Summary.
Few modern historians would deny that the family of 'le Chen' or 'Cheyne' is not as well-known as it should be. At one time, in the 14th-Century, they were land-owners on a grand scale, possessing large tracts of Aberdeenshire, Morayshire, Caithness and Lothian. The one thing that they did not enjoy was an earldom and this was, in part, due to the fact that many lines of the family died out after only a few generations, for want of male heirs. Their power and influence was multiplied by a series of advantageous marriages involving a selection of the other leading families in Scotland - de Moravia, Keith, Forbes, Gordon, etc..
An important facet of the family's history was its continuing devotion to the Roman Catholic faith and in this they vied with the greatest Scottish Catholic families that the country has seen.
This article provides historical, genealogical and heraldic information relating to the family in Scotland, from the time of the Norman Conquest through the Second Reformation of c.1560 and up to relativelymodern times. The primary focus is that part of the family of ‘le Chen, who were lairds of Inverugie, but information is also provided about the ‘cadet’ families of Straloch, Essilmont, Vaila, Tangwick, Ranniestoun and Leagarth. Consideration is given to the lands which formed the estate of Inverugie and other estates governed by the ‘le Chen’ lairds. Some details of the family’s staunch adherence to the Roman Catholic Faith are given, especially the ecclesiastical establishments which they helped to found. Finally, there is a collection of some of the heraldry used by the various individuals who bore the Chene/Cheyne name.
This work also includes a brief biography of Lt. Colonel A.Y. Cheyne, author of "The Cheyne Family in Scotland". Colonel Cheyne had a career in the Indian Army and we have taken the opportunity of including a link to our transcription of the WWI War Diaries of his Regiment, the 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis), for the period during which they fought in France.
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