A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

4 8
OF THE FESSE.
I have seen another seal afterwards used by John Earl of Carrick, appended to
-cvcral cvidents, which, for brevity's sake, 1 here forbear to mention as foreign to
my purpose.-, but shall only take notice of the form, of the seal, which was equestrian,
having the picture of a man on horseback, in his surcoat of arms, brandish-
ing a sword in his right hand, and on his left arm a shield, charged
with a lion
rampant, within a double tressure flowered and counter-flowered, and, in chief, a
label of three points,
to show that he was Prince and Steward of Scotland ; which
arms are repeated on his surcoat and caparisons of his horse, the head of the man
being covered with a forestanding helmet, upon which is a wreath cheque, and
thereon, for crest, a lion's head betwixt two demi-vols and the ; legend round the
seal had these words, Sig. Johannis primogenhi Regis Scotia;, Comitis de Carrie, &
SenescaUi Scotia, He is the first son of our Scots Kings that I observe carried
the entire arms of the kingdom with a label, and was afterwards King of Scotland
the name of Robert III.
by
ROBERT, who obtained the earldom of Monteith, a younger son of King Robert
i I. and afterwards created Duke of Albany by his brother King Robert III. 1399,
carrietl first or, a fesse cheque, azure and argent, surmounted with a lion rampant
gules ; the shield was adorned with a close helmet, and thereupon a wreath of
three tracts cheque,
as the fesse, out of which issued a wolf's head with its neck,
holding in its mouth a rose ; supporters, two lions selant gardant gules ; and the
same vais on his seal, appended to a precept of his of the great
burgh, Haddington, and Dunbar, anno 1399. Afterwards, as by
customs of Edin-
our old illumi-
nated Books of Blazons, he carries quarterly, first and fourth or, a lion rampant
gules, and, in chief, a label of three points azure, for the title of Albany ; second
and third or, a fesse cheque azure and argent, with a label of three points in chief:
He died 1419.
His eldest son Murdoch succeeded him in the government,, and
his other titles of dignity ; but, upon the restoration of King James I. he and his
two brothers Walter and Alexander were attainted of treason, and lost their
heads.
JOHN STEWART Earl of BUCHAN, Constable of France, second son of Robert Duke
of Albany, carried for arms, quarterly, first and fourth, the arms of Scotland ; second
and third azure, three garbs or, for the earldom of Buchan : He died at the
battle of Vernoile, 1429, and left issue only one daughter Jean, who was married
to Sir George Seaton of that Ilk, progenitors of the Earls of Winton.
1 shall proceed no further downward here in the right line of the Stewarts, be-
ing sovereigns, nor to their younger children, because they disused the fesse cheque,
and earned the sovereign ensign, to show their royal descent, with suitable brisures,
or by marshalling the sovereign ensign with the arms of their dignified feus ; of
which afterwards. But shall now proceed to give some blazons of other branches
that came of the stock of Stewart before King Robert II. and who carried the fesse
cheque, with other figures which they transmitted to their posterity with the surname
of Stewart, except those two considerable old branches of the family of
Stewarts, who, though they took the surname of Boyd and Monteith, yet they continued
the chequer bearing, as BOYD, azure, a fesse
cheque, argent and gules ; and
MONTEITH, argent, a bend cheque sable, and of the first of which afterwards.
;
Sir JOHN STEWART of Bonkill, second son to Alexander High Steward of Scotland,
born in the year 1246. He married Margaret, daughter to Sir Alexander
Bonkill of that Ilk : She bore to him several sons, heads of great families of the
name of Stewart ; which Mr David Simpson gives us fully in his Genealogical and
which families were known by the
Historical Account of the Family of Stewart ;
e cheque, bend, and buckles. The figures which Sir John Stewart carried in
right of his wife, viz. or, a' fesse
cheque, azure and argent, surmounted of a bend
gules, charged with three buckles of the first, for Bonkill.
His grandson, (by his eldest san Sir Alexander), JOHN STEWART Earl of Angus,
Lord Bonkill and Abernethy, married the daughter of Alexander Abernethy. His
Thomas succeeded him; who quartered with his paternal coat, before blazoned,
that ot ABERNETHY, or, a lion rampant gules, bruised with a ribbon sable. He had
one daughter and heir Margaret, who was married to William Earl of Douglas :
He had by her George, first of the line of Douglas, Earls of Angus, for which they
quartered the foresaid arms with their own ;
of which in another place.