Let me share with you a captivating chapter from your family’s history, tracing back to the lands of great antiquity in Fife that bear the name Masterton. The origins of your family name may be linked to the ancient lands once held by a magister, or master, of the esteemed Abbey of Dunfermline. The intriguing ‘ton’ in Masterton draws from the Old English term ‘Tun’, which signifies a farm or village and is the root of the word ‘town’. Your family’s historical journey comes to light after the tumultuous English invasion of Scotland during the Wars of Independence. William de Mastertone of Fife county emerges on the Ragman Roll of 1296, pledging allegiance to Edward I for his possessions. Although his seal carried a lion rampant with a rose, these symbols differ from the arms recorded in the Lyon register. Such heraldic variations were common in those times, and the recorded arms of a red chevron and blue chief on a silver field reflect the simple yet meaningful emblems of medieval times. The origins of this lesser-known nobleman, the proprietor of Masterton, remain enigmatic. He might have been a Norman knight or hailed from a lineage rooted in the mists of history, inhabiting these lands since time immemorial. In the pages of history, Duncan de Mastertone witnessed a significant charter of Duncan, Earl of Fife, to the abbots of Dunfermline in 1316. The legacy continued with Sir Thomas Mastertone, who held a position as a canon of the Abbey of Cambuskenneth in 1476. The illustrious Margaret, daughter of Alexander Mastertoun, served as the nurse to Henry, eldest son of James VI, earning a royal pension. During her time, the family under Adam Mastreroun of Eister Grange commanded respect as lairds, with his marriage to Agnes Boyd.

Throughout the annals of Scottish governance, the name Masterton found various renderings such as ‘Mastoun’ and ‘Maistertone’. In the Scottish government records, ‘Mastoun’ made appearances, and a tenant named William Mastoun is documented in Inveresk during the 1620s. Similarly, the contracted form ‘Maistertone’ appeared, with Robert Maistertone noted as a merchant in Edinburgh in 1638. Notably, your family also shares a connection with the esteemed poet Robert Burns through Alan Masterton, a teacher at the Royal High School of Edinburgh around 1795. Burns held deep admiration for Alan, composing verses in honor of his daughter. The grand castle of Masterton once adorned your ancestral lands, standing as a three-storey L plan house primarily from the seventeenth century. While it graced the landscape into the twentieth century, the castle met its end in 1938. The legacy of your family, the Mastertons, is one of rich historical tapestry, spanning from the ancient lands of Fife to the cherished memories of friendship with Robert Burns. Your ancestors’ resilience and contributions are a testament to the enduring spirit of the Masterton name.