Teunion and Burnett Family
The Teunion name, although now most prevalent in
Aberdeenshire and Banffshire has its roots in Ireland. The surname Teunion is a
corruption of the name of ( St.) Adamnan; under the effect of aspiration
Adhamh, (Adam) loses the force of It's consonants, and with the diminutive
termination added, becomes Aunan, eunan, etc. In the northeast, as in
Aberdeenshire and Banffshire there is a tendency to prefix certain consonants
to saint’s names either as an equivalent for saint, or to facilitate to
pronunciation. Thus St Rule becomes St Trowel, and St Anthony becomes Tantan;
and hence Eunan becomes Theunan, as in the parish of Aboyne, where a fresh
change takes place, and Adamnan's Well Tree become Skeulan Well, and Skeulan
Tree.
Saint Adamnan, or Eunan was
born in the year 624, at Drumhome in the county of Donegal, and retired to the
monastery of Ina, where he became the ninth abbot in the year 679. Adamnan was
Iona's most accomplished scholar, and is remembered principally in connection
with ''The Life of St Columba'', one of the most important hagiographical
documents in existence. Among the variants of the name are included Teunon,
Tewnion and Tinnion, and the names, through Adam, and Adamnan are connected
with the Gordon clan, which has been recorded in Scotland since 1150. 
Click here to go to my Teunion and Burnett
ancestry
The name Burnett
is a variant of Burnard from the Old English personal name Beornheard. Roger
Burnard was established in the lands of Faringdon in the 13th century and made
two grants to the monks of Melrose in his lifetime. Patrick Burnard also held
lands near Gordon in Berwickshire about 1250. Down to the middle of the 14th
century the family owned Faringdon in the county of Roxburgh and continued to
figure prominently among the benefactors of Melrose Abbey and in 1296 William
de Faringdon of Roxburgh paid homage to Edward I. Alexander Burnard or Burnett
may 
have belonged to this family
but as a supporter of King Robert the Bruce, he went north in his train and
received charters of the lands of Drum and the Barony of Tulliboyll in
Kincardinshire. His great-grandson, Robert was the first designated "of
Leys" in 1446 and his descendant, Thomas was created a baronet of Nova
Scotia in 1626. The seat of the chief is at Crathes Castle, on the north of the
River Dee in Kincardineshire, which was founded in 1533 at the site of the
"lake dwelling" that the family had occupied previously. The castle
took 40 years to build and retains the traditional L-shaped form. In the main
hall one can see the celebrated "Horn of Leys". The horn was employed
in early days to mark the handing over of lands and the one present at Crathes
is said to have been a gift of King Robert the Bruce. The Burnets of Barns gave
their name to Burnetland in the parish of Broughton and claim descent from
Robertus de Burneville who lived in the reign of David I (1124-53); however,
this claim has not been substantiated. © Electric Scotland