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Clan Turnbull

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Clan Turnbull

Clan Turnbull is an armigerous Scottish clan.

A legendary account of the Turnbull name was told by Hector Boece, in his History of Scotland. Boece tells the legend that during the Wars of Scottish Independence William of Rule saved King Robert Bruce by wrestling to the ground a bull that had charged at the King. For this feat, the King rewarded William with the lands of Philiphaugh, now part of Selkirk, and dubbed him "Turnebull" (the "e" was later dropped).

The story of the young man who saved the life of Robert the Bruce, called Will-o-Rull is well known; also how Robert the Bruce changed his name to Turn-E-Bull. This later evolved to the name "Turnbull".

The name of Rule is of quite ancient origin in the border counties of Scotland and in the north of England. It first appears in the fourth century when St. Regulus or St. Rule arrived on the shores of Scotland at what is now St. Andrews in Fife.

Another possibility that the family may have descended from Richard De Rollo, also known as Richard De Rule, claimed to have come to the British Isles about the time of William the Conqueror and descended from Rollo of Norway, Duke of Normandy (860–932).

He was given extensive grants of lands and property in Scotland and England. Still, the first authentic records of the name appear about 1128 when persons named Adam Roule, Richard Roule, Hugo Roule, William Roule and John Roule are noted in the Scottish Borders in the county of Roxburgh.

There is an area in the south central part of Roxburghshire that is known as the Valley of the Rule. This valley contains a small river called Rule Water, and there are several little communities along its course that bear, in part, the name of Rule, such as Bedrule, Abbotsrule, Hallrule, Town of Rule, and more.

Also from this valley comes the branch of the Rule Family whose name is now Turnbull. As the story is told, about 1315 in Selkirkshire, a giant named William Rule was on a hunting trip with King Robert the Bruce, when the king was attacked by a wild bison or bull. Grabbing it by the horns, Rule turned its head to one side and killed it. He was given the name of "Turn-E-Bull" by King Robert and from him has descended a quite extensive family. This story is referred to in the register of the great seal of Scotland. John Leyden describes the incident as follows: "On Scotia's lord he rushed, with lightning speed, / Bent his strong neck, to toss the startled steed; / His arms robust the hardy hunter flung / Around his bending horns, and upward wrung, / With writhing force his neck retorted round, / And rolled the panting monster on the ground, / Crushed, with enormous strength, his bony skull: / And courtiers hailed the man, who turned the bull."

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