Newspaper story about Barnane 1948
Cairdeneys or Cairneys are mention by George Fraser Black in his
famous Surnames of Scotland (NY: New York Public Library,
1946):
"Cairney. An old surname in Perthshire. A shortened form of Cardeny.... William Cairny had a charter of the land 'vulgo vocata lie gerves aiker,' 1603 (RD., p. 498). Thomas Cairny in West Gormok, 1743 (Dunkeld)....""Cardney. From the lands of Cardney near Dunkeld, Perthshire. The Cardenys or Cairdeneys, 'an antient family in the county of Pearthshyre,' now unknown and forgotten, were at one time extensive landowners in the shire.... The name also appears in record as Cairney, Cardany, Carden, Cardenye (1507), Cardine, and Cardoni" (124, 133).
J. Christie in Scottish Notes and Queries 7.9
(1899) 129 writes:
"The Cardneys, a family now unknown and forgotten, were at one time extensive landowners in Perthshire, and, on another occasion, those of that Ilk, and the other branches, may be dealt with."
This from The Scottish Antiquary (or, Northern Notes and Queries) 7. 103
This is from a Book that gives the Character Names meaning."King Robert II. of Scotland had issue by Mariota de Cardney. She is said to have been a daughter of Sir John de Ross, son of the Earl of Ross, who assumed the name of Cardney on obtaining from Robert II. the lands of Cardney, 19th June 1375, in which charter he is styled 'dilectus consanguineus noster', the king having married Euphemia Ross. Mariota got charters of various lands from the king, and bore to him four sons."
Carden
Nicknames: None
Spelling Variations: Cardin, Cardon, Cardyn, Karden, Kardin, Kardon, Kardyn
International Variations: None
Notables: None
Origin: Old English
Meaning: One who combs wool
Pronunciation: KAR-den
Stories: None
Comments: An Arden look-alike.
There is a village in Fife called Cardenden, meaning-
" 'Den or hollow of the thicket'. Cardain (Scottish Gaelic from Brythoniv cardden; den Scots from Old English denu) 'small steep valley'. " and there is certainly a small steep valley with thicket there.
Parishes of Fife,name meanings and pronounciations
CARDENDEN : Wooded (cardden, Brythonic gaelic) valley (denu)
Dec 5, 1948
THE NEWS, "New York's picture Newspaper"
220 East 42nd St
New York, NY
According to the story, which originated in Dublin, a Mr. Lionel Gillette Carden of San Leandro, California was to be declared heir to an estate in Ireland, valued at $250,000, if no other heir was found by December 21, 1948. The property in question was that of a Mr. John Rutter Carden of Tipperary,, and the branch of the family involved was that of the Cardens of Barnane. The heir is a nephew.
Toward the end of the last century,, Lionel Berkely Carden came to the States, and married. A son, James.Hamilton Carden., was born at La Crosse, Wisconsin. Lionel and his wife, the mother of James, were divorced and both remarried. The former Mrs. Carden lost trace of her son, and it is that James Carden, if living, or his issue, if any., who would be the heir to the money. If James was not found, it followed that Lionel would inherit the estate.
There have been no subsequent reports on the case.
The above is according to Mr. E. B. Brother of The News Information
Bureau in 1959.
Arthur Carden of carden@one-name.org wrote a book in 2004 about the
Carden family of Barnane, details of which can be found at http://uk.geocities.com/the_boggyb/cardenbook.htm
He has supplied the picture below of the house at Barnane which replaced
the original castle.
BARNANE IN ABOUT 1855
An early picture of Barnane, as is clear from the complete lack of
creeper on the new-looking walls, perhaps taken at about the time of JRC’s
imprisonment.
-----------------------------
The life of John Rutter Carden of Barmane Castle, Tipperary, Ireland
is an interesting one. Born in 1811, Carden gained the castle when he came
of age. The estate had been neglected and the Irish tenants had long paid
no rent and were not about to pay now. Landlord killing was then common,
and his tenants tried repeatedly to kill him, without success. Carden's
nickname became, "Woodcock," because, like that bird, he was hard to hit.
He even overpowered two would-be assassins, marched them to jail, and had
them hanged. The castle was remade to withstand assaults, which followed,
with the castle successfully defended in even floor-by-floor combat. The
tenants admitted that "Woodcock" Carden was a reasonable landlord; they
simply wanted to pay no rent. Carden had a swivel-mounted cannon among
his attack-resisting weapons. Then, in his forties, "Woodcock" Carden became
an Irish hero, to his tenants and others. He fell in love. The girl, Eleanor
Arbuthnot, was only 18, and an heiress. "Woodcock" fell totally and hopelessly
in love. He was also under the delusion that she loved him, and only the
family, supposedly holding her prisoner, kept her from declaring her love.
He pursued her in Ireland, England, and abroad; he tried to "rescue" her
and was tried and convicted of kidnapping. Meanwhile, he impoverished himself;
Ireland sang songs about him, and his tenants were proud of him! For many
years one song, "Carden's Wild Domain," was very popular in Ireland. Carden
died in 1866. As for Eleanor, she never married.
Source: http://www.chalcedon.edu/report/97sep/s19.htm
-----------------------------
I believe that after being released John Rutter Carden returned
to Barnane he installed a Turkish Bath and opened it as the first country
house hotel in Ireland and probably in the world! However I have
only oral history for this and was trying to find some written evidence.
As is the story that his ghostly spirit hunts a phantom pack of hounds across the Stradbally Hills and disappears into the fairy fort on Cloughpook Hill, with a blast on his hunting horn!
From: <cht@indigo.ie> John Colclough
-----------------------------
Cardens of Barnane
"With Faith and Love"
Source: http://www.southwest.com.au/~ronnie/page14.html
Templemore Abbey
Briars, Brambles, Picts and the Carden Surname
On 1/15/97 I sent the following e-mail to several likely looking web
sites in Scotland:
"I found a book that in an aside said that the Carden name was Pict
and that it was derived from the word for briars or brambles. Can you confirm
this or otherwise tell me anything about the history of this name? My father,
before he died, always told me our name was Scotch-Irish. Any information
you could give me would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Thor Carden"
I got this useful reply from "Ferguson Meek" dunnichen@msn.com in Scotland
"4:50 PM 1/16/97
Dear Thor,
I have found an interesting reference to your name in The Celtic Placenames
of Scotland by W.J. Watson.
A "British term of wide range and of rather common occurrence is 'carden',
(cardden, 'thicket, brake'.) The oldest occurrence of it is in Adamnan's
(c.521-97 AD) Airchartdan, now Urchardan, in Glen Urquhart."
Thus it would appear that your surname is derived from a placename
which is very common throughout Scotland. In the Dark Ages the British
part of the British Isles stretched up the west coast from Cornwall, Wales
and into Strathclyde. The Picts controlled most of the east of Scotland
and the Celts were largely found in northern Strathclyde and the Western
Isles, the newcomers having displaced the indigenous Celts (always a vague
term unfortunately). The Anglo-Saxons controlled much of Lothian but never
controlled much of Scotland north of this, they were beaten at the battle
of Dunnichen in Angus in the 7th century and sensibly stayed away after
that!
I can't find any clan affiliation for the name of Carden but as we
aren't a genealogical organisation this does not mean there isn't one.
There are many Scottish genealogy groups on the Web and you should be able
to find one that can help you with this question.
As I have said we do not undertake genealogical work so I have sent
you this information free in the hope it is of some interest to you. If
you have any questions concerning this reply please don't hesitate to write.
All the best
Fergie (dunnichen@msn.com)"
Royal Commission Ancient and Historical Monuments Scotland.
The estate of Carden first appeared in records associated with
the family of Martyne in 1482 when King James 4 confirmed a charter by
the deceased John Martyne of Medhope,Linlithgowshire to his son,Henry,of
the lands of Cardwan,in the Constabulary of Kinghorn.It remained in that
family until the death of Andrew Martyne without issue in 1549. No heir
entered into possession for 50 years.In 1582, James 6 granted the lands
of Carden to George Mertyne who claimed it through his mother, one of the
Duries of that ilk.George Mertyne appears to have been the last of that
family in Carden.In 1623 David Wemyss was served heir to his father,Duncan
Wemyss,in the lands and Barony of Carden.
By 1642,David Betson was successful in a petition to have his
Barony of Carden disjoined from the Parish of Kinghorn and adjoined to
Auchterderran.In 1707 it was disposed of to the Earl of Melville and in
1725 the estate of Carden became the property of Ferguson of Raith.
Carden Tower
Until 1988 we thought that the earliest record of Carden was
in 1482 when James 4 confirmed a charter of John Martyne of Medhope in
Linlithgowshire which granted to his son.Henry Martyne,the lands of Cardwan
in the Constabulary of Kinghorn.However,having searched all the usual historical
sources,we decided to write to Geoffrey Barrow at the Department of Scottish
History in Edinburgh.Imagine our excitement when he wrote back saying that
he had recentlt come across a completely unknown charter of William the
Lion,dated around 1170,which referred to "my forest of Carden".According
to Professor Barrow,it would seem likely that Carden was an area of woodland
in the 12th Century which the Kings of Scotland kept for their private
hunting.The King would appoint one of his servants as keeper of the forest
and,no doubt,he built himself a home there.The obvious site would be the
cliff overlooking the Gelly Burn where he could command a good view over
the area and defend himself if necessary.The name Carden which means "high
fortified place" and the site itself,high up above a ravine,suggest that
this may well have been the site of a much earlier fortification.
Back in the Middle Ages,the pattern was that keepership of royal lands and forests usually became hereditary.This may have been the case with the Mertynes of Carden. We have certainly found references to them holding the lands of Carden during the 15th and l6th centuries and it must have been this family who built. the sturdy sandstone tower-house. By the early l7th century the Mertynes are no longer mentioned and charters refer to the Wemyss family being in possession. By 1642 ownership had changed again and we find David Betson petitioning the Crown "to have his Barony (of Carden) disjoined from the Parish of Kinghorn and adjoined to the Parish of Auchterderran".
On the Hearth of 1694 we found that Lady Carden was paying tax
for 4 hearths,and in the 1695 Revaluation of the Parish of Auchterderran
the estate of Carden was still valued at £1292. However,when we looked
up the Register of Sasines for the same period it became clear that the
Betsons were in financial difficulties and,not long after,the lands passed
into the hands of the Earl of Leven and Melville, from whom Robert Ferguson
of Raith purchased it, along with Raith, in 1725.We can be certain that
the Tower was still being lived in when the Hearth Tax was paid in 1694,but
once the land passed to the Earl of Leven and Melville it is likely that
it was abandoned. Certainly by 1725 it was a ruin because in that year
Robert Fergusson of Raith prohibited the removal of stones by local people.
Thanks to Anne Mead for this contribution
Early 1900 Photos
Top Places of Origin for Carden Immigrants to the USA
| Place of Origin | Carden Immigrants |
| Ireland | 90 |
| England | 51 |
| Great Britain | 18 |
| Germany | 11 |
| Sweden | 4 |
| Scotland | 3 |
Welcome to Family PagesSite copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 Trish S. Carden (Please feel free to use this information but if you do please put a link back to this page)Disclaimer: The purpose of this Web Page is to share information for the purpose of research. I have not proved documentation of all genealogy material, nor have I kept source notes as I should. But I had lots of fun and met some great people along the way..
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