The Gordon Clan and the Butcher surname

[Butcher]

So I posted a thread looking for tartan advice and also consulted witha family member who is big into geneology. She said I could be about 1/32 Scottish which would mean a 3 greats grandparent was Scottish. Here is specifically what I was told, cut and paste.
"Here's what I know, which may or may not be true so keep that in mind as you research. Butcher has three distinct meanings. Only one of these Butchers have a lay to a clan. There is the Butcher's of war which has a loose translation to hackers. There is the Butcher's of surgery. And there are the Butcher's of market. It is the Butcher's of war that have a clan. Ok, now here is where it gets tricky. Prince William Augustus was a Highlander known as the 'Butcher Cumberland' due to a battle at Culloden. Those following Prince William Augustus were forever known as Butcher. After the battle, Butcher is associated with Culloden which transforms to Cullen. Cullen belongs to the Gordon Clan. Hence Butcher belongs to the Gordon clan."

It makes sense to me that a name such as Butcher would be widespread since most cities would have a few butchers who would have their occupation become their surname. Most of the Butcher line as far as I know has come from England. Most of them settled in West Virginia and records, family and official are shakey from the 1800s and before and I havent found much of anything of the Butcher family outside of those that came to America, their parents and grandparents are very difficult to find.

Long story made short, does anyone have any info on this? Thank you, this forum is a very helpful one.

[Chas]

WOW - that is some tortured logic, or maybe I should say 'butchered' logic.

'Birds fly in the air; birds breathe air; I breath air; therefore; I can fly.'

Sorry, but I do not believe anything that your genealogist family member has told you. Wishing it, does not make it so. In addition, her maths is incorrect - 1/32 Scottish is 1 GGG grandparent, not 3. Sorry.

On the other hand -

I have a database of some 30, 000 Scottish surnames.

It tells me that Butcher is a sept of Wishart. Clan Wishart is what is called an Armigerous Clan.

An armigerous clan is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognized as such by Lyon Court. Before 1745 all chiefs had arms; however, not all of these are recorded in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, which was only established in 1672.

In Scottish heraldry undifferenced arms are only held by chiefs or heads of clans, families, or names. A clan is considered a "noble incorporation" because a clan chief is a title of honour in Scotland and the chief confers his or her noble status onto the clan. Because armigerous clans do not have such chiefs, they are not recognised as noble communities and have no legal standing under Scots law.

I believe that a continued search in the Gordon Clan would be a mistake.

Regards

Chas

[Jock Scot]

How do I say this kindly?

Alright, you can believe whatever you want to believe and that is your right so to do, but if I were you, take a large pinch of salt with you on this journey of discovery of yours. I am sorry.

[Riverkilt]

Aye...as a genealogy addict since boyhood I've found it most tempting to grasp at most any straw when I hit a dead end in the family tree. It can be most frustrating. I wanna break through some way, any way...its a common failing of those with the curse of interest in their family history. Only way to know for sure is to find some documentation. Difficult that far back. But getting that far back is a victory in and of itself.

You don't say where you live, but if you're near the Library of Congress in D.C. you might just find some old genealogical work on that branch of the family done 150 years ago....never know.

Rejoice in the Scot bloodline itself.

[Mikilt]

Rejoice in the Scot bloodline itself.

***

I too have a tenuous connection to Clan Gordon. I haven't been able to trace back far enough to claim kinship, but my search continues...

...tempting to grasp at most any straw when I hit a dead end in the family tree. It can be most frustrating.

Indeed.

[MacSpadger]

I am sorry to say that you have been fed a tale.
The Duke of Cumberland did earn the nickname of The Butcher among Jacobite sympathiseres, but it was due to incidents after the battle of Culloden, the so-called "pacification of the Highlands", not the battle itself. However, he was not a Highlander, he was a German. His army already had surnames of their own, not one of them ever became known as Butcher because of connections with the Duke.
Cullen is a very picturesque town in Moray. It has no connection with Culloden or the name Butcher. If Culloden ever gets known by another name, it's Drumossie Moor, not Cullen.

The name Cullen has been in use in Moray since at least the 8th century, although most sources I am looking at online say the name Cullen is Irish in origin. There are no references as to why that claim is made, other than it's taken from the Irish name Cullinane, Ó Cuilleanáin or Ó Cuilleannáin.
You might find this link interesting, it shows the name Cullen to be common in areas of England.
As previously suggested, I'd not look any further down the Gordon track.