Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project

The Declaration of Arbroath, created in 1320, was an enormously important historical document with significance in Scotland and beyond. The Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project, run by the Genealogical Studies Postgraduate Programme based in the Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Strathclyde and funded by the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, was devised for two purposes. Firstly, it aimed to provide a learning opportunity for students to carry out research in medieval genealogy. Secondly, it aimed to research the lives and families of the ‘signatories’ including present day descendants, and to develop methodologies for the use of genetic genealogy in tracing early descents.

The Report on the Project presents findings from the two strands of the Project, the documentary strand and the genetic genealogy strand. Of the 48 ‘signatories’ and their families researched in the documentary strand, the Report focuses on 15 of these plus the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce. Eight families formed the major focus of the genetic genealogy strand. The methodologies employed in the research are described as well as the conclusions reached on the eight families.

The Report includes brief biographies, genealogical charts, colour coats of arms and genealogical haplotrees to illustrate the findings.