 Although the Erskine chiefs are Earls of Mar and Kellie there is a separate Countess of Mar (chief of Clan Mar), who is a member of the Council of the Chiefs.The seventh Lord Erskine took part in the Raid of Ruthven in 1582, in which the young James VI of Scotland was placed in the hands of an extremist faction of Protestant nobility for nearly a year.As a result, Erskine was exiled but was later restored to royal favour and in 1616 was made Lord High Treasurer of Scotland.