New clan now available on the website: KIRKPATRICK

We’re pleased to add Clan Kirkpatrick to the website, a name bound up with one of the most dramatic and decisive moments in Scottish history. The clan badge bears a bloody dagger and the stark motto “I mak sikkar” — usually rendered in modern English as “I make sure.” Both refer to Sir Roger (or Robert) de Kirkpatrick, a close attendant of Robert the Bruce, and his role in the killing of John “Red” Comyn in 1306.

According to later tradition, Bruce confronted Comyn in the Greyfriars Church at Dumfries, where an argument ended with Bruce stabbing his rival. Shaken, Bruce fled the church and told his companions, “I doubt I have slain the Comyn.” Kirkpatrick’s reply has echoed through the centuries: “Sire, you doubt so? I’ll mak sikkar.” He then rushed back into the church and finished the deed with his dagger.

Gruesome though the episode is, it marked a turning point. With Comyn dead, Bruce was forced to commit fully to his claim to the Scottish throne, setting in motion the Wars of Independence as we remember them.

The tartan shown here is Scottish Borderlands, reflecting the Kirkpatricks’ historic heartland in the southwest of Scotland.


We'll have a full article on this in the coming weeks. In the meantime, order yours here.