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:HE T3LQUH0M AISLE, TARVES.
Page 350.
^v""
BURIAL GROUNDS & OLD BUILDINGS
IN
The North Eaft of Scotland,
WITH
Htjiorical, Biographical, Genealogical, mid Antiquarian Notes,
ALSO,
AN APPENDIX OF ILLUSTRATIVE PAPERS.
BY THE LATE
ANDREW JERVISE, F.S.A. Scot.,
AUTHOR ilF -MEMORIALS OF ANOUS AND THE MEARNS,' ETC.
VOL. I I.
aaiiti) a larmoir of t1)c autf)or.
EDINBURGH: DAVID DOUGLAS.
1879.
\A// Ris^/its ReserTc,/.]
'4'
' Study their monuments, their gravestones, their epitaphs, on the spots
where they lie : study, if possible, the scenes of the events, their aspect, their
architecture, their geography ; the tradition which has survived the history ;
the legend which has survived the tradition ; the mountain, the stream, the
shapeless stone, which has survived even history and tradition and legend.'—
Dean Stanley.
,.v\^
^^' r.
[ 400 copies prinlcd. No. .
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Editor's Preface,
Memoir of the Author,
Epitaphs and Inscriptions
Aberlour (Banffshire),
Advie (Morayshire), .
Arbuthnott (Mearns),
Auchindoir (Aberdeenshire),
Auchterhouse (Angus), .
Banchory-Devenick (Mearns),
Barry (Angus), .
Birse (Aberdeenshire),
BOTRIPHNIE (Banffshire),
Bourtie (Aberdeenshire),
Cairney (Aberdeenshire),
Carbuddo (Angus), .
Christ's Kirk (Aberdeenshire),
Clatt „
Clova (Angus), .
Cluny (Aberdeenshire),
CONVETH. See INVERKEITHNY.
CORTACHY (Angus),
COULL (Aberdeenshire),
Craig (Angus), .
Cromdale (Inverness-shire),
CULLEN (Banffshire), .
CULSALMOND (Aberdeenshire),
Dallas (Morayshire),
Daviot (Aberdeenshire),
Deskford (Banffshire),
DiPPLE (Morayshire), .
Dru.mdelgie. See Cairney.
Drumoak (Aberdeenshire),
vii-viii
Dunbennan. See Huntly.
ix-lxx
DUNNICHEN (Angus),
404-8
1-417
Dyke (Morayshire), .
• 49-54
. 76-80
EssiL (Morayshire),
. 261-5
22-3
. 199-208
Fordyce (Banffshire),
100-7, 422-3
. 208-14
Forgue (Aberdeenshire), .
170-83, 424-5
1-5
FowLis Easter (Perthshire),
. 68-72
• 277-85
Garvock (Mearns), .
. 318-22
326-33, 426-7
Glenbervie „
• 344-9
43-9
Glengairn (Aberdeenshire),
. 165-70
10-13
Glenisla (Angus),
. 251-8
72-6
Glenmuick (Aberdeenshire),
161-5
Guthrie (Angus),
• 144-51
30-2
151-3
Huntly (Aberdeenshire), .
. 376-86
8-10
Inverarity (Angus),
. 298-304
. 86-90
. / . 117-8
Inverkeithny (Banffshire),
• 271-7
■ i27-35v423
Kearn (Aberdeenshire),
214-9
Kettins (Angus),
90-100, 419-22
. 110-17
KiNERNY (Aberdeenshire),
85-6
415-7
Kinnell (Angus),
35-42, 419
. 386-96
Kinnethmont (Aberdeenshire),
5-8
20-2
KiNNoiR. See Huntly.
. 187-99
Kirkbuddo. See Carbuddo.
. . 322-6
Kirriemuir (Angus), .
• 357-65
125-7
Leslie (Aberdeenshire),
• 333-5
. 408-15
Lundie (Angus),
63-8
■ 153-5
. 258-61
Maryculter (Mearns),
. 118-25
Meigle (Angus), .
. 2S7-98, 425-6
• 365-71
Menmuir „ . . .
• 335-42, 427
®rr^XJ If^ilM If^LM iitil IC^SJ^ If^lLM iJli f^JLil®
EDITOR'S PREFACE.
'T^HE nature and object of this work have been so fully described in the
-^ Author's Preface to the First Volume, that nothing remains to be added
to what is there said.
Of the present Volume nearly one half has had the inestimable advantage
of final revision and correction by the Author himself, haxing been printed
before his lamented death ; the remainder has been carefully edited from his
papers, which were left in a state so nearly approaching completion that their
preparation for the press needed little be}-ond merely verbal alterations.
No pains have been spared to secure accuracy ; and, while it would be idle
in the case of such a work as the present to imagine that this end has been
fully attained, the Editor trusts that the errors which have escaped detection will
not be found to be either numerous or important.
The Frontispiece, a representation of the Tolquhon Aisle, Tarves, was decided
upon by Mr. Jervise himself, both as to subject and general style of execution.
Concerning the lithographic plate, representing fresco from the Old Church at
Turriff, inserted at page 2ig, a word of explanation is required. The plate
was originally executed for the late Dr. John Stuart by Mr. Andrew Gibb,
F.S.A., Scot., who had made a careful drawing of the fresco on the spot soon
after its discovery. It was used by Dr. Stuart, both in illustrating a paper
read by him to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in 1866, and thereafter
in the Book of Deer (1869). The fresco represented is believed to have been
one of a series with which the old church of St. Congan (built prior to 1541)
had been decorated. It had been Mr. Jervise's wish at an early period to ob-
EDITOR'S PREFACE.
tain the plate from Dr. Stuart to illustrate his paper on Turriff ; and though no
arrangement to that effect had been made at the time of his death, Mr. Gibb,
who has now the exclusive proprietary right in the plate, very readily consented
to its being used for that purpose. The sketch of the burial-place and tombstone
of Andrew Jervise's mother and himself, which forms the tailpiece to the Memoir,
was also outlined and drawn on wood by Mr. Gibb, and very accurately engraved
by Mr. J. Adam, Edinburgh.
The Memoir of the Author, prefixed to the text of this Volume, has been
prepared by Mr. William Alexander, of the Aberdeen Free Press, and Rev. J. G.
Michie, Dinnet, who have executed a task of no ordinary difficulty in a manner
that leaves nothing to be desired.
JAMES ANDERSON.
Bridgefield Cottage,
Old Aberdeen, \st June, 1879.
• ,^'r A^'^ ^^^^%^^r_ ^^f^%^\r. .^Ir^W^^tr :^^r^}^^\r_ ^\r0J^^\r ^^fr^^^^Mr ^\r^%^^r_ .
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
A NURKW JERVISE was born at Brechin, on 28th July, 1820. In the Bap-
-i^^ tismal Register of the parish, his father is designed as "Andrew Jarvis, late
servant at Noranside, now in Dumbartonshire ;" and his mother as " Jean Chalmers,
in Brechin," the date of baptism being 6th November, 1820. Of Andrew Jar\is
we have only to record that he had followed the occupation of a coachman in pri\'ate
service ; and that the definition " now in Dumbartonshire " might, it is believed,
be more exactly read, now in Dumbarton Castle, in the King's service, as a
private soldier. Jean Chalmers, whose future historj- was to be so intimately
associated with that of her son, was the eighth and youngest child of Charles
Chalmers, nurseryman and gardener at Brechin, by his second wife, Janet Robertson.
Charles Chalmers was a native of New Grange, St. Vigeans, and Janet Robertson
was born at West Mains of Rossy, parish of Craig, both in Forfarshire. Their
family consisted of five sons and three daughters ; and Jean was born on 27th
September, 1794. At the birth of her son she was thus in her twent\--sixth year.
By that time, Charles Chalmers, who bore the character of a highly respectable
and intelligent man, had reached the age of eight}--three. He was a second time
a widower, his wife, Janet Robertson, having died in 1818 ; and he lived under
the same roof with his eldest son, John, who had got married and settled in
Brechin as a carpenter. The house the}- occupied was that which now forms
No. 23 Airlie Street, in the upper part of the western side of the town. The
Gardens and street were then known as Gold's Yards — that name being, it is un-
derstood, derived from a certain " Sandy Goud," who, if we arc to believe the local
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
ballad, fii^'ured rather inglorioiisl}- in " The Raid of Fearn," sliirking the fighting-
part, while he came promptly in and " reft the dead men o' their gear," thereby
enabling himself to become a laird " \\i' mon\- a house an' yard." The house, as
it stands, is a small two-storey building, of substantial, comfortable look, its com-
parative antiquit)- being indicated by the heavy grey slates that cover the roof
In the house of his venerable grandfather, in Gold's Yards, then, Andrew
Jervise first sav/ the light. The son, John, appears to have had the proprietary-
right in the house, Charles Chalmers, now retired from active work, being
only tenant of the part he occupied ; and it is not difficult to conceive how
to some members of the family the presence there of Jean Chalmers and her
infant might not be altogether pleasing. And the matter was not .long in being
put to the test. On 13th June, 1821, Charles Chalmers died. The family had
been called together at his funeral ; and it is told how, when the male part of
them had returned from the grave\-ard, the " gangrel " infant that was amusing
itself by the fireside, and, all unconscious of the sombre cause of the unwonted
gathering, endeavoured to be innocently familiar with the strangers, being rudely
repulsed by some one in the company, burst out crying ; and how the poor
mother, feeling all her loneliness, was speedily weeping bitterer tears than those
of her child. One of the funeral compan\- was John Gray, millspinner, who had
married Mar\-, the next elder sister of Jean Chalmers, and ■who then resided at
Stonehaven. With a practical s}-mpathy that did the utmost credit to his head
and heart, the generous brother-in-law turned to his wife and said, "Jeanniegaes
wi' us. We hae a roof that '11 shelter her an' her bairn." Jean Chalmers and her
infant son accordingly left Brechin for .Stonehaven, where the Grays dwelt, and
for the next three years she lived there under their care, emploj'ing herself as she
could at her occupation of seamstress.
At the end of three years or thereby Jean Chalmers returned to Brechin,
where she thereafter continued to reside, doing" her best by the aid of her needle
and occasional laundry work to earn a subsistence for herself and her bo}-. She
was a woman of very orderly and industrious habits, and of a decidedly quiet
and somewhat reserved disposition. While she enjoyed the respect of her humble
neighbours on account of her sterling worth and self-reliant disposition, she was
not given to pouring her confidences into every ear, choosing rather to struggle
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
on silently and independently against the difficulties she had to face. And 'in
her circumstances those difficulties could not be slight, for although the character
she had by and by established as a careful and capable needlewoman, led to
her being emplo}-ed by many of the better class of families in the locality, the
rate of remuneration was but small. Onl_\- Jean Chalmers was frugal as well as
industrious. The fare of the household was humble, and the clothing provided
for her son and herself anything but costh-.
From the earliest stage of his boyhood, of \\hich the local tradition speaks,
Andrew Jer\-ise had begun to manifest various of the characteristics that dis-
tinguished him through life. Quiet almost to the point of sedateness, and self-
contained in an unusual degree, his thirst for knowledge had vcr}- carl}- manifested
itself If very undem.onstrative, he was persistently inquisitive, and speedily
developed a taste for making collections of matters interesting to himself, includ-
ing such of the halfpenny picture books of the time as he was fortunate enough
to get hold of When he could hardly have been yet much over four years of age,
his mother was alarmed by his having disappeared for the greater part of a day.
On returning, he stated that he had been "at Hebbie's schule alang wi' anither
laddie, an' had pitten in their names." The school of which he had thus volun-
tarily enrolled himself a pupil was situated in City Road, Brechin. The teacher,
James Hebenton, was decidedly hump-backed, and a rather sharp little man ; one
of the class who, being physically unfit for hard manual labour, had turned to
teaching as the appropriate resource. It is right, however, to sa\-, that James
Hebenton seems to have been on the whole a good teacher for his time. With
him the bo)- remained for the next few }'ears ; fairly diligent at his tasks ; not
exhibiting any special quickness in mastering the routine lessons ; not ver\- apt
or exact in what would now-a-days be described as English and Dictation ; and
all along finding figures a positive stumbling-block ; yet possessing withal an
insatiable thirst for knowledge of an objective or romantic character, and retain-
ing well what he had once acquired. He had but fev.- intimate associates,
though his attachment to those he formed friendships with was strong and lasting.
Out of school hours he loved to wander away into the country, assiduously de-
voting the half-holida\-s to long rambles alone or with a companion. And it is
,«;tated that ha\-ing extended one of these early rambles as far as Melgund Castle,
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
he greatly frightened a young companion by throwing stones into an old well in
the ruins, and then, as the muffled subterranean plunge was heard, telling him to
" hearken to the deil !" A little later on such places as the old Castles of
Melgund, Edzcll, and Finhaven, were visited with a more ambitious aim. At-
tempts were made to sketch the ruins from different points of view, and when
the young explorer, with or without companionship, would call at some adjoining
cottage to spend a copper or two on a jug of milk to "kitchen" the piece of oat
cake that had been brought in his wallet for dinner, he would tax the know-
ledge of the eldcrl)- inmates to its full extent b\- a multiplicit}- of questions con-
cerning such legends as might happen to be connected with the locality.
It was no doubt a fortunate circumstance that Jean Chalmers's own tastes
and sympathies led her to gi\-e her son all the encouragement in her power in
the pursuits to \\hich he had so earh- addicted himself And in all this she in
no long time obtained a like-minded auxiliar\-. Her sister, Mrs. Gra)-, now a widow,
also returned to Brechin about 1828, and the two sisters thenceforth lived to-
gether in family. Aunt Mary was full of traditionary stories and legends
connected with the locality for man\- miles round ; and she had the enviable
facult)- of being able to narrate them with that graphic power and gravely
minute circumstantialit}- which ser\'e to give an air of rcalit}' to even a very
unbelievable m)-th. When time and other circumstances allowed, she would often
take Andrew to some field of fairy adventure or ghostly appearance ; or accom-
pany hini to one or other of the castellated ruins in which he had learnt to take
delight. And there is no reason to doubt that to this worthy relative, for whom
he ever after entertained a warm and sincere regard, Andrew Jervise was not a
little indebted in respect of the early development of that taste for archaeological
investigation which distinguished him through life. Another of his chosen
associates about this early time is said to have been the parish grave-digger, on
whose professional operations he was an assiduous attendant, the opening of a
grave in the old church},-ard forming invariably a suggestive cause of genealogical
inquiry, which the sexton was presumabh- able in his measure to satisfy. Apart
from the instruction received at the hands of James Hebenton, Andrew Jervise's
school training amounted to ver\- little. He may have had lessons from one or
two others, and was latterl)', for a short period, a pupil at the Brechin Public
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
School, which, ho\vc\-er, he liad finall\- left when he was little over eleven )-cars
of age.
It was necessary that he should be doing his part in earning something to
assist in supph-ing the needs of the household. And he accordingly commenced
his career of stated industrial labour as message bo)- in the shop of Mr. Duncan,
grocer and wine merchant in Brechin. On his own account, and to earn a few
coppers to eke out his mother's scanty income, or purchase articles she could
not afford to get for him, he had already tried several schemes ; notably the
reproduction in gaud}' water colours of cheap pictures of stalwart knights in
armour, and the like, for sale among those of his \-outhful companions who had
the means to bu_\'. The occupation of grocer's errand bo}- was not congenial to
his tastes ; and getting speedily tired of it, he induced his master to pave the
way for his admission to the printing office of Messrs. Black, the wonders of the
printing press presenting a strong attraction in that direction. He entered Messrs.
Black's cmplo\-ment when not )-et thirteen \-cars of age, and in due course
was put regular!)' to work as an apprentice compositor.
In the printing office, and connected therewith, sources of interest were soon
found in abundance. The field presented for dexterity and taste as a simple
manipulator of t\'pes was a good deal in itself But there was much beyond
that. Messrs. Black did a goodly business in the production of those penny
histories, ballads, and stories regularl}' vended b_\' a class of minor chapmen, and
which still formed the staple of the cheap literature supplied to a large section
of the population. In addition to being printed in Brechin, some of these
histories and ballads were of local authorship. One person in particular had
become known in the region as a writer of songs ; and that was Alexander
Laing, the author of " Waj'side Flowers," a man whose title to be ranked among
the minor poets of Scotland is very genuine. While Alexander Laing now and
again kept the printer going with " cop)- " from his own pen, he also corrected
the press for Messrs. Black in their other chief publications. It was the business
of the apprentice to carry the proofs to him, at his own house, as required ; and
in this way acquaintance, developing into a fast and lasting friendship, was
formed. .Alexander Laing speedily discovered the strong literary leanings of the
quiet, and markedl)' unobtrusi\-e, yet inquisitive and intelligent boy who had
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
become his stated visitor. He talked familiarly with him, readily answered his
questions, and made him cordially welcome to the use of such books as his
small, but careful h'-selectcd library contained. And the privilege was no slight
one in the circumstances ; for to Andrew Jervise it really meant access for the
first time to something like a fair representation of English classic literature,
and that in direct communion with a man whose own reading was considerable,
and his literar\- taste good. That the friendship of Laing \\-as of distinct benefit
to his protege on its literary side there is the best reason to believe ; that in its
personal aspect it was very sincere, we have abundant proof
Whctlicr the style of work in the Brechin printing-house was adapted to the
production of first-class efficienc}- in the compositor's art ; and whether Andrew
Jervise at this time applied himself to the handling of types, galle}-s, and formes,
with the resolute purpose of attaining such efficiency, we cannot absolutely say.
Certainly his diligence and assiduity could never be called in question ; but he
was more the literar\- than the mechanical compositor, and that does not neces-
saril}- impl\- the highest reach of skill and dexterit}- as a v,-orkman. At any rate
b}' the time his apprenticeship was finished, and when he was only seventeen
years of age, he had thoughts in his mind of pushing his fortune elsewhere. His
apprentice masters would willingly enough have retained his services, at least for
a time, it is understood. But his own inclination was strongh- in another direction.
It was to Edinburgh he desired to go; and to Edinburgh he went in the autumn
of 1837. On this, as on subsequent occasions, his destination had most probably
been reached by sea from Montrose, as the cheapest route. At any rate it was
not without some difficulty that funds could be raised to defray the necessary
charges and meet the cost of lodgings until such time as work could be found.
His mother could ill afford to spare even a single crown piece, and he had to
push in one or two quarters to complete a loan, amounting in gross to consider-
ably less than a couple of pounds. And if Jervise's hopes at starting were high,
his first experiences of Edinburgh life were not by any means encouraging. At
that time the habits of the letterpress printers in Edinburgh and else\\'hcre were
not of the most commendable character. " With few exceptions compositors are
the most ignorant class of tradesmen in the world, though they get credit for in-
telligence," wrote one who was himself an Edinburgh compositor, an intimate
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
friend of Jervise about this period of his Hfe, and a man not unknown as a song
writer. And while the judgment passed on his fellow-craftsmen by Alexander
Smart ma\- haxe been a little severe, drunkenness and general dissipation were
then but too common among members of the printer craft, and the social t\-ranny not
unfrequently exercised by coteries of tippling workmen when, on pay nights and
other occasions, a general adjournment to the public-house was the prevailing rule,
constituted a formidable ordeal to well-disposed \-oung men. Soon after his
arrival in Edinburgh we find Alexander Laing taking occasion to express his
regret that Jervise had no better account to give of his fellow-workmen. It is
surprising, he thinks, that men " engaged, as they often are, in giv-ing embodied
form to the noblest sentiments of the human mind, should be so very worthless
and dissipated."' And he adds, " You did well to resist them." From the same
letter, however, the date of which is P'ebruary, 183S, we learn that Jervisc's
health had already given wa\-, and that in consequence he purposed again leaving
Edinburgh for the north. In a few- weeks thereafter, on the basis of a letter of
introduction from Alexander Laing, he had obtained work as a compositor in
the Courier newspaper office, Dundee.
" If a good tradesman, and stead}-, we maj- ensure him of a permanent
situation," were the expressed conditions of the printing manager under whom
Andrew Jervise came in Dundee. There had manifestly been some difference of
opinion between employer and emploj-ed as to the standard a compositor must
have reached before he could be styled a good workman ; for after fully testing
his new hand by putting him to a piece of work by himself, the manager fixed
his wages at eighteen shillings a-week, being two shillings or thereby under the rate
paid to those who were considered full}- efficient. The office tradition is that
Jervise was a ver\- intelligent \'oung fellow, with a good deal of dr)- humour
about him ; inclined to reading, and given to writing verses and the like, but
that when at the compositor's " case " there was too much movement of his
chest and arms to admit of his lifting the types swiftl}'. At all events he
was dissatisfied with the rate at which his wages had been fixed, and in the
course of tw^o or three months he was again in Edinburgh in search of work.
This he obtained, first, we believe, in the office of the Nortii British Advertiser,
where he remained for some time, and thereafter in the University printing'
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
office (Stevenson's). And if there was any ground for implied inefficiency in
his standing as a -workman hitherto, it is evident that on his return to Edin-
burgh he had set himself zealously to overtake what was lacking. He has not
been long there at this time till he forwards specimens of his skill and taste to
his friends in Brechin ; and Laing and his old master there agree in the opinion
that " he would \-ct become eminent in his profession," and " do honour to the
typographic art." And it is of perhaps equal importance to know that some
elaborate t\-pc arrangements voluntarily attempted b)' him at this time had ob-
tained the commendation of an Edinburgh master-printer.
The picture we have of Andrew Jervise's life at this period is of this sort.
His chief correspondent and adviser, as already indicated, was Alexander Laing,
who kept himself in close communication with Jean Chalmers as well, and sent
such messages as the mother desired to transmit to her son, the letters on either
side being enclosed in the box which month by month carried Andrew's under-
clothing to and from his home at Brechin, for laundry and seamstress purposes.
Postage was costly, and a marked newspaper was occasionally made to serve the
purpose of a letter till the advent of the penny post in 1840, when it was deemed
right to fill and forward a slieet by the regular medium, if only for encourage-
ment of the new institution, the permanent establishment of which was viewed as
problematical. During his first year in Edinburgh he finds it desirable to have a
suit of dress clothes, and has discovered that at a cheap sale " cloth to make a
suit of black clothes " can be bought for seventeen shillings ! His more ex-
jierienced friend knows " what sort of stuff that is. It can be got here," he says,
"from hawkers every day, but is scarcely worth needle and thread;" and he under-
takes to furnish him with a proper and reliable suit, which when forwarded he
hopes will please "both as to quality and making;" and he will cheerfully take
the payment of three pounds odds by instalments, as it may suit the state of his
correspondent's finances. But the correspondence is prevailingly literary. Not un-
frequently it relates to what at the moment is being produced at the Brechin
press, or engages Laing's own pen ; in all which Jervise continued to take the
keenest interest. Quite as often it takes a wider range ; the merits of the best
accessible contemporary literature being freely and intelligently descanted upon;
and shrewd hints given as to the merits of this or the other author. Andrew
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Jervise had not only manifested antiquarian leanings and a taste for book
collection — in the latter way he is now and again entrusted with the execution of
a small commission — but he is by and by strongly fired with the desire, if he
cannot attain to more in the poetic art, to produce a few songs at least ; and
numerous are the hints and criticisms, kindl\- }'et honest withal, that are ofiered
by Laing upon the pieces submitted to him.
The first occasion on which Laing refers directly to Jervise's poetical efforts
is in a letter dated April 24th, 1839, where he speaks of having recently seen
in a local newspaper a song, " Mary of Glenmuick," with Jervise's initials
appended, and which he afterwards learned was actually written by him. "You
likewise," he says, " sent me a poem lately, but I do not remember the name
of it — and I cannot lay my hands on it at present — which I have also since
found out to be your composition." After telling his correspondent that he does
not regard all this as very fair, considering the intimacy that has long sub-
sisted between them, which leads him to think he should have been told of these
poetical attempts, when he might have been able to assist their author, Laing play-
fully says he expects an apology will now be made, and hopes the offender will
send him copies of all his productions, of which he will give his honest opinion ;
and he adds, " I like you the better that you write poetrj', only I wish you had
told me so yourself" The next communication from Edinburgh had brought a
"frank confession" that Jervise had "committed the sin of rhyme," pleasantly
qualified by the compliment that he had " lit his poetical lamp " at the Brechin
bard's own flame, an implied honour of which the latter modestly avers he can
scarcely deem himself worthy.* His feeble Muse had hardly, he says, soared
above the sober realities of life, and had, perhaps, done nothing that would
outlive his own short term of existence. Yet, even so, he wished his
)-outhful correspondent to know that he would not exchange his " slender gift
of rhyme for anj'thing that the wealth of a banker's chest could besto\\- ;" a
due combination, no doubt, of unaffected humility with that just pride which
* In point of fact, Jervise had made attempts at verse when an apprentice in the Brechin
printing office ; attempts all the more serious in character, perhaps, that their theme was a voun>T
lady whose charms seem to ha\'e stirred his youthful affections somewhat deeply.
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
and his countenance and advice may be of the highest value to him. The longer
I know Andrew, he rises the more in my esteem ; and I assure you he is very
much respected in the office." The " Smith " here spoken of had doubtless been
the late Mr. Coh'in Smith, R.S.A., who had known Jcrvise as a boy in Brechin,
and was early aware of his artistic aspirations.
A number of other likenesses have been sketched, including a " hazardous
attempt," by request, at a portrait of the Earl of Strathmore, then, we believe,
living within the precincts of Hoh'rood, and Jervise now wishes his friend Laing's
opinion about entering himself regularly as an Art pupil. When the matter is
put thus, however, Laing is chary of giving definite counsel. He does not profess
to be qualified to speak on the point, but seems to think his young friend will do
rightl}' to be guided in the whole matter by the skilled advice of Mr. Colvin Smith.
The question ha\-ing been at length settled in favour of Art, Jervise entered
as a pupil in the Antique Class of the School of Design in connection with
the Board of Manufactures, on 30th November, 1842, the class being at that time
taught by Sir William Allan, afterwards P.R.S.A. In congratulating him on the
fact, his early friend and counsellor takes the libcrt}- of reminding him that " it is
only eminence that can give success in the fine arts;" that "painters and poets, to
be successful, must not only be perse\^ering and laborious, but must have natural
talent and be enthusiastic." Though now attending the drawing classes in the
School of Design, he continued to work regularly as a compositor, taking some
hours at the case in the morning before the classes met, and again returning to
type-lifting in the latter part of the day. He had not }'et by any means foregone
his attention to the Muses, but went on producing song after song, in the hope of
establishing his position among the minor poets with whom he had been brought
into intimate contact ; and as his art studies were perseveringly prosecuted in
the form both of class work and \oluntar}- portrait sketches of friends and patrons,
his time beho\ed to be \-er}- fulh' occupied.
When Jervise has been six months in attendance at the art classes, Laing
refers with satisfaction to the fact of Sir William Allan and Mr. CoKin Smith
having expressed approbation of the progress he is making in drawing, which he
is sure they would not have done unless the commendation had been deserved.
Smart expresses a similar opinion at this stage, and emphasises it by the state-
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
ment that " Andrew's industry and patience are indefatigable. I iiave no doubt
he will distinguish himself yet ;" and Mr. Maxwell speaks warml\- of " the rapid
progress he has made, and the serious earnestness of his purpose."
In the succeeding months printer work had got very slack, and during the
summer of 1843 Jervise could find only partial emplo)'ment at the compositor's
frame. He went on perseveringly with his drawing, spending a few days now
and again in the countr_\-, and " occasionally making a little with the pencil."
Among his undertakings about this time were portraits in crayons, actual or con-
templated, of Mr. Maxwell, Captain Gray, and Mr. Laing ; and he has visited
Brechin, Montrose, and the surrounding localit)-, prepared to limn the features of
all who might offer themselves as sitters. He is seemingly full of his new art,
sanguine of success, and not indisposed to trust to the brush forthwith as his sole
means of support. The friends, howcxer, of whom he has taken counsel hitherto,
urge him not to give up the printing business yet, if an\-thing is to be made b)- it ;
and to continue his attendance at the drawing classes of the School of Design for
at least a session or two longer. And their advice had to all appearance been
recei\ed with due respect. During ne.xt two sessions, in addition to the Antique
Class, Jervise attended also the Colour Cla.ss in the School of Design, then
taught b)- the late Thomas Duncan, R.S.A., A.R.A., well-known for his high
artistic genius, and whose death, in May, 1845, at the early age of thirty-eight,
was a great loss to Scottish art. Though conscientious and laborious in his
studies, thus earning the respect and consideration of his distinguished instructors,
he, it ma}- be stated, gained no class distinctions as an art pupil.
" Poor fellow. I fear his hobb}- mars him as a printer and will never make
him a painter. He has great enthusiasm and application, but that, though indis-
pensible to success, does not always imply the possession of talent or genius."
So wrote Alexander Smart in June, 1845 ; and he describes Jervise as then in
Edinburgh " labouring hard " on a picture. As his art studies went on, the friends
by whom he had been surrounded, and who manifestly had been vcrj- lo)al to
him, though gratified by the progress he was making, seem never to have been
able altogether to get rid of occasional doubts as to his ultimate success as a
painter ; and the words quoted express the view of one of the shrewdest and
most intimate of them dirccth" after the close of his formal studies as an art
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
pupil. Wc may speculate on what Jer-\-i.se's feeling would ha\-e been had he read
his friend's words at the date when they were written ; and the guess is not a
wild one which would induce us to believe that he would almost certainl\- ha\e
been less inclined to admit tlicir truth then than he probabh- was when, sixteen
or seventeen )-ears thereafter, those ver\' words actually came under his eye, as
there is exery reason to believe they did. In the early part of 1846 he has
commenced to teach drawing in Brechin, and under what he, for the time,
considers favourable circumstances, his expectation, no doubt, being that as his
A\'ork proceeded the taste for art and art instruction would grow.
The Drawing Classes at Brechin were carried on in the Mason Lodge, a
place fairh- suitable for the purpose. But notwithstanding the comparatively
favourable start, and notwithstanding great industry and enthusiasm on the part
of the Drawing Master, the undertaking did not prosper according to expectation,
nor indeed continue to command such an amount of support as was absolutelj- re-
quisite as a means of comfortable livelihood. It ma\' be that the pupils, man\" of them
well grown young ladies belonging to families who of old had owned a kindly interest
in Jean Chalmers and her son, and others who had been enrolled from the laud-
able desire to encourage a deserving townsman, were too generall}" content with a
single quarter of instruction ; but at an\- rate barely six months had passed
when Jervise found his services as drawing master and portrait painter in less
demand than was at all to be desired. Yet with his wonted perseverance he
continued to draw and paint assiduously, at one time limning a local "character," at
another attempting what would be st\-led a genre composition, or making a copy
of some good oil painting, and occasionalh" obtaining a commission for a por-
trait. With a view to stimulate an interest in art, and extend the knowledge of
it, he prepared a series of three lectures, which, under the title of " A Popular
History of Painting and its Principles," were publicly delivered in Brechin early in
1847, with fair success, so far as a favourable reception from the audience addressed
was concerned. Like all their author's literarj- compositions the)- were marked
by their condensed statements of fact rather than by general disquisition or
speculati\e theorizing. But meanwhile the artist must find for himself the means
of living. And accordingly the idea of a local Art Union for disposal of pictures
already off the easel, and in want of purchasers, suggested itself And that idea
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
was carried out under the following scheme, as set forth in full detail in the
Prospectus issued in February, 1847 : —
ART-UNION.
MR. ANDREW JERYISE,
PORTRAIT PAINTER, &C., MASON LODGE, BRECHIN,
Respectfully acquaints the Fine Art Admirers, that from the great increase of his OIL
PAINTINGS, he has resolved to Dispose of the following Original and Copied, and generally
interesting Studies, on the " Art-Union " principle (which is much the same as Subscription Sales),
except in there being No Blanks; every unsuccessful Shareholder being entitled to a Print, which,
in this case, will be a fine Lithographic Engraving from Mr. J.'s original picture of Con-
templation, equal in value to about the sum subscribed.
300 SHARES, OF FIVE SHILLINGS EACH 75 POUNDS.
TWENTY PRIZE PAINTINGS.
EVERY UNSUCCESSFUL SHAREHOLDER WILL RECEIVE A FINE LITHOGRAPHIC PRINT.
LIST OF PRIZES.
A Blacksmith at Work, . . .^100
Sketch — Uomo di Chiaia (copy), . 110
Girl and Pigeon, .... 3 3
Sketch — Uomo di Sta. Lucia (ifcySj'j, i 10
Nell Low (a Brechin character), . 5 5
" From an early age Nkll had devoted
herself to trutiicking- in ' riddles and affairs
of death,' and carried her assumed charac-
ter (of Witch I) even to her death-bed."—
Montrose Bevieic, Oct. 23, 1848.
Bunch of Grapes, . . . . i lo
Sketch — Donne della Torre del
Greco {copy), . . . . i lo
An Orphan Minstrel Boy, . . 70
Sketch — Donna Sicilana {copy), . i 10
The Love Letter, ....70
Sketch — Girl Cleaning Potatoes, . 112
Sketch — Donna di Sta. Lucia {copy), l 10
13. Piper Ross (b. 1756) painted from
life 1846,
After serving as a marine at the engag-e-
nients of St. Domingo, Cape St. Vincent,
The Nile, Acre, &c., Kos.s became cow-herd
to Sir W. Scott (who had a portr.iit of him
painted at Abbotsford). He piped before
our Queen at Blair Athol in 1S44, .and con-
tinues a strolling, and— left-handed ]jiper.
14. Market Boy,
15. Sketch--Donne di San Germano
{copy),
16. Contemplation, ....
17. Sketch— Old Man Reading, .
18. Still life study— A Sheep's Head, .
ig. The Grecian Daughter {copy),
20. Sketch — Donna Napolitana {copy).
£7
Total, £7S
THE PRIZE DRAWING WILL TAKE PLACE UPON WEDNESDAY the 24th DAY OF
MARCH next, AT eleven o'clock, forenoon.
Then follow the forinal Conditions of Drawing and other needful details.
MEMOIR OF THE A UTHOR.
The success of the Art Union had, all things considered, been probably as
great as was to be hoped for. The good folks of Brechin seem never at any
time to have entertained other than a kindly interest in the fortunes of their
ingenious fellow-townsman, and the}- bought " shares " with a reasonable degree
of liberality. Still the net pecuniary result could not have been great, seeing that
several of the principal pictures were left on the artist's hands, and indeed re-
mained in his possession till the day of his death.
In a certain sense the Art Union may be vieu'ed as the supreme effort of
Jervise in his capacit}' of drawing master and portrait painter. For several sub-
sequent years he was to find no other specific vocation that would yield the
means of a moderately comfortable subsistence. Yet all too certainly Art in his
hands seemed destined to prove at best but a meagre and uncertain source of
emolument. In its enthusiastic pursuit, his efforts at \-ersification and the pro-
duction of prose tales and sketches had for a year or two been considerably
relaxed. Still with even the most devoted artist the lack of professional engage-
ments is poorly supplied by mere professional enthusiasm. And in the too
abundant leisure at his command as drawing master, Jervise once and again fell
back afresh on his old pursuits ; copying quaint inscriptions ; collecting generally
what he regarded as curious or interesting in churchyard literature, and the like.
He composed an " Eulogium on the Right Hon. Lord Panmure," which bears
date "October, 1847," and was publicl}- recited on his Lordship's birthda}' in the
month and )-ear mentioned. The fact that the piece was produced " by request,"
probably did not tend to elevate the poet's fancy or better his rhyme ; yet the
circumstance that Jervise thought it worth while to have the poem, which con-
sisted of only fifty-six lines in heroics, put in print, \\-ith foot-notes, and submitted
to the judgment of his critical friends in Edinburgh, affords evidence that he
looked upon it as at least an average production of his Muse. One of these
friends, in giving his opinion of the poem, expresses satisfaction that the author's
Muse was still " awake and thriving ; nay, more vigorous than ever I saw her."
And at same time he takes the liberty of pointing out a few prosaic expressions
and very obvious faults in the measure. The piece itself, as it lies before us,
certainly does not rise above mediocrit}- in point of mere versification, and has
little of poetic fanc\- or musical flow in it. It is interesting chiefly as indicative
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
of the difficulty that even a very shrewd man — ^Jervise was now twenty-seven —
occasionall}- expiriences in finally settling the question whether the di\-ine afflatus
has really touched his spirit or not. And it was not b}- any means the latest of
his poetical attempts.
Samples of art work of a distinctively characteristic sort, belonging to this
period, are found in a series of pencil sketches, made chiefly in the region of Upper
Deeside, in the summers of 1847 and 1S48, when he had betaken himself to that
locality in search of renewed health and strength. The " characters " of the region,
male and female, appear to have been industriously sought out and sketched ; and
in the case of the more notable of them, the artist was careful to inscribe at the
bottom of the sheet, and wandering over to the reverse side, a full jotting of all
available particulars concerning the age, nativit}-, and b\-e-gone life of the sub-
ject of the sketch.
But with all Jervise's resolute perseverance and unflagging industry, Art
in his case seemed, in a x&cy real sense, long compared with brief life, and it
still refused to yield him the means of living in other than the most stinted
fashion. This circumstance seems to have formed a subject of frequent and
confidential talk and conference amongst his most intimate friends, and in the
early part of 1848 Alexander Smart writes to Alexander Laing : — "I am truly
sorry for what you say about Andrew. The compositor's stick in his hand
would have been a staff, and I do fear the brush is but a broken reed." Laing
had apparent]}- suggested something in the way of direct representation to
Jervise, concerning what his friends deemed the hopelessness of further prosecut-
ing Art as a profession ; the only certain engagement he appears to have had at
the time being to act as drawing master to a class of young ladies receiving their
education under Mrs. Prain, wife of Mr. Prain, parochial schoolmaster of Brechin.
To this Smart did not see his wa}- ; at least, if he was to be the medium. " It
would be a delicate matter to advise him," he says ; " he has no misgivings, I fear,
as to his ability, and to advise him to go back to the case might imply that
he had no ability to succeed as a painter, and might thus be construed bj- a
disappointed man into an insult. Therefore I'll not meddle." The conjecture
as to Jervise having no misgivings ma}- have been well founded ; and it is at
least possible that it ma}- not. But even if he had misgivings, what then ?
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
It is easy to understand the extreme reluctance with which he would have
contemplated such an open admission of failure as would have been implied in
returning to his previous occupation of a compositor. And what else was he to
do ? If he had turned directly to general literature in any of its forms, it is
not likely that he would have found the field much more promising or pro-
ductive than that of Art.
Up to the date now reached, and for at least a year or two later, Jervise, as it
concerns his own peculiar literary walk, was simply groping his way on the outskirts
of the field in which he was ultimately to attain to something like an unique
position. We have already referred to his early love for mortuary researches.
During his residence in Edinburgh, his taste in that direction had led him to
spend a good part of his few leisure hours in exploring the various cemeteries in
and around the city. And latterly, he had with growing assiduity continued his
churchyard "diggings" in the locality of Brechin. His object hitherto, had, how-
ever, been much more the collection of grotesque or specially characteristic
epitaphs and inscriptions, than any systematic genealogical purpose. Of such
epitaphs and inscriptions he had transcribed a large number ; and the feeling that,
amid much that was the reverse of encouraging in his outward circumstances,
seems to have drawn him irresistibly onward in the same direction evidently
amounted to nothing short of an absolute passion.
We are not without evidence that while his friends were mourning over his
rather bleak professional prospects, as already indicated, Jervise was from
time to time finding consolation in a characteristically industrious application to
the art of verse making. Short pieces, descriptive or lyrical, had occasional!)- en-
gaged his Muse ; and a somewhat elaborate poem which, in part, saw the light
in the columns of a local newspaper in August, 1848, is entitled "Reflections
on the Past ; Being Fragments from the MS. of a Local and Descriptive Poem,
inscribed to D. D. B., Esq., Brechin" — (D. D. Black, Esq., Solicitor, latterly of
Kergord, and author of "The History of Brechin"). The fragments given to
the public extended to fully three hundred lines, and opened thus : —
" Breathes there the man " who never dropt a tear
For early friends, or native home so dear ?
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Ah ! surely not. Home yields the pleasing charm
That fires the heart, tho' hope hath fail'd to warm.
There lives a parent, or there one doth lie,
Hid 'mong the dust, who claims a tender sigh ;
Who fondly watch'd our many helpless years.
And sang our lullaby midst hopes and fears.
There too remain the sylvan stream and shade.
And schoolboy friends with whom we often stray'd
And talk'd our dreamy thoughts of life away.
And sigh'd and smil'd for manhood's troubl'd day.
The poem goes on to recall personal reminiscences, and descant upon and
describe local scenes, and local celebrities and " characters," not omitting the grave-
yard and gravedigger : —
Ah yes 'twas here we watch'd the sexton's smile,
As from the grave, half-buried for the while.
The slimy earth he cast with dauntless power,
Smok'd at his pipe, and scorn'd the falling shower.
And told his strange narrations of the dead.
As up he threw some mouldy covered head.
A series of foot Notes, explanatory and historical, is appended ; and the
extent to which illustration is carried in this way will be understood when it is
stated that the Notes, to which the reference from the text is by the letters of the
alphabet, extend literally from a to z. In other words, the)' number no fewer
than twenty-six.
But a period of only three months more had passed, when we find Jcrvise
taking a definite step forward in a direction which was destined ultimately to lead
him into his proper sphere. On 24th November, 1848, there appeared in the
same newspaper (Montrose Standard) the first of a series of papers, titled
" Specimens of Churchyard Poetry, Orthography, &c." No author's name was
given, the paper being simply signed " Z ;" and no general scheme or purpose
was set forth. The subject of the first paper was " Lochlee, Angus-shire." It
opened with a paragraph, enclosed in brackets, generally descriptive of the parish.
Then followed a few selected epitaphs and obituary inscriptions ; the paper con-
cluding with a short sketch of the life of Alexander Ross, author of " Helenore :
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
or, the Fortunate Shepherdess." Kinneff was taken next, which furnished occasion
for a pretty full account of the romantic episode of the concealment of the
Scottish Regalia by the minister's wife, in 1652. Similar papers followed at the
rate of about one a month. Angus and the Mearns formed the field, though no
regular topographical or other order was observed ; occasionally two parishes were
grouped together in the same paper ; and the writer had by and by wandered
across the Dee, and included one or two Aberdeenshire graveyards. The series
had gone regularly on through 1849 ; and appended to the paper printed on 4th
January, 1850, was a foot Note to this effect : — " In answer to many requests and
solicitations anent printing the above ' Specimens ' in a volume, the collector begs
to say that he has now resolved to do so under the title of ' The Mortuary
Poetry of Angus and Mearns,' from the various burying-grounds of which coun-
ties he has personally copied most of the notable inscriptions. But — as he is
desirous of interspersing the work with notices of local history, biography, tra-
ditions, and antiquities, and will illustrate the more prominent of the latter with
lithographic prints from original drawings — he begs the promoters of the work to
observe that subscribers' names will not be solicited until about t/ic end of 1850,
by which time the collector hopes to have his arrangements completed. Until
then, as heretofore, ' Specimens' will be printed in this paper." With the expiry
of the year 1850, the series of papers published had extended to thirty-one ; but
nothing further is said of the proposed scheme of publication. It had evidently
been allowed to fall aside. On 26th February, 185 1, Jervisc delivered to his fellow-
townsmen in Brechin the first of a couple of lectures on " The Antiquities of
Angus and Mearns." The description given of the lecture by the local press
was that it was " delivered in an unostentatious manner, couched in eloquent
language, and displayed immense research and knowledge of the instructive
science of antiquities." And appended to No. xxxi. of the churchyard papers,
published at the close of the succeeding month, was the following quaint
note : — " N.B. — The correction of errors, or additional information anent this and
similar subjects connected with Angus and Mearns will at all times be gladly
received (post paid) by ' Z,' Post-office, Brechin. March, 185 1." The series of
papers went on after the same fashion till the close of 1851 ; and in the
interim another Note had expressed the author's sense of indebtedness to, and
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
dependence upon the aid of Session-Clerks, thus : — " The collector of these
mottoes begs to express his sincere obligations to the Session-Clerks of Angus
and Mearns, for their kindness in having allowed him free access to their
various Parochial Registers, and also for having given other valuable information.
Without this, some of the hitherto gencrallj- unknown and interesting parochial
features, whether illustrative of the ' troubles,' incredulity, or primitive customs of
our ancestors, or the exact place and period of the birth of man)- illustrious men,
could not be sufficient!}- authenticated. He, therefore, hopes that the inquiries
which he has \-et to make in sc\-cral parishes will be acceded to in the same
disinterested and kindly spirit."
Prior to the date last mentioned, however, the attention of Jervise had been
drawn aside to two other related subjects. At the close of 1850 and commence-
ment of 185 1, he published through the medium of the same newspaper half a
dozen papers titled " Inscriptions from the Shields in the Trades' Hall, Aber-
deen ;" and in October and November, 1851, another short series, headed "Sketch
of the History and Traditions of Glenesk ; most respectfully inscribed to the
Right Honourable Lord Panmure."
In so far as the available materials admit, we have thus generally traced
the career of the subject of our Memoir up to the close of 185 1. At that date
Andrew Jervise as an antiquarian explorer may be said to ha\'e been still,
practical!)', an entirely unknown man, working away on his own skill, and
apart from the advantages which contact with the general body of the more
learned Scottish antiquaries of the time would have secured for him. Thus cir-
cumstanced, the remarkable thing is to find that in the papers just described,
crude and imperfect as in certain respects they were, he had broken ground for
the foundation and gathered materials more or less for each of the three principal
works with which his name was thereafter to be associated : " The Land of the
Lindsays ;" '' Memorials of Angus and Mearns ;" and " Epitaphs and Inscriptions."
His skill as a genealogist might be but small, and his knowledge of and access
to family papers and other original authorities but limited ; yet the germs of
what was to be in due course greatly expanded under fuller knowledge and
more matured judgment were there ; and no one could fail to be struck w ith
the mass of really curious and useful information already gathered.
MEMOIR OF THE A UTHOR.
The series of papers on the History and Traditions of Glenesk, and that
on the Aberdeen Trades Hall Inscriptions, were each reprinted in a small
brochure, forming the first separate publications attempted by Jervise. The
former of the two, as will afterwards be seen, attracted the attention of those
well able to judge of its merits. Meanwhile, bearing in mind that the labour
involved in the preparation of all the papers mentioned, and in gathering the
materials for them, was of an almost entirely unremunerative character, while Art
was receiving less attention and not yielding better pecuniary results, let us look
at Jervise's domestic condition and surroundings at a period of his life at which
those of his Brechin neighbours, who still maintained their interest in his welfare,
had some difficulty in finding a ready vindication of his tastes and pursuits in the
eyes of the class who had come to have their doubts as to the use of him in
the world.
The house in which Andrew Jervise was born, and in which he spent the first
few months of his life, has been already described. Without tracing closely
the details of the household history at a period when means were narrow indeed,
and the struggle of life hard enough, it may be stated generally that, when in
the spring of 1848 he was suffering under a severe illness, the family accom-
modation (in Anderson's Close) was so limited as to make the nocturnal out-
breaks of a tippling neighbour, who lived " but and ben " on the same floor, a
cause of very serious annoyance, if not of actual danger to the patient. During
the latter part of the time in which he was still more or less following after Art,
but giving a good deal of his attention to the kind of work indicated, Jervise,
with his mother and aunt, lived in the Black Bull Close, one of those quiet, old-
fashioned courts, where general street traffic is very much in abeyance, and where
the passenger stumbles against an outside stair here and there. Passing in b)- a
common entry, and up a narrow spiral staircase, with a window at the turn,
from which a pleasant glimpse of portions of the lower part of the town down to
the wooded banks of the South Esk is obtained, one reaches the first floor landing
to find a couple of very moderate sized rooms, or rather, indeed, one very
moderate sized room and closet, the yearly rental of the two apartments, as rents
go in Brechin, being certainly not over £a^. There the famih-, mother, son, and
aunt, lived. The larger of the two apartments was given up to Jervise. It
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
was all that he had as studio ; there he received his visitors ; it was there he
worked while engaged in the preparation of the book that first made his name
rcall}' known ; and it was in the Black Bull Close, or in Liddcll's Close near by,
that he lived at the date of receiving his appointment as Examiner of Registers.
On receiving that appointment he was in a position to command more suitable
accommodation ; and after one or two changes settled down in his own house in
Southesk Street, where his mother and he lived till their deaths.
The illness already spoken of was succeeded by another in 1852, when Jervise
suffered from rheumatic fever, brought on, or aggravated at least, it was believed,
by exposure to damp while persistently poring over and deciphering graveyard
and other inscriptions. His circumstances at the time were very straitened, and
but for the considerate kindness of friends the pressure of a serious and protracted
illness would have made his case a very distressing one indeed. Amongst those
who specially interested themselves in his condition, it is right to mention the
family of Mr. Thomas Ogilvy. Knowing well that his means did not admit of
his procuring the comforts absolutely required by one in his condition, the late
Mr. Patrick C. Ogilvy, corn merchant, a member of that family, whose
intimacy with Jervise, as his old schoolfellow, continued to be of the closest,
availing himself of that intimacy, in a truly generous and sympathetic spirit,
personally ministered to his wants day by day during the later stages of his
illness, and until he was convalescent. The story of Mr. Ogilvy's disinterested
kindness at this time is not less creditable to his memory as a man of genuine
feeling, than it is of interest as an illustration of the strong and enduring
character of the tie that, in not a few cases, existed between Jervise and the
more intimate of his friends, both earlier and later.
It was as he lived and laboured as a resident in the Black Bull Close that
Jervise made the acquaintance of several of those who became his most valued
correspondents, and whose superior literary and antiquarian knowledge, as well
as their social position, enabled them to be of substantial advantage to him. Fore-
most among these was the late Patrick Chalmers, Esq. of Aldbar. Mr. Chalmers,
himself a man of refined literary tastes and extensive archaeological acquirements,
had his attention in the first place drawn to Jervise's work as an artist ; and we
believe he made copies of some of the pictures in Aldbar Castle. And whatever
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
estimate Mr. Chalmers might form of his artistic powers, he could hardly fail to
recognise in him, if only in the work he had already attempted, the spirit and
makings of a true antiquary ; while on his part Jervisc was every way likely to
have his antiquarian proclivities stimulated and usefully directed. Mr. Chalmers
emplo}-ed him to arrange and catalogue his Library. The work was thoroughly
congenial to Jervise's tastes ; he took it up with zest ; went about it de-
liberately and carefully ; and as the arrangement was done under the direction
of one who knew books better than himself the information and experience
acquired in the process were of permanent advantage to him.
As early as the beginning of 1852 Jervise also numbered among his corres-
pondents Lord Lindsay, now Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, and Sir James
Carnegie, now Lord Southesk. both of whom communicated with him in a
thoroughly appreciative spirit. During his daj-s in the Aldbar Library, if not
earlier, Jervise had become acquainted with Lord Lindsay's " Lives of the
Lindsays," printed privately in 1840, but published only in 1849; and it was the
kind of work certain to prove suggestive to one of his turn of mind ; and
suggestive in probably more ways than one. The author's prefatory exhorta-
tion— "Do not allow yourselves to fall into the common prejudice that GENEALOGY
is a dry uninteresting study — Lethe's wharf her paradise, and her votaiy dull as
the weeds that fatten there " — would not be read by him unheeded. He was as
likely as almost any one to accept with strong relish the doctrine that " the
spirit of discovery breathes expectation as eager, and enjo)'ment as intense, into
the heart of the enthusiastic Genealogist as into that of a l^ruce or Humboldt ;"
and to respond to the saying that " his heart throbs, his cheek burns, and his hand
quivers with rapture as he transcribes a document, which at a glance reveals to
him a long avenue of ancestral dead, eyeing him through the gloom like corpses
in a vault of the Gaunches." And then had he not been exploring the vei-}-
region where those Lindsa\-s had for so many generations lived and acted ?
That " The Land of the Lindsays " should follow up " Lives of the
Lindsays " was at anyrate a natural enough thought ; and the fact is certain
that to the kind encouragement of Lord Lindsay, whose letters to the author
while completing his preparations are distinguished not less by wise direction
than bv generous appreciation, we owe the publication of the work that first
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
gave Jervise a position. In his preface to " The Land of the Lindsays," he
writes: — "The present volume owes its origin to the general interest which one
of these papers (separately published as a pamphlet) created at the time, and
from the kindness and courtesy of the Right. Hon. Lord Lindsay, who was
pleased to remark in reference to the notice referred to : — ' I wish your account
of Glenesk had been published in time to have enabled me to avail myself of it
in the " Lives ".' " When the work had made some progress Mr. Jervise inti-
mated to Lord I^indsay that he intended to publish it by subscription, a plan
which his Lordship not only approved of, but exerted his influence to further.
From him the struggling author received much assistance and valuable informa-
tion, and to his riper judgment many of the proof sheets were, we believe, sub-
mitted as the work was passing through the press.
Under such favourable auspices, " The History and Traditions of the Land
of the Lindsays" was published in 1853. It was the first work of any magnitude
that Mr. Jervise had brought out, and he was naturally very anxious about the
reception it should obtain at the hands of the reviewers. He had every reason to
be fully satisfied in that respect, for it was on all sides most favourably spoken
of And it must have been specially gratifying to him to receive from his early
friends, Mr. Ma.xwell and Mr. Smart, very hearty congratulations on his success,
the former, amongst other remarks, observing : — " You have written your book
well, and it will unquestionably do you much honour, as well as, I hope, put
money into your pocket, for it must have cost you an immense amount of
labour." Mr. Smart, whose doubts concerning Jervise's ultimate success as an artist
were, as we have already seen, early awakened, and whose shrewdness of judgment had
been exhibited on several occasions, gave a very flattering estimate of the merits
of the new work. "I have perused it," he writes, "with no small feeling of
pride that my old friend could produce such a book. You succeed so well in
animating the dry bones of old tradition, and clothing them with flesh and
blood, that this seems to be your special mission." To Lord Lindsay Mr.
Jer\'ise sent a copy prepared with all the taste that his artistic skill, inspired
by sincere gratitude, could devise ; in acknowledging which his Lordship writes: —
" I have never seen a more prettily got up book, and I have alread}- told you
how interesting I think it in perusal." The opinion of the Earl of Dalhousie, then
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Lord Panmurc, of " The Land of the Lindsays" and its author, as publicly expressed
in 1856, in proposing Jervisc's health at a tenantry dinner in Edzell Castle, was
given in these words: — "We have one amongst us of whom the county may justly
feel proud, and who, without the aid of those adventitious circumstances which many
of us enjoy, has, by his own industry and perseverance, educated himself and gained
a name in the literature of the country of \\hich any one ma\- feci justh' proud. I
refer to Mr. Jervise, who has done more to preserve the history and antiquities of
the county than an\' other man since the days of my own ancestor. Commissary
Maule, who lived nearly two hundred years ago. Lord Lindsay, as you are
aware, has written admirably well the history of the ' Lives of the Lindsays,'
and Mr. Jervise has written the history of their lands and castles. My acquaint-
ance with Mr. Jervise contributed much to induce me to restore and preserve
the old ruins of Edzell, which arc now put into such a state of repair as to
form an agreeable and interesting resort for visitors ' The Land
of the Lindsays' is a book which does honour to Mr. Jervise and to the country;
it is a book which I have had great pleasure in perusing, and from which I
have received much information regarding the history and antiquities of the
county." The sentiments thus expressed were no mere words of course, and
coming from the quarter the}- did, Jervise regarded them with a feeling of
justifiable pride.
The publication of " The Land of the Lindsays " was in a sense the turning
point in Jervise's fortune. What money he was able to put into his pocket
from the proceeds of the work we have no means of knowing ; but it at once
pointed him out, to those who had influence to help him on in life, as a man
of ability, of untiring diligence in research, and of capacity to fill almost any
situation in the line of his favourite study. It was moreo^•er the occasion of bring-
ing him under the favourable notice of Lord Panmure, to whose influence
he afterwards owed his appointment as Examiner of Registers, as well as
many other important favours. When a prospectus of the work was
distributed among his friends, with a \iew to obtain subscribers, their applica-
tions on his behalf had often been met by the discouraging inquir_\-, " Who is
Mr. Jervise?" The publication of " The Land of the Lindsays" rendered that
question for the future unnecessary, for it placed him in a good position among
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
the antiquaries of his country. That same year saw him also a Corresponding
Member of the Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh, a body to whose proceedings
he was e\'cr afterwards a diligent and valued contributor.*
The Society at that time numbered among its office-bearers some men of
real eminence in literature — Sir James Y. Simpson, Prof Cosmo Innes, Dr.
Joseph Robertson, Dr. John Stuart, and soon after Dr. John Hill Burton, with
many others of high repute. It was a great matter for Jervise to be brought
into contact with such men, several of whom by and by became his attached
friends.
In the course of collecting materials for " The Land of the Lindsays," Jervise
had acquired a large amount of antiquarian information not suitable for insertion
in that work. Some of it he afterwards moulded into his next book — " Memorials
of Angus and Mearns " — but a considerable portion \\'as shaped into contribu-
tions to the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries. Far, however, from
exhausting his stores, these contributions, now that he had begun to feel his
footing surer, only widened the field of his research, and gave him greater skill
in utilizing the products of his explorations. On the first fly-leaf of a collection
of these articles, made not long before his death, he wrote, " M}- first papers
were read to the Antiq. Society in 1854, vol. 2, et sub." The Proceedings of
the Society show that in that year he contributed a paper, entitled " Notes on
Districts (at which relics were found), viz. : — (i) Forfar, Newdesk, Glenesk, Laws,
Monifieth, EdzcU Castle ; (2) Sculptured Stones in Forfarshire ; (3) Edzell Baths ;
(4) Culross Palace ; (5) Wallace's Portrait at Brechin."
In the midst of these labours he was doomed to experience a sad eclipse
* It was Dr. John Stuart who induced him to associate himself with the Society of Antiquaries.
Under date of 2nd November, 1854, there is a letter from him to Mr. Jervise, in which, after asking
him to find out several particulars for him in regard to sculptured stones, he adds in a P.S. : — " I
wish you would try your hand at a paper for our Antiquarian Society here on your Round Tower, or
any other suitable subject. If you give us two papers we will dub you Corresponding Fellow." The
papers came, and Corresponding Fellow he was dubbed ; for, some months after, we find Dr. Stuart
writing him : — " I proposed you to-day as a Corresponding Member, and got Mr. Robert Chambers
and Mr. D. Laing to join in the recommendation. You will be balloted for at next meeting." It is
needless to say that with such a recommendation the ballot was entirely in his favour.
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
of his hopes in the death of his earliest patron and warmest friend, Patrick
Chalmers, Esq. of Aldbar. While the Registration Act was passing through
Parliament in 1854, the idea had occurred to Mr. Chalmers that its require-
ments might open for his protege a situation suited to his talents and
congenial to his tastes. A few months before his death he accordingly wrote to
Lord Panmurc, then Sccretarj- at War, strongly recommending him to procure
for Mr. Jcrvise an appointment as 'Examiner of Registers, should the bill pass
into law ; and Sir James Carnegie warml}- interested himself in the same direction.
By the time the bill became law, at the end of the session of 1854, Mr. Chalmers
had died at Rome, and when the Act came into operation in January, 1855, the
list of officers under it did not contain the name of Mr. Jervise. How this happened
is not quite clear ; but a story is told which, if true, throws some light on the sub-
ject of his ultimate appointment. It is said that soon after Lord Panmure had set
apart Glenmark and a portion of Lochlee for a deer forest, and had strictly pro-
hibited the Intrusion of strangers within its boundaries, he was one day walking
over the ground, and observing some one wandering about within the forbidden
limits, he sent a gamekeeper to order him off The servant soon returned, bringing
the name of the intruder. "Jervise!'' muttered his Lordship; and after a pause — "Go
and tell him to come here immediately ; I want to speak to him." W^hat passed
at the conference is not related, but the Examiners appointed under the Schedule
appended to the Registration Act being found insufficient for the labours assigned
to them, Mr. Jervise, on the 23rd June following, received notice from Mr. Ramsay,
secretary to Lord Panmure, that his appointment as an additional Examiner would
be made on his intimating his readiness to accept of it. The official appointment
reached him on 23rd August, 1855, bearing that he was to enter on his duties on
1st January, 1856. The salary assigned to him was ;£'200 per annum, with £\ is.
per diem of travelling expenses when on his rounds awaj- from Brechin. Considering
his former narrow means, this must have appeared to him quite a fortune ; and
at any rate it at once entirely relieved him from the pecuniary straits by which he
had been hampered for years. He was heartily congratulated on his appointment
by Lord Lindsay; and also by Sir James Carnegie, who early in the same year had
kindly agreed to become one of his securities, should he obtain an appointment in
the Stamps and Taxes Department, for which he had applied ; at the same time
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
freely permitting him to use his name in support of his application, and undertak-
ing to mention his claims to the Lord-Lieutenant and Member of Parliament for
the county. In the present instance he had supported his application, but disclaimed
an}- merit in the matter of tlie appointment, with the remark that " Lord Panmure
has a most honest memory, a kind heart, and a strong hand." Dr. Stuart, in
congratulating him on his formal appointment, says: — "It will suit }-ou in e\-er)'
wa\', and will give }-ou many opportunities of investigating local antiquities."
The appointment now obtained by Jervise was in almost every respect the
most suitable as regards his aptitudes and tastes ; and he seems from the very
first to have felt so himself We are not prepared to assert that the story of the
meeting in Glenmark may not be more or less apocryphal. But an incident of
Jervise's first interview with his patron, after he had received the appointment
of Examiner, was certainly true, as it was frequently told b)' himself, and is
worth recording here. When his Lordship had received the expression of his
gratitude, he replied, "Well, Jervise, is there anything more I can do
for you ? " " Oh, no, my lord," said Jervise, I am perfectly satisfied." " Umph,"
returned his Lordship, drih- ; " It 's a good thing ; you are the first man I have
ever got an appointment for who was so ! "
The district first assigned to Mr. Jervise comprised the counties of Perth,
Forfar, and -Fife. Here he continued to discharge his official duties for about
two years and a-half In June, 1859, he was appointed to the Eastern District,
comprehending the counties of Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, and Perth. By
a subsequent re-arrangement in 1S61, Nairn, Elgin, and Banff, were substituted
for Perth, forming the North-Eastern District under charge of Mr. Jervise, with
£2^ addition to his salary ; and latterly the three northern counties were dropped
out, and Fife again included in his district — once more the Eastern District.
From the very first Mr. Jervise was an expert in the art of examining regis-
ters. His previous training as a printer had, doubtless, given him a certain
facility in deciphering various styles of handwriting, while the habit, which
he had assiduously cultivated, of minutely inspecting manuscript documents,
and of paying particular attention to the spelling in the more ancient,
brought immediatel)- under his notice an\- incongruit}' in the orthograph}-
of the proper names appearing in the register under ijispection ; and every
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
error of this kind, however small, was always carefully recorded. His previous
antiquarian studies had also qualified him for the easy detection of any error
in the matter of dates. Although he had, therefore, no special training for the
office on which he now entered, his whole previous occupations had tended to
fit him for an efficient discharge of the duties connected with it. Among
other qualifications, he had acquired the habit of arranging documents and filing
them with such order that every one of them seemed to turn up at his bidding
whenever it was wanted. The example which he thus set registrars of order in
the disposition of their various books, schedules, and documents, was generally
more impressive than any fault-finding would have been. A qualification of some
importance in an Examiner of Parochial Registers, and one which his previous
experience in deciphering ancient manuscripts had acquired for him, was a keen-
ness of eye in discovering fictitious signatures. If an opportunity was afforded of
seeing the same hand-writing twice in the course of examining the registers of
an average country parish, he seldom failed to mark it, and when anything sus-
picious occurred in regard to a signature, he has been known to direct the
Registrar to open a correspondence, with the view of resolving his doubts, and
these investigations occasionally led to curious discoveries. Although particular
as to the form of an entry, he was much more particular as to its truthfulness.
We have reason to believe that it was at his suggestion that not a ^<^\\ of the
improvements on the Register Books were from time to time adopted with the
best results, both as simplifying the form of entry and preventing the occurrence
of errors.
In his intercourse with Registrars he was always most gentlemanly and
courteous. If they were faithful and efficient he treated them as officially his
equals. Many of them in other respects he treated as his superiors. This
deferential bearing won their confidence and friendship, and by the efficient — and
they were the large majority — his annual visits were hailed with pleasure. Official
pride, Jervise had none ; he despised all assumption of airs. If the work he had
to examine was well done, he esteemed the man who did it, and cared not to
hide his esteem. Fidelity to the duties of his office was his first object, and it
occasionally happened that this compelled him to ha\'e recourse to measures that
defaulting registrars thought severe. He could be, and was severe when there was
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
cause for it, and this sometimes brought him no good-will from those who thought
themselves injured. In truth, there was nothing shallow in Jervise's character. If
his friendship was strong, so also, it may be admitted, were his antipathies ;
but his disposition leaned decidedly towards the former feeling ; and his friendship
could be most implicitly trusted. He was quite aware that his discharge of duty had
procured him the enmity of one here and there, but the fact did not trouble him in
the least. We remember once going the round of a churchyard with him, and on
coming on the following epitaph on a tombstone : — " The deceased never lost a
friend and never made an enem\-," Jervise remarked, " That man must have
either had very little to do in the world, or done it ver)' ill ; " an observation
prompted doubtless by his own experience of official life. The enemies he him-
self had made were very few ; his friends, on the other hand, were a perfect host.
Putting out of view the exceptions as insignificant, it ma}- be questioned whether
it can now be said of any one what lately might with truth have been said of
him — that there was not a parish in six of the most populous counties in Scot-
land in which he had not a personal friend ; in most of them, several friends.
Nor was it an empty friendship which was thus cultivated between him and the
Parish Registrars. He was read}- on all suitable occasions to exert his influence
for their welfare ; and the remembrance of his kindness in this wa}- will long be
fresh in the minds of many of them. Very frequently, too, when any . difficulty
arose in regard to the proper form in which an entry should be made, he was
appealed to for instruction. It was no part of his duty to advise in these
matters, but such was his knowledge of the requirements of the Act, and latterly
of the circumstances of each parish he visited, that his instructions were generally
clear and satisfactory. The correspondence which these consultations entailed
upon him must have occupied many of his leisure hours, and seriously curtailed
the time he wished to devote to his antiquarian researches; but he nc\-cr grudged
the trouble, and what would have been to a less obliging nature an intolerable
burden was to him a real pleasure.
But in the wide district allotted to him he had, as indicated, main- friends
besides the Registrars, w-ho were in the great majority of cases the Schoolmasters
of their respective parishes. Among the clerg}- and proprietors he numbered many
friends ; and both at the manse and the mansion he gleaned no inconsiderable por-
xl MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
tion of his unrivalled stores of local and genealogical information. A " character "
himself, he had a keen eye for character in others, and was ahva\-s attracted by it.
It is no exaggeration to affirm that there was not in the whole North-Eastern
division of Scotland a man of mark with whose tastes he was unacquainted, or
whose characteristics he had not divined with wonderful acuteness. It was probably
the possession of such knowledge that caused him to be dreaded by a few,
while it gained him the respect of many. In a letter to a friend, a gentleman,
himself a prime scholar and a very estimable man, thus writes — " I have lately
been introduced to Mr. Jervise, and spent an evening with him — he must by
some be considered a dangerous man ; he knows too much about everybody."
A picture of Jervise when out on his official peregrinations was not without
its humorous aspect. Until the last \-ear of his life he drove his own conveyance;
and there was none other exactly similar to be seen on the roads he traversed. He
had fully considered the necessities of his journeying, and finding none of the
recognised forms of vehicles quite suited to his requirements, he got one made
expressly for his own purposes. It was about the height of an ordinary drosky, and
in shape somewhat resembled a four-wheeled dogcart ; but it had no seat behind.
This space was occupied by a large bo.x, in which were compartments for provender
for the horse in case of need, for wraps, register books, bags containing books and
papers to be consulted on antiquarian and other matters, and for collections of
relics as they might happen to come to hand, all arranged with that precise regard
to order which was so characteristic of the owner. His horse — and he had but
two during the twenty \-ears that wc were acquainted with him — was selected more
for security and strength than for speed ; but it can hardly be affirmed that he
was as good a judge of horses as of men ; for the animals — they were both of a
piece — were neither graceful in form nor very tractable in disposition. One
after the other they were petted and spoiled, and had sense enough to discover
that they could take a good deal of their own wa\- ; and did take it, for their
master was slow to apply the whip. Seated in his conveyance, well wrapped
up from head to heel, he looked the very picture of comfort. When he urged
his horse to his utmost speed, which was onl\- a slow jog-tiot, that might be
called an amble but for the ungainliness of the motion ; his broad-rinmed felt
hat, secured to a button-hole by an elastic string if there was a breath of wind
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xli
Stirring, nodded approving assent to every step the animal took ; but when the
beast, which was ahvays on the out-look for a plausible excuse to decline this
rapid rate of progression, slackened its pace, although the master usually re-
cognised the justice of the excuse, the broad-brimmed hat ceased to accord its
approval.
Jervise, however, very seldom journeyed alone. If he could pick up any boy
or other traveller likely to give him information, he never wanted a companion.
Seen thus moving along the road, he put one very much in mind of the picture
which the Rev. Sydney Smith draws of himself and his family in the pastoral
conveyance which went the round of the Parish of Foston-le-Cla)', in Yorkshire.
Prosecuting his official duties in this manner, he accomplished far more
work than if he had made himself dependent on railways, coaches, or other
means of conveyance. Not a moment of the time which he thus gained was
spent in idleness. He visited and re-visited repeatedly every relic of antiquity
in the parishes within his official district ; heard every legend and traditional
story, and made himself acquainted with the pedigree, root and branch, of the
several proprietors ; and had he lived to complete his work on " Epitaphs and
Inscriptions " in the shape it latterly assumed, it is not too much to say that
no part of the United Kingdom would have been more thoroughly examined,
or more truthfully described, in its antiquarian aspect, than the North-Eastern
Division of Scotland.
For some time after his appointment as Examiner of Registers, Mr. Jervise
seems to have given himself almost wholly to the duties of his new office. The
materials which he had collected for another work on Angus and the Mearns
were apparently permitted to lie over until he had made himself perfectly familiar
with his official work. Even the Society of Antiquaries, to whose Transactions
in 1856 he had, with the ardour of a young member, contributed papers amount-
ing to no less than 65 pages of their printed Proceedings, had to be content for
tlie next two years with a few brief notices of any new "finds" that came in his
way. He was constantly pervaded by the feeling that the duties of his official
position must take precedence of all other claims on his time and attention.
Whatever he might be as an Antiquary, he must be still more as an Examiner
of Registers. Such seemed to be his predominant feeling.
xlii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Thus passed the years 1856 and 1857. In the autumn of the latter year he
lost one of his earliest and most valued friends, Alexander Laing, the Brechin
poet, author of " Waj'side Flowers and other Poems," of whom his estimate was
very high, and whose death he sincerely mourned.* As Jervise became more
conversant with his official duties, his thoughts would naturally revert to his old
pursuits ; and his leisure time, now of longer duration, was again fully employed
in collecting new and arranging old materials for the work he had long pro-
jected. He had possibly been getting impatient under the interruptions it had
met with, when Dr. Stuart gave him practical advice in these words — " I hope
}'ou will not hurr}' your ' Barons.' These works always require a deal of time to
do them justice, and haste cuts you out of materials which are sure to come out
when you are known to be at work." Mr. Jervise found this quite true — materials
did come out, and in such abundance that his work ultimately assumed much
larger dimensions than he had originally contemplated.
At this time, Jervise was also in frequent correspondence with Mr. Cosmo
Innes, who very readily obliged him by lending books and imparting information,
as did David Laing, Esq., LL.D., of the Signet Library, and the pious and learned
Bishop Forbes of Brechin. But it was to Dr. Joseph Robertson that he mainly
applied when he was at a loss for information. That most learned of all our
Scottish antiquaries — and there was a galaxy of them then — with characteristic
generosity put at Jervise's service his wonderful stores of archaeological knowledge ;
and he was consulted on all manner of subjects, personal, official, and especially
antiquarian, up to the time of his lamented death.
Though not published till three years after, Jervise's new work, as we learn
from an incidental remark of his own, in a lecture he publicly delivered on the
* At the time there appeared, for circulation among Laing's numerous admirers, a highly
appreciative notice of his hfe and works. Although no name was attached to it, it was well known
to be from the pen of Mr. Jervise, who, two years afterwards, in a speech at the Burns Cen-
tenary Dinner at Brechin, thus refers to him — "All of you know that it was but lately that the
remorseless hand of death removed him from amongst us ; still, while we deeply deplore his loss
as a poet, and those of us who had the honour of knowing him personally as a friend, we can-
not but rejoice to know that his little volume of ' Wayside Flowers ' has passed through no
fewer than three large editions in the course of a very few years."
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
" History and Antiquities of the Mearns," was in the press by the spring of
1858. The volume, as the author informs us in the preface, "was at first in-
tended merely to embrace comparatively short accounts of persons and places,
and a history of the period of the interregnum" — in short, the Barons of Angus
and the Mearns, and their seats. The barons were those whose names appear
on the Ragman Roll, i.e., those who swore allegiance to Edward I. of England
prior to 1303. Of course they comprised almost the entire body of the Angus
and Mearns gentry of the time. Starting with this list of names, the author
gives a history of each family, gleaned from every source accessible to him.
This was probably the original foundation of the work, though it does not appear
first in the book as published. No one, who has not been engaged in some
similar investigation, can have any idea of the patient research involved in a
collection of such family histories. But Mr. Jervise had just the qualifications
necessary for it, and he now had opportunities of reaching documents accessible
to almost no other. The valuable antiquarian library at Aldbar, and the rich
stores of family and other MSS. at Panmure Castle, were placed at his service.
But not to these alone did he confine his search, nor did they constitute the
only sources of his information. With a mind ever keenly on the watch for stray
gleanings, and a notebook alwaj-s at hand to receive them, he suffered nothing
to escape his notice, whether recorded on stone or parchment. The history of
the " Barons " comprises parts III., IV., and V. of the work. Part I. gives an
outline of the early History of Angus and Mearns. A history of the towns
and castles visited by Edward I. in 1296, prepared with the same care, and
executed on the same plan as the parts relating to the Barons, to which it is
prefi.xed in the published volume — and which if not included in the original
conception of the work had evidently been early fixed upon to form a part — ■
constitutes Part II. Then passing on to Part VI., we find historical notices of
the Abbey of Cupar and Priory of Rostinoth, while Part VII. contains "notices
historical and traditionary, of the clergy of Angus and the Mearns, who swore
fealty to Edward I., A.D. 1296; of their churches and some of their successors;
also of the Hospitallers, the ladies of deceased barons and others connected with
these districts."
On looking at the table of contents, it may appear to the reader that the
xliv MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Ragman Roll of Angus and the Mearns forms the outline of a picture, the details
and colouring of which Mr. Jervise did his best, with infinite labour and care, to
fill in and complete. But a more intimate acquaintance with the work will
satisfy him that the Ragman Roll has supplied only texts to which the author
has attached elaborate sermons. And he will perhaps come also to the conclu-
sion that the texts are not quite worthy of the sermons. They certainly afford
scope for attaching to them any amount of antiquarian materials, and a very
surprising amount has in this work been attached to them. Yet, it is with a
feeling of disappointment that one rises from a perusal of the volume. It is
fragmentary in character, and stiff in diction. And, withal, it is unphilosophical.
A more ambitious work than " The Land of the Lindsays," it, nevertheless, did
not fulfil the promise inspired by the earlier production. The author appears in
no higher role than as a diligent, painstaking collector of specimens, which he
has disposed in his cabinet in a certain order of his own, where each may be
easily found by reference to this order, but to the position of which there is no
scientific or philosophical guide. The work, in short, affords another illustration
of the old adage — " Non oiiuies omnia possiiinits." Many pleas might be assigned
for its shortcomings ; the pressure of official duties to which the author was
new ; the constant influx of additional information at every stage in the progress
of the work, and the incident of a long and depressing illness as it was ap-
proaching completion ; but taking all this into account, it must be admitted that
Jervise docs not combine, with the assiduity of a most painstaking antiquary, the
skill and philosophy of an able historian. This much it may be necessary to
say, lest those who turn to his works in a critical spirit should deem his merits
over-rated. As a collector and recorder of antiquarian and historical facts,
Jervise stands almost unrivalled, and to anything higher he did not aspire. Yet
certain it is that when the genius appears who can write consecutively and philo-
sophically the history of Angus and the Mearns, he need not travel be}-ond the
confines of Jervise's volumes for the materials of his work.
The "Memorials of Angus and the Mearns" was, after many delays, pub-
lished in 1861 ; but for various reasons, some of which we have noticed, it did
not prove so popular a work as " The Land of the Lindsays." It was natural
that the author should estimate its value in proportion to the labour he had
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xlv
bestowed upon it ; and so judged it ought to stand much higher ; but, as he
himself admits, the Barons of 1296 had but few representatives in 1861, and the
interest in extinct families is too limited to awaken much desire to become ac-
quainted with their history. By the few who had this interest, the volume,
as well it might be, was highly valued. Among these was the Earl of Dal-
housie, to whom the work was dedicated. Its publication had the effect of deep-
ening the interest which his Lordship already took in the author, and of inducing
him to ask his assistance in filing and arranging the family papers in Panmure
Castle. Lord Lindsay also, who, as he had previously done on the publication of
" The Land of the Lindsays," paid for his subscription copies of the work in a
characteristically munificent fashion, expressed his warm interest in the book.
The literary and antiquarian labours in which Mr. Jervise engaged after the
completion of the "Memorials" were of a varied character. In 1862 he con-
tributed three papers to the Antiquarian Society — one on Earl's Hall, Fifeshire ;
one on the Pict's House at Corran ; and a valuable one on " Inscriptions on Old
Buildings." Much of his leisure must, however, have been given to his corre-
spondence on strictly antiquarian subjects, which was at this time very volumi-
nous. The Bishop of Brechin was engaged in the preparation of the " Kalendars
of Scottish Saints," and trusted mainly to Mr. Jervise for many particulars re-
garding them, especially local legends and traditions. Sir James Y. Simpson
was indefatigably prosecuting his inquiries regarding stone monuments and in-
scriptions, and laid on him the labour of giving descriptions and making sketches
of all that came under his notice in the wide district he now annually traversed.
Dr. Stuart also laid him under heavy contributions to the " Big Beuk," as he
termed " The Sculptured Stones of Scotland." To Jervise all these were labours
of love ; and while he took no little pride in being thus employed by these
leading authorities in archseology, their letters show how highly they valued his
services. Far from treating him as an antiquarian hack, they communicated with
him in terms of familiar friendship ; and while they put entire confidence in his
judgment and accuracy, they consulted him as one whose opinion was worth having
on all points of antiquarian interest that fell within his range. To Volume V.
of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Jervise contributed five papers,
the subjects being " A Cist at Arbroath," " The Cemetery of St. John Baptist at
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Hospital Field," " Note on Weem at Culsh, near Tarland," " Note on Weem at
Migvie," and " Note on Airlie Antiquities." In the following year he contributed
articles to the Hurley Hakin Antiquities ; and on the discovery of a circular
group of cinerary urns and human bones at Westwood, near Newport. But he
had now, in a great measure, returned to his first love — " his graveyard diggings,"
as he was wont to call them. In the wide district allotted to him as Examiner
of Registers, he had a splendid opportunity of indulging this taste, and he took
the fullest advantage of it.
It is evident that up to this time Jervise had not fully grasped the concep-
tion in accordance with which his " Magnum Opus," as he afterwards fondly
styled his " Epitaphs and Inscriptions," was ultimately shaped. The collection
of curious and quaint inscriptions and epitaphs seems still to have been the pre-
dominating idea. And for this purpose, not only did he examine every churchyaid
in his district ; he also diligently collected pubhshed works bearing on the subject
until he had gathered together a small library of thirty-two volumes, exclusively
devoted to epitaphs and inscriptions — a collection rarely equalled we imagine in
private hands at least. As one result of his gleanings about this period, he pub-
lished a brochure in 1864, titled " Inscriptions from the Burial-Grounds of
Brechin and Magdalene Chapel." This small publication, which was a reprint
from the Brechin Advertiser, included " lists of the donations to the poor ; curi-
ous signboards; popular local rhymes, &c. ;" and a Prefatory Note informed the
reader that, " should leisure permit, a Selection of Epitaphs — many of them older
and much more curious than those in this pamphlet — may be given to the public
at some after period. Besides Epitaphs from all the Burial-places in Angus and
the Mearns, the proposed Collection will include the more curious and interesting
in the North East of Scotland, as well as Inscriptions from Castles and Bridges,
Local Rhymes, &c."
In this Note we have, expressed in a general way, the territorial scope, so
to speak, of the work now contemplated by Jervise. But important as that
might be in one sense, it related rather to what was merely external or acci-
dental than to that which was essential in the character of the undertaking. " I
wish some of our genealogists could be induced to do for England what you
have done for Scotland," wrote Dr. Howard, honorary editor of the AlisceUaiKEa
MEMOIR OF THE A UTHOR. xlvii
Genealogica, subsequently to the publication of Volume I. of " Epitaphs and In-
scriptions." " The monumental inscriptions in our churchyards are rapidly disap-
pearing. People seem to forget that the democracy of one century become the
aristocracy of the next." The idea of laying the foundations of history broadly
and securely, by taking up the parishes systematically in detail, narrating the out-
standing ecclesiastical facts first, and then using the churchyard epitaphs and
general inscriptions as pegs on which to hang the chronicles of human life and
action relating to each localit}', was only gradually evolved in its completeness.
And yet it is the central, and by far the most valuable principle of the work.
Substantially the same idea regulated the compilation of " The Land of the
Lindsa)-s," and so far of the " Memorials" also, the difference being that, as ulti-
mately expanded and wrought out, it became at once of living personal interest
to a large part of the community ; whereas the earlier works were of interest
chiefly to antiquaries and the representatives of old families.
It was in 1868 that Jervise conclusively determined to publish a volume of
the Epitaphs and Inscriptions that he had collected. The papers in their first
rough cast appeared in the Montrose Standard, the author's intention being to
reprint from the newspaper type. When, however, about twelve sheets had been
thus prepared, it became evident from the amount of additional information of
value flowing in upon him from many quarters where his previous writings had
made his name known, that his first design was not sufficiently comprehensive.
He therefore cancelled those sheets, and recommenced on a new and enlarged
plan. Some twelve months had been spent in preparing materials and " copy" for
the printer with the view first adopted. And when he mentioned the whole cir-
cumstances, including the cancelling of the sheets, to one who had taken a warm
interest in the work, but had withheld his approval from the original plan, his
friend replied, " Well, whether the thing you have done is wise or not, I'm sorry
for the loss it must have caused you ;" to which Jervise's characteristic reply
was, " Oh, never mind ; you have some part of the blame of it yourself. Sir.
However, it '11 no brak' me." In writing to his friend, Mr. James Rettie, Aberdeen,
some years after, he thus quaintly refers to these cancelled sheets : — " I was at a
queer job yesterday. Having some little time on hand, I sent all the cancels of
last volume, also the MSS. of it, to the paper mill, and spent tlirce precious hours
xWiii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
putting these vwiiiiuiciits into oblivion ! I may, as well as you, be writing upon
the same paper some day. Who knows ? I wish I could find it in my heart to
do ditto with a host of other stuff which I feel sure I '11 never live to utilize."
Jervise may therefore be said to have begun to prepare for the actual
publication of the first volume of " Epitaphs and Inscriptions" only about the
month of Ma)-, 1869. From that date its progress was steady though very slow.
The author acted on the advice of Dr. Stuart, already recorded, not to hurry ;
and the prediction that information would come to him as the work went on
was fully verified. He had by this time become so well known and recognised
over a wide region as the leading authority on family genealogies, that all those
who had suggestions to make, or information to supply, were ready to communi-
cate with him, and in not a few cases even eagerly desirous of doing so.
The information thus supplied he subjected to the test of the enormous
amount of facts regarding families and individuals with which his memorj' was
now stored, or of which he had previous notes. Some of it he rejected as the pro-
duct of human vanity ; some he consigned to the pale of legend and tradition ;
but much of it he adopted as authenticated history ; and those who have had an
opportunity of forming an opinion of his decisions on these matters will admit
that they were singularly enlightened and judicious. So punctilious was he in
regard to matters of fact that it was no unusual thing with him to retain a
proof sheet for weeks or even months, till he had inquired at all likely sources
of information regarding its accuracy. A single instance may be given as an
illustration of what happened in many other cases : — An article on the parish of
Glengairn, in Aberdeenshire, was intended for the first volume. When the notice
originally appeared, copies of the newspaper containing it were sent to several
individuals likely to be possessed of accurate local knowledge of the parish.
New and interesting information was supplied, to which he gave effect in a re-
cast of the article. The new proofs he docqueted to be brought with him when
he paid his next official visit to the parish. Meantime his correspondents, set
upon the outlook for information, had been able to correct some of what they
had formerly supplied, and to add not a little new matter. To verify these par-
ticulars by personal observation entailed a delay of nearly a whole year. At
his next annual visit to the parish, he discovered that several other corrections
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xlix
and additions required to be made. One of the latter was of such a nature that
he desired to examine for himself some overlooked inscriptions situated in a
remote part of the parish many miles out of his usual course ; and for the
time required for this detour he had that year made no provision. It must,
therefore, wait still another year. When official duty again brought him to the
locality, he arranged for time to make an inspection of the inscriptions. As
the journey was not without a certain amount of characteristic adventure, we
give an account of it in the words of a friend who accompanied him : —
" Our projected excursion was far too long for the capabilities of Mr.
Jervisc's own steed and conveyance. We accordingly hired a four-wheeled
dog-cart. On my suggesting that a lighter conveyance would be more suit-
able for the road, as some parts of it were very steep, Mr. Jervise, with a
knowing expression of countenance, answered, ' Na, na ; tak' vny advice — never
trust yourself above only two wheels when the horse is hired.' Soon after I
heard him exacting from the hotel-keeper a solemn promise that he would
give us a sure-footed, strong-winded animal. Everything being now ready, we
took the road ; and as long as our course lay over the level turnpike all
went on well. But after a drive of ten miles our route lay over a moun-
tain ridge almost at right angles to the turnpike. The road which conducted
us in this direction was one of Marshal Wade's planning. The Marshal was
a great road engineer in his day and generation. The principle on which he
invariably acted in planning a road was the mathematical one — that a straight
line is the shortest distance from any one point to any other. Disregarding
the inequalities of the earth's surface, his lines of road, where possible, alwaj-s
took the shortest distance, and as there were no cuttings and no embank-
ments, the ascents and descents were frequent and steep. We were not long
in experiencing the inconvenience of these. Our steed had onl}- half sur-
mounted the first acclivity when he declined the remainder of it with such
headstrong determination that we very narrowly escaped an accident. By the
aid of a little timely coaxing, we were allowed to alight ; and by putting our
shoulders to the wheels we deceived the brute into the belief that he was' re-
lieved of all encumbrances. We then walked on before for some distance,
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
leaving the driver, who had got a bit of Jervise's mind for behoof of himself
and his master for giving us such an animal, to bring up the rear as he best
could. Congratulating ourselves on our escape, Jervise remarked, ' You see
now the use of four wheels ; had there been only two behind that brute when
he set in the brae, he would have tossed us down the hillside, and we would
probably have got our necks broken.' There was truth in the observation ; and
I complimented my friend on his precautionary measures. The incline was long
and steep, and when we had gained the top we were fain to await the arrival of
the conveyance. As we were about to remount, it was discovered that a travelling
rug had been dropped somewhere. Had we been travelling in his own convey-
ance such an accident would have been impossible, as it contained compartments
for the safe custody of all such articles, and they were always carefully put in
their right places. This was one of the inconveniences of hiring ; he could not
get secure places for his iinficdiinen/a. Jervise was not much of a pedestrian, and
I volunteered to go in search of the missing rug. On recovering it I was struck
with its costliness, and returned it to its owner with the remark, ' I don't wonder
that }'ou were anxious about that rug ; for it is a very handsome one.' ' Ay,
you may well say so,' said he, ' I would not have lost it for something ; it is a
gift from Lady Christian Maule.' We had yet a long way before us ; and ere
we gained the ridge of the hill, the sky became clouded, and a perfect hurricane,
mixed with drifting sleet, was down upon us. One sudden gust sent my hat
fl)'ing over the heather, while Jervise's, more secure, moored to his button-hole,
only danced off his head into his lap. He heartily enjoyed my scamper over the
moor in pursuit of my fugitive property. I could not help thinking that his en-
joyment partook a little of that satisfaction that one is apt to feel in a signal
display of superior wisdom. Be that as it ma)', I admired the cann}' Scotch
foresight with which he had armed himself against all untoward eventualities.
" We speedily descended the steep hillside, and drew up at an old mansion-
house, now tenanted by an aged gamekeeper. The building took Mr. Jervise's
fancy very much ; he would have liked to sketch it. ' It is,' said he, ' one of the
most characteristic samples of a laird's house of the last century I have ever
seen.' But instead of making a sketch of it, he spent every available moment
at his command in searching for a date or other inscription to indicate the period
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
of its erection. The examination of the mansion was not, however, the object
we had in view, but that of the family burying-ground, called an aisle, and situ-
ated on a low hillside, about a mile distant. To reach this, we had to traverse
some rough ground, climb several stone, dykes, and, lastly, find our way over
the containing wall. There was an iron gateway ; but no key had been in the
lock of it for half a century ; and no one knew where the key, if in existence, was
to be found. The kind-hearted and hospitable gamekeeper, therefore, shouldered
a ladder wherewith to scale the walls. Arrived in front of these, he applied the
ladder and mounted to the top. Jervise followed and stepped on to the coping-
stone, where he had to balance himself till the ladder was drawn up and planted
on the other side. He then descended, and found himself within the enclosure.
By a repetition of the same process, I also gained the interior, and the game-
keeper followed. Jervise was now in his element. The inscriptions, some of
which were very much decayed, were carefully copied ; and the gamekeeper's
knowledge of facts and traditions regarding the old family being duly noted, we
set out on our return journe\-. On our way we tried to connect together the
various items of information we had got ; but there were several links wanting
to complete a detailed account of the families commemorated. ' I will write to
Colonel iVI'D.,' said Jervise, ' and I think he will throw some light on these
matters.' Some months after he wrote me that he had received from Colonel
M"D. information which explained most things connected with the families com-
memorated on the tombstones in the R Aisle."
We have recorded the foregoing at some length as a sample of the trouble
and expense which Mr. Jervise was in the way of putting himself to in order to
obtain the fullest and most accurate information regarding the history of families
brought under his observation by graveyard inscriptions or epitaphs. To those
who knew how little Jervise, in his later years, was adapted constitutionally for
roughing it in the manner above narrated, it will be abundantly evident how
ardent must have been his desire to secure the most complete and accurate in-
formation before he could bring himself to encounter such difficulties.
All through the years 1869-74, Jervise went on working hard after the fashion
indicated. But not exclusively to the Epitaphs and Inscriptions did he confine
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
his attention. In addition to miscellaneous labours, literary and antiquarian, and
a voluminous correspondence, much of his leisure time at Brechin was, during
the earlier part of this period, occupied in the examination and filing of the
Panmure papers. When he was preparing his " Memorials of Angus and the
Mearns," Lord Dalhousie had given him free access to his charter room ; and it
was while exercising this liberty that Jervise became impressed with the value
of the Panmure papers as historical documents. In consequence of his represen-
tations, earnestly urged, his Lordship resolved to have the papers thoroughly
examined and regularly docqueted, and he at once entrusted the execution of
the task to Jervise himself And no better proof could be given of the con-
fidence reposed in him than the way in which Lord Dalhousie consulted his
personal convenience in the work on which he was engaged. For in addition to
access to the charter room, as required, his Lordship, with a measure of liberality
and kind consideration that could hardly have been exceeded, gave instructions to
have these valuable papers conveyed to his own house in Brechin, there to remain
so long as they might be required. " The bearer hereof," writes his Lordship's fac-
tor to Mr. Jervise, " will deliver to you ten tin boxes from the charter room at
Panmure, along with a bunch of kej's for said boxes, so far as I have them.
One of the boxes now sent I found I could not open ; so you must take means
to do so."
As the result of Jervise's examination of these papers, the year 1873 saw
the commencement of a work in which he took a very keen and deep interest.
He had discovered a collection of MSS., which he rightly judged were of great
historical value. And he pressed upon Lord Dalhousie the desirability of having
them competently edited and printed. It was some time before his Lordship
would consent ; but at length Mr. Jervise had the satisfaction of learning that he
had carried his point. The announcement, as related by Jervise himself, was
made in a somewhat characteristic fashion. Happening to join Lord Dalhousie
on a journey to I^dinburgh, a remark had been made as to the slow rate of
progress of the train. " Ah, but you don't know Jervise what a weight it carries !"
said his Lordship. "No, my Lord," said Jervise, "What does it carry?" "Why,
Sir," replied the Earl, " the whole weight of the Registrum de Panmure is on the
train. I have taken your advice, and I am on my way to place it in the hands
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. liii
of Dr. Stuart." Jervise was naturally delighted to hear this ; for it was his strong
opinion that the history of the Rebellion of 1715 would never be properly under-
stood till the revelations made in these papers were taken into account. But the
editing of them by Dr. Stuart was not a matter of mere satisfaction to him. He
had to put his hand to the work in the shape of supplying information regarding
a host of details. When the work was approaching completion, Dr. Stuart, who
had kept himself in close correspondence with Jervise during its progress, wrote
— " I am greatly obliged by your kind note, and notes on the Preface. I am
glad to find that the latter pleases you, because no one has such a right to give
an opinion ; and I have been working so long on it by myself that the over-
hauling by you is quite a comfort."* Before the work was quite finished. Lord
Dalhousie died (July 6th, 1874). He had interested himself much in its progress,
but he did not live to see it completed. A man of marked ability and distinct
literary tastes himself, his support had been readily accorded on all fit occasions to
several of the more distinguished Scottish antiquaries of the time ; and in him Mr.
Jervise lost his staunchest friend and his most influential patron.
The first volume of ''Epitaphs and Inscriptions," on which Jervise had expended
so much conscientious care and labour, was published in 1875. The reception it
met was exceedingly favourable. In addition to highly commendatory notices in
the leading Scotch newspapers, an appreciative critique appeared in the Sahd'day
Rcvieiv. Soon after its publication the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres wrote to
the author : — " I have read the introductory matter, and a good deal in many parts
of the volume, with very great pleasure and interest. It seems to me that you
have edited these curious and valuable sepulchral chronicles with as much felicity
as could possibly be attained in regard to such work — throwing all due light
upon the persons commemorated as regards themselves and the localities they
belong to. I hope you will give us in due time the remainder of your Collection."
* In a note to Mr. Jervise, dated August 5, 1874, Dr. Stuart refers to the completion of the work.
At date of writing he was in the "dead thraw with the Preface and other little niceties." At
the request of Lord Dalhousie's trustees, and for their information, he had sent in to the agent
a statement of progress, cost, &c., of the Registrum, and he adds, " I also reminded him that
Lord Dalhousie had employed you to arrange the papers — a work now in progress — and that
you had been most serviceable."
liv MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
But it is not given to man to enjoy unmixed happiness. And while all this,
with the hearty congratulations of many literary and antiquarian friends on the
undoubted success of his new volume, must have been highly pleasing to the author,
one voice whose note of praise would have been specially gratifying to him became
mute for ever about this very time. Perhaps none of Jervtse's friends had exercised
a more powerful or beneficial influence upon him than Bishop Forbes of Brechin,
and to none did he look up with equal respect. Their connection as literary and
antiquarian correspondents has already been mentioned. But the intimacy was one
of peculiar closeness. When the Bishop had written an article for one or other
of the quarterlies on any antiquarian subject, it was his habit to submit the
proof to Jervise for his suggestions and emendations. The readiness with which
such emendations were approved and adopted is indicated by such expressions as
these in the Bishop's letters — " One line to thank }-ou for your most valuable
criticisms. They are all great improvements ; and I now think the article may
fairly pass muster ;" or again, " I hope you will add anything that suggests it-
self to }'ou, in order to make it more interesting." The Bishop took his advice
and opinion on all local archaeological points. When he would go away in the
company of a friend, and " with a black neckcloth on," for a week of quiet holi-
day exploration, and desiring to be unknown in unvisited local parts, it is Jervise
he asks to chalk out his route for him ; and to him in another connection
and at another time he relates how he had travelled sixty miles with a gentleman,
previously one of his dearest friends, " without recognising him," on account of
his scandalous marital behaviour ; " a thing very uncommon with me, who am
given to be tender to sinners, especially when their backs are at the wall," adds
the Bishop ; only in this instance his righteous indignation had been too strongly
roused to admit of any softer feeling having place. And on his part Jervise in-
variably spoke and wrote of the Bishop, as. not less an ornament to Christi-
anity than to literature and archeology. It is, therefore, with a feeling of very
peculiar interest that we find the worthy Bishop, at a date considerably earlier
than that of the letter just referred to, pained by the thought that there was
something in his friend's attitude of seeming indifference toward certain of the
ordinances of religion, which interposed a barrier to that thorough community of
sentiment which he desired to exist between them ; and that the sense of duty
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
in the matter has gained in strength till he is at last constrained to write directly
to him on the subject. Nothing could be more gentlemanly or more Christian than
the terms in which he does so, as his letter, which may here be given, will show : —
My dear Mr. Jervise,
I am going to ask you to do me a favour ; and that is to accept the little volume
that accompanies this.
I wish I could say all that I feel of regard and respect for you ; but that very regard and
respect makes me feel very strongly that we are not at one on the most iinportant of all sub-
jects— that which concerns our immortal welfare in the world of spirits.
I can well understand that the aspect of the clashing sects in Scotland, and the consequent
low tone of religious life, might well disgust a mind such as yours. But, on the other hand,
surely we are not to take Christianity only as it is e.\hibited in the few who surround us. Surely
what has been of such use on earth so long, must have a Divine original and mission ; and if
so, surely we should follow it studiously. I do not judge any man, except those over whom I
am placed ; but I cannot think that a life that ignores the Word and Sacraments can be a
complete one. You are too good and too wise to act from thoughtlessness. I should not, on
the other hand, like to think that you had deliberately determined against them.
Will you pardon this too plain speaking. I do it, as you well know, from the esteem and
friendship which I have so long entertained for you, and which has been such a pleasant in-
gredient in my life in this uncongenial town.
Believe me.
Most truly yours,
ALEX. FORBES,
Bishop of Brechin.
Dundee, Feb. 18/73.
We are unable to give the terms in which Jervise replied to the very serious
and faithful counsels of the Bishop ; but one thing at least is certain, that, so far
from regarding the letter as cause of offence, or allowing it to alienate his affec-
tions from the writer, his regard and respect for Bishop Forbes only became
deeper and more sincere as time went on. And while the conduct of the
Bishop reflects the highest credit on his character as a Christian minister, the
delicacy of his feeling as a gentleman is equally suggested by what directly
follows. For, as if afraid that what he had said might after all be construed
as savouring of priestly arrogance, he hastens in the very next note to give Jervise
Ivi MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
a cordial invitation to dinner. In some of his subsequent letters, the Bishop,
without again referring directly to the subject on which he had spoken so point-
edly, brings the deeper question of personal religion indirectly under the consider-
ation of his correspondent by allusions to what he considered his own duty in
respect to that solemn matter. And while Jervise's habitually reticent habit of
mind would not have admitted of his disclosing to any one what impression Bishop
Forbes's counsels had produced upon him, some of his more intimate friends did
not fail to mark in his later daj-s an increased respect for religious ordinances,
both in his letters and conversation. When the Bishop closed his earthly
career, on 8th October, 1875, Jervise mourned his death with deeper feeling than
was due to a mere literary friend ; and in writing thereafter to Mr. James Rettie,
on December 2nd, 1875, he says : —
I was much gratified by receiving a note the day before last from one of the executors of
my late excellent friend the Bishop of Brechin, informing me that a memorandum had been found
among the Bishop's papers, in his own hand, by which he leaves me as a souvenir of his friend-
ship, Palgrave's History of Normandy, a line head of Dante, and a drawing of his own church
of St. Paul's, Dundee.
You will guess better than I can tell you how deeply I feel this very kind remembrance of
the good Bishop, and how deeply I shall cherish it. Nothing could have been more appropri-
ate or more considerate. What a noble type he was ; and how sorely I shall miss him when
I revisit Dundee (if I am spared to do so)!
Letters to others show that as the time came statedly round for subsequent
official visits to Dundee, the feeling of loss was always as keenly realised as it
had been here anticipated would be the case.
The issue of Volume I. of " Epitaphs and Inscriptions" was limited to 250
copies, which were rapidly taken up, though the subscription price for ordinary
copies was as high as 32s. ; and before it had been a couple of years pub-
lished, the Volume had been sold at ^^4, and even ^5 and upwards. The work was
inscribed " to the memory of three departed friends — Patrick Chalmers of Aldbar,
Esquire, Joseph Robertson, LL.D., and Professor Cosmo Innes — by the Author ;"
and in his notice in the body of the work of the graveyard of Leochel-Cushnie,
where Dr. Robertson's father and mother lie buried, he takes occasion to pay a
full and touching tribute to the memory of that eminent Scottish antiquary.
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Ivii
Soon after the publication of the volume, Jervise made arrangements for going
on with Volume II. The first of the draft papers appeared in the columns of
the Aberdeen Free Press, on 20th March, 1876, others following in regular succes-
sion at the rate of one per week. A running Note was prefixed under the title of
the papers inviting corrections and fresh information, as had been the case latterly
with the previous series, and so widely had the author's purpose become known by
this time that the number of private communications sent him in response to his
invitation was very considerable indeed. The really useful new material thus ob-
tained, though occasionally important, did not bulk largely. Extensive additions
and alterations were, however, made by himself before re-setting the types for
final publication. Writing to his friend and fellow antiquary, A. Laing, Esq.,
LL.D., of Newburgh, Fife, author of the "History of Lindores Abbey," on March 6,
1876, he says, " I am busy as a button-maker preparing copy for the printer, of
my next volume, and hope to have proofs of the first part of it this week. It
will be entirely confined to the N.E. I mean to give 'The Kingdom' a Volume
to itself But when ?" From the date mentioned the work went steadily, if slowly,
on till, by the death of the author, it could no longer have the advantage of his
supervision. The duty of seeing the remaining sheets through the press fell upon
Mr. James Anderson, M.A. And it is not out of place here to say that, if some-
what less complete as they stand than Mr. Jervise would have made them had
he been spared to see the work issued to the public, the whole of the papers,
for the latter part of the present volume, were fully arranged and in a very ad-
vanced state of preparation ; a large amount of less fully digested material having
also been collected for the two volumes that the author had meant to follow.
From the outlines now given, a fairly just idea will, it is hoped, be obtained of
both the extent of Andrew Jervise's literary work and his method of working. But
a very imperfect picture of his life in this phase of it would be presented if we
failed to make note of what may be styled his miscellaneous literary and archae-
ological employments. In addition to continuous correspondence with his fellow
antiquaries, he had a host of other correspondents who sought information and
advice, or assistance, on all manner of subjects. One day he is consulted by a
landed proprietor as to the wills and charters, or the genealogy, of his family ; the
next a burgh official seeks to have his opinion on the merits of a certain alleged
Iviii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
burghal right of obscure origin ; and another civic official anon desires him to
relieve his mind of perplexity as to the authorship of the couplet :—
My name it is little Jock Elliot,
And wha daur meddle wi me ?
Clergymen apply to him for information regarding old tiends and the like (at
times also a member of the cloth seeks a judicious hint concerning an eligible
vacant charge) ; and ecclesiastical historians ask for excerpts from Records of
Synods, Presbyteries, and Kirk-Sessions. A gentleman of Scotch extraction writes
him from New York, requesting to be kindly furnished with a history of his an-
cestors ; and not a few nearer home ply him diligently for aid in making out
family pedigrees from materials that are scanty in amount, and more or less
mythical in character. Nor is this all in the same line of investigation ; for in
at least one instance his genealogical skill is actually desired to be put to the test
of instituting a formal inquiry to establish the doctrine that no animal of the
black polled breed of cattle can have a pure pedigree; his ingenious friend in this
case being, of course, interested in the cultivation of a different breed ! His cor-
respondents, moreover, were as widely different in rank as the subjects of their
inquiries were varied in character, ranging from the Archbishop of Canterbury to
John Milne, "the poet of Livet's Glen;" and while he could not fail to enjoy a
quiet chuckle over the samples of egregious personal vanity that were occasion-
ally thrust before him ; or to be provoked to the utterance of a caustic remark
upon the unconscionable coolness with which, for frivolous purposes, or to serve
some purely private end, he was at times asked to give gratuitous service, costing
no little labour, and where not the slightest obligation on his part had been
incurred, his patient courtesy and readiness to oblige, as unmistakeably evidenced
by his general correspondence, were equally manifested to all, unless very strong
reasons to the contrary existed.
But there were yet other claims upon his time and service. We find the
Directors of the Ordnance Survey repeatedly consulting him in detail concerning
sites of ancient castles, boundaries, and other topographical particulars in the dis-
tricts which he had so distinctively made his own. A certain class of publishers
and aspirant authors availed themselves of his sources of special and exclusive in-
formation with great freedom ; and though he could on fit occasion keenly resent
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Ux
and unhesitatingly denounce anything that looked to him like an attempt at
literary piracy, or the like, he did not readily get restive under their occasion-
ally rather exorbitant requests and exactions. " The Picturesque Guide to
Scotland," issued by Messrs. A. & C. Black, Edinburgh, who had published his
" Angus and Mearns," was, by arrangement, repeatedly revised by him in the parts
with which he was specially conversant, including Forfar and Aberdeen shires ; and
it was no perfunctory revision, for he made very considerable additions and emen-
dations. And it is a somewhat singular circumstance, and one not unworthy of
notice here, that, though he left in MS. very complete notes on the antiquities of
his native county, articles on Forfarshire and the town of Forfar prepared by him
for that firm's great work, the EncyclopcEdia Brittanica, were lost to the public ;
in the first instance through their reaching the publishers too late for the eighth
edition (issued 1852-60) ; and next through his own death having occurred
before the ninth edition had reached the stage at which they were required,
though Messrs. Black had intimated to him their desire that he should have
them revised and in readiness for it.
The leading consideration with Jervise in his communications, whether for
purely private or more general purposes, always was the probability of the in-
formation asked serving useful ends. Satisfied of that, he grudged no trouble,
and exhibited no churlishness, in supplying all he could, by almost whomso-
ever asked. A distant correspondent whom he had never seen, and who admits
that he had no claim upon him, closes his concluding communication by very
courteously apologising for troubling him with so many merely personal details ;
and he adds, " I can only plead on my behalf the great kindness which per-
vades your letters, and the impression which I have formed that you sympathise
with me in my wishes, and would willingly assist me to the extent of your
power in their accomplishment." And this is the feeling that very generally pre-
vailed among his correspondents. On Jervise's part, the animating sentiment,
especially where his correspondent had any shade of the antiquary in him, was
fairly expressed in the words he addressed to another, who had also written him
apologetically : — " You need not apologise for asking me for anything. It is a
real pleasure to me when I am able to give a hint or do anything for the
' craft,' although the most I can do is but a drop at best." In giving informa-
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
tion he never affected the pompously authoritative style ; but spoke simply as
one willing to be useful to the extent of his knowledge ; and equally willing where
he felt it right to do so to j'ield his opinion to those better qualified to speak. In
replying, for example, to a Dundee correspondent, who had consulted him as to
the proper arms for a certain shield, he first gives his opinion plainly, and then
adds, " but I am quite sure you will get much more valuable information upon
the subject nearer your own door, viz., from either Bishop Forbes or Rev. Mr.
Lingard Guthrie, both of whom are 'superior heralds,' so to speak;" and similar
instances were of common occurrence. And while thus ready to communicate
of his stores for all legitimate ends, Jervise was no inappreciative or ungrateful
recipient of any useful information that might be communicated to him. Gather-
ing from all available sources, he accepted it readily if suitable for his purposes
and to be relied upon ; and it was by pure oversight alone if he in any case failed
fully and frankly to acknowledge his obligation for what he received from others.
From the date of his appointment as Examiner till the end, Mr. Jervise may
be said to have been comparatively little off his official beat. His untiring in-
dustry in the prosecution of his favourite studies so filled up his spare weeks at
Brechin, that long holiday tours were of very infrequent occurrence. In 1857 he
made " a jaunt from Edinburgh to London and some other parts of England," and
with his wonted desire to turn his observations to useful account, was at pains to
write out in the form of " Random Letters" full notes of what chiefly attrac-
ted his attention. In 1858, in addition to his own official work, he acted as
Examiner of Registers for the counties of Argyle and Bute, the Examiner of
that District being unable to perform the duties, and was gratified at the oppor-
tunity thus obtained of gaining a knowledge of the topography and archaeology of
that region ; and in the early summer of 1877, we find him visiting Paris, where
the spirit of the artist seems to have been somewhat strongly revived within him.
It may have been in part the recollection of his own aspirations and endeavours
in the province of art that made him look with such keen interest on the French
art students he saw at work. At any rate their facility in drawing struck him
greatly — " It was quite a treat," he wrote and said, " to see how mere boys
of the humblest ranks in society could copy a painting in the Picture Galleries."
What he saw convinced him that in this country such studies are not begun
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Ixi
sufficiently early ; and he was quite ready, in regard to this and several other
matters, to subscribe to the dictum that " they manage these things better in
France." Altogether Paris, and its varied sights, pleased him much ; and in nar-
rating some of the incidents of his visit and return, he writes : —
I bought some books, as usual ; bargains, I think. In London, ditto, and among the latter
six or eight original wood engravings (some large) of Albert Durer ; and one at least of the
greater part of the most illustrious of his successors down to the present time— one quite in my
eyes a gem and a treasure. Whether it will be looked upon as such at the roup (when the day
comes, and come it must) is another story ; and I hope I '11 not see the result.
On his return from Paris, Mr. Jervise again entered on his official duties and
antiquarian labours with renewed vigour. His holiday had braced him for work
for the time at least, and he at once resumed his old habits of steady unremit-
ting application. Before many weeks had passed he was called upon to mourn
the loss of another distinguished and valued friend, whose unexpected decease,
as several of his letters show, made a deep impression upon him. After a brief
illness Dr. John Stuart, of the General Register House, Edinburgh, with whom
he had been so much associated in important antiquarian and literary work, died
at Ambleside, on 19th July, 1877. Jervise received the melancholy intelligence,
while in Buchan on official dut}% without being in the least prepared for it ; and
writing under date '" Strichen, 22nd July," to Mr. James Rettie, he says : —
Is not this sad news about poor Dr. Stuart ? I wrote him this day week, and hoped to
have heard from him on Thursday ; but, alas ! the cause of delay has been of such a nature
as no one could have anticipated, and such as may be the fate of any of us to-morrow. He
is the last of those good men — Cosmo Innes, and Joseph Robertson, &c. — that I used to meet
at Mr. Patrick Chalmers's of Aldbar. Mr. Chalmers was the first to depart himself ; and now
(including Billings) they are all gone. Mr. Worsaae, the Dane, is the only man of kindred spirit
that I met there, who is now alive, and him I only saw once.
In referring to the same subject a few days later, in a note to Dr. Laing, he
adds : —
The last time I saw Dr. Stuart was on my return from Paris. He did not feel well. Our
long intimacy allowed him to speak over matters to me pretty freely. . . . However,
he is now away, and others must follow ; but I question very much if any one contemporary
name will live so long as his, whether viewed in the light of a thoroughly honest worker, or as
one that was ready to assist when asked by kindred spirits. My present resting-place is much
Ixii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
too distant from Edinburgh for me to think of attending his funeral ; but I know this, that there
will be no one there that has a greater respect for his memory, and few that knew more of him
— thirty odd years is a long time to be acquainted.
It was to be the last official year for Jervise himself; and it was now well
within the twelve months when his own time should come. According to his annual
custom, he finished his work in the northern rural parishes early in August ; and
then, after a short breathing time in Brechin, had gone on with his autumn
examination in the landward parishes of Fifeshire and elsewhere. When 1878
has just opened, he states that he had finished his year's official work " on the
last Friday of the year," so that he had not had much leisure to do anything at
the literary work he had chiefly at heart. " But as the printers are close upon
me," he adds, " it will take every spare moment while here to prepare MS. for
them. Being so much from home and books. I am at a great disadvantage, and
the work must necessarily suffer." This is written from Brechin to Dr. Laing,
and dated 7th January. On loth February he is again " at work," as he tells
Mr. Rettie, and will be so in the locality of Brechin till the end of the succeed-
ing week. And referring to the " absurdly high price" fetched by a copy of his
"Epitaphs" recently sold, he says — "when I get through with what I have in
hand (if I live to do so), I half intend to reprint the first Volume to the extent
of 200 copies, so as to allow the set to be made up." By the beginning of
March he was in Dundee, and almost immediately was seized with a depressing
influenza cold, against which a physical frame, the vital power of which had been
reduced by repeated attacks of rheumatic fever, could ill bear up, and which con-
fined him to his lodgings for ten days. Having got over the attack, though his
strength was by no means very perfectly recovered, he went on persistently with
his official work, and had completed his examination of the Registrars' books in
the town districts, when his illness returned and in a more serious form. When the
grave nature of the attack was seen, the services of both Dr. Maclagan, Dundee,
and of his own physician, Dr. Mackie of Brechin, were obtained ; but after a few
days' suffering, he died on 12th April, 1878, the cause of death being disease of
the heart.
Our task in the preparation of this brief Memoir is now completed ; and it
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Ixiii
only remains in a few sentences to advert very generally to some of the out-
standing features in the life of which we have endeavoured to give an outline.
In one, and a very real sense the materials for a biographical notice of Andrew
Jervise arc but scanty. His early history, distinctive enough in a way, formed
after all but an individual item in
The short and simple annals of the poor,
which in the aggregate constitute no bulky record ; and at no period of his life does
he seem to have kept copies of his letters to others. These, in his maturer years,
were prevailingly on subjects of general antiquarian interest, and but rarely in-
deed bore on his personal history or personal experiences in other than a quite
incidental way. And it is a fact to be regretted that while carefully and impar-
tially filing up the letters of others, whatever their tenor as affecting his own
opinions or feelings might be, he appears to have systematically destroyed such
of his own old letters as came into his possession. And thus when, after the
death of Alexander Laing, all the poet's papers were given over to him to sift
and use at discretion, no part seems to have been more relentlessly consigned to
the flames than the letters written by himself to his early friend and counsellor,
at a time when the aspirations of youth would naturally have been finding their
freest utterance, and in this way disclosing in a fresh and vivid manner the inner
spirit of the man. Those who knew Mr. Jervise, on even the most intimate foot-
ing, later in life, know that personal intercourse, however pleasant and genial it
might be, never led him into that sort of unreserved retrospective vein which
in some instances will induce a man to go back in detail on the story of his life.
Toward autobiography, especially autobiography of a subjective cast, he very clearly
had no bent.
Looking at the facts of his life, however, as we have them, it is impossible
to avoid being at once struck with the resolute perseverance and marvellous in-
dustry that distinguished Andrew Jervise at every stage of his history. At a very
early age, indeed, he seems to have been instinctively drawn toward that field of
antiquarian inquiry in the cultivation of which so large a part of his time, first
and last, was to be spent. And from the earliest time we hear of him acting
consciously in the matter, this characteristic of plodding diligence in the acqui-
Ixiv MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
sition of relative facts and information is apparent. His own words at a
long subsequent stage were, that in his schoolboy time the " hoary ruins" in the
Land of the Lindsays presented such peculiar charms as, against all other con-
siderations, served to make him a truant. When he had left school, the same
tastes and habits continued ; and during the years in which he followed the occu-
pation of a compositor, as apprentice and journeyman, we find in addition —
first, an immense amount of literary effort of a general kind ; crude, perhaps, for
the most part as concerns results, yet earnest ; and by the mere bulk produced
necessarily occupying a large part of all his possible leisure time. And it is not
too much here to offer the remark that, though Jervise was so far fortunate in
the counsels and advice of Alexander Laing, those who have themselves enjoyed
all the benefits that educational training can give, can but ill form an idea of
the great disadvantage under which a youth .labours who, like him, is compelled
to struggle for bread, while debarred from regular means of instruction, and with
but limited access to books. And any printer's boy now has opportunities at
command in these respects which in Jervisc's early time were unknown. Then,
further on, when art is taken up, he is for the time being its not less earnest
devotee. He entered on its pursuit with enthusiasm. For ten or twelve years it
engrossed the main part of his time and effort ; and the thing not least to be
admired, perhaps, is that when the pecuniary results from that, as from every
other source," were poor indeed, his diligence abated no jot.
Of Jervise as an artist we have spoken only in the most general way. The
precise causes of his failure as a painter — for it may be put almost thus plainly —
we do not profess to estimate with anything like technical exactitude. Of painters
it is, we imagine, to a large extent true, that they too are born, not made. And
while, in the singularly brilliant career of his colour teacher, Thomas Duncan, who
before taking to art was bred to the duties of a writer's clerk in Perth, Jervise had
as apt an illustration of this as could well be found, it is quite conceivable that that
very career, as known to him, may have formed no small incentive towards his
seeking distinction in the artist's walk. But sheer industry and application were not
sufficient to enable him, even with the hardest labour, to realise what innate faculty
alone could give. Though he had attained considerable freedom and facility of
hand in drawing, and in some of his sketches exhibited a very fair measure of
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
power, he never attained to the ease and certainty of execution of the real artist.
But it was, perhaps, quite as much in lack of feeling for colour as in defect in the
use of the pencil that his real deficiency lay. Be all that as it may, his principal
pictures, including one or two genre subjects that are to be seen in the Brechin
Mechanics' Institution ; and portraits of his mother and aunt, Mrs. Gray, evi-
dently executed with loving care, were the products of conscientious labour
according to his own conceptions of art. And in judging the work of others,
this was very much the test he sought to apply. His criticisms of pictures or
statuar>' might be described as on the whole severe. Anything indicating slim-
ness of work or mere technical trickery, however clever, was at once condemned
in the plainest terms ; and on no point did he more strenuously insist than that
the figure subjects as depicted should be "anatomically correct" — the painter
who, before venturing to represent a horse on the canvas, should take the trouble to
dissect an animal of that species, would have received his full commendation.
Yet it would not unfrequentlj- happen that a caustic criticism of the work of
some living artist, who might have failed in satisf\-ing his ideals, would wind up
with the remark, " but it 's easier to find fault with than to do these points cor-
rectly," or some similar observation.
As an antiquary, we have seen that the first aspirations of Jervise's boyhood
were unmistakably in the direction of archaeological exploration ; and after the
arts of the printer and the painter had failed him, he returned with undiminished
earnestness to the same line of study and investigation. As Examiner, he took
full advantage of the opportunities that the performance of his official duties
brought him, in furnishing contributions to the Society of Antiquaries as well as
in advancing his own works. It was in this field that he evidently felt himself
in his real element, working freely and without restraint, finding it not labour but
real enjoyment ; the follower of no one, but the master in his own department.
All his life long the instinct of the book collector was a pronounced charac-
teristic of Jervise. He had in large measure the faculty of scenting out odd
volumes or MS. of literary or antiquarian value in out-of-the-way places ; and so
early as the time of his making acquaintance with Mr. Chalmers of Aldbar, he
had become the possessor of books which that accomplished antiquary found it use-
ful to borrow. And the work of collection, as already indicated, went on to the
kvi MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
last. His range as a collector was extensive. For while he bought freely in the
field of Scottish antiquarian history, and in that of art subjects — the heavy invoices
for books occasionally to hand, leads him to speak of his growing taste in that
way as "quite a craze" — he collected industriously in various other directions.
His collection of Poetry, Ballads, and Songs, especially Broadside Ballads — not a
few of them rare and curious — and local rhymes, for example, was probably
unique of its kind ; and his Library, as a whole, was one of the largest and
most valuable accumulated by any single collector of moderate means in Scotland
in recent times.
Of Andrew Jervise, in the more private and personal aspects of his character,
various indications have been given. To those who knew him superficially, or
who had in any way roused his prejudices, the impression at times conveyed by
his direct and decisive manner was that of ." snellness." Nor was that quality
altogether wanting when occasion called for it. But the central and predominant
characteristics were far different. Combined with a measure of reserve, which no
one might hope to penetrate further than he chose to open the way, there were
abiding fidelity and strong filial as well as social instincts. His regard for and
attachment to his mother, by whom he was survived for only a few months, were
very marked ; and in the case of a more demonstrative person, might have been
described as even touching. And in this connection it is interesting to find him so
early as 1847, while still struggling for a bare subsistence, insuring his life for ;£^ioo,
in order that she might in any event be to some extent provided for. Then in
July, 1855, directly on receiving intimation that an Examinership was open to him,
he takes out an additional policy for ;^200 ; and three years after completes the
provision for his mother by purchasing for her a bond of annuity for ^^30. In
the widow of his early friend, Alexander Laing, he continued to the end to
take a close and kindly interest. One of his last duties, before leaving Brechin
for Dundee for the last time, was to call upon her at her own cottage. The
words of the venerable octogenarian, in narrating the circumstance, after dwelling
at some length on the time, forty odd years byegone, but still so vividly present to
her, when Jervise as an apprentice boy had gone out and in to her dwelling, will
best indicate the light in which the visit was viewed. " Ay, an' as he turn't an'
gaed awa, fan' his back was to me, I thocht ' Eh, but Andrew 's growin' an auld-
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Ixvii
like man himsel'.' An' noo," she added with an unconscious pathos that was
affecting in its earnest simpHcity, " I '11 no be lang ahint him." The incident,
simple as it is, reveals more of the genuine heart of the man than any general
statement however elaborate could. But, indeed, as Jervise's correspondence suf-
ficiently proves, the case of the widow and fatherless, as it came under his notice,
never failed to enlist his strong sympathy, and to command his ready practical
aid.
The general friendships he formed, as has been already said, were steadfast
as well as numerous. Their range was wide, if not in the most complete sense
catholic. Though not unprepared to accord to rank its due recognition, social
distinctions counted for little with Jervise, where other elements of real considera-
tion came in ; and where he believed he had found solid merit, in ■\\-hatcver
station, he had no scruple in putting himself in hearty sympathy with its pos-
sessor. Though essentially conservative in his leanings, political feeling did not
materially warp his judgments of men ; and no one more fully commanded his
honest admiration all through than the distinguished Liberal nobleman to whom
lie owed his official appointment. Though avowedly subscribing to the doctrine
that " an ounce o' mither wit is worth a pun' o' clergy," his intimacy with eccle-
siastical persons was very great. And in all the circumstances it is a little curi-
ous to find his leaning churclnvani, in the sense of a distinctive ecclesiasticism, so
pronounced as it was ; and the feeling, perhaps, swayed him at times to the ex-
tent of more or less prejudicing him against estimable ministers in the non-con-
formist ranks, with whom he would have found himself very much in sympathy
had he come really to know them.
To those who did not know him personally, the portrait of Mr. Jervise, by his
friend Patrick Allan Fraser, Esq., H.R.S.A., of Hospitalfield, Arbroath (engraved by
T. O. Barlow, Esq., A.R.A.), which forms the frontispiece to Volume I. of " Epitaphs
and Inscriptions," will convey a very fair impression of his features, and the st}-le
of his physique. Physically, as well as mentally, he seemed to have taken distinctly
after his mother, Jean Chalmers He was of middle height, with compact well-
set figure ; and his whole bearing and manner betokened quiet decision and firm-
ness of purpose. As already indicated, the tear and wear of life, combined with
repeated illnesses of a severe kind, had considerably impaired his constitution ;
Ixviii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
and he latterly looked more than the age he really was. And though, as there
seems fair reason to believe, death did not overtake him without some more or
less consciously felt premonitions, his decease may be described as untimely, in
so far at least as it left uncompleted the work on which he had specially set his
heart ; and which, although partly prepared for, it will be no easy task for an-
other now to take up and carry through to the extent he had contemplated.
The literary productions of Mr. Jervise, including his papers contributed to
the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, which form a very long list, and
a few other papers prepared for Society publications, have been generally men-
tioned. But it may be convenient here to enumerate in order the publications
separately issued by him. With the exception of " The Land of the Lindsays,"
" Memorials of Angus and the Mearns," and " Epitaphs and In.scriptions," they
might all be classed as simple essays or monographs. Some of them had been
originally delivered in lecture form ; and while one or two had been issued
oftener than once, the dates of the completer editions of these are given in the
following Note : —
I. — Sketches of the History and Traditions of Glenesk, 1852
2. — The Land of the Lindsays, 1853
3. — Sketch of the History and Antiquities of the Mearns (A Lecture), . . . 1858
4. — Glamis : Its History and Antiquities (A Lecture), i86r
;. — Memorials of Aii^us and the Mearns, 1861
6. — Inscriptions from the Shields or Panels of the Incorporated Trades in the
Trinity Hall, Aberdeen, 1863.
7. — Inscriptions from the Burial Grounds of Brechin and Magdalene Chapel : Also,
Lists of Donations to the Poor ; Curious Signboards, Popular Local Rhymes,
&c., with Notes, Historical and Biographical, 1S64.
8. — Epitaphs and Inscriptions from Burial Grounds and Old Buildings in the North
East of Scotland, Vol. I., 1875.
„ Do. Do., Vol. II., 1879.
His deed of settlement is dated 24th June, 1877, to which he added two
codicils, dated 2nd March, 1878. After providing for special legacies and certain
annuities (one of the annuitants being his mother, who died on 7th August, 187S,
aged 84), he directs that the whole residue of his estate, except the house and
garden in Chanonry Wynd, Brechin, shall be divided into eight equal parts, among
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Ixix
the following institutions, viz. : — (i) Fund for Relief of Indigent Gentlewomen ;
(2) Aged Letterpress Printers, and (3) Industrious Blind, all of Scotland ;
(4) Edinburgh Industrial School ; (5) Brechin Infirmary ; (6) The Foundation of
Two Scholarships, under patronage of the Magistrates and Town Council cf
Brechin, for a boy and girl, respectively between nine and twelve years of age,
educated at some school in Brechin, children of deceased parents and widows
having preference, and those of parents having an annual income of £'ji, and up-
wards being excluded ; (7) the Scottish Society of Antiquaries and the Royal
Scottish Academ}' of Painting, equal])-, the annual interest of the share falling
to the former to be awarded to the writer, not a Fellow of the Society, of the
best paper (illustrated) upon objects of pre-historic antiquity in any part of
Scotland, under conditions to be announced by the Society. In like manner,
the Ro)-al Scottish Academy shall bestow the annual proceeds of its share in
one or more prizes to the most deserving student or students, male or female,
in either of the arts of painting, sculpture, architecture, wood engraving, or etch-
ing ; (8) Brechin Mechanics' Institution, for prizes to be awarded to apprentices
in the mechanical arts for papers on the history, rise, and progress of the busi-
ness or profession in which the writers are employed. And all these bequests to
be distinguished by the name of the " Chalmers-Jervise Bequests."
The final and, perhaps, most characteristic provision of the Will is in these
words : — " Lastly, that the house and garden property in Chanonry Wynd of
Brechin, which I bought from Lord Dalhousie for the sole purpose of preventing
any building being erected within the same that would in any way obstruct the
view of the grand Round Tower and west end of the Church and Steeples, shall
be made over by my trustees, or trustee, to the Magistrates and Town Council
and heritors of the town and parish of Brechin, for the express purpose of being
feued out by them as a private burial-ground, or let for garden ground, and
under these restrictions, viz., that all monies arising from the let or sale of
o-round shall become the property of the Managers of the Infirmary of Brechin,
and be devoted towards the maintenance of that Institution ; providing always
that the ground be kept in excellent order ; and that the burial-place of my
mother and m}-self in the New Cemetery be dressed neatly twice a year, on or
as near as ma\- be after the first of Ma}- and the 27th of September,"
Ixx
MEMOIR OF THE A UTHOR.
The remains of the mother and son are deposited in the recently laid out
portion of the Brechin New Cemetery, close by the centre opening in the division
wall. The spot is marked by a monumental stone of grey granite, of which the
general design was sketched by Andrew Jervise himself; and he even out-
lined the very forms of the letters which he desired to be cut thereon, leaving
simply the dates of two deaths to be filled in by his friend, Mr. J. W. Lego-e,
sculptor, Aberdeen, to whom, by his express directions, the execution of the work
was entrusted. The inscription on the monument runs thus : —
JEAN CHALMERS, born 26th Sept., 1794, died 7th Aug., 1878. Her son, ANDREW
JERVISE, F.S.A., one of H.M.'s Registration Examiners, Scof"' author of Memorials of Angus
and the Mearns, and other works, born 2Sth July, 1820. died 12th April, 1S78. Both are here
interred.
I fL(f'.U-L5!'U-4-^-=--
EPITAPHS AND INSCRIPTIONS.
l^'^=!.^
■'-ry
E
PITx\PHS
& I
NSCRIPTIONS
BURIAL GROUNDS and OLD BUILDINGS,
WITH ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES.
— i-CAaF^5flfcft=JC>T-
3uf I) tcr l)ousc.
(S. MARY, VIRGIN.)
THE church of Ochtlrhouse was a vicarage
in the diocese of Dunkeld, and is
valued (Archreologia, xvii. 245), at £8 Scots.
In Theiner (116) it is rated at 10s., under the
name of " Hugchus," which seems to he an
ahhreviated form of " Hwuctj^ruus," the sur-
name of the earliest recorded landholder of
the district.
This was William of Ilwuctyruus, who was
sheriff of Forfar in 1245 — an office which was
hereditary, and went along with the lands of
Auchterhouse. It also appears (as kindly
brought under my notice by Dr. Eamage, of
Wallace Hall, Dumfries-shire, author of a
valuable work, entitled " Drumlanrig and the
Douglasses,") that William of Huchtirhus
witnesses a charter by Alex. II., dated at
Forfar, 7th July, 1247, by which the king gave
Anselem of Camelyne the lands of Inuerlunane,
in Angus, in excambiou for those of Bridburgh,
in Nithsdale (Book of Caerlaverock, ii. 405).
VOL. II. (Second Series).
In 1426-7, about which time Sir Walter
Ogilvy of Wester Powrie married the heiress
of Eamsay of Auchterhouse, and acquired the
jiroperty and hereditary sherifi'ship of Angus,
he founded and endowed two chaplaincies
within the church of Auchterhouse. At a
later date these foundations in " St. Marie
Kirk in Ochterhous," were enriched by their
son. Sir Alex. Ogilvy, who made a grant of
10 merks yearly out of the lands of Kirktown
of Essy and Keilour, and 10 merks out of
those of Carcary in Farnell {MS. Notes vf
Scuttish Charter.) It was the daughter and
heiress of the last-mentioned knight that car-
ried the lands of Auchterhouse and the sheriff-
ship of Angus, about 1466, to James Stewart,
afterwards Earl of Buchan, Great Chamber-
lain of Scotland.
The Ogilvys or the Buchans had probably
built the church of Auchterhouse, which was
demolished in 1775, and the few traces of
muUions, &c., which are built into adjoining
dykes, show the building to have been one of
no common type. " A large fount stone,"
which has unfortunately disappeared, is spoken
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
of by tho writer of the Old Stat. Acct. as being
" but ill suited to tbe elegance of the general
building," meaning the present church ! But
its loss is much to be regretted, particularly
since the same writer states that it bore
" some images of angels or saints in rude
sculpture." It was probably somewhat similar
to the fine font at Fowlis-Easter.
Part of a font, in the Perpendicular style
(certainly not any portion of the one above re-
ferred to), lies near the manse. The burial
aisle at the east end of the church is dated
1630, and upon a skewput stone is the invo-
cation, AVE MAPJA ; also the cognisance of
the fleur-de-lis.
It is said that members of the noble houses
of Airlie, Buchan, and Glamis lie here, but
there are no monuments within the ai.sle. The
fifth Earl of Buchan, who died in IGOl at the
age of 21, was buried there, and Sir James
Balfour (Douglas' Peerage, i. 269,) gives the
following as his epitaph : —
Hie jacet ante diem laohrimoso funere raptus,
Flos Patriic, etGeutis splendor Duglassidorum.
[Snatch'd in his youth, by a mom-nful death, lies
here,
Douglas, pride of his name, and to his country
dear.]
— This young nobleman was the only son of
Sir Eobert Douglas of Lochleven, who, in
right of his wife, became fourth Earl of
Buchan. The fifth earl left an only daughter
who married James Erskiiie, a son of the Earl
of ]\Iar. He became sixth Earl of Buchan,
died at London in 1640, and was also buried
at Auchterhouse. His son and successor mar-
ried Marjory, eldest daughter of the Earl of
Dalhousie, who had, by her husband, a son
and four daughters, one of whom was born at
Auchterhouse in 1649, it being recorded that
" on Sunday yee vj of Novembr." of that year,
" my Lady Buchane vas browght to bed of a
voman chyld."
The Earl sided with Charles I. ; and, as
thus recorded in the session books, he did
penance for his loyalty in the church of Auch-
terhouse, on Sunday, 14th AprU, 1650 : —
" James Arle of Buchan did stand vp in his
da-ske, and there declared before the vhole con-
gregatione that hee was sory and grieved y' hee
did ever adheare, or hawe any dealing vith those
vha vent in to Inglaud in that vnlawf ull ingadge-
ment ; also did hold vp his hand and svveare to
yee covenant and subscrive it."
His Lordship, who died in Oct. 1664, was
survived by his Countess, regarding whom
and the parish minister a fama arose, which
eventuated in their union, and, as the minister
showed evident signs of repentance, he was
" absolvit from the pillar," and afterwards
translated to Lundie and Fowlis-Easter (Mem.
of Angus and Mearns).
The Earl's only son died in 1695, and leav-
ing no issue, he arranged by deed, dated in
1677, that the title of Earl of Buchan should
devolve upon his kinsman. Lord Cardross,
grandfather of Harry, Lord Erskine, of the
Scotch bench, and of Thomas, the celebrated
Lord Chancellor. The titles of Earl of Buchan
and Lord Auchterhouse are still in this
family.
The present church, which was built in
1775, has "a steeple of cut stone" at the
west end; and the kirk bell is thus in-
scribed : —
PARISH OF AUCHTERHOITSE, 1834.
There are several enclosed burial places on
the west wall of the churchyard. The first
three inscriptions relate to Lady Helen,
youngest daughter of Walter, Earl of Airlie,
and her husband, Mr. Wedderburn, of
Jamaica, who were married at Cortachy
Castle, April 30, 1823, also to two of their
sons : —
Sacred to the memory of John Wedderburn,
Esqr., wlio departed this life on the 2nd April,
1859, aged 42 yeai-s. " In thee, O Lord, have I
put my trust."
AUCHTERHOUSE.
[2.]
The Lady Helen Wedderburn, widow of
Jolin Wedderburu, Esqr., and youngest daughter
of AValter, 7th Earl of Airhe, died at Eosebank,
Eosslyn, 20th Ajiril, 1868. Her remains rest in
the private burying ground of Eosslyn Chapel.
" I believe in the communion of saints." In
loving and dutiful remembrance of her dear
mother, by Helen Wedderbum. May, 1868.
[3.]
James Alexander Wedderburn, second son
of John Wedderburu, Esqr., was born in August,
182.5, and died at Madras in May, 1864.
David Ogilvt Wedderburn, youngest son of
John Wedderburn, Esqr., was born 18th June,
1826, and died also in India, at Ootacamund, 2nd
Sept., 18.')8. " I believe in the resurrection of
the dead."
Upon the west wall of the churchyard are
also three tablets in memory of the late
Eevd. James Scott and his family, some of
whom, it will be seen, attained high positions
both in the Army and the iSTavy. It was in
Mr. Scott's time that the old kirk was taken
down and the new one built : —
Sacred to the memory of the Eeverend James
Scott, minister of Auchterhouse, who died 28th
February 1804, in the 30th year of his ministry ;
and of his wife, Margaret Munro, who died at
Wooden, Eoxbui-ghshu-e, 28th December 1834 ;
also of their Family whose names are inscribed
on the side panels.
[2.]
Adam and Millekin, infants, died 1793 ;
William, 4th son, died 1820 ; Margaret, wife
of Lieut. -Colonel Munro, died 1820 ; James, 3rd
son, died 1826 ; Eobert-Haldane of Khdoss
and Wooden, 2nd son, died 1836 ; Mart Agnes,
eldest daughter, widow of the Eev. Geo. Addi-
son, D.D.,''died 1861 ;
[3.]
TiiOMA.s-M. -Munro of Bemig, 6th son, died
1862 ; General Duncan-Gordon, .5th son, died
1863 ; Catherine, 4th daughter, died 1863 ;
Admiral George of Wooden, eldest son, died
1867 ; Barbar.\, died 1870.
— Dr. Addison, above referred to, and who
succeeded Mr. Scott at Auchterhouse, was the
sou of a meal miller, near Huutly. He was
afterwards translated to Liff and Benvie (Epi-
taphs, i. 192).*
A mutilated slab, which forms the door
step of the old aisle, bears a blank shield, also
the initials A. C. I. S., the date of 1636, and
some mortuary figures. The inscriptions which
follow are from stones, mostly table-shaped,
and in various parts of the burial-ground.
The earliest dated are cut in Eoman capitals,
and the introductory i^ortions of 5, 6, and 7,
are abridged : —
Heir lyes ane godly and vertous man Iames
Christie of Balbvchlio, who departed ye 20 of
Decern : 1651, and his age 97 : —
Didce fuit quondam mihi vivere ; non quia
\'ixi,
Sed quoniam ut vivam tunc moriturus eram.
Once it vas svet to me to leive, not that I leived,
b\-t I leived to die.
[2.]
Heir lyes ane godlie and werteovs man Iohn
. . IRE, svmtym hvsband to Chris . . .
Yovng in Bvmsyd of Avchterhovs, who de-
parted . . day of Agvst 1669, and of his age
33. I. U : C. Y.
[3.]
Here lyis ane godly and virtvovs honest man
Iames Nicoll, in Kirktown of Avchterhovse,
and Ianet Low his wyfe. He depairted v])on
1 day of Apryl in the yeare of God 1682,
and of his age 80 yeara.
Becaus my soule in graue do dwell
Shall not be left by the ;
And with thy lykuess when I wake
I satisiied shall be.
— It was probably the above-named James
Nicoll who, on 23rd July, 1650, petitioned
the kirk-session of Auchterhouse to protect
him against an enraged mother, in the follow-
ing quaint terms : —
" Unto yowr wysdome, humblie means and
complains, I, James Nickle, viion Mt. Tiisker,
vho hes calumnat mee w' her towngue, by
* This abbreviation, which ■\v\\\ be used througliout
the volume, has reference to the Author's first vol. or
Bcrios of Epitaplis and Inscriptiona from Burial
Grounds and Old Buildings in the Norlli-East of iicoC-
laiid. Edinburgh, 1875.
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
makeing mee the father of ane lie, in saying
that I showld say to my Lord and my Lady y'
shoe had tuo sonns vho vere able sowlderes for
yes vars ; as also shoe hes abused me v' her
toimgue by banning, swearing, and cureing, and
said — bee God, I lieand limer, — so I humblie
entreat y' wisdome to doe mee reassone."
[4.]
Heir lyes David Cvthrert and Elizabeth
Robertson his spovs indvellei-s in Pittueine.
He departed the day of Apryl 1689, of age
fi8. Shoe depairted 20 November 1689, of age
60. Also EvpHANB Allerdice, spovs to lames
Cvthbert in Scotste\Ti. Shoe depaii-ted the 11
lanvary 1692, of age 56.
[5.]
James Steuart, Cotton of Ouchterhouse, hd.
.of Janet Mearns, d. 1730, a. 62 : —
In foreign lands where men with war engage,
He was sarvising at maney a bloody saige ;
And was preserved wnhurt, ye gathered to
hia rest
In good old age — who tnists in God is blist.
[6.]
James Petrie and Margaret Anderson : He
died iu 1717, aged 61 ; she in 1734, aged 70 :—
This man and wife, during their life.
Each one in their vocation.
Lived in jieace, and now they cease.
From toil and all vexation.
[7.]
David Moncur, hu.sband of Agnes Anderson,
d. Nov. 20, 1790, a. 76 :—
Know Reail.T. that this stone covers the re-
mains of a wi.itliy ]i(.iicst man, of a loving hous-
band, and parent, an intelligent farmer, a cheer-
ful companion, an useful neighbour, one uncom-
monly well behaved iu his station, regular in
woi-ship, cheerful in life, and resigned at death,
who died regretted by his relatives, and by every
one who had access to know his real worth.
From Death, tho' virtue none can save —
Its great reward's beyond the grave.
[8.]
1764. This stone was erected by Patrick
Crichton, farmer in Dronley, in niemory of
Thomas Crichton, his father, who died the 25th
day of Deer., 1760, aged 86 years. And of
Christian Jameson, his mother, who died Deer.
9th, 1764, aged 80 yeare. Also of Thomas
Crichton, his son, who died Oct. 26th, 1765,
aged 18 years.
[9.]
To the memory of James Spence, late school-
master of Auchterhouse, who departed this life
the 7th of August, a.d. 1813, in the 60th year of
his age. His mind was active and ciipacious-,
deeply imbued with knowledge ornamental to
himself, and highly useful to society. He was a
pleasant companion, a warm friend, an honest
man, and a sincere christian.
[Upon tlie reverse of same stone] : —
He discharged the duties of his ofHce with
skill, temper, and fidelity. He regulated the
passions, expanded the intellects, and imijroved
the hearts of those under his tuition. This
monument is erected by his grateful Pujnls, in
testimony of their respectful esteem for his
memory.
The next inscription is from a coffin-shaped
tomb, upon the top of wliicli is a globe cut
out of solid stone : —
[10,]
Sacred to the memory of George Gauld,
A.M., preacher of the Gospel, a native of Migvie,
Aberdeenshire, and for nearly 18 years one of the
teachers in the Dundee Acadeniy, who died at
P.ardmony, Perthshire, on the 16th of July, 1834,
iu the 42nd year of his age. He had a vigorous
judgment, and was firm in principle, and diligent
in the discharge of his duties, an able teacher, an
agreeable companion, a faithful friend, and an
exemplary christian.
[11.]
From a granite tablet : —
Helen Durie, 22 yeara servant in the Manse
of Auchterhouse, died 16th May, 1868. "One
is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are
brethren."
Weems, or underground chambers, liave
been found in several parts of the parish, also
ancient tumuli, notices of whicli have been
given in both Statistical Accounts, &c.
A slab, set on end at the toll house of
Dronley, presents much the look, at first glance,
of the interlaced ornaments of the old sculp-
tured stones ; but in this instance these peculi-
arities have been caused by the action of water
at some remote period. Still, this fragment is
KINNETHMONT.
not unsuggestive, and may possibly go to show,
so far at least, that those beautifully interlaced
carvings of our. Celtic forefathers may have
been suggested by rare natural objects, such
as that referred to.
The estate of Auchterhouse, which consists
of the old mansion, and a large portion of the
parish, belongs to the Earl of Airlie.
The session records of Auchterhouse con-
tain several entries regarding " vitches and
charmers," one of which, dated 2nd May,
1652, preserves the words of an invocation or
charm, which, although sufficiently absurd,
procured for the fond mother as well as her
fair teacher, the penalty of sitting " on the
stole of repentance in sackcloth ay till they bee
penitent ": —
" Mt Eobertsoune in the bonnetownne vas be-
fore the Sessione for charming of her chyld, by
going fro yee bonnetoune to yee kirktownne
well, and vashene of her dawghtera eyen, and
saying y'
fish bears fine, and full beai-s gall,
all yee ill of my bairns eyen in the vail fall,
being accused of this confessit shoe did so, and
y' Janet Fyfi'e learned her, for yee qlk yee minis-
ter is to acquent ye presbutrie of it before shoe
be farder examined."
— The well above referred to is the Lady
Well, in which votive offerings are sometimes
found even at this day.
[Inscriptions compared by Mr. J. Robertson, sebooinir, ]
iiinnctljmont,
(S. REGULITS, OR S. RULE.)
■yN" 12.58 it was agreed tliat the vicar of
•~ Kijnnaliemoncl or Kinalchmund should
have 15 merks, and an acre of land near the
church for a glebe, along with the altarage
teinds, reserving 30 lambs yearly to the Abbot
of Lindores, to whom the lands belonged.
Acourdiiig to the author of tlie View of the
Diocese of Aberdeen, there was a cell, or re-
ligious building here — possibly the Provostry
of Killesinont — which was burnt down at the
Eeformation by Leslie of Balquhain.
The site of an old niansc, which stood at
Kirkhill, is still marked by some trees in a
field near the kirkyard, on the south of the
Great North of Scotland line of railway,
nearly opposite to the mansion-house of Leith-
hall.
The old kirk was a long narrow building,
and at the east end of the ruins is the burial
enclosure of the Gordons, which previously be-
longed to the Leslies of AVardhouse. To one
of the latter is a coffin-slab, dated 1685, and
among other carvings, it bears a Maltese cross,
surmounting the sacred monogram, I.H.S.
In another enclosure is a marble tablet
thus inscribed : —
Sacred to the memory of William Wemtss of
Craighall, and Jane Garioch, his spouse, and
their daughter Margaret Knowles, and their
last surviving son, the late Peter Wemyss, who
departed this life on the 13th March, 1837. This
tablet is placed in affectionate remembrance by
his daughters, Maria J. Rose, wife of P. Eose,
Esq''., .sheriff'-clerk of Banflshire, and Henrietta
B. Robertson, wife of Alex. Robertson, of Lon-
don, May 1839.
■ — Craighall, at one time part of Peilsyde (now
Leith-hall), was acquired by the Wemysses
during the last century. " Patrick, or Peter-
JMinian Weems of Craighill, in Ivinnethmont,
was, according to Jlann, ' a learnotl Jesuit,
well seen in the antiquities of his native
country,' and author of a work called ' Cale-
donia.' A MS. of Father Weems, entitled
' Xotitia de Monasteriis Scotia?.,' and another,
' I)e Indubitatis Sanctis Scotiie,' are said to
be in the British Museum. F. Weems was
abroad in 1727." (MS. note hy Mr. Griffin, on
Oliver's Coll. on Biographies of the Jesuits,
kindly lent by the late Bp. Forbes of Brechin.)
An adjoining table-shaped stone bears : —
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. George
MiNTY, LL.D., who was ordained minister of
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Kinnethmont ou the 10th May, 1792, and died
the 18th January, 1834, in the 80th year of his
age. A man of spotless integrity. Near this
stone are deposited the remains of his spouse,
]VIi-s. Ann Foobd, who died on the 2nd of April,
1806, in the 46th year of her age.
— The deaths of two sons and two daughters
are recorded upon the same stone. A third
sun, William, who succeeded his father in the
church of Kinnethmont, died 2nd June, 186y,
in his 74th year, as appears from a granite
monument erected to his memory by the
Parishioners. A fourth son was parish school-
master of Kinnethmont.
Mr. Patrick Lindsay, who was minister at
Kinnethmont during the Civil War, is said to
have been killed by Montrose's soldiers.
The next six inscriptions are from different
parts of the burial ground : — •
Here lies till Christ shall raise it again, the
body of John Milne, some tyme dyster at Hair-
myer, who died Aprile 9, 1781, aged 70 years, &o.
[2.]
Andrew Duncan, farmer, Auchmar, d. 1780,
a. 62. " Done by the care of IsobeU Ingram, his
spouse, and y'' chOdren, viz., Alex., Andrew, and
Elspet Duncan" : —
Mor through regard than the vain waste of
praise.
This humble freestone o'er his gi-ave we raise ;
Who, to his last, pursued one constant plan.
And, as he lived, he died an honest man.
[3.]
William Yule, d. 17th Sep., 1840, a. 77. " He
was an Elder in this parish from the year 1811,
until the time of his death."
[4.]
Sacred to the memory of Harriet Suther-
land, for upwards of thirty yeare a faithful and
attached servant in the family of Sir Andrew
Leith-Hay of Rannes, who departed this life at
Leith-hall, ou tlie 30th March 18.57.
[5.]
Here lyes Elspet Greenlaw, spouse to George
Morgan, farmer in Courtistoun, who died Jany.
8lh, 17.56, aged 44. Also James Morgan, farmer
in Milnefeilil, his son, who died Nov. 1770, aged
34. Aud Elspet Morgajj, his dawi-. who died
Apr. 14th 1744, aged -2 years ; and Mart
Morgan, his youngest dawi'. who died Janr.
23rd 1768. Mors janua vitae.
[6.]
Two crossed swords and two crossed
muskets are carved, at the top and bottom
respectively, of the stone from which this
inscription is copied : —
This stone was placed by Lieutenant-Genoral
Hay, to mark the grave of Andrew Jamieson,
an old Soldier, who died in 1805, at the advanced
age of nearly 100 years. It is General Hay's in-
tention that this shall, in future, be the place of
interment of such old soldiers who, dieing in this
parish, may chuse it.
The mausoleum or burial aisle of the Leith-
Hays is upon the north side of the old kirk ;
but their family monuments, as well as those
of the Gordons of Wardhouse, are within
THE PARISH CHURCH,
which is situated upon the south side of the
Huntly and Insch turnpike, and was erected
in 1812. The tablets are of marble, and
respectively inscribed as follows : —
Sacred to the memory of Lieut.-General Sir
Jambs Leith, Knight Grand Cross of the Most
Honoi-able MOitary Order of the Bath ; Honor-
ary Knight Commander of the Portuguese Order
of the Tower and Sword ; Grand Cordon of the
Order of Military Merit of France ; Commander
of the Forces in the West Indies ; Colonel of the
4th West India Regiment ; and Captain-General
and Governor of Barbadoes, &c. He wa.s a
native of this jjarish, born at Leith-haU, August
8th, 1763, and, after a series of distinguished
services, died at Barbadoes, Oct. 16th, 1816,
deeply lamented.
— Mary, daughter of Hay of Eannes, married
Jolm Lcith of Leith-hall. They were the
grand-parents of the above-named General
Sir James Loith, and of John and Alexander,
his elder brothers, who both became heirs in
succession. The General who succeeded his
brother John in the family estates, also came,
through his giauiliuother, to the estate of
KINNETHMONT.
Eannes, and viSs. the first Hay or Leith-Hay
of his family : —
[2.]
In memory of General Alexander Hay of
Eannes, who departed this life at Fetternear
House, on the 10th May, 1838, in the 8(lth year
of hia age. Also of his daughter, Elizabeth,
wife of Alexander Forbes of Blackford, who died
at Leith-haU on the 21st July, 1834, and of his
youngest daughter, Margaret-Jane, who died
at Aberdeen, the 6th April, 1838. Beloved and
lamented here, they departed in the full hope,
through Christ, of a joyf id resvuTection hereafter,
and their remains rest in the bm-ial vault of the
family, within the walls of the old church of
this, then- native parish.
The following refers to General Hay's
eldest son : —
[3.]
Sacred to tlie memory of Sir Andrew Leith-
Hay of Eannes, Knight of the Guelphic Order of
Hanover, Knight of the Order of Charles III. of
Spain, and Knight of the Legion of Honor of
France. He served with distinction through
the Peninsular War, for which he received a
medal and si.x clasps for general actions. He
was a member of Lord Melbourne's Administra-
tion, and represented the Elgin Burghs in Par-
liament for many yeai-s. Born February 17th,
1785 ; died at Leith-hall, October 13th, 1862.
— Sir Andrew wrote a History of the Penin-
sular War ; also a work, illustrated with litho-
graphic prints from drawings by himself, on
the Castellated Architecture of Aberdeenshire.
The next inscription is to the memory of Sir
Andrew's mother : —
[4.] .
Sacred to the memory of Mary, daughter of
Thomas Forbes, Esq. of BaUogie, and Christian
Cumine, of the family of Pitidlie, the wife of
General Alexander Hay of Eannes, who departed
this life at Leith-haU, on Thui-sday, Feb. 5th,
1824, iu the 62nd year of her age. A woman of
exemplary piety, who, after a life of the greatest
respectability and honour, died univereally
esteemed and regretted.
[5.]
Sacred to the memory of Mary, second daugh-
ter of General Alexander Hay of Eamies, and
relict of Major Daniel Mitchell of Ashgrove,
who departed this life at Aberdeen, on the 30th
of May, 1860, to the great and sincere regret of
a numerous circle of relatives and friends.
" Blessed are the dead who die iu the Li.ird."
[6.]
Sacred to the memory of Mary Margaret,
Lady Leith-Hay, of Eannes, daughter of Wil-
liam Clark, Esq., of Buckland, in the county
of Devon, who departed this life at Leith Hall
on the 28th May, 1859. She was religious, be-
uevoleut, and charitable. Also of her daughters,
Mary, born the 29th September, 1823, who died
in London, 20th August, 1833 ; and Harriot
LuisA, born the 11th February, 1825, died at
Woodend Cottage, Kincardineshire, 9th June,
1829.
— In addition to the inscriptions above quoted,
others record the deaths of Captain William,
who died at Elgin in 1861, and Norman, who
was lost on the coast of Australia in 1857,
second and fourth sons respectively of Sir
Andrew Leith-Hay. This branch of the
Leiths claims descent from William of Barnis
or Birness, in Premnay, who was provost of
Aberdeen in 1350, and who had a royal gift
of the lands of Edingarioch and Drumrossie,
for distinguished services to his country. John
Leith of Boharn, who died about 1650, bought
the lands of Peilsyde (now Leith-hall), and
others. His son James built the burial aisle
in the old kirkyard, also a mansion-house at
Leith-hall, and married a daughter of Strachan
of Glenkindie (Epitaphs, i. 273, 230).
[7.]
Sacred to the memory of Charles Gordon of
Wardhouse and Kildrummy, Esquu-e, who de-
parted this life upon the 23rd of Dec, 1832, aged
83 year-s. His genuine worth wiU live long in
the recollection of a wide circle of friends, at-
tached to him by various ties, and his parental
virtues are indelibly engraved on the hearts of
his numerous ofi'spring, by whom this monument
is erected as a humble tribute of their respect
and grateful affection.
— The Gordons acquired Wardhouse from the
Leslies by purchase, about the middle of the
last century, and Kildrummy at a later date.
They have been long resident in Spain, as
wine merchants, and are allied, by marriage,
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
to some of the most influential families in that
country. They are an off-shoot of the Gordons
of Beldornie, whose ancestor was a grandson
of the first Earl of Huntly.
The next inscription is from a tablet origin-
ally within the old kirk of Kinnethmont : —
[8.]
M. S. Ann.« Gordon, M. Georgii Gordon,
O.L.P. in Acad. Regia Aberdonensi, fili» natu
maximse, M. Theodori Gordon, V.D.M., conjngis
optumse charissimse, quam rapuit mors elieu !
prsematura
Anno ^ '^'^'^^'
I setatis supe 34.
Viveus ac mcerens maritus D.S.P.
[Sacred to the memory of Ann Gordon, eldest
daughter of Mr. Geo. Gordon, Professor of Ori-
ental Languages, King's College, Aberdeen, and
the excellent and dearly beloved wife of Theodore
Gordon, minister of the Word of God, whom,
alas ! a premature death snatched away in 1742,
in the 34th year of lier age. Her surviving and
sorrowing husband erected this monument.]
— Theodore Gordon was a son of the Eev.
Geo. Wm. Algernon Gordon and Cecilia Eeid.
Mr. Gordon succeeded Mr. Syme as minister
of Tullynessle, but was not ordained until
Oct., 1759, although the presentation was
issued in Sept. of the previous year. A
tablet, erected by his grandson, Theodore
Gordon of Overhall, bears : —
[9.]
Sacred to the memory of the late Reverend
Theodore Gordon, A.M., who was minister of
the parish of Kinnethmont during a period of
forty-one years, and who departed this life 29th
August, 1779. He was no less distinguished for
his exemplary conduct as a clergyman, and liis
learning aud taste as a scholar, than he was
esteemed for his liberal mind and generous dis-
position, which, with the most pleasing urbanity
of manners, endeared him to his parishioners and
all his numerous friends. This monument was
erected by his grandson, Theodore Gordon of
Overhall, as a small memorial of that warm affec-
tion and sincere veneration with which his
memory has never ceased to be cherished by all
his grand-children, and in testimony of that deep
feeling of regret and affectionate regard in which
it continues to be held by the heretors of the
parish where he lived respected, and died
lamented by all.
A hillock, at the back of the manse, is called
" Kenneth's Mount," from a popular belief
that King Kenneth had a residence there. It is
also said that the reputed residence of Kenneth
gave name to the parish ; but it had more
probably originated from the fact that the
kirk stood at the head, or upon the highest
IJoint, of what had been, in early times, a series
of marshy fields — at least, the Gaelic words,
Kil-aiich-mond, favour this rendering.
" Truel Fair, at the Kirk of Kenith-month
and at kirktoun of Monifieth," is set down in
the Edinburgh Prognostication, ITOf?, for 2nd
Tuesday of October. A farm called " Holy
Well" lies to the S.E. of the kirk, where there
is a fine spring.
There are stone circles both at Ardlair and
Cults, the former being upon high ground, the
other upon a much lower site. Not far from
tliese places a number of Itoman and other
coins were found some years ago.
The parishes of Kinnethmont and Clirist's
Kirk were united before 15th August, 1634
(Scott's Fasti).
There has been a Free Church at Kinneth-
mont since the Disruption. Periodical mar-
kets for cattle, &c., are held at the railway
station.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Wm. Gerard, schoolmr. ]
\\\\\v\v\vv\vv\\\vwv\%\%\\
lUtljmuricl, or Clirist^s
(S. JIURIEL.)
SIR WILLIAM of BRECHIN, founder
of the Maison Dieu of that city,
granted, 1245, the lands of Rathmiiryel, in
the Garioch, to the Abbey of Lindores, whicli
had been founded by his grandfather.
In 1258, Pope Alexander IV. ratified an
agreement between the Bishop of Aberdeen
BATHMUBIEL.
nnd the Abbot of Lindores, by wbich the
"vicar of Eathmuryell was to have 12 merks,
the whole altarage of the church, a manse,
with 2 bovates of land, and the great tithes of
the cultivated land of the ^^ethertown of
Uauthmuriell."
The kirk of Eathmuriel is mentioned in the
Old Taxation {c. 1275). In 1574, " Christis
Kirk," with three neighbouring churches was
under the charge of one minister; but Christ's
Kirk had its own reader.
There is a place called ]\[uriel near the old
kirk, also the remains of Muriel's Eath, and
the Priest's Well is in the same locality.
The district is sometimes called " Sleepy
Kirk," and a writer of 1724 (Coll. Abd. Bff.,
623), says that " there is in the village, where
this chappel (Christ's Kirk) is built, a yearly
fair, called Christ's Fair, and commonly The
Sleepjr jMarket, because it begins at night,
about sunset, and ends one hour after sunris-
ing next morning ; the people bujdng and
selling timber, and all other mercat goods,
during the night, which is not then dark,
being the beginning of June : a very singular
kind of mercat, as any ever was." " About
35 or 36 years ago (Old Stat. Acot. of Scot.,
xiii. 77), the proprietor changed it (the
market) from night to day ; but so strong was
the prepossession of the people in favour of
the old custom, that, rather than comply with
the alteration, they chose to neglect it alto-
gether."
The ruins of Christ's Kirk occupy a rising
ground to the west of the hill of Dunnideer,
and the site commands a fine view of Ben-
nacliie and other parts of the Garioch. The
church stood east and west, and measures
within walls about 26 by 12 yards. A lady,
who died at Leith-hall about forty years ago,
is said to have been buried within its area,
and interments are still occasionally made in
the burial ground.
There are only two inscribed stones. Each
bears a nude figure of Time with outstretched
arms, standing upon a globe, and holding a
scythe in one hand and a sand-glass in the
other : —
Here lyes John Smith, who dyed 1716, aged
.Jl y. Also his son, who dyed 17 — , aged 20 years.
[2.]
Here lyes James LEO.m, sometime farmer in
Upper Ediugarioch. He died Nov. 10, 1767,
aged 47 years, lauhil hiLsband to Kethren Milne.
Done at the care of Kethren Milne. Memento
The name of " Eath-Muriel" is both sug-
gestive and interesting. It not only carries iia
back to the Pictish period, but shows that
there was a fort or place of strength there,
which may have been the abode of the holy
woman whose name it bore. Nothing is known
of her history except that she was a widow,
as stated in the Dunkeld Litany (Bp. Forbes'
Kalendars of Scottish Saints). It is a note-
worthy fact that, although the connection of
the Thanes of Cawdor with the district cannot
now be traced, the name of Muriel has been,
from remotest record, and still is, a common
Christian name for female members of that
family.
The church and district bore the name of
Christ's Kirk in the early part of the fifteenth
century ; for how long before I am not aware.
The name had probably been changed in con-
sequence of some early proprietor having
founded an altar in the church to " Our Lord
Jesus Christ ;" but of this I have found no
record. The only other place I know of in
Scotland, which Ijore the name of " Christ's
Kirk," is Udny, in Aberdeenshire. " The
Green of Udny" has been long famed for
its beaut}'', and in a title deed of the Udny
estates, mention is made (Inf. Mr. A. Michie)
of the laird's " right of patronage of the parish
10
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
kirk of Udiiy, commonly called Christ's
Kirk." In a perambulation of the lands of
Tarves and TJdny (1417) it is called " Capella
Christi" (Eeg. Nig. de Aberb., 51).
There seems to be little doubt (Chalmers'
Poetical Eemains of the Scottish Kings), but
the author of " Chryst's Kirk on the Green,"
had m his mind's eye the sports which took
place at the fair of Christ's Kirk in Kinneth-
mont. Allan Eamsay, to whom the unique
nature of the fair which was held at Christ's ,
Kirk in Kinnethmont was probably unknown,
as well as the peculiar name of the place, and
the — even yet — fine feature of the old market
green which surrounds the site of the church,
was the first to name Leslie, in Fife, as the
place celebrated in the poem, and this he
appears to have done upon the strength of
its vdlage green, and its proximity to Falk-
land Palace, a residence of its reputed royal
author.
With the view of confirming Ramsay's idea
of the vdlage green of Leslie, in Fife, having
been the scene of " Chryst's Kirk," and with-
out any authority to shew that either the old
kirk of Fetkd, or the more modern one of
Leslie, was dedicated to Christ Jesus, a slab
over the church door is thus inscribed : —
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST's KIRK ON THE GREEN,
LESLIE. REBUILT 1869.
FithJiil or Fetliil was the old name of the
church and estate of Leslie in Fife, and the
latter was conferred upon the parish only when
the Leslies became proprietors, the name having
been carried from their original property of
Leslie in Aberdeenshire, the church of which
is within a mde of Christ's Kirk. At a later
period the name of " Eothes" was also im-
ported, and given to their residence in Fife,
from the castle of Eothes, on the Spey, which
the Leslies so long occupied, and of which the
ruins still remain.
B 0 1 r i p tj n i f .
(S. FUMACK.)
IN a deed of concession of grants to certain
prebends belonging to the Cathedral of
Moray, 1226, mention is made of the teind
sheaves of the parish of Biittruthin (Eeg. Ep.
Morav., 23), a form of the name which possibly
shows it to be derived from the Celtic words
Bo-traigh-an, i.e., the river holm or strath of
the cow. The " river holm or strath" is
quite descriptive of the site of the church
of Botriphnie.
The vicarage of Butrocluju is taxed at 3
merks (Ibid.), and in 1275 the kirks of But-
ruthte and Aherlogher (Aberlour), are rated
together at 4 merks, 9s. and 2d. (Theiner).
In 1574, it was served along with Aberlour
and other two churches by one minister, who
had kirk lands and £166 of stipend. Andro
Eeidfurde, reader at Pettrithney, had a salary
of £13 Scots.
The initials, M. A. F., and the date of 1617,
which were upon the old kirk, refer to the
fact that a nesv church was budt in the time
of Mr. Alexander Fraser. He was minister
from 1614, and sentence of deposition was
passed upon him in 1650, for subscribing a
paper against the Covenant, kt. (Scott's Fasti).
The church was "in a very ruinous condition"
about 1794 ; and the present edifice was
erected in 1820. The belfry was previously
upon the kirk of Keith.
A marble slab in the north wall of the
church, erected by surviving members of the
family (those deceased being named), bears
these notices of a late minister and his wife : —
Sacred to the memory of the Eev. Alexander
Angus, minister of this parish, and his affectionate
spouse Katharine Mair. He died 11th April,
1829, in his 85th year, and 57th of his useful
ministry. She died 26th Oct., 1836, in her 86th
yeai-.
BOTRIPHNIE.
— One of tlieir sous, L)r. George Angus, of
the H.E.I.C.'s medical service, died at Alaer-
deen in 1872, in Ms 78tli year. He attained
to the highest honours in his profession
abroad, where he was greatly esteemed, and
on returning home, he endeared himself to all
with whom he came in contact, not more by
his warm friendship and unbounded benevo-
lence, than by his humane and unostentatious
actions. Soon after Dr. Angus' death, a
monument was erected to his memory in the
West Church of Aberdeen.
Tlie south aisle, in which Mr. Angus and
his family were buried, and some remains of
the church of Mr. Fraser's time, still stand in
the burial ground. An upright slab, initialed
G. C, marks the site of the pulpit, as well as
the grave of the Kev. Mr. George Campbell.
In the aisle is a marble slab, with a carving
of the Chalmers' arms, and motto, spero, also
this inscription : —
Here lyes the body of George Chalmers, who
was minister of Botriphuie for 46 years and 7
moueths. ^e dyed the 24th of Feb. 1727, aged
72 years 8 months.
— Mr. Chalmers, who was Mr. Campbell's pre-
decessor, was the last Episcopal minister of the
parish, and although he did not conform to
Presbytery, he was allowed to enjoy the living,
without interruption, down to the time of his
death. Upon an adjoining monument : —
In memory of Helen Chalmers, daughter of
the Rev. George Chalmers, minister of Botriphiny,
and spouse to Alexander Stewart, Esquire, of
Lesmm-die, who died in the year 1758, aged 72.
And of Jambs Stewart, Esquire, of Kirkhili,
5th and youngest son of the said Alex. Stewart
and Helen Chalmers, who died 30th March 1807,
aged 83 years.
A slab, within the same aisle, presents carv-
ings of the Gordon and Leslie arms. It bears
the family motto, stand sure, also the initials,
I. A., A. G,, K. L., and the date of 1671. An
adjoining slab, overtopt with the Anderson
and Gordon arms, is thus inscribed : —
Memorise sacrum. Hie subtus siti sunt cineres
Ann.« Gordon et Katharine Leslie, loannis
et lacobi Andersonorum ab Ardbrake conjvigum
dilectarum, una cum liberis ex utraque susceptis,
quarum ha^c, annos nata XXXIX, VII Id. Mart.
A. .-E. C. MDCLXVII, fatis succulniit, iUa vero
. . . annnnnn matrona, XIII Kal. Deoembr.
A.D. MDCLXX, lumina clausit ; in quarum decus
et perennem famam, quippe quiB fueriut claris
editoe natalibus, eximiisque excnltiie virtutibus,
pro summo in demortuas aftectu et observantia
mouumentum hoc superstruendum curarunt
loannes et lacobus Andei-soni, pater et filius.
[Here beneath lie the ashes of Ann Gordon
and Katharine Leslie, the beloved wives of
John and James Anderson of Ardbrake, together
with those of children of each ; the latter suc-
cumbed to fate, 9th March, 1667, aged 39, and
the former closed her eyes, 19th Nov. 1670, when
a matron of . . . years, to whose honour and
lasting reputation, for they were of distinguished
birth, and adorned with eminent virtues, John
and James Anderson, father and son, in testi-
mony of their deep affection and regard for the
deceased, caused this monument to be erected
over their remains.]
From a slab built into the outer and south
wall of the aisle : —
1760 : This monument is erected jy John
Stuart in Eosarie, in memory of his g audfather
William, and his father Thomas, who both
lived and died at Bodinfinnich, and of his uncle
Hendry, who sometime lived and died in Eosarie.
John, William, Alexander, George, Hendry,
Mart, and Beatrix, Hendry's children, also lie
here. It is to be observed that this has been
the buriall place of the said Stuarts long before,
and ever since the Eeformation.
— The Stuarts of Eosarie are now repre-
sented by Mr. Peter Stewart, Birchbank,
Boharm.
A monument, within an enclosure, and
upon tlie site of the Druinmuir burial-place,
bears : —
Near this spot lie interred the remains of
Major Alexander Duff, younger of Culbin,
who died at Davidston, in the year 1777. Also
of his son Admiral Archibald Ddff of Drum-
muir, who departed this life at Braemorriston,
near Elgin, the 9th day of Feb., 1858, aged 84.
Francis Jones, widow of Admiral Archibald
Duff of Drummuir, who died at Braemorriston,
21st Deo., 1861, aged 74.
12
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
— Upon another stone are the initials and
date, A. D. : A. A., 1671.
The Duflfs of DrummuLr are descended
from Alexander, grandson of Adam Duff of
Clunybeg, and Katharine Duff, daughter and
heiress of Adam Duff of Drummuir. The
Gordons of Park, to which property the late
Col. Duff succeeded through his grandmother,
Helen Gordon, daughter of Sir James Gordon
of Park, and wife of John Duff of Culbin,
second son of the aforesaid Alexander and
Katharine Duff, claim to be descended from
the Gordons of Cairnborrow, a branch of the
Huntly family (Epitaphs, i. 28). Katharine
Dulf, who Avas usually styled Lady Drum-
muir, died in the year 1758. Her mourning
hatchment still hangs on the Avail of the
church behind the famdj' peAV of Drummuir,
and upon the right and left borders are
painted the names of several distinguished
f.imilies connected with her by relationship,
viz., Duff of Drummuir, Earl of Strathmore,
Urquhart of Cromarty, Beaton of Balfour,
Abercromby of Glassaugh, Earl of Southesk,
Gordon of Lesmoir, Gordon of Abergeldie.
The next three inscriptions are from tomb-
stones relating to blacksmiths, and all present
carvings of "the hammer and the royal crown,"
the well-known insignia of the craft : —
Under the liope of a blessed resurrection, here
Ij-es James Burges, smith in Ardbrobin, and
Grasel Gilbert, his spouse. He dyed May 6,
and she the 7, 1678, and were buried both
together in on grav. Margret Bdrgbs dyed
4 March, 1682 :
Here are two who down did lay,
Ther lump of flesh and dog of clay,
Who willingly here did ly douu,
In hope to ryse and wear a crown.
— Ardbrobin is no\v part of the home farm of
Drummuir.
A fragment of a lettered stone, preserved
at Drummuir Castle, and formerly upon the
'old Parish School, which stood near Ard-
brobin, presents these remains of an inscrip-
tion : —
. . . . ON . ARD . . . BVILT . THIS . .
. . . . N . HIS . OWN ....
1676.
[2.]
Here lyes Thomas Sellar, smith, who dyed
the last of March, 1667. W. S. dyd the 7 of
Desembr, 169.3. John S. dyed Deer. 9 1695.
Alex. Sellar, son to James, departed Novt. 18,
1703, aged . . . James Sellar, son to
Thomas, departed Decer. 5, 1703, aged . .
. . . aged 34, buried 31 July 1711. T. S.
died June ye 1, 1738. Memento mori.
T [crown S
I AND S
A hammer.] Gor
[Upon reverse of same stone] : —
This is thought to have been the first grave-
stone in tliis church-yard, marking the burial
gi-ound of the Sellars, a race of blacksmiths, for
400 years, as may be seen on the other side.
Under it lies the body of Robert Sellar, black-
smith in Teuantown, who died in January 1815,
in the 57th year of his age, being the lineal
descendant of the above race.
Also his spouse, Isabella Hay, who died on
the 26th May, 18-51, aged 80. Their second son,
Robert, died March 4, 1821, aged 21 years, at
Pitsfield, in Massachusets, America ; and their
fifth son, Francis, died bathing at Aberdeen,
August 1828, aged 19. His bones lie here.
— The long period of 400 years may possibly
be a mistake, at least (so far as visible) the
inscription fails to bear out the statement.
Such, however, is the received and prevalent
tradition throughout the parish and surround-
ing district. The family is now represented by
John Sellar, blacksmith in Tenantown, the
grandson of the aforesaid Robert Sellar ; and
the Sellars of Huntly, the weU-knoAvn black-
smiths and farm implement makers, are his
near relatives.
[3.]
Robert M'Phail, 36 yeai-s blacksmith in
Nova Scotia, d. at Cachenliead, 1835, a. 78 : —
My sledge and hammer lie declined ;
My bellows, too, have lost their wind ;
DOTRIPnXIE.
13
My fire's extinct, my forge decayed ;
My shovel in the dust is laid.
My coal is spent, my iron gone ;
My nails are drove, my woi-k is done ;
My fire-dried coi-pse lies here at rest ;
My soul, like smoke, soars to be blest.
- — The above lines are said to be upon the
tombstone of a blacksmith, at St. Alban's,
Hertford, dated 1757. The same epitaph, but
not of so early a date as 1757, is to be found
in several burial-grounds in Scotland,
There is a small upright stone in the church-
yard, upon which a bow and arrow are rudely
inscribed. It is said to mark the grave of a
local William Tell, who, i(, is averred, pierced
an apple placed upon the head of his own
son, at the distance of a mile.
Here, also, in the N.E. corner, under the
shadow of the dyke, lie the ashes of a poor
female who committed suicide by hanging
herself with a hasp of yarn. Though the
sad event occurred within less than fifty years,
the parishioners refused to allow her body to
be laid in the common locality used for graves
in the churchyard. They also manifested
their abhorrence of the deed which she had
committed by breaking to pieces and throwing
into the grave the spaiks or bearers on which
the coffin containing her body had been
carried to the place of interment, and burned
the unlucky hasp of yarn upon her grave !
The grave is still supposed to be haunted ;
and when the yard is pastured by sheep, it
is popularly believed that they shrink from
eating the grass which grows upon the grave
of poor crazed Tibbie Innes !
I am told that about fifty years ago, a cross
of rude picked stone, in low relief, and about
o\ feet high, by about 3 feet broad, stood
within the kirkyard of Botriplinie. Unfortu-
nately, about the time indicated, the stone
was broken up by a blacksmith, who used it
as a hearth for his smiddy ! This had prob-
ably been the ancient cross of St. Fdaiack's
fair of Botriplinie.
The well of the patron saint of the parish,
which is a very copious spring, is situated in
the manse garden, and there S. Fdmack
bathed every morning, summer and winter,
then dressed himself in green tartan, and did
penance by crawling round the bounds of
the parish on hands and knees, imploring
God to protect it and its inhabitants from
all sorts of plague and pestilence !
His image, in wood, was long preserved in
the parish, and a note, dated about 1726,
states that it was " washed yearly, with much
formality, by an old woman (quho keeps it)
at his Fare (on the 3rd of jNIay) in his own
well here," (properly 15th Feb. o.s.)
There are many stories told regarding tlie
fate of this relic. According to one version,
it was carried away when the Isla was in
flood, and became stranded at the mouth of
the Deveron ; another saj^s it was burned as a
monument of superstition, in presence of the
parish minister of Botriplinie ; and a third
(here given on the authority of a local infor-
mant) says that, some time after it had been
carried in procession, accompanied by singing
and bagpiping, the clergy interfered, and not
only was the image itself broken to pieces, but
some of the leaders in the procession were
brought under church censure as propagators
of idolatr}^.
Drummuir Castle, the seat of xilajor Gordon-
Duff of Drummuir and Park, built about
1848, is one of the finest and most picturesque
mansions in Banffshire. It occupies a rising
ground on the north bank of the Isla, sur-
rounded by trees, and the beauty of the place
is much enhanced by its commanding a view
of Loch Park, a fine sheet of water, about a
mile in length and upwards of eighty yards in
width, interspersed with artificial islets for the
accommodation of the swans and other water
fowls that frequent it.
[Ins- Compared by the Rev. Jlr. Masson.]
14
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
i^t00*
(S. FIACRE, CONFESSOK.)
ING WILLIAM the LION gave the kirk
of Nijg to the Abbey of Arbroath at the
time of its foundation. The church was within
the diocese of St. Andrew.s, and in 1242,
under the designation of Nig ultra le Month,
it was dedicated by Bishop David (Eobertson's
Statuta Ecolesise ScoticanEe).
It is rated at 10 merks in the Old Taxation.
In 1567, the kii'ks of Nigg and Eanchory-
Devenick were served by Mr. David Menzies
as minister, who had 100 merks yearly. Mr.
Eobert Merser was " persona and exhorter, and
to minister the sacramentis," he had " tlie
thrid of the personage free," extending to
£34 13s. 4d. Scots, The contemporary
reader at Nigg was John Leslie, who had 24
merks a-year (Eeg. of Ministers, &c.)
A handsome new church, with square bel-
fry, was erected in 1829 upon the lands of
Kmcorth, and on the north side of the Aber-
deen and Stonehaven turnpike road.
The old kirk, which is roofless, and whoso
area is used for interments, stands within the
burial-ground, upon the east side of the Bay
of Nigg. This Bay is also known by the
names of Fiacre and Sandy Fittick Bay.
A vane upon the old belfry is dated 1763,
and the belfry itself presents, " M. — M.
Minister, 1704." These traces refer to the
tim3 of Mr. Eichard Maitland (1674-1719),
who was succeeded as minister of Nigg by Mr.
James Farquhar.
Mr. Farquhar was previously at Tyrie, and
many stories are stiU told of his feats of
strength and of his pulpit eccentricities. As
an illustration of the former, it is said that he
quelled the parishioners who had met to ob-
struct his induction at Nigg by laying violent
hands upon the ringleaders ; while tradition
relates, in regard to the latter, that "a dandy,"
who appeared in the kirk one Sunday — dressed
in a red coloured vest, embroidered with lace —
having conducted himself during service in
an unbecoming manner, Mr. Farquhar in the
course of his prayer emphatically exclaimed
— " 0 Lord, if it be Thy holy will, hew
doon that scarlet-breastit sinner wi' the gryte
gully o' Thy gospel ! "
Mr. Farquhar appears to have been an
Anti-Jacobite, and is said to have been nick-
named John Gilone. AVhen he came to the
parish he was thus described, in a now forgot-
ten rhyme —
" John Gilone, the great horse leech,
When he came first to Nigg to preach."
This had probably been a satire by j\Ieston,
for in one of his poems (p. 219), he speaks of
"John Gilon" in anything but complimentary
tonus.
It might be supposed that the sobriquet of
" John Gilone" was rather intended for Mr.
John Gellie, but the poem referred to was
printed before Mr. Gellie went to Nigg, he
having been ordained assistant and successor
to Mr. Farquhar in 1743. He predeceased
Mr. James Farquhar in 1753, and was suc-
ceeded by Mr. John Farquhar, who died
in 1768 (Scott's Fasti). The kirk bell was
bought during the time of the latter, and upon
it is this inscription : —
JOHN . MOW AT . ME . FE . 1759
IN . USUM . ECCLESI^ . NIGG
SABBATA . PANGO . FUNERA . PLANGO.
[John Mowat made me, 1759, for the use of
the kirk of Nigg. Sabbaths I proclaim, at
funerals I toll.]
The old kirk of Nigg contained some carv-
ings in oak, and one of two panels in posses-
sion of Mr. Barnet, Old Schoolhouse, dated
1658, presents a shield, impaled, dexter, a
tankard or jug, with handle, hoops, and spoon
NIGG.
15
horizontally, sinister the Meldrum (^) arms.
Upon the other is this distich : —
WITH . OVE . IKTENT . WE . DOE . PRESENT
WITH . HEART . INTEIR . GODS . WORD . TO . HEIR.
The oldest tombstone in the burial-ground
is dated 1619, and initialed J. C. Another,
embellished with the Keith and Eamsay arms,
initialed, G. K. : M. K., is thus inscribed ; —
HE . . . LYES . ANE . HONEST . MAN . GEORGE
KEYTH . READER . AT . THIS . KIRK . WHO .
DEPAIRTED . . . Y . 23 . THE . YEAR . OF . GOD .
1639 . AND . OF . HIS . AGE . 61 . AND . MAR-
lORY . RAMSAY . HIS . SPOVS.
A flat stone, near the last-mentioned, has a
shield in the centre, charged with a mill-rind,
and a mullet of six points in base ; also this
inscription : —
GVLIELM' . MYLNE . INCOLA . VILL.« . DE .
KINCORTH . CHRI .... CAVSA . AB . INIMICIS . 10
. IVLII . 1645 . OCCISVS . INNOCENTER . A . LAHORE
. HIC . PACE . QVIESCIT . QVEM . PIETAS . PROBITAS
. SACRVM . FfEDVSCi' . BEARTNT . NVMINIS . HI-
BERNI . COKCIDIT . ENSE . TRVCIS . IN . CINERES
. VBRTOR.
[William Mylne, tenant of Kincorth, slain
by his enemies on the 10th of July, 1645, for the
cause of Christ, here rests in peace from his la-
bours. This man, whom piety, probit}', and God's
holy covenant made happy, feU by the sword of
a savage Irishman. I am turned to ashes.]
— The " savage Irishman" bad probably been
one of Montrose's Highlanders, ]\Iontrose and
his army having been at Aberdeen at the time
mentioned, whither they came after their
victory over the Covenanters at Alford. Upon
an adjoining slab : —
heir . LYES . AN . HONNEST . MAN . GEORGE
. GARTLI . IN . LORSTOVN . HVSBAND . TO .
AGNES . BONER . WHO . DEPARTED . THIS .
LYFE . YE . 19 . OF . NOVEMBER . 1658 . AND
. OF . AGE . 49.
From a marble slab in front wall of old
church : —
Sacred to the memory of James C.ilder, mer-
chant in Aberdeen, who departed this life 10"'
September, 1832, aged 87 years. And Anne
Stephen, his wife, who died the 8"" December,
1829, aged 81 years. Two of their sons died at
Gibraltai-, John, the 18'" April, 1803, in his 25"'
year, and James, the 6"" November, 1804, in his
23'' year. William, who died 1'' October, 1804,
in his 16"' year, and Alexander, in infancy, are
interred here.
— Mr. Calder, who was a wine merchant in
Aberdeen, left over £1000 to the poor of his
native parish of Kigg. He was the father of
Mrs. Elmslie, who, in 1836, devoted the sum of
£26,000 to the erection and endowment of an
liospital at Aberdeen for orphan and destitute
girls (New Stat. Acct.). Mrs. Elmslie repaired
the kirkyard dykes of Nigg, also the walls of
the old kirk, at her own expense.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
In memory of Marjory Cruden, who died on
the 1st of AprU, 1819, in the 50th year of her re-
sidence with her brother, David Cruden, D.D.,
minister of Nigg, aged 80 years. Also of the
Reverend David Cruden, Doctor of Divinity,
who died tlie 8th day of November, 1826, in the
81st year of his age, being minister of this parish
for 57 years.
— Dr. Cruden and his sister left about £80 to
the poor of the parish of Nigg. Their father was
a merchant in Aberdee|ii, and one of their
brothers was some time provost, and another a
baillie of that city. It was in Dr. Cruden's time,
and on 28th November, 1797, that James
Shepherd, in whom were combined the odd
pluralities of a barber and field preacher, was
married ac Torry village to Nelly Auld. He
was about 20, she about 77 years of age ! The
bride was three feet high, and deformed to
the last degree of distortion. Though the day
was very stormy and rough, so great was the
public curiosity that not only the ferry-boats,
but the whale-boats were employed a great
part of the day carrying people across the
river, to witness nuptials so extraordinary
(Scots Maga.)
It was through Dr. Cruden's influence that
ISIr. Thorn was appointed his successor at
Nigg. Mr. Thom, who was some time Master
of Gordon's Ho.spital, died in 1843, aged 84,
and his spouse, Mary Beycb, in 1852, aged
68. Their sravestone is within the old kirk.
16
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
The oldest of several monuments, which re-
late to the family of Gibbon, bears : —
Sacred to the memory of C'iiarles Gibbon,
merchant in Aberdeen, who departed this life on
the 17th Septr., 1800, aged 52 years. And of his
first wife, Margaret Nicol, who departed this
life on the ITth November, 1779, aged 31 yeare.
And of his second wife, Bachel-Susan Far-
QUHAR, who departed this life on the 18th
February, 1812, aged 43 years. Also of Mart,
daughter of Charles Gibbon, by his firet wife,
who departed this life on the 25th December,
1783, in her fifth year, ah of whose remains are
deposited near this spot.
— The only son of the above-named Charles
Gibbon and his second wife, succeeded, through
the settlement of his maternal uncle, Mr.
James Farquhar of Hallgrecn, M.P., to the
estate of John.stone or Laurencekirk, in the
Mearns, and Mr. Gibbon's onlj' child, married
Mr. D. A. Pearson of Northclift'e, W.S., and has
issue. Mr. Pearson's father, who was also a
W.S., was the son of a maltster and burgess
of Kirkcaldy ; and the Gibbons, whose ances-
tors were respectable tradesmen at TUlieoch,
in Edit (Poll Book, i. 205), acquii'ed money
as shipowners in Aberdeen, of which city Mr.
Gibbon's father was a magistrate. Upon
another of the Gibbon monuments : —
In memory of Hugh Cochran and Martha
Gibbon, who lived in matrimony 58 years, and
both died in 182(5. And of their son Alexander
Cochran, shipowner in Aberdeen, who died 19th
October, 1837, aged 62 years ; and of Elizabeth
Campbell, his second wife, who died 1st August,
1 848, aged 63 years.
— Mr. Hugh Cochran, who was captain of a
merchant vessel, came from the Xorth of
England. His son was twice married, first to
Elizabeth, only child of Mr. George Eoger,
goldsmith, Aberdeen, and by her he had the
late jNIr. F. J. Cochran, advocate, Aberdeen,
and laird of Balfour, in Birse. His second
wife was the daughter of Mr. Wm. Campbell,
horse-hirer, who did good service to Aberdeen
during the riots which were caused by the
Eoss and Cromarty Eangers on the King's
birthday of 1802, when some of the citizens
were killed and many wOunded by the soldiers.
(Information from Mr. J. Eettie, Aberdeen.)
Another family of the surname of Gibbon
bury on the north side of the churchyard.
They were also engaged in shipping at Aber-
deen, and their tombstones (three in number)
exhibit some long ages. Eobeet and Arthur
Gibbon, who died in 1821 and 1861 respec-
tively, attained their 83rd and 80th years.
The latter had a large family by his wife
Elizabeth IMontgomery, one of whom, " Geor-
GiNA Montgomery, Baroness de Boeder, their
youngest daughter, died at Innsbruck, Tyrol,
5th Dec, 1850, in her 28th year."
William Gibbon, junior, who died in 1821,
aged- 70, was of this branch. He Avas the
father of the Eev. Dr. Gibbon of Lonmay, and
of Alex. Gibbon of Staunton, the former of
whom died in his 82nd, and the latter in his
91st year, also of several daughters, three of
whom were long-lived.
The following inscription is from a head-
stone which cannot now be seen, although it
stood until within these few years near the
north dyke of the burial-ground : —
Near this spot are iuteiTedthe bodies of Thomas
Stamp, aged 18, and John Taylor, mate, who
were lost from the ship, Thomas, in the Bay of
Nigg, in a storm on the 19th Dec, 1803, and cast
ashore. Capt. Eeay Johnson, three seamen, and
a boy perished at the same time, while four per-
sons were saved. Mr. John Stamp, shipowner,
North Shields, the sorrowful father, erected this
monument over his dear and only son.
From flat slabs : —
1752. Here lyes Alexr Spark, laxfisher in
Tulos, who departed this life in the 12 of March
1765, and of his age the 70 years. [A dr. Jean,
d. 1752, a. 17 y. 4 ms.] As also Lvnet Ander-
son, laful spous to the foresaid Alexr. Spark, who
departed this life the 12 of October, and of her
age 78 years.
[2.]
W. M. : 1\I. F. Here lyes, under hopes of a
blessed resurrection, William IkLvRNOH, mer-
NIGG.
17
chant burgess of Abd., who departed this life the
15th day of March 1706, and of his age 33 years.
Memento mori.
[3.]
I. M. : I. D. Here lyes in hope of a blessed
resurrection, Iohn Maknoch, who lived in Bal-
uagask, and departed this life y' the 29 of No-
vember 1716, and of his age 46 years. [His
spouse, Jean Drummond, died 1717, aged 43.]
Within an enclosure : —
Here lie tlie remains of George Thomson,
Esq., who departed this life the 15th May, 1823,
aged 85 years. His life sober, his heart benevo-
lent. In his last will he was mindful of the edu-
cation of the children of the Cove, of the aged
and indigent women of Aberdeen, and of the
poor of the Chapel of Ease, Gilcomston.
From a tablestone, upon which a fishing-
boat is represented in full sail with seven of a
crew, and two fish leaping out of the sea : —
In memory of John Robertson, whitefisher in
Cove, who died on the 20th July 1825, aged 79
years. He filled the office of elder in this parish
for near 30 yeara faithfidly and usefully. He
feared God ; was an honest, sober, and peaceable
man ; industrious in his calling ; and an affec-
tionate husband ; and a good father. &c.
From a granite monument on north side
of ohuroh : —
In memory of George Symmers of Cults, who
died 22"'! December 1839, aged 74.
— Mr. Symmers, who was come of a fanner
family in Nigg, was a cloth merchant in Aber-
deen, and left a considerable fortune, besides
the property of Cults. His successor in busi-
ness, Mr. Shirra Gibb, who succeeded to Cults,
is also proprietor of Auchronie, in Kinellar.
From a tablestone : —
In memory of John Philip, who died 23d
Aprd, 1795, in the 90"' year of his age. He was
farmer of KirkhiU 47 years, an elder of this
parish, an affectionate husband, a good father,
and a peaceable, industrious and honest man,
who feared God. Also of Margaret Murray,
his spouse, who died 5"" September, 1794, aged
78 yeara, a kind and dutiful wife, a careful
mother, and vertuous woman.
Upon a tablestone : —
Erected by his Friends to the memory of
John Davidson, printer in Aberdeen, who died
the first day of March, MDCCCXXXIX, aged
39.
— Of Mr. Davidson, who was one of the
publishers of the Aberdeen Observer, and who
was familiarly known in that office as " our
John," the Aberdeen Herald remarks that,
" an honester, more straightforward, more
obliging man did not exist. . . . Filling
a public situation, in which he was patronised
by the Tories, he was yet, to use a common
expression in its best sense, ' every body's
body,' and had the goodwill of the ultra-
Radicals, as well as the ' extreme section' of
the Conservative party."
The next three inscriptions (the two last
being abridged) are from headstones : —
Erected by Ann Watson in memory of her
husband George Robertson, of the Previutive
Service, who died 25th Jan., 1822, aged 23 years.
He lost his life in endeavouring to save the crew
of the Mary of Gardenston.
Dear wife and orphan child,
Grive not for me, for since my race
is run. It is the Lord and let his will
be done. As for your loss 'tis my
eternal gain. Then what Just
reason have you to complain.
[2.]
William Webster, " carpenter, on board the
barque Parina, which was destroyed by Pirates
in the China Seas, on or about the 12"' of Septr.,
1863, aged 33."
[3.]
Alex. Fowlie, fireman, " Earl of Aberdeen"
steamer, was lost at sea, Aug. 27, 1826, a. 26 : —
His bed is in the deep, and his pillow is the
wave ;
His friends may for him weep, but can never
see his grave.
A granite monument in the east wall of
the churchyard commemorates the deaths of
Egbert Davidson of Balnagask, who died in
1826, aged 90, and his spouse Christian
Philip, who died in 1807, aged — . It also
contains the names of several of their sons and
daughters. Alexander, who was born in
1786, and died in 1868, was long engaged as
18
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
a flour-miller in London, and left a good estate
out of whicli he bequeathed, among other
legacies, the sum of £1200 to the village of
Terry for educational jDurposes. Before buy-
ing Balnagask, Mr. Eobert Davidson farmed
that property. His son, Alexander, who after-
wards bought Kirkhillocks and Craigieshaw,
left Balnagask and Kirkhillocks to ISIr. David-
son, the son of a sister's daughter, and Craigie-
shaw to Mr. Molison, a nephew of his own.
The original grant by William the Lion of
the kirk of Xigg to the Abbey of Arbroath,
was added to by his son Alexander II., who
gave the whole lands of Nigg to the same
monastery. At a later period (1495), James
IV. erected the village of Torry into a burgh
of barony, and granted the inhabitants autho-
rity to deal in all sorts of commodities, to hold
weekly and yearly markets, to erect a cross,
&c. There was probably a church here at
this date, for the same charter contains an ex-
pression of the devotion which the King had
for the memory of S. Fotinus, patron of Torry
(Reg. Nig. Aberb., 292).
The ancient and honourable privilege of a
burgh has long fallen into abeyance, but it is
to be hoped, now that the village of Torry,
through the straightening of the Dee and
other improvements, is yearly becoming a
place of more importance, that its ancient
rights will be resuscitated and preserved by
the re-erection of a cross — for there had, doubt-
less, been one Ln old times — and that, like the
more modern burghs of Stonehaven, Auchin-
blae, and Laurencekirk, Torry will have its
own baillies and magistrates.
The inhabitants of Torry are engaged chiefly
in deep-sea fishing, and two leading lighthouses
there are both inscribed thus : —
ERECTED BY THE HARBOUR TRUSTEES, \9>iZ.
THOS. BLAIKIE, ESQ., LORD PROVOST.
.^I.EX. HADDEN, ESQ., MASTER OF SHOKEWORES.
It is said that the Abbots of Arbroath had
a residence upon the haugh on the south side
of the Dee. AU trace of the old building is
gone ; but Abbot's Walls is still the name of a
farm near Kincorth. It is called " Abbots'
hall" in old titles, and in 1592, when Duncan
Forbes of Monymusk had a feu of lands in
and around Torry, " the yah'dis of the maner
place" of Abbotshall are specially mentioned.
The Forheses were succeeded in half the
lands and barony of Torry by Thomas Menzies
of Pitfodels, by whose grandson, John, a
portion of the same was sold, about 1783-5,
to the town of Aberdeen, the Struak Strype
or Burn being the boundary. The Aberdeen
portion lies upon the east, the Pitfodels por-
tion .upon the west side of the rivulet, and
from one or other of these proprietors, or their
representatives, the half lands of Torry are held
in feu. The Panmure family, as successors
of the Abbots of Arbroath, held the superiority
of Nigg from 16 •12, until theii' attainder in
1715.
There were a chapel and burial-place near
Abbot's Walls, and ruins of the buUdings were
visible towards the close of the last century
(Old Stat. Acct.) The existence of another
ecclesiastical foundation is to be traced in the
name of " the Sjnfal burn," which falls into
the Dee between Potheugh and Kincorth. The
name possibly shews that the Abbots had a
hospice or lodging there for the convenience of
pilgrims and travellers when on their way to
and from the North.
One of the earliest recorded tacksmen under
the Abbot was Sir Alexander Fraser, who, in
1312, had a lease of the lands of Torry from
the celebrated Abbot Bernard. Towards the
close of the same century, Kincorth was
tenanted by Paul Crabb, who (1380) gave an
annuity out of the lands of Kincorth towards
the support of the " Causey Mounth," or
the road which led from Stonehaven to
NIGG.
19
Aberdeen, through " the Muir of Drumna-
■whacket," to the ferry on the Dee.
The erection of the Bridge of Dee and the
Craiglug Bridge has rendered this ferry unne-
cessary. A boat still plies between Footdee
and Torry, where, on the 5th of April, 1876,
being the spring fast day of Aberdeen, a sad
catastrophe occurred by over-crowding and
consequent capsizing of the boat, which re-
sulted in the loss of 32, out of 70 lives.
A family, who bore the name of Kincorth,
were, in 1436, vassals of the Abbots, and ap-
pear to have assumed their surname from the
place where they w'ere located. Andrew of
Kincorth and Gilbert Arthur had a lease of
the passage boat from the Abbot at the above
date, for which they were bound to pay 1 8s.
in money and 12 capons yearly. Early char-
ters also show the interesting fact that sur-
names which were then known still exist in
and about Aberdeen, such as those of Pratt
and Shearer. One of the former, a burgess of
Aberdeen, had a lease of the town of Banna-
gask in 1480, and four years later, one of the
latter, a canon of Aberdeen, had a tack of the
teind sheaves of the Kirkhill of Nigg.
There are three other villages besides Torry
in the parish — Burnbauk, Charkstown, and
Cove. Charlestown was anciently called
Drumfoskie, and at Cove are a public school,
an Episcopal mission house, and a railway
station. The vLUage of Cove and adjoining
lands were bought some years ago by Dr.
Alexander Kilgour of Aberdeen, who,
through his skill as a medical practitioner,
acquired both reputation and wealth. He
died at Loirston House in 1874, aged about
70. Besides being eminent as a physician, he
possessed a great taste for literature, and con-
tributed to the periodicals of the day many
articles of local and general interest.
In records of the 16th century, the village
of Cove is described as the " toun of Coif,
callit Halyman's Coif." The former name had
arisen from the number of caves and inlets
which exist among the rocks in the neigh-
bourhood ; and the latter may have orii;inated
from one or more of the caves having been se-
lected as the abodes of some of those self-sacri-
ficing and holy men who, regardless alike of
remuneration and fame, had there dwelt and
raised beacon-fires to warn mariners of impend-
ing danger, or supplied the wants of those who
escaped from shipwreck or other calamities,
upon this, which is still a dangerous and much
feared part of the east coast of Scotland.
The lighthouse and artillery battery, upon
the headland of the Girdleness, between the
Eiver Dee and the Bay of Nigg, are piromi-
nent objects in the landscape, particularly the
former, which was erected in 1831-3. In this
locality a new breakwater has been constructed
by the Harbour Trustees for the purpose of
improving the harbour of Aberdeen, and en-
suring the safety of vessels at the mouth of
the Dee.
It is said that there were ruins at one
time near the Girdleness, which were called
" Wallace Castle ;" but some are of opinion,
and possibly rightly so, that, like " Wallace
Nook" in Aberdeen, the name had been simply
a corruption of Well house.
The well of S. Fiacre or S. Fittach was
near Wallace Castle, and, like other holy weUs,
it was much frequented by the superstitious.
The session records of Aberdeen (28th Nov.,
1630) show that a female was adjudged " in
ane wnlaw of fy ve puuds .... for directing
hir nwrisli with hir bairne to Sanct Fiackes
Well, and washing the bairne thairin for re-
coverie of hir health." Upon the same day it
was ordained that wdiosoever should go to this
well " in ane superstitious manner, for seiking
health to thame selffis or bairnes" should be
censured and dealt with as " fornicatours"
(Spalding Club Books.)
20
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
C r 0 m t» a I e,
(S. MA-LXJAC, AND S. BRIDGET.)
trpTHE cliurches of Cromdol and Adwij were
**» botli given to the Catbedral of Moray
by Malcolm, Earl of Fife, along with the privi-
leges and rights which were then common to
such gifts. CromdoU and Aduyn are men-
tioned (1226) as two of eight of the old canon-
ries which belonged to the See of Moray (Reg.
de Morav).
Both churches are rated at 40s. in the Old
Taxation. In 1561, the parsonage of Advy
and Cromdale were let for a term of 1 9 years
to John Grant of Fruchy, for 40 merks a-year.
Thomas Austean was minister of both parishes
in 1574, and had a stipend of £26 13s. 4d.
Duncan Mackphaill, reader, was " paid by
the parson."
The present church of Cromdale, which
stands on the south bank of the Spey, was
built in 1809. It is a plain edifice ; and, as
in many other parts of the Highlands, a pulpit
is erected near a tree in the churchyard, for
extra preachings in summer and at communion
times.
The burial-ground is surrounded by a sub-
stantial stone dyke. There are a number of
monuments, but all bear modern dates. One
within an enclosure, and in front of the kirk,
exhibits a carving of the Grant arms, and this
inscription : —
Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Grakt of Burn-
side, daughter of George Macpherson, Esq. of
Invereshie, who was a sincere Christian, an alFec-
tionate wife, and a dutiful kind parent, and was
ever charitable and most amiable. She departed
this life in 1835, in the QS"" year of her age.
— The above refers to Jane, youngest daughter
of Mr. Macpherson, by Grace, daughter of
Col. Grant, and maternal aunt to the first
baronet of Ballindalloch (Epitaphs, i. 144).
The father of Mrs. Grant of Burnside's hus-
band took part with Prince Charles, and was
present at the battle of Prestonpans. He
afterwards became a W.S., and died at Edin-
burgh in 1790 (Stat. Acct.)
The next inscription (abridged) refers to
one of "the men" (Epitaphs, i. 143), or those
who believed that their knowledge of the
Scriptures was superior to that of most of
their neighbours : —
Lachlan Cameron, son of James Cameron, in
Sheuval of Delvey, " a man of good underatand-
ing and given to hospitality," died 1783, aged 43.
The next four inscriptions are from monu-
ments within an enclosure : —
Sacred to tlie memory of Robert Grant, Esq.
of Kincorth, sou of Mr. David Grant and of
Margaret Grant, his wife, resideuters in Lethen-
dry in this parish, both of whom ax-e here in-
terred, descended from the Clan Chiam branch
of the famOy of Grant ; an original member of
the North-West Company in Canada. In busi-
ness he gained respect and confidence by honour
and integrity. In aU relations of private life
exemplary. Born 3rd March, 1752 ; died at
Kincorth, 10th August, 1801. Also in affection-
ate remembrance of Mrs. Ann Grant, relict of
the above Robert Grant, who died at Forres
House, on the 19th of May, 1864, aged 95.
[2.]
In memory of Lewis Grant, Esq., sometime
merchant in Bombay, second son of the late
Robert Grant, Esq. of Kincorth ; born at Kincorth,
12th Sept., 1801 ; died at the same place, 17th
February, 1854. An affectionate and dutiful
son, a most attached brother, an upright and
amiable man. This monument is erected to re-
cord his vh-tues, by his afflicted and affectionate
brother.
[3.]
In memory of Mrs. Robina Anne Grant,
eldest daughter of the late Robert Grant, Esq', of
Kincorth, and wife of John Peter Grant, Esq'.,
residing at Invererne House, near Forres, by
whom this stone is erected to record his affection
and e.steem. He died upon 11th Sept'., 1830,
aged 52 years. Her only sister, Mrs. Davina
Grant, wife of Frederic Grant, Esq. of Mount
Cyrus, Kincardineshire, where her mortal re-
mains are deposited in the burying-ground of
St. Cyrus parish. She died on 8th March, 1828,
aged 27 years.
OROMDALE.
21
— Eobert and Lewis Grant were twin brothers,
and tlieir mother was a daughter of the minis-
ter of Cromdale. The husband of their sister,
Eobina, was a son of Mrs. Grant of Laggan,
authoress of Poems, Letters from the Moun-
tains, &c. The property of Mount C\tus (now
Ecclesgreig) still belongs to a maternal de-
scendant of these Grants (Epitaphs, i. 42).
[4.]
Sacred to the memory of Robert Grant of
Kincorth, who died on the lO"- August, 1801, in
the 49"' year of his age. Also in memory of
Lewis, infant son of Eobert Grant and Edith
Eaton, his wife, who died at Forres House, on
the 17"' November, 1861, aged thirteen months.
From a table-shaped (enclosed) stone : —
Erected to the memory of Alexander Car-
MICHAEL of Congash, wlio died the 14th Novem-
ber, 1803, in the 64th year of his age. He was
justly esteemed and sincerely regretted for his
uniform integrity and general benevolence.
Lieut.-Col. Lewis Carmichael, born at Kiu-
rara, June 26, 1792, died at FoiTes, August 8,
1844. Entering the army in 1809, as an Ensign
in the 59th regt. of Foot, he served his country
34 years with distinguished honour. At Vittoria,
San Sebastian, NiveUe, Nive, and Waterloo, he
earned the reputation of a zealous and intrepid
officer ; and at the assault of Bhurtpore, for a
feat of extraordinary valour, he was officially
thanked by the General in command. Sir Jasper
Nicolls. His efforts in contributing to restore
order in Canada during the commotions of 1838,
&c., were duly appreciated and acknowledged by
the Local Government, and by aU the well-aflFec-
ted in that Colony. As a man he was kind and
generous, devoted to the interests of his country,
beloved by his companions in arms, and esteemed
by all who knew him. After a short but pain-
ful illness, which he bore with Clu-istian sub-
mission to Divine Will, be died in the hope of a
blessed resurrection. This monument his sorrow-
ing sistera have erected to an aff'ectionate and
lamented brother, 1845.
There are five tablets on the south side of
the church to a family named Houston, the
earliest recorded of whom, Alex. Houston,
and his wife, Jane Cruickshank, lived in
Grantown, and died respectively in 1808 and
1796. The deaths of two sons and two
daughters are recorded. The eldest son.
James, and his wife, Helen Macdonald, died
in 1842 and 1863 respectively, and the fol-
lowing refers to one of their family : —
In memory of Alexr. Cruickshank Houston,
Lieut. 62d regiment, Bengal N.I., " an officer of
proved gallantry and great promise," born 25th
March, 1829, atKu'kton of InveraUan, died 29th
May, 1855, at Fort Abouzaie, in the Punjaub,
where the officers of his regiment have erected a
monument over his gi'ave.
The more important objects of antiquity in
the parish of Cromdale are the castles of
Muckrooh and Lochindorb. The former has
been before referred to (Epitaphs, i. 142), and
an account of the latter is to be found in every
book of any note regarding the history of
Scotland, as well as in Guide Books. Lochin-
dorb Castle appears to have been built upon
an island, partly, if not wholly, artificial, by
the ancient lords of Buchan, and, according to
Wyntown, the " Black Comyn" died there.
Edward I. occupied the castle during his
second invasion of Scotland, in 1 303, and it
was from this mountain keep that The Wolf
of Badenoch — Stewart, Earl of Athol — sallied,
nearly a century later, to harry the lowlands
of Morayshire, and set fire to the grand
cathedral of Elgin, as graphically told by Sir
Thomas Dick Lauder in his novel of the Wolf
of Badenoch. The property and castle of
Lochindorb passed from the Moray family to
the lairds of Cawdor, and are now owned by
the Earl of Seafield.
The most popular historical incident con-
nected with the locality, is the battle which
took place near the church of Cromdale, in
1690, when the forces of King William over-
threw those of James VII. This action is
believed to have given rise, in part at least, to
the ballad of the Haughs of Cromdale.
Castle Grant, a seat of the Earl of Seafield,
contains some curious family portraits, and
many valuable pictures by the Old Masters.
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
It is in the neighbourhood, of the thriving
village of Grantown, which was founded in
1776 by Sir Jas. Grant of Grant. Grantown
is well laid out, and contains many good
buildings, including churches, an orphan hos-
pital, a town-house, branch banks, &c. The
visit of her Majesty and suite, in September,
1860, did much to raise its popularity ; and
having a station upon the Highland line of
railway, it is much frequented in summer.
Upon a stone at Speybridge : —
. . . D. 1754. . . VB COMPANIES OF THE 33D
REQIMENT, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CHARLES
HAT, COLONEL, ENDED . . .
— This seems to refer to the construction of
Speybridge, which consists of three arches,
with a roadway of about 160 feet in length.
The smallest of the arches (about 20 feet of
span) was destroyed by the floods of 1829.
It was the above-named Hon. Col. Hay who
behaved so bravely at the siege of Gibraltar
and at the battle of Fontenoy. He was third
son of the Marquis of Tweeddale, became pro-
prietor of Linplum, and was made Colonel of
the 33rd Regiment in 1752. He went to
America as second in command under General
Hopson, and having expressed himself dis-
gusted with the inactivity of his superior
officer, he was tried by court-martial at Lon-
don in February, 1760, but the result of his
trial never came to light (Douglas' Peerage).
.V\\\^Wk\VV\VWVVNNV%%%\\\VW\\VWVVW%VVVWVW%\
a ti I) i c*
(S. )
THE ruins of the church of Advie occupy
a hillock about six miles below the kirk
and boat of Cromdale. A considerable jjortion
of the walls of the church still remains, the
east gable being the most entire. The walls
are about three feet thick, and the inside
measurement of the fabric is about 20 by 52
feet. The ruins of a roofless " watch-house"
are near the south-west corner.
The kirkyard dykes are in keeping with the
crazy state of the kirk walls, but being sur-
rounded by a few ash and fir trees, the site is
not destitute of picturesque beauty. Fine
views of the shooting lodge of Tulchan, and
of the river Spey are obtained from it.
There are about a dozen grave-stones within
the area of the ruins, and in the churchyard.
From these the two inscriptions below are
selected. The first is upon a granite obelisk,
the second upon a plain headstone : —
[1-]
In memory of the late Adam Stewart, Esq.,
Mains of Dalvey, and of Marjory Grant, his
spouse. Also of their sons, William, sui'geon in
the 58th Eegt., who died tlie and
Gregor, surgeon in the 18th Eegt., who died at
Hong-Kong, the 18th August, 1846.
— James, younger son of Adam Stewart, be-
came minister of the adjoining parish of Aber-
nethy, where he died in 1862, aged 57. Being
of an open and frank disposition, he was much
respected in his parish, while his attainments
in literature and science gained him many
friends at a distance. He was one of the best
violinists in the north, and excelled in Strath-
speys. " A thorough Highlander in feeling
(Scott's Fasti), he had a treasure of Highland
legends, and being gifted with a poetic genius,
had several specimens of his verses printed in
the Banffshire Journal."
[2.]
Erected by Peter Grant, Ballifurth, in memory
of his son John Grant, who died May 15, 1843,
aged 19 yeare. Remember man, &c.
6th May, 1854, Elsie Grant IjIvinqston died
ill the faith, Prov. xiv. 13, aged 26.
By grace I say,
I hope alway,
I'll see my resm-rection day.
Also, in memory of the foresaid Peter Grant,
late tenant, Ballifurth, who died on the 12th day
of August, 1855, aged 78 yeara.
METHLICK.
23
There is still a Mission Church, and regular
service is held, at Advie, and according to a
correspondent of the Banffshire Journal, the
district has some features of interest, in so far
as it forms — 1, the boundary between the
counties of Moray and Banff ; 2, the boundary
between the parishes of Cromdale and Inver-
aven ; 3, tlie boundary between Seafield and
BallindaUoch estates ; 4, the boundary be-
tween the Buchan and Moray N^ations at the
Aberdeen University ; 5, the boundary between
Lower and Upper Strathspey ; and 6, the
boundary between the Gaelic and English
speaking population, Gaelic being still regu-
larly preached in Cromdale Church.
In addition to the parish of Advie, that of
Inverallan is also united to Cromdale. It
was erected into a (7?/on(Z sacra parish in 1869,
and is known by the name of Gran'town.
Traces of pre-historic remains have been
found in the united parishes, such as stone
cists and urns, funeral cairns, and so-caUed
Druidical circles. The more important of
these have been described either ia the
Statistical Accounts, tourists' guide-books, or
the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries
of Scotland.
[Ins. of C. and A. compd. throuj^h Rev. Mr. Macqueen.]
SWkV%\V%\VNV*NVVWVWVV\VW\\N%\\%\VVVVWV\\W\V\
(S. DEVENICK, COKFESSOR.)
THE church oi Aletheleek, which is rated at
40 merks in the Taxation of 1275, be-
longed to the Cathedral of Aberdeen. In
1365, Walter of Menteith gave to the vicar of
the kirk of Mdhelak a piece of land in the
Haugh of Ethoyn (Ythan), which was bounded
on the west by the burn of Melok, on the
north by the river Ethoyn, and on the east by
the Cloohy (Eeg. Abdn., i. 112). The Clochy
possibly refers to a place below the kirk of
Methlick, where there are large stones on both
sides of, also stepping-stones across, the river.
Ingleram of Lyndesay, sometime prebendary
of Methlick, succeeded Bishop Henry Leighton
m the Episcopate of Old Machar, in 1442.
The ku'ks of Methlick, Fyvie, and Tarves
were aU served by Thomas Gormok, as minis-
ter, in 1574, and 2fichoU Smyth was reader at
Methlick.
The patronage of the church, which was
acquired by King's College, Aberdeen, in
1587, was bought by one of the Earls of
Aberdeen, and continued in the Aberdeen
family untU the abolition of patronage in
1874. They have long been sole heritors of
the parish of Methlick.
The date of 1780 is upon the belfry at the
old kirk, and upon the bell, now in use, are
the dates of 1826 and 1827. A costly parish
church was erected a few years ago, a little to
the south of the old kirk and kirkyard ; and
a Free Church stands on the opposite side of
the Ythan.
An old font, cut out of a square block of
red granite, which was found among the ruins
of the chapel at Chapelton, is preserved at the
parish chm'ch manse. Two communion cups
bear these inscriptions : —
[1]
CALIX EUCHARISTICUS METHLICEXSIS.
EX CONTRIBUTIOSE PAROCHIALIUM.
MINISTRANTE M. ADAMO RHEADO, 1630.
[2.]
CALIX EUCHARISTICUS METHLICENSIS.
EX DONO M. PA. METELANI AUCHINCREVII.
MINISTRANTE M. ADAMO READO, 1630.
[1. Methlic Communion Cup. Pi-eseuted by
the Parishioners ; 2. by Mr. Patrick Maitland
of Auchinoreive, dm-ing the ministry of Mi-.
Adam Eeid, 1630.]
— ]\Ir. Eeid, who was appointed to the churcli
24
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
in 1613, and died in 1633, appears to have
been related to the minister-family of Raid of
Banchory-Ternan, to one of whom, as nearest
of kin, he left the charge of his son and
daughter (Scott's Fasti).
IVIr. Patrick Maitland, the donor of the
second cup, died before 12th July, 1643, as
of that date his son Eichard was served heir
to him in the half lands of Auchencreive, and
several other possessions in and about Meth-
lick (Eetours).
Richard ]\Iaitland, who died about 1678,
and not Patrick, as stated in Brunton and
Haig's Historical Account of the Senators of
the College of Justice, was the father of Sir
Richard Maitland, an eminent lawyer of the
time of Charles II. He was made a lord of
Session in 1671, created a baronet in the fol-
lowing year, and assumed his judicial title of
Lord Pittrichie, from his paternal estate in
Udny. He died in 1677, and was succeeded
in the title and estates, first by his son
Eichard, and next by his brother Charles. The
latter, who appears to have been a widower in
1696 (Poll Book), was then living at Pittrichie,
along with a son, Charles, five daughters, his
sister Sophia, a niece (Barbara Ross), and Mr.
Alex. Mitchell, his son's governor. Sir Chas.
probably had another sister then living, for
" ]\Iary Metland, gentlewoman," and " Janet
Meldrum, her servant," were also charged
PoU-tax.
Sir Charles' son, who succeeded as third
baronet, died about the year 1704, without
issue, when the title became extinct. His
eldest sister, Jean, married the Hon. Alex.
Arbuthnott, third sou of the second Viscount
of Arbuthnott, by whom she had a son, who
assumed the surname and arms of Maitland,
and died in 1751, without issue. Pittrichie
then passed to his cousin, Major Arthur
Forbes (Douglas' Peer.) The first of these
Maitlands was Robert, third son of Sir Robert
Maitland of Thirlstane, who flourished in the
time of David II., and married the heiress of
Gight (Ibid.)
Although the connection cannot now be
traced, the following inscription may have
reference to descendants of the same Maitlands.
It is from a mural tablet, buUt into the back
wall of the Aberdeen Family burial aisle, and
runs thus : —
Here lies Patrick Maitland, late in Little
Ardocli, and Jean Eobertson, his spouse, with
several of their children. Also, Mr. Charles
Maitland, chirurgeon, their son, who gave this
stone in memory of his Parents, and left a small
charity to the Poor of this parish for ever. He
died theXXVIIIdayof January MDCCXL VIII,
aged LXXX years.
— Dr. Maitland, who died at Aberdeen, is
described as " the first promoter of inoculation
in Scotland ;" but his name, so far as I am
aware, is not given in any biographical work.
It is said that he was sent to Hanover by
George II. to inoculate Frederick, Prince of
Wales. Patrick Maitland, tenant in Newplace
of Cairnbrogie, Tarves, and who was charged
poll along with his wife in 1696, was probably
the Doctor's father, and may have removed
from Tarves to Methlick. Dr. Maitland's
" small charity to the poor" amounted to
£^3S 6s. 8d.
The burial aisle of the Aberdeen Family is
a plain building. It contains no monuments,
but George, the fifth Earl of Aberdeen, who
succeeded his father in 1860, and died at
Haddo House in 1864, was buried here, as
were the first and thhd Earls, also many other
members of the family, including Lord Haddo
(father of the fourth Earl), who was killed by
a fall from his horse at Gight, in 1791.
Two sons of the fifth Earl have died since
his time. The eldest, who is said to have
assumed the name of George Oshorne, fell over-
board the schooner Hera, in the spring of
1870, while on a voyage from Boston to Mel-
bourne, upon which vessel, from his own
METHLICK.
23
desire, his Lordship only held the position of
an able-bodied seaman. His younger brother
was accidentally shot by his own rifle at Cam-
bridge, in 1869 ; and the third, and only
surviving son, succeeded as seventh Earl of
Aberdeen, on the loss at sea of his brother
George.
This branch of the Gordons claims to be
descended from the Huntly family. Sir
William Gordon of Gowden Knowes, who got
the lands of Strathbogie from Robert I.,
married the daughter and heiress of John of
Citharista, lord of the barony of Methlick ;
but there is a want of evidence to show the
connection between Sir William and the pre-
sent famdy (Douglas' Peer.)
The surname of Citharistu, w-hich means a
harper, a guitar player, or a fiddler, was prob-
ably imported from Italy. It is one of much
interest, and possibly goes to show that the
first of the family in this country had como
as a court musician or minstrel. There is
ample proof of musicians having been con-
nected with foreign courts from a very early
rlate ; and although no record (so far as I
kjow) has yet been found to prove that they
were in the pay of the Scottish Court until
the time of James I., it is probable that the
Citharista family may have been harpers to
The Bruce, with whom they appear to have
been favourites.
I have seen no trace of the Citharista family
before Bruce's time, nor after that of David
II. Thomas of Citharista, who was contem-
porary with his namesake of Methlick, had a
charter from the Bruce of lands within the
burgh of Haddington, which were forfeited by
Gilloc of Camera (Reg. Mag. Sigill., 13).
Patrick, Ade, and Nicholas Citharista all re-
ceived charters from David 11. The first had
certain lands in Carrick ; the second had those
of Balveuy (Balgavies) and Tolecandalautum
(Tillywhanland) in the thauedom of Aber-
lemno, and the third had a charter of the con-
stabulary of Linlithgow (Rob. Index).
Patrick Gordon of iSIetldick, who fell at the
battle of Arbroath, in 1445-6, is accounted
the true jarogenitor of the Earls of Aberdeen,
the first ennobled of whom was Sir George
Gordon, who was created Earl of Aberdeen in
1682. He was sometime a Lord of Session,
and High Chancellor of Scotland, and died at
Kelly in 1720, in his 83rd year. The Rev.
]\Ir. Edward of Murroes (Epitaphs, i. 122) who
wrote a valuable Account of Angus in Latin
(1678) dedicated his later work of The Dox-
ologjr Approven (1683) to his lordship. The
preface contains a quaint reference to the exe-
cution of the Earl's father ; and among
other reasons which Mr. Edward gives for
dedicating his book to his Lordship is, that
from his " knowdedge and deep Judgment" he
is " able exactly to ponder the weight and
validity of the Reasons brought to prove the
lawfulness of singing the Doxolorjij, and the
levity and weakness of the pretended Reasons
brought against it."
The f oui'th Earl, who died 1 4th December,
1860, and was buried at Stanmore Priory,
was Prime Minister at the breaking out of tlie
Crimean War. He was greatly esteemed as a
kind and liberal landlord, and his memory is
preserved in the district by a monument,
erected by his tenantry, upon the Hill of
Ythsie. He is described upon his bust iti
Westminster Abbey, as " Ambassador, Secre-
tary of State, Prime Minister. Aikoiototos."
His lordship travelled much in Italy and
Greece in early life, and wrote an Inquiry into
the Principles of Beauty in Grecian Architec-
ture. He was one of the founders of the
Athenian Society, and is celebrated by Lord
Byron, as
The travelled thane, Athenian Aberdeen.
He was President of the Spalding Club
from its institution — contributed several
26
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
volumes to it at his own expense, and for-
warded in every way its prosperity.
His lordship's companions at Haddo House
were frequently men of literary and artistic
tastes. Among these was 'Mr. Kemhle, the
celebrated actor, in commemoration of whose
favourite haunt, a pavement slab, at a stone
seat, in a romantic part of Knockothie wood,
is thus inscribed : —
SEDES . HAEO . SAXEA . ET . INCULTA . lOANNI-
PHILIPPO . KEMBLE . PER . AESTIVOS . ANNI .
MDCCCXVII . MENSES . MVLTVM . DIVQVE . SECVM
MEDITANTI . PRAETER . OMNES . RIDEBAT.
[This rude stone seat was the favourite resort
of John-Philip Kemble, who, during the sum-
mer of 1817, frequently retired to it for the pur-
pose of meditation.]
• — Mr. Kemble, born 1757, was the son of a
strolling player, and brother of the celebrated
Mrs. Siddons. He became an actor in his
nineteenth year, and made his debut at Wol-
verhampton, in 1776. Two years later he ap-
peared in his own tragedy of Belisarius ; and
on the 30th September, 1783, he performed
Hamlet at Drury liane, of which theatre and
Covent Garden he was successively manager.
On his retirement in 1817, he received a public
dinner in London, at which Lord Holland
presided, and Thomas Campbell recited his
well-known Ode to Kemble. Kemble made
his last appearance at Edinburgh on 29th
!March of the same year, and Sir Walter Scott
wrote his valedictory address. Mr. Kemble
spent his latter years on the Continent, and
died at Lausanne, 26th Februarj', 1823, leav-
ing a reputation for unostentatious benevolence
which is not likely soon to be forgotten. He
issued a small volume of Fugitive Pieces at
York, 1780, but as he did his best to suppress
it, the volume has become rare.
An obelisk, to the south-west of Haddo
House, was erected by the Earl of Aber-
deen, in memory of his brother, the Hon.
Lieut. -General Sir Alex axdi;r Gordox, whose
name is honourably mentioned in the I)uke
of Wellington's Despatches, likewise ia Sir
Walter Scott's poem of Waterloo, thus : —
And generous Gordon 'mid the strife
Fell while he watch'd his leader's life.
The obelisk at Haddo House is said to be of
the same form as the one which marks the spot
at Waterloo, where Sir Alexander fell. The
latter bears an inscription in both French and
English, a copy of which was kindly sent (in re-
ply to a query) by "J. 0.," to Noted and Queries
(March 11, 1876), and is here reprinted: —
SUR LE CHAMP DE BATAILLE.
Sacred to the memory of Lieut.-Col. the Hon.
Sir Alexander Gordon, Knight-Commander of
the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Aide
de Camp to Field-Mai-shal Duke of Wellington,
and. third brother to George Earl of Aberdeen,
who, in the twenty-ninth year of his age, termi-
nated a short but glorious career on the 18"" of
June, 1815, whilst executing the orders of his
gi-eat Conmiander in the battle of Waterloo.
Distinguished for gallantry and good conduct in
the field, he was honoured with repeated marks
of approbation by the illustrious Hero, with
whom he shared the dangers of every battle, in
Spain, Portugal, and France, and received the
most flattering proofs of his confidence on many
trying occasions. His zeal and activity iu the
service obtained the reward of ten medals, and
the honourable distinction of the Order of the
Bath. He was justly lamented by the Duke of
Wellington iu his public despatch as an officer
of high promise and a serious loss to the country.
Nor less worthy of record for his vu-tues in pri-
vate life, his unaffected respect for religion, his
high sense of honour, his scruinilous integrity,
and the most amiable qualities which secured the
attachment of his friends, and the love of his
own family. In testimony of feelings which no
language can express, a disconsolate sister and five
sm-viviug brothel's have erected this simple me-
morial to the object of their tenderest affection.
The sentiment contained in the next in-
scription, which is upon a vase in the Deer
Park at Haddo House, is believed to have re-
ference to Earl George's first wife : —
QEORGIUS comes ABERDONENSIS
M.D.CCC.XLVII
HAUD IMMEMOK.
[George, Eapl-of-A-ber-deen, 1847, not unjain<K»il.]
METHLWK.
27
The following inscription in the churchyard
of Methlick, is in raised letters, and round the
margin of a flat slab : —
HEIR . LTES . ANE . HOONAST . MAN . CALLED .
FETTER . LOGIE . WHO . LIVED . SOM . TYM . IN .
HADDO . AND . THER . DEPEARTED . THIS . LYF .
OCTOBER . 1689.
P . L. : E . E .
— Peter was probably a son of John Logie,
who along with Sir John Gordon of Haddo,
was beheaded in 1644. Andrew Logie, prob-
ably a son of Peter's, was married, and oc-
cupied Haddo in 1696. He had two male ser-
vants, one female servant, and "also two herds."
From another flat stone : —
HERE LIES MR. ROBERT LESLIE, SERVANT TO THE
EARL OF ABERDIEN, WHO LIVED AND DIED AN
HONEST MAN. HE DIED SEPTR. 27 DAY 1737.
— Patrick (] Eobert) Leslie, steward to the
Earl of Aberdeen, is recorded (Poll Book,
1696) to have a fee of " £32 per annum, the
fortieth pairt whereof and generall poll is
£\ 2s." This is, of course, Scots money.
The next inscription is from a stone upon
which are carved the mortuary emblems of a
bell, a coffin, two spades, a sand glass, a
candlestick with a flaming candle, a skull, and
crossed bones : —
Here lyes the body uf Isobel Beeton, spouse
to Alexander Brichen, iu Meikle Ardoch, who
departed tliis life tlie 7 day of August, 1738.
A.B. 1742, I.B.
— Wheatseat was tenanted (1696) by persons
of the above names, whose servant, Elspet
Brichen, had a fee of 14 merks per annum, or
about 15s. 6d. sterling, a fact from which a
fair enough idea may be formed of the value
of money and of country service at the time
referred to.
The next inscription preserves the name of
a place, now lost, which was situated within
the policies of Haddo House : —
Here lies George Walker, late sergeant pay-
master in the King's Foot Guards, son to Mr.
James Walker and Jean Dun, sometime in Lady
Steps, who died May 17th, 1773, aged 42 years.
— According to a confused tradition, the name
of the Lady Steps arose from a lady of the
name of Lindsay having crossed the burn at
that spot while pursued by enemies. It is
added that she ran through the Lindsay hills
(which are also said to have had their name from
her), but being overtaken at Douglashead, in
the parish of Ellon, she was there killed and
buried upon the spot, wdiere her grave is said
to have been preserved until a new lease of
the farm of Douglashead was obtained in
1860.
From a table-shaped stone : —
This atone is erected by Alex. Taylor in Miln
of Kelly, in memory of Iean Falconer, hia
spouse, who departed this life the 28 of Deer.,
1728, and Susan Taylor, his daughter, who de-
])arted this life the 28 of July, 1741 ; also Anna
Johnston, lawfuU spouse to Alexander Taylor,
abovesaid : she died the 29 of March, 1763,
aged 72 yeara. Here also was interred the
body of "the foresaid, Alexr. Taylor. He
died May 4th, 1777, aged 94 years. He, for
many years, with gi'eat prudence, acted as a
Factor for the Noble Family of Aberdeen, to the
full satisfaction of that Noble Family and their
tenants. Also, of George, his son, who long
served the Family of Aberdeen in the same
capacity, and died 21st Septr., 1809, aged 87.
And of Elizabeth Petrie, his spouse, who died
20th January, 1781, aged 56. Also of six of their
children.
— Anna Johnston was probably one of
the six children of William Johnston, who
tenanted Mill of Kelly, in 1696, and who
classed " himselfe as ane gentleman." It was
under George Taylor, who died in 1809, that
the first Crombie of Thornton and Phesdo
was trained. Mr. Crombie, who was a man
of thorough integrity and business habits,
succeeded Mr. George Taylor as factor on the
Aberdeen estates. He was an advocate in
Aberdeen, and died in 1832 (Epitaphs, i. 63).
The next two inscriptions (the latter of
which is abridged) give the names of benefac-
tors to the poor of the parish, also the amount
of money bequeathed by each : —
Here lies the body of John Lind, who died at
28
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Boat of Tanglanfoord, Decer., 1742, aged 60
years. Also Christian Gibb, his spouse, who
died Dec., 1787, aged 90 years ; and 6 of their
children, 3 sous and 3 daughters. Likewise
Barbra Garden, spouse of John Lind, their 4th
son, merchant in Skelniafilly, who died, July,
1788, aged 67 years. Said John Lind, whose
body rests here, also died 28th May, 1798, aged
81, with 1 sister more & 3 elsewhere, 11 in all.
He l)equeathed to the Poor of this Parish £200
sterling.
Egbert Moir, mercht, Ahd., d. 1798, a. 66. :
— " By sobrietj' and industry he acquired a small
fortune, which he left to his nearest relatives,
except £700 for public charities, £300 of which
to the kirk -session of Methlick."
—The interest of £200 of this sum was left to
educate ten poor scholars.
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Ludovick
Grant, who for upwards of 40 years discharged
the pastoral duty of this parish. He departed
this life on the lith June, 1839, aged 85 yeare.
— Mr. Grant, who came from Morayshire, was
the immediate predecessor of the present
minister, the Eev. Dr. AVhyte, who communi-
cated an interesting notice of the parish to the
New Statistical Account of Scotland.
Sacred to the memory of George Wornum,
who was for many yeara servant to George, Earl
of Aberdeen, and died at Haddo House, Nov. 22,
1856, in the 43rd year of his age.
— The above tombstone was erected by the
Earl of Aberdeen. The next three inscrip-
tions are abridged : —
Eev. Alexander T. Ftvie, missionary at
Suart, East Indies, died there 10th June, 1840,
aged 45. His sons, Alexander, architect, Xon-
don, died in 1858, and John, Post-Ofiice clerk,
died in 1859.
m
Thomas Mennie, slater, Brackly, died by a fall
from his hoi-se, 18th Sept., 1856, aged 50. " Erec-
ted by a few friends of Temperance, for the
promotion of which he laboured for nearly 20
years, with C'hristian devotion and zeal."
[3.]
Eev. William Beaton, minister of St.
Andrew's Scotch Church, Grenada, West Indies,
died at Aberdeen, 25th Feb., 1857, aged 35.
So far as I am aware, few prehistoric ob-
jects of much value have been discovered in
Methlick. The most important were prob-
ably the stone coffins and urns which were
found at Skilmanae (1 Kil-Monan), about the
year 1858, of which an account was given in
the local newspapers, by the Eev. Dr. Whyte.
From charters at Haddo House it appears
that a croft on Meikle Methlick was known as
" le Crystyis croft," and one of the boundaries
between Auchnagat and Saulquhat (Saphoch)
was "the Halymanis Seit." In these records
tlie hill now called Skelmafillie, appears as
" Kilmafillie," which may be a corrupted form
of the Icil or church of the " Haly man," whose
" seit" is in the neighbourhood (Report Hist.
MSS.- Com., No. v.)
There was a chapel (S. Ninian's) at Audit,
of which property Wintouns were proprietors
for at least a century before 1417.
The Earls of Buchan, who were ancient
lords of the district, are said to have had a
residence at Kelly. Alexander III. was there
in 1273, and confirmed " apud Kellie," the
Earl of Buchan's foundation charter of the
alms-house at Turriff.
There was a mansion-house at Haddo, on
tho south side of the Ythan, opposite to
Gight ; but it, as well as the name, was trans-
ferred by one of the Gordons to the locality of
the present family residence.
When the old castle of Kelly was burnt
by Argyll and his soldiers in 1644, Sir John
Gordon, or his party, appears to have killed
two of the assailants in self-defence, and for
this crime of loyalty to Charles I., Sir John,
" his man" John Logie, and a son of Gordon
of Mill of Kelly, were taken prisoners to Edin-
burgh, where Sir John and Logie were both
beheaded, but Gordon " wes set at libertie."
Spalding (ii. 387-91), who gives a very graphic
and minute account of the murder of Sir
John and Logie, says that Sir John's " death
METHLICK.
29
wes pitifullie bemonit and lamentit, and sum
thocht it coold not go onrevengit."
The present building of Haddo House, which
stands a little to the south of the site of the
old castle of Kelly, is surrounded by an ex-
tensive park, in which are many fine drives
and grand old trees. It is in the Palladian
style of Architecture, which was common in
the time of the elder Adams. The house has
been frequently added to and altered. Bolow
the family arms, on the west front, is this re-
cord of the erection of the centre or main por-
tion of the buildings : —
WILLIAM EARLE OF ABERDEEN
MDCCXXXII
ANNE COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN.
—William was the second Earl of Aberdeen,
and Countess Anne, who was his third wife,
was a daughter of the Duke of Gordon. She
was the mother of the Hon. Alex. Gordon,
Lord Eockville, who w|is ancestor of the
Gordons of Fyvie. She died in 1791, aged
78, and was buried in the churchyard of St.
Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, where her son was also
interred, he having died in the following 5^ear
at the age of 53.
There are many valuable works of art in
Haddo House, both by ancient and modern
painters ; but the grand picture of Sir Edwin
Landseer's Otter Hunt, which was commis-
sioned by the fourth Earl, was parted with by
his son and successor. It was sold for 5650
guineas at Mr. Grant's sale in London, April
28, 1877.
In the entrance hall is a presentation bust
of Her Majesty, over which is a marble tablet,
thus inscribed : —
EFFIGIE SVA BENEVOLENTIAE
SIGNO HAS AEDES EXORNAVIT
MDCCCLV
VICTORIA REOINA.
[In token of her Koyal favour. Queen Victoria
adorned this house with her bust in 1855.]
It is well-known that the fourth Earl of
Aberdeen was a great favourite with the
Queen ; and, in addition to the gift of her
bust, she honoured his Lordship with a visit
to Haddo House, 14th and 15th October,
1857. In commemoration of the latter event
Her Majesty planted two trees of the Welling-
tonia species, which stand in the flower gar-
den, upon the south-east side of the house.
A place called the Castlehill of Methlick is
upon the east side of the parish ; and in the
south-east, or Inverebrie district, is oMichael
Muir. The Devil's Stane, upon which are
some curious geological formations, resembling
" cloven hoof" marks, is in a marshy part of
the Belmure wood, on the north side of the
Ythan ; and as may be supposed there is no
lack of stories regarding the doings of his
Satanic majesty in the locality.
Dr. George Cheyne, author of an Essay
on Health and Longevity, was born at Auchen-
cruive, in this parish, and died at Bath, in
174.3, aged 72. It appears by his own account
of himself that he lived somewhat fast in his
youth, a course which necessity more than in-
clination required him to abandon. At one
period of his life he weighed 32 stones, and
having thereby lost much of his wonted health
and muscular power, he says that he partly re-
gained both by having recourse to " milk diet."
The village of Methlick, where the kirk,
manse, and school are situated, contains some
shops and two branch banks. It lies upon
the south side of the Ythan, and, from the
windows of the cottages being of the latticed
sort (to which the fourth Earl of Aberdeen
had a liking), it has much the appearance
of some of the villages in the Midland Coun-
ties of England. There is a bridge across the
Ythan near the village, and another at Tang-
lanford (i.e., S. Englat, patron of Tarves).
The name of Methlick, which is commonly
pronounced " Meedlick," is probably derived
from the word Meelick, which signifies a low
marshy place upon a river side. This render-
30
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
ing, although not far from the mark now-a-
days, must have been more appropriate before
there was so much cultivated land as there is
at present.
[Ins. compared by Mr. Stephen, registrar.]
s^^^^^^\^^^^^\^v^^^^^v^^^^wv^w^v^^^w^A^AV^^^v^«
C it i r 11 e p.
(S. MARTIN, POPE?)
CAIRNEY is made up of the two old
parishes of Botarie and Ruthven, and
of a part of Drumdelgie. The churches all
belonged to the diocese of Elgin ; and, when
those of Elchies and ISotarie were erected into
a prebend of the cathedral of Moray (1226),
Gillemor, vicar of Botarie, was a consenting
party to the transaction (Reg. Ep. Morav.)
It was agreed that the church should be
first served by a deacon, and afterwards by a
sub-deacon ; and the house or manse of the
prebendary was situated near one of the gates
of the Chanonry of Elgin.
The ancient church of Botarie is supposed
to have stood at Kirkhtllock, about a mile
from the present church of Cairney ; and
Botarie was at no distant date the seat of the
Presbytery of Strathbogie. Tradition says
that when the parishes were united, one party
wanted the new church to be erected at
Botarie, another at Cairney ; and the latter
prevailed only by calling to their aid the
power of supernatural agency !
The hand or " deid bell," the casting of
which cost the Kirk-session £4 16s. Scots,
and 12.S. Scots for carriage from Aberdeen,
bears : —
TO KERNY.
JOHN MO WAT FE. OLD ABD. 1763.
The present church (built in 1804) stands
upon a rising ground, at the base of which
runs the burn of Cairney. The old church
was roofed with oak, which is said to have
grown on the Bin ; and this fact having been
brought under the notice of the late Duke of
Richmond by the Rev. Mr. Cowie, was one of
the inducements which led to the planting of
the hill.
The Bin is now densely covered with thriving
wood, and upon the summit is a rock, from a
crevice of which water " oozes" or trickles into
a hollow stone. It is called the Gallna
Water, and was believed, in old times, to be
an eflFectual cure for hooping-cough. Near to
this is the iSTewfound Isle, where there are
some caves or rocky passages, in which, ac-
cording to tradition, abode the " weird
sisters," whom the Baron of Gartly consulted
regarding his " fausse Lady an' her leman,"
as told in the ballad of the Baron of Gartly.
A marble slab within the church presents
this inscription : —
Sacred to the memory of Lady Anne Chal-
mers (widow of the late Rev. Alex. Chalmers,
minister of Cairnie), who departed this life at
Huntly, upon the Ttb of June, 1816, in her 69th
year. This was erected by her affectionate
brother, Alexander, Duke of Gordon.
A table-shaped stone, in the south-west
corner of the burial-ground, bears : —
Here lies all that was mortal of the late
Reverend Alexander Chalmers, muiister of
Cairuy, who departed this life on the 2nd Oc-
tober, 1798, in the 78th year of his age, and 51st
of his ministry there. He was held in high esti-
mation for his gi'eat attention to parochial
duties, and charitable disposition, as in him the
])Oor always found a friend.
Over the entrance to an enclosure (ujaon the
site of the south aisle of the old kirk) are the
words : —
GORDON OF BOTHARIE AND PITLURG,
RESTORED 1868.
A slab within the Pitlurg aisle, in raised
Roman capitals (the words " and . to . be"
being repeated) bears : —
SIR . IHONE . GORDONE . OF . PETLVRG . KNYCHT
. CAVST . BIO . THIS . ILB . IN . REMEMBERANS . 0¥
CAiRNEt.
31
. HIS . PREDICESSOVRIS . QVHA . AR . BVKEIT . HEIE
. AND . TO . BE . AND . TO . BE . ANB . BVRIAL . TO .
HIM . AND . HIS . SVCCESSOVRIS . SA . LANG . AS .
IT . PLESIS . GOD . THAT . CONTENEV . 1597.
—Sir Jolm was the father of Eobert Gordon
of Straloch, the famous geographer, whom
Charles I. appointed to superintend the con-
struction of the first complete Atlas of Scot-
land. It was published bj^ Bleau of Amster-
dam in 1648, under the title of Theatrum
Scotise. This branch of the Gordons (now re-
presented by Mr. Gordon of Pitlurg and
Dyce), claims descent from Adam of Gordon,
who fell at Homildon, and whose daughter
brought the Strathbogie estates to the Seton-
Gordons. They were designed first of Scur-
dargue, next of Auchleuchries, and afterwards
of Lumgair and Hilton, in Kinneff. Jolm
Gordon sold Lumgair, and bought Pitlurg in
1536, and in 1541 exchanged Hilton for the
lands of Cravethin, in Drumblade. He ap-
pears to have been the grandfather of Sir
John, who was knighted in 1594, and dying in
1600, aged 53 (Gordon's Tables of Pedigree,
1784), was buried at Botarie, now Cairney.
Besides the above inscription, a mutilated
coffin-slab bears the letters . . . GOED . . .
and part of the incised figure of a knight.
Another piece of rude carving represents a
human being in the act of tearing open his
breast, and thereby exhibiting the heart. This
has probably reference to some of the tortures
which monkish writers say S. Martin under-
went during his persecution by the Emperor
Cons tans.
It is told of the Pitlurg aisle that a servant
of the name of Thom, who saved the life of
one of the Gordons, had granted to himself and
his heirs the privilege of being buried within
the " isle" at the feet of the chief, a favour
which, it is added, was long enjoyed by Thom's
descendants.
The only remains of the old Castle of
Pitlurg are a spiral staircase or tower. It was
" founded upon a rock," and appears to be-
long to the time of " Sir Jhone." Some of
the trees of the orchard or garden are upon
the slope below the ruins ; but the surround-
ings, as a whole, are of a bleak and uninterest-
ing character.
Four tombstones at Cairney, enclosed by a
railing bear respectively : —
The remains of the Reverend John Finlater,
minister of the Gospel at Cairney, are deposited
here. He died on the 20th Augt. 1825, in the
70th year of his age, and 30th of his ministry.
In memory of Anne Smith, relict of the late
Rev. John Finlater, minister of Cairney. She
died at Huntly upon the 17th Aug., 1846, in the
90th year of her age.
— Mr. Finlater, who also studied medicine,
was translated from the kirk of Glass to
Cairney. His daughter, who married ]\Ir.
Thurburn of Murtle, in Peterculter, contri-
buted £1000 towards the erection of the
Thurburn Cooking Depot in Aberdeen, for the
benefit of working men (Epitaphs, i. 167).
The following relates to Mr. Fiulater's
brother-in-law and sister-in-law : —
The remains of the Rev. Alexander Smith,
late minister of the Gospel atKeig, are deposited
here. He died 12th May, 1833, in the 83rd year
of his age, and the 63rd of his ministry.
In memory of Eliz.\beth Smith, aged 88, who
died at Hvmtly upon the 21st day of Oct., 1841.
iSTear the above is a marble tablet, encased
in granite, which was erected by the pa-
rishioners of Cairney, to the memory of the
Kev. William Cowie, who died 31st May,
1866, aged 80. Jlr. Cowie was previously
minister at Cabrach, and was succeeded in
Cairney by his son-in-law, Mr. Annand, the
present incumbent.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
Underneath, and on each side of this stone,
are interred the bodies of George, aged 24 yeai-s ;
John, aged 23, and Robert, an infant, sons of
Eobert Daun, who hi^s erected this stone to their
memory. Also, Margaret, their daughter, died
3i-d Jany., 1813, aged 21. Also his spouse,
EtsPBTlVSEtifis, who died- A«g. 24th-, 182&, aged-
32
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS .
77 yeai-s. The above Egbert Daun, died at
Bogiesmuii-, on the 2nd Dec, 1831, aged 82.
— K. Daun, who was a blacksmith, left up-
wards of £1000 to erect a school at Alehouse-
hillock, at which nine pujjils, nominated by
the Kirk-session, are taught gratis. The trus-
tees are the parish minister, another member
of the Presbytery of Strathbogie, and the dis-
trict factor of the Gordon estates. Daun in-
herited his wealth from an uncle in America.
Upon a flat slab : — ■
WAITING FOR A BLESSED RESURRECTION, HERE
LTBS .... lOHN DAVIDSON, WHO DTED SEPTEM-
BER 4, 1672, AND OF ROBERT DAVIDSONE, WHO
DYED APRIL THE 2, 1683.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
Erected by .John Simson in Crookmore, and
Charles Simson in Belcherie, in memory of their
pai-ents John Simson and Ann M'Pherson, late
in Birkenbauk. Also Hellen Mitchell, spouse
of Charles Simson, who died iu Sept., 1805, aged
54, and John, their sou, aged 18.
— The above is from one of three monuments
which relate to near relatives of ^Ir. Simpson,
of Cobairdy. Crookmore is in Tullynessle,
and Belcherie in Cabrach.
?DrumtieJigie.
(S. PETER.)
THE kirk of Drumdelgie stood in a haugh
upon the north bank of the Deveron,
south of the ridge upon which the farm
buildings of Broadlands are situated, the name
being quite descriptive of the site of the kirk.
The church of Drimuhdiji/ii is mentioned in
an agreement between the IMshop of Moray
and David of Strathbogie, in 1230; and it
and the kirk of Grantully are each rated at 2s.
in the Taxation of 1350 (Reg. Morav.)
In 1556 the Bishop of Moray made a grant
of the teind sheaves of the parishes of Grantuly
(frartly), and Drumdalgye for 19 years, to
George Barclay and his spouse Margaret
OgUvy, for the annual payment of 290 merks.
The parish of Drumdelgie was suppressed
and annexed to Bo tarie and Glass, about 1597
(Scott's Fasti). At a later period the greater
part of Drumdelgie was annexed to Cairney.
Owing to the church having been burned
at one time, it is kno'n'n as the Brunt Kirk,
also as Peter Kirk, from the name of the titu-
lar saint. According to tradition the fire was
caused by a kae, or jackdaw, that carried a
burning .stick or cinder from a neighbouring
cottage, and deposited it among the thatch of
the kirk roof.
The kirk was about 24 feet in width, and
55 feet Ln length over walls ; and the walls
are about 3 feet thick. It stood east and
west; with a window in the west end, and the
entrance on the south. Though the kirk is
now quite ruinous, the foundations are entire,
and the greatest height of the remaining por-
tion of the wall is about nine feet.
The area of the building is used for inter-
ments, and some tombstones are within it.
Upon a headstone : —
Here lies the body of Alexander Smith, late
farmer, Coi-skeUie, who died Nov. 11, 1809, aged
84 yeare. His ancestors have been bm'ied here
for generations past. Also, of his spouse, Janet
Murray, .... 1819, aged 84 yeai-s.
A table-shaped stone near the south- east
comer bears : —
In memory of Mi's. H. Gordon, spouse of C.
Grant of Baluagowau, who died 21st Nov. 1817,
aged 67.
The cemetery is of considerable extent, and
surrounded by a substantial dyke. The oldest
tombstone bears the name of one Craigen,
who lived at Milltown of Cairnborrow, Glass,
and died in 1747, aged 43. He was the first
carrier between Keith and Aberdeen, and had
numerous descendants, some of whom still sur-
vive in the districts of Huntly, Fetterneir,
Aberdeen, &c.
RUTHVEN.
33
The following is from a taljle-shaped stone,
near the south-east corner of the ruins : —
Here lies Alexr. Melles, late in Drumdelgey,
who died 2ud April, 1766, aged 62. Also his
sou, Geo., who died 1st August, 1761, aged 18.
This stoue was erected by his son, James Melles.
— The above inscription, like a few others in
the same place, has been tampered with by some
idler, who has added the figure 1 to several
of the ages. In the above case, 1 is added to
18, making the age 181 — a piece of mischief
which cannot be too severely censured.
H u 1 1) iJ e u.
( ? S. CAKAL, OR S. t'YRIL.)
BETWEEN the years 1 208- U the kirks of
Euthven and Dipple were created into
a prebend of the Cathedral Cluu-ch of the
Holy Trinity at Spynie by Bricius, IJishop of
Moray, to which Hugh, parson of Ruthven,
was a consenting party. The prebendary was
bound to provide a priest to serve as his vicar
in the Cathedral Church. The parson of
Dipple (says Shaw) was titular of the teinds
of Euthven.
Euthven was annexed to Botarie about
, and worship was held pretty regularly
at Euthven until 1721, after which the kirk
had possibly been allowed to go to ruin. The
west gable and part of the north wall only
remain. An earlier church is said to have
fallen about 1689.
The bell, which has a fine tone and is still
in the belfry, is known as Tlie Woio n' Rivan.
Upon it is this inscription : —
OMNE . REGNVM . IN . SEIPSVM . DIVISVM
DESOLABITVK . 1643.
[Every kingdom divided against itself shall be
brought to desolation.]
It is told that some years ago when an at-
tempt was made to remove " the Wow" to the
kirk of Cairney, the inhabitants of Euthven
were so enraged that it was deemed advisable
to allow the bell to remain where it was
(Presby. Book of Strathbogie). Since that
time an additional charm has been imparted
to the bell and the ruins by the remains of " a
natural" having been laid near the west gable.
He made frequent visits from Huntly to Euth-
ven, particvdarly on the occasion of interments,
as is fully set forth in a notice of his life by
George Macdonald in Good Words (Feb.,
1863), and his memory is preserved at Euth-
ven by a tombstone thus inscribed : —
Erected by the inhabitants of Huntly in
memory of John M'Bey, better known by the
name oiFeel Jock; or The Colonel, who died there
upon the 15th day of March, 1848, aged about
71 yeai-s. His remains rest here at his express
request, near his especial favourite the Bell of
Ruthven, or, as he was wont to call it, " The
Wow," the double peals of which he imagined to
signify — ' Come hame — Come hame.' Requiescat
iu pace.
Upon a headstone —
Under this stoue lies the body of JoHX Desso.v,
sometime farmer in Haddoeh, who died Jany,
22, 1776, iu the 79th year of his age.
From a table-stone : —
This stone is erected by Captain Watt of His
Majesty's ship. The Sidtaii, Man-of-Wai-, in
memory of his mother Jannet Harper, who died
the 29th of May, 1787, aged 82 yeai-s.
Religion pm-e and virtue of all kind,
Shee ever cherished in a quiet mind,
With unbounded charity, & was ever kind.
From a table-shaped stone : —
Gloria in excelsis Deo. >J« Sacreil to the
memory of the Rev. John Taylor, M.A., for
many years Incumbent of St. Luke's Church,
Cuminestowu, in the Diocese of Aberdeen, who
departed this life at Huutly, on the liret Sunday
after Easter, 1857, iu the 49th year of his age.
S'liirl'ihi united with Uibdiutii. and Gnodiiess
with J/r, /■„,,«. lendered this I'riest c.f the Church
the liclnvi'd (if his friends, and the esteemed of
all who knew him. Meek; he was swift to hear ;
slow to speak ; slow to wi-ath ; Humhle ; he
esteemed others better than liimself ; Devoted
I to God ; He coimted his life uot de;u' to him-self,
34
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
so that he might linisli his course with joy in the
service of his Lord. Beati pauperes auimo.
An obelisk is erected to tlie memory of a
family from Keith of the name of Sim, the
last recorded of whom, IIobekt, who died 12th
August, 1866, aged 72, had a taste for poetry
and antiquities. Having come to a competency
in his latter years he amused himself with
writing upon these subjects, and issued some
pamphlets of local interest, among Avhicli are
Legends of Strathisla, Old Keith, &c.
"Within an enclosure at the west end of the
Icirk of Euthven lie the remains of Dr. George
Grant, who was a medical j^ractitioner in
Huntly. Besides being skilful in his profes-
sion, he possessed a taste for music, and was
one of the best of the many good amateur
violinists in the Xorth. He was also fond of
antiquarian pursuits, and it was mainly
through his exertions that tlie sculptured
stone was preserved which was found by the
late Mr. Chi-istie, farmer, TilJytarment, at
Donaldstone Ford, near the junction of the
Isla with the Deveron (Sculp. Stones of Scot.,
ii., pi. cix.) Dr. Grant, who was a native of
Cullen, died in 1867, in his 42nd year.
A recess tomb, in the north wall of the
kirk, contains the so-called effigy of Tarn d
Riven, which has all the appearance of a work
of the 16th century. Tam is said to have
lived at Daugh, iu the neighbourhood of the
kirk, and to have had eighteen sons by four
wives !
According to Mr. Cameron's poem of the
Monks of Grange (Banff, 1849), Tam was
challenged to single combat by an offended
Monk, whom he slew at the Little Balloch,
near to which are the Monk's Cairn and Tam
o' Eiven's Well.
Although the lineage of Tam o' Eiven and
Jock o' Scurdargue or Pitlurg was long a mat-
ter of doubt, it is now clearly proved that both
were illegitimate sons of Sir John of Gordon,
who fell at Otterburn, brother of Adam of
Gordon, and uncle of Elizabeth, who carried the
Gordon estates to her husband. Sir Alexander
Scton. Besides Jock and Tam, Sir John had
other two illegitimate sons, Alexander and
Adam, both of whom are mentioned along
Avith Thomas of Gordon (Tam o' Eiven), in a
charter of the lands of Ardlach in Aberdour,
which was granted to John of Gordon (Jock
o' Scurdargue) 1418-23. The four Gordons
are all described as " sons natural" of the late
Sir John of Gordon, knight (Antiq. Abd.
Bff, ii. .378; mpra, 31.)
The effigy of Tam u Ricen is engraved in
Arohael. Scot., iii. pi. ii,, in connection with a
paper by the late Mr. Logan, author of the
Scottish Gael ; but, through some stran"e
cause — probably a mixing up of notes — in-
.stead of treating of Euthven in Aberdeenshire,
l\lr. Logan (except in so far as the notice of
Tam's tomb is concerned, and an engraving of
the kirk), gives the history of the church of
Eathven, in Banffshu-e. Mr. Logan also prints
the well-known ballad of "Jock and Tam;"
and describes a curious oak panel, which he
found in a house near Euthven in Cairney,
but which, he says, was brought from the
Earl of Eindlater's. There is also an engrav-
ing of the panel (Ibid., pi. xi), upon which
are representations of the Three Kings of
Cologne, or the Wise Men, and the Virgin and
Child. The panel is now in the possession of
!Mr. Yeats, advocate, Alserdeen.
The Eath or fort, from which the parish
may have acquired its name, possibly occupied
a rising ground upon the side of the romantic
and picturesque burn, which flows past the
church of Euthven {% Ratli-dev).
Some years ago an incised cross of a very
early type was found iu the walls that sur-
KINNELL.
35
rounded the burial ground of Eutliven. It is
about 7 feet bigh, liy about 2J^ feet across
the arms. Tlirough the consideration of ilr.
David Dawson, miller at Eutliven. the slab
(represented in the annexed woodcut) has been
batted to the side of the kirkyard dyke.
Caral Fair was held near the kirk, and S.
Caral's AVell (a probable corruption of S.
Cyril) is about 300 yards to the north-east
near a hillock called S. Caral's Cairn.
^'ot far from the farm steading of Haddoch
is an old and now unused churchyard, the
last interment in which took place about
ninety years ago. In a field upon the same
farm, about a mile south of the stone circle at
ArnhUl, the present tenant discovered a stone
cist, with an urn, and other early relics
(Sculp. Stones of Scot., ii. pi. 63).
At no distant date an Episcopal Churcli
stood upon the site of the farm house of Little
Daugh. There was another old chapel at a
place called Mortl.^ch, and part of the walls
is still to be seen in the wood of the Binhill,
to the south of the kirk of Euthven.
The castle of Auchanachy has been recently
fitted up as a farmhouse. It bears (he date of
1.594, and the walls are of great thickness.
This castle belonged to a branch of the
Ogilvies of Boyne, and it is told that one of
the lairds, who had been out in the Eebellion,
was long secreted iu an aperture in the kitchen
chimney. Although the following legend,
which is still upon the front of the castle,
belongs to a much earlier time tlian that of
the rebel laird, he had doubtless often uttered
the prayer, and felt its appropriateness in his
own case : —
FROM . OVR . EXEMIE3 . DEFEXD . VS .
O . CHRIST.
[Ins. of Cairnev, Drumilel(;ie. and Riitl-.vcn t-ompd. l.v Rev.
Mr. .\nnand. ]
(S. MALKUIB, CONFESSOR.)
THE church of Kiiidl was a rectory in the
diocese of St. Andrews, and along with
its chapel, which is supposed to have stood at
or near Bolshan, it is rated at 20 merks in the
Old Taxation (Ueg. Vet. de Aberb.) Theiner
classes the churches of " Kynel et de Aldebiir"
together, and rates them at 4 merks, 10s. 8d.
In 1-574, the four kirks of Kinell, Arbroath,
St. Vigeans, and Ethie, were served by Jlr.
Jas. Melvill, uncle of the celebrated Diarist of
that name, who had a stipend of XI 60. David
Fyff, reader at Kinnell, had £12 Scots.
In 1512-13 George Stirling gave £10 out of
his lands of Easter Brakie to S. !Mary the
Virgin, to SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles, to
S. Malruib, Confessor, and to a chaplain
serving at the altar of the Blessed Virgin in
the parish church of Kinnell. In addition to
this altar, there was possibly another dedicated
to S. ^Iadoc, or Magdalen. Mudie's Well,
and Madie's Heugli, upon the banks of the
Lunan, are probably corruptions of one or
other of these names.
The present ku-k, erected in 1855, is a neat
36
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
building, with a gallery at west end, which
was gifted by Dr. Walker. The bell bears : —
MICHAEL . BVKGERHVYS . ME . FECIT .
1624 . SOLI . DEO . GLORIA.
A freestone monument, within, and in the
N. wall of the church, bears two shields. One
is charged with the Thomson and Collace
arms, the other with those of Thomson and
Graham. The latter refers to Catherine
Graham, the wife of Mr. Thomson's younger
son David. Above the shields is this inscrip-
tion in Eoman capitals : —
In spem beatse resurrectionis infra sepvltvm
hie- iacet corpvs Magistri Iacobi Thomsoni,
grandpevi, atq' ad latvs avstrale tvmvli qvo
vxoris ossa hvmata condvntvi-. Ex conivge,
nomine Margarbta Colace, tres mares septem
avtem femellas progenvit. Paroechia; hvic Kiu-
uellensi in mvnere sacro fungendo annos 50
svmma cum lavde prsefvit, ac tandem, successore
relicto Davide filio natv minirao, diervm satvr in
sedes beatas ex hoc secvlo migravit, an. S. H.
1690, Dec. 13'=, ceta. 85. Exemplo vitae et doc-
trinje Ivmine saiia" ille gregi fverat pastor itemq'
bonus. Lector, disce mori.
[Here below at the south side of the tomb, in
which the remains of his wife ai'e buiied, lies in-
terred, in the hope of a blessed resurrection, the
body of Mr. James Thomson, senior. By his
wife, Margaret Colack, he li;id tlni'f sens and
seven daughters. He disil[,iii;vi| tlir duties of
his sacred ofhce with the gri'.iti-st repiil;ilion in
this parish for 50 years, and, leaving a-s his suc-
cessor his youngest son,l)avid, at length departed,
full of days, from tliis world to the abodes of the
blessed, on the 13th Dec, 1690, in the 85th year
of his age. By the example of his life, and the
light of sound doctrine, he was to his flock a good
shepherd. Reader, learn how to die.]
— -The above-named, whose wife may have
been related to the old family of Collace of
Balnamoon, was succeeded, first by his son
James, who predeceased him, and ne.xt by his
younger son, David, who died in 1702, and
was the last Ejiiscopal incumbent of Iviunell.
In east wall of the kirk is a tablet to the
memory of David's brother, thus inscribed : —
Mr. I. T. K. O. — In spem beatse resurrectionis
humatum hie jacet corpus Magistri Jacobi
Thomsoni, junioris, de KinneU pastoris. Ex
Catherina Ouchteiiounie uxore, presbyteri utpote
Aberlemniensis gnata, filium suscepit unicum,
hie tumulum paternum prope sepultum. Placide
in Christo obdormiuit a;tat. ann. 34, A. S. H.
1681. Sacerdos uerus. Lector, disce mori.
[Here lies interred, in the hope of a blessed
resurrection, the body of Mr. James Thomson,
junioi-, minister (if Kinnell. By his wife, Catha-
rine t)ueliterliiuiiie, daughter of the presbyter of
AbeilennKj, he had an only son, buried near his
father's tomb. He calmly fell asleep in Christ,
iu the 34th year of his age, and in the year of
Human Salvation, 1681. A true priest. Reader,
learn how to die.]
— From the time of Mr. David Thomson's
death in 1702, untU that of Mr. Cruickshank
in 1753, there were six ministers at Kinnell,
the last-mentioned of whom was succeeded by
]\Ir. Chaplain, who died iu 1813. Mr. Chap-
lain and his successor. Dr. Walker, held the
incumbency between them " for (says Dr. Hew
Scott) the unprecedented period of 1 1 4 years."
A granite headstone at Kinnell, upon the
site of the Ogilvie Aisle, bears this record of
the latter incumbent : —
In memory of the Rev. George Walker,
D.D., minister of Kinnell, who died 11th Sep-
tember, 1868, in the 86th year of his age, and the
55th of his ministry.
— Dr. Walker was a son of the fanner of
HUtoun of Pitblado, iu Fife, and received his
early education at Cupar. He studied at the
University of St. Andrews, was licensed in
1806, and after having been tutor for some
time in the family of Mr. Taylor of Kirkton-
hill, in Kincardineshire, he was appointed to
KinneU. Besides contributing a valuable and
exhaustive notice of his own parish to the
New Stat. Account of Scotland, Dr. Walker
published, anonymously. Hymns, translated
or imitated from the German, with a preface
giving an account of the origin of the Lutheran
Hymns (1860) ; and two volumes of Prayers
and Hymns for the Mornings and Evenings
(1862-6). He left in MS.' a Metrical Trans-
lation of the Psalms of David from the origi-
KINNELL.
37
nal Hebrew, with a learned iatroduction, also
a short poem upon the Battle of Arbroath.
Although Dr. Walker had few equals among
his brethren, either for his liberal contri-
butions to the schemes of tlie Church, or for
scholarship, his unassuming and retiring
habits caused his literary merits to be over-
looked until the year before his death, when
he received the degi-ee of D.D. from the
University of Edinburgh. Dr. Walker was
survived by a brother and a sister. The latter
married ]Mr. Eussell, farmer, Hatton of Largo,
and besides other children, she had the late
Mr. Egbert Eussell, farmer of Pilmure,
F.E.S.E., author of a work upon Xorth
America, its Agriculture and Climate, &c.
The next inscription, dated 1753, with
crossed bones and skull in base, inscribed,
MEMENTO MORI, is from a handsome marble
tablet within the church, A shield upon the
upper portion of the slab bears " a saltire sur-
mounting a sword in pale, with a star on the
point," also a ship for crest, and the motto,
BY INDUSTRY WE PROSPER. Belovv is the fol-
lowing : —
glU.vattitr (gantn Merch' in Montrose Was
Married lune 23"* 1713 to Eliz: lameson daugh-
ter to lo" lamesou in HawkhiU. She bore him
these Children ^Ic.v.iit6cr, David, IOSEPH,
^eniamitt KJHN otgilliic, Mary, Marjy. Eliz : &
Cath : and died atjed 59 yeare. los" died in y=
5"' Eliz : the 7"" lo" y' 14"' & Marj>' y= ae"" years
of their ages. Nov' 21" 1751 He married Aguas
OgUvy, daug" to lo" Ogilvy of, and in, Cupar of
ANGUS. She died in 1753 aged 50 years : about
this time, he bought the ESTATE of East
BRAIKIE for his SON, and erected A loft here.
In Nov 1753, He married Isabel LYON daug"
to the EeV M"- PAT : LYON MIN' AT Eos-
cobie. Ogilvie died at Plymouth AprUe 1756
midshipman aged 20"" years.
From y' Scotish Shore o'er Neptun's waves I
went my King & Country to defend.
In Blood I walked ; After set Ships to Sea ; In
mercantile trade I dealt
From France we came in lulius Cassar's time
And gained our honours by the sword w""" here
do Stand on Stone.
IN HONOUR of y'^ above this is erected.
He married JANNET BAILLIE Grand Daug"
to Provost BAILLIE, & lawfuU Daug" to
WILLIAM his Son Both Magistrates & Merc"
of Brechin 1764.
— The above, which is corroborated by the
Parochial Eecords, shows that Elizabeth Jame-
son was the mother of all Alex. Gavin's family.
Some of the -elder children were born at Pet-
loch, others at Denhead, and the youngest,
Catherine, at Braeheads, in Lunan (Bapt.
Eeg.) Their father is described as a " mer-
chant" when at the two last-mentioned of
these places, a business which he combined
with the office of parish sexton, then an ap-
pointment of some consequence, and one that
had been held by his ancestors for several
generations. It was in 1733, the year before
the bu'th of Alex. Gavin's youngest daughter,
that he and his wife presented the brazen sup-
ports for a baptismal font, and a handbell, to
the kirk of Lunan (Epitaphs, i. 243).
Alex. Gavin, who was four times married,
left Lunan and became a merchant in Montrose
before 1750. His eldest daughter, Mary,
who is described as being " at present in the
manse of Lunan," was married to James Eitchie
in the parish of Farnell, 1 7th August, 1743.
Her father married his second wife, " Mrs.
Hood, (alias Agnas Ogilvie) indueUer in
Cowpar," in 1750. In 1753 he was married
to his third wife, Isobel Lyon, and in 1764 to
his fourth wife, Janet Baillie, from Brechin.
There was not a Provost Baillie in Brechin
about the period referred to, but (Black's
History) William Baillie was one of those who
usurped the office of a councillor there, in
1740. It has also to be noted that the state-
ment in the above inscription, of Alexander
Gavin's having " bought the estate of East
Braikie for his son," is not supported by the
title deeds of the property, for the use of the
inventory of which I am indebted to the coirr-
tesy of Mr. George Cooper Myers, town-clerk
of Montrose. It is quite likely that old Gavin
38
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
may have had such a share in the purchase of
East Brakie as to warrant the statement ; but
the writs show that it was taken out in the
name of Mr. William Speed, town-clerk of
Montrose, in March, 1752, for " David Gavin,
merchant in Middleburgh," and that the latter
had a charter of the same lands, under the
Great Seal, 6th August, 1753.
David, who was the second son of Alex.
Gavin and Elizabeth Jameson, was born " in
Petloch, and baptised July 21, 1720— "wit-
nesses, David Jameson in Newton, and David
Fell in Coathill." The story of David Gavin's
having gone to an aunt in Holland, who is
said to have married a Dutch seaman that was
wrecked in Lunan Bay, has already been told
(Epitaphs, i. 243), and need not be repeated.
Besides the estate of Easter Brakie, Mr.
Gavin bought that of Langton, in Berwick-
shire, in 1757, for X50,000, and in April,
1770, he married the Lady Elizabeth Mait-
land, eldest daughter of the Earl of Lauder-
dale, by whom he had four daughters, the
youngest being born after his death, which
took place on 28th August, 1773. The two
younger daughters died unmarried. The
second, by the marriage contract of her parents,
succeeded to Easter Brakie, and became the
wife of Robert Baird of Xewbyth, brother
of General Sir David Baird. The eldest
daughter, who inherited the property of Lang-
ton, then " an estate of £3000 a-year," mar-
ried the Earl, afterwards the Marquis, of Bread-
albane. She was the mother of the second
Marquis of Breadalbane, of Lady Pringle of
Stitchel, and of the Duchess of Buckingham.
The erector of the monument at Kinnell is
said to have possessed nmch vanity — but it
was possibly only the laudable pride of being
the father of a well-doing and flourishing
famDy — and it is added that, having expressed
a wish to the facetious Mr. Ogilvy, minister
of Lunan, to make some gift to the parish of
Kinnell by which his name might be carried
down to posterity, ]\Ir. Ogilvy, aware of the
smalhiess of the church for the congregation
at the time, advised Mr. Gavin to erect a loft
or gallery within it. IMr. Ogilvy guaranteed
at the same time that the heritors and kirk-
session would, in return, allow him to erect a
monument there to the memory of his ances-
tors, the first of whom Mr. OgUvy, in his own
quaint style, assured Mr. Gavin was no less a
personage than Aldus Gahmiiis, a famous
f/eneral who came to Britain with Julim
Ciesar ! The ru&e was successful ; Mr. Gavin
had a gallery erected, also a monument set up
within the church, with the above inscription,
which was composed by the witty parson !
A pavement slab, built into the outer and
S.E.-wall of the kirk, is dated 1719. It is
richly carved, and upon a shield are the ini-
tials, I. F. : M. W., flanked with eight other
initials, apparently those of the children of
L F. and M. W, The slab possibly relates
to some of the Fraser family, who were early
connected with Kinnell.
From a table-shaped monument in the
churchyard : —
HIC . lACET . GULIELMUS . DAIL . ELIZ.iBETHE .
MARECHAN . MARITUS . IN . BOLSHANO . QUONDAM
. UITAM . AGENS . QUI . NOVEMBRIS . 8™ . MORTUUS
. 1696 . %X!M . QUE . jETATIS . 46.
[Here lies William Dall, sometime in Bul-
shau, spouse to Elizabeth Marechan, who died
8th November, 1696, in his 46th year.]
Upon another table-shaped stone : —
Here lies Thomas Crichton, hvisband to Elspet
Ferrier, iudueUers, Whanlon, who dejxirted the
24 of November, 1719, aged 34. Elspet Ferrier
caused work this ston by direction of hir liusbaud.
Under this monument of stone
Here rests in peace the bones of one
Thomas Crichton, called by name.
Who feared God and hated shame.
Like to the glass, man's life doth pa-ss.
And all are born to dye ;
Or a-s the sun his time docs run,
Tiirt grasp eternity.
— William Crichton, tenant of Paddockpool
KINNELL.
39
in 1729, is described by the factor for the
York EuUdings' Co. as "a Eogish fellow, but
well able to pay [all his arrears of rent], and
is one of these that should be forced to pay."
On the contrary, Nicol Crichton, in Bowhouse,
is called " ane old honest like man, but poor."
A table-shaped tombstone, embellished with
the garden implements under-mentioned, bears
the following epitapli : — -
Here lyes John Hall, husband to Heleu
Makie, indwellere iu Douglas Muii-, who depeartd
this life August the 6, 1720, the years of his age
80 ; also, here lyes Helen Makie, who dyed
10 Dec, 1725, aged 79 :—
Any man that pleiise to speir
John Hall lyes here ;
Nothing in life did betid him,
But honest men may lye bside him.
Sometime in Gardnerie he serv'd.
& from the truth he never swervd :
He to his master ay was just,
& never did betray his trust :
& with his work did well Agree,
He father was of many A tree.
Att Knock-MiUie-hiU where he did dwell.
His produk their it Looketh well.
Now wheu he is dead its to be known ;
Likewayes one his Children sho'mi
With spade & Eaik he Wrought his life,
The snading ax & pruning knife.
AU these he WTOught but any thraw,
With shouel fin and cutting saw,
The truth of All if you will ken,
He still was loved of honest men.
Upon a table-shaped stone, embellished with
a balance and scales, &c. : —
®^ This stone was erected by William
Ritchie, merchand in Muir Side of Kinel, and
Margret Grige his spouse, in memory of there
son, William Ritchie, who died first of March,
1728, aged 25 yeai-s.
— The six tenants who occupied Muirside, in
1729, appear to have been in fair circum-
stances -with the exception of two, one of
whom is described as " a poor silly man, and
the tack too dear;" and the other as "not
1)eing able to pay anything to be depended on."
From a headstone (with carvings of joiner's
tools), which ijrobably relates to a son of a
schoolmaster at Monifieth (Eps., i. 11.3) : —
1731. This stone was erected by John
Wrquhart, wright iu Renny's Mill, in memory of
his father, John Wrquhart, wright, who died
the 2 day of Febrwary, anno 1729, of age 63
yeai's : —
If you would know who lyes below this stone
A mechanick Faher Liynarms, he was one ;
Who in his day, for Science was exceliug,
Yet with the worms he's taken up his dwelling,
For neither airt thoug fine, nor skill ere can,
Exime us from the comon lot of man.
Since it is so that we all hence must pass.
And die like to the flowers, and to the gi"ass ;
Then let us live to Christ, and give him praise.
Who only can from earth to heaven us raise.
Upon an adjoining headstone : —
Here lies the dust of Mary Fairweather, who
was spouse to John Scot, teanant in Gilchorn,
and brought forth to him twelve children, of
which number eight departed [here named], and
four are alive [also named]. She died 1735 : —
Here lyes the bones of eight and one.
Whose souls are to the heavens gone.
This matron with her children dear
Before then- Saviour to appear.
Who bought them with his precious blood,
This is our faith ; for to conclud.
Another parent doth sm'vive
With children four, while they do live,
Till that the Lord by his Decree,
ShaU bring us to the heavens hie.
[Upon reverse of same stone] : —
A good wife she is from the Lord,
Which gives to every man his lot ;
In peace and love for to concord,
Untill that death dissolves the knot.
From a headstone : —
1755 : Under this stone, erected by Robert
Brown, tenant in Bolshean, lyes the body of his
spouse. Christian Duncan, who departed this
life July 23rd, 1754, aged 29 yeai-s. Also their
only son, John, who died March 12th, 1752,
aged 9 months. R. B. : C. D. : Their son, I. B.
— Robert was a son of Andrew Brown, tenant
in Mains of Bolshan, and who is described in
1729, as "being substantial and a well
employed wright." James, another of the
familj', who occupied at the same time a por-
tion of Pitmickie, was " pretty well upon it,
being a fleshor to his trade." Besides a small
money rent, it is noted that James Brown paid
40
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
7 pints of honey, at X2 Scots per pint, for his
part of Pitmickie.
These were ancestors of a family in Dundee,
who have been opulent merchants there for
several generations. One of these, James
Brown, who was laird of Lochton, and long a
millspinner in Dundee, dropt down dead in
the Nethergate of that town, 6th January,
1869, when in his 83rd year. Strange to
say, although Mr. Brown had not only re-
sided there all his days, but was sometime
provost of the burgh, he was not recognised
by any of the onlookers, and his body was
carried to the " dead house," where it lay for
sometime before it was identified.
Christian Duncan, d. 1752, a. 29 :—
Possessed of AU accomplishments.
That graceD A Female mind,
She ripe for heaV'N Tho' young in days,
To God her Soul resigned.
Upon a headstone on N.E. of the kirkyard : —
This stone was erected by David Hill in Loch-
law, in memory of Jean Scot, who was his
spouse. She died 28th Feb. 1763, aged 67. And
Mr. Andrew Hill, late schoolmaster in Dundee,
their son, with the rest of their children deceased.
[8 died in infancy.]
At sides and foot of the tombston lies
The mother and her children nine,
In hops one day to soar on high
With Christ our King to reign.
[On reverse of same stone] : —
Mr. Andrew Hill Late Student of Divinety
w:us gradeuat in King's Coledge, aiild Aberdeen
12th Aprile 1760. [John xi. 25, &c.]
Wm. Scot, tenant, Lawtou, d. 1743, a. 80 : —
Methinks I see the nimble aged sii'e.
Pass swiftly by, with feet unapt to tire ;
Upon his head an hourglass he weal's.
And in his wi-iiikled hand a sythe he bears —
Both instruments to take the lives from men.
The on sheweth with what, the other when.
Margt. Harris, sp. of Jas. Brown, d. at
Kintore, 1814, a. 50 :—
Stn|), liei'dk'ss passenger, and drop a tear,
(^11 till- ciild ashes of a mother dear- ;
WIki cliilihen fair did bear on earth eleven.
Then tirm in hope, resign'd her soul to heaven.
— Harris, or Harrish, is an old name in
Kinnell. In 1729, the Cotton of Bolshan
was tenanted by four men of that name, one
is said to be " pretty well upon it ;" the second
is described as " a right laborious man " with
a son a weaver ; the third is called " poor ;"
and the fourth is reputed to be " a poor silly
man," from whom " nothing can be de-
pended on."
Upon a table-shaped stone : — ■
By grateful children, from Eegard to the
Memory of worthy j)arents, this stone was erected
over the Remains of John Gowans, who died 1st
June, 1787, in the 75th year of his age, & Helen
Ireland, who died 19th Nov., 1780, aged 60
yeara. By honest iudu.stry in the mercantile line,
and the profits of a small farm — a portion of
Pitmikie — they reared a family of six children,
besides two who died prematurely, gave their
two sous a liberal education, and, for their Rank
in life, left their four daughter's in easy circum-
stances : —
Forbear to mom-n, all hopeless tears avoid.
They're fled, not dead — dissolved, not destroy'd ;
In Heav'n we hope their souls in Bliss do rest,
Their bodies here sleep peaceful in the dust.
— Of the sons above referred to, John, some-
time schoolmaster of St Vigeans, became
minister first of Glenisla and next of Lunan ;
and David, who was a medical practitioner,
died in the West Indies. The daughters
were all married, Janet, to Robt. Cairncross,
blacksmith, Bolshan ; Elizabeth, to James
Ferrier, farmer, Broadmyre, near Brechin ;
Helen, to Wm. Simson, draper in Arbroath ;
and Jean, to Peter Laing, tanner in Brechin
(Epitaphs, i. 242).
Upon an adjoining (table-shaped) stone : —
Erected by Alexander Smith, to the memory
of his father, Alexander Smith, many years
factor for the Paiunure Estate, wlio died at his
house, near Middelton, ou the 9th day of July,
MDCCCXV., aged LXXXIV. yeare. He was an
affectionate husband, and indulgent parent, a
sincere friend, and a devout Christian, possessing
the principal virtues that adorn man.
The next inscriptions (from two of several
tombstones), relate to a family who bought
KINNELL.
41
tlie property of Lunanbank, which came hj'
marriage to Mr William Sim, sometime corn
merchant in Arbroath. The Skairs appear to
have come from Menmuir, where one of them
was tenant of Ledmore, and had seisin of the
lands of Ealconnell in 1732. The surname
had probaljly been assumed from Sliuir, a
place in the parish of Inverarity : —
This stone was erected by Thomas Skair,
sometime teuuant in West Miln of Boysick, died
January 21, 1767, aged 82. His wife, Margaret
Scot, died November 22nd, 1764, aged 70 years.
Sacred to the memory of Eliza Skair,
daughter of Dr. Alex. Skair, London. She died
at Boysick Mills, 15th August, 1819, aged 19
years.
The objects of most interest and antiquity
in the parish are probably the old Castle of
Erakie or Kinnell, and two fragments of
carved stones, one of which, said to have
been found in the Ogilvy Burial Aisle, pre-
sents carvings of two serpents, similar to those
upon a stone at the Kirktown of Strathmartin ;
and the other, more recently discovered, ex-
hibits traces of two nondescript animals, of
much the same type as those upon some of the
so-called Pictish monuments at Meigle and
Aberlemno.
It may be remarked in regard to the history
of Brakie or Kinnell, that the property
appears to have belonged to the Dunbars,
Earls of Moray, under whom Kinnell was held
in vassalage by Hugh Fraser, the first of
Lovat, and a descendant of Simon Fraser.
This was about 1390, when Hugh Fraser,
dominus de Kinnell, granted a charter of the
lands of Auchnawys (1 Balnaves) in the
barony of Kinnell, in which the granter says
that for stronger evidence, and additional
security, the seal " domini mei " John Dun-
bar, Earl of Moray, is also affixed {Inf.
courteously supplied hy the Right Hon. Lord
Saltoun).
Hugh Fraser, probably the same person,
gave a charter of the lands of Easter Breky,
in 1 407, to Peter of Strivelyne, his son John,
and their heirs, for an annual of ten merks
Scots (Pteg. Mag. Sigill. Scot., 243, 2). The
superiority of Kinnell probably passed to the
Crown on the reversion of the Earldom of
Moray to the king in 14-55, Hugh Fraser and
his descendants being sub-superiors.
According to Anderson's History of the
Frasers of Lovat, Thomas, Lord Lovat, had
charters in 1501, of the barony of Kinnell,
which had fallen " into the king's hand by
recognition." The same writer states that
Robert, eldest son of the fourth Lord Lovat
by a second marriage, married Janet Gelly,
heiress of Brakey, in Fife, that he purchased the
lands of Brakie in Kinnell, and was killed at
the water of Beauly by the Monks, about 1520.
Mr. Anderson gives no authority for these
statements, and the motto, soli dec coxfido,
which was that of Thomas Fraser of Kinnell,
in 1581, would appear (as suggested by Lord
Saltoun) " to argue descent from the family of
Muchal, afterwards Lords Fraser, whose motto
was ' all my hope is in god,' or from that of
Philorth, ' IN GOD is all,' rather than from
the family of Lovat, which bore, ' je suis
prest' ( I am ready), as its motto."
Tire Castle of Brakie^ which occupies a
rising ground to the eastward of the church,
is in pretty good preservation, and surrounded
by some old trees. A slab over the front door,
inscribed T. F. : C. K., and dated 1581, bears
the Fraser arms, impaled witli those of
Kinnaird of Culbin (3 crescents and 3 stars,
quarterly), which shews that Fraser of Kinnell
had married a daughter of the old ilorayshire
family of Kinnaird. Below the arms is the
motto, SOLI DEO CONFIDO.
It was probably soon after 1642 that the
Frasers ceased to have an interest in Kinnell.
About that time the Durhams of Pitkorro,
42
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
and some years later, the Carnegies of
Southesk, were designed of Kinnell (Eetours).
Grays held the lands and harony before the
year 1666, and Guynd (1682) describes the
laird of Wester Brakie as " a near relation to
the house of Gray." Douglas of Bridgeford,
in Caterline, had retours of the same pro-
perty in 1683, which included a right to the
burial aisle, and to sittings in the church of
Kinnell (Eetours). In Guynd's time, Easter
Brakie was in the hands of 8ir Francis Ogilvy
of Xew Grange.
The lands of Braliio were boiiglit by the
Earl of Panmure about 1742, from Eobert
Carnegy of Balindarg, with consent of his wife,
Ann, only daughter and heiress of John Car-
negie of Kinnell, commonly designed of Brakie
{MS. Memorandum at Panmure). James Car-
negie, who was of the Boysack family, is
designed of KinneU in 1689, and of Brakie in
1692 (Par. Records). He was probably the
first Carnegie of these properties, and ancestor
of the heiress with whose consent Brakie was
sold to Lord Panmure. Tlie free rental of
Brakie was then estimated at £1450 Scots,
and the real rental is now nearly £2000 ster-
ling. Brakie belongs to the Earl of Balhousie,
as successor to William, Earl of Panmure,
through his sister, Lady Jane Maule, who
married Lord Eamsay, eldest son of the sixth
Earl of Dalhousie.
An account of the early history of Bolshan,
in Kinnell, now the property of the Earl of
Southesk, is given in Memorials of Angus and
the Mearns (p. 315). The Ogilvys of Airlie,
long hereditary bailies of the monastery of
Arbroath, had a residence at Bolshan, and
some of them are said to have been buried
within the " Ogilvy Aisle," which stood on
the south side of tlie old kirk. The aisle was
unroofed and otherwise injured about 1766,
after which the site became a place of common
burial, the growing necessities of the parish
having led to a disregard of the injunction
embodied in the well-known couplet —
As lang as water runs clear.
Let nane but Ogilvies lie here.
Down to 1766, a boot and spur hung in
the aisle. These were supposed to have be-
longed to some of the Ogilvys who fell at the
battle of Arbroath, which was fought chiefly
within the parish of Kinnell, 1445-46, and in
which about 500 of the Ogilvys were slain by
the Lindsays (Lives of the Lindsays). The
boot fell to decay, but the spur, with a rowel
as large as a crown piece, is preserved within
the church, where also, until recently, hung
the " deid bell." The latter — a square object
of some antiquity — is now used as a dinner
bell at the manse.
Tlie Lunan, which runs through the parish,
is crossed at Kinnell's Mill by a stone bridge,
dated 1819. At Friockheim, which is a quoad
sacra parish to Kirkdeu, and about a mile to
the west of Kinnell, are the nearest village
and railway station. Friockheim was com-
menced by the late :Mr. Andson (formerly
Anderson) of Arbroath, who erected a spinning
mill there about 1810; audit was his son,
and Mr. T. Gardyne, the superior, who gave
it the designation of FfiiocKHEiM, by advertise-
ment, dated 22ud May, 1824, it having been
previously known as " Friock Feus" (Epi-
taphs, i. 35).
j\Ir. Andrew Thomson, who is a native of
Kinnell, and a teacher in Dunfermline, wrote
a Geography of Scotland in verse (Dunferm.
1841), in which he thus speaks of Friockheim,
and the part which the late Mr. Andson had
in the formation of the village : —
" The pleasant village, Friockheim,
On Lunan water stands.
And from a single waterfall
A thriving trade commands.
Around a world, made to his hand,
Old Anson often whirled ;
An Anson here, by enterprise,
Has formed a little world."
[luscriptions compd. by Mr. Gauldie, schoolmaster. J
BIRSE.
43
13 1 r s c.
(S. MICHAEL, ARCHANGEL.)
UlfiyHE cliurch of Brass is mentioned in one
•^ of tlie earliest charters (1157) of the
bishopric of Aberdeen. It was the seat of the
Chancellor of the diocese, and the vicarage and
teinds are valued at 12 merks in the Old
Taxation.
The church of Birse and six others, vacant
in 1574, were under the charge of one minis-
ter. The stipend was £80 Scots, and the
reader at Birse, Andro Hoge, had the kirk-
lands and a money salary of £16 Scots.
Mr. John Eoss was minister of Birse about
1640, and being laird of Easier Clune and ac-
counted rich, he was imprisoned by the Cove-
nanters, and so severely fined that, it is said,
his clesceudants never recovered from his
losses. It was probably by way of solatium
for these injuries (for the legislature after-
wards acknowledged the severity of its con-
duct towards Mr. Eoss) that his son, Arthur,
was raised to the dignity of Prelate, but as he
discharged his official duties neither with tact
nor with acceptance, he became very un-
popular.
Two pewter communion cups at Birse be-
long to the time of Mr. John Keith (1666-84),
who was previously at Echt, afterwards at (_)ld
Machar. The cups are thus inscribed : —
MIKEITHMINKCVPHEFORBREISS.
Two silver cups bear each : —
COMMUNION CUP, BIRSE.
JOSEPH SMITH, MINISTER, A-D. 1806.
The church, which stands upon the south
side of the Dee, was covered with heather in
1765, and when taken down in 1779, a coffin-
slab was discovered in the foundations, upon
■which were incised a double-handed sword, an
axe, and a cross. The slab, which is preserved
at the church, and is about 6 feet in length,
probably belongs to the 14th or 15th centuries.
The belfry is dated 1779, and the Eev. Mr.
Dunn kindly informs me thut the bell now in
use is thus inscribed : —
I WAS GLAD WHEN THEY SAID UNTO ME
—LET US GO INTO THE HOUSE OF THE
LORD. PSALM 12-2, 1.
The old bell, which was injured about sixty
years ago, was so remarkable for its fine sharp
tone, that it gave rise to the local remark, ex-
pressive of the utmost certaint}', of its being
"as clear as the bell o' Birse." Another say-
ing— " as auld as the hills o' Birse" — is said
to have originated from a family of the name
of HQl, who lived in the parish, and who at-
tained to great ages.
The present kirk is a plain building, and
within it are three marble tablets. One, em-
bellished with the Hatton arms, bears this in-
scription : —
To the memory of Sir John Hatton of Long
Staiitou, in the county of Cambridge, Baronet,
who died at Ballogie, greatly regretted by his
friends, on the 26th day of June, 1811, aged 52,
and was buried in the churchyard, near the south
wall of this church.
— A stone within an enclosure, with the same
inscription as above, covers the grave of Sir
John, who long rented the liouse and shoot-
ings of Ballogie. Tradition asserts that he
died through " foul play" on the part of a
domestic servant, who escaped justice at the
time, but who is said to have been afterwards
convicted of forgery, and to have suffered the
extreme penalty of the law.
Sir John was of an eccentric disposition,
and as he had assumed the name of Mr.
Broirii, his real name and rank became known
only after his death. He was the jjenultimate
baronet of Long Stanton, his brother having
died the year after him, without leaving issue
(Burke's Ext. Bar.)
The Hattons were a family of considerable
44
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
antiquity and importance in England, the most
famous of whom was probably Sir Christopher,
Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth. Stow
(p. 370) tells that upon the 3rd day of
May, 1587, Sir Christopher rode from Ely
Place to Westminster, there to take the oath
as Chancellor, and that before him "went
about the number of forty, his gentlemen in
one liuery and chaines of gold." On his right
was the Lord Treasurer, on his left the Earl
of Leicester, " after whom rode certaine of the
Nobility, the Judges of the Eealeme, and
many knights." Lord Chancellor Hatton died
unmarried, and his estates came to the Hattons
of Kirby, one of whom, also Sir Christopher,
was made a Knight of the Bath at the Coro-
nation of James I. It was to this " truly
noble knight," who died about 1619, that the
unfortunate Thomas Eandolph, of Trinity
College, Cambridge, the contemporary of
Shakespeare and personal friend of Ben
Johnson, addressed the following Ode, here
printed from an old copy (1652) of Randolph's
Poems : —
" To you (whose recreations. Sir, might be
Others employments ; whose quick soul can see
There may, besides a hawk good sport be found.
And musick heard, although without a hound)
I send my muse. Be pleas'd to hear her strain
When y'are at truce mth Time. 'Tis a low vein.
But were her breasts inrag'd with holier fire,
That she could force, when she but touch'd her Ij're,
The waves to leap over their clifts, dull earth
Dance round the centre, and create new birth
In every Element, and out-charm each Sphere ;
'Twere but a lesson worthy such an eai'e."
Another tablet within the church is thu.s
inscribed : —
Francis Jambs Cochran of Balfour, advocate
in Aberdeen ; born 30th June, 1809, died 8th
July, 1870. A Christian gentleman, an able and
accomplished lawyer, a dutiful and aft'ectiouate
son, a devoted luisbaud, a loving father, a faitli-
ful friend, a public benefactor, an active and
earnest servant of Christ. " He served his gene-
ration according to the will of God, and fell
asleep." To him to live was Christ ; to die was
gain. His Witlow and Children erect this tablet
to his hallowed memory.
— Mr. Cochran, who bought the property of
IMfour from the Marquis of Huntly in 1840,
and converted it from a comparative wilder-
ness into a sort of paradise, was buried in the
churchyard of Bhse, where a monument con-
tains an inscription to his memory ; likewise
to his son Hugh, who predeceased him. Mr.
Cochran's father, who was a shipowner in
Aberdeen, was buried at Nigg {siq)m,.lC^).
The burial place of Farquharson of Finzean
(the chief heritor of the parish) is upon the
site of the old kirk. Four slabs, three of
marble, and one [4] of granite, relate to this
family, and are respectively inscribed as
follows : —
[1.]
In memory of Archibald Farquharson, Esq.
of F-inzean, born 6th Aug., 1793, died 14th May,
1841. This tablet was erected by Frances Far-
quhai-son, his mourning widow. A tribute to
that unbroken conjugal affection which subsisted
between them for twenty-six years. [Job i. 21.]
[2.]
In memory of Mre. Christian Spring, widow
of Archibald Farquhareon, Esq., the elder of
Finzean, who died at Auchinhove Cottage,
Lumi)hauau, 3(lth May, 1849, aged 82.
[3.]
In memory of Mrs. Frances Russell of
Blackball, widow of Ai-chibald Farquharson,
Esq., the younger of Finzean, who died at
Ai-dbeadie Cottage, Banchory, 3rd July, 1847,
used b3.
[4.]
In memoriam : Alison-Mary Ainslie, wife
of Francis Farquharson, died at Finzean House,
6th Nov. 1863.
— The last of these inscriptions refers to the
first wife of the late Mr. F. Farquharson of
Finzean. This gentleman, who succeeded to
the estates in 1849, was previously a medical
jiractitioner in Edinburgh, and died there 27th
February, 1876, leaving three sons. The
eldest. Dr. Eobert, is a physician in London ;
the second, Joseph, is a well-known landscape
painter ; and the third is farmer of Banaghei',
near Kingussie, Inverness-shire.
BIRSE.
45
The Farquliarsons of Finzean are sprung
from Donald, son of Findla Mohr M'Farquhar,
■who is said to have been killed at Pinkie in
1547 (Epitaphs, i. 214). Donald, who was
the eldest son of Findla Mohr, and laird of
Castletown of Braemar, had a numerous family.
His second son, Kobert, who married a daugh-
ter of the laird of Mackintosh, and widow of
Glengary (Brochdargue MS.), had a charter
of Tilly garmonth, in Birse, &c., from the
Bishop of Aberdeen, in 1580. About the
year 1 600 he acquired the lands and barony of
Finzean from Gordon of Cluny, and thus be-
came ancestor of the Finzean branch, who are
also lairds of !Migvie in Cromar, and of Auch-
lossan, &o., in Lumphanan.
Within an enclosure ; —
Tu memory of Alexander Farqcharson, late
of Balfour ; Margaret Davie, his spouse ; aud
Francis Farquharson, their eldest son, all here
interred. This stone was erected by Dr. William
Fai'quharsoii, physician in Edinburgh, June, 1814.
— Donald, second son of Farquharson of Fin-
zean, was the first Farquliarson of Balfour.
He bought the lands about the middle of the
17th century, and married a daughter of
Forbes of Corsindae, by whom he had a son
Donald, who was father of Alexander, and
grandfather of Dr. William Farquharson,
mentioned in the above inscription. The last-
named Donald died in early life, and his
widow afterwards married Mr. Skinner, pa-
rochial schoolmaster of Birse, by whom she
had the Kev. John Skinner, author of " Tul-
lochgorum," and otlier children (Epitaphs, i.
98). Francis, son of Dr. William Farquharson,
sold Balfour to the Earl of Aboyne (after-
wards Marquis of Huntly), from whom it
was acquired by Mr. Cochran, whose son and
successor, Alexander, is a great-great-grandson
of Francis, the last Farquharson of Ballbur.
A massive monument of Peterhead granite,
is thus inscribed : —
The burial place of James DrcE Nicol of
Ballogie and Badentoy, who died 16 November,
1872, aged 67 yeare.
— Mr. Nicol, who was M.P. for his native
county of Kincardine from 1864 until the
time of his death, was the son of a medical
practitioner at Stonehaven (Epitaphs, i. 78).
He acquired BaUogie in 1852, and so much did
he improve the estate, that it is now one of
the most delightful residences in the district.
A marble tablet, built into the outer and
south wall of the church of Birse, bears this
inscription to the Eev. Alkx. Garden : —
Viro Optimo A. G., hujusce ecclesiffi multos
auuos pastoris, qui pietate. Uteris, morumque
suavitate sacro-sancta evangelii iustituta illustra-
vit. lucoucussa in patriam fide SiBvos inter belli
civillis furores laborantibus uec ope, uec coucilio,
uec hospitio defuit. Nee non matri dilectissimse,
jiaupei'uiu patrona^, hunt lapidem, tautarum vir-
tutuiu liiiiiiuineiitum eheu ! caducum post pere-
griuatioueui XXXVIII. amiorem tandem redux
Alexr. Garden, posuit, MD.CC.LXXXIX.
[To the memorj' of an exceUent man, A. G.,
for many j'ears minister of this church, who by
his piety, learning, and uniform sweetness of dis-
position, illustrated the most holy precepts of the
Gospel. Of unshaken fidelity to his country, he
aflbrded aid, counsel, and hospitality to the dis-
tressed during the savage fury of the Civil War:
And also to the memory of his most dearly loved
Mother, a benefactress of the poor. Alexander
Garden, in 1789, on his return after an absence
abroad for 38 yeare, erected this stone, as, alas !
a jierishable memorial of so great virtues.]
— Mr. Alex. Garden, who came to Birse in
1726, aud died there in 1777, aged 97, was
previously minister at Kinerny. He was pas-
sionately fond of music, and played the
violin with so much enthusiasm that before •
coming to Birse he had earned for himself the
sobriquet of " the feel (foolish) fiddler o'
Kinerny ! " It is said that he composed the
tune of " Jenny dang the weaver," in celebra-
tion of a dispute that his wife had with a local
" customer weaver," in which the lady was
victorious. In Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius
(1773), a scarce and valuable collection of
Scots Songs set to music, the song of " 0,
46
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
mither, dear, I 'gin to fear," is set (ii. 83) to
tlie tune of " Jenny beguiled the webster."
Mr. Garden had a son who was bred a
saddler, and on going to London he established
the house of Garden & Co., Piccadilly, ac-
coutrement makers and army saddlers. He
made a fortune by his business, and bought
an estate in jSTorfolk, which is still held by
descendants. Another son (the erector of the
above tablet), was a physician at Charleston,
South Carolina, an able naturalist, and a cor-
respondent of Linnaeus.
Mr. George Knowles, who succeeded iNIr.
Garden at Birse, had also a taste for music,
and among other tunes, he composed that of
Balfour or St. Stephen's. He was married to
a daughter of the laird of Balfour in Birse,
and, according to tradition, the tune had its
origin in Mr. Knowles having dreamt that,
while fishing in the Dee near Balnacraig, his
wife appeared in white apparel, and sang tlie
first two verses of the 84th Psalm, to an air
which he never heard before. It is added
that sometime afterwards, while fishing at
the same place, Mr. Knowles was seized with
inflammation of the bowels, and making his
way to the house of Balnacraig, where he had
previously arranged to meet his wife, he died
there in 1780, at the age of 39.
He was a person of high mental culture, and
left a descriptive poem in MS., which ap-
peared in three parts in the Scots Magazine for
1815. It contains numerous allusions to the
scenery and traditions of Deeside, and among
other incidents, it has a reference to the tra-
ditional origin of the placing of " the stane"
upon the hill of Clochnabane, a circumstance
which the poet attributes to a feud between
" the D-v-1 and his Dame," the former having
thrown " the stane" at the latter while she
was pouring forth a torrent of invective from
the mountain top upon her lord in " the plain
below " : —
Again til' infernal fury rais'd her voice.
The horrid sound rung through the echoing \vild,
Whilst rocks amaz'd, at the terrific noise,
Stood trembling like the 'joblin- frighted child.
" Have at you now, you Beldame," roar'd the fiend,
And hurVd the rock, through the resounding skies;
Dreadful it fell, and crush'd his breathless friend.
And there entomb'd Her Hellish Highness lies 1
The next two inscriptions are from small
headstones : —
1749 : Here lyes Isobel Eoss spouse to lohu
Stuart fleer in Forrest of Bii-ss who died lule 9
aged 52.
[2.]
1750 : Hear lyes Donald Catanach who dyed
in the forrast of Bii-s aged 61 May the 28 174.3.
From a table-shaped stone : —
The Rev. Joseph Smith, who was inducted
minis'ter of Birse, Sept. 2, 1789, has erected this
monument in memory of Mrs. Barbara Eeid,
his spouse, who died Dec. 12, 1825, aged 66.
[The deaths of a son and 2 drs. here recorded.]
The Rev. Joseph Smith, died 7th Sept. 1831,
aged 82. The Rev. George Smith, his son, for
39 years minister of this parish, died 26th Oct.,
1863, aged 61 years.
— Mr. Joseph Smith was a native of Cromar,
and sometimeparochialschoolmasterat Aboyne.
It is said that he received the presentation
to the church of Birse when busy in school,
and that he gave vent to his joy b}- giving
three cheers, and exclaiming, " Hurrah ! minis-
ter o' Birse, wi' nine years' fordle ! " meaning
thereby that, having been nine years a preacher,
he had a correspondmg stock of sermons on
hand. {Funlle — ready or beforehand work).
iUthough somewhat eccentric, Mr. Smith
was much respected by his parishioners, and
money being then much more scarce on L)ee-
side than it is now, he frequently found a
number of necMess bntss buttons in the ladles
when special collections were made. It is told
that with the view of checking this practice
he added one day — " Xow, my freends, I hope
the off 'rin' will be large on this occasion ; an'
a' you that will put buttons into the ladles,
BIRSE.
47
see that you put tliem in wi' necks, that they
may be eesfu' !" (useful).
Mr. Smith, the youngpr (to whom the
third tablet in the church is erected), was the
author of a work entitled, Truth as Revealed,
or Voluntary and Free Cimrchism opposed to
the Word of God. He also wrote the New
Statistical Account of the parish.
Upon a granite headstone : —
To the memory of David Sivewriqht, some
time farmer in Mains of Finzean, afterwards in
Auchlossan, who died 29th September, 1849,
aged 70 years. Also of his daughter, Christian,
who died in 1828, aged 4 months. Also of
Elspet Adams, his wife, who died at Auchlossan,
25th August, 1867, aged 78 yeai-s. Also of their
daughter, Isabella, who died 22nd February,
1874, aged 57 years.
— The grandfather of David Sivewright, who
died in 1849, occupied the INIill of Clinter, in
Birse, in 1802, and on the 27th of May of
that year he sublet the same to Peter Mor-
timer, and delivered over to him the following
" Inventary of the goeing and Lyang gear of
the ]\Iill," which contains some curious items,
and shews at the same time how econo-
mically " the trade" was carried on in those
days. Although the total amount of the
valuation was only £17 5s., it appears to have
been paid by instalments : —
A Clothed axeltree . . . £3 10 0
2 Millstons, 16 inches, Both Sea Stons 9 0 0
A hoop for the Running stone . 0 5 0
Haper & little HapperCrubs& letter trees 1 0 0
Windlass & Eope . . . . 0 10 0
Meal skull staples & back of the trough 0 10 0
One Cradle, 7/ ; Bridge & plank 1 2/, in all 0 1 9 0
Mill Irons ICO
4 Clusses, Cheeks, wand, & bands . 0 5 0
A Meal Cog with Iron Hoops for uplifting the kna-
ship. A firlot ^vith Iron Hoops.
There were several householders in Birse of
the surname of Sivewright in 1696, the most
important of whom appears to have been
Duncan, laird of Drumneachie, an estate which
was valued at ^£110 Scots. He had a family
of four daughters, and employed two male and
two female servants.
A weem upon the hill at Auchnafoy, which
has never been fully examined, belongs to
prehistoric times. There are also two pretty
entire, though small, stone circles between the
Dee and the public road on the way to
Aboyne, and a number of cairns are scattered
throughout the parish, as well as some upright
boulders. A remarkable cairn is near Finzean,
and a boulder, which was accidentally broken,
but clasped with iron, by order of the late laird
of Finzean, is upon the hill of Corsedarder.
This boulder, according to tradition, marks
the grave of " King Dardanus," who is said
to have fallen by the sword of rebellious sub-
jects. More probably the true meaning of the
name is to be found in the Gaelic words Daur-
tor, which would have some such signification
as the cross of the " oak (covered) knoll or
height." Possibly the boulder had been simply
a boundary or march stone, and as such may
be an object of some antiquity.
With regard to the Forest of Birse, it ap-
pears that so early as 1 242 Bishop Ralph of
Aberdeen had a grant of it and of the Forest
of Fetterneir from Alexander II. But Boethius
says that before 1242 Bishop Gilbert suc-
ceeded in recovering from the wicked High-
landers the woodlands of Birse and Clova. To
similar invasions the bishop's lands of Birse
were frequently subjected, and on one occasion
the Mackintoshes took possession, and remained
there until expelled by law (Reg. Abd., i.
136-7).
Tradition says that the Bishop of Aberdeen
had a hunting seat in the Forest of Birse, but
it is more certain that the forest and whole
parish were divided into twenty-four towns or
farm holdings, and leased by the bishops to
as many tenants.
The carriage of timber, a circumstance
which shows that wood was then (1511)
abundant in the district, formed an item in
the payment of rent. In the case of Dulsak,
48
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
the tenant, Findley Eeauch, in addition to a
grassum and an annual money rent, "was
bound to manufacture out of dry, and not out
of green wood, and to furnish annually to liis
superiors four dozen plates, as many dishes
and salvers, eight lie chargers, and four large
basins, all of which were turned, and possibly
made of plane or birch, with the exception of
the bowls, which were of beech (Reg. Ep.
Abd., i. 377-8). . Buckets, tubs, bobbins, and
brush-handles are still manufactured at Birse.
It would appear that between 1.574 and
1636, eighteen of the twenty-four possessions
above referred to, were owned by the Gordons
of Clunj^, one of whom erected a castle in the
Forest of Birse, the ruins of which still stand.
Gordon seems to have built this stronghold
against the wish of his neighbours, and about
1640, feeling that their rights and liberties
were in danger, the people rose en masse, set
fire to the castle, and turned the land which
Gordon had cultivated into a commonty.
There was a band of suspected reivers or
caterans living in the forest of Birse about this
time, of the name of Cameron, and some of
them were charged with having entered a
house in the adjoining county of Angus, and
carried away " mens goods." How far the
case was enquired into does not appear ; but
in defence of his " brether" and a friend,
Donald Cameron either wrote or caused to be
written to the proprietor of the invaded lands
— " the Eicht honor"'''' the Lared off Pan-
mure" — the following curious letter, here
printed from the original : —
Eicht honor''i>'''
ffor samekele a.s it is gyfin yo' wo/ship to wnder-
stand, that my brether, alien cameronn, and
Donald M''alen, was' ye way takeres of yo'
wo/is mens goods, and tlie plwudei-s of ane
hows, to Let yo' wo/ sie that ther aUedgence is
grownded wpon unsertenties, I have not a brether
in Scotland bot ane & his name is ewawin
camerone q" was w' me q" tlie goods was takin
away, and wiU get dywers swficient men q" will
bear witnes wher we war then, for the which
respect I am bold to Intreat yo' wo/ to be no
unfreind to me till the trewth be knowin, & iff
it prowe vther wais nor I say. Let me find no
moir faure nor I deserwe, tfor so doeiug yo'
wo/ship sail have ws oblest to remaine
Yo' wo/ships hwmbll
Serwant to his pover
POXALD CaMERONNE.
ffrom bii-is
the 29 Sep. 1650.
It was probably the above-mentioned Ewan
Cameron who, on taking " ane room from the
Erie of Southesk," within the bounds of the
Presbytery of Brechin, admitted (June 1649)
that he was " in the rebellion with James
Graham," that he had never taken com-
munion, and that he could not tell whether
he had ever received " the benefit of baptisme"
(Preshy. Record).
One of the " cheif passages from the Tay to
the Dee (says Sir James Balfour), is the
Forrest of Birrse, wch lays from Cairn Corsse
to Birse, on Dee syde, and containes six myles
of mounthe." In these days there were no
bridges in the parish ; but in connection with
the great thoroughfare by Cairn-o'-Mounth,
there are now two. One was erected across
the Dee at Potarch, in 1813, and the other, a
suspension bridge, is at Aboyne. The latter,
built by the Earl of Aboyne in 1828, was re-
stored in 1830, having been carried off in the
previous year by the great floods.
But it appears that there were stone bridges
in Birse a hundred years before thi.s. One at
Millton of Ballogie, over the Cattie, destroyed
by the flood of 1799, was recently re-erected,
and presents two picturesque arches, also this
inscription, which was upon the original
bridge : —
WILLIAM ROBBIE IN AURNTILLIE, SOMETIME
RESIDENTER IN BARBADOES, HATH, OF HIS GENE-
ROSITY, BUILT THIS BRIDGE IN THE TEAR, 1730.
A very convenient stone bridge, of five
arches, erected over the Feugh at Whitestone,
DYKE.
49
at the expense of Dr. Gilbert Eamsay, rector
of Christ's Church, Barbadoes, was in connec-
tion with the Cairn-o'-Mounth road from Fet-
tercairn to Potarch and Aboyne. It was swept
away in 1799, and has not been rebuilt.
The valley of Glencatt is chiefly noticeable
from its beauty as a Highland glen, and from
its having been the birthplace of one who, after
being " Thirteen years in the Scotch College
at Paris, among the secular clergy," renounced
Popery, and exposed its errors in a curious
book in two parts, entitled Memoirs of the Life
of John Gordon of Glencatt (Lond. 1734).
Besides Archbishop Eoss, of St. Andrews,
Dr. Gilbert Eamsay of Barbadoes, and the
Eev. Mr. Skinner, of Longside, the Eev. ]\lr.
Eose, Episcopal minister of Lochlee and Leth-
not, and great-grandfather of Lord Stratli-
nairn (Epitaphs, i. 382), was a native of Birse,
and is said to have been a son of Donald Eose,
of Wester Clune.
Eoss or Eosse, was then a common surname
in Birse ; and it is certain that Eoses (said to
be a branch of the Kilravock family), possessed
Ballogie (anciently TiUysnaurjlit, the " snowy
hillock"), for about a century from the year
1650. After that time Ballogie passed througli
various hands ; and, as before shown, it be-
came by purchase in 1852, the property of
the late Mr. James Dyce Nicol, M.P., who
was succeeded by his eldest son, Mr. "William
Edward Nicol.
Certain of the old lairds of Ballogie were
Eoman Catholics, and one of them gave a croft
to that church at Upper Boggieshiel, where
there were long a chapel and a priest's house ;
but being near the mansion-house of Ballogie,
the chapel and residence were removed, some
years ago, to Tillenteach, on the Finzean
property.
S. Michael's Well is near the parish
church of Birse ; and on Mount Ganiach is
S. Colm's Well.
Besides the very valuable notices of the
parish, which are contained in the Spalding
Club books, a history of Birse was \^a•itteu by
Eobert Dinnie, mason (Abdn. 1865).
[Compd. by the Eev. Mr. Dunn.]
Dpkc.
(S.
BY charter, dated at Elgin, 1189-99, King
AVilliam gave the churches of Foreys
and Dijl;, with the tithes and vicarage of the
same, to the Bishop of Moray (Eeg. Ep.
Morav., 9).
The church of Dlhe (1 Dyke) (Theiner), is
rated at 22s. 8d. in the Taxation of 1275, and
at 4 merks in that of 1350. It was a prebend
of the Cathedral of Moray, and one of the
mensal churches of the diocese.
The three churches of Dyke, Moy, and
Forres were under one minister in 1574 ; and
Alexander Duff was reader at Dyke.
A decreet was pronounced on 24th Jan.,
1618, "Anent the vneiting of the kirk of
Moy to the Kirk of Dyik, baithe lyand w'in
the diocie of Murray" (Acta Pari, v. 569).
In 1641, the right of presentation to the
cluirch of Dyke was found to belong to the
Earl of Dunfermline, Lord Fyvie (ibid.) ; but
Campbell of Moy entered a protest against this
finding, as recorded in the Presbytery books
of Forres (Shaw's Moray).
It was in 1 780, during the digging of the
foundations of the present church of Dyke,
aud near the steps which lead to the burial
place of Brodie of that Ilk, that a quantity of
silver coins were found. They belonged to
the time of William the Lion, and were from
the mints of Edinburgh, Perth, Eo.xburgh,
Stirling, and Berwick.
Mr. Cardonnel (Ifumismata Scotia3, pref.,
3-4), who gives a description of the coins and
li
50
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
tlieir discovery, says that they were found by
a workman, who immediately closed up the
trench where they lay, hut who returned at
night, along with his wife, and carried off the
whole mass, which, adds Mr. Cardonnel,
" must have been very valuable," for the
finder, a poor man, soon became a considerable
farmer. Fortunately some specimens of " the
find" were saved from the melting pot, and
deposited in the Museum of the Society of
Antiquaries of Scotland, where they are still
to be seen. This discovery was one of national
importance, it having been previously doubted
whether there was a silver coinage in Scotland
in the time of King William.
The church and churchyard of Dyke occupy
a rising ground ; and on the south side of the
kirk is the burial place of the present noble
family of Moray. It is enclosed with a rail-
ing, and marked by a handsome obelisk of
white marble. The family arms adorn the
needle, and a tablet in the plinth bears : —
THIS IS
THE BURYING PLACE OF
THE FAMILY OF MORAY.
— In the Kirk-session records (Jan. 17, 1683)
it is stated, " This day being Wednesday, the
corps of the right honourable The Countess of
Murray were interred in the church of Dyke,
the Eight Eeverend father in God, the Bishop
of Murray, preached the funerall sermon."
This entry appears to relate to the fourth
Countess, Emilia, daughter of Sir William
Balfour of Pitcullo, and mother of the fifth
Earl of Moray. According to Douglas' Peer-
age, the second Earl of Moray, who died at
Darnaway, 6th August, 1638, "was buried
next day at the Church of Dyke, without any
pomp, according to his own directions."
The founder of this branch of the Earls of
Moray was James, the " Good Eegent" (natural
son of James V.), who was assassinated by
Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, at Linlithgow,
21st January, 1.569-70, when in his 37th
year. He was buried within St. Giles's
Church, Edinburgh, in which is his monu-
ment, lately restored. His wife was a daugh-
ter of Earl Marischal, and by her he left two
daughters, the elder of whom. Lady Elizabeth,
married James Stewart, afterwards the "Bonny
Earl of Moray," of Scottish song, son and heir
of Sir James Stewart of Doune. He was
murdered by Huntly's men among the rocks
near Donibiistle, 7th February, 1591-2, and
was succeeded by his eldest brother James,
from whom the present Earl is descended.
The family burial aisle of the Brpdies of
that Ilk is at the east end of the church. It
is an ashlar buUding, with a stair leading to a
vault, in which are the coffins of Willi.\ii-
Douglas-Eynett and George-Gordon, two
of the sons of the Laird of Brodie. The for-
mer, born 20th Jan., 1815, died 16th ?^ov.,
1865, and the latter, born 12th Aug., 1839,
died 3rd Dec, 1868.
A coffin slab, built into the north end of the
upper fiat of the aisle, presents a calvary on
steps, with a sword below the right arm.
Eouud the margin of the stone (part of which
is unfortunately covered by the floor), is this
inscription : —
® hie iacrt richarbua brothu cfi u.vorc siui qui
abiit -x" bi" iit ;iuo tini
in° = cccc" = I-V-X-x" = biii''
— This is the only inscribed slab within the
aisle, and nothing is recorded of the persons
commemorated.
There are also three inscribed coffin-plates
within the building : — ■
The Hon'''''- Alexander Brodie of Brodie,
Esq., Lyon King at Aims for Scotland. Obiit
March 9, 1754, aetat. 58.
— It was in this Laird's time, says Mr.
Young in his History of New Spynie, that
the family of Brodie reached its greatest
DYKE.
51
heiglit of prosperity, being then possessed of
very considerable territory, to wliicli the
Lyon-King added the property of Lochloj'.
He was sometime M.P. for Elginshire, and
afterwards for the Inverness District of Burghs.
[2.]
Alexander Brodie of Brodie, Esq., born
May 29th, 1741, died at Bristol, Sept. 5tb, 1759,
aged 18 yeare, the last surviving son of Alex.
Brodie of Brodie, Lord Lyon, deceased, and of
Mary Sleigli, his wife.
[.3.]
Mart Sleigh, only child of Major Sam. Sleigh
and of Isabella Corbet, his wife. This truely
worthy lady died univei-sally regi-eted the 21st
March 1760, in the .^eth year of her age, the
widow of Alex. Brodie of Brodie, Esq., Lord
Lyon, by whom slie had eight children, three
most iirdinisiug sons and five daughters, all
whicli she survived, except oue most unspeakably
afflicted daughter, Emilia, the wife of John Mac-
leod of Macleod, Esq.
— Tradition says that " a weird " was pro-
nounced against the Brodies of that Ilk, to
the effect that no son born within the Castle
of Brodie shoidd ever become heir to the pro-
perty. It is added that this was caused by
one of the lairds who induced an old woman
to confess being guilty of witchcraft by offer-
ing her a new gown ; and then, instead of
fulfilling his promise, had her tied to a stake
and burnt !
It is further stated that the iady of the
Lyon-King treated the malison with indiffer-
ence, and bore all her family in the Castle of
Brodie ; but as she had the misfortune to see
one son after anotlier pass away by death, it is
said she repented of her neglect of the warn-
ing, and died of a broken heart. But the
malison, whatever eifect it may have had in
days of yore, has now quite lost its power,
the present laird having been born icit/iin the
Castle of Brodie, 8th Sept., 1840.
On the death of the son of the Lyon-King
in 1759, the succession to Brodie devolved
upon his cousin, James Brodie of Spynie. He
man-ied a daughter of William Earl of Fife,
by whom he had a large family, and dying in
1824, was succeeded by a grandson, William,
who died in 1873, having been Lord-Lieu-
tenant of Nairnshire from his succession in
1824. He was succeeded by his second sur-
viving son Hugh, who married, Jan. 1, 1868,
Lady Eleanor, third daughter of the second
Earl of Ducie, by whom he has issue four
sons and one daughter.
The present laird's grandfather, who was
accidentally drowned at Madras in 1802, left
two sons and five daughters. The fourth
daughter, Isabella, married Captain Pattullo,
of the Madras Cavalry ; and within an aisle
(adjoining that of the Brodies) is a marble
monument, with war trophies, the names of
the battles in which the deceased was en-
gaged— Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman — and this
inscription : —
This monument is erected to the memory of
Lt.-Col. James Brodie Pattullo, C.B., of the
30th Regiment, by many friends who wished to
record their affection for him, and their admira-
tion of his character, conduct, and military
services. Distinguished throughout the whole
Crimean Campaign for his gallantry and zeal ;
he was not less remarkable for the fortitude
with which he bore its unparalleled hardships,
and for his devotion to the best interests of the
Soldiers. He fell mortally wounded at the
attack on the Eedan, 8th Sept., 1855, and died
the following day, in his 33rd year, greatly be-
loved and lamented. Sustained in Death by the
principles which guided his Life, expressing his
reliance solely on the meiits of our Lord Jesus
Christ, he died in the sure and certain hope of a
joyful resurrection.
— Tlie surname of Brothu, Brothy, Brodie, is
of territorial origin, and seems to have been
assumed from the lands of that name in Dyke,
from which, under tlie name of " Brochy,"
the King's collector in 1337 (Chamb. EoUs),
charges himself with certain payments. Shaw
supposes the family to be a branch of the
ancient Moravienses, or those of the time of
jSIalcolm IV., and begins the pedigree with
52
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Malcolm, Thane of Brodie, who died in 1285,
a designation which occurs in the case of John
of Brodie, in 1492 (Reg. Morav., 236). It is
further said that Thomas of Brothie and Dyke
had a charter of tlie lands of Brodie from
Bruce, in 1311. The most important cadet
of tlie family is Brodie of Lethen, whose an-
cestor, Alexander, was a brother of David
Brodie of that Ilk, and uncle to Lord Brodie.
Mr. John Clerk Brodie, W.S., laird of Idvies,
is a son of this branch (Epitaphs, i. 35).
It was one of the lairds of Brodie who
■WTote an interesting Diary, 1652-80, which
was carried on by his son down to 1685. It
has been printed for the Spalding Club, under
the editorship of Dr. David Laing, of the
Signet Library, Edinburgh. On reference to
Dr. Laing's Preface, and to Spalding's History
of the Trubles (i. 376), it will be found that
the Laird of Brodie had such a share in the
destruction of two oil paintings of the Cruci-
fixion and of the Day of Judgment, and of
some carved work in the cathedral of Elgin,
as cannot be sympathised with in modern times.
About sixty years ago, whUe the sexton was
digging a grave, he came upon a carved stone
which had formed a portion of the tomb of
the old family of Ivinn.\ird of Culbin. It
bears two shields, one initialed V. K., exhibits
the Kinnaird and Innes coats, quarterly ; the
other, initialed B. I., is charged with the Innes
arms, and a crescent for a difference. Below
are the following date and curious rhyme in
interlaced Roman capitals : — •
161.3.
VALTER : KINNAIRD : ELIZABETH :
INNES : THE : BVILDARS : OF : THIS :
BED : OF : STANE : AR : LAIRD : Id :
LADIE : OF : OOVBINB : QVHILK :
TVA : AND : THAIRS : QVHANE :
BRAITHE : IS : GANE : PLEIS : GOD :
viL : SLBIP : THIS : bed : vithin :
— In July 1571, the above-named persons had
a nineteen years' lease of the teinds of Culbyu,
Meretoun, and Leak, from the Bishop of
Moray, for the yearly payment of £12 6s. 8d.
(App. Reg. Morav.) Walter Kynnaird, whose
daughter was probably the wife of Eraser of
Braikie, in Forfarshire f^^'jyjm, 41), died about
1626, as on 4th April of that year his son
Alexander was served heir to his father in the
lands of Culbin and others. The next printed
retour (Aug. 15, 1677), shows that Thomas
Kinnaird succeeded his father, AValter, in
Culbin, and other properties, among which
were the fishings and ferry coble on the Find-
horn, and the " mansio capellre Sancti Niuiani
infra parochiam de Diser" (? Dike). There
was a chapel dedicated to S. Ninian, near
Kincortli, where the name is stOl preserved in
Niukin's Croft. The tenant of the farm of
which the croft forms a part, is bound to pay
to the kirk-session yearly the price of three old
bolls of barley for behoof of the poor.
Culbin was an ancient inheritance of the
Morays of Duffus, Alexander of Moray being
designed lord of Culbin in 1389 (Reg. Morav.
354). The heiress, Egidia de Moravia, having
married Thomas, son of Richard Kinnaird of
that Ilk (ancestor of the Lords Kinnaird in
Perthshire), brought Culbin to her hnsband
about 1440. The property was bought from
the Kinnairds by Alex. Duff of Drummuir,
from the creditors of whose second son, John,
Culbin and Easter ]\Ioy were acquired by
Major George Grant about 1732.
An enclosure (near the Moray obelisk) con-
tains two marble slabs, thus inscribed : —
THE BURIAL GROUND OF
THE MACLEODS OF DALVEY.
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of Mart Mackintosh,
the beloved wife of JEaeas Mackintosh, who
died 3d Nov., 1848.
— Grangehill, the name of which was changed
to Dalveij by Su: Alex. Grant, of the Durria
DYKE.
53
family, who bouglit the property about 1749,
was acquired by an ancestor of the late Mr.
Macleod, about 17 — . As a whole, it is pos-
sibly one of the loveliest of the many lovely
spots in Morayshire, and the gardens, which
contained a number of rare and valuable plants,
were much visited by tourists and others
during the time of the late proprietor, who
died in 1876. At Grangehill, the Prior of
Pluscardine had a grange, and a cell of monks
who cultivated the land.
From a plain headstone to the east of the
Brodie vault : —
THE BURIAL PLACE OF
THE ALLANS,
LATE OF MUIRHALL, BRODIE.
— " The Allans" were a farmer famil}', and a
daughter married the Rev. Dr. David Brichan,
minister of Dyke, " an accomplished scholar
and elegant writer/' who died in 1814. A son,
James Brodie Brichan, who adhered to the
Free Church, and died of pleurisy at Edin-
burgh, 17th March, 1864, at the age of 54,
was an industrious and trustworthy literary
antiquary. He assisted the late Professor
Cosmo Innes in the compilation of some of
his valuable works, and was sole author of
the last, and of a considerable portion of the
first, volume of Ovigines Parochicdes Scotue,
which is perhaps one of the most valuable of
the many important works printed for the
Bannatyne Cluli. This great work is unfortu-
nately uufinisheil ; the portion issued embraces
(vol. i.) the Dioceses of Glasgow ; (vol. ii.
part 1.) Argyle and the Isles ; (part 2) Eoss,
Caithness, Argyle, and the Isles.
A death's head and crossed bones are rudely
carved upon the stone which bears this brief
record : —
ROBERT COWIE,
CHRISTIAN MAWER, 1682.
The next three inscriptions are from table-
stones : —
Placed here at the request of John Clunes, of
the parLsh of St. Mary, County of Middlesex,
and Island of Jamaica, in commemoration of the
remains of his beloved parents, James Clunes
and Jean Mackintosh, the former bom in the
year 1730, died in the year 1802, the letter born
in the yeai- 1749, died iu the year 1811.
[2.]
Mart William, wf. of D. Christie, d. 1784, a. 23 :
Well did she act the different scenes of life ;
A modest vu-gin, and a loving wife ;
A darling daughter, and a mother kind ;
A pleasant neighbour, and a constant friend ;
By all who knew her worth, she liv'd belov'd,
And all with sorrow for her death was mov'd.
[3.]
William Falconer, and his wf. Janet
Gavin, " who once possessed the large farms of
Grange Green." Erected in 1805 by the late
Robert Falconer, teacher of languages, New-
castle : —
When resurrection's hour shall come,
And Death itself shall die ;
The Lord will take his servant home,
To endless life and joy.
From a headstone : —
Sacred to the memory of James M'Kenzie
and Sophia Bower, his wife : —
When thousands of wintere pass over my head
111 this house that is cold and dreary ;
With me the Worldling is confiu'd.
But with me there is rest for the weary.
By Jas. M'Kenzie, his son, State of Ohio, N.A.
The Parish Kirk and Public School stand
at the village of Dyke. Near the manse is
a Female School, into the gable of which two
triangular-shaped slabs are buUt, with these
inscriptions : —
Erected fur Education of Youth of tlie Female
Sex, m piety and virtue, by Brodie of tliat Ilk,
1701.
— This refers to a donation which was made
by James Brodie, who wrote a continuation of
his father's Diarj', in which he gives some
quaint notices of himself and his backslidings.
When fined £24,000 Scots for refusing the
Test Act, he consoles himself by remarking —
54
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
" the world has bein my idol, & the love of it
and covetousness, the root of much evil,"
adding, " and the Lord justlie may punish in
this."
Mr. Brodie, as noticed below, was assisted
by a legal " freind," in the material point of
augmenting the teacher's salary : — •
[2.]
Bestowed for Salary by lohn Anderson,
writer, our kiudlie freind, the rent of two thou-
sand merks yearly, 1701.
Another benefactor to the parish was Henry
Vass, who died in 1 757. He was some time
in the service of Major Grant of Culbin, and
left the interest of £100 to assist in clothing
twelve indigent children in Dyke, as recorded
upon his tombstone at Elgin.
The Muckle Burn, which runs through the
parish of Dyke, and falls into the Findhorn,
is bridged at Dalvey, and at the railway
station of Brodie. A handsome suspension
bridge, which cost about £7000, crosses the
Findhorn on the Inverness turnpike, and
bears these inscriptions : —
The Stone Bridge erected here in 1800, having
been swept away by the Flood of the 4th August,
1829, the Suspension Bridge was built 1832.
Founded 1st March, 1832.
[2.]
Erected under Act of Parliament, by the Sub-
scription of the Inhabitants of Forres and its
Vicinity. Samuel Brown, Commander, Royal
Navy, Engineer. Opened 30th May, 1832.
[Ins. coDipd. by Mr. Paxton, schoolmr.]
.WVW\WWV\\\V\V*%VSV%\\VV\\NVNVWW\VS%\VSNVV\S
(?S. FERGUS, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.)
nnrOY and DALAEASSIE (says Shaw)
OfVX aj.g united parishes. The latter is prob-
ably the church of " Dalgergussyn in Strath-
erne," which Bishop Andrew confirmed to the
church of the Holy Trinity of Elgin, about
1224-42 (Reg. Morav., 71). It stood near
]\Ioy, and under the name of Tallaracie, it
appears as one of the mensal churches (ibid.,
xix.) Shaw says that the name means DaU-
Fergusie, or Fergus's Valley ; and if so, the
kirk had probably been dedicated to S.
Fergus.
The teinds of the parish of Moy were con-
firmed to the church by the Pope in 1222, and
the church " de Moy" (Theiner) is rated at
8s. 9d. in the Taxation of 1275. In the
Taxation of the diocese, about 1350, the pre-
bend of Moy is rated at 10 merks. In 1574,
George Simson was " reidare at Moy," and the
minister bore the same surname.
IMr. Simson's predecessor in the kirk of
Moy was Sir AVilliam Sutherland {Sir being a
title of courtesy for churchmen in old times) ;
but Sutherland's profession and practice of
morality seem to have had little in common ;
for he not only " disobeyit" the charge of the
Commissioner of the Church who had ordered
him " to marie the woman" with whom he
had been cohabiting ; but, " in despyte of the
said Commissioner [he had] ryven his letters
of charge thereto." In consequence of disre-
spect to his brethren, and his non-appearance
at the bar of the Assembly, he was, in 1564,
deprived of all ecclesiastical functions by the
General Assembly (Booke of Univ. Kirke, 51).
As before shewn, the churches of Dyke and
Moy were united in 1618. The latter stood
near the north-west corner of the burial-ground,
and in the vicinity of Moy Hall. The grave-
yard is surrounded by fine specimens of
ash and plane trees. Some tombstones lie
upon the site of the kirk, also the nicely-
dressed top of a lancet window, which had
probably belonged to the old church. One of
two slabs, which exhibits the Campbell and
Morison arms impaled, is initialed jVI. I. C. :
I. M., and the other (broken in two pieces)
MOT.
55
bears the Campbell and Barclay arms, also the
initials, M. I. C. : E. B.
These stones had probably been upon the
burial aisle of the Campbells, who were lairds
of Moy. Both slabs belong to the 17th cen-
tury, and may refer to John Campbell, sheriff-
clerk of Aberdeen, and his grandfather, to the
latter of whom the former was served heir " in
the Eister tua parcialls of land callit the Kirk-
lands of xMoy," &c., April 27, 1654. On 9th
August, 1684, " Mr. Jo. Campbel of Moy
and his wiflfe were heir [at Brodie], and his
good-son, and daughter" (Brodie's Diary, 495).
The Cawdor family were the first of the Camp-
bells of Moy; and, in 1527, Eobert Camp-
bell in Moye is a witness to a bond betwixt
Sir John Campbell of Cawdor and M'Intosh
of Clanchattan (Thanes of Cawdor, 150).
The property of Culbin, as before shewn,
was bought from the family of Kinnaird by
Alex. Duff of Drummuir, who gave it to his
second son, John, whose first wife was ]\Iiss
Gordon of Ellon. She died in 1728 ; and his
second wife, Helen Gordon (a daughter of Sir
James Gordon of Park) died in 1767. The
following inscription (from a slab upon the
site of the old kirk of Moy), probably refers
to a daughter by the latter lady : —
BELOW THIS STONE LYES THE BODY OF HELEN
DUFF, DAUGHTER TO lOHN DUFF OF CUBIN, AND
HELEN GORDON, HIS SPOUSE, WHO DEPARTED THIS
LIFE THE 26 NOVEMBR
— Mr. Baird of Auchmedden, in his very in-
teresting Genealogical Memoirs of the Dufli's,
says that " John Duff of Cowbin was a good,
friendly, honest man, but unhappily fell into
acquaintance with Mackay of Scoury and his
Brother, from the Shire of Eoss, who did not
indeed deserve the name of gentlemen. They
got him engaged in a trade to jSTorth America,
and," continues Baird, "the honest gentleman
was in a few years ruined, and everybody was
convinced he had been egregiously imposed
upon by the Mackfiys."
The following inscription preserves the
name of a laird of GrangehiU (now Dalvey),
which is not given in the History of the
Inneses : —
HERE LYES A GODLY AND MOST CHARITABLE
WOMAN, AGNIS INNES, DAVGHTER TO THE LAIRD OF
GRAN6HIL, MARRIED TO PRTER DVNBAR OF EASTER
BN, AND FOVR OF THER CHILDREN, THERAFTER TO
M. ROBERT DVNBAR AND FOVR OF THER CHILDREN.
REV. 14, 13, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD THAT DIE IN
THE LORD, THEY REST FROM THER L.VBOVRS AND
THER WORKS FOLLOW THEM. AND ALSO THE FOR-
SAID M. ROBERT DVNBAR. 1707.
— Peter Dunbar was served heir to his father,
John Dunbar of Binns (17 June, 1693), in
part of the lands of Nether and Upper Binns,
&c. It was about 1608 that Mark Dunbar of
Durris bought GrangehiU from Lord Dunferm-
line, who was Commendator of the Abbey of
Pluscardine, of which the Dunbars of Durris
were heritable bailies (Mr. A. H. Dunbar, in
The Grey Friar, i. 200).
From a flat slab : —
Tliis stone is placed here in memory of Robert
Rait, bm-ges of Forres, 1728, who died Nove.
the 9th, 175-, aged 70, and Elizabeth Sinclair,
liis spouse, for a day in courts is better than a
thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the
house of the Lord my God than to duell in the
tents of wickedness. Memento mori.
The next three inscriptions are from table-
shaped stones : —
Erected by Susanna Blaik, relict of Robert
Bluntach, an elder of Dyke Session, in memory
of her lamented husband, and affectionate
mother, Jean Walker, of Pitsligo parish, both
lieir buried under this stone, both aged 81 vears.
John's Gos. XV. Ps. 103.
[2.]
This stone is placed here in memory of Peter
CoupER in Kiutessack, and his spouse Marjory
Gordon, as also their chUchen, Margaret &
Iean, who dyed in infancy. Marjory Gordon
dyed the 26 of May 1732, and Peter Couper dyed
the 14 of April 1737. G. C. : I. F. [Blessed are
tlie dead, c&c]
[3.]
This stone is erected here by Wra. M'Kay,
merchant, Nairn, in memory of his grand father,
56
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
John, and his fathei-, Alexr. M'Kay, who died
Agust the 21st, 1780, aged 31 years ; as also
William M'Kay, his uncle, who left few such
behind him, who died Feb. 3, 1799, aged 61
years, honoured in his humble station, to be emi-
nently useful. His praise was in the Gospel.
His reward is with his God.
The followiug is the oldest of several in-
scriptions to a family named Suter : —
This stone is placed here by Alexr. Suter, far-
mer in Marcasie, and Ann Squer, spouse to the
said Alexr. Suter, and in memory of John Suter,
his father, some time tenuant in Earnhill, who
died Dec. 30, 1757, aged 47 years, and Mary
Dunbar, his spouse.
— These were ancestors of j\Ir. Suter, who ren-
dered so much valuable assistance to the cot-
tagers in and about the Broom of jNIoy, on the
occasion of the great floods in August 1829,
as told by Sir T. Dick Lauder in his Account
of the Floods of jMoray, &c.
The cliief object of antiquarian interest in
the united parishe,s is probably the sculptured
stone which was found by the workmen eni-
l^loyed in digging the foundations of the pre-
sent parish church of Dyke. It exhibits what
are known as the spectacle and elephant
figures, also a curiously interlaced cross and
other carvings. It stands within the Park of
Brodie Castle, and is engraved in the Sculp-
tured Stones of Scotland (i., pi. xxii).
The old Hall at Darnaway, which is said
to have been built by Eandulph, Earl of
Moray, who died in 1332, and in which his
table and arm chair, both of oak, are still
shown (!), is, although modernised, an object
of considerable interest, as is likewise the
Castle of Brodie.
The Castle of Darnaway, of which lian-
dulph's Hall forms a wing, has been frequently
added to and altered. It has a commanding
site upon the skirts of the great forest of Tctf-
neu-ay, out of which, in 1228, the king gave
the Bishop of Moray a half davach of land
(Eeg. Ep. Morav., 21). Darnaway Castle is a
residence of the Earls of Mora)% and in it are
some interesting old pictures, &c.
When on his annual pilgrimage to the
shrine of S. Duthoc at Tain, King James IV.
was in the habit of passing a short time at
Darnaway. In 1.504 the sum of 7s. was paid
by the Lord High Treasurer " for tursing" or
conveying the King's " doggis to Dernway ;"
20s. were also given " to the king to play at
the cartis," and 3s. " for rushes" to cover or
strew the floor of "the kingis chalmer." In the
following year " the nuris of Dernway" re-
ceived a gratuity of 18s. ; and 14s. were paid
to " the maddins thai dansit" before the king,
other sums having been disbursed for " sick-
like," both at Forres and at Elgin (Stuart's
Isle of May).
The oldest part of Brodie Castle belongs to
the seventeenth century. It is approaclied
from the public road by an avenue of fine old
trees ; but, like Darnaway and many more of
our baronial edifices, it has been altered and
enlarged to suit the requirements of different
lairds. The ceiling of the dining-room is
covered with pargiter work in stucco, similar
to Glamis and Craigievar ; and there is also a
good collection of paintings. In Pinkerton's
Scottish Gallery (Loud. 1799) is a portrait of
" Alexander Brodius," which, oddly enough,
is described as that of Mark Alexander Boyd,
author of Latin poems, &c., and who is said
to have died in 1601. But the print, although
said to have been engraved in 1596, bears all
the peculiarities of a work of the 18th century.
It is just possible that, on enquiry, tliis por-
trait may be found to represent one of the
Brodies of that Ilk, probably the Lyon-King,
wlio died in 1754 {ftiqjni, 50-1).
To the west of Brodie is the Hardmuir, or
" the blasted heath," celebrated in Shake-
speare's tragedy of jNIacbeth ; and a pine cov-
ered knoll is pointed out as the place where
RAT HEN.
57
the Thane of Glamis met the weird sisters
when on his way to Forres.
The scenery of the Findhorn, on the south,
and the sand hills of Culbin on the north,
possess much interest for students both of
nature and art. The former has afforded
materials both for the pen and the pencil,
and the history of the latter has been often
given. It need only be here briefly said,
in regard to Culbin, that what was at one
time a fertile, inhabited, and corn producing
district, has been rendered, by excessive sand
drifts, an uninhabitable and unproductive
waste.
In 1695, when Alex. Kinnaird, laird of
Culbin, presented a petition to Parliament,
cravuig to be relieved from paying cess upon
the destroyed portion of his property, he stated
that "the best two parts" of his estate were
ruined, and " that there was not a vestige to
be seen of his manner place of Culbin, yairds,
orchyairds, and mains therof; and which,
within these twenty years, were as consider-
able as many in the Countrey of Morray."
He further says that " the small remander of
his Estate which yet remained uncovered was
exposed to the like hazard, and the Sand daily
gaining ground thereon, wherethrough he was
like to run the hazard of loseing the whole"
(Acta Pari., ix. 479).
Geologists would now-a-days account for
this " unevitable fatality," as the laird calls it,
in a very different way from that in which it
used to be explained in old times. The
catastrophe was then said to have been
" mainly occasioned by the pulling up by the
Eoot of Bent, Juniper, and Broom bushes,
which did loose and weak the surface and
scrooffe" of sandhills ; and, under this belief,
an Act was passed by Parliament prohibit-
ing the practice of pidling bents in future,
under heavy fines and penalties (lb., 452).
" This stranae inundation" was in motion
in Pennant's time (1769), and traces of the
old inhabitants of Culbin are being found even
at the present time, some interesting relics
having been discovered so late as 1875.
The hamlet of the Broom of Moy (? Maijh,
a plain), which was devastated by the floods
of 1829, consists of some picturesque dwell-
ings, and is the landing place for one of " the
ferry cobles" on the Findhorn.
The parish is interspersed with pretty
hedgerows and fine old trees, particularly in the
neighbourhood of the Kirkto^vn of Dyke,
where, as in many other parts of the district,
the cottages exhibit much of the flower-loving
spirit of the late laird of Dalvey. The villages
of Ivintessaoh and Whitemires are less popu-
lous than the Kirktown of Dyke ; and near
the former is a Free Church.
{S. ETHERNAN, BISHOP.)
THE church of Rcdhyn, rated at 24 merks
in the Old Taxation, was given by Mar-
jory, Countess of Buchan, to the Abbey of
Arbroath. The benefice was granted by
Eobert I. to the college and canons of Old
Machar, in the year 1328.
In 1574, the kirks of Deer, Fetterangus,
and Kathen, were all served by Gilbert Cliis-
holm ; and John Scott was the contemporary
reader at Eathen.
In 1597, the revenues of the churches of
Eathen, Philorth, Tyrie, and Crimond, were ap-
pomted for the maintenance of a University,
which was proposed to be founded at Fraser-
burgh by Sir Alexander Eraser, by charter
from James VI. (Acta Pari., iv. 147). A
place in Fraserburgh is still called " College
Bounds."
The old kirk of Eathen was unroofed and
58
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
made a ruiu in 1870, a new edifice with a
spire Laving been previously erected in a field
to the eastward of the old site. It consisted
of a nave with an aisle on the south. The
aisle belonged to the Erasers of Memsie, and
is dated 1646. It contains a recess or awm-
bry, also two shields. One of the shields is
charged with the Barclay arms, and the other,
which is initialed S. A. F. : E. M., bears the
Fraser arms. A sun-dial upon the aisle is
dated 162.5.
Two freestone monuments within the aisle
are respectively inscribed as follow : —
HERE LTES CHRISTAN FRASER, DAUGHTER TO
THE LAIRD OF PHILORTH AND LADT FEDDERAT,
AND GRANDMOTHER TO ALEXANDER CRAUFURD OF
RATHEN, AND ERECTER OF THIS VAULT.
— This lady was a daughter of Alex. Fraser,
7th of Philorth, who died in 1569, and his
wife Katherine Menzies. Fraser bought
Mickle Crichie from George Craufurd of
Fedderat, about 1552-3, and settled it, in 1561,
on his daughter Christian, when she married
William Craufurd of Fedderat, who was
nephew and heir of George Craufurd. Sir
Alex. Fraser, 8th of Philorth, the founder of
Fraserburgh (formerly called Faithlie), leased
or feued, in the year 1613, a great portion of
Eathen to Alexander Craufurd ; and in 1689,
William Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, made an
absolute sale of it to another Alex. Craufurd,
probably a descendant of the first, and his
wife Margaret. From an adjoining slab : —
Erected by Miss Elizabeth Fraser to mark the
Burial gi-ound of the Family of Memsie which
extends 8 feet 10 inches from the arch within
the aisle. The remains of her Father, Mother,
and Aunt, are deposited in the following order
from the arch. 1st, Mrs. Sarah Fraser of
Memsie, died 3d April 1807, aged 74 ; 2d, Wil-
liam Eraser, Esq. of Memsie, died 13th Sept.
1813, aged 74 ; 3d, Mrs. Elizabeth Abernethy,
died 23d Jan. 1816, aged 74.
— Alex., eldest son of Sir Alex. Fraser, 3d of
Philorth, had a gift of Memsie from his
father in 1474, and was succeeded by his
younger brother, James, in 1479. Although
his descendants became extinct before 1606,
Wm. Fraser of Memsie is described (1635) as
the third lawful son of Mr. Michael Fraser,
some time in Techmurie. It was about 1810
that the late Lord Saltoun bought back
Memsie from Mr. Wm. Fraser and his daugh-
ter Elizabeth, afterwards Mrs. Dr. Leslie of
Fraserburgh (Epitaphs, i. 55).
A granite slab, also within the ruins, is thus
inscribed : —
Charles Gordon, Captain 92nd Highlanders,
born October 20th, 1823, died May 17th, 1853.
— This young officer, who married the only
daughter of Mr. Wm. Innes of Eaemoir, was
sixth .son of Mr. Gordon of Cairnbulg, by his
wife, a daughter of the Baronet of Craig-
ievar. Capt. Gordon's father, who was a
half-brother of the late Mr. Gordon of EUon,
is also buried at Eathen, where a granite cross
bears this record of his death : —
JOHN GORDON OF CAIRNBULG,
DIED 18 SEPT., 1861, AGED 75.
— Cairnbulg and Invernorth, which formed
portions of the lordship of Philorth, were sold
about 1615-16, to Alex. Fraser of Durris and
his son Eobert, by Alexander, 8th of Philorth,
who built the castle of Fraserburgh. They
afterwards became the property of Andrew
Fraser of Muchal, and since then have passed
through various hands. The square tower of
the castle of Cairnbulg, or the old manor
house of Philorth, is so ancient that there is
no record of its being budt, bat the remainder
is supposed to have been erected by the 7th
laird of Philorth. The lands and castle of
Cairnbulg now belong to Mr. Duthie, ship-
builder, Aberdeen, whose father was a native
of Stonehaven.
A flat slab, with a carving of the Eait
arms, initialed A. E., was discovered when
clearing out the nave of the old kirk in 1873.
RAT HEN.
59
It bears the following inscription rudely in-
cised along the margin of the stone : — ■
HEIR LTES ALEXANDER RAIT, ANE HONEST MAN,
HVSBAND TOELSPET MTATj^TIO REMAINED SOMETTM
IN CARNMVIR, AND DEPARTED FROM THIS LTEE TO
LTFE ETERNAL ON 22 IVNE, 1656 TEARES.
Six fragments of lettered stones, found at
the same time, are built into the south win-
dow of the jMemsie Aisle, viz. : —
(1) ALEXANDER FRASER OF PHILORTH PATRON.
(2) Exhibits the Fraser and Abernethy coats.
(3) . . IN . . GO . . 15 A . (pai-t of a gravestone).
(4) M. A. E. . .
(5) 1633.
(6) M. W. D.
— (4) refers to Mr. Alexander Eoss, who was
maternal grandfather of the Eev. Alex. Keith
of Cruden, author of " View of the Diocese of
Aberdeen" (Epitaphs, i. 314), and the last
two belong to the time of Mr. Wm. Davidson,
who was minister at Eathen, 1603-57. It was
during his incumbency (Gordon's Britain's Dis-
temper, 63), that "diuerse dayes togither [there
was] hard in the chui'ch a quiere of musicke,"
the mysterious nature of which excited the
curiosity of the people of the neighbourhood ;
and one day, Mr. D., " being much takin with
the harmonie, went with diuerse of the parish-
eners, in to the church, to try if there eyes
could beare witnes to what their ears had hard ;
but they ware no sooner entred when, lo, the
musicke ceased with a long not, or stroke of a
wloll de gamho ; and the sound came from
ane vpper lofte where the people vsed to
heare seruice, but they could sie nothing."
The Memsie Aisle, which is about 35 feet
long by 15 feet wide, is now used for the
burial of heritors and certain parishioners.
Miss Helenora Keith, who died at Ardma-
cran, 5th July 1876, at the age of 90 years
and 3 months, was buried there. She was the
oldest residenter in the parish at the time,
and claimed to be a descendant of the Earls
Marischal, through the Keiths of Xorthfield.
]Miss Keith's father, who waited upon Earl
Marischal, at Potsdam, and was kindly enter-
tained by his Lordship, afterwards received
the following letter from the Earl, here printed
from the original in the possession of INIr.
Keith's great-grand-niece : —
Potsdam, 30 May, 1773.
The more I consider the reasons of prefering your
being in the estate of Mr. Seton of Touch, I am the
more confirmed in that opinion. Where cultivation
is best practised, most is to be made in wast land.
Mr. Seton is a worthy good man, my good Friend and
relation. I know that from his natural inchnation to
do good, and also on account of my recommendation,
you will find in Mr. Seton Friendship and assistance.
Do not neglect to apply to Mr. Seton of Touch, and
let me know yom' circumstances from time to time,
even if you should not hve in his lands. Wherever
you are, I wish you happy.
Marischall.
Your desire to be near your old father and your
sisters, to serve them is very commendable ; but you
will be best able to serve them where you can have
most profit. I therefore wish you in Appin.
To Charles Keith,
to shew to Mr. Seton of Touch.
— Instead of going to Appin, Mr. Keith be-
came tenant of Claystiles, in Eathen, and his
daughter continued to manage the farm until
within a few years of her death.
The date of 1782, and the initials, L. A. S.
(Lord Abernethy and Saltoim), are upon the
belfry of the old kirk. The bell bears the
founder's name and date : —
PETEE • lANSEN • 1643.
From a slab at south end of Memsie Aisle : —
HERE LTES THE BODIE OF BARBARA COUPER,
LAWFUL SPOUS TO ALEX. ANDERSON, SOMETIME IN
CORTIEBRE, WHO DIED THE 13 OF MAY 1712, & THE
70 OF HER AGE.
7 OF ( [a shield qrly., ^ tr'
CHIL 1 1 and 4, 3 stare ; I i
LT "=( 2, a crescent ; ^-i
/ 3, mason or I
iiare] j
DREN
HERE
MEMOR V carpenter's square] 1 lethe
— Alex. Anderson was a tenant of the Earl
INIarischal's and in Cortiebrae in 1696, when
his wife and a daughter were both alive.
Here lyes the body of Christen Forman,
spous to Alex. Fraser in Westertouu of Fingask,
60
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
who departed this life May 13, 1726, aged 45,
also the said Alexr. Fraser, died 20th Janry.
1767, aged 88.
Wm. Eraser, Gash, d. 1764, a. 75 : —
A Sacrifice to Time, Fate dooms us all,
And at his Fiet, Poor Mortals Daily fall.
Upon a tahle-stone : —
In memory of Theodore Martin, sometime
at Cairnbulg, afterwards at Cortes, who died on
29th March, 1837, aged 72 years.
— Mr. Martin was long a sheriff-officer of the
shire of Aberdeen, also ground officer on the
estate of Cairnbulg. His son, James, born
at Cairnbulg in 1791, studied law in Edin-
burgh, where he became an S.S.C.,and latterly,
through the influence of Jlr., afterwards Lord
Rutherford, he was appointed a Depute-clerk
of the Court of Session. He died suddenly in
1853, leaving several daughters and one son,
Theodore, who practised for some years as an
S.S.C. in his native city, and was also Secre-
tary to the Abbotsford Club. He afterwards
went to London as a parliamentary solicitor,
where he married Miss Helen Faucit, the cele-
brated actress, and has acquired literary fame
for his translations into English verse of
Horace, Catullus, &o., also as the biographer
of the late Prince Consort.
Erected by Jean Dickie to the memory of her
husband, Alexander Urquhart, late farmer,
South Tarwathie, who died at Cairns of Memsie,
1st Dec, 1849, aged 93 years. The said Jean
Dickie, died 28th April, 1857, aged 93.
Wm. Watson, farmer, Whitewall, husband of
Margt. Largue, d. 1757, a. 72 : —
William Watson lys under this stone,
Overcome by death that spareth none ;
Take heed and read, and you shall see.
As I am now so must you bee,
Eotting in darke and silente dust :
Prepare for death for die you must ;
Life is uncertain, death is shure :
Sin is ye wound — Christ is ye cure.
Abridged : —
William Murray, farmer, Eedhouse, husband
of Barbara Smith, died 29th May, 1812, aged 52.
" Their only son, Alexander Murray, M.D.,
physician in Aberdeen, one of the medical atten-
dants of the Infirmai-y of that city, the author of
the ' Northern Flora,' and of many valuable
papers on medical subjects, was cut off by tyjihus
fever in the midst of great promise of future
excellence, on the 10th Feb., 1838, in the 39th
year of his age."
From a handsome granite slab : —
In memory of Jane Morgan, who wa-s born
in Dumbarton, May, 1810, and died at Fraser-
burgh, 5th Aug., 1862. Also of her father, John
Morgan, sergeant in the 74th Eegt., born at
Loanhead, Cairnbulg, July, 1781. He fought at
Assaye, Amednagm-, Angaum, Gile-Gur, San-
door, Gulnah, Busaco, Fuentes, C.-Eodrigo, the
Pyrenees, Orthes, and died at Invemorth, 22d
Dec, 1822. [Jer., 50, 34.]
Abridged from an adjoining tombstone : —
James McKimmie, schoolmaster at Eathen,
died 30th July, 1772, aged upwards of 64. Jean
Fraser, his spouse, born 19th March, 1718, died
8th Sept., 1808, in her 91st year. Christian
McKimmie, their daughter, who resided nearly
40 years in the village of Striehen, " the un-
wearied friend of the poor and destitute," died
5th Dec, 1832, aged 76.
— According to Peter Buchan's Gleanings of
Scarce Old Ballads (Peterhead, 1825), the
Jacobite songs of Wherry, Whigs, awa' man,
and Logic o' Buchan, were written by George
Hacket, a predecessor of Mr. M'Kimmie's at
ivathen. Buchan also says that Hacket wrote
a dialogue betwixt George II. and the Devil,
which gave so much offence that the Duke of
Cumberland offered £100 of a reward for the
person or the head of the author.
The same authority states that Hacket was
.schoolmaster of Eathen "in the years 1736 and
7," and adds that he died at Memsie in 1756,
and " was buried within the old churchyard at
Fraserburgh, at the west end of the aisle."
Buchan seems to have been misinformed as
to the period of Hacket's incumbency, since
instead of his being schoolmaster in 1736 and
7, the Parochial Eecords show that he entered
upon that office in 1714, and was deprived
of it in 1725. Buchan also says he had two
wives, but had no family by the fii-st, who
was lost in a snow-storm.
RAT HEN.
Gl
There were then several families of the
name of Hacket, both in Eathcn and Fraser-
burgh ; and the only record I have seen of
the schoolmaster's marriage (after searching
the registers of Fraserburgh, Tyrie, Crimond,
Strichen, and Eathen) occurs in the last men-
tioned register, where, under the date of 6th
March, 1718, it is recorded that " George
Hacket, schoolmaster at Eathen, and Jannet
Adamson, daughter of Marion Crawford, in
Eathen, were married, having been 3 several
Lord's dayes publickly proclaimed in order
thereunto."
There were three children by this marriage
— John, born in December 1718 ; Elizabeth,
in February, 1721 ; and James, in September,
1723. The parish minister, Mr. James An-
derson, was a witness at the first and the last
of the baptisms ; and the son James may have
been named after him. I have found no trace
of other children, nor seen any notice of a
second marriage, or the burial of Hacket or his
wife. The last entry which Hacket made in
the Eathen register of baptisms is dated Oct.
2-t, 172.5, and shoAvs a visible change from
the fine round hand which he wrote at an
earlier date.
The only publication which I have seen of
Hacket's, and it appears to be one of great
rarity, is a brochure of 24 pp. 18mo, entitled,
" Occasional Poems upon several Subjects,
viz. — I. Advice to Youth ; 11. Good Friday ;
III. Easter-day ; IV. A Pastoral, by George
Hacket. Aberdeen : printed for the Author,
1737." The Pastoral, in imitation of Virgil,
Eel. v., is to the memory of the Eev. Mr.
Alex. Moor of Fraserburgh ; and it would seem
that, besides being a poet, Hacket was also a
musician, a fact which is thus disclosed by his
friend " Willie," in the course of dialogue : —
" No Geordie, sure thy self is better far,
Or Ritchie^ with none of you I'll compare ;
When skilful Ritchie tunes his charming reeds,
He equals Pan, that I say not exceecls."
The surname of "Eitchie" is still common
in and about Fraserburgh, but it would be as
difficult to say whether tlie Eitchie spoken of
was a poet, as it is to find any resemblance
between the miserable, although scholarly,
rhymes of which this pamphlet is composed,
and the fine plaintive song of Logic o' Buchan
or the vigour of Wherry Whigs.
Although it appears very improbable, from
the specimen of Hacket's authorship now before
lis, that he wrote either of the songs referred
to, a few facts connected with his history, as
revealed in the parish records, may be interest-
ing. As before mentioned, he entered upon
the offices of schoolmaster and session-clerk,
28th Nov., 1714 ; and, as was then customary,
he was exhorted from the pulpit " to fidelity
and diligence in the said offices." We know
nothing of his capabilities as a teacher, but his
domestic accommodation appears to have been
all along of a very sorry description ; and it
was not until the time of his marriage, in
1718, that the "schoolchamber" was par-
titioned off from the school and made into a
separate apartment. The fact of Hacket's
marriage is not given as the reason for this
improvement upon his house, it being quaintly
attributed to the circumstance that " the bed"
in the schoolchamber was so old as to be un-
fit for use ; still, on being " taken down" it
was not thrown away, but in those days of
needful economy was made into a "middle
wall betwixt the school and chamber ! "
Although there is no mention of " the
dominie" having received a new bed, we are
told that he was allowed to have the privilege
of receiving light into his dwelling, the sum
of £7 10s. Scots being paid " for a glass win-
dow [that was] put into the chamber," and
which was only then lighted up, and separa-
ted from the school by the boards of the " old
bed."
It must have been partly owing to Hacket's
62
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
miserable surroundings — for the surroundings
of a man have very much, if not everything,
to do with the formation of his character and
habits — that led him to forget himself so far
that " his faults and gross miscarriages" had
to be dealt with by the Kirk-session. This
occurred on 19th Sept., 1725, when (as the
minute quaintly hears) notwithstanding of
" many warnings, he hath come to that hight of
impudence as to deny all the faults he stands
"uilty of, and will not be convinced or made
sensible of his miscarriages, and he having
relapsed again and again, and no reformatione
of heart or of ways to be found in him, it is
the judgement of the W- and sessione of
Eathen that the said George Hacket be laid
aside from officiating as schoolmaster or pre-
centor." The Presbytery having sanctioned
Hacket's dismissal, the session, on 24th Oct.
following, elected as his successor Mr. Alex.
Gairdeii, " a sober and discreet young man,
and one capable to teach the youth in the
said parish, or any other place where Provi-
dence may order him."
The next four inscriptions are abridged : —
Alex. Nicol, farmer, Carduo, Fraserburgh,
died 1804, aged 81 ; liis daughter Elizabeth,
died 1769, aged 13 ; his spouse Helen Law,
died 1807, aged 81 ; and their daughter Helen,
died 1827, aged 61. Their son, Alexander,
died 1831, aged 71 : and another son, James,
feuar in Mormond Village, Strichen, died 1840,
a^ed 76, the latter of whom, as recorded upon
his gravestone, " in the spirit of good will to
man, bequeathed the whole of his property to
Trustees for the purpose of establishing a Free
School in the Village of Mormond, for the teach-
ing of poor children the elementary branches
of education. Receive my instruction and not
silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold."
Rev. Wm. CnMiNE, late minister of Rathen,
died 8th Feb. 1800, in the 80th year of his age,
and 38th of his ministry. Erected by his widow,
Elizabetli Leslie.
[3.]
Rev. Wm. Cock, born at the Manse of Keith-
hall, 1st November, 1757, ordained minister at
Culsalmond, 18th June, 1795,admitted to Rathen,
6th May, 1801, died 1st July, 1848.
[4.]
George Watson, wine merchant, Calcutta
(son of the late John Watson, farmer at CauTihiU,
St. Fergus), died at sea, on his journey from
India, 30th June, 1828, aged 41. William
Watson, his eldest son, wine merchant, Calcutta,
died 10th April, 1856, aged 38 ; also his son
John Cock, assistant-surgeon, H.E.I.C.S., died
27th Jan., 1857, aged 34. His remains are in-
terred here.
— The first-named on the gravestone married
a daughter of the late Eev. Mr. Cook of
Eathen, by whom he had, with other children,
Mr. J. P. Watson, a merchant in London, and
proprietor of Blackford, in Auchterless, and
a daughter, who married Mr. WiUiani Neish,
of Tannadice, in Forfarshire.
Eathen appears to have been an early seat
of Christianity. Besides a solitary den, on the
east side of Mormond Hill, called Eddren's
Slaclc, where S. Ethernan is said to have
lived as a hermit, a hillock and well, about
half a mile from the church, bear the name
of S. Oyne, or S. Eten", where possibly there
had been a chapel dedicated to that saint.
But S. Ethernan was held in highest esteem
at Eathen ; and Alexander Comyn, who, by
marriage, came to possess the lauds of the old
Mormaers of Buchan, kept up the reverence
for S. Ethernan in his southern domains, as
we find him making a grant to the monks of
May for the lights of S. Ethernan's Chapel on
that island (Stuart's Isle of May).
Eathen belonged to the Comyns, Earls of
Bucban, down to their forfeiture in 1308. It
was a portion of the lordship of Aberdour,
which had come into the possession of the
Douglas family by the marriage of Archibald,
3rd Earl of Douglas, to Jean or Joanna,
daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Murray of
LUND IE.
63
Bothwell (Epitaphs, i. 58). The third Earl
granted 80 merks' worth of land in Aberdour
to Sir Alex. Eraser of Cowie and Durris, the
first Eraser of Philorth. Eathen was probably
included in this grant, since, in 1 430, Eathen,
Cuburty, Memsie, and Over and Nether Pit-
tullie, the Earl's gift of these was confirmed to
Sir William Eraser, 2nd of Philorth, by Sir
James, second son of the 3rd Earl of Douglas.
Besides the ruins of Cairnbulg Castle, be-
fore noticed, those of Inverallochy form a
striking object in the district. Cumins were
designed of Inverallochy from a remote period,
and one of them, Alexander, who married a
daughter of the 7th laird of Philorth, sold the
estate to his uncle. Sir Alexander, 8th of
Philorth, about 1588-92. Sir Alexander re-
sold it in 1615-16, to Simon, Lord Lovat,
from whom, through a female, it came to the
present proprietor, Col. Mackenzie-Eraser of
Castle Eraser.
The ruins of Inverallochy Castle show traces
of considerable antiquity ; and, according to
tradition, the lands were given by the Earl of
Buchan to a namesake of his own, who buUt
the Abbey of Deer, in confirmation of which
apocryphal story, it is alleged that a slab over
the door of the castle was embellished with
the Cumin arms and this legend : —
" I, Jordan Cumin, indweller here,
Gat this house and land
For biggin' the Abbey o' Deer."
The " Three Cairns of Memsie," a portion
of one of which only remains, were entire in
and long subsequent to 1722. They are
locally said to have been raised over the re-
mains of some of the great men who fell at
Cruden, in a battle which, as related by
Boethius and others, took place there between
the Danes and Scots in the time of Malcolm
III. The Cairns, which contained urns and
calcined bones, and possibly belong to a much
more remote period than here stated, were
removed and used for building dykes and
drains.
Upon the Trefor Hill, to the north of the
old kirk of Eathen, walls and trenches, com-
posed of earth and stones, were visible until
within these few years. The mound, which
is upon the south side of the river of Philorth,
was probably formed by the action of water,
and from its natural advantages, had possibly
been used as a fort or rath, hence probably
the origin of the name of the district — Rath-
aan, or Rath-aven, " the river fort."
Inverallocluj and Cairnbuhj are the princi-
pal villages in Eathen, and a quoad sacra
parish was lately erected under the former
name. It contains about two-thirds of the
population of the whole parish. The inhabi-
tants of both villages are engaged in deep sea
fishing.
[lus. compd. by Mr. Murray, farmer, Redhouse.]
2.unti te*
(S. LAURENCE, MARTYR.)
TATALTEE of LUNDIN gave the Prior
" " and Canons of St. Andrews, some time
before 1203, twenty acres of land and a toft,
which were tenanted by Gillemure, and situ-
ated near to the Lake of Lundin (Eeg. Prior.
S. And.)
The church and chapel of Lundij were in
the diocese of St. Andrews, and are rated at
24: merks in the Old Taxation. The church
of Lundie and four others were served by one
clergyman in 1574, and George Cochrane was
reader at Lundie.
The church, which is an old building, stands
upon a rising ground at the Kirktown — one
of the most picturesque dadians in the dis-
trict— where Laurence Fair was held in old
times. The parishes of Lundie and Eowlis-
64
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Easter were united in 1618. The manse is at
Liindie, and tliere is sermon at both places on
Sundays. The former parish is situated in
Forfarshire, and the latter in Perthshire.
Tradition says that the kirk beU of Lundie
belonged to one of Admiral Duncan's ships, a
story which neither the name of the founder
nor the date of the bell tends in any way to
favour. It is thus inscribed : —
MICHAEL . BVRGERHVYS . ME . FECIT .1617.
The burial-place of the Duncans of Lundie
is at the east end of the kirk, and over the
entrance to a mausoleum is this inscription : —
CCEMETERIVM . GVLIELMI . DVNCAlf .
EQ : AVRAT : ET . BARONETTI . MEDICI .
REGII . M.D.CC.LXXXIX.
— Sir William, who was uncle to Admiral
Duncan, attained to great professional emi-
nence in London, and was physician to
George II., by whom he was created " a
Baronet of Great Britain," on 9th Aug., 1764,
when he is designed " of Mary-le-bone, !Mid-
dlesex. Doctor of Physic" (Scots Magazine).
He married a daughter of the Earl of Thanet,
and as he died without issue, his widow. Lady
Mary Duncan or Tufton, left a considerable
fortune and many articles of vertu, plate, &c.,
to the first Earl of Camperdown.
The remains of Admiral Duncan lie within
an adjoining enclosure, where a lozenge-shaped
marble slab bears this inscription : —
ADAM, FIRST VI.SCOUNT DU.N'CAN,
ADMIRAL OF THE WHITE SQUADROK OF
IIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE THE THIRd's FLEET,
BORN 14th JULY, 1731, AND
DIED 4th august, 1804.
— Lord Adam Duncan, who was born in
Dundee, was the second son of Alex. Duncan
of Lundie, by the daughter of John Haldane of
Gleneagles, who was M.P. for Perthshire, and
who signed the Treaty of Union. Admiral
Duncan's eldest brother, iUexander, was a dis-
tinguished officer in the army during the
American War, and attained to the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel. He married Miss Smythe
of Methven, and dying at Lundie, 31st August,
1796, without issue, was succeeded by his
brother, the distinguished Admiral, the history
of whose bravery is so familiar to all, and so
much mixed up with the history of Great
Britain, that it need not be adverted to here.
The contemporary poet laureate, Mr. H. J. Pye,
pays the following tribute in his poem of
Naucratia, or Xaval Dominion (2d ed., p. 73),
both to Duncan and to his native country : —
" The delegated sons of Britain's choice
In his applauses speak a people's voice ;
And while from Caledonia's northern skies — •
Prolific parent of the brave and wise —
Bursts the full strain in patriot ardour loud
Of such a son, with honest vaunting proud,
England asserts her share of Duncan's fame,
And claims the hero in Britannia's name."
Admiral Duncan married a daughter of
Lord President Dundas of Arniston, and was
succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Egbert,
afterwards Earl of Camperdown, who died in
1859, aged 75. His eldest son, who held im-
portant offices in Her Majesty's Government,
became the second Earl, and it was chiefly
through his perseverance, while an M.P., that
the "window tax" was repealed. His lord-
ship died in 1867, leaving two sons and one
daughter. The eldest son, who has greatly
improved his paternal estate by draining and
building, &c., was a Lord of the Admiralty in
1870, and has been employed in several im-
portant inquuies regarding the state of the
Civil Service, &c.
The first of the Duncans of Lundie was a
prosperous merchant of Dundee, who bought
the estate of Seaside, in the Carse of Gowrie,
about 1662. He also purchased, from the
Argyll family, the barony of Lundie, which
belonged at one time to the Lords of LUe, and
afterwards to Lord Kintyre, brother of the
Earl of Argyll.
Mr. Duncan's eldest son married Ann,
LUNDIE.
65
daughter of Drummond of Meggincli. Their
residence was at Lundie, where there are two
slabs, one of which built into the mill of
Lundie, is initialed, A.D. ; A.D., and dated
1677, and the other at the site of the old
castle, is dated 1682. This laird and his lady
were buried in the Hoioff, at Dundee, where
a handsome mural monument (fast going to
deca)') bears this inscription to their memory : —
Humo adjaceuti conditur quod morti conees-
serunt Alexander Duncan de Lundie, qui
fato functus est Aprilis die, a. JR. C.
MD.C.XCVL iet. XLIV ; ejusq' dilecta coujux,
Anna Lbummond, unica filia M" Joanuis Drum-
mond lie Meggiush, quie decessit Aprilis die
MD.C'.XCIII, aet. XLII,necnou eorundem liberi,
GULIELMUS PaTRICIUS, CHRISTIANA, & AnNA
quibus parentes sujjerstites eraut ; item, alter
GuLiELMUs, qui matri, non vero patri supervixit ;
et Joannes filius, natu secundus, qui mortem
obijt, Julij die MD.CXGVI, aet. XX. Mau-
soleum extruendnni curavit M' Alex' Duncan
de Lundie, a. ^-E. C. 1718.
[In the adjacent ground are laid the mortal
remains of Alexander Duncan of Luudie, who
departed this life on the of April 1696,
aged 44 ; and of his beloved wife Ann Drum-
mond, only daughter of Mr. John Drummond of
Meggiush, wlio died ou the of Ajiril, 1693,
aged 42 ; also of their chilth-en, William, Pat-
rick, Christian, and Ann, who predeceased
their parents ; a second Willi.\m, who survived
his mother, but not his father, and John, their
second son, who died on the of July, 1696,
aged 20. Mr. Alexander Duncan of Lundie
caused this mausoleum to be erected in the year
1718.]
— Besides the erector of this monument, Mr.
and Mrs. Duncan left a daughter, Jean, who
married John Scrj'msour of Kirkton, ancestor
of the Scrymsours of Tealing. She survived
her brother, who died at Lundie Castle, 2iid
January, 1719, in his 42nd year, and while he
held the office of Provost of Dundee.
An interesting account of Provost Duncan's
life is given in a scarce book entitled
" An Apology for the Church of Scotland
against the Accusations of Prelatists and
Jacobites," &c. (Edinr., 1719), (he printing of
which was not finished until after the death
of Mr. Duncan, to whom it is inscribed by the
author, J. W. In an " Advertisement" near
the end of the book, it is said that Mr. Duncan
" hath left a very opulent Fortune to his Son,
who is a very promising Youth, about sixteen
Years of Age." There is also an Elegy on the
death of the Provost, in which these curious
lines occur : —
Ah ! blessed Man ! why wou'd thou chu.se to go,
Till thou hadst left thy Match with us below ?
Let me pursue, nor longer live to see.
The Loss his Fate occasions to Dundee.
The Helm of Pow^r he wisely managed there,
An steer'd the shattr'd Ship with equal Care,
True to his God, his Sonreign, and the Town,
In all his Deeds acquir'd a just Renown :
[Steadfast he rul'd, and ne'er his Measures broke,
And like a Ilc-Goat went before th' observing Flock.
— Provost Duncan of Dundee, who married
Isabel, daughter of Sir Patrick Murray of
Ochtertyre, Bart., left two sons, Alexander, his
successor in Lundie, and Sir William, above-
mentioned, the former of whom, as already
stated, was the father of the celebrated Admiral.
Another marble monument, within the
Camperdown burial-place at Lundie, bears this
inscription : —
Sacred to the memory of James Haldane of
Airthrey, Esq'., late Captain of the Duke of
Albany, in the service of the United East India
Company. He was an affectionate husband, an
indulgent tender parent, a sincere friend, and a
man of strict honor and integrity. His much
afflicted Wife consecrated this stone iis a faint
monument of his worth and her soitow. He died
30th June 1768, aged 40 years, and is buried in
the Isle of Alexander Duncan of liUndie, Esq'.
— Captain Haldane, who was proprietor of
Airthrey, near Stirling, married liis cousin,
the eldest sister of Admiral Duncan, and was
grandfather of Mr. Eobert Hiddane, of Cloan-
den, W.S., Edinburgh, who has kindly sup-
plied some particulars regarding the proprietory
history of Lnndie and the family of Duncan.
Mr. Haldane is heir male of the Hal-
danes of Gleneagles, one of the oldest families
in Scotland, his ancestor, Eoger de Haden,
66
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Laving had charters from King William of
lands in Perthshire (Dalrymple's Coll., 392).
These lands continued in the male line until
the death of Captain Rohert Haldane of Glen-
eagles and Airthrey, who left Airthrey to his
nephew, the said Captain James Haldane, and
Gleneagles to his niece, who married Duncan
of Lnudie.
Admiral Duncan's younger sister married
Mr. Tait of Glasgow, by whom she had, he-
sides other issue, a son, whose death is thus
recorded upon a monument at Lundie : —
To the memory of Adam Tait, Esquire, born
at Glasgow, 17th September, 1765, and died at
Camperdown, 28th March, 183.5. During a very
long period he managed the estates of his relation,
the Earl of Camperdown, at whose desire his
remains are interred in the Family Aisle, and by
his inflexible integrity and the sterling worth of
his character, he acquired the respect and esteem
of all who knew him. He was a Christiau not
merely in name, for he had experienced the effi-
cacy of the blood of Jesus in removing guilt, and
was a partaker of that peace which can only be
derived from the finished work and perfect
righteousness of Him who is the Hope and
Refuge of the ruined children of men. Also
Helen Tait, his sister, born 13th March, 1773,
and died 27th June, 1826. [Rev. v. 1st.]
Upon the south side of the kirk is a flat
slab, embellished with the Blair and [Ogilvy]
arms in pale, flanked by the initials, D. B. K. 0.
It also bears the following inscription, the first
portion of which is in raised characters round
the margin of the stone, and the latter incised
upon the upper portion of the slab : —
HEIR . LYIS . IAMES . AND . lAMES . COLINE .
BLAIRS . SONS . TO . MR . DON . B. . SOMTIMB .
MINISTER . AT . THIS . KIRK . & FOVLS . DPR . 47 .
49 . 51.
SVFER . THE . LITL . CHILDREN . TO . COM . VNTO
. ME . AND . FORBID . THEM . NOT . FOR . OF . SVCH
. IS . THE . KINGDOM . OF . HEAVEN . MARK . X.
V. 14.
— i\lr. Donald Blair, who was settled at
Lundie in 1636, and died before 1660, was
fifth son of Patrick Blair of Pittendriech
(Scott's Fasti), thu-d son of Balthayoch, who
married a daughter of Sir Lawrence Mercer of
Aldie, and died in 1603 (Douglas' Baronage).
The next inscription (the prefatory portion
being abridged) is from a headstone near the
above : —
Rev. Thomas Raitt, miur. of Lundie and
Fnwlis, d. 28 Nov. 1828, a. 83, and in 56th year
of his ministry : —
He was translated to Lundie from Dundee, in
1806, where he had been minister of the Cow-
gate Chapel since the spring of 1773. He was a
man uncommonly regular and philosophical in
his habits, and of uncommon worth and benevo-
lence of character. Erected by his cousin Win.
Portei-fiekl, St. Andrews.
— Mr. Eaitt's predecessor, the Rev. Ajjdeew
Halley, to whom also there is a monument,
was minister of Lundie and Fowlis for up-
ward« of 30 years, and died in 1795, aged 63.
Mr. Raitt was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas
Irvine, who died in 1874, in his 81st year,
and the 53rd of his ministry. He was long
blind and infirm, and, as recorded upon his
tombstone, he died at the Manse of Kilcon-
quhar, in Fife, where his son is now minister.
From an obelisk on N. side of church : —
To the memory of Andrew Rutherford,
schoolmaster in Lundie, who died 4th May, 1841,
in the 60th year of his age, and 27th of his in-
cumbency. This monument, as a tribute of
respect to his worth, is erected by a number of
his grateful Pupils.
— Mr. Rutherford was maternal uncle to the
brothers Geekie of Baldowrie, Rosemount, and
Balbrogie. He was succeeded by Mr. John
Roy, who held the office of schoolmaster of
Lundie until the introduction of the present
system of National Education, and died 10th
June, 1874, aged about 80.
Alex. Bell, farmer, Pitendriech.d. 1736, a. 47 : —
If virtue, will, and Piety,
Could have Death's strokes withstood ;
If tears of friends and children dear.
And medicines done good ;
This man may have lived long.
But sure is the decree —
AVhen Death doth knell its passing bell,
Remembei' all must die. &c.
LUND IE.
67
Wm. Don, slioemr. ; Isobel Brown, 17 — : —
If good renown, and wisdom could have broke
The strougeholds of deatli's most fatal stroke ;
If these had liv'd au hundred years and more,
Yea, to it now, we may add four scoar.
But ounto all, both great and small.
Death is apjjoiuted ever since the fall,
So is it now that hear we see
That so they could no longer be.
A headstone near the west end of the church,
dated 1746, bears to have been erected by
Donald Eitchie, tailor, Nether Smitliston,
Lundie, and his wife, Isobel Gibbons, in
memory of a number of their children. It
presents curious carvings, in relief. Upon the
east side Abraham is represented offering up
his son Isaac, and upon the west, are Adam
and Eve at the forbidden tree. Below the
latter is a shield, charged w'ith a pair of
scissors and a tailor's goose. Another tomb-
stone, evidently cut by the same hand, ex-
hibits (upon a shield) a horse in a stable, with
the groom shaking up the litter, and below
are the coulter and sock of a plough.
Tlie earliest recorded proprietor of Lundie
is said to have been one of the De Lundins,
who settled in Fife in the time of Malcolm
IV. Alan the Dorward, or lIostiariiis—yf\io
was the most famous of all the Lundins — died
in 1275, and was buried at the Abbey of
Cupar. He left three daughters, who carried
his large estates, with his blood, into other
families (Caledonia, i. 535). It was possibly
in this way that Lundie came to the old Earls
of Strathearn. It is certain that, after the
decease of Jane, Countess of Strathearn, John
lies (ancestor of the Lords of Lile) had a
charter of the barony of Lundie in the time of
David II. (Eob. Index). To the Liles, as be-
fore noticed, succeeded the Campbells, for the
slaughter of one of whom Sir David Lindsay
of Edzell bad a remission in the year 1583
(Pitcairn's Crim. Trials).
The following rent roU, from a MS. at
Panmure, dated 1633, relates to the time of
the Campbells. It possesses some local in-
terest, inasmuch as it not only gives the names
of the farms of the period, which are still
the same, though slightly different in spelling,
but also shews —
The Rentall off the Barronie off Lundie whereof the
vittuall is half here half meill.
The Maines payes
yeerlie xl bolles...viij dussone poutrie.
Pitermo Iviij holies. ..vj dussone poutrie.
The Kirktoun xl holies... iiij dussone poutrie.
The Milne xl holies... xij capones and a
milne s%vyne.
Bashando xlviij bolles...viij dussone poutrie.
Nether Snustoun..xx-xvj bolles..,iiij dussone poutrie.
Argathet x holies. ..xij capones ij dussone
poutrie.
Ladcriff xij holies ... xij capones ij dussone
poutrie. [poutrie.
Brewland viij holies malt. ..xij capones ij dussone
Ladyett xxxij bDlles...iiij dussone poutrie.
Easter Keith ij<' mks Bot payed evir till
this last sett — Twa chalderis off vittuall.
Pendriche, ij'^L mks. ...Bot payed enr befor
this last sett in the hee yeeris- —three chalderis of
wittuall.
Summa off fearms payit out of the lands of
Lundie is — iij*^ xvj holies half here half meill.
Suma of the silver duetie is — iiij'-L mks.
Suma of capones and poutrie — xliiij dussone.
There were four heritors in Lundie in 1682,
and of the whole valued rent at that period,
amounting to £1540 Soots, £1000 belonged to
Duncan of Lundie, who was at the same time
proprietor of Easter and Wester Adamstone,
in Auchterhouse f Cordon. Veil. Boll, MS. J
Besides stating that the greater part of the
parish of Lundie " belongs to ane Duncane, a
merchant's son in Dundie," Guynd (c. 1682)
describes Duncan's residence at Lundie as
" a big house," and adds, there is " a great
loch, abounding in pykes, pearches, and eels,
with abundance of fresh water fowl."
There are altogether four lochs in the parish,
and these form the source of Dichty water,
wdiich joins the Tay at Monitieth. The name
of Lundie has probably its origin in the Gaelic
words Liiin-diihh, the " black linn or pool."
68
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
The " big old house" of Guynd's time lias
long ago disappeared ; and the site, which
commands fine views of the district, was
occupied until recently by the farm-house and
steading of " The Castle of Lundie." A dwell-
ing-house, cottage, and offices are still there,
the farm-buildings having been removed to
the southward.
If the following rhyme is to be trusted, it
would appear that the inhabitants of Lundie,
like those in many other localities, have been
favoured by nature with " storm signals,"
which, if properly studied, might be turned
to good account : —
" When Craig Owl has on his cowl,
And Coollie Law his hude ;
The folks o' Lnndie may look dool,
i'or the day will no be gude."
[Ins. compj. by Mr. Duncan Jamiesou, schoolnir.]
jfo Uj J i s ^ € ii s t e r.
(S. MARNOCH, BISHOP CONFESSOR.)
AS stated in the Proceedings of the Society
of Antiquaries of Scotland (vii. 241-8),
the first notice of the church of Foidijs occurs
in 1180, when William of Maule, an ancestor
of the noble family of Panmure, made a gift
of the church and the tithes of certain lands
to his nephew, Thomas of Maule, out of which
he was bound to pay a merk yearly to the
canons of St. Andrews (Reg. de Panmure).
The church of Fowlis is rated at 15 merks
in the Old Taxation ; and it and three neigh-
bouring churclies were served by one minister
in 1574, Powlis having its own reader.
The belfry is upon the west end of the
church, and the bell seems to bear an inscrip-
tion ; but I have not yet sticceeded in getting
a copy of it. The offertory plate, which is
made of copper, and highly ornamented, ap-
pears to be an oliject of some antiquit}'. In
the boss is a rude, but not uncommon repre-
sentation, in relief, of Adam and Eve at the
Forbidden Tree, surrounded by the words —
WAET-DER-m-FElDE (i.e.. Stay there
in Peace) — which are four times repeated.
The present church of Fowlis, which, says
Billings (who gives two engravings of it, the
original drawings of which are at Aldbar),
" wants but the bell-turret to make it as per-
fect a specimen of the 15th century as Dal-
mcny is of a village church of the Norman
period," is decorated with the arms of the
family of Gray and Wemyss, the second Lord
Gray (the reputed founder of the church)
having married a daughter of Sir John
"Wemyss of Eeires and Kincaldrum.
Sir Andrew Gray, the first of the family in
this quarter, had a grant of lands in Lougfor-
gan, from King Kobert the Bruce ; and in
1377, the first Lord Gray acquired Fowlis-
Easter by marrying the heiress of Sir Roger of
Mortimer. The old line of the Grays failed
in the person of the eighth baron, who died
in 1663, soon after which Fowlis was sold.
The title was carried on through a daughter,
who married a son of Sir William Gray of
Pittendrum, and from him was descended the -
16th Lord Gray, who married a daughter of
Colonel Aiuslie's, and died in 1867. Having
no issue, his lordship was succeeded by his
niece, now Baroness Gray, whose father was
a son of Grant of Kilgraston ( Epitaphs, i. 70).
The burial aisle of the Lords Gray is within,
and at the east end of the church, from the
area of which it is separated by a rood screen
and an iron railing. Within the enclosure are
an awmbry, engraved in Parker's Glossary of
Architecture, also a curious baptisnuil font.
A window of three lights contains paintings,
illustrative of the Last Day, and over each
compartment are respectively the arms of the
INIortimers (old lords of Fowlis), the Grays,
and the Ainslies. Along the base : —
FOWLIS-EASTEB.
09
irt . tncmorwm . Jlohsnnis . xbi . gmnin: . be
. (©rag : iwt. JHaii . 12 . \T-)S : Jcnut . Jan . 3\ . 1S07
. vrtnt. sujt . CO.
The rood snieen, wliich now forms the p:ir-
tition between the body of the church and
tlie Gray aisle, presents curious paintings uf
the Crucifixion and other religious subjects.
Eesides the ordinary accompaniments of tlic
Virgin, St. John, Mary Magdalene, and a mul-
titude of people on foot and on horseback, the
picture of the Crucifixion (about 15 by 7 feet)
exhibits some quaint features, among others,
the souls of the two thieves, in the shape of
dolls, are being taken out of their mouths, the
one by an angel, the other by a dragon.
Caiaphas, mounted upon a white horse, occupies
a prominent place on the left of the cross, be-
tween Herod and the Centurion, the latter of
whom points to a scroll upon which Christ's
testimony is written. A little farther to the left,
over the shoulder of the king, who has a down-
cast look, are the head and shoulders of a court
jester, supposed by some to represent Satan,
with fool's cap and a laughing expression.
The second jjicture, wbicli contains fifteen
separate portraits, apparently of a bishop,
some of the apostles, and saints — about 20
inches in height, by about 1 2 feet in length —
appears to have been made up from several
pictures. The third picture, or the panel on
the right of the entrance to the Gray aisle, is
about 6 by 6| feet, and much defaced. The
figures of the Virgin and Child. St. John and
the Lamb, are upon the right, and a large head
with rays of glory is upon the left. Upon the
lower part of tlie jianel is a Pieta with all the
heads oft', the j)lanks upon which they were
painted having been stript away.
These curious specimens of early art (which
are all upon oak panels) were possibly executed
for the second Lord Gray, who was long de-
tained in England as a hostage for the pay-
ment of the ransoni for James I. of Scotlaml.
It is certain (Scott's Fasti) that so far back
as 1610-13 the pictures offended the eyes of
the Provincial Synod, who ordered the minis-
ter, Mr. Mortoun, to see " that the paintrie
quhilk is vpon the pulpilt and ruid laft, being
monumentes of idolatrie, sal be obliterate hi
laying it over with green colour." This in-
junction not being complied with so speedily
as the Synod wished, a commission was ap-
pointed " to pass to the said kirk and abolish
altogether the foresaid monuments ;" but be-
fore the commission visited Fowlis, Jlr. ilor-
toun took the precaution of informing the
Synod that " my Lord Gray will demolish
such of the paintrie as is offensive."
Although a good part of these " monu-
mentes of idolatrie" had been destroyed about
the time indicated, it is pleasing to find that
they were not " altogether abolished ;" and it
is to be hoped, since they have outlived the
age of bigotry and superstition, that they
will now be kept in good preservation.
The following traces of a painted inscription
are vpon a strip of oak fixed to the base of the
picture of the Crucifixion : —
. . . . nb.i . hoc . tcmplu; . mcrinoco .
i05tru.\-crc . btato . ^i . qu.un'as . qucito .
scmcl . (3Tt . CS . qu.it' . t . iii . 3^niui . (!juo .
fiiit . is . romc . ctn . {ifis . piqic . .
1 '. . .
— Tlie above appears to convey some such
meaning as that the church was once built in
1 1 43, in honour of the blessed S. Marnoch
or Merisocus, the same year in which the
saint was at Eome representing the king, or
the kingdom. Butler makes no mention of
any incident of this kind in the life of S.
Marnoce. But as the inscription appears to
be a comparatively modern work, it had pro-
bably been copied from an earlier and muti-
lated version, so that the date of " M . C .
(juat' . t . iii." may have been erroneously set
down for that of J/ . 0 . ijiiaf . f , ii. The
70
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
long mark over the C being equivalent to two
CG, making, in this case, the date of 1242,
or the very year in which it is recorded
the Bishop of St. Andrews dedicated the
church of Fowlis-Easter to S. Marnoch.
A coffin-slab in the area of the churchyard
is ornamented with a floral cross in the centre,
and upon one of the sides are a sword and
stringed hunting horn. An upright and un-
adorned cross — possibly the old market cross
of Fowlis — stands near the slab.
Over a cottage door, adjoining the Castle
of Fowlis, is part of the dado of an altar-
tomb, upon which are figures with gowns and
hoods, &c.
The next two inscriptions are both copied
from a table-shaped stone at Fowlis-Easter ; —
HEIR LAYS AN GODLAT HONEST MAN CALED
lAMES BEL, WHO DEPERTET WPON THE 12 OF
AVGVST 1661, AND OF HIS AGE 55 YBARIS.
I. B. : I. p.
AND WITH HIS SPOVS ISABL PETRB, AND OF HIR
AGE 52 YEARS 1663.
This stone was revised by William Anderson
in memory of his father, John Andersom,
weaver in Fowlis, wlio died on the 17th of July.
1816, aged 55 years.
Eound the sides of a flat stone, in Eoman
capitals, surmounted by two shields, bearing
respectively the Gray and Falconer arms : —
HEIR LAYS A GODLAY HONEST WOMAN, AGNES
FALKEXER, SPOVS TO lOHN GRAY, IN DENMILL,
WITH THEIR FOVR SERENES, ANO 1665 :
WILIAM GRAY : GORG GRAY :
SOSAN GRAY : MARGARET GRAY :
ANO 1665.
A table-stone, ornamented with mortuary
emblems, and an open book, upon which are
the words : — " Lector, Disce mori. Eeader,
learn how to die" — bears : —
Here lyeth Margaret Crichtone, spouse to
Mr. John Turner, schoolma-ster in Fowles, who
departed this life the 17 of Feby., 1712, and of
her age 34 : —
Fuit moribus gi-avis, societate innocua, devo-
tione siucera, sodalis jucunda, in egenos beuefica.
quse conjugi charissima vixit, duas enixa est filias,
Janet am prfemortuam, et Annam supei-stitera.
[She was of a serious disposition, of true piety,
a harmless member of society, an agreeable com-
panion, and kind to the poor. She was united to
her husband by ties of the dearest affection, and
bore him two daughters, Janet, who died before
her, and Ann, who still survives.]
Stay, passenger, consider well.
That thou ere long with me must dwell ;
For you and I are clay and dust,
And to the grave descend all must.
O painted piece of living clay,
Man be not proud of thy short day.
Blessed are they which die in the Lord.
In memory of David Thomson and his spouse
Janet Hallyburton, 1777.
The east side of a small headstone, pro-
fusely ornamented with carvings, has a shield
charged with a pair of woolshears, a carding
board, and a water bucket. It contains the
following inscription on the west side, also
ten separate initial letters, which probably
have reference to the number of the family : —
Here lyeth David Yeaman, hwsband to Ann
Petrie, sometime indwellers in Deuside, who
died Iwly 6, 1722, aged 42 yeare.
Time ripens mortals for the grave.
And death soon cuts them down ;
But they that Jesus Christ receives
Shall live and wear a crown.
Another headstone presents the somewhat
odd surname of DiiimiU, which had possibly
been assumed, in this instance, from Dcnmill,
a place in the neighbourhood : —
1733. This stone was Erected By Francies and
Paterick Dinmills, in mimerie of Tliei'e Father
and mother. Patrick Dinmill : he Dayed The
25 of Desember 1750, Age 48 years. Katrien
Simson : she Dayed 27 of May 1729, of Age 69.
The following are from headstones : —
Cilorie to God alone.
Patrick Mores and Jannet Mitchell.
Let us then live, that we forget not why
We live, that have escaped, that is to dye ;
And let us think those happie gone before.
That have past ship\vrack, and are now on shore.
FOWLIS-EASTEn.
71
Here lies Patrick Lyon with liis spouse, Iso-
BELL Oliphant, and Elizabeth Garden, spouse
to Jolm Lyou iu Fowles, who (leparte<l this life,
March 31, 1725, aged 28.
Coelo aspiras fati menior,
Omnia qui meminit mortis iuiqua frigit.
[Mindful of thy doom thou aspirest to heaven ;
He that remembera death shuns all iniquity.]
This stone was erected by John Lyon, 1735.
[3.]
This stone was erected by Master Robert
Beig, schoolmaster of Lundie & Fowles, in
memory of his spouse Agnes Beig, who died the
2S)th of Januai-y, 176C, aged 63 yeara.
When nature first my slender body fram'd
Witliiu a living grave of dust enchain'd.
She ili'stiii'd me that I at last should have.
And cliaiigi' this mortal, for a living grave.
But tho' my body iu this urn duth rest,
In small and scatter'd particles disperst :
My sold, that heavenly substance, and divine,
Hath soar'd aloft into its native clime,
Which afterwards shall with me reunite.
And make our union lasting and compleat.
For ever then employed iu singing glore
To the eternal thi-ee in one for ever more.
— Two grotesciuely dressed human figures are
represented upon the east side of this stone,
holding an open book, upon which these
truisms are carved : — •
Learning is an excellent ornament ;
Good education was seldom lost.
Mr. William Alexander (one of Mr. Eeig's
successors) was a fine example of the hard-
working teacher of '' the old school." He
held office at Fowlis-Easter for upwards of 55
years, and died in 185-t, aged 74, leaving,
among other children, the Eev. Thomas Alex-
andeRj of the Presbyterian Church, Belgrave
Square, Loudon, who died suddenly in the
summer of 1872.
This popular preacher, who was bred a seeds-
man iu Dundee, had a varied and chequered
career before studying for the Church. He
tried, among otlier.occupations, the business of a
country bookseller, but being more devoted to
music and amusement than to shopkeeping,
he ran off to London, where, until he joined
a ship with which he went to the West Coast
of Africa, he supported himself as a violinist.
After returning from sea, he took part in the
Revival movements at Dundee, and soon
thereafter opened an adventure school at Inver-
gowrie. While there, lie became acquainted
with the late eccentric, but generous-hearted,
Professor Andrew Scott, of Aberdeen, who
kindly gave him lessons in Oriental languages,
and encouraged his studies. " Tom," as he
was familiarly called, next became tutor in a
private family, and, taking his degree of M.A.,
at St. Andrews, received licence in due course.
He was an occasional contributor to religious
periodicals; and, in 1857, published a work
on Intercessory Praj'er, which soon reached a
second edition. The late Paris of Camper-
down, Dalhousie, and Thomas Carlyle, tlie
" Sage of Chelsea," were among his personal
friends ; but no one had a truer appreciation
of his character than the last-mentioned, who,
on sending him " with many regards," a
verse of the quaint Scotch ballad of " There
Avas a piper had a cow" (Nutcs and Queries,
1876), showed how justly he felt the mistaken
indifference wliich his friend continued to
exhibit for the stern realities of life : —
" The cow considered wi' hersel'
That mirth wad never fill her ;
* Gie me a picJde f/uid ait strae,
An" sell vour win' for siller.' "
The castle of Fowlis, which is, or was till
recently, occupied by agricultural labourers, a
shoemaker, and a dealer in " tea and tobacco,"
appears to lie a 17th century work. James I.
dated a charter from Foulz iu 1 448 ; and
James IV. was at Fowlis, in Angus, on 19tli
Dec, 1497, when 14s. were given " to the
harpar thair, at the king's commands" (iVy-
toun's Ballads).
Fowlis passed, l.iy purcliase, from the ninth
72
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Lord Gray, iu 1669, and was acquired by au
ancestor of the present jiroprietor. Sir Patrick
Keith-Murray of Auchtertyre, Baronet. J.
\^^^^^^^^^^^v^^^^\\^^^\^^^^^v^^^^,\^\\\^v^^^,\^^^\\•
B 0 XI r t i f ,
(S. )
TN the year 1199, William of Lamberton
•^ gave the kirk of Boueriden or Boirirdin
(i Boireann, a stony, rocky district), to the
canons of St. Andrews, along with 12 acres of
land which adjoined the church (Eeg. Prior.
S. Andree, 266-7).
The cluirch of Biiiiijihjn (? Bouijnhiii) is
rated at .£20 in the Old Taxation. In 1.574,
Bourtie and three other parishes were served
by one minister, who had a stipend of £102
8s. lOid. Scots. The contemporary " reilare"
or schoolmaster, at Bourtie, had " the haill
vicarage."
The present church was built in 1806 ; and,
until recently, there was a wooden ladle for
collecting the offering, which bore " E. E.,
1671," also these remains of the text (Prov.
xvii. 19) ". E THAT GIVETH . . THE POORE
LEN . ETH TO YE LORD." It belonged to the
time of ]SIr. Iiobert Browne, who was minis-
ter at Bourtie, 1666-75, and wrote " Eudi-
mentorum lihetoricorum libri v.," Abd., 1GG6
(Scott's Fasti).
Two mutilated stone effigies, of a male and a
female, lie in the churchyard. The former is
clad in armour, with helmet, shield, and
sword, and the latter is dressed in a long plain
garment. Both are well proportione'l, and
although tradition is silent as to the name and
status of the lady, it asserts tliat the mailed
figure represents Thomas de Longueville, the
companion of Wallace, who, it is added, fell
wliile storming the camp on Barrahill. Apart
altogether from the fable of Longueville, the
style of the effigies shows that neither is of an
earlier date than the 16th century.
These monuments had, doubtless, occupied
a recess tomb in the old kirk of Bourtie, from
which they had been thrust by wiproving
Vandals. Both had probably represented
members of some of the more potent of the
contemporary heritors, the chief of whom were
the Kings and the Meldrums. Although
ti'aces of arms are upon the shield which
covers the warrior's breast, these are too faint
to admit of the surname being known. Pro-
bably a broken lettered slab, which lies near
at hand, had formed part of the same tomb,
and it may therefore preserve the record of
the knight and lady here represented, possibly
the .laird of Colliehill (whose name is obliter-
ated) and his wife, " la King." The letters
are cut in bold relief, and, so far as I have
been able to make it out, the following is a
line-for-line copy of the inscription : —
COLLiniLL . . . S . HAY . JIA
. . IS . ET . lA . KYNG . SVE
SPONSE . yvi . MAGNO . AM
ICORV . MCER .... OBIERV'T . IP
SE . QVIDEM A° . 1 . . .
MATER . 2° . A° . 1579 . SP
ONSA . VERO . ANNOS . NV
PTA . 4 . FILIIS . FILIAB' . SV
stitib' . 20 . m . a" . 1581 . et . .
ts . avtem . s . A° . 38 . 15 . .
[ . Colliehill . . . s
Hay, his niuther, and his spouse Ia. King, who
tlied to the great grief of their friends, himself
anno 1 . . . his motlier on 2d anno
1579, and his spouse, after a union of . . yeai-s,
and leaving beliiud her a family of 4 sous and
daughters, 20th M . . . 1581, in her 38th
year, 15 . . ]
— " la. Kyng" was probably a descendant of
James King, of Bourtie^ who had a grant of the
lands of Westeihouse in the Garioch, in 1490.
Sir James King, of Barracht (Barra), Dudwick,
and Birness, was a Lieut.-General, in the
service, first of Gustavus Adolphus, and after-
wards of Charles I. of England, by the latter
BOURTIE.
73
of whom he was created a peer with the now
extiuct title of Lord of Eythin (Doug. Peerage).
The surname of King appears first in Scot-
land during the reign of Alexander the Second.
A tombstone, within the ruins of the old
kirk at Peterhead, bears the family arms, and
the name of Bessie King, who died in 1G1.5.
Kings were designed of Newmiln, near Elgin,
in the seventeenth century, and the name is
still to be met with in many parts of the
country, among others, in Kinellar, where
Col. Wm. Ross King possesses the property of
Tertowie. This gentleman, whose father was
a clergyman in the Church of England, mar-
ried a sister of Mr. Gordon of Pitlurg, and is
author of the Natural History of Canada, &c.
CoUiehill belonged to Margaret, Countess
of Douglas, daughter of Donald, third Earl of
Mar, who, in 1384, granted the town of Col-
liehill for tlie endowment of a chaplain in the
chapel of the Virgin Mary of the Garioch.
CoUiehill was afterwards a portion of the
barony of Balquhain ; and Alex. Galloway,
rector of Kinkell, bought two acres of land
from the laird of Balquhain in 1505, and gave
the same for a manse to the chaplaius of
CoUiehill (Epitaphs, i. 305).
In 1696, Forbes of Auquhorties was laird
of CoUiehill. It afterwards belonged to Mr.
Simpson, merchant in Aberdeen, and founder
of the CoUiehill Trust. After his death,
which resulted from a gun accident, on 12tli
Aug., 1616, when in his 24th year, CoUiehill
was bought from his trustees by Mr. Anderson
of Bourtie. CoUiehill and Bourtie were both
sold, in 1827, to the father of the present
proprietor, Mr. Duguid of Auchlunies.
The lands of Bourtie were acquired about
1663 by John Anderson, grandfather of
Patrick Anderson, who married a daughter of
Sir David Ogilvy of Barras. Patrick Ander-
son died in 1763, and his surviving son dying
unmarried, the family of his sister Marj', who
became the second wife of Provost Young, of
Aberdeen, succeeded to the property (Mem. of
James Young and Pachel Cruickshank).
A table-shaped stone, within an enclosure
at the east end of the church, bears this in-
scrijstion : —
Here lye the remains of John Leith of Kiu-
guJie, Esq', who died in 1764 ; and of his spouse
Hellen Simpson, who died iu 175.3 ; and of
John Grant of Eothmaise, E.sq', who died iu
Jam-y, 1800, aged 86 ; and of Ann Leith, his
spouse, liferentrix of Kingudie, who died iu
April 1807, aged 84 ; and of Lieu'. P. Grant,
their son, who died in Septr. 1810 ; and also of
Miss Jean Grant, their daughter, who died in
April 1815, aged 57.
— Alexander, called Hard Head, second son
of John Leith of New Leslie (of the Leiths of
Edingarrocli), is the reputed ancestor of the
Leiths of Kingudie, now Blair. It was pos-
sibly acquired by Leith about the end of the
17th, or the beginning of the 18th century,
when the lands of Blair and Kingudie ('? Khi-
geith-ie, a place exposed to wind) were owned
by Margaret and Elizabeth Seaton, as heirs
portioners.
Kingudie is now part of the estate of Blair ;
and on its coming into the possession of Mr.
Leith (a nephew of Mr. Leith-Lumsden of
Clova), he changed the name of the house to
Leithfield.
A granite monument at the west end of the
kirk is thus inscribed : —
Iu memory of John Hanson of Kilblean, who
died 4th October 1838, iu the 77th year of his
age. And of Margaret Diana Knight, his
wife, who died 30th December 1818, aged 72
years.
— Mr. jNlanson, who was a merchant and
distiller in Oldmeldrum, acquired, by pur-
chase, the estate of Kilblean, which was in-
herited by his son, Alexander. John, the
younger of his two sons, late agent for the
British Linen Company's Bank at Aberdeen,
is proprietor of Eingask, in the adjoining
parish of Daviot.
74
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Tlio inscriptions below are from tomb-
stones in various parts of the burial-ground : —
Here lies, under the hope of a blessed resur-
rection, Thomas Simpson, merchant in Oldmel-
drum, who departed this life the 30th of Jan'
1725, and of his age 77 yeare. Also of Mar-
garet Williamson, his spouse, who departed
this life the 8th of April, 17
■ — These were probably the ancestors of a
family named Simpson, one of whose daugh-
ters was married to Baillie Duguid, of Aber-
deen (grandfather of the jiresent laird of
Bourtie), and another to the Eev. Dr. Skene
Keith, of Keith-hall (Epitaphs, i. 302).
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of James Bissbt, late
farmer in Mill of luveramsay, who, having
passed his days here in the practice of those
duties which became an honest man and a Chris-
tian, rendered up his soul to God, on the 23
day of March, 1789, in the 65 year of his age.
- — An adjoining granite obelisk bears to have
been erected to the memory of James Bisset,
farmer, Drumclurno, who died in 1864, in his
93rd year.
[3.]
Pat. Milne, mercht., Oldmeldrum, d, 1796,
a. 75 ; Janet Mann, his sp., d. 1790, a. 80 : —
Let further honour claim who can,
He lived and died an honest man.
[4.]
Gavin Eennt, farmer. Old Balgove, d. 1779, a. 35 :
Here in my silent grave I lay.
Freed from ni}' pains and grief ;
Altho' troubles did me sore distress,
God sent at last relief.
His loving-kindness while here below.
With pleasures often did fiU my soul.
My Saviour, dear, soon call'd me home,
Where endless life and pleasures roll.
[5.]
Helen Simpson, wf. of Alex. Burnett, weaver.
Old Abdn., d. 1816, a. 59 :—
Be ye also ready.
Harmless and pious she was ;
Virtue aud truth she possess'd ;
A lover of Jesus' cause,
Now in him eternally bless'd.
[6.]
Geo. Alexanuer, farmer, Barra, d. 1839, a. 72 :
" His widow and family have placed this stone
over his remaius, in grateful acknowledgement
of the inheritance which they have derived from
his example of upright conduct and well directed
industry."
Helen Keith, his widow, d. 1847, a. 79.
[-]
Sacred to the memoiy of James Alexander,
late farmer in Westerhouses, who died June 30th,
1794, aged 38. Also of his brother, William,
late blacksmith in Rescivet, who died 4th Nov'
1806, in the LVIII year of his age. Also John
Slorach, who died at AiryhiUock, 4th Agust,
1823, aged 64 yeai-s. And his widow, Elizabeth
Alexander, died 6th June, 1838, aged 85.
— William Alexander, blacksmith in Eescivet
(Chapel of Garioch), was the grandfather of
Mr.- Wm. Alexander, editor of the Aberdeen
Free Preas, author of Johnny Gibb of Gush-
etneuk ; Life Among My Ain Folk ; Sketches
of Northeyi IJural Life in the Eighteenth Cen-
tury, &c. All these works contain singularly
graphic and truthful delineations of peasant
life in Aberdeenshire and the ICorth, which,
besides being of general interest, must soon
become valuable to the historian and antiquary.
[8.]
Sacred to the memory of Theodore Allan,
A.M., preacher of the Gospel, and parochial
schoolmaster of CouU, who departed this life at
Begsley, Dyce, on the 28th day of October, 1847,
aged 41 years. And of his mother. Mart
Martin, who died March, 1852, aged 80 years,
and of his stepfather, James Kennedy, who died
in the year 1865, aged 83 yeai-s.
Abridged from a table stone (enclosed) : —
The Eev. William Smith, minister of this
parish, died 28th May, 1825, in the 59th year of
his age, and 30th of his ministry. His widow,
Isabel Mitchell, daughter of the late Gavin
Mitchell, minister of Kiuellar, D.D., died 15th
October, 1847, in her 75th year. Their eldest
son, James, died 14th July, 1836, aged 35 ;
AoNES (sister of Eev. W. Smith), died 10th July,
1847, aged 84. Their second son, Gavin Smith,
LL.D., died at Eottiiigdean, 13th Nov., 1861,
aged 56 ; his widow, Caroline Saxbt, died at
Brighton, Aug. 5, 1862, agp-d 57.
BOURTIE.
75
— Dr. Smith, ■who made money by keeping a
boarding-school in England, erected a marble
sun dial in the churchyard of Bourtie, upon
which is this inscription : —
In honorem posuit Gavipus Smitli, LL.D.,
- A.D. Octr., 1853.
ParochiiB Boiu'tieusis quiB ipsum genuit aluitque.
CJt vita sic fugit hora.
[Erected in Oct., 1853, b.y Gavin Smith, LIj.D.,
in honour of the parish of Bourtie, where he was
born and brought up. As life flies, so flies the
houi'.]
A costly granite monument in the S.E.
corner of the churchyard is thus inscribed : —
Here rests Jambs Bisset, D.D., who died on
8th September, 1872, in the 78th year of his
age, and the 47th of his labours as minister of
Bom-tie. To his memory this stone, has been
dedicated by Parishioners and Friends, as a
mark of their respect and love.
— Dr. Bisset succeeded his father as school-
master of Udny, where he kept an academy
or boarding-school, which was attended by
the late Sir James Outram, Bart., Dr. Joseph
Eobertson, aiid many other men who have
risen to eminence. Dr Bisset succeeded Mr.
Smith as minister of Bourtie, and was twice
married, first to a daughter of the Eev. Mr.
Lessel, of Inverurie, and next to a daughter
of the Eev. Mr. Smith, of Bower. Dr. Bisset
wrote the New Statistical Account of Bourtie,
also several pamphlets on Church politics,
and was Moderator of the General Assembly
in 1862 (Epitaphs, i. 179).
A monument, near the churchyard gate,
was erected to the memory of his family by
"William Bonar, farmer, Smiddy Croft,
Bourtie, who wrote a poem of 198 pages,
entitled The World, in Ten Parts (Fintray,
1857). He died 6th April, 1860, aged 76. "
Pre-historic remains of various kinds have
been found in Bourtie, and among others,
several stone coffins, containing urns and
human bones, were discovered in a cluster of
boulders at Hawklaw, upon the farm of Loch-
end. It is told that the old fiirmer, who was
an elder of the church, inquired of the late
Dr. Bisset, " Whase remains they were T and
on the latter replying that he could not
answer the question, but that he supposed
they were those of persons of note, the worthy
elder remarked — " I was just thinkin' sae ; —
Dauvid, or the Apostles, or some o' thae Pro-
phet folk 'at we read o' 1' the Scriptur's !"
The fragment of a sculptured stone, which
lies at the church of Bourtie, embellished with
the sceptre, comb, and mirror ornaments, is
engraved in the Sculptured Stones of Scotland,
issued by the Spalding Club, i., pi. 132.
It was in 1342 that Eobert, preceiJtor of
the Hospital of Torphichen, as superior of the
Temple lands, and acting for the Knights
Templars, granted certain possessions in the
town of Aidd I!ourtie, with consent of
William, son of the late John of Meldrum, to
Matthew, called Goblach the Smith. " The
lludd's Well," at the foot of the Hudd's field,
is upon Auld Bourtie ; also the Smiddy Stones
and the Smiddy Croft. The Temple Croft is
upon the estate of Thornton, now the pro-
perty of Mackenzie of Glack. Thornton pre-
viously belonged to Mr. John Kiven, tobacco-
nist, Aberdeen, who, besides Sir H. ]Srivon-
Lumsden (Epitaphs, i. 264), left three daugh-
ters, one of whom was married to Captain
Carmichael, a second to Mr. Forbes of Echt,
and the third to Mr. Eoderick Jlackenzie,
father of the late laird of Glack, who bought
the two remaining shares of the estate from
the other heirs.
" The Stan'in' Stanes o' Bourtie" are near
the Manse, and to the south of Barra Hill.
Four large stones still remain, and being upon
an exposed situation, they are seen from a con-
siderable distance. Three of the boulders
stand upright, and the other one lies upon its
76
EPITAPHS, AND INSCHIPTIONS :
side. The remains of a stone circle are also
upon the Temple Croft.
Another large boulder to the east of the
kirk is called the " Piper's Stane," from its
having been, as story avers, the spot where
bagpipers waited for marriage parties on their
return from church, when their services were
required to convoy them home, and to play at
" penny bridals."
Dr. Bisset (New Stat. Acct.) gives interest-
ing notices of the remains of the old fort or
camp upon the Hill of Earra, also a resume
of the traditions connected therewith. The
chief entrance to this stronghold appears to
have been from the east. The west side is
nearly perpendicular, and composed of the
natural rock, the other sides being guarded by
two considerable trenches, with walls of earth
and stones mixed. One of the finest and
most interesting views in Aberdeenshire is
obtained from Barra Hill, including the hill
forts of Dunnideer and Notli, the hills of
Benachie, the Buck of the Cabrach, the Hill
of Eenrinnes, &c. ; also, of the Castle of
Barra, which may be said to stand under the
shadow of the hill.
The castle, although partially inhabited, is
in a bad state of rejsair. It forms three sides
of a square, with towers upon the south, and
a gateway enclosing the court upon the east.
It has been added to and altered at different
times. The date of 1614 is on one of the
skew-jjut stones, another date, 16 — , is over
a niche, in which there had possibly been a
shield with armorial bearings, and upon an
adjoining dormer window is a monogram.
Sometime before the close of the 17th cen-
tury, Barra was acquired by a family named
Eeid, one of whom was created a baronet in
1703. The family and baronetcy are still re-
presented, but the property was bought by
John Eamsay about 1757. He left no male
issue, and the properties of Barra, in Bourtie,
and Straloch, in Newniachar, came to Mr.
Innes (a cadet, of the Innermarkie family),
who married the heiress, and, under the deed
of entail, assumed the surname of Ramsay
only. Their eldest son, who married a daugh-
ter of Mr. Innes of Pitmodden (now widow
of Captain Nares, E.N.), was succeeded by
his son. Major Eamsay, who, by his late wife,
a daughter of the Eev. Mr. N. Bond, of
the Grange, Dorset, has an only child, Mary-
Agnes.
Before 1.505 " Barroch" was the property of
John Blackball ; and in 157,7 portions of it
belonged to the before-mentioned family of
King. It afterwards fell into the hands of
Setons, and in 1627 William Seton of Mel-
drupi succeeded his uncle, George, Chancellor
of Aberdeen, in the town and lands of " Bar-
rauche."
There was a chapel at Barra, dedicated to
S. John. j.
'^^\^^^^^w^\\wv^^^\^^\vw^w^^^^^v\^\\^^^^^^v^^s
(S. DEOSTAN, ABBOT.)
THE church of Ahiiiouer, which was gifted
to the cathedral of Moray by the great
family De Moravia, is first mentioned in a
deed of concession by BishoiJ Andrew, in the
year 1226 (Eeg. de Morav).
It was occasionally called the " Kirk of
Skirdrostan," and this fact, together with its
position in the Eegister of Ministers for 1574,
not unnaturally led Mr. Shaw to the conclusion
that it was at one time a separate church from
that of Aberlour. As in the case of Fordoun,
which is sometimes called " Paldy Kirk"
(being a corruption of the name of S. Pal-
ladius), the church of Aberlour received the
name of " Skirdrostan," from its being dedi-
cated to S. Drostan.
ABKRLOVR.
77
An old font, formed out of a rude block of
niica-scliist, lies in the churchyard. The shape
and dimensions of the basin, which is 2 feet
in width and 18 inches in depth, have led to
the popular belief of its having been used for
immersing infants at baptism.
Tradition avers that it was employed on one
occasion for a very different purpose. Ac-
cording to story, a poor crazed man, who was
rescued from committing suicide in the Spey;
having been placed all night for safety in the
church, was found drowned in the font next
morning, when his friends went to remove
him to a place of greater security.
The kirk of Ahyrlour is rated at 30 merks
in the Taxation of 1275. In 1574, it and
four neighbouring churches were under the
charge of one minister, who had the kirk lands
and an annual money stipend of £16G Scots.
The readership of Aberlour, which was vacant
at the latter date, is valued at 20 nierks and
kirk lands.
The burial-ground, which has been recently
enlarged and improved (the enclosing walls hav-
ing been built chiefly at the expense of the late
JMiss Macpherson-Grant), is near the junction
of the burn of Aberlour with the Spey. A
small portion of the old kirk, which was
bought from the rest ' of the heritors by Mr.
Grant of Elchies, still stands. It was disused
in 1812, and a handsome edifice was erected
at the village of Charlestown. The latter was
accidentally destroyed by fire about the New-
year of 1861 (the belfry and tower excejsted),
and a new and still more elegant structure was
soon thereafter erected. The belfry and tower
were built, in 1840, at the expense of the
late Mr. Grant of Aberlour, who placed therein
a large and well-toned bell.
When the burial-ground was extended, the
old manse and offices were removed, and a
door lintel was found bearing the initials,
M. E. S., and date of 1672. These correspond
with the time of Mr. Robert Stephen, who
was minister of Aberlour from 1669, until his
death in 1705. His son, who was ajjpointed
his assistant and successor, was translated to
the parish of Craig, ii»- Forfarshire, in 1714.
I have to thank Mr. Charles Grant, late
schoolmaster of Aberlour, for the following in-
scription from a recently disco i'ered tomb-
stone, which relates to Mr. Stephen's immedi-
ate jjredecessor : —
Sub . Spe . Beatce . Eesurrectionis . Hie .
Eequiescit . Georgius . Speed . Pius . Doctus
. Fidus . Pastor . Parochiie . Aberlourensis .
Quam . Voio . Voce . Et '. Vita . Diligenter .
Instruxit . Annos . 28 . ^t . Grandi . Piam .
Expiravit . Aiiimam .A . ^ . C . - 1668 .
Sobrie . Juste . Pie . Vixit . Haec . Tria .
Perpetuo . Meditare . Adverbia . Pauli . Hiec
. Tria . Sint . Vita; . Eegula . Saucta . Tuse .
Georgius . Et . Margarita . Speedeii In-
humantur. Hue . Tendimus . Omnes.
M . G . S.
[Here rests in the hope of a blessed resiu-rec-
tion, George Speed, a pious, learned, and faith-
ful minister of the parish of Aberlour, which he
diligently instructed for 28 years, by prayer,
voice, and life. He breathed out his pious spirit
in 1 668, at au advanced age. He lived soberly,
righteously, and godly.
On these three Pauline adverbs ever meditate.
Be these three of thy life the sacred rule.
George and Margaret Speed are interred here.
The grave is the (destined) goal of all.]
—Mr. Speed, at one time schoolmaster of
Keith, afterwards of Fordyce, became minis-
ter of Aberlour about 1640, and died at about
the age of 64 (Scott's Fasti). He provided that
his body should be buried in the churchyard,
and not below the pulpit, as had long been
the practice, quaintly remarking that, if laid
there, " the rest o' the Aberlour folk at the
last day, would be o'er the hill o' Taminruie
(an eminence between Aberlour and Craig-
ellachie) afore he got oot o' the kirk !"
A burial aisle in the Perpendicular style of
architecture, erected over the ashes of her
father and mother, by the late Jliss Macpher-
SON-Grant of Aberlour, adds considerably to
78
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
the beauty of the churchyard. Tliere also
lie the remains of the erector of the aisle, who
died unmarried in April, 1877, in her 43i-d
year.
A freestone monument in the north dyke,
upon which the Inues and Barclay arms are
carved, bears this inscription : —
W. I : E. B : 1664.
WILLIAM INNES OF KINERMONI CAWSED BVILD
THIS TOMB IN THIS REMOTE PLACE FOR HIMSELF
AND ELIZABETH BARCLAY HIS SPOVS, THAT SON
MIGHT HAVE OCCASION TO RAIS THEIR BONES, AND
WE REST HEIR IN HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION OP
OVR BODIES. [2 Cor. v. 10.] - .
ANNA INNES, DAVGHTER TO THE SAID WILLIAM
INNES, LYES HEIR, WHO DIED VNMARRIED THE 22
OF NOVEMBER 1663.
— I have found no mention of the above-
named laird of Kinermonie or Iii.s wife, in the
" Account of the Familie of Innes ; " but
according to Douglas' Baronage, lie was the
second son of Sir Robert Innes of Balveny ;
and when the third baronet died, the succes-
sion devolved upon Walter, son of William
Innes of Kinermonie. He became fourth
baronet, and through him the line of the
family was carried on. AVilliam Innes of
Kinermonie mortified X350 Scots for the
behoof of the poor of the parish.
Tlie property of Kinermonie (anciently
Kyneremoneh) " was a part of the lordship
of Balvenie, and was given by Innes of Bal-
venie to his second son, whose heir exchanged
it for Ortown, and now (1775) it is the pro-
perty of the Earl of Fife." The Knights
Templars held the superiority of Kinermonie,
where, continues Shaw, " are the walls of
an old Gothic house ; and the tradition of the
country is that it was a religious house, and
that all the religious in it were massacred in
one night."
From a slab, also in the kirkyard dyke : —
HIC & INTUS EX OPPOSITO JACENT CINERES
PROGENITOR . . ALEXANDBI GR.INT DE RUDRIE
TEMPLCM SUB DUOBUS HIS . . .
. . CONDUNTHR EXUVLE JANET.-E GRANT, QUI
CONJUGIS FILI,« HELEN.E GRANT, DI
JOANNIS LIBEKORUM . . . QUO
. . . HOC MONUMENTUM EXTRUENDUM CDRAVIT
SUPRA DESIGNAT . . . ALEXANDRI.
[Here and ■nathin opposite lie the ashes of the
Ancestors of Alexander Grant of Eudrie.
Inside the church, under these two stones, are
interred the remains of Janet Grant, spouse of
John Grant, and of her daugliter Helen Grant,
to whose memory the above-mentioned Alex-
ander caused this monument to be erected.]
— Alexander Grant of Eudrie was probably
one of the Grants of AUachie, and may have
been related to the wife of Duff of Kcithmore
(Epitaphs, i. 329). The property of Euthrie,
now Lord Fife's, lies to the south of the church.
The burn of Abeiiour runs past Euthrie, and
when in flood, " the Linn of Buthrie" becomes
a romantic and picturesque waterfall.
From a flat stone : —
Oi^posite to this in-
terred Isabel ton, spous to Alexr.
Martin in Aberlour, and their children, William
and Margaret. She died Nov. 8, 1758, aged
63, and they in infancy.
The next inscription probably refers to a
descendant of the above : —
Pat. Martin, mason, Aberlour, d. 24th, and
his wf. Elspet Stewart, on 29th Ap., 1780, a.
66, 6.5. " They hvd in, and was the first that
iuliabited Gowuie of Aberlour": —
Twice 19 years they lived man and wife,
Betwixt them there was heard no strife ;
In love they iiv'd, both in one week did die.
And in one grave both here they lie.
By their son, William Martin, china merchant in
Loudon.
Alexander Moir, and son John (1775-6) : —
No wonder tho' men do turn to clay.
When Kocks, and Stoue.-5, and Monuments
do decay,
and Egbert Moir, late farmer in Sockach of
Gleurinnes, son of the aforesaid Alexander Moir,
who died January, 1800, aged 40, and his wife
Hellen Stuart, who died February 1820,
aged 55.
From an adjoining stone : —
Erected by Robert Gordon of Polduie, in
memory of Helen Green, his beloved spouse,
who died May 14, 1791, in the 38 year of her
age. A Patern of Virtue ; remarkable for hospi-
ABERLOUR.
79
tality and charit)' ; respected aud Ir.meuted by
all her aci^uaiutauces.
Abridged from a table-shaped stone : —
Johu Green and Elizabeth Stewart, at Edin-
villie, had 8 sons aud 3 daughters. John Green
died at Shiudow, in 1798, aged 79, and his widow
at Einnachat, in 1808, aged 82. Their son,
William, fai-mer, Euthrie, and his wife, Helen,
Stewart, died in 1833, aged 73 and 63 respect-
ively, having had 7 sons and four daughters.
— Members of this family (an ancestor of
whom bequeathed £66 13s. 4d. to the poor)
still occupy the farm of lluthrie, and are also
bank agents in Aberlour.
The next inscription possibly refers to John
Proctor, who (Shaw) left £66 13s. 4d. Scots
to the poor of Aberlour : —
JOHN PROCTOR, late POSSESSOR IN SAUCHEN-
BURN, HATH PUT ON THES TVO GRATESTONS UPON
Tins BURIAL PLACE, WHERE HIS DECEAST PARENTS,
VIFE, AND CHILDREN LYETH.
— These were probably ancestors of Mr. Proc-
tor, sheriil-substitute of Moray, who married
a daughter of Gordon of Leitcheston. Their
only son, Patrick Proctor of Halkerton, near
Forfar, referred to in Sir Walter Scott's
" Demonology" as the seneschal of Glamis
Castle, was widely known. He and his son,
William, were for about ninety years factors
for the Earls of Strathmore, and the eldest son,
John, was sometime farmer of East Calcots,
near Elgin (P^pitaphs, i. 184). One of Sheriff
Proctor's daughters, Isobel, married John
Nicoll, corn-merchant, Lossiemouth. Their son
was Principal NicoU of St. Andrews, who was
the leader of the Church of Scotland, along
with Dr. John Inglis, father of the present
Lord Justice-Clerk, for the ten years following
the death of Principal HiU, in 1820 (Inf.
kindly communicated by the Eev. Dr. Alex.
Anderson, Hilton House, Aberdeen).
Margt. Dick, sp. to Jas. Grant, d. 1779 : —
She was the virtuous woman described in
Prov. 31. The loving wife and affectionate
mother. The pains she took in showing her
chUdi'en the beauties of a pious and virtuous life.
and her charity to the poor and those in distress,
leave no cause to doubt of her soul being in glory.
This stone is deservedly erected to her memory
1)3' her husband.
A tombstone to the memory of John Find-
lay, Gownie of Aberlour, who died in 1813,
aged 73, bears to have been erected or " done
by his Natural Daughter, Margaret Findlay."
Abridged from a stone within an enclosure : —
Eev. Wm. Grant, minister of Duthil, died 22d.
Aug. 1862, aged 76. Called to the miu'stry at
the age of 24, he discharged its duties for 52
yeai-s. Mary Garioch, his wife, daughter of
Dr. James Garioch, Old Meldrum, died 1866,
aged 76.
— Mr. Grant was previously at Kirkniichael.
He is described as an able scholar and minis-
ter, and liberal in endowing from his own re-
sources educational institutions in his own
parish, &c. (Scott's Fasti). His brother-in-law,
Mr. Garioch, of Ol'lmeldrum, who seceded at
the Disruption, was a liberal benefactor to the
Free Church.
As in many other parts of Scotland, the
parish of Aberlour was divided into daughs or
davachs. These consisted of certain districts
which were either under cultivation or callable
of being so. As such they were assessable for
IJublic burdens, and, according to their extent,
were also bound to furnish soldiers in time of
war. The names of these davachs, which were
seven in number, are still preserved, namely,
Aberlour (including Charlestown), Allachie,
Carron, Drumfurrich, Edinville, Kinermonie,
and Euthrie.
The village of Charlestown of Aberlour was
founded about the year 1812, by Mr. Charles
Grant of Elchies. He claimed descent from
Patrick, second son of James Grant of that
Ilk, who, in the time of Charles I., sided
with the Parliament, while his clan joined the
King (Epitaphs, i. 298). One of the family,
who is said to have fought under Dundee at
Killiecrankie (1689), was presented by the
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Viscount with a snuif-mull, silver-mounted
(now at Elcliies), upon wliicli is this inscrip-
tion : — " Presented to John Grant Rot/, laird
of BalUndalluch, by Viscmnt Dundee." It is
added that Balhndalloch passed, either by sale
or forfeiture, from John Grant Hoy, who left
two sons, Alexander and John, and by Eobert,
a son of the former, all the estates of Wester
Elchies were purchased (Epitaphs, i, 299).
A handsome Episcopal Church, with par-
sonage and orphanage, are being erected, at an
estimated cost of from £5000 to £6000, a
little to the south-east of Charlestown. The
foundation stone of the church was laid in
Sept. 1875, and that of the orphanage in
June following. The church is dedicated to
>S. Margaret, and the late Miss Macpherson-
Grant of Aberlour House, and Mr. Grant of
Carron, were the chief benefactors of both
foundations.
The mansion houses of Aberlour and Carron
are beautifully situated on the Spey. the for-
mer near the village of Charlestown, and the
latter about two miles further up the river.
John Grant of Culoabok had a feu-charter
from the bishop of Moray, in 1541, of the
lands of Carrone (Reg. Morav.) ; and from
him, through a female, was descended Mr.
William Grant, of Carron, who died un-
married, 8th August, 1877. Aberlour was
bought, in 1836, from Mr. James Gordon by
Mr. Alex. Grant, a maternal uncle of the late
proprietrix (Epitaphs, i. 332), who also erected
the mansiou-house, &c.
Benrinnes, one of the highest mountains in
Banffshire, is situated chiefly in the parish of
Aberlour, and the following local rhyme de-
scribes the relative effects of clouds upon it,
and on a hill in Boharm : —
A cloud on Benrinnes may gae awa' ;
But a cloud on Ben-Eagon will ha'e a fa'.
A road from Charlestown to Glenrinnes and
Glenlivat skirts the base of Benrinnes on the
east ; and at Bateshaugh, in this locality, ISIrs.
Glass or Sellar died, in March 1876, at
the age of 102 years.
The bridge of Craigellachie over the Spey,
about 160 feet in span, was erected in 1815,
at a cost of about £8000, the half of which
was contributed by the Government.
During the floods of August, 1829, the
Spey rose 15i feet above its ordinary height,
on which occasion (as related by Sir T. Dick
Lauder), Charles Cruikshank, an innkeeper
near the village, was drowned in attempting
to save a raft of timber. The manse was in-
undated at the same time, and part of the
glebe and some houses and trees on the oppo-
site side of the river were also swept away.
It is said that the authoress of the popular
song of " Pioy's Wife of Aldivalloch" was
born at Aberlour. She was twice married,
first to her own cousin, Mr. Grant of Carron,
and next to Dr. Murray, at Bath, in England,
where she died in 1814. Her portrait, which
was exhibited in the fine collection of local
pictures and antiquities during the sittings of
the British Association at Aberdeen, in 1859,
was an object of much interest. It belongs to
the Earl of Seafield, and is at his residence of
Castle Grant, in Strathspey.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Chas. Grant, late schoolmr.]
JH i t> m it r.
(S. NIDAN, CONFESSOR.)
■GTpfHE earliest notice of Midmar occurs in
•^ the Taxation of Scottish benefices,
1275, thus — " Pensio Magistri W. in ecclesia
de Migmar 8 sol. 8 den." (Theiner.) The
kirk belonged to the cathedral of Aberdeen,
and is rated (Reg. Ep. Abd.) at 6 merks. The
Gaelic words Mngh-barr (the head of the
MIDMAR.
81
plain) are quite descriptive of the situation of
both the kirk and parish.
One minister served Mydmar, Kynarny,
Dilmaok, and Peterculter in 1574. Each
parish had its own reader, Gilbert Johnstone
being at IMidmar, and John Strachan, at Kin-
erny. In 1743, when the parish of Kinorny
"was suppressed, it was divided between Mid-
mar and Cluny.
The old church of Midmar is a roofless,
picturesque ruin, and situated upon a hillock,
which is washed on the north by a burn.
Near the church is a larger knoll, called the
Coningare, very similar to a hillock of the
same name at Inverurie, and although said to
be artificial there is little doubt but both were
originally formed by the eddying of water and
at some very remote period.
The ruins of the old kirk are partially
covered with ivy, and the churchyard is
shaded by some old trees. Ujjon the lintel of
one door is the date of 1G77, and upon another
the initials A. F : I. V.
The area of the church is divided into four
comjjartments, three of which are set apart for
the heritors of Corsindae, Kebbity, and Mid-
mar, and the fourth for the parish ministers.
In one of these a tablet bears : —
THE BURIAL PLACE OF
THE FAMILY OF KEBBITY, 1811.
— John Davidson, who was an advocate in
Aberdeen and factor for the laird of Corsindae,
&c., bought the lands and built the house of
Kebbity. He was succeeded by a relative,
whose career was unfortunate, and the propertj'
was sold bv him or his heirs to Mr. Gordon of
Clnny.
A granite monument, within the Corsindae
burial place is thus inscribed : —
Sacred to the memory of Catherine Duff,
widow of the late William Stewart, Commander,
R.N., died May lltb, 1844, aged 68. Also of
Joseph Eolleston Sterritt - Duff, surgeou,
E.N., of Corsindae, died November lf)th, ISCIJ,
aged 70. Also of Patience Huddart Stbrritt-
DuFF, of Coi-siiidae, widow of Joseph Rolleston
Sterrit-Duff, died November 5th, 1874, aged
74. Also of Catherine Elizabeth Mary Eeid-
Ftffe-Duff, wife of William Johnstone Fyft'e,
surgeon, H.M. 5th Dragoon Guards, and only
child of Mi-s. Sterritt-Duff of Corsindae, died
August 21st, 1859, aged 24.
— A marble tablet, within the new church of
Jlidmar, bears an inscription somewhat similar
to the above, and Jlrs. Stewart, the first-men-
tioned upon both monuments, may be said to
have been the last Duff of Corsindae, the
male succession having failed in her brother.
Her daughter. Patience Huddart -n'as married
— first to James Eeid, Lieutenant, R.N., whose
name is not upon either monument ; and next,
to Mr. Sterritt, who was a native of Ireland.
She left no surviving issue by Mr. Sterritt,
but had an only daughter by Mr. Eeid. This
daughter married Dr. Fyffe, by whom she also
left a daughter ; and upon the death of her
grandmother, in 1874, Miss-Fj'ffe succeeded
to Corsindae, and assumed the surname of
Fyffe-Duff.
The first Duff of Corsindae was James,
eldest son of John Duff of Balmakellach, and
nephew of Clunybeg. He was born in 1678,
and commenced business as a merchant in
Banff in 1700. Baird of Auchmeddan, in his
" Genealogical Memoirs of the Duffs," says
that his death, which took place in 1763,
" made a great blank at Banff, where he was
a sort of bank to all in distress." He was suc-
ceeded by his son, William, who died in 1797,
at the ago of 84. Corsindae was previously
in the hands of the Forbeses, the first of whom,
Duncan (son of the second Lord Forbes),
married a daughter of Mercer of Ballieve, in
Kinross-shire.
In the east comparlment of the ruins of the
old kirk lie the remains of Mr. James Mans-
field, who bought the estate of Midmar,
about 1795-6, and died at Midmar Castle on
17 th December, 1823. He was sometime a
82
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
banker, also a partner of the firm of Messrs.
Bell, Reimie, and IMansficlcl, wine merchants,
Edinburgh ; and so much did he improve the
property of Midmar — which he found " in the
most wretched and sterUe condition imagin-
able," and not worth 5s. an acre — that it
rented at from 30s. to 40s. about 1842-3, when
it was bought from his heirs by the late Mr.
Gordon of Climy.
!Mr. Mansfield, who married an aunt of the
present baronet of Horn and LogieElphin-
stone, bought the property from his brother-
in-law, Mr. James Elphinstone, who, on 30th
September, 1790, married Margaret Davidson,
heiress of ^lidmar. Her father, who was a
merchant in, and sometime Provost of, Aber-
deen, is said to have married a daughter of
Forbes of Craigievar.
The oldest gravestone in the cliureliyard of
Midmar is a pick-dressed granite slab, upon
which, surrounded by an inscription that has
been lately retouched, are rude carvings of a
skull, a thigh bone, a square, and a plummet.
The inscription is as follows : —
HEIR . LYIS •.• GEORG . BEL : MEASON •.•
DECEISIT . IN : BALOGY : ANO : 1575.
— This probably refers to the father of the
builder of Castle Eraser, whose name, " I. bel .
MM.EF," and the date of 1617, are upon the
tower over the old front door. The castle of
Midmar, which belongs to about the same
period, was probably also erected by Bel.
Five table-shaped and one head stone, on
the south side of the kirk, contain inscriptions
to a family named Tytler, who have tenanted
the Milltown of Corsindae from at least 1696 ;
and from whom, it is said, sprung the imme-
diate ancestor of William Tytler, Lord Wood-
houslee, the celebrated lawyer and antiquary.
The oldest stone, which is broken and much
defaced, is dated 1681. The next two oldest
are thus inscribed :—
Here lyes Barbara Skeen, spouse to John
Tytler, Miln of Coi-sindae, who dyed Nov' 22'"',
1725, aged 49 yeai-s, & John Tttler, ther son,
who died Sept. 20"' 1728, aged 16 years. As also
the foresaid John Tytler, husband to the said
Barbai-a Skene, who died 23'' 3a.'^ 1762, aged 82.
[2.]
Here lies William Tttler, farmer in Wauk-
mill of Corsindae, who departed this life March
28, 1758, aged 68. As also Elizabeth Clerk,
his spouse, who died 24 Nov' 1765, aged 71.
Also loHN Tytler, there son, some time fai-mer
in Pitteukerie, who died 4 July 1797, aged 74.
Also Bardara, his daughter, who died 23 Jan.
1807, aged 27 years. Memento Mores.
Upon a more recent tomb : —
To the memory of Harry Tytler, late mer-
chaut in MUtowu of C'oi-siudae. He died 11th
day of May in the year 1779, aged 64 years.
While he lived he mantained the amiable charac-
ter of an honest man, a sincere friend, an affec-
tionate husband, and an indulgent parent ; and,
by the blissing of Providence, upon his honest
application to his bussiness, he attained a com-
petent fortune, the inheritoi-s of which think it
their duty to dedicate this to his memory. Also
Barbara Tytler, his daughter, spouse to John
Imray, baker and burgess in Aberdeen, who
died the 27th of Aprile, in the year 1782, aged
25 yeai-s. Also George, James, Ketty, and
Jean Tytlers.
A flat tombstone upon south side of kirkyard
bears the following in incised capitals : —
S. D. O. M : Hie mortalitatis posuit exuvias
GuL. Meston, vir sine fuco plus, sine fraude pro-
bus, supra nascendi soitem et diseendi copiam
humanus, gnai-us et facetus, in arte sua paucis,
in multiplici aliarum rerum peritia ordinis sm
nemini secundus ; divitias nee habebat, nee care-
bat, nee curabat, ideoque nee locuples, nee inops,
sed semper contentus, nemini invisus quia omni-
bus a;quus vixit. Fatis concessit X die Octobris
A.D. MDCCXXIII, setat. suae LXXVIII, cum
in honesto conjugio cum una et eadem consorte
thalami Kathae Leonard, fajmina frugi et
honesta, (quse hie una requiescit in Domino),
A.D. annos L, vixisset ; in quorum memoriam
raonumentum hoc posuerunt eorundum filii,
cippum superiorem Gul. Meston, fihus natu
maximus, A.M.,in Academia Mareschalana P.P.,
inferiorem lac. Meston natu minor. Beata est
justi memoria.
[Here lie the mortal remams of William
MIDMAR.
83
Meston, a man of true piety and genuine wortli,
of a culture and refinement beyond the station of
his birth and his opportunities of learning, shrewd
and full of humour, inferior to few in his own
profession, and second to none of his order in the
variety and extent of his general knowledge.
Wealth he neither had, nor wanted, nor cared
for ; and accordingly he passed through life
neither rich nor poor, but always contented, dis-
liked by none, because just to all. He died 10th
Oct. 1723, aged 78, having lived 50 yeai-s in hon-
ourable wedlock with one and the same wife,
Kath. Leonard, a worthy and virtuous woman
(who rests here in the Lord, beside him). This
monument was erected to their memory by
their sous, the upper stone by their eldest son,
William Meston, A.M., professor in Marischal
College, and the lower by their youngest son,
James Meston. The memory of the just is
blessed.]
— William ^Meston, the writer of tlie above
elegant inscription, was author of burlesque
poems of great merit, in the style of Hudi-
bras, of which The Knight of the Kirk, Old
Mother Grim's Tales, Mob contra jNIob, &c.,
were published at Edinburgh in 1767. Ac-
cording to the account of Meston's Life, which
is prefixed to this, the 2nd edition of his poems,
he was bom in Midmar in 1688, where his
father was a blacksmith. He was educated at
Marischal College, and became tutor in the
family of Earl Marischal, through whose in-
fluence he was appointed to the chair of Philo-
sophy in his alma mater, in 1714. Follow-
ing his noble patron in the luckless enterprise
of 1715, he became governor of Dunnottar
Castle ; and after the battle of Sheriffmuir,
lay in hiding till the Act of Indemnity was
published. He afterwards resided with the
family of his patron ; but on the death of the
Countess Marischal, he became homeless and
destitute. He then resumed teaching at Elgin,
TurriflP, Montrose, and Perth, and various
other places, but meeting with indifferent suc-
cess he removed to Aberdeen, where he died
in 1745, and was buried in the Spital burying-
ground. The first edition of Meston's poems
(now rare) appeared at London, in 1737.
LTpon a flat stone, near the Meston tomb : —
To the memory of Charles Mackay of Shiels,
who died at Shiels, the 29th Oct., 1794, aged 65,
and who for many yeara commanded a merchant
ship in the West India Trade, from the port of
London : —
Both hot and cold, thro' every clime I've gone.
And felt the fierce extreme of either Zone ;
Twice twenty times and eight the Atlantic
cross'd ;
With many Boisterous storms I have been toss'd.
Few of my fellow travellers lived to see
So many days as God has granted me :
Through all those storms and dangers I have past.
To this safe port I am arrived at last.
The wind may blow, the sea may rage and roar,
They never can disturb me any more.
The above lines, written by himself, were ordered
to be engraved on his Tomb Stone, erected to his
memory by his widow, Mrs. Barbara Mackay,
as a tribute of regard to her much respected hus-
band. She died the 20th December 1813, aged
70, and her remains are also deposited under this
stone.
— Shiels is a small property upon tlie north-
west of the parish. It belonged at one time
to a cadet of Forbes of Midmar, and is now a
portion of the estate of Gordon of Cluny.
The next five inscriptions are from monu-
ments in various parts of the churchyard : —
Here lyes Johx Law, son to Brazil Law,
Wright in Shiels, who departed this life, Novem-
ber the 14th, 17(34, aged 27 years.
The following is the first part of a long in-
scription to a family who bore the odd name of
Sillie, one of whom was a tenant in the
" Brays of Ballogie" in 1696 : —
[2.]
Under the hope of a full resurrection, b... lyes
Andrew Sillie, tailor at Ballogie, and Beatrix
Georg his spouse, who dep' this life in a good
old age, anno 1684
[3.]
Here lys Isobbl Mackay, spouse was to John
Iruin, shoemaker, who died May the 10"" 1769,
aged 32 years.
[4.]
Alex. Malcolm, Scrapehard, Kemuay, d.
1808, a. 78 : —
To his family it is the greatest consolation that
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
in the course of so long a life he uniformly sup-
jjorted the character of an honest man.
[5.]
In memory of Alexander Cook, student of
medicine, youngest son of the late Rev. Dr. John
Cook, Professor of Divinity, St. Andrews, who
died at Midmar, 31st August, 1839, aged 18 years.
— An elder brother of Mr. C, now at Kin-
cardine CiSTeil, was minister of Midmar at
the above date.
A table-shaped stone of white marble (en-
closed) at east end of the kirk, bears : —
Sacred to the memory of John Cruickshank,
Esqviire, who departed this life, Jan. 21st A.n.
1834, aged 21 years. Also of Eliza Greentree
or Cruickshank, his mother, widow of the late
Dr. John Cruickshank, H.E.I.C.S., who died 7th
December, 1856, aged 68 years.
■ — This lady, who left her fortune to Mr. John
Hay, sometime medical practitioner, Edit,
stipulated that he should pay an annual visit
to her grave. He afterwards joined the
F. & K. Militia Artillery, and latterly be-
came farmer of Monyruy, Longside, where he
died in 187:2, in his 49th year. By his last
will he restored the money which he received
from ilrs. Cruickshank to her heirs, Major
and Miss Greentree, and left the remainder of
his estate to private friends, to the Infirmary,
and to some other of the public institutions of
his native city of Aberdeen.
The present church of Midmar was built in
1784, and the beU now in use, which was
brought from the kirk of Kinerny, is thus in-
scribed : —
PETER . lANSEN . ANNO . 16i2.
The church is upon the highest point of a
rising ground to the north of the old kirkyard,
and on the south-east side of the kirk are the
remains of a stone circle. It is about 54 feet
in diameter, and composed of seven large
stones. Six of these are upright, and vary
from about 4 to 9 feet in height, the seventh,
which lies upon its side, is about 15 feet in
length. The districts both of Midmar and
Edit contain a number of ancient circles, one
at Sinhinny, Midmar, being quite perfect ;
but all have either been already described or
engraved in various publications.
It is supposed that Midmar formed part of
the old Earldom of Mar. In 13G8, long
after the attainder of the Earls of Mar, a
family named Brown, one of whom became
Bishop of Dunkeld, 1484, was designed " de
Migmar." Browns held Midmar until 1428,
when the barony passed by charter to Patrick
Ogilvy (Notes of Scotch Charters, MS.) It
afterwards became Huntly property, and was
given by the first Marquis to his son, Sir
Alexander, the founder of the Gordons of
Abergeldie.
Midmar Castle, of which Billings gives a
line engraving, and by whom it is described as
" one of the most picturesque and fanciful of
the turreted mansions of Scotland," stands
upon the north side of the Hill of Fare. This
hill was the scene of the battle of Corrichie,
in 1562, where Queen Mary's forces (under her
own eye, as tradition has it) were overthrown,
and where her friend, the Earl of Huntly, died,
whether by foul or fair means is uncertain,
but there, as quaintly expressed by a contem-
porary writer, he " birstit and swelt" and " de-
ceissit."
Forbes of Ballogie (uow Midmar) joined the
Popish party against James VI., and like the
rest of his confederates, had his dwelling-
place burned and destroyed by order of the
king, in 1593. The more ancient, or turreted
portion of the castle, cannot therefore be of a
date anterior to that event ; most probably
it was built some years later, and possibly, as
before indicated, by a local craftsman.
Before 1732 Midmar belonged to one
Grant, who, in the hope of founding a family,
changed the name to Grantsfield. As in
KINKRNY.
85
many simOar cases, Grant's liopes were
blighted, tlie property came into other hands,
and towards the close of the same century, it
was called by its present name of Midmar.
Although the noble family of Lindsay,
Earls of Crawford, acquired property in this
part of Aberdeenshire only at a recent date, it
appears that their ancestor, Sir Alexander
Lindsay, lord of Gleuesk, had a considerable
interest in Midmar during the 14th century.
So early as 1380 Sir Alexander granted char-
ters to Strachan of Carmyllie, in Angus, of
the lands of Tulybrothlock, Tulynahiltis, and
Bandodyl, all of which the Strachans retained
until the beginning of the 16th century.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Haqier, schoolmr., Clunj^]
^ i n c r n ]).
(S. )
THOMAS DE LUNDIX, or Hostiarius,
gave the kirk of K>jnermjn to the Abbey
of Arbroath, 1178-1211. It belonged to the
cathedral of Aberdeen, and is rated at 4 merks
(Eeg. Ep. Abd. ; sujjra, 81).
The church of Kin-er-nyn (as the name im-
plies) occupied a rising ground by the side of
the romantic and picturesque burn that sepa-
rates the parishes of Midmar and Edit. Its
foundations are still traceable, and some large
trees grow within the area, where there is also
a font stone of a very primitive type, the
basin being hewn out of a rude oblong granite
boulder.
The churchyard was recently enlarged, and
the dykes put into a state of good repair. A
rough granite stone (cof&n-shaped), upon which
are rudely carved (in relief) a skull and crossed
bones, a coffin, a sand glass, and a mattock
and spade, is the oldest monument. Bound
the margin is the following incised, but date-
less, inscription : —
HERE LYES ALEXR. SYMONE WHO DEPAIBTED THIS
LIFE AT HOLE OF ECHT SEPTR.
Upon a tablestone (enclosed) : —
Sacred to the memory of the EeV* George
MiDDLETON", late minister of Midmar, who
departed this life on the 24th day of Decembei-,
1836, in the 84th year of his age, and 45th year
of his ministry. Also of Margaret Tod, his
spouse, who died on the 18th of August 1847,
aged 74.
— According to Scott's Fasti, Mr. Middleton
was previously married to a lady who died in
1802, when in her nineteenth year. Mr. M.'s
immediate predecessor in Midmar was the Eev.
Dr. John Ogilvt, who died at Aberdeen in
1813, at the age of 81, and was buried in
the churchyard of St. Nicholas. He wrote
Britannia, an epic poem, in twenty books, and
several other works.
From a granite headstone : —
Sacred to the memory of James Torn, bom
21st AprO, 1787, died 17th November, 1863, for
32 years ground officer on the Barony of Echt.
Erected in token of esteem and remembrance by
his Friend and Miister, Alexander, Lord Lindsay.
" The just man walketh in his integrity : His
children are blessed after him." — Prov. xx. 17.
— The erector of this monument (author of
the Lives of the Lindsays, and many other
works of great literary merit), succeeded his
father, in 18G9, as Earl of Crawford and Bal-
carres, and Premier Earl of Scotland.
L'^pon a plain headstone : —
HERE LIES ANN 06STON, AGED 72, NOV. 27, 1823.
W. H. h. filius fecit .
A handsome monument of white marble,
" erected by their family," records the deaths
of WiLLiAJi Scott Hay, minister at Bridge of
Weir and Midmar, who died in 1851, his
wife Janet Babe, who died in 1853, and of
three daughters and one son.
A table-shaped stone shows that Robert
Mutch died in 1813, aged 93, and his wife
Maejoey Eaiknie in 1799, aged 72. Their
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS .
son William, blacksmith at Kebbity, died in
1821, aged 62, and their daughter Isabel, in
1844, aged 72.
Two adjoining headstones are respectively
inscribed as follows : —
A. F. Here lys Alexander Foot, who departed
this life, 18th Feb., 1754, aged 28 years.
[2.]
In memory of Jean Davidson, wife of James
Foote, who died 3rd March, 1808, aged 69 years.
Likewise James Foote, her husband, died 4th
June, 1820, aged 75 yeare. Also James Foote,
their son, who died iu London, 17th March, 1830,
in his 31st year, and lies in the Vault of St
Peter's Church, Belgrave Square, London. Tliis
stone is erected by Elizabeth Foote, widow of the
above James Foote, junior.
From another headstone : —
In memory of George Leith, bora 1771, died
1843, buried at Aberdeen, and of his wife
Elizabeth Gumming, born 1796, died 1865,
buried here. Erected by their son, John Watson
Leith, A.M., Edin.
Arthur Eoss, who became Archbishop of St.
Andrews, was at one time minister of Kinerny.
Being of a haughty and supercilious disposi-
tion, he was far from popular in the Church,
and it is related (Douglas' East Coast, 253)
that when one of his successors at Kinerny
waited upon him with the view of getting an
increase to liis small stipend, his lordship)
replied by saying — " You country clergymen
should learn to moderate your desires. I know
what it is to live in the country. When I
was minister of your parish I could afford a
bottle of good malt liquor, and a roasted fowl
for my Sunday's dinner, and I see not to what
further you are entitled." Upon receiving
this answer, it is said that the poor incumbent
withdrew from the presence of the Archbishop,
muttering — " It would have been no great loss
to the Church of Scotland though Your Grace
had yet been eating roasted hens at Kinernie."
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Hosie, schoolmr., Miduiar.]
Cliitt
(S, MOLOCH, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.)
TN 1157 Pope Adrian IV., confirmed Glut
'*■' (pron. Clett), with its church, &c., to the
Ijishop of Aberdeen; and in 1256 it was
erected into a prebend of Old Machar. The
confirmation of the Pope had possibly been
made upon the faith of the spurious charter of
the time of King David, by which the parish,
as the " schira do Clat " was given to Aber-
deen (Eeg. Ep. Abdn.)
The church of Clath is rated at 1 6 merks iu
the Old Taxation. In 1574 Clatt and three
adjoining parishes were served by one minister,
who had £65 15s. 0§d. and kirklands. The
reader had £16 Scots.
William Gordon, fourth son of the third
Earl of Huntly, who became Bishop of Aber-
deen about 1546, and died in 1577, was pre-
viously minister of Clatt. Spottiswood de-
scribes him as a " very epicure," who
squandered the revenues of the See, " upon his
base children and their mothers ;" and adds
ihat he was " a man not worthy to be placed
in this Catalogue " of Bishops.
The old baptismal font, which is circular in
form, lies in the kirkyard. The belfry is
dated 1640 ; and the church, which is an old
building, has been often repaired. When the
seats were removed in 1779, "a neat tablet of
freestone, about three feet square, with side
columns and a cornice, was found. In the
middle, in profile, are effigies of our Saviour
on the cross, with the initials I. N. E. I.
on the top, painted in vermlUion, azure, and
gold." This relic which is now lost, had pro-
bably been part of an altar piece, possibly
similar to the one at Kinkell (Epitaphs, i. 304).
Upon a timber panel within the church are
carved a pair of compasses and a square, the
CLATT.
87
initials I. A., also the following inscription
in relief, and in interlaced Eoman capitals : —
WILL : ARCnnALD, SOMETIME IN MILN OF CLATE
LEFTS 50 MARKS TO HELPE TO BUILD THIS LOFT
FOR THE USE OF THE FOORE, 173S.
— The loft or gallery was rebuilt by the kirk-
session, when the kirk was repaired in 1828.
The Gordons of Knockespock have a burial
vault at Clatt, over which is a granite obelisk
with the following inscription, in which there
is a slight error, Mr. H. Gordon having died
1st Nov., 18.36, instead of "in Oct., 1837" :—
Sacred to the meraory of Harry Gordon,
Esqr., of Kjiockespock, who died in Oct., 1837,
aged 75 years; and of his p.areiits. Colonel Harry
Gordon of Knockespock, who died in North
America, in 1787, and of Hannah Meredith,
his wife, who died in 1811. Also in memory of
their sons, Peter Gordon, who died in Grenada,
in 1787 ; James Gordon, who died in London, in
1831 ; General Adam Gordon, who died in 1815 ;
and of their daughter, Hannah, who died in
1827.. This monument was erected by Hannah
Gordon, daughter of the above named Harry
Gordon, in 1854.
— The erector of the monument married Cap-
tain, now Admiral Fellowes, and upon the
death of the late proprietor, Sir Henry Percy
Gordon, she succeeded to the estates, in virtue
of her descent from the third brother of James
Gordon, a reputed descendant of the old stock,
who was a successful merchant in the Island
of St. Kitts, in the West Indies. He is said
to have bought the lands of Knockespock and
Dalpersie, of which he designated an entail,
" by procuratory," 29th Feb., 17-H-, exclud-
ing " for ever" his second brother George and
his heirs. James Gordon died in 1770, and
was succeeded by his third brother. Colonel
Heney, who died in 1787. The second son
of the latter, who was the father of the erector
of the monument in the churchyard of Clatt,
died in 1837, and having no male issue was
succeeded by James Adam Bremner, who as-
sumed the name and arms of Gordon, his
great-grandfather, Avho was farmer of Towie,
in Clatt, having married the eldest sister of
James Gordon of St. Kitts.
The eldest son of James Bremner, and his
wife Margaret Gordon, became a judge in
Grenada, and his son married a daughter of
Mr. Whitbread, M.P., by whom he had the
above-named James-Adam B. -Gordon. Mr.
Gordon, who was patron of " Thorn, the In-
verurie Poet," died in 1854 Avithout issue,
when the succession devolved upon Sir Henry
Percy Gordon, Bart., who died 29th Jul}%
1876, while on a visit to his son-in-law. Col.
Disney Leith, at Blackhall, near Banchory-
Ternan (Epitaphs, i. 229).
Sh Henry was the great grandson of William
Grant and his wife Barbara, youngest sister of
James Gordon of St. Kitts; and their son, in
pursuance of the testamentary injunction of
his maternal uncle, drojit the surname of
Grant, and assumed that of Gordon. He was
a captain in the navy, and his eldest son,
Gen. James Willoughby Gordon, who was
created a baronet in 1818, Avas the father of
Sir Henry, and of a daughter, Julia-Emily.
The Gordons of Knockespock and Dalpersie
or Tcrpersie, claim descent from William,
eighth son of James Gordon of Lesmore, and
his second wife, Margaret Ogilvy, 1546-7.
James Gordon of Knockespock, who married,
about 1590, Margaret, daughter and heiress
of William Gordon of Foquhabris, had confir-
mation charters of the barony of Clatt, about
1604. It afterwards became the property of
Gordon of Glenbucket, the laird of that place
having been served heir to his father, John of
Knockespock, in 1705. The Gordons joined
in the Bebellion of 1715, and the name of
their property is thus mentioned in the fine
Jacobite song of Highland Harry : — •
" I wad gie a' Knockhaspie's land.
For Highland Harry back again."
The house of Knockespock (? the Bishop's
hillock) is a pretty old building, situated upon
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
the north side of the Suie hill ; and the castle
of Dalpersie, of which Billings gives two
views, stands in a lonely glen on the opposite
side of the same mountain, but within the
parish of Tullynessle.
The most prominent feature in connection
with Knockespock is the porter's lodge or
gateway, which was erected in the time of
Sir Henry's predecessor." It has very much
the appearance of a Border Tower, and being
lofty and turreted, it imparts a pleasing variety
to the locality in which it is situated.
A table-shaped stone at the east end of the
kirk of Clatt, relates to the Breraners above
referred to. The first portion of the following
inscription is round the margin, the other
upon the face of the stone : —
HEIR LYES lOHN BREMNER, WHO DEPARTED THIS
LTFE OCTOBER 1702, AND HIS SOXS, W. B. WHO
DEPD. 1687, AN . . . B . 1704 ....
HEAR LYES ELSPET BREMER, SPOUS TO JOHN
BREMNER WHO DEPD. JUNE 6, 17 . . HERE LTES
WILLIAM BREMNER, WHO DEPD. lANRY. 1664, AND
HIS SPOVS ELSPET OILVER IN 16 . .
— John Bremner, probably the same person
who is recorded upon the above tombstone,
was a tenant upon Lord Forbes's property in
Clatt, in 1696. His wife was named Elspet
Rainy (Poll Book).
Upon a slab, recently found : —
W. F. M. M. E. F.: I . .
MORS JANUA VIT.E.
Here lyes William Forsyth, who dyed Jan.
the . . 1697, & of e 92 yea .
. & his S . . S . DRIAN .... ORE &
Ja ALL ... & also . . .
. LLiAM . . ORSYTH, black . . . th in .
. . lyangus, his so . wlio died . . . eby
1734, aged .... Margt. Matheson, his
spouse . . . aged 88. M. O. 1725
— William Forsyth, blacksmith, on the land
of Telongouss (now Tillyangus), his wife
Margaret Mathisone, and their female servant,
who bore the same name as her mistress, are
all charged Poll in 1696. At that time the
property of Tillyangus belonged to William
Forbes, who resided there along with " his
lady and daughter," and two male and two
female servants. Tillyangus was then valued
at £125 Scots. Besides the long ages in the
above inscription, in regard to more modern
times, it may be stated that on 3rd and 4th
November, 1825, two men on the estate of
Knockespock, named John Scott and George
Cooper, died respectively at the ages of 100
and 103 years (Scots Magazine).
Bound the edge, and upon the face of a fiat
stone, near the east door of the kirk, is the
following : —
HERE LTIS
. . . . ARTED THIS LYFE JULY 17, 1689.
HERE LTES ALE . . . COUPER ....
THIS LIFE MAR. 1730, AGED 83 YEARS. ALSO OF
ELSPET COUTS, WHO DEPD. THIS LIFE FEBR. 15,
1727, AGED 75 TEARS.
— The above is the oldest of a number of
tombstones which relate to a family named
Couper or Cooper, who are said to have
settled at Mill of Birkeiibrowl in Auchindoir,
soon after the battle of Alford. It was prob-
ably the above-named Elspet Coutts, who is
described in the Poll Book of 1696, as the
wife of James Couper, tenant in the " towne
of Cleatt." The family, who are mentioned
in a local doggerel as " the Coopers o' Clatt,"
went to Wraes in Kinnethmont, before 1720,
and a descendant, who is laird of North Bal-
gaveny in Forgue, and a brother of Mr. P.
Cooper, advocate, Aberdeen, still occupies
the farm of Wraes.
There is no mention of the " headhouse,"
or hostelry of Clatt, nor of its tenant, in the
Poll Book, although the following inscription
preserves both these particulars :^
Here 1 . . . na Clerk, spous to Alex' Temple,
who depd. this life Apr. 19th, 1721 ; and Eo. . .
Tem ... 30. . . . and El. Tempil, Jar. 28,
1713 ; and Bar. T. Mar. 27, 1720 ; N. T. Novr,
the 5 1721 : and the sd. Albxr. Temple, who
lived in Headhouse of Clatte, and died 24 Jan.
1747.
CLATT.
89
Upon a table-shaped stone : — •
Here lyes John Wilson, sometime mercliant
in C'latt, who died Nouer. 2th, 1732, aged 71
years. And his spouss Christen Touer, who
deid June 24th, 1742, aged 61 yeai-s. Done by
Geo. Wilson, his son. Memento mori.
— The surnames of Wilson and Tower occur
in the Poll-Book. The Wilsons are stUl re-
presented in the district, and besides the in-
scription above quoted, several others in the
churchyard of Clatt relate to the same race.
The next sis inscriptions are from different
parts of the burial ground : —
Here lyes in hopes of a glorious I'esurrection
John Smith, sometime farmer in Myitis, who
dyed April 9, 1754, aged 66, lawfuU husband to
Bessy Bruce.
[2.]
Here lyes James Neill, sometime farmer in
Suiefoot, dyed 1738, and Jannet Bettib, his
spouse, dyed 1757, and their son John Neil,
chapman, died in town of Clatt, May the 1st,
1 759, aged 28 yeai-s. Done by the care of James
Neil, his brother. Mors Janua VitM.
[3.]
Here lyes Thomas Laing, sometime in Neu-
biggeng, who died Oct' 13, 1765, aged 85, and
Isobele Nill, his spouse, died May 12, 1758,
aged 60, who bare to him iiue sous and one
daughter, James, Wm., Johu, Thos., Patrick,
and Bai'bra.
[4.]
Here lyes Iames Hogq, who lined in Saudliols.
He died Feb. 22th, 1756, aged 73 years, laeful
husband to Margt. Robertson. Don at the care
of John Hood his son.
The Ilev. Wm. Goixlou, minister of Clatt,
made this stone be placed here to the memory of
his spouse, Anne Gordon, who died March 10th,
1801, in the 35th year of her age. And of their
only child, Alex.4.nder, who died May lOth,
1810, aged 10 yeai-s. The said fiev. W. Gordon,
died Jiuiuarj 11th, 1820, in the 69th year of his
age.
— Mr. Gordon was previously schoolmaster at
Clatt. His immediate predecessor in the
church, Mr. Findlaj"-, left mortifications to the
parish, and to Marisohal College, Aberdeen.
[6.]
lu memory of James Goiidon Murray. He
died at Knockespock, June 10, 1835, aged 18
yeare. Done by instructions of his father, James
Murray, many years servant to the late Harry
Gordon, and James Adam Gordon, (and to Sir
Henry P. Gordon, Bai-t.), Esquires of Knockes-
pock. [His dr. Jane, d. 1849, a. 22 ; son Harry,
d. 1855, a. 29, and his wife, in 1871, aged 82.]
The two sculptured stones at Clatt are en-
graved by the Spalding Club, and the pre-
historic remains which have been found in the
jjarish are noticed in the New Statistical Ac-
count, in which are also told the stories of the
deadly conflict which is said to have taken
place between the Forbeses and the Gordons
at Till3'angus, and the massacre of a number
of the latter within the hall of Castle Forbes.
In 1172-99, the Mill of Clatt was given by
Matthew, Bishop of ii.berdeen, to his founda-
tion of the Hospital of St. Peter of that city.
In 1.511, the Mill was in the joint occupation
of William Michael and Mariot Clat, a widow,
who each paid a chalder of victual, a fat pig,
and twelve capons annually.
The surname of Clat, which was pretty
common in Aberdeenshire in early times, had
probably been assumed from this parish. John
Clat, prebendary of Glenbervy, and a canon
of the cathedral of Brechin, who, in the year
1459, fonnded and endowed in the church of
St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, a charity dedicated to
S. Thomas the Martyr, was possibly one of
the best known of his name in old times
(Reg. Abdn.) His contemporary, Duncan of
Clatt, who was Dean of Guild of Aberdeen in
the years 1448 and 1451, was also a consider-
able benefactor to the same church. Some
notices will be found of the Dean in Mr.
Alex. Walker's interesting account of the
Deans of Guild of Aberdeen from 1436 to 1875
(privately printed, Abdn., 1875).
In 1501, Wm. Bishop of Aberdeen, had a
90
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
royal charter creating the village or town of
Clatt into a free burgh of barony, with the
right and privilege of appointing baillies, and
holding weekly and yearly markets. The
weekly fairs were held on Tuesdays, and the
yearly fairs, which lasted for eight days, bore
the name of Moloch, the titular saint of the
parish. After this date a number of burgage
tenants appear, who held under the Bishop,
and among the holdings specified are those of
the Diera-house, Brew-house, the Mill, &c.
TUlyangus also belonged to the Bishops of
Aberdeen, and in 1.511, one. of their tenants
who bore the name of Christie Tumanguse
may have been a descendant of one of the
early vassals (Antiq. Abd., Bff., iv. 494).
A chalybeate spring, called " The Holy
Well," is at the source of the Gaudy, a stream
celebrated in Scottish song, which runs " at
the back o' Benachie." The Gaudy is crossed
in this parish, by two stone bridges.
A rough road crosses the Suie Hill by
Tullynessle to Alford. The_ highest point of
the Suie is 1281 '8 feet above sea level; and
the Hill of Coreen is said to be 1 688 feet in
height.
[Ins. compd. by the Rev. Mr. Minto, schoolmr.]
letting.
(S. BRIDGET, VIRGIN.)
trpTHE kirk of Ketmjs, which is said to have
•^ had sis chapels dependent upon it, be-
longed to the diocese of St. Andrews, and was
dedicated by Bishop David, in 1249. The
church is rated at 55 merks in the Old Taxa-
tion, but there is no mention of any of its
chapels.
The fruits and revenues of the kirk appear
to have been early granted to the Hospital or
Dumns Dei of Berwick ; and in the time of
Robert III., these were transferred to the
Trinity Friars of Dundee, upon condition that,
so long as the revenues could not be uplifted
by the Hospital of Berwick, the town and
castle being then in the hands of the English,
the Trinity Friars of Dundee were allowed to
keep possession (Reg. Mag. Sigill., 202).
It also appears that the patronage and teinds
of Kettins belonged at one time to the church
of Peebles, for in 1536, Sir James Paterson,
minister of Peebles and " rector of Ketnes,"
with consent of his brother " of the Cors Kirk
of Pebles," granted and confirmed a lease of
the teind sheaves of the parish, those of Bal-
goyff and the mill excepted, to George Hali-
burton of the Gask, Sande Ratyrry, and
Richerd Small. These parties, who were pre-
viously "fermorarers of the Kirk of Ketnis,"
agreed, on the penult of January, 1536, to
give four merks yearly out of the same to
" Shir Dauid Jak" for the period of five years
for " his thankfull seruice & laubouris done
for vs at our command to the minister of
Pebles" (s. Appendix).
We have seen no mention of this connection
between Kettins and Peebles in any history
of either parish, and are not aware at what
period, or bj' what means, the teinds and
patronage of the former were lost to the latter ;
but so late as February, 1800, when the Rev.
Mr. Symers was nominated to the church of
Kettins by the Crown, the Magistrates and
Town Council of Peebles presented another
person to the living. Mutual memorials were
presented to the Court of Session, who, after
enquiry, found for the Crown, and on 7th
May, 1801, Mr. Symers was duly ordained to
the charge. Tradition says that Peebles lost
its right by proscription, in consequence of not
having exercised it for a long period of years.
The churches of Kettins, Bendochy, and
Collace, were all served by James Anderson,
KETTINS.
91
as minister, in 1574, and James Jamieson,
was reader or schoolmaster at Kettins. Sir
Patrick Maule of Panmure, and his brother,
William, both received their first education at
the school of Kettins, the former having been
born in 1548, at the Mill of Pitcur, in the
house of his grandmother, Janet Ogstouu,
widow of Sir George Ha) ly burton of Pitcur
{Reg. de Panmure).
The Hallyburtons had their burial place
within the south aisle of the kirk, and Col.
James Hallyburtox, the last male descendant
of his race, who died in 1765, was the last in-
terred there. He left a daughter and heiress,
Agatha, who married the fourteenth Earl of
Morton. Her grandson, who was a brave
naval officer, succeeded to Pitcur, and as he
died unmarried, the estates passed to his aunt,
the Lady Mary, second wife of the fourth
Earl of Aboyne, and mother of the late Lord
Douglas Gordon-Hallyburton, M.P. Lord
Hallyburton's nephew. Lord John- Frederick,
a Vice-Admiral of the navy, is now in posses-
sion. Like his predecessors in the lands of
Pitcur, his Lordship assumes the name and
arms of Halhjhurton. He is the third son of
the 5th Earl of Aboyne, and 9th Marquis of
Huntly, and was sometime M.P. for Forfar-
shire. He married Lady Augusta Fitzclarence,
vi'idow of Mr. J. Kennedy-Eiskine of Dun,
but having no issue, Pitcur falls to his Lord-
ship's nephew, the present Marquis of Huntly
(Epitaphs, i. 221).
The Hallyburtons acquired the lands of
Pitcur about 1432, the second son of Hally-
burton, the first Lord Dirleton, having mar-
ried Catherine Chisholm, the heiress. Tlie
Cliisholms were possibly a branch of the
northern clan of that name, as it appears from
a charter granted by the Duke of Albany, that
INIargaret de le Ard of Ercles was the mother
of Thomas of Chisholm, who succeeded her in
the barony of Cask, in Kettins (Rob. Index).
Some of the Hallyburtons of Pitcur were
provosts of Dundee, and took a leading part
in the Reformation movements. One of them,
who accompanied Claverhouse to Killiecrankie,
is said to have been so corpulent that on leap-
ing upon his horse he broke its back ! It is
said that he swore no horse could be found
that would carry him, biit Graham having
procured one sufficiently strong from Pattullo
of Kinochtry, Pitcur went to Killiecrankie,
where he fell, as quaintly told in a ballad
regarding the battle, and, according to tradi-
tion, by the musket shot of his own ser-
vant : —
The great Pitcvir fell in a fur,
An' Clavere got a crankie ;
An' there they fed the Athol gled
On the braes o' EHUiecrankie.
The story of Pitcur's great size and corpu-
lency is corroborated by contemporary record.
In the Memoirs of Dundee (London, 1714,
p. 27), he is described as " like a moving
castle in the shape of a man, [and as one who]
threw fire and sword on all sides against his
enemy." His epitaph, which also contains an
allusion to his gigantic stature, is preserved in
Maidment's Scotish Elegiac Verses (p. 71),
and is as follows : —
Tho' souls, these sacred things, ne'r measured were
By inch and elme, as duller bodies are ;
Tho' great souls have not always been design'd
To be with greater earthly bodies join'd.
Yet here, to his most stately outward frame.
Nature conjoined a most seraphic fiame,
A soul so pure to sense so uncontin'd,
That tho' his flesh and blood had still combin'd
To make him stay at home at ease to live,
These carnal notions he would ne'er believe.
But when he saw religion in the caus,
And loyaltie expiring with our lawes,
Nothing was hard to him, but straight he went
And join'd Dundee, the Scot's great ornament.
Great was his life, for's death he'l happy lye,
^Vho, serving Church and State, did noble die.
The parish church, which was built ia 1768,
was repaired and enlarged some years ago. It
stands within the churchyard, which is plea-
santly situated upon the west side of the burn.
92
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRTPTIONS :
and in the neighbourhood of the village of
Kettins. The burial ground has been recently
put into good order. A freestone monument
fixed into the west wall of the kirk bears this
inscription : —
Deo gi-atiosus : Hoc pree lapide memoriali
praecincti jacent ciiieres revereudi piiq' Mri Ja-
coBi Gray, qui, religiosissimum Christi Evange-
lium, separatus dilucide reseravit, primuni
apud Kinlooh, per annos XX menses V, deiu
apud Ketins, annos XXVI mensesq' IV. Hie
vitij censor, virtutis patronus fuit et comes, fidei
sacr£e neouou disciplinas vindex, omnibus in
officiis sedulus, rudes instruxit, avios reduxit,
peccantes increpuit, bonos probavit, veri cultor
indefessus, bis maritus, liberis et partechis cha-
rus, pastor emeritus, e vivis placide recessit post
septuaginta et binos annos mensis Martij die
XVII, A.D. MDCCXLIII. Hoc mnemosyuon,
Christiana Arbuthnot, ejus relicta improlis, et
Elizabetha, filia sola superstes conjux Gulielmi
Morisoa de Naughton, D.D.D.Q.
[Before this memorial stone lie interred the
ashes of the reverend and pious Mr. James Gray,
who, having been set apart for the church, lucidly
expounded the most sacred Gospel of Christ, first
at Kinloch for 20 years and 5 months, and after-
wards at Kettins for 26 years and 4 months. A
censor of vice, he was the friend and follower of
virtue, an upholder of the holy faith and also of
discipline ; diligent in all his duties, he instructed
the ignorant, brought back the wanderers, i-e-
proved sinners, and commended the good ; un-
wearied in the pursuit of truth, twice a husband,
beloved by his children and parishioners, a
worthy pastor, he calmly departed this life at
the age of 72, on the 17th day of March, 1743.
This monument was erected by his relict Chris-
tian Ax'buthnot, who bore him no children, and
by his sole surviving daughter Elizabeth, wife
of Wm. Morison of Naughton.]
— Mr. Morison, wlio was a merchant in Dun-
dee, succeeded to the estate of JSfaughton on
the insolvenc)^ of Mr. Hay, to whom he had
made pecuniary advances. In the Eev. Dr.
Campbell's Balmerino and its Abbey, it is told
that Morison was horsewhipped on one occa-
sion by a son of Mr. Hay's, who met him in
the grounds of Naughton, and mistook him,
from his liumble diess and manners, for an in-
truder ; and that when young Hay joyously
told his adventure at home, his father re-
marked in dismay — " Laddie, you have whip-
ped the Laird of Naughton !"
The followmg letter, copied from the origi-
nal, and addressed " To George Constable of
Wallace of Craige, Esq., Dundee" (the proto-
type of Sir W. Scott's Monkbariis), is an ex-
ample of the letter-writing of " Baillie Clip"
of Dundee, the son and successor of the first
Morison of Naughton : —
Sir — I Eeceived your Letter on Saturday Contain-
ing a Demand for your Sixty pound it would have
been fully as well Some time before the Term, who
Ever I have wrot Mr. Moncrifi who I dar say will
pay it I am Sir your most Humble Sert
Jas. Mobison.
NAUGaioN, 16 Norr 1777
Upon another tablet, buLlt into the south wall
of the kirk : —
Erected by his Scholars as a mark of gratitude
and respect to the memory of James Hutton,
who faithfully discharged the important duties
of schoolmaster of this pai-ish for 40 years, and
died upou the 2d day of May, 1801, in the 63d
year of his age, deservedly lamented.
— Dum loquimui-, fugerit invida
^tas : carpe diem — Hor :
• — Mr. James Gibb, who was a native of Alyth,
and the last teacher of Kettins under the
Parochial system, was probably one of the
most jieculiar of Mr. Hutton's fellow-crafts-
men in the district. He attended College at
Aberdeen, where he distinguished himself as a
mathematician, and he also had a considerable
knowledge of mechanics, astronomy, geology,
and meteorology. He was an excellent judge
of telescopes, theodolites, microsooiJes, and
lenses, in which, as well as in watches and
jewellery, he trafficked long and successfully.
He died possessed of a large collection of these
articles, as well as of geological specimens and
books, and as he latterly lived alone in the
schoolhoirse, he kept a loaded revolver in case
of any attempt being made to deprive him of
his treasures. Gibb added to his income by
measuring and surA^eyiug land, for which he
KKTTINS.
93
had the reputation of being better qualified
than for the office of a teacher. His style of
teaching, as was to be expected, was very
different from that which came into practice
towards the close of his time, and many amus-
ing anecdotes are told of his odd plans of in-
structing the young, and of his peculiar pro-
nunciation of words. A minister who was
present at a Presbyterial examination of the
school on some occasion, desired the scholars
to spell the word " onion." On receiving no
reply he asked Mr. Gibb to explain the cause,
and received for answer, " It 's your ain fau't
— ye dinna ken f u to pit the question ! " say-
ing, in the same breath — " I'm shure ye can
a' spell ingan ! " upon which the answer was
at once and correctly given ! A similar anec-
dote is told regarding Gibb and the word
" poison," which he is said to have taught his
scholars to pronounce — pusshen !
Mr. Gibb, who no.t only was well versed in
" the money market," but also possessed great
discernment of human character and much
" mother wit," was repnted one of the richest
" dominies" in Scotland. He appears to have
died without a struggle, and possibly in the
evening when preparing to go to bed, having
been found dead in his own arm chair, witli
his coat off, on the morning of 8th April,
1875. He was in his 81st year, and as he
left no will, his fortune, which amounted to
from £5000 to £6000, went to relatives.
The next three inscriptions are from slabs,
which were recently to be seen within an en-
closure upon the south side of the kirk : —
In the hope of a joyfvl resvrrection, here is
laid the body of William Gebkie, elder in Bal-
dowery, who died the 27 day of December,
1683, of age 73 :—
Autunuios decies senlem qui vixerat et tres,
j^j^qiiius huic gelido membra dedit tumulo,
Pacis amans, i-ectique tenax, miseratus egenos,
Vixerat et fastus nescius atque doli.
Conjuge dUecta genuit quae pignora veras
Scire dedit literas juraque sacra Dei.
And of William Geekie, in Easter Keilor, who
died Feb. 16, 1728, aged 67 ; and Isabel Gray,
his spouse, aged — . And Alexander Gebkie
of Wester Baldowi-ie, who died Feb. 10, 1751,
aged 70 ; and Isoble Iobson, his spouse.
[Years ten times seven and three he lived.
Then to this icy tomb his body calmly gave.
Peace he loved, and from the straight path
never swerved ;
The poor he pitied, and neither guile nor
ostentation knew.
The children whom his partner to him bore,
he taught
True wisdom, and the sacred laws of God
to kuow.]
— William Geekie, in Easter KeUor, who died
in 1728, and Alexander Geekie, surgeon and
citizen of London, were both children of
William Geekie and his wife, Marjory Adam.
By his last will, dated 17th May, 1724, the
surgeon bequeathed to his brother, William,
" one hundred pounds, the interest of which
sum to be laid out for the learning and edu-
cation of such a certain number of Boys as he
(his brother) shall think fit, at the school of
Kettins, in Angus-shire, or to any other chari-
table use which he shall judge most proper."
Mr. Geekie also left a library, chiefly of classi-
cal books, but by some means or other it has
become lost to the parish. The Catalogue,
which is stm preserved, contains the names of
some of the scholars who participated in the
Geekie Bequest, which, notwithstanding what
is stated above, was begun in 1713, and upon
the first page of it are these unmistakable
notices of the place and time of the donor's
birth, and the purpose for which the library
was designed : —
Catalogns Libroiiim in usum Scholaj Cateni-
ensis. Dono dedit Alexander Geekie, chirurgus
civisque Loudinensis, oriundus agro Baldauriensi
Scoto, ubi et natus est iv. Julii salutis 1655.
[Catalogue of Books for the use of the School
of Kettins. Presented by Alexander Geekie, sirr-
geon and citizen of London, a native of Bal-
dowrie, in Scotland, where he was bom, 4th
July, 1655.]
— The Catalogue was long in the hands of the
94
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
late Mr. Gibb, schoolmaster, who told us tliat
the books were taken possession of by the
present laird of Baldowrie.
[2.]
Here lyes an virtovs, jirvdent, discreet, piovs,
and honest man, William Gebkie of Baldourie,
hvsband to Elspit C'richtou. He departed this
life Ap. 15, 1701, and of age 73
[3.]
Heir lys ane honest man Iohn Geckib, who
departed this life Ivne the 22, 1720, of age 77.
Ianet Smith, spovs to him, died Febrvary the
14, 1721, of age 71, indvellers in Kingovghtray.
— So far as we are aware there is no means of
showing the connection of the Geekies men-
tioned in the above inscrijitions with "William
Geekie, who was the heritable possessor of
"Wester Baldowrie, Parkhead, Leacocks, &c.,
whose son, by his wife, Agnes Hallyburton,
married Isabel, daughter of the Eev. Thos.
Ogilvie, of Cupar-Angus, and died in Sept.
17-15. He left a son and two daughters, and
the son having died without issue, the daugh-
ters served themselves heirs-portioners to their
grandfather — their father and brother never
having been infeft in the lands — a proceeding
which "William Geekie, a planter in South
Carolina, as the " only son of the immediate
younger brother of their grandfather," thought
of attempting to set aside about 1779-80.
Having however got but little encouragement
from the lawyers, Mr. Geekie never prosecuted
his claim. The last of these ladies died in
1853, at the great age of 95, when the lands
of "Wester Baldowrie, Auchteralyth, &c., went,
by settlement, to the brothers Geekie, who
were respectively lairds of East Baldowrie,
Balbrogie, and Eosemount.
These three estates were bought about 18 — ,
through the late Mr. Hugh Watson, Keilor,
for Mr. AVilliam Geekie, of Percy Street, Bed-
ford Square, a London merchant, and were
settled by him upon the three brothers above
alluded to. It is popularly believed that they
were in no way related to the London mer-
chant ; but the elder brother, Mr. Alexander
Geekie, of Easter Baldowrie, states that his
father and the merchant were cousins-german,
as were also the two old ladies above-men-
tioned, and that they were aU descended from
"William, brother of Alexander Geekie, the
citizen and surgeon of London. It is certain
that the present laird of Baldowrie claims the
old Geekie burial-place at Kettins, where the
tombstones stood at the time we copied the
above inscriptions.
It was on 2nd June, 1602, that one of the
Geekies of Kettins was charged with the mur-
der of Patrick Cathrow, " ane dumb borne
zonng man," by first assaulting him " with ane
grit_ sting or rung," on the face, and breaking
" the girsell of his neise," at Cupar- Angus,
on 20th Feb., 1601, and afterwards by attack-
ing him in the Eashiemyre, and there abusing
him so frightfully that,, as the indictment
bears, " it was piteous to half hard the lamen-
tabile routes and cryes of the pure duni man,"
whom, it was alleged, Geekie left " deid
vpoune the ground." David Cathrow, miller
at Kettins, an uncle of the deceased, was pur-
suer ; but by the mouth of Sampsouno Ker,
in Auchterhouse, chancellor, the assise " ffand
the said William Geikie, to be clene, innocent
and acquit of airt and pairt of the crewall
murthour and slauohter fuirsaid" (Grim. Trials,
ii. .388).
The next two inscriptions are from slabs
upon the west side of the church : —
Heir lyes ane honest man ALEXAyDER Giekie,
who depairted in Febrevar 10 day 170-, and his
age 68. And his spovse Margat Carsill, who
depaii'ted in Febrvary the 13, 1701, of her age
67, iudveUers in Balgov. [Eev. 14. 13.]
The king of terrors who dare withstand
Who hath the glass and dart in hand.
[2-].
This stone is erected by Iohn Geekie, tenant
in North BaUunie, in memory of his father Iohn
KETTINS.
95
I
Geekie, who departed this lif on the 16th of
Feb. 1784 years, in the 78th year of his age. In-
terred here also the above named Iohn Geekie,
who died at Nether Ballunie, the 3d May 1814,
aged 77 years, and who, by his last will, be-
queathed the sum of £100 ster. to the Kirk
Session, for the education of poor children in the
parish of Kettins. [Col. 15, 53.]
The stone wliicli bears the following is
ornamented with mortuary emblems, a black-
smith's crown, hammer, pincers, &c. : —
ggr heir lyes georg roch, son to georg
ROCH, SMITH IN BALGLO, AND HIS SPEOWS ELLISON
THAIN, WHO DEPARTED THE 23 OF MARCH A. 1669,
AND OF HIR AGE XX TERS
G. R : E. T.
O FATIL DEATH, O CRVEL DEATH,
WHAT MEAVETH THE TO RAGE ;
FOR TO CVT OF YOUNG TENDER PLANTS
AND PAS BY CRVKET AGE
Unless otherwise described, the rest of the
inscriptions are from flat slabs : — •
[1.]
In hope of a gloriovs resviTectione here lyes a
wertvovs woman, Elspeth Jack, sjjovse to lames
Fyfe at the Milu of ALrdlar, wha depairted
March 4, 1684, of age 38. As also here are in-
terred sewen hopefvl children procreat betwixt
them : —
In tyme dispone, Death comes anon.
And nothing with him gets,
Bvt evn short sheet, ouer head and feet.
And all men him forgets.
[2.]
Wnder this lyes an honest man Dawid Dick,
hvsband to lanet Brvce, indvelers in Killer. He
departed the 12 day of lanevrie 1699, and of
age 57 years : —
Devote and piovs to ward God
He was wpright to man
Most carefvll still in his affairs
Bvt nov he is deid and gone.
From tyme into Eternitie
To rign with Christ in glore.
He is gon before follov we mvst
Of him weell say no more.
[3.]
ig^ Heir lyis ane godly honest man, Thomas
Brvse, hvsband to Margrat Cristie, who departed
in the Fwrd of Pitcvi-, lanvaa", the 29, a. 1667,
and of age XC.
This stone was ei-ecktd again by Georg Bruse
in Balgove, and Grasol Bruse, his spouse, in the
yar 1760, in memray of tlier disest. childrs. . .
. Ee-erected by James Bruce in memry of his
Father. [&c.]
[4.]
Here lyes an honest man, Richard Wandless,
sometime indveller in the Newtovn, who departed
the 10 of March, 1678, and of age 70 years, to-
gether with his spovse, Ltllas Hay, who de-
parted the 13 of the said moneth of March, 1678,
and of age 62, togethir with Elspet Whittit,
spouse to Richard Wandless, now indveller in
the JS^e^^;o^^l, who departed the 20 day of May,
1704, of age 40. The said Richard Wandless,
vho died May 14, 1732, aged 76.
R.W. . L.H. : E. W. E. W.
[5.]
HEIR LYES ANE HONEST MAN, PATRICKE YEVLO,
HVSBAND TO ELSPIT DWCHIRS, WITH 5 CHILDREN,
INDVELLERS at THE MILLEN OF PETTE. HE AND
nis forfathers lived tvo hvndrith yeirs bt-
GON, DEPARTED THE 8 OF NOVMBR. 1699, OF HIS
AGE 65 YEIRS : —
DEUOT AND PIOUS TOUARDS GOD,
HE WAS WPRIGHT TO MAN ;
MOST CAREFULL STILE IN HIS AFFAIRS,
BUT NOW HE IS DEAD AND GON
FROM TYME INTO ETERNITIE,
TO RING UITH CHRYST IN GLOR.
HE IS GON BEFOR, FOLLOU WEE MOST,
OF HIM WEE WILE SAY NO MOR.
HEIR LYES DAVID YEVLO, LAFVL SON TO THE
FORSAID PATRICK, HVSBAND TO ISABEL HAAKET,
AND THER 5 CHILDREN, DAVID, ANDREW, PITIER,
CHRISTAN, AND CHRISTAN YEVLOS, INDVELLERS
AT THE MILLEN OF PETIE, DEPARTED THE 13 OF
APRIL, 1727, AGED 55.
— The surname of Yevlo appears in various
forms in the Session books of Kettins, from
the year 1645. It was one of this race who
was attempted to be cognosced as " of insane
mind, fatuous, and naturally an idiot," by a
nephew of his own, upon the ground that,
among other curious fancies, he had a liking
to " grose," or squeeze the heads of his ser-
vants, male and female, under his arms, and
of asking in bad weather if doctors " maun
rise when its snawin' !" The trial of Youlo,
which proceeded under a Brieve of Fatuity,
took place at Cupar- Angus in January, 1837.
It was one of some note ; Messrs. Patrick
(Lord) Robertson and Alex. M'Neil were
96
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
counsel for tlie pursuers ; and Messrs. Duncan
M'Neil (Lord Colonsay) and Charles (Lord)
leaves, for the defender. After a sitting of
two days, and a summing up of the evidence
by Mr. Sheriff L'Amy, the jury unanimously
found for the defender.
The lands and mill of Peattie, the latter of
which was occupied by the Yeulos, were owned
in and before L584, by Ogilvy of Balfour, and
continued in the hands of his representatives
down to near the close of the last century
(EoU of Freeholders, 1765, MS. J
The next inscriptions are abridged from
tablets within an enclosure on the east side
of churchyard : —
LocKHART Gordon, Esq., died at Beechwood
Villa, 30"' Oct., 1837, aged 62 ; and Sarah
Ogilvy Hat, his wife, died 18"" May, 1875,
aged 88.
John Gordon, Esq., died at South Corstown,
15"' March, 1840, aged 85. Jessie Gordon, his
si.-ter, died at Beechwood Villa, 23"" Oct., 1855,
aged 88.
Mart Georgina Goodlet, died at Abbeyhill,
12'" Sept., 1858, aged 14 ; and Marion-Joanna-
Gordon Goodlet, died at Hastings, S'" March,
1860, aged 19. Jane Hay Goodlet, died at
Links Place, Leith, 2P' July, 1868 ; and their
mother, Mart Hat, widow of George Goodlet,
Esq., merchant, Leith, died at Linnkeith, Blair-
gowrie, 4"' March, 1876, aged 75.
— Mr. Lockhart Gordon was a cousin to the
late Lord Hallyburton, and married a daugh-
ter of Mr. Hay, wine merchant, Leith, to
whom the Misses Goodlet were related. Mr.
John Gordon was long factor for the property
of Hallyburton.
A monument, built into the noitli wall of
the churchyard, contains these inscriptions : —
[1-]
In memory of Mungo Murrat, Esq., youngest
son of Mungo Murray, Esq. of Lintrose, who
died at Duukeld, on the 25th Dec, 1843, aged 71.
[2.]
In memory of Anne Murray, widow of John
Murray, Esq. of Lintrose, who died at Woodside,
on the 3rd Nov., 1846, aged 69.
Also of John Gray Murray, second son of
John Murray of Lintrose, bom 4'*' December,
1802, died 10"' March, 1866 ; and of Mackenzie
Murray, youngest son of John Murray of
Lintrose, bom 8"' Febr., 1810, died 14"' Febr.,
1876.
— Lintrose was acquired by Mr. Murray about
1731, who married his own cousin, Amelia
Murray of Ochtertyre. The family had also
a burial place in St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh,
where there is a monument thus inscribed : —
To the memory of Mrs. Jessie Neil M'Ar-
THUR, niece of Archibald Campbell, Esq' of
Jura, and spouse of Captain William Mun-ay,
Lintrose, commander of one of His Majesty's
Excise yachts, who died on the 10th diiy of
March, 1808. Also, in memory of the said Cap-
tain William Murray, who died on the 26th
day of December, 1809. William Murray,
third son of John Murray, Esq' of Lintrose,
whe died at Edim-. 23d Aj)ril 1810, aged four
years and a half.
— Lintrose (formerly Foderance), was a por-
tion of the Pitcur estate ; and one of the
lairds (George Hallyburton), a Senator of the
College of Justice, took his judicial title
from it. He was knighted by Charles I., and
died in, or soon after, the year 1 649. This
branch of the Hallyburtons, one of whom was
served heir to his uncle James, m the lauds of
Foderance, with the fulling mill, and pasture
in Kinochtriemuir, &'c., 1680, jirobably held
the property until the time it was bought by
j\Ir. Murray. John Hallyburton of Foderance
married a daughter of the Ecv. Mr. David
Paton of Kettins, and their granddaughter,
wife of the Eev. Dr. Campbell, Cupar-Fife,
was the mother of " plain John Campbell,"
who became Lord Chancellor of England.
Mr. D. Paton was succeeded by his son,
James, who was a non-juror, and ceased to
preach in 1716, when he was succeeded by
Mr. Gray (sujira, 92).
There was a family in the parish named
Eamsay, who, tradition avers, had the privi-
lege of burying within the church of Kettins,
in consequence of having presented the bell to
KETTIN8.
97
the church. It is said to have belonged to the
Abbey of Capar, and to have been found by
one of the Eamsays in the myies of Baldinnie.
The bell is certainly ancient enough to have
been upon the Abbey, the date corresponding
to the time of Abbot William, and the legend,
in old Dutch, shews that it had been originally
accompanied by another bell, which bore the
name of a female : —
POPEN . EEIDER . GAP . MARIT . TEOON .
AS . MINEN . MATEN . MEESDER . HABIS .
ANNO . DOMINI . M.CCCCC.XIX.
— This has been kindly translated by ilr.
Campus, one of the engineers of the Tay
Bridge, Dundee, as follows : —
[Priest Eeider gave Margaret Troon as my
mate (wife) Master Habis. A. D., 1519].
The next two inscriptions, the latter being
preceded with carvings of a compass and a
square, are from tombstones that are said to
belong to the Eamsays above referred to : —
Here lyes ane honest man Anton Eamsat,
hvsband "to Janet Small in Bogside of Covper,
who departed this life Deer. 3, 1700, and of
This honest man is from us gone,
Whose body lyes within this tomb ;
His honest repvtation shall
Remain to generations all,
His blessed sovl for evermore
Doth magnify the King of Glore.
A. R. : I. S.
[2.]
1777 : Here lies interred the remains of
George Ramsat, wright, late husband to Agnes
Bruce, in Chapel of South Corstoun, who dyed
July 15, 1763, aged 51 yeare. He had these chil-
dren, Elspet, Margaret, Isobel, James, John, and
Agnes, the tuo last of whom are here interred.
James, in testimony of regard for his father,
erected this monument. Also their is interred
here the erector of this monument, who died the
29th July, 1813, aged 71 yeara. Likewise his
spouse, Janet Gardiner, who died the 4 July,
1836, aged 84 yeare.
Mortuary emblems, a carpenter's square.
adze, compass, &c., are carved at the foot of
the following inscription : —
Heir lyes a honest woman called Iean Whitit,
spvs to Robert Gregory at Mill of Halabvrtou,
and of her age 67, vho departed this lyf Febr.
2, 1721. R. G. : I. W. : W. G.
— The Mill of Hallyburton, long since removed,
stood near the gate of Hallyburton House.
A flat slab with a shield upon which are
carvings of a garden rake, a measuring line, a
spade, &c., is thus inscribed : — •
Here lyes Thomas Rattray, as also his father
and mother, Andr. Rattray and Agnes Pa-
TDLLO. Thos. being a gardiner, went to England,
where he served 52 years, and acquired £218
str., which he brought hither in August last,
17 — . A few days after he came, he sickened
and died, aged 74. His money he legate to his
brother David and his children, with orders to
erect this monument : —
Mors certa est, incerta dies, incertior bora ;
Consulat ergo animte, qui sapit, usque sure.
[Death is certain ; uncertain the day, more un-
certain the hovrr. Let the wise man then ever
give diligent heed to the concerns of his soul.]
From a marble tablet in the south dyke of
the kirkyard : —
Erected in memory of the Rev. David Symers,
who died 16th July, 1842, in the 65th year of
his age, and 42d of his ministry in the parish of
Kettins. Requiescat in pace.
— Mr. Symers, who was a son of a minister of
Alyth, by a daughter of the previous minister
of Kettins, Mr. Hallyburton, bought the pro-
perties of Essie in Angus, and Kettle in Fife.
He was succeeded in both by his brother, Mr.
John Symers, agent for the British Linen
Co.'s Bank, Dundee, who died in 1866.
The next three inscriptions are from an en-
closed granite monument : —
Sacred to the memory of William Shaw,
Esquire of Newhall, who died 17 September,
1860, aged 79 years. And of Ann Watt, his
wife, who died 28 February 1862, aged 81 yeara.
[2.]
Also in memory of Mary-Ann Shaw, daugh-
ter of William Shaw, Esquire, who died 17 May
98
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
1841, aged 20 yeare. The memory of the just is
blessed.
[3.]
Sacred to the memory of Susanna-Miller
Shaw, wife of John Adamson of Ericht Side
House, Blaii-gowrie, and second daughter of
William Shaw, Esquire of Newhall, who died 27
Nov. 1851, aged 33 years.
— Mr. and Mrs. Shaw were cousins-german.
The father of the former, sometime accoimtant
to the Carron Iron Co., Falkirk, was afterwards
a writer in Edinburgh, and the father of the
latter was farmer of Cullow, in Cortachy. Mr.
Shaw held a captaincy in the Berwickshire
Militia, which he resigned to join an uncle,
who was a planter in Jamaica. On his arrival
in that island, he found his uncle had died leav-
ing a large fortune, of which, along -with other
relatives, he and his wife received portions.
He bought Xewhall about 1820 ; and, accord-
ing to the interesting monograph of " the Clan
Shaw," by the late Eev. Jlr. Shaw, of St.
John's Episcopal Church, Forfar, he was come
of the Shaws of Crathienaird. Capt. Shaw of
Newhall, had four daughters, two of whom
still survive — Mrs. Alex. Geekie of Baldowrie,
and Mrs. Bishop, of Edinburgh. Mr. Adam-
son, son of the late Capt. Adamson, of the
whaling ship Horn, of Dundee, sometime a
mill spinner at Blairgowrie, and now proprie-
tor of Careston, near Brechin, had an only
son by his wife.
A family of the name of Steill had a tomb-
stone at Kettins, which was removed to the
Howff of Dimdee some years ago by " John
Steill, son of the late John Steill of Bal-
dowrie." The former, who died at Edin-
burgh in 1871, devoted much of his time to
literature, and bequeathed (subject to the life-
rent of a female, who died in 1877), about
X4000 sterling, for the purpose of erecting a
bronze statue at Aberdeen, to the memory of
Sir William Wallace, the Scottish patriot, the
posture and position of wliicli are to be made
in accordance with the specified wishes of the
donor.
Anonymous, 1737 : —
Mark here the true, siucerest love —
Tlie wife her breath resign'd ;
Her loving husband mingles fate,
And would not stay behind.
One common gi-ave unites them dead.
Whom time so well did try ;
Their kindred souls mount up and join
The wondering woiids on high.
The following inscriptions are from a plain
headstone :— •
Interred here are the mortal Remains of Sarah
HiNDMARSH, the devoted, admirable wife of John
Hall Hindmarsh, Teacher of Elocution, who de-
parted this life at Coupar-Angus, on Monday,
the 7th Feby., 1853, aged 67 years.
" The loss of a friend upon whom the heart
was' fixed, to whom every wish and every en-
deavour tended, is a state of dreary desolation in
which the mind lof'ks abroad, impatient of itself,
and finds nothing but emptiness and horror. The
blameless life, the artless tenderness, the pious
simplicity, the modest i-esignation, the patient
sickness and quiet death, are remembered only
to add value to the loss, to aggravate regret, for
what cannot be recalled ! We know little of the
state of departed souls, because such knowledge
is not necessary to a good life. Eeason deserts
us at the brink of the grave, and can give no
further intelligence. Kevelation is not wholly
silent. There is the joy in the angels of heaven
over one sinner that repenteth ; and surely this
joy is not incommunicable to souls disentangled
from the body, and made like angels. Let hope,
therefore, dictate (what Revelation does not con-
fute !) that the union of souls may still remain,
and that we who are struggling with sin, sorrow,
and infirmities, may have our part in the atten-
tion and kindness of her who has finished her
couree, and is now receiving her reward !"
Interred here, also, are the remains of An-
TOiNETTi Nesbitt, daughter of Abercromby
Nesbitt, late of Alnwick, and grandchild of
Sarah and J. H. Hindmarsh, an amiable, inte-
resting gu'l, who died suddenly at the Manse of
Kettins, on Monday, the 4th of April, 1853, aged
13 years.
" She was one of those who come
With pledged promise not to stay
Long, ere the angels let them stray
To nestle down in earthly home !"
KETTINS.
99
On west side of same stone : —
Also to the memory of John Hall Hind-
marsh, late of Perth, died 24th July, 1856, aged
70 years. And Charles- J^uies, infant son of
Princi]3al Tulloch, of St. Au<lrews, died 17th
May, 1858, aged 4^ months.
— Mr. and Mrs. Ilindmarsli ivere the father
and mother-in-law of Principal Tulloch, who
was minister of Kettins for some years before
he went to St. Andrews.
Weems or Pict's houses have been found
both at Lintrose and at Pitcur, and in the lat-
ter, besides an urn and other old relics, a piece
of Samian pottery ware was discovered.
(Proceed. So. Ant. Scotd.) There are also the
remains of stone circles upon the hill of Bal-
lunie ; but the most interesting relic in the
parish is probably a sculptured stone, with
representations of a hunting scene, &c. It
was used as a foot-bridge across the burn at
Kettins until 1860, when it was set up in the
churchyard by Lord Hallyburton.
Kettins is believed to have been the seat of
a Celtic monastery. This belief seems to be
confirmed in a charter, of about 1292-3, by
which Hugh of Over, lord of Ketenes, granted
" his well in his lands and Abthenage of
Ketenes, called Bradwell, with its aqueduct
bounded, and servitude of watergage," to the
Abbey of Cupar (Inv. of Charters of Abbey of
Cupar ill favour of Lord Balmerino, MS. of
Hon. H. Maule, at Pamnure). This deed not
only proves that Kettins was an Abthenage,
or the site of an early ecclesiastical establish-
ment, but discloses the hitherto unknown fact
of the church's having been dedicated to S.
Bridget, of which the name of the Brad-v<e\\
(Bride's Well) seems to be a corruption. It
also appears (Mem. of Angus and Mearns,
479), that certain payments were made out of
Kettins to the Priory of Eostinoth — one of
the earliest churches north of the Tav.
Hugh of Over appears to have been a
descendant of John of Eure (ancestor of Lord
Ure), and his heiress, who had a gift from
Edward I. of the manor of Kettins, with
market, &c., for services done to the king in
these parts, a grant which, Scott remarks
(Border Minstrelsy, iii. 247), must have been
dangerous to the receiver.
But more than a century before the time of
Overs, a baron, designed Malcolm of Ketenes,
is a witness to Eichard of Fruill's grant of the
lands of Balekelifan to the monks of Ar-
broath, 1178-80; and notwithstanding that
the manor, (fee., were held by Over, the De
Kettens family flourished in the district until
at least the time^of Eobert the Bruce, by whom
the barony was given to Patrick Ogilvy, on
the resignation of Malcolm of Caithness (Eo-
bertson's Index).
Contemporary with the Ogilvys of Kettins
were the Flemings of Pitcur, one of whom,
Walter, son of Sir William Fleming of Barra-
chan, had a charter from King Eobert, of the
mill of Kettins and three parts of the lands of
Pitcur, dated at Arbroath in 1315. As pre-
viously shewn, Pitcur was subsequently in the
hands of the Chisholms, from whom, about
1432, it passed by marriage to the second son
of Hallyburton of Dirleton, ancestor of the
present proprietor {supra, 91).
The ruins of the old castle of Pitcur stand
about a mile south of the church, and the
modern house is near the village, which is sur-
rounded with hedgerows and fine majestic
trees. The base, and part of the shaft of the
old market cross, now in the churchyard,
stood long near the S.E. corner of the village.
Besides the gifts or mortifications to the
poor before noticed, it would appear that
James Taylor, " yeoman, of Ealing parish,
CO. Middlesex," bequeathed, in 1788, the in-
terest of £100 Bank of England stock, which
he left in the sole charge of Mr. Dempster
100
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
of Dunniclien, for the purpose of educating
" the poor children, both male and female,
of the parish of Keltins." With a view to
the better administration of the trust, in addi-
tion to himself, his heirs and his successors in
Dunnichen, in all time coming, Mr. Dempster
appointed two other trustees, viz., the laird
of Pitcur, and Mr. Alison, factor on the Bel-
mont estates (Epitaphs, i. 139).
The most curious, and perhaps generally in-
teresting points connected with this bequest,
and which are worthy of a place beside the
many sepulchral vagaries already known, are
the care with which Taylor provided for his
body being properly dressed, and himself being
well spoken of after death. " I desire," he
writes, " to be buried in Linen of good qua-
lity, with grave flowers of all sorts, and that
a Funeral Sermon may be preached, either at
my interment, or on the Sunday next follow-
ing, from the third chapter of Saint John's
Gospel, and the fifteenth verse." Unlike many
who desire favours after death, but leave no
recomjsensc to those who perform them, Mr.
Taylor left £12-5, Bank of England stock, "to
answer the expenses," five guineas of which
were to be given to the officiating clergy-
man (Deed in Kirlc- Session Recurds, MS.)
[Ins. comptl. by Mr. D. Macqueen, schoolrar. ]
(S. TALARICANUS, BP. and CO^^F.)
THE kirk of Fordys, which is rated at 40
merks Scots, in the Taxation of 1275,
was confirmed as a common church of the
Cathedral of Aberdeen, by Bishop John, in
13-51. Places known by the significant names
of the Bishop's Eeisk, the Vicar's Croft, and
the Clerk's Lands, are stUl in the district.
There was also a chapel dedicated to S.
Ann. It was buUt by, and became the
burial-j)lace of, Helen Hay of Maldavit, who,
about 1538-9, erected the chaplainry of S.
An.v at Cullen.
The parishes of Ordiquhill, Deskford, and
Cullen are said to have been formed out of
Pordyce sometime after the year 1618 (New
Stat. Acct.) ; but these three churches are
mentioned separately in the Eegistc.r of Minis-
ters for 1574, when each had its own reader.
The four parishes or churches, including Por-
dyce, were, at the latter date, under the
charge of Mr. Gilbert Gardyne, who probably
resided at Pordyce, where a loose slab in the
churchyard bears this inscription to the
memory of, apparently, his first wife : —
HlC . lACET . PIA . MVLIER . MARG : . . . O .
SPONSA . M . GIL . GARDTNE . DE . BOITH . HVIVS.
ECCLESI^ . MINISTRI . 24 . ANNOS . VIXIT . ILLA .
66 . AN : VT . POST . VIVERET . TANDEM ....
OBIIT . 6 . APRILIS . 15-2.
[Here lies a pious woman, Margaret . . .
spouse to Mr. Gil. Gardyne of Boith, minister of
this church for 24 years. After a life of 66
years she died to live again, 6th April, 15-2.]
— On 16th August, 1592, Mr. Gardyne agreed
to marry Isobell, sister of James Strachan of
Carmyllie, " in the face and presence of the
visible Kirk of God," and also bound himself
to infeft his wife " for all the dayes of her
lifetyme, and the aires male to be procreat be-
tuixt thame, in all and haill the landis of
Botht," within the regality of Arbroath and
sherifi'dom of Porfar (Deed at Panmure).
!Mr. Gardyne, who was minister at Moni-
fieth in 1565, was at Pordyce in 1571, in
which year he was moderator of the General
Assembly at Stirling. He was much engaged
in church affairs, and is said to have seldom
gone to the pulpit without his sword for fear
of the Pai)ists (Scott's Pasti).
The picturesque belfry, dated 1661, which
surmounts the ancient porch and session-house,
adds very much to the appearance of the vil-
FORDYGK.
101
lage of Fordyce ; but the new church, wliich
was erected, in 1804, is as uninteresting in
appearance, as in situation. Within it is
a tablet to the memory of the Eev. Mr.
Humphrey, referred to below ; and the bell,
wliich was removed from the old place of wor-
ship, is thus inscribed : —
lAC . COM . DE . FIND LATER . ET . PATRON.
DE . FORDYCE .
ALBERTVS . GELY . FECIT . ABD .
ANNO . DOMINI . MDCCII.
[This bell was made at Aberdeen, in 1702, by
Albert Gely, for James, Eai'l of Findlater, and
patron of Fordyce.]
The old church consisted of a nave, with
aisles upon the west and south. The former
aisle belonged to the OgUvies of Durn, and
the latter, which is now divided into two
compartments by a wall, belonged, the one to
Birkenbog, the other to Findlater and Boyne.
Upon a canopy of a recess tomb in the Find-
later and Boyne compartment, is a shield
charged with the Ogilvie and Sinclair arms
C[uarterly. Two shields upon the left and
right respectively exhibit the engrailed cross
of the Sinclairs, and the three stars of the
Inneses. An effigy of a knight in armour lies
upon the top of the tomb, and " the fore-edge"
of the slab upon which it rests is thus in-
scribed : —
hie . nobilcs . biri . iacobbs . ogilbg . be . btsk-
fbrb . miles . tt . tacob' . ogilbo . rj' . filiba . ct .
Ir.trcs . npp.ircii . rrbitbs . bcro . bictt. inilitis. 13 .
fcbrbavii . a" . b° . 1500. obiit' . abtt . bictt . filii .
1° . fcbrbavii . a" . b" . 1503 . orate . p . atiab' .
corbm.
[Here rest two honourable men, James
Ogilvy of Deskford, and James Oqilvt, his sou,
and heir presumptive. The former died 13th
Feb., 1509, and the latter 1st Feb., 1505. Pray
for their souls.]
— This inscription, which, owing to a misprint,
is stated by Douglas (Peerage, i. 580), to be at
Forglen, refers to Sir James Ogilvie, eldest
son of Ogilvie of Auchleven, by his wife jSlar-
garet Sinclair, the heiress of Deskford and
Findlater. Sir James married a daughter of
Sir Eobert Innes, by whom he had six sons
and five daughters. The eldest son (as shown
by the above inscription) predeceased his fa-
ther, the fourth was designed of Glassaugh,
the fifth fell at Flodden, and the sixth became
a churchman. The eldest son left a family,
and Sir James was succeeded by his grandson.
Sir Alexander Ogilvie, who was buried at
CuUen, and founded the collegiate church
there.
The tombs of the Abercrombys of Birken-
bog and the Ogilvies of Findlater were pos-
sibly erected about the same period, the style
and execution of both being very much alike.
The former (to the left of the latter) also con-
tains the effigy of an armed knight, and the
edge of the plinth bears : —
hie . i.uct . Iioiiorabilis . bir . gcovgiba . ab . . .
goba . bfts . be . Icji . q . obiit ■ x, . .
. bic . incsis . octobris . a" . b° . . . .
[Here lies an honourable man, George
A B late land of Ley, who
died X . . Oct., A.D., ]
— This inscription probably refers to George,
son of Sir James Abercromby of Pitmedden,
Ley, and Birkenbog, who fell at the battle of
Flodden. He is said to have been born in
1.512, and to have married a daughter of Bar-
clay of Gartly. Their great grandson, Alex-
ander, was the father of James, his successor,
of Lord Glasford, and of Dr. Patrick Aber-
cromby, who wrote the Martial Achievements
of Scotland, also a history of his own family.
It was the grandson of the last-mentioned
James who, in 1637, was created a Baronet;
and his second son, who settled at Tillybody,
was ancestor of the brave Sir Pialph and of the
Lords Abercromby.
Birkenbog (anciently Gauld's Cross) still
belongs to the Abercrombys ; and upon the
front of the mansion-house is the date of
102
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
1693, and a shield with the Abercromby and
Forbes arms impaled.
The surname of Abercromby is said to have
been assumed from the old parish of Aber-
cromby, in Fife, where a dateless monument
to the memory of " Thomas Abercrombie
OF THAT Ilk," bears to have been " restored by
Sir Eobert Abercrombj', Bart, of Birkenbog,
1849." In 1284, Hugh of Abercromby wit-
nesses the grant of a meadow at Markinch to
the Prior and Canons of St. Andrews, by
William of VaUon and his wife (Eeg. Prior.
S. And., 421). The first of the Abercrombys
who went north appears to have been settled
at Westhall, in the Garioch, after which they
acquired Birkenbog. The property of For-
glen came to them in 1803, by the marriage
of Sir George Abercromby, great grandfather
of the present baronet, with the sister and
heiress of the last Lord Banff.
Upon the north wall of the Glassaugh Aisle,
which is half covered with ivy, is a bold carv-
ing of the family arms, and the words —
ABERCROMBY OF GLASSAUGH.
There are two marble monuments within the
aisle, one of which, ornamented with war
trophies, bears this inscription : —
Beneath are deposited the remains of James
Abercromby of Glassaugh, Esq., a General of
Foot ; Colonel of the 44th regiment, and Deputy-
Governor of Stirling Castle ; who died April 2.3,
1781, in the 75th year of his age. In his Pro-
fessional Character, he served his country with
conduct and resolution ; in his Parliamentary one,
his constituents with integrity and attention.
Constancy and consistency guided all his actions.
A strict, yet genteel economist, he was ever
ready the distressed to aid and counsel, the op-
pressed to support, the indigent to relieve, and
labour and sustenance to afford the industrious.
In Friendship unshaken ; of Manners unspotted ;
of an Honour unsullied ; in the Discharge of all
Domestic Duties unexcelled. Beloved and re-
vered he lived, and died most sincerely lamented.
In gratitude and veneration of his many virtues ;
in rpmembrance of the most perfect union that
subsisted almost fifty years, his once happy wife
inscribes this marble as an unequal testimony of
his worth, and of her affection.
[2.]
lu respectful gratitude of Mrs. Mart Duff,
who died 28th March, 1786, aged 75, widow of
Gen. James Abercromby, daughter of William
Duff of Dipple, by Jean, daughter of Sir William
Dunbar of Durn. Endowed with all the virtues
which constitute and adorn an estimable female
character, a most affectionate wife, a most duti-
ful daughter, a most indulgent and attentive
mother, most exemplary in beneficence, and un-
affected devotion.
— The first Abercromby of Glassaugh was a
son of Alexander of Birkenbog, who \vas fal-
coner to Charles I. (Burke). This branch
ended in the male line, in the above-named
General James Abercromby, whose daughter
married her kinsman, Mr. R. W. Duff of
Fetteresso, and through her the property of
Glassaugh was brought to the Duffs (Epi-
taphs, i. 76).
The Durn aisle is in a line with the ruins
of the belfry. The Barclays of the Mearns
were designed " of Dwrna" in 1 407, and in
1492 it was held by a family named Curror.
Dempster assigns considerable antiquity to the
Currors, and says that one of them, who
flourished about the year 1270, was a writer
of merit. While in the hands of the Bar-
clays, and also when it came to the Ogilvies,
which was about 1493, Darn was held under
the superiority of the Earls Marischal. Sir
William (third son of Sir Walter Ogilvie of
Boyne), had charters of Durn, &c., in 1508.
He became High Chancellor of Scotland, and
in 1516 founded a chaplainry within the
church of Fordyce, which he dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin. He endowed it out of the
lands of Little Gowney, the mill and mill
lands of Baldavy, and also provided that mass
should be said for the king, for himself, his
wife, Alison Rule, and their children.
Margaret OgUvie, granddaughter of the
High Treasurer, who became the wife of
FORDTCE.
103
Thomas Menzies of Kirkhill of Nigg, a bur-
gess of Aberdeen, was the last of the Ogilvies
of Durn. Their son, Thomas Menzies, who
succeeded to the estate of Durn, built a school
at Fordyce, and not only provided that the
scholars should sit in the Durn aisle at public
worship, but transferred the annual payments
above-mentioned to the officiating schoolmas-
ter. But, with the exception of the school
croft and a feu-duty in the village of Fordyce,
these gifts have been long lost to the teacher.
Upon a monument within the Durn aisle : —
Sacred to the memory of John Falconer,
Esquire of Durn, who died the 16th day of June,
1789, aged 56 yeai-s. INIrs. Lydia Turton placed
this stone out of respect to the memory of so
worthy a husband.
— JMr. Falconer was a native of Portsoy, and
a jeweller by profession. He went to London,
and marrying the daughter of his employer,
succeeded to his business and property, and
left about £.7 a year for the purpose of buying
fuel to the poor of Portsoy. He bought Durn
(now Lord Seafield's) from Sir James Dunbar,
Bart., and was killed by a fall from his horse
in the parish of Ordiqnhill.
The Dunbars of Durn claim descent from
Patrick Earl of March and his wife Black
Agnes, who defended the Castle of Dunbar
against the English in 1337-8. A baronetcy
was created in the Durn family in 1697, and
the Eev. Sir William Dunbar, rector of Dum-
mer, near Basingstoke, succeeded his father
as the 6th baronet, in 1813. There are no
tombstones to the Dunbars at Fordyce.
Upon a granite monument, within the Find-
later aisle : —
Sacred to the memory of Major-General James
Ogilvie, C.B., who died at BaufF o]i the 2ud day
of June, 1845, aged 60. He performed valuabfe
services to his country in Europe, Asia, and
America, in which last country he was highly
distinguished at the head of the 8th Foot, and
received severe and houoiu-able wounds. While
he had many attached friends, he had no ene-
mies but those of his own country. Peace to the
kind and the brave.
Within an enclosure on the east side of the
same aisle : —
Sacred to the memory of Alexander Forbes,
formerly of Cuttlebrae, in the parish of Eathven,
late of Dytach and Bogton in this parish, who
departed this life, 11th day of April, 1842, aged
92 years. And of Cecilia Wilkie, his wife,
who died on the 20th day of July, 1831, in the
80th year of her age. Their bodies are here de-
posited, and this stone is erected by their sur-
viving children, Alexander, merchant, of Tepic,
in Mexico ; John, physician in London, Elspet
and Anne, in cormnemoration of the worth and
virtues of most loving parents, and as a lasting
token of filial reverence, affection, and gratitude.
A.D., 1843.
— These were the parents of Sir John Forbes,
M.D., who did so much, both by his practice
and his pen, to improve the important pro-
fession of whioli he was so long an ornament.
Born at Cuttlebrae in 1787, he entered the
Navy in 1807, where he remained until 1816,
when he left the service and became a medical
practitioner, first at Penzance, next at Chi-
chester, and afterwards at London. He was
physician-in-ordinary to the Queen ; also phy-
sician-extraordinary to Prince Albert, and
died in 1861. A neighbouring stone bears
the name of James Forbes (a brother of Sir
John's), who was farmer at Bogton, and died
in 1822, aged 42.
Near Sir John Forbes's parents lie those of
his eminent class-fellow and friend, the late
Sir James Clark, Bart., M.D., by whom a
tombstone was erected, and thus inscribed : —
Erected to the memory of his beloved parents,
David and Isabella Clark, by their elder son
James, in grateful remembrance of their paternal
care, and the solicitude for his education, to
which he has been indebted for so much of his
success in life.
— Sir James's parents were originally in the
service of the Earl of Seafield, and Sir James
was born at Cullen, the year after Sir John
Forbes. He also began life as a Navy sur-
geon, afterwards practised in Eome, and re-
moved to London, where he became physician
to the Duchess of Kent. On the accession of
104
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Queen Victoria lie was appointed pliysician-in-
ordinaiy to Her Majesty, and died in that
capacity in 1870. His son, Sir John Forbes
Clark, who inherits the baronetcy, is proprie-
tor of Tillypronie. The next two inscriptions
refer to relatives of the family : —
Erected by David Clark, farmer in Kilnhillock,
to the memory of his beloved spouse, Isabella
Scott, who departed this life, 20th Sept., 1812,
aged 56. Underneath is also interred David
Clark, who died in KilnhiUock, 14th Aug.,
1836, in the 86 year of his age.
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of Anne Scott, relict
of James Badeuoch, late blacksmith at Deep of
f indlater, who died there 1st May, 1827, aged
68 yeai-s. This stone is erected as a mark of
respect by her affectionate family.
Erected by Margaret Eraser, in memory of
her husband, John Badenoch, farmer, Easter
Mountblatton, who died 5 July, 1855, aged 68
years.
A marble tablet (enclosed) bears — ■
Here are interred, in the hope of a blessed re-
surrection, the mortal remains of the Rev. Alex-
ander Humphrey, late minister of this parish,
who died 13th Feb., 1832, in the 71st year of his
age ; and of Catherine Richardson, his wife,
who died 11th Oct., 1831, aged 67. [3 daughtera
recorded dead.]
— Mr. Humphrey, who had been long in the
habit of giving " some oatmeal to the poor
families on Christmas eve," left the interest of
£50 to be applied for the same purpose in all
time coming, so that, as he remarks in his will
(a copy of which is preserved at Fordyce),
" when others are feasting, they (the poor) at
least may have the comfort of a bit of good
bread, and not in this respect suffer any pri-
vation by my death." His son, who was a
J. P. of Aberdeenshire, and laird of Comalegie,
in the parish of Drumblade, died in 1876.
Upon ail adjoining granite slab : —
This tablet, erected by their family, is sacred
to the memory of James Christie, formerly sur-
geon in Huntly, and of his wife Catherine-Jane
Humphrey, also of their children.
Here also are interred the remains of the Rev.
Alexander Reid, for many years the very faitli-
ful and much respected minister of Portsoy, who
died 7th Feb., 1863. &c.
In the next inscription is the name of an-
other benefactor to his race — the last-named
having founded the " Duncan Bequest" at
Cullen. Tliis charity consists of rents, amount-
ing to about £30 a year, which are applied
for the education of children of Established
Church parents, and for the purchase of school
books, &c. : —
This stone was erected to the memory of
William Duncan, late blacksmith in Cullen,
and Elspet Steinson, his spouse, by their son,
James Duncan, late blacksmith in Cullen, who
died March, A.D. 1818, aged 85 years, whose
spouse, Margaret Brkmner, died Nov., 1807,
aged 71 years, and reinscribed by her son Alex.
Duncan, blacksmith in Cullen, A.D. 1833. Here
also lies the remains of Janet Currie, spouse of
Alex. Duncan, who died 25th Oct., 1842, aged
56 years, and the remains of the said Alex.
Duncan, who died 20th Dec, 1845, aged 69
years.
From a headstone : —
This stone is erected by Thomas Riddoch, cap-
tain of the ship Ann, Bombay, Ea,st Indies, in
memory of his parents, George Riddoch. late
schoolmaster, Fordyce, obt. 18th Jan., 1779, in
the 45th year of his age ; and his spouse Ann
Fridge, obt. 18th Oct., 1816, in the 73d year of
her age. And also of his brother, George
Riddoch, Esq., Member of the Royal CoUege of
Surgeons, London, who died at Fordyce 28th
Maixh, 1827, in the 48th year of his age.
— Mr. Eiddoch was a native of Fochabers, and
on becoming a candidate for the school of
Fordyce, he presented a letter of introduction
from a friend to the Earl of Findlater. His
lordship, who told him that he knew nothing
further of him than what the note contained,
assured him that the school of Fordyce was
no ordinary prize, and that the schoolmas-
ter must be well versed in Latin, Greek,
Mathematics, &c. To this, it is added, Mr.
Pdddoch, bluntly replied—" Faith, my Lord,
I'm just the man for it !"— an answer which
is said to have pleased his lordship so much
FORDYCE.
105
that Eiddoch received the school, -which he
continued to conduct with credit and honour.
To one of Mr. Eiddoch's successors, the late
Eev. Mr. Geo. Stephen, who was a laborious
teacher, and a worthy man, we are indebted
for some information in this notice.
Within an enclosure are seven tombstones
relatuig to different members of a family
named Wilson, one of whom, John, long
factor on the Seafield estates, died in 18.52,
aged 50. The following is copied from the
oldest of these monuments : —
This tombstone is erected by John Wilson, in
Brangan, to the memory of his most worthy
wife, Jean Wilson, who died the 4th day of
July, 1780, in the 43d year of her age, and
the 20th year of her marriage. Here also rest
the remains of her husband, John Wilson, son
of Alexander Wilson and Janet Steiuson in
Badenyouchere, who died at Badenyouchere, on
the 11th day of Apiil, 1820, aged 86 yeai-s.
A headstone bears this record of a cen-
tenarian : —
In memory of James Strachan, wright in
Fordyce, who died 6th May, 1804, aged 55.
His spouse, Ann Mitchell, who died 7th Nov.,
1861, aged 100 years, &c.
The prose portion of the following epitaph
is round the margin of a table-shaped stone,
the rhyme and a boldly carved figure of a ship
being upon the face of it : —
This is the burial place of James Findlat,
shipmaster in Portsoy, .... and his spouse
Katherine Ogilvie ; —
In aU our place the first I was
A weshel Coud Command :
Brave Sailoi-s Bred by me there was,
That now Brings plenty to our Land.
Thro' Angi-y Seas I often Plued,
And now in Dust I am Imbrued ;
My Cares, Feai-s, Joys, toyls, being Ended,
To God my Soule I've Recommended.
The remaining inscriptions are from vari-
ously-shaped tombstones in different parts of
the burial-ground : —
Here lyes ane honest man called Iames
Strachan, who died Feb. 16, 1660.
[2.]_
Here is interred the bodie of William Aven,
farmer, Tillyuaught, who died Oct. 21, 1761,
aged 70 years.
[3.]
This stone is laid here by William Stiuson, in
memory of his aunt Ianet Peterkin, who died
Ivue the 12, in Sandend, 17 —
[4.]
Her lies the corps of George Ogilvt and
Elspet Wilson : he March 4, 17 — , and her in
1722 died.
[5.]
This stone was erected by Ann Prott, Portsoy,
in memory of her affectionate husband Alex-
ander Watt, who died on board the Geuerall
Muuk, in the American War, Oct., 1781, aged
29. In memory also of her daughter Elspet
Watt, who died July 13, 1793, aged 15 years.
[6.]
In the faith of Jesus, are deposited here the
remains of Mr. William Fordyce, who held the
office of schoolmaster of Marnoch for 30 years
previous to 1812, when, in consequence of in-
creasing indisposition, he retu-ed to the farm of
Craigmills, in this parish, where he finished his
earthly cai'eer, 25 Dec, 1819, in the 55th year of
his age . . . Henrietta Brodie, his widow,
died 1842, ased 82. Then- grandson, George
Tait, M.D., Cullen, died 1856, aged 22, &c.
Erected in memory of Archibald Inglis, let
staymaker, Portsoy, who departed this life 3rd
Feb. 1822, aged 85 years. Also, his spouse, Jean
Mann, who departed this life 15th Nov. 1818,
after a long iUness, aged 81 years.
[8.]
To the memory of George Wilson, student,
in Ordens, parish of Boyndie, who was removed
by an all-wise Providence from his prospects of
usefulness in the Church on earth, 27th Oct.,
1834, aged 27. This stone is dedicated by his
neighboui's and acquaintances as a mark of their
esteem for his Christian character.
[9.]
Hear lys T. E. : I. E. : M. E. : G. E. : E. E.
[10.]
W. F. 1735 : . . . . 1732 ; I. F. 1736 years.
[11.]
This stone is placed here by John Bartlet, in
Brodysord, in memory of his father, who died in
the year of God, 1762, aged 61.
106
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
S. Tarkin's Well, in the burn of Fordyce,
near the old kirk, was long believed to have
a good effect in curing scorbutic and other
cutaneous diseases. " Tarkin" is the local
name of Talaricanus.
The village was erected into a burgh of
barony in 1499, at the instance of Bishop El-
phinstone of Aberdeen, with the privilege of a
weekly market, which bore the name of the
patron saint. The fair of Summarulf ( ] S.
Malruib) was long held at the hill-end of
Fordyce, and Hallow Fair stands near the
town.
Besides the ruins of the church, which ex-
hibit traces of the Perpendicular style of
architecture, an adjoining house, inscribed
" ANXO 1592," and upon which are also the
initials of M. T. 0., in monogram, presents
some interesting features of the Scotch baronial
style. This house is one of the principal
features of the village. It was long ruinous,
but the present Earl of Seafield had it restored
and made habitable soon after he succeeded
to the esiates.
In addition to what has been already stated
regarding the proprietary history of the parish
of Fordyce, it may be added that the Thane-
dom of Boyne, which extended from at least
the Burn of Boyne on the east, to the Burn of
Cullen on the west, belonged to the knightly
family of Edmonstone (Epitaphs, i. 200), and
that one of the co-heiresses, who married the
second son of the first Ogilvie of Fiudlater,
became ancestor of the Ogilvies of Dunlugas,
afterwards Lords Banff.
The lands of Findlater were farmed for the
King's interest down to about 13-58 (Cham-
berlain EoUs). Sometime previous to the last
day of July, 1 366, they were held by a vassal,
who assumed his surname therefrom, and was
designed Fynleter of that Ilk. This appears
from a charter by David II., who granted
Richard of Saint Clair the whole lands of
Fynleter, with pertinents, which had belonged
to John of Fynleter of that Ilk.
In 1381, Kichard of St. Clare, who is de-
scribed as the King's shieldbearer, had a re-
newal of the grant of Fynleter, to which were
added "le Grieueschip (or charge of the King's
lands) de Cullane," &c. Ten years later,
Jolm, Earl of ]Moray, had a royal charter of
the esehate of the barony of Deskford " que
fuerunt quondam Johannis de Santo Claro ad
cornu positi ut concepimus et defunoti," also
the lands of Fynletter, which belonged to
Eichard of Saint Clare. Eichard was possibly
connected in some way with the Earls of
Orkney, since (23rd April, 1391) a person of
that name witnesses a charter by the Earl to
his brother David, of the lands of Ifewburgh
and Auchdale, in Aberdeenshire.
Crawford (Peerage, 142), says that Sir John
Sinclair, who possessed the barony of Desk-
ford in the time of Eobert II., had a son and
heir, Ingram, who was succeeded by a son
John. The latter fell at Harlaw, 1411, and
his only child, Margaret, brought the lands of
Findlater and I'eskford, by marriage, to Sir
Walter Ogilvie of Auchleven, son of Ogilvy
of Lintrathen, from which time (1437) this
branch of the Ogilvies carried the Sinclair
along with their own paternal coaifsupra, 101).
It was Sir Walter Ogilvie of Deskford and
Findlater who, in 145.5, had a licence from
the King " to fortify his Castle of Findlater
with an embattled wall of lime and stone, and
all other necessaries for a place of strength."
Soon after the succession of the grandson of
the erector of the Castle of Findlater, James
IV. made his celebrated pilgrimage to the
shrine of S. Duthac at Tain ; and it is re-
corded that during the short stay of the King
at Strathbogie, when on his return from the
north, in October, 1505, the sum of 7s. Scots
was given to " Alexander Law to pas to Fmd-
later for ane halk" (Stuart's Isle of May).
PORTSOY.
107
The castle was usurped by the Gordons
during the quarrel which ensued by the set-
ting aside of the succession of the eldest
son of Sir Alexander Ogilvie, but it is said
to have been occupied by the family until
about the close of the reign of James VI.
The ruins occupy a very romantic position
upon a rock which projects into the sea, in the
vicinity of some curious caves ; and from a
description of the castle, and a spirited en-
graving of it in CorJiner's Remarkable Euins
of the Korth of Scotland (1786), it appears to
have been a much larger place than it is at
the present time.
The most remarkable hillock in the parisli
was upon the farm of Auchmore. It con-
tained stone coffins, urns, and several bronze
relics ; but as the Stat. Accts. of Fordyce con-
tain pretty full notices of its pre-historic and
later antiquities, as well as of the history of
the bursaries which were left for educational
purposes by Walter Ogilvie of Kedhythe and
others, these need not be repeated liere. It
may only be said that these bursaries, together
with the superior emoluments enjoyed by the
teachers, have had the effect of obtaining ex-
cellent masters for the schools of Fordyce ;
and among the numerous scholars who have
been educated there few have acquired more
general fame than Sir John Forbes and Sir
James Clark, before referred to. Mr. Williaji
EoBERTSON, who became Deputy-Keeper of
the Kecords in the Register House, Edin-
burgh, was also taught there. Among the
more valuable of his works are an Index to
Scottish Charters from 1309 to 1413, and
Proceedings relating to the Peerage of Scot-
land. He presented to the parish library a
copy of the former work, accompanied by a
letter dated 22nd Feb., 1779, and also sent a
copy of the charter erecting the village of
Fordyce into a burgh of barony (s. Appendix).
He was ancestor of the late Mr. Eobertson of
Logan House, near Edinburgh, who was the
father of the present Countess of Dalliousie.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Wm. Smith, schoolmr.]
p 0 r 1 0 0 1) ♦
(S. COLM OK COLUMB.-V, ABBOT.)
SCOLM'S chapel stood at the Aird,
" " hard by the toune [of Portsoy],
where now [1724] is a large meeting-house,
lately buildit." This was possibly one of
the " I^'onjuring Meeting Houses" that were
burned by the Koyalists in 1746, and which,
one of Cumberland's followers remarks, " our
Soldiers (very deservedly) took no small
pleasure in destroying — they being as Semi-
naries for training up Eoman Catholics and
Eebels."
The whole of the royal army met here when
on its way to CuUoden, and being too numer-
ous to get quarters, the foot were encamped
for a " night on some ploughed ground to the
right of the town, and the horse lay in the
towns" (i.e. adjoining farms). It was on this
occasion that, to show their dislike to WUliam,
Prince of Orange, the rebels in the Enzie
conferred the name of Stinkin' Willie upon
the " weebo" or ragwort, an orange-colom-ed
and obnoxious plant common in the district.
The town of Portsoy, which the writer
above quoted admits to be " a pretty enough
small village," is locally situated within the
parish of Fordyce. Portsoy was made a
preaching station in connection with the
Established Church in 1741, and in 1836, it
and portions of adjoining districts were erected
into a quoad sacra parish under the name of
Portsoy.
The church, which stands in a prominent
part of the town, was built in 1815. It has
108
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
undergone many improvements of late, and a
clock tower, quite recently erected by public
subscription, adds greatly to the appearance
both of the church and the town, while a
clock and chime of bells, which were placed
in the tower at the expense of Mr. F. P.
Wilson, a native of the place, who has been
a successful merchant abroad, add much to
the comfort of the inhabitants, and to the
interest of visitors. The old kirk bell, now
upon the schoolhouse at Portsoy, bears : — •
FOR THE USE OF THE PRESBYTEEIAN
CHUECH, PORTSOY.
JOHN SPICHT, ROTTERDAM. 1746.
The burial ground or cemetery, which was
Litely extended, lies upon the sloping ground
S.E. of the town. It was opened for burial
about 1720, and from some of the monuments
or gravestones the following inscriptions are
selected : —
Here lyes Tames Lego, an honest man, who
dyd lary. the 15, anno Domn 1723 ; and Ianet
Hay, his wife.
[2.]
THiS STONiS
AReCTeD BE ME
WilliaM . PLOVC
H . Man Sea - MA
n in PORT-SOy AND
EISPeT Allan SPO
VS WilliaM AND
JOHn z EISPeT z
MaROaT zCKlDREn
DECEaCED.
[3.]
HERE LYES THE BODY OF lOHN WRIGHT, MERCHT.
THURSO, CAITHNES, WHO DIED MARCH 22d 1766.
[4.]
In memory of William Tatlor, a master in
the Royal Navy, who died at Portsoy, 20th June,
1797, aged 31 years. This monument is erected
by his°motber, Mavgi-et Eeid, whose husband,
aiso William Taylor, was buried near this
place. &c.
[5.]
Erected to the memory of Chas. Robertson,
Esq., late factor to MacLeod of MacLeod, who
died 10th July, 1812, aged 62 years (beloved by
all who knew him), by his disconsolate widow,
Janet Gauld.
[6.]
Beneath are interred the remains of William
Gauld, Esq., surgeon in His Majesty's Service,
who died at Portsoy, 11th May, 181B, in the
75th year of his age." He was a dutiful son, a
kind brother, a most affectionate husband, a
sincere friend, a humane physician, and a truly
pious, honest man. As also of his widow, Mi-s.
Elizabeth Gauld, a truly pious Christian, who
died at Portsoy, 15th Feb., 1825, aged 84, and
daughter to Wm. Gordon, Esq., late of Shilagreen.
— Dr. Gauld's father was minister at Culsal-
mond, in which parish the property of Shila-
green is situated.
[7.]
Erected in affectionate remembrance of 1st
Lieut. Alexr. Wilson, E.N., a zealous officer,
and a sincere Chi-istian, who died at Portsoy,
21 Sept., 1817, aged 43 yeare. Also of his sou
James, who was lost at sea, on 12th Feb., 1827,
aged 20 years. [Jean Gray, widow of Lt. W.,
died at Keith, 1847, aged 72. Their youngest
daughter, Emma, widow of John Stronach, late
of Muiryfold, died in 1870, aged 54.]
[8.]
In memory of the Eevd. Daniel Cruicksh.\i»k,
minister of Portsoy, who died on 9th Nov., 1828,
aged 90 yeai's.
The armorial bearings, a demi-lion for crest,
and a cheveron between three mullets are
upon the monument from which the next in-
scription is copied : —
[9.]
In memory of James Wilson, Esq of Caim-
banno, who died at Rose Acre Cottage, Oct. 27th,
1 833, aged 42 years ; and of his spouse, Jane
Margaret Knight, who died in Portsoy, Oct.
3J, 1863, aged 79 years.
[10.]
Beneath this stone, sheltered from the stortas
of life, lie interred all which could die of Captain
Alexander Gordon, late of the 92d Regt. of
Foot, son of the Rev. Mr. Gordon of Daviot,
Inverness-shire. His body was carried to this
coast by the waters of the ocean, after havmg
been drowned at Portmahomack, on the 12th of
PORTSOY.
109
Jan., 1834, in the 41st year of bis age. His
early death was deeply lamented by his com-
panions in arms, who esteemed him as a brave
and excellent soldier ; as well as by his acquaint-
ances and relations, who lost in him a dutiful
sou, an atfectionate brother, and a. valued friend.
This memorial is erected by his affectionate rela-
tives in the hope of meeting him again at the
resurrection of the just. "The things which are
seen are temporal ; but the things which are not
seen are eternal."
[11.]
Erected to the memory of Elizabeth Bond,
long a respected teacher of youth, who died at
Portsoy, on Ascension Day, 1839, by her atTec-
tionate pupil Colina Watson, in grateful remem-
brance of her disinterested friendship and many
amiable qualities.
— Miss Bond, whose father was a builder in
Fortrose, wrote a work entitled Letters of a
Village Governess, descriptive of rural scenery
and manners, with anecdotes of Highland
Children, &c. (2 vols. 8vo, 1814). Hugh
Miller says that the book was offensive to
many local magnates, who found counterparts
of themselves in its pages.
Besides the Established Church, Portsoy
also contains Free, Independent, Episcopal,
and Eomau Catholic places of worship, all of
which are neat and ornamental buildings.
The Eoman Catholic Chapel bears the name
of the Church of the Annunciation, and the
Episcopal Church is dedicated to John the
Baptist. In the latter are four marble tablets,
the inscriptions from which, also 1 and 2 above,
have been kindly communicated, and the
others at Portsoy compared, by Mr. Garland,
Cowhythe : —
[1.]
In memory of Arthur Abercrombt of Glas-
saugh, Esqre.: died 20th April 1859, in his 63rd
year. Also of Elizabeth, his wife, daughter of
John Innes of Cowie, Kincardineshire, Esqre. :
died 13th September 1838, in her 30th year.
— This was the second brother of Mr. Robert
Duff of Fetteresso (Epitaphs, i. 76). He as-
sumed the surname of Abereromhy, and mar-
ried Miss Innes, by whom he became the
father of the present Mr. 11. W. Dull' of
Glassaugh and Fetteresso, M.P.
[2.]
In memory of James Wilson, Esq", of Cairn-
banno, who died at Rose Acre Cottage, 27th
October 1833, aged 42 years.
— Mr. Wilson's paternal name was Rekl, and
his father was a merchant in Portsoy. He
had a sister married to Mr. Forbes of Boyndlie,
in Tyrie ; also three brothers who went to
Jamaica, one of whom was a surgeon, and an-
other a lieutenant in the army. On succeed-
ing his maternal uncle in the properties of
Cairnbanno, Auchmunziel, and Botchell, Mr.
Eeid assumed the surname of Wilson, but
having no issue, he sold the properties before
his death. His uncle, who was fanner of
Ardo, in Deskford, came to his fortune by
marrying a rich widow. Mr. Wilson and his
wife were both interred at Portsoy (supra, in-
scription [9.] p. 108).
[3.]
In memory of the Eeverend Alexander
Cooper, A.M., pastor of this Church for 30
yeare, and by whose exertions it was chiefly
built, died 10th September, 1863, aged 56 years.
This tablet is erected by his attached Con-
gregation and Friends, in token of their sorrow
and esteem.
[4.]
^ In memory of Francis William Ward,
who died 14th July, 1869, aged 51 years.
The Loch of Soy is the only fresh water
lake in the parish of Fordyce ; and the town
of Portsoy, which is named from its proximity
to the point where the burn of Soy falls into
the sea, was erected into a burgh of barony in
1550. In 1681, Sir Patrick Ogilvie, of Boyne,
had liberty to hold a weekly market at Portsoy
(Acta Pari).
A place called The Castle Brae shows that
there was a stronghold at Portsoy at one time,
although it is not mentioned either by Moni-
pennie or Gordon. The remains of another
no
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
castle, and tlie sito of a third are pointed
out in the same neighbourhood.
Portsoy has a small but safe harbour. Be-
sides some picturesque old buildings, it con-
tains many good dwelling-houses and shops,
also two branch banks ; and, since the con-
struction of the railway, of which it is a
terminus, the trade of the place has very
much increased. It contains a population of
over 1800 inhabitants, and had, until lately,
a weekly newspaper, the editor of which
wrote a volume of Poems and Songs (Abdn.,
1854), in which, as well as in Cumming's Tales
of the North (Banff, 1847), there are many
pieces of local interest.
Portsoy was famous at one time for a sort of
serpentine rock found in its vicinity, of which
chimney-piece and other ornaments were made.
It was known as Portsoy marble at home, and
Scotch marble abroad. Tliere are also inte-
resting specimens of mica-schist, asbestos of a
greenish tint, and a flesh-coloured granite, un-
known (it is said) in any other part of the world
except in Arabia, and which, wlien poli.shed,
exhibits figures bearing a fancied resemblance
to the characters of the Arabic alphabet (Stat.
Acct). The existence of the serpentine, and
some other peculiarities of the district, are
thus summed up in Jack's Rhyming Geography
of Aberdeen, Banff, and Moray (1876) : —
Fordyce for schools has long been known,
Portsoy for serpentine ;
Sandend's on coast, while Cowhythe Hill
Deflects the plummet line.
(S. COLM OK COLUMBA, ABBOT.)
COKTACHY or Cortaghi, was " ane of the
common kirks" of the diocese of Brechin,
and is rated at 20 merks in the Taxation of
Scotch benefices in 1275.
When Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, re-
ceived charters of the barony of Cortachy in
1409, he made a gift of the advocation of the
church, and other privileges, to the Chapter
of the Cathedi-al of Brechin. Twenty years
thereafter lie gave an annual of £40 Scots for
the support of " twa chapellanyss and sax
chyldir," who were bound to pray in " the
cathedral kyrk of Brechyne, to God and his
modir Marie," for " the heill" of the Earl's
soul, and for those of his ancestors and suc-
cessors (Eeg. Ep. Brechin).
The kirks of Cortachy and Clova were both
served, in 1574, by Mr. James Ogilvy, who
had the kirk lands and a money stipend of
£106 13s. 4d. Scots, out of which he "sustenand
his awin reidar. " The readership at Cortachy,
then vacant, is valued at £20 Scots.
The parishes of Cortachy and Clova were
united in 1618, but in 1860 the latter was
erected into a quoad sacra of the former. The
churches are about ten miles apart, and that
of Cortachy is situated within the policies and
close to the gate of the princijsal carriage-drive
to Cortachy Castle.
The time of the building of the last church
of Cortachy is unknown; but if an old awni-
bry of freestone, which suggests a comparison
with that of Fowlis-Easter, is to be taken as
any evidence, the date may be safely fixed at
about the end of the 15th or the beginnmg
of the 16th century.
The writer of the Old Stat. Acct. says that
the church of Cortachy was " built about 300
years ago. . . . One third of it is excel-
lent workmanship, being of cut stone, nicely
compacted ; the remaining part is coarse, and
seems to be of much later date." The old
church continued until the building of the
present edifice, which was long considered one
of the handsomest places of worship in the
district. A slab in the east gable contains
this notice of its erection : —
CORTACHY.
Ill
Tliis Edifice was erected, Anno Domini, 1828,
by David, 7tli Earl of Aii'lie, on the site of the
old church. David Paterson, ai'cliitect ; Peter
Scott, builder.
The burial aisle of the Ogilvys of Airlie,
which was within the old kirk, is now
attached to the east end of the new one, and
a niche in the north wall (outside) contains
fragments of carved stones which were saved
when the old kirk was taken down. These
consist of armorial bearings, and the elaborately
carved awmbry before referred to. Of the
former, which belongs to various families and
periods, three shields, initialed I. H., G. M.,
and I. 0., are charged respectively with the
Heron, Mercer, and OgUvy coats, the last
having a mullet or star in the dexter corner,
also the date of 1614. The fourth and fifth
shields, charged with the Ogilvy and Wood
arms respectively, are thus initialed and
dated : —
22 1614 21
D. O. M. V.
As the mullet has reference to a third son,
possibly the shield belonged to David Ogilvy,
of Lawton, in Perthshire. He was the third
son of Lord Ogilvy, who died in 1606.
An escutcheon, charged with the arms of
the seventh Earl of Airlie and his second
wife. Miss Bruce, of Cowden, is fixed to the
ceiling of the burial aisle. The first three
inscriptions below are from a marble monu-
ment of three compartments, which is built
into the west wall of the aisle : —
Erected by David, Seventh Earl of Airlie, in
kind and dutiful remembrance of his Parents,
Brother, and Uncle : —
In memory of David, Fifth Earl of Airlie,
who died at Cortachy Castle, 3rd March, 1803,
aged 78. HLs Lordship, in the generous en-
thusiasm of youth, joined the Chevalier at
Edinburgh in October, 1745, with a regiment of
six himdred men, and continued loyal and true
to his cause. He afterwards entered the French
service, in which he obtained the rank of
Lieutenaut-Geueral. In 1778 His Majesty,
George the Third, was pleased to restore him to
his coimtry and estates, where his true nobleness
and kindness of disposition will long be held in
respectful and afTectionate remembrance.
— The silver drinking cup and sword, which
are said to have been used by Lord Ogilvy at
Culloden, are at Cortachy Castle. Upon the
cup are the Ogilvy arms, and this inscrip-
tion : — •
6'/ In Fortune me tourmente^
V Esperance me eontente.
[If Fortune torments me, Hope contents me.]
The sword is inscribed thus : —
Wer nicht Lust hat zu schoenen Pferd,
Fin blanken Schwerdtf
Fin schoenen Weib,
Hat Icein Soldatenherz in Leib.
[The man who feels no delight in a gallant steed,
a bright sword, and a fair lady, has not in his breast
the heart of a soldier.]
— Before going to France, Lord Ogilvy fled to
Bergen in Norway, where he and his com-
panions were made prisoners. Having escaped
to Sweden, Lord Ogilvy entered the French
service, in which he remained until he pro-
cured a free pardon in 1778. He was twice
married, but had issue only by his first wife,
Margaret, daughter of Sir James Johnstone,
of Westerhall, Bart. This lady was an enthu-
siastic Jacobite, and was present at the battle
of Culloden, where she and the Ladies Gordon,
Kinloch, and Mackintosh were taken prisoners,
and sent to Edinburgh Castle. Lady Ogilvy
made her escape from the castle on 21st
Nov., where she had been confined from the
middle of June, and finding her way to
France, she died there in 1757, aged 33. Her
only son (who never took the title of Earl)
died unmarried in 1812, and was succeeded
by his uncle Walter as sixth Earl of Airlie : —
[2.]
In memory of Walter, Sixth Earl of Airlie,
a most respected and venerable nobleman, who
died at Cortachy Castle, on the 10th of April,
1819, in the 86th year of his age. And of Jane,
his Countess, a worthy and beneficent lady, who
died on the 11th of June, 1818, aged 56.
112
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
— Earl Walter had no family by his first
wife, who was a daughter of Fullerton of
Spynie ; but by his second, a daughter of
ifohn Ogilvy, of JMurthil, physician in Forfar,
he had five sons and eight daughters (Epitaphs,
i. 375). The following records the death of
the eldest of these sons : —
[3.]
In memory of Captain John Oqilvy, of the
First Regiment of Foot, a brave and promising
officer, who died at Berbice on the 24th August,
1809, in the 26th year of his age, greatly beloved
and lamented.
The next two inscriptions are from tablets
on the north wall of the aisle : —
[^•]
In memory of Clementina, Coimtess of Airlie,
who died in London on the 1st of September,
1835, in the 41st year of her age, and whose
mortal remains are here interred. As a most
dutiful and affectionate Wife, and a Mother, she
was a pattern to her sex, in all duty and aifection ;
to the Poor and needy a bomitiful, considerate,
and imwearied friend ; and, after giving an
edifying example of devout resignation to the
Divine will under many and long protracted
sufferings, she departed this fife in the faith of a
crucified and risen Redeemer, universally beloved,
honoured, and lamented. Erected by her be-
reaved, sorrowful, and devoted husband, David,
Earl of Airlie.
— This lady, the first wife of Earl David,
was the only child and heiress of Gavin
Deummond, of Keltie, who died in 1809.
Besides the present Earl of Airlie and a
family of daughters, who survived her.
Countess Clementina had a son. Lord
Walter, and a daughter. Lady Arbdthxott-
OoiLvr, who both died young in 1824,
neither of whom is mentioned in peerage
books. Their maternal grandmother, Clemex-
TiNA Graham, also died in 1824, aged 66,
and her remains and those of the two children
lie in the Canongate Churchyard, Edinburgh,
beside those of Mr. Drummond.
[5.]
Sacred to the memory of Margaret Bruce,
Countess of Airlie, who departed this life at
Brighton, Sussex, on the eighteenth of June,
1845, aged 39, having given birth to twin sons
on the sixteenth of the same month. The
Countess left four sons to her attached husband,
David, Earl of Airlie, by whom this tablet is
erected in grateful memory of an aifectionate
wife. Interred here 9th of July, 1845.
— Countess Margaret (the seventh Earl's second
wife) was the only child and heiress of William
Bruce, of Cowden, in the parish of Muckart,
and the next inscription refers to her hus-
band : —
[6.]
By David-Graham-Drummond, 8th Earl of
Airlie, this tablet is erected, in grateful and
dutiful remembrance of his father, David, 7th
Earl of Airlie. His kindness of heart and
consideration for others won for him the love
and esteem of those among whom he lived, and
a place in the hearts of his people, whose welfare
was his chief object. He died 20th August,
1849, in the 65th year of his age, after a long
and painf id illness, which he bore with Christian
patience and fortitude.
The tablet from which the next inscription
is copied (E. Gaffen, sculp,, Regt. St., Lon-
don), is upon the east wall of the aisle. It
contains the representation of an angel si>aring
among the clouds, guiding a female to Heaven,
Heaven being indicated by a crown in the
midst of a nimbus or the rays of the sun. The
plinth is thus inscribed : —
[7.]
Sacred to the memory of Maria, wife of the
jjf,jjbie. Donald Ogilvy of Clova, who departed
this life at Leamington Priors, on the 9th of
AprU 1843, aged 52 years.
— This lady had a large family by her hus-
band, and among the survivors are Mr.
Donald and Miss Dorothea Maria Ogilvy,
both of whom are well-known contributors to
the poetical literature of their country. Their
father, who was the immediate younger
brother of the late Earl of Airlie, and Colonel
of the Forfarshire Militia, died 30th Decem-
ber, 1863. The next inscription refers to the
third son of the same family : —
CORTACHY.
113
[8.]
In memoriam : David Ogilvt, nat. 10th April,
A.D. 1826 ; ob. 20th July, A.D. 1857.
Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee ; thou
wilt have a desire to the work of thine hand.
Job xiv. 15.
• — Other two of the family of the Hon. Donald
Ogilvy of Clova, and Maria his wife, are in-
terred in the burial-ground of St. John's
Episcopal Church, Edinburgh. These were
Sar.\h-Augusta-Janet-Charlotte, who died
in infancy, 9th April, 1830, and Clementixa-
JuLiA, the wife of Capt. Kenneth B. Stuart,
who died 12th Aug., 1857. A mouuinont,
within the same enclosure, which relates to a
maternal uncle of the Hon. Donald Ogilvy,
and a brother of Dr. Ogilvy 's of Tannadice
(Epitaphs, i. 211, 374), is thus inscribed : —
Sacred to the memory of Walter Ogilvt,
M.D., second son of the late Dr. Ogilvy, of For-
far. Distinguished by high professional talent
and universal benevolence of character, he was
engaged during 42 yeare in the active duties of
his profession as a military surgeon, in the ser-
vice of the Honbls- East India Company, and for
several years before his death filled the important
situation of President of the Bengal Medical
Board. On returning to England, he died on the
voyage, 1st of May, 1826, aged 62 years, and his
body was committed to the deep. His afflicted
widow erected this simple tribute to the memory
of a husband endeared by the uninterrupted af-
fection of 30 years.
— The remote ancestors of the Ogilvys of
Airlie and Inverquharity, are said to have been
brothers, whose seniority is doubtful, and sons
of Gilbert, third son of Gillybride, second Earl
of Angus. The surname of Ogilvy, which
first appears in 12-50, is supposed to have been
assumed from a place called the Glen of
Ogilvy, in Glamis (Epitaphs, i. 185).
Sir Walter Ogilvy, of Lintrathen, acquired
the lands of Airlie about 1432, when he also
received a royal licence to erect his tower of
Airlie in form of a fortalice (Mem. Angus and
the ]\Icarns). On 3rd March, 1458, his son.
Sir John, received, upon his own resignation.
a charter of the Mains and Castle of Airlie,
which were held blench for a pair of gilt spurs,
or X40 Scots, as the price thereof (Notes of
Scottish Charters, MIS.) Sir John's son was
created Baron Ogilvy in 1491, and in 1639,
the eighth Baron was raised to the dignity of
an Earl.
The present Earl of Airlie, who was Com-
missioner to the General Assembly in 1872,
married a daughter of Lonl Stanley, of Alder-
lejj ^J Tvhom he has two sons and four daugh-
ters. His lordship, who recently acquired by
purchase the adjoining estate of Downie Park,
has also enlarged and altered Cortachy Castle,
after plaos by the late David Bryce, E.S.A.,
in the Scotch baronial style. It is situated
upon the south bank of the South Esk, within
an extensive park, and surrounded by old
trees. Ochterlony (c. 1682), who calls " Cor-
taquhie the Earl of Airlie's speciall residence,"
describes it " as a good house, well planted,
and lies pleasantly on the water of South
Esk."
The south-east corner or tower of the " good
house" of Guynd's time, which has been kept
up and incorporated with the new buildings,
possesses a certain degree of historical interest.
This arises from the fact that, when Charles
II. made the famous Start from " his friends"
at Perth, in 1 650, he not only was entertained
in this part of the castlo, but was also con-
veyed to a bedroom in it when he was brought
from Clova, where his Court found him
stretched "in a nasty room, on an old bolster,
above a matt of seggs and rushes, overwearied
and very fearfull." The copy of the Book of
Common Prayer which the King is said to
have used when at Cortachy, is still there.
The annexed woodcut, from a sketch by
Mr. S. Geekie, gives an excellent representa-
tion of one of the most interesting of the
tombstones of the period. It is from an in-
cised slab at Cortachy, and, besides having a
114
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
curious arrangement, it exhibits some interest-
ing articles that were used by " wake" mer-
chants, and by fulling millers in carding or
manufacturing wool : —
, r- r AN WAR ^^ . .^X/ HO ♦: 50^
f gvA MD-Pil $;; ^ . •DEiPARt E D^ ^
i gi;Al G-W.O S: r-i -T- H E- 2F0 F'S
iiN I Hb SVW'-am'dTt'lHJi^
— The antiquity of the surname of Wollom or
Volum in Forfarshire has been referred to in
the Land of the Lindsays, 170; also in Epi-
taphs, i. 374 ; and that of Philp or Philip, is
of long standing in the localities of Arbroath,
Glamis, &c.
The next inscription, beautifully carved
round the margin of a flat slab, and in
interlaced capitals, exhibits the date of 1655,
as 16505 — the 0 being equivalent to the word
and — a curious form of tiguriug which is not
yet obsolete in Scotland. The date of 1716,
and some modern lettering (nearly obliterated)
are upon the face of the stone. Near the foot
are the words memento mori, together with
mortuary emblems, and the initials, I. P.
(Philip), I. C. :—
HEIR . LTETH . JOHN D .
IN . CLACHNETBRAIN . WHO . DEPAIRTED . THIS .
LIFE . IDN . THE . 10 . 16505 . HIS . AGE .
WAS . 64 . AND . HIS . SPOUS . lANET . CANT .
WHO . DEPAIKTED . THIS . . . MAT . THE .
6 . 1644. PULVIS . ET . UMBRA . SUMUS.
A scripture quotation is carved round the
sides of a table-shaped stone from which the
next inscription is copied. Among a mass of
ornamental carving at the top, are a buckler
and a sword, with the initials I.W., and the
date of 1732. The inscription (in which
" Doaf " is an error for Doal, a farm in Glova,)
is upon the face of the stone, and has been
revised or renewed at some period: —
This stone was erected by Alexander Winter,
tennent in the Doaf, in memory of James
Winter, his father's brother, who died on
Peathaugh, in the paiish of Glenisla, the 3d
January 1732, aged 72.
Here lyes James Vintep,, who died at Peat-
haugh,
Who fought most valointly at y" Water of
Saughs, t
Along w' Ledeuhendry, who did command y'
day,
They Vanquis the Enemy, & made them
Emm away.
Pulvis et umbra sumus
1 1707.
— "When we copied the above, some thirty years
ago, neither the reference at the end of the
second line of the verse, nor the date of
1707 was upon the stone. On inquiry, we
tind that these were added about the year
1852, without the knowledge or consent of
Winter's descendants, some of whom are still
in the parish, by "w. eeid, s. edin.," who, in
the form here given, has also cut his own
name upon the stone. The date of 1707 is
set down upon the authority of an account
of " the Chace of Fearn," or the engagement
above referred to, which was written by the
late Eev. Mr. D. Harris, of Fearn.
The affray, generally known as " the Battle
of Saughs," has been celebrated by more than
one local bard. It arose from a raid made by
CORTAGHY.
115
a band of Caterans or Highland freebooters
upon the adjoining parish of Fearn, probably
sometime towards the close of the 17th
century. " The battle " resulted in the defeat
of the robbers by the Lowlanders, of whom
Winter was one, under the leadership of John
M'liitosh, farmer of Ledenhendry (Land of
the Lindsays, 208-U ; Epitaphs, i. 355).
From a loose slab at Cortachy : — •
Hie subtus jacent reliquiae Ann.e Far-
QDHARSON, Mrf. Gulielmi Badenach, Pastoris
Evaugelici in liis parochijs charissimse nxoris.
Nata; X"'" Martij anno MDCC — , obijt 27""'
Octobris 1736. Hasc corpus, sydera mentem.
[Here below lie the remains of Ann Far-
QUHARSON, the dearly beloved wife of Mr. Wm.
Badenach, minister of the Gospel in the.se
parishes. Born March 10, 17 — , she died Oct.
27, 1736. Her body is here, her spirit in heaven.]
— The above inscription relates to the first
wife of the Eev. Mr. Badenach, who was
translated from Cortachy to Alford, where he
died in 1746 (Epitaphs, i. 117).
Abridged from a headstone : —
Katerine Lewchars, wife of Jas. Sime,
gardener, Cortachy, d. 1 749. — " Having lived
a chaste maid, a virtuous and loving wife, a
prudent mother, and to crown all, a good
Christian."
From a headstone : —
A la m(5moire de Jane Wilson, dpouse de
Francois Poraz, morte a Cortachy le 29 Sep-
tembre 1832, ag^e de 35 ans.
I leave the world without a tear.
Save for the friends I hold so dear :
To heal their sorrows Lord decend.
And to the friendless prove a friend.
— Poraz, who died iu 1868, aged 72, was
buried in the Xew Cemetery of the parish,
which is situated near the hamlet of Dyke-,
head.
From the east side of a small head stone : —
Her lyes Iames Dwnkan who deprted Desem-
ber the 18 day 1707, and his age was 59. Mar-
garet Jak his spous, who dyed March 8 day,
and her age 78 yers, 1726.
A head stone at S.E. corner of the hirk bears :
1743 : Here lyes David Watt, sometime in-
dweller in Dykehead, who departed this life
Novr. the 17th 1742, aged 41 years.
Here lys a man of honest miud,
By no mean arts alur'd.
Who by a coui-se of verteous acts
Eternal life secur'd.
The following relates (supra, 97), to ances-
tors of Shaw of Newliall, in Kettins : —
Sacred to the memory of John Watt, tenant
in Cullow, who departed this life 15th day of
June, 1836, aged 97 yeare ; and of Janet Shaw,
his spouse, who died 24th May 1819, aged 74
years.
A smaU headstone, near the S.E. corner of
the kirkyard, initialed W. E., marks the grave
of the late Eev. William Eamsay, who was
minister here from 1795 until his death in
1818. Mr. Eamsay, who came from the
north country, was schoolmaster of Glamis
before he became minister of Cortachy ; and
it was during his time (as shown by the
following inscription) that a bell, now upon
the church of Glenprosen, was bought at the
expense of the parish of Cortachy : —
CAMPANA EMPTA IMPENSIS PARCECHI^
CORTACHENSIS, ANNO 1797,
REVERENDO GULIELMO RAMSAY
MINISTRO.
[This Bell was purchased at the expense of the
parish of Cortachy in the year 1797, during the
ministry of the Eev. William Eamsay.]
— One of Mr. Eamsay's sons became minister
of Alyth and another was a writer in Edin-
burgh. The latter married the daughter of
Mr. John Ogilvy of Jamaica, a son of Ogilvy
of Westhall, in Murroes, by whom he had
the late Mr. George Eamsaj'-Ogilvj^ advocate,
sometime sheriff-substitute at Dundee. Mr.
Sheriif Ogilvy succeeded to Westhall in virtue
of the settlement of a maternal aunt, and
leaving no issue, he bequeathed the estate to
his cousin, the Eev. David Ogilvy-Eamsay,
minister of Closeburn, and second son of the
minister of Alyth (Epitaphs,!. 125).
116
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
The next inscription (from a head stone) re-
fers to Mr. Eamsay's successor at Cortachy : —
1826. — Neai- this stone, the bodies of the Eevd.
John Gourlat, late minister of Cortachy, and
of Sarah Ann Hunter, his wife, do rest in
their graves till the Eesm-rection. Mr. Gonrlay
was the youngest son of Mr. John Gourlay, a
Burgess of Brechin. He was born in 1756, and
died in the 70th year of his age. For more than
30 years he assiduously laboured as assistant
minister of the parish of Arbuthnott : hence he
was removed to be minister of Lentrathen, and
was translated to the pastoral charge of this
parish about seven yeara before his decease.
[Upon rever.se of same stone] : —
!Mrs. GouELAT was the youngest daughter of
Mr. John Hunter, Millplough of Allardice, Ar-
bxithnott : she was born in 1765, survived her
father's family, and died in the 56th year of her
age, having constantly maintained the amiable
character of a prudent, affectionate, and tender
wife and mother. Mart Godrlat, their daugh-
ter, died in childhood, and her remains are in-
terred in the churchyard of Arbuthnott. The
surviving children are John and William.
From a granite headstone : — •
Erected to the memory of the Eev. William
Ogilvy. He was born in the parish of Newtyle,
2ud Feby. 1794. Licensed to preach, 2nd April,
1817. Settled minister of the united parishes of
Cortachy and Clova, 26th July, 1826, and died
27th July, 1848.
The barony of Cortachy, as already shown,
was granted by the Duke of Albany to his
brother, the Earl of Atholl, in 1409.
Having married a daughter of Sir David
Barclay of Brechin, Atholl assumed the title
of Lord of Brechin ; but before his execution,
in 1437, for the share which he had in the
murder of James I., he admitted that he held
the lordship of Brechin in courtesy of his wife
only, and that, although he had two sons, it
belonged of right to Sir Thomas Maule (Pe-
gistrum de Panmure). Cortachy and the
rest of the Earl's estates, with the exception
of Brechin, which passed to Sir Thomas Maule,
were forfeited to the Crown.
It would appear that "the King's barrony
of Cortachy " was given by James II. to
Walter Ogilvy of Oures, by charter of 12 th
May, 1473, but the grant was "revoked and
annulled because the said Walter payed not
the compositione thereof, blench for a raid
roiss at St. John's day, and for payment to
the chapleines and youtlis at the Kirk of
Brechin, and of St. Marie Kirk of KiUmoir,
besyde Brechin, of y"" yearly rents, due to
them out of the saids lands." By this charter,
which was given in favour of " Thomas
Ogilvy, of Clova, for his services," the rents
of the said lands are reserved for the " lyfetime
of Anselmus Adornes Knight." Sir Anselm
appears to have been in possession before
18tb April, 1472, as of that date, on obtaining
a charter of the barony of Tealing, &c., he
is designed " familiari militissio Anselmo
Adornes ds Cortachy " (Notes of Scottish
Charters, MS.)
This knight was for sometime conservator
of the Scotch privileges in Flanders, but was
deprived of that oflfice " at the desyre of the
merchands, seeing he was a stranger." He
was also a Lord of Council, 28th Nov., 1478.
Probably Sallikyn Adornes, who, on 19 th
Oct. of the following year, was found liable
to Alexander Broune in the payment of "x
merkis for a hors quhilks he bocht and
ressauit," was related in some way to Sir
Anselm. It is certain that Sir Anselm had a
daughter, named Euphan, and that he was
himself dead before 13th Oct., 1488 (Acta
Dom. Aud., 92, 111).
Thomas Ogilvy, of Clova, above mentioned,
was the second son of the thu-d baron of
Inverquharity. The house of Cortachy was
built by this branch of the Ogilvys, from
whom the house and lands of Cortachy were
acquired by Lord Airlie, about , and the
estate was given to one of the younger sons
of Airlie (Douglas' Baronage, 50). David
CLOVA.
117
Ogilvy, of Lawton, above referred to, third
son of tlie sixth Lord Ogilvy, was possibly in
possession of Cortachy at the time of his
death.
S. CoLii's Fair, or market of Muirsketh,
was held at Cortachy; and in 1681 (Acta
Pari., viii. 444), the Earl of Airlie had a
warrant to hold two fairs yearly at Cortachy,
with a weekly market at the Kirktown.
There had possibly been an altar to the
Nine Maidens within the church — the Nine
Maiden Well being near the kirk.
The bridge which crosses the South Esk
near the gate of Cortachy, erected in 1759,
was considerably widened and otherwise im-
proved, in 1842.
[Ills, comjjd. by Mr. Black, schoolnir.]
.v^\^^^v^^\^^^^^^w^\v\^^^^vv^^^v^v^^^^^vv^^ww^^
(? THE BLESSED VIRGIN.)
THE chapel and chaplainry of Cloueih, in
Angus, were early annexed to the kirk
of Glamis (Reg. Vet. de Aberbrothoc). The
chapel was in the diocese of St. Andrews, and
the teinds belonged to the Abbey of Arbroath.
In 1486, they were leased by Abbot David to
James Eouk, burgess of Dundee (Ibid., Nig).
In the year 1574, Cortachy and Clova were
served by one minister (supra, 110), and the
readership at Clova, valued at £16, besides
the kirk lauds, was vacant in 1574.
After the chapel of Clova was united to the
church of Cortachy (1618), the minister had
to preach two Sabbaths at the former place,
and three at the latter. In 1860, Clova was
erected into a quoad sacra parish, and a new
church was built in 1855, down to which
time "the jougs," a well-known instrument of
punishment for scolds and other ofl'enders.
now in the National Museum at Edinburgh,
were fixed into the kirk wall.
The oldest tombstone in the burial ground
bears the name of William Duncan, and the
date of 1787.
There being little of interest in the church-
yard, it may be stated in regard to the lands
of Clova that they were given by Bruce to
Donald, Earl of Mar, in 1324, and that in
13 — , they were resigned by Isabella, Countess
of Mar, in favour of the Earl of Crawford. In
1445, when Thomas Ogilvy, younger brother
of the laird of Inverquharity, joined the Lind-
says at the battle of Arbroath, he received a
grant of Clova from Earl Beardie (Lives of the
Lindsays, i. 131).
Ochterlony describes Clova (1682) as a
" f3me highland countrey, abounding in cattle
and sheep, some cornes, abundance of grass
and hay." It also appears from a letter
written about the same period by Sir Wm.
Ogilvy of Barras to Lord Airlie, that there
was " a goosehawk's eyrie " in the glen, the
former having engaged, on receiving from the
latter " ane goosehawke " from the " eyrie in
Clova," to give a hawk in exchange, which
Sir "William says, " is exactly ane fowlslayer,
for she hes slain at brooke vith my vther
hawk these three yeares" (Spald. Club Misc.,
V. 205.)
The whole district of Clova^ which is a
favourite resort for botanical students, be-
longed to the Ogilvys until the year 1871,
when the upper portion was sold to the Earl
of Southesk and ]Mr. Mackenzie of Glen-
muick. The former, who bought the western
or Glen Dole portion, and built a shooting
lodge upon it, sold the property, in 1876, to
Mr. Gurney. There was previously a lodge on
Mr. Mackenzie's portion. It stood close to the
waterfall of Bachnagairn, which Mr. Edward
118
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
describes (1678) as sending forth " a stream
whicli cannot so properly be said to ilow as to
precipitate itself from the hishest cliff of a
mountain for about one hundred fathoms."
The fact of Charles II. having visited Clova
has been already referred to (supra, 113), and
it ought to be added that, in October, 1861,
Queen Victoria viewed the same interesting
glen from the heights adjoining the Capel
Mount. There has been long a foot and
bridle road from the Valley of Strathmore by
Clova and the Capel Mount, to Deeside, and
according to Sir James Balfour (who classes
this route among " the cheiffe passages " from
the Tay to the Dee), it " conteins tea myles
of monthe."
The site of a chapel is still pointed out at
Lethnot, in Clova. It had probably been the
one which was destroyed by Major La Fausille,
who, on his visit to Glenesk and Clova in the
spring of 1746, burned down aU the " Jacobite
meeting-houses" he could find. On his return
to the army from these parts, he is said to
have joined it with " near 500 recovered men."
It was also at this time that Captain Hewitt
took possession of Lord Airlie's house, and
kept his lordship prisoner " until his people
should bring in their arms, and become
good subjects" (Eay's Eebellion).
^^^\^\^\^^\\^^^ww^\v\^^^v\v^^^\^'\.\^^^^^^^^^^\^^>
jBart) CuJtcr.
(S. MARY, VIRGIN.)
THE greater part of the parish of Marie-
culter was given by William the Lion,
about 1187, to the Knights Templars, and on
their suppression by Pope Clement V. in
1312, they were succeeded by the Knights of
St. John of Jerusalem, who retained the pro-
perty until the early part of the 16 th century.
The church of Mary Culter was within the
diocese of Aberdeen, and before the Ee-
formation it was a kind of chaplainry
dependent upon the church of Peter Culter
(Coll. Abd. Lanff).
There is no mention of the church of Mary
Culter in the Old Taxation. It is classed
along with those of Nigg and Strachan, in
1574, at which time Alex. Eobertson was
reader at Mary Culter, and had a salary of
£20 Scots.
The description of the "limites of 1^'Iarie-
culter," printed in the Register of the
Cathedral of Aberdeen (Spalding Club edit., i.
247), probably dates from about the middle
of the 15th century.
The parish lies mostly upon the south side
of the Dee. The kirkyard is about eight
miles from Aberdeen, and in the immediate
neighbourhood of the mansion-house of Mary
Culter. The kirk, like many others of the
same period, contained a number of wood
carvings, but these were scattered, and many
of them lost. The old manse is now occupied
by domestic servants.
Very little remains of the church beyond
its foundations. It was a long narrow building,
of about &^ feet in length, by about 28|
feet in width, and the walls were about 3 feet
3 inches thick. The piscina is stiU pretty
entire, also the effigies of a male and a
female, which are beautifully carved in free-
stone. The former figure, which is represented
in armour, with a sword by its side, has a
helmet for a pillow ; and the latter is dressed
in long and gracefully disposed robes, with
the head lying upon an embroidered cushion.
The hands of both are in devotional attitudes,
the heads surrounded with wreaths, and at
the feet of each lies a dog.
Although superior in conception and exe-
cution to most monuments of the same style
in Scotland, both are poorly represented iu
MARY CULTER.
119
an engraving in Archseologia Sootica (vol. iii.)
It is accompanied by a brief history of the
parish, written by Mr. Logan, author of the
Scottisli Gael, who gives various stories re-
garding the persons represented and the pre-
sence of the monuments at Mary Culter ; but
as the family burial place of the Menzies was
at St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, the most probable
opinion is that the effigies had been brought
thither for safety when the AVest Kirk was
being rebuilt, about 1751-5.
Assuming, as is commonly believed, that the
figures at Mary Culter represent a laird and
lady of that place, the style of the carving
seems to belong to about the middle of the
16th century, or to the period of Thomas
Menzies, of Mary Culter, who married Marion
Iteid, heiress of Pitfodels. A carving of the
Menzies and Keid arms, in Drum's Aisle, at
Aberdeen, is represented in the subjoined
woodcut, which has been kindly lent by Alex.
AValker, Esq., F.S.A. Scot., Dean of Guild,
Aberdeen.
The initials of T.M. and ]\LE., being upon
this slab, it had probably surmounted the
tomb of which the effigies formed a portion.
We are also inclined to believe, from the style
of the piscina, &c., at Mary Culter, that the
old kirk had been erected by the laird and
lady referred to.
The Menzies, who are said to have been a
branch of the Weem family in Perthshire,
acquired ilary Culter about the middle of the
14th century, and the Eeids received charters
of Pitfodels under the names of Badfothell
and Badfodell, in Banchory-Devenick, from
William de INIoravia, of Culbyn, in 1390.
Alexander, the last of the Eeids of Pitfodels,
was provost of Aberdeen, and dyiug in 1506,
was succeeded by his daughter, who, as
above mentioned, married the laird of Mary
Culter.
For many generations the Menzies had
great influence in and about Aberdeen ; but
being staunch Eomanists, they were not secure
from the persecutions that those of the same
faith were subjected to by the anti-popish
party, after the introduction of the reformed
religion. An. eccentric member of the family
who lived at Nigg, and looked upon Protes-
tants as the reverse of an enlightened body,
had possibly borne the persecution of his
ancestors in mind, when, on being asked by
the Eev. Dr. Cruden for a subscription to
assist to " bring in the^ heathen," profanely
enquired — " An' far the d — 1 wad ye bring
them till, Doctor f'
jMr. John Menzies, who died a very old
man in 1843, was the last of his race. He
was a member of the Abbotsford Club, and at
his expense the volume entitled Extracta
Variis e Cronicis Scocie, was printed for the
members. He was one of the most accom-
plished gentlemen of his time, and his purse
was open to the poor of all denominations.
He died, as was to be expected, a true believer
in the religion of his forefathers, of his attach-
ment to which he gave proof by making over
by deed, dated in 1827, the mansion-house
and lands of Blairs for the establishment of
120
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
a college for young men designed for the
Roman Catholic priesthood.
The mansion-house, now Blairs Collcrje, has
been much enlarged since Mr. Menzies' time,
and is occupied by five or six superiors or
teachers, and over fifty students. Besides
a library of great value, it contains a number
of interesting paintings, including an original
portrait of Cardinal Beaton, also a remark-
able portrait of Mary Queen of Scots. An
engraving of the former was made at the
expense of the late Mr. Patrick Chalmers of
Aldbar, for the Eegistrum de Aberbrothoc,
and the latter bears Latin inscriptions printed
in Memorials of Angus and the Mearns (482),
along with translations, which were obligingly
made for that work by the Eight Eev. Bishop
Strain, when president of the College.
The lairds of Kingcausie bury within the
area of the old kirk at Mary Culter, where
a granite headstone is thus inscribed : —
John Irvine-Boswell, born 28th Deer., 1785,
died 23rd Deer., 1860. Shibboleth Jesus. May
his memory be cherislied as a man who walked
with God and loved his Saviour, who in a care-
less time was not ashamed of his religion, but
boi-e a good Testimony. Par. Liv.
— Henry, third son of Alex. Irvine of Drum,
by a daughter of the first Lord Forbes, was
the first Irvine of Kingcausie. It is said that
one of the old lairds fell in love with a lady
in Aberdeen, who preferred the hand of a
citizen of " laigh degree ;" notwithstanding as
related in a verse of a now forgotten ballad,
the laird urged his suit by assuring " the lady
fair" that —
The wood o' Kiu'cousie is a' o'ergrown
\Vi' mony a braw apple tree —
Sae will ye no leave the Gallowgate Port,
An' come to Kin'cousie wi' me ?
The male succession having failed, the pro-
perty came to Anne Irvine, who, in 1793,
married Claude Boswell, advocate, afterwards
Lord Balrauto, by whom she had one son and
two daughters. The son, who died as above,
in 1860, married a daughter of Mr. Christie
of Durie, to whom there is also a monument
with this inscription : —
In memory of Margaret, daughter of James
C'liristie of Durie, widow of John Irvine-Boswell
of Balmuto and Kingcausie, died 18th April,
1875, aged 86 years. The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. Psalm xxiii. 1st.
— Mrs. Irvine-Boswell, who had no family
by her husband, erected a granite monument
to his memory upon the hill of Auchlee. It
contains the following inscription, which has
been kindly sent us by the Eev. Mr. Dur-
ward, late schoolmaster of Mary Culter : —
In memory of John Irvine-Boswell, of Bal-
muto and Kingcausie. Born 28th December
1785 ; died 23d December 1860. A man who
loved his Saviom-, walked stedfastly with his
God, and whose rule of life was — " Whatsoever
ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ." In early life he joined the
Coldstream Guards, and carried their Coloui's in
the battle of Talavera. Retiring from the ai-my
he settled at Kingcausie, and lived to transform
the natural barrenness of the Estate into luxuri-
ant fertility. He will long be remembered in
the district for the enlightened zeal he displayed
in the introduction of all the improvements of
modern agriculture ; and he did not confine his
attention to his own Estates, his knowledge and
experience being ever at the service of his neigh-
boars, rich and poor alike. In every position
and relation of life he maintained, with rare
fidelity, the chai'acter of a Christian gentleman ;
and he died in peace, simply trusting in the
merits of his Saviour for acceptance with his
God. His sorrowing widow, Margaret Irvine-
Boswell, erected this monument as a solace in
her bitter bereavement. A.D., M.D.CCC.LXIL
— Sirs. Irvine-Boswell was predeceased by a
nephew and niece, children of the late Mr.
Christie of Durie, both of whom were buried
at ISIary Culter. There is also a cross of
Aberdeen granite erected to the memory of
Mary- Anne Boswell, who was born 26th Feb.,
1798, and died I7th Dec, 1866. This lady
was the younger of Mr. Irvine-Boswell's two
sisters, and died unmarried. The elder, who
became the wife of Mr. Syme, drawing master
MARY CULTER.
121
at Dollar Academy, had a son and a daugliter.
The son succeeded to Balmuto, and the
daughter, who married Mr. Archer Fortescue
of Swanbister, in Orkney, became heiress of
Kingcausie.
A mural tablet of red granite, prefaced with
a quotation from Isaiah (chap. 1.x., 20), bears: —
^ Here rests in peace, awaiting the re-
suiTection of the just, the mortal remains of
Alexander Gordon, of Ellon. He was born
ill London, Deer. 18th, 1783 : he died at
EUon, March 21st, 1873.
— Mr. Gordon, who acquired the estate of
Auchlunies, in Mary Culter, from his father,
tliird Earl of Aberdeen, succeeded to Ellon,
on the death of the Hon. Wm. Gordon, in
1 845, under an entail executed by the Earl.
Mr. Gordon, who spent the early part of his
life in the army, was an officer under Sir John
Moore. He afterwards became secretary to
the Board of Manufactures in Scotland, and
was private secretary to the Earl of Eipon,
when president of the Board of Control. He
was much esteemed as a landlord, and was
all along remarkable for straightforwardness
and honesty of purpose (Epitaphs, i. 349).
He had five sons and three daughters by his
wife, whoso death is thus recorded upon a
separate slab : —
»J< Here rest in the sure hope of tlie re-
surrection to eternal life, through the atoning
blood of her Redeemer, the mortal remains of
Albinia-Elizabeth Cumberland, the beloved
wife of Alexander Gordon, of Ellon. Born 15tli
of April, 1787 ; died 7th of July, 1841. [Pro v.
xxxi., 28.]
The next inscription (which has taken the
place of another) is from a marble slab : —
In memory of Richard Lewis Hobart
Gordon, midshipman, R.N., third son of
Alexander and Albinia Gordon, of EUon,
(formerly of Auchlunies) : born 7th May,
1815, and was drowned 20th May, 1835, at the
wreck of H.M.S. Cliallenger, near Molquilla,
on the coast of Chili, in the performance of a
dangerous service essential to the safety of
his shipmates, for which he liad volunteered.
In Life he was beloved, and his Death was
bewailed by the ofificers and ship's company,
and deeply lamented by his relatives and
friends. In memory also of Sophia Albinia
Georgina, and Catherine Louisa Caroline,
daughtei-s of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, who died
in infancy, at Auchlunies, and are here interred.
From a flat stone adjoining : —
Sacred to the memory of Harriet Cumber-
land, aged 18, who died at Auchlunies, on
the 29th of May, 1812. She was the youngest
daughter of Richard Cumberland, Esq'., and
Albinia, daughter of George, third Earl of
Buckinghamshire.
A much defaced tombstone belongs to a
femily named Shepherd, whose descendants
still reside in Mary Culter, and occupy the
farm of Millbank. The stone lies below a
modern table-shaped one erected to the same
race, and is inscribed as follows : —
here lyes ane honest .vnd vertuous man
george shep .... who lived . . .
DDLETOUN .... DEPARTED THIS LIFE THE
30 OF MARCH 1712 OF AGE 47.
Upon a slab near the south dyke : ^
Here lyes the body of Isabella Mouat, who
died the 8th of October 1779.
A headstone, embellished with the black-
smith's crown and hammer, preserves tlie
rather uncommon surname of Ettershank : —
1777 : A.E : I.C. In memory of Alexander
Ethershank, late smith in CranesaiTp, who
died the 10 day of August 1776, aged 71 years.
Likewise of their children, Alexander, Anne,
William, Mart, & William.
A slab in the south dyke, embellished with
a hunting-horn, between a hammer and a
chisel (?), beai's these initials and date : —
L. F. : A. M. : 1713. G. F. : E. M.
From a flat slab : — ■
I. "W. : I. K. Here lyes Andrew William-
sone, who lived in Maiens of Portlathen, and
departed this life. May the 14 day 1772, and o
his age 22 years.
— Among other monuments which relate to
the same family, one shows that John
Williamson, tenant in Cockley, and his wife,
122
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Janet Ross, died respectively in 1751 and
1752, aged 72 and 71 ; and another bears
that William Bell, tenant in Cockley, died
in 1793, aged 82, and his widow, Margaeet
Williamson, in 1799, aged 78.
From the oldest of several monuments
belonging to a family named Donald : —
1725. Here lyes under the hope of a glorious
resurrection, Andrew Donald, wlio lived in
Tilbourie, and dejiarted this life the 22 of
August 1712, and of age 63 years.
The next inscription, from a table-shaped
stone, relates to ancestors of the Eev. A.
Gerard, LL.I)., a teacher in Gordon's Hospital,
Aberdeen : —
In memory cjf ThoJIAs (jerard, late farmer
in Whitestone, he died March the 10th 1733,
aged 66. Also Isobel McErcher, his spouse,
■who died Septr. the 18th 1736, aged 70 years.
Also Thom.\s Ger.\rd, their son, who died
February the 12th 1725, aged 27 years. Also
their son, Alexr. Gerard, late farmer in Roth-
ueck, who died Feby. 10th 1780, aged 84 years.
Also his wife Jean Knowles, who died Feby.
17th 1770, aged 70 years.
There are two elaborately carved tombstones,
the one flat, the other table-shaped, which
have evidently been cut by the same mason.
The inscription upon the former is altogether
obliterated ; and besides a margin ornament,
the latter bears two cherubs at the top. It
possibly belongs to relations of the Silvers
of Netherley, whose ancestors were carpenters
in Mary Culter (Epitaphs, i. 78). These traces
of an inscription are still visible : —
Here lies the body of William Silver, late
tenant iu he died ye 26 .
. . aged .... Also Iean B . . . .
. . she died and Iean .
their
eliildreu in infancy.
Wm. Milne, farmer, E\itlirie.ston, d. 1777, a. 65 :
All ye my Friends who do jiass by.
Look on my grave wherein I ly ;
From care and trouble I am sett free —
Mind on your sins — think not on me.
From a table-shaped /Vfi'sfoHf monument : —
This is to point out the dust of Mary Clark,
who died the 16th November 1795, aged 27 years,
and left a husband and infant daughter to lament
hir loss —
This lo.ss by mortal man must be sustained.
Since God is pleased to rob him of a friend.
This marble is erected by hir affectionate lius-
baud, James Reid, sou of James Reid in Cotthill
of Mary Culter ....
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
Viro Reverendo Joanni Glennie, D.D., probo,
docto, facundo, pietate a primis usque annis
siugulari prsedito, in pararehia de Dalmaik aunos
XIII. et dimidium, de Mary Culture fere
XXXIX. ecclesise pastori, summa cum laude
sua, populique emolumento omnibus officii
pastoralis muneribus functo, conjugi, patri,
amico, amantissimo, spectatissimo, qui, \'ita in
evaugelio praedicando, juventute erudienda,
liberisque ad bene beateque viveudum institu-
endis acta, placidam animam efflavit XIV.
Decemb. MDCCCL, annos habens LXXXL,
mensesque VI. Vidua liberique superstites
hasce vii-tutes grata memoria prosequentes, H.
M. P.
[To the memory of the Rev. John Glennie,
D.D., a virtuous, learned, and eloquent man,
endowed with rare piety from his earliest years,
mini.ster of the chmx-h and parish of Dalmaik
for thirteen and a half yeai-s, and of Mary
Culter for about thirty-nine years, during which
he discharged all the duties of the pastoral office
with the gi-eatest credit to himself, and ad-
vantage to his people ; a most loving and
respected husband, father, and friend, who, after
a life spent in preaching the Gospel, instructing
the young, and bringing xcp his children to live
well and happilj', died in peace, 14th Dec, 1801,
aged 81i years. His widow and surviving
children, cherishing a grateful recollection of
his virtues, erected this monument.]
— Dr. Glennie was the son of a farmer in the
parish of Mary Culter, and his wife was the
daughter of the Eev. Dr. Mitchell of Kinellar.
Dr. Glennie had a large family ; his youngest
sou, George, collegiate minister of the West
Church. Aberdeen, and Professor of Moral
Philosophy iu Marischal College, married Miss
Valentine, a niece of Dr. James Beattie,
author of The ]\Iinstrel. It was to this lady
that Dr. Beattie left the allegorical picture
which was painted of him by Sir Joshua
MARY OULTER.
123
Eeynolds, P.E.A., and which is still in the
possession of Dr. Beattie's grandnieoe, Miss
Glennie of the Galleries, Aberdeen. Dr.
Glennie's .sixth son, John, minister of Dun-
nottar, married Harriet, daughter of Dr.
Cook, St. Andrews, and was buried beside his
father, where his tombstone shows that ho
died 14th May, 1827, aged 61. His widow
and elder son, John, removed to St. Andrews,
where he studied for the Church, and died in
1812, aged 27. His mother also died there
in 1874, in her 87th year.
An enclosed stone at Mary Culter is thus
inscribed : —
In memory of Jessey Hector, wife of John
Glennie, Keuiierty, who died 6th Jul}', 1830,
aged 38 years. Also of their son, James Eobert,
who died 24th August, 1829, aged G yeai-s.
John Glennie, Kenuerty, who died 20th No-
vember, 1868, aged 81 years.
— Glennie is a name of some antiquity in and
about Aberdeen. William Glenny is men
tioiied in the oitj^ records in 1398 ; and about
the same time (1409) mass was said in the
church of Aberdeen for the wife of Angus
Glennie. Eonald Glennie was a man of pro-
perty in Aberdeen in 1492, and John Glen-
ning was in Kinkell in 1473 (Acta Aud., 24).
There have long been tenant farmers of the
name in the districts both of Dee and Don,
one of whom, who settled at Ardhunchar, in
Kildrummy, was ancestor of Mr. John S.
Stuart-Glennie, M.A., author of Arthurian
Localities, and other works. Another monu-
ment (within the same enclosure as the
above) relates to the parents of Mr. Egbert
Hector, J.P., who died at Montrose in 1874,
in his 73rd year : —
In memory of Susanna Davidson, wife of
James Hector, Fernyflatt. She died 21st May,
1819, aged 55, leaving a husband and twelve
affectiouate children to lament her loss and
to emulate her virtues. In the same grave
are deposited the remains of her Father and
Mother.
A headstone (raised by the late Mr. Gor-
don of Fyvie and IMary Culter) marks the
grave of a centenarian : —
Ei-ected in memory of Upiiemia Arther, who
died the 22nd March, 1823, aged 1U2 years,
spouse of the late George Fyfe, some time farmer
in Greenhead, parish of Fetteresso.
— Other tombstones at !Mary Culter exhibit
long ages, among which are one to the memory
of James Morrison, tenant in Windyedge,
who died in 1856, aged 92; and another to
James Lyon, fifty-three years farm overseer at
Netherley, who died in 1830, agc-d 82.
NEW BURIAL GROUND.
A new church was erected about a mile to
tlie south of the old site, in the year 1782.
It commands a fine view of the river Dee ;
and in the surrounding ground, at certain
seasons of the year, are some good examples
of " fairy rings," or the circles round which,
according to popular superstition, elves hold
nocturnal orgies.
There are several tombstones in the new
churchyard, and from these the following
inscriptions are selected : —
The gi-ave of Sarah Christina Wilson, wife
of the Rev. John Bower, minister of Maryculter.
She was born 5th Dec. 1787, aud died 3rd Jan.
1848. 1st Thes. chap. iv. ver. 13th and 14th.
And also of her husband, the Rev. John Bower,
who died on the ISth of Decemlier, 1866, in the
81st year of his age, and the 55tli of his ministry.
Rev. xiv. chap. 13th verse.
— Mr. Bower was sometime tutor in the family
of Col. Duff, of Fetteresso, and it was through
the Colonel's influence that he obtained the
living of Mary Culter. Mr. Bower's father,
who kept a day school in Longacre, Aberdeen,
was the first public teacher of the celebrated
Lord Byron, who attended Mr. Bower's school
for twelve months from 19th Nov., 1792. In
regard to this particular of Byron's history,
his lordship says : — " I was sent at five years
124
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
old, or earlier, to a school kept by a Mr.
Eowers, wlio was called ' Eodsy Bowers ' by
reason of his dapperness. It was a school
for both sexes. I learned little there, except
to repeat by rote the first lesson of mono-
syllables ('God made man'' — 'Let ns love
him '), by hearing it often repeated, without
acquiring a letter " (Byron's Life and "Works,
by Moore, i. 17).
The next three inscriptions, of which the
last two are abridged, relate to domestic ser-
vants who were remarkable for the length
of time they continued in the service of one
family — " a virtue " which, it is much to be
regretted, seems not only to be less cultivated,
but also less esteemed now than it was during
the times of our fathers : —
1859 : Erected by his Brothers, iu memory of
Alexander Cookie, who was servant at Manse
of Mary Oulter for forty-three years. He died
19th February, 1859, aged 71 years.
— " Sandy" took a deej) interest in church
politics at the time of the Disruption ; and
the farmer of Whitestone (pron. Fytestane),
having allowed the Free Church party to
meet npon his premises, Sandy celebrated the
event thus : —
There cam' a bleth'rin' filter
T' the paris' o' Mary C'ulter ;
An' frae the kirk he took a swai'in,
An' ."icapit it in I'ytie's barn !
Christian Bannerman, died 1840, aged 83.
She was upwai-ds of 50 years the faithful servant
of the Kiiigcausie family. Erected by John
Irv-iue-Bo.swell of Balnnito and Kiiigcausie.
[3.]
Robert Philip, overseer at Kingcausie, died
16th July, 1864, aged 73 :—
The valued servant of Mr Irvine-Boswell,
whose various improvements he superintended
for 47 years. He was trusted and esteemed by
his employer, respected by all who knew him,
and in his daily life and conversation was a
thiuuughly Christian man.
Besides the church of Mary Colter and its
vicarage, we have already seen that a great
part of the lands belonged to the Knights of
St. John, and when the religious orders in
Scotland were permitted to feu their lands
(f. 1528), Gilbert Menzies, of Pitfodels, and
his uncle, the laird of Findon, as well as the
Irvines of Drum, and Provost Collison, of
Aberdeen, obtained portions of Mary Culter.
The manor place or preceptory lands, which
included the ilains of Mary Culter, were
acquired by Lindsay, a brother of the Grand
Master of St. John, who in the year 1545
became bound to furnish his superior, the
Knight Precepitor of Torphichen, with " thre
barrell of salmont yeirlie for the Weill Water
anentis Furd, conforme to the auld tak maid
a before."
The Weill and the Furd are still known,
and the fishermen of the present time shoot
their nets from the Ford into the Weal, at the
top of which is the Peter Well of Peter
Culter. The Ford was the ferryboat station,
until the Dee changed its course at this
point, after which it was removed to the Inch
Farm.
On the death of Lindsay, who also owned
EssintuUy, the manor place of Mary Culter
passed to Lord Torphichen, who had the
lands of the Order of St. John made into a
temporal barony. From one of his successors,
the manor place was bought b}^ Menzies of
Pitfodels about 1618, who, long before, owned
a portion of the same lands (supra, 119).
It is probably to about the latter date that
the older portion of the present house of
Mary Culter belongs, and in which there is
said to have been a private chapel or oratory.
The house was much altered and added to by
General Gordon, of Fyvie, who bought the
property from ]Mr. Menzies about 1809.
General Gordon died at Mary Culter, and was
succeeded by his son William, who carried
DALLAS.
125
the old house bell to Fyvie, after ue ceased
to live there.
The mansion house of Mary Culter, which
is approached by a carriage drive of nearly a
mile in length, is nicely situated upon the
south bank of the Dee, and surrounded b}'
many old trees. There are several curiously
shaped iirs in the avenue, particularly one
tree with its branches formed somewhat like
those of a huge chandelier.
When the new turnpike road was made on
the south side of the Dee (1836-7), a bridge
was erected over the romantic burn of Mary
Culter, near the Mill Inn, where there has
long been a hostelry.
[Ins. compd. by the Eev. Mr. DiirwM'il, A.M.]
\%\W\\WV*\\%\\%N\\\\\\\\\\%\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\N\\
Dallas.
(S. MICHAEL, AKCH ANGEL.)
IN confirming eight of the old canonries of
the Cathedral of Elgin, in 1226, men-
tion is made of the church of Dolays Mijchel.
In 13.50, the church of DolaijsmyeheJ, of
which the sub-dean of Moray was incumbent,
is rated at lis. Scots (Eeg. Ep. Morav.)
In 1574, the kirks of Birneth (Birnie) and
Doles were under one minister, and Alex.
Johnstone was reader at the latter.
The river Lossie runs past, anil Michael's
AVell is close beside the kirk. Michael
Fair was held there in old times, and a mar-
ket cross, of the fleiu'-de-Hs pattern — unfortu-
nately much injured— -stands in the burial-
ground. A stone effigy of the saint (at one
time in a niche in the wall of the old kirk),
lies beside the cross.
The date upon the belfrj', 1793, has refe-
rence to the building of the present church.
within which is the following inscription upon
a marble tablet : — •
Helen Cumixg, lawfull daughter of Alexander
Cuming of Craigmill and Elizabeth Tulloh, died
the 14th Nov. 1800, and was interred in the
family burial ground, which is opposite to, and
a few feet distant from, the outside of the south-
east door of this church. Also are interred in
the same burying ground daughters of Alexander
( 'uming of Craigmill : Margaret Cuming, who
died at Elgin, 21st January 1808 ; Jean Cum-
ing, who died at Elgin, 2d November 1817 ;
Clementina Cuming, who died at Elgin, 2nd
June 1821 ; Eliza Cuming, who died at Elgin,
7th December 1835.
— William Cuming, the eldest son by a third
marriage of James Cuming of Eelugas and
Presley, was the first of the Craigmill Cum-
ings, and his full brother George was an
officer under Gustavus Adolphus (Douglas'
Baronage).
One of this famil}', who was Commissioner
to the Duke of Perth, was at the battle of
CuUoden, where he was taken prisoner, and
carried to London. Having been released
from prison, through some influence unknown
to himself, he returned home, and about 1752,
sold the property of Craigmill to Mr. Grant of
Elchies.
The next three inscriptions (in the church-
yard) relate to memliors of the same family :
[1.]
Sacred to the memory of Peter Cuming of
Craigmill, Esquhe, who died at Blackhills on the
14th April, 1811, aged eighty-five years ; and
Mi-s. IsoBEL Leslie of Balnageith, his spouse
who died at Blackhills on the 30th November'
1823, aged ninety j'ears.
— Mrs. Cuming's ancestors, who acquired the
property of Balnageith, near Forres, about
the end of the 17th century, were a branch of
the noble family of Eothes. The Eev. Mr.
Leslie, minister of St. Andrews Lhanbryde,
who also attained to the age of 90, was the
father of Mrs. Cuming, and other children
one of whom, a son, sold Balnageith about the
year 1849.
126
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of Lachlan Cuming,
Esquire of Blackhills, who was the sou of Peter
Cuming of Craigmill, Esqr., and Mi's Isobel
Leslie of Balnageith. Affectionate duty and
kindness, as a son and a brother, were the en-
dearing study of his whole life. He died 19th
November, 1836, aged eighty years.
[3.]
Erected by his children to the memory of
Thomas Cuming, Esq. of Demarara, who died in
Elgin on the 26th, and was inter'd here on the
31st of March 1813, aged 73 years. He lived 50
years iu that Colony ; was a principal promoter
of its prosperity and wealth, an affectionate
husband, an indulgent parent, a kind friend, and
a truly benevolent man, esteemed and beloved
by all who ever knew him.
From a headstone : —
This is The Burial Place of Alex. Buie,
Sometime Ventener in Elgin, who died June The
12th 1758, Aged 51, and Jannet Richard His
Spouse.
O mortal man. Stay and observe
that Strenth nor walth Cannot preserve
you from the Grave where now I ly
my Soul is far beyond the Sky
thy thoughts on wordly things are lost
when death apears you soon must post
Here lyes also the body of Charles Buie some-
time Farmer in Torrie Castle who dyed Feb. the
9th 1773, Aged 52 years & his Spuse Agnes
Watson who dyed Octr. the 8th 1793, aged 55
years.
Near the above : —
This Stone is plesed here By John Camroh
Mason in EdinviU in memory of his Virtuous
Mother Elisabeth Camrou "Who died 3th Novem-
ber 1779 Aged 47 years. She was prudent,
Virtuous, Temprat, Chast though early Stript
of Life. Her Soul imortal Among the Blist
Above We Hope Treumphs in her Eedemers
love.
The expression " of" in next inscription is
scarcely correct, Mr. Dick having been tenant
of the farm of Ehininver, under Sir William
Gordon-Cuming, Bart. : —
Sacred to the memory of Wm. Dick, Esq., of
Rhininver, who died on the 8th day of October,
1846.
This district gave surname to the family of
DoLLAS, or Dallas, one of whom, William of
Doleys, knight, witnessed Hugh Herock's gift
of the lands of Daldeleyth (Dandeleith) to the
church of the Holy Trinity of Elgin, 1286.
The direct male line of the family failed in
Archibald Dallas of that Ilk. In U28 his
daughter and heiress, Elizabeth, wife of Dun-
can Eraser, of the Lovat family, disponed her
right of Dallas to her uncle, the laird of Easter
Ford.
Sir Thomas Cuming of Altyre, some time
before 1411, obtained certain lands within the
barony, and in 1419, received a licence from
James I. to erect a castle or fortalice at
Dallas. Euins of the stronghold and out-
works of Turaoastle, which appear to have
been moated, occupy an eminence on the side
of Dorval burn, about a mile north from the
church.
In 1622 .Tames Cuming of Altyre had a
charter of the advocation of tlie kirk of
Dallas, which was retained by the Baronets
of Altyre until the abolition of patronage.
Farquhar, second son of Alexander Cuming
of Altyre, was possibly the first Cuming that
held the Kellas portion of the parish. He
appears to have had a mind of his own, and,
as tradition avers, having quarrelled with his
brother, and being refused burial in the tomb
of his ancestors, he assumed, by way of
revenge, the surname of Farquharson. From
him are said to be descended the Farquhar-
sons of Haughton, and other families of that
name in Aberdeenslm-e (Epitaphs, i. 118.)
A rude undressed boulder, possibly the
remains of a stone circle, which stands on the
oast side of the parish, is said to mark the site
of an old church or a burial-place.
A bridge, which crossed the Lossie, near
the church, was carried away by the floods
of 1829, and was replaced by the present free-
stone structure, which has three arches.
CLUNY.
127
The village of Dallas, wliicli is a feu off
the Altyre estates, was founded about eighty
years ago, and contains from 40 to 50 houses.
Dallas (Dal-enJ appears to mean the river-
haugh ; and Kellas (Kml-e-s) the narrow
river, is quite descriptive of the latter district
as compared with the former.
[Ins. conijKl. b}' Mr. Yoiilig, late schoolmr.]
C J u n \y.
(S. )
THE kirk of Gluiiy or Cleyn (prou. Cleenie),
belonged to the Cathedral of Aberdeen.
It is rated at 17s. 4d. m the Taxation of 1275
(Theiner), and at 8 merks in the Eeg. Ep.
Aberdonensis. The churches of Cluny and
Monymusk were both served by one minister
in 157-4, and John Strachan was reader at
the former.
The kirk is described, about 1732, as "a
cross church, having one aisle for the Gor-
dons of Cluny, and another for the Erasers of
MuchU." It stood within the burial ground
untU about 1789, when it was demolished,
and the present church erected upon an emi-
nence on the opposite side of the public road.
Thechurch bell (supra, 14), is thus inscribed: —
lOA. MOWAT, VET. ABD. ME FECIT
IX USUM ECCLESI^ DE CLUNY.
SABBATA PANGO, FUNERA PLANGO.
In 1743, when the parish of Kinerny was
suppressed, one portion of it was added to
Cluny, and the other to Midmar (supra, 81).
There is no monument to the Gordons of
Cluny, and the old famUy vault is filled with
rubbish. A little to the X.W. is the Eraser
vault, a circular building of grey granite, with
dome. A carving of the family arms, with a
crescent for a difference, and the motto, je
suis PEEST (I am ready), is over the door.
Eound the pediment, in large characters, is
this brief inscription, which gives both the
name of the erector, and the year in which
the aisle was built : —
ELYZA ERASER OF CASTLE ERASER.
MD.CCC.VIII.
— This branch of the Erasers, who came from
Stirlingshu'e, exchanged the lands of Corn-
toun with James II. for those of Stoneywood
and Muchal, or Muchal-in-Mar, which was the
old name of the property of Castle Eraser.
Andrew, son of Thomas Eraser of Stoney-
wood, had charters of the barony of Stoney-
wood and of Muchwells in 1535-6, and his
grandson, also named Andrew, was created a
peer in 1633, by the title of Lord Eraser.
The title became extinct on the death of
Charles, fourth Lord Eraser, who was acci-
dentally kOled by a fall over a precipice near
Banff, in 1720, and his estates were settled
on the issue of his wife, Lady Margaret
Er.skine, by her first husband, Simon Eraser
of Inverallochy (grandson of the Hon. Sir
Simon Eraser of Inverallochy, second son of
the eighth Lord Lovat). Their grandson,
William, the last of the male line of Inver-
allochy, was succeeded in Inverallochy by
his eldest sister, ^Martha, wife of Colin Mac-
kenzie of Kilcoy, and in Castle Eraser by
his younger sister, Eliza. Martha had, with
other children. Sir Colin Mackenzie of Kil-
coy, Bart., and Alexander, M.P. for Eoss.
The latter succeeded his mother in the lauds
of Inverallochy, and on the death of his
aunt, Miss Eltza Eraser, he also acquired
Castle Eraser, when he assumed the additional
surname of Fraser. He married a sister of
Erancis, Lord Seaforth, by whom he had,
with other issue, the late Colonel Charles
128
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Fraser, whose son, Col. Frederick, is now in
possession of the estate.
Castle Fraser, of which Billings gives three
engravings, is in much the same style of
architecture as Glamis Castle, and the follow-
ing date and letters, upon the north or old
front, probahly supply, not only the year in
which that portion of the house was built, but
also (supra, 82) the name of the architect or
principal mason : —
16 17
I -BEL
MMEF
[? I. Bel muiifex me fecit — I. Bel, mason, built me.]
The royal arms of Scotland, dated 1570 or
1576, are also upon the north side, below
which, initialed A.F. and E.D., are the arms
of Andrew Fraser and his wife Elizabeth,
second daughter of Douglas, Earl of Buchan.
These were the parents of Andrew, the first
Lord Fraser, who married a daughter of Lord
Balmerino. Their arms and initials are also
at Castle Fraser, but as the initials of the
lady's Christian name is given in two instances
as M, the name of Anne in Douglas' Peerage
(i. 183, 607) must be a mistake.
It would also appear that this laird was
married before his father's death, and had,
besides his successor, another son, whose
name is not in peerage books. These points
are proved from the fact that, on 26th Jan.,
1622, Sir "WiUiam Keith of Ludquharn, and
Hew Charteris, were both charged " for
allegit airt and pairt of the daith and slauchter
of vmq'" Andro Fraser, ane young infant
bahne, soue to Andro Fraser, younger of
Mukallis." Both were at the same time
charged with the taking away of Alexander
Pedder, miller of Faichfield, out of his house
under night " mother-naikit as he was borne,"
and of carrying him to the place of Faichfield,
where they scourged him with " suord-beltis
and horse-brydillis vp and doun the hall
thairof, to the effusioun of his bluid."
Upon the south or present front of the
Castle are the arms of Charles, fourth Lord
Fraser, and his wife Lady Margaret, daughter
of Ersliine, Earl of Buchan. Over a coronet
is the motto — all . my . hoip . is . in . god ;
below the shield is the date of 1683, and on
the left and right respectively are the initials
L.C.F. : L.M.JS. The date of 1618 is over
the south-east dormer window, and the fol-
lowing inscription is upon the west side of
the Castle : —
JE • SUIS ■ BREST.
1795.
ELYZA • FEASEE.
Besides the interesting architectural peculi-
arities of Castle Fraser, there is much to
admire in the manner in which the house and
its surroundings have been preserved, for
while it has quite the air and elegance of a
modern mansion, its original characteristics
remain comparatively imtouched.
!Miss Fraser, who died in 1814, did much
to improve the property by the building of
farm steadings and the planting of waste
land. The thoroughfare from Aberdeen to
Muchals then crossed the GallowhiU by Court
Cairn, and with the view of saving its steep-
ness, she formed the road which passes from
Muchals, by Achath, to Bervie, where it joins
the Aberdeen road. She possessed a highly
cultivated mind, and having a taste for the
picturesque, had walks and carriage-drives
made out, also a canal to the south of the
Castle, where she kept a pleasure boat and
swans. The latter was removed by the late
Col. Fraser, who had tlie jslace drained
and laid under cultivation. In a thicket
on the south side of the Castle stands a
piece of dressed granite, which was brought
from the hill of Coreene. It is pyra-
midal in form, 8^ feet in height, and rests
CLUNY.
129
upon a base of about 5 feet square. Upon
each of its sides is one of the following in-
scriptions, -which have been kindly communi-
cated by l\Ir. Harper, schoolmaster of Cluny : —
Mary Bristow died at Castle Fraser, XXIX
October, MDCC^CV. Sacred to the memory of
a Friendship whicli subsisted forty yeare, Elyza
Fraser erects this monumeut in the groves
jilanted by her lamented frieud. Vale ! Heu
quanto minus est cum reliquis vei-sari quam tui
niemiuisse !
[Farewell ! alas, how much less is the society
of othei-s, than the memory of thee !]
[2.]
Endowed with a benevolent heart, elegant
taste, unassuming manners, an informed mind,
unruffled by passion, a sincere Christian, un-
tainted by pre j udice. Such was the friend wh ose
loss is deplored by Elyza Eraser. Such was
Mary Bristow.
— Miss Bristow was a daughter of JSIr. John
Bristow, of Quiddenliam, jSTorfolk, and mater-
nal aunt of the third Lord Lyttleton. Both she
and Miss Fraser were on the most intimate
terms with the Kemnay familj^ and among
other things which Miss Fraser left the late
Miss Burnett, were miniatures of herself and
Miss Bristow. These are now in the possession
of Miss Burnett's nephew, George Burnett,
Esq., Lyon-King-at-Arms, who has most cour-
teously furnished us with much valuable in-
formation for our notes on Cluny.
[3.]
lu memoiy of Lieuteuant-Geueral Alexr.
M'Kenzie Fraser, Colonel of the 78 Rest.,
died 15th Sept'., 1809, aged 51. In all his mili-
tary career for zeal & steadyuess, surpassed by
none : in length & variety of service equalled by
few. Warm in his affections ; cool in his judg-
ment ; mild in his marmere ; firm in his pur-
poses ; beloved, esteemed, & regretted. In-
scribed to her nephew by Elyza Eraser.
[4.]
Sacred to the memory of Elyza Eraser, late
possessor of this Castle, who departed this life
on the 8th JanJ'., 1814, aged 80. Distinguisheil
by her intellectual attainments & polite accom-
plishments, and still more by those virtues which
dignify & exalt human nature, and after a life
spent in the uniform & active discharge of every
Christian duty, she resigned her breath, in the
joyful hope of a glorious immortality. That her
memory may be cherished by the inhabitants of
this place is the sincere prayer of her grateful
relation & successor, Charles Fraser.
To the south-east of the Castle- Fraser vault
is that of the old Gordons of Cluny. The
opening is partially concealed by " a rosun-ec-
tion-prevention safe " — a granite stone shaped
like a coffin, but much larger, with massive
iron bars screwed into it, and i^rojecting from
its ends and edges at right angles — which was
laid over the coffin to prevent resurrectionists
from removing the corpse for anatomical
purposes. The vault, which contains no
monument, is filled with rubbish.
It was in 14-t9-.50 that the first Earl of
Huntly had a grant of Cluny from James XL,
and the property appears to have remained in
the hands of the chief of the Gordons until
1539, when Alexander, third son of the third
Earl of Huntly, received Cluny from his
father in exchange for Strathdown.
The Gordons of Cluny were also large land-
owners in Birse, and Sir Thomas, who suc-
ceeded his father, John Gordon, in 1602, in
certain lands in that parish, married Grizel, a
daughter of Lord Innermeath (Doug. Peerage).
It would appear, from a carved stone panel,
now in the lobby of Cluny Castle, that Sir
Thomas had either erected a new house upon
the property, or made some alterations upon
the old one. The slab, which is in excellent
preservation, presents a good carving of tlie
Gordon-Seton coat, also this inscription : —
S.
T. SVB . SPES . DOMINVS G.
THOM • GORDON • A • CLVNY • MILES
ME . FECIT : 1 : 6 : 0 : 4.
Bemg one of the leaders of the Popish party
against King James, Sir Thomas, along with
130
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
his cliiof and many clansmen, was declared a
traitor, and on 9th March, 1592-3, acommission
was appointed " to pas, searche, seik, and tak"
those who were denounced as rebels, and also
those who were engaged in the " birning of
the Place of Dynnibirsell and murtliour of
vmqle James, Earl of Murray," in both of
which affairs Sir Thomas appears to have been
concerned (Crim. Trials).
Like man}- of his followers, however, ho
was eventually pardoned. He probably died
before May, 1617, as at that time his son
Alexander, who married a daughter of the
Earl of Angus, received the honour of knight-
hood, and, in 1627, he was created a baronet
with remainder to his heirs male, but dying
without male issue, the baronetcy became
extinct. Sir Alexander took a prominent
part in the events of his time, and in noticing
the death of Sir John Leslie of "Wardes,
which occurred at Aberdeen on 3rd Feb.,
164:5, Spalding says that he was "a great
enemy to the Laird of Clunj^, who mellit with
his estait."
Upon the back of a J a is, or long wooden
sofa-like seat, which is preserved at Cluny
Castle, are carved the Gordon arms (three
boars' heads couped), the initials W. G., and
the date of 1607. The same arms are also
upon an old chair, which boars the initials
I.G., andtlie following invocation and date: —
O • MY ■ SA^O, • REST ■ IN ■ PEACE •
1 C 3 1.
We have no means of identifying the owners
of either of these relics. lioth may have
formed part of the furnishings of the old
Castle of Cluny, the iron yett or grated door
of which is still preserved, and the ditch or
fosse, which surrounded the fortalice, is also
traceable.
It is certain that the old Gordons were out
of Cluny about or soon after the middle of
the 17th century, and that it was mortgaged
to, or money lent upon it by, Thos. Nicolson,
burgess of Aberdeen, who, in 164-4, was one
of several persons that petitioned Parliament
to have an investigation made of a process
which was raised against Sir Alex. Gordon of
Cluny and his associates by " the relict and
bairnes of vmqle "William Brown for his pre-
tendit slauchter." How the affair ended is
uncertain, but later in the same year Sir
Alexander was "wairdit in the tolbuith of
Edinburgh" at the instance of Sir Thomas
Nicolson, advocate, son of the above-named
burgess, for a debt of 1100 merks with interest
thereon (Acta Pari., vi. pt. i. 106).
It was possibly about this time that George
Xicolson, a brother of Sir Thomas', and
also an advocate, succeeded to a portion of
Clunj', he having, in 1669, received liberty to
hold a market at the Kirktowu (Ibid., vii.)
He was also proprietor of Kemnay, and, on
being raised to the bench in 1682, assumed
the title of Lord Kemnay. He was alive in
1707, and having been created a baronet, was
succeeded in the title, first, by his eldest son,
Thomas, who died in 1728, leaving daughters
only, and next, by his second son AVilliam,
laird of Gleubervie.
But Sir Alexander, the last of the old
Gordons of Cluny, was followed in the main
portion of it by a second family of Gordons;, it
having been acquired either by Eobert, son of
Sir Eobert Gordon of Gordonstown (first
baronet), or by his son, also Eobert. The
latter married a daughter of Lord Arbuthnott,
and was father of another Eobert Gordon of
Clun\', who died in 1729, and is interred in
Lady Yester's Church, Edinburgh. On his
death, his uncle, Kenneth Gordon, advocate,
succeeded to Clunj-, and seems to have sold
it. Kenneth had a son, Eobert, who was
served heir to his mother in 1741, but there is
no service to his father.
OLUNT.
131
It was some time about the middle of the
last century that Cluny was acquired by the
present family, the first of whom, John Gor-
don, factor to the Duke of Gordon, had a
grant of arms as " Gordon of Cluny" in 1753.
He is said to have come from Glenlivet to
Focliabers as local factor or " curator," as he
was familiarly called, to the third Duke of
Gordon, and to have amassed so much wealth
as tacksman of the salmon fishings on the
Spey that he was able to make monetary
advances on various properties in the neigli-
bourhood, of which he ultimately became the
possessor. He was succeeded in the estate
of Cluny by his son, Cosmo, who was bred an
advocate, and appointed a Baron of Exchequer
iu 1778. He was one of those to whom Dr.
Beattie inscribed the volume of Essays and
Fragments in prose and verse by his son, Jas.
Hay Beattie (1795). On the death of his
wife, to whom he was married on 30th June,
1786, and who was the only daughter of
Henry Baillie of Carubroe, Baron Gordon
gifted a pair of communion cups to the church,
upon which is the following : —
Presented to the Congregatimi of Cluny by Baron
GOUDON, An Heritor in the parish, in consequenee of
an Intrntinn i .e inisxi'd by his Amiable a ml Arr,nii-
plialiid ■•-iiniis,; M.Miv Baillie, who inf. i mn.r/.'n.i/h/
earrcl ■•/ If,/ <i J'nlenl Fever, after afeir tin, is ,//„<.«,
upon the -Alth day of May 1791, in the S-ird Year cf
her Age.
Baron Gordon had two brothers, Charles
and Alexander, who both went to India, wliere
they acquired vast riches. They were tlie
principal proprietors of the island of Tobago,
and although " the curator" may have been
pretty wealthy for his time and opportunities,
the great mass of the fortunes of the family
had doubtless come from the West Indies.
Alexander, the second .son, who died un-
married, at Bath, in 1801, was designed of
Bellmount, Tobago, and his brother Charles,
who succeeded to Cluny on Baron Gordon's
death, died at his residence of Braid, near
Edinburgh, in 1814. By Joanna Trotter he
left three sons and two daughters. The
daugliters were both married, the elder,
Joanna, to IMr. J. W. H. Dalryniple (who
afterwards succeeded his cousin as 7th Earl of
Stair), from whom she obtained a separation,
and the younger, INIary, was tlie wife of Sir
J. L. Johnstone of "Westerhall, Bart. In the
announcement of the marriage of Mr. Charles
Gordon with iMiss Trotter, which took place
on 8th jSTov., 1775, slie is described as " Miss
Jackie, daughter of Thomas Trotter, Esq. of
Mortonball" (Scots Maga.)
The sons, John, Cosmo-George, and Alex-
ander, left no legitimate issue. The last two
died in 1795 and 1839 respectively, and
John, who succeeded to Cluny on the death
of his father, Charles, in 181 i, inherited the
wealth of the family, and died in 1858, at the
age of 82, leaving in money and property
from two to three millions sterling.
Besides adding greatly to his landed estate,
the late ilr. Gordon, who was colonel of the
Aberdeenshire Militia, and some time an
M.P., buUt the present fine edifice of Cluny
Castle. His son has added a handsome chapel
to it ; and also made great and permanent im-
provements upon the whole of his estates in
the counties of Aberdeen and Banff.
The family burial place is in St. Cuthbert's
Churchyard, Edinburgh, where the present
laird erected a mausoleum, in which tliere are
four inscribed tablets :—
Here He interred Cosmo Gordon, one of the
Barons of Exchequer, who died 22nd Nov'., 1800.
Alexander Gordon, who died 2d Oct'., 1801;
Alexander Gordon, who died 12th Oct'., 1839 ;
Joanna Gordon, Countess of Stair, who died
ICth Feb>-- 1847.
[2.]
Fere lie interred Mary Baillie, wife of
Baron Gordon, who died SOth iMay, 17'.)1 ;
132
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Cosmo-George Gordox, who died 12tli Sept'.,
1795 ;
Susan Gordon, who died 6th Aug''., 1856 ;
Charles Gordon, who died 12th Dec'., 1857.
[3.]
Here lie interred Joanna Trotter, wlio died
Vth Sept'., 1798 ;
Charles Gordon, who died 13th May, 1814;
Mart Steel-Gordon, who died 13th July,
1833 ;
Mary Gordon, who died 7th July, 1846 ;
Colonel John Gordon of Cluny, who died
16th July, 1858.
[4.]
In the east wall is a moilallion portrait, in
marble, of the first wife of the present laird,
and below is the following : —
Clara-Margaret-Jean, wife of John Gordon
of Cluny, died at Bonchureh, Isle of Wight, 12th
February, 1864, aged 21 years.
The next inscription is from a table stone in
the churchyard of Cluny : —
In memory of Egbert Burnett, Esq' of
Sauchen, who died 1768, aged 84 ; and of Jean
Barclay, his spouse, who died 1786, aged 71.
Also of their sou Andrew, who died 1770, aged
24 ; and of Mart, then- daughter, died 1784, aged
45. Also James Scott, late tenant in Achath,
o-randsou of the said Robert Burnett, who died
the 18th January, 1815, aged 39 years. And of
Elizabeth Cruickshank, his spouse, who died
at Aberdeen, 7th August, 1856, aged 72 years.
Also of David Scott, late tenant in Achath,
their son, who died at Aberdeen, 3rd May, 18G4,
aged 53 years.
— Thomas, eldest son, by a second marriage of
the first ]5aronet of Leys, got Sauchen by
marriage with the elder daughter and co-heir
of William Burnett of Sauchen, parson of
Kinerny. He was succeeded by his son,
Kobert, who was minister at Banchory-Ter-
nan, and father of Eobert Burnett, who died
in 1768, by whose surviving daughters the
property was sold (Epitaphs, i. 4). The minis-
ter's younger brother, Andrew, presented two
communion cups to the church of Cluny ;
both are of the ordinary tumbler form, with
curved lips, and thus inscribed : —
This Cup was gifted to the Church of Cbiney hy
Andrew Burnett, in Abd., son to y" Deceast Thomat
Bwrnett, sometime Laird ofSauchene. 1725.
— Sauchen now belongs to Mr. John Bumett-
Craigie of Linton (anciently Cairndije). Cairn-
dye belonged to Lumsdens for sometime be-
fore and after 1696. It lies within the
Kinerny portion of Cluny, and was owned
about 1730 by Burnett of Camphill, an early
cadet branch of the Leys family, descended
from "William Burnett of Craigour and Camp-
hill, who fell at Pinkie. One of these Burnetts,
a well-known gallant in his time, is celebrated
by Forbes of Disblair in the name of a
Strathspey, which is more remarkable for
its spirited effect than for the delicacy of
its title. Burnett of Cairndye " was out in
the '4.5," and the family ended in a dumb
lady, who married a son of the Eev. Mr.
Craigie of Old Deer. Their son married a
daughter of the Eev. Mr. Shepherd of Daviot,
by whom he had the present laird of Lin-
ton and other children. The present laird's
father died in early life, and his widow
married the Eev. Mr. Burnett, of the Fiee
Church, Huntly.
There are no monuments in the Linton
burial place, which is an enclosure to the
north-west of the Castle-Fraser aisle. Near to
it is a coffin-shaped slab, embellished with
mortuary emblems : —
Under this stone belonging to me Tohn
Brownie, lyes my two decased spoues : Helen
Meldrom, my first spouse, who departed this
life Feby. 9, 1719, aged 32 ; and Barbra Cristie,
my second spous, who departed April 1, 1727,
and of age 36. The Lord gave, and the Lord
hath taken away, blessed be the name of the
Lord.
An adjoining table-stone shews that the
united ages of the last four recorded upon it
amounted to the long period of 338 years : — ■
Of Egbert Bbowny & his wife.
Here ly the bones at rest ;
Who of a married state of life
The dutys all exprest.
OLUNY.
133
With God sincere, with neighbours just,
Tliey liv'd from vice unstain'd ;
By i)reeept & example they
Their sous to virtue train'd.
Egbert Browny died Aug. 26th, 1737, aged
50. Agnes Chrysty, Jary. 19th, 1751, aged 50.
C'has. Brown, died May 19th, 1797, aged 87.
Elizabeth Barron, his wife, died Mar. 17, 1803,
aged 83. Kgbt. Brown died Aug. 7th, 1835,
aged 84. Barbar.a Urquhart, his wife, died
1st April, 1844, aged 84.
Near the above : —
Here lie the bodies of Mr. Eobt. Michie,
minister of Cluuy, who died the 15th June, 1791,
An. jSA: 77, minist. 51 ; and of Janet Irvine,
his spouse, who died the 9th April, 1790, JEA,. 75.
— It is told of Mr. Michie, who wrote a good
account of the parish for Sir John Sinclair's
great work, that, being entrusted with the dis-
tribution of the Government supply of meal,
which was sent to the parish during the
"dear" or famine year of 1788, he urged the
necessity of economy upon the people by
quaintly remarking — " For gweed sake, sir-s,
baud in upo' the women an' the yeild nowt ! "
Mr. Michie was succeeded by Mr. Mearns,
to whose memory there is a table-shaped stone
thus inscribed : —
Alexander Mearns, apud Toviam XVII.
annos, in hacce pai oecia XXVI., ecclesise pastor
omnium erga suos officionim bene peritus, inque
omnia diligenter incumbens, nulla in re rudis,
quo non iutegrioris vit«, non spectatior alter
ob. XXIII die Apr. A.t»., MDCCCXX, wt
LXXVIII. Conjux pia fidelissima, Anna
MoRisoN, post mariti mortem III. anuis exactis
diebusque LXXIV, hie quoque requiescit loci,
annos habeus LXXXV.
[Alexander Mearns, minister of Towie for
seventeen, and of this parish for twenty-six
years, tlioroughly acquainted with all the duties
of his office, which he discharged with equal dili-
gence and ability, second to none in integrity of
life, or the esteem which he enjoyed, died 23d
April 1820, aged 78. His pious and most faith-
ful wife, Ann Morison, who died at the age of 85,
having survived her husband 3 years and 74 days,
also rests here.]
— Mr. Mearns (whose father w^as minister of
Insch) married a daughter of Provost Morison
of Aberdeen, by whom he had a son, some-
time minister at Tarves, afterwards Professor
of Divinity in King's College, Aberdeen, like-
wise a daughter, who died at the age of 85.
It was through this relationship that the
Eev. Dr. jMearns, minister of Kineff', came
to the properties of Disblair and Elsick.
Mr. ilearns' immediate successor in Cluny
was Mr. John Praser, at one time school-
master at Inverurie, and a son of Baillie
Praser of Kintore. He died in 1850, aged
C7, and was succeeded by ]\Ir. Alexander
Eamage, who died in 1865, aged 51, to whose
memory the parishioners erected a monument.
Mr. Eamage's father, who was an ingenious
optician in Aberdeen, planned and made some
of the best reflecting telescopes of his time,
which had a place in the Greenwich Observa-
tory, along with those of Sir John Herschell.
The next five inscriptions are from table
stones : — •
[1-J
This is the burying place of John Kemp por-
tioner in Gilcomston, and Stocat Head, and here
lies the remains of Christian Laiib, his spouse,
who departed this life the 11th of Aprile, 1775,
aged 37 years.
m
In memory of Egbert Donald, sometime
farmer in Midmar, who died the 3d day of Oc-
tober, 1796, in the 70th year of his age. And
also of his wife, Barbara Harvey, who died
the 27th day of March, 1812, in the 83rd year of
her age.
[3.]
To the memory of John Donald, late farmer
in Tilliedaff, Midmar, who dejjartecl this life the
14 July, 1795, aged 55 years. Erected by his
spouse Janet Harvey. She died the 8 of May,
1804, aged 72 yeai-s, and her remains also ly in-
terred under this stone.
— Barbara and Janet Harvey were nearly re-
lated to John Harvey, schoolmaster of Mid-
mar, some of whose sous became West India
planters and merchants, and amassed great
wealth. The younger left part of his estate
to two nephews of the name of Aberdein
and Parquhar, who both assumed the surname
134
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
of Harvey. The former bought Kinnetlles,
in Angus, and the latter Castlesemple, in
Renfrew.
[4.]
Here lyes Jean Reid, spous to James Robert-
sou in Drumnahoy, who dep'. this life Dec. the
30, 1731, aged 51 yeare. This stone belongs to
me James Robertson, in Drumnahoy. Vivet
post fimera virtus. Likwise James Robertson,
who died on the 22nd of december 1765, aged 94.
[5.]
To the memory of Alexander Robertson,
merch' in Aberdeen, son of Thomas Robertson,
sometime farmer in Nether Sauchen, who died
the 2'' AprO 1794, aged 47 years.
— Alexander Eobertson bequeathed to the
kirk-session the interest of £100 for behoof of
the poor of the parish, also the interest of £200
to the parochial schoolmaster for teaching
" eight poor children." The schoolmaster
enjoyed the benefit of this gift until the
failure of a late firm of advocates in Aberdeen,
when the principal was lost. Upon the same
stone are recorded the deaths of John, Andrew,
and James, brothers of the above, who died in
1795, 1800, and 1819, also of Agnes Forbes,
and Margaret Barron, both wives of the
last-mentioned of these brothers.
A table stone records the death of the Kev.
George Mitchell, 31 years schoolmaster, and
latterly assistant minister of Cluny, who died
in 1822, aged 58 ; another is to the memory
of Alex. Law, A.M., son of the farmer of
Denmill, who was schoolmaster of Monymusk,
and died in 1821, aged 63, and a third also
shows that the Rev. Charles Lawie, who fol-
lowed the same useful and laborious profession
in the parochial school of Gamrie, died in
1845, in his 27tli year.
There has been long a Secession Church in
the Midmar district, and this inscription, from
an obelisk, refers to one of the ministers : —
In memory of the Revd. .James Paterson,
A.M., minister of the Ud. Secession Churcli,
Midmar, who died 8th March, 1838, in the 62'"'
year of his age, and 33'' of his ministry. This
tombstone is erected by his family.
From a headstone : —
In memory of Alexander Ogg, wlio died 30
.June 1836, aged 70. His wife Helen Lawie,
who died June .30, 1834, aged 78. And then-
son James, who died in ehOdhood.
— These were the parents of the Rev. Charles
Ogg, late minister of Inverallochy, who is
now in his eighty-third year. He writes that
he has a distinct recollection of Baron Gordon,
and knew the late Miss Fraser personally,
also her friend IVIiss Bristow. He was present
at the bringing of the stone from the hill of
Coreene, which forms the monument, and
describes Lieut. F. M'Kenzie-Fraser, of the
78th Regiment, whom he saw in the barracks
at Aberdeen in 1813-14, as "a gigantic man,
and quite capable of upholding, as is reported
of him. the character of the British soldier."
There are several rude stone circles in tlie
parish of Cluny, also single boulders, at one
of which, " le Graystane of Cluny," and at
the " Courtcairn" on the Gallowhill, near
Castle Fraser, the barony Courts of Cluny and
Muchal were held respectively. To the south-
east of the Gallowhill is the Tipper Well, the
only spring, we believe, in the parish with a
distinctive name.
Several stone coffins, containing urns and
human bones, have been discovered through-
out the parish, and at Drumnahoy, near Castle
Fraser, there was a weem or Pict's house. It
was about 51 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 6
feet high. In a space round this cave, which
was long left uncultivated, and known as the
" Pestgraves," human bones have been fre-
quently turned up (Proceed. So. Ant., i. 263).
This is possibly the spot where the "16 or 17
persons" were buried, who are said to have
died of the plague in Cluny in 1666.
CLUNY.
135
A boulder called the Wolfstane, witli a
cavity in the top, stands about 1-|- mile west
by north of the church. Its use is unknown,
but it resembles pretty much the boulder at
Peter Culter, called the Doupln Stane, in
which the youngest burgess of Aberdeen is
placed at the riding of the town's marches.
A considerable portion of the ruins of Tilly-
cairn Castle still remains. It was the resi-
dence of Matthew Lumsdex, who wrote a
Description of the Genealogie of the Houss of
Forbes ; and there probably he " departit the
xxij day of June, 1580 yeris."
Long before Cluny came into the hands of
the Earl of Huntly, it belonged to the Frasers
of Cowie and Durris. This was in the time
of Eobert the Bruce ; and in that of David II.,
the Earl of Sutherland and Margaret, the
King's sister, had charters of the barony and
advocation of the kirk.
Although a great portion of the parish had
been a swamp at one time, the water is now
confined into the Burn of Cluny, which
passes near the mansion-house, and adds much
to its amenity. Cluaiii, or Clunie, means
meadow or lawn — a fertile piece of land sur-
rounded by a bog or marsh, or a bog on one
side and water on the other (Joyce).
fins, compel, by Mr Harper, schoolmr ]
^ t r t c 1) e n.
(S. JOHX, EVANGELIST.)
THE parish of StricJicyn was formed out
of those of Fraserbm-gh (anciently
Pliilorth) and Eathen, but chiefly out of the
latter. The inhabitants long continued to
bury their dead at Eathen, and some of the
I ijch-daneg, or boulders, which were used for
resting coffins upon, when being conveyed to
the churchyard, still stand by the side of the
old road which leads to Eathen, through be-
tween the hills ofMormond (Epitaphs, i. 136).
These stones were named from the Anglo-
Saxon word lie or lijce, " a dead body or
corpse."
A church and family burial aisle were built
at Strichen in 1620, by Thomas Fraser, pro-
prietor of the district. Strichen was made into
a separate parish by Act of Assembly in 1627,
and confirmed by Act of Parliament in 1633.
The church and aisle were erected upon the
west liank of the Ugie, not far from the man-
sion-house, and the original kirk, which had
received occasional repairs and alterations, was
taken down in 1798-9.
The burial aisle still remains, and although
it contains no tombstones, the Session records
show that several members of the family of
Strichen were interred there, including the
Hon. Alex.'vxder Eraser, Lord Strichen, who
was a Senator of the College of Justice, and
died at Strichen House, 15th Feb. 1775. He
was the great grandson of the founder of the
church of Strichen, and succeeded his elder
brother, James, who died without issue in
1725. Lord Strichen, who was raised to the
bench in 1730, married Ann, Countess of
Bute, who predeceased him about 1759, and
by whom he had an only son and heh. His
Lordship occupied a seat upon the bench for
the long period of forty -five years, and is said
to have been one of the judges who sat upon
the famous trials of Effie Deans, in 1736, and
the Douglas Cause, in 1768.
Lord Strichen's son married the only daugh-
ter of Menzies of Culdares, by whom he had
a large family. The eldest son, Alexander,
who was a captain in the First Dragoon
Guards, married a daughter of the Eoman
Catholic family of Leslie of Balquhain. He
died in 1803, and was succeeded by his only
136
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
son, Thomas Alexander, who came to Uic
estates of Lovat about 1816, and in 1857 tlie
House of Lords adjudged him the dormant
title of Lord Lovat. His Lordship died at
Beaufort Castle, Inverness-shire, in 1875, in
his 73rd year, and was succeeded by his eldest
son in the titles and estates of Lovat.
It was the late Lord Lovat who, in 1822,
founded the present mansion-house of Htricheu,
which was erected after plans by Mr. Smith
of Aberdeen. In 1855 the estate of Striclien
was sold to Mr. George Baird, of the Gart-
sherrie family, who married Cecilia, daugh-
ter of Eear-Adniiral Hattcn, of Clonard,
CO. "Wexford. Mr. Baird died suddenly at
Strichen House in August, 1870, in his 60th
year, and was succeeded by his only child,
George Alexander, who was born in 1861.
Since Mr. Baird bought Strichen, the estate
has been added to by the purchase of the
JMill of Adziell — the rest of AdzieU having
been bought by the late Lord Lovat, from
Admiral Ferguson of Pitfour, some thirty or
forty years before Mr. Baird acquired the
property. By building, draining, &c., Mr.
Baird and his trustees have much improved
the appearance of the estate, ami nearly
doubled its value. Adziell, Skilliemarno, and
Boginjohn, were parts of the forfeited estates
of Earl Marischal.
The oldest session-book now known at
Strichen begins, 16th Nov., 1662, and the
first ejitry has reference to the induction to
the church of Mr. Alex. Eoss, as successor to
Mr. Wm. Scott, who was the first minister of
the parish. Mr Eoss was ordained minister
of Strichen by Bishop Mitchell, within the
Cathedral of Aberdeen, 25th Oct., 1662, and
on the 9th of Nov. following he was " insti-
tut" to the church by the Eev. James Moore,
minister of Rathen, by order of the Bishop.
On making inquiry regarding the " pub-
lict furnitur of the church" after his induc-
tion, Mr. Eoss found "y' y'' vas ane half
houre sand glasse, ane Basine & cloath for
baptisime, ane Psalme Book but no Bible at
all, three coniumnione tables & on table cloth
y' covers them all, foure fourmes, ane great
kist, made after the forme of ane seatt, no
Baptisme Book, no buriall Book, but y'' is ane
session Book from the Erectione of the Church
till y** yeer of God 165.3, September ij, but
since that time to the present ministers entrie,
ney' Book nor scrol, excejit on year 1660, q'''
I [the clerk] could not insert."
The clerk was " ordaynet" to keep minutes
of baptisms and marriages, and the church
officer of burials " till y"' Session buy Books
for them." It aj^pears that " the Laird" was
in. the custom of furnishing " y'^ elements
yearly"; but no mortifications belonged to the
parish at that date, " except on by the Laird
of Streichyne to the scholl of ane house &
yard, & tuo bols soweing, as is clerely seen in
y'' mortificatione in y" old register, pag not
being quotit, yeer of God 1640 Session de-
cembr 27."
But the scantiness of the " furnitur" did
not prevent an attempt being made to make
it still less, for it ajjpears that on the 1st of
March, 1663, Andrew Dickie was " delait" for
making free with no less sacred an object than
" y ■ Psalme Book." He confessed to having
the book in his possession, but denied that he
stole it out of the church, asserting that he had
" bought it from ane stranger." But the Ses-
sion, disbelieving Dickie's statement, not only
fined him in the sum of 40s. Scots, but or-
dered him to sit upon the public place of re-
pentance " till they were satisfied."
The bell bears the following inscription,
kindly furnished by Mr. J. Stewart, jun. : —
HENRICK • TER • HOEST •
ME • FECIT • DAVENTRI.E •
ANNO • 1633.
[Heurick Ter Hoi'st made me at Deventer iu 1633.]
STRIGHEN.
13?
One of two unused tin communion cups,
beai-s " STKi ■ ■ en • 1672," and the " Baptism
Bason nf Siriehcn" is dated 1763. The church
stands upon the south side of the churchyard,
at a short distance from the site of the old
kirk. An addition was recently made to the
burial ground ; and from the gravestones, in
the old portion, the following inscriptions are
quoted.
A flat slab, upon which are ruile carvings of
an open book, a winged sandglass, a coffin, a
candlestick, a skull and crossed bones, bears : —
Here lyes Mr Iames Park, minister of the
Gospell sometime at Urquhart, who dj'ed the 5
of August 1691 :—
Cwra ciirarum est ciira aiihiuirum.
The care of cares is the care of souls.
This may be a document for all preachers, though
private Christians have not such a charge of the
so\ils of others as preachers have ; yet everie on
hath a soul of liis own which he must count to
God for, what will it advantage a man though
he should gain the whol world and loss his oun
soul, Mat. IG, 26. Precious Christ said to Peter,
Loves Tliow me, who answered, Lord thow
knouest I Love The Then feed my Lambs,
Juhn 21, 15. The sun of righteousness is be-
lievers hajipiues.
— Mr. Park, who was "servitor or pedagogue
to the laird of Innes's children," was appointed
to the church of Urquhart in 1647, and de-
posed in 1 660, when ho retired to his property
of Cranocli, and died at Clayfords in Stricheu
(Scott's Fasti.) Upon a table stone : —
Here lyes the body of Iames Chewis, who
lived all his life in Tarfat, who departed this
life, Dessember the 2, 1732, being the 81 year of
his age ; & here lyes the body of Isobel Crudex,
spouse to lames Chewis, who departed this life
the 18 of Desember, being the 77 year of hir
age, 1727.
— Chewis and his wife, along with their man-
servant, George Woodman, and their herd,
Andrew Shirrar, were charged poll tax in
1696. Woodman is an old name in Strichen.
Thomas, in Auchnary, who died in 1791,
aged 78, is the first recorded in the church-
yard ; and John, medical practitioner in
Strichen, who died in 1857, aged 57, is one of
the latest. The latter had a brother William,
schoolmaster of Fraserburgh and a licen-
tiate of the Church of Scotland, who died in
1862, aged 71. F'rom a table stone : —
Here is interred the body of Margaret
Urquhart, spouse to Mr. William Finnib,
-schoolmaster in Strichen. She deceased XXVIII
May MDCCXXXVI. Undei- this stone also lies
interred the body of tlic said Mr. William
FiNNiE, who died XV Feb. MDCCLVII, aged
LXVI. Also of William Finnie, son to sd Mr.
Finnic by his wife Auue Swtor, who died 11
Deer. MDCCLXIV, aged XXVI ; and of Iean
Fixnie their daughter, who died 8th Nov. 1769,
aged 28. Also of Anne Sutor, wife and mother
as before inscribed, who died 28th Api'il, 1771,
aged 56 years.
— Mr. Finuie was probably tlie immediate
successor of William Gordon, who was teacher
at Strichen in 1696, and whoso poll was 6s.,
being about the same sum as was paid by farm
servants and herds !
Under this lyes the body of Barbara Fal-
coner, united for 36 years to William Ironside,
in Burushangie, but this bond of union bieng
dissolved by death, 12th June 1763, aged 75
years —
My once fair body is brought here,
In mould'ring dust to lie ;
But lovely Jesus will it raise.
Never again to die.
Also the body of the said William Ironside,
who died the 8th of Dec. 1792, aged 88 years.
From a flat stone, upon which a sandglass,
a bell, a coffin, cross bones, an open book, &c.,
are carved : —
memento MORI.
This glass is run, these bones ly in the grave.
And who. looks ou, may think no teme thay Lave.
A. S. Hear leys the body of Alexander
Spark, who lived inthisChurchtoun of Strichen,
aud died ther. lun ye 8, 1728. Also of Charles
Spark. He died Febr. 5th, 1782, aged 68.
— Not a vestige now remains of " this Clmrch-
toun," the alehouse of which was kept by
Spark. In 1696, John Spark, tenant in
Kirkton, and his wife were charged 1 6s. poll.
A table stone, embellished with a tailor's
138
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS.
goose, scissors, and bodkin, also some mortu-
ary emblems, is thus inscribed : —
In hopes of a blessed resurrection, here lyes
the body of John Henderson, taylor in Chappel-
hill, in parish of Stricheu, who dyed the 2d of
Feb. 1730, aged 57, & his spouse Elspet Milne,
who died the 14th Augsi, 1720, aged 47, and
their son John Henderson.
From a table stone : —
To the memory of John Petrie, sometime
blacksmith in Redbogg, lie died Nov' IS"" 1757,
agd 82. Also his spouse, Jannet Glenny, & of
their children, John, George, Alexk., Jean,
Thomas, & Jas. Petries.
Upon a flat stone at end of aisle : —
Here lies Robert Milne, who livd at Mill of
Tyrie. He died 1776, aged 74 :—
My friend thou hast put far from me
& him y' did we love,
& those y' miu Aquanteuce were,
by death thou did remove.
The next monument, if it maybe so termed,
is possibly unique, the inscription being rudely
carved upon the side of a well- worn grindstone,
which, according to report, was carried by the
widow of the deceased upon her back from
her husband's smithy at Cairndale, in Old
Deer, and laid upon his grave at Strichen : —
Here are
Deposited in hop
Of a blessed Resun-ection
The Remains of lames
laffrey B S sometime
Cairndel Q 'who depart
ed this life lune le"- 1770 agd
' years.
— Michael and William Jaftrey, who tenanted
JS'' ether Adziell in 1696, were possibly ance.s-
tors of the above. The name is one of pretty
long standing in Strichen.
The next four inscriptions are from table-
shaped stones : —
Wii. Gall, Bogeujohn, d. 1791, a. 70. Marot.
Perry, his wf, d. 18(J8, a. 73 : —
O paseuger be to thyself so kind,
As on this stone to cast thine eyes & mind ;
& think on death while time is lent to ye,
For God commands the so to do.
[2.]
Under this stone lies inten-ed the body of
Alexander Morris, farmer in Hawkhill, who
died 26th Janry., 1776, aged 81 years ; also the
body of Emelia Allaroyce, his spouse, who
died 9th April, 1780, aged 84 years. This happy
Couple lived for 55 years in a married Stat(\
[3.]
Here are deposited the remains of the Rever-
end Mr. John Smith, who was ordained minis-
ter of Strichen, the 23rd of Novr., 1748, & died
the 26th of Deer., 1784, aged 77 years.
—Mr. Smith, previously schoolmaster at Long-
side, was succeeded by Mr. Anderson :—
[4.]
To the memory of the Rev. William An-
derson, A.M., minister of this parish. He
was admitted to that office XXII. Sept.,
MDCCLXXXV, and died XVII. July,
MDCCCVI, in the XLIX. year of his age.
Under this stone also are interred the remains
of his spouse, Mi-s. Helen Findlay, who died
X. August, MDCCCLIV., aged LXXIV. years ;
and of her sister. Miss Catherine Findlay,
daughter of Alexander Findlay, physician in
Fraserburgh. She died March, MDCCCXXXI,
aged LVIII. years.
— The session records contain lengthy and
curious notices regarding a messenger-at-arms
and a tailor, who, in Mr. Anderson's time,
both persisted in " singing in such a loud,
vociferous, and irregular manner" in church,
" as entirely to disconcert the precentor and
congregation." The minister and kirk-session
put the case into the hands of the procurator-
fiscal, and the matter was settled by the ac-
cused agreeing to pay any expenses that had
been incurred, to find security for their proper
behaviour in future, and not to sing " longer
or stronger than the precentor, or in any sort
of irregularity."
j\Ir. Anderson was come of a family who,
STRICHEN.
139
as recorded on two adjoining gravestones, oc-
cupied the farm of Eurnshangie ; and John,
the lirst named, died there in 1731, aged 61.
The minister's son Alexander, advocate in
Aberileen, and some time Lord Provost of that
cit}', feceived the honour of knighthood, 13th
Oct., 1863, when the Queen inaugurated
Marochetti's bronze statue of the late Prince-
Consort, which stands at the north-west cor-
ner of Union Bridge. In acknowledgment of
Sir Alexander's public services, which were all
of the most disinterested and useful nature,
his fellow-citizens had his portrait painted for
the City Hall, by their townsman, George
Reid, P.S.A. An aunt of Sir Alexander's
died at Strichen in 1877, at the age of 94.
From a marble monviment near west gate : —
To the memory of Arthur Simpson, M.A.,
eldest son of the Rev''. Alexander Simpson,
minister of this parish, student of divinity, and
teacher in Robert Gordon's Hospital, Aberdeen.
He died the 10th of February 1838, in the 2.5th
year of his age. His amiable disposition, and
excellent terajier, his mild and unassuming
manners, his unblemished character, and Ids sin-
cere and unaffected piety, greatly endeared liim
to his fondly attached parents and all who knew
him.
In the adjoining grave, within this enclosure,
are interred the remains of the above-mentioned
Reverend Alexander Simpson, who was born
on the 16th day of April 1778, admitted to the
pastoral charge of this parish on the 18th day of
June 1807, and died on the 3d day of May
1852, &c. . . . This burying-ground belongs
solely to the family of the late Rev. Alexander
Simpson.
— The above was the father of 'Mr. Alex.
Simpson, advocate. Golden Square, Aberdeen,
and of two daughters, one of whom married
the I'ev. Dr. Forsyth, and the other the late
Dr. Kerr, both of Aberdeen.
The oldest of three adjoining tombstones
bears the following : —
Under this stone wei'e interred the remains of
Mart Grew, wife of John Adamson, in Newton
of Strichen. She died X. Sept. MDCCXCVII,
in the LX. year of her age. Here also lies
buried John Adamson, above-mentioned, who
died IV. March MDCCCIX., aged about
LXXIII.
O, tread these mouldering heaps with awe !
Think that the grave belongs to thee ;
Revere high Heaven's eternal law,
And live for immortality.
— John Adamson was a grandson of Geo.
Adamson, jun., tenant of Nether Glaslaw, in
Aberdour (1696), by his wife, Jean, daughter
of Forbes of Pitnacalder. Mr. Adamson, who
died 1809, was long factor for Fraser of
Strichen, and left two sons and two daugh-
ters. The youngest daughter JIary, became
the wife of Dr. Alex. Gavin, of Strichen ; and
the eldest, Elizabeth, married John Ander-
son, who succeeded her father as factor. Mr.
Anderson died in 1838, aged 79, and his wife
in 1843, aged 78. Their son, John, now pro-
prietor of Westhill, in Skene, also succeeded
his father as factor on Strichen, and held that
office for four years after the property was
sold to Mr. Baird.
As recorded upon an adjoining tombstone,
Mr. Adamson's eldest son, John, fanner of
Xewton, married Isobel Anderson, and
died in 1822, in his 55th year. His younger
brother, Alexander, greatly distinguished
himself at College by gaining the Eev. Dr.
Buchanan's prize for the best Latin poem on
the Civilization of India. It was printed
in 1808, under the title of " Ode in Collegium
Bengalense." He died while schoolmaster of
Peterhead, and upon a flat slab is this inscrip-
tion to his memory : —
Alexandro Adamson, Strichenensi, literarum
atque soientiie amantissimo, pietatis virtutumque
cultori ingeuuo, sed parum sibi placenti, qui,
natus XVI. Dec, MDCCLXXIL, per totam
fere vitam valetudine oppre.ssus, obiit XXXI.
Jan., MDCCCXII, Maria soror H.M.P.C. Stat
sua cuique dies ; breve et irreparabile tempus
omnibus est vitte.
[To Alexander Adamson, of Strichen, a great
lover of literature and science, and a sincere and
humble-miniled follower of piety smd virtue, who
was born 16th December, 1772, and died Slst
140
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Jamiavy, 1812, having been an invalid nearly all
his life. His sister Mary caused this monument
to be erected.]
The next inscription (from a granite head-
stone) relates to the erector of the last noticed
monument and her husband : — •
In affectionate remembi-ance of Alexander
Gavin, surtjeon in Strichen, born 12th Septem-
ber, 1776 ; died 22nd January, 1841. This stone
■was erected by his widow, Mart Gavin. She
■who erected this monumental stone departed
this life, the 6th day of July, 1852, in the 74th
year of her age. " Her children arise up and call
her blessed."
— Dr. Gavin began his professional career in
the Navy as assistant-surgeon on board the
Buadicea frigate, and after <a few months — pro-
motion being rapid in those days — he was ap-
pointed surgeon to the Arrow. He served in
that ship, in Eiou's (" the gallant, good Eiou")
squadron, under Nelson, at Copenhagen, in
1801, and was transferred during the action
to the Monarch, where the carnage was fright-
ful, and the surgeons were overpowered with
work. Dr. Gavin again joined his first ship,
the Boadicea, and when it was paid off
commission, he returned to Strichen, where
he began practice. He was invited a few
months afterwards to join a new ship, to which
his old captain. Sir Eichard Keats, had been
commissioned ; but being on the eve of his
marriage, a contrary influence prevailed, and
he spent the remainder of his life in his native
parish, where he gained a high reputation as a
surgeon, particularly as a lithotomist. Dr.
Gavin, who was predeceased by a daughter and
two sons, had a large family by his wife, one
of whom, Dr. W. A. Gavin, succeeded to his
father's practice at Strichen, which he has
long carried on with success. The following
relates to Dr. W. A. Gavin's grandparents : —
To the memory of William Gavin, manufac-
turer in Strichen, & his spouse, Margaret For-
STTii. The latter died the 1 1th Sept., 1823, aged
81), and the former on the 28 May, 1833, aged
82 years.
Isabel Robertson, d. 1768, a. 56 : —
How lov'd, how valued once avails thee not,
'J"o whom related, or by wlmm forgot ;
A heej) of dust alone remains of thee
'Tis all thou art, and all the jjroud shall be.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
Under this stone (erected by John Gordon,
farmer in Auchmaoleedv), is interred his wife
Elizabeth Findlater, who died Nov 27"' 1821,
in the 75th year of her age. Also, the said
John Gordon, who died the 2nd day of Octr.,
1824, aged 78 years. Likewise their son, Mr.
John Gordon, A.M., 55 years parochial school-
master of this parish, who died the 8th May,
1857, aged 77 years.
— By pursuing a life-long course of rigid
economy, the schoolmaster amassed consider-
able wealth, part of which came to his brother
George, feuar in Mormond Village, who died
in-18C3, aged 76. Aware that his brother
(who died intestate) intended to benefit the
parish school iu some way, Mr. Geo. Gordon
founded several bursaries in connection with
it. He also gave a considerable sum towards
" Nicol's Free School" (s. Appexdis).
From a tablet in east wall of kirk3'ard : —
Here lyes the body of James Adamson, M.A.,
parish of Strichen, who died on 3rd Dec, 1796,
in the 77tli year of his age.
Among the nonagenarians whose deaths are
recorded at Strichen no fewer than five oc-
cur in the next two inscriptions, making the
united ages 457 years : —
[1]
In memory of John Hardy, late blacksmith
in Cortes, who departed this life 27" Sept'.,
1813, aged 92 years. Also Mary Petrie, his
spouse, who departed this life 21st Oct'., 1812,
aged 93 years. Their son, John Hardt, some
time merchant at Ratheu, who died at Fraser-
burgh on 9th January, 1855, aged 91 years ; and
his wife. Christian Scott, who died the 21st
C»ctober, 1848, aged 74 years. Also their son,
John Hardy, late farmer, Kirktown, Fraser-
burgh, died 23rd February, 1847, iu his 40th
year. [Two sisters died j'oung]
[2.]
. . . Ann Smith died the 9th July, 1828,
aged 90. and George Reid died 24th Feb., 1830,
aged 91 . . .
/
STRICHEN.
141
Isabella Simpson, d. 1827- a. S-'i ; her husband,
Jas. Trail, Mill of Bnixie, d. 1854, a, 82 :—
In hope to sing without a sob
the anthem ever new,
I gladly bid the dusty glob
and vain delights Adieu.
From a headstone : —
James Taylor, who died 12th Nov., 184(i,
aged 90, was watch maker in Strichen nearly 47
years, born in London, but his ancestors belonged
to the city of Perth, where they were Hammer-
men and Burgesses time immemorial.
— Tradition says that Taylor's real name was
Douglas, and that he had to leave London
during the political disiurbauces -which took
place there towards the beginning of the pre-
sent centuiy. The stone was erected hy his
son, Joseph Douglas Taylor, watchmaker in
Striohen, who died in 1851, aged 57.
Upon a flat slab : —
John Baxter, and M. Davidson his wife.
Lived fifty yeai-s a conjugal life ; [terr'd
On one niglit they both died, & here are in-
Bv relations & neighbours rever'd. [& 77.
They departed this life Febry. 21", 1826, aged 80
Alex. IIrquhart, farmer, Burngrains, Meth-
lic, d. 1824, a 65 ; his wife Isabel Bl.vck, d.
1834, a. 85 :—
O blest exchange, O envied lot.
Without a conflict crowned ;
A stranger to pain, in pleasure blest
And without fame renowned.
— This happy state of existence contrasts
strangely with that described in the following
lines, from a tombstone to Geo. Eobertson,
farmer, Lochills, who died in 1819, a. 51 : —
Afflictions sore long time he bore.
Physicians wei-e in vain ;
Till God did ple:ise him to release,
And free him from his pain.
The next two are from tablestones : —
Here lies the body of George Pirie, tenant at
Milne of Kindrought, who died October 21st,
1733, aged 88. Also his daughter Janet, spouse
to Alexander Birny there, who died Oct. 6th,
1749, aged 45.
A neighbouring monument shews that the
united ages of John Simpson, farmer in Mains
of Kindrought, his son Arthur, and the wife
of the latter, who all died between 1761 and
1821, amounted to 245 years.
Sacred to the memory of Andrew Anderson,
late of the firm of John and Andrew Anderson,
thread manufacturers, Slrichen. He died 31"
August, 1852, in the 84th year of his age.
During the construction of the railway to
Fraserburgh, a cluster of stone cists, some of
which contained urns and human bones, was
found to the westward of ihe Eoman Catholic
chapel at Strichen. Some of the urns and
bones were sent to the College Museum of
Aberdeen.
" The Druid's Temple," which was visited
by Dr. Samuel Johnson, when at Strichen
House in 1773, is an interesting and pretty
complete circle of stones. It stands in the
wood near the garden of Strichen House ; and
the walls of a chapel, supposed to have been
built for, but never used by, Capt. Eraser's
wife, Miss Leslie, are near the same spot. It
was probably iu this locality that the hamlet
of Chapelhill was situated, although its real
site cannot now be pointed out.
The district of Strichen was a portion of
the territory of the old Earls of Buchan, one
of whom, who died in 1233, gifted the lands
and mill of Stratheyn and Kindrochet to
Cospatric Jlacmadethyn. These were held of
the Earl for military services, and an annual
payment of wax. Cospatric and his brother,
Malothen, were both witnesses to local char-
ters. John of Kyndrooht was another early
proprieter in Strichen, and also a vassal of
the Cumins. He flourished about 1250, and
appears to have assumed his surname, as was
common in these times, from the lands of
Kindrought, which were then held by him.
Before the Erasers succeeded to Strichen, it
belonged to a family named Chalmers, the first
recorded of whom, Thomas, was succeeded by
his sou John, in 1504 (C^oll. Abd. Bff., iii. 584).
142
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS i
The latter had a son and heir, named Andrew,
who, in his father's lifetime (1528), married
Christian Frissr, daughter of William, sixth
laird of Philorth. Alex. Chalmers " nepo"?,"
grandson or nephew, and heir-apparent, 1554,
of Andrew Cludmers of Strichen, married
Elizabeth Johnston, and while Andrew Chal-
mers and his wife were j'et living. It was in
1558 that Aloxiinder Chalmers, " feodationus
terrarnm de Strathechin," sold that estate to
Lis cousin, Thomas Fraser, third son of Alex-
aniler, seventh LiirJ of Philorth (Ibid, iv.
584-5). The cousinhood arose through the
mnrriage of his aunt Christian, above noticed.
The above Tliomas Fraser, on his own re-
signation of the lands in 1573, had a crown
charter of the same in favour of himself and
his wife, Isobel Foi-bes, and to their survivors
(Ibid, 587), a fact which goes to disprove
the story of the succession of the Frasers to
Strichen, as told in Anderson's Account of the
Frasers of Lovat (4to, 1825), and shows that
the purchase of Strichen was a straightforward
and hoiia Jide transaction.
There appears to have been a quarrel be-
tween Thomas Fraser of Strichen, and Gordon
of Gight, but it must have had some other
origin than that stated by Anderson (p. 175).
It is also clear that Fraser was killed by Gor-
don at the Bridge of Old Deer, and that
Thomas Fraser of Knookie, second son of
Lord Lovat, who became the second husbaml
of Isobel Forbes, proceeded against Gight for
the murder, and may have got some redress
against him.
Isobel Forbes had two daughters by her
first husband, Katherine and Violet, and with
consent of their guardian, Alexander, eighth
laird of Philorth, their stepfather bought up
their interests in Strichen, and thus founded
a second family of Fraser, having a son by
Isobel Forbes. He succeeded on the death of
hi.s father in 1612, and married a daughter of
Forbes of Tolquhon. It was he who built
the first church, and also the hurial aisle at
Strichen.
It is further recorded of this laird that, in
1G20, when a marriage was arranged between
his son and heir and a daughter of Forbes
of Pitsligo, he hound himself " to big, or
causa to be biggit," a residence for the young
couple " upon the mains of Kindrooht, qf the
same sal be found maist commodious, ano
sufficient house of stean and lyme, wt hall
and Chalmers for their present easement, to
be theikit for the present w* dovettis, hot
sail be oblijit to cause slait the same within
three zearis."
Thomas Fraser, who was prohably born in
the_ " sufficient house of stean and lyme,"
married Marion Irvine, daughter of the laird
of Fedderat, and is the first named in the roll
of elders for the parish in 1662 (.■>•. Appen'DIx).
A roofless hunting lodge stands upon the
summit of the west flank of Mormond Hill,
and in the front wall is an inscription upon a
stone panel, which bears the following quaint
allusion to the friendship and hospitality
that visitors might expect to receive : —
7.V THIS HUNTER'S LODGE
ROB GIBB COMMANDS.
Sr.D.CC.LXXIX.
— The Lodge was erected by Lord Strichen's
son four years after he succeeded to Strichen ;
and the sentiment has reference to an old
Scotch saying that, wherever Roh Gibb ruled
or commanded, lie did so from the purest of
motives, and not from any selfish purpose.
Eob is said to have been pkasaiif or Court
jester to James V., an office to which no salary
was attacheii, and it is related that the King
having on one occasion asked Eob what ho
served him for, received as answer, " I serve
your Majesty only for stark love and kind-
ness !" The name of R'jb Gibb is well-known
in Scotland as a loyal toast, expressive of good
STRIGHEN.
143
and truehearted followship, a quality which
seldom goes altogether unremunerated in any
age or country ; and if we are to credit a WTiter
in the Old Stat. Account (xiv. 574), Eoh Gibb
was not allowed to go unrewarded either, he
having received a gift of the lands of Carri-
ber in Linlithgowshire from the King, in
recognition of his services.
The well-known figure of " The White
Horse of !Mormond," upon the south-west side
of the hill, which has been formed by cutting
the turf or heather, and filling up the space
with white quartz, is locally called " The
effi^^ies of Captain Fraser's War Horse." It
was possibly constructed by order of Lord
Strichen's grandson, who, as before seen, was
an officer in the First Dragoons.
It is told that, the Captain's horse having
heen shot under him in the battlefield, Ser-
geant Hutcheon. the son of a crofter at Erown-
hill of New Deer, at once gave him his
charger ; but, unfortunately, the Sergeant was
killed at the moment he dismounted — just as
he had said, " Never mind me. Captain, I will
soon find an empty saddle !" Hutcheon's
death was much regretted by Captain Fraser,
who, with that magnanimity which has al-
ways been a leading characteristic of old
Scottish families and " true British soldiers,"
not only had the memory of " his friend" re-
corded upon a brass plate, fixed to a pillar
in the church of Strichon, hut also had his
body buried apart from the rest of the dead,
and a monument placed over his grave with a
similar inscription to that upon the brass : —
geath ox 6IiJvij.
SACEED to the memory of JAMES Hc'TCnEOS,
late Sergeant, King's Dragoon Guards, a Jiative
of New Deer Parish, ifho fell gallantly fighting
near GlLZE.V, 26 of August 1794, under the Com-
mand of C.iPTAis Fraser o/ Stricken.
Cart storied Urn or animated Bust,
Back to its rnxxiision call the fleeting breath !
Can Honour's voice provoke the silent Dust !
Or flattery sooth the dull, cold ear of Death !
— After the property of Strichen passed from
the late Lord Lovat the church underwent
considerable repair, and the brass being
thrown aside, was taken possession of by a
relative. It is now in the hands of a grand
nephew of the gallant Sergeant's.
The idea of the horse on ]\Iormond had
doubtless been suggested by the White Horse
in Berks, which is an object of great antiquity.
It is mentiomd as " Mons Albi Equi" in a
deed of a.d. 958 (Chron. Abingdon, 1100-35);
but, unlike the horse in Berks, which is re-
presented as galloping, that upon the hill of
Mormond stands erect, and is altogether desti-
tute of animation. The latter covers nearly
half an acre of ground. It measures about
126 feet in height, from the hoofs to the ears ;
the body is about 106 feet in length ; the dis-
tance from the foreshoulder to the tip of the
uose is about 36 feet ; the head is about 35
feet in length ; the trunk of the body about
41 feet in depth ; and its extreuie length,
from the tip of th? nose to the outer point of
the tail, is about 102 feet.
A Stag with antler.i, constructed in the same
manner as the White Horse, by order of Mr.
W. F. Cordiner of Cortes, in 1870, is upon
the south side of the .same mountain. It
occupies a space of nearly an imperial acre,
and measures from the extremity of the antlers
to the hoofs, 240 feet. A cairu, also composed
of quartz, is in the immediate vicinity, in the
hottom of which is placed, in a sealed bottle,
a parchment bearing the names of about 170
of the inhabitants of the district, who volun-
teered their assistance in the work, also the
following inscription : — •
This Cairn was erected in November 5, 1870,
to perpetuate in the memory of tlie latest pos-
terity the laying down of the Cortes Stag on the
hill of Mormond, completed this day by William
Fkaser Cordiner of Cortes, and it is by him
and others concerned requested that if by acci-
dent, or the ruthless hand of mischief, this
monument should be impaired or demolished,
144
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
that they will please remember the Christian
maxim " to do as thev would be done by, and
replace the memoranda for future generations.
Morniond Hill is said to be a signal for
mariners when off a dangerous part of the
coast of Biiclian, as thus recorded in local
rhyme : —
Keep Mormond Hill a hand-spike high,
An' the Briggs o' Rattray ye'll pass by.
The name of Mormond Hill, and that of
another place also occurs in the following
doggrel, attributed to Thomas the Rhymer :—
When Mornioud hill is clad in red,
Een Callie Burn will run wi' bleed ;
An' gin the saut rise 'been the meal —
Believe the mair in Tamas' tale.
The Village of Mormond, which is laid out
in squares, and stands npon a plain at the
south-west end of the Hill, was began by Lord
Striclien, in 176-t, for the purpose of promot-
ing " the Arts and Manufactures of this coun-
try, and for the acsommodation of Tradesmen
of all Denominations, Manufacturer;?, and
other industrious people to settle within the
same." The feus, which are perpetual, carry
the right of casting peats and of having
" divots" to cover the first erected houses
upon the different lots. The door lintels of
two houses— possibly the oldest in the village
— are respectively inscribed : —
" A. A : J. S. 1765," and " 17 : A. M : B.L : 66."
Very few of the old buildings now remain.
Many of the present century are of one storey,
and either thatched or covered with tiles ; the
more modern are of two or more storeys in
height, and slated. A town hall was built in
1816 ; and there are some good shops, a Free
and an Episcopal Church (All Saints), branch
banks, and inns ; also a railway station, near
which cattle markets are held monthly.
The banks of the Ugie are nicely wooded
near the village, and the river is there cro.ssed
by four stone bridges. One at Howford, is
dated 1777 ; and in 1719 collections were
made tliroughout the neighbouring parishes
" for assisting the upsetting of a bridge at the
Milne of Kindrught/' about three miles below
the village.
A Roman Catholic chapel, a priest's house,
and croft, are situated to the west of the
Ugie, near Mormond Village. These were
reserved to the Church of Rome by Lord
Lovat, when he sold the property of Strichen.
Tlie village of Nmo Li'.eds, which stands
about three miles south-east from ]\Iormond,
was founded and named by Captain Eraser's
father, who built the Hunter's Lodge ; and, in
the hope— for in those days lint was much
cultivated in the district— of its becoming a
rival to the famous town of Leeds, in York-
shire! He also proposed to have statutory
fairs held there ; and inaugurated the fir»t of
these by offering a premium to the " drunkest
man that should appear in the market!"
Strange to say, the prize was competed for.
It consisted of an eight-day clock, and fell to
the lot of one who followed the joint occu-
pations of weaver and barber !
It is to be regretted that Mr. Eraser's hopes
as to the prosperity of New Leeds should liave
been so entirely blighted. Instead of becom-
ing a hive of industry, it proved a nursery
of idleness and vice, but since the erection of
a U.P. Church about twenty years ago, and
the demolition of many of the hovels which
were used as dwelling-houses, the place and
the people are both much improved. J.
.\^v^^\^^v\^^^^^■
^w^vl^^v\^v^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^v^^^^^
6 u 1 1) r t e»
(THE BLESSED VIRGIN.)
THE church of Guihcnn was granted to
the Abbey of Arbroath by William the
Lion, in 1178 ; and in confirming the King's
GUTHRIE.
145
gift in 1198-1218, Eanulph, Bishoij of Brechin,
with the counsel and consent of Mallebryde,
prior, and the whole chapter of the Culdees of
that place, as a mark of his affection for the
monks of Arbroath, provided that, at what-
ever time he might visit officially their
churches of Gutheryn, Paubryd, Moniekyn
(Monikie), Marington (Maryton), or Dun-
echtyn (Dunnichen), in his diocese, these
churches should not be called upon to defray
the cost of his entertainment, which was to
take place only at the Abbey, where, he adds,
it could be done more honourably and decently
(Reg. Vet. de Aberb., 128).
The name of the church of Guthrie is writ-
ten Gatherin in one Taxation, and Gucliery in
another (Ibid., Theiner). The kirk was a pre-
bend of the Cathedral of Brechin, and is rated
by one authority at 8 merles, and by another at
10s. It is described in 1372 as " antiquitus
fundata," which probably shows that it had
been originally a Culdee settlement, like its
mother church of Brechin.
The names, which are both territorial, of two
of the old prebendaries have been preserved,
viz., Thomas de Luchris, who flourished in
1472, and William Hawick, who held office
in 1234 (Eeg. Ep. Brechin, 20, 60). Twenty
years after the latter date (1454) Pope
Nicolas V. granted a presentation, in the event
of their being resigned by William Forbes on
his attaining the deanery of Brechin, to a
canonry in the church of Brechin, and to the
prebend of Guthrie, in favour of Hugh of
Douglas, whom he describes as "of noble
race by both parents" (Ibid., ii. 403).
It was on 25th March, 1465, that Sir
David Guthrie acquired a charter under the
Great Seal of the lauds and barony of Guthrie ;
and, on obtaining the kirk he made it a Col-
legiate charge, with a provost and three
canons. His son. Sir Alexander, afterwards
increased the canons to the number of live.
The Collegiate Church, which was about
76^ feet long, 21-J feet wide, and 11| feet
high, had a painted roof, which Gen. Hutton
(Correspondence, MS.) supposed to have been
of the same period as the pictures at Fowlis-
Easter. " In a line at the top are the royal
arms, those of the Earls of Crawford, and the
Guthrie family, as altered by Sir David, tlie
Lord Treasurer of Scotland," — probably (as
given in Fonts' MS., 1590), " 1 & 4 argent, a
cross sable; 2 & 3 azure, 3 wheat sheaves, or."
Although the church of Guthrie is described
in 1793 as an "elegant building," and one
that " may stand for a thousand years to
come," no part now remains except the south
transept, or the family burial aisle, which is
ivy-clad, and about 26 by 18 feet in size. It
contains no monuments, but within it is a
fresco painting of the Last Judgment, which,
however, will not bear comparison with the pic-
tures at Fowlis-Easter, for although the draw-
ing of the former is superior to that of the
latter, the colour is gone.
The family arms (as now borne by Guthrie
of that Ilk) are over the gateway to the church-
yard, initialed and dated, "— G : B. G. 1639."
There are also two slabs at the north door of
the aisle respectively inscribed, " 1629," " G.
1747 ;" and a circular font stone, about 2 feet
in diameter by 18 inches in depth, lies be-
side the aisle, also two octagonal lavatories.
In the west dyke of the kirkyard are two
fragments, one of which bears the figure of a
lion, and the other the initials, j\I. H. G. Both
are of much the same age, and probably belong
to the time of Mr. Hen'ry Guthrie, who was
chaplain first to the Earl of !Mar, and some-
time minister of Guthrie, next of Stirling, and
afterwards of Kilspindie. He was appointed
Bishop of Dunkeld in 1664, and took a lead-
,ing part in the events of his time, upon which
his Memoirs of Scotland (1637-49), throw
considerable light. He died in 1676, aged
146
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
about 76. His father was minister of Cupar-
Angus, and a cadet of the Guthries of that
Ilk.
Mr. John Hay was provost of the collegiate
church of Guthrie in 1526 (Acta Pari., ii.
315) ; and Gabriel, third son of the laird of
Guthrie and his wife, Isobel 'Wood, held the
ofl&ce at a subsequent date.
In 1567-74, the kirk of Guthrie and three
others were under the charge of Mr. James
Balfour as minister, who had the kirk lands
and a .stipend of £133 6s. 8d. Scots. "When
the rentals of the Scotch benefices were taken
up in Jan., 1573-4, Mr. James Strachan is
called " person and provost" of Guthrie, and
David Arrot, who was reader there, had " the
haill vicarage and kirklands."
Mr. Henry Guthrie, before referred to, was
probably the most remarkable of the old
ministers of the parish ; and the following in-
scription, from a marble tablet, relates to his
tenth successor in the church of Guthrie : —
Sacred to the memory of the Rev"". James
Will, who was for 14 yeai-s minister of the
parish of Euthven, and 19 years minister of this
parish of Guthrie. He died May 3rd, 1818,
aged 58 years. This tablet is erected by his af-
fectionate Brother and Sister.
— Mr. Will had but a small stipend when at
Euthven, and the late ]\Ir. Barty observes that
upon a pane of glass in the parlour window of
the manse was written, " Aut cole, aut parce,
aut abi," a mse motto, he remarks, which his
" ingenious predecessor" put into practice —
" he farmed well, lived frugally, but never-
theless took his departure, and died minister
of Guthrie." Mr. Will had a taste for an-
tiquities, and did something towards the ar-
ranging of the Family Papers at Guthrie. He
was the son of a merchant in Dundee, by a
daughter of Wise of Lunan (Epitaphs, i. 361).
Mrs. Will had a family of four sons and
two daughters. Peter, who predeceased his
brother, the minister ; John of Lucea, in the
island of Jamaica ; Andrew, lieutenant in the
92nd Eegiment ; Isabella, wife of Dr. David
Ogilvy of Eosehill, near Brechin ; and Chris-
tina, who died unmarried. John Will of
Lucea had a son and a daughter. The latter
became the wife of Mr. William Shiress, so-
licitor in Brechin ; and the former was the
father of Mr. John Shiress Will, of the Middle
Temple, London.
jSIi-. Will was succeeded by Mr., afterwards
Dr. John Bruce, F.C., Edinburgh, in whose
time the old kirk was demolished, and the pre-
sent structure erected. Besides the tablet to
Mr. Will, quotations from the New Testament
are painted upon the west wall, but none sav-
our of any regret at the destruction of the
"elegant building" of 1793. One reference
(Eev. 1-7), contains an allusion, possibly unin-
tentional, to the subject of the picture in the
old aisle.
An addition was made to the churchyard
by the late laird of Guthrie, who formed a
new family burial place on the south-east side.
It was completed not long before his own
death, which took place on 7th Dec, 1877, at
the age of 72, when he was therein buried.
In the north-west corner of the kirkyard,
enclosed by a railing, is the following record
of the Eev. Mr. Bruce's immediate successor,
who belonged to about Cupar- Angus : —
Sacred to the memory of the Kev'' James
Whitson, minister of Guthrie, who died 1st
January, 1840, in the 47th year of his age, and
9th of his ministry. Also to that of his two
sons, John and David, who predeceased their
father, having died in infancy.
Upon a headstone on west side of church : —
1824. Erected to the memory of .James
])iCKSOJ{, late farmer of Pickerton of Turin, who
died the 11th of January, 1822, aged 81 years.
By his .sorrowing children. Also of Janet
BoTLE, their mother, who died 12th Dec, 1827,
aged 87 years.
The oldest slab in the burial ground is pos-
sibly a fragment upon which are these traces
GUTHRIE.
U7
of an mscrijjtion — heir . lyes . avb .
. . . . 1663 . AND
Another slab, wliicli is said to have been
within the olil kii'k, lies before the west door
of the aisle. It exhibits mortuary emblems,
the remains of an inscription in incised cha-
racters, also a shield, flanked with the initials,
D. . . : I. G., and the date of 1670.
Round the sides are these words in raised
capitals : —
DIED
IN . THE . FEAR . OF . THE . LOKD
THE . FIRST . OF . DECEMBER
OF
The next two inscriptions are carved upon
the east and west sides of the half oi a head-
stone (perpendicularly divided), the other
half, as stated below, being at Euthven : —
To the memory of Jean Brown, who died un
the XIV of Sept. MDCCCI aged LXX. The
other half of this stone stands iu the churchyard
of Buthven to the memory of William Kandow
her husband, who was schoolmaster of the parish
of Euthven, for XXXVI yeai-s. He died the
XIV of Dec. MDCCXCVIII.
Erected by their only siu-viving child, James
Kandow, schoolmaster of Guthrie.
On west side of kirkyard : —
This stone was erected by lames Scot, in
memorie of his father A.llexander Scot, some
time in Mains of BaUmadies, who depairted this
life the 28 of Aprile anno 1719, of age 75 years,
and Elizabeth Smith his spouse who depairted
this life the 2 . . Maii, anno 1711, of age ....
Heaueu keeps the soul,
Bot heir the body lyes :
They liud on earth both just
Kind, vertuos, and wise.
From a headstone near the Guthrie vault : —
This stone was erected by John Guthrie,
Esquire of Guthrie, in memory of Elizabeth
MoRisoN, an old and faithful servant who nursed
him in his infancy, and constantly resided for
fortv-uine vears iu the House of Guthi'ie, where
she died XXI Novr., MDCCCXII.
The east side of a tombstone, near the south-
east corner of the kirk, is embellished with a
tailor's goose, bodkin, and scissors, and upon
the west side are a square, a sheaf of corn, and
a stick with a measuring line attached. It is
inscribed upon both sides : —
Erected by David Spence, elder, sometime iu
Heugh-head of Guthrie, who died Novr. 27th,
1719, of age 81 years ; and Margaret Miller,
his spouse, who died Feby. 1, 1674, of age 30
years ; and Margaret Ccthill, his second
spouse ; David Spence, Jean Miln, and their
children.
[2.]
1774 : This stone was repaired by Eobert
Spence, iu Muirside of Kiunel, ground officer to
South Esk, and Helen, his sister, in memory of
theer forefathei-s ; and of his first spouse, Jean
Blacklaw ; EoBT. Spence, and their children ;
Jean Donaldson, his second spouse : —
Beside this stone lyes many Spences,
AVho in their life did no offences ;
And where they liv'd, if that ye spier.
In Guthrie's ground 4 hunder year.
Eliza. Findlay, wf. Pat. Milne, d. 1757, a. 71 : —
Here Elizabeth lyes clade, with a mournfull
shade.
Hath left her friends and louing husband sad,
And now is gone above the stare to sing
EternaU praise to her immortall king
Till soul and bodie be unite again.
For ever free from tr-ouble, toil, and pain.
IsoBEL Lourance's daughter, d. (c. 1738) : —
Below this stone a lovely maid doth ly.
Whom God did take in her virginity ;
She was N-irtwous, godly, and sincere,
A pleasure to her mother here,
And now is gone above the stars to sing
Etemall praise to her immortall king.
Our duty is like her to run our race,
With constant patience and each other gi'ace.
But what are children but a loan.
When God calls back are we to groan !
She gone to heaven and got the start.
Long to be there you'l no more pari;.
DuRWARD (1750) : —
[First four lines same as those above.]
But now she serves her God she did adore
In praising her Eedeemer ever more ;
Its better than an earthly prince's wife.
Her hire is now a lasting cro-rni of life.
David Jaron, d. 1773, a. 25 : —
I in the bloom of hopeful youth,
Eesign my mortal trust ;
And at the age of twenty -five
Did haistely (b'op to dust.
U8
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Robert Irvine, d. 1776 : —
Poor mortal mau declining like a shade,
Full soon shaU in the gloomy grave be laid.
But faith looks forward to that glorious day
When vauquish'd death must yeild its captive
prey.
John LanglandSjOU wife and family (1778) : —
Here rests the boues of wife and son.
Whose ghosts are to the heavens gone.
This Matron with her childi-en two,
Suggests cold death to follow, so
Then let ws not despyse her shryne,
Seing she liv'd by faith Divyne.
Since young and old a all that ever had breath.
Must yield then- spirits to fatall death.
Some in their minor age, some in their pryme.
Some in old age when full of tyme.
Should teaeli us all to watch and pray, [day.
That death overtake us not on ane wnexpected
A headstone, at the south-west end of the
Guthrie aisle, was erected by William !Nicoll
at Baldardie, in memory of his grandparents,
William Nicoll, schoolmaster of Guthrie,
and his wife Isobel Howe. The former died
in 1786, aged 78, and the latter in 1754, aged
46. His father, Thomas jSTicoll, died in
1828, aged 82 ; and
William Nicoll, who erected this stone, was
kiU'd by a flash of lightning, at the age of 47, on
the farm of Baldardie, the 30th of July, 1830,
and is here interred.
I^ear the churchyard gate : —
Erected by Elizabeth Eough, in memory of
George Thom, her husband, brewer in Kirktown
of Guthrie, who died Deer., 1814, aged fifty
yeara.
From an adjoining stone : —
Sacred to the memory of the Rev"* William
NlcoLL, minister at Kertle Bridge, Dumfries-
shire. He died at Cotton of Gardyne, 14th
December, 1851, in the 44th year of his age.
— Mr. Niool's name, which has been over-
looked by Dr. Hew Scott, appears in the
Edinburgh Almanac for 1851, as minister of
Kirtle.
On south side of kii-kyard is this inscription : —
Erected in memory of William Veitch, who
was killed accidentally, when in the discharge of
his duty, at Guthiie Stations. N. E. By., on the
morning of the 6th March, 18.)7. By a number
of his acquaintances and well-wishers, in the
neighbourhood of Guthrie, and in connection
with the S. N. E. Ry. Hark, he comes.
Alexander Herald, who was " long in-
nured to bodily suffering," and found comfort
in the composition of verses, wrote a volume
of poems, entitled, " Amusements of Solitude"
(Arbroath, 1845), which he dedicated to the
late Mr. Guthrie, from whom he received
much kindness. Herald, who was a tailor by
trade, and sometime postmaster at Guthrie,
died in 1863, in the 63rd year of his age. He
was buried at Guthrie, but no stone marks
the spot.
Stone coffins and urns, all of the ordinary
typ,e, have been found in different parts of the
parish. A sculptured stone, of the same sort
as those at Aberlemno, which stands by the
side of the Arbroath and Forfar turnpike
road, near the Guthrie Eailway Station, is en-
graved in Chalmers' Sculptured Stones of
Angus (pi. 12).
The early proprietary history of the parish,
and notices of the family of Guthrie, having
been given in the Land of the Lindsays
(295-8), these points — with the exception of
additional notes regarding the latter, which
are gleaned from the Family Genealogy (MS.),
prepared by Mr. Constable, of Wallace Craigie
(Sir W. Scott's Monkbarns), and kindly lent
by the late Mr. Guthrie — will not be touched
upon here.
There is no doubt but the surname is of
territorial origin ; and, although there is no
proof that '• Squire Guthrie" of Wallace's time
was laird of Guthrie, it is certain that there
was an Adam Guthrie who held a good position
in Angus in 1348 (Rcij. de Panmure, ii. 170).
It is also certain that WiUiam Guthrie ob-
tained the lands of Inverlunan in 1418, and
that Alexander Guthrie, who bought KLncal-
dnim from Sir John Wemyss of Rires, in
GUTHRIE.
U9
1446, had two sons, David and James, prob-
ably a third, William, who was " alderman
of Forfar" in 1464 (Keg. Nig. de Aberb.)
The eldest of these, afterwards Sir David, ac-
quired the lands of Guthrie in 1465, during
the time he was Lord Treasurer; and in 1468
he had a special licence to erect and fortify
a tower there. The tower and iron yett,
or gate, are stUl preserved, and the former,
by a judicious arrangement, which consisted
partly in reducing the thickness of the walls
from about 8 to 3 feet, was adapted by the
late laird to the requirements of modern
times (v. Appendix).
Besides the estate of Guthrie, Sir David
acquired a good deal of property in other parts
of the country, among which were Pitcairn in
Perthshire, Lour, Muirtop, Carrat, Wester
Meathie, and Balnabriech, in Angus. Of the
last-named, which lies near Brechin, Sir
David, on 4th Feb., 1472, granted a charter
to Malcolm of Gutlirie, his " sone naturall, for
payment to the King and his successors
of Tuentie eight merks yearly at tuo termes,
and to the disponer and his aires, a silver
penny yearly'Y-^o^es of Scotch Charters, MS.,
at PanmureJ.
Sir David was Justiciary of Scotland in
1473, with a fee of XI 00 Scots (Treasurer'.s
Accts., i. 68). He died in 1474, and had two
legitimate children, a son and a daughter. The
latter became the wife of Sir Thomas Maule
of Panmure, and the former, Sir Alexander,
who bought the lands of Ballindean, 1468-9,
married a daughter of Lord Glamis, by whom
he had one daughter and four sons. The
yoimgest son of this marriage was ancestor
of John Guthrie of Hilton, from whom the
Bishop of Moray was descended.
Sir Alexander and his eldest son both fell
at Flodden, when the succession devolved on
Sir Alexander's grandson, Andrew, whose son,
Alesaxdeii, mariied Isobel, daughter of
Wood of Bonnington. He had four sons, Alex-
ander, his heir ; William, ancestor of the Gagie
branch ; Gabriel, provost of the Collegiate
Church of Guthrie ; and John, the reputed
ancestor of Bishop Guthrie of Dunkeld.
The estate of Guthrie continued iu the
male line of the last-named Sir Alexander,
until the time of Peter Guthrie, who sold it
to his kinsman, the Bishop of Moray, who
had infeftment of the same, 29th Dec. 1636.
Bishop Guthrie was the son of Patrick
Guthrie, residenter, in St. Andrews, and his
wife Margaret Eait, who died respectively in
1614 and 1637. He Avas educated in his
native city, and employed for a short time as
reader at Arbroath. He next became minister
of Kiunell, and afterwards of Arbirlot, which
he left in 1610 for Perth. He became one
of the ministers of Edinburgh in 1620,
was consecrated Bishop of Moray in 1623,
deprived of office in 1638, and on being ex-
pelled from his Episcopal Castle of Spynie,
in 1640, he retired to his own property, where
he spent the remainder of his days. His
brother, James, who was minister of Arbirlot,
and ancestor of the present families of Craigie
and Taybank, near Dundee, kept an interest-
ing Diary (still in MS. J, from which we have
been kindly permitted to publish the follow-
ing extracts regarding the death of the Bishop,
his wife, and son. Of these events. Mi.
Guthrie gives those quaint entries : —
" 8 June 1643. My nephew Mr Jhone Guthrie,
laitt parson of Duffus depairted this life in the place
of Guthrie, and is buryed in the Isle of the Kirk of
Guthrie, ultimo Junii. I closed his eyes. Beat! qui
in Domino moriuntur."
" 2 July 1615, in y^ evening being wedinsday my
brother his wyff, Nicolas Wood, dyed in Guthrie, and
was buryed 4 July, in y" lie of y' Kirk of Guthrie.
Pretious in y"' sight of y" Lord is the death of his
saints."
" My brother Mr. Jhonne Guthrie late Bischop of
Murray, dyed in Guthrie on tysday 2S. Agust at 10
hours 1649. He was buryed besyd his wyff. I closed
his eyes."
150
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
It was while Mr. John Guthrie was minis-
ter of Keith, from which he was translated to
Duffus in 1625, that he married Anna, eldest
sister of Sir Eobert Innes of that Ilk, baronet,
and the subjoined letter and note refer to
certain articles which he had commissioned
from Edinburgh at the time of his marriage.
The writer was evidently a person in business,
and probably the "Patrick Woode, merchant,"
whose marriage with " Isobell Speir" is re-
corded in the City Kegisters of Edinburgh
under " Wed., 1 'Sow 16:! 6." He appears to
have been one of the Woods of Bonnington,
near Montrose, Alexander, laird of Guthrie,
who was alive in 158-3, having (as before seen)
married a daughter of that house. The very
graphic letter and interesting note (here
printed from copies by the Eev. Mr. Will,
at Guthrie Castle, the whereabouts of the
originals not now being known,) are as
follows : —
Worshipful & right Loving Cousin,
My hearty & dutiful affection to yourself &
your worthily best beloved. Your letter I have re-
cieved & for answer do blame my neglect in not ac-
quainting you particularly of my resolution ; but I
thought my writing to my Lord your Father, should
have made known to you my intentions.
But if, in revenge, you have followed that course
begun by me in leaping the dyke, as they call it, I
will not only not be offended, but do rejoice at your
happy & good fortune, -wishing that I might con-
veniently be present thereat to testify the same in
action. But lest I be tedious you shall hear that I
have delivered to the bearer all those things you
\vrote for so carefully as I could. In respect I had
little or nothing of the same of my own I sought thro'
the town for the bed. I hope everything shall be to
your contentment, & if otherwise I shall be sorry.
I however think I have done what I could, & in no
common the best. As for your great book I would
have sent it all overgilt as you desired, but that they
ai'e so used by bm-gesses, & not by Gentlemen of
quality. If you think j'oxir gloves too fine, remember
I am but newly married myself, k think nothing too
good for her I best love, & you know we are kinsmen.
So desireous by the next to hear of yourself & your
worthy future spouse, to whom remember me aflfec-
tionately, & Margaret Guthrie, &c.
Your affectionate Cousin, to command,
Patrick Wood.
Edimr., 13 Dea:, 1626.
Note. — The gi'eat Book mentioned above wa.s a quarto
Bible, without gilding, which cost . 16/8
The psalm book in 16o was overgilt as
said, & cost ..... 1/8
Of the gloves & their price there was
room to say something. One of the
pairs, for the Bride surely, said to be
very richly embroidered, cost no less
than 50/0
Another pair less nit, but also embroid-
ered, at 15/0
Another pair seamed & wrought, new
fashioned, at .... , 8/4
Two pair perfumed, of the best sort, at . 5/0
all sterling.
Besides the "laitt parson of Duffis," the
Bishop is said to have had another son, named
Andrew, who was executed by the Covenan-
ters, also a daughter and heiress, Bathia. She
married Francis Guthrie of Gagie, ith May,
1647, who appears to have died before 5th
May, 1665, on which date his son, John, was
served his heir. The latter married, in 1680,
a daughter of Sir John Carngie of Balnamoon,
by a daughter of Lord Airlie's, and from them
the present laird is directly descended. He is,
through the marriage of the laird of Gagie with
the Bishop's daughter, also representative of
the old family of that Ilk, and of the Hilton
branch, or that from which the Bishop of
Moray was sprung.
Among the family relics at Guthrie Castle
are a Bible, which belonged to Bishop Guthrie,
and a curious old bell. The book bears the
Bishop's name, but nothing is known either
of the history of the bell or of the person who
caused it to be made, beyond what is conveyed
in the following brief inscription upon a
silver plate fixed to the instrument : —
jijcjj :.ui} jui u(t
lUtX])^ SJUUlUlUlf"
The bell, of which there are an engraving
and a notice in the Proceedings of the Society
of Antiquaries of Scotland (vol. i.) is 8J inches
high including the handle, and 5\ by 4^-
inches at the mouth. It had been originally a
piece of rough iron, of a square shape, some-
what like the famous bell at Bmiie, in ]\Ioray-
CARBUDDO.
151
shire, but little more than half its height.
Bells are well known to have been among the
most hallowed objects connected with the
Church in mediasval times ; and from the care
which has been bestowed upon the preserva-
tion of the Guthrie Bell, it must have been a
greatly valued relic. After being much worn
and partially broken, it appears to have been
encased in a sort of shrine, composed of brouze
richly gilded, and decorated with silver work,
and niello. Upon it are the figures of Our
Saviour, the Three Persons in the Trinity, and
four Bishops all peculiarly dressed. Nothing
is known as to how it came to Guthrie, where
it has been from time immemorial. Whether
it had belonged to the old Collegiate Church,
or been brought from Spynie when the Bishop
removed to Guthrie, is uncertain.
Besides the old iron yett of the castle of Sir
David's time, there is also a more modern gate
at Guthrie, dated 1601. One shield, carved
in .stone, dated 1611, is charged with (1) eight
vau'-looking objects, with a crescent in the
dexter point; and another, dated 1616, bears
the Gutlu'ie and Edmonston arms, surmoun-
ted respectively by the initials, V.G. : I.E.
The presence of these shields at Guthrie is
not explainable by any known record, and the
garb or wheatsheaf, in the 2nd and 3rd quarter
of the family shield, shews a connection with
the Cumins which has not yet been accounted
for in any heraldic work.
This matter is not adverted to in the Family
Genealogy of the Guthries : but it is a note-
worthy fact that the personal appearance of
the late laird bore a marked resemblance to
some of the living descendants of the ancient
family of Cumin. It is quite probable (al-
though proof is awanting) that a maternal
ancestor of Sir David's was one of that race.
His own mother's name, however, was Marjory
Guthrie.
[Ins. conipd. by Mr. Rnbertson, schoolmr.]
Citrbutitio or liirktmtito^
(? S. BUITE OR BOETHIUS.)
TTpTHE church of Crehyauch, which was a
•^ rectory in the diocese of Brechin, is
mentioned in the Taxation of 1275, but with-
out its value being given.
James Dekyson, " rector de Kyrkbutho,"
who witnesses a grant out of the lands of
Drumcairn, by David, Earl of Crawford, in
1472, is the only early churchman of this
place of whom we have discovered any trace
(Misc. Aldharensis, MS., 83). The churches
of Kirkbuddo, Inverarity, Finhaven, and
Aberlemno, were all served by one minister,
Mr. David Lindsay, of Pitairlie, in 1574.
He had a .stipend of X133 6s. 8d. Scots,
and George Hawik, then reader at Kirkbuddo,
had the kirk lands and a money salary of
.£6 13s. Id. Scots.
Carbuddo, although inconveniently situated,
has been long attached to the parish of Guth-
rie. It is fuUy seven miles to tiie south-west
of Guthrie church, and within two of Inver-
arity. Ochterlony {r. 1682) says that the
people " had a chappie of their own, wherein
the minister of Guthrie preached every third
or fourth Sabbath day, but is now ruinous."
A somewhat similar arrangement for religious
services, which are now conducted within the
.schoolhouse, obtains at the present time.
The kirk and burial-place occupied a knoll,
which had been at one time surrounded by a
marsh, and a spreading beech stands upon or
near the site of the old kirk. The Chapel
Well is on the south side of the enclosure, and
the ruins of the old manse are in a field to the
north.
The only objects of antiquity in the burial-
place are the remams of a baptismal font and
a mutilated coffin-slab. Both are of red sand-
152
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
stone, and the latter, about 3 by 2 feet in
size, appears to have borne in bas-relief a
wheel-cross, with shaft.
A defaced table-sliaped stone within a rail-
ing, near the N.E. corner of the burial-place,
marks the grave of Francis Erskine of Car-
buddo, Lieut.-Colonel of 50th Regiment, who
died in 1833. He had two sisters, one of
whom married George Ogilvy of Baikie, and
the other Mr. Molison. The latter was the
mother of Mr. F. Molison, merchant, Dundee,
latterly of Errol Park. Col. Erskine was the
last of the male line of his family, and never
having been married, he left the property to a
son of Mrs. Ogilvy' s, whose de.ath is thus re-
corded upon a table-stone at Carbuddo : —
Erected 1854, to the memory of George
Ogilvt, Esq. of Kirkbviddo, who died at Edin-
biu-gh, 17th March, 1848, aged 65 yeai-s.
— Mr. Ogilvy, who had a sister married to Mr.
Charles Buchan, accountant, G.P.O., Scotland,
left the estate under trust for fifty years from
the time of his death to two grandnejDhews,
Lieut. -Col. William, and Surgeon-Major T. E.
Jackson, both of the Indian Army, between
whom, or their heirs, at the termination of
Mr. Ogilvy's trust, Carbuddo falls to be
divided in equal shares and in fee simple
(Inf. from Geo. Webster, Esq., one of the
Trustees).
Sir Thomas Erskine of Brechin, uncle to the
celebrated John Erskine of Dun, received
charters of Carbuddo from the Earl of Craw-
ford (Land of the Lindsays, 298) ; and on
20th Sept., 1543, he resigned the lands in
favour of his nephew and his second wife,
Barbara Beirl, maid of honour to Mary of
Lorraine (Spald. Club Misc., iv. 44). Their
son, John, succeeded to Carbuddo during the
lifetime of his parents, 12th Jan., 1571, and
married a daughter of Strachan of Carmyllie.
He had a son, George, who died about 1615,
and from him the estate passed in the male
line, until the death of Colonel Erskine m.
1833 (Famihj Table, MS.)
The tombstones in the churchyard are few
in number, and mostly of modern date. The
two inscriptions below are from headstones : —
This stone was erected by Hendery Petrie,
maltnian in Arbroath, & Isobel Keard, his spouse,
in memory of his father, Iames Petrie, some
time farmer in ground of Kirkbuddo, who died
May 3, 1735, aged 41 years. Also two of his
children procreate betuixt him and lean Brodie,
his spouse, viz., Iames & Iean Petries.
We wait ye trumpet and its solemn sound,
[2.]
Eliza Taylor, d. 1853, a. 10 mo. :—
Thou art gone to the grave,
But 'twer wrong to deplore thee ;
Tho' youth's budding promise
Fell deatli hath belied
God gave thee and took thee,
And soon will restore thee,
Where death hath no sting.
Since the Saviour hath died.
The Soman Camp at Carbuddo, engraved
and described in General Eoy's Military An-
tiquities of North Britain (pi. 14, p. 67), is
the most interesting remain in the locality.
Portions of the walls and trenches are still
traceable, and according to Roy, the camp oc-
cupied an area of about 2280 by 1080 feet.
Old graves were lately found near Carbuddo
House, and in the year 1808 an urn was
discovered in a tumulus adjoining the camp
(Archneologia, xvi. 364).
Whea S. Buite or Bcethius (from whom
and his residence Caer-Buite, i.e., the fort or
castle of Buite, the district is supposed by
some to have its name), restored to life the
daughter of Nectaii, King of the Picts, who is
said to have dwelt in the neiglibouring fort of
Dunnichen, S. Buit received a grant of the
Oastrum in which he had performed the
DESKFORD.
153
miracle, and where he founded a church
(Skene's Chron. of the Picts ; Forbes' Kal. of
Scot. Saints).
S. BuiT died in a.d. 521, and his castnim
or dwelling may have stood upon or near the
rising ground beside the House of Carbuddo,
a short distance to the eastward of the church.
The Gallowhill is near thi.s, and betwixt it
and the kirk stands the Chapel Hilloclc.
The Earls of Angus, who were superiors of
Carbuddo, were succeeded in the lands by tlie
Earls of Crawford, one of whom. Earl David,
on 5th Sept., 14-72, granted a charter " to Mr.
David Guthrie of that Ilk, of six acres of Land
in Kirkbucho, nearest the kirk, and of the
pasturage of sax kyne with there falloues, witli
the advocatione and right of patronage of the
kirk," the Earl reserving for himself and his
successors a right to take part in the orations
and devotions of the church (Notes of Scotch
Cha-rtH-s, MS.J
It appears from Mylne's Lives of the
Bishops of Dunkeld (Trans, of the So. of
Antiq. of Perth, i. 45), that Bishop Brown
had an interest in the district, he having,
H84:-1515, " beautified and endowed" an
altar and chaplainry in that part of the church
of Dundee where he was baptized, and morti-
fied for their support, along with other pro-
perty, the rent of the ten pound lands of Car-
buddo. Bishop Brown was a son of the town-
treasurer of Dundee, and his grandfather was
laird of Midmar (tsupra, 84).
The mansion-house of Carbuddo, or Kirk-
huddo, is a comparatively modern building,
surrounded by some good old trees. Since
the Dundee and Forfar direct line of railway
was opened, the whole district, although still
bleak, has been vastly improved. Ochtorlony
says that it was " abundantly served of peat
and turf," and quaintly describes it as " a
murish cold country." j.
Bcskfort).
(S. JOHN, EVANGELIST.)
SJOHX'S WELL, now drained, was in
« the vicinity of the old kirk of Desk-
ford (pron. Deskart). The church, which
was probably erected about 1550, is said to
have been originally a chapel dependent upon
the church of Fordyce (supra, 100).
Mr. Gilbert Gardyne was minister in 1574,
and John Thane was reader or schoolmaster.
There is no tombstone to any of the school-
masters of Deskford ; but it may be stated
that one of them, Eobert Alves, a native of
Elgin, and who removed from Deskford to
Banff in 1773, wrote two volumes of poetry
and one of prose. He did not live to com-
plete the last work, liaving died at Edinburgh,
1st Jan., 1794, in his 39th year.
The old kirk stands within the burial
ground, upon the west side of a pretty valley,
through which flows a considerable burn.
The belfry is upon the west end of the church,
and the bell bears : —
DESFOED • 1781.
AND • LOWSON • OLD • ABD.
The old church is a long narrow building.
It stands east and west, with an outside stair
at each end leading to galleries. A piscina,
with moulded liutels, is built into the west
wall, and two plain awmbrys are in the east.
The altar piece, of which Mr. Cordiner gives
a restored and somewhat fanciful engraving
in his IJemarkable Euins in the North of
Scotland (1789), is built into the north wall
of the kirk. It is about three feet broad, and
reaches from the floor to near the ceiling. The
upper portion exhibits two angels in the
act of raising the host ; and the door lintels,
&c., are ornamented with the vine pattern.
Upon a scroll on the door are the words ; —
154
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
03 . mcti;u . rs . ct . raro . mf.i .
[Thou art my bone and my flesh.]
The press is flanked with two shields,
charged respectively with the Ogilvie and
Gordon coats, also the mottoes, and initials,
thus : —
A. O. TOUT lOVR. — LAUS DEO. E. G.
Upon the door sill is the verse (John vi.
51) from the Vulgate : —
CCg0 . sbm . iianis . bibbs . qbi . be . ca\a .
bcscciibt . si . xjbis . mimbbcaberit . tx . lioc . pane
. bibct . ill . rttrnam . iohanis . sc.xlo . tt .
tctcnt.
Below the above, an inscribed panel con-
tains the following account of the erection of
the " sacrament house " —
'Shis . put . tobcblf . bnrl: . of . srtcrnmct .
hobs . imiib . to . jic . honor . <S.- . lobig . of
. gob . b£ . nuE . noble . m.m . nlrr.mbcr .
oqllbu . of . J)t . ilh . •& . rlijabrt . gorion . his
. spobsE . the', itir . of . gob . liSl.
— The term " of y' ilk," unless meant to show
the origin of Ogilvie's own descent, is scarcely
correct, since the expression applies only to
the chief or head of a family (supra, 101).
So far as concerns the Ogilvys, tlie chieftain-
ship has always been, and still is, vested
either in the house of Airlie or in that of In-
verquharity, the seniority of the two branches
being doubtful.
A freestone slab, upon which is a carving
of the Ogilvie arms with a mullet in chief, and
the initials, M.V.O., is near the middle of the
same wall. It bears the following inscription,
cut partly round an oval border, and partly
upon a square slab underneath : —
M"' . VALTRVS . OGILVT . VERBI . DIVINI .
MINISTER . PIVS . NVNC . INTER . COELITES .
beat' . QVI . FATIS . CESSII . XV . KAL . FEB .
aSo . DN . 1658.
[Mr. Walter Ogilvy, a pious minister of the
Word of God, now one of tlie happy inhabitants
of Heaven, died 15th Jan., 1658.]
From two flat stones within, and near the
south door of the kirk : —
[1]
5&5e svB
. PROBjE . M .
MRI. . ANDREW
HOC . CIPPO . CONDVXTVR . CINERB3
I S . AGMET.E . SIMSON .
UEXDERSONI . ECCLESI.E . DESK-
FVRDIEKSIS . MINISTRI . CONJVGIS . DILECT.*; .
QViE . PER . BECENNIVM . MARITO . NVPTA .
SEPTEM . LIBEEOS . ESIXA . QVOR . . TRES .
HIC . PARITER . SEPVLTI . SVNT . QV^ . PLACIDE
. AC . PIE . MORTI . SVCCVBVIT . XVI . KAL .
SEPT . A." . Ml . XXXIV . M.V, . CHR . MDCLXIII :
WIL . H : HEL . H : ISA . H :
[In this tomb are laid the ashes of a vertuous
woman, M s Agnes Simson, the be-
loved wife of Mr. Andrew Henderson, minis-
ter of the church of Deskford, who, during a
union of ten years bore her husband seven chil-
dren, three of whom are buried here beside her.
She departed this life peacefully and piously, 17""
August, 1663, aged 34.]
— Two pewter communion cups, with the
vine pattern embossed, belong to the time of
Mr. Henderson. They are preserved at the
manse, and both bear jMr. H.'s initials and
that of the parish— M. A. H., D.
[2.]
Here lyes, in the hope of a blessed resurrection
. . John Mdrb . . . minister of the Gospell at
Deskfoord, who departed this life March 1, 1719.
Also Iean Ord, his sjiouse, who departed the
day of 17 As also James Murray,
their son, who departed Meay the 5, 1717.
— These two slabs form part of the paving of
the old church. The oldest visible tombstone
in the churchyard, bevelled on two sides, is
initialed and dated, T.D : M.C., 1668.
From a slab, built into the west dyke of
the kirkyard : —
A.D. 1743 : Here lys the corps of Iohn
DOWGALL & ElSPET SkINSER iS: lO. DOWGALL &
Els . . . . & Io. Dowgall, who died the year
1723, & his wife Elspet Skinner, who died
1 746. This stone is erected by Alexr. & lanet
Dowgalls.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
Sacred to the memory of James Frazer, some-
time smith at Ardoch, who died Nov. 9th, 1788,
aged 76 years. He was an houest man, fi-iendly,
benevolent, and open-hearted ; and a strict ob-
server of every religious duty. Isobel Gerry,
his spouse, died Nov. Gth, 1789, aged 73 : she
TULLICH.
155
was a dutiful wife, an affectionate parent, & a
friend to all in distress. This stone is erected by
their son, James Fnizer, smith in Banff.
From another table-shaped stone : —
This stone is erected by George Wright, Car-
rothead, in memory of his spouse Ann Andrew,
who died 29 Aug., 1791, aged 30, was married
1774, has left children, 5 sons and 4 daughters
O Annie, dear, the grave has twin'd
Thy loving heart and mine ;
But i hope we'll meet in heaven above
No more to part again.
Near the north wall of the churchyard : —
The Rev. George Innes, born at Huntly, 7
July, 1777 ; ordained minister of Cullen 1 Dec,
1808 ; translated to Deskford 7 Aug., 1829 ; and
since the Disruption, minister of the Free Church
here, died 1 Oct., 18.')1, aged 75.
His wife, Jane Milne, died 7 March, 1836, in
her 45th year. Beside the remains of his beloved
mother lies all that was mortal of her dear son,
the Rev. George Innes, minister of Seafield
church, and afterwards of the Free Church in
Cannobie, who died 24 Nov., 1847, in his 29th
year, and 5th of his ministry, after being sub-
jected to much hardship in consequence of the
refusal of a piece of ground on which to build a
house, in which he and his congregation might
assemble in comfort to worship Him to whom
the earth and the fulne.^s thereof belongs.
A monument within an enclosure, in a field
adjoining the east wall of the churchyard
bears : —
Sacred to the memory of Mrs Saradella
MoRisON, daughter of the Rev. Walter Morisnn,
49 years minister at Deskford ; married first to
the Rev. Henry Gordon, miuister at Ardersier,
by whom she had 5 children ; and 2dly to the
Rev. Walter Chalmers, present minister at Desk-
ford. Pious in heart and benevolent in miud,
in person gi-aceful, and in manners affable, a
dutiful daughter, an indulgent parent, and a ten-
derly affectionate wife ; a warm and judicious
friend. She died 3 Januarv 1811, aged 76.
The tower of Deskford, long since razed, is
said to have been erected by the Sinclairs
(supra, 106). It stood near the old kirk, and
was in a fair state of repair about 1788, when
Mr. Cordirer made drawings of it. It appears
to have resembled the Castle of Mains, near
Dundee ; and in the Old Stat. Acct. it is said
to have " been a pretty spacious building, in
the form of a court ; but there now remains
only one room's length, vaulted below, with
three storeys and a garret."
The remaining traces of the Castle of Inal-
trie (pron. Nawtrec), indicate a building of
more antiqiiity, and probablj' of greater ex-
tent than that of Deskford. Mr. Cordiner
calls it "a kind of monastery," and saj's that
" a large metal crncifi.'c was not long ago (1788)
dug from among the ruins." He also observes
that the name signifies " the place of an altar."
More probablj'', it was named from being situ-
ated upon a hillock adjoining the burn of
Deskford (? A' en-alt-tor).
There was a Chapel to " Our Lady of Pity
at Skeith, where her wooden image was kept ;"
and when the walls were destroyed and tho
site ploughed up about thirty years ago, some
graves were found there. Two skew-put
stones, a slab dated 1687, and seme dressed
lintels, are built into the faimhouse and offices
at Skeith. These had possibly come from the
old manor house of Skeith, which belonged
to a branch of the Abercrombys. The Orchard
Haugh, where, until latelj'', were a number
of fruit trees, is separated from the Chapel
Haugh by the burn of Deskford.
A neat parish church was erected in 1870,
at a short distance from the old site, and
there are also a Free Church and manse.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Smith, schoolmr.]
%VVVVV\V\^VVW\\V\N\VVW\\\\\\%WVWV\\VVV%\\%\W
(S. NATHALAN, BISHOP & CONFESSOR.)
SNATHALAN, bishop of Aberdeen, who
» died in a.d. 452, is said to have re-
sided at Tullioh, and to have been buried
156
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
within the church. It is added that it " long
continued famous for miracles ^v^ought by his
relics, which were preserved there till the
change of religiim."
The kirk of Guhigh (Tullich), is rated at
20s. in the Old Taxation (Theinor) ; and the
churches of Glenmuick and Glengairn were
vicarages belonging to Tullich.
The seven churches of Crathy, Glenmuk,
Abergardin, Glentanner, Birss, Tullich, and
Oboyne (vacant in 1574), were all under the
superintendence of one minister. Lawrence
Cowtes was reader at Tullich, and "William
Sandejoun at Glenmuick and Abergairn.
These three parishes have been long united,
and since 1798, when the church was removed
from the kirkyard of Glenmuick, it has stood
at the village of Ballater. It is told that the
old church of Glenmuick was accidentally de-
stroyed by fire on the same night as the foun-
dation was laid of the first church at Ballater.
In 1873, a handsome church with spire was
erected upon the site of the old kirk, at the
cost of nearly £3,500. Fully the third part
of that sum was contributed by Mr. Ales.
Gordon, of the Caledonian and Lyndhurst
Breweries, London, whose father was a farmer
and woollen-dj'er at Little ^lill, in the neigh-
bouring parish of Crathie.
The church bell — a well-toned and beauti-
fully moulded instrument — has a good deal of
floral ornament upon it, also an inscription,
which, while it shows that it was not origi-
nally intended for its present position, con-
firms a tradition that the first kirk of Ballater
received a gift of a bell from the cathedral of
Aberdeen : —
CAMPANA . ECCLF.S . CATHED . ABD .
FLORENTE . DO . GEOEGIO . M . D . EPO .
ANNO . DO . 1688. SABBATA . PANGO .
SOLEMNIA . CLANGO . EVNEEA . PLANGO.
PAT . KILGOVR . EECIT.
[The bell of the Cathedral Church of Aberdeen,
made by Patrick Kilgour, in 1688. while Geokge, by
the Mercy of God, was J^ord Bishop of the Diocese.
Sabbaths I proclaim ; solemnities I announce ; at
funerals I toD.]
— Bishop Geoege, who was descended from a
collateral branch of the Hallyburtons of Pit-
cur, was at one time minister at Cupar-Angus.
He was made Bishop of Brechin in 1678, of
Aberdeen in 1682, and after the abolition of
Episcopacy in 1689, he retired to his estate of
Denside, near Cupar, where he died 29th
Sept., 1715, in his 77th year (Keith's Lives).
There are two marble tablets within the
parish churclL One upon the south and the
other upon the north side of the pulpit. The
former is thus inscribed : —
Sacred to the memory of Major Peter Far-
QUHARSON, Madras Army, who died at Ballater,
the 18th August, 1849, aged 62 years.
— He was tlie eldest son of James Farquhar-
son, farmer of Balnabodach, Strathdon, and
grandson and representative of Peter Farquhar-
son, of TuUochcoy (Epitaphs, i. 215, 284).
The other tablet, which bears a carving of
the Farquharson arms and motto, has this in-
scription : —
Sacred to the memory of Miss Charlotte
Farquharsojj, last surviving member of the
second family of Farquharson of Alonaltrie, and
sister of William Farquhai'son, Esq., late pro-
prietor thereof, who departed this life on the
1.3th of April, 1851, sincerely regretted by a large
circle of friends and acquaintances, whom she
had gained by her amiable disposition, exemplary
character, and agreeable manners. Her remains
were interred iu the Family Vault in the church-
yard of Crathie.
The ruins of the old kirk of Tullich show
marks of considerable antiquity, and the
mullions of the north door, which are pretty
entire, possiblj' belong to the 15th century,
but a font at the west end seems to be an
earlier piece of masonry than the building
itself.
According to Laing's Caledonian Itinerary
(i. 133), there was a cross here, "in has
TULLICH.
157
relief," and thus inscribed — -"Our ransom is
paid, he bore the load, thro' this we gain
victory " — but no trace is now to be seen or
heard of it in any part of the district. The
oldest relics of this sort are two mutilated
coffin-slabs of red granite, with incised
crosses. The most primitive and peculiar of
these (represented in the annexed woodcut), has
long formed the lintel of the south-west door
of the kirk. The slab is about 5.', feet long.
Within and at the west end of the kirk
lie some of the Farquharsons of Whiteliouse,
in Cromar, who were a branch of the Inver-
eye family. Two monuments — one of marble,
the other of granite — bear respectively : —
[!■]
These walls enclose the burial-ground of the
Family of Farquharson of Whitehouse and
Shiels ; where are interred the remains of James
Farquharson of Whitehouse, brother of Colonel
Donald Farquharson of Monaltrie (called Don-
ald Og), who died in 1666, and Harry his son,
who died in 1716, and Margaret his grand-
daughter. Also the remains of Francis Farqu-
harson of Shiels, the son of Harry, who died in
1733 ; and Harrt, the son of Francis, and his
wife Jean Kobe, who both died in 1760, and
their sons Hugh and Donald, who died in early
youth. This memorial has been erected by their
surviving descendants, MDCCCXXVI. — Ke-
quiescat in pace.
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of Margaret Garden,
widow of William Farquharson of Monaltrie.
She died at Aberdeen, on the 25th day of
January, 1857, aged 83 years. Her remains are
interred below. Erected as a tribute of attection
by her only surviving sister, ilary Garden,
widow of Thomas Bur-net t, advocate in Aber-
deen.
— Soon after j\Ir. F.'s death his widow, who
was a daughter of Mr. Garden of Troup,
M.P., had an obelisk erected to his memory
upon a knoll to the eastward of the old kirk,
with an inscription much the same as that
upon his tombstone at Vivay, the latter of
which is as follows : —
Sacred to the memory of W. Farquharson' of
Monaltrie, who died at Vivais, 2Sth Nov., 1828,
aged 74.
— Mr. Farquharson's uncle, Francis, who was
known as Baron Ban, commanded his clan at
Culloden, where he was taken prisoner, and
condemned to death; but he received, in
common with several others of the rebel
prisoners, a reprieve, and afterwards a pardon
(Epitaphs, i. 214). His estates were confiscated,
but iu 1784, when an Act was passed for
restoring the Forfeited Estates to the old
owners or their heirs, Mr. Farquharson re-
ceived his back upon the payment of £1613
Os. 9d. He was one of the most liberal-
minded and enterprising landowners of his
day, and did more for the improvement of the
district, by the erection of bridges and the
formation of roads, than has probably been
done by any one proprietor on Deeside. He
also utilised the mineral springs of Pannanich,
where ho erected dwelling-houses and public
and private bathrooms — luxuries which were
then but little known in this country. He
died at Ballater, 22nd June, 1790, aged up-
wards of 80 years.
The Monaltrie and other lands which
belonged to his nephew, devolved, on the
death of his widow in 1857, upon the laird
of Invercauld, who is now proprietor of Mon-
altrie and Ballater, the Gleniuuick portion
having been sold by him to ^Ir. Mackenzie
of Kintail.
A granite slab (shield-shaped), also built
into the west wall of the old kirk, bears : —
Erected to tlie memory of Alexander Far-
quharson Henderson, M.D., of Caskieben,
formerly physician in London, who died 16th
September, 1863, aged 83 years.
158
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS;
— Dr. Henderson was a great florist and
horticulturist, and well versed in tlie History
of Wines, Ancient and Modern. He pub-
lished (1824), a work upon the latter suhject,
and being long resident in the Metropolis,
and a man of independent means, he was
for many years Honorary Secretary to the
Horticultural Society of London. His father,
John Henderson, who was an Aberdeenshire
man, made money in the West Indies, and
bought the estate of Caskieben, in Dyce,
about 1790. His first wife, a Miss Farqu-
harson, whom he married iu Jamaica, and
who died in Aberdeen in 1788, was the
mother of the aforesaid Dr. Henderson. By
his second wife, a Miss Leslie, he had the
late Dr. William Henderson, who succeeded
his half-brother in Caskieben, and died at
Aberdeen, in 1877.
There are several other gravestones within
the old kirk, one of which bears the names of
a centenarian and an octogenarian : —
Erected by Charles Sandison, in memory of
his father, Charles Sajjdisox, who died at
Tomnakiest, 6th May, 1861, aged 103 years.
Also of his mother, Helen Licklie, who died
at Tomnakiest, 8tli February, 1859, aged 85
years.
— Sandisons have long been resident in
TuUich, and the above may be descendants
of a Roman Catholic priest of that name,
who lived about the time of the Reformation,
and is said to have conformed, married, and
had a family. Two women of the same name
were reported as apostates iu 170i, at which
time there were thirty-two Roman Catholics
in Tullioh.
Upon a stone in the kirkyard : —
Sacred to the memory of Alexander Farqd-
HARSON, Balintober, died 18th Deer. 1795, aged
. . Erected out of
Two obelisks stand at the west end of the
kirk (outside). One, uninsoribed, is to the
memory of Alex. Sheriffs, a native of Clatt,
who built the houses of Ihrkhall and Monal-
tric, the kirks of Glenmuick and Logie-Cold-
stone, the last stone bridge over the Dee at
Ballater, &c. ; and died about 1822, while
depute-master of St. JS'^athalan's Lodge of Free
Masons, Ballater, of which he was one of the
original members. Upon the other obelisk : —
In memory of the Rev''. James Smith, who was
appointed schoolmaster of this parish in 1807,
and died iu the schoolhouse, 2'"^ Sept' 1875, aged
88. Also his wife, Charlotte Farquharson,
who died 30th May, 1858, aged 58.
— Mr. Smith, who was born in Cromar, pos-
sessed much general intelligence, and being
naturally of a social disposition, it is believed
that he saw more than most men of his time
and position of the inner life of both Highland
lairds and tenants, of his intercourse with
whom he occasionally gave curious and inte-
resting reminiscences.
He used also to speak of having been at
College with Sir James Clark and Sir John
Forbes, the eminent physicians ; of having
been a class-fellow of Lord Byron's at the
Grammar School of Aberdeen, and of being
present on the morning that the intelligence
arrived of the death of Byron's uncle, when
the master called out his noble pupil's name
by his title, at which, as Smith was wont to
say, Byron's face became red as a burning coal !
It is certain that there was a " James
Smith" in the first or youngest class of the
Grammar School, when " George Byron Gor-
don" was in the second, 4th June, 1796, also
in the second class of the following year, when
' ' George B. Gordon" was in the third ; but,
in the school catalogue of 18th June, 1798,
when the name of" Geo. B. Gordon" appears
(over which " Dom. de Byron" lias been writ-
ten), none of the pupils of that year, of whom
there were 147, bore the surname of Smith.
This is Bj'ron's last appearance in the list.
He was then in the fourth class, in which,
among others, was the late Sir Alex. Banner-
TULLICH.
159
man, while the venerable Mr. Chrrles Win-
chester, advocate, translator of the Memoirs of
Chevalier de Johnstone, &c., who is cue of
the last, if not the only survivor of Byron's
classfellows at Aberdeen, stood sixth in the
3rd class of June, 1796 (Inf. from Eev. Dr.
Beverly, late Master of Grammar School).
From a table-stone :—
Here lies William CnaiiiNO, la\vful son to
Donald Gumming & his spouse Anne Sliaw,
indwellers att Mill of Dinnet, who died January
16, 1753, aged 2 years & 10 months. Also in
memoi-y of Alexr. Gumming, who died 18th
April, 1840, aged 63 years ; and Jannet Goutts,
his spou.se, who died 8th March, 1873, aged 86
years. Mori janua vitte.
The next inscription refers to a lady who
died at Oakwood Cottage, near Tullich : —
In memory of Hannah Fergusson, spouse of
Lieut. James Fergusson, late 57th Regt., who
died the 12th Augu-st, 1824, aged 34 years.
Although the spot is now unknown, it
seems probable that the kirkyard of Tullich
may contain the remains of Arthur Skene,
who lived in the village at one time, and was
Chancellor of Assize on the trial of Janet
Grant in Coldatone, and Janet Clark in
Blelack, two poor deluded women who, on
17th August, 1590, were charged with the
"murthour be witchcraft" of a number of
men, women, and cattle, with " the rasing of
the Dewill," and with committing many
similar absurdities ; but, as those " cantrips "
were then looked upon as being heinous
crimes, and as both women were " fylit and
conuict for commoune notorious wiches," they
were adjudged to the horrible death of being
" tane to the Castell-hill of Edinburghe, and
thair wirreit at ane staik, and thair bodys to
be brunt in assis" (Ciim. Trials, L 206.)
The Knights Templars had an interest here,
and, according to Spottiswood, they had " a
residence" at Tullich. Although the latter
statement wants corrobation, it does not in
any respect lessen the historical or antiqu-
arian interest of the place ; for besides the
sculptured stone which stood at the Braes of
Claghan (1 Clachan), on the north bank of
Loch Kinord, now at Aboyne (Sculpd. Stones
of Scotd., i. pi. 13), and that which lay by
the side of the turnpike road, near the site
of Mr. Farquharson's monument, another of
these relics, which prove so conclusively the
early importance and antiquity of any locality
in which they are found, was discovered in
the walls of the old church of Tullich, in
1875, by the Eev. Mr. Michie, now of
Dinnet. The last mentioned, which exhibits
the elephant and spectacle ornaments, is part
of a larger stone, the rest of which may
possibly yet be discovered '; but the other
slab, which very much resembled the Skeith
I Stane of Kilrenny in Fife (Ibid., pi. 124),
was unfortunately destroyed when the Deeside
line of railway was being constructed.
Another interesting cross — S. Nach'lan's —
consisted of a square unadorned shaft of
granite, about 12 feet in height, surrounded
with steps. It stood upon the site of Nach-
lan's Fair, which was removed from Tullich
to Ballater about 1817, when the cross was
destroyed, and the materials used for building
purposes (Inf. from late Mr. Smith).
The most generally admired features of the
district are the Lochs of Kinord and Dawan,
in the former of which are three islands. The
chief of these— the Castle Island — was about
an acre in extent, and under cultivation in
179L Although possibly not altogether arti-
ficial, it appears to have been raised partly
upon, and protected by, large piles of wood,
some of which still remain. Tradition, owin"
apparently to the corrupted form of the name,
avers that the castle was occupied by Malcolm
Canmore ; and the same authority, although
there is no mention of the fact in any of the
160
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
King's Itineraries, states tliat Edward I. was
here on his return to the south in 1 306.
Wj-ntoun sa3's that Cumine's soldiers, who
had been there immediate!}'' before the battle
of Culblean in 1335, returned to the " pele"
of Kinord after being defeated by Sir Andrew
Moray : —
Scliyr Robert Meylmeis till Camnore
Went, qwhere lie wonnand was before :
Thiddyr he went, and in a pele
He sawffyt hym and his menyhe' welle.
The place is also mentioned when James
IV. made one of his annual pilgiimages to the
shrine of S. Dulhoo, at Tain. He probably
■visited Loch Kinord at that time, Oct., 1.504,
if he did not indeed stay in the " pele," the
sum of 14s. having been paid to Jacob Ed-
manistoun for " tursing" or conveying " the
kingis dogjjis" there. It further appears that,
in the following month, not only was a similar
sum disbursed " to the botemau of loch Can-
mor be the Kingis command," but Peter
Crechtoun was also repaid the sum of 5s.,
which " he gaif be the kingis command to anc
blind man," at the same time and place.
With the exception of these facts, and
those of the Castle Island's having been gar-
risoned by the Earl of Huntly in 1647, and
taken from him by the rebels, little is known
of its real history.
A number of relics, consisting of canoes
(one of which is at Aboyne Castle), large
beams of oak, bronze swords, and articles of
domestic use have been found in the vicinity
of the "pele" or castle, as described in
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland (vol. vi.), and in Mr. Michie's
Loch Kinnord (Edin., 1877).
"We are told that there is at least one other
canoe in the loch, and were it to become so
shallow as to admit of its being dredged, other
objects of antiquarian interest might be
discovered, if not such as would help to
prove that the Koman town of " Devana"
as laid down by Ptolemy, whose theory is fol-
lowed by Dr. W. F. Skene, in his work on
" Celtic Scotland," was situated somewhere in
the locality.
An account of the early history of the
district of Cromar, particularly such as could
be gathered from careful and intelligent
excavations, would form a valuable addition
to our present knowledge of the past state of
the country. Not only are there traces of
ancient townships along the banks of Lochs
Kinord and Uawan, but the hills by which
they are surrounded, as well as the adjacent
valleys, contain primitive dwellings, burial
places, and sculptured stones, while the names
of the Celtic pioneers of Christianity are
everywhere to be met with in those of old
wells and hillocks.
The united parishes of Tullich, Glenmuick,
and Glengairn belonged, from earliest record,
to the Earls of Mar, who appear to have been
followed, first by the Earls of Crawford, and
next by the Earls of Huntly, one of the latter
of whom received a grant of these lands,
also of Aboyne and Glentanyr, 29th Jan.,
1449-50. A great portion of these estates
still belongs to the Marquis of Huntly, who
is male representative, and chief of the Gor-
dons, Earls of Huntly and Strathbogie.
Since Royalty came to reside in these parts,
and the railway was opened, great improve-
ments have been made upon the whole district,
particularly in and about the village of Ballater,
which is the present terminus of the Deeside
line. But as the nature of these changes is
set forth in Guide Book.s, it need only be here
remarked that, besides many neat dwelling-
houses and villas, which are mostly let for
summer lodgings, branch banks, hotels, and
shops, the village also contains the handsome
buildings of the Parish and Free Churches,
a barrack for the Eoyal Guard during the
stay of the Court at Balmoral, and the Albert
GLENMUICK.
161
Hall. The last meutioned, in which are the
post-office, reading, lecture, and billiard rooms,
was erected and gifted to the inhahitants by
Mr. Gordon, who contributed so liberally to-
wards the building of the new Parish Kirk.
Upon tlie front of the Hall is this in-
scription : —
THIS HALL IS ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF
HIS ROTAL HIGHNESS
THE PEINCE CONSORT,
Born 26th Aug., 1819 ; died 14th December, 1861.
%ttu tttib (iffcst.
TRUE AND FIRM.
At Muir of Dinnet, of late a wild and deso-
late spot, there are now a railway station, a
neat mission church and manse, several dwel-
ling houses, and a merchant's shop. Being
conveniently situated for the districts of Cro-
mar and Strathdon on the north, and Glen-
tanner on the south, this hamlet bids fair to
become a centre of considerable importance.
At Camus-o'-May, or about halfway be-
tween Ballater and Dinnet, there is also a rail-
way station, and being a picturesque and in-
teresting portion of the Dee, it is a favourite
resort of tourists. Lord Byron spent part of
his boyhood at Ballaterich, on the south side
of the river ; but the " box-bed" in which he
is said to have slept when there was unfor-
tunately destroyed by fire a few years ago.
The mountains of Morven and Culblean, of
the beauty of which he sung in some of his
earliest and sweetest pieces, are also remark-
able features in the landscape.
Besides the bridge across the Dee at Dinnet,
there are several others in the united parishes.
The most important is that over the Dee at Bal-
later, another crosses the burn of Tullich, near
the old kirk, and others span the Gairn and
the ]\Iuick respectively. The fu?st notice of
any bridge in these parts is in the time of
Alexander III., during whose reign there was
one near the mouth of the Muick.
The present bridge of Muick was buUt about
140 years ago, and a bridge of three arches,
which was thrown over the Dee at Ballater at
a later date, was carried away by the floods of
1799. It was replaced, in 1808, by a stone
bridge of five arches, which shared the same
fate in 1829. In 1834, the present strong
timber bridge was built by Mr. John Gibb,
engineer, Aberdeen, at the cost of about
^2000, one-half of which was supplied by the
Parliamentary Commissioners for Highland
Eoads and Bridges, and the other by public
subscriptions. The latter were raised all over
the country, and possibly no individual did
more good service as a collector for the bridge
than the Eev. Mr. Smith, who was so long
parochial schoolmaster (supra, 158).
[Insc. compd. by Mr. Riach, rejpstrar.]
(B 1 c nin u i c k.
(THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.)
A LOXG with the parsonage and vicarage
•^^ of several other churches. King's Col-
lege, Aberdeen, received those of Glenmuick
and Glengairn, in 1633 (Acta Pari.)
In 1794, the chm'ch of Glenmuick is
described as -'a very old house, thatched
with heath." It stood within the burial
ground, at the north-west end of the bridge
of Muick, where the manse is still situated.
The burial place of the Gordons of Aber-
geldie is enclosed with a railing, and upon the
dado or die of a square monument, with stem,
are these inscriptions : —
To the memory of Ch.\rles Gordon, Esquire
of Abergeldie, who died March 1796, and of
Alison Hdnter, his spouse, of the family of
Bm-nside, who died March 1800. They lived
162
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
together nearly half a century on this part of
DeesiJe, the best of parents, giving good example
in every way, and serving to the utmost of their
I^ower all who stood in need.
[2.]
Here lies inten-ed the remains of the late
Peter Gordon, Esq', of Abergeldie, eldest sou
of Charles Gordon, Esq'. He succeeded his
father in 1796, and died the 6th of December,
1819, aged sixty-eight.
— Besides Peter, who died without surviving
issue, Charles Gordon and his wife, Alison
Hunter, had six sons and one daughter. The
daughter married Dr. George Skene of Aber-
deen, and the second son, David, succeeded
liis elder brother. He had a large family of
sons and daughters. Hi.s second son, Michael-
Francis, succeeded to Abergeldie, which is
now owned by a sister's son, Mr. Hugh
Mackay-Gordon, an extensive iron and coal
master. About 18-19, the late Prince Consort
acquired a 38 years' lease of the castle and
estates of Abergeldie ; and a few years ago
the adjoining property of Birkhall (formerly
Stiren) was sold to the Prince of Wales by
the Abergeldie Trustees. A stone, over the
front door at Birkhall, initialed and dated
11. G., M. G., 1715, appears to refer to
the "handsome house" which was there built
by the Gordons of Abergeldie.
The property of Abergeldie originally formed
part of the earldom of Mar ; and about the
middle of the 14th century, Earl Thomas
granted the lands to Duncan, son of Eoger,
who, as the Earl's vassal, was bound to give
suit at the three head courts, held " apud
lapidem de JNlygvethe" — a stone at the
Earl's manor of Migvie, in Cromar. About
1507, the Crown, as coming in place of the
old Earls of Mar, laid claim to Abergeldie,
but the Privy Council found that these lands
were "distinct landes fra the Erledome of
Marr" (Hist. MSS. Com., 6th Eeport, 713).
It was about 1501 that Sir Alex. Gordon
of Midmar, a son of the Earl of Huntly, got
a royal charter of the lands of Abergeldie and
Estoun on his own resignation. He was suc-
ceeded in 1507 by his son George, who mar-
ried Margaret Stewart, and had a son James,
who fell " in the feild of Pinkyeoleucht,"
Sept. 10, 1547. The latter was succeeded by
his son, Alexander, who married a daughter of
Irvine of Drum. He had four successors, and
on the failure of the male line in the person
of the last of these, who died in 17 — , the
succession came to his sister, Rachel, who
married a son of Gordon of Minmore, in Glen-
livat, by whom she had Peter, the father of
Charles Gordon, who died in 1796.
Alexander Gordon, merchant in Aberdeen,
and author of " very many poems in the
Scottish tongue, wJiich were very elegant and
learned," was a son of the house of Aber-
geldie (Maidment's Cat. of Scottish Writers).
The enclosure, on the N.W. of the Aber-
geldie tomb, is the burial place of Stewart
in Aucholzie, who married Barbara, sister to
Farquharson of Alargue in Strathdon, and
aunt to Charles Farquharson of Cluny, in
Braemar. The latter, who was known on
Decside as the " muokle Factor," managed
the Invercauld estates for upwards of 45
years. He was buried at Glenmuick along
with his wife and a daughter. The tomb was
erected, but no tablet, by their son Andrew,
who made money abroad, and bought the
property of Breda, near Alford (Epitaphs, i.,
120).
A broken head stone, near the Abergeldie
aisle, relates to Alexander Gordon, Little-
mill, and his wife Jane Smith. They died
respectively in 1809 and 1800, aged 82 and
59, and were uncle and aunt of Mr. Alexander
Gordon, brewer in London (supra, 156).
From a flat slab : —
Here lies the Rev"''. James Eobertson, mi-
nister of Glenmuick, who, after a life devoted to
GLENMUICK.
163
the glory of God and the good of mankind, died
the 11th July, 1748. Blessed are the dead.
Re\Ti. 14th and 13th.
— Mr. Robertson, who was a son of the famous
Baron Ruie, was the first Presbyterian minis-
ter of Glenmuiok. He was ordained in 1699,
and in 1 704, he made up a list of the Papists
in the united parishes, in which he gives many
graphic delineations of character (Blackhal's
Narrative, xxxi.-iv). The parish records also
contain some interesting notices of the Eebel-
lion of 1745, and of those who fell at Cul-
loden. Among these are the following bap-
tismal entries, dated 5th and 21st August re-
spectively, both of which but too clearly point
to the fate of at least two of the followers of
" Bonnie Prince Charlie ": —
Duncan M'Kenzie in Rinaloan, and Ker, his
wife, had a daughter baptised, called Mat. The
father was killed at the battle of Culloden, and there-
fore his brother, Kenneth M'Kenzie in Morvin, was
a sponger for the child. The parents were both
Popish.
A posthumous child of Duncan Fleming in Auchin-
loan, slain in the battle of Culloden, and Elspet
Fraser, his wife, called Donald. Peter Fleming in
Bragnalerin was sponsor.
From a table stone, enclosed : —
Here lies Elizabeth Brown, spouse to the
Rev. Geo. Brown, minister of Glenmuiok, who
died 22d January, 1795, aged 36. Likewise her
two infant daughters .... Also the Rev''
George Brown, who died 24th July, 1818, aged
65. Also here repose the remains of Mrs. Anne
Gordon or Brown, widow of the above-named
Rev. George Brown, who died 1st FebrJ"- 1850,
in her 90th year.
It was in Mr. Brown's time that the
parish church was removed to Ballater; and
the following, from a granite obelisk, relates to
his immediate successor : —
In memory of the Rev. Hugh Burgess, who
died 31st August, 1849, in the 84th year of his
age, the 51st of his ministry, and 32ud of his in-
cumbency of this parish.
From a headstone : —
Anno Domini 1846. Erected in memory of
Isaac Calder, late farmer in Grayston, Inch-
marnooh, who died April 3rd, 1845, aged 89.
Also his spouse, Margaret M'Connach, who
died in 1796, aged 31. Done by his son, George
Calder.
— -Inchmarnoch is situated in the Tullich dis-
trict, not far from Camus-o'-!May. The name
possibly indicates the site of an early dedi-
cation to S. Marnoch.
A rough granite slab (coffin sliaped), near
the gate of the burial-ground, exhibits these
initials and date, rudely incised : —
1596
I. M : "
1722
— The initials are said to refer to one John
Mitchell, who lived at Dallyfour, in Glen-
muick, and the dates to the years of his birth
and death, respectively, if so he had attained
to the long age of 126 years. The following
lines (from a MS. upon the fly-leaf of an old
book), are intended to illustrate the period
during which he is believed to have lived : —
Stay, passenger, and read this rhyme,
And know what happen'd in my life and time —
Full forty years a bachelor I went,
And twenty-six in wedlock ne.\t I spent.
Tadn twice three years I pass'd a widow'd life,
And fifty-five liv'd ^^'ith a second wife.
BetwL\t my cradle and my grave, I wean.
Seven monarchs and two queens have been.
I saw the Union of the Briti.sh crowns ; 1
Twice Presbyt'ry gave way to Stuart go\vn3 ; >
As oft again thrust out prelatic lowns. J
Eight times I've seen my fellow subjects try
If Law or Princes' will should bear the sw'y ;
Prerogative twice trample on our laws ;
And seen as oft usurpers lose their cause ;
And prelates' zeal for pow'r and superstition
Cause bloody wars, and cruel persecution.
Kome, too, I've seen try to enslave us.
And Providence as often save us ;
And seen the Royal Stuarts (bold, ancient race)
With Scotland's freedom, state, and name to cease.
Such devastation in my life hath been —
That I've an end of all perfection seen !
But those were safe who kept from faction free,
Serv'd God in truth and sound sobrietie.
— Tradition asserts that Mitchell was a skilful
angler and a famous poacher. A part of the
Dee, near the jnnction of the Muick, where
salmon spawned, and which he frequented
imder night, was known as Mitdiell's Rfdd,
164
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Several slabs here, as well as at Glengairn
and Tullich, bear initials and dates only.
These are among the earliest of the stones,
and the brevity of the inscriptions had
probably been owing to the hardness of the
material — the tombstones being of granite —
and the want of proper tools as well as of
practice in carving letters. One of these,
upon which the initials and date — A. S. 1736
— are deeply incised, refers to a family named
Symon, who were landholders in Muiress
(Micras) in 1696 ; and another to the ancestors
of Rough Sand//, or Alexander Davidson,
whose e.xploits as a poacher are told in Mr.
Michie's Deeside Tales (Abdn. 1872). Sandy,
who was found dead among the hills of
Glenbucket, in August, 1843, "with his
little brown pointer seated on his breast,
keeping watch over him," was buried under
a stone which bears these initials and dates : —
I. D. 1713 :
A. D. 1726.
But Sandij was not the only poacher in
the district at the time mentioned, there
being at least other two, Malcolm Eitchie
and Jamie Gordon. The former, who lived at
MUton of Aucholzie, left a family, some of
whom are now among the wealthiest settlers
in Australia ; and the latter had a son who
became a medical officer in India, and married
a daughter of Gordon, laird of Abergoldie
who was one of his father's persecutors
during his " poaching days."
The rude and brief style of lettering con-
tinued until the close of the last century,
when an improvement gradually took place,
not only in the shape and form of the letters,
but also in the quantity of information con-
veyed. In illustration of these facts, the
next three examples may be quoted : —
WALTER STEWART, 1776.
JOHN STEWART, 1794.
MARJORY MICHIE, 1790.
P. C. J. F.
who died April 16the 1805.
James Gordon, 1754. Alexr. Gordon, his
son, and also Samvel Gordon, died Dec. 3, 1798,
aged 48.
Upon an adjoining stone : —
In memory of Donald Gordon, late fai-mer,
Aucholzie, and Elspet Donald, his wife, who
both died, 1810, aged 80. Also their son, James
Gordon, who died 18.32, aged 75 yeara ; and his
wife, Ann Leys, who died, 1791 ; also his second
wife, Ann Gordon, who died, 1827.
— James and Ann Gordon were the parents of
William Gordon, who died in 1875, aged
87. He long tenanted Aucholzie, and other
extensive grazings, and his son now occupies
the large sheep farm of Auchallater. Another
of .this race, Jean Gordon, whose father,
Samuel, tenanted Tombreck, is recorded to
have " died at Kewtou of Tullich, 9th May,
1874, aged 103 years." From a table stone : —
This stone was placed here to the memory of
two brothers by their sons, James Robertsone,
sometime miliar at Mill of Stiren, who died 21st
of May 1808, aged 54. Also his spouse. Chris-
tian Robertson, who died 21 of Janry., 1800,
aged 49. Charles Robertson, sometime miliar
at Mill of Balmoral, who died 26th of March,
1812, aged 52.
— The above relates to ancestors of a family
who, about 1841-2, went to Melbourne, in
Australia, as shepherds and agricultural la-
bourers. They were very industrious, and
joining their savings together, became exten-
sive sheep farmers and graziers. One of them,
who purchased about 20,000 acres of land,
near Lake Coramgamite, obtained the sanction
of the Government to call the parish contain-
ing it, Strowan — such being the name of the
old Eobertson or Dundonachie possessions in
AthoU. The last mentioned in the above in-
scription was familiarly known as Strowan
Robertson. He had "a still" at Balmoral,
which formed the nucleus of the now well-
known distillery of Lochnagar.
GLENGAIRN.
165
A religious house and hospice were early
establislied at the Spital of Muick by the
Bishop and Chapter of Aberdeen. These were
for the accommodation of travellers to or from
the south by the long and dreary pass of the
Capel Mount ; and do^^Ti to within these
thirty years the hospice may be said to have
been represented by a humble hostelry which
stood near the old site. Although the Capel
Mount road is still used by pedestrians, and
occasionally by travellers on horseback, there
is no place of rendezvous or refreshment
between the village of Ballater and the
Kirktown of Clova.
It is in the district of Loch Muick, upon
the north or Lochnagar side, that the Queen
has her favourite huts of Altnaguisack and
Glassalt. About two miles to the westward
is Loch Dubhloch. Although of comparatively
small dimensions, this is one of the most ro-
mantic lakes in the parish, the water of which
flows into Loch Muick.
Glenmuick, which was acquired by the first
Earl of Huntly, was sold by the Gordons to
the Farquharsons sometime during the 17th
century. In 1868, the whole district, includ-
ing the south side of Loch ]\Iuick, was bought
from Colonel Farquharson of Invercauld by
Mr. J. T. Mackenzie, who made money abroad,
and whose father was long a silk mercer
in Aberdeen. Mr. Mackenzie, who also owns
the estate of Kintail, in Eoss, and a portion of
Clova {supra, 117), has erected a large mansion-
house at Glenmuick, also a handsome Epis-
copal Church. The latter, which stands within
the policies, is dedicated to S. Nathalan", and
was opened for public service, 22nd August,
1875.
The castles of Knock and Brackley are both
said to have been burned by enemies of their
respective lairds. The former, of which a good
portion remains, is believed to have succeeded
a building that was destroyed by the Clan
Chattan in 1592; and the latter, of which
there is only a fragment, was the reputed seat
of the Baron of Brackley, whose tragical end
is told in the ballad of that name. It is also
said that both castles suffered from the troops
of General ]\Iackay — probably also from those
of the Eoyalists in 1715 and 1745.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Riach, registrar.]
AVVVwv^vw^^vv\vv^v^w^vw^^w^w^v^%vv^^v\^vv^N
(S. MUNGO, BISHOP.)
THE ruins of the old church stand within
the burial ground, upon a haugh, on the
east side of the bridge of Gairn. The front and
gable walls are the most entire portions of
the building, and several ash trees grow
within its area. In the front wall are two
doors and three windows ; and an octagonal
font of early workmanship lies at the west
end of the church.
The state of the ruins of the kirk and the
enclosing walls of the burial ground is highly
creditable, and may be accounted for by the
following inscription upon the left of the
gate : —
The Dyke Rebuilt, and Kirk Repaired, by the
Friends of the Deceased of Glengairn. 1832.
The slab which bears the earliest date
relates to a family of the name of Grant,
one of whose representatives occupies (1878)
the farm of Abergairn. The stone is rudely
inscribed with these initials and date : —
^ I. G. : T. G. : I. 6. : i. M. : m. m. 1714.
Upon the next oldest slab : —
ELSPET MACDONALD DEPARTED THIS LIFE,
1719.
Another relates to three persons of the
name of Macandrew, two of whom died in
1729, and the other in 1738. The following—
166
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
»J« A. M., 1722 ; M. M. 1730 —
has reference to ancestors of the Eev. Mr.
Michie of Dinnet ; and alongside of this rude
slab a cross shaped monument is erected to
the memory of his uncle and aunt, John
Michie, farmer, Tomanraw, and Ann Coutts,
who died, respectively, in 1870 and 1876,
aged 82 and 75 years.
Among other monuments, which present
long ages, are thnse to the memory of
James Coutts, Cookshill, Kildrummy, Peter
Coutts, farmer, TuUochmacarrick, and their
respective -wives, Elizabeth Coutts, and
Helen Gray, all of whom died between
1837 and 1866, and whose united ages
amount to 332 years.
It may be noted that the Coutts's of this
district are not only a long lived race, but
their blood possibly flows in the veins of some
of the oldest of our English families, Nelly, a
daughter of Peter Coutts, who lived at Bryh-
dubh, being married to one of the represen-
tatives of a Yorkshu'e family who trace their
lineage from the time of Henry III.
Another tombstone bears that »J< Duncan
M'Kenzie, Mulloch, died in 1793, aged 88;
and a second that James Eose, Tillyhermack,
and his wife Margaret Dawson, who died in
1863 and 1855, attained to the respective ages
of 88 and 84 years.
From another rudely carved slab : —
lOHN STEWART 1743. JOHN STEWART TR 1783.
MET STEWART, 1789. DONE BY ME ISABEL FERRIS
IN CASTLETOWN. 17-2.
From a headstone :—
DONE BY NATH. GORDON IN TOMB 1782.
— An adjoining table stone shows that
Nathaniel Gordon, from Wardhead, Glen-
muick, died in 1786, aged 50.
From a flat but dateless slab, upon which
is a shield charged with the M'Kenzie crest : —
Here lies Barbra Cattanach & Alexr.,
Elizabeth & Jasnet M'Kenzies.
Remember man as thou goes by, &c.
From a table-stone : — ■
This stone is jjlaced here by Mary Mackenzie
in testimony of her respect for the memory of
her father Donald Mackenzie, Esq., of Dal-
more, who died in the year 1747, aged 70 ; her
mother, Ann Farquharson, who died 1748,
aged — ; her son, Alexr. Mackenzie, who died
1770, aged 14 ; and her husband William
Mackenzie, who died 12th Augt., 1790, aged 79,
and was minister of the united parishes of Glen-
muick, Tullicli & Glengern 12 yeai-s.
— " Dalmore'' was previously the name of Mar
Lodge, now part of the extensive property of
the Earl of Fife, in the upper district of Brae-
mar. Mr. Mackenzie, who lived at Brackley,
had a brother George sometime a writer in
Edinburgh, who about 1725, had a lease of
the grazings of Waterhead in Lethnot (Epi-
taphs, i. 355). Tradition avers that the first
of this family was a natural son of Kenneth,
9th Earl of Kintail, who received a grant of
Dalmore from James IV., in recognition of
services done to the King by his father.
The next inscription specially relates to Mr.
Mackenzie's son-in-law. He was a son of the
laird of Park, in Eoss-shire, and succeeded
Mr. Eobertson in Glenmuick, having been
previously missionary at Braemar : —
William McKenzie died 12th Augt., 1790,
aged 79, minister of the united parishes of Glen-
muick, Tulloch, and Glengairn, for 12 years. A
pastor, vigilant beyond his strength over the
flock committed to his charge ; of coui-teous be-
haviour, & beneficent life ; a pattern of charity,
in all its branches ; a man adorned with many
virtues. Euge fideUs serve.
— It was in Mr. M'Kenzie's time, 'and on
24th Aug., 1785, that the following curious
notice of a marriage occurs, from which it will
be seen that, notwithstanding what poets have
sung to the contrary, even " rustic swains"
could in bygone times bear and treat " slighted
love" in a common sense manner, and without,
as sometimes happens now-a-days, any demand
for pecuniary redress ! The expression of the
marriage having "■ floicen tqj upon the Bride's
side," is peculiarly quaint : —
GLENGAIBN.
167
The Session received advice that the. piirpose of
marriage betwixt Peter Wright in MiUtown of
Aucholie, and Helen Gray, in Balno, is fiowen up
upon the Bride's side, consequently she has forfeited
her pledge, w"^ is a crown ; and that the said Peter
Wright is again contracted in order to marriage w'
Barbara Smith in Upper AchoUie yester-night.
A headstone, near the east wall, bears the
following to the memory of a Eoman Catholic
priest, who was a native of Glengairn : —
•J< Orate pro anima Lachlan M'Intosh, sacer-
dotis, qui, cum munere pastorali in h4c missione
Vallis Garniensis annos fere LXIV. fideliter func-
tus esset, senio confectus, supremum diem obiit,
VI. Idus Martii, anno salutis MDCCCXLVI,
setatis su;e XCIII. Eequiescat in pace.
[Pray for the soul of Lachlan M'Intosh,
priest, who having faithfully discharged the
duties of his pastoral office in this mission of
Glengairn for about 64 years, died woj-n out with
age and infirmities, on 10"' of March, 1846, in the
93"* year of his age. May he rest in peace.]
Upon a table stone : — ■
Here lies in hopes of a blessed resurrection,
the body of Jas. Eggo, late boatman, Poleholick,
who departed this life May 28th 1798, aged 57
years. Likewise his spouse, Jannet Forbes,
died Febry. 17, 1800, aged 50 years.
— Poleholic or Potbalmick, which is named
from a pool in the Dee, lies upon the south
side of the river, and a boat still plies be-
tween it and Dalbagie, on the north side.
Feillmaludmick, or Halmick's Fair — a name
which looks somewhat like that of an old
saint — was long held in this neighbourhood,
and latterly at Bridge of Gairn.
About two miles above the bridge, upon
the north side of Gairn, are a very neat
Eoman Catholic Chapel and mission house.
A little further up, and nearly 100 feet above
the river, is the burial place at
Balfatr.
It is situated within a small enclosure, in
which are also the remains of an ancient
Eoman Catholic chapel. There are four rude
flat tombstones. One, with an upright stone
at the end and a cross upon it, is said to mark
the grave of a priest; and here, in 1859, were
also laid the remains of Margaret M'Gregor,
who died at Laggan, at the age of 82. A
second stone is unembellished, and the other
two (the latter having carvings of crossed
bones and a sandglass) are respectively in-
scribed thus : —
G. M. G. 1734.
HEEE LYES JOHN GEIEESON,
WHO DIED THE SECOND DAY OF MAT 1787.
— Mr. Michie, who was the first to inform us of
this interesting burial-place, and kindly copied
the inscriptions, says that they refer to " two
brothers, who were lairds of Dalfad, of the
name of M'Gregor or Grierson, and who were
descendants of the wild M'Gregors who, in
the reign of Charles I., were such a scourge to
the neighbouring lowlands." John was the
immediate ancestor of the family that mus-
tered themselves and dependants, twenty-four
strong, on the Haughs of Dalfad to march to
Culloden, of whom, it is said, only six re-
turned to tell of the slaughter of their com-
panions.
It appears from the Poll Book of 1696 that
Malcolm M'Greger was then proprietor of
Dalfad, and that he also represented the heirs
of Duncan M'Greger for the lands of Ardochie.
There were no fewer than eleven tenants and
servants upon the property who bore the
name of M'Gregor ; and in a List of Papists,
which was given in to the Presbytery of Kin-
cardine O'Neil in 1 704, many interesting
notices are given of the Griersons, alias
M'Gregors of Glengairn.
One of them, Calam of Baladar (Ballater),
is reported to have built a chapel for the
Papists, and to have " erected a very high
crucifix on a little hill near to his house, to be
adored by all the neighbourhood." He had
four children, one of whom was educated for
168
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
the priesthood at " Dwi Colledge ;" and it is
stated that his father's "visible fortune," esti-
mated at 500 merks yearly, is much "ad-
judged upon decreits obtained against him for
robing the Laird of Glenkindie's house, and
other suchlike barbarities." " Only," adds
the reporter, " he makes a considerable deal of
money yearly by black mail, extorted by him
from several low country parishes, such as
Fordoun, Strathane, Fettercarn, &c., under
pretence of protecting them." At the time
referred to there were in Glengairn 48 papists
and apostates in Calam Grierson's own inte-
rest, 18 in Lord Aboyne's, 26 in the Laird of
Drum's, and 10 in that of James M'Andrew,
in Einalone, " a small heritor and leat apos-
tate." (Blackhal's Narrative, xxx.-iii.)
About four miles above Dalfad is the burial
place of the Macdonald's of
iiiinratan.
It occupies a height about half-a-mile west
from the old mansion-house ; contains about
half-an-acre of ground ; is enclosed by a stone
wall ; and surrounded by larch trees. Near
the centre is a square vault with two tomb-
stones. One slab is built into, the other
batted upon, the west and outer wall of the
vault, and each is inscribed as follows : —
Within this Tomb is laid the remains of Jas.
Macdonald, Esq. of Rineten, who died the 9th
of May, 1776, aged 63. Likewise of Helen
Grakt of Tulloch, his wife, and of several of
their Descendants.
— Mrs. M. was of the Grants of Tulloch, in
Strathspey, and the next inscription relates to
her daughter : —
Within this sanctuary are deposited the mortal
remains of Christian, the wife of Lieut. John
Farquharson of 76"' Regt., and eldest daughter of
James M'Donald of Rineten, Esq'. She de-
parted this life on the 29"' of Aug. 1781, in the
49"" year of her age, leaving one sou and one
daughter. This stone is erected to her memory
by her son Colonel Farquharson of the 25""
Regiment.
— The Macdonalds of Eineatan C? the juniper
strath) claim descent from those of Carra-
gach and Keppoch, the first of whom is said
to have been the third son of John, Lord of
the Isles. According to a Pedigree of the
Macdonald's of Eineatan (MS.) that property
was granted to them by the Eaid of Mar,
about, or soon after the battle of Harlaw,
at which Macdonald was taken a prisoner.
Towards the close of the seventeenth cen-
tury, when Eineatan was owned by Wni.
M'Donald, it was valued at X22 4s. 4d.
Scots. He was married, and employed one
male and two female servants. He owned
Muress (Micras) at the same time, and John
M'Donald, one of six householders there, was
probably related to the laird, since he is
described in the Poll Book as " classing him-
self as a gentleman."
William Macdonald of 1696, was possibly
the father of James of Eineatan, who married
Helen Grant, and died in 1776. Besides
Mrs. Farquharson, the latter had a family of
at least three sons, William, who succeeded
to Eineatan, John, who was a captain, and
, a chaplain, both in the army. The
second son, who died at Eineatan about 1822,
was buried in the family tomb, and although
there is no monument to his memory he is
said to have distinguished himself in the
American War. He owned the small property
of Gairnsdale, near Micras, but resided at
Eineatan along with his younger brother, the
chaplain, of whom some good stories are still
told in the district.
The eldest brother, William, wlio married
a daughter of Kinloch of Kih-y, bought the
estate of St. ]\Iartins about 1750. He was
one of the founders of, and the first secretary
to, the Highland and Agricultural Society
of Scotland, at whose request his portrait
was painted by Sir H. Eaeburn, in 1803.
Mr. ItL, who was a Writer to the Signet, died
GLENOAIRN.
169
at Edin., 17tli ilay, 1814. He was succeeded
by his son, William, who sold Eineatan to
Mr. Farquharsoii of Iiivercauld. He married
a daughter of Sir W. Miller, Bart., Lord
Glenlee, but having no surviving issue, was
succeeded, in 1841, by his cousin. Col. Mac-
donald of St. Martins and Eossie, who mar-
ried a daughter of Lord Lurgan, by whom he
has issue, four sons and two daughters.
The second tablet was probably erected
betvveen the years 1814-17, when "J. Farqu-
harson" was Lieut.-Col. of the 25th Foot. His
ancestors were lairds of Eochalzie, in Perth-
shire, and, through the marriage of Lieut. Far-
quharson with Miss Macdonald of Eineatan, it
is believed that both families are no^v repre-
sented by Col. Macdonald, who still possesses
the Perthshire estate. Col. Macdonald's fa-
ther, who died as General Farqidiarson, and
Governor of St. Lucia, married Eebecca,
daughter and co-heiress of Sir Geo. Colquhoun,
Bart, of that Ilk, which family is now repre-
sented by Col. Macdonald.
A perpetual and exclusive right to the
burial-ground of Eineatan is said to have been
secured to the !Macdonalds on the payment of
the nominal feu-duty of IJd. a-year.
A large grave or mound (about 3 feet broad
by about 6 feet long) on the east side of the
Macdonald tomb, covers the ashes of a school-
master of the name of Cumine. He was long
teacher at Lynagoil, and died at AberarJer,
from fifty to sixty years ago. He is said to
have belonged to Strathspey, and being much
attached to the jMacdonalds, was interred here
by his own particular desire.
This is the only adult burial of other than
JIacdonalds that is known to have been made
at Eineatan, but a number of children lie in
various parts of the enclosure, the graces of
two of whom, buried in 1876, near the
west end of Cumine's tomb, are each covered
with three rude undressed boulders, the
largest stone being at the head, and the
smallest at the feet.
The Cossack Burn, a tributary of the Gairn,
runs through the glen, and past the mansion-
house of Eineatan, which is a building of two
storej's, and possibly from eighty to a hundred
years old. Although the outhouses are ruin-
ous, enough remains to show that the house
of Eineatau had been a good specimen of a
highland " place" of the period to which it
belongs. Invercauld still owns the property,
but the shootings being leased by the Eoyal
Family, the house is now occupied by one of
her Majesty's gamekeepers.
Traces of a Eoman road, which went from
the Craigs of Ballater in a northerly direction
to Corgarff on the Don, were to be seen to-
wards the close of the last century, and were
particularly noticeable between Gairnwater
and Altdowrie (?Alduiscan) in this district,
and at the Well of Glaschoil near Corgarff
(Chalmers' Caled., i. 150).
A bridge crosses the north Deeside turn-
pike near the old kirk of Glengairn, and a
road a little to the north-west, leads to Strath-
don and Tomintoul by Gairnshiel, where
there are a picturesque stone bridge, and a
shooting lodge. The latter was built by Mr.
Garden of Troup — hence the name " Garden's
Shiel." He also erected a cairn or pyramid
upon the Craig of Tulloch, to the north-west of
the lodge, in memory of the Eight Hon. Ch.^s.
J.MIES Fox, M.P., who died in 1806. A con-
siderable portion of the cairn still exists, and
a great demonstration took place on its being
finished. In an Ode upon the subject, which
occurs in a vol. of poems, by Wm. Edwards,
gardener, Dalgety (72 pp., Aberd., 1810) is
the following allusion to the erector ; — •
170
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Long may the Founder live, with plenty cro\TO'd,
And share the joy he gen'rous spreads around,
To soothe distress,
The poor to bless.
May Garden pass through life w-ithout a sigh,
And late, 0 late ascend on high.
The quoad sacra church of Glengairn, a
plain building, is situated about seven miles
from Ballater.
Remains of the old bridge of Gairn are to
the north of the new bridge. A little to the
north-east, upon the farm of Abergairn, a lead
mine recently opened, is now being worked
by Cornish miners, and the skilled in such
matters believe the speculation will turn out
to be a remunerative one.
[Insc. of Glengairn compd. by Mr. Riach, registrar.]
/kWWV^VV
jforgue.
(S. MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND?)
THE parish of Forgue, as presently consti-
tuted, appears to bo made up of two old
ecclesiastical districts — Fair/ or Forrig and
Ferendracht. Although the site of the latter
church is now unknown, it seems probable
that Frendraught, where the chief or proprie-
tor of the district resided, had been the earlier
of the two, and had merged into the more
modern one of Forgue, in which district, at
Bognie, there was also a chapel in early times.
Forgue and Frendraught were spoken of as
separate parishes so late as 1699, when Theo-
dore Morison of Bognie was retoured heir to
his father, in the towns and lands of Bognies,
Pennieburne, Conzies, and Pitfancie, with the
mill and teinds, third part of Foggie Moss — ■
" omnibus in parochia de Frendraught et
parochia de Forgue" — the dominical lands of
Frendraught, &c.
Both churches were within the diocese of
Aberdeen, and the patronage belonged to the
Abbey of .Arbroath, to which monastery that of
Frendraught was given by William of Fren-
draught, knight, about the middle of the 13th
century.
There is no mention of the church of Fren-
draught in the Old Taxation, but that of
Forgue is variously rated in three different
copies (Theiner ; Archaeol., xvii. ; Eeg. Vet.
de Aberb.)
Michael of Ferendrach, who is a witness to
charters by King William the Lion, and Gil-
christ, Earl of Mar, 1203-14, is possibly the
first recorded of his name. Some of his
successors swore fealty to Edward I., and
the family De Ferendracht appear to have
flourished in the male line and in the district
until about 1322, when James Fraser, in
Aberdeen, and Margaret of Ferendraucht had
a dispensation from the Pope for their mar-
riage, they being within the prohibited de-
grees of affinity. Eobert I. gave Gilbert Hay
of Locherward the lands of Auchenfichlach
and others, wliich belonged to Duncan Fren-
draucht, knight, and in 1404 Henry, one of
the same family, possessed the lands of Little
Keithock. near Cupar-Angus.
James Fraser, who was lord of Frendraught
in 1 402, and made certain gifts to the Abbey
of Melrose, was possibly the last of the
Erasers, and father of Maulde, who became
the wife of Alexander Dunbar, second son of
John, Earl of Moray, and his wife Princess
Marjory. Alexander Dunbar " of Fren-
draught" had an only sou by this marriage,
who married a daughter of the first Earl of
Huntly. He succeeded his cousin in the Earl-
dom of Moray, and dying about 1430, left two
coheiresses, the elder of whom married Sir
James Crichton, and the younger a son of the
Earl of Douglas.
Sir James Crichton of Frendraught was
made Great Chamberlain of Scotland in 1440,
FORGUE.
171
and continued in office until 1453 (Crawford's
Off. State). In 1451 he was Captain of the
Castle of Kildrummy under the King, with
an annual salary of £100 Soots, and at the
same time he tenanted the two Eoyal granges
of Kildrummy and Migvie, for which he paid
£20. Alex. Crichton was Constable and
Master of Works of the Castle of Kildrummy
in the same year, when he paid the sum of
£13 6s. 8d. for work done upon the castle
(Chamberlain Rolls).
Lady Janet Dunbar had three sons by
Sir James, second Lord Crichton, all of whom
were attainted in 1483-4, for espousing the
cause of the Duke of Albany. The eldest son,
who succeeded as third Lord Crichton, mar-
ried a daughter of James II., and left a son and
daughter. The latter married the Earl of
Eothes, and the former, on the resignation of
his grandmother, had charters of the barony of
Frendraught, Ifov. 22, 1493 (Doug. Peerage).
It was in this laird's time that James Y.
visited Frendraught, on which occasion, 13th
Nov., 1535, he granted a charter of the barony
of Frendraught and Inverkeithney, and lands
in Perthshire, " predilecto familiari seruitori,"
Sir James Crichton, on his own resignation,
whom failing to a series of heirs. A grandson
of Sir James's, who married a daughter of the
Earl of Sutherland, presented the church of
Forgue with two silver basin-shaped com-
munion cups, which bear the same hall-mark
(the Castle) flanked by the initials " TK . G,"
as the plate of the High Church, Edinburgh.
One of the Forgue cups bears : —
GIFTIT • TO • GOD • AND • HIS ■ CHVRCH •
BE ■ lAMES • CREIGHTOVN • OF ■ FRENDRA-
VEHT • TO • THE • KIRK • OF • FORRIG * 1633.
— It was the donor of this cup who, in Janu-
ary, 1630, killed Gordon of Piothiemay, and
also mortally wounded Gordon of Lesmore, for
which, in name of assythment or blood-money,
as arranged by the Marquis of Huntly, Crich-
ton paid a large sum to the relatives of the
former. Crichton soon again got himself into
another difficulty, one of his party having
seriously wounded a son of Leslie of Pitcaple.
The ^Marquis of Huntly was asked by Crich-
ton to arbitrate in this matter also, but Leslie
declined to enter into any agreement until he
saw what might be the effect of the wound ;
and being also displeased with the view which
the ]Marquis took of the matter, he rode off,
threatening to assemble his followers and in-
tercept Crichtou's return from the Bog of
Gycht. Aware of this, and in the hope of
saving Crichton from falling into the hands of
his enemies, the Marquis sent his own son,
Viscount Melgund, Gordon of Eothiema}^, and
six followers, as an escort home with Fren-
draught.
The party accomplished tlieir journey in
safety, and the Gordons, having been impor-
tuned by the Crichtons to stay at Frendraught
for the night, agreed to do so, but the former,
who were lodged in different parts of the
tower, had not been long in bed when they
were aroused by fire breaking out in their
apartments, and Viscount Melgund, Gordon of
Rothiemay, also four of their followers, two
of them having escaped, perished in the
flames. The ballad of the " Fire of Fren-
draught" clearly points to a conspiracy which
appears to have been entered into between the
laird and lady of Frendraught against the
Gordons, owing, as some think, to the large
amount of " blood money" which Huntly
awarded for the murder of Rothiemay's father.
It is told that Melgund found his way to
Rothiemay's room, and on the latter calling
from " the wire-window" for "Mercy," Lady
Frendraught loudly replied : —
It were great pity for good Lord John
But none for Rothiemay ;
But the keys are casten in the deep draw-well,
Ye cannot get away.
172
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Spalding — in whoso History of the Troubles
(Spalding Club edition) is the best account of
the burning — says that " the ashes and brynt
bones" of the victims were gathered by the
Gordons and buried at the kirk of Gartly
(Epitaphs, i. 43).
Enquiry having been made as to the origin
of the fire, it was found that it could only
have originated from within the house, and
" of set purpose." Still, both Crichton and
his lady contrived to keep themselves clear of
it, and suspicion having fallen upon John
Meldrum, an old servant of Crichton's, and
who afterwards married a daughter of Leslie
of Pitcaple, lie was tried and condemned,
although there was notliing to prove his con-
nection with the affair, or to show that he was
in the house at the time of the fire. It was
known that he had no good feeling towards
Crichton, and it was also averred that he made
some such remark on the previous evening as
" that Freidret would be burnt before the
next morning." Whether justly or otherwise
— for the true state of the affair is likely to
remain a mystery — Meldrum was condemned,
and executed at Edinburgh in August, 1631,
the burning having occurred in the previous
October.
The last-named Crichton was heir male of
the famous Lord Chancellor of that name, in
consideration of which his son was created, in
1642, Lord Crichton and Viscount Fren-
draught. The Viscount, who was a brave,
courageous man, followed Montrose in all his
enterprises, and aided him in making his
escape at Inchcarron, in 1650; but having
been himself taken prisoner, historians remark
that to escape public vengeance his lordship
chose a Eoman death.
It was the second Viscount who gave a
silver bread plate to the kirk of Forgue. It is
about 13 inches in diameter, and upon a boss
in the centre are the Oricbtctn arms and
motto — GOD SEND GRACE. The lip of the
plate is thus inscribed :—
GIFTED • TO • GOD • AND • TO • HIS •
CHVKCH • OF • FORGVE • BY • lAMES ■
VISCOVNT • OF • FRENDRAVGHT • LORD •
CRICHTOVNE.
In addition to the communion plate, there
are a silver chalice and paten, iipon which,
within a circle surrounded by a halo or glory,
are a cross, the sacred monogram I.H.S., also
the symbol of Our Saviour's pierced heart, with
three passion nails.
These relics, of which an account was read
by the late Dr. Stuart to the Society of Anti-
quaries, in 1873, were put into a state of ex-
cellent preservation by the late Mr. Morison
of Bognie, shortly before his death. They are
now in the hands of the parish minister, and
the following notice of the custody of the old
plate by Lady Frendraught, and of some
pieces now lost, occurs in the Session records,
under the date of 6th September, 1680 : —
The s* (lay Mr George Garden presented to the
minister and elders of the Session ane ticket of y'
Viscountess of frendraught q'"ein shoe declares y' shoe
hade received from him, in trust and keeping, ane
silver basin, and two silver cups belonging to the
church of forgue, together also wt two communion
table clothes, w' two little barrels for holdin the com-
munion wine, and also a silver challes and patine,
gifted by the lait Viscount of frendraught, q'^'' ticket
the s<i Mr George is to keep till these things be
delivered to the mitf and elders.
— The " Viscountess" was the wife of the
second Viscount Frendraught, and a daughter
of Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty. Slie
was previously married to Lord Rutherford,
and by her second husband had a son who be-
came the third Viscount Frendraught, but
dying young, he was succeeded in the title by
his uncle Lewis, who was attainted in 1690.
The Viscountess, who married George Mori-
son of Bognie, as her third husband, conveyed
the estates of Frendraught to him on the death
of her son in 1678 ; and having, according to
Douglas (P«6raga, i. 613), Tjothb a son t&
FORGVE.
173
Morison in her old age, she called him Theo-
dore, "Gift of God." But the Poll Book
shows that, in addition to a son, she had also
two daughters, Susanna and Elizabeth, who
were botli charged poll, along with their father
and mother, the latter being styled " My lady
duager of Frendraught his [Morison's] lady."
There are several inscribed tablets within
an enclosure in the churchyard, which formed
the north aisle of the old kirk. Two of these
are copies in granite, the originals having been
removed by the lato Mr. Morison to the Epis-
copal Church of S. Margaret's (infra, 180).
Other two tablets, within the aisle, are respec-
tively inscribed : —
In memory of two Sous and three Daughters
of the late John Forbes of Boyndlie, and
Katharine Morison, his wife, who all died
yoimg, and are here interred. This stone is
erected by their affectionate mother, 1827.
[2.]
In memory of Magdaline Morison, widow
of the late John Shackleton, Esq., and youngest
daughter of the late Alex. Morison, Esq. of
Bognie, who died at Banff, 24 March 18.53, in
the 82d year of her age. Also of Mary, his
4th daughter, who died at Glenbogie Cottage,
28 Oct. 1859, in the 85th year of her age.
Another monument, at one time within the
kirk, now encased in a portion of the belfrj"^,
presents a shield charged with the Garden
arms (a boar's head in chief, and three cross-
croslets in base), with the motto, Xvexov Kal
oTrexo" (Bear, forbear). Below is this inscrip-
tion carved upon Portsoy marble : —
MS. ALKXANDER garden in coll. REG. ABERD.
PH. QDA. PR. ECCL. DEIN FORO PASTOR INTEQERRIm'
TOTO VIT.E INSTITUTO SANCT' ET SEVEr' QUADRAT'
UNDIQ', DEO, ECC, SIBI, COSTANS. EX SCORBUTO
TANDEM, QUEM ASSIDUIS STUDENDI ET CONCION-
ANDI LABORIB', CONTRAXIT, ^EGER DECUBUIT ET
APUD HANC ECCL'. UBI PR. 30 AN. MUNERE SACRO
EUNCT' EST MORTALITATIS EXUVIAS IN SPE BEAT-S
RESURRECTIONIS PIE DEPOSUIT MENSIS MART' D.
9 A.D. 1674, act' 63. M.P. C0>'JU}.'X M.ESTIS8IMA
IS. MIDI,ETO>,.
[Sacred to the memory of A. Garden, sometime
professor of philosophy in King's College, Aber-
deen, afterwards the most exemplary minister of
the church of Forgue ; in his whole manner of
life pious, strict, and blameless — faithful to God,
the Chm-ch, and himself. He was at last pros-
trated by scrofula brought on by his incessant
labour in studying and preaching, and in this
church, where he had officiated as minister for
30 yea re, he piously deposited his mortal remains,
in the hope of a happy resurrection, 9th March,
1674, in the 63'' year of his age. His disconso-
late spouse Is. Midletou erected this monument
to his memory.]
— Having had " his bigging and manse all
destroyed by fyre done hy the rebels, and
since that aftener nor anes it has bene
plundered in latter rebelliousnes and insur-
rectiones," his successor was bound to give him
or his heirs, at the time of demission or death,
" satisfaction for the whole biggings," according
to then- worth and value. Mr. Garden con-
tributed £26 13s. 4d. Scots, towards tlie
erection of the new buildings of King's College,
in 1658. His widow was alive in 1696 ; and
a son. Dr. James, became Professor of Divinity
in King's College, Aberdeen (Scott's Fasti).
It is said that a stone, dated 1638, was
found in some part of the last church. It
possibly had reference to the building of the
church of the time of Mr. Garden and his
predecessor, Mr. Douglass, the latter of whom
was minister when the " Fire of Frendraught"
occurred. The old kirk contained a number
of carved panels, the inscriptions from some
of which (Old Stat. Acct.), were as follows : —
GOD SEND GRACE WITHOUT FEAR.
PATIENCE OVERCOMMIS TIKANNT.
O PASSI GBAVIOEA ! DABIT DEUS HIS QUOQUE FINE5I.
[O ye who through more grievous ills have past,
From these, too, God will grant relief at last.]
DECS NOBISCUM, Ql'IS CONTRA ?
[If God be with us, who cau be against us ?]
CUM OMNIBUS PACEM, AUVKRSUS VITIA BELLUM.
[With all men study peace, 'gainst vice wage cease-
less war.]
The present church of Forgue was erected
in 1819. It stands within the burial place, a
174
EPITAPH 8, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
little to the north of the site of the old kirk,
and although it cannot boast of much archi-
tectural beauty, it contains an organ, which
bears to have been " Gifted to God and his
Church of Forgue, by Walter Scott, Glen-
drouach, 1872." We believe Mr. Scott has
also presented a stained glass window to the
church of his native parish of Polmont, in
Stirlingsliire.
A flat stone (enclosed) in the churchyard,
said to be upon the site of the old pulpit, bears
this inscription : —
Here lyes Thomas Forbes, son to Mr. Alex-
ander Forbes, minister at Forgue, who died the
last day of Feb., 1733, in the 4th year of his age.
Also Katharine Garden, s]>ouse to said Mr.
Forbes, who died Sep. 7, 174G, aged 48 years ;
and the said Mr. Alexander Forbes, who was
admitted minister at Forgue, 11th Sep. 1716,
died 7tli May, 1758, in the 69th year of his age
and 42nd of his ministry.
— He was the first minister who succeeded to
the kirk of Forgue after the overthrow of
Episcopacy, and his settlement was so strongly
opposed that his ordination took place at
Auohterless. He died much respected, and
was succeeded by ]\Ir. Geo. Abercrombie, pre-
viously of Footdee, afterwards of the second
charge (New East Church) of Aberdeen, and
father of the late celebrated Dr. John Aber-
crombie, of Edinburgh. On a plain head-
stone in N.E. corner of burial-ground is the
following inscription : —
Here rest the mortal remains of the Rev.
Alexander Allardyce, who waa 30 years
minister of this parish, and departed this life
suddenly on the 2nd of June, 1833, aged 57.
— Mr. Allardyce, who died of gout in the
stomach, was the son of a medical practitioner
in Banff, and his widow, Ann Blair, who
died at Cromarty in 1857, possessed consider-
able poetical talent. She wrote, among other
pieces. Lines on the Death of Jane, Duchess
of Gordon, beginning " Fair in Kinrara
blooms the rose," also the words to a piece of
music, entitled " A Waterloo Waltz," and an
Answer to Lord Byron's " Fare thee well."
These pieces have all been much admired,
particularly the last, and the first has been
erroneously attributed to her husband, who,
as stated by his eldest daughter (who has
kindly furnLshed us with these interesting
notes), " never wrote any lines." Mrs. Allar-
dyce was also authoress of a jjoem in the
Aberdeenshire dialect, entitled " The Gude-
wife at Home" (Abd., 1867), likewise of a
monograph — " Aberdoniana : Footdee in the
last century" (Abd., 1872)— which contains
some curious notices of the manners and cus-
toms of that place during the early life of the
writer.
Born at Eyemouth in 1777, she was re-
moved while a child to Footdee, where she
resided until the death of her father, who was
an officer in the Coastguard. He died in 1801,
and soon thereafter she was married, and went
to Forgue. After the death of her husband
she went to Cromarty, and lived in a house
which had been bequeathed to her by her
cousin. Col. David Gordon. She had two
sons and five daughters by Mr. Allardyce, and
the former both left Forgue in 1821, James, the
elder, for India, and William for Australia.
The latter died abroad, but his brother came
home finally in 1858, having attained the
rank of Lieut.-General in the Indian Army,
and died at Eamsgate in 1862. Although
only one of her daughters (the second) was
married, Mrs. Allardyce saw before her death
four f/rert^grand children, whose number now
amounts to thirty, and one of whom is married
in Melbourne. Her eldest grand-daughter
married Mr. Kenneth j\Iurray, F.S.A. Scot.,
the well-known proprietor of Geanies, in Eoss-
shire, who died suddenly at Dunrobin, in 1876,
while on a visit to the Duke of Sutherland.
Mr. Allardyce's successor, Mr. James Cor-
DiNEE, was previously schoolmaster at Gartly,
FORGUE.
175
and died in 1849, aged 63. He was succeeded
by Mr. John Abel, who died in 1871, aged
48, and to whose memory the parishioners have
erected a monument. He was succeeded by
the present minister, Mr. Brebner, who was
translated from Ythan Wells, to whose kind-
ness, and to that of the Eev. Mr. Lippe,
schoolmaster, we are indebted for many
particulars in this notice.
Upon the face and end respectively of an
ornamental table-shaped stone : —
This stone is erected by Mr. Eobert Shand in
Conlaud, in memory of Agnes LiTTLE,yonN, his
mother, who died May 19, 1741, aMd 46 years.
As also in memory of George Shasd, his father,
sometime iu Parkdargue, who died April 7, 1772,
in the 84th year of liis age.
And of Elizabeth Alexander, wife to the
said Eobert Shand. Slie died 31st March, 1818,
aged 85.
Upon a monument in a line with the east
dyke of the kirkyard : —
Sacred to the memory of Alexander Shand,
second son of George Shand and Agues Little-
johu, in Parkdargue, Colonel of the Koyal Eegi-
ment of Artillery, who died 7th April 1803, aged
72 years, and was buried in this churchyard.
— The next three inscriptions are from slabs
inserted into the south, east, and west sides
of an obelisk upon the hill of Templeland,
a property now worth about £400 a-yoar,
which was acc^uired by Colonel Shand some-
time before his death : —
To the memory of Alexander Shand, Second
Son of George Shand and Agnes Littlejohn, in
ParMaryue ; Colonel of the Eoyal Eegiment of
Artillery ; who died on the 7th of April, 1803,
aged 72 Years.
[2.]
Colonel Alexander Shand, to whom this
pyramid is erected, was a striking Instance of
the Efficacy of strong natural Powers and
vigorous pei-severance. His Parents soon learned
to appreciate his Genius, & bestowed upon him
so liberal an Education that during several of
the early Yeai-s of his Life, he was himself
enabled to act as an Instructor of Youth. The
natural Bias of his Mind, however, sjieedily
became too powerful to permit him to rest in
the Obscurity to which Circumstances seemed to
have consigned him, and some time previous to
the Year 1760, he entered as a Private in the
Eoyal Eegiment of Artillery — soon thereafter
became a non-commissioned Officer, & was
promoted by HLs Majesty to the rank of
Lieutenant Fireworker, iu which Capacity he
gallantly distinguished himself in several Actions
in Germany, and received a severe Gun-shot
"Wound iu the Foot at the Battle of Corbach, on
the 10th of July, 1760. He was also woimded
at Braudywine Eiver, in America, on the 11th
of September, 1777. His Services at Gibraltar
were held in high Estimation during the memor-
able Siege of that Fortress in the Years 1780,
1781, 1782, under the Command of the Right
Hon. Lord Heathfield, whose Confidence and
Eegard he enjoyed in an eminent Degree ; and
having thus, dm-ing a long Course of Years,
signalized himself in the Service of his Country,
and attained to the Eank of Colonel, this gallaut
Soldier died on his Estate of Templeland, and
was buried in the Churchyard of this Parish.
[3.]
The Merits and Character of Colonel Shand
may be sufficiently traced in the History of his
Life. Entering into the World destitute of
Friends, of Fortune, and of Influence, he quitted
it rich in the Possession of them all. His
Perceptions were clear, his Judgment sound, his
Information extensive, his Courage calm, and
his Integrity spotless. The Toils of his early
Years, and the Perils that marked the Meridian
of his Life, were rewarded at its Close by an
honourable Competence, and the Eecollection of
a Life devoted to his King and his Covmtry.
In his Death he has bequeathed this useful
Lesson to Posterity — that the most formidable
Obstacles disappear before Vigour and Pereever-
ance, and that, in this Laud of genuine Freedom,
the highest Stations are equally accessible to
Talent and to Yutue, as to Eiches or high
Descent.
— There was another panel upon the north
side which is said to have been clandestinely
removed by a " drouthy neebor," and sold for
a hearthstone to " mine host" at the Clachan
of Hawkhall I Part of it still forms a step to
an adjoining cottage garden.
Col. Shand devoted much of the leisure of
his latter days to the study of antiquities, and
Vi
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
was the first to discover " the great Eoman
camp at Glenmailen, near the source of the
Ythan," of which he wrote an account to the
Society of Autiquaries of Perth, in 1788
(Proceed So. Ant. Scot., vii.) From a tomb-
stone, to the south-west of the kirk : —
In memory of the Rev. Alex. Shand, pastor
of the Episcopal Chapel at Arradoul, parish of
Bathven, for upwartls of 45 years, who died lOtli
Nov. 1834, in the 70th year of his age, and 49th
of his ministry. Helex Shand, died at Boyns-
mill, 4th May 1853, aged 85, relict of the late
John Sharp, in Templand, and sister of the
above ReV". Alex. Shand.
— ifrs. J. Sharp was a cousin of Col. Shand's,
and her son, who assumed the name of Shand,
succeeded to Templeland. He died in 1873,
aged 72, and his third and last surviving
daughter brought the estate to Dr. Smitli-
Shand, professor of the Practice of Medicine
in the University of Aberdeen.
Shand was a common surname in Forgue
during the 17th century, there being, in 1696,
no fewer than seven heads of families of that
name, one of whom was tenant of Kirkton,
and four were shoemakers. Egbert Shaxd,
who also practised " the gentle craft," and who
is described (Scots Maga.) as the "most ex-
traordinary pedestrian of this pedestrian age,"
was probably a descendant of some one of the
latter. He long carried the mails between
Forgue and Huntly, always three times a-
week, som"times oftener, and is said to have
performed the journey, out and in (over 14
miles), in less than four hours. He died at Bog-
nie, 21st Feb., 1814, aged 86, and it is told
that, only the year before his death he offered,
for a bet of 20s., to walk to Aberdeen and
back — a distance of some 70 miles — within
twenty-four hours !
It is said that in old times, " all the Shands
in Forgue could count kin." There are various
theories as to the origin of the name. But
probably since the Gaelic word shan signifies
anything " old," the surname may be derived
from the words, SHAN-Di«'?je, " an old man."
It would have been applicable in this sense to
a person or family remarkable for longevity, or
more probably, to the owners or occupiers of
places of some such names as Shanval, the
old town, or Simmies, the old burn.
Shand was also a burgess name in Aberdeen
during the 1 7th century, and towards its close
William Shand was served heir to his father,
Thomas of Craigie (Inq. Gen.) Sir C. F.
Shand, K.B., Chief Justice of the Mauritius,
and his brother, the Eev. George Shand, rector
of Heydon, Norfolk, both bear the arms of
the Craigie family. The latter has com-
piled some interesting " Notices on the Sur-
name of Shand" (Epitaphs, i. 135, 311).
The next two inscriptions are from a monu-
ment near the south wall of the churchyard : —
In memory of William Stuart in Boynsmill,
who died in 1742, aged 76, and Janet Alex-
ander, his wife ; also of William Stuart, their
son, who held in lease the farms of Parkdargue,
Kirktovvn, and Little Forgue, where he died 12th
Jan., 1784, aged 63. His wife, Helen Cruick-
SHANK, died 5tli Dec, 1788, aged 76. Of their
sons, Charles & James, the former died at Place-
mill, & the latter at Parkdargue, each in his
33rd year. William Stuart, farmer, Park-
dargue, died at Drumblair Cottage, 19th April,
1854, aged 45. His daughter, Robin.\ Eliza,
died at Little Forgue, 9th April, 1853, aged
4 years. Elizabeth Thain, his spouse, died at
Drumblair Cottage, 25th May, 1858, aged 32.
[2.]
William Stuart succeeded his father in the
leases of Kirktown, Parkdargue, and Little
Forgue, and died at Kirktown, 7th May, 1802,
in his 61st year. Ann Gordon, his spouse, died
likewise at Kirktown, 18th Sept., 1819, aged 73.
Two of their sous, James and George, died in
early life. Here also are interred the remains of
Jane Glashan, wife of Robert Stuart of
Aucharnie, who died at Little Forgue on 6th
April, 1851, aged 80. And of their sou, James
Stuart, who died at Cocklaraehie, 19th June,
1838, aged 28. Robert Stuart, of Aucharnie,
died at Little Forgue, 3rd Sep., 1855, aged
74 years.
FORGUE.
177
— John, the last survivor of the family, was
bred to the law, and began practice in Huntly,
but soon returned to Aberdeen, where he re-
mained until 1853, when, through the in-
fluence of Mr. Patrick Chalmers of Aldbar,
Professor Cosmo Innes, and Fox (Lord Pan-
mure), lie received an appointment as a searcher
ill the Eegister House, Edinburgh. He was
promoted in 1873 to the office of Principal
Keeper of the Eegister of Deeds.
Having sold his paternal estate in 1863, he
bought Newmills, near Edinburgh, where he
spent the remainder of his days ; but not
being strong, he was occasionally absent in
quest of health, and it was on one of these
occasions, while at Ambleside, that he died
somewhat suddenly, on 19th July, 1877.
His remains were interred in Warriston Ceme-
tery, Edinburgh, according to the rites of the
Episcopal Church, of which he was a devoted
adherent. He was twice married, and by his
first wife he left two surviving daughters.
Mr. Stuart, upon whom, some years ago,
the University of Aberdeen conferred the
honorary degree of LED., was one of the
founders of the Spalding Club, and among
the principal works which he edited for it
were the Sculptured Stones of Scotland, the
Book of Deer, &c. Dr. Stuart also edited
for the late Lord Dalhousie, the Registrum
de Panmure, one of the most valuable of
our Eamily Histories ; and wrote many im-
portant papers for the Society of Antiquaries,
of which he was an office-bearer from the
time he removed to Edinburgh. As justly
remarked in the notice of his death, which
appeared in the Scotsman—" taking him all
iu all, the Scottish Society of Antiquaries
will sadly miss their assiduous and indefati-
gable Secretary" (Epitaphs, i. 166).
Upon a marble head-stone (enclosed) : —
In memory of William Irvine of Corny-
haugh, who died at Towie, 1st Dec. 1826
[2 children died young.] Also in memory of
Mr. Irvine's Ancestors, proprietoi's of Corny-
haugh, for upwards of 300 years, and interred
in this spot Margaret Anne
Irvine, third daughter of William Irvine and
Martha Findlay, died Nov. 16th, 1870.
— The Poll Book shows that Eobert Irvine,
who had three sons and a daughter, was
" heritor" of Cornyhaugh in 1696. In 1664
the property was owned by John Gregory of
ISTetherdale, ancestor of the celebrated mathe-
matician, and subsequently by Eobert Bisset,
in Drumdolla, Cornyhaugh has a singularly
secluded situation on the banks of the Deveron,
and during the proscription of Episcopacy, it
was the seat of a meeting-house. Mr. Irvine,
who was sometime Episcopal clergyman at
Pennyburn, was of the Cornyhaugh family.
It was sold by the above-named William, who
died in 1826.
Near the Irvine stone, also enclosed : —
Erected to the memory of Barbara-Alexis
Forbes, wife of Eobei-t Simpson of Cobairdy,
who died 9th March 1837, aged 23.
— ]\Ir. Simpson, who studied for the church,
is the son of a builder who farmed Crookmore,
in TuUj'nessle, succeeded to the fortune of
a maternal uncle, named Brownie, who died
in America. Mr. S. bought Cobairdy from
the Trustees of Mr. Morison of Auchintoul,
and built the present mansion-house. He
married for his second wife a daughter of
Provost Carnie of Macduff, and his only son
by his first marriage is Major of the 72nd
Highlanders.
Cobairdy has frequently changed hands.
It belonged for many years to Murrays, and
about 1650, to John, afterwards Sir John
Baird, who was sometime a representative
elder to the General Assembly. In 1663, it
was owned by John "Wishart, in the following
year by Gregory of Netherdale, and in 1696
it belonged to one Hamilton. At a later
period it was in the hands of Sir Ernest Gor-
178
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
don of Park, by 'vvhom the famous cup was
saved, which is said to have been carried
away by Calder of Asswanly, from the castle
of Finhaven, at the time of the battle of
Brechin in 1452.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
Hie siti sunt cineres Georgii Cruickshank,
qui agi-i apud Hassiewells quondam cultor,
decessit, Non Sep. 179.5, anno fetatis 81 mo. Hoc
desiderii sui monumentum uxor ejus Christina
Largue, filiique, Johannes et Gulielmus, ille
academioe Banfiensis magister, liic apud Huuth-
feam gymnasiarcbus, mrerentes posuere. Re-
liquiae C'hristian.e Largue, qu;e diem obiit
supremum 16to. Kal. Apr. 1T97, 70 annos nata,
proximo in sepulcliro a septentrione conduntur.
Nam, scio, nostrse geuitor salutis vivit, et terras
super ille stabit, cum chaos priscum referet
auprema protinus liora : Quamlibet vermis rapidus
tenellam et cutim et camera penitus vorarit,
huuc ego ceruam propriis oceUis, non alienis.
[Here are laid the ashes of George Cruick-
shank, late farmer in Hassiewells, who died 5th
Sep. 1795, in the 81st year of his age. This
monument of their regret for his loss was erected
by his sur\d\dng wife Christian Largue, and his
sons John and William, the fonner a teacher in
Banff Academy, and the latter schoolmaster at
Huntly. The remains of Christian Largue,
who died 17th March 1797, aged 70, are laid in
the next grave to the north. For I know the
author of our salvation liveth. and he shall stand
upon the earth, when the last hour shall bring
back primeval chaos. Although the busy worm
shall utterly devour both my tender skin and
flesh, I shall behold him with mine own eyes,
and not with another's.]
From a headstone — -
lu memory of Susan Cruickshank, who
resided many years at Haddo, and died at Boyn-
dlie, 31st July 1822, aged 80. Erected by Mr.
Forbes' family.
— She was a native of Forgue, and long a
nurse in the family of Forbes of Haddo.
Abridged : —
Rev. Alexander Smith, minister of the Epis-
copal Church at Parkdargue, died 25th March,
1777, aged 63, and in the 36th year of his
ministry. Erected by his only surviving son,
Theodore Smith, merchant, Banff.
The next three inscriptions are from table-
stones : —
In memory of William Cruickshank, some-
time surgeon in the Naval Hospital, Bridgetown,
Barbadoes, afterwards surgeon to the Royal
Ai-tillery at Woolwich, Lecturer to the Cadets,
and Chemist to the Board of Ordnance. He
died at Leys of Lesseudrum, on the 14th Feb.,
1809, aged 50 years. George Cruickshank, his
father, who practised physic and s\irgery for 60
years in this neighbourhood, died at Leys, 7th
Jan., 1812, aged 85 years. His usefulness will
be long remembered in the district where he
practised, by the poor with gratitude, and by
all with respect.
In memory also of John, son of Dr. Cruick-
shank, who died at Huntly, 3 Oct., 1830, aged
65, esteemed for candour, integrity, and benevo-
lence.
[2.]
To perpetuate the memory of Margaret
Wood, lawful wife of Alex. Christie, by whom
she had 8 children, 4 of whom sleep in the same
dust. She died 16th Aug. 1799, aged 43. She
was a crown to her husband, and a hedge about
her family, and now she is in peace.
— Alex. Christie, farmer, ilaius of Dum-
muie, died 1846, aged 86. His second " lawful
wife," Janet George, died in 1831, aged 62.
[3.]
In memory of William Cruickshank, lately
farmer in Milltown of Cobairdy, and fuer in
Huntly, where he died 1st July 1820, aged 82.
And of his sister Janet Cruickshank, who died
at Huntly, 15th March 1827, aged 93.
A granite headstone bears : — -
In memory of Alexander Rainy, farmer in
Placemill, who died 6th July 1830, in the 86th
year of his age. By a donatiou, which he secured
on laud, he provided a perpetual annuity of .£20
sterling for the poor of this parish. Also in
memory of his wife Jean Alexander, who died
8th Api-U 1842, in the 93rd year of her age. By
talents and industry, blessed by Providence, they
raised themselves from an humble station to
gi'eat affluence and respectability.
— The gift referred to is secured upon the
lands of Glenythan, which were lately sold
by Mr. Simpson, advocate, Aberdeen, to Mr.
M'Fie, merchant in Glasgow.
Upon a slab of Peterhead granite : —
The burial place of the Rev. Andrew Ritchie,
of the Episcopal Church, who died 15th Dee.
FORGUE.
179
1846, aged 92. Helen, his wife, died 30tli Nov.
1833, aged 72.
From a flat slab : —
In memory of George Phyn, Esquire of Coi-se
of Monelly, who died 1788, aged 76 years. Aud
of Janet Simpsoit, his wife, who died 1780, aged
72 years.
— "Alexander Fine, who lives in tlie shire
of Bainfe," was proprietor of the Corso of
MoneUyin 1696. Mr. Keith, at Auchrynie,
kindly informs us that the ahove-named Janet
Simpson was a daughter of the laird of Con-
craig, factor to the Earl of Kintore, by his
wife Elspet, daughter of Gilbert Keith of
Auquhorsk, in KineUar (Epitaphs, i. 18).
AYithin an enclosure : —
Sacred to the memory of JoHS Hexry, Esq.
of Corae, who died at Corse, June 19, 1850, aged
81. Also of Charlotte Ross, his wife, who
died at Corse, 24th May 1850, aged 74.
— It is said that Henry, while a herd boy,
allowed a cow to break its leg, and fearing the
anger of his employer, absconded ! Imitat-
ing the example of Col. Shand, he enlisted
in the army, in which he rose to the rank of
captain. He was twice married, his first
wife having been a daughter of the Eev. Mr,
Gordon, Drumblade (Epitaphs, i. 258).
James Dow, farmer, Cranloch, d. 1857, a. 67 : —
Oil ye who ran in life's career
As I have done before,
Employ well the days that pass,
Which will retiu-n no more.
Here lies my Body, now unseen,
Aud mould'riug in the dust.
So Death will also visit thee.
And yield to it you must.
The only other burial place in Forgue is
near the farm offices at
The enclosure forms a square of about 20
feet, is surrounded by some trees, and within it
are two tombstones, one of which (table-shaped)
is to the memory of Capt. George Mokisok,
of Haddo, who died at Banff, 1st April, 1777.
This property, a small portion of which, includ-
ing the mansion-house, lies in Forgue, and the
rest in Inverkeithny, afterwards came into the
possession of a branch of the Forbeses, next to
the Duffs. Nearly thirty years ago it was
bought from the Trustees of Mr. E, A. Duff,
by the present proprietor, Jlr. John Forbes,
who acquired money as a railway contractor
His father was a farmer in Ferintosh, in Ross-
shire, and one of his sons, who married a
daughter of Mr. Kinloch of Park, in Drum-
oak, is Major of the 78th Highlanders. An-
other son, farmer of Tochieneal, died a few
years ago, and a daughter is the wife of Mr.
Webster, ribbon merchant, London, a son of
a late farmer of Balfour, in ISIenmuir. A
carved slab upon the dovecot exhibits a crown
with a thistle over the top, and below a lion
rampant, holding a sword with both paws, is
the date of 1694.
iSpiscopal orijurcl).
(? S. MARGARET, QUEEN.)
IT was in 1795, as shown by the gable
cross, that the church was erected which
gave place to the one now in use. The pre-
sent structure, which was built after plans by
the late Mr. Eamage, architect, Aberdeen, is
possibly one of the most chaste specimens of
church architecture in the north. It is in the
Early English style, with open timber roof,
chancel, and side aisles. There is an elegant
S2)ire on the north-east corner, and a bell,
dated 1785, originally used at Frendraught as
a dinner bell, was replaced by a much superior
instrument, thus inscribed : —
EX DONO
ALEXAXDRI MORISOX DE BOGNIE
ECCLESI.*; S. MAKUARETiE.
MD.CCCLXXII.
Sevei-al monuments, stained glass windows,
and a font, the last-mentioned being of Caen
180
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
stone, and adorned with representations of tlie
Four Evangelists, add mnch to the internal
beauty and interest of the church.
There is no record of the death of the
Viscountess of Frendraught upon any of the
monuments at Forgue ; but the next three
inscriptions relate to her third husband,
George Morison of Bognie, to her son Theo-
dore, and to some other descendants : —
Within this sepulchre, erected by his desire,
lies the body of George Morison of Bognie,
■who died in the year 1699. Here also is
interred Theodore Morison of Bognie, only
sou of the said George Morison, who died in
June, 17(i6, aged 81 years. Also Katharine
Maitland, daughter of Sir Charles Maitlaud
of Pitrichie, and spouse of the said Theodore
Morison, who died in 1743, aged 48 years.
Here also, lie the remains of Alexander
Morison of Bognie, sou to the said Theodore
Morison, who died 16th Sept., 1801, in the
7Sth year of his age. Also Katharine Duff,
daughter to John Duff of Cowbin, and spouse
to the said Alexander Morison, who died 11th
April, 1803, aged 71.
This and the adjoining tablet were removed
from the mausoleum in the churchyard of Forgue,
and erected in tliis church, by desire of Alex.
Morison, Esq. of Bognie, A.D. 1859.
[2.]
To the memory of Theodore Morison, Esq.
of Bognie and Mountblairy, who died at Mount-
blairy on the 9"' Oct. 1834, in the eightieth year
of his age ; and of his brother, John Morison,
Esq. of Auchintoul and Bognie, who died at
Loudon, on the 12"' Feb''!' 1835, in the seventy-
eighth year of his age. His Remains were
removed to the Mausoleum at Mountblairy,
April 1857.
— John Morison, who acquired money as a
merchant in Eussia, bought the lands of
Auchintoul and others in Banffshire, and was
sometime M.P. for that county. Owing to
reverses about 1332-3, Auchintoul, &c., were
sold, and he succeeded his brother in the en-
tailed estates of Bognie and Frendraught, of
which he was laird for a few months only.
His sou and successor, Alexander, who was
a member of the English bar, but never prac-
tised, married Miss Duff of Hatton, and
died in 1874. Leaving no issue, he was suc-
ceeded in the entailed estates by his cousin,
Alexander, a son of James Morison, who died
in 1840; and to the latter, his wife, a son,
and an elder brother, a marble tablet within
the church is thus inscribed : —
[3,]
To the memory of George Morison, third
son of Alexander Morison of Bognie, who died
in London, in 1820. James Morison, fourth
son of Alexander Morison ■ of Bognie, born
1770, died in Paris, 3'' May 1840. Ann
VicToiRE DE Lamarre, daughter of Baron de
Lamarre of Eemiremont, in Lorraine, France,
wife of James Morison, born 1786, died 1818.
De Lamarre Morison, third son of James
Mofison, born 15"" April 1814, died in London,
1847.
— James, who was the fourth and youngest
son of Alex. Morison and Katharine Duff, be-
came the celebrated Hygcist, who, in allusion
to his discovery of the Vegetable Universal
!RIedicines, speaks as follows : — " Had it
pleased God to call me out of this world eight
years ago, I should have died as another man,
and been forgotten, and the world could
have reaped no benefit from my case and
misfortunes, nor from the favourable effects
produced by the same means upon my chil-
dren."
" The Hygeist" studied first at the Uni-
versity of Aberdeen, afterwards at Hanau, in
Germany, and following the mercantile pro-
fession, he was sometime at Riga, and next in the
West Indies, but continuing to suffer from ill-
health, he returned to Europe, and settled at
Bordeaux, about 1814. His son, Alexander,
is now proprietor of Bognie and Frendraught ;
and having no issue, his nejDhew, Captain
Morison, of the Eoyal Scots, is heir-apparent
to these estates, as well as to Mountblairy, &c.
He was educated at Sandhurst, entered the
service in 1860, and married (1869) his own
FORGUE.
181
cousin, Janet-Forbes, daughter of the late Mr.
Gordon of Newton, Culsamond, by wliom lie
has issue.
The finest window (in the east, or cliancel
end of tlie cliurch) is divided into three lights ;
that upon the left contains a representation of
S. Margaret, the patroness, and below is this
notice of tlie erection of the edifice : —
•i< THIS CHVRCn WAS EEBVILT CHIEFLY BY ALEX-
ANDER MORISON OF BOGXIE, DVRING THE INCVM-
BENCY OF JAMES SMITH, M.A., PRESS., 1857.
— In the middle, or centre light, Christ is
represented bearing the cross, and below : —
An offering by Alexander Forbes, in memory
of John Forbes, of Boyndiie, and Katherine
MoRisoN, his wife, being membei-s of this con-
gregation. The former died, 6th Dec, 1824, the
latter, 5"* Jauvary, 1832.
— These were the parents of the late Alex-
ander Forbes, whose nephew, Dr. George
Ogilvy-Forbes, late of Aberdeen, is now
proprietor of Boyndiie.
lu the south light is the figure of S.
Andrew, and below is the following : — •
In memory of Egbert Stvart, wlio died 3rd
September, 1855, aged 74, and of Jean Glashan,
Lis wife, who died 6th April, 1851, aged 80,
botli of Little Foi-gve. ^ An offering by their
son, John Stvart.
The west window consists of two lancets
with trefoil above. In the trefoil is a dove,
representing the Descent of the Holy Spirit,
and in the south and north lights are the
figures of S. Luke and S. John, accompanied
by the respective texts — " Be followers of
those who through faith inherit the promise,"
and "For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive." Along the
whole length of the base of the window : —
In memoriam : Alexander Morison, Esq', of
Bof;uie and Mountblairy : bom Jan. 20, 1802,
died Feb. 1, 1874.
— So far as we are aware Alexander, who
was an elder of the church of Forguc in
1640, is the first recorded Morison "of
Bognie." James, possibly a brother, was then
" in Cobardie " (s. Appendix).
There is a window of two lights on the
N.E , in ■which are pictures of Christ Charging
his Disciples and Blessing Little Children.
Along the base : —
An Offering by membera of this congregation,
and of Aberchirder, and other friends, in memory
of Very Rev. James Smith, M.A., sometime
Dean of Moray, and for 26 years incvmbeut of
Forgve and Aberchirder. Born March 25, 1816,
died Dec. 27, 1867.
— Mr. Smith was a native of Aberdeen, and
fell a victim to fever, caught in the discliarge
of the duties of his sacred office, wliile in-
cumbent at Lochee, in the diocese of Brechin.
The subject of one of two lights in the
north window is the giving of the talents
(occvpy tiU I come), the other the com-
mending of the faitlifid servant (well done
good and faithfvl servant) : — •
>J< lu Memoriam.
»J« George Thomson of Boynsmill,
obiit 15 Ivne, 1867.
— Mr. T. raised himself from tlie position
of a journeyman mason to one of high in-
fluence, and acquired the small property of
Boynsmill, in his native parish. He was a
contractor for railways and graving docks, and
died at Cheltenham. His brother, Peteb,
who followed the same calling, was also a
successful and meritorious member of society,
and died while Mayor of Liverpool.
Stone circles and tumuli, in or near the
most of wdiich sepulchral remains have been
discovered, were pretty common throughout
the parish until within the last half century,
but these have mostly disappeared.
The Eoman camp at GlenmaUen, near the
source of the Ythan, was, as before stated,
discovered by Col. Shand of Templeland, in
182
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
1785-6. It is near Logie Alton, and not far
from tlie Ee-hill. A j^lan of the camp is
given by Gen. Eoy (pi. li.), but nothing now
remains of it.
The church, manse, school, and offices of
Ythau Wells are in this part of the pari.sh,
which was erected into a quoad sacra district
iu 1869, chiefly through the liberality of the
late Mr. Morison of Bognie. A neat Free
Church and manse occupy a commanding
position about a mUe to the northward.
A Cottage Hospital, which was erected in
the same part of the parish, consists of two
wings which are connected by a verandah.
This institution, founded in fulfilment of
Mr. Morison's dying request, is intended to
provide medical aid and nursing, at a moderate
rate of payment, for such of the inhabitants
of the parishes of Forgue, Ythan Wells,
Auchterless, and Inverkeithney, as may stand
iu need of these comforts, while suffering
from disease or accident. Besides being at
the expense of the building, and of providing
every requisite needful for such a place, Mrs.
'Morison has also endowed it with the sum of
^2000, and entrusted the management to the
ministers and certain members of the different
churches in the above parishes. The following
is upon the front of the building : —
This Hospital was erected at the desire of Alex-
ander Morison, Esq. of Bognie and Mountblairy,
by his sorroiving Widow, 1874.
In the grounds in front of the Hospital, a
monument of Aberdeen granite bears : —
Erected by the Tenants ou Bognie and Mount-
blauy, in affectionate remembrance of Alex-
ander Morison, Esq., who was proprietor of
these estates for thu'tj'-uiue yeare. Born 20
January, 1802, died 1 February, 1874.
It ought to have been before stated that,
in 1574, the churches of Forgue, Culsalmond,
and Drumblade, were all under the charge of
Mr. Andrew Spens, as miuister, who had a
stipend of £60 Scots, and the kirk lands.
The readership at Forgue, then vacant, was
valued at £16 Scots.
Little is known of the readers or school-
masters of the parish untd 17th Nov. 1650,
when Mr. John Massie was chosen by the
miuister (Mr. Garden) and the elders, to act
as "schoolmaster, precentor, & clerk to y'
session." An arrangement was then made
regarding Mr. Massie's emoluments for these
offices, when, as quaintly stated, " it was
condeshended, w' consent of y' heritours wad.
setters, y' y° s'^ jNIr. John should have for his
payns, tuo peaks of meill and half mark of
silver of everie plough of y^ parish yeirlie,
extending in haUl till ten bols meill & fourtie
merks of silver, besydes y" casualities of
baptisms & mariages."
This agreement shows that there were then
eighty ploughs in the parish ; and as the
extent of land allotted to each plough was
about 13 acres, Scotch measurement, there
could not have been less than 1040 acres
under cultivation.
Here, however, as iu many other parts of
Scotland, the arable land of the parish was
not all taken advantage of, partly owing to
the poverty of the husbandmen, and partly
to a belief in the power of supernatural
agency.
The idea of dedicating a piece of land,
"for luck," as it were, to the Gudeman, alias
the DevQ, and of allowing it to lie out of
crop, was carried to such an extent in " Garioch
and diverse parts of the countrey" that, with
the view of increasing the supply of food,
and to crush " the horrible superstitioun," the
Church memorialised the legislature to take
steps to compel the tilling of the whole avail-
able soil of the country (Booke of Univ.
Kirk, 834).
Whether Parliament moved in the matter
is not so certain as that, during the spring of
RUT EVEN.
183
the year in whicli Mr. Massie was appointed
sclioolmaster, jS^ormand Leslie (1 Irving) and
James Tuioks in the JNIuirtoun, were both
charged before the kirk-session with having
" given away a fauld to y" guidman, as they
called him " ] Both admitted the charge, and
" coufcst y' they went to a fauld and jiromesit
to let it ly oulaboured als lang as they posses-
sit y'' taikis, and in testificatione y'of they did
cast some stones in ower y" dyk of y'^ fauld ;"
also that their object in dedicating the piece of
land to the "gudeman," was merely " to
essay if that might be the means to causs there
beasts to stand," or in other words to live, many
of their cattle having no doubt fallen victims
to disease and death from want of proper food
and shelter.
The slender remains of the old castle of
Frendraught adjoin the mansion house, which
is occasionally occupied by the proprietor.
" The deep draw-well," into wliich the keys
of the castle were "casten" at the time of
the fire in 16-30, had been long lost sight of,
but being accidentally discovered, some years
ago, a pump was placed in it, and the site
is now no longer a matter of doubt.
The ruins of the castle of Bognie stand in
a field ujion the south side of the Huntly and
Banff turnpike road, but according to tradition,
the house was never inhabited. It shows traces
of a plain building, and one of such an extent as
could, if needed, accommodate the goodly
household of the laird and lady of 1696,
which, besides themselves, their son, and two
daughters, included Barbara Morison, a sister
of the laird's ; Elizabeth Blair, his niece ; and
Cliristian Eamsay, a niece of the lady's. There
were also a chaplain, a steward, the laird's
page, a man-cook, a footman, and a groom,
likewise a farm grieve, live male and three
female domestic servants — in all twenty-three
persons — which bespeaks the importance and
affluence of the faiuilv at the close of the
17th century. An older mansion-house stood
to the south-east of the one referred to, where
there are fine old trees, the remains of a
garden, and some houses, upon one of which
is the date of 16—.
[Ins. in S. Marjcaret's compil. by Rev. Mr. Temple.]
B u t tj li c n.
(S. MALUACK, BISHOP & CONFESSOR.)
THE church of Rotliuen, its chapel, and
pertinents, were given by Robert of
Lundin to the Abbey of Arbroath, at the time
of its foundation. It was a vicarage in the
diocese of Dunkeld, and under the name of
Roeheven (Theiner) it is rated at 16s. 7d. in
the Taxation of 1275.
Although these facts disprove the common
tradition, according to which the church and
parish originated in the 15tli century in con-
sequence of feuds between the vassals of In-
verquieoh and Balloch (Stat. Accts.), the site
of the chapel is now unknown.
It was not long after the time of the tradi-
tional origin of the kirk and parish that the
Crichtons came to the district. Being allied
to the lairds of Cluny and Frendraught, they
were a fiimily of considerable importance;
but in the burial-ground the only trace of their
name appears upon a fragment, thus : —
ov . . . .
in . ivN
CRYCU
DESECVCIT
. . . OF . MA
As stated in the Land of the Liud.says
(284-6), certain portions of Euthven, and
other lands adjoining, were acquired from
Thomas, Earl of Mar, by Sir Alexander
Lindsay, about 1329, and about 1510, Alex-
184
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
ander Cricliton became proprietor of the
Lindsay-Crawford, or Earls-Euthven, portion,
whidi probably comprehended the whole of
the lands on the east of the Isla.
Crichtons held Euthven, or a portion of it,
down to near the middle of the last century,
when the lands were bought by Thos. Ogilvy
(Old Stat. Acct.), who is said to have belonged
to Dundee, and to have married Anne, daugh-
ter of Jas. Smith of Camno (Doug. Baronage),
Mr. Ogilvy also acquired the estate of Coull,
in Tannadice, from a sou of Sir William
Nairn of Dunsinnan, about the year 1765.
His grand-daughter, Afrs. Anna Wedderburn-
Ogilvv, the last representative of the Ogilvys
of these places, died in 185-3, aged 75, and
was buried within an enclosure at the east end
of the church, but no stone bears either her
name or that of her husband, Peter "Wedder-
BUR>f, who was an officer iu the H.E.I.C.S.,
and died in 1873, at the age of 91. He was
a younger son of James Wedderburn, some-
time a physician in Jamaica, by Margaret
Blackburn Colville, heiress of Ochiltree and
Crombie. His grandfather, Sir John Wed-
derburn of Blackness, Bart., was an officer in
Lord Ogilvy's regiment at Culloden, where he
and his lady, a daughter of Fullerton of that
Ilk, were both taken prisoners. Sir James
was afterwards hanged, along with four other
rebels, at Kenningtou Common, 28th Nov.,
1746.
Mr. Wedderburn-Ogilvy left several chil-
dren. The eldest son, who succeeded to
Euthven and Coull, was sometime Colonel of
the 2nd Life Guards, and married the Lady
Henrietta Louisa, daughter of the 4th Earl of
Pomfret.
The house of Islabauk, or Euthven, built
during the eighteenth century, has been re-
cently much added to and improved. It is
beautifully situated upon the north-east side
of the Isla, surrounded by some old and many
thriving trees. It occupies a site near, and in a
north-easterly direction from, the castle of the
Crichtons. Part of the old castle is stiU
standing, and is used by the gardener as a
fruit-room.
A neat new church, with a spire, was erec-
ted at Euthven in 1859, and the bell, which
is said to have belonged to H.M. ship. The
Enterprise, upon which, it is added, a Mr.
W. Wedderburn was an officer, is thus in-
scribed : —
THE ENTERPKISE. W. W. 1735.
The names of six of the old vicars of Euth-
ven are mentioned in the Eeg. de Aberbrothoc.
Peter, who was clerk, in 1301, and Patrick
Henry, who was chaplain in 1403. Henry
Halis, who was vicar iu 1492, died while in
office, and was succeeded in March, 1500, by
Henry Scott, who was probably succeeded by
James Crayll, on whose death, in 1531,
William I'ettillock was appointed. PettUlock
was possibly among, if not the last, of the
Eoman Catholic priests of the parish.
In 1574, Euthven, and four neighbouring
churches, were supplied by one minister, Mr.
David Eamsay. Walter Lindsay, who prob-
ably preceded David Cumyn, was reader at
Euthven.
A mutilated slab presents the following re-
mains of an inscription, which appears to re-
fer (Scott's Fasti) to Jlr. Eamsay's third suc-
cessor iu the chm-ch ; —
HEIR . LTIS . ANE . REVEREND . PASTOR .
MAISTER . PATRICK . CRICHTOVN . QHA . VAS .
MINISTER , OF . THIS . PAROSCHE . AND . CON-
GREGATION . FOR . THE . SPAICE . OF . XXXVI .
YEIRS . AS . ALSO . ISOBEL . RATRAT . HIS .
SPOUS .HE DID .
DEPART . THIS . LYFE . . . OCTOBER . AN
— According to Dr. Scott, Mr. Crichton was
a son of a laird of Naughton, in Fife, of whose
family an interesting account is given in Dr.
Campbell's Balmerino and its Abbey. Mr.
RUTHVEN.
185
Crichton was minister at Eutliveu in 1G44,
from which period until the time of the late
Mr. liarty, there appear to have been eight
incumbents.
A monument on the east side of the churcli
bears this record of the last-mentioned : —
Sacred to the memor}' of the Eev. Patrick
BARTr, minister of Ruthven, who died 24th
June, 1870, in the TS"" year of his age, and 47""
of his ministry.
— ilr. Bartj', whose father was minister of
Bendochy, was " in every respect a model
minister, taking the warmest interest in the
welfare of his flock, and in all circumstances
being their adviser." He was of an unselfish
and generous disposition, and not only pos-
sessed a wide knowledge of the Fathers, but
an amount of observation of character and
quiet humour rarely to be met with. Talking
about portrait painting on one occasion, he
quaintly, and it may be not over-gallantly, re-
marked that, although he would not care to
see himself upon any wall, lie was not so sure
but some of his neighbours would not object
to see their wives hung iqj / He seldom
preached out of his own pulpit ; but it is told
that on one occasion, wlien he was officiating for
his friend Dr. Stevenson at Cupar- Angus, a
cattleman, a stranger, who was present, re-
marked to a neighbour in bis own "professional"
phraseology and in allusion to Mr. Barty's
quiet undemonstrative manner — " My saul ! —
it'll tak' a gey het day to gar that lad startle ! "
The first portion of the following inscrip-
tion is upon tlie upper part of a flat slab broken
in two pieces, and the latter (below which are
a death's head and two spades crossed) is upon
the lower half, the whole being incised : —
HEIR . LVIS . DAVID . SIMSON . HE . LIVED .
ly . MILTOVN . OF . RVTHVEN . AND . DEPARTIT
. THI.S . LTFE . IN . IVLY . 1673 . AND . OF .
HIS . AGE . 35 . TEARES . AND . MARGRBT .
WHITSON . HIS . SPOVS . MY . GLAS . IS . RVN .
TO THE MEMORY OF THOMAS SIMPSON FEWAR IN
DERRIE, DIED MARCH 10, 1834, AGED 70. AND
ELIZABETH MITCHEL, HIS WIFE, DIED APRILE S""
1844, AGED 86 YEARS.
— Simpson was at one time a common surname
in Euthven ; and some thirty years ago, when
one of tlie family was buried, the deceased's
brother (Peter Simpsox, fanner of Kinalty,
who lived universally respected, and died,
deeply regretted, in 1865), gave the sexton a
sovereign for making the grave. Tlie poor
man was quite overjoyed at Mr. S.'s liberality,
and on his shewing the money to Mr. Barty,
the latter remarked — " That's just like
Kinalty ! " adding — " You ought to be verj-
grateful to Mr. Simpson for his kindness."
" Sae I am," was the rejoinder, " an' I can
assure you, sir, I will be very glad to bury a'
the Simsons i' the paris' at the same rate !"
Upon a flat slab, with a sand-glass : —
HERE . LTES . lAMES . SATAR . HE . LIVD .
IN . BALBIRNIE . HVSBAND . TO . ISOBEL .
SMITH . HE . DEPAIRTED . THIS . LYF . IN .
MAY . THE . 20 . 1694 . AND . OF . HIS . AGE .
THE .58.. YEAR . MY . GLAS . IS . RVN.
The first portion of the ne.Kt inscription is
carved round the sides and upon a part of
the face of the stone in beautifully raised
lioman capitals, the rest being incised : —
HEIR . LIES . ANE . HONEST . WOMAN . CALLED .
CHRISTIAN . IRLAND . SPOWS . TO . lAMES . WRIGHT .
SOME . TIME . IN . TILIEFARGUS . WHO . DIED .
IN . THE . MAINES . OF . RUTHUENS . THE . LAST .
DAY . OF . AGUST . 1695 . AND . OF . HER . AGE . 77.
Bulded by her lauful son John Wright, in the
Mains of Jiuthuens.
Heir lyes an honest man called Iohn Wright,
husband to Janet Auderaon. He liued in Brydie-
stone, and departed this life the 18 day of Decem-
ber, 171— .'....
From a table scone : —
Jean Mauer, wf. of George Mathe, tenant,
Balliudoch, d. 1754 : —
This lovely saint — where is she gone ?
Surely to the heavens above ;
Where all the ransomed ones do dwell
That Jesus Christ do love.
In pray'r and dealing alms she did,
Herself nmch exercise ;
a2
186
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS .
Aud with her ueighboui- in distress,
Did kindly sympathise.
To fr<aud averse, she loved truth,
To speak it was her aim ;
You might depended on her word,
For still it was the same.
She did not like this sinful earth.
Nor this poor frail abode ;
But longed for heaven where now she sings.
The praises of her God.
From a flat slab : —
HEAR . LYS . ANE . HONEST . MAN . CALLED .
DAVID . BOWACKS . AND . HIS . LAFVL . SPOVSE ,
. . WHYTE
Upon tlw half of a head stone (cut perpen-
dicularly, supra, 147), is the following: —
To tlie memory of William Kandow, who was
schoolmaster of this parish for XXXVl yeai-s.
He died XIV Deer. MDCCXCVIII, " aged
LXXIII. The other half of this stone stands
in the church yard of Guthrie, to the memory
of Jean Brown.
Elected by their only surviving child, James
Kaudow, schoolmaster of Guthrie.
— The elder Kandow was the sou of a waulk-
miller in Lintrathen, and having come by an
accident, which rendered him a cripple for life,
he was in the way of remarking to those who
had the bad taste to take notice of his de-
formity: — "Aye! You, may look! — I am
iiere just as my father's waukmill made me 1"
The school in which Mr. Kandow taught
is still standing. In these days each scholar,
in winter, brought a jieat daily to assist to
warm tlie school. The fire was kindled upon
a stone in the middle of the room, and when
it began to wane it was revived by the
dominie using his broad blue bonnet as a
fan or bellows ! His desk was of a primi-
tive type, being built of " divots" or turf,
with a board laid upon the top. Behind
the rostrum was a place called " the black-
hole," where disobedient scholars were placed.
It was indicated by the slanting trunk of a
tree, against which " the master" leaned to
rest himself, and to take his " afternoon's nap."
Kandow produced many good scholars, one of
wliom Mr. Loban, who was born in 1791 and
held the office of parochial schoolmaster of
Airlie from 1813, kindly supplied us with
some of these notes.
Although few of the antiquarian relics men-
tioned m the Old Stat. Accts. are now visible
in the parish, others have been discovered
since their time, such as a Pict's house, a
coffin-slab, fragments of crosses, sculptured
stones, &c. The Pict's house, which was
found in a field to the south of the church-
yard, contained bits of cinerary urns, human
bones, and a flattened ring, about two inches
in diameter (Proceed. So. Ant. Scot.) Some
of the stone fragments are built into tlie walls
of the new- church, and the coffin-slab, upon
wliich are incised a cross, a hunting horn, and
a sword, is built into the manse offices.
Among the more modern antiquities of the
parish were a set of jour/s, and an iron crown
or coronet, which had both been used as in-
.struments of punishment for scolds, story
tellers, and other wanderers from the paths of
virtue. Both articles were discovered in a
press in the old kirk about 18.50, and although
rusty, were in good preservation.
The latter, which was possibly unique, is
here represented : — •
CULLEN.
187
It measured about 5 1-lOth inches across
the circle, and in the front — from the verge
to the tojD point of a fleur-de-lis ornament,
which rose nearlj' two inches above the
upper hooij — it was 4 9-lOth inches in height.
xVttached to the lower hoop were three ears
or pendants, with holes pierced for the pas-
sage of cords with which the crown was
fixed to the head. This interesting relic,
which was unfortunatel}^ lost about the time
of Mr. Bart}''s death, was first described by
the writer in 'Willis' Current Notes (Lond.,
Oct. 18.54), in which the above wood-cut also
appeared.
A market, known as Si/tnaJoag's Fair (S.
MaluAck), was long held at the west end of
the kirk of Euthven. It was removed to
Alyth about a century ago ; and it is said
that for the privilege of having the fair held
there the community of that town gave the
minister of Euthven a piece of ground which
now forms part of the glebe.
Like other places in Scotland of the same
name, that of this parish had, doubtless,
arisen from one or more raths or forts being
upon the banks of the Isla, one of which
occupied the site of the House of Islabank,
and another stood at Castledj'kes.
The river is crossed at a romantic spot near
the church by two stone bridges. The oldei',
a narrow picturesque structure of two arches,
is upon a lower level than the new bridge,
which was erected in 1855 and consists of one
span with a pretty broad roadway.
Before the introduction of steam for manu-
facturing purposes, there were several spinning
mills in the parish, which were driven bj'
water power, but these have been long disused,
and the population, which was 425 in 1842,
now amounts only to about 250. Col. Wed-
derburn-Ogilvy is sole heritor of the parish
of Euthven. j.
€u\lcn.
(THE BLESSED VIRGIISr.)
Vf3}lE earliest mention of a place of worship
**• at Cullen occurs in 1236, when a dis-
pute arose between the Bishops of Aberdeen
and Moray regarding the jurisdiction of the
churches of Dauendoir (Auohindoir) and Fors-
cauen (Farsken) and the chapel of Innerculleii
(Eeg. Mora v., 101).
According to the author of the Diocese of
Aberdeen, " the church was founded by King
Eobert T. ; and his Queen (Elizabeth's) bowells
are here buried." It is stated (New Stat.
Acct.) that the charter of the burgh of Cullen
shows that Bruce granted £5 Scots for the
support of a chaplain in the Parish Church
of Cullen to pray for the soul of his deceased
Queen.
We have seen no mention of the church in
any Old Taxation nor the name of any of its
ministers until 1569, w-hen \Vm. Lawtie and
Gilbert Gardin are mentioned together as
ministers of the kirks of Cullane, Fordyce,
Inverboyndie, and Banff {supra, 100). George
Hay was reader at Cullen in 1570, with a
salary of £20 Scots (Eeg. Min.) George
Douglas, who subscribed the Covenant at
Edinburgh, 28th January, 1580, is believed
to have been the same person as was after-
wards, if not at that time, minister of Cullen,
and moderator of the Presbytery in 1601
(Booke Univ. Kirk). Dr. Scott supposes that
Mr. Douglas retired to Edinburgh in 1639
and died about 1674, at the age of 96.
Besides the chaplainry which Bruce is said
to have founded at Cullen, there was another
dedicated to S. Ann, the existence of which
is recorded upon the spot by three contem-
porary and prettily-carved inscriptions in
different parts of the south aisle. One of
188
EPITAPHS. AND INSCRIPTIONS:
these is upon the arch of a recess tomb that,
down to 1792, contained a recumbent effigy,
and before it lay a flat slab adorned with the
incised figure of a knight in armour. Both
monuments, together with the supposed re-
mains of the deceased, were removed at the
request of the Earl of Fife to the mausoleum
near Dnif House, where they are still pre-
served. The effigy and the slab both re-
late to the same individual, and each bears
tliis inscription : —
.^ HIC • lACET ■ lOHANES • DVF • DE •
MALDAVIT • & • BALDAVI • OBIIT • Z •
IVLII- 1404.
— John Duff of Maldavet, who was one of an
inquest regarding the marches between the
lands of Lethnot and Troup in Gamrie in
1537 (Ant. Aberdeen and Banff, ii. .3.36), was
probably a son of the above-named. The first
record of the Duffs in the district occurs in
1330, when David of Dufis, son and heir of
John Dufis, confirmed to Robert of Holdey,
with consent of the Abbot of Arbroath, a
tenement within the town of Invercullen
(Ibid., 139). In 1404, the year in which
.John Duff of Maldavit is said to have died,
Robert Duff and Agnes de Camera or Chal-
mers, his spouse, had charters of the lands of
Maldavit and Baldavy (Ibid., 140), and name-
sakes, if not descendants, of Duff held Mal-
davit down to 1626, when James Hay of
Eannes acquired part of the lands. It was
in 1726 that the Earl of Findlater obtained
Maldavit from the Hays (Town Council Bee. J
The first of these authorities probably shews
that the surname of Duff had been of terri-
torial origin and assumed from the parish
of Duftus in Morayshire, where the family of
Duffis were of note as early as the 13th cen-
tury (Reg. de Morav., 16).
The inscriptions regarding the chaplainry
of S. Ann' are supposed to belong to about
1538-9, and the following is accompanied by
the craftsman's mark, whicli is four times re-
peated upon the aisle : —
IHON • HAY • LOED ■ OF • FOEESTBON •
AZE • & ■ TOLIBOVIL • GVDSIR ■ TO • ELEX
■ HAY ■ YT • BIGIT • YIS ■ ILE • FEFT • A
• CHAPLARI • HEIR • TO • SING • PEliSOX-
ALT • OF • HIS • LADIS • OF • OEDIHVF-
— The names of Forestbon, A::e, and TolUiovil
have reference, the first to the Forest of Boyne
{% Allium, a place abounding in streams), which
lay Ijetween Banff and Portsoy ; the second
to the Enzie (] Eanach, a marshy district) be-
tween Cullen and Fochabers ; and the third
to Tilibody (^ Tily-ho-duhh, the black cow's
hill) in Clackmannanshire.
The next inscription, which is round the
arch of the large window in the S. aisle, not
only preserves the name of the chaplainry, the
extent of the gift, and the services required,
but also the names of the founder, the per-
sons to be prayed for, and those in whom the
patronage was to become vested. The words
in small capitals being out of place in the in-
scription seem to have been omitted either by
the writer or the mason : —
SANT • ANIS • CHAPLAN • HEIR ■ DOTAT •
YT • 35 (?) • ACRE • GVD • CROFT • LAD -1
■ CVLA • & • TENEMENTis • SAL • BE • A ' GVD
■ SINGAR • OF • HALI • LIF • bvt • odir ■
SERVICE • DALI ■ RESIDENT • TO' • PEA • FOR
• ELEN • HAY • & • HIR • BAENIS • HIS •
FVNDORS • AT • GIFT • OF • ION ■ DVF •
& • HIS ■ AEIS ■ OF • MALDAVAT • k ■ EAL-
ING • YAROF • AT • GIFT • OF • YE • BAL-
ZEIS • & ■ COMVNITE ■ OF • CVLA •
The words — per . elena . hay — are carved
upon the lower side of one of the stones of
the arch of the south window ; and upon the
west side is this notice of the building of
the aisle : —
CULLEN.
189
ELENE • HAT • ION ■ DVFFIS •
MODE ■ OF • MALDAVAT • YAT • MAID
• YIS ■ ILE • YE ■ CHAPLANRI ■ • ■ •
An arch, supported \ij pilasters with plain
capitals, forms the entrance to the aisle, and
below the capital of the west and east pilasters
arc the words : —
ME • MiTO • MORI '
DISCE ■ MORI •
The last motto is followed by the interesting
particulars of the name of the builder of the
aisle, of whose personal history we have found
no trace, and his craftman's mark, thus : —
ROBERT ■ MOIR ' MASOM.
^
Two corner stones upon the outside of the
aisle bear respectively : — •
PER ■ ELESA ■ HAT.
SOLI • DEO ■ HONOR " ET ■ GLORIA.
Besides the chaplainry of S. Ann at CuUen,
Helen Hay also built at Fordyce the chapel
of S. Ann, in which she was buried (siipra,
100).
The first of the Hays who held property in
this quarter appears to have been John of
Tolyboyll, who, by charter dated at Aberdeen
on IGtli January, 1362, received the whole
lands from the water of Spey to the burn of
Tynot, wliich are described as lying in the
forest of Aunie. It was probably John's son
David Hay, who, about 1390-1406, had a
charter from Robert III. of " the place of
CuUen" (Reg. Mag. SigiU., 24 ; Rob. Index,
141); and when Alexander Seton of Gordon
(first Earl of Huntly) married his second wife,
who was daughter and heiress of Sir John
Hay of Tilibody, be received along with her
the lands of Tilibody, Anzie or Enzie, and
Eoyne in Banffshire (Douglas' Baronage, 167).
In speaking of the aisle in 1670, the
lv(;v. Mr. Burnett gives in the session books
copies of the above inscriptions, and remarks,
" It is well mounted and cyled, and was
builded on t]ie expences of ane Helen Hay,
sometime goodwife of Craighead, who did
mortifie and appoint ane good croaft land
and tofts y''to for upholding the said Isle and
ornaments y''off, as the Inscription after-
mentioned upon the cyling of the said Isle
doth testifie, the tenor wheroflf follows : —
Pray for Helen Hay and her bairns that
biggid this Isle and feft a chaplain thereto,
doted w' good croaft land and Tofts in
Cullen, that shall uphold this Isle and orna-
ments of it. Pray for King James the 5th,
and his founders. At gift of her sone John
Duff of Muldavat and his airs, and failing
y'off at the gift and presentation of the Bailies
and Community of Cullen forever, as the
erection y'on registrat in Aberdeen proports,
Anno one thousand five hundreth thirtie
nynth. Disce mori."
Mr. Burnett, who appears to have forgotten
that in 1676 Janet Duff was second heiress to
her grandfather, John Dulf of Muldavat, in
certain crofts near Cullen, adds, that as the
heirs of DuiT are not to be found, the bailies
and community of Cullen are patrons, and
should be pursuers for rights to be so. He
also gives the following as " the Inscription on
west side of said Isle engraven on a stone
pend : — ' John Hay, Lord of Forest Boin,
Anze, and TolibovO, gudsir to Elen Hay y'
bigit yis He, feft a chaplari heir to sing per-
sonalie of his landis of Ordinhuf.' "
After the aisle fell into disrepair, it appears
to have been appropriated for the interment
of any one who chose to pay for it. In 1639,
long before Mr. Burnett's day, the session
resolved, in consequence of the possessors of
the prebendary lands having denied liabilily
to uphold the aisle, to allow burials to take
place there, and to charge tlie same amount
for such interments as for those made '-in tlie
190
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
body of tlie claurch." This was done for the
express purpose of acquiring money to " up-
hold the fabrick of the s"* Isle," which, along
with the church, appears to have been in a
very bad state. Nor had it ever been much im-
proved, it being recorded in 1699, that "be-
cause of y" ruinousness of the church," there
had been no sermon in it for some time.
The church was partly taken down for
"reparations" in the year 1700, and after
it was ready for service, the pulpit, which had
been "worsted" when the roof was off the
church, was painted with ochre and umber,
and hung with green cloth and silk fringes.
Six shillings were paid for a sandglass in
1709, and in 1717, "a cockstool was erected
in terrorew," at a cost of =£17 Scots. The
walls of the church were ornamented with
texts of Scripture in 1728, for the doing of
which one Fleming received the sum of £2
8s. Application was made in 1797 for a new
church or an enlargement of the old one, it
being averred that the population had in-
creased so much that many had to return
home, there being neither room to sit nor
stand. It was after this that tlie north wing
was added.
A fine freestone monument, in the Perpen-
dicular style, and reaching from the floor to
the ceiling of the church, occupies a great
portion of the north east wall of the nave. It
contains an arched recess, within which lies
the stone effigy of Sir Alexander Ogilvy of
Findlater, of whose death, and of his con-
verting S. Mary's of Cullen into a Collegiate
Church (1543) with a provost, six prebends,
and two singing boys, there is the following
record upon a slab in the back of the tomb : —
Corpus . akvi . ogihiw . hie . bf . fin&latcr . hcroa,
. •. 3^c. spouse. tlCi.ibctli. go viion. btrumq';.cubat.
pvcsi&t . pbrts . bis . ttr . pucvisq': . buobus .
. • . has . faciut • cbcs . instus . utcrq', . plus .
migrarnt. r.v. liar . lure . hie. ti;e . 4" . iiusis . iulii
1554 : ilia . bic . lucsis 155
[Here rest the bodies of Alexander Ogilvt
of Fiudlater and his spouse Elizabeth Gordon.
Pious and upright, they founded this house for a
provost, six prebends, and two boys. They de-
parted this life, the former 4th July, 1554, and
the latter on the day of 155 .]
— The inscription is surrounded with a variety
of elaborate carvings in relief, including alle-
gorical representations of the Deity, the Cre-
ation, the Resurrection, &c., somewhat like
the engravings of these subjects in the Nurem-
berg Chronicle (1493), likewise the armorial
bearings of the Ogilvies and the Gordons.
The monkish-looking figures which fill the
eight panels in the dado or lower portion
of the tomb, are popularly believed to re-
present the six prebends and two .singing
boys of the Collegiate Church. The two
figures, which occupy richly carved circles
upon the outside near the top of the canopy,
are clearly intended for representations of the
founder and his wife. Both are kneeling and
in the attitude of prayer, and beside each, upon
a ribbon or scroll, are their respective names
and these legends : —
;t ■ trgihiu ■ of ' tjat ■ ilk
mosti'ate ■ ceee • iiatores •
[Mai'k well, ye passers by.]
elercbet • gorbonn • labii • of • funlrttcr
funbe • preees • ab • eoclum.
[Pour out prayera to heaven.]
— The date of Lady Ogilvie's death has never
been filled in upon the stone ; and from the
feeling which it is not imnatural to suppose
had existed between her and her step-son for
the reasons stated below, it is not likely that
he would do anything to perpetuate her
memory. It is amusing to note that as 155- is
carved upon the tomb, she was to be allowed
to live only some half dozen years at most !
An engraving of this monument first appeared
in Cordiner's Remarkable Ituins in the North
of Scotland (1786).
This portion of the church was possibly
erected by Sir Alex. Ogilvy and his second
CULLEN.
191
wife, au awmbry and altar-piece, similar to
the " sacrament table " at Deskford {siqna,
154) •whicli bears tlieir names, being also
here. It measures from 5 to 6 feet in height,
and among other ornaments, two angels are
represented in the act of raising the Host.
These texts (.John vi., 5-1-6), are carved below
the cornice : —
CARO • MEA • VERB • EST • CIB' • ET ■
SANGVIS • ME' • VERE • E • POT' • Q' ■
MADVCAT • MEA • CARXE ■ T ■ BIBIT •
MEV • SAGVINE • VIVBT • I • ETERNV •
Su- Alexander was the great-grandson
and heir of Sir Walter Ogilvy of Auchleven,
second son of Ogilvy of Lintrathen in Angus
and Margaret Sinclair, heiress of Deskford and
Findlater. He was twice married, first to a
daughter of Lord Philorth, and next to
Elizabeth Gordon, a niece of the Earl of
Huntly. By liis first marriage he had a son
James OgUvie of Cardell, who entered the
service of Mary Queen of Scots, and by
his second marriage a daughter Alargaret,
w]io married John Gordon, son of the Earl
of Huntly. Sir Alexander disinherited his
soJi during his absence in France, and
settled his estate upon his son-in-law.
This piece of injustice, which was re-
sented by the laird of Cardell, may be said to
have been the more immediate cause of the
battle of Corrichie, in which Huntly was slain,
and his sou Sir John taken prisoner and
executed. The claims of Ogilvie and Gordon
were submitted to the decision of Queen
Mary, who, on going to the north, received
the keys of the castles of Findlater and
Auchindown in token of submission to her
judgment. She accordingly settled the dis-
pute by giving Ogilvie the lands of Findlater
and Deskford, and Gordon those of Auchin-
down and Keithmore. The arrangement was
ratified, and a mutual peace sworn by the
parties with much pomp and ceremony be-
fore the high altar in the church of Cullen
on 24th March, 1566 (Hist. MSS., Comm.
3rd Report, 404).
The original deed, which has not yet been
published, of the erection and foundation of
the Collegiate Church of Cnllon is preserved
in the charter-room at Cullen House. It is
written in Latin, on parchment folios, dated
1543, and contains many interesting particu-
lars, of which the following abbreviate has
been kindly furnished by Mr. Cramond, master
of the Public School : — ■
"The church was founded 'for the honour and
glory of the Trinity, the Virgin Mary, St. Anne,
St. John the Baptist, St. Andrew, St. Mary Mag-
dalene, and all the saints of the heavenly host, for
the salvation of the soul of James fifth, formerly
King of Scots, of blessed memory, and for the safety
and prosperity of Mary, his daughter, Queen of Scot-
land, also of Mar}-, spouse of the deceased James,
and of his successors, and for the prosperity of
Gawain, Archbishop of Glasgow, and for the sal-
vation of all the souls of those who have died In
defence of this kingdom, and of all the bailies,
burgesses, and inhabitants "within the said burgh or
beyond, whose bodies rest in the church of the
blessed Mary of Cullen, or cemetery thereof, or
elsewhere, and specially for the souls of all and
several the Canons deceased of the chapter of Aber-
deen, for the prosperity of the present rectors of
the said chm-ch, and of all others who have be-
queathed, or adorned, or intend to bequeath, or
adorn the same with any endowments or ornaments,
vestments, books, cups, or other necessaries, whose
names are and will be in the book of life, also
for the souls of Alexander, Earl of Huntly, John,
Lord Gordon, James Ogilvy of Deskford, Knight ;
James Ogilvy of Drunakeith, Agnes Gordon, his
spouse ; Walter Ogih-y of Boyne, Knight ; Master
James Ogilvy, rector of Kinkell ; his son, Gilbert
OgilN-y ; Master Patrick Blackadder of TulliaUan ;
Archibald Dick, EUen Haj-, mother of the said Arch-
deacon, and of all the faithful departed, and also
for our benefactors and predecessors.'
" It was ordained that the Provost should receive
twenty marks Scots yearly, and enjoy certain rights
and privileges. The First Prebend was the precentor
of the CoUege, and was entitled the Prebend of St.
Amie. He had to be a piuest of holy life and con-
192
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
versation, to have a good and clear voice for singing,
to be skilled in the Gregorian singing and chanting,
to be qualified to play the organ, and to teach daily
a school for singing in the College Church. From
the lands granted to him, he was required to pay for
the celebration of masses for the souls of the founders
and others in various churches. The Second Pre-
bend was entitled the Prebend of Holy Cross, and
had similar qualifications to the preceding. He
prayed daily at the altar of Holy Cross for the souls
of Alexander Ogilvie and Elizabeth Gordon, his
spouse. He was the custodian of the books, cups,
vestments, ornaments of the high altar, &c. The
Prebend of St. Mary was the Third Prebend, and
had the cure of the souls of the parish of Cullen.
The Fourth was the Prebend of St. John the Baptist.
His duties and (jualifications resembled those of the
First Prebend. The Fifth, or Prebend of St. Andrew
the Apostle received, in addition to the endowment
of King Robert of ten marks, also the income from
certain lands granted by Alexander Ogilvie. Besides
his singing qualifications, he was required to be well-
instructed in grammar, and to rule and teach a Gram-
mar School in the Burgh of Cullen, and daily to
officiate at the altar of St. Andrew, in St. Anne's
aisle. The Sixth was the Prebend of St. Mary Mag-
dalene, and was supported from the foundation of
John Hay, Lord of Forest of Boyne, and Enzie.
He officiated at the altar of Mary Magdalene, in the
north part of the Chm'ch of Cullen."
It was Sir Walter, grtat-granilsoii of tlie
foundar of the Collegiate Cliurcli, who was
raised to the peerage by the title of Lord
Ogilvie of Deskford ; aud his son, who was
created Earl of Findlater, having left daugh-
ters only, the eldest of these carried both the
title and estates of Findlater to her husband
aud kinsman, Sir Patrick Ogilvy of Inch-
martin, in the Carse of Go'sny.
Besides the monument before noticed, there
are at Cullen three others, aU of marble, to the
memory of different members of the noble
House of Findlater. The next inscription,
which is from the finest of these tablets, re-
lates to the grandson of Sir Patrick (after-
wards Earl of Findlater) and his Countess : —
James, Earl of Findlater aud Seafield, Viscount
of EedUaveu, Lord Ogilvie of Deskfoord, and
Cullau, boru July 11, 1663. Knight of the
Most Ancient Order of the Thistle, aud Sheriff
of the Shire of Banff, successively Secretary of
State aud Chancellor of Scotland. After the
union of the two kingdoms he served as one of
the representative Peere of Scotland in Parlia-
ment, was of the Privy Councill, aud Commis-
sioner to several General Assemblies of the
Church of Scotland. His great eloquence and
capacity acquired him just applause in Publick,
as did his strict Equity aud Generosity in Private
Life. Dutiful to his parents. Kind aud affec-
tionate to his wife and children, benevolent to all,
he died universally regretted, Augt. 19, 1730,
Here likwise lyes interred his wife Ann Dumbar,
Countess of Seafield,. who's rare Virtue, Piety,
Prudence, aud Sweetness of Temper, rendered
her amiable in all the different relations of Life,
This monument is erected to their memory by
James, Earl of Findlater and Seafield, their son.
— Lord Seafield, who was bred to the bar and
was sometime M.P. for Cullen, advocated at
first the cause of and voted for James VII.,
but afterwards took the oaths to William and
Mary. He received the honour of knight-
hood, and was raised to the Peerage during
his father's lifetime. He took a leading part
in promoting the Union, and being High
Chancellor when the Parliament of Scotland
rose for the last time, he is said to have
exclaimed in the house — •" Now there's the
end of an auld sang !" It is told when he re-
buked his younger brother, the Hon. Patrick
Ogilvy of Inchmartin, for following the trade
of a cattle-dealer, the latter, who was no friend
to the Union, silenced him by gruffly re-
torting— " Better sell nowt than sell nations !"
Lord Seafield, who succeeded his father in
1711 as Earl of Findlater, had three sons and
two daughters; the youngest two sons died
unmarried, and the following inscription re-
lates to the eldest : —
James, Earl of Findlater aud Seafield, Vice-
Admiral of Scotland, aged 74, ended a life of
eminent piety, loyalty, and benevolence, upon the
9th of July, 1764. In obedience to his Com-
mands, the monument above, with the inscrip-
tiou, was erected, he having forbid any particu-
lar monument for himself.
CULLEN.
193
— This Earl, wlio was "suspected" at the '15,
was afterwards received into confidence ; and, in
1745, owing to his refusal to pay "levy money"
to the rehels, they entered his house of Cullen,
which tliey plundered of all its valuable fur-
niture and other effects, except some pictures
and books, " the greatest and most valuable
part whereof they carried with them to Lord
John Drummond's main party at Fochabers,
and threatened to return to burn the house"
(MS. copy at Panmure, of Lord Findhder's
Petition to Pari.) The Earl was then at
Aberdeen with the Duke of Cumberland ; and,
in consequence of the unexpected approach of
the Iioyal army, the rebels not only were pre-
vented from doing further mischief to Cullen
House, but left the enemy in possession of
their horses, of which " the kirkyard was
full" (Journal of a Volunteer, 17-15).
Whether the Earl, who estimated the damage
done by the rebels to his house and j)roperty
at the sum of £8000 sterling, was successful
in his application to Parliament is not so
certain as that he held his appointment of
Vice-Admiral of Scotland down to. his death.
One of the three marble monuments at Cullen
is thus inscribed to the memory of Countess
Sophia : —
To the memory of Lady Sophia Hope, born
May 1702, married Dec. 1723, to James, Earl of
Fiudlater & Seafield, died April 25, 176L Her
life was one LTuiuterrupted Course of Christian
Piety, Universal Benevolence, Integrity, and
Justice. Duty to her Parents, particularly to
her Father-in-law, the Chancellor, Earl of Find-
later (next to whose body lier's is interred), of
most aifectionate and dutiful attachment to her
husband, unwearied care of his health, constant
attention to the interests of his family (his
Estate having been nearly doubled by her
prudent and decent CEconomy), and of motherly
affection to his Infant children by his first wife,
Lady Elizabeth Hay, a most Valuable and
Virtuous Latly, who died at Dupplin, & was
interr'd in the Burial Place of her Father,
Thomas, Earl of KinnouU. This monument was
order'd by her beloved husband, who du'ected
his Body to be interr'd near hers.
— The Earl (of whom and Countess Sophia
there are in the City Hall of Aberdeen full-
length portraits painted by Cosmo Alexander,
an Aberdeen artist, who was related in some
way to Jameson) left two daughters and a
son by his first wife. The daughters were
married respectively to Sir Ludovick Grant of
Grant and the Earl of Hopetoun, and the
son, who survived his father, was succeeded
by his son, who died without issue in 1811.
This opened uj) the succession to female des-
cendants, the nearest of whom was Lord
Seafield's own cousin,^ Sir L. A. Grant, Bart.,
grandson of the above Sir Ludovick. He suc-
ceeded to the estate and titles (the Earldom of
Findlater excepted), and dying in 1840, was
buried at Duthil (Epitaphs, i. 142).
His Lordship was succeeded by his brother
the Hon. F. W. Grant Ogilvie, who was pre-
viously M.P. for tlie counties of Inverness
and Nairn, and dying in 1853, was succeeded
by his son, as seventh Earl of Seafield. His
Lordship married the Hon. Caroline Stuart,
youngest daughter of Lord Blantyre, by whom
he has an only cliild, Viscount Eeidhaven, who
was born in 1851.
The present Earl has made great improve-
ments, not only upon Cullen House, but over
the whole of his extensive estates ; and the
Countess has recently taken so deep an inte-
rest in the preservation of the tombs of her
ancestors, and in the old Collegiate Church,
that the edifice has been put into good repair,
and due prominence given to the old awmbry,
above referred to, whicli was so long hidden
from view.
The Seafield family pew, upon the south-
east of the nave of the church, is supported
hy pillars and reached by a few steps. The
front of the pew and the pillars are of carved
timber, which was taken from the family
seats in the old aisle. One panel is dated
1590, another 1602, two others bear the
k
194
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Ogilvie and Douglas arms, and the initials,
S.V.C. (Sir AValter Ogilvie), M. D. (Mary
Douglas), and a fifth contains her monogram.
Upon the pillar next the stair are the Aber-
croniby and Innes arms, the latter having the
cadency mark of the crescent, the date of " 18
AP. 1608," and the monogram A. A.I.I.
These refer to a laird and lady of Over Skeith,
a property in Deskford, in which Adam
Abercroniby was served heir to his father
William on 31st October, 1608 (Retours).
Abercrombys held Skeith from 1542 until
1720, when Alex. Abercromby renounced tlie
lands in favour of the Earl of Findlater.
Alex. Abercromby's son .James, a merchant
in CuUen, married Elspet Ord, whose father
was also a mercliant there. Upon " Skeith's
lair," on the south side of the Duff Isle, a
pew was erected in 1688, and soon after that
date — possibly before it — Over Skeith, which
is now Seafield property, was in the hands I
of the Hays of Ardinbath.
The arms of the Sinclairs and the Ogilvies
are upon the outer and south wall of the nave
of the church, and near the same place is a
" sunne dyall," possibly that for which the
kirk-session in 1664 paid the sum of 8 merks.
A marble slab, built into the west wall of
the south aisle of the church, bears : —
ALEXANDER DUNCAN,
FOUNDER OF THE DUNCAN BEQUEST,
BORN OCT. 2, 1776, DIED DEC. 20, 1845.
— Duncan, who was buried at Fordyce, was a
blacksmith by trade, and his bequest consists
of an annuity of about £30, which he left
for the education and purchase of books
for children of Established Cliurch 2)arents
(supra, 104).
At the north door of the church is a flat
slab, which has been much defaced by being
trodden upon. It bears a carving of the
Dunbar arms, the initials M.G.D., and these
remains of an inscription : —
SVB . SAXO . HOC . IVVENIS
CINERES . MORS . INIMICA
PIETAS .PR DELECTVS . . .
MORBVS . . . GEORGIVS . DVNBAR . ARTIVM
IIAGISTER 3IDCLXVI.
— Mr. George Dunbar was ses.sion-clerk and
probably also schoolmaster of Cullen, in
16.52. Mr. .Cramond states, that although
during the last three hundred years there
have been at least thirty-eight schoolmasters
and nineteen ministers of Cullen, there are
tombstones liere to only one minister and one
schoolmaster.
The old burial-ground, which surrounds the
church, was closed, under the Burial Grounds
Act, in 1868. It contains a number of monu-
ments, from which the following inscriptions
are' selected. The first, which was found
witliin the chaplainry of S. Ann, is remark-
able for its quaintness and brevity : —
LET . LYE . I . H .
The next is also of a laconic nature : —
I AMES . HUTCHON . A . CHYLD .
DEC . 26 . 1673 .
A mural tablet, embellished with carvings
of a mill-stone pick and mill rynd, bears : —
JOHN . GOODBRAND . MILLHARD . OF . THE .
OLD . MILNE . IN . CULLEN . ERECTED . THIS .
MONUMENT . IN . THE . YE.\R . OF . GOD . 1723.
HE . DEPARTED . OCT . 17 — . JANET . HIRD .
HIS . SPOUSE . DEPARTED . NOU . 18 . 1719 .
ALSO . JAMES . GOODBRAND . THR . SON . DYED
. APRIL . 17 . 1713 .
— The surname of !Millhard liad probably
originated from the occupation of a miller. It
is often written and pronounced Millart.
Goodbrand is locally pronounced Gireelnin.
The "mill ward" left descendants, some of
whom became burgesses of Cullen. Contem-
porary with the first-mentioned was a family
named Brand.s (who may possibly have been
related to the Goodbrands), to whom there
are two monuments, one of which, bearing a
Latin inscription and dated 1721, relates to six
of the children of the following parents : —
CULLEN.
195
In memory of Walter Brands, merchant, and
sometime one of tlie baillies of CuIIen, who died
in 1738, aged 68. Margaret Forbes, his spouse,
who died in 1735 ; and Ann Brands, their
daughter, who died in 1730
James Brands, Esquire of Ferryhill, Aberdeen-
sliire, their son, sometime one of the baillies of
Ciillen, who died 1780, aged 77, caused erect this
stone.
Accompanied with the monogram A.]\f:
LA :—
Here lyes under the hope of a blessed resur-
rection, Alexander Murray, bailzie of Cullen,
who departed this life the 4"' of Febr. the vear
of God 1675.
Under tliis ston lyes the corps of the children
of Alexander Dunbar, burges of Cullen and
Margaret Biddie his spouse, whose names was
Elizabeth, Janet, George, Janet, and Anna
DUNBARS.
[2.]
J.\s. MuRR.w, Hillocks, Fordyce, d 1796, a.
84 ; his wf. Margt. Bennett d. 1791, a. 72 : —
Pause, Reader, reflect on life's short Race,
Imitate the Viituous immured in this Place.
[3.]
This stone is errected here by Jannet Mitchell,
in memory of her beloved husband James Roie,
souter shoemaker in Cullen. He died May the
4"" 1796, aged 41 yeare. Also two of their chil-
dren, who died in their infancy, lyes interred
here.
Alexander Duffus departed this life, 25"'
July 1815, aged 97 years, and is inten-ed along
with his spouse agreeable to his desire.
Upon a flat stone : —
Under this lyis the corps of the children of
Thom.\s Shepherd, burges in Cullen, who names
walAMES, Michael, William, Janet Shepherds,
17XXX ; & he dj'ed Dec. 25. Chrlstian
M'Lauchland ther mothe
A table stone bears : —
Under this stone lies interred George Perrie,
son to George Perrie and Isable Murray, late in
Portuokie. He served sometime in the war of
their Majestie's King George the 2nd and 3rd,
on board the Thunderer. Died lune 3, 1763,
aged 39 yeai-s ; and now —
Tlio' .Eohis' blasts and Neptune's waves
Have toss'd him to and fro.
With others here below,
And who at anchor here do ride
With many of the fleet,
Till the last trumpet wake them uj),
Theii- Admiral, Christ, to meet.
Within an enclosure : —
In memory of Thomas Rannie, who was born
at Birdsbank, Cullen, 24th Oct. 1769, and died
there 15th Sept 1849. Also of his wife, Eliza-
beth Wilson, who died on the 14th December
1828, aged 63.
— Their son !Mungo, " many years a very re-
spectable linen manufacturer and magistrate
of Cullen," died in 1806, aged 79. A daughter
of this family. Miss Menie Eannie, was
married to James Coutts of Hullgreen, near
Bervie, on 15th March, 1759. Mr. Coutts
was one of the celebrated banking familj', of
whom the Baroness Burdett Coutts is the
representative ; and Mr. Coutts and his wife
Menie Eannie were the maternal grandparents
of the late ilrs. Scrymgeour Fothringham of
Tealing, near Dundee.
From a marble slab, within an enclosure : —
Sacred to the memory of Rear- Admiral James
Oughton, who died at Cullen, the place of his
nativity, on the 9th June, 1832, aged 71. Here
also lie the remains of his father and mother,
John Oughton and Margaret Watt, likewise
natives of Cullen, the former of whom died in
1796, the latter in 1811.
— Admiral Oughton was originally a clerk to
Mr. Dow, manufacturer in Cullen, and enter-
ing the navy as purser's clerk, rose to the high
ranli mentioned upon his monument. He is
said to have been liberal-hearted and kind to
the poor. Two of his sisters, who died in
1851 and 1853, attained the ages of 73 and
85. Their father was manager of Mr. Eannie's
manufactory.
Abridged from three separate stones : —
Robert Innes, surgeon, R.N., died at Forres,
7th March 1833, aged 66.
Margaret Gtrant, relict of Alex. Grant,
Tochieniel, died 12"' Sept. 1841, aged 9G.
196
EPITAPHS, AND INSORTPTIONS :
The Eev. Egbert Grant late minister of
Cullen, died 9"> April 1808, in the 78th year of
his age, and 49th of his ministry.
— Mr. Grant, who wrote the Old Stat. Acot.
of the parish, left two daughters, Janet, who
bequeathed £20 to the poor of Cullen, and
Mary, who married Eev. oVIr. Gray of Ordiqu-
hill (Epitaphs, i. 29).
One of three marble tablets bears : —
In memoiy of Alexander Marquis, a native
of this parish, fifty-seven years farmer of Far-
skane, and twenty eight yeai-s a member of the
Kirk-Session of Cullen ; nat. 1783, ob. 1848.
This tablet is erected by his relict Mat Ander-
son. Also in memoiy of the said Mat Ander-
son, who died IGth May 18G1, aged 76 years.
Upon a marble monument in the church-
yard wall : —
Sacred to the memory of BvERisn Lyons,
sometime shipmaster in Leith, aged 44, who ^yas
lost in the brig "Mary," of London, of which
he was owner, wrecked on this coast on the
night of 7th September, 1807, when all on boa,rd
perished. This marble is erected by Mathias
Lyons, writer to the Signet, in testimony of his
esteem and affection for a much loved brother,
1822.
Upon a headstone : —
Sacred to the memory of George Findlat,
late merchant, Cullen, who died 16"' June, 1849,
aged 61 years. Also the Eev. George Findlat,
son of the above, who died lOth March 1846,
aged 27, at Cape Coast Castle, while on his way
to labour as a Wesleyan Missionary in the King-
dom of Asliantee, Western Africa
From a headstone : —
To the memory of James Forbes, shoemaker,
Buckie, who died 6th April 1855, and Linora
Stewart or Forbes, his spouse, who died 3d
December 1858, and who left the whole residue
of their estate to the Free Church of Scotland.
Erected by the deceased's Trustees.
A mural tablet (enclosed) on right hand
side of gate to churchyard bears : —
Sacred to the memory of John Fraser, com-
missioner to the Eight Honble. the Earl of Sea-
field, who died at Cullen, on the 30th November
1848, aged 70. Also to that of- his wife Cather-
ine Duncan, died there on the 16th April, 1862,
atred 71.
— One of theu' daughters is married to the
Eev. Mr. Mackintosh of Deskford ; and a
marble tablet, adjoining the above, bears this
record (here abridged) to the memory of some
of Mr. Eraser's family : —
John, died at Demerara, 31st May 1837, aged
16 ; William, M.D., died at Poonah, in
H.E.I.C.S., 19th Sept. 1847, aged 25 ; Cathe-
rine, wife of Dr. Francis W. Innes, C.B., died
at Eangoon, 13th Sep. 1855, aged 31 ; TiiOMAS,
died at sea on his passage from India, 14th Feb.
1857, aged 34 ; James, died at Bathurst, N.S.W.,
18th June, 1861, aged 42 ; and Alexander, died
at North Berwick, 2ud Sep. 1866, aged 42.
The following, within the same enclosure,
refers to a brother of Mrs. Eraser's : —
Sacred to the memory of Alexander Duncan,
Esq., surgeon, Eoyal Navy, who died 13th Feb-
I'uary, 1826, aged 62 years.
Besides being inconveniently situated, the
old churchyard of Cullen became too small for
the requirements of the parish, and a
NEW CEMETEEY
was made out in a field adjoining the cliffs to
the eastward of the town. It was opened for
interments in 1830, and extended in 1873.
It contains several monuments, the most at-
tractive of which is possibly a plain freestone
cross, within an enclosure, which bears the
following inscription, the first portion being
upon the transverse limb of the cross and the
last upon its base : —
Jane Tait, born at Carlisle, 6th Dec. 17S0,
died at Cullen House, 9th Nov., 1866. Erected
in loving memory by Caroline, Countess of Sea-
field.
Upon a mural tablet : —
This stone is erected by the Earl of Seafield,
in memory of Margaret Ward, who died at
Cullen, 23rd July, 1852, aged 86 years.
Erom a headstone of white marble : —
Sacred to the memory of Ealph-Abercrombt
Buchanan, E.N., who died Nov. 26, 1855.
Upon a hamlsome granite monument : —
In memory of the late William Smith, for
four-and-a-half years Provost of Cullen, who
CULLEN.
197
died 8th April 1872, aged 49 years. Erected by
a number of his Personal Friends as a tribute of
their respect for his private -wortli and public
services.
— Mr. Smith, -who was a draper and postmas-
ter, was of a very obliging disposition, and
died suddenly while chief magistrate of the
burgh.
A plain headstone bears : —
In memory of John Slater " Hasser," and
Helen Imlach, his wife. The former died 31st
May, 1866, aged 77 ; the latter 12th April, 1867,
aged 75.
—In the above inscription "Hasser" is no
part of the surname, but there being so many
families of one name among the fishing popu-
lation on the east coast, " tee" or additional
names are used for the sake of distinction.
These are frequently neither of the most deli-
cate nor refined description, as may he seen- on
reference to Valuation EoUs, Eegisters of
Births, Parochial Board books, &c.
Some account having already been given of
the early history of Cullen and its neighbour-
hood iu Proceedings of the Society of Anti-
quaries of Scot. (iv. 583 ; ix. 274-83), it will
be sufficient here to note that Cullen is asso-
ciated by tradition with the Danish invasion
in the 10th century, and that Invercullen is
described as a burgh in a charter of William
the Lion, 1198-9.
Remains of the castle and its fosse are
still upon the Castlehill. Alexander II. and
Edward I. both resided here for a brief period.
The constableship of the castle was held by
Thomas Lipp in David II. 's time, but the
date of the demolition of the house is unknown,
and the site is now occupied by a number of
carved stones which had been carried from
the < dd Town, and probably also from
the mansion-house of Cullen. Among these
fragments are the royal arms, the head of the
old cross of the burgh, the arms of the Sin-
clairs, the Ogilvies, and the Bairds, the last-
mentioned of which possibly belonged to John
Baird, who was a baillie of the burgh about
1689.
There are several inscribed stones built into
Cullen House. One bears the initials of Sir
Water Ogilvie, who was created Earl of Eind-
later in 1616, and his wife Dame Mary
Douglas. Upon the side of the house, over-
looking the precipice, there are two very old
windows, upon one of which is the monogram
S.V.O., D.M.D., and upon the other the
Ogilvie and Douglas arms. On the west are
five pedimcntal windows, the oldest has richly
carved floral pilasters, with scroll capitals sur-
rounded by a pediment on which are cut re-
presentations of winged sea-horses, overtopped
with a scroll inscribed Andromeda. In the
centre of the pediment is an anchor, round the
shank of which is twisted a dolphin, and
within are the words festina lente. Three
windows on the north side exhibit carvings
of the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and
Charity, with their respective sj'mbols ; the
first two are inscribed : —
FAITH • YE • GRVND • OF • AL.
HOPE . YE • ANKER . OF . FAITH.
The inscription upon the third whidow has
been obliterated ; but in 1858, when con-
siderable additions and alterations were made
upon the house by the present Earl of Sea-
field, two finely carved windows were erected,
one bearing the inscription : —
CHAKYTIE • COVERETH • MANIE • SYNIS-
— Upon the other is the admirable text,
Luke, vi. 42 ; —
CAST • YE • BEAME • OVT • OF • THINE •
OWNE • EYE • AND • THOV • SHALT ■ SEE •
CLEARLIE • TO • PVLL ■ YE • MOTE • OVT •
OF • THY • BROTHERS •
In addition to these carvings a staircase
galjle is ornamented with a beautiful group of
198
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
" Old Father Time," with his scythe, and
emblematical figures of Youth and Old Age,
the former being represented as flying from
him, and the latter iu\'iting his stroke.
The romantic burn of Cullen, which is
crossed at Cullen House by a bridge dated
1744, upon which are a coronet and the
initials of the fifth Earl of Findlater and his
Lady, is also spanned by a bridge at the Sea-
town of Cullen, upon the coast road to Elgin.
The Seatown has a sheltered position upon
the S.E. of the Bay of Cullen, and the dwel-
ling-houses are mostly of one story and
thatched. Although small, the harbour is a
safe and easily reached port ; and the most
remarkable features of the beach are three
large rocks called tlte Three KiiKjs, but these
lie within the parish of Eathven (Epitaphs,
i. 276).
The New Tcjwn of Cullen occupies the
steep ground on the south of the Seatown,
where there are a town-hall, good dwelling-
houses, shops, branch banks, hotels, and viUa
residences. In the front of a property in
Deskford Street are three freestone tablets,
each of which bears the arms (3 crescents
between 3 piles transposed), and the motto —
DEO ET PATRiiE. Below are these iuscrip)-
tions, which refer to charities that were
respectively founded by John and 'William
Lawtie in 1650 and 16.57 : —
1717. I.L : NULLI CERTA DOMUS
MR JAMES LAWTIE I KATHARIN DUNBAR.
[2.]
William Lawtie of Myrehouse mortified this
house and two rigs adjacent, with some crofts
called Anefreetack, for the glory of God, and the
use of tlie poor : — Psal. xli. Mrs. Sara Lawtie
Dingwall in Banff, empowered Alexander Lob-
ban, mercht. Cullen, and James Lawtie, Towie.
to excambe the houses and land situated in the
old toun, which they did for the present houses
and laud, as pr. deed of settlement, JIarch 1824.
This stone was relettered by Mrs. S. L. D.
[3.]
John Lawtie, burgess in Cullen, mortified
this house and croft to the poor of this parish,
and appointed George Lawtie of TochieneU and
his heirs whatsomever, patrons thereof. Mr.
James Lawtie, late minister of the gospel at
Cullen, was heir and representati\e to the said
George Lawtie. Mrs. Sara Lawtie Dingwall,
&c., as above.
In 1695, "William Ogilvie of Blairock gave
to the poor of Cullen a croft of land called
Harper's Croft, upon whicli two persons used
to live, but after the death of the donor, the
right of possession was challenged, and claimed
on behalf of the Knights Templars of St.
John of Jerusalem, and the Earl of jNIanresse
having right from the king to appropriate
these lands to himself, the session were obliged
to give him a sum of money to " compone" it.
William Leslie of Birdsbank, who left 1000
merks Scots for the benefit of the schoolmas-
ter, also presented the church with two silver
communion cups, upon which are his arms
and motto, keep fast, and this inscription : —
DEDICATED • TO • THE • CHVRCH • OF •
C\'X,LEN • BY • WILLIAM • LESLIE ■ OF •
BIRDSBANK •
— This was a branch of the Leslies of Fin-
drassie in Morayshire (Young's Hist, of New
Spynie), and William, who succeeded his
father, married a daughter of Monro of Mil-
town, by whom he had a son George, sheriff-
clerk of Banffshire, who married about 1 676,
a daughter of Sir James Baird of Auchniedden
(Eraser's Surname of Baird, 29).
The " place" of Birdsbank was at the south
end of the old town or burgh of Cullen, and
that of Craighead, of which " Helena Hay"
was "gudewife," is now included in the park
surrounding Cullen House. The kirk bell,
which is saiil to have been upon the old town-
house, is thus inscribed : —
CULLEN, IN THE COUNTY OF BANFF,
ARBUTHNOTT.
199
In 1719 the Kirk-session contributed the
sum of £60 Scots towards the purchase of a
town clock and a big bell, and for the repair
of the tolbooth and steeple of Cullen ; but the
tolbootli and the rest of the old tower of
Cullen, which stood at the church, were re-
moved between the years 1820-30.
An hospital or " beadehouse, with 8 men
within it," stood in 1670, and for many years
thereafter, within the old town, and the lands
of Pattonbringau and Brunton were mortified
for its support. It is described at the above
date as having been " well provided w' main-
tenance, and (the inmates) lies y'' gowns and
fireing well allowed on them yearly." It may
be noticed in connection with this charity
that in 1705, " In. Abercrombie headman in
the Earl of Fiudlater's hospital" left the sum
of £4 to the poor of the parish.
The usefulness of this institution, which
was founded by James, Earl of Eindlater,
in 1638, appears to have been extended
in 1721 by Ann, Countess of Seafield, who,
in addition to the original number of male in-
mates, made provision for the maintenance of
as many poor females. The Eev. Dr. Hender-
son, in his account of the parish (18-12), states
that about si.\ty years before that date, the
hospital system was abolished, and the charity
doled out to poor families residing on the Sea-
field estates in the four parishes of Cullen,
Kathven, Deskford, and Fordyce.
[Ins. compd. by air. Cramond, Schoolmr.]
a r tj u 1 1) n 0 1 1.
(S. TERNAN, BISHOP.)
THE church of Aberhtdhenoth was a pre-
bend of the Eoyal Chapel of S. Mary,
or Kirklieugh of St. Andrews, and was dedi-
cated by Bishop David in 1242. It is rated
at 30 merks in the Old Taxation. In 1299,
King Edward I., by reason of the vacancy of
the See of St. Andrews, presented Henry of
Grastok to the church of Aberbuthenot (Ilkist.
Scot. Hist., Maitland Club, 38).
In 1574, INIr. Alex. Keith was minister of
the five churches of Arbuthnott, Kinneff,
Caterline, Bervie, and Garvock ; and Archi-
bald Watson was reader at Arbuthnott.
Mr. Alex. Arbuthnott, who was Principal
of King's College, Aberdeen, of whom some
notice is given below, and Mr. Andrew
Ramsay, who was translated to Edinburgh in
1610, were among the more eminent of the
old ministers of the parish. Besides contri-
buting to Arthur Johnston's Delitkii Poatarum
Scotonmi, the lattet published a volume of
Latin jjoems (printed by Andrew Hart, Edin.,
1633), the epigrammatic portion of which he
dedicated to his cousin, Sir David Carnegie
of Kinnaird. He was a son of Eamsay of
Balmam, and being "deprived" in 1649, he
left Edinburgh, and retired to his property of
Abbotshall in Fife, where he is said to have
died in 1659, aged 85. He left several chil-
dren, of whom Andrew, some time Lord
Provost of Edinburgh and a Senator of the
College of Justice, was the eldest son.
Among Mr. Eamsay 's successors at Arbuth-
nott were Mr. John Sibbald (1626-62), and
Mr. Alex.\nder Arbuthnott (1665-90). The
former, who " contributed liberally towards
an edifice for the training of youth, mortified
considerable sums of money for tlie mainte-
nance of a schoobnaster and the poor of the
parish, and bequeathed his books to the Aisle
of Ai'buthnott, worth more than j'" merks, for
the use of the succeeding incumbents ; " while
the latter, who bought the property of Kin-
gornie, near Bervie, about 1688, was fatlier of
the celebrated Dr. John Arbuthnott of Lon-
don by a daughter of the Eev. Mr. Lanimie
200
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
of Maryton (Epitaphs, i. 236). Mr. Aibuth-
nott is said to have continued the History of
the Family of Arbiithnott, which was begun
by the Piincipal.
In 1505, Sir Eobert Arbuthnott founded
and endowed a chaplainry within the kirk of
St. Ternan of Arbuthnott for the safety of his
own soul and for those of his wife, his father,
and his mother. He also gave a house, garden,
and croft to the chaplain. Long after this
date some of Sir Eobert's descendants, one of
whom was a member of kirk-session in 1689,
presented foiu- communion silver cups to the
church. These are all embellished with the
Ai'buthnott arms — the first having also those of
Crichton — and each cup is thus inscribed : —
THE . COMMUNION . COUP . FOR . THE
. KIRK . OF . ARBUTHNOTT . 163S . R . A. :
H . C.
[2.]
THIS . CUP . WAS . MORTIFIED . TO .
THE . KIRK . OF . ARBUTHNOT . BY . D .
A, . OF . PITCARLES . AND . REPAIRED .
BY . HIS . SONE . A . A. . 1695.
[3, 4.]
THIS . COMMUNION . CUP . IS . MORTI-
FIED . TO . THE . CHURCH . OF . ARBUTH-
NOT . BY . THE . NOBLE . LORD . ROBERT
. THE . THIRD . VISCOUNT . OF . ARBUTH-
NOT . 1696.
The church of Arbuthnott is a long narrow
building with a belfry upon the west end,
somewhat resembling the corner turret of an
old mansion house ; but it has been so oddly
rendered, as indeed has been the whole fabric,
in Pinkerton's Correspondence (iL 421), that
the woodcut there conveys no idea whatever
of the original.
Sometime ago there were two bells at the
church of Arbuthnott. The one now in use
bears the Arbuthnott arms, and is thus in-
scribed : —
10 A . MOWAT . ME . FE . VET . ABD . 1736 .
IN. USUM . ECCLESI^. DE . ARBUTHNOTT.
SABBATA . PANGO . FUNERA . PLANGO.
[John Mowat, Old Aberdeen, made me, 1736, for
the use of the church of Arbuthnott. Sabbaths I
proclaim, at funerala I toll.]
At the south-east corner of the church " is
a beautiful chancel aisle or chantry of the
15th century (Missale de Arbuthnott, pref.
Ixxxvi.), entered by a late semi-circular arch
with heavy flamboyant mouldings. It is of
two stories ; the lower a vaulted and groined
chapel, with an aumbry and piscina, indicat-
ing an altar at the south end, which termi-
nates apsidally. The centre window in the
apse is a beautiful cusped lancet ; the others
are similar, but with the late circular headings
peculiar to Scottish flamboyant. The masonry
is excellent, of the polished stone of the dis-
trict. The buttresses are very strong, and
well marked with very graceful niches, corbels,
and canopies externally. At the side is a
turret with a turnpike stair [of 28 steps] lead-
ing up to a priest's chamber of the same size
as the chajjel below."
The upper story has three lights, two in
the apse and a larger one in the west side,
which command good views of the valley of
the Bervie. There are a holy water stoup and
a small awmbry ; also stone seats in the
windows, but no fireplace. It is said that
this apartment contained the library which
was presented by Principal Ai'buthnott and
added to by Mr. Sibbald ; but not a volume
now remains, the place being occupied by a
dilapidated bier and the remains of a " cutty
stool ! "
The chapel or lower portion of the aisle
(which opens into the chancel of the church
by an archway) has been the family burial
place of the Arbuthnotts from time imme-
morial. The front of a tomb upon which lies
the stone effigy of a mailed figure, presents
ARBUTHNOTT.
201
four separate shields, two of which are charged
■with the Arbuthnott arms. Upon the chief
of a third shield are two mullets, and npon the
fourth is the fesse-chequey of Stewart of Athol.
The effigy is popularly believed to represent
Sir Hew le Blund, an early member of the
Arbuthnott famUy ; but as the monument
itself is in a much later style of carving, we
are inclined to think, particularly since one of
the shields bears the Stewart fess, that the
figure is intended to represent James Arbuth-
nott of that Ilk, who died in 1521, and
whose wife was Jean Stewart, fourth daughter
of the second Earl of Athol.
An adjoining coffin-slab, upon which a cross,
a sword, and two blank shields are carved in
low relief (as here represented) is more in the
style of the funeral monuments of the time
of Sir Hew, who, about the year 1282, under
the name and designation of " Hew le Blund,
lord of Aberbothenoth," granted the patronage
of the kii'k of Garvock and other privileges
connected therewith to the Abbot and Con-
vent of Arbroath.
Although the gift of the church of Garvock
is the chief incident recorded of Sir Hew's
life, his name is preserved in the traditions of
the district, and also in the well-known ballad
of " Sir Hew le Blund." It was first printed
in Scott's Border Minstrelsy, and Sir Hew is
therein represented as having been the only
knight who volunteered to defend the honour
of the Queen against the slanders of an un-
principled accuser. Having been victorious,
he received, according to the ballad, a gift of
the lands of " Ardbattle," which are locally
understood to be those of Arbuthnott : —
The Queen then said unto the King —
" Ardbattle's near the sea ;
Give it unto the northern knight
That tliis day fought for me."
Then .said the King — " Come here, Sir Knight,
And drink a glass of "wine ;
And if Ardbattle's not enough,
To it we'll Fordoun join."
It may here be observed that not only does
the plot resemble that of SchUler's grand
ballad of FridoUn, but the Arbuthnotts had
no proprietary interest in Fordoun until about
the beginning of the 17th century ; and
according to another tradition. Sir Hew re-
ceived Arbuthnott for having saved the life
of the King when attacked by a wild boar in
the Den of Pitcai'les. The missile, in the
form of a cannon ball (!), with which the boar
is said to have been killed, is preserved in
the family aisle.
It is a tradition in the Blond or Blunt
family that Sir Hew married a daughter of the
ancient house of D'Amonville, and not More-
ville, as stated in Douglas's Peerage. But
neither this point nor his alleged descent
202
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS^
from the Blonds or Blunts of England (althougli
both are quite probable) is borne out either by
record or by any similarity of armorial bearings.
The style and designation of Sir Hew in
his grant of the church of Garvock certainly
favours the hypothesis that his surname was
Blund. If so, his immediate successor must,
as was then customary, have dropt his pater-
nal name and assumed the territorial one
of De Arbhthnott.
But it would appear that Sir Hew le Blund,
if not himself a De Arbuthnott, had succeeded
an earlier race of that name, since it is re-
corded (Spald. Club Mis., v. 211), that the
lands of Arbuthnott were acquired from
Walter, son of Osbert the Crusader, by Hugh
of Swinton, of the family of Swinton of that
Hk in Berwickshire, who changed his name
from Swinton to Arbuthnott.
Sir Hew, whether his cognomen of " le
Blund " was paternal, or assumed from any
physical peculiarity, appears to have been the
fourth successor of Hugh of Swinton. Ac-
cording to the family genealogy, it was the
sixth laird de Arbuthnott in succession to Sir
Hew who was a party to the making of " heU
broth" upon the hill of Garvock, where he
assisted in boiling the Sheritf of the Mearns !
Sir Eobert Arbuthnott, who succeeded his
father in 1663 and married a daughter of the
Earl of Southesk, was raised to the peerage in
1641. He took an active part in Church
affairs, and, dying in 1655, was succeeded by
his eldest son, of whose share of the main-
tenance of "military horse" in 1677-8 the
following account is preserved at Paumure,
and here published for the iiist time ; —
Compt. of the Intertainent of the Viscount of
Ai-buthuots mUitary horse yearly, with the pay
dew for the fyve dayes Kendizvouze at the route
appoynted be ye act of parliat —
The Viscount of Arbuthuot himself e - 015 . 02 . 06
The Laird of Drum - - - - 007 . 06 . 06
The VS'odsetter of birkinbus - - 002 . 11 . 00
Compt. of the twentie dayea provisione to be fur-
nished out be the Viscount of Arbuthnott and
his Copartners for the horse to be putt out to
this pnt expeditone for Stirling. Jany. 1678 —
The Viscount of Arbuthnot himself e - 010 . 12 . 00
The Laird of Drum - - - - 005 . 11 . 06
The Wodsetter of liirkinbus - - 001 . 16 . 06
025 . 00 . 00
018 . 00 . 00
A slab within the Allardyee aisle or chapel
of the church exhibits the Arbuthnott arms,
and also the initials, family motto, and date : —
M. AL : AE.
LWS . DEO . ANNO. 1673.
— By those who believe that the Arbuthnott
aisle was erected by Principal Arbuthnott of
King's College, Aberdeen, the above may be
set down as referring to that circumstance.
He held the cure of Arbuthnott, 1569-83, in
conjunction with his Principalsliip. He was
a son of Arbuthnott of Pitcarles, and besides
being remarkable for scholarship, he wrote
several poems, one of which, " The Miseries
of a Pure Scolar" (Sibbald's Chron. of Scot.
Poetry, iii. 332), not oidy displays some
touches of fine feeling, but also an intimate
knowledge of human nature : —
Scorning I halt ; yet maun I smyle, and smirk,
Quhen I the moklis of uther men behald.
Yea oft-tymes man I lauch, suppose I irk,
Quhen bitterlie thair tauntis they have tauld.
And sumtyme als, quhidder I nyl or wald.
And scorne for scorne to gif I man tak tent.
Quhat marvel is thoch I murue and lament ?
Some writers suppose that Alexander Ar-
buthnott, " burgess of Ldinburgh," who agreed
with the Privy Council to issue the first
edition of the Bible in Scotland, and the
Principal were one and the same person.
This point is not so well agreed upon nor is
it so probable as that the publisher of the
Biljle, if not a son of Arbuthnott of that Ilk,
was in some way related to the Arbuthnott
family, some of its junior members having be-
fore then become merchants in Edinburgh.
The history and circumstances of the lirst
publication of the Bible in Scotland being
ARBUTHNOTT.
203
well known, it is enough to say here that,
after much delay the work appeared in 1579,
bearing the imprint of Alexander Aebyth-
NET, with a shiuld upon the title-page, on
•which were the arms of Arbuthnott (with
certain points for difference), impaleil with
those of Thomas Bassandyne, tlie printer of
the book.
It is interesting to add that Arbuthnott's
securities to the Privy Council for the fulfil-
ment of his contract were the Guthries of
Kincaldrum and Halkerston, Ehynd of Carse,
all Angus lairds, and Arbuthnott of Lentusch
in Aberdeenshire. In Chambers's Annals,
owing probably to a misprint, the last men-
tioned is called Arnot of Lentusch, and an
Angus laii'd, but contemporary deeds show that
the property of Lentusch, which is near the
Kirktown of Rayne, was held by Ai'buthnotts
before and for long after that time, and also
that they possessed considerable means, one of
them having lent the sum of 10,000 merks
over the lands of Belhelvie in Aberdeenshire
{Deed at Panmure).
The burial aisle of the Allardyces of that
lOi formed the chancel of the old church. It
contains a piscina, is communicated with by a
door on the east, and on the west by an en-
trance into the Arbuthnott Aisle.
The Allardyces had a settlement at Allar-
dyce in the time of WiUiam the Lion, and
continued to flourish, in the male line, until
about 1776, when the heiress became the wife
of Barclay of Ury, to whom she brought the
estate. Lady Mart Graham, wife of Sir John
AUardyce and a descendant of the Earls of
Airth and Menteith, was buried here in 1720,
but no stone marks the spot. It was through
this marriage that the late Captain Barclay-
AUardyce of L^ry claimed the Earldoms of
Strathern, Menteith, and Airth, a claim which
has suice been revived by his daughter (Mem.
Angus & Mearus, 3-55. Epitaphs, i. 80-3).
The lands of Allardice wore lately purchased
by the Viscount of Arbuthnott, and the castle,
now occupied by the farmer, presents some
interesting points of the castellated architec-
ture of the end of the 16lh and the beginning
of the 17th centuri>'S. It stands upon the
north bank of the Bervie, opposite to a re-
markable rock from which and its position
on the river the name of Allardice (] Aille-
ard-es) had probably been assumed.
Within and upon the south wall of the
church, a marble tablet, dated 1864, sur-
mounted by the legend: — y fynno dwy y
PYDD— [What God wills, wiU be] — is thus
inscribed : —
In memory of George Brand, Esq., M.A.,
r.E.G.S., F.S.A., Her Britannic Majesty's Con-
sul at Logos, Africa, formerly Britisli Vice-Con-
sul and Acting Arbitrator at St. Paul de Loanda.
Born in the parish of Arbuthnott, 4 December,
1815 ; died at Sea, on board H.M.S. AJedo, 16
June, 1860. His remains are interred at Logos,
and over them is raised a granite obelisk, sent
from this country, at the charge of his many
friends and fellow-officers, by whom also is
erected this last tribute of respect. He was
simple and true of heart, of rare intellect and
distinguished attainments, an able and conscien-
tious public officer, and a faithful friend.
— !Mr. Brand, who was born at Kirkstyle of
Arbuthnott, and whose upbringing devolved
entirely upon his mother, was apprenticed to
a merchant in Montrose ; but subsequently
left that business and went to College at Aber-
deen, where he obtained a bursary. Through
the influence of the Earl of Aberdeen he be-
came a teacher in the Government Service,
from which he rose to the high position stated
upon his monument.
The following inscriptions are from tomb-
stones in various parts of the kirkyard : —
[1.]
Here lyes Margaret Guthrie, spouse to lohn
Barclay in Craighill, who died April 17, 1730,
ajred 51.
204
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
[2.]
Here lyes Iohn Farquchar, late tayler in
Bervie. He died March ye 3d, 1766, aged 52
years.
[3.]
This gravestone is erected in memory of Pa-
trick Ogilvie, sometime vintner at Kirk of
Arbuthnott, a man of good character, and great
industry. He dyed on the 20th of June in the
year 1772, in the 65th year of his age, and his
body is here interred ; as also that of his spouse
Katharine Brand, who died June the 9, 1787,
aged 86 years.
[4.]
Alex. Robertson, tenant, Duncrean, b. 1706,
d. 1779 :—
Frail man, his days are like the grass,
The longest life away doth quickly pass.
[.5.]
Erected by Helen and Elizabeth Morgan to
the memory of their brother, the Rev. James
Morgan, upwards of twenty years minister of
the Scotch Church at Dordrect, in Holland,
thereafter residing in Stonehaven, who died 15th
Aug., 1869, in the 86th year of his age.
Mr. M., whose death is stated in the Regis-
ter of Fetteresso to Lave occurred on 31st
July, was the son of a farmer in Arbuthnott.
He was schoolmaster first of Mary Culter,
and ne.xt of Bervie, and left at his death about
£2000, the interest of which, in course of time,
falls to the Aberdeen Infirmary. Mr. Morgan,
who was an enthusiastic student of geology,
bequeathed his collection of geological .speci-
mens to the Montrose Museum. He was well
acquainted with the formation of the rocks
about Stonehaven, and took a pleasure in
pointing out their peculiarities to those who
had a taste for the science. It is told that on
one occasion, while accompanying a clergy-
man whose manner was very affected, and
whose knowledge of geology was more pre-
tentious than real, Mr. M. became so annoyed
at the dogmatic tone in which he talked ujion
the subject that he left him in disgust, re-
marking in his broadest Doric—" There's nae
use for ony body here 'at kens somefhing aboot
the thing ! You speak wi' an authority, man ;
an' as gin you'd been Clerk at the Creation o'
the Warld ! "
[6.]
Erected by Clementina Watson in memory of
her husband, James Murray, maltman in Mon-
trose, who departed this life the 5th Feb., 1822,
in the 69th year of his age. He was in the prac-
tice of maltmaking for the .space of forty years.
An honest man, life's rugged path he trod ;
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
Clementina Watson died at Montrose, 1846,
aged 87.
The following couplet, altered from that
upon the tomb of the poet Gay at Westmin-
ster, is upon a table-shaped stone to the
memory of Alex. Stephen, mason, Pitcarles,
who died 1743, aged 35 ; — ■
Life's but a shade, and all things show it ;
I tho't so once, but now I know it.
At the east end of the chancel is an enclosure
which contains several tombstones belonging
to a family named Napier, the first recorded
of whom, George, died tenant of Mains of
Arbuthnott, in 1793, aged 78. Some of their
descendants, who have been grain millers in
Stonehaven, have attained long ages, and a
junior member of the family has written a
Guide to Dunnottar Castle, &e.
Upon the south-west of the church of Ar-
buthnott are three headstones, the oldest of
which shows that " William Nicol, sometime
tenant at Bringeshill," died in 1758, aged 61.
Upon another, in which " Brownieshlll" is a
mistake for Bringei<hill, is this inscription :--
In memory of James Nicoll, formerly of
Brownieshlll, afterwards farmer of Fawsyde,
Kinnefl', who died April 18, 1808, aged 74 ; and
Elspet Rankin, his spouse, who died Fela. 27,
1814, aged 79 ; also their children, Jean, Rachel,
and Elizabeth, who all died unmarried.
— James Nicol had at least one daughter and
two sons. The daughter married a neigh-
bouring farmer of the name of Cowie, and
one of the sons, a collector of customs at
ARBUTHNOTT.
205
Banff, was the father of Dr. !Nicol, late of
Fawsyde, while the other, a medical prac-
titioner at Stonehaven, was father of the
late Mr. J. Dyee Nicol of BaUogie, M.P., by
a daughter of Mr. Dyce of Badentoy, merchant
in Aberdeen (Epitaph-s, i. 78).
The Rev. Jajies JIilne, whose father kept
the hostelry at the Kirktown of Arbutlmott
and held a small farm, is the only clergyman
of the parish to whom there is a tombstone.
He was at one time schoolmaster, and suc-
ceeded to the church on the death of j\Ir.
John Sh.\nk in 1818. Mr. Milne died in
1850, aged 80.
Tlie following is from an obelisk of light
sandstone, within an enclosure : —
To the memory of the Rev. William CiHRYs-
TALL, A.M., for fift}' years parochial teacher of
Arbuthnott. Born 13th April, 1793, died 17th
June, 1865. Erected by Old Pupils and Friends
as a tribute to dejjarted worth.
— Mr. Chrystall, whose father was a merchant
in Aberdeen, was an excellent scholar, having,
whUe a student at Marischal College, gained
the silver pen or the first prize in the junior
Greek class. He was teacher at Garmond
when recommended for the school of Arbuth-
nott by Prof Stuart of Aberdeen, who in
a letter to Mr. Chrystall shortly before his
appointment in 1814 writes, " I entertain
no apprehension of your losmg the school,
being rather of opinion that the more you are
known to the parishioners you will be the
more esteemed." Mr. Chrystall was an unas-
suming, worthy man, and the inscription upon
the monument sliows that he realised the
Professor's expectations. One, at least, of
Mr. Chrystall's predecessors was of a different
stamp, for in 1663 he was reported upon
as being "negligent in attending to his school,
and given to intemperance."
After the death of Mr. Chrystall, a new
school and school! louse were erected in a more
suitable part of the parish, but the old build-
ing, which is close to the churchyard, still re-
mains. Over the door are the Arbuthnott
arms, neatly carved in wood, with motto laus
DEO, date 1713, and these words below : —
The Right Son. John, Lord Viscount of
Arbuthnott.
— This refers to the fifth Viscount, \vho died
in 1746, aged 64. Leaving no issue, he was
succeeded by his cousin, grandson of the Hon.
John Arbuthnott of Fordoun, from whom the
present representative of the family is de-
scended.
A slab, dated 1654, or the time of the Eev.
Mr. John Sibbald, is built into the gable of
the house. It presents the arms and initials
of (it is said) the contemporary heritors of the
parish, viz. : —
V.R.A. [Robt., the first Visct. Arbuthnott.]
T.A. [T. Allardyce of AUardyce.]
D.S. [D. Sibbald of ? Kair.]
T.B. [T. Burnet of Castletoii.]
I.S. [ ? I. Sibbald] and
M.R.A. [) M. R. Arbuthnott.]
From a headstone in churchyard : —
Vii'tutis Gloria Merces : George Robertson
died Augu.st 19, 1803, aged 12 yeare and 8
months. He was the eldest son of George
Robertson of Nether Bowerhouse, in Berwick-
shire, who then lived at Mains of Arbuthnott.
Erected in 1811.
— Mr. Robertson, who was at one time farmer
at Granton, near Edinburgh, was judicial
factor on the Arbuthnott estates at the time of
the death of his son. While there, he wrote
the View of the Agriculture of Kincardine-
shire (1808), a valuable and exhaustive work,
with an appendix of extracts from the session
registers of Arbuthnott. He was jireviously
known as author of the View of the Agricul-
ture of Midlothian, and subsecpieutly of the
Topographical Description and Genealogical
Account of the Principal Families of Ayrshire,
Eural Recollections, &c. He wrote in Scot-
tish verse the well-known poem of The Haiist
Rig, edited and enlarged Crauford's History
206
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
of Eenfrewsliire, and also contributed papers
on Antiquities, Agriculture, &c., to the Scots
and other Magazines. Mr. Eobertson, who
died at Bower Lodge, Irvine, 26th Jan., 1832,
left two daughter.^. He was nearly related to
Mr. Kobertson of CoUieston and Cookston in
Angus, and was also a relative and intimate
friend of Sir David Wilkie — the sketching of
Arbuthnott parishioners by whom, when in
church with Mr. E. on Sundays, was long
spoken of in the parish.
An inscription upon one of the latest erected
monuments at Arbuthnott presents these long
ages and curious close : — ■
Erected by James Merchant, iu North America,
in memory of his father James Merchant, who
died January, 13th, 1869, aged 86 years. Also
hia wife, Elizabeth Guthrie, who died Decem-
ber 29th, 1862, aged 89 years. The miracles of
God are great, for the said sou came here to see
his last remains interred here.
Being a thauedom, the lay manor of Arbuth-
nott was farmed for the Crown until the time
of Malcolm IV., by whom it was granted to
Osbert Olifard the Crusader, by whose son
Walter the lands were given to Hugh of
Swinton, who, as before seen, changed his
name to Arbuthnott, and possibly became
the founder of the family.
The lands of the Kirktown belonged to the
Bishop of St. Andrews, under whom they
were possessed by servants or vassals, named
Gillanders {Gillie-Andrews, i.e., servants of
the Bishop of St. Andrews). About 1206,
Duncan of Arbuthnott took forcible posses-
sion of the Kirktown, and on the Bishop's
appealing to a Sj^nod of the Church, which
was held at Perth iu that year, judgment
was given in his favour. The evidence ad-
duced on the occasion is, in many re.spects,
of the highest importance, since it brings to
light some new points regarding the tenures
of a peculiar and early class of hereditary
tenants, called scolocs or scologs, who appear to
have officiated in the early church in some
such capacity as readers or teachers, and who,
in the so-called dark ages, were the precursors
of our parochial schoolmasters. There is an
admirable paper upon the Scholastic Offices of
the Scotch Church during the 12th and 13th
centuries by the late Dr. Joseph Robertson,
printed along with a copy of the Decreet of
the Synod of Perth (Spalding Club Mis-
cellany, V.)
The once popular and ancient game or fes-
tival of the "cheesing of Eobin Hude and
Abbot of Unreasonne" having been held in
this parish after it was proscribed by law,
John Eaitt, brother of the laird of Hallgreen,
and some others who joined in the game, were
tried by an assize at Edinburgh in 1570 upon
a charge of treason and for the convocating
of the lieges (Crim. Trials).
A very interesting notice of this amusement
is given in the Burgh Eecords of Aberdeen,
under 17th Jan., 1508 (i. 439), and is also
referred to by some of our early poets (Sib-
bald's Chron., iii. 161). It appears to have
consisted chiefly in a rejiresentation of the ex-
ploits of Eobin Hood and Little John, his
squire, which, although in itself harmless,
often ended in bloodshed and sometimes in
murder. It was owing to this that the choos-
ing of " ane personage as Eobin Hude, Lyttil
Johne, Abbottis of Ynressoun, or Queenis of
May" was suppressed in Scotland by statute
in 1555 (Acta Pari., ii. 500).
Highland and similar gatherings, which
are now so common throughout the country,
are much the same in character as the old
game of " Eobert Hude," and sometimes termi-
nate in trials of strength in less commendable
ways than by " tossing the caber." Although,
in some cases, these exhibitions are patronised
by Eoyalty, it is not impossible (although we
hope the day may be far distant) that their
ARBUTHNOTT.
207
suppression may yet be found to be necessary
both for the safety of the people and the se-
curity of the Throne.
Allardice Castle and Arbuthnott House are
the principal mansions in the parish. The
former has been already noticed, and the date
of 1588 and the initials A.A., which refer to
Andrew Arbuthnott, who succeeded his father
in 1579 and died in 1606, are upon a skew-
put stone among the old buildings of the
latter.
The mansion-house and grounds, which are
ujjon the north bank of the Bervie, were
greatly improved and beautified some years
ago, and the family papers, of which inven-
tories and digests were made by the late Mr.
Hume of Edinburgh, are in good preservation,
and date from about the year 1200. A his-
tory of the family was compiled from these
MSS. by Principal Arbuthnott, who " deces-
sit 16 Octobir at nycht 1583," and was con-
tinued down to the Restoration by (as before
said) the father of Dr. John Arbuthnott, the
friend of Pope and Swift. The library con-
tains some illustrated service books and
missals, one of which, the Missal of S. Ternan
of xirbuthnott, was published (1864) with an
able preface by the late Bishop of Brecliin,
and forms a valuable contribution to the
Liturgical literature of the Ancient Scotch
Church. It is believed to have been written,
1471-84, by James Sibbald, vicar of Arbuth-
nott and a cadet of the Sibbalds, who were
owners of Kair from the beginning of the 13th
century. This property, which has frequently
changed hands, now belongs to Dr. Jolmston,
who was sometime a medical practitioner in
Montrose, and whose father was farmer of
Cairnbeg in Fordoun.
Dr. George Gleig, Bishop of Brecliin and
author of some able and scliolarly works, was
born at Boghall of Arbuthnott, where his
father was blacksmith. It is told that the
Bishop first intended to follow his father's occu-
pation, which had passed from father to son for
many generations, and that when he adopted a
literary career his parents gave him up for
lost! Bishop Gleig died at Stirling in 1840,
aged 87, leaving a son, Mr. G. E. Gleig, the
venerable chaplain-general to the Forces, and
author of the " Subaltern" and many other
works. Adam Gleig, the ancestor of this
family and of the Gleigs of Montrose, Ar-
broath, &c., was blacksmith at Hill of !Morphie
in the parish of St. Cyrus (Epitaphs, i. 1.35).
Of Boghall, which was once a considerable
hamlet and the scat of an alehouse, nothing
now remains. Its " desolation " is bewailed
in a curious rhyme by Elizabeth Tevendale,
a native of Arbuthnott, who, in a volume of
poems (48pp. Abdn., 1820), says her "fathers
lived tliree hundred years at Bogha."
George Menzjes, another poet, was born
at Townhead of Arbuthnott in 1797. He was
first a gardener, next a teacher, and afterwards
emigrated to America, where he died in 1847
proprietor and editor of the Woodstock Herald.
His jjoems (50 pp. Forfar, 1822) were reprin-
ted, with additions and memoir, at Montrose
in 1854.
Arbuthnott has also the honour of being
the birth-place of Mr. William Kinloch, the
nobleness and generosity of whose actions
show that, although of humble origin, he
possessed a head and a heart that would have
added lustre to a coronet. He was born about
1769-70, and after working for some time as a
farm-servant, during which he educated him-
self in his leisure hours, he liecame known to
the Piev. Mr. Shank, of Arbuthnott, through
whose influence with Mr. Scott of Duniuald,
he obtained a clerkship in the house of Messrs.
Fairlie and Gilnmre, Calcutta. Having realised
a fortune in India, he returned home about
1806, and by wiU, dated 7th March, 1812,
after providing liberally for his relatives and
208
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
leaving handsome legacies to those that had
been kind to his mother, Margaret Morrice,
and to himself in early life, he left X3000 to
" the native poor " of the parish of Ai-biith-
nott. The residue of his fortune, which
amounted to £76,495 7s. 2d. 3 per cent, stock,
he bequeathed for the behoof of " soldiers and
sailors of Scotch extraction, who have lost
their legs, arms, and eyesight, or been other-
wise maimed and wounded in the service of
their country."
Still, notwithstanding the large amount of
money which Mr. Kinloch left to the poor of
his native parish and the truly humane and
patriotic purpose to which he applied the
great bulk of his fortune, there is no memorial
to his memory at Arbuthnott, and the very
place of his burial is unknown to the Direc-
tors of the Scottish Hospital, London, to
whom the management of the trust was as-
signed. Mr. Kinloch died in London in the
month of July following the date of his will.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Trotter, schoolmr.j
VV\\V\V\\\\\\\\\\\V\V\VV\\V^\\%\\\V\%WW\\\\V\\\N
21 u f t) i n tJ 0 i i\
{THE BLESSED VIRGIN.)
A DISPUTE arose in 1236 between the
Bishops of Aberdeen and Moray re-
garding the diocesan jurisdiction of several
churches, among which was that of Dauendor
(Eeg. IVIorav.) The old name of Dau-in-dor
has possibly some such meaning as that of
daughs or cultivated pieces of land in a dis-
trict abounding in hdlocks and water.
In 1361, the Earl of Jlar presented his
clerk, Sir John of Mar, to the rectory of the
church, and also consented to its being united
to Invernochty, now Strathdon, but this imion
does not appear ever to have taken place (Reg.
Abdn.)
The kirk of Danandor is rated at 48s. in
1275 (Theiner), and in 1513-14 it was erected
into a prebend of King's College, Aberdeen.
In 1574, the kirks of Auchindoir, Kerne, and
three others, were served by one minister, but
each place had its own reader.
Contrary to the usual orientation of old
churches, that of Auchindoir is north-west and
south-east. The altar is in the north-west
corner, and the belfry, which is dated 1664,
is upon the south end. One of the window
lintels bears — NEC . JliHi . NEC. tibi (neither
for me nor thee). The ruins occupy a knoll,
about 100 feet above the burn of Craig and
near a conical moated rock, called Cuniine's
Craig, upon which, according to tradition, stood
the Castrwn Auchindorice of Boethius.
The church, which is covered with ivy, is in
the Romanesque style of architecture. It was
probably erected by William Gordon of Craig
and his wife Clara Chein, whose arms and in-
itials, dated 1557, are on the north-west cor-
ner of the budding. Adjoining are an altar
piece and awmbry, both of freestone. The
first part of the following inscription is upon a
ribbon on the roof of the sacrament house, tlie
initial letters being upon the sill of the
awmbry : — •
HIC . E . CORP' . DXI . CVM
M . A . S.
[Here 13 the body of Our Lord, with Mary, the
Apostles, and Saints.]
In front of the altar lie two tombstones.
One exhibits the Gordon arms, the initials
P.G,, and these traces of an inscription : —
— This possibly refers to Patrick Gordon, in
Fulyement, now Wheedlemont, who had a
charter of the lands of Johnsleyes in 1507,
A UCHINDOIR.
209
and who also appears to have been the first
Gordon of Auchindoir. He fell at FlodJen in
1513, while fighting under liis chief, the Earl
of Huntly.
The Gordons were preceded in Auchindoir
by the Irvines of Drum, and Sir Alexander,
the first Irvine of Auchindoir, received char-
ters of it in 1506. It is possibly to him, and
not, as is generally supposed, to the knight
who fell at Harlaw in l-tll, that the brass in
Drum's Aisle, Aberdeen, was erected. For
the Sir Alexander to whom the brass relates is
there described as of Drum, Auchindoir, and
Forgleii ; now the Irvines did not acquire
Forglen until some months after the battle of
Harlaw, and it wOl be seen that it was nearly
a century later that they came into possession
of Auchindoir ((-oil. Abd. and Banff).
The other old tombstone at Aucliindoir is in
excellent preservation. It bears a shield, in-
itialed I.G., C.L. and charged with the Gor-
don and Leith arms (a double cross crosslet
and a buckle between three fusils), and these
letters and date : —
L . H . M.
C . A . S.
1580.
— The arms and initials upon this stone point
to an intermarriage with the Leith family, but
of this, so far as we know, there is no record.
There are no other stones at Auchindoir relat-
ing to the old Gordons of Craig, and since the
succession of the present proprietor these
monuments have both disappeared.
Two marble slabs, encased in freestone and
within an enclosure on the south side of the
kirkyard, bear these inscriptions : —
Here lie the remains of James Gordon of
Craig, an advocate at the Scottish Bar, and for
more than half-a-century proprietor of the lands.
Born 29 September 1767, died 14 April 1852.
[2.]
In memory of Ann-Elizabeth, dairghter of
John Johnstone of Alva, iu Stirlingshire, and
spouse of James Gordoji of Craig. Born 1st
March 1776, died 26th March, 1851.
— James Gordon's father was sheriff'-clerk of
Aberdeenshire, and his younger son Francis,
who succeeded to Craig, bought the property
of Kincardine O'Neil, and died in 1859. His
daughter and heiress married a younger son of
Mr. Johnstone of Alva, and she and her second
daughter Mary were both accidentally burned
to death at Nice in January, 1863. Her eldest
daughter Elizabeth married the late Mr.
Hugh Scott of Gala, and on the death of her
mother, Mrs. Scott succeeded to Kincardine
O'Neil, and became representative of the
Gordons of Craig and Kincardine.
But by the will of Mr. James Gordon, who
died in 1852, the property of Craig passed,
on the death of Mrs. Johnstone, to the family
of Barbara, a sister of the testator, who mar-
ried Mr. Brown, minister first at Rhynie, and
afterwards at Newhills. Mrs. Brown had a
daughter who married Mr. Alex. Shirrefs,
advocate, Aberdeen (brother of the Kev. Dr.
Shirrefs of that town), by whom she had a
son, who became a colonel in the army, and
Colonel Shirrefs son, who assumes the surname
of Shirrefa-Giirdon, is now proprietor of Craig
(Epitaphs, i. 266, 286.)
Upon the east wall, within the ruins of the
church and upon the site of the old pulpit, a
marble tablet is erected " by his surviving and
grateful relatives, John Reid, late 54th Kegt.,
and Saml. Parke, both of the city of Dublin,"
to the memory of the Rev. James Reid, who
was 57 years minister of the parish of Auchin-
doir, and died 1st April, 1842, aged 93.
The old pulpit was an object of some. inte-
rest, having been ornamented with carvings in
wood. The back, which was sold along with
the rest of the fittings of the church in
1812, and all the panels but two are filled
with carved work. One panel contains a
shield, charged with the Davidson arms, and
d2
210
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
the initials W.D. (Wm. Diividson), siu-rounded
by these words : —
HOLINES . TO . THE . LORD . CHAPT . 28 . OF .
EXOD . VER . 36
Upon another panel : —
lEHOVA . THY . THVMIM . & . THV . VRI . VITH
THY . HOLT . ON . 1625.
— Like the most of his contemporaries in
these parts, Mr. Davidson suffered losses
through the ravages of the JIarquis of Mon-
trose. He was a St. Andrews student, and was
minister at Auchiiidoir from about 1633 untU
1667 (Scott's Fasti).
Prom a slab built into the east wall of the
ruius : —
I.L. : H.S. In the south east corner of this
cbm-ch lies Helleu Shiref, spous to lohn Lums-
den in Ardhunchar, wh" departed this life lauuar
the 24, 1744, aged 72 years.
— Mr. Lumsden, who bore the sobriquet of
the Old Turk, was buried within the church,
and tradition affirms that Mr. John Gordon of
Craig raised an action at law with the view of
having the " Old Turk's " remains removed
outside. It is added that his son, who was
a farmer, having in the meantime acquired
the lands of Towie in Clatt, was described in
the summons as " John Lumsden of Towie,
alias the Young Turk ; " and when a witness
was asked wliether he had ever heard him so
called, he answered in the affirmative, and gave
for reason that, like his father, young Lums-
den " feared neither God nor man ! "
Several tombstones (mostly table-shaped)
lie upon the north-east side of the burial
ground. The oldest, which is ornamented
with crossed bones, a sand glass, and a bell,
presents the following traces of an inscrip-
tion : —
GORDON . LAVFUL . SPOVS . TO .
MARGARET . STRACHAN . WHO . DEPARTED . THIS
. LIFE . AUGUST . . . 1720 . AGED . — 9.
— The erector of this is said to have been
James Gordon, tenant of Mill of Auchindoir,
wliose daughter Elizabeth was twice married,
first to William Forbes, and next to Charles
Lumsden. By the former, who succeeded to the
farm, she had, with other children, a son
WUliam, who became a coppersmith and bur-
gess of Aberdeen, and who, about the middle
of the last century, when so much black motley
in the shape of French and Dutch bodies
was in circulation, agreed with the Synod of
Aberdeen to take all the bad copper from
the Kirk-sessions within their bounds at the
rate of 7 Jd. per lb. when melted, and to furnish
each session with £\ sterling in British far-
things to supply the place of the foreign coins
{Inverkeithney Sess. Pec, 1750). The copper-
smith, who married a daughter of the Rev.
Mr.. Dyce, minister of Belhelvie, was the
father of William Forbes, who bought the
estates of Calender, &c., Stirlingshire, in 1783.
An interesting liotice of this " son of fortune,"
as he is called, and a curious engraving, en-
titled " Copper-bottom's Retreat," are given in
Kay's Edinburgh Portraits.
The next inscription refers to Mrs. Forbes's
sister and family. Upon the tombstone is a
shield, charged, in pale sinister, 3 boars' heads
between a cross-crosslet with 2 crescents in
base, and the same arms in dexter except that
the 2 crescents are in chief. The crosa-cross-
let probably shows a connection with the
Craig branch of the Gordons :—
In memory of Elspet Gordon, who died at
Brae of Scurdargue, Rhynie, July 12th, 1742,
aged 50 years, and her husband, Robt. Gordon,
late fanner there, who died April 10th, 1754,
aged 68 years. Also their second son George,
late farmer in Mains of Rhynie, who died June
28, 1784, aged 63 years, and of his spouse Jane,
only daughter of George and Isobel Gordon, for-
merly in Mains of Rhjojie, who died March 21st,
1810, in the 31st year of her age.
The latter part of the next inscription re-
lates to Mrs. Forbes and her second husband : —
This stone is placed to the memory of Francis
Lumsden, some time fanner in Belchery, who
A UCHINDOIR.
211
died January 6th 1804, aged 78 years, by Mar-
garet Donald his spouse. Also Charles Lumsden,
aged 85 years, and Elisabeth Gordon, aged 60,
his Parents.
There are several several monuments to the
Gordons that tenanted Mains of Ehynie, the
last recorded of whom died in 18 — . The
oldest of another set of tombstones, belong-
ing to the same race, bears the name of
William Gordon, JIuir of Ehynie, and the
dates of 1749 and 1779. One of these is erected
In memory of James Gordon, Esq., of Little-
folia, who died 11 March, 1823, aged 72 yeai-s.
Anne Gordon, his spouse, died at
Cooklarachy, 8 Dec. 1811, aged 53 years.
Gordon, who lived at Cocklaraohie, near
Huntly, was long factor for the Dukes of
Gordon, and being anxious on all occasions to
save the purse of his chief, he is said to have
demolished the grand staircase of the old
castle of Strathbo^ie, and had the materials
used for building purposes ! From being
tenant of Brae of Scurdargue, he was famili-
arly known as Brae.
His first wife Ann M'Donald, who died in
1811, is said to have had six sons and four
daughters, and his second wife Barbara Gib-
son, who, soon after the death of her husband,
married Henry Bruce, the family tutor, by
whom slie had a son and a daughter, is said
to have had two sons and two daughters by
Brae. Her eldest son Alexander married a
Miss Fraser, and left issue. He succeeded his
father in the farm of Cocklarachie, and also in
the properties of Littlefolla in Fyvie and
Blackball in Inverurie, but did not long re-
tain either.
The following (abridged as is tlie previous
inscription) relates to the husband of Ann
Gordon, who was a daughter of Brae's by
Ann j\I 'Donald, and who died in 1842 : —
Here rest the remains of the Eev. John Dunn,
minister of Kirkwall, where he died 24th Deer.,
1830, lamented by his flock, and by the erector
of this luonument, his affectionate Widow.
— Mr. Dunn, who belonged to the neighbour-
hood of Laurencekirk, and was sometime
schoolmaster first of Dunnet and afterwards
of Sanday, was presented to the second charge
of Kirkwall in 1815 (Scott's Fasti).
One of Brae's sons, who was a commander
in the navy, and latterly farmer of Ittingstone,
near Huntly, died in June, 1877, aged 89.
The next two inscriptions are from upright
and flat stones respectively : —
[6.]
Hei'e lyes the body of George Eanald, who
dept. this hfe, Novr. 27th, 1760, aged 89 years.
[7.]
To the memory of Anne Bonnyman, an honest
woman, who died July 15th, 1782, aged 85. This
stone was erected by her husband, William
Ronald, sometime farmer in Marchmar.
— These were ancestors of the Eev. Mr. "Wm.
Eonald, late schoolmaster, Cabrach, an accom-
plished scholar, and an unobtrusive and kind-
hearted man. The Eonalds are said to have
been a branch of the Macdonalds of Keppoch,
Inverness-shire ; and Marchmar and ilar's
Eoads, which lie on the west side of tlie hill of
Correan, were so named from being upon the
boundary between the lands of Mar and
Garioch. But as examples of " folk lore," it
may be stated that, according to tradition, both
names arose from the Earl of Mar having
marched hi'? army through these parts during
the rebellion of 1715 ! and the same authority
asserts, in regard to the origin of the name of
the parish, that when the builder of the old
church was asked how ho was getting on with
the work, he replied, in allusion to the ornate
style of its door — " A' thing's ga'in on braw-
lie ; but, Aiih f ane door ! "
From a table stone : —
Under this stone lyes the dust of John
Eraser, who died in Creach, May 7th, 1828,
aged 8ht years. He was taken from this transi-
tory world in the early part of his life, stained
with no crimes, in hope of being conducted by
the same guide that convied Lazuarus into
212
EPITAPHS, AND INSCPIPTIONS :
Abraham's bosom, and of having the reward of
the Kighteous, and his abode among the blessed.
[8.]
John Murray died 12th April 1793, aged
86 years. He was 65 years gardener .at Craig.
This stone is gratefully placed by John Gordon
of Craig, to the memory of an honest man, a
sincere friend, and faithful servant.
[9.]
This stone is placed upon the grave of John
Begrie, by direction of John Gordon of Craig,
to the memory of an honest man, and a faithful
servant. 20 March 1792.
[10.]
This plain stone
What few vain marbles can
May truly say Here
Lyes an honest man.
John Burnet died at Foordmouth of Craig,
Febraary 1775, aged above 90 years. Don by
the care of Anne Biu-net his daughter.
[11.]
Here lyes Alexr. Cook in Craigend, who
dyed May the . . . 1681, aged 50 years.
Margret Hood, his spous dyed Novr. the 3,
1700, aged 63. Alaster Cook, his son dyed
Febr. the 20, 1737, aged 63. Willm . Cook
his 2d son, dyed Dec. the 11, 1716, aged 40;
and his spous Bessie Langue (! Laing).
A table-sliaped stone at the north end of
the kirk exhibits a shield charged with
masonic emblems, the craftsman's private
mark, with an open Bible for a crest, &c. It
is also thus inscribed : —
Here ly the folowing children of John Mont-
gomry late masson at Craig, and of Isabel Forrest
his spouse, Hugh James, and Jean Montgomry
all in the 23 yr of thair age. As also the bodies
of Elspet Jameson, spouse to John Montgomry,
who died 1763, aged 81 ; and Lewis, hir son in
nonage ; and also Hugh, son to the said John
Montgomry, junr., and Anne Jameson his spouse,
who died 1767, aged 1 years and 6 months. Mors
Janva Vitje.
From an adjoining tablestone, which was
selected at the quarry by, and set aside as a
tombstone for, the person coraniemorated : —
In memory of George Jamieson, late in Broom
of Rhynie, he died 1st Octr., 1832, aged 55 years.
Also of his spouse, Elizabeth Moeison, who
died 9th August 1859, aged 91 years.
A headstone records the death of Charles
Tough, who died at Tamduff in 1853, aged
84, and his wife Marg.\ret Paul, who died
in 1863 at the age of 88. The next two in-
scriptions also give the deaths of two long-
lived inhabitants : —
This stone is placed upon the gi-ave of George
Leid, who died Novt. 13, 1799, in the 93rd year
of his age. Done by the care of his son, James
Leid, blacksmith at Craig.
[2.]
Here lyes Thomas Laing, sometime in Neu-
biggeng, who died Octr. 13, 1765, aged 85 ; and
IsoBELE NiLL, his spouse, died May 12th, 1758,
aged 60, who bare to him five sons & one daughter,
James, Wm., John, Thos., Patrick, & Barbra
Laings.
Upon a freestone obelisk at the back of
the church : —
Erected in memory of Harry Gauld, poet ;
born 1791, died at Lumsden, 11th Deer., 1873.
— This " son of song," who was latterly sup-
ported by kind neighbours, was at one time a
teacher, and afterwards postmaster at Lumsden
Village. He published a volume of poems
(Abd. 1828), which is pretty well-known in
the district, and he is said to have had corres-
pondence with Sir Walter Scott, and also to
have presented one of his poems to the Prince
Consort. The monument was kindly erected
by the late Mr. Sim, quarry-master, Auchin-
doir.
In regard to the history of the castle of
Craig, of which and the old kirk of Auchin-
doir notices will be found in Proceedings of
the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (vol.
viii.), it need only be here stated that a num-
ber of shields and armorial bearings are built
into various parts of the castle. Over the
old front door are the Gordon and Cheyne
arms impaled, and the fo. lowing date and
initials : —
MDX8 : V. G. : C. C.
AUCHINDOIR.
213
— These initials refer to William Gordon and
Clara Cheyne before mentioned. Another
shield bears the four coats of Gordon, 1
Barclay, and Stewart, initialed at top, P. G :
E. B., and in the base are the name of Johns-
leyes, and the initials, thus : —
idlSLEIS : V. G. : E. S.
— This refers to William, son of Patrick Gor-
don of Johnsleys, and his wife, who was a
Stewart of Laithers, and by him the old por-
tion of the castle of Craig was finished in
1518 (Harperfield's Pedigree Tables). A new
house was conjoined with the old one about
1832, when the much-to-be-regretted altera-
tions were made upon the old baronial keep.
Although the old kirkyard and the Mansion-
house of Clova are locally situated in Kil-
drummy (Epitaphs, i. 260-1), a great part of
the estate lies within Auchindoir. The House
has been much enlarged by the present laird,
who has also formed a very interesting museum
of antiquities of the stone, bronze, and iron
periods, chiefly collected in the district and
comprising several Celtic crosses, which were
found in the old burial ground of Clova, an
octagonal font, and some of the dressed stores
of the ancient ch tpel.
It was not until 1782 that Clova passed
from John Lumsden of Cushnie and became
by purchase the property of his cousin, Harry
Lumsden of Kingston, Jamaica, by whose
will it came to the ancestors of the present
hiird. There is a carving of the Lumsden
arms in the garden at Clova ; anil when a
portion of the old mansion-house was taken
down, there was found in the wall a gravestone
upon which are rudely cut a skull and cioss
bones and this iuscription : —
Here lyes Iohn Taylor, who live . in Bogs,
depr. this life April the 17, 175 — .
The House of Cluva s'ands about a mile to
the \vest of Lumsden VUlagc, a place which
has been very much improved in appearance
within the last few years. It contains about
500 inhabitants, has a Free and an U.P.
Church, a branch bank, &c. It is also one
of the stages between Gartly railway station
and Strathdon.
Within an enclosure near Chapel-House, in
the vicinity of the village, lie the remains of
Sir Hakey Niven-Lumsden, Bart., and those
of his lady and family (Epitaphs, i. 264).
Mary Fair was held at Newton of Auchin-
doir twice a-year — in spring and autumn —
until about 1822, when the father of the
present tenant, in consequence of the annoy-
ance to which he was subjected at the time of
the market, gave a pecuniary consideration to
have it removed to Lumsden Village. " The
INIarket Hillock " is stiU pointed out upon the
farm of Newton ; and it was long customary
to award a prize to the best-looking servant
girl that attended the " feeing market." The
judges were such of the neighbouring pro-
prietors as happened to be present at the fair,
and the gift consisted of a flower — said to have
been a lily — with a one pound note tied round
its stalk, the winner of which was dubbed for
the year " The Flower o' Mary Fair." This
custom is one of much interest, particularly
when it is borne in mind that the lily is the
cognisance of the Holy Virgin, to whom the
kirk of Auchindoir was dedicated, and is one
of the many instances that show huw tena-
ciously certain of the fine Monkish legends,
of which this is probably one of the most
beautiful, cling to certain districts.
There was a ballad calhd "The Flower o'
Mary Fair," of which the following stanza
has been preserved : —
Fare ye weel, ye bonnie Kewton,
Happy hae 1 been at thee,
Gatherin' up the market custom —
An' muckle did they think o' me.
An Ep's ;i'pal chap'd stuod upon the farm of
Newton at one time ; and on the east side of
m
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
the Burn of Craig, about 100 5'ards from the
old kirkyard, is S. Mart's Well, the water
of which is said to have possessed a special
virtue for the cure of toothache.
Near the Manse of Auchindoir, the burns
of Clova and Craig unite to form the Bogie.
This river presents many picturesque and
romantic points, not only in the united
parishes of Auchindoir and Kearn, but in
Gartly and Huntly, through all of which
it flows, and tails into the Deveron below the
town of Huntly.
The parish of Auchindoir has long been
famed for its freestone quarries, which are still
worked, and are situated upon a hill above
Mains of Ehynie.
A pile of laud stones, which has now
disappeared, was long a prominent object
upon the Quarry hill. Tt was called Gerrie's
Cairn, and was raised upon the spot where a
person of that name was accidentally killed
by a fall from his horse about 100 years ago,
when returning from the funeral of Mrs.
Gordon of Craig. Mr. Gerrie or Garioch,
who was proprietor of Daugh of Essie and
farmer of Milton of Noth, is said to have
been a descendant of the old family of Kin-
stair in Alford (Epitaphs, i. 120). He was
an ancestor — probably the great-great-grand-
father— of the late Eev. Mr. Garioch, of the
Free Church, Oldmeldrum.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. H. L. Smith, fanner, Newton.]
.VWVVWVWWN\V\\*\\^\^%VVV\\\AAVW\%\V%N\VV\W\N
THE kirk of Kerijn belonged to the dio-
cese of Aberdeen, and is rated at one
merk in the Taxation of the Scotch benefices
for the year 1275 (Theiuer).
The districts of Kearn and Auchindoir both
belonged to the Cumins, Earls of Buchan, and
although the Forbeses had no property in the
parish until 13-30, tradition avers that the
church was originally built by a Lord Forbes
as a family chiipel. It is also said that a
Lady Forbes, who quarrelled with one of the
ministers, retained part (i the stipend, which
she approjjriated towards the building of the
last kirk of Kearn.
In 1574, the kirks of Kerne, Auchindoir,
and three others were served by one minister,
but each parish had its own reader. Kearn
was at one time annexed to the suppressed
parish of Forbes, but was disjoined from it by
Act of Assembly about 1795, and attached to
Auchindoir. It was not, however, until about
1807, when Mr. Benjamin Mercer was trans-
lated from Forbes and Kearn to the parish of
Kildrummy, that the annexation of Kearn and
Auchindoir was effected.
Mr. Mercer was buried at Towie in Strath-
don, where a table-shaped stone bears the fol-
lowing inscription : —
In memory of John Mercer, born in this
parish, who died at Manse of Kildrummy, 25th
Deer., 1756, aged about 60 yeare. And of
Benj.\min Mercer, his son, who, after being
minister of the Gospel 31 yeai-s at Forbes &
Kearn, and 8 yeara at Kildrummy, died 10th
Oct., 1815, aged 81 years.
— The latter, who was at first schoolmaster of
Tough, was a very eccentric man, and mar-
ried a daughter of Steuart of Carnaveron in
Alford. Their only son James, who became a
lieutenant in the army, was killed in Spain
while bravely defending a bridge during the
battle of Corunna.
Public worship was held at Kearn until
1810-11. The kirk was then demolished, and
the stones are said to have been used 'in erect-
ing the kirkyard dykes and parts of the burial
aisles of the Forbeses and the Grants.
The Forbes aisle, which has been recently
KEARN.
215
rebuilt, stands upon the site of the old church,
and within it, according to story, lie no fewer
than fifteen Lords Forbes, but no stone bears
the name of any one of them. The aisle con-
tains three monuments. The inscriptions of
the first two are prettily carved in raised inter-
laced letters on freestone, and the third is
upon a mural tablet of white marble : —
[1]
AFOR . TIS . LYIS . ELSPET . DANTE . SPOVS .
TO . GEORG . FASTID . QVHA . DEPARTIT . YIS .
LYF . TE . ■ ZEIR . OF . GOD . 1605 . TITH .
lAMES . A>-D . ROBERT . THAIR . SONIS . & . lANE .
LIFE . IS . AS . PLEISIS . GOD .
TAB . DOOHTER . AND . THINKIS . HEIR . TO .
LY . MYSELF . BE . YE . GRACE . OF . GOD .
AND . ELSPET . FORBES . NOV . MY . PRESENT .
SPOVS . DOOHTER . TO . DVNCAN . FORBES . IN .
BLAIRKOVL .
A bold carving of the Forbes arms is near
the top of the slab from which the following-
inscription is copied : — •
[2.]
HEIR . LYIS . lOHNE . FORBES . 4 . GOODMANE .
OF . CR . . . TONE . WHO . DEPARTED . YIS .
LYIF . YE . . . DAY . OF . AVGVST . ZEIR . OF .
GOD . 1622 . AND . ALSO . HEIR . LYIS . IHONE .
FORBES . HIS . FATHER . lAMES . FORBES . HIS .
QOODSIR . PATRIK . HIS . GRANDSYR . I . F .
HIS . SPOVS . DOOHTER . TO . I . F . OF . CASK .
— Patrick, the first Forbes of Craigton, was a
son of George of Lethenty (second son of Sir
Alexander Forbes of Pitsligo) by a daughter
of Caddell of Ashlon. " Patrick Forbes of
Craigton married a daughter of Blewshel's,
provost of Aberdeen, who was a relict of the
Laii'd of Culter, who did bear to him James
Forbes of Craigtoune " (Lumsdeu's Genea-
logie).
In 1573, James Forbes of Craigton, with
a number of kinsmen and others, was ex-
amined regarding certain outrages which the
Earl of Huntly was alleged to have made upon
the Forbeses, their tenants, and lands. He
married a daughter of Eobert Alardes of
Badenscoth, by whom he had John, father
of the " 4 goodmane of Craigtone" (Ibid ;
Antiq. of Abd. and Banff, iv.)
In 1617, John Forbes of Gask, near Turriff,
who married Isabella Urquhart and died in
1653 (Tonibd. at Turriff), witnessed a con-
tract between Lord Forbes and the celebrated
Mr. Andrew Cant regarding a piece of land
at Alford.
[3.]
Here are deposited in the firm hope of a
blessed resurrection the asbes of Sir William
Forbes, Baronet, advocate, of the family of
Moueymusk, who left this transitoiy world ou
the 12th of May, 1743, aged 36. Adorned with
many vii'tues, stained with no crimes, with the
shattered remains of paternal possessions, once
ample and flourishing, he supported through the
whole of life, without ostentation, but with
dignity and spirit, that rank to which he was
by birth entitled. In his death, which he long
foresaw, he displayed equal magnanimity, en-
during without complaint the attacks of a paiufid
distemper, and calmly resiguiug his soul to Him
who gave it. This marble is erected by his only
surviving Sou, who, though deeply afi'ected with
his loss, submits to the Divine wisdom that saw
proper to deprive him of such a parent before he
was able to profit by so bright an example of
Christian viitue. Let me die the death of the
righteous ; and let my last end be like his.
Numb, xxiii. 10.
— This was composed by Dr. Beattie, author
of The Jlinstrel. The person commemorated
was Professor of Civil Law in King's College,
Aberdeen, and father of Sir William Forbes
of Pitsligo, Bart., the celebrated banker.
Lady Foibes, who was the daughter of a
younger son of the Baronet of Monymusk by
Susan, daughter of George Morison of Bognie,
was left with Sir William and a younger son.
The latter died at the age of seven, and Lady
Forbes, who died at Edinburgh in 1809 at
the age of 83, was buried in the old Grey-
friars Churchyard of that city. The Narra-
tive of her Last Sickness and Death, compiled
by Sir William "' as a debt of gratitude to the
memory of one of the best of Parents," not
only is in itself a delightful and instructive
216
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTION'S:
mono^'ra^jh, but possesses ailditional interest
from its being one of the last publications
given to the world by Lady Forbes's lamented
descendant, the late Bishop of Brechin.
This eminent divine and accomplished
scholar, who was the second son of Lord Med-
wyn, by a daughter of Sir Alexander Gordon-
Cumming of Altyre, Bart., was a great-
grandson of the erector of the nionumi^nt at
Kearn. Besides numerous contributions to
theological literature, he made many additions
to the science of archajology, the value of
which, including his Kalendars of Scottish
Saints — in themselves a monument of genius
and industry — will be more and more appreci-
ated as time rolls on. Apart from his familiarity
with the literature of almost every age and
country, his knowledge of minor matters was
of the most varied and exact description ; and
while no one possessed a more thorough ac-
quaintance with every phase of the human
mind, a more unaffected, generous, and sympa-
thizing spirit than his never passed to its rest.
He was possibly one of the most influential
dignitaries of the Church to which he be-
longed, and as he was constantly ministering
personally to the temporal as well as to the
spiritual wants, not only of his own people
but of those of other denominations, his death,
which occurred somewhat suddenly at his
residence in Dundee on 8th Oct., 1875, was
lamented by all classes of the community.
His younger brother, the Rev. George Hay
Forbes, of the Episcopal Church, Burntisland,
who was also remarkable for scholarship and
for many good and charitable deeds, died, after
a long and severe illness, on the 7th of Novem-
ber of the same year.
The Drumminor Aisle stands without the
enclosing walls of the churchyard, and con-
tains four marble tablets inscribed as follows : —
Here are deposited the remains of Mrs Hen-
rietta Forbes, spouse of Robert Grant, Esqr.
of Drumminor, who died the 31st day of March
1817, aged 62. And of John Grant, their
eldest son, who died in September 1796, aged
20. Also of Robert Grant, Esqr. of Di-um-
minor, who died on the 14th of February 1841,
aged 88. He lived much beloved, and died
deeply regi-etted by an afl'ectionate family, and
attached tenantry.
— Mrs. Grant, who was previoixsly married to
Forbes of Culloden, was one of the old
Forbeses of Newe ; and Mr. Grant, who was
fourth son of John Grant of Eothmaise,
bought the property of Diumminor, formerly
Castle Forbes, from the trustees of Lord Forbes
about 17 — . As before shown, there was an
Episcopal meeting-house at Newton of Audi-
iudoir in Mr. Giant's time, and the Established
Church being then the only place of worship
at Ehynie, it is told that part of the house-
hold of Drumminor attended the former and
part the latter. Being a Jacobite, the laird
himself had a leaning towards Episcopacy, and
he is said to have given quaint expression to
this feeling every Sunday morning, when the
chaise came to convey the members of his
household to their respective churches, by or-
dering the coachman to " be sure and set doon
the saunts at Ehynio and the sinners at Auch-
indoir ! "
Mr. Grant had five sons, who all pre-
deceased him without leaving issue, also
several daughters, to the eldest of whom, her
husband, and a son, the next inscription re-
lates : —
[2.]
In memory of William-Burnett Foulertok,
son of Alexander Foulerton and Eliza Grant,
born 26th December, 1805, died 3rd May, 1836.
Also of his father, Alexander Foulerton
Grant, Esq. of Drumminor, who died 4th
August, 1849, aged 76. Also of Eliza Fouler-
ton-Grant, his wife, and mother of W. B.
Foulerton, who died 13 July, 1869, aged 86.
— Mrs. Foulerton-G rant married Captain Alex.
Foulerton of the 14ih Eegiment of Foot, one
of the Fouk-rtons of Gallery and Thornton,
KF.ARN.
•2V,
near Montrose. He was sometime barrack-
master at Aberdeen, and became secretary to
the Town and County Bank at the time of its
establishment in 1825.
Captain Foulerton's eldest son, Robeit
P'oulevton-Grant, now laird of Drumminor,
married a daughter of Sir John Forbes of
Craigievar, Bart., anil has issue a son and a
daughter.
The next inscription records the deatli.s of a
son-in-law and a daughter of Mr. fiobert
(jrant, who died without issue : —
m
Sacrejtl to the meriKJrv of Major Henrv James
Phelps, 80th Eegt. of Foot, who died at Drum-
minor on the 15th September, 182.'), aged 49.
Erected by his widow, Mary Graxt, youngest
daughter cif Hubert Grant, Esq. of Dnmmainor :
died Mt Floieuoe, April 21st, 1865, aged 02.
fiphesiaiis. i oliap., and IStli.
[^■]
In memory of SorniA-AxNE Grant, second
ilaughter of the late Robert Grant of Drum-
minor, died 1st May, 1875. "Thou wilt keej)
him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on
Thee ; because he trusteth in Thee."
Like the churchyard of Auchindoir, tliat of
Kearn is far from being well kept, although
its peculiarly secluded situation otters ample
opportunities for making it into a sort i;f para-
dise. It was at one time surrounded with
cninig, in most of which stone-coffins, urns,
and interesting articles of the stone and
bronze periods were found.
The next two inscriptions are from flat
slabs :—
[1.]
HEIR . LYES . UNDER . YE . HOI'E . OF . A
. BLESSED . RESVRECTION . KATHER
SPOVS HENDERSON . TILINESLE
NOV . 2 . IUSO . lOHN . 11 . WHOSOEUER . BE-
LEIVEIS . IN . ME . Tno . HE . WER . DEAD .
YET . SHALL . HE . LIVE . MANET . POST .
FUNERA . VIRTUS.
[2.]
SION . VA.S . SET . HEIR . BE . W .
LAINO . THE . 2 . DAY . OF . OVEMBER
TO . . HE LAING .IN
The following inscription, which cannot now
be found, and of which old inhabitants of the
district have no recollection, is printed in
Laing's Donean Tourist (p. 217) as from the
churchyard of Kearn : —
'• Here lyes lohne Laing Baron of Noth, who
died in March, 1624. He va-s sonne to Ilioiie
Laing in Barflett, vlio died in Nov. 1624. And
liere be Villiam Laing, vho died Desem. 24, l.')U7."
From a table-stone : —
This stone is erected by George Ee_\molds,
Lieutenaut and Adjutant in the North Feneible
Regiment, to the memory of his father, viz.,
James Reynolds, who died in the Barnyards of
Mains of Lesmore, April 10th, 1764, aged 70 yrs.
Also, his brother, Peter Reynolds, who died,
14th Jan.1782, aged 40 yrs.
Remember, man, as you go by.
As you ai-e now, so once were we.
As we are now, so shall you lie.
Remember, man, that you must die.
— Reynolds, who changed his name from
Ronald when he entered the army, rose from
the ranks, and on returning home on half-pay
became farmer of Edendiach in Gartly.
A small headstone bears the following epi-
taph, the first couplet of which will remind
the reader of that upon a minister's wife at
Alford :—
Here lyes William Touch, student of PhilosDjiih
Within this ^i.-im-, lit-side these stones,
Tliere iyr^ ,i jiidiis Student's bones.
Who lived ni this world here
Till he wa.s enter 'd 18th year,
& then December tweuty-nvntli.
We trust unto the Heaueu he went.
1736.
— Thi.s surname, which had possibly originateil
from the parish of Tough, near Alford, is the
most common one in the churchyard of Kearn.
Toughs appear to have resided mostly at Bog-
head and Deskie, and the ages of many of
them vary from 77 to 87.
Among others who are recorded at Kearn
to have attained long ages, were William
Esslemont, who died at Cottown of Drum-
minor in 1829, at the age of 87 ; and William
Sinclair, who died in 1872, in his 89th year.
e2
218
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
The only place of worship in the Kearn
district at the present time is the
ai^pisropal (ttljuvci).
IT occupies a rising ground on the south side
of the river, near the bridge of Bogie,
and is a neat building, with belfry and vestry,
and parsonage adjoining, which were erected
chiefly at the expense of jNIr. Grant of Drum-
minor. In the east end, over the altar, is a
painted window of three lights. The subject
of the centre compartment is the Ascension of
Our Saviour, and in the right and left is an
angel. A brass fixed to the wall below pre-
sents this inscription : —
►J^ Sacred to the memory of Mary-Harmax-
Anxe Johnstone Gordon, who died at Nice, on
the 16th of January, 1863. Chiefly by her ex-
ertion thi.s Window was erected. The memorial
of her is immortal, because it is known with God
and with men.
— This young lady and her mother, Mrs.
Johnstone of Alva (heiress of Craig), were
both accidentally burnt to death at Xice
{supra 209).
A small window of two lights on the south
of the altar contains S. John and S. Nathaniel,
and along the base is the following inscription
to the memory of a son of Professor Harvey
of Aberdeen, who was for some time the
highly respected and devoted incumbent of
St. Mary's :—
in mem. : ©»!. ^-.trbtB. g.JV. Cantab,
^at. #!i: 2S, 1S45. CDb. Euu: 2S. 1S72.
Drumminor House stands near the kirk-
yard of Kearn, and part of the old castle
which is incorporated with the modern build-
ing still remains. It is said to have been
within the hall that, owing to some misappre-
hended movement on the part of their chief.
a band of the Forbeses slew fifteen of the
Gordons in cold blood.
In 1440, the first Lord Forbes agreed with
contractor.s, named respectively John of Kam-
loke and Wilyhame of Ennerkype, for " the
niakynn " or erecting of a house here ; and in
1456, his son and successor obtained a licence
from King James II. " for building the castle
of Drumminor, commonly called Forbes "
(Doug. Peerage). The old part of Drumminor
House is possibly a portion of the latter
building.
One of three panels over the principal
entrance to the house is embellished with the
Forbes and Keith arms, the initials, W. F. :
E. K., the date of 1577, and these legends : —
GRACE • ME ■ GYD ■
MY • HOPE • IS • IN • THE • LORD . GOD.
— The initials are those of the 7th Lord Forbes
and his wife, a daughter and co-heiress of Sir
William Keith of Inverugie. They had a
large family of sons and daughters : one of the
latter married the laird of Caskioben (now
Keith-hall), by whom she had Dr. Arthur
Johnston, the celebrated Latin poet.
According to Douglas's Peerage, John of
Forbes acquired the lands of Forbes in the
time of William the Lion ; and his descendant
Alexander was created a peer before 1442.
The present Lord Forbes, born in 1828, is Pre-
mier Baron of Scotland, and the twentieth
in succession to the title.
Tradition says that one of this family killed,
near the Xine Maiden Well, a wild boar that
devoured nine virgins, with one of whom —
named Bes, or Elizabeth — Forbes was in love,
and that when he had slain the animal, he
exclaimed — " It's a' for-Bes I " This circum-
stance, according to the legend, gave rise to the
surname of Forbes ; and it is added that a
stone, with a wild boar carved upon it, which
is said to have been removed from Forbes to
Putachv, now Castle Forbes, commemorated
FRESCO FROM CHURCH OF S^ COIGM, TUBRHT.
TURRIFF.
219
this event ! As was tlie case at Strathinartin
in Angus, wliere there is a similar tradition
(except that a dragon takes the place of a boar),
a chapel had possibly stood at Forbes, and
been dedicated to the Nine Maidens (Epitaphs,
i. 206). Or it may have been that the name
originated, as in some other places, from the
existence of a circle of " nine standing stones."
[Insc. compd. by Mr. H. L. Smith, fai-mer, Newton.]
C u r r i ff,
(S. CONGAN, .\BBOTT.)
MAEJOEY, Countess of Buchan, who gave
the church of Tarffcd to the monastery
of Arbroath, about 1214, appears to have after-
wards revoked the gift.
In 1273, her son Earl William founded au
almshouse at Tunv.th for the accommodation
of " a master, six chaplains, and thirteeu poor
husbandmen of ISuchan ;" and iu his founda-
tion, which is dated at Kell}', in ]\Iethlic, in
presence of Alexander III., the Earl includes
the church lands of Turriff, or those previously
given by his mother to Arbroath. These ap-
pear to have extended from Kiiiarmy (Kiner-
mit) on the west, towards Dalgety on the east,
the march being described as running from the
Standing Stone of Balniak (Balmely) and
Cokuki (Knockie), and thence "usque ad uiam
nionaohorum" (Coll. Abd., Bff., i. 467) or the
monk's gate or way, a place which is still
pointed out at Turriff.
The chiu-ch of Tuvuered is rated at 60, and
the '• Hospitale de Surreth" (Turreff) at 6
merks in the Taxation of 1275 (Eeg. Vet. de
Aberb. ; Theiner).
The revenues of the church and hospital
were augmented by a gift from Eobert the
Bruce, 1328, of the lands of Petts iu Fyvie.
These were given for the support of a chaplam,
who was bound to celebrate mass for the soul
of the king's brother. Sir Nigel, who was taken
prisoner by the English at KUdrummy, and
" hanged and drawn" by order of Edward I.
A piece of curious carving (probably the
upper lintel of a door or window) is built into
the east wall of the old kirk. It is divided
into three compartments, and exhibits a group
of ten heads, the upper three are crowned,
three without any distinctive peculiarities are
upon each side, and the head and shoulders of
a monk (T) below. The first group may pos-
sibly represent King Eobert and the Countess
and Earl of Buchan, who were the chief bene-
factors of the foundation ; the six heads the
chaplains, and the remaming one the master
of the hospital.
There appears to be no evidence for the sup-
position that the Three Kings had an altar at
Turrilf; but in 1861, when a portion of the
" quier" of the old kirk was taken down, a
fresco painting of S. Ninian was found upon
the splay of one of the windows. He was re-
presented, crosier in hand, in the act of bless-
ing the people, and on each side of his head
were stars painted red, and the words cS- ,gliiuait
in black. The remains of the plaster, which
were at one tuue in the possession of the Eev.
Mr. Christie of S. Congan's, are now lost. A
good lithographic drawing by Mr. J. Winkley
and a notice of this interesting relic were given
in the Banffghire Journal of 24th December,
1861, the discovery having been made only
ten days before.
The picture was possibly painted by Andrew
Bairhum, who, in 1538, was employed by the
Abbot of Kinloss to adorn certain portions of
that monastery (Stuart's Eec. of Kinloss, 60) ;
but no comparison can be made, there being
no trace left of the pictures at Kinloss. It
was quite different from those upon the walls
at Pluscardiue and upon the roof of the tomb
220
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
of Bishop "Winchester, at Elgin, which pre-
sent little else than mere outlines. The latter,
being gracefully drawn in red, is much su-
perior to the former, which is roughly sketohe<l
in bLick only.
The church of Turritf was erected into a
prebend of Oklmachar in 1412, when its reve-
nu; ,s, along with those of the hospital, were
assigned to the prebendary. In 1.588, the
church lands which belonged to the hospital
w.'re alienated to Francis, Earl of Errol, by
Mr. John Philip, who, in 1.574, was minister
of the lour parishes of Turriff, King-Edward,
Eorglen, and Auchterless, and had a stipend
of £100 Scots and the kirk lands. John
Hay, then reader or schoolmaster, had a salary
of £26 4s. .5|d. Scots. He was probably the
same person whom Dempster describes (Eccl.
Hist., ii. 361) as one " of the Dalgety family,"
and " ane clerk of the Societie of lesvs," who
wrote several theological works, and died
in 1598. Among other " doctors," of the old
school of Turriff, were Thomas Augustine and
Andrew Ogston, who were both writers of
Latin verse, &c. (Ibid).
Like most of our pre-reformation churches,
that of Turriff was a long narrow building,
being about 120 feet in length by about 18
feet in width. It was erected by Alexander
Lyon, chanter of Moray (son of the 4th Lord
Glamis), who was " a singular scholar in these
tymes, and tutor to his brother's sones." He
died in 1541, "and lyeth buried in the quier
of Turrefte," where an awmbry, now mostly
hidden from view, exhibits his initials 3^. J.
and family arms.
The Hays of Dalgety were buried in this
part of the church, and although there is now
no tombstone to any of the lairds of that place,
a monument of considerable elegance, which
was removed from Turriff and set up at Dal-
gety Castle in 1794, is still there and is thus
inscribed : —
gjic . i.icct . houonibili' . bir . alcxr. . h.ij; .
qboiiJa' . bus . be . balg.itj; . q . br . Ir.u . liifhri-
j in.iru . balk . migbit . bi . bit . mcnsi' . nobcbri' ■
I .1" . bi . m" . b" . qbabr.igc . sc.vto.
[Here lies an honourable mau, i^LE.x.iNDER
H.iY, late laii-d of Dalgaty, who departed from
; this valley of tears, on 6'" Nov., 1546.]
I — Tliis laird was designed of Dalgathy in
I 1534-5, and in a dispute which arose about
marches in 1539, it is declared that he and his
1 predecessors held the said lands and barony
" in tymes bygane, past memorie of man." He
was the son of Gilbert Hay, who, in 1494, en-
tered into a curious indenture with John
Cheyne of Esslemont, by which he agreed
that a marriage should take place between his
daughter Marjory and Esslemont's son Henry,
it being also stipulated that, should the said
Henry die before his marriage, his brother
Patrick should, as soon as he " comis to the
age of xiiij yeiris," become Marjory's husband.
The lands of Dalgety were sold on redemption
to Eraser of Philorth by Gilbert Hay in 1503,
and they appear to have been redeemed by the
above-named Alexander. Erasers were early
pi'opi-ietors of Dalgety, Sir Alexander of
Covvie having given his brother John charters
of Dalgety, Plady, and .\uchenschogill in the
year 1378.
The Hay arms are upon the two remaining
skew-put stones of the church. SSI. '^. is
upon the lintel of a window on the south side
of the ruins, and also upon the old bell, thus —
V . H . 1556.
— These refer to the churchman whose memory
the next inscription is intended to perpetuate —
HIC . COXDITVS . EST . MAGISTER . GVLLIBm' .
UAY . CANONIC . ABERDONE . AC . PREB£dARi' .
DE . TVRREK . VBI . POST . 36 . ANOS . EO .
MVNEKE . FCELICITBR . PERFVCTOS . CONCESSIT .
FATIS . 22 . DIE . MAII . ANNO . DOMINI . 1582 .
SVE . VERO . .KTATIS . 82.
[Here lies Mr. William Hay, cauuu of Aber-
deen, and prebendary of Turriff, where, after 36
^
TURRIFF.
221
yeai-s happily spent in that office, he died May
22, ] 582, in the 82d year of his age.]
• — This cliurclinian made a pecuniary gift in
1557 to the chaplains of the Cathedral of
(Jldmachar, who were to pray for his own
soul, for those of Earls George and William of
Errol, his own brother Thomas Hay of Logic,
and the rest of his name who fell at Hodden
(Reg. Abd., i. 458).
A flat round-headed slab bears two shields,
initialed respectively M. W. H. and S. I. One
has the Hay arms (a mullet of five points
being between the escutcheons) and the other
the Junes arms. Eound the margin of the
stone is the following : —
TVMVLV.S . CLARI . VIRI . M . VALTERI . HAY
. QTI . OBIIT . XX . AVGVSTI . 1589.
A freestone tablet, dated 1848 and sur-
mounted by a bold carving of the Garden and
(Jampbell arms, quarterly, is built into the
east g:ible of " the quier," and is thus in-
scribed : —
In this spot rest the remains of Peter Gardes,
Esqre. of Dalgaty, born 1723, died 1785. Kathe-
RINE Balnea VES, his wife, born 1746, died
1786. Alexander, their eldest son, born 1764,
died 1789. Christian, their daughter, born
1777, died 1806, and Jane, Katherine, David,
their children. Also of Francis Garden-Camp-
bell, Esqr. of Troup .'ind ( ilfulyon (tlieir grand-
son), born 1793, died 182(;, and of Christian,
his wife, daughter of Archibald Cumine, Esqi-.
of Auchry, born 1794, died 1821.
— Katherine Balneaves, whose father, laird of
Edradour in Athole, married the heiress of
Campbell of Glenlyon, brought these proper-
ties to her husband, Peter Garden of Troup,
who was elder brother of Lord Gardenstone
(Epitaphs, i. 87). It was in consequence of this
connection that the Troup family assumed the
name of Garden-Campbell and the Campbell
arms. Cumin of Auchry, of whom their
grandson's wife was a daughter, was connected
with the family of Altyre, in Morayshire
(Ibid, 175).
In another compartment of the same monu-
ment is the following : —
lu memory of Francis Garden-Campbell,
Esq. of Troup and Glenlyon, born November
18th, 1818, died October 3rd, 1848. [Rev. xiv. 13.]
— He man-ied a daughter of AV. P. Brigstokc,
M.P. for Somerset, by whom he had an only
son, the present laird, who was born in 1840.
A mural tablet (upon which are the Barclay
and Drummond arms impaled, the initials
P.B : A.D., and the date 1636) bears this in-
scription : —
barclaivs iackt hic, tov.ej; gloria gentis,
s^cvla cvi priscvm qvixa dedere decvs.
calcvlvs hvno ivvenem post ter tria lvstra
PEREMIT,
NEC MEDICE CiVIDQVAM PROFV . . . RTIS OPVS.
OSSA TEGIT TELLVS ; ANIMAM, CJELESTIS ORIGO
CVI FVIT, .ETHERI.E LIMINA SEDIS HABENT.
[Here lies Barclay, the glory of the Towie
family, to which live centuries have given old
renown. Calculus cut him off in his prime, after
thrice three lustra (45 yeare), nor were the re-
sources of the healing art of any avail. The
earth covers his bones ; his spirit, which was of
celestial origin, is the tenant of a mansion be-
yond the skies.]
— Patrick Barclay of Towie's father, who left
four sons and two daughters by his wife Eliza-
beth Hay, was slaughtered by Meldrum of
Moncofler and others at Edinburgh in June,
1589, when Patrick himself was also wounded
and hurt in the " face " to the " drawing and
effusione " of his " bhiid." " Letters of
Slaynes," or remission were granted to Mel-
drum by Patrick Barclay, his mother, and the
rest of the family in Oct., 1592, and duly
witnessed by Alex. Hay of Dalgety and three
others (Family of Innes, 161).
It was on 25th April, 1587, that Patrick,
who appears to have been afterwards knighted,
was served heir to his father in the lands,
tower, and fortalice of Tolly, and in other
properties in the locality, including Auchrody
and Seggat. He was probably twice married ;
at least, as shown by a note upon liis brother
George's MS, of Wyntown's Cronykil, Sir
222
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Patrick married, a daughter of Barclay of
Gartly, in consequence of which he changed
his arms from " twa corsis " to three. There
is no mention of this lady upon the tombstone,
but as it presents the Drummond arms, and as
he is said to have married Ann, daughter of
Lord Drummond, who outlived him and
afterwards married Eraser of Murtle, on Dee-
side, it is probable that Gartly's daughter
was his first wife.
Notwithstanding the date of 1G36 upon the
upper portion of Patrick Barclay's tomb, he
probably died in or about 1624. He was
then (.30th April) succeeded in Towie by his
son Walter, who married Jane, daughter of
the third Lord Elphinstone (House of Drum-
mond, 79), by whom he had a son Patrick
and two daughters. The son succeeded in
1643, and both he and his father sustained
" loises and sufferings " during the Civil Wars,
as appears from a representation to Parliament
in 1645 (Acta Pari., vi., pt. i. 434). It is
probably to this laird that a tombstone at
Turriff belongs, upon which are these traces
of an inscription : —
.... INVS . PATRICVS . BARCLA . .
AVGVSTI .II
The initials P.B., the date of 1662, and
the quaint legend upon the old dove-cot at
Towie : —
.ETHER . DOE . OR . DIE.
— belong to the time of the same laird, who,
in 1668, was succeeded by his great-grandson,
William. It does not appear that the latter
left any immediate successors, the estate
having returned to the female line in the
person of Elizabeth, the eldest sister of the
last-named Patrick. She married John Gordon
of Eothiemay, and some additions were pro-
bably made by them to the Castle of Towie,
the initials I. G. and E. B. being upon one of
the door lintels. They had a son, who, in
1698, is called "Patrick Barclay alias Gor-
don" (Eetours).
Mrs. Gordon's younger sister, Anna, married
Symmers of Balzeordie, near Brechin, and by
her father's settlement, dated March 1643, she
had a " tocher " of £6666 13s. 4d. Scots;
but the money being left upon the property,
and no interest having been paid upon it from
1653, Lady Balzeordie (as she is styled)
raised an action against Eothiemay and his
wife, in 1695, for the payment of the principal
and arrears of interest. The case was sub-
mitted to arbitration, when the Hon. Harry
Maule of Kelly was chosen umpire by Lady
Balzeordie, and Alex. Dufl' of Braco by Eothie-
may. LTpou an adjoining slab : —
....... QVIESCIT . SVB . SPE . BEAT^ . RES-
VREECTIONIS . OPTIMiE . SPEI . ADOLESCENS .
FRANCISCVS . BARCLAIVS QVONDAM .
DOMINI . IVNIORIS . A . TOLUE . QVI . OBIIT .
JJTATIS . SVJE . AXXO . 17 . DIE . MEXSIS . OC .
[Here rests in hope of a happy resmTection, a
youth of excellent promise, Francis Barclay,
younger of Tollie, who died in the 17th year uf
his age, Oc ]
— This inscription is imperfectly given, not
on account of the slab being broken, but be-
cause another monument has been injudiciously
placed on the top of it.
Upon a stone, initialed V.L. : B.M., are
the Lindsay and Mowat arms, quarterly, and
this inscription : —
MONVJIENTV . GVLIELMI . LYNDSAT . ET .
BAR. . MOVAT . El' . SPOS.E . QVI . OBIBRE . H^C .
3 . MAII . 1558 . ILLE . 2 — . MARTII . 1579 .
POSITVM . GVL . EORVM . FILIO . ANNO . 1583.
[The monument of William Lindsay, and
Bar. Mowat, his spouse, who died, she on the
3"' May, 1558, and he on the 2— March, 1579.
Erected by their sou Wm. in the year 1583.]
— -When John Erskine, pastor of Turriff (son
of Sir Thomas Erskine of Brechin), let the
teinds of the kirk of Turriff to the Earl of
Errol in 1545, the rights of " William Linde-
say and the remanent tenentes of the kirk
TURRIFF.
223
town and gleib field " were reserved according
to a prior arrangement.
Upon a soft red sandstone, below a shield
charged with the ilowat and Forbes arms, are
these remains of an inscription : —
HEIR .... IS
SPOVS .... MOV
QVHA . DEPA . .
B.iRBAR .
. OF MTDDE
— I'he Mowats or Montealtos were a Xorman
family. Their first Scotch property was the
lordship of Fearn in Forfarshire, which they
acquired from William the Lion. A branch
went to Caithness, and from it sprang the
Mowats of Balquhollie (Mem. Angus and
Mearns, 324-7). Katherine Lauder, who was
probably a widow in 1696, and her son
William Jtlowat, then under 16 years of age,
are designed of Balquhollie. It is said that
the last of the race, a female, married a brotlier
of Erskine of Pittodrie.
The estate was acquired by Alex. Duff in
1719, at a cost of X4000 sterling (Baird's
Genealogj' of the Duffs). A portion of the
old castle of Balquliollie is incorporated with
the present house of Hatton.
Down to the time of the late laird, who
erected a mausoleum near Hatton Castle, the
Duffs of that place were buried at the church
of Auchterless (Epitaphs, i. 207). The re-
mains of the late laird lie within the mauso-
leum, and to his memory a painted window in
the parish church of Turrifi' (in which Mary
Magdalene is represented bathing the feet of
Christ) is thus inscribed : —
In memory of Gardex-William Duff of
Hatton, died Septr. 17"' 1866. Placed here by
his affectionate wife aud sou, Jean Duff aud
G. A. Duff.
We were comforted over you in all our distress
■by your faith. Thy faith hath saved thee — go in
peace.
— Mr. DuflT, who was the third son of Garden
Duff by Louisa, daughter of Sir Benjamin
Dunbar, Bart., was twice married, first to a
daughter of Mr. Urquhart of ISIeldrum, and
next to a daughter of Jlr. Walter Cook, W.S.,
Edinburgh.
A pavement slab, with the Forbes arms
near the middle and the motto Grace jie
GviDE, built into the church wall in an oblong
position, is thus inscribed in conjoined Pioman
capitals : — ■
.^S THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY . . .
JIEMORIE OF THE PRETIOUS DUST OF HIS BELOVED,
VERTVEOVS, RELIGIOUS, AND PIOUS SPOVS, MAR-
GARET .... DAVGHTER TO VMQVHIL lOHN
FORBES OF CRAGTOVN, FIRST SPOVS TO THE
HONOVRED THOMAS MOWAT OF ARDO, BOTH
REGISTE CLERK OF ABERDEN,
REGISTER OF BANFSHIRE AND KINCARN ; SHEE
DEPARTED XI OF SEPTEMBER 1662.
LO ! HOW THE DARK AND SILENT GRAVE,
A TRIBVT OF MT FLESH DOTH CRAVE,
WHICH WILLINGLIE I DOE LAY DOWN,
IN nop TO RISE & YEAR A CROVN,
OF PERTE . . . GLORY MONGS THE lYST ;
MY ASHES SHAL REVIVE, I TRVST.
— According to Lumsden's Genealogie (p. 28)
George, son of the first Forbes of Pitsligo,
was the ancestor of the Forbeses of Craigtoun ;
and Patrick of Craigtoun married " a daughter
of Blewshiels, Provost of Aberdeen" — Christian
Dalgarno mentioned in tlie above inscription,
— who was relict of "the laird of Culter."
The Mowats of Ardo, whose tomb is in St.
Nicholas, Aberdeen, are now represented by
Mr. Stuart of Laithors.
Adjoining the above, upon which are four
shields respectively initialed LF : I.W : P.F
—CD : B.I :, is the following :—
IMORTALI NOEN INSIGNIS D. lOANIS FORBES e'
GASK, VITA FVNCTI : ID. OCT. 1653, ET ISAB.
WRQVHART, El' SPOS.« QV.E VIRVM PRECESSIT, N.
AUG. 1647 ; ITA PIJ3 MVLIERIS CHRI.STEN.S: DAL-
GARNO C0N1V61S PAT. FORBES, DE CRAIGFINTRIE,
QVI LAPIDEM CONDIDIT QVAVIS GENEROSI IPSi'
PROAVI ALIBI INHVAMTVR APVD PRIORES FORB. IN
ECCLESIA DE KERNE, CAL. MAII 1661.
[To the immortal names of the distinguished
Mr. John Forbes of Gask, who died 1.5 Oct.
1653, and Isab. Urquhart his spouse, who pre-
deceased her husband, 5 Aug. 1647 ; and like-
wise of Christian Dalgarno, a pious woman.
224
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
wife of Pat. Forbes, laird of Craigfintrie, wlio on
1st May 1661, erected this stone although his
honourable ancestors are interred elsewliei-e
among the original Forbeses in the Church of
Kerne.]
— Alex. Burnett was served heir to his father
Thomas in the lands of Gask in loHl, and
the Forbeses had possibly been Burnett's suc-
cessors. The Forbeses acquired Craigfintrie
sometime after 1654, it being then Urquhart
property.
A loose fragmeiit, with the Forbes and Dal-
garno arms and these traces of an inscription,
appears to relate to the same people : —
HOC . I,.\riDE . OSSA . TEGUNTUR . VlRl . PRUD
T . CHRISTENE
. DALGARDNU . 1654 . ET . QVORUNDAM . . .
i.F. : i.w. : p.F. : c.D.
— Dalgarno is a name of old standing in
Aberdeen. John, who was a burgess of that
city in 1366, appears also to have been laird
of Wester Essentolly, in Durris (Reg. Mag.
Sigill.), and Alexander was a canon of the
Cathedral of Oldmachar in 1386 (Keg. Abd.)
John Dalgarnow of Dalgaruary-fintrey, wit-
nesses several charters during the early part of
the 16th century, and at a later date (1603),
they were styled Dalgarno of that Ilk (Re-
tours). Their arms (a fesse between 3 boars'
heads couped), are recorded in Nisbet's
Heraldry. It was probably this family that
joined the Marquis of Montrose, and one
member of which (28th March 1644) while
"ryding the water (at Kintore) hapnit to
perish, to the greif of the Marques and to all
his company;" while another, at a later date,
was taken prisoner and carried to Edinburgh
along with the laird of Gycht and others
(Spalding's Troubles).
Below a shield, charged with a nuillet be-
tween 3 boars' heads (the Forbes arms) and
initialed I. F., is the following : —
HEIR . LYIS . lONET . FORBES . LADY . BRUX . QVIIA
DEPARTIT . YE . 20 . OF . OCTOBER . I.'j89.
— This lady (misnamed Maijorij in Douglas's
Peer.) was a daughter of Alex. Forbes of
Pitsligo. She married John, son of Alexan-
der of Brux, whose effigy and that of his
wife are in the churchyard of Kildrummy
(Epitaphs, i. 262), and was mother of Duncan,
the first Forbes of Byth. Brux was a portionor
of Idoch, near Turritf, and in 1539, Alex.
Hay of Dalgety brought an action against him
and two others for having " pasturit thair
guldis and cassin fewiU " upon ground which
Hay alleged belonged to him, and of which
he was found to be the rightful owner.
A freestone monument is thus inscribed : —
Here is interred the body of Mrs. Margaret
Irvine, eldest daughter of Alexr. Irvine of
Drum, who died unmarried August 18th, 1745,
aged 47 yeai-s. Here also aiv interred the bodies
of Alexr. Gordon Esqr, of Dorlathers, who died
June 2d, 1763, aged 58 yeara, of Helen- Irvine,
his spouse, second daughter of Alexr. Irvine of
Drum, who died Deer. 6th, 1764, aged 64 years,
and of BARBAR.i McKenzie of Ardloch, mother
of said Alexr. Gordon, who died May 26th, 1762,
aged 80 yeai-s.
The following, which is accompanied by a
nice monogiam (RG.IJNI.), probably relates to
ancestors of the above designed Gordon of
Dorlathers : —
Here lyes the body of ane honest man called
Alexr. Gordon, vho lived sometyme at the
Mill of Idoch, and died the year of God 1647, as
also Iean Massie. spouse to Robert Gordon,
sometyme in Dorlathers, who died 1 Aprile,
1703 ;" and the forsaiil Robert Gordon, her
husband, died , and Georg Gordon, son
to the said Alexr. and Margaret Catanahs.
— The Gordons of Dorlathers were descended
from George, youngest son of the laird of
Craig, who fell at Flodden in 1513 (Hari.er-
field's Pedigree Tables of the Gordons).
The next inscriptions are from a handsome
recess tomb in the N.AV. wall of the church-
yard : —
Licet in occiduo cinere tamen eum
Aspicio cujus nomen est oriens . 1696 ;
[A carving of the sun in full splendour.]
[Although my ashes lie mouldering liere, I
beh(_ild him whose name is the rising sun.]
TURRIFF.
225
Coll : cap . Ill . vers . 4 : ii Tim . cap . IV .
vers .7.8. lOB . cap . XIX . vers . 25 :
i Pet . cap . IV . vera . 18
1696 : HIC lACENT VENERABILIS VIR MAORI
THOMAS MITCHELL PASTOR ECCLESI,« DE TURREF,
QUI SPIRARE DESIIT 23 lULI 1649. BARBARA
MBLDRUM, EJUS SPOS.SA QU.i; DECESSIT 26 DECEM-
BRIS 1659. ISABELLA MITCHELL, EORUM FILIA
SPONSA WALTERI STEUART DE RTLAND, QU.E VITA
DEFUNCTA EST 8 FEBRUARIJ 1672. VENERABILIS
VIR MAGISTER ARTHURUS MITCHELL, PASTOR
ECCLESI^ DE TURREFF QUI AXIMAM REDDIDIT 23
OCTOBRIS 1695. lOANNA SPARK, UXOR GEORGII
STEUART IN TURREFF, QU.'E OBIJT 9 OCTR. 1681.
[Here lie a venerable man Mr. Thomas
Mitchell, minister of the church of Turriff,
who ceased to breathe, July 23, 1649 ; Barbara
Meldrum, his spouse, who departed Dec. 26,
1659 ; Isabella Mitchell, their daughter,
spouse of Walter Steuart of Ryland, who closed
this life, Feb. 8, 1672 ; the venerable man, Mr.
Arthur Mitchell, pa.stor of the church of
Turriflf, yielded up his spirit, Oct. 23, 1695 ; and
Joanna Spark, wife of Geoi-ge Steuart, in
Turriff, who ended her days, Oct. 9, 1681.]
— The belfry, wliicli is of the double sort
common to many old churches in Aberdeen-
shire, appears to have been erected in Mr.
Mitchell's time. It is upon the east end of
the ruins, and bears the date of 1635, the
Hay arms, the initials E. W. E. (Will, Earl
of Errol), and also those of the minister,
M. T. M. Another slab bears : —
mat 16-3 . MR . T . MITCHEL . PARSON ;
and upon an adjoining stone is the following: —
HOLINESS .TO LORD . M . T . M . 1628.
— Mitchell, who was a Eoyalist and a Coven-
anter by turns, secularised in 1627 the church
lands of Turrift', with consent of the Bishop,
in favour of Francis, son of the Earl of Errol,
thereby very much curtailing the stipends of
his successors in office, and rendering himself
obnoxious not only to his brethren but to both
factions in the State. Spalding (1639) tells
that, at the Trot o' Turra' (where the first
blood was spilt in connection with the Wars
of the Covenant, a circumstance which gave
rise to the proverb of "Weary fa' the Trot
o' Turra,"), the Barons " takis meit and drink
at thair plesour, and fleyit ]\Ir. Thomas Mit-
chell, minister at Turref, veray euill." The
same quaint historian remarks that after an
impeachment and trial in 1642 for a curious
scandal, Mitchell was absolved by the Synod
and found to be " a good barne."
His son Arthur, who married Marjory
Lindsay, succeeded to the church, and carried
through the dLsjunction of ]\Ionquliitter from
Turriff, upon which he reported (2nd May,
1650) that he had obtained not only the
division of the parish, but also " a provision
for the second kirk, of three chalders of
victuall, and four hundred pounds money,
and fourtie pounds for the communion
elements, and hath gottin ye year 49 affected
with the stipend" (Epitaphs, i. 175).
Some curious instances of superstitious
belief are recorded in the Presbytery Books of
this period, and among others affecting Turriff
(14th Oct. 1647), is the case of Donald
M'Keddie, piper in King-Edward, who was
cited to the next meeting of Presbytery " for
drinking the deviUs health and pyping to those
whodrank it." And although M'Keddie assured
the Presbytery that he was only " feied to be
pyper at ye drinking of yo devells health at
the Cross of Turreff, (and) refused y' he
drank it liimself," he was ordained to appear
in the kirk on the following Sunday in sack-
cloth.
It was also during the time of the Mitchells
that the old architectural features of the kirk
were destroyed, the Presbytery, on 29th May,
1649, having "ordained the garsions (garnish-
ings) and superstitious monuments within the
kirk of Turriff to be taken downe and de-
molished, primo quo(i tempore."
This "ordinance" however appears to have
remained unheeded by the minister, for the
request was renewed 4th Oct., 1649, and
another order given to have the "superstitious
226
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
monuments removed betwixt and the next
day of the presbyterie meeting." Notwith-
standing the peremptory nature of this in-
junction, it was not until 6th May, 1651, that
the said monuments were "found to be de-
molished and taken away."
Mr. Arthur IMitchell, who joined the
Protestors, was deposed in 1661, but restoreil
in 1690. Ho and his wife Marjory Lindsay
were both charged poll tax in 1696, although
he appears to have died in Oct. 1695.
On his deposition in 1661, Mr. Arthur
Mitchell was succeeded bj' Mr. Skein, minister
of Cluny, who made over the market customs
of Turriff to the Earl of Errol upon con-
dition that he and his successors in the
lands of Delgaty should, in all time coming,
pay an annual salary of £100 Scots to the
schoolmaster (Stat. Acct.) Skein's monuraenr,
■which exhibits a shield flanked with the
initials A.S., I.C. and charged with the
Skein and Coutts arms, is upon the N. wall
of the nave of the chm'ch, and is thus in-
scribed : —
M.S. ME ANDREAS SKEIN, VIR CANDORE EXIMIVS,
VERBO ET OPERE PR^POTENS, CATHEDR.-E TVRRIFF-
ENSIS DECVS, EXWIAS MORTAI.ITATIS,PRJ£TER QVAS
NIHIL MORTALE HABVIT, POSVIT IN SPE ANNO ■ '
1678 APRILIS. MONVMENTVM QVALE QVALE IN
PERENNIS AMORIS TESSERAM ERIGI CVRAVIT
CONIVX TENERRIMA lOANNA COVTIS.
[Mr. Andrew Skein, a man distinguished for
his candour, very mighty in woi-d and deed, the
glory of the pulpit of TurriS, laid down in hope
the remains of mortality, besides which he had
nothing mortal, in April, 1678. This monument,
such as it is, his most tender spouse, Joanna
Coutts, caused to be erected as a pledge of her
lasting affection.]
Mr. Stuart, to whom the next inscription
relates, was at first missionary at Glenlivet,
afterwards minister of Auchterless, and was
translated to Turriff in 1774. It was during his
incumbency that the new church was
erected : —
In memory of the Rev. Willia.m Stuart, late
minister of Tm-ritf, who died the 22°'' November,
1820, aged 79 years. He fulfilled the duties of
his sacred office in this parish with zeal and
integrity for 46 yeare. Here also are interred
the remains of Mrs Margaret Duff, his spoiise,
who died the 27"' February, 1820, aged 70 years.
Mr. Stuart's immediate successor was trans-
lated to Fyvie in 1843, and was succeeded by
Mr. Leslie, whose tombstone, as before noticed,
stands upon one of the Towie-Barolay slabs.
Mr. I,.'s father was minister of Fintray, near
Aberdeen, and his monument is thus in-
scribed : —
Erected by the heritoi-s and parishioners of
Tm-riff, as a tribute of respect to the memory
of tlieir late learned, zealous, and much-lamented
pastor, the Rev. William Leslie, who, amid a
labour of usefulness seldom equalled, died on the
21"' of Feb., 1850, in the 41'" year of his age ;
and, as connected with this parish, in the 6"' of
his ministry.
Three slabs, built into the kirkyard dyke,
near the Mitchell tomb, bear respectively :—
HEIR . LYES . AXE . CHTLD
ES . PANTON . SON . TO . lAMES . PANTON . IN" .
PLADIE . WHO . DEPERTED . THIS . LYFE . IVNE .
167—
[2.]
Here lyes the body of a vertuous voman called
Margaret Thomsone, spovs to lames Panton,
sometyme in Knocldemill, vho departed this life
14 March, 1706 ; and .... Panton, her
husband, died
[3.]
Heir lyes George Panton, who died March
21, 171 — , and Margaret JPanton, who died
Sept. 16, 1717 ; as also Barbara Panton, who
died March 27, 1724, all children to George
Panton in Knockiemdl.
— These inscriptions relate to ancestors of
Patrick Panton of Middlehead, Eoxburgh-
shire, who died in 1861, aged 57, and one of
whose descendants is, or was, a surgeon in
Kelso. Panton is an old name in the district,
William of Panton having been designed of
Pitmedden as early as 1436 (Coll. Ab. Bff.)
A flat stone, close to south wall of " the
quire," beais the followiag inscription with
TURRIFF.
227
a monogram, in prettily interlaced Eoman
capitals : —
Here lie interred the remains of Alexander
Cummins, sometime in Mill of Turriff, wlro de-
parted this life Feb. 13, 1759, in the 75th year of
his age [a dr. Anna. d. 1755, a. 32]. His son,
the Rev. Mr. William Gumming, pastor of the
Episcopal congregation at Turrift', whom for 28
years he taught, not only by his excellent dis-
courses, but by his pious and truly Christian
examples. He died S"" June, 1771, aged 55.
Elizabeth Innes [spouse to Mr. W. C.] died 23''
Sept., 1790, in her 79th year.
— " Alexander Gumming, elder, smith for his
trade," lived on the lands of Towie in 1G96,
and had a son Alexander, who followed his
father's oeoupation at the same place.
An adjoining stone, also table-shaped, erected
by Bishop Jolly to the memory of a brother
who lost his life while bathing in the bum of
Turriff, bears : —
K.I.P. Under this stone rests, in the hope of
a ble.ssed resm-rection, the body of James Jollt,
sometime merchant in Turriff, who died June 18,
1781, aged 22 year's : —
Hune citius mortali nudatum carne superstes
Sinoero Fratrem Frater amore gemit :
At TU DOS iterum renovato corpore junctas
O 1 inter sanctos suscipe, Chi-iste, tuos.
In his brother's grave is deposited the remains
of the Right Rev. Alexander Jolly, D.D.,
Bishop of Moray, who departed this life on the
29"' June, 1838, aged 82 years. Also the body
of their only sister, Ann Jolly, who died on the
9th Nov., 1843, in the gO"" year of her age.
[A surviving brother mourns, with sincere
affection, a brother prematurely divested of mor-
tal flesh. But when, after the renovation of our
bodies, we are again united, do Thou, O Christ !
admit us into the number of thy saints.]
The next two inscriptions are from head-
stones upon the left of Bishop Jolly's tomb :— -
Erected by John Adam, whose burial ground
extends 7 feet in front & 6 feet on each side, &
contains liis Father's remaius, who died 27th
June, 1810, aged 63 years ; his brother's, Peter,
who died 1st Ocf 1786, aged 4 ; his sister's, Ann,
who died 29th Aug' 1794, aged 1 ; his brother's,
James, who died 8th Oct' 1806, aged 18 ; his
Mother's, who died 29th July, 1816, aged 70.
Here also are interred the remains of the above-
named John Adam of Scobbach, who died 20th
July, 1863, aged 79 years.
From an adjoining granite headstone : —
To the memory of Margaret Adam, wife of
Alexander Rae, siu-geon, R.N., who died 17'"'
June, 1856, aged 70 ; and of their sons, Jno.
Adam, who died in 1833, aged 12, and James,
who died in 1832, aged 7. Here also are in-
terred the remains of the foresaid Alexander
Rae, who died March 8, 1867, aged 76.
— On his retirement from the navy, Dr. Eae
became a partner with John Adam in his
business of a flax and seed merchant, and,
having married Mr. A's sister, he succeeded
to the estate of Scobbach, now Ardmiddle.
Dr. Rae left a son and a daughter, the latter
of whom married Mr. J. D. Milne, advocate
and bank agent in Aberdeen.
From a fiat stone : —
^g° heir lyes ane honast and vertvovs
VOMAN called MARIORIE GERARD . . . DE-
PARTED THIS LYFE MARCH THE 11 1658 P.C:
M.G.
— This is the earliest mention we have found
of the name of Gerrard on any tombstone ;
and, so far as we are aware, Alexander Jerard,
who was reader at Drumoak in 1574:, and his
contemporary, Thomas Gerart, who had an in-
terest in Oldquhat in New Deer, are the first
recorded of the family in the district. Gerard
of Walkerhill appears on the roll of "the
lesser barons" of Aberdeenshire about 16G0 ;
and in 1696 the name was more common in
the parish of Aberdour (where it is yet to be
found) than in any other place in the county
{Poll B(joJi). Probably from some of these
were descended the north country Gerards,
among whom may be reckoned those of Mig-
strath, Bishop Gerard, and the Eev. Dr. Gil-
bert Gerard, both of Aberdeen ; likewise the
Gerards of Turriff, and those of the parish of
Mary Culter, &c. So far as relates to Scot-
land, the name is probably of Gaelic origin
(Gear-ard — the short head or top of anything)
but it is quite as likely to have been imported,
228
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
since we find Gerard and Henry his son, pos-
sibly either English or Norman barons, wit-
nessing charters by King William the Lion,
about 1189-99 (Eeg. Vet. de Aherb.) The
Gorards of Bryn, in England, now represented
by Baron Gerard, claim descent from the
Dukes of Leinster, in Ireland, and the Earls
of Plymouth, in England (Burke's Peerage).
Within an enclosure : —
Heir lyes ane honest man called George For-
DTCE in Haiighes of Ashogle, who departed tliis
lyfe May 16 anno 1681 ; as also Barbara Thom-
SONE, his spouse, who died 9 Janr. 1695 ; also
George Fordyce, second lawful! sone to John
.Fordyce oft' Gask, who died 5 Deer. 1715.
— John Fordyce, " merchant in Turreffe," was
a portioner of the lands of Gask in 1696.
He was an ancestor of the Brucklay family,
and the tomb was repaired at the expense of
the late Mr. Dingwall Fordyce, M.P., shortly
before his death.
Upon two slabs at west end of enclosure : —
f!^ HEER LYES TUO CHILDREN CALLED SAMVEL
AND lEANB KORBSS, LAVFVLLE BEGOTEN BE lAMES
FORBS OF GRINES, AND MARGARET COUEESON, HIS
SPOUS, WHO DEPARTED THE 4 OF DECEMBR, ANNO
1693 ; AS ALSO joun forbes, lavfvl son OF
THE SAID FAITHER & MOTHER, DIED THE 16 DAY
OF FEBRVARY 95 YEARS. [i.e. 1695.]
[2.]
Here lyes the remains of Margaret Forbes,
only daughter and heiress of James Forbes of
Greens, who died January 19, 1768, aged 72 ;
also of John Anderson of Greens, her husband,
who died April 17, 1749, aged 80 ; also of James
and Ann, two of their children, who died Infants;
also of John Anderson, last of Greens, their
eldest son, who died unmarried Oct. 4, 1767,
aged 47.
— In 1696 James Forbes of Greens and his
spouse Jean CaUisone were charged .£.9 12s.
Scots for their poll. Greens was then valued
at £300 Scots.
From Hat slabs : —
Here lyes the body of Ann Maitland, spouse
to John Catto in Quary ed.
[2.]
Heir lyes the body of James Mitchell, some-
time merchant, in Turriff', who died Decemb. 8,
1686, as also Jean Davidson, his spouse, who
died April 1, 1698.
[3.]
Here lies Janet Shand, once in Boghead of
Dunlugas, vho died Ajirile. This stone is erected
Ijy Robert Lumsden, and Jean Hay his spouse.
[4.]
Alexr. Thomson, infant son
of lohn Thomson in Turre . . . epertit this
life Novembr the nynt, 1672, and four children
lawfully begotten be Gilbert Thomson in Shands-
cross ; they died 1717.
— " Shandscross," which formed the boundary
of the Common of Turriff, is about a mile to
the north-east of the town ; and as the Gaelic
words Shan-Crois indicate the site of an old
cross or boundary mark, it had more pro-
bably been named from this fact than, as some
suppose, from Eobert Shand, who was a por-
tioner of Idoch in 1539.
[5.]
Here lyes the bo
and spouse of Mr Arthur Udnie, son ....
1705. Also Egbert and Eich . . . Udnies,
her sones . . . Thomas, Valter
— Arthur Udney (who was possibly a cadet of
the Udneys of that Ilk), his spouse, and a
servant, are charged poll tax at Tilliebo {i.e.,
the Cow's Hillock) in the parish of King-
Edward, in 1696.
IJnder hope of ane blessed resurrection lyes
heir Edward Chessar, of the Milne of Byth,
who departed this lyfe the 23'' of May, 1673.
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin
is the law, etc.
The first part of the following inscription,
upon a flat slab, is in relief, the latter
incised : — ■
Here l^'es the bodie of David Huiton, some-
time in Muriefold, quarrier to the Eai-1 of Errol.
He died 22'' Aprile 1722, and Margaret Stobie
his spouse, uho died .... 1733 ; also,
Alexander Hutton, his son, who died June 23,
1752 ; also Will. Hutton, who died Sept. 1756,
aged 69.
TURRIFF.
229
Here lyes the body of ane honest Voman called
Elizabeth Bruce, spouse to James Duncan,
sometyme in Bi'ackens, uho died . . and
Alexr. Duncan theii- lawfull son died . . .
as allso James Duncan, her husband, once in
Brackens, who died November — 1715.
— In 1696, James Duncan, in Brackens, was
factor for tlio laiixl of Tolquhon, and paid
1 5s. 6d. of poll tax.
These were probably ancestors of a Dr.
Duncan, who practised at Turriff during the
second half of the last century, and who is
said to have been " skeelie," particularly in re-
gard to mental diseases ; but from all we can
learn, his wisdom seems to have been of the
supernatural sort, and his medicines were de-
rived from " a garden which he visited during
night when some planet ruled which had
an effect upon particular herbs ! " He had
two sons who both studied medicine. One of
them died in Kent some twenty years ago,
aged about 90, and left a considerable fortune.
Here lyes the body of Gborge Kid, sometyme
in Walkmill of Plaidie, who died Oct' 1, 1726.
William and Iean Kids, his lawful children,
who died .... This ston is erect be his
spous Margaret Craib.
— Sir Henry Guthrie of King-Edward, Bart.,
a cadet of the old familj' of Guthrie in Angus,
owned the lands of Plaidy in 1696.
From a headstone : —
Erected by John Edwards, square Wright in
Turriff, to the memory of his spouse, Jean Milne,
who died Nov. 18, 1794, aged 76.
Upon a mural tablet : —
In memory of John Hall of Hallhill, surgeon.
Died at Hallhai, 27 March, 1829, aged 66.
— He bequeathed £200 sterling in aid of a
coal fund for the poor of Turriff. The pro-
perty of Hallhill, which bounds the kirkyard
on the west, was lately sold by his executors.
this the body of Elspet
Thomson, spouse to James Gray in Pitdoulsie,
who died the 6 of December James
Gray, her husband, died 27 Oct. . . . 171.5,
and John Gray, his son, died 6 Feb. 1716, and
Patrick Gray, his son, died 27 Jan. 1717.
Marqt. Smith, d. 1797, a. 45 ; "Wm. Barclay,
in 1824, a. 83 :—
Good to be lost, evil to be endured ;
Earth's highest inventory boasts no more.
Upon a table stone : —
To the memory of Georqe Smith, some time
in Montblairie, a man whose worth and integrity
secured him the friendship and universal esteem
of aU his acquaintances. And after faithfully
discharging the office of an overseer in the ser-
vice of respectable gentlemen in this county, he
resigned a life spent in benevolence and hu-
manity on the 14th May, 1775, aged 50 years.
Under this stone I ly who never
in life disturbed my friend or brother.
My dust immolested shall here rest in quiet.
Or no rest to them who presume to gainsay it.
Many of the tombstones at Turriff present
long ages. Among the more remarkable are
those of Margaeet Wallace and James
FoRRET, who died respectively at the ages of
99 and 97 ; Matthew Young, his wife
Margt. Ogston, and her brother William
were 82, 96, and 86 ; John Pirrie and his
wife Jacobina Cheviz, 87 and 85 ; and Wm.
Murray and his wife Ann Morrison were
85 and 92. A headstone near Dr. Hall's
monument contains the following record of
a by no means common tenure of office and of
length of days : —
In memory of William Brands, an elder of
the church of this parish for 73 years, died 2
March, 1852, aged 97.
iEpiBcopal OTijurcl).
( S. CONGAN.)
BESIDES the church of S. Congan, one of
the former places of worship still stands.
The latter is a small unpretending house of
one story, and succeeded that which the
Duke of Cumberland's " soldiers took the
liberty to disrobe" when passing to the north
in 1746.
The church that took the place of the last
mentioned stood upon the east side of the
town. It was dedicated to the Holy Trinity,
230
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
and a wine flagon, a cup, and a silver pinto,
presented to it, are still in use. Upon the
latter, in the centre of which are the sacred
monogram and the three passion wounds of
Our Saviour, is the following inscription : —
For Holy Trinity Church, Turriff, from the Honble.
Lady Abercromby of Forglen. Christmas, 1856.
— The donor of these vessels is a daughter of
the late Lord Kilmaine, and mother of the
present Baronet of Bh-kenbog and i'orglen.
The church of the Trinity contained a
marble tablet to the memory of Bishop Jolly.
It is now in the church of S. Congan — a neat
building, with open timber roof, chancel, nave,
porch, vestry, and spire, which was erected in
1863. It contains a fine organ, and being
situated upon a rising ground on the west side
of the town, adds much to the appearance of
the locality.
Bishop Jolly's monument, which is buUt
into the wall on the south side of the altar, is
a work of chaste simplicity, surmounted with
a bishop's mitre, and upon the tablet below is
this inscription : — •
This tablet, erected by his surviving Sister, is
sacred to the memory of the Eight Reverend
Father in God, j^lexander Jolly, D.D., Bishop
of Moray, whose body sleeps in the churchyard
of this parish, where he first exercised the minis-
terial office, having been pastor of this congrega-
tion from 1777 to 1788. He was afterwards
removed to Fraserbui-gh, where he lived as Priest
and Bishop 49 years, pointing out by his faithful
teaching tlie way of heaven to those committed
to his charge, and leading them in it by his
bright example. Deeply learned in the ancient
wisdom of the Church, he taught his flock to
adhere to the old paths of Catholic & Apostolic
truth, while by a life of holiness, devotion, and
self-denial, he gave to a declining age a pattern
of the primitive piety, hving in a holy celibate,
he renounced the world without forsaking its
duties ; devoting his days and nights to prepara-
tion for heaven, he convereed with God iu re-
tirement ; and was taken to his rest when no
mortal eye was near to witness his departing
moments, having been found ou the morning of
the Feast of St. Peter, 18.38, calmly reposing in
death. E. I. P. Born 1756, ordained Deacon
177C, and Priest 1777, Consecrated 179G.
— Bishop JoUy, who was born at Stonehaven,
and brought up under the Eev. Mr. Greig,
was consecrated at Dundee as coadjutor to
Bishop Macfarlane, who long afterwards re-
tained the spiritual jurisdiction of the Eoss
and Argyle portion of his diocese, leaving the
remainder to the superintendence of Bishop
JoUy. The latter is described by Dr. Eussell
as having lived " beloved and venerated by
all the good, and respected for his apostolic
virtues and graces even by the worst of man-
kind." When the collection of books was
less the fashion than it is' now-a-days, he was
known to the vendors of old literature as a
" book hunter " of no ordinary acquirements ;
and, as prettily said by Dr. Hill Burton,
notwithstanding " his poor income, much
of which went to feed the necessities of
those still poorer, ho managed to scrape to-
gether a curious and interesting collection, so
that his name became associated with rare
books, as well as with rare Christian virtues."
The next two inscriptions are carved upon
the sill of the east window : — ■
^ Iu gloriam Dei et in sacram memoriam
maxime Venerabilis iu Deo Patris Alexandri
Jolly, D.D., Episcoj)i Moraviensis et olim
ecclesi^ apud Turriff Pastoris hoc cancellum
isedificatum est ^
[To the glory of God and to the sacred
memory of the Very Eeverend Father in God,
Alexander Jolly', D.D., Bishop of Moray, and
at one time Pastor of the chiu'ch at Turriff, was
tliis chancel erected.
[2.]
►J< In gloriam Dei et in sacram memoriam
maxime Venerabilis in Deo Patris, Gulielmi
Skinner, D.D., Episcopi Aberdonensis atque
ecclesiaj ScotticaiPrimarii, cujus opei-umbouorum
hoec a.'des inter ultima fuit, hajcce fenestra a
Eeverendo Jacobo Christie, A.M., hujus ecclesioe
pastore, posita est >J<
[To the glory of God and to the sacred
memory of the Very Eeverend Father iu God,
William Skinner, D.D., Bishop of Aberdeen,
and Primus of the Churcli in Scotland, of whose
good worlis this church was among the last, was
TURRIFF.
231
this window erected by the Eev. James Christie,
pastor of this church.]
— This Bishop, who died in 1857, was the
youngest son of the previous Bishop of Aber-
deen and a grandson of the Rev. John
Skinner of Longside, autlior of " Tulloch-
gorum" and other poems (Epitaphs, i. 98).
The present incumbent of S. Congan's was
ordained in 1836, and whether from its being
mainly to his exertions that the new Episcopal
church and parsonage were erected at Turriff,
or for devotion to his people, he deserves the
thanks and sympathy of all who have a wish
to improve the taste and condition of their
fellow creatures. On the south side of the
chancel, a window of three lights, e.xhibiting
the figures of SS. Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
contains the following record of several of his
children whom he had the misfortune to lose
by death : —
>J« In memory of Margaret-Adam, Marg.aret,
Adam-Eae, VViLLii-IJRiiUHART, aud Iames,
stvdent for Holy Orders, and placed by their
parents, the Kev. lames Christie, M.A., incvm-
bent of this chvrch, aud his wife Mary Nichol-
son of Loanend, Norham, A.D. 1870. ►J*
A handsome oak rood-screen, to the me-
mory of Mr. Christie's third and last son
Pollard-Urquhart, theological student at S.
Bees, bears the following inscription, the first
part being upon the circular or halo portion of
its cross, and the second on the beam thus : —
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.
<i* K. I. P.
In the circular window on the west is the
Holy Lamb, and in the corresponding light on
the east is a crucifix. Below the latter are the
words : —
>J< GLORIAM DEI. IN MEMORY OF,
ailer which follows a portrait of Bishop Jolly,
surrounded by the words : —
»i< MISERERE . MEI . DOMINE.
A window of two liglits in the N.E. exhibits
a representation of Christ blessing little chil-
dren, accompanied by the text — " Forbid them
not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."
There are several tombstones in the sur-
rounding cemetery, but all are of recent date.
A little to the N.W. is the parsonage, which
overlooks the valleys of the Turriff burn aud
the Deveron.
The discovery and publication of the Book
of Deer, or the record of the Abbey of that
district, have thrown more light upon the
early history, ecclesiastical and territorial, of
Turriff and Buchan in general than any work
hitherto issued.
It is believed to have been written by
native scribes, and to have been begun in the
ninth century. It contains the Go.spels in
Latin, and is illuminated with quaint re-
presentations of the Evangelists, all of which,
along with specimens of the original writing,
have been successfully rendered in lithography
by Mr. Andrew Gibb of Aberdeen, F.S.A.,
Scot.
Entries regardmg the property of the
monastery are given in Gaelic upon the
margins of the book, and the colophon is in
the same language. In this valuable work,
which was edited for the Spalding Club by
the lite Dr. John Stuart, is the earliest
mention of the name of Turriff', which appears
as Turhruad. It was then (1132) the seat of
a Celtic monastery, of which Cormac was
Abbot, and Domongart was the Scribe or
teacher of its school.
It was dedicated to, if not founded by, S.
CoNGAN, a follower of S. Columba, and it is
supposed to have occupied nearly the same
position as the old church. The church was
inscribed to the same saint ; but as the
monastery is not mentioned in the Countess
of Buchan's gift to Arbroath, it is believed to
have ceased to exist even before that date,
232
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
although, as previously mentioned, the signi-
ficant name of the monk's gate or way is still
known.
Another proof of the antiquity of Turriff
may perhaps be found in one of the oldest
forms of its name — Tor-rath — the rath or fort
of the hillocks. The " rath " may have stood
somewhere near the old church, a position
that would have commanded imjjortant
passes in almost every direction.
Two fragments of sculptured stones are also
here. One of these (engraved in the Book of
Deer) is built into the north wall of the kirk-
yard. It is of red sandstone — possibly the
end of the arm of a cross — and presents some
interlaced ornament. The other piece — part
of a boulder of a j'ellowish colour — is built
into the east wall of the manse offices, and
presents some incised markings, probably a
portion of the so-called sceptral ornament.
iS^^ext in point of interest to these fragments
and the remains of the old kirk, are the
castles of Dalgety and Towie. Both appear
to have been erected about the same date, and
the former, to which additions have been made
at various times, consists of a massive square
tower, nearly 70 feet high, with battlements
and turrets. The Hay arms, with the family
motto SERVA IVGVM, flanked hj the
initials V.II. and the date of 1.579, are upon
a slab near the bartizan. Tradition avers that
in the family chapel or oratory, which is stiU
pointed out, an old priest, whose ghost long
haunted the castle and parks of Dalgety, was
confined and starved to death !
William Hay, who probably erected the
tower of Dalgety, had at least one sister. She
married Eose of Kilravock, by whom she had
five sons and three daughters, and is described
as being " tall and straight, her hair full black,
yet of a fair and lovely countenance." She is
said to have died in April, 1632, in her 80th
year (Family of Kilravock, 84.)
Her brother Alexander succeeded to Dal-
gety, and married, in 1584, a daughter of
Lord Altrie. He had a remission for " being
at the Feild of Gleneviot," as well as for all
crimes and offences preceding September, 1694;
and when afterwards charged with " adul-
terie," he claimed protection under said re-
mission, but the plea was set aside (Pitcairn's
Crim. Trials).
Sir Alexander, either the same laird or his
son, died about 1638, and was succeeded by a
son William — (Retours). This laird was
also a knight, but having joined the Marquis
of Montrose, and being taken prisoner at
Kerbester, he was sentenced " to haue his head
strukin from his body " at the cross of Edin-
burgh, which was done on 7th June, 1650 —
(Balfour's Annals). His remains were possibly
laid in the old Greyfriars chivrchyard, Edin-
burgh, beside the body of Montrose. It is
certain that after the Restoration, in 1661,
Parliament resolved, " That the bodies, bones,
& head of the late Marques of Montrose &
Sir William Hay of Delgetie should be
gathered and honorablie buried at his Ma-
jestie's expence " (Acta Pari., vii. 8).
The founder of the Hays of Dalgety was a
second son of the noble house of Errol, and
although Sir William granted a disposition of
the lands and barony of Dalgety to Hay of
Moirefauld, whUe he was " ane foirfaulted
persone," the Parliament allowed the transac-
tion to remain unchallenged (Ibid., vi., pt. i.
341).
Dalgety afterwards came to Alexander, a
son of the Lord President Falconer, who
married the heiress Lady Mary Hay. She
succeeded as Countess of Errol on the death
of her brother Earl Charles in 1717, and
dying in 1758, was buried at Slains. The lands
afterwards passed by purchase to the Gardens
of Troup, by whom they were sold to the
Earl of Fife in 1798. They were recently
TURRIFF.
233
excambed by Lord Fife for the lands of
Eden, near Banff, and the property now be-
longs to ilr. Ainslie Douglas Ainslie, brother
of Mr. Grant Duff, late of Eden, M.P. (Epi-
taphsj i. 240).
Neither the external nor internal features
of Towie Castle have been so well cared for as
those of D;ilgetj\ About 1788, while it was in
the hands of the Earl of Findlater, the turrets
and battlements were taken down, and it was
not until a few years ago that the unseemly
slated roof was removed, and the present barti-
zan erected. The old banquetmg hall, which
has been so well described and engraved by
Billings, was then ruinous and, as well as
other parts of the build mg, made a recep-
tacle for all sorts of rubbish ; but being now
occupied by a tenant of taste, Towie seems
to be well cared for, and visitors have plea-
sure in looking upon the iuteresting carvings
of the bosses in the old hall, which exhibit
such a curious mixture of objects sacred and
mythical.
Upon tbe faith of tradition and misreuder-
ings of an inscription at Towie, a fabulous an-
tiquity has been assigned to the tower. In
statistical and other accounts the date '" 1210,"
which does not appear to have ever existed, is
placed at the end of the first line, and that of
" . . 36" (upon a separate slab) is set down as
"1136." The following, so far as we have
been able to judge, is a correct reading of
these inscriptions, the first being upon a scroll
placed perpendicularly over the door of the
tower : —
SIR . YALT . BARCLAY . DE . TOLLY .
MIL . FVNDI .
— This appears to refer to Sir Walter, who
married Elizabeth Hay, and who, as before
shown, was slaughtered by Meldrum of Jfon-
coffer. The name of his father Alexander,
sou of Patrick Barclay and Janet Ogilvy,
who died in 15-17, appear.s in the fust line
of the next inscription, while the date in
the last line, clearly refers to the time of their
grandson Patrick, who is described upon his
tombstone at Turrriff, as " the glory of the
Towie family." To his time the following,
if not also the previous, inscription be-
longs : —
. . . ALEXANDER . ... AY . OF
TOLLY . rOVNDATOR . DECEISIT
ANNO . DOMINI ... 36
IN . TYM . OF . VALTH . AL . MEN
S[EEM]IS . FRINDLY . AND . FRINDIS . NOT
[KNA]VIN . BVT . IN . ADVERSITY . 1593
Sir Walter of Kerko, Knight, a friend and
follower of Eobert the Bruce, was the first
Barclay that possessed Towie. He had a grant
of the lands from Bruce, also possibly CuUen,
and others in Gamrie, in which church is the
oldest of all the Barclay monuments (Epitaphs,
i. 82).
As previously shown, the Barclays, lairds
of Towie, ended in the female line, and
the elder daughter Elizabeth, who brought
the estate to her husband, Gordon of Eothic-
may, was succeeded by a son, who assumed
the name of Oordoii-Barday. One of his
descendants, Isabella, carried the lands to
her husband, the Hon. Clias. !Maitland, 2nd
son of the sixth Earl of Lauderdale. She
died in 1761, leaving a son, Charles !Maitlaud-
Barclay, who left a family of daughters only
(Douglas Peerage). The estate of Towie was
sold during his mother's lifetime, about 1 752,
to the Earl of Findlater for j£ 10,000, and in
1792 it was bought for £21,000 by the present
proprietors, the Managers of Gordon's Hospital
and of the Infirmary of Aberdeen.
There were many collateral branches of the
Barclays of Towie, and to one of these belonged
George of Auchrody (Auchreddie) in New
Deer, for whom, according to Macpherson, the
Royal MS. of Wyntown's Cronykd. in Scot-
, land was transcribed — (pref. xxx-i). Tlie
g2
234
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS.
Crouykil contains a curious rliyme regarding
the Barclays, in ■which Auchrody is described
as brother-german to and Sir Patrick of Tollie
as the " Clieif of Barclays in Scotland."
We have failed to find to what branch of
the family the last recorded knight belonged,
but it appears from the Marriage Register of
Dundee, 15th March, 1731, that " S"- Alex"--
Barclay of Towie m'' Jean Ogilvie." Several
eminent scholars were related to the Towie
branch, such as the author of Argenis, from
whom it is said that the famous Eussian
General, Barclay de ToUy, who died 1818,
was descended.
l^ot a vestige remains of the house of Clift-
bog, in which (according to his own statement)
Thomas Dempster, the celebrated ecclesiasti-
cal historian, was born 23rd August, 1.579.
After a sadly chequered career, this writer,
who was remarkable as having been the 24th
of 29 children that his mother, a daughter of
Leslie of Balquhain, bore to his father, died
of fever at Bologna, 6th Sept., 1625. In
Chambers's Biographical Dictionary of Emi-
nent Scotsmen, Dempster is said, by mistake,
to have been born at Brechin, and the error
has been repeated by many writers.
Turriff was erected into a Burgh of Barony
in 1512, when it was also allowed to have a
jnarket on Sundays and two fairs annuallj'.
The latter were held respectively upon the
feasts of S. Congan and S. Ann, and two
other markets, S. John's and S. Paul's, were
established at a later date.
The broken shaft of the old market cross,
surrounded by a few crazy steps, was for many
years the only outward sign of the burghal
dignity of Turriff; but in 1866, much to the
honour and credit of the magistrates and their
fellow-townsmen, a new cross was erected upon
the site of the old one. It forms a striking
feature in the Main or High Street, and might
bo improved in point of interest by its panels
being inscribed, say with the date of the erec-
tion of the burgh, notices of the Monastery of S.
CoNGAN and the deadhouse, and the following
quaintly expressed intimation of its being mid-
way between the county towns of Aberdeen
and Elgin : —
Cheese ye, or chose ye
At the Corse o' Turra' ;
Gin ye'll gang to Aberdeen,
Or to Elgin o' Murra'.
Besides the Monastery of S. Congan, there
were several other places of worship in the
parish in old times. S. John's stood at Slap,
and S. Carnac's in the haugh of Laithers,
and in the neighbourhood of both stone cists,
barrows, and other primitive remains have
been discovered.
The Temple Brae and the Castle HOI show
by their names that the Knights of S. John
were the superiors of the former, and that the
latter was probably the site of " the tower of
Torrey," which is mentioned by Monipennie
along with " the Castle of Mures " (Muiresk).
Lord Errol's house was called " The Lodging ;"
and in 1721 there existed " a large convenient
dwelling-house belonging to the Countess of
Errol " — who probably resided at Dalgety.
" Castle Eainy," now occupied by the Town-
HaU, may have been named from its owner,
and from its having been a large building.
That James Eaene was " laird " of this castle
is not so certain as that he and his wife,
Isobel Gray, were resident in Birkenhill, and
charged poll, in 1696.
Whether this was the Luclcie Benny, whose
advice to her sons on leaving home has become
a proverb, it is difficult to saj' ; but it is told
of the latter, who nowadays woidd have been
not inaptly called " a managing person," that
she had fuUy more faith in the power of gold
than she had in the Gospel, and that, contrary
to the wishes of her other sons, she allowed
the youngest to study for the church simply
because he was "a waikly thing," the rest
TURRIFF.
235
having been sent abroad as merchants, a career
for which, as she used graphically to remark,
" they needit mair care than conscience ! "
Each of her sons, on leaving home, received
her parting Advice, or, as it has been called,
" Luckie Eenny's Benediction," which she
gave in her own sententious style : — " Noo,
laddie, tak' tent ! — Look weel efter yersel' !
Be sure 'at ye mak' sealer — honestly, if ye can
— hut mak' it ! "
Carved stones, hearing the Hay and the
Mowat arms, &c., which may be seen in house
and garden walls in different parts of the town,
indicate the remains of dwelling-houses occu-
pied by members of these families.
Among the most interesting of the in-
scribed stones are the following : — •
OIA : VANITAS : M.G.S : 1704.
Another in Manse Lane, dated 1707 : —
FRINDS ARE WELCOM TO COME HERE,
BUT FOES ARE WELCOM TO RETIRE.
Upon a lintel in The Wynd, off High Street : —
FOR . OTHERS . THOV . VAS . AND
OTHERS . THOVL . BE . lAMES . MITCHELL .
lEAN . DAVIDSON.
A door lintel in Castle Brae presents the
insignia of " the gardeners," the initials
" G.E.," the date of 1784, and also this
loyal and brotherly sentiment : —
GOD SAVE THE KING AND THE CRAFT.
The most minute of the old accounts of
Turriff is given in the Journe}'- of a Volunteer
(Lond., 1747), the writer of which went
north with the Duke of Cumberland in 1746 :
— " Here, he says, we put up at the Post-
House at ane Urquharf s, and were Customers
to his handsome Daughters for verj^ curious
and fine Cotton Stockings, which they them-
selves made. The Women all along this Eoad
[from Meldrum to Turriff] seem'd to be
exceeding free and good-natured, for some of
them would give us I'art of their own Bed
rather than let us want. This Turreff" he
continues, "is a miserable small Town, built
upon irregular ground, but had fine Streams
of Chrj^stal Water, and presented us with an
extensive Prospect."
It would appear, as was to be expected, that
after the Eoyal army left the district, the
rebels, who lay in hiding and lived by plun-
der, made many unwelcome visits to the dis-
trict. On one occasion, about the middle of
Oct., 174G (Scots Maga.), a party of them en-
tered the farmhouse of Plains of Laithers, and
demanded the sum of £20 sterling, and when
the farmer assured them " that he had it not
to give," they tied a rope round his waist,
and dragged him u^s and down the river
Deveron till he was nearly dead !
The Volunteer before referred to says that
" the church (of Turriff) was the greatest curi-
osity, where the Bell Eopes hung outside, and
where they rung them upon occasions." These
remarks, although not so generally applicable
now as they were formerly, are descriptive
of many of the parish churches in Scotland at
the present time. But in this case they ap-
ply to the old kirk of Turriff now in ruins,
the new church not having been then erected.
In a satirical poem of some merit, written by
Hugh Allan, an Episcopalian tailor in Cumines-
town, and entitled " The Aiild Kirk of Turra's
Testament" (12 pp., Abd. 1863), the old
church gives the new one the following piece
of advice, which, in so far as regards the
laudable introduction of an organ and painted
glass windows, may be said to have been
adopted : —
Now, Dother, do as weel 's ye can ;
An' strive to en' as I began,
The Piimitive's the only plan,
Pure Orthodox,
Free o' the foul Geneva stain
And blots o' Knox.
The new church stands upon a rising ground
to the north of the town, and until lately it
236
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
had a double belfry, with two bc-lls. One was
dated 1799, and the other, which referred to
the irjcumbency of a minister who was trans-
lated to Fyvie in 1843, was thus inscribed : —
TUERIFF CHURCH, 1828.
JAMES CRUICKSHANK, MINISTER.
— These bells were both removed a few years
ago, and a new belfry and bell were put up,
each of which bears the letters J. C. M., being
the initials of the ^jresent minister, who is a
nephew of the above named.
The population of the parish in 1755
amounted to 1897, and in 1871 to 4348.
Being upon the line of railway from Aberdeen
to Banff, the town and district are conveni-
ently situated for the development of their
agricultural and other resources. The annual
exhibitions of cattle and horses at Turriif are
second to none, and are superior to those of
most local associations. The shows and sta-
tutory fairs are held upon a rising ground to
the KE. of the town; and the town itself,
which contains some good streets, churches of
various denominations, excellent dwelling-
houses and shops, branch banks, villa resi-
dences, and hotels, presents many points of
interest to tourists and others in quest of
" the picturesque."
A cemetery has lately been made out at
considerable expense. It lies to the east of
the town, and slopss from the lower road to
Monquhiiter down to the Burn of Turriff.
^ t r It f a 1 1) r 0.
{? S. RULE, OR REGULAS.)
CpUEPIN, Bishop of Brechin (1178-98),
"** granted to the monastery of Arbroath
a toft and croft in " Villa de Stnilmthemcli"
and also two acres of land belonging to the
same town.
A spring well near the kirk, long since
drained, was sometimes called Braid's Well,
and at other times Sbrule's Well. The latter
possibly presents a corrupted form of the name
of S. EuLE, and if so, the church had probably
been dedicated to that saint, who was a
favourite at St. Andrews and in other parts
of Scotland.
The kirk of Sfmcathvmrh, which was a
parsonage of the Cathedral of Brechin and
the residence of the chanter, is valued at 20
merks in the Old Taxation.
In 1574, Mr. Paul Frascr was minister and
Mr. John Sym reader. Mr. James Foular-
ton .was then minister of Dunlappie and four
other parishes, and the reader there, if not
identical with the holder of the same office at
Stracathro, bore the same name and surname.
John Sym became vicar of Dunlappie, and
after his death the Lords of the Privy Council
resolved (20 March, 1583) that, as "the par-
sonage of Stracathro be itself is not habile, in
respect of the pensionis and takis set of the
tua pairt thairof, to bo a reasonabill . .
sustentatioun for a minister of Godis Word to
serue and mak residence at the samin kirk,"
and as the vicarage " is of itself of na greit
boundis nor populus congregatioun," it should
be united to the " personage and paroche kirk
of Stracathro as haill incorporat in ane onlie
benefice in all tyme cuming." (Reg. Brechin.)
The teinds were annexed in 1 583, and Living-
ston of Dunypace had the patronage of the
kirks of Stracathro, Buthergill, and Kdmore
(both near Brechin), in 1593 (Acta Pari, iv.
20), but the parishes of Dunlappie and Stra-
cathro were not united until 1618.
The Presbytery records show that there was
" no schoole " at Stracathro in 1642, and that
on 18th August of the same year certain of
the Presbytery were appointed to " dealt with
STRACATHRO.
237
my Lord of Lour for bis concurrence for
erecting a school at yt kirk," and also with
Douglass of Tilwhilly. The " kirk fabrick "
was declared to be good ; but the heritors and
parishioners were called upon to " contribut
for building of a new pulpit," and " for buy-
ing a new bell." It was intimated at the
same diet that Andrew Brok was approved of
as " beddell," but, " because he was a brow-
ster, ho was ordained to sell no eall to be
drunken in his own house vpon Sunday."
The proposed " dealing with the heritors "
(Lord Lour and Douglass of Tilquhilly) re-
garding the points at issue appears to have
been unsuccessful, it being reported, 25 Aug.,
1643, that the latter refused to contribute
" for ane scool or ane pulpit." But matters
were not to be allowed so to rest ; and the
committee of the Presbytery were recommen-
ded to speak again to my Lord Lour, and also
to Tilquhilly's "sonne James Douglass."
Lord Lour, jireviously Sir John Carnegie,
and a brother of the first Earl of Southesk,
was then proprietor of the Dunlappie portion
of the parish. He was twice married, first to
one of the Hallyburtons of Pitcur, and next,
in 1652, to a daughter of one of his own
tenants, named !Maule (Epitaphs, i. 320).
But if the following satirical " Lynes " can be
relied upon (Scotiish Pasquils, 409), the habits
of neither his lordship nor his lady were to be
commended : —
Oh ! John Oarnagie in Dunlappie,
Thou hes a wyfe both blyth and sappie,
A bottle that is both whyte and nappie ;
Thou sits, and with thy little cappie,
Thoii drinks, and never leaves a drappie,
Until thou sleepest lyke a tappie,
O ! were I John, I would be happie.
Whether the proposed interview, above
referred to, with Lord Lour and Tilwhilly 's
son proved successful is not so certain as
that thirty years afterwards, in 1673, his
Lordship's grand-daughter, Lady ^lagdalene,
and John Mudio of Arbikie, were discovered
to have been " cohabiting together " in the
parish of Stracathro, they having been
previously married by the schoolmaster of
Craig, " without any order or consent of
parents, or proclamationes." Taking a proper
view of the matter. Lord Xorthesk and the
Presbytery ordered them to be confirmed '' in
the holy bond of matrimony before the con-
gregation, by joiiung hands together," and as
they had clandestinely left the parish of Inver-
keillor, doubtless to avoid the Earl's wrath,
they both returned to the same. Lady
Magdalene died soon after, and her husband
married as his second wife a daughter of Turn-
bull of Stracathro, by whom he had issue.
Their last descendant, Mr. John Mudib of
Pitmuies, died in 1876, and as he had no
near relatives, his landed property and a
a large sum of money were inherited by Mr.
Leonard Lyell, a son of the second brother of
late Sir Charles Lyell of Kinnordy, Bart.
(Epitaphs, i. 92, 322).
How long matters continued at Stracathro
as they were in the time of Lord Lour and
the Laird of Tilwhdly is uncertain ; but in
1729 the school and schoolhouse were reported
as being " new built." The minister of that
period appears to have erected or repaired the
manse at his own cost, and not having been
re-imbursed for his outlay, he refused, when
a visitation of the manse was proposed to
be made on behalf of the heritors, " to give the
workmen access to see it." The kirk and kirk-
yard dykes were also in disrepair at this time.
Now-a-days, however, matters are changed.
The manse has a good appearance externally,
and the school buildings seem to be in excel-
lent order. There is no want of either a bell
or a pulpit, while the church, erected in 1791,
although a plain building, is a comfortable
place of worship, and the burial groun 1 is en-
closed by substantial walls, into whicli, nenr
the gate, a large baptismal font has been built.
238
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
When the churchyard was lately trenched
and levelled, tombstones were found that
had been lost for many generations. "Upon
one of these, a very much defaced slab, are
two shields charged with the armorial bearings
of the Frasers and the Liddells. It likewise
bears the initials M'. P. F. : B. L. A perpendi-
cular line is cut from the top to the bottom of
the slab, and upon the left are the words
VIVE . VT . POSTEA . VIVAS, and the
date of 1609. Upon the right side, near the
foot, the figures " 16" can be traced.
This is the gravestone of Mr. Paul Eraser,
before referred to, and his wife. He had a
gift of the Chantry of Brechin, 18th July,
1566, with " the lands, kirks, woods, miUs,
fishings, teindsheaves, and emoluments what-
soever pertaining thereto, vacant by the resig-
nation of their Majesties' familiar domestic,
Eobert Eraser, and Eobert Eraser his son, with
the consent of his father, through their ina-
bility to serve and exercise the cure of the
said benefice." From this time down to his
death in 1609, Eraser continued to hold the
office of chanter of the cathedral of Brechin,
which went along with the incumbency of
Stracathro. Scott (Fasti) says that he was
a member of five of the eight Assemblies that
were held from October, 1.581, to June, 1587,
that he was a Commissioner for the preserva-
tion of the Protestant religion in Forfarshire,
and that he died on 22nd August, 1609, having
been predeceased by his wife.
Mr. Eraser married Barbara Liddle, the
daughter of a citizen of Brechin, and the
widow of David Schewiin, a merchant in the
same city, to whom she bore a son John, who
owned considerable property in Brechin, and
was sometime a burgess and baillie of the
town of Dundee. She had two daughters by
Mr. Fraser, one of whom married Thomas
Erskine of Whitefield, Dun, and the other
James Schewan, a relative of her own.
Mr. Eraser was succeeded by Mr. Egbert
NoRiE, who died in 1643. He was followed
by Mr. George Foggo, who was translated
from Edzell, and who, on 3rd October, 1649,
was suspended from office for playing at cards
and dice, and for drunkenness, tippling, and
swearing (Br. Presb. Records), but there being
a scarcity of ministers at the time, he was re-
poned in the following year. He had his leg
hurt by a fall on the ice some years afterwards,
and dying in 1655, he was succeeded by Mr.
Guthrie, to whose memory there was a monu-
ment, of the inscription upon which these
traces alone remain : — ■
EXR
GVTHR^VS . PASTOR . QVOXDAM . ECCLESI^
. STRACATHROE
OBIIT
— He was a son of the laird of Pitforthy, near
Brechin, and a younger brother of James
Guthrie of Fenwick, author of the " Christian's
Saving Interest." !Mr. Guthrie became minis-
ter of Stracathro in 1655, and died 1662, aged
about 33. He married Magdalen, daughter
of Alexander Carnegie of Cookstone, who sur-
vived until 1702 (Br. Sess. Rec.J
A table-shajjed stone, elaborately orna-
mented, exhibits a shield charged with two
mullets in base (for Coutts), and an open book
in chief. The initials M. A. C. (Mr. Alex.
Coutts) and E. B. (Elizabeth Burnett) flank
the shield. The following inscription is round
the margin of the stone : —
HERE LTES IN THE LORD, MASTER ALEXANDER
COUTES, LATE MINISTER IN STRICKATHROU, WHO
DEP.\RTED THIS LIFE THE 14 OF APRYL, ANNO 1695
YEARS, HIS AGE 40 YEARS
■ — -Mr. Coutes, who was probably from !Mon-
trose, where the name was pretty common in
and before his time, and whence the founder
of the fiimous banking family went to Edin-
burgh (Epitaphs, i. 27), succeeded Mr. Guild
about the close of 1677. Mr. Coutes was the
STRACATHRO.
239
last Episcopal clergyman of the parish,
and was followed by !Mr. John Glasford,
whose wife predeceased him, as is shown by
the following inscription : —
Here lyes the dust of Margaret Ogilvt,
sometime spouse to Master John Glasfurd,
minister of Straicathro, who departed this lyfe
on the eleventh day of June 1714, aged 57.
John Glasfurd, our soue, departed 20 day of
January, 1713, he being 8 yeai-s of age. . . .
— Upon the stone are an open book and the
initials M.I.G. and M.O. There appears to
have been more lettering upon this slab, but
it cannot now be deciphered.
Soon after the death of Mr. Coutes, Mr.
John Davie intruded himself upon the parish,
and being backed by the Earl of Southesk,
he gave both Mr. Glasfurd and the Presbytery
of Brechin a good deal of trouble. He and
six other ministers were ultimately deprived
of their licences on the ground of their being
" prelatical and Jacobite intruders." Still this
did not silence the "intruders" so soon as
might liave been supposed, for on 2nd Nov.,
1715, and after the sentence of deposition was
passed, it is recorded that " the whole parioch "
was ordered by Mr. Davie, on pain of all
recusants being sent to the Pretender's camp at
Perth, to assemble in the church of Stracathro
and join in " the worsliip of a pretended fast
for success to the Pretender's arms." Mr. Davie
himself is said to have come to the meeting
" on the head of nearly eighty men under arms,
with beating drums and flying colours," and it
is quaintly added that " he preached a little in
the church, [but] after that kind of worship
was over, he mustered up his men again at the
kirk stile, and, at their front went to Kiu-
uaird." Mr. Davie, who lived at Aruhall, was
factor for the Earl of Southesk and several
other Jacobite proprietors.
Upon a headstone, near Mr. Glasfurd's : —
Erected in memory of the Rev. Robert Han-
nah, who died 7th April 1828, in the 75th year
of his age, and 44th of hia ministry. He wa.s
eminently distinguished for the integrity with
which he discharged his pastoral duties. Spes
in ccelum tendit.
— Mr. Hannah was succeeded by Mr. Wil-
liam Gerard, a son of the Rev. Gilbert
Gerard, Professor of Divinity at Aberdeen,
and nephew of Mr. Cruickshank of Straca-
thro. Mr. Gerard was of a quiet retiring dis-
position, a good scholar, and a man of culti-
vated tastes. He died in 18.51, aged about
53, and was succeeded by the present incum-
bent, Mr. Grant, who is a native of Towie in
Strathdou.
Upon a table shaped stone : —
This stone is placed over the grave of Colin
Mackenzie, Esq. of Stracathrow, who died Jan.
1767 ; and of his brother. Dr. John Mackenzie,
who died Dec. 1775.
— One of these Mackenzies was laird of Druiu-
tochty in Fordoun (Ejiitaphs, i. 357). Colin,
who was designed " of the Island of Jamaica,"
bought the lands of Stracathro in 1764 from
Peter Turnbull, whose ancestor, Peter Turn-
bull, in Ulysses-haven (Usan), acquired the
same by purchase from Sir Robert Douglass
of TUwhyllie in 1656. Colin Mackenzie
afterwards sold the estate to his brother. Dr.
John, and from him it was purchased in 17 — ■
by Mr. Patrick Cruickshank, who had ac-
quired a fortune in the West Indies (Inf.
kindly comm. by Jas. Young, Esq., solicitor,
Forfar). Mr. Cruickshank died at Stracathro,
and was buried within an enclosure on the
south side of the kirk, but no stone marks the
spot. He was twice married, first to ,
and next to a daughter of the Rev. Dr. Alex.
Gerard, Old Aberdeen. By the former he
had Mrs. Gordon of Cairnfield (Epitaphs, i.
275), and by the latter four daughters, two
of whom were married to brothers of Sir
Alexander Ramsay of Balmain, a third to
!Major Robertson of Kindace, and the fourth
to Lieutenant-Colonel Mackav of Bigarhouse.
240
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
After the death of their father, the estate
was sold to their uncle, Mr. Alexander
Cruickshank, who built the present mansion-
house ; and from his trustees the property
was bought in 1848 by the late Sir James
Campbell. Sir James and his lady both died
at Stracathro House, and are interred in the
parish churchyard, where their monument is
thus inscribed : —
In memoi-y of Sir James Campbell of Stra-
cathro, who died on 10th September, 1876, aged
86 years ; and of Janet Bannerman, his wife,
who died on 3rd October 1873, aged 82 yeare.
— Sir James, who received the honour of
knighthood in 1842, while Lord Provost of
Glasgow, was a native of the parish of Port
Monteith, and was long head of the firm of
Messrs. J. & "W. Campbell, merchants in
Glasgow. His eldest son, James A. Campbell,
LL.D., who married a daughter of Sir S. M.
Peto, P>art., succeeded to Stracathro. The
second son, Henry Campbell- Bannerman, who
acquired the estate of Hunton Court, Kent,
from a maternal uncle, married a daughter of
Major-General Sir C. Bruce, K.C.B. He has
represented the Stirling Burghs since 1868,
and held the office of Financial Secretary at
War in 1871-4.
Since Stracathro came into the hands of Sir
James Campbell, the property has not only
been greatly improved by draining and build-
ing, but also increased in extent by the pur-
chase of the adjacent lands of Ballownie,
Smiddyhill, Ballochy, Adicat, Brae of Pert, &c.
The farm of Newton, from which Lord
Newton assumed his judicial title (Epitaphs,
i. 322), lies to the westward of the church,
and belongs to the representatives of Mr.
Fyffe. Newton Mill, another separate estate,
was bought from a branch of the Ochterlonys
of Pitforthie by Dr. W. Ogilvy, to whose
memory a chest-shaped monument bears this
inscription : — •
In memory of William Ogilvy, Esqr. of
Newtonmill, snn of Sir William Ogilvy, Bart, of
BaiTas, by Ann, daughter of Isaac Foulerton,
Esq. of Charleton, who departed this life on the
2()th of March 1817, aged 71 yeai-s. Also to the
memory of Isabella and Elizabeth Ogilvt,
his sisters, and of Catherine Ann Ogilvt,
youngest daughter of Sir David Ogilvy, Bart, of
Barras, who died 25th Eeby. 1812, aged 28.
An adjoining tombstone bears : —
Sacred to the memory of Sir George Mul-
GRAVB OoiLvr, Baronet of Barras, who departed
this life at Newtonmill, on the 9th day of March,
1837, aged 57.
— Sir George was a nephew of Dr. Ogilvy of
Newtonmill, to whose property he succeeded,
and was also the last Baronet and male repre-
sentative of the OgUvys of Barras. This was
a branch of the Ogilvys of Inverquharity,
and the Baronetcy was conferred upon them
in recognition of the great but ill-requited
share that the laird of Barras and his lady
had in saving the Eegalia of Scotland at the
siege of Dunnottar Castle during the Wars of
the Commonwealth. (Eegalia Papers ; Epi-
taphs, i. 170.) Newtonmill now belongs to
Mr. Livingston, a maternal descendant of the
Ogilvys of Barras.
Although the TurnbiiUs were designed of
DuUachy (? Dalladies), on the north side of the
river, in the time of Edward I. (!Mem. Angus
and Mearns, 381), and held considerable pro-
perty in the parish of Stracathro from before
1666 until within these forty years, no tomb-
stone bears their name either at Fettercairn or
Stracathro. Their burial place in the latter
parish was near the middle of the kirkyard,
and a slab is said to cover the grave of one of
their kinsmen, who was minister of the parisli
from 1747 to 1782.
Dalladies is still Turnbull property ; and
the last portion that they retained in Stra-
cathro was a place called Muirton. This
branch of the family, however, became very
much embarrassed, owing chiefly, it is said,
STRACATHRO.
241
to protracted litigations. The old house was
in such a miserable state of decay that more
than half the window panes were broken and
their places supplied with straw. It also ap-
pears that towards the close of the old laird's
time the farm \vas worked mainly by his own
family, while he went idling about with tat-
tered garments, and a hat with a torn brim
hanging over his eyes ; and " the lady," whose
moruing dress consisted of " a braw prentit
goon, wi' twa big fl'unces," amused herself all
forenoon with roasting potatoes for dinner
among the peat ashes at the kitchen fire. The
ducks and hens were frequent visitors even to
" the ben" or dining-room end of the house, and
some of the latter often perched upon the
tureen at dinner time, and helped themselves
to barley pickles before the family began their
meal !
It was scarcely to be expected that with
such training the young laird could thrive so
well as he might have done under more favour-
able circumstances. He built a new house,
which was much required, but he thereby in-
creased a debt that the estate was already
unable to bear. The property was accordingly
brought to the market and sold to the gentle-
man whose name is first recorded in the next
inscription ; —
In memory of Archibald Gibson of Auchen-
reoch, also Ja;ne Gibsox, his sister. They lived
respected and died lamented. J. G., oh." Feby.
18th 1852, A. G., ob, Jau.y. 19th 1859. This
stone is erected by their brother, Alexander
Gibson, Conservator of Foreste, Western India.
Also of the said Alexander Gibson, who died
at Auchenreoch, 15th January 1867, aged 67
years.
— Mr. Gibson changed the name of the estate
from " Muirton" to Auchenreoch. His father,
who was farmer of ^Morphie in the parish of St.
Cyrus, was twice married, and had families by
both wives. Besides the above-named Archi-
bald,who was a merchant in Calcutta, and Alex-
ander, who was at first in the medical service
in India, another brother, William, was a
medical practitioner in Montrose. Dr. Alex-
ander added the property of Chapelton to the
estate of Auchenreoch, and neither he nor his
brother Archibald being married, the two
estates were left, after certain interests ceased,
to Dr. William Gibson's grandson, whose
father Patrick, a merchant in Peru, died, at
an early age, and was buried at St. Cyrus (Epi-
taphs, i. 376).
The next six inscriptions are from flat
slabs : —
THE
TEAR OF OVR LORD 1667 ; AND SIBILIA HIL HIS
SPOVSE, WHO DIED IN THE TEAR 1671, . . . AND
DA TEAR 1658, AND DAVID
WIL, HIS SON WHO DIED IN THE TEAR 1676 . .
[2.]
Heare rests in the Lord Isobell Sime, spouse
to Alexander Mader, in Bodei-s, uho departed
this life the 17 of Desember 169-
David Sime, uho departed this life the 9 of
Dsmr. 99, his age 60.
— Boders or Bodwarts is the old name of a
property now known as Cairnbank, and lying
between Stracathro and Brechin, but within the
latter parish. " Mader " is one of the many
forms in which the surname of Mathers is
found. The Sims were possibly descendants
of the old reader or vicar before noticed.
[3.]
Heir lyes who died in the year
1 , and his spouse, who died in
the year 1 , with Iames, and Andrew, Iean,
Katherin, and Elizabeth C'arnegts ther chil-
dren, who died in the yeares 1685 and 1686.
Remember man as thov goes by, &c.
A. c : K. D : I. c : a. c : I. c : K. c : E. c.
— The names of the parents, which are indi-
cated by the first four initials, embraced, like
those of tlie deceased children, in a fine mono-
gram, have never been cut upon the stone, the
spaces being blank.
s2
242
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
[-!■]
l^g^Heir lyes David Bvrne soratym at the
Mill of Nevtovn, and David Bvrne, his son,
vhoe svcceided to his father as tenneut at the sed
mill, vho departed this lyfe in anno 1681, his age
63. And alsoe Thomas Bvrne, soue to the said
David Bvrne, yovnger, and departed this lyfe in
anno 1675.
D. B : D. II. s : E. B : K. D.
. . . . cal a . . . . ortall.'i most obey.
And by death svmonds they be catcht avay,
Into ane minvt, of this vorld its stage,
Both rich & poor, yo^'ng, & those of old age.
Thir persons livd in great fidelitie,
Bvt nov they past into eternitie.
Their neighbovrs and all others did ym love,
Soe nov its hopt they are in the heavens al)0ve.
[5.]
Near the middle of a red sandstone flag, and
between the initials A.T., is the rudely inci.sed
figure of a hammer (possibly a blacksmith's),
and towards the top are these initials : —
G. T : K. F : I. T : G. T :
[6.]
Interred her .... this stone doth lye
Five children of . . honest familie,
christianlie
are past into Eternitie
. . . . soul and . . . them by death
so gave up their breath.
Upon the south side of a headstone, em-
bellished with the waulkmiller's shears, &c. : —
Here lye Margaret Wilson . . . spouse
to Peter Symmer, in Wakmil of Newtoun, who
died October the 16th, 1730, age 59 years ;
and
— The west side of the same stone exhibits a
rude carving of Adam and Eve at the forbidden
tree, and also (Epitaphs, i. 223, 253) these
lines : —
Adam and Eve, by eating the forbidden tree ;
Brought all mankin'd to sin and misery.
The marriage of the soul and Christ,
No death disoliue it can.
But carnall marriages it maye
Of wife and of the man.
Here lyes Mart Stmmer, spouse to James
Tindal, masson at Newton, departed this life
upon the 7 day of April, 1782, aged 30 years.
— The Symmerses were probably related to the
old lairds of Balzeordie in Menmuir, and one
of their descendants, who was long a litsler or
dyer in Brechin, lived down to within these
thirty j'ears.
From a head-stone : —
Erected by Alexr. Duncan, in memory of his
father Alex. Duncan, schoolmaster at Stra-
cathrow, who died 22'' Nov., 1763, aged 63 years.
And of his mother, Ann Buchan, who died 20th
June, aged — years.
— Among Mr. Duncan's successors in the
school of Stracathro was Alexander Laing,
who perished not far from his own house
during a snowstorm, in January, 1854. He
was originally a flaxdresser, but having a taste
for learning, he educated himself for the office of
a teacher, the duties of which he continued to
discharge until the time of his death. He wrote
several poems, among others a ballad called
" The Raid o' Fearn, or the Battle o' Saughs,"
and a c\&vqx jeu d'espiit, entitled, "The Brechin
Eecusant, or Auld Jamie Arnot." To his bet-
ter know'n namesake, Alexander Laing of
Brechin, author of " Wayside Flowers," he
addressed, 3rd October, 1840 (in allusion to
the occupations of their respective maternal
grandfathers, the years of their own births,
places of baptism, their names, trades, and
tastes), the following
COINCIDENCES.
Our grandsires rang one parish bell,
Invitinjj all to worship God ;
They toU'd their neighbours funeral knell, —
Now both rest low beneath one sod.
In Eijjlity-six to life we came.
And both were sprinkl'd at one font ;
Our n.ames and surnames are the same :
And both have view'd, not climbed the mount ;*
To one profession both were bred —
Both still are in the land of grace ;
Grant, when we make the grave our bed,
That we may see our Father's face.
I'pon the surrounding wall of an enclosure
near the north-east corner of the burial-ground :
STRACATHRO.
243
— " Below is the entrance to the vault of John
Hall Fell, Esq., 1854." "Within the enclosure
a granite slab is thus inscribed : —
Here rest the mortal remains of John Hall
Fell, Esq. of Belmont, near Uxbridge, in the
county of Middlesex, who died at Cairubank,
Jan. 30th, 1834, aged 38 years ; of Elizabeth,
his wife, daughter of Thomas Bowes, Esq. of
Darlington, in the county of Durham, who died
Feb. 3rd, 1854, aged 41 years ; and of Richard,
their only son, who died Jan. 25th, 1854, aged 8
years. They, leaving three daughters, passed
from life to death by the same disease (a malig-
nant fever), taken one from the other in the per-
formance of the last duties of parental and
wedded love, after an illness of three days each.
Their son died in the same fever after an illness
of one day. " They were loved and pleasant in
their lives, and in death were not divided."
— llr. Fell, who was lessee of the house of
Cairnbank, had not been long there when the
unfortunate malady broke out that proved
fatal to himself, his wife, and son. The cause
was attributed at the time to some sanitary
defect about the house or its neighbourhood.
From a granite monument : —
Sacred to the memory of Alexander Don,
Ballowuie, who died 1st August, 1808, aged 62
yeara ; of his mother, Janet Prophet, who died
February 1799, aged 81 years ; of his relict, Jean
Hood, who died 6th Feby. 1837, aged 81 years ;
and of their sons and daughters as follows,
James died — 1796 in infancy ; Hannah, died
9th July, 1800, aged 7 years ; Janet, died 4th
Deer. 1804, aged 26 yeare ; John, died 24th
Feby. 1808, aged 27 years; Thomas, died 1st
March 1822, aged 32 years ; William, died at
Montreal, Feby. 1850, aged 59 years ; Alex-
ander, died at Ballownie, Novr." 1850, aged 68
years. His son, Robert, died I7th March, 1838,
aged 7 years. Robert, died at Brechin, April
1853, aged 65 yeare ; Mart Don, died at Brechin,
6th Octr. 1861, aged 75 years. Jean Fullar-
TON, relict of Alex. Don, Ballownie, died at
Fetterciiirn, 19th Feby. 1871, aged 78 years.
— In addition to the family mentioned above,
Alex. Don and Jean Hood had a son, Dr.
James Don, who became a Surgeon-General in
the Bengal Army. He bought the small pro-
perty of Bearehill, at Brechin, where he died
in 1864, and left £1000 towards establishing
an infirmary in that town. The ancestors of
this branch of the Dons appear to have been
Jas. Don and • Fairweather, Mill of
Blackball, in ^lenmuir, whose son Alexander
was three times married — first to Margaret,
daughter of David Skair, of Balconnell and
Burnside, next, to Janet, daughter of Amlrew
Leighton, farmer, Burnside, and lastly, to
Janet Prophet, by whom he had the above-
named son, Alexander, who succeeded to him
in the farm of Ballowuie, and died in 1808.
Tradition affirms that a battle was fought
in Stracathro during the middle ages, in which
three Danish generals were slain ; and, accord-
ing to the same authority, they were all buried
at the east end of the kirk. Three long graves
were, till lately, pointed out at the spot re-
ferred to, and two remaining blocks of red
sandstone, one about 8i feet long by about
•3 feet broad and the other considerably less,
are said to have covered two of the graves.
Whether corroborative of this tradition or not,
it is interesting to find that the Irish Anna-
lists speak of a Danish giant named " Straca-
theras," who obtained a victory over the Irish
{i.e., Scots), but was soon afterwards slain by
them at a place the name of which is not
given (Dowling's Annals).
Ancient graves containing relics of various
kinds have been found in ditferent parts of
the parish, particularly on the east and west
of the kirk (Mem. Angus and Mearns, *25).
The King's Ford on the North Esk (the sup-
posed Tina of Richard of Cirencester) is said
to have been the jslace where the Romans
crossed when on their expedition to the north.
It was then, according to the folk lore of the
district, that both the parish and the lands of
Capo, on the opposite side of the river, re-
ceived their names — the former from the
Roman general ordering his armv to " Strick-
244
EPITAPHS, AND INSCMTPTIONS :
an'-ca' throw," and the latter from the com-
mander of the Scots calling to his men to
" kep-a ! " But the origin of the name of
Stracathro appears, from Dr. Joj'ce's great
work on Irish etj'mology, to be found in the
words Strath-cath-rath, the fort of the battle-
field or strath ; and that of Capo or Kepa is
probably derived from Keppaijh, a place
abounding with stumps of trees.
Lundie, on the north-west, the greater part
of which was first brought under cultivation
by the present proprietor, Mr. Shepherd, was
a waste from time immemorial. Although the
origin of the name is somewhat doubtful (the
words lon-duhh and hjnn-duhh, meaning re-
spectively a place frequented with blackbirds
and the black pool), it is said that Lundie
was at one time covered witli a forest of oak,
and that the timber grew there of which the
rafters of the kirk of Brechin were made.
When some of these were removed and sold
in 1807, bits of the wood were made into
household ornaments and snuff-boxes ; and in
allusion to the tradition the following lioes,
written, we believe, by Alex. Laing, author
of Wayside Flowers, were put upon some of
the latter : —
" This Box was made from an oaken log,
That was brought from the forest of Lundie Bog
At the foot of the famous Caterthun
Full seven hundred years by gone,
And since that time till lately stood
On Brechin Church a rafter good,
As by this relic you well may see
It was sound at heart, as sound could be,
Which is more, perhaps, than may be said
Of you who have this Inscription read."
Stracathro appears to have been in historic
times also a place of note, it being recorded
that Angus, Earl of Moray, and his people
were slain there in 11 30 (Haile's Annals) ; and
in the churchyard (Cimiterio de Strouk-
atherach) King John Baliol did homage to
Edward I. of England (Prynne, G50).
At a later period (1452), the Lindsays under
Earl Beardie were defeated by the Earl of
Huntly near the Hare Cairn. A large boulder
on the summit of Huntly Hill, under which
a stone cist and bones were found some years
ago, is said to mark the spot where Huntly
placed his standard on that occasion. The
site, which had possibly been occupied at an
early period by a stone circle, affords one of
the most extensive and interesting views in
the county. It has probably its name from
the old British word haar or haars, a march or
boundary stone.
It was during the flight of " Earl Beardie "
from this battle to his stronghold at Fmbaven
that he is said to have exclaimed he "wad
have been content to hang seven years in hell
by the breers (eyelashes) of the e'en " to have
gained the victory that fell to his opponent.
Several of Huntly's men followed Lindsay in
disguise to his castle of Finhaven, and among
others Calder of Asswanley, in Glass, who is
said to have stolen a silver drinking cup from
the table. This cup was afterwards pledged
by a " weardless " laird of Asswanley to a
roadside tavern keeper, and being accidentally
discovered in " a peat bunker " of the public
house by Sir Ernest Gordon of Cobairdie
(Land of the Lindsays), it was redeemed by
1dm, and is now in the possession of the Earl
of Crawford.
The glebe and site of the old kirk of Dun-
LAPPiE are upon the west side of the Dye or
West Water, near Eastertown. There are no
inscribed stones, and no remains of the clmrch.
The early ecclesiastical and territorial his-
tory of Dunlappie, which are both interesting,
have been already given, as well as some ac-
count of the Eev. ilr. Eose of the Episcopal
Church, who lived in the " slated house of
Woodside " of Dunlappie, and was great-
grandfather of Lord Strathnairn (ilem. Angus
and Mearns, 426 ; Epitaphs, i. 294). Wood-
side was then a considerable hamlet, occupied
among others by shoemakers, tailors, carpen-
SLAINS.
245
ters, and blacksmiths. As in many other
marshy places, the disease of the " loupin'
ague," a species of St. Vitus' dance, was very
common among the younger portion of the
population, and those afflicted by it are said
to have sometimes run a mile on end without
being able to stop.
Dunlappie was acquired by the Falconers
about the beginning of the 17th century, and
contiuued in the hands of their representatives
until about 1859-62. It was then divided
into six portions, and sold by Lord Kiutore to
as many proprietors, all of ^phoul were pre-
viously tenant-farmers.
During the time of the Eev. Mr. Eose the
holdings were comparatively small. It is said
that four of them were occupied by families
of the name of Martin, regarding whom a
doggrel triplet has been preserved, which was
probably meant as a caution to those who were
unguarded in their remarks among strangers : —
Crawhill, an' Ba'hill,
Rochie, an' the Greens — ■
A' thae three are frien's.
The river Cruick, which rises in the parish
of Fearn and joins the North Esk near the
Kirk of Stracathro, is crossed by stone bridges
in the latter parish at Newton 3\Iill and at the
Manse. Both bridges were built about 1781 ;
and a stone bridge of three arches, built in
1787, crosses the Dye or West Water at
Inchbare upon the road to Edzell (Epitaphs,
i. 311).
\^^v^^^v^v^v^^\*^^^^^\^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^v\^^
^ 1 a i n 0»
(S. TEENAN, BISHOP.)
THIS district is composed of the two
parishes of Slanijs and Foruy.
The latter church, which is rated at six
merks in the Taxation of 1275, was dedicated
to S. Adamnan. It stood near the middle of
the sands of Forvie, between the river Ythan
and the village of CoUieston. The reputed
foundations of the church are still pointed
out by the side of a small burn, and graves
containing human bones have been found near
it. But the whole district, which is said to
have been overblown with sand, is now a
dreary waste of from three to four miles in
extent, overgrown with bents and pastured by
sheep.
The churches of Forvie, Slains, and Logie-
Buchan appear to have had one minister in
1569. In 1574, the kirk of Forvie was given
by James VI. to King's College, Aberdeen,
but there is no mention of it in the Register
of Ministers for that year, nor has the date of
its annexation to Slains been ascertained.
The kirk of Slanys is rated at 17 merks in
the Taxation of 1275, and two years before
that date Eobert de Lylie, rector of Slanys, is
a witness to the foundation charter of St.
Congan's Hospital at Turriff (Coll. Abd. Bfif.)
On 17th September, 1505, Bishop Elphin-
stone renewed the grant which he had pre-
viously made of the church of Slains to King's
College, Aberdeen (Ibid). In 1574, Mr. John
Gartly, who was minister of Slains and the
three neighbouring parishes of Logie-Buchan,
Ellon, and Foveran, had a stipend of £80
Scots. The readership at Slains, then vacant,
is valued at 20 merks and kirk lands.
The lands of Nether and Over Leask, al-
though disjoined from Ellon and added to
Slains in 1606, continued to pay teind and
vicarage to the former parish. When the
stipends of Slains became vacant, as they ap-
pear to have done on several occasions, they
were granted to King's CoUege (Acta Pari, v.y.),
from which the patronage of the kirk passed
to the Earl of Errol.
S. Ternan's Well is in the manse garden
beside the church, and the lute church, re-
246
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
moved in 1876 to give place to the present
building, is said to have succeeded one that
was built in 1599.
Slains has been the property of the Hays
since the time of Bruce, and Andrew, seventh
Earl of Errol (descended from Thos. Hay of
Logiealmond, second son of the third Earl)
who married the daughter of the fifth Earl,
and thus united the lineal and male branches
of the family, was the last of the Hays
that was buried in the ancient family tomb
at Cupar. It was his son Francis, the
eighth Earl, who succeeded in 1585, and had
his castle demolished for the part he took
against the King at Glenlivat in 1594. He
was pardoned, and on his return from abroad
in 1596, he erected a castle at Bowness (now
Slains Castle) in Cruden, where he died on
16th July, 1631. He was buried in the
parish church of Slains, and Spalding (i. 25)
says that the funeral took place " vpone the
nicht," and that the Earl's body was " con-
voyit quyetlie with his awin domestiks and
countrie freindis, and with torche licht," it
being his lordship's wish " to be bureit quyet-
lie, and sic expenssis as sould be wairit prodi-
gallie vpone his buriall " were ordered to be
given to the poor. He is thus celebrated by
Arthur Johnston (Poet. Scot., i. 622) : —
Nascentem placido te vidit lumine Pallas,
Mens apta est studiis, prurit in arma manus.
[Pallas with kindly eye looked on thy birth ;
Fitted is thy mind for learned pursuits — thy hand
in deeds of arms excels.]
His son, who married the only daughter of
the Earl of Kinghorn, did not, unfortunately,
inherit his father's economical habits, and
shortly before his death he disposed of the
ancient family estate of Errol in Perthshire.
He died there on 7th December, 1636, and
was buried in the parish church. His son,
Earl Gilbert, who died without issue in 1674,
was succeeded as eleventh Earl by Sir John
Hay of Keillor, near Cupar-Angus, who died
in 1707. He was the father of the twelfth
Earl and of Countess Mary. She was possibly
the last of the family that was buried at
Slains ; and although there is no tombstone
to the memory of Earl Francis, there is one to
Countess Mary and her husband within a
roofless and shamefully neglected aisle on the
south side of the church. It is a slab of blue
limestone, of the sort called lona marble, and
bears the following inscription in Roman
capitals —
Sub hoc lapide sepulchrali non conduntur
aurum et argentum nee thesauri cujuscunque
generis, sed corpora charissimorum conjugum.
Marine, Comitissse de Errol, et Alexri. Hat
de Dalgaty, qui vixerunt in conjugio 27 annos
placide et amauter, et qui desiderarunt juxta se
iuhumari ; et euixe rogaut ne lapis hie moveatur,
nee eorum reliquise exciteutur, sed permittatur
eis simul quiescere in Domino donee Dominus
eos evooaverit ad resurrectiouem ■I'itas quam
felicem expectant ex misericordia Dei et meritis
Silvatoris Domiui Jesu Christi.
[Under this tombstone are laid, not gold and
silver nor treasures of any kind, but the bodies
of a most affectionate pair. Mart, Countess of
Errol, and Alexander Hat of Dalgaty, who
lived in wedlock peacefully and lovingly for
twenty -seven years, and who desired to be buried
side by side ; and they earnestly entreat that
this stone may not be removed nor their remains
disturbed, but that they may be suffered to rest
together in the Lord until He shall summon them
to the happy resurrection unto life, to which
they look forward, trusting in the mercy of God
and the merits of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ.]
— Countess Mary, who died at Slains Castle,
19th August, 1758, married Alexander Fal-
coner, a son of the Lord President, who as-
sumed the surname and designation of " Hay
of Dalgety," and by whom she was pre-
deceased. She succeeded her brother. Earl
Charles, in 1717, and appeared by deputy
as High Constable of Scotland at the coro-
nation of George II. Leaving no issue,
she was succeeded by her sister Margaret,
whose daughter by the Earl of Linlithgow
married William Earl of Kilmarnock. He
SLA INS.
247
was beheaded for high treason in 1746, and
his eldest son, the Hon. James Eoyd, became
thirteenth Earl of Errol. He was remarkable
for stateliness of person and kindliness of
manner ; and Dr. Johnson, wlio visited Slains
in his lordship's time, thought so highly of
him that he likened him to the Homeric Sar-
pedon. His lordship was the friend of Dr.
Beattie, and his full-length portrait by Sir
Josliua Eeynolds stOl graces the walls of
Slains Castle. He died in 1778, leaving one
daughter by his first wife and a large family
by his second. The latter was a daughter of
Sir William Can' of Etal, whose estates went
to the Earl's eldest daughter by Miss Carr.
The present Earl (great grandson of the unfor-
tunate Earl of Kilmarnock) was wounded in
the Crimean War. He married a daugliter of
the Hon. Charles Gore, C.B., and has issue.
When the present church was erected the
south wall was built over the grave of the
Eev. Mr. Paterson, who died in 1793, aged
87. He was buried in that portion of the
church which is still called " The Jlinister's
Eoom," and to his successor a table shaped
monument of the same sort of stone as the
Countess of Errol's is thus inscribed : —
Here rest the remains of the Eev. George
PiRiE, D.D., 32 years ministex- of the Parish of
Slains, who departed this life August 22nd,
1826, aged 66 years. He was an able scholar, an
impressive preacher, and possessed of the most
unsullied integrity. Though perfectly indepen-
dent, both in his opinions and conduct, his affec-
tionate manner, uniform benevolence, and exten-
sive information gained him many friends. He
ever exerted himself to the utmost for the good
of his parishioners. An attached husband and
father, his widow and children in his death de-
plore a loss which can never be repaired. The
Parishionei-s of Slains (with consent of his family)
have erected this stone to his memory as a testi-
mony of theii- gratitude and regard.
— Dr. Pirie had a new church built in 1800,
and among other children he had a son, Dr.
William E. Pirie, formerlv Professor of
Divinity in, and now Principal of the Uni-
versity of Aberdeen, who (Scott's Fasti) " has
for some years been considered leader of the
General Assembly."
The following, from a granite monument,
relates to Dr. Pirie's successor : —
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Gavin Gibb
Dunn, who departed this life the 20th July,
1840, aged 51 years, having been minister of tliis
parish for thirteen yeai^s and three months. This
stone is erected by his affectionate Parishioners,
in testimony of esteem for their late beloved
pastor.
From a granite obelisk : —
Sacred to the memory of the Eev. James
EusT, M.A., minister of the parish of Slains for
34 years, died 5th Nov., 1874, aged 62 years.
Erected by his Parishioners.
— i\Ir. Eust's father, who was a merchant at
Woodside, near Aberdeen, left considerable
wealth ; and his son, having a taste for anti-
quarian pursuits, devoted much of his leisure
to the study of local antiquities. His prin-
cipal work, Druidism Exhumed (Edin. 1871),
contains theories regarding the worship and
customs of the ancient Scots, and etymological
speculations which are probably more ingeni-
ous than useful. He also issued (Edin. 1864)
a curious brochure on the Scottish Black Eain
Showers and Pumicestone Shoals of 1862-3.
After discussing the various theories that have
been advanced as to the probable cause of
these showers, he writes (p. 44) " The
doctrine which I hold and proclaim is, that
Vesuvius emitted the Pumicestones and the
black, sulphurous, carbonaceous, acidiferous
substances contained in the Showers . . .
which descended, and the Shoals (that)
stranded upon the Slains coast."
From a table-stone : —
Here lies in the hope of a blessed resurrection,
the corps of William Grat, sometime of Clooh-
tow, who departed this life, February 13th, 1744,
aged 66 yeai-s. Also Elspet Annan, his spouse,
who died 23 Dec. 1770, aged 81 years.
— There were Annands in Auchmaude and at
248
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Mill of Collieston in 1696. At that tim^,
including tenants and sub-tenants, with their
dependants, wives, and children, the lands of
Clochtow contained a population of twenty-
nine males and females. One of the inhabi-
tants, James MUler, is described as a "lymer,"
probably a lime-burner.
The next inscription, from a table-stone, is
remarkable for the long ages that were
attained by all those therein named : —
This is the burying place of Robert Hat and
IsoBEL MoiR, his spouse, who lived sometime in
Kirktown of Crudeu. He died 24th Dec. 1784,
in the 89th year of his age. She also died 27tb
Deer. 1788, in the 81st year of her age. There
are inten-ed here part of their children, also
Paul Hay, their sou, who died the 23id July,
1828, aged 80 years.
From the peculiarity of the surname it need
not be said that the prefatory portion of the
next inscription produces a somewhat ludicrous
efifect : —
This is the burriel ground of the Wildgooses.
Alex. Wildgoose died 27th Feby., 1785, aged
67. Also Christean Sitton, his spouse, who died
24th Deer., 1799, aged 75 years. Also their sou,
Robert Wildgoose, who died 5th of August,
1776, aged 20 years ; and Alexr., their son, who
died 27th Janry., 1786, aged 22 yeai-s.
— There were tenants of the name of Wild-
goose in N. Leask and Knapleask in 1696,
and probably WiUgook, which appears at the
same time, is another form of the name. It
is still known in Buchan, particularly in the
Peterhead district. No fewer than three per-
sons of the name were members of an assize
held at the Stables of Slains in 1597, when
Ellen Gray was charged with having used all
sorts of " socerie, dewilrie, and weichecraft"
upon the grieve and others in and about Slains
Castle (Spalding Misc., i. 125).
In memory of George Wilkin, late farmer in
Mill of Broggan, who died ll"" July, 1789, aged
79 years. Also Jean Forrat, his spouse, who
died 21" Janry, 1799, aged 81 years. A loving
couple, who lived respected and died regretted.
■ — James Wilkin, who was one of the tenants
of Old Clochtow in 1696, may have been an
ancestor of the above. It is also a well-known
name in other parts of Aberdeenshire. Brogan,
an early surname here, was evidently assumed
from the lands of Broggan, which were held
under the Leasks.
One of two headstones of Peterhead granite
(enclosed) is to the memory of James Bruce,
farmer, Ogston, who died in 1831, aged 82,
and of his wife Helex Gall, who died in
18-13, aged 85. Their sons, James and Wil-
liam, farmers of Mill of Broggan and Mains
of Slains respectively, both died in 1865, the
former in October, and the latter in Nov., aged
63 and 67. William " was ruling elder of
this parish for the long period of 34 years.
In .his public and private capacity he was a
man of priceless utility and worth." The
other monument, to a brother-in-law of the
two last mentioned, bears : —
In memory of James Hat, cooper and fish-
curer at Collieston, who died 11th Sept', 1864,
aged 72 yeara. For 21 years he was ruling
elder of this parish, and for the last 15 of these
he was also the session treasiu-er. He was much
respected, and singularly useful in his day to
many of his fellow-townsmen and parishioners
by word and deed.
— The widow of the last and sister of the two
previously mentioned, erected and endowed at
a considerable expense a large and commodious
female School in Slains, with playground and
teacher's house attached. The school has been
a great boon to the parish, and the buildings,
being both conveniently situated and elegant
in style, are objects not only of utility, but
also of ornament. A tablet of white marble
on the west gable of the school bears this in-
scription : —
THE BEUCE-HAY GIRLS' SCHOOL.
Erected and endowed by Margaret Bruce or
Hay, in memory of her husband, James Hat,
cooper and iishcm-er in Collieston, and of her
brothers, William Bruce, farmer in Mains of
Slains, and James Bruce, farmer in Mill of
Broggan. 1867.
SLA INS.
249
— It is pleasing to be able to add that Mrs.
Hay has been spared to see her liberality ap-
preciated, and to witness the good results that
have flowed from it.
The next seven inscriptions are from head-
stones : —
lu memory of Philip Kennedy, who lived
sometime in Ward of Skins, who died 19th
Dec, 1798, aged 38 years.
— Kennedy was one of a band of smugglers
who long carried on their illicit traffic with
success, but he and his brother John having
been attacked by the Excise one night, while
they were on their way from the seaside with
a cartload of goods, a desperate struggle ensued,
in the course of which Philip's skull was laid
open by a stroke from the sword of one of the
officers. He rushed home streaming with
blood, and expired in a few minutes after-
wards. The exciseman who inflicted the
fatal blow was tried on 28th Sept. following
upon a charge of murder, but was acquitted.
[2.]
Isabel Leith, sp. of John Kennedy, d. 1808,
a. 33 :—
To-day I have my wife interrd !
A melancholy scene !
The grave's dark doors again unbarr'd,
To let a lodger in.
Here unconcern'd thou douest lie
In deaths profoundest sleep :
Dear parents, brothers, sisters all.
Her bless'd arrival greet.
Patient beneath her long distress.
Submissive and resign'd.
At God's command she rose to bliss.
And left her grief's behind.
— Her husband died in 1842, aged 72.
[3.]
Margt. Sanqster, d. 1817, a. 42 :—
She like a flour did rise and fall.
In bloom of youth, God did her call ;
In peace she liv'd and peace did die —
Come view the ground where she doth lie.
[4.]
Erected by Andrew Wilson, cooper in Peter-
head, in memory of his son-iu-law, James Eobb,
G. D. 4 c. 9 B. R. Arty., died at Collstn, ICth
Feby., 1855, aged 29. His wife Isabella Wil-
son died at Trinidad, West Indies, 27 Oct., 1853,
aged 25 : —
Isabella Wilson in Trinidad lies,
James Eobb is interred here ;
They rest in peace, till from the skies
Our Sa\'iour shall appear.
[5.]
Margt. Baxter, wf. of Jas. Gray, shipmr., Abd.,
d. 1821. a. 51 :—
When worth like hers descend to dust,
Grif is a debt, & sorrow is most just.
— Her husband died in 1842, aged 72, and
after the notice of his death follow the well-
known lines beginning, " Though Boreas'
blasts," &c.
[6,]
1871 : In memory of Mary Watson, who
died 3"' February, 1869, aged 67, for 44 years
the faithful servant of Mr. Grant of Drumm'iuor.
[7.]
Thos. Walker, who d. in Oct., 1873, was pre-
deceased on 20"' May of same year, by 3 sons, 2
drs., and a son-in-law : —
On monday i saw them with pleasure,
all blooming and healthy as May ;
but on tuesday death seized on my treasure,
And took my dear family away.
The district of Slains is rich in prehistoric
remains, and, through the industry of Mr.
James Dalgarno, Corr. Mem. S.A., Scot., there
have been brought to light interesting speci-
mens of antiquities of the stone, bronze, and
iron periods, which add to our knowledge of the
state of art among the early inhabitants of this
portion of Buchan (Pro. So. Ant., Scot.)
Some of these objects, among which a bronze
spear head and a beautifully polished celt of
Chalocdonic flint deserve special mention, have
been found in the district of Forvie, whose pro-
prietary history is, fortunately, less obscure
than its ecclesiastical. It belonged to the old
Earls of Buchan, and in 1261, when the Earl
l2
250
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
founded an hospital fur six poor men at New-
burgh in Foveran, he made a gift of meal
towards it out of the mill of Furvy. The same
mill is mentioned in a process raised against
the Countess of ErroJ, in 1476. There
was possibly also a mansion or family resi-
dence here in old times, it being recorded in
the obits of the Hays that Sir William died
at Forvie in 1437, and was buried in the
family tomb at the Abbey of Cupar. The
mansion had probably stood near the site of the
present farmhouse of Forvie.
It is said that the lands, like those of Cul-
bin in Moray (inqjra 57), were over-blown by
sand during a hurricane that raged for nine
consecutive days and nights. The date of the
disaster is uncertain ; and although it is said
that an early rent roll of the property is extant
in the library, at Slains Castle, it has not as
yet been discovered. It is supposed that the
Cot-loch and the Sand-loch, each about 15 acres
in extent, were formed by the drifting of the
sand on the occasion referred to.
Tradition avers that, some four hundred
years ago, three co-heiresses occupied the pro-
perty, and being defrauded of it by near rela-
tives, they pronounced against them a malison
(Pratt's Buchan ; Eeid's Lowland Legends),
which is embodied in the following rhyme : —
If evyr maydeuis malysonc
Dyd licht upon drye lande,
Let nocht bee fuude in Furvey's glebys
But thrystl, bent, and sande.
Upon the estate of Leask, about two miles
north from the church of Slains and three
from the site of the kirk of Forvie, stand the
ivy-clad ruins of a chapel which was in ex-
istence before 1499, and, like Forvie, was
dedicated to S. Adamnan. It appears to have
been about 24 feet in width by about 48 feet
in length, and the east gable, which is the
most entire portion, contains a finely-propor-
tioned window. The tracery and the hewn
lintels are all gime, excepting those of the
inner arch ; still enough remains to prove that
it had been a building of some elegance, and
in the First Pointed style of architecture.
The entrance was from the south, and the re-
cess for the bolt of the' door, constructed in
the thickness of the wall, as well as the
awmbry on the right of the east window, still
remains. The walls, which are about three
feet thick, are built chiefly of rough undressed
boulders.
The surname of Lease, which is still com-
mon in Aberdeenshire, had probably been
assumed from these lands ; and possibly the
ruins are those of a place of worship that had
been built for the old lairds of Leask and
their retaioers. There was another family in
the district that bore the surname of Slatns,
jiossibly from being vassals of the Cumyns,
Earls of Buchan. At a later date the surname
of Ogston occurs, probably assumed in this
instance from the farm of that name, which
lies at the south end of the parish.
It was in consequence of the attainder of
the Cumyns and the good services of Sir Gil-
bert Hay of Errol to Eobert the Bruce that
the latter acquired the lands of Slains and the
office of hereditary constable of Scotland
(Mem. Angus and Mearns, 314; Epitaphs, i.
313).
The old castle, part of the square tower of
which still stands, appears to have been a
building of about the 15 th century. It was
(as before said) destroyed by order of James
VI. in 1594, and was never restored, the Earl
of Errol having soon afterwards erected a
house at Bowness in Ci-uden, the site of the
jiresent castle of Slains.
Curious memorandums are printed " anent
the plenissing within Logy and Slains " about
1580, as claimed by the Countess of Errol,
but her ladyship's " desyris " being considered
"gredie and vnresonable," and as the whole
property left by her at both was " owir littill
GLENISLA.
251
to pleneiss ane of tlie places," lier son, Earl
Francis, replied that he could " spair na paivt
thereof" (Coll. Abd. Bff.)
The Castle and greater part of the parish
of Slains continued in the hands of the Errol
family until 1791, when the property and
patrona;;e of the church were sold to ilr. A.
Callander of Crichton, M.P., by whose heir,
Sir James, they were sold to Mr. Gordon of
Cluny about 1815-16.
In 1731, the Leask and Birnes portions of
Slains came to Dr. James Gordon of Pitlurg
and Hilton, through his marriage with the
heiress, Barbara Cummiug ; and their son, who
assumed the name of Gordon-Cumming (Gor-
don's Pedigree Tables, 1784), was the great
grandfather of the present proprietor [supra,
31-34). The old name of Leask, now Pitlurg,
was first changed to Gordon Lodge.
In the Stat. Accounts and in Pratt's Buchan
good notices are given of the Dropping or
White Cave of Slains, the geological pecu-
liarities of the parish, and the villages of
Old Castle and CoUieston. The former of
these handets adjoins the ruins of the Castle,
and the latter occupies a rising ground to the
eastward. Both are fishing stations of some
importance, and it is said that in 1588, S.
Catherine, one of the ships of the Spanish
Armada, was wrecked in an adjoining creek,
where a pool, from which guns have been
raised on two occasions, still bears the name of
the ill-fated vessel.
A fine sheet of water, called the Muckle
Loch of Slains, which covers about 70 acres
of ground in the winter season, is surrounded
on three sides by ridges of land, in which
many specimens of antiquities have been
discovered by Mr. Dalgarno. The district,
which has been hitherto ill-accommodated as
regards railway and direct communication with
Aberdeen and Peterhead, has been greatly
benefited by the erection of a bridge across
the Ythan at Newburgh. Another boon to
the district is the construction by the Earl of
Errol at the village of Ward of Cruden of a
harbour, called Port Errol, where a consider-
able trade is carried on in the fishing season.
v%\vvv\%\wv\wv\\%\\%v\\\\wv\%vv\v%\\\vwv\%\%v
6 J c n t s I a,
(THE BLESSED VIRGIN.)
THE church of Glenylefe or Gienijlit was
given to the Abbey of Cambuskenneth
by William the Lion. It was within the
diocese of Brechin, and is rated at ^£22 Scots
in the Old Taxation.
Gre;;ory, Bishop of Brechin (1218-46), gave
the monks of Cambuskenneth a pension of
£10 out of Glenisla, but not having received
the money for a long period of years, Abbot
Fergus, with consent of John, Bishop of
Brechin, made over the patronage of the
church of Glenisla, 12th Sept., 1311, to the
Abbots of Cupar, who were bound to make
good and regular payment of the pension. At
a later date (1413-14), Abbot Panter granted
the Abbot of Cupar a discharge for the said
pension (Reg. de Cambuskenneth, presented to
the Grampian Club by tlie Marquis of Bute,
and edited by Mr. Wm. Eraser, S.S.C.)
The churches of Glenisla, Alyth, Ruth-
ven, and Meigle, were all under the charge
of one minister in 1574, and Alexander
Mackay, then reader at Glenisla, had a salary
of £20 Scots. When the Abbacy of Cupar
was erected into a temporal lordship in favour
of Lord Balmerino, 1606, the disposition of
the same included the teiuds, &c., of the kirk
or Glenylay (Acta Pari., iv. 340).
The present parish church, erected in 1821,
stands within the kirkyard upon the north
252
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
side of the Isla ; and the Lady Well, now
filled up, was a little to the southward. The
parish, which is thinly peopled, is about 18
miles in length, and the Established and Free
Churches, the latter of which was built in
1849, being both inconveniently situated for
the lower portion, a church has been recently
erected at Kilry, which it is proposed to form
into a separate ecclesiastical district.
Tradition avers, although there are no
tombstones to corroborate the statement, that
all the resident heritors had their burial places
within the church, and among them were the
!M'Combies of Forthar, the Shaws of Crandart,
and the Ogilvys of Eastmiln.
Notwithstanding that some notice has al-
ready been given (Mem. Angus and the
Mearns, 33 ; Epitaphs, i. 227) of the
M'Comies, who were also known in the six-
teenth century as the Clan M 'Thomas and
M'Intosh, and designed of Finnygaund in
Glenshee, it may be here repeated along with
some additional information, that their old
residence at Crandart was embellished with
two stones, thus inscribed : — •
[1]
I.M. : K.C. 1660.
THE . LOKD . DEFEND . THIS . FAMILIE.
[2.]
I . SHALL . OVERCOM . INVY . VITH . GOD'S
. HELP .
TO . GOD . BE . ALL . PEAIS . HONOVR .
AND . GLORIE .
The former of these slabs, which is still at
Crandart, refers to John M'Comie and his
wife Katherine Campbell ; and the latter is
preserved at a house on the opposite side of
the river. Katherine Campbell was a daugh-
ter of the laird of Denhead, and descended
from Donald Campbell, abbot of Cupar, fourth
son of Archibald, Earl of Argyll. The legends
are understood to have reference to an old
feud between the M'Comies and the Farquhar-
sons of Brochdarg, in Glenshee, which resulted
in two sons of both families being killed in a
fight near Forfar, 28th Jan., 1673.
It appears from the process which followed
that the M'Comies, having traced the Farqu-
harsons to Logie, near Kirriemuir, " threw
away their plaids and betook themselves to
ther armes, and in a hostiU and militarie
poustuer persued " the Farquharsons, and
coming upon them at Drumgley " most
cruellie and inhumanlie invadit and as-
saulted" them. Robert Farquharson was
killed upon the spot, and his brother John
was so severely wounded that he soon after-
wards died. Two of M'Comie's sons, also
named Robert and John, were killed by the
Farquharsons, and mutual issues being pre-
sented, the diet was ultimately deserted, both
against tlie pursuers and the defenders.
Among other evidence adduced to prove
the deep-rooted animosity of the M'Comies
to the Farquharsons, it was averred that the
old man told his sons that for " the many
affronts and injuries Farquharson hade done
him, he wished he wer but twentie yeares
of age againe, which, if he wer, he should
make the Farquharsons besouth the Cairne
of Month thinner, and should have a lyff
for ilk finger and toe of his tuo dead sones ! "
Old M'Comie, or " M'Comie-More," as he
was called in consequence of his great size
and strength, died at Crandart in 1676, and
was buried at Glenisla, beside, it is said, his
two sons who fell near Forfar. The M'Comies
left Glenisla soon after the death of their
father, and one of the sons settled in Aber-
deenshire, where the family is still represented
by the lairds of Easter Skene and Tillyfour,
the former being the chief of his clan.
The M'Comies were followed in Crandart by
Duncan Shaw, a son of Crathienaird. He
was chamberlain to the Earl of Mar, and by
his second wife, a daughter of Farquhaison of
GLENISLA.
253
Coldracli, had seven sons and three daughters.
He died in 1722, aged 73, and is said to have
heen buried in the choir at the east end of the
kirk, although the family burial place was
originally at Dal fork.
In his Memorials of the Clan Shaw, the
late Eev. Mr. Shaw, of St. John's Ejiiscopal
Church, Forfar, gives an account of Duncan,
with a fac simile of a Protection received
by him from jNIajor-General Mackay, the hero
of Killieorankie, of which the following,
taken many years ago from the original in the
possession of Mr. Wm. Shaw, Finnygaund, is
a copy : —
Whereas I am Credibly informed That Duncan
Schaw, chamberlain to the Earle of Marr hes hither-
to behaved himself Loyallie and dutiefuUy to the
pressent Government and liindered all his tennents
and Servants from Joyneing those in Rebellion agtt.
their Matie's King William and Queen Mary.
These are therefore Inhibiting and dischargeing all
officers and Soldiers of their Maties. Armys to truble
or molest the said Duncan Shaw his family tennents
or servants or to take away SpoyU or medle wt. any
of his or their goods geer comes cattle or others,
whatsoever belonging to them As they shall be
answerable wpon their peril]. Given att the Camp
att Auchintoul on the head of Gairne the 26 June
1690.
H. Mackat.
Eobertsons were in Crandart about the
time of the '45. One of them, described
as " the finest looking man in the rebel army,"
was chosen to march at Prince Charles' right
hand through Carlisle. He married a daughter
of Farquharson of Westmill — a family who
held that property from about 1650, and des-
cendants of whom are still alive.
'Ihe most remarkable particulars regarding
the Ogilvys of Eastmiln, who were a branch of
those of Airlie, are the poisoning of Thomas
Ogilvy, tlie proprietor, and the sad fate of his
wife and his two brothers. Tradition attributes
the evils that came upon this family to their
having persecuted a minister of the name of
Mitchell, who was deposed in 1748 " for his
scandalous and immoral life ; " and it is added
that when preaching his last sermon, which
he did from the manse window, he inveighed
against the Ogilvys, declaring, " If these men
die the death common to men, God hath not
spoken by me."
In briefly stating the circumstances attend-
ant on the poisoning of the elder of the
brothers Ogilvy, it may be mentioned that
having been out under Lord Ogilvy in 1745,
he was one of those that were excepted from
the Act of Indemnity. He was married in
January, 1765, to a lady much younger than
himself, and had a brother, Lieut. Patrick
Ogilvy, who returned from India soon after
the marriage, and took up his abode at East-
miln. A variety of circumstances led to the
belief that an improper intimacy existed be-
tween the Lieutenant and his sister-in-law, and
on the death of the laird, which occurred
rather suddenly in the month of June follow-
ing his marriage, his wife and brother were
both apprehended, and charged with the crimes
of incest and murder. The case went to proof,
and evidence of their guilt having been estab-
lished, Lieut. Ogilvy suffered the extreme
penalty of the law in the Grass Market, Edin-
burgh, on 25th Sept. ; but, in consequence of
Mrs. Ogilvy being " six months advanced in
her pregnancy," her sentence was delayed.
She was conveyed back to jail, and on 27th
Feb., 1766, gave birth to a female child.
Owing to tJie weak state of her body, and her
inability (as certified by medical advisers) to
appear before the Court and receive sentence
on the 10th of March, proceedings were
further postponed until Monday the 17th;
"but on Sunday the 16th it was discovered
that she had escaped out of prison on the
evening before."
It was said that she passed through " New-
castle on Sunday about noon, accompanied by an
elderly ill-looking man, where they stopped
only a few minutes to change horses." Rewards
254
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
of 100 guineas each were offered for her appre
hension, both by the Lords of the Treasury
and by the Magistrates of Edinburgh. In the
advertisement issued by the latter she is de-
scribed as being dressed in "an officer's habit,
and a hat slouched in the cocks, with a cock-
ade in it." It is also stated that "she is about
22 years of age, middle sized, and strong
made, has a high nose, black eyebrows, and a
pale complexion." According to one account
of her subsequent career, she went abroad and
became the wife of a wealthy Dutch merchant,
by whom she had a family ; another version
states that she retired to a convent, and a third
that she returned to Scotland and died there.
It is certain that she was never again brought
to justice. She was a daughter of Sir Thomas
Nairn of Dunsinnan, Baronet, and at the
time of her trial, her relative (afterwards
Lord Dunsinnan), was Joint Commissary-
Clerk of Edinburgh. It is understood to have
been through his influence that she made so
successful an escape from justice.
It is said to have been Alexander, a younger
brother of Lieutenant Ogilvy, who was the
means of bringing his brother and sister-in-law
to trial ; and only a few days before Mrs.
Ogilvy escaped from prison her accuser was
himself arrested upon a charge of bigamy.
The case was proved against him, and he was
sentenced to seven years' banishment. But,
with a leniency unknown even in these times
of questionable indulgence towards law-
breakers, he was " allowed to remain two
months in Scotland to settle his affairs ! " The
sentence, however (as shown below) never
took effect, it being averred that while leaning
over the window of a house in the Canongate
of Edinburgh, he overbalanced himself, and
was killed by the fall.
The property of Eastmilu, which lies a little
to the south-east of Kii'ktown of Glenisla, was
acquired by Francis liattray of Kirkhillocks.
The tombstones at Glenisla are all of a late
date, and cannot be said to possess much
general interest. A freestone monument to
the memory of William M'Doug.\ll and his
wife Jean Geant, who died respectively in
1848 and 1836, is embellished on one side
with a representation of the fine Celtic cross
of Farnell, now at the Montrose Museum, and
which was first engraved by Mr. Chalmers in
his Sculptured Monuments of Angus, pi. 21.
The cross was drawn upon the stone at Glenisla
by the Eev. Mr. Simpson, of the Free Church,
a native of Farnell, and executed by a local
mason. These lines are from a stone erected
to the memory of
Colin M'DouGAL (and other relations) 1819 : —
. Death is a debt to nature due ;
We've paid that debt, and so must you.
Short is the space allow'd to man below
Keplete with care, and crowded thick with woe ;
Death is the horizon where our sun is set.
Which will through Christ a resurrectiou get.
Tlie righteous are taken away from the evil
to come.
Brevis hominum vita.
Margt. Paton, .sp. of Thos. Douuie, Gobertore,
d. 1748, a. 33 :—
Reader, you see by heaven's decree.
Since time at first began :
That man he must return to dust.
And who reverse it can ?
Should we not then, while we remain.
Heir in this mortal state,
Be on our guard, for death jirepared,
In case it prove too late.
Ann Gibson, sp. of Wm. Edwai-ds, Kirk-
hillocks, d. 1851, a. 76 ; Wm. Edwards, d.
1864, a. 88 :—
Live well and fear no sudden fate ;
When God calls virtue to the giave,
Alike iu justice soon or late,
Mercy alike to kill or save.
Virtue, unmoved can hear the call,
And meet the flash that melts the ball.
— Ann Gibson was a relative of the laird of
I)rumhead, and maid to the " Little Lady" of
Kirkhillock mentioned above.
Andrew Rattray, East Mill, d. 1S04, a. 60;
his mo. Janet Robertson, d. 1812, a. 63 : —
GLENISLA.
255
Life is a journey, and the silent tomb
To every traveller is the appointed home.
Hoc Victoria Signo.
John Reid, Kilry, d. 1850, a. 38 :—
Like crowded forest trees we stand,
And some are mark'd to fall ;
The axe will smite at Cxod's command,
And soon shall smite us all.
Upon a table-stone : —
Erected in memory of the late Rev. Andrew
Burns, who died the first of March, 1822, in the
50th year of his age, and 17th of his ministry in
this parish, much and justly regretted.
— Mr. Burns was succeeded by Mr. James
Martin, son of Mr. Martin of the Swan Inn,
Brechin. Mr. Martin, who was sometime
tutor in the family of Dr. Ogilvy, Tannadice,
graduated at Aberdeen, and studied Divinity
at Edinburgh. In 1828, he left Glenisla for
Stockbridge, now St. Bernard's Church, Edin-
burgh, from which he was promoted to St.
George's on the death of the Eev. Dr. Andrew
Thomson, in 1831. Of a quiet, retiring, and
unobtrusive disposition, he devoted himself
entirely to the service of his congregation, and
as he never was of a robust constitution, severe
application to duty undermined his health.
He died at Leghorn, whither he had gone in
the hope of recovering his strength, on 22nd
May, 1834, when in the 34tli year of his age.
A volume of his Discourses, with Letters on
Prayer, accompanied by a memoir and portrait,
was published at Edinburgh in 1835. Mr.
Jlartin was succeeded in St. George's by the late
celebrated Dr. Caudlish, who seceded at the
Disruption in 18-t3, and in Glenisla by Mr.
James Watt, father of the present minister of
Glenprosen. Mr. Watt, who was translated
to Cortachy, was succeeded in Glenisla by
Mr. Gibb, to whose memory a gi-anite head-
stone is thus inscribed : — •
lu memory of the Rev. George Gibb, minister
of Glenisla, who died 21»" May, 1859, and also
to that of Eliza Sword, his wife.
Inscription, abridged from a headstone at
■west end of kirk —
In memoriam : The Rev. Peter Cameron,
minister of Glenisla, suddenly removed by death,
on the 23"' October, 1865, in the Se"" year of his
age.
THE FREE CHURCH
which stands to the north of the parish
church, bears the date of 1849. It was
erected chiefly at the expense of the laird of
Kirkhillocks, and a granite headstone on the
south of the church bears this record of his
death : —
In memory of James Rattray of Kirkhillocks,
born 19"' Sept. 1771, died 22"'' March, 1853.
JoHAN Rattrat, his spouse, born 17"" Jan.,
1781, died n"" Dec, 1813. Margaret, their
daughter, bom ll"- Nov., 1801, died 17"' Feb.,
1811.
— Kirkhillocks belonged to Ogilvys from a
pretty early date down to about the middle
of 17 th century. Mr. Eattray, who was a
successful cattle dealer and grazier, acciuired
the lands about . Brewlands was pur-
chased by the father of the above-mentioned,
who added the property of Glenmarkie to his
paternal estate.
The following, from a granite headstone
(enclosed) within the parish churchyard, refers
to the son and grandson of James and Johan
Eattray : —
In memory of Francis Rattray, the only
and beloved child of Thomas and Agnes Rattray,
who died at Bridge of Allan, 9"' Feb., 1856, aged
10 years. Also of Thomas Rattray, of Kirk-
hillocks, who died at Bridge of Allan, 19"" Feb.,
1856, aged 51 years.
They were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
and in their death were not divided. 2 Sam., i.
23.
— On the death of Thomas Eattray, the estates
of Kirkhillocks and Brewlands came by entail
to Mr. P. W. Small, a younger sou of Mr.
Small of Dirnanean. Mr. Small, who was of
an obliging and hospitable disposition, had,
unfortunately, a short career; and with the
view of testifying their regard for his worth
256
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
and goodness of heart, his friends erected a
granite obelisk to his memory. It stands
upon a knoll on the south side of the Isla,
opposite the parish church, and is thus in-
scribed : —
In memory of Patrick William Small, of
Kirkhillocks.' Born 12th July, 1840 ; died 2(ith
September, 1870. Erected by his friends in
Gleuisla and elsewhere, who knew his worth,
and mourn his early death, December, 1872.
— Mr. Small, who was buried at Kirkmiohael,
Perthshire, was succeeded in his Glenisla pro-
perty by his elder brother, the laird of Dii--
nanean.
Glenisla being a remote district and of easy
access to the Cateran, was subjected to nu.me-
rous raids in old times, particularly by the
Earl of Argyll and his followers, about 500 of
whom, on the 21st August, 1591, suddenly
invaded the Glen ; and Lord Airlie, " his wyffe
and bairnis," who were then resident in it, had
much difficulty in making their escape with
their lives. Besides the destruction and way-
taking of property, 18 or 20 persons were
slain in cold blood ; and during the following
month, " vnder silence of nicht," the inhabi-
tants both of Glenisla and Clova were attacked,
and " three or fovre innocent men and women
murthourit and slane," also " ane grit pray of
guide's reft and taken away " (Crim. Trials,
ii. 264).
These inroads were made by the 7th Earl
of Argyll, whose son and successor, as shown
below, appears to have inherited his father's
ill-feeling towards the Ogilvys.
The ruins of Forthar Castle, near the Bal-
laoh or Pass to Glenshee, occupy a command-
ing position in Upper Glenisla. It was the
seat of Lord Ogilvy, the Earl of Airlie 's eldest
son, and during the summer of 1640, while
his father was in England, he was entrusted
with the custody of Airlie Castle, which stood
about 1 5 miles to the southward. On learning
this circumstance, the Earl of Argyll made a
rai'i upon Airlie, and Lord Ogilvy having re-
fused to surrender, Argyll determined to de-
stroy the house. He accordingly set to work,
and, as graphically told by a contemporary
writer, the Earl "shewed himself so extremelye
earnest that he was seen tacking a hammer in
his hande and knocking doune the hewed
woike of the doors and windows, till he did
sweate for lieate at his work."
But while thus engaged, he appears to have
found time to dictate and sign a letter to
Dougall Campbell of Inverawe (Hist. MSS.
Com., 6th Eeport, p. 616), commanding him
not to " faill to stay and demolishe my Lord
Ogilbie's hous of Forthar." " Sie," he con-
tinues, " how ye can cast off the irone yeattis
and windowis ; and tak doun the roof ; and
iff ye find it will be langsome, ye shall fyre it
Weill, that so it may be destroyed. But," he
adds, with characteristic cunning, " you neid
not to latt know that ye have directions frome
me to fyir it : onlie ye may say that ye have
warrand to demoleishe it, and that to mak the -
work short, ye will fyr it."
Gordon, parson of Eothiemay, who possibly
gives the best and most trustworthy account
of this and other contemporary transactions in
his Scots Affairs (1637-41), says that Lady
Ogilvy, during her husband's absence at Airlie,
" sojourned for the tyme " at Forthar, and al-
though she was " great with chyld and asked
licence of Argylle for to stay in her awne house
till she wer brought to bedde," he " causes
expeUe her, who knew not whither to goe."
Gordon further states that she was taken to
Kelly, near Arbroath, the house of her grand-
mother, the dowager lady of Drum. It was
this expulsion of Lady Ogilvy from the Castle
of Forthar, and not, as is popularly believed,
from Airlie, that gave rise to the ballad of the
" Burning o' the Bonnie House o' Audie " : —
GLENISLA.
257
" It fell on a day, a bonnie summer day,
When the corn was brearin' fairly.
That there fell out a p;reat dispute
Atween Argyle and Airlie."
George Mackenzie, a native of Glenisla, who
published a volume of curious Poems and
Songs (72 pp. Forfar, 1824:), has verses " on
the old Castle of Fothar," in which it is made
to speak of its having " lost the riggin' "
through Argyll, and also expresses its good
feeling towards the noble proprietor thus : —
"May my master Airly never lirak
But still be in a prosperous way ! "
The house of Craig, which belonged to Sir
John Ogilvy, a cousin of the Earl of Airlie, was
also commanded by Argyll to be defaced and
destroyed, although its occupants consisted only
of "a sicke gentle woman and some servauutes."
The harrying of Glenisla by Argyll on this oc-
casion was made so complete that Spalding
says nothing was left " bot hair boundis."
This was not, however, the first time the
house of Craig suffered. In 1595, when the
laird was charged as a traitor and rebel against
King James, his " housses and fortalioe of
Craig" were ordered to be demolished. Either
the same laird or his son Sir John Ogilvy
was charged in 1600, along with two of his
brothers, with the slaughter of Patrick, son of
Eynd of Carse, and with the " hurting of
Alexander, Lord Spynie, in the held" (Pit-
oairn's Crim. Trials).
The house of Craig, which stands near the
southern boundary of the parish of Glenisla
with Alyth, occupies a commanding position,
from which there is obtained a fine view of
the Valley of Strathmore. In a field to the
south-west is an enclosed burial place, where,
according to tradition, lies a Crichton of
Cluny in Perthshire, who is said to have
been shot by a young laird of Lochblair in
revenge for the death of his father. It is
added that Cluny was warned of his untimely
death by a spirit calling to him : — ■
O woe to thee Cluny !
^V^ly killed you Lochblair ?
For anither Lochblair
Is sure to kill you.
It is needless to say that the ghost of young
Lochblair long haunted the locality — possibly
it may do so still !
About four miles to the northward of Cran-
dart is Caanloohan, where the Earl of Airlie
has a shooting lodge. The Isla, which takes
its rise in this wild and mountainous region,
runs through the parish and joins the Melgam
near Airlie Castle. It is crossed in Glenisla
by stone bridges, all of a comparatively modern
date, at Forthar, Dalivein, Claypots (now
Brewlands), and Milnacraig.
The Eeekie Linn, " about 20 fathoms high,"
is one of the most picturesque waterfalls in
Scotland. It is near Milnacraig, and a mile
or two farther down the Isla are the Slugs of
Auchrannie, which, although not so high as
the falls of Eeekie Linn, are noteworthy ex-
amples of the cataracts of the Highland
streams of Scotland, and are well represented
in the late edition of Black's Scottish Tourist.
The parish of Glenisla was divided into two
parts in old times, the one being called Over,
aud the other Nether Glenisla. The former
consisted of the lands of Craignetie, Newton,
Pitlochrie, Bellatie, and certain portions which
belonged to Lord Airlie, the lairds of Lundies
and Blaoklunans, while the latter compre-
hended Euthven, Craig-Ogilvy-Clunie, Wester,
Over, and ^Middle Drum-Foynes, and Auch-
rennies.
Subjoined, from a contemporary MS., is the
" Eentall off Glen Hay" for the year 1633 :—
Payed yerhe off few duetie Lxliij - 00 - 00
Item off teynd duetie jc/iiijxxviij - vijs. - ijd.
Item off gees iij score gees
Item off poutrie vij score and one
Barbrogie, wch is within the said Barronie, pyes yerUe
ane chalder off oattes, and at the Issue off the
takes, wherof yr is nyne yeres to rune, ther falles
in thrie hundreth merkis be yere of the teynd of
the personage and vicrage.
k2
258
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Suma of the silver duetie is Lijc/xj - vijs - ijd.
as also ane chalder of oattes with the poutrie
wch %vil be iiijxx lb.
The haill is ijc/iiijxxxj - vijs. - ijd.
It appears from a Valuation Eoll of Forfar-
sliire, 1682 (MS.) that the valued rental of
Glenisla then amounted to .£2336 13.s. 4d.
Scots.
A statutory fair lias been held fur several
generations at the Kirktown of Glenisla ; but
in 1581, and long thereafter, the nearest yearly
market stood at the " brig end of Luntrethin,"
and was held on the 11th of November. This
was considered the most convenient place at
tlie time not only for the inhabitants of Glen-
isla, but also for those of " Badzenochis, Bray
of Angus, Mar, Straspey, and vtheris pairties
thairabout" (Acta Pari.)
The first portion of the following doggrel
may possibly refer to the time when Glenisla,
like most other Highland districts, was the
abode of the cateran ; and while at a loss to
account for the disparaging expressions em-
ployed in reference to the two next named
parishes, we know that the epithet applied to
the last is far from being inappropriate even
at the present time : —
Theevin' Glenisla — Leein' Lintrathen —
Cursin' Kingowdrum, aii' kind KiiTiemuir.
(THE HOLY GHOST.)
THE church of Duppol, mentioned in
Bishop Bricius' charter of 1208-15, was
a prebend of the cathedral of Moray. It is rated
at 35s. in the Taxation of 1275 (Theiner),
and at 26 merks in that of 1350 (Eeg. Ep.
Morav.) .
The kirks and towns of Eskyll and Duppill
were confirmed to the Bishop by the king in
1451 (Ibid).
In 1574, William Peterkin was minister of
Ardintullie(Arudillie) and Dippill, and Andro
Stronach was reader at the latter place.
In the year 1731, the parishes of Essil and
Dipple, and part of Urquhart, including the
village of Garmouth, were united. The kirks
of Dipple and Essil w.ere then allowed to go to
ruin, a place of worship, with a manse and
offices, &c., being erected between the two old
sites. From that date, the united parishes
received the name of Speymouth ; and the
patronage was exercised alternately by the
Earls of Moray and the lairds of Gordons-
town. In earlier times the patronage of both
churches belonged to the Lords Spynie, who
are now represented by Mr. Lindsay-Carnegie
of Boysack and Kinblethmont in Forfarshire.
The parish probably owes its name to the
position of the church near a deep black pool
{Dtibh-pol) in the river Spey ; and in reference
to a superstitious custom connected with the
dedication of the kirk, Shaw states in his
History of Moray (1775) that " at the Church
Yard Style there stood a small house, com-
monly called ' The House of the Holy Ghost,'
around which, Sunway, the people made a
tour with the Corps at Burials, and could not
be restrained from this superstition till the
walls were quite erased of late."
The kirk stood upon a knoll near the farm-
house of Westertown, and the kirkyard dykes
have been three times renewed in less than a
century, as appears from the following inscrip-
tions near the entrance gate : —
July 1782 : This Churchyard Dyke was built
by Kataharese Scot, relict of Alexander Gor-
don of C'omi-ie, & daughter to Mr. John Scot,
late minister of Dipple.
[2.]
This Dyke built by Subscription in 1811.
Rebuilt by Subscription, 1869.
Although the site only of the kirk can be
traced, the east or Gordon's Aisle is stUl pre-
DIPPLE.
259
served, and a mouument on tlie east wall of it
is thus inscribed : —
Within this tomb ly interred the bodys of
Alexr. Gordon of Comray, wlio died April 30,
1763, aged 80, and Katherine Scot, his spous
who died and ther chiklren, viz.
Barbart & Grace Gordons, who dyed June
1728 ; EuPHEMiA, who died March S'sth 1740,
aged 19 yeai-s ; John, who dyed Janry 3d 1741,
aged 18"; Helen, who died Novi-. 30th 1741,
aged 21 years ; & AleSr., who died July 16th
1742, aged 24 years.
— The Gordons of Comray are said to have
been descended from the Huntly Gordons.
Two other monuments within the same en-
closure bear respectively : —
Sacred to the memory of the Eev. John Gor-
don, minister of this parish, who departed this
life 16th Aug' 1848, in the 51st year of his age,
and 20th of his ministry. And of Eliz.vbeth,
his wife, who died at Elgin on the 4th of April
] 864, in the 67th year of her age.
[2.]
In memory of William Gordon, M.D., Staff
Asst. Surgeon to the Forces, youngest sou of the
Eev. John Gordon, Speymouth, who died at
Newcastle Barracks, Jamaica, on the 7th Dec.
1856, aged 22 yeara. And of Francis-Drummond
Gordon, Lieut. 26th Madras Infantry, secoud
son of the Eev. John Gordon, who died at Kur-
nool, Madras Presidency, on the 1st May 1864,
aged 31 years.
— The Eev. Mr. Gordon was the son of a
gardener in or near Edinburgh. He became
tutor (Scott's Fasti) in the family of Sir F.
W. Drummond of Hawthornden, Bart., and
married a sister of the Eev. Mr. Maclean of
Urquhart (Epitaphs, i. 167, 272) and of
Major-General Sir John Maclean (Clan Mac-
lean, 255).
Two freestone slabs are buUt into the outer
wall of the aisle. One is dated 1685 and
initialed I.K. : M.B.
Another stone, embellished with mortuary
emblems, bears this inscription : —
HIC ET INTDS EX OPrOSITO JACENT LIBERI QU A-
TUOR ET CONJUGES BUM MRI. JOHANNIS SCOT A
LOCH, HUJtrS ECCLESI^ RECTORIS, AMB^ PIETATB,
FORMA, ET PROSAPIA ILLUSTRES, QDARUM PRIMA,
MARJORA STUART, FILIA WALTERI STUART D3 RT-
LASD,OBIIT 23 DIEZBRIS, 1696. ALTERA, EUPHEMIA
GORDON, FILIA D; JOHANNIS GORDON DE ACHTN-
ACHIE, OBIIT 12 DIE JULII, 1702. INTER QUAS IDEM
RECTOR POST OBITUM .... JACERE CUPIT.
[Here, and within opposite, lie four children
of Ml-. John Scot of Loch, rector of this church,
and also his two wives, both distinguished for
their piety, beauty, and lineage, the first of whom,
Marjory Stuart, daughter of Walter Stuart of
Eyland, died 23d Dec. 1696. The second, Eu-
phemia Gordon, daughter of Mr. John Gordon
of Auchynachie, died 12th July, 1709. The
rector earnestly deshes to be laid between them
after death.
— It appears from the interesting Process
against the Egyptians at Banff (Spalding Mis.,
iii., 183), which is so intimately connected
with the death of Macpherson, the freebooter,
in 1702, that Mr. Scot, when at St. Euflfus'
Fair in 1699, got himself into trouble with
that gang. According to Mr. Scot's own de-
position, " ther was 40 punds stolne from him ;
and he going in pursuit of the taker thereof,
at Couper MUne's tent, he wes interrupted by
Peter Broun, who took him by the breast,
while the woman who tooke the money threw
herself on her face in the floor, and (as he
heard) delivered to the woman that keeped
the tent ane black purse, such as his wes, and
which may be yet proven."
Mr. Scot died in 1726. He was three times
married, and was survived by his third wife,
Helen Grant.
The next three inscriptions relate to one
family; the iirRt two are from table-shaped
stones, and the third, which was upon a head-
stone, has been lost since we copied it.
Here lys the body of loHN EoT, farmer in
Ilil'ockhead, who died in the year 1746, aged 76;
& his spouse Isoble Wiseman, who died 1746,
aged 69; & their children, Wil^-iam Eot, who
died the 13 of May 1774, aged 76 ; & James
Eoy, farmer in Chappel, who died tlie 9 of Septr.
260
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
1775, aged 80. This stone is erected in memory
of James Eoy.— [Job xiv. 12 ; Rev. xx. 12.]
Deatli is the end of all tribulation,
And to Wisemen sweet consolation.
— The last line possibly contains an intentional
pun upon the name ot Isobel Wiseman.
" Chappel " is the name of a farm near Orton,
in Eothes, where there was a church dedicated
to S. Mary. Inshbery, mentioned in the next
curious and somewhat vain-glorious inscrip-
tion, is near the same place : —
[2.]
Here lys the body of 'Iohn Rot late in Beat-
hill, aged 73 yeara, who departed this life the 9
Febry. 1772, "an unlearned man, & was tacksman
of the barronry of Inshbery, & salmon fishing
thereof, Mell and Lauds of Coufords, Mel' &
Lands of Bauds, Mell & Lands of Beathill, Lands
of Balnacoul', & part of Mostodlach, all at one
time.
[3.]
While Time and Circumstances permit, this
stone will preserve the memorial of John Roy of
Lhanbryd, from his death on 7 March, 1821,
aged 82 years. Likewise of his spouse Chris-
tian Mackay, who died Dec. 22, 1789, aged .50.
Also of his own cousin, James Rot, Esquire,
who died in the 80 year of his age, in Mirama-
shee, the son of James Roy of Ortown, his
father's brother. And of their son, William,
who died Nov. 24, 1825, at the age of 51 yeax-s.
One testimony of the affectionate feelings of
their son, James Roy, 1833.
Upon a table-shaped stone : — ■
This stone is erected in memory of Robt.
Anderson, sometime mercht. in Fochs : who
died 7 Jany. 1798, and of Sophia Forbes, his
spouse, who died 26th March 1799. Also of
Mart Anderson, their daugh. who was mar'' to
the Revd. Js. Walker, Huntly, and died there
4th Nov. 1800. R.I.P.
From a plain headstone {see Huntly): —
To the memory of Mart Walker, daughter
of the late Rev. Jas. Walker, Episcopal Clergy-
man in Huntly, who died there on the 7th day of
Jany. 1848, aged 47 years.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
UT umbra sic fugit vita.
Sacred to the memory of John Tatlor, late
Sergeant-Major of the 2nd Batt"- Royal Artillery,
who died on the 15th February, 1826, after a
severe and protracted illness, at his father's
house in this parish, in the 25th year of his age.
His conduct as a man and a soldier was exem-
plary, and he bore his illness to the last with
that Christian fortitude and resignation, which
marked his conduct through life. This stone is
erected by a few of his military friends.
— Taylor, who was bred a blacksmith, was
horseshoer to the regiment.
It is said that the plague raged with great
virulence in Dipple during the 16th century,
and a rising ground in the south-west corner
of the kirkyard is still known as " The Pest
Hillock," or the place where those were buried
who fell victims to the disease.
■Before coming into the hands of the Duffs,
the property of Dipple was held by various
proprietors, among whom was Alexander Innes
who, in 1652, was served heir to his father
William in the town and Kirkton of Dipple
(Retours).
The first Duff of Dipple was William,
second son of Duff of Keithmore, who joined
in business with his uncle. Provost Duff of
Inverness, and Sir James Calder. He continued
there until about 1703, when he removed to
Elgin, having previously acquired Dipple, to
which he afterwards added Coxton, &c. Baird
of Auohmedden quaintly remarks that Dipple
" was extremely fitted for business .
the longer he sat at his bottle he became still
more Cautious and Secure, so that if at the
beginning of a sederunt we might get a
tolerable bargain of him, after he was a little
in liquor it was impossible to overreach him."
He had also much humour. The same writer
relates that on one occasion as Dipple was going
down the staircase at Gordon Castle, " before it
got the Piaveline," he observed to the Duchess
that " it was a good Forenoon Stair ! "
Dipple, who succeeded as heir of entail to
his nephew Braco, was twice married, first to
ESSIL.
261
a daughter of Sir George Gordon of Edin-
glassie, and next to a daughter of Sir William
Dunbar of Dnrn. He had issue by both
wives. The first was the mother of his eldest
son William, who in 1735 was created Baron
Braco, and in 1759 Earl of Eife, and the
second had one son and three daughters.
[Ins. compd. by Rev. Mr. P. Dunn.]
•v^^^^^w^^.^^^v^w^^^^^^^^^w^.^^^^^vv^^^^^^^^^v^^^
(Essil.
(S. PETEE, APOSTLE.)
CYD'HE kirk of Eskyl, which was a prebend
•^ of the Cathedral of Moray, had an ele-
vated position upon the north bank of the
Spey, and about a mile from its mouth. The
parish probably received its name from the
circumstance that a burn ran past the kirkyard
in old times, the word Ess-kll meaning " the
church of the burn."
The church, which is mentioned along with
Dipple in Bishop Bricius' charter of 1208-15,
and taxed at 20s in the year 1350, was a seat
of the treasurer of the Diocese.
In 1574, Mr. Patrick Douglas was minister
of the kirks of Kyneduard (Drainie) and
Essil, and Alex. Douglas was reader at Essil.
The churchyard is surrounded with an ex-
pensive wall and railing, and the two first-
quoted inscriptions are from tombstones within
the area of the ruins of the kirk : —
HERE LTES lAMES GEDDE AND MARGEKT SHAND,
HIS SPOUS, VHO DIED .... 1680.*
— These were possibly ancestors of a family
named Geddle, who have been long connected
with the district as ship and boat builders.
* The Eev. Mr. Dunn kindly writes that on com-
paring the printed copies with the original inscriptions
at Essil, he failed to find the stones marked thus *
They were either buried or broken.
[2.]
HEIR LIETH GEORGE GORDON, SUMTTM IN GER-
MOTH, HUSBAND TO ELIZABETH lOHSTOUN, WHO
DIED THE 17 OF NOUEMBER, 1688, & THEIR CHIL-
DREN lAMES, MARGRAT, ANN, & MARGRAT GORDONS.
The next inscription is from a table stone
which has been recently put into a good state
of repair : —
HERE LYES MASTER GEORGE CUMMING, 47 TEARS
MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL AT ESSLE, WHO DEPARTED
THIS LIFE THE 20 DAT OF SEPTEMBER 1723.
— IMr. Cuming was a son of the laird of Loch-
terlandich, Provost of Elgin, whose tombstone
lies in front of St. ilary's Aisle in Elgin
Cathedral, and whose brother William became
laird of Auchry (Epitaphs, i, 175). The minis-
ter was twice married, first to a daughter of
Archibald Geddes of Essil, and next to Anna
Gordon. He had no family by the latter, who
survived him ; but by the former he had two
sons and one daughter. Although Mr. Cum-
ing conformed to Presbytery, he was an Epis-
copalian at heart, and his sons George and
Archibald both became clergymen of the
Church of England. The daughter, who
married WiUiam M'Williiim, tenant of Gauld-
well, Boharm, was great-grandmother of Sir.
William Youug of Burghead.
Mr. Cuming's immediate successor at Essil,
Mr. Gilchrist, was translated to Eoveran in
1727, and was succeeded by Mr. Egbert
MiLN, who was the last minister of Essil, and
the first of the united parishes of Essil and
Dipple, now Spetmouth. He died in 1768,
having been survived by his wife Katherine
M'Intosh, who died in 1790. There is no
tpmbstone to Mr. Milne, but the next inscrip-
tion, from a marble slab in the west gable of
the kirk, relates to his immediate successor at
Speymouth : — •
To the memory of the Eev. Mr. Thomas
Gordon, minister of the Gospel, first at Dundur-
cus, and for the last tweuty-six years of his life
at Speymouth, a faithful pastor, an eloquent and
successful preacher, an accomplished scholar, a
262
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
warm and steady friend, and an instructive and
entertaining companion. He died the XVIII
day of July, MDCCLXXXIV., in the sixty-
third year of his age.
— Mr. Gordon's father, who was minister of
Lonmay, married Mary, daughter of Mr. Lewis
Gordon and niece of the second Sir Eobert
Gordon of Gordonstown. The minister of
Speymouth, who was previously at Dundurcus,
was the author of several works. By his wife
Eebecca Gordon he had a son Thomas, who
was a W.S. in Edinburgh, and latterly sheriff-
substitute of Sutherlandshire, and a daughter,
who married a factor of the Duke of Gordon.
The Sheriff had a family, some of whom are
still alive in England, and in prosperous cir-
cumstances.
From table-stones : —
EEQUIESCUNT HIC EXTJVI^ JOHANIS ANDERSONB
DE MATHIEMILN, QUI FATIS CESSIT VIGESIMO SEXTO
DIE MENSIS FEBRDARII, ANNO DOMINI MILLESIMO
SEPTINQENTESIMO VIGESIMO QUARTO.
[Here rest the remains of John Anderson of
Mathiemiln, who died 26"' Feb., 1724.]
The stone from which the next inscription
was taken has been turned over, and a new
inscription put upon the other side : —
HERE LYES THE BODT OF PATRICK ANDERSON, .
. . IN ELGIN, IV LAWFUL SON OF JOHN ANDER-
SON OF MATHIEMILL . . GRIZEL STUART, HIS
SPOUSE. HE DIED lULY 27, MDCCLXVI, IN THE LIII
YEAR OF HIS AGE.
— The Andersons of Mathiemill, one of whom
was employed by the Garmouth people in
writing deeds and conveyances for them, were
probably descendants of Alexander Anderson
of the latter place, who, in Nov. 1639, when
Ian Dugair demanded money from the inha-
bitants under pain of plunder, went to the
river side to reconnoitre the freebooter's posi-
tion, and finding him and "24 lymmaris " upon
" the stanners " in the middle of the Spey,
whither they had taken the ferry boats, levelled
his gun, and, as quaintly narrated by Spalding
(i. 236), "schot this Johne Dvgar vpone the
stanneris deid," thereby saving not only the
inhabitants of Garmouth, but the whole
country from being further tormented by
" that bloodie mortherar and oppressour."
Mathiemill, formerly Innes property, lies near
Garmouth, and is now incorporated with the
farm of Corskie. It belongs to the Duke of
Richmond and Gordon, having probably been
a portion of the lands that were excambed
with the Earl of Fife for the lordship of
Urc[uhait about 1776.
The next four inscriptions are from flat
tombstones : —
Heir lyes Dawid Clerk, wakster in Gai-moch,
who depairted this life the 25th day of February,
1703 yeai-s. Iohn Clerk, his sone, who depair-
ted this life the 10th day of Mairch, 1691 yeara.
David Clark, Findhorn, 1852.*
[2-]
Heir lyes Bessie Clerk, spous to Iohn Shand,
fewar in Garmoch, wlio departed this lyfe the
5th day of Apryl 1740 years ; and the said Iohn
Shand, who died April 19, 1729, and of age 75.*
[3.]
This stone is erected in memory of Iames
EoBERTSON, sometime in Milltown of Kieth, who
dyed May 4, 1738, aged 92yeai-s ; and his spouse
Ianet Young, who dyed lun the 22, 1744, aged
89 years, and lived married togither 64 yrs., and
is hopt'd they are hand in hand in Glorie, sing-
ing Praisses to the Lamb & him that sitts upon
the Throne for ever & for ever mor. Amen.
[4.]
Here lyes the body of Egbert Willson, some-
time farmer in Stynie, who departed this life
March the 15, 1746, & his spouse Kathrine
Eagg, who died & then- son Iames
Willson & his spouse Isabell Barry
& their children Kathrine, Barbra,
Egbert, & Barbra Willsons.
The next two are from headstones : —
Memori mentum: Hear lays the body of Iohn
MiLN, who died in the year of God, 1753, son to
lames ]Milu and Margre Wilson at Mil of Gai--
mouth.*
* See foot-note page 261.
ESSIL.
263
[2.]
This stone is PLaCED Here by A"drow
HosaCK TayLOR in GaRMOuth wlio died luly
20 1780, aged 71 ; and his 'pouse Barbra A''der-
son who died feb. 15. 1771.*
From a slab in nortli wall of old kirk : —
IWN. 27, 1770 — MEMENTO MORI.
Here layes tlie worthie dwst of Elisbeth
FiMESTER, dawghter to Alexr. Fimester, bwrges
and freeman, wright, in Elgin. Her age was 26
yeara, had tow children, Alexr. c& Christain
Adams. This ston was erected by her son, Alexr.
Adams, slatter, bwrgess, in Edinbwrgh, 1770.
In the nortli wall : —
Sacred to the memory of William Falconer,
late feuar in Garmouth, and sometime Governor
of Severn Fort, Hudson's Bay, who departed
this life, the 19th Sept. 1804, aged 65 yeai-s.
Also his spouse, Ann Morrison, who died 15th
Nov. 1840, in the 87 year of her age.
— jVFr. Falconer had a brother who was minis-
ter of Stromness ; and to Capt. Peter Fal-
coner, a son of the latter, there is a conspicu-
ous monument at Essil.
The next three inscriptions are from monu-
ments within an enclosure : —
TOMB OF GRANT OF DELLACHAPLE, 1691.
To the memory of Alexander Grant, Esquire,
of Dellachaple, born 15th September 1776, died
19th June 1829.
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of James-Augustus
Grant, son of Alexander Grant, Esq. of Della-
chaple, who died at Kishnagur, Bengal, on the
8th of August 1838 in the 25th year of his age.
And of- Ensign Alexander William Grant,
of the 11th Eegimeut, Madras Native Infantry,
who died at Nudapapoor, East Indies, on the
10th of Febmary 1840, in the 18th year of his
age.
[3.]
Erected by Mrs. Helen Grant of Dellachaple
and James-Augustus Grant, Esq. of Viewfield,
in dutiful and affectionate remembrance of Mrs.
Christian Grant, theii- mother, and relict of
the deceased Rev. John Grant, minister of
Abeniethy, who discharged the pastoral duties
of that parish with exemplary fidelity during
the long period of 56 years. She died the 21st
July 1832, aged 75 j'ears.
* See foot-note page 261.
— These Grants are said to have been chiefs of
the sept of that name. Clan CJiiaran, and held
the lands of Dellachaple {i.e., Chaple Haugh)
in feu or wadset for some generations. Alex.
Grant, who died in 1829, came to Garmouth,
and having been successful in business, pur-
chased a small property there. He built a
house, which he called Dellachaple, and which
his family still possess. He had several sons
and at least two daughters. Two of the sons
died as above. One of the daughters, who
died recently, married a Mr. Macdonald in
Australia, and the other still lives near Elgin.
The minister of Abernethy, who was of the
Grants of Milton, was buried at Duthil (Epi-
taphs, i. 142).
From a table-stone : — ■
To the memory of Andrew Logie, preacher of
the Gospel, this tribute of affectionate remem-
brance is erected by Friends who esteemed and
loved him in life, and who deeply regretted his
death. He expired at Kingston, on the 3"*
December, 1835, aged 27 years.
Within an enclosure : —
Under this stone lies the body of Alexander
Allan, sometime fewar and cooper in Garmouth,
who was born 21"' June, 1696, and died le""
January, 1756 ; and of his spouse Mart Forbes,
who died 19"' September, 1767. &c.
—The Eev. James Gillan, D.D., who was
settled, first at Kinloss and next at Spey-
mouth, where he died in 1828, in the 78th
year of his age and the fifty-first of his ministry,
married a daughter of Mr. Allan, by whom he
had the late Eev. Dr. James Gillan, who died
minister of Alford in 1871, and was buried
at Speymouth. The latter, who was twice
married, and who bought the properly of Cot-
bank in Banchory -Devenick, was succeeded by
his son, the Eev. James Gillan, now minister
of Alford.
The next two inscriptions are from monu-
ments within one enclosure : —
Sacred to the memory of William Grant,
Esq., late of the Honourable East India Com-
pany's Civil Service, who died at Garmouth on
264
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
the 11th of October, 1836, aged 73 years. Also,
to the memory of James Steinson, feuar in Gar-
moiith, who departed this Hfe, the 2d of October,
1822, aged 63 years. Here also are deposited the
mortal remains of Mrs Marrion Grant, relict
of the late James Steinsou, .... who died
the 25th day of March, 1844, aged 87 years.
— Mr. Grant's father, or grandfather, came
from Strathspey in connection with the trade
in Highland timber, large quantities of which
were thou floated down the Spey from Aber-
nethy and Eothiemurchus. His sister Marion
married James Steinson, who was agent at Gar-
mouth for Eothiemurchus timber, &c., and to
the memory of one of their family an adjoining
granite monument is thus inscribed : —
In memory of Lieut.-Colonel Steinson, 18th
Eegt., Madras, N.I., who died at London, on the
21" Nov., 1851, aged 54 years, gi-eatly beloved
by his brother officers, and deeply lamented by
his relatives, and a wide circle of attached
friends.
"When we first visited Essil, which was be-
fore the new walls were built, or the improve-
ments made upon the burial ground, we took
note of several fragments of carved stones,
none of which could be found on a subsequent
visit. One of these bore two shields, charged
respectively with the Dunbar and Falconer
arms and initialed M.D. : I.r., and below
were these traces of the text : —
lESVS
SPIRIT
RENVE
WIT .
RIGHT
. GOD
— Could the above initials and arms refer to
Mark Dunbar of Durris, who succeeded his
father in 1592, and married Isobel Falconer!
The Dunbar arms, along with those of
Brodie, the date of 1633, and the initials
S.E.D. : D.G.B. were upon another slab ; but
whether these had reference to Sir Eobert
Dunbar of GrangehiU, who was knighted by
Charles II. in 1660, and who (Douglas'
Baronage, 124) married Dame Grisel, a daugh-
ter of Brodie of that Ilk, we are not aware.
Another slab bore a coronet, and also a mono-
gram, apparently composed of the letters
LMSDISK. The Chalmers and arms
in pale were upon another piece, and two frag-
ments of old tombstones bore respectively
these letters : —
. . . AROHAL
. . AR STUDET . . .
. . . ZOUNGE :
[2.]
.... OVR
.... OME :
R :
. . . . P . OF . ABDENE
The river Spey, which bounds Essil and
Dipple on the east, formed the northern
boundary of Scotland in old times, and here,
as in some other parts of the country, was a
stone bridge in the time of Alexander III.
There was also an hospice, where travellers
could rest and refresh themselves. Both it
and the pont, which crossed the river at Orkel,
were under the control and management of
the Bishop and Chapter of the Cathedral of
Elgin (Eeg. Mora v.)
Being the chief thoroughfare to and from
the north, this locality has been the scene of
many events of national importance. Among
others it is supposed to have been the place
where Alexander I. routed the rebels who
came from the north and surprised him in his
castle of Hurley Hawkin in Gowry, a circum-
stance that led to the founding of the Abbey
of Scone, as thus narrated by Wyntoun : —
" And in devotyowne movyd, swne,
The Abbay fowndyd than of Scwne."
But to come to later times, payments are
recorded to have been made here by James
IV. " to the feryaris of Spey " when he was on
his pilgrimages to the shrine of S. Duthoc at
Tain, in 1494 and 1505 ; and Spalding gives
many graphic narratives of the doings of
Montrose and his soldiers in the same locality.
TARLAND.
265
Writers upon the later rebellions also speak of
it. " A Volunteer," who followed the Duke of
Cumberland in 1746, and who gives perhaps
the best account we have of the events of the
time, teUs of the difficulties encountered by
the soldiers in crossing the Spey, which was
then without a bridge, of the loss of two
women and a trooper in the river, of the flight
of the rebels, and of " a sort of Barracks
which [they] had made, with Clods of Earth
and Sticks " uj)on the west side of the stream.
In speaking of " the noble Eiver Spey,"
the same writer gives the following translation
of the weU-known classical lines, in which the
use of the "currach" — a kind of boat con-
structed of wicker work and covered with
heather or the hides of animals — is referred
tor-
Great Spey drives forward with impetuous force
Huge Banks of Sand ; and knows no certain Com-se,
Here for a Boat, an Osier-pannier, row'd
By some bold Peasant, glides along the Flood.
It may interest some to know that Taylor,
the celebrated " Water Poet," or " skuller," as
Ben Johnson ironically called him, spent two
days with the Marquis of Huntly at the Bog
of Gycht (Gordon Castle), where, as he states,
he found the entertainment, like the Marquis
himself, "free, bountiful, and honourable."
He also tells of having called at Strathbogie
(Huntly Castle), on his return to the south,
and of crossing " Carny mount to Brechin,"
where he lodged for the night, and narrowly
" escaped one of the seven deadlie sinnes," his
chamber, as he graphically writes, having been
entered at midnight by "a wench that was
borne deafe and dumb," and who " made such
a hideous noyse," that he started out of his
"sleepe, and thought the Deuill had been
there " (Taylor's Works, p. 137, London,
1630).
Besides the picturesque clachan of Mosstod-
loch, there are two villages in the parish,
called respectively Kingston and Garmouth.
The latter, situated at the mouth of the Spey,
is a burgh of barony, and according to the
writers of the Statistical Accounts, Chas. II.,
on his arrival from Holland in July, 1650,
signed the Solemn League and Covenant in a
house there. The former village, founded
about 1783-4 by Messrs. Dodsworth and Os-
bourne, shipbuilders aud timber merchants,
whose resident partner or manager was Mr.
Tho. Hastwick, was named by them after the
town of Kingston-upou-HulL
[lus. compd by Rev. Mr. P. Dunn.]
vw\\\\\vwv\vvv\\v\v\\-vv\%v\vv\\v%w%\%\\\\\\\\%\
9r it riant)*
(S. MALUACK, BP. AND CONP.)
TTirafHE church of Tarucdwid, with the mill
«^ and mill lands, was gifted by Morgund,
Earl of Mar, to the Priory of St. Andrews in
1165.
Possibly the most interesting deed con-
nected with the district is one nearly con-
temporaneous with Earl Morgund. It is an
agreement made in the year 1222 between
the Prior and convent of St. Andrews on
the one hand, and Gillemor, scolog or teacher
of Tarland, on the other. After narrating
that the said Gillemor was their born vassal
or serf, the Convent gave him leave to be
with Lord I. (James), son of the late Morgund,
Earl of Mar, as long as it should please them
to permit him. Gillemor and his children
were also, without let or hindrance from any
one, to be allowed to return with all their
substance, when a suitable place should be
assigned for their habitation. It was further
provided that, if Gillemor or his children
should stay for a year or more with Lord
James, Gillemor should be bound to pay, in
acknowledgment of his homage to the Prior
l2
266
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
and Convent, one pound of money every year
at the Assumption of the Blessed Mary (Ant.
Abd. and Banff).
The kirks of Taruelun and Migveth are both
entered in the Old Taxation at 20 merks.
These and three other parishes were served in
1574 by one minister, who had a stipend of
X75 13s. 4d. Scots. John Eoss was reader at
the former church, and William Ingrahame at
the latter, and each had a salary of £\Q Scots.
It is by no means improbable that the Eev.
Dr. James Ingram of the Free Church, Unst
— the oldest living minister of any church,
and who was born at Daugh, and baptized
29th May, 1776 {Par. Reginter) — may be a
descendant of the old reader of Migvie.
Tlie initials ME.T.M. and the date of 1762
are upon the old belfry. The initials relate to
Mr. Thomas Mitchell, who was translated to
Tarves in 1766, and the date to the building
of the former church of Tarland, which con-
tinued to be used as a place of worship until
1870, when a new edifice was erected about a
quarter of a mile to the north-east of the
village.
After the new church was built, the old one
was unroofed and made a ruin, and the area
used fur interments. The following inscription
is from a granite monument within the old
kirk : —
In memory of Andrew Eoss, J.P., third son
of Harry Eoss, sometime farmer in Wester CouU,
who discharged the duties of factor for forty
years on the estates of the Earl of Aberdeen, in
Cromar, with such judgment, integrity and kind-
ness, that he enjoyed the full confidence of the
proprietor, and the universal respect of the
tenants. He died on the 17th May, 1S70, aged 76.
— Mr. Eoss, who was a licentiate of the
Church of Scotland, began life as parochial
schoolmaster, first at Tarland, and next at
Alford. Besides being local factor for the
Earl of Aberdeen, he was also a bank agent.
Although of limited extent, the burial
ground contains a number of monuments.
When at Tarland in 1846, we copied the two
first-quoted inscriptions from flat slabs ; but,
on subsequent visits, we have been able to
find only the stone with the second inscrip-
tion : —
Here lies the remains of William Davidson,
late farmer in Tarland, who died on the 2'' day
of March 1747, aged about 39 ; also Elspet
Brown, his spouse, who died in the mouth of
March, 1753, aged 46 ; and John Davidson,
who died on the 15th day of June 1773 aged 30
years. Done by the care of William Davidson,
their youngest son.
[2.]
Here lyes John Davidson, who was bom in
the beginning of the present century, lived all
his life in Tarland, and who died there on the
third of March 1787, going 82 years of age ; with
two of his children, James and Jean Davidsons,
who died in their infancies. This being the
burial place of their family for several centuries,
where many of them are interred since the first
of whom, a captain, was settled in this country
by the Irvines of Drum, for a particular favour
done that family at Edinburgh, in the time of
the Scotch kings. Done by the care of Margaret
McComie, the defunct's relict, her eldest son John
Davidson of Tillychetly, and his daughter Ann
Davidson in Tarland. His second son Charles
Davidson, died in Jamaica some yeai-s ago.
Praise on tombs is vainly spent ;
This defimct's character was an ornament.
— Both inscriptions relate to ancestors of the
Davidsons of Tillychetly, Inchmarlo, and
Desswood. The last-named John was the
first Davidson of Tillychetly ; and his son
Duncan, who was an advocate in Aberdeen,
bought Inchmarlo. There are tombstones to
the same family both at Alford and at Ban-
chory-Ternan (Epitaphs, i. 4, 118).
The lairds of Drum, who held Tarland from
1506, were chief heritors of it in 1696, at
which time there were two tenants in the
village of the name of Davidson, James, a
shoemaker, and Francis, a cottar. The latter
appears to have been the more important of
the two ; he was married, had two female
servants, and a subtenant (Poll Book.)
TARLAND.
267
Skene, which is an old surname in the
parish, is still pretty common, and a tomb-
stone belonging to that race presents the
earliest date in the burial-ground : —
Here lyes William Skeen, who dep. this life
Nov 1728, aged 53 years.
— An adjoining obelisk bears the names of
John Skeen and his wife Ann Mom, who
both died in 1870, at the respective ages of
76 and 71. Skeen was a merchant and stamp
distributor at Tarland. He had a large family
of sons and daughters, two of the former
studied medicine, and both entered the Queen's
service, in which the elder is a staff-surgeon, and
the other is in India. An oak panel, initialed
A.M. : I.L. and dated 1696, which was brought
from the old kirk of Logie-Coldstone, and is
now in possession of Skeen at Tarland, is said
to have reference to an Alex. Moir and his
wife Jean Lumsden. The same family have
also a tartan plaid said to have been worn by
one of the Moirs at Culloden.
Upon a flat slab : —
Hei-e lies Patrick Littlejohn who lived
sometime in Stoneyfoord, and who died Sept. 17,
1771, aged 67. Don by the care of Januet
Taylor, his spouse, and his surviving children,
Patrick, James, Lewis, . . nnet, Littlejohus
Prom a tablestone at east end of kirk : —
This stone is erected bj' Joseph Emslie of
Camphill, to the memory of James Emslie, his
son, who died the 5th May, 1818, aged 3 years ;
and his daughter, Ann, aged 15 years, who died
the 6th Nov., 1823. Also the foresaid Joseph
Emslie of Camphdl, who died 1st February,
1819, aged 82 years.
— Emslie made money as a merchant in Tar-
land and bought the estate of CamphiU in
Lumphanan, which now belongs to a female
descendant. Also from a tablestone : —
Peter Stuart, farmer in Newmill, Bii-se, was
interred here in 1810, in his 84"" year of a liighly
useful, rehgious, and respected life. MarV
Hunter, his wife in 1818. Also their children,
William, Mart, Margaret, Ann, Helen, &
Michal.
Upon headstone adjoining the above : —
John Stuart, son of Peter Stuart, also farmer
in Newmill, Bu-se, died 1816, aged 44, leaving a
widow and seven children. Mart died in 1819,
Peter and John in 1846, all showing what chil-
dren are when trained up in the fear of God.
His widow, their mother, so ti-uly beloved and
respected, Charlote-Botd Catanach, died 18th
Jan., 1848, aged 72. Robert, formerly in New-
mill, latterly at Kuthrieston, Oklraachar, died
15"' April, 1864, aged 66. Erected by their
grateful sous, Robert, farmer in Newmill ; Harry,
minister, Oathlaw ; George, schoolmaster of
Oathlaw.
— Mrs. Stuart, who died in 1848, was the
daughter of George Catanach, at Mossat, in
Kildrummy, and his wife Helen Gordon. She
was a fidl sister of the laird of Terpersie, who
suffered for his connection with the rebellion
of 1745 (Epitaphs, i. 266).
The next two inscrijjtions are from head-
stones : —
[1.]
Sacred to the memory of Mr. John Copland,
student of divinity, and teacher in Andei-son's
Institution, Forres, who departed this life on the
12th Aug' 1833, in t!ie 28th year of his age,
deeply lamented by his relations, friends, and
pupils.
This humble memorial of the excellencies which
adorned his character as a Christian, and a
scholar, a teacher and a friend, is placed at his
grave by his Pastor and Colleagues at Forres.
" The briefer life — the earlier immortaHty."
This tablet is the property of his cousin Samuel
Farquhar at Auchendoir.
[2.]
In memory of Robert Smith, teacher of the
Assembly School at Migvie, who died on the
25th of Jidy, 1863, aged 55 years.
— Mr. Smith, who had a taste for antiquarian
pursuits, was the first to direct attention to
the Pict's House and the sculptured and cup
stones at Jligvie, and many other relics in the
district of Cromar. Had he been spared a
little longer, we should probably liave had to
record other services by him of the same dis-
interested kind.
From a monument in east dyke of burial-
ground : —
268
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
lu memory of Andrew Lamond, who died the
31st day of March, 1778, aged 73 : aud of Agnes
MicniE, his wife, who died the 13th day of Oc-
tober, 1787, aged 74.
— A broken marble slab shows that the monu-
nient was erected in July, 1789, by their
second son John, of Kiuf:;ston, Jamaica. He
and his brother Andrew both went to Jamaica,
where the latter died unmarried, and the former
had an only daughter, who was the mother of
the late Mr. Leslie of Powis. The next inscrip-
tion, from a table-shaped stone, relates to an-
other brother, who was an extensive cattle-
dealer and farmer. He bought the property
of Strandulf (? Stroneduhh, i.e., black nose or
point) in Kincardine O'jS^eil, which now be-
longs to his grandson : —
In memory of William Lamond of vStranduflf,
who died 13th February, 1813, aged 72 years;
and Elizabeth Farquharson, his spouse, who
died aoth November, 1823, aged 80 years. Also
of Agnes, their daughter, who died"21st Febru-
ary, 1810, aged 27 years, and John, their son,
who died in infancy. And James Lamond of
Strauduff, their eldest son, who died 9th Janu-
ary, 1851, aged 70 years.
From a table-stone : — •
In memory of the Reverend William Mait-
LAND, Minister of the Gospel at Tarland, who
died 23rd January, 1799, the 67th year of his
age, and 32d of his ministry. And Elizabeth
McInnes, his spouse, who died 21st February,
1797. Also of George, their son, who died in
infancy, and Ann, their second daughter, who
died loth January, 1794, aged 23. Vivamus nos
reote ; post mortem judicium.
— Mr. Maitland was succeeded in the kirk of
Tarland by his son-in-law, to whom and
other relatives a headstone is thus inscribed : —
lu memory of the Rev. Andrew Watson,
minister of the Gospel at Tarland, who died on
the 9th of March, 1845, in the 82nd year of his
age, and 46th of his ministry. Aud of Helen
Maitland, his wife, who died on the 10th of
March, 1837, in the 67th year of her age. And
Elizabeth, his eldest daughter, who died on the
7th of March, 1848, aged 43.
— Mr. Watson, who was at first parochial
teacher at Tarland, and afterwards missionary
at Glengarden, was succeeded in the church of
Tarland by his son James, who died in 1868,
aged 62. His tombstone adjoins that of his
grandfather, Mr. Maitland. A separate monu-
ment shows that George, the eldest son, died
in 1819, in "the 18th year of his age, and
4th of his academical courses at Marischal
CoUege ;" that a daughter, Maegaret Ogilvy,
died in 1827, aged 13 ; and that Andrew,
advocate in Aberdeen, their youngest son,
died in 1837, in his 26th year. An elder
brother William, farmer, Knowhead, died in
1852, aged 45, and a sister married the Rev.
Dr. Cook of Kincardine 0'JS''eU,
A table-stone at the west end of the old
kirk bears that James Manx, dyer, Tarland,
died in 183-5, aged 70, and his wife Margaret
Eennie in 1838, aged 76. These were the
parents of the Rev. Alex. !Mann, D.D., minis-
ter at Pakenham, Ontario, Canada, and of the
late Rev. John Mann, schoolmaster of Prem-
nay and joint proprietor with another brother
of the lands of Braco in Cruden.
From a table-stone on S.E. of burial ground : —
In memory of Robert Douglass, sometime
farmer in Meikle-Culsh, Tarland, who died on
the 22nd day of January 1841, aged 86 yeai-s.
Also, his spouse, Elizabeth Lamond, who died
ou the 2ud of January 1813, aged 70 years. Also
Margaret Grant, his second wife who died at
Mains of Glenbucket, the 23rd of January, 1871,
aged 83 years.
— Mr. Douglass, by his second wife, was the
father of Mr. J. L. Douglass, bank agent,
Ballater, formerly farmer of Culsli, &c.
The following epitaph (which is given, im-
perfectly, from recitation) is not now to be
seen at Tarland ; but it appears to have been
composed by the same rhymster as that of
Peter Milner, at Leochel (Epitaphs, i. 186): —
Here lies John Kesson, an honest man,
Was never heard to curse nor bann ;
Mart Simpson was his wife.
He had nae ither all his life.
He liv'd in Daugh, died in the same,
In the 3'ear
AUG VIE.
269
— The farm of Daugh, althougli near tlie
village of Tarland, is upon the estate of Mel-
gunij and within the parish of Coldstone.
There were neither Kessons nor Essons there
in 1696 ; but both surnames (probably origin-
ally Mae-Kay) appear in the PoU Book for
that year. Daugh is now partly occupied by
a family of the name of Esson. The Kessons
had also a settlement in Strathdon, and John,
grandson of the farmer of Belnabodach, and
born at Aberdeen in 1814, was an accomplished
linguist and writer in prose and verse. He
was also one of the compilers of the Universal
Catalogue of Books on Art, &c., for the South
Kensington Museum^ and died at Chelsea, 7th
Feb., 1876.
The village of Tarland is the only town in
the district of Cromar. It contains a Free
Church, some good dwelling-houses, shops,
hotels, and two branch banks. It is also the seat
of a thriving agricultural association and several
fairs, the oldest of which, Loicae and Bri/och,
are held respectively in July and November.
The former was named from S. Maluack or
Machuluoch, patron of Tarland, and the
latter, which stood previously " at the Kirk of
Kowl," probably had its name from another
old saint called Bbaoch. Two half-yearly
fairs were established in 1738 by William,
Earl of Aberdeen, to whose representatives
the greater part of the parish now belongs.
It is said that there was a battle fought at
Indego, and that it was celebrated in a song,
of which we have heard only the following
couplet —
An' Piper Skene he lost his life
At the Haughies o' Indego.
Although to a stranger apparently meaning-
less, the popular saying of —
Backside, Boddomend, Corrachree, and Tarland.
may be understood and interpreted by natives.
During the last century and part of the
present, the smuggling of whisky was carried
on to a great extent in Cromar, where, if tradi-
tion is to be relied upon, the consumption of
that beverage was also considerable. In a
not very dignified rhyme, known indifferently
as the Eough Tykes o' Tarland and the Tarland
Crew, the minister and schoolmaster ("Geordio
o' the Eiven race ") are both satirised for over-
indulgence, and classed among what is called
in the refrain of the rhyme, " The Drunken
Tarland Crew."
But times are changed ; the inhabitants of
Tarland have long been an industrious, sober-
living people, and the village, being cleanly
kept and picturesquely situated, is much fre-
quented by visitors. A burn, which rises in
Migvie and runs past the town of Tarland,
where it is crossed by one stone and several
foot bridges, adds much to the amenity of the
place.
A detached portion of Tarland is situated
in Strathdon. It lies from 12 to 16 miles
from the village of Tarland, and within it are
situated the mansion houses of Edinglassie,
Skellater, and Candacraig, which all belong to
Sir Charles Forbes of Newe, and also that of
Inverernan, the property of Gen. Forbes, C.B.,
who distinguished himself in the late Persian
War (Epitaphs, i. 150-3).
JH 1 0 1) i J?.
(S. riNJSTAN, BISHOP.)
AGNES, Countess of Mar, with consent of
her husband, ilorgund, Earl of Mar,
gave the church of Migaueth to the Prior and
Canon of St. Andrews in 1153-78. Pitten-
taggart, or the Priest's Croft, once the glebe of
Migvie, is within half-a-mUe of the kirk. A
market, called Finzean or Finiian fair, was held
at the kirk of ]Mi£;vie, sometimes in March
270
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
and sometimes in April (Edinburgh Prognos-
tication for 1706).
The church of Migvie is four miles north-
west from the village of Tarland, and public
worship is held there every second Sunday.
The church, a small plain building surrounded
by the burial ground, stands upon a hillock
to the north of the Castle hill. The oldest
tombstone, which bears a shield charged with
the Innes arms, contains this inscription : —
IN HOPES OF A BLESSED RESURRECTION, HERB
IS INTERRED ALEXANDER INNES OF TO . . . VHO
DEPARTED XVIII OF APRIL 1682
— The Inneses, who are said to have succeeded
Forbes in Towie, were probably related to
those of Colquoich in Migvie. One of the
latter, who was an officer in the rebel army,
took possession of a house of Sir Henry
Haughton's, at Preston, which he garrisoned
with a force of fifty Highlanders, and gallantly
defended for some time. It was possibly the
same Innes who was taken prisoner at Sheriff-
muir and brought to Stirling Castle, 14th
November thereafter (Patten's Hist, of the
Ptebellion, pt. i. 105 ; ii. 44).
From a table-shaped stone : —
To the memory of Doctor Fairbairn of Easter
Migvie, who died Dec. 26th, 1770, & Mrs. Do-
ROTHT Brebner, his spouse, who died July 20th,
1797, who, with theu' son Eobt., and daugtrs.
Mart & Barbara, & a Brother of the Doctor's
Edward Fairbairn, lie interred here.
— The estate of Easter Migvie was bought
from the Fairbairns in 1799 for £1800 ; and
in 1864 it was sold for £8500.
It wUl be seen that the concluding lines of
the following are altered from Ben Johnson's
epitaph upon the Countess of Pembroke : —
Here Hes the body of William Fletcher,
sometime master of the Society's School in the
parish of Migvie, who died Jauy. 23, 1769, aged
48 years : —
Enough cold stone.
Suffice his long lov'd name ;
Words are too weak
To pay his virtue's claim.
Temples and tombs.
And tongues shall waste away,
And power's vain pomp
In mouldering dust decay ;
But ere mankind
A more laborious Teacher see,
Eternity, O, Time, shall bury thee.
Abridged from a marble slab : —
James Robertson, farmer. Wester Hopewell,
died 1823, aged 63, and his wife Christian
Grassick, died 1845, aged 86. [Their son] the
Eev. William Robertson, Free Church minis-
ter, Aboyne, died 1870, aged 65.
Also abridged :—
James Davidson, Parknook, " served 21 years
in 29th Foot, stood the other battles of the Pen-
insida, and died 22nd March, 1863, aged 82.
Upon a granite tombstone : — -
.Erected by James, William, George, and
Robert Reid, in Memory of their brother Dun-
can Reid, Esquire, M.D., Aberdeen, who was
born at Smiddyhill, Migvie, on 13th Jany., 1806,
and died in Aberdeen, 16"" May, 1865.
—From his professional practice and com-
mercial speculations. Dr. Eeid realized a con-
siderable fortune, which he left to a nephew,
George, upon condition that it should be invest-
ed in the purchase of land in West Aberdeen-
shire. He bought Clinterty in the parish of
Kinellar, and his father George, one of the
erectors of the tombstone, farmer of Bauds in
Peterculter, has attained some eminence as a
breeder of black cattle. Tradition says that
these Eeids were descended from the old lairds
of Migvie, referred to below.
The most remarkable antiquities of the dis-
trict are a singular specimen of a sculptured
stone, which was found in the burial aisle of
luues of Towie, a weem or Pict's house, and
the foundations of the great manor or castle
of Migvie, close to which stood the lapis de
Migveth, where the vassals of the Earls of
Mar paid suit to their over-lord or superior
(Sculpd. Stones, ii. pi. 78 ; £eg. Abd., ii. 78).
INVERKEITHNY AND CONVETH.
271
Near the kirkyard lies a rude block of red
sandstone, which was found in an adjoining
field. Upon its smoothest side are a num-
ber of cup marks, some of which, owing
possibly to the effects of time and atrcospheric
agencies, have much the appearance of small
crosses. It is noticed by Prof Simpson in
his paper on the " Sculpturings of Cups and
Concentric Kings on Stones " ; and appears
to be similar in some respects to the Cloufiu-
lough boulder. King's County, Ireland, de-
scribed and engraved in the Journal of the
Kilkenny and South-east of Ireland Archreo-
logical Society (vi. 360).
At Culsh, north-east from the village of
Tarland, are two underground chambers.
These, as well as that at Migvie, are engraved
and described in Proceedings of the Society of
Antiquaries of Scotland (i. 258 ; v. 283, 304).
It has already been shown that Migvie as
well as Tarland belonged in old times to tlie
Earls of ]\Iar, who continued to hold the superi-
ority long after the lands passed into other
hands. There is a very interesting list of the
names of places in this district, as well as in
Strathdon, in the Chamberlain Eolls (iii.), in
which Adam Falconer, chamberlain of Mar,
takes credit for certain payments out of the
lands of Migvie, Tillypronie, and others, in
1438.
In August, 1642, Isabella Eeid was retoured
heiress to her father Patrick Eeid of Smiddi-
hill, in the lands of Sythscroft, Migvie, and
the mill thereof, &c. The property now be-
longs to the Farquharsons of Finzean, and has
done so (at least Glack, Coldhome, and a por-
tion of Migvie have) since 1696, for how long
before we are not aware. It is said in Douglas'
Baronage (546), on what authority is not
stated, that one of the coheiresses of Alex-
ander Keith of Altire married a laird of Fin-
zean, and brought the property to the Far-
quharsons. Tradition, on the other hand.
affirms that it came to that family through the
marriage of a Farquharson with the above-
named Isabella Eeid.
With the exception of the Finzean portion
of Migvie, which appears to be pretty much
of the same extent as it was in 1696, this part
of the parish has recently changed hands, and
mansion houses have been erected both upon
Tillypronie and Hopewell. The former be-
longs to Sir John F. Clark, Bart., whose
father was an eminent physician in London,
and the latter to Dr. Andrew Eobertson,
whose father was a watchmaker in Blairgowrie.
Dr. Eobertson was sometime a medical prac-
titioner at Crathie, and while there became
factor on the Balmoral and Abergeldie estates.
When these properties came into the possession
of the Queen and Prince Consort, Dr. Eobert-
son continued in the management until 1875,
when he resigned office and retired to Hope-
well. Hopewell and the adjoining estate of
Melgum were both sold by Colonel Farquhar-
son of Invercauld, and the latter was bought
by Mr. J. D. Milne, advocate and bank agent,
Aberdeen.
[Ins. compd. by Rev. Mr. Miclne, of Dimiet.]
*VVWWVVVVVV\\WV*\V^\\VNWV\%V\VWV\VVV\\VV\VV\N
3JniJcrkettt)n]) ant) Conijetl).
(SS. )
As now constituted, this district appears to
be made up of the two parishes of In-
VERKEITHNY and CoNVETH.
The first mention of the kirk of Liuerketh-
cmj occurs in 1226, when it was erected into
a prebend of the cathedral of Moray (Eeg.
Ep. Morav). The church of Liverikoiuj is
rated at 5 merks 8s., and that of Concvay at
9s. and 4d., in the Taxation of 1275 (Theiner).
In 1350, the former {IiinerJcethefiy) is valued
272
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
at 36, and the latter (Coneuxiy) at 24 merks
(Eeg. Ep. Morav).
The church of Conveth appears to have
been situated at or near the Mains of Tollo in
Banffshire, although the parish probably em-
braced a part of Aberdeenshire. There was
an old kirkyard at the site, and a spring still
bears the name of Krijle's Well.
The Conveth Stone, which was destroyed by
the tenant of Boghead about fifty years ago,
and utilized for building purposes, had a pro-
minent position upon the heights of Bogour.
It was about eight feet high, and it is said
that four stone coffins and " Druid's remains "
were found beside it.
The word " Conva," according to Joyce,
means " the hound's plain," and, if this ex-
planation be adopted, the Conveth Stone,
from the site of which there is an extensive
view of the Deveron, may be supposed to
mark the spot where sportsmen met in old
times and let off their hounds to hunt in the
adjacent valleys. But as Conveth in Scotch
charters is understood to mean a due, payment
in kind, or cane, it seems more probable that
this district may have received its name from
being subject to some special levy either to
the king or the Church. Conveth is the old
name of Laurencekirk in Kincardineshire.
Somewhere in Inverkeithny there was an-
other place of worship which was dedicated
to S. Peter. There is a fine spring near the
present parish kirk, but it has no distinguish-
ing name.
We have not met with the names of any of
the old churchmen of Conveth, but some of
those of Inverkeithny have been preserved.
One of these, Patryk Thane, is described as
" the aid wycar of Inuerkethny " in a deed
regarding the perambulation of the lands of
" Yochry and Achbady " in 1493 ; and an-
other. Sir Alexander Caunt, appears to have
been Thane's predecessor, or probably contem-
porary. John Lockart and Hew Cragy were
in office from 1534 to 1572. The latter was
probably succeeded by Florie Winsister, who
was pastor of the three churches of Inver-
keithny, Aberchirder (Marnoch), and Eothie-
may in 1574, at which date Patrick Ogstoun
was reader at Inverkeithny (Antiq. Abd.
& Bff.).
A slab, embellished with a carving of the
Crichton arms, initialed I.C. and dated 1638,
is upon the kirk belfry ; and two sUver com-
munion cujjs belonging to the parish bear re-
spectively : —
GIFTIT . TO . GOD . AND . TO . HIS . CHVRCH
. BE . lAMES . CREIGHTON . OF . FRENDRAVEHT
. TO . THE . KIRK . OF . INVERKEITHNET . 1633.
[2.]
GIVEN . TO . GOD . AND . HIS . KIRK . OF .
INVERKEITHNET . BE . lAMES . CREIGHTON . OF
. FRENDRACHT . PATRONE.
— It was the builder of the church, and the
donor of these cups who, in \Q^Q (supra, 171),
is supposed to have set fire to the tower of
Frendraught, in which Viscount Melgund,
Gordon of Eothiemay, and some of their fol-
lowers were burned to death. Crichton made
a similar gift of communion cups to the church
of Forgue — both possibly as " thankofferings
for his happy deliverance from the gallows !"
Another stone upon the belfry of the kirk
of Inverkeithny bears the Irvine arms and
the initials M.R.I. These relate to Mr.
Eobert Irvine, the contemporary minister,
who, in 1650 (Presb. Book of Strathbogie),
" vas admonished concerning his expression
through the defect of vant of teeth." Mr.
Irvine appears to have been no favourite with
his brethren, stiU he had the parishioners upon
his side, who gave him a good character, and
deponed that he not only attended to his
ministerial duties, but " kept home and did
not gad abroad." The church bell bears : —
INVERKEITHNIE . 1763.
INVERKEITHN7 AND CONVETH.
273
— The Session Eecords show that for many
years before this date the bell had been cracked
and the stock decayed ; also that John Mori-
son, younger of Bognie, undertook to have the
present fine-toned bell cast at London. Upon
the hand, or " deid bell," is this inscription : —
lAMES . FORBES . 1753.
EX . BONO . INVERKETHNIE
lOHN . MOWAT . OLD . ABDEE.
— The donor of this bell was sometime farmer
in Auchmhamper, Inverkeithny, and at the
time of the gift he tenanted Mill of Petty in
Fyvie. He arranged with the kirk-session
that all monies received for the use of the bell
should go for the benefit of the poor of the
parish of Inverkeitlmy, and that " his friends"
should have the use of it at their funerals free
of charge, the bellman's fee excepted.
The present church is the same edifice as
was rebuilt in 1638, with the exception of some
repairs that were made upon it in 1781, and at
a subsequent date when it was lathed. It is
a very sorry fabric — possibly one of the
poorest in the district — but prettily situated
upon a knoU on the south bank of the
Deverou.
Its appearance is not improved by the pre-
sence upon its north side of a watch-house,
which was built during the " resurrection
mania," 1820-30.
The first two inscriptions are from monu-
ments within an enclosure in the kirkyard.
Both preserve interesting notices of a family
of Episcopal clergymen who lived in stirring
times, and whose memory is stUl revered in
the locality : —
Here lyes under the hope of a blessed resur-
rection the body of the Reverend Mr. John
Maitland, late minister of the Gospel to the
Episcopal congxegation at Inverkeithney, grand-
son to the Rev. Richard, son of John, and
brother to John Maitland, all Episcopal minis-
ters in a succession in this place since the Happie
Restoration of King Charles the II. He died on
the 16th of April, 1740, and in the 69th year of
his age. »J<
As also the Rev. Mr. David Maitland, who
died at Peunyburn, Nov. 1st, 1757, aged 72. »J<
— Although there is no mention upon the
tombstone of any of these clergymen having
been married, an entry in the Session Cash
Book, under April 11, 1736, " ffor the mort-
cloath at Mrs. Maitland's funeral, I2s," pro-
bably refers to the wife of John Maitland,
who died in 1740. Under date of 30th Oct.,
1757, the kirk treasurer of Inverkeithny
charges himself with the sum of 10s., "For
the bell and mortcloath at Mr. David Mait-
land's burial."
The following inscription is from a marble
slab, encased in freestone, which stands at the
head of the above : — -
[2.]
This monument is erected at the dei3ire of the
Rev. John Maitland, a Presbyter of the Episco-
pal Church of Scotland, in memory of his Ances-
toi-s formerly ministei-s in this Parish from the
Restoration of King Charles II. to the accession
of King George I., and afterwards Episcopal
ministers in this and the neighbouring parish of
Forgne. John Maitland was born at Boghead,
Nov' 8, 1711, was in the year 1745 appointed
Chaplain to Lord Ogilvy's Regiment in the ser-
vice of Prince Charles Stuart, and being on that
account obliged to leave the Kingdom, he passed
the greater part of his life in France. Having
returned in his old age to his native country, he
died at Edinburgh, the 17"' of Dec, 1800, and
was bm'ied in the Greyfriars' Churchyard, being
the last male descendant of a faaiUy long respec-
ted in this country for their piety, integrity, and
primeval simplicity of manners.
— The last named gentleman was called Ahbe
MaitlanJ. He administered the communion
to Lord Strathallan upon the battlefield of
CuUodeu (where his Lordship received his
death wound) with oat cake and whisky in-
stead of bread and wine — an act that showed
the piety at least of those concerned.
The next three inscriptions relate to a
family whose name appears to have been as-
m2
274
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS.
sumed from the old parish of Faskin or Far-
slcine, near Cullen (Epitaphs, i, 237) : — •
Wnder this graive-ston doth ly interred in hop
of a bllessed reswi-ection, the body of Iohn Fas-
kin, who dyed March 12 day 1714 aged to 13
wiks. IsBL Faskin dyed Aprile 23 day 1714,
aged 3 years. Alexander Faskin dyed Nowm-
ber 4th 1721 aged to 13 -wiks. Elspet Faskin
dyed May 8th aged to 24 yeai-s 1742 children to
Iohn Faskin in Fortry lys hear.
[2.]
Here is interred the bodies of James Fasken,
farmer in Fortrie, who died in 1786, aged 74
years, & Margrat Rae, his spouse, who died in
1777, aged 57 years. Also their sons, viz., John
Fasken, who died in 1790, aged 43 years, James
Fasken, who died in 1771), aged 21 years, and
William Fasken, a mason, who resided some-
time at Craigstown, who died 16th Novr. 1793,
aged 41 yeare. This stone is erected by Robert
Fasken in Memory of his parents and brothers.
Also the body of the above-mentioned Egbert
Fasken is interred here. He lived in little Ard-
middle, and died 23rd July 1814, aged 60 years.
[3.]
Erected by Elizabeth Gerrard, in memory
of her beloved husband James Faskin, feuar in
Aberchirder, who departed this life the 2nd of
Jany. 1819, aged 73 yeai-s.
— It is said that a member of this family,
who went out in the '15 with Gordon of Fortry
and Aucheutoul, afterwards received a liferent
lease of Fortry for himself and a son. It
appears from the Abst. liental of the Barony
of Laithers (MS.), endorsed by Alex. Garden
at Auchentoul, 1st June, 1765, that Upper
Fortry was then tenanted by James Faskine,
whose lease expired in 1777. Nether Fortry
was occupied at that date by WUliam Webster.
Faskine paid a money rent of £66 13s. 4d.
Scots, £3 15s. of vicarage, 16 boUs 1 firlot
meal, 1 wedder and 1 lamb, 6 capons and 6
hens, 81bs. butter, and £1 6s. 8d. for con-
verted peats.
James Faskine, who tenanted Largue in
Forgue in 1758, bequeathed, " by advice of
his deceased son " James, the sum of 50 merks
to the poor of Inverkeithny. Faskine is still
a name in Forgue, and descendants of the
Fortry branch are, or were, one a Colonel in
the Indian Army, and another an M.D. in
the Eoyal Navy. Of female descendants one
is married to ISIr. Euxton, Inchbroom, Moray-
shire, and another to Mr. Mitchell, formerly
of Woodland Park, Tasmania.
A granite obelisk bears the following in-
scriptions upon the west and east sides re-
spectively : —
Rev. William Milne, ordained and admitted
minister of this parish, 1.5th March, 1721, died
1.5th Sejitember 1766. Rev. John Milne, son
of Rev. William Milne, of this parish, ordained
and admitted here, 11th Feb., 1767, died 25th
April 1809.
• — ^The Session records show that the Eev.
William Milne, who was the second Presby-
terian minister after the Eevolution of 1688-9,
sold " the old church bible for half-a-crown
sterling, and bought a new one for four pounds
ten shillings Scots." He was twice married,
and by his second wife, who was a daughter
of Gordon of Birkenburn (Epitaphs, i. 165),
had his successor, mentioned above, and other
children. Mr. John MUne was succeeded in
the living by his son James, whose widow is
stUl alive at Bridge of Marnoch.
[2.]
In memory of Rev. James Milne, A.M.,
minister of Inverkeithny, and son of Rev. John
Milne, also of Inverkeithny. Born 20 th Sep.
1787, ordained and admitted 26th July 1809,
died 12th Aug. 1858. Elizabeth, daughter of
the Rev. James Milne and his spouse Isabella
Mihie, born 20th April 1819, died April 1823.
Erected by the Parishioners, 1859.
Proba vita est via in ccelum.
— It will be seen that the Mdnes held the
cure for the long period of 137 years, and the
last of their number was succeeded by the
present incumbent, Mr. Souter, who has
kindly furnished some interesting particulars
for our notice of the parish. The name of
INVERKEITHNT AND CONVETH.
275
Janet, daughter of Eev. John Milne, who
was born in 1791 and died at Keith in 1872,
is also upon the monument.
From a flat slab : —
Mart Tarves died 5 Jan., 1791, aged 88.
Her husband William Stephen, late quarrier
in Haggs, died 9 April, 1807, aged 87.
Upon a table stone : —
In memory of James Guthrie, late Mains of
Tollow, died 23 Aug., 1815, aged 83 ; also of
Agnes Adam, died 29 Dec, 1815, aged 84. They
lived together in the married state with affection
to each other, and in credit with the world, for
the space of 60 years.
■ — Mains of Tollo belonged at one time to
Duff of Hatton, and was bought from him by
the Guthries. These Guthries, one of whom,
George, died in 1734 ( Session Records), were
probably descended from those of King-
Edward and Ludquharn, whose ancestors came
from Forfarshire.
Janet Low, sp. to Alex. Minto, d. 1847, a. 92 ;
Alex. Minto, Muretown, Forgue, d. 1820, a. 76 ;
AxEXANDER, theii" 4th son. d. at Calcutta, 1825,
a. 34 :—
Beneath wide ocean's distant wave he sleeps.
Whilst mother's love in silent anguish weeps.
Till that dread day, when from their watery bed
The ragiug sea shall render up its dead.
From a granite head-stone : —
In memory of William Watson, born 24th
Dec, 181.3, died 14th June, 1862. This tablet is
erected by A. Stuart, Esq. of Laithei-s, whose
family he faithfully sei'ved for 27 years.
Upon a table-stone : — ■
To the memory of John Grieg, sometime far-
mer in Ardfoor, who died Sept. 4, 1765, aged 91 ;
also, his wife, Isobel Edam, who died April 16,
1728, aged 36.
"Within an enclosure a marble bears : —
In memory of Peter Morrison, A.M.,
preacher of the Gospel, who for the period of
38 years discharged the duties of schoolmaster of
this parish with zeal, fidelitj', and success, died
suddenly in his school, 8 July 1825, in the 57th
year of his age. Under his management the
school of Inverkeithny acquired a high and de-
served reputation, and his Pupils here erected
this monument as a mark of their gratitude and
attachment to a kind and respected teacher.
— An adjoining table-shaped stone shows that
his spouse Barbara Largub died in 1858,
aged 84. Also, that their son Alexander,
schoolmaster of the parish, died in 1856, aged
49. The deaths of a son, John, and two
daughters are also recorded.
Abridged from a table-stone : — •
Alexander Clark, farmer in Haddo, died
April 1775, aged 74. Barbara Clark, his
spouse, died April 1779, in her 74th year. She
liad issue two sons, John and William, and five
daughtere, Elizabeth, Anne, C'hi-istian, Jane, and
Barbara. Their son, William, died at Brunt-
hills, Forgue, Nov. 1836, aged 87. This stone
w;is placed here by Lieut. -Col. Alexander An-
drews, grandson of the above William and Bar-
bara Clark, by their youngest daughter Bai'bara,
and Alexander Andrews.
— The lands of Haddo, whicli are partly in
Forgue and partly in Inverkeithny, are now
the property of Mr. Forbes, who is chief heri-
tor of the latter parish (supra, 179^.
In memory of John Pirie, sometime farmer
in Longhaugh, who died the 5th of March, 1791,
aged 72 yeai-s. Here are also inteiTed the re-
mains of Christian Gerrard, his spouse, who
departed this life the 18th Septr., 1821, in the
96th year of her age.
Among other stones exhibiting long ages,
is one to the momory of Helen Eedfoord,
wife of Alex. Largue, Midtown of Haddo,
who died in 1828, aged 84. Their son George
died in 1859, aged 92, and his spouse, also
Helen Eedfoord, died in 1866, aged 84.
Conveth was a thanedom and in the hands
of the king in 1249-89 (Eeg. Ep. Abdn. i. 55),
but its history (so far as we are aware) is un-
known from that time until 1333, when, upon
an inquest being made of the lands in Banff-
shire pertaining to the Cathedral of Aberdeen,
it was found that one part of Conveth was
occupied by the Earl of Moray, another by
Sir Archibald Douglas, and a third by Sir
Walter OgQvie (Ibid 58). In 1358, the King's
276
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Chamberlain takes credit for a payment of
6s. 8d. out of Inverclieohny (Ch. Eolls, i. 294).
Upon the last day of March, 1366, King
David granted a charter, dated at Montrose, of
the lands of Conveth in Banffshire and Logy
Ardachis in Aberdeenshire to John of Inver-
peffer and his ■wife Christian of St. Michael.
At a later period (18th Oct. 1380) Eobert, II.
gave a charter, dated at Perth, of the same
lands, including Conveth, to his natural son
Alexander Stewart, the celebrated " Wolf of
Badenoch " (Eeg. Mag. Sig.)
It was sometime before 1440 that James,
second Lord Crichton, married Janet Dunbar,
co-heiress of James, Earl of Moray, through
whom he acquired Frendraught, Conveth,
Auchengowl, &c. The greater part of these
lands was carried by the widow of the second
Viscount Frendraught to her third husband,
George Morison, then laird of Bognie.
In the present farm house of Auchengowl,
which occupies the site of the old mansion,
are a fine chimneypiece and a triangular shaped
stone which had been saved when the mansion
was demolished. The latter, possibly the top
of a dormer window, is embellished with the
carving of a Viscount's coronet, out of which
springs a dragon's head, being the Crichton
crest. Below, in monogram, are the initials
I.V.F.I. or I.M.F., which probably refer to
James, the first Viscount, and his second
wife, Marion Irvine of Drum, to whom ho was
married in 1642, and by whom he had two
sons, who became the second and fourth Vis-
counts of Frendraught.
The first Viscount had probably lived at
Auchengowl, wliich belonged to and con-
tinued to be a residence of Crichtons until
about 1750, when the property passed to the
Earl of Fife. It was about 1743 that James
Crichton of Auchengowl became bankrupt.
He died sometime before 1746, as in that year
his son compounded with the creditors for the
payment of his father's debts, each of them
agreeing to accept a composition and "grass," as
it is termed, or lose a fourth part of his money.
Lord Fife, through his factor Mr. Leslie, at
Melrose in Gamrie, advanced the cash to pay
the creditors, but Crichton being unable to
meet the debt when due, his Lordship became
proprietor of Auchengowl, which still belongs
to his representatives.
The name Auch-an-goicl or Ath-an-goicl
appears to mean a place ujjon a river, abound-
ing in pronged or fork-shaped fields, or a ford
in a locality of the same description ; and
neither rendering is at variance with the physi-
cal aspect of the place in question. There is
a ford at Auchengowl, and close by, bounded
by- the Deveron on the east, is a piece of
ground of about four acres in extent, where
there are a number of holes, a few of which
present apparent traces of rude building.
Some of them contain water, and one is called
the " guinea pot," from a tradition that a pot
full of gold is therein hidden ! The hollows
are more or less occupied by natural trees and
bushes, and are so disposed and formed as to
suggest an artificial origin, being in some in-
stances not uidike the fort upon the HiU of
Laws, near Dundee.
They may have been places of defence for
guarding the passage of the river ; but, as in
most cases, when the origin of objects of this
sort cannot be clearly ascertained, tradition is
ready with its solution of the difficulty, and in
the present instance we are assured that these
are the remains of a Roman Camp — a view
advanced by Dr. Browne in his History of the
Highlands, although there is nothing either in
history or in the appearance of the place to
warrant any such opinion.
It is locally called the Fou-Jcs or Pooks, and
as it appears that in Ireland (Joyce) the name
of " Pooka " is given to wild, lonely places
that have been set apart by the peasantry as
BANCHORY-DEVENICK.
277
the haunts of Puck, the well-knowii " merry
wanderer of the night," the designation is
highly appropriate, for no fitter abode -would
be found for mysterious spirits than the
" Pooks of Auchengowl." After all, these
seeming works of art may be nothing more
than odd freaks of nature, the origin of which
might possibly be accounted for by geologists,
there being somewhat similar hollows on the
opposite side of the Deveron.
While the artist could scarcely find finer
hill and dale scenery, or more picturesque bits
than are to be met with in this portion of
Banffshire, there is also much to interest the
antiquary in the Cairnrieve Stone and the
stone circle at Drachlaw.
During the trenching of waste land here in
1866 some interesting relics were found, among
others a pair of bronze bracelets, one of which
is 2.V inches in diameter, one button of jet and
another of serpentine, both perforated, the for-
mer with two, the latter with four holes, and
also an object resembling a font stone.
Having heard of this " find " through Mr.
Hunter, late rector of Banff Academy, we had
excavations made both at the Drachlaw circle
and at the Cairnrieve Stone, but these were
not attended with much success. The former,
which is about ten yards in diameter, consists
of six stones, and Mr. Anderson, who kindly
performed the work of excavation, says that
his father remembered having seen traces of a
road, about twelve feet broad and edged with
slates, which led from Cairnrieve to the Drach-
law circle, and thence, at an angle, to another
cairn upon the top of a hUl, about half-a-mile
from Cairnrieve.
Besides " a metal rod or spear," which is
said to have found its way to the shop of a
country blacksmith, nearly " a pocketful of
flint arrow heads " was found about 1820,
when Cairnrieve was being carted away to
build fences on the farm of Eaecloch.
When in an entire state, Cairnrieve stood
partly in the parish of Inverkeithny and
partly in that of Turriff. Within the recollec-
tion of Mr. Anderson, it was about thirty-two
yards in diameter, and more than a thousand
cart-loads of stones were taken from it at the
time referred to. A magnificent view is ob-
tained from the site, but there is no tradition
as to the origin of the cairn. Whether the
second syllable of Cairnreive preserves the
name of the person over whose remains the
cairn was raised, or be a corruption of the
word High or Ree (a chief or king), or Ruie
(a point or eminence), is a matter of uncer-
tainty.
Since the name of DracWaw (droich) indi-
cates the existence of a small hillock or law,
there was probably a greater law in the same
district, although the name is not now to bo
found. J.
(S. DEVENICK, CONFESSOR.)
1(?r ALCOLM IV. gave the church of Ban-
'i^J^ chory-defny, with its lands and perti-
nents, to the see of Oldmachar in the year
1163, and the church, which was a prebend of
the Cathedral, is rated at 20 merks in the
Taxation of 1275.
Mr. Eobert Merser, of the family of Inner-
peffry, senior cadets of the Mersers of Meik-
lour (Scott's Fasti), was " minister and persone"
in 1574, and had a stipend of £34 13s. 4d.
Scots. He had possibly got the appointment
tlwough the influence of Erskine of Dun, to
whom the ^Mersers were related, a complaint
having been made against Erskine for admit-
ting him to the ofiice, it being declared by
the General Assembly that he was " unable to
278
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
discharge his cure" (Booko Univ. Kirk). The
complaint, however, went for nothing ; Merser
continued at Banchory, and was succeeded by
his son who, like his father, appears to have
been no enthusiast in his profession, having
been oftenor than once rebuked by the Presby-
tery for being " sumquhat cauld in his doc-
trine and delyuerie thairof," and also for hav-
ing "delapidat his benefice."
The old bell having been cracked was sold
by the heritors, and was replaced by the pre-
sent instrument in 18G8. It belonged to the
time of the younger Merser, and bore the fol-
lowing inscription, copies of which have been
kindly communicated both by the Rev. Mr.
David Paul of Eoxburgh and by Mr. Alex.
Hepburn at Cults : —
H B. . ALLEIN . GOT . IN . DER . HOGE
SEI . ERE . 1597.
[H B. To God alone be gloi-y in the highest.]
Three silver communion cups belong to the
parish, and are thus inscribed : —
THIS CUP WITH ITS THREE FELLOWS BELONGS
TO THE CHURCH OP BANCHORY DEVENICK, MADE
UNDER THE MINISTRY OF MR. JAMES GORDON,
ANNO 1704.
— Gordon, whose father was Professor of
Medicine in King's College, Aberdeen, became
minister at Banchory about 1673. He was
deposed in 1680 for publishing The Eeformed
Bishop, but was afterwards restored, and died
in 1714, aged 74 (Scott's Fasti). Being a
staunch adherent of Episcopacy, he intimated
on 19th Oct., 1712, that "the excellent
Liturgy of the Church of England " would be
used next Lord's Day, and " seriously ex-
horted [the people] to performe that method
of worship in a true spirit of devotion." The
Liturgy was accordingly used for the first
time " in the Publick worship of God in the
ParochiaU Church " on the following Sundaj%
and, it is added, " for the advanceing of which
excellent worship there wer two hundred
Books of Common Prayer given to the minis-
ter out of charity." It is further stated in
the session records that the books were " sent
from England to Scotland to be distribute
gratis, charges of fraught excepted," and that
they were " given & distribute some weeks
before [the introduction of the I^iturgy]
amongst such of the parochiners as wer capable
to make use of y™' as also a folio Book for the
Minister, and a Quarto for the Clerk."
The present church, which stands within
the burial ground, upon the south bank of the
Dee, was erected in 1822. It has a belfry
upon the west end, and within the church are
two marble monuments, one of which is thus
inscribed : —
To the memory of Agness Fordyce of Ai-do,
only daughter of the late John Fordyce, Esq.,
who died on the 20th day of Nov. 1834, aged 76.
Erected by the representatives, and in compli-
ance with the wish of the late Andrew Watson-
Fordyce of Ai'do, advocate in Aberdeen, who
died on the 4th April 1837, in the 26th year of
his age.
• — The first Fordyce of this place was a native
of Huntly, and is designed in 175.3 as lately
" gunner's mate on board the Centurion, Lord
Anson, on his voyage round the world." He
returned home in 1744, and bought the lands
of Ardo for about £700. It is said (Old Stat.
Acct.) that the estate was then in such a
miserable condition that when the laird asked
the tenant of the mansion house, garden, and
forty acres of land adjoining, for which he
paid the annual sum of £3 6s. 8d., whether
he would renew his lease of the same at a rent
of £5 a-year, he received for rejily, " Na, by
my faith, God has geen me mair sense ! "
Ardo was left by ]\liss Fordyce to the above-
named Mr. Watson, who was her law agent,
but in no way related to her. He was a son
of the minister of Tarland, and left the pro-
perty to his relatives, by whom it was sold to
the late Mr. Alex. Ogston, soap manufacturer in
Aberdeen, for about £19,000. It is now pos-
BANCHORY-DEVENICK.
279
sessed by Mr. Ogston's eldest son, who (1877-
78) erected a fine new mansion-house upon
the estate. He also claimed, and has been
allowed by the Lord Lyon, to be the lineal
male representative of the Ogstons of that Ilk,
and to have a right to bear the primitive arms
of the family. The surname is by no means
uncommon, and several places are named Og-
ston. Ogston, now a suppressed parish, was
the old name of Gordon's Town in Moray,
and there are places of the same name in the
parishes of Fettercairn and Slains.
A large addition has recently been made to
the burial ground of Banchory on the east ;
and of the numerous tombstones in the old
portion, a slab, dated and initialed " 1712,
E. G : L M.," is probably the oldest. Upon
another near the same place : —
Here lyes Magnus Martin, son to William
Martin in Greeulawburn, who departed this lyfe
Deer. 23rd, 1739, aged 40 years.
Upon a headstone at the east end of the kirk :—
WM. JAK DTD NOV. UtH, 1758, AGED 20.
The next three inscriptions (abridged) are
from monuments on the south east of the
church : — -
Geo. "Watson, hairdresser, Abdn., d. 1824, a.
51 :—
" Who though a humble sphere, cultivated a
benevolent disposition, and practised a life of
charity. By industry and economy he acquired
a considerable property which, with the excep-
tion of some legacies to his friends, and donations
to the poor, he bequeathed to the Infirmary of
Aberdeen. "
Adjoining the above are the graves of
Egbert Watson, blacksmith, Elsick, who
died 1779, aged 70, and his wife Helen
Paul, who died 1806, aged 86. The monu-
ment bears to have been erected by " George
Watson Smyth, perfumer to His Majesty, New
Bond Street, London, their eldest son."
[2.]
John Westland, who officiated as an elder of
the parish upwards of 40 yrs., d. 1826 : —
" He possessed great strength of Mind, and
independence of Character ; and till the day of
his death, although in his 88th year, he supplied
liis daily wants by his daily labour. He survived
his wife Isobel Leich, and a family of four sons
and one daughtei'."
[3.]
Ou William Still's parents (1829) : —
As a tribute of filial affection for their loving
and indulgent behaviour towards children.
A massive tomb on the south side of the
kirkj'ard bears the following : — •
Erected by George Morison, D.D., minister of
this parish, as a tribute to the many Christian
Virtues of his deceased wife Margaret Jaffrat,
who died 11th June 1837, in her 80th year. In
the same grave are deposited the remains of her
husband, Dr. Morison of Elsick and Disblair,
the revered pastor and munificent benefactor of
this parish during 60 years, who, on the 13th
July 1845, died Father of the Chiu-ch of Scotland,
in the 88lh year of his age, and 63rd of his
ministry.
He was the fifth son of Provost Morison
of Aberdeen by his wife Isobel, eldest daugh-
ter of James Dyce of Disblair in Fintray.
Dr. Morison's wife was a descendant of Provost
Jaffray, the Diarist, one of the leading mem-
bers of the Society of Friends. Dr. IMorison's
elder brother, Thomas, M.D., brought the
Strathpeffer Spa iiito repute, and upon his
death, the minister of Banchory became laird
of Disblair and Elsick, in which he was
succeeded by nephews. Elsick went to Capt.
Eobt. Farquhar, H.E.I. Co.'s Madras In-
fantry, and Disblair to Prof Mearns of
King's College. Elsick was sold some years
ago to the late Sir Alexander Bannerman,
Bart., and Disblair belongs to Prof Mearns's
son, the Rev. Dr. Mearns of Kinneff (Epitaphs,
i. 21). The only son of the latter is now
minister of Oyne, the parish in which Dr.
Morison was first settled.
Dr. Morison conferred many important
benefits upon the parish ; among others he en-
dowed a school at Cairnhill, and erected a foot
bridge across the Dee at Cults, at the cost of
280
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
about £1,400. He also left a sum of money
for the maintenance of the bridge, upon the
south-east side of which a cast iron plate is
thus inscribed : —
MDCCCXXXVII.
SAINT DEVENICK BRIDGE.
Erected by George Morison, D.D., of Elsick, for
the accommodation of this parish, of which he has
now been LII years Pastor. — John Smith, architect ;
J. Duffus & Co., G. Donaldson, and G. Barclay, con-
tractors.
— Dr. Morison was the fifth minister at Ban-
chory in succession to Mr. Gordon, and was
succeeded by the present incumbent, the Eev.
Dr. Paul, who was nearly twenty years assist-
ant and successor, Tliere has thus been,
strictly speaking, no vacancy in the benefice for
more than ninety years. Dr. Paul, who has
published two learned works, has another
volume in MS. which will contribute much to
our knowledge of local men and manners for
at least the last two generations.
A flat slab, within an enclosure south-west
of tlie church, bears the following inscrip-
tion : —
The burial ground of John Stuart, advocate,
Aberdeen. Here rest the bodies of his son,
EoBERT, who died 22 September 1844, aged 2
years ; and of his wife, Elizabeth S. Burness,
who died 1 March 1843, aged 24 years. Wait-
ing for the adoption, to wit. The Redemption of
the Body.
— Mrs. Stuart, who was the first wife of
Dr. John Stuart, was the only surviving
cliild of Mr. Burness of Mastrick, whole-
sale grocer, Aberdeen, and his wife,
Smith, whose father was in the service of the
Aberdeen and Inverury Canal Company. Mrs.
Stuart left two daughters, one of whom
married the Eev. Mr. Woodward, Montrose.
Both succeeded to considerable fortunes on
the death of their maternal grandparents.
A granite pillar, with an urn, bears these
inscriptions upon the east and west sides
respectively : —
Sacred to the memory of William Corbet,
Esquu-e of Bieldside, who departed this life 20th
February, 1841, aged seventy-one. And of
Christian Gibb, his second spouse, who died
18th January, 1837, aged sixty-one.
Jane Gordon, first spouse of William Corbet,
Esquire of Bieldside, died 26th March, 1801,
aged tweuty-six, and was buried in the Church-
yard of Oldmachar. — William Corbet, Esquire,
their eldest son, assistant-surgeon, H.E.I.C.S.,
died 23rd December, 1827, in the thirty-first
year of his age.
— The estate of Bieldside, in the parish of
Peterculter, was purchased by Mr. Corbet in
1805, and the mansion house was built in 1811.
Bieldside is a freehold property, and we find Mr.
Corbet's name enrolled as a freeholder in 1811.
He was also a Justice of the Peace for the
county. Mr. Corbet, who was a supervisor of
Excise, was succeeded by his second surviving
son, the Eev. Adam Corbet, D.D., who was
minister of Drumoak from 1826 untU his
death in 1876. He married a sister of the
late Provost Blaikie, of Aberdeen. Having
no issue, he bequeathed the estate of Bieldside,
in life rent, to his half brother James Corbet,
late of the H.E.I.C.'s Bengal Medical Service,
at whose death the estate has to be divided —
the western portion going to the family of the
said James Corbet, aud the eastern portion to
William Stuart, a nephew of the late Eev.
Adam Corbet.
Marqt. Reid, wf. of Jas. Ehind, d. 1769,
a. 45 : —
My dear and lovely wife lyes here.
Her none can excell I am sure
In love to her Relations dear.
Kind to all, much so to the poor.
Mart, Jas., and Alex. Ehind, d. young,
1786-13 :—
As I die in my Youth
Like a forest choked tree ;
Like it may my relics
No vulgar eyes spy.
The bloom on yon heath
Is an emblem of me,
For its Fame and its Fragrance
Together wiU die.
The angels they do sing the praise
Of their eternal King ;
These children I hope has joined then- chorus,
Eternally there to sing.
B ANCHOR Y-DE VENICE.
281
Son's Yulle's wife d. 1773 : —
Whose innocent, useful, and Exemplary life
gained her the Esteem of all as a Parent, a Wife,
a Christian, and a Friend. She so conducted
herself, that her death was much lamented.
Having the testimony of a Good Conscience, and
faith in Chiust, she was resigned in her last
moments, and in hopes of a joyful resurrection.
The next six inscriptions are from table-
shaped stones : —
Here rests in the Lord the body of Robert
Ckaig, laxfisher in the Fourds, who departed
this life the 17 of luly 1733, and of age 39 years;
and Jean Ceaig, his daughter of age 3 years.
Also Jane Wilson, spouse of William Craig,
master of Dredge Machine, Aberdeen Harbour.
She died 24th June, 1869, aged 58 years.
— Upon this stone, wliich is initialed E.G.I.S.
and dated 1736, there is a shield charged with
a man's hand holding a salmon by the tail.
[2.]
John Thomson, shoemr, Abdn., hbd., of Margt.
Mitchell, d. 1821, a. 57.
Here lies one mouldering in the dust.
Who in the Lord did iirmly trust.
Whose hopes iu Christ was fixed sure.
Who woimded was his wounds to cure.
[3.]
In memory of William Meldrum, formerly
Aberdeen and Banff carrier, who died 9th May,
1831, aged 49. Erected by his spouse, Mary
Donald.
[4.]
This stone is erected to the memory of Mrs
Ann Fentox, who departed this life 30th May,
1818. Here also are inteiTed the remains of Mre
Isabella Daun, the daughter of Mr John Jeans,
and the widow of Mr John Daun. She died on
the 14th May, 1822, aged 60 years. Also Bar-
bara Stewart, daughter of General William
Stewart, Morayshire, who died the 16th May,
1829, aged 24 years. Also, Mi-s Margaret
Rose, daughter of Mrs Daun, who died 26th
June, 1861.
[5.]
Here lies George Hogg, of Shannaburn, mer-
chant in Aberdeen, who died on the 28th day of
November, 1826, aged 78.
— Mr. Hogg, who was the son of a school-
master of Banchory, built a female school near
the church, and had it endowed with £100, to
wliich the Eev. Dr. Morison added another
XIOO.
[6.]
In memory of Jean Collie, spouse to WDliam
Troup, laxfisher in Temple of Pitfodels, who died
the 6th of Janry, 1780, aged 65 years. Also, the
foresaid William Troup, who died the 6th of
Feby, 1808, aged 92 years (A long list of descen-
dants is here given).
From a tablestone : — •
In memory of Alexander Beverly, shoe-
maker, Aberdeen, who died 4th April, 1829, aged
72. Erected by his sister Jean. Also interred
here Jean Beverly, who died 10th March, 1852,
aged 85 years.
Another table-shaped stone, to the memory
of Alex. Walker, farmer. Mill of Ardo, who
died in 1803, aged 66, shows that his wife,
Elspet Donald, attained her 8-5th year, that
their son died at the age of 80, and two of
their daughters at the respective ages of 75
and 94.
A granite obelisk, on the west side of the
kirkyard, records, among other deaths, those
of George Barclay, builder. Cults, and his
wife Margaret Massie. The former died in
1858, and the latter in 1866, both aged 73.
Their son Mr. J. W. Barclay, merchant, Aber-
deen, is M.P. for Forfarshire ; and his only
son, a boy of ten years of age, died in 1875
from the effects of a fall from a tree, upon
which he was amusing himself while attend-
ing school at Cults.
A neat Free Church was erected in 1844
about a mile to the south of the Parish Church,
and in it, by special desire, were interred the
remains of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomson, of
Banchory, to whose memory a massive granite
monument bears this inscription : — •
I. M. O. Alexander Thomson of Banchory
and Rannieshill, born 21st June 1798, died 20tli
May 1868. And Jessy Eraser, his wife, born
14th February 1799, died 8th August, 1870.
n2
282
EPITAPHS, AND INSVRIPTIONS :
So when this corruptible shall have put on iu-
corruption, and this mortal shall have put on im-
mortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, O death, where is thy sting ] O
grave, where is thy victory 1 The sting of death
is sin, and the strength of sin is the law ; But
thanks be to God who giveth us the victory
through Om- Lord Jesus Christ.
— On the reverse of same stone is a quotation
from John iii. 16. Mr. Tliomson, who had a
taste for literary and antiquarian pursuits,
wrote essays upon a variety of subjects, and
bequeathed his valuable library to the Free
Church College at Aberdeen. His wife was a
daughter of llr. Fraser, some time Provost of
and a merchant and shipowner in Aberdeen,
but, as he left no issue, the properties of
Bancliory and Rannieshill were both sold soon
after Mrs. Thomson's death. The former was
bought by ilr. John Stewart, comb manufac-
turer, Aberdeen ; and the latter by Mi. George
Thompson of Pitmeddon, shipowner in and
some time M.P. for his native city of Aber-
deen.
Alexander, elder brother of Andrew Tliorn-
son of Cammachmore, was the first of the
Thomsons of Banchory. In 1778, Andrew's
eldest son, who married a daughter of Dr.
Andrew Skene, of Aberdeen, succeeded his
uncle in Banchory and also in Eannieshill.
According to the late Mr. Thomson, the wife
of his maternal grandfather (Dr. A. Skene)
was a daughter of Mrs. Kirton, whose mother,
a daughter of John Knox, married Baillie of
Jervisvvood. It was through this relation-
ship that the late laird of Banchory claimed
to be a descendant of the celebrated Scotch
Eeformer.
When the late Prince Consort in 1859
took part as President in the meetings of the
British Association at Aberdeen — where he
endeared himself to all by his kindly manner,
and the interest which he took in the pro-
ceedings— Mr. Thomson had the honour of
entertaining H.R.H. at Banchory House, and
in commemoration of that event he erected
upon the Cotcraig Eock at Tollo Hill a granite
obelisk, which is thus inscribed : —
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE VISIT OF
H.E.H. ALBERT, PEINCE CONSORT,
TO THIS SPOT,
XV. SEPTEMBER, MDCCCLIX.
]\Iany traces of ancient remains have been
found in the parish, the more interesting of
which, such as the stone circles at Auquhor-
ties, and the cists and urns found at Ban-
chory and Clashfarquhar in 1817 and 1823
were reported upon by the late Mr. Thomson
of Banchory to the Society of Antiquaries
of Scotland. They are also noticed in the
Statistical Account of the parish. About
1847, two other cists were found at the same
place, also in a gravel hillock, each contain-
ing an urn of baked clay, and in one of them
was a gold ring. One of the urns was broken,
but the other, which is shaped somewhat like
the head of a thistle and richly ornamented,
is preserved in a house at Arbeadie. Another
" find," which was made near Findon so early
as 1521, consisted, as quaintly described by
BeUenden, of " ane ancient sepulture, in quhilk
wer ii lame piggis craftely maid with letteris
ingrauit full of brynt powder, quhiUds sone
efter that they wer handillit fel in dros'
(Jamieson's Scot. Diet., v. Lame).
In regard to the old proprietary history of
Banchory-Devenick it may be briefly stated
that the superiority of the lands was given by
Alex. II. to the Monks of Arbroath in 1244,
and that in 1256, Abbot Walter granted a
charter of the lands of Banchory to AUan the
Durward or Hostiarius.
In 1333, a charter of the same land was
given to William of Melgdrum, whose des-
cendants, the Meldrums of Fyvie, continued
to hold it, and also the " fischingis of the
foure cobiUis of Banquhary Devynick upon
BA NCHOR Y-DE VENICE.
283
the water of Die," until past the middle of the
16 th century.
The estate of Pitfodels was acquired from a
branch of the great family De Moravia or
jNIoray by William Eeid, a burgess of Aber-
deen, about 1390, and came by marriage to
the family of ^fenzies of Mary Culter about
1506 {supra, 119). The property of Pitfodels,
which extended from near the Bridge of Dee
on the east to Cults on the west, lies upon the
north side of the Dee ; and upon " the very
brink of the river," at a place called Castle-
heugh, "traces," or "ruines," of the old house
were visible about 1725 (Coll. Abd., Banff.)
Provost Eeid of Pitfodels had doubtless been
a benefactor to the poor of Banchory-Devenick,
for wc are informed that his portrait continued
to hang in the session-house there until 1640,
when it was ordered " to be tein doun and
not to be sett upon again," because it gave
offence to certain "sojeris as smelling some-
quhat of poperie."
The lauds of Pitfodels, which now belong
to a joint-stock company, have been feued off
in lots, upon which villa residences have been
erected by Aberdeen merchants and others.
Many early aud interesting notices of Cults,
which belonged to a branch of the Irvines of
Drum in old times, and where there are now a
Free Church, a railway station, and villas, as
well as the early history of other parts of
Banchory, will be found in the Spalding
Club publications, from which our notes are
chiefly compiled.
A freestone bridge of seven arches connects
Banchory-Devenick with the town and county
of Aberdeen. At the north-east end of the
bridge there was a chapel where travellers
had an opportunity of thanking Our Lady
for their safe transit across the river ; and in
Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen (i. 417) an
interesting account is given of the furnishings
of this place of devotion. Some writers say
that the chapel was dedicated to Our Lady
of Pity ; and it is also asserted that " her
image," which belonged to this chapel, is still
shown in the church of Finisterre, Brussels,
under the name of " Notre Dame de bon
Succi^s" (Our Lady's Dowry, by the Rev.
T. E Bridgett, p. 324. London, 1875.)
The Bridge of Dee, which was begun by
Bishop Elphinstone, was rebuilt by Bishop
Dunbar, who also gifted the lands of Ard-
lair in Kinnethmont for its maintenance
(Reg Ep. Abd., i. 395). The property of
Ardlair was sold, and the fund has been so
well managed by the Magistrates and Town
Council of Aberdeen, who are trustees under
the Bishop's grant, that, although extensive
improvements have been made upon the fabric,
as noticed below — (inscriptions 3 and 4) — no
help has ever been required either from public
or other assessment.
Besides the Chapel of Our Lady, there was
a watch-tower at the south end of the bridge.
It was guarded by the citizens of Aberdeen in
times of war and pestilence ; aud upon the
porch, which was removed in 1773, were
carvings of the Eoyal Arms of Scotland and
those of Bishop Elphinstone — probably two
of the slabs that are now built into the east
side of the bridge.
Bishop Elphinstone was born at Glasgow
in 1437, and consecrated Bishop of Aberdeen
about 1484. He died in 1514, and on the
death of his successor, Bishop Gordon, which
took place in 1518, Mr. Gavin Dunbar, who
was a son of Sir Alex. Dunbar of Westfield
by his wife Elizabeth Gordon, daughter of the
Earl of Sutherland, was elected Bishop. He
continued in office until his death, which
occurred on 9th March, 1531 (A. H. Dunbar,
Esq., in The Grey Friar, Elgin, 1876).
The first two of the four following inscrip-
tions, which are from slabs built into different
parts of the west side of the bridge, are ac-
284
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
companied by carvings of the Dunbar arms,
with the Bishop's initials and mitre, &c. : —
(Sabin' ^ubitr, gVbfrtoiun' (Epi Optra Jacobi 5tt
tScotoro regis, ano ini mc lapsu rccbificari fwit
(Dratc p, CO. &■'§■
[As I had fallen into a state of decay, Gavin Dun-
bar, Bishop of Aberdeen, with the assistance of James
5th, King of Scotland, caused me to be rebuilt in the
year . Pray for him.]
[2.]_
(fSabiit' . ITttbar: gVbcrboiuii. flotifc.v; mc . tras
51 cc . flucit . fieri . iussit . ano . 5"' ■ Itt'to
ct . biQcsio . supa . luiUcni . ct . jjnigcm
©rate . p. . CO. anno iomini, 1523.
[Gavin Dunbar, Bishop of Aberdeen, caused me to
be built over the river Dee, in 1523.]
[3.]
SENATUS ABERDONEXSrS, QUI, PER INTEGRUM
ADMINISTRATIOSIS CURRICULUM, NE QUID INCURIA
SUA RESPUBLICA DETRUIENTI CAPERET SUMMA
OPE NITEBATUR, OMXRS ARCUS HUJUSCE PONTIS,
JAM COLLABASCENTES, EX jERE AD PONTEM SAR-
TUM TECTUMQUE COXSERVASDUM DEDICATO IN-
STAURANDOS CURABAT ANNIS DOMIXI 1719, 1720,
1721, 1722, & 1723.
[The Town Council of Aberdeen, who, during the
whole period of their tenure of office, exerted their
utmost efforts to prevent the public interests from
sustaining any injury through their negligence, caused
in the years 1719-20-21-22 & 23, the whole of the
arches of this bridge, which had fallen into a state of
decay, to be rebuilt out of monies set apart for keep-
ing the bridge in repaii'.]
The next inscription is accompanied by a
carving of the arms and the initials of Provost
Blaikie : —
[4.]
ANNVENTE SVMMO NVMINE, HIC PONS EX BENE
ADMINISTRATA PECVNIA AD EVM CONSERVANDVM
LEGATA TRECENTIS AMPLIVS ANNIS POSTQVAil
PRIMVM EST EXTRVCTVS MVLTVM DILATATVS
PENITVSQVE REFECTVS EST ANNO M.D.CCC.XXXXI.
ET M.D.CCC.XXXXII. THOMA BLAIKIE, CIVITATIS
ABERDONENSIS PR.EFECTO, GEORGIO IIENRT GVL-
lELMO ERASER, OPERVM PUBLICORVM DEINCEPS
CVR.ATORIBVS, lOANNE SMITH, ARCHITECTO, ALEX-
ANDRO MACDONALD QVLIELMO LESLIE, REDEM-
TORIBV.S.
[Under the Divine blessing, this bridge, more than
300 years after ils first erection, was much widened
and thoroughly repaired in the years 1841 and 1842
out of the funds left for its maintenance, Thomas
Blaikie being Provcpst of Aberdeen, George Henry
and Thomas Fraser, successive masters of Kirk and
Bridge Works, John Smith, architect, and Alexander
Macdonald and William Leslie, contractors.]
A place called Hilldown Tree, so named,
says tradition, from a tree that was, many
generations ago, floated down from the hills,
and landed at this spot, where it took root and
grew to an enormous size ! It was blown
down by the storm of 3rd Oct., 1860, but its
root is still visible. There was once a roadside
hostelry at the place, which lies about half-
a-mile to the south-west of the Bridge of Dee.
A fine view of the city and neighbourhood of
Aterdeen is obtained in walking from Murcar
to Hilldown Tree, as quaintly narrated in the
following doggrel lines, copied from the
" Aberdeen Almanack " (a broadsheet) for
1722 :—
'Twixt Murcur and the Hilldown Tree,
These following things a man may see :
Two Noble Rivers there doth run,
Adorn'd with Splendid Briggs of Stone ;
One of one Arch without compare.
The other of Seven, and very Fair,
And yearly throughout every Arch,
Cathedral Fish in Legions march
Long time these have the Fronteers been,
Of the Antient Towns of ABEUDEEN.
For if these Briggs were quite away,
They would be a Peninsula ;
Bounded on East with Neptune's Fleet,
With Braidhill, Block-house, Canno-Sweet,
With famous Town of antient Fittie,
Where dwelleth Women wise and wittie
On West with a large fertile Field,
Which Parsneps, Tumeps, Garrets yeeld ;
With finest Cabbage, Sybows, Leeks,
[Which women sell who wear the Breeks]
Potato's, Bean.5, & catera,
Abound in this Peninsula,
Wake, Wind and Water Mills these Towns,
Do separate from Rustick Clowns :
In midst of these there may be seen.
The beauteous Towns of ABERDEEN ;
Whose UNIVERSITIES discover
Their learning all the World over.
Their Musiok, stately Buildings, Bells,
Their spacious Streets, and Suggared Wells,
PORTLETHEN.
285
Which any may observe who will,
'Twixt Tillidron and FerrihiU :
Inverurie Battle and Harlaw,
Did their Ancestors "Valour shaw,
All which demonstrate in a Word,
The Comeliness of BON-ACCORD.
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Gray, Schoolmr.]
portUtlKti.
(S. TEENAN, BISHOP.)
IN speaking of the cliapels in this part of
the parish of Banchory-Deveiiiok, the
author of the View of the Diocese of Aberdeen
describes S. Ternan's at Findon as being upon
a rook, and another chapel, unnamed, at Port-
lethen, as having been built, under King
Charles I., by Mr. Eobert Buchan of Port-
lethen about A.D., M.DC.XXXV.
At a later date (1649), the Presbytery of
Aberdeen, taking into account the fact of the
people dwelling in the " remottest paii-tis of
the parochines of fetresio & nether banchorie,
being far from their own parish kirks, and the
way being deep and almost impassible," suppli-
cated Parliament to take into " their con-
sideratioune" the propriety of erecting a place
of worship here. It was stated that the number
of communicants amounted at that time to
" about 8 or 9 hundreth soules," and the mat-
ter was referred to the Committee for the
Plantation of Kirks (Acta Pari., vi. pt. ii.
34.''-" ^6.)
L\. Morison (Stat. Acct.) says there was a
family chapel here before the Eeformation,
and that, prior to 178.5, " it was occupied by
any strolling preacher who chose to hold forth
to the people." Since that time, the church
has been repaired and much enlarged, and on
25th June, 1850, the whole of the parish of
Banchory-Devenick on the south side of the
Dee, the lands of Banchory and Ardo ex-
cepted, was erected into a quoad sacra parish
(Session Records).
There are a manse and offices, and also a
public school at Portlethen, and the church,
which occupies a commanding position on the
south side of the railway, is surrounded by a
burial ground, in which are a number of
grave stones.
Although numerous, these are all of late date,
and some of them exhibit long ages. A table-
shaped stone, upon which a boat is represented
in full sail, with a crew of six, bears the
names of James Leiper, whitefisher. Burn-
bank, who died in 1840, aged 90, of his son
George, who died in 1848, aged 73, and of
Susan Craig, the wife of the latter, who died
in 1852, aged 83. The next two inscriptions
(also from table-stones) refer to members of
the same family : —
Erected by Ann Leiper in memory of her dear
husband Alexander Knowles of Findon, who
died 17th March 1839, aged 86. Ann Leiper,
died 21 August 1841, aged 76 :—
Remember Friends as you pass by
Where you are now there once waa I
Where I am now there you must be
Prepare dear Friends to follow me.
[2.]
Ann Leiper, wf. of Joseph Maiu, fisher, d.
1861, a. 28 :—
Dear Friends come mourn with me
For one whose Spirit's fled
No more Her countenance I'll see
She's numbered with the dead.
The next three inscriptions are from head-
stones : —
Sacred to the memory of James Duncan,
farmer. Hillside, who died 12th Jany. 1869,
aged 89 yeai-s. Also his wife Jane Taylor,
■who died 9th Sept. 1870, aged 80 years.
[2.]
Marqt. Craig, wf. of Wm. Main, whitefisher,
Burnbanks, d. 1866, a. 32 :—
286
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
For twelve short years a mother's love^
To her's she did impart,
By tenderness and virtue
She owned a husband's heart
But suddenly came that messenger
Who will have no delay ;
In midst of life we are in death —
He snatched the pearl away.
[3.]
George Craig and Margt. Allan, d. 1869,
a. 50 :—
Below this stone so feeble reared
A husband gently sleeps
Here shall the sighs of gi'ief be heard
For here a mother weeps.
From a granite obelisk : —
Erected by Robert V/alker, Portlethen, in
memory of Charles A. Ewex, schoolmaster in
this district for upwards of 40 years, who died
29th Nov., 1855, aged 64 years.
— The erector of this monument, who died in
1875, was come of a farmer family in the
district. Besides being himself a farmer and
land valuator, he was long well known as a
rearer of polled cattle.
The district of Portlethen, wliich contains
a population of about 1800 inhabitants, is
situated within the barony of Findon, for the
reddendo of the third part of which William
of Keith accounted to the King's Chamber-
lain in 1359. At a later date, William of
Camera, burgess of Aberdeen, had an annuity
of 40s. out of the lands of Findou, which
had been previously held by Paul Crabb. In
1441, Eichard Vaus is designed of Fyndon ;
and in 1459, David Menzies, a burgess of
Aberdeen, gave Laurence Pyot, archdeacon of
Aberdeen, an annuity of £40 out of the lands
of Portlethen (Cli. Kolls ; Peg. IVIag. Sigill).
The property of Findon, which was long in
the hands of the Menzies, afterwards fell to
Bannerman of Elsick.
It is said (1725) that there is here taken "a
sort of little haddocks, named from this place.
which are cured so nicely that they are in much
request at Edinburgh, and reckoned tender and
sweet as marrow." The business of fishcuring
is carried on at Findon to a much larger extent
now than it was in old times, the art of curing
the "little haddocks" having been so much
improved that they have risen in public
favour.
The Earn or Eagles'-heugh, in this neighbour-
hood, is remarkable as having been, in 1710,
the landing place of seven students from St.
Andrews, who were drifted about upon the sea
in an open boat for the space of six days.
The sad story, which is told in Kennedy's
Annals of Aberdeen (i. 288-9), was com-
memorated by the father of one of the sur-
vivors in a painting and an engraving. A
copy of the latter (24 by 17 inches), now in
the library room of Marischal College, Aber-
deen, was kindly brought under our notice by
a friend. The picture, painted by Berchet,
and engraved by Vertue, which represents the
landing of the boys, and a seated portrait of
one of them pointing to the scene, exhibits
much ingenuity in its composition. At the
foot is a description in Latin of the sad
occurrence, accompanied by the following tran-
lation ; — •
" On the 10th of August, 1710, This young Gentle-
man, Da\'id Bruce, aged 15 years, with 6 others about
the same Age, in company [Davd. Rankilour, Jon.
Wilson, James Martin, Alexr. Mitchel, James Thom-
son, and James Watson], went out from the Harbour
of St. Andrews in a Little boat, with a design to re-
creat themselves. But it happened in their return
they lost one of their Oars, and were driven into ye
Ocean. Twas late before their Parents missed them,
and therefore not in their Power to afford them any
relief till morning that they despatched some boats in
quest of them, but all in vain. Whereupon everybody
gave them for Lost. Meantime the boys were toss'd
up and down mthout being able, by all their Endeav-
ours, to make any Shore, tho' every day within sight
of it. At length, by the good providence of God, the
■wind turning Easterly, after 6 days' and 6 nights' con-
tinued fasting and Labour, they got to shore alive,
under a steep rock commonly called Hern-heugh
[Earn-heugh] 4 miles south of Aberdeen, and 50 north
of St. Audrews, which two of them cUm'd up by the
MEIGLE.
287
direction of an old Fislierman who chanced to be near
the place, and making known their distress to an
honest Countryman, Jno. Shepherd, he kindly received
them into his House hard by, notifying at the same
time so extraordinary and moving an accident, to the
Magistrates of Aberdeen, who forthwith dispatched
their Dean of Guild with Dr. Gregory a Physician,
and Wm. Gordon a Surgeon, to attend them, By
whose means under God, all of them were preserved,
excepting only the two youngest, Jno. Wilson & James
Martin, who died soon after they came ashore, and
were honourably interr'd in Aberdeen, by the Care of
the Magistrates.
In thankfidl Commemoration of this wonderful!
Event, Robert Bruce, Goldsmith in Edinburgh, father
to the above David, caused this copper plate to be en-
graved. Soli Deo Gloria."
— Kennedy states that a copy of the engrav-
ing was presented to the Magistrates of Aber-
deen, and that it hung in the council-room
until " removed by order of one of the bailies,
to give place to a catchpenny engraving of one
of the heroes in the late war." The engraving
in Marischal College is probably the one here
referred to.
Mr. Bruce gave John Shepherd a piece of
sUver plate in the form of a boat, now (1878)
in the possession of his grandson, also John
Shepherd, farmer at Cairnrobin. It is oval-
shaped, about four inches long, and thus in-
scribed : — •
This Silver boat is gifted to John Shepherd, by
Eobert Bruce, goldsmith, for the Idndness he shewed
to his Sone David Bruce and others. After they were
Six days and Six nights at sea without meat or drink,
and by Providence thrown in at Eam-Hewgh, near
his house, on the 25 August 1710.
— Upon a scroll, below a carving of the Bruce
arms, is the motto : — fides . servata . ditat.
It was near the church of Portlethen, in the
month of March, 1826, that John Burness,
author of the well-known tales of " Thrummy
Cap," "The Ghaist o' Garron Ha'," &c., lost
his life in a snow-storm, while following the
humble employment of a book canvasser. He
was a native of the parish of Glenbervie, and
a cousin-german to Burns, the Poet of Scot-
land, whose father was born in the Mearns.
Burness' body was buried in the Spital church-
yard, Aberdeen, but, like the grave of Meston,
author of " Mother Grim's Tales," who lies in
the same place, there is no monument to
mark the last resting-iilaoe of the author of
" Thrummy Cap."
[Ins. compd. by Mr. Meston, schoolmr.]
•^^^v^^v^v^^*^^^\^^^\*^^v^^v^^^\^\^^^^^\^^^^v^^^^^
(S. PETER, APOSTLE.)
ICIpHE church of Miggil, its chapel, the
«*• kirktown, and the rents of certain lands
in the neighbourhood were given to the Prior
and Canons of St. Andrews by Simon of
Micghel, lord of the district, about 1177-88
(Reg. P. de S. Andree).
The chapel, which was dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin, stood about a mUe to the west
of the village of Meigle, and is now used as
the burial place of Kinloch of Kinloch.
The kirk and chapel of Miggil were both
rated at two merks in 1275 (Theiner). In
1574, Mr. David Eamsay was minister of
Meigle, Alyth, Glenisla, and Euthven, and
Thomas Irving was reader at Meigle.
The old church was cruciform in shape, and
was built probably about the beginning of the
17th century. It had been frequently enlarged
and altered, and on the morning of Sunday 28th
March, 1869, it was accidentally destroyed by
a fire caused by the overheating of the warm-
ing apparatus. The present edifice was erected
upon the same site.
Some of the more remarkable of the sculp-
tured stones, for which Meigle has been long
famed, were destroyed when the church was
burnt, among others the slab with "ane cairt,"
or chariot, which is represented in plate 18 of
Mr. Chalmers' Sculptured Stones of Angus,
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
and in plate 76 (vol. i.) of the Spalding Club
collection.
The two inscribed monuments to Bishops
Nicolsou and Lindesay of Dunkeld, which
were also within the church in the east or
" clerical corner," as it was called, shared the
same fate. As we copied the inscriptions from
these as far back as 1845, and had an oppor-
tunity of comparing them with others in the
possession of the Rev. Mr. Lingard-Guthrie of
Taybank, the following may be considered
faithful transcripts of both : —
Jacobo Nicolsono, pastori vigilanti, vh-o pru-
denti et eloquent!, Regis intimo, bonis oarissimo,
uxor Joliauna Eamsay moerens posuit.
M. I. N.
Tota licet veteres exoment undique ceroe
,nobilitas sola est atque unica virtus.
Memento mori.
[To the memory of James Nicolson, a vigilant
pastoi', a prudent and eloquent man, a contiden-
tial fi'iend of his Sovereign, and very dear to
good men, Joanna Eamsay, his sorrowing wife,
erected this monument.
Although illustrious descent and an ancient
lineage are deemed proud distinctions, Virtue
alone is true nobility. Remember Death.]
— Mr. Nicolson, who was translated from Cor-
tachy in 1583, took an active part in Church
matters, and was moderator of the Assemblies
of 24th June, 1595, and 10th December,
1606. He was made coUegiate minister in
the King's House in 1 602, and, in the early
part of 1607, he was created Bishop of Dun-
keld, an office which he held for a very brief
period, having (Keith's Lives of the Scottish
Bishops) died in August of the same year.
He married a sister of the first Baronet of
Bamfif, by a daughter of Ogilvy of Clova
(Doug. Baronage).
A shield upon Bishop Lindesay's tomb, bore
in pale the Lindesay and Skene arms, with
cadencies, and was flanked by the initials
B.D . W.L : K.S. Below was this inscrip-
tion : —
Depositum hie est corpus Reverend! in Christo
Patris D. Willielmi Lindesay, ex generosa
familia Sooto Fifaui, qui (1659) setatis 22 in
Angliam profectus, sacris est initiatus, 1661
valetudinarius patrire est redditus. 1663 '. :iere
sacerdotali ecclesioe Auctrideiranensi quiu-
quemiio, Perthensi novennio (1677) pastor per-
vigil naviter functus, praesulatui Duukeldensi
summa cum integritate, prudentia et pietate
praefuit. 1679, cceli avidus, maturus ccelo, obiit,
aetatis 42. Exuvias mortis sub obscuro hoc
lapide latere voluit. 1681 erectum.
[Here lies the body of the Reverend Father in
Christ, William Lindesat, of the respectable
famOy of the Scotts of Fife, who in 1659, at the
age of 22, proceeded to England, where he re-
ceived his theological training, and whence he
retiu-ned to his native country, with impahed
health, in 1661. In 1663, he was appointed to
the church of Auchterderran, and five years
afterwards to that of Perth, where he remained
nine years in the vigilant and assiduous dis-
charge of his pastoral duties. He was then
(1677) created Bishop of Dunkeld, and presided
over that diocese for two years with the gi-eatest
integiity, prudence, and piety. He died in 1679,
in his 42nd year, eager and also ripe for heaven.
It was his wish that his mortal remains should
rest beneath this humble stone. Erected in
1681.]
— Bishop Lindesay, who studied at St.
Andrews, was second son of James Lindesay
of Dowbill, and is described in a Satire upon
the Bishops as " rich in thesaure." His
son, who succeeded to DowhiU on the death
of his father's elder brother, was the last
Lindesay of that place. These Lindesays
were descended from Sir William of Eossie,
younger brother of David, first Earl of Craw-
ford (Lives of the Lindsays, ii. 284).
The next inscription, below which are a
skull and cross bones, is from a flat slab near
the south-west gate : —
HEIE . LTETH . THE . BODY . OF . ANE .
HONEST . AND . DISCRIET . GENTLEMAN .
ROBERT . CRANSTON . DESCENDED . OF .
THE . FAMILY . OP . CRANSTON . WHO .
AFTER . SEVERAL . YEIRS . TRAVELLING .
AND . SERVING . IN . THE . WARRS . IN .
GERMANIE . AND . POLAND . RETURNED . TO .
HIS . NATIVE . COUNTRIE . AND . HAVING .
FOR . SOME . YEIRS . FAITHFULY . SERVED .
LORD . BISHOPE . OF . DUNKELE . DIED . AT .
MEIGLE.
289
MEIGLE . MAT . 1685 . AND . OF . HIS . AGE .
47. R. C.
— On finding the above iu 1845, we gnve a
cojiy to the late Mr. P. Chalmers of Aldbar,
iu the hope of ascertaining something of the
history of Cranston. Some suppose that he
was one of the bishops of Dunkeld, but this
was not the case, and we have learned nothing
of his personal history.
Tlie next inscription is from a bevelled
stone, embellished with the Fullerton and
Hay arms, and initialed V.F.I.H. : — •
Hie situs GULIELMUS FOULLERTOSIDS OCto
lustra Duo. manunique Cerum bene mane
colebat; obiit Idus Mart. 1649.
Ti . . . . viam vitam telluris in ... . poudus
Degit hie eximio niox peris ingenio
Agneta Foullertonia decessit An. Do.
M.D.C.L. retat 18.
[Here lies William Foullertose, who re-
membered his Creator in the days of his youth,
and after a life of 40 years, died 15th March
1649.
Agnes Fodllerton died 1650, in her 18th
year.]
— This probably refers to some of the Fuller-
tons who, before 1618, owned the lands of
Ballindoch, Hallyards, Kirkhill (now Bel-
mont), the Myres, &c., and which were all in-
corporated in their favour into a separate
barony called Fullerton. This name was as-
sumed from their paternal estate near Montrose,
which they appear to have left about the time
they accjuired the ]SIeigle and Alyth properties.
As elsewhere shown (Mem. Angus and
Mearns, 10), the true ancestors of this family,
Geoffrey of Foullertone and Agnes his wife,
had a charter from Bruce, 1327, of the lands
of Fullerton in ilaryton, together with the
office of King's falconer within the shire of
Forfar, &c.
One of them was knighted, William Fuller-
ton of that Ilk having been served heir
(1618) to his grandfather, Sir William, iu
his lands in Meigle, Alyth, Craigo, and Logy,
near Montrose. Sir William's successor, who
died about 1628, was succeeded by his son,
also William, and in 1668, pos.sibly the latter
was served heir to Agnes, his father's sister,
in certain lands in Meigle and Alyth. The
family possessions became reduced soon after
this date, between which and 1677 certain,
portions of the estates belonged to Eattray of
Jlillhall (detours).
The family mansion of the Fullertons is
said to have stood in a field to the southward
of the present farmhouse of Fullerton. It
was taken down many years ago, and the stones
used for building purposes. Three embellished
slabs are built into the farm offices at Myre-
side ; and the oldest, which possibly relates
to Sir William Fullerton of that Ilk and his
wife, bears this quaint inscription, the initials
being in monogram : —
TIS . HOVS . IS . BVLD . BE . ELESOBETH . BETOVN.
W. F : E. B
L. FVLLERTOVN.
— An adjoining slab, initialed W. F., is charged
qrly. : 1.4, three (T) otters' heads erased ; 2, 3,
three stars on a fess ; and upon the third slab,
initialed D. ]\I. E., is a shield charged with
the cross-crosslet of the Erskines. Having
seen no genealogy of the Fullertons, we are
unable to say to what family either L. (Lady)
Fullerton or Dame M. Erskine belonged. It
is certain, however, that one of the Fullertons
married Margaret, eldest sister of Lord Spynie,
by whom he had an only son who married a
daughter of Carnegie of Boysack, and from
them the present laird of Kinblethmont is
descended. He is representative both of the
Fullertons of that Ilk and of the Lords Spynie
(Land of the Lindsays, 292).
The Drumkilbo Aisle formed the north
transept of the old kirk, and a panel over the
door bore a fine carving of the Elphinstone
and FuUerton arms, with supporters and mant-
lings. The supporters, &c., were much injured
o2
290
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
at the burning of the church, but the arm:-!
and the following traces of lettering are still
distinct :- —
lAMES ELPHEINSTONE L. OF C. . . .
MAEGRET .... OURTONE L. OF . . .
— We have failed to ascertain anything reliable
regarding this branch of the famil}' of Elpliin-
stone or the property which they held in
Meigle. The last letter in the first line is
broken, and may be either a C or a G. If the
latter, it may refer to Glack in Aberdeenshire,
of which Elphinstones were long designed.
The aisle has a roof of arched stone, and is
about 15 feet square. When opened after the
fire, it was found to contain a sculptured
stone, now in the lobby of the new kirk, some
gravestones and bones that had been thrown
in from the burial ground, and the coffin of
David Nairne of Drumkilbo, who died in
1854, and those of his wife and a daughter,
who died respectively in 1855 and 1838.
Mr. !Nairne, who built the house of Drum-
kilbo in 1811, sold the lands to Lord Wharn-
cliffe, and from him they were purchased
by Mr. Baird of Ury. Although the name
of " Drumkilbo " is of Gaelic origin, we have
not found it in any printed document before
the beginning of the 17th century. Like
that of Fullerton, it may have been imported.
Two freestone monuments with long Latin
inscriptions, which cannot now be fully de-
ciphered, are built into the outer and east
wall of the north aisle of the kirk. Upon
the canopy of one are the Symers and Fuller-
ton coats in pale, and upon the other those of
Symers and Campbell. The former, initialed
M. G. S : M. r., refer to Mr. George Symers,
previously minister at Ivilspindie, and his
wife Margaret Fullerton ; and the latter,
initialed M. I. S : M. C., relate to Mr.
John Symers (son of the above) and his wife
ISIargaret Campbell. Upon the entablature
or upper part of the framework is the date
"12 Cal. Octob., 1661." The following are
the last three lines of the inscription to Mr.
John Symers : —
Magister Johannes Simerus
. . . mors mihi Sauctus. ... 1 Cor.
... 55, 56, 57. This was his last Text.
— During the digging of the foundations of
the present church, two slabs were discovered
that appear to have covered the graves of
Symerses, and are thus inscribed : —
DECESSIT . M. G. S. ANSO . DOir . 1G55 . OFFICII . 52 .
CONIVGII . 50 . jETATIS . SV^ . -7 . CIRCA . IDVS .
MART.
M . G . S : M . r.
ET . VXOR . MARGRET . FVLLERTONE . ANNO . DOM .
1658 . ^T . 80 . A" . KAL . AP . FILIE . M . S . K . S .
[Mr. G. S. departed tins life about the 15th
March, 1655, in the 52d year of his ministry,
the 50th of his marriage, and the —7"' of his age.
And his wife Margaret Fullertoune, on the
1st April, 1658, in her 80th year. Their daugh-
ters, M. S. and K. S.]
[2.]
M . I . S : M . C . ANNO . CONIVGII . evil . MRG .
CAMPBEL . 19 . ^T . NON . IVLII . CVM . 2 . PVERIS .
G . s : M . s.
[On the 7th July, with two of his children, in
the — year of his age and the 19th of his mar-
riage with Marg. Camjjbell ]
■ — The Symerses are believed to have been a
branch of the family of Balzeordie in Men-
muir (Land of the Lindsays), now supposed to
be represented by the Earl of Southesk.
Unless otherwise described, all the inscrip-
tions that follow are from flat slabs. The
first quoted is one of the boldest pieces of in-
terlaced carving in the churchyard : —
LYIS . BESIE . FVLLAR . SPOVS . TO .
ROBERT . DOGE . IN . BANDOCH . VHA . DEPAIR-
TED . TE . 7 . FEBRVARI . ANNO . 16 . . . AND .
OF . HIR . AIG . 67 . MEMENTO . MORI.
[2.]
HEIR LYES WILIAM KAE, SPOVS TO ISOBEL TAIL-
ZEOR, IN MAINS OF MEAGIL, QVHA DEPAIRTED THE
2 DAT OF IVLI ANNO 1635, AND OF HIS AGE 30
ZERS DISCI MORI VIT
MEIGLF.
291
[3.]
R. D : I. T. HEIR LYIS ROBRRT DOG, SOMTYM
DVELLAR IN THE MAINS, HVSBAND TO ISOBAL
TYLAR, VHO DEPARTED THE 29 OF SEPTEMBER
1651, OF HIS AGE 40 YEARS —
Heaven keips his sovl, heir the body lyis
On earthe he vas both kynd vei-teovs and wise
MN This ston belongs to George Porter & Anne
Sandmene.
[4.]
"Wnder this ston heir lyis ane honist man
Iames Evthven, vho departed the last of Sep-
tember 1659, and of age 50, hvsband to Bessie
Froster. He vas a maltman in Migl, and ther 6
childriu sons and davghtei-s.
[5.]
Heir . lyes . intered . fovr . sons . and . one .
dochter . procreat . betvix . Androv . Mill . in .
Meigl . and . Elspet . Cheplane . his . spovs . 1665.
D.M : M.P. Blessed . ar . they . that . die . in .
the . Lord. They . rest . from . ther . labovrs .
and . ther . vorks . folov . them.
The next inscription is followed by a carving
of a weaver's shuttle, indicative of the occu-
pation of the deceased : —
[6.]
Heir is intered Tames Avghterlavny, son to
lames Avghterlavny and lanet Hendry, who
died the 7 of Ivne 1685, and of his age 24.
[7.]
"Wnder this stone interd ane honest woman
Margrat Mill spovs to John Stewenson, in
Meigle, who departed the 9 of Deer. 1681, of hir
age 58, with ther childrfn procreat betvixt them.
This monement is erected be William Stevenson,
wpon his expense for him and his famlie. This
stone belongs o lohn Smith and Margret Steven-
son indvellers in Ai'dler.
The slab that bore the next inscription
was among those that were destroyed when
the kirk was burned. It was carved in
beautifully interlaced capitals : —
[8.]
HEIR . LYES . ANE . HONEST . MAN
EILLOR . IN . POTENTO . SPOVSE . TO . lANET .
DOG . OBIIT . ^T . 67 . 21 . SEP . AN . 1665.
UNDER . THIS . STON . HER . LY'S . ANE .
VERTOUS . ON .
ANE . TREND . TO . ALL . ANE . ENEMIE . TO .
NON .
IF . LITERATUR . HAD . POLISHED . WHAT .
NATUR . DID . BESTOD .
SO . SHORT . ANE . EPITAPH . lUSTICE . WVLD .
NOT . ALOU .
A broken and much defaced slab, upon
which are represented a baker's shovel, &e.,
exhibits these traces of an inscription and an
epitaph : —
ofPearth
with . his . spovs . Margaret . Miller .
who . . .
Threttie . s married . life .
And . now . this . litl . peice . of . eai'ths .
their . bed .
Their . bodies . heer . tak . rest
"Wntill . they . be . to . glorie . raised
Wuto . Eternitie.
The next eight inscriptions are from table-
shaped stones : —
Here lies the body of Iohn Eea, farmer at the
Mosside of Fvllarton, where he was born, and
his ancestors lived in good respect, several
generationes. He was married to Barbara
Piper, daughter to Iohn Piper, in Tellen, and
shortly after vas deservedly classed among the
eldei-s of the paroch of Meigle, in which rank he
lived vith a svitable deportment all the rest of his
days. He died Octob. 1697, aged 55. I . K: B.P.
[2-]
Heir lyes ane h<inest man Iohn Neper,
hvsband to lanet Hay, who dvelt in the Maines
of Migle, dparted the 20 March, 1674, of age 31.
And on davghter of age 2 yeirs Ianet Neper,
Iames Neper, procreat betvixt Iohn Nepei and
Ianet Hay and dayed 26 of September, 1694, of
his age 23.
[3.]
Isobel Geikie, to whom the following acrostic
ha.s reference, was sp. to Jas. Henderson, Ball-
myle, and d. 1723, a. 50 : —
If pious vertue ever could
Secure us from the fatull blow
Of cruell Death, then sure thou should
Boldly defy this mighty foe.
Each one hath sinnd, and therefor must
Life forfeit, and return to dust.
Grace, wisdom, prudence, chastity.
Each virtue bright in thee did shine ;
ludgement to rule thy family.
Knowledge to good did thee incline. —
In peace thou liv'd and fell on sleep
Eternal peace thy soul doth keep.
292
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
[4.]
W. K : I. S. IN HOPES OF A GLORIOUS RE-
Sl-RRECTION, HERE LYES WILLIAM KEAY HVSBAND
TO ISOBELL SMALL, INDUELLERS IN THE MAINS OF
FULLERTON, WHO DEPARTED THE 23 DAT OF JULY
1704, & OF HIS AGE 67 YEIRS.
o happy sovL Thy After Labom-s go
To heauens Etei'iial mensious from below,
T' Knjoy The Pleasures of eteriiall rest
With Triumjih luongst the augels to be blest.
haPPy uho, After So Wncertaiu chance,
Cau Safly To the heauen of heaueus Advance,
vive memor lethi fugit hora
[5.]
W. Anderson, ou his children (1732) : —
While old grey heads escape the rage
Of cruel death, sometime
Yoimg ones, alas ! may quite the stage,
Ev'n in their very prime.
Oh, death how fierce thy firy Blows,
No forrester like thee ;
Cuts down the cedar while it grows
And spares the weathered tree.
[6.]
Andrew Dempster (1736) : —
Here is iuter'd, believe you may,
This monument that views.
The kindest neighbour ever was,
Prieud, father, and a spouse.
Belov'd, and loving, still averse,
To every sordid art ;
Williout ileceit he plainly spoke,
The language of his heart.
Untainted was his character,
The paths of jjeaoe he trode,
For which we hope he glorious shines
In heaven now with Uod.
Elspat Geeky, wf. of Jas. Kyd (17o0) :—
In her who under this stone
Many brave virtues shone ;
For every day it was her care,
To help each needy one.
And thus we trust her sovl at rest,
Doth now remain above ;
With the triumphant pious ones,
Who their redeemer love.
[8.]
Heir lyes ane honest man called Dauid
Porter, husband to Agnas Stuensou, indeullers
in the Myres of Fullarton, who departed August
10, in the year 1718, and his age 60 years.
Agnas Stinsone, who died Feby ^7, 1733, age
71 yeiu's.
Our life is a flying shaddow
God is the pol
The ludings pointing at him is our soul
Death is the horizin where our suu do set
And through Christ a resurrection get.
— Besides the odd spelling of Index (" Indings")
in the above, the following curious specimen
of orthography is upon an adjoining tombstone
in memory of Jean Smith, who died in 1775,
aged 27 :—
If doctoi's drogs or meedson
Or ovght from death coudd saue
Shour this woman hed not gon
So shoon doun to hir grave.
Upon the north wall of cliurch (enclosed),
under a shield charged with the Scott arms
and motto " coelum non animum " : —
To the memory of the Rev. Alexander Scott,
minister at Kingoldrum, and Meigle from B""
Sept. 1738 to 28"' Nov. 1776, and of Eupham
Henderson, his spouse, who was interred the
same day, and in the same grave, with her hus-
band. This stone is erected by the Executors
of the late Hon. Thomas Scott, their oldest son,
Chief Justice of the Province of Upper Canada,
who died there in the year 1824, aged 78 yeivrs,
aud by Mr William Scott, in Meigle, their
second son, born the 2""' May 1750, and died at
Meigle, the 6'" of August 1835, aged 85 years.
— Mr. Scott, who was a native of Kincardine-
shire, and a graduate of King's College, Aber-
deen, was translated from Kingoldrum to
Meigle in 1757. Two of his sons studied for
the church, Thomas having been on pro-
bationary trials in 1769 (Scott's Fasti).
WiUiam, who was of rather weak intellect,
wore a long brown greatcoat summer and
winter, and, as he had a great dread of snow,
the village urchins took a delight in rousing
his ire by constantly assuring him that — " It
was sure to be snaw ! "
From a marble tablet set in freestone : —
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. James
Mitchell, D.D., minister of the parish of
Meigle, who died March V., MDCCCLV, in the
eighty-seventh year of his age and forty-seventh
of his ministry. Eequiescat in pace.
— Dr. Mitchell, who was a native of Dumfries-
MEIGLE.
293
shire, and wrote the New Statistical Account
of Meigle, was succeeded in the church by the
present incumbent, Mr. Nicoll, who married
his niece.
With but few exceptions, Dr. Mitchell's is
the longest recorded age in the kirkyard.
Egbert Kenxedt, who died in 1S75, was a
year older, and upon his tombstone (referable
to a relative) is the following : —
Earth afFoi-ds not my chief good
In Christ my bliss doth lie.
Earth's vain dreams men's hearts delude
Its arts I do defy.
Empty world, I thee let go —
Adieu to all thy pomp and pride.
Other long ages are those of Barbara Gib-
son, widow of Charles Coutts, who died in
1866, aged 86 ; Egbert Don, and his wife,
Agne.s Taskeb, who each reached 82 ; and
their son James, and his wife Susan Ander-
son, who died respectively at the ages of 84
and 82.
In no other part of Scotland are there such
a number and variety of ancient sculptured
stone monuments as at I^Ieigle. These, mixed
up by tradition with the mythical story of
King Arthur and his faithless Queen Vanora,
are believed to belong to the Pictish period.
Many of the subjects repre.'^ented are clearly
illustrative of incidents in Holy Writ, others
exhibit hunting scenes, symbolical sculptur-
in,!S and interlaced work — the last-mentioned
bein^ without much, if any, meaning.
Mr. Gordon was tlie first to call public atten-
tion to these very interesting relics ; and al-
though neither the engravings in his Itinor-
arium Septentrionale (1726) nor those in Mr.
Cordiner's Eemarkable Ruins in the North of
Scotland (1795) give a just idea of the objects
delineated, or the elaborate nature of the car-
vings, both authors deserve well of their
country, and their works ought to be in the
library of every lover of national antiquities.
It was mainly through these writers, and
from the fact of his own residence being near
to the Kirktown of Aberlemno, where there
is also a fin3 collection of carved stones, that
Mr. Chalmers of Aldbar was induced to
undertake his work upon the Sculptured
Monuments of Angus (1849), wliich included
those of Meigle, and was his first contribution
to the Bannatyne Club. Subsequently (1856-
67), under the editorial care of Dr. John
Stuart, the Spalding Club issued two volumes
upon the same subject, which embrace accurate
drawings by Mr. Andrew Gibb, of Aberdeen,
of almost every object of the kind that was
then known to exist in this country. As these
works, and occasional papers in the Proceed-
ings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scot-
land, contain all that is yet known of the
history of the stones, the following, which is
the first record of those at Keilor, Aberlemno,
and Meigle (Extracta e Cron. Scocie, 252), may
be here repeated : —
" Anno Domini Movclxix. At Killois (Keilor) thair
is anj stane, vii. eln of heiclit, ane eln of breid, ane
fuit tliik, curiouslie wrut \vith pictoi-s of Kings and
beistis, with diuera vtharis gi-avingis upon it, the
quhilk appeiris to be verray auld.
" At Abyr .... (Aberlemno) Kirk, iii. myle
f la I'oirfair, thair is ane stane cors iii. eln in heicht,
ane eln braid, ane schaft lenth thik, curiouslie WTocht,
gvairt with pictors of men and diuers vther figuris,
with ane cau-ne of stauis besyde it. At the Newtylde
(an evident misprint for Me. git) thair [is] ane stane
callit be sum the thane stane iii. eln of heicht, v.
quarteris braid, ane quarter thik and mair, with ana
cors at the held of it, and ane goddes nixt that in ane
cairt, anil twa horse drawaud hir, and huramen under
that, and fuitmeu, and doygis, halkis, and serpentis ;
on the west syde of it ane cors curiouslie grauit bot
all is maid of ane auld fassone of schap. It is allegit
that the Thane of Glammis set thir tua stanis quhen
that cuntrey wes all ane greit forrest."
Besides the sculptured stones at Meigle,
there were two monoliths also associated with
the story of Arthur and Vanora. One of
these, which is said to have given name to the
property of Arthurstone (recently purchased
by Mr. Peter Carmichael, engineer, Dundee),
294
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
was destroyed about 1791, and used in the
building of the niansiou-house ! The other,
which is about 12 feet high, 6 feet broad, and
4 feet thick, stands at the west gate of Bel-
mont. It is farther remarkable from its pre-
senting a number of indentations or hollows,
known to antiquaries by the name of " cup
marks," the use of which has not yet been
satisfactorily explained. One of the latest
theories is that advanced by Dr. Daniel
Wilson, who, from observations in Ohio and
Kentucky, U.S., supposes these cavities to
have been formed for rubbing and grinding of
stone axes, pestles, and mauls (Proceed. So.
Ant. Scot., xi.) Although at Meigle, as in
many other places, the name " Arthur" is pro-
bably a corruption of the Gaelic words ard-
tor (1 a high hillock or eminence), much that
is curious regarding the district will be found
in Mr. J. S. Glennie's work on Arthurian
Localities (Edin., 1869).
The Knights Temjjlars had an interest in
Meigle, and, in 1858, some fine examples of
sculptured stones were acciilentally discovered
in an old corn kiln at Temple Ha'. From
being so long buried, these are in a better state
of pre.'servation than those in the churchyard,
which have sufl'ered much from the ravages
of time and the weather. Fragments of tlie
same sort (possibly taken from the church-
yard) are preserved about the manse offices
and at Kinloch House.
The lioman Camp at Cardean, described by
Gen. Eoy (p. 108) and also in the Statistical
Accounts of the parish, is not now traceable.
In an adjoining weem or Pict's house it is said
that Roman tiles and other articles were dis-
covered some years ago. The local rhyme
'Tween Mill an' Dykes, an' Brig o' Dean,
There lie millions mony a ane,
is popularly believed to have reference to
some battle that was fought there. Traces
of ancient sepulture have been found in many
parts of the parish, the more remarkable of
which were in Balliduff's Cairn ( 1 the cairn
of the black town), nearly opposite to the new
Public Schools (Proceed. So. Antiq., ii.)
It is clear that Meigle was the seat of an
early ecclesiastical establishment, and as thus
recorded (p. 188) in Skene's " Chronicles of
the Picts and St'ots," the Legend of St. An-
drew was written there, either in whole or in
part : — " Thana, son of Dudabrach, engraved,
or wrote, this monument to King Thorath,
son of Bergeth, in the town of IMigdele." The
date assigned to this writing is A.D. 839-42 ;
and, so far as we are aware, there is no further
mention of the district until the time of
William the Lion, when it was in the posses-
sion of the family De Micghel.
Very little is known of the history of this
race, one of whom, Eoger of Miggel, in the
county of Perth, diil homage to Edward I. at
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in 1296. John of Mig-
hill of that Ilk, who married Margaret, daugh-
ter of John of Rattray of Craighall, had a son
William. The latter appears to have been the
last of the family who held the lands, he hav-
ing resigned the same in favour of the first
Earl of Crawford (Ragman Rolls ; Reg. Mag.
Sig. ; Robertson's Index).
It was about this time that the Lindsays
made grants to the kirks of Meigle and Dun-
dee out of the lands and barony of Meigle,
which appear to have included Meigle, I'otento,
Logie, Leitfio, Aberbothrie (now Kinloch),
Bermondie, &c. The Lindsays continued to
have an interest in Meigle until between
1615-18, when Henry Lindsay of Careston
was succeeded in the greater part of the family
possessions in ^Meigle by Sir William Fuller-
ton of that Ilk (Land of the Lindsays).
Belmont, formerly Kirkhill, which, as be-
fore shown, was FuUerton property from before
1618, and which now belongs to Lord Wharn-
cliffe, is said to have been a residence of the
MEIGLE.
295
Bishops of Dunkell, and is a place of some his-
torical note. It appears from Moysie and other
contemporary writers that when the Earl of
Huntly and the Popish nobles took arms
against King James in 1589, Sir Thomas
Lyon, Master of Glami^, who determined to
oppose them, convened a meeting uf the
Ivoyalists at the kirk of Meigle, and on being
surprised by Gordon of Auchenduwn, he and
his followers fled to the house of Kirkhill,
where they were compelled to surrender.
Lyon, however, was soon liberated, it. having
come to the knowledge of the rebels that
the King was advancing against them in
person.
Cardean, formerly Potento, is a neat modern
house situated upon the south bank of the
Dean, and near the site of the Roman
Camp. Upon a mausoleum, erected near
the west gate by Admiral Popham over the
remains of his first wife, Sus.\n Murray, is
the text " Blessed are the dead wliich die in
the Lord." Here also rest the remains of the
Admiral, who died 7th Feb., 1878. His lady,
who was accidently burned to death on Sun-
day, 5th August, 1866, while the rest of the
household were at church, left no issue. Her
father, Mr. Patrick ^Murray, who owned
the lands of Meigle, Simprim, Potento, Ar-
thurstone, and others, died at the last men-
tioned place, and was buried at Cupar-
Angus, but no stone marks the spot. He
married, 24th May, 1802, Susan, youngest
daughter of Sir Eobt. Murray of Hillhead,
Bart, (a cadet of the Livingstone branch), and
a slab, built into the gable of the quaintly
constructed offices at Meigle House, presents
a carving of their arms, in pale, with the
motto viRTUTE FiDEQUE. It is Said, although
the date upon the bell disproves the assertion,
that the former kirk beU of Meigle was
cracked at the celebration of TMr. Murray's
marriage, and that he made a gift of the pre-
sent instrument, upon which is this in-
scription :^
FEAR GOD— HONOUR THE KING. 1793.
Besides Mrs. Popham, Mr. Murray left
another daughter, who married Lord Talbot
de Malahide, the present proprietor of Potento,
&c. It ought to be mentioned that it was
mainly through Mr. MuiTiy's good taste that
the sculptured stones of Meigle were saved from
being broken up and made into road metal.
A neat Epis ;upal uhiirch (S. Margaret's),
with open timber roof, stands at "tlie cross
roads" which leail from Alj'th, Cupar-Angus,
and KiiTiemuir to Meigle. It contains a fine
organ, and in the east window, which con-
sists of three lights. Our Saviour is repre-
sented in the centre as the Good Shepherd
(" Feed my Sheep"). On the right and left
respectively are " Saint Peter " and " Saint
John." The interesting octagonal shaped font,
which belonged to the ancient church of Meigle,
is not inappropriately placed here ; and were
the pedestal darkened to about the same tint
as the font, the effect would be perfect. In
each of the eight compartments are these em-
blems of the death and resurrection of Our
Saviour — (1) Christ upon the Cross; (2) the
holy coat of Treves, scourges, &c. ; (3) the
ladder, sponge, and spear ; (4) the pillar,
surmounted by a cock and encircled with a
rope ; (5) the pierced heart, hands, and feet ;
(6) the three nails and hammer ; (7) the cross
with crown of thorns ; and (8) Christ rising
from the tomb. An engraving of this in-
teresting font, which is much in the style of
one at the kirk of Inverkeithing in Fife, was
made for the late Mr. Chalmers, of Aldbar.
There are two railway stations in the
parish, one upon the main or Caledonian line
about two miles south from, and another upon
the Alyth Branch at, the village of Meigle.
A bridge of three arches crosses the Isla at
Crathie, on the road to Alyth, and another of
296
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
one arch spans the Dean, on the way to
Kirriemuir. There is also a bridge of two
small arches, built in 1805, over the Burn of
Meigle. A Free Churcli and tlie Public
Schools adjoin the market stance on the south
side of the village, and the village itself,
which is surrounded on all sides by hed,^erows
and stately trees, contains some good dwelling-
houses and shops, as well as a branch bank
and an hotel.
The parish of Meigle, as a whole, is one of
the most interesting historicaj. districts, and
the village one of the most pleasantly situated
hamlets in the Valley of Strathmore. Many
of the people are long-lived, and no epidemic
has been kllo^^^l there, possibly since the
summer of 1645, when it was reported that
" the tonne of Urumkilbo, and Kirktouu of
Megle were infected with the plague."
The meaning of the name is doubtful. The
oldest spelling Mig-dale (IMagh-dele) possibly
signifies " a plain abounding in dales or
hollows," which is not an inapt description of
the parish at the present day. It may, how-
ever, be derived from the words MIcKjh-ail
(1 the stones of the plain), for before the ex-
istence of the sculptured stones, there were,
as before seen, remarkable monoliths both at
Arthurstone and at Belmont.
It i n 1 0 c !) (sr ij a p c I.
(the blessed vikgin.)
As previously stated, both the church and
the chapel of Meigle were early gifted
to the Prior and Canons of St. Andrews.
It is now called Kinloch Chapel, and be-
fore the present building was erected, the
site was occupied by a long, low, ivy-clad
house, which has been described as " a cell
of the Abbey of Cupar." A corbel stone
of the previous " edifice," now in the gar-
den of Kinloch House, presents a shield, with
an eagle displayed, probably for Eamsay.
It may refer either to Mr. Ramsay, who was
minister of Meigle in 1574, or to cadets of
the Banff family, who had an interest in the
parish for several generations.
The present building, which is chiefly used
as a ]\tortuary Chapel, is in the Romanesque
style of architecture, with a square tower at
the west end. Upon the west side of the
tower are the initials, K. K. (Kinloch of Kin-
loch), and upon the north a shield with the
Kinloch and C)liphant of Clashbennie arms,
quirterly, the Kinlochs being now the re-
presentatives of this branch of the Oliphants.
The following inscription is over the altar,
which is of freestone : —
■ CHAPEL OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN,
RESTORED BY G. KINLOCH OF THAT ILK,
1861.
From a slab upon the pavement : —
HERE REST G. OLIPHANT KINLOCH OF THAT ILK,
BORN 1720, DIED 1775.
GEORGE KINLOCH OF THAT ILK, M.P., BORN 1775,
DIED 1833.
HIS WIFE HELEN SMYTH, BORN 1774, DIED 1852.
— George Oliphant Kinloch, grandfather of
Sir George Kinloch, bought the estate from
his cousin William, the eldest and last sur-
viving son of Sir James Kinloch, Bart., who
was attainted in 1746. Mr. Kinloch married
Anne, daughter of John Balneaves of Cairn-
baddie, by whom he was survived, and who
afterwards married Durham-Calderwood of
Polton, which accounts for her not being
buried at Kinloch beside her first husband.
She was the mother of George Kinloch,
who died in 1833, and who in 1819 delivered
a seditious speech at Dundee, for which he
fled the country, and was declared an outlaw.
He was pardoned on the King's visit to Scot-
land in 1822, and was afterwards elected M.P.
for Dundee, where there is a bronze statue of
him by Sir John Steele. Upon the pedestal
is this inscription : —
MEIGLE.
297
George Kinloch of Kinloch. Outlawed for
the Advocacy of Popular Riglits, 22'"' December
1819. Proclaimed First Member for Dundee, in
the First Reformed Parliament, 22""' December,
1832. Born in Dunde?, 1775, died in London,
1833. Erected by Public Subscription to Com-
memorate a Signal Triumph of Political Justice,
3'" February, 1872.
— INlr. K. left several children. Besides the
Misses Kinloch of Carnoustie, he had a daugh-
ter who married Mr. C. Guthrie of Taybank,
and his son George, who succeeded to Kinloch,
and bought the estate of jNIeigle from the
Trustees of the Earl of Strathmore in 1871,
was created a Baronet in April, 1873. Sir
George married, in 1845, Margaret, daughter
of Mr. Geo. Canning, merchant, Arbroath, by
whom he had issue three sous, John, George,
and Eobert, and five daughters. The second
son, who is a promising student of the fine
arts, succeeded his granduncle in the valuable
estates of Balharry, and, in terms of the entail,
assumed the additional surname of Sjiyth.
The surname of Kinloch was taken from a
place in CoUessie, Fifeshire ; and so early as
1202-52, Maurinus and Maurice of Kinde-
louch witness grants of land, the former b}'
Roger of Quincy and the latter by Heniy of
Wintown (Reg. Prior. S. Andree). The pro-
perty cf Kinloch, which now belongs to Mr.
Kinnear (the fortunate possessor of Sir David
Wilkie's early picture of Pitlessie Fair), was
sold by Sir Alexander Kinloch, knight, to-
wards the close of the 16th century.
Sir Alexander's nephew David, who ac-
quired wealth as a physician, and bought in
1616 the lands of Aberbothi'ie (now Kinloch),
was an accomplished scholar and poet, two of
his Latin poems, De Hominis Procreatioue
and De Anatome, being printed in Johnston's
Delitiae Poetarum Scotorum (Amst. 1637).
He was born and buried at Dundee, where
his once elegant tomb may still be seen in.
the Hov:ff. It is now in a sadly dilapidated
state, but a copy of the Latin inscription will
be found in Montsith's Theater of Moi'tality
(Kdin. 1713) accompanied by the following
translation (p. 38) : —
The Monument of Burial-place to a most
honourable Man David Kinloch of Aberboth-
rie, of most famous Learning, and iu his Life
adorned with many singular Virtues ; most skil-
ful Physician to the king of Great Britain and
France : B}' whose Patents and Seals the Anti-
quity of his Pedigree and Extract is clearly
witnessed and proven. He died 12th Sep. 1617,
aged 58.
Gallant Kinloch his famous ancient Race
Appear, by this erected on this Place ;
This Honour great indeed : His art and Skill
And famous Name both Sides o' th' Pole do fill.
Probably the only gravestone at Meigle to
the Kiiilochs is a freestone slab broken in two
pieces and otherwise defaced. It lies near the
tomb of the Symerses, and between the ini-
tials I.K. is a knight's helmet. The words
MEMENTO MORI and the following are traceable
upon the stone : —
PAIRTED
A . . 16[i33] . AND
OF . HIS ■ AGE . 63
Dr. Kinloch's grandson David, who married
a daughter of Graham of Fintray, was created
a baronet in 168.3, and his younger brother
James, who was a physician, married a daugh-
ter of Fothringham of Powrie. He bought
the estate of Kilrie, and was succeeded in it
by his eldest sou David, ancestor of the
present Colonel Kinloch of Kilrie and Logie,
near Kirriemuir.
The second son, John, who followed his
father's profession, married Jean, sole daugh-
ter and heiress of George Oliphant of Clash-
bennie, by whom he had four sous and three
daughters. It was the eldest of these sons,
Captain George Kinloch, who bought the
lands of Kinloch from his cousin WiUiam,
the eldest and last surviving son of Sir James
Kinloch of Kinloch, Bart., and became (as
above seen) the ancestor of the present Sir
George Kinloch.
298
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Sir James, wlio espoused the Stuart cause,
was taken prisoner at Culloden and condemned
to death. He received a reprieve on 13th Oc-
tober, 1746, and on 4th August 1748, was set
at liberty upon condition that "he remain in
such place as shall be appointed him by the
king." He married Janet Duff, a sister of
William, Earl of Fife, by whom lie had a
large family, and died at Dundee, 5th Feb.,
1776.
(S. . )
trpyniS district, which is composed of the
•^ two parishes of Invek-irity and Methi-
LUB, was within the diocese of St. Andrews.
Both churches were dedicated by Bishop
David in Sept., 1243, the former by the name
of InuemretJii/ii and the latter by that of
MachijHliir (Robertson's Stat. Eccl. Concil.)
The churches were each rated at 15 merks
in one of the Old Taxations (Reg. de Aberb.) ;
and in another the vicarages of Kerichar
(Kerhat) and Imeraretldn are both set down
at 3 merks, 2s. 8d. Scots (Theiner).
The kirk of Methielur was given to the
Abbey of Cupar by Sir Alexander of Aber-
netliy, who did homage to Edward I., and was
afterwards attainted by Bruce (Mem. Angus
and Mearns, 402).
David Lindsay of Pitairlie was minister of
Inverarity, &c., in I57i f supra, 151). Thomas
Crawmond, who had a salary of £16 Scots,
was reader at Inverarity, and John Watson,
reader at Meathie, had £20 Scots.
The parishes of Inverarity and ileathie
were united about 1612, and the latter was
suppressed in 1667. The church of Meathie
was " ruinous and decayed " about 1682. It
is said tliat, when the parishes were united,
the Lour portion, which belonged to Meathie,
was added to the parish of Forfar. It gave
the surname to a family at a pretty early date,
James of Lur being witness to a local deed in
1250 (Reg. de Aberb.) Sir John Carnegie,
afterwards Earl of Northesk, assumed his first
title of Lord Lour from this district. He had
"a good house" upon Little Lour in 1682;
and at a later date the property was given to
a younger member of the Northesk famUy,
descendants of whom are still in possession.
The names of the churches oi Machynhir and
InverarethijH were both descriptive of their
original sites. The former was situated upon
a rising ground that overlooks the adjoin-
ing plain, and the latter stood at the junction
of the Arity with the Corbie Burn until about
1754, when it was removed to another site.
The present church, which has been fre-
quentl}' repaired, is the same building as was
erected in 1754-5. It contains a harmonium
and heating apparatus. The bell is a nicely
toned instrument, and upon it ia the following
inscription, which has been kindly furnished
by the Rev. Mr. Stevenson : —
PEETEU . VANDEN . GHEIN . HEFT
. MY . GEGOTEN.
MCOCCCCXIIII.
[Peter Vandeiigliein cast me, 1614.]
The following inscription is from a partially
defaced slab, but we have failed to learn anj'-
thing of the historj' of those named upon it : —
l^g° . . . EST . TVMVLO . HONORABILIS
. VIR . lACOBVS . RAMIS.EVS . QVI .
SINGVLARI . ET . SPECTATA . PROBITATE
VIT^ . QVE . INTEGRITATE
DESIDBRIO . F^ELICITER . FATIS . CONCESSIT .
ANNO . HVIIAN^ . SALVTIS . 1646 . DIE
3 . MENSIS
CHRIST
QUI . VIVIT
NOX . JIORITVR . NON . .
EST . MORS . VBI . CHRIS
TVS . AD EST
INVE RARITY.
299
[Below a shield, chiirged with the Eamsay
arms and initialed I.E., is the following : — ]
MONVMENTVM . HOC . POSVIT . DILECTA
. EIVS . VXOR . MARGARETA . KYNNARD.
HORA . FVQIT . VIVE . MEMOR . LETHI.
[Upon a ribbon surrounding a skull :] —
[In tliis tomb lies inten-ed an honouralile man,
James Eamsay, who died the 3d day of ... .
1 646, deeply regretted for his rare and appro veil
probity and integrity of life.
This monument was erected by his wife, Mar-
garet Kynnard. Time flies. Live mindful of
death.]
From a headstone near S.W. gate : —
David Thorn, gardener at Lowr and Margeret
Bve Mar ; caused erect this ston in memory of
their son Patrik Thoi:, who depairted this life
November the 6, 1741, aged 22 :—
All flesh doth flourish as a flour,
And groweth up like the grass.
And in short tym it is cut down,
As dayly corns to pass.
The paths of death we all most tread.
Our Lord hath gone before ;
And by his ileatli prepair'd us life
that lasteth evermore
Heir lyes Patrick Thorn
— Patrick was possibly a tailor by trade, there
being on the reverse of the stone a shield
charged with a tailor's scissors or goose.
Katharine Tindal, d. 1758, a. 63 : —
This Modst ston
What feu vain marbls can
May trewlay Say
her Lays ane onast woman
From a headstone, embellished with the
representations of a weaver's loom, lay,
&c. :—
John Heckno caused erect this ston in memory
of his son Thomas Heckno, who departed this
life the 15 of October 1738. his age 22 years.
This stone was brought from the Old Churchyard
by John and Alexander Hackney, and set up
here in memory of Margaret Cobe, their
mother, who died the 25"' day of February 176^-,
aged 77 years. 1739 : J. H : M C : J. H :
J. H : A. "H :
Wm. Eamsay, weaver. Cotton of Kinculdrum,
d. 1773. a. 84; Agnes Dick his sp. d. 1746,
a. 42 :—
Here lyes our loving parents dear ;
They were parents of great care,
They never faild, when in ther Healths,
For ther family to prepare,
memento mori fugit hora.
From a table stone : —
Erected in memory of Thomas Mill, late
tenant in Corbiemill, who died September the 5
day, age 50 years, 1765, having left behin'd him,
by Elizabeth Bower, one son and tvo daughters.
Here lyes a sober, honest man.
As any in the age.
But by and by Death struck him down.
And turned him off the stage.
If eminency coidd aton'd.
Or virtue from Death save,
Then sure this man would not have gone.
So soon down to the grave.
But Death's the debt we all must pay
As daily we do see ;
The gi-ave the house appointed is
For all that living be.
Of all the robs that's worn.
Humility is the best.
This was a humble person,
Who now is at his rest.
From a headstone, embellished with rude
carvings of a death's head, the coulter and
sock of a plough, &c. : —
Erected by William Maxwell, farmer at Mill
of Kinculdrum, in memory of his children that
lie buried hei'e, viz., Mary, who died in her
infancy, in the year 1757, and Katharine, who
died March 2U"> 1772, ageil 25 years. N.B.
William Died in 1753, Elizabeth in 1753 and
Margaret in 1754, all in tlieir iufaucy, and were
interred in the Old Churchyard at Fdtheringham.
To the memory of Katharine Maxwell : —
In prime of life, sinks in this silent tomb,
A lovely form in life's enchanting bloom ;
Her virgin graces feai'less she resigns
To Death's dread power, and to the Seraph shines
In glorious triumph with the hosts above ;
Nor tears, nor cares her settled joys can move.
Her worth, who knew her, will delighted tell,
Much loved she lived, and much lamented fell.
— An inscription on the reverse of this stone
shows that Wm. Maxwell died in 1779, aged
62, and his wife, Elizabeth Bower, in 1783,
aged 78.
300
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
David Walker, Boddymire, d. 1761, a, 28 : —
Tuenty and eght years vas the time
I liued upon earth ;
And vas cut down vhen at my prime,
You see by cruel Death.
Take warning then, serve God with fear.
That ye prepared may be
For death, that afull messenger,
Tliat he surprise not thee.
Upon a table (once a Lead) stone, dated
1701 and initialed I . S : I . S : I . M : K . E :
T . S., on which are also a pair of compasses,
a square, and an adze : — •
Brought from the Old Churchyard and revised
here by Isobel Kenner, in Memory of her Hus-
band loHN Spalding, late wright in Galafo\dd.
He died May lO"- 1768, aged 68 years. 'I'hey
had procreat betwixt them, viz., jannet, lohn,
Ann, Alexr., and lames Spaldings.
From a flat slab : —
l^g° Here lyes David Davidson, husband to
Elspet Stiven, sometime in Corbiemill, who de-
parted this life the 4 of Agust 1732, and of age
45 yeai-s.
From a table-shaped stone embellished with
carvings of a carpenter's t(jols and of the sock
and coulter of a plough : —
To the memory of James Hume, who departed
this life upon the 21 day of February, 1772, aged
XI years. This stoue was erected by Robert
Hume and Helene Kerr, his parents in Hay-
stone ; —
Death's dire approach a gloomy scene imparts
Of anxious horror to the bravest hearts ;
Bu; let not our hearts with care be much opresst
Since this the path that leads to endless rest.
Mattilda Watson, sp. to John Burnet in
Seggiedeu, d. 1778, a. 40 : —
If candor and humility
Fi-om Death could any save,
This virtou woman had not
So soon gone to the silent grave.
Under the carving of an anchor and
cable : —
To the memory of Lieut. Jambs Begbie, E.N.,
who died Octr. 20th, 1820, aged 49. A just,
brave, and generous Being, incapable of a single
action while living that should check the pro-
mised Bless of an hereafter. Also the remaius
of Mary Counsell, Mother-in-law of the above,
who died May 18th, 1824, aged 72.
— Lieut. Begbie's father, at one time farm-
grieve at Fotheringham, was latterly tenant at
Ovenstone of Inverarity.
Jas. Millar, farmer. New Grange. He d. of
apoplexy, 1826, a. 52 ; his eldest son d. of croup,
1833, a. 17.
Farewell ! but not a long Farewell,
In heaven may I appear,
The trials of my fate to tell
In your transported Ear.
And sing with you the Eternal strain —
Worthy the Lamb that once was slain.
A massive granite monument (on the N.AV.
side of the burial ground) bears : — ■
In memory of Edward Baxter, of Kincal-
drum, merchant in Dundee, who, throughout a
very active life, was a humble believer in Christ,
and earnestly sought to promote the well-being
of his fellowmen. Born 3rd April, 1791, died
29th July, 1871. Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord. Eev. xiv., 13.
— Mr. Baxter, who was three times married,
had families by all his wives, and was survived
by the third (Epitaphs, i. 197). He was a
partner in the firm of Baxter Brothers, linen
manufacturers, Dundee, of which his brother,
Sir David of Kilmarow, Bart., was also a
member. He bought Kincjaldrum from Mr.
Graham's trustees, and was succeeded in it by
his eldest son, the Eight Hon. W. E. Ba.^ter,
who has represented the Montrose District of
Burghs since 1855. Under Mr. Gladstone's
administration, he held the offices of Secretaiy,
first to the Board of Admiralty and next to the
Treasury, and in 1873, he was made a Piivy
Councillor. He has lately much improved
the hou.-e and property of Kinc ildruin, and
ad led to the extent of the estate by the pur-
chase, in- 1872, of about one-h.df of the ad-
joining lands of Inverighty, the other half
having been joined to Mr. Patersou's estate of
Kinnettles.
The only object of antiquarian interest in
the district is the Eoman Gamp at Harefield,
INVERARITY.
301
■which lies mostly in Curbuddo. It has already
been noticed, and an account of the early
history of the parish of Invcrarity (here sup-
plemented in some particulars) will be found
in the Land of the Lindsa3's (:^98-300).
A great part of the barony, which was so
long in the hands of the noble family of Lind-
say, has belonged to the Fothringhams from
an early part of the 16th century. After the
removal of their residence from Powrie in the
adjoining parish of ]\Iurrons, the name of
Fothringham was conferred by them both
upon the house and the lairds of Inverarity,
and during the time of the late laird, who
died in 1864 at the early age of 27, a new
house in the Scottish baronial style was
erected here, after plans by the late j\Ir. David
Bryce of Edinburgh (Epitaphs, i. 121).
The Kincaldrum portion of the parish be-
longed to the Abernethys, and about 1392,
Sir John Wemyss had a confirmation charter
of these lands, which had been previously
conveyed to him by his grandfather, Alex-
ander of Abernethy (Rob. Index, 158).
In 1446, Alexander Guthrie obtained from
Sir Thomas Wemyss, Knight, a charter in
favour of himself and his wife Marjory Guth-
rie of the lands of Kincaldrum in the barony
of Lour-Leslie and Sheriffdom of Forfar.
The charter is dated at Rires 20th April, 1446,
and bears that the lands were to be held of
Sir Thomas and his heirs for the annual pay-
ment of £9 6s. 8d. in name of feu-duty.
On 18th October, 1464, Sir David of Guth-
rie (the son of Alexander), while Lord
Treasurer, acquired the barony of Lour and
half lands of Carrot with the superiority of
the same, and had infeftment on the following
day from George, Earl of Rothes.
Sir Alex. Guthrie of Guthrie, who was de-
signed of KincalJi'Uiu during the lifetime of
his father Sir David, obtained from Sir
Thomas "Wemyss a charter of the same,
dated at St. Andrews, 7th Feb., 1466-7, by
which the lands were to be held of the barony
of Lour, and for the payment of a red rose on
the ground thereof, at the Feast of the Na-
tivity of St. John the Baptist, in name of
blench ferme. This charter proceeds on an
instrument of resignation granted by Sir
Alexander's grandmother, " Mary of Guthrie,
relict of Sir Alexander Guthrie of Kincal-
drum," and Mr. Alex. Guthrie, her brother,
in favour of the said Sir Thos. Wemyss, the
superior of the lands, dated 6th Feb., 1466-7.
Sir Alexander Guthrie obtained a charter
under the Government Seal, on the resigna-
tion of his father, of the lands and barony of
Lour, dated 2.5th September, 1472. Sir Alex-
ander had four sons — 1, David, his successor
in Guthrie ; 2, Alexander, to whom he gave
the lands or barony of Kincaldrum and Lour ;
3, George, to whom he gave Kincreich ; and
4, John (sic), who received Hilton of Guthrie,
and was ancestor of the Bishop of Moray and
of his brother, Mr. James Guthrie, minister of
Arbirlot, from the last-named of whom are
sprung the Guthries of Craigie and the
Guthries of Taybank, near Dundee.*
Alexander was succeeded in Kincaldrum by
his son David, who was served heir to his
father, 20th July, 1553, and obtained seisin
of the lands of Kincaldrum, Kiiktonof I^evay,
Kincreich, &c., 10th ISov., 1558. It was
this laird of Kincaldrum, along with his kins-
man of Halkerton, Ehynd of Carse, ami Ar-
buthnott of Lentusch in Rayne, who became
sureties to the Privy Council for the jjriiitiug
of the first Bible in Scotland. It appeared at
Edinburgh in 1576, with the imprint of Alex-
ander Arbuthnott and Thomas Ba;'sandyne.
* Mr. James Guthrie, minister of Abirlot, was son
of Patrick (luthrie, goldsmith in St. Andrews, who
was son of Charles Guthrie there, who was son of
David Guthrie of Hilton, who was son of Wiliiam (sic)
Guthrie of Hilton, who was descended from the family
of Guthrie of that Ilk (.VoJe at Guthrie from Li/on
Recjinterj.
302
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
The same baron obtained the lands of
Carrot in 1590, and married Janet, daughter
of Sir John Ker, vicar of Chirnside. Sir
John appears to have been a person of con-
siderable wealth, and obtained from David's
father Alexander a charter of resignation,
dated at Pitscandlie, 10th November, 1540,
of a portion of the dominical lands of Kmcal-
drum, along with the mills and multiu-es
thereof, to himself in liferent, and to his
daughter Janet and her heirs in fee, to be
holden of the Crown.
On 31st May, 1598, Alexander of Kincal-
drum, son of the last mentioned David, ob-
tained seisin of all the lands that had been
acquired by his maternal grandfather, and was
also served heir to his mother Janet Ker.
He had two sons, David, his heir, and Mr.
Patrick, to the former of whom he granted a
charter of the whole lands and barony of Kin-
caldrum, &c., 22d July, 1593, which was con-
firmed by a charter under the Great Seal, 30th
June, 1607.
David of Kincaldrum, the eldest son of
Alexander and the brother of " Mr. Patrick,"
purchaseil the barony of Guthrie, and by his
wife Katherine Elair had a son and heir
presumptive, named Alexander. The latter
married Marion, daughter of Graham of
Claverhouse, by contract dated the 20th of
October, 1615, in which his father David
obliges himself to put him in fee of the
barony of Kincaldrum. This last Alexander,
who died before his father, ami, as it would
Mppear, without issue, sold and alienated the
bai'iiiy of Kincaldrum to Sir Jiliii ISliir of
Balgdlo, 29th Nov., 1633, which was con-
firmed by a letter of ratificaiion from his
father David, wherein he is designed " of that
Ilk," in favour of Sir William Blair, son and
heir of t!ie sud Sir John. The deed is dated
at Cairot, 28th July, 164:3. David was Slic-
ceeded in Guthrie either by his younger brother
" Mr. Patrick," above mentioned, or by his
nephew, Mr. Patrick's son Peter, who sold the
barony of Guthrie to the Bishop of Jloray.
The Blairs were possibly succeeded in Kin-
caldrum by a family named Gordon, from a
female member of whom it passed about 1659
to Alexander Bower, fier of Kincreich, and
son of Bower of Ballgersho, as " heir of pro-
vision of George Gordon, fier of Kincaldrum"
(Ketours.)
The Bowers, who were originally burgesses
of Dundee, held Kincaldrum until about 1820.
It was sold about that time to Lieut. Sinclair,
and afterwards to ^Ir. Eobert S. Graham. Mr.
Graham Bower, who was the last of his family
that held the lands, had a daughter married to
Mr. Balfour of Fernie Castle in Fife, and dying
there in 1844, aged 74, he was interred in the
churchyard of MonimaU, where there is a monu-
ment to his memory.
It is said that the Bowers were Eoman Catho-
lics at one time, but they were not so latterly,
the baptisms of several of the family being
entered, from 1764 at least, in the Register of
the Scotch Episcopal (Church of Forfar. All
historians agree that Archibald Bower, who
is said to have been a son of the laird of Kin-
caldrum and to have been born at Dundee,
January 17, 1666, studied for the Church of
Home. About the age of 40, he became a
professor in the College of Macerata, and also
confessor to the Nunnery of St. Catherine
there, but having {Mem. by Mr. Griffiths)
engaged in a criminal intrigue with a nun of
a noble family, he became alarmed at the con-
sequi-iices, and C'l'tiived to make his escape
from the P.ipe's dominions. He came to
Britain in 1726, and commenced a literary
career, which was attended with some success.
Among his works is a " History of the Popes"
in 7 vols., but the most singular of his writings
is an account, which is believed to contain
many exaggerated statements, of his own con-
INVERARITY.
303
version from Popery, and his escape from the
Inquisition (Edin. 1757). He married in
1749 a daughter of Bishop Nicolson, with
whom he got a fortune of £4000. He died,
Sep. 7, 1766, in his house in Bond Street,
London, and is stated to have been buried in
Jlary-le-bone Cemetery, where, it is said, there
is a monument to his memory, bearing this
singular inscription : —
A man exemplary for every social virtue.
Justly esteemed by all who knew him for his
strict honour and integrity. A faithful friend
and a sincere Christian.
False witnesses rose up against him, and laid
to his charge things that he knew not ; they
imagined wickedness in their hearts and practised
it ; their delight is in lies ; they conspired to-
gether, and laid their net to destroy him gidlt-
less ; the very abjects came together against
him, they gaped upon him with their mouths,
they shaped their tongues like a serpent, working
deceitfully ; they compassed him with words
of malice and hatred, and fought agaiust him
without a cause.
He endured their reproach with fortitude,
suft'eriug wrongfully.
We copy the above statement of Bower's
burial at Jlary-le-bone and also the inscription
from Chambers' Bros. Diet, of Eminent Scotch-
men. Being desirous to give the prefatory
portion of the inscription, we applied to a
friend, INIr. A. E. Laing, of 57 Gracechurch
Street, London, who, although cordially aided
in bis inspection of the burial register of
j\Iary-le-bone both by the present and former
registrars, faUed to discover any trace either
of the name or of the monument of Archibald
Bower. He possibly lies in some other of the
metropolitan cemeteries.
In Guynd's time, Alexander Bower of Kiu-
caldrum also owned Easter ]\Ieatiiie, and
Wester Meathie belonged to Patrick Bower,
another of the famOy, who was also laird of
Kinnettles.
The valued rent of the parishes of Meathie
and Inverarity in 1682 is thus set down in a
contemporary MS. : — Meathie : Countes of
Ethie, £333 63. 8d. ; Kincaldrum in Jlethie
and Inveraritie, £766 13s. 4d. ; Inncrichtie,
.£216 13s. 4d. ; David Ogilvie, £41 Ui^. 4d. ;
John Mitchelsone, £53 6s. Pd. ; David Thoai-
sone, £30; AVester Meathie, £208 6s. 81.;
Inneraritie : Pourie, £1154 ; Labothie, £50 ;
BaUgersho, £133 6s. 8d.— total, £2987 6s. 8d.
Scots.
As in other jiarts of the country, the
Knights Templars had an interest in this
parish, they having had the superiority of the
Temple Lands of Kincreioh, of the fourth
part of which Alex. Guthrie, as heir of his
father Andrew, had infeftraent on 13th
August, 1571, which was confirmed by a
charter under the Great Seal, 30th June,
1607.
It appears from Scott's Fasti that, including
the present incumbent, ]Mr. Patrick Stevenson,
there have been thirteen parish ministers at
Inverarity since the year 1567. It was during
the time of Mr. Egbert Young, who was the
eighth in succession, that the Eebellion of
1715 broke out, he having been inducted
in 1710, and buried on 27th December, 1735.
The parochial records date only from the time
of his induction. Although comparatively
modern, a few of the entries, if not of much
general may be of some local interest. One
of these shows that Mr. Young had to retire
from the church from the 12th September,
1715, until 4th February, 1716, it being held
during that time by Mr. Grub and Mr. Fife,
who were both called " Episcopal preachers."
When he resumed his labours on the 5th of
Feb., 1716, not only were there no elders
present, but most of the people were obliged
to stay at home and mind their houses, be-
cause of " some souldiers who were travel-
ling through the parish." Several of the
parishioners were also obliged " to pave the
way that day before the King's army, who
were travelling north in pursuit of the rebels."
304
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
In 1719, half-a-crown was paid for a " sun-
di;il to the church," and a new Biblo was
orilbred to be bought " for the use of poor
scholars at school." About the same tune,
Catherine Keir confessed to having called
David Will and his family "limmers" {i.e.,
thieves), for which she was rebuked before the
Session ; and the minister, while taking a
quiet walk upon a Sunday evening, found the
Mill of Inverarity at work, " between 1 0 and
11 at night," for which the persons employed
were rebuked from the pulpit. Tlie school-
master was dismissed from being clerk for
" but too man J' sufficient reasons." Drunken-
ness appears to have been one of these ; and
while the " master " was lying under censure
for that sin, the minister and session, with ap-
parent inconsistency, expressed their satisfac-
tion with some of the elders who reported
that they had got two of the parishioners
" reconciled, by drinldiuj together, and shaking
of hands ! "
The " scandalous practice " of married jiar-
ties' spending the afternoon of the first Sab-
bath after their union " with some of their
friends in eating and drinking, either in a
change house or in their own house," was
ordered (October, 1721) to be given up under
pain of censure ; and a poor man, who in-
tended to marry " a papist," was debarred by
the Sj'nod from so doing ! However, this
afiair ended as was to be expected, and the
pair were " clandestinely married " — but were
long persecuted for thus entering upon a life
of well-doing !
As money became more plentiful, the tyran-
nical spirit of the Church began to diminish,
and deeds of charity are mure frequently re-
corded. Among some of the more interesting
of these at Inverarity (1728) were a special
collection in the church, which amounted to
£21 8s. Scots, for Adam Walker, whose son
" Francis is to be cut at Perth for the stoney
gravel," and a loan by the Session of XI 4
Sco's to William Boyle "to help him to buy
a cow." A plaid that had been pledged before
marriage, and became forl'eited, was made into
" clothes for a poor boy."
An improvement was also effected in the
mana>;ement of the local poor. They were
prohibited from travelling beyond the bounds
of their own parish ; and in 1741, thirty-two
badges were distributed among those of Inver-
arity to distinguish the local from the stranger
poor. The parish was also divided into three
sections, so that the poor might be able to go
through each in one day, and through the
whole parish twice a week. Similar arrange-
ments were made throughout the kingdom,
and continued in force down to the introduc-
tion of the Poor Law.
The bridges in Inverarity were more nume-
rous in those days than one might be inclined
to suppose. In 1718, there were two timber
bridges across the Carbet, one a little to the
west of the church and the other at Halton-
burn. The latter was built of stone during
the following year; and in 1728 there was
also a stone bridge across the Carbet at the
Mill of Inveraritj^
•\w\^^^\v\^^^\\^\^\\^^^v^^v^^\^^^^^^^^vv^v^ww\^
B it p n e.
(S. ANDREW, APOSTLE.)
IT is stated in some of the spurious charters
of the See of Aberdeen, which are re-
ferred to the time of Malcolm, ' the Maiden,'
that the " schiras " of Rane, Clat, Tulinestyn,
and Davyot, with their churches, were given
by that King to Edward, Bishop of Aberdeen.
In 1175-8, Abbot Lawrence of Melrose
granted a half carrucate of land lying between
RA YNE.
305
the church of S. Andrew of Kane .and
Eothmas to Eobert, the son of Hugh, the
son of Spileavan, to be held for a yearly
payment of a pound of incense, the land
having been previously given to ^lelrose
by Bishop Matthew of Aberdeen (Eeg. Ep.
Abd., 10).
'J"he kirk and kirk lands of Raan are rated
at £22, and the altarage at 8 meiks, with a
small payment for malt (Keg. Yet. de Aberb.)
Kayne was the seat of the Archdeacon of the
Diocese of Aberdeen, an office which was
held along with that of parson of Eayne by
another churchman, .John Barbour, author of
the celebrated poem of The IJrti.re.
In 1574, Mr. Stephen Mason was minister
of the kirks of Kayne, Balhelvieu, Bourly,
and Bothelny (Meldrum), with a stipend of
£102 8s. lOfd. Scots, and ISIr. Andro Thow,
reader at Kayne, had £16 Scots.
There was a choir attached to the old church,
and both were united by a high arch, on the
top of which was a solid round steeple or
spire of cut stone, with a cross of iron and a
weathercock, but the steeple having been
taken down about 1720 to have the arch re-
repaired, it '■ was not rebuilt though it was a
great ornament to the church." We are also
told that there was a round stone near the top
of the steeple with an inscription, but having
licen broken to pieces, " this relic of antiquity
is, through want of taste, or rather, indeed,
through downright stupidity," now irrecover-
ably lost (Coll. Abd. Bff.)
The church was taken down, and the pre-
sent edifice erected, according to a date upon
one of the skewput stones, in 1788. It has
been frequently added to and altered, and
being upon rising ground and seen from a con-
siderable distance, it has been called, possibly
from its having been one of the earliest in the
district that was whitewashed, the Wldte
Kirk of Rayne.
"Eastertoun and Westertoiin,
And Saphock and Pitblane ;
Little Wartle, Mickle Wartle,
\\Tiite Kirk o' Rayne."
Upon the north of the church are the Wart-
hill aisle and the session-house. The belfry
bears the initials and date " M. W. A., 16-9,"
which appear to refer to the time of Mr.
Walter Abercromby, who was probably i\Ir.
^Mason's successor. He became minister here
in 1585, and in 1586 received also the parson-
age and vicarage of Une (Oyne) from James
VI. In 1618, he was succeeded in Rayne by
a namesake, whose successor, Andrew Logic,
an " outstander against the Covenant " and the
reputed author of a curious polemical work
(4to. Abd., 1624), entitled Rain from the
Clouds, was deposed in 1640.
Logic was succeeded by Mr. Middleton,
from Leslie, who appears to have been chap-
lain to Gen. Middleton's soldiers in the north,
and to have suffered for his adherence to the
Covenant (Scott's Fasti.) He was buried at
Kayne, and upon a slab of Foudland slate, close
to south wall but outside the church, are the
following remains of an inscription, which is
said to have been to his memory : —
AS . I . STOOD . IN . PVLPIT . ROVND .
AJfD . NOV . I . LY . ALOV . THE . GEOVND .
WHEN . AS . YOU . CORS . MY . CORPS . SO . COLD .
REMEMBER . THE . VORD . THAT . I . YOV . TOLD .
WHO . DEPARTED . A6VST . 4 . 1653.
Within, and upon the north wall of the
chiu'ch, a handsome marble slab, with a car-
ving of the Warthill arms and motto, grip
FAST, bears this inscription : —
^ttbttr ir.ibimrutff tcm()li, Imixc I.ipibcm ab-
bcrsttin, bcpositir sunt txnbi.r.
GuLiELMi Leslie.
JoHANNis 2di Barouis de Vardes secuudi geniti,
hujusce coguominis primi Domini de Vart-
hyll, qui vitam cum morte commutavit,
MDLXI. anno a?tatis LXXII.
Stephani, ejus filii, et 2di de Tarthyll, qui obiit
MDCIX. an : setas. XC.
q2
306
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
UuLiEi^Mi ejus tilii, et 3ti de Varthyll, qui obt.
MDCXXVI. an : aitas. LXXX.
Jacobi ejus filii, et 4ti de Varthyll, qui obt.
MDCLXXV^III. an : ajtas. CV.
GuLiELMi ejus filii, et oti de Varthyll, qui obt.
MDCIII. an : LVI.
Alex.vndri, ejus filii, et 6ti de VaiihvU, qui obt.
MDOCXXr. an : aitas. LXIV.
JoHANNis, ejus filii, et 7mi de Varthyll, qui obt.
15 Mayi MDCCXLVII. an : wtas. LXIV,
atque ejus Sjjonsae Margarets Dun, qu;^
obt. 9mo die Decembris MDCCLVII, an :
Ktas. LXXIV.
Lege, Viatoi', qui fuit, quod es ; qui est, quod
eris. Vade, vale, festiua leute.
Two ancient Monumental Stones, occupy ln(j
this niche, having hecnme so decayed as not to
admit of renoration, the same are replaced by this
Tablet, to which the original Names and dates
have been carefidly transferred and supplemented
from Family MSS., 1846.
In like manner are deposited the remains uf
Alexander, son to the before-meutioneil John,
and 8th of Warthill, who died 25th Nov.
17 4, aged 53. Also of Helen Seton, his
spouse, who died 15th March, 1780, aged 66 ;
and of their children, George, John, Bisset-
Seton, Ann, Margaret, Helen, and Jean.
Likewise of
Alexander, their son, and 9th of Warthill, who
died 17th Jan. 1799, aged 55, and of James
Leslie, 5th son to William, 10th of Warthill,
who died 8th Octr. 1829, in his 5th year.
[Below the pavement of the church, opposite
this stone, are laid the remains of William
Leslie ; of John, the second son of the second
Baron of Wardhouse, and firet laird of Wai'thyll
of this surname, who died in 1561, in his 72ud
year ; of Stephen, his son, and second of Wart-
hyll, who died 1609, in his 90th year ; of
William, his son, and third of WarthyU, who
died in 1626, in his 80th year ; of James, his
sou, and 4th of Warthyll, who died in 1678, in
his 105th year ; of William, his son, and fifth
of Warthyll, who died in 1600-3 in his 56th
year ; of Alexander, his son, and sixth of
Warthyll, who died in 1721, in his 64th year ;
of John, his son, and seventh of Warthyll, who
died 15th May, 1747, in his 64th year; and of
his spouse, Margaret Dun, who died 9th Dec,
1757, in her 74th year.
Bead, Traveller — What you are, he was ; what
he is, you will be. Go, farewell, hasten slowly.]
The Leslies of AVarthill are now buried
outside the ehureh; and within an enclosure
on the south-east a freestone monument, with
an enclosed granite slab, bears : — ■
^crc lie the
EcsHco of (Lcllavtliill ani Jfoll.t
since 151S.
It is said that William Leslie, second sou
of the fifth laird of Warthill, who was boni
in 1657 and became schoolmaster at Chapel
of Garioch, embraced the Koman Catholic
faith, and at the age of 33 was appointed
Professor of Theology in the University of
Padua. He was afterwards created Bishop of
Laybach in Carniola and a Prince of the
German Empire, and died in 1727, aged
about 70. His portrait, which he sent home
to his brother, is still at Warthill.
To the satisfactory account of the Leslies of
Wartliill furnished by the inscriptions given
above, it need only be added tliat the present
laird, who represents both branches of the
family, was elected M.P. for Aberdeenshire in
I8G1. His affability, courtesy, and close
attention to local as well as imperial interests
made him deservedly popular with his con-
stituents, whom he continued to represent in
Parliament until 1866, when he resigned his
seat and retired into private life.
Mary Thomson, wf. of Jas. Strachan, Free-
field, d. 1859, a. 26 ; her twin-brother, Wm., d.
1848, a. 14 :—
In one house they were nursed and fed.
Beneath one mother's eye ;
And tho' she cross'd the ocean wide.
Now side by side they lie.
Upon a marble slab, inserted into freestone : — •
To the memory of Adam Gilchrist, in Old
Eayue, who died 23"' July, 1840, aged 81. His
wife, Ann Christie, died 16"' Oct., 1830, aged
70.
From a marble tablet in the south corner
of the kirkyard : —
In memory of the Eev. Patrick Davidson,
D.D., sometime minister of Bayne, who died
21st May, 1819, in the 76th year of his age, and
RATNE.
307
43 of his ministry ; and Martha Farquhar,
his spouse, who died 16th February, 1787, aged
30, both beloved, respected, and lamented.
Tlieir sons — Egbert, died 6th September, 1804,
aged 25 ; and Alexander, 12th August, 1803,
in his 19tli year. This is erected as a tribute
of filial veneration and fraternal love by their
only surviving .son and brother, Walter Davidson
of Inchmarlo, 1821.
— Dr. Davidson, whose father was farmer of
Scotstown, was at first schoolmaster of Keith-
hall, and afterwards minister of Kemnay, from
which he was translated to Eayne in 1778.
By his wife, a daughter of the Eev. Mr. Far-
quhar of Chapel of Garioch, he had three sons
and two dauglilers. One of the daughters
married Mr. Thoraaa Coates of Lipwood, and
the other Mr. William Leslie of Warthill,
by whom she had, with other children, the
present laird of Warthill. The erector of
the monument, who was a banker in London,
purchased the property of Inchmarlo, which
he afterwards sold to his namesake, Mr.
Duncan Davidson, advocate in Aberdeen
(Epitaphs i. 4, 119).
Dr. Davidson was succeeded in the church
of Eayne by Wv. Alexander Cu.shnie, who
was previously at Strachan. Mr. Cushnie was
Synod Clerk from 1825, received the degree
of D.D. in 1864, and died, Father of the
Church of Scotland, in 1875, leaving four
daughters and two sons, Alexander, merchant
in Shanghai, and John, who died minister of
Huntly.
Eudely incised upon a Foudland slab : —
loHN Mennie and Margaret Walker who
departed the 4 of May 1700, and the 20 of Imie
1712. Memento Mori.
— John Menie, yeoman, and his wife, who
resided at Lonhead in 1696, were both charged
128. of poll.
The ne.xt two inscriptions are from table
stones : —
Here lies Alexander Matheson, late dyester
in Balquharn, in the parish of Txdlynestle, who
died May 28, 1773, aged 80. Mr James DuncjVn,
who was for twenty years parochial schoolmaster
of Eayne, died at Wellhouse, in Alford, 30 Sep.
1850, and was buried here iu the grave of his
great-grandfather, the said Alex. Matheson.
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of Andrew Durno, late
iu Lentush, who departed this life 24 Feb. 1757.
Jean Selby, his spouse, who departed tiiis life
the 22 Dec. 1756 ; and Mr George Durno, their
son, late Schoolmaster at Fintray, who departed
this life 28 Aprile 1758.
In 1304, Lentusch, anciently Ledantosacli,
was sold along with Rothmase by Duncan,
grandson of Adam of Eane, to Henry of St.
Michael, to be held of the Bishop of Aberdeen.
In Celtic times, it probably belonged to or was
the residence of the person in charge of the
Crown or Episcopal lands, the name of
"toshach" being applied by the Celtic people
to the managers or factors of lordships and
baronies. This interesting little estate has
hid many proprietors, and not the least im-
portant of these, James Arbuthnott (mis-
1 rinted Arnot in Chambers's Annals), was
one of the secretaries for the printing of the
first bible in Scotland. The same person
and his son John were charged with treason
in 1584, but were again received into favour
in 1586 (Acta Pari., iii. in which and in the
new index the name is, with one exception,
misprinted "Ljnturk"). Lentusch, now a
mere croft, which yields about £8 a year, is
near the Kirk, and forms part of i\Ir. Arthur
F. Gordon's estate of Eayne.
From a flat slab : —
here lkes the body of agnes litleton who
livet in nettoun she dyed ....
From a headstone : —
In memory of Alexander Mennie, who died
at Lambhill, the 26th Aprile 183.3, aged 90 yeara ;
and his wife Jane Fasken, who died the 18th
March 1859, aged 100 years. Also their son,
John, who died iu Octr. 1820, aged 21 years.
There are a number of cairns in the parish,
near all of which ancient sepulchral remains
308
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
have been found. Drum's Cairn owes its
name to a tradition that Irvine, laird of Drum,
v.'as slain there while in pursuit of Donald
of the Isles after the battle of Harlaw ; Tilly-
de.ff's Cairn is so called from its being the re-
puted scene of the slaughter of a laird of that
name by one of the Leslies, and the Black
Cairn, possibly thus named from its colour, is
near the summit of the hiU of Eothmaise, and
may mark the site of the Eath-mas, or the
fort of the long hill, from which, in Celtic
times, the property may have had its name.
Upon this hill there are also the remains of a
circle and two large stones, called respectively
the Crichtnn and Federat Stones, which are
said to point out the spot where certain mem-
bers of these families had a fatal encounter.
The Bowman's Stone — a name which carries
us back to the days of " the bowmen bold "
or the hunting at Chevy Chase— stood near
the Kirk. The name of the patron saint is
preserved in that of a knoll to the eastward,
and a little farther on in the same direction is
the probable site of the place where the Earl
of Mar's reve or bailiff held courts.
The Jjishops held their barony courts " apud
stautes lapides" or Standing Stanes of Eayne
down possibly to about the year 14:72, when
the village was erected into a free burgh of
barony in favour of Bishop Elphinstone, who
had the power to erect a cross, court-house,
and hostelries, to levy custom at the f lir of
St. Laurence, and other privileges (Antq. Abd.
Bff. iii, 431.) It appears that Bishop Degne
presided at a court held at the Standing Stanes
of Eayne on Sabbath, 2nd May, 1349 (Eeg.
Ep. Abd., i. 79) ; and at a court that was
held at the village in 1535, two curious charges
were preferred against James Hill in Fingess.
One was raised at the instance of Johnston,
laird of Caskieben, and the other by Mr.
Thomas Clark, vicar of tlie parish. Hill having
prayed, in regard to the former, " that the
ayris of Caskebenne [might] neuer prosper,''
and, in regard to the latter, that he might
" neuer se the faice of God ! "
The shaft of a market cross, to which the
Jougs were formerly fixed, still stands, sur-
rounded with steps, at the Village of Old
Eayne, and Lawrence Fair, held at Lammas,
continues to be a market of local importance.
It was there that the anonymous author of the
curious poem of " Scotland's Glory and her
Shame," says he heard ''' an impious wretch
sing that abominable song, ' Wherry, Whigs,
awa' man,' " with which and the reception it
met from " the profane rabble," he felt so dis-
gusted that he was induced to write his poem
for the purpose of " clearing up the truth and
true case of those that are now nicknamed
Whigs ! "
In days gone by, Lawrence fair was the
scene of " many a bloody racket," and it is
probably to the fatal termination of one of
tiiese frays that allusion is made in the follow-
ing verse, here given from recitation : —
I never had but twa lads,
Twa lads, twa lads ;
I never had but twa lads,
At the back o' Benochie.
The taen was killed in Lo%vran fair,
In Lowran fair, in Lowran fair ;
The taen was killed in Lowran fair.
An' the ither drowned in Dee.
There are no old castles in the parish, and
the principal mansion-houses are those of
Warthill, Eothmaise, and Freefield or Three-
field. Warthill House is a fine modern build-
ing in the Elizabethan style, with tastefully
laid-out pleasure grounds ; that of Eothmaise,
whicli also belongs to Mr. Leslie, was built
about one hundred years ago, and is now occu-
pied as a dwelling-house by one of the tenant-
farmers on the property. The present man-
sion-house of Freefield dates only from last cen-
tury, but the estate itself came into tlie posses-
sion of the Leiths-cadet of Leith-hall before
the close of the 16th century (Douglas'
PANBRIDE.
309
Baronage). Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alexander
Leith of Freefield and Glenkindy served with
credit in France and tlie Peninsula, and one
of his sons, Colonel Disney Leith, greatly
distinguished himself by his gallant conduct
at the siege of Moultan (Epitaphs, i. 229-30).
p a n I) r i t e.
(S. BRIDGET, VIRGIN.)
THE church of Panhryd was given to the
Abbey of Arbroath by William the
Lion, and, when John of Morham obtained a
grant of the lands of Panbride from that
monarch about 1214, he confirmed the royal
gift. The church was a vicarage belonging to
the Cathedral of Brechin, and is rated at Xll
Scots in the taxation of 1275.
John Sang was vicar of Panbride, 7th July,
lbQ&—(Deed at Panmure). In 1574, the
kirks of Panbride, Monikie, and Arbroath
were served by a single minister, Mr. Chas.
Michelson, who had a stipend of .£100 Scots
and kirk lands, and Robert Mawll, the con-
temporary reader at Panbride, had a salary of
£16 Scots. Mr. Michelson's immediate suc-
cessor in the church, Robert Ramsay, was pos-
sibly one of the Ranisays who about that date
were lairds of Panbride. He was succeeded
about 1593 by Andrew Drummond (fourth
son of the first Drummond of Blair), whose son
Henry was the founder of the Drummonds of
Gairdrum, the last of whom, ]\Iajor-General
Drummond, married Miss Patersou of Carpow,
in Fife, but died without issue in 1803 —
(Malcolm's House of Drummond).
j\Ir. Ramsay was succeeded in 1C36 by Mr.
Arthur Grainger, who married a daughter of
Forrester of Deyhouse in Barry, and was him-
self succeeded by his son John, who died iu
1679. The next incumbent, Mr. Patrick
Maule, a native of the district, was deposed
for his active devotion to the cause of the
Chevalier. In a letter dated June following,
and addressed t3 her husband, who was then
living in exile on the Continent, Lady Pan-
mure writes ; — " Presbyterian ministers are
preaching at Panbride and Monikie every
Sunday, but no minister is yet placed ; " and
speaking of Mr. ]\Iaule, she says that " he
dare seldom stay in his own house, there being
often parties from Dundee searching for him
and other ministers who read the proclama-
tion, for which a great deal are imprisoned."
Mr. Robert Trail (son of the minister of
Borlhwick) was the first Presbyterian minister
at Panbride, and was appointed ilr. !Maule's
successor in 1717. He had two sons, one of
whom, James, became Bishop of Down and
Connor in Ireland, and to the other, Robert,
who succeeded his father in the church of
Panbride, a table-shaped monument is thus
inscribed : — ■
To the memory of Mra. Jane Dow, who died
at Montrose, on the 2d of June, 1805, in the 78"'
year of her age, and is buried under this stone.
Also, of her husband the Rev. Robert Trail,
sometime minister of the Gospel at Resoobie, and
afterwards at Panbride. He died on the 7th of
April 1798, in the 79"' year of his age, and 49"'
of his ministry. He is buried within the church,
at the foot of the pulpit.
— Mrs. Trail, a daughter of the minister of
Fettercairn, bore her husband five sons, all of
whom were educated for the church. One
was rector of BaUintory and another Arch-
deacon of Down, both in Ireland ; a third
became minister of St. Cyrus, and translated
Edward's Latin Description of Angus, 1678;
the fourth relinquished the ministry and be-
came farmer of Powis, near Montrose ; and the
fifth succeeded his father at Panbride. The
last mentioned received the degree of D.D.
from St. Andrews, and died in 1850, in his
SCtli year, leaving, with other issue, a son.
310
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
who became Free Church minister at Boyndie,
and a daughter, who married Mr. Eobertson
of Carmyllie (Epitaphs 41, 122).
From the York Buildings Company's Books
(MS.) it appears that in 1729 there was neither
school nor schoolhouse at Panbride. The
erection of these buildings was estimated to
cost about XI 27, and for the repair of the
church and the walls of the churchyard a
further sum of £40 6s. Od. was considered
necessary. The manse was then valued at
£603 6s. 5d.
The parochial buildings are now in excellent
order, and the church, which was erected in
1851 by William, Lord Panmure, then sole
heritor of the parish, is one of the finest land-
ward churches in Angus. A carving of the
Panmure and Wigtown arms, with the motto
dementia tcda rigore, which occupied the
front of the family pew in the old church,
has been placed in a similar position in the
present building, and the principal or south
window of the church exhibits the modern
blazoning of the arms and motto of the
Maules of Panmure.
A hand bell at the manse is dated 1678.
The church bell, which at one time belonged
to the Parish Kirk of Arbroath, presents in
addition to the name of the maker, &c., a
(luotation from Proverbs, i. 7 : —
SOLI. DEO. GLORIA.
lOHANNES. BVRGERHVYS. ME. FECIT. 1664.
TIMOR. DOMINI. EST. PRINCIPIVM.
SAPIENTIAE.
The Panmure family burial aisle, which was
in a ruinous state in the time of Earl Patrick,
is attached to the east end of the kirk ; but,
although the Maules have possessed Panmure
since the year 1224, there is no trace of any
family monument, with the exception of that
to the Hon. Col. Lauderdale Maule, which is
noticed below.
It is not our intention to enter at any
length into the history either of the Maides or
their lands of Panmure. Particulars of both
will be found in the Registrum de Panmure,
a splendid work in two vols. 4to., printed for
private circulation by the late Fox, Earl of
Dalhousie, copies of which were generously
presented by Lady Christian Maule and the
late Earl's trustees to the Eeference Depart-
ments of the Public Libraries of Forfarshire,
and also to certain private individuals who,
possessing a taste for antiquarian pursuits,
were likely to use the work in the elucidation
of local history. Although we cannot alto-
gether help noticing certain family and terri-
torial points, our notes will, for the most part,
consist of brief extr.icts from family documents,
which it was not deemed advisable to print in
the Registrum, and for the use of which and
many other interesting papers we are indebted
to the courtesy of the late and also of the
present Earl of Dalhousie.
We shall, therefore, merely remark, without
entering further upon the early history of the
family, that the IVIaules, like the Vallognes
of Panmure, were Norman barons, who came
to Scotland with David I., and that the
former were represented in the male line
until the death of Earl William, on 1th Jany.,
1782.
In speaking of the funerals of the family.
Commissary Maule tells us in his singularly
valuable and graphic MS. that his kinsman,
Robert Maule " was bureit besyd [his wife]
in the queir of Panbryd, before the hie altar
at the north pall," on 3rd May, 1560; and
also that in 1589 the wife of Patrick Maule,
who " bigget ane hous at Banshen," was like-
wise buried in the queir of the same kirk.
Accounts of the expenses attending the funerals
of several members of the family are still ex-
tant, and from one of the earliest of these it
appears that the total cost of the " ffunerall "
of " Mr. Patrick Maule," who was buried
PANBRIDE.
311
■within " the chancell " of the church of Pan-
hride on 8th May, 1639, amounted to X5 16s.
2d. Scots.
There are still extant several congratulatory
addresses to Earl Patrick on his elevation to
the Peerage in 1646; but we have seen no
account of the expenses attending his funeral,
which took place at Panbride, and had pos-
sibly, as he desired, been conducted " without
pomp or ceremony." His lordship, who went
to England and attached himself to the Court
of James VI., obtained many lucrative offices
and appointments, particularly under Charles
I., and having thus amassed great wealth,
added to his paternal estate by the purchase
from the Earl of Mar of the Lordship of
Brechin and Navar and the lands of Balma-
kellie and others in the Mearns, and also by
the acquisition of the Abbey of Arbroath,
which included the superiority of its lands and
the patronage of its churches. His lordship also
bought the property of Belhelvie in Aberdeen-
shire, and had a considerable interest through
mortgages in several large estates in Angus.
Possessing a taste for literature, his lordship
collected many curious MSS. and printed
books, which, unfortunately, have not been
well cared for ; and among the papers at Pan-
mure are eleven sheets of closely-written post
and nine of foolscap, in all 44 pages, entitled, in
the author's own hand, " Patrick Earle of
Panmure Memoires of Wallace." The words
" Work by Patrick Earle of Panmure" are
also upon the top of the first page of the ]\IS.,
and there is a preface of two pages, written in
another hand and apparently intended for
publication, but we are not aware that any
portion of the work was ever printed.
Earl Patrick long contemplated the erection
of a new house at Bolshan, which became the
family seat when Panmure fell into a " rowin-
ous " condition ; but this intention he never
carried out, although, with that object in
view, he had, at least as early as 1648, bought
up the rights of certain leaseholders, one of
whom, John Pitere, who occupied two parts of
the lands of Bolshan, bound himself to " flitt
and remove his wyfe, bairnes, servants,
famillie, gudes and geir," at the term of Whit-
sunday of that year from the houses and lands
in his occupation in Bollishano.
Before his death, which took place in 1661,
his lordship enjoined his son and successor to
erect a new mansion at Bolshan, but it ap-
pears that owing to " the confusions and hard-
ness of the times," the work was not contrac-
ted for until 1666. In that year, John Milne,
His Majesty's master mason in Scotland,
engaged to build the new family seat accord-
ing to plans prepared by him, but he did not
live to complete the contract, which was after-
wards carried out by Alex. Nisbet, his
successor in office. The work, however, pro-
ceeded but slowly, and his lordship died before
the house was finished.
Earl George, who figured so prominently as
Lord Brechin during the civil wars, died 24th
March, 1671, and was buried at Panbride,
where a gilded crown was " sett vpon the
head of his payle." Exclusive of 18s. Scots
paid "for an iron to. beare up the sammin,"
and Is. for " drink-money " to the workmen,
the crown appears to have cost £4 Scots.
The Earl's " whole Atcheifment suporters,
mantlin, croune, and crest," were also set up
within the kirk of Panbride. These were
painted and gilded, at a cost of £49 18s.
Scots, by Joseph Stacy, Eoss Herald, in
" Three lozen Armes, vpon buckram foure
foott squar," and with " Two morte heads."
A slab built into a wall at Panmure House
bears the arms of Earl George and his
Countess Jane, a daughter of the Earl of
Loudon ; and two silver communion cups,
inscribed as follows, still attest their attach-
ment to the church.
312
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
(JIVEN . BY . GEORGE . EARL . OF . PAN-
MURE . AND . lANE . CAMPBEL .
COUNTESS . OF . PANMUEE . TO . THE
CHURCH . OF . PANBRIDE.
The following epitaph, first printed in the
Registrum de Panmure, was composed upon
the death of Earl George by his friend the
Earl of Aboyne : —
To praise the Dead all does a,llow,
Some pleases to pray for them too,
lly piety may then extend,
My Duty to regard a friend,
Who was hoth sober, ^\ise, and just,
A man to whom A man might trust,
Not know'n to all, yet all who knew,
Found him most constant, kind, and true ;
His courage was well understood,
Still zealous for the publick good.
Intelligent in what was £itt.
To Relish, or express his vntt ;
Prudential! iu the government,
Of ivhat good fortune to him lent.
And (to my knowledge) much Inclined,
To Counsell and assist his friend.
No farder of him to declare,
He was what truly few men are — -
His word was sacred as ane oath ;
He lov'd his friend and countrey both.
In the interesting account of the expenses
attending the funeral of the third Earl of
Panmure, who died at Edinburgh in 1686,
and whose remains were interred at Panbride,
the sum of £70 Scots is charged " for Hol-
land muslin and ribbons for mj' Lord's body,"
also the curious perquisite of Is. 8d. "to the
hangman's man " at Edinburgh.
It was this Earl who put the family burial
aisle at Panbride into a state of good repair,
and upon it are his arms and initials, together
with those of his wife, a daughter of the Earl
of Wigtown, by whom he left no issue. As
before stated, the same arms are preserved
within the Kirk of Panbride ; and with re-
gard to the restoration of the aisle, Ochter-
lony (c. 1682) remarks that his Lordship
"has newly re-edified his buriall-place, with a
chamber above, ^\•ith a loft in the kirk, most
sumptuous and delicate." The aisle was again
repaired in 1765 at a cost of £03 17s. ; and
has been occasionally pointed since that time.
The third Earl was succeeded by his brother
James, who in 1687 married Lady IMargaret,
daughter of the Duke of Hamilton. He
made great alterations both upon the houses
and grounds of Brechin Castle and Panmure ;
and in 1693, he erected the much-admired
west gate at Panmure, which was made at
Edinburgh after plans by Sir George Bruce.
The discharge for the same, which^ includes
the sum of £1 12s. 3i-d. extra for the figures
of " the Crown and Cypher wt. ane flour," is
signed by John Collier, servant to James
Horn, smith, Holyrood, Edinburgh. The
stone carvings, including the Panmure and
Hamilton arms, were executed bj"- Patrick
Murray, a mason iu Dunkeld, who also cut
the carved work upon the Earl of Southesk's
gates at Kinnaird. The minor stone orna-
ments at Panmure — probably also those at
Kinnaird — were designed by the Eev. Mr.
Edward, some time minister at Kemback, as
was also a rustic pillar near Panmure House,
which bears the following inscription : —
lAMES . EARLE . OF . PANMURE . 1694.
MARGARET . COUNTES . OF . PANMURE .
1694.
Earl James likewise erected the arms upon
the pediment in front of Brechin Castle, and
the handsome pillars that still stand at " the
green gate," or west-end of the old carriage
drive to the Castle. He also purchased the
lands of Edzell and Glenesk from David
Lindsay, and in !March, 1696, bought from
Lieutenant^Colonel George Murray, of the
Horse Guards, " a house and garden in the
Canongate of Edinburgh," where an entry
still bears the name of " Panmure Close."
Having joined the Rebellion in 1715, he
suffered attainder, and was compelled to seek
refuge abroad. For some time he led a
wandering life, but at length found a home in
PANBRIDE.
313
Paris, where he died of pleurisy on Thursday,
22nd AprU, 1723, and was buried on " friday
(Ap. 23rd) about 11a clock at night," his
remains being followed to the grave by most
of the chief British residents in the French
capital. During his residence on the Conti-
nent, the Earl kept up an active correspond-
ence, not only with his family in Scotland, but
also with the Chevalier and with many of his
fellow exiles, wliose " missives " but too often
furnish affecting evidence of the straits to
which the writers were reduced, and the severe
privations they were frequently compelled to
undergo.
During the exile of her husband, the
Countess generally resided at Panmure, of
which and part of tlie grounds she was per-
mitted to enjoy the use, and for whose protec-
tion various orders similar to the following,
which bears the signature of the celebrated
John, Duke of Argyle and Greenwich, were
issued " To all officers and soldiers " : —
You are to take care that no person takes away or
abuses anything m or about the house of Panmure,
on pain of the severest punishment.
Given at Aberdeen, ye 13th February, 1716.
Argyll.
Countess Margaret survived her husband
many years. Gifted with a rare capacity for
business, she applied herseK with masculine
energy to the task of repairing the shattered
fortunes of her house. And not witliout suc-
cess ; for in 1724 she purchased the fine estate
of Redcastle (Epitaphs, i. 326), and at the
time of her death held numerous bonds over
properties in Angus. She was also a woman
of cultivated intelligence, and in the letters
written to her husband during his exile she
displays much playful humour and not a little
literary ability.
Margaret's Aloiint, a rising ground to the
south-east of the House of Panmure, is said
to have received the name it bears from the
circumstance that on tlie day Earl James and
his followers left for Sheriffniuir, Lady
Margaret took her stand on its summit to
watch their receding forms until they dis-
appeared in the distance.
Earl James's sole surviving brother, the
Honourable Harry Maule, who obtained part
of the estate of KeJly from his brother. Earl
George, in 1681, and the remainder from Earl
James in 1686, was also present at the battle
of Sheriffmuir, but, on taking the oaths to the
reigning family, he received a pardon and was
allowed to retain his estate. He was a man of
literary and antiquarian tastes, and was the
friend and correspondent of the celebrated
Father Innes, George Crawford, and others.
It was by him and his son James that the tine
collection of historical MSS., now in Brechin
Castle, was formed, and the information col-
lected respecting the estates of their ancestors
in Normandy and other parts of France,
which, along with charters relating to these
proper-ties and to others in Scotland, and ac-
companied by copious extracts from Commis-
sary Maule's valuable and interesting history
of the family, has been printed in the " Regis-
trum de Panmure."
The Hon. Harry !Maule of Kelly, who died
at Edinburgh in June, 1734, and was buried
at Holyrood, was twice married, and left issue
by both wives. His youngest son by the first
marriage, who distinguished himself in Flan-
ders and rose to the rank of General, was
created an Irish peer in 1743, and acquired
the forfeited estates of Panmure by purchase
in 1764. He was predeceased by his half-
brother John, who was designed of Inver-
keiUor, and over whose grave at Holj'rood is
the following inscription : —
Under this stone lye the remains of the Hon-
ourable .John Maule, Esq., thirty-two years one
of the Barons of Exchequer, Scotland. Died
the 2nd of July, 1781, aged 75 years.
Earl WiLi.l.\M, who was never maniod, sur-
b2
314
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
vived his brother only until 4th January fol-
lowing. His sister, Lady Jane Maule, having
married George, Lord Eamsay, eldest son of
the 6th Earl of Dalhousie, became tlie mother
of the 7th Enrl of Dalhousie, and to him and
to his second and other sons the estates of
Panmure were accordingly left.
The Hon. William I'aiisay-Maule (after-
wards Lord Panmure), second son of the 7th
Earl of Dalhousie, succeeded to the Panmure
estates in 1787, being then in his 16th year.
He died at Brechin Castle in 1852, and was
buried in the churchyard of Brechin. His
estates and title were inherited by his eldest
son, the Hon. Fox ]Maule, who, on the death
of his cousin tlie JSIarquis of Dalhousie, suc-
ceeded to the title of Earl of Dalhousie and
to the rest of the family property. Lord Dal-
housie took an active interest in politics, and,
as Secretary at War, proved himself an able
and successful administrator. He was also a
liberal patron of literature and the fine arts,
and was noted for the warmth and constancy
of his friendships. He died at Brechin Castle,
after a brief LLLness, and was buried at Pan-
bride. Upon the lid of his coffin a brass plate,
in the form of a shield, bears the following in-
scription : —
The Eight Hououi-able Fox Maule-Eamsay.
Earl of Dalhousie, K.T., G.C.B., P.O. Born
22d April, 1801, died 6th July, 1874.
Leaving no issue by his wife, the Lady
Montagu Abercromby, who died 11th Novem-
ber, 1853, and having been predeceased by his
brothers, the Right Hon. Lauderdale and
WiUiam of Fearn, who outlived his two sons
and died in 1859, his Lordship was succeeded
in the estates and titles of Dalhousie and Pan-
mure by his cousin, Rear-Admiral the Hon.
George liamsay, son of General John Ramsay,
who at one time resided at Kelly, near
Arbroath.
As before said, the only monument at Pan-
bride to any of the family is a tablet erected
within the church to the memory of Colonel
Maule, who died in camp, near Varna, but
whose remains lie here. It is of Carrara
marble, in the Perpendicular style, about 6^
feet in height, with buttresses, finials, and
crocketed canopy. Over a blank shield within
the canopy are the Maule crest and motto — -
CLEMENTIA ET ANiMis. The tablet, below which
is a scroll of the Scotch thistle, is thus in-
scribed : —
Sacred to the memory of the Honourable
Lauderdale Maule, second son of William,
Lord Panmure, Member of Parliament for the
County of Forfar, Surveyor-General of the Ord-
nance, Colonel in Her INIajesty's Service, and for
some yeai's in command of Her M" 79"" Regi-
ment, the Cameron Highlanders. This Monu-
ment is erected in testimony of the devoted affec-
tion and friendship of Anatole Demidoff. —
May we meet in a better world.
There are a good many tombstones in the
churchyard of Panbride, and from them the
following inscriptions are selected. The first
six are from a flat slab : —
HERE LYES JOHN RAMSEY, OFFICIAR TO THE
EARL OF PA.NMORE, HUSBAXD TO ISOBEL CLERK IN
COAT TOCNE THEROF, WHO DEPARTED THE 10 DAY
OF JUNE ANNO 1683, AND OF HIS AGE 60
— These Eamseys may have been descendants
of the family who held a proprietary interest
in the parish of Panbride during the 1 5th and
16th centuries (Land of the Lindsays, 304.)
[2.]
HERE LIES ANE HONEST MAN CALLED ANDREW
RAMSAY, SOMETIME TENANT IN BILLHEAD
. . . DEPARTED THIS LIFE MAY 27, 1693, AND OF
HIS AGE 33.
[3.]
HERE LYES ANE FAITHFVLL BROTHER NAMED
WILLIAM BLOCK, VHO DECEASED VPON the 22 of
1696, AND OF HIS AGE 32 TEIRS, AND
lEANE KERR
[4.]
HEAR LAYES GEORGE AIMER, LAWFUL ELDEST
SON TO PATRICK AIMER IN THE SCRYN, WHO D£-
PANBRIDE.
315
PARTED THIS LTF THE 15 DAT OF APRILE THE
YEAR OF GOD 1717, AND OF HIS AGE 14 TEARS.
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, &C.
— These were ancestors of a family who were
long farmers in the district. One of them, a
corn merchant in Dundee, died a few years
ago, and representatives still survive in and
about Laurencekirk.
[.5.]
Here lyes Iames Clark, husband to Helen
Key, sometime in Panbride, who departed this
life the 12 day of June 1698, and of his age 51.
[6.]
Here lyes ane real honest and ingenious man
called Henrie Clark, sometime in Midletoun of
Panbride, who departed this life the 10 day of
June 1710, and of liis age 70. And also of
Margaret Fentcpn, his spous, who died the —
day of .
Alexander Paton (1724) : —
Think every day to be thy last,
And when night comes thy life is past ;
The life of man's a rolling stone.
Moved to and fro, and quickly gone.
The next, to the memory of the wife of
David Anderson, Barnyards, who died in
1744, aged 29, is a mangled version of a well-
known epitaph : —
Underneath this stone doth ly,
As much bea\ity as could dy ;
Who pi'omis'd well vigour to give.
To as much virtue as could live.
Elizabeth Gibson, wf. of Jas. Stroak (1750) —
In memory of Jacob's love.
Unto his Rachel now above,
A piUar of stone, we read he gave.
And sett it upon hir grave ;
The fii-st and ancient to be seen,
In Geueses the 35 and 19.
— The fact is here sacrificed to the rhyme, it
being in the 20th, not the 19th verse, that
Jacob is recorded to have raised a pillar over
Eachel's grave.
This stone was erected by George Sinclaire,
groom at Panmwre, and Margaret Mill, his
spouse, in memorie of their son William Sin-
clair, who died June 22 day 1751, coming in
the 13 vear of his age.
— Tradition says that George Sinclair was
present at the battle of Fontenoy, and that
his master having been killed about the same
moment as the Earl of Panmure's horse was
shot under him, he placed the Earl upon his
master's charger, and thus enabled him to t;ike
that prominent part in the action for which he
received the thanks of Parliament.
John Anderson, d. 1748, a. 3 years : —
Seeds d ie and rot, and then most fresh appear —
Saints' bodies rise more orient than they were.
Thomas Clark, in memory of his wife (1800) : — ■
She was a woman good without pretence,
Bless'd with plain reason, and with sober sense ;
A loving mother, and a faithful friend.
Died with great joy her God to find.
Alex. Allan, Balmachie (1803) : —
Think ye, who view this humble grave.
Though youth and health are still your boast ;
Impel'd by Time, Life's ceaseless wave
Now wafts you to this dreary coa-st.
Yet Hope, in heavenly radiance bright.
Still hovers o'er my silent home ;
Her smile pervades the lonesome night.
Till morning to my mansion come.
— The two part lands of Barnyards and Bal-
machie belonged in 1503 to a branch of the
Strachans of CarmyUie ; and on 13th March,
1507, George Strachaii of Balhousie and his
wife Elizabeth Kid had seisin of the fourth
part of Balmachie, " vpon ane recept of my
Lord Sanquhar."
At a later date, Balmachie was owned by
cadets of the Northesk family, in whose hands
it continued until 1772, when it was sold by
the then laird, James Carnegy, to the Earl of
Panmure. It is graphicall}' recorded that the
property was at that time " sett of to small
pendiclers, who were suspected to be no better
than beggars."
In 1767, Balmachie was occupied by no
fewer than eighteen tenants, who, besides a
money rent, the total of which amounted only
to £58 18s. 3d. a year, were each bound to
pay annually six hens in name of Kane.
316
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
They had also each to carry yearly a chalder
of coals to the laird and give him six days'
work. Balmachie is now one of the finest
farms in the district. " Saw the end riggs,
laddie — they'll pay a' the rent!" is said to
have been the dying advice of an old tenant
of tliis farm to his successor.
From a flat slab, in N.E. of kirkyard : —
1851 : Sacred to the memory of Ann, daughter
of Alexander Duncan of Ardownie, who de-
jjarted tliis life on the 2.5 "> January, 1838, aged
83 years.
— Alex. Duncan of Ardownie, whose widow,
Isabel Graham, died at Dundee in 1779, aged
86, was a field officer under the Earl of Panmure
at SherifFmuir, and his brother James was a
lieutenant in the same regiment. James
Smith of Camno, who died in 1739, had a
daughter Agnes (Douglas' Baronage) married
to David Duncan, a merchant in Dundee and
a son of Ardownie. In 1594, Thomas Maule,
son of the laird of Panmure, had a charter of
the half lands of Ardownie in ]\Ionifieth.
Durhams were designed of it in Auohterlony's
time, and the property now belongs to Sir J.
H. Earn say of Bamff, Bart.
A handsome monument of Eannockburn
stone contains four inscriptive tablets, three
of which are inscribed as follows : —
[3.]
Erected by the Earl of Dalhousie, K.T., G.C.B.
1868.
In memory of Andrew Cunningham, Factor
on the Panmure Estate from 1860 to 1867. He
died at Carlogie House, 29 Deer., 1867, aged 60
years. His conduct of the aflairs of the Estate
was marked by strict integrity, care, and skill.
He possessed the entire confidence of his Em-
ployer, who, in grateful remembrance of his
worth, has caused this monument to be erected
over his remains.
Strong in his faith, his end was perfect peace.
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. —
Kev. 14, 13.
[2.]
Here also rest the remains of Nellie, the
beloved child of Andrew Cunningham, who pi-e-
ceded him by a few weeks to the tomb. She
died at Carlogie House, 31 Octr., 1867.
Suffer little children to come unto me, and
forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of
lieaveu. — Luke 18, 16.
— At Carlogie House, now the residence of
the local factor on the Panmure estates, a door
lintel bears the date of 1664.
Evan Morgan, d. 1826, a. 14 :—
A modest youth, with blooming virtue crown'd :
Let no rude hand disturb his sacred mound.
James Stephen (1810) : —
My life's a shade.
My days apace to death decline.
My lord is life,
He'll raise again even mine.
Modern monuments at Panbride record the
names of some late life-renters upon the estate
of Panmure who acquired wealth and property.
Among these were (1) Thomas Anderson, in
"Westhaven, who died laird of Longhaugh,
near Dundee, 1841, aged 57; (2) Robert
Johnston, in Craigmill, who died laird of Den-
field in Arbirlut and Fingask in Fife, 1856,
aged 87 ; and (3) Alex. Johnston, in East
Scryne, who died laird of Lawton and Foxton,
1855, aged 79. These Johnstons appear to
be a long-lived race, other members of the
family, viz., James Johnston, in Hatton of
Inverpeffer, George, in Balhousie, and their
sister Agnes, who died respectively in 1840,
'41, and '43, having attained the compara-
tively long ages of 80, 70, and 82 years.
A Pict's house or underground chamber,
now closed up, was discovered near the House
of Panmure some twenty years ago.
No trace remains of the Cairn from which
Cairncortliie ( t the cairn of the dark or black
corrie) probably received its name. " The
mines " described in the Old Stat. Acct. as
PANBRIDE.
317
the vaults and foundations of the old castle
of Panmure have also disappeared. They are
mentioned by ifr. Edward in his Description
of Angus, 1676, and are said to have been
the place where William the Lion signed the
charter of Panmure granted to Peter of Maule
in 11 7 2. From what has been previously stated
it will be seen that " Maule " is here a mis-
print for Vallognes, the lands of Panmure
having been given by King William to a Nor-
man baron of that name, whose last male
descendant left an only daughter and heiress,
Christina, who, about 1224, married Sir Peter
Maule of Porbes, and thus became the found-
rpss of the Maules of Panmure.
The " ruines " above referred to, which
stood upon what is now known as the Castle
Hill, an elevated projection or spur near the
foot of Coriara Den, were those of Panmure
Castle, which have been so well described by
Commissary Maule (Reg. de Panmure). The
castle, which was attacked by the English in
Queen Mary's time, was allowed to go to ruin
after Earl Patrick's father " bigget ane house
at Bashen." It is described 13th Aug. 158-
as " adjoining to and within the barony of
Panmure qr. Patrick Maule, fear of Panmure
maks his actual residence," and where he lived
down to the time of his death. It may, per-
haps, be suggested that that Panmure is a cor-
ruption of the Gaelic words Can-more (Cean-
mohr), which, signifying as they do a large
head, headland, or projecting point, accurately
describe the site of the old castle.
The present house of Panmure, which
stands about half a mile N.E. of the Castle
Hill, occupies nearly the same site as the
house that was begun by the second Earl in
1666, and which appears to have been
moated.
During the time of the fourth earl, the
house that was commenced by John Milne
and finished by Alex. Nisbet, was almost en-
tirely re-modelled, both internallyj and ex-
ternally ; and the engraving in Adams' Vitr.
Scot. (1750), shows it as it was subsequently
rebuilt by Earl James, there having been
nothing done to it from his time until Earl
WUliam succeeded to the estates. Various
alterations were then made both upon Pan-
mure House and Brechin Castle. Walks
were formed and grottoes constructed in the
Coriara Den, of which and the planting of
trees, the erection of farm steadings, and the
draining of land over the whole estates, im-
provements that ajjpear to have been executed
in great measm-e under the personal super-
vision of Baron Maule, there is no lack of
evidence in the family archives.
The houses of Panmure and Brechin both
underwent considerable changes after the suc-
cession of the Hon. Mr. Maule, afterwards
Lord Panmure, but it was by his son and
successor. Earl Fox, that the most important
alterations were made on both houses, par-
ticularly on Panmure, after plans prepared by
David Bryce of Edinburgh. The initials,
in monogram, of the late earl and his lady,
Montagu, granddaughter of Sir Palph Aber-
cromby, are upon various parts of Panmure
House.
It is said that the ancestors of Hector Boece,
the historian, were at one time proprietors of
Panbride, and there is documentary evidence
to show that there were persons of that name
who, if not landowners, occupied at least a
respectable position in the parish in and after
1640 (Willis' Curreiit Notes, Lond. Dec.
1834).
The barony of Panbride was afterwards
owned by a branch of the family of Eamsay,
from whom it passed to the Southesk family.
In 1682, there were three lairds in the parish,
and the total valued rent amounted at that
time to X3866 13s. 4d. Scots. Of that sum
tlie Earl of Panmure held .£2733 6s. 8d., the
318
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Earl of Southesk, £933 6s. 8d., and Car-
negie of Belmachie, £200. The real rental
of the parish now exceeds £13,000 stg., aud,
as before said, the Earl of Dalhousie is sole
heritor.
The only villages in the parish are those of
Muirdrum and Newton of Panbrids. The
former, situated upon the Arbroath and
Dundee turnpike road, consists of a mere
handful of houses, but the latter, which joins
Carnoustie on the east, contains, in addition
to numerous cottages, some neat villas, a Free
Church, hotel, branch bank, &c.
A chapel, dedicated to S. LiWRENCE, was
founded at Boath, near Pillivie, at an early
date. The place is sometimes called Fore
Boath to distinguish it from Back Boath in
the parish of Carmyllie, where there was also
a religious house. The chapel of S. Lawrence
was united to that of Cairncorthie (vulg.
Cortie), as is proved by a deed of 10th March,
1608, by which David, Bishop of Brechin,
appointed John Slrachan to be " chaiplane of
the chaplanrie of Both and Caircorthie, with
all fruittis, presentis, and emoluments per-
taining and belonging thereto."
These, with the parish church and the
private chapel at Panmure, which was erected
by Sir Thomas Maule in 1490 and dedicated
to The Virgin, are, so far as we are aware,
the only old religious houses that have ever
existed in Panbride.
WW%V\\WVVVV%NWWV%W\NWW\VVVVVWWVW\VWN\
(S. JAMES, .)
BY charter dated at Arbroath, August,
1282, Hugh le Blond, lord of Arbuthe-
noth, gi'anted the patronage of the Church of
Ganioch to the monks of Arbroath, together
with " an ox-gang of land upon which the
church was situated, with common pasture for
a hundred sheep, four horses, ten oxen, twenty
cows, and a bull, with fuel and aU other ease-
ments in common with his men dwelling on
his lands of Garuoch, both to the monks and
their men dwelling on said ox-gang, as far as
related to said animals, binding himself and
heirs to procure confirmation of the grant from
Sir Eobert of Eos at their own expense, and
to answer every secular demand belonging to
the said ox-gang on behalf of the monks."
Such were the terms of the original grant of
the church of Garuoch to the Abbey of Ar-
broath, which, it will be seen, included, as was
then common, " the men" or serfs that dwelt
within the boundary of the parish. But the
kirk of Garwnc (the rough district or country),
is mentioned before the above date, it being
rated in the Taxation of 1275 at the sum of
18 merles. "William, who did homage to King
Edward at Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1296, is
the earliest recorded vicar of the church (Mem.
Angus and Mearns).
In 1574, the church of Garvock and three
others were served by one minister, who
had the kirklands and a money stipend of
£133 6s. 8d. The contemporary reader had
£20 Scots.
The present church, dated 1778, stands
near the middle of the burial-ground. S.
James's Well, a copious spring in a romantic
den to the east of the manse, was long be-
lieved to work miraculous cures in certain
complaints ; and a statutory fair, which also
bore the name of the patron saint of the parish,
was held upon the Hill of Garvock until
within these few years, when it was removed
to Laurencekirk.
It is said that a tomb belonging to the
Keiths, and dated 1666 and 1679, of which no
trace now remains, stood within the old
church. The under half of a censer, now in
GARVOCK.
319
the Montrose Museum, was found when the
kirk was being repaired about forty years ago;
and a gable or turret linial of the old kirk
exhibits a carving of the fleur-de-lis, somewhat
resembling those upon the chancel at Arbuth-
nott. If this relic may be taken as affording
a trustworthy indication of the general appear-
ance and character of the old church, that
building must have possessed an architectural
elegance that is wholly wanting in the present
homely structure.
The oldest inscribed slab is built into a
wall at the manse offices. It belongs to the
time of Mr. Walter Morreson, who (Scott's
Fasti) was minister at Garvock from 1588
until his death in 1603. It is a mere frag-
ment, and upon it are these remains of an in-
scription : —
1603
BE. ZOVR. LOV
LET
GARVOOK.
In 1840, since which time it has unfortu-
nately disappeared, the oldest tombstone in
the churchyard was dated 1643, and bore the
name of William Greig, blacksmith, " ane
FAMOVS. HONEST. MAN," and that of " his
spovs. Elespet. Purves." Upon a rudely
fashioned and dateless headstone : —
HEIR LYES
MARGARET
BARCLAY.
From a flat slab : —
here lyes rechert lason, husband to ise-
bal young, sumtym in mil of garvock, who
departed februarie the 17, 1723, and of
age — 7 YEARES :
REMEMBER MAN, &C.
A table-shaped stone (on which is the figure
of an open book, with the texts Psal. 26, Gal.
vi. 14) bears this inscription : —
In memory of the Eev. Mr. James Smith,
who was admitted minister of Garvock in 1743,
died in 1780, aged 79 yeare. This monument is
placed at the expence of his widow, Mary
Napier.
— Mr. Smith, who was previously school-
master at St. Cyrus, married a daughter of the
minister of Maryculter, by whom he had a
son and a daughter. The latter became the
wife of the Kev. Mr. Foote of Fettercairn,
and the former, who was an excellent perfor-
mer on the violin, was ordained assistant and
successor to his father in 1779, but fell soon
after (Scott's Fasti) into a state of mental
alienation, which lasted until his death in
1836 at the age of 87. He had several assist-
ants and successors, and the following inscrip-
tion has reference to the last of these : —
The gi-ave of the Rev. John Charles, A.M.,
ordained A. & S. minister of Garvock in
MDCCCXXL, succeeded in MDCCCXXXVI.,
and died in MUCCCLXVIII., aged XCVIII.
years.
— Mr. Charles was the son of a wheelwright,
and was born at Culardo in Garvock. After
acting as private tutor in several families, he
was appointed schoolmaster of Glenbervie,
where he remained until 1821. He had an
intense hatred of " Papistry," and attacked
that system in several publications, such as
the Garvock Tracts, which he now and then
printed and distributed among his parishioners.
He also wrote the new Statistical Account of
the parish of Garvock, in which he indulges
in certain favourite speculations of his own
regarding etymology and the rites of the
Druids.
Mr. Charles's great desire to become a cen-
tenarian was not realised ; but his old house-
keeper, Lizzie Donaldson, who was more than
sixty years in his service, died in the parish of
Benholm in 1873 in her 100th year.
The next three inscriptions are from head-
stones ; — •
EoBERT WiLLOCKS, Buruhead, on child, (1788) :
Tho' infant yeara no pompous honour claim.
The vain parade of momentary fame ;
To better praise the last gi-eat day shall rear
The spotless inuoceut that slumbers here.
320
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
And Mary Abernethy, sp. of John Hogg,
Forth, d. 1790, a. 49 :—
Each letter'd stone some lesson reads,
And bids you stop yoiir pace ;
Each warning you in solemn tone.
Where ends your mortal race.
Soon will your own a lecture read,
In ev'ry kav'ler's ear ;
And bid the jiassing stranger halt,
And shed a pit_ving tear.
Let thy mortality be grav'd
Deep on thy faithful mind ;
Before the joui-neyer o'er thy tomb
Memento mori find.
The following lines to the memory of Mary
Dempster, wife of John Hogg, South Brides-
ton, d. 1837, a. 57, are from Knox's Sougs of
Israel : —
Oh ! why should the spirit of mortal be proud.
Like a fast flitting meteor, a fast flying cloud ;
A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave,
He passes from life to his rest in the grave.
And the young and the old, the low and the
high.
Shall moulder to dust, and together shall lie ;
The child that a mother attended and lov'd,
The mother that infant's aftection that prov'd ;
The husband that mother and infant that blest.
Each all are away to their dwellings of rest.
Stone cists, flint aiTOwlieads, and curious
stone balls have been found in various parts
of Garvock, and in March, 1875, there was
discovered at a depth of 15 inches in a gravel
hillock near Brownie's-Leys an oval-shaped
vessel made of burned clay, about 1 1 inches
deep by about 8 inches wide, and containing
part of a skull and other human remains.
On the same farm there is a hollow called
the Broionies' and sometimes the Sheriff's
Kettle. The former name is said to have been
given to it from a superstitious belief that the
place was haunted by brownies or fairies, and
the latter from its having been the reputed
scene of the fiendisli exploit of making " hell
broth," or of " boiling and supping in broo "
the body of Melville of Glenbervie, sheriff of
the Mearns, who was accused by his brother
barons of being too communicative to King
James I.
The " boiling " of Sheriff Melville is cele-
brated by Alex. Balfour in a ballad entitled
" The Kaim of Mathers." It is also referred
to by Sir W. Scott in his notes to the ballad
of Lord Soulis in the Border Minstrelsy,
where he says that " a pardon, or perhaps, a
deed of replegiation ... is said to be
extant among the records of the Viscount of
Arbuthnott."
In the Appendix to the preface of the
Sculptured Stones (vol. ii.) is a chapter
entitled " Early Sanctuaries — Cross Macduff,"
in- which (p. Ixix.), Skene's traditional account
of the "law" of Clan Macduff is spoken of,
and reference made to two records which show
the working of the law. The first is that
of Alexander de Moravia, who, at his trial
before the King's Justiciars in 1391, pleaded
that he had already been repledged to the law
of Clan Macduff, and was not bound to answer
in the King's Court ; and the next has re-
ference to the Garvock affair. It is dated 1st
September, 1421, and shows that Hugh
Arbuthnot, George Barclay, Alexander Fal-
coner, WUliam the Graham, Gilbert Midleton,
Patrick Barclay, and Alexander of Graham
are received " to the lawes of Clane Macduff
for the deid of quhiUome John the IMalaville,
Laird of Glenbervy ;" and " certaine and sicker
burrouise — that is to say, David Barclay of
Collaruis, the first broych that they ought of
tlie lawes ; David the Barclay of Leuchry,
the second broych that they ought to have the
lawes ; Robert Barclay of Tench or Towy, the
third burghe that they shall fulfile the lawes
as the law will. Quhairfore to all and sundrie
that it effeirs, firmly were forbid on the King's
halfe of Scotland and our Lord IMackduff,
Duke of Albany, Earle of Fyfe and IMonteith,
GARVOCK.
321
and Governor of Scotland, that the said lawes
hes in keeping, that noe man take in hand to
doe, molest, grieve, or wrange the foirsaid
persones in their hodies, or in their geire, be-
cause of the deed of the said Johne of Mala-
viU, and the payne that after lyes and for-
faulting of the laws forsaid, and this present
letter."
Dr. Stuart is of opinion that the cauldron
figured upon the sculptured stone at the
Manse of Glamis indicates the occurrence at
some earlier period of au incident similar to
the alleged boiling of Sheriff MelvLUe at Gar-
vock.
Garvock has given birth to two dignitaries
of the Episcopal Church — Bishop Mitchell
of Aberdeen, and Bishop Strachan of Brechin.
The former, who was thrust from the office of
Dean of Edinburgh by the Covenanters, went
to Holland, where he made a livelihood as a
watch and clockmaker. On his return to
England at the Eestoration, he became a pre-
bendary of Westminster, and was afterwards
consecrated Bishop of Aberdeen, where he
died in 1662, aged about 72.
Bishop Strachan was the son of a farmer of
Eedford in Garvock, and it is told that about
the '45, when so many Episcopal chapels in
Scotland were burned down by the Eoj'alists,
young Strachan officiated in secret to his ad-
herents in and arouud his native place. The
fact having become known to the authorities,
a body of soldiers called one day at Eedford,
and asked the farmer if he knew where his
son was. " He rose from his bed in my
house this morning," was the apparently frank
reply, " but God knows where he is now ! "
It is further told that it was the parish
minister who informed against Strachan ; and
that the officer in command, observing the
parson turn pale and his hand shake as he
lifted the pen to sign his declaration, said,
"You seem ill, sir; what ails you'}" By
way of answer, the clergyman inquired what
consequences would follow if he signed the
paper. " Why," was the gruff reply, " the
young man will be hanged, and you'll be
damned." Whereupon, it is said, the minister
retracted his former statement, and denied all
knowledge of Strachan's whereabouts.
Tradition further says that Bishop Strachan
was come of the knightly house of Thornton.
Of this we have found no proof ; but it is
certain that he conformed to the Act of 1746,
for he obtained the legalised charge of Eed-
myre, near Laurencekirk, where he eked out a
living by farming Bush of Lauriston in St.
Cyrus. While at Eedmyre, he received and
accepted a call from the Episcopal congregation
at Dundee, and in 1788 he was consecrated
Bishop of Brechin. He continued, however,
to reside in Dundee, where he died in 1810,
and was buried in the Hoioff, in which a
chest-shaped monument near the Blackness
tomb bears the following renovated inscrip-
tion : —
RIGHT EBV. JOHN STRACHAN,
BISHOP OF BRECHIN,
WHO DIED 2 FEB. 1810, IN HIS 91ST YEAR.
A door lintel, built into the farm offices at
West Balhagerty (Priest's town), is em-
bellished with two nondescript animals in
relief, in apparent imitation of those upon
the old sculptured stones. The figures seem
to represent two birds with long undulating
bodies and fish-like tails. The heads are
cis-d-vw, and a rope or chain, with a ring near
the heads of the animals, is twisted round the
bodies. The stone is initialed and dated : —
16 . I.S. M.L. . 83.
— It is said that the stone was brought from
Snadon, in the adjoining parish of St. Cyrus,
and that the initials are those of James Scott,
and his wife Mary Loxgmuir. Snadon was
the property of Straton of Kirkside in 1663,
and Balhagerty, which pertained to Eail
s2
322
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Maiischal in 1637, came into the possession
of Scott of Scottarvit before 1672 (Eetours).
It has belonged for some time to the Scotts of
lirothorton.
^v^^^^^^^^^^^^vv^w^^v^v^^^^vv^^\^^^^w^A\^^^^\^\'
Culsalmont).
(S. SERF, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.)
A T the time of the foundation of the
•*^ Abbey of Lindores, David, Earl of
Huntingdon, made a gift of the church of Cul-
salmid to that convent. The vicar was secured
in a stipend of twenty merks, the wliole altar-
•age, a manse, the teind of the kirklands, a
miU, a brewhouse, and the third part of the
teind of Normanston, whicli was ratified by
Pope Alex. IV. in 1257 (Reg. Ep. Abd., i.
23-6).
In 1257, the kirk is rated at 10s. (Theiner);
and in the same year (Eeg. Vet. de Aberb.) its
vicarage is valued at 6 merks, and its teinds
at 26 i merks. It is charged in the rental of
Lindores (c. 1480) at £81 5s. 8d. Scots
(Laing's Abbey of Lindores).
In 1574, Mr. Andrew Spens was minister
of Culsalmond, Drumblade, and Forgue, and
"William Strath was reader at Culsalmond.
The former had a stipend of £60 Scots, and
the latter a salary of £16 Scots, and both had
kirk-lands.
Early in the 1 7th century, when the Abbey
lands of Lindores were alienated by the lay
proprietor, he was succeeded in part of them
by William Forbes of Many and afterwards
of Craigievar, a merchant in Edinburgh and
the immediate younger brother of Patrick
ForbeSj laird of Corse and Bishop of Aber-
deen. By his wife ]\Iargaret Udwart, a daugh-
ter of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, he had
a family of three sons and three daughters,
and the eldest of the former, afterwards Sir
WiUiam, is mentioned along with his father
in the Act of 1621, by which they acquired
the parsonages and vicarages, with the "riclit
of patronage " of the kirks of Culsalmond,
Fintry, Kincardine O'Neil, Lumphanan, Mid-
mar, Glentanner, and Cluny, in Aberdeenshii'e,
and Auchintool in Fifeshire, and likewise the
teinds of all the towns and lands within the
parishes of Christ's Kirk and Premnay, the
whole being created into a barony called Logie-
fintray (Acta Pari., iv. 682-6). The right of
presentation to the first five of these churches
was held by the Baronets of Craigievar until
the abolition of patronage in 1874.
The site of the kirk and kirkyard was
formerly occupied by a circle of standing
stones, some of which are said to be stUl there,
although hidden from view by the earth with
which they are covered.
The parish kirk and manse are situated
upon the tojs of a hill that overlooks the
greater part of the Garioch. The church is a
plain building, and upon the bell is the follow-
ing inscription : —
IAN . VAN . DEN . GHEIN . HEFT . MY .
GHEGOTEN . INT . lAER .
MCCCCCVI.
[John Vandenghein cast me in the year 1506.]
An enclosure on the south side of the church
contains two tablets thus inscribed : —
In this ille lyes HuoH Gordon of Cults, who
dyed the 5 of Mar' 1707 years, aged 66; & his
spouse Jean Duncan died Aprile the 5 1740,
aged 77 ; and Grisell Hog, spouse to George
Gordon, his eldest son, who dyed the 5 of May
1727 ; and of their soues, G. G : E. G : A. G : I.G.
—The above refers to Cults in Kinnethmont,
which was Leslie property in 1608. In 1635
it belonged to Hew Gordon, then of Smyths-
town in Rhynie. Patrick Gordon of Cults,
his wife, two sons, and two daughters, were
charged poll in 1696, but neither of the sons
CULSALMOND.
323
bears the name of Hugh. In 1732, Cults was
the residence of Gordon's relatives, probably
of the Gordons of Eothney, whose burial
place was within the same enclosure, and to
whom a slab is thus inscribed : —
The burial ground of
The Gordons of Eothney.
— At Eothney, which lies in Premnay, and is
separated from the parish and town of Insch
by a burn, is the railway station of Insch.
The village, which has now become a place of
considerable importance, belongs to the laird
of Warthill.
A flat slab, upon which is a shield charged
with a saltire between a mullet in chief and
one in each flank, with a crescent in base, is
thus inscribed : — •
HEIR . LYETH ANE GODLY AND DISCREITB
MAN WILLIAM . . DERSONB QHO DVELT IN
MELINSYDE, BVRGIS OF ABERDEEN . WHO . .
TEER OF GOD
— The following brief inscription upon a very
rude slab, which was turned up by Mr. Essle-
mont, farmer, Kirktown, possibly relates to a
member of the same family : —
lOHNE . ADER
SONE 1670
11 OF IVLI.
In 1696, there were five tenants and their
dependents in Mellinside, and two of the
former were named respectively William and
Thomas Anderson.
From another flat slab : —
HEIR LYES ANDREW CRVICKSHANK, WHO DE-
PARTED THIS LIFE THE 8tH OF MARCH, 1708,
AND LIVED SOMETIME IN AVCHENTENDER, ALEX-
ANDER CRIKSHANK DEPARTED THE 4tH OF
AUGUST, 1706. MEMENTO MORI.
The next two inscriptions, the first of which
is upon a flat, and the second upon a table
stone, preserve the old form of the surname of
Garioch or G eerie : —
[1]
HEIR LYETH WILLIAM IIARGEGARE, MILLER AT
THE LAST OF OCTOBER, 1707.
— William Herriegerie, miller of Caden, his
wife, a son John, and two daughters, Barbara
and Elspet, were charged poll in 1G96. The
next inscription possibly relates to William'.s
grandson and family : —
[2.]
Here lies the body of John Heregerie, who
was lawfvl husband to Margaret Casie ; he was
sometime farmer in Carnehills ; he died Dec.
15th, 1795, aged about 50 yeare. The above
Margaret Cassie died April 7, 1835, aged 84
yeai-s. Also, their daughter Margaret, died
Nov. 25, 1868, aged 78 years, relict of the late
James Massie, farmer, Cairnielaw, Foveran.
This stone was erected by Margaret Cassie, in
memory of her deceased husband.
From a table stone : —
Here lies the body of Robert Menie, some-
time farmer in Bainsliole, aged 67, and Margaret
CRniCKSHANK his spouse, aged 19 year.i.
Here lys the dust of William Law who dwelt
sometime in Bankhead of Newton, who died
Sept., the 8th 1722. . . . Katrine Forbes,
his wife, who died Dec, the 12, 17 — , ....
. 1741.
• — This possibly refers to William Law, who is
described as a gardener, and who lived at
Barnyard of Xewton in 1696.
The nest inscription is upon a slab of slate-
stone, which had been brought either from the
quarries of the hill of Culsalmond, or from
the neighbouring quarries of Foudland :^
of lANUAR 1714
Mora est janua vitae.
Here lies the dust of Andrew Thomson, shoe-
maker in Gateside, who died May 25, CIDID-
CCXXXIX
Vivit post funera virtus.
L^pon an adjoining stone : —
In memory of the Rev. James Thomson, late
schoolmaster at Kennethmont, who died 6th
Septr. 1821. . . .
From a table stone : —
In memory of Francis Maitland, late farmer
Gateside, who died at Colpie, 2nd May, 1816,
aged 75 ; and of his wife Isabel Thomson, who
died at Gateside, 20th June, 1812, aged 66.
Upon a slate stone of the same sort as before
324
EPITAPHS, AND INSCBIPTIONS :
noticed, in the lower corner of which are the
words "Fecit Leslius Iidy 30, 1730" : —
Here lyes the dust of . . . mas Cormack, who
dev. . . . sometime in Bogfonten
died July 18, 1733. And Elspet Clark, his
wife, whi died March 14, MDCCXXIV.
— Thomas Cormack, shoemaker, and his wife,
were living in Bogfontin, Forgue, in 1696.
Another stone to the same family is dated
1758.
The next inscription is from tlie oldest of
four tahle stones to the same family : —
Here li interred the Body of James Porter,
sometime farmer in Tillymorgan, who died
lamy. 5th 1767, aged 66.
Tlie next four inscriptions are from adjacent
tombstones (table-shaped) : —
Here lies the body of the Reverend Mr. Eg-
bert Gauld, who was minister of the Gosi^el at
Culsalmond, and died the 29 of July 1786, in the
thirty-eight year of his age, and the seventeenth
of his ministry. His piety and learning, his un-
wearied attention to all the duties of a Christian
minister, his chiearful and iustructive conversa-
tion, and the politeness and amiable simplicity of
manners, made him an ornament to his profes-
sion and a blessing to his people, and procured
him the esteem and the love of all who knew
him. This monument was erected by Lis most
affectionate friend and sister Janet Gauld.
[2.]
Here lies the body of the Rev. Mr. William
M'LiESH, minister of Culsalmond, who died the
24"' of January 1794, in the 53'''' year of his age
and the 7 of his ministry. His agreeable man-
ners, his knowledge of the world, and his own
profession, and the exemplary virtues of his life,
endeared him while alive to all his acquaintance,
and made him deeply regretted at his death.
— Mr. M'Liesh wrote the Old Statistical Ac-
count of the parish, and was succeeded first
by Mr. W. Cock, who was translated to
Eathen in 1801, and next by Mr. Ellis,
whose death is recorded in the following in-
scription : —
[3.]
Erected to the memory of Catherine Daun,
wife of the Rev. Ferd. EllL^!, who died 31" March
1834, aged 40 years. Also of the said Rev.
Ferdnd. Ellis, who was 50 years minister of
this parish, and died the 25"' day of March 1851,
aged 80 years.
— Mr. Eilis, who was previously schoolmas-
ter of Forgue, wrote the New Statistical Ac-
count of Culsalmond, and is said to have been
an excellent scholar. He retired from the
church many years before his death, and the
next inscription relates to his successor : —
[4.]
In memory of the Rev. William Middleton,
late minister of this pai'ish, who died on the
11th of March, 1853, aged 73 years,
— j\Ir. M. was followed by Mr. Storie, now at
Insch, who had for successor the present in-
cumbent, Mr. Masson, to whose kindness I
am indebted for a copy of the inscription on
the kirk bell.
It may be added that Mr. Masson has in
his possession an interesting piece of oak
carving, upon which are the initials W. M.,
between a merchant's mark, and the following
inscription in interlaced capitals : —
WALTEEO . MENE
SIO . VOTI . REO . F.F .
EIVSQ' . MEMORI^
CONSECKAVIT
CONIVNX . AMA
TISS . ELIZBETH
MORRISON A.
[Erected in fulfilment of a vow made by Walter
Mexzies, and consecrated to his memory by his most
loving spouse, Elizabeth Morrison.]
— This had possibly formed a portion of a seat
or pew in one of the churches of Aberdeen,
and may have reference to AValter Menzies,
burgess of Aberdeen, who, on 1st March, 1616
(lug. Gen.), was succeeded in any property he
left by Mr. Thomas Menzies of Balgownie,
who is described as his heir male and paternal
uncle's grandson (nepotis jMtrui).
In the Kew Statistical Account there is an
excellent description by ]Mr. Ellis of the anti-
CULSALMOND.
325
quities of the jjarish, among the more interest-
ing of which is a burial cairn at Moss-side,
which, on being opened in 1812, was found to
contain a rude " wooden coffin of uncommon
size," and an urn of from 10 to 12 inches
deep. Urns have also been found near the
circles at Colpie, cists and human remains at
the old site of the inscribed slab at Newton,
and flint arrowheads and stone-axes or celts in
various parts of the parish.
But the most interesting relics now remain-
ing are the sculptured stones at Newton House,
both of which are engraved in The Sculptured
Stones of Scotland. One of them is inscribed,
and the other bears tlio common s3'nibols of
the transfixed serpent, &c. The former, which
was removed to its present site from a wooded
knoll near Pitmachie, about a mile to the
south of the House of Newton, presents an
inscription of six lines in chief, written in
some doubtful character, and upon the left
side are two lines in Ogham characters. Al-
though no great success has hitherto attended
any of the numerous attempts that have been
made to decipher these inscriptions, specimen
translations of them may be given. The main
inscription (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scotld., v.
224-34), which was regarded by the late Dr.
MiU of Cambridge as Plicenician, was trans-
lated by him as follows : —
To Eshmiin (God of health) by this monumental
stone may the wandering exile of me thy servant go
up in never-ceasin;^ memorial, even the record of Hon-
Thanit-Zenaniah, magistrate who is saturated with
sorrow !
Dr. W. p. Skene has read the Ogham
portion of the inscription thus : —
DUUD
DARURTNUN
NGUOROAONTH
AEGE JESU EI
Mr. Skene suggests (Ibid., 289-98) that it
may have reference to one Gurmund, a Danish
Kin", of whom it is recorded that after doinj;
good service to the Saxons, he died in 891
during some expedition, and possibly in Scot-
land.
Colpie, which belongs to the Sheelagreen
estate, is the only hamlet in the parish. A
Pree Church, in a very tasteful style of
architecture, stands at a short distance from
tlie Established Church, and there is also an
Independent Church for the district. The
handsome Episcopal Church and parsonage of
St. Thomas are situated at Tilly morgan. The
church, whicli was built in 1851, is in the
early English style of architecture. The east
window, of three lights, exhibits in the centre
the (Jrucifixion, in one of the side lights
S. John, and in the other the Virgin. The
church is surrounded with a burial ground,
but it has not been much used, and there are
no inscriptions in it.
S. Serfs, commonl)' called Saint Sare's,
Fair, which is still an important market, is
held on the last Tuesday of June upon a hill
to the north-west of the kirk, and doubtless
presents the name of the titular saint. There
are, however, two wells in the parish with
equally significant names — S. Mary's at Colp
and S. Michael's at Gateside — both of which
used to be favourite places of resort on May
morning. Lowran' Road, which crosses the
liill of Cidsalmond near its top, was so called,
it is said, from its being the old highway to
S. Laurence's Fair of Old Payne.
The property of Sheelagreen, which gave
surname to a family in old times, is a little to
the north of the kirk. It belonged to a
branch of the Gordons of Pothnoj-, and is
now owned by Major Gammel of Countess-
wells. The mansion house and property of
WUliamston, which were acquired by 'M.r.
Eraser about the beginning of this century,
are prettily situated to the south of the church.
He made money as a merchant, and was
succeeded by his son Charles, on wliose death
326
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
the estate passed to his nephew, a son of the
late Mr. Eraser of Balmakewan, near Mon-
trose.
The first of the present family of Gordons
of Newton was the son of a merchant in
Fochabers or Keith. He made a fortune in
Tobago, and bought the estate from a family
of his own name. He was succeeded in it by
his brother, the father of the present laird,
who is the principal heritor in the parish.
The house stands on the north side of the
Urie, and is surrounded by tastefully laid-out
pleasure grounds. About the beginning of the
last century it belonged to a family of the
name of Davidson.
^^^^\\\^^^^\^^^\^^^\^^^^v^^^^^^\\\^^\■^vv^^^\w^,vv
B ii r r t^,
(S. MAKNOCH AND S. STEPHEN).
OX the foundation of the Abbey of Arbroath
(1178-80), King William bestowed upon
that monastery the Church of Fethmuref to-
gether with thirteen acres of land adjoining
thereto.
In the time of Alexander III., who twice
visited the district in 1229 (Reg. Vet. de
Aberb.), the name of Fethmuref appears to
have been changed to Barry. The former
designation would seem to imply that the
country was at one time densely wooded,
and the latter, that the church or chief
building in the locality stood on the highest
point of a range of low hills.
In 1229, Barry belonged to the Crown, but
in the following year King Alexander made a
wraat of the whole district, with the ex-
ception of the church and its lands, to the
Monastery of Balmerino, which was then
being founded and endowed by his mother.
It was afterwards proposed that the church
and church lands of Barry should also be
given to Balmerino in exchange for property
in some other part of the kingdom. But the
arrangement does not appear to have been
carried out, although the free forestry, or sole
right to hunt and hawk, was given to Bal-
merino, and the district was also erected into
a baUliery to be held under that monastery.
The office of baiUie or administrator of justice
under the abbot, which in those days carried
with it no inconsiderable power and influence,
was conferred upon the Panmure fnmily. A
grant of the office by Abbot John to Sir
Thomas Maule, dated 1506, is still extant,
and has been printed in the Eegistrum de
Panmure.
The church of Barry, which is rated in the
old taxation at 30 merks, was dedicated by
David, Bishop of St. Andrews, in 1243.
In 1574, the churches of Barry, Monifieth,
and Murroes, were all served by ]\Ir. Alexander
Auchinlek as minister. He had a stipend of
.£100 Soots, and Eobert Forrester, reader at
Barry, had .£16 and the kirk lands.
The present kirk of Barry, a plain building
erected in 1800, stands within the burial
ground ; and the bell is thus inscribed : —
RECAST AT THE EXPENSE OF THE
HERITORS OF BARRIE, 1822.
The church is almost entirely paved with
old gravestones, all more or less defaced. One
of the slabs bears : —
HEIR LTIS ANE RELIGIOS GENTLEWOMAN CALLED
MARTHA FORRESTER, SPOVS TO VMQVHILE THOMAS
MAVLE, VHO DECEASED VPON THE
. . . . GOD .... 03.
— In 1552, Eobert Forrester had a feu-charter
of Deyhouse (pron. Joios) and other lands,
which he held partly on the reddendo of pro-
viding a house for the Abbot of Balmerino
and his suite, when he went to hold courts
there. St. Merino's croft, near the Kirktown,
which, doubtless, preserves the name of the
BARRY.
327
old patron saint of the parish, was also held
by Forrester for a small money payment, " and
sustaining yearly bread and wyne to the high
altar of ye paroch church of Barrie." — (Camp-
bell's Balmermo and its Abbey.) Thomas
Maule, mentioned in the above inscription,
had probably been in some way related to the
Maules of Panmnre.
The following traces of another inscription
on a tombstone in the floor of the church may
also relate to the Forresters : —
.... OF . DEYHOYS . QHA . DE . . . .
QVOD . VNI . ET . OMXIBVS
The lands of Pitskelly or Balskellie, which
Fox, Earl of Dalhousie, bought from Mr. Hun-
ter of Blackness in 1853, were at one time
held in feu by Carnegie of Kinnaird, and
afterwards by a family named Alexander.
To the wife of one of the last mentioned
there is within the church a freestone monu-
ment which exhibits two blank shields and
the initials D.A. : G.D. Below, in relief, is
the following inscription, the letters of which
appear to have been gilded : —
^ GRISELIS . DIRHAMIA . SPOSSA . DAVIDIS .
ALEXANDER . DE . PITSKELLIE . OBIIT . 6 . MEN-
SIS . IVNH . 1664 . ^TATIS . SV^ . 34 .
ANAQR .
GRISELIS . DIRHAMIA . ARDEO . REGIAM . ELISI .
ELISIVM . VERB . MEA . DELECTATIO . QVANDO .
IN . VIVIS . EIVS . SVMMVS . ET . ARDOR .
BRAT . ELISIVM . QVONIAM . MEA . DELECTATIO .
SOLA . NVNC . FRVOR . ELISIO . PERPETVOQVE .
FRVAR .
. VIVET . POST . FVNERA . VIRTVS .
[Grisel Durh^vm, wife of David .Alexander
of Pitskellie, died 6th June 1664, in the 34th
year of her age.
Anagram : —
Grisel Durham,
Sweet Paradise ! to me thou'rt truly dear ;
To reach thy halls was ever my life's aim ;
Now I am there — them I enjoy, nor fear
But I shall evermore enjoy the same.
Virtue shall survive the grave.]
— Grisel Durham had probably been related
to the lairds of Grange of Monifieth and Pit-
kerro. David Alexander was served heir to
his father James in the lands of Balskellie
and others, 21st December, 1676 (Retours).
The Alexanders were also proprietors of
Ravensby and Carnoustie. In the floor of the
church a tombstone with the following in-
scription also refers to an Alexander : —
. . RE . LTIS . IAMES . AL . DER . OF . . .
An adjoining fragment, upon which there is
a shield charged with the Eamsay eagle,
bears : —
.... A . MAGDALEN .A
— Ramsays were early settled in this and the
adjoining parish of Panbride, in both of which
tliey held considerable property.
Upon a mural monument, also within the
church : —
1789, To the memory of Robert Sim, late of
Greenlawhill, of Margaret Skirling his spouse,
Elspith Sim, theu- daughter, and Margaret
Dick, spouse of Robert Sim, presently of Green-
lawhill. Elspith Sim died Jth Feb., 1768, in the
19th year of her age ; Margaret Skirling died
23rd May, 1782, in the 6.5th year of her age ;
Margaret Dick, died 6th Nov., 1785, in the
30th year of her age ; and Robert Sim died 1st
Nov., 1787, in the 75th year of his age.
Serius aut ocius metam properamus ad unam.
1819, Robert Sim, also of Greenlawhill, who
died 3Ist Dec, 1811, in the 64th year of his age.
His son Patrick, who died in the first year of
his age ; and his daughter Margaret, who died
in the 23rd year of her age, and were interred
here.
— The property of Greenlawhill, valued in
1682 at .£66 13s. 4d. Scots, but now yielding
an annual rental of about £200, belongs to
female descendants of the above-named Robert
■Sim. A younger son of the Greenlawhill
famUy became farmer of Panlathie, and it is
to a son of his that the next inscription re-
lates. It is from a headstone within an en-
closure in the churchyard : —
Here lies interred the Rev. David Sim, who
died 1st October, 1823, iu the 70th year of his
age, having been mLuister of this parish above
47 years. Also, of his two sons, Robert,
328
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
preacher of the Gospel, who died 20th March,
1825, in the 24th year of liis age, and James
MiLN Sim, Captain iu the Hon. East IndiaCom-
l)any's service, who died 3rd July, 1827, in the
41st year of his age.
From a fl it slab : —
Here lyes Hkndry Patton, husbanil to Eliza-
beth Stratton, who dwelt in Cotsyd. He died
upon the 8 of December, 1707, and of age was
G3.
— RicliarJ Melville, lawful son of James
jNIelvillo of Ilysart and Anna Aucbinleck, his
spouse, had charters of East CoatsiJe of
Barrie, May, 1598, and was alive in IGOO.
Robert Crawford (1707) : —
Mors tua, mors Christi, fraiis muiidi, gloria ctv-li,
Et dolor iiifrrni sunt nicdit^iuda tibi.
Thine own death and the death of Christ, the
world's deceitfuluess.
Heaven's glory, and the pains of hell should by
thee pondered be.
Upon a fiat stone : —
Here lyes Hendrie Patton, husband to Eliza-
beth Stratton, who duolt iu Cotovn ; he dyed
upon the 8 of December 178(1, his .age was 63
yearis. Here lyes tuo Sous and on Doughter to
the for named persons.
George Cr.vmond, husbanil to Katherino
Blair, wlio dwelt in the ground of Woodliill,
d. 1711, a. 50:—
How frail is man : iu how shoi-t a. time
11,' fiulrs lik.' 1 i.M's which have past their prime ;
,'-io uilnklrd .i-v tlir fairest face will |)low,
Aud r.isi iKc|i 111! 1 .iws ou the smoothest brow.
Then wliere's tluit l<.v,'l\ . tcuiptiiigface I alas !
Younselves woid.l l.lii^li In \ lew it iu a gla.ss.
1 stand to mark this ^..,,,1 111:111 s jilaee;
Upon this earth he lived iu peace ;
He with his wife and familie.
Still hade the praise for houestie.
While ou this earth he did remain.
There was no mortal cniild him stain ;
When things sublunar did him tire.
He longed to meet the heaven's empire.
Then J esus came and bade him rise,
His soul with him, to pierce the skyes ;
Ever to court the King of Kings,
With those that Halilujah sings.
Anna, dr. of Kobort Fox, d. 17-10, a. 21 : —
As we be — so shall ye.
To speek the truth let this suffice.
She was a woman virtuous and wise,
Not in the least to any vice inclin'd.
Such was her prudent, civilized mind ;
Her rest from wordly cares doth pleasant prove.
While her immortal soul triumphs above.
This honour have all his saints.
From a headstone : —
John Milne, maltmau (1746) : —
Here lies the dust that once enshrin'd
A sober, li.nust, fririidlv mind ;
The lie.-ivoiilv |Mr( li,il h' winged its flight
Toreginiisof i-tniKil li-hl.
The body t,.o «liicli bnathless lies,
Eedeem'd fr.aii death shall shoi'tly rise,
And join its kindred soul again,
Fit to adorn its Maker's train.
Isabel Duncan, wf. of Jas. Shield, farmer,
Denhead, Cuthlie, d. 1766, a. 52.
Decreed by God in mercy to mankind.
Our troubles are to this shoi-t life confin'd ;
Want, weakness, pain, disease, and sorrow have
Their general quietus in the grave.
The living never should the dead lament ;
Death's our reward, & not our punishment ;
Keep death & judgment always in yom- eye—
None's fit to live, but who is tit to die.
Make use of present time because you must
Take up your lodging shortly iu the dust ;
'Tis dreadful to behold the setting sun,
And night approaching e'er yom- work is done.
From a headstone : —
Erected by William Louson, wright, Carnous-
tie, in meiiiory of his father Thomas Louson,
Hret feuar in Caruoustie, who built the first house
there in the year 1797, and who died the 2nd
April 1856, aged 92 years. Also of his brother
Alexander, who died 26th March 1853, in the
59th year of his age.
— Although the first house in Carnoustie was
built so late as 1797, the village is now a
place of considerable importance, and a fa-
vourite resort during the bathing season. It
contains a (iiwad sacm, a Free, and an U.P.
church, an Episcopal mission hall, some im-
portant manufactories, neat dwelling-houses, a
branch bank, hotels, and a population of 1400
souls.
BARRY.
329
The property of Carnoustie, which was
bought in 1801 by Mr. Kinloch of Kinloch
from a Major Philip, belonged at one time to
the lairds of Pitskelly, by one of whom it was
sold, before 1G82, to Patrick Lyon, advocate,
a cadet of the Glamis family. Mr. Lyon died
in 1699, and was succeeded by a son. The
family is said to have failed in a female, who,
it is alleged, married a shipmaster of the name
of Milne, iu Montrose. It is certain that in
1747 "Captain James Mill of Carnoustie"
had an annual of 60 merks out of a tent'inent
in Montrose, and in 1749 "James Infill of
Carnoustie " is a witness, along with Wm.
Mill of Ballvvyllo, to a deed regarding some
property iu the same town (Ueg. of Snsines).
This probably shows a connection between the
Mills of Carnoustie and tho.se of Balwyllo
and old Montrose, of whom ]\Ir. Mill of iVarn
was a descendant (Land of the I>indsays, 193),
The alleged marriage of Captain Mill with
the last female representative of the Lyons of
Carnoustie receives some apparent confirma-
tion from the fact that there is still e.\taiit at
Woodhill a carving of the Mill arms, with an
anchor and cable for a crest, over which is the
motto EX INDUSTKIA, and in the base are the
initials J. M : M. L. in monogram. This slab,
which is dated 1752, is said to have been re-
moved from the old house of Carnoustie to
Woodhill by a person named Mill, who bought
the latter property.
We have been tohl that there either is or
was somewhere about Carnoustie a slab bear-
ing a carving of the Koyal Arms of Scotland,
but as these are very similar to the Ghmiis
coat, the shield referred to had possibly been
upon the old mansion of the Lyons of Car-
noustie. Two slabs at Woodhill, one of which
is initialed and dated 1. M. : A. 1)., 1764, and
the otlier dated 1773, had possibly also been
brought from Cainoustie. We were told by
the late laird that the Kyds Were succeeded
in Woodhill first by Barclay-Maitland of
Towio in Aberdeenshire, next by another
Maitland, and then by James Milne, a mer-
chant and P.aillie of Dundee, who ilird in
1798, and from whom the present family in-
herit the estate : —
XON OMN'LS MORIAR.
In memory of James Miln of Woodliill, who
(lied !M\ November 1798, aged years. Kddert
MiLN of Woodhill, who died 8tli October 1824,
aged 51 years. James Yeaman Miln of Wood-
hill and Murie, who died 28th April IS-I?, aged
f)7 years. Mary Hav, his wife, daughter of
Alexander Hay of Letham, died 8tli March 182.'),
aged 26 yeai-s.
— The fatlier of the late proprietor, whose sur-
name was Brand and wlio was in business in
Dundee, assumed the name of MiLN on suc-
ceeding his nialeiiiiil uncle in the estate of
Woodhill. Upon the death of another rela-
tive in 1849, he succeeded to the ju-operty of
Muiie in Langforgan, and took the additional
surname of Yeaman. When the late laird of
Woodhill, who was bred a Writer to the
Signet, succeeded his uncle Mr. Joun IIax in
Letham Grange in 1870, he assumed the name
of Haii-Miln, and shortly before his death,
which happened on 5tli Feb., 1877, he sold
Letham Grange to !Mr. James Fletcher (for-
merly Jack) of liosehaugh for about £121,800
sterling. Mr. Hay-Miln married a daughter
of Jlr. Macintosh of La Mancha, near I'eebles,
a native of the neighbourhood of Nairn, who
made a fortune as a contractor in India, and
was succeeded in \\'oo(lliill by his only child,
a son.
Mr. Hay-Miln's second In other, who came
into po.ssession of Murie, sold tliat property
to the late Mr. F. Molison of Errol Park, and
a third and younger brother is a merchant in
Dundee. A sister, who died some years ago,
was the wife of Mi: I)avid Small, s(dicitor in
Dundee.
The Kyds of Woodhill were a branch of
330
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
the family of Craigie, near Dundee, and held
"Woodhill from before 1671 (Retours). In
1682, when it was described by Guynil as " a
pleasant place," it was valued at £360 Scots.
A slab over the courtyard door is initialed and
dated J.K : H.F., 1700.
The house of AVoodhill, which stands upon
a rising ground to the west of the kirk of
Barry, is surrounded with fine old trees, and
before it was lathed and plastered, painted in-
scriptions could be seen upon the joists that
supported the upper flooring. Besides the
carved slabs already noticed, which are said
to relate to the ]Milns of Carnoustie, there are
two others referring to the Auchenlecks. One
over the door of the inner courtyard is initialed
W. A. : M. D. and dated 1601, and the other,
built into the dovecot, exhibits the same ini-
tials, but is dated 16 — , and bears a carving of
the Auchenleck arms (three bars sable, with a
hunting horn in base), and the motto I . HOP
. TO . SPEID . The initials refer to
William Auchenleck and bis wife Margaret
Durham.
John Auchenleck, of the family of that Ilk
in Mouikie, was designed of Woodhill in 1408.
He married Janet Eollock, and along with
her brother George, a burgess of Dundee, bad
a letter of reversion over the lands of Balmir-
mar, upon which they bad jointly lent the sum
of four score merks (Grig. writ, at Panmure).
The last male representative of the Kyds of
Woodhill was an officer of the Eoyal Navy,
who retired to Elie in Fife, where he died in
1793, aged about 70.
Upon the east side of a headstone : —
To the memory of G.K., A.M., late school-
master at Barrie, only son of G.K., late wright
in Montrose, and his spouse, Janet Brown. Hav-
ing finished the ordinary course of Philosophy
and Divinity, he was ready to enter on Proba-
tionary Trials for preaching the Gospel, when
(oh, the depths of the ways of God) he was re-
moved by death, Feb. 28, 1787, in the 25th year
vt his aire
—The west side of the same stone presents
garbled quotations of a familiar Latin verse
and a well-known passage of Shakespeare
(Henry VIII., act 3, scene 2) : —
Serius aut ocius metam properamus ad unani.
Such is the fate of man :
To day puts forth the tender leaves
Of hope ; to-morrow blossoms ;
The third comes a blast, a killing frost,
And straight he falls
Like
Here lyes the corps of Robert Kyd, tennent
in Lochsyde, and one of the ruling eldere in the
parish of Ban-ie, who was married to Barbara
Scott, Nov. 7, 1728, and departed this lif Nov. 2,
176.3, of his age 63. He has surviving two sons
Robert and John, and two daughters, Margaret
and Magdalene.
All who behold this monument
In Christ your trust repose,
And of your sins repent in time
Lest heaven and earth you loss.
The gravestone of Susan Gibson, wf. of
David Paton, mason, Carnoustie, who died in
1835, aged 29, presents the well-known epi-
taph from the tomb of Mrs. Cubett at Lam-
beth :—
She was — but words are wanting
To say what —
Think wbat a wife should be —
She was that.
The following (upon the gate of an enclo-
sure on N.W. corner of the churchyard) refers
to an uncle of the present laird of Blackness : —
Major Thomas Hunter, of the 104th Regi-
ment, died on the 19 of March, 1840, aged 59
yeare.
A headstone within the same enclosure
bears the following record of a sister of the
above-named and her family : —
Erected by Elizabeth Rose in memory of Jane
Ramsay Rose, lier daughter, who died at Car-
noustie, September 29th, 1849, aged 35 years.
And of Helen Rose, who died at sea, on the
27th August, 1846, aged 34. And of the said
Mrs. Elizabeth Rose, who died May 12, 1857,
aged 80 years.
From a hendstone : —
BABRY.
331
To the memory of David Moram, late of Ged-
hall, who died 18th March 1821, in the 35th
year of his age ; and of Alexander Moram, his
son, who died 25 March 1820, in the year of
his age. This monument was erected by Susan
Petrie, his widow, and by Isobel Moram, their
daughter. The above Susan Petrie died 13th
Feb. 1845, aged 58 years.
— Gedhall, Godhall, or Doghall, was feued by
David Garden in 1541 from the Abbot and
Convent of Balmerino, and Thomas, son of
Gardyne of that Ilk, had a feu-charter of Ged-
hall in 1550 (Campbell's Balmerino). From
that date until recently, the Gardynes were
lindowners in Barry, and one of them founded
the village of Gardyneburgh in that parish.
In 1682, Gedhall was valued at £43 6s. 8d.
Scots, and at the same date David IMoram held
property in Barry valued at £6 5s. Scots.
Janet Moram, possibly one of the same family,
was the wife of Mr. Urquhart, schoolmaster of
Monifieth, 1656-64 (Eps. Ins., i. 113).
The objects of greatest antiquity in Barry
are possiblj' the fragments of a boulder near
the house of Woodhill, upon which are a num-
ber of " cup markings" of the same kind as
Sir James Simpson collected so many examples
of (Proceed. So. Antiq. of Scot. VI.) Such
cup-marked stones have given rise to much
antiquarian discussion, but no satisfactory ex-
planation of their nature and use has yet been
proposed. Some excellent papers upon the
subject have appeared from time to time in the
Transactions of the Eoyal Archseological
Society of Ireland, and in a recent article pub-
lished in the Proceed, of the So. of Antiq. of
Scotland (Vol. XL), Dr. Daniel Wilson sug-
gests from what he has observed in Ohio and
Kentucky, U.S., that the hoUows may have
been used by " our ancient forefathers" for
rubbing or grinding stone axes, pestles, and
mauls.
Old writers say that the Danes were de-
feated near Barry by the Scots under Malcolm
II., that the Danish General, Camus, was
killed there, and that his remains were buried
under a sculptured stone, called Oamus Cross,
in the parish of Monikie. An urn containing
human bones, and a gold bracelet, were found
below or near the cross when it was removed
from its original site. — (Sculptd. Stones of
Scotland ; Mem. Angus and the Mearns.)
Ancient sepulchral remains have been dis-
covered in almo.st every knoll and hillock in
the district, and not many years ago, when a
barrow at Lochside, 12 to 18 feet in height
and of great length, was removed, quantities
of human and other bones were found within
it. So late as the spring of 1878, some work-
men employed in digging a drain near the
Cross in Dundee Street, Carnoustie, came, at
a depth of about 18 inches below the surface,
upon several stone coffins containing human
remains. The reputed carnage at Barry
(]\Iein. of Angus and Mearns) is celebrated in
the local rhyme : —
Lochty, Lochty, is red, red, red,
For it has run three days wi' bleed.
William Cuinyn, Sheriff of Angus, was pro-
bably one of the first proprietors in Barry, and
among other gifts that he made to the Mon-
astery of Arbroath were some acres of land
near the church.
The district was a royal grange, and the
Chamberlain Polls show that the table of
Alexander III. was supplied with mutton fed
upon the links of Barry.
During the first half of the 17th century, it
having come to the knowledge of Patrick
Maule of Panmure, who was then ''Admiral
deput upone the schore and cost of Angus,"
that Durham of Grange and his two sons had
taken possession of a " royal fish " that was
stranded on the sands of Barry, proceedings
were taken against them, and at an Admiralty
Court held on 19th December, 1638, "at the
Budden sandis of Barrie, within floud mark
of the sea," they were indicted " flfor wrougous
332
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
medling with aue quhall lyanJ wpone the
schor and cost of Angus, and sandis of Barrie,
callit Budden sandis."
It was pleaded on behalf of tlio laird of
Grange that as he owned a salmon fishing
upon the sands " quhair the quliall presently
lies," he was entitled to claim the prize, but as
his charter and infeftnient were found " to
bear only salmond fisching, but not to bear
nor include great fischinges, according to the
alledganoe, nor yeit no wther claus that may
comprehend ane quhall," David Soutar of
Wardmill, who acted as substitute for the
admiral-depute, gave judgment in favour of
his superior.
For some time before the year 1682, when
Grange of Barry was valued at £360 Scots, it
belonged to a famUy named Watson. They
were burgesses of Dundee, and owned both
AVallace Craigie and Grange of Barry for two
or three generations. One of the family ap-
pears to have been kniglited, " Sir Alexander
Watson of Barry " being a vestry-man to
Bishop Ochterlony, at Dundee, in 1731.
Grange of Barry has been in several hands
since it passed Irom the Watsons. It was
bought about by Harry Henderson,
merchant, Dundee, who had three sons and
two daughters by his wife, who is said to have
been a cousin of his own and sister to Hender-
son of Eochelhill in Glamis. Mr Henderson
was succeeded by his only surviving son,
William, who bought the property of Myles-
field in Longforgan, and died unmarried in
1851, in his 86th year. He was succeeded in
Grange of Barry by a maternal relative, James
Wighton, solicitor, who died in the following
year, when his cousin, Alexander Wighton,
shipowner in Dundee, became heir to the pro-
perty. The latter died in 1870, aged 64, and
was succeeded by his son William, the present
laird. On the death of Mr Henderson in
1851, the Mylosfield property went to another
relative of the name of Law, who was a dock-
gate keeper at Dundee (Epitaphs, i. 195,
184).
The Village of Barry consists of a number
of scattered houses near the church. Statutory
fairs were held annually at " the cross " of
Barry on the second Tuesday of April and the
first Tuesday after Martinmas, but their dis-
tinctive names, if they ever had any, are lost.
A mineral well near the village, which was
long famed for the cure of scorbutic and other
diseases, has also long since disappeared.
About 1600, the Haugh of Barry, which lay
to the south of the Kirk, was some 13 acres
in extent, and although, according to a rental
of that date, the whole paid teind, " tua pairt
yairof is urakit wt watter & sand, sua it is
worthe litill nor nathing, for opperanelie it wis
all wrake in schort tyme." It is far otherwise
at the jjresent day, for " thehauche" has been
thoroutjhly drained and thereby rendered pro-
ductive.
The principal mansion houses in the parish
are Woodhill (already noticed) and Ravensbj'.
The latter was erected by Mr. James Walker,
millspinner, Dundee, who in 1866 bought the
property from Mr Bruce-Gardyne of Middle-
ton. There is a porter's lodge near the bridge
that crosses the Burn of Barry, and a pictur-
esque carriage drive winds through the den.
William Guthrie (second son of Guthrie of
tliat Ilk), who bought Gagie from Sibbald of
Eankeillor in 1610, purchased the lands of
liavensby from John Cant on 16th June, 1603.
(Epitaphs, i. 126.)
Of the once thriving hamlet of Barrymuir,
where a U.P. Church long stood, the old
m mse, a house of two stories, is now all that
is left. The last incumbent of the church (in
which Dr. Jamieson, author of the Scottish
Dictionary frequently officiatad) was the Eev.
Mr. Murray, who died about 1830. He was
tlie fatlier of Dr. IMurray, who died in 187G
LESLIE.
333
at Carnoustie, where he had been a medical
practitioner for about twenty years.
Altliough churches belonging to various de-
nominations have been planted in diflFerent
parts of the parish, a belief in some of the
superstitions of the darker ages was common
down to a late date. jS'^ot many years ago,
when one Gillan, a Chelsea Pensioner, com-
mitted suicide by hanging, his body was
buried as it was found upon the north or shady
side of the kirkyard, with the fatal rope round
the neck !
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^vvv\^^^\^v^v^^^^^^^^^^w^v^v^\^v\^*^
ON 13th Sept., 12.57, Pope Alexander IV.
ratiiied the provisions made by the
Abbot and convent of Lindores to the Vicar
of the Kirk of Lenhj of a yearly ftipend of
12 merks, the whole altarage, the manse, and
kirk lands, with the half of the teind sheaves
of the town of Henry tlie son of John, now
known as the farm of Johnston (Keg. Ep.
Abd., 251).
The Kirk of Lesseli/n, wliich belonged to
the diocese of Aberdeen, is rated at 18 merks
in the Taxation of 1275 (Reg. Vet. Aberb.)
In a rental of the Abbey of Lindores (sup-
posed to belong to about the close of the 15th
century) the Kirk of Leslie is charged with
.£45 6s. 8d. (Laing's Lindores Abbey, 418).
In 1574, Leslie and four other parishes were
under the ministerial cliarge of Mr. John
Strachan of Sevydlie (a place in Forbes), who
had a slipend of £133 and kirk lands, and the
reader, a namesake of his own, had a salary of
£20 Scots.
The present church, which stands upon a
rising ground on the south side of the Gaudie,
was built in 1815, and the belfry exhibits the
initials J. F. L., which seem to refer to John
Forbes of Leslie, mentioned below. Tlie bell,
a fine-toned instrument, is thus inscribed : —
MICHAEL . EVEGERHVYS . ME . FECIT.
1642.
In the churchyard, a broken table-shaped
stone, with a carving of the Forbes arms,
bears : —
HEIR . LYES . WILLIAM . FORBES . OF . LESLIE .
WHO . LEIVD . FIFTE . . TEARS . AND . DEPARTED .
THIS . LTFE . IN . . . NOVEMBER . THE . 12 . 1670.
— He was a son of John Forbes, of the ]\Iony-
musk family, who married the widow of
George, the last baron of Leslie, and became
proprietor of the estate by buying up the
debts with which it was burdened. The date
of 1643 is said to have been upon the gate of
the drawbridge, aud over the front door of
Leslie Castle is the motto : —
H^C . COEPVS : SYDERA . MENTEM.
[This (house) the Ijody : heaven the soul.]
The Forbes (and 1 the Inues) arms, and the
date of "June 17, 1661," appear upon
difierent parts of the ruins. These refer to
the time of the above-named William, who is
said to have rebuilt the castle. The late Sir
Andrew Leith Hay, who gives a drawing of
Leslie in his " Castellated Architecture of
Aberdeenshire," states, on what authority we
are not aware, tliat the said WiUiam Forbes
married Janet, sister of Lord Duflfus. It is
certain that he had a son John, from whom
the property was purchased by an ancestor of
the present laird of Leith-Hall. The castle is
now in a very sorry slate, although timely and
judicious repair would have made it as com-
fortable a residence as the older castle of
Lickleyhead in the adjoining parish of Pi-em-
nay still is.
The following lines are not of .such rare
occurrence as the introduction of the name
into the rhyme : —
334
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Here lies Adam Smith under this stone
Slain by Death, who spareth none ;
Take heed and read as you shall see
As I am now so shalt thou be
Kotting in dark and silent dust
Prepare for death, for die you must.
Life is uncertain, death is sure,
Sin is the wound, Christ is the cure.
Above wrietten Adam Smith lived in Castle
Forbes, and dyed the 12th of December, 1737, in
the 39 year of his age ; and Adam Smith, his
son, dyed the 7th of October 1738.
The next lines, from a table-shaped stone,
exhibit greater originality : —
Here lies James Milner, late in Mains of Corse,
Whose pious mind, with pity and remoree,
Beheld the carnal customs of the times,
And testifi'd against habitual crimes.
Lamenting vice, with impudence avow'd.
And virtue's di\nne dictates disallow'd.
A loving husband, and a parent sweet.
True to his friends, to every one discreet ;
Sincerity thro' all his conduct ran.
In love to God, benevolence to man.
The feeble knees which he upheld before,
Who will support them ? for now he is no more.
He stood upright on life's unstable stage, i
And died the sixty-eighth yeai' of his age,
Seventeen hundred seventy and two.
His soul renounc'd her residence below,
In Februarie, on the fifteenth day,
His mortal part was mingl'd with the clay.
Vivit post funera virtus.
The next inscription, also from a talile
stone, possibly relates to a relative of the
Kev. Ales. Stuaet who was translated from
Grange to Leslie, and died in 1801, in his 80th
year : —
Here are interred the remains of Alexander
Stuart, late Lieutenant in the 89th regiment of
Foot, sometime residing at Leslie House, who
departed this life 22d Sep. 1821, aged 84jears.
This stone is erected by his widow, Helen Stuart,
as a mark of respect to his memory.
From a marble slab within an enclosure : —
To the memory of the Rev. David Dunbar,
minister of Leslie, who died 20 Feb. 1830, in the
81^' year of his age, and 34'" of his ministry. And
of his wife Dorothea Wilson, who died in the
month of Oct. 1823.
— On the translation of ]\Ir. Harper to Kil-
drunimy, Mr !>., previously schoolmaster at
Alford, was appointed assistant, and afterwards
successor, to Mr. Stuart above referred to. Mr.
Dunbar is said to have been a native of Kil-
drummy, and to have been related to Michael
Dunbar, who during the course of his long life
of 100 years did so much to protect that dis-
trict from the destructive raids of the cateran
(Epitaphs, i. 265).
The antiquities of the parish consist chiefly
of " standing stones." One of these, called
sometimes the Ringin' Stane, sometimes
Ringan's Stane, and formerly surrounded with
a cairn of small stones, stands upon the farm
of Johnston, and possibly preserves the name
of the saint (S. Ringan or Ninian) to whom
either the parish church or some other local
place of worship may have been dedicated.
On the farm of Braehead there was until
recently a group of four stones, of which only
one now remains. It is set into a base, and a
chain-like circle is cut upon it, somewhat re-
sembling that upon the Glrdlestane of Dun-
nichen in Forfarshire. It possibly marks a
place of early sepuliure, quantities of human
bones having been found in its immediate
vicinity.
At Loanhead there is a stone about two
feet in height, whose mineral composition ex-
hibits some remarkable peculiarities which at-
tract numerous visitors.
In 1877, several stone cists, containing
human remains, and an urn, were found near
Xew Leslie, which was probably a well-
peopled locality in old times, and where more
recently the Leslies as well as the Leiths of
Leith-Hall had a residence.
The origin of the name (Less-Lynn, the rath
or fort of the pool), which seems to be satis-
factorily accounted for by ]\Ir. Laing in his
excellent history of the Abbey of Lindores
(Edin., 1875), shows it to have been a place
of great antiquity. Leslie contains three
modern churches, the Established, the Free,
MENMUIR.
335
and the ludepeuJent, but nuthiiig now re-
maius of the old place of worship which is said
to have stood at Chapelton, and whose old font
is built into the farm house. According to
tradition, the church was demolished long ago
by the tenant of the farm, who is said to have
paid dearly for his sacrilegious act, which was
punished by the loss of " four pair of horse."
There are few places whose proprietary
history can be traced so far back and so clearly
as that of Leslie.
In 1171-99, Malcolm, son of Bartholf, had
a grant of the lands of Lesslyn, Aohnagart,
and Mile from David, Earl of Huntingdon,
brother of William the Lion and Lord of the
Garioch. Norman, the son of ISIalcolm, re-
ceived a contirmation grant of these lands
(1219-37), with the exception of the Kirk of
Lesselyn, which he had previously given to the
Abbot and Convent of Lindores ; and on the
succession of Alforno, son of Norman, " the
constable," (1247-48), he had a gift of the
woods and forest of Lesslyn (Coll., Abd., Bff.)
The family afterwards assumed their surname
from their principal estate ; and on two dif-
ferent occasions, first at Montrose, and next at
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Norman de Lechelyn or
Lesselyn did homage to Edward I. in 1296
(Eagman EoUs, 92, 142).
It was this baron who is said to have re-
ceived the lands of Fotkil or Fitkil in Fife,
upon which parish the name of Leslie was
afterwards conferred, as was also that of
Kothes upon the family residence there.
Norman Leslie's son. Sir Andrew, married
one of the three co-heiresses of Sir Alex.
Abernethy, by whom he acquired Eothes in
Moray, Ballinbrich in Fife, and Cairny in
Perthshire. The eldest son by this marriage
is said to have left no issue ; the second,
Walter, who married Euphemia, Countess of
Eoss, became Earl of Eoss ; the third. Sir
Andrew, was laird of Colmellie in Cushney
and of Bauds in Fyvie ; and the fourth,
George, was ancestor of the Leslies of l!al-
quhain. Sir Andrew of Colmellie left a son
Norman, whose son David had an only daugh-
ter, and through her the old family estate of
Leslie in the Garioch was brought by marriage
to a namesake of her own (Doug. Peerage),
and their descendants continued in possession
of Leslie until, as above stated, it passed to
William Forbes, who died in 1670.
JH e n m u i r.
(S. AIDAN, BISHOP.)
CY3HE church of Manmure, Menmmji; Men-
*~ inor, or Menmur, as the name was vari-
ously spelt in former times, was a vicarage in
the diocese of Dunkeld, and is rated at £4
Scots in Bagimont's Eoll (ArchiBologia, xvii.
246).
It was afterwards erected into a prebend,
and Mircair of Spot, who is a witness to a
writ concerning the Chapel of Kilgary in 1454,
is the earliest recorded of its churchmen
(Abdn. Misc., MS.)
>.'r. Walter Leslie, who held the office of
parson before 9th Sept., 1.502, and who is
designated Rector of Menmuir in the Eeg.
Ab. Arb. under date 1517, is described as
being " noble by hirth, but much more noble
by his eloquence and wisdom." Although
his name is not given in any of the peerage
books, he was probably a son of the house of
Eothes. At the former of the above dates,
he founded an altar to St. Magow in the
church of St. Nicholas, Aberdeen (Spald.
Misc., V. 34).
In Myln's Lives of the Bishops of Dunkeld
(Tr. Ant. So. of Perth, 62), it is said of Mr.
Leslie : " He closed in with a stone wall the
336
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS .
manse ground wliich before had been waste.
He built all the houses upon it, and made a
very pleasant garden He gave the
church a blue fringed damask cope with sewed
figures. He beautified the altar of St. John
the Baptist with silk curtains, with priests'
habits, and with a brass candlestick." It
also appears that he instituted the vicarage of
Blair in Athol.
Towards the middle of the 16th century,
Eobert Shaw succeeded James Hamilton in the
church of Menmuir under peculiar restrictions;
and at a later period (1574), James Melvil was
minister, and Andrew Elder reader or school-
master. But as these points, and many others
regarding the history of the parish have been
touched upon in the Lands of the Lindsays
(241-67), our remarks will be confined chiefly
to the inscriptions, and the families to which
some of these refer.
The present church was erected in 1842,
down to which period the burial aisle of the
Collace family was roofed and in good preser-
vation. The Collaces were old proprietors of
the district, and when the church was re-
built, and also in 1861, fragments of coffin
slabs, ancient crosses, and a skull with fillets
of silver were found in the aisle, a portion of
which still remains upon the north side of the
church. This aisle has also been the burial
place of the Carnegies for more than two
centuries,' as is proved by the date of 1639 on
a carving of their arms, impaled with those of
the Blairs, which was originally built into the
part of the wall that was taken down in 1872
to make way for the existing parapet and
railing, and which was then removed and
placed in the position it now occupies in the
wall of the church, immediately above the
family burying-ground. In addition to the
arms and date above-mentioned, the carving
also e.x.hibits the initials A.C.D.G.B., which
refer to Sir Alex. Carnegy of Balnamoou and
his wife Dame (jiles Blair, of the family of
Balthayock, near Perth.
Sir Alexander Carnegy, who was a younger
brother of the Earls of Southesk anil Xorth-
esk, was the founder of the Balnamoon branch
of the Carnegys. James, who died in 1791,
married the heiress of Fuidowrie, in the parish
of Brechin, by whom he acquired that estate,
and took the additional surname of Arhuth-
iwtt. He also added the lands of Ealzeordie
and Balrownie to his property, and was suc-
ceeded by a son, James, who died in 1810,
and in whom the male line of the family be-
came extinct. The succession then devolved
upon James Carnegy Knox, a nephew of the
last-mentioned, who assumed the surname of
(Jurnegij-Avhuflinutt. To his memory an lona
cross of Aberdeen granite, within the family
burial aisle on the north of the church, is thus
inscribed : —
When the ear heard me, then it blessed me.
Job xxix. 11.
James Carnegt-Arbuthnott, Esq., born Dec.
23, 1788, died April 12, 1871. Erected by his
loving Daughters.
— His father, who was an army contractor in
London, was at one time proprietor of Mark-
house in Tannadice and Keithock, near
Brechin. Mr. Carnegy-Arbuthnott, was bred
to the bar, hut never practised. He married
a daughter of Mr. David Hunter of Blackness,
to whom and other deceased members of their
family the next three inscriptions (from white
marble tablets) refer: —
Sacred to the memory of Mart-Anne, wife of
James Carnegy-Arbuthnott, who died 12th Nov.,
1854, aged 69. And of David-William, their
son, who died at Port Natal, 18th March, 1852,
a^ed 39. " Blessed are the dead that die iu the
Lord."
[2.]
To the memory of Elizabeth Gibson, who
died 16th May, 1831, aged 17 years; Andrew
Knox, who died 9th June, 1832, aged 11 yeai-s ;
James, who died at Vcutiiur, Isle of Wight,
MENMUIR.
337
Oct. IStli, 1832, aged IV years ; also of Thomas
Hunter, their youngest son, who died in Aus-
traHa, June, 1858, this tablet is inscribed by
their affectionate parents, James and Mary-Anne
Camegy-Arbuthnott.
[3.]
Anne C'arnegt-Ahbuthnott, Born August
31. 1817. Died November 16, 1872. " Weep not,
she is not dead, but sleepeth."
— The only survivors of the family are three
daughters, ]\Iiss Helen, who is a liberal bene-
factress to the poor of the district, is in
possession of the estate, and her younger
sisters are respectively married to Mr. A. E.
Capel, merchant in London, and to the Eev.
Mr. Johnson, rector of Oaksey, "Wilts. Mrs.
Capel has a large family of sons and daughters,
but Mrs. Johnson has only one child — a son.
The eldest son of the former, Arthur, is heir-
presumptive to the estates of Balnamoon and
Findowrio.
There are no monuments to anj^ of the
parish ministers except the last two, who both
died in the parish. The first of these, the
Eev. John Waugh, who is described as " a
zealous pastor," and " an unbounded benefac-
tor" to the poor, was minister for 41 years^
and died in 1824, aged 68. Laudatory in-
scriptions referring to his wife and sister-in-
law state that the former, Frances Elizabeth
Geegort, died in 1827, aged 73, and the
latter, Dorothea Gregory, in 1831, aged 71.
A neat freestone monument marks the grave
of Mr. Wauijli's immediate s\iccessor, and is
thus inscribed : — •
The Reverend William Cron, was 34 years
minister of Menmuir, died May the 4th, 1859,
aged 73 years. Think, mortal, what it is to die.
Upon an adjoining tablestone: —
Erected by Margaret Somerville, in memory
of the Reverend James Somerville, her hus-
band. Episcopal Clergyman at Brechin, who after
faithfully discharging the duties of his sacred
office, died at Brechin, on the 19th of February,
1812, in the 42nd year of his ministry, and the
64th year of his age. The body of their son,
Alexander, also lies here, who died 19th of
March, 179fi, aged 2 yeara. Margaret Camp-
bell, Relict of the Rev. James Somerville, died
in Brechin on the 21st July, 1846, in the 92nd
year of her age, and is interred here.
— Mr. Somerville, who resided in the old
mansion-house of Balzeordie, officiated every
Sunday at Tigerton of Menmuir in the fore-
noon, and at Brechin in the afternoon. A
short time before his death, his family removed
to Brechin, where his daughters opened a
school, which was long conducted with con-
siderable success. Two of the daughters were
married to merchants in Liverpool, and a son,
Alexander, who studied for the church, and
was engaged for a number of years in minis-
terial work in Xew Brunswick, died at Fetter-
cairn in April, 1872. Mr. Somerville, whose
wife was a daughter, of the fanner of Broom-
bank in Glcnbervie, was succeeded in the
Episcopal Church at Brechin by the late IMr.
David Moir, who was afterwards Bishop of
the diocese of Brechin.
A headstone, on the south side of the
church, is t':us inscribed : —
Here lys Alexander Skair, once in Burnside,
who departed this life, July 12th 1751, aged 67
years, with fom- of his children, viz. : Isable,
who dy'd Nov. 16th 1722, aged four years ;
Thomas, dy'd March 19th 1724, aged three years;
Alexander, dy'd Feb. 16th 1731, aged eight
years ; another named Isabel, dy'd four months
old. M;u-garet Wedderburn, Spouse to the de-
ceast Alexander Skair, erected this Stone in
memory of her husband.
Memento mori.
[2.]
A . S : M W. 1753
Pulvis et umbra sumus
Here lies David Guthrie of Burnside, Hus-
band to Ann Skair, he died the 3rd of March
1781, aged 64. Here lies Ann Skair, Spouse to
the deceased David Guthrie of Burnside, she
died the 28th Oct., 1801, aged 77 years.
— Alex. Skair, succeeded his father David
as tenant, and became proprietor of the lands
of Burnside about 1743. His father (probably
338
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
a brother of Thomiis, tenant of Boysaek)
had seisin of Balconncl in 1740, hut in 1749
the property was sold to a Dundee family
of the name of Murisoii, from whom it was
purchased in 1804 by Mr. Scott, afterwards
tenant of Cookston, near Brechin. It was
through the marriage of the above-named
David Guthrie with Ann, daughter of Alex.
Skair, that the jsroperty of Burnside came to
the Guthries. To their son, Alexander, his
wife, and some of their family, the next in-
scription relates : —
Erected by Alexander Guthrie, merchant,
Singapore, iu memory of liis father, Alexander
Guthrie, propiietor of Burnside, and sometime
tenant in Leadmore, who died on 20th Novem-
ber, 1836, aged 89 years ; and his mother,
Margaret Guthrie, who died on 26th October,
1839, aged 84 years. Also in memory of his
brother David, who died on 11th December,
1834, aged 56 years ; Jambs, who died ou 6th
February, 1830, aged 42 years ; Thoma.s, who
died ou 30th September, 1841, aged 49 years, and
of his sister, Margaret, who died on the 6th
June, 1841, aged 64 years. Also in memory of
Betty, Isobel, Alexander, and Helen, who
.•ill died in infancy. James and Margaret are
buried in the churchyard of Brechin, the others
are interred here. Alexander and Margaret
Guthrie lived in the mairied state upwards of
sixty yeai-s.
— The property of Burnside was sold in 1844
to Peter Bell, Crosstown of ilberlemno, by
the late Charles Will, Esq., solicitor, Brechin,
trustee on the estate of Thomas Guthrie, son
of the above-named Alexander.
Erected by James Guthrie, Merchaut, Singa-
pore, in memory of his father David Guthrie,
son of Alexander Guthrie, of Burnside, who
died on 1 1th December, 1834, aged 56 yeare ;
also in memory of his brother, Alexander
Guthrie, who died on 13th December, 1834,
aged 22 years ; and in memory of his mother,
Katherine Grant, wife of David Guthi-ie, who
died on 14th April, 1869, aged 89 years.
— The erector of the above, who succeeded to
the business of his uncle in Singapore (see
next inscription), married a daughter of the
late "Mr. Scott, Balwyllo, who died young,
leaving one son and two daughters, the
younger of whom is married to ]\Ir. John
Shiell, solicitor, Dundee.
From a white marble tablet (within the
church), upon which are the Guthrie arms and
motto — Sto pro veritate : —
In memory of Alexander Guthrie, whose
remains are interred in Kensal Green Cemetery,
youngest son of Alexander Guthrie of Burnside.
He left this country early in life, was for many
years resident in Singapore, afterwards at No. 8
Upper Wim|3ole Street, London, where he died
on 12th March, 1865, aged 68 years. He was a
successful merchant, a kind friend, and always
took a warm interest in this his native parish.
1823. Erected by the surviving children of
John Guthrie and Helen Wjdie, viz. : Alexi-.,
late, tenant Findaurie, now in Brechin ; John,
teuant, Balfour, David, merchant, Brechin,
James, teuant, Maisondieu and East Town,
Dunlappie, Charles, late tenant, Cookston, now
Fiddes, Margaret, spouse to Alexander Guthrie
of Burnside, and Jean, residing in Kirkton.
[2.]
To the memory of John Guthrie, tenant of
Kuowhead, who died 1st Octr., 1824, aged 87
years, and Helen Wyllie, his spouse, who died
12th Jany., 1821, aged 85, having lived 66 years
in the married state. And to the memory of
their children who died before them, viz. : —
Isabel, who died in childhood, 1787 ; Thom.\s,
mercht., Dundee, in 1794 ; Robert, cattle dealer,
ill 1802 ; George, late tenant, Pitmoodie, in
1817.
— David Guthrie and Janet Stewart, who had
at least five sons and three daughters, were
tenants of Cookston before 1682, and also, at
a later date, of Balbirnie JMiln, near Brechin.
David Guthrie's wife died at Cookston in
1718, and at Martinmas, 1727, he intimated
to the factor that he intended to remove " to a
meaner farme" at the following Whitsunday.
He was then advanced in life, and, instead of
taking another holding, he seems to have gone
to live with Alexander and two other sons,
who were settled in Menmuir before 1731.
This appears from a declaration made to the
MENMUIR.
339
factor for the York Building Co., by the said
"Alex. Guthiie in name of his fayr. David,"
regarding certain arrears of rent which were
due upon the tack of Balbirnie Miln, in which
he states that " his fiither is old and liveing
upon him and his oyr two sons." The old
man appears to have been well-to-do at one
time, and gave each of the three sons " por-
tions ;" still, while admitting that the arrears
were justly due, Alexander declared that "none
of them would pay a sixpence" of the money.
They were evidently Jacobites, and, like
most of the tenants on the forfeited estates,
who did not look upon the Crown or its suc-
cessors as the rightful owners, considered it a
duty to give the " legal holders" of the lands
as much annoyance as possible. Many of
them pleaded inability to pay up any arrears,
while others promised to do so as far as they
could ; but in consequence of Guthrie's defiant
attitude, an agent was ordered " forthwith to
Doe the people," and the case was reported to
be before the Sheriff at Forfar on 19th Sep-
tember, 1732. One or other of these three
sons was tbs father of David Guthrie, who
married V.ie heiress of Burnside, and an-
other, possibly John, who was born in 1682,
was the father of " Knowhead."
Of the other sons named in the inscription
[1.], Alexander, died without issue, and left
his property in Brechin to his nephew Alex-
ander, M.D. ; John was the father of the late
Bailie Guthrie of Montrose ; David was the
father of Alex., M.D., John and David, bank
agents, Patrick, a merchant, all in Brechin,
of the Eev. Dr. Thomas of Edinburgh, and
other children, male and female ; James's son
Alexander is still at Maisondieu, and Charles
has several surviving grandchildren.
Another stone bears that John Guthrie,
tenant of Balfour, his wife Jean Wyllie, and
a son James, died respectively in 1826, 1829,
and 1815; the first two were both aged 68,
and the last 22 years. Another son, John
(above-mentioned), who was a merchant and
magistrate of Montrose, died there in 1875.
The stone from which the next inscription is
taken is embellished with rude carvings of the
emblems mentioned in the lines : —
Erected by Alexander Guthrie, tenant iu Bal-
hall, in memory of his spouse, .Tean Wtllie,
who died the 16th of August, 1792, aged nearly
72 years, and they hade children procreat be-
twixt them, viz., I.^obel, Alexander, Margaret,
David, Ann, and John Guthries, who all survive
at the present date, 1793.
All passengers as you go by
And chance to view this stone.
To mind you of Mortality,
Behold the scull and bone.
Likewise the darte that wound.s tlie hart.
And syath that cuts the Threed
Of life, and coffin for to hold
The bodie when its dead.
One of this branch became tenant of Coul
in Tannadice, and married a sister of the late
Mr. Eobert Lyall, factor on the Southesk
estates. Two of his sons are niillspinners in
Dundee, and a daughter is the wife of the
Rev. John Moir, of St. John's Episcopal
Church, Jedburgh, formerly Dean of Brechin
{s. Appendix).
In connection with the Guthries and their
holdings in Menmuir, it may be mentioned
that there is a tradition that at one time a
person coidd travel from the Cruach "Water,
at the south-west corner of the parish, to the
West Water, at the north-east point — a dis-
tance of about 5 miles — upon ground occup- )^
by persons bearing that name.
From a headstone with a border heading,
bearing " God's Pj'ovidence is Man's Inheri-
tance ": —
Here lys the bodie of David Ligiitox sometime
tenant in Balrownie, he departed this life the
9"" day of November 1753, in the 48th ypar of
his age ; and of Ann Skair, his spouse, who died
at Little Pitforthie, in the year 1774, aged 61
yeare. Also of William Lightosj, their youngest
sou, farmer at Blackball, who died lo"" July
1828, aged 76 years ; and of MarqaPvET Wtlue
340
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
hia spouse, who died 15"' April 1850, aged 91
years. Also here lys Andrew Lighton, some-
time tennant in Knowhead, he died the 20"" of
May 1745, aged 35 years, and Ann Findleson
his spouse, died February the 20"" 1748, aged 38
years. John Lighton, their sou, died 8"' of
April, 1754, aged 17 years.
When death doth come in his full rage, &c.
— Andrew Leigliton and Jean Birnie, who
(Sess. Records) were married in April, 1705,
were the parents of David Leightou, the first-
mentioned in the above inscription. By his
wife, Ann Skair, he had besides several daugh-
ters, live sons — viz., David, former of Burn-
hed; Thomas, wheelwright in Brechin ; An-
drew, farmer at Syde of Stracathro ; John,
factor for Mr. Scott of Dunninald ; and
William, farmer of Blackball. By his first
marriage, John was the father of David Leigh-
ton of Bearehill, near Brechin, and by his
second, of Lieut.-Col. Thomas, and James,
sometime Town-Clerk of INIontrose. Thomas
had one son and three daugliters ; the second
and only married daughter, became the wife
of George Fairweather, lattej'ly farmer at Brath-
inch, and the son, who was originally bred
a draper, afterwards went into a banking-
house, and finally entered the army. He
served with much distinction in India, attain-
ing the rank of full General, and received the
honour of knighthood in 1837. He died at
Cheltenham in 1860, aged 86, at which time
he was the senior officer on the Bombay
establishment. A monument at Menmuir to
the memory of his parents is thus inscribed : —
Erected by Col. David Leighton, C.B., Ad-
jutant-General at the Presidency of Bombay, in
memory of his parents, Thomas Leighton and
Ann Fairweather.
— William Leighton, who appears to have
died in 1683, is the first recorded of the family
in the Session records.
The next inscription, from a mural tablet on
the south wall of the church, bears the names
of some of the Fail-weathers : —
1717 — This Monument was erected at tlie
charge and expenses of Alexander Fair-
weather in Little Crowack George Fair-
weather in Milltouu of Blackball and Jaiies
Don att the Mill of Blackball and Alexander
Smith in Teaugerton in memory of their Ances-
tors, Eesidentei-s in this paroch and for them-
selves wives children and their posterity.
Fearst thou, faint Heart, that narrow plank to
pass,
Which Christ himself hath trod, which all men
must ;
That like a child held by the sleeve alace !
With the eye still glanceing on the brim thou
go'st.
Beyond it thou shalt see those pleasant plains,
Whose boundless Beauty all discourse trans-
ceiideth.
Where kings and subjects souls have equall
reigns
On blessed Thrones whose glory never endeth.
Virtus post funera uinit.
— The surname of Fairweather is of con-
siderable antiquity in this district, and, so far
as we know, " Valter Farwedder," presbyter
of Dunkeld and a notary public, whose
name appears in deeds regarding Findowrie,
1547-63, is the first of his name in the lo-
cality. There were Fairweathers in Blairno
in Navar during the first decade of the 17th
century, and the farm of Langhaugh is still
held by a descendant of the old Menmuir
stock. The name appears in a variety of
forms, and is found in many jjarts of England
as well as of Scotland.
And. Wyllie, d. 1737, a. 31, his wf., Isabel
Skair, d. 1750, a. 64 :—
Lord what is man ? what sons of men must be >.
No sooner born to live, than doomed to Die.
What feads, what wastes Life's dying Flame ?
a Breath
"Wliich comes and goes, and points the way to
Death ;
Hold, thou, my Friend, tho' steep the thoi'uy
Eoad
Tile seraph wings at last shall waft thee uij to
God.
Andrew Eickard's sons (1803) : —
Of human frailty, to enforce the truth,
These Brothers left us, in the flower of youth,
MENMUIR.
341
Learn, ye who look, where their cold Reliques lye,
^011' so to live, as ye would wish to die.
I'rom a headstone : —
Sacred to the memory of James C'ltne, late
schoolmaster of Menmuir, who entered on that
office in 1787, and died in 1817. His attention
to the improvement of his pupils was general,
and especially in directing their views to a
knowledge of the fundamental points of the
Christian religion as revealed in the Scriptures
of the Old aud New Testaments, and taught
many poor children gratis. He was a native of
Strichen, Aberdeenshire, and received his edu-
cation tliere, and at the Marischal College of
Aberdeen. As to bringing forward his scholai-s,
he maintained his authority by pointing out and
convincing them it was for their own good to pay
attention, and one word from him always com-
manded silence. He died much regretted by all
who had the honour of his acc[uaintanoe.
The following is from one of the oldest in-
scribed stones in the churchyard : — •
Heir lyes Magdalen Gowrlat, who left this
life in the year 1710, her age 23 yeara, and John
GowRLAY, who left this life the year 1713, his
age 21 years, and Jean Gowrlay, who left this
lite the year 1699, aged 3 years. Children of
Andrew Gowrlay, sometime Wiver iu C'liauce-in.
Cliance-inn, formerly a hamlet containing
several houses and gardens, has long since
disappeared, but its site is still marked by a
solitary ash tree standing in what is now an
arable field.
The more interesting of the antiquities of
the parish, as well as its traditions, have been
given (as before said) in a separate work.
The hill forts of the White and the Brown
Caterthun ; the site of the old chapel, hermi-
tage, and royal hunting forest of Kilgerry ;
the sculptured stones at the church, and the
stone upon " the AVhite Cater," which, on
being turned over some 20 years ago by the
" Caterthun Encampment of Odd Fellows "
from Brechin, was discovered to be cupmarked ;
the lands of Pitmudie, which were given by
Bruce to Peter of Spalding for delivering the
Castle of Berwick into his hands ; the Moss
of Balhall, where Sir John Lyon was slain
by Sir James of Lindsay ; and the Clachan of
Tigerton, which is said to have been burned
by Earl Beardie, or the " Tiger " Earl of
Crawford, after the then Collace of Balnamoon
deserted him at the battle of Brechin, are
among tlie more interesting objects in the
district (Land of the Lindsays).
It need hardlj' be repeated that one of the
Carnegys of Balnamoon, who was out in " the
45," is the reputed author of the song of
" Low doon in the broom ; " and that he is
also the hero of many Bacchanalian adventures,
which have been told over and over again,
but best, perhaps, by E. P. Gillies, in his
" Memoirs of a Literary Veteran."
The Symerses long held Balzeordie, and
when the pendicle of Muirside was let by
Colin Symers in 1727, to David Mug in
Cottoun of Balconnel, the tenant was thirled
to the mill of Cruick, and bound himself to
" punctually attend the Baron Court of Bal-
zeordie, and obtemper and obey the decrees
thereoff" (Writs of ]\Iiddleshed of Brechin).
The local proverb, " Like the lasses o' Bayordie,
ye learn by the lug," implies a want of per-
sonal application, and a dependence upon the
acquirements of others, which, it is to be
feared, are becoming more and more general in
almost every class.
The lands of Burnside, Birkhill, and Bal-
connel, which were originally jsart of the Bal-
namoon estate, were held under the lairds of
that place. The two last named were pur-
chased from a family named Scott by Mr.
Peter Bell, who was upwards of 30 years
tenant in Crosstown of Aberlemno, and who
lost his life in an attempt to ford the Southesk,
3rd Jan., 1850, when in his 67th year. He
was succeeded in these properties by his
nephew, Mr. George Bell, the present pro-
prietor, who married a daughter of the before-
mentioned David Guthrie and Katherine
Grant.
342
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
At Lochtie, on the S.W. of the parish,
there is a Free Church which accommodates a
portion of Brechin as ■well as the parishes of
]\Ienmuir, Careston, and Fearn.
Ins. L'ompd. by the late Charles Will, Esq., Brechin.
prcmnat>»
(S. CAKAN, BISHOP.)
THE Church of Frame was given to the
Abbey of Lindores by David, Earl of
Huntingdon, at the time of the foundation of
the ^lonastery, which appears to liave taken
place in or about 1196. At a later date, the
Church of Prcmetlie is charged with £b\ of
temd to the Abbey (Laing's Abbey of Lin-
dores).
In 1257, Pope Alex. II. ratified the provi-
sions made by the Abbot and Convent of
Lindores, whereby the Vicar of Premnay was
to have an annual stipend of 16 merks, the
whole altarage of the church, an acre of land
for a manse, with the teinds of the town of
Premnay when cultivated, and the brewhouse
of the same (Keg. Ep., Abd., i. 23-6.)
The vicarage of Prameth, in the diocese of
Aberdeen, is rated at 10s. in Theiner, and in
the Eeg. Vet. de Aberbrothoa it is rated at 4
and the teinds 16 merks.
In 1574, Mr John Abercromby, who paid
" liis awin reidare," was minister of the
three kirks of Premnaj', Logiedurno, and
Oyne, with a stipend of XI 73 6s. 8d. Scots,
and John Ra., then " reidar at Prema," had a
salary of XI 6 Soots.
Tradition says that it was at first proposed
to build the church of Premnay near S.
Leveret's Well, and that " wands " were
thrust into the ground to ascertain whether a
good foundation could be got there, but the
results not being considered satisfactory, the
church was erected near another spot called
S. Caran's "Well.
" Caran's butts," where archery was for-
merly practised, were near the church, and
Caran's Fair was held in the churchyard : —
Ilka man tell anither
Cam Fair's on Friday.
The present church, erected in 1792, stands
about 100 yards to X.W. of the previous
building, which occupied the highest point in
the churchyard, and whose foundations are
still traceable. The burial ground, which is
far from being kept in a commendable
manner, is surrounded by some fine ash and
elm trees. The tombstones are few in number ;
and, although none of the inscriptions pre-
sent any features of general interest, we here
give a few of the most noteworthy.
From a table stone : —
This stone was erected by Mra Susan Grant,
in memory of her husband John Boxniman,
minr. of the Gosjjel here, who died the 4th
K"ovr., 17S5, being the 43rd year of his age, and
8th of his ministry in this parish.
He was a native of Banff, and sometime
assistant to Mr Innes at Huntly. He had
three sons, one of whom went to Jamaica, and
another, who was a licentiate of the church,
was rector of the Academy at Fortrose (Scott's
Fasti).
From a flat slab : —
Here lies interred beneath this stone the vir-
tuous John Mackie's bones, who departed this
life July 17, 1773, aged 18 years. He was law-
ful son to John Mackie and Agnes Ci'uickshank,
who lived sometime in Mains of OverhaU.
Upon a headstone : —
Sacred to the memory of the Eev. James
Douglas, who was ordained minister of Glen-
bucket, the 26th August, 1772, admitted minister
of Premnay, the 1st August, 1787, and died at
Premnay the 29th Nov. 1823, in the 79th year of
his age, and 51st of his ministry. Also in
remembrance of Ann Duff, his Spouse, who
died Octr. 1822, aged 70. Helen Douglas
died 18th June 1850, aged 64 years.
PREMNAY.
343
— Mr. Douglas's son Eobert, wlio becaiue
minister of Ellon, was the father of the present
factor upon the estates of the Earl of Aberdeen.
From a headstone : —
In memory of John Ledinoham, late farmer
in Foreside, who died July 20th 1831, aged 81
yeara. . . . And of his wife Christian
Ross, who died May 7th 1851, aged 91 years.
Premna}', which formed a portion of the
ancient Earldom of the Garioch, afterwards
belonged to, and with the exception of the
kirk lands, was long held of the Earls of j\Iar.
The property of Barnia belonged to
_Williani Leith, provost of Aberdeen, who was
also proprietor of Edengarioch, &c., and from
whom the present family of Leith of Leith-
hall claims to be descended {supra 7).
To the north-east of the kirk, and surrounded
by some fine old trees, stands the quaint old
mansion house of Overhall, which was once
Leith property, but which now belongs to a
descendant of the Eev. Mr. Gordon of Kin-
nethmont (Ibid., 8.) Netherhall is the more
modern name of Barnis, and in what is
called the old version of the ballad of the
battle of Harlaw, the name is given both as
" Weathie " and " Netherha." The former
is doubtless a misprint, and the latter, if cor-
rect, goes to disprove the supposed antiquity
of the version in question, since the name of
Ketherhall was not applied to the property
until it came into the hands of the Gordons
during the first half of the last century. The
reading ought possibly to be " Overha," which
is at least a name of greater antiquity than
the other.
But the castle of Lickleyhead is the most
interesting old building in the parish. It has
been recently put into a good habitable state
by the present laird, Mr. Lumsden of Clova,
and being finely situated upon the south side
of the Gaudie, and near a romantic little tri-
butary of that stream, it forms a very agree-
able summer residence. The old portion of
the building, dated and initialed 1620 : I.F :
M.S., was erected by John Forbes and his
wife.
The tower is three stories high, and the
turrets exhibit some fine specimens of the
cable ornament. Modern buildings have been
added to the south-east side, and the whole is
sheltered by some noble old trees.
On the north side of the Gaudie is the
thriving village of Auchleven, where there is
an interesting mound known as the Castle
Hillock, which, like the Bass of Inverurie,
appears to have been formed by the action of
water. It was examined some twenty years
ago, but, with the exception of some calcined
stones and a quantity of horses' bones, noth-
ing of any consequence was found. Before
the mound was opened, there was upon the
top a considerable hollow, which at some re-
mote period may have formed a part of " the
castle." If it has any claim to this appella-
tion, it is probably a very ancient work, and
may have been coeval with the remarkable
stronghold of Dunnideer. A copious spring
upon the X.E. side, called Kates Well, sup-
plies the villagers with water.
At Auchleven there was a chapel dedicated
to S. James, but no trace of it is now to be
found in the district, the very site being un-
known. Sir Walter Ogilvy, son of Ogilvy of
Lintrathen, who married the heiress of Sinclair
of Findlater and Deskford (supra, 106), was
designed of Aucldeven in 1437.
344
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
(Slenberbte,
(S. MICHAEL, ARCHANGEL.)
THE Church of Glcnhervyn was a pre-
bend of the Cathedral of IJrechiii, and
is rated at £20 Scots in the Old Taxation.
The history and antiquities of this parish
having been treated of in the " Memorials of
Angus and the Mearns," these points, unless
in so far as relates to tombstones, ■will not be
entered upon here. On reference to that work,
it will be seen that Edward I. rested at Glen-
bervie during his invasion of Scotland in
1296, and also that John of Melville, then
lord of the district, and John of Stowe,
pastor of the parish, both did homage to that
King during his short stay at Lumplianan in
Aberdeenshire.
Michael Fair, which has been long held at
Drumlithie, and which had doubtless been
previously held at the Church of Glenbervie,
preserves the name of the patron saint. The
chapel of St. Mary stood at Dillivaird, about
three miles north-west of the parish church,
and at that place there is still a spring called
" Mary's Well."
A new parish church was erected about
1826 upon a somewhat bleak and uninteresting
spot. The old churchyard has a secluded
situation upon the north bank of the IServie,
and is surrounded by some fine old trees.
The burial vault of the lairds of Glenbervie,
which formed the chancel end of the old kirk,
stands in the churchyard, covered with ivy
and shaded by yew trees. It contains two
interesting monuments. The inscription on
one of these recounts the gallant deeds and
the matrimonial alliances of the lairds of
Glenbervie from a.d. 730, and also describes
their connection with the celebrated family of
Douglas. This monument, which is elaborately
ornamented and dated 1680, presents, in
addition to a long list of the initials of the
lairds and ladies of Glenbervie, some curious
mortuary emblems, and also the armorial
bearings of the families of Hassa, Olifart,
Melvil, Achfleck, and Douglas. The fol-
lowing is the inscription, which appears to
have been cut upon two slabs, and at three
different times : —
Militi (filio 2° Archibaldi, com' Angvsi?e,
vvlgo Bell ye Cat), Gvlielmo Dowglassio a Bred-
wod, lacobvm patre hteretricis a Glenhervy
nvptx Eliz. Melvil nvpta lohani Achflek de eode
peperit.
Hie iacent (in spe bon;c resvrrectionis)
Gleberviaj Coarchi, ifra designati et secvdv
cogoina singvlis classib' divisi, ab anuo 730.
HvGO Hassa, German', iUino hvc peregi-iuat',
vbi pneularis meritis postqva insigis apparvisset,
Germvnda Dervies a Glebervy heretrice sibi
nvpta, svb hoc primv obdormiit tvmvlo c~' coni-
vgio liberisqve svis. Horv ])osteri continver'v't
in aun : 1004. Helena vltima Hassarvm
soboles.
Duncan' Olifart', Memise decm-io, (iuterfectis
DoNALDO et Waltero Hass^eis fratrib' prse-
dicbe Helen-«, clara pugna in campo a Barry
expulsando Danos) Helena; hieretricse nupt'
Gleuberuio; succedit gignitq' ha;redeni Walterv
filiamq', Margaretani, cum agris nunc Arbuth-
nott designatis. Ort' inde e.st Eobert', a prse-
sente Vicecomes 2d. de eode nomine princeps.
Walterv' duxit uxorem Matilda Sinelli,
Augusise Thani filia ; Osbert', hoi-u fill', ^'Egidia,
Hay, Arrolii filiam. Militije studeus, cu Gode-
frido Bvlioguiie in Syryam perrexit ; relicta
filia unigeuita luieretrice, in proelio occis'. Nupta
1057 Jacobo Meluil, ex Huugaria Nobili orto,
cui peperit iilium Hugonem, matrimonio Ger-
NARD^, Macpendarii, Merniaae Thani, filise
datum. Horum poster! continuerunt in annum
1440 vt svpra not.
[Elizabeth Melvil, having married John
Achfleck of that Ilk, bore to him James, father
of the heiress of Glenbervie, who married Sir
William Douglas of Bredwood, second son of
Archibald, Earl of Angus, commonly called
Bdl the Cat.
Here lie, in the hope of a happy resurrection,
the lairds of Glenbervie lueutioned below, and
classified according to their surnames, from the
year 730. Hugh Hassa, a native of Gerraauy,
who settled in this country, where his eminent
merits raised him to distinction, married Ger-
munua Dervies, heiress of Glenbervie, and was
GLENBERVIE.
34.5
the first that slept in this tomb, where his wife
aud cluklren rejjose by liis side. Their posterity
coutinued until 1004. Helena was the last o'f
the Ha.ssa family.
Duncan Olifart, sheriff of the Mearns
(Donald and Walter Hassa, the brothei-s of
the foresaid Helen, having been killed in a
famous battle fought iu a plain at Barry against
a host of Danish iuvadere), having married
Helen, the heiress of Gleubez'vie, succeeded to
the property, and begat Walter, his lieir, and a
daughter, named M.argaret, on whom lie be-
stowed the lands now called Arbuthnott. From
her was descended Egbert, the second Viscount
from the present, and the first of that name.
Walter married M.\tilda Sinelli, daughter
of the Thane of Angus. Their son Osbert
married ^Egidia Hay, daughter of Eri'ol, and,
being an ardent soldier, went with Godfrey of
Bologna to Syria, where he was killed in battle,
leaving as his heiress an only daughter, who in
1057 married Jambs Melvil, a Hungarian noble,
to whom she bore Hugo, who marrieil Geruarda.
daughter of Macpender, Thane of the Mearns.
Their posterity coutiinied to the year 1440].
The other monument of the Douglases is
chest-shapedj and the ends are ornamented
with bold carvings of the Douglas and Gra-
ham arms, &c. On the top of the tomb is the
following inscription : —
HIC IACET ILLVSTRISSIm' VILELm' DOVGL.VSSl'
ANGVSI.E COMES, PRl' GLENBERVI COMARCh', QVI
DICTO comitatvi HEREDITARIO ivre svccessit,
OBiiT cal. ivlii anno SALVTIS 1.591, AETATIS
SVAE 9-3. HIC IACET ILLV.STRIS FEMINA, ^GIDIA
GRAHAM, PR.EFATI COMITIS UXOR, QUAE CVM 40
ANNOS CVM IPSO CONI VCTISSIME VIXISSBT AC
VIDVA MARITO ET SIBI HOC MONVEMENTVM POSS-
VISSET, OBIIT ANNOS XATA . • DIE
ANNO DNI . .
[Here lies the must illustrious Willuji
Douglas, Earl cf Angus, previously lord of
Glenbervie, who succeeded tu the said Earkloiu
by hereditary right. He died 1st July 1591, in
the 9oth year of his age. Here lies an illustrious
lady, Egidia Graham, wife of the foresaid Earl,
with whom she lived iu the closest affection for
4(1 yeai-s. In her widowhood she ei-ected this
monument for her husband, and diel on the —
day in the year aged — yeai-s.]
— 'i'he first Douglas of Glenbervie was Sir
AVilliani, who married Elizabeth Affleck, the
heiress in 1492, and fell at Floddcn in 1.519.
In spite of vehement opposition on the part of
King James, his grandson, who fought on the
side of Queen Mary at the battle of Corrichie,
succeeded to the Earldom of Angus as heir
male of the 8th Earl, who died in 1588.
Countess Egidia was a daughter of Graham of
Morphie, but neither the date of her death
uor her age is recorded upon the monument.
Their eldest son, William, who wrote a history
of his family, succeeded to the Earldom, and
was afterwards created ilarquis of Douglas
and Angus. The second son, Eobert, caiTied
on the Glenbervie line, and his son William
was created a baronet of Nova Scotia in
1625. The male line failed in the 7th
baronet, son of Sir Eobert, the author of the
Peerage and Baronage of Scotland.
But it was long before this that the pro-
perty passed from the Douglases, fur on 21th
April, 1675, Captain, afterwards Sir Eobert,
Douglas sold the lands and barony of Glen-
bervie to Eobert Burnett, brother-german to
Sir Alexander Burnett of Leys. Eobert
Burnett ivas succeeded by his son Thomas
about 1699, and when he died, leaving an
only child, Catherine, who afterwards became
the wife of George Gordon of Buckie, she,
with consent of her curator, Eobert Burnett,
merchant, Montrose, sold Glenbervie on 6th
March, 1721, to William Nicolson of Mergy,
who afterwards succeeded his brother in the
baronetcy, and died at Edinburgh, 7th June,
1766, in his ninety-third year. In its
announcement of the birth of Sir William's
youngest daughter, which took place in the
month of April previous to his death, the
Scots Marjazine says : — " Sir William is at
present 92 years of age, and has a daughter
alive of his first mariiage, aged 66. He
married his present lady [Agnes Burnett]
when he was 82, liy whom he has had now
six children."
Sir AVilliam was succeeded by his son,
w2
346
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS
Sir James Nicolson, who died at Montrose,
19th March, 1782, when the baronetcy went
to a cousin, also Sir James, and the property
of Glenhervie to his elder sister, Helen, who
died without issxie, and was succeeded by her
niece, ]Mrs. Bailenach, wife of Dr. Badenach of
Arthurhouse, and a younger daughter (the
eldest being excluded) of the Eev. James
Wilson, minister of Farnell, by his wife, the
younger daughter of Sir William Xicolson
(Eps. and Ins., i. 91).
The Nicolsons of Glenbervie spring from
Mr. Nicolson, merchant in Aberdeen, whose
son, an eminent lawyer, bought the estate of
Ivemnaj', in his native county, from which,
on being made a Lord of Session in 1682, he
assumed the title of Lord Kemnay. His
eldest sou, Thomas, was made a baronet (15th
April, 1700) in his father's life-time, and,
dying without male issue, was succeeded in the
title (as above stated) by his younger brother
William, who purchased Glenbervie in 1721.
The following inscription is from a brass
plate fixed to the Avail of the old kirk : —
M.S. Famili;v Stuartorcm de Incbbreck ab
anno MDL., viz. — Davidis, Ioannis, Eobeuti,
Davidis, G-ulielmi, et lo.iSNis, Patris sui,
qui obiit 1792, t«tat 82. Necuon Ioannis, Filii
sui, quiuta sestate uondum exacta, elieu, eodem
anno abrepti, I.S. in Acad. Marischal, Abredon,
Lit. Gr. P.H.M.L.P.
[John Stuart, professor of Greek in Marischal
College, Aberdeen, sorrowfully erected this
monument to the memory of the Family of the
Stuarts of Incbbreck, from the year 15.50, to the
memory, viz., of David, John, Robert, David,
William, and John, his father, who died 1792,
aged 82 ; and also of his sou John, who, alas !
was cut off the same year before he had com-
pleted his fifth summer.]
The first Stuart of Incbbreck is said to
have got these lands from Sir K. Douglas of
Glenbervie as a reward for good services
rendered to that knight, when he was wounded
at Pinkie. It is also stated that the same
Stuirt killed the Earl of Huntly at the battle
of Currichie (Professor Stuart's Es.says). The
family is represented in the male line by Mr.
Alex. Stuart of Inchbrerk and Laithers,
Aberdeenshire, who in;irried a daughter of the
Viscount Arbuthnott ; and in the female line
by Mr. John S. Stuart-Glennie, M.A.,barrister-
at-law and author of " Arthurian Localities,"
and other works.
A freestone slab, also in the wall of the
old kirk, bears : —
Hie iacet M. Io.vn.ves Irv. . . . qvoudam
hvjvs loci 2)astor, qvi, pnstqvam pastorali mvnere
defvng-udo 41 auuis fidelitcr vigilasset, fatis
secessit anu. 1680, retatis 76, relictis po.st se
adhvc svp>rstitibvs chara. conivge Marg. Gor-
don et sex liberis, mascvlis M. Kob : M. Alex :
M. la. : ecclesi . a« et Geo . et 2 fil
Mariora et Cliristi . : coud\iitv)' in eadem
sepvltvra et ciiieres Elis.e Ir . . vuigente
j)vedictas Mai'ioraj tiliae . .
[Here lies Mr. John Ir[vine], late minister of
this place, who, after discharging his pastoral
duties with vigilance and fidelity for 4-1 yeai-s,
died in 1680, iu the 70tli year of his age, leaving
behind hiin, still siu'viving, his beloved wife,
Marg. Gordon, and six children, 4 sons, M.
Rob : M. Alex. . M. Ja., all ministers of the
church, and Geo. : and 2 daughter's, Marjory
and Christian. Id the same s;rave rest also the
ashes of Eliza Ir[. . . .], only daughter of
the foresaid Marjory ]
— Mr. Irvine, who was probably a descendant
of the Mouboddo family (Epitaphs, i. 621),
was succeeded by his son Robert, who is said
(Scott's Fasti) to have been an Arminiau, and
to have died in 1710-11. From the time of
Mr. Christisou's settlenicut, about 1570, until
that of Mr. John Irvine in 1636, there were
three incumbents at Glenbervie, two of whom
were Douglases. Gue was a son of the Earl
of Angus, and the other of the Baronet of
Glenbervie. It was the latter, Robert (mis-
jirinted James in Scott's Fasti), who officiated
at the marriage of the Ivirl of Angus and
Lady Mary Gordon, which took place at the
Kirk of BcUie iu 1632 (Epitaphs, i. 12).
Robert Douglas of Kilmonth, a son of the
liist-named minister, is said to have been
ancestor of John Douglas of Fechil in Logie-
GLENBERVIE.
347
Buchan, ■whose son Sylvester became Lord
Glenbervie, and died in 1823, and who erected
a monument in St. Nicholas Churchyard,
Aberdeen, to the memory of his brother-in-
law, Mr. James jNIerceb, author of a volume
of Lyric Poems. ]Mr. Irvine's immediate pre-
decessor at Glenbervie was a son of Chalmers
of Balnacraig, who died at the age of 2.5, and
was buried at Lumphanan, to the poor of
which parish he left the sum of one merle.
" Being ane yong mane he had no moveable
guidis nor geir, but only his bulks, and the
abulzements of his bodie," which were valued
at £6 14s. 4d. Scots, while at the same time
he was " awand James Auchinleck in Drum-
letlie for ane yeir and ane half yeiris burd"
(Scott's Fasti).
The next four inscriptions are from tomb-
stones belonging to paternal ancestors of
Robert Burns, the poet of Scotland.
The slab from which the first is copied is
coffin-shaped, and covers the grave of William
Burnes and Christian Fotheringham, the great-
great-grand-pareuts of .John Burness, author of
" Thrummy Cap" and other poetical tales : —
W.B : C.F :
Here under lyes Burxes,
1715.
LB : W.B : R.B. .
and here lyes his son Iohn
Burses, who departed the lOtli of April 17. . .
being of age 3 — ....
The next is from the tombstone of the
great-grand-parents of the Poet Burns : —
[2.]
J. B.
Here under
MEMENTO MORI.
17 42
M.F.
lyea the
Body of James Burmes
who was Tenant in Bra-
linmuir, who died ye
23 of January 1743,
Aged 87 years.
Also the Body of Mar-
GARETT Falconer his
Spo\ise, who departed
this life the 28th of
Dec. 1749, aged 90
years.
Altho' our Bodys worms destroy — Our reins
consumed be.
Yet in oin- flesh and with our eyes — Shall our
Redeemer see.
Here is the grave of Thomas Burnes, son to
the above, who departed this life June ye 8th
1734, Aged 29 Years. — Also his lawful and only
Daughter Margarett, who departed this life
March ye 24th 1741, Aged 8 yeai-s.
James Burnes (next-mentioned) was a son
of the last-named, and a grand-uncle of the
poet : —
[3.]
Erected in memory of James Burnes, some-
time Tennant in Bralinmuir, who died April,
3rd, 1778, aged 88 j'ears ; also George, his son,
who died Oct. 16th, 1769, aged 28 years.
The stone that bears the following remains
of an inscription also relates to the Burneses,
although the family name is no longer visible
upon it. Near the foot are the ordinary
carvings of an hour-glass, mattock, spade, and
skull, &c. : —
[4.]
band to Margaret Gkeio, he
died ... of Janwari alkhil,
of age 37, 1735.
On south of Douglas Aisle .- —
Hear lyes James Officer, once tennant in
Mains of Dillevard, who died April the 12, 1752,
aged 68 years.
On west side of same stone : — •
1 757 : Hear lyesWiLLiAM Officer, once tennant
ill Mains of Dillevard, who died May the 5th,
1756, aged 43 years. . . . E.O. J.O. E.O.
Erected by George and John Officer, in
memory of their brother, James Officer, some
time mercht. in Bervie, who died Nov. 10. 1835,
aged 28 years. Also their father, John Offi-
CHER, who died 23rd Aug., 1841, aged 81 years.
— Officer is a pretty old surname in Glen-
bervie. Dr. Robert Officer, son of a late
tenant of Jacksbank, and born about 1800,
emigrated to Tasmania, where he rose to be
Speaker of Assembly. Hobart Town, and a
few years ago received the honour of Knight-
hood from her JIajesty the Queen.
The next is from a monument (enclosed) : —
Erected by Alexander Officer, merchant in
Stonehaven, in memory of his daughter Isa-
bella, who died 8th July, 1833, aged 15 yeai-s.
The said Alexander Officer died 10th June,
1868, aged 80.
348
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS ;
The next three inscriptions relate to one
family : —
[1.]
Heir lyes James Forest, smith in Taneclie,
■who departed this life the 20 of Feb., 1728, aged
08 years. Heir lyes Alex. Forest, who died in
C'lugh
[2.]
James Forest, late merchant in Drumlithie,
died Dec. 10, 1817, aged 74 years ; and Jean
Dickson, his wife by a first marriage, who died
January 7, 1784, aged 38. [2 drs. died in
infancy, and James in 1810, a. 29.]
[3.]
In memory of Alexander Forrest of
Tulloch in Garvock, who died at Hillside of
Hedderwick, 13th June, 1862, aged 75.
— This gentleman, who was an M.D., made
money abroad, and bought tlie property of
Tulloch, in which he was succeeded by a
sister, on whose death in 1867, it came to her
nephew, Mr. James Scott, solicitor, Stone-
haven. Mr. Scott's father was tenant of
Smiddyburn, Belhelvie, and died in 1830,
aged 47, and his mother Janet Forrest,
died in 1833, aged 46.
From a flat slab : —
HERE LYES lOHN TAYLOUR, HUSBAND TO MAR-
GARET BLEBEAR, SOMETIME IN QUITHILL, UHO
DYED THE 18 DAY OF APRILE, 1727, AND OF AGE
59. THIS RELICT STIL IN ROAD OF DUTIES BEEN.
FOR UHICH SHE HIS OBTAINED A LASTING
NAME.
An inscription (here abridged) from a
table stone presents some pretty long ages : —
John Lyall, many yeare in Mill of Glen-
liervie, died 13th October, 1830, aged 84 ; Chris-
tian AusTiNE, his wife, died 3d Nov., 1833,
aged 79. Their family, George, merchant in
Aberdeen, died 1861, aged 78 ; John, farmer,
Mill of Glenbervie, died 1861, aged 81 ; Helen,
died 1863, aged 72 ; and David, merchant,
Aberdeen, died 1866, aged 80.
The next four inscriptions are from head-
stones : —
The Rev. Andrew Glen, of Free Church,
Glenbervie, died 4tli August, 1863, aged 67.
" Who for 19 years taught them publicly, and
from house to house, making full proof of his
ministry, with what success the great day will
disclose. It is their comfort, under their sore
bereavement, to believe that he has obtained the
desire of his heart, so beautifully expressed in
his last text — ' I have longed for thy salvation.' "
[2.]
James Drummond, M.D., only son of the Rev.
James Drummond, minister of this jjarish, born
12th Jan., 1836, died at Brechin, 16th March,
1859. The said Rev. J.imes Drummond died
1 1th Dec, 1867, in the 83d year of his age, and
52d of his ministry.
— Mr. Drummond was a teacher in Brechin
when he received tlie presentation to the
living of Glenbervie, and his wife (who died
in 1870), was a sister of Dr. Forrest, of
TuUoch, in Garvock. Their son, a physician
of great promise, died from the effects of a
fever caught in the discharge of his professional
dilties. There were several daughters, one of
whom married the Eev. ilr. INIyres, of Ben-
holm, and another the Rev. Mr. Gordon, Mr.
Drummond's successor in Glenbervie. Mr.
Gordon, who was previously at Glenbucket,
was sometime assistant sclioolmaster at Fyvie.
[3.]
John s. of Robert Heross, in Lunigair, d.
1737, a. 25 :—
As many says, she who here lays
Was vertious, wise, and chaste ;
Site being dead, we do believe
Hir soul to glory past.
w
In memory of David Greig ; his age was 28
and death sudden, on the sea beach of Aberdeen,
August 6th, 1818.
Young sprightly lads as }'0U pass by,
Stop and review how low I lie ;
My colleague fell closs by my side,
At nine we were as brisk as ye,
At ten were in eternity ;
Swept by a strong refluent tide,
I twenty eight
He twenty four,
One fatal wave
Did both devour.
Consider then our sudden fate.
Think of your own ere yet too late ;
And by faith to the Saviour flee ;
And be that great redemption sought
Which with his precious blood he bought
Then even death your friend shall be.
TARVES.
349
■ — Greig and his unfortunate " colleague " were
joiners by trade. The latter, named Watson,
was a son of the then miller of Barras, in the
parish of Kinneffi
The only village in the parish is Drum-
lithie, which was in existence before 1G39. It
has a railway station, and a single hand-loom
weaver still continues to maintain an unequal
struggle against the superior power of steam.
There has long been an Episcopal congregation
at Drumlithie, and, including the existing
church, there are, within a few yards, four
buildings that have at various times, since
about the middle of last century, been used
as places of worship by that body.
Upon the present neat edifice is a shield,
charged in pale witli the arms of the diocese
of Brechin and those of the late Bishop
Forbes. It also bears his lordship's initials
A.P.F., those of the late Dean Thorn, E.K.T.,
and the date of the dedication of the church,
1863. This church was erected in 1862,
mainly through the exertions of the late !Mr.
Thom, who was pastor for upwards. of twenty
years. He was a native of Peterhead, and
spent the last nine years of his life as incum-
bent of St. James' Church, Stonehaven, and
on the occasion of his sudden and lamented
death, his remains were conveyed to Drum-
lithie, and buried at the scene of his early
labours, close to the church which he did so
much to rear. In the east window, which
contains three lights, are represented (1) the
baptism of Christ by the Baptist, in allusion
to the dedication of the church ; (2) the
Crucifixion ; and (3) our Lord healing all
manner of sickness and disease among the
people, as a special memorial of the late
Dean in his twofold capacity of physician
and clergyman. Underneath is this inscrip-
tion : —
In memoriam viri admodum Eeverendi
RoBERTi KiLGODR Thom, Decaul Brechinensis,
quondam hujusce ecclesi^e Parochi, nati 15th
Jan. MDCCCXIX., deuati 24th Jan.
MDCCCLXXIV.
[In memory of the Very Rev. Robert Kil-
GOUR Thom, Dean of Brechin, formerly clergy-
man of tliis church. He was born 15th Jan.
1819, and died 24th Jan. 1874.]
[Ins. eompd. b}' the Rev. James Gammaek.]
SVV\\V%V\V\VVW\WVVVV\VV\VWNV\V\W\\VVW\\VV\VS
3r it r ij c 0.
(S. EXGLAT OR ENGLACIUR, BISHOP.)
THE patronage and teinds of the kirk of
Tarvaijs or Tharveis, were given to the
monastery of Arbroath by King William the
Lion ; and these, along with the chapel of
Euthcul ( ] Barthol), were confirmed by John
Bishop of Aberdeen, a.d. 1200-7.
The vicarage of Tarways was valued at 22,
and the teinds and church lands at 43 nierks ;
also, under the name of Torvais at 40s. in an-
other rating of the Old Taxation (Vet. Aberb.;
Theiner).
Galfrid of Wellys, one of the earliest re-
corded vicars of Tarves, was a contemporary
of Abbot Bernard, who drew up the celebrated
Declaration of the Independence of Scotland,
which was signed at Arbroath by Bruce and
the National Magnates, 6th April, 1320, but
beyond the mention of his name in connection
with a payment of 8 merks out of the vicar-
age, nothing is recorded of him (Vet. Abd.,
202 ; Nig. 9). He was alive in 1331, and one
of his successors, John of Monros, was at
Tarves in 1342. Alexander Abircrummy,
who died in 1493, was succeeded by John
Lumsden ; but he did not hold the office long,
it being demitted by John Myretone in 1500,
when Archibald Balcolmy was presented to
the church. On the appointment of Thomas
Myreton to the Provostship, Alexander Dun-
bar succeeded to the charge of the Collegiate
350
EPITAPHS, AND INSCEIPTIONS :
Church of Crail 21st Jan., 1524, and on 19th
Feb. following. John Eeid was nominated his
successor. On 10th June, 1534, William
Sympill was succeeded by Henry Lumsden,
who was probably among the hist of the
Popisli vicars of the parish (Nig. Aberb.) In
1574, Thomas Gormok was minister of the
three churches of Tarves, Fyvie, and Methlic,
and Donald Eeoch was then reader at Tarves
(Reg. of i'inisters).
The old church had evidently been a struc-
ture of some elegance. About 1730 it is
described as being " a choir with two isles ;
one for the Gordons of Haddo, now ruinous ;
another for the Forbeses of Tolquhoun, also
ruinous." One tradition says that Thomas
De Longueville died at Ythsie, and was buried
at Tarves, and " tliat the two blue stones, now
on the stair-head of Tolquhoun's loft, whereon
now nothing can be discovered graven but a
cross, were taken from his grave." According
to another version, Longueville was slain near
Bourtie, and buried there ; but neither tradi-
tion seems to have auy foundation in fact
(supra, 72).
The church of 1730 gave place to the pre-
sent edifice, which was erected in 1798, and as
no trace of the " two blue stones" is now to
be found, they had possibly been built into
the new walls.
No trace of the Haddo " isle" now remains,
but the front of the Tolquhon, or south, aisle
is in a fair state of preservation, and an object
of considerable architectural elegance. Besides
traces of painting upon the ceiling of the tomb,
two shields, charged with the Forbes and
Gordon arms respectively, and exhibiting the
initials W. F., E. G. and the date 1589, the
arch of the tomb bears curious carvings of two
hounds, one chasing a fox with a bird in its
mouth, and the other pursuing a boar. The
Tolquhon motto, salvs . per . uhristvm, is
upon the scroll above the Forbes arms, and
above the Gordon arras are the words — " . . .
DOCHTEE . TO . LESMOR." A photograph of this
tomb, printed in autotype, forms the frontis-
piece to the present volume.
Although the inscription is imperfect, the
initials E. G. show that the lady's Christian
name was probably Elizabeth, Elspeth, or
EHza, and not Janet, as given in both Doug-
las' Baronage and in Harperfield's Pedigree of
the Gordons. Lumsden of Tilliecairn (al-
though himself sprung from the Tolquhon
branch, and a contemporary) leaves the lady's
Christian name blank, adding that she " did
bear to [her husband] Wm. Forbes of Knaper-
nae, ]\Ir. Walter Forbes of Auchredie, Patrick
Forbes, burgess of Aberdeen, and ane daughter,
married on — Forbes of Corsindae." As
shown by the following quaint inscription
upon the right of the door, it was this lady's
husband that erected the later portion of the
now ruinous but picturesque castle : —
AL . THIS . WARKE .
EXCEP . THE . AVLD .
TOVR . WAS . BEOVN .
.BE . WILLIAM . FORBES .
15 . APRILE . 1584 .
AND . ENDIT . BE . HIM .
20 , OCTOBER . 1589 .
This laird, who had a royal licence to eat
flesh " in the forbidden tyme," and to absent
himself from wapenschaws, because of " ane
dolour and diseaiss in his ene," appears to
have been a person of considerable wealth.
In addition to the improvements at Tolquhon,
and the erection of the costly tomb at Tarves,
he founded an hospital " hard by the church
for four poor men, who were
to eat and lye here, and to have each a peck
of meal, and three shillings, a penu}', and
two-sixths of a penny Scots weekly, also some
malt, peats, &c. The meal and money they have
(1730), but their house, which is slated, is
neglected, and quite waste." Dr. Arthur
Johnston thus eulogizes Forbes for his im-
provements at Tolquhon generally, for the
TARVES.
351
erection of the burial aisle, and for liis
liberality in founding tlie hospital or bead-
house.
DE GCL F. TOLQUHOS.
Auxisset cum prole doiuuni Tolcliouus et ai vis,
Coufectus senio sponte reliquit humum
Coudidit huuc tumuluru quo couditur ipse,
supremum
Expectans auimo nil metueute diem.
Huuc prope pauperibus devotos aspicis agi'os,
Tectaque mortal! nou vinlaiula uianu.
Nee procul his duniini suri,'iuit palatia. Regis
Nou semel liusjiitin uubilitata sui.
Ha^c terris mouimeuta dedit Tolchonus, et iuter
Ha.s operum moles crescere vidit opes
Quautulus I exuvias si spectas corporis, alti
Si pt'ns;is auimi muuera, quantus homo est !
Del. P. Soot. 1-617.
His House's uuuibers and its lauds increased,
Tol([ulinn
With ills of eld worn out, the earth did gladly
leave.
He reared this tomb, wherein he lies himself.
With fearless soul awaiting the last day.
Near it you see lands gifted to the poor.
And houses to be marred by no man's hand ;
Nor far from these the owner's princely pile.
Which more thau once received a royal guest.
These monuments Tolquhou gave to the world.
Yet mid these mighty works he siw his wealth
increase.
Look at his ashes, and you'll saj', How small a
man !
His lofty miud's gifts pouder, you'll exclaim.
How gi'eat !
At the beadhouse, which is rather pic-
turesquely situated upon a knoll in a hollow
to the right of the kirk, a slab about 30 inches
broad and a foot long, which has been long
used as a seat at the end of tho house, bears
the following traces of an inscription, a copy
of wiiich has been kindly communicated by
Jlr. V. Cruickshank, of the public school : —
. . LFORBBSDATOLQVnONE MO . . ELO
DA ... . DBIGLORIAET . EII . CO . . .
A T HOSPITJVM .... 4
VIT
The "avid toor" at Tolquhon, kuinvu as the
Preston Tower, had its name from Cjir Henry
Preston, a previous owner, who [ilaj-ed a
prominent part during the times of Kobert II.
and Robert III., and who received from the
latter (1390) a grant of the lands and baronies
of Formartine, Fyvie, &c., on the resignation
of Sir James of Lindsaj'. Sir Henry, who
was alive in 1413, had an only daughter,
Mariotaor Marjory, who, about 1420, brought
Formartine and Tolquhon to the Forbeses
through her marriage with Sir John, brother
of the first Lord Forbes. Sir Henry was a
j'ounger son of the old family of Preston of
Craigmillar, near Edinburgh, one of whom,
Sir Richard, laird of Reswallie, near Forfar,
was created Lord Dingwall in 1607.
From 1420 the F'orbeses (one of whom
fought at Worcester under Charles II.), con-
tinued to possess Tolquhon until about 1730,
when it passed, by purchase, to a grandson of
Bishop Paterson of Ross, who gave it the
name of Graiitotcn. It afterwards came to
Colonel Farquhar, of the !Mounie faniil\% and
now belongs to the Earl of Aberdeen.
Next in interest to tlie Tolquhon tomb are
two slabs to a family of the name of Craig.
Both are lettered round the side, and upon
the face of one flanked with the initials T.C.,
jM.R., are a shield with the Craig arms, and a
scull below : —
HEIR . LYIS . THOMAS . CRAIG . PVRSEITANT .
QVHA . DEPAIRTIT . TE . 19 . OF MAII . 1-84 .
AND . MARIORIE . RIDELL . HIS . SPOVS . QVHA
. DEPAIRTIT . YB . XV . APRILL . 1.583 .
This and the following inscription are of
more than common interest, inasmuch as they
appear to add two hitherto unknown names to
the list of Scotch heralds. In reply to an
application addressed to the Lyon Office for
information concerning them, Mr. Stodart
kinilly writes : — " We have nothing at all as
to the elder Craig, and even his name is new
to me." The next jiossibly relates to his son,
who was Russ herald, and whose name seems
also to be unrecorded at the Lyon Office : —
Vltima . dom' . Gvl' . Craig . Rostei . Hencldi
. et . Mariuriie . Ileith . ei' . sposie . qva . sibi .
352
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
et . svis . in . die . resv . . ctionis . reqvietvris .
providervt . 1617.
[The last abode of William Craig, Eoss
Herald, and his spouse Marjory Eeith, which
they provided for themselves and their family to
rest in until the day of the resurrection. 1617.]
The above is also carved in raised Eonian
capitals round the side of a flat slab. In the
centre, flanked by the initials W.C. : M.E., is
a shield charged with the Craig arms, ermine,
on a fess a {\ dog's) liead between two cres-
cents. It was possibly a son of the above
whose name is at the Lyon Office, but neither
the date of his appointment nor that of his
death. Ou 17th July, 1632 (Ing. Gen., 1901),
Mr. Alex. Randell was served heir general to
his uncle, William Craig, Rollipsaij Herald.
Tarves. Nothing more has been learned of
the history of the fomily, but it seems pro-
bable that a slab buQt into the south wall of
the church, near these stones, and said to have
been brought from Tillyelt, may refer to
relations of one or other of the wives of the
Craigs. It bears the initials i\I. R in mono-
gram, and the date of 161.3.
Upon a table-shaped tonabstone : —
Alexander Forbes, Esq. of Scliivas, died
May 1, 1803, aged 43.
— This was the last male descendant of the
Forbeses of Schivas, the first of whom was a
Writer to the Signet, and fourth son of the
second baronet of Craigievar. The property
came, about 1807, to the late j\Ir. Forbes-
Irvine of Drum, who sold it to the Earl of
Aberdeen about 181.5. The half lands of tlie
Chapelton of Schivas, which were acquired
from a branch of the Iluntly Gordons, who
held Schivas from 1467, by Patrick Gordon
of Methlic in 1.512, were the first lands that
the ancestors of the Earls of Aberdeen held
in the parish, of which they are now sole
heritors.
It was also in 1.512 that Wm. Gordon sold
Newton of Schivas to Alexander Gray, bur-
gess iu Aberdeen — a namesake, if not an an-
cestor of whom was designed " of Schewis" in
1492. The Grays, who are said to have been
Roman Catholics, built the old portion of the
house of Schivas ; and their private chapel,
now the dining-room, contains an awmbry and
a recess for the altar, where, in 1843, the cross
stiU remained, with the motto, I.H.S. (New.
Stat. Acct.), but these sacred objects have now
disappeared. At a short distance from the
house, possibly upon the site of tlie old chapel,
is a neglected burial place. It is enclosed by a
wall, and over the doorway arc an urn and the
initials 11. E. (Hugh Forbes) C. G. (Catherine
Garden), the latter being a sister of Lord
Gardenstone. Tliere were Schivases of that
Ilk in early times, and the last of the race, a
daughter, brought the estates of Schivas and
Gight to the Lipps. It is certain that in 1417,
Robert jNIaitland, son of Thirlstane, who mar-
ried the heiress of Gight, was designed laird
of Schivas.
The following inscription is round the side
of a flat stone, upon which there are near the
top a shield charged with the Chalmers coat,
and at the foot a scuU and cross bones : — •
heir LYIS AGNES CHALMER AND ISOBEL CHALMER,
SPOVSE TO M.T.G., QVHA DEPERTIT THE 20 NOVEMR.
— [No year given.]
— These were probably the sister-in-law and
wife of the minister whose name is upon the
next quoted tombstone. He was translated
from Fintry to Tarves iu 1593, and had two
daughters (Scott's Fasti) : —
HEIR LYIS MAISTER THOMAS GARDYNE, MINIS-
TER AT TARVES, QVHA DEPARTIT THE — DAY OF
— 163—.
— Upon this stone there are two sliiehls, one
bearing the Gardyne arms, and the otlier those
of Keith and Young, quarterly. Two silver
communion cups belonging to the time of ISIr.
Gardyne are each inscribed thus : —
THIS • COVP • IS • ORDEINIT • FOR • THE
SxVCEAMENT • OF ■ TARVES.
1618.
TARVES.
353
Mr. Gardyne was succeeded by Mr. Moir,
who probably died about 1660, a presentation
having been issued by the Earl of Panraure in
August 1661, in favour of Mr. John .Strachan,
who was one of the old family of Carmyllie.
He was translated to the Tron Church, Edin-
burgh, in 1683, and became Professor of
Divinity in the University of that city. He
was deposed, along with Dr. Monro, for re-
fusing to pray for William and Mary, and
died in 1699.
Old tokens, initialed and dated M. G. A :
1692, belong to the time of Mr. George An-
derson, Mr. Strachan's immediate successor.
It appears from the Poll Book that Mr. A.
was married in 1696, ani had a family of four
sons and three daughters. He afterwards be-
came Professor of Divinity in King's College,
Aberdeen, and the following inscription from
a mural tablet, within an enclosure on the
south-east side of the burial-ground, refers to
his successor : —
Here Hes interred the Rev. Mr. William
Forbes, miur. of the Gospel at Tarves, who de-
parted this life, Jam-. 21, 1738, aged 70 years.
Also his spouse, J.\xet Gregory, who dyed
Aprile 1.3, 1736, aged 60. Also their son,
William Forbes, who dyed Aprile 22, 1731,
aged 18. Also their daughter, Mary Forbes,
who dyed Nov. 21, 1734, aged iO.
■ — A grandson of this clergyman became a
wealthy merchant in Aberdeen, and bought
the estate of Edit, in which he was succeeded
by his son, also a merchant, who afterwards
sold the property to the Earl of Crawford.
These Forbeses of Edit were very remotely,
if at all, related to the old Forbeses of Echt,
the last of whom sold the property, about
1750-60, to the Dulls,
Mr. Forbes was succeeded in the church of
Tarves by Mr. Howe from Methlick. He died
in 1768, when Mr. Mitchell was translated
from Tarland to Tarves.
From a table stone : —
In memory of the Rev. Thomas Mitchell,
mmister of this parish, who died the 10th May,
1793, in the 76th year of his age and 52nd of his
ministry. Also of Margery M'Kenzie, his
spouse, and daughter of Donald M'Kenzie, Esq.
of Dehnore, died 3rd June, 1805.
— Church tokens, belonging to Mr. Mitchell's
time, bear "Kirk of Tarves, 1772." Del-
more, now Mar Lodge, in Braemar, was sold
by the M'Kenzies to the Earl of Fife. One
of these M'Kenzies was minister of Glen-
muick.
Upon an adjoining table stone : —
Here was interred the bodies of Alexander
Knolls and of Mary Petrie, his wife. Mrs.
Knolls died the 28"' of Nov., 1800, in the 79 year
of her age : Mr. A. Knolls died the 1" of June,
1801, in the 56''' year of his ministry, and the
86th of his age.
— Mr., afterwards Dr. Duncan Mearns was
appointed assistant and successor to Mr.
Knolls in 1799, and on his elevation in 1816
to the Chair of Divinity in King's College,
Aberdeen, he was succeeded by Mr. Ale.xander
Black, who, in 1824, received the degree of
D.D. from Marischal College, and, in 1832,
became Professor of Theology in that Univer-
sity. His successor was ]\Ir. Francis Knox,
a native of the parish, who died in 1870, in
the 67th year of his age, and to whose memory
the parishioners erected a tombstone, on which
are recorded also the names of his father,
who died in 1806, aged 43, and his mother,
Margaret Duncan, who died in 1863,
aged 90.
In the next inscription the word " Coulti-
cicairn" is probably a mistake for Coucher-
cairn : —
Here resteth the remains of
George Moir,
Late blacksmith in Aunat, who died the 12th
March, 1784, aged 82 years. And of
Jean Fife,
His spouse, who died, the 14th February, 1785,
aged 72. This stone is erected by their Sous in
testimony of then- regard to the memory of their
deceased Parents.
X2
354
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS
Also Ann Jack, Spouse of their Sou Geo.
Moir, iu Anuat, who died the 4th October 1786,
aged 36.
And Ann Moir, Spouse of Geo. Findlater, iu
Coulticicaini, who died the 24th Decemr. 1793,
aged 56.
— The above, from the oldest of several tomb-
stones, relates to a family who have been
blacksmiths in the district from before 1696,
wlieu James Moir, smith in Tarves, and his
wife were charged poll. One of them still
exercises the calling of his forefathers at Keith-
field, in the same parish ; another iu Ardo in
Methlick, and a third at Federat in New
Deer. The father of the first-mentioned, who
lived at Aunat (Audit) in Methlick, was also
a skilful veterinary surgeon ; and it is told of
one of the family that as he was shoeing
horses one day at Haddo House, the third
Earl of Aberdeen (Us, as he was familiarly
called, from his excessive use of that pronomi)
found fault with him for something, when,
without stopping his work, Moir said, " Please
your lordship, I didn't come here to learn to
shoo horses ! " The Earl turned away in
silence, but when the blacksmith had finished
his task, he returned and saiil, " Come up
with us Jloir, and I shall give you a glass of
wine, for you have had a long tedious work."
From one of three moniiments : —
Here lies the body of William Hay, late far-
mer in Shethin, who died 9th Se]jtember 1783,
aged 79 years. Also the body of Mary White,
his spouse, who died 2nd May 1795, aged 80
years.
Their grandchild, Sophia, spouse of Mr.
George Shepherd, now iu Shethin, and pro-
prietor of Lundie, near Brechin, died 1874,
aged 59.
Adjoining the above : —
Revised iu memory of Adam Lind, mercht,
Tarves, who died in 1766, aged 68 ; and of his
son Adam Lind, who died 20th May 1810, aged
70.
The death of another member of this family,
the liev. Adam Lind (uncle of the liev. Mr.
Lind of Elgin), minister of the U.P. Church,
WhitehiUs, New Ueer, who was born in 1784,
and died in 1862, is recorded upon a separate
stone.
The next three inscriptions are from table-
stones : —
Here lies iu hopes of a blessed resmTection,
the remains of James Burr, sometime in Old
Balgove, who died llth of February 1745, aged
57 yeai-s. Also Margaret C'iietne, his wife,
who died May the 23rd, 1774, aged 85 yeai-s.
Also James Burr, their son, who died 29th of
January, 1804, aged 74 years.
— There were three heads of families of the
name of Burr, all married, who were tenants
of Flobbets in 1696. It is an old name in
the district, and is still pretty general.
[2.]
In memory of John Duguid, some time farmer
iu Wester Cragie, Taives, who died 16th Feby.,
1819, aged 81 years. Also of Margaret
Brougham, his spouse, who departed this hfe 3""
day of December, 1820, aged 82. [James, then-
son, farmer, LochiUs, died 1852, aged 78.]
[3.]
This stone was erected in memory of J.,uies
Gray, some time farmer iu Bartle Chapel, who
died 16"" Deer., 1783, aged 73 years. Also of
IsoBEL Melvin, his spouse, who died IS" Sept.,
1791, aged 84 years.
— Another James Gray died in 1847, aged
95. He was the father of the last of the male
race of this family, who was farmer of Barthol
Chapel until his death in 1876.
Not a vestige now remains of the Chapel of
S. John at Ythsie, and the huge cairns that
formerly existed in the same neighbourhood
have also entirely disappeared, the stones of
which they were composed having been carried
away many years ago for the purpose of
building fences.
An interesting discovery of bronze relics,
consisting of four leaf-shaped swords, the end
of a scabbard, and two pins, was made in the
spring of 1858 upon the farm of South Ythsie.
TARVES.
355
The same number of swords and also a scabbard
end were found at Brechin in 1853 ; they were
of the same type as those at Ythsie, only the
Brechin scabbard end was slightly larger. The
latter object and a specimen of a leaf-shaped
sword are engraved in Proceed. So. Ant. Scot,
(i. 181), and (iii. 102). One of the pins
found at Ythsie was about 9 inches long, and
the other a little shorter. Both had hook-
shaped tops, and upon each was fixed a cir-
cular plate of about If inch in diameter.
At Shethin, which is in the neighbourhood
of Ythsie, there is a pretty complete stone
circle, but nothing is now left either of the
chapel of S. that formerly stood there,
or of the old castle, which was one of those
that the Estates of Parliament, during the
wars of the Covenant, ordered to be razed if
the proprietors failed to take the oaths re-
quired (Acta Pari.)
The village of Tarves, where the parish
church and one of the public schools are situ-
ated, contains some good dwelling-houses and
shops, a branch bank, and a public hall, for
which the inhabitants are largely indebted to
the public spirit and liberality of the late Mr.
George Melvin, parochial schoolmaster, who,
at his death in 168-1, left for its erection a sum
of more than £300.
The church and village of Tarves occupy a
rising ground, which, in old times, had pos-
sibly been surrounded on three sides by water
and marshy ground, and it is to this circum-
stance that Tarves, or Torvais, as it is called
in a deed of 1275, probably owes its name,
the Gaelic words Tor-es being descriptive of a
place so situated. Tarves, Tarres, or Terras,
as the word is variously written, has long been
a surname in the north, and may have been
first borne by vassals of the abbots of Ar-
broath or by foundlings.
The Earl of Aberdeen is sole heritor of the
parish ; and a monument, erected some years
ago by the " Aberdeen Tenantry " to the
memory of George, the fourth earl, occupies a
commanding position on the hill of Ythsie,
and forms one of the most striking features of
the landscape.
jFutijnil, or 13art!)ol erf)nprl.
IpT is commonly said that this district re-
"^ ceived its name from a St. Bartholomew,
who is supposed to have planted a church in
it at some unknown but remote period. No
historical evidence can be adduced in support
of this view, and from the circumstance that
the name does not occur in any old deed, it
seems more probable that Barthol or Bartle is
a mere corruption of Futhcul, the name of a
district, whose chapel is mentioned with the
parish church in charters of 1200-29. The
word Futhcul is apparently of Celtic origin,
and may be derived from Fuatlicul, a dreary,
out of the way place (Joyce), a description of
the locality which, however inapplicable it
may be now, might have been appropriate
enough six or seven centuries ago.
In 1696, this part of the parish belonged to
the land of Tolquhon, and the farm of Barthol
was then occupied by Thomas Wilson, and
the adjoining Chapel Croft by John Kellie.
Xone of the names of any of the old vicars
of Futhcul have been preserved, but a piece of
ground at old mill of Fochel, about three
miles to the north-west of the village of
Tarves, and one mile from Barthol Chapel,
still bears the name of the Priest's Meadoio,
and the Bethel's or Bodel's crofts are in the
same neighbourhood.
"We were informed by the late tenant of
Barthol Chapel, shortly before his death, that
he remembered to have seen the foundations
of the old place of worship ; and although few
interments have taken place in what is called
356
EPITAPHS, AND INSCBIPTIONS :
" the auld kirkyard " since the great snow-
storm of 1838, -when Clementina Dickie,
wife of Wilson, tailor in Couchercairn,
was buried there, a number of graves are still
visible. " Tailor Wilson " was possibly a
descendant of the farmer of 1696.
Beside the burial ground, which is quite
unjsrotected, there are some venerable old trees,
and one of the public schools of the parish is
situated close by ; while, on the opposite side
of a burn, a neat place of worship, called
" The Gordon Memorial Church," has been
erected by the Countess Dowager of Aberdeen
in memory of her eldest son, the 6th Earl,
who was accidentally lost at sea in 1870.
Near the church are a manse and offices, and,
in 1876, the district was erected into a quoad
sacra parish, of which the Eev. j\Ir. Forrest,
who was translated to Lonmay in 1878, was
the first minister.
There has long been a U.P. Church at
Craigdam, upon the south side of the parish.
In the neighbourhood is the burial-place of
which is situated upon the sloping ground
N. W. of the farm-house. It is surrounded
with a wall and shaded by a few trees, and is
locally called The Hoirff — a common and sig-
nificant name for " a last resting place." It
has been mainly, though not wholly, used for
the burial of Quakers. This sect once had a
meeting-house here, but it was burned down
at a time when popular feeling was violently
excited against that quiet and respectable body
of Christians.
The old church, of which nothing is now
left save a few faint traces in the churchyard,
was possibly dedicated to S. John. Towards
the east end of the enclosure are three tomb-
stones, which are respectively inscribed as
follows.
From a flat slab : —
Conjugi optimse carissimiB Anuab Marga-
EETT.'B Gregory sibique secuturo Joannes Forbes
de Blackford posuit anno Domini 1826.
Juxta et intra lutnc pai'ietem, quem suis
sumptibus reedificavit, jacent reliipiiae Forbesi-
ORUM de Lethentie et Aquhorthies, predecessoiiim
familise de Blackford, quibus hoc cemeterium
pertinet et quoium reliquite per multos annos hie
quoque requiescunt.
[To the memory of his excellent and dearly
beloved wife, Ann Margaret Gregory, and of
himself, destined to follow her, John Forbes of
Blackford erected this monument, A.D. 1826.
Beside and within this wall, which he rebuilt
at his own expense, lie the remains of the
FoRBESES of Lethentie and Auquhorthies,the an-
cestors of the family of Blackford, to whom this
burial-place belongs, and whose remains have,
for many years, also rested liere.]
— -.Mrs. Forbes was a daughter of Professor
John Gregory, of Edinburgh, by his wife
Elizabeth, fifth daughter of the 13th Lord
Forbes. The first Forbes of Blackford, who
(c. 1724) built "a fine new house" there, was
a son of Forbes of Auquhorthies and descended
from the Cairndae branch. It will be seen
from the following inscription that the Black-
ford Forbeses failed in a daughter, who mar-
ried Rear-Admiral Leith : —
[2.]
In the graveyard, called St. John's, the pro-
perty and burying place of his Ancestors, are
deposited the mortal remains of Alexander
Forbes of Blackford, who was born the 1st
November, 1786, and died the 28th Octobei',
1851. This memorial marks his place of sepul-
ture and that of his wife, Margaret, daughtei-
of Charles Bannerman, Esq., who died the 24th
day of March 1825, aged 36 years. Immediately
contiguous is the grave of their son, Alex.wder
Forbes, Ensign in the 61st Regiment of Foot,
who died the 1st day of Feby. 1841, aged 26
years. Also Mary Elizabeth, who died 30th
June 1830, aged 12 yeai-s, and Anne, who died
31st July 1830, aged 8 years, and John, who
died in March, 1820, aged 4 months. Margaret,
widow of Eear-Admiral John Leith, and the
only surviving child of the above-mentioned
Alexander and Margai'et Forbes, has placed this
record of her lamented parents and beloved
brothers and sisters.
KTRRIEMVIR.
357
The following is from a head-stone of Peter-
head granite : —
[3.]
Sacred to the memory of Eear-Admiral John
Leith, born at Leith-Hall, the 22°'' Octr. 1788,
and died at Blackford, on the 25"- Octr. 1854.
Also Harriet Annie, youngest daughter of John
and Margaret Leith, who died 5'" Octr. 1858.
This stone is erected to the memory of her la-
mented husband by his Widow, Margaret,
daughter of Alexr. Forbes of Blackford.
— The Eear-Admiral was brother of the late
Sir Andrew Leith-Hay of Rannes and Leith-
hall. He was almost constantly on active
service, from the time he entered the navy in
1803 until he was invalided in 18-11. He
left two sons and two daughters.
The property of Auquhorthins has been long
out of the hands of the Forbeses, and now be-
longs to Lord Aberdeen. Although but scanty
traces are now left of the mansion house, the
tine avenues of elms and ashes, and the re-
mains of the gardens, show it to have been a
place of considerable artificial as well as na-
tural beauty.
The estate of Blackford, of which the
Forbi ses were for some time designed, lies
within the parish of Auchterless, and now
belongs to Mr. T. P. Watson, a London
merchant.
(S. MAKY, VIRGIN.)
trpTHE church of Kerimiire, in the diocese of
**» St. Andrews, was given by Gilchrist,
Earl of Angus, to the Monastery of Arbroath
at the time of its foundation.
Bricius, who appears to have been jirivate
chaplain both to Earl Gilchrist and his son
Duncan, was appointed chaplain of Kirrie-
muir about the time of the succession of Earl
Malcolm. He witnesses charters by all these
Earls, and among others a gift made by Earl
Malcolm to the Monastery of Arbroath, of the
whole lands between places called Alden-
konkro and Aldhendouen, within the territory
of Kirriemuir (Reg. Yet. de Aberb., 80.)
The church is rated at 30 merks in the
Taxation of 1275. There is no record of any
chapel being dependent upon it at that time ;
but tradition asserts that, besides the chapel
in Glenprosen, there were six others in dif-
ferent parts of the parish, viz., at Balinshoe
(St. Ninian's) ; at Muirhouse (St. Colm's) ; at
Chapelton of KintjTie ; at Kilhill ; at Aber-
neathan, near Kinnordy ; and another in the
town called St. Magdalene's. We have seen
no documentary evidence regarding any of
these ; but the crofts called " the Roods" pos-
sibly imply the existence within the parish
church of St. Mary of an altar dedicated to
the Holy Cross. In fact, the only old chapel
of which we have seen any record is that of
" Saucti Culmoci," which stood within the
churchyard, in the tofts and houses belonging
to which Jfr. David Ogilvy, writer in Edin-
burgh, was served heir to his grandfather in
1 700 (Retours).
A corbel stone, built into a house at the
Pierhead, and exhibiting the sacred monogram
IHS., had jjossibly belonged to the old
church, which may have been a pre-Reforma-
tion building. In 1567, the churches of
Kirriemuir and Kingoldrum were both served
by Mr. Alexander Auchinleck, and Mr. Geo.
Fyffe was then reader or schoolmaster at
Kirriemuir.
An interesting account of the old church
has been given by the Rev. George Ogilvy in
a MS. of 1748, engrossed in the session re-
cords, in which it is described as " a large
house, about 200 feet long and 20 feet broad,
built in the form of a cross, with two aisles,
one to the south, another opposite it to the
358
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
north." Some of the desks or pews bore the
dates of 1612 and 1614; and "the quire"
contained a monument with a Latin inscrip-
tion to the memory of " Anna Ogilvy, daugh-
ter of Sir John Ogilvy of Inverquharity (who)
died February, 1605, when in the 32ud year
of her age."
She was the wife of the Rev. Alex. Kyriin-
month, minister of Kirriemuir and laird of
Meatliie, but her name is not given in heraldic
books. Mr. Kyninmonth, who was alive in
1621, had a son who became minister of
Kirriemuir in 1629, and who, at his death,
which took place about 1662, is said to have
left 100 merks to build, on the top of the
west wall of the church, a bell-house, upon
which his name was inscribed.
The two aisles mentioned by Mr. George
Ogilvy are said to have been used as the
burial-places of the "Wisharts of Logie and the
Ogilvj'S of Inverquharity ; but, although
search has been made, no tombstones relating
to either family have been discovered. Adam,
the first of the Wisharts, had a grant of Logie
from Gilbert of Umphraville, Earl of Angus,
in 1272, and the family continued in uninter-
rupted possession until near the middle of the
17th century (Mem. Angus and Mearns, .347).
Sir Walter Ogilvy of Carcary, Lord High
Treasurer of Scotland, was the first of his
family in Inverquharity, of which he had
charters from John AUardis about 1405. In
1420, he conveyed Inverquharity to his
brother Sir John, who became the founder
of that branch of the Ogilvys (Land of the
Lindsays, 275).
Mr. Kyninmonth was succeeded by Mr.
John Keith, " a gentleman from the Mearns,"
previously at Edzell, who died in 1668. His
successor, Mr. Sylvester Lyon, came from
Kinnettles. He had a son, David, and a
daughter who became the wife of Mr., after-
wards Bishop Eait of Brechin. On 22ud
May, 1715, liis son was charged before the
Presbytery with cohabiting with Magdalene
Campbell, relict of the deceased George
Symmers of Balzeordie ; but on 13 th of May
following, the parties were married an<l paid
" a guinea in penalties."
Mr. Lyon died in 1713, and was succeeded
in Kirriemuir by Mr. George Ogilvy. He
was the first Presbyterian minister of the
parish, and his ordination was so much op-
posed that it had to take place " in the Muir
of Logie, at a place called Cabylatch," about
two miles from the town. He remained in
his first charge of Benvie until Feb. 1716,
when he " got peaceable access to the church,"
and preached to the Laird of Lundie and
several private friends that had accompanied
him, and to " a few others, whose curiosity
had led them to be hearers."
Two large lofts, a steeple " for the conveni-
ence of the session, and a bell-bouse for orna-
ment," were added to the church in Mr.
Ogilvy's time. He died in 1771, aged 90,
leaving a family by his wife, — Trail from
Dundee. The eldest son James, minister of
Essie, married Susun, daughter of Sir George
(Jgilvy of Barras, and was the founder of the
Ogilvys of Westhall in Murroes (Epitaphs,
i. 382).
Mr. Eadie succeeded ilr. George Ogilvy,
and in 1787, during the time of his successor
Mr. Thomas Ogilvy, the present church was
buUt. The steeple was erected at the sole
expense of ilr. Charles Lyell of Kinnordy,
who had become chief heritor of the parish
and superior of the town under Lord Douglas.
Mr. Thomas Ogilvy contributed the notice
of the parish which appears in Sir John
Sinclair's StatLstical Account; and in 1801
Mr. Alex. Peat, afterwards at Glenisla, pub-
lished botli Mr. George and Mr. Thomas
Ogilvy's accounts, supplemented with interest-
ing notes (54 pp. 8vo., Dundee).
KIRRIEMUIR.
359
i\Ir. Ogilvy's tombstone, whicli has been re-
moved from its place in the burial grguud and
set up against the back wall of a house on the
N.E. side of the kirkyard, bears the follow-
ing :—
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Thomas
OoiLvr, minister of Kirr>Tnuir, who died, 6
April, 1802, in the 45 year of his age, and the 17
of his ministry. His daughter, Ann, died 17
Septr., Jane, 4 Octr., 1800, both in childhood.
His son, Walter, surgeon m the service of the
East India Company, died at Nagpore, Madras,
30 Sept., 1818, in the 23 year of his age.
— Mr. Ogilvy was followed by Mr., afterwards
Dr. David Caunan, who, on his translation to
ilurroes in 1809, was succeeded by the late
Dr. Thoma.s Easton, who wrote an excellent
account of the parish, and some other works.
He died in 1856, in his 79th year, and has
had two successors, Mr. D. Ogdvy-Eamsay,
now at Closeburn, and Mr. Boyd, the present
incumlient.
A burial-place of the Stormonths of Led-
uathie, with defaced inscription, is upon the
north side of the kirkyard. But the family
burial-place has been for some time in the
Buccleuch Churchyard, Edinburgh— the ceme-
tery in which rest also the ashes of Dr.
Adam, rector of the High School ; Mrs. Cock-
burn, the authoress of " Tlie Flowers of the
Forest ; " David Herd, the ballad collector ;
and Dr. Blacklock, the " blind bard," and
friend of Burns and Beattie. The Stormonth
tomb is upon the west wall, and is thus in-
scribed : —
Sacred to the memory (?f James Stormonth,
Esq. of Lednathie, who died 20th October, 1817,
aged 86 years ; and of Elizabeth Anne Mqir
Tod, who died Kith September, 182t> ; Robert,
who died old Maivli, ls36; and Andrew Tod,
who died ilth l).-,riiil,er, 1838, the infant chil-
dren of James Stonnouth Darhng, Esquh-e of
Lednathie, Writer to the Signet.
Lednathie, a name which in the older titles
is variously spelt EJliiaclttie, Ednawjhtj, and
Ednaiightic, lies iu Glenprosen, and seems at
oue time to have formed part of the estate of
Sir John Ogilvy of Inverquharity, who, in
16-18, made it over in wadset to a James
Farquharson, in Glenisla, and he, in 1683,
transferred it to the Stormonths, who are sup-
posed to have come originally from the dis-
trict of that name lying between Dunkeld and
Blairgowrie. The wadset was not converted
into an absolute right of property till 1710,
when Sir James Kinloch, who had by that
time come into the place of Sir John Ogilvy,
conveyed it irredeemably to " James Stor-
month in Balintore," son of the first Stormonth
of Lednathie. He must, however, have been
settled at the place as early as 1688, for there
is still preserved in the present house of Led-
nathie a stone, taken out of the old house,
bearing that date and the initials J. S., J. L.,
with a heart between them, signifying James
Stormonth and Jean Lyell, his wife.
From them the property descended to two
successive James Stormonths, the latter of
whom was a well-known member of tlie legal
profession in Edinburgh, and lived to a great
age. Ho is mentioned by Pierce Gillies iu his
" Memoirs of a Literary Veteran," as having
been one of a party of gentlemen, with old
Lord Panmure at their head, who were mak-
ing merry one night at the house of Keith of
Usan. At an advanced perioil of the sitting.
Lord Panmure hit upon the idea of tossing
tlie Laird's dogs in a blanket or plaid, and the
Laird being by that time incaijable of giving
articulate expression to his rage, left the room
and presently re-appeared with a loaded blun-
derbuss, which he fired over the heads of the
party, smashing all the mirrors in tlie room.
Whereupon, the cautious old lawyer, begui-
ing to think that matters were becoming seri-
ous, begged to be allowed to go to bed, alleging
that " the smell o' powther made him sick."
He never married, and on his death in 1817,
he was succeeded in Lednathie bj' the late
360
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
James Stormonth Darling, AV.S., who was a
grandson of his j'oimger brother Patrick Stor-
month. Mr. Stormonth Darling, who greatly
enhanced the beauty and value of the property
by a large extent of judicious planting, died
in 1866, and was buried in the cloisters of
Kelso Abbey, where a monument to his
memory is thus inscribed : —
In sacred remembrance of James Stormoxth
Darling, Esquire of Leduatliie, Writer to the
Signet, for nineteen years chief magistrate of
Kelso. Bom O"" February, 1799. Died I2">
August, 1866.
— He was succeeded by his son James Stor-
month Darling, W.S., the present jiroprietor,
who has recently added to the estate of Led-
nathie the adjoining lands of Glen Uig, which
formerly belonged to Mr. Ogilvy of Inshewan,
and latterly formed part of the estate of
Balintore.
jMany of the old tombstones in the church-
yard have unfortunately been appropriated for
utilitarian purposes, and although the few re-
maining fragments are not calculated to add
much to the genealogical history of the dis-
trict, still, as it is desirable to preserve the
little that is left, the following seven fragmen-
tary inscriptions are given : —
[1]
.... ROVN. s]50vs to Alexander . Strachou .
qlia depairted .......
. Lyudsay . qva
[3.]
Heir . lyis . Alexander . H . .
. HO . lived in . Kil
w
lOHN . ANDERSON . . . 1669
[5.]
BVE
hvsband to Evphau Pal . . vho
departed vpon the 18 .
Ivii
[6.]
. . . . lyis Agnes Beattie, spovs to Androv
Dvgal, Wright, vha ......
depairtit the 21 of Ai)ryl 1654 ....
Heir lyes William Doig, maitman in
who depairted
in May 168 ... . his age was .... yeirs.
Memento mori.
Upon a flat stone : — •
Hie . iacet . Margrata . Tamsone . conivux
. qvouda . D . vidis . Cromb . qve . obiit .
IIII . Febr . . 1613 . . . anno . a>tatis . 72.
Hvnc . posvit . cippvm . pro . matie . et .
conivge . et . ipso . matris . aiuans . natus .
couivgis . atque . sv. . . .
[Here lies Margaret Tamsone, late spouse to
David Cromb, who died 4th Feb., 1613, in the
72ud year of her age. This stone was erected by
an aifectionate sou and husband, for his mother,
his wife, and himself.]
From a slab set up against the kirk wall : —
Heir . lyis . David . Walker . bvrges
vsbaud . to . Agues Smitli . vho . depairted 15 .
Decembr . 1655 . his . age . was . 64 . yeirs . D .
W : A . S : I . W.
The next inscrijjtion is accompanied by a
monogram : —
Heir . lyes . Ianet Cvdbert . spovs . to .
Alexander Hvcheon . maitman . in . Kirrimvre
. vho . departed . the . 27 . of . September . 1655
. her . age . vas . 60.
From a flat stone with bevelled sides and
two defaced shields : —
Heir lyis Alexander Wood, shoemaker in
Brokholfs, bvi-ges of Forfar, who departit this
lyfe the 14 day of Dessember, 1 666, of his age
vas 78 ; also of Margaret Adam, his spovs.
who dejiarted this lyfe the 3d day of May, 1668
yeirs, and of her age vas 74, day of 16 —
yeirs. Androv Wood, cordiuer in Kiremvr,
departed this lyf wpon the 13 of May, 1679, and
his age vas 55. A. W : M. A : Memento Mori.
A. W. : E. F.
From a flat stone : —
Heir lyis Thomas Wobster, who lived in Baliu-
gara, hvsband to Elsebeth Leang, and he departed
the 12 of April, 1675, and his age vas 75. Blessed
are the dead, &c.
KIRRIEMUIR.
361
From a flat stone : —
Heir lyes Alexander C'vdbert, cordiiier, who
lived in Garlobank, and was hvsband to lauet
Samson, and he departed thes life wpon the 26
day of March, in the year of God 1674, and lies
age was 60.
In Kirriemuir, Isabella, Ay. of John Nicoll,
Burnside, Dersie, d. 1753, a. 57 : —
She soon expired.
And bade this world adieu.
Fierce was the stroke.
Her head did scarcely nod,
When she resignes
All for the living God.
Thomas Adam, formerly in Hatton of Carse,
d. , a. 51, " a man of UnsuUied deport-
ment" : —
" Artist, or sage, by chance or leisure led,
To view these fond memorials of the dead ;
Pause o'er this stone — To virtue truly just,
And learn what here is cmmbling into dust."
Mary. wf. of John Chalmers (1810) :—
" Loved for her worth.
By those who virtue prize.
Whilst death her body westes
Her soul triumphs on high.
Dark was affliction's night,
And long, long was it born,
But being borne with patience.
Joyful prov'd its morn."
The slab from which the next inscription is
copied, bears representations of a shoe, skull,
crossed bones, &c. : — •
Heir lyis loHX Adamson, shoemaker in Ku-rie-
mra-, who departed the 10 day of April 1681, his
age was 59.
From a flat stone : — ■
Heir- lyis William Care, son to WiUiam Care
in Eist . . . who depairted 13 of December 1656,
his age . . .
The following from a headstone relates to
an uncle of the first Lyell of Kinnordy : —
In gi-ateful remembrance of the Rev. Jas.
Ltall, Episcopal clergyman in Kerriemuir, wlio
died 15 Feb. 1794, aged 83 years.
Abridged from a granite slab (enclosed) on
east wall : —
The Rev. John Buchan, for about 40 years
Episcopal clergyman of this town, died in Elgin,
14th May 1851, aged 84. His spouse Ji\jjet
Ritchie, who died here 8th May 1828, aged 43.
[They appear to have had four sons and three
daughters.]
Abridged from a headstone in S.E. corner
of churchyard : —
The Rev. James Aitkex, senior minister of
the congi-egation of Original Seceders in Kirrie-
miiir, died on the 24th Sep., 1834, in the 78th
year of his age, and the 56th of his ministry.
This stone was erected by the congregation in
gratefid remembrance of a faithful pastor, and a
zealous and steadfast witness for the principles
of the Reformed Church of Scotland.
Upon the reverse of the stone : —
Mi-s. AiTKEN died in 1822, aged 60 [also 3
daughters.] James Aitken, A.M., son of the
Rev. John Aitken, was licensed Oct. 16th, 1844.
After preaching for 8 Sabbaths, he was unani-
mously called by the congregation of Original
Seceders, Kirriemuir, to be their pastor ; but
ha\'ing been seized with fever in passing through
Dundee, he died there in peace on 28th Dec,
aged 22. " Even so, Fathei-, for so it seemed
good in thy sight."
— Old Aitken was a man of great energy of
character, and Kirriemuir being rather famous,
even in those days, for its Radical tendencie.=,
the Synod resolved to send him there, lie
being, as one of the members is said to have
. quaintly remarked, " the best man to send to
Kirriemuir, where Satan had his seat ! "
Built into east wall of churchyard : —
To the memory of James Nicoll, who died
at BaUindarg, 29th Nov. 1826, aged 75 years.
Margt. Glendat, his spouse, who died at Loch-
side of Balfour, 4th Sept. 1815, aged 59 years.
And of their son Cai)t. David Nicoll, late com-
mander of the ship Merope. of Calcutta, who was
killed in tlie massacre at Manilla, 9th Oct. 1820,
aged 25 years. And also of tlieii' daughter Jane
Nicoll, who died at BaUindarg, 2l.st Aj ril 1834,
aged 52 years. Their son Capt. James Nicoll
of the Honourable the East India Company's
Service, who died at BaUindarg, 4th May 1838,
aged 58 years. Their son John Nicoll, late
farmer, Greenbank, who died 29th May 1850,
aged 61 years.
In the ^Manilla massacre, wliicli broke out
on the 9th of October, 1S20, and raged for
three days, 25 European gentlemen, captains
362
EriTAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS .
and super-cargoes of foreign vessels, and. 16
resident Chinese, lost their lives. The im-
mediate cause of the outhreak is said to have
heen a belief in the minds of the ignorant
and superstitious natives that there was a
design on the part of the whites to eniploj-,
for the purpose of poisoning the wells and
rivers, a collection of reptiles and insects pre-
served and dried by some French naturalists,
Avho were the first to fall victims to the
popular fury, which was afterwards turned
against all foreigners, without distinction of
nationality. In addition to the loss of life,
there was destroyed during the disturbances
property of the estimated vakie of nearly
half a million dollars.
Upon a headstone : —
1846 : George Mitchell, Tirlioot, East Indies,
in memory of his father, James Mitchell, shoe-
maker, Kirriemuir, who died 3rd October, 1844,
aged 87. His mother, Isabella Dundas, died
lUh April, 1845, aged 75. His brother, John,
Oapt. H.E.I.C.S., latterly an indigo planter in
Tirlioot, died at sea in the Bay of Bengal, 4th
Oct., 184.3, on his return to Europe, aged 48.
His brothpr, Alexander, fonuerly an officer of
the ship SiMwinshaw, latterly an indigo planter
in Tirhoot, died at Eajai Factory, 22nd April,
1843, aged 37. [On back.] His sister, Margery,.
departed .Ian., 1818, aged 1(3 years. Charles
Dundas Mitchell, surgeon, died at Calcutta,
27th April, 1847, aged 3G. [On reverse.] His
sister, Isabella, died 6th Dec, 1854, aged 45.
From a headstone : —
Sacred to the memory of Eobert Wii.kie uf
New Barns, who died on the 7tli January 183i,
aged 79 years. And of his reUct, Mrs. Jean
Johnston, who died on the 6th of July 1848,
aged 85 years.
Wilkie was a mo. chant in Montrose, and
had a brother in Dundee, also a merchant,
who bought the property of Auchlishie, of
which his son Mr. Duncan Wilkie, Writer,
Kirriemuir, is now proprietor. Eobert, of New
Larns, had a son James, a major in the army,
who for some tine held the lucrative apipoint-
ment of army clothier. Major Wilkie left a
sou, who died in childhood, and two daugh-
ters, and the property was sold some years ago
to ]\Ir. Duke, a linen manufacturer in Kirrie-
muir.
Alex. Grant, farmer, Kmtvrie, and children
(1822).
Stop, moi-tals stop, remove not from this stone,
A moment stand, and ponder where were gone;
The dead admonish thee, to mind these lines.
The grave that's opened next perhaps is thine.
Marianne Yeats, d. 1830, a. 12 y : —
In love she lived.
In peace she died;
Her life was iisked.
But God denied.
Against east wall : —
Sacred to the memory of James Jaefersox,
lat« tenant in Newmill of Ci-aigeassie, who died
Dec. 12, 1823, aged 86 years. And to the me-
mory of Jane Smith, wife of James Jafferson,
w-ho died 4tli November 1833, aged 88 years.
William Forest, clothier, Kuriemiur, died
3rd Februarv, 1819, aged 71. Margaret Hood,
his spouse, died 9th May 1809, aged 48.
From a headstone : —
In memory of Alexander M'Bain, who died
4th Nov. 1834, aged 54 years. This stone was
erected by John Kinloeh, Esq., of Kih-ie, as a
mark of esteem for the deceased, who had faith-
fully served his family for part of three genera-
tions.
— The ancestor of the erector of tliis stone
was the elder son, by a first marriage, of David
Kinloeh, of Aberbothrie, in Meigle. The
eldest son by a second marriage purchased
Aberbothrie (now Kinloeh) from a cousin, and
from him is descended Sir George Kinloeh,
Bart.
A headstone within the same enclosure
records the deaths of a nonagenarian and a
j centenarian : —
In memory George Johnston of Herdhill,
who died 2ud Dec, 1846, aged 93 years, and
of Helen Johnston, his sister, wlio died 3rd
Oct., 1848, aged 100 years and 9 mouths.
The Episcopal Church ' (S. Mary's) was
erected towards the close of the last centuiy
by Mr. Lyell of Kinnordy. It is very much
superior to most of the Episcopal, and indeed
to most of the parish churches of the period,
KTRRTEMUIR.
363
Vieing in a good style of architecture, and
having a spire and clock-tower.
In the surrounding cemetery are several
monuments, those to the Lj^ells of Kinnordy
being inscribed as follows : —
In gi-ateful remembrance of C^haeles Lyell,
Esq., of Kinnordy, who died 19th Jan. 179(i,
aged 62.
— His father was one of several brothers, who
were farmers at Carcary, in Farnell (Epitaphs,
i. 92). He was bred a merchant in Montrose,
and became a purser on board one of H.il.
ships during the time of fhe American War.
Having amassed a considerable fortune, he re-
turned home and bought Kinnordy and other
lands adjoining from the baronet of Inver-
quharity about 1780-3. To his wife JMary
Beale, who belonged to Westlooe, Cornwall, is
the following inscription : —
[■^■]
In grateful remembrance of Mary Lykll
rehct of Charles Lyell, Esq. of Kincirdv, who
died 16th May, 1S1.3, aged 71.
[3.]
Sacred tn the memory of Charles Lyell Esq.
of Kinnordy, died «tli JSTovr., 1849, aged 80.
— Mr. Lyell, who was bred a barrister, was
one of the most eminent botanists and Italian
scholars of his time. He was the discoverer
of many new plants, and his translation of the
lyrical poems of Dante is highly esteemed.
He is said to have had a nearly complete col-
lection of the various editions of the great
Italian poet, and of the works of his numerous
commentators. He married Frances, only
daughter of Mr. Thos. Smith, banker, of
ifaker Hall, Swaledalo, Yorkshire : —
[4.]
Sacred to the memory of Frances, widow of
Charles Lyall, Esq. of Kinnordy. Died 4th
March, 1850, aged 7'>.
— There are three other tablets, one to the
memory of a grandson^ who died in 1845, and
the others to two daughters, Elizabeth and
Elexou, who died respectively in 1835 and
1866, aged 21 and 60.
Their eldest son Charles, the celebrated
geologist, who was knighted at Balmoral in
1848, and created a baronet in 1864, was
buried in Westminster Abbey, where his
grave is marked by a flat slab, upon which is
tlie following inscription, iidaid in brass
letters : —
Charles Lyell, Baronet, F.E.S., author of
" The Principles of Geology," born at Kinnordy,
in Forfar.diire, Nov. 14, 1797, died at Londoii,
February 22, 1875. Throughout a long and
laborious life he sought the means of decipher-
ing the fragmentary records of the Eai-th's His-
tory in the patient investigation of the present
order of Nature, enlarging the boundaries of
knowledge, and leaving on scientiiic thouglit an
enduring influence. " O Lord, how great are
thy works, and thy thoughts are very deep." —
Psalm xcii., 5.
Sir Charles and his brother, Lieut. -Col.
Lyell, both married sisters, daughters of the
well-known Leonard Horner. As the dis-
tinguished Baronet left no male issue, the
title has become extinct, the patent being
limited to heirs male of his own bod}^ His
second brother, Thomas, Lieut. II.N., has a
residence at Sheill-hill, near Kirriemuir.
All record goes to show that Kirriemuir,
which received its name from the patroness of
the church (Kil-Mary), wa.s a place of import-
ance in early times.
AMien the old church was demolished in
1787, five fragments of very interesting sculp-
tured stones were discovered in its founda-
tions. Four of these are engraved in the
Spalding Club's great work on the Sculptured
Stones of Scotland (vols. i. ii.), and one of the
slabs is supposed to carry us back to a time
when the Brehon laws were still in force
among the early Celtic inhabitants. It ex-
hibits the figure of a man, supposed to be a
Brehon or judge, seated in a chair, with a
sword on one side and a mirror and comb on
364
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
the other ; while the upper compartment con-
tains two figures in the respective attitudes of
a pleader and a listener.
The Brehons had possibly held their courts,
as the Earls of Angus did afterwards, upon
the Courthillock, a, rounded eminence, now
levelled, a little to the west of the town of
Kirriemuir ; and the remains of a standing
stone, still about 9 feet in height by about 6^
feet in breadth, form a conspicuous object
upon the market-muir.
But the parish contains other anticpiities of
tlie same sort. Xear Balmuckity there are
the remains of a stone circle, and a solitary
boulder stands in a field upon tlie farm of
Caldhame. Two good specimens of rocking-
stones stood to the north-west of the hill until
1843, when an English road surveyor had them
blasted with gunpowder, and used the frag-
ments to build dykes ! This piece of vanda-
lism formed the subject of a doggrel poem, of
which a single couplet will suffice as a speci-
men ; —
Amaz'd the Kirry folks did crack.
An' bann'd the sacriligious act !
The rocking-stones are described in the
New Stat. Acct., which also contains notices
of the discovery of two Picts' houses, flint
arrow-heads, stone celts, &c.
But to come to historical times, it seems
probable that this was the capital of the Earl-
dom of the Celtic Earls of Angus, and the
" Standing Stones" upon the hill had doubtless,
for many ages, been the site of their regality
courts. The whole of their territory, which
comprised large tracts of land, not only in the
parish of Kirriemuir, but in those of Moni-
fieth, Tealing, Murroes, Idvies, and Auchter-
house, were included within the " Eegallitie
of Killiemuire," and held by vassals, who
were bound to give suit "at the Courthill of
Keriemore," where the Earls themselves re-
ceived seisin of the lands and Earldom down
to at least 12th March, 1632. It is an inte-
resting fact that, on 8th September, 1668,
when James, Marquis of Douglas, succeeded,
his retour bore " the Reddendo of the said
Lordship and Regalitie of Keriemoor to be a
pennie silver (payable) at the principal mes-
suage of Keriemoor, at the feast of the na-
tivitie of St. Joha the Baptist, in name of
Blenchferme, if it beis asked allenarlie, and
that the Old extent was 200 lib Scotts, and
the New 200 lib Scotts" (Inv. of ihe Writs
L. and R. of Kirrienmir at Panmuir).
We have not ascertained the date of the
erection of the burgh. It had possibly been
made in favour of some one of the Douglases
— probably of Archibald, " the Great Earl" of
Angus, who had charters of the lordship of
Kirriemuir, 1st Aug., 1510, and who died in
1514. It was annexed to the Crown on the
attainder of his grandson in 1540 (Acta Pari.,
ii., 561), but he received it back on his restor-
ation a few years afterwards.
In 1670, James, 2nd Marquis of Douglas,
had liberty to hold " three faires in the yeare"
at his burgh of regality of Killimuir, the first
upon the Tuesday before Whitsunday, the
seconil on the first of Sept., and the third on
the Tuesday before Martinmas, each fair to
" continow and endure during the space of four
dayes" (Ibid, viii. 20, Ap. 6).
The second Marquis was succeeded by his
second son, Archibald, who was created Duke
of Douglas in 1703, but on his death without
issue in 1761, the ducal title became extinct,
and the title of jSIarquis of Douglas and Earl
of Angus devolved upon the Duke of Hamil-
ton in virtue of his descent from William, son
of the 11th Earl of Angus and brother of the
first Marquis of Douglas.
The Duke's real and personal estates, in-
cluding the lordship of Kirriemuir, were in-
herited by his nephew Archibald Stewart, who,
after a protracted lawsuit, known as The Doug-
DRUMOAZ.
365
las Cause, was served heir of line to his uncle.
He was afterwards (1790) created a British
peer by the title of Baron Douglas, and died
in 1827, leaving a large family. Three of his
sons succeeded as second, third, and fourth
barons, and on the death of the last in the
j'ear 1857, his eldest sister, Lady Montague,
succeeded to the estates. She died in 1859,
and her eldest daughter, the Countess of
Home, is now proprietrix.
Neither the Earls of Angus nor the Mar-
quises of Douglas appear to have had any
ciistlo or residence at Kirriemuir, and the
Courthill — their temporary place of sojourn —
had, as in mony cases, been " the principall
messuage" referred to in their charters.
The only castles in the parish are those of
Inverquharity and Ballinshoe. The former,
which was erected by Sir John Ogilvy about
144-4, is still an imposing ruin on the banks
of the Carity ; and the latter, which overlooks
the valley of Strathmore, was possibly built
by the Lindsays. It -s now much dilapidated,
but is still remarkable for two of the largest
walnut trees in the kingdom. Near it is the
burial-ground of the Fletchers, once luirds of
the place, but to whom there are no monuments
(Land of the Lindsays).
The town of Kirriemuir, where there is a
railway terminus, is a place of considerable
trade. Although irregularly built, it contains
some good dwelling-houses and shops. Besides
the parish and Episcopal churches, there are
also a quoad sacra, Free, and U.P. churches.
Among its seminaries is one founded by the
late Mr. Webster, bank agent, who left about
£8000 for building and other purposes ; and
the town has another educational mortification
of over X2000, founded by Mr. Henry, of
Kensington, a native of Kiri'iemuir.
Among the more important of recent im-
provements is the formation of a cemetery to
the east of the line. The site, which was
once partly occupied by a quarry, is very
romantic, and well suited for the purpose.
The old sculptured stones mentioned above,
which had been in the old kirkyard from time
immemorial, have, with questiomible taste,
been removed to the modern cemetery.
About ten years ago, the south side of tlie
romantic Den of the Garrie, to the west of
the town, was converted into a public park.
For this boon the inhabitants are largely in-
debted to the liberality of the late Mr. George
Wilkie, of Sydne}', N.S.W., who was a native
of Kiriiemuir.
Besides Sir Charles Lyell and his father,
V ho have both left their mark in the literary
world as eminent scholars and men of science,
a few others connected with the parish have
also shown a taste for the cultivation of letters,
such as Captain James Ogilvy of Inver-
quharity, the reputed author of the song " It's
a' for ourrightfu' King ;" James Anderson, a
native of Kingoldrum, and teacher in Kirrie-
muir, who wrote the poems of the " Piper o'
Peebles," and " Ladywell and Laird Dambie ;"
and L. Watt, the author of a volume of curi-
ous poems and songs (30 pp., Forfar, 1823).
D r u ijt 0 a k,
(S. MAYOT OR JIAZOTA, VIRGIN.)
THE Church of Dulmaijol; is mentioned
in a Bull of Adrian IV., 1157 ; and in
the Cld Taxation of 1275 it is rated at 6
merks. In 1368, the jsastor of Dulmayok
was made a member of the Chapter of the
Cathedral of Old i\Iachar, and the church is
rated along with severed other prebends in
1448 (Reg. Ep. Abdn.)
In Malk's, Mayafs, or Mazota's Well, in
the neiglibourhood of the old kirk, is preserved
366
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
the name of the patron saint of the parish,
who is said to have been the eldest of the
nine virgin daughters of S. Donald. Thej'
lived in the Glen of Ogilvy or Glamis, where,
according to the legend, they were so much
annoyed by wild geese, which ate up their
corn, that Mazota forbade them to return
any more, " and therefore," it is added, " wild
geis was nevir sene efter on tliat ground"
(Coll. Abd. Bff.)
In 1574, the church of Dilniayok and fuur
others were served by Mr. John Grahame,
minister, w'ho ajapears to have resided at
Drumoak. He had a stipend of £80 lis. IJd.,
ahmg with the kirk lands ; and Alexander
Jerard, who was then reader at Drumoak, had
a salary of =£20 Scots, which was paid by the
minister, Mr. Grahame, &c.
Mr. 'Iraham was probably followed at
Drumoak by Mr. Ilichard Ross, who appears
to have had but little heart in his work. He
• was often admonished by the Presbytery, who
enjoined him " to keep his house and bulk
better," but continuing to neglect his duties,
lie was suspended in 1606. Non-residence
was also for some time complained of in the
next minister, Mr. Scroggie, who was after-
wards translated to Old Machar. His suc-
cessor, Mr. John (iregorie, being an anti-
Covenanter, was fined, had his house plun-
dered, and at last was deprived of his living.
Ho was, however, afterwards replaced, and
died before 31st March, 1653. By his wife,
a daughter of Anderson of Finzead (now
Harthill in Keig), he had several children,
among others the laird of Kinairdie, and
James, the celebrated professor of mathe-
matics in Edinburgh, and correspondent of
Sir Isaac Newton (Scott's Fasti ; Epitaphs, i.
235). Mr. Gregorie was succeeded in Drum-
oak by Mr. Lindsay, noticed below.
The present church, a neat Gothic edifice,
designed by the late Mr. A. Simpson, of
Aberdeen, and erected in 1836, occupies the
corner of a bleak field, about a mile to the
N.W. of the former site. The old kirk, now
a roofless ruin, partially covered with iv}',
stands within the burial-ground, Avhich is situ-
ated upon a rising ground on the north bank
of the Dee. It is a long, narrow building,
with gallery or outside stairs upon the north
and east, and has two doors, and four pretty
large windows, besides a small one, on the
south. An old piscina and the remains of a
font are built into the wall near the south-
west door, and a flat slab, near the east end,
is embellished with a plain incised cross.
There is no lettering upon this stone, but
upon another is the following inscription,
w-hich relates to an early uunister of the
parish : —
HUIC • MANDATUR ' TUMULO ' CORPUS ' VIRI '
CUM ■ GENERE ' TVM • riBTATE ' INSIGSIS ' MRI ■
DAVIDIS • LINDSAY ' ECCLESI.'E ' HUJUS ' PASTORIS '
FIDELISSIMI • QUI " FATO ■ FUNCTUS ' EST ' SEPTRIS
• DIE • 29 • ANNO • INSTAURATI • ORBIS " 1702 '
.BTATIS ■ VERO • SiVX ' Hi.
[To this tomb is committed the body of a man
of distinguished birth and eminent piety, Mr.
David Lindsay, a most faithful pastor of this
clmrch, who died 29"' Sept., 1702, in his T6th
year.]
Mr. Lindsay, who was settled in 1654, wa-s
deposed in 1681 for his refusal to take the
test. He was succeeded by his son, also
David, on whose death in 1691 he was re-ap-
pointed to the charge, and in 1G94 he was
received into communion by a committee of
the General Assembly (Scott's Fasti).
Of the inscription to the memory of Mr.
Lindsay's successor, the words Alex. Shank
oBiiT . PRiD . Nov.
Eliz. Burnet
are all that can now be deciphered. Mr.
Shank was ordained minister of Drum.oak,
4th Aug., 1703, and died in 1749. He was
a widower in 1744, and had four children,
Thomas, Alexander. ^Margaret, and Jean, who
DRUMOAK.
367
wei'u all above 16 years of age in 1748 (Sep.
Reg. nf Fresh. AM.) Dr. Scott (Fasti) says
^Ir. Shank had four sons and three daughter;,
and that two of the sons, Alexander and
"William, became ministers of the church,
the former at Avbuthnott, and the latter at
lirechin. This statement as to the members
of Jlr. Shank's family, and the names of his
sons, is not borne out by the Separate Rer/is-
ter. There was an Alex. Shank, who was
translated from St. Cj'rus to Arbuthnott in
1743, and who, according to Dr. Scott, had a
son, Alexander, who became minister of St.
Cyrus in 1759. The latter resigned Ins liv-
ing in 1781, on succeeding to the fortune of
his namesake (if not relative) IMr. Shank of
Castlerig in Fife, son of Mr. Henry Shank,
minister of Bancliory-Teruan (Epitaphs, i.
4, 291, 362).
.Mr. Shank was succeeded in Drumoak by
Jlr. John Glennio, who was translated to
ilary Culter in 1763, and had for his succes-
sor Mr. illex. Eoss, afterwards at Auchterless
(Epitaphs, i. 208, where " 17th'' is a misprint
for 47th). The next inscription, from a frac-
tured table-stoue, relates to Mr. liose's im-
mediate successor at Druiuoak : —
Here lie the remains of the Rev. Mr. JoHX
Fui.LERTON, who after acquiring deserved repu-
tation as a jiubiic teacher, was ordained ministei-
of Drumoak in 1775. By instruction, persuasion,
and an edifying example of piety, liuuiility, and
probity, he uniformly laboured to win the hearts
of his flock to the love and practice of pure and
uudefiled religion, and in the hope of a
died 7 May, 17S5. His widow and children have
erected this tomb to his memory. Heie are also
interred the remains of Mrs. Isabella Rose, his
wife, wdio having lived respected, died (5 March,
1814, aged 73 years.
Upon a table-shaped stone near east wall : —
Sacred to the memoiy of the Revd. James
Fraser, D.D., who died at Drumoak, .31st Janu-
ary, 1828, in the 73d year of his age, and 42d of
his ministry.
■ — Dr. Fraser was succeeded by ilr., after-
wards Dr. Adam Corbet, who contributed to
the Xew Stat. Acct. the excellent monograph
to which we are indebted for some of the par-
ticulars given in this paper. Dr. Corbet, who
inherited from his father the property of Bielil-
side in Banchory-Devenick, married a sister
of the late Sir Thomas Blaikio of Aberdeen,
and died without issue in 1876.
On the south-west of the old church a flat
slab, embellished with a skull, bears this in-
scription : —
HERE LYES AXDROWCADEXHBAU IN DRVMMOAKE,
WHO DEPAIRTED 27 DECER. 1634; AND ISOBEL
GRAY, HIS SPOVS, WHO DEPAIRTED THE . IN
ALL THINGS REMEMBER THE END.
— According to a family tradition, the Caden-
heads of Aberdeenshire and the Mearns are
de.=cended from a native of Caddonhead iu
l'",ttrick Forest, who is said to have settled on
Deeside in the second half of the 15th cen-
tury ; and it is certain that, soon after 1500,
the name is found, in the form of Caldenheid
or Caddonheid, in several parishes in the
northern part of Kincardineshire.
Sundry entries in the parish registers would
seem to indicate that Andrew, in Drumoak,
had been a brother, nephew, or other near
relative of Magnus Cadenheid in Pitteyot, who
died in 1613, and whose will and inventory
are recorded in the Commissary Bjoks of
St. Andrews. Andrew, in Drumoak, had a
son Magnus, and in the Kecords of the Sheriff-
dom of Aberdeen there is a deed, written and
witnessed by him, in wdiich ho is designed
son to Andrew Cadonheid iu Cortanes of
Drumoak ; and in 1633, tlie same Magnus is
mentioned as a creditor for 1000 merks ad-
vanced to the L-jird of Drum.
In the course of the latter part of the 17th
century and the beginning of the 18th, the
name disappears from Drumoak, while numer-
ous Calenheads appear as occupiers of land iu
the parishes of Petercult'r and Banchory-
Devenick, where some of their descendants
are stiU to be found.
308
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS .
Near south-west corner of burial-ground : —
Here lyes James Stephen, -who lived in Caim-
touu ; he died January the l" day, 1740, aged
74. Also, Jannet Moorison, his spouse ; she
died ye 16 of Dec, 1716, aged 45 years.
— The above is upon a flat stone, whicli also
bears names of more modern date. The latest
recorded of th's family (upon a granite head-
stone) is Alexander, M.A., M.I), (son of
Arthur Stephen, farmer, Aslie), who died at
Aberdeen, 1859, aged 25. A table-shaped
stone adjoining the above bears : —
In memory of David Stephen, weaver iu
Easter Caruie 58 years ; he died the 22 Nov.
1809, aged 89 years. Also, of Margaret
Kennedy, his spouse, who died the 14th Feb.,
1813, aged 89 years. This stone is placed here
as a token of dutiful regard by their children ; —
In Oarnie sure did David die.
We hope his soul's in Heaven high ;
The body lies beneath this stone.
To moulder there both skin and bone.
It was his blessed will to wear
A coat without a seam,
Which fitted well in every part.
Wove in a wyver's leem.
— The last four lines, which are here supplied
from the Deeside Guide, were, according to
that authority, "chiselled out by orders of the
late Dr. Fraser, a thing which many (includ-
ing myself) think he had no right or title to
do whatsoever." In addition to the above
names, the stone presents those of " David's"
son, George, who died in 1837, aged 78 ; his
daughter, Isobel, spouse of Donald M'Lennan,
who died in 1853, aged 80 ; and that of her
husband who died in 18 — , aged — .
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
In memory of John Collie, surgeon in Alier-
deeu, who died 4"' July, 1817, aged 42 years.
His father, John Collie, iu Barres-gate of Drum,
died 24"' June, 18.32, iu his 90"' ye.ar.
E. R. : M. H. Here lyes the tjody of Robert
Reith, who lived iu Candyglirach in Drumoak
parish. He died August the 17, 1765, aged 74
years. &c.
The following inscriptions are from two of
fo ir table-stones to persons of the same sur-
name -jt—
Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Margaret
Marshall, wife of Hugh Fullerton, advocate in
Aberdeen, who died on the 1st of Feb., 1821,
aged 32 years.
Robt. Fullerton, farmer, Brachmont of
Durris, d. 1812, a. 31,— Via vitse :—
Here in the dust my body low is laid.
It rests in hope thro' Christ my living liead ;
In prime of life the debt of natm"e paid.
Now sleeps in Christ, my Father and my God.
Tumuli, flint arrows, and other ancient
relics have been found in the parish, which
lii;s partly in Aberdeen and partly in Kin-
cardine. A fragment of a sculptured stone,
upon which are the sceptre, mirror, and comb
ornaments, is now preserved at Park (Sculptd.
Stones of Scot., i. ph xii.) It was found at
" Keith's Moor," near the old kirk, the reputed
scene of an engagement between the Irvines
and the Keiths, in which it is said the former
were victorious, and drove their enemies across
the Dee at places still known as the Keith's
Pot and the Keith's Stane.
The Loch of Drum, although now very
much reduced in size, still covers an area of
about 80 acres. It is surrounded with natural
wood and plantations, and has much the ap-
pearance of a place where crannoges or lake
dwellings might be found. The " King's
Well " is upon the N.E. side of the loch, and
tradition avers that the old kings of Scotland
frequently resorted to the Forest of Drum to
enjoy the pleasures of the chase.
Drum is supposed to have been in posses-
sion of the Crown until it was bestowed by
Bruce, while Earl of Carrick, on William of
Irvine, who was his shield-beaver, and to whom
he afterwards gave a charter of the Forest of
Drum, at Berwick, l.st Feb., 1323. In 1359,
the Park of Drum was acquired by Walter
Moigne, who was succeeded in it by his son
John. On the last day of March, 1388,
the latter entered into an agreement with
" Alexander Irwyne, lord of the Droum," by
which, while reserving for his own lifetime a
DRUMOAK.
369
chalder of meal, which Irvine was wont to
pay " to the upholding of the foresaid Park,"
and half the profits arising from barony courts,
the sale of wood, etc., he agreed that Alex-
ander of Drum and his heirs should succeed
to the said Park at his decease. The same
agreement contains a clause giving Irvine a
right to have a forester at Baldarroch, who
was to "half of land to the sauing of sixfirlotis
of bere and five boUis of ates."
The laird of Drum, who acquired from
Moigne the park that lay between his own
lands and those of Leys, appears to have been
the father of
Gude Sir Alexander Irving,
The much renown it Laird of Drum,
who held a command in the Lowland army at
the battle of Harlaw, where he fell in 1411.
He is said to have been succeeded by his
brother, who, for some reason or other, changed
his Cliristian name from Eobert to Alexander,
for which it was alleged there was a precedent
in the case of Robert III. (Burke). He was
a man of note in his day, was kniglited by
James I., and married Elizabeth, daughter of
Sir Eobert Keith, Marischal of Scotland, as is
thus recorded upon a brass in Drum's Aisle at
Aberdeen : —
HIO SUB ISTA SEPULTURA JACET HONORABILIS
ET FAMOSUS MILES DNS ALEXANDER DE IRVTN '
SECVD' QDA DNS DE DROUM"D ACHYNDOR ET FOR-
GLEN QUI OBIIT DIE ' MiSIS ANNO ' DNI •
Mo.ccccmo. —
[In this tomb lies an honourable and distin-
guished knight, AleXjVnder de Irvyn, some-
time second laird of Droum, Achyndor, and For-
glen, who died on the day of a.d. 14 — .]
HIC ECIAM JACET NOBILIS DNA DMA ELISABETH
DE KETH FILIA 2dA DNI ROBERTI DE KETH
MILiriS MARESCALLI SOCCIE uxor 2DA DNI DNI
ALESANDRI DE JRVYN QUE OBIIT DIE MtSIS
ANO DNI ■ MO.CCCCmO. —
[Here also lies a noble lady, Elizabeth de
Keith, daughter of Sir Robert de Keith, Mari-
schal of Scotland, and wife of Alexander de
Irvyn, who died on the day of 14 — .]
I — It is popularly believed that this brass has
reference to the hero of Harlaw, but as the
Irvines had no connection with Forglen until
some time after that battle (Reg. Aberb., ii.
48), nor with Auchindoir until 1506, it is
clear that it cannot relate to an earlier date
than 1528, about which time took place the
death of Sir Alexander Irvine, who was the
first of his family that held these lands.
Various circumstances (not the least important
of which is the style of the brass itself) lead
us to believe that it was probably erected
during the first quarter of the 17th century,
perhaps by Sir William Irvine of Kelly.
Be this as it may, it is certain that a Sir
Alexander Irvine, probably the brother of the
hero of Harlaw, survived until shortly before
14th Nov., 1457, when he was succeeded by
a grandson, Alexander, who married Nanny s
Menyeis. By this lady, who died sometime
before 28th Aug., 1493, he had at least three
sons and one daughter, viz., David, Alexander,
John, and Agnes, for whose maintenance
while " at the scolis" as well as during the
rest of their lives ho " maid provision" as
follows. David received a tack of the land
of Coul and the stocking thereon, which in-
cluded 20 tine of oxen and 4 chalders of malt
yearly, also 300 wedders on Fortrie, in
Buchan ; Alexander received the tack and
stocking of Kinharrochy, which included 34
oxen and 300 ewes ; John had the tack and
stocking of Craigton, which included aU the
oxen upon that place and 28 ewes ; and
Agnes had " all and haill his guids, come,
oxen, and viijxx youis, being in Dalmayok,
togidder with xxiiij ky and ane bull in Col-
langy, to opbring hir and mary her " (Antiq.
Abd. Bff., iii. 301-2.)
Three years after the above date, on 23rd
August, 1496, the laird of Drum and "his
complicis" had a discharge for a penalty of
100 merks imposed on them for " violence
committed and done be " them to Sir Alex-
z3
370
EPITAPHS, AND IN8CBIPTI0NS :
aiider Frase/ of Philorth and his son and heir,
at the Brig of Polgong.
Alexander Irvine of Drum, who is styled a
knight in 150G, had charters of Lunmey,
which had been long before in the family, of
Largneis (Lairney), Auchindoir, Fulzemont,
andTerlane. In 1520 and 1527 respectively,
Sir Alexander received bonds of inanrent from
his " kinsman" of Belties and from Fraser of
Overdurris. He died before 12th August,
1528, as of that date his son Alexander was
served his heir in the lands and Park of Drum,
Learney, and Terlane. This laird appears to
have died in 1583, and his successor, ako
Alexander, who married a daughter of Scrym-
geour of Dudhope, received, in 1587, "the
King's bill" for a loan of 500 merks.
It was this laird who erected the portion of
the Castle of Drum which is dated 1619 ; and
in 1622, he and " his wj'iff and sic as sail be
in cumpanie with them at tabill," had a licence
to " eit and feid wpouu fleshes in the forbidden
tyme of Lentroun and sic lyke, wpoun Wed-
nesdayis, Frydayes, and Seterdayes for the
space of ane yeir." — (Ibid, iii.)
Besides being knighted by Charles I., Sir
Alexander received from that monarch a
patent creating him Earl of Aberdeen, but,
owing to the troubles of the times, it never
passed the Great Seal. He acquired the lands
of Kmmuck in Keith-hall, those of Kelly in
Arbirlot, and certain others in Aberlemno,
all of which, as well as those of Drum, he
burdened with gifts of various amounts to
be applied to charitable and educational pur-
Sir Alexander's son and successor, being
also an adherent of the House of Stuart, suf-
fered much at the hands of the Covenanters
by fine as well as by imprisonment ; and, his
health at last giving way under confinement,
he died at Aberdeen in 1687, and was buried
within Drum's Aisle. It is to an alleged
second marriage of this knight that the bal-
lad of " The Laird o' Drum" refers.
It was during the time of Alexander Irvine
of Murthill, who succeeded his kinsman as
heir of entail, and died in 1720, that "Two
Ingenious Gentlemen," who were travelling
from Fettercairn to Deeside, having lost their
way betwixt jMouymusk and Fettercairn, " fell
upon Drum Irwing's House, where they found
much Kindness, and all things Commendable,
save a great Quech, which they were made to
drink out of, to amend which, one of the
Gentlemen, after Departure, sent a lesser one,"
together with a poem, in which, while depre-
cating immoderate indulgence in liquor, he
compliments the laird of Drum on his hospi-
tality (Fenny cook's Poems, Edin. 1715), and
speaks of his two sons as —
" roaring Boyes,
Not Drunk with Wine but overdnink with Joys,
Rose up and on their tiptoes danc't a Dance,
That all the Light-Foot Satyres within Prance
Could ne'er for all their Documents of Art
Have played the like in whole or yet in part."
The present laird of Drum, who is the
ninth in succession to the last-named Sir
Alexander, is Convener of the County of
Aberdeen and Sheriff of Argyllshire. He
married a daughter of Col. Forbes-Leslie of
Rothienorman, author of the Early Paces of
Scotland, by whom he has surviving issue,
one son and one daughter.
The first Irvine of Drum was one of the
Irvines of Barshaw, in Dumfries-shire, a family
that sided with Bruce against Edward I. Al-
though there appears to have been a house at
Drum when the Irvines acquired the property,
the present old tower, which is over 70 feet
in height, with walls of from 10 to 11 feet in
thickness, presents much the appearance of
Wallace's Tower at Dunnottar and the Stirling
Tower of Edzell, both of which are supposed
to belong to the close of the 14th or the first
half of ihe 15th century. A chapel within
TEALING.
371
the Castle, now devoted to mortuary purposes,
was used for service before the Eeforniation ;
but, although members of the family were
sometimes buried there, it contains neither
dates nor inscriptions.
Besides the Castle of Drum, the only man-
sion-bouse in the parish is that of Park, so
named from the lands having formed part of the
Park of Drum, above referred to. Park con-
tinued in the possession of the Irvines from
about the middle of the 14th century until
1737, when it was sold to Mr. Duff of Culter.
In 1807, the property was purchased for
£9000 by Mr. Thomas Burnett, advocate in
Aberdeen, who resold it in 1821 to Mr. Wm.
Moir, by whom the present elegant mansion-
house was erected. The proprietors were all
improvers, aud so great was the increase in
the value of the estate that, when it was sold
in 1839 to the present proprietor, Mr. Kin-
loch, it fetched the sum of £28,500. Like
his predecessors, Mr. Kmloch has done much
to enhance the value of Park, which, taken all
in all, is perhaps one of the most desirable
residences on Deeside.
Within the grounds of Park House there is
a polished granite obelisk, which bears the fol-
lowing inscription : — ■
In memory of James Kinloch, Esq., Jermyn
Street, St. James, London, formerly of Bombay,
in the East Indies, who died on the 29th day of
August, 1838, in the 63rd year of his age.
Erected by his nephews.
]\Ir. James Kinloch, who was a native of
Kincardineshire, entered the house of Forbes
& Co. in India, in which he ultimately became
a partner. He died a bachelor, leaving his
fortune to a sister's family of the name of
Low, whose father was a partner in the firm
of Forbes, Low, & Co., manufacturers, Aber-
deen. The testator pro^'ided that the bulk of
his fortune should be invested in the purchase
of land, either in the shires of Aberdeen or
Kincardine, and also that his heir should as-
sume the surname of Kinloch, provision
which were complied with by the present pro-
prietor, who succeeded to the fortune. Mr.
A. J. Low, now Kinloch, was bred a phy-
sician, and by his wife, a daughter of the late
Mr. Jas. Hutcheon, West India merchant,
Bath Lodge, Stonehaven, has a famdy of sons
and daughters. One daughter is married to
Mr. Walter Paton, E.S.A., a well-known
landscape painter ; and another to Major
Forbes of the 78th Highlanders.
There are two railway stations in the parish,
one at Drum and the other at Park. Near
the latter there is an iron girder bridge across
the Dee, connecting Drumoak with Durris on
the south side of the river.
\w^^^^^^^^^vv^v^^^^v^^^^^v^w^\vv^^^wv^^^^vv^^v
(S. PETER, APOSTLE.)
ACCOEDIXG to Butler, the church of
" Tellein," three (? 5) miles from " Alect"
(Dundee), was one of those places of worship
that were founded by S. Boniface soon after
he came from Eome. The site of the church
is still pointed out on a rising ground a few
yards to the north of the mansion house of
Tealing, and S.- Peter's Well is in the ad-
joining burn.
According to an old rental of Eostinoth, a
payment was made out of the lands of Telling
to that Priory, which was also a foundation of
S. Boniface. After preaching sometime in
Angus and the Mearns, he was made Bishop
of Eoss, and died about a.d. 630, at Eose-
markie, where he was also buried. He founded
about 150 churches and oratories in diilerent
parts of Scotland, all of which he dedicated
to S. Peter.
It appears that the church of Theliii aud
the Priest's Croft were granted to the Priory
372
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
of St. Andrews by Hiigli Gifford and liis son,
then lords of Tealing, and were confirmed to
that Priory by William the Lion.
At a snbsequent date (1199) it is stated
that the Priory is to hold the lands Pitpontin
(Pitpointie), which had been gifted to it by
Hugh Gifford, as long as it holds the church
of Tealing. Pitpointie is still a well-known
property in the parish of Tealing ; and the
Priest's Croft is possibly now represented by
the farm of Prieston, about a mile west from
the kirk. The last quoted deed (Peg. Prior.
S. Andree) contains a curious provision that
William, the son of Hugh Gifford, shall pay
three merks yearly for bis father's kitchen,
and shall clothe his father till he assume the
habit of a canon. He was also bound to pay
his father's four servants, and the canons were
to find them in provisions.
But it appears that, some time prior to
1275, the church of Telyn was disjoined from
the diocese of St. Andrews, and included
within that of Dunkeld (Vet. ]\Ion. Hib. et
Scot. (Theiner), p. 112). It ever afterwards
belonged to the cathedral of Dunkeld ; and
both in Eoman Catholic and Episcopal times
the parson of Tealing held the office of Arch-
deacon of that Cathedral. This is confirmed
by the two first-quoted inscriptions. Besides
being one of the oldest existing inscriptions in
Scotland, the first is also remarkable for being
in the vernacular of the country ; and, so far
as I am aware, it is the only one of the same
kind that is to be found in the kingdom.
The inscription, which is in excellent preserva-
tion, was discovered in the foundation of the
last church, which was demolished in 1808.
The slab, built into the north wall of the pre-
sent church, is thus inscribed : —
>i< heyr : lyis : Ingram : of : Kethenys : prist. :
maystr : i : arit : ercdene : of : dukeldj : made :
i : hys : xxxii : yhere : prayis : for : hjTu : yat :
deyt : hafand : Ix yherys : of : eyld : in :
the : yher : of : Cryet : Mo . CoCC : Lxxx.
— I have failed to find any notice of " Ingram
of Kethenys." A contemporary priest, Eobert
de Kethenis, " Canon of Brechin, and a scholar
in Arts," was recommended to the Abbots of
Arbroath and Cupar and the Dean of Dun-
keld, by mandate from Pope Clement IV.,
dated 22nd June, 134.5, to be received as a
canon and a brother in the said church, where
he was to have a stall in the choir and a place
in the chapter, &c. (Keg. Ep. Br., ii. 392).
This inscription shows that Ingram, born in
1320, was made "ercdene" in 1352 ; and it is
just possible that there had been some relation-
ship between the " ercdene" and Eobert. It
is also probable that both were descended from
the old family de Kethenis, who were long
settled near Coupar-Angus, but who appear to
have been superseded by the Ogilvys in their
possessions about the time that these two
churchmen were born.
The tombstone from which the next in-
scription is copied lies in the floor of the
church. It also presents the title of Arch-
deacon of Dunkeld, and is profusely orna-
mented with heraldic and other carvings. It
bears : — ■
D. lOANI RAMS.E DnNKELD\TJENSI. ARCHID. .
. SS. THEOI.OGI^. DOCTORI ECCLESI.E. HVIVS.
PASTORI. VIGILAXTISIMO : VXOR E . . NA KINLOCH
MCERENS. OBIIT. IN 1618 ^TAT. . . .
[Erected to the memory of Mr. JoHU Ramsat,
Archdeacon of Dunkeld, Doctor of Di^^nity, for
35 years a most watchful pastor of this church,
by his sorrowing widow, E . . . Kiuloch. He
died in 1618, aged .]
Built into the north wall, beside the in-
scription of Ingram of Kethenys, a bearded
ecclesiastic is represented (half life-size) at a
reading desk. In one corner is a shield em-
bellished with the Eamsay arms, and sur-
mounted by the well-known legend, " vivit
POST FVNERA VIRTUS ; " and in the corner
opposite are the words, " obiit 10 die maii
1618, iET.-i. 49." From the Eegistrum de
Panmure (MS., vol. ii., p. 340), it appears
TEALING.
373
that Mr. John Eamsay, rector of Tealing, and
his wife Elizabetli Kinloch received charters
of the half-lauds of Aiichreny, in the parish
of Panbride, in 1602. Probably Mr. Eamsay
belonged to a family that held property in
Barry under the Abbots of Balmerino, one of
whom was minister of Strathmartin, and was
served heir to his father in the lands of Ged-
hill, &c., Dec. 6, 1642.
David Maule had charters of Auchrynie
from Thomas Maule of Panmure, 1562; and
on 2nd Nov. 1602, David Maule of Both,
commissioner of St. Andrews, with consent of
his wife Katherine Balfour, sold " all and
haill the equall sonney half" of the lands and
town of Auchreny to Mr. John Eamsay,
parson of Tealing, and his wife Elizabeth
Kiuloch, for the sum of 1800 merks. Mrs.
Eamsay survived her husband, to whom she
bore two daughters, Catherine and Helen.
Catherine became the wife of William Ochter-
lony, feuar of Seton, and Helen married
Alex. Durham. They resigned the lands of
Auchreny in the court of the burgh of Dun-
dee, 3rd June, 1620, in favour of Patrick
Maule of Panmure ; and as the deed of re-
nunciation quaintly narrates, their husbands
" being remowed furth of court, the saidis
Catharine and Helene, in yair absens, gaife
yair bodilie aythis, with all solemnitie requi-
sete, that they nor n;ine of yame wer compellit
yairto. But yat they did ye samy of yair awine
frie willis and sould never cum in ye contrari
yairofl' directlie or indu'ectlie in tyme cuming "
(Writ at Panmure.)
The following remains of an inscription are
upon a stone at the east door of the church : —
. . . . EST. HONORABILIS. VIR. ALEXANDER.
MAXVELL. DE. TEIUNG. . . . lANVARII 15 . .
— Nisbet (i. 136), says that the first Maxwell
of Tealing, was Eust;ice, 2nd son of Sir Wil-
liam Maxwell of Caerlaverock, and that he got
the lands of Tealing by marrying Agnes, a
daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Gifford of
Yester, whose ancestor, Hugh Gifford, had a
grant of Tealing from William the Lion.
In 1553, Alexander Maxwell of Tealing
was charged with having, in his capacity of
magistrate, accepted of " Thift-wite and com-
positioune for Andro Cusnye, ane theif ; and
for letting of him to libertie." He was after-
wards (1572-3) charged, along with his son
and heir David, and some neighbouring lairds,
for " reset and intercomrauning with rebels,
&c." It is probably to this David and his
wife that the initials D.M : H.G. (in mono-
gram), upon the door-lintel of the old dove-
cot refer. Upon a skewput stone in the same
building are the Maxwell arms, the initials
D. M., and the date 1595.
The Maxwells appear in Scotch charters
before 1124-5. It was a nephew of Eustace
of Tealing who was the first Lord Maxwell.
In 1620, a descendant was created Earl of
Nithsdale ; but in consequence of the part
that the Fifth Earl took in the rising of 1715,
he was tried and executed in the following
year, when the titles were forfeited. On the
death of his son in 1776, the direct male line
failed.
Within an enclosure on the south side of the
church are two flat stones. One bears the
Maxwell arms, the initials D.M:H.M., and
this inscription : —
HEIR LTIS ANE HOXORABILL VOMAN, HELEN
MAXWELL, LADIE OF TEALING, VHO DIED VPON
THE 27th of NOVEMBER 1639, AND BEING OF
AGE 46 YEIRIS.
The second stone, embellished with four
shields, bearing respectively the Maxwell,
Barclay, Gordon, and Ogilvy coats, is thus
inscribed : —
CERTA SPE.S RESVRRECTIONIS ET EXSPECTATIO
IMMORTALITATIS OMNEII ACERBITATEM MORTIS
DILVIT. MORIENDVM EST VT VIVAMVS ; VIVBNDVM
VT RECTE MORIAMVR.
[The sure and certain hope of a blessed resur-
rection and the expectation of immortahty take
374
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
away all the bitterness of death. "We must die
to live, so Live that we may rightly die.]
The male line of the Ma.Kwells of Tealing
appears to have failed in Patrick, who died
about 1700-4, when George Napier of Kilma-
how succeeded as heir of tailzie. He made up
a Crown title to the property in 1704, and
the same year entered into a contract with
John Scrymsoure, elder of Tealing, late
Provost of Dundee, and his son, also John,
whereby he disponed to the father in life-rent,
and to the son in fee, the lands and barony
of Tealing. These were the first Scrymsoures
of Tealing. The last of the male line was
Patrick, to whose memory a marble tablet, on
the left of the pulpit, bears this inscription : —
Erected to the memory of Patrick Scrtm-
SOURE, Esq., of Tealing," by his Widow and
Daughter, in testimony of their mo.st affectionate
regard. Highly esteemed, and deeply regretted
by all who knew htm. In him the Poor have
lost a generous friend. Society a valuable mem-
ber, and his family a justly endeared and tender
relative. He departed this life on the 27""
March, 1815, in the 66"" year of his age.
— The above-named gentleman married a
daughter of James Coutts, sometime of Hall-
»reen, and his wife Menie Eannie, the daugh-
ter of a manufacturer at CuUen (Epitaphs, i.
27), by whom he had the late Mr. Scrym-
soure-Fothringham, who died at Nice, 24th
Jan. 1875. She brought the property of
Tealing, by marriage, to the Laird of Powrie,
who in consequence assumed the additional
surname of Scrijmsoure.
A monument in the outer and south wall
of the church (upon which is a carving of the
family arms), bears this inscription : —
In memoriam : Isabella Ooutts, widow of
late Patrick Scrymsoure, Esq. of Tealing died at
Tealing, 25th Feb. 1857, aged 61. James Scrym-
SOURE-FOTHRINGHAM, Esq. of Powrie, died at
Fothringham, 15th Sep. 1857, aged 52. The
children of James Scrymsom-e-Fothringham,
Esq. of Powrie, and Mrs. Marion Scrymsoure -
Fothringham of Tealing his wife : — Alexander,
died at Tealing 14th Nov. 1832, aged 3 years
6 months ; Mart-Kerr, died at Tealing 25th
Nov. 1832, aged 4 years 6 months ; Isabella,
died at Fothringham, 7th Sept. 1843, aged 16
years 4 months ; Thomas Fredrick Scrtmsoure-
"Fothringham, Esq. of Powrie, died at Foth-
ringham 7th March 1864, aged 27 years 8
months.
— The last-named in the above inscription
who left issue by his wife. Lady Charlotte
Carnegie, sister of the Earl of Southesk, was
buried in the Fothringham vault at the kirk
of Murroes (Epitaphs, i. 122, where 1857 is a
misprint for 1837).
John of Kirktown, the first Scrymsoure of
Tealing, was a merchant in Dundee. He
married Jean, daughter of the Eev. William
Rait, minister at Dundee, by his wife Janet
Guthrie. Their eldest son " Jo Scrymsour yr.
of Kirkton (married) Jean Duncan," Decem-
ber 6, 1696 ; and the following extract from
the Baptismal Kegister of Dundee (January,
1704) shows the connection of the Scrym-
soures with the Duncans of Lundie and the
Raits, &c. : —
Marriage Keg. Dundee
1696, Dec. 6—
" To Scrymsour yor of Kirkton & Jean
Duncan."
Baptismal Keg. do.
1704, Jan.
John Scrymsour, 3-r. of Kirktown k Jean Duncan,
had a dr. called IsobeU, her godmothers are Dame
Isobell Murray, Ladle Lundie, IsobeU Man sp. to Mr.
Hen : Guthrie, merd., IsobeU Leamen sp. to Mr. \Vm.
Rait, mins att Monilde, IsobeU Kaitt dr to the sd.
Mr. William Rait, mins.
From a marble tablet within the church of
Tealing :—
To the memory of "William Forsyth, Esq.,
merchant in Greenock, whose active life, passed
partly in Britain partly in Nova Scotia, was
adorned by virtue and distinguished by the
generous patronage of every useful undertaking.
Having been advised to seek the restoration of
health by change of scene, he came to Tealing on
a visit to his much valued friend, Patrick Scrym-
soure, Esq., in whose house, after a single hour
of pain, he died on the 14"' October, 1814, aged
65 years, fuU of the hope of immortality. His
TEALING.
375
widow and children have united in raising this
monument as a tribute to his worth, and a token
of their aifection.
From a marble tablet also within the church : —
This stone is erected in memoiy of the Rever-
end Mr. John Stewart, who was born 15th
March, 1704, ordained minister at Dunkeld Ao.
1727, translated to Tealing Ao. 1737, and died
12th Septr., 176.3.
— Mr. Stewart, who married a daughter of Sir
Michael Balfour of Denraill, was the immedi-
ate successor of Mr. John Glass.
Mr. John Glass, who was fifth minister iu
succession to Mr. Bruce, became celebrated as
the founder of the Glassites. He was a son
of the minister of Auchtermuchty, in Fife,
■where he was born 5th October, 1695. Mr.
Glass was ordained minister of Tealing in 1719,
and having, while there, promulgated certain
opinions which liis brethren considered con-
trary to those held by the Church of Scotland,
he was cited in 1727 before the Presbytery of
Angus and Mearns, and deposed in the follow-
ing year. Mr. Glass then removed with his
family to Dundee, where his little church may
still be seen on the north side of King Street,
adjoinirg St. Andrews parish church. After
residing for some time in Edinburgh and
Perth, where he established his sect, he re-
turned to Dundee, where he ministered to an
influential and highly respectable, though not
very numerous, body until his death, which
took place in 1773. He was buried at
Dundee, where his grave is marked by an
. inscription.
Upon a table stone :—
Hie iacet Gvlielmvs Frrvs, f rater vterinvs
domini de Dron, qvi apvd oranes proximos svos
omne frvgalitatis et fidelitatis testimonivm merito
obtinvit, eximiseqve fvit iu agrioolendo peritiae,
et, qvod majvs est, qvo senior eo sanctior. Evasit
huic Catherina Qvhitam vxor, qvae mserens
monvmentvm hoc fabricandvm cvravit. Obiit
Sept. 13, 1656, tetatis svk 70.
[Here lies William Fyfe, haM brother to the
laird of Drou, who deservedly enjoyed, among
all his neighbours, the highest character for fra-
gality and ti-ustworthiness. He possessed re-
markable skUl in agi'iculture ; and, what is of
more importance, he grew in piety as he advanced
in years. His wife, Catherine Quhitam, caused
this monument to be erected to the memory of
her regretted husband. He died 13th Sept.,
1656, aged 70.]
ilr. Eamsay was succeeded by Mr. Bruce,
who was previously at Kinfauns, and to whose
memory a flat slab, upon which are two shields,
charged respectively with the Bruce and Kin-
mond arms, bears this inscription : —
CHARISSIMO V. . . ALEXANDRO BRVSIO PASTORI.
. . AMANTISSIMO, QVI SACRO MINISTERIO FIDELITER
FVNCTVS EST 40 AN ; ET ECCLESI^ TELENESI,
SVMMA CVM LAVDE CIRCITER AN. 30 PR.EFVXT,
MONVMENTVM HOC ISOBELLA KYNMAN VXOR M^-
RENS POSVIT. OBIIT 22 IAN. 1653, ^TATIS SViE
70. VITA NIL NISI VAPOR. lA. 4. VER. 14.
[Isjibella Kynman, his sorrowing widow, erec-
ted this monument to the memory of her beloved
husband, Alexander Bruce, a most aifectionate
pastor, who for 40 years faithfully discharged
the duties of the holy ministry, and presided
over the chui-ch of Tealing with the highest ac-
ceptance for about 30 years. He died 22 Jan.,
1653, aged 70. Life is but a vapour.]
The death of a son of the above-named is
thus recorded upon an adjoining slab : —
CHARISSIMO ET VNICO FILIO SVO, MAGISTRO
GEORGIO BRVSIO PATRE DVDVM DEFVUNCTO, MONV-
MENTVM HOC ISOBELLA KTNMAN MATER MyERENS
POSVIT. OBIT MAR. 28, 1656 ^TATI SV.E 33.
QVEM PIETAS, QVEM VERA FIDES ET NESCIA
FRAVDIS MENS LAVDANT MERITO, HOC CONDITVR
IN TVMVLO.
[To the memoiy of her beloved and only son,
Mr. Georqe Bruce, his father having not long
since predeceased him. Isabella KjTimau, his
sorrowing mother, erected this monument He
died 28 March 1656, aged 33. In this tomb Ues
one deservedly esteemed for his piety, true faith,
and guileless simphcity of character.
Katherine and Helen, dvs. of iJavid Ram-
say, Kirktown of Tellone (1738) :—
Iu tomb two blotless, spotles, virgins lyes.
By death's victorioiis law seized in surprise ;
When parent's hopes were at the highest
throw.
Death then stept iu and gave the fatal blow.
376
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Isabel Webster, wf. of And. Irmes, Balke-
low, d. 1786, a. 29 :—
I liv'd almost twenty-nine yeai'S,
Within this vain of tears ;
At last cold Death on me laid hands,
Whom ev'ry moi'tal fears. &c.
Egbert Miller, Esq. of Bulbenchly, died 2d
Dec, 1831, aged 87. Margaret Christie, his
spouse, died 3t)th July, 1806, aged 50.
— Mr. Miller, some time farmer at Balcalk,
bought the property of Balbenohly, which he
left to his second son, Patrick, by whom it
■vvas sold in 1875 to Mr. Fisher, late innkeeper,
Braemar.
Heir lys ane godly honest man called William
Smith, husband to Margart Maxwell, who duelt
in Bankhead. He departed the 30 of lun, 1678,
and of his age 35.
Here lyes the corps of William Bvtter,
sometime indveller in Baluvth, with the corps of
several of his forbiers, and of some of his chil-
dren. He decessed the 10 of September, 1657,
being abovt the 65 year of his age.
Tealing is rich in remains of prehistoric an-
tiquity. At BaUuderou there is a sculptured
stone, which is figured and described in the
late Dr. Stuart's valuable contribution to the
Spalding Club publications, and a fragment
of the same type, not noticed in that work, is
built into the south wall of the church.
In 1871, a Pict's house or underground
chamber was discovered in the Ha'field, a
little to the north-east of the mansion-house
of Tealing. In its general form the chamber
resembles a human arm in a slightly bent
position, and it appears to have been divided
into two compartments, its extreme length
being about 80 feet, and its greatest height
and width 6J and 8i feet respectively.
Among the objects discovered when it was
opened may be mentioned a bracelet, some
bronze rings, ten querns, some entire, others
broken, and formed either of freestone or mica
schist, a number of whorls, some of them com-
plete, and fragments of stone cups, cinerary
urns, and the bones of animals. The weem
was cleared out, and its site enclosed with a
fence, at the expense of Mrs. Scrymsoure-
Fothringham, of Tealing, and under the super-
vision of Mr. Walter TM'iS^icoll, land steward,
to whom we are indebted for information re-
garding its discovery, &c.
Tealing also possesses several specimens of
cup-marked stones. One is built into the wall
of a cottage to the east of the parish church,
a second forms one of the four remaining
stones of a circle in the wood of Balkemmock,
and two others were found in the Pict's
house. One of these contains no fewer than
46 cup-marks of various sizes, but none of
them exceeding 2 inches in diameter, and the
other, a rough undressed boulder on the north
side of the doorway, exhibits, in addition to a
number of the characteristic hollows, a series
of five concentric rings or circles.
At the south end of the Corral Den, and
some 700 yards to south-west of the weem,
there is another ancient work consisting of a
circle about eight yards in diameter, sur-
rounded with boulders and paved with flat
stones, occasionally disposed in double layers,
under which rudely-formed stone axes, char-
coal, horses' teeth, and other bones have been
found. The paving bore a close resemblance
to that of Hurley Hawkin, which lies about
five miles to the south-west, and which is de-
scribed in the Proc. of Soc. Ant., vol. vi. p. 212.
It seems probable that the old castle of
Tealing had stood upon the east side of the
Corral Deu, where an eminence is still known
by the name of the Castle Hill.
\VW\VNVVVVV\\VVV\\%VV\W\\V\\V\V\VV\NVW\V\\\\\\
2,) u n t J p.
THIS district, which received the name of
HuxTLT about 1725, in honour of the
eldest son of the Duke of Gordon, is composed
of the two old parishes of Duxbanan and
HUNTLT.
377
Kynnor, the former of which gave name to
the Presbytery until 1606, when it received
its present appellation of Strathbogie.
Both churches were prebends of the Ca-
thedral of Elgin, to which they were given by
David, son of Duncan, Earl of Fife. In old
times they appear to have been both served
by one prebendary, and are rated together in
the Old Taxation at 5 merks and 8d. (Theiner).
Mr. Eobert Keith, who was minister of the
churches of Dunbenau, Kynoir, and Euthven
in 1574, had a stipend of £100 Scots, and
William Spens, who was reader both at
Kynnor and Dunbonan, had £20 Scots.
The parishes of Duubenan and Kiunoir
were united before 1640, but service was con-
ducted in both churches down to 1725, when
the old buildings were disused, and a central
church erected in the town of Huntly (Scott's
Easti). The present church, built in 1805,
occupies a commanding position, and wants
nothing but a well-proportioned spire to make
it an elegant structure.
The churchyard of
3iitni)mnan,
which is surrounded on three sides by hills,
lies nearly two miles to the north of the town
of Huntly, in the middle of a plain, through
which flows the Deveron. The name Dun-
ben-an ( 1 the fort on the hill of the river)
possibly points to an early place of strength
that may have occupied the top of some of
the hills upon the left of the churchyard, thus
commanding the passes to and from the dis-
trict in all directions.
Part of the south aisle of the old kirk stands
within the burial ground, and upon a slab
built into the wall are the words " Geoegivs
Camerariv.s" which may refer to the Rev.
George Gh.\lmers, who was translated from
Botarie (Gairnie) to Huntly, where he died in
1626, aged 54 (Scott's Fasti).
On an adjoining slab are curiously carved
mortuary emblems — a skull, mattock, and
crossed bones — and, what is more remarkable,
a representation of the Holy Coat of Treves,
flanked by the words mortvi divitie. Round
the margin of the stone are these traces of an
inscription : —
l^° VNTVR . IN . DNO . HIC
SPOVS : lOHN . ANDERSONE . AND . MAISTER .
ANDRO . ANDERSONE .VI
The initials I.A., flanking a shield charged
with the Anderson arms (a saltire between 3
stars, and a crescent in base), are in the
middle of a slab which exhibits the following
fragmentary inscription : —
LERSONE . AND . GEILIS
BRAND .... THE . . . . S . . R . .
BEARNIS . . AND . FREND
IN . HONOREM . DEI . . . MEMORIAM . PARENTUM
EREXIT . lACOBVS . ANDERSONE . 1627
— The above were probably ancestcrs of
George Anderson, gentleman, tenant in Dun-
bennan, and Jean Stewart, his wife, who were
both charged £3 12s. Scots for poll in 1696.
From a table stone : —
To preserve the burying gi-ound, and in pious
regard to the memory of James Petrie, and
Marg. Gordon, in Huntly, 1701.
Geo., their eldest son, and Jean Gordon,
there .... 1727 & 1740
Colin, youngest sou .... 1758
and IsAB. Alexr. in Auchintender . . 1756
John, eldest son to Colin, in Piries Miln 1781
Jean & Ann, daughter to Cohn . 1756 & 37
Also are interred here, the remains of Isabella
Petrie, who died the 26th day of March 1843,
aged 88 years. This stone was humbly dedicated
by James, third son to Cohn, in Kirton Miln,
1781,—
Whose body too hes here consigned to rest.
In hope with them to rise among the blest ;
Sweet be then- sleep, and blest their waken-
ing be,
Eeader, pray thou for them who pray for thee.
R. L P.
— In 1696, the poll of James Petrie, merchant
in Eawes of Huntly, his wife Margaret
Gordon, and their daughter Janet, is stated at
a3
378
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
18s., while that of his son George, who is
described as a " messenger," also in Eawes,
and his wife Jean Gordon, is set down at
X4 12s. 9d. Scots. Prom one or other of the
above-named was descended Bishop Petrie, to
whose memory an adjoining table-stone bears
this inscription : —
Quern tegit hie cippus, fratrum pietate locatus,
Arthurum Petrie, lector amice, luge.
Praesul apud Moravos doctus, plus, atque
fidelis,
Dilecti et merito nominis iUe fuit.
Post vitoe undena et sacri duo lustra laboris
Ah ! nimium propere, non reditimis abit.
Parce tamen lachrymis : melioris gaudia vitse
Quamque unam coluit prsemia pacis habet.
Ob. Apr. 19mo., 1787, aet. 56, Pontificatus
Eossen. et Moravien llmo., R.I.P.
[Kind reader, mourn for Arthur Petrie,
whom this stone, erected by the piety of bis
brethren, covers. A learned, pious, and faithful
Bishop of Moray, he was deservedly beloved.
After a life of 55 years, and 10 years of sacred
work, he departed, alas ! too soon, never to re-
turn. Yet spare your tears ; he possesses the
joys of a better life, and the rewards of the
peace which he ever studiously cultivated. He
died April 19th, 1787, in the "66th year of his
age, and the Uth of his episcopate of Boss and
Moray. May he rest in peace.]
— Mr. Petrie was consecrated Bishop coad-
jutor of Moray at Dundee in 1776, and in
1777 became sole bishop of the diocese. He
was afterwards bishop of the united diocese
of Moray, Koss, and Caithness, and died at
MeildefoUa in Aberdeenshire, where he was
long the resident clergyman. A headstone to
another member of the family bears : —
This stone is erected by Lieut. -Col. Al. Petrie,
in memory of John Petrie, who died in Pirie's
Mill, and of Isabel Cruickshank, his spouse.
Also of their daughter, Helen, who died in ... .
and Elspet James, their son
— Upon a slab at the Mill of Huntly is the
following, which probably refers to a member
of the same family : —
1642 ^ 168S
Wm. PETEIE, 1798 (Jc
From a table-stone : —
This stone is erected by Mrs. Cruickshank,
to the memory of her husband, Alexander
Crdicicshank of Bahioon, who died Janry. 1st,
17C8, in the 64th year of his age.
Also from a table-stone : —
The remains of the Bevd. George-Eoss
Monro, late minister of Huntly, are deposited
here. He discharged with zeal and kindness the
duties of his office for 21 years, and died 10th
March, 1822, aged 52. The remains of Mrs.
Margaret Eeid, his first wife, are also here in-
terred. She died 1804.
— Their youngest daughter was the first wife
of J. D. Milne, Esq. of Melgum, advocate,
Aberdeen.
Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Mart Stark, a
sincere and pious Christian. She was widow of
the Eev. James Monro, minister of Cromarty.
After his death she resided m Huutly, where her
eldest son was minister, and died there on the
6th April 1822, aged 82 years. Also her daugh-
ter, Mrs. Jean Hall, who died 8th March 1839,
aged 73. Mary Monro, who died 19th Febi-u-
ary 1863.
The next refers to Mr. Monro's immediate
successor ; —
In affectionate remembrance of the Eev.
James Walker, minister of Huntly for forty-
eight years. Ordained 27th March 1823, died
27th August 1875, aged 76. Erected by Friends
and Sabbath School Scholars.
— He was tutor in the family of Sir James
Boswell of Auchenleck, baronet, at the time
he received the presentation to the church of
Huntly ; and was a witness at the trial of Mr.
Stewart of Dunearn for killing Sir Alex.
Boswell in a duel at Balbarton, near Auchten-
tool, in Fife, 26th March, 1822.
From a granite slab built into the south
wall of the aisle : —
In memory of the Eeverend James Walker,
Episcopal clergyman in Huntly, who died on the
6'" day of April, 1843, in the 81" year of his age,
and 60"" of his ministry. Also of Harriet
Christian Walker, his daughter, who died at
Hvmtly, S'"" Feb., 1860, aged 46. Also of Jean
Panton, wife of the Eev. James Walker, who
died 19th June, 1863. [Their daughter Mart,
lies at Dipple.]
^HUNTLY.
379
— Among other marriages which. Mr. "Walker
solemnized when at Huiitly, was that of Col.
Wm. Wemyss, son of Col. Wemyss of Wemyss
Castle, and the Hon. Isabella, daughter of the
Earl of Errol. It took place at Huntly Lodge,
14th April, 1821, in presence of the Marquis
of Huntly, and his Chamberlain, Edward
Wag.staff. This lady's younger sister was
afterwards married to the late Capt. Wemyss,
E.N., M.P., &c.
Upon a plain headstone : —
In memory of Walter Vass, late Supervisor
of Excise at Huntly, who died 28th May, 1814,
aged 43 years. 1816. Erected by Officers of
Excise in Elgin collection.
From a headstone :—
In memory of Marion Walker Hill, who
died 19tli Janry. 184.3, aged 23. This Stone,
with the cordial acquiescence of her mourning
relatives, is erected by her young friends of the
Congregation under the pastoral care of her
Father, as a testimony of their respect. May
they all follow her in so far as she followed
Christ. She is not dead, but sleepeth. Here
also are deposited the ashes of four of his chil-
dren— Marion's twin sistei-, a younger sister, and
two brothers, all of whom died in infancy.
They died, for Adam sinned,
They live, for Jesus died.
From a table-stone : —
This is the BnRRiALL - Ground of George
Barclay, merchant, and one of the first fewers of
Huntly, who died in the 63d year of age, and in
the yer 1736 ; and of Margaret Guthrie, his
wife, who died in the yer 1749, and in the 83d
of age, who both lived and died with ane honest
and imblemished chariktor. • ]VLi.RT Bremner,
late spouse of Egbert Barclay, in Newbigging,
died 1783, aged 63 ; her husband died 1790,
aged 36.
— George Barclay, merchant in Eawes of
Huntly, and his wife Isobell Guthrie, their
stock being above 100 marks and under 500,
paid 18s. of poll in 1696.
A table-shaped stone bears : —
This stone is erected to the memory of the Rev.
George Cowie, late minister of the Gospel at
Hmitly, who departed this life on the fourth of
April, 1806, in the fifty-seventh year of his age
and twenty-seventh of his ministry. Likewise
Isobell C'lark, his spouse, who died 27th July,
1816, aged 60 years.
— Mr. C, originally an Anti-burger, was the
first minister of the Independent Church in
Huntly, and was possibly one of the earliest
encouragers of revival meetings, for which,
long after, under the late Duchess of Gordon's
patronage, Huntly became somewhat famous.
The writer of the New Statistical Account
(p. 1042), says of Mr. C. that "to this day
his aphoristic sayings are often quoted, and
his memory is affectionately cherished by
many of the old people in the parish."
From a slab in the old wall —
In memory of Margaret Wagstaff, aged 34
years, who died September 2 1st, 1810— deeply
lamented by all who knew her, the surest testi-
mony of her worth and amiable quaUties.
— This is a member of a family that were
long in the service of the Dukes of Gordon.
They came from England, and the name,
which is of some antiquity, appears to have
been assumed from the office of Wakestaff or
City watchman.
Upon an obelisk : —
In memory of the Eev. James Millar, lately
minister of the United Presbyterian Congrega-
tion, Himtly, who died at Whitehill, Grange,
16th October, 1863, in the 87 th year of his age,
and 49th of his ministry. In memory also of
his spouse, Helen Grant Primrose, who died
22nd July, 1848, aged 52 years. For Christ
they lived, and in the sure hope of being with
Christ they fell asleep. Erected by their family.
One head and four table-stones, within an
enclosure, bear inscriptions (here abridged) to
the memory of —
[1]
William Forstth, merchant in Huntly, died
1759, aged 72. His wife, Elspet Gerard, died
1774, aged 80.
[2.]
Alexander Forstth, merchant in Huntly,
died 1793, aged 63. His spouse, Margaret
Dunbar, died 1825, aged 66. [The deaths of
three of their children, Osbert, George, and
!Margaret, are also recorded.]
380
EPITAPHS, AND INSCBIPTIONS :
[3.]
William Forsyth, Esq., died 1810, aged 89,
and Jane Phyn, his wife, died 1811, aged 79.
Their second son, William, died 1793, aged 37 ;
eighth son, Robert, Major 60th Eegt., died 1825,
aged 59 ; fifth son, Thom^vs, of Montreal, died at
Huntly, ] 832, aged 72 ; third sou, Alexander,
died at Huntly, 1843, aged 85. Their only
daughter, Margaret, died 1863, aged 86.
[4-]
Osbert Forsyth, late of Cornhill, London,
died at Huntly in 1833, aged 63. Isabella
Reid, his spouse, died 1863, aged 72.
[5.]
The Rev. Morris Forsyth, minister of the
Gospel at Mortlach, died at Huntly, 1838, in the
67th year of his age, and the 33d of his ministry.
Mi-s. Isabella Donaldson, his relict, died 1852.
— Mr. Forsyth, whose wife was a daughter of
Mr. James Donaldson of Kinairdy in Marnoch
(Epitaphs, i. 328-30), has also a tombstone in
Moitlach.
Upon a table-stone enclosed : —
In memory of Alexander Scott, manufac-
turer in Huntly, who died 24th April, 1807, aged
73 ; also of his daughter, Margaret, aged 4, and
Walter, his son, who died in infancy. Also of
Elizabeth Burgie, wife of the said Alexander
Scott, who died Dec, 1813, aged 83. And also
of their son, Alexander Scott of Craibstone,
who died the 10th of June, 1833, aged 66 ; and
of Catharine, his wife, eldest daughter of John
Forbes of Bovndiie, who died at Craibstone, the
21st of Jan.,"A.D., 1855, aged 70. 2 Tim., i. 18.
— Mr. Scott, who made money in India as a
medical practitioner, founded in the University
of Aberdeen two theological bursaries of the
yearly values of £20 and .£16 lOs. respectively,
and also left the lands of Craibstone, &c., near
that city, for the erection and endowment of
an hospital at Huntly, as is thus recorded
upon a slab of Peterhead granite, built into
the entrance porch of the building : —
A Home for the Aged, founded and endowed by
Alexander Scott, a native of the parish of Huntly,
who died at Craibstone, 10th June, 1833, and whose
body rests in the churchyard of Dunbennan, in hopes
of a blessed resurrection,
— The rental of Craibstone is from £800 to
£1000 a-year. The centre and east wing of
the hospital were completed in 1855, and the
institution was opened on the 1st of August
in that year. The west wing was added in
1861. On the 28th of September, 1865, the
centre and east wing were entirely destroyed
by fire, but were restored in 1869, when some
additions were made to the buildings.
From a marble, enclosed : —
Erected by William Macgrigor, Huntly, as a
tribute of resj^ect to the memory of his beloved
spouse, Margaret Cowie, who died 14"" June,
1840, aged 54 years. Sacred also to the memory
of the above William Macgrigor, who died S""
December, 1848, aged 67 years. And of their
only son, Alexander Macgrigor, M.D., Deputy-
Inspector-General of Hospitals, who died of
cholera at Scutari, in Tm-key, on the 16"' of May,
1855, aged 43 yeare.
Upon a slab of white marble, buUt into a
granite monument : —
In memory of Alexander Donald, A.M., for
17 yeai-s schoolmaster at Huntly. A man whose
classical knowledge was equalled by few, whose
benevolence of heai-t embraced all mankind, and
whose exertions in the cause of distress were
never applied for in vain. This stone is erected
by his scholars as a just tribute of respect for his
eminent abilities, of gratitude for his useful in-
structions, and of esteem for his disinterested
benevolence and general phOantliropy. He died
24th AprU, 1816, aged 41.
Abridged :—
John Jbsseman, farmer, Westerton of Bo-
triphuie, died in 1828, aged 85. His son,
" Alexander, an officer in the British army,
was wounded at Talavera in Spain, in 1809, and
died soon after."
The next two inscriptions are from table-
stones : —
Mary Gray, relict of Andrew Gray of Stock-
strouther, died I6th June, 1826, aged 68. Erected
by her son Andrew Gray of London.
[2.]
Here lies, reserved for the resurrection of the
just, the body of Margaret Allen, sjiouse of
James Allen, Esq., from Manchester. She died
Deer. 26, 1821, aged 68, and was esteemed by
EUNTLY.
381
many as a Mother in Israel, and an honour to
women. Them that sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him.
From a box-shaped stone : —
In memory of John RjUisat, Esq., late surgeon
in the Staff, who died at Huntly, 15 Feb. 1830,
aged 60.
Elizabeth, his wife, died at Southamirton,
from injuries received by a coach accident, 29th
Aug. 1843, aged 62, and is interred in the private
biu-ial-gi-ound of All Saints, Southampton.
From a headstone : —
Captain John Wilaon, 42d Royal Highlander, in
memory of his Brothers : — John, died 1822, aged
16 ; James, colour-sergeant, 92d Highlanders,
died at Dominica, W.I., 1841, aged 38 ; Donald,
quarter-maater-sergeant, 42d Royal Highlanders,
died at Malta, 1846, aged 36. His sister, Isa-
bella, wife of Major John Drysdale, 42nd
Royal Highlanders, died at Southampton, 1856,
aged 44. His father, James Wilson, died at
Aberdeen, 1861, aged 80. A nephew, William,
died at Glasgow, 1852, aged 21 ; another nephew,
Charles Forbes, second officer in the Peninsular
and Oriental Company's service, died at Loudon,
1861, aged 27.
Tirriesoul, or Tilliesoul, was the old name
of the village which is now represented by the
town of Huntly ; and on the 3rd July, 1545,
Earl George had a charter under the Great
Seal, by which the "Villa de Tirriesoul" was
erected into a burgh of barony (Spalding's
Troubles, i. 49).
Two well-known hillocks, called " The
Terries," in or near which ancient graves and
calcined stones have been found, lie to the
north of the town. Possibly the old name of
Huntly had been assumed from these and from
the shielings of which the village was origi-
nally composed, at least the Gaelic words,
Torrie-soid, said or t(jul, are capable of such a
rendering, and no doubt had been accurately
descriptive of the physical aspect of the place
in early times.
The Bowmen's Hilloch stands near " The
Torries," and there, possibly, the vassals of the
district met in old time to practise archery.
But tradition accounts for the name in another
way, averring that it arose from the fact that
in a time of scarcity one of the Earls of Huntly
ordered meal to be sent there for distribution
in quantities of a how or boll to each family
of the surname of Gordon. It is further told
that, with the view of participating in the
Earl's bounty, many others assumed the name,
and they and their descendants were after-
wards known as " the bow o' meal Gordons.''
A " Bowhouse" was erected near the kirk of
Dunbennan, for the reception of the poor's
" mortified" meal, as it was called; and "a
bow o' meal" is still annually distributed by
the Duke of Eichmond and Gordon to poor
females of the parish, who are known as
" Bow-women."
The houses in Huntly, as well as at Noth,
were at one time called " The Eawes," from
their being built in rows or lines, and the
circumstance of their being under the superi-
ority of the Earl of Huntly gave rise to the
proverb " Ne'er misca' a Gordon in the Eawes
o' Strathbogie" — an advice still worthy of
attention, but even more important in the
days when the exercise of the rights attached
to heritable jurisdictions was still in full
vigour. In " The Eawes" possibly lived " Mr.
John Eraser, husband to Anne Johnston in
Huntly," who " under cloud of Night (did so)
most inhumanly and Barbarously Beat and
Bruise" his wife, that the good women of
Huntly petitioned the baron baillie (John
Gordon of Avochie), to grant " a toleration to
the Stang." " Otherways," say the petitioners,
" upon the least disobligment given, we must
expect to fall Victims to our husbands dis-
pleasure, from which Libera nos Domine!"
On the day after the petition was presented
(10th Jan. 1734), four men were complained
against by Eraser, and each fined £20 Scots,
for having " in the face of the sun, about
three in the afternoon, tore his clothes and
abus'd his person, by carrying bim in a pub-
382
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
lick manner through the town of Huntly upon
a tree ! "
Huntly, in the centre (jf which is a fine
market square, was originally a well planned
town, its chief defect being, as in most old
places, the narrowness of its streets. Since
the introduction of the railway, the trade of
Huntly has greatly increased in extent and
importance, and the town is now fairly en-
titled to the appellation of the " Capital of
Strathhogie." It contains some good shops —
wholesale and retail — a handsome public hall
and a lecture room, which were built oat of a
bequest by the late Mr. Stewart, and several
branch banks. Besides the Parish Ohurch,
there are Free, Episcopal (Christ Church), and
Eoman Catholic (St. Margaret's) places of
worship, as well as higljy respectable U.P.
and Congregational Churches.
1^ I n n 0 1 r.
(8. M U N Q 0, BISHOP.)
SMUNGO'S hill, with S. Mungo's well
« on its west side, is in the vicinity of
the old Kirkyard, the site of which, as the
name implies, is upon the top of a rising
ground. It is situated upon the south bank
of the Deveron, and although the monuments
are few, some of the inscriptions possess con-
siderable local interest.
From a table-stone : —
Here lies the Benevolent Mrs. Gordon of
Avochie, daughter of Peter Gordon of Ardmealie,
who died the 5"' of April 1785, and also her
worthy daughter, Mi-s. Hat, who died the 26""
May 1763. This stone is erected to theii-
memory, from filial affection, by her daughter
Catherine Gordon.
— The ancestor of the Gordons of Ardmeallie
was George of Mill of Noth, youngest son of
Patrick Gordon of Craig, who fell at Flodden,
in 1513 (Harperfield's Gordon Pedigree Tables).
Ardmeallie was bought from one of the
Gordons by the late Mr. Morrison of Auchen-
toul, and was repurchased by the trustees of
Mr. John Gordon of Avochie and Mayne,
who died in 1857 (Epitaphs, i. 232). He and
a sister were children of the previous laird,
but with commendable honour, and a desire
to support the legitimate issue and tlie dignity
of his father's house, he left the landed estates
to a descendant of the above-named Mrs.
Hay, while his sister, who died in 1875, aged
79, left her fortune to " fremit folk" or
strangers who had been attentive to her in
her later years.
Mrs. Hay's descendants, who were after-
wards called Hay-Gordon, had their burial-
place in St. Cuthbert's churchyard, Edin-
burgh, and the following inscription from a
mural tablet there appears to relate to the
grandson and his wife : —
To the memory of Adam Hat, Esquire, late
Major in the Thirty-fifth Regiment of Foot, who
died at Edinburgh upon the 2.5th day of May,
1836, aged sixty-nine years. Also of Mart
Watson, his spouse, who died 20"" March, 1844,
aged 74.
— A marble cross, within the same enclosure,
presents the subjoined inscription (followed by
a quotation, in Greek characters, from Heb. ii.
10) to the memory of their son, who was a
Writer to the Signet, and to whom the pro-
perties of Avochie and Mayne were left by
Mr. John Gordon : —
I.M. Adam Hat-Gordon of Avochie, Nat.
1803, ob. 1872, and of Mary, his infant daugh-
ter, 1853.
We have not ascertained when the Gordons
first came to Avochie, nor to what branch of
the Gordon family they belonged. The
earliest mention of them is in Dempster's
Eccl. History (673), in which the author says
that his family (of Muiresk) was ruined chiefly
through the misconduct of his eldest brother,
James, who, infuriated by the discovery of
the existence of an improper intimacj- between
his wife, a daughter of Avochie, and her
father-in-law, made an attempt on the old
HUNTL7.
383
man's life, in which he was aided by a band
of Gordons, two of whom were killed in the
course of the desperate affray that ensued.
As Dempster died in 1625, this must have
occurred some time about the year 1600 ; but
it is not until January 29, 1659, when Jolin
was served heir to his father, that we have
found the family designed of Avochie (Inq.
Gen.) This laird married a daughter of Sir
John Leslie of Wardes, who outlived her
husband, and afterwards married Gordon of
Newton (Doug. Bar.)
The family appears to have been in a pretty
good position at this time, for, on 25th Jan.,
1687, Henry Gordon was served heir to his
father not only in Avochie but also in rather
extensive possessions in the parishes of Oyne,
Eayne, and TuUynessle. Henry Gordon of
Avochie and two sisters, Anna and Elizabeth,
the one 1 5 and the other 1 2 years of age, were
alive in 1696, and appear to have lived with
" Mr. William Gordon, gentleman, tenant,
and his spouse," at Mill of Avochie.
The next mention of the family occurs in
1734, when John Gordon of Avochie sat at
Huntly as baillie of the Eegality Court. It
was possibly this laird that was exempted
from the Act of Indemnity, and fined £500 for
being out in the '45. It is said that his wife,
to whom the tombstone at Kinnoir was erected,
was a person of very frugal habits, and thereby
contributed much to the payment of the fine,
and to the keeping of the property in the
family. Their son .John, who was known by
the sobriquet of " Chaw of Tobacco," is said
to have acquired considerable wealth by the
joint occupations of an advocate and a wine
merchant. He bought the property of Drum-
lithie, in Kincardineshire, which he left, along
with Avochie, as before noticed, and the for-
mer having been sold by his son, it was with
part of the proceeds of the sale that his sister
■was able to benefit her friends.
The present house of Avochie, which is
beautifully situated in the midst of a cluster
of trees upon the south bank of the Deveron,
was built by the son of " the rebel laird ; " and
the old house, of which two ruined gables,
having between them a thatched cottage, now
alone remain, forms a striking object upon the
summit of an adjacent rising ground. It ap-
pears to have been a house of two stories with
attics, and to have been built in a superior
style, probably in the time of the laird of
1696.
REW MtJRRAT, sometime in Cortlyburn,
who departed this life the T" of December, 1713,
aged LX8 yea A. M : I : M.
— " Andrew Murray, principall tennent in
Affleck," his wife and sons, Alexander and
John, were charged poll in 1696. There were
then a number of ]Murrays in this district, one
of whom, William, is described as a notary
public, and tenant iu the Daach of Auchinboe;
but the names of none of their children cor-
respond with those in an inscription upon an
adjoining stone, which bears that William
and Andrew Mdreat died respectively in
1751 and 1764, aged 73 and 76. The name
of Cortlyburn is not in the Poll Book, but the
place itself lies in the south-east corner of
Kinnoir, about \\ mile from the old kirkyard.
Possibly the best known of the Murrays
connected with the district was George, who
died at Edinburgh in 1868. He was the
son of a crofter, by his wife JIargaret Hay,
and was born at Boghead of Kinnoir. His
father, who entered the army as a private
soldier, died in Jamaica, upon which George
and his mother went to Canada, but soon re-
turned to Scotland. When a young man of
from twenty to thirty years of age, he became
a student at Marischal College, Aberdeen, and
also taught a school in the parish of Inver-
keithny. While there, he published a volume
of poetry ("Islaford, and Other Poems, Edin-
384
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
burgh, 1845") which contains several pieces
of local interest. On leaving the district he
changed his name to Manson, and ultimately
succeeded to the editorship of the Daily
Review, an office which he held until his
death in 1868.
Here lie the bodies of the Rev. Mr. Robert
Innes, minister of Himtly, who died 13th March,
1800, in the 89th year of his age, and 58th of his
ministry. Also his spouse Elizabeth Gordon,
who died 12th December, 1777, aged 50 years.
Also their son, Robert, who died 13th Novem-
ber, 1757, aged 6 years. This monument is
erected by Lieut. John Innes of the Huntly
Volunteers, in memory of his Parents and
Brother. Also lie here the remains of the above
Lieutenant John Innes, who died the 4th day
of December-, 1839, aged 90 years.
— Lieutenant Innes, who was a licentiate of
the church before he entered the army, saw
much active service in the field, and was pre-
sent at the siege of Gibraltar.
In memory of the Rev. William Mitchell,
vicar of Baydon, County of Wilts, son to Alex.
Mitchell and Margaret Andereon, late in Hillock-
head of Kinnore, who died at M'Duff, Deci-. 8,
1820, aged 76 years.
In memory of Morrice Smith, who died 4th
Jany. 1853, aged 34 yeai-s. Erected by his
Friends and Fellow Servants to commemorate
the benefits, which, as the great improver of
ploughing, he conferred on Aberdeenshire.
This stone is erected by James Mitchell, in
Greeufold, in memory of his sou, Alexr. Mit-
chell, who spent 11 yeai-s and 10 months in
Jamaica, he departed this life Deer. 24, 1785,
aged 35 years.
Here lies also the body of the foresaid James
Mitchell, Farmer, in Greenfold, who departed
this life March 8, 1794, aged 84 years.— Also are
here interred the remains of his spouse, Jannet
Murray, who died 9th Oct., 1804, aged 87 years.
— Also then- daughter, Ann Mitchell, who died
July 26th, 1807, aged 68 years. Also their
daughter Isobel, spouse to George Cniickshank,
sometime farmer in Earnhill, she departed this
life 19th Oct., 1815, aged 75 years. Memento mori.
elspat strachan,
Died 14 Sep. 1797, aged 68 years.
This stone is laid by her only son, John Smith,
in Jamaica, iis the last mark of affection for a
loving mother, who was a virtuous Christian,
and lived a blameless life.
Under this stone is deposited the body of Mrs.
Elizabeth Scorgie, widow of the late Rev.
John Touch, Minr. of Mortlich. To a cultivated
imderstanding she joined great sensibihty of
temper, unusual cheerfulness of disposition, and
boundless benevolence of heart. Her friends who
experienced her hospitality, and the poor who
were warmed by her bounty, can tell the rest.
She died June 1st, 1799, aged 79 years.
— Her father, who was a 8t. Andrews student,
was minister of Huntly, from 1716 until his
death in 1740. Her husband, a native of
Banff, was at first schoolmaster of Marnoch,
and after being a missionary for some time,
was presented to the church of Aberlour, from
which he was translated to Mortlach, where
he died in 1780, in his 80th year. He had
twelve children, one of whom was a chaplain
in the Navy (Scott's Fasti.)
The earliest lay proprietor of the districts
of Dunbennan and Kinnoir was Dnncan,
Earl of Fife, who had a gift of the lands of
Strathbogie from William the Lion, and died
in 1203. The Earl settled these lands upon
his tliird sou, Duncan, who, as was the custom
of the period, assumed a surname from the
territory, and his son, John of Strathbogie,
married Countess Ada, and became the eighth
Earl of Atholl. Their grandson, the eleventh
Earl, having taken arms against Bruce, for-
feited the whole of his possessions in Scotland.
This occurred about 1313-14, when the
King gave the Strathbogie portion to Sir
Adam of Gordon, the descendant of an Anglo-
Norman family, who received from David I.
their first property of Gordon, in Berwickshire,
from which they assumed their surname. Both
Sir Adam and his eldest son fell at Halidon-
hiU in 1333, in consequence of which Sir
Adam was succeeded by his grandson, Sir
John, who was killed at Homildon in 1402,
leaving one legitimate cliild, a daughter, who
by her marriage with Sir Alexander Seton,
about 1 408, brought the estate of Strathbogie
to that family.
HUNTLY.
385
Sir John left four natural sons, for eacli of
whom he made due provision (supra, 34), but
the legitimate chieftainship of the Strathbogie
branch passed to the Gordons of Kenmure,
and continued in that family until the death
of the 9th Viscount in 1847. That honour
is now vested in the Marquis cf Huntl}', in
virtue of his descent in the direct male line
from the second son of the 2ud Earl of
Huntly, who is said to have died at Stir-
ling in 1501, and to have been buried at Cam-
buskenneth.
It was Sir Alexander Seton, grandson of
the heiress of Strathbogie, who was created
Earl of Huntly ; and from his son, who mar-
ried Annabella, daughter of James I., sprang
the Seton-Gordons of Aboyne, Gight, and
Letterfourie, who were all brothers in succes-
sion.
It was in the time of the 3rd Earl of
Huntly, who possibly had more territory
added to his already extensive domain than
any of his predecessors or successors, that
James V. (Eec. Priory of Isle of May), while
on his pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Duthoc
at Tain, 5th October, 1504, passed a night in
the house of Strathbogie, on which occasion
he received from the Treasurer a payment of
14 pounds "to play at the cartes." "V\Tien
the King revisited Strathbogie in the follow-
ing year (Oct. 19), he was entertained with
music, and gave 1 4s. Scots " to the menstrels
and the More to ther hors met." Alexander
Law, falconer, also received 7s. for going " to
Finlater for ane halk ; " and when at Inver-
urie, where he " baytit," his ilajesty gave
" ane wife," who entertained him in some
way or other, 14s. 2d., like-wise 2s. in alms to
" pur folkis ther."
The fifth Earl of Huntly, who died at
Strathbogie in 1576, was succeeded by his son,
who had his house of Strathbogie destroyed
after the battle of GlenHvet. He afterwards
received a pardon for several acts of treason
committed by him, and was created a Marquis
in 1599.
It was about 1609 that the Castle of Huntly
was buUtj of which the stately ruins still re-
main. Over the entrance-door are the lioyal
Arms of Scotland, and a variety of interesting
carvings ; but of the latter kind of ornamen-
tation the chimneypiece of the large room or
hall is the most elaborate specimen. The
jambs and entablature are supported by figures
in mail armour, while the front of the chim-
ney is covered with armorial bearings and
legends. One of the latter presents the fol-
lowing : —
TO . THAES . THAT . LOVE . GOD . AL .
THINGS . VIKKIS . TO . THE . BEST.
Round a monogram of the initials of the
]\Iarquis and Marchioness (Henrietta Stewart),
over the chimney, and between two shields
with armorials, is the motto : —
SEN . GOD . DOETH . VS . DEFEND
VE . SAL . PREVAIL . VNTO . THE . END
Near the top of the ruins (outside), and
forming a sort of cornice, the names of the
founders of the castle are boldly carved thus : —
GEORGE . GORDOVN . FIRST . MARQVIS .
OF . HV . . . . HENRIETTE . STEVART .
MARQVISSE . OF . HV . . . .
Shortly before his death, the Marquis, who
seems always to have been suspcchd by the
King, was summoned to Edinburgh to give
explanations to the authorities regarding the
disturbances that were constantly occurring in
the north. Eeeling the hand of death upon
him, he became anxious to return to his own
Castle of Strathbogie, and it was while being
conveyed northwards " in ane wand-bed within
his chariot" that he expired at Dundee, on
13th June, 1636. The Marchioness, who
was a daughter of the Duke of Lermox, re-
ii3
386
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
tired to France, where she died six years
afterwards, and was buried at Lyons.
The subsequent history of this great family
is well known. The ith Marquis was created
Duke of Gordon in 1684, and the title became
extinct on the death in 1836 of the 5tli Duke,
who was succeeded in the estates by his
nephew the Duke of Richmond, and in the
title of Earl of Huntly by Lord Aboyne.
Out of respect for the memory of her hus-
band, the last Duchess of Gordon, who was a
daughter of Brodie of Arnhall, near Brechin,
erected the handsome buildings, used as pub-
lic schools, which form the entrance to Huntly
Lodge. They are adorned with marble busts
of the Duke and Duchess, and a stone piancl
in front is thus inscribed : — ■
GORDON SCHOOLS.
ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF GEORGE,
EIFTH DUKE OF GORDON,
BY HIS AVIDOW.
The Duchess, who died on .31st January,
1864, was predeceased by her nephew, the
Duke of Richmond, on 21st October, 1860,
and his Grace being a popular landlord, there
was erected to his memory in the Market
Square of Huntly a statue of freestone (by the
late Alexander Brodie, of Aberdeen), which
is thus inscribed : —
Erected as a Memorial of Charles Gordon-
Lennox, fifth Duke of Richmond, by his Tenan-
try of the Lordship of Huntly, 1862".
— His Grace was succeeded as Duke of Rich-
mond by his son, Cliarles Henry Gordon-
Lennox, who has filled many important offices
in Her Majesty's Government, and was
created, in 1876, Duke of Richmond and
Gordon.
Beside the Duke's monument lies a rough
whinstone boulder, which exhibits markings
resembling a large horse shoe, and similar to
those upon the Brucetou Stone near Alyth.
Criit0.
(S.
/TTRAIG is composed of the two suppressed
^^ parishes oi Inchbj-aijocJi- and Dunninald,
or S. Skae. There were also two chapels in
the district, those of S. Mary and S. Fergus.
With the exception of the name, which ap-
pears in some old maps, there is no trace of
the latter, but the former, which stood close
to the sea, a little to the south of Scurdieness
lighthouse, is represented by the burial-place
of the ScoTTS and Rennts, who were at one
time extensive landowners in the district.
The present parish church, built in 1799 at
the sole cost of Mrs. Ross of Rossie, occupies
a commanding position upon a rising ground.
It has a square tower at the west end, and
over the door is the text : —
Enter his gates -nith praise,
Inside the church there are some elegant
marble monuments, one of which upon the
right of the pulpit is thus inscribed : —
In grateful and affectionate remembrance of
his Parents and Sisters, this tablet is raised by
Horatio Ross. Hercules Ross, Esq. of Rossie,
died at Rossie Castle, 24th December, 1816, in
his 72nd year. Henrietta Parish, his wife,
died at Rossie Castle, 14th June, 1811, in her
43rd year. Harriet married WiUiam EUice,
Esq., died at East Sheen, IGth December, 1822,
in her 36th year. Eliza-Margaret married
Laurance Oliphant, Esq. of Condie, died at Villa
Tansi, on the Lake of Como, in Italy, 23rd June,
1821, in her 28th year. Maria-Georgina, died
at Craig House, 16th December, 1839, in her 35th
year. [1 Thess. 4, 14, 8.]
— Mr. Ross, whose father was an Inland
Revenue officer, and long stationed at Johns-
haven, was named " Hercules" after the then
laird of Brotherton, through whose influence,
it is said, he got into the navy, in which he
was a purser during the American war.
Having acquired considerable wealth, he
CRAIG.
387
bought the estate of Eossie from the trustees
of Mr. Patrick Scott in 1783, and erected
Eossie Castle in 1800. His son Horatio, who
v/as returned heir to his father 19th March,
1818, and who was for some time an M.P.,
sold Eossie in 1845 to the trustees of the
present proprietor. Colonel !Macdonald of St.
Martins, and afterwards bought JSTetherley,
near Stonehaven, which he held only for a
few years. Mr. Eoss and his son Horatio-
Septenherg, are well-known as expert deer-
stalkers, and have deserved well of their coun-
try by their services in connection with the
Volunteer movement.
Upon the north wall of the church there
are six marble slabs, one of which is thus in-
scribed : — ■
Sacred to the memory of Humphrey Col-
QUHonN, who died on the 31" of Janry. 1809 ; and
of Margaret Eoss, his wife, who died on the
27'" of April, 1795.
— Three adjoining slabs are to the memory of
their daughters, Mary, Margarkt, and Eliza-
beth, who died respectively in 1821, 1828,
and 1850. The following relates to their
brother : —
In memory of Lieutenant-General Daniel
CoLQUHOUN. Died 17"" November 1848.
- — The engraving of the survey of Craig, which
accompanies the Eev. Dr. Eaton's Account of
the Parish, is inscribed by the Lieutenant-
General to Sir John Sinclair, as " a mark of
respect to his public spirit." The General's
first wife was a daughter of Jlr. Eoss of Eossie,
and to one of their children, Maria-Margaret,
who died in 1841, there is also a tablet. They
were all buried witliin the Eossie aisle, which
is upon the north side of the Parish Church.
Two freestone slabs, within the kirk, bear
these records of benefactors of the poor : —
[1-]
James Scot of Ulisses Haven came t(3 this
world Jany. the 5th, 1667. Depairted .Jauy. 18,
1701, and Dedicated to tlie Poor of this Parochiu,
the scum of .500 m""' Memento,
[2.]
John Turnbcll of Strickathrou, who deceased
upon the tent day of October 1693, and of age
65 year.^, and Dedicated to the Poor of Parochin
the soum of 150 m'"'' Memento.
There are two other monuments, one to Mr.
Scott, and another to Mr. Arkley, both of
Dunninald ; but the inscriptions from these
will be given afterwards, the former under the
head of S. Mary's Chapel, and the latter under
that of S. Skae.
Several children have been buried in the
ground that surrounds the parish church ;
and a flat slab (lately a chest-shaped stone), at
the north side of the public school, is said to
cover the ashes of the Eev. Egbert Stephen,
who was inducted minister of the parish
in 1714, and died on 12th Aug., 1759
(sujpm, 77.)
(a. BRIOO, BISHOP.)
SBEIOC, who flourished about a.d. 500,
* was a disciple of Germanus of Auxerre,
and his name is associated not only with the
Church of Inchbrayock, but also with those
of Eothesay in Bute, Dunrod in Kirkcud-
liright, and possibly Coull ia Aberdeenshire
(Forbes' Kal. of Scottish Saints.)
JiichbrioeJi, which was a mensal church of
the diocese of St. Andrews, was dedicated by
Bishop David in 1243, and with its two
chapels (possibly S. Mary's and S. Fergus'),
is rated at 30 merks in the Taxation of 1275.
The first recorded rector of S. Braoch is
Sir John of Cadiou, who on 21st Sept., 1328,
witnessed a confirmation charter by Eobert the
Bruce of Walter of Shakloc's gift to Henry of
Inieny of the third part of the lands of Inieny
(Eeg. Vet de Aberb., 339.)
In 1574 Eichard Melvil was minister of
Inchbrayock, St. Skae, Maryton, and Lunan,
and had a stipend of £100 Scots. John
Melvill was reader both at Inchbrayock and
388
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
Maryton, with a salary of £20 Scots and kirk
lands.
The kirk of Tnchbrayock, according to
Wodrow, was in a ruinous condition in 1573,
and Ochterlony (c. 1682), says that — " The
river makes ane island betwixt Montross and
Ferredene, where the kirk in old stood, and
the whole parish is designed from the island,
and is still the buriall place of the parish.
They always wait the low water, and carries
over their dead then, being almost dry on the
south syd when it is low water."
In the mansion-house of Inchbrayock, a
property that uow belongs to Robert Barclay,
Esq., late Provost of Montrose and the repre-
sentative of one of the oldest families in the
district, there is preserved as a windovr lintel
a stone that originally occupied a position over
the door of the old manse of Inchbrayock, and
is thus inscribed and dated : —
Ei'p^i'i; Tif oiKip TOUTij). 1638.
The church stood upon an eminence on the
south-east side of the cemetery, and an en-
closure, or burial aisle, belonging to the Scotts,
formerly lairds of Eossie, is upon the same
site. Seven separate slabs, embellished with
as many shields, are inserted into the walls.
Two of the shields are blank, upon a third
are the initials P. S. M. A. in monogram, and
the four others are charged as follows : — (1) in
pale, a fess engrailed between three lions'
heads couped (for Scott of Balwearie) ; crest,
a knight's helmet ; motto, Lux ab alto
(Light from above) ; (2) in pale, same arms
of Scott, and two keys crossed (for ) ;
motto, AuT TACE AUT FACE (Either be silent
or act) ; (3) in pale, Scott and Arbuthnott
arms, with rose over crescent for cadency ;
crest and motto of the latter, Laus Deo
(Praise to God) ; and (4) in pale, Hope of
Eankeillor and Primrose arms, motto, Spes,
SALUS, DECus (Hope, safety, honour).
Patrick Scott, fourth sou of James Scott of
Logic, bought Possie about 1650, and after-
wards acquired Craig, and nearly the whole of
the rest of the parish. He died in 1690,
leaving by his vnfe, a daughter of Provost
Beattie of Montrose, a family of three sons
and one daughter, viz., Patrick of Rossie, who
married Margaret Hope, of Rankeillor ; James
of Usan, who married Anne Scott, of Ben-
holm ; Robert of Dunninald, who married
Catherine EuUarton, of Kinnaber ; and Jean,
who married Alexander Arbuthnot of Knox.
Patrick, second of Eossie, died in 1731, leav-
ing two sons, Archibald, his successor, and
Robert of Dunninald, the former of whom
died in 1773, and was succeeded by liis son
Patrick, who afterwards granted a disposition
of his whole estate for behoof of his credi-
tors. It was offered for sale by public roup
on 9th July, 1781, but did not find a pur-
chaser until 6th November, 1783, when, as
stated above, it was bought by Mr. Hercules
Ross.
The first recorded in the next inscription
(from a granite monument within the enclo-
sure at Inchbrayock) was the last of the Scotts
of Rossie : —
Here are interred the family of the Scotts of
Eossie — also Patrick Scott, late of Eossie, obt.
April 14, 1814, a. 86. Marqaret Forbes of
C'raigievar, his widow, obt. .Taly 29, 1839, fe. 87.
Patrick, '\ ( 1776
Archibald-Arthur, > infants
Robert, )
Susan-Hadow, obt. 1803, ee. 22.
Alexander Duncan of Parkhill, obt. June 5,
1805, SB. 26. Margaret, obt. Sept. 14, 1851, K.
73. William, obt. in the West Indies, 1798, ae.
18. Also Alexander Duncan of ParkhiU, obt.
Aug. te. 74. David Duncan of Eosemonnt and
Parkhill, obt. Jan. 25, 1833, K. 30. Catherine
Gourlay, wife of John Duncan of Parkhill, obt.
Sept. 29, 1844, re. 29.
— The Duncans of Parkhill and Rosemount
were brothers, and natives of Brechin. Both
made fortunes in India, and the latter, Dr.
John, who died in 1833 without surviving
,1780
Janet, wife of
CRAIG.
389
issue, was succeeded in Eosemouat by the
above David Duncan, his nephew, who mar-
ried Lauderdale, daughter of Sir Alex. Ram-
eay of Balmain, afterwards wife of Sir J. H.
Burnett of Leys, Bart.
The following, from a table-shaped stone
(enclosed) is upon the south side of the Rossie
aisle : —
To the memory of James Patos, D.D., who
died at Mause of Craisf oa the X of November
MDCCOXI.,iQ theLXXXV. year of his age and
the LI. of his ministry. Distinguished by his
attainments in learning, his fidelity in the pas-
toral office, and his exemplary deportment in all
the relations of life. Here are likwise interred
James, his son, who died on the 14th February
1790, aged 21 years ; and Jane, his daughter,
who died on the 18th of November 1792, aged
22 years. Uavid, his eldest son, who died in
London. And Ann Greig, his spouse, who died
26th October 1819, aged 75 years. Also his
daughters, Ann, born 15th 1773, died 5th May,
1854 ; Elizabeth, born 14th October, 1781, died
12thSei>t. 1858.
— Dr. Paton, who was a native of Auchter-
gaven, Perthshire, wrote several theological
works, and also the Old Statistical Account
of the parish of Craig. Prom her maternal
uncle, Sir James Napier, Inspector-General of
His Majesty's Hospitals in North America,
who died 24th Dec, 1799, in his 89th year
(Soots Mag.), Mrs. Paton, a daughter of David
Greig, farmer of Barns of Craig, inlierited con-
siderable wealth, as well as some valuable
portraits, by Gainsborough and Sir Peter
Lely, of members of the Middleton famUy, to
which she was nearly related. Dr. Paton had
twin sons, John and George, who were re-
markable for kindliness of disposition, and for
their close personal resemblance to each other.
They took a great interest in the fishing popu-
lation of the parish of Craig ; and it is told
that on one of them asking after the welfare
of an old fishervvoman, whom he one day met
on the road, she replied that she " was unco
weel, considerin' " — adding, " But I'm at a
loss to ken whilk o' the jDair o' Batons it is
that 's speerin' sae frankly for me." The next
two inscriptions refer to these twin brothers —
George Paton, sou of the late Revd. Dr.
Paton, minister of this parish, boiu 8th June
1776, died 21st Novr. 1846. Resident in Mon-
trose 55 years, and was repeatedly Provost of
that Burgh. A humble Christian, a lover of
good men, and of his Saviour's cause. This
monument to his memory is erected by his
widow and family.
— There are also recorded the names of three
sons and one daughter, who died between
1818 and 1838. His relict, Helen Ltall,
born 1793, died 1874. Two sons, Messrs. F.
B. Paton, of Aucharroch and Cairnbank, and
James, bank agent in Coupar-Angus, and two
daughters, Georgina, who married the late
Captain Eobert Balfour, H.iM.I.A., and Eliza-
beth, are still alive.
[2.]
In memoriam : John Paton, elder twin son
of the Revd. James Paton, D.D., born 1776, died
1847, and Hope Brown or Paton, his wife, born
1786, died 1876.
— They had a family of sons and daughters,
I'avid, of the Free Church, Fettercairn, James,
Thomas, and John, millspinners, the first two
in Montrose, and the third in Dundee, and
Samuel, who died many years ago. Their
daughter Jane married Jlr. George Gordon, of
Jacobs & Gordon, merchants in Eiga, and her
daughter Hope is the wife of Mr. Alexander
Macdonald, of the Aberdeen Granite "Works,
Avho resides at Keppilestone, near that city.
Mrs. Paton was a cousin of the distinguished
botanist and member of the Institute of
France, Eobert Brown.
Opposite the entrance to the Eossie aisle a
headstone bears : —
1805. To the memory of William Lyall,
some time tennant in Ferryden, who died in
Novemb., 1801, aged go years : Likewise his
spouse Helen Teviotdale, who died in April
390
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
1805, aged 80 years. Their children's ages are
as follows, James, born 24 Jany. 1755, David,
born 5 July 1756 1758.
— The son, James, farmer of Brae of Pert,
had a son William, who became a successful
merchant in Calcutta, and two daughters,
Helen and Jane. The latter married Thomas
Whyte, of the 1st Royals, by whom she had
a daughter, Eliza-Napier, who became the
wife of Mr. James Smith, surgeon, RN.,
Montrose. From her Calcutta relatives Mrs.
Smith inherited a considerable amount of
money, which was invested in the purchase
of Cairnbank, near Brechin, and on the death
of her only child, Edward "Whyte Smith, in
1876, at the age of 24, that property passed
to his relative, Mr. F. B. Paton of Auch-
arroch.
Two of the oldest dated stones, which are
chiefly of the flat sort, lie near the site of the
old kirk, and are thus inscribed : —
Heir lyis corps of Ann Strachan, .spovs to
David F . vlar, lavfvl dochter to David . .
. . . . the fair of God, the 13 day of
Febrvar. 1619, of hu- age 29 year. . . .
A shield upon the next stone, wiiich was
possibly erected by the skipper's " neigh-
bovris," is charged with " two crescents on a
bend," and had been flanked by the initials
and date, A . S . . 50. The first portion
of the inscription is round the sides of the
stone, and upon the face of it, between the
shield and the two lines of verse, are two
death's heads, crossed bones, and the words —
" memento mori " : —
. . . OV . .SCOT . SKIPER . OF . VLISHEAVEN
. QVHA . DEPARTID . THIS . LTF . THE . 2 . . .
1650 . AND . OP . His . A . . . .
This honest skiper, Androv Scot
To al his neighbovris he vas the coik.
— The above couplet is given in Monteith's
Theatre of Mortality (Edin., 171.3.)
The sides and ends of the monument that
bears the next two inscriptions are bevelled,
and elaborately carved. A shield, on the
west, flanked by the initials W. T. : A. W :
G. L., exhibits a neat carving of the Taylor
arms (a saltire between two hearts, a cinque-
foil in base, and a crescent in chief), and those
of Wood of Craig. The first inscription is
upon the south, and the second upon the north
bevel of the same stone : —
Heir lyes ane good and honest man named
William Tatlvr, hammer maue, iudweler in
Inchbreakes pares, who depairted the vear of
God, 1642, and of his age 42.
Heir lyes Agnes Woode, spovse to Williame
Taylvr, who depairted the 6 of May, 1628, and
of her age 40. Heir lyes Geilles Lovrance,
second spovs to Vdlame Taylvr, who depairted
the 4 of May, 1645.
From a flat slab : —
Hen- lyes Kathren Eennicol, spovs to Alex-
ander Fyfe, vho died the 24 day of December,
anno 1694, of hir age 60 years. Alexr. Ftfe,
ivnior, died the last of November, 1682, of age
19 years. David Ftfe died the last of Agvst,
anno 1694, of age 23 years. Iohn Fyfe died the
2 of lanvar, of age 14 years 4 m. Patrik FrFE.
Iames and Iean Fyfe's children.
The Weaver's Art it is Renouned so,
That Poor nor Rich without it cannot go.
From a table-shaped stone : —
Here lyes William Lindsay, tenant in Ulys-
seshaven, who died anno domini 1743, aged 92.
Likewise his two wives, viz.. Christian Alex-
ander and Margaret Petrie, and also his sou
D. L
From an adjoining stone : —
Ann Dear (wf. of E. McEorie'), b. 1762, d.
1821 :—
Her friends the half of all did take,
And this I have done for her sake.
From two sides of a small headstone : —
Heare lys Tames Gouk in Cottouue of Scots-
toune, who departed this life, March the 2 day
1712, of age 68 years.
IG . DG . DP . IG. . . . These erected
this stone. Heii- Lyes David Gouk, some time
Barn Grive to Dunieuald, who died lanr. ye 8th
1747, of age 71. Margt. Suttor his wife, died
ye 15th of Jan. 1747, and of age 69.
— The somewhat odd surname of GoiiJc is still
to be found in Montrose and its neighbour-
CRAIG.
391
hood. An old gravestone, inserted into the
gable of a house in Upper Hall Street, pre-
sents a curious epitaph, quoted below, to a
family of the same name. The epitaph was
composed by the facetious Mr. Ogilvie, minis-
ter of Lunan. and the stone was brought from
the churchyard of that parish, and placed in
its present position by a member of the family
to whom the house in Montrose belonged : —
Here lies the Smith, to wit, Tam Goijk,
His father and his mother,
Wi' Dick and Nell and Meq an' Jock,
And a' the Gowks thegether.
When on the yird my wife and I
Greed desp'rate ill wi' ither ;
But here withouteu strife or din,
We tak' our nap thegeither.
Upon an elaborately ornamented headstone : —
Trust in God. Here lies the body of .Tames
TuRNBtJLL, mason. For 54 years he worked at
his trade on the estate of Eossie. He was born
Mai-ch, 1V16. In 1755 he married lean Low, by
whom he had ten children [3 sons and 7 drs.,
named upon the stone.]
— The above is upon the west side of the stone.
Upon the east side, flanked by masonic em-
blems, is a representation of the front of
Eossie Castle, and below is the following : —
Of dust I am, and shall to dust return.
O may the grave become to me.
The bed of peaceful rest ;
Whence I shaU gladly rise at last.
And mingle with the blest.
This humble memorial of lames Tm-nbuU has
been the work of his own hands during the
leisure hours of his old age.
— This inscription, with others of a similar
nature, is quoted in Notes and Queries (3rd
Ser., 256.)
This stone was erected by Robert Anth, tenant
in Mains of Dun, to the memory of Margaret
Beattie, his beloved wife, who, haWng been,
while she lived, a sincere Christian, an affection-
ate wife and mother, and in every other relation
dutiful, died the 5 of December 1786, aged 60
yeai-s. Robert Airth died 25th September 1800,
aged 74 years.
— The births of six sons and five daughters —
1753 to 1768 — are recorded on the reverse of
this monument. From an adjoining head-
stone : —
In memory of John Leighton, factor, on
Dunninald, who died 9th Novr. 1798, and Ann
Airth, his wife, who died 27th Dec. 1836. (A
son & 1 dr. died in infancy, also Margaret in
1856, a. 67.)
— By his first wife, Magdalene Smith (whose
name is not recorded upon the stone), Mr.
John Leighton was the father of the late Mr.
David Leighton, of Bearehill, near Brechin, a
man of the highest honour and integrity of
character. His father's second wife was the
mother of the late Mr. James Leighton, town-
clerk of Montrose, and of Lieut. -Col. Thomas
Leighton, the latter of whom died in England
and left issue.
From a headstone, upon the reverse of
which are carved a death's head and a Loch-
aber axe : —
Here lyes Iohn Smart, elder, hvsband to ye
deceast Marget Dredon, who died ye 5 of Febr.
anno 1693, of age 38 years. Here lyes John
Smart, son to John Smart & Elspit Strachan, he
died
Janet Low, d. 1811, a. 95 : —
All, all, must pass this dreary road.
To darkness, silence, cold, and gloom,
AU rest in one obscure abode —
The Bed of aU the World— the Tomb.
Jiunutnaltr, or ^aint ^kforij.
(S. SKEOCH, DISCIPLE.)
'T'E the Irish Calendar there are three saints
•^ called Skeoch, which Dr. Eeeves con-
siders a corruption of Echoid or Eochaidh,
the name of one of the twelve disciples of S.
Columba, and which is found, under the fa-
miliar form of Skeoch, in the counties of Ayr,
Bute, and Stirling (Forbes' Kal. of Scottish
Saints).
The church of Doninad belonged to the
Priory of Eostinoth, and is rated at 2 merks
in the Taxation of 1275. It appears to have
been suppressed for a time ; and in 1576 it is
392
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
said that " Sanct JSkae, or Dynnynaud, neiJs
nae reidare." The church was j^robably re-
stored, as in 1587 Andrew Leith had " a gift
for life" of 3 chalders 12 bolls meal yearly,
out of the third of the bishopric of Brechin,
for his services at the kirks of " Maritoun,
Inch brook, Lunan, and Sanct Skaa."
The kirks of St. Skeoch ami Inchbrayock
were united about 1618. The former stood
upon a cliff overlooking the sea, and inter-
ments are stiU made there. The following in-
scriptions are copied from some of the tomb-
stones : —
Sacred to the memory of Peter Arklet, Esq.
of Dunninald ; born September 16th 1786, died
December 31, 182.5. Mark the perfect man, and
behold the upright, for the end of that man is
peace.
— Mr. Arkley, who bought Dunninald and
built the present mansion-house, was come of
a farmer family in the parish of Murroes
(Epitaphs, i. 124). He and the Hon. Mr.
Maule (afterwards Lord Panmure) founded
the Eastern Forfarshire Agricultural Associ-
tion, the members of which had full-length
portraits of both painted by Colvin Smith,
E.S.A. These are both preserved in the
Town-Hall of Brechin. Mr. Arkley is repre-
sented standing beside a favourite horse, the
foreshortening of which is a most successful
piece of art, while Mr. Maule appears seated,
with his favourite dog " Jlutton" in the fore-
ground corner, and a bust of his political pro-
totype, the Honourable Chas. James Fox, in
the background.
A monument to the memory of Mr. Arkley,
bearing the same inscription as the above, is
within the parish church. In 1814 he married
the eldest daughter of Dr. Henderson, of
Dundee, who died at Dunninald, 5th Jan.,
1876, in her 91st year, having had, with other
children, two sons, Patrick and Eobert.
The latter received the lands of Clepington,
near Dundee, and the former, who was a
sheriff-substitute of Edinburgh, succeeded to
Dunninald. He died at Guddford, Surrey,
19th June, 1868, aged 52, and was buried at
St. Skae ; as was also his wife, Louise Philip-
pine Malan, a daughter of the Rev. Caesar
Malan of Geneva, who died 23rd of Septem-
ber, 1868, aged 53. Their only son, Patrick,
died 13th Jan., 1857, in his 13th year ; and
Dunninald now belongs to their two daugh-
ters, Mary and Eliza, the former of whom
married Charles Armstrong Smyth, Esq., Lon-
donderry, and the latter John Stanstield, Esq.,
late Captain in the army, who now resides
with his wife at Dunninald.
Upon another monument : —
George Keith, Esq. of Usan, died at Usan
House, on the 15th Jauviary 1855, aged 27 years.
Eliza Donald, his wife, died 10th November
1864, aged 61 years.
— Mr. Keith, who was a native of ^Montrose,
was bred a house carpenter, and emigrated in
early life to Charleston, South Carolina, where
he acquired a fortune. He bought Usan in
1815, and leaving no surviving issue, he be-
queathed it to a nephew, son of the late Mr.
Alex. Keith, baker, Montrose. Two of the
present laird's sisters are married, one to Dr.
Burness, late of ^Montrose, and the other to
the Rev. Mr. Macintosh, of St. Cyrus.
Rev. Dr. James Brewster, who did so much
to improve the moral and intellectual condi-
tion of the fishing population of the parish,
was also buried here, and a monument to his
memory is thus inscribed : —
To the memory of James Brewster, D.D.,
minister of the Gospel at Craig. Born 5th
August, 1777. Ordained 12th January, 1804.
Died 5th February, 1847. Erected by Pubhc
Subscription, in testimony of his fervent piety
and distinguished attainments, as a divine ; his
inflexible integrity and affectionate zeal, as a
pastor ; and his practical benevolence and genuine
humility, in every relation of life.
— Dr. Brewster, who was a native of Bo-
triphnie, in Banffshire, began his ministerial
CRAIG.
393
career as assistant to Dr. Paton, of Craig, and
seceded at the Disruption of 18i3. He
married Jessie, daughter of Dr. Crichton,
Dumfries, and had by her a family of four
sons and two daughters. His father, for
some time headmaster or rector of the school
of Jedburgh, -who died at Manse of Craig in
1815, and was also buried at St. Skeoch, hud
three other sons — Drs. Patrick of Paisley,
George of Scoonie, and David — all ministers.
The last-mentioned, who became the most
eminent of the brothers, received the honour
of knighthood in 1832, and after a long and
laborious scientific and literary career, died
Principal of the University of Edinburgh, in
18C8, aged 86 years. By his first wife, who
was one of the daughters of Macpherson of
BellevUle, the translator of Ossian, he left
several children. The eldest son, who assumed
the surname of Macpherson, inherited his
grandfather's property, and died in January,
1878 ; and a daughter, who ha,s written a
memoir of her father and other works, is the
second wife of Mr. Gordon of Parkhill, near
Aberdeen. Only two or three years before
his death. Sir David married a second wife,
by whom he left a daughter.
The next inscriptions are from flat slabs : — -
Memento mori : Here lyes Iames Koss, work-
man iu the Cottouu of Ullises Haven, who died
the 12th of lanuai-ie 1742, aged 57 years.
Wm. and Jas. Straton, a. 22, and 16 y.
(1722):- _
Here lies interred the earthly part of one
Whose soul is to the Heavenly mansions gone ;
Who, while he lived, tho' but a child in age,
Yet for his wisdom might been deemed a sage.
S. fltlav|)'g (JUjaprl.
THIS old ecclesiastical site which is close
to the sea, a little to the south of the
Scurdieness lighthouse, was long the burial-
place of the Besnts and Scotts, who were
designed of Usan. It contains four monu-
ments, the oldest of which, upon the east
wall, is thus inscribed : —
Hie sub spe beatse resurrectiouis tegitur corpus
optimi viri D. Patrick Eennt de Ulysseshaven,
qui 67, setatis auno 11. die Julii 1735, ex hac vita
migravit. Anuos 47 cum amautissiraa uxore
D. Elizabetha Williamson vixit, ex qua uudecim
liberos genuit, quonim duo infantes decessere,
novem reliqui ad tetatem adultam perveneruut,
e quibus qnatuor filii, Eobertu.?, Alexander,
Jacobus, & Thomas, tres item filije Jana, Mar-
geria, & Marqareta, supersuut. Curavit vidva
hoc mouumentum chax-a struendum, in desiderii
& piguus amoris, ei.
[Here, iu the hope of a blessed resun'ection,
is covered the body of an excellent man, Mr.
Patrick Eenxt of Ulysseshaven, who departed
this life iu the 67th year of his age, on the 11th
day of July 1735. He lived 47 years with his
dearly beloved wife, Elizabeth Williamson, by
whom he had eleven childi'en; two of them died
in infancy ; but the I'emaiuing nine arrived at
maturity, of whom four sous, Robert, Alexander,
James, and Thomas, also three daughters, Jane,
Marjory, and Margaret, survive. His beloved
relict caused this monument to be erected to him
in token of her regret and love.]
— The Picnnys of Usan are now represented
by Colonel Kenny Tailyour, of Borrowfield,
near Montrose, as descended from one of the
three brothers last named in the above inscrip-
tion. The first was the father of Elizabeth,
mentioned upon an adjoining monument, and
who, as " eldest lawful daughter of Eobert
Eenny, of Ulysseshaven," had a charter under
the great seal, 12th Feb., 1751, of "the hinds
and barony of Ulysseshaven, with the village,
tower, fortalice, fishings, and fishing town of
the same." She mariied Archibald Scott,
eldest son of Robert Scott of Dunninald, who,
in right of his wife, claimed to be enrolled as
a Freeholder of Forfarshire in 1765, she having
had seisin of Usan in 1761 : —
Sacred to the memory of Archibald Scott,
Esq. of Usan, who departed this life on the XX
day of Dec. MDCCXCV., aged LVII. years : and
lies interred in the center of this enclosure. He
married first, Elizabeth Resny, heiress of Usan,
who died the II day of Dec. MDCCLXL, and
c3
394
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
is also Luried here. His secoud wife, Margaret
Chalmers, daughter of Principal Chalmers, of
King's College, Aberdeen, erected this monument
to his memory.
• — This gentleman, wlio was naturally of a
quiet, retiring disposition, took an " after
dinner bet" with Mr. Maule of Panmure,
during the race-week at IMontrose in 1794,
that he would break, in open day, and at tlie
market cross of the burgh, all the crockery
ware that was brought to him at a specified
time. Thinking himself bound in honour not
to di'aw back, jNIr. Scott performed the feat,
very much against his will and to the no small
amusement of the spectators ; but it is said
that he took the affair so much to heart that
he rarely appeared in public afterwards, and,
as shown by bis tombstone, died in the follow-
ing year (Willis' Current Notes, Lonil., 185-5 ;
Gillies' Mem. of a Lit. Veteran).
His second wife's father. Principal Chalmers,
held office from 1746 until his death in ISOO.
He was passionately fond of agricultural pur-
suits, and is said to have devoted quite as mucii
time and attention to the cultivation of bis
farm at Sclattie as to the discharge of bis
Academical duties. In Kay's curious print of
" The Sapient Septemviri" lie is represented
in the act of addressing his colleagues in these
words : — " Agriculture is the noblest of
sciences ; mind your glebes — the Emperor of
China is a farmer."
When out riding one day, iJr. Chalmers
had the misfortune to be thrown from his
horse. On hearing of the accident, which
was at first reported to be of a more serious
nature than afterwards, happily, proved to be
the case, two of the professors, each of whom
expected to be promoted to the office of
Principal whenever a vacancj' occurred, im-
mediately proceeded to ascertain, by personal
observation and inquir}', what prospect there
was of a speedy attainment of the object of
their long cherished hopes. The disinterested
pair, having each taken a different route, lirst
met at the bed-side of their unfortunate col-
league, where they waited in silence until he
awoke from a doze into which he had fallen.
No sooner had the patient opened his eyes and
perceived the presence of his two " friens," of
•whose ambitious views he was perfectly aware,
tlian instantly divining the true object of their
pretended visit of sympathy, he inquired with
a sarcastic touch of grim humour — " Well,
gentlemen, v.'hich of you is to be the Prin-
cipaH" It is a satisfaction to be able to add
that the worthy doctor survived both of the
" anxious inquirers."
It was a cousin of Principal Chalmers, the
Eev. Dr. ^Murray of Philadelphia, that founded,
in. 1793, the Murray Lectureshijj at King's
College, Aberdeen.
A flat slab in the middle of the enclosure
bears the initials and the dates of the deaths
of Mr. Scott and his two wives, thus : —
E. E. 1761— A. S. 1795— M. C. 1827.
Upon a monument in the south wall : —
In memory of Isabella Scott, daughter of
the late Archibald Scott of Usau, Esquire, and
wife of Capt. Robert Scott of the East India
Comjjany's Service. She died in Loudou on the
4th day of March, 1816 ; and in this spot, hal-
lowed and endeared to her by earliest recollec-
tions, her remains are interred.
— In 1765; when Archibald Scott claimed en-
rolment as a freeholder, in right of his v^ife,
be also claimed " for and in name of David
Scott of Hedderwick," who had seisin of that
property in 1753. Captain Scott was prob-
ably a son of the latter.
Within the parish church of Craig, upon
the left of the pulpit, a handsome marble
monument to the memory of Mr. Scott of
Dunninald, presents a gracefully draped female
figure, in alto relievo, sitting beside an nrn, in
an attitude of profound grief, and bears the
following inscription : —
In memory of David Scott, Esquire of Dunni-
nald, in this county, who dosed a valuable and
CRAIG.
395
well-spent life, on the 4tli day of October 180,5,
ageJ 59. His ardent desire to enlarge the sphere
of his benevolence led him to forego the ease of
independence, and those social enjoyments for
which the sensibility of his heart was peculiarly
formed, and to embrace the more arduous cares
of public life. His native county experienced
the full benefit of his unwearied services as one
of her representatives in successive Parliaments,
and the records of the East India Company
amply attest the zeal, talent, and integrity with
which, for many years, he directed the affairs of
that great commercial body. After a severe and
lingering illness, borne with manly fortitude and
christian resignation, though greatly aggravated
in its pi-ogress by the loss of the best of wives
and worthiest of women, he sunk depressed to
the same grave with her who had most endeared
life, and soothed its suifering.
In pious memory of their parental affection,
their mutual attacliment and congenial virtues,
this monument is erected by their atiiicted son.
— His father, Eobert Scott, also M.P., who
was created a Freeholder of Forfarshire in
1743, married Miss Anne Middleton, daughter
of Brigadier-General John ^Middleton of Seaton,
in Aberdeenshire. It is told that iu 1746,
when the rebels visited Dunninald, and threat-
ened to put j\Ir. Scott to death, his wife, who
was pregnant at the time, prevailed upon them
to spare liis life. He was carried to Jfontrose,
which was then in the hands of the rebels,
but on the approach of the Duke of Cumber-
land, he was set at liberty.
This tradition corresponds with the year of
Mr. Scott's birth, and also agrees with a story
which is told of the rebels having, upon the
same day, taken two young horses from a field
on the Mains of Eossie, where they were
grazing under the charge of one of the
farmer's daughters. With a view to further
plunder, the soldiers made the girl conduct
them to lier father's house, and on their arrival
there, finding the goodwife busily engaged in
baking, they compelled her to make all the
meal she had into bannocks, which they then
placed in sacks and carried oif with them.
In the meantime, the girl left the house
unobserved, set the horses at liberty, and then
hid herself in some out of the way part of the
steading. Enraged at losing so important a
portion of their booty, the rebels searched
every place they could think of for the girl,
even thrusting their dirks and bayonets into
the straw in the barn, but fortunately did not
succeed in finding the object of their search.
Mr. Scott was so highly esteemed in Forfar-
shire that the Freeholders and Commissioners
of Supply, in recognition of the services which
he had rendered " to Scotland, by promoting
in Parliament the Eepeal of the Duties on
Coals carried coastwise," had a fine full-length
portrait of him, by Eomney, placed in the
County Hall. He married Louisa, widow of
Mr. Benjamin Jervis, and a daughter of Mr.
AVm. Delegard, Member of Council, Bombay.
A son, who, on the death of his uncle, Sir
James Sibbald, of Sill wood Park, Bart., suc-
ceeded, in conformity with the limitation of
the patent, as the second baronet, assumed
his title from Dunninald. He died in 1851,
and his eldest son, who married a daughter of
Mr. Henry Shank, of the Villa, Laurencekirk,
became the third baronet (Epitaphs, i. 292,
362).
The numerous branches of the family of
Scott in Angus and Mearns are descended
from James Scott of Logie, who was a member
of the Committee of Estates appointed by the
Scottish Parliament in 1640, and in 1644 was
Provost of Montrose. He amassed great
wealth, and died in 1659, leaving by his wife,
Catherine Orrock, of Orrock, a family of six
sons, viz., James, his successor in Logie, who
married first, Margaret Eamsay, of Balmain,
and second, Jean Tailyour, of Borrowfield ;
Eobert of Benholm ; Hercules of Brotherton ;
Patrick of Craig ; .John of Commieston ; David
of Hedderwick ; and four daughters, of whom
the ehlest married Hercules Tailyour of Borrow-
field ; the second, Napier of Harvieston ; the
396
EPITAPHS, AND INSCBIPTIONS :
third, Provost Rait of ]\rontrose ; and the
fourth, Ogilvy of New Grange.
Scott is a very old local surname, there
having been a David Scott, burgess of Mon-
trose, in 1329 (Mem. Angus and the Mearns;,
458).
The most important objects of antiquity
b^donging to the parisli are two ancient
sculptured stones, now in the iMontrose
Museum. They were both discovered in the
kirkyard of S. Braoch, and on two different
occasions. The more curious of the two,
which was found in 1849, and which exhibits
a quaint representation of the Angel with the
flaming sword challenging our first parents,
was engraved first in Chalmers' Sculptured
Stones of Angus, and afterwards in the Spald-
ing Club Book (i., pi. 68 ; ii. 2).
The earliest recorded properties in Craig are
those ot Eossie and Hulyshan, afterwards
Ulysseshaven, and now Usan. They were
both held by a baron who assumed the name
of De Eossie, in the time of William the Lion.
The parish, which has an Interesting terri-
torial history, is said to have been the birth-
place of Henry Leighton, Bishop of Moray,
there being a tradition that he was a son of a
laird of Usan ; but it is more certain that
Andrew and James Melville, who both did so
much to promote the cause of the Reformed
religion, were sons of the laird of Baldovie, a
property which lies on the north-west side of
the parish. Eobert Leighton, Archbishop of
Glasgow, previously Bishop of Dunblane, son
of the celebrated Dr. Alexander Leighton, and
born at Edinburgh in 161 3, is also connected
with the parish, he having been a grandson of
one of the proprietors of L^san. But these
points, as well as notices of the Castles of
Craig and Black Jack, and their owners, will
be found pretty fully given in Mem. of Angus
and the Mearns.
The villages of Ferrydcn and Usan are both
iraportiint fishing stations, particularly the
former, which is situated upon the banks of
the South Esk, opposite to Montrose. There
are a Free Cliurch and Public Schools at
Ferryden ; and the Eossie Eeformatory — an
invaluable institution for boy criminals —
which owes its existence to the philanthropic
exertions of Col. Macdonald of Eossie and St.
Martin's, is situated in the south-west side of
the parish. While speaking of Col. !Mac-
donald, we desire to thank both him and his
agent, Mr. Smith, of Edinburgh, for so readily
and courteously affording us the use of the
inventory of the title deeds of Eossie, which
has enabled us to make our notes upon that
property more complete than we could other-
wise have done.
A revolving bridge (now seldom used)
crosses the south arm of the South Esk, where
the river is divided by the Inch or Island of
S. Braoch. The broadest portion of the river,
or that next Montrose, is crossed by a sus-
pension bridge of 432 feet of span. It was
erected in 1828-9, after plans by Capt. Samuel
Brown, E.N., at a cost of over £20,000 sterling.
But, as operations have been commenced for a
direct line of railway from Arbroath to Mon-
trose, the bridging of the river at some other
point is a mere question of time.
( ? THE NINE MAIDENS.)
ACCORDING to tradition, Pitsligo owes
its separate parochial existence to a
quarrel that arose between one of the minis-
ters of Fraserburgh and the lairds of Pitsligo,
Pittullie, and Pittendrum. The dispute,
which is said to have originated in some dif-
ference of opinion as to the reasonableness of
PITSLIGO.
397
certain demands for the extension or repair of
the ecclesiastical buildings, was long and acri-
monious ; but matters were at length brought
to a crisis by the minister, who one Sunday
publicly denounced his opponents from the
pulpit as the " three pits of hell," in allusion
to the initial syllable of the names of the pro-
perties of the obnoxious heritors. The irato
clergyman is further reported to have gone on
to declare that he would gladly give up half
his stipend to have nothing more to do with
any of them, on which Lord Pitsligo rose
from his seat, and exclaiming, " I hold you
at your word, sir ! " left the church never to
re-enter it — an example that was immediately
followed by his two brother heritors and their
retainers.
The church of Fraserburgh was certainly
the most convenient place of worship for these
lairds to attend at the time in question ; but
if the minister was really guilty of the scan-
dalous conduct imputed to him, there is no
allusion made to it in the deed of erection,
which simply states that Lord Pitsligo had the
district disjoined from the parish of Aberdour,
" out of the fervent zeale quhilk he has to the
glorie of God, and for the mair ease to himself!'
and remanent parishioners of the said par-
oohine qha dwells besyde him at the eist end
of it." (Acta Pari., v., pt. 1, 128; vi., 608.)
The following succinct account of the origin
of the parish, and of the burial of its founder
and some of his successors, is painted upon a
board on the east side of the pulpit ; —
This parish was erected anno 1632, and ratified
by Act of Scottish Parliament in 1633, at the
instance of Alexander Forbes of Pitsligo, who
was created a Peer by the title of Lord Forbes of
Pitsligo in 1633, and died in 1C35. His son
Alexander, Lord Pitsligo, died about 1686 ;
his son, Alexander, Lord Pitsligo, died iu 1691 ;
his son, Alexander, Lord Pitsligo, attainted in
1748, and died in 1762. His son, John Forbes
of Pitshgo, died in 1781. Then- remains lie in
the vault opposite the pulpit.
The church, which consists of a nave with
a south aisle, is the same (alterations apart)
that Lord Pitsligo built at the time of the
erection of the parish. A round slab, on the
south-west of the nave, presents the initials
L. A. P. and the date 1634, between carvings
of a skull, sand glass, crossed bones, and
spades. On one of the skewput stones is a
rudely-carved head, which is popularly said to
represent the celebrated Andrew Cant, who
was the first minister of the parish ; and the
belfry, which is a fine example of those that
were common in Aberdeenshire durmg the
17th century, exhibits a shield upon each of
its four sides. Upon the east are a coronet,
Lord Pitsligo's monogram, and tlie date 1635 ;
upon the west are the words : — 1632 .
IVNNI . QVJ3R0 . CCELVM . NGN . SOLVlt
. . . : and npon the north, L. A. P.
The south is blank, but another slab bears the
Forbes arms, and a second these remains of a
defaced inscription : " this kirk
The vault is entered from the area of the
church, and the aisle was occupied as the
family seat or pew of the Lords Pitsligo and
their household. The decorations, which con-
sist of heraldic and floral devices, &c., elabo-
rately carved in wood, are possibly the most
perfect and interesting of their kind now
remaining in any country church in Scotland.
Although the carvings exhibit less texture, so
to speak, than those of the celebrated Grindly
Gibbons, the composition is not inferior to
anything he ever executed, and they are cer-
tainly, in every respect, superior to the carved
work at King's College, and to the fragments
in Greyfriars' Church and St. Mary's Chapel,
Aberdeen. The pew is altogether a fitting
object for both the pencil and tlie pen of Mr.
Shaw, the accomplished writer on our early
Decorative Arts.
The front of the pew is composed of six
panels, with carved pillars at each end sup-
398
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
porting a canopy. The panels all contain
carvings. Upon the first and sixth are a
coronet, with the initi:ils, in nionograni, of
Lord and Lady Pitsligo ; other two exhibit
the plain initials of the same (L. A. P. :
D. I. K.), and of the remaining two, one con-
tains the Fraser and the other the Keith arms
— the former because the lands came to the
Forbeses through the marriage of one of them
with the heiress of Sir William Forbes, and
the latter because the lady of the founder of
the church was a daughter of the sixth Earl
Marischal. L^pon the front and centre of the
canopy, in monogram, and under a coronet,
the same arms and initials are repeated, while
the date of erection — 1 634 — is rudely incised
upon the front beam. On the right corner,
below the figures " 16," is the interesting
symbol of the craftsman's mark (a hatchet
springing out of the letter B), while his initials
M. V. are upon the right, and below the
figures " 34." The roof or ceiling is also
nicely carved, the principal features being a
repetition of the same arms, with pendants and
floral devices.
Through the praiseworthy exertions of the
late incumbent of Pitsligo, a number of old
carved pew panels that had been removed
from the church, were recovered, and placed
in the positions they now occupy within the
sacred building. Four of a group of six, upon
the left of the east door of the Kirk, exhibit
plain ornaments, the fifth is initialed M.T.,
and upon the sixth are the Cant arms, with
the initials and date A.C., 1634 — the last-
mentioned having formed part of " Andrew
Cant's seat." One of ten other panels, which
hang upon the wall on the right of the west
door, is described as " part of the Laird of
Ardlaw's seat," (ahout which, however, we
have some doubt). It is initialed and dated
I.E. 1633, and upon a shield are three lions
rampant, possibly the old arms of Eoss. A
second exhibits the monogram of Lord Pitsligo,
and a third the Fraser arms and initials KF.,
and the rest scroll ornaments. One panel
upon the west side of the pulpit bears A.W.,
C.W., (with corresponding monogram), jM.W.,
and upon the east side of the pulpit the
date of 1 688 ; another on the east side is
initialed, G.G.: S.G. (also with monogram in
centre), and dated 17-5. These panels, most
of which were presented by INIr. Thos. Eainie,
farmer, Hillhead, are said to have been long
used there as part of a " boun'," or press-
shaped, bed.
The following is from a tahlet of black
marble within the kirk : —
Tliis monumental tablet is erected by P. Leslie,
merchant, London, to the memory of his father,
Patrick Leslie, merchant, Rosehearty, who died
7th March, 1775, aged 63, and is interred within
this church.
— He was the grandfather of Charles Leslie,
a medical practitioner in Fraserburgh, who
married the daughter of Mr. Fraser, of Memsie
(Epitaphs, i. 55 ; supra, 58).
The next inscription is also from a marble
tablet : —
To the memory of the Eev. James Robertson,
D.D., Professor of Divinity and Chui-ch History
in the University of Edinburgh, this monumental
tribute is placed iu this church of his native
parish. His great and sanctified talents he de-
voted to the service of Christ and to the Church ;
and his name will ever be handed down in con-
nection with the great enterprise of the Church
of Scotland for endowing lier new chapels, with
parishes annexed. Born at Ardlaw, 2d Jan.
1803, died at Edinburgh, 2d Dec. 1860. Erected
by i)aris]xioners and a few private friends.
— Like many other men from the northern
counties who have risen to eminence in the
Church and to other important positions. Dr.
Eobertson began life as a parochial school-
master, having been some years teacher of the
school of his native parish. He was after-
wards master of Gordon's Hospital, Aberdeen,
was ordained minister of Ellon in 1832, and
PITSLIGO.
399
in 18-t-lr was appointed Professor of Divinity
and Church History in the University of
Edinburgh. He married the widow of I\Ir.
Douglass, his predecessor at Ellon, but left
no family. His elder brother— -one of the
most enterprising agriculturists in Buclian —
still occupies the farm of Ardlaw, and a sister
is married to the farmer of Eedburn, in Eathen.
The oldest dated monument at Pitsligo is a
table-stone, which lies on the east side of the
aisle, and is thus briefly inscribed : — •
W H . 1636 . 12 IAN
The next three inscriptions are from slabs
fixed to the east wall of the kirk : —
Heir lyes the coips of Mr. Alexander Swanb,
somtym minister of Pitsligo, who entered to the
ministry there auuo 1635, and died the 25 of
August 1678, and of his age 61. Also his sou,
Mr. William Swane, who entered to the minis-
try at Pitsligo in 1686, aud w-as ejected in 1716,
and died at Cairns of Pittulie in 1742, at an ad-
vanced age. Momento mori. Vive memor letbi,
fugit hora.
[2.]
Heir lyes a very piovs and vertiovs gentle
woman Iean Leslie, spovs to Mr. Alex. Svan,
minister at Pitsligo, who departed this lyfe 8
March 1668. As also here lyes the corps of
Helen Swan, lawful daughter to the foresaid
parents, and spovs to Alex. Rob, merchand in
Eoseheartie, who departed this life the 15 of
Febrvarie 1697.
— The former, who was previously minister
of Leslie, was twice married, his second wife
being Anna Keith, by whom be was survived,
and who bore him three sons and two
daughters. The latter years of his son,
William, were devoted to the service of the
Episcopal Church, first in Fraserburgh, and
next at Cairns of Pittullie (Scott's Fasti).
Upon the next stone are the Leslie arms, and
some mortuary carvings : —
[3.]
Here lyes Iames, Georq, Robert, aud Mary
Swans, children born to Mr. Alexr. Swan, minis-
ter of Pitsligo, by Anna Keith, his spovs, who all
depairted this lyfe since the yeir '72. As also
here lyes Alexe. and William Swans, lawfull
children to Mr William Swan and Grissal
Robertson, anno 1680.
— Mr. Wm. Swan was succeeded by Mr. John
Forbes, sometime schoolmaster at Alves, and a
son of Forbes of Pitnacalder, in Aberdour
(Epitaphs, i. 57). He published (1757) a
collection of Spiritual Songs, and Peter
Buchan says that he wrote the song of " Nae
Dominies for Jle, Laddie." He was translated
to Old Deer in 1718 ; and the following in-
scription (from a table stone on the north side
of the kirk) relates to his successor : —
Hie couduutur cineres Rev. GuLMi. Mercer,
per annos 47 ecclesiie de PitsUgo pastoris acerrimi ;
setatis anno 73, die 29 Augusti, anno 1767, obiit.
Hie etiam depositee suntreliquise Ann^ Monro,
conjugis observantissimEe, quK 19 die Janrii.,
anno 1768, deeessit.
Hie quoque requieseit corpus Revdi. Davidis
Stephenson, per annos fere octodeeim in ecclesia
eadem pistoris, qui 12o die Janri, auuo 1786to.
sexaginta anuos natus obiit.
[Here are laid the ashes of the Rev. William
Mercer, for 47 years a most active minister of
the church of Pitsligo, who died 29th August,
1767, in his 73rd year.
Here also are dej)osited the remains of his most
dutiful wife, Ann Monro, who departed this life
19th .Jan., 1768.
Here also rests the body of the Rev. David
Stephenson, minister of the same church for
nearly 18 yeare, who died 12th Jan., 1786, aged
60.]
There were three ministers at Pitsligo from
the time of Mr. Mercer's death until the suc-
cession of the following : —
Within this enclosure are the graves of the
Rev. Alexander Farquhar, who died on tlie
26th March, 1834, in the 72'"' year of his age,
aud 31"' of his ministry
Aud of Ann Farquhar, widow of tlie said Rev.
Alexander Farquhar, who died 31st May, 1859,
iu her 75''' year.
—Mr. F., who was a native of New Deer,
was at first a parochial schoolmaster, and after
being for some time minister of the quoad
sacra cluirch of New Pitsligo, he was trans-
lated to this church in 1804. He married
Ann Crooks, only daughter of the late Mr. T.
400
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Crooks, Edinburgh, by whom he had a family
of five sons and seven daughters. One of the
sons studied divinity, two medicine, one law,
and a fifth, James, died young. Four of the
daughters were married — one to Mr. J. Vi.
Spottiswood of Muiresk ; a second to Mr. D.
Souter-Eobertson of Lawhead and Cookston,
W.S. ; a third to Mr. J. Anderson of
Westhills ; and a fourth to Major Craigie,
H.E.I.C.S. The death, in 1864, of Mr. F.'s
daughter, Leslie-Fbaser, aged 38, is also re-
corded upon her father's tombstone.
A monument, near the north wall of the
kirkyard, is thus inscribed to the memory of
Mr. Farquhar's successor : —
Eev. E. Hume, ordained minister of Heriot,
29 Sept. 1829, and inducted at Pitsligo, 29 Sept.
1834, died 1 April 1863, in the 60 year of his age.
—Mr. Hume, whose words and actions were
ever characteristic of the " gentleman and the
scholar," not only had a thorough appreciation
of the dignity of his office, and a deep sense
of its duties and responsibilities, but possessed
a taste fur literature and the preservation of
objects of antiquity. Down to within the
last few years of his life, the fine wood carv-
ings of the Pitsligo aisle were thickly covered
with whitewash, and had been so for genera-
tions, but with a commendable feeling, and a
liberality seldom met with, he devoted much
of his leisure, and not a little of his money —
for he was not aided in the work to anything
like the extent he ought to have been by his
heritors — to the restoration of " the Pitsligo
seat," and, as already mentioned, to the col-
lecting of the curious old carved work described
above.
]\Ir. Hume also had fixed to the church
wall, on the west side of the pulpit, a painted
board bearing the following inscription : —
This church vras built anno 1632 — aisle in 1634.
List of ministers : —
Andrew Cant, from 1633 to 1639
Arthur Forbes, 1640 — 1646
Duncan Forbes,
Alexr. Swan,
William Swan,
John Forbes,
John Mercer,
Charles GiUan, A. cC- S.,
David Stephenson,
James Ureig,
Alexr. Farquhar,
Edward Hume,
1647 to 1662
1665 — 1686
1686 — 1716
1717 — 1719
1720 — 1767
1758 — 1761
1768 — 1786
1786 — 1803
1804 — 1834
1834 — 1863
— This list, which was furnished to Mr. Hume
by Dr. Hew Scott, corresponds with the ac-
count given in his Fasti.
!Mr. Hume was succeeded by j\Ir. AYalter
Gregor, the present incumbent, who was pre-
viouslj' at Macduff, and is the author of seve-
ral works, among others a glossary of words
in the dialect of Banffshire.
Upon a stone butted to the west wall of the
church is the following inscription, the first
part of which is round the side, and the second
upon the face of the stone : —
Also . . . . of an honest gentleman
William Forbes, sometime in Mouuthiley, who
departed 6 of Aprill, 1717, and Isobel Scot, his
spouse.
Also Alexander Forbes, his eldest son, who
departed this life the 5 of Inly 1723. Also the
body of John Forbes in Caimhill, who died
July 17th, 1789, aged So years. Non virtus
W. F. : 1. S. insignia desunt.
— Tins probably refers to one of two persons
named AVilliam Forbes, who appear to have
been father and son. Both are styled " gentle-
man" in the Poll Book, the one being tenant
of Auchlin, and the other of Auchmaludie, in
Aberdour. The wife of William Forbes, sen.,
may have been a daughter of William Scott
and Margaret Simpson, indwellers in Eose-
hearty in 1696.
From a flat stone : —
This is the bvrial place of Edvard Clvb shoe-
maker in Peethill, and Ianet Tei'LOR his spovs.
Blised ar the dead vho die in the Lord.
Here lyes Aj^drew Club in Vpper Bracco, vho
lived vertovsely and died cbristianly the 24 of
March 1710.
PITSLIGO.
401
• — Edward Club was tenant and shoemaker in
Dobbieshill in 1696, and Andrew Club and
his son were in Nether, an Alexander being in
Upper Bracco. This surname has been long
common in the district.
From a table-stone : —
Jas. Fraser, farmer. Boghead, d. 1717, a. 57 ;
Ann Stewart, his wf. d. 17G3, a. 80 :—
A man and 's wife lys under this stone,
O'recome by death that spareth none ;
Take head and read, and ye shall see
As we are now, so must thou be.
Rotting in darke and silent dust
Prepare for death, for die thou must —
Life is xrncertain, but death is sure,
Sin is the wound, CJhrist is the cure.
A monument, having some pretensions to
elegance of design, and for the preservation of
■which and the other monuments belonging to
his family, Dr. James Brown (see below) left
the interest of £100 sterling, is built into the
■wall of the churchyard. The principal slab
contains these lines, carved uji^n'ards of 60
years ago : —
A wit is a feather
A chief is a rod ;
but an honest man
is the noblest work of God.
His path is straight.
His end is peace.
From same panel : —
Opposite this tablet, in the gi-ave of her father
and mother, are interred the mortal remains of
Elizabeth Brown, spouse to John Andei-son,
farmer, Little Meldrum, parish of Tarves, -who
departed this life on the 3d day of February
1838, aged 69.
Adjoining the above :^
Sacred to the memory of John Brown, Bog-
head, who lived there upwards of 50 years, and
died on the 13th day of June 1808, ui the 7P'
year of his age. Also beneatli this stone, in the
grave of his father, are interred the mortal re-
mains of James Brown, physician in Aberdeen,
born in June 1760, died in August 1823, generally
kno-wn, and as generally beloved and respected
throughout this county.
Sacred to the memory of Margaret Duguid,
•wife of John Brown, Boghead, who died 17th
Jan. 1808, in her 7P' year. Anna Cumine,
spouse to James Brown, physician, second daugh-
tiT of Joseph Cumine of Auchry, died January
1818, aged 75. Agnes Brown, spouse of Peter
Paton, Fraserburgh, died 1832, in her 63'' year.
— A granite slab bears to be erected in
memory of the two eldest sons of the last-
named : —
John Paton, Major H.E.I.C.S., Deputy-Quar-
termaster-General, Bengal Army, killed in battle
in the KhoQrd Cabul Pass, Afghanistan, 8th
Jan. 1842, in the Sg"" year of his age ; their
second son, James G. B. Paton, Lieut. H. E.I.C.S.
Bengal Army, killed by the accidental explosion
of a fowling piece 1838, in the 23'' year of his
age.
Upon a slab to the left of the above : —
Here lyes interred the body of Nathanael
Craig, a man of a sober and an upright conver-
sation. He departed this life in hope of a blessed
resurrection, resigned to the will of God, upon
the 20th of Dec. 1740, aged 58. His widdow
Helen Mouet, out of due regard to his merit,
and in testimony of their mutwal aifection,
erected this monument to his memory.
From a flat stone near south-east corner of
kirk : —
Here Kes the body of Alex. Gill, sometime
in Mains of Pitfuer, who died June 18th. 1731,
aged 52 ; also, the body of Barbara Urquhart,
spouse to the above Alex. Gill, who departed
this life December 11th, 1742, aged 66 : —
One Toy we lo/d, one gi-iefe we gi-iev'd ;
One love we lov'd, one life we liv'd ;
One was ye hand, one was ye word
That did his death, lier death afibrd.
As all the rest, so now the stone
That tombs them two, is lustly one.
Alexander Gill is the great-greatgrandfather
of the late David Gill, wholesale watchmaker,
Aberdeen, who in 1657 purchased the lands
of Blair Ythan and Savock, in the parish of
Foveran. On his death in 1877, at the age
of 88, Mr. Gill was succeeded in the former
property by his eldest son, David, a dis-
tinguished Fellow of the Eoyal Astronomical
Society, and in the latter by his third sou,
Andrew.
Upon a table-shaped stone : —
Fugit irrevocabile tempus. Here lyes Peter
Gill, lawfuU son to Peter GUI and Barbara
d3
402
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Speuce ill Milu of Fiugask 1741. Also Barbara
Spencb my spouse, who died Sept. 13th 1757,
aged 75, who was a virtiuous companieaii.
Besides the above named son and three
daughters, Helen, Marjory, and Jean, who
died young, as is recorded on the under sur-
face of an adjoining stone, which exhibits on
its upper surface an inscription to the memory
of several members of a family named Hardy,
Peter Gill had a daughter Barbara, who became
his sole heiress, and married first Alexander
Catto, and next Alexander Walker, both ship-
masters in Fraserburgh, by each of whom she
had issue, whose descendants still survive in
various parts of England and Canada. Peter
Gill, who is said to have been upwards of 1 00
years of age at the time of his death, purchased
a feu in Fraserburgh, whereon he built two
houses, which are still in good condition and
have inserted over an archway between them
a neat freestone tablet bearing the initials
P.G. B.S. and the date 17-16.
From a neat freestone monument : —
This mouumeut is erected by the Forbes Lodge
of Free Masons, Rosehearty, as a mark of tlieir
respect in memory of George Birnie, who was
a worthy member, and always had the prosperity
of the Lodge in view. He was late mason in said
place, and died June 2Sth, 1809, aged 58 years.
— An adjoining tablet shows that William
BiBNiE, Knowhead, Pitsligo, and his wife,
Elizabeth Grant, both died at the age of 80,
in the years 1861 and 1857 respectively.
From a table-stone : — -
John Duthie, shipowner, Rosehearty, d. 1854,
a. 86 : — " for many yeaw an elder of the church,
and well acquainted with the word of God."
Jean Sim, his sp. d. 1847, a. 78.
From a headstone : —
To the memory of Alexander Howe, ship-
owner and cajjtaiu. North Shields, wlio was
shipwi'ecked on this coast on the 20tli Oct. 1845,
and perished with his whole crew, all of whom
lie here interred around him. This stone is
erected by his bereaved and son-owing widow.
From a table-stone : —
Sub spe beatiB resurrectiouis Johanxis Stra-
TON, olim mercatoris Rosartien. . ., qui 66
natus annos, anno saUitis 1712 fatis cessit, cineres
hie recubant ; uec non Isobell^ M'Komie,
coujugis unicae, quie 70 annis 6 mensibus novem
diebus peractis, Aug. 23, anno post Christum
natum 1740, ad superos migi'avit.
[Here rest in the hope of a blessed resurrection,
the ashes of John Straton, late merchant in
Rosehearty, who departed this life in 1712, aged
66 years ; and also of Isobella M'Komie, his
only spouse, who died Aug. 23, 1740, aged 70
years 6 months and 9 days.
— John Straiton (servant to Mr. Highbold)
and Isobell M'Combie were both in the service
of Lord Pitsligo in 1696. They appear to
have been upper servants, the former having
a fee of £33 6s. 8d., and the latter £36, both
Scots money.
Here lies the body of Alexander Ord, second
son of James Ord, wheel wright in Rosehearty.
He was born Dec. 24, 1712, and died May 15tli,
1778. In his younger days he went abroad, and
spent many yeare in a foreign country ; but
returning at an advanced period of his life, spent
the remainder of his days in his native country.
He was happy in enjoying the goodwill and
esteem of the worthy and the good, and held
fraud, hypocrisy, and all manner of deceit in the
utmost abhorauce and dedestation.
From a table-stone : — •
Here are deposited tlie remains of Margaret
Gall, relict of Thomas Greig, in Lonend of
Strichen, who died at manse of Pitsligo the 3rd
of March, 1788, in the 67th year of her age.
Also of their only son the Rev. Mr James Greig,
who was ordained Minister of Pitsligo, the 21st
Sept. 1786, and died the 15th of Oct., 1803, in
the 44th year of his age.
From a table-stone : —
To the memory of Peter Mowat, who lived
in Knowhead of Pitulie, and died the 24th Deer.
1871, in the 73d year of his age. Also his son
John Mowat, who died at Barthill, 17 July
1857, aged 88 yeai-s. Also, Jean Yets, wife of
the said John Mowat, who died 28th Sept. 1871,
aged 88 yeai-s.
The ruins of the Castle of Pitsligo, of which
there is an excellent engraving in Fettes's
Scotia Dcpicta (Lond. 1804) are ill-cared for.
The square tower, in which the remains of the
hall may be seen, is supposed to have been
PITSLIGO.
403
built by Sir William and bis lady ; but the
N., S., and the rest of the building, -vvhich
latterly formed an enclosed square, are all
more modern. On one part of the buildings
are a slab, dated 1577 and initialed I. R.
(James Rex), and a shield charged with the
Scotch Lion ; and near it is a more elaborate
carving of the arms of Scotland quartered with
those of England, Ireland, and Wales, and
dated 1603. The former of these appear to
belong to the time of William, eldest son of
the Red Laird of Pitsligo, and the latter to
that of Sir John, who married a daughter of
the first Lord Deskford, by whom he had the
first Lord Pitsligo. Another slab, initialed
L.A.P : L.M.^, and dated 1663, has reference
to Alexander, second Lord Pitsligo, and his
wife Mary ^rskine, daughter of the Earl of
Buchan, and to the former also refer the
initials and date over the outer arch of the
gateway of the castle : —
L.A.P
Haec . Corpus . Sydera . mentem
1666
Their grandson, the fourth Lord Pitsligo, by
a daughter of the Earl of Mar, took part in
the Rebellion of 1715, but his treasonable
conduct was overlooked at the time. He
afterwards embraced the cause of the Pre-
tender, and was present at the battle of Cul-
loden, from which he had the good fortune to
escape. His life was eagerly sought after by
the Royalists, from whom, as related in the
preface to the new edition (1829) of his
"Thoughts on Man's Condition," edited by his
descendant, Lord Medwyn, he made many
extraordinary and narrow escapes. Two of
his hiding places in the neighbourhood are
still pointed out, the bridge of Craigmaud,
and a cave by the seaside at Toonhill. His
honours and estates were forfeited, and he
died at the house of Auchiries, in Ratlien,
21at Dec, 1762, in his 85th year. (Ju the
death, in 1781, of his only son John, " master
of Pitsligo," who left no male issue, the title
" of Pitsligo," such as it was, devolved upon
his eldest sister Mary, who married first Sir
William Forbes of Monymusk, baronet, and
next James, eldest son of Lord Forbes. She
was the grandmother of the celebrated banker,
who succeeded to a portion of the barony of
Pitsligo on the death of his granduncle, in
1781, and a few years afterwards purchased
the lands of Pittullie and Pittendrum, &c., as
well as the castle of Pitsligo and the adjoining
fields. The rest of the forfeited portion, in-
cluding the vhlage of Rosehearty, was bought
by the Gardens of Troup ; towards the close
of last century it belonged to Lord Gardens-
town, and was afterwards sold to Mr. Dingwall.
The parish of Pitsligo appears to have been
a portion of the estates of the Comyns, Earls
of Buchan, who were attainted in 1308, when
one half of their earldom was granted by
Bruce to John, a younger brother of Hugh,
Earl of Ross, on his marriage with Margaret,
daughter of the Earl of Buchan (supra, 62.)
On 5th Oct. 1408, James, Earl of Douglas,
gave a charter to WiUiam Fraser of Philorth,
son and heir of Sir Alex. Fraser, of several
lands in Aberdour and Fraserburgh, including
those of Over and JSTether Pettoiily and Pet-
slegaoh, which was confirmed in the following
month. The Petslegach portion appears to
have continued in the Philorth family uutU
1424-26, when it and several lands, stUl within
the parish of Aberdour, were given by Fraser
of Philorth to his daughter Agues, on her
marriage with WUliam Forbes of Kinnaldy,
younger brother of the first Lord Eorbus (Coll.
Abd. Banti; ii.)
The Castle of Pittullie, upon which are the
arms of the Erasers of Philorth and the dates
1651, 1674, and 1727, had been a turreted
mansion of some extent, and the square
tower, or oldest portion, had possibly been
404
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
built by the Frasers and the rest by the
Cumins. It continued in the hands of the
Frasers until about 1670, when it became the
property of William Cumine of Aucluy
(Doug. Baronage), who gave it to his son
George, in the hands of whose descendants it
continued till about 1787, when it was bought
from Mr. "VVm. Cumine by Sir Wm. Forbes,
Bart.
There are three fishing villages in the
parish, Eosehearty, Sandhaven, and Pittullie,
which are rapidly growing in importance.
The last two belong to the trustees of the late
Sir J. S. H.-Forbes, and the first to those of
Mr. Dingwall-Fordyce of Brucklay.
The village of " Eoseheartie" was erected
into a burgh of barony 13th July, 1681, in
favour of Alex., Lord Pitsligo. It is then
stated to have " ane harbour and seaport," and
his lordship had a right to build " ane Tol-
buith and Mercat Croce," hold " a weekly
mercat wpon fry day. Together with two fre
yearlie ffaires" in July and Oct., to collect
customs, and to " take order with all those
who shall trouble and molest said ffairs or
mercauts, creat and contitute BaQlies, bur-
gesses, clerks, officers, and Serjeants."
The old portion of the town, which appears
to have consisted of a square, with an en-
trance on the N.E. and an exit on the S.W.,
contains the remains of some good old houses.
A triangular-shaped stone upon the old toll-
booth is initialed C. E. (Charles Eex), and
dated 1683 ; and over an archway on the south
side of the square, said to liave been the en-
trance to Lady Pitsligo's " Lodging," a stone
tablet, with the figures of a " heart" and a
" rose" in chief (as symbolical of the name of
the village), exhibits this appropriate legend
and date : —
NVNG . TEOIA . VBI . SEGES
1700.
[Troy now stands where corn once waved.]
There are two other inscribed slabs upon
houses. One, in raised characters, presents
simply the date of " 1763," and the other
(incised) exhibits the same date and a common
form of a merchant's mark between initial
letters, thus : —
A . C .
17 63.
There are Free and U.P. churches in Eose-
hearty. Both are well attended, and the
latter has been established there for upwards
of a century.
?Dunnifl)en»
(S. CONSTANTINE, KING ANB MARTYR.)
THE Saint to whom this church is said to
have been dedicated is supposed to have
been King of Cornwall, and to have come to
Scotland with S. Columba. He erected a
monastery at Govan, on the Clyde, and when
he was slain on the island of Kintyre, in a.d.
576, his body was conveyed to his own church
at Govan and there interred (Forbes' Kal. of
Scot. Saints).
In the Edinburgh Prognostication for 1706,
it is stated that the fair of " S. Causnan (is
held) at Dunuichrin Kirk in Angus-shire, the
11th day of March," a date which corresponds
pretty closely with the day set apart for the
commemoration of his feast by writers on
martyrology. A spring well near the church
was also known by the same name ; and when
the victory of Camperdown was gained by
Lord Duncan, Mr. George Dempster of Dun-
nichen jjlaced at the well a marble slab which
is thus inscribed : —
ONCE SAINT COtJSAN'S,
NOW CAMPERDOWN WELL.
MDCCC. II
DUNNICHEN.
405
At the time of the foundation of the Abbey
of Arbroath, King "William granted to the
monks of that monastery the " shira " of Dun-
echtyn and the teinds and patronage of the
church, which was one of those that were re-
lieved from entertaining the Bishop when on
his visitation to the church (Eeg. Ep. Brech., ii.
261). Soon after the church was granted to
Arbroath, there appears to have been a chapel
dependent upon it, but its site is now unknown,
the only likely place in the neighbourhood
being Balmadies, where there is still a burial-
ground (Epitaphs, i. 159), but it is within the
parish of Kescobie, and belonged to the diocese
of St. Andrews.
The church of Dunechtyn is rated at 20
nierks in the Taxation of 1275. In 1372,
Alexander Doge was vicar of Dunnychtyne,
and a canon of the church of Brechin.
In 1574, Mr. Jas. Balfour was minister of
Dunnichen and three other churehes, with a
stipend of £133 6s. 8d. Scots, and the kirk-
lands, and Henry Guthrie, then reader at
Dunnichen, had a salary of £16 Scots and
kirklands.
The present kirk, buUt in 1802, stands
within the burial ground near the Kirktown,
which at one time was known as the " Crostoun
of Dunnighton," there being a much defaced
tombstone bearing these words, and also the
names of Egbert Peter and Agnes Hat, who
died respectively in 1734 and 1733.
The oldest stone in the churchyard, which
is very much defaced, bears the surname of
Wallace (an old name in Eescobie), and the
date of 1621. Peter and Boyle are also
names of long standing in the district, and
both occur in the next inscription, which is
upon a table-stone : —
HEIR . LYES . lAMES . BOTL, SOMTYM . INDVELER
. IN . THE . TULLOS, HVSBAND . TO . AGNES . PETER,
WHO . DEPAIRTED . THIS . LIFE . VPON . THE .
21 . DAY . OP . OCTOBER . 1648, AND . HIS . AQE
. 51.
From a flat slab : —
HEIR . LYES . DAWID . GIBSONE . SOMTYJI . IN .
WASTER . LOVNIE, WHO . DEPAIRTED . THIS LYF .
THE . 24 . DAT, . OF . lULY . 1657 J AND . OF . HIS
. AGE .80,
FREAD . FROM . AL . SIN, HELL, DEATH, AND . PAIN,
HEIR . SOVND . ASLEIP . I . LY,
TIL . CHRIST, . MY . LYF . SAL . END . MY . STRIFE,
BY . HIS . GREAT . WICTORY.
ALSO . WILLIAM . GIBSON . RESTS . HEIR.
D. FiNDLAw's daug. aged 6y. (1737) : —
Here doth a vu-gin ly whos sun
Was set before her day saw noon ;
We see impartial death cuts down,
Some in the mornuig, some at noon.
EoBERT PULLAR, a. 22 (1779) :—
This young man died before his prime,
God called him hence when he tho't time.
Robert Sutor's children (1740) : —
Remember man how I the wi'ought,
Of filthy dust and clay ;
And how from hell I have the brought
When thou wast lost for ay.
Think on what I have done for the
And du me not misknow ;
I am the God that made the high,
And then can make the low.
From a headstone ; —
David Espline, d. 1773, a. 53 : —
A man, perhaps, the moment of his breath.
Receives the latent principle of death —
The young disease, which must subdue at
length,
Grows with his gi'owth, and strengthens with
his strength.
And thus the Grave is his refuge at length.
A few yards to the south-east of the corner
of the kirk is the grave of the Eev. James
Headrick, who was minister here from 1807
until 31st March, 1841, when he died in his
83rd year. There is no tombstone to his
memory, but he was possibly one of the best
writers on agriculture that have appeared in
Scotland, as well as one of the pioneers of the
interesting science of geology.
There are no tombstones at Dunnichen to
any of the old ministers, tlie most noteworthy
of whom was probably Mr. Andrew Arrott,
the son of a minister of Montrose, who joined
the Seceders iii 1742, and was deposed in
406
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
1745. He continued to minister to a number
of followers in a small house at Dunbarrow
down to the time of his death, which happened
in 1760. Mr. Young, the last minister of
Dunbarrow, had a son, who became parochial
schoolmaster of Panbride, and died in 1876,
at an advanced age. He was quite a Nathaniel
— a kind worthy man — and so much opposed
was he to what are called " modern innova-
tions," that he characterised the introduction of
organs into churches, as " Naething else but an
invention o' the deevil to draw souls frae God! "
The chief relics of antiquity in the parish
are the scanty remains of the ruined forts upon
the hills of Drumbarrow and Dunnichen. The
former was of the oval class, and from its site
there is obtained a magnificent view to the
eastward, including the sea, &c.
Nechtan, King of the Picts — probably the
same who was baptized at Eostinoth by S.
Boniface — is said to have had a dwelling here ;
but it is related that before his time, in 686,
a great battle was fought at Dunnechtan
between the kings of the Lothians and
Strathern (Skene's Ch. of the Picts), and in
apparent confirmation of this tradition, great
quantities of human bones have been found
throughout the district. At the Kirk is an
early example of a sculptured stone, whQe at
the junction of the roads leading from tlie
railway station to the village of Letliam,
there is a rough boulder, known as the Girdle
Staue, about five feet in length by about
three in breadth, and having upon its face
one circle of about thirty and another about
six inches in diameter, and also two or three
holes apparently of recent origin.
The stone has evidently received its name
from the larger of the two circles incised upon
it, but nothing is known of its history.
According to tradition, a witch was removing
the boLilder for some purpose or other from
"the Crafts" of Carmyllie, when the string
of her brot (apron), in which she was carrying
it, broke, and the stone fell on the spot where
it now lies. It marks the boundary between the
parishes of Dunnichen and Rescobie, as well
as that between the lands of Dunnichen and
of Balmadies (now Auchterlony), and is pro-
bably " the grey stane " referred to in a note
of the marches of Dunnichen, dated about
1280, in which the first march is described,
as beginning at the tree of the forest nearest
to the head of the oornlands of Hochterlony
(Auchterlony), thence by the head of the same
to the King's highway leading to Forfar, and
along that road until opposite the head of a
certain black burn on the east of Ochtirforfar,
keeping the said black burn as far as Gclly,
thence along by Tyschergate to the burn of
Haldynhorse, then on as far as the loch of
Roskolby, keeping the same to the inarch the
burn of Tubirmanyn, past the well of the
same, and crossing the moors by a grey stone
to the white road, which formed the march
as far as the burn and forest of Balmadych
(Balmadies), thence by the head of the corn-
lands of the same — as oxen move in carts
(carucis) — until it came to the nearest tree of
the said forest of Ochterlony.
The property of Ochterlony, which was ex-
changed, 1226-39, by John of Othirlony with
Walter, son of Turpin, for that of Penny in
the parish of Kingoldrum, (Reg. Vet. Aberb.
262), is that portion of the parish which is
now known as Lownie or Muir of Lownie,
In the Register of Arbroath (Xig. 66) there
is an interesting note dated about 1434, of
" the merchis devydand Dunberrow on every
syde ; " and it appears that the Gardynes had
their first tack of the lands from Abbot
William, shortly before bis death in 1483.
In 1525, James Beaton of Melgund and his
wife Janet Annand obtained an interest in the
lands, which, after the abolition of monastic
rule, were hold under the superiority of the
DUNNIOHEN.
407
Commendators of the Abbey, and next bj' the
Earls of Panmure, down to the time of their
attainder. Dunbarrow was afterwards bought
by ]Mr. Dempster of Dunnichen, and since it
was sold by one of his successors it has
frequently changed hands, and is now the
property of !Mr. Bairnsfather.
Dr. Scott (Faati) states that Mr. Arrott of
Duunichen had a son William, who was laird
of Dunbarrow. Of this we have seen no
proof. Arrotts were in possession of these
lands in 1683, when they were valued at
£238 Scots. It is also certain that the pro-
perty was held in 1649-50 by William Arrott,
who granted a bond over it in favour of the
Earl of Panmure ; and that on inquiry the
nature of his " originall charter of Dunbarro "
was found to have been a feu charter, which
was granted by Cardinal Beaton to David
Gairden of Leys and his spouse Janet Beaton,
by which the " Landis of Dunnbarro, miln
thereof, and wyndedge, with their pendicles
and heall pertinents [were held] for yearly
payments of Tua chalders Bear, Three chalder
and eicht bolls meall, fy ve pund three s Scottis
money, eichtein capons, and eichtein pultrie.
With this clans that, if tua yeires be vnpayit
by the frsd victuall, silver, and kenne, in that
caise this fee to fall." — (Orig. at Panmure.)
The greatest part of the lands of the parish
were held under the Abbots of Arbroath, who
granted leases to several persons, and among
others to WiUiam Alexanderson, who occupied
a fourth part of the lands of the town of
Dunnychthin in 1486. — (Nig. Aberb., 249).
After the lapse of fully a century, it is re-
corded that Su- Robert Carnegie, third son of
Sir David Carnegy of Colathie, had a charter
of the lands of Dunnichen, Auchterlony, and
Corstoun, 1st March, 1595-6. He died with-
out issue, and was succeeded iu these proper-
ties in 1658 by his eldest brother, David, the
first Earl of Southesk (Doug. Peer.)
The property of Dunnichen was bought
early in the last century by George Dempster,
banker and merchant, Dundee, eldest son of
a minister of Monifieth (Epitaphs, i. 108).
Mr. Dempster was succeeded in Dunnichen
by his son, and grandson, the latter of whom
was long M.P. for the Forfar and Fife burghs.
He was one of the most active and popular
men of his time, and is designated by Burns
the poet, " a true-blue Scot." He bought the
estate of Skibo, in Sutherlandshire, which he
gave to his brother, John Hamilton Dempster,
by whose grandson it was sold in 1866. !Mr.
Dempster died at Dunnichen in February,
1818, in his 86th year, and was buried at the
Priory of Eostinoth. He was succeeded in
Dunnichen by his sister, Helen, wife of
Gen. Barrington, who resumed her name of
Dimpster, and dj'ing in 1831, was succeeded
by her daughter, also Helen, wife of Francis,
son of Bishop Hawkins, of Eaphoe, in Ire-
land. Her eldest son, who predeceased his
mother in 1841, married his own cousin, a
daughter of W. S. Dempster of Skibo, and on
her death in 1854, she was succeeded by her
grandson, George Hawkins Dempster, (Mem.
Angus and Blearns, 481). He died at Nice
unmarried in 1875, and was succeeded by his
sister, Miss K. H. Dempster, who, on 26th
August, 1876, became the second wife of Sir
T. JSIetcalfe, Bart. On the death of the last-
mentioned iSIr. Dempster, who was of a kind,
unassuming disposition, and a great favourite
not only with his own tenants, but with all
with whom he came in contact, his friend the
Earl of Southesk — the well-known author of
" Jonas Fisher " and other Poems — wrote the
following lines to his memory : —
IN MEMOEY OP
GEORGE HAWKINS DEMPSTER.
As when o'er wastes of wild Saskatchewan
Fast hound in manacles of frost and snow,
A weary wayworn wand'rer struggles on,
Faint, famish'd, bleeding, hope nigh lost — and lo !
408
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Dear friends surround him, raise him in their arms ;
And ere his palsied sense can comprehend
The greatness of his gain, he feels the charms
Of warmth and rest with all his being blend : —
Thus struggles, faints, despairs, a parting soul
Emerging from its chrysalis of clay,
Alone and agonised ; when straight uproll
The spirit- veils, and there in golden day [love :
Smiles each sweet heaven-bom friend of earth's old
Love dies not in the tomb, it lives and blooms above.
As when the high Soldan, in the mystic East,
Through faithful messengers hath heard repute
Of one serenely good, and fain would feast
His eyes on him, and sendeth forth a mute
To bring the man unwarned ; and he, agliast.
Falls prostrate, dreading doom tlirough stern decree;
And off they drag his garb ; but lo ! they cast
Upon his shoulder robes of majesty : —
Thus ' tis with thee, 0 friend of happy days !
O man of charity and genial worth !
Thy garb of sorrow changed for robes of praise.
To deck the soul resplendent in new birth.
True friends of many friends ! when, dazed and bare,
We reach the unseen realms, ah ! speed to meet us
there.
The Tulloes, Muirsyde, Draffin, and Craicliie,
portions of the parish, were also held under
the Abbots of Arbroath and their successors ;
and the following " Eentall of Tulloes," dated
about 1 650, preserves some surnames that are
still known in tlie parish or district —
THE RESTALL OP TULLOES.
Xether Tulloes —
James Buill payes - 4 8 64 1 1
Thomas Pooler payes - 4 8 64 1 1
William Gibsone payes 4 8 64 1 1
John Sturroke payes - 4 8 52 1 1
Johue Robert payes - 4 8 64 1 1
James Mitchell payes - 4 8 64 1 1
Haltoun of Tulloes —
Alexr. Sturroke payes 4 8 60 11
Alexr. Robert payes • 4 8 60 1 1
Weltve and Mure-syde —
Alexr. Keith payes - 5 10 741341 2
Draffen —
Edward Sturroke payes 00 00 93 6 8 1 1
Cap. Putv
Crachiemile payes - - 00 00 433 6 8 18 30
Suma.
Bear — 2 chalders 5 bolls.
Meall — 4 chalders 10 bolls.
Money— 1093 lib. 6s. 8d.
Capones — 11 dossone half doss.
Poultrie — 13 dossone half doss.
Tliere are hamlets at Lownie, Bowriefauld,
Craichy, and Ivirktown ; but the largest
village is Letham, on the east side of the
parish. The chief industry of all these places
was handloom weaving, and since the introduc-
tion of steam their prosperity has declined,
and their population diminished. At Letham
there are Free and Congregational Churches,
a few good dwelling-houses and shops, and
within these twenty years a public-house sign-
board, under the figure of a lion rampant,
painted red, presented this odd couplet : —
Behold the lion, young and frisky,
Venture in and t.aste the whisky.
'NVVVWWWW\\V\\*\V\VS\%W\\\V\V*VWVVVV\V\\\V\N
(S. COLM, ABBOT.)
XrjfSrHE Church of Dauijoth, with its perti-
*** nents, was given to the Bishop of
Aberdeen by Pope Adrian in 1157.
The Kirk is rated at 24 merks in the Taxa-
tion of 1275. In 157-i, the Churches of Daviot
and four other parishes were served by Mr.
George Paterson, who had a stipend of £200
Scots, out of which he paid £20 Scots to Mr.
Andrew Leslie, " reidar at Daviot." Paterson
appears to have been a man of some note in
his day, having been appointed by successive
General Assemblies Commissioner over the
Kirks in the Laigh of Mar and the Garioch,
&c. (Scott's Fasti.)
In an account of the Garioch, written about
1760, it is said that a stone effigy of the patron
Saint was at one time within the Church of
Daviot, but it was " dragged from its place,"
and thrown out on the road, " where it lay
for years exposed to the scorn and derision of
mobile minds, and that it might be trampled
upon by travellers." By way of comment
DAVIOT.
409
upon the fate of the effigy, tlie writer adds —
" A\\ ! poor doings of low, illiberal, souls, void
of all taste and even common decency."
The present church, which occupies a rising
gi'ound, formerly the site of a so-called
Druidical temple, was erected in 1798, and
the bell bears this inscription : —
EX DONO GEO. PAUL TO DAVIOT.
lOHN MOWAT ME FECIT 1752 OLD ABDN.
— The surname of Paul is one of considerable
antiquity in the parisli, but although there are
gravestones to a number of the family, the name
of George Paul is not recorded on any of them.
Tradition says that the donor made it a con-
dition of his gift that the bell should be tolled,
free of all expense other than the ringer's fee,
at the funerals of all persons bearing the name
of Paul and born within the parish ; and to
this the following rhyme refers : —
For Paul's name,
And Paul's bairns,
And a' that lie
In Paul's arms.
The following couplet, from a monument to
the memory of Wm. Paul, who died in 1798,
aged 68, may refer to a relative of the donor
of the bell : —
For further Houors claim who can —
He lived and died an honest man.
Two silver communion cujis, gifted by the
last Episcopal incumbent, are thus inscribed : — ■
FOR DAVIOT.
ME ALEX^\:yDER LUXAN MIXISTER.
FOR THE USE ONLY OF EPISCOPAL MINISTERS.
1705.
— Mr. Lunan succeeded his father at Daviot
in 1672, and was deposed in 1716 for the
part which he took in the rebellion of the
l)re'\'ious year. He married a daughter of
Elphinstone of Glack, by whom he had a large
family, and was the author of two works, one
upon the Office of the Holy Communion, and
the other upon the Festivals of the Church
(Edin., 1711, 1712.)
The following inscription, from a marble
tablet in the east wall of the kirk, refers to Jlr.
Lunan's third successor at Daviot : —
In memory of the Eevd. Robert Shepherd,
minister of this parish, who died on the 16th of
September, 1828, in the 71st year of his age, and
41st of his ministry. And of his sixth son,
Robert Shepherd, who died on the 6th of
March, 1827, in the 20th year of his age. Also
of three of his children, who were interred in the
cliurchyard of Bourtie, George, who died 30th
December 182.5, aged 23 years ; Janet and
Russell, who died in infancy. And in memory
of Isobella-Mart Garioch, spouse of the Revd.
Robert Shepherd, who died at Linton, on the
6th December 1841, in the 72nd year of her age.
Mr. S.'s father was minister of Bourtie, and
his wife was a daughter of Dr. Garioch of
Gariochsford, by whom he had a large family,
two of whom, John and Thomas, were in the
H.E.I.C., the former being sometime Chairman,
of the Board of Directors (Epitaphs, i. 283.)
Although no old inscribed tombstones are
now visible at Daviot, it seems not improb-
able that there were at one time some of con-
siderable interest. This may be inferred from
a curious action which was called at Edin-
burgh on 3rd Xovember, 1.576, at the instance
of David Leith, who is described as a " scher-
urgeane and cuttir of the stane besyde Abir-
dene," against two masons of that city, and
two residents in Inverurie, who all failed " to
vndirlye the law for the thiftuous steling and
away taking furth of the Ku'kyard of Devyot,
of ane grit nowmer of hewin Kirk-stanes,
committit in the moneth of Jany. last bypast."
In consequence of non-appearance, " ilk ane
of thame was amerciat in the pane of ten
poundis" (Crim. Trials, i. 48). James
Elphinstou of Glak, and John Seytoun of
Lumf urd, were then " Kirkmaisteris of the
Kirk of Devyot."
The earliest record of any lay proprietor In
the parish is that of Adam of Pilmure, who,
about 1294, had a confirmation of the lands
of Glack, which had previously been held by
£3
410
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS :
his father, from Henry, Bishop of Aberdeen
(Eeg. Ep. Abd.) Pilmure was an early name
in Fife, Adam de Pilmure being a witness to
a charter by Bishop Roger of St. Andrews,
1188-1202 (Reg. S. Andree) ; but it was
more common in Berwick and the Lothians in
the 13th century, no fewer than four barons
of the name having sworn fealty to Edward I.
(Rag. Rolls).
The last of the Aberdeenshire race appears
to have been Alice, who, about 1380, brought
the property of Glack to her husband, one of
the Glasters of Lumgaii- (Reg. Ep. Abd.) This
was a family whose name, originally De
Dundee, was assumed from the lands of
(rlaister, in Angus (ilom. Angus and Mearns,
304) ; and their connection with Daviot is
stUl preserved by tradition in an apocryphal
absolution, which an old priest is said to have
pronounced over an influential parishioner
who killed one of the family : —
Aye, aye ! the Lord's wull's aye deeu ! —
E'n oor Jock's sticket Glaister o' Glack's son !
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost, Amen !
The estate of Glack appears to have passed
from the Glaisters about 1490, it being then
in the hands of Arthur, brother of the cele-
brated Bishop Elphinstone of Aberdeen. The
property continued in the possession of the
Elphiustone family until 1783, when Alex-
ander Elphiustone, having become involved
in pecuniary difficulties, disponed the estate
to Alexander Farquharson, accountant in
Edinburgh, as trustee for his creditors, and
from him it was purchased in 1787 by the
Rev. Colin Mackenzie, minister at Fodderty,
and grandfather of the late laird, who died
without male issue in 1877, and was succeeded
in the estate by his cousin, John Jlackenzie,
Esq., the present proprietor.
The family burying-place of the Mackenzies
of Glack is situated near the south-east corner
of the pariJ) cliuvch, and the fullowing in-
scriptions are copied from marble and polished
granite slabs built into its walls : —
[1-]
Sacred to the memory of Harey Mackenzie,
who died in London, 1st September 1828, in the
22nd year of his age. Also in memory of
E achael-Anne Mackenzie, who died 23rd Febr.
1801, aged 2 years. John-Niven Mackenzie,
who died 1st May 1801, aged 3 months. Colin
Mackenzie, who died 7th April 1807, aged 7
years. Colin Mackenzie, who died 23rd March
1813, aged 18 months. Margaret Mackenzie,
who died 2nd August 1812, aged 9 years. Isa-
bella Mackenzie, who died 5th March 1813,
aged 4 years. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
[2.]
In memory of Margaret, daughter of Sir
Alexander Mackenzie of Gairloch, Bart., and wife
of Roderick Mackenzie of Glack, who died in
April 1796, and of their infant son.
[3.]
lu memory of Roderick Mackenzie."' of Glack,
who died on 19th Septr. 1841, aged 80 yeai-s.
And Christina Niven, relict of the above, who
died at Glack, 17th Novr. 1861, in her 89th
year. And of Rachel Mackenzie, who died in
Aberdeen, 14th Sept. 1844, aged 39.
James-Forbes-Unne Mackenzie, died 12th
October 1855, aged 37 ; also of Christina Mac-
kenzie, who died at Glack, 13th Jan. 1868, aged
58 years.
Sacred to the memory of Roderick Mac-
kenzie, Esq. of Thornton, sixth sou of Roderick
Mackenzie, Esq. of Glack, and his wdfe Christina
Niveu, born 6th June 1815, died deeply lamented
on 2d September 1858 at Glack.
Sacred to the memory of James Mackenzie,
Esq., Lieut.-C'olonel 72d Highlanders, seventh
sou of Roderick Mackenzie of Glack, and his
wife Christina Niven, Born 12th August 1821,
died deeply lamented 5th of March 1858, at
Purr (?), fifty miles south of Mussuabad, Raj-
]iootana, Bombay, where his remains are interred,
au<l tliere his brother officers have erected a
monument to his memory. 1858.
Upon the east border of the parish, adjoin-
ing Fyvie, is Mounie. The oldest portion of
tlie house, which appears to belong to the time
of the Farquhars, is a small turreted mansion,
picturesquely situated upon the west bank of
DAVIOT.
411
a rivulet called the King's Bum. The bum
and lands have undergone extensive improve-
ments within the last ten or twelve years, and
the deepening of the bum has greatly bene-
fited the adjoining lands.
Before the year 1556-7, a great part of the
parish would seem to have been feued out in
large farms by the Bi.sliops of Aberdeen, with
consent of the Dean and Chapter. Mounie
proper, with Pitblain, was at that date held
in feu by Alexander Seton, Chancellor of the
Cathedral Kirk of Aberdeen, and second son
of ^Uexander Seton of jNIeldrum, the parson
of Daviot, who was then ex officio treasurer of
the Cathedral, being the immediate superior
of those lands.
William Seton of i\lcldrum had a charter
from William, Bishop of Aberdeen, with con-
sent of the Dean and Chapter, of the lands of
Lumphord, Brownhills, Pittinoun, White-
myres, and Greenford, dated 11th May, 1556,
and resigned the said lands into the hands of
the Bishop, 17th December, 1567, for iufeft-
ment to his second son, John Seton, who had
a charter of confirmation of all the said lands
under the Great Seal, 31st January, 1575.
After 1590, John Seton, previously designed
of Lumphord (or Lumfurd), was designed of
Mounie, or as it was then usually written,
Muney, and it was in his time that the various
lands above named, with the exception of
Lumphord, were firat united into one estate
of Jlounie under one lay proprietor.
John Seton of Lumphord and Jlounie
married Marjorie, daughter of Panton of Pit-
medden, and had a charter of confirmation
under the Privy Seal of King James VI. to
himself and his spouse, 19th July, 1597. But
at this date John Seton appears to have been
deceased. In the same year their son, Wil-
liam, was served heir to his father as " ap-
peari'and of Munie," and a charter of confirma-
tion, under the Great Seal, was granted to the
said William Seton of Mounie, 8th July, 1G13.
He married Helen, daughter of Udny of that
lUc, and in 1623 is styled William Seton of
Udny, in a contract by which he disponed the
estate of Mounie to John Urquhart of Craig-
fintry, and Elizabeth Seton his spouse. This
lady was a grand-daugliter of Seton of !Meldrum,
and afterwards heiress of ]\leldrum.
In 1636-7, Patrick Urquhart disponed the
estate of Mounie to Eobert Farquhar, then
Baillie, and afterwards, in 1614, Provost of
Aberdeen, one of the wealthiest merchants in
Scotland. The lands were soon afterwards
erected into a Barony, of which the proprietor
had a ratification charter in 1648.
Alexander and James Farquhar, the former
of whom was designed of Tonley, were con-
temporary burgesses of Aberdeen. In 1641,
John, in Mounie, petitioned Parliament for
compensation for losses sustained by him at
the hands of the Koyalists. These four were
probably nearly related to each other. Eobert,
who was fined and imprisoned oftener than
once, furnished meal and other provisions to
the army until he became a State creditor to
the enormous amount of X180,859 Scots,
which the Estates agreed to pay by allowing
him the third of all the fines imposed on
delinquents north of the Tay (Acta Pari., vi.,
vy.) Ho received the honour of knighthood
in 1660, and is said to have died in 1666.
In 1686 (Inq. Gen.), Alexander Farquhar
was served heir to his father, Patrick of
Mounie, and ten years later (1676), the same
laird, his wife, Elizabeth M'Intosh, along with
four sons, two daughters, and a sister of his
own, were all charged poll. This laird is also
designed of Tonley, and according to a MS.
at Pitscandly in Forfarshire, Francis, the
youngest of the four sons, who became a
colonel in the army, died unmarried, and only
one of his brothers leaving issue, bequeathed
his landed estate, which included Tolquhon,
412
EPITAPHS, AND INSC'BIPTIONS :
to Williain Eeid, a son of his eldest niece. It
is added that the other nieces disputed the
validity of the will on the somewhat odd
ground that their uncle was suffering from
" sickness or pain in his throat " at the time
it was made. Be this as it may, the same
document goes on to say that the second niece,
Elizabeth, bought the property of Pitscandly,
and married llv. Stormonth of Kinclure, who
assumed the surname of Farquhar, and that
the youngest niece married a Jlr. ilacneill
(Ep. 156). We are not altogether satisfied
with the account here given of the family and
descendants of Alex. Farquhar and Elizabeth
iSI'Intosh, and additional information for the
fuller elucidation of these points is Very desir-
able. It may be observed that Sir Walter
Farquhar, Bart., the eminent physician, also
claims descent from Sir Robert of Jlounie.
About the year 1701-2, Mounie passed into
the hands of Alexander Hay of Arnbath
(Ardenbath)— probably as trustee — and in the
year 1714, was acquired by George Seton,
second son of Sir Alexander Seton of Pit-
medden, Bart., a Lord of Session, who was
lineally descended from James Seton, .5th son
of William Seton of Jileldrum above-named,
and younger brother of John Seton of Lum-
phord and Mounie, mentioned above. George
Seton was twice married, first to a daughter of
Sir Alexander Gibson of Pentland, Bart., and
next to a grand-daughter of James, the 4th
Leslie of WarthiH. By his first marriage he
had one surviving daughter, who married Alex-
ander Leslie, 8th Laird of Warthill ; and by
his second he had one son and five daughters.
His eldest son died without issue, and was
succeeded by his elder sister, Margaret, who
married James Anderson, LL.D., of Cleugh
and Cobiushaw, by whom she had, with
other issue, the under-mentioned son, Alex-
ander, who assumed the surname of Seton,
and died 1850 :—
[1]
Sacred to the memory of Ann Seton, boni 14
March 1812, died 15 of the same mouth ; James
Seton, born 29 March 1813, died 16 September
1813 ; William-Skene Seton, born 2 May 1821,
died 23 July 1829 ; Jessy Jane Seton, born 18
July 1816, died 19th February 1831 ; Isabella
Seton, born 10 April 1811, died 1 .Juue 1845 ;
children of Alexander Seton, Esq. of Mounie, and
his wife Janet Skene. Also sacred to the
memory of the above named Alexander Seton, .
Esq. of Mounie, a Justice of the Peace, and
Deputy-Lieutenant of the County of Aberdeen,
Born 16th October, 1769, Died at Leamington,
Warwickshire, 16th April, 1850. And Janet
Skene, his wife, daugliter of Skene Ogiivy of
New Grange, D.D., Born 11 December 1789,
Died 10 March, 1858.
— This lady was a cousin of her husband's,
his aunt, Isabella Seton, third daughter of
George Seton of Mounie, having married the
Eev. Dr. Skene Ogiivy, minister at one time
of Skene, and afterwards of Oldmachar. His
father, who is said to have been a descendant
of the Ogilvys of New Grange, near Arbroath,
was minister first of Cortachy, and afterwards
of Banchory-Devenick, where he was succeeded
by I)r. Morrison (Scott's Fasti).
Besides the children whose deaths are re-
corded in the upper part of the above inscrip-
tion, Mrs. Seton had three other sons, David,
George, and Alexander, who all entered the
army. David, the second surviving son, suc-
ceeded to Mounie on the death of his eldest
brother, whose sad but glorious end is thus
recorded upon a monument at Daviot : —
Sacred to the memory of Alexander Seton
of Mounie, Esq., Lieutenant-Colonel of Her
Majesty's 74th regiment of Highlanders, son of
the before named Alexander Seton, Esquire of
Mounie, and his wife Janet Skene, Born 4th
October 1814. He commanded the troops on
Board H.M.S. " Birkenhead," and was drowned
together with about four hundred men in the
wi-eck of that vessel, near Point Danger, Cape of
Good Hope, on the 26th February, 1852. Im-
mediately after the ship struck, Lieut.-Colonel
Seton exerted himself to secure the safe removal
of the women and children, who were on board
at the time, and not one of these was lost.
DAVIOT.
413
Issuing his orders with coohiess, precision, and
complete presence of mind, forgetful of self,
and setting a noble example to the bi'ave men
under his command, he devoted all his energies
to the calls of duty and humanity, and calmly
faced a death more dreadful than that of the
battle field. He was distinguished for his talents
as a mathematician and linguist, and his acquire-
ments in various branches of literature and the
tine arts were of high order.
The next inscription, which is upon a
Foudlaud. slab, had probably been carved in
the absence of the preceptor of the parish, and
unless the age of one of the daughters had
nearly equalled that of Tibbie Walker, men-
tioned below, we may presume that there is
either a c. too many in one date, or one too
few in the other : —
E Epitaph. Juxta hie lapis spe beatorum
Resurrectionis depouuntur exuvije mortalis.
Margt. et Elisa Gordon, Erga parentis obse-
quentice, et Erga Fratres sorores gratise, prima
Placide in Domino obdormivit. Die Aprilis .
xxvi. mo . MDCCCX et soror. Ejus, Die Octo-
bris XV. MDCcxi . ambo Filise Thomae Gordon,
Prseceptor hu jis Parochiaj.
[Beside this stone are laid, in the hope of a
blessed resurrection, the mortal remains of Mar-
garet and Eliza Gordon, dutiful daughters and
affectionate sistei-s. The former died 2fith April,
1810, and her sister 15th Oct., 1811. They were
both daughters of Thomas Gordon, parochial
schoolmastei'.]
From a marble table in north wall of kirk-
yard : —
This tomb is erected by the Friends of the late
Rev. Jas. Clark, schoolmaster of Daviot, as a
token of respect to his memory, who died 18th
Aug., 1849, in the 49th year of his age.
— He belonged to Logie-Coldstone, and had a
family of three sons and two daughters. His
youngest son, George, died in Assam, India,
in 1866, in his 30th year ; the second, David,
is a teacher in England ; and the eldest,
William, is the Prebendary Clerk of Taunton,
in Somer.setshire (Epitaphs, i. 282).
The next five inscriptions arc from table-
stones : —
Here lies the Bodys of John and James Sel-
BiE, and their Mother, Elizabeth Paul, hoping
that their Souls are in the Mansions of Bliss.
Here lies the body of Margaret Thomson,
daughter to Adam Thomson, farmer in Wicket-
slap, hoping that her Sold is in the Mansion of
Eternal Bliss.
Here is deposited the body of Jean Walker,
spouse to Alexr. Webster, in Mill of Durno, and
daughter of William Walker, late farmer in Mill
of Glack, whose Good Qualities When living,
deserve the Respect that is hereby paid to its
ashes. She died the 22nd of December, 1792,
aged 24 years.
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Alexander
Walker, late minister of the Episcopal Congre-
gation of Monymusk, who died on the 19th day
of March, 1819, in the 5.5th year of his age, and
the 31st year of his ministry. This stone is placed
upon his grave by his affectionate widow, Cle-
mentina Walker.
John, son of Wm. Paul and Margt. Bruce,
Jackston, d. 1794, a. 19| yrs : —
Hail ! happy soul, thy race is safely j-un,
Thy sorrows ended, and thy joys begun ;
Thy sacred dust in sweet repose shall keep.
Till Heaven's last tnimpet rouse oblivion sleep.
Then fresh renewed thy sacred dust shall rise,
Re-assume its form, and hail its native skies.
Of love and duty this last pledge receive —
It 's all thy parents thee survives can give.
Upon a marble headstone : —
William Gordon, eldest son of W. A. Skene,
Esq. of Lethenty, born 5th Feby., died 27th Oct.,
1836.
In 1398 the lands of Lethenty were leased
to Robert Barnard in Malingal, by IMalcolm of
Dromond, laird of Mar and the Garioch, for
the yearly payment of £4. An annual rent
of 53s. 4d. Scots, was bought from the laird
of Lethenty, in 1455, by John of Clatt, canon
of Aberdeen, who, two years later, applied the
same to the endowment of a chaplain at the
altar of St. Katherine, in the Cathedral of
Aberdeen.
Lethenty afterwards came to the Forbeses
of Pitsligo, Alexander having, in 1485, been
served heir to his grandfather, Sir Alex, of
Pitsligo, in these lands, which were held blench
of the King, as Earl of the Garioch, for the
payment of a pair of spurs. Other services to
414
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Lethenty were afterwards granted to the
Forbeses, and among them was one to Patrick,
who was served heir to his mother, Jlargaret
Forbes, in the superiority of Lethenty and the
mill thereof. Septr. 15, 1613 (Eetours).
A Koman Catholic chapel is said to have
stood at Lethenty, and " the chapel weU" is
still pointed out.
The next three inscriptions are from table-
stones : —
Sacred to the memory of Adam Grat, some-
time farmer in Newtown of Moimie, who died
on the 15th Dec, 1829, in the 87th year of his
age. And also of Elspet Paul, his spouse, who
dTed on the 1st Nov. 1838, in the 86th year of
her age. This stone is placed over the ashes of
his revered and respected parents, as a mark of
filial attachment and affection, by Adam Gray,
late of the Island of Jamaica, on his i-eturu to liis
native country, in the year 1839. He was after-
wards proprietor of Fingask, in this parish, and
died in Aberdeen, on the 12th of June 1845, aged
65 years, and was buried in this grave, esteemed
by his friends, and at peace with mankind.
Here lies the body of Mary Ddncan, in hopes
of a blessed resurrection, who died 23rd of June,
1782, aged 67 yeara, spouse of Adam Gray, in
Daviot. And "also the said Adam Gray, who
died on the 14th day of Sept. 1798, aged 84 years.
Together with theu- son-in-law, John Gray, who
resided in Broad Place, and died there on the 9th
day of Oct., 1808, aged 69 years.
Here are interred William Gray, farmer in
SkeUai-ts, who died Feb., 1781, and his wife Jean
Duncan, who died 1799, and their daughters,
Helen and Margaret, who died early. And
their son, John Gray, schoolmaster in Old Aber-
deen, and for many years a magistrate of that
City, who died June 27, 1818, aged 74 ; and their
son William Gray, watchmaker in Huntly, who
died in Dec, 1799, and was bm-ied there.
Daviot has acquired some fame from its
having been the death place of two individuals
whose term of life far exceeded the ordinary
period allotted to man. These were James
Dyce and Tibbie Walker, the former of
whom died at the Ku:ktouu in May, 1799,
aged 107, and the latter on 2nd November,
1774, aged 110 (Scots iMagazine). There is
little recorded of the history of either, except
that they stood to each other in the relation of
mother and child, and that Tibbie, or Luckie
Walker, as she was generally called, was em-
ployed towards the end of her long life in
carrying letters once a week to and from Aber-
deen, for the laird of Glack and the parish
minister. Her age is set down at " 112 years,
as established from the Record of the Parish
of Eayne," upon her portrait, which, as well
as that of Peter Garden, who died at Auchter-
less in 1775, at the reputed age of 131, was
engraved by H. Gavin, after a painting by
James Wales. Both heads are nearly life
size, and the prints are of considerable rarity.
Although the pre-historic antiquities of
Daviot are only slightly touched upon in
either the Old or the New Stat. Account, few
districts are so rich in examples both of stone
circles and cup marked stones. Some time
after the appearance of the late Sir James
Simpson's interesting paper upon these
"marks," we accidentally noticed, on the way
from Inverurie to the Kirktown of Daviot,
some fragments of cup marked stones built
into a dyke at a place called Greenloan. On
our mentioning the circumstance to Mr.
Brebner, now minister of Forgue, he kindly
directed our attention to several circles in the
parish, all of which wo visited.
The most remarkable of these circles is upon
the Hill of New Craig, which commands a
very extensive view. The principal stone is
called The Queen's Chair, possibly from a
hollow near the middle, and is about 9 feet
in length by about 6 in depth, and weighs
from 8 to 10 tons. In common with some
of the other stones, it exhibits a number
of cup marks, and similarly marked stones,
said to have been brought from " the Hill "
long ago, were built into the old farm-house of
New Craig, but no trace of these can now be
discovered.
At the Hill of Loanhead. about half a mile
COULL.
415
to tlie soutli of The Standing Stones of Ken;
Craig, there is a remai'kable circle about 65
feet in diameter, which consists of a group of
11 ruJe boulders, varying in height from about
4 to 7J feet above ground. One upon the
south-west, which is flat, is about 9 J feet in
length by 4i in thickness ; and another upon
the west, about 5 feet broad by 7i high, ex-
hibits a row of cup marks near the middle of
the margin, and towards the top is a sort of
diamond-shaped group of the same objects.
Within the circle there are two heaps of
smaller stones, one near the centre, and the
other on the north west side, and a fine view
of the surrounding district is obtained from
its site. Besides the circles noticed above, the
parish contains several others of inferior im-
portance, as well as numbers of single boulders.
\\\\\\\\V\\\\\A\%\\\%\\\\\\W\\%\\\\\\\\\\%\\'V%%^
Coull.
(S. NATHALAN, BISHOP.)
THIS is said to be one of three churches
that were founded by S. Nathalan
after his return from Eome, about a.d. 450,
those of TuUich and Bothelny being the
others.
The Kirk of Cnia in Marr, with lands,
tithes, and oblations, &c., was bestowed upon
the Abbey of Arbroath by King William the
Lion at its foundation in 1188-99. When
a Taxation of the vicarages in the diocese of
Aberdeen was made in 1250, that of Cvle was
fixed at 12 merks, the whole altarage, manse,
and half of the teinds of the towns of Easter
and Wester Tochres, Ochtercule, Galaan,
Daauta, and Kule (Eeg. Vet. de Abevb.) It
is rated in 1275 at 6s. 8d. in one Taxation
(Theiucr), and at 1.3 merks iu another, the
vicar being answerable for 4 merks (Reg. Ep.
Abd.)
Mr. Lawrence Starroli was presented, 1453-4,
to the church of Covl by the Bishop of Aber-
deen, with consent of the Abbot and Convent
of Arbroath. In 1574, Mr. James Eeid, who
had a stipend of £120 Scots and kirk lands,
was minister of Cowll and three adjoining
parishes, and AVilliam Bruce, the reader, had
a salary of £40 Scots.
The present church was erected in 1790,
and the bell was presented by Mr. Ross, in
MiU of Coull, who died iu 1644.
The Corse portion of Coull was annexed
quoad sacra to the parish of Leochel about
1621, and in 1651, in consequence of Mr.
Andrew Gray of Coull having baptized chil-
dren belonging to that district, he incurred
the displeasure both of the minister of Leochel
and the Synod. It would appear that !Mr.
Gray was as deficient in prudence as in sta-
ture, if the description given of him in the
following quotation from his elegy, which is
said to have been written by the Earl of
Aboyne, may be trusted : —
little Mr Andrew Gray,
Though voyd of witt, yet full of yeires.
To point him forth requyi-es some skill,
He knew so Uttle good or ill.
He had a church without a roof,
A conscience that was cannon proof ;
He was Prelatick first, and then
Became a Presbyterian.
Episcopal once more he tiu'ned,
And yet for neither would be burned.
Of whom I have no more to say ;
But fiftie years he preach'd and dy'd.
— " Little Mr. Andrew," who died sometime
before the 19th of March, 1670, had a son
John, who followed his father's profession,
and to whom he was sometime " helper." Al-
though Lord Aboyne appears to have had no
love either for the father or the son, still, with
the view of bringing the latter " to the better
conformitie," he solicited the Earl of Panmure
(who was patron of the parisli, and also Lady
416
EPITAPHS, AND INSCRIPTIONS:
Aboyne's uncle) to present " Mr. John" to the
living of Coull (Orig. Doct.) His lordship's
application, however, was not successful, the
living having been given to one Gordon, who
proved no credit to " the kirk," he havmg been
deposed in 1674 "for swearing, drinking,
striking, denying his own subscription, and
lying" (Scott's Fasti).
The deaths of the last four of his successors
are recorded at Coull. One of two marble
tablets within an enclosure is inscribed as
follows : —
To the memoiT of the Eev. James Paterson,
minister of Coull, who died 11 Jany. 1789, iu the
86th year of his age, and 55th of his ministry.
And of Jean Turing, his wife, who died 28
March 1784, aged 72 years.
[2-]
Also to the memory of .John Paterson,
physician iu Jamaica, their eldest sou, who chad
there, 15 April 1789, in the 48th year of his age.
This monument is erected by James Paterson,
physician iu Jamaica, their second son, who died
there, 25 Aug. 1798, aged 53 years.
— Mrs. Paterson's father was minister of
Eayne, and, besides the above-mentioned sons,
she had a daughter, Helen, who became the
wife of the liev. ^Ir. Morrice, who was first
schoolmaster, and subsequently minister of
Kincardine O'Neil (Epitaphs, i. 200).
Mr. Paterson was succeeded by Mr. Alex.
Robertson, one of whose daughters became
the wife of the late Eev. Dr. Cushney of
Eayne ; and on Mr. Eobertson's death in
1800, he was succeeded by the gentleman to
whom the next inscription relates : —
In memory of the Rev. A. Brown, late minister
of UouU, who died 28 Aug. 1823, aged 52 years.
— He was the son of a farmer at the Bridgend
of Lochel, and is said to have changed his
name from BroKiiie. One of his brothers went
to America and amassed considerable wealth,
which was inherited by a natural nephew.
His successors were both buried near the
east door of the Kirk of Coull, where two box-
shaped stones (enclosed) are respectively in-
scribed as follows : —
Sophia-.Jane McKenzie, wife of the Eev.
William Campbell, minister of CouU, " departed
to be with Christ," March 15, 1842, aged 33.
The Rev. William Campbell, " departed this
life," April 6, 1850, aged 52, in the 27th year of
his ministry.
[2.]
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. James
Leslie, mhiister of CouU, born in 1808, died
1859, in the 9th year of his ministry.
From a headstone on the south side of the
kirk .—
The gi-ound extending from this stone to tlie
south dyke, and two rows in width, is the bury-
ing place of the Family of Wishart.
On west side of same stone : — -
In memory of Alexr. Wishart, merchant,
Banchory, and Margt. Gray, his spouse. Erected
by WiUiam M'Combie, Farmtown of Lintm-k,
their great-grandson.
A lintel, now at Boghead, initialed and
dated A. G. : E. W., 1705, is said to have
been originally at TiUychardach, in Tarland,
and to have reference to Alex. GrUanders and
his wife, E. Wishart, who were tenants there
in 1G96.
A stone circle upon the top of a hillock
called Tamnavery, near Wester Coull, and the
remains of a Pict's House on the farm of
Strathmore, are among the most remarkable of
the existing antiquities in the parish. Some
of the stones of the former have fallen down,
but none of them present any cup marks, and
so far as we have been able to learn, no relics
of any importance have been found in the
vicinity, with the exception of some stone
celts, balls, and flint arrow heads.
The Pict's house, which is also upon a rising
ground, is about 20 yards in length, with an
entrance from the south. In shape it re-
sembles the human arm iu a slightly bent
position, and .slopes gradually from the entrance
COULL.
417
to a depth of about five feet at the inner end,
where it is curved and about six feet broad,
becoming gradually narrower towards the
entrance, which is not over two feet in widtli.
Having been opened long ago, and many of
the stones used in the construction of fences
and drains, this interesting relic has been much
injured; still enough is left of the walls to
show that they had been built of rough
boulders converging towards tlie top, ver}'
much resembling in every respect those of the
eird-houses at Migvie and Culsh, which are
also both in Cromar.
Tradition avers that many of the cairns
in the muirs that lie between the burn of
Tarland on the east, and Loch Kinord on the
west, have an early origin, and probably belong
to the times when the " eird houses " were
inliabited by " our ancient forefathers."
There are also some cairns on the Corse side
of the parish, which story assigns to the time
of "Macbeth, l)ut whether they are worth the
trouble of excavating is very doubtful.
Very little remains of the castle of the
Dorwards beyond its site. It occupied a com-
manding position to the south of the kirk, and
there, it is said, the Dorward, or Hostiariiis,
had a residence, he having held a great part of
the property in the district during the time of
the last two Alexanders. Among other bene-
factions he granted the kirk of Kinerny, and
the forest lands or wood of Trutach, on the
Dee, to the monks of Arbroath (Keg. Vet. de
Aberb.) He also erected an hospital at Kin-
cardine O'jSTeil about 1233, and endowed it
with the patronage of the kirk of Lumphanan
and other property (Epitaphs, i. 240).
Alan, tlie last male descendant and the
greatest of this family, died in 1272, leaving
three daughters, by whom his estates were
carried into other families (Chal. Caled.,i. 535).
The Earl of Fife had a grant of the lands of
O'Neil from Robert I., and Robert III. gave
charters of the barony of Cowl and O'Ncil to
John, son of the Duke of Albany (Rob. Index).
Patrick, third son of the second Lord
Eorbes, is the first of the f;imily who is de-
signed of Coull, Kyncragy and le Gorss. He
had charters of these in 1482 (Coll. Abd. Bff,
iv. 356), and in 1-189 he was appointed to col-
lect the King's dues " for Coull and Onele"
(Acta Pari., ii. 220). The lands of Coull and
O'Neil formed part of those that were annexed
to the Crown in 1593, and could not be given
to any one without consent of " the haill par-
liament" (lb., iv. 28).
The castle of Corse is initialed and dated —
WE. 1581. ES. The initials refer to Wm.
Eorbes and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of
Strachan of Thornton, the parents of Bishop
Patrick of Aberdeen, and of William, the
founder of the Cragievar family. The castle
is quite a ruin, and near it is the modern
mansion of the present laird.
The most generally interesting spot in this
part of the parish is the " Slack of Tillylodge,"
on the way from Corse to Coull, from which
is obtained oae of the finest views in the
country, including the whole of Cromar, and
a great range of hill and dale on the south,
east, and west of the Dee. Mortlach (partly
in Aboyne) and Laidlelick are the highest hills
in the district ; the stones of which the Picts'
houses at Culsh are constructed are supposed
to have been brought from the latter.
There was a market held at the bridge of
Coull near the church, which was called Brig-
fair, or Braikfair. " Bryack Fair at the Kirk
of Kowl," according to the Edinburgh Prog-
nostication for 1706, was held on 22nd No-
vember, and the name seems to be suggestiye
of that of S. Braoch or Brioc, who was patron
of the church of the Inch or Island, near Mon-
trose, and is said to have flourished about a.d.
500. The fair was removed from Coull to
Tarland upwards of a century ago.
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APPENDIX
ILLUSTRATIVE PxVPERS AND NOTES.
KINNELL— (38).
Before Easter Brakie came into tlie hands of Mr.
Gavin of Middleburgh, Mr. David Coupar had
seisin of it, dated 21st Nov., 1727, and, in June,
1749, Mr. David Duncan, writer in Edinlmrgh, and
Mr. William Brown of Gladsmuir, both nephews of
Mr. Coupar, were served heirs to their uncle. Mr.
Duncan had three daughters, who became co-heiresses
of half the lands of Brakie, and the eldest, Catherine,
married Kenneth, eldest son of Alex. M'Kenzie, tutor
of Seaforth.
It was from the trustees of the Misses Duncan, and
from Mr. Brown of Gladsmuir, that Mr. Gavin
bought Easter Brakie. In 1810, the property was
acquired from Mr. Gavin's representatives by Mr.
Colin Alison, writer in Montrose, and procurator
fiscal of that burgh. Mr. Alison, who died in 1828,
left a son and three daughters. The son was a
W.S., in Edinburgh, and the eldest daughter married
Mr. John Laing, merchant, Montrose, sometime
proprietor of Renmure, by whom she had Mr. John
lyaing, merchant, Dundee, and other children.
Another of Mr. Alison's daughters became the wife
of the late Mr. Jas. Leighton, town-clerk of Mon-
trose, and the third married Capt. Archd. Macneil of
the 91st Kegt., afterwards, of the E. and K. Militia,
by whom she had several children. The property of
lienmure was bought, in 1852, from Mr. Laing's
trustees, by the late Mr. Geo. Scott, manufacturer in
Brechin, and, in 1874, Easter Brakie was purchased
from the representatives of Mr. Alison, by Mr. James
Buyers, merchant in Aberdeen.
KETTINS— (90).
The follow inr/ is a copy, here printed from the original,
of the deed of assignation referred to in the text.
Be it kend till all mene be y"' pnt Irts vs George
Haliburtoun of y*^ Gask, alexander ratray, and
Richerd Small, fermoraris of y" Kirk of Ketnis, to
haue gevin, granttit, and assignit, & be y^ tenour
herof gewis, granttis and assignis to Shir Dauid Jak
four Mkis of money zerly to be vptane be y" said
Shir Dduid quhen he lykis to take it of ony pt. of
y° proch of Ketnis of y" tend Schawls for y" space
of fyff zeris m.^ct follomng this dait pnt ; &
y° sad Sr. Dauid is to enter in payment yrof at
y'^ nixt crop following. And yis we do for his
thankfull seruice & laubouris done for vs at our
command to y" mistr of Pebles. Y" qlk assignatioun
forsaid we obles vs & om- assignais be y" fath &
treuth in our bodeis to wairand, obserue & defend to
y" said Shir Dauid induring y"' saidis fyff zeris lelely
& treuly but fraud or gyll. In witnes herof we haue
subscriuit yis our assignatioun w. our handis at petcur
y'' penult day of Januar in y*^ zer of God imy^ and
thretty sen zeris,
Rychard SmaU wt my hand Geoi'ge Haliburton
at y"^ pen leid be of y*^ Gask for me
Ihone galoway, curate of and Sande Eatyray.
Ketniss
Extracts from the Records of Kirk-Session of Kettins.
(Communicated by the late Mr. James Gibb, Session-Clerk and
Si^hoolmaster of tliat jiarish.)
Kettins, 6th March 1837.
The following Extracts are taken from the Records
420
APPENDIX.
of the Kirk-Session of Kettins, in which parish the
Yoolows have been residenters upwards of 300 years.
The reason that the extracts commence with some
cases of scandal is not to make them more prominent,
but because they occiu- first in order of time.
The minutes of the Kirk-Session are recorded since
1622.
The register of baptisms commences in 1650.
It is gratifying to think that so few scandals are
recorded of the family, and only such as were common
at that time, and that none occur for so long a time
afterwards. The reason perhaps is, that the people
and manners are changed with the times ; what was
salvitary discipline then, would be unsuitable noio. At
that time church courts took cognizance of crimes
and offences which are now with more propriety either
brought before a civU judge, or left to be pimished
and corrected by the rebuke and admonition of private
friends.
In these extracts the original orthography is gener-
ally retained, except in some contractions which woidd
not be generally understood.
EXTRACTS.
A.D. 1645, June 8. Ordine Robert YuUo, Patrick
Robtson, David Mathew, to pay 6Sh. 8D.y^ (the)
piece, for drinking on the Sabbath, and to make yer
repentance befor y^ pulpit.
Note. — They are recorded as appearing lefore to
make confession, and after to make satisfaction.
1654, April 16. Robert Yeulo being called, com-
peired and confessed that he was taken with drink,
and promised to tak held to himself afterward, and he
was sharply rebuked be the Session for his fait.
1654, April 23. Ordained to charge James Youlo
for of who had voluntarily compeared
befor the Presbytrie and had confessed it, and was
ordained by them to compeir befor the Session.
April 30. James Yeulo being called, compeared
and confessed his and that his drunknes
and Sab' braking were the causes and incitments
to the sam, and professed his sorrow for the sam, and
was ordained to compeir the nixt Sab' in sacke-
cloth befor the congregation.
May 28 & July 2. James Youlo compeired in tlie
publick place of repentance in sackecloth.
August 6. The Session finding that James Youlo
had not compeired thir several former Sab'» ac-
cording to the Presbytries appointment, and y' he
was now residing in Blacklunance in the parochin
of Alyth, Therefor ordains the minis'' to speak to
M'' Jo" Rattray, minister ther, to cause cite him
to compeire befor the congregation for furder evidenc-
ing his repentance.
1664, Dec. 4. Janet Youlo compeared befor the
congregation, and professed her repentance and sorrow
for her sin of scalding and swearing, cursing and
railing, against her christian neighbour Catharine
Small, and was rebuked and humliled for the same.
Note. — Catherine Small and she had compeared
several times before, when Catharine made her
confession of being guilty of a similar offence,
and underwent the same kind of punishment.
1666, July 1. Patrick YouUo did produce ane
testimoniall from the Session of S' Mairtanes, con-
cerning his own earring and his wife's, for the space
of twelf yeirs in the foresaid parish, preceeding Whit-
sonday 1666.
1668, Sept. 27. Patrick YouUo and Elspet
Deuchars, at the Miln of Petie, had a manchild
baptized, called Robert.
1671, May 27. David.
1673, August 16. A manchild.
1675, Dec. 20. Margaret and Elspet.
1678, Oct. 13. George.
1680, March 6. Thomas.
1682, August 18. Charles.
1699, Nov. 8. Patricke Youllo died, aged 65.
1716, Dec. 18. Elspet Deuchars, an old woman at
Mill of Petie, died.
Note. — It is likely that the abo%'e Patrick Youlo
was the same who came from St. Martin's in
1666, after a residence of twelve years, and
that they had James, and some other children,
not mentioned in the above list.
1702, Dec. 31. James Youllo and Barbara Ander-
son, both paritioners, were ecclesiastically contracted,
and consigned their pledges. Married 22d Jan. 1703.
Note. — It was anciently the custom for the parties
contracted, as it was termed, to pledge or pawn
something, very often some article of wearing
apparel, such as a plaid, as a security, that they
would, in due time, fulfil their obligation ; and
also that their penalties would be forthcoming,
in the event of favours too soon gi-anted in-
creasing the family before the legal time.
1703, Nov. 5. James Youlo and Barbara Ander-
son in Petie, had an womanchild baptized, called
Elspet.
1706, Aug. 8. Had Catharine.
1708, May 16. Patrick.
APPENDIX.
421
1710, Aug. 31. David.
1712, Nov. 23. Thomas.
1711, October 21. This day The members of
y" Session being at this time much diminished,
The Min^ made pubKck intimation to y® con-
grega'' tliat y" Session designed to admit Jolm
Strachan in Kettins, .James Youlou in Pettie, David
Dick in Ballunie, and John Geekie in Kinnochtrie,
Deacons, and desired such as had ought to object
against any of y"' to declare y" same in time and
place convenient, bet\vixt and y^ next Lord's day.
October 28. This day y= Min made intima-
tion to y congregation y' y'^ Session continued in
their purpose of admitting y^ above"'"*^ persons
into y' number, and desii-ed those that had any
thing to aUedge against any of y™ to declare the same
in Session this afternoon ; and after y" meeting
of y' Session the Beadle was ordered to call at
y" church door, if there were any that had ought
to say ag' y° above"""' James Youlow, John
Strachan, David Dick, and John Geekie, y" might
hinder y"> from being admitted Deacons. But none
compeared to alledge any thing ag^ y™ : y'^'-'fore
they being called into y"= Session, and having, upon
oath, promised to collect y'= alms for y« Poor faith-
fully, and give in y" same to y'' Session, to delate
such as should be scandalous in their life, and to give
a good example to oy"^ in y' conversation, were
admitted Deacons.
1715, Feb. 27. .Tames Youlo in Petie, one of the
Kirk elders, was buried.
Note. — Thomas Yoolow, son to Barbara Anderson
in Petie, is stated in the list of scholar's on
Alexander Geekie's mortification, in the years
1720, 21, 22. This Alexander Geelcie, who was
a surgeon in London, and brother to the pro-
prietor of Baldowrie, in 1713 settled an annuity
of £5 for educating scholars at the school of
Kettins. He also presented about 70 volumes
of books, mostly Greek and Latin, for the use
of the schoolmaster.
1702, Feb 21. David Tasker in the Gask, and
Elspet Youlo in Petie, were Ecclesiastically contracted,
and consigned their pledges. Married 27th March.
1703, June 10. David Tasker and Elspet Youlo,
in Gask, had Margaret baptized.
1704, Aug. 6. James.
170C, April 7. Agnes.
1708, Feb. 26. David.
1703, July 9. John Anderson and Marg' Youlo
were maixied.
1704, .July 28. John Anderson and Marg' Youlo,
Petie, had a child baptized, called Barbara.
1708, Jan. 4. Had John.
1711, Feb. 24. John Anderson, sometime resi-
denter in Petie, was buried.
1712, Nov. 11. Robert Wilkie and Marg' Youlo
were married by the Bishop of Aberdeen at Denhead.
Note. — It is likely that the above Marg' Youlo
was the widow of John Anderson.
1711, Feb. 20. George Youlo and Janet Young,
both parishioners, were contracted in order to marriage,
and consigned y' pledges. Married 8th March.
1711, August 11. Margaret, Ian' daughter to
George Youlo and Janet Young, at the Mill of Pitciu-,
was born.
Sept. 23. Janet Young compearing, confessed her
fornication before marriage with George Youlo her
husband. George Youlo compearing, likewise con-
fessed the same, and promised to ajipear publicly
when called.
1712, July 13. George Youlo's penalty for his
fornication with his wife before marriage, being 31b.,
was paid to the box.
1713, June. George Youlo and Janet Young had
James.
1715, April 7. George Youlo and Janet Young had
Thomas.
April 10. This day George Youlo (who was de-
clared obstinate upon the 10th August 1712) having
now come to a sense of his sin, compeared in the
publick place of repentance for his antenuptial forni-
cation, and was spoke to, and exhorted to a serious
repentance, and was absolved.
1720, March 17. George Youlo and .Janet Young
had John baptized.
1722, July 25. They had Mary.
1710, Nov. 11. David Youlo and Isabel Hacket
were Ecclesiastically contracted, and consigned their
pledges. Married Dec. 1.
1711. David Youlo and Is.ibel Hacket, at the Mill
of Petie, had James, bom 4th, and baptized 7th Sept.
1713, March 16. Elspet.
1715, April 14. Thomas.
1720, July 20. Thomas.
1722, May 2. Christian.
1723, July 10. Andrew.
1725, June 30. Isabel.
1727, Jime 28. Christian.
Note, — They had also a David and a Peter whose
names are not in the Ilegister, which is ac-
coimted for, by there being few names inserted
422
APPENDIX.
in the register between 1715 and 1720. James
Youlo was a scholar on Alex. Geekie's morti-
fication, from 1718 to 1722 ; also David
Yoido, son to David Youlo, Petie, in 1722.
1741, Nov. 23. James Youlo and Anne Gray, at
the Miln of Petie, had a child born called Chiistn.
1743, March 31. Had David.
1744, Sept. 8. A child.
1749, Feb. 27. Anne.
1750, Nov. 2. Janet.
1751, Nov. 20. Thomas.
1753, Dec. 9. James.
1755, Jan 21. John.
1757, Nov. 13. William.
1760, April 1. Jean.
Note. — It is probable there had been some whose
names are not inserted in the Register.
1774. James Youlo at Milne of Petie died loth
August, of Palsy, aged 63, which shows he had
been born in 1711, and must have been James, son to
David Youlo and Isabel Hacket (who was bom that
year), and grandson to Patrick Youlo and Elspet
Deuchars.
Note. — Anne Gray is said to have been the niece
of the Rev. James Gray, who was Minister of
Kettins from 1717 to 1743, and consequently a
cousin of Mrs. Morison of Naughton, who was
Elizabeth, daughter of said Mr. Gray, married
to Mr. WUliam Morison of Naughton, 24
December 1725. It may be mentioned that
the above Anne Gray had some repute as an
oculist in her day, although some in our time
may be too sceptical to credit the efficacy of
her operations. The cures are said to have
been effected by rubbing the eyes with some-
thing said to be a toad's stone. The Kev.
James Gray's monument is affixed upon the
wall, at the east end of the Church of Kettins,
and has the following Latin inscription : — ■
Deo gratiosus. Hoc prte lapide memoriali,
prteoincti jacent cineres Eeverendi piiq,
M'"' Jacobi Geat, qui, religiossimum
Christi Evangelium, separatus, dilucide,
reseravit, primum, apud Kinloch, per
annos 20 menses 5, dein, ajjud Ketins,
annos 26 mensesq 4. Hie, vitij censor,
virtutis patronus fuit et comes, 6dei
sacrEB necnon disciplinfe vindex, omnibus
in officiis sedulus, rudes instruxit, avios
reduxit, peccantes increpuit, bonos pro-
bavit, veri cultor indefessus, bis maritus.
liberis et parcechis charus, pastor emeritus
e vivis placide recessit post septuaginta et
binos annos, mensis Martii die 17 a.d.
1743. Hoc mnemosynon, Christiana Ar-
buthnot, ejus relicta, improli?, et Elisa-
betha, filia sola superstes coujux, Gulielmi
Morison de Naughton, D.D.D.Q.
1775, August 4. David Yoolow (son to James
Yoolow and Anne Gray,) and Janet Geekie were
married.
1776, August 4. They had Ann baptized.
1778, June 2S. Agnes bapf'
1783, Nov. 30. David bapf^
1798, Jan. 24. James Duncan, Coupar- Angus, and
Ann Yoolow were married.
Note. — David Yolow, who was bmied 3d July
1822, was an Elder of Kettins' parish. Janet
Geekie, his wife, was daughter of John Geekie
and Mary Smith, Nether Ballunie, and was
born 4th May 1745. Her brother John
Geekie, who died at Nether Ballunie, 3d May
1814, aged 77, bequeathed by his last will £100
Sterling to the Kirk-Session, for the education
of poor children in the parish of Kettins.
" The good that men do lives after them."
1836. Agnes Yoolow was buried 8th August 1830,
aged 58.
The direct line of descendants and their immediate
collaterals from Patrick Youlo, who died in 1699,
aged 65, and Peter Duncan, wiU be seen by the fol-
lowing arrangement : —
1
David and
Ann and
Patrick Youlo
David and [ Jamss and
Janet
James
and Elspet
Isabel : Ann Gray
Geekie
Duxcas
Deuchars had
Hacket had had
had
had
Robert,
James, Christian,
Ann,
Peter.
David,
Elspet,
Datid,
Agnes,
A man child.
Thomas,
A child,
David.
Margaret,
Thomas,
Ann,
Elspet,
Christian, Janet,
George,
Andrew, : Thomas,
Thomas,
Isabel, J James,
Charles,
Christian,
John,
and likely
David,
William,
James.
Peter.
Jean.
(Signed) Jambs Gibb, Sess. Clk.
FORDYCE— (107).
Extract of a Letter from Mr William Robertson, Keeper
of the Records at Edinhurgh.
Laigli Parliament House
Munday the 22nd February 1779
I enclose an exact Copy, from the Records of the
APPENDIX.
423
great Seal, of the Cliarter erecting Fordyce iuto a
Borough of Barony, — The antiquity of it renders it
in some degi'ee a Curiosity : but it becomes a matter
of still greater curiosity from the consideration that
the original charter is now nowhere to be found : the
oldest Paper relative to this village in the possession
of the present Proprietor being more than half a
century later I have subjoined an excerpt from
a posterior charter, because it supplies some Blanks in
the charter of Erection ; and because it mentions a
circumstance relative to the church which I believe is
not generally known.
If you think it worth the trouble you may cause
my paper to be insert in the Session Register that it
may preserve the remembrance of a fact which other-
ways may be soon altogether forgotten. For after my
Brother, Alexander Robertson, and me, it is possible
that very many years may elapse before any Native
of that little place get the Custody of the Record
from which the copy is taken ; and hardly any other
Person will think it worth his notice We wish
it to be mentioned that my Brother and I mean this
as an inconsiderable Mark of Attention to the Place
of our Nativity, to which we would with the highest
pleasure render a much more important service if it
were in our Power
Believe me to be with much regard
Rev"'' dear Sir
yours etc,
William Robertson.
To M"' James Lawtie, Minister of Fordyce.
CLUNY— (134.)
The follomng, WTitteu by the grandfather of Mr.
J. MacKnight, Tillymorgan, refers to the outbreak of
the plague at Cluny, in 1666 : —
Sir
Nether CoulUe, 7 Febry 1832.
On hearing from your peper of the 23 Janry of
a man of the name of James Baxter who daied of
(at Leith) cholera in conseqimse of bringing some of
the clothes of one of his releations with liim whou
daied at Mushelborough.
This brings to my remembrenoe when the Plage was
last at Aberden, sead to be about the year 1666 of a
person of the name of John Law who lived in Nether-
toun of Drumnahouy in the Esteat of Castel Fresour
being at or near Aberden coming horn found a
pack merchant lying dead of the plage on the Skeen
Ruad near Wliite Myers. The decised having a
plaid about him he unwarely brought it hom with
him when immedntly the plage brock out when 16 or
17 persons deaid in a short time after at or near
MiU and Nethertoon of Drumnahoey. The mode of
interment used — they were all berred clothes and all
in the agesent fields not above three or foure hundred
yeards from there plases of abode. As a pruf of this
sence the turnpeck road to Alfoard there wase a road
made from the Castle of Cluny to goine the sade
turnpeck passing by Nethertoun of Drumnahie the
remains of two men was found, when the belts and
buckbls was found on them not interly conshumed,
and they again were hurried in a place near by the
same spot. I being in my younger days living in the
imidet vicinety of Drumnahoy, and if I were not now
in a state of blindness I could at this day point out
the place where the most of them lie that was hurried
in the feilds agoining.
I now being in my eghtegneth year of age when a
little boy I remember to have seen the farmer of MUl
of Drumnahie of the name of Robertson who is sade
to be about one hmidi-ed years of age who at the time
that the plage had hapned most have been in excist-
ance at that time or a short time after, so as that is
the casse the above statements most be almost corect.
The precoutions taken at Abe""" at that time for
preveting the plage spreding thi-ough the country
kettles with boiUing water was kepet niglit and day
at all the port and aveneous leading to the toun in
order to boill all the monney the country people
rcceved for prevesons &c, they brought to suply the
toun.
STRICKEN— (140).
James Nicol, the Founder of the Strichen Free
School, was by trade a cooper. In early manhood he
emigrated to the United States, with the view of
bettering his condition, but the success that he met
with in the New World not having equalled his ex-
pectations, he soon returned to Scotland, and finally
settled at Strichen, where he eked out a livelihood by
keeping a little shop for the sale of groceries and
naiscellaneous small wares. By the exercise of the
most rigid economy, he contrived to save out of his
slender income a sum of about £400, whicli he left at
his death for the erection and endowment of a Free
School, where the children of poor parents miirht
enjoy the advantage of a better elementary education
than, as he was often heard regretfully to say, he had
himself received.
424
APPENDIX.
The following obituary notice of this benefactor of
the Parish of Strichen, appeared in the Aberdeen
Herald of Decembor 5th, 1840 : —
At Strichen, on the 4th ultimo, James Nicol, feuar,
there, aged 7t>. In the United States of America,
where he spent a few of his earlier years, it is supposed
that he imbibed those extreme democratic views now
so common, which, at a time when they obtained no
support from his contented neighbours, he honestly,
boldly, and consistently maintained, not only in his
immediate intercourse with them, but in several
little works of which he was the author and publisher,
among which may be enumerated — " Letters on
Infant Education," " Thoughts on Crimes and
Punishments," " A Letter to J. H., M.P., 15th
September, 1827," " Some Thoughts on Deism,"
" On Begging," " On Agur's Prayer," " Robbing
of Churchyards," and " The Feeing Markets." Among
some eccentricities of opinion these tracts display the
Author's ardent desire for the amelioration of the
condition of the poorer classes, of which he has given
the strongest practical proof, by bequeathing the
whole fruits of a life of industry and extreme frugality,
about £400, for establishing a free school in the
Village of Mormond, for the teaching of poor
children in the elementary branches of education,
reading, writing, and arithmetic. Sensible of the
inadequacy of his funds for his benevolent purpose,
he empowers his trustees to receive donations and
legacies from individuals disposed to aid in carrying
out his purpose ; and further, expresses himself in the
following words : — " And I earnestly hope that
benevolent individuals connected with Strichen may,
from time to time, be found to do so, and thereby
contribute to promote the best interests of society,
and particularly of the parish and district with which
they are more particularly concerned." It is hoped
that this appeal to parties connected with the district,
and possessing the means, will not be made in vain.
His death is thus notified in the obituary of the
Herald by his special direction.
It may be mentioned that the hope expressed in the
foregoing notice has been to a considerable extent
fulfilled, the late George Gordon, of Strichen,
Pounder of the Gordon Bursaries in the Public
School of that Parish, having by a deed of gift, exe-
cuted in his lifetime, added to the funds of Nicol's
Trust a sum of £600.
STRICHEN-(142).
Extract from " The Sessione Book' of Strichyne
paroch containing the discipline thereof from Mr
Alex"' Ross minister there his entrie in October
1662 " :—
Names of the elders in the parochine of Strichyne
(in 1662).
Thomas Eraser of Strichyne
James Crafford
John Forbes
W"" Taylour
Pat Ross
George Ogstone
Ion Laurence
Alex"' Jack
Andrew Fyvie
■ Lesk
Duncane
Pat. Murray
Thomas Chevis
Ihon Cruden
Ion Rotsone
Thomas Jaffray
Matthew Watsone
Clerks
M"' James Quhyt
John Laurence
Kirk Officer
W- NicoU
FORGUE— (170).
In 1574, Andro Spens was minister of Forgue and
two other parishes. He had a stipend of £60 Scots
with kirklands, and the readership at Forgue, then
vacant, is valued at £16 Scots. The Session Records
contain the following interesting minute anent the
emoluments of the schoolmaster, Nov. 17, 1650 : —
Nov. 17, 1650.
This day by y" vniform csent of y" minister & elders,
Mr. John Massie Avas chosyen to be scoolmaster,
precentor, & clerk to y' Session ; & it was con-
deshended, w*^ consent of y" heritours wadsetters,
yt ye gd jyjj.. John shoidd have for his payus tuo peaks
of meill and half mark of silver of everie plough of
y"" parish yearlie, extending in haUl till ten bols meill,
& fourtie merks of Silver, besydes y^ casualities of
baptisms and manages.
The names of the Elders of the p.arochin of forgue
1640 :—
James Crighton of frendraucht.
Alexander Morison of Bognie.
James Morison in Cubardie.
WUUam Irvin y"'-
Alex'' home y'-
APPENDIX.
425
John Paterson y'-
Robert Reidf iiird in perdarge,
Alex'' Vmphray in Little forgue.
George Sinclair of haddo-milL
James Vmphi'ay in Coniistie.
William Steinson in MiU of Monelie.
John Bisset in drumdolo.
Alex' Leslie in Monelie.
Patrik Cormack in Achaber.
John Sinclair in Raith.
Alex' Leslie in Drumblair.
Alex' Sinclair in Boindsmill.
John Cruckshank in Glenmelin.
James Home in Balgeuenie.
John Home in Corniehaughe.
John Crucshank at MiU of Athintinder.
Robert Creichton of Bainshole.
added 1647.
lliam Chreichton in Cumistie.
. es Davidson in Condland.
. Watt in mil of forgue.
. . Cormach in Achabcr.
Extract from Session Recortls of Forgue : ~
Mar. 3, 1650.
This dy Normand Leslie and James tuickis in ye
muirtoune having been delat to have given away
a fauld to ye guidman, as they' call him, to mak
y' catell stand vpon, citation compeired, and both of
them confessd y* they went to a fauld and promesit
to let it ly onlaboured als long as they possessit
y' tailds and in testificatione y'of they did cart some
stones in ower ye dyke of ye fauld ; wherupon ye
session, judging it to be a most impious and super-
stitious fact, referit them both to ye presbytery and
ordainit them to labour ye said fauld under all heest
censure aud lykeways recommendit to ye elders to
mak inquyrie gif y' war any such landis within ye
parish.
Extract from Records of Presbyteiy : —
Preby. 21 March 1650.
Compeired James Towx in forgue and being ac-
cuised for dedicating some land to the gudeman as
they speak, confessed that he and his nighbor Nor-
moud Irving in respect their goods wer falling resolved
to lay out a peece land unlaboured to essay if that
might be a meanes to causs there beasts to stand.
The assemblie to be consulted what shall be the cen-
sure of those who does the lyke.
MEIGLE— (-287).
The foUoKing hiscripfiotis are froiyi Jiat stones : —
DVO KEY WHA DEPA ....
X IVLI 1641
HVSBAND TO ISOBEL CHRISTISINE
.... OVG KE IN THE MVKSIDB
Heir lyes Alexander Finlaw, indweller in Meigle,
who was
Febrvary anno 1662, and of his age 36
Agnfs Blaik his s
who decesed the 6 of May, anno 1679 and of her
age .... A.F : A.B. This monvment wa* by
William Finlaw, their son, and Aguess Talovr,
his spovs, erected anno 1682. W.P : AT.
Heir lyes David Doge, malster in Meigle, who
departed the 20 of lanvar 1660, and of age 64. And
of his spovs Catharine Vright who departed the 31
of Febervar 1662, of her age 4S.
Heir lyeth interred the body of ane honest man
Robert Stewenson, hvsband to Elizabeth Kae, who
lived in the Myresid of Fvllerton, and was removed
by death the 15 day of May 1686, of his age 57, hir
age . This mon^^nent was erected by John
Stewenson, his son, 1686. Revelation 2 and 10 ve.
Heir lyes ane honest man Iohn Hood, hammer-
man, who depai-ted this life 2 of Avgvst 1694, of age
61 , with his wife Hellen Slidders, who also departed
April 7 day 1694, of her age 61. Bvt I knov that
thow wilt bring me to death and to the hovae apointed
for all living. lob 30, 23.
Heir lies Grizel Christie, spous to
OU, maltman at Chapelton, who departed
this life the 24 day of Dec. 1726, and of her age . .
years, who did bear eight children. This stone was
revised by John Watson, sometime brewer in Meigle,
Anno Domini 1770,
— There had been a brew-seat at Chapelton, at the
time referred to, and in all likelihood, a considerable
hamlet.
John Ritchie, d. 1715 : —
Left bear
Beneath this ston ther lyeth hear,
A man who honest was and trew.
And to this world hath bide adeu,
A slab, which was found in the Drumldlbo Aisle,
after the burning of the Church, bore a carving of the
coulter and sock of a plough, &c., and the following
inscription ; —
g3
426
APPENDIX.
Erected . by John . Henderson . & . Elizabeth .
Small . his . spovse . in . Nevbigging . of . Nevtyld .
in . memory . of . his . parents . vho departed . this
life . Febvrary 17 ... & 1722 . and . of . his . . .
Here Parents and their Daughters ly
And grand-children seven ;
As their Bodies unite, we hope
Their Souls finite in heaven,
To raise above the praises high
Of theii- Abnighty King
And Saviour, who from sin to them
l)id great Redemption bring.
The next three inscriptions are from table-stones : —
WC, I.H
HEIR l.S INTERRED ANE HONEST MAN WILLIAM
CVN INGHAM AND HIS SPCVS lANET HAT. HE WAS
REMOVED BY DEATH THE 24 OF MAT 1688, AND OK
HIS AGE 58 YEARS, AND SHE THE 15 OF OCTOBER 1681,
AND OF HER AGE 44 TEARS.
HEIR IS INTERIED .\NE HONEST MAN lAMES LIGHTON
WITH HIS 5 CHILDREN HUSBAND TO EVPHAIN LESHLIE
WKO LIVED IN MEIGLE AND DEPARTED THE 27 OP IAN.
1686 ,VND OF HIS AGE 48 AND OF HIBS
I L
E L
1701
Here . lyes . aue . honest . man . William .
Kea, . hvsband . to . lanet . Hay, . indveUers . in
. the . Mains . of . Evlertone, . who . departed .
in . the . yeir 1704, . and . of . his . age . 63.
BARRY— (.326).
The folloiiiix'j rental of Barry (c. 1600J is copied
from a MS. at Panmurc : — •
Be this is the particulare informatioune of the haill
plenis and aikers in barrie yat pntlie payes
teind schaiffs, quhat euerie pleuche and aiker
wes RentaUit to befoire ye teind schaiffe wes
led / & quhat chalderis yai extend to conforme
to ye Rentall
Item in the first the grange uf Barrie
RentalUt to . , . . . xlij boUis.
pitscallie haill to . . . . . xlij bollis.
Camovstie to .... . xiiij bollis.
Ouer and neyer barriein\U'e . . . xiiij bollis.
Ureinleahill and badihill . xxxviij aikeris at haltfe.
ane boU ye aiker is . . . xviij boUis halffe.
Tiva milnis . . xiiij aikeris sevine bollis.
Cotsyd lies Croft and aikeris besyd ye
kirk perteining to James Melnile is xxiiij bollis.
Suma abowe is auchtscore ane boll w' ane halfE is
Ten chalderis ane boll w* ane halff.
Thair wes in ye hauche of Barrie, xiiij aikeris land
qlk payes teind bot the twa pairt yairof is urakit wt
watter and sand, sua it is worthe litiU nor nathiug
for opperanelie it wis all urake in schort tyrae.
The land yt payis na teind —
Item in ye first haill Revinsbie & creuldiill,
The Gedhall,
Auoht aikeris land in ye Kirktoune,
twelfle aikeris in ye hauche qlk pertenis to my lord all
wrakit wt watter & sand.
Thair is to be defaUzit after ye chalderis abowe
urettine, chalderis wt ane hunderethe markis
zearlie to ye mr/ twelffe poundis zeirlie to ye
commoune wt ye uphaldine of ye queir.
The Teind schaift wil be zeirlie Aucht scoir bollis,
sum .zeiris betwix aucht & nyne scoire, sum zeiris
nyne scoire, sum zeiris betwix nyne & ten scoire,
seindiU ten scoire, bot it wilbe ofter, betwix aucht &.
nyne nor wyirwayis.
Ane Rentall of the haill fewe mailes and keaynes
payit zeirlie furthe of the parochine of Barrie
excepte woodhilL
Item the grange of Barrie and
neyrbarriemuire . . 29 lib. 13/9, 3 dissone
caponis ane dissone poutrie,
ouirbarriemuire . . 3 lib 15/.
HaiU Ravinsbie C'rewkhill
and ouermilne . . . 25 lib. ane dissone
geise, 6 poutrie.
Haill pitscallie . . .18 lib. four dissone
caponis.
Carnnwstie . . . . S lib. 7', ane dissone
poutrie.
Creuikshill and baudihill . 5 lib. 30 poutrie.
The wther part of Baddiliill . 5 lib. 8/, twa dissone
poutrie.
(4edhall .... 8 lib. 1.3/9d. ij. poutrie.
The neyer Milne . . 7 lib. 6/8d. ane dissone
geise.
The milnehead, and for aikeris
in Badihill . . .58 schillingsl6poutrie.
The Millneden . . .6 lib. 6/9. 9 poutrie.
Cotsyd two croft and aikeris
besyd ye kirk, chapell zairds, 19 lib. 3/, Tua dissone
poutrie, 20 geise.
Item for ye fischingis ye laird
of grange hes, callit gall
and buddo, payis zeiilie . xlvij lib.
APPENDIX.
427
Suma of the haill siluer devties extendis to aucht
sooire xvL lib. sex/Sd. zeirlie.
Of geise, 3 dissone and aucht.
Of capones, — dLssoune.
Of poutrie xij dissone anc les.
Suma of ye haill keanes abowe writtine extendis to
xxij dissone and sevlne.
The wiccarege zeirlie aeording to ye stent Roll ex-
tendis to ane hunderetlie m.arkis, qlk is werray neire
qrof I sail giiie particidar informationne. Woodhill
his wiccarage in . . . qlk is tentit .iccord-
ing to ye stent.
Suma of feu deutie is— 176 lib. 10/8d.
is— 264 mks. in/8d.
MENMITIR— (340).
The foUowinij concise account of General Leighton's
services is extracted from an obitiiari/ notice of
tliat distinguished officer.
Sir David Leighton entered the service of the
late East India Company in 1795, served in the
Mysore campaign of 1799, and was present at the
siege and capture of Seringapatam. He accompanied
the force under the late Duke of Wellington (then
Colonel Arthur Wellesley) in the operations against
the Mahratta freebooter, Dondie Waugh, in 1800, and
took part in the storming of the forts of Dummul,
KoUebad, and Syrhingy. He served in Malabar
during the rebellion in that province in 1803, and in
1815 commanded a brigade in the Dacca iield force.
He took part in the expedition, under Sir Lionel
Smith, to Arabia in 1831, which resulted in the
subjugation of the Arab tribe of Beni Boo Ali. He
held for many years the office of Adjutant-General to
the Bombay Army, and by tlie firmness, regularity,
and impartiality that characterized his administration,
gave general satisfaction, and gained the esteem and
respect of all with whom he was brought in contact.
MENMUIR— (335).
Alexander Guthrie was the son of a previous
-Alexander, and the grandson of David Guthrie and
Janet Stewart in Cookstone, the progenitors of the
numerous race of Guthries in Menmuir and Brechin.
He had a son, also named Alexander, who became
farmer of CouU in Tannadice, and in 1774 married
Barbara Suttie, by whom, in addition to six other
sons and daughters, he had a son Charles, born 17S1,
who married Isabella, daughter of Mr. James LyeU,
farmer, Carcary, and by her became the father of
James and Alexander Guthrie, millspinners, Dundee,
and of three daughters, one of whom is the wife of
the Rev. John Moir, of St. John's Episcopal Church,
Jedburgh.
GENERAL INDEX.
Abercrombie, Dr. .Tohx 174
Abercromby of Birkenbog 101-2,
Gkssaush 102, 109, Over Skeith
194
Abercromby, Sir Ralph 101
Aberdeen, Earls of 23-5
ABERLOUK 76-SO
Adamn.in, Chapel of S. 245
Adamson, Alex. 139, John 139
ADVIE 22-3
AinsUe of Delgaty ZiS
Airlie, Eirls of 111-3, 110, 250
Aitken, Rev. Jas. 361
Alan the Dorward 67, 2S2, 417
Albert, Prince 139, 282
Alexander, ,Tas. 74, Thos. 71, VTm.
74, AVm. 71
Allardyce of .illardyce 203, T'ry
203
Allardyce, Ann (poet.) 174
Anderson of MathiemiU 262
Andersou, Rev. Geo. 353, Jas.
(poet) 3r'.5, John 54, John 377,
M'm. 13S-9
-Vngus, Dr. Geo. 11
.\.nn, Chaplainiy of S. 187-S-9
ARBUTHXOTT 199-208
Arbuthnott, Lords 200, 205
Arbuthnott of Findowi-ie 336-7,
Lentusch 307
Arbuthnott, Alex. 199, 202, .las.
307, Dr. John 199
Archbald, "Wm. 87
Arkley of Duuninald 392
Arthur, Euph. 123
Arthur, King 293
ACCHIXDOIR 208-14
Auchrannie, Slugs of 257
AUCHTKRHOUSE 1-5
AlQl'HORTHIES 350
Baden ACH-NicoLSON. (See Xicol-
" Badenoch, AVolf of " 21, 276
Baird of Strichen 136, Try 290
Ballater, Village of 160
BANCHORY-DEVENICK 277-S5
Bannerman, Christ. 124
Barbour, John (poet) 305
Banday Allardyce. {See AH irdyce)
Barclay of Towie 221-2. 233-4
Barra, Hill of 76
BARRY 320-33
BARTHOL CHAPEL 355 0
P.axter of KilcaUirum 300
Seattle, Dr. Jas. (poet) 122, 215
Bell founders— Burgerhuys, Jolin
310, Michael 30, 64, 333, Gely,
Albertus 101, Jansen, Peter 59,
84, Kilgoui', Pat. 156, Lowson,
And. 153, Jlowat, John 14, .30,
127, 200, 273. 409, Spicht, John
108, Ter Horst, Hendi'ick 136,
Vandenghein, John 322, Peter
298
Bell, Curious ol.l 150-1
Bible, First Scotch 202-3
BIRSE 43-9
Bisset, Rev. Dr. 75
Black, Rev. Dr. 353
Blairs College 120
Blund, Hugh le 201-2
Boece, Hector (hist.) 47, 03, 208,
317
Bond, Eliz. 109
Bonar, "Wm. (poet) 75
Boswell of Kingcausie 120-1
BOTRIPHNIE 10-3
Boulders — Bowman's Stone 308,
Conveth St ne 272, Crichtou
Stone 308, Devil's Stane 29.
Doupin' Stane 135, Fedderat
Stane ,308, Girdlestane 406,
Graystane (of Cluny) 134, King
Dardanus' Staue 47, Keith'sSt.ane
308, Piper's Stane 76, Ringin' or
Ringan's Stane 334, Stanin'
Stanes of Bourtie 75, of Rayae
308, Wolfst^ine 135
BOURTIE 72-0
Bower of Kilcaldrum 302-3
Bower, Arch. 302-3, Rev. John 123
Brand, Geo. 203
Brewster, Rev. Dr. 392-3, Sir
David 393
Brichan, Jas. B. 53
Bridges — Abeilour SO, Banchory-
Devenick 279, 283-4, Barry 332,
Birse 48, Clatt 90, Cortacby 117,
Craig 396, Cromdale 22, CuUen
198, Dallas 120, Dnimoak 371,
Dyk>? 54, Glengairn 109, Gleuisla
2.57, Inverarity 304, Kinnell 42,
Slaiyculter 125, Sleigle 295-6,
Methlick 29, Nigg 19, Ruthven
187, SLains 251, Stracathro 245,
Strichen 144, T-.irland 269, Tullich
101
Brodie of Brodie 50-2, 53, Lethen
52.
Brown, Jas. 40, Rob. 39, Rob. 389
Buchan, Earls of 2
Burness, John (poet) 287
Burnett-Cr.iigie. (Sec Cr.iigie)
Burnett of Caimdye 132, Glen-
bervie 345, Sauchen 132
Bums, Robert (poet) 347
Byron, Djrd (poet) 123-4, 158-9,
161
Cadekhead, Family of 367
CAIRNEY 30-2
Cairns— Balliduff's 294, Black 308,
Cairmieve 277, S. Caral's 35,
(Birse) 47, Courtcaim 134, Drum's
308, Gerrie's 214, Hare 244, Three
Cairns of Memsie 03, Tiilydeff's
308
Caliler of Asswanley 244
Calder, Jas. 15
Campbell of Moy 55, Stracatliro
240, Troup 221
Campbell, Lord Chanc. 90
Camperdown, Earls of 64
Camps, Roman 152, 181
Cant, Rev. And. 397-8, 400
CARBUDDO 151-3
Carmichael, Alex. 21, Lewis 21
Carnegie-Arbuthnott. (See Arbuth-
nott)
Carnegie of Balnamoon 336, 341,
KinneU 42
Carnoustie, Village of 328
Castles (chiefly old)— Allardyce 203,
Auchanachy 35, Auchindoir 208,
B-allinshoe 3^5, Balquhollie 223,
BaiTa 70, Birse 48, Black Jack
390, Biignie 183, Bracklay 165,
Brakie 41, Brechin 317, Brodie
56, Cairnbulg 58, Caterthun
(Fort) 341, Cluny 130, Corse 417,
Cortachy 113, Craig (Auchindoir)
212-3, Craig (Glenisla) •2.57, Craig
430
GENERAL INDEX.
(Craig) 396, CuUen 197, Dalpersie
88, Darnaway 50, Deskford 155,
Delgaty 232, Dorward 417, Drum
370, Drumbarrow (Fort) 406,
Drumminor 218, Drummuir 13,
Dunnichen (Fort) 406, Findlater
106-7, 191, Castle Forbes 89,
Forthar 256, Fowlis 71, Castle
Fraser 82, 127-8, Frendraught
183, 171, Castle Grant 21,
Guthrie 149-51, Hatton 223,
Huntly 385, lualtrie 155, Inver-
aUochy 63, Inverquharity 365,
Kearn 218, Kelly 28, Kinnord
159, 160, Knock 165, Leslie 333,
Lickleyhead 343, Lochindorb 21,
Midmar 82, 84, Migvie 270,
Mucbroch 21, Muriel's, Rath 9,
Panmure 317, Pitcur 99, Pitlurg
31, Pitsligo 402-3, Pittullie 403-4,
Portsoy 109-10, Rineatan 169,
Rothes 10, Ruthven 184, 187,
Shethin 355, Slains 246, 250,
Strathbogie 385, Tealing 376,
Tillycaim 135, Tolquhon 350,
Towie-233, Turacastle 126
Chalmers of Aldbar 120, 293,
Strichen 141-2
Chalmers, Rev. Dr. 394
Cheyne, Dr. Geo. 29
CHRIST'S KIRK 8-10
" Christ's Kirk on the Green " 10
Circles, Stone 8, 23, 35, 47, 76, 84,
126, 134, 141, 181, 277, 282, 322,
325, 355, 364, 376, 414, 415, 41G
Citharista, John of 25
Clark, Sir .Tas. 103-4
Clark of TillyiM-onie 104, 271
CLATT 86-90
CLOVA 117-8
CLUNY 127-35
Cockle, Alex. 124
Coins, Discs, of Anc. 8, 49,50
Cochrane of Balfour 16, 44
CoUace of Balnamoon 336
CONVETH. (See Inverkeithny)
Cooper, Geo. 88
Corbet of Bieldside 280
Cordiner of Cortes 143
CORTACHY 110-7
COULL 415-7
Coutts of Hallgreen 195, 374
Coutts, Family of (Glengaim) 166
Cove, Village of 19
CRAIG 386-96
Craig, Thos. 351, Wm. 351-2
Craigie of Linton 132
Crichton of Frendraught 170-2, 272,
276
CROMDALE 20-2
Cruden, Rev. Dr. 15
Culbin, Sands of 57
CULLEN 187-99
Cullen, Town of 198
CULSALMOND 322-6
Cumine of Auchry 404
Cuming of Altyre 126, Craigmill
125-6
Cupmarked Stones 294, 331, 341,
376, 414
DALFAD 167
Dalgardno, Christ. 224
Dalhousie, Earls of 310-4
DALLAS 125-7
Darling of Lednathie 360
Daun, Rob. 32
David.'ion of Balnagask 17-8, Dess-
wood 266, Inchmarlo 266, 307,
Kebbity 81, Tillychetly 266
Davidson, John 17, John 206
DA V(OT 408-15
Dawan, Loch of 1.59
Deer, Book of 231
Dempster of Dunnichen 99-100,
407, Skibo 407
Dempster, Thos. (hist.) 234
DESKFORD 153-5
DIPPLE 258-61
Discijiline, Instr. of Kirk 186-7
Don, Dr. Jas. 243
Donald, Alex. 380
Douglas, Marquises of 364-5
Douglases of Glenbcrvie 344 5
Drum, Loch of 368
DRUMDELGIE 32-3
DRUMOAK 365-71
Duif of Culbin 54-5, Corsindae 81,
Dip] lie 260, Drummuir 11-12,
Hatton 223, Maldavit 188-9
Duguid of Auchlunies 73-4
Dunbar, Bp. 283-4
Dunbar of Binns 55, Durn 103,
Durris 55, 264
DUNBENNAN 377-82
Duncan of Lundie 64-5, 67
Duncan, Adm. 64, 404, Alex. 104,
194.
Dundee, Viscount of 79-80
DUNNICHEN 404 8
DUNNINALD 391-3
Duthie of Cairnbulg 58
Dyce, Jas. 414
DYKE 49 .54
Eagle's Heugh, The 286
Elphinstone of Glack 410
Elphinstone, Bp. 283
Emslie, Jos. 267, JIrs 15
Errol, Earls of 246-7, 250-1
Erskine of Carbuddo 152
ESSIL 261-5
Fairbairn of Easter Migvie 270
Fail-weather, Family of 340
Fare, Hill of 84
Farquhar of Mounie 410
Farquharson of Balfour 45, Broch-
darg 252, Cluny 1(52, Haughton
126, Monaltrie 1.56-7, White-
house 1.57
Fasken, F'amily of 274
Ferryden, Village of 390
Findlater, Earls of 101, 102-3
Findon, Village of 2S6
Forbes, Lords 21 1-5, 218
Forbes of Black ford 3.56-7, Boyndlie
181, Corse 417, Craigievar 322,
417, Ciaigton 215, 223, Echt 75,
353, Haddo 79, Leslie 333,
Lethenty 413, Monymusk 21.5,
Pitsligo 215, 397-8, 403, Schivas
352, Tolquhon 350-1
Forbes, Sir John 103
FORDYOE 100-7
Fordyce of Ardo 278
Fordyce, Geo. 228
FORGUE 170-83
Forgue, Ep. Church of 179-81
Forrester of De.vhouse 326-7
Forsyth, Wm. 379
Forteseue of Kingcausie 121
Forvie, Sands of 2.50
Fothringhara of Fothringham 301,
Tealing 374
Foulerton-Grant. (See Grant)
FOWLIS EASTER 68-72
Fox, Charles Jas. 169-70
F'raser, Lords Lovat 41, 63, 136, of
Castle Eraser 63, 127-8, Durris
135, Memsie 58, Philorth 58, 63,
403, Strichen 135, 142-3, WiUiam-
ston 325
FuUerton of Fullerton 289, 294
FUTHCUL. (See Baiihol Chapel)
Fyfe-Duff. (Sec Duff)
Garden, Alex. 45, Alex. 173,
Peter 414
Garden-Campbell. (See Campbell)
Garmouth, Village of 265
Gartly, Baron of 30
GARVOCK 318-22
Gauld, Harry (poet) 212
Gavin of Easter Braikie 37-8, 419
Gavin, Dr. Alex. 140
Geekie of Baldowrie 94
Geekie, Dr. Alex. 93
Gerard, Family of 227-8
Gibb, Jas. 92-3, Rob. 142-3
Gibb of Cults 17
Gibbon, Chas. 16
GiU of Blairythan 401
Gillemor, Scolog of Tarland 265
Glass, Rev. John 375, Mrs. 80
Glaster of Glack 410
Gleig, Bp. 207, Rev. G. R. 207
GLENBERVIE 344-9
GLENGAIRN 165-70
GLENISLA 251-8
Glenisla, Old Rental of 2.57-8
GLENMUIGK 161-5
Glenuie, Rev. Dr. 122, John S.
Stuart 123, 294, 346
Gordon, Earls of Aberdeen 23-5,
Earls of Huntly 385-6, of Aber-
geldie 161-2, ArdmeaUie 382,
Auchindoir 208-9, Avochie 382-3,
Cairnbulg 58, Cluny (old) 48,
127, 129-30, (new) 131-2, Comray
258-9, Craig 208-9, Cults 322-3,
Dorlathers 224, Ellon 121, Fyvie
29, 124, Knockespock 87, Les-
more 350, Newton 326, Pitlurg
GENERAL INDEX.
431
30-1, Eothney 323, Stralocli 31,
Wardhouse 7-8
Gordon, Geo. 140, Lieut. -Col. 26
Grant of Aberlocr 77, 80, Carron
80, Drumininor 216-7, Elchies 77,
79, 80, "Wardhouse 7-8, 80, Kin-
corth 20-1.
Grant, Mrs. 80, Dr. Geo. 34
Grantown, VOlage of 22
Gray, Lords 68-9, 72
Gray of Sohivas 352
Gregory, Jas. 366
Grierson. [Sec McGregor)
GUTHRIE 144-51
Guthrie of Burnside 337-8, Craigie
149, 301, Guthrie 145, 148-9,
301, Kincaldrum 301-2, Taybanls
149, 301
Guthrie, Bp. 149
HADDO 179
Hacket, Geo. (poet) 60-2
Hahlane of Aii-threy 65, Gleneagles
65-6.
Hall, John 229
HallyViurton of Pitcur 91
Hardmuir 56 7
Hatton, Sir John 43 4
Hay of Delgaty 220, 232, Errol
246-7, 2.50, Rannes 343, Tolyboyll
189.
Hay, Col. 22, Mr. Jas. 248
Hay-Milii (See Miln)
Henderson of Casldeben 157-8
Henry, John 179, Mr. 365
Herald, Alex, (poet) 148
Hogg of Sliannaburn, 281
Hood, Festival of Robin 206-7
Hume, Rev. E. 400
H umphrey of Comalegy 104
HUNTLY 374-86
Hutcheon, Jas. 143
INCHBRAYOCK 387-91
Innes of Colquoich 270, Kinner-
nionie 78
INVERARITY 298-304
TNVERKEITHNY 271-7
Inventory, Curious 47
Irvine of Auchindoiv 209, Drum
368-70, Kingcausie, 120
Irvine-Burnett. [See Biu'nett)
jAi-KRAY, Jas. 138
Jamieson, And. 6
Jolly, Bp. 227, 230-1
Johnson, Dr. S. 141, 247
Johnston, jUtliur (poet) 218, 350-1
Jonson Ben (poet), 265, 270
KEARN 214-9
Kearn, Ep. Ch. of 218
Kemble, John 26
Kesson, John (poet) 269
Kethenis, Ingi'am of 372
KETTINS, 90-100
Kilgour, Dr. Alex. 19
KINEKNY S.5-6
King, Family of 72-3
Kingston, Village of 265
KINLOCH CHAPEL 296-7
Kinloch of Kinloch 287, 296-8,
Kilrie 297, 362. Parle 371
Kinloch, David 297, Wni. 207-8
Kinnaiid of Culbin 52, 57
KINNELL, 35-42
KINNETHMONT 5-8
KIXXOIR 382-6
Kiiinoril, Lnch of 159-60
KIliKliT'DDO. (See Carbuddo)
KIltRIKJIUIR 357-65
Kirriemuir, Town of 355
Knights Templars 75, 78, 118, 159,
198, 234, 294, 303
Knowles, Rev. Geo. 46
Kyd of WoodhiU 329-30
Laixg. Al. (Strao.) (poet) 242, Al.
(Brech.) (poet) 242
Laurence, Chapel of S. 318
Leighton, Family of 339-40
Leighton, Gen. D. 340, 427, Bp.
Henry 3S6, Archbp. Rob. 396
Leith of Kingudie (Blair) 73
Leith, Lieut. -Gen. 6
Leith-Hay. (See Hay)
LESLIE 333-5
Leslie of Balquhain 5, Eirdsbank
198, Warthill 305 6
Letham, Village of 408
Lind John, 27-8
Lindsay, Lord 85
Lindsay, Bp. 288
Lindsay-Carnegie. (See Carnegie)
Linn, The Reekie 2.57
Longueville, Thomas de 72, 3.50
Lovat, Lord 41, 63, 136
Lumsden of Clova 213, 343
Lumsden, Village of 213
Limdie 63-8
Lyall of Kinnordy 362-3
Lyall, Sir Chas. 363
Lyon of Carnoustie 329
JIacdonald of Rineatan 168-9,
St. Martins 169, 396
Mackenzie of Glack 75, 410, Glen-
muick 117, 165, Stracathro 239
Mackenzie, Geo. (poet) 257
Mackenzie-Fraser. (See Eraser)
Macleod of Dalvey 52
Slacpherson-Cirant. (See Grant)
Maitland of Pittrichie 24
Maitland, Dr. Chas. 24, John 273
Mansfield of Midmar 81-2
Malison of Fingask 73, Kilblean 73
Marischal, Earl 59, 83, 136
Mart:n, Jas. 2.55, Theod. 60
MARYCULTER 118-125
Maules of Panmure 310-4, 331-2,
373
Ma.xweU of Tealing 373-4
M'Bey, John 33
M'Combie of Forthar 252
M'Gregor of Dalfad 167-8
Mearns, ..Uex. 133, Rev. Dr. oiJo
MEIGLE 287-98
Meigle, Village of 296
Melville, Sheriff 320-1, And. 396,
Jas. 396
MENMUIR 335 42
Menzies of Pitfodels 18, 119, 124,
283
Menzies, Geo. (poet) 207
Meston, Wra. 82, Wm. (poet) 83
JIETHLICK 23-30
Slithlick, Village of 29
:\[1I).MAK SO-5
iMlOVIE 269-71
Miln of Balwyllo 329, Carnoustie
329, Woodhill 329
Milne of Melgum 227, 271, 378
Milne, Jas. 274, Wm. 274
Mitchell, Bp. 321, Thos. 225
Moir, Kobt. 28
Moray, Earls of 50
Morgan, Rev. Jas. 204
Mormond, ^Miite Horse of 143
Mormond, Village of 144
MOY 54-7
Morison of Bognie 170, 172-3, ISO,
182
Morrison, Kev. Dr. 279-80-81, Jas.
180
Mowats of Ardo 223
Murray, Geo. (poet) 383-4
Murray of Potento (Cardean) 295
New Leeds, Village of 144
Nicol of Ballogie 45, 49, 205
Nicolson, Bp. 288
Nicolson of Glenbervie 345-6
NIGG 14-9
Ogilvy, Earls of Airlie 42, 111-3,
256, Ban-as 240, Blairock 198,
Fiiidlater 101, 106, 190-1, lu-
verquharity 113, 258, Liutratheii
113, 343, Redhythe 107, Kuthven
184
Ogilvy, Maj.-Gen. Jas. 103, Jas.
(poet) 365, Dr. John (poet) 385
Ogilvy-Ramsay. (See Ramsay )
Ogston of Ardo 278-9
Oughton, Adm. 195
Outrani, Sir Jas. 75
PANBRIDE 309-18
Panmure, Earls of 310 14
Paton of AuchaiToch 389-90
Paton, Rev. Dr. 389, Geo. 389,
John 389
PattuUo, Lieut. -Col. 51
Petiie, Bp. 378
PhUip, Rob. 124
Picts' Houses 4, 47, 99, 134, 186,
270-1, 294, 316, 364, 376, 416-7
Pirie, Rev. Dr. 247
PITSLIGO 396-404
Pitsligo, Lords 397-8, 403
l*oetry, Churchyard-
Adam and Eve 2 42
Afflictions sore 141
A irood wife 3 J
432
GENERAL INDEX.
All, all must pass 391
All flesh doth 299
All passengers 339
All who behold 330
All ye, my Friends 122
Altho' our Bodys 3i7
Although my ashes 224
A man and 's wife 401
A man, perhaps 405
And now this litl peice 291
An honest man 204
Any man that please 39
Artist, or Sage, 361
A Sacrifice to Time 60
As I die 280
As many says 348
A surviving brother 227
As we be 328
At sides and foot 40
A wit is a feather 401
Becaiis my soule 3
Below this stone 147, 286
Beneath wide ocean's 275
Beside this stone 147
Both hot and cold 83
But now she serves 147
By grace I say 22
Can storied urn 143
Dear Friends, come 285
Dear wife and 17
Death is a debt 254
Deaths close approach 300
Decreed by God 328
Deuot and pious 95
Devote aud piovs 95
Each letter'd stone 320
Earth affords not 293
Enough cold stone 270
Farewell ! but not 300
Fearst thou, faint Heai-t 340
Forbear to mourn 40
For further Honors 409
For twelve shoi-t yeai-s 286
FraU man, his days 204
Fread from al sin 405
From Death, tho' 4
From ye Scotish 37
Gallant Kinloch his famous 297
. . cal a . . . mortals 242
Good to be lost 229
Hail ! happy soul 413
Harmless and pious 74
Heauen keeps the bouI 147
Heaven keeps his sovl 291
Here are two 12
Here doth a vugin 405
Here Elizabeth lies elude 147
Here in my silent gi'ave 74
Here in the dust 368
Here is inter'd 292
Here Ues Adam Smith 334
Here lies Barclay 221
Here lies interred 393
Here lies James Milner 334
Here lies John Kesson 268
Here lies one moiUdeiiag 281
Here hes the dust 328
Here Ues tlie Smith 391
Here lyes a sober 299
Here lyes James Vinter 114
Here lyes our loving 299
Here lyes the bones 39
Here lys a man 115
Here rests the bones 148
Her friends the half 390
His bed is in 17
How frail is man 328
How loved, how valued 1 40
If candor and humility 300
If doctors drogs 292
If good renown 07
If pious virtue 291
If virtue will 66
If you would know 39
I in the bloom 147
I leave the world 115
I lived almost 371
In all our i^lace 105
In Camie sure 368
In foreign lands 4
In her who under 292
111 hope to sing 141
In love she lived 362
In memory of Jacob's 315
In one house 306
In prime of life 299
Interred here 242
In tomb two blotless 375
In tyme tlispone 95
Isabella Wilson in 249
John Baxter and 141
Kind reader, mourn 378
Let further honour 74
Let us the love 70
Life is a journey 255
Life's but a shade 204
Live well and fear 254
Like crowded forest 255
Lo ! how the dark 223
Lord what is man 340
Loved for his worth 361
Mark here the true 98
Methinks X see 40
Mindful of thy doom 71
Mor through regard 6
My dear and lovely 280
My friend thou hast 138
My life's a shade 316
My once fair body 137
My sledge and hammer 12
No wonder tho' man 78
O Annie, dear 155
O blest exchange 141
O fatil death 95
Of dust I am 391
Of human frailty 340
Of Robert Browny 132
O happy soul 292
Oh ! why should the 320
O moi-tal man 128
One Joy me Joy"d 401
On monday i saw 249
O passenger he 138
O tread these 138
Our life is 292
O ye who run 179
I*oor mortal man 148
Possessed of All 40
Reader, you see by 254
Religion pure and 33
Remember, Friends 285
Remember, man, as you 217
Remember, man, how 405
Seeds die and rot 315
She like a flour 49
She soon expired 361
She was a woman 313
She was — but words 330
She was one of those 98
Stay, passenger 70
Stop, heedless passenger 40
Such is the fate 330
Sweet paradise ! to me 327
The glass is run 137
The king of terrors 94
The weaver's art 390
Thine own death 328
Think every day 315
Think ye who view 315
This honest man 397
This honest skipper 390
This loss by mortal 122
This lovely saint 185
This man and wife 4
This modst ston 299
This plain stone 212
This young man 405
Tho' Coins' blasts 195
Tho' infaut years 319
Tliou art gone 52
Time rij^ens mortals 70
To-day I have my wife 249
Twenty and eght 300
Twice 19 years 78
Underneath this ston 315
Under this monument 38
Under this ston 291
"Well did she act 53
"When nature first 71
"When res ui'rect ion's houi" 53
When thousands of winters 53
'\\^len woi-th like hers 249
"While old gray heads 292
"Whose body too 377
William AVatson lys 60
Within this grave 217
Years ten times seven 93
Young sprightly lads 348
PORTLETHEN 255-7
PORTSOY 107-10
Portsoy, Town of 107, 110
PREMNAY 342-3
Proctor, Patrick 79
Rae, Dr. Alex. 227
Rainj', Alex. 178
Ramage, Rev. Alex. 133
Ramsay of Barra 76
Ramsay, Rev. Dr. 49, Wm. 115,
Allan (poet) 10
RATHEN 57-63
RATHMURIEL. {Sec Christ's
Kirk)
Rattray of Kirkhilloc':s 255
4
GENERAL INDEX.
433
RAYNE 304-9
Reicl of Barra 76, Pitf odels 119, 213
Renny of Usan 393
Rhymes, Popular 68, 80, 144, 234,
245, 258, 294, 305, 331, 409
Eiddocli, Geo. 104
KINEATAN 168-9
Riven, Tarn o' 34
Robertson, Al. 134, Geo. 205, Jas.
162, Rev. Dr. Jas. 398-9, Dr.
Jos. 75, 206, Wm. 107
Robertson of Hopewell 271
Rose, Rev. Mr. 49
Rosehearty, Village of 404
Eoss, Archbp. 49, 86
Ross of Rossie 386-7
Rust, Rev. James 247
RUTHVEN (Abd.)33-5
RUTHVEN (Ang.) 183-7
Saints—
Adamnan 245
Aldan 335
Andrew 304
Bridget 20, 90 _
Boethius or Buite 151
Brioc 387
Caral or Cyiil 33
Caran 342
Colm or Columba 107, 110, 408
Congan 219
Constantine 404
Devenick 23, 277
Drostan 76
Englat or Englacius 349
Etliernan 57
Fergus 54
Fiacre 14
Finnan 269
Fumack 10
James 318
John 135, 153
Lawrence 63
Malruib 35
Maluack 20, 183, 265
Margaret 170
Marnoch, 68, 326
Martin 30
Mary 1, 118, 144, 161, 1S7, 208,
251, 357
Mayot or Mazota 365
Michael 43, 125, 344
Moloch 86
Mungo 165, 382
Muriel 8
Nathalan 155, 415
Nidan 80
Peter 32, 261, 287, 371
Regulus or Rule 5, 236
Serf, 322
Skeoch 391
Stephen 326
Talaricanus 100
Ternan 199, 245
Saltoun, Lord 58
Saughs, Battle of 11 4-5
Scott of Dunninald 394-5, Logie
395, Rossie 388, Usan 393-4
Scott Al. 380, And. 71, Jas. 387,
John 88
Scrymsoure of Tealing 374
Scrymsoure-Fothr. (See Fothering-
ham)
Sculptured Stones — Bourtie 75,
Clatt 89, Craig 396, t'ulsalmond
325, Drumoak 368, Dunnichen
406, Glammis 321, Guthrie 148,
Kettins 99, Kinnell 41, Kirrie-
muir 363-5, Meigle 287, 290, 293-4,
aienmuir 341, Higvie 270, Moni-
kie 331, Moy 56, Ruthven (Ang.)
186, Ruthven (Ab.) 34, Tealing
376, Tidlich 159, Tuniflf 232
Sourdargue, Jock o' 34
Seafield, Earis of 192-3, 199
Sellar, Thos. 12
Setons of Mounie, 411-2 _
Shand of Templeland 175
Shaw of Crandart 252, Newhall
97-8
Shepherd of Lundie 244
Shirra-Gibb. (See Gibb)
Sliirreffs-Gordon. (See Gordon)
Sibbald, John «» /<?'-)
Sim, Rt. 34
Sinclairs of Findlater and Desk-
ford 106, 155
Simpson of Cobairdy 177, C'ollie-
hiU73
Skair of Bumside 333
Skinner, Bp. 230-1, Rev. John
(poet) 45
SLAINS 245-51
Slains, Loch of 251
Small of Kirkhillocks 256
S. MARY'S CHAPEL 393-0
Smith, Dr. G. 75, Rev. Jas. 158-9,
Rev. Jos. 46, Rt. 267
Soy, Loch of 109
Speid, Geo. 77
SPEYMOUTH 258-65
S. SKEOCH 391-3
Steill, John 98
Sterrit-Duff. (See Duff)
Stormonths of Lednathie 359-60
Stormonth-Darling. (See Darling)
STRACATHRO 236-45
Strachan Bp. 321, Jas. 105
STRICHEN 135-44
Strichen, Lord 135
Stuart of Inchbreck 346, Laithers
223, 346
Stuart, John 177, 280
Suxoerstitions, various 5, 13, 19, 30,
123, 182-3, 214, 225, 251, 318, 333
Symers of Balzeordie, 222, 290,
341, Cults 17
Symers, Rev. Dav. 97
Tailtol'R of Borrowfield 393
Tait, Adam 66
TARLAND 265-9
Tarland, Village of 269
TARVES 349-57
Taylor, Jas. 99, 100, The water
poet 265
Tealing 371-6
Tevendale, Eliz. (poet. ) 207
Thom, Rev. Rt. 349
Thomson of Banchory 281-2
Thomson, Geo. ISl, Jas. 30
Thurburn of Murtle 31
Torry, Village of IS
Trefor, Hill of 63
TULLICH 155-61 v, '
Tulloch, Rev. Dr. 99
TuUoes, Old Rental of 408
TurnbuU of Dalladies 240-1
Turnbull, John 387
TURRIFF 219-36
TURRIFF, EP. CH. of 229-31
Turriff, Town of 236 '
Tillylodge, Slack of 417
Usan, Village of 396
Vallognes of Pannnire 310
Vass, Hem y 54
Walker, Rev. Dr. 30-7, Isoh. 414
Wallace, Margaret 62
AVatson of Blackford 62, 357
Watson, Geo. 62
Watt. L. (ooet) 365
Webster, Mr. 365
AVedderburn-Ogilvy. (See Ogilvy)
Wedderbiirn, John 2
Wells- Brad (S. Bride's) 99, Cam-
perdown (formerly S. Cousan's)
404, S. Caral's 35, S. Caran's
342, S. Colm's 49, Chapel 151,
414, S. Fiacre's (or S. Fittach's)
19, S. Fumack's 13, Galhia-
Water, 30, Holy 90, The Hudd's
75, James' 318, S. John's 153,
Kate's 343, The King's 368,
Ki-yle's 272, Lady 5, 252, S.
Leveret's 342, Madie's 35, Mary's
344, S. Mary's 214, 325,
Mayot's 305, Michael's 125,
S. Michael's 49, 325, S.
Mungo's 382, Nine Maiden 117,
218, S. Oyne's (or Eyen's) 62,
Peter 124, S. Peter's 371,
Priest's 9, Sbrule's (S. Rule's)
236, Tam o' Riven's 34, S.
Tarkin's 106, S. Ternan's 245,
Tipper 134
Wemyss of Craighall 5
Wemyss, Col. Wm. 379
Wilkie of Auchlishie 362, New-
barns 362
Wilkie, Sir D. (artist) 206, Geo. 365
Wilson, Jas. 109
Wishart of Logie 358
Woodhouslee, Lord S2
Yevlo, Pat. 95
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