III. NOT N HERALDIO E C REPRESENTATION R FORMERLO W NO T SA Y MARISCHAL COLLEGE, ABERDEEN . J ANDERSON . P Y B . , M.A., LL.B., F.S.A. SCOT. (PLATE III.) Over the narrow gateway that affords an entrance from Broad Street to Marischal College is a much-decayed stone, on which are carved the armorial ensigns of George, fifth Earl Marischal, the founder of the college. The charge on the shield is still decipherable: a chief paly of six, " the ancient Bearing of the Sirname of KEITH." l The gateway s erectewa 2 d about 1623 Junn o , e 11 whicn i , h year "The Prowest baillies and Counsall haweand considderatioune That Maister Williame Guild minister at the kirk of Kingeduard sone laull to Mathow Guild armourer burges of this burghe hes bocht and conquest on his awin charges a foirhous frome John Merser saidler befoir the grayfrier kir thif ko s burghe quhilk hou saie r Williamsth dM e declairis he will mortifie and dedicat frielie to the toune in all convenient diligence 1 Nisbet, Syst. of Her., . 1722Of70 . Laingp , , Descr. Cat., Nos. 461-3; Suppl. Cat., Nos. 550-2, 554 r Davi;Si d Lindesa'y, Booke d Reg.an f Arm.es,o reprin f 1878o t , plate 41; Stodart, Scottish Arms, vol. i. plate C (from the Armorial de Gelre, circa 1369); Lamnar Aberdonense (New Spalding Club), 1888, p. 116. 2 "Comitis Marischalli insignibus gentilitiis ornatnm," infra, . 176p , note. HERALDIC REPRESENTATIONS AT MARTSCHAL COLLEGE. 167 to the effect that they mack a fair and comodious entrie to the college of thi grae sth y burgh frieo t d r ean kir k Thairfoi regair n i saire th d o dt r WilliamM s liberalehi d charitabilan l l dispositioun mackinn ei g con- e saiquesth d f foirhoue o abovt vs mortifiee b e e touno th t sth r o t efo t speiProuese Th t t baillie d Counsalan s o animat l t wtherie lyith k o t s charitie and liberalitie to the college promittis to the said Mr Willia within the space of yearis That they sail big the said entrie on the tounes charges with aisler wark and to big a stationaris chop at the said entrie The maill quhairof the said Mr Wa dedicatis to the toune perpetuallie in tyme comeing for defraying of the charges in bigging the said entrie sa far as the same may extend to." 1 On February 20, 1639, "the provest baillies and councell ordainis the. Tounis armecute b timbe n i to st Williame b r e Scott carpentar after e beshousinge th th tf formo e s e edivysion b n thai d putn p an ca ttu t abov e Collegth e el convenien al yet n i t t diligence e maisteth d f o an r, Kirkwark is appointed to attend the working thairof and sic as he deburssi s comptis." hi thairupou n i f thie allowiO m b s 2hi o t no t t representation of the burgh arms there is no further trace.3 It is pos- sible that the wooden carving may have been destroyed by the fire which consume dgreaa e tcolleg th par f o te building n Septembeso r 27tf ho same th e year.4 nexe Th t referenc Earl'e th o set arm minutee is nsi Facultth e th f so y of Marischal College :—" Wherea s representewa t si d tha e armth tf o s e familth f Marischalyo , abov college eth e gate, need cleanin reparad gan - tion, they [the Faculty] appointed Dr Gordon to employ proper persons for that purpose."5 e supporters—twTh o harts—ar mucw no eh mutilated e cresth ,s i t hardly distinguishable e mottth f o , only VEBITAS remains. windoa n I we centra 'oth f l e presentoweth f o r t buildin insertes gi d a poor representatio e college armth th f o f seo n withi garland:a n — towea Quarterly 3 f Aberdeen Keitho 4 rd d an an 2 ; 1 : . Creste th , 1 Aberdeen Town Council Register, li. 49. 2 Town Council Register, Hi. 449. Cruickshank'3 s Armorial Ensigns of Royal Burgh of Aberdeen, 1888. Spalding's Troubles (Spald. Club edn.) . 231i , ; Gordon's Scots Affairs, . iii88 . 4 5 Minutes of February 15, 1753. 168 PROCEEDINGS • OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 11, 1889. splendours hi n i n su . Motto, LUCBO e samTh e. quartered shield appears in various degrees of inaccuracy on several seals of the college. They archaeologicao f littln o r e eo ar l interest.1 Naturae th n I l History Museu mpreserves i d unde glasa r s cas verea y fine carving in oak of the royal arms. It is thus described by Francis Douglas 2 :—" The arms are a lion rampant, armed and langued, with a double tressure, flowere d counter-floweredan d with [14] flower-de-luce; abov e shielth e a dhelme t adorned wit n imperiaa h l crown d suran , - mounted for "the crest by a lion couchant gardant, and crowned with an imperial crown, holding in his dexter paw a naked sword, erected pale- ways, and in his sinister a banner, charged 'with a St Andrew's cross, erected bend [sinister] ways, supported by two unicorns langued and re- gardant, gorged with open imperial crowns [fleurs de lis alone, resembling . rathe e lasleaves]k th troa o chainT . s affixed, reflected over their backs, and locked to the compartment with old-fashioned locks. [There is no compartment lase th :t link e attachear s fetteo t d r locks.] Beloe wth shield and above the compartment is a small shield or surtout [?], with the letters V. E., curiously linked or tied together with a friar's rope of discipline, having a cross in one of the doubles of the rope. [Not a a n abovd [o l An eal ] . symboe th cros t sbu l straight ribbon behin e crest DBPENS.th Y dr mottoM fo ]e N Th I ," background is beautifully ornamented with thistle leaves, and the whole s enclosei bordeleaves.a k n oa di f o r 3 This carving is now disfigured with the ridiculous inscription :— " The Arms of Scotland, erected in the Exchequer, Aberdeen, by King William the Lion, Founder of Trinity Friars, Aberdeen, who died A.D. 1214. Presented Thomasy b Leslie Esq. f Berryo den, 1799." e panes takeTh wa l n from a house that formerlye th stoo n i d Exchequer Bow, a street which had its name from the Eoyal Mint, established s saidi Willia y t i b ,, Lione mth . Throug misapprehenha - sion of the initials V.E., which probably stand for "William Eolland, Notes e Queries,d 1 Se . 250an ii . vi 2 Description Easte th f o Coast of Scotland, Paisley, 1782 . 173p , . 3 See a representation in Scottish Notes and Queries for May, 1889, p. 187. HERALDIC EEPEESENTATION MAKISCHAT A S L COLLEGE. 169 Master of the Mint at Aberdeen in the reign of James V.,1 it has been asserted thae paneth t l dates fro e formee reigth mth f no r monarch• a , century before the use of supporters was known in Scotland.2 About the year 1840 Marischal College was deprived of a very interesting heraldic monumen e elaborat th e los f th so y b et painted ceil- ing of the public school, which seems to have been wantonly destroyed time th et a whe e oldenth r building gave plac occupyino thaw et no t g the same site. On November 29, 1678, Robert Paterson, younger son of John, Bisho f Ross,o p s promote wa e 3principalshi th o t de collegeth f o p , having for some time previously held a regency there. Paterson appears to f have mucactivo th e n s he beema energywa spiri a ne n i H t . carrying out a restoration of the college buildings, effected in face of many difficulties before the close of the century, and in prosecuting a suit before the Court of Session, whereby the college authorities estab- lished their righ o t appoint e collegth t e librarian under Secretary Reid's endowment, againss a 4 e Towth t n d previouslCouncilha o wh , y exercise e patronageth d . Paterson hele librarianshipth d , thee th n best paid office abou e collegeth t , from 1673 till his'deat 171n i h r 5o 1716. He was also commissary of Aberdeen. The part of the college buildings, erected circa .1680-90, included a "principal's charner," the ceiling of which was adorned with thirty coat' f armso s , being e founderthosth f o e f Patersoo s ,seve hi d n an n predecessors in the principalship, and of twenty-one early benefactors of the college. The ceiling seems to have been put up mainly at Pater- son's expense, for in the accounts of the "New Work, 1682-1712," the only references to armorial decoration are the entries :— lib.s. d. 1689 " Item for putting up Tourner's arms in the Colledge, 300 1698 " Ite mCharleo t s Why drawinr fo t Sibbald'r gD s coat of arms in the principall's chamber, 2 13 0" 1 Nisbet, p. 242. "This antique, though still fresd fairan h, must hav year6 e56 sbee t agocu n , havy andma e bee t earlierncu r Williafo , m crowe camth o 1165n t n i e died an n ,di 1214."—Douglas's Description.