A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF THE SUB-ORDINARIES.
Which William, in the reign of King Robert III. added to his old patrimonial
inheritance the barony of Finlayston in kcniiewshire, Kilmarnock in the county
of Dumbarton, Redhall and Collington in Lothian, by the marriage of Margaret,
daughter and one of the co-heirs of Robert Denniston Lord of Denimton. With
her he had Robert his successor, and William, first of the branch of Cunningham
head in the shire of Ayr.
Which ROBERT, by his lady Janet, daughter of Alexander Lord Montgomery,
was father of Alexander first Lord of Kilmaurs, and after created Earl of Glen-
cairn by King James 111. 28th of May 1488 ; from whom is descended the present
Earl of Glencairn ; for which see the Peerage. The achievement of the family i-,
argent, a shake-fork sable ; supporters two conies proper ; crest, an unicorn's head
argent, maned and horned or ; and for motto, Over fork aver, to shew the signification
of the armorial figure.
There are many goodly families descended of the Earls of Glencairn, whose
blazons I shall here subjoin as I have met with them in our old and new Re-
gisters.
CUNNINGHAM of Glengarnock, descended of a second son of Henry Cunninghame
of Kilmaures, and his spouse Riddel, heiress of Glengarnock. In the
reign of Alexander II. this family was in use (as in Sir James Balfour's Manuscript
of Blazons) to carry argent, a shake-fork sable, charged with a cinquefoil of the
first : Which family was a long time since extinct ; and another branch of the
family of Craigends, descended of the Earl of Glencairn, was designed of Glengarnock.
Of whom immediately.
CUNNINGHAM of Polmaise, argent, a shake-fork sable; the first of this family was
a son of Kilmaurs in the reign of Alexander III.
CUNNINGHAM of Auchenharvy, descended of Craigends' family, charged his
pairle or shake-fork with a mascle or. Balfour's Manuscript.
CUNNINGHAM of Cunninghamhead, argent, a bishop's pall sable, (always so
called by Mr Pont, in his blazons of the name) between two garbs, and a mullet
Cities in chief. The first of this family was a second son of Sir Wr illiam of Kilmaures,
and his wife Margaret Denniston, eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Robert
Denniston of that Ilk, in the reign of Robert III.
Sir WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM of Cunninghamhead, Baronet, has his arms matri-
culated in the Lyon Register, in the year 1698, thus ; quarterly, first and fourth
argent, a shake-folk and a mullet in chief sable , for Cunningham ; second and
third grand quarters, quarterly, first and fourth argent, on a fesse azure, three stars
of the first ; second and third azure, three garbs or, being the arms of Mure of
Rowallan ; crest, a dexter hand issuing out of the wreath, holding the upper part
ot an anchor by the ring ; with the motto on an escrol, Enough in my hand ; supported
on the dexter by a coney, and on the sinister by a falcon, both proper; as
in Plate of Achievements.
CUNNINGHAM o Barns, in the shire of Fife, another ancient cadet, who has a
charter of these lands from King Robert II. (as in Sibbald's History of Fife) car-
ries argent, a bishop's pall sable, and in chief, a stag's head erased gules, as in
Font's Manuscript; but in Balfour's Manuscript, there is a star in place of
the stag's head.
CUNNINGHAM of Craigends, quarterly, first and fourth argent, a shake-fork sable,
for Cunninghame ; second and third or, a fess cfaque, azure and argent^ for
Stewart ; crest, an unicorn's head couped argent, horned and maned or, and
gorged with a collar cheque, argent and azure : motto, So fork forward : As in our
ancient and modern books of blazons. The first of this family was WILLIAM CUN-
NINGHAM, a younger son of Alexander the first Earl of Glencairn, who obtained
from his- father the lands of Craigends, anno 1477. He married Elizabeth Stewart,
daughter and co-heiress of Sir Walter Stewart of Arthurly, who was one of the Stewarts
of Darnly, and with her got the lands of Arthurly; for which this family, and its
descendants, have been in use to quarter the arms of Stewart with
suitable differences.
their own, with
Their son and successor was William Cunningham of Craigends, father of Ga-
briel ; of whom is descended Alexander, the present laird of Craigends, and several
other brai* lies of that family, as Richard Cunningham of Glengarnock, a young