Quote Originally Posted by bdkilted View Post
The history of the name comes from when the Earl Marischal was exiled after the 1715 up rising...
Thanks for the explanation, B.D. I knew that Marshall and Keith were interrelated (and not just because of your last name), but I wasn't sure whether it was a standard sept arrangement, or whether it was something more coequal.

OliviaScott,
To explain some terminology that is familiar to many of us, but probably new to you.... A sept is a family that has sworn allegiance to a clan. For example, my wife is a McEathron (which would have been formerly spelled MacEachern). The MacEacherns are a family that swore fealty to the MacDonalds. Traditionally (and these traditions go back approximately 150-250 years, which is far less than some romantic sources might lead you to believe), septs wear the tartan of the clan they are associated with. Since my wife's family is from the Isle of Islay, she wears one of the MacDonald of the Isles tartans.