Clan Kirkpatrick

The clan takes its name from the church of Saint Patrick in the parish of Closeburn in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

[1] The family first appear on record in the twelfth century when Ivone de Kirkpatrick witnessed a charter of the Clan Bruce.

[1] It is said that Kirkpatrick met the Bruce rushing out of the church exclaiming that he thought he had killed Comyn and that Kirkpatrick then drew his dagger with the words, I mak sikkar; meaning “I make sure”; the clan motto and chief's coat of arms allude to this story.

[1] The title then passed through a nephew to Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, who in 1409 received from Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany the baronies of Closeburn and Redburgh.

[1] The estate then passed through a cousin and in 1685 Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia for his support of Charles I of England.

Closeburn Castle , which dates from the late 14th century, was once a stronghold of Clan Kirkpatrick. [ 2 ]
Kirkpatrick crests carved into walls of the old Kirkpatrick church in Closeburn. The crest and motto are barely legible above a memorial to William Kirkpatrick.