A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF FOUR-FOOTED BEASTS. 287
intrusted by his uncle, George Earl of March, to keep the castle of Dunbar \vhen
he \vunt discontented to England, and turned an enemy to his country; but Robert
Maitland surrendered the castle, and Ins family afterwards was designed of Lethington.
His son and succes William, father of John, who had two sons, William
and James Maitlandsof Achincastle, in Dumfrieshire; of whom branched the MaitlamU
at Eccles. William, last mentioned, died in his father's lifetime, being killed
at l''k>dden, and left a son, Sir Richard, by his wife, a daughter of George Lord
Seaton, who succeeded his grandfather ; which Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington
was a Lord of the Session, and Privy Seal to Queen Mary. He married a
daughter of Thomas Cranston of Corsby, and by her had three sons, Sir William,
Sir John, and Mr T. The first succeeded his father; he \vas Secretary of
State to Queen Mary, and left a son by a daughter of the Lord Fleming, called
James, who died without issue. His brother, Sir John, was Secretary to King
;
James V!. and afterward Chancellor of Scotland, and succeeded his brother Sir
William. He, by that King, was created a Lord of Parliament, by the title of
Lord Thirlestane, May iyth 1590. Before this time I do not observe that the
family had the double trcssure round their lion : for, in Sampson's Hall, in the
house of Seaton, where the Achievements of the nobility and gentry that have relation
to the family of Seaton, are truly and curiously embossed and illuminated
by the order of George Lord Seaton, 1526, the arms -of Maitland of Lethington
are there blazoned without the double tressure, as above. But when they were
dignified with the title of Lord, I observe the double tressure addea to their arms
in the year 1604,
Lord Thirlestane,
as on the house of .Falahall, which was before John,
was advanced to the dignity of Viscount of Lauderdale,
second
which
in the year 1616, and in the year 1624, he was honoured with the title of Earl
of Lauderdale. He married Isabel Seaton, second daughter to Alexander Earl of
Dunfermline, and Chancellor of Scotland, by his first wife, Lilias Drummond,
daughter to Patrick Lord Drummond. Their son was John, third Earl of Lauderdale,
a great favourite of -ling Charles II. long time Secretary to that King, and
his High Commissioner for Scotland. He was, by that king, created Marquis of
March and Duke of Lauderdale, the honours being provided to the heirs-male of
his body ; which failing, the dignity of Earl of Lauderdale, after his death, descended
on his brother, Charles Maitland of Hatton, Lord Treasurer Depute. He
married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Richard Lauder of Hatton, and by her
he had Richard Earl of Lauderdale, who died without issue ; second, John Earl
of Lauderdale ; third, Charles Maitland, who married Lilias, daughter to Sir John
Colquhoun of Luss ; fourth, William Maitland, who married Christian, daughter
and heir of Robert Viscount of Oxenford; fifth, Alexander Maitland. Isabel, the
eldest daughter, was married to John Lord Elphinstone, and Mary, the youngest,
to Charles Earl of Southesk. This Earl John died 1710, and the estate and honour is
now in the person of his son Charles, the present Earl of Lauderdale. The achievement
of the family is, or, a lion rampant gules, couped at all joints of the first
within a double tressure, flowered and counter-flowered with flower-de-hices of the
second ; supporters, two eagles, proper ; and, for crest, that of Scotland, allowed
by King Charles II. to John Duke of Lauderdsle, with a little difference, viz. a
lion scitint full faced, gules, crowned with an open crown or, holding in his dexter
paw a sword, proper, hiked and pommelled or, and, in the sinister, a flower-deluce
iTz;,rt\ in place of the sceptre: motto, Consilio fc? animis : As in the Plate of
Achievements.
The eldest cadet of this family now extant is MAITLAND of Pittrichie, descended
of Robert Maitland, a younger son of Robert Maitland of Thirlestane, in the
reign of Robert III. who married the heiress of Schives, alias Gight, in I'icecom.
de Aberdeen, where the family continued for many years, and were designed Maitkinds
of Gight ; but since, having purchased the barony of Pitrichie, have now
their designation from it.
Sir RICHARD MAITLAND of Pittrichie, Baronet, sometime one of the Senators of
the College of Justice, caused matriculate his arms in the Lyon Register thus; or,
.1 lion rampant gules, couped at all joints of the field, within a bordure cheque argent
and azure ; crest, a lion's head erased gules: motto, Paix ef pen.