Clan Cumming

History and Origins

At their height in the 13th century, the Comyns (later Cummings or Cummins) were arguably the most powerful noble family in Scotland — eclipsing even the royal house in lands, castles, and political influence. They held the lordship of Badenoch, the earldom of Buchan, and numerous other estates across Scotland, giving them a geographic power base that stretched from the Moray Firth to the English border.

The family's downfall was bound up with one of the decisive moments in Scottish history. John 'Red' Comyn was one of the principal claimants to the Scottish throne and a fierce rival of Robert the Bruce. In February 1306, Bruce and Comyn met at the Greyfriars Church in Dumfries to negotiate. The meeting ended with Bruce stabbing Comyn before the altar — a sacrilege that forced Bruce to commit fully to the cause of Scottish independence, since he could no longer make peace with Comyn's powerful family and English backers.

After Bruce was crowned King of Scots in 1306, the Comyn family — now irreconcilably his enemies — were systematically destroyed. The 'Hership of Buchan' in 1308 saw Bruce ravage the Comyn heartland in Aberdeenshire with deliberate completeness, killing their men and destroying their castles. The family never recovered their medieval power.

Cumming descendants nonetheless survived, established themselves in Altyre in Moray, and rebuilt a significant — if more modest — family presence. The Cummings of Altyre maintained their Speyside seat for centuries.

Notable Cumming Bearers

• John 'Red' Comyn — most powerful Scottish noble of his day; stabbed by Robert the Bruce at Dumfries, 1306
• John 'Black' Comyn, Earl of Buchan — Comyn chief after the Red Comyn; his defeat at Inverurie and the Hership of Buchan broke the family
• Gordon Cumming — 19th-century big-game hunter who became one of the most famous Scots in Victorian popular culture

The Cumming Diaspora

The Cumming/Cummings name spread widely through Scotland and then across the British world through emigration. The spelling varies significantly — Cumming, Cummings, Cuming, Comyn — and all variants connect to the same Norman-Scottish origin.

In America, the name is very common, particularly in the South, where Scots-Irish settlers carried it west from the Carolina colonies in the 18th century.

Genealogy Research Guide

National Records of Scotland. The Altyre Papers in the National Archives of Scotland. The Comyn lands appear extensively in 13th-century Scottish record. The New Register House in Edinburgh holds post-Reformation family records. Clan Cumming Society maintains modern genealogical resources.