The next Gathering of the Elliot Clan to be held at Redheugh, Scotland, will be in August 2013. The exact dates will be published here as soon as they are sent to us.

We have just received the following from a member of the Society:

"I'm a member of the UK Elliot Clan Society with an interest in science and technology - I just wanted to mention that the UK had an early leader in the manufacture of computers called the Elliott Brothers - its nice to note such wider history."

Click here for more information about the 16 models of their computers produced up to the mid-1960s. One of their manufacturing facilities was in Glenrothes.

If you know of an interesting piece of information about Elliots, please send it to us.

Margaret Eliott, the Clan Chief of the Elliot clan, has been appointed Vice-Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. It is an honour for her and for the Elliot clan. Our clan chief was one of the main organisers of the 2009 gathering of all the clans in Edinburgh, the first such gathering for over 250 years.

The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation of the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans. The SCSC is the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System.

The SCSC was founded in the reign of King George VI by the then Lord High Constable of Scotland, the late Diana Denyse Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll, on the advice and recommendation of the late Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, Lord Lyon King of Arms. The present Convenor is Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor BT. The objectives of the SCSC are stated in its constitution:

"The Objects of the Council, which is non-political, are to consider matters affecting Scottish Chiefs and the Clans and Names which they represent and to submit their views and interests to HM Government, to Departments of State, to Local Authorities, to Press and Public, to Associations connected with Clan and Family in Britain and overseas; also to educate the general public in matters connected with the rights, functions and historical position of Scottish Chiefs, together with the Clans and Names which they represent and to take such steps as may seem expedient to protect the titles, armorial bearings or other insignia of Chiefs from exploitation or misuse in trade or otherwise."

We have added a new section to the website - the photo gallery. You can access the photos by clicking on the Photos menu item above. Currently, there are 32 photos that were taken around and inside Hermitage Castle in July this year.

Hermitage Castle is situated next to Hermitage Water, in the middle of the traditional Elliot lands. The castle was the largest of the fortifications guarding the valleys in this part of the Borders. It carried out that role from the mid-1200s until it fell into disuse in the early 1600s, having had almost 400 years of very colourful history.

If you would like to add some photos to the gallery, you are very welcome to do so. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for the details.

Edited (26 September 2011): 8 photos from Redheugh and the Clan Room have now been added to the Photo Gallery section of the website.

TULLIE HOUSE MUSEUM, Carlisle 

1^st April 2011.  Speech made by Margaret Eliott launching the new permanent Reivers Exhibition.

I am an Eliott – the 29^th Chief of the Elliots to be exact, and you have been very kind to invite me here to Carlisle. I have a feeling that in the 15^th & 16^th centuries you would not have made me so welcome. I live in Liddesdale on the site of the great Eliott pele tower – luckily now a farmhouse – rebuilt from the old stones of the original building. History sits heavy in Liddesdale, as it does all across the Borderlands. We sit on a bluff of the river overlooking the old ford on the road running up to Hermitage Castle (another link) five miles away – a mile away is the dramatic site of Liddel Castle by Castleton Cemetery. The valley is now home to some 1000 souls, but in Reivers time the population was threefold. All over the hills are signs of long abandoned bothys and fields.

Seen from the fat pasturelands of the Eden valley, the Cheviot hills and Liddesdale, Ewesdale and the notorious Debatable Lands must have been regarded rather as the Hole in the Wall Gang was regarded by the respectable people of Wyoming - full of desperate, unstable and violent men bent on stealing your cattle and sheep, never allowing you a peaceful night’s sleep and thoroughly disruptive. While I am sympathetic, I would like to give you a view from the other side!

Read more: Address by the Clan Chief at the Tullie House Museum Carlisle

Back in July 2009, we had the Elliot Gathering at Redheugh, the Chief's estate just out of Newcastleton. This was followed a few days later by The Gathering 2009, a gathering of all the Clans, around 120 of them, in Edinburgh for the first time for well over a century. You can read about these events in the extracts from the electronic copy of our summer newsletter 2009 on this website. Subsequent newsletters are also archived on this site, and if you are a new member, or just interested, you will find some interesting information about the Clan and its history in them. 

The next Gathering of the Elliot Clan at Redheugh will be in 2013, and I recommend to you in the strongest terms that you consider saving your holidays up so you can attend that event. I and others who attended the 2009 gathering are still talking about it and committed to going again, and again. From the interest shown thus far, it looks like we will have a fairly big contingent for the 2013 Gathering and may be able to benefit from bulk bookings.

The Gathering itself only lasts a few days, but this is a golden opportunity see other parts of Great Britain - to either arrive a little early, perhaps driving up through England, or stay on afterwards and see the rest of Scotland. Ever thought of seeing Scotland by canal on narrowboats (house boats)? There are many members who have visited Scotland many times over, and who would be more than happy to help you plan your itinerary. Our local doctor is South African and has seen much of the world, but has no connection with Scotland. He said one day, 'Scotland is the one place I would really like to visit again', and this is the attitude of everyone I know who has been there. What an advantage we have in being 'connected' - able to visit a town where our Chief lives, and where Elliot is the most popular name.

We are well into the new year now, and I hope 2011 is a wonderful year for all members and their families. The Autumn newsletter will be out soon, and I look forward to your feedback.

We members of the Elliot Clan Society in Australia have had a  website for well over a year now. This website has become the focal point for communication among us, attracting new members, and giving the Clan Society a higher profile and more credibility. I certainly will be using it frequently to update you all on coming events and news. Already, the website has had a large impact on membership participation, and we receive a lot of correspondence through the Contact Us section.

Please visit our (your) regularly to watch its progress, keep up with current Elliot news and events, and to enjoy the new features as we add them.

Read more: From the President's Desk

Every four years, the Elliot Clan Society holds a gathering of the clan in Scotland.The 2009 gathering was held on 22 July at Redheugh, Roxburghshire, and over 200 clan members participated.

In addition to the 2009 Elliot Clan Gathering, Scotland hosted an International Gathering of the Clans held at Edinburgh Castle on 25-26 July. Over 50,000 people attended over the two days.

Click here to view a short video clip of Chief Margaret Eliott's interview by Scotland Television. She was one of only 7 lady chiefs of the 100+ clan chiefs in attendance.

The photo below shows James Elliot holding aloft the Elliot banner at the start of the clan parade at the International Gathering. Clan Chief Margaret Eliott is standing next to him.

The official Elliot Clan Society website is a virtual gathering place for all Elliots, Elliotts, Eliotts, Eliots and anyone else who is interested in the Clan's history. The society has several international branches and members can be found all over the world.

This is the website of the Australian branch of the Elliot Clan Society.