THE
BARONETCY OF STRACHAN, ETC.
-^— •♦•—^
pHE district of Straclian (Vale of Waters), in the
north- west of Kincardineshire, formed the only
connty palatine in North Britain. "Walterus
Comes Palatinns de Strachan " is mentioned by Nisbet,^
the designation "Palatinns" imj^lying that the bearer
had exercised a kind of royal authority. A charter
assigned to a date anterior to the year 1165, sets forth
that Walderus de Strathecan granted to the monks of St
Andrews " terra de Blackeroch estra silvam cum communi
pastura inter Feyham et De ad sexaginta porcos, et ad
sexaginta vaccas cum fetibus suis donee trium fuerunt
annorum et ad viginti equos cum sequela sua donee
quatuor fuerint annorum." The lands denoted in this
charter were bounded by the streams Feugli and Dye,
still so called. In the same instrument, Eanulpus is
mentioned as the successor of Walderus, his relation-
1 Nis;lx't's "System of Heraldry," vol. ii. Part iv. 4G.
A