With our former heraldic expert, Anthony Maxwell passing to the great hall above, we are very lucky to have access to Ross McEwen FSA Scot, who is quickly becoming one of Scotland’s foremost heraldic experts if we need any advice.
Accepting that the Irvings of Bonshaw, along with other border families are greatly intertwined through marriage with Carruthers, and looking back through some old literature, we came across a lady who had been granted quartered arms which included within them, those of Carruthers. The position of the arms that make up the whole, are indicated to the right.
We are advised that that Mrs Eileen Key-Irving of Bonshaw had arms granted in 1971. This was during the tenure of the then Lord Lyon, Sir James Monteith Grant, KCVO KStJ, WS, FSAScot. The arms of Eileen Keys-Irving of Bonshaw are quartered and granted within a lozenge, which is a normal representation of arms for a lady in Scotland. Included in the quartering are the differenced arms of Carruthers of Holmains. This shows a descendancy to the family seen on the shield on the left. The Carruthers arms we are advised, are in the 3rd quarter suggesting a strong Carruthers link but not dominance and include a crescent in the base replacing a fleur de Lis. They would be blazoned: Gules, two chevronelles engrailed between in chief two fleurs-de-lys and in base a crescent Or.
The dominance in the Keys-Irving arms are shown in the 1st and 4th quarters (see right) These are differenced to the chiefly arms of Irving of Bonshaw with a cross crosslet fitchée placed in the centre of the holly leaves. Keys-Irving of Bonshaw, depicted in Eileen’s arms in the 1st and 4th quarters, portayed as they would be on a shield to the right.
The 2nd quarter shows the Irish arms of the Keys family granted in Ireland in the 1930’s, during the tenure of Major Sir Nevile Rodwell Wilkinson KCVO. These arms belonged to Eileen’s husband’s family and were used to complete her personal arms defining her name as Keys-Irving, with Irving remaining the principal. It is interesting to note that Major Wilkinson was the last Ulster Principal King of Arms for All Ireland, whose jurisdiction was not under the Earl Marshall and not part of the College of Arms. In 1943 this changed and the current Irish Herald ie the Chief Herald of Ireland is now a part of the Genealogical Office of the National Library of Ireland. A mock-up of the Key family arms can be seen above left and blazoned : Or, a lion rampant Gules, between two fleurs de lis argent in chief Azure three crosses Or
As Eileen had children, the assumption would be that if her children or their children chose to use her arms, their primary surname would have to be Keys-Irving, potentially with differences from the mother’s arms depending on seniority within the family.
Checking with Rupert, the Chief of the family of Irving of Bonshaw confirmed that Eileen Keys-Irving of Bonshaw was the wife of John Straton-Ferrier an Australian banker. In 1955 they bought the tower and house of Bonshaw from Commander George Robert Irving 18th of Bonshaw, the current Chief’s grandfather. Eileen herself was also the link to Bonshaw rather than her husband, as her family were from the Irvings of Wysebie, a Bonshaw cadet line. She survived her husband, who died just after the purchase of the house and tower by 30 years, dying herself in 1986. The Irvings of Wysebie were in residence of Wysebie, one of the nine towers controlled by the Irving family in the border area of Annandale. Although, nothing remains of the tower itself, it is marked on Blaeu’s mid-17th century map of Annandale.
Eileen’s Carruthers lineage however, is again through the maternal line via the Hetherington-Carruthers from Australia and Samoa to Colonel John Carruthers 5th of Denbie, an officer of the Honorable East India Company. It was the Colonel’s wife who was off the family of Irving of Wysebie. John Carruthers of Denbie was to become Deputy Lieutenant of Dumfriesshire and a Justice of the Peace of Dumfries. It is therefore through the Over Denbie lineage that Eileen has direct ancestral links with Carruthers of Holmains. Denbie (Over) was infelt by the John Carruthers, 8th of Holmains to his brothers George (date unknown but before1660).
Although the Lairdship of Bonshaw had seemingly expired at this point, Eilleen continued to use the title ‘of Bonshaw’. During her time in residence, Eileen also set up the Bonshaw Preservation Trust in 1975 whose primary aim was to preserve, maintain, repair and improve Bonshaw Tower.
During her 30 years as a widow, Eileen modernised the property. Sadly, it was sold on her death by her children to the current owners who themselves are of a minor cadet line but not of the Chiefly line of Irving of Bonshaw.
We are advised that Eileen’s personal lineage, can be traced back to John Carruthers, 9th of Holmains. John inherited the title and lands of Holmains to include the title of 5th Baron from his grandfather in 1669. John was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1663 and again in 1678. In 1685 he received the appointment as one of the Commissioners of supply for Dumfriesshire. He was also named as Captain of the Foot in the list of the officers of the local militia in Dumfries. Holmains (Chiefs arms) are to the left above.
It was this chief who had great sympathy with the Covenanter cause, although never a leading player. However, he was seriously cautioned that he and his family should attend the church in their own parish and refrain from getting involved in Conventicles (assembly of Covenanters) under penalty of a fine of 1000 merks. However, it was this John 9th who caused the ‘Merket Cross‘ to be erected in Meikle Dalton after being granted permission, through an Act of Parliament to hold market fairs in the area.
It was further, during the time of John Carruthers 9th of Holmains that the Chief’s family left Holmains Tower and moved into what was to become a rather grand Kirkwood House, previously used as a residence for the eldest son. Before he died in 1694, and after the Lord Lyons Act of 1672 enhancing the Lord Lyons governance to keep a registered of all recognised arms in Scotland to those deemed worthy of the same. This included the arms of all the nobility, Chiefs and gentlemen, and not all petitions for arms were accepted. In 1672, along with his cousin James Carruthers of Isle who used the Carruthers of Isle arms, was Stewart Depute of Annandale petitioned the Lyon for the grant of their arms. Both were accepted and registered.
The arms of Carruthers of Isle show the Holmains arms with a silver border reflecting they were a cadet line of Holmains. These are blazoned: Gules two chevrons engrailed between three fleur de lis Or, bordered argent. These were used by Carruthers of Isle prior to 1672 suggesting once again that the principal house of the Carruthers family since 1548 i.e. the Chiefly line of Holmains, also used these arms prior to the Lord Lyons Act of 1672. The concept of Holmains being recognised as the chiefly line was further shown in 1913 when Dormont used a gold border around the Holmains arms, indicating they were also a proud cadet line of the Chiefly line.
The Holmains arms themselves, registered in 1672, by John Carruthers 9th of Holmains, are a combination of two Carruthers arms found in ancient armorials. The first was recorded by the herald William Pont, that being considered the ‘ancient’ arms: – two black engrailed chevron on a gold/yellow shield (Or two engrailed Chevrons Sable) and those of Sir Simon Carruthers, last and 10th of Mouswald, 6th Baron was recorded by Sir David Lyndsey of the Mount, Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1542. The latter arms od Sir Simon being a gold chevron between, three gold fleurs de lis on a red shield (Gules a chevron between three fleurs de lis Or).
These two arms (shields) were combined to become the arms (shield) of the Holmains line, see above and have remained the sole property of the Carruthers’ chiefs since 1672 augmented by the grant of a compartment and supporters in 2019, by the Lord Lyon.
