The Complete History of Clan Wood - Digital Edition

From the turbulent waters of the Firth of Forth to the court of Scotland’s Stewart kings, discover the remarkable history of Clan Wood and the celebrated seafaring family of Wood of Largo.

The story begins with the origins of the Wood surname and the rise of Sir Andrew Wood, a successful Leith merchant and formidable naval commander who served Kings James III and James IV. Commanding famous vessels such as the Flower and the Yellow Carvel, Wood defended Scotland’s coastline, confronted English raiders and helped advance the kingdom’s growing maritime ambitions. His service brought the family lands at Largo, a fortified residence overlooking Largo Bay and eventual elevation to one of Fife’s respected baronial houses.

The Complete History of Clan Wood follows the family through royal service, naval warfare, the Scottish Reformation and the deadly political struggles surrounding Mary, Queen of Scots. It recounts the career and assassination of Master John Wood, the development of the Lambelethame and Grange branches, the charitable foundation of Wood’s Hospital and the financial pressures that ultimately forced the family to surrender its ancestral estate.

The story does not end with the loss of Largo. Later generations carried the Wood name into government, military, naval and imperial service, from the Isle of Man to India, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Their achievements reveal how a family once rooted along the Fife coast adapted to a rapidly changing world while preserving the memory of its Scottish origins.

Readers will also explore the crest featuring a ship under sail, the motto Tutus in Undis—“Safe Amid the Waves”—the development of modern Wood tartans and the continuing questions surrounding genealogy, heraldry and the chiefship of Clan Wood. Romantic traditions are carefully distinguished from documented history, creating an honest and engaging account of what the surviving records can—and cannot—prove.

Inside This Book, You Will Discover:

• The meaning and origins of the Wood surname
• Sir Andrew Wood’s rise from merchant captain to royal admiral
• Scotland’s naval struggles during the reigns of James III and James IV
• The Flower, the Yellow Carvel and the legendary battle with Stephen Bull
• The creation of the Barony of Largo and the building of Wood’s Tower
• Clan Wood’s role in the Reformation and the Marian civil wars
• The murder of Master John Wood in 1570
• The later lairds and cadet branches of the family
• Wood’s Hospital and the loss of the Largo estate
• The family’s migration into British and imperial service
• Clan Wood heraldry, tartans, traditions and modern identity
• The historical evidence surrounding the modern chiefship and representative line

Richly researched and written for the general reader, this book is ideal for Wood descendants, family historians, genealogists and anyone interested in Scottish clans, Fife history, medieval naval warfare or the age of the Stewart kings.

The Complete History of Clan Wood is more than a record of names and dates. It is the story of a family shaped by the sea, elevated through royal service and remembered through the enduring power of heritage.

Available as a digital edition in EPUB, KPF and PDF formats. This is a digital product; no physical book will be shipped.