William Keith, 1st Earl Marischal
William Keith, 1st Earl Marischal (* after 1415, † around 1483 ) was a Scottish nobleman .
Life
He was the second-born son of Sir William Keith († 1444) and Mary Hamilton . At the death of his older brother Sir Robert Keith († 1446) he inherited the state office of the Great Marischal of Scotland and the chief dignity of Clan Keith .
King James II granted him the title of Lord Keith in July 1451 at the latest and the title of Earl Marischal between November 5, 1457 and July 4, 1458 .
He also held the office of Sheriff of Kincardineshire , as which he is recorded in 1454/55 and 1470/71.
He was last documented on December 10, 1482 and died in 1483 at the latest, when his son William appeared as his successor.
Marriage and offspring
He married Margaret Erskine, daughter of Thomas Erskine, 2nd Lord Erskine and Janet Douglas . He had two children with her:
- William Keith, 2nd Earl Marischal († 1527);
- Lady Mary Keith ⚭ Sir William Murray of Tullibardine (around 1444–1525).
He had a daughter from a presumably illegitimate relationship with Marjorie Fraser :
- Lady Janet Keith († before 1504), ⚭ (1) John Leslie, Master of Rothes († before 1481), ⚭ (2) Thomas Stewart, 2nd Lord Innermeath (before 1461–1513).
He also had another daughter, although it is unclear who her mother was:
- Egidia Keith ⚭ James Forbes, 2nd Lord Forbes († 1462).
Research history
The older historical literature still assumed that he died around 1463/64 and was inherited by a son of the same name who died around 1483. As the historian Thomas Innes first pointed out in 1927, the two are the same person.
Individual evidence
- ↑ z. B. James Balfour Paul : The Scots Peerage. Volume 6, David Douglas, Edinburgh 1909, pp. 25–65 (40 f.) ( Archive.org )
- ↑ Thomas Innes: The First Earl Marischal. In: The Scottish Historical Review. Volume 24, No. 96 (July 1927), pp. 280-297.
Literature and web links
- George Edward Cokayne , Vicary Gibbs (Eds.): The Complete Peerage . Volume 8, Alan Sutton Publishing, Gloucester 2000, pp. 139, 476.
- Chalres Mosley (Ed.): Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage . Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, Wilmington 2003.
- William de Keith, 1st Earl Marischal on thepeerage.com
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Keith |
Great Marischal of Scotland 1446–1483 |
William Keith |
| New title created |
Lord Keith around 1451–1483 |
William Keith |
| New title created |
Earl Marischal around 1458–1483 |
William Keith |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Keith, William, 1st Earl Marischal |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish nobleman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | after 1415 |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1483 |