CASTLE STEWART AND CLAN CREE SOCIETY -

Oil painting on canvas, Robert Stewart (1774/5-1799) of Castle Stewart and St Fort by Henry Raeburn, RA (Stockbridge 1756 ? Edinburgh 1823), 1790-99. Stewart is seen as an elderly, stout man, seated, on a rustic wooden chair beneath a tree with a distant horizon to the left. He has a short powdered wig and is dressed in a green coat, white waistcoat and breeches, white shirt and stock and small ruffles at the sleeve. Robert Stewart was the eldest son and heir of William Stewart, a merchant and onetime Provost of Perth, and of Christian Cree, the daughter of another provost of the city.

Castle Stewart, formerly known as Calcruchie Castle is a 16th century tower built on Norman fortalice Foundations. Robert the Bruce rested at Calcruchie before his success at the Battle of Glen Trool, 1307.

John de cre from Ayr is recorded as vasal-in-chief of Calcruchie in 1581. In 1605, the Crees joined Stewart of Gairlies and Crawford of Bearcrofts in Northern Ireland.

In 1636, Colonel William Stewart acquired Calcruchie and the Barony, renaming it Castle Stewart.

In 1685, most of the Crees returned from Ireland and joined kin in Perth. Between 1685 and 1785, there were 12 Cree Provosts of Perth including Patrick Cree who was abducted and ransomed by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745.

In 1785, Christian Cree, daughter of Patrick Cree and her husband William Stewart reacquired Castle Stewart and the Barony for their son, Robert.

In 1797, Robert sold the Castle Stewart estate (to William Douglas) but retained the Castle and Barony.

In 1856, Thomas Cree, great nephew of Christian Cree recorded the Cree Tartan with the London Highland Society. In 1878, Thomas Cree’s son, Charles Edward Cree founded the lan Cree Society and recorded the crest and motto with Fairburn’s Crest.

In 1904, Charles Edward Cree leases Castle Stewart and acquires Carrick Shore Farm.

In 1969, Donald Cree, Charles Edward’s son, reacquired Castle Stewart on behalf of his nephew, Anthony Cree.

In 1972, the Lord Lyon matriculates the Cree Arms and recognises the Castle Stewart title.

Anthony Cree is currently the honorary chief. As well as holding Castle Stewart territorial arms, he is the 16th Baron of Bearcrofts in the Registry of Scots Nobility.

The Cree Tartan

The Clan Cree Tartan that was first recorded by Thomas Cree with the London Highland Society in 1856 was one of only forty recognized, there are now over fifteen thousand. The Clan Cree Tartan, originally known as the Cree Short Stewart Tartan and known in America as the “Brown Watch” is available from the Clan Cree Society. Ties and bow ties have been especially commissioned and are available to all Crees at cost price plus postage. Any other Cree Tartan requirements (kilts, skirts, capes etc) can be ordered from Lochcarron at Waverly Mill in Selkirk, Scotland. These items must be individually ordered and it is usual to deal directly with the mill.

Clan Cree Society Certificates

Certificates are issued to all Crees regardless of whether they live in Scotland or not. Recent DNA testing of Crees in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and even the US indicate the vast majority originate from Scotland and from that belt of land from Ayreshire through to Perth. If you wish to receive a Clan Cree Certificate, certifying your name or your family’s name it can be obtained for the cost of the postage alone. The Clan Cree Society is not a genealogical Society and there are several other websites that deal in this area. We are primarily concerned with maintaining the traditions and the culture of the Cree name, its tartan and its Coat of Arms. It is hoped that within a few years Castle Stewart will be open again to the public and we will be able to once again have Clan gatherings as had been the case in the distant past.