The Burnett family are one of Scotland's most distinguished noble families, associated for centuries with Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire — one of the finest examples of Scottish baronial architecture and now managed by the National Trust for Scotland. The name derives from the Norman French 'Burnard' (from the Germanic personal name Bernhard — bear-strong), arriving in Scotland with the Norman settlement of the twelfth century. The Burnetts received the ivory Horn of Leys from Robert the Bruce in 1323 as a symbol of their tenure of the royal forest of Drum.
History and Origins
The Burnett family arrived in Scotland from Normandy during the twelfth century as part of the wave of Norman knights who settled in Scotland under the patronage of the Scottish kings, particularly David I and his successors. Their Aberdeenshire lands were a royal grant, and the family accumulated extensive property in the Dee valley. The grant of the Irvine lands and later the Leys gave the Burnetts their principal seat in what would become, in the sixteenth century, the spectacular Crathes Castle.
Crathes Castle and the Horn of Leys
Crathes Castle, begun in 1553 and completed in the early seventeenth century, is among the most significant surviving examples of Scottish baronial architecture. Its painted ceilings — among the finest of their kind in Scotland — date from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries and depict heraldic and emblematic subjects. The castle is now managed by the National Trust for Scotland. The Horn of Leys — an ivory and jewelled horn given to the Burnetts by Robert the Bruce in 1323 as a symbol of their tenure — remains one of the most celebrated objects in Scottish heritage.
The Burnetts and the Covenant
Thomas Burnett of Leys (c. 1612–1653) was a signatory of the National Covenant in 1638 — the great Scottish Presbyterian pledge against Charles I's religious policies. The Burnetts' Covenanting commitment placed them in the religious and political mainstream of northeast Scotland's Protestant culture through the seventeenth century.
The Diaspora
Burnett families emigrated to North America, Australia, and New Zealand from the eighteenth century onward. Notable American Burnetts include those who settled in the Carolinas during the colonial period. The Burnett name is well-established in Irish-American and Scottish-American communities in the United States.
In American popular culture, Carol Burnett (born 1933) — the comedian, actress, and television host — carries the Burnett name. Her father was of Irish-Scottish descent. The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978) remains one of the most celebrated variety shows in American television history.
How to Research Burnett Ancestry
Burnett research should focus on Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire. The Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Family History Society holds extensive local records. Old Parish Records (OPRs) for Aberdeenshire are available through the National Records of Scotland. The Crathes Castle archives (National Trust for Scotland) hold estate records. For American emigrants, particularly from the colonial Carolinas, the South Carolina and North Carolina state archives are primary sources.
Notable Clan Members
- Thomas Burnett of Leys (c. 1612–1653) — Scottish noble, signatory of the National Covenant (1638). Central to the Covenanting resistance to Charles I's religious policies in northeast Scotland.
- Gilbert Burnett (1643–1715) — Bishop of Salisbury, historian, and ecclesiastical politician. Author of The History of My Own Time, one of the most important memoirs of 17th-century British history. Born in Edinburgh to a Burnett family.
- Carol Burnett (born 1933) — American comedian, actress, and television host. Her show The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978) won 25 Emmy Awards and is one of the classics of American television.
- The Horn of Leys (1323) — Ivory and jewelled horn given to Alexander Burnett by Robert the Bruce as a symbol of forest tenure. Kept at Crathes Castle for 700 years. Now managed by the National Trust for Scotland.
Related Clans and Families
Often allied, neighbouring, or linked by marriage: