http://www.scotweb.co.uk/info/kerr/
The origins of the name Kerr are disputed as being either:
Caer (British for “fort”
Ciar (Scottish Gaelic for “dusky”
Mac Ghiolla Cheara (Irish language)
Kjrr (Old Norse for “marsh dweller”
Ceàrr (Scottish Gaelic for “left handed” - carrie handit in Lowland Scots)
Asked how to say his name, Admiral Mark Kerr told The Literary Digest “In Scotland the name rhymes with care."
http://www.scotclans.com/scottish_clans/clan_kerr/history.html
Gaelic Name: Cearr, MacGhillechearr
Motto: Sero sed serio (Late but in earnest)
Kerr Clan Crest: The Sun in spledour.
Lands: Roxburghshire
Origin of Name: British, caer (Fort)
Clan Chief The Most Hon. The Marquess of Lothian (Loudun)
The vikings termed marsh dwellers "kjrr". When their descendants arrived in Britain from Normandy with William the Conqueror the term had become a name with the forms Ker and Kerr, also Carr and Carre.
From Arran on the Celtic West Coast comes a claim that the name is derived from the Gaelic for "strength".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce
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called Robert the Bruce. As earl of Carrick he paid homage to King Edward I of England, who, in 1296, defeated King John de Baliol and thereafter refused to acknowledge another king of Scotland. Bruce later abandoned Edward's cause and joined other Scottish leaders in taking up arms for the independence of his country.
http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclankerr.htm
There is a legend that the Kerrs were frequently left-handed and even constructed the spiral staircases in their castles so that they could take advantage over right-handed swordsmen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Kerr
The great Clan Kerr is well remembered in Scotland as one of the most loyal but warlike Clans of the turbulent Border territories. The Kerrs have typically been associated with left-handedness; some of their buildings, such as Ferniehirst Castle, have been explicitly designed with this in mind.[3] There is an anecdotal link between the Kerrs and left-handedness, although it is unclear whether or not present-day individuals with the surname of Kerr have a higher incidence of left-handedness than the general population. [South Paws]
http://www.stewkerr.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Kerr.htm
There are several Kerr badges. The most common is seen here and shows the crest of the Chief of the Name Kerr (the Marquis of Lothian) inside a strap is engraved the Chief's Motto "SERO SED SERIO" which translates as 'Late but in Earnest' and refers to the Scottish victory over the English at the Battle of Ancrum Moor (1545) at which the Kerr's played a major role.
The Kerr's were generally understood to have come from Norman descent and settled in the Scottish Borders in the 14th Century. There were two great Kerr families in the Borders, descended from two brothers, Ralph and John who settled near Jedburgh in c1330. They were the Kerr's of Cessford (descended from Ralph), the family of the Duke of Roxburghe, and the Kerr's of Ferniehurst (descended from John), now represented by the Marquis of Lothian. The two families were always in conflict with each other.
The Middle March frontier was wide, desolate and criss-crossed by the secret ways of the border reivers (raiders), through the mosses and bogs and twisting passes of Cheviot, the 'high craggy hills' above Teviotdale, and the bleak Northumberland valleys. This was "hot trod" country – the home of the "moss-trooper" and the origin of 'blackmail'. These Kerr's were notoriously left-handed, building the stair-cases in their peel towers anti-clockwise.
The Kerr's were, with the possible exception of the Scott's, the leading tribe of the Scottish Middle March. The Kerr's were one of the most prominent families in the Scottish Middle March, in particular, their rivals were the Scott's, with whom they had a longstanding feud. The Kerr's, apart from differences with other clans, were sometimes at feud with each other; the branches of Cessford and Ferniehurst were frequently rivals for Warden ship of the Scottish Middle March.
It was written of them c.1600 >Irritable and capricious by nature, the Kerr's seem to have been blood-thirsty and arrogant even above their fellows. Whether their leaders were bidding against each other for the warden ship of the Middle March, feuding with their neighbours, or crossing the border to fire the ‘towns’ of Northumberland, they remained an enigma which neither government succeeded in solving. At one moment they would be loyal, charming servants of their king: the next they would be unpredictable bandits.
Thomas Musgrave wrote to Lord Burghley, on the Anglo-Scottish borderers, 1583 "They are a people, that will be Scottishe when they will, and Englishe at their pleasure."
http://www.jedburgh-online.org.uk/clansandfamilies.asp
Two branches of the [Clan Kerr] lived near Jedburgh, the Kers Of Cessford and the Kerrs of Ferniehirst, and a deadly feud existed between them. Both attained high office and both became Warden of the Scottish Middle March. Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst fought for Mary, Queen of Scots at the Battle of Langside, while Sir Water Ker of Cessford took the side of James VI. The feud was only ended after the Union of the Crowns with the marriage of Anne Ker of Cessford to William Kerr of Ferniehirst.
Coming originally from southern Norway in the 10th C., the family settled in France before coming to Britain with the Normans in 1066 and arriving in Scotland about 100 years later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunbar_(1296)
The Battle of Dunbar was the only significant field action in the campaign of 1296. King Edward I of England had invaded Scotland in 1296 to punish King John Balliol for his refusal to support English military action in France. After the sack of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edward rushed to complete the conquest of Scotland, remained in the town for a month, supervising the strengthening of its defences. On 5 April, he received a message from King John renouncing his homage, to which he remarked, more in contempt than anger, O foolish knave! What folly he commits. If he will not come to us we will go to him."
The next objective in the campaign was the Earl of March's castle at Dunbar, a few miles up the coast from Berwick. March was with the English, but his wife, Marjory Comyn, sister of the Earl of Buchan, did not share her husband's political loyalties and allowed her fellow Scots to occupy the castle. There is little evidence to suggest that Dunbar was anything other than an action between two bodies of mounted men-at-arms (armoured cavalry). The Scots occupied a strong position on some high ground to the west. According to one English source over ten thousand Scots died at the battle of Dunbar, however this is probably a confusion with the casualties incurred at the storming of Berwick.
The battle of Dunbar effectively ended the war of 1296 with the English winning. The remainder of the campaign was little more than a grand mopping-up operation. James, the hereditary High Steward of Scotland, surrendered the important fortress at Roxburgh without attempting a defence, and others were quick to follow his example. Only Edinburgh Castle held out for a week against Edward's siege engines. A Scottish garrison sent out to help King John, who had fled north to Forfar, were told to provide for their own safety. Edward himself, true to his word, advanced into central and northern Scotland in pursuit of King John. Stirling Castle, which guarded the vital passage across the River Forth was deserted save for a janitor who stayed behind to hand the keys to the English.
Dressed for the occasion John was ceremoniously stripped of the vestments of royalty. Antony Bek, the Bishop of Durham, ripped the red and gold arms of Scotland from his surcoat, thus bequeathing to history the nickname Toom Tabard (empty coat) by which John has been known to generations of Scottish schoolchildren. He and his son Edward were sent south into captivity. Soon after, the English king followed, carrying in his train the Stone of Scone and other relics of Scottish nationhood.
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Wallace, Sir William (1272?-1305), Scottish national hero. The only source of information concerning his early life is a 15th-century biographical poem by the Scottish poet Henry the Minstrel, who was known as Blind Harry. According to this work Wallace was outlawed by the English because of a quarrel that resulted in the death of an Englishman. He subsequently burned an English garrison and led an attack upon the English justiciar, an officer for the king, at Scone, Scotland. In 1297 his name appeared in a treaty of submission to England that was signed by the Scottish nobles who took part in his rebellion. Wallace captured many English fortresses north of the Forth River, and on September 11, 1297, in the Battle of Stirling Bridge, he severely defeated English forces attempting to cross the Forth. He was then elected to the office of guardian of the kingdom. In 1298 Scotland was invaded by a large English force led by the English king Edward I. On July 22, 1298, Edward defeated Wallace's army in the Battle of Falkirk, and Wallace was forced into hiding. He lived in France for a time but returned and was captured near Glasgow by the Scottish knight Sir John de Menteith (died after 1329). He was brought to London, tried for treason, and executed.
The Battle of Stirling Bridge 9/11/1297
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stirling_Bridge
http://www.readprint.com/chapter-29792/In-Freedom-s-Cause-G-A-Henty
http://www.classicreader.com/book/1819/10/
In Freedom's Cause by G. A. Henty - Chapter IX.
Upon rejoining his force Sir William Wallace called the few knights and gentlemen who were with him together, and said to them:
Methinks, gentlemen, that the woes of this contest should not fall upon one side only. Every one of you here are outlawed, and if you are taken by the English will be executed or thrown in prison for life, and your lands and all belonging to you forfeited. It is time that those who fight upon the other side should learn that they too run some risk. Besides leading his vassals in the field against us, Sir John Kerr twice in arms has attacked me, and done his best to slay me or deliver me over to the English. He fell yesterday by my hand at Stirling, and I hereby declare forfeit the land which he held. Sir John Grahame, do you proceed tomorrow with five hundred men and take possession of the hold of the Kerrs. Sir Allan Kerr is still at Stirling, and will not be there to defend it. Like enough the vassals will make no resistance, but will gladly accept the change of masters. The Kerrs have the reputation of being hard lords, and their vassals cannot like being forced to fight against the cause of their country. The hired men-at-arms may resist, but you will know how to make short work of these. I ask you to go rather than Sir Archibald Forbes, because I would not that it were said that he took the Kerr's hold on his private quarrel. When you have captured it he shall take a hundred picked men as a garrison. The place is strong.
"If we conquer, and Scotland is freed, I doubt in no way that the king, whoever he may be, will confirm my grant. If the English win, your land is lost, be it an acre or a county. And now let me be the first to congratulate you on having won by your sword and your patriotism the lands of your father, and on having repaid upon your family's enemies the measure which they meted to you. But you will still have to beware of the Kerrs. They are a powerful family, being connected by marriage with the Comyns of Badenoch, and other noble houses. However, if Scotland win the day the good work that you have done should well outweigh all the influence which they might bring to bear against you.
"And now, Archie, I can, for a time, release you. Ere long Edward's army will be pouring across the Border, and then I shall need every good Scotchman's sword. Till then you had best retire to your new estates, and spend the time in preparing your vassals to follow you in the field, and in putting one or other of your castles in the best state of defence you may. Methinks that the Kerr's hold may more easily be made to withstand a lengthened siege than Glen Cairn, seeing that the latter is commanded by the hill beside it. Kerr's castle, too, is much larger and more strongly fortified. I need no thanks," he continued, as Archie was about to express his warm gratitude; "it is the Warden of Scotland who rewards your services to the country; but Sir William Wallace will not forget how you have twice stood beside him against overwhelming odds, and how yesterday, in Stirling, it was your watchful care and thoughtful precaution which alone saved his life."
Archie's friends all congratulated him warmly, and the next morning, with his own band, he started for Glen Cairn. Here the news that he was once more their lawful chief caused the greatest delight. It was evening when he reached the village, and soon great bonfires blazed in the street, and as the news spread burned up from many an outlying farm. Before night all the vassals of the estate came in, and Glen Cairn and the village was a scene of great enthusiasm. Much as Archie regretted that he could not establish himself in the hold of his father, he felt that Wallace's suggestion was the right one. Glen Cairn was a mere shell, and could in no case be made capable of a prolonged resistance by a powerful force. Whereas, the castle of the Kerrs was very strong. It was a disappointment to his retainers when they heard that he could not at once return among them; but they saw the force of his reasons, and he promised that if Scotland was freed and peace restored, he would again make Glen Cairn habitable, and pass some of his time there.
"Should Scotland be permanently conquered, which may God forfend, it could not, of course, be held; but should we have temporary reverses we might well hold out until our party again gather head." Every man on the estate promised his aid to an extent far beyond that which Archie, as their feudal superior, had a right to demand from them. They had had a hard time under the Kerrs, who had raised all rents, and greatly increased their feudal services. They were sure of good treatment should the Forbeses make good their position as their lords, and were ready to make any sacrifices to aid them to do so.
Next morning a messenger arrived from Sir John Grahame, saying that he had, during the night, stormed Aberfilly, and that with scarce an exception all the vassals of the Kerrs -- when upon his arrival on the previous day they had learned of his purpose in coming, and of the disposition which Wallace had made of the estate -- had accepted the change with delight, and had joined him in the assault upon the castle, which was defended only by thirty men-at-arms. These had all been killed, and Sir John invited Archie to ride over at once and take possession. This he did, and found that the vassals of the estate were all gathered at the castle to welcome him. He was introduced to them by Sir John Grahame, and they received Archie with shouts of enthusiasm, and all swore obedience to him as their feudal lord. Archie promised them to be a kind and lenient chief, to abate any unfair burdens which had been laid upon them, and to respect all their rights.
"But," he said, "just at first I must ask for sacrifices from you. This castle is strong, but it must be made much stronger, and must be capable of standing a continued siege in case temporary reverses should enable the English to endeavour to retake it for their friend, Sir Allan Kerr. My vassals at Glen Cairn have promised an aid far beyond that which I can command, and I trust that you also will extend your time of feudal service, and promise you a relaxation in future years equivalent to the time you may now give." The demand was readily assented to, for the tenants of Aberfilly were no less delighted than those of Glen Cairn to escape from the rule of the Kerrs.
http://www.scotweb.co.uk/info/kerr/
In 1502 the barony of Oxnam became Sir Andrew Kerr of Ferniehurst’s by royal charter and he became warden of the middle marches. A few years before the Battle of Flodden Field three Englishmen killed Sir Robert Kerr, a former warden of the middle march, while he was attending a march across the Border, and his son tracked down one of the murderers and gave him what was known as “Jeddart justice”.
Clan Kerr fought against the English at the Battle of Flodden Field during the Anglo-Scottish Warsin 1513. The Clan Kerr’s faithfulness to the Crown of Scotland continued throughout the centuries. The Kerrs fought under their chief, Sir Andrew Kerr, at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513, standing beside King James IV of Scotland in his conflict with the English armies. Once when defending one of the Border Country Castles from an English attack, it is said that the English besiegers believed the Kerrs defending were being aided by the ‘devil himself’, as they fought so ferociously.
Thirteen years after the Battle of Flodden Field, Sir Andrew died in defence of the infant King James V of Scotland when the royal procession was attacked on the way to Edinburgh Castle.
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/ferniehirst/intro.htm
Ferniehirst was built to hold the gate for Scotland and to serve as a base for military raids and cattle-lifting forays. It commands the road to Otterburn and Newcastle, but is itself inconspicuous, concealed by frees and by the lie of the land.[1] It is quite obviously functional, whereas bigger castles often give the impression of having been very largely built for show, and it is difficult to imagine how people could have lived there, kept the place warm, or even simply found their way around.
Ferniehirst and its predecessors have been in the hands of the same family for over 500 years, and perhaps 700 if we are to include more temporary structures which probably existed on or near the same site before Ferniehirst itself. It is difficult to believe that a position of such strategic importance could have been left undefended for centuries, but the traces of the earlier structures are unlikely to be found; they would have been quite small (no more than two or three rooms superimposed on each other), with shallow foundations and largely built of wood: any stonework would have been cannibalised when the first castle was built in or about 1470.
On the second Friday in July, the Jethart Callant, representing all the young men who rode out to battle from Jedburgh in days long past, but never forgotten, leads a cavalcade of 200 riders or more from the town to the Castle forecourt where he, and his Right-hand Man, Left-hand man and Herald (regrettably there is no room for all the other riders and they have to stay just out of sight with their horses) are welcomed in the name of the Family by Lord Lothian or by a Kerr kinsman, ofter but not always a close relative. Following on the speech of welcome. an older representative of the town recites the "Reprisal", a poem which recalls the capture of the Castle in 1548 by Sir John Kerr, his men and their French allies (see p 22). All present then sing a verse of "Jethart’s Here"[2], drinks are passed round and the cavalcade leaves to participate in several other ceremonies before the Callant returns the Jethart Flag to the safekeeping of the Provost for another year.
The other Border Burghs all have similar festivals, spread out through June and July, but the Ferniehirst ceremony is unique, as none of the other towns has a family linked with it in the same way as the Kerrs are linked with Jedburgh.
This ... Town Song ... is treated somewhat like a national anthem.
THE REPRISAL - 1549 by Walter Laidlaw
(Former Custodian of Jedburgh Abbey)
The Scots and French, led on by Kerr, Courageous and well-trained to war, On horse, on foot, from far and near, With Jethart axe and Border spear, Responded to the bugle-call; Though strong the tower, a breach they made, Through which the English captain said, "My noble chief, we mercy crave." "You’ll get the mercy that you gave," Above the clang of sword and spear Was "Forward" heard and "Jethart’s Here!" So well the Kerrs their left-hands ply The dead and dying round them lie, Now trembling for his cruel deeds In vain for life the foeman pleads, Peace over all doth now preside. The days of siege and raids are o’er, The din of war resounds no more; No sound except the song of bird Within the forest glade is heard, While thistles wave and roses bloom To guard and deck the warrior’s tomb.
.....................................Denim Like Dungaree Raiders - Kerr Like Scottish Bagpipers
.png/200px-Kerr_tartan_(Vestiarium_Scoticum).png)
History of the Kilt in Scotland
The kilt, or philabeg to use its older Gaelic name, that has now become the standard dress for all "Highlanders", has its origin in an older garment called the belted plaid. The Gaelic word for tartan is breacan, meaning partially colored or speckled, and every tartan today features a multicolored arrangement of stripes and checks.
http://www.carr-genealogy.com/cname.html
The Gaelic theory may safely be discarded as the Gaelic language was never spoken in the Kerr territory. The Gaelic word for left-hand was probably a result of an early battle involving the KERR family, (more about that at a later date), rather than the other way around.
The British theory is just credible. The Welsh language was spoken in the upper Tweeddale, where the Kerr family first surfaced in Scotland. As an example, the Wallaces of Eldersile (rent and watch the movie “Braveheart,” The Kerr family lived right where in the middle of the wars and conflicts described in that film). Name did come from the Welsh language.
The most likely answer is that the Kerrs were of Norwegian ancestry. According to this theory, our ancestors came as norsemen with a norse leader whose name was Rolf the Ganger or Rollo the Walker. They settled in the angle of Brittany and the Cherbourg peninsula in 910 ad. Decedents of the Norsemen then came to England in 1066 in the routine of De Bruys, the ancestors of the Robert the Bruce. They took up land near Preston where they received, in return for being gamekeepers for the landlords, a portion of the game. The Kerr families first occupation was that of a Gamekeeper.
The Kerr's, Scotts and Douglases were the most powerful families on the Scottish side of the border. From them were usually chosen the Wardens of the Middle Marches, but they could be little trusted to dispense justice in that office, as they themselves were often raiding the English when no squabbling with each other. They were far more disposed to rely on the axe and the sword to maintain order.
The Border Reiver Families of the Carr and Kerr families Spoke a dialect called Geordie Which, has come down to us today in the region, relativly unchanged.We were Border Reivers or Riding Families for nearly 400 years.
The region between Scotland and England, which includes The Borders, Dumfries and Galloway on the Scottish side, and Cumbria and Northumbria in England, were wartorn and unsettled for more than three hundred years.
The Border Reivers became so inured to the continual strife in their lives that, when they baptized their sons, they left the right hand unblessed, so that in time of feud he would be better equipped to strike unhallowed blows on his familiy's enemy's. That was when they baptized their sons at all.
The Border Reivers were not known for their piety. It was said that they would deceive and rob Jesus himself if he rode among them. A tale is often told of how a man visiting The Borders asked why there were no churches in the town, to which his interlocutor replied, "Nae, we're all Elliotts 'n' Armstrongs here." Nor were the churchmen any fonder of the reivers. The Archbishop of Glasgow publicly cursed them with a resounding ferocity that still has the power to chill our souls.
Riding their shaggy ponies of Norse extraction, Called "Hobby's" dressed in an assortment of helmets and homemade armor, the Kerr's and their counterparts brought sword and musket to bear against their enemies with neither rest nor mercy. Even when England and Scotland were officially at peace, the raids continued.
According to James Leyburn, author of The Scotch-Irish, the Lowland Scots were a mixture of nine main groups - Picts, Gaelic Scotti, Brythonic Celts, Irish emigrants, Angles, Saxons, including the Frisian's, Norse and the descendants of the soldiers who manned the frontier forts ofRoman Britain.
These, plus a smattering of Norman nobles and Flemish traders - even a few Hungarian courtiers from the entourage of Margaret Atheling, bride of Malcolm Canmore - made the people of this region one of the most diverse in the Medieval British Isles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fornjót says "Fornjót (Old Norse Fornjótr) is an ancient giant in Norse mythology, the father of Kári (a personification of wind), of Logi (a personification of fire), and of Hlér or Ægir (the ruler of the sea) and a king of Finland. Fornjót is also, following a particular legendary genealogical tradition, the first-known direct paternal ancestor of William I of England and also through other supposed descendants a terminal ancestor of ascending branches of many European noble families and modern Icelandic families.
According to the Orkneyinga Saga, "There was a king called Fornjotur who ruled over Finland and Kvenland, the countries stretching to the east of what we call the Gulf of Bothnia, which lies opposite the White Sea. Fornjotur had three sons, HLER (whom we also call AEGIR), a second called LOGI and a third, KARI,. Kari was the father of FROSTI, who was in turn the father of SNAER the OLD, the father of THORRI. Thorri had two sons, NOR and GOR and a daughter, GOI." According to legend, Fornjotur was also the father of KARL, HLESSY, and GMIR. Nor founded Norway (Nor'sway) and Gor was known as the "Sea King".
The Bjarmians were the most eastern of the Finnic people referred to as Kvens, and thus Bjarmaland formed the most eastern edge of the area known as Kvenland.
Earl Rognvald campaigned with King Harald Fine Hair who gave him charge of North More, SouthMore and Romsdale. Earl Rognvald married Ragnhild, the daughter of Hrolf Nose, and it was their son, Hrolf, who conquered Normandy. This Hrolf was so big that no horse could carry him, which is why he was given the name Gongu-Hrolf. The earls of Rouen and the kings of England are descended from him."
ENCARTA © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Edward the III began a series of wars almost directly after he had control of England. Taking advantage of civil war in Scotland in 1333, he invaded the country, defeated the Scots at Halidon Hill, England, and restored Edward de Baliol to the throne of Scotland. Baliol, however, was soon deposed, and later attempts by Edward to establish him permanently as king of Scotland were unsuccessful. In 1337 France came to the aid of Scotland. This action was the culminating point in a series of disagreements between France and England
http://www.scotclans.com/scottish_clans/clans/douglas/history.html
In Gaelic, dubh means black, and glas means grey. These are the main shades used in the tartan. The earliest recorded Douglas seems to be William of Douglas. William’s son was Archibald Douglas, who had a prosperous existence before vanishing in 1239. His son Sir Andrew founded the senior cadet branch of the Douglas family while his other son fathered ‘the Good Sir James’. The Good Sir James was the greatest Captain under Robert the Bruce in the War of Independence and is held as the third of Scotland’s finest patriots only after Bruce and William Wallace. [Sir Andrew Kerr and Sir John Kerr maybe the 4th and 5th most infamous Reivers]
Looks like some development is going on here _iiii 
Some Other KoH Mods That Are Available Here ... 
4 Squared Caerrs need artist rendering for thumbnails ...
