THE FERRATOR. 381 



The designation of ' Farrier ' or ' Ferrator ' is vxry 

 ancient, and may have been in general use before the 

 introduction of the Norman one. For instance, in the 

 reign of Alexander II. of Scotland, at the commencement 

 of the 13th century, a family named Ferrier lived in 

 Tranent, in Haddingtonshire, whose seal of arms was 

 appended to an alienation of some lands in that locality to 

 the family of Seton, and on this seal was a shield charged 

 with three horse-shoes.' 



It is somewhat surprising to find the mareschal as an 

 officer of importance in the household of the ancient 

 Celtic, or rather Hebridean, chiefs in the Western Isles 

 of Scotland. Every family had two of these functionaries, 

 who, in their language, were called ' Marischal Tach,' 

 both of whom had an hereditary right to their office in 

 writing, and each had a town and land for his service. 

 Some of these rights Martin has seen fairly written on 

 good parchment.^ 



For the year 1240, the Ferrator is mentioned as being, 

 it would appear, on an equal footing with the cook : 

 ' Besides these there were two offices of the same kind, 

 namely, the office of cook and that of " Ferratoris ; " the 

 liberty of exercising these lies with the citizens and the 

 clergy.' 3 And in the Miracles of St Ambrosius it occurs : 

 ' D. Gescae uxor Fei Ferratoris de populo S. Martini. ''^ 

 'Fabros' is sometimes substituted for 'ferrator,' as, for 

 example, in a charter of Henry V. of England (1413),^ 



' The Scottish Nation, vol. ii. Edinburgh, 1868. 



"^ Martin. Western Isles. ^ Hist. Dalphin. vol. i. p. 142. 



■* Chronic. Senoniense, lib. iii. Martin, p. 205. 



5 Ryviers Foedera, vol. ix. p. 250. 



