The Famous Places of Clan Carmichael

To begin the famous places of Clan Carmichael we must start with the birthplace of the name Carmichael. The name was founded by Queen Margaret in 1058 as she made the ancient hill fort, or caer, one of her first six churches made in Glasgow’s surrounding area. The Hungarian born English princess married Malcolm III of Scotland and was later canonised for her charitable actions. She is said to have personally washed the feet of the poor during Lent, maintained those who could not look after themselves, taught religion to orphans, and fed 300 starving peasants in the royal hall at Dunfermline while she herself fasted. On occasion, she would literally give beggars the clothes off her back. Clearly being extremely devoted she began to further spread the Catholic Church within Scotland and commenced building churches in the area surrounding Glasgow. Saint Margaret dedicated the church on the caer to St. Michel and with this the people and area surrounding became of the name Caermichel.

Carmichael castle was the seat of the barony of Carmichael, from the 13th century until the 17th century, before being replaced by the mansion of Carmichael House in the 17th century. There is little known about the creation of the castle upon the estate but it is suspected the castle was built before the 13th century however there are no records of this. The first record of the estate is noted in 1321, by Robert the Bruce granting Sir James Douglas “the valley of Duglas, and the whole land and tenement of Kirkmychel”. In 1342 these lands were inherited by Douglas’ nephew, William Douglas (later created the 1st Lord Douglas), who granted the Carmichael lands to one of his vassals around the middle of the fourteenth century. Since that date, the castle was kept between the Carmichael family until its destruction by Oliver Cromwell during his Scottish campaign of 1650. It's destruction is said to be due to Sir James Carmichael of Westraw (later created the 1st Lord Carmichael), fighting alongside Charles I during the English Civil War.

The Cathedral of St. Croix in Orléans was the place in which Sir John de Carmichael served as the Bishop of Orleans in 1426 during the rise of Joan of Arc. Sir John de Carmichael of Meadowflat was a part of the Scottish mercenary service that was sent to aid the French forces in the 100-year War. In the battle, Sir John de Carmichael toppled the Duke of Clarence from his horse during the battle of Baugé which led to a French victory in this battle. After this battle, he was anointed as the bishop of Orléans and was named "Jean de Saint-Michel". He served this role at the Cathedral throughout the besieging of the city of Orléans. This was a major victory for the French in the 100-year war and was the beginning of the rise of Joan of Arc. If you don't already know the famous story, Joan of Arc was a peasant girl who convinced Charles of Valois to allow her to lead a French army to the besieging of the city of Orléans. She did this by telling Charles that she believed that God had picked her to lead France to victory. This is clearly an extremely famous place for Clan Carmichael as their greatest hero gained, fought, and served this position throughout two of the most important battles within the 100-year war. Definitely one to add to the bucket list!

Last but not least the Eastend House was home to part of the Carmichael family since possibly the 13th century. The origins of this house are a little unknown due to the majority of the documents being destroyed in an accident around 1677. Despite this, it is thought that the house hosted a separate family of the line of Carmichael, who were royalists in comparison to the main Carmichael line being loyal to the local government. This differing allegiance is suggested to be why the Eastend house was not destroyed by Cromwell like the main Carmichael house. The house stayed within the Carmichael family until World War Two when Eastend was occupied by the General Staff of the Polish Army in 1940, and there is a marble plaque inside the house which commemorates this. After the war, the house was brought back to the Carmichael’s, and it was lived in up until 1991. The Eastend house still stands within the Carmichael estate, but the house is said to be derelict and deteriorating. The house is still a great visit with its fantastic exterior and our favourite feature, the turret at the front door!