The office of Marischal of Scotland (or Marascallus Scotie or Marscallus Scotiae) had been hereditary, held by the senior member and Chief of Clan Keith, since Hervey (Herveus) de Keith, who held the office of Marischal under Malcolm IV and William I.

Robert de Keith's great-grandson, William, was raised to the Peerage as Earl Marischal by James II in about 1458.

The peerage died out when George Keith, the 10th Earl, forfeited it by joining the Jacobite Rising of 1715.

The role of the Marischal was to serve as custodian of the Royal Regalia of Scotland, and to protect the king's person when attending parliament.

The separate office of Knight Marischal was first created for the Scottish coronation of King Charles I in 1633.