William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal (16101670 or 1671) was a Scottish nobleman and

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) 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. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

. He was the eldest son of

William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal (c. 1585 – 28 October 1635, castle of Dunnottar) 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 (d. 1598), daughter ...

Life

During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, 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 and soldier, Lord Lieutenant, lord lieutenant and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wa ...

against the Gordons and twice seized

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

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 as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continu ...

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 of ...

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 ( gd, Drochaid Dhè) 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 ...

. He was appointed a

Lord of the Articles The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council of ...

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 A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. 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 ( gd, Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope") is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 1 ...

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

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

'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 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 castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

until the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, 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. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal. The office has re ...

. 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 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 Egl ...

, by his spouse Lady Anna Hay, daughter of

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll (30 April 156416 July 1631) was a Scottish nobleman. A convert to Catholicism, he openly conspired with the king of Spain to try to unseat the Protestant Queen Elizabeth. Biography He was the son of Andrew Hay ...

. They had the following issue: * William Keith, Lord Keith, died young. * Mary Keith, married firstly to Sir

James Hope of Hopetoun Sir James Hope of Hopetoun (1614–1661) was a Scottish lawyer, industrialist and politician. Life The sixth son of Sir Thomas Hope of Craighall, Fife, Scotland, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Binning or Bennet of Wallyford, Haddingtons ...

in 1657, and secondly to

Sir Archibald Murray, 3rd Baronet Sir Archibald Murray of Blackbarony, 3rd Baronet (died before 28 May 1700), was a Scottish soldier, parliamentary commissioner and Gentleman. He was the son of Sir Alexander Murray, 2nd Baronet of Blackbarony, Sheriff of Peeblesshire (died c.1 ...

of Blackbarony. * Elizabeth Keith, married in 1658,

Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd Viscount Arbuthnot Viscount of Arbuthnott is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1641, along with the subsidiary title Lord Inverbervie, for Sir Robert Arbuthnott. The Viscount of Arbuthnott is the hereditary chief of Clan Arbuthnott. At the tim ...

* Jean Keith, married in 1669,

George Ogilvy, 3rd Lord Banff George Ogilvy, recorded as baptised in the Aberdeen sasines, xiv 500, on 9 September 1649, was the third Lord Banff. He inherited the lands of Inchdrewer and Montbray on the death of his father in 1668. Formerly a staunch Roman Catholic, he renoun ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marischal, William Keith, 7th Earl Keith, William, 7th Earl Marischal Keith, William, 7th Earl Marischal Keith, William, 7th Earl Marischal Earls Marischal 1610 births 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

See also

References