Drummond

This great and noble name is of Scottish territorial origin from any of the various places, including Drymen near Stirling. that get their names from the Gaelic "dromainn", a derivative of "druim", a ridge. Drummond Hill near Kenmore, Pertshire, and Drummond Castle, seat of the Earl of Ancaster, south west of Crieff, locate the family in Perthshire. The principal family of the name are believed to be descended from Maurice, a Hungariao nobleman, who accompanied Edgar Atheling and his sister Margaret to Scotland, where she married King Malcolm 111. The surname was first recorded at the end of the 12th Century, (see below). Other early recordings include Malcolm de Drummond who witnessed a charter by Gillemichell Edolf circa 1270, and Gilbert de Dromund of Dumbretan who rendered homage in 1296. The family frequently appear as witnesses in the early charters of the earls of Levenax, in whose household they held various offices. Annabella Brummond (1350-1402) married Robert 111 and was mother of James 1. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert de Drummyn, chaplain to Alwyn, Earl of Levenax, which was dated circa 1199, "Cartulary of the charter witnesses of Levenax", during the reign of King William, "The Lion of Scotland", 1165 - 1214. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.