Burnetts of the Scottish Lothians (Lowlands) (R‑M269‑D)
Descendants of this Burnett paternal line can be found in the US, Canada, Scotland, and New Zealand. A Scottish-born tester of this line is in possession of family papers stating that elders in his line believed they descended from the Craigmyle branch of Burnett of Leys. However, Y‑DNA testing of this paternal line reveals their Y‑DNA haplogroup as R‑M269 (aka R1b). Burnett of Leys descendants share the haplogroup J‑M172, which is unrelated to R‑M269 descendants in many thousands of years. None of our proven descendants of Leys descend from the Craigmyle branch as of 2026.
Major HaplogroupAs mentioned, descendants of this paternal line share the major haplogroup R‑M269. Because this was the 12th R‑M269 sub‑group paternal line found in the Burnett Y‑DNA Project, it is labeled as and referred to as “R‑M269‑D” in the project. R‑M269 is one of the most common haplogroups in the western world. Several more recent haplogroups within this paternal line have been identified through Big Y testing. R‑Y81991 is the oldest branch shared only by the members of this group and is dated about 1240. This is well beyond the reach of historical records, yet all its identified sub‑branches are populated by men of the name Burnet(t).
Additional haplogroups identified through Big Y testing have revealed some of the branches of this family as shown on the Family Tree chart at the end of this summary:
- R‑FTA65928 dated 1492 — a branch that has remained in Scotland
- R‑FTA75331 dated 1620 — possible mutation of George Burnett b. 1665 or his recent paternal ancestor
- R‑FTB12374 dated 1697 — descendants of Gilbert Burnett b. 1728
- R‑BY239682 dated 1760 — descendants of James Cunningham Burnett b. 1726
- R‑FTA95778 dated 1780 — recent ancestor of James and John Burnett of Ireland
Y‑DNA test results, combined with the testers’ family trees, indicate that the most recent common ancestor of the various testers in this paternal line can be dated to Scotland ca. 1240, with a descendant branch migrating to Ireland by the 1700s. This Irish branch is the branch whose descendants migrated to Canada and New Zealand. American testers descend from George Burnett of Midlothian.
The various family trees of the Y‑DNA testers lead to the progenitors listed below.
- Charles Burnet (1682‑1730) of East Lothian Scotland, married Jean Waterstone.
- John Burnet (1750‑ ) of Scotland married Janet Begbie, parents of George Peter Burnet (1782‑1864) of East Lothian, Scotland.
- George Burnett (1665‑ ) of Midlothian, Scotland married Catherine Donald/Donaldson. Multiple American testers have traced to this couple.
- William Burnett (1734‑1818) of Antrim Ireland, married Margaret.
- James Burnett (1795‑1844) of Booterstown Ireland, wife unknown, father of Rev. George Burnett (1825‑1899).
- John Burnett (1780‑ ) died Churchtown Ireland, wife unknown, father of Samuel Burnett (1806‑1895) who died in Ontario Canada.
We know that the most recent common ancestor of the six men above was born about 1240, suggesting this paternal line has carried the Burnet(t) name for many centuries. This ancient ancestor is represented by the haplogroup / SNP R‑Y81991.
We also know from the test results that #5 James and #6 John above were closely related, possibly brothers or first cousins. Further, we know that #3 George Burnett b. 1665 was closely related to #5 James Burnett and #6 John Burnett above. In fact, it is possible that George Burnett b. 1665 was the grandfather or perhaps great‑uncle of James and John of Ireland above.
The common ancestor of #1 Charles and #2 John above walked the earth about 1496, with two known descendants residing in Scotland and one in Canada.
OriginsArchaeological results identify ancestors of this line in the northeast of England during the Iron Age. The chart below reveals the ancient migration path of this line over the past several thousand years.
Approximate migration routes and geographic connections of the R‑M269D Burnett paternal line.
Discussed above.
Famous Ancestors- Gov. Peter Hardeman Burnett (1807‑1895) — First elected Governor of California. Wikipedia
- Capt. George Wardlaw Burnet — Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, appointed in 1992 as Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant in the Lothian District.
- John Wardlaw Burnet (1814‑1901) — Head of the firm of John Burnet & Son, St. Vincent Street. He was an architect of distinction and designed very large important buildings in Glasgow and the West. Wikipedia
- James Burnet (1759‑1814) — Last Captain of the Edinburgh City Guard, remembered in ‘The Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, Vol. XIV, 1925’ as “James Burnet, … a very cleanly made, and always neatly dressed man, of apparently quite a superior caste to the men of the gallant corps he commanded.” His death was recorded in the Scots Magazine thus, “At Seton, Mr James Burnet, many years Captain of the Town Guard of this city. Mr Burnet is much regretted by a numerous acquaintance, who greatly respected him as a cheerful companion and an honest man.”
- James Burnet (1798‑1870) — Tenant of Seton Farm in Tranent and factor (estates manager) to the Earls of Wemyss and March, ‘with whom he was a great favourite’ for nearly 50 years.
From the reported family trees of our testers, the paternal ancestors listed below are confirmed members of this paternal line. Many of these are represented by multiple testers. If your Burnett ancestor is listed below, it means you also descend from this paternal Burnett line. Many of the birth and death years are circa / estimated.
| Name | Birth | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Burnet | 1655 Scotland? | 1713 East Lothian Scotland | Agnes Smith |
| George Burnet | 1665 Midlothian Scotland | Catherine Donald | |
| Charles Burnet | 1682 East Lothian Scotland | 1730 East Lothian Scotland | Jean Waterstone |
| George Burnett | 1690 Midlothian Scotland | 1770 Prince Edward VA | Margaret Cunningham |
| Andrew Burnet | 1719 East Lothian Scotland | 1795 Midlothian Scotland | Helen Muir |
| James Burnett | 1726 Ireland? | 1797 Pittsylvania VA | Mary Morrison |
| Gilbert Burnett | 1728 Lunenburg VA | 1817 Pittsylvania VA | Peggy Cunningham |
| William Burnett I | 1734 Antrim Ireland | 1818 Antrim Ireland | Margaret |
| Andrew Burnet | 1760 Midlothian Scotland | 1829 Midlothian Scotland | Barbara Hardie |
| John Burnet | 1760 Scotland | Janet Begbie | |
| John Burnett | 1767 Pittsylvania VA | 1835 Shelby KY | Judith Becke |
| George Burnett | 1770 Pittsylvania VA | 1838 Clay MO | Dorothy Hardeman |
| John Burnett | 1780 | Churchtown N Ireland | |
| William Burnett | 1787 Tyrone N Ireland | 1872 Suffolk MA | Jane Hamilton |
| William Burnett | 1793 Pittsylvania VA | 1862 Macoupin IL | Elizabeth Richardson |
| James Burnett | 1795 | 1844 Booterstown Ireland | |
| William Burnett II | 1796 Antrim Ireland | 1882 Antrim Ireland | Mary Ann Morrison |
| Gilbert Burnett | 1795 Pittsylvania VA | 1863 Spencer KY | Jane McDonald |
| Samuel Burnett | 1806 County Derry Ireland | 1895 Ontario Canada | Martha Cotton |
| Henry Burnett | 1811 Derry Ireland | 1868 Suffolk MA | Mary J Calhoun |
| James White Burnett | 1821 Howard MO | 1884 Polk OR | Sarah J Turner |
| Charles Burnet | 1837 Midlothian Scotland | 1902 Midlothian Scotland | Mary P Cairns |
| George Peter Burnet | 1782 East Lothian Scotland | 1864 | Margaret Wardlaw |
| George Wardlaw Burnet | 1863 Glasgow Scotland | 1901 Aberdeen Scotland | May Crudelius |
| James Burnet | 1797 Midlothian Scotland | 1867 Midlothian Scotland | Jean Robertson |
| John Wardlaw Burnet | 1814 Lanarkshire Scotland | 1901 Glasgow Scotland | Elizabeth Bennett |
| Rev. George Burnett | 1826 Ireland | 1899 Cumbria England | Agnes Ridley |
| Robert Burnett | 1833 Antrim Ireland | 1903 Antrim Ireland | Peggie Pickens |
| William Thomas Burnett | 1839 Macoupin IL | 1911 Kings CA | Margaret White |
| James Burnett | 1845 Ontario Canada | 1924 Winnipeg Canada | Isabella Downey |
| William Thomas Burnett | 1852 Spencer KY | 1926 Jefferson KY | Stella Mahoney |
| David Burnett | 1862 Suffolk MA | 1946 Middlesex MA | Edith Busby |
| Robert Leroy Burnett | 1862 CA | 1931 Linn OR | Harriett L |
| William John Burnett | 1866 Antrim Ireland | 1940 Antrim Ireland | Annie Faulkner |
| John Ridley Burnett | 1868 Cumberland England | 1890 Cumberland England | Ann N Paige |
| James Burnet | 1874 Midlothian Scotland | 1957 Midlothian Scotland | Agnes H Wallace |
| George Burnett | 1876 Ontario Canada | 1960 Manitoba Canada | Elizabeth Huston |
| Charles Clay Burnett | 1877 Fillmore NE | 1962 San Joaquin CA | Bertha M Trimmer |
| Henry Burnett | 1887 Suffolk MA | 1980 Essex MA | Florence Hutchinson |
| John Rudolph Wardlaw Burnet | 1886 Midlothian Scotland | 1941 Glasgow Scotland | Lucy Wallace |
| William Burnett Jr | 1896 Antrim Ireland | 1972 Antrim Ireland | Agnes Reid |
| Kenneth L Burnett | 1898 OR | OR | Lucille A Longbottom |
Family Charts
The family chart shown below is much abbreviated, showing only the most distant ancestors shared by at least two testers. The chart also lists the more distant common ancestors identified by their haplogroup / SNP whose names are unknown. Although we cannot yet name them, we can date them through Y‑DNA testing.
Where Big Y 700 test results are available, the SNPs generated from the testing are shown. You can learn more about these SNPs using the FamilyTreeDNA Discover tool: https://discover.familytreedna.com/
Abbreviated family chart showing shared ancestors and Y‑DNA haplogroups of the R‑M269D Burnett line.