The Famous Faces of Clan Young

It seems only right to start with Sir Peter Young, the very first clan chief. Young was born in 1544 to a merchant in Dundee, and quickly rose up the social ranks, reaching the lofty heights of rubbing shoulders with monarchs. He studied at the University of St Andrews, before moving to Geneva to complete his studies in theology, building an admirable reputation as an academic. His scholarly talents were so renowned that in 1569, he was appointed as the infant King James VI’s tutor.

He impressed the elder royals greatly, and endeared himself to the young King, securing a spot as his favourite councillor for years to come. This was reflected in the many rewards he went on to receive, including numerous pensions, a lease of lands near Arbroath, and a knighthood. He was also granted the title of Ambassador to Denmark, where he arranged a marriage between King James and a Danish Princess!

Sir Peter’s royal favour endured even after his death, and his children enjoyed a number of honours bestowed by the monarchy. One of his sons was given a position serving in the Swedish Embassy, while another was gifted large amounts of land in Ireland, resulting in the ‘Young’ name being common in Antrim, Tyrone, and Down to this day!

One son, James, was even knighted at birth and later appointed a Gentleman of the King’s Bedchamber.

The success and savviness of even the earliest members of Clan Young set the tone strongly for what was to come in later generations. As we will go on to discover, achievement seems to be deeply rooted in the Young’s blood.

Andrew John Young was a clergyman who was recognised as a great poet in his later life. He was born in 1885 to a stationmaster father, and was bought up in Edinburgh, completing his education at James Gillespie’s School, the Royal High School, and Edinburgh University. He intended to train as a lawyer, but tragically, his brother David mysteriously disappeared in 1907, provoking a spiritual crisis in the young Andrew. As a result, he veered away from his previous plan, and instead decided to train for the ministry of the United Free Church of Scotland at New College, Edinburgh.

After graduating, he quickly found employment as an assistant at Wallace Green Church in Berwick upon Tweed. World War One, in which he served as a superintendent in Boulogne, seemed to trigger another faith crisis in Andrew, as soon after returning home, he converted to Anglicanism and became a vicar in a small parish in Sussex.

While his religious career was certainly respectable, his enduring reputation is for his poetry and botanical writings. Young seemed to have literary talents and ambitions from an early age, as he started writing poems as a young child. His friends and family were his earliest supporters, with his father publishing his first book, Songs of Night, in 1910, and his friend, J. G. Wilson publishing 7 more of his works between 1920 and 1931. In his initial years of writing, Young was heavily influenced by the Georgian poets, and often incorporated religious themes and language in his poetry.

However, in the 1930s, he undertook a drastic change of direction, swapping his pen name ‘A. J. Young’ for his real name, ‘Andrew,’ and focusing more on sharp observations of the natural world. He published a number of celebrated works, including ‘The White Blackbird’ in 1935 and ‘Speak to the Earth’ in 1939 and slowly began to gain recognition in the literary community.

He was awarded the Benson Medal in 1939 by the Royal Society of Literature and was given an honorary LLD from the University of Edinburgh in 1951. In 1952, he was even granted the Queen’s Medal for Poetry. From this point, his reputation only continued to grow; in 1985, his daughter published centenary editions of Youngs’ poetry, and began a book detailing his life. Today, his works have been translated into numerous languages, and continue to hold great relevance for those wishing to explore Scottish nature writing.

Our next two famous Youngs have also made invaluable contributions to culture, but you are perhaps more likely to have heard of them!

Firstly, how could we not mention Angus McKinnon Young, of worldwide AC/DC fame and popularly thought to be one of the world’s best guitarists. Angus lived in Cranhill, a suburb of Glasgow, until he was 7 years old, and his parents decided to move the family to Australia, prompted by the notoriously bad weather of ‘the Big Freeze of 1963!’

Music formed a key part of the family’s life, and various family members helped Angus to hone his talent and create his iconic stage persona. His mother bought him his first acoustic guitar, and his sister Margaret suggested the schoolboy stage costume that would become his signature look. She even made the original uniform herself, but it soon fell apart due to Angus’ energetic and wild antics while performing, so he instead began to wear his old high school clothes.

AC/DC’s electric live performances made them notorious in Australia by the mid-1970s, but it wasn’t until 1979 that they gained international fame with ‘Highway to Hell.’ Their next album, ‘Back in Black,’ was also a hit, selling more than 10 million copies in America alone.

The band continued to thrive over the subsequent decades, maintaining their popularity through line-up changes, illness, and retirements, and are now well and truly established as one of the greats, having been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 2003.

It is undeniable that Angus’ style, talent, and flare for performance went a long way towards securing their success, and his ambition and drive call back to the early Clan Young chiefs and their impressive knack for advancing the family’s prospects.

Our final famous Young for today also made his name in the music business and has shown impressive determination and skill.

Neil Percival Young is a singer, songwriter, and philanthropist born in Toronto, Canada in 1945, and has enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers of any living musician.

He is celebrated for his intricate guitar playing, poetic lyrics and haunting voice, traits for which he has been rewarded many accolades. He has even been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame not once, but twice! As a solo artist in 1995, and as part of the band Buffalo Springfield in 1997. Rolling Stone magazine have featured Young on lists of both the greatest guitarists and greatest musical artists of all time and Paste magazine named him the greatest living songwriter, second only to Bob Dylan.

Young is not only critically acclaimed however, he has also enjoyed staggering commercial success; more than 20 of his albums and singles have gone gold and platinum!

As if Young’s musical prowess wasn’t impressive enough, he is also known for his dedication to philanthropic work, and strong drive to use his platform to help those in vulnerable situations.

For example, in the 1980s, Young began hosting an annual Bridge School Benefit concert to raise money for a school in California that provides support for children with severe disabilities. He showed great dedication to this cause, organising the event every year from 1986 until 2016, recruiting such big names as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Robin Williams, and Sonic Youth to take part.

He also used his connections to form his own charity, enlisting Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp to set up Farm Aid in 1985. The charity worked to provide resources and support for American farmers struggling with financial troubles and the results of climate change and natural disasters. Young set up an emergency fund for those in need, and even used his influence to take the issue to Congress, prompting the US government to pass the Agricultural Credit Act in 1987, saving family farms from being repossessed.

Just like his early ancestors, it’s clear that Neil has a talent for influencing those in powerful positions!

Image Sources:

Sir Peter Young - http://www.artuk.org/artworks/213278

Andrew John Young - https://www.npg.org.uk/collect...

Angus McKinnon Young - Matt Becker

Neil Percival Young - Kris Krug