Clan Keith
Clan Keith Society USA, Inc.
"The Keiths traced their origins back to an ancient
Rhineland tribe called the Catti. Sometime in the first
century BC, so the legend goes, the Catti fought the Romans
in the Hercynian forest: their retreat took them by Katwyck
on the Rhine to embark for Scotland from the coast of
Holland. Just how many Catti took to the boats in the
exodus is not known but they eventually made landfall in
Caithness or — as it was perhaps more recognizably
known in first-century Scotland — Cattiness.
From the time they landed the Catti began to multiply
significantly and adopted the local ways by joining the
clan system as Clan Chattan. The clan spread throughout the
north of Scotland and , as with all success stories of
their time, what the Catti couldn't win with the sword they
won by marriage. Most of all they seemed to have had a
sixth sense when it came to making a decision about which
side to support in the wars and power struggles of the
coming centuries. By this time the family name had changed
to Keth or Keith.
History tells us that the first Keith to draw a sword
for his sovereign and profit by it was Robert Keith: he
slew Cammus, a Danish invader, in single combat at the
Battle of Barras in Angus in 1010. Rewards quickly followed
with the grant of lands in EAST LOTHIAN and Robert's
appointment as hereditary Grand Marischal of Scotland. With
his title came a motto VERITAS VINCIT or 'truth conquers'
and a coat of arms. Concerning the origins of the heraldic
device, the story goes that when the Battle of Barras was
over, the King (Malcolm II) came to look at the dead body
of Cammus the Dance and, pleased with what he saw, bent
down and dipped his fingers in the Dane's still-warm blood
to make three strokes, or pales, on Keith's shield. Yet
another version tells that a noble combatant disputed the
Keith claim of having killed Cammus and was then himself
challenged to single combat over this point of honour. This
dispute was resolved when Keith killed the nobleman and it
was this noble's blood which decorated Keiths shield
— this is perhaps a better and more satisfying
explanation of the motto and coat of arms. Robert Keith
went on to marry Margaret Fraser of Tweeddale and founded
the Keith family." — from Sam Coull's
Nothing But
My Sword, p. 7-8.
These early accounts, however, remain disputed by
some as "absurd fictions" (see
Clan Keith by Alan
McNie, 1986;
The Great Historic Families of
Scotland by James Taylor, 1887). "All that is known
with certainty on the subject is, that in the reign of
David I, when Norman, Saxon, Flemish and Scandinavian
settlers in great numbers took up their residence in
Scotland, a part of the district of Keith, in East Lothian,
was possessed by a baron named Herveius, who witnessed the
charter by which King David granted Annandale to Robert de
Brus. His estate received from him the designation of Keith
Hervei, and afterwards of Keith Marischal." —
Clan Keith by Alan McNie, 1986
His son, Herveius de Keith, held the office of King's
Marischal under Malcolm IV and William I. The family soon
became numerous and powerful, and spread their branches far
and wide throughout the Lowland districts of Scotland.
Taken from
Origins of Clan
Keith.
