Maitland Family Summary

Issue Date: 21/6/2008.

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Clan Maitland Link

      Our branch of the Maitlands have been a roving lot, my children being the first in 9 generations not to have been born or lived outside the UK, in areas stretching from the Caribbean to the China Sea, see below for a résumé of our saga. At the moment, there is no proven link to the Clan Maitland as we have not yet found the origin of our first Maitland, John who died in Jamaica 1786. A short history of the Scottish family is given below.

Jamaica Maitland Descendants contains our Jamaica family between mid 18thC and 1840 plus descendants in UK to 1900.

Wright and Sinclair contains connections with these families, including the wives of John and grandson, Francis.

The Maitlands are summarised as follows:

John Maitland (abt 1750-1786): who was a mariner and, latterly, a merchant and planter when he died (he bought land in 1786 in St Elizabeth, Jamaica). He fathered by Rebecca Wright, a quadroon, 2 children. Rebecca Wright was in some way related to the Wrights of Vere & St Elizabeth, prominent families in of St Elizabeth and became a woman of some substance, leaving significant property in her will. Her tombstone is still visible in Black River Churchyard. His planter descendants are probably responsible for most of the Maitlands in Jamaica, either "directly" or by freed slaves taking the employer's surname. She was the daughter of Patty Penford, a mulatto freed slave, who was subject, with her children and Frances 1 of a Privilege Bill in 1784.
It is possible that John Maitland was the son of a Richard Maitland, mariner, wife Sarah, whose 1740 will was proved in Canterbury in 1779.

John and Rebecca’s surviving son, Francis Maitland, the "1st", (1784-1824), was born a person of colour in Jamaica. He was married and died in London, but resided at Giddy Hall pen in Jamaica in the intervening years. He inherited his mother's residual estate, including some property. He bought Giddy Hall pen (cattle) in 1809, which was about 2000 acres by 1840, with a substantial Great House, sadly demolished in the 1950's. He also acquired an interest in Mitcham and Silver Grove pens as a result of the death of his father-in-law. He married Ann Wright, the daughter of Ruth Sinclair, a "free mestu" (quadroon?) and Andrew Wright, an English planter of Mitcham pen in St Elizabeth. Ruth Sinclair descended from Planters of that name from Caithness in NE Scotland.

See Wright Family for details of this and Sinclair families.
See Roberts Family for details of this family related to the Wrights:
they remained at Silver Grove Pen, and were in London in the mid 19thC with Ann Wright.

Property information can be found under Jamaica General

The known family come from his 9 offspring, of whom Andrew Wright, John, Francis 2nd, Emma Rebecca (who married Samuel Sherman of St Elizabeth Parish and inherited Mitcham and are still in the area), George and Septimus survived to adulthood.
All produced children (except John, who inherited Giddy Hall and George, about whom little is known), most of whom moved to England in the mid 19th Century. The seventh son, Septimus, was a London tea merchant and probably encouraged his elder brother Francis 2nd's sons and grandsons to seek their fortunes in the Far East in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries as described below.

At November 2007, descendants of Andrew, Francis 2 and Emma are known.

Francis Maitland, the "2nd" was born at Giddy Hall in 1811 and died at sea in November 1842 when the ship of which he was master disappeared, probably in a very bad storm in the North Sea, a board with the name of the ship was washed up on the shore of Southern Norway the following summer. (a ".... Maitland (lady) and child were listed arriving in Jamaica on the "Conservative" in November, 1842: who was this?). He was a listed merchant seaman, but retained interests in the Jamaican properties. He married Harriet Carpenter from a farming family near Exeter, Devon, England: after he died at sea in 1842, she married Peter Halahan, an Irishman in London and had further children by him. His proven children were Francis "3" and John Andrew (1839). His and Carpenter details 1765-1840 are given in Jamaica Maitlands.

Francis Maitland, the "3rd" (1836-1901), a London grocer, tea merchant and, reputedly, gold prospector. He was said to be a bit of a ner-do-well: his brother left about 2000 times as much in his will! He married Ann Jane Chapman from Newcastle (her mother was a Cleugh) and had 5 children, John Andrew (1863), Francis (1865), Edward William (1867), Harriet Matilda and Nathaniel George (1875), my grand-father.
All except Harriet (Aunt Daisy) produced children.
See 1836-present for further details of this most recent part of the family in the UK and Far East, including Chapmans and Cleughs of Newcastle.

Nathaniel George Maitland: (1875-1951), born in London, but went out to Shanghai early in his career, where he was a banker and bullion broker, remaining there until the mid 1920's when he retired to England. He married an American Eleanor Poole, whose family were in the tea trade in Japan. They had 4 boys, Francis, Jack, Otis and Donald (my father). All except Otis were born in the Far East.

Life of my father Donald Maitland

In these files, each of my direct ancestors has a serial number:
ff/gg/nn. (ff = family, gg = generation of my children being 1, nn = serial number in generation).

Other Files relating to Maitlands are:

Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland

We were thought to be descendants of the 4th son of the
6th Earl of Lauderdale, Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland (FLM) of
Rankeillour (Scotland), RN,(1730-86), but that has since proved incorrect.

FLM was a naval officer of who spent much of his career before and during the 7 Years War in the West Indies, where he was involved in a couple of major actions and many small ones; the naval records of the period make it possible to trace his entire seagoing career. While on the Jamaica station, he fathered a family by a Jamaican mulatto mistress (Mary Arnott) in the 1750's and 60's, this family becoming planters in St Elizabeth Parish in the west of the Island in the early part of the 19th Century. Mixed race relationships like this were common then: there were few European women in the Islands, and the offspring were acknowledged and often became wealthy.
      At the end of the War, FLM returned to Scotland, and is only recorded visiting Jamaica once more, for a short stay in 1780 as Captain of the Battleship Elizabeth. The Jamaican connection did not finish there however, as his Scottish daughter, Mary, married, in 1793, Henry Scrymgeour (later -Wedderburn, and influential family in Western Jamaica). Henry had been in Westmoreland, Jamaica, as had his Wedderburn cousins. It is interesting to speculate if this connection helped the Jamaica Maitlands to rise in society to owning significant property.
      In 1767, FLM married Margaret Dick and had 6 children, from whom descend several Maitland lines, including Maitland-Makgill-Chrichtons, Maitland-Heriot and Maitland Dougal. Details of him and those of his Scottish descendants continue on the file Capt Frederick Lewis Maitland, RN 1730-86.

As background information, the ancestors of FLM are shown on the following links:

Scottish Maitlands, prior to 1750
Scottish Maitlands, prior to 1370
Scottish Maitlands, prior to 1290
Scottish Maitlands, prior to 1150

Scrymgeour-Wedderburn for the connections with this family (via FLM's daughter, Mary).

Sir FL Maitland, FLM's son, Admiral Frederick Lewis Maitland, was an eminent naval character in the early part of the 19thC: information on his life is given.

Jamaica General File
Contains general notes and descriptions of Jamaica.
Links to house pictures and map JPG files.
Contains a description of A Maitland's visit to the properties.

Maitland Wills contains the original text of all Maitland Wills found.
Wright Wills contains the original text of Wright and Sinclair wills.
Nicol Family a history of the Nicol and Wright families of Kincardinshire, connected with descendants of Francis 2 Maitland.
Maitland Extracts contains original text of document extracts found.
Included in this file are:

PEERAGE OF SCOTLAND extracts.
Computer Entries from OPR's:
TURNBERRY CASTLE.
Charnock: FL Maitland

O'BRYNE'S: Sir Anthony Maitland
O'BRYNE's: James Maitland
O'BRYNE's: Lewis Maitland
O'BRYNE's: Sir Thomas Maitland
O'BRYNE's: William Maitland
O'BRYNE's: William Heriot Maitland

FLM's Battle in "Lively"

SHIPS ASSCOIATED WITH MAITLANDS:
Ships: Frederick Lewis Maitland 1: Grafton
Ships: Frederick Lewis Maitland 2:
Bellerophon, Boyne, Cameleon, Dragon, Egyptienne, Emerald, Genoa, Glenmore, Goliath, Loire, Vengeur, Winchester.
Ships: William Maitland: Electra
Ships: Anthony Maitland, Sir Hon, 10th Earl: Glasgow
Ships: Other Maitland Ships: Petrell, La Pique, Andromeda, Venerable, Wassanaer, KINGFISHER.


A Summary of Our Family's Travels

     John Maitland probably began acquiring property in St Elizabeth in the late 18thC. By 1815, Francis Maitland was working Giddy Hall, and joint owned with his brother-in-law, slaves at Mitcham and Silver Grove.
    Francis 1 was born and probably raised in St Elizabeth Parish, where he must have met Ann Wright, whose father, Andrew, owned Mitcham pen on the border between St Elizabeth and Manchester Parishes. He probably also owned Silver Grove, the adjoining property to the East (they were under one ownership in 1763). Andrew Wright had only two known daughters, both by his coloured mistress, but took them back to England: he stipulated in his will that they would forfeit their inheritance if they returned to Jamaica unmarried. Was this to try to prevent Ann marrying Francis Maitland? Ann and Francis were married in London soon after Andrew's death, returning eventually to Jamaica.
     It appears that Andrew willed Mitcham Pen to Ann (who left it to her daughter Emma (Maitland) Sherman). Silver Grove was eventually owned by George Roberts, with whom Francis Maitland owned slaves. Perhaps Ann's sister was left Silver Grove and married George Roberts.
     After Francis 1's death in 1824, Francis 2 and Septimus both moved to England, although Francis 2's 2nd son was born in Jamaica. Septimus became a tea broker in London; he was only 15 years older than Francis 2's younger son, John Andrew must have been close to him as Septimus made John Andrew an executor of his will. It is known that this John Andrew was a successful trader in China, probably as a result of Septimus's tea business. Francis 3 also later entered the tea business. This was the start of a long connection with the Far East.
     By the turn of the 19thC, in Shanghai there were: two sons of Septimus, trading under their own names, Andrew Wright, son of Andrew Wright and grandson of Francis 1, as a banker (and followed by his son Hugh) and at least 2 sons of Francis 3. A Frank Maitland, probably Septimus' son, appears in a photograph album with NG Maitland, my grandfather. Francis 2's younger son, John Andrew was probably still in the area. There were therefore gathered in the small European community in Shanghai in about 1900, Septimus's nephews by his brothers Francis and Andrew, two of his sons and at least 2 of his great-nephews by Francis 3. I believe that the hand written tree with which I started this research was probably composed at this time when the cousins were all gathered in Shanghai.

The roving line back from my English born children is thus:
1. Antony Maitland, born Cairo, Egypt.
2. Donald Maitland, born Shanghai.
3. NG Maitland, resident China for at least 30 years.
4. Francis Maitland, born Liverpool, early life in Jamaica and reputedly a gold prospector.
5. Francis Maitland, born Jamaica, a mariner with English wife.
6. Francis Maitland, born Jamaica, married and died London, Jamaica planter.
7. John Maitland, Jamaican mariner.
8. John's father, unknown but may have been Richard Maitland, died London about 1779.

CLAN MAITLAND HISTORY

From Clan Maitland 1995

John Matalant of Tibbers m Agnes, dau of Sir Patrick Dunbar

d 1395 |

       |

Sir Robert Maitland m Marion Abernethy

of Thirlstane, Lethington & Tibbers

Somewhere around 1150 A.D. the first Sir Richard Maitland is recorded.

He married Avicia, daughter and heiress of Thormas de Thirlestane in

what has long been known as Lauderdale, a valley running South East

of Soutra Hill, South of Edinburgh. In those days the name was

spelled MAUDULAND or MAWTALAND

Sir Richard's grandson, Sir Robert, born around 1300, was killed at

the Battle of Neville's Cross, near Durham, when in 1346 the Scottish

King David's troops were driven back by those of the English King

Edward III. Later, approaching Edinburgh up the southern shore of the

Firth of Forth through the Lothians, they ravaged Whitekirk and

Haddington in the Burnt Candlemass of 1356. This was on the very

doorsteps of Lethington (now Lennoxlove) which, like Thirlestane, was

a Maitland stronghold.

This Sir Robert had two sons. The elder, John Mautallent, died in

1395. He and his younger brother Robert begat the two earliest.

Maitland lines as these are now known. The Aberdeenshire Maitlands

and the Pelham Maitlands stem from Robert, known as Robert

Mathilland, who tarried the heiress of Schivas, near Aberdeen.

The head of this line today is William Maitland of Balhargy, near

Inverurie. a house built on the site of the Battle of Harlaw (1410).

Maitlands have farmed there since that Battle in which their leader,

a provost of Aberdeen named Maitland, rallied the Aberdeen defenders.

They defeated an invasion of the Celtic Highlanders from the north

west who were searching for better land to the south and east.

The elder brother John had a son Sir Robert. He was linked both with

Thirlestane and with Lethington. His elder son William, who died

around 1470, set going the recognizable main Lauderdale line as we

know it today. His younger son James started off the Eccles and

Dunrennan lines begetting, later on, the Fuller-Maitlands and the

Maitlands of Loughton in Essex. Some fifteen generations later

the head of this line is Adam Maitland of Cumstoun,

Kirkcudbrightshire in South-west Scotland.

William's grandson was killed alongside his King, James IV of

Scotland, and twelve Scottish Earls, when they were defeated by the

forces of King Henry VIII at Flodden, near the Tweed in 1513. But he

left a famous son, Sir Richard (died 1586) both a collector of Scots

poetry and a noted poet himself. He in turn had two notable sons. One

was William of Lethington, known as Secretary Lethington because

he was Secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots. The other, John, became

Lord Chancellor of Scotland to King James VI (of Scotland) and King

James I (of England). In 1616 he was made Viscount Maitland.

By marrying Jean, the daughter and heiress of James Lord Fleming, he

allied the line of his descandants with royal blood. Jean was

descended from King James II of Scotland.

The later history of the Clan is well attested. In 1624 the first

Baron's son became an Earl for his Service to the state. He died in

1645. Six years later his son and successor, John the 2nd Earl,

loyal to King Charles I and his son King Charles II was taken

prisoner at the Battle of Worcester, and spent many years as

Cromwell`s prisoner until the Restoration of King Charles II. He

became the King's Principal leutenant in Scotland as Sectretary of

State and was also mighty in England - as a Member of the Cabal

Government. He was at the head of affairs for some twenty years. He

was raised to the Dukedom but died without male issue in 1682.

The story from that day to this is scattered with names of

distinction. The 8th Earl, Charles, fought against the Jacobites at

Sheriffmuir in 1745. The same year another Maitland, the Episcopalian

Parish Minister of Crieff, celebrated the Holy Communion for the

Jacobite forces on the Battlefield of Culloden Moor near Irverness,

by repute using oatcake and Whisky for lack of bread and wine. One of

the 6th Earl's sons, Richard, commanded the British Garrison in New

York, was married by the Curate of Holy Trinity Church, Wall Street,

and died in 1772. The Present Chief descends from him.

Another son, Richard's younger brother, Captain The Hon. John

Maitland, raised the seige of Savannah in the War with the American

Colonies in 1779. Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland, commanding H.M.S

"Bellerophon" who captured the fugitive Napoleon in 1815, was the

grandson of another of those sons Captain The Hon. Frederich Lewis.

James Maitland, the 8th Earl who died in 1839, was one of the eariy

economists. He was a doughty pamphleteer and originated the line of

economic thinking finally systematized by John Maynard Keynes in the

1920's. In this period two other Maitland were noted Pro-consuls. Sir

Thomas Maitland (died 1824) known as King Tom, who was successively

appointed Governor General of Ceylon, the Ionian Islands, and Malta,

originated the idea to create the British Chevalric Order of St.

Michael and St George (now reserved for members of the Diplomatic

Service who attain high rank).

Another was Sir Peregrine Maitland who died in 1854. He commanded the

Guards at Waterloo and is famous for Wellington's words: "Maitland,

now's your chance". At that, Maitland gave his order. "Up Guards and

at `em". Afterwards, he became Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada.

In the world of scholarship Samuel Roffey Maitland, of the Eccles and

Dundrennan line, was Librarian to Lambeth Palace and a writer of

history. He died in 1866. His son, Frederick William Maitand became

Downing Professor of Laws at Cambridge, one of the most famous

writers on Constitutional Law and History of the English speaking

world. Another Maitland, Agnes Catherine, was the first Principal of

Somerville College, Oxford (died 1906). Sir Herbert Lethington-

Maitland (died 1923) was a noted surgeon in Australia. Mr. John

Alexander Fuller-Maitland (died 1936) was for many Music

Correspondent of the London Times. Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland (died

1935) was Minister of Labour in the Baldwin Government at the time of

the General Strike in Britain in 1936. Air Commodore Edward Eric

Maitland CMG (died 1921) kept the log of the Airship R.34 crossing

the Atlantic in 1919 from which a crew member descended by parachute

to become the first man to arrive in the United States by air.

During the last War, two clansfolk were famous - Sir Henry Maitland

Wilson who commanded in the Middle East and Miss Diana Rowden, whose

mother was a Maitland Makgill-Crichton. She served in the Maquis in

France, was captured, and was executed by being thrown into a furnace

at the Nazweiler Concentration Camp. The last Viscount Maitland was

killed in North Africa. The future 17th Earl, then Patrick Maitland,

covered the outbreak of the Second World War for The Times in Poland

in 1939.  John Pelham Maitland was personally decorated by King

George VI on the platform of Victoria Station for his part as Traffic

Manager of the Southern Railway in organising the merry-go-round

trains which took men off who had been evacuated from Dunkirk in

1940.

In our own day, ome of Britain's leading Diplomatists was Sir Donald

Maitland, GCMG, U.K. Permanent Representative to the European

Communities  in Brussels, and later Principal Under Secretary (Chief)

of the Department of Energy in Whitehall.

The common ancestor appears to have been one Robert Matalent (spelled

in various ways). Maitlands came from Normandy with or after William

the Conqueror. Robert Matalent was invited to the

Northumberland/Scottish Borders by the Scottish King David around AD

1130. About 120 years later his grandson, Sir Richard Maitland,

married Avicia de Thirlestane in the Berwickshire area known as

Lauderdale. That name survives in the Ordnance Survey today. The

leading place is Lauder; the leading house there is Thirlestane

Castle, a Maitland/Lauderdale property until it recently came under a

public trust - though still occupied by a Maitland kinsman.

Maitlands spread through Scotland but mainly to Aberdeenshire,

Galloway and the Borders. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

many spread to Ireland and thence overseas.

We have made our mark in history. Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington,

Lord Privy Seal of Scotland and known as the "Blind Poet", published

the first collection of Scottish ballads and poems in 1586. His son

William was Secretary to Mary Queen of Scots. His other son John was

Lord Chancellor to King James VI (of Scotland) who became James I of

England. The Chief's title goes back to John in 1590 - as Lord

Maitland.  The Earldom was granted in 1624. John, the 2nd Earl,

became Duke of Lauderdale and Charles II's Scottish Secretary of

State, giving the "L" to the King's inner cabinet the CABAL.

In the 19th Century General Sir Peregrine Maitland commanded the foot

guards at Waterloo in 1815 and is remembered for his order; "Up

Guards and at `em" which led to victory. Napoleon later surrendered

to Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland RN, commanding HMS Bellerophon.

Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Maitland (died 1824) known as "King

Tom" was in turn Governor of Ceylon, the lonian Islands, and Malta,

secured the Egyptian obelisk `Cleopatra's Needle' for London's

Embankment, inspired the creation of the British Order of Knights of

St Michael and St George, and originated the strategic plan by which

San Martin began the liberation of Latin America after his Buenos

Aires coup in 1812.  James, 8th Earl (died 1839) was Britain's

Ambassador to the French Revolutionaries styling himself `Citizen

Maitland' and founded what was later known as the Keynes school of

economic theory.  Frederich William Maitland, Professor of Law at

Cambridge later in the century, became one of the world's most famous

constitutional lawyers.

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Changes:
7/11/00: references to Wright01.
11/3/2001: Expanded details.
14/6/2001: resaved HTML from Word
21/2/2002: added detail.
15/3/2002: changed link addresses.
23/7/2002: expanded and edited
6/5/2003: Jam Visit ref changed

24/3/2004: edited links

29/11/2006: John Maitland/FLM
23/3/2008: extra Jamaican Information.
21/6/2008: edited