From Maccus…

The Maxwells are an old and respected Borders clan, who can trace their origin back to the 12th century. They appear to have become a prominent and wealthy family very quickly and continued to occupy the higher echelons of Scottish life for many centuries.

They became Wardens of the West Marches, Stewards of Kirkcudbright and Annandale, ambassadors to England, and Provosts of Edinburgh. In addition there were peerages – Baron Maxwell, Baron Herries, Baron Eskdale, Baron Carlyle, Earl of Morton and Earl of Nithsdale.

The clan took its name from Maccus, a Saxon noble, who had fled England at the time of the Norman Conquest. During his stay in Scotland King David ascended to the throne. He had been brought up in England and had married the great niece of William the Conqueror. David was a devotee of Anglo-Norman culture and was determined to see it spread in Scotland . To that extent he rewarded Anglo-Normans who settled north of the border. Maccus was granted lands on the banks of the Tweed, near Kelso. He later gave his name to a salmon pool on the river, which became known as Maccuswell. The second part of the name came from “wael”, the old English word for pool. The adjacent lands got the name, and the descendants of Maccus became known as, “de” Maccuswael. It is not difficult to envisage the name evolving from de Maccuswael to Maxwell!

Maccus’s oldest son was Herbert of Maccuswell, who became the Sheriff of Teviotdale. He gifted the family’s church to Kelso Abbey sometime before his death in 1143. It was customary in those days to make such gifts to abbots who, in turn, would pray for the souls of their benefactors.

The Maxwells’ marriages to other great Scottish families – Crichton, Douglas, Hamilton, Herries, Seton and the Stewart brought them greater power and riches.

One example of how their influence was consolidated through marriage can be traced via the family’s history through 100 or so years from the 16th to the 17th centuries.

John Maxwell, the younger brother of Robert the sixth Lord Maxwell, married Agnes Herries. She was the eldest daughter and sole heiress of William, the third Lord Herries. Mr Maxwell became the fourth Lord Herries of Terregles. He died in 1582.

In 1667, Robert the eleventh Lord Maxwell and by now the second earl of Nithsdale died without marrying. His title went to his relative, John Maxwell, who just happened to be a direct descendant of the fourth Lord Herries. So John Maxwell became twelfth Lord Maxwell, seventh Lord Herries and third earl of Nithsdale, thus uniting two great landowning families in one man.

Maxwell’s House

Although the Maxwells hail from Kelso, they soon spread their influential wings right across southern and western Scotland and became among the greatest property-owning families in Scottish history. Over the years they built many castles and stately homes.

Caerlaverock Castle, between Annan and Dumfries, became a symbol of Maxwell prestige. It was built by Maccus’s grandson, Sir John de Maccuswell, who became Sheriff of Roxburgh and Teviotdale and later, around the year 1230 was made royal Chamberlain. It was involved in one of the most famous battles in Scottish history. During the first war of Scottish independence against the English it was besieged by King Edward’s army. The year was 1300 and Sir John’s grandson, Sir Herbert Maxwell lived at Caerlaverock. He was a Scottish patriot and was determined to resist Edward’s attempts to subdue the whole of Scotland. The English monarch brought an army of thousands which included 87 of the most illustrious English barons along with knights from Bretagne and Lorraine. Despite this overwhelming force the castle, well-prepared and designed to withstand a lengthy siege, refused to capitulate. The Maxwells hit their attackers with everything they could, causing massive losses. But eventually they were forced to surrender. It was only then it was discovered that the pride of the English army had been kept at bay by just 60 men. Caerlaverock was eventually given back to the Maxwells and Sir Herbert’s son, Sir Eustace became the owner. He became a supporter of John Baliol as king of Scotland. However, with typical Maxwell pragmatism he switched sides and joined Robert Bruce. In the ensuing war Caerlaverock Castle was again under siege. But it had been re-fortified, ironically thanks to cash provided by the English who supported Baliol, and this time it managed to hold out. However, the Bruce was worried that such an impregnable strategic fortress could fall into the wrong hands and persuaded Sir Eustace to dismantle it. Sir Eustace was encouraged by a great financial reward as well as his loyalty.

Maxwell’s Castle in nearby Dumfries was built in the fifteenth century and contained barracks which could house 200 men. It was bought by the people of Dumfries who pulled it down in 1720 and built a church on the site. In 1866 it too was demolished and Greyfriars Church was built.

Hoddom Castle, just east of Dumfries, is now a popular caravan park. It was built by Sir John Maxwell of Terregles in the 16th century as part of a defensive line across the border and was empty more often than not. It was sold in 1626 by Sir John’s grandson, William, Lord Herries and after it changed hands several more times it was requisitioned during WWII and was occupied by allied servicemen. In the 1950s, having fallen into disrepair much of it was demolished. Today all that remains are remnants of a 16th and 17th century towerhouse.

The fifteenth century Terregles Castle, a couple of miles northwest of Dumfries, was the seat of Lord Herries. It passed to the Maxwells in around 1540 when Agnes Herries married Sir John Maxwell. Mary, Queen of Scots spent several days there in 1568 recovering after losing the Battle of Langside before she fled into England. It was from here that the fifth Earl of Nithsdale rode out to join the rebellion of 1715. After he was captured at Preston, Lady Nithsdale buried the family papers and valuables in the grounds. It was demolished in the 1800s.

Newark Castle was built in the fifteenth century by George Maxwell, the second son of Sir William Maxwell of Calderwood. It stood on the banks of the Clyde with views to Dumbarton. King James IV stayed there in 1495. George Maxwell of Newark and Tealing (1678-1744) spent a fortune on his horses and was forced to sell Newark in 1705.

In 1674 the Maxwell sold to the city of Glasgow 18 acres of land to the west of the castle, which was used to construct a new port for Glasgow. It became the modern Port Glasgow and its mass of shipyards hid the castle from public view for nearly 100 years. When the ship building industry collapsed in the second half of the 20th century and with it the great structures which had dominated the countryside, a medieval castle, which is now in the care of Historic Scotland, appeared. 

Calderwood Castle was the home of the Maxwells of Calderwood from the end of the 14th century until it was sold in 1904. In stood in Calderglen, which is now a public park in East Kilbride. Other land owned by the family included the area now occupied by Glasgow Airport and the barony of Dargavel, which became the Bishopton munitions works.

Mearns Castle was built in 1449 just south of Glasgow. The area had been in Maxwell possession since the early thirteenth century. The lords Maxwell never lived there, preferring the south-west of Scotland. Today only a single tower remains. It can be seen in the affluent Glasgow suburb of Newton Mearns, where the local parish church has been attached to its northern facade, with the old castle forming the church steeple.

Haggs Castle was part of the Nether Pollok barony in Renfrewshire, although it has since been swallowed up by the city of Glasgow. A carved stone over the entrance confirms it was built by Sir John Maxwell of Pollok and his wife Margaret Cunningham in 1585. Haggs is now the oldest secular building in domestic use in Glasgow. It was used to house Sir John’s growing extended family who were based at nearby Nether Pollok. From the 1680s it was a dower house, for the ladies of the family. It had large gardens and orchards but was never endowed with farm lands of its own. In the 18th century old Nether Pollok Castle was replaced by the comfortable new Robert Adam designed Pollok House and the Ladies moved there, abandoning Haggs. By the 1860s, Sir John Maxwell of Pollok began selling bits of his estates to the city of Glasgow who built new houses on them. Sir John used the money to restore the old castle and it became the house and offices for the Estate Factor. It was requisitioned by the army during WWII and in the late 1940s the Maxwell Trustees converted it into flats. In 1972 it was bought by Glasgow Corporation, and converted for use as a children’s museum. In 1997 it was sold again and is now a private residence. Up until the end of the 19th century it was surrounded by open countryside. Today it is part of of Pollokshields, one of Scotland’s wealthiest neighbourhoods where mansions change hands for more than £1 million. The area is full of names commemorating the Maxwells’ influence. Haggs Castle is an exclusive golf club. Maxwell Park is a public area and nearby roads are named Maxwell, Nithsdale, Herries, Terregles, Springkell, and Haggs. Nearby is the large Pollok Park, which houses Pollok House and the Nether Pollok playing fields. It splits the neighborhoods of Pollok and Pollokshaws. The whole area was part of the Pollok Estate which had been owned by the Maxwell family since the mid-13th century. In its midst is Pollok House, an 18th century mansion, filled with Spanish art, antique furniture, silverware, ceramics and an impressive library. Most of the paintings were collected by Sir William Stirling Maxwell (1818-1878). In 1966 Pollok House was gifted by Mrs Anne Maxwell Macdonald to the City of Glasgow, along with its art collection and 361 acres of surrounding parkland which contain the world-famous Burrell Collection.