Meet the Erskines

Ancient Earls of Mar

4) Rotheri, 1st Ancient Earl of Mar - died 1163 in the time of King David I and was succeeded by his son.
5) Gillocher, 2nd Ancient Earl of Mar - succeeded in 1163, died in 1178. His son,
6) Morgund, 3rd Ancient Earl of Mar - died in 1203 and his eldest son,
7) Gilchrist - became the Earl of Mar but died young and passed the Earldom on to his brother, Duncan.
7) Duncan, 4th Ancient Earl of Mar - second son of Morgund succeeded to the title on Gilchrist's death. He gave the church of St. Andrew to the canons of Monymusk. He married Orabells, daughter of William who was son of William, Lord of Latherisk. Duncan died on June 7, 1244. His son,
8) William, 5th Ancient Earl of Mar - was one of the the Regents of Scotland in 1258 and Great Chamberlain of Scotland in 1264. He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Cumyn, Earl of Buchan. William died in 1270. His son,
9) Donald, 6th Ancient Earl of Mar - was one of the seven Earls of Scotland, knighted by Alexander III at Scone on September 29, 1270. He first married Muriel, daughter of Malise, Earl of Strathearn but had no children by this marriage. Upon Muriel's death, he married Ellen, daughter of Malcome, Earl of Fife and died about 1296 leaving a son and heir, Gratney and two daughters, one Isabel who married King Robert I and the other, Mary, who married Kenneth, the 3rd Earl of Sutherland.
10) Gratney, 7th Ancient Earl of Mar - became Earl in 1296 and was Sheriff of Aberdeenshire. He married Lady Christian Bruce, sister of King Robert I. She was created Lady of Garioch by her brother in 1336. Gratney died in 1305 leaving the following children:
11) Donald, 8th Ancient Earl of Mar - became Earl in 1305. He married Isobel Stewert and they had a son, Thomas, Earl of Mar and a daughter, Margaret. Donald died in 1332 in the Battle of Dupplin. Thomas died without issue. Margaret, Countess of Mar, married William, Earl of Douglas, with whom she had two children: James, who became Earl of Douglas and Isabel, her heir. Isabel, Countess of Mar died in 1435 without issue, leaving Earldom of Mar to her cousin and kinsman, Robert, Lord Erskine, de jure Earl of Mar (descended from Elyne, daughter of Gratney, Ear of Mar, as follows):

The Lineage Continues

12) Elyne - daughter of Gratney, Earl of Mar and Lady Christian Bruce, sister of King Robert I of Scotland. She married Sir John Menteith, Lord of Arran. They had two children: John d.s.p. and a daughter Christian.
13) Christian - daughter of Elyne and Sir John Menteith, Lord of Arran, first married Sir Edward Keith. They had a daughter, Janet. Upon the death of Sir Edward Keith, Christian was married a second time to Sir Robert Erskine, a kinsman (a blood relation).
14) Janet - daughter of Christian and Sir Edward Keith, first married Sir David Barclay. Upon his death, without issue, Janet married a cousin, Thomas Erskine, a son of the above Sir Robert Erskine. They had two sons - Robert, Earl of Mar and John who was descended from the Erskines of Dun.
15) Robert - son of Thomas who was the son of Sir Robert Erskine, Christian's husband. He received the 9th Ancient Earldom of Mar from his cousin, Isabel, Countess of Mar who died in 1435 without issue. He also was the 1st Earl of Alloa and Dun and married the daughter of the Lord of Lorne. He died in 1453. His son and heir was Thomas.
16) Thomas - Lord Erskine and 10th de jure Earl of Mar, married Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Norton. He was 2nd Earl of Alloa and Dun. They had a son, Alexander. in 1457 he was dispossed of the Earldom of Mar and in 1467 he sat in Parliment. Thomas died in 1493.
17) Alexander - Lord Erskine and 11th de jure Earl of Mar and 3rd Earl of Alloa and Dun. Alexander first married Christian, daughter of Sir Robert Crichton. Upon her death without issue, he married Helen, daughter of Alexander, Lord Howe. Alexander was the guardian of James IV. They had a son and heir, Robert.
18) Robert - Lord Erskine and 12th de jure Earl of Mar, married Isabella, daughter of Sir George Campbell of Loudoun in 1485. Robert fell at the Battle of Flodden on September 9, 1513 when the young Scottish King James IV tried to invade England and failed. Robert left two sons - John, Lord Erskine and de jure of Mar and James (an ancestor of the Erskines of Balgownie).
Interesting side bar - Robert, Lord Erskine and the de jure Earl of Mar, who married Isabella, daughter of Sir George Campbell of Loudoun in 1458, was slain in the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Their eldest son John, Lord Erskine and de jure of Mar, was Regent of Scotland in 1571. He was restored to the full title of Earl of Mar by Mary, Queen of Scots, in a charter dated June 23, 1565. This Charter returned to him the said Earldom with all lands, castles, etc. From him are descended the present Earls of Mar and the Earls of Mar and Kellie.
19) James Erskine - Laird of Balgownie, married Christian Sterling, with whom they had four sons: Robert, 2nd Laird of Balgownie, James, William and Alexander. James died in 1556.
20) Alexander Erskine - son of James Erskine, 1st Laird of Balgownie and Christian Stirling, became Laird of Shiefield after his marriage in 1559 to Elizabeth Haliburton. His brothers were - Robert, 2nd Laird of Balgownie, James, Vicar of Nalkirk and William, Archbishop of Glascow. Alexander died in 1580 leaving a son and heir, Ralph.

Lairds and Reverends

21) Ralph Erskine - 2nd Laird of Shielfield. Born in 1560. Ralph succeeded to his father title uponAlexander's death in 1580. He first married Isabella Cairncross with whom he had seven children between the years of 1589 and 1600. Upon her dealth he married Janet wilson in 1623 with whom he had five children between the years of 1624 and 1640. His eldest son John, born on August 26, 1589, was his successor as Laird of Shielfield. Two other sons by his first marriage were James and William. He eldest son by his second marriage to Janet Wilson, was Henry, born on August 22, 1624. Ralph died on February 16, 1645.
22) Reverend Henry Erskine - born at Mertoun, Berwickshire, England, on August 22, 1624. Henry did not have a title being the first son of Ralph Erskine's second wife. He was graduated from Edinburgh University in 1646 and went into the ministery. The name of his first wife, whom he married in 1652 is not know. She died on March 9, 1670. There were a number of children this marriage, several of whom were the Rev. Phillip, William and Jean. He was married a second time on September 1, 1674 to Margaret Halcro, with whom he had five sons and two daughters some of whom were - Henry, Rev. Ebenezer, Rev. Ralph, Margaret, Hugh and Robert. During the religious persecutions about 1689, he and his wife were imprisoned at Bass Rock and he was later banished to Carlisle. He died in 1696.
23) Robert Erskine - was born at Dunferline about 1687, the son of Rev. Henry Erskine and Margaret Halero. As to when he married or to whom, is not known. It is believed he moved to Tulliallan, Perthshire about 1725. He had several sons and daughters, tow of his sons being Archibald (born around 1728) and John (1731 - 1780). One of Archibald's sons, Robert, went to Ireland while the other two sons, names unknown, came later to America.
24) John Erskine - believed to have been born in Tulliallan, Perthshire in 1731 and died in Tyrone County, Ireland about 1780. Very little is know about him. It is believed that he and his wife left Scotland shortly afterwards and settled in Tyrone County, Ireland. It is known he had four sons - Thomas, James, Ebenezer and John.  His son

25) John Erskine, born in Tyrone County, Ireland, about 1755 and died in New York about 1805.  It is not known who he married but his three brothers Thomas, Hames and Ebenezer were cloth and yarn manufacturers.  His son, John, and Ebeneezer's son were both married in Tyrone County, Ireland and came to America with their respective families, the former settling in New York, and the latter in Savannah, Georgia.  While nothing further is known of John's brother James, Thomas hasd a grandson in Monaghan, Ireland and a granddaughter, Sara Erskine, who resided in Chicago, Illinois.