A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF THE SUB-ORDINARIES. 215
Sir HUGH M'CULLOCH of Pilton, ermine, a fret gules,
LOCH of CADBOL but our New ; Register makes the fret
as descended of M'CuLingrailed,
the same with
Myrton; and for crest, the little creature ermine; with the motto, Sine macula.
DANIEL FLEMING of Rydall in Westmoreland, gules, a fret urgent, and the same
by EDWARD FLEMING of Eustow, in Devonshire, as in the English books ; and in
the Dictionary of Arms, lately published, the arms of GLOUCESTER, or, a fret
sable.
Fretted or fretty is said when there are six, eight, or more pieces, such as, but-
tons saltier-ways^ which fill the field ; are so changed, the spaces of the field that
are left by them, formed like lozenges, and the fretty resembles a grate or lattice ;
but, in this, they differ, that the pieces of fretty are interchangeably passing one
over another, and under the other ; whereas, in grates or lattices, the pieces pass
entirely all over the other, sometimes pale-ways and bar-ways, and are al\\
nailed at their joints or meetings; whereas, fretty is always bend-dexter and bendsinister-ways,
for fretted arms ; the ancients said anna frettata, and others, anna
clnthrata, or cancellata, i. e. latticed arms : as Uredus blazons the arms of WILLOUGHBY,
scutum aureum, clathris camlets, i. e. or, fretty azure ; but, Mr Gibbon, to distinguish
fretty from latticed arms, blazons more distinctly the same arms of WIL-
LOUGHBY, or, fretty of eight pieces azure, thus, " Scutum aureum octonis bacillis
" coeruleis impressum obliquis (quatuor dextris totidem sinistris) qui alius super
" alium vicissim &- subter subalternatim interponitur ;" which handsomely distinguishes
fretted arms from latticed ones, of which I shall add some examples of
the one and the other ; and first, of fretted arms.
ALEXANDER M'CuLLocn of Drummoral, descended of the family of Myrton,
ermine, fretty gules. Fig. 24.
JAMES M'CuLLocn of Muil, descended also of the family of Myrton, ermine,
fretty gules, within a bordure indented of the second, as in the New Register ;
but here the blazon does not tell how many pieces the fretty is made up of.
M'CuLLocH of Cardiness, ermine, fretty gules of eight pieces ; and on an escutcheon
azure, three wolves' heads erased argent, as in Mr Font's Book of Blazons.
The surname of LAUDERDALE, of old, sable, fretty or; Workman's Manu'-^ript.
St AMOND, of old, or de Sancto Amondo, or, fretty sable, and on a chief of the
second, three besants of the first. B. M.
LYLE or L'IsLE, gules, fretty or ; some say gules a frett or. The first of this
name and family to be met with on record is WILLIAM L'!SLE, one of the wit-
nesses in the charter of foundation of the Monastery of Paisley, by Walter, High
Steward of Scotland, in the reign of Malcolm IV. anno 1164. These of this family
had very soon a local designation, as Le Isle Domini de Duchal, a barony in the
sheriffdom of Renfrew, in the reign of Alexander II. After the death of Alexander
III. in the unhappy competition for the crown betwixt the Bruce and the
Baliol, the family and surname of L'Isle were, as many others in the kingdom,
divided in their, loyalty ;
for Sir Walter and Sir William L'Isle were firm for King
Robert the Bruce, and Sir Allan L'Isle was on the Baliol's side. Edward Baliol
made him Sheriff of the Isle of Bute, which some say was their ancient possession;
and from it came their name L'Isle, afterward named Lyle. He was also by that
Edward made Lord High Chamberlain of Scotland. Sir John de Isle Dominus de
Ducbal was in great favour with King David Bruce in the time of Edward Baliol's
usurpation, and got from King David, (as in Rotulis David 77.)
a charter of the
barony of Boquhan in Stirlingshire ; he is there, and in other evidents, designed
Johannes de Lyle Dominus de Duckul, Miles. His son and successor John de Lyle
of Duchal married one of the co-heirs of the old Earls of Marr. His son and ac-
cessor Robert is styled Cbe'valitr de Duchal, being one of the hostages for King
James 1. as in Rymer's Fadera Anglia. UpQn the death of Alexander Stewart
Earl of Marr, he put in his claim as one of the heirs of the earldom of Marr, to
which he and the Lord Erskine should have succeeded by right and proximity of
blood, but King James I. took possession of it; as Fordan's Continuator
ftnno 1438, " Obiit Alexander Sewart, Comes de Mar, &- quia hastardus erat, Rex
" illi successit quamvis jure hoereditario Domini Erskine & Lyle successisse de-
" buissent." Both Robert de Lyle and the Lord Erskine, as having right to that
earldom, marshalled the arms of Marr. viz. azure, a bend betwixt six cross croslets