Let me share with you the remarkable history of your family, the Ewings. The roots of the Ewing clan and surname can be traced back to the beautiful shores of Loch Lomond, where the name has remained prominent over the centuries. It was during the late fifteenth century that members of Clan Ewan of Otter found refuge there after being displaced from their ancestral lands around Kilfinan on the Cowal peninsula. Findlay Ewing, a notable figure, was granted the esteemed estate of Ladytoun by the Earls of Lennox in the 1560s. This grant was attributed not only to the favor of the Earls but also to the Scottish Reformation, as the lands of Ladytoun had previously belonged to a nunnery.

During a momentous event in Scottish history, when the deposed Mary, Queen of Scots escaped from her prison on Loch Leven and sought to reclaim her throne, it is believed that a William Ewing carried one of her banners at the Battle of Langside. This encounter took place south of Glasgow, where Mary’s forces clashed with those led by her half-brother, the Earl of Moray.

Unfortunately, information about the chiefly family becomes scarce in subsequent years. It seems that, like many other lowland gentry, some Ewings settled in Ulster as part of the Jacobean Plantation. Among them was Findlay Ewing, who reportedly served as an artillery officer and fought alongside the Williamite forces at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. For his bravery, he received a sword from William of Orange himself. Many descendants of these Ulster settlers later found their way to North America, including the notable figure Thomas Ewing, the First Secretary of the Interior, who was born in 1789.

In the nineteenth century, another branch of the Ewing family emerged as prominent industrialists in the Vale of Leven, located south of Loch Lomond. Known as the Ewings of Balloch, their lineage can be traced back to Robert Ewing, born at Balloch in 1724. Robert’s grandsons, John and Archibald Orr Ewing, established a textile manufacturing empire that dominated the region during that era. In recognition of his accomplishments, Archibald Orr Ewing was honored with a Baronetcy of Ballinkinran in Stirlingshire in 1886.

More recently, one of the most renowned bearers of the Ewing surname is Winifred or Winnie Ewing, born in 1929. She made a significant impact as a nationalist politician, achieving a breakthrough for the Scottish National Party by unexpectedly winning a by-election in Hamilton in 1967. This victory propelled her to prominence and earned her the nickname ‘Madame Ecosse’ for her unwavering promotion of Scottish interests. Furthermore, she served as a Member of the European Parliament, leaving a lasting legacy for the Ewing name.