Spotlight on the Clan Wood Society

Discover the history of the surname Wood and the origins of Clan Wood in this Scottish clan spotlight.

The ancient clan/family of Wood dates back at least to the twelfth century in Scotland. One of the earliest written mentions of the name is from the 26^th of June 1211, when King William the Lion appointed the Norman aristocrat Wilhelmus (Wm.) de Bosco Chancellor of Scotland. (Bosco means wood in clerical Latin.) William lived and worked in the Lothian region and was concurrently Archdeacon of Lothian from 1214 to 1231. His seat was Ogilface by Edinburgh.

The Woods were fierce opponents of the English insurgents during the Wars of Independence. For example, Sir Andrew of Redcastle commanding the garrison of Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness was slain when the walls were breached. Chief at the time, Thomas Wood of Ogilface was executed in the Tower of London for trying to hide Scotland’s Crown Jewels from the English king Edward I. His heir fought at the side of King Robert the Bruce and was afterwards knighted. The exploits and history-changing successes of chief and Lord High Admiral Sir Andrew Wood of Largo, 200 years later, are the stuff of legend.

In 2014, research commissioned by the Clan Wood Society and carried out by one of Scotland’s most respected historians and genealogists, Gordon A MacGregor, brought to light primary documentary evidence confirming that the Woods who erected the Fife barony of Largo were the senior line of the family firmly established in Lothian generations before them.

About the Clan Wood Society

Established to be, under the chief, the mouthpiece and ‘civil service’ of the clan, anyone bearing the surname Wood of Scotland or a direct variant, or a partner or near descendant of someone of the name is welcome to join.

About the Clan Wood Society

Established for anyone bearing the surname Wood or a direct variant, or a partner or near descendant of someone of that name, the Clan Wood Society welcomes new members.

Annual membership is £10/ £7.50 student and you can join on the society website.

The clan plays an active part in Scotland’s clan heritage, and tries to take part in all of Scotland’s international clan gatherings. Clan Wood appeared alongside Clan Maclean and Clan Broun to open The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle in the evening of the 9 August 2017.