The Scots Peerage (Volume 5); Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of That Kingdom - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1908. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... MAITLAND, EARL OF LAUDERDALE VER the original entrance to the old castle of Lethington--now known as Lennoxlove-- the following inscription is carved:-- QVISNAM . A . M^BTELLANA . STIRPE . FVNDAMENTA . KECERIT . QviS . TVRRIM . EXCITAVERIT ^ INviDA . CELAviT . ANTIQ VITAS . LVMINARIA . AVXIT . FACILIOREM . ASCENSVM . PRAEBviT . ORNATIOREM . REDDIDIT . JOANNES . M^ETELLANUS . LAVDERIAE . COMES . AN . JERAE . CHR . MDCXXvi.1 And the same obscurity surrounds the origin of the Maitland race itself. The Italian descent, which had been ascribed to the Maitlands by Martin of Clermont, is rejected by Sir Robert Douglas, who suggests that more probably they came from France, a theory which Mr. Wood adopts, and the name Mautalent certainly appears in Leland's Roll.3 As with many another ancient house, their earlier muniments are no longer available to the investigator. For the purpose of security these were, after the battle of Dunbar, deposited in three iron chests in the ' yeard of Balcarras,' but unfortunately 'the underwater came throw the seemes of the 1 Poems of Sir Richard Maitland, Mm t land Club, lxiii. See MacGibbon and Ross, iii. 257, where with other variants jecerit is given torfecerit. 'The Battle Abbey Roll, i. xxix ; Scalacronica, H. yron chists in which they were put and spoyled the saids writs.' It turned out, however, that the first Earl of Lauderdale--the author of the Lethington inscription-- whose reputation for integrity and accuracy stood very high, had with his own hand made an inventory of his muniments, and that that inventory was safely preserved. So, after the Restoration, an Act of Parliament was passed reciting the inventory at length, and making it equivalent in law to the original writs which it contained.1 But no Act of Parliamen...