Clan Turnbull: A Legacy of Rule Water, Bedrule and the Man Who Turned the Bull
Introduction
Clan Turnbull is a historic Scottish Borders clan rooted especially in Roxburghshire, Rule Water, Bedrule, Jedburgh, Teviotdale, Philiphaugh, and the turbulent riding country between Scotland and England.
The clan motto is:
“I Saved The King.”
The clan crest is commonly associated with:
A bull’s head.
The clan is generally described today as armigerous, meaning it has recognised clan identity, heraldry and tartan tradition, but no current chief recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon. Turnbull Clan Association material describes Turnbull as an armigerous clan, meaning a Scottish clan with arms but without a currently recognised chief.
The Turnbull heartland is the Rule Water area of the Scottish Borders. The Turnbull Clan Association states that the clan hails from the Rulewater Borders area, with its old home around Bedrule, stretching up toward Jedburgh.
This article explores the history, people, heritage, tartans, crest, motto, castles, Border Reiver identity and modern legacy of Clan Turnbull.
Chapter I: Origins of Clan Turnbull
The name Turnbull has one of the most memorable origin stories in all Scottish clan tradition.
According to the famous legend, a Borders man named William Rule, William Roule, or Will-o-Rule saved King Robert the Bruce from a charging bull. The story says the bull was set to gore the king, but William seized it, turned it, and brought it down. In gratitude, Bruce named him Turn-e-bull, later shortened to Turnbull, and rewarded him with lands.
Historic spellings and related forms include:
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Turnbull
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Turnebull
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Turne-bull
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Trumbull
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Trumbald
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Roule
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Rule
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Rool
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Rollo, in some speculative origin traditions
There is also a more cautious linguistic explanation. ScotlandShop notes that while the bull-saving legend is famous, the name may more likely derive from Old English Trumbald, meaning strong or bold.
Both traditions matter.
The scholarly explanation may point to the older surname root.
The clan legend explains the identity.
For Clan Turnbull, the name means strength, courage, loyalty and a sudden act of fearless defence.
Chapter II: Clan Territory and Ancestral Lands
Clan Turnbull’s historic territory includes:
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Rule Water
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Bedrule
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Roxburghshire
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Jedburgh
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Teviotdale
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The Scottish Borders
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Philiphaugh
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The Cheviot country
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Northumberland, through Border movement
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The wider Scottish diaspora
The Turnbull Clan Association identifies Rulewater as the clan’s old home and describes Bedrule as the heartland stretching up toward Jedburgh.
This was not Highland country.
It was Border Reiver country.
The Borders were shaped by:
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Riding families
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Watchtowers
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Peel towers
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Cattle raids
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Cross-border warfare
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Kin loyalty
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March law
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Sudden violence
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Survival between two kingdoms
Clan Turnbull belongs to that world: fast horses, hard men, strong kinship, dangerous roads and the long memory of the Rule Water valley.
Chapter III: Important People of Clan Turnbull
William Rule / William Roule of Bedrule
The legendary founding figure of Clan Turnbull is William Rule or William Roule of Bedrule.
According to clan tradition, he saved Robert the Bruce from a charging bull and was rewarded with lands and the name Turnbull.
Whether treated as literal history or heroic clan memory, the story gave the Turnbulls one of Scotland’s strongest origin legends.
William Turnebull
The Turnbull Clan Association records that William Turnebull adopted the bull’s head as his heraldic symbol and the motto “I Saved The King”, both of which became central to Turnbull identity.
John Turnbull, “Outwith Sword”
A fierce early figure was John Turnbull, nicknamed “Outwith Sword.”
Modern clan summaries describe him as a Scots prisoner of war in England around 1400, and his nickname suggests a man known for violence, temper or readiness with a blade.
William Turnbull, Bishop of Glasgow
One of the most important historical figures of the name was William Turnbull, Bishop of Glasgow.
He obtained a papal charter in 1450 to establish a university in Glasgow, and the University of Glasgow was founded in 1451.
This gives Clan Turnbull a major place in Scotland’s educational history.
Stephen Tournebulle
Stephen Tournebulle represented Scottish interests at the University of Orléans in the early 16th century.
His career shows that the Turnbull name was not only tied to Border warfare, but also to learning, diplomacy and European institutions.
George Turnbull
George Turnbull became known as the “first railway engineer of India,” serving as chief engineer on hundreds of miles of railway construction in the 19th century.
He represents the global reach of the Turnbull name in the age of empire and engineering.
Chapter IV: Castles, Towers and Historic Sites
Bedrule Castle
Bedrule Castle is the traditional seat of Clan Turnbull.
Archaeology Scotland describes Bedrule Castle as the traditional seat of the Turnbull clan and repeats the tradition that William Roule of Bedrule saved Robert the Bruce from a rampaging bull.
For Clan Turnbull, Bedrule represents:
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Clan origin
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Rule Water identity
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The bull-saving legend
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Border roots
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Traditional seat
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The old heart of the name
Rule Water
Rule Water is the defining landscape of Clan Turnbull.
It runs through the Borders near Bedrule and gave rise to the older Rule/Roule name associated with the Turnbull legend. The Turnbull Clan Association places the clan’s homeland in Rulewater and Bedrule.
Bedrule Kirk and Kirkyard
Bedrule Kirk and its kirkyard are important genealogical and emotional sites for Turnbull descendants.
The Rulewater valley and Bedrule parish contain centuries of family memory, burial records and local tradition.
Fatlips Castle
Fatlips Castle is listed among castles associated with Clan Turnbull in modern clan summaries.
It is one of the best-known tower sites connected with the wider Borders landscape of the name.
Barnhills Tower
Barnhills Tower is also listed among Turnbull-associated strongholds.
Fulton Tower
Fulton Tower is another tower associated with the clan’s Border history.
Together, these castles and towers show the true nature of Turnbull heritage: not grand Highland castles, but practical Border strongholds built for defence, warning and survival.
Chapter V: Battles, Raids and Border Reiver Identity
Clan Turnbull’s history belongs to the Border Reiver world.
The Turnbulls were not island chiefs or Highland cattle lords. They were a Border riding family shaped by the constant pressure of the Anglo-Scottish frontier.
The Bruce Legend
The foundational clan event is the saving of Robert the Bruce from the bull.
The Turnbull Clan Association says William Roule of Bedrule saved Bruce from a charging wild bull, turned it down, broke its neck, and was thereafter called Turn-E-Bull.
This legend gave the clan its motto:
I Saved The King.
The Border Reiver Period
For centuries, Turnbull families lived in the contested Middle March, where survival depended on speed, kinship and force.
Turnbulls, like many Border families, moved across the line between Scotland and England depending on war, opportunity and pressure. Modern clan summaries note that many Turnbull families moved into the Cheviot Hills and Northumberland.
Rule Water and Jedburgh Country
The clan’s old home around Bedrule and Jedburgh placed the Turnbulls in a strategic and dangerous region.
This was a land of:
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Raids
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Retaliation
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Livestock theft
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March wardens
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Kin feuds
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Towers and peel houses
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Sudden night rides
The Turnbull identity was forged in that frontier pressure.
From Reivers to Diaspora
After the pacification of the Borders in the 17th century, many old riding families either settled, moved south into England, emigrated, or were absorbed into the wider Lowland world.
Turnbull families later spread through:
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England
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Ulster
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Canada
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The United States
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Australia
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New Zealand
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South Africa
The name carried its Border memory with it.
Chapter VI: Clan Crest, Motto and Badge
Clan Crest
The Turnbull crest is commonly associated with:
A bull’s head.
The Turnbull Clan Association states that William Turnebull assumed a bull’s head as his heraldic symbol, with the motto “I Saved The King.”
The bull symbol suggests:
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Strength
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Power
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Courage
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Defiance
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Physical force
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The founding legend
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Loyalty to the king
It is one of the clearest examples in Scottish heraldry of a clan symbol directly reflecting its origin story.
Clan Motto
The clan motto is:
“I Saved The King.”
ScotsConnection gives the Turnbull motto as I Saved The King, connected with the tradition that William of Rule saved Robert the Bruce from a wounded bull.
The motto means:
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Loyalty proven by action
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Courage in a moment of danger
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The clan’s origin in royal rescue
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A deed remembered through generations
For Clan Turnbull, the motto is not abstract. It is a statement of identity.
Alternative Motto Tradition
Some modern sources also give Turnbull motto forms such as:
“Audax et Fidelis”
“Bold and faithful.”
This is a useful interpretive motto, but the strongest traditional motto remains:
I Saved The King.
Clan Badge
A distinct plant badge for Clan Turnbull is not consistently recorded in the major sources.
For accuracy, the strongest Turnbull symbols are:
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The bull’s head
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The motto “I Saved The King”
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Rule Water
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Bedrule
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The Turnbull tartans
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The Border Reiver heritage of Roxburghshire
Chapter VII: Clan Turnbull Tartans
Clan Turnbull has recognised tartans.
Turnbull Hunting Tartan
The Turnbull Hunting tartan is recorded by the Scottish Register of Tartans under reference 4162.
Hunting tartans are typically more subdued and are often associated with outdoor wear and country use.
Turnbull Dress Tartan
The Turnbull Dress tartan is recorded by the Scottish Register of Tartans under reference 4161.
Dress tartans are commonly used for formal wear, sashes, Highland dancing and decorative garments.
Turnbull Hunting 1983 #2 Tartan
The Turnbull Hunting 1983 #2 tartan is also recorded by the Scottish Register of Tartans under reference 4163.
The register lists it as a Clan/Family tartan with a tartan date of 1 January 1983.
Modern Turnbull Tartan Recognition
The Turnbull Clan Association states that there are now Turnbull clan tartans widely recognised and officially registered.
The Meaning of Turnbull Tartan Today
For modern Turnbull descendants, tartan represents:
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Rule Water roots
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Bedrule heritage
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Border Reiver identity
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The motto “I Saved The King”
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The bull’s head crest
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Roxburghshire memory
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Family pride and diaspora connection
The Turnbull tartans give this powerful Borders clan a visible and wearable Scottish identity.
Chapter VIII: Heritage, Identity and Clan Traditions
Clan Turnbull represents a Scottish Borders identity built on courage, loyalty, strength and frontier survival.
Its story includes:
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Rule Water
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Bedrule
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Roxburghshire
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William Rule / William Roule
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Robert the Bruce
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The bull-saving legend
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Border Reiver culture
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Bedrule Castle
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Fatlips Castle
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Barnhills Tower
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Bishop William Turnbull
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The founding of the University of Glasgow
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The bull’s head crest
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The motto “I Saved The King”
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Turnbull tartans
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Armigerous modern status
Associated names and forms include:
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Turnbull
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Turnebull
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Turne-bull
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Trumbull
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Trumbald
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Rule
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Roule
The Turnbull story is one of the great Border surname legends: physical courage, royal rescue, land reward, frontier hardship and a name carried proudly across the world.
Chapter IX: Clan Turnbull Today
Today, Clan Turnbull is generally described as armigerous.
That means it has clan identity, heraldic tradition and recognised tartans, but no current chief recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon. Turnbull Clan Association material explains this status directly.
Modern Clan Turnbull identity can be found through:
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Turnbull Clan Association
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Family history research
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Tartan wearing
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Visits to Rule Water and Bedrule
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Study of Border Reiver history
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Scottish heritage events
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Genealogy projects
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Diaspora family networks
For Turnbull descendants, the best first step is to trace the family’s region:
Rule Water?
Bedrule?
Roxburghshire?
Jedburgh?
Northumberland?
Ulster?
Canada?
Australia?
New Zealand?
The United States?
That will determine the strongest genealogical path.
Chapter X: Legacy of Clan Turnbull
The story of Clan Turnbull begins in the Borders, where a man of Rule is said to have faced a charging bull and saved a king.
From that act came a name, a motto, a symbol and a legend.
Its crest, the bull’s head, speaks of strength, courage and the founding story.
Its homeland, Rule Water, speaks of Border roots and reiver endurance.
Its motto gives the clan its voice:
I Saved The King.
That phrase captures the Turnbull spirit: brave at the critical moment, loyal when danger strikes, and strong enough to turn the force that others flee.
From Bedrule to Jedburgh, from the Rule Water valley to descendants across the world, Clan Turnbull continues to carry its history forward.
Its legacy is written in tartan, bulls, towers, Border kirkyards, family records and the pride of those who still honour the name.
Tartan Time Machine Closing Paragraph
At Tartan Time Machine, we bring Scotland’s past into the present by exploring the clans, castles, battles, kirkyards, legends and forgotten stories that shaped the nation.
Clan Turnbull is one chapter in that greater story — a story of Rule Water, Bedrule, Border Reivers, bull’s head crests, tartans, Bruce legend and the unforgettable motto: I Saved The King.
Discover more Scottish history, clan stories, castle features and heritage content at:
www.tartantimemachine.com