Byres

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Byres

Byres are Scottish family or kin-group who do not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon and are therefore considered an armigerous clan.

Origins

The barony of Byres was in the country of Haddington. <ref>Plean, Squire, Encyclopedia, 368</ref> Byres Castle, now a ruin, occupied a prominent position. The barony passed to the Lindsay family but the Byres remained as merchants. <ref>Plean, Squire, Encyclopedia, 368</ref>

Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

John Byres of Coates acquired the estate of Coates on the outskirts of Edinburgh and became Lord Provost of the city. <ref>Plean, Squire, Encyclopedia, 368</ref> Sir John Byres of Coates added the lands of Warriston near Edinburgh and was knighted for services to the monarchy.

Later, the family also gained the barony of Tonely in Aberdeen and this became their seat. <ref>Plean, Squire, Encyclopedia, 368</ref> Major General Patrick Byres was a Jacobite who fought at the Battle of Culloden and later fled to France where he fought in the French Royal Scotch Regiment.<ref>Plean, Squire, Encyclopedia, 368</ref>

The direct family line passed through an heiress to the family of Moir of Overhill who added the surname to theirs.<ref>Plean, Squire, Encyclopedia, 368</ref>


References <references/>