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Roxburghshire on the Scottish Borders
- Maxwell is a Scottish surname originating from a place-name in Roxburghshire on the Scottish Borders. The original Maccuswell came from Max or Maccus, a former owner of Maxwell lands south of the river Tweed, plus well meaning “well.” The place-name Maccuswell was first recorded in 1144, the surname shortly afterwards.
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In 1300, their great castle of Caerlaverock was besieged by a powerful English army under Edward I, the event being recorded in great detail by a contemporary chronicler under the title of the Roll of Caerlaverock.
- Clan Maxwell Society – Celebrating the Scottish History of ...
From the Maxwells’ legendary exploits at Caerlaverock...
- Clan Maxwell Society – Celebrating the Scottish History of ...
History. Origins of the clan. The claimed origin of the name Maxwell is that it comes from Maccus Well, a pool in the River Tweed near Kelso, Scottish Borders. [2] . Maccus or Magnus in Old Norse was believed to be a Norse chief who lived during the reign of David I of Scotland. [2]
The name Maxwell originates from Maccus, a Norse chief and son of Undweyn, who gave his name to Maccuswell, a pool of the river Tweed near Kelso bridge. A grandson of Maccus, John Maxwell, became chamberlain of Scotland before dying in 1241, to be succeeded by his brother Aylmer.
When in the sixteenth century a great feud arose with the Johnstone family of Annandale, Maxwells from Strathclyde and Tayside still answered the call to join the border Chief when he forayed into his feudal rivals territory. Maxwells feuded not only other families but often within their own.
The name comes from a pool on the river Tweed near Kelso and is thought to be named after Maccus, son of Undewyn, a Saxon lord who was given a grant of land on the Tweed by King David I before 1150. The fishery attached to it was called Maccus's Wiel (from the Old English "wael" or whirlpool).
From the Maxwells’ legendary exploits at Caerlaverock Castle, to their leadership in the Borders as hereditary Wardens of the West March, to their cultural leadership in the Glasgow area, our ancestors left us a colorful history of which we can be very proud.
Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century, Maxwells in their hundreds shipped out of the ports of Scotland, England and Ireland destined for the North American continent, there to settle and become the greatest population of Maxwells in the world today.
