Scottish clan profile: Rose

RECORDS of Clan Rose can be traced back via official records to the 14th century, though it is widely known to have been established in the early 13th century. Of Norman descent, Clan Rose was formed in Nairn. They solidified the Highland town as their seat in 1460 by building Kilravock Castle, where they remain to this day.

Clan motto: Constant and True

Notable lords: Hugh Rose, 10th of Kilravock, a confidante of Mary, Queen of Scots; David Rose, 26th of Kilravock, the current clan chief

Sub septs: Geddas, Geddeis, Geddes, Geddess, Geddis, Gedes, Baron, Barron, de Ros, de Rose, Rose

Kilravock Castle, the historic seat of the Rose clan. Picture: Duncan Brown/Flickr

Notable castles: Kilravock Castle, Nairn

Current clan base: Kilravock Castle, Nairn

The Rose family finds its origins in De Ros, a Norman knight who emigrated to the Moray Firth in the 13th century along with Normans De Bosco and De Bisset. De Ros acquired Kilravock Castle through marriage after initially being handed Geddes in Strathnairn.

Though the Rose family had relatively few enemies and were not prone to conflict to the same extent as other clans, they were hardly isolated from history.

Hugh Rose, 10th of Kilravock, was known as the Black Baron and ruled the castle for over fifty years. He was known to be a close friend of Mary, Queen of Scots, hosting both the Queen and her son James VI of Scotland at Kilravock Castle.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart was also a guest of the Roses on the eve of the Battle of Culloden in 1745.

Politically, the Rose family were traditionalists. They were often staunch supporters of the Government, and joined in the suppression of the Jacobite Uprising of 1715. They were also broadly supportive of the Scottish Reformation movement of 1560. The 15th baron, however, opposed the 18th century Act of Union.

David Rose is the current clan chief of the Rose family, succeeding Anna Elizabeth Guillemard Rose, 25th of Kilravock who died in Nairn in December last year, aged 88.