Clan Rattray Crest
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CREST: Issuant from a crest coronet Or, a star Or and thereon a flaming heart Proper MOTTO: Super sidera votum TRANSLATION: My whishes are above the stars VARIATIONS: N/A |
| The tale of Clan Rattray begins in the eleventh century when they adopted the name from the barony of Rattray in Perthshire. Their ancestral estate included the ruins of the Pictish ‘rath-tret’ or ‘fort dwelling,’ perched on a serpent-shaped sandy mound, which local tradition associates with pagan rites. This mystical backdrop laid the foundation for a family that would leave an enduring legacy.
The family’s earliest recorded member, Alan Rattray, witnessed several charters of Scottish kings William the Lion and Alexander II. His grandson, Eustace Rattray, made history when he was captured at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296 and taken prisoner to England. It was Eustace’s son, Sir Adam Rattray, who appeared on the Ragman Roll, swearing fealty to Edward I of England in 1296. |
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| The Rattrays were not mere bystanders in Scotland’s political landscape. Alexander Rattray, one of the family’s barons, took part in the Parliament at Ayr in 1315, a crucial event in determining the succession to the Scottish throne. Eustace, Alexander’s brother and the sixth Laird of Rattray, faced charges of complicity in a plot to depose Robert the Bruce, an accusation of treason that he would later be acquitted of.
Sir Silvester Rattray, a notable member of the clan, served as an ambassador to England in 1463 and inherited significant estates around Fortingall in Atholl. However, his newfound wealth aroused the jealousy of the powerful Earls of Atholl. After Silvester’s passing, his son, Sir John, inherited the estates but faced challenges over the Barony of Rattray, with the Earl of Atholl claiming a share. Patrick Rattray, Sir John’s second son, was driven from Rattray Castle in 1516 by the Earl of Atholl. He sought refuge in Nether Kinballoch, where he began building a new house known as Craighall. Tragically, in 1533, Patrick was murdered, a grim reminder of the turbulent times. The Rattrays also played a role in religious life. David Rattray of Craighall, a descendant, had a son named the Reverend Silvester Rattray of Persie, who became the first minister of Rattray after the Reformation, leaving an indelible mark on the spiritual landscape of the region. The Rattray family’s history includes loyal royalists, Jacobite sympathizers, and prominent figures in the Church. They navigated the tumultuous period of Scottish history, with members like John Rattray serving as the physician to Bonnie Prince Charlie during the ‘Forty-five’ Jacobite uprising. |
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