The Strachan baronetcy, of Thornton, Kincardineshire, was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1625 for Alexander Strachan or Straquhan. He had been Member of the Parliament of Scotland for Kincardineshire in 1617, and was again in 1630. He was the son of Robert Strachan and his wife Sarah Douglas, daughter of William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus. He married, firstly in 1605, Margaret Lindsay, third daughter of John Lindsay of Balcarres, Lord Menmuir; and, secondly after 1623, Margaret, daughter of James Ogilvy, 5th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie and widow of George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal. He was a favourite of King Charles I.

After the death by 1659 of the 2nd Baronet, the baronetcy, according to Cokayne, was dormant. There followed a lengthy history of claimants, grants and retrospective claims to the title.

Strachan baronets, of Thornton (1625)

• Sir Alexander Strachan, 1st Baronet (died c. 1646) On 28 May 1625, Alexander Strachan of Thornton acquired and was elevated to the newly created dignity of Baronet of Nova Scotia, at the beginning of the reign of King Charles I. The foundation of this Baronetage was at the request of William Alexander; and Strachan was one of the founding group of creations. The notional colonisation project in Nova Scotia was initially troubled, and unpopular.

In 1628 Strachan was given a commission to research "omissions and concealments" in past treasury matters. By 1630 the investigation had proved so contentious that the commission was dropped, with William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith, Sir Thomas Hope, 1st Baronet and Alexander, the king's supporters, making an effort to smooth matters over. He also suggested tax farming of the dues called "feudal casualties" at higher rates, which proved unacceptable. He became a Commissioner of the Exchequer in 1630, then of the Treasury.

Strachan was an early figure in Scottish Freemasonry, joining the Edinburgh Lodge in 1634 with the brothers Lord Alexander and Anthony Alexander who was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland, sons of William Alexander, by that time 1st Earl of Stirling, "non-operatives" rather than the founding stonemasons. Stevenson suggests that John Mylne who joined in 1663 may have interested the group in the lodge.

Strachan had a seal, dated 1604, a stag trippant. He died about 1646. It is said that he had financial troubles. A satirical poem of the period links him by the seat name Thornton with those of Tulliallan (the Blackadder baronets, with just one holder) and Dunipace (the Livingstoun baronets, again with just one holder) who are said to have wanted the money back that they paid for the title.

• Sir Alexander Strachan, 2nd Baronet (died c. 1659). From a decrete in 1637, he was the son of the 1st Baronet. In 1651, he served on the Committee for Managing the Affairs of the Army, and Committee of Estates. He opposed the Crown in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1638–1651) while serving in the Scottish Government. After the Covenanter defeat, he with others self-exiled to Bruges in the Spanish Netherlands, where he died without heir in c. 1659.

Later developments

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