Fairlie Crest
Crests are freely usable by anyone with the name and wanting and association with the Fairlie family. Since the Fairlie family does not have a chief and is not organized as a clan, we tend to use the most commonly attributed crest (lion's head).
There are some restrictions to how the crest is presented, according to the Court of the Lord Lyon. Learn more at the website for the Court of the Lord Lyon of Scotland .
Is Fairlie a clan?
At one time it was...
While there are crests recorded with the Lord Lyon in the past, Fairlie is not a clan registered with the Lord Lyon, and so is not currently recognzied as a clan in Scotland by law.
The Fairlies of Braid were a notable clan in the Edinburgh region between the late 1200's to the mid 1600's when the family went into decline after dispensing of their barony and lands around the south end of the city. The 16th and 17th centuries around Edinburgh were turbulent, so we can only speculate on the reasons why. Cromwell would invade soon after their departure. They were loyal scots, so maybe they detected yet more strife on the horizon.
A cadet branch of the family (designed of Bruntsfield) claimed chiefship and moved the family to Ayshire—their new home a place called Old Rome outside of Kilmarnock. There they styled themselves Fairlie of Fairlie, taking over the ancient Barony of Fairlie.
Eventually this line of the family failed to produce a male heir, and the barony and titles were inherited through a daughter of the family married into the Cunningham clan . To this day a Cunningham holds the Nova Scotian baronetcy of Fairlie, and the ancient Barony of Fairlie has been held by the Earl of Glasgow (Clan Boyle) since the late 19th century.
There is geneological evidence that the original Fairlie line, descended from the one-time lairds and barons of Braid, did not fail but did fall out of financial graces. The rest of this tale will be told in the family history .
Variations
There are more than one crest recorded with the Court of the Lord Lyon alongside several different arms registrations.
The most common is the "lyon coupe" — or a lion's head, with its mouth open in a roar. This mirrors the common arms attributed to the Fairlies from around Edinburgh whos arms are similar to the Royal Banner of Scotland or the Earls of Fife — a red lion rampant (fighting). The crest is, however, almost always recorded as Or: gold.
If you search the internet for a Fairlie clan crest, the version featuring a lion is usually what you will encounter.
The other variation seen occasionally mirrors the national symbol of Scotland: the Unicorn. Several other clans use this motif in their crest. Namely Clan Ramsay and Clan Cunningham. The Fairlie name emerged near the ancestral territories of both of these clans.
Crest Images
All of the images on this page are free for personal and family use. The crest with the belt and buckle (below) is the appropriate choice if you want to display the crest publicly.
