Lord Kinfauns is a title of nobility and baronial rank held by the Irish, Roman Catholic, Commane family, with genealogy in Burke’s Peerage[1] The lordship was granted in 1487 by King James III of Scots and in 1608 by King James I of Ireland, but was possibly created earlier for Sir Thomas Charteris around 1340.[2][3]
History[]
The title started with Sir Thomas Charteris around 1340, according to legend. He was a Frenchman who moved to Scotland. Stories say he was a pirate before he became a knight. He helped Sir William Wallace and King Robert the Bruce fight for Scotland, earning the title for his bravery.[4][5]
In 1487, the title was officially recorded in a document called the Great Seal. The Charteris family held the title for many years. In 1552, Sir John Charteris, the second lord, was killed in a fight with another family. Another Sir John Charteris, the third lord, refused to give up during a siege in a war involving Mary, Queen of Scots.[6] Quoted in contemporary narrative as:[7]
“the Queen’s Lieutenant here, the Lord Kinfauns, [who] refused to surrender,”
In the 1600s, Sir George Hay became the sixth Lord Kinfauns and later the Earl of Kinnoull.[8] His son, a military leader also named Sir George Hay, was styled Lord Kinfauns his father's subsidiary title as a courtesy.[9] Alexander Blair Carnegie, eleventh lord, was later taken to court by his wife in the case:[10][11]
Lady Kinfauns v. Lord Kinfauns (19 July 1711)
In which he was found liable for the expense of a journey to Bath that she had undertaken against his wishes.[12]
By the 1700s, the title merged with the Lords of Gray. Later, it passed to a cousin and was long held as a subsidiary title by the Earls of Moray—one of the original seven earldoms of Scotland, known in the 10th century as mormaers (Gaelic for earl).[13] Today, the Commane family holds the title.
Current Lord[]
In Burke's Peerage, the current Lord Kinfauns is Fergus Commane born in 1953. In the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, he is Chief of Clan Ó Comáin.
His son, Antoin Commane, is the heir to the title. His wife is Maria, Lady Kinfauns.
Lord Kinfauns is custodian of Killone Abbey and the Holy Well of St John the Baptist, important religious places in Newhall, County Clare, Ireland.[1]
Seat[]
The family seat is Newhall House and Estate a historic gentry estate in County Clare, Ireland.[1]
Kinfauns Name[]
The name Kinfauns comes from the Gaelic words ceann-fauns, meaning "head of the slope." This refers to the Sidlaw Hills near the village of Kinfauns in Scotland.
Duties[]
The Lords of Kinfauns were granted by the Crown the hereitable office of admiralty over the River Tay in Scotland.[1] This means they protect the river’s fish and stop people from fishing illegally. Long ago, ships on the river would salute Kinfauns Castle as they passed.[14]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Burke's Peerage Revised Families. Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd. Updated 2025
- ↑ Great Seal of Scotland, Great Seal of Scotland (15 June 1487). "crown charter "domino Kynfawnis" lord Kinfauns". Great Seal of Scotland 25 Feb 1608.
- ↑ Millar, Alexander Hastie (1890). The Historical Castles and Mansions of Scotland: Perthshire and Forfarshire. A. Gardner. p. 109.
- ↑ "Lord Kinfauns (Timeline)". www.lordkinfauns.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ Michael, Lynch (1 April 2024). Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Oxford University Press. pp. 428–430. ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0.
- ↑ Fasnacht, George Eugène (1897). Pedigree of the Lords of Kinfauns. p. 143.
- ↑ Oliphant (Margaret), Mrs (1854). Magdalen Hepburn: A Story of the Scottish Reformation. Hurst and Blackett.
- ↑ Publications of the Scottish History Society. T. and A. Constable. 1899. p. 396.
- ↑ "LORD KINFAUNS [SSNE 5056] - The Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern European Biographical Database". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
- ↑ Warden, Alexander Johnston (1881). Angus or Forfarshire, the land and its people, descriptive and historical.
- ↑ Debrett, John (1822). Scotland and Ireland. G. Woodfall.
- ↑ MACGLASHAN (Solicitor.), John (1837). The Law and Practice in Actions of Aliment Competent to the Local Courts of Scotland. Thomas Clark.
- ↑ SCOTLAND EARLS.
- ↑ the power of admiralty which the Lords of Kinfauns had over the Tay.