George Keith (abt. 1549 - 1623)

Born about 1549 in Dunottar, Kincardineshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret (Ogilvy) Keith — married after 1598 in Scotland

Descendants

Died 2 Apr 1623 at about age 74 in Dunottar Castle, Kincardineshire, Scotland

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George Keith was a member of Scottish Nobility. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

George Keith is a member of Clan Keith.

George Keith is Notable.

George Keith, 4th Earl Marischal (1549/50–1623) was the eldest son of William, master of Marischal (c.1530–1580), and his wife, Elizabeth Hay (b. c.1530), daughter of George, seventh earl of Erroll. He succeeded as Earl Marischal on the death of his grandfather William Keith, third Earl Marischal, on 7 October 1581. He m. Feb 1581 Margaret Home (c.1565–1598), daughter of Alexander, 5th Lord Home, and his wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir Walter Ker of Cessford. They had a son, William Keith, who became 5th Earl Marischal, and two daughters, Anne and Margaret, who married respectively the seventh earl of Morton and Sir Robert Arbuthnott of Arbuthnott. He died at Dunnottar Castle, Kincardineshire on 2 April 1623. ^[1][2][3]

From Find a Grave :

He was a direct descendant to KING John (Lackland) PLANTAGENET, KING OF ENGLAND & thus a direct descendant (great grandfather) to JOHN ALDEN's lines, via a great granddaughter, Abigail ALDEN BYRAM: Abigail ALDEN Byram .

Clan Keith WERE one of the most powerful of the ancient Celtic families, and were said to descend from a great Chatti warrior. This mighty soldier fought beside Malcolm II at the Battle of Barrie in 1010, and during the course of the battle, slew the Danish General Camus. In recognition of this act, the king dipped three fingers in the slain Viking's blood and drew them down the sheild of the warrior whom he dubbed Marbhachair Chamuis, or "Camus slayer". In reward for his allegiance to the king, Camus Slayer was granted the lands of Keith in East Lothian, from which his descendents took their name. The leaders of the Clan Keith thereafter stayed in close alliance with the Scottish Crown.

The Clan Chiefs held the hereditary title of Great Marischal of Scotland, one of the most prestigious offices of state, from the early 12th Century. By the 12th Century reign of David I, Harvey de Keith possessed half of the lands of Keith, with his great grandson acquiring for the Clan Keith the other half by a careful marriage with a Fraser heiress. A 14th Century marriage with an heiress in Ackergill led to the Keiths gaining the lands of Caithness, but their settlement there earned them the enmity of the neighbouring Clan Gunn, with whom they warred for many years. By the 16th century they owned land from the borders to the very north of Scotland.

Throughout the history of Scotland, the Keiths are renowned for their fidelity to the Crown, and their deeds truly reflect this loyal spirit. At the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, (one of the most glorious moments of Scotland's past), SIR ROBERT KEITH, Great Marischal,commanded ROBERT THE BRUCE'S cavalry with such skill and courage that the great king rewarded him with the royal forest of KINTORE. This tradition continued with Keiths fighting at the battle of Flodden in 1513, and the 4th Earl founding MARISCHAL COLLEGE in Aberdeen.

Perhaps the most celebrated contribution of the Keiths to the cause of the Scottish Crown came after the defeat of Charles II in the 17th century English Civil War. When Oliver CROMWELL invaded Scotland, the Scottish regalia - the Crown, Sceptre and Sword, as well as the state papers, were brought to the Keiths' Dunnotar Castle, which stands near Stonehaven in Kincardine. This mighty castle became the last stronghold to fly the Royal Standard, and withstood eight months of siege before finally surrendering on 24 May 1652, after prolonged cannon bombardment.

While the English ripped the castle apart in search of the regalia, the Keiths had lowered it all to an old woman gathering seaweed on the shore, who took them to Kineff Church where they were concealed in the pulpit for 8 years until the monarchy was restored.

CREST: of Clan Keith is a stag's head; Motto: "Veritas Vincit"meaning "Truth Conquers". The Chief, the 13th Earl of Kintore, resides at KeithHall in Aberdeenshire.*

• Source: Clan Keith and Kitty Brewster dot com.

"The Marischal Aisle The first historic feature is the Marischal Aisle, a free-standing burial aisle to the south east of the main church. The aisle was built in 1582 by the 5th Earl as a burial place for himself and subsequent generations of the Keith family. The Marischal Aisle is a simple rectangular building with traditional stepped gables. Within the building are fragments of carvings, including three armorial panels, that may have come from the medieval church here." (Britain Express)*

• notes from original creator of this memorial

William Keith, Master of Marischal was the son of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal and Margaret Keith.1 A contract for the marriage of William Keith, Master of Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Hay was signed on 13 January 1543/44.1 He died between 9 August 1580 and 10 August 1580 at Dunottar, Kincardineshire, Scotland.1 William Keith, Master of Marischal was styled as Lord Keith.1 He was styled as Master of Marischal.1 In 1558 he was captured by the Percys, and held by them for ten years.2 He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) [Scotland] in 1569.2 Child of William Keith, Master of Marischal 1.Jean Keith+3 Child of William Keith, Master of Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Hay 1.George Keith, 4th Earl Marischal+4 b. 1553, d. 2 Apr 1623 Citations 1.[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume VIII, page 479. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage. 2.[S37] Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Barontage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2195. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition. 3.[S8] Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes (Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999), page 10. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition. 4.[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume I, page 117.

Sources

1. ↑ Simmons, John. 2004 "Keith, George, fourth Earl Marischal (1549/50–1623), magnate and founder of Marischal College, Aberdeen." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
2. ↑ Innes, Thomas. "The First Earl Marischal." The Scottish Historical Review 24, no. 96 (1927): 280-97
3. ↑ Marischal, Earl (S, 1458 - forfeited 1716) Cracroft's Peerage

See also:

• Balfour Paul, Sir James, The Scots Peerage; Founded on Wood’s Edition of Sir Robert Douglas’s Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh : D. Douglas, 1904), Vol. vi, pages 51-54.

• Wikipedia: George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal

• Wikidata: Item Q5541264, en:Wikipedia

• The Peerage: George Keith

• Find A Grave: Memorial #139730858

• The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume VIII, page 479

• "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch FamilySearch Family Tree (https://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accessed 3 Jun 2019), entry for George Keith, person ID L2Q7-JT2.