore 1994). R.C. Nesbitt matriculated his arms in the 1930s, but not as Chief.
My grandfather and father were less interested in family history or heraldry, but in 1993 my father, Robert Anthony Ellis Nesbitt, undertook to reprint Nisbet of that Ilk. In discussions in Edinburgh, Lyon suggested both that he matriculate his arms and, that on further examination, that it would be correct to matriculate as Chief of the Name and arms of Nesbitt (or Nisbet). On the death of my father on 15 August 2000, as his only son, I inherited the arms.
Some large clans, such as the MacDonalds have a Chief and subsidary Chieftains, but this is not the case in our family. The Chiefs of all clans considered substantial enough to have a “following“ are granted supporters by the Lord Lyon - these are the two boars holding up the shield in the Arms illustrated above.
Although the recognition of a Chief is determined by Scottish law, his or her role (there are several woman Chiefs, most notably Lady Saltoun, Chief of the Frasers) is very much up to the Chief. Most Chiefs, whether or nor resident in Scotland, are actively involved with their clans, usually through the clan associations.
The Nesbit(t) or Nisbet surname is recorded in Berwickshire, from the 12th century onwards. A plausible path of descent can be traced from 1444; after this, the father-son descent from Sir Philip Nisbet of that Ilk (1444-1523) to the Chief, and current holder of the arms, is clear. The family intermarried with other Border families, including Haldane of Gleneagles families, and the Swinton family, with which our arms have in common three boars' heads.
The Nisbet family lost its estates at the time of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639-1653). Sir Alexander Nisbet of that Ilk (c. 1580-1660) was a fervent supporter of Charles I, but was to lose three sons as well as his newly built tower house, Nisbet House. The family motto, "I byd it" (I endure it) was all too appropriate. The eldest son, Sir Philip Nisbet, was executed in Glasgow after the Battle of Philiphaugh; Col. Robert Nisbet was captured with Montrose and executed at Edinburgh in 1650, and Major Alexander Nisbet was killed at the siege of York in 1644. His youngest son, Adam Nisbet, had one son, Alexander Nisbet (1657-1725), the well-known author of A System of Heraldry. Nisbet "The Herald" died unmarried, and is commemorated by a memorial in Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh.
The family's male line continued through Sir Alexander's brother, the Reverend Philip Nisbet, who had moved south to York and become Rector of St. Martin's Micklegate. The Reverend Philip was a fervent Coventanter and supporter of the Parliamentarian cause. The future history of the family was to centre on York, then London. The family's interest in its Scottish ancestry of the family was muted until the researches of my great-grandfather, Robert Chancellor Nesbitt, author of Nisbet of that Ilk (John Murray, 1941, reprinted Phillimore 1994). R.C. Nesbitt matriculated his arms in the 1930s, but not as Chief.
My grandfather and father were less interested in family history or heraldry, but in 1993 my father, Robert Anthony Ellis Nesbitt, undertook to reprint Nisbet of that Ilk. In discussions in Edinburgh, Lyon suggested both that he matriculate his arms and, that on further examination, that it would be correct to matriculate as Chief of the Name and arms of Nesbitt (or Nisbet). On the death of my father on 15 August 2000, as his only son, I inherited the arms.