Ross Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Ross Family History

Ross Family History

The Ross ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The name Ross has an ancient Scottish history and begins with Paul MacTire, to whom William, Earl of Ross, Lord of Skye in Scotland, granted a charter for the lands of Gairloch in 1336. Ferquhard Ross, the son of Gille Andrias, is the person the Clan took it's name from. He founded the Abbey of Fearn, in Ross-Shire in the reign of Alexander II. This line ended with Euphemia, Countess of Ross, who resigned the Earldom to an Uncle. The Rosses of Balnagowan were a very ancient line, as they sprang from William, Earl of Ross, a friend of Robert I. His son, Hugh, was killed at Halidon Hill in 1333. From Hugh Ross, second son of Hugh, Earl of Ross, the Balnagowan estate passed on from father to son to David, the last Laird of Balnagowan, who died without issue, when the estate and Chieftainship passed under entail along with the arms to Charles Ross, son of George, tenth Lord Ross of Hawkhead. The name spread throughout England and Ireland, where it is most numerously found in Ulster Province. Some Scottish families of Ross in Ireland have adopted the name MacAndrew.The Ross family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Ross descendants.