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Clan Brodie is a Scottish clan whose origins are uncertain. The first known Brodie Clan chief were the thegn of Brodie and Dyke in Morayshire. The Brodies were present in several clan conflicts and, during the civil war, were ardent . They had indirect involvement in the Jacobite uprising of 1715 but none with that of 1745. Some members of the family worked for the British East India Company in the 18th Century.
After the Tòiseachs, whose names are lost, we find a reference to MacBeth, Thane of Dyke in 1262; next, in 1311, a Latin reference to Michael, filius Malconi, Thanus de Brothie et Dyke. It is unclear if Macbeth, Thane of Dyke, is of the same line as Michael. Accordingly, the Brodie Chiefs claim descent from Michael's referred father, Malcome, as First Chief and Thane of Brodie.Bain (1893), pp. 91–92.Barrow (1998), p. 58, p. 70, p.72 and Appendix: Moray-Brodie, Moray-Dyke
Michael Brodie of Brodie received a charter from Robert the Bruce confirming his lands of Brodie. (1994). 9780004705477, HarperCollins (for the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). ISBN 9780004705477 The charter states that Brodie held his thanage of Brodie by the right of succession from his paternal ancestors. The Brodie chiefs may have been descended from the royal Picts family of Brude and there is so much evidence of Pictish settlement around Brodie that it has to be considered one reasonable explanation.
Clan Brodie joined the royal army led by the Earl of Atholl against the rebel son of the Lord of the Isles, Aonghas Óg. However, in 1481 Aonghas Óg defeated them at Lagabraad, killing 517 of the royal army.Mackenzie (1881), p. 98.
Thomame Brodye de iodem, the 11th chief, was killed defending against the English invasion at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh.Bain (1893), p. 221
In 1550, Alexander "the rebel" Brodie of that Ilk, the 12th chief, with his clansmen, and the assistance of the Dunbars and Hays, attacked Clan Cumming at Altyre, seeking to slay their chief, Alexander Cumming of Altyre. As a result, he was put to the horn as a rebel for not appearing to a charge of waylaying, but was pardoned the year following.Bain (1893), p. 230
In 1562, the said Alexander "the rebel", joined Clan Gordon and George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly in his rebellion against Mary, Queen of Scots. They were defeated at the Battle of Corrichie. Huntley died, Brodie escaped but was denounced a rebel, and his estates declared forfeited. For four years the sentence of outlawry hung over his head, but in 1566, the Queen having forgiven Clan Gordon for their disloyalty, included Alexander Brodie in the royal warrant remitting the sentence against them, and restoring them their possessions.
Alexander "the good" Lord Brodie of Brodie, the 15th chief, was a covenanter during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An ardent presbyterian, his faith led him to be responsible for acts of destruction to Elgin Cathedral and its paintings. He was judge in trials of witchcraft, sentencing at least two witches to death. He was commissioner for the apprehension of Jesuits and Catholic priests and the plantation of . He served on the committees: of war for Elgin, Nairn, Forres, and Inverness; of estates; of the protection of religion; and of excise. Lord Brodie was elected Commissary-General to the Army. Clan Brodie was part of the covenanter army in 1645 that lost the Battle of Auldearn to Montrose. After the defeat of the covenanters, Clan Gordon sacked Brodie Castle and besieged Lethen House. The Brodies of Lethen held successfully for twelve weeks.Bain (1893), pp. 259–272.
Lord Brodie of Brodie went twice to The Hague to seek the return of the exiled King Charles II of Scotland, first in 1649, then, with a larger party in 1650, returned successfully with the King. Oliver Cromwell was eager to enrol Brodie into his regime. Tempted, Lord Brodie resisted Oliver Cromwell's summons to discuss a union of Scotland and England, writing in his diary " Oh Lord he has met with the lion and the bear before, but this is the Goliath; the strongest and greatest temptation is last.". Lord Brodie was the target of an unsuccessful Cavalier plot for his capture in 1650. He was the author of a diary revealing a complicated, yet devoted mind, torn by temptation and doing what he believed to be right.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry: Brodie Brody, Alexander, of Brodie, Lord Brodie (1617–1680)[3]Brodie of Brodie (1863).Bain (1893), pp. 258–287.Lord Brodie: his life and times, 1617–80. With continuation to the Revolution (1904)[4]
Alexander Brodie of Lethen went south with a contingent of men. He commanded a troop with some credit at the disastrous Battle of Dunbar (1650).Bain (1893), p. 274.
During the Jacobite rising of 1745, the Brodie chief was Alexander Brodie of that Ilk, 19th chief of Brodie, Lord Lyon King of Arms.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry: Brodie, Alexander, of Brodie (1697–1754)[5]
Naval Captain David Brodie, of the Brodies of Muiresk branch genealogy of the Brodies of Muiresk was Commander of the Terror and the Merlin (10 guns), later captain of (60 guns), and HMS Strafford (60 guns). He was credited with the capture of 21 French and Spanish or privateers.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry: Brodie, David (1707?–1787), naval officer [7] {Portrait of Cap David Brodie}.
By 1774, the Brodie estate was in financial trouble and sold by judicial sale. James Brodie of Brodie, the 21st Chief, was married to Lady Margaret Duff, daughter of William Duff, 1st Earl of Fife. The Earl of Fife came to the rescue, purchased the estate, returning half to The Brodie.Bain (1893), pp. 433–434
In 1788, William Brodie was executed. Deacon Brodie was a descendant of the Milton branch of Clan Brodie. Genealogy of the Brodies of Milton
James Brodie of Brodie's son, James Brodie, younger of Brodie, went to India and worked for the East India Company. He built a mansion in Madras, on the banks of the Adyar River, and named it Brodie Castle (Madras) {Photo}. This property still stands and has become the college of Carnatic Music. James (the younger) died in India in a boating accident on the Adyar River in 1801/02.Brodie, James (1991), pp. 132–134.
On the death of the Duchess of Gordon in 1864, The Brodies of Brodie became beneficiaries of the Gordon estate; inheriting much of the Gordon moveable property.Gordon, Elizabeth, The Most Noble, Duchess of; date 22 April 1864; T. Misc. Papers 22 April 1864; SC1/37/53/pp523-584; Will can be accessed online at link [13] for info on "moveable property" see link
(Montague) Ninian Alexander Brodie of Brodie, the 25th Chief, sometime a stage actor, died in 2003, having bequeathed Brodie Castle to the National Trust in 1978; because his descendants were unhappy with this transfer, no Brodie now resides at the castle, the family wing being prepared for holiday letting.
The 26th Chief, Ninian Brodie of Brodie's son, Alastair Ian Ninian, who also died in 2003 aged 61, lived in Cambridgeshire and worked in I.T., having dissociated himself from his position and family after his 1986 divorce from his first wife, Mary-Louise (née Johnson), an Australian socialite, who subsequently lived with their children in Paris; his son is the present 27th Chief, Alexander Tristan Duff Brodie of Brodie. Following the dissolution of her marriage, Mary-Louise Brodie – who had been displeased by the transferring of Brodie Castle to the National Trust – initiated legal proceedings against her father-in-law in order to secure a financial settlement she considered to be her children's birthright. Her former husband avoided any involvement in the situation, but their children also took their grandfather to court seeking financial contribution to their education and lifestyle; Alexander Brodie sought to have the transfer of Brodie Castle to the National Trust overturned, but met with no success. The 26th Chief left the majority of his £300,000 estate to his second wife, with his successor, the 27th Chief, receiving £5,000.
The "blasted heath" where Macbeth is said to have met the Three Witches, is located on the lands of Brodie. The event was popularized in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. This location is referred to locally as Macbeth's Hillock.Shaw (1882), pp. 173–174, pp. 218–219.
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