William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
Encyclopedia
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
. He was the eldest son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal was a Scottish lord, Earl Marischal and naval official.-Life:He was the eldest son of George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal and his wife, Margaret , daughter of Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home. He left for the continent in 1601, travelling for his education to Paris,...
. He joined Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
and twice seized Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in 1639, including a march with Montrose and 9000 men along the Causey Mounth
Causey Mounth
The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continued to function as the principal route connecting these...
past Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
and through the Portlethen Moss
Portlethen Moss
The Portlethen Moss is an acidic bog nature reserve located to the west of the town of Portlethen, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Like other mosses, this wetland area supports a variety of plant and animal species, even though it has been subject to certain development and agricultural degradation...
to attack via the Bridge of Dee
Bridge of Dee
The Bridge of Dee or Brig o' Dee is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527, the bridge crosses at what was once the City of Aberdeen's southern boundary...
.
He was appointed a Lord of the Articles after the pacification of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, and again seized Aberdeen and enforced signatures of the covenant in 1640. The 7th Earl Marischal was appointed a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...
in 1641.
He attended covenanting committees in the north but remained inactive in 1643-4. He subsequently refused to give up fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
s to Montrose, and was besieged at Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th–16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages...
in 1645. He then joined Hamilton
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton
General Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton KG was a Scottish nobleman and influential Civil war military leader.-Young Arran:...
's expedition into England in 1648 and entertained Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
at Dunnottar in 1650. He was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
until the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, when he was appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal...
.
The Earl Marischal married, in 1637, Elizabeth Seton (1621–1650) daughter of George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton
George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton
George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton was a notable Royalist and Cavalier, the second son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton and 6th Lord Seton, by his spouse Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Eglinton....
by his spouse Anne, daughter of Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scottish nobleman, was the son of Andrew, 8th earl, and of Lady Jean Hay, daughter of William, 6th earl...
. They had the following issue:
- William, Lord Keith, died young.
- Mary, married firstly to Sir James Hope of HopetounJames Hope of HopetounJames Hope of Hopetoun , was a Scottish industrialist and politician.He was the owner of Keith Marischal.-References:*Dictionary of National Biography, Hope, Sir James , of Hopetoun, lawyer and lead-worker, by T. F. Henderson. Published 1891....
in 1657, and secondly to Sir Archibald Murray, 3rd BaronetSir Archibald Murray, 3rd BaronetSir Archibald Murray of Blackbarony, 3rd Baronet , was a Scottish soldier and Gentleman.He was the son of Sir Alexander Murray, 2nd Baronet of Blackbarony, Sheriff of Peeblesshire , and Margaret Cockburn...
of Blackbarony. - Elizabeth, married in 1658, Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd Viscount Arbuthnot
- Jean, married in 1669, George Ogilvy, 3rd Lord BanffGeorge Ogilvy, 2nd Lord BanffGeorge Ogilvy, 2nd Lord Banff was member of the old Scottish Parliament, a feudal baron, and a Cavalier.-Family:The son of Sir George Ogilvy, 1st Lord Banff, and 1st Baronet , by his spouse Janet, daughter of William Sutherland, Lord Duffus...
See also
- Cromwell's Act of GraceCromwell's Act of GraceCromwell's Act of Grace or more formally the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, was proclaimed at the mercat cross in Edinburgh on 5 May 1654...
under which the earl's estates were confiscated by the Commonwealth.