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Scottish Clan Profile

Clan Kerr

“from Old Norse kjarr, 'marsh' or 'brushwood'”
“Sero sed serio” · Late but in earnest
Indicative sett, woven in CSS, not a licensed tartan image
Historic titleMarquess of Lothian; Duke of Roxburghe
HeartlandTeviotdale & Roxburghshire
RegionBorders

A Border family split into two great branches, Kerr of Ferniehirst and Kerr of Cessford. Tradition holds that many Kerrs were left-handed and built their stairs to suit a left-handed swordsman, though the family estates do not press the claim.

Ancestral seats

  • Ferniehirst Castle, Jedburgh
  • Floors Castle, Kelso

Where to walk in their footsteps

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

Floors Castle, Kelso

Scotland's largest inhabited castle, seat of the Duke of Roxburghe.

Ferniehirst Castle, Jedburgh

Border tower of the Kerr Marquesses of Lothian; open in July only, around the Jethart Festival.

Also recorded as

KerCarrKerre

Travelling to Kerr 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