A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

I54
OF THE CHEVERON.
feited by the Parliament, for the murder of Prince Henry, father to King James
VI. Many families of this name suffered with him, and were brought to ruin.
Some of these who are yet standing, I shall give their blazons about the end of
this chapter.
These of the surname of KER give for their proper figures, a cheveron charged
with stars, which some blazon mullets ; but of the distinction betwixt stars and
mullets afterwards. There were two principal
families of this name in the county
of Roxburgh, viz. Cessford and Ferniehirst, who are said to have their rise from
two brothers, Ralph and Robert, sons of the family of KER of Kerhall, in Lan-
cashire ; originally from the family of KER in Normandy, who came over with
William the Conqueror, to England. Which of these two brothers were eldest, is
not determined, nor the precise time when they came to Scotland but it is
; said, in the
time of King David the II. and that Robert got from that king the lands of Auldtounburn,
lying upon the water of Beaumont, the original of the house of Cessford,
Earls, and now Duke of Roxburgh. Their achievement is quarterly, first and
fourth vert, on a cheveron between three unicorns' heads erased argent, as many
stars sable, as Ker of Cessford ; they had formerly the field of their arms gules, as
others of the name, till one of the Lairds of Cessford was killed fighting valiant-
ly against the English in a green field, in the reign of King James IV. whereupon
he ordered, for the future, that the field of arms of that family should be -vert,
in remembrance thereof. As Sir George Mackenzie in his Manuscript of Genealogies.
I am much of the opinion that it was then that the family got, by way of
concession, the unicorns' heads, being a part of the royal ensign; second and third
gules, three mascles or, for the name of Vipont ; which arms are supported by
two savages, proper, wreathed about the middle with laurel, holding battons over
their shoulders, standing upon a compartment, whereupon are frequently these
words, Omne solum forti patria est ; and for crest, an unicorn's head erased
argent, maned and horned or culum.
; with the motto, Pro Cbristo if Patria dulce peri-
The family of CESSFORD was first dignified with the title of Lord Ker of Cessford,
by King James VI. and afterwards, in the year 1616, with the title of Earl of
Roxburgh, in the person of Robert Lord Ker. He married first a daughter of Sir
William Maitland of Lethington, and by her had three daughters, He mar-
-idly,
ried Jean, daughter of Patrick Lord Drummond, by whom he had a son, Henry
Lord Ker, who died before the Earl, his father, and left a daughter Jean ; who,
by her grandfather's appointment,
married Sir William Drummond, younger son
to John Earl of Perth. He, in right of his wife, was second Earl of Roxburgh ;
of him is lineally descended John Ker, Earl and first Duke of Roxburgh.
But to proceed to treat of the cheveron in its varieties,
after which I shall add
the blazons of the honourable family of the name of Ker and others.
When there are more cheverons than one in the field, some English heralds
call them chevronels, but we, with the French, though there be three of them
in one field, call them still cbeverans, as we have formerly done of the like num-
ber of bends, though they keep not their just quantity when multiplied.
The old Earls of STRATHERN carried for arms, or, two cheverons gules', as Plate
VII. fig. 8.
The Earldom of STRATHERN was certainly one of the most ancient dignities in
the kingdom ; for Maiise Comes Stradarnice is mentioned in the charter of erection
of the Priory of Scoon by Alexander I. anno 1115. His son and successor was
Fereth Comes de Stradern, witness in a grant by King Malcolm IV. to the Convent of
Scoon. He left behind him three sons, Robert, his successor in honour ; Gilbert,
the lands
thereafter Earl of Strathern ; and Maiise, to whom King William gave
of Kincardine in Perth, to be holden of his brother, Earl Robert. Gilbert erected
the convent of Inchaffry, and left issue, a son, Maiise, and two daughters,
Annabella, married to Sir David Graham of DundafF, with whom he got the barony
of Kincardine, from whom is descended the present Duke of Montrose; Amatilda
was married to Malcolm Earl of Fife.
Maiise succeeded his father, Earl Maiise, in fortune and dignity ; He married
Mary, daughter of Sir John Gumming of Badenoch, and with her had issue, Maiise,
his son and heir, and a daughter Mary, married to Sir John Murray of