Paper on the Mar peerage

C(jt JJJar |jwrajj< Case.
The Mar Peerage Case is one of especial interest
to Alloa people, because the Earls of Mar and their
progenitors — the noble and powerful Erskines —
have been resident here for more than five centuries,
and a direct line of heirs male has held the Tower
of Alloa as the stronghold of the race. But, apart
from the local interest which we have in the matter,
the title of Mar is one o( historic fame. Who that
knows what Scotland has done, knows not the name
of Mar? And before the family of Erskine added
glory to the ancient title it was powerful for good
or eyil in the annals of our land. It may be well,
before we go minutely into the case, to try and ex-
plain the nature of that title, which existed without
doubt for some generations successively till the
senior line of the original territorial Earls failed
which Mr Goodeve claimed to have succeeded to,
but which the House of Lords has not adjudged to
him, having decided that Walter Henry Erskine,
Baron Erskine, also Earl of Kellie, Viscount Fen-
toun (Premier of Scotlaud), Baron Dirleton, and
Baron Erskine of Dirleton, is also Earl of Mar,
because Queen Mary created his ancestor, John
Lord Erskine, Earl of Mar, and not because he is
descended from the territorial Earls of Mar.
Alban formed a pnrt of what is now called Scot-
land — it was in fact the nucleus of the future king-
dom ; it was divided into seven provinces or earl-
doms ; the Lords of these seven territories were
distinct from the other Earls of Scotland — their