Keith, John, first earl of Kintore (d. 1715)

A biography of Keith, John, first earl of Kintore (d. 1715), politician, was the fourth son of William Keith, fifth Earl Marischal (c.1585–1635), and his wife, Lady Mary, daughter of John Erskine, earl of Mar; William Keith, sixth Earl Marischal (1614–1671), was his eldest brother. In the winter of 1651–2, during the siege of Dunnottar Castle, Keith, although still a youth, played an important role in preventing the Scottish regalia, stored there for safety by the Scottish estates, from falling into the hands of English soldiers. In a scheme said to have been hatched by his mother, he acted as a decoy while the regalia were taken from the castle and hidden in Kinneff church, and on the surrender of the castle swore that he had taken them to France and delivered them to Charles II. Accepting his story, the Cromwellian regime stopped their search.