The following is an extract from the writings of James Creighton and his forthcoming book -

CREIGHTON
THE PEOPLE FROM THE ROCKY HOMELAND

The name Creighton is Celtic in origin, whether written as Creighton or Crichton. 'Creig' (Craig) means rock or rocky, where 'Crich' signifies "Boundry." 'Ton' is from the old Scots "Toun", meaning Homeland. This is why 'From the rocky homeland' is the closest translation of our family name. The spelling of the name is insignificant at this point, like so many other names from the British Isles, it comes from a point in time that precedes modern language. It has appeared in many forms down through the centuries, I have even seen a reference from a book of family names written in the 1800's which tells of the land acquirisition of a Creighton with a Latinized version of the name from the time of the Roman occupation, with an "ai" at the end. From this same book came a long discussion as to where the 'Rocky Homeland' was originally located. One was Southumbria, a name that denotes a region south of the Umber River in east-central England, around Lincolnshire. The other was Strathclyde, which is the old region of Southwest Scotland, or Galloway. There was a brief monologue in the book about the family being sent north as mercenaries for the Roman army, to help stabilize the area from Pict attacks, and they were given lands there as payment for their services. If this is historically correct, then the family has been in the Borders region since around 400 A.D. All indication found so far is that the Creightons have very old roots in the southwest Scottish region, especially in Dumfriesshire, and Midlothian around Edinburgh. If the family was in fact from ancient Britton-Celt stock, they could have come from any number of tribes from central England north to Strathclyde. These tribes withstood centuries of Danish, Saxon and Anglo-Norman incursions into their homelands well into the 12th century when Henry II sent his Norman troops north to invade Northumbria, Strahclyde and Scotland in 1173-1174.

It is during the reign of David I of Scotland (1124-1153) that the Creighton name comes alive in written records. First appears mention of land charters for the family "Kreitton", recorded as one of the earliest baronies in Midlothian, around Edinburgh. The Castle Creighton, it's ruins still a focal point 12 miles south of Edinburgh, was probably built sometime during this period in the early 1100's, although just outside the castle walls can be found remnants of a Roman occupation. The Romans first arrived in this area in 80 A.D.

In 1128 King David began construction the Abby of Holyrood House. In that year he had many nobles witness the foundation of Holyrood, and one noble of record was Thurston de Crechtune. The name appears to be Norman, but it was probably a chosen name change to keep in better standing with the ever-increasing Norman aristocracy, which was coming up from the south. His son went back to a simple Crichton as his surname, but still with the French Prefix "de".

Thurston's son was Thomas de Crichton, who in 1296 is recorded in the Ragman Rolls of Edward I, of England. All Scots nobility were required to swear an oath of fealty to King Edward (allegiance to their Scot king who would then be subject to King Edward).  Thomas de Crichton, along with hundreds of others, did so. There were only two Scots who refused to swear Edward Longshank's oath, William Wallace's uncle, and William Wallace himself. A note of interest here is that the Wallace family had also been driven north out of their old homelands in England around 300 years before. They shared a common background with the Creighton family as border warrior-farmers.

From here on out the Creighton family becomes more and more political as the country enters into generations of civil strife, wars and rivalry for the thrown.  The three sons of Thomas de Crichton, close to the Edinburgh intrigue, begin to expand family holdings. The second born son marries Isabel de Ross, who is heiress to the barony of Sauquhar, Dumfriesshire.

The rise of James Stewart as James I of Scotland (1406-1437) bring the Creighton's into full focus as a family steeped in royal favor. The families Stewart, Creighton, Livingston, Kennedy, Hepburn, Douglas and many others from southwest Scotland vied for control of lands and title as James became king. By 1420 the Earls of Douglas have gained royal favor. Two men emerge out of Dumfries and Nithsdale that are allied with the House of Douglas. William Crichton and his cousin George will soon become high advisors to the king, and two of the richest and most powerful men in Scotland.

William Crichton became personal chamberlain to King James, then master of the royal household. He combined these duties with those of sheriff of Edinburgh and Governor and keeper of Edinburgh castle. With these duties so close to the king also came much power and influence with the local nobles and burgesses, and with the kings household knights. His cousin George Crichton was one such knight, and William soon had him rising along with himself. George was soon sheriff of West Lothian as well as lord of Blackness castle near the king's new Palace at Linlithgow. Another cousin, Robert Crighton of Sanquhar, descended from Thomas de Crichton, will go on to become sheriff of Dumfries in 1464, then Coroner of Nithsdale in 1468. (James III will raise Robert's son, also named Robert, to the peerage as Lord Crichton of Sanquhar in 1487).

With King James' death in 1437, William Crichton rose to full power as the regent of the boy king James II. Throughout the young king's minority reign, William, as Chancellor of Scotland, controlled the royal council. His cousin George remained lord of Blackness castle. They in particular opposed any increased power and influence from the "Black" Douglas clan, who had virtually taken over the country during the past century. In 1440 Sir William Crichton invited the Earl of Douglas and his brother to dine at Edinburgh castle with young king James. After the meal the two Douglas's were taken out and killed. This infamous meal is known as the "Black Dinner", and it led to years of division and warfare between the Douglas clan supporters, and the Crichton's, who where in charge of the royal council.

By the time James was old enough to assume full reign over his kingdom, the Crichton cousins had acquired lands and estates all over lowland Scotland. Their power and prestige was at the point of eclipsing that of the Douglas faction. Sir William became so powerful that he held royal council meetings at Creighton castle instead of Edinburgh. The Douglas clan had attacked him at Edinburgh castle after the Black Dinner, but William surrendered the castle and there was a truce called between the two factions. By 1443 open warfare broke out again, with the young king this time siding with the Douglas's. The result was a civil war that tore Scotland in two. The king and the Douglas troops first laid siege to the fortified house of George Crichton at Barnton. When George surrendered the house to the king, James then called Sir William to meet him at Edinburgh castle. When William refused, the council stripped him of his chancelorship and took away his place on the council; but he was allowed to retain Edinburgh castle and to continue his war with Douglas. In 1444 Douglas once again attacked Edinburgh castle, and William gave up. He lost all claim to Edinburgh castle, he had fought his last battle. The civil war went on for one more year.

Three years later William was once again Chancellor of Scotland. He was sent to arrange the marriage of the king to Marie of Gueldres, and for this service to the king he was raised to the peerage as Lord Crichton. George became Earl of Caithness, and Admiral of Scotland. The political jockeying continued around the king however, withal of the intricacies of a game of chess. In 1453, William Lord Crichton dies, but not before turning vast land holdings over to his wife. The king retaliates by forcing George Crichton to name him as heir too much of his lands. In 1454, George dies, and his son James Crichton attacks castle Blackness and holds it successfully against the king. This attempt to regain lost family property fails however when James dies suddenly, also in 1454. This ends the "Reign" of the cousins Crichton and their 50-year rise to power through two Stewart kings.

Williams's son, the second Lord Crichton, obtained through marriage the barony of Frendraught in Banffshire.

The third Lord Crichton joined the Duke of Albany in a rebellion against the Dukes brother, James (Stewart) III of Scotland. Lord Crichton garrisoned castle Creighton against the king, but the rebellion failed. Lord Crichton was deemed a traitor to the king, and was forced to forfeit the family castle and the Midlothian holdings to the Crown in the 1480's. During these same years (1487) King James III honored another Crichton to the peerage. Robert Crichton of Sanquhar was given the title of Lord Crichton of Sanquhar. Lord Semple killed William, the 3rd Lord Crichton of Sanquhar in 1552 in the house of the regent Arran. The 6th Lord of Sanquhar died in disgrace after killing his fencing instructor in retaliation for blinding him in one eye, years before. This line finally passed on to the current line of Crichton-Stuart, the Marquesses of Butte.

One hundred years later, there were still Crichton's in service to the Stewart Monarchy. One of the most famous was James Crichton (1560-1582), "the Admirable Crichton".   He was born in Dumfries at Eliock House and was the son of the Lord Advocate for both Mary Queen of Scots and her son James VI.   During his short life he acted as a knight for Henry III in France, was a student at St. Andrews University, spoke 10 languages, was an accomplished equestrian and swordsman, and was credited as being the smartest man in the world at that time. In Paris at Padua University he held a debate with 50 of the most brilliant minds in Europe who asked him questions on Aristotle. He offered to answer all questions, in whatever language desired. He did not fail one question. He won the favor of the Pope in Rome, and then became tutor to the son of the Duke of Mantua. 6 men, who set upon him with swords, attacked him on the streets of Mantua in July 1582. He dispatched 5, but the 6th stabbed him, and he died. The culprit was his own ward, Vincenzo Mantua.  The loss of this great man resulted in 9 months of official Court mourning.

1652, another James Crichton is raised to the peerage as the Viscount of Frendraught. During the Jacobite wars he fought in the battle of Invercarron, in which the Covenant forces under Colonel Strachan defeated the royalist army. Crichton gave his horse to his leader, the Earl of Montrose, helping him escape. Crichton was wounded and taken captive, but died before he could be tried. He was honored with one of the largest funerals in Scottish history.

The present chiefly line descends from the Crichton's of Frendraught, with the family chief living at the castle of Monzie, in Crieff, Scotland.

So as you can see, the Creighton family has been continuously active in Scottish politics from at least the early 12th century to the 17th century. As far as the spelling of the name goes, I believe that all of the above can be written as Creighton as well as Crichton. In viewing old records, it is evident that the spelling and use of the two names was personal preference only. As the family grew in population in the countryside of Galloway and Dumfriesshire, the people also went through a late Renaissance. As schools spread across Scotland, the people finally became literate. I believe that the two spellings became the norm, with Creighton moving into the majority just because of sheer volume in numbers. There are still enough Craytons, Crietons, etc in the world to show that many slipped through with phonetic spellings before the name became standardized.

The setting of the Scottish Lowlands, and the Uplands of Galloway during the 1600's and 1700's was one of religious, social, and political upheaval. It remained one of the poorest regions in Northern Europe, and the people still lived by antiquated Feudal laws. There was constant wars and famine. When land became available in Northern Ireland in 1610, thousands of Scots were more than ready to go the 35 miles across the Irish Sea to a better land. This was a product of King James Stewart VI, who also became James I of England at the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603. It was called the Plantation of Ulster.

To put it as briefly as I can, the hope was that many English and Scot noblemen and merchants could make a lot of money if they sent in stable Protestant Scot, English, and French Huguenots to the wilds of northern Ireland. An early attempt in 1590 proved successful with Scot families being sent in to Counties Down and Antrim. Now in 1610 the king sanctioned the remaining counties of Ulster to be opened to settlement as well. The Creighton name is prominent from the very beginning as one of the original grantees of land in 1590. They were the land agents working for their Lords in Scotland to go over, obtain land, and assign tenants from home to occupy the grants. When Michael Creighton's father emigrated from Scotland to County Down late in the 1700's, his family had already been there in various forms and categories for 200 years.

There is an old book that has become bible for those following the early history of the Ulster Plantation. It is entitled: 'The Scotch-Irish or the Scot in Northern Britain, Northern Ireland, Northern America, The Ulster Plantation From 1610-1630'. In this book can be found many detailed transcripts of land transactions and notes, written by the early officials in charge of the overall emigration policy. A couple entries involve Creighton family members, and help us understand the conditions and politics of the time period a little better. One of the early goals was to bring in "civilized' Protestant working families, and force out the warlike, nomadic and Catholic native Irish so that the land could be utilized to it's fullest extent. In the following extract, the officials have evidently been on a trip north to inspect the new grants. They complain about Lord Obigny, evidently the Landlord of the largest grant; and three more landlords as being absentee from their holdings. This was cause for them to loose their grants altogether, a forfeiture which often occurred.

Extract:
"Precinct of Clanchie. The Lord Obigny, 3000 acres; in the county of Craven; appeared not nor any for him, nothing done, the natives still remaining. William Downebarr, William Baylye, and John Rolestone, 1000 acres apiece, the like. Since our return from the north, one Mr. Thomas Creighton arrived here and presented himself as the agent for the Lord Obigney and William Downebarr, William Baylye, and John Rolestone, who informed us that he had brought with him sundry artificers and tenants, with cattle, horses and household provisions for the planting and inhabiting of that precinct, and has gone hither with intent to providen materials; and it is said that Downebarr, Baylye, and Rolestone are arrived themselves in the north and gone to their portions�."

Extract:
This one involves the transferring of one 1000-acre tract that changed hands twice:�"1000 acres; transfer to Thomas Moneypenny, Laird of Kinkell, Fifeshire. Transferred to Thomas Crichton�.", and "�.1000 acres, George Adwick, guardian of David Crichton, son of Thomas, deceased, (transferred from Tms. Moneypenny): bawn of stone enclosing a poor thatched house; 6 free holders, 4 lessees�.."

And so, you find land agents and developers, just like today, going around looking for some good deals. Here we find a Mr. Crichton, who obtained 1000 acres in transfer from Mr. Moneypenny, who had received the land from someone else. Mr. Crichton dies, and along comes Mr. Adwick who becomes the guardian to the (underage?) son David Crichton, and we can assume Mr. Adwick ended up with the 1000 acres. Mr. Adwick worked as an agent for one Sir Stephen Butler, who was a grantee of lands owned by James Trayle. Sir Stephen Butler was in turn a grantee on lands owned by George Smelhome, and on and on and on. Apply for a Hugh land grant in Ulster, get one of your under lords to go over and make application, then find one of your freeholders to act as agent (undertaker) and let him roam the Scottish countryside rounding up farmers and tradesmen to drop every thing and go to Ireland and live on your newly sub-divided land grant.

There were enough Creightons in Ulster by 1650 that the Irish O' Creacha'in, O'Criocha'in, and (O') Crehan name was being anglicized to Creighton, and they were quite numerous in county Tyron. I guess we should be glad that we know that our Creightons come directly from Scotland, wherever the home place might be.

The only other thing of interest to note is of one line of Ulster Creightons that became noblemen and soldiers, and built the famous castle Crom at Newtown Butler, County Fermanaugh, home of the Earls of Erne. Abraham Creighton, who was created Baron Erne of Crom in 1768, died in 1772. In 1802, John Creighton, 3rd Earl of Erne, changed the name from Creighton to Crichton. He was Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanaugh and a representative peer of Ireland. I rest my case on the Creighton name.