Paper on the Mar peerage

13
marriage, granted a charter of the Earldom to Sir
A. Stewart, the heirs lawfully begotten or to be
begotten of his body, whom failing, the lawful
heirs of Alexander whomsoever. (Sir A. only had
a bastard son, so the king became his heir) — this
was registered upon the mandate of K. James III,
in 1476. On the 9th December 1404, Sir A.
Stewart having stormed her Casileof Kildrummie,
rendered to her the keys of the Castle with all
charters, &c, but did not name or refer to the
Earldom. On the same day she accepted him as
her husband, and granted (afresh it would seem)
the Territorial Earldom to bim and the issue
begotten between them. This charter was partiully
confirmed by King Robert, Deer. 9, 1404 ; but
this alteration was made "to the lawful heirs of
Isabella in the said lands in case she should die
without any issue of her marriage." This charter
being made on the marriage of the grantees, it was
truly a grant to him, and, as the result shows, it
was competent for him, the survivor, to change
the destination, just as it hal been competent for
his wife to change it, while she had possession of it.
It is true certain conditions were attached to this
grant of the Earldom to Sir A. Stewart but as he
had already shown no compunction in using strong
arguments while wooing the wealthy widow — it need
not surprise us that after her death he tried to rid
himself of inconvenient conditions. The Countess
died in 1407, her husband, who bore the title of
Earl of Mar and Garrioch survived till 1435. In the
year 1426 he resigned the Earldom to the Crown,
and while thus disrobed of it became simple "Alex-
ander Stewart, Knight." He, however, immediately
received a fresh grant of it with remainder to his
illegitimate son, Thomas, and his heirs, which
failiug to the k ng and his heirs. He was again
Earl of Mar and Garrioch, but his illegitimate son
Thomas died in his lifetime without issue, so that
in 1435 the earldom reverted to the Crown.
The title of Mar was subsequently granted to
different members of the royal family, in 1466 to
John, a brother of James III. — he had no issues