Scottish Clan Profile

Clan Johnstone

“from 'John's toun', a settlement in Annandale”
“Nunquam non paratus” · Never unprepared
Indicative sett, woven in CSS, not a licensed tartan image
Historic titleEarl of Annandale and Hartfell; Hereditary Steward of Annandale
HeartlandAnnandale, Dumfriesshire
Plant badgeRed hawthorn
RegionBorders

A leading Border riding family of Annandale, whose long feud with the Maxwells culminated at Dryfe Sands in 1593. Their chiefs are Earls of Annandale and Hartfell.

Ancestral seats

  • Lochwood Tower, Moffat
  • Raehills, Dumfriesshire

Where to walk in their footsteps

Access, opening hours and admission change. We confirm every site before it goes into an itinerary.

Annandale & Moffat, Dumfriesshire

The clan's country is best seen as a landscape route; Lochwood Tower is fenced off and Lochmaben Castle is closed for conservation.

Dryfe Sands, near Lockerbie

Unmarked farmland where the Johnstones broke the Maxwells in 1593.

Also recorded as

JohnstonJohnsonJohnstoun

Travelling to Johnstone country

Cashel Travel has arranged clan gatherings and heritage tours across Scotland and Ireland since the 1990s, including full gatherings for Clan Gordon, Hay, Keith, Lindsay, Hunter, Dunbar, Graham, Sutherland and MacLaren. We research the family history, build the itinerary around it, and arrange access to places that are not normally open to the public.

Plan a heritage tour