Clans of the North-East: Keith

November 2008

The marital arms of Francis Keith, decorates the porch of the Kintore Arms in Inverurie. (Tartan courtesy of Scottish Tartans Authority)

by Gordon Casely

Keith is one of the greatest names in Scotland’s history, the legend being that the chief of the house could ride from Berwick to Caithness, stopping every night at one of his own properties. The earliest Keith was said to be Catti, with the most north-easterly point or ness of Scotland’s mainland named Catti Ness, hence Caithness.

An early Catti story is that at an 11th century battle in Angus, King Malcolm II (1005-34) dipped three fingers into the blood of a slain enemy warrior, and drew them down the shield of the Keith chief. Ever since, the chiefs of Keith has borne these three red lines on his arms. In clan matters, there is nothing like a good-going tale to add colour to tradition.

Today’s clan chief is the 14th Earl of Kintore, 32-year-old James William Falconer Keith, who lives in Aberdeenshire. He is the product of an ancient line who chose their brides carefully to build up their wealth, but who were unfortunate enough to forfeit their lands, castles and titles for supporting the Jacobite cause in the Forty-Five.

King Robert Bruce (1306-29) granted Hallforest by Kintore to his friend Sir Robert de Keth in 1308, and it was there that a Keith stronghold was built. This was more than convenient for both sovereign and soldier, for Kintore was also the outpost of the northern lands of Bruce.

Sir William the Marischal (1350-1407) added great estates in Buchan, Kincardine and Lothian to his existing patrimony through marriage. Elevation to the peerage followed, with the 3rd Lord Keith being elevated as Earl Marischal in 1458, the only peer in Scotland ever to be styled by his great office of state. The 4th Earl founded Marischal College in Aberdeen, while the 5th brought about the marriage of James VI (1567-1625) to Princess Anne of Denmark.

The Honours of Scotland

The family put everything into the Royalist cause: it was Keith initiative that brought about the hiding of the Honours of Scotland on Keith lands – a move which gave them a Royal augmentation to their coat-of-arms shown to this day by descendant James, 14th earl, a small shield of honour on which the Scots crown, sword and sceptre appear.

Keith support for the Old Pretender and his son the Young Pretender ultimately cost the family dear, with the ruinous fortress of Dunnottar – once their mighty stronghold – perhaps exemplifying their loss the extent of their losses. The Marischal earldom was forfeited, and the line devolved upon the Kintore Keiths.

Civic prosperity as much as military might has been a touchstone of the family, and Peterhead and Stonehaven both owe their foundations in 1587 to George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal. Their burgh arms are directly based on those of Keith, and each uses the traditional Keith motto Veritas Vincit (Truth Conquers).

A particularly fine example of Keith marital arms appears above the portico of the Kintore Arms Hotel in Inverurie, and shows the heraldry of Francis Keith, 8th earl (on the left of the shield) impaled on the right with that of his wife Louisa Hawkins. The five-foot high three-dimensional model underwent full restoration and repainting in 1995.

Ian Keith, 12th Earl of Kintore (1908-1989), laid the foundation in promoting clan Keith internationally: in particular, he proved instrumental in appointing a sennachie or clan bard to preserve the family’s wider history and traditions.

Septs: Austen, Austin, Cate, Dickson, Dixon, Dick, Falconer, Faulkner, Harvey, Hackston, Haxton, Hurrie, Hurry, Keath, Keech, Keeth, Keyth, Kite, Lumgair, Marshall, Urie, Urry.

Thanks to his Devonian surname, Gordon Casely is a clanless Scot. He looks forward to hearing from any clan chief willing to adopt him.

This is an article from the November 2008 edition of Leopard Magazine. To read much more like this every month, subscribe to Leopard Magazine.