The Armstrongs take their name from a chap who was renowned for having, yep you guessed it, strong arms. He was Siward Digry ("sword strong arm"), a nephew of King Canute, the Danish King of England until 1035.

From the 11th to the 17th century, the Armstrongs were one of the most powerful and warlike clans in the hotly contested Borders region straddling Scotland and England. Their power and presence was so threatening to Scotland's ruling authorities, in fact, that King James V himself decided to teach the troublesome rogues a lesson they'd never forget. He tricked John Armstrong of Gilnockie into attending a meeting near Hawick where, rather unsportingly, the King was secretly lying in wait and hung him without further ado as soon as he arrived.

Like all good Borders families of the day, the Armstrongs were only too happy to indulge in a spot of cross-border cattle rustling, but for them it was a pastime that would eventually cost their name dearly. The Union of the Crowns in 1603 brought an end, on paper at least, to the Anglo-Scottish border wars and the Crown embarked on a rigorous campaign to "pacify" the region. The last of the Armstrong Lairds was hanged in 1610 for leading a reiving (rustling) raid on Penrith, and the outlawed families were scattered, many of them choosing ultimate refuge in Ulster.

There has been no Armstrong chief since. Serves the thieving buggers right.

Famous Armstrongs include;

Gary Armstrong One of the finest scrum halves the world of rugby has ever seen ... and a borderer to boot!!
Sir Alexander Armstrong Arctic Explorer who explored the Arctic
Neil Armstrong The first man to walk on the moon and verify that it wasn't made out of green cheese, as had previously been believed.
Louis Armstrong "Satchmo" wasn't even remotely Scottish, but was very good at blowing his own trumpet, so he should have been.
Lance Armstrong American cyclist who despite cancer of the goolies managed to win the Tour de France.