The Bloody History of Clan Keith

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Fifteen Stories of Royal War and Northern Feud

From the charge at Bannockburn to the doomed Jacobite rising at Glenshiel, the history of Clan Keith is a story of royal service, battlefield courage, bitter feud, political rivalry, siege, rebellion and exile.

The Bloody History of Clan Keith follows one of Scotland’s most powerful historic families through fifteen dramatic episodes that shaped both the fortunes of the Keiths and the wider history of Scotland. For generations, the Keith chiefs held the hereditary office of Marischal, placing them close to Scotland’s kings and at the centre of some of the country’s most turbulent conflicts.

Ride with Sir Robert Keith as Scottish horsemen strike against the English archers at Bannockburn. Enter the dangerous streets of Berwick during its capture and siege. Follow the Keiths through the disasters of Dupplin Moor and Neville’s Cross, where royal service could end in death, imprisonment and political crisis.

The story then moves north into the violent world of Highland and Caithness rivalries. Discover the traditions surrounding the Battle of Tannach and the notorious meeting at St Tayre, where the Keiths were said to have arrived with two men mounted on every horse—turning an attempted reconciliation with the Gunns into one of the most memorable episodes in Scottish clan feud tradition.

The Keiths also stood within the great national struggles of later centuries. Their story reaches Flodden, the catastrophic battle of Pinkie, the long rivalry between the Earls Marischal and Huntly, and the religious and political upheavals that tore Scotland apart during the seventeenth century.

At Dunnottar Castle, the history becomes especially dramatic. The surrounding countryside suffered destruction during Montrose’s campaign, and only a few years later the castle became the last refuge of the Honours of Scotland—the Scottish Crown, sceptre and sword of state. Their secret removal and concealment at Kinneff became one of the most remarkable survival stories of Scotland’s civil-war era.

The final chapters follow George Keith, Earl Marischal, into the Jacobite cause. At Sheriffmuir in 1715, loyalty to the Stuarts placed his title, estates and hereditary office at risk. Four years later he returned with Spanish troops during the rising of 1719, only to see the expedition collapse at Glenshiel. The Keith story that began beside medieval Scottish kings ultimately led to forfeiture, exile and service abroad.

Inside This Book You Will Discover:

• Sir Robert Keith and the mounted action at Bannockburn
• The dramatic Scottish capture and later siege of Berwick
• The Keith connection to Dupplin Moor and Neville’s Cross
• The northern feud traditions involving Clan Keith and Clan Gunn
• The famous “two men to every horse” story of St Tayre
• Keith losses and disputed traditions surrounding Flodden
• The Earl Marischal at the Battle of Pinkie
• The bitter political rivalry between the Keiths and the Gordons of Huntly
• The Bridge of Dee campaign and Scotland’s Covenanting wars
• Montrose’s devastation around Dunnottar
• The siege of Dunnottar and the extraordinary rescue of the Honours of Scotland
• George Keith and the Jacobite Rising of 1715
• The Spanish-backed rising and Battle of Glenshiel in 1719

Carefully researched and written for readers who enjoy Scottish history, clan heritage, castles, battles and the human stories behind political conflict, this book distinguishes between documented events, historical interpretation and later tradition rather than presenting every famous clan tale as established fact.

Whether you carry the Keith name, are researching Scottish ancestry, or simply enjoy the dramatic history of Scotland’s clans, The Bloody History of Clan Keith offers an accessible journey through centuries of war, loyalty, rivalry and survival.

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