'''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Blairgowrie/l2Y... The History of Blairgowrie By John A. R. Macdonald 1899]''' pp 214-219

RATTRAY OF RATTRAY AND CRAIGHALL.
The Rattrays are one of our oldest families, and it is difficult to ascertain when first they settled in the district. It is assured that they were possessors of the Craighall estate before the reign of William the Lion, and long ere that owned the neighbouring barony of Rattray.
An old monumental slab above the doorway of the place of sepulture in the Rattray Churchyard bears date, "1066: Rattray of Rattray and Craighall."
It is certain that Alan de Rattrief lived in the days of William the Lion and Alexander II., his son, Thomas, being knighted by the latter sovereign. He got the lands of Glencaveryn and Kingoldrum with his wife Christian, the perambulation of said lands in 1250 being recorded in the Registry of the Abbey of Arbroath.
Sir Thomas left two sons, Eustace and John. In 1280 Eustatius de Rattrie gave to the monks of Coupar-“Omne nis habeo duarum Drimmies in tenements meo de Glenbethlac cum omnibus ritus." Adamus de Rattrie, son of Eustace, swore allegiance to Edward I. in 1292 and 1296, and in 1299 likewise gave to the monks of Coupar the third or West Drimmie. [215] The earliest existing charters of the Rattray family is a charter of inspexisse by Gilbert Hay, Constable of Scotland, dated at Dunkeld, 5th October, 1309, in which is recited a confirmation by King Robert Bruce, to the Abbot of Coupar, of all grants to the convent by Adam of Glenbathloch, of the lands of the two Drymmys, and of one by Eustace of Rattrief, dated at Dundee on Wednesday before the feast of St Clement, 1309, of right of commonty on said lands.
Adam died before 1315, and his son Alexander was one of the barons of Parliament held at Ayr in 1315, which settled the succession to the Scottish crown. Dying without issue, Alexander was succeeded by his brother Eustace, who was, in the Black Parliament held at Scone in August, 1320, charged with being accomplice in the conspiracy of Sir William Soulis and Sir David Brechin against the Bruce.
"King Robert summoned a convention, and because the vicissitudes of a long war had confounded the rights of property, he ordered every one to produce the titles by which they held their possessions. This demand was equally vexatious to the old as well as to the new; because brave men thought they held by the best right those estates they had taken by their arms from an enemy and the ancient possessors, as scarcely a house had escaped the calamity of war, had lost their written rights-if ever they had any along with their other effects. They therefore took a bold step-bold in appearance, but desperate and rash in the result. When the King in Parliament desired them to produce their titles to their possessions, they all drew their swords, exclaiming that they carried their titles in their right hands. The King concealed his anger for the time. Many of the nobility, conscious of the audacity of the action, entered into a conspiracy for betraying the Kingdom to the English. Sir Eustace de Rattray, who, being invited to join with thes quho upon discontents against King Robert Bruce, conspyred to deliver him up to the King of England, refused, and quhen that treason was discovered, albeit they put in his name among the rest, yet his subscription and seal, being not found with the writ, he was cleared, quhen others that were found guiltie were punished. Sir David de Brechin and five other knights with three esquires, Richard Brown, Hammeline de Troupe, and Eustace de Rattray are the only persons whose names have come down to us as certainly implicated in the conspiracy. When the whole conspirators were apprehended a Parliament was summoned at Perth, where the letters were produced, and, every one's seal being recognised, Sir David de Brechin, along with Malherlie, Logie, and Brown, were convicted of treason by their own confession and executed. Maxwell, Berklay, Graham, Troupe, and Rattray were also tried, but acquitted."
Eustace was succeeded by his son, John, who was also succeeded by a son of the same name. This latter died about the close of the reign of James I., leaving a son Patrick, who died in 1456, and was succeeded by his son, Sylvester, the most noted among his successors for generations, who in 1463 was appointed one of the Extraordinary Ambassadors sent to treat with Edward IV. about the affairs of the two kingdoms, and who negotiated with him the truce that was to last for fifteen years. By his wife, Alison Hepburn, he had a son, John, who was knighted by James VI., and married Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Kennedy. There were three sons of the marriage-John, Patrick, and Sylvester. On the 18th May, 1506, he was appointed Joint-Bailie of the Regality of Scone, with such salary and accommodation as were formerly enjoyed by Thomas Blair of Balthayock. John, who died in Holland in his father's lifetime, was an officer in the Dutch army, and, although married, left no issue.
The second son, Patrick, succeeded Sir John, and the only daughter, Grissel, became the Countess of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Athole. The following is an abstract from a copy MS. which refers to a disaster, which for a time marred the fortunes of the Rattray family of Craighall :-" Sir John Rattray quho was killed at Flodden (1513), with King James IV.; his eldest son called John had two daughters, bot he died before his father without heirs male. Always Sir John Rattray married for his second marriage Dam Elisabeth Kennadie, quho bar to him two sons, the one [217] called Patrick, the other called Sylvester. Sir John Rattray being killed at Flodden, the Earl of Athol thought himself entitled to an equal portion of the estates of Rattray in right of his Countess, and this claim being resisted by his brothers-in-law, the Earl resolved to attain his end by force.
"Arraying a body of his clansmen, he marched down upon the castle of Rattray with the intention of carrying it by assault; Patrick, finding his few retainers unable to defend the place, made a timely retreat.
"The Earl broke into the old fortalice, ransacked and seized all the family documents on which he could lay hands. Also he took the two daughters, and married upon his son the oldest called Dam Grissell, and the other upon Sir James Stewart of Attemadies, in the north, and so possessed himself of the estate of Rattray and sundrie other lands belonging to that family."
This Dam Grissell had many children. Her son John was Chancellor of Scotland, and she had many daughters married to many honourable families.
"Dam Kennedie, for her and Sir John Rattray's sons, pleaded for the ryt of the lands of Rattray, bot they were overpowered by the Earl of Athol-the eldest, Patrick, being killed by the Leslies of Kinrorie (emissaries no doubt of the Earl of Athol), when he was building a strength of his owne securitie upon that had bot on passage to enter be. Sylvester, the other son, got a warrant under the King's great seal to ye Lord Ruthven, Sheriff of Perth, to hold a court at Dundie (becaus of the Earl of Athol's power), when he was served heir to his brother and to his father, Sir John; but the Earl of Athol being Chancellor made out of the way the charter of Silvester Rattray, who could not recover his right oyet.
"This Silvester atteir with the Laird of Kinmonth of that Ilk assist and obtened by law the lands of Craighall and a fifth part of the barony of Rattray, becaus thes lands wer provyded to the children of Dam Elizabeth Kennadie by the said Sir John, whilk continue with that family till this day.
"At length, in 1533, Silvester petitioned the King for a commission to have the service completed at Dundee, [218] narrating that for the space of 12 years he had been hindered from getting himself served as heir to his father's lands by the Earl of Athol and others, who slew his brother, Patrick Rattray, in the chapel of his house at Glenballoch, and he was informed that the Earl was meditating a similar fate for himself. The commission sought was granted under the great seal, 17th October, 1533, and the service accordingly took place under this special authority at Dundee. No proceedings appear to have been taken against Athol for the base part he acted, but the passing of the service at Dundee obviously brought about some amicable arrangement or compromise with him, for in December following, Grizella, Countess of Athol, granted a precept of clare constat in favour of Silvester Rattray as heir of Patrick Rattray, his brother, in the lands of Braidwalls and other parts of Rattray."
Next year Silvester was infeft at Dundee in the barony of Craighall and Kynballoch. He died in 1554, leaving two sons, David, his heir, and William. Both were implicated in the death of Robert Rollack, Polcolk, and David Donald, Grange, under circumstances which have not been recorded, but for which they compounded by money payment.
David had two sons, George, who lived to the beginning of the 17th century, and Silvester, who was minister of Auchtergaven and the ancestor of the Rattrays of Dalnoon.
In 1587 George Rattray of Craighall binds himself and his dependants "to serve the Earl of Argyle in all his actions and adoes, against al persons, the King's majesty only exceptit, and sall neither hear or see his skaith, but sall make him foreseen therewith, and sall resist the same sae far as in me lies, and that in respect the said Earl has given me his band of maintenance."
George succeeded his father in the reign of James VI. He was succeeded by Silvester, who was infeft in all his father's lands by a charter under the great seal 20th October, 1604. He died in 1613, and left two sons, David and Silvester. The latter, who was bred to the Church, was the progenitor of the Rattrays of Persie.
The elder son, David, did not long survive his father, [219] and left a son, Patrick. Upon his own resignation he got a charter under the great seal from King Charles I., of date 28th February, 1648, of the lands of Craighall, Kynballoch, and others, containing a novodamus and erecting them into a free barony to be called Craighall and Rattray for all time coming.