In June 2026 I made a pilgrimage to Closeburn, Scotland to visit the ancestral home of my Kirkpatrick family. On my mother’s side, I am a Kirkpatrick. The Kirkpatrick family lived in the area from at least the 13th Century onward. The Clan was close to Robert The Bruce and William Wallace was a relative. Later, in the latter part of the 19th Century, Empress Eugenie of France was also a Kirkpatrick. The Kirkpatricks were central to Robert The Bruce becoming King of Scotland by helping slay his rival The Red Comyn. Their motto, “I Mak Siccar,” or “I Make Sure,” is from Sir Roger Kirkpatrick making sure the Red Comyn was slain.
Closeburn lies in lowland Scotland, not 30 miles from the English border. So there were plenty of cross border clashes. There are several other castles in the area including Lag Tower and Castle Morton. One of my first places to visit was the cemetery around Closeburn Parish Church – because there are Kirkpatricks buried there – and an I Mak Siccar Clan Badge in Stone.
The church is quite lovely and the surrounding cemetery modestly maintained. And nearby I found the Kirkpatrick family mausoleum. It seems to have once been a small building and long since collapsed. But the I Mak Siccar badge is still there under the roof peak!
It’s hard to describe the feelings I experienced walking around the cemetery. The history, the lives lived. How some of the clan changed the course of human history. Empress Eugenie and her husband Napoleon III created the Paris we know today. She opened the Suez Canal and got Luis Vuitton his start. A Kirkpatrick was critical to Robert the Bruce becoming king. This event is marked on the side of a building in Dumfries, which is about 12 miles south of Closeburn. A plaque marks the spot.
The following day I paid a visit to Closeburn Castle. It is the longest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland. It was built likely in 1180. It was deeded to the Kirkpatricks by King Alexander II in 1232. Maria, the owner, showed me around. It has a dungeon. In many places the walls are 9 feet thick. The castle walls were taken down at one point and used as building materials for a manor in the 17th Century. It has photos of important events in the life of Empress Eugenie – even a photo of her with Queen Victoria.
The final part of the visit took me up to the top of the castle. Wow it’s got quite a view!
