The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-09
A PROPHECY FULFILLED.
Strange Prediction About the scotch
EarIdom of Mar.
New York Sun.

EarIdom of Mar.
New York Sun.
Some persons have gone so far as 70 say
that the prophecies of the old Testa-
ment were written after the events that
they ''foretold." That is as may be. but
there are some prophecies, not in the Bible.
that with the extension of printing and
typewriting' i seems probable that here
or that their fuldlment will be spotted with
neatness and accuracy. One of these full
filled prophecies of more or less modern
time relates to the Scotch earldom of Mar.
and is eminently worth reviewing.
In the hrst place., the earldom of Mar is
very old. The British House OF Lords. hav-
ing done some hanky-panky business with
II in 1866, giving it TO a person that all the
Scots lawyers said was not entitled to it, in
tent, and confirmed the title upon the right
tul claimant, but cut off about four nun
dred years of its age. The title really dates
from about 1914, when Donald, mormaer of
Mar, fought at the battle of Clontarf, in
Ireland, when Brian Boroihme was killed.
In 1866 the Earl of Mar died. and the Earl
of Kellie claimed the title by virtue of a
deed given by Mary, Queen of Scotland, in
1866; no Scots lawyer believed in the claim.
but the House of Lords gave the title to the
Earl of kellie. In 1885 the Lords decided that
the original title belonged to Mr.. John
FRANCIS Erskine Goodeye-Erskine but they
dated 1t back only to 1404 "or earlier"
me original carbon was very wealthy.
Sc seized m"G upo so i feaI LAMBS 5de w Srown OF scotland ; cdaIS
From about 1435 to 1865 the crown held the
lands, and four younger sons of the Scotch
kings were created earls of Mar; but in
each case they died; and I'm after years the
grants were declared to have been '%inept.''
Finally, in May, 1865, Queen Mary granted
to Lord Erskine a charter of reparation mot
the deed under which the Earl of Kellie
claimed the title.)
Now comes in. the Dr0phecv which is at
tributed either to Thomas the Rhymer, to
the abbo If Commissioners or to the regu-
lar hous old poet or bard. 1t was taken
down in writing in 1893. as follows:
PToud Chlet OF Mar-Thou shalt be raised
still higher. until thou sittest in the place of
thy work shall be after thy name; but thy
work shall be the emblem of thy house. and
shall teach mankind that he who cruelty
and haughtily raiseth himself upon the
ruins Of the holy cannot prosper. Thy
work shall be cursed and shall never be fin
ished. But thou shalt have riches and
greatness, and shalt be true to thy sover-
elgn, ana shalt raise his banner in the field
of blood. Then when thou seemest to be-
highest, when thy power is migntiest. then
shall come thy fall; low shall ne thy head
amongst the mobiles Of the people.
Deep shall be thy moan among the
children of dool sorrow. Thy lands shall
be given to the stranger, and thy titles snail
lie among the dead. The branch that springs
from thee shall see his dwelling burnt. in
which a king is nursed-his wife a sacrifice
in that same flame; his children numerous,
grown, who shall never see the light. Yet
shall thine ancient tower stand, for the
brave and the true cannot be wholly for
Saken. Thou must dree thy weird. until
horses shall be stabbed in the hail, and a
weaver shall throw his shuttle in thy cham
Der OF state. Thine ancient tower shall be
a rum until an ash sapling shall spring
from it's topmost stone. Inen shall thy sor-
rows be ended, and the sunshine of royalty
beam on thee once more. Thine honors
shall be restored, the kiss of peace shall be
given to thy countess. though she seek it
not, ana the days of peace sshall return to
thee and thine. The line of Mar shall be
broken, but not until it's honors are doubled
and its doom is ended
Now for the way this has worked out. In
1911 and lDI2 the Earl of Mar was raprepf 10
Scotland, and sat in the place of the
King. He destroyed Cambuskennith Alb
Dey and took its stones to build a palace in
Mars Work.
In 1915 the Earl of Mar raised the banner
or James VIII, of Scotland, whom the Eng
lish called the ''pretender," and was de-
feated at Sheriffmuir in a field of blood.
His title was forfeited, his lands confscated
and sold to a stranger, the Earl of Fife.
Inc grandson of the eXiled earl lived in
Alloa Castle in poverty near the end of the
last century. TIL castle had been the home
OF James, VI as an infant. One night it was
destroyed by fire. Mrs. Erskine being
capped and lived to old age. The family,
mus burned out, moved away.
About 1904 a troop of cavalry, raised to
repel the threatened French invasion,
stabbed their horses in the remains of the
great hall, and in 1910 a weaver was found
with his loom in the principal room of the
castle. Having been dispossessed in Alloa
for rent, he had gone TO the castle. Be-
tween 1915 and 1920 an ash sapling actually
grew at the top of the tower, big enough
to be shaken by visitors without being torn
up.
In 1922 George " went to Scotland to
search out the families that had suffered
from their adherence to the Stuarts' cause,
and first among them he found Mr.. John
Francis Erskine, the grandson of the Earl
of Mar of 175. To him the King restored
the earldom in 1924. The countess of the
grandson of this restored earl was never
presented at court, but once was in a small
room of Stirling Castle when Queen Vic
toria entered. TIL Queen asked who she
was, and when she learned. kissed her.
When this earl died in 1866 his cousin, the
EF of Kellie. claimed the title under a
Z md charter of 1866, and won his case, so
that the honors were doubled. But even
yet the prophecy was not complete. The
nephew of the earl who died in 1866 got the
older title in 1885. so that Low the line of
Mar is broken.
1t &c easy to say that the prophecy was
C ed after the events. But admitting
I 4rt of 1t NAV have been, much of it
\ zen fulfilled since 1899. The horses and
weaver came since that year, as do the
restoration of the earldom, the kiss OF
peace. the doubling of the honors and the
breaking of the line of Mar; this last came
only twelve years ago, in fact. So the
weird has been breed out, and, though the
two earls of Mar are naturally not on the
best of terms, 1t may be hoped that peace
rests upon the oldest family of Scotland.