Family Fortunes

Every clan and family history is richly studded with fascinating characters. We have teamed up with the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford DNB) to look at a few of the people linked to 15 great Scottish surnames. These are the same names that feature in our Following in the Family Footsteps trails of historic sites in Scotland.

There are pen portraits of two people with each surname – many were born in Scotland but others were born beyond its borders or spent part of their lives elsewhere in the world. Some were admirable, others were rogues and charlatans. There are people who were born to greatness and those who triumphed against the odds. Together they provide a glimpse of other places and times, and the astonishing variety of human experience.

Much, but not all, of the information about the people highlighted has come from the Oxford DNB. Where an individual is discussed in the Oxford DNB a free link has been provided to the full online account.

Angelica Fraser [pdf, 44kb]
William Fraser [pdf, 45kb]



Violet Manners (married name Lindsay) [pdf, 32kb]
Ludovic Lindsay [pdf,45kb]


Elizabeth Stuart [pdf, 46kb]
Charles I [pdf, 46kb]


Robert V de Brus [pdf, 46kb]
James Bruce of Kinnaird [pdf, 45kb]


Adam Lindsay Gordon [pdf, 45kb]
Alexander Gordon [pdf, 47kb]


Donald Dubh MacDonald [pdf, 46kb]
Ethel MacDonald [pdf, 45kb]


Donald Campbell [pdf, 45kb]
Duncan Campbell [pdf, 45kb]


John Graham [pdf, 45kb]
Ritchie Graham [pdf, 45kb]


Winifred Maxwell (born Herbert) [pdf, 45kb]
Patrick Maxwell [pdf, 13kb]


Archibald Douglas [pdf, 45kb]
Jane Douglas [pdf, 44kb]


William Grant [pdf, 46kb]
Charles Grant [pdf, 44kb]


Maurice Murray [pdf, 45kb]
Alexander Murray [pdf, 46kb]


Alexander Forbes [pdf, 45kb]
Duncan Forbes [pdf, 44kb]


Alexander Hamilton [pdf, 46kb]
Gavin Hamilton [pdf, 33kb]


George Scott [pdf, 46kb]
Jean Scott [pdf, 46kb]

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography tells the life stories of 57,000 men and women who’ve shaped all aspects of British history worldwide—from the Romans to the 21st century. Illustrated with 10,500 portraits, it’s also the largest published collection of the faces of the British past.

The Oxford DNB is freely available online from public libraries across Scotland. Libraries offer ‘remote access’ which allow you to log-in at anytime, from any computer. Details of participating libraries are available here.

The Oxford DNB includes entries on more than 6500 people who were born or lived in Scotland, or left their mark on aspects of Scottish life—from politics to sport, industry to the arts. Together they span 1500 years of Scottish history—from the sixth-century St Moluag to the comedian Rikki Fulton. Online you can search for people with links to your city, town, or even street.

The Oxford DNB also offers a free daily life, topical features, and a regular biography podcast.

More about the Oxford DNB, including ‘Life of the Day’