There have been three royal charters under the Great Seal of Scotland creating Baronetcies for persons with the surname Strachan in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. The first was issued in 1625, and the second, in 1663, is described as a new charter of the same title; only the third grant, dating from 1686, is regarded as creating a second, separate baronetcy.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, several contradictory claims were made to these titles, but both (or all) the Strachan baronetcies are now regarded as dormant or extinct.
Strachan Baronets, of Thornton, co. Kincardine (1625)
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The Strachan Baronetcy, of Thornton, Kincardine, was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1625 for Sir Alexander Strachan of Thornton, who was already, in modern terms, the chief of Clan Strachan. The arms were; or, a hart, tripping, at gaze, azure, attired sable.
- Sir Alexander Strachan, 1st Baronet, M.P. (d. 1646)
- Sir Alexander Strachan, 2nd Baronet (d. 1659), son of the 1st Baronet.
In 1659, the male heirs of the body of the 1st Baronet became extinct; however, under the terms of the initial grant, the title passed to collateral descendant.
Strachan Baronets, of Thornton, co. Kincardine (new charter of 1663)
editA claim to the baronetcy was asserted around 1660 by a distant kinsman of the 1st and 2nd Baronet, Sir James Strachan of Inchtuthill. This was secured in 1663 by a new charter; according to the eighteenth-century scholar Walter Macfarlane, this limited the descent of the title to the 3rd Baronet's heirs male of the body.
- Sir James Strachan, 3rd Baronet (d. c. 1686).
Macfarlane, and other sources ultimately based upon him, conflate the 3rd Baronet with the Rev. Sir James Strachan, who began using the title towards the end of 1686; this identification is certainly incorrect, but it is not entirely clear if the Rev. Sir James was the 3rd Baronet's son, or a more distant kinsman.
What is certain is that, a few months before the Rev. Strachan began to use the title, a new charter was issued conferring a Strachan baronetcy on someone else.
Strachan Baronets, of Inchtuthill, co. Perth (1685)
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The Strachan Baronetcy, of Inchtuthill, was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia on 8th May 1686 for Captain Thomas Strachan, a Scottish soldier serving in the Siege of Buda, with limitation to the heirs male of his body.
- Sir Thomas Strachan, 1st Baronet (fl. 1686)
It is not clear where Sir Thomas Strachan fits in the genealogy, though the grant emphasises his descent from the Strachans of Thornton, and his style of "Strachan of Inchtuthill" was borrowed from the 3rd Baronet's father.
Strachan Baronets, of Thornton, co. Kincardine (claim asserted in 1686)
editBy 1686, the style of Baronet of Thornton was adopted by James Strachan, minister of Keith; as mentioned above, he is often described as the son of the 3rd Baronet, although it has also been argued that he was his nephew.
- Rev. Sir James Strachan, 4th Baronet J.P. (c. 1640-1715)
Early eighteenth-century claims to the baronetcy
editThe descent of the title after the 4th Baronet is very uncertain. There is a reference to a Sir William Strachan of Thornton at Marykirk in 1715, who was perhaps the 4th Baronet's direct heir, but subsequently, a number of competing lines claimed or adopted the title.
The eighteenth-century genealogist Walter Macfarlane stated that the baronetcy was claimed by "Francis Strachan, the Jesuit at Paris"; by this is probably meant Fr. Kenneth Francis Xavier Strachan, S.J. (fl. 1695-1739), a younger son of the 4th Baronet. Macfarlane adds that he had entailed it to a kinsman John Strachan in Sweden, who had adopted the style of "Strachan of Thornton", and who he indicates was the grandson of the 4th Baronet's uncle.
In London, however, the title was claimed by William Strachan, LL.D., who had married an heiress in Gloucestershire and became Advocate General to the Hanoverian regime; he claimed descent from John Strachan of Dyhill, said to be a great-uncle of the 1st Baronet, and he was succeeded in his claim by his eldest son, also Sir William Strachan.
Strachan Baronets according to the inquest of 1777
editIn 1777, another Jesuit was recognized as the heir male and of line: this was Fr. Alexander Strachan, S.J., a great-grandson of the 4th Baronet. At least one source describes his father, an elder Alexander Strachan, as "sixth baronet", suggesting that this branch may have already asserted a de jure claim to the title.
- Fr. Sir Alexander Strachan, 7th Baronet, S.J. (1727-1793)
- Sir Robert Strachan, 8th Baronet (1736-1826), younger brother.
The 8th Baronet appears not to have married or had issue, and thus in 1826, the direct line that had been served heir in 1777 became extinct.
Strachan Baronets in the Royal Navy
editAnother claim to one of the Strachan baronetcies was asserted by Admiral Sir Richard Strachan.
Early printed sources claim that he inherited the title in 1777 from his paternal uncle, another Royal Navy officer, who had in turn inherited the title in 1765, and then preface these statements with an account of the descent of the 1626 baronetcy based on Macfarlane. Documents lodged with the Lyon Registry, however, are said to trace the line through Admiral Strachan's grandfather, a naval surgeon, who is described as the nephew of Sir Thomas Strachan of Inchtuthill, 1st Baronet of the 1686 creation.
These have an erroneous but widespread numbering: based on Macfarlane's incomplete list of the succession, Admiral Strachan and his uncle are styled as "6th Baronet" and "5th Baronet" respectively, and this has led to Admrial Strachan's grandfather (not included in the early printed lists) being identified as the "4th Baronet"; although the Dictionary of National Biography styles him as 2nd Baronet of the 1686 creation, it retains the style "of Thornton", which was not associated with this grant.
- Sir Patrick Strachan, 4th Baronet, M.D. (d. 1765?).
- Captain Sir John Strachan, 5th Baronet (d. 1777); elder son.
- Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet (1760-1828); nephew.
In 1828, this line of descent also became extinct in the male line.
Strachan Baronets according to the inquest of 1841
editAs early as 1802, a claim to the original Strachan baronetcy of 1626 had been raised by John Strachan of Cliffden, Teignmouth, the heir-male of the 3rd Baronet's great-uncle; he was eventually served heir in 1841, in his ninetieth year; Burke's described him, probably inaccurately, as the heir of Admiral Strachan, and extended the Macfarlane-derived numbering by styling him as 6th Baronet:
- Sir John Strachan, 7th Baronet (1731-1844),
- Sir John Strachan, 8th Baronet (c. 1783-1854), eldest son
In 1854, the male heirs of the 7th Baronet died out, and the baronetcy became dormant or extinct. The title does not appear to have been claimed since.