A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

128
OF THE CROSS, We.
Sir Robert Erskine claimed right to the earldom of Marr, as descended of a daughter
of Gratney Earl of Marr and as nearest of kin to Isabel Countess of Marr: so that, in
the year 1438, lie was served heir to the Lady Isabel Douglas, tunquam legitimus fc?
propinquiof Dares dictee Dominte Isabella:, and was designed Eail of Marr, Lord Erskine
and Garioch, and quartered the arms of Marr and Garioch with his own :
but King James II. reduced the Lord Erskine's right to the earldom of Marr, and
annexed it to the crown, and afterwards gave it, with the lordship ot Garioch, to
his third son John Stewart Earl of Marr, Lord Garioch in the 1460, who carried,
quarterly, first and fourth, Scotland ; second and third, the arms of Marr as berore,
azure, a bend betwixt six cross croslets feck e or, and, over all, an escutcheon or, a
fesse cheque azure and argent, accompanied with three ducal crowns gules, for the
and that noble feu re-
Lordship of Garioch ; he died unmarried in the year 1479,
turned again to the crown, and was bestowed by King James 111. on a mean man,
Robert Cochran, a favourite of that king's; but he did not enjoy it long ; and then
he gave that title to John,
a younger son of his, who died young. Queen Mary
bestowed that dignity on her natural brother James Stewart but
y upon better advertisement
of John Lord Erskine, his right and pietensions to that earldom, James
Stewart resigned it, and, in lieu of it, was made Earl of Murray, and the earldom
of Marr was given to John Lord Erskine, and confirmed in Parliament 1567. from
him is lineally descended the Earls of Marr, who quartered the arms ot Marr with
these of Erskine as before : For an exact and full account of this nobie family, see
Mr Crawford's Peerage, at the title of Marr.
SOMERVILLE of Drum, representer of the Lord SOMERVILLE, carries azure, three
stars or, accompanied with seven cross crosslets fitched argent, three in chief, one in
the centre, two in the flanks, and the last in base; which figures so disposed I have
seen on an ancient stone in the house of Drum, and which are so illuminated in
our old books of blazon, supported by two hounds proper, collared gules ; and for
crest, a dragon proper, spouting out fire behind and before, standing on a wheel or,
(the story of which crest I shall give afterwards) ; with the motto, Fear God in Life.
These were the armorial ensigns of the old Lords of SOMERVILLE ; the present James
Somerville of Drum is the twenty-fifth in a lineal male descent from Sir Gaul-
ter de Somerville, who came to England with William the Conqueror, and he is
the heir and representer of the family of Somerville of Whichnour, in England,
now extinct, and in Scotland, of Somervilles of Linton, Lord Somervilles of
Carnwath and Drum, and undoubted chief of the name, as by a Manuscript of the
family, handsomely instructed by old evidents, since King William the Lion, which
I have seen.
The name of RATTRAY or RATHRIE, azure, a fesse argent, between six cross croslets
fitched or. In the reign of Malcolm 111. amongst the old surnames, Hector Boece
mentions this, the principal of which was Rattray of that Ilk, in the shire of Perth.
In the Register of the abbacy of Arbroath, there is a perambulation, of the date
1250, between that convent and Thomas de Rattrav, about the lands of Kingeli
drum : and, in the reign of King Robert the Bruce, Eustachius de Rattray was
falsely accused in the Parliament of Perth for treason against that king, but was
lairly acquitted. This family continued in a lineal male descent to the reign of
King James V. which then ended in an heiress, Jean Rattray, who was married to
John Stewart, Earl of Athol.
The next heir male is RATTRAY of Craighall, who carries the foresaid armorial
bearing, as~in Font's Manuscript.
Lieutenant Colonel GEORGE RATTRAY, son to Sir JOHN RATTRAY, Lieutenant Colo-
nel to the Scots Regiment in France, who was son to Mr James Rattray, son to
Rattray of Craighall, heir male of Rattray of that Ilk, azure, a fesse argent betwixt
six cross croslets fitched 3 and -} or ; crest, a dexter hand proper, holding a cross
croslet or: motto, Ex hoc victoria signo. L. R.
The name of CHEYNE is ancient with us, and in our old books of blazon, CHEYNE
Lord CHEYNE carried gules, a bend betwixt six cross croslets fitched argent. For the
antiquity of the name 1 shall here mention a charter (which I saw in the hands of
the curious Mr William Wilson, one of the Clerks of the Session) without a date,
granted by Reynald Cheyne, son of Reynald, who was son of Reynald of the lands
of Durie, which he disponed to Gilbert, son, to Robert of Strathern ; and which