Clan Erskine
Arascain ("air an sgian" - upon the knife)
Crest: On a chapeau Gules furred Ermine a hand holding up a skene in pale Argent, hilted and pommelled or.
Motto	Je Pense Plus (I think more)[1]
Profile
Region	Lowlands
Chief
James Thorne Erskine,
The 14thEarl of Mar and the 16thEarl of Kellie
Historic seat	Alloa Tower
Allied clans Clan Bruce Clan Stewart

Clan Erskine is aScottish clan of theScottish Lowlands.^[2]

The surnameErskine was originally derived from the lands ofErskine, which is an area to the south of theRiver Clyde inRenfrew.^[2] The name is believed to be ancient orOld British forgreen rising ground.^[2]

As early as the reign ofAlexander II of Scotland, Henry de Erskine was proprietor of the barony.^[2] In about 1226 Henry was a witness to a charter by theEarl of Lennox of the patronage and tithes ofRosneath toPaisley Abbey.^[2]

John de Irskyn was amongst the Scottish nobles who submitted toEdward I of England and appears on theRagman Rolls of 1296.^[2] His son, another Sir John de Irskyn had three daughters.^[2] The eldest daughter marriedThomas Bruce, the brother of kingRobert the Bruce.^[2] Sir John de Irskyn's second daughter married Walter, theHigh Steward of Scotland.^[2]

The Erskines were staunch supporters of theClan Bruce.^[2] Sir Robert de Erskine was an illustrious and renowned figure of his time.^[2]David II of Scotland appointed him keeper of the strategicStirling Castle.^[2] In 1350 Sir Robert Erskine was appointed asChamberlain of Scotland and justicar north of theForth.^[2] Erskine was also one of the nobles who established the succession to the throne ofRobert II of Scotland, who was a grandson of the great Robert the Bruce and the first monarch of theStewart dynasty in 1371.^[2]

In the mid 15th century whenAlexander Stewart,Earl of Mar died the Clan Erskine chief claimed the title, which was one of the greatCeltic titles.^[2] Stewart had claimed the title through his wife, theCountess of Mar. Sir Robert Erskine, who had been createdLord Erskine claimed the title through his descent from the Countess of Mar.^[2] Erskine's claim was refused by the king who said that the title belonged to the crown because the last male holder had been a Stewart.^[2] However the Erskines became guardians to the youngJames IV of Scotland despite this dispute with the king.^[2] Five successive generations of Erskines were guardians of the royals.^[2]

In 1497 Alexander Erskine, third Lord Erskine constructedAlloa Tower, a massive tower that would be the seat of the clan chiefs for the next three hundred years.^[2] The third Lord Erskine's son was killed in 1513 at theBattle of Flodden.^[2] John Erskine, fifth Lord Erskine was guardian and tutor ofJames V of Scotland.^[2]

Mary, Queen of Scots had spent the first five years of her life around Alloa and Stirling Castle. She later bestowed uponthe sixth Lord Erskine the title ofEarl of Mar.^[2] Erskine was descended from Elyne, daughter ofGratney, 7th Earl of Mar.^[3] Although the Erskine chiefs are Earls of Mar and Kellie there is a separate Countess of Mar (chief ofClan Mar), who is a member of the Council of the Chiefs.^[2]

Theseventh Lord Erskine took part in theRaid of Ruthven in 1582, in which the youngJames VI of Scotland was placed in the hands of an extremist faction of Protestant nobility for nearly a year.^[2] As a result, Erskine was exiled but was later restored to royal favour and in 1616 was madeLord High Treasurer of Scotland.^[2]

In 1615 Chief John Erskine, 20th Earl of Mar was appointed governor ofEdinburgh Castle.^[3] He supportedCharles I.^[3] Lord Erskine fought for the royalists at theBattle of Kilsyth in 1645.^[3] The family estates were forfeited for their support of the royalists but were later restored byCharles II in 1660.^[3]

John Erskine, Earl of Mar was known asbobbing John due to his change of political allegiance in accordance with the needs of survival that was not unknown to the Scottish nobility.^[2] He had been a supporter of theUnion, however when he attended court inLondon in 1714 he was not offered the post of Secretary of State for Scotland, which he considered to be an insult.^[2] He returned to his ancestral lands and raised the standard of James VIII (The Old Pretender), and called out his own clansmen and all loyal supporters of theHouse of Stuart.^[2] Erskine had soon gathered an army of over ten thousand clansmen.^[2] The earl led his army of Jacobites at theBattle of Sheriffmuir against theDuke of Argyll, which was fought on 13 November 1715.^[2] The battle was inconclusive although Argyll claimed victory.^[2] The Jacobite rising was a failure and Erskine, Earl of Mar fled toFrance.^[2] His title and lands were forfeited and in 1724 were purchased by another branch of the family.^[2] The earl had received the Jacobite title of Mar but this was abandoned in 1824 when the Erskines were restored to the earldom of Mar.^[2] The earldom of Kellie became united with the earldom of Mar in 1835.^[2] Kellie had originally been bestowed in 1619 on a younger son of the chiefly line.^[2]

The current Chief of Clan Erskine isJames Erskine, 14th Earl of Mar who descends from theEarls of Mar, seventh Creation (1565) (as deemed by the House of Lords in 1875). He is chief of the name and arms of Erskine.^[4]

TheClan Mar now has a separate chief,Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who descends from theEarls of Mar, first creation (1404) (as deemed by Act of Parliament in 1885). She is chief of the name and arms of Mar.^[5]

Tartan image	Notes
	Areskyntartan, as published in 1842 inVestiarium Scoticum.

• Alloa Tower was the main seat of the chief of Clan Erskine.
• TheHouse of Dun and the Dun Estate was home to the Clan Erskine family from 1375 until 1980, but archaeological evidence shows that people have lived here for at least 9,000 years. John Erskine of Dun was a key figure in theScottish Reformation.
• Corgarff Castle was acquired byJohn Erskine, 19th Earl of Mar in 1626.
• Kellie Castle was purchased by SirThomas Erskine in 1613.
• Dryburgh Abbey was given to theEarl of Mar by KingJames VI of Scotland in 1544.
• Dirleton Castle
• Braemar Castle
• Rosslyn Castle
• Dunimarle Castle, near Culross, Fife, was built by the Erskine family in the 18th century.
• Kildrummy Castle was the seat of the original Earls of Mar. It was abandoned after the failed Jacobite Uprisings in 1716.

• Elizabeth Peters' 1976 romantic suspense novel,Legend in Green Velvet, prominently featured a (fictional) member of Clan Erskine, as well as the castle and Clan history.

• Scottish clan

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060813124422/http://www.scotclans.com/clans/Erskine/history.html
• http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/dtog/erskine2.html

• Clan Erskine
• Scottish clans
• Scottish Lowlands

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