The crest of the chief of the powerful Keith kindred, once the Earls Marischal and now the Earls of Kintore, is a gold coronet with a roebuck’s head, with the motto ‘Veritas Vincit’.


The roebuck had not always been the Keiths crest, as a lamb is shown on the 1369 armorial del Gelre. (R.R. Stodart, Scottish Arms being a Collection of Armorial Bearings 1370-1678, plate C) This was probably representing landed wealth, put also possibly the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. A stag’s head first appears on the seal of William, Great Marischal of Scotland in 1371 and was used ever since. As with many stag and deer-themed crests, the imagery reflects not only the natural richness of the chief’s ancestral lands but also the proud, wild, and noble qualities associated with these animals—bravery, dignity, and resilience.



The earliest appearance of the motto is possibly the ‘Flodden banner’, which was supposedly saved from the battle in 1315 by Skirving of Plewlandhill. While I don’t doubt the story of a Skirving saving the Marischal’s banner at a battle against the English, this does seem a bit too early for the motto. Pinkie or one of the battles in the 1640s might fit a little better. This is because the motto have a distinctly Protestant flavour, and the Earls Marischal did not convert until the 1540s. They also had a Scots version, which was carved into Marischal College: ‘They haif said, quhat say thay, lat them say!’. On firmer ground, the Workman manuscript of 1565-6 records the motto. 



Our older Carrick version of the Keith Clan Crest


MKP 5 February 2026