The Flemish connections with Scotland can be traced from the reign of King David II, who encouraged settlement by Norman-Flemish families from England in the early twelfth century. These pioneer settlers were generally granted land especially in Upper Lanarkshire, Moray, and Lothian. Some Flemings converted their property names into surnames, for example, Crawford and Murray. In Lanarkshire, several towns are named after their Flemish founders, including Symington, named after Simon; and Lambington, named after Lambin. Freskin the Fleming was granted lands in Moray, and his family was called ‘de Moravia,’ which became Murray, while the head of the family became Lord Sutherland in 1214.

These men had links to Flanders, whose textile manufacturing had made it the most industrialized region of northern Europe. Flanders was heavily dependent on England and Scotland for wool. The economy of the abbeys which were being established in Scotland heavily depended on the export of wool through ports such as Berwick-on-Tweed, Leith, Perth and Dundee.  Flemish merchants and craftsmen settled in such towns, especially in the Canongait.  Burghs were established, generally on Scotland’s east coast, to encourage trade with Flanders, while castles and churches were constructed, often using Flemish craftsmen. Mainard the Fleming was employed to develop burghs such as Berwick-on-Tweed and St. Andrews.

Flemish craftsmen were encouraged to settle and train local people in the latest techniques for weaving textiles; in fact, in 1601 Claus Lossier, a shearer, Cornelis Dermis, a weaver, and Henri de Turk, a clothmaker, were sent to Dundee for that purpose. The volume of trade between Scotland and Flanders during the Early Modern Period generated an expansion of ships and seamen in both Flanders and Scotland. Scotland exported food, such as fish, and raw materials, especially wool, hides, and coal, while manufactured goods and textiles were sent from Flanders to Scotland.

In Flanders, the city of Bruges was the Staple Port for Scottish trade in the medieval period; later, it became Veere in Zealand. Bruges and Antwerp attracted Scottish merchants and craftsmen; however, from the late sixteenth until the early nineteenth century, the majority of the Scots in Flanders were soldiers. The Scotch Brigade fought in the Low Countries against the Spanish, who were attempting to keep the Dutch and Flemish in the Spanish Empire. Later Scottish regiments of the British Army fought against the French through the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.