The office of
marischal of Scotland (or
Marascallus Scotie or
Marscallus Scotiae) had been hereditary, held by the senior member and
chief of
Clan Keith, since
Hervey (Herveus) de Keith, who held the office of marischal under
Malcolm IV and
William I. The descendant of Herveus, Sir Robert de Keith (d.1332), was confirmed in the office of
Great Marischal of Scotland by King
Robert the Bruce around 1324. Robert de Keith's great-grandson, William, was raised to the peerage as earl marischal by
James II in about 1458. The peerage died out when George Keith, the 10th Earl, forfeited it by joining the
Jacobite Rising of 1715. The role of the Marischal was to serve as custodian of the
regalia of Scotland, and to protect the king's person when attending parliament. The former duty was fulfilled by the 7th Earl during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms, who hid them at
Dunnottar Castle. The role of regulation of heraldry carried out by the English
earl marshal is carried out in Scotland by the
Lord Lyon King of Arms. The separate office of
knight marischal was first created for the Scottish coronation of King
Charles I in 1633. The office is not heritable, although it has been held by members of the Keith family. The title was forfeited in 1715, due to the last earl's participation in the
Jacobite Rising. ==Marischals and Great Marischals of Scotland==