LIVINGSTON

Callendar House

wikipedia - 20:30, 15 March 2006 FJones80

 

"Callendar House is an imposing mansion set within the grounds of Falkirk's Callendar Park. Built in the
style of a French château, the house has a 600-year history, playing host to many prominent historical
figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell,Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria. The
current building is by far the most substantial historical building in the area, with a 300 ft (91 m) frontage.
Callendar House originally (Thane House) was one of the seats of the Callander family who were Thanes
of Callander. In the fourteenth century the 5th Thane Sir Patrick Callander, supported Edward Balliol. Sir
Patrick Callander was later attainted and his estates were forfeited. The Callander/Callendar lands, were
granted to Sir William Livingston, who was married to Christian Callander, daughter of the forfeited Sir
Patrick. Sir William Livingston had fought with the King at the Battle of Durham. In the history of Scotland
few families have risen to greater power and higher honours, than the Livingstons.

Sir Alexander Livingston was Regent of Scotland during the 1440s. Alexander 5th Lord Livingston was
guardian of Mary Queen of Scots, during her childhood. The marriage agreement between Mary and the
French Dauphin was signed at Callendar House. Lord Livingston's daughter Mary was maid of honour to
Queen Mary. Alexander 7th Lord Livingston 1st Earl of Linlithgow and his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of
Andrew 8th Earl of Errol, were entrusted by King James VI & I with the upbringing and education of his
daughter Princess Elizabeth, who lived at Callendar House. Princess Elizabeth later became Queen of
Bohemia and Electress of Palatine.

The Livingstons, became Earls of Linlithgow, Earls of Callendar, and Earls of Newburgh, they played an
important part in the history of the area, but their hold on the lands came to an abrupt end in the 18th
century when James Livingston, 5th Earl of Linlithgow and 4th Earl of Callander, was forced into exile
abroad because he had sided with the "Old Pretender", son of King James II of England (James VII of
Scotland). His daughter, Lady Anne Livingston, gave hospitality to Bonnie Prince Charlie before the Battle of
Falkirk, but after his defeat at Culloden, Lady Anne's husband, the Earl of Kilmarnock, was beheaded for
treason. After Lady Anne's death in 1747, her son James, 15th Earl of Errol, remained at Callendar House
until 1783, when the estate was sold.
In 1783 the estate went to auction. Lord Errol bid for the estate, but was outbid by an Aberdeen
coppersmith William Forbes, a businessman who specialised in contracts to supply the Royal Navy[1].
William Forbes bought the house and estate for £100,000, though it was rumoured at the time that the
timber alone on the estate was worth double that. Forbes made significant alterations to the House, and
his son and grandson further altered the building by adding french chateau style roofs into its current form.
Forbes' descendants kept the house for almost 200 years, after which the house fell into disrepair until
being purchased in 1963 along with some of the parkland. The majority of the estate is still owned by the
family, under the company 'Callendar Estates', who are still the largest landowners in Falkirk.
[edit] Current role

The house has since been restored to its former Georgian glory, and is being developed as a major
heritage centre. It is the principal museum in Falkirk district and has two magnificent reception rooms, the
Pink Room (the Drawing Room) and the Green Room (the Morning Room), as well as a fully working
Georgian kitchen, dominated by a huge open fire, offering visitors to step back into a world that has now
gone. Staff in period costumes give insights into working conditions in the house over the centuries and
prepare the same food that was enjoyed at the grand social occasions that once took place there. "William
Forbes' Falkirk" is the permanent exhibition at the House; another permanent exhibition, "The Antonine
Wall", will open in February 2007. The other galleries show around seven different exhibitions a year from
all around the world.

Around 28,000 visitors came to Callendar House in 2006, up over 50% on the previous year. This may be
in connection with the recent local attraction, The Falkirk Wheel, whose visitor numbers doubled during the
same period.

There is also a history research centre, where all of Falkirk's historical archives are kept, housed in the
Victorian oak-panelled library.

The grounds of the house contain a pitch and putt course, crazy golf, a children's adventure playground
(with the largest slide in Scotland), a boating lake and the Antonine Wall. There is also a contemporary art
gallery, the Park Gallery. Callendar Estate extends to 500 acres (2.0 km2) and is open for walks through
the woodland and also home to the Forbes family mausoleum, a large domed circular Grecian-Doric
building which contains the remains of many of the Forbeses.

Various events are held in the grounds throughout the year, including the annual firework display, which is
regularly attended by over 70,000 people, as well as the national street arts festival, Big in Falkirk and the
Scottish National Cross Country Championships.
Callendar House was voted Favourite Visitor Attraction by Forth2"

Callendar House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callendar_House
Saturday, December 12, 2009

23
William LIVINGSTON
Christian CALLENDAR

"TAKEN PRISONER AT THE BATTLE OF NEVILLE'S CROSS, 1346
"Sir William supported the House of Bruce, and he accompanied King David II on his
ill-fated invasion of England in 1346. Following the Scottish defeat at the battle of
Neville's Cross on October 17, 1346, King David along with many of his followers,
including Sir William Livingston, were taken prisoner. King David was not released
until the Treaty of Berwick in October 1357, but Sir William was back in Scotland in
1350 or earlier. About that time, the lands of Sir Patrick de Callendar were taken from
him for his adherence to the English, and given to Sir William Livingston who then
married Sir Patrick's only daughter.
It was uncertain who would gain the upper hand in Scotland, and it appears that Sir
William made sure his situation was covered. In the event of a Scottish victory, he was
a supporter of the House of Bruce. In the event of an English victory, his wife was from
a family of English supporters; and he was doing his best to safeguard the lands of
Sir Patrick de Callendar. Sir William's Coat of Arms was the Livingston Arms (Argent,
three cinquefoils Gules; i.e., a silver or white background with three red five circle
shapes) quartered with the Callendar Arms (Sable, a bend between six billets, Or; i.e.,
a black background with a diagonal between six gold bars.) As one of the Scottish
magnates who negotiated the treaty of peace with England, Sir William's seal of arms
is attached to that document which is still preserved and bears the date 5th October,
1357." --Robert Sewell

FROM DRUMRY HISTORY WEBSITE:
The next laird, their son William, was to marry Christian of Callander and inherited the
barony of Callander by his father-in-law's forfeiture in 1345.
Given Bruce's victory at Bannockburn in 1314, the Livingston family switched
allegiance to Bruce. Indeed, William Livingston, grandson of Andrew who was a
supporter of Edward Longshanks, became a comissioner to deal with the ransom of
Bruce's son King David II in 1357.

FROM ROBERT SEWELL WEBSITE:
Sir William Livingston of Callendar accompanied King David II on his expedition to
England in 1346 and acquired the Barony of Calendar, Stirlingshire, and whose
heiress he married.
Died: November 30, 1364
Married: Christian de Callendar, daughter of Sir Patrick de Callendar
Click for the descent of Christian de Callendar and additional information on Sir
William Livingston.
Sir William Livingston and Christian de Callendar had the following children:
Patrick Livingston who died while a hostage in England
Sir John Livingston of Callendar
William Livingston who was appointed in 1402 one of the guardians of his nephew
Archibald de Livingston.
Walter Livingston who was appointed in 1402 one of the guardians of his nephew
Archibald de Livingston.

CALLENDAR HOUSE, from aboutbritain.com:
Callendar House encapsulates 600 years of Scotland's history from medieval times to
the twentieth century. Great historical figures like Mary Queen of Scots, Cromwell and
Bonnie Prince Charlie have visited the house. Now you can follow in their footsteps
and discover the dramatic history which has been brought so vividly to life in the
unique interpretative experience that is Callendar House.
Since the beginning of time, the Falkirk area has been a cross-roads for travellers. In
recognition of the area's strategic importance the Romans built their Antonine Wall
across the area, and the remains of the wall can still be seen in the grounds of
Callendar House. By the 11th century the house of the King's representative, the
Thane of Callendar, nestled behind the ancient wall for protection and here the
foundations were laid for the creation of Callendar House.
The first stone building on the site was a tower house built in 1345 by William de
Livingstone after he was gifted the estates of Callendar by King David II. The house
was occupied by the Livingstones and their descendants until the death of Lady Anne
in 1747. In 1783 the House and the estate were put up for auction and although the
Livingstone family attempted to purchase the property, they were easily outbid by
William Forbes, a copper merchant from London and a "self made man". Today the
thick walls of the original tower house can still be observed in the Victorian Library.
Subsequent extensions to Callendar House in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were
also incorporated into the original building, and visitors exploring the house today can
still see traces of architecture spanning five centuries".
Sources:
1) Jim Weber Database, 5 Feb 2006
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I
19368
2) Drumry History Website
templum.freeserve.co.uk/history/drumry.htm
3) Newsgroup: soc.genealogy.medieval, at groups - google.com, Page: Leo van de
Pas, 14 Nov 1998
4) Livingston of Callendar, Website by Robert Sewell, December, 2001
http://www.robertsewell.ca/livingston.html
5) Christian de Callendar and Sir William Livingston, by Robert Sewell, Website 2001
http://www.robertsewell.ca/living3.html
6) Callendar House, AboutBritain.com, 2007
http://www.aboutbritain.com/CallendarHouse.htm

RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: The Ancestry of Overmire Tifft Richardson Bradford Reed:
Updated: 2009-12-05 01:05:36 UTC (Sat) Contact: Larry Overmire, BA, BS, MFA
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=glencoe&id=I97201
Saturday, December 12, 2009

23
William LIVINGSTON
Christian CALLENDAR
"FROM DRUMRY HISTORY WEBSITE:
The next laird, their son William, was to marry Christian of Callander and inherited the
barony of Callander by his father-in-law's forfeiture in 1345.
Given Bruce's victory at Bannockburn in 1314, the Livingston family switched
allegiance to Bruce. Indeed, William Livingston, grandson of Andrew who was a
supporter of Edward Longshanks, became a comissioner to deal with the ransom of
Bruce's son King David II in 1357".

RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Ray Stephens 1107:
Updated: 2007-11-20 21:51:32 UTC (Tue) Contact: ray stephens
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=glencoe&id=I97202
Saturday, December 12, 2009


24
Sir William Livingston Laird of Drumry
Margaret - Agnes - Erskine
or
Margaret Comyn

"SUPPORTER OF THE HOUSE OF BRUCE
FOUGHT AGAINST THE BRITISH AT HALIDON HILL, 1333
FROM DRUMRY HISTORY WEBSITE:
"Margaret, who married their son William and are mentioned later as lairds in 1338.
William was to die in 1339"
FROM ROBERT SEWELL WEBSITE:
Sir William de Livingston of Gorgyn, Crainmillar and Drumry, was a firm adherent of
the House of Bruce, and fought against the English at Halidon Hill, July 19th, 1333
Died: 1339
Married: Margaret Comyn; daughter of Sir Fergus Comyn, Lord of Gorgyn
Sir William de Livingston and Margaret Comyn had the following children:
John Livingston (died 1366) married a daughter of Wemyss of Wemyss and was the
founder of the Livingstons of Drumry and East Wemyss, but the line became extinct
when Sir Robert Livingston was slain at the Battle of Flodden Field on September 9,
1513.
Sir William Livingston of Callendar"


RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Ray Stephens 1107:
Updated: 2007-11-20 21:51:32 UTC (Tue) Contact: ray stephens
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=glencoe&id=I97200
Saturday, December 12, 2009


25
Andrew - Archibald Livingston - Laird of Drumry - Sir
Elena de Quarantley

"SHERIFF OF LANARK
ATTENDED EDWARD I ON EXPEDITION TO FLANDERS, 1297
KILLED IN THE SCOTTISH WARS, 1297
FROM DRUMRY HISTORY WEBSITE:
Drumry is first mentioned in the 1328 Exchequer rolls when the Lady of Drumry paid
the Chamberlain of Scotland one chalder of flour at the feast of St. Martin for the
freedom of her lands. It seems likely that this was either Elena Livingston, who was
married to Andrew Livingston; or their daughter-in-law, Margaret, who married their
son William and are mentioned later as lairds in 1338.

With their estates in West Lothian, the Livingstons were a powerful family. In 1302,
Andrew's brother, Sir Archibald Livingston was listed as only one of two Scots
noblemen who supported Edward Longshanks, the English king, in his claim to
Scotland; the other being the Earl of Dunbar. Later that year, Robert the Bruce was
also to feign loyalty to Edward - but while Robert was later to challenge Edward after
the death of his father in 1304, when he had a stronger claim to the throne, the Lothian
held Livingston lands continued to be a vital lifeline for Edward as he tried to keep
Stirling Castle out of Bruce's hands. Bruce was made King in 1306. Edward
Longshanks died in 1307 and the battle against King Robert I was taken up by the
new King of England, Edward II. Bruce took Linlithgow when his men were hidden
under hay to penetrate the guard. Around 1308-9, both Rutherglen and Dumbarton fell
to Bruce and his allies, and given its proximity, the estate of Drumry would follow suit.

FROM ROBERT SEWELL WEBSITE:
Sir Andrew de Livingston was one of the Scottish knights summoned by King Edward I
on May 24th 1297 to attend his expedition to Flanders. He was killed the same year in
the revolt led by the great Scottish hero Sir William Wallace. Sir Andrew was the Sheriff
of Lanark, and it appears that Sir William Wallace emerged as the leader of the
Scottish forces after Sir Andrew was killed.
It is on official record that the Sheriff of Lanark was killed when Scottish rebels burned
Lanark in 1297. Blind Harry, the Minstrel, asserts that this sheriff was an Englishman
by the name of Hesilrig; but there is no record of such a man having held this office.
Sir Andrew de Livingston is known to have been Sheriff of Lanark during the year
preceding Wallace's Revolt; and it is also evident that he must have been deceased
about this time due to the fact that after Wallace's Revolt there is no further reference to
him in the public records.
Click for more background on this Troubled Time in Scotland .
Died: 1297, slain during the revolt led by by Sir William Wallace
Married: Lady Elene de Quarantley or de Carantelegh
Sir Andrew de Livingston and Lady Elene de Quarantley had the following child:
Sir William Livingston

FROM BARONAGE PRESS:
Sir Andrew de Livingston ~ Argent three cinquefoils Gules.
Owing to the death warrant of Sir William Wallace referring to the Sheriff of Lanark,
whom he killed, as de Hezelrig (one of his properties), and to further confusion with
his son William, there has been doubt about the Sheriff's true identity, but it is
accepted now that he was Sir Andrew, the founder of the Livingstons of Callendar"
Sources:
1) Jim Weber Database, 5 Feb 2006
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I
19368
2) Drumry History Website
templum.freeserve.co.uk/history/drumry.htm
3) Newsgroup: soc.genealogy.medieval, at groups - google.com, Page: Leo van de
Pas, 14 Nov 1998
4) Livingston of Callendar, Website by Robert Sewell, December, 2001
http://www.robertsewell.ca/livingston.html
5) Arms of the 13th and 14th Centuries (6), Classical Heraldry, Baronage Press, 2001
http://www.baronage.co.uk/classic1/herart11.html

RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Ray Stephens 1107:
Updated: 2007-11-20 21:51:32 UTC (Tue) Contact: ray stephens
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Saturday, December 12, 2009


31
Leving Levingstoun - the Saxon
unknown

"The surname Livingston is of territorial origin derived from the lands of that same
name in West Lothian, just to the southwest of Edinburgh. A Saxon by the name of
Leving settled in in the area sometime during the reign of Edgar (1097-1107) and it is
from him that we get the name "Leving's Town" or "Livingston". Leving's grandson,
William was designated in a charter as William the Lion "of Livingston". His
descendant, Sir William Livingston accompanied King David II on his expedition to
England in 1346 and it was from him that he acquired the Barony of Callendar,
Stirlingshire, and whose heiress he married. These are the "Lowland Livingstons"
from whose branches descended the Livingstons of Dunipace, Kinnaird, Bonton and
Westquarter." --Robert Livingston"
Sources:
1) Jim Weber Database, 5 Feb 2006
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I
19368
2) Robert Livingston, The Livingstones of Argyll and the Isles
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/rlivingston1488
3) Livingston of Callendar, Website by Robert Sewell, December, 2001
http://www.robertsewell.ca/livingston.h

RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Ray Stephens 1107:
Updated: 2007-11-20 21:51:32 UTC (Tue) Contact: ray stephens
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=glencoe&id=I97214
Saturday, December 12, 2009