The Grahams of Fintry were a

sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ( ...

of the lowland

Clan Graham Clan Graham (''Greumaich nan Cearc'' ) is a Scottish clan who had territories in both the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, with one main branch Montrose, and various cadet branches. The chief of the clan rose to become the Marquess and later Duk ...

based in the county of Angus Scotland.

Origins

The family were descended from Sir William Graham lord of Kincadaine and his wife Lady Mary Stewart m. 1406, daughter of

King Robert III Robert III (c. 13374 April 1406), born John Stewart, was King of Scots from 1390 to his death in 1406. He was also High Steward of Scotland from 1371 to 1390 and held the titles of Earl of Atholl (1367–1390) and Earl of Carrick (1368– ...

of Scotland. Their eldest son Sir Robert was titled of Fintry in Stirlingshire, they later swopped these lands for those held by their cousins in Angus. Under new law the lordship title, under no circumstance can be passed to any descendant named Stuart.

Family

The Grahams of Fintry played a significant part in the politics of Scotland as well as being both strong Royalists and Jacobites. William 4th of Fintry married Catherine Beaton sister of

Cardinal Beaton David Beaton (also Beton or Bethune; 29 May 1546) was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation. Career Cardinal Beaton was the sixth and youngest son of eleven children of John Beaton (Bethune) of Bal ...

and was a strong supporter of the pro-French party and a strong Catholic. David 6th of Fintry and son of Sir David Graham and Margaret Ogilvy of Airlie was beheaded in 1592 for his support of the popish plot. Their son David 7th of fintry was a strong supporter of Charles I. He was married to Margaret, daughter of Sir James Scrymgeour Viscount Dudhope and Scottish Royalist and the family spent a large part of their wealth in support of the Stewarts. James Graham, 9th of Fintry was offered a knighthood by King Charles II, which he refused, the prefix of "Sir" in the seventeenth century had no attraction for the great barons of Scotland. He was lieutenant-colonel of the Angus regiment and he married Anne daughter of Colonel George Hay grandfather of Andrew 11th

Earl of Erroll Earl of Erroll () is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay. The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are ''Lord Hay'' (created 1449) and ''Lord Slains'' (1452), both in the Peerage of Scotland. ...

and a noted Royalist. David Graham, 10th of Fintry was a well known Jacobite who was out in the 1715 and supported the Rebellion of 1745. Robert Graham of Fintry, the 12th Laird, sold the estate due to financial difficulties. He was a Commissioner of Excise and had close links with the poet

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

as patron, friend and correspondent. The Family sold the lands around Fintry Castle in the 19th century when they settled in South Africa in

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London, Eastern Cape, East London. Makhanda is the lar ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grahams Of Fintry People from Angus, Scotland