Clan Keith

Clan Keith
Ceiteach
Motto	Dexter: Quae amissa salva (What has been lost is safe) Sinister: Veritas vincit (Truth conquers) On compartment: Thay say: quhat they say: thay haif sayed: let thame say
Slogan	A Keith, Veritas Vincit (also Truth Prevails)
War cry	A Keith, Veritas Vincit
Profile
Region	Lowlands and Highlands
District	East Lothian, Aberdeenshire (lowlands), and Caithness (highlands)
Plant badge	White Rose
Animal	Stag
Chief
James William Falconer Keith
14th Earl of Kintore
Seat	Keith Hall, Aberdeenshire
Historic seat	Keith Marischal House Dunnottar Castle Fetteresso Castle
Septs of Clan Keith Austen, Austin, Cate, Cates, Dick, Dickson, Dixon, Dixson, Falconer, Faulkner, Hackston, Harvey, Haxton, Hervey, Hurrie, Hurry, Keath, Keech, Keeth, Keyth, Kite, Laird, Lumgair, MacKeith, Marshall, Ouston, Urie, Urry
Clan branches Keith of Kintore (current chiefs) Keith of Marischal (historic chiefs)
Allied clans Clan Forbes Clan Cameron
Rival clans Clan Irvine Clan Gunn

Clan Keith is a Scottish clan, whose chief historically held the hereditary title of Great Marischal of Scotland.

The placename Keith comes from a Cumbric form of the Modern Welsh coed ("wood").

A warrior of the Chatti tribe is said to have killed the Danish General, Camus, at the Battle of Barrie in 1010. For this valour Malcolm II of Scotland dipped three fingers into the blood of the dead and drew them down the warrior's shield. The warrior was thereafter named Marbhachair Chamuis which meant the Camus Slayer. The chief of the Clan Keith has borne the same three lines on his shield ever since. It can be found as early as 1316 on the seal of Sir Robert de Keith.

King Malcolm's victory at the Battle of Carham in 1018 brought him into possession of Lothian, and the lands of Keith in Lothian were subsequently held by the Camus Slayer. It is from these lands that his progeny took their name.

A Norman adventurer named Hervey married the native heiress of Marbhachair and in about 1150 David I of Scotland granted her a charter for the lands of Keith. In a charter of 1176, their son was styled as Marischal of the King of Scots. The Marischal was charged with the safety of the king's person within Parliament and was also custodian of the royal regalia.

In 1308, Robert the Bruce granted the royal Halforest of Aberdeenshire to his friend, Robert de Keith. Here the Marischal built his castle. His nephew was William Keith of Galston who returned Bruce's heart to Melrose Abbey after the death of the Sir James Douglas at the Battle of Teba in Andalucia. Bruce confirmed to the family the hereditary office of marischal by a charter of 1324 and Sir Robert de Keith had commanded the Scottish cavalry at the Battle of Bannockburn. The office was held upon the condition that they bore the ancient arms that they had inherited from Marbhachair Chamuis.