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Cap Badge
Kilt pin
Plaid Brooch
Tie pin
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Sgian Dubh
Cochrane originates from the "five-merk" lands of Coueran, Cochrane, near Paisley in Renfrewshire. The name Cochrane may be the combination of two Gaelic words, meaning 'the roar of the battle' or 'battle-cry'. The Cochrane ancestry goes back to a Viking invader who settled in Renfrewshire between the eighth and tenth centuries. The Cochranes took as their heraldic beast a boar. The first record of the name is Waldev de Coveran, who appears as a witness to a charter in 1262. He is mentioned in the Ragman Roll of 1296. William de Cochran obtained from Robert II a charter of the lands of Cochran. About 1350 Robert II built a castle at Dundonald in Ayrshire. In 1456, Robert Cochrane resigned his lands to his successor, Allan who received a charter of them from James II. The Dundonald became Cochranes around 1638, and from these lands the first Earl of Dundonald, Elizabeth and Blair's son, William Cochrane, was created 1st Earl of Dundonald in 1669. The chiefship had almost been lost at the beginning of the seventeenth century, when William Cochrane was unable to produce a male heir, however the husband of his daughter Elizabeth assumed the Cochrane name. Thomas, the 10th Earl (1775-1860) was the most celebrated chief of the Cochranes. He joined the navy at 18 and became famous when in command of a brig he captured a Spanish frigate. He followed this feat by defending Trinidad Castle against the French in 1808. He was returned to Parliament and was outspoken on Admiralty and the commander-in-chief. He was deprived of his position and seat in government when he was wrongly prosecuted for fraud and was struck off the Navy List. In 1817, accepting an invitation from the Chileans to command their navy in the attempt to secure independence which he succeeded in doing. In 1832 all his previous privileges were restored and in 1854 he was made Rear Admiral. Dundonald Castle in Kyle was bought by the Cochranes in the 17th century. The Cochrane tartan was officially approved by the 14th Earl of Dundonald and Chief of the Cochranes. |
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