A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF CELESTIAL FIGURES,
Pbilip de Seaton, by his Lady Alice, daughter to Waldeve, Earl of Dunbar.
had his son and successor.
Sir Alexander Seaton got another charter of confirmation of the abovementioncd
lands from the same king, about the end of his reign ; which is in the charter-
chest of the Earl of Winton, which I have also seen. And this Alexander Seaton
is to be met with as a witness.
In the charter of Syerus de ^uincy, of the lands of Beith to the Abbacy of
Dunfermline, he married Margaret, daughter to Walter Barclay, Chancellor to
with Sir Alexan-
King William ; the arms of Barclay are painted and impaled
der's ; his wife on the genealogical tree of the family, azure, a cheveron between
nine cross patees, six in chief, and three in base argent ; as on the seal of the
Chancellor's, frequently to be met with, appended to evidents. Their grandson,
or rather great-grandson, was Sir Christopher Seaton, who bravely stood for the
freedom of his country against the English usurpations, and joined Robert the Bruce
for the recovery of his kingdom ; and, at the battle of Methven, was one of those
brave worthies that rescued King Robert out of the hands of the English and
Scots rebels, as our historians and the English, too, tell to their immortal glory.
This piece of signal and eminent service endeared him much to the king, who
gave to him, in marriage, his sister, Christian Bruce, with whom he had issue.
He adhered to his king in all his troubles, and, at last, had the. ill fortune to be
taken by the English, and carried to London, where, with his brother John Seaton,
and his brother-in-law Nigel Bruce, the king's brother, were all put to death
by order of Edward I. as in Howe's History of England, page 210 and 211. King
Robert, after he had recovered and settled his kingdom, in memory of the said
Sir Christopher and his lady, erected a chapel near Dumfries, that prayers might
the name of Chris-
be said for their souls ; the ruins of which are yet known by
tal's Chapel ; the Charter of Erection is to be seen in the Lawyer's Library.
On the genealogical tree of Seaton are finely illuminated the arms of Christian
Bruce, quarterly, first and fourth or, a saltier and chief gules, for Bruce ; second
and third or, a cheveron gules, for the Earldom of CARRICK; which arms her
father and brother carried before the last's accession to the crown, impaled with
these of Seaton, gules, three crescents or.
Their son and successor, Sir Alexander Seaton, nephew to King Robert the
Bruce, was restored to his lands which his progenitors had possessed in Scotland ;
but could not, by his uncle the king, be put in possession of these lands which be-
longed to the family in England; which, as Dugdale, in his forecited book, tells us,
were of as great value as his Scotch estate. In place of which, he granted him
many privileges, erecting the lands of Seaton into a free barony ; and, in another
charter, in liberam warreniam, discharging all persons to hunt, hawk, or fish within
that barony, without consent of Sir Alexander and his successors: Which char-
ters are dated at Berwick the i6th year of his reign; and, the same year, he grants
a charter, erecting the town of Seaton into a burgh of barony, with a free weekly
market. Besides, he grants a charter to Sir Alexander for his special services of
the lands of Fawside, Elphingston, and that part of the barony of Tranent which
belonged to Sir William Ferrier: and the lands of Dundas, cum Villa Passagii
Regints, i.e. Qjueensferry ; and, by another charter, of the dominium totius de West-
Craig; all which are dated at Berwick, the i6th year of that king's reign. And
further, he grants to the said, Sir Alexander, two charters of the barony of Barns
in East-Lothian ; the one is in French, wherein he mentions Sir Alexander's valour
and faithful service, in the kingdom of Ireland, for his brother King Edward
Bruce, which is sealed by the King's sigillum secretum, whereon is a plain shield,
without trimmings, of the arms of Scotland. The other charter of the barony of
Barns is in Latin, under the king's Great-Seal, where on the one side he is eufhronized,
and on the other, upon horseback, in his coat armour; upon his lei: arm
a shield of the arms of Scotland ; and, upon the caparisons of his horse, both behind
and before, are the same arms ; all which charters I have seen in the Earl of
Winton's charter-chest, ami taken copies of them too long here to be inserted.
Sir Alexander is often to be met with as a witness in the same king's charters,
with other great men, designed militibus only ; as with Sir Thomas Randolph Earl
of Murray, Lord Annandale and Man, Patrick Dunbar Earl of March, Walter,
fc? t -.