A very early offshoot of this parent stock were the "Irvines 0/ Drum." The eldest son of the house of Bonshaw, William, having been knighted by King Robert Bruce ip the year 1296, and for long and faithful services in the field, having been endowed with the lands of Drum on the river Dee in Aberdeenshire, which are to this day in possession of his descendants. The castle of Drum is about ten miles from the city of Aberdeen, and is now inhabited by Alexander Irvine, Esq., the lineal descendant of the above Sir William. Sir William Irvine of Drum married the daughter of Sir Robert Keith, Knight, Lord Marshall of Scotland, and of Margaret Hay, daughter of Gilbert Hay, Lord Hay, first Constable of that family. The manuscript referred to observes, that, " The king gave him the lands of the forest of Drum, and he himself having carried a private coat of arms whilst he was concealed under the name of the Earl of Carrick; he likewise gave him that, with permission for him and his descendants forever to bear it as their armorial bearing, with this motto, "sub sole, sub umbra virens," alluding to the family's great fidelity to him in his troubles. The badge or bearing consists of three holly leaves banded gules, on a shield argent." The history relates the vicissitudes which befell this family with much minuteness, and records their alliances with many of the most distinguished families of the kingdom ; Abernethy, Forbes, Ogilvie, Douglas, Leslie, Dundas, etc., etc. There were several families of consideration which sprung from these alliances, among which are named the Irvines of King Caussie, Cutts, Glassil, Easterclane, Cornyhaugh, Murthil, and Astainford -- all of which estates were in the north-eastern counties of Scotland. During the civil wars they suffered severely in property, and have since lost much of their former influence; although still retaining a position of the highest respectability among the gentry of that part of Scotland.