Sutherland
Modern Muted Crest
Gaelic Name: Sutherlarach
Crest: A cat-a-mountain sejant rampant, Proper
Motto: Sans Peur (Without Fear)
Badge: Cotton Sedge
Lands: Sutherland
The Earldom of Sutherland is claimed to be the oldest in Britain. The Sutherland clan derive their name from the territory known as Sudrland by the Norsemen who had conquered much of the Scottish mainland north of Inverness. The family are thought to be of Flemish origin, descendants of Freskin, who is also an ancestor of the Murrays of Atholl. The Earls of Sutherland maintained feuds with many neighbouring clans, in particular Clan MacKay. Relations with the Sinclairs of Caithness were also strained, and the 11th Earl of Sutherland and his wife died of poisoning, at the instigation of the Earl of Caithness.