Statue of Marshall Keith Location: Peterhead OS Map Reference: Date: 1869 Description: 1869. August 16th Marshal Keith monument unveiled by the Earl of Kintore. Marshal Keith (James Francis Edward Keith) was born at the family home, Inverugie Castle, near Peterhead in 1696. A professional soldier, he was forced into exile for his activities on behalf of the Stuart pretender to the throne (1715 and 1719). It must be remembered that the Old Pretender, James, chose Peterhead as his secret port of arrival when he came home to Scotland to raise an army in December, 1715. James Keith went on to serve Frederick II as Field-Marshal in the Prussian army and after a distinguished career, was killed at the Battle of Hochkirken in 1758. The statue, which stands outside the Old Town House in Peterhead's Broadgate, was a gift to the town from King William I of Prussia, a copy of the original which stood in Berlin. James' older brother, George, was the last of the Keiths to bear the title Earl Marischal. The title originated when Malcolm II knighted Robert Keith and created him hereditary Grand Marischal of Scotland after Robert defeated the Danish army under Camus in the early years of the eleventh century. This high office continued through the family until 1715. The Keiths were Jacobites who, like many others who shared their loyalties, had their land confiscated by the Crown when the Jacobite cause was lost. Related Information: The Battle of Hochkirch was a battle fought on October 14, 1758 during the Seven Years' War between a Prussian army of 31,000 commanded by Frederick the Great and a Austrian army of 80,000 commanded by Marshal Leopold Josef Graf Daun. The battle took place around Hochkirch, which is 9 km east of Bautzen, Saxony. Era: 1800s Settlement: Peterhead Town: County: Aberdeenshire Information Source: for the battle of Hochkirch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hochkirch Related Artefacts: Categories: Monumental Statues Iconography: human figure Creator: External Links: