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Scottish Tattoo Designs >> Swinton

Swinton Clan Tattoos - This family seems to be of Saxon origin, descended from nobles prominent in the kingdom of Nortrhumberland which straddles the border between England and Scotland. The name is said traditionally to have been acquired for their bravery in clearing the country of wild boar, and the family arms allude to this legend. The name is more likely to be territorial. The village of Swinewood in the county of Berwick was granted by Edgar, son of Malcolm III, in 1098 to Coldingham Priory. The Swintons' possessions of their land was confirmed by a charter of the Prior of Coldingham in the reign of William the Lion.

Swinton's second wife was the countess of Douglas and Mar, but they had no issue. His third wife was Princess Margaret, who bore Swinton a son, later Sir John Swinton of Swinton, reckoned to be the fifteenth Lord of the name. He was a doughty warrior who fought at the Battle of Beaugh in France in1420. Although the credit for this is claimed by others, he is said to have been the knight who slew the Duke of Clarence, brother of Henry V of England. The incident appears in Sir Walter Scott's poem, 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel'.

Clan Swinton Motto: J'espere ~ From French: I Hope

See also: Claddagh, Thistle Tattoos, Scottish Lion Tattoo Designs, Welsh Dragons, Scottish Tattoo Designs, Celtic Tattoo Designs, Family Crests, Crown, Boar