William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal (16141670 or 1671) was a Scottish nobleman and

Covenanter Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...

. He was the eldest son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal.

Life

During the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, the 7th Earl Marischal joined

James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 – 21 May 1650) was a Scottish nobleman, poet, soldier and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequ ...

against the Gordons and twice seized

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

in 1639, including a march with Montrose and 9,000 men along the

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 around the 12th century Anno Domini, AD as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen, a ...

past

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 Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers o ...

and through the

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 Bog, mosses, this wetland area supports a variety of plant and animal species, even though it has been subjec ...

to attack via the

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,Richards, J.M., ''The National Trust Book of Bridges'', Jonathan Cape, 198 ...

. He was appointed a Lord of the Articles after the pacification of

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

, and again seized Aberdeen and enforced signatures of the covenant in 1640. In 1641, he was appointed a Privy Councillor. He attended covenanting committees in the north but remained inactive in 1643–44. He subsequently refused to give up

fugitive A fugitive or runaway is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

s to Montrose, and was besieged at

Dunnottar Castle Dunnottar Castle (, "fort on the shelving slope") is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the northeast coast of Scotland, about south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th ...

in 1645. He took no active steps against the popular party until he joined

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

's expedition into England in 1648, escaping from the rout at the Battle of Preston, and entertained Charles II at Dunnottar in 1650. In 1651, the Scottish regalia were left for safe keeping in his castle. He was arrested at

Alyth Alyth () () is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, northeast of Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie and about northwest of Dundee. In 2022 the town had an estimated population of 3,046. First mentioned by name in a 12th-century royal char ...

with many other Scottish nobles and generals in an incident known as 'the Onfall of Alyth' and imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

until the Restoration, when he was appointed

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 of Scotland, David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peerage, peer, like the Great Seal of Sco ...

. The Earl Marischal married, in 1637, Lady Elizabeth Seton (1621–1650), daughter of

George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton (December 1584 – 17 December 1650) was a notable Cavalier, 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 E ...

, by his spouse Lady Anna Hay, daughter of Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll. They had the following issue: * William Keith, Lord Keith, died young. * Mary Keith, married firstly to Sir James Hope of Hopetoun in 1657, and secondly to Sir Archibald Murray, 3rd Baronet of Blackbarony. * Elizabeth Keith, married in 1658, Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd Viscount Arbuthnot * Jean Keith, married in 1669, George Ogilvy, 3rd Lord Banff

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marischal, William Keith, 7th Earl 1614 births Keith, William, 7th Earl Marischal Keith, William, 7th Earl Marischal Nobility from Aberdeenshire Keith, William, 7th Earl Marischal Earls Marischal Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1639–1641 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1643–44 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1644–1647 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1667

Life

Arms

See also

References