The Russells in Scotland

Russell is a Norman-derived surname, from the Old French rousel, “little red one”, a nickname for red hair or complexion. It is not a Gaelic patronymic and the Russells are a Lowland and North-East family rather than a Highland clan. The earliest documented bearer in Scotland is Walter Russell, who witnessed a charter to Paisley Abbey between 1164 and 1177, and Robert Russell appears on the Ragman Rolls of 1296 rendering homage to Edward I.

The family is associated with Perthshire, Clackmannanshire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire. Its best-documented seat is Aden in Aberdeenshire, bought in 1758 by Alexander Russell of Montcoffer and sold by Sidney Russell in 1937; Montcoffer in Banffshire was acquired in 1680. Among notable Russells is the physician and naturalist Alexander Russell, author of The Natural History of Aleppo in 1756.

One point to be straight about: Clan Russell is armigerous, meaning it has no chief recognised by the Lord Lyon, and there has been no restoration. The English Russell Dukes of Bedford are a separate peerage family, not the chiefs of a Scottish clan. The story of a Hugh Rozel arriving with William the Conqueror in 1066 is family tradition, not record.

The Russell tartan

The most useful fact about the Russell sett is that it is not exclusively Russell. The Scottish Register of Tartans records it under four names at once — Russell, Mitchell, Hunter and Galbraith — and it is closely related to the Ferguson of Balquhidder sett, differing in stripe colouring. A separate Russell entry carries a recorded design date of 1892.

A note on honesty: Russell does not appear in the Vestiarium Scoticum of 1842, so the usual false provenance can be ruled out. There is no separately recorded Russell Hunting, Dress or Weathered sett; Ancient, Modern, Weathered and Muted Russell are the same threadcount in different dye shades. The suggestion sometimes made that Russells followed the Comyns and might therefore wear Cumming tartan is not supported by evidence and we do not repeat it as fact. Tullis Russell tartan exists but is a corporate tartan for the Fife papermaking firm, not a family sett.

Family facts

No plant badge is recorded for the Russell family in the sources we checked, so none is listed above.

References

1. Russell tartans — The Scottish Register of Tartans
2. Russell — Council of Scottish Clans and Associations
3. Russell Tartan — Kinloch Anderson