Knight Marischal facts for kids

The job of Knight Marischal was first created for the Scottish coronation of King Charles I in 1633. This special event happened at Scone. Unlike another job called the Marischal, the Knight Marischal position is not passed down through families. It continued to be filled until the death of the 11th Duke of Hamilton in 1863. The job is currently empty, but it has not been officially ended.

What is the Knight Marischal?

The Knight Marischal was an important role in Scotland. It was a ceremonial job, meaning it involved special duties during royal events like coronations. The person holding this job would have helped with the arrangements and traditions of the royal court.

A Job Not Passed Down

One key difference between the Knight Marischal and the Earl Marischal was how the job was passed on. The Earl Marischal was a "heritable" position, which means it was inherited by family members, usually from father to son. However, the Knight Marischal job was "non-heritable." This means that when a Knight Marischal left the job or passed away, a new person was chosen for the role, and it didn't automatically go to their children or relatives.

The Knight Marischal and Rebellions

During the Jacobite rising of 1715, which was a rebellion in Scotland, the person holding the Knight Marischal job was a man named Keith. He was involved in the rebellion along with his relative, George, the 10th Earl Marischal. Because the Knight Marischal job was not passed down through families, it could not be "forfeited." This means the job itself couldn't be taken away from the family forever, even though the person holding it at the time lost their position.

Pay for the Position

In 1660, the Knight Marischal received a salary of £400. A law was passed in 1817, called the Public Offices (Scotland) Act 1817, which stated that anyone appointed as Knight Marischal after that year would not receive a salary. This meant the job became more about honor and duty than about getting paid.

List of Knights Marischal

Here is a list of some of the people who held the important job of Knight Marischal:

• 1660–1714: John Keith, 1st Earl of Kintore
• 1714–1715: William Keith, 2nd Earl of Kintore
• 1718–1732: Charles Hamilton, Lord Binning
• 1733–1758: John Keith, 3rd Earl of Kintore
• 1758: James Erskine, Lord Barjarg
• 1785: Sir Robert Laurie, Bt
• 1805: William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll
• 1819–1832: Alexander Keith, later Sir Alexander
• 1832–1846: William George Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll
• 1846–1863: William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton