Edinburgh : Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE
FOB
DAVID DOOQLA8
LONDON . . . SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON,
KKNT AND CO., LIMITED
CAMBRIDOR . . MACMILLAN AND BOWES
GLASGOW . . JAMBS MACLEHOSB AND SOK8
THE
SCOTS PEERAGE
FOUNDED ON WOOD'S EDITION
OF SIR ROBERT DOUGLAS'S
peerage of >cotiant>
CONTAINING
AN HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL ACCOUNT
OF THE NOBILITY OP THAT KINGDOM
EDITED BY
SIR JAMES BALFOUR PAUL
LORD LYON KING OP ARMS
WITH ARMORIAL ILLUSTRATIONS
VOLUME IV
EDINBURGH : DAVID DOUGLAS
1907
All rights reserved
Cs
?35
CONTENTS
AND LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS
PAGE
FIFE, THE ANCIENT EAELS OF, 1
FINDLATEB, OGILVY, EARL OF, 16
FORBES, FORBES, LORD, 42
With full-page. Illustration.
FORBES OF PITSLIGO, FORBES, LORD, .... 60
FORFAR, DOUGLAS, EARL OF, T7
FORRESTER, FORRESTER, LORD, 80
FORTH, RUTHVEN, EARL OF, 101
FRASER, ERASER, LORD, 107
FRENDRAUGHT, CRICHTON, LORD, 123
GALLOWAY, ANCIENT LORDS OF, 136
GALLOWAY, STEWART, EARL OF, 145
With full-page Illustration.
GARNOCK, LINDSAY, VISCOUNT, 17*
GLASFOORD, ABERCROMBY, LORD, I? 9
GLASGOW, BOYLE, EARL OF I 83
WithfuU-page Illustration.
GLENCAIRN, CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF, .... 222
GOWRIE, RUTHVEN, EARL OF, 254
vi CONTENTS
PA(iK
GRAY, GRAY, LORD, 269
With full-page Illustration,
HADDINGTON, RAMSAY, VISCOUNT OF, .... 297
HADDINGTON, HAMILTON, EARL OF, 303
With full-page Illustration.
HALIBURTON OF DIRLETON, HALIBURTON, LORD, . . 330
HAMILTON, HAMILTON, DUKE OF, 339
With full-page Illustration.
HERRIES OF TERREGLES, LORD, 398
With full-page Illustration.
HOLYROODHOUSE, BOTHWELL, LORD, .... 425
HOME, HOME, EARL OF, 440
With full-page Illustration.
HOPETOUN, HOPE, EARL OF, 485
With fuU-page Illustration.
HUNTLY, GORDON, MARQUESS OF, 506
With full-page Illustration.
HYNDFORD, CARMICHAEL, EARL OF, . 563
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO VOL. IV.
J. A., , . . REV. JOHN ANDERSON, Curator Historical De-
partment, H.M. General Register House.
J. A., LL.D., , . COLONEL ALLAKDYCE.
R. E. B., . . COLONEL THE HON. ROBERT BOYLE.
E. G. M. C., . . EVELYN G. M. CARMICHAEL.
E. M. F., . . MRS. E. M. FULLARTON, ne'e HOME.
C. T. G., . . CHARLES T. GORDON.
A. T. G., . . REV. ALEX. THOMSON GRANT.
F. J. G., . . . FRANCIS J. GRANT, Rothesay Herald.
D. C. H., . . DAVID C. HERRI ES.
A. W. I., . . ALEXANDER W. INGLIS.
W. A. L. . . WILLIAM A. LINDSAY, K.C., Windsor Herald.
J. B. P., . . . SIR JAMES BALFOUR PAUL, Lyon King of Arms.
A. R., . . . ANDREW Ross, Ross Herald.
A. F. S., . . .A. FRANCIS STEUART.
J. K. S., . . . J. K. STEWART.
THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE
IFB (with Fothreve, the
modern Kinross) was one
of the seven provinces
into which ancient Scot-
land was divided, and
which were governed
each by its regulus or
mormaer in subjection
to the Ard-Ri, the King
of Scotland.
Douglas in his Peerage
begins the line of Earls
of Fife with MACDUFF,
whom he styles Thane
of Fife, but John of
Fordun, who flourished
in the latter half of the
fourteenth century, was theflrst to create Macduff Thane
and Earl of Fife, and his story has been embellished and
handed on by Wyntoun, Boece, and Buchanan. The whole
narrative, however, has been discredited by later historians,
first by George Chalmers, 1 and more recently by Dr. Skene,
while the writer of the article * Macduff ' in the Dictionary
of National Biography calls him * a half or wholly mythical
personage.' The early English chronicles, too, will be
searched in vain for the name of Macduff in connection with
the defeat of Macbeth and the placing of Malcolm Oanmore
on his throne. They are unanimous in giving the credit of
that act to Siward, the great Earl of Northumberland, and
uncle of Malcolm, at the instigation of King Edward the
Confessor. And with this statement agrees the Chronicle
1 Caledonia, ii. 712.
VOL. IV.
2 THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE
of Melrose, under date 1054, which is the date given by
all the English chronicles. 1
Of the existence, then, of Macduff, Thane or Earl of Fife,
there is not a particle of proof. In the Cartulary of the
Priory of St. Andrews, where one might have expected to
find him named, he nowhere appears. If it be objected
that charters of Macduff's date could hardly be found
in Scotland, there will be found in that Cartulary memo-
randa of grants of land by persons not only contemporary
with, but of an earlier date than, that of the supposed
Macduff. 1
I. EDELRAD, or Ethelred (the name is found with both
spellings), the third son of King Malcolm Canmore, was
undoubtedly the first Earl of Fife. 3 He is so designed in a
grant of land made by him to the Culdees of Loch Leven.
This grant appears in two versions, the shorter of which
probably follows the original, 4 while the notice in the
Register of St. Andrews is evidently of later date. In both
forms Ethelred describes himself as ' son of Malcolm, King
of Scotland, Abbot of Dunkeld, and also (et insuper) Earl
of Fyf.'
A difficulty has been found in the description of this grant
as given in the Register of the Priory of St. Andrews. It
is the presence of two Earls of Fife, Ethelred and Con-
stantine, existing apparently at the same period, but the
1 Chronicle de Mailros, 50 ; see also Skene's Chronicles of the Picts,
etc., 210. * Beg. Prior. S. Andree, 113-117. 3 Douglas, after Macduff,
inserts a Duffagan as Earl of Fife, but while a 'Dufagan comes*
appears as a witness to the charter to Scone by King Alexander i.,
it is more probable he was of Angus, rather than of Fife. The
editor of the Complete Peerage makes BETH the first Earl of Fife.
As ' Beth comes ' he heads the seven Earls who witness the foundation
charter of Scone, and is also a witness to the charter by King Alex-
ander I., granting the privilege of holding courts (Liber Ecclesia de
Scon., 4, 9). Nothing more is known of him, and the same remark
applies to ' Ed. comes ' or ' Head comes,' who appears as a witness to
King David's charter of confirmation to the Abbey of Dunfermline, circa
A.D. 1128 (Beg. de Dunfermelyn, 4) (which charter is probably not alto-
gether genuine), and to the same King's charter of confirmation to
the same abbey of the shire of Kircalden(/6id., 16). He is only men-
tioned here, as it has been suggested (Complete Peerage, s.v. Fife) that he
was Earl Ethelred, and 'contemporary with Earl Beth, and with Earl
Constant ine his successor,' thereby making confusion worse confounded.
4 Early Scottish Charters, 243.
solution of the puzzle is simple. The Latin memorandum
of Ethelred's grant was written a considerable time after
the grant was made, and the scribe adds that Ethelred's
charter was confirmed by his brothers, David and Alex-
ander, i.e. after 1107. It is to this confirmation that Earl
Oonstantine was a witness.
Nothing further is known of Ethelred, and he apparently
died before 1098, when his next brother Edgar became
King. Lord Hailes says of him * he became a churchman,' l
forgetting for the moment that Ethelred's being Abbot of
Dunkeld did not make him an ecclesiastic in the sense of
not being a layman. He was a great lay-abbot, as was
Orinan, the progenitor of the great race of Celtic Kings of
Scotland.
II. CONSTANTINE. Who he was, and how he became to
be Earl of Fife, there is apparently no means of knowing.
His name is suggestive of a regal origin. The Earl is
called, at least once, * Constantino Macdufe,' but it is in a
charter of King Edgar's, the genuineness of which, though
maintained by able authorities, is open to doubt. 2
It is not known at what date Constantine became Earl,
but it was apparently about, if not before, 1107, as he wit-
nessed the confirmation of Ethelred's grant to the Ouldees
of Loch Leven, and the translator of the Gaelic memorandum
of the grant styles him * a man of the greatest discretion.'
He next appears as the leading arbiter in a dispute about
the boundaries of Kirkness belonging to these Ouldees, and
those of Lochore belonging to Sir Robert of Burgon, when
he is called *a discreet and eloquent man,' and is also
designed Magnus Judex in Scotia. 3 As Constantinus comes
he witnessed King David's confirmation charter to Dun-
fermline, the date of which is variously given as 1126 and
1128. 4 He engaged in a quarrel with the Abbey of Dun-
fermline about the lands of Kirkcaldy, which he by force
kept from the Church. 5 This was not the only occasion on
which there was bad blood between the church of Dun-
1 Annals, i. 49. * Early Scottish Charters, ix. 245. 3 Reg. S. Andree,
116, 117. ' Magnus Judex ' is apparently the Latin rendering of the Gaelic
Mormaor. * Reg. de Dunfermelyn, 4 ; Early Scottish Charters, 323.
6 Reg. de Dunfermelyn, 16.
4 THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE
fermline and Earl Constantino. There is a letter to him
from King David, couched in severe terms, commanding him
to allow that church all the * customs ' that were its due,
and threatening if he refused to compel him to do so. 1 If
Earl Constantino married, the name of his wife is not
found. The date of his death has been given as in 1127 or
1129, on what authority is not stated. 2 He left an heir
or heirs, 5 but nothing apparently is known of them.
III. GILLEMICHAEL succeeded to Earl Constantino. It
has been assumed that he was the son of the latter, but
there is no evidence of the relationship. In King David's
charter of the * shire ' of Kirkcaldy and its church to Dun-
fermline 4 there is a clause prohibiting any one of the heirs
of Constantino, Earl of Fife, from calling in question the
grant. From the language of the charter it may be as-
sumed that Constantino was then dead, 5 and it is note-
worthy that Gillemichael is not mentioned either as heir
of Earl Constantino, or as a witness to the charter. His
identity is doubtful : whoever he was, his position among
the magnates of Scotland was a high one. In King
David's confirmation charter to Dunfermline he appears as
* Gillemichael Macduf,' and is ranked immediately after
the Earls and before Herbert the Chancellor, and a great
noble like Hugh de Morevill, afterwards Constable. 6
* Gillemichell ' appears to have rendered great services
to the King, aiid it is not improbable that the territorial
earldom became for the first time hereditary to him and
his heirs. 7 He witnessed several other charters of King
David to Dunfermline, and also the same King's charter
of confirmation to Holyrood.
Earl Gillemichael did not hold the earldom many years,
and there is some doubt as to the year of his death,
which has been given as 1139, but he appears in a charter
dated about 1133, while Duncan is styled Earl in 1136, if
not earlier. 8
1 Reg. de Dunfermelyn, 13. 2 Wood's Douglas's Peerage. 3 Reg. de
Dunfermelyn, 16. * Ibid. 6 Sir A. C. Lawrie gives circa 1130 as the
date of this charter ; Early Scottish Charters, 76. 6 Reg. de Dunfermelyn,
4. 7 Complete Peerage, iii. . v. Fife. * Reg. de Dunfermelyn, 15 ;
Reg. Epis. Olasguensis, 9.
THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE 5
The name of Gillemichael's wife has not come down to
us. He had at least two sons and one daughter :
1. DUNCAN, his successor.
2. Hugh, father of Hugh (sometimes called Egius and
Eugenius). 1 (See title Wemyss.)
3. Ete, wife of Gartnait, Earl of Buchan, is described as
the daughter of Gillemichael, and it is not improbable
that she was the daughter of this Earl, as there is
no other Gillemichael of that period known to history
on record.
Gillemichael may have had another son, Adam, pro-
genitor of a family designed from its lands De Syras, and
who is a frequent witness to charters of King William,
Earl Duncan, and Robert and Richard, bishops of St.
Andrews. 2
IV. DUNCAN, fourth Earl of Fife, succeeded sometime
before July 1136, 3 and was probably, though not certainly,the
son of Gillemichael. He is a constant witness to charters
of King David i. to religious houses generally. In 1147, as
Comes Duncanus, he is found witnessing the foundation
charter of Cambuskenneth. 4 About 1150 he is a witness to
King David's charter to the monks of Deer, declaring them
to be free from all lay duty or exaction. 5 He was himself
a benefactor to the church, and in an especial degree to
the Benedictine Nunnery of North Berwick, of which he
would seem to have been actually the founder. Immediately
after the death of his son Prince Henry, King David i. sent
his grandson Malcolm, in charge of the Earl, on a solemn
progress through Scotland, and ordered him to be pro-
claimed heir to the crown.
' And als he depute hys Counsale
The Erie of Fyffe mast specyalle
All governyd by hym to be
In his state, and hys reawte.' 6
Earl Duncan is said to have died in 1154, and was certainly
dead before 1160. By his wife, whose name is unknown,
he had issue at least two sons and a daughter :
1 Reg. Prior. S. Andree, 216. 2 Registers of St. Andrews and Dun-
fermline passim. * Reg. Epis. Glasguensis, 9. * Registrum Monasterii
de Cambuskenneth, 72. 6 Book of Deer, Spalding Club, 95. 6 Wyntoun's
CronyTtil, ed. Laing, ii. 191 ; Lord Hailes' Annals, i. 104.
6 THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE
1. DUNCAN, his successor.
2. Adam. In 1163 or 1164 'Adam, son of the Earl/
witnessed the confirmation by Richard, Bishop of
St. Andrews, of the church of Oupar to the church
of St. Andrews. His name occurs third in a list of
sixteen witnesses. 1 He may have been the 'Adam,
son of Duncan,' who, with Orabilis his wife, witnessed
about 1172 the grant of the church of Lochres by
Nes, the son of William, to the church of St. Andrews. 2
Orabilis his wife apparently survived him. She had
previously been the wife of Sir Robert de Quincy,
from whom she was probably divorced, and she
married thirdly Gilchrist, Earl of Mar.
3. Afreka, wife of Harold the elder, Earl of Orkney,
and mother by him of two sons and two daughters. 3
Some writers have held that the families of Spens r
M'Intosh, Duff, and Fife, are descended from this Earl of
Fife, but without proof, and it is now certain that the
origin of the M'Intoshes is to be looked for elsewhere.
V. DUNCAN, fifth Earl of Fife, succeeded his father Earl
Duncan in 1154. In one of his early charters (it must be
dated at least before 1177), confirming a grant by his father
to the nuns of North Berwick, he styles himself in regal
fashion 'Duncan, by the Grace of God Earl of Fife.' 4 He
is a witness to many charters of King Malcolm iv. and
King William the Lion to religious houses, and was himself
a liberal benefactor to such. Douglas says he founded the
nunnery of North Berwick, but the credit of that must be
given to his father; although he confirmed and added
to his father's donations to that house. This Earl seems
to have been much about the person of King William, and,
as in the case of former Earls of Fife, is given precedence
over the other Earls of Scotland as witnesses to the
King's charters. By King William he was made Justiciar of
Scotland, being so styled for the first time in the charter
of the church of Ecclesgreig to the church of St. Andrews, 5
1 Reg. Prior. S. Andree, 137. * Ibid., 287 ; Matthew, Bishop of Aber-
deen, also a witness, became bishop in 1172. 3 Orkneyinga Saga, Edin-
burgh, 1873, xlii and 188. * Carte Monialium de Northberwic, Bannatyne
Club, 4. 6 Reg. Prior. S. Andree, 218.
THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE 7
dated between 1171 and 1178, and he held the office for
more than twenty years, as the latest reference to him as
such is on 28 December 1199. 1 He heads the list of Scottish
Earls and Barons who joined with King William in doing
homage to King Henry n. of England at Falaise in Nor-
mandy in December 1174, and was one of the hostages for
the due performance of King William's obligations. 2
Sir Robert Sibbald 3 prints a charter of King Malcolm iv.
granting to Earl Duncan, with his niece Ada, ' the lands of
Strathmiglo, Falkland, Kettle, Rathillet in Fife, and of
Strathbran in Perthshire.' The charter, from the witnesses,
must be dated between 1160 and 1162, but the name of Earl
Duncan's wife was not Ada but Ela or Hela, 4 as she is so
named in a grant which he made to the Abbey of Dunf erm-
line of the church of Calder Comitis, or Earl's Calder, which
is confirmed by Ela his wife and by Robert, Bishop of St.
Andrews, who died in 1158 or 1159. 5 The terms of the writ
by Countess Ela suggest that she was heiress of Earl's
Calder. Earl Duncan may have acquired that barony also
by his marriage with her. She was, according to the
charter quoted, the niece of King Malcolm, but it has been
objected that Malcolm, who was born in 1142, could scarcely
have had a niece marriageable in 1160. Yet it is possible
that Ada or Ela might be the child of an illegitimate son
or daughter born to Malcolm's father Earl Henry, in his
youth, as he had at least one illegitimate child, and may
have had others.
Duncan, fifth Earl of Fife, died in 1204. He had three
sons and one daughter :
1. MALCOLM, his successor.
2. Duncan, who as ' Duncan, son of Earl Duncan,' is a
witness to the grant made by Cristina Corbet to the
church of St. Andrews of certain serfs, 8 and also
affixed his seal to the confirmation by William, son of
Earl Patrick of Dunbar, and husband of Cristina Corbet,
1 Reg. Moraviensi, No. 17. 2 Rhymer's Fcedera, i. 39, 2nd ed. s History
of Fife, Cupar ed., 228. * The charter is printed by Sir Robert Sibbald
from a copy by Sir James Balfour of Denmylne, who assigned a wrong
date to it, and who may have misread Ada for Ela. The latter was
certainly the name of the Countess, as she appears in several writs.
6 Beg. de Dunfermelyn, 55, 89. 8 Beg. Prior. S. Andree, 263.
8 THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE
of the same grant. He is also a witness with his
brother David to the charter of Earl Malcolm, their
brother, of the church of Abir crumble to the Abbey
of Dunfermelyn. 1
He married ' the lady Aliz Corbet,' who is described
as his wife in the charter cited above. 2 Douglas says
her father was Walter Corbet of Makerstoun. 3 He
had issue, so far as known :
(1) MALCOLM, who became seventh Earl.
3. David, who is a witness as above. He got from his
father the lands of Strathbogie, forming one of the
five districts of Aberdeenshire. He was father of
John de Strathbogie, who became Earl of Atholl by
his marriage.
4. , a daughter, name unknown. In 1188 Earl Duncan
gave 500 marks to the King of England (250 of which
was then paid, and 250 in 1190) for the custody of
Roger de Merlay's land in Northumberland, and the
ward of his son, and for leave that the son might
marry the Earl's daughter. 4
VI. MALCOLM, sixth Earl of Fife, succeeded his father,
Duncan, in 1204. Before 1177 he is found witnessing his
father's charter of Gillecamestone to the nuns of North
Berwick, to whom also he confirmed his father's and grand-
father's gifts. 5 Soon after his succeeding to the earldom, he
had from King William a charter of the lands of Bingouer,
which Uchtred of Bingouer had, in the King's presence,
and in his full court, resigned in favour of Earl Malcolm,
on the ground that he, Uchtred, had no other heir nearer
than Earl Malcolm. 8 He founded in 1217, the Cistercian
Abbey of Culross. 7 He made a grant to the see of Moray,
to which Duncan and David his brothers are witnesses.
Malcolm, sixth Earl, died in 1228, leaving no issue, and was
buried in Culross Abbey. The site of his tomb is unknown.
He married, in the lifetime of his father, Matilda, daughter
1 Reg. de Dunfermelyn, 83. 2 Reg. Prior. S. Andree, 278. 3 Peerage,
i. 574. * Cat. Doc. Scot., Nos. 191 and 202. 6 Carte Afonialium de
Northberwic, passim. 6 Ada Parl. Scot., L 390. 7 Chron. de Mail-
ros, 129, 270.
of Gilbert, Earl of Stratherne, and got with her the lands
of Glendovan, Aldie, and Fossoway. 1
VII. MALCOLM, son of Duncan, nephew of the last Earl,
succeeded his uncle in 1228 as seventh Earl of Fife. He
was one of the guarantors of a treaty with the English at
York, 25 September 1237, and of another treaty in 1244, by
which King Alexander 11. engaged to live at peace with
England, and he joined with other nobles in a letter to the
Pope to the same effect. 2 In the reign of King Alexander in.
Earl Malcolm was one of the faction of King Henry in.,
and was appointed one of the Regents of Scotland and
guardians of the young King and Queen 20 September 1255.
On 24 April 1256 Earl Malcolm of Fife was fined in North-
umberland for not coming before the justices on the first
day of a court. 3 He was one of the Scottish nobles to
whom King Henry made oath that he would restore the
Queen of Scotland and her child, when she went to England
for her first confinement in 1260. The Earl died in 1266,
having married Helen, a daughter of Llewellyn, Prince of
"Wales. She survived him, and married, secondly, Donald,
Earl of Mar. She was alive in 1291, and was still drawing
her terce from her first marriage. 4 He had issue :
1. COLBAN, eighth Earl of Fife.
2. Macduff, who is the occasion of an interesting episode
in Scottish history. He received from his father
the lands of Reres and Croy in Fife, but was dis-
possessed of them by William, Bishop of St. Andrews,
guardian of the earldom during the minority of
Duncan, ninth Earl of Fife. He complained to King
Edward I., who ordered the Regents of Scotland to try
his cause. They restored him to possession. But in
Baliol's first parliament held at Scone on 10 February
1292-93 Macduff was required to answer for having
taken possession of these lands, which were in the
custody of the King since the death of the last
Earl of Fife. Macduff acknowledged the possession
but denied the trespass. He pleaded that his father
1 Liber Insule Missarum, Appendix xxiii., Bannatyne Club. 2 Cat.
Doc. Scot., i. 1358 and 1655. 3 Ibid., i. 397. 4 Fordun a Goodall, ii. 58,
104 ; Stevenson's Hist. Documents, i. 410, 414.
10 THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE
Malcolm had made a grant of the lands to him, and
that King Alexander in. had, by charter, confirmed
that grant. It was testified by the nobility present
that Alexander in. had the custody of the lands in
controversy after the death of Malcolm by reason of
the nonage of Colban, and in like manner, after the
death of Colban. That after the death of Duncan,
the son of Colban, the lands -were in the custody of
the sovereign, by reason of the nonage of Duncan,
the son of Duncan. Macduff was therefore condemned
to imprisonment for his trespass; but action was
reserved to him against Earl Duncan, his grand-
nephew, when he should come of age. Macduff was
confined for a few days ; as soon as he was set at
liberty, he petitioned Baliol for a re-hearing, and
offered to prove his title of possession by written
evidence, but the petition was rejected. Macduff
appealed to King Edward I., and in his appeal set
forth the judgment of the Regents which had put him
in possession. Edward ordered Baliol to appear in
person before him, and to make answer to Macduff's
complaint. Baliol at first yielded no obedience to the
order, but at last presented himself before Edward,
who decreed in favour of Macduff. 1 When Wallace
erected the standard of national independence,
Macduff joined him, and fell, gallantly fighting, at
the battle of Falkirk 22 July 1298. 2
VIII. COLBAN, eighth Earl of Fife, succeeded Earl Mal-
colm in 1266. He was knighted by King Alexander in. in
1264, 3 when he can have been only in his 'teens, as he was
in nonage when he succeeded his father two years later.
He must also have married while yet a youth, as at his
death in 1270 his son and successor was eight years of age.
He married a lady of whom we know only the Christian
name. A charter of his to a Master William Wyschard
(probably the same who was afterwards Bishop of St.
Andrews) of the lands of Glensallauch in the Mearns, is
said to be granted with the consent and goodwill of Anna
1 Ada Parl. Scot., i. ; Hailes, Annals, i. 247. * Wyntoun's Cronykil t
Lalng's ed., ii. 347. 3 Fordun a Goodall, ii. 102.
THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE 11
his spouse, and the suggestion may be hazarded that Countess
Anna was one of the three daughters and co-heiresses of
Sir Alan Durward. Earl Colban's arms on the seal are
paly of six. 1 Earl Colban left a son,
IX. DUNCAN, ninth Earl of Fife, who succeeded his father
in 1270, being then a boy of eight years of age. His ward
was granted to Alexander, Prince of Scotland, son of King
Alexander in. He was admitted to possession of his
earldom in 1284, and was chosen one of the six Regents of
the Kingdom after the death of Alexander in. in the Parlia-
ment of Scone 2 April 1286. He was in England in 1286-87,
and by deed, dated at Westminster 5 February, when about
to set out for Scotland, appointed two attorneys for a year,
to act for him in his absence. 2 He was in England again
on 5 July 1287. 3 He was murdered at Petpollock on 25 Sep-
tember 1288 by Sir Patrick Abernethy and Sir Walter
Percy. Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell seized Percy and
Sir Hugh Abernethy, the real instigator. Percy was
executed, and Sir Hugh Abernethy condemned to per-
petual imprisonment in the castle of Douglas, where he
died. Sir Patrick Abernethy made his escape to France,
and died there. 4
Duncan, Earl of Fife, married Johanna de Clare, daughter
of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. On 6 June 1292
Johanna de Clare, Countess of Fife, widow of Duncan, Earl
of Fife, granted bond to King Edward i. in a thousand marks
of silver for his leave to marry. 5 She was subsequently
married to Sir Gervase Avenel, and was living in 1322-23. 6
The Earl had issue one son and one daughter :
1. DUNCAN, tenth Earl.
2. Isabel, married to John Comyn, second Earl of Buchan.
She it was who crowned Bruce, and for that deed
was, by order of King Edward I., confined in a room
called a cage within the Castle of Berwick.
X. DUNCAN, tenth Earl of Fife, was only three years of
age at the time of his father's death in 1288. Being still
under age at the coronation of John Baliol at Scone, 30
1 From the original charter belonging to the Earl of Kinnoull. * Cat.
Doc. Scot., ii. No. 310. 3 Ibid., 317. * Hist. Doc. Scot., i. 69 ; Botuli Scot.,
i. 2. Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. No. 602. 6 Ibid., HI. Nos. 566 and 804.
12 THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE
November 1292, King Edward i. appointed John de St. John
to officiate for him. In 1294 that King gave to Robert
Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow, the ward of the Earl's lands
of Calder till his majority, 1 and Walter de Oamehou was
made keeper of the Earl's lands in the counties of Fife,
Stirling, Perth, and Moray. 2 Sometime before 25 July
1302 Edmund de Mortimer had obtained the marriage of
Duncan, son and heir of the late Duncan, Earl of Fife. 3 In
1306 Pope Clement v., at the request of King Edward i.,
granted a dispensation for the marriage of Duncan, Earl
of Fife, with King Edward's granddaughter Mary de Mon-
thermer, daughter of Ralph, Lord Monthermer, sometime (in
right of his wife) Earl of Gloucester, by the Lady Joan Plan-
tagenet, dowager Countess of Gloucester, daughter of King
Edward, and he was then nineteen years of age. 4 On 28
January 1319-20 King Edward n. granted a safe-conduct to
his beloved niece Maria, Countess of Fife, to go into Scot-
land to join her husband. This Earl, like so many more of
his compeers, changed sides, sometimes holding with the
English faction, at other times with the patriot Scots.
He was the first of the Earls who signed the famous letter
to the Pope, asserting the independence of Scotland in the
Parliament at Aberbrothock on 6 April 1320. On attaching
himself to King Robert Bruce he had got from that monarch
charters of the earldom of Fife, the baronies of O'Neil in
Aberdeenshire, Kinnoul in Perthshire, and Calder in Mid-
lothian. 6 He was taken prisoner at the battle of Dupplin
on 12 August 1332, submitted to Edward Baliol, and assisted
at his coronation at Scone on 24 September following. On
the return of King David n. from France in 1341 the Earl
joined his party, and accompanied him in his unfortunate ex-
pedition to England in 1346. At the battle of Durham, 17
October that year, he was taken prisoner, and having sworn
fealty to Baliol, was condemned to suffer death as a traitor,
but obtained mercy. He was allowed to return to Scot-
land to raise money for his ransom in 1350. He died in
1353. By Mary de Monthermer, who survived him, and was
alive on 30 March 1371, he had, so far as is known, only
one daughter :
1 Col. Doc. Scot., ii. No. 700. Ibid., 708. s Ibid., 1311. * Col. of
Papal Letters, ii. 30. * Robertson's Index, 16, No. 28 ; 25, No. 72.
THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE 13
ISABELLA, his heir and successor.
XI. ISABELLA, succeeded as Countess of Fife, as heir to
her father, Earl Duncan, in 1353. While still young she
was made prisoner at Perth in 1332, by Edward Baliol.
She was married, first, to Sir William Ramsay of Colluthie
in Fife, who, in her right, became Earl of Fife. He is
designed William, Earl of Fife, knight, as witness to a
charter of King David n. 12 April 1358, 1 and he obtained
from that monarch a charter erecting Cupar into a free
burgh. He died soon afterwards, leaving a son, but by a
former wife. 2
The Countess was married, secondly, to Walter Stewart,
second son of Robert, afterwards King Robert n. He is
generally said to have died in 1360, but a payment to
Walter Stewart, Lord of Fife, in the Chamberlain's Ac-
counts, audited in August 1362, shows that he was alive
within about a year of that date. 3 He died without issue.
The Countess was married, thirdly, to Sir Thomas Byset of
Upsetlington, who, in prospect of the marriage granted to
her his barony of Glasclune in Perth, his share of the lands
of Erth and Slamanane, in Stirling, and his lands of Cuthil-
drayne, in Fife, which charter, dated on 10 January 1362-63,
was confirmed by King David n. to Isabella for her life,
Sir Thomas Byset being then dead, on 17 April 1365. 4 The
same monarch had granted a charter to Thomas Byset,
knight, of all the earldom of Fife, to be held to him and
the heirs-male to be procreated betwixt him and Isabella
de Fif, whom failing, to return to the King and his heirs,
8 June, in the thirty-fourth year of his reign, 1364. 5 Thomas
Byset, Earl of Fife also dying without issue, Countess
Isabella was married, fourthly, to John Dunbar. Among
the missing charters of King David n. is one to John
Dunbar and Isabella, Countess of Fife, of the earldom of
Fife. 6 They had no issue.
Isabella, Countess of Fife, entered into an indenture with
1 Confirmed by King Robert n., Beg. Mag. Sig., fol. 148, No. 107.
2 Exch. Rolls, i. pp. cxlviii note, and 609. 3 Ibid., ii. pp. Ixxxi and 115.
4 Beg. Mag. Sig., fol. 44. 6 Ibid., 31. 6 Robertson's Index of Missing
Charters, 52, No. 4. This charter is not in the existing book of King
David's charters, though the rest of the charters on the same Roll are.
Is it possible that it proceeded on Isobel's resignation ' by force and
fear ' alluded to in the indenture with Albany.
14 THE ANCIENT EARLS OP FIFE
Robert, Earl of Menteith, afterwards Duke of Albany,
third son of King Robert n., on 30 March 1371, narrating
an entail made by umquhile Duncan, Earl of Fife, her
father, to Alan, Earl of Menteith, grandfather of the Lady
Margaret, spouse of Earl Robert, and an entail made by
Isabel herself, and her late husband Walter Stewart,
brother of Earl Robert, to the said Earl. In terms of
these she acknowledges the Earl of Menteith to be her
lawful heir-apparent, and upon his assisting her to recover
her earldom, which she had by force and fear otherwise
resigned, she binds herself to resign it in the King's hand
in favour of the Earl himself, reserving for her life the
frank tenement of the earldom, except the third part,
allotted to Mary, Countess of Fife, the granter's mother.
The Earl, upon the death of the Countess Mary, shall have
her whole third part.
Among the Dupplin charters is one by King David II. to
Sir Robert Erskine, knight, and Christian of Keith, his
spouse, of the barony of Kinnoul, by resignation of Isabel
Fyfe, heir to Duncan, sometime Earl of Fife, dated 22 July
anno regni 31 (A.D. 1360). King Robert n., on 30 June 1373,
confirmed a donation which Isabella, late (dudum) Countess
of Fyff, made of an annualrent out of the lands of Over and
Nether Sydserf. 1 The last reference to the Countess is in
August 1389. She is said to have resigned in the hands of
King Robert n. the barony of Strathurd, Strathbran,
Discher, Toyer, with the Isle of Tay, in Perthshire, the
barony of Coull and O'Neil in Aberdeenshire, the baronies
of Oromdale and Affyn in Inverness-shire, the lands of
Strahorie and Abbrandolie in Banffshire, the lands of Logy-
achry, in Perthshire, the barony of Calder in Edinburgh-
shire, and the lands of Kilsyth in Stirlingshire. Accord-
ing to Skene, De Verborum Significatione, article ' Arage,'
the resignation took place on 12 June 1389 ; but the true
date is 12 August 1389.'
XII. ROBERT STEWART, Earl of Menteith, third son of
King Robert n., in virtue of the above indenture, and sub-
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., i. 99, No. 16. 2 Antiq. ofAberd., ii. 31, where the charter
of Coull and O'Neil is given ; for the other lands, see original charter in
Gen. Reg. Ho., No. 196.
THE ANCIENT EARLS OF FIFE 15
sequent resignation in his favour, became twelfth Earl of
Fife (see title Albany). His eldest son was
XIII. MURDACH, second Duke of Albany, and thirteenth
Earl of Fife. On his attainder and execution all his
honours were forfeited, and the earldom of Fife was
annexed to the Crown by Act of Parliament on 4 August
1455.
CREATION. Circa 1090.
ARMS. The seal of Malcolm, Earl of Fife, bears an armed
knight on horseback to sinister, with drawn sword in right
hand and a shield on his left arm, but no arms visible in
impression. 1
Colban, Earl of Fife, had a seal with a shield paly of six. 1
Duncan, tenth Earl, bears on his seal a similar design to
that of Malcolm, the arms on the shield being a lion
rampant. 3
Isabella, Countess of Fife, bore as her own arms a lion
rampant. 4
Robert, Earl of ITife and Menteith and Duke of Albany,
had several seals : 1st, a fess chequy with a star in dexter
chief; 2nd, a fess chequy surmounted of a lion rampant;
3rd, a lion rampant; 4th, quarterly 1st and 4th, a lion
rampant, 2nd and 3rd, a fess chequy with a label of five
points in chief. 5
Murdach, Earl of Fife and Menteith and Duke of Albany
bore a shield similar to that on his father's fourth seal,
with the crest of a boar's head between two trees, and for
supporters two lions sejant guardant coue. 6
[A. T. G.]
1 Macdonald's Scottish Armorial Seals, No. 924. 2 Ibid., No. 925.
5 Ibid., No. 926. Ibid., No. 927. 6 Ibid., Nos. 2562-2565. Ibid., No.
2566.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER
IR WALTER OGILVY
of Auchlevyn and Desk-
ford, ancestor of the
Earls of Findlater, was
the eldest son of Sir
Walter Ogilvy of Gar-
cary and Lintrathen,
ancestor of the Earls
of Airlie (see vol. i. pp.
Ill, 112) by his second
wife Isobel, one of the
three daughters and
heirs portioners of Sir
John Glen of Balmuto
by his wife Margaret
Erskine. The date of
Walter's birth is un-
certain, but his father and mother were married 1390-1406, 1
and he was a witness to a charter by his father on 28 January
1426. 2 The earliest references to him are those contained
in his grandmother's charters. On 20 November 1419,
Margaret of Glen, lady of Inchmartine, relict of Sir John
of Glen, knight, granted the lands of Achlewyne in the
lordship of Garioch, to her son-in-law Walter of Ogilvy,
Lord of Luntrethyn, and Isobella, his spouse, her daughter,
with remainder to Walter their son, the substitutes being
Walter's four brothers-german, David, Alexander, Patrick,
and George successively. 3 Orawfurd quotes a Findlater
writ to prove that Walter's marriage to Margaret Sinclair,
heiress of Deskford, took place in 1437, 4 but he was Lord of
Deskford in 1436, when he presented plate and vestments
1 Robertson's Index, 150, No. 61. 2 Beg. Mag. Sig., 3 February 1426-27.
3 Spalding Club Miscellany, iv. 115. * Peerage, voce Findlater.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 17
to the altar of St. John the Evangelist in the cathedral
church of Aberdeen. 1 On 12 November 1440 he excambed
with his brother Sir John Ogilvy of Lintrathen the lands
and fishings of Wardropstoun in Kincardineshire for the
lands and fishings of Balhawel in Forfarshire. 2 In 1450 he
had a lease of Murelettir, in the lordship of Brechin, from
the Crown. 3
Sir Walter occasionally acted as Deputy Sheriff of Angus
for his relative Alexander Ogilvy of Auchterhouse. The
fact that Walter Ogilvy of Beaufort and Oures also acted
as deputy for Alexander, who was his immediate elder
brother, has occasioned confusion in the minds of some
writers. In 1440 Sir Walter was present with the King in
Council, and again in 1441. 4 In 1455 he obtained a royal
licence to fortify the Castle of Findlater. 5 The sheriff-
dom of Banffshire, formerly in possession of the Auchter-
house branch, was, in 1454, conferred upon Sir Walter.
His last accounts were audited at Edinburgh on 25 October
1456 for the period from 17 July 1454 to that date. 6
He married, at least as early as 1436, when he is
described as Lord of Deskford, 7 Margaret, daughter and
heiress of Sir John Sinclair of Deskford and Findlater.
The marriage may have been in 1435. He had a charter,
11 August 1440, of the lands and baronies of Deskford
and Finlater, 8 to himself and his wife, who had resigned
them while still in sua virginitate.
The children who have been traced are :
1. JAMES, his successor.
2. Sir Walter of Auchlevyn and Boyne. (See title Banff.)
SIR JAMES OGILVY. He inherited the estates of Deskford
and Findlater, the patrimony of his mother, and made large
additions to them during his life. As Sir James of Deskford,
knight, he is a witness to a precept of sasine dated 24
October 1464, by Alexander, Earl of Huntly. 9 By an
indenture, dated at Banff 24 March 1471-72, in return for
a guarantee of protection, the town council of Banff leased
1 Reg. Epis. Aberd., ii. 147; Third Hep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. 403.
2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Exch. Rolls, v. 394, 450. 4 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 55, 57.
6 Third Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. 404. 6 Exch. Rolls, vi. 171. 7 Reg.
Epis. Aberd., ii. 147 ; Third Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. 403. 8 Reg.
Mag. Sig. 9 Family of Innes, 78.
VOL. IV. B
18 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATBB
to him and his assignees, who were required to be one of
his sons or his brother-german Walter, three nets upon the
King's water of Dovern for nineteen years from Whitsunday
1472. 1 On 22 October 1473 he received a Grown grant of
the lands of Blareschannach in Banffshire. 2 In the same
year he sold his lands of Balfoure, Balconquhaile, Petmedy,
and Balyorde in Forfar. 3 In 1474 he acquired from David,
Earl of Crawford, the lands of Bauchlo, with the fishings
in the Doveru, 4 and between this date and his death he
acquired many lands and fishings in the counties of Banff
and Aberdeen, including the Constabulary of Cullen, with
the pertinents, as may be gathered from the Great Seal
Record, all afterwards erected into the barony of Ogilvy.
On 22 October 1479 he entered into a bond of manrent
with the bailies of Cullen. 5
Sir James took an active share in public affairs. In 1475
he and his brother Walter were two of the four arbiters
named for the settlement of a feud between the Thane of
Cawdor and the Baron of Kilravok, arising out of mutual
* slauchteris and debaittis.' 6 He was one of the represen-
tatives for the barons in the Parliament held at Edinburgh
on 6 October 1488. 7 The year 1493 found the Ogilvys and
Duffs at feud in regard to the possession of the lands of
Fyndachyfilde, which the Duffs claimed under a charter of
Robert the Bruce, 8 and Sir James became security for the
Boyne branch of the clan that the Duffs should be skaithless
at their hands. 9 Between 1490 and 1500, in addition to the
designation * of Deskford,' he is styled 'Lord of Stratlmarn.*
He was Customer of Banff for many years, and his accounts
duly appear in the Exchequer Rolls, 10 his last account being
dated 17 March 1482, 11 although there are references to
him in that record down to within a few months of his
decease. 12
Sir James died 13 February 1509-10, and was buried at
Fordyce, where his tomb is still to be seen. 13 He married,
first, Margaret, eldest daughter of Sir Robert Innes of that
Ilk ; 14 secondly, Margaret Chaumer, who, at Aberdeen on
1 Annals of Banff, i. 20. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid., 23 October 1473.
4 Ibid., 13 October 1474. 6 Annals of Banff, L 21. Thanes of Cawdor,
69. 7 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 200. 8 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, ii. 141.
8 Acta Audit., 170. 10 Vols. viii. to x. inclusive. u Ibid., ix. 203.
13 Ibid., xiii. 113, 244. 13 Annals of Banff, i. 22. 4 Family of Innes, 18.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 19
1 October 1510, as widow of the deceased Sir James
Ogilvy of Deskford, knight, had her terce adjudged to her
out of the Fishings of Ythane. 1
By his first wife, Margaret Innes, he had the following
children :
1. JAMES, of whom below.
2. Gilbert. 2
3. John, both called in their nephew Alexander's entails
of the estate of Findlater of 22 May 1517 and 4
February 1521-22. 3
4. Walter of Glassaugh, whose son Alexander is also
called in the Findlater entails.
5. Alexander, killed at Flodden/
6. George, an ecclesiastic. 5
7. Jonet, married to Alexander Abercromby of Birken-
bog. 6
8. Marion, married to Patrick Gordon of Haddo. 7
9. Catherine, married to William Orawfurd of Fedderet. 8
10. Elizabeth, who, on 16 July 1487, received from Nicholas
Dun of Ratee the lands of Ratee, Ardwne, and Both-
quhanstoun, in the sheriffdoms of Banff and Aber-
deen. 9 She was married (contract dated 15 September
1484) to John Grant of Freuchie. 10
11. Mary, married to Alexander Urquhart, Sheriff of
Oromarty. 11
JAMES OGILVY, son and heir-apparent of Sir James,
married Agnes Gordon, daughter of George, second Earl of
Huntly. 12 She owned the lands of Drumnakeith, in the
shire of Banff. 13 James died 1 February 1505-6 " vita patris.
His children were :
1. ALEXANDER, who succeeded his grandfather.
2. James. 15
1 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iii. 105. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid.
4 Crawfurd's Peerage, voce Findlater. 5 Ibid. 6 Murray Rose's The
Tragic History of the Abercrombies. 7 See vol. i. 84. 8 Crawfurd.
* Reg. Mag. Sig.. 30 September 1487. 10 Chiefs of Grant, i. 71. u Craw-
furd. 12 Third Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. 403. In the Records ofAboyne,
414, she is said to have been illegitimate, but no proof of the assertion is
forthcoming. In 1519 Alexander, Earl of Huntly, designs Alexander, her
son, as ' consanguineus meus.' 13 Reg Mag. Sig., 22 May 1517. u Inscrip-
tion on tomb quoted in Annals of Banff, i. 22. 16 Called in his elder
brother's entails of 22 May 1517 and 4 February 1521-22.
20 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER
3. John. 1
4. Patrick. 2 He is a witness to a charter of his elder
brother Alexander 29 October 1533. 3
5. George.*
6. Elizabeth, married to Sir James Dunbar of Westfield,
Sheriff of Moray.
ALEXANDER OGILVY of Deskford and Findlater. On 9
April 1510 he was retoured as heir of his grandfather Sir
James in the fishings of the water of Ythane in the
sheriffdom of Aberdeen. 5 On 19 April 1514 he entered into a
bond of manrent with James the Grant, son and heir of
John the Grant of Freuchie. 6
On 22 May 1517 the various lands belonging to Alexander
in the counties of Banff, Aberdeen, and Forfar, were resigned
into the hands of the Crown, united into the barony of
Ogilvy, and entailed upon the following series of heirs:
Alexander and his heirs, and then successively James,
John, Patrick, and George, his brotliers-german, Gilbert
his uncle, John, brother of Gilbert, Mr. Alexander Ogilvy
in Glassauch, Walter, son and heir of the deceased George
Ogilvy of Boyne, and John, son of Sir William of Strathearne. 7
The property so entailed embraced in Banffshire the baronies
of Findlater, Deskford, and Keithmore, the free forest of
Glenfldich, the lands of Inverkeroch, Auchinstank, Balkery,
Drumnaketh, and Blareshenoch, the lands and fishings of
Bauchlaw 8 and Sandlach on the water of Dovern, the lands
of Castelfield and office of constabulary of Oullen, with the
towers and mills of Findlater and Auchindoun ; in Aber-
deenshire, Auchlevin, and Ardun, and fishings on Ythane ;
in Forfarshire Ballhall and Menmure. 9 In the charter thus
creating the barony of Ogilvy Alexander is designed of
Deskford, but for the remainder of his life he is usually
designed as Alexander Ogilvy of that Ilk. In 1519 he
acquired from the Earl of Huntly, who described him as
1 Called in his elder brother's entails of 22 May 1517 and 4 February
1521-22. 2 Ibid. 3 Peg. Mag. Sig., 2 January 1533-34. * Called in his
elder brother's entails of 22 May 1517 and 4 February 1521-22. 6 Antiq. of
Aberd. and Banff, iii. 105. 6 Chiefs of Grant, iii. 59. 7 For the Strath-
earne descent, see vol. ii. Art. ' Banff.' 8 Bauchlaw and the fishings were
sold to William Bard of Sydde on 24 May 1537; Beg. Mag. Sig., 1 June
1537. Beg. Mag. Sig.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 21
consanguinens suits, Tullynacht with the mill, Darchadlie
and Langmure in the forest of Boyne, which had been
alienated by the deceased Sir James of Deskford to Sir
David Lindsay of Edzell, and were now redeemed by Alex-
ander as heir of his grandfather Sir James. At the same
time he acquired from the Earl the lands of Knockdurn and
Bankhede, in the forest of Boyne, with the lands of Pitten-
brinzeans and the rock known as Oastelyairdis, near Cullen,
the destination being to the same series of heirs as in the
Crown charter of 22 May 1517. 1
In 1521 the bailies and council of Oullen granted to Alex-
ander, whom they term their fellow-burgess, Fyndachtie,
Smythstown, Wodfeild, and Seifeilde, with the rocks and
promontories of Seifeilde, within the burgh. 2 In 1526 he
acquired in tack from the Abbot of Arbroath the teind
sheaves of the churches of Banff and Innerboyndie. 3
Up to a certain period of his career Alexander was a
prosperous man, and a sane and reasonable one. He was
one of the representatives of the barons on the committee
of causes in the Parliament held at Edinburgh 14 November
1524. 4 On 27 February 1528 he was Sheriff Principal of
Aberdeen. 5 In 1543 he added largely to the endowments
of the church of St. Mary at Oullen. 6 But within a short
time after his second marriage he assumed a hostile atti-
tude to his son and heir James Ogilvy of Cardell, and (for
reasons to be shortly referred to in the notice of the son)
disinherited him. In terms of a contract entered into with
George, Earl of Huntly, dated 20 July 1545, Alexander, on
4 September following, for the alleged reasons of favour
shown to him by the Earl, his affection for John Gordon,
the Earl's third son, and for certain services to be rendered
by John to him, granted to the said John, whom failing,
to his brothers William, James, and Adam Gordon, in
succession, who were in future to bear the name and arms
of Ogilvy, whom failing, to the male representatives of
Boyne, Dunlugus, and Airlie in turn, the lands, baronies,
and fishings belonging to him in Banff and Aberdeen. 7 The
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., 4 February 1521-22. 2 Ibid. 3 Reg. Nig. de Aberd., 415.
4 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 285. 6 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iii. 307.
6 Ibid., i. 210. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig., 28 September 1545. The Forfarshire
property is not referred to in the charter. It may have been disposed of
prior to its date.
22 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER
Earl on his part granted to his third son John Gordon,
now Ogilvy, the lands of Ordinhuiffis and Bogmochlis, in
the forest of Boyne, with a destination to the same series
of heirs. 1 Other charters by Alexander followed in similar
terms, 2 and by these deeds all hope of succession on the
part of the natural heir was cut off.
Alexander died in July 1554. 3 He married, first, Jonet
Abernethy, second daughter of James, third Lord Saltoun.
On 21 June 1509 the spouses had a charter from Sir James
Ogilvy of Deskford, grandfather of Alexander, of the Mains
of Auchindoun and others in Banffshire. 4 Secondly, before
31 December 1535, Elizabeth, natural daughter of Adam
Gordon, Dean of Caithness, son of Alexander, first Earl of
Huntly ; 5 she survived her husband, and married very
shortly after his death the above-mentioned John Gordon
alias Ogilvie, the titular possessor of the Findlater estates. 5
She was alive in 1566, having also survived her second
husband, who was executed at Aberdeen 31 October 1562. 7
The children by the first marriage with Jonet Abernethy
were :
1. JAMES of Cardell, of whom later.
2. Margaret, married, as his second wife, to James
Gordon of Lesmoir, or Coldstone. 8 On 2 June 1546
the spouses had a charter of Erlisfeild and Segyden,
in the sheriffdom of Aberdeen. 9
3. Marion, to whom her brother James gave the liferent
of Fyndauchtie. 10
JAMES OGILVY, styled of Oardell. On 16 February 1534-35
James, designed son and heir-apparent of Alexander Ogilvie
of that Ilk, obtained a drown infeftment on his own resig-
nation to himself and Jonet Gordon, his wife, of the lands
of Oullard and Kincailze, the lands and fishings of Brod-
land, and one-half of the forty-shilling land of Holme, in the
barony of Cardale and sheriffdom of Inverness. 11 On 25 July
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. , 8 June 1546. 2 Ibid. , 17 February 1546-47; 24 August 1548.
3 Acts and Decreets, xxviii. 382. 4 Beg. Mag. Sig. , 1 July 1509. 6 Records
of Aboyne, 395. 8 Acts and Decreets, xvii. 262. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig., 12 Feb-
ruary 1562-63 ; Cal. of Scot. Papers, i. 663; Acts and Decreets, ut sup.
8 Records of Aboyne, 76. Reg. Mag. Sig., 28 January 1546-47. 10 Four-
teenth Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. iii. 233, Seafield Papers. Reg. Mag.
Sig. James appears to have inherited Cardell, in which he was infeft in
1524, from a collateral branch ; Thanes ofCawdor, 123 ; Exch. Rolls, xv. 617.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 23
1542 he entered into a reference with the 'Lord Frissale
of the Lovet,' regarding the lands of Ruthven and
Deulcromby, the arbiters being Robert, Bishop of Orkney,
Houcheoun (or Hugh) Rose of Kilravock, and Sir Mawnys
Wauss, provost of the Church of Tain. 1
For many years James Ogilvy of Oardell faithfully served
Mary of Lorraine, dowager of Scotland, and her daughter
Mary, Queen of Scots, and the assistance of these powerful
allies was of the greatest value to him in the struggle for
the recovery of his patrimony. The malicious gossip abroad
as to the relations between father and son, are summed
up in a communication from the English agent and spy
Randolph to Cecil, 30 September 1562, 2 but the true origin
of the evil was the infatuation of the stepmother for John
Gordon, her second husband (ante, p. 23). The 'devile-
ment of a priest's geit ' was not effaced until after much
bloodshed and the temporary ruin of one of the ancient
houses of Scotland. James of Cardell in his disinherit-
ance received the full support and sympathy of his neigh-
bours and his clan. Up to the period of his father's
second marriage he had been on terms of close amity
with the Huntly family. During his father's lifetime
he could but remain a passive spectator of what was
happening, but no sooner was his father dead, and
Huntly's son in possession of the estates, than he sought
redress. The Queen Regent, Mary of Lorraine, sincerely
concerned at the feud which had broken out between two
such staunch supporters of the Crown as Ogilvie and
Gordon, set herself strenuously to arrange an amicable
settlement, and finally pronounced a decree-arbitral be-
tween the contending parties on 21 May 1556. 3 The decision
allowed John Gordon a liberal portion of the Findlater
estates on condition of giving up the rest, but neither
side would abide by the result, the Gordons being un-
willing to disgorge, and Ogilvy determined to recover his
entire patrimony. The dispute was at its height when
Queen Mary landed in Scotland on 20 August 1561. The
* inexplicable severity ' of Mary towards the house of
Huntly, which has puzzled so many historians, had its root
1 Acts and Decreets, i. 80. 2 Cat. of Scot. Papers, i. 656. 3 Acta Parl.
Scot., Hi. 469.
24 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER
largely in her determination to see justice done to her
faithful servant. The outlawry of Huntly and his son John
and the overthrow of their army at Corrichie on 28 October
1562, were speedily followed by the reinstatement of James
Ogilvy in the estates of his ancestors, and the first of a
series of Crown charters issued by Queen Mary in his favour
sums up the situation in these words : * Regina, quia quon-
dam Alex. Ogylvy de Fyndlatter pro exheredatione Jacobi
Ogilvy de Cardell filii sui et heredis apparentis, sine ulla
justa causa, de consilio quorundam ejus minime amicorum
infeodavit quondam Johannem Gordoun alias Ogilvy ... in
omni sua hereditate ; et quondam regine mater Maria regina
dotaria, percipiens dictum Jacobum injuste exhereditatum,
magnis laboribus movit dictos Georgeum et Johannem ex
una et dictum Jacobum ex altera partibus ad referendum
omnem controversiam circa jus et amicitiam. lie kyndnes,
que utraque dictarum partium ad dictas terras habuit, in ali-
quos judices arbitrarios ab ipsis electos, et eis discordanti-
bus in dictam regine matrem, que decrevit dictum Johannem
infeodare dictum Jacobum in dictis terris, quod dictus Jo-
hannes nunquam fecit ; tune habens dictas terras in
manibus suis ratione f orisf acture dicti Johannis pro nonnullis
lese majestatis criminibus ad mortem justificati, pro bono
servitio (et quia dictus Jacobus virtute dicti decreti obligatus
f uit ad infeodandum dictum Johannem in parte terrarum de
Strathnarne et Cardell et de mandate regine fratrem regine
Jacobum comitem Moravie in dictis terris infeodaverat)
concessit dicto Jacobo heredibus ejus et assignatis, terras
et baronias de Ogilvy,' etc. 1 Other charters followed, with
the result that James of Cardell was reinstated in his
inheritance. 2 In the course of the re-settlement the lands
of Cardell, which had given James the territorial title by
which he is best known, came into possession of the Earl
of Moray, Queen Mary's illegitimate brother. 3 The pen-
ultimate stage of the dispute was reached on 21 March
1566, when a decree-arbitral was pronounced by arbiters,
of whom there were two on either side, Queen Mary her-
self acting as overswoman. 4 In fulfilment of the decree,
James assigned to Adam Gordon, younger brother of John,
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., 12 February 1562-63. 2 Ibid., 8 and 28 February 1563-
64, etc. 3 Ibid * Ibid., 28 August 1581.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 25
the barony of Auchindoun, in the county of Banff, 21 July
1567. 1 The reinstatement of James Ogilvy in his property
was duly ratified by Parliament, 2 and solemnly confirmed
by King James vi. on his attaining majority. 3
Under the designation of James Ogilvy of that Ilk and
Findlater he is noted as one of the Masters of the Queen's
Household, 1562-67. 4 His household books are still pre-
served. 5 His latter will and testament is dated 16 Sep-
tember 1565. 6 By it he appointed James, Lord Ogilvy, tutor
to his grandson Walter and to his granddaughter Marjorie,
and committed to him the administration of the whole
estate. The last reference observed to him is on 19 Feb-
ruary 1574. 7
He married, first, Jonet, third daughter of Sir Robert
Gordon of Lochinvar ; 8 secondly (contract 30 October 1558),
Marioun, sister-german of William, sixth Lord Livingston. 9
She died s. p. at Inaultrie 13 February 1577; will dated 4
February. 10
By his first wife he had :
1. ALEXANDER, of whom below.
2. Margaret, married to Robert Munro of Fowlis.
The following natural children are referred to in his will:
1. Alexander, to whom he assigned the reversion of the
lands of Fyndauchtie from Marion Ogilvy, the
granter's sister.
2. Barbara, to whom he bequeathed a legacy of 100,
and directed that she should remain under his sister
Marion's tutelage.
ALEXANDER OGILVY. On 1 September 1557 he and his
wife had a charter from his father of the lands of Oollard
and others. 11 He died before 27 June 1562, 12 having married,
previous to 1557, Barbara, daughter of Sir Walter Ogilvy of
Boyne, and by her, who was married, secondly, to John
Panton of Pitmeddan, 13 had issue :
1. WALTER, of whom below.
2. Marjorie.
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., 28 August 1581. 2 ActaParl. Scot., ii. 560, 14 April 1567.
3 Ibid., iii. 613. * Exch. Rolls, xix. 6 Fourteenth Rep. Hist. MSS. Com.,
App. iii. 233, Seafleld Papers. 6 Ibid. 7 Reg. of Deeds, xiv. 38. 8 Reg.
Mag. Sig., 16 February 1534-35. g Reg. of Deeds, i. 228. 10 Edin. Tests. ;
Acts and Decreets, Ixxiv. 54. " Reg. Mag. Sig. ,19 September 1557. n Reg.
of Deeds, v. 218. 13 P. C. Reg., i. 671.
26 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER
I. SIR WALTER OGILVIE, who succeeded his grandfather,
is first named on 27 June 1562, when James Ogilvy of
Cardell, as tutor to his grandchildren Walter and Marjorie,
entered into a contract with James, Lord Ogilvy of Airlie,
giving to Lord Ogilvy the custody of the children * to the
effect the said lord may cause marie ather of them being
on lyfe on sum of his awne bairns liable and meet thairto,
and failzeing therof on some other person of his surname
competent and agreeable.' l In 1567, a few days after the
parliamentary ratification of the estates to James Ogilvie,
he re-settled them upon the following series of heirs (1)
Walter, his grandson ; (2) the granter himself ; (3) James,
Lord Ogilvy ; and (4) and (5) the families of Boyne and
Dunlugus. 2 On 9 May 1582 Walter and a number of others
were made gentlemen burgesses of Aberdeen, but 'nocht
to be occupiaris nor handleris with merchandeis.' 3
In 1588 he was appointed a member of the commission
for the county of Banff to see the laws against Jesuits
and Papists put into execution/ On 30 April 1589 he joined
the northern band in defence of the true religion and the
King's government. On 11 January 1613 there was executed
a bond of chieftainship by the house of Banff acknowledg-
ing Findlater as their chief, and promising ' to ride with,
assist, and accompany him in all actions concerning the
weill and honour of the house of Findlater.' 5 On 4 October
1615 he received a patent as a Peer of Scotland under the
title of LORD OGILVY OF DESKFORD. 6 He died be-
tween 30 July 1623 and 7 July 1624.
He married, first, Agnes, second daughter of Robert,
third Lord Elphinstone. She was born 3 October 1559. 7
He married, secondly, Marie Douglas, third daughter of
William, Earl of Morton, and she survived him. 8
By his first wife he had one daughter :
1. Christian, married to Sir John Forbes of Pitsligo, and
had issue. 9
By his second wife he had issue :
2. JAMES, second Lord Ogilvy of Deskford.
1 Reg. of Deeds, v. 218. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 8 May 1567. 3 Spalding Club
Misc., v. 52. * P. C. Reg., iv. 301. 6 Third Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App.
404. 8 P. C. Reg., x. 399. J Elphinstone Book, i. 105. 8 Ms. Harl. 6442.
8 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., ii. 218, 474.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 27
3. Alexander of Kempcairn. 1 He married Katherine,
fourth daughter of John Grant of Freuchie, and was
dead before 1669, leaving issue.
4. William. 2
5. Alexander. 3
6. Anne, 4 married, first, in 1598, to James, Earl of Buchan, 5
and secondly, as his first wife (contract 3 December
1608), to Andrew, Lord Gray. She died between
1614 and 1627.
7. Mary, married (contract 11 December 1613) to Sir
John Grant of Freuchie, with issue. 6 She was living
1646, but died shortly afterwards.
II. JAMES, second Lord Ogilvy of Deskford and first Earl
of Findlater. He took a share in public affairs during his
father's lifetime. 7 In 1630 a commission was issued to him
to try a wizard, 8 and in the following year he was a
member of the commission appointed to inquire into the
burning of Frendraught, the opinion of the committee
being that the Tower was set on fire from within, and
not from without. 9 In 1634 he was bailie-principal of the
regality of Strathisla. 10 In 1635 he was charged to deliver
up some of his servants who had been resetters and inter-
communers with the broken men of the Gordons, an indica-
tion of which there is ample confirmation both in public
records and private archives that when the evil influence
of Elizabeth Gordon was removed and forgotten the
families resumed their normal attitude of good neighbours
and allies. In 1637 the house of Ogilvy was divided against
itself, and there are several references to this feud in the
records in which Airlie and Banff were ranged on the
one side, and Deskford and Inchmartine on the other. 11
Ultimately the parties referred their differences to the
Earls of Traquair, Roxburgh, and Selkirk, 12 after which we
hear no more of the affair. On 22 June 1637 Lord Deskford
was admitted a member of the Privy Council, and was a
regular attender at the board. 13 In the Civil War Lord
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., 26 March 1622. 2 Banff Sas., Sec. Beg., ii. 230. 3 Ibid.
4 Not Margaret as stated in vol. ii. 271. 6 Ms. Harl. 6442. 6 Chiefs of
Grant, i. 197. 7 P. C. Reg., xii. 313; xiii. 349. 8 Ibid., sec. ser., iv. 39.
9 Ibid., 74, 214 ; Spalding's Memorials, 24. 10 P. C. Reg., sec. ser., v. 183.
11 Ibid., ii. 145 ; vi. 415. 12 Ibid., vi. 481. 13 Ibid., vi.
28 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATEB
Deskford at first adhered to the King, then finally joined
the Covenant. 1 But he was no enthusiast. At the first
Raid of Turriff in February 1639 he made strenuous efforts
to bring about an accommodation between the two parties,
headed respectively by Huntly and Montrose, 'being a
man of a peaceable temper and one who was known to have
no stomache for warre.' 2 His efforts were so far successful
that the parties separated without bloodshed.
His only addition to the family estates was the church-
lands of Fordyce, which he acquired in 1622 from Patrick,
Bishop of Aberdeen. 3 In 1627 he sold to George Gordon of
Tarpersie the lands of Blairshinnoch and Hiltown in the
parish of Inverboyndie. 4
On 20 February 1638 he was created EARL OF FIND-
LATER and LORD DESKFORD, with remainder to the
heirs-male of his body succeeding to him in the estates of
Findlater and Deskford. 5 On 18 October 1641 the Earl
received a second patent from the Crown, setting forth that
having no heir-male of his body, and his eldest daughter
being united in marriage to Sir Patrick Ogilvy, younger of
Inchemartine, he had granted to Sir Patrick the estates of
Findlater and Deskford, failing heirs of his own body. It
was accordingly declared that in the event of the death of
the Earl without issue male, the title should continue in
the person of Patrick and his heirs-male, and that they
should be designed EARLS OF FINDLATER, LORDS
OGILVY OF DESKFORD and INSOHEMAIRTENE,
Patrick during his father-in-law's lifetime enjoying the title
of Lord Deskfurde and Inschemairtene, with precedence as if
he had been the eldest son of the Earl. 8 The terms of this
second patent roused the ire of the Earl of Airlie and
several other Peers, who supposed that Sir Patrick would
claim precedence over them, under the first patent to his
father-in-law. His Majesty, however, by a writ dated at
York 29 November 1643, declared that such was not his
royal meaning, as such precedence would be specially
derogatory to James, Earl of Airlie, who, besides that he
was an ancient nobleman, was also chief of the family and
surname of the Ogilvys, and of his family the said Earl of
1 Gordon's Hist, of Scots Affairs, i. 61. 2 Ibid. , ii. 213. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig. ,
10 July 1623. * Ibid., 15 November 1627. 6 Ibid. 6 Ibid., 18 October 1641.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 29
Findlater is descended. It was accordingly declared that
Sir Patrick should take place and rank only according to
the date of the patent in his own favour. 1
During the course of the Civil War the Earl filled the post
of Colonel of Foot for the shire of Banff, 2 and suffered severe
losses, for which he was authorised to recoup himself out of
the rents of the malignants. 3 Montrose, shortly before his
victory over Hurry at Auldearne on 4 May 1645, passed
through the Earl's territories, but by the address oft he
Countess the estates were spared from devastation. 4 The
Earl died in 1652.
The Earl married, first, Elizabeth Leslie, second daughter
of Andrew, fifth Earl of Rothes, contract dated 13 and 17
February 1610. 5 He married, secondly, Marion Cunning-
ham, fourth daughter of William, eighth Earl of Glencairn,
s. p. She was married, secondly, 29 October 1660, 6 to Alex-
ander, Master of Saltoun, and died in 1662. By his first
wife the Earl had two daughters :
1. ELIZABETH, married to Sir Patrick Ogilvie, younger
of Inchmartine, who succeeded his father-in-law as
second Earl of Findlater.
2. Anne, married (contract 5 April 1637), 7 to William, ninth
Earl of Glencairn, Lord High. Chancellor of Scotland,
with issue.
SIR ANDREW OGILVY of Inchmartine, the ancestor of Sir
Patrick Ogilvy, younger of Inchmartine, who married
Elizabeth, eldest daughter and heiress of James, first Earl
of Findlater, was third son of Sir Alexander Ogilvy of
Auchterhouse, Sheriff of Angus. 8 His wife Marjory was
one of the three daughters and heirs-portion ers of Sir John
Glen of Balmuto, and of his wife, Margaret Erskine of
Wemyss, and sister of Isobel Glen, the second wife of Sir
Walter Ogilvy of Auchlevyn and Deskford, founder of the
Findlater family. Sir Andrew is a witness to his mother-
in-law Margaret's excambion with David of Wemyss of
her part of Wemyss for David's half of Inchmartine and
1 Airlie Writs quoted in Spalding's Memorials of the Trubles, 105
2 Acta Parl. Scot., vi. i. 52, 371; vi. ii. 30. 3 Ibid., vi. i. 462, 603, 807.
* Britaine's Distemper, 110. 6 Reg. of Deeds, clxxxii. Erasers of
Philorth,i.l&J. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig. , 31July 1637. 8 See vol. i. 109-110.
30 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATBR
Petmedill. 1 On 22 February 1439 Sir Andrew and Marjorie
his spouse excambed with David Bosvile of Oaigincat their
third part of Balmuto in Fife for David's half of Westir
Drone in the same county. 2 In 1440 he acquired the half
lands of Balhawal with the fishings in the shire of Forfar
from Sir John Ogilvie of Lintrathen. 3 On 7 October 1444
he excambed certain lands in Fife with John of Wemyss for
the latter's half of the lairdship of Inchmartine and his
quarter of the Drone. 4
He was on the committee of causes in the Parliament
held at Edinburgh 1445. 5 He was alive in 1461, when he
consented to a disposition by his son David. 6 He was
married before 29 February 1439-40 to his wife Marjory,
by whom he had :
SIR DAVID OGILVY. There is an instrument taken at
Perth 22 July 1443, on a contract to the effect that the son
and heir of Andrew of Ogilvy of Inchmartyne, should
within forty days wed Euphemia, the daughter of the
deceased David of Wemyss, 7 but the marriage did not take
place. On 18 November 1451 David, with consent of his
father, granted an annualrent of two merks out of the half
lands of Westirdon, in the shire of Fife. 8 His father and he
entered into a submission with John Wemyss of that Ilk
regarding the exchange between them of the lands of Inch-
martyn and Wemysschire, dated at Perth 13 May 1456."
Several other deeds relating to the sale or exchange of
land were entered into by the same parties at that period. 10
On 18 June 1469 David entered into a bond of manrent with
Laurence, Lord Oliphant. 11 On 14 October 1472 he sold the
lands of Petconochy to William Haket of Petfurrane, 12 and
on 28 April 1473 the lands of Strathardill in the shire of
Perth to John Stewart of Forthirgill." In 1474 an arrange-
ment was entered into between Sir John Achinlek of that
Ilk and David Ogilvy of Inchmartyn by the good offices of
friends, and to complete a contract made between their
fathers, Sir James of Achinlek and Sir Andrew of Ogilvy,
1 Melville's Earls of Melville, iii. 20. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 29 February
1439-40. 3 Ibid., 12 November 1440. * Wemyss Book, iii. 27. 6 Acta Parl,
Scot., ii. 60. 6 Wemyss Book, ii. 268 ; Reg. Mag. Sig., 10 August 1468.
1 Wemyss Book, ii. 65. 8 Reg. Mag. Sig., 22 May 1452. 9 Wemyss
Book, ii. 75. 10 Ibid. ; Reg. Mag. Sig., 10 August 1468. The Oliphants
in Scotland, 15. 1Z Reg. Mag. Sig. > 3 Ibid., 7 May 1473.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 31
as the result of which David acquired eight merks of the
lands of Barres in the barony thereof and shire of Kincar-
dine. 1 On 17 October 1483 David successfully pursued John
of Moncrief of that Ilk for payment of an annualrent of
twelve merks out of the barony of Moncrief. 2 On 30 April
1489 he sold to Stephen Lockhart, 'armiger' ancestor of
the Lockharts of Oleghorn, the third part of the two parts
of the lands of Cleghorn in the lordship of Killbryde and
sheriffdom of Lanark. 3 On 30 April 1492, with consent of
his spouse Mariota Hay, he mortified to the Friars Minorites
at Dundee twelve merks yearly from the lands of Petmedill
and Inchmartyn 4 for the benefit of the souls of Andrew
Ogilvy his father and ' Mariote ' Ogilvy his mother. On
2 December 1494 Archibald, Earl of Angus, Chancellor of
Scotland, sued David for the wrongous detention of the
profits of the lands of Barras for five years, while David
brought an action against John Auchinleck of that Ilk to
warrant him in said rents. 5 On 13 August 1500, with con-
sent of his spouse, he granted to his son James Ogilvy of
Balgally the lands of Westir and Eastir Inchmartyn, and
others, in the barony of Inchmartyn, the superiority of
the lands of Strathardill in the barony of Dounie, and the
lands of Balgawy in the barony of Insture, reserving his
own and his wife's liferents. 8 He died before 6 January
1506. 7
He married a lady called Mariota Hay, though of what
family is unknown. By her he had at least one son,
James Ogilvy of Balgally, afterwards of Inchmartine.
Under the designation of James Ogilvy of Balgally,
on 13 August 1500, he received a charter of Inch-
martyn from his father and mother. 8 He was killed
at Flodden, 1513. 9 He married Isabella Oliphant, 10
and had by her :
(1) PATRICK, who succeeded.
(2) Thomas. 11
(3) Andrew. 12
1 Reg. Ho. Charters, Nos. 445-450. 2 Acta Auditorum, 126*. 3 Reg. Mag.
Sig., 23 September 1489. 4 Ibid., 6 October 1505. 5 Acta Auditorum, 188.
6 Reg. Mag. Sig., 21 September 1500. 7 Fifth Rep. Hist. MSS. Com.,
App. 620, Kinnaird Papers. 8 Reg. Mag. Sig., 21 September 1500. e Seventh
Rep. Hint. MSS. Com., App. 711, Atholl Papers. 10 Reg. Mag. Sig., 24
February 1512-13. u Acts and Decreets, x. 288. 12 Ibid., xix. 88.
32 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER
(4) Jonet, married to John Kinnaird of that Ilk. 1
(5) Agnes, married to Thomas Gourlaw of Ballindane. 2
(6) Egidia, married to John Muncreiff of that Ilk. 8
PATRICK OGILVY had a charter from his father 14 January
1509, to himself and his wife, of the western part of his
lands of Balgally and others in the barony of Inchmartine/
On 4 November 1513 Patrick was retoured heir to his
father. 5 Three days afterwards he received a Crown
sasine of the barony of Inchmertyne, with the fishings of
King's Insche on the water of Tay. 6 On 5 September 1521
he acquired from Andrew Kynnaird of that Ilk the lower
fourth part of the lands of Kynnaird. 7 On 10 March 1538-
39 he had a Grown grant of one-half of the lands of Ball-
galle in the barony of Inchsture to himself and his wife
Elizabeth Kynnaird. 8 On 29 April 1548 he acquired from
Patrick Kynnaird of that Ilk the dominical lands of Drum-
mye in the barony of Ballegarno and shire of Perth. 9 He
married, first, Mariota Stewart, daughter of Thomas, Lord
Innermeath, and secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew
Kynnaird of that Ilk and Inchture.
His children, but whether all by the first marriage is not
clear, were :
1. WILLIAM, who succeeded.
2. John, who, in December 1568 received from Patrick,
Bishop of Moray, Commendator of Scone, the lands
of Durdie-Inglis or Nether Durdie, in the lordship of
Scone. 10 John appears as a witness 15 May 1589. 11
3. Andrew, called in the above charter to his brother
John. On 20 September 1548 he received from his
father a charter of the lands of Drymme, in the
barony of Ballegarno. 12
4. Alexander, a witness to a charter by his nephew
Patrick on 7 June 1566. 13
5. David. 14
6. Christian, married in 1544 to James Moncur.
1 Beg. Mag. Sig., 23 June 1548. 2 Ibid., 8 June 1550. 3 Fifth Rep. Hist.
MSS. Com., App. 620, Kinnaird Papers. 4 Beg. Mag. Sig., 6 May 1510.
6 Seventh Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. 711, Atholl Papers. 6 Exch. Bolls,
xiv. 524. 7 Beg. Mag. Sig., 6 December 1521. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid., 16 May
1548. 10 Ibid., 1 March 1585-86. " Ib id., 30 July 1590. 12 Ibid., 31 January
1548-49. 13 Ibid., 29 November 1570. Acts and Decreets, viii. 629.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 33
7. Margaret, married to Sir Patrick Hay of Meginch.
(See title Kinnoull.)
WILLIAM OGILVY of Inchmartine was retoured heir to his
father 25 May 1535. 1 He married Jonet, daughter of Patrick,
Lord Gray, who survived him, and married, secondly, before
7 June 1566, James Sandilands of Oruvie. 2 By her William
Ogilvy had issue :
1. PATRICK, who succeeded.
2. Thomas, mentioned in the preceding charter. A
witness in 1594. 3
3. Andrew. 4
4. John in Newtoun. 5
5. Elizabeth, married in 1573 the son of her mother's
second husband, John, son of James Sandilands of
St. Monance or Oruvie. 8
PATRICK OGILVY of Inchmartine. He was served heir to
William his father on 14 May 1566. 7 On 20 March 1589
Patrick excambed with John, Earl of Atholl and Lady Mary
Ruthven his spouse, the four-merk lands of Yrhartmoir in
the barony of Lude for the lands of Petnacrie, belonging to
the Earl, in the thanedom of Glentilt. 8
During the course of his long life Patrick took an active
part in public affairs, 9 and represented the county of Perth
in Parliament. 10 He died before 24 May 1623. 11
He married, first, Marion or Marjorie Gray, daughter of
Patrick, Lord Gray, and widow of Patrick, Master of
Ruthven. 12 The dispensation for the marriage is dated 12
April 1561. In it the relationship of the parties is stated
to be in the third and third degrees, 13 each being third in
descent from Andrew, Lord Gray, who died in 1514. Mar-
jorie died in June 1582. 14 He married, secondly, Elizabeth
1 Retours, Perth, 16. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 29 November 1570 ; see also
vol. i. 77, where she is incorrectly stated to be the daughter of Andrew,
Lord Gray. 3 P. C. Reg., v. 637. 4 Perth Homings, 13 September 1683 ;
P. C. Reg., iii. 437. 5 Reg. of Deeds ; P. C. Reg., v. 645. Reg. of Deeds,
xii. 293. T Seventh Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. 715, Atholl Papers.
8 Ibid. Note reference to p. 712 which identifies Ogilvy of Luyde with
Inchmartine. 9 P. C. Reg., iii.-x. inclusive. 10 Ada Part. Scot., iv. 194,
593. n P. C. Reg., xiii. 232. 12 Gray Inventory ; Reg. of Deeds, vi. 19 ;
Reg. Mag. Sig., 29 November 1570. 13 Gray Charters. In the Third Rep.
Hist. MSS. Com., 411, Ochtertyre Papers, the relationship is incorrectly
given as the third and fourth degrees. u Edin. Tests.
VOL. IV. C
34 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATBB
Butter, relict of Patrick Stewart of Stuikis, Laird of Bal-
lechin. She * decisit in the Place of Inchmertene in the
Kerss of Gourie ' in May 1590, her executor being her son
James Stewart, then of Stuikis, Laird of Ballechin. 1 He
married, thirdly, Geills Seytoun, who died 5 February 1601,
will dated 26 September 1598, her husband being her
executor-nominate. 2
His children, all apparently by the first marriage, were :
1. PATRICK, whose son Patrick succeeded his grand-
father.
2. Colonel William, who died before 25 June 1607, leaving
a son, Patrick. 3
3. James. 4
4. Thomas. 5
PATRICK Ogilvy, apparent of Inchmartine, died 21 Nov-
ember 1592 6 vita patris. He married Margaret, daughter
of Sir James Halyburton of Pitcur. She married, secondly,
Sir George Hay of Nether Liff, 7 first Earl of Kinnoull.
Their children were :
1. SIR PATRICK, who succeeded his grandfather.
2. Andrew. 6
3. Marjory,* married (contract dated 29 July 1605) 9 to
Andrew Winton, eldest son of Thomas Winton of
Strathmartin.
4. Elisabeth*
5. A daughter. 8
SIR PATRICK OGILVY of Inchmartine. On 21 August 1624
he was served heir of James Ogilvy of Balgallie, his great-
great-great-grandfather, in the superiority of Strathardill,
in the barony of Downe. 10 On 15 May 1628 he acquired the
barony of Oaputh in Perthshire from Francis, Earl of
Erroll. 11 On 29 July 1648 he had a charter of novodamus
of the lands of Errol. 12 In that year he was one of the
Colonels of Foot for Perthshire. 13 He died 30 March 1651."
He married (contract 20-25 February 1609) Anne, third
1 Edin. Tests. * Ibid. 3 Forfar Inhibitions ; Deeds, cccv. * P. C. Reg.,
vii. 54a 6 Perth Sas. Sec. Beg., vi. 93. 6 Edin. Tests. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig.,
8 January 1161. 8 Referred to in their father's testament-dative. 9 Re g. of
Deeds, ccxxv., 30 July 1614. 10 Perth Betours. u Beg. Mag. Sig., 29 July
1648. 12 Ibid. Acta Parl. Scot., vi. ii. 30. u Retour, Dupplin Charters.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 35
daughter of Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenurquhy, 1 by whom
he had issue : 2
1. SIR PATRICK, of whom afterwards.
2. William of Murie. 3 He was buried in Holyrood 6
November 1669, 4 and left issue :
(1) Patrick, who succeeded to Murie.
(2) William, who had a charter of the fee of the lands of
Drumadertie and others 29 July 1648. 5
(3) Elizabeth, married to George Nisbet, fencing - master,
Edinburgh. 6
III. SIR PATRICK OGILVY, younger of Inchmartine, son
of the preceding, was married to Elizabeth Ogilvy, the
eldest daughter and heiress of James, Lord Ogilvy of
Deskford (see above, p. 30), and from 18 October 1641 he was,
as previously explained, known as Lord Deskford. Under
that title he was served heir to his father in the lands and
baronies of Erroll, Inchmartine, and Dronlaws 5 October
1652. 7 The estate of Inchmartine was sold in that year to
Sir Alexander Leslie, first Earl of Leven. Upon the estate
becoming the property of the Earl, he changed its name to
Inchleslie. 8 Lord Deskford succeeded to his father-in-law
as second Earl of Findlater in 1652. On 12 April 1654 he
was fined 1500 by Cromwell. 9 He died 30 March 1658. 10
His children were :
1. JAMES, third Earl.
2. Elizabeth, who, on 26 August 1657, had a charter from.
Alexander Innes, younger of Fedderate, as his future
spouse. 11
IV. JAMES, third Earl of Findlater. He was served heir to
his father in the lands of Cassingray 15 April 1662, 12 and to
his grandfather, Sir Patrick of Inchmartine, in the lands of
Grange of Airlie26 October 1675. 13 He was a Commissioner
of Excise and Justice of the Peace for the county of Banff, 14
and at the Revolution of 1689 received a commission to call
together the heritors and fencible men of Banffshire. 15 On
9 January 1667 he protested in Parliament for precedence
1 Beg. Mag. Sig., 8 January 1611. 2 Reg. of Deeds, clxxx., 11 December
1610. 3 Privy Seal (Eng.) Reg., iv. 288. * Canongate Register. 6 Reg.
May. Sig. 6 Gen. Reg. of Inhib., 15 November 1673. 7 Perth Retours.
8 Reg. Mag. Sig., 3 June 1650. 9 Acta Parl. Scot., vi. ii. 820. 10 Crawfurd,
voce Findlater. n Aberdeen Sasines, xix. 360. I2 Fife Retours. 13 Forfar
Retourg. 14 Acta Parl. Scot., vii. 93, 508. 15 Ibid., ix. App. 2.
36 OGILVY, EARL OP FINDLATER
of the Earl of Airlie, a protest which was regularly repeated
down to the Union. 1 He voted for the Treaty of Union
throughout its various stages. 2 He died in 1711.
He married, first, about 1658, Anne Montgomery, relict
of Robert Seton, son of Sir George Seton of Hailes. She
was the only child of Hugh, seventh Earl of Eglinton, by
his first wife Anne Hamilton.
The Earl married, secondly, Mary, third daughter of
William, second Duke of Hamilton, who was killed at the
battle of Worcester in 1651. She had been married
previously, first, in 1663, to Alexander, third Earl of
Oallender, and secondly, in 1690, to Sir James Livingstone
of West Quarter, who died in November 1701. She died
s. p. before August 1705. 3 The issue by the first marriage
were :
1. Walter, Lord Deskford, who died vita patris before
June 1698, unmarried.
2. JAMES, who succeeded as fourth Earl.
3. Colonel Patrick of Lonmay and Inchmartine, M.P. for
the burgh of Oullen 1702-8, Elgin Burghs 1708-10.
He steadily supported the Union, and was one of
the original members in the first Parliament of the
United Kingdom. In 1717 he acquired the ancestral
estate of Inchmartine, which had been sold in 1650
by his ancestor Patrick, Lord Deskford, to Sir Alex-
ander Leslie, first Earl of Leven. The colonel re-
stored to the estate its original title of Inchmartine.
In 1732 he sold Lonmay to Archibald Ogilvy of
Rothiemay, heir-male of the Ogilvies of Boyne, which
family is now represented by Sir William Ogilvy
Dalgleish, Bart., of Errol. He died at Inchmartine
20 September 1737, in his seventy-second year. He
married his cousin Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon.
Francis Montgomerie of Giffen, second son of Hugh,
seventh Earl of Eglinton. By her, who died at
Grange, Gateside, 29 June 1753, he had issue :
(1) James, born 24 July 1709.
(2) Francis, born 11 September 1710.
(3) Colonel Patrick, born 24 March 1712. He married Mary,
1 Ada Parl. Scot. 2 Ibid. 3 Pedigree, Lyon Office.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 37
only daughter of the above Archibald Ogilvy of Rothiemay,
whose son James of Rothiemay, having sold that estate,
purchased the barony of Inchmartine from his brother-in-
law.
(4) Hew, baptized 30 July 1668. 1
(5) Mary.
(6) Anna, 2 styled in her marriage-contract, dated 19 October
1698, the second daughter, married to George Allardice of
that Ilk, with issue. She died 27 August 1735, and was
buried in the Chapel Royal at Holyrood.
V. JAMES, fourth Earl of Findlater, was born 11 July
1663. Being a younger son he followed the legal profession,
and was admitted advocate 16 January 1685. In 1689-95 he
represented the burgh of (Mien in Parliament, and distin-
guished himself by his adherence to the cause of King
James ; he was one of the five who entered their dissent
against the Act of Forfaulture. He subsequently took the
oaths to King William and Queen Mary, and had a success-
ful practice at the bar. In 1693 he was knighted and
appointed Solicitor-General and Sheriff of Banff shire. In
January 1696 he was made conjunct Secretary of State
along with the Earl of Tullibardine on the dismissal of
James Johnston, son of Sir Archibald Johnston of Warris-
ton. By letters patent dated 24 June 1698 he was created
VISCOUNT SEAFIELD and LORD OGILVY OF CULLEN,
with remainder to the heirs-male of his body, whom fail-
ing, to his other heirs of entail, and was appointed president
of the Parliament which met at Edinburgh on 16 July 1698.
At this period of his career he was extremely popular among
his countrymen, but his hostile attitude to the Darien
scheme, in the success of which nearly every family in
Scotland was interested, procured him many enemies. He
was Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of
the Church in 1700. On 24 June 1701 he was created EARL
OF SEAFIELD, VISCOUNT OF REIDHAVEN, and LORD
OGILVY OF DESKFORD AND CULLEN, with a similar
remainder to that mentioned above. He retained the
Secretaryship of Scotland throughout all those promotions,
and by a new commission under the Great Seal 12 May
1702 he was appointed by Queen Anne joint secretary along
with the Duke of Queensberry, and in the same year he
1 Cullen Baptisms. 2 Ibid.
38 OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATEB
was appointed one of the commissioners to treat for a
proposed union between the kingdoms, which came to
nothing. On 1 November 1702 he was appointed Lord
High Chancellor of Scotland and Lord High Commissioner
to the General Assembly which met at Edinburgh 10
March 1703. In 1704 he was ousted from the Chancellor-
ship by the Marquess of Tweeddale, but on 17 October in
that year he was made Joint Secretary of State with the
Earl of Roxburgh. On 9 March 1705 he recaptured the
Chancellorship from Tweeddale, and in March 1706 he was
appointed one of the commissioners to treat with England
for a union. The proposals on this occasion, mainly owing to
his indefatigable industry, ability, and address, were carried
to a successful conclusion. Naturally the Chancellor occupies
a leading place in the literature of these stirring times, and
pen-and-ink portraits of him abound in the memoirs of the
period. He was chosen in 1707 as one of the sixteen Repre-
sentative Peers of Scotland, and was continuously re-elected
until 1727. In 1707 he was appointed Lord Chief Baron of
the Court of Exchequer. On succeeding his father as
fourth Earl of Findlater in 1711 he adopted the title of
Earl of Findlater and Seafield. In 1713 he introduced into
Parliament a motion for the repeal of the union, the chief
grievance being the Malt Tax. It was only lost by a
majority of four. In 1713 he was appointed Keeper of the
Great Seal of Scotland. He died 15 August 1730, aged
sixty-six, and was buried at Cullen.
He married Anne, daughter of Sir William Dunbar of
Burn, in 1687, she being in her sixteenth year. 1 She died at
Cullen 14 August 1708, having had issue by her husband :
1. JAMES, fifth Earl of Findlater.
2. William, born 6 May 1699, died young.
3. George, admitted advocate 15 January 1723, died un-
married in January 1732.
4. Elisabeth, married Charles, sixth Earl of Lauderdale
(proclaimed 15 July 1710), 2 with issue. She died at
Bath 24 September 1778.
5. Janet, married, first, to Hugh, eldest son and heir-
apparent of Sir William Forbes of Craigievar ;
secondly, in 1719, to William Duff of Braco, afterwards
1 Complete Peerage. 2 Canongate Reg.
OGILVY, EARL OF FINDLATER 39
Earl Fife s. p. She died 1722, and was buried at
Banff.
VI. JAMES, fifth Earl of Findlater, and second Earl of Sea-
field, was committed prisoner to the Castle of Edinburgh
on the breaking out of the Civil War of 1715. He was
retoured heir-general of his father James, fourth Earl,
19 October 1731. 1 He was appointed one of the Lords of
Police in Scotland 1734 ; Vice-Admiral of Scotland 1737.
He was one of the sixteen Representative Peers of Scot-
land 1734-54. He was a uniform supporter of George ii.'s
ministry, and while the Duke of Cumberland's army was
on its way to Culloden, he made handsome provision for
the troops. He died at Cullen House 9 July 1764, in the
seventy-fifth year of his age. He married, first, about
1714, Elizabeth Hay, second daughter of Thomas, sixth
Earl of Kinnoull ; secondly, in December 1723, Sophia Hope,
born 31 May 1702, eldest daughter of Charles, first Earl of
Hopetoun. By her, who died at London 25 April 1761, he
had no issue.
By his first marriage the Earl had :
1. JAMES, who succeeded as sixth Earl.
2. Margaret, married, as his second wife, at Cullen, 31
October 1735, to Sir Ludovic Grant of Grant. Her
issue ultimately succeeded to the earldom of Sea-
field. (See that title.)
3. Anne, married at Cullen, 14 September 1733, to John,
second Earl of Hopetoun. She died at Hopetoun
House 8 February 1759.
VII. JAMES, sixth Earl of Findlater and third Earl of
Seafleld, was retoured heir of line, tailzie, and provision-
general to his father James, fifth Earl, 14 November 1764. 2
He was appointed one of the Commissioners of Customs in
Scotland 29 July 1754, resigned 1761. In 1765 one of the
Lords of Police in Scotland. One of the trustees for the
improvement of fisheries and manufactures, and for the
management of the annexed estates in Scotland. He was
an enthusiastic agriculturist, and practically transformed
the face of his territories. A sober eulogist writes that to
1 Service of Heirs. 2 Ibid.
40 OGILVY, EARL OP FINDLATER
him appertained 'the exclusive merit of introducing into
the north of Scotland those improvements in agriculture
and manufactures, and all kinds of useful industry, which in
the space of a few years raised his county from a state of
semi-barbarism to a degree of civilisation equal to that of
the most improved districts of the south ... he succeeded
to an extent altogether unparalleled in the annals of domestic
improvement, and his name is still a household word over
the north of Scotland, being regarded as that of a man who
in his day and generation proved himself one of the most
substantial benefactors of his species.' He died at Oullen
House 3 November 1770, in his fifty-sixth year.
He married, at Huntingtower, 9 June 1749, Mary, second
daughter of John Murray, first Duke of Atholl, and by her,
who died at Banff Castle 29 December 1795, had two sons :
1. JAMES, seventh Earl.
2. John, died 1763.
VIII. JAMES, seventh Earl of Findlater and fourth Earl
of Seafleld, born at Huntingtower 10 April 1750. Was a
student at the University of Oxford when he succeeded to
the title. He died s. p. at Dresden 5 October 1811, aged
sixty-one.
Married at Brussels, 1729, Oristina Teresa, daughter of
Joseph, Count Murray of Melgum, in the Holy Roman
Empire, Baronet of Nova Scotia, Councillor of State and
Lieutenant-General of the armies of the Emperor. She
died, aged fifty-eight, in Charles Street, Marylebone,
24 May 1813. At his death the Findlater and Deskford
honours became dormant, but the earldom and viscountcy
of Seafleld devolved under the specific remainder in their
respective creations.
CREATIONS. Lord Ogilvy of Deskford 4 October 1616 ;
Earl of Findlater and Lord Deskford 20 February 1638;
Viscount of Seafield and Lord Ogilvy of Cullen 24 June 1698 ;
Earl of Seafield, Viscount of Reidhaven and Lord Ogilvy
of Deskford and Cullen 24 June 1701.
ARMS, recorded in Lyon Register. Quarterly: 1st and
4th, argent, a lion passant guardant gules, crowned with
OGILVY, EARL OP FINDLATER 41
an imperial crown or, for Ogilvy ; 2nd and 3rd, argent, a
cross engrailed sable, for Sinclair.
CREST. A lion rampant gules holding in his paws a
plummet or.
SUPPORTERS. Two lions rampant or, armed gules.
MOTTO. Tout jour.
[A. R.]
FOKBES, LORD FORBES
RADITION assigns various
origins to the name and
sept of Forbes. One
writer traces them from
the year 870 and beyond.
Others assign to them a
descent from the royal
blood of Ireland, a varia-
tion of this being a
descent from a certain
O'Connor or Ochonochor,
who is said to have come
to Scotland in the clays
of Malcolm Canmore.
From his three sons the
Forbeses, the Urquharts,
and the Mackays claim
to be derived. It has also been alleged that the Scottish
family of Forbes is an offshoot from the Irish sept of Mac-
Firbis. But such traditions are not definitely substantiated,
and may be left for discussion to the pages of a family
history. 1 It seems on the whole most probable that Forbes,
as a personal name, was assumed from the lands of that
name in Aberdeenshire. These are said to have been in
possession of the family since the time of King William
the Lion, 2 or if this is not proved, the lands appear not
much later in the hands of a
1 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., ii. 209, 210 ; Earls of Granard, 292, 293 ;
Mackay's Urquhart and Glenmoriston, where the various traditions may
be read. 2 This statement is founded on erroneous evidence. "Wood in
his edition of Douglas's Peerage quotes a charter in Macfarlane's collec-
tion by which Alexander, Earl of Buchan, granted to Fergus, son of
John of Forbes, the lands and tenement of Forbes. The original charter
at Castle Forbes, however, shows that the charter is to John de Fothes,
Jftrbes
FORBES, LORD FORBES 43
DUNCAN FORBEYS, who, in terms of a charter quoted by
Sir John Skene in 1593, received from King Alexander the
holding or tenement of Forbeys. A later writer (about
1667), Mr. "William Forbes of Leslie, adds that the grant
was made in the twenty-third year of King Alexander in.,
or about 1271. 1 The writ was still in existence some little
time before 4 February 1730, when Lord Forbes wrote to
the Oomte de Forbin 2 that he had seen the charter, which
he describes, and that though it was then apparently mis-
laid he hoped to find it again. Duncan Forbeys or Forbes
is thus the first of his name on historical record. The next
of the name who has been found is
JOHN FORBES or FORBEES, whose name occurs in an Eng-
lish roll dated about 1306, containing a list of demands made
by English and Scottish partisans of King Edward I. for
lands which, being forfeited by Scotsmen, they desired to
be divided among themselves. The lands of John Forbes or
Forbees were coveted both by Robert Ohival and by William
Oomyn, but their locality is not stated. 3 No other reference
to this John Forbes has been found, unless he is identical
with a John de Fernboys who did homage to Edward I. on
14 March 1295-96, 4 but whose name does not again occur.
son of Fergus de Fothes, or Fiddes, and is an old muniment of the lands
of Fiddes which were acquired by Sir Alexander Forbes in 1436. Further,
the writ is alleged to be of date 1236, whereas it must be after 1260, and
probably several years later (Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iii. 112).
John Comyn, eldest son of the Earl, is a witness, and he was born only
about 1260. 1 Skene, De Verborum significatione, sub voce ' Liberum
Tenementum' ; Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., ii. 209. 2 The Marquis de Forbin
d'Oppede, the head of the French family of Forbins, claims his origin in
direct descent from the Scottish family of Forbes, through Peter
de Forbes (or Pierre de Forbin), son of an alleged Alexander Forbes,
Governor of Urquhart Castle. After travelling some time in Italy,
Peter established himself in France, and settled in Provence the name
of Forbin being quite unknown there before the fourteenth century
where he married in 1325 Frances d'Argoult, ' a lady of the most ancient
and most illustrious houses in France,' while to Peter was given the title
of ' Seigneur magnifique et g&i^reux.' The house of Forbin in Provence
have for their arms 'd'azur au chevron d'argent accompagnd de trois
tetes de leopards.' At a subsequent period Palamede de Forbin, Governor
of Provence, bore d'or au chevron d'azur accompagne de trois tetes de
leopards de sable, lampassees arrach^es de gueules.' The Forbes motto
is Nee timide, nee temere, and that of the Forbins quo fortior metior
(Notice sur la Maison de Forbin, by Maury ; Les Ecossais en France ;
Moreri, and Fam. MS.). 3 Palgrave's Illust. Documents, 312, 314. 4 Ibid.,
196 ; Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. No. 730.
44 FORBES, LORD FORBES
SIR CHRISTIAN or OHRISTIN DE FORBES, knight, is named in
a grant to him, by King Robert Bruce, of a third part of the
lands of Ardache, and a third of the lands of Skeith, in the
barony of Deskford, co. Banff. 1 The original writ is dated
at Scone 27 March, in the twentieth year of reign, 1325,
and contains the only known reference to Sir Christian
Forbes.
But while this is so, there are among the missing charters
of King Robert I. two of about the same date as the writ
cited, the first granting a third of Deskford, and the second
granting a third of Ardach and a third of Skeith, both
being directed to Sir Ohristin del Ard, knight. 2 A recent
writer assumes that the two Sir Christians were one and
the same. 3 Unfortunately only a note of this charter exists,
and at present the evidence is incomplete, as the barony of
Deskford was clearly divided into three parts, of which Sir
Christian del Ard may have held one part, while Sir Christian
Forbes had another third. But could del Ard be proved
identical with Sir Christian Forbes, it would go far to solve
a puzzle as to the origin of the family of Forbes.
So remarkable is the coincidence, not only between the
charters, but also between the traditional history of the
Forbeses, and the actual history of the del Ards at this
period, that the latter may be briefly traced. Stripped of
fictitious details, the family tradition, which does not claim
an ancestry older than the days of Bruce, asserts that
their progenitor held Urquhart Castle for King Robert, and
was slain with his garrison by the troops of King Edward
of England. Whether this be so or not, on 25 July 1297 a
writer, who is believed to be William Fitzwarine, 4 then the
Constable of Urquhart Castle, wrote to King Edward I.,
stating that a certain noble John del Ard, to whom he was
indebted for his personal safety and the lives of his chil-
dren, had a son a prisoner at Corfe Castle named Cristin,
who was made prisoner in the retinue of the Earl of Ross. 8
The writer begs that this son may be sent to his assistance
at Urcharde, as his appearance there will have the effect of
1 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iv. 760. 2 Robertson's Index, 16, Nos. 11,
12. 3 History of Beauly Priory, by E. Chisholm Batten. Grampian
Club, 85. * Rot. Scotice, i. 41. 6 At Dunbar. Cristin del Arde was, on
16 May 1296, ordered to be warded in Corfe Castle (Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. No.
742).
FORBES, LORD FORBES 45
winning the country to his side, and gaining for the King
favour with the inhabitants. 1 The request was not granted,
and Oristin del Ard remained in England until 1301-2, when
he was conducted to Berwick and probably liberated. 2 He
is named in the roll of 1306, already cited, as among the
intending invaders of Scotland, demanding the lands of
Laurence de Strathbogie and others. 3 It may be added that
Sir Christian del Ard was one of the leaders at Halidon,
and probably was killed there. He had a son John, who is
named in a charter dated between 1315 and 1325. 4
Here it is to be noted that at the period named in tradi-
tion there are three generations, John del Ard, and
Christian his son (both connected with Urquhart Castle),
and John son of Sir Christian, of whom nothing further is
known, by the name of del Ard at least. These correspond
to the John Forbees of 1306, the Sir Christian of 1325, and
the John Forbes referred to below. All this may be a
mere coincidence, not to be unduly pressed and another
origin has been suggested, namely, that the Forbeses may
have been connected with the family of De Bois or de
Bosco, one of whom was the husband of an heiress, and
owned the third part of the Byset lands. 5 But the infor-
mation available is so incomplete that no definite conclusion
can as yet be formed upon the subject.
After Sir Christian de Forbes, the next on record is
JOHN DE FORBES, dominus ejusdem, who appears as a
witness to two charters granted by Thomas, Earl of Mar, in
1358 and 1359, 6 and had confirmation of charters of various
lands from King David n. and King Robert n. On 3 July
1364 King David n. confirmed a charter by Thomas, Earl
of Mar, to John de Forbes of the lands of Edinbanchory and
Craiglogy. 7 On 15 November 1374 another charter was
granted in confirmation of tbe same lands. 8 In the same
year he was acting as Sheriff of Aberdeen in place of Alex-
ander Fraser of Philorth. 9 On 18 July 1378 he had a charter
1 Cal. Doc. Scot., No. 923. These facts about John del Ard and his son
were not known to Mr. Chisholm Batten. 2 Ibid., No. 1602. 3 Palgrave's
Documents. 4 History of Beauly Priory, 79, 80. 5 Ibid., 85, 86. 6 Antiq.
Aberd. and Banff, iv. 716, 717. 7 Charter at Castle Forbes, abridged
Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 373. 8 Misc. Maitland Club, i. 9 Exch.
Rolls, ii. 426. In the Cartulary of St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, i. 18, ' Dominus
46 FORBES, LORD FORBES
from the Bishop of Moray to him a.nd to Margaret his
wife of the lands of Fynrossie on the loch of Spynie. 1 He
died before 20 August 1387, and was described as ' a gude
man, wise, mychty, and manly in his tyme.' 2 He was
succeeded by his son, 3
SIR JOHN DE FORBES, knight. He is mentioned as Lord of
Forbes, 20 August 1387, 4 as knight in a letter from King
Robert HI. 6 April 1391, 5 in which a perambulation of the
boundaries of certain lands belonging to the Bishop of
Aberdeen on the one part, and the lands of Forbes on the
other, is ordered. In 1394 he was appointed Justiciary and
Coroner of Aberdeenshire. 6 On 2 January 1404-5 he made
a certain payment to Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar, as
directed by a Court held by the Duke of Albany. 7 His name
frequently appears as witness to charters up to May 1406,
but before 20 November of that year he was succeeded by
his eldest son. 8 He is said to have married Elizabeth or
Margaret Kennedy of Dunure, 9 by whom he had four
sons :
1. SIR ALEXANDER.
2. Sir William Forbes, ancestor of Lord Pitsligo. (See
that title.\
3. Sir John Forbes, who obtained the thanedom of For-
martin and lands of Tolquhoun by marriage with
Mariota, daughter and heir of Sir Henry Preston of
Formartin, knight, widow of Alexander Chisholm, 10
and was ancestor of the Forbeses of Tolquhoun,
Foveran, Watertoun, Oulloden, and others.
Alexander de Forbes de eodem miles,' is said to have gifted, in 1362, to the
chantry of St. Ann in church of St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, ' a vestment of
velvet embroidered with gold.' It is difficult to understand who this
Sir Alexander Forbes is. It has been suggested that he was the son of
Alexander Forbes, the Constable of Castle Urquhart, but the existence
of that personage is nowhere proved. It may be permitted to believe
that there is some mistake, and that the entry refers to Sir Alexander
afterwards first Lord Forbes, who gave a 'cappa' of green velvet to the
Church of Aberdeen (Reg. Epis. Aberdonensis, ii. 141). l Antiq. Aberd.
and Banff, iv. 374; Misc. Maitland Club, i. 379. 8 Reg. Epis. Aberd., i.
176, 349. 3 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 378. * Reg. Epis. Aberd., i.
176 ; Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 378. 6 Reg. Epis. Aberd., i. 187. 6 Craw-
furd's Peerage, 146. 7 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 170 ; original at Castle
Forbes. 8 Ibid., 381. 9 Crawfurd's Peerage, 146; she is referred to by
both names. 10 Dispensation, 1 March 1421 ; Papal Letters, vii. 178.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 47
4. Alaster, styled ' Alaster Cam,' who married, about
1409, Katharine, the daughter and heiress of Sir Henry
Cameron of Brux, by whom he obtained that estate
and was ancestor of the Forbeses of Brux, now
represented by the families of Skellater and Inver-
ernan. On 24 December 1409 he had a charter of
the lands of Glencarve and others. 1 He died about
1466.
Sir John Forbes is also said to have had three natural
sons :
1. Duncan, ancestor of the family of Auchintoul.
2. Malcolm, ancestor of Culquhary and others.
3. John, a man of violence, who, it is said, was killed by
his brother Sir Alexander by command of the King. 2
I. SIR ALEXANDER FORBES acquired most of the posses-
sions subsequently held by his family. He had a charter
in his father's lifetime from Isabel of Douglas, Lady of Mar,
of the lands of Edynbanchory and Craglogy, dated 8 Nov-
ember 1402, and confirmed by King Robert in. 23 June
1405. 3 Sir Alexander first appears as the Laird of Forbes
20 November 1406, when he is witness to a charter by the
Duke of Albany/ In the year 1408 he was one of four
Scottish chiefs who repaired to England 5 to tourney with
English knights. On 31 October 1411 he had infeft-
ment from William Fraser of Philorth in the lands of Meikle
Fintray and others, in the barony of Kynedwart. 6 On the
24 May 1417 he had a charter from John, Earl of Buchan,
of the lands of Fotherbirs in the lordship of Aboyne. 7
On 9 June and 14 October 1421 he had letters 8 of safe-
conduct by Henry v. to England, with a large retinue, to
appear before that monarch, and also to visit James I. of
Scotland, then in Normandy. 9 In 1423 he had charter from
Alexander, Earl of Mar, of the lands of Alford. 10 On 16
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., 12 August 1426. His seal, attached to a charter of 1427,
shows a shield bearing ermine three bear heads couped and muzzled.
Legend, 'Sigillum Alexandri Forbes' (Scot. Armorial Seals, No. 945).
2 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., Scot. Hist. Society, ii. 212, 245, 246. 3 Antiq.
Aberd. and Sa iff, iv. 457, 458. * Ibid., 381; Reg. Mag. Sig., folio vol.
219. 6 Winton, bk. ix. ch. 27; ii. 421, 424. 6 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff,
iv. 382, from original at Castle Forbes. 7 Ibid., iv. 383. 8 Rot. Scot. , ii.
230, 244, 245. 3 Fudera, Hague ed., iv. pt. iv. 24; Exch. Rolls, iv. 84.
10 Misc. Maitland Club, i. 378.
48 FORBES, LORD FORBES
October 1423 he had a charter from Murdoch, Duke of
Albany, Governor of Scotland, etc., of the lands and barony
of Forbes, to him and Elizabeth of Douglas his wife. 1 On
4 November 1423 he had an obligation by his brother-in-
law William, Earl of Angus, that he would not sell or
alienate any of his lands, rents, or possessions to the
prejudice of his sister or her heirs. 2
On the 10 December 1423 he had a charter to himself and
his wife of the lands of Meikle Fintry and others from John,
Earl of Buchan. 3 On the 13 December 1423 and 3 February
1423-24 he had letters of safe-conduct by Henry v. to the
presence of King James I. of Scotland, then at Durham.
His going, no doubt, was to treat as to the King's ransom and
liberation/ On 20 August 1425 he had a charter to him-
self and his wife from William, Earl of Angus, of the lands
of Easter Cluny. 5 On 20 May 1426 he was bailie of the
lands belonging to the Bishop of Moray, and in considera-
tion of his diligence in his Majesty's affairs, King James I.
appointed as his deputies in that office John of Name and
Richard Wiseman by letter of above date. 6 On 6 October
1430 he had a charter from King James I. to him and Eliza-
beth his wife of the barony of Forbes with the lands of
Kery (Kearn) and others in the earldom of Mar. 7 On 31
May 1432 Alexander Lindsay, Earl of Crawford, and Sir
David Lindsay, his son, agreed with Sir Alexander Forbes
that the latter should have the keeping of the Earl's lands
and castle of Strathearn, in the shire of Inverness, during
his life, for a yearly rent of 81, of which he was to retain
20 for his fee, and he was also to be the Earl's depute in
the sheriffship of Aberdeen during his lifetime, paying for
the office a yearly rent of 10. 8 On 17 November 1435 he
covenanted to aid Sir Robert of Erskine and Sir Thomas,
his son, to recover the earldom of Mar and Garioch then in
the King's hands, for which he was to receive from them,
within forty days of such recovery, the lordship of Auchin-
doir, with other subjects. 9 On 26 June 1436 he granted a
1 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 386, 387. 2 Ibid., 387, 388, original in
Charter-room, Castle Forbes. 3 Crawfurd's Peerage, 146. 4 Rot. Scot., ii.
230, 244-245 ; Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 385, 386. 6 Eraser's Douglas,
iii. 60. e Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, 389, 390, from original in Castle Forbes.
7 Ibid., iv. 391, 392. 8 Ibid., 393, from original at Castle Forbes. 9 Ibid.,
iv. 188, 189.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 49
charter to the chaplain of the parish church of Forbes of
12 merks yearly from the rents of certain lands, for cele-
brating services for the welfare of the souls of himself and
Elizabeth Douglas his wife. 1
On 12 December of the year last mentioned (I486) 2 he
acquired from Andrew of Futhos the lands of Futhos
(Fiddes) in the parish of Foveran. On 26 June 1439 he had
a charter from Robert [Erskine], Earl of Mar, of the half
of the lordship of Strathdee, in the said earldom. 3
Under date 4 July 1440 the first notice of the family
residence occurs, 4 when John of Kamloke and William of
Ennerkype grant receipt for 151 merks 5 shillings in full of
200 merks * that thai suld haf had for the makynn of the
houss of Drumynour.'
On 26 March 1444 an indenture was made between Sir Alex-
ander Forbes 5 and Robert the Lyle of Duchale, to the effect
that when the latter recovered the half of the earldom of Mar,
he should give to Forbes his part of the lands and castle of
Strathdee and Kyndrocht, in exchange for the lands of Oluny
and Quhitfield, in Stratherne and Angus. This indenture
was confirmed by King James n. on 7 January 1447-48. 6
Between October 1444 and July 1445 Sir Alexander
Forbes, knight, was raised to the Peerage, as he is at the
first date styled * of that Ilk," and in a writ of 1 July 1445
he is styled LORD FORBES. 8 The last reference to this
Lord Forbes is on 12 July 1447, when King James n. granted
a precept in his favour to the Lords of Exchequer, remitting
to him the arrears and remainder of his accounts. 9
Alexander, first Lord Forbes, died in 1448 ; he married,
before 1423, 10 Elizabeth, only daughter of George Douglas,
first Earl of Angus, and granddaughter of King Robert in.
She survived him, and married, secondly, Sir David Hay of
Yester. 11 They had two sons and three daughters :
1. JAMES, second Lord Forbes.
1 Reg. Epis. Aberd., i. 293. 2 Misc., Maitland Club, i. 379. 3 Antiq.
Aberd. and Banff, iv. 190, 191. * Ibid., 395. 6 Ibid., 194, 195. Ibid.,
393, from original at Castle Forbes. 7 Ibid., 340, 341 ; Exch. Bolls, v.
170. 8 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 59, 60. 9 Misc., Maitland Club, i. 379. This
date has been erroneously given in Wood's Douglas as 12 July 1442.
Any argument as to Lord Forbes's precedency founded on the alleged
earlier date is therefore untenable. 10 There is a disposition on record for
the marriage of Alexander Forbes, Knight, and Elizabeth Fraser, 25 March.
1421 ; Papal Letters, vii. 174. Douglas Book, ii. 23.
VOL. IV. D
50 FORBES, LORD FORBES
2. William, Provost of the Church of St. Giles, Edinburgh. 1
3. Annabella, married, before 1445, to Patrick, Master of
Gray.
4. Margaret, married to the Laird of Fyvie.
5. Elizabeth, married to Alexander Irvine of Drum.
Another daughter, Susanna, is said to have married Sir
William Urquhart of Cromarty. 2
The first Lord Forbes had also a natural son Mr. Richard,
who became Archdeacon of Ross, and held other offices. 3
II. JAMES, second Lord Forbes, succeeded his father in 1448.
On 4 October 1444 James of Forbes, son and heir of Sir
Alexander Forbes, knight, gave a bond of manrent to
Alexander of Seton of Gordon, from whom, on 30 September
same year he had received a charter of Oorsindawe, and
other lands in the barony of Oluny.*
On 1 July 1445 he protested in Parliament that no
sentence to be pronounced against James, Earl of Angus,
should affect his right of succession to the lands of that
Earl, 8 which was regulated by an entail made by the Earl
of Angus of his estate, with a remainder, failing heirs of
his own body, to James, Master of Forbes, son of his sister,
Elizabeth Douglas. On 4 May 1456 Lord Forbes had a
licence from King James n. to fortify the Tower of Drymy-
nour, commonly called Forbes, 6 then the chief seat of the
family, in the lordship of Forbes. He was one of the Lords
of the Session appointed to sit at Aberdeen for the admin-
istration of justice, by the Parliament which met at Edin-
burgh in March 1457. 7 He was also named on a committee
to inquire into the state of the hospitals in the diocese of
Aberdeen. 8 On the 20 September 1460 he had a charter,
* Jacobo, Domino de Forbes, militi,' of the lands of Tulli-
reoth, in the barony of Oluny, from Alexander, Earl of
Huntly, 9 and he died not long afterwards ; at least he died
before 30 July 1462. 10
1 His seal, attached to a charter of 1496, shows a shield bearing three
bears' heads erased and muzzled. Legend, ' S. Mager Wilim Forbs ' (Scot.
Armorial Seals, No. 946). 2 Douglas, Baronage. * Macfarlane's Gen.
Coll., Scot. Hist. Soc., ii. 213. 4 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv., 340, 341.
6 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 59, 60. 6 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 400, from
original at Castle Forbes. The name Castle Forbes has since been trans-
ferred to what was Putachie. 7 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 47. 8 Ibid., 49.
Confirmed Reg. Mag. Sig., 24 February 1539-40. w Exch. Rolls, vii. 123.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 51
He married Egidia, second daughter of William Keith,
first Earl Marischal, who survived him, and was still a
widow on 14 August 1473, when she exchanged her terce
of 8 merks from the lands of Cluny, co. Perth, for so much
from the lands of Forbes. 1 They had issue :
1. WILLIAM, third Lord Forbes.
2. Duncan, mentioned in the Acta Auditorum, 13 Feb-
ruary 1491, as brother of the deceased William, Lord
Forbes. He married Christian Mercer, daughter of
the Laird of Ballief, Provost of Perth, widow of
Gilbert Skene of that Ilk. 2 He became ancestor of
the Forbeses of Oorsindae, and other families of the
name. An account of the descendants of his second
son, Duncan Forbes of Monymusk, is contained in
Douglas's Baronage.
3. Patrick, designed by his mother * our dearest sone ' in
the writ by her of 14 August 1473, already cited. He
had a charter to Patrick Forbes, brother-german of
William, Lord Forbes, of the King's lands, in the
barony of O'Niel, viz. Ooul, Kincraigy, and Oorss, 10
October 1482. He became ancestor of Sir William
Forbes of Craigievar, Bart., and of the Forbeses,
Earls of Granard, in Ireland. An account of his
descendants is contained in Douglas's Baronage.
4. Mr. Alexander, designed ' our sone ' by Lady Forbes
on 14 August 1473.
5. Egidia, married to Malcolm Forbes of Tolquhoun.
III. WILLIAM, third Lord Forbes, styled 'Gray Willie,'
succeeded his father in July 1462. On 9 October 1464 he
appeared as proxy for Alexander, Earl of Huntly, in the
Parliament 3 which met at Edinburgh on that date. On
9 August 1467 he and the heads of the cadet houses of
Pitsligo, Tolquhoun, and Brux entered into a mutual
bond with Duncan Macintosh, chief and captain of the
Clan Chattan, and his two brothers, for defence and pro-
tection against all, except the King and their respective
overlords. 4 He sat frequently in the Parliaments which
met between the years 1467 and 1488. 5 On 8 July 1468 he
1 Laing Charters, No. 166. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 23 May 1481 ; 7 July 1505 ;
Acta Dom. Cone. , xii. f . 30. 3 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 84. * Second Hep. Hist.
MSS. Com., 194. 6 Acta Parl. Scot., 87 et seq.
52 FORBES, LORD FORBES
had a charter from the Earl of Huntly, his father-in-law,
of the lands of Abergardene and others, for his manrent,
etc. 1 On same date he gave bond of manrent for himself
and his heirs in the lordship of Forbes to Alexander, 2 Earl
of Huntly, and George, Lord Gordon, his son. 3
Lord Forbes had orders, on 9 May 1473, from King James in.
to deliver to William, Earl of Erroll, the roll of the persons
belonging to him indicted to the next Court of Justiciary
at Aberdeen. On 9 July 1477 he had confirmation of a
charter granted in 1429 by King James I. of the barony of
Forbes. 4 He died before 5 July 1483. 5
He married Christian Gordon, third daughter of Alex-
ander, first Earl of Huntly, by whom he had three sons
and one daughter :
1. ALEXANDER, fourth Lord.
2. ARTHUR, fifth Lord.
3. JOHN, sixth Lord. 6
4. Christian, married, as his second wife, to William, first
Lord Ruthven, and had issue.
IV. ALEXANDER, fourth Lord Forbes. On 5 July 1483
Alexander, Lord Forbes, son and heir of William, Lord
Forbes, was ordained to pay to Margaret, Lady Dirleton,
2000 merks, being the double of the casualty of his marriage,
for his failing to marry Margaret Ker, Lady Dirleton's
daughter. 7 He was a distinguished supporter of King
James in., and attaching himself to the King's party
he took up arms to revenge his death 1488. 8 He dis-
played, in Aberdeen, and other places in the north, the
bloody shirt of the murdered sovereign, and summoned
all good subjects to revenge. The flame of insurrec-
tion was suddenly extinguished by the defeat of the
1 Confirmed 24 February 1539-40, Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Antiq. Aberd. and
Banff, iv. 405. 3 Misc., Spalding Club, iv. 181. * Antiq. Aberd. and
Banff, iv. 407. 6 Ada Dom. Auditorum, 113. 6 These are the only sons
of the third Lord Forbes and Margaret Gordon on record, but it is said
that General Baron Forbes, a distinguished soldier under Gustavus
Adolphus, created a Baron in 1652, being presented with Kungsgard as a
barony, claimed descent from William Forbes and Margaret Gordon.
The writer of the History of the Family of Rose thus refers to him:
'Artholdus Forbes, born in Finland, first a Colonell under the Swedes,
then a Major Generall, Governour of Pomerania for the Swedes, nobilitate
by Queen Cristiana, and created a Senator of Sweden ' ( The Family of
Rose of Kilravock, 99). 7 Ada Dom. Auditorum, 113. 8 Pinkerton, ii. 8.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 53
Earl of Lennox at Tullymoss, and Lord Forbes submitted
to King James iv. 1 He died before 6 May 1491, without
issue. He married Margaret Boyd, only daughter of
Thomas, Earl of Arran, and niece of King James in. She
was married, secondly, about 9 August 1509, to David,
Earl of Cassillis.
V. ARTHUR, fifth Lord Forbes. On 6 May 1491 Arthur,
Lord Forbes, was ordained to pay to the Bishop of Aber-
deen the second teind of the lands of Drumminor and Fiddes. 2
On 16 May same year he was summoned to answer for
presenting a parson, during the time he was in the King's
ward, to the parsonage of Forbes, which had been assigned
to the Lord Glamis. 3 He died in 1493, 4 having no issue by
his wife Agnes, daughter of John, Lord Glamis, 5 who sur-
vived him, was married, secondly, to John Ross of Oraigie,
and died before April 1529. 6
VI. JOHN, sixth Lord Forbes, succeeded his brother
Arthur in 1493. 7 He had charters, 1 December 1505, 8 of the
lands of Mekil Fintree and others in the barony of Kin-
edward, which hereditarily belonged to Alexander Forbes,
knight, his great-grandfather, by infeftment from John
Stewart, Earl of Buchan, Baron of Kinedward ; to him and
his heirs, 26 April 1509, of the hill and site of the castle
of Kynedward, with leave to build a new castle ; 8 to him
and Christian Lundin, his (second) wife, of the barony of
Fudes, 26 February 1509-10 ; 10 to him, of the lands of Quhit-
field, in the barony of Kerymure, from Archibald, Earl of
Angus, 6 March 1511-12 ; " to him and Elizabeth Barlay,
his (third) wife, of the barony of Fudes (Fiddes), 29 July
1515 ; " and to him of the Kirktoun of Forbes, 18 July 1532."
He was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle on a charge of
treason in 1536, 14 and after a long confinement was honour-
ably acquitted, his son, the Master of Forbes, however,
being convicted and executed. He died 1547, having been
three times married. He married, first, Catherine Stewart,
1 Ada, Dom. Aud., 148. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid., 153, 154 ; Regist. de Forbes.
4 Exch. Rolls, x. 767. 6 Acta Dom. Cone., 337. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig., 24 July
1529. i Regist. de Forbes. * Reg. Mag. Sig. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. " Ibid.
12 Ibid. 13 Ibid. u Arnot, Criminal Trials, 2.
54 FORBES, LORD FORBES
second daughter of John, Earl of Atholl, brother of King
James n., and had by her one son and one daughter :
1. James, who died young.
2. Elizabeth, married to John Grant of Freuchie.
Lord Forbes married, secondly, Christian, daughter of Sir
John Lundin of Lundin, by whom he had issue :
3. John, Master of Forbes, who obtained a remission for
the slaughter of Alexander Seton of Meldrum 10
October 1530. 1 He was accused of high treason by
George, Earl of Huntly, 12 June 1536, 2 was imprisoned
in Edinburgh Castle, and tried before the Court of
Justiciary 14 July 1537. It is said that his fate was
brought about by the agency and influence of the Earl
of Huntly. 3 Though he protested his innocence, he
was found guilty on all the counts, and was sentenced
to be executed, and to forfeit his lands and goods.
He died on the scaffold 17 July 1537, by the axe, as a
favour, 4 in place of being hanged, as was first ordered.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Lyon, sixth
Lord Glamis, about 27 June 1535, when she had a
charter of Fintray and other lands from John, Lord
Forbes. 5 This lady was married, secondly, to Thomas
Craig, of Balnely or Balmalie, son of Alexander Craig of
Craigston or Craig Fintray, and had issue a son John ;
thirdly, about 8 May 1548, to John Tulloch, portioner
of Montcoffer, issue a daughter Elizabeth ; fourthly,
to Mr. John Abernethy, who was her husband in 1565. 8
4. WILLIAM, seventh Lord Forbes.
5. Margaret, married to Andrew Fraser of Muchalls.
6. Elizabeth, married, first, to Gilbert Keith of Troup ;
secondly, to Alexander Innes of Innes. She was alive
20 November 1554. 7
7. Marjory, married to Alexander Forbes of Brux. 8
He married, thirdly, Elizabeth Barley, or Barlow, 9 widow
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Arnot, Criminal Trials, 1-6. 3 Calderwood's
History, i. 112. * Pitcairn's Trials, i. 183, quoting Balfour. 6 Reg. Mag.
Sig., 30 June 1535. 6 Acts and Decreets, xxxvi. 21, xl. 181, 429; Reg.
Mag. Sig., 20 May 1548. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig. 8 He is by Douglas misnamed
'Gilbert.' The tomb of Alexander and Marjory, with its full-length
recumbent figures, is in the old aisle of the Church of Kildrummy
(Jervise's Epitaphs and Inscriptions, i. 262). 9 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff,
iv. 224.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 55
of Alexander, first Lord Elphinstone, killed at Flodden 1513,
and by her had one son and one daughter.
8. Arthur Forbes of Putachie, also styled of Balfour,
called 4 Black Arthur,' killed at the battle of Tullie-
angus 1572.
9. Jcwet, married, first, in 1542, to John Stewart, third
Earl of Atholl ; secondly, to Alexander Hay of Del-
gaty ; thirdly, to William Lesly of Balquhain. Janet
Forbes, Countess of Atholl, had a charter of part of
Balquhain from John Leslie of Balquhain, 9 January
1547-48. 1
Lord Forbes had also a natural daughter Annabella, who
married Mr. Matthew Lumsden of Tullicarn, author of a
History of the Forbes family. 2
VII. WILLIAM, seventh Lord Forbes, had charters to
* William, Master of Forbes,' 3 and Elizabeth Keith his wife,
of the barony of Fiddes, 4 January 1538-39 ; and of the lands
of Lare, 5 March 1539-40. 4 After the execution of his
brother, King James v. admitted him into his favour, and
appointed him one of the Gentlemen of his Bedchamber in
1539. 5 He had a charter to * William, Master of Forbes, '
son and heir of John, Lord Forbes, of the barony of Forbes
and Alford and others, 8 August 1547. 6 He had a charter
of Putachie and other lands from the Earl of Huntly dated
30 November 1559, 7 another from Queen Mary of Oorsindae
and other lands dated 20 June 1563. 8 He had a confirmation
of the lands of Corsindae, etc., under the Great Seal, dated
17 September 1573. 9 He had a charter of apprising of the
lands of Bochrayn 25 May 1579. 10 It was during the life-
time of this lord that the feuds arose between the Gordons
and Forbeses about the possession of certain church lands,
but these will be noted in the next memoir. He died in
1593, having married, in the Abbey Church of Lindores, 11
on 19 December 1538, 12 Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress
with her sister Margaret, Countess of Marischal, of Sir
1 Confirmed 20 February 1547-48, Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll.,
Scot. Hist. Soc., ii. 214. 3 Beg. Mag. Sig. * Ibid. 6 Pinkerton, ii. 346.
Reg. Mag. Sig. 7 Penes Lord Forbes. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Reg. Mag. Sig.
11 Protocol Book of R. Lawson, MS. Advocates' Library. 12 This date
and the dates of the births of the children following, are supplied from
a MS. history of the Forbes family (apparently by Mr. William Forbes
of Leslie), penes Rev. A. Thomson Grant, Wemyss Castle.
56 FORBES, LORD FORBES
William Keith of Inverugie, and had eight sons and eight
daughters :
1. Alexander, born 25 November 1539, but died young.
2. JOHN, Master of Forbes, afterwards eighth Lord Forbes.
3. William of Fodderbirse and Logy Fintray, born 2
March 1543-44, married Marjory, eldest daughter
and co-heiress of Janet, daughter of Alexander
Forbes of Tolquhoun, and relict of William Forbes of
Corsindae, by whom he had issue. By a second
marriage he had a son James, who married a daughter
of William Forbes of Oorsindae. William Forbes
of Fodderbirse is mentioned amongst the members
of his clan who were, in 1573, exempted by the Lords
of Council and Session from the jurisdiction of the
Earl of Huntly. He is also mentioned in the same
cause in 1578. 1
4. Arthur of Logie, born 3 April 1550, killed at Paris
1574. 2
5. James of Lethinty, born 16 July 1551, married
Margaret, eldest daughter and co-heiress of William
Forbes, sixth Laird of Pitsligo, by whom he had
issue.
6. Alexander (secundus) born 24 January 1552-53, and
died young.
7. Robert, born 1 January 1555-56, Prior of Monymusk.
8. Abraham of Blacktoun, born 2 March 1558-59.
9. Jean, born 25 April 1541, married to James, Lord
Ogilvy of Airlie.
10. Elizabeth, born 10 November 1545. She was offered
in marriage to Alexander Ogilvie of Boyne, donator
of her marriage. He was required to marry her in
the church of Kearn on 1 November 1565, and on his
failure to do so was sued for the double avail. 3 She
was afterwards married, as his second wife, to Henry,
Lord Sinclair. 4
11. Christian, born 24 June 1547, married to George
Johnston of Oaskieben, and was mother, with
twelve other children, of Dr. Arthur Johnston,
1 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, v. 761, 763. 2 Gordon's History of Gordons,
f 381. 3 Acts and Decreets, xliii. f. 244. * Cf. Reg. Privy Council, 17
March 1603.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 57
physician in ordinary to Charles I., well known for
his poetical productions. She died in 1622.
12. Isabel, born 16 October 1548, married to John Gordon
of Pitlurg. She was buried at Aberdeen on 22 March
1622. 1
13. Catherine, born 7 July 1554, married to Barclay of
Gartly.
14. Margaret, born 14 October 1557, married to George
Sinclair of Mey. She had a charter to Margaret,
sixth daughter of William, Lord Forbes, future spouse
of George Sinclair, Chancellor of Caithness, son of
George, Earl of Caithness, of part of the lands
of Morkill and Dunnet, from the said George, 13
December 1578. 2
15. Barbara, born 31 January 1560-61, married, first
(contract 4 and 5 June 1586 3 ), to Robert Allardyce,
younger of Allardyce; secondly, to Alexander Hay
of Delgatie; thirdly, to Archibald Douglas of Bal-
neathill, afterwards Sir Archibald Douglas of Keillor,
son of Sir William Douglas of Lochleven. 4
16. Anna, born 30 September 1564, 5 married, first (contract
10 and 12 August 1588 6 ), to Sir John Seton of Barns,
with issue ; secondly, to John Hamilton, brother of
Patrick Hamilton of Samuelston, also with issue.
VIII. JOHN, eighth Lord Forbes, born 3 July 1542, second
but eldest surviving son, succeeded his father in 1593. 7
On 9 November 1571, when Master of Forbes, he ob-
tained a precept under the royal signet as King's
Lieutenant within certain bounds of the north country
for uplifting the two-thirds of the rents of the Bishopric
of Aberdeen fallen into the King's hands. For this
reason, or simply for his adherence to the King's
party, he became obnoxious to the Gordons as Queen's
men, and Adam Gordon of Auchindoun, who then raided
the King's partisans in Aberdeenshire, seized the Master
and sent him a prisoner to Spynie Castle, then held and
1 Aberdeen Burial Reg. 2 Confirmed 16 February 1578-79, Beg. Mag.
Sig. 3 Reg. of Deeds, xxviii. f. 358. * Forfar Inhibs., 22 January 1598-99
and 2 December 1602. 5 Secretary's Reg. Sas., Edinburgh and Hadding-
ton, 15 September 1603; iii. 188. 6 Reg. of Deeds, xxxiii. f. 300. 7 History
penes Lord Forbes.
58 FORBES, LORD FORBES
occupied by Patrick Hepburn the notorious Bishop of
Moray. He entered his prison in December 1571, and re-
mained there until liberated under the Pacification of
Perth 23 February 1572-73, and even then not without
being compelled to pay the sum of 705 Scots to the Earl
of Huntly and to Adam Gordon. 1 A feud had begun, in
September 1571, with the Gordons about the possession of
certain church lands, and it went on for several years until
composed by the arbitration of the young King James and
his advisers at Perth on 6 July 1582. 2 The feud was the
subject of enactment in more than one Parliament, and
no other cause of dispute than the lands is referred to.
He was appointed a Privy Councillor January 1593-94. 3 In
1593 the Lord Forbes joined with Bothwell and Atholl to
revenge the barbarous murder of the Earl of Moray. 4 In
the same year he was in the convention at Holyrood, where
proceedings against the Popish Lords were resolved on. 5
In 1594 he was denounced for not compearing to answer to
the charge of trafficking with Bothwell. 8 In the same year
he was commissioned against Huntly and Angus, and raised
1100 men for that service. 7 He was second in command of
the King's forces under the Earl of Argyll against the
Popish Earls of Huntly and Erroll at the battle of Glen-
livet, 3 October 1594 ; and the next year joined the King
against these rebellious noblemen. 8 He had a charter of
the baronies of Fiddes, Alford, etc., united into the lord-
ship of Forbes 22 February 1594-95. 9 He obtained a com-
mission for maintaining the peace of the north country
under the royal signet 18 March 1604. 10 He was served heir
to Elizabeth Keith his mother 13 November 1604. 11 He
died 29 June 1606 at Putachie, and was buried in Keirn,
beside Drumminor. 12 He married, first, in November 1558,
Margaret, eldest daughter of George Gordon, fourth Earl
of Huntly, to whom he had been contracted on 21 February
1547, and by her he had issue :
1. William, born in 1562, who entered the Capuchin
convent at Ghent under the name of Brother Arch-
1 P. C. Reg. , ii. 195, 338. 2 Antiq. Aberd. and Banff, iv. 760-770. 3 Ada
Parl. Scot., iv. 53. 4 Moysie's Memoirs, Bannatyne Club, 102-103. 5 Ibid.,
112. 6 Ibid., 117. 7 Ibid., 118, 119. 8 Robertson, iii. 17. 9 Beg. Mag. Sig.,
xl. No. 27. 10 Penes Lord Forbes. " Ibid. 12 Ms. Hist, of family already
cited.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 59
angel, on 13 February 1589, and died there 21 March
1592, aged 29, a year before his father succeeded to
the title.
2. JOHN, ninth Lord Forbes.
3. Jean, married (contract 12 May 1597 J ) to William
Oumyn of Earnside.
4. Isabel, who died young, unmarried, and
5. Margaret, married, first (contract 23 April 1600),
to George Sinclair of Dunbeath ; 2 secondly, before 1628, to
Claud Hamilton. 3
The marriage with Margaret Gordon is said to have been
dissolved 24 June 1573, and she died at Ghent 1 January
1606. 4 The epitaph on her monument 5 gives the dates
just quoted, but the date of the divorce is certainly
wrong. It has been assumed, and frequently asserted,
that Lord Forbes (then Master) repudiated his first wife
on the ground of adultery, that he endeavoured to obtain
a divorce for that reason, but that he failed, and that the
divorce was at last obtained upon the ground of religious
differences. Unhappily the sentence, still extant, refutes
this theory, and narrates that while her husband was
immured in Spynie Castle, Margaret Gordon associated
intimately with Mr. Patrick Hepburn, parson of Kinnoir, 8
at various periods specified, within the houses of Drum-
minor or Rinaloch, so much so that their intercourse was
matter of 4 public fame and common voice.' On this ground,
after hearing evidence, and on this ground alone, decree
was pronounced. The Master of Forbes was released after
23 February 1572-73, and the case was first called in
the Commissary Court of Edinburgh on 28 July 1573, with
sittings at intervals until 22 March 1573-74, the date of
divorce. 7 The lady seems to have gone abroad to be near
her sons.
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. , 2 February 1601. 2 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., Scot. Hist.
Soc. , ii. 215 ; and Caithness Family History. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig., 19 February
1628. 4 Hist, penes Lord Forbes. 5 In the Abbey of St. Bavon, Ghent.
6 He was a natural son of Patrick Hepburn, Bishop of Moray, who was
then residing in the Castle of Spynie, where Forbes was immured ;
Ada Parl. Scot., iii. 6. 7 Register of Decreets of the Commissariot of
Edinburgh, vol. 6 at dates. It may be repeated that the feuds with the
Gordons began in September 1571, because the Forbeses were unjustly
deprived of church lands, and the divorce is never in any writ referred
to as a cause of quarrel.
60 FORBES, LORD FORBES
Lord Forbes married, secondly, in 1580, Jonet, daughter
of Walter Seton of Touch, widow of Sir John Bellenden
of Auchnoull, 1 who survived him, and died, 2 February 1616,
at Aberdeen, where she was buried. 2 They had two sons
and one daughter :
6. ARTHUR, tenth Lord Forbes.
7. David, born 3 May 1591, died young, and unmarried, in
1617.
8. Catherine, born in 1583, married (contract 31 July
1606 3 ) to William Gordon of Rothiemay.
This Lord Forbes had also two natural sons, James and
Arthur.*
IX. JOHN, who though he had, like his brother, joined
the Order of Capuchins, was still de jure Lord Forbes for a
brief space. It is said that rather than comply with his
father's wish and make a rich marriage with a lady to whom
he appears to have been actually betrothed, he followed
the example of his elder brother, and escaped to Belgium
at an early age, in the disguise of a shepherd. Landing at
Noorda, he was soon after apprehended by a Spanish soldier
as a spy, and brought before Mondragone, the Governor of
the citadel of Antwerp, who took him for a runaway soldier,
and sent him to prison. Taking the habit of a Capuchin on
2 August 1593 at Tournai in his twenty-third year, under
the title of Brother Archangel, he is said to have converted
300 Scots soldiers to Catholicism at Dixmude, and ' another
body of Scottish heretics to the bosom of the Church at
Menin.'
At Waastmunster, a town two leagues from Termonde,
whither he had gone to nurse the sick, as disease was
raging there, he was seized with an infectious disorder,
apparently the plague, and returning to Termonde, he died
almost immediately whilst being carried into the garden on
11 August 1606, 5 thus surviving his father only about six
weeks.
X. ARTHUR, tenth Lord Forbes, eldest son of second
marriage, born 25 April 1581, had a charter of the lordship
and barony of Forbes 20 December 1598, 6 ' to Arthur Forbes,
1 Vol. ii. of this work, 66. 2 This and the other dates from MS. History.
8 Reg. of Deeds, cclxxv., 27 July 1618. 4 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., ii. 215.
6 The date given on his mother's monument is 2 August. 6 Ibid. D.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 61
eldest son of John, Lord Forbes, by Jonet Seytoun his wife, 1
and the heirs-male of his body, whom failing, to David their
second son, and his uncles, his father's brothers, and the
heirs-male of their bodies respectively, confirmed 28 Decem-
ber 1598. 1 By this charter it was evidently intended to
exclude John, Arthur's elder brother, from all succession to
the estates, and later, in 1600, Arthur is found writing to
his brother in a friendly manner, signing himself Master of
Forbes, a designation he also had in public documents. 2
He succeeded to the estates and title in 1606, after the
deaths of his father and brother. On 8 February 1610-11
a charter was granted to Jean Elphinstone, spouse of
Arthur, Lord Forbes, and Alexander, Master of Forbes, 3
their son, of the barony of Fiddes, Forbes, etc., united to
the lordship of Forbes. In 1628, when Sir Donald Mackay
(afterwards Lord Reay) had been authorised to raise men
for foreign service, Lord Forbes agreed to furnish 800 men
out of the 1000 to be levied, and also engaged himself for a
large sum to enable Lord Reay to carry on the service.
He was served heir to his grandfather, William, Lord
Forbes, 23 April 1634. 4 Amongst the family papers mention
is frequently made of Arthur, Lord Forbes, between the
years 1606 and 1638, but they refer chiefly to estates
and domestic matters. He married, at Edinburgh, on 5
February 1600, 5 Jean, second daughter of Alexander, fourth
Lord Elphinstone, by whom he had six sons and three
daughters :
1. ALEXANDER, afterwards eleventh Lord Forbes.
2. John, born in ' Balchats ' 2 November 1603, but died
young.
3. Colonel John (secundus), born in Drumminor 2 Nov-
ember 1608. He had letters of recommendation
from King Charles i. to the Shah of Persia 2
December 1635.
4. Colonel William, born in Fiddes 2 February 1614,
Governor of Stadt; killed, it is said, before Bremer
Sconce, on 16 May 1654. 6
1 Penes Lord Forbes. 2 Second Hep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. 195; P. C.
Reg., vi. 824. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig. 4 Retours. 6 Ms. History ut tit., and Edin.
Reg. of Marriages. 6 Memoirs of Sir John Hepburn, 254 ; Macfarlane's
Gen. Coll., ii. 477.
62 FORBES, LORD FORBES
5. Captain Arthur, born at Dunbeath in Caithness 29
August 1615.
6. Captain James, born at Fiddes 25 May 1617. The last
two were killed in the German wars.
7. Barbara, born in Drumminor 17 January 1607 ; married
to George, second Earl of Seaforth, and had issue.
8. Anna, born in Drumminor 1 March 1610, married to
Arthur Forbes of Echt. She had a charter as his
future wife 4 November 1635. 1
9. Elisabeth, born at Fiddes 8 March 1611 ; married to
James Skene of Skene.
XI. ALEXANDER, eleventh Lord Forbes, had a charter to
* Alexander, Master of Forbes,' of the baronies of Fintray,
Dunbeath, etc., united to the lordship of Forbes, 18 March
1619. 2 He took service under Gustavus Adolphus, and rose
to the rank of lieutenant-general in the Swedish army.
On his return home he was given a command in 1643 in
Ireland to suppress the risings there. He afterwards
retired to Germany, where he spent the remainder of his
days, and died at Stockholm 20 April 1672. 3 He married,
first, Anne, daughter of Sir John Forbes of Pitsligo, by
whom he had, besides several children who died young, one
son:
1. WILLIAM, afterwards twelfth Lord Forbes.
He married, secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Robert
Forbes of Rires, in Fife, by whom he had, besides eight chil-
dren who died young, two sons and three daughters :
2. Colonel James.
3. Colonel Arthur.
4. Christian, married to John Forbes of Balfluig.
5. Mary, married, first, as his second wife (contract
30 January 1679 4 ), with a tocher of 7000 merks, to
Hugh Rose of Kilravock, who died 1687; secondly,
to Kinnaird of Oulbin.
6. Anne, died unmarried.
XII. WILLIAM, twelfth Lord Forbes, succeeded 1672. He
was nominated one of the Colonels of Foot in the forces raised
1 Protocol Book of Alexander Forbes, MS. in Gen. Reg. Ho. 2 Douglas.
3 Penes Lord Forbes. 4 Family of Rose of Kilravock, 363.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 63
to attempt the rescue of the King 1648, 1 and made Colonel
of Horse 1649. He died 1697. 2 He married, first, 1648,
Jean, daughter of Sir John Campbell of Calder, and by
her, who died 10 December 1666, 3 had three sons and two
daughters :
1. WILLIAM, afterwards thirteenth Lord Forbes.
2. Arthur of Breda, died without issue.
3. Archibald of Putachie, who was buried in Drum's
Aisle, St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, 29 November 1723,
and his widow on 18 May 1752. 4
4. Margaret, married, first, 5 about 1668, to Alexander,
Lord Duffus; secondly, about 1675, to Sir Robert
Gordon of Gordonstoun, Bart. She died in April 1677. 6
5. Elizabeth, married to John Leith of Whitehaugh.
Lord Forbes married, secondly, Anna Erskine, 7 second
daughter of Alexander, Viscount Fentoun, son of the first
Earl of Kellie ; and thirdly (banns proclaimed 11 December
1682 8 ), Barbara, daughter of Forbes of Asloune, widow of
Forbes of Echt, without issue by either of the latter
wives.
XIII. WILLIAM, thirteenth Lord Forbes, succeeded his
father 1697 ; 9 he was zealous for the Revolution ; was sworn
a Privy Councillor to King William 1689. He was colonel of
the Horse Guards 27 May 1702-4. He was Privy Councillor
to Queen Anne, and supported the Treaty of Union in
Parliament. In 1715 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of
the counties of Aberdeen and Kincardine ; instructions as
to his duties in that capacity were issued to him by order
of King George n. 25 August 1715. 10 He died July 1716," and
was buried at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, Middlesex, 25 July
1716. He married, in 1680, Anne, daughter of James
Brodie of Brodie, by whom he had three sons and one
daughter :
1. WILLIAM, afterwards fourteenth Lord Forbes.
2. JAMES, afterwards sixteenth Lord Forbes.
3. Archibald, born 3 November 1697.
1 Douglas. 8 Penes Lord Forbes. 3 Fourth Rep. Hist. MSS. Com.,
516. * Burial Reg. 6 Sutherland Book, i. 515 ; Part. Reg. o/Sas., Elgin,
iv. 6 Fourth Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., 516. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig., MS. lib.
Ixvii. No. 57. 8 Kildrummy Parish Reg. 9 Penes Lord Forbes. 10 Ibid.
11 Register of Kildrummy.
64 FORBES, LORD FORBES
4. Mary, married to John Ogilvie of Balbegno, advocate,
who died in August 1743.
XIV. WILLIAM, fourteenth Lord Forbes, succeeded his
father 1716. He married, contract dated 3 September 1720,
Dorothy, daughter of William Dale of Oovent Garden,
Westminster. She had a fortune of 20,000, which was all
lost by the South Sea Scheme, and other speculations of
that infatuated year 1720. 1 He died at Edinburgh 26, and
was buried in Holyrood Abbey 28, June 1730. They had
issue :
1. FRANCIS, afterwards fifteenth Lord Forbes.
2. Anne, baptized 10 June 1724, died in a few days.
3. Mary, baptized at Chelsea 3 November 1725, buried
there 9 November 1734.
4. Jean, married, 22 April 1748, to Colonel James Dundas
of Dundas, M.P. for the county of Linlithgow. She
died at Dundas Castle 28 July 1774, leaving issue. (See
Douglas, Baronage.)
5. Elizabeth, born 5 January 1730 ; married in 1752 to
Professor John Gregory, M.D., F.R.S., Edinburgh.
She died 3 October 1761, leaving issue. From her is
descended the present Lord Leith of Fyvie.
XV. FRANCIS, fifteenth Lord Forbes, was born at Chelsea
19 December 1721. He succeeded his father in 1730. He
died at Chelsea, and was buried there 8 August 1734, in the
thirteenth year of his age, and was succeeded by his uncle.
XVI. JAMES, sixteenth Lord Forbes, second son of William,
twelfth Lord Forbes, born 1689, succeeded his nephew 1734.
He died at Putachie, now Castle Forbes, 20 February 1761,
in the seventy-third year of his age, and was buried at the
church of Keig. He married, first, 1715, Mary, daughter
of Alexander, third Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, widow of John
Forbes, younger of Monymusk, by whom he had one son
and three daughters :
1. JAMES, afterwards seventeenth Lord Forbes.
2. Sophia, married to Charles Cumine of Kininmont. She
1 Douglas.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 65
died at Aberdeen 13 March 1790, aged seventy-five,
leaving issue.
3. Mary, married to James Gordon of Cobairdy ; died at
Glenkindie 21 June 1793, leaving issue.
4. Anne, married, 20 November 1746, to Thomas Erskine,
of Pittodrie ; died there 30 October 1750, in her
twenty-seventh year, leaving one daughter, Mary
Erskine, heiress of Pittodrie, married to Colonel
Henry Knight, who took the name of Erskine of
Pittodrie.
Lord Forbes married, secondly, in July 1741, Elizabeth,
daughter of Sir James Gordon of Park, Bart., by Margaret,
daughter of Lord Elphinstone. She died, without issue, at
Aberdeen, 12 June 1792, in her seventy-second year. 1
XVII. JAMES, seventeenth Lord Forbes, succeeded his
father 1761. As Master of Forbes he was captain in the
26th Regiment of Foot 1746. He was appointed Deputy-
Governor of Fort William in May 1764. He died at Edin-
burgh 29 July 1804 in his eightieth year, and was buried at
Castle Forbes. He married, January 1760, Catherine, only
daughter of Sir Robert Innes of Orton and Balveny, Bart. ;
she died at Edinburgh 16 April 1805. By her he had
issue :
1. JAMES OCHONCAR, Master of Forbes, afterwards
eighteenth Lord Forbes.
2. Robert Alaster Cam, captain R.N. 12 November
1790, commander of the Dryad frigate. He died un-
married off the coast of Norway, 7 October 1795.
3. Andrew, Chief Registrar of the Isle of Man, and
captain in the Royal Manx Fencibles; he died at
Douglas 12 June 1808, unmarried.
4. William, lieutenant R.N., died at Lisbon 1 February
1792 unmarried.
5. Marjory, married, first, 4 June 1786, at Putachie, to
John (Lord Macleod), eldest son of the attainted
Earl of Cromarty, who died without issue 2 April
1789 ; secondly, 11 March 1794, to John, fourth Duke
of Atholl. She died 4 October 1842, leaving issue.
6. Mary Elisabeth, married, at Putachie, 9 July 1785, to
1 Gentleman's Mag.
VOL. IV. E
66 FORBES, LORD FORBES
Sir John Hay of Haystoun and Smithfield, Bart. She
died at Edinburgh 2 November 1803, leaving issue.
XVIII. JAMES OCHONCAR, eighteenth Lord Forbes, Grand
Cross of the Royal Sicilian order of St. Januarius, was
born 7 March 1765, and died at Bregenz, on the Lake of
Constance, 4 May 1843. 1 Was captain in Coldstream Guards,
served in Flanders and at the Helder, major-general 1802,
lieutenant-general 1808, general 1817, colonel 94th Regi-
ment April 1809, of the 54th September 1809, and of the
21st Royal North British Fusiliers 1816-43. 2 Commanded
the forces in Ireland for some years. A Representative
Peer 1806-43, Lord High Commissioner to the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1826. He married, at
Crailing House, 2 June 1792, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of
Walter Hunter of Polmood, co. Peebles, and of Crailing,
Roxburghshire, by Caroline Mackenzie, fourth daughter of
George, Earl of Oromarty. She was born 9 May 1775, and
died 11 October 1830. By her he had issue :
1. James, Master of Forbes, lieutenant-colonel Cold-
stream Guards at Bayonne and Waterloo; born
9 April 1796, predeceased his father without issue
25 February 1835. 3
2. WALTER, born 29 May 1798, succeeded his father as
nineteenth Lord.
3. Frederick, born 5 April 1803, died 23 April 1826.
4. William, born 16 June 1804, died 10 March 1805.
5. John, born 28 December 1806, lieutenant 79th Cameron
Highlanders, died 5 November 1835.
6. Robert, born 1 June 1808, entered the H. E. I. O.
Civil Service in Bengal; married, 26 March 1828,
Frances Dorothea, second daughter of Thomas Law
Hodges, of Hemstead, Kent, M.P., and died 2 June
1883, leaving issue.
7. Caroline Elisabeth, born 23 October 1793; married,
16 November 1818, to George Fairholme, of Green-
knowe, Berwickshire ; died 14 April 1865, with issue.
8. Catherine, born 23 March 1800 ; died 29 August 1808.
9. Charlotte Elizabeth, born 28 May 1801; married, 15
September 1825, to Sir John Forbes of Craigievar,
1 Tombstone. * Memorial Tablet, Guards' Chapel. 3 Ibid.
FORBES, LORD FORBES 67
Bart., father of William, Lord Semple, and died 5
November 1883.
10. Mary Stuart, born 23 August 1810; married, 28
August 1839, to Charles Benjamin Lee-Main waring,
of The Abbey, Knaresborough, Yorks, who died in
1874. She died 2 February 1897, having issue.
11. Elisabeth Jane, born 16 June 1813; died in Austria
20 December 1891, unmarried.
12. Isabella Drummond, born 25 June 1816 ; married, 28
August 1839, to Baron Ernest de Poelnitz ; died 9
January 1897, and had issue.
XIX. WALTER, nineteenth Lord Forbes, first entered the
Navy, but subsequently joined the Ooldstream Guards, and
served at Waterloo in command of a company of that
regiment in the defence of Hougoumont. 1 He was born
29 May 1798, and died at Richmond, Surrey, 2 May 1868,
being buried at Brompton Cemetery, London. He married,
first, 31 January 1825, Horatia, seventh daughter of Sir
John Gregory Shaw, Bart., of Kenward, Kent. She died
24 December 1862 ; by her he had issue :
1. Walter Frederick, born 19 August 1826; died 6
January 1828.
2. Jonathan Barrington, Master of Forbes, born 4 January
1828 ; died 24 December 1846.
3. HORACE COURTENAY GAMMELL, twentieth Lord.
4. Charles Murray Hay of Brux, late 95th Regiment ;
born 13 March 1830; died 17 May 1874, having
married, 17 July 1860, Caroline Louisa Elizabeth,
third daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Hon. George
Augustus Spencer ; no issue.
5. James Hunter of Brux, born 10 February 1833; died
unmarried 28 December 1881.
6. Robert Shaw Brook, born 14 May 1834 ; died Septem-
ber 1862, at Maryborough, Queensland, unmarried.
7. Atholl Monson of Brux, heir to the title, born 15
February 1841 ; married, 19 September 1876, Margaret
Alice, younger daughter of Sir William Hanmer
Dick-Cunyngham, Bart., and has issue :
(1) Atholl Laurence Cunyngham, born U September 1882.
1 Memorial Tablet, Guards' Chapel.
68 FORBES, LORD FORBES
(2) Ivan Courtenay, born 11 December 1883.
(3) Marjory Winifred, born 18 October 1879.
8. Emily, born 1 March 1832 ; died unmarried 30 January
1872.
Lord Forbes married, secondly, 4 April 1864, Louisa,
second daughter of James Ormond, of Abingdon, Berks, by
whom he had two sons :
9. Walter Robert Drummond, born 14 May 1865, late
captain Gordon Highlanders ; married, 13 February
1888, Eveline Louisa Michell, only daughter of
Frederick Cooper Farwell of the Lowlands, Tatten-
hall, co. Stafford, and has issue.
10. Montagu Ormond, born 5 May 1866 ; married 21 April
1894, Helen, eldest daughter of William Henry Camp-
bell of 30 Lancaster Gate, London, and has issue.
XX. HORACE COURTENAY, twentieth and present Lord
Forbes, born at Aberdeen 24 February 1829, premier Baron
of Scotland, M.A. of Oriel College, Oxford, Bart, of Nova
Scotia, D.L., Representative Peer 1874-1905.
ARMS, as registered in 1672-77. Azure, three bears'
heads couped argent, muzzled gules.
CREST. A stag's head, attired with ten tynes proper.
SUPPORTERS. Two bloodhounds argent, collared gules.
MOTTO. Grace me guide. 1
[J. A., LL.D.]
1 The old motto on a stone formerly on Bishop Forbes's summer tower
at Tullynessle was ' Grace me guide, in hope I bide.'
FORBES, LORD FORBES OF
PITSLIGO
IB WILLIAM FORBES of
Kynnaldy, second son of
Sir John Forbes of Forbes,
and next younger brother
of Sir Alexander Forbes,
created first Lord Forbes
(see that title), obtained
the lands of Kynnaldy
and others in the parish
of Ooldstone from his
brother Alexander, with
consent of the superior of
these lands, Alexander
Stewart, Earl of Mar,
who granted a charter of
these lands to him, dated
* apud Aberden : in f esto
Sancti Bartholomei 1419.' He had a charter from James
Douglas, Lord of Balveny, his kinsman, on 24 July 1423, 1
of Glasloch and other lands, on his marriage with Agnes
Fraser, daughter of William Fraser of Philorth, who then
resigned these lands in his favour. He had a charter of
these lands, together with the adjoining lands of Petslegach
(Pitsligo) and others, 12 August 1424. 2 On 27 July 1429,
as Willelmus de Forbes, miles, he had a royal charter
erecting the lands of Kynnaldy and others into a free
barony. 3
Sir William had a charter from Alexander Setoun, Lord
of Gordon, of the lands of Mekylwardis in the Garioch, 30
1 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff (Spalding Club), iv. 113. - Confirmed 18
July 1426, Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid.
70 FORBES, LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO
June 1432, 1 and in 1445 he had a gift from King James n.
of the lands of Bothron and Kyninmond, in the county of
Banff, during his lifetime. 2
Sir William was slain fighting under the banner of the
Earl of Huntly in the battle between the Lindsays on the
one side and the Gordons and Ogilvies on the other at
the gates of Arbroath, on the 13 or 23 day of January
1445-46. 3 He married, as stated above, on 24 July 1423,
Agnes, daughter of William Fraser of Philorth, by whom he
had issue :
1. ALEXANDER, his heir.
2. Malcolm, of Meikle Wardis.
3. Arthur, who married, before 12 October 1463, Beatrix
Douglas, daughter of James, seventh Earl of Douglas,
and widow of William, first Earl of Erroll.
4. a daughter, married to James Menzies of Lash-
goune. 4
ALEXANDER FORBES of Pitsligo succeeded his father, but
his succession to the lands was disputed by his younger
brother Malcolm. The dispute was referred to a court
consisting of Alexander, Earl of Huntly, Alexander, Lord
Forbes, Sir Alexander Irvine of Drum, and others, who, by
their deliverance, dated at Oulsalmond 21 May 1446, found
that Alexander Forbes was lawful and full heir to all the
lands held by his father, and they decreed that Malcolm
should execute a bond of manrent to his elder brother, in
return for which he was to receive the lands of Meikle
Wardis, in the Garioch. 5 Alexander had a charter of the
baronies of Pitsligo and Kynnaldy on his own resignation,
10 October 1476. 6
Alexander Forbes died in March 1477, 7 and was succeeded
by his grandson. He is said to have married Maria, daughter
of an Earl of Erroll, 8 with issue :
1. William, his heir-apparent, died vita patris ; married,
1 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, i. 556. 2 Exch. Rolls, v. 170. 3 Antig.
of Aberd. and Banff, iv. 390, and authorities there quoted. * Family of
Forbes of Forbesfield, 6. 6 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iii. 404-405.
Original in Charter-chest of Pitsligo and Fettercairn. 6 Ibid., iv. 105.
7 Reg. Mag. Sig. 8 Macfarlane's Ge.n. Coll., ii. 217. No evidence of
this marriage has been found among the Erroll Papers. (See that
title.)
FORBES, LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO 71
about 1466, 1 Mariota Ogilvy, daughter of Sir John
Ogilvy of Lintrathen, by whom he had two sons :
(1) ALEXANDER, who succeeded his grandfather.
(2) William, of Daach, who married Elizabeth, eldest daughter
of John Forbes of Brux. 2
2. George, ancestor of the Forbeses of Lethenty. 3
3. Arthur, who married Elizabeth, granddaughter of Sir
Thomas Wemyss of Rires, 4 and became ancestor of
the Forbeses of Rires.
4. - , daughter, married to John Gordon of Botary.
5. Isabel, married to William Urquhart, Sheriff of Crom-
arty. 5
6. , married to Alexander Tulloch of Montcoffer.
7. - , married to Mowat of Balquholly.
8. Elizabeth, married to Gilbert de Johnston of
Caskieben. 8
ALEXANDER, on 29 April 1477, was served heir to his
grandfather in the barony of Pitsligo. 7 He married Isobel
(or Elizabeth) Wemyss, of what family is not certain, 8
who survived him, and in 1501 was the wife of Thomas
Blair. 9 She was alive 16 August 1524, when she granted
a tack of her terce lands to her * lovit carnale sone,' John
Forbes of Pitsligo, for 40 yearly, payable to her at Dysart
in Fife. 18 By her he had issue :
1. JOHN, his heir.
2. , married to Calder of Asloun.
3. -, married to William Woodman, Laird of Fenzies.
4. , married to William White in Aberdeen.
5. -, married to William Lawson in Dysart. 11
He died about 1496.
3 l Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, ill. 404. 2 Acta Dom. Cone., x. 88.
Douglas. 4 Ibid. ; Fraser's Family of Wemyss, i. 60 ; Acts and Decreets,
i. f. 204. 5 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., ii. 358. 6 Family of Johnston of
that Ilk. T Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iv. 104-105. 8 Acta Dom. Cone.,
xiv. 136. According to Lumsden, she was a daughter of Patrick Wemyss
of Rires, but there was no person of that style ; a Patrick Wemyss of
Pittencrieff appears later. It is possible that the lady was the daughter
of John Wemyss of Pittencrieff and Elizabeth Dishington, who married
about 1466. Cf. Fraser's Family of Wemyss, i. 61. 9 Acta Dom. Cone.,
x. 9. 10 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iv. 105. u Macfarlane's Gen. Coll.,
ii. 217.
72 FORBES, LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO
JOHN, born circa 1487; succeeded his father, and was
inf ef t in the lands of Pitsligo and others on a royal precept,
9 November 1496. He was served heir to Sir Alexander
Forbes, his grandfather, in the lands of Faithly and
others, 21 April 1506, 1 and had a charter of one-third of
Pettallochy and others 1 March 1506-7. 2 He married, first,
Jean, daughter of Sir William Keith of Inverugy ; 3 second,
Isabel or Elizabeth, daughter of James Innes of that Ilk,
and relict of George Meldrum of Fy vie ; 4 they had a charter
of the lands of Meikle Wardis about 1523. 5 John died 16
May 1556, in his seventieth year. 6 He had issue :
1. ALEXANDER, his heir.
2. Arthur, killed at Pinkie 1547.
3. John.
4. William.
5. Christian, married to George Straton of Lauriston. 7
6. Marjory, married, first, to Henry Bannerman of
Waterton ; 8 second, to Alexander Menzies. 9
7. , married to [Alexander] Keith of Pittendrum.
ALEXANDER FORBES of Pitsligo, called the ' Red Laird,'
was sore wounded at Pinkie. 10 As son and heir-apparent
of John Forbes of Pitsligo he had a charter to himself and
his wife of the lands of Knoksowle and others from his
father 7 December 1521." He died in 1562. 12 He married
Beatrix, daughter of Alexander, Lord Abernethy of Saltoun,
and by her had issue :
1. WILLIAM, his heir.
2. ALEXANDER, who succeeded his brother.
3. John of Boyndlie, slain at Pinkie, 13 who married Agnes,
daughter of Gray of Schivas, and had issue.
4. Arthur, who married Margaret Leslie, daughter of the
Laird of Pitcaple, 14 and had issue.
5. George, of Auchannasse, married, contract 8 July
1 Sheriff Court Records of Aberdeen, 18. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Douglas;
the Christian name not given by Lurnsden. 4 Acta Dom. Cone., xxxiii.
109. See Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, ii. 329. George Meldrum died 1518 ;
Exch. Rolls, xiv. 634. 6 Treas. Ace., v. 178. * Ms. notes. 7 Ms. in
Barclay Allardice Charter-chest; Reg. Mag. Sig., 26 May 1539. 8 Acta
Dom. Cone, et Sess., i. 72 ; cf. Reg. Mag. Sig., 25 February 1538 39. 9 Acta
Dom. Cone, et Sess., i. 72. 10 Lumsden's History, 41 ; Collections of
Aberd. and Banff, 437. n Confirmed 8 December, Reg. Mag. Sig.
12 Ms. notes. 13 Collections of Aberd. and Banff, 437. " Ibid.
FORBES, LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO 73
1570, Marion, daughter of James Ogilvy of Kemp-
carne. 1 He died before 1574, and Alexander of Pit-
sligo, his brother, was his heir.
6. Hector.
7. Janet, who seems to have been the eldest, married to
John Forbes of Brux. 2
8. Mariota, married to Alexander Gordon of Lesmoir 1
before 29 June 1561.
9. Margaret, married to John Ohene of Straloch. 4
WILLIAM FORBES of Pitsligo had a charter, 15 June 1548, 5
of the lands of Melgum and others to himself and his wife
and their heirs-male ; whom failing, to his own heirs-male
whatsoever and assigns. 6 He was, under the designation
of William Forbes of Melgum, served heir of his father in
the barony of Pitsligo, etc., 18 February 1562-63, and 31 July
1563. He was also served heir of John Forbes of Pitsligo,
his grandfather, 7 in the lands of Lethenty, 31 July 1563. 8
He sold the barony of Pitsligo and other lands to his brother
Alexander Forbes, reserving his own liferent and the terce
of Catharine Gordon his wife. He died before 1566, 9 having
married, in 1548, Catharine, daughter of Alexander Gordon
of Strathdoun, by whom he had issue two daughters :
1. Margaret, married, before 29 April 1574, 10 to James
Forbes of Lethenty.
2. Jonet, married, before 1580, 11 to William Duguid of
Auchinhove.
ALEXANDER succeeded his brother, and had a royal charter
of the barony of Pitsligo and others 23 January 1579-80. 12
He died before 10 October 1587. 13 He married, after 1547,
first, Alison, daughter of Anderson, relict of Alexander
Forbes of Tolquhoun, by whom he had a daughter :
1. Violet, married (contract 20 April 1571) to Gilbert
Menzies of Pitfoddels. 14
He married, secondly, Barbara, daughter of William,
1 Reg. of Deeds, xiii. 214. 2 Aberdeen Homings, vol. ii. f. 130, 30 March
1585 ; Reg. Mag. Sig., 10 February 154647. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig., 28 January
1576-77. 4 Acts and Decreets, xix. 62. 6 Confirmed 24 July 1548, Reg. Mag.
Sig. 6 Inq. Retours, i. 4, 5. 7 Ibid., i. 18. 8 Antiq. ofAberd. and Banff,
iv. 105. 9 Ms. notes. 10 Reg. Mag. Sig. at date, and 23 January 1579-80.
11 Ibid. 12 Ibid. 13 Ms. notes. H Reg. Mag. Sig., 28 January 1576-77.
74 FORBES, LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO
fourth Earl Marischal ; she had a charter of Ladiesfurd,
etc., in Aberdeenshire ; l they had issue :
2. JOHN, his heir.
3. Marjory, married to John Forbes of Brux.
He married, thirdly, in 1584, Margaret Mackintosh,
daughter of "William Mackintosh of that Ilk, relict of Duncan
Grant, younger of Freuchie. 2 She married, thirdly, Gordon
of Abergeldie ; fourthly, William Sutherland of Duffus (see
article Duffus).
JOHN, the only son, was served heir to his father 1 Feb-
ruary 1600. 3 On 1 July 1600 he had charters to himself of the
barony of Pitsligo, and to himself and his wife of Kynnaldy. 4
On 26 June 1600 he resigned * in the King's hands, for new
infeftment in his own favour, the lands and baronies of
Petslego and Kynnaldy e.' 5 He had a charter of Kindrocht
to him and his wife 11 July 1607. 6 On 12 November 1618 a
charter of the lands and barony of Pitsligo, with the
annexed lands of Cowburtibeg, and the patronage of the
churches of Aberdour, and of Logy on Ethensyde, was
granted him and his heirs-male ; whom failing, to Robert
Forbes of Rires and his heirs-male ; whom failing, to James
Forbes, brother of the said Robert, and his heirs-male, and
their assignees whomsoever. 7 He died September 1625.
He married Christian Ogilvy, eldest daughter of Walter,
first Lord Ogilvy of Deskford, by whom he had issue :
1. ALEXANDER, his heir.
2. Anne, married, as his first wife to Alexander, eleventh
Lord Forbes.
3. Violet, second daughter. 8
4. Jean, married to Walter Forbes of Tolquhoon. 9
5. Mary, married to Ogilvy of Boyne.
6. Christian, married (contract dated 4 November 1628 10 )
to Thomas Fraser of Strichen. 11
1 12 March 1574-75 ; confirmed 1 March 1575-76, Beg. Mag. Sig. 3 Baron-
age, 344; Beg. of Deeds, cclix, 21 May 1617; Beg. Sec. Sig., lii. 155.
3 Betours, ii. 15. 4 Beg. Mag. Sig. 6 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iv. 105.
6 Confirmed 31 August, Reg. Mag. Sig. 7 Ibid. The Forbeses of Rires
descended from Alexander, second Laird of Pitsligo, and apparently
became the next-of-kin to this Laird of Pitsligo. 8 Gen. Beg. Inhibitions,
23 March 1616. 9 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., ii. 226. 10 Anderson's Family
of Fraser, 180. " Beg. Mag. Sig., 10 March 1618.
FORBES, LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO 75
I. ALEXANDER, the only son, had a charter of the lands
of Brako, etc., in Aberdeenshire, 16 March 1618. 1 He was
served heir of his father 1 October 1628. 2 On 24 December
1629 he resigned the lands of the barony of Aberdour in
favour of himself and his heirs-male. 3 He was created a
Peer, by the title of LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO, by
patent dated at Holyrood House, 24 June 1633, with the
unusual remainders to the heirs-male of his body or their
heirs; whom failing, to his own heirs-male whatsoever. 4
Lord Forbes of Pitsligo died 26 October 1636. 5 He married
Jean, second daughter of William, sixth Earl Marischal, by
whom he had issue :
1. ALEXANDER, his heir.
2. Mary, married to Sir John Gordon of Haddo, 6 with
issue.
II. ALEXANDER, second Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, was
served heir of his father, 27 April 1637, being then under
age. 7 He appears in Parliament from 1661 till 1689, in
which year he was excused from attendance. He died
after 7 June 1690, when his son is still styled Master, 8
but before the November following. 9 He married Mary,
eldest daughter of James, Earl of Buchan, 10 by whom he
had issue, one son :
ALEXANDER, his heir.
III. ALEXANDER, third Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, succeeded
his father, and died December 1690, 11 aged about thirty-five.
He married, in 1676, Sophia Erskine, daughter of John, Earl
of Mar, and by her, who survived till June 1734, had issue :
1. ALEXANDER, his heir.
2. Mary, married, first, to John Forbes, younger of
Monymusk, and, secondly, as his first wife, to James,
sixteenth Lord Forbes, by both of whom she had
issue.
IV. ALEXANDER, fourth Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, was born
about 1678, and succeeded his father about 1691. He took
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Retours, Aberdeen. 3 Pitsligo Charter-chest. 4 For
a discussion on the possible effect of this remainder, see Hewlett on
Dignities, 143. 6 Balfour's Annals, iii. 226. 6 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll.,
ii. 475 ; Aberdeen Sasines, xv. 437. 7 Retours, Aberdeen. 8 Acta Parl.
Scot., ix. 142. 9 Ms. Notes. 10 Vol. ii. 272. Pitsligo Burial Reg.
76 FORBES, LORD FORBES OF PITSLIGO
the oaths and his seat in Parliament 21 May 1700 ; he was
an opponent of the Union, and did not vote in, or even
attend, the Parliament of 1706-7. He was implicated in the
Risings of 1715 and 1745 ; in the first of these he seems to
have escaped the notice of the Government, but for his
share in the second he was attainted, and his honours and
title forfeited. As the attainder was passed under the
title of Lord Pitsligo (under which designation he was
usually known) he appealed against it, but after a judgment
being pronounced by the Court of Session in his favour
16 November 1749, it was reversed by the House of Lords
on appeal 1 February 1750. Lord Forbes of Pitsligo pub-
lished in 1734 a series of essays. He died at Auchiries,
Aberdeenshire, 21 December 1762, 1 and was buried, along
with his predecessors in the title, in a vault opposite the
pulpit in Pitsligo Church. He married, first (contract 5
May 1703), Rebecca, daughter of John Norton, merchant,
London. She died June 1731, 2 and he married, secondly
(contract 26 September 1731), Elizabeth Allen, 'sister to
Thomas Allen of Finchley.' She died s.p. in 1759. By his
first wife he had an only son,
JOHN, Master of Pitsligo, who married, 2 August 1750,
Rebecca, daughter of James Ogilvy of Auchiries ; she
died, his widow, at Aberdeen 29 January 1804. By
her he had no issue. John Forbes died at Auchiries
30 August 1781, aged sixty-eight, and was buried in
Pitsligo Church.
CREATION. Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, 24 June 1633.
ARMS (recorded in Lyon Register). Quarterly: 1st and
4th, azure, three bears' heads couped argent, muzzled gules,
for Forbes; 2nd and 3rd, azure, three cinquefoils argent,
for Fraser.
CREST. A hand holding a sword proper.
SUPPORTERS. Two bears proper muzzled gules.
MOTTO. Nee timide nee temere.
[j. A., LL.D.]
1 Scots Mag. He is Said to have been the original on which Scott
founded his character of the Baron of Bradwardine. 2 Pitsligo Burial Reg.
DOUGLAS, EARL OF FORFAR
ROHIBALD DOUGLAS,
the first to bear this
title, was the eldest son
of Archibald, Earl of
Angus, by his second
wife, Lady Jean Wemyss,
and was born 3 May
1653. His father had
received from King
Charles u. in 1651 the
title of Earl of Angus
and Ormond, with a
special destination to his
heirs-male by Lady Jean
Wemyss of the title of
Earls of Ormond, Lords
Bothwell and Hartsyde.
On his father's death, in 1655, Archibald Douglas ought to
have succeeded to the title of Earl of Ormond, but the
original patent had never passed the Great Seal, owing to
Cromwell's invasion of Scotland. The King however, on 2
October 1661, a few months after his restoration, granted
a new patent, creating Archibald Douglas EARL OF
FORFAR, LORD WANDELL AND HARTSYDE, with
remainder to heirs-male, and with precedence from the
date of the original patent of 1651. 1 In 1669 he had from
his elder brother James, second Marquess of Douglas, a
charter of the lands of Bothwell and Wandell. 2
There is little record of the Earl's public life until the
Parliament of 1689, when he adhered to the party of the
Prince of Orange. He continued to attend Parliament
1 Douglas Book, iii. 333-335; Reg. Mag. Sig., MS. lib. 60. No. 353.
2 Writs in Douglas Charter-chest.
78 DOUGLAS, EARL OP FORFAR
regularly, and during the debates upon the Union he
steadily voted with the Government. 1 He died on 23
December 1712, aged fifty-nine, and was buried in an
aisle of the church of Bothweli, where a tomb was erected
to his memory by his Countess, who was Robina, daughter
of Sir William Lockhart of Lee. She survived her husband
until 1741 . 2 They had issue a son.
II. ARCHIBALD, second Earl of Forfar, was born 25 May
1692, 3 and was known as Lord "Wandell, until he succeeded
his father in 1712. In 1713 he was appointed colonel of the
10th Regiment of Foot, and in the following year was sent
as Envoy to Prussia. In the insurrection of 1715 he held
the rank of brigadier under the Duke of Argyll, and was
present at the battle of Sheriffmuir on 13 November in that
year. He fought bravely, and his regiment, on the right
wing of the royal army, was victorious, but he was wounded
so severely that he lingered only a few days after the battle,
dying at Stirling on 3 December 1715 in his twenty-fourth
year. He was buried near his father at Bothweli. As he
died unmarried, his estates reverted to the main line, repre-
sented by his cousin the Duke of Douglas, and his honours
became extinct. 4
CREATION. 2 October 1661, Earl of Forfar, Lord Wandell
and Hartsyde.
ARMS, recorded in Lyon Register. Quarterly : 1st and
4th, argent, a man's heart gules crowned with an im-
perial crown or, on a chief azure three mullets of the first ;
2nd and 3rd, counterquartered, 1st, azure, a lion ram-
pant argent crowned with an antique crown or ; 2nd, or,
a lion rampant gules surmounted of a cost sable; 3rd,
argent, three piles gules ; 4th, or, a fess chequy azure and
argent surmounted of a bend gules charged with three
buckles of the first.
1 Acta Parl. Scot., ix, x, xi, passim. 2 The Countess was a great
friend of Queen Mary, and had in her possession two relics, a posset bowl
used by King William, and a small table clock, the latter of which was
in the possession of the late Professor James Clerk Maxwell of Middlebie.
3 Canongate Register ; The Douglas Book inadvertently gives 1693 as the
year of his birth. 4 The Douglas Book, ii. 444, and authorities there cited.
DOUGLAS, EARL OF FORFAR 79
CREST. A salamander in flames proper.
SUPPORTERS. Dexter, a savage wreathed about the
middle with laurel proper, and about the neck a chain of gold,
from which is suspended a crowned heart, and holding in his
right hand a baton erected ; sinister, a hart proper attired
or, with a collar azure, charged with three stars argent,
having a crowned heart hanging thereat.
MOTTO. Extinctus orior. 1
[J.A.]
1 The crest, supporters, and motto are on the authority of Nisbet.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
OREST, Forster, Forester,
or Forrester, is a name
no doubt derived from
the occupation of its
original possessor. The
first of the name on
record is a William For-
rester, an Esquire, who
appears in the muster
roll of the Peel of Lin-
lithgow in 1311-12, but
the earliest authentic
progenitor of the Lords
Forrester was
ADAM FORRESTER, a
wealthy and influential
burgess of Edinburgh. He had a grant of the customs
south of the Forth 17 March 1361-62 ; * a charter of half
the lands of Whitburn, in the constabulary of Linlithgow,
17 August 1364 ; 2 a confirmation of a grant to him by
William Seton of two carucates of land ' in Villa de Nodreff '
(Niddry), in the same constabulary, 23 October 1369, 3 a
confirmation of a grant to him by Alexander de Straton of
the lands of Castlecary, co. Edinburgh, 7 December 1376,
and on the same day a confirmation of a grant to him by
William More of Abercorn of the lands of Corstorphine. 4
He had a charter from James Douglas, Lord of Dalkeith, of
the lands of Fairliehope, co. Peebles, 16 March 1377. 5 He
had a grant from King Robert ii. of twenty merks from the
burgh mails of Edinburgh in excambion for a similar sum
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., folio vol. 21, 4. 2 Ibid., 39, 102. 3 Ibid., 76, 271.
* Ibid., 136, 48, 49. 5 Douglas Book, iii. 26.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 81
from the customs of that burgh 28 December 1379, 1 and a
similar grant 4 July 1383 ; 2 a grant of a tenement in Edin-
burgh ; of the hostilagia of Traquair, co. Peebles ; of the
Wrychtishouses, near Edinburgh, on the resignation of Henry
de Wyntoun and Amy Broun, all on 25 June 1382. 3 In
1388 he is mentioned as Deputy Chamberlain. 4 On 2 October
1389 he had a safe-conduct to pass through England to
France on the affairs of Scotland, 5 and in the following years
he was frequently employed in embassies from Scotland to
England. He is mentioned as Keeper of the Great Seal,
and acting in the absence of the Chancellor, 23 March
1390-91. 6 He had a grant of forty shillings of the castle
wards of the barony of Dalhousie and Cockpen, with a con-
firmation of the barony of Olerkington. 7 The latter he is
said to have acquired from the Earl of Angus. 8 On 2
October 1397 he appends his seal to an indenture between
the English and Scottish Commissioners for arranging a
meeting between the Earl of Oarrick and the Duke of
Lancaster, his arms being a chevron between three hunting
horns. He was Provost of Edinburgh 1373, 1378, and 1387 ;
was taken prisoner at the battle of Homildon Hill, 14 Sep-
tember 1402, but was speedily ransomed. Under the desig-
nation of Sir Adam Forrester, Knight, he is said to have
' occupied and torteously detained ' certain sums of money
due by him to the Prior and Brethren of the Order of St.
John of Jerusalem, for their lands and possessions in Scot-
land, 9 and as Sir Adam Forster, Knight, of Oorstorphine, he
was one of the Commissioners appointed to arrange a truce
at Hawdenstank 8 October 1404. 10
On his acquiring the lands of Corstorphine in 1376 he
founded a chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, in con-
nection with the parish church there. Sir Adam died 13
October 1405. 11 He was probably buried in Edinburgh, as
his tomb does not appear along with those of his successors
in Corstorphine church. He is said to have married, first,
Agnes, daughter of John Dundas of Dundas. 12 He married,
secondly, a lady whose Christian name was Margaret, and
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., folio vol. 152, 126. 2 Ibid., 157, 32. 3 Ibid., 164, 16,
17 ; 165, 23. 4 Exch. Rolls, iii. 176. 6 Cal. of Docs., iv. 396. 8 Reg. Mag.
Sig., folio vol. 184, 12. 7 Robertson's Index, 150, 59. 8 Douglas. 9 Cal.
of Docs., iv. No. 651. lo Ibid., No. 664. Charters of St. Giles, 41.
12 Douglas, Baronage.
VOL. IV. F
82 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
who, after the death of her husband, received an annuity
of 10 from the customs of Edinburgh up to 1421. l She
was living 20 May 1429, on which date she and her son, Sir
John, founded two chaplainries in the chapel of St. John
the Baptist at Corstorphine, for the souls of King James I.,
his Queen Johanna, and the deceased Sir Adam Forrester. 2
By her he had, so far as known, two sons and a daughter :
1. JOHN, of whom afterwards.
2. Thomas, who had a charter from his brother, Sir John,
of the lands of Drylaw, co. Edinburgh, 20 August
1406. 3
3. Marion, married to Andrew Leper, burgess of Edin-
burgh, who died about 5 March 1400, his father-in-
law, Sir Adam, being served heir to him 2 May
1402. 4
SIR JOHN FORRESTER of Corstorphine was served heir to
his father 6 November 1405. 5 He took a leading part in
public affairs, and held the office of Deputy Chamberlain
south of the Forth in 1405-6. On 30 December 1407 he had
a confirmation of a charter by Henry St. Glair, Earl of
Orkney, of an annualrent of twelve merks out of the lands
and collieries of Dysart in consideration of an advance by
him to the Earl of 300 gold nobles, English money. 6 On 3
March 1407-8 he had a confirmation of a charter to himself
and his wife Margaret by Sir John Drummond of Cargill of
the lands of Ochtertyre, co. Stirling. 7 He was one of the
Commissioners sent to England to treat for the release of
King James I. in 1416, and was made Keeper of the Great
Seal by the Duke of Albany when he became Governor in
1420. 8 In 1423 he had a safe-conduct to pass to Durham to
meet King James I. on his return from captivity. 9 In June
1424 he had a safe-conduct for a year to journey to Flanders, 10
but whether he went there or not is uncertain; he more
probably stayed at home with the young King, with whom
he was a great favourite, and by whom he was appointed
Master of the Household. On 10 July 1426 a whole series
1 Exch. Rolls, iv. per index. 2 Charters of the Collegiate Churches of
Midlothian, 296. 3 Confirmed 24 August 1406, Beg. Mag. Sig., folio vol.
225, 12. * Charters of St. Giles, 38. 5 Rotuli Scotice, i. 876. Beg. Mag.
Sig., folio vol. 234, 29. 7 Ibid., 232, 26. 8 Beg. Mag. Sig. 9 Col. of Docs.,
iv. 941. 10 Ibid., 962.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 83
of charters was granted to him. These charters were con-
firmations, first, of the sale to Sir John Forrester by John
Murray of Ogleface of the lands of Badlormie, co. Linlith-
gow ; second, of the wadset of twelve inerks from Dysart
mentioned above ; third, of the lands of Corstorphine, Dry-
law, Nether Liberton, and Meadowfield, together with the
lands of Olerkington ; all which were united into the barony
of Liberton ; fourth, of the sale of an annualrent of one
hundred merks made by Sir John Seton from lands in Long-
niddry, and the grant of Ochtertyre before alluded to. 1
On the death of- the Earl of Buchan at the battle of
Verneuil, 17 August 1424, his office of Chamberlain was
bestowed on Sir John Forrester. On 2 March 1424-25 he
founded a chaplainry in St. Giles, Edinburgh, for the souls
of the King and Queen, of his own father and mother, and
his deceased wife Margaret. 2 On 24 February 1425-26 the
King founded three chaplainries in Oorstorphine church for
the souls of the same persons, and granted Forrester the
patronage of the chaplainries. 3 He was one of the jury in
the trial of Murdac, Duke of Albany, in May 1425. 4 On 25
June 1429 he is named as John Forester, baron of Liberton,
one of the Scots Commissioners for a truce with England, 5
and on 12 July in the same year he appends his seal to an
indenture settling conditions for the observance of order on
the Marches, his arms being simply a hunting horn stringed. 6
In 1429 he probably founded the collegiate church of Cor-
storphine, though the papal bull for its erection was not
issued till 15 July 1544. 7 On 4 February 1430-31 he had a
royal charter of the lands of Corstorphine, Drylaw, Nether
Liberton, Meadowfield, aud Clerkington to himself, with
remainder to his eldest son John, his sons Henry and John
(secMtidus), and his own brother Thomas and the heirs-male
of their bodies, whom failing, to his own nearest and lawful
heirs. 8 The date of the death of Sir John Forrester is un-
certain, but he probably died in 1448, in which year is the
last mention of him as Chamberlain. 8 He was buried in
Corstorphine church, where the recumbent effigies of him-
self and one of his wives are still to be seen. 10
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Confirmed 25 February 1425-26, ibid. 3 Collegiate
Churches of Midlothian, 293. *Fordun. 6 Cal. of Docs., iv. 1029. 6 Ibid.,
1030. 7 Collegiate Churches of Midlothian, Ixviii. 8 Beg. Mag. Sig.
9 Exch. Bolls, v. 297. 10 Proceedings Soc. of Antiq., xi. 359, xxix. 382.
84
He married, first, a lady whose Christian name was Mar-
garet, 1 but nothing more is known of her ; secondly, Jean,
daughter of Henry St. Olair, Earl of Orkney ; 2 thirdly, in or
previous to 1422, Marion, only daughter and heir of Sir
Walter Stewart of Dalswinton ; she was the widow of Sir
John Stewart of Jedworth, who had died ante 23 October
1420, when his relict resigned the lands of Carnsalloch in
favour of Sir Herbert Maxwell. 3 In 1422 Sir John received
in her right her terce, payable from the customs of Lin-
lithgow. 4 Two years afterwards she made, with consent of
her husband, a donation to a prebendal stall in the cathedral
of Glasgow. 5
Sir John Forrester had issue :
1. SIR JOHN, who succeeded.
2. Henry, who had confirmation on 28 October 1425 of
the lands of Incherathnyne and Oxgangis, co. Edin-
burgh, and of Auchindenny and others, in the same
county. 6 On 23 February 1425-26 he had a charter of
the lands of Kilbaberton. 7 He was latterly styled of
Niddry. He married Helen, daughter of John Fairlie
of Braid, and with her had a charter of the lands of
Bavelaw, 8 January 1426-27." They had issue :
(1) John, who married Elizabeth de Moravia, and with her had
a charter of certain lands in Dechmont and Kilbaberton, 28
January 1459-60. 9 He is styled of Niddry 25 February 1492-
93. 10 He sold Dechmont in 1505."
(2) Archibald, witness to a charter, 24 December 1506. 12
3. Elizabeth, married to Sir Alexander Lauder of Halton,
and with him had a charter of the lands of Westhall
and North Raw, in the barony of Ratho, 17 December
1408. 13
4. Janet, married to Robert, afterwards second Lord
Maxwell. On 13 January 1424-25 her husband and
she had a grant of the lands of Libbertoun, in the
barony of Carnwath. 14 She was living in 1488. 15
JOHN FORRESTER of Oorstorphine, the eldest son, had a
1 Beg. Mag. Sig., 10 July 1424, she being then deceased. 2 Van Bassan,
quoted in The St. Clairs of the Isles, 101. 3 Book of Carlaverock,
ii. 421. 4 JExch. Rolls, iv. 364. 6 Reg. Glasguen., 324. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig.
7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. Ibid., 28 January 1505-6. 12 Ibid.
i Ibid., folio vol. 239, 42. 14 Ibid., 4 February 1424-25. 1S Book of Car-
laverock, i. 149.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 85
charter of the lands of Blackburne, co. Linlithgow, 4 Feb-
ruary 1424-25. 1 Not much is known of his career ; but it is
said that he distinguished himself more in the field than in
the cabinet, and took part in the struggles between the
Douglases and Chancellor Orichton and Sir Alexander
Livingston. In 1443 he was with William, Earl of Douglas,
when he destroyed Orichton's castle of Barnton. 2 In con-
sequence of this Orichton retaliated by harrying the lands
of Corstorphine and levelling Forrester's house with the
ground. 3 He is generally said to have died before 15 Sep-
tember 1454, when Patrick Lesouris, rector of Newton
founded a chaplainry in St. Giles for the souls of James i.
and ii., the late Sir John Forrester of Corstorphine, and
others, 4 but this probably applied to his father, as Sir John
the son is mentioned as having certain fines remitted in
Exchequer in 1456. 5 He was buried in Corstorphine Church,
where his tomb still remains. Like that of his father it
has the effigies of himself and his wife, whose name is un-
known but whose arms, a bend engrailed, appear impaled
with those of her husband. He had by his wife apparently
one son and one daughter :
1. ALEXANDER, who succeeded.
2. Isabel, married, as his first wife, to Sir James Edmon-
stone of that Ilk. The marriage was ultimately
annulled, and she renounced her appeal against the
sentence 3 February 1456-57. 6
SIR ALEXANDER FORRESTER of Oorstorphine, probably the
son of the foregoing, granted a charter in 1450 to which
Henry Forrester of Niddry, his uncle, and Gilbert Forrester of
Drylaw, his cousin, are witnesses. 7 He also appears as
witness to a charter of David, Earl of Crawford, 26 Feb-
ruary 1463-64. 8 He sat in the Parliament of 13 January
1463-64. 9 He was dead before 20 September 1473, when
William de Camera, vicar of Kirkurd, founded a chaplainry
at the altar of St. Anne in the church of Corstorphine for
the souls of Kings James n. and in. and Sir Alexander
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Auchenleck Chronicle. * Proceedings Soc. ofAntiq.,
xxix. 383. 4 Charters of St. Giles, 103. 6 Exch. Soils, vi. 170. Adv.
Lib. MSS., 31, 6, 3, p. 51. 7 Acts and Decreets, iv. 381. 8 Confirmed 5 March,
Reg. Mag. Sig. 9 Acta Parl. Scot., xii. 29.
86 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
Forrester. 1 His wife's name is not known, but he had
issue :
1. ARCHIBALD, who succeeded.
2. Matthew, who had a charter of the lands of Barnton
from his brother 1 March 1487-88. 2 He married
Christian, sister of Patrick Bellenden of Auchnoule.
They are mentioned 21 January 1494-95. 3 Their son
John had a precept of clare constat as his father's
heir 24 April 1500, and sasine thereon in the following
month. 4
3. Margaret, married, first, before 16 June 1470, to John
Stewart, son and apparent heir of John Stewart
of Craigiehall ; 5 secondly, to Robert Ramsay of
Cockpen.' He was alive 1488. 7
4. Janet, married to William Touris, eldest son of Gabriel
Touris of that Ilk. 8
ARCHIBALD FORRESTER of Corstorphine must have been
of mature age in 1482, when he apparently parted with the
castle and barony of Corstorphine in favour of his son
Alexander, who had a charter of these subjects from the
King. 9 The liferent, however, was reserved to Archibald
and his wife, and on 2 January 1493-94 he made a similar
resignation, without reservation of the liferent, of the lands
of Thirlestane, co. Berwick. 10 On 16 December 1475 Hugo
Bar founded a chaplainry in Corstorphine for the souls of
King James in. and Queen Margaret, and of Sir Archibald
Forrester of Corstorphine, 11 but the latter did not die until
between 1512 and 1513. 12 He married, first, before 1 February
1479-80, Margaret, daughter of Patrick Hepburne, first Lord
Hailes, and widow of Patrick, third Lord Haliburton, and
afterwards of Andrew Ker of Cessford. 13 He married,
secondly, Agnes Tod. 14 He left issue by his first wife :
1. ALEXANDER, who succeeded.
2. Hector. 15
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., 22 October 1477. 3 Ibid., 5 March 1487-88. 3 Protocol
Book of James Young. 4 Protocol Book of James Young. 6 Acta Dom.
Cone., xvi. 298; Acta Dom. And., 84. 6 Acta Dom. Cone., viii. 36 and
xiv. 143. T Reg. Mag. Sig., 18 January 1488-89. 8 Acta Dom. Cone.,
112. 9 Reg. Mag. Sig. 10 Ibid. u Ibid., 18 September 1510. 12 Protocol
Book of James Young. 13 See vol. ii. 148 ; Laing Charters, No. 179.
14 Records of Parl., 501. 15 Protocol Book of James Young.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 87
3. Marion or Marjorie, married, first, as his second wife,
before 14 June 1493, 1 to William, Master of Drum-
mond, who died between July 1503 and July 1504 ; 2
secondly, before February 1507-8, to Sir James Sandi-
lands of Oalder. 3
By his second wife he had a son :
4. John. 4
ALEXANDER FORRESTER of Oorstorphine had a charter of
the barony and castle of Oorstorphine on his father's re-
signation, probably about 1482, though the exact date is
wanting. 5 On 2 January 1493-94 he, as heir-apparent of his
father, had, along with his wife, a charter of the lands of
Thirlestane, co. Berwick, which his father resigned in his
favour. 8 He is styled fiar of Corstorphine 29 May
1512, and of Oorstorphine 8 July 1513. 7 He had a
charter to himself and his wife of the lands of Olerk-
ington 7 July 1516. 8 On 16 January 1527-28 he was
infeft as heir of his mother Margaret Hepburne. 9 On 12
September 1533 he had a confirmation of Oorstorphine with
remainder to the heirs-male of his body, whom failing, to
James Forrester of Meadowfield and similar heirs, whom
failing, to the other series of heirs mentioned in the entail
of 1430. 10 He married, previous to January 1493-94 Mar-
garet, said to have been a daughter of Sir Duncan Forrester
of Garden. He was alive on 13 January 1538-39, when he
resigned Corstorphine in favour of James Forrester of
Meadowfield. 11 By his wife he had a son :
1. Sir Walter, who died vita patris before 16 September
1533, leaving two infant daughters :
(1) Agnes, who married James Forrester of Meadowfleld, after-
wards of Corstorphine.
(2) Janet, who, on 16 September 1533 was contracted to the eldest
son of Sir Thomas Erskine of Brechin, both being infants ;
but the marriage never took effect.
JAMES FORRESTER of Corstorphine, who succeeded Alex-
ander as laird, is generally said to have been the son of
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Exch. Rolls, xii. 209, 629. 3 Acta Dom. Cone., xix.
ff. 167, 168 ; Acts and Decreets, xvi. 343. 4 Protocol Book of L. Foular,
17 March 1711-12. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. x. 53. 6 Ibid. 7 Protocol Book
of James Young. 8 Reg. Mag. Sig. 9 Protocol Book of Vincent
Strathauchin. 10 Reg. Mag. Sig. u Ibid.
88 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
the latter. He was, however, his grand-son-in-law, having
married, as above stated, his eldest granddaughter ; his son
James is styled * pronevoy and heir ' of Alexander. 1 He was
probably the son of James Forrester of Meadowfleld, who
appears as a witness in 1470. 2 As James Forrester of
Meadowfield he had, along with * his wife ' Agnes, on 12
September 1533, at which date they must both have been
children, a grant of certain lands of Nether Barnton and
others on the resignation of Alexander Forrester ; on 28
March 1536 he had a charter from James Douglas, Earl of
Morton, of the lands of Fairliehope, co. Peebles, also on
the resignation of Alexander. 3 He is styled flar of Cor-
storphine in a charter to him of the lands of Freirtoune in
the regality of Broughton, co. Edinburgh, by the Abbot of
Holyrood, 25 August 1537, 4 and on 13 January 1538-39 he
had a charter of the barony of Corstorphine on the resigna-
tion of Alexander Forrester, and of the lands of Thirlestane
on the resignation of himself and his wife, with reservation
of liferents. He was killed at the battle of Pinkie 10 Sep-
tember 1547. 5 His widow Agnes Forrester had a charter
from Simon Preston of that Ilk, apparently as his future
wife, 4 February 1547-48. 6 James Forrester left issue :
1. JAMES, who succeeded him.
2. HENRY, who succeeded his brother.
3. Isabel, married (contract 22 January 1574-75 7 ) to James
Baillie, younger of Carphin.
4. Elizabeth, married (contract 11 May 1557 8 ) to David
Macgill of Nisbet, Cranston Riddell, and Drylaw,
which last place she probably brought him as a
marriage portion. 9 She died in Edinburgh 16 March
1578-79. 10
He had also a natural son,
James, who died January 1608. 11
JAMES FORRESTER of Corstorphine and Janet Lauder his
wife had a charter of the lands of West Craigs of Oor-
1 Acts and Decreets, Ixxv. 198. 2 Ada, Dom. Cone., 16, 208. 3 Confirmed
14 May 1536, Reg. Mag. Sig. 4 Ibid., 16 April 1546, ibid. 6 Acta Dom.
Cone, et Sessionis, xxiv. 95. 6 Reg. Sec. Sig., xxi. 94. 7 Reg. of Deeds,
xiii. 412. 8 Acts and Decreets, Ixxii. 27. 9 Reg. Mag. Sig., 12 November
1578 ; Wood's Cramond, 28. 10 Acts and Decreets, Ixxii. 27. u Edin. Com.
Decreets, 14 July 1608.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 89
storphine and Clerkington 5 February 1555-56 ; he is stated
to have resigned these with consent of his curators, which
indicates that he was under age at the date mentioned. 1
On 2 March 1564-65 he had a charter of certain portions
of the lands of Lauriston, co. Edinburgh, with half of the
houses, gardens, etc., and the superiority of that portion of
the lands which formed the terce of Katherine Forrester
(probably the widow of Thomas Lauriston of that Ilk, the
former owner) on the resignation of his own brother Henry. 2
Lauriston was afterwards sold by him on 9 June 1599 to
Archibald Napier of Edenbellie and his wife Elizabeth
Moubray. 3 On 2 August 1571, as Sir James Forrester of
Oorstorphine, he granted to Janet Lauder his wife, in imple-
ment of their marriage-contract, which was dated at Oor-
storphine the previous day, the lands of Nether Liberton,
Nether Barnton, Easter Craigs, and Meadowfield. 4 From
this it is probable that though Janet Lauder is mentioned
as his wife so far back as 1556, they were only then
betrothed, and that he did not marry her till the later date,
or else that it was a postnuptial contract. On 31 March
1582 he bought from John Mosman, burgess of Edinburgh,
son of James Mosman, goldsmith, the lands of Longher-
miston and Ourrie. 5 He died 4 June 1589, 6 when his brother
was served heir to him. He married Jonet Lauder,
daughter of Robert Lauder of the Bass, but by her he had
no male issue. She married, secondly, Sir John Campbell
of Cawdor ; thirdly, Mr. John Lindsay, parson of Menmuir ;
and fourthly, Patrick Gray of Oransley, son of Patrick,
Lord Gray. 7 He had one daughter :
1. Geillis, married (contract 10 February 1579-80) to Sir
Lewis Bellenden of Auchnoule, without issue.
He had a natural son, Harry, apprenticed to Andrew
Thomson, tailor, 13 July 1596. 8
HENRY FORRESTER of Oorstorphine was served heir to his
brother 20 August 1589. On 21 December 1598 he sold to
John Moreson, merchant, Edinburgh, the Plewlands and
Sacristan's lands, otherwise Broomhouse, the lands of
1 Peg. Mag. Sig. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. * Confirmed 16 May 1575, ibid.
5 Confirmed 29 June 1582, ibid. 6 Edin. Com. Decreets, 13 January 1589-90.
7 See Thanes of Cawdor and Lives of the Lindsays. 8 Edin. Apprentice
Reg.
90 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
Whitehouse at Corstorpliine, and the hill there. 1 In 1600
the minister of Gogar, William Arthur, insisted that he
should come to his church * for hearing of the worde and
ressaveing all other benefeittis of the Kirk.' As Forrester
had a very good parish kirk of his own, he, along with the
provost, deacons, elders, and other inhabitants appealed to
the Privy Council, who sustained their appeal. 2 He died
after 21 August 1612 and before 30 July 1618, when his son
is mentioned as laird. 3 He married Helen Preston, said to
have been of the Craigmillar family, who survived him, and
married, secondly, before 1625, William Borthwick, elder of
Soutray. 4 He left issue :
1. GEORGE, first Lord Forrester of Oorstorphine.
2. David. 5 He appears to have been a very wild youth.
On 20 April 1612 he came to the house of Nicol Craw-
ford in Nether Liber ton, sought him everywhere to
murder him, and, missing him, gored and slew a
horse standing in the stable, for all which he was
declared rebel. 8 There is another charge against him
of getting drunk and making an uproar in the street
after 10 P.M. 7
3. Henry. 8
4. John. 9
5. Sara, married (contract 29 March 1622) to John,
youngest son of Thomas Inglis in Auldliston. 10
6. Euphame, styled second daughter 12 February 1620."
7. Agnes.
8. , 12
I. GEORGE FORRESTER, as heir-apparent of his father, had,
along with his wife, a grant of the lands of Clerkington and
others, 15 November 1607. 13 He also, with consent of his
parents and wife, resigned the barony of Nether Liberton in
favour of Mr. Alexander Gibson of Wester Granton, one of
the Clerks of Parliament, who, on 21 August 1612, got a royal
charter by which these lands were disjoined from the barony
of Corstorpliine, and erected into a separate barony. 14 On 30
July 1618, as Sir George Forrester of Corstorphine, he had
1 Confirmed 22 October 1590. 2 P. C. Reg., vi. 126. a Reg. Mag. Sig.
4 Reg. of Deeds, 418, 8 June 1629. 6 Acts and Decreets, ccxxxvi. 115.
8 P. C. Reg., ix. 364. 7 Ibid., 172. 8 Ibid., 117. 9 Edin. Sasines, xiii.
389. 10 Reg. of Deeds, 360, 16 June 1624. u Gen. Reg. Inhibitions, 12
February 1620. 1Z Ibid., second series, iv. 98. 13 Reg. Mag. Sig. " Ibid.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 91
a charter of novodamus of the lands and barony of Cor-
storphine, by which the parish church was disjoined from
the Abbey of Holyrood and made into a separate charge, of
which the patronage was conferred on Sir George. 1 He was
served heir to his uncle James 17 May 1622, and was created
a Baronet 17 November 1625. 2 He sat in Parliament for
Edinburgh 1625 and 1628-33, and was Sheriff of the county.
On 30 July 1622 he resigned the superiority of Nether
Barnton in favour of James Libberton of Leyden, 3 and on
28 July 1625 he acquired from the Archbishop of Glasgow
certain lands in West Niddrie, co. Linlithgow, and on the
same day he had a charter of the barony of Saughton,
which had formed part of the great possessions of the
Bellendens, and which were now being broken up/ On 22
July 1633 he was created LORD FORRESTER OF COR-
STORPHINE, with remainder to his heirs-male whomso-
ever. 5 On 29 March 1634 he had a charter of the barony of
Drummond or Drymen and of Airth to himself, his heirs-
male and assigns. 6 In July 1634 Olerkington was sold to
Lawrence Scot of Harperrig, but on 18 July 1635 Lord
Forrester acquired the lands of Hayning, near Manuel,
and the lands of Torheid, with the forest of the Torwood,
which were erected into a barony of Torwoodheid. These
lands were resigned by Sir William Ross of Murieston,
who had married Margaret Forrester, daughter of Sir
James Forrester of Torwoodheid, the head of another
branch of the family. On 21 August 1643 Lord Forrester
acquired from the Hamiltons the lands of Grange and
Philipston, co. Linlithgow. 7 Towards the close of his life
Lord Forrester entered into certain important arrange-
ments in regard to his title and estates, which it is neces-
sary to mention somewhat in detail. Having no surviving
male issue, he resigned his estates of Corstorphine,
Saughton, and Torwoodheid in favour of James Baillie,
eldest son of Major-General William Baillie of Lethame, who
had married his fourth daughter Johanna : James Baillie
got a charter of these lands 1 March 1650, Torwoodhead
being destined to James Baillie, his brothers William,
Adam, Alexander, and the other sons of the Major-General,
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Reg. of Baronets, f. 67. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig. * Ibid.
6 Ibid. o Ibid. 7 Ibid.
92
and the heirs-male of their bodies, whom failing, to the
heirs whomsoever of James ; Corstorphine and the rest of
the lands being provided to James Baillie and the heir-male
to be procreated between himself and his wife Jean For-
rester, bearing the name and arms of Forrester ; whom
failing, to William Baillie and similar heirs of himself and
his future wife Lilias, Lord Forrester's fifth daughter;
whom failing, to the senior heir-female, without division,
of James and Jean, and the heirs of her body ; whom fail-
ing, to their other daughters successively without division ;
whom failing, to similar heirs of William and Lilias ; whom
failing, to the heirs of line of the said James. In the follow-
ing year Lord Forrester resigned his Peerage and obtained
a re-grant thereof 5 July 1651, with a similar limitation.
Lord Forrester died in 1654. He married (contract 27
November and 1 December 1606 '), Christian, daughter of
Sir William Livingston of Kilsy th, and had by her :
1. JOHN, Master of Forrester, 2 who married, in 1634,
Agnes, daughter of Sir Alexander Falconer of Halker-
ton, and widow of Sir Alexander Keith of Benholm. 3
He died vita patris and s. p.
2. Helen, married, as his second wife, to William, tenth
Lord Boss.
3. Margaret, married, first, to Alexander Telfer of Red-
house, burgess of Edinburgh; 4 secondly, to John
Schaw of Sornbeg. 5
4. Christian, married, first (contract 7 and 8 February
1631), to James Hamilton of Grange, with issue a
daughter, Christian, mentioned later; 6 secondly, to
John Wauch, minister of Borrowstounness, who died
in 1674.'
5. Joanna, married (contract 15 December 1649) to James
Baillie, eldest son of Major -General William Baillie
of Letham. They succeeded under the above-men-
tioned deeds.
6. Lilias, born 18 September 1634 ; 8 married to William
Baillie, the second son of Major-General Baillie.
1 Reg. of Deeds, cxcviii ; 20 August 1612. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 10 July 1634.
3 Gen. Beg. Inhibitions, 8 October and 1 December 1634; P. C. Reg.,
second series, v. 520. * Fountainhalf 's Journal, Scot. Hist. Soc., 191.
6 Gen. Reg. Inhibitions, 6 September 1661 and 21 March 1671. 6 Ibid., 20
June 1635. 7 Edin. Sasines, x. 31. 8 Corstorphine Register.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 93
II. JAMES BAILLIE was the eldest son of General Baillie of
Lethame aforesaid by his wife Janet Bruce (who married,
secondly, Sir Richard Nasmyth of Posso, and separated
from him 1 ). General Baillie himself was the natural son
of Sir William Baillie of Lamington by a daughter of Sir
Alexander Home of North Berwick, whom Sir William
afterwards married, but his son being born during his former
marriage was not thereby legitimated. After the death
of the first Lord Forrester, James Baillie found himself in
possession of the title and the extensive estates of the
family, under the arrangements above mentioned, which
had practically disinherited the three elder daughters in
favour of his wife. In 1652 a son had been born to them,
but died in infancy, and Janet Forrester herself did not
long survive. Her husband married again, before July
1661, Janet, daughter and co-heir of Patrick, Earl of Forth
and Brentford, by his first wife, Jane Henderson. A
zealous loyalist, Lord Forrester was in 1654 fined 2500
sterling under Cromwell's Act of Grace and Indemni-
fication. But he was a man of extravagant habits and
dissolute life ; he had seduced his niece Christian
Hamilton, the daughter of the Hamiltons of Grange above
mentioned, who had married, contrary to the wishes of her
family, an Edinburgh burgess, James Nimmo. 2 Mrs. Nimmo
was a woman of violent temper, and having quarrelled with
Lord Forrester, she, on 26 August 1679, stabbed him, it is
said, with his own sword, in the garden of Corstorphine.
He died immediately, and she was speedily captured and
put in prison. On the 29 September she succeeded in
escaping, but on the next day was again taken ; and on 12
November was executed at the Cross of Edinburgh. James
Baillie, Lord Forrester, had by his first wife, Jonet For-
rester, one son :
1. William, born 8 February 1652, died in infancy.
By his second wife he had a family, who all took the
name of their mother, Ruthven.
2. Charles, born 21 July 1661, died young.
3. Edward, born 19 February 1663 ; an officer in the Life
Guards. He is styled Earl of Brawfoord (Brentford)
1 P. C. Decreta, 8 April 1669. 2 He was not without suspicion of incest
with his sister-in-law Lilias ; Baillie's Letters, 367.
94 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
12 October 1674. 1 This was the title of his grand-
father, who died in 1651, but he had no right to it.
He married Martha Temple, who had an allowance
of 200 a year out of the lands of Corstorphine ; 2 and
died in 1682.
4. John, born 9 May 1666, died young.
5. Clara, born 16 January 1665 ; married, first, 11 October
1683, to Andrew Dick, advocate ; secondly, to
Murray of Spot.
6. Patricia, born 28 October 1668 ; living in 1694. 3
III. WILLIAM BAILLIE, brother of the foregoing, de jure
third Lord Forrester, was born 12 December 1632. Under
the re-grant of 1651 he was entitled to the dignity, but he
never assumed the title. He married, as before stated,
Lilian, youngest daughter of the first Lord Forrester, and
died in May 1681, having had by her a son,
1. WILLIAM, who succeeded.
IV. WILLIAM, fourth Lord Forrester. His vote for a
member of Parliament was objected to in 1681, after his
father's death, on the ground that he was a Peer. He
* disclaimed ' his Peerage, but as he styled himself Lord
Forrester of Corstorphine, he was ordered by Parliament
and the Privy Council to relinquish the title till he had in-
structed his right. Then, but not till then, did he produce
* all at once,' as Riddell says, on 31 August 1698, the re-grant
of 1651, which was ordered to be recorded. Riddell points
out the singular fact that the right under the re-grant of
1651 does not seem to have been known during the lifetime
of James, the second Lord, as the pretensions of the latter
to the Peerage were questioned in 1676. 4
He died in 1705, having married, before 1684, Margaret,
born 14 April 1661, daughter of Sir Andrew Birnie of
Saline, one of the Judges of the Court of Session. By her
he had :
1. Andrew, born 11 May 1686, 5 died an infant.
2. GEORGE, fifth Lord Forrester.
3. William, born 6 September 1689, 6 died young.
1 Gen. Reg. Inhibitions. 2 FountainhalTs Decisions, i. 780. 3 Edin.
Sasines, Ix. 202. 4 Riddell's Peerage and Consist. Law, i. 125 ; Fountain-
hall's Decisions, i. 265. 6 Corstorphine Reg. 6 Ibid.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 95
4. Andrew (secundus), born 27 March. 1692, 1 a major in
the Horse Guards ; died unmarried.
5. James, born 7 October 1695, 2 a lieutenant in the Navy,
died unmarried.
6. John, a captain in the Navy 6 March 1728 ; was com-
mander of H.M.S. Kinsale, and died in the Isle of
Pinos, near Cuba, 12 January 1737. He married
Elizabeth, sister of Sir Charles Tyrrel, and had by
her a son,
(1) WILLIAM, who succeeded as seventh Lord Forrester.
7. Janet, the eldest of the family, born 21 November
1684, died young. 3
8. Janet (secunda), born 28 October 1690, died unmarried. 4
9. Margaret, born 6 December 1694, married to Patrick
Haldane, advocate, afterwards of Gleneagles, who
died 10 January 1769. Their son George was Governor
of Jamaica, where he died in 1759 unmarried.
10. Lilias, married to William Stirling of Herbertshire,
co. Stirling.
V. GEORGE, fifth Lord Forrester, born 23 March 1688, 5 suc-
ceeded his father in 1705, and voted at the general election
of Scottish Representative Peers in 1706, but as he was then
a minor his vote was set aside by the House of Lords. He
served in the Army under Marlborough, was lieutenant-
colonel of the 26th Foot (Oameronians) at the battle of
Preston 13 November 1715, and was wounded there ; colonel
of the 30th Foot January 1716; of the second troop of
Horse Grenadier Guards 17 July 1717 ; and of the fourth or
Scottish, troop of the same regiment April 1719, in which
position he remained till his death in France 17 February
1726-27. He married, in or before 1724, Charlotte, daughter
and co-heir of Anthony Rowe of Oxfordshire. She, who
was a Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Orange,
died in Holland in February 1742-43. By her he had issue :
1. GEORGE, sixth Lord Forrester.
2. CAROLINE, Baroness Forrester.
3. Harriet, married to Edward Walter of Stalbridge, co.
Dorset, M.P. for Milborne Port 1754-74. She died
1 Corstorphine Reg. 2 Ibid. 3 Edin. Beg. 4 Corstorphine Reg.
6 Edin. Reg.
96 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
in Bruton Street, London, 5 March 1795, leaving issue
one daughter :
(1) Harriet Walter, married, 28 July 1774, to James Bucknall
(Grimston), third Viscount Grimston in the Peerage of
Ireland. He was created, 8 July 1790, Baron Verulam of
Gorhambury in the Peerage of Great Britain, and died 30
December 1808. She died 7 November 1786, having had
issue :
i. JAMES WALTER.
ii. Harriet, born 14 December 1776.
iii. Charlotte, born 16 January 1778.
VI. GEORGE, sixth Lord Forrester, was appointed lieu-
tenant in the Navy in 1735, captain 24 September 1740, and
commander in 1744. In March 1746 he was tried by
courtmartial and cashiered. He died unmarried at Staines
26 June 1748.
VII. WILLIAM, seventh Lord Forrester, who succeeded as
heir-male, was the only son of John Forrester, the sixth and
youngest son of the fourth Lord. He died at Calne, Wilts,
November 1763, having married a lady whose Christian
name was Hannah, who survived him many years, and died
at Oalne 15 November 1825, aged eighty-four. 1 They had
no issue, and the succession opened, the heirs-male of the
fourth Lord having become extinct, to
VIII. CAROLINE, suo jure Baroness Forrester, the elder
daughter of the fifth Lord. She succeeded under the re-
grant of 1651 as heir of line of the fifth Lord. She married
her cousin, George Cockburn of Ormiston, son of John
Cockburn of the same, who had married, as his second
wife, Isabella Rowe, sister of Charlotte Rowe, the wife of
the fifth Lord Forrester. 2 George Cockburn was Comp-
troller of the Navy 1756-70, and died at Brighton 23 July
1770. The Baroness survived him fourteen years, and dying
in Portland Street, London, 25 February 1784, was buried
at Hackney 2 March. They had issue :
1. ANNA MARIA, Baroness Forrester.
2. Mar^/, married, 4 October 1776, to the Rev. Charles
Shuttle worth, youngest brother of Robert Shuttle-
1 Complete Peerage. * Ormiston' s Letters, Scot. Hist. Soc., xlii.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 97
worth of Forcett, county York, and died s. p. vita
matris.
IX. ANNA MARIA, suo jure Baroness Forrester, died
unmarried at Bedgebury, co. Kent, 31 December 1808.
X. JAMES WALTER (GRIMSTON), the grandson of Harriet
Forrester, youngest daughter of George, fifth Lord Forrester,
was born 26 September 1775, and succeeded his cousin as
eighth holder of the title of Lord Forrester of Oorstorphine
in 1808 ; about three weeks later, 30 December 1808, he
succeeded his father as Baron Verulam of Gorhambury.
He was created, 24 November 1815, VISCOUNT GRIMSTON
and EARL OF VERULAM. He married, 11 August 1807,
Charlotte, only daughter of Charles, first Earl of Liverpool,
and died, 17 November 1845, at Gorhambury. His widow
died 16 April 1863, in her eightieth year. They had issue :
1. JAMES WALTER, who succeeded.
2. Rev. Edward Harbottle, rector of Pebmarsh, Essex,
born 2 April 1812; married, 15 June 1842, Frances
Horatia, eldest daughter of John Philip Morier ; and
died 4 May 1881, leaving issue.
3. Robert, born 18 September 1816 ; died 7 April 1884.
4. Charles, captain Ooldstream Guards, born 3 October
1818 ; died s. p. 8 October 1856.
5. Rev. Francis Sylvester, born 8 December 1822 ; rector
of Wakes Colne, Essex ; married, 1 February 1847,
Catherine Georgiana, fourth daughter of John Philip
Morier, and died 28 October 1865, leaving issue.
6. Katherine, married, first, 14 January 1834, to John
Foster Barham of Stockbridge, Hants, who died 22
May 1838 ; secondly, 4 June 1839, to George William
Frederick, fourth Earl of Clarendon, K.G., and died
4 July 1874, leaving issue.
7. Emily Mary, born 1815, married, 5 September 1835, to
William, second Earl of Craven, and died 21 May 1901,
leaving issue.
8. Mary Augusta Frederica, married, 3 October 1840, to
Jacob, fourth Earl of Radnor, and died 5 April 1879,
leaving issue.
9. Jane Frederica Harriet Mary, married 4 September
VOL. IV. G
98 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
1845, to James Dupre, third Earl of Oaledon, and died
30 March 1888, leaving issue.
XI. JAMES WALTER, Lord Forrester of Corstorphine, Earl
of Verulam, etc., was born 20 February 1809 ; married, 12
September 1844, Elizabeth Joanna, daughter of Major
Richard Weyland; she died 5 July 1886 at Gorhambury.
He died there 27 July 1895, aged eighty-six. They had
issue :
1. JAMES WALTER, who succeeded.
2. William, commander in the Navy ; born 7 January
1855, died unmarried 10 May 1900.
3. Rev. Robert, born 18 April 1860 ; married, 20 August
1896, Gertrude Mary Amelia, daughter of Rev.
Charles Villiers, rector of Croft, co. York, and has
issue.
4. Harriet Elizabeth, married, 24 March 1885, to Major
Francis Harwood Poore, R.M.A., and died 15 August
1888, leaving issue.
5. Jane, born 12 December 1848 ; married, 25 February
1897, to Sir Alfred Jodrell, Bart.
6. Maud, born 1857 ; married, 20 December 1881, to the
Hon. Paulyn Francis Cuthbert Abney Hastings (who
assumed in 1887 the surnames of Rawdon-Hastings),
brother of the Earl of Loudoun, with issue.
XII. JAMES WALTER, Lord Forrester of Corstorphine, Earl
of Verulam, etc., was born 11 May 1852 ; was lieutenant 1st
Life Guards, and hon. major Herts Yeomanry Cavalry;
married 30 April 1878, Margaret Frances, widow of Mack-
intosh (elder brother of the Mackintosh qui nunc est), eldest
daughter of Sir Frederick Ulric Graham, third Baronet of
Netherby, and has issue :
1. JAMES WALTER, Viscount Grimston, born 17 April 1880.
2. Helen, born 22 February 1879.
3. Hermione, born 9 December 1881 ; married, 28 Septem-
ber 1904, to Bernard Buxton, lieutenant R.N., second
son of Geoffrey Fowell Buxton of Dunston Hall.
4. Aline, born 7 November 1883.
5. Elizabeth, born 21 July 1885.
6. Sybil, born 24 July 1887.
7. Vera, born 2 May 1890.
FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER 99
CREATIONS. 22 July 1633, Lord Forrester of Oorstorphine,
In the Peerage of Scotland ; 29 May 1719, Baron Dundoyne
and Viscount Grimston, in the Peerage of Ireland ; 8 July
1790, Baron Verulam and Gorhambury, in the Peerage of
Great Britain; 24 November 1815, Viscount Grimston and
Earl of Verulam in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
ARMS. These are not recorded in the Lyon Register, and
many variations are to be found. The chevron borne on
his shield by Sir Adam Forrester was dropped by the suc-
ceeding generations, and the majority of the sixteenth and
seventeenth century armorial MSS. give the arms simply as
Argent, three hunting horns gules. The Forman (Lyon
Office) MS. gives Argent a fess gules between three
hunting horns sable, which is followed by the draughts-
man of the * Peers' Arms ' MS. and by Pont, save that
the latter makes the fess sable. Nisbet gives the
arms with the fess gules as belonging to the Lord Forrester
of his day. But another version given in * Peers' Arms ' has
the following : Quarterly, 1st and 4th, paly of six argent
and gules, in a dexter canton of the first a gillyflower within
a double tressure flory counterflory of the second, for Liv-
ingstone of Kilsyth ; 2nd and 3rd, argent, three hunting
horns sable garnished vert stringed gules, for Forrester;
over all on an escutcheon of pretence, sable, nine stars
3, 3, 2 and 1, for Baillie.
CREST. A hound's head erased proper was borne by
Sir James Forrester in 1547, 1 but in ' Peers' Arms ' above
quoted it is given in one version as a demi-goat proper,
chained gules, collared, horned and unguled or ; in another
as a hound's head erased or, collared gules.
SUPPORTERS. Nisbet says that Sir Archibald Forrester's
seal in 1482 had as supporters two dogs. 2 The Forman
{Lyon Office) MS. gives the supporters as a beagle on the
dexter and a greyhound on the sinister, both collared gules,
and Nisbet says that these were the supporters of the
Lord Forrester of his day. This version is followed by the
1 Macdonald's Armorial Seals, No. 974. 2 These are not mentioned in
the description of this seal in Macdonald's Armorial Seals, No. 968.
100 FORRESTER, LORD FORRESTER
second representation in 4 Peers' Arms,' but in the first are
given two goats chained, collared, horned and unguled as
in the crest.
MOTTO. With the goat crest is given, The deed shall
show ; l with the hound's head crest, Blaw hunter, blaw thy
horn.
[J. B. P.]
1 This is suggestive of Fleming, Earl of Wigtown, with which family
the Forresters were not connected.
RUTHVEN, EARL OF FORTH
ILLIAM RUTHVEN of
Ballindean was the only
son of William, first Lord
Ruthven, by his second
wife Christian Forbes.
One writer 1 states that
he was legitimated in
1518, but he received a
charter of the town of
Kettins in feu from John,
Earl of Buchan, as son of
William, Lord Ruthven,
and Christian Forbes, his
wife, 26 January 1527-28. 2
He resigned all his lands
and had a charter to him-
self, and his heirs-male,
with remainder to James, Henry, William and Alexander,
sons of William, second Lord Ruthven, on 10 June 1540. 3
He married Agnes Crichton, daughter of Sir John Crichton
of Strathurd, 4 who with him had a charter of the lands of
Blackferkill, 11 June 1537. 5 She survived him, and was
married, secondly, to Mr. Andrew Abercromby. 6 William
Ruthven died before June 1566, 7 leaving issue :
1. WILLIAM, who succeeded.
2. Jowet, married to Adam Stewart, prior of Charter-
house, natural son of King James v. 8
3. Christian. 4. Margaret. 5. Elizabeth.*
1 Ruthven Correspondence, Iviii. 2 Confirmed 23 March, Reg. Mag. Sig.
" Reg. Mag. Sig. 4 Protocol Book of Robert Rollock, ff. 56, 50cr, 6 Reg.
Mag. Sig. 6 A cts and Decreets, xxii. 402. 7 Ibid., xiii. 462. 8 Edin. Com.
Decreets, i. 58. 9 These three sisters named in same Decreet.
102 RUTHVEN, EARL OF FORTH
SIR WILLIAM RUTHVEN of Ballindean succeeded when very
young. Slain in Dundee, and buried in the kirk of Perth
12 July 1603. 1 Married Catherine Stewart, daughter of
John, fourth Lord Innermeath, 2 with issue :
1. WILLIAM.
2. PATRICK, Earl of Forth, of whom later.
3. Alexander. 3
4. Christian, married to Sir James Lundie, son of William
Lundie of that Ilk. 4 She died before June 1634. 5
WILLIAM RUTHVEN of Ballindean. He sold Ballindean
and acquired the estate of Gardyne. He was retoured heir
to his father 3 March 1621, 8 and survived until after 1634. 7
Married Christian Barclay 8 of Towie, and had issue :
1. WILLIAM RUTHVEN of Gardyne. In 1641, in his life-
time, the Act against the surname of Ruthven was
abolished as far as the Ballindean family were con-
cerned. 9 He was retoured heir to his brother Sir
Francis 18 September 1655, and died before 1664,
leaving two sons :
(1) PATRICK, fiar of Gardyne, father of William, retoured heir
to his father and grandfather 20 September 1664.
(2) Captain John Ruthven, retoured tutor to his nephew 7 Nov-
ember 1663.
2. Sir Francis Ruthven of Oarse, Knight. Entered the
Swedish service, and was Governor of Memel. He
afterwards entered the service of King Charles I.,
1639. He was fined 3000 in 1654, reduced to 1000,
1655. 10 His brother, William Ruthven of Gardyne,
was retoured to him as heir of conquest, 18 Septem-
ber 1655. 11
3. Colonel Sir John Ruthven of Dunglass. 12 He entered the
Swedish service, was commander of a regiment of
cavalry in 1636, and a major-general in the same
year. He later entered the service of Charles i. He
1 Chronicle of Perth, 9. 2 See Lord Forth's birthbrieve. 3 Reg. of
Deeds, xlii. 301. 4 Forfar Inhibitions, 1 March 1602. 6 Reg. of Deeds,
ccccxciv., 14 July 1636. 6 Retours, Forfar. 7 Ruthven Correspondence.
8 Ibid. 9 Acta Parl. Scot., v. 460. 10 Ibid., vi. 820, 846; Ruthven
Correspondence, 47. ll Retours. 12 Either he or his nephew must have
been the John Bandane alias Ruthven charged in 1624 with the abduction
of Elizabeth, daughter of Patrick Barclay, flar of Towy; see P. C. Reg.,
viii. 416, 421-431.
RUTHVEN, EARL OF FORTH 103
died before 1649, having married, first, Jean Ramsay,
by whom he had John and Helen ; : secondly, Barbara
Leslie, eldest daughter of Alexander, first Earl of
Leven. 2 She is said to have been married, secondly,
to Hepburn of Waughton : 3
(1) Sir William Ruthven of Dunglass, retoured heir to his
father 12 June 1649, married Katherine Douglas, daughter
of William, first Marquess of Douglas, 4 with issue :
i. Mary, married to Sir Robert Douglas of Ardit, fourth
Baronet. 5
ii. Barbara, married to Sir Hugh Paterson of Bannock-
burn, Bart. 6
iii. Christian, died at Edinburgh, aged ninety, in 1755. 7
(2) Alexander, mentioned as second son in the Earl of Leven's
settlement, 1642. 8
(3) Sir Francis Ruthven of Redcastle, created a Baronet 11 July
1666. 9 Married Elizabeth Ruthven, second daughter of
Thomas, first Lord Ruthven of Freeland, and had issue. 10
4. James, mentioned with his brother in an assault upon
a messenger in 1618. 11
5- Margaret. 12
I. PATRICK RUTHVEN, Earl of Forth and Brentford, was
the second son of William Ruthven of Ballindean, and was
born about 1572-73. 13 He entered the service of Gustavus
Adolphus, King of Sweden, and was a captain in February
1615 ; received a commission to levy one thousand men in
Scotland. He was present at the siege of Pleskow in
Russia, and in 1616 was in that country, commanding an
East Gothland troop of 300 men. In June 1618 he obtained
a birthbrieve from King James vi. u and was appointed
colonel of a Smaland regiment. In 1621 he was present at
the siege of Riga, 15 and then commanded the Kronsberg
Regiment. In 1626 he took part in the Swedish war in
Prussia, and was at the battle of Dirschau, 8 August 1627,
being knighted ' in the middest of his whole army, in the
King's tent, with great honour and triumph,' by Gustavus
Adolphus there, 23 September. He continued with the
1 Reg. of Deeds, ccccxxvi., 26 February 1630. 2 Eraser's Melvilles, i. 438.
3 Macf arlane's Gen. Coll. 4 Douglas Book, ii. 425. 6 Douglas's Baronage.
6 Ibid. 7 Scots Mag. 8 Eraser's Melvilles, i. 436. 9 Complete Baronetage.
10 Vide Ruthven of Freeland. P. C. Reg., ix. 402-403. n Reg. of Deeds,
ccccxciv., 14 July 1636. 13 Ruthven Correspondence, Roxburghe Club, ii.,
on which this article is chiefly based. 14 Ibid., 2. 15 Ibid., vii.
104 BUTHVEN, EARL OP FORTH
Swedes, and in 1632 was Governor of Marienburg, and oldest
colonel of the Scots. 1 In that year he was Governor of
Ulm, and had forced the Catholic towns to pay tribute.
For this he was rewarded by the 'Graveshaft or Earldom'
of Kirchberg, and later became a major-general. In 1632
he was present at the siege of Landsberg, and in 1633
surprised the Bavarians near Erbach. He visited Scotland
and England and France in 1634-35, but in September
1635 2 was present at the battle of Nordlingen, and later
was lieutenant-general in the army of General Banier,
accompanied him in his retreat, and defeated the Catholics
at Domitz, Lutzen, Goldberg, and Kbsen. In 1636 he was
summoned to England, and received, 25 November, a charter
of the lands of Yair, 3 and next year was Muster-Master
General of Scotland, 4 and was later Governor of Edinburgh
Castle. He was created, in 1639, LORD RUTHVEN OF
ETTRICK. 5 He refused to surrender the Castle to the
Covenanters in 1640, and was forfaulted by Act of Parlia-
ment 11 June, but stood siege until 15 September, he him-
self being * spoyled with the Scurvey,' leaving then by an
honourable capitulation with 137 men. His forfeiture was
annulled 9 November 1641, and the use of the name Ruthven
(forbidden in November 1600) was restored to the family of
Ruthven of Ballindean 17 November. 6 He was created
EARL OF FORTH, with remainder to the heirs-male of his
body, by patent at York 27 March 1642, 7 and joined the King
at Shrewsbury in October, being created Field-Marshal, and
on the death of the Earl of Lindsey had chief command at
the battle of Edgehill, and was present at that of Brent-
ford, 15 November 1642. He was wounded at the siege of
Gloucester and again at Newbury, 20 September 1643, and
was created, 27 May 1644, EARL OF BRENTFORD in the
Peerage of England. He was again declared forfeited 26
July.
He was once more in arms in 1645, took part in the victory
of Oropredy Bridge on the 29th, and at Newbury, 27 October,
he was again wounded. He was removed from his place of
General-in-chief, and was succeeded by Prince Rupert, but
"* l Ruthven Correspondence, xi. 2 Cortachy MSS. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig.
* P. C. Reg., 2nd ser., vi. 342. 6 Balfour's Annals, ii. 362. Acta Parl.
Scot., v. 460. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig.
RUTHVEN, EARL OP FORTH 105
on March 26, 1645, received a grant of an honourable aug-
mentation to his arms, and was made Chamberlain to
the Prince of Wales. He accompanied the Prince to Jersey
and France, and in 1649 was sent on a royalist mission to
Sweden. He accompanied Charles n. to Scotland in 1650,
but was under danger of arrest until 7 December 1650,
when an Act of Parliament was passed in his favour. 1 He
was an excellent soldier and 'a man of unquestionable
courage and integrity ; yet he was now (1644) much
decayed in his parts, and with the long-continued custom of
immoderate drinking dozed in his understanding, which
had been never quick and vigorous, he having been always
illiterate to the greatest degree that can be imagined.' 2 He
died at Dundee 2 February 1651, 3 and was buried in Grange
Durham's Aisle in Monifleth Church. 4 The name of his
first wife is not known, but that he was married three
times is certain. 5 He married, secondly, Joanna Hender-
son, sister of Colonel John Henderson, who commanded
Dumbarton Castle in 1640, 6 and thirdly, in 1633, Clara
Berner, daughter of John Berner of Saskendorff and Ventzin
in Mecklenburg, and Anna Dyerlink, his wife. She was
involved in a long lawsuit about her husband's estate,
and died before 26 November 1679. 7 He left issue :
1. ALEXANDER, Lord Ettrick (by second wife). He was
with his father at the siege of Edinburgh. Died vita
patris before 8 August 1641, having married, and
had a son,
(1) PATRICK, mentioned in his grandfather's will, 1649.
2. Patrick (by third wife), born 1648, died 4 September
1650.
3. Elspeth (probably by first wife), who was married,
first, to William Lundie of that Ilk in Fife ; secondly,
to George Pringle of Balmungo, brother to James
Pringle of Whytbank, and had issue by each.
4. Christiana (by first wife), who was married, first in
1628, to Sir Thomas Kerr of Fernilee, who died in
1637; secondly (contract dated 21 March and 28
1 Acta Parl. Scot., v. 696. 2 Clarendon's Hist, of the Rebellion.
3 Ruthven Correspondence, xl. 4 Balfour's Annals, iv. 256. 6 Lady
Brentford's Petitions, Cortachy MSS. 6 Ruthven Correspondence, iii.
7 Complete Peerage.
106 RUTHVEN, EARL OF FORTH
October 1640 '), to Sir Thomas Ogilvy, second son of
James, first Earl of Airlie.
4. Janet (by second wife), married in 1661 to James
Baillie, second Lord Forrester (see that title), and
had issue, who took the name of Ruthven.
5. A child (by third wife), born in 1634, died in infancy.
CREATIONS. 1639, Lord Ruthven of Ettrick; 27 March
1642, Earl of Forth, both in the Peerage of Scotland ; 27
May 1644, Earl of Brentford, in the county of Middlesex,
in the Peerage of England.
ARMS. There is a note of the Earl's arms in the College
of Arms at the time he got supporters penes Sir Edward
Walker, Garter, in 1645 : Paly or and sable, on a canton or
a white rose of England imposed upon a red rose within a
double tressure flory counterflory gules as an honourable
augmentation.
SUPPORTERS. Two goats proper collared with a double
tressure as in the arms.
No crest or motto given. 2
[A. F. s.]
1 Cortachy MSS. 2 Ex inform. W. A. Lindsay, Windsor Herald. See
also Ruthven Correspondence, 90.
ERASER, LORD ERASER
ROM the situation of the
estate of Oornton in Stir-
lingshire, and in the
neighbourhood of Touch-
Fraser, it is probable that
the Erasers of Oornton
were cadets of the Touch
family, 1 which, with that
of Oliver Castle in
Peeblesshire, represent
the two oldest families
of the name known to
have settled in Scotland.*
Alexander Fraser of Oorn-
ton, the first known, may
have been a younger
brother of Sir Richard
of Touch-Fraser, 3 and was probably identical with an
Alexander Fraser, who did homage to Edward I. at Berwick
in 1296, and who, being then a knight, must have been
a different person from Sir Alexander Fraser of Touch-
Fraser, Chamberlain of Scotland in the reign of Robert i.,
the latter not having been knighted before 1308. 4 For
this reason, too, he was probably the same person as the Sir
Alexander Fraser stated by Barbour to have been taken
prisoner at the battle of Methven in 1306. 5 If so, he probably
perished by the hand of the executioner, for his name does
not again appear in any document except a demand for his
lands by John de Luc in the same year, the wording of which
might imply that he was dead. 6 The next known is
1 Frasers of Philorth, ii. 165, 166. 2 Ibid., i. 38. 3 Ibid., ii. 166.
4 Stevenson's Historical Documents, ii. 66. 5 The Bruce, Spalding Club
ed., 40. 8 Frasers of Philorth, i. 52, and ii. 165.
108 FRASER, LORD FRASER
THOMAS, who, after 1366, had a charter from William de
Keith, Marischal of Scotland, of the lands of Kinmundy
(since called Nether Kiumundy) in the barony of Alden
(now Aden) in the parish of Longside, Aberdeenshire, in
excambion for Pittendreich, near Oornton, in Stirlingshire. 1
He died before 1392. 2 He, or his successor of the same
name, appears as Thomas Eraser of Oornton, in association
with Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth, the Sheriff of Aber-
deen, John Fraser of Forglen, and others, in 1387-88, in the
settlement of a dispute between Adam de Tyninghame,
Bishop of Aberdeen, and John, Laird of Forbes. 3
The widow of a Fraser of Cornton, who died before
Whitsunday 1427, married James Skene of that Ilk before
1428. 4 She was dead in 1458. 5 From 1428 to 1435 the
lands of Cornton were in the occupation of King James I.,
who, during that period, paid annually 6, 13s. 4d. to
Skene for the terce lands belonging to his wife. 8
THOMAS FRASER of Cornton, grandson of the last men-
tioned, according to Lord Saltoun, from 1435 to 1450 received
20 yearly in Exchequer in compensation for the King's
occupancy of Cornton, 7 and in 1451 and three following years,
the Crown being now in possession of the earldom of Mar,
he received the rents of * Mukwale ' (since called Castle
Fraser) in the parishes of Midmar and Cluny, Aberdeenshire,
in part payment for the above allowance. 8 On 26 October
1454 he resigned Cornton into the hands of King James n., 9
and the next day the King granted him a charter of the
lands of Stanewod (Stoney wood) near Aberdeen, and Much-
all, thereby united into a barony, in exchange for Oornton, 10
the whole interests of the family being thus transferred
to Aberdeenshire. Thenceforward he and his successors
were styled by either of those titles indifferently. He was
1 Collections of Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, 404. It is regretted
that the Castle Fraser Charter-chest, which contains this charter, was not
available for the purpose of further elucidating the earlier history of the
family. 2 Spalding Club Misc., v. 319. 3 Coll. Aberdeen and Banff, i.
511, and iv. 378. 4 Exch. Soils, iv. 444 and 467. 5 Memorials of Family
of Skene of Skene, 21. 6 Exch. Rolls, vi. pref . Ixxvi. 7 Ibid. 8 Tbid.
9 Inventory of Writs delivered to Charles, Lord Fraser, penes Sir W.
Fraser's Trustees, 23 July 1703. 10 Inventory ut sup. ; Acta Dom. Cone.,
xv. 40.
FRASER, LORD FRASER 109
alive in 1474. The name of his wife is not known, but he
left a son and successor,
ANDREW FRASER of Stoneywood, who was infeft in
Stanewod and Muchall as his father's heir in 1476. 1 He
had a Crown charter of lands in the barony of Stanywood
to him and Muriel Sutherland his spouse on 21 November
1501, 2 and was knighted before 16 April 1504. 3 He had a
new royal charter of Stanywood and Muichellis (in which
he seems not to have been styled knight) 30 December
1503. 4 He died on or about 1 June 1505. 5
By the said Muriel Sutherland, or perhaps by a previous
wife, he had :
1. THOMAS, his successor.
2. Alexander, witness to a charter of his brother 29 June
1535, 6 and mentioned in 1479 and 1480. 7
THOMAS, of Stoneywood. He was in his father's life-
time styled ' of Kinmundie,' 8 and was served heir to his
father in the barony of Stanewod and Kynmondy on 30
October 1505. 9 He and his son Andrew had remissions 11
February 1527-28 10 for treasonably absenting themselves
from the raids of Solway and Wark. He had a royal charter
on 22 May 1528 of the barony of Alathy, 11 and on 5 July
1531 12 a charter from John Gordon of Lochinver of the lands
of Wester Corse and Norham, all in the county of Aber-
deen. He died between Martinmas 1535 and February
1535-36. 13
He married, first, before 1494, a lady whose name is not
ascertained ; u and secondly, Giles, daughter of Robert
Arbuthnott of Arbuthnott, relict of Henry Graham of
Morphie, 15 and of Andrew Strachan of Tibbertie. 16
By first wife he had issue :
1. ANDREW, who succeeded.
1 Exch. Rolls, ix. 678. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff,
iii. 448. 4 Inventory ut sup. ; Treasurer's A ccounts, ii. 180. 5 Retour
quoted infra. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig., 30 June 1535. 7 Acta Dom. Cone., 19
January 1479, and 16 June 1480. 8 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iii. 551.
9 Ibid., iii. 221. 10 Reg. Sec. Sig., ix. 19. " Reg. Mag. Sig. " Ibid.,
14 July 1531. 13 Exch. Rolls, xvi. 615, compared with Reg. Mag. Sig.,
iii. 1547. 14 Acta Dom. Cone., 324. u Acta Dom. Cone, et Sess., ii. 55.
16 See vol. i. 287 ; Protocol Book of John Cristison, H.M. Reg. Ho., f. 71.
110 FRASER, LORD FRASER
2. Mr. John, one of his nephew's curators, 1535-36. 1
By his second wife he had issue :
3. Gilbert, who had a charter to his father in liferent
and himself in fee of the lands of Greencastle in
Kincardineshire, in 1518. 2 He was alive in 1536. 3
ANDREW, the eldest son, styled * of Kinmundy ' in his
lifetime. He had a Crown charter of the lauds of Lathindie
and others, co. Aberdeen, 12 June 1532. 4 On 8 February
1535-36 5 he had a charter from his eldest son Andrew of
the lands of Stanewod and Mukwell, which had been gifted
to the younger Andrew by his grandfather Thomas, by
charter 29 June 1535. 6 On 13 May 1546, he, with consent
of his eldest son, disponed the lands of Wester Corse and
Northam, in the parish of Coul, Aberdeenshire, to James
Skene and Jean Lumsden, his wife. 7 He died in August
1549. 8 He married, first, before 21 July 1519, a daughter
of John, sixth Lord Forbes ; 9 and secondly, Marjory Hay,
conjoined with him in a tack of the lands of Cairnbrogy,
7 June 1526. 10
He left issue :
1. ANDREW, who succeeded.
2. William, * second son.' u
3. Alexander, executor nominate to his eldest brother ;
but he died shortly after him, and before intromit-
ting with the estate. 12
4. Elizabeth. 13
ANDREW, the eldest son, styled ' of Stony wood,' had, as
mentioned above, a grant from his grandfather of the
principal estates in 1535, and was retoured his father's
heir in Kinmundie 17 October 1549. 14 He died before 3 July
1563. 15 He married Margaret Irvine, * natural and lawful '
daughter of Alexander Irvine of Drum, to whom he, being
under age, with consent of his curators, granted a liferent
1 Beg. Mag. Sig., 15 February 1535-36. 2 Arbuthnott Inventory.
3 Protocol Book of John Cristison, f . 71. 4 Beg. Mag. Sig. 5 Confirmed 15
February 1535-36, ibid. 6 Confirmed 30 June, ibid. 7 Confirmed 20 May
1546, ibid. 8 Betour cited below. 9 Acta Dom. Cone, et Sess., iv. 17.
10 Beg. Nigrum de Aberbrothoc, 455. u Protocol Book of John Cristison,
143. 12 Edinburgh Commissariat Decreets, i. 391. 13 Protocol Book of
John Cristison, 145. u Betours, Aberdeen, No. 8. 1& Beg. Sec. Sig., xxxi.
144.
FRASBR, LORD FRASER 111
charter of Watertoun and Weltoun, 15 February 1537-38. 1
She survived him, and appears as defender in a civil action
in 1587-88, where she is styled Margaret Irvine, Lady
Watertoun, relict of ... Fraser of Stoney wood. 2 She died
in August 1603, 3 leaving issue by Andrew Fraser :
1. John, styled son and heir-apparent in 1550. 4 He died
vita patris s. p.
2. MICHAEL, who succeeded.
3. Gilbert * of Waterton,' appointed executor-dative to
his father 16 March 1564-65. 5 He is mentioned along
with his mother in 1587-88. 6 Gilbert Fraser of
Watertoun, and John his son, occur in 1608. 7 He
died in June 1622. 8 John Fraser of Watertoun ac-
quired part of Kinmundie in 1642. 9 He had three
sons, Francis, Andrew, and Alexander, of whom
Andrew Fraser of Kinmundie was sheriff-depute of
Aberdeen for many years in 1687 and onwards until
1707. 10
4. Christian, married to Patrick Gordon, younger of
Haddo, of which marriage the Earls of Aberdeen
are descended. 11
MICHAEL, styled 'of Stoney wood,' the eldest surviving
son, appears to have been born in 1544. He was under
age at his father's death, his precept of clare constat as
his father's heir, dated 10 October 1565, stating that the
lands had been in the Queen's hands for two years by
reason of ward." He had exemptions from hostings, assizes,
etc., 7 February 1583-84, 13 * being vexed with the gravel.'
He died after Martinmas 1588, and before 18 January
1588-89. 14 He married Isobel (or Elizabeth), daughter of
Duncan Forbes of Monymusk, 15 and by her (who survived him,
and married, secondly, Walter Wood of Balbegno) 18 had :
1. ANDREW, who succeeded, first Lord Fraser.
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Acts and Decreets, cxiv. 240. 3 Aberdeen Burial
Register. 4 Protocol Book of John Cristison, f. 161. 6 Edin. Com.
Decreets, i. 391. 6 Acts and Decreets, ut sup. 7 Gen. Reg. Inhibitions,
xxxv. 18. 8 Aberdeen Burial Register. 9 Aberdeen Sasines, xii. 74.
10 Spalding Club Misc., \. 367, where John Fraser is styled 'of Kinmundy.
11 See vol. i. 85. 12 Exch. Rolls, xix. 543. 13 Reg. Sec. Sig., 1. 64. 14 Aber-
deen Homings, iv. 128, and v. 23. 16 Reg. of Deeds, xiii. 411 ; Douglas's
Baronage, 39, and Macfarlane's Gen. ColL, ii. 248. 18 Acts and Decreets,
clix. 3.
112 ERASER, LORD FRASER
2. Thomas, to whom his father granted the lands of
Sauchok and Denis. 1 His name often occurs in the
Privy Council Register. He married Catherine Hill, 2
and had issue. Michael, son of the deceased Thomas
Fraser of Savock, occurs in 1628. 3
3. John, to whom his father granted the lands of Little
or Wester Clintertie, 3 September 1579. 4 He was
alive in 1640. 5
4. William, died in Aberdeen 10 November 1588. 6
5. Christina, married, first (contract 21 October 1584),
to Alexander Seton, younger of Meldrum, and had a
daughter, ancestress of the Urquharts of Meldrum ; 7
secondly, to Alexander Forbes of Fingask. 8
6. Catherine, married Thomas Cheyne of Ranieston,
afterwards of Pitfichie, 9 and had issue. 10
7. Isobel. 11
I. ANDREW, the eldest son, was under age at his father's
death. 12 In his lifetime the house of Muchalls (since called
Castle Fraser), one of the finest of the Aberdeenshire castles
of that period, was greatly enlarged, the main portion,
according to the date on the royal arms in the centre of
the north front, having been built in 1576, the wings being
added in 1617. 13 In 1621 he employed James Laper, mason
and quarrier, to win 400 pavement stones from the * quarrell *
of Kyndrimmy, and to pave the hall of Muchalls therewith. 14
In 1631 he obtained permission to export 10 chalders of
meal to Norway on the plea that he could not otherwise
obtain from thence the timber which he required for the
roof of his house at Muchalls. 15 Between 1616 and 1624
he purchased from Alexander Fraser of Durris the lands of
Cairnbulg and Invernorth, with the piece of land whereon
stands the old ' Manor Place of Philorth ' (now called from
the adjoining estate Oairnbulg Castle). 16 Before his death
1 Sasine, 24 June 1545, in Reg. Ho. 2 Aberdeen Sasines, Secretary's
Reg., i. 193. 3 P. C. Reg., 2nd ser., ii. 232. 4 Acts and Decreets, clvii.
300, Sasine thereon 18 February 1579-80, in Reg. Ho. 5 Aberdeen
Sasines, xi. 409. 6 Aberdeen Homings, v. 23; Aberdeen Burial Register.
7 Reg. Mag. Sig., 15 July 1587. 8 Ibid., 4 July 1614. 9 Charter to her
as his future wife, 29 January 1606, Aberdeen Sasines, Secretary's Reg., iv.
396. 10 Spalding Club Misc. , v. 329. u A berdeen Sas. , Secretary's Reg. , iv.
200. 12 Reg. of Deeds, xxx. 176. 13 Castellated and Domestic Architecture
of Scotland, ii. 228. " Aberdeen Homings, 5 May 1623. 15 P. C. Reg.,
2nd ser., iv. 185. 16 Frasers of Philorth, i. 162.
FRASBB, LORD FRASER
113
in 1636, he also acquired from the above-mentioned Alex-
ander Fraser his patrimonial estate of Durris, which, how-
ever, was transferred a few years later to Sir Alexander
Fraser, physician to Charles n. 1 On 29 June 1633 2 he was
created LORD FRASER, with remainder to his heirs-
male bearing the name and arms. He died 10 December
1636. 3 He married, first, contract 1592, Elizabeth Douglas,
youngest daughter of Robert, Earl of Buchan ; 4 secondly,
Anne, daughter of Patrick, third Lord Drummond, relict of
Patrick Barclay, fiar of Towie. 5 She survived him, and was
alive in 1640. 6 He had issue by his first wife only :
1. ANDREW, second Lord Fraser.
2. Francis, of Kinmundie, who married Marjory Elphin-
stone, youngest daughter of James, first Lord Bal-
merino. 7 They had a charter of Mains of Kinmundie
and other lands 31 January 1630. 8 He died before
1676," leaving an only daughter,
Elizabeth, who had a Great Seal charter of the lands of Cow-
burtie 5 March 1680, 10 and is usually styled Lady Cowburtie.
In 1696 she was not residing on her Aberdeenshire estate. 11
She died, apparently unmarried, in 1705, and was buried at
Longside 16 November 1705, aged sixty-nine. 12
3. William, of Faichfield. He and his two elder brothers
were all admitted burgesses of Aberdeen 21 April
1627. 13 He had a charter of Faichfield and other
lands 15 September 1629. 14 He married Jean Barclay,
second daughter of Patrick Barclay, fiar of Towie,
who, as his future wife, grants him a charter of
Drumquhendill 30 September 1630. 15 He left a son
William, who had a precept of clare constat as his
father's heir 11 October 1667, 16 and who, in the same
year, disponed Faichfield to Mr. William Thomson,
4 Preacher of the Word of God.' 17 He married Christian
Garioch. William Fraser, sometime of Faichfield,
and Christian Garioch his wife, had a charter of
1 Frasers of Philorth, ii. 144. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Retours, Aberdeen,
No. 236. * Ms. Harl. 6441, f. 7. 5 Charter to her as his future wife 20 May
1624 ; Aberdeen Sas., iv. 402. 6 Aberdeen Sas., xi. 409. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig.,
Paper Reg., x. 10. 8 Aberdeen Sas., vii. 34. 9 Reg. Mag. Sig., Paper
Reg.,x.lQ. "> Reg. Mag. Sig. List of Pollable Persons, i. 584. ^Long-
side Kegister. 13 New Spalding Club Misc., i. 144. 14 Aberdeen Sas., iii.
36. is ibid., vii. 217. 16 Ibid., 3rd ser., v. 206. " Ibid., v. 210.
VOL. IV. H
114 FRASER, LORD ERASER
Invernorth 10 January 1668. 1 He (the younger
William) had a son William, baptized 29 March 1665,
and a daughter Elizabeth, baptized 20 September
1666. 2 This branch seems to have died out, or left
Aberdeenshire before 1696, as they are not found in
the List of Pollable Persons of that year.
4. Thomas, 'son to Laird of Muchall,' died November
1617. 3
5. James, ' sou to Laird of Muchall,' died November 1621. 4
II. ANDREW, second Lord Eraser. Before his father's
death there was commenced a protracted feud with Sir
William Keith of Ludquharn (an estate adjoining that of
Kinmundy, and within two miles of the house of Faichfleld)
about seats in the newly built parish church of Peterugie,
now called Longside. 5 This led to the sacking by Lud-
quharn's followers on the night of Christmas Day 1621 of the
house of Faichfield, at that time the residence of Andrew
Fraser, the younger, and his family, followed by the death,
soon afterwards, of his infant son Andrew. The termina-
tion of this bitter feud is indicated at a meeting of the
Privy Council on 12 November 1622, when a submission and
decreet-arbitral dated 9 November 1622, between the two
Erasers, father and son, on the one side, and Sir William
Keith on the other, was ordered to be registered in their
books. It is evident the feud had been brought under the
notice of King James vi. The warrant for the submission
and decreet-arbitral is a missive by the King, dated at
Royston 21 October 1622, in the course of which the
arbiters are authorised in the event of ' Muchall ' being found
obstinate and unwilling to agree to the conditions to be
imposed 'to compell him in respect of his promises made
to us to doe in that mater as we sould be pleasit to com-
mand him. 6 He was retoured heir to his father in the
estates 21 April 1637. 7 He, or rather, in the first instance,
his father, gave offence to Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth
(afterwards Lord Saltoun), patron of Rathen church, by
setting up his name and arms on the kirkstyle, and by
1 Aberdeen Sas., v. 382. - Longside Register. 3 Aberdeen Burial
Register. 4 Ibid. 6 Narrated at length in vols. xii. and xiii. P. C. Reg.,
and briefly in Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, iii. 539. 6 P. C. Reg., xiii. 86.
7 Retours, Aberdeen, 236.
FRASER, LORD FRASER 115
encroaching upon the lands of Philorth in the rebuilding of
the kirk dyke. The matter came before the Privy Council
in 1637,' and both points were eventually decided in favour of
the Laird of Philorth, not, however, until 1667, some years
after Andrew's son, the third Lord Fraser, had succeeded
to the title and estates. 2 In the Civil Wars Lord Fraser
took the side of the Covenanters, and is often mentioned in
Spalding's Memorials of the Troubles and in the Acts of Par-
liament. He was one of the Parliamentary Commissioners
appointed for suppressing the Royalist insurrection in the
north, and for proceeding against rebels and malignants 19
July 1644. 3 In the same year he was associated with the Laird
of Philorth and the Forbes family in support of the Marquess
of Argyll against the Royalists under the Earl of Huntly
and the Marquess of Montrose, 4 and on 14 October the castle
of Muchalls suffered spoliation at the hands of Montrose,
' who at the time was visiting with fire and sword the
estates of those proprietors friendly to the Covenant.' 5
He was appointed a member of the Committee of Estates
in 1645, and for putting the kingdom in a posture of defence
15 February 1649, on which committee the names of the
Master of Fraser and Francis Fraser of Kinmundie are also
included. He was one of the Committee of Estates ap-
pointed on 14 March in the same year for carrying on the
government of the country and providing for its defence
until the meeting of Parliament. 6 On 5 June 1651 he
settled his estates upon Andrew, his son by Anna Haldane,
his wife, whom failing, upon Thomas Fraser his son by
Elizabeth Crichton his then wife, 7 and he died between
July 1656 and July 1658. 8 He married, first, in 1618, Mar-
garet Elphinston, eldest daughter of James, first Lord
Balmerino, 9 by his second wife. By this marriage, says
Spalding, 'he had gryt moyan in all his adois aganes Haddoch
Gordoune'; secondly (contract July 1634 10 ), Anne, daughter
of James Haldane of Gleneagles, who died about June 1640 ; u
1 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iv. 126. 2 Frasers of Philorth, i. 182.
3 Rescinded Acts. 4 History of the Troubles, ii. 338, 429 ; Frasers of
Philorth, i. 173. 5 Sir A. Leith-Hay's Castellated Architect, of Aberdeen-
shire, 96. 6 Rescinded Acts. 7 Aberdeen Sas., xv. 117. 8 Ibid., xx. 154.
9 Gen. Reg. Sas., ii. 45 and xxxvii. 34; Spalding states (ii. 44) that the
second Lord Balmerino and the second Lord Fraser were brothers-in-
law ; see vol. i. 562 n. 10 Reg. Mag. Sig. u Spalding, i. 294.
116 FRASER, LORD FRASER
thirdly (contract 21 August 1644 '), Elizabeth, eldest daugh-
ter of James Crichton of Frendraught, and sister of the
first Viscount Frendraught. She is there called eldest
daughter of the Viscount, which is impossible, he having
married his first wife in 1639. Spalding, who sub anno
1645 calls Lord Fraser * goodson to the old Laird of Frend-
draught ' 2 is more correct. She survived him for many years.
In 1685, as 'Dame Elizabeth Chrighton, Lady Dowadger
of Frazer,' she petitions the Privy Council to be re-
leased from payment of a sum of 1833, 13s. 4d. Scots, the
amount of a fine specified in a decreet obtained against her
for alleged contravention of the laws and Acts of Parlia-
ment against withdrawers from the public ordinances.
She was then residing in * her joynture house at Oairnbulg.'
In 1696 she was living with her son Thomas at Torhendry,
in Longside parish. 3
By his first wife Lord Fraser had :
1. Andrew, who was a ' young bairn ' in the housft of
Faichfield when it was sacked by Ludquharn's fol-
lowers on Christmas Day 1621, as narrated above,
and died within five weeks thereafter * of the extra-
ordinary fear and fray given to him.'*
2. William, Master of Fraser, who, with his father and
stepmother, had a charter of the barony of Durris
31 July 1637. He was alive in 1646, but must have
died v.p. before 5 June 1651. 5
3. Elizabeth, who married Walter Barclay of Towie. 8
She and her cousin Elizabeth Fraser, Lady Cowburtie,
are called as heirs of line of James, Lord Coupar, her
mother's brother, 12 March 1676. 7
By his second wife Lord Fraser had :
4. ANDREW, third Lord Fraser.
By his third wife he had : 8
5. Thomas, of Cairnbulg, probably born in 1649. He was
under age 13 June 1670, but was apparently of full
age on 29 July 1670, when he was served to his father as
1 Aberdeen Sas., xiii. 145. 2 Spalding, ii. 453. 3 List of Tollable Persons,
i. 593. * Aberdeen Hornlngs, 30 July 1623; Pitcairn's Criminal Trials,
Hi. 539. 6 Vide supra, 6 Charter to her as his future wife 19 July 1652,
Aberdeen Sas., viii. 25. : Reg. Mag. Sig., Paper Reg., x. 10. 8 Issue all
named, Reg. of Deeds, Durie, 3 February 1671, and Aberdeen Inhibitions,
12 October 1675.
FRASER, LORD FRASER 117
heir of provision general. 1 He was living with his
mother, wife, and children at Torhendry, in Longside
parish, in 1696. 2 Thomas must have died before his
nephew, the fourth Lord, or he would have succeeded
to the title on the latter 's decease. He married, first
(contract 23 June 1680), Margaret, elder daughter of
Robert Forbes of Ludquhairn, tutor of Craigievar. 5
By her he had three daughters, Margaret, Jean, and
Sophia, 4 the eldest of whom was married (contract 2
December 1699) to Sir James Innes of Orton, Baronet. 5
He married, secondly, Margaret Seton, who survived
him, and on 30 November 1717 was appointed
executor-dative to James Seton of Meanie, her
brother-german . 6
6. James, matriculated at King's College, Aberdeen,
1670. 7 He died young, probably before 26 June 1676,
when he is omitted in a list of the family. 8
7. Margaret, married (contract 5 June 1679) to Thomas
Gordon of Newark, M.D. 9
8. Elisabeth.
III. ANDREW, the eldest surviving son, succeeded as third
Lord Fraser. On 5 June 1651 his father disponed the estates
in his favour, with remainder to Thomas, his half-brother.
He had a grant of his own ward and marriage 21 August
1661. 10 He was appointed Commissioner for visiting the
Universities of Aberdeen in 1661. Whether Riddell's sur-
mise, 11 that the creation of the title ' Lord Fraser ' gave
umbrage to the families of Lovat and Philorth be correct
or not, it is the fact, as stated by him, that the only time
that any cavil was raised against the King's prerogative as
the Fountain of Honour was subsequent to the bestowal of
this dignity, some having presumed to give other names
and designations than what were contained in the patent.
This called forth an Act of Parliament, 24 June 1662, which
declares that ' the Lord Fraser is, according to his patent,
to have and enjoyethe tytle of Lord Fraser, and discharges
1 Retours, Gen., 5341. 2 List of Tollable Persons, i. 592, 593. 3 Contract
among Camphill titles, noted by Riddell. 4 List of Pollable Persons, as
above. 6 Banff Sas., v. 33; Douglas's Baronage, 79. 6 Ed in. Tests.
7 Fasti Aberdonensis, 489. 8 Beg. of Adjudications, xxv. 71. 9 Aberdeen
Sas., x. 274. 10 Privy Seal, English Reg., i. 75. " Riddell's Remarks, 78,
note 3.
118 FRASER, LORD FRASER
all His Majesty's subjects that none of them presume in
discourses, writings, or otherways to give him any other
title or designation, as they will be answerable at their
heist perrell.' 1
He was served his father's heir-in-general 24 December
1664. 2 In 1665 he also, like his father and grandfather,
manifested interest in the kirkstyle of Rathen, which the
minister and kirk-session were proposing to 'cast doune.' 3
He died 22 May (according to his son's retour, 24 May)
1674, * the handsomest person of all the nobility, as I judg,'
says his contemporary James Skene. 4 ' One of the prettiest
noblemen in the Kingdom,' and * one of the finest noblemen
in the Kingdom for a statesman and orator,' is the descrip-
tion of him given by Wardlaw. 5 He married, first, 17 October
1658, 6 Katherine Fraser, daughter of Hugh, eighth Lord
Lovat, relict of Sir John Sinclair of Dunbeath, and of Robert,
first Viscount of Arbuthnott. 7 She died 18 October 1663. 8
He married, secondly, Jean Mackenzie, daughter of George,
second Earl of Seaforth, relict of John, Earl of Mar, 9 who
died September 1668. 10 She was served to her terce 15
September 1674." He had issue by his first wife :
CHARLES, fourth Lord Fraser.
IV. CHARLES, the only son, succeeded as fourth Lord
Fraser. He was born before September 1662, as he con-
tracted marriage in September 1683, 12 without curators. He
was served heir-male to his father 2 March 1683, 13 and on 2
December 1685 he revoked deeds done during his minority. 14
After the Revolution he adhered to the Stuart cause, and
excused himself from attending Parliament in July 1689, 15
but subsequent to the collapse of the Jacobite resistance
he surrendered to Major-General Mackay at Ayr, in the
beginning of October 1690. On 30 December 1690 he was
allowed to go home, 'being certainly informed that his
only child was a-dying.' 16 In June or July 1692 he took
1 Riddell, 1833 ed., 78, 79. 2 Retours, Gen., 4858. 3 Extract from
Ecclesiastical Records of Aberdeen, Spalding Club, 279. 4 Fourth Rep.
Hist. MSS. Com., 516. 6 Wardlaw MS., Scot. Hist, Soc.. 424, 500. 6 Mon-
trose Reg. 7 Vol. i. 305 ; Decreets (Dal.), 12 July 1664. 8 Row's Diary,
Scottish Notes and Queries, vii. 71. 9 Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., i. 68.
10 Lamonfs Diary, 208. u Gen. Reg. Sas., xxxiv. 144. 12 Vide infra.
13 Retours, Aberdeen, 456. u Reg. of Deeds, Durie, 8 December 1685.
15 A eta Parl. Scot., ix. 102. J0 P. C. Ada, at date.
FRASBR, LORD FRASER 119
prominent part in a demonstration in favour of King James
and his son at Fraserburgli, for which he was tried at the
Justiciary Court the following year. 1 The charge against
him was that he went with his accomplices to the market
cross of Fraserburgli, stepped upon the cross, and three
several times proclaimed ' the late King James and the
pretended Prince of Wales to be righteous and lawful King
of this Kingdom,' also, that * for the greater solemnity,
they fired guns and pistols from the Cross on the occasion,
and forced some of his Majesty's subjects to drink treason-
able healths.' On 16 May 1693 the Court pronounced sen-
tence upon Lord Fraser, finding him guilty of one of the
charges, viz. that of drinking treasonable healths, and fined
him in 200 sterling. He took the oaths 2 July 1695, 2 and
his name frequently appears in the Acts subsequent to that
date. In 1697 Lord Fraser associated himself with Captain
Simon Fraser (the notorious Simon, Lord Lovat) in a forc-
ible, and in the result successful, attempt to prevent the
marriage of the daughter and heir of line of Hugh, tenth
Lord Lovat, with the Master of Saltoun. 3 The facts are
narrated at some length by Lord Saltoun and described in
greater detail in the Justiciary Records. On 13 December
1697 a warrant was issued to examine and imprison Lord
Fraser for the part taken by him in the earlier stages of
this strange affair, and on 10 February there followed a
warrant for his release. Captain Fraser's conduct was
marked by acts of violence and outrage, for which he and
nineteen of his associates were eventually tried in the High
Court of Justiciary and sentenced to death in absence on
5 September 1698.
He voted for the Union, 4 but took part in the rebellion
of 1715, though by remaining in hiding he succeeded in
escaping attainder. 5 He died of a fall from a precipice at
Pennan, on the coast of Aberdeenshire, near Banff, 6 on 12
October 1716. 7
He married, in September 1683, 8 Margaret (called Marjory
in the sasine on the contract) Erskine, daughter of James,
seventh Earl of Buchan, relict of Simon Fraser of Inver-
1 Arnot's Criminal Trials, 85 ; Records of Justiciary, March 29, 1693.
2 ActaParl. Scot., ix. 407. 3 The Frasers of Philorth, i. 195-197. * Acta
Parl. Scot., xi. 404. 6 Marquis of Ruvigny's Jacobite Peerage. 6 Francis
Douglas's Letters, No, 33. "' Historical Register, 1716, 545. 8 Vol. ii. 273.
120 FRASER, LORD FRASER
lochy, son of Sir Simon above mentioned. 1 There was no
surviving issue of the marriage, the only child having died
in infancy. 2 It is evident that before his death Andrew,
third Lord Fraser, had become involved in serious monetary
difficulties, and it seems probable that it was in order to
meet pressing claims of this nature, as well as other subse-
quent liabilities incurred by himself, that his son, after his
succession to the title and estates, found himself compelled
to part with the whole of the lands of which his father died
nominally possessed in 1674. It is stated that the barony
of Stony wood was sold to James Moir 4 about the end of the
seventeenth century.' 3 Moir is designated as owner of the
estate on 5 July 1689. 4 From a minute of agreement, dated
1682, between Charles, Lord Fraser, and the Earl of Mar,
it appears that the former bound himself to dispone to the
latter the lands and barony of Muchall in consideration of
the fact that the Earl of Mar had satisfied the creditors of
the deceased Andrew, Lord Fraser, to the full value of the
Muchall estate, and the Earl, on the other hand, bound
himself to discharge Lord Fraser of the whole debts due by
his father. It also appears that in 1683 the Earl of Mar in
turn disponed to John Keirie of Gogar his whole right and
interest in the lands of Muchall in trust for behoof of his
creditors. In 1693 Lord Fraser, as heir to his father and
superior of the lands, completes this disposition to Keirie
by giving him an absolute title to the estate. In 1703,
Keirie being dead, and John, Earl of Mar, having succeeded
him as trustee for his father's creditors, Lord Fraser entered
into negotiations for the repurchase of Muchall, and as a
preliminary a lease, dated 19 July 1703, was entered into
between the Earl and Lord Fraser of the whole lands, the
effect of which was to put the latter in immediate posses-
sion, and to give him right to retain the rents as interest
of the purchase-money to be advanced by him. The lease
was renounced by Lord Fraser in 1712, the purchase price
having apparently not been paid, and by 12 October 1713
the Earl of Mar had disponed the lands and barony of
Muchall to William Fraser of Inverallochy, son of Simon
1 Aberdeen Sasines, xii. 533. a P. C. Acta, ut supra. 3 Spalding Club
Misc., i., Pref., 79, where the word 'sixteenth' must be a mistake for
seventeenth. 4 Acta Part. Scot., ix. 102.
FRASBR, LORD ERASER 121
Fraser and grandson of Simon, Lady Fraser's first husband. 1
On 12 July 1695 Lord Fraser presented a petition to the
Estates of Parliament, narrating that part of the barony
of Cairnbulg, which his father had disponed to his uncle
Thomas Fraser, having been sold to Mr. (afterwards
Colonel) Patrick Ogilvie, who had adopted the designation
of the undivided barony, it had become necessary to alter
the name of the House and remainder of the barony still in
his possession, and craving Parliamentary sanction to change
their designation to that of the Castle and Barony of Fraser.
The petition was granted ; 2 but there appears no evidence
that either house or lands were at any time generally
known by the name which for many years has been
identified with the castle and estate of Muchall. In January
1703 Lord Fraser disponed the lands of Invernorth, adjoin-
ing Cairnbulg, to Colonel Patrick Ogilvie, and later in the
same year he sold his portion of the lands and barony of
Oairnbulg to Colonel John Buchan of Auchmacoy. The
estate of Muchall, or Castle Fraser, was settled upon
Charles Fraser of Inverallochy, who succeeded his elder
brother William in 1749, 3 J and on 6 August 1757 Charles had
a great seal charter on Keirie's resignation. 4 On 20 July
1723 he was created by James in. and viu. a Lord and Peer
of Parliament as ' Lord Fraser of Mushall,' with remainder
to his heirs-male. The preamble sets out that the title is
conferred in recognition of his services, and particularly
of those of 'his father, who died bravely asserting our
cause, and in consideration of the earnest desire of the
late Lord Fraser when we were last in Scotland [1715],
to resign his titles of honour in favour of the said Charles's
father.' The patent is endorsed ' taken by Glenderule.' 5
The original Peerage is believed to have become extinct
on the death of Charles, fourth Lord Fraser, in 1716.
CREATION. 29 June 1633, Lord Fraser.
ARMS, recorded in Lyon Register. Azure, three fraises
argent.
1 Ms. Documents penes Sir W. Fraser's Trustees. 2 Acta Part. Scot.,
ix. 436. 3 Marquis of Ruvigny's Jacobite Peerage. * Reg. Mag. Sig. t
Paper Reg., civ. 55. 6 Marquis of Ruvigny's Jacobite Peerage, 53.
122 FRASER, LORD FRASER
CREST. On a mount a flourish of strawberries leaved
and fructed proper.
SUPPORTERS. Dexter a falcon, sinister a heron, all
proper.
MOTTO. All my hope is in God.
[c. T. G.]
CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT
IR JAMES ORICHTON,
only son of William, third
Lord Oichton, and his
wife Marion Livingstone
(sec vol. iii. p. 66) had a
Crown charter on 22
November 1493 of the
lands and barony of Fren-
draught in the county of
Aberdeen, on the
resignation of Jonet
Dunbar his grandmother. 1
He had charters of the
lands of Kirkpatrick-
Irongray, which belonged
to his grandmother, on
4 November 1501 and
19 January 1505-6, 2 and excambed these lands with Robert,
Lord Crichton of Sanquhar, for the lands of Hilltown-
Malar, Kirktown-Malar, and Wester Forgandenny in
Perthshire on 11, and on 13 December 1511 he had a
charter of confirmation of the same. 3 From James Dunbar
he acquired the lands of Oonzie in Aberdeenshire, had
a charter of same on 16 October 1530, 4 and granted
them to his cousin George Orichton on 10 May 1535. 5
By charter dated 19 November 1535, following on his own
resignation, he made a settlement of his estates compris-
ing the barony of Frendraught in Aberdeenshire, the barony
of Inverkeithny in Banffshire, and the lands of Malar and
Forgandenny in Perthshire, in favour of himself and the
heirs-male of his body, whom failing, to George Crichton,
1 Antiq. of Aberdeen, iii. 589. 2 Beg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid. * Ibid.
5 Ibid.
124 CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT
grandson of Gavin Crichton, brother of the late William,
Lord Orichton, whom failing, to James Crichton, second son
of Sir John Crichton of Strathurd, Knight, to Robert Crichton
his brother, to Martin Crichton, brother-german of James
Crichton of Cranston Riddell, Captain of the Castle of Edin-
burgh, to James Crichton, son of John Crichton of Invernyte
and the heirs-male of their bodies respectively. He died
about 1536, having married Catherine, eldest daughter of
William, fifth Lord Borthwick, and had issue :
1. WILLIAM.
WILLIAM CRICHTON of Frendraught had sasines of the
lands of Frendraught, Inverkeithny, Hillton and Kirkton
Malar on 27 May 1536, probably as heir of his father. 1 He
had a charter to himself and Agnes Abernethy his wife of
the lands of Inverkeithny or Conveth on 15 August 1539, 2
and on 5 September 1539 he sold the lands of Hillton-Malar
to John Ross of Craigie. He appears to have been for a
time of unsound mind, as on 12 July 1536 George Crichton
of Conzie was appointed curator to William Crichton of
Frendraught, a * daft and natural idiot.' 3 He was still
alive in 1546, but the date of his death is uncertain. He
married Agnes Abernethy, probably a daughter of that
William, Lord Abernethy of Saltoun, who was with forty-
five others tried on 15 March 1543-44 for the slaughter of
George Crichton of Conzie and others, 4 and had issue :
1. JAMES.
2. Margaret. 5
SIR JAMES CRICHTON of Frendraught was born apparently
in 1541, as Meldrum of Fyvie was sued for abducting him
when eight years old from the school at Cullen. 8 He chose
curators on 2 March 1555-56, his nearest of kin being on the
father's side Alexander Leslie of Wardens, James Irving of
Tulloch, and George Crichton in Little Forg; on the
mother's side, Alexander, Lord Saltoun. 7 He came of
age before 17 August 1562, on which day he executed a
revocation of deeds done in his minority. 8 As son and
1 Exch. Bolls, xvi. 607. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Reg. Sec. Sig., x. 130 ;
Riddell's Notes on Douglas's Peerage. * Pitcairn, i. *329. 6 Reg. of Deeds,
Ixix., 5 July 1599. 6 Acts and Decreets, iv. 415, anno 1551. 7 Ibid.,
xiii. 22. 8 Extracts from Council Books of Aberdeen, i. 459.
CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT 125
apparent heir of his father he had in his father's lifetime
a charter of the baronies and lands of Frendraught, Inver-
keithny or Conveth, Forgandenny, and Malar, under re-
servation of his father's liferent and his mother's terce,
on 11 August 1546. 1 He had charters to himself and
Johanna Keith, his spouse, of the lands of Bognie in Aber-
deenshire on 14 April 1557 and 9 July 1569. 2 To George
Crichton of Little Forg and Katherine Leslie his wife he
sold the lands of Comisties in Aberdeenshire on 6 June
1571. He had charters of parts of the lands of Logyald-
toun in Aberdeen 31 March 1592, and of the lands of
Darlay in said county from Andrew Meldrum of Fyvie 4
January 1594-95. 3 He died within the Place of Tulloch in
1612 or 1613. 4 He married Johanna Keith, sixth daughter
of William, fourth Earl Marischal, and had issue :
1. JAMES.
2. George of Beildistoun or Bailliestoun (now Bedlieston 5 )
afterwards of Orichie, of which lands he had a charter
4 January 1620, 6 had charters of the baronies and
lands of Frendraught, Conveth, Newton of Forgound,
Kirkton and Hillton Malar on 28 April 1599, and of
the lands of Barley, all incorporated into the barony
of Frendraught and burgh of Forgue, on 29 April 1599,
on disposition by his father, 7 which lands he resigned
in favour of his nephew James on 10 August 1599. 8
3. Agnes, married (contract dated 24 August 1572) to John
Leslie, son of William Leslie of Tullief urie. They had
a charter of the lands of Weittis, Crukitstak, and
others on 8 September 1572. 9
4. Elizabeth, married, first (contract dated 7 November
1587), to Alexander Abernethy of Lessindrum, second
son of Alexander, sixth Lord Saltoun, 10 who was after-
wards styled of Wester Saltoun, and died 10 April
1603 ; n and secondly, before March 1612, Alexander
Oranstoun in Leith. 12
5. Anna, married to Robert Spens of Tulloch, and had
issue a son and daughter, George and Elspet. 13
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. * Acts and Decreets, ccccxl. 297.
6 Reg. Mag. Sig. ; Aberdeen Sasines, Secretary's Register, iv. 304. 6 Aber-
deen Sasines, iii. 214. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig. 8 Ibid. Ibid., 10 December 1596.
10 Aberdeen Homings, v. 9 ; ix. 14. n Edin. Tests. n Acts and Decreets,
cclxviii. 376. 13 Ibid., ccccxl. 298; Reg. of Deeds, cccci. 7 December 1627.
126
He had two natural children :
James, whom the Captain of the Guard was ordered to
apprehend for nonpayment of a debt to John Gar-
michael, tailor burgess of Edinburgh 27 June 1605. 1
He had a legitimation 7 March 1643. 2
Jean, mentioned 1609. 3
JAMES CRICHTON of Prendraught, also designed of
Auchingoul, 4 had a charter of the lands of Conzie and
Pitquhensie in Aberdeenshire on disposition by Alexander
Dunbar of Kilboyack 27 June 1611. 5 He died between 15
December 1618 and 19 February 1620. 6 He married Janet,
daughter of Alexander Gordon of Lesmoir. 7 She survived
him, and married, secondly, Thomas Gordon of Grandoun. 8
James Orichton had issue : '
1. JAMES.
2. Anne, married, first (contract dated 19 February 1620),
to William Seton of Meldrum, but by him had no
issue. 9 She survived him and married, secondly,
Gilbert Ogilvy of Craig. 10
JAMES ORICHTON of Frendraught, after his son's elevation
to the Peerage designed of Kinnairdie, only son, had the
baronies of Frendraught, Conveth, Auchingoul, Bognie, and
others made over to him by his uncle George Crichton,
during the lifetime of his father, with destination to him
and his heirs-male and assignees whatsoever by charter
dated 10 August 1599. 11 He had a further charter of the
said lands on 18 June 1612. 12 He was served heir-general to
his father 22 March 1620, 13 had charters of the barony of
Kinnairdie in Banffshire 18 July 1627, and of Monkshill in
Aberdeenshire 23 December 1633. 14 He was appointed a
Justice of the Peace for Aberdeenshire in 1610, and was
commissioner to Parliament for that county in 1625, and for
Banffshire 1639-41. On 1 January 1630, at a meeting at which
he and William Gordon of Rothiemay were present, a dis-
pute occurred between them concerning the right to certain
1 P. C. Reg., vii. 67. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Gen. Reg. of Inhib., xxxii.
331. *Reg. of Deeds, Ixix., 11 September 1579. 5 Reg. Mag. Sig. 6 Ibid.
" Aberdeen Inhibitions, 30 April 1627. 8 Reg. Sec. Sig., xcix. 320. 9 Reg.
Mag. Sig., 18 July 1627. 10 Aberdeen Inhibitions, 19 August 1661. " Reg.
Mag. Sig. 12 Ibid. 13 Retours. 14 Reg. Mag. Sig.
CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT 127
salmon-fishings in the river Deveron, which unfortunately
ended in an encounter between the parties, in which Rothie-
may and George Gordon, brother to Lesmoir, were killed.
The Marquess of Huntly endeavoured to make up the feud,
and called upon Frendraught to pay 50,000 merks to Rothie-
may's widow as compensation for her husband's slaughter.
A certain John Meldrum, who had taken part in this affray,
considering he had not been sufficiently rewarded, stole
two of Frendraught's horses, and on taking refuge with his
brother-in-law, John Leslie of Pitcaple, was pursued there
by Frendraught on 27 September 1630, and in the course of
the altercation which ensued James Leslie, son to Pitcaple,
was shot through the arm by Robert Orichton of Oondland,
and was carried into his father's house. Frendraught at
once repaired to the Castle of Bog to procure the inter-
vention of Lord Huntly, whither he was followed by Pit-
caple with thirty horsemen fully armed, with the intention
of waylaying him and revenging the wound his son had
received. The Marquess endeavoured to pacify Pitcaple,
but to no purpose ; he therefore, on 8 October, ordered his
son John, Viscount Melgum, and John Gordon of Rothiemay,
son of him who was killed, to assemble a party and escort
Frendraught home, which they accordingly did. Lord
Melgum desired to return immediately, but was persuaded
by Frendraught to remain with his party overnight, and
they were placed in a tower in rooms one above another.
About midnight the tower burst forth in flames with such
violence that Lord Melgum, Rothiemay, and six of their
attendants were burnt to death, one alone escaping. Con-
sidering that the fire could only have been designedly
raised, Lord Huntly instituted proceedings before the
Privy Council against Frendraught, who accused John
Meldrum of the crime, and carried him prisoner to Edin-
burgh. The Council upon 4 April 1631 appointed William,
Earl Marischal, Patrick, Bishop of Aberdeen, John, Bishop
of Moray, David, Lord Carnegie, and Colonel Harry Bruce,
a commission to proceed to Frendraught, examine the
house, and report by what means the fire wa raised. 1
They accordingly met there on 13 April, and reported that
the fire was first raised in a vault, but whether it was
1 P. C. Beg., new ser., iv. 207.
128 ORICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT
accidental or of set purpose by the hand of man they could
not say, only no hand could have raised the fire without
aid from within. 1 Meldrum was tried on 10 August 1633,
and executed at the Market Cross of Edinburgh, protest-
ing his innocence to the last. The Gordons, who were fully
persuaded in their own minds as to the guilt of Frendraught,
in conjunction with the Gordons of Rothiemay and other
Highland clans carried on for a number of years a cam-
paign of plunder upon his estates, which compelled him for
his personal safety to reside in Edinburgh and seek the
protection of the law. On 21 September 1639 he petitioned
Parliament for the restitution of certain goods taken from
him and his tenants by Lord Huntly, 2 and in 1641 he had a
parliamentary ratification of his charters of the baronies of
Frendraught and Kinnairdie, which had been burnt along
with his whole charter-chest in the burning of the tower
in 1630. 3 He was alive in 1667.* He married, 25 February
1619 5 (postnuptial contract dated at Frendraught 21
November 1620 6 ), Elizabeth Gordon, eldest daughter of
John, twelfth Earl of Sutherland, and had issue :
1. JAMES.
2. William, who was killed by James Urquhart and
others on 23 August 1642. 7
2. GEORGE, of Auchingoul, after mentioned.
4. Francis, who, with his brothers William and George,
is mentioned in the charter of Frendraught in 1641
after mentioned. He entered the College of Douay
31 August 1657, but left it and became a soldier. 8
He was accused along with his brother James, who
was acquitted, of the murder of Alexander, son of
the Rev. John Gregory, minister of Drumoak, on 7
March 1663. 9 He escaped from prison before trial.
There were further proceedings against him for the
crime in 1667, but he obtained a remission in 1682. 10
5. Elizabeth, married to Andrew, second Lord Fraser 11
1 P. C. Reg., new ser., iv. 214. 2 Acta Parl. Scot. , v. 600, 601. 3 Ibid., 465.
4 Gen. Beg. of Homings, 30 October 1667. 6 Hist, of Earldom of Sutherland*
360. 6 Beg. Mag. Sty., 31 July 1629. 7 Spalding's Hist., ii. 42; Remission to
James Urquhart of Old Craig as being concerned therein, Reg. Mag. Sig.,
23 January 1647. 8 Fifth Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., 654. 9 Justiciary
Records, i., Scot. Hist. Soc., 94, 100 ; Book of Adjournal, 1 July 1604 ;
Privy Council Acta, 14 July 1664. 10 Privy Seal, Latin Reg., xiii. 194.
11 Aberdeen Sasines, xiii. 145.
CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT 129
(contract dated 21 August 1644, where she is called
eldest daughter of first Viscount by mistake for
sister 1 ). She was his third wife, and had issue. She
was alive in 1696. 2
6. Isabel, married to Robert Dunbar of Burgie. 3 She had
a charter as his future spouse dated 23 and 24 May
1642. 4
7. Mary, married to Patrick, Lord Oliphant. 5 ' My Lord
Oliphant was gone to marie Frendraught's daughter *
26 December 1643. 6 She was his third wife, and had
issue.
8. Helen, married to William Hay of Muldavit. She had
a charter as his future spouse 30 May 1663. 7
9. Margaret.
I. JAMES CRICHTON of Frendraught, born about 1620,
matriculated at King's College, Aberdeen, in 1635, 8 had a
charter of the barony of Frendraught to himself and the
heirs-male of his body, whom failing to William, George,
and Francis, his brothers, 21 September 1641. 9 He was in
the lifetime of his father, in consideration of his father
being the heir-male of Lord Chancellor Crichton, created
VISCOUNT FRENDRAUGHT AND LORD CRIOHTON,
with destination to him and his heirs-male and successors
by patent dated at Nottingham 29 August 1642. 10 He was
on the committee appointed by Parliament to put down
rebellion in the north 16 April 1644, 16 January 1645, and
1 December 1645, 11 a commander of forces in Aberdeenshire
in 1645, 12 and in 1646 his losses were directed to be repaired
from the estates of malignants. 13 He joined the Marquess
of Montrose in his last expedition, and was with him at
Invercarron in Ross-shire when he was defeated by Strachan
on 27 April 1650. Montrose's horse was shot under him,
but he was remounted by the Viscount on his own and
escaped. The Viscount, severely wounded, was taken
prisoner and carried to Dunrobin Castle. On 16 December
1 See Spalding's Memorials, ii. 453. 2 List of Pollable Persons in the
Shire of Aberdeen, i. 593. 3 Beg. Mag. Sig., 7 April 1643. 4 Gen. Beg.
Sas., li. 32. 8 Beg. Mag. Sig., 2 November 1646. 6 Kirk Session Record
of Montrose. 7 Banff Sasines, i. 166. s Fasti Aberdonensis, 463. 9 Beg.
Mag. Sig. 10 Ibid. " Acta Parl. Scot., vi. 90, 290, 477. 12 Ibid., i. 371.
13 Ibid., 463, 434, 597.
VOL. IV. I
130 CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT
1650 lie appeared before the Presbytery at Turriff on a
reference by the General Assembly dated at Stirling, who
remitted to the Presbytery of Sutherland, within whose
jurisdiction he was then residing, to deal with him and try
his repentance for his manifold defections from the
Covenant, 1 and having submitted, he was on 3 October
1651 admitted an elder of the kirk session of Forgue. By
him the lands of Frendraught were gradually wadset to
the Rev. John Gregory, minister of Drumoak to the extent
of 59,560 merks, and for this sum the lands were apprised
20 July 1647, 2 and thus passed from the family. He took
his seat in Parliament 25 January 1661, having on 11
January received a parliamentary protection from personal
diligence, 3 and the magistrates of Aberdeen on 19 April
1661 were declared free from debts for which he had been
incarcerated in the Tolbooth, but had made his escape, on
the ground that he was only a rebel to the late usurpers.
In 1663 he went to London to get some aid from the King,
but without success. He was alive on 14 July 1664, and
died before 17 August 1665. 4 He married, first, Janet
Leslie, third daughter of Alexander, first Earl of Leven.
She is mentioned as future wife 1 October 1639, 5 died 24
November 1640, and had issue a daughter. He married,
secondly, at the church of Drumoak 8 November 1642,
Marion, daughter of Sir Alexander Irving of Drum, 6 and
had issue. He had perhaps as third wife the lady who signs
herself J. Oichton in 1716. 7 Issue by first marriage :
1. Janet, baptized at Markinch 20 November 1640, had a
charter of the lands of Oowmisties and others 16
August 1647, 8 and was married at Wemyss 24 August
1665 to Sir James Macgill of Rankeillour. 9 Her
descendant David Maitland Makgill of Rankeillour
claimed the Peerage in 1827.
Issue by second marriage :
2. JAMES, second Viscount.
3. LEWIS, fourth Viscount.
4. Magdalen, married Laurence, second son of Patrick,
1 Thanage of Fermartyn, 149. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. s Ada Parl. Scot.,
vii. 11. * Frendraught Service, 1827. 6 Gen. Reg. ofSas., xlix. 84. 6 Spald-
ing, ii. 55. T Jacobite Lairds of Gask, 57. 8 Reg. Mag. Sig. 9 Lament's
Diary.
CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT 131
sixth Lord Oliphant. 1 He died without issue in
December 1688. 2 She died 1 April 1738. 3
5. Jean, married to Walter Stewart of Outlaw, who
granted a charter to her in liferent and her eldest
son in fee with remainder to their second and third
sons 1 May 1695. 4 She and her sister Magdalen were
both alive 18 August 1728. 5
II. JAMES CRICHTON, second Viscount Frendraught, died
between 16 September 1674 and 22 January 1675. 6 He
married, after April 1668 and before 8 July 1669, 7 Christian,
daughter of Sir Alexander Urquhart of Cromarty, and relict
of Thomas, Lord Rutherford. She married, after his death,
George Morrison, to whom, after the death of her son
William, third Viscount, she conveyed what remained of
the estate of Frendraught, and by whom she had, though
advanced in years, a son Theodore, who was served heir to
his father on 1 August 1699 in the lands of Bognie, the
dominical lands of Frendraught, the lands of Auchingoul,
and others.
III. WILLIAM CRICHTON, third Viscount Frendraught,
being under age at the death of his father, his uncle Lewis
was served tutor to him on 4 December 1678. 8 On 4 March
1680, his mother being anxious to secure that he should be
bred a Protestant, all the rest of the family being Romanists,
obtained a decreet of the Privy Council to appoint certain
persons to take care of his education, superseding his
uncle Lewis, * a declared bigot Papist.' 9 He died in minority
previous to 17 August 1686. 10
IV. LEWIS CRICHTON, fourth Viscount Frendraught,
matriculated at King's College, Aberdeen, in 1668, was
served heir to his nephew, the third Viscount, 9 December
1686, and on 16 December 1686 obtained a decreet ordering
Ohristian,Viscountess Frendraught, and her husband to yield
him possession of the house and yard of Frendraught and 600
1 Assignation in 1687 of a bond by James Sinclair of Roslin, dated 1680,
with consent of her husband. 2 Edin. Tests. 3 Moray Tests. 4 Banff
Sasines, iv. 311. 6 Letter at Gask. 6 Acts and Decreets, Dalrymple,
7 November 1678. 7 Gen. Reg. of Inhibitions, 14 August 1669. 8 Inq.
Tut., 1030. 9 Privy Council Decreets. 10 Privy Council Warrants.
132
merks aliment furth of the mails thereof. 1 On 4 May 1688
he was appointed Commissioner of Exchequer ; on 19 June
lieutenant-colonel of Lieutenant-General James Douglas's
Regiment of Guards, and on 10 August a member of Privy
Council. 2 He joined the forces raised by Lord Dundee on
behalf of King James vn., and took part in the Killiecrankie
campaign, 3 and on 15 January 1690 he subscribed the bond
of Tomintoul. 4 In September 1690 he was one of the com-
manders of a Jacobite force which made a raid from Aber-
deenshire to within a few miles of Stirling, and thereafter
made good its retreat to Aberdeenshire again. 5 On 28
September he, with a small garrison, seized the castle of
Federate in Buchan, which they held till forced to capitu-
late in the following month, being the last place on the
mainland of Scotland held for King James. 8 On 25 Feb-
ruary 1692 he petitioned to be liberated, all the others in-
cluded in the capitulation of Federate having been set free
already, but the Privy Council refused till the King's
pleasure should be known. On 15 June thereafter the
Council allowed his wife to remain with him in Stirling
Castle ; his 600 merks out of Frendraught not being enough
to maintain them separately. 7 By Act of Parliament dated
14 July 1690 he was attainted, 8 whereby his Peerage became
forfeited, and on 27 April 1693 he was fined 1200 for non-
attendance in Parliament. 9 After his final release by
warrant of the Privy Council, dated 21 June 1694, 10 he retired
to France, and died at St. Germains 26 February 1698.
He married Marjory, daughter of Thomas Seaton, Cornet of
Horse, and sister of James Seaton of Menie, 11 but had no
issue. She survived him, and died in the Canongate 4
February 1724, n and her cousin Mary, daughter of Lachlan
Seaton, sergeant in the 3rd Scots Guards, was served heir
to her in 1742.
V. GEORGE CRICHTON of Auchingoul, third son of James
1 Privy Council Warrants. 2 Abstract of Secretary's Office Register, MS.
Reg. Ho. 3 Ada Parl. Scot., App. 55. 4 Ibid., 60. 5 Fifteenth Sep. Hist.
MSS. Com., pt. ix. 94; London Gazette, 11 and loSeptember 1690. 6 Con-
tinuation of the Proceedings of the Parliament in Scotland, 146, 147 ;
London Gazette 27 and 30 October and 3 November 1690 ; Cal. State Papers,
Domestic, 1690-91, 152; Collections Hist. Aberdeen and Banff, 405.
7 Privy Council Acta. s A eta Parl. Scot., ix. App. 61-65. 9 Ibid., ix. 251.
10 Privy Council Acta. u Banff Sasines, iii. 401. 12 Edin. Tests.
133
Crichton of Frendraught and Elizabeth Gordon, had a
charter of the lands of Auchingoul 11 July 1679, 1 was served
heir-general to his brother's son James, second Viscount,
on 19 May 1698, 2 and on the death of Lewis, fourth Viscount,
assumed the title. 3 He died before 30 July 1702. 4 He
married Jean, daughter of Sir Alexander Irving of Drum, 5
and had issue :
1. JAMES.
2. Francis. 6
3. Magdalen, married (contract dated 1 October 1690) to
Alexander Stewart of Lesmurdie. 7
4. Elizabeth, married (contract dated 2 April 1696) to
Robert Irving of Oorniehaugh. 8
VI. JAMES CRICHTON of Auchingoul succeeded his father
before 30 July 1702, and had a charter to himself in lif erent
and to James his second son in fee, with remainder to Charles
his third son, and George his fourth son, successively, on 13
February 1737. 9 He died before 16 November 1744. 10 He
married Margaret Gordon, 11 said to be a daughter of Alex-
ander Gordon of Auchentoul, one of the Senators of the
College of Justice. He had issue :
1. A son, who appears to have been disinherited.
2. James, was a colonel in the army of Prince Charles
Edward. 12 He resigned the lands of Auchingoul, with
consent of his mother Margaret Gordon, in favour
of William Leslie of Melrose, who had a charter
thereon 26 July 1750. 13 He died in poverty in Paris
in the end of 1769, and was buried in the parish
church of Else near Montreuil-sur-Mer.
3. Charles.
4. George.
1 Banff Sasines, iv. 224. 2 Inq. Gen., 7978. 3 Jacobite Lairds ofGask,
56. 4 Privy Council Decreta. 6 Discharge by them dated 15 February
1665 to Alexander Irving of Drum, her brother, of all sums due to her by
bonds of provision or otherwise ; Drum Papers, Aberdeen Homings, 21
September 1666. He is also said to have married in 1699 Marjory Seaton,
widow of his nephew Lewis, fourth Viscount ; Thanage of Fermartyn,
154. 6 Banff Sasines, iv. 224. T Ibid., iv. 237. 8 Aberdeen Sasines, xv.
325. 9 Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. xcvi. 35. 10 Reg. of Deeds (Mack.), 7 July 1746.
11 Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. c. 101. 12 Spalding Misc., i. 380 ; List of Rebels, Scot.
Hist. Soc. It is said that he was created Viscount Frendraught by the
Prince in 1745, but this is doubtful. 13 Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. c. 101.
134 CRICHTON, LORD FRENDRAUGHT
5. Daughter, unmarried in 1769. 1
6. Daughter, unmarried in 1769. 1
CREATION. 29 August 1642, Viscount Frendraught and
Lord Crichton.
ARMS, not recorded, but given by Nisbet, and in Peers*
Arms MS., Lyon Office. Quarterly : 1st and 4th, argent,
a lion rampant azure, for Crichton ; 2nd and 3rd, argent, a
saltire and chief azure, for Boyes ; over all on an escutch-
eon, azure, three stars argent within a double tressure
flory counterflory or, for Murray.
CREST. A dragon spouting fire proper.
SUPPORTERS. Two lions azure armed and crowned or.
[P. J. G.]
1 Riddell Papers, Adv. Lib.
ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY
ALLOWAY, though the
name is now chiefly ap-
plied to the two counties
of Kirkcudbright and
Wigtown, comprehended
also, at the earliest period
of recorded history in
Scotland, the district of
Carrick, or the southern
portion of Ayrshire. The
chiefs of this large tract
of country, although they
acknowledged the King
of Scots as their over-
lord, and followed him
to battle, still maintained
a separate jurisdiction,
and the district then recognised as Galloway was governed
by its own laws. The Galloway men were present in large
force under King David I. at the Battle of the Standard,
fought on Outton or Oowton Moor 22 August 1138, and two
of their leaders, Ulgric and Dovenald, were killed. But the
first Lord or Prince ' of Galloway on record is
FERGUS, usually styled * de Galweia,' or * of Galloway,*
who appears as a witness to a charter by King David I.
granting land in Perdeyc or Partick to the Church of
Glasgow on 7 July 1136, when that church was dedicated. 2
He also appears as a witness in other writs, probably of a
later date, but not beyond 1147. 3 Little is known of his
1 Hoveden, who knew the chiefs of Galloway personally, always uses
the word ' Princeps ' in describing them. 2 Eeg. Epis. Glasguensis, 9.
3 Ibid., 12.
136 ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY
personal history, but like King David i. with whom he was
contemporary, he gave liberally to the church, and was
the founder or part founder of several abbeys in his own
district, a fact which showed his desire to civilise his some-
what unruly vassals. He is also credited with aiding in
the establishment or the revival of a bishopric in Galloway
before 1154, when the first bishop, Christian, was conse-
crated at Bermondsey by the Archbishop of Rouen. 1
The abbeys founded by Fergus alone or jointly with
King David were Dundrennan and Tongland in co. Kirk-
cudbright, and Soulseat, co. Wigtown. The Priories were
St. Mary's Isle in the first shire, and Whithorn in the
other. 2 Towards the close of his life, and after the death
of King David I., Fergus appears to have been drawn by
the claims of relationship to take part in the insurrection
of Donald MacHeth, or at least to afford him shelter in his
territories. There Donald was pursued by King Malcolm iv.,
who succeeded in 1160 in reducing the rebellious district to
submission, and Fergus, perhaps because of advancing age,
took the cowl, and became a monk in the then new Abbey
of Holyrood, where he died in 1161. 3 He is said to have
married Elizabeth, the youngest natural daughter of King
Henry I. of England, but the authorities quoted by Chalmers,
who makes the statement, do not bear out his assertion.
On the other hand, Hoveden and Benedict Abbas, both
refer to Uchtred, eldest son of Fergus, as a cousin or
relative of King Henry n. 4 This epithet is not applied to
Gilbert, and he may have been a son by a second wife.
Fergus had issue as recorded :
1. UCHTRED, ancestor of the later Lords of Galloway.
2. Gilbert, ancestor of the Earls of Carrick. (See vol. ii.)
3. Affrica, married to Olave, King of Man and the Isles,
and had issue.
UCHTRED, usually described as * Uchtred, son of Fergus,'
as he was not lord of the whole of Galloway, but shared
the rule of that province with his brother Gilbert, was the
elder son of Fergus, though various writers refer to him as
1 Scotland Under Her Early Scottish Kings, i. 2 Caledonia, Hi. 301-304,
411, 420. 3 Ibid., 251 ; Reg. Sancte Crucis. 4 Caledonia, i. 366; Scotland
Under Her Early Kings, i. 357 ; Hoveden (Rolls series), ii. 105 ; Benedict
Abbas, i. 80, 126.
ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY 137
second son, 1 and appears first on record in 1136, with his
father in the charter of Perdeyc already cited. He also
appears in later writs as a witness to royal charters both
before and after the death of his father, 2 who was obliged
to send him to the Scottish court as a hostage after the
insurrection was suppressed. He was a benefactor of the
Church, was the founder of a nunnery at Lincluden, and
gifted various churches to Holyrood and Holmcultram
abbeys. 3 He also granted some land in Troqueer to the
hospital of St. Peter of York, by a writ dated between 1158
and 1164. 4 Uchtred remained a peaceful subject until 1174,
and he and his followers accompanied their monarch on
his march into England, when the capture of King William
tempted him and his brother Gilbert to make an effort
for independence. They returned home and immediately
expelled the King's officers from their bounds, and all
foreigners they slew without mercy ; they seized the royal
castles, and then petitioned the King of England that he
would * take them from the authority of the King of Scots,
and govern them himself.' But the brothers quarrelled,
and Gilbert procured the death of Uchtred, who was at-
tacked on 22 September 1174, in his house in Loch Fergus,
by a party under Malcolm, a son of Gilbert, and put to
death with great atrocity. 5 He married Gunnild, daughter
of Waldeve, Lord of Allerdale, brother of Gospatric, second
Earl of Dunbar. They had issue :
1. Lochlan, who is described as their heir in a charter
by them to the Abbey of Holyrood, dated probably
about 1160. 6 He is also named a witness to the
charter cited above by his father to the hospital of
St. Peter of York. He apparently died between 1164
and 1166, when his brother Roland is first named.
1 Caledonia, i. 366, Robertson in Early Kings, and Wood, but this is
inconsistent with the fact that when Uchtred and Gilbert are named
together in charters Uchtred is named first, and Hoveden, who had
personal knowledge of both parties, always names Uchtred first. 2 Nat.
MSS. of Scotland, Part i. No. xxxii. ; If eg. Epis. Glasguensis, 15; Reg. Prior
S. Andree, 198 ; Reg. de Calchou. 3 Caledonia, v. 307, 311, 314, 325.
4 Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. No. 1606(6) ; Reg. de Wetherall, No. 94, note. 6 Chron.
de Hoveden, ii. 63 ; Chalmers, Caledonia, v. 255, says he was residing
at Loch Fergus, but Hoveden does not say where the tragedy took place,
and Benedictus Abbas only says the murderers beset the isle of
where Uchtred dwelt. It may have been at Loch Fergus. 6 Reg. Sancte
Crucis, 19, 20.
138 ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY
2. ROLAND, who became Lord of Galloway.
3. , a son, who was killed on 30 September 1185 in a
conflict with Gillecolm (by some identified with
Gillecolm Mareschal), a prominent marauder, whom
he defeated and slew. 1
4. Fergus, who is named as Fergus, brother of Roland,
in a charter to the monks of Melrose between 1203
and 1214. 2 It was probably he who, in 1213, was sent
by his nephew Alan to Ireland to receive his lands
there, and he seems to have held the rank of Knight. 3
ROLAND, Lord of Galloway, and latterly Constable of
Scotland, was apparently not the eldest son, but appears
as Roland, son of Uchtred (his most common designation),
in the charter of Annandale granted by King William the
Lion, which maybe dated about 1166, 4 along with his father
and uncle. He was also at the Scottish Court in 1180,
when he was one of those judges who decided a dispute
between the monks of Melrose and Richard Morville the
Constable, 5 then or later his father-in-law. He greatly
resented his father's death, but appears to have bided his
time until the death of his uncle Gilbert, when he rapidly
collected a large force, and swept over Galloway, devastat-
ing the territory, slaying the richer and more powerful
inhabitants, and seizing their lands, where he planted forts
to secure his authority. He also did good service to King
William by attacking and cutting short the career of more
than one public marauder. But King Henry n. of England,
who had aspired to be Protector of Galloway, resented this,
and was so much in earnest that he marched a large force
to Carlisle, while Roland prepared for invasion by fortifying
the natural approaches to his territory. War was averted,
and Roland was persuaded to meet the two Kings at
Carlisle. Peace was arranged, and Roland gave his three
sons as hostages for his good faith, while King William
assigned that part of ancient Galloway called Carrick to
Roland's cousin Duncan, son of Gilbert, which he accepted,
renouncing all claims to any rights his father had in
Galloway proper. 6
1 Fordun a Goodall, i. 491. 2 Liber de Melros, i. 115. 3 Col. Doc. Scot.,
i. No. 573. * Ibid., i. No. 105. 6 Acta Parl. Scot., i. 387, 388. 6 Benedictus
Abbas, i. 339, 347, 349; Fordun a Goodall, i.491.
ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY 139
In 1187 Roland showed his fidelity and generalship by
leading a force against and capturing the northern free-
booter Donald MacWilliam, called also Donald Bane. He
also presided in a court at Lanark, where the judges of
Galloway decided in favour of the King's right to enforce
payment of his * can ' in that territory. 1 He is named as
Justiciar, and also as Constable between 1189 and 1198, 2
and he did not neglect the Church, as he founded the Abbey
of Glenluce in 1190, besides granting other privileges. 3
The last public act of Roland was to accompany his master
to Lincoln, where, on 22 November 1200, King William
swore fealty to King John for his English fiefs. After the
ceremony Roland proceeded further south to Northampton,
where he was then interested in a question as to part of
his wife's property, and there died on 19 December, and
was buried in the Abbey of St. Andrew there. 4 He married
Elena (called also Eva and Hellaria), daughter of Richard
and sister of William de Morville, and heiress of both, and
through her acquired, at William's death in 1196, the
extensive estates of the Morvilles, and the office of Con-
stable of Scotland, for all which he paid to the exchequer
the large relief duty of 700 marks of silver. 5 Elena sur-
vived her husband, and appears in various transactions
concerning her property up to 11 June 1217, when she
died. 6 Roland and Elena had issue :
1. ALAN, Lord of Galloway.
2. Thomas, who married Isabella, Countess of Atholl, and
became Earl of Atholl in her right. (See that title,
vol. i. 419-422.)
3. , a son, referred to with his brothers in 1186,
when the three were given as hostages to King
Henry 11., but not otherwise noticed. 7
4. Ada, married in 1233 to Walter Bisset of Aboyne. 8
ALAN, son of Roland, as he is constantly styled, suc-
ceeded his father as Constable, and also in the lordship of
Galloway, with his other large domains in Scotland and
1 Acta Parl. Scot., i. 378. 2 Ibid., i. 95 ; Liber de Melros, i. 18 ; Reg. de
Soltre, 1 ; Diplomata, No. 28. 3 Caledonia, v. 257. 4 Cat. Doc. Scot., i.
No. 294 ; Hoveden, iv. 145. 5 Fordun a Goodall, i. 509. 6 Cal. Doc. Scot.,
i. Nos. 318, 511, 513, 576, 594, 596 ; Chron. de Mailros, 130. 7 Benedictus
Abbas, i. 347-349. 8 Chron. de Mailros, 143.
140 ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY
England. He is first named in 1196 in connection with
lands at Teinford, co. Northampton, 1 which apparently he
held apart from his father. After his father's death in
1200, he constantly appears as a witness in royal charters,
and apparently took his share in public affairs. He and his
mother had, in 1212, an action relating to Whissendine and
Bosegate, lands in Northamptonshire, as to which it was
disputed whether Richard de Morville was seised in 1174,
and whether he was dispossessed in consequence of the war
in that year. The latest act of Alan's father was to offer
500 merks to obtain an assize to settle the question, but it
was only determined on 29 April 1212, or a little later, when
a jury found that Richard was so seised and was disseised
as stated ; later Alan and his mother were called to pay so
much into the treasury. 2
In July of the same year, partly, no doubt, as a kinsman,
and also as a Scottish baron holding large fiefs in England,
he was asked by King John for assistance in the latter's
invasion of Ireland. The King begged Alan to send as soon
as possible to Chester a thousand of his best and most active
Galwegians before Sunday 19 August. 3 For this, and no
doubt other services, King John granted him, in 1213, a
large number of fiefs in Ireland, which were assigned to
him or his agents by John, Bishop of Norwich, in a formal
assembly at Carrickfergus. To these were added rights of
forest and privileges of fairs and markets/ The grants
were repeated and confirmed two years later, on 27 June
1215. 5 This was a few days after the granting, at Runny-
mede, of the Great Charter, Alan of Galloway being named
among those present as one of the great barons of England.
It is not certain what part Alan played in the war which
followed later in the year 1215, whether he sided with the
English barons who opposed King John or with the King
of Scots, but the destruction of the monastery of Holm-
coltram is usually assigned to the ravages of the Galwegians
who followed Alexander n. in his invasion of England. 6
It was certainly in 1215 that, according to Fordun, Alan
was secured in his Constableship by the new King of Scots. 7
1 Cal. Doc. Scot., i. Nos. 236, 243. 2 Ibid., Nos. 294, 513, 560. Ibid., i.
Nos. 529, 533. 4 Ibid., i. Nos. 573, 583. 6 Ibid., No. 625. 6 Chron. de
Mailros, 123. 7 Fordun a Goodall, ii. 34.
ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY 141
Soon after the accession of King Henry in. to the English
throne he summoned King Alexander and also Alan of
Galloway to deliver up the Castle of Carlisle, and in the
beginning of 1219 Alan had a safe-conduct to do homage
for his lands in England, which meanwhile were taken in
King Henry's hands. Alan was present at York on 15
June 1220, and swore to observe King Alexander's oath
that he would marry Joanna, the eldest sister of King Henry,
and in obedience to a letter from King Henry he made
his own personal homage at the same time. 1 The follow-
ing day his lands were ordered to be restored to him, in-
cluding his Irish estates. 2 Later he was in active service
with his galleys cruising off the coast of Ireland in opposi-
tion to Hugh de Lacy, then in rebellion. Lacy submitted
to King Henry in 1224, and in the following year Alan was
permitted to lease his lands in Ireland and place tenants
on them. 3 In October 1229 he was summoned to go abroad
with King Henry. One of the latest references to him in
English records is a permit to him to send a ship to Ireland
to buy victuals, between Candlemas and Michaelmas 1232. 4
His appearances in Scottish record are not so numerous,
being chiefly confined to grants or other benefactions to
religious houses. He died in 1234, and was buried in the
Abbey of Dundrennan. 5
He married, first, a lady name unknown, 8 said to be a
daughter of Reginald, Lord of the Isles, by whom he had
two daughters ; secondly, in 1209, Margaret, eldest daugh-
ter of David, Earl of Huntingdon, 7 by whom he had a son
and two daughters; thirdly, in 1228, a daughter of Hugh
de Lacy, of Ireland, 8 by whom he had no issue. His issue
were :
1. Thomas, mentioned as son and heir of Alan in a plea
in 1279 by Devorgilla of Baliol and others, but it is
said that he died without issue, probably in his
father's lifetime, and his sisters were his heirs. 9
2. , a daughter, by first marriage, who was a hostage
to the King of England, and who died a hostage in
1 Cat. Doc. Scot., i. Nos. 673, 718, 762. 2 Ibid., i. Nos. 763, 764. 3 Cal.
Doc. Scot., i. Nos. 890, 905. * Ibid., Nos. 1050, 1148. 6 Chron. de Mailros,
144. 6 Caledonia, v. 258 ; see Lord of the Isles, infra. 7 Chron. de
Mailros, 108. 8 Fordun a Goodall, ii. 58. 9 Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. No. 169.
142
charge of Robert Fitz-Roger, shortly before 13 June
1213. 1
3. Elena, by first marriage, married to Roger de Quincy,
who in her right became Constable of Scotland, and
was made Earl of Winchester in England in 1235.
He ruled Galloway, or his wife's share of the terri-
tory, so severely that the Galwegians, in 1247, rose
in insurrection against him, and forced him to seek
refuge with the King of Scots. He died 25 April
1264, 2 leaving issue :
(1) Margaret, called also Agnes, married to "William, Earl of
Ferrars, also Earl of Derby, and had issue. She was living
in 1280, when she granted Groby to her son William. 3
(2) Elizabeth, styled also Isabella and Marjory, married to
Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan (see that title). She was
alive in 1279.*
(3) Elena, married to Alan de la Zouch. She died not long
before 20 August 1296, possessed of estates (in Scotland) in
the counties of Wigtown, Berwick, Haddington, Kirkcud-
bright, Fife, and Ayr. She was succeeded by Alan de la
Zouch, aged twenty-four, her grandson. 6
4. Christina, by second marriage, married in 1236 to
William de Forz or Fortibus, afterwards Earl of
Albemarle. She died in 1245, or 1246, without issue,
her sister Devorgilla being her heir. 6
5. Devorgilla, married in 1233 to John de Baliol of
Barnard Castle. 7 She is famed for her munificence
in endowing Balliol College, Oxford, and building a
bridge over the Nith at Dumfries. She founded, on
10 April 1273, the Abbey called Sweetheart or New
Abbey in Galloway, 8 and established other religious
institutions. She died 28 January 1289-90, 9 and was
buried in her New Abbey with the heart of her
husband, who had deceased in 1269. They had
issue :
(1) Sir Hugh, who was heir of his father. He died shortly
before 10 April 1271, having married Agnes de Valencia, a
niece of King Henry in., without Issue. He is named in
his mother's charter, above cited, to Sweetheart Abbey. 10
1 Cal. Doc. Scot., i. No. 574. 2 Caledonia, v. 260. 3 Cal. Doc. Scot., i.
Nos. 1520, 2412, 2565; ii. No. 175. 4 Ibid., ii. No. 169, where she is named
last of the three sisters. 6 Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. No. 824. 6 Ibid., Nos. 1686,
1697 ; ii. No. 169. 7 Chron. de Mailros, 143. 8 Laing Charters, No. 46.
9 Stevenson's Hist. Doc., i. 10 Cal. Doc. Scot., i. Nos. 2600, 2607 ; Laing
Charters.
ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY
143
(2) Alan, who is named only in the claim made by John Baliol
as competitor for the Crown of Scotland, and no other refer-
ence to him has been found. He is said to have succeeded
Hugh, and to have died without issue. 1
(3) Sir Alexander, who succeeded to his brother Alan, and is
styled Lord of Baliol. 2 He died shortly before 13 November
1278, having married Alianora de Geneva, a kinswoman of
King Henry in., 3 who survived him, without issue.
(4) JOHN of whom hereafter.
(5) Cecilia, a daughter named by her mother Devorgilla in the
foundation charter (1273) of Sweetheart Abbey, and was
then deceased. 4
(6) Ada, married, at Whitsunday 1266, to William Lindsay, son of
Walter Lindsay of Lamberton. 5 (See under title Crawford.)
(7) Alianora, married, between 1279 and 1283, to John Comyn of
Badenoch. (See that article, vol. i. p. 508.)
6. Thomas, a natural son of Alan, became famous as the
cause, if not the instigator, of a rebellion in Galloway
in 1235. The Galwegians objected to the partition
of Alan's dominions among his three daughters, and
petitioned the King of Scots to make Thomas, though
illegitimate, their overlord, as more in accordance
with their laws. King Alexander n. refused this,
and an insurrection took place, but was soon sup-
pressed. Thomas fled to Ireland, and returned with
a force recruited there, to renew the contest, but
was persuaded to submit to the King of Scots. He
was imprisoned for a time, and afterwards released.
He is said to have married a daughter of the King of
Man. 9 Later he was kept in retirement or captivity,
perhaps by the Balliols, and survived to a great age,
playing also a somewhat curious part in history. He
was in 1296 removed from one custody to another
by order of King Edward i., who in his name
issued a declaration that he had granted to the
Galwegians all their liberties and customs as these
were held in the time of King David i. and of the
late Alan of Galloway. There is no evidence of his
being released from custody, and he apparently died
not long afterwards. 7
JOHN BALIOL, the youngest son of Devorgilla of Gallo-
1 Rymer's Fcedera, ii. 579. 2 CaL Doc. Scot., ii. No. 117, 118. 3 Ibid.,
No. 2584; ii., No. 136. 4 Laing Charters, No. 46. 5 CaL Doc. Scot., i.
No. 2626. 6 Fordun a Goodall, ii. 61. 7 Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. Nos. 728, 729 ;
cf. No. 1541.
144 ANCIENT LORDS OF GALLOWAY
way, by her husband John Baliol, born, it would appear in
1249, succeeded not only to the estates of his father and
brothers, but in 1289-90, at the age of forty, to his mother's
possessions in Scotland. 1 He was looked upon by King
Edward i. as Lord of Galloway, and when Baliol resigned
the Grown of Scotland that district was taken under the
English king's administration. His marriage, children,
and death have already been noted under the Kings of
Scotland. 2
EDWARD BRUCE, brother of King Robert, was the next
Lord of Galloway, receiving a grant of the territory some
time between 1306 and the 16 March 1308-9, when he is
styled Lord of Galloway in a letter from the Scots Parlia-
ment to the King of France. 3 Further particulars regard-
ing him will be found under the title Earl of Carrick
(vol. ii. pp. 435, 436).
SIR ARCHIBALD DOUGLAS was the next who bore the style
of Lord of Galloway, that province having been conferred
upon him by King David n. on 18 September 1369 4 for his
labours and service in expelling the English from the terri-
tory. After he succeeded to the earldom of Douglas, he
and his descendants continued to use the style of Lord
of Galloway, but it was then merged among the other
Douglas titles. (See vol. iii. p. 159.)
ARMS. The seal of Alan, Lord of Galloway, bears a lion
rampant crowned. Sir David Lindsay blazons the coat as
azure, a lion rampant argent crowned or.
[J. A.]
1 Cal. Doc. Scot., Nos. 406, 410. Vol. i. of this work, p. 7. 3 Acta ParL
Scot., i. 459. 4 Beg. Mag. Sig., folio ed. 69.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
HE Stewarts of Garlics,
Earls of Galloway, de-
scend from Sir John
Stewart, commonly
called ' of Bonkyl,' l
through his second son
Sir Alan (in the male
line) and his fourth son
Sir Walter (in a female
line), but the earlier
generations of the family
will be given under the
article Stewart, Duke of
Lennox.
SIR ALEXANDER
STEWART of Darnley,
grandson of the above Sir Alan, married, first, Turn-
bull, sister of Sir John Turnbull of Minto * out wy th swerd ' ;
and secondly, after 1381, Janet Keith, daughter of Sir
William Keith of Galston, and widow of Sir David Hamilton
of Cadzow. 2 By his first marriage he had :
1. Sir John (afterwards of Darnley), Constable of the
Scots Army in Prance 1420-29. 3
2. SIR WILLIAM, ancestor of the Earls of Galloway.
3. Alexander. 4. Robert. 5. James. 6. Janet. 4
7. William, probably the issue of the second marriage,
as he was apparently a very young man who had
only reached the rank of ' escuyer,' or esquire, when
he was killed at Orleans in 1429. 5
1 See Peerage, i. 13. 2 See title Hamilton. 3 Andrew Stuart's History
of the Stewarts, 83, and Riddell's Reply to Anderson's Memoirs of the
Hamiltons, 45. * Andrew Stuart, 96. 5 Ibid., 146 et seq., and Riddell's
Peerage Law, ii. 810 note.
VOL. IV. K
146 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
SIR WILLIAM STEWART. The affiliation of Sir William,
the second son of Sir Alexander, has been disputed by
some genealogists, and the question is more than usually
important, as on it depends the title of heir-male of the
house of Stewart. On this account Andrew Stuart of
Torrance (one of the historians of the Stewarts), a rival
candidate for the honour, sought to impose on the Stewarts
of Garlics an entirely different origin, ascribing their
male ancestry to a John le Seneschal of Jedworth, whose
name occurs among the signatories to the Ragman Roll
in 1296, 1 and who, from inability to identify him otherwise,
has been assumed by most genealogists to be identical
with Sir John Stewart of Bonkyl already named. But
* John le Seneschal of Jedworth ' was not a knight, which
Sir John Stewart of Bonkyl unquestionably was, being
so designated in the .Roll, while the Seneschal of Jed-
worth is not. John le Seneschal of Jedworth signs the
.Roll amidst a mixed multitude from the county of Roxburgh,
while Sir John Stewart's name occupies the second place,
immediately after that of his brother the High Stewart
himself. In the .Roll John le Seneschal shares the designa-
tion * of Jedworth ' with Guy le Olerk of Jedworth, Richard
Fossart of Jedworth, and Henry Braceor of Jedworth, while
Sir John Stewart's only title is ' brother of Sir James the
Stewart.' In fact, the whole designation points to an
office (of which there are numerous instances in the Boll),
not to a surname, since the patronymic Stewart is always
latinised in the Roll as Senescal or Senescalli never
Seneschal and the substitution of 'of for the territorial
' de * in this case still further emphasises the point.
Further, the arms of Sir John Stewart, the eldest son of
Sir Alexander Stewart of Darnley (as proved by his seal
in the French Record Office, and reproduced by Andrew
Stuart in his Genealogy of the Stewarts), were a fesse
chequy, surmounted of a bend dexter, while the arms of
Sir William Stewart were a fesse chequy surmounted of a
bend dexter, engrailed, to mark the younger son. The
crest of Sir John Stewart was a ' bull's head erased,'
marking his descent maternally from the ancient Border
family of Turnbull, who bore that cognizance. The actual
1 Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. 199.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 147
crest of Sir William Stewart is not known, but he is
called ' nephew ' by Sir John Turnbull of Minto in a deed
afterwards referred to. Sir John Stewart who bore the
Turnbull cognizance, and Sir William Stewart who was
the Turnbull's nephew, must therefore have been related
maternally as well as paternally, and as Sir John was
certainly Sir Alexander's eldest son, Sir William must
also have been a son. Further, Matthew Stuart, Earl of
Lennox (the descendant of Sir John), in a letter to the
Earl of Shrewsbury, 1 terms Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlics
(the descendant of Sir William) his ' near kinsman,' while
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and his son, King James vi,
also acknowledged the Stewarts of Garlics as cadets of
their own house of Lennox. These facts will be cited in
dealing with the individual descendants.
Sir William Stewart, the first offshoot from the house of
Darnley, was one of the most prominent Scotsmen of his own
or any other day. He figures in the national records as
soldier, statesman, administrator, and a loyal and faithful
servant to King and country, from 1385 to 1402. He aided
James, Earl of Douglas, to expel the English finally from
Teviotdale and the Borders, was one of the Scottish leaders
subsidised from France" in 1385, 2 and is named by Froissart,
the French historian, 3 as one of Douglas's captains at the
Battle of Otterburn in 1388. He bore the coveted dis-
tinction of Knight Banneret, a dignity then only conferred
for signal bravery under the Royal Standard displayed in
battle. 4 Among the civil offices and appointments held by
this famous knight were Clerk of the Audit for the King
from 1390 to 1402, Sheriff of Teviotdale (and probably also
of ' Foresta ' or Tweeddale), 5 Ambassador to England, Scots
Commissioner for a truce, and Conservator of the Peace on
the Borders. 6 He was also a member of both the General and
Special Councils of the kingdom, and one of the ' wyse men
and leal ' appointed to act as the executive, or cabinet,
during the Regency of David, Duke of Rothesay. 7 For his
1 Published in Lodge's Illustrations of British History, i. 134.
2 Rymer's Foedera, vii. 485. s Chron., iii. 730. 4 He is so designated in letters
of safe-conduct dated 30 October 1394 to David, Duke of Rothesay, the
Earl of Douglas himself, and others, Ambassadors to England (Rymer's
Fcedera). 5 Exch. Rolls, iii. passim. Rymer's Foedera. ? Acta Parl.
Scot.
148 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
great services he was rewarded by the King, who styles
him * dilectus et fldelis,' with a grant of the lands of
Synlaws and Merbottil (Roxburghshire) on 2 July 1385, and
part of the lands of Minto 8 November 1392. 1 He also
received various hereditary pensions between 1390 and
1398, one, on 27 March 1392, bearing to be to ' our dear and
faithful Sir William Stewart of Jedworth, Knight, for
special service and retinue to us and to David Stewart our
heir.' 2 From Archibald, Earl of Douglas, he got the lands
and Castle of Abercorn in Linlithgowshire on 28 October
1398, 3 while on 4 January 1390-91 he had confirmation of a
charter in which his uncle, Sir John Turnbull of Minto
' out wyth swerd,' made him a grant of his lands of Minto.
In that charter he is styled Sir William Stewart of Jed-
worth, Knight, and * nepos ' (or nephew) of the granter. 4
He appears on record usually under the simple designation
of 4 Sir William Stewart,' being then apparently too well
known to require any more definite description, and is the
first of the race to figure in the national records under the
now familiar name of Stewart, instead of the old Latin
Senescalli or Senescal. At other times the titles 'de
Jedworth,' * de Tevidale,' and ' de Foresta ' are given him.
The first was no doubt derived from the lands of Jedworth,
part of the Douglas patrimony, on which Sir William
Stewart seems to have been stationed by his friend the
Earl of Douglas as an outpost to guard against the raids
of the Percies who pretended a right to these and other
Douglas lands on the Borders, in virtue of grants from the
English sovereigns. The title ' de Tevidale ' evidently
originated in his office of Sheriff, but that of * Foresta ' is
more obscure. It has been supposed to be the Forest
of Jedworth, but is undoubtedly identical with Selkirk-
shire, which even to the present day is known as Foresta
or * the Forest.' He was one of the Scottish notables
captured at Homildon Hill in 1402, and, though thus a
prisoner of war, was barbarously put to death by Hotspur
Percy to gratify a private grudge, and his mangled limbs
were thereafter exposed on the gates of York and other
English towns. His virtues are summed up by the writer
i Reg. Mag. Sig., fol. vol. 173, 22; 207, 33. 2 Exch. Rolls, Hi. passim.
3 Robertson's Index. 4 Reg. Mag. Sig., 189, 23.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
149
of the Scotichronicon in the noble epitaph, * Valens miles
et inter sapientes primus.' l
The name of Sir William Stewart's wife has not been
preserved, but after his death she married Sir Walter de
Bickerton, and survived till 1420 at least, in which year
she drew her * terce ' of Sir William's hereditary pensions. 2
Sir William Stewart had at least two sons :
1. JOHN, his successor.
2. - , name unknown. He figures in his brother's
marriage-contract 3 as Sir William's 'other son,' to
whom lands of the annual value of 20 were reserved
out of their father's estate.
SIR JOHN STEWART, the elder son, first appears in a
marriage-contract entered into between his father and Sir
Walter Stewart of Dalswinton 4 on 17 October 1396, for the
marriage of the said John to Marion Stewart, daughter and
sole heir of Sir Walter. They were then both plainly
minors, as they were not parties to the contract. 5 He
appears to have attained majority by 1402, in which year
he accompanied his father to Homildon Hill, and was made
prisoner with him there. In a list of the Scots prisoners
among the Luttrell MS. 6 he is styled ' Messire Johan Steward
le filz de Messire William Steward de Foresta.' 7
Little more is known of Sir John Stewart, first of Garlics
and Dalswinton (in this line), to which he succeeded through
his wife, the heiress of these lands. His paternal lands
were overrun by the English after Homildon Hill, and as his
father-in-law survived for some time thereafter, some gene-
alogists identify him in the interval with the John Stewart
of Castlemilk who figures in the Chamberlain Rolls from
1406 to 1412. He was one of the pioneers from Scotland
who, denied an outlet of the kind at home, carried their
arms into France to assist the old ally of Scotland against
the mutual 'auld enemye of Englande.' He must have
1 Fordun a Goodall, ii. 434. 2 Exch. Rolls, iv. 319. 3 Macfarlane's
Collection of Charters, 116, in Advocates' Library, authenticated copy in
Reg. Ho. 4 Peerage, \. 13. 5 Macfarlane's Collection, 116, Advocates'
Library. 6 Tenth Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. pt. vi. 78. 7 It is somewhat
singular that Sir John Stewart of Darnley and Sir William Stewart
appear to have spelt their name with a final 'd' vide legend on Sir
John's seal already cited.
150 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
perished early in the campaign, as Marion Stewart re-
signed her lands of Oarnsalloch * in sua viduitate ' in favour
of Sir Herbert Maxwell 28 October 1420. 1 She was subse-
quently married, about 1422, to Sir John Forrester of
Oorstorphine. She was buried in Corstorphine Kirk, where
her tomb may still be seen bearing the arms of her two
husbands. By her Sir John Stewart left two sons :
1. SIR WILLIAM, his successor, and
2. Jo/in, who became Provost of Glasgow, and was father,
or grandfather, of * Robert Stewart, citizen of
Glasgow,' who appears in an entail of the Garlics pro-
perty in 1542. 2
SIR WILLIAM STEWART, second of Garlics in this line, is
believed to be identical with the * Willielmus Stewart, scuti-
fer,' who witnessed a charter in favour of Sir John Stewart
of Darnley on 17 July 1428. 3 He appears as ' Sir William
Stewart, Knight,' in a grant of the Kirk of Kirkmaho to
the Cathedral of Glasgow made by his mother in 1429, with
the consent of himself as her ' son and heir,' and of her
husband Sir John Forrester of Corstorphine/
On 23 April 1429, pursuant to precept of sasine from the
King, an attempt was made to invest him in the lands of
Minto in right of his grandfather, but the proceedings were
opposed by Walter Turnbull of Minto, who contended that
the grant of these lands to Sir William Stewart in 1390 was
invalid by reason of the alleged leprosy of the grantor Sir
John Turnbull, * out wyth swerd.' 5 Ultimately, on 16 June
1453, an agreement was come to by which Sir William
Stewart surrendered two-thirds of the lands to the Turnbulls,
retaining one-third and the superiority of the lands. 6 He has
been styled ' the favourite knight ' of King James n. He
sat in Parliament in 1467, and is believed to have died
about 1479. Sir William Stewart married, first, Elizabeth
. She was alive on 13 January 1459, on which date she
appears in a charter. 7 Sir William is said to have married,
secondly, Eupham Graham, generally supposed to have
been of the family of Graham, Earls of Menteith. He had
1 Book of Caerlaverock, ii. 421. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 23 October 1542. 3 Reg.
Mag. Sig. * Reg. Epw. Glasguensis, ii. 340 ; Crawford's Officers of State,
App. p. 435. 5 Minto Charter-chest. 6 Ibid. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig.
STEWART, EARL OP GALLOWAY 151
two sons, but by which wife is unknown, though probably
by the first.
1. SIR ALEXANDER, his successor.
2. Thomas, who was his father's procurator in 1478 in a
dispute with the Abbot of Jedburgh, relative to the
lands of Stewartfield, near Jedburgh. 1 He had a
grant of the lands of Synlaws, Merbottil, and Minto
on 2 November 1476 on his elder brother's resignation.
In the grant the King styles him ' familiaris armiger
suus,' or Squire of the Body, a post which he held for
many years. 2 He married Isabella Stewart, daughter
of Walter Stewart of Arthurley, as appears from a
charter dated 16 August 1477 in their favour by Sir
John Stewart of Darnley, who therein terms them
his ' cousins.' 3 He was ancestor of the Stewarts of
Minto, for many years hereditary Provosts of
Glasgow, and subsequently Lords Blantyre. (See
that title.)
Walter Stewart of Tonderghie is said to have been a
third son of Sir William Stewart of Garlics, but there is
no evidence to support the statement, and it appears dis-
proved by the fact that the lands of Tonderghie seem to
have been acquired by a later generation, styled the
Stewarts of Barclye.
ALEXANDER STEWART, third of Garlics, succeeded his
father about 1479-80. He was an adherent of his cousin
Sir John Stewart of Darnley, and occurs in a declaration
made at Edinburgh on 10 October 1482 by King James in.
exonerating Sir John and his followers for having seized
and carried him to Edinburgh Castle. 4 He was Ambassador
to England about the year 1485, 5 and supported James in.
at Sauchieburn against the rebel lords in 1488. He died
about 1500.
He married Elizabeth Douglas (who is believed to have
been a daughter of Sir Archibald Douglas of Cavers, Sheriff
of Teviotdale) and had at least three sons and several
daughters :
1. JoJw, who married Elizabeth Shaw, daughter of Sir
1 Parliamentary Register, Book 3, 48. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid., 25
June 1489. 4 Macfarlane's Collection, 74, Advocates' Library. 6 Rymer's
Foedera, xii. 267.
152
John Shaw of Haylie, Ambassador to Denmark. They
had a grant of Dalswinton from his father, confirmed
29 October 1477. 1 He died vita patris et s. p.
2. ALEXANDER, who succeeded.
3. Archibald, parson of Kirkmaho, ancestor of the
Stewarts of Fintalloch, and, it is believed, also of the
Stewarts, Baronets of Fort Stewart, co. Donegal,
and Lords Mountjoy and Blessington. 2
Walter Stewart of Barely e, whose name occurs in an
entail of the barony of Garlics in 1542, prior to the Stewarts
of Fintalloch, and immediately next the main line, must
either have been a fourth son (older than Archibald of
Kirkmaho) or the parson's eldest son, Fintalloch being in
that case, a younger line. The latter is probably the real
position, as the Lords Mountjoy are generally understood
to be descended from Barclye rather than from Fintalloch.
The daughters who have been definitely identified are :
4. Agnes, married, about 1491, to John, Lord Maxwell, 3
and
5. Janet, married, as his second wife, to John Dunbar
of Mochrum. Their son, Gavin Dunbar, was tutor
to King James v., Archbishop of Glasgow, Chancellor
of Scotland, and first President of the Court of
Session.
ALEXANDER STEWART, fourth of Garlics, was unmarried
in 1500, in which year his * marriage ' was purchased by
John Dunbar of Mochrum. In a letter to the latter dated
1 January 1501-2, he is styled ' son and heir of the late
Alexander Stewart of Dalswinton.' 4 He had sasine of
Garlics in 1502, 5 and was one of the nobles killed at Flodden
in 1513. In his father's lifetime he is sometimes styled
Alexander Stewart of the Grenan or Greenend. 8
He married Elizabeth Kennedy (believed to have been a
daughter of Kennedy of Blairquhan), as appears from letters
granted in 1535 to William Stewart (of the Minto line),
Bishop of Aberdeen, in which ' Sir Alexander Stewart of
Garlies and Elizabeth Kennedy his mother ' are, inter alia,
1 Beg. Mag. Sig. 2 Simson MS. penes Earl of Galloway. 3 Book of
Caerlaverock, i. 163. * Reg. Sec. Sig. 6 Exch. Rolls, xii. 711. 6 Acta
Dom. Cone.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
153
placed under royal protection, during the Bishop's absence
on an embassy to France. 1 The issue of the marriage was
one son,
ALEXANDER STEWART, fifth of Garlics, born, apparently,
about 1507-8. He was a minor under the tutory of his uncle,
Archibald Stewart, parson of Kirkmaho, in the year 1521,
while he was under curators (Lord Maxwell and Gordon of
Lochinvar) on 6 November 1523. 2 He must therefore have
attained the age of fourteen between these dates, and so
been born about 1507-8 as stated. He shared in the
general dispensation granted to the heirs of those who fell
at Flodden, and accordingly had sasine of Garlics in 1514. 3
He was one of the Scots gentry captured at the rout of
Solway Moss in 1542, and was carried to Carlisle by the
Earl of Lennox, who, having been exiled from Scotland,
was then in the English interest. From Carlisle he was
removed to Pontefract Castle and placed under charge of Sir
Henry Saville. He is termed ' a man of 100 land and more,
and of good estimation, his pledge his son and heir with the
Earl of Lennox for 206 men.' 4 On 13 January 1545 the Earl
of Lennox, writing to the Earl of Shrewsbury an account
of his proceedings, stated that after Solway Moss he had
brought to Carlisle ' most part of the Galloway lairds, such
as the Laird of Garlics, the Laird of Lochynwar, and tutor
of Bomby,' who had entered their pledges with the Warden
of the Marches. The letter proceeds : ' And forasmuch as
the laird of Garlies is my nere kinsman, and of my sor-
name, I did tak in my custody, by My Lord Somersett's
licence, only the said laird's sonne, beying of the age of
xvi. yeares, whose substance I do not know perfectly, but
by my judgment his father may spend xv. hundreth marks
Scots, etc.' 5 His name appears in a 'band' entered into
at Stirling on 26 June 1545 by which he and fifty-two other
signatories engaged to be ready to ' invaid the realm of
England als aft as the occasioun of tyme sail occur, and be
thocht necessary and profitable. '* Notwithstanding this,
the influence of his * nere kinsman,' the Earl of Lennox,
1 Reg. Sec. Sig. 2 "Writs in Galloway Charter-chest. 3 Exch. Rolls,
xiv. 536. * Talbot pp. in Lodge's Illustrations of British History, i.
4445. 5 Ibid., i. 133. 6 Acta Parl. Scot., ii. 595a.
154 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
must have proved too powerful for him, as, on 26 April
1548, he had letters of remission for * unlawfully passing into
England, and treasonably remaining there.' l On 23 October
1542 he had charters erecting his estates into two baronies
called Dalswinton and Garlics. The former embraced the
lands of Dalswinton, Clugston, Glasserton, Conhaith, the
parsonage of Kirkmaho, the superiority of the lands of
Ormiston in Peeblesshire, and the half - merk lands of
Minto, with the patronage of the rectory. The latter
comprised the lands and barony of Garlics and Glenmannoch,
with the office of Stewart within their bounds, mills,
cruives, castles, fortalices, etc., etc., one infeftment
taken at the Castle of Garlics to suffice for the whole. 2
The grant relating to Garlics throws interesting light on
the line of succession, as by it the lands were to be held
first to Sir Alexander Stewart himself, whom failing,
secondly, to Alexander Stewart his son and heir, and the
heirs-male of his body ; thirdly, to John Stewart his next
son, and the heirs-male of his body ; fourthly, to other heirs-
male of the body of Sir Alexander ; fifthly, to Walter Stewart
of Barclye and the heirs-male of his body ; sixthly, to
Archibald Stewart of Fintalloch and the heirs-male of his
body ; seventhly, to John Stewart of Minto, etc. ; eighthly,
to Robert Stewart, citizen of Glasgow, etc. ; ninthly, whom
all failing, to the nearest heirs-male of the said Sir Alex-
ander Stewart, of the name of Stewart, and bearing the
arms of the family of Garlics.
In 1556, the Friars of Wigtown, in anticipation of the
Reformation, transferred to him the church lands of Wig-
town. He was one of the pursuers in the process of forfeiture
against James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, in the Parlia-
ment held at Edinburgh on 25 December 1567, 3 and in that
of 1574 he was appointed a Commissioner for Wigtownshire,
under the Act for enforcing musters and wapinschawings. 4
He sat in the Parliament of 1560 and 1565, 5 and was em-
ployed by James v., with whom he was high in favour, as
Ambassador to his uncle Henry vin. In a charter dated
3 October 1572 he is styled * Eques Auratus.' 6 He was
alive on 4 February 1593, as appears from a confirmation
1 Galloway Charter-chest. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 23 October 1542. 3 Acta
Part. Scot., iii. 9. 4 Ibid., iii. 92a. 6 Ibid., iii. 5256. Beg. Mag. Sig.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
155
of that date of a grant of certain of the church lands of
Glenluce, which had been resigned to him by Laurence the
Oommendator, 1 but he died shortly thereafter, as may be
inferred from a reference to him in a confirmation dated
1 August 1595. 2
Sir Alexander Stewart, the fourth of Garlics, married,
first, Katherine, daughter of Sir James Orichton of Cran-
stonriddel, as appears from a charter of Garlics granted to
them on 12 July 1521, following on his own resignation with
consent of his tutor, Archibald Stewart, parson of Kirk-
maho. 3 He married, secondly, Margaret Dunbar, only
daughter and heiress of Sir Patrick Dunbar of Clugstone ;
she, on 6 May 1532, as his wife, confirmed a charter to
William Gordon of Oaiglaw. 4 Margaret Dunbar must have
died before 13 April 1552 ; he married, thirdly, Catherine,
daughter of his cousin Walter Stewart of Barclye, who is
styled his spouse in a charter of that date of the lands of
Grenan. 5
By his first wife he seems to have had no surviving, if
any, issue. By Margaret Dunbar he had :
1. ALEXANDER, his heir, who died vita patris, but leaving
issue.
2. John, parson of Kirkmaho, who appears in the entail
of 1542 (ante) and was ancestor of the Stewarts of
Physgill and other families.
3. Margaret, married to Patrick M'Kie of Lurg, as
appears from a grant by him to her dated 2 May
1582, and confirmed 1 August 1595. 6
By his third wife, Catherine Stewart, he had :
4. Anthony, who married Barbara, daughter of Alexander
Gordon (titular Bishop of Athens, the first prelate to
embrace Protestantism, and son of John Gordon, the
Master of Huntly, by Lady Jean Stewart, natural
daughter of James v.). He was parson of Penning-
ham, and ancestor of Colonel William Stewart, one
of the veterans of the great Gustavus Adolphus,
who, on his return to Scotland, purchased the lands
of Castle Stewart formerly styled Kilcreuchie
which ultimately came to his namesake, William
1 Acts and Decreets, cxviii. f . 223. 2 Beg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid. 4 Galloway
Charter-chest. 8 Ibid. 6 Reg. May. Sig.
156 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
Stewart, son of James, second Earl of Galloway,
by marriage with the Colonel's granddaughter and
heiress.
5. Robert, who married Mary Stewart, daughter of
James Stewart of Cardonald (see title Lennox) and
his wife Alice Reid. They had a charter of Cardonald,
Over Darnlie, etc., on 3 October 1572. 1
6. William.
These three brothers appear as sons of Alexander
Stewart, senior, of Garlies, and Catherine Stewart
his spouse, in a charter by Alexander, Bishop of
Galloway, of the lands of Clarie, the Grange, etc.,
dated at Whithorn 20 May 1564, by which these
lands were entailed, first, on Sir Alexander Stewart
of Garlies and his said wife in liferent; second, on
their son Anthony ; third, their son Robert, and
fourth, their son William and the heirs-male of the
bodies of the three last named. 2 They also occur in
a settlement dated 31 December 1577, of the lands of
Grenan in favour of their nephew Alexander, con-
form to an agreement between them and their late
brother Sir Alexander Stewart of Dalswinton, Knight. 1
7. Helen, married to William Gordon of Mureford, ancestor
of Lord Kenmure.
ALEXANDER, the eldest son of Sir Alexander Stewart
(fourth of Garlies), would seem to have been born about
1527, since the Earl of Lennox's letter, above quoted, says
he was about sixteen years of age soon after the date of the
Rout of Solway Moss (1542). He was certainly a minor on
13 June 1544, when, as superior of the barony of Olugstone
(his mother's property), and with consent of his father and
mother, he confirmed a grant of the lands of Barquhill,
to Alexander Gordon, son of William Gordon of Craiglaw. 4
He took a leading part in the Reformation in the South
of Scotland, and, being accused of aiding and abetting one
of the ministers at Dumfries, vowed that 'he would
maintain and defend him against them and all other kirk-
men that would put at him.' 5
1 Beg. Mag. Sig. 2 Galloway Charter-chest. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 Papers
in Scots College, Paris.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
157
On 21 May 1565 he was knighted by Henry, Lord Darn-
ley, on the occasion of his marriage to Mary, Queen of
Scots, 1 and was at the same time presented with a comfit
box (still in the possession of his descendant, Lord Gal-
loway) the cover bearing the inscription ' The Gift of
Henry, Lord Darnley, to his cousin, Sir Alexander Stewart
of Garlies.' Sir Alexander was a firm adherent of his
kinsmen of Darnley and Lennox, and on the murder of
Darnley he joined in a ' band ' undertaking to protect the
young Prince afterwards James vi. 2 He was one of the
leaders of the party of the Regent, Matthew Stewart,
Earl of Lennox, father of the murdered Darnley and when
on 11 June 1571 Kirkaldy of Grange, the captain of Edin-
burgh Castle for Queen Mary, offered to justify himself of
the charge of treason by challenging any of the Regent's
party to single combat, the Regent intrusted the combat
to * the Laird of Garlies, being a Stewart and his kinsman,
who had earnestly desired it.' 3 This quotation from a
contemporary historian makes it perfectly clear that the
relationship between the Stewarts of Garlies and those of
Darnley was then matter of common knowledge. In the
Memoirs of Richard Bannatyne, Secretary to John Knox, are
preserved the letters which passed between the champions
of the two sides, and in which Sir Alexander Stewart
challenged Kirkaldy to fight ' with jak, speir, steil bonet,
sword, and whinger, being the order of Scottis armour,
where nane sal mell in the querrall bot ourselves.' 4 The
matter never came to an issue, however, Kirkaldy excus-
ing himself on the ground of the importance of his life to
the Queen's cause. His rival, Sir Alexander Stewart,
younger of Garlies, did not long survive this incident.
Accompanying his kinsman the Earl of Lennox, he shared
the fate of the latter in the surprise of Stirling by the
Hamiltons, the Earl and his kinsman Sir Alexander Stewart
being amongst the men of note who perished there (4
September 1571). His death is mentioned in a process of
forfeiture against various Hamiltons in the Parliament of
10 November 1589. 5
1 Cotton's MSS., Calig. B. 10; Throgmorton's Letters to Sir William
Cecil. 2 Keith's History, Preface, 10. 3 Hollinshead's Chronicle, 371.
* P. 185 passim. 5 Acta Part. Scot., iii. 129.
158 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
Sir Alexander Stewart married Katherine Herries (second
daughter and co-heir of William, Lord Herries of Terregles),
as appears from a charter of the lands of Dalswinton dated
14 February 1550-51. l She was a minor in 1551, in which
year she resigned the lands of Herries, with consent of her
grandfather, Kennedy of Blairquhan. She married, secondly,
John Wallace of Dundonald. 2 By her Sir Alexander Stewart
had a son and two daughters :
1. ALEXANDER.
2. Agnes, married in 1577 to Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw.
3. Elizabeth, married, first (contract 23 June 1582), to
William Maxwell of Carnsalloch, who died 15 Novem-
ber 1586 ; 3 secondly, before 28 June 1589, 4 John John-
stone of Newbie, by whom she had six daughters ; he
died in 1605, and she was married, thirdly, about
1609, to Mr. Samuel Kirkpatrick, brother of Sir
Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn. 5
ALEXANDER, fifth of Garlies, succeeded his grandfather,
though the date of the latter's death is uncertain. He had
sasine of Glasserton and Clugstone in 1576 and of Garlies
in 1578, in right of his father, and under reservation of
the liferent of his grandfather, Sir Alexander. 6 He had
a grant of the lands of Ooitland in 1588 for 'gude treue
and thankfull service,' and another of the church lands,
glebe, etc., of Kirkmaiden, and the office of Hereditary
Bailie to the Priory of Whithorn, with the powers and
privileges thereto belonging. 7 In February 1580 the lands
of the Priory were resigned in his favour by Elizabeth
Stewart, Countess of Moray, Margaret Stewart her sister,
and Agnes Keith, relict of the Regent, James, Earl of
Moray, their mother. 8 He had also a grant of certain
lands and rents formerly belonging to the Friars of
Wigtown, which his cousin, Robert Stewart, formerly of
Cardonald, had resigned in his favour. 9 He was knighted
in 1590, in honour of the marriage of King James vi. to
1 Reg. Mag. Sig. 2 Barnbarroch Papers. s Edin. Tests, 3 March 1586-87.
Inventory given by Homer Maxwell, brother of William, on behalf of
his daughter Grizel. 4 Acts and Decreeta, cxviii. f. 223. 6 Gen. Reg.
Inhib., xxxiv. f. 367. 6 Galloway Charter-chest. 7 Acta Parl. Scot.
8 Galloway Charter-chest. 9 Reg. Mag. Sig., vi. 40.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 159
Anne of Denmark, 1 and sat in the Parliaments of 1594 and
1596 as one of the representatives of the ' Nobilitie.' 2 He
died in October 1597. 3 He married, first, before 10 October
1576, Christian, daughter of Sir William Douglas of Drum-
lanrig, ancestor of the Duke of Queensberry, and, secondly,
Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of David, Earl of Angus, and
widow of Lord Maxwell. By the latter, who married,
thirdly, John Wallace, elder of Craigie, and died in 1637, he
had no family, but by Dame Christian Douglas he had :
1. ALEXANDER, his successor.
2. Thomas, who, as brother-german of Sir Alexander
Stewart of Garlics, witnessed a deed on 3 March
1588. 4
3. William, of Mains, who married Barbara, daughter
and heir of James Stewart of Burray, in Orkney
(nephew of Sir James Stewart, first Lord Doune, see
that title). He had a charter of the lands of Culti-
hill and Seasyde in Fife, following on her resignation
on 4 April 1637. 5 They had with other issue :
(1) Sir Archibald Stewart of Burray, Baronet, and
(2) William, who was adjutant to the Marquess of Montrose at
the Battle of Philiphaugh.
This branch of the family became extinct in 1747,
when Alexander, sixth Earl of Galloway, was retoured
heir on 24 June 1747.
4. Helen, married to John Douglas of Stanhouse.
5. Janet, married to James Kennedy of Culzean.
6. Nicolas, married to Alexander Dunbar of Pankill.
7. John, of Powton a natural son. 6
I. ALEXANDER STEWART, sixth of Garlics, when he suc-
ceeded, was a minor and under curators, Walter Stewart,
Commendator of Blantyre, and Robert Douglas, Provost of
Lincluden. On 20 December 1600 he was retoured heir in
certain lands in the parish of Whithorn, Bishopstoun,
Balzequhir, Rowehane and Arom, 7 and on 30 July 1603
to the lands and barony of Glasserton and Olugstone,
1 Rymer's Fcedera, xvi. 60. 2 Acta Parl. Scot., iv. 56a, 97a. 3 Retour
in Galloway Charter-chest. 4 Galloway Charter-chest. 5 Reg. Mag. Sig.
6 Sasine 2 February 1630, Galloway Charter-chest. 7 Chancery Retours.
160 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
embracing also the Kirklands of Kirkmaiden, the advoca-
tion of the Kirks of Penninghame and Kirkmaho, the
office of Bailie of Wigtown, the barony of Dalswinton, the
superiority of Ormiston in Peeblesshire, and the half-merk
lands of Minto, with the advocation of the rectory. 1
On 19 July 1607 he was created LORD GARLIES with
remainder to the heirs-male of his body succeeding to
Garlies, on account, as the grant bears, of good service
for many years, and ' because of his uninterrupted descent
from the ancient and most noble family of Lennox.' 2 King
James was himself the head of the House of Lennox, and
familiar with its genealogy, and as an additional honour,
he deputed his cousin Ludovic, whom he had created Duke
of Lennox, to confer the new dignity personally on Sir
Alexander Stewart of Garlies. Following on this, Sir Alex-
ander sat in the Parliaments of 1609, 1612, 1617, and 1621
as Lord Garlies.
Between 1619 and 1623 he negotiated with James Stewart,
Lord Ochiltrie, for the acquisition of the latter's barony
of Oorswell, the lordship and barony of Ochiltrie, and the
baronies of Salton and Glencorse, in Midlothian. 3 On 17
July 1623 he had a grant of the barony of Corsewell on
his own resignation, with a grant of a burgh of barony to be
called the Burgh of Stewarton, at such place as he might
select, there being, as the charter runs, many places in the
barony conveniently situated for a burgh and for a spacious
and commodious harbour on the coast between Scotland
and Ireland. 4 On 19 September 1623 he was raised to the
dignity of EARL OF GALLOWAY, with remainder to his
heirs-male, bearing the name and arms of Stewart. He
was a firm supporter of King Charles i., who, on 2 February
1628, appointed him a Privy Councillor. 5 He died in 1649.
He married (contract 15 October 1600) Grizel, daughter
of Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar, by whom he had :
1. Alexander, Lord Garlies, who died vita patris in 1638.
He married, first, at Chelsea, on 29 December 1627
(he aged eighteen and she fifteen), Anne, daughter
of Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham, and his
wife Margaret Stewart, daughter of James Stewart
1 Chancery Retours. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid., viii. 5, 171, 322, 497, etc.
4 Ibid., viii. 496. 5 Galloway Charter-chest.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 161
* the bonnie Earl o' Murray.' By her he had no
issue. He married, secondly, at Edinburgh (contract
dated 15 July 1633), Margaret Graham, second
daughter of William Graham, Earl of Strathern and
Menteith, President of the Privy Council and Lord
Justice-General of Scotland. She married, secondly,
before 5 October 1643, 1 Ludovic, Earl of Crawford.
By Margaret Graham Lord Garlics had a son :
(1) Alexander, Lord Garlics, who was re toured heir to his father
on 2 May 1639, and died in 1643 unmarried.
He had also a natural son,
(2) John of Glassock, as appears from a grant of these lands
dated 5 October 1646. 2
2. SIR JAMES, second Earl.
3. Anne, married, by marriage-contract dated at Glas-
serton 22 March 1625, 3 to Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw.
II. SIR JAMES, second Earl of Galloway, born about 1604,
was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia on 18 April 1627
under the style of Sir James Stewart of Corsewell, with
remainder to his heirs-male. On his nephew's death as
above, he was served heir to his elder brother Alexander,
Lord Garlies, on 5 September 1643,* and to his father on
4 December 1649. 5 He also was a firm adherent of Charles I.
and ii., and was fined for ' malignancy ' in the sum of 4000
under Cromwell's Act of Grace and Pardon 12 April 1654.
He is described as 'a proper stately person, and most
affable and courteous.' 6 In 1661 he and his son Alexander,
Lord Garlies, were appointed Commissioners of Wigtown-
shire and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright to raise a grant
to Charles n. 7 He died before 15 February 1671 (when his
son was served heir to him), having married, first, Catherine,
third daughter of Sir Richard Houghton, Bart., 8 and
secondly, in 1642, Nicolas, daughter of Sir Robert Grierson
of Lag (marriage-contract at Dumfries 22 September 1642 9 ).
They had :
1. ALEXANDER, third Earl.
2. Robert of Ravenstone or Glasserton. He married,
in 1671, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir David
1 Reg. of Deeds, Dlii. 18. 2 Galloway Charter-chest. 3 Agnew's Heredi-
tary Sheriffs, i. 462. 4 Inquis. Gen., 2898, 3579. 6 Acta Parl. Scot., vi.
ii. 820a. 6 Symson's History, 1702. 7 Acta Parl. Scot. 8 Collins's baronet-
age, i. 45. 9 Galloway Charter-chest.
VOL. IV. L
162 STEWART, EARL OP GALLOWAY
Dunbar of Baldoon, and sister to David Dunbar, the
original of the ' Master of Ravenswood ' in Scott's
Bride of Lammermoor. Robert Stewart and his
wife were denounced for sheltering the persecuted
Covenanters, and were outlawed for the offence on
2 April 1679, 1 but through the friendship of Lord
Queensberry they were leniently dealt with. He
died about 1687, leaving four daughters :
(1) Helen. (2) Elizabeth. (3) Nicolas, and (4) Grizel, who were
served heirs to their father on 19 April 1687. Raven-
stone or Remiston reverted to his younger brother.
3. A son name unknown.
4. William of Castle Stewart (formerly known as Kil-
creuchie 2 ), which came to him by marriage with
Elizabeth Gordon, daughter and heiress of John
Gordon of Cardoness and his wife Elizabeth Stewart,
daughter and heiress of Colonel William Stewart, of
Castle Stewart (sec Anthony Stewart of Clary, p. 155).
He was M.P. for Wigtownshire in 1650, and, like his
brother, was a sympathiser with the Covenanters,
being fined 600 for the offence. On 1 November
1671 he had a grant of certain lands from the Bishop
of Galloway, being therein styled fourth lawful son
of James, late Earl of Galloway. Elizabeth Gordon
his spouse is also named. 3 He was in favour with
Charles n., however, in 1677, in which year he had
a grant (1 July 1677) 4 of a burgh of barony, and com-
menced building the burgh of Newton Stewart shortly
thereafter. 5 On 25 October 1677 he had sasine of the
lands of Castle Stewart and of the burgh of barony
of Newton Stewart. 6 He had one son,
(1) William.
5. Isabella, married (contract 9 April 1672 7 ) to Alexander,
fifth Viscount Kenmure, with issue.
III. ALEXANDER, third Earl of Galloway, succeeded his
father before 15 February 1671, but little is known of him
beyond the fact of his having restored the family fortunes
which had been seriously impaired by the Civil War. On
1 Wodrow's Hist., ii. 8. 2 ActaParl. Scot., x. 95. 3 Galloway Charter-
chest. 4 ActaParl. Scot.,*. 95. 6 Galloway Charter-chest. e Acta Parl.
Scot., x. 95. 7 Galloway Charter-chest.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 163
20 December 1676 he had a commission from Charles n. as
captain of the militia troop of horse in Wigtownshire and
the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. 1 He and his brothers
Robert and William were Commissioners for the Supply
voted in 1678. He died about 1690, having married Mary,
daughter of James Douglas, second Earl of Queensberry,
and had issue :
1. ALEXANDER, Lord Garlics, fourth Earl.
2. JAMES, fifth Earl.
3. John of Sorbie. He was a brigadier-general 10 June
1702, and represented Wigtownshire in Parliament
1702-27. He is stated to have died unmarried, and
to have been buried at Sorbie 22 April 1748, 2 but this
is disputed by the Steuarts of Steuarts Lodge, Ireland,
who assert that he married, in 1722, at the age of
sixty, Bridget, sister of Admiral Pocklington, by
whom he had a son and daughter, from the former of
whom the present family of Steuarts Lodge descend.
The family MS. contains many details of the brigadier's
services in Spain during the Wars of the Succession.
4. Andrew, died in the Darien Expedition in 1699.
5. William. His will is dated at Sorbie 4 and 24 December
1735. 3
6. Robert.
7. Margaret, married, 6 March 1761, to Sir John Clerk
of Penicuik, Baronet, a Baron of the Court of Ex-
chequer, and died in childbed 21 December 1761. 4
8. Henrietta, married, in 1704, 5 to William Cunningham,
Earl of Glencairn, and died at Glasgow 21 October
1763, in her eighty-first year.
IV. ALEXANDER, fourth Earl, was born on 8 January 1670.
He succeeded to the earldom in 1690, but died unmarried on
26 September 1690, and was buried in the Regent Moray's
tomb in St. Giles' Church, Edinburgh, on 2 October 1690. 6
V. JAMES, fifth Earl, succeeded his brother, and was
retoured heir to his father and brother on 6 December
1693. 7 He took the oaths and his seat in Parliament on 27
1 Galloway Charter-chest. 2 Scots Mag. 3 Galloway Charter-chest.
4 Clerk' 8 Memoirs, Scot. Hist. Soc., 38-42. 5 Douglas gives the date 20
February, but Clerk in his Memoirs says the marriage was in November
(p. 54). 6 Coffin plate. 7 Inquis. Gen., 7415.
164 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
May 1695. 1 He was a Commissioner of the Treasury, a
Privy Councillor in Scotland, and a strenuous opponent of
the union with England. He also held office as a Lord of
Police in Scotland till 1740. James, fifth Earl of Galloway,
died at Glasserton House on 16 February 1746. He married,
in 1694, Catherine, daughter of Alexander Montgomerie,
ninth Earl of Eglinton. She died in December 1737, aged
eighty. They had issue :
1. ALEXANDER, sixth Earl of Galloway.
2. James, entered the 3rd Foot Guards (now Royal Scots
Fusiliers) ; became major on 4 June 1745, and, after
Fontenoy, lieutenant-colonel, 8 March 1748. Subse-
quently he became lieutenant-general and colonel
of the 37th Regiment. He was M.P. for the Wig-
town Burghs 1734-41 and 1747-54, and for the County
of Wigtown 1741-47 and 1754-61. He died at Cally
House, Gatehouse-on-Fleet, on 27 April 1768. 2 His
will, dated London, 8 March 1768, provides for a
natural daughter, Helen Stewart.
3. William, a Captain in Boll's, otherwise the 12th,
Regiment of Dragoons, succeeded his elder brother
as M.P. for the Wigtown Burghs 1741-47.
4. George, died while a student at Edinburgh University. 4
5. Margaret, married, first, 11 June 1713, by contract
dated Edinburgh, 11 June 1713, to James, Earl of
Southesk, who was attainted in 1715, and died in
1730; and secondly, 16 August 1733, 5 by contract
dated 4 and 7 August 1733 at Edinburgh and London, 6
to John, Master of Sinclair, also attainted in 1715.
She died at Edinburgh 22 July 1747, without issue,
and was buried at Dysart 28 July 1747.
6. Euphemia, married (contract 17 February 1726 ') to
Alexander Murray of Broughton, and died at Ayr
9 November 1760.
7. Catherine, died unmarried.
8. Anne, died unmarried, at Kirkcudbright, 12 March 1755.
VI. ALEXANDER, sixth Earl, was born about 1694, and
1 Ada Parl. Scot., ix. 347a. 2 Scots Mag. 3 Galloway Charter-
chest. 4 Southesk Book, i. 186. 5 Gent.'s Mag., iii. 43. 6 Galloway
Charter-chest. 7 Ibid.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 165
was retoured heir to his father on 24 June 1747. During
his father's lifetime he was, in 1740, 1 appointed a Lord of
Police. Under the Act for abolishing Hereditary Jurisdic-
tions he claimed 6000 in respect of his hereditary offices of
Bailie of Regality of the Priory of Whithorn, Stewart of
the Stewartry of Garlics, and Bailie of Regality for the
Island of Burray, in Orkney, to the last of which he had
succeeded on the death of his kinsman (see William of
Mains and Burray, brother of Alexander, first Earl). The
sum awarded was, however, only 321, 6s. He died at Aix,
in Provence, France, on 24 September 1773, in his seventy-
ninth year, having married, first, in or before 1719, Anne,
second daughter of William Keith, ninth Earl Marischal.
She died in 1728, and the Earl married, secondly, 5 January
1728-29, Catherine, third and youngest daughter of John
Cochrane, fourth Earl of Dundonald. The Countess of
Galloway and her sisters, Anne, Duchess of Hamilton, and
Susan, Countess of Strathmore, were celebrated beauties of
their day. She died at Bath on 15 March 1786. Her will
was proved at Edinburgh 1 April 1786.
By his first wife the Earl had :
1. Alexander, Master of Garlies, born 26 August 1719,
and died v. p. and unmarried at Aix-la-Chapelle in
1738.
2. James, who died of smallpox on 11 November 1733,
while a student at Dalkeith School.
3. , a son, who died in infancy.
4. Mary, married, by contract dated 11 September 1741, 2
to Kenneth, styled Lord Fortrose, eldest son of the
attainted William Mackenzie, fifth Earl of Seaforth.
Lord Fortrose died 18 October 1761, predeceased by
his wife, who died in Kensington on 10 April 1751.
By his second wife the sixth Earl had :
5. JOHN, seventh Earl.
6. George, a lieutenant in Lord Howe's Regiment of
Foot, fell before Fort Ticonderago, 8 July 1758, during
the American War of Independence.
7. William, who died young.
8. Keith, of Glasserton, who entered the Navy. He
commanded the Berwick, 74 guns, in Admiral
1 Scots Mag., July 1740. 2 Galloway Charter-chest.
166 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
Keppel's engagement with the French in 1778 ; was
commodore, under Parker, in the action with the
Dutch at the Dogger Bank in August 1781 ; com-
manded the Cambridge in Lord Howe's squadron at
the relief of Gibraltar in 1782 ; became rear-admiral
in 1790, and vice-admiral in 1794. He was M.P. for
the Wigtown Burghs 19 February to 15 April 1762,
and for Wigtownshire in 1768, in which year he was
appointed Receiver-General of the Land Tax in Scot-
land. He acquired the barony of Glasserton in 1763, 1
and died at Glasserton 5 May 1795, aged fifty-six.
He married, 13 May 1782, Georgina Isabella, daughter
of Simha D'Aguilar, by whom he had four sons, three
of whom entered the Navy, the eldest and youngest
being drowned at the ages of thirteen and fifteen
respectively. His second son,
James Alexander, born 23 September 1784, married, 21 May
1817, Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of Francis Mackenzie,
Lord Seaforth, and widow of Sir Samuel Hood, K.B. He
thereafter assumed the name of Stewart-Mackenzie, and his
grandson, Colonel J. A. Stewart-Mackenzie of Seaforth is the
present heir of line of the ancient House of Seaforth.
9. Catherine, married, 12 April 1752, to her cousin, James
Murray of Broughton, M.P. for Wigtownshire. He
died at York 20 April 1799.
10. Susannah, married, 23 May 1768, as his third wife, to
Granville, first Marquess of Stafford, K.G., and died
at London 15 August 1805.
11. Margaret, married, 22 April 1759, to Charles Gordon,
fourth Earl of Aboyne, and died at Aboyne Castle 12
August 1762, leaving issue.
12. Euphemia, who died, unmarried, in 1818.
13. Harriet, married, 25 May 1765, to Archibald, ninth
Duke of Hamilton, and died, 26 November 1788,
leaving issue.
14. Charlotte, married, 21 February 1759, to John Murray,
fourth Earl of Dunmore. She died 11 November 1818,
leaving issue.
VII. JOHN, seventh Earl of Galloway, fourth, but eldest
surviving, son (and also eldest son by his father's second
1 Sasine 22 December 1763.
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 167
marriage), was born on 15 March 1736. While Lord Garlics,
he was M.P. for Morpeth in 1761, and for Ludgershall in
1768. In the latter year he was appointed a Member of the
Board of Police, and a Commissioner of Trade and Planta-
tions in 1772. On 14 October 1773, after succeeding to the
earldom, he was made a Lord of Police, and he sat in
Parliament from 1774 to 1790 as a Representative Peer for
Scotland. On 1 November 1775 he was created Knight of
the Thistle, and was appointed a Lord of the Bedchamber
in 1784. On 6 June 1796 he was created BARON STEWART
OF GARLIES, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
He died at Galloway House on 13 November 1806, in his
seventy-first year, and was buried at Sorbie on the 27th of
the same month.
He married, first, 14 August 1762, Charlotte Mary, third
daughter of Francis Greville, first Earl Brooke and Earl
of Warwick, by Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Archibald
Hamilton. She was born on 6 July 1745, and died at Edin-
burgh, as Lady Garlies, on 31 May 1763, in her eighteenth
year. By her the Earl, then Lord Garlies, had two sons,
but both died in infancy. He married, secondly, on 13
June 1764, at St. George's, Hanover Square, Anne, second
daughter of Sir James Dashwood, second Baronet of Kirt-
lington. She died at Davies Street, London, 8 January 1830,
aged eighty-seven. By her Lord Galloway had :
1. Alexander, Master of Garlies, who died in infancy at
London on 29 March 1766.
2. GEORGE, eighth Earl.
3. Leveson, who died in his ninth year.
4. Sir William, of Cumloden, born on 10 January 1774.
He entered the Army as an ensign in the 42nd Royal
Highlanders, ' Black Watch,' and was mainly instru-
mental in raising the Rifle Brigade, of which he
became lieutenant-colonel on 25 August 1800. He
was severely wounded in the attack on Ferrol, was
promoted to the rank of colonel on 2 April 1801, and
accompanied Nelson to Copenhagen, the friendship
then formed with the great sea captain lasting
through life. Many interesting and characteristic
letters from Nelson to Sir William Stewart are pre-
served at Cumlodeu House, now a seat of the Earls
168
of Galloway. Sir William became brigadier-general
in 1804, was third in command in the expedition to
Egypt in 1807, and was present at the surrender of
Alexandria and siege of Rosetta, where he was again
wounded, but would not quit his post. He was pro-
moted to the rank of major-general in 1808, and on
31 August 1809 was made colonel-commanding of his
old regiment, the Rifle Brigade. On 4 June 1813 he
was appointed lieutenant-general, and served in the
Peninsular campaign, in command of the A Division.
He was present at the battles of Albuera, Yittoria,
Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, and Orthes, for which he
had a medal and two clasps. For his great services
he was created G.O.B., and twice received the thanks
of Parliament. He was M.P. for Saltash in 1795, for
Wigtown County from 1796 to 1802, for the Wigtown
Burghs from 1803 to 1805, and again for Wigtown
County from 1812 to 1816. He died at Cumloden on
7 January 1827, having married, on 21 April 1804,
Prances, daughter of the Honourable John Douglas,
and granddaughter of James, sixteenth Earl of
Morton. She died 6 August 1833.
5. Charles James, born 15 April 1775, was a Fellow of
All Souls College, Oxford. He was Rector of Orton,
Huntingdonshire, a Doctor of Divinity, and was
subsequently appointed Bishop of Quebec 1 January
1826. He died, unmarried, on 13 July 1837.
6. Montgomery Granville Jo/w, of Grennan, and after-
wards of Castramont, born on 15 April 1780, and died
on 10 January 1860. He was M.P. for the Stewartry
of Kirkcudbright from 1802 to 1812. He married, on
22 October 1801, Catherine (who died 16 January
1833), daughter of Patrick Houeyman, by whom he
had one son and seven daughters.
7. Edward Richard, born 5 May 1782. He joined the
Foot Guards, but exchanged in 1804 for a troop in the
7th Dragoon Guards, and subsequently for a company
in the 97th Regiment. He acted as Brigade-Major
in Scotland, was M.P. for the Wigtown Burghs from
1806 to 1809, in which year he was appointed a Com-
missioner for victualling the Navy. He died on 27
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 169
August 1851, having married, on 19 November 1805,
Katherine, daughter of Francis, Lord Elcho, and
sister of Francis, eighth Earl of Wemyss. By her,
who died on 8 October 1863, he had three sons and
three daughters. The eldest son, the Rev. Edward
Steiuart, M.A., Rector of Lamiston and Vicar of
Sparholt, was father of Major-General Sir Herbert
Stewart, K.O.B. and V.O., Aide-de-camp to H.M.
Queen Victoria, who led the Desert Expedition
for the relief of General Gordon at Khartoum, in
which he died of wounds received at Abu Klea
and the battle of Metammeh, Egypt, on 10 February
1885.
8. James Henry Keith, born 22 October 1783. He was
a captain in the 95th Regiment in 1805, and in 1807
acted as Major of Brigade to his brother, Sir William,
in the Egyptian campaign, and subsequently to Major-
General Paget in Sweden and Portugal. He was
M.P. for the Wigtown Burghs from 1812 to 1821,
became a lieutenant-colonel and O.B., and died on
18 July 1836. He married, on 10 August 1819, Hen-
rietta Anne, second daughter of the Rev. Spencer
Madan, D.D., by whom, who died 24 October 1829,
he left issue.
9. Catherine, married, 28 September 1782, to Sir James
Graham, first Baronet of Netherby, and died 20 Sep-
tember 1836, leaving issue.
10. Susan, married, 15 September 1791, to George, fifth
Duke of Marlborough, K.G., and died 2 April 1841,
leaving issue.
11. Anne Harriet, married 8 August 1795, to Lord
Spencer Ohichester, second son of the Marquess of
Donegal, and died 30 January 1850.
12. Elisabeth Euphemia, married, 3 January 1798, to
William Phillips Inge of Thorpe Oonstantine, co.
Stafford, and died 12 November 1855, leaving issue.
13. Georgiana, who died in the island of Malta 12 April
1804.
14. Charlotte, married, 12 September 1801, to the Hon.
Sir Edward Orofton, third Baronet of Mote, co.
Roscommon, and died May 1842, leaving issue.
170
15. Caroline, married, 16 January 1803, to the Hon. and
Rev. George Rushout, and died in 1818.
16. Sophia, married, 21 July 1806, to Colonel the Hon.
William Bligh, third son of John Bligh, third Earl of
Darnley, and died in 1809, leaving issue.
VIII. GEORGE, eighth Earl, fourth, but eldest surviving
son (and second son by the second marriage) of the seventh
Earl, was born on 24 March 1768. He was styled Lord Garlics
from 1773 to 1806. Entering the Navy in March 1780 as
a midshipman under his uncle, Captain the Hon. Keith
Stewart, on board the Berwick, * 74,' he was present at
the action off the Doggerbank in 1801. He was promoted
to the rank of lieutenant on 8 August 1789, and of com-
mander in 1790. He commanded the Vtdcan fireship under
Lord Hood in 1793, and was advanced to be captain in the
same year. He commanded the frigate Winchelsea in
Admiral Sir John Jervis's expedition to the West Indies,
and was mentioned in despatches for having ' placed his
ship in the good old way within half musket shot ' of a
battery. At the Battle of St. Vincent, 14 February 1797,
he was in command of the frigate Lively, and was detailed
to carry home the tidings of the victory. He was M.P. for
Saltash in 1790-95, a Lord of the Admiralty on 30 April 1805,
and M.P. for Cockermouth 1805-6, for Haslemere 1806, and
28 March 1807 Lord-Lieutenant and Sheriff-Principal of
Wigtownshire. He attained the rank of Rear-Admiral of
the Blue in 1810, and was created K.T. 23 May 1814, being
invested on 30 May. On 18 April 1797, at St. James's,
Westminster, he married Jane, second daughter of Henry
Paget, first Earl of Uxbridge, and sister of the first
Marquess of Anglesea. The Earl died at Hampstead,
Middlesex, on 27 March 1834, in his sixty-sixth year. His
widow, who was born on 1 September 1774, died at Rutland
Gate, Hyde Park, on 30 June 1842. They had issue :
1. RANDOLPH, ninth Earl.
2. Arthur, born 18 December 1805, died 3 January 1806.
3. Alan, born 23 December 1807, died 1 May 1808.
4. Keith, born 3 January 1814. Entered the Navy and
served in the Baltic during the Russian War, and in
China. He was created a O.B. and vice-admiral,
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 171
and married, 9 August 1841, Mary Caroline, only
daughter of Sir Charles FitzRoy, K.C.B., and died
15 September 1879, leaving issue.
5. Jane, born 29 March 1798 ; married, 13 January 1819,
to George, sixth Duke of Marlborough, and died 12
October 1844, leaving issue.
6. Caroline, born 16 August 1799; died unmarried, 30
July 1857.
7. Louisa, born 18 March 1804 ; married, 18 December
1823, to William, second Lord Feversham, and died
5 March 1889, leaving issue.
8. Helen, born 8 July 1810, died 26 January 1813.
IX. RANDOLPH, ninth Earl, was born on 16 September
1800 at Coolhurst, Sussex. He was styled Lord Garlics
from 1806 to 1834. Educated at Harrow ; he was M.P. for
Cockermouth from 1826 to 1831. He became Lord-Lieutenant
of the Stewartry, and also of Wigtownshire, in 1828, and held
the former till 1845, and the latter till 1851, when he
resigned. On 9 August 1833 he married Harriet Blanche,
seventh daughter of Henry Charles Somerset, sixth Duke of
Beaufort, K.G. His lordship died at Galloway House on
2 January 1873, aged seventy-two, and the Countess at
85 Eaton Square, London, on 25 May 1885, aged seventy-
four. They had issue :
1. ALAN PLANTAGENET, tenth Earl.
2. RANDOLPH HENRY, eleventh Earl.
3. Alexander, born 8 November 1838 ; a major-general,
and late of the Royal Horse Artillery. He was
Deputy-Lieutenant for the county of Wigtown and
Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and served in the second
Afghan campaign and in China. On 12 June 1883
he married Adela Maria, daughter of Sir Robert
Loder, Baronet, of Whittlebury, M.P., and died 6th
January 1896, leaving issue.
4. Walter John, born 7 February 1849, was colonel com-
manding 12th Lancers, and is a J.P. for Wigtown-
shire.
5. Malcolm, born 12, died 20, June 1853.
6. Fitz Roy Somerset Keith, born 19 December 1855,
M.A. Oxon. ; married, 17 July 1888, Elizabeth Louisa,
172 STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY
daughter of Rev. A. Rogers of Yarlington (and widow
of J. Stanley Thomson, Esquire), and has issue.
7. Helen Blanche, born 9 May 1834 ; married, 20 April
1896, to Walter Clifford Mellor, son of Colonel Mellor,
M.P., and died 5 January 1903 s. p.
8. Emma Georgiana, born 6 November 1840 ; married, 2
December 1858, to Wilbraham Frederick, second Lord
Tollemache of Helmingham, and died 24 January
1869, leaving issue.
9. Mary Louisa, born 14 November 1842; married, 13
August 1874, to Charles Edward Stephen Oooke of
Doncaster. He died 28 October 1895.
10. Jane Charlotte, born 10 July 1846 ; married, 9 February
1882, to Henry Anthony Spedding of Mirehouse,
Cumberland, and died 24 September 1897, leaving
issue. He died 21 September 1887.
11. Emily Octavia, born 29 August 1847 ; married, 4
February 1875, to Captain the Hon. Francis Algernon
James Chichester, youngest son of the first Lord
Templemore, and has issue. He died 15 February
1885, leaving issue.
12. Henrietta Caroline, born 7 June 1850 ; married, 3
August 1880, to Algernon Turner, O.B., and has
issue.
13. Isabel Maud, born 18 May 1852.
X. ALAN PLANTAGENET, tenth Earl, was born 21 October
1835. Was captain Royal Horse Guards Blue, hon. colonel
4th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, M.P. for Wigtownshire
1868-73, Her Majesty's Commissioner to the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1876-77, and a K.T.
He married, 25 January 1872, Mary Arabella Arthur, third
daughter of James Cecil, second Marquess of Salisbury, K.G.
He died at Oumlodeu, 7 February 1901, and the Countess in
the New Forest on 18 August 1903, s. p.
XI. RANDOLPH HENRY, eleventh Earl, was born 14 October
1836. Educated at Harrow. Was captain in the 42nd
Royal Highlanders * Black Watch,' and served in the
Crimea and the Indian Mutiny. On 3 June 1891 he
STEWART, EARL OF GALLOWAY 173
married Amy Mary Pauline, only daughter of the late
Anthony Oliffe of Bellevue, co. Wexford, and has issue :
1. Randolph Algernon Ronald, Lord Garlics, born 21
November 1892.
2. Keith Anthony, born 8 September 1894.
CREATIONS. 19 July 1607, Lord Garlics ; 19 September
1623, Earl of Galloway, in the Peerage of Scotland ; 6 June
1796, Baron Stewart of Garlics, in the Peerage of Great
Britain.
ARMS (from Peers' Arms MS., Lyon Office). Or, a fesse
chequy azure and argent, surmounted of a bend engrailed,
gules, within a double tressure flory counterflory gules.
CREST. A pelican in nest, vulning herself argent, winged
or. 1
SUPPORTERS. Dexter, a savage man wreathed about the
head and middle with laurel, and holding a club in right
hand, all proper ; sinister a lion rampant gules.
MOTTO. Virescit vulnere virtus.
[J. K. s.]
1 The seal of Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlies, attached to a deed of
the year 1550 in the Galloway Charter-chest, has a unicorn's head for
crest, no doubt derived from the maternal ancestor, Marion Stewart of
Dalswinton (see p. 149), whose arms were a fesse chequy between two
unicorns' heads in chief and one in base. The unicorn's head, therefore,
appears to be the earlier crest of the family.
LINDSAY, VISCOUNT GARNOCK
ATRIOK LINDSAY, fifth 1
but second surviving son
of John, first Earl of
Lindsay, who succeeded
as seventeenth Earl of
Crawford (see that title)
born in September 1646,
was married, 27 December
1664, at Holyrood, to
Margaret Orawfurd,
younger daughter and
co-heir of Sir John Oraw-
furd of Kilbirnie, (the
elder daughter Anna
married Archibald
Stewart of Blackball),
and acquired the estate
of Kilbirnie under a bond of tailzie executed by Sir John
31 July 1662. This entail is recited in a decreet of the
Lords of Council and Session dated 4 February 1669, printed
in the Minutes of Evidence in the Crawford Peerage claim. 2
He assumed the surname and arms of Crawfurd of Kil-
birnie. He and his wife died October 1681, having had
issue :
1. JOHN, afterwards Viscount Garnock.
2. Patrick, who died 16 May 1716, and was buried in the
Greyfriars cemetery, Edinburgh, 3 having made his
testament 6 December 1698, previous to going to the
West Indies. 4
3. Archibald, appointed ensign 1 July 1706, and lieutenant
1 Contemporary Pedigree at Haigh ; Lives of the Lindsays, ii. 39.
2 Crawford Peerage Case Minutes of Evidence, 162-165. 3 Greyfriars Reg.
4 Original in Glasgow Charter-chest ; Crawford Minutes, 462.
LINDSAY, VISCOUNT GARNOOK 175
25 September 1711 in Earl of Orkney's regiment. 1
Executor of his brother Patrick's will. Both were
remainder men in the Kilbirnie entail of 1707. On
22 February 1735 he was returned as non-effective in
the regimental papers, 2 having neither exchanged
nor resigned ; and in a letter, dated 1 April 1736, 3 of
his nephew James Crawfurd he is described as dead.
He died, therefore, at Kinsale, where his regiment
was stationed, 22 February 1735.
4. Margaret, married (contract 1687 4 ) to David Boyle of
Kelburne, created 5 Lord Boyle of Kelburne 1 January
1699, Earl of Glasgow 12 April 1703, whose issue suc-
ceeded to the estate of Kilbirnie.
5. Anne, married (as second wife), 26 January 1704 6 at
Kilbirnie, to Henry Maule of Kelly, brother-german
of James, Earl of Panmure, and had issue. 7
6. Magdalen, married, 31 December 1706, at Kilbirnie 8 to
George Dundas 9 of Duddingston, and had issue.
I. JOHN (Lindsay) Crawford of Kilbirnie, born 12 May
1669, registered in Edinburgh, 10 was served heir to his
father in the estate of Kilbirnie at Irvine 4 December
1690, 11 and to his mother. He was M.P. for Ayrshire 1690-
1703. By letters patent dated at St. James's 26 November
1703 12 he was created VISCOUNT GARNOCK and LORD
KILBIRNIE, KINGSBURNE, and DRUMRY (having pre-
viously been created Viscount of Mount Crawford, which
name was altered to Garnock) to him and his heirs-male.
He sat in Parliament 1704. 13 He married, in January 1697,
Margaret Stewart, daughter of James, Earl of Bute, 14
who died before 7 May 1738 at Edinburgh, her testament-
dative being confirmed then, and on 18 July 1S to her sons
John and James.
Lord Garnock was a member of the Privy Council. He
obtained a charter of entail 11 February 1707, in which his
brothers and sisters are mentioned. 16 He died at Edinburgh
1 Haigh Papers. 2 Crawford Minutes, 502-515. 3 Haigh Papers.
4 Crawford-Lindsay Charter-chest. fi Reg. Mag. Siff. 6 Kilbirnie Reg.
~ Decreet, 10 February 1736. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Edin. Reg. Crawford
Minutes, 166. 12 Printed in Crawford Minutes, 167. 13 Vide Acta Parl.
Scot. 14 Haigh Letters. 1S Edinburgh Com. Court. 18 Crawford
Minutes, 396.
176 LINDSAY, VISCOUNT GARNOCK
24 December 1708, and was buried 25 December at Kil-
birnie, 1 having had issue : 2
1. PATRICK, his heir.
2. Jo/in, advocate, and clerk to the admission of notaries.
Baptized at Kilbirnie 17 January 1699, 3 and died s. p.
15 February 1739, testament - dative confirmed to
James at Edinburgh as nearest of kin. 4
3. James, baptized at Kilbirnie 15 May 1700, 5 executor
to his mother, a consenting party to the Act of
Parliament 1741 mentioned below. Surveyor of
Customs at Torrie, and died in London s. p. in March
1744-45. Buried at St. Martin's. (See NOTE, p. 177.)
4. David, bred a physician, baptized at Kilbirnie 14
May 1701, 6 mentioned in a deed of provision by Lord
Garnock 23 September 1708, 7 witness to a charter of
Viscount Patrick 31 May 1734. 8 Dead s. p. in 1741.
5. Charles, captain B.N., commanded H.M.SS. Roebuck
and Dartmouth, a consenting party 1741 . 9 He was
living in Chelsea shortly before his death, and died in
the house of his sister Margaret, without legitimate
issue. Administration of his estate was granted in
the Prerogative Court of Canterbury to his sister,
Mrs. M'Neil, 12 July 1746, which occasioned a family
dispute.
6. Margaret, baptized at Kilbirnie, 10 4 May 1702 ; married
to Neil M'Neil of Ugadale, 11 whom she appointed her
attorney in the matter of administration of her
brother Charles's estate 6 June 1746. She wrote
letters to the Earl of Bute, preserved at Haigh Hall,
mentioning her sons.
7. Anne, baptized at Kilbirnie 9 August 1706. 12 Died 22
August 1752 in Edinburgh. Her testament (dated 14
March 1747) was confirmed 14 November 1752."
8. Magdalen, baptized at Kilbirnie 10 February 1708. 14
II. PATRICK, second Viscount Garnock, was baptized at
Kilbirnie 30 November 1697, 15 and was retoured heir to his
1 Kilbirnie Reg. 2 See Epitaph in Crawford's Peerage, 164 ; and note in
Lives of the Lindsays, ii. 193. 3 Kilbirnie Reg. 4 Edinburgh Com. Court.
6 Kilbirnie Reg. 6 Ibid. 7 Haigh Papers. 8 Ibid. 9 Vide Crawford
Minutes, 407 et seq. 10 Kilbirnie Reg. u Crawford Minutes, 407 et seq.
12 Kilbirnie Reg. 13 Haigh Charter chest. M Kilbirnie Reg. 15 Ibid.
LINDSAY, VISCOUNT GABNOOK 177
father 11 October 1709. 1 He was in constant litigation
respecting debts on the estate 1722-34. He died 24 May
1735, and was buried at Kilbirnie 30 May. 2 He married
Mary, daughter of George Home of Kellie in Berwickshire,
whose marriage-contract was dated 19 April 1720, recited
in a disposition by her son George, dated in March and
June 1744. 3 They had issue :
1. JOHN, Viscount Garnock.
2. GEORGE, Viscount Garnock, who succeeded as twenty-
first Earl of Crawford.
3. Margaret, born 31 January 1721, died an infant.
4. Janet, baptized at Kilbirnie 5 September 1723/
5. Graham Christian, married, 13 March 1747, at Dud-
dingston, to Patrick Bogle of Hamilton Farm, where
she died 18 June 1748. 5
III. JOHN, third Viscount Garnock, was born 6 July 1722.
and died unmarried in Edinburgh 22 September 1739. 6 On
5 August 1735 William Maule of Kelly took out a summons
against him respecting debt, and all the immediate relations
alive or supposed to be alive were cited. A decreet was
made 17 July 1736. 7
IV. GEORGE, fourth Viscount Garnock, a lieutenant in
Lord Drumlanrig's regiment, baptized at Kilbirnie 21
March 1729. 8 He was served heir to his father 6 June 1741,
and presented a petition to Parliament by his guardian the
Honourable Patrick Boyle for leave to sell part of his
estates for payment of debt. An Act of Parliament for
that purpose was passed in 1741. 9 Upon the death of John,
twentieth Earl of Crawford, Earl of Lindsay, etc., the
' gallant Earl,' in 1749 he succeeded to the earldoms of
Crawford and Lindsay. (See title Crawford.) The digni-
ties of Garnock, etc., are now vested in the Earl of Lindsay.
(See title Lindsay.)
CREATION. 10 April 1703, Viscount of Mount Crawford,
Lord Kilbirnie, Kingsburne and Drumry: 26 November
1703, Viscount Garnock, Lord Kilbirnie, etc.
1 Crawford Minutes, 168. 2 Kilbirnie Reg. 3 Haigh Charter-chest.
4 Kilbirnie Reg. 6 Douglas's Peerage. 6 Edinburgh Com. Court. 7 Haigh
Charter-chest. 8 Kilbirnie Reg. 9 Crawford Minutes, 478 et seq.
VOL. IV. M
178 LINDSAY, VISCOUNT GARNOCK
ARMS (from Peers' Arms MS., Lyon Office). Quarterly :
1st and 4th, azure, three crosses pattee or, for Barclay ; 2nd
and 3rd, gules, a f ess chequy argent and azure, for Lindsay ;
en surtout gules, a fess ermine, for Crawford.
OREST. A stag's head erased proper ; between the attires
a cross pattee fitchee gules.
SUPPORTERS. Dexter, a Highlander proper with a shield
gules charged with a fess ermine in his exterior hand;
sinister, a greyhound proper collared ermine.
MOTTOES. Hinc honor et solus. Sine lobe nota.
[w. A. L.]
NOTE. It was stated in Wood's edition of Douglas's Peerage of
Scotland, i. 392, on the authority of an Edinburgh newspaper, that John
L. Crawfurd from Ireland was making up his title to the dignities of
Crawford-Lindsay as great-grandson of James, third son of the first
Viscount Garnock. Mr. John Lindsay-Crawfurd did in fact present his
petition, which was referred to the House of Lords, whereupon there
followed a prosecution for forgery in 1812. For full information respect-
ing these proceedings reference is made to Lives of the Lindsays, ii. 252,
and Dobie's Examination of the claim, published 1831.
Long afterwards, after 1831, Mr. J. L. Crawfurd issued a folio print
which he called a ' Case in the House of Lords,' not in the usual form of
a case, in which it is stated that a case was settled by ' Fred. Pollock '
and ' William Scott.' A case in proper form was signed by Thomas H.
Miller, probably in 1845. Mr. Lindsay-Crawfurd's claim turned on the
identity of James Crawfurd, land steward at Castle Dawson, who died
1765, with the above James, third son of Viscount Garnock. To support
this identity letters were produced between James at Castle Dawson and
members of the Crawford family, which it would appear were forged.
These letters and the evidence taken at the trial for forgery are printed
in the 'Case,' and it is clear that long after his conviction and sentence
the claimant continued to assert a claim, in the justice of which he had
persuaded himself to believe. The fact, however, is that James, son of
the Viscount, died in London, March 1744, unmarried. The sexton's note-
book of St. Martin's contains the entry of his burial, but the parish
register has been tampered with to conceal the fact of his death. Vide
Earl of Balcarres's Case, 112.
It was with reference to this matter that an effort was made by the
Earl of Balcarres to establish the validity as evidence of certain letters
purporting to be written by Mrs. M'Neil. They were admitted de bene
ease at the hearing of 22 June 1847 (Crawford Minutes, 409, etc.), and after-
wards (459) a letter written by Mrs. M'Neil was admitted as a declaration
of pedigree, and other documents directed to be withdrawn. If the
claim had succeeded it would have vested in Mr. J. L. Crawfurd all the
dignities of Crawford, Lindsay, and Garnock, and all the estates which
devolved on the Earl of Glasgow as heir of line in 1833.
ABERCROMBY, LORD GLASFOORD
LEXANDEB ABEB-
OBOMBY, son and heir of
the deceased Alexander
Abercromby of Pitmed-
dan, had sasine of his
paternal lands 26 August
1484. 1 He died before 2
May 1505, when his son
GEORGE ABERCROMBY
was served heir to him. 2
He had a charter under
the Great Seal 18 Feb-
ruary 1512-13 of the lands
of Pitmeddan and others
which were erected into
a barony. 3 He married,
first, Christina Barclay ; and secondly, before 29 October
1533, when he had with her a charter of the lands of Over and
Nether Olune, co. Banff, Margaret Gordon. 4 She afterwards
was married, secondly, contract 24 April 1553, to Alexander
Gumming of Altyre. 5 By his first wife he had at least one son,
JAMES, who had a charter from his father, to himself
and his wife, of the lands of Pitmeddan and others, the
liferent being reserved, 13 July 1527. 6 He married, first,
Marjory Hay ; and secondly, about 9 July 1540, when
previous to their marriage he granted her a charter of the
lands of Petmaquhy and others in the regality of the
Garioch, 7 Elizabeth, daughter of Gilbert Gray of Schives.
By his first wife he had issue :
1 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, Hi. 445. 2 Ibid., 446. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig.
* Confirmed 2 January 1533-34, ibid. 6 Ibid., 8 April 1554. 6 Confirmed
23 July 1527, ibid. 7 Confirmed 19 July 1540, ibid.
180 ABBROROMBY, LORD GLASFOORD
1. William, who, as eldest son and heir-apparent of
James Abercromby of Pitmeddan, got a charter of
the lands of Westhall, co. Aberdeen, 14 May 1444. 1
2. ALEXANDER, who succeeded to Pitmeddan.
ALEXANDER ABERCROMBY was under age on 19 April
1550, when he, as fiar of Pitmeddan, got a royal charter of
these lands to himself and his wife Elizabeth Leslie, having
resigned them for re-infeftment in the King's hands with
consent of his curators. 2 He had a remission under the
Great Seal for his complicity in the Earl of Huntly's re-
bellion and the murders of the Earls of Lennox and Moray
15 April 1581. 3 He married Elizabeth, daughter of Alex-
ander Leslie of Pitcaple, and by her had issue :
1. ALEXANDER.
2. John. By a deed of 29 April 1582 his father sold him
the lands of Pitmeddan, reserving his own liferent
and that of his elder son Alexander, and providing
that John should have no power to sell or alienate
the lands, but that the heirs-male of Alexander,
junior, could redeem the lands at any time by paying
ten merks in the parish church of Oyne ; while the
father himself reserved power to sell or mortgage
the land without John's consent. 4
ALEXANDER, the elder son, ultimately got the lands of
Pitmeddan, but was previously designated of Towie and of
Galcors. As Alexander Abercromby of Towie, he had a
charter on 17 April 1571 of the lands of Galcors, co. Banff. 5
He was dead before 9 December 1586-87 when his son
Alexander got a charter of Pitmeddan on the resignation
of his grandfather Alexander. 6
ALEXANDER of Pitmeddan, who thus got the fee of the
lands, is said to have been murdered at the moss of Colts-
town 12 March 1593. He was certainly alive in September
1592, and died before July 1595. 7 He married Margaret,
daughter of William Leslie of Balquhain, and had by her :
1. James, ancestor of the Abercrombies of Birkenbog, of
1 Antiq. of Aberd. and Banff, iii. 441. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid. * Ibid.
6 Confirmed 1 December 1591, ibid. 6 Ibid. 1 P. C. Reg., v. 569-655.
ABERCROMBY, LORD GLASFOORD 181
whom Sir George William Abercromby, Bart., of
Birkenbog, co. Banff, is the present representative.
2. George, mentioned along with his father in a bond of
caution in September 1592. 1
3. HECTOR.
HECTOR ABERCROMBY, the progenitor of Lord Glasfoord,
had a royal charter of the lands of Westhalls, co. Aberdeen,
27 June 1590. 2 He had another from the Dean and Chapter
of Aberdeen of the barony of Fetterneir, co. Aberdeen,
which belonged to the Leslies of Balquhain, and had fallen
to the Chapter by reason of nonpayment of the rent, 2
February 1628. 3 The property was afterwards redeemed
20 August 1690 by the Leslie family from Lord Glasfoord. 4
The name of the wife of Hector Abercromby is not known,
but he is said to have had a son, 5
ALEXANDER, who married Jean, daughter of John Seton
of Newark. 6 They had issue :
1. FRANCIS.
2. John of Afforsque. 7
3. Patrick, born at Forfar 1656, and took his degree as
M.D. at St. Andrews 1685. After travelling on the
Continent he returned home, became a Roman
Catholic, and was appointed physician to James vii.
After the Revolution he lived for some years abroad.
Besides a translation of a French book on the
Scottish wars of 1548-49 he wrote The Martial
Achievements of the Scottish Nation, by which his
name is chiefly remembered.
I. FRANCIS ABERCROMBY, the eldest son, born 1654, married
Anne, suo jure Baroness Sempill (see that title), and was
on 6 July 1685 created LORD GLASFOORD for the natural
term of his life only. 8 By a charter of 16 May 1688 not only
the estates but the title of Sempill were confirmed ' to
the longest liver of them in liferent,' but after the death
of his wife in 1695 he appears to have been known only as
1 P. C. Reg., v. 569. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Confirmed 29 January 1631, ibid.
* Hist. Record of the Family of Leslie, iii. 115. 5 Nisbet's Heraldry, App.
130. 6 Ibid. * Ibid. 8 Req. Mag. Sig., lib. Ixx., No. 49.
182 ABEROROMBY, LORD GLASFOORD
Lord Glasfoord. He married, secondly, 1 27 March 1699,
Ohristabella, widow of Sir Giles Byre, one of the Judges
of the King's Bench. They were separated apparently
within a few months, he being a prisoner for debt in the
Fleet, where lie died in November 1703, and was buried on
the 23 of the same month at St. Bride's, Fleet Street. 2
His widow was buried at Whiteparish, Wilts, with her first
husband. Her will was proved February 1710-11.
CREATION. 6 July 1685, Lord Glasfoord.
ARMS (recorded in Lyon Register). Argent, a chevron
engrailed gules between three boars' heads erased azure.
OREST. A cross crosslet fitchee.
MOTTO. In cruce solus.
[j. B. P.]
1 Licence from Bishop of London, Complete Peerage. z One authority
states that the lady eloped from her husband ; another gives as the cause
of separation his being a 'Scotch Papist.' Cf. Complete Peerage and
other authorities there quoted.
BOYLE, EAKL OF GLASGOW
HERB seems to be no
doubt that the lands of
Kelburne in Cunningham
were held by ancestors of
the Earls of Glasgow for
many years before 1292,
when the great fiefs of
Largs and Cunningham,
which came to John
Baliol from Devorgilla his
mother, became merged
in the Crown of Scotland ;
but the records of their
tenure have disappeared :
and for long afterwards
the succession to the
lands can only be inferred
from the occasional occurrence, in records and charters,
of the name and designation of Boyle of Kelburne.
Sir George Mackenzie, who died in 1691, mentions as
extant in his time a * sasine of the lands of Kelburne given
to Richard Boil, eldest son to Boil of Kelburn and
Marjory Cumin his wyfe, daughter to Cumin of Row-
alien, and this was in the reign of K. Al. 3,' (i.e. between
1249 and 1285-86). 1
Sir William Mure of Rowallan, who wrote in or before
1657, mentions a charter of certain lands in the fee of
Rowallan granted by Gilchrist Mor in favour of Avicia
his daughter and the heirs of her body, 2 which was con-
firmed between 1358 and 1370, by Robert, Stewart of Scot-
land, Earl of Stratherne. The original dates from before
the year 1300. A transumpt of the charter of confirmation
1 Brit. Mus. Addl. MSB., 12624, fol. 34. 2 House of Rowallanc, 30.
186 BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW
On 24 July 1417, John Boyle of Oaleburne sat at Irvine
on an assize composed of the best and most trusty men of
the country, to adjudicate, in presence of Robert, Duke of
Albany, the Governor, on opposing claims to certain
lands. 1 On 20 July 1433, Patrick (or Sir Patrick) Boil
of Kelburne witnessed a charter granted by Janet of
Cairns, and dated at the Church of Largs. 2 On 11 October
1446, Robert Boyle of Calburn was witness to a sasine of
the lands of Rysholm given by Robert Boyd, Lord of Kil-
marnock and Baron of Dairy, superior, to John Boyle of
Wamphray. 3 This Robert was possibly succeeded by a son
of the same Christian name, seeing that
ROBERT BOYLE had sasine of the lands of Kelburne in
1456, 4 and paid two pairs of gilt spurs for duplication of his
blench farm. The sale price of these was credited by the
Sheriff of Ayr in his account of receipts from 3 July 1454
to 18 September 1456. 5 He may have had
A son, who died v. p., leaving a son
WILLIAM BOYLE/ who had sasine of Kelburne in or before
1477. 7 He appears as witness to a sasine given to James,
Lord Boyd, 25 October 1482. 8 WiUiam Boyle had sasine 13
July 1493, as heir to Robert Boyle his grandfather, of the
office of Mare or Maor of fee (hereditary Sergeant or
Coroner) within the bounds of the lordship of Largs, the
burn of Polgare on the south and the Caleburne on the
north ; following on a Chancery precept issued on his retour
as heir of his said grandfather. 9
JOHN BOYLE of Kelburne had sasine, 28 October 1495, of
Kelburne and pertinents as lawful heir of William Boyle his
father, proceeding on precept from Chancery ; holding in
1 Muniments of Irvine, Ayr and Galloway Arch. Assoc., i. 19. 2 Muni-
ments of Ayr, Ayr and Wigtown Arch. Assoc., 85. 3 Maxwells of Pollok,
loc. tit. Instrument of this sasine is cited from the Kelburne Charter-
chest by Riddell, and also in Robertson's Ayrshire Families, i. 129. * Index
to Lib. Resp., Exch. Rolls, ix. 665. 5 Exch. Rolls, vi. 175, 6. 6 Or William
may have been son of the second Robert, and grandson of the first the
Robert Boyle of Calburn who witnessed the sasine of Rysholm on 11
October 1446. 7 Lib. Resp., Exch. Rolls, ix. 678. 8 Arch, and Hist.
Collections, Ayr and Wigtown, Ayr and Wigtown Arch. Assoc., iii. 141.
9 Riddell, citing Cal. penes Comitem de Glasgow ; Robertson's Ayrshire
Families, i. 129.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 187
blench farm of the Crown on payment of a pair of spurs. 1
He had a charter from King James v. of the lands of South
Ballochmartine in the Island of Oumbrae and shire of Bute,
dated at Falkland 8 April 1536. 2 He granted the same
lands to his son Robert 6 October 1554. 3 On the last day
of February 1540-41 he had an exemption from personal
military service on account of infirmity. 4 He died between
27 June and 14 August 1555. 5
He seems to have been more than once married. His
elder children were :
1. PATRICK, eldest son, styled * of Polruskane ' ; of him
after.
2. John, second son of John Boyle of Kelburne, had, in
conjunct fee with Katharine Wallace, his spouse, a
Crown charter of feu-farm of the 5-merk lands of
Ballikewin in the Island of Cumbrae and sheriffdom
of Bute, and also of the office of Serjandrie of the
said island ; with remainder to the heirs-male of their
bodies, whom failing, to the eldest heir-female with-
out division ; dated 8 April 1536. 6 On 14 April 1557
he had charter of feu-farm with his said spouse, dated
at Paisley, of the glebe and kirklands of Largs,
granted by John, Archbishop of St. Andrews and
Abbot of Paisley. 7 He was alive 18 September 1583. 8
John Boyle married Katherine Wallace before 8
April 1536. 9 Crawfurd states that this lady (the
wife of John Boyle, first of Bellikewin, 'lineal
ancestor of Bellikewin the heir-male of the old
house of Kelburne ') was daughter of Wallace of
Cairnhill, and widow of Pearstoun. 10 She was probably
the Katharine Wallis who, with Robert Barclay of
Pearstoun her spouse, was grantee in a charter dated
15 September 1518. 11 They had issue :
(1) John, designate as ' younger of Ballikewin ' 29 September
1572 12 to 18 September 1583. 13 He succeeded his father, and
died 20 August 1599. "
1 Riddell, quoting Inv. penes Com. de Glasgow ; Robertson's Ayrshire
Families, i. 129. 2 Beg. Mag. Sig. 3 Vide p. 189. 4 Reg. Sec. Sig., xv.
10. 6 Instruments of Sasine of those dates at Kelburne. 6 Beg. Mag.
Sig. 7 Original at Kelburne. 8 Instrument of Sasine, ibid. 9 Beg. Mag.
Sig. 10 Ms. Baronage, 57. u Writs of the family of Barclay of Perceton.
12 Beg. Mag. Sig., 20 March 1578-79. u Instrument of Sasine at Kelburne.
14 Edinburgh Tests., 30 November 1601.
188 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
He married, first, Jonet Cunningham, daughter of Alex-
ander Cunningham of Toir, by Margaret Barclay ; 1 and
secondly, before 27 February 1593, Marjorie (or Marion)
Fraser, relict of John Montgomerie of Flatt. 2 She seems
to have been of the family of Fraser of Knock. She died in
the year 1601. 3 He had issue by both wives. The eldest
son and his heirs held Ballikewin until 31 March 1721, when
the lands were disponed to John, Lord Boyle. 4
(2) David, second son of the first marriage of John Boyle first of
Ballikewin, had from Alexander Montgomery of Figgidoch,
charter of the 26s. 8d. lands of Figgidoch in the Island of
Greater Cumbrae, with the Manor Place, etc., already
occupied by him, dated 29 September 1572, and confirmed
20 March 1578-79. 5 A Crown charter of feu-farm of the same
lands (plus another half-merk land), dated 20 July 1595, was
granted to him and the heirs-male of his body, whom fail-
ing, to his nearest and lawful heirs-male bearing the name
and arms of Boyle. 6 He died in the month of June 1614. 7
He married, first, before 12 November 1569, Katharine
Boyd, 8 said to have been a daughter of James Boyd, son
to Lord Boyd, 9 and by her had issue :
i. Robert, who purchased the lands of Figgidoch
from Archibald Boyle, his half-brother, 10 and had
sasine thereof 27 January 1616. 11 He died in the
month of September 1626, 12 leaving issue by his wife
Margaret Montgomerie (probably daughter of Hugh
Montgomerie of Portry), 13 who was alive 24 July
1622. 14
ii. James, son of David Boyle of Figgidoch, first ap-
pears as substitute to his brother Robert i. in a
charter of Portry granted in favour of the latter by
Hugh Montgomerie of Portry on 20 April 1583. 15 He
lived at Largs, and was a merchant and shipowner.
On 14 January 1617 he had, with Margaret Crawfurd,
his spouse, Crown charter of the 2-merk lands of
Halkishirst, near Largs, 16 proceeding on the resigna-
tion, made on the same date, of John Erskine of
Halkishirst, his spouse and son. 17 He was alive 3 May
1651. 18
He married, first, contract dated at Glasgow 31
December 1604, Margaret Crawfurd, daughter to the
1 Acts and Decreets, clxii. 201, 19 February 1595 ; Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr,
i. 31, 4 October 1617 ; P. C. Reg., v. 626, 24 June 1594. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig.,
4 May 1597 ; Reg. Sec. Sig., Ixix. f. 192. 3 Edin. Tests., 20 June 1601.
4 Deeds (Mack.), clxxvii., 11 January 1751. 5 Reg. Mag. Sig. 6 Ibid.
7 Reg. Retours in Chancery, vi. 68. 8 Glasgow Protocols, vi. 59. 9 Craw-
furd's MS. Baronage, 57. Reg. of Arms of Peers, Lyon Office, 88. The
Christian names of both parties are incorrectly given at the first of
these references, and the lady's Christian name at the second. 10 Vide
p. 189 ; Reg. of Retours, vi. 68. n Protocol Book of Donald M'Gilchrist,
notary in Rothesay, 1605-1636, fol. 55. 12 Reg. Retours in Chancery,
xix. 219. 13 Crawfurd's MS. Baronage, 57. 14 Part. Reg. Sas., Argyll,
etc., i. 221. 15 Original at Kelburne. 16 Reg. Mag. Sig. 17 Orig. Inst. at
Kelburne. 18 Deeds, Bailie Court of Cunningham, i.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 189
then deceased John Crawfurd, younger of Bedland.
On 1 January 1605, David Boyle of Figgidoch, his
father, who was a party to the contract, gave sasine
propriis manibus to his son and future daughter-in-
law, in implement of some of its provisions, of certain
lands appertaining to him in the parish of Govane. 1
The issue of this marriage was
(i) David, eldest son, who, in 1635, married his
kinswoman Grizel Boyle, heiress of Kelburne,
and continued that line. Of him after,
(ii) James, merchant in Glasgow. 2
(iii) Janet, who was married to James Stewart,
younger, merchant and burgess of Glasgow,
and had issue. 3 She died in the year 1641 ;
her husband survived her. 4
(iv) Margaret, lawful daughter to James Boyle of
Halkishirst, who was married, contract dated
at the Spittle Flat of Fairlie 16 December 1637,
to Robert Blakburne, lawful son of David
Blakburne in Fairlie, 5 and had issue.
James Boyle of Halkishirst married, secondly, con-
tract dated at the Kelburne Place 22 August 1622,
tocher 1000, Jean Barclay, only child of the then
deceased Mr. Gavin Barclay, brother to William
Barclay of Perceton, 6 and burgess of Irvine. 7 This
marriage was dissolved in the beginning of the year
1632 ; 8 the husband had been 'absent from the
country in his trade for two and a half years or
thereby,' before 8 July 1631. 9
iii. Margaret, who was married, contract dated at the
Kirktown of Largs, 5 November 1591, tocher 450
merks, to John M'Gibboun, son of Duncan
M'Gibboun in Kelburnefoot. 10
David married, secondly, Margaret Crawfurd, lawful
daughter of Patrick Crawfurd of Cartsburn, parish Inner-
kip, 11 and relict of John Park of Gilbertfleld. She was
styled his future spouse 17 May 1583. 12 He had issue by
her two sons, Archibald and John, and two daughters.
3. Robert, who had from John Boyle of Kelburne, his
father, a charter of sale of the 5-merk lands of
South Ballochmartine in the island of Greater Gum-
brae, with remainder to the heirs-male of his body,
1 Inst. of Sas. at Kelburne. A John Boyle in Meikle Govane appears
thirty years later (Reg. of Deeds, ccccxciv., 4 and 21 July 1636). 2 Deeds
(Scott), ccccxl., 8 February 1631. 3 Deeds, Com. of Glasgow, 3 April 1650.
4 Glasgow Tests., 16 February 1643. 6 Deeds, Bailie Court of Cunningham,
i., 28 July 1642. Margaret may possibly have been born of the second
marriage. 6 Deeds (Gibson), ccccxlix., 1 February 1632. 7 Acts and
Decreets, cccci. 140, 12 December 1626. 8 Ibid., ccccviii. 385, 18 February
1632 ; Diet Bk. Comot. Court of Edin., 1631-32. 9 Deeds, ccccxlii., 4 August
1631. 10 Deeds, cxcv., 13 June 1612. Glasgow Tests., 17 March 1606.
12 Inst. of Sas. given by David Boyle of Figgidoch, at Kelburne.
190 BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW
whom failing, to the heirs whatsoever of the granter,
and reserving liferent ; dated 6 October 1554, 1 and
confirmed 8 February 1555-56. 2
The arms of Boyle of Ballochmartine are given
in Font's MS., which was compiled in and after the
year 1624, as ' three horns of a hart,' the paternal
coat, 'with a mullet for difference.' 3 As a mullet
was a usual mark of cadency for a third son in
Scotland as elsewhere, 4 it seems a legitimate infer-
ence that Robert came third in the family.
He died in the year 1572. 5 His son and heir,
John, had sasine, 15 June 1574, of the 5-merk lands of Meikle
Ballochmartine, proceeding on a precept from Chancery
dated 8 June, which followed on retour ; the lands having
been two years in non-entry. 6 On 20 July 1595, as kindly
tenant of South Ballochmartine, he had charter of these
lands in feu-farm, with remainder to the heirs-male of his
body, whom failing, to John Boyle of Kelburne and his
heirs-male whatsoever bearing the name and arms of Boyle. 7
He died in the year 1635. 8
He married Marion Crawfurd, 9 with issue. His grandson
sold South Ballochmartine to David Boyle, flar of Kelburne,
on 30 May 1649 ; charter confirmed 9 August 1649. 10
4. William, styled ' in Dumbertaine,' who had sasine, 13
August 1543, of six merks' worth of the lands of
Braidshaw, in the parish of Dairy, to be held of his
father and succeeding superiors in free blench. He
resigned those lands 25 May 1549 in favour of Eliza-
beth Crawfurd, daughter and heir of the then deceased
John Crawfurd of Giffordland (probably his niece). 11
He appears to have acted as tutor to John Boyle of
Polruskane, his nephew, and to have married and left
issue a son and a daughter.
5. John, of Dalgarnock. 12
6. Archibald, who was concerned in the slaughter of Sir
Neil Montgomerie of Lainshaw in the month of June
1547. 13 He probably became kindly tenant of Rysholm,
1 Original at Kelburne. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Copy at Lyon Office.
4 Seton's Law and Practice of Heraldry in Scotland, 87. 6 Inst. of Sas.,
dated 15 June 1574, at Kelburne. fl Ibid. 7 Beg. Mag. Sig. 8 Reg.
Retours in Chancery, xxxvii. 184. 9 Charter at Kelburne, dated 11
February 1606 ; Protocol Book of Donald M'Gilchrist, 9 November 1612.
10 Reg. Mag. Sig. n Writs at Kelburne. 12 Acts and Decreets, xxiii.
275, 14 March 1561-62. 13 Contract dated 10 February 1560-61, Boyd Papers,
Kilmarnock, printed in Memorials of the Montgomeries, ii. 155.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
191
and had, with Robert, Lord Boyd, and others, a re-
mission from King James vi., dated 8 September 1571,
for having opposed his authority at Langside, etc. 1
7. Elizabeth is said to have been a daughter of John
Boyle of Kelburne, and to have been married to
Robert Cunningham, second son, and eventually heir,
of Robert Cunningham of Auchinharvie. He suc-
ceeded his brother Edward, who was slain by Nigel
Montgomerie, son of Hugh, Earl of Eglinton, before
13 March 1523. 2
8. Margaret, first wife of John Crawfurd of Giffordland
(who was killed at the battle of Pinkie 10 September
1547), is also given as a daughter of John Boyle. 3
John Boyle of Kelburne married, lastly, Agnes Ross, 4
who survived him. 5 By her 6 he had :
9. John.
10. Andrew.
11. Margaret.
12. Elisabeth.
13. Janet, who possibly was married to James Jamieson
of Halie Jamieson, near Largs, and left issue. 7
14. Katharine.
PATRICK BOYLE (of Polruskane), son and heir-apparent
of John Boyle of Kelburne, had a charter of sale, dated 21
September 1542, granted by his kinsman, Archibald Boyle of
Rysholm, of the 4-merk land of the Mains of Rysholm. 8
He died v. p. His name disappears from record about 1547,
and he may perhaps have been killed at the battle of
Pinkie. He was summoned to appear before the Lords of
Council 12 March 1548, as were also John Boyle his son and
apparent heir, and others, including Mungo Mure of Row-
allan ; 8 but the latter certainly fell at Pinkie. 10 Patrick
Boyle's son,
JOHN BOYLE, after the death of his father, and before
that of his grandfather, was styled 'of Polruskane.' 11 On
1 Boyd Papers, Abbotsford Misc., i. 29. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig., 27 June 1528.
3 Robertson's Ayrshire Families, i. 213. * Beg. Mag. Sig., 8 February
1555-56. 6 Acts and Decreets, xxiii. 275, 14 March 1561-62. 6 Ibid, t Sec.
Reg. Ayr, iv. 110, 12 April 1608. 8 Original at Kelburne. 9 Acta Dom.
Cone, et Sess., xxv. 147B. 10 Lib. Resp., Exch, Rolls, xviii. 433. E.g.
Acts and Decreets, xi. 53, 6 April 1555.
192 BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW
28 April 1549 John Boyle of Kelburne granted the lands of
Kelburne to John Boyle, his grandson and apparent heir,
by a charter which was confirmed 29 May 1549. 1 On 9
May 1554 John Boyle, grandson and heir-apparent of John
Boyle of Kelburne, had sasine, as undoubted and nearest
heir of the deceased Patrick Boyle, his father, of the 4-
merk land of the Mains of Bysholm. 2 He died before 26
February 1559-60. 3
He married Agnes Fraser, who survived him, and was
married, secondly, before 14 March 1561-62, to Patrick
Crawfurd of Auchinames. 4 She is said to have been
daughter of John Fraser of Knock by Margaret, only child
and heir of Sir John Stuart of Glanderston. 5 She died 6
January 1595. 6 By her John Boyle of Kelburne had :
1. JOHN, who succeeded ; of him after.
2. Thomas, who became a notary 7 and a burgess of
Irvine, and was afterwards tutor of Galston. 8 He
died in the month of August 1614. 9 He married
Janet Barclay (styled Lady Galston), relict of
William Stewart, younger of Galston, 10 and by her 11
had issue.
3. Margaret, who was married to John Cunningham of
Oaddell, son of John Ounningham of Glengarnock. 12
JOHN BOYLE of Kelburne was of lawful age when he
succeeded his father (before 26 February 1559-60). On 1
June 1560 he had sasine of the lands of Kelburne, etc.,
proceeding on precept of clare constat from Chancery in
his favour as heir of his father. 13 On 15 July 1583 he was
served heir to his great-grandfather (John Boyle) in the
office of Maor of fee within the bounds of the lordship of
Largs, etc. 14 He was a most zealous loyalist in the service
of Queen Mary during the civil wars. 15 On 21 November
1 Beg. Mag. Sig. 2 Orig. Instrument at Kelburne. 3 Crown Letters
narrated in Prec. of Cl. Const, from Chancery, contained in Inst. of Sas.
at Kelburne, dated 1 June 1560. * Acts and Decreets, xxiii. 275, 14 March
1561-62 ; Edin. Tests., 5 July 1596. 6 Robertson's Ayrshire Families, i. 352.
8 Edin. Tests., loc. tit. 7 Ibid. ; charter by Sir Robert Fairlie, at Kelburne,
dated 10 June 1608. 8 Deeds (Scott), clxxx. 27 February 1611. 9 Glasgow
Tests., 2 May 1616. 10 Deeds, clix. 154 ; Gen. Reg. of Inhib., 1st Ser., v. 353.
11 Test, supra tit. 12 Edin. Tests., 5 July 1596 ; Crawfurd's Peerage,
171; Robertson's Ayrshire Families, i. 130, 286; Reg. Mag. Sig. ,8 March
1574-75. 13 Inst. of Sas. at Kelburne ; Lib. Resp., Exch. Rolls, xix. 455.
14 Retours, Inq. Spec. Ayr [723]. 15 Crawfurd's Peerage, 171.
193
1577 he seems to have executed a bond of man-rent in
favour of Robert, Lord Boyd, under the style of John Boyle
of Rysholm, whereby he bound himself, with his household,
tenants, and friends, etc., to ride with the said noble lord. 1
He executed a disposition and settlement by way of con-
tract with John Boyle, his eldest son and apparent heir,
dated 31 October 1610, 2 and died on 1 August 1611. 3
He married Marion Orawfurd, second daughter of Hugh
Orawfurd of Kilbirnie. Her mother was Isobel Barclay, 4
daughter of David Barclay of Ladyland, 5 second wife of
the said Hugh. Marion Crawfurd died in the month of
October 1596. 6 John Boyle had by her : 7
1. JOHN, who succeeded ; of him after.
2. Robert, who was educated at the University of
Glasgow and laureated in 1604. 8 He settled in Ireland,
and was at Carrickmacross on 22 May 1665. He
married and had an only child :
(1) Marie, who had been married, before that date, to George
Makullo. 9
3. James, who seems to have been educated at the
University of Glasgow, 10 became a writer in Edin-
burgh, 11 and was Procurator-Fiscal of the Commis-
sariot of Glasgow from the year 1623 till his death, 12
and Chamberlain of the barony of Glasgow. 13 He died
between 12 March and 13 June 1639. 14 He married
Margaret Smyth. 15
4. William, 16 who on 30 August 1632 undertook to raise a
company of 100 soldiers and transport them to Melville,
in Spruisland, for service under himself as captain in
the regiment commanded by Sir George Cunningham,
Knight, in the army of Gustavus Adolphus." He
1 Boyd Papers, Abbotsford Misc., i. 43. 2 Deeds (Scott), clxxvii. 239, 13
November 1610. 3 Acts and Decreets, cccxxii. 43, 20 February 1618.
4 Edin. Tests., 15 June 1590. 5 Laurus Crawfurdiana, by George Craw-
furd, MS. Adv. Lib. ; Robertson's Ayrshire Families, i. 232. 6 Edin,
Tests., 2 June 1601. 7 Ibid, 8 Munimenta Alme Univ. Glasg., iii. 9, 64.
9 Correspondence at Kelburne. 10 Mun. AL Univ. Glasg., iii. 65. n Deeds,
cciii., 10 December 1612 ; ccxcv. , 28 June 1620. 12 Glasgow Comot. Records ;
Acts and Decreets, ccclxxii. 170, 27 March 1623, and ccccxix. 170, 14 January
1629. 13 Glasgow Tests., 6 September 1633. Decreets, Comot. of Glasgow,
xiii. 15 Deeds, Comot. of Glasgow, xiii., 21 September 1633. 16 Deeds
(Scott), clxxvii. 239, 13 November 1610. 17 Deeds (Hay), cccclxviii., 23
November 1633; P. C. Reg., 2nd Series, iii. 208.
VOL. IV. N
194 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
seems subsequently to have lived at Kelburnefoot ;
and to have purchased in 1638 from his kinsman,
William Boyle of Ballikewin, the glebe and kirklands
of Largs, commonly called Downiescroft, 1 which
were afterwards acquired by David Boyle of Kel-
burne. 2
He married, first, Christian Power, daughter of
Hew Power, merchant, 3 and secondly, Elizabeth
Maxwell, by whom he had issue.
5. Jean, married, before 24 May 1592, to William Barclay
of Perceton, 4 who died in the month of August 1628. 5
She died in the month of July 1631. 6
6. Marion, married, first, before 31 July 1599, 7 to Mr.
Matthew Ross of Hayning Ross, par. Riccarton, who
died in the month of October 1617. 8 She was married,
secondly, as his third wife, 9 contract dated 1 Sep-
tember 1620, and postnuptial contract, passed with
consent of John Boyle of Kelburne, her brother, dated
2 November 1626, to the Most Reverend James Law,
Archbishop of Glasgow, 10 by whom she had no issue."
He died 13th October 1632. She erected a monument
to his memory in the Lady Chapel of St. Mungo's
Cathedral at Glasgow, where he was buried. 12 She
died in the month of November 1636. 13
7. Isobell, who was married, contract dated at Paisley 1
October 1606, to Alexander Bruce, eldest son of John
Bruce of Auchinbowie, co. Stirling. 14
8. Margaret, who was married, contract dated at the
Canongate and Kelburne 30 May and 18 June 1613,
tocher 4500 merks, to Mr. William Hamilton of
Wadderhill, par. Crombie, co. Fife, son of John
Hamilton of Blair. 15 On 23 September 1643 he is
1 Charter of alienation, dated 14 September 1637 and 12 April 1638, at
Kelburne ; Deeds (Mack.), Dxiv., 16 August 1638. 2 Charter dated 10
October 1653, at Kelburne. 3 Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, i. 231, 27 August
1618. 4 Proc. of Resig., dated 24 May 1592, at Kelburne ; Reg. Sec. Sig.,
Ixiv. 35, 19 June 1592. 5 Glasgow Tests., 21 November 1628. Ibid., 9
April 1632. 7 Edin. Tests., 2 June 1601. 8 Glasgow Tests., 17 April 1618.
9 Diet. Nat. Biography. 10 Deeds, cccclxxxiv., 5 March 1635. n Craw-
f urd's MS. Baronage, 307. 12 Eyre Todd's Book of Glasgow Cathedral, 193,
416, 417. 13 Glasgow Tests., 8 June 1637. 14 Deeds (Scott), cxxxviii., 25
November 1607. 15 Acquittances by Mr. William Hamilton, dated 20
September 1613 and 8 September 1614, and charter granted by him on
17 April 1619, at Kelburne.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 195
designate 'late of Loughmuck.' His spouse was
then alive. 1 Loughmuck was in co. Down. 2
9. Agnes, who was married to her kinsman John Boyle,
eldest lawful son of John Boyle of South Balloch-
martine ; she was his future spouse 11 February
1606. 3 She died between 30 May and 9 August
1649. 4
10. Elisabeth, who is mentioned with the other younger
children in her mother's testament, 5 was married to
Robert Sempill, burgess of Renfrew, styled 'of
Mylnbank,' 6 said to have been a relative of Robert,
Lord Sempill. 7
All six daughters had issue. 8
JOHN BOYLE of Kelburne, born about 1585, was admitted
a student of the University of Glasgow 10 March 1601. 9
He was ' a learned gentleman, especially in the law ' ; 10 and
Robert, sixth Lord Boyd, writing to Thomas, Earl of Mel-
rose, on 30 May 1627, says of him, ' he is thoght to be ane
verie wyse man.' " On 23 May 1618 he had sasine of
Rysholm, etc., as heir to his father, proceeding on precept
of clare constat from the superior. 12 On 25 October 1626
he was appointed member of a commission for searching for
papists, etc. 13 In or before 1628 he was appointed, by the
heritors of the sheriffdom of Ayr, one of two commissioners
for attending the commission concerning the royal edict
of revocation of church lands. 14 On 9 July 1628 he had a
grant of the office of Commissary of Glasgow, 15 but he had
acted as judge of the Commissary Court there from October
1625, and he continued to discharge the duties of the office
until July 1638. 16 M'Ure says 'he was forced to dispone
the office to those that had the power in their hands
after the troubles began, because he was very firm and
1 Deeds, Comot. of Glasgow, xvi., Discharges, 13 June 1645. 2 Anderson's
House of Hamilton, 235. 3 Charter of that date granted by 'John Boyle
of South Ballochmartine, at Kelburne. 4 Reg. Mag. Sig., 9 August 1649.
'' Edin. Tests., 2 June 1601. Acts and Decreets, cccclxxiii., 349, 31 July
1634 ; Crawfurd's Peerage, 172. 7 Wood's Douglas's Peerage, ii. 494.
8 Crawfurd's Peerage, loc. cit. Mun. Al. Univ. Glasg., iii. 64. 10 M'Ure's
City of Glasgow, 86. u Memorials of the Earls of Haddington, ii. 154-
155. 12 Gen. Beg. Sas., ii. 22, 13 July 1618. 13 Reg. Mag. Sig. u Reg. of
Deeds, nvi., 22 June 1637. 15 Original at Kelburne. 1G Glasgow Comot.
Records.
196 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
an inflexible royalist.' ' He was elected Rector of the
University of Glasgow 1 March 1630, and again 1 March
1637. 2 On 12 October 1630 he was nominated member of
an important commission for the revision of the law of
Scotland. 3 On 5 August 1631 he had from William, Viscount
of Stirling, a disposition of sale and resignation of the
superiority of the lands of Kelburne, Halyblair, Halkishirst,
and Kirkland, and of the barony of the burgh of Largs, etc. 4
In 1633 he was appointed a commissioner for the valuation
of teinds; 5 and on 21 October 1634, as Commissary of
Glasgow, member of a commission for the suppression of
papistical practices. 6 He remained a staunch and zealous
royalist till his death, 7 in the month of May 1650. 8
He married, contract dated at Glasgow, 9 March 1611,
Agnes Maxwell, only surviving daughter of the then de-
ceased Sir John Maxwell of Nether Pollok, Knight ; tocher
9000 merks. The contract passed with consent of Sir John
Maxwell of Nether Pollok, Knight, her brother. 9 It was
expressly arranged before the marriage that if her brother
should predecease her without issue, and Agnes should
therefore be entitled to succeed him in any of his lands,
she was to renounce them, with consent of her husband,
in favour of Sir John's heir-male. In accordance with
this agreement she and her only child nearly forty years
afterwards consented to the disposition of the estate of
Pollok by Sir John Maxwell, in favour of his heir-male. 10
The lands of Polruskane and Maldislands were settled in
liferent upon Agnes Maxwell by the bridegroom ; and when,
with her consent, these lands were sold in 1632, other
lands were substituted for them. 11 Lady Gertrude Oochrane, 12
as representing Agnes Maxwell, is now heir of line of the
original family of Maxwell of Pollok. 13 Agnes Maxwell was
alive 22 March 1665. 14
John Boyle of Kelburne had by her an only child,
1 Loc. cit. 2 Mun. Al. Univ. Glasg., iii. 320, 322. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig.
4 Reg. of Deeds, cccclxxxix., 8 December 1635. The Viscount had right
to the barony under a Crown charter dated 11 April 1629 (Reg. Mag. Sig.),
but it does not appear why the lands were included in the disposition.
5 A eta Parl. Scot., v. 37. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig. 7 Crawfurd's Peerage,
172. 8 Reg. of Retours in Chancery, xxi. 187, 7 September 1653. 9 Cart,
of Pollok Maxwell, 363. 10 Maxwells of Pollok, \. 42. Part. Reg. Sas.,
Ayr, vi. 12, 28 April 1633. 12 Vide p." 219. 13 Crawfurd's Renfrew con-
tinued by Robertson, 282. n Gen. Reg. Sas., xi. 365. 27 March 1655.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 197
GRIZEL BOYLE, who was married, contract dated at
Edinburgh 5 August 1635, to her kinsman David Boyle,
eldest son of James Boyle of Halkishirst, mentioned above
(p. 189). 1 She was served heir of John Boyle of Kelburne,
her father, in Bysholm, etc., 7 September 1653, 2 and was
alive in 1685. 3
David Boyle had sasine of Halkishirst from his father,
and of Kelburne from John Boyle of Kelburne, also of
Rysholm, etc., in conjunct fee with Grizel his future spouse,
22 August 1635. 4 He acquired the lands of South Balloch-
martine in 1649, Figgidoch in 1651, Downiescroft in 1653, 5
and the lands and barony of Fairlie in 1657, 6 besides other
lands. He was Commissioner of Supply for Ayrshire and
Bute in 1656 and 1659, Commissioner of Excise for Ayrshire,
and a Justice of Peace in 1663.' He died in the year 1672. 8
He had by Grizel Boyle :
1. JOHN, who succeeded ; of him after.
2. James, a merchant, burgess, and several times
Provost of Irvine. 9 On 28 July 1665, as nominee of
Mr. Robert Barclay, he had disposition of the estate
of Montgomerieston in the parish of Kirkmichael,
co. Ayr, 10 and on 4 March 1668 he had charter of the
same lands (wherein he is designate second lawful son
of David Boyle of Kelburne), in conjunct fee with
his future spouse. 11 He had commissions, dated 19
July 1681 and 18 March 1685, to represent the burgh
of Irvine in the Parliament of Scotland. 12 He was
Commissioner of Supply for Ayrshire in 1690. 13 He died
before 28 February 1710. 14
He married, contract dated at Irvine 27 February
1668, Janet Barclay, who was the youngest lawful
daughter of Mr. Robert Barclay, late Provost of
Irvine ; and with her he got 20,000 merks, the estate
1 Orig. cont. at Kelburne ; Deeds (Gibson), Dxxxvi. 229, 13 May 1642.
2 Ret., Inq. Spec. Ayr [452]. 3 Bond regd. 17 November 1686, Deeds,
Sheriff Court of Ayr. 4 Part. Reg. Sets., Ayr, vi. 384, 388, and 400. 5 Vide
supra, pp. 189, 190, and 194 ; orig. char, and Inst. of Sas. of Figgidoch are in
the Kelburne Charter-chest. Gen. Reg. Sas., xiv. 223, 17 February 1658 ;
Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, iii. 294, 8 January 1658. "* Acta Parl. Scot., vi. vii.
8 Crawfurd's Peerage, 172. 9 Mun. of Irvine, supra cit. 10 Part. Reg.
Sas., Ayr, ii. 199, 28 July 1668 ; Cont. of Marriage, infra cit. " Reg. Sec.
Sig., iv. 397. 12 Parly. Return of Members of Parliament, 1 March 1878,
pt. ii. 584, 586. 13 Acta Parl. Scot., ix. 140A. " Retour of his son, infra cit.
198 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
of Montgomerieston, and property in Irvine. 1 In con-
sequence he took for a time the name of Barclay. He
left by his wife one son and two daughters.
3. Patrick, styled * of Smiddieshaw ' jure uxoris, 2 was a
burgess of Irvine, and bailie of the burgh in 1687 ; 3
he is also styled collector of Irvine. 4 He died be-
tween 8 March 1716 5 and 31 January 1721. 6
He married, before 16 December 1712, Margaret
Orawfurd, only lawful daughter and heir of William
Crawfurd of Smiddieshaw, par. Dalgain (Sorn), 7 by
whom he had an only daughter, Margaret, who died,
unmarried, before 13 February 1740. 8
4. Robert, son lawful to David Boyle of Kelburne, was
bound prentice to Charles Gray, merchant in Glas-
gow, in the year 1657. 9 He acted as attorney at a
sasine 24 March 1663. 10
5. Thomas, brother-german to John Boyle of Kelburne, 11
appears to have settled in Ireland, and to have been
styled * of Tullochdonell, co. Louth,' on 19 December
1680."
6. Mary, eldest daughter, 13 was married, contract dated
15 April 1670, 14 and confirmed 4 June 1670, 15 to William
Wallace of Shewalton, and had issue.
7. Grizel, who was alive and unmarried 15 October
1673. 18
JOHN BOYLE, eldest son and apparent heir to David Boyle
of Kelburne, was educated at the University of Glasgow."
He, with his future spouse, had sasine of Kelburne 22
March 1665, proceeding on contract of marriage ; the life-
rent of his parents being reserved. 18 He had commission
1 Orig. cont. at Kelburne. 2 Gen. Reg. Sas., xxxiv. 163 ; Reg. of Tailzies,
v. 96, No. 139, 30 July 1715. 3 Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, vii. 168 ; Mun. of
Irvine, etc., ii. 312. * Deeds (Dalrymple), cxiv., 2 February 1721. 6 Deeds,
Sheriff Court of Ayr, 18 July 1716. Deeds (Dalrymple), cxiv., 2 February
1721. 7 Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, vii. 295, 296, 16 January 1713. 8 Deeds
(Mack.), clxxvii., 16 April 1751. 9 Writ at Kelburne. 10 Gen. Reg. Sas.,
v. 294, 30 March 1663. ll Ibid., xxxiv. 163, 5 October 1674. 12 Indenture
at Kelburne. 13 Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, ii. 413, 16 May 1670. " Orig. cont.
in Shewalton Charter-chest ; Robertson's Ayrshire Families, iii. 75, 76.
16 Reg. Sec. Sig., v. 294. In this charter of confirmation the lady's name
is erroneously given as Margaret. 1G Writs at Kelburne. ir Ms. at Kel-
burne ; Mun, Aim. Univ. Glasg., iii. 105. 18 Gen. Reg. Sas., xi. 365, 27
March 1665.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 199
19 January 1671 to act as Sheriff of Bute during the
minority of Sir James Stewart, the hereditary Sheriff ; 1
and on 7 June 1678, 28 June 1681, and 14 March 1685,
he received commissions to represent Buteshire in the
Convention of Estates and Parliament of Scotland. 2 He
was Commissioner of Supply for Ayrshire in 1678 and 1685. 3
On 2 March 1680 he had commission from the Treasury
to supervise the levy of customs duties between Ayr and
Glasgow. 4 He acquired the lands of Hareshawmuir in 1681. 5
On 28 February 1683 he was appointed Crown Commissioner
for the forfeited estates of Argyll and Largie, 6 and held the
post until his death. 7 On 28 July 1683 he was appointed
head of a commission to take evidence against rebels, etc. 8
On 29 August 1684 he had commission to administer the
test to custom-house officials. 9 In 1685 he was appointed
Deputy Lieutenant to John, Marquis of Atholl, Lord-
Lieutenant of Argyll and Tarbet, 10 and on 20 May 1685
he was nominated Joint Commissary-General of the King's
army assembling under George, Earl of Dumbarton, for the
suppression of Argyll's rebellion. 11 He was appointed a
Lord of the Articles in 1685. 12 He is said to have died
October 1685. 13
He married, first, contract dated 11 and 22 March 1665,
Marion Steuart, eldest daughter of Sir Walter Steuart of
Allanton, Knight. 14 By her, 15 who died shortly before 15
January 1672, 16 he had :
1. DAVID, who succeeded ; afterwards first Earl of Glas-
gow ; of him after.
2. John" who became a surgeon. He was alive 20 May
1693, 18 and appears to have been dead before 2 July
1715. 19
1 Acta Privy Council, 19 January 1671, fol. 445. 2 Return, supra cit,,
pt. ii. 582, 584, 586. 3 Acta Parl. Scot., viii. 4 Treas. Sederunt Bks., iii. ;
Com. dated 29 August 1684, at Kelburne. 5 Reg. Sec. Sig., ii. 529.
6 Treas. Sederunt Bks., iii. T Ibid., viii. 184, 31 December 1694. 8 Acta,
Privy Council, 1682-85. 9 Orig. at Kelburne. 10 Deeds, lix., 16 December
1686. " Treas. Sederunt Bks., iv. 12 Acta Parl. Scot., viii. 457B. 13 Reg.
Ret. in Chancery, xxxix. 714, 25 February 1686 ; Crawfurd's Peerage, 172.
14 Ch. of Conf. dated 23 June 1665, Reg. Sec. Sig., iii. 35; Ditto of 13
January 1671, at Kelburne ; Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. Ixii. No. 277, fol. 118.
15 Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. Ixix., No. 165, fol. 75s. 16 Correspondence at Kel-
burne. 17 Gt. Seal Ch. of Conf. dated 7 March 1684 at Kelburne. 18 Will
of his brother Walter at Kelburne. 19 Reg. of Tailzies, v. 96, No. 139.
200
3. Walter, 1 son lawful to John Boyle of Kelburne, entered
prentice for five years to Edward Burd, skipper, 13
August 1684, 2 and subsequently joined the Royal
Navy. While serving on board H.M.S. Sussex he made
a will, dated 20 May 1693, which appears never to
have been proved. 3 He probably died shortly after-
wards.
4. Mr. William, who became a writer in Edinburgh. 4
He was appointed one of the Commissioners of H.M.'s
Customs in North Britain 5 June 1707, and again 18
July 1709 ; 5 and one of the Salt Commissioners for
Scotland 9 April 1713. 6 He acquired the Shewalton
estates from Edward Wallace his cousin, disposition
dated 15 February 1715. 7 Sir Alexander Cuninghame
of Corshill, his brother-in-law, having died deeply in
debt, Mr. William purchased his principal estate of
Corshill at a judicial sale, 8 apparently under a family
arrangement ; and afterwards his lands of Stewarton. 9
He executed a bond of tailzie, dated 23 July 1735,
settling Shewalton on the Honourable Patrick Boyle
his nephew, with remainder to the Honourable Patrick
Boyle his grand-nephew, and providing that if ever
his brother Lord Glasgow's heir of entail in posses-
sion of Kelburne should succeed to Shewalton, or
his own heir of entail to the Kelburne estates,
Shewalton was to go to the second son of the heir of
entail so succeeding at his death. 10 He died unmarried
19 February 1740."
5. Margaret, only lawful daughter, was married, contract
dated at Kelburne 28 October 1686, and passed with
consent of David Boyle of Kelburne her brother-
german, tocher 10,000 Scots, to Sir Alexander
Cuninghame of Corshill, Knight and Baronet, who
was then under age, 12 and had issue.
John Boyle of Kelburne married, secondly, contract dated
1 Ch. of Conf. dated 7 March 1684, supra tit. * Prentice Rolls, Council
Chambers, Edinr. 3 Orig. at Kelburne. * Gen. Reg. Sas., Ixxxvi. 216,
16 February 1705. 6 Patent Rolls, 6 Anne, pt. vi. No. 16, and 8 Anne, pt. ii.
No. 8. Ibid. 7 Deeds (Dalrymple), cxvi., pt. L, 4 January 1722 ; Gen.
Reg. Sas., cxi. 372, 375, 377. 8 Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, vii. 419, 14 March
1733. 9 Gen. Reg. Sas., clix., 27, 2 December 1737. 10 Deeds (Dalrymple),
cliii., 11 February 1743. Glasg. Tests., 30 January 1741. 2 Orig. at
Kelburne.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 201
28 April 1676, Jean Mure, daughter of the then deceased
Sir William Mure of Rowallan, Knight, and relict of Gavin
Ralston, Younger, of that Ilk (her contract of marriage
with whom was dated 25 February 1671 ; l the marriage was
solemnised 9 March following). 2 She brought to her second
husband as tocher a sum of 1800 merks in cash and an
annualrent of 1600 merks. 3 By her 4 he had two sons :
6. James, fifth son, who was admitted student of the
University of Glasgow 16 February 1694. 5 He was
alive on 13 February 1702, 6 but appears to have been
dead before 11 November 1706. 7
7. Robert, 8 who seems to have died before 13 February
1702. 9
I. DAVID BOYLE, afterwards first Earl of Glasgow, was born
in 1666. 10 He was a student of the University of Glasgow
8 February 1681. " He was served heir in general to John
Boyle of Kelburne, his father, 7 January 1686, 12 was a Com-
missioner of Supply for Ayrshire in the same year, 13 and
again in 1690 and 1704; and for Buteshire in 1689, 1696,
and 1704. 14 He had commission, dated 5 March 1689, to
represent Buteshire in the Convention of the Estates of
Scotland ; 15 and sat again in Parliament for the same
constituency from 15 March 1689 till 31 January 1699. 1 '
On 16 March 1689 he signed the Act affirming the legality
of the meeting of the Estates summoned by the Prince
of Orange. 17 On 7 August 1689 he had letters of disposition
of the hereditary office of Sheriff of Bute, granted by Sir
James Stuart of Bute, 18 who had, it is said, declined to
take the oath of allegiance to William in. ; but on 23
September 1692 he resigned the office into the hands of
Sir James. 19 He was elected Rector of the University of
Glasgow 18 March 1690. 20 On 29 June 1693 he became one
1 Robertson's Ayrshire Families, ii. 262. 2 Edin. Marriage Reg. 3 Orig.
cont. at Kelburne. 4 Ch. of Confn. dated 7 March 1684, supra cit. 6 Mun.
Al. Univ. Glasg., iii. 154. 6 Inst. of Resign, of that date at Kelburne.
7 Proc. of Resign, of that date, ibid. 8 Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. Ixix., No. 165,
f ol. 75s. 9 Inst. of Resign. , supra cit. 10 Ms. Family History at Kelburne.
11 Mun. Al. Univ. Glasg., iii. 137. 12 Ret., Inq. Gen. [6693]. 13 Ada Parl.
Scot., viii. 588A. 14 Acta Parl. Scot. 15 Return supra cit., pt. ii. 589.
10 Ibid., 592. " Acta Parl. Scot., ix. 9u. 18 Gen. Reg. Sas., lix. 444, 28
October 1689. 19 Ibid., Ixxxiv. 209, 2 February 1704. 20 Mun. Al. Univ,
Glasg., iii. 328.
202 BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW
of the tacksmen for the additional excise, 1 and held that
position until 29 July 1699. 2 In 1694 he sold the lands of
Halkshill (or Halkishirst), and others. 3 On 14 May 1695 he
was chosen to act on the committee of Parliament for the
security of the kingdom. 4 On 10 September 1696 he signed
the ' Association ' for the defence of King William in. 6
He took his seat in the Privy Council 8 June 1697, on
nomination by royal letter dated at Kensington 31 March
1697. 6 On 10 January 1699 he was appointed member of
the Oommission of Parliament for settling the communica-
tions of trade, 7 and took the oath of allegiance. 8 On 31
January 1699 he was created a Peer by the title of LORD
BOYLE OF KELBURN, STEWARTOUN, OUMBRAE,
FINNIOK, LARGS and DALRY, with remainder to his
issue-male, whom failing to his heirs-male whatsoever. 9
On 25 August 1702 he was nominated one of the Com-
missioners to treat for a Union between England and
Scotland. 10 On 2 January 1703 he was appointed a Com-
missioner of the Treasury and Treasurer Depute of Scot-
land, 11 and he took the oath de fideli administrations 25
March 1703. 12 On 12 April 1703 he was advanced to the
dignity of EARL OF GLASGOW, VISCOUNT KEL-
BURN, and LORD BOYLE of STEWARTON, OUM-
BRAES, FENWIOK, LARGS, and DALRY, with
remainder to his heirs-male whatsoever, 13 and on 11 Feb-
ruary 1707 he had a charter of ratification erecting his
estates into the Earldom of Glasgow. 14 He was a steady
supporter of the Protestant succession, and of the Duke of
Queensberry's administration of Scottish affairs. He was
again appointed Treasurer Depute 11 June 1705. 15 On
27 February 1706 he was appointed a member of the second
Union Commission, 16 and he took a principal part in carry-
ing on the negotiations and perfecting the treaty. On 31
July 1706 he had a commission from Queen Anne as Bailie
of the Regality of Glasgow, on the resignation of Charles,
1 BIcs. ofExch., 30 June 1693. - Deeds (Durie), xcviii., 4 February 1702.
3 Ibid., Ixxxv., 23 June 1696. 4 Acta Parl. Scot., ix. 351s. 5 Ibid., x. 10u.
6 Reg. Sec. Sig., Acta 1696-99. 7 Acta Parl. Scot, x. App. 107s. 8 Ibid.,
108A. 9 Ibid., 188 ; Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. Ixxv. fol. 107. 10 Acta Parl. Scot.,
xi. App. 14oB. n Orig. Commission at Kelburne ; Acta Parl. Scot., xi. 37s.
12 Treas. Sederunt Bks., x. 264. 13 Acta Parl. Scot., xi. 120B ; Reg. Mag.
Sig., lib. Ixxix. 294, No. 111. 14 Acta Parl. Scot., xi. App. 13oA ; orig. at
Kelburne. 15 Acta Parl. Scot., xi. 212. 16 Ibid., xi. App. 162B.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 203
Duke of Richmond and Lennox. 1 He was High Commis-
sioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in 1706, 2 and from 1707 to 1710 inclusive. 3 He was chosen
to attend the first Parliament of Great Britain as a Repre-
sentative Peer 13 February 1707, 4 and was re-elected at
the general election of 1708. 5 On 16 June 1708 he was
appointed Lord Clerk Register, 6 and held the office until
1714. On the alarm of a Jacobite invasion in 1715 he
offered to maintain 1000 men at his own expense for the
King's service ; and received a suitable acknowledgment
of this timely proposal from King George I. through
Charles, Viscount Townshend, Secretary of State for the
Northern Department. 7 He took an active part in pro-
moting the arming and disciplining of the fencible men of
Ayrshire, and was present at a muster of 6000 of them
at Irvine 22 August 1715. 8 He acquired the lands of
Polkelly in 1699, 9 and entailed his estates on his heirs-
male 2 July 1715. 10 He died at Kelburne 31 October, and
was buried at Largs 7 November 1733. 11
He married, first, 19 April 1687, 12 Margaret Lindsay,
who died in the year 1695, aged twenty-six. 13 She was
elder daughter of the then deceased Honourable Patrick
Lindsay (or Lindsay-Crawfurd) of Kilbirnie, jure uxoris,
(second son of John, tenth Lord Lindsay of the Byres,
seventeenth Earl of Crawfurd, and first Earl of Lindsay),
by Margaret Crawfurd, youngest lawful daughter of the
then deceased Sir John Crawfurd of Kilbirnie, Knight. 14 The
contract of marriage, which passed with consent of John
Crawfurd of Kilbirnie, her brother (afterwards created
Viscount Garnock), was executed at Leslie on the day of
celebration, 19 April 1687; tocher 9000 merks. 15 Sir John
Orawfurd had, on 31 July 1662, executed an entail settling
1 Reg. Mag. Sig., Paper Reg., xv. 360. 2 Ibid., xv. 325. 3 Orig. Com-
missions at Kelburne. 4 Acta Parl. Scot., xi. 431 A. 6 Robertson's Proc.
rel. to the Peerage of Scotland, 37. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig., Paper Reg., xv. 402.
7 Letter at Kelburne from Lord Carleton to the Earl of Glasgow, dated
London, 6 August 1715 ; Rec. Off. MS. State Pap., H. O. 1688-1760, bundle 8,
No. 9; Rae's Hist, of the late Rebellion, 186. 8 Charles's Hist, of Trans,
in Scotland, i. 249. 9 Writs at Kelburne. 10 Reg. of Tailzies, v. 96, No.
139. n Largs Register. 12 Copy Mar. Cert, at Kelburne. 13 Ms. Family
History at Kelburne. 14 Double of the Honourable Patrick Lindsay's
orig. Cont. of Mar. dated 15 December 1664, preserved at Kelburne ; Gen.
Reg. Sas., vi. 279, 27 June 1663. 15 Deeds (Durie), cccxxvi. 269, 12 January
1809.
204
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
his estates on his daughter Margaret and her issue; 1 in
virtue of which, on the death (21 November 1833) of Lady
Mary Lindsay-Orawfurd (the last descendant in the male
line of the Honourable Patrick Lindsay and Margaret Craw-
furd), George, fourth Earl of Glasgow, as next heir of the
said Margaret, succeeded to Kilbirnie, etc. ; the Lindsay-
Orawfurd estates at the same time devolving on him as heir
of the Honourable Patrick Lindsay. 2 Lady Gertrude
Oochrane, 3 granddaughter of Earl George, is now heir
of line of the Lords Lindsay of the Byres, and the Garnock
line of the Earls of Orawf urd ; 4 and co-heir of line of the
family of Orawf urd of Kilbirnie. By his first marriage the
Earl had issue :
1. JOHN, Lord Boyle, who succeeded ; of him after.
2. Mr. Patrick, who was admitted Advocate 15 January
1712. 5 On 19 February 1740 he succeeded to Shew-
alton, etc., under the bond of tailzie executed by
Mr. William Boyle, his uncle. 6 He was appointed,
by royal letter dated 9 December 1746, a Senator of
the College of Justice, and took his seat on the bench,
under the title of Lord Shewalton, 19 December 1746. 7
He was nominated one of the commissioners for im-
proving the fisheries and manufactures of Scotland,
6 June 1749. 8 He died unmarried on 31 March or 1
April 1761, 9 at Drumlanrig, and was buried at the
church of Largs. 10
3. Charles, who was probably born in 1691, or early in
1692, 11 served in the Royal Navy, and was twice
taken prisoner by the French ; once apparently when
H.M.S. Advice, Captain Lord Duffus, was captured,
27 June 1711. 12 He left the service, and was Collector
of Customs at Irvine from 1721 13 till 1726. 14 He sub-
sequently went to America, and obtained a grant of
land in Long Island, New York. 15 He was appointed
a Justice of Peace for the county of Queens 6 April
1 Reg. of Tailzies, ii. 71, 18 February 1747. 2 Dec. Index Retours, 1831-
40, 10 March 1834. 3 Vide p. 219. 4 Lives of the Lindsays, ii. 299. 6 Books
of Sederunt, x. 138. 6 Vide p. 200. 7 Books of Sederunt, xiii. 43, 4.
8 Record Office, Treas. Out-Letters, Far., Ixx. 70. 9 Reg. of Retours in
Chancery, Ixxiv. 331. 10 Family Pedigree at Kelburne. n Kelburne
Papers. 12 Correspondence at Kelburne ; Laird Clowes's Royal Navy, ii.
532. 13 Private Letters, 8vo, Edin., 1829, 30. 14 Deeds, (Durie), ccxvi., 12
April 1757. 15 N. Y. Counc. Min., Record Office, 4 January 1730-31.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 205
1738, and was still in the colony in June 1739, 1 after-
wards returning to Britain. He was designate * Cap-
tain ' 28 September 1759. 2 He died 13 September
1770 3 in the county of Nottingham, unmarried. 4 His
will, dated at Thrumpton, 26 August 1770, was proved
22 December 1770. 5
The Earl married, secondly, contract dated at Edinburgh,
16 June 1697, 6 Jean Mure, only surviving child of William
Mure of Rowallan, and relict of William Fairlie, younger of
Bruntsfleld. 7 She was served heir in general, and in the
lands and barony of Rowallan, to her father, 14 May 1702,
at an inquisition held at Irvine, 8 and on 20 May executed a
deed of entail settling her estates on her issue by her second
husband, then Lord Boyle. 9 She died 3 September, 10 and was
buried in the Abbey of Holyrood House 14 September, 1724. 11
By his second marriage the Earl had issue :
4. William Mure, who was known by his mother's sur-
name only. He was alive 20 May 1702, 12 but died
young.
5. Elizabeth, alive 11 February 1707 ; 13 died young.
6. Jean, married, contract dated at the Oanongate 29
March 1720, to Colonel the Honourable James Camp-
bell of H.M.'s Royal Regiment of Grey Dragoons,
brother-german to Hugh, Earl of Loud on, afterwards
of Lawers, and K.B. ; tocher 1500 sterling. 14 Sir
James was killed at the battle of Fontenoy 30 April
1745, leaving by this marriage a son, who succeeded
as fifth Earl of Loudon. Lady Jean succeeded to the
fee of Rowallan 3 September 1724, and was served
heir of provision general to her mother 9 July 1729. 15
She died at Lawers 13 December 1729. 16
7. Anne, who was alive 29 March 1720 ; " died unmarried. 18
8. Margaret, mentioned in her sister's contract of mar-
1 Notes and Queries, 3rd Series, iv. 496. 2 Deeds (Mack.), cxcvii., 20
March 1765. 3 Ibid., ccxi., 31 January 1772. 4 Family Pedigree at Kel-
burne. 5 P. P. Registry, Som. Ho. 6 Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, vi. 284, 9
November 1698. 7 Deeds (Dalrymple), Ixxxii., 17 June 1699. 8 Original
Retour at Kelburne. 9 Orig. ibid. 10 Edinburgh Courant of 10 September
1724. u Reg. of the Abbey of Holyrood House. n Deed of Entail, supra
tit. 13 Great Seal Charter of that dtite at Kelburne. 14 Deeds, Sheriff-
Court of Edinburgh, 19 March 1756. 15 Dec. Index Retours, 1720-29, 4.
16 Caledonian Mercury, 18 December 1729. u C. of M. of her sister, Lady
Jean, supra cit. 18 Sess. Papers.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
riage. 1 She appears to have been alive 27 February
1732 ; 2 died unmarried. 3
II. JOHN, second Earl of Glasgow, was born at Kelburne
in the month of April 1688. 4 He was styled ' Lord Boyle '
from 12 April 1703 till 31 October 1733, when he succeeded
to the Peerage. He acquired the lands of Ballikewin in
the island of Oumbrae, by disposition granted by his kins-
man James Boyle of Ballikewin, dated 31 March 1721. 5
He died at Kelburne 22 May, and was buried at Largs
Church 29 May, 1740. 6
He married, contract dated at Edinburgh 11 February
1707, tocher 60,000 merks, Helenor Morison, (third) daughter
of William Morison of Prestongrange, co. Haddington. 7 She
died at Edinburgh 7 July 1767. 8 They had issue :
1. David, 9 who died 15, and was buried at Prestonpans
Church 17, April 1710. 10
2. William, born 15 September 1713, 11 died 4 June 1715. 12
3. JOHN, who succeeded as third Earl of Glasgow ; of him
after.
4. Charles, born at Edinburgh 17 November 1715 ; 13 died
young.
5. Patrick, who was born (at Queensberry House, Canon-
gate, Edinburgh) 7 January 1717, 14 matriculated at St.
Mary's Hall, Oxford, 27 February 1736-37. 15 He took
Deacon's orders in the Church of England, and in
August 1744 was present, as an army chaplain, with
the army in Flanders. 16 On the death, in 1761, of
Lord Shewalton, his uncle, to whom he was served
heir 21 June 1762," he succeeded to Shewalton, etc.,
under the entail of his grand-uncle. 18 He died 26
February 1798, at Irvine, and was buried there. 19
He married, first, 14 August 1749, 20 postnuptial con-
1 Ut supra. 2 Priv. Letters, ut supra, 82. 3 Sess. Papers. * Corre-
spondence at Kelburne. 5 Deeds (Mack. ), clxxvii. , 11 January 1751. 6 Largs
Register. 7 Deeds (Mack.), cxvii. 16 August 1715. 8 Edin. Courant,
Wednesday, 8 July 1767 ; Scots and Gentleman's Mag. of date. 9 Craw-
furd's Peerage, 173 ; Correspondence at Kelburne. 10 Note by the late
Mr. John Riddell, in Adv. Lib. n Can ongate Register. ^Correspondence
at Kelburne. 13 Ibid. u Canongate Register. 16 Foster's A lumniOxon., i.
16 Correspondence at Kelburne. 17 Reg. of Retours in Chancery, Ixxiv.
331. 18 Vide pp. 200, 204. 19 M. I. in Irvine Churchyard. 20 Neilston
Register.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 207
tract dated at Kelburne 14 June 1751, ' Agnes Mure,
second daughter of Mr. William Mure of Caldwell,
Advocate, but by her, who died at Caldwell 27 May
1758, 2 he had no issue.
He married, secondly, postnuptial contract dated
at Kilwinning 31 March 1763, Elizabeth Dunlop,
daughter of Mr. Alexander Dunlop, Professor of
Greek in the University of Glasgow, 3 and by her, who
died at Shewalton, 21 March, 4 and was buried at
Dundonald 27 March, 1832, 5 had issue :
(1) William, born 9 August 1763. 6 He was gazetted ensign in
the 48th Regiment of Foot 9 February 1780, and lieutenant
21 June 1781. 7 He died (unmarried) at Glasgow, 13 March,
and was buried there 17 March, 1783. 8
(2) John, born 14 May 1765, matriculated in 1778 at the Univer-
sity of Glasgow, where he was Snell Exhibitioner 8 April
1784 ; 10 also, 23 September 1784, at Balliol College, Oxford,
where he graduated B.A. 1788. 11 He succeeded to Shew-
alton at his father's death, 26 February 1798. 12 He was
appointed lieutenant in the 3rd, or West Lowland, Regi-
ment of Fencibles, 1 March 1793, and captain 25 December
1794 ; major in the 7th, or Ayrshire, Regiment of Militia 23
May 1798, 13 and lieutenant-colonel commandant of the same
regiment (then styled the Ayr and Renfrewshire) 20 August
1799. 14 He had commission as Deputy-Lieutenant of Ayr-
shire 15 January 1800. 15 He died (unmarried) at Shewalton,
30 January 1837, and was buried at Dundonald. 16
(3) Alexander Charles, a midshipman R.N., died (unmarried) at
Glasgow 30 April, and was buried there 1 May, 1786. 1T
(4) David, born at Irvine 26 July 1772. 18 He matriculated, 22
February 1787, at the University of St. Andrews, 19 and in
1789 at the University of Glasgow. 20 He was admitted
Advocate 17 December 1793, 21 appointed Solicitor-General
for Scotland 5 May 1807 ; 22 and elected M.P. for Ayrshire
5 June following. 23 He was appointed one of the Senators
of the College of Justice, and a Lord of Justiciary, by royal
letter dated 15 February, and took his seat on the bench, as
Lord Boyle, 28 February 1811 ; 21 was nominated Lord Justice-
1 Deeds (Dalrymple), clxxxviii., 24 December 1760. In this record the
date of the contract is erroneously given as 14 June 1748 ; but the
'warrant' for the copy, i.e. the original document preserved at the
Register House, bears date 14 June 1751. 2 Scots Mag., xx. 277. 3 Orig.
Contract at Kelburne. 4 M. I. in Dundonald Churchyard. 5 Dundonald
Register. 6 Kilwinning Register. T Army Lists. 8 Glasgow Register.
9 Kilwinning Register. 10 Innes Addison's Snell Exhibitions, 62. n Ibid.
12 Part. Reg. Sas., Ayr, 17 May 1798. 13 Commissions at Kelburne.
14 Ibid. London Gazette, 889. 15 Orig. at Kelburne. 16 M. I. in Dundonald
Churchyard. 17 Glasgow Register. 18 Irvine Register. 19 Univ. Rec., St.
Andrews. 20 Univ. Rec., Glasgow. 21 Books of Sederunt, xviii. 9. 22 Rec.
of Exchequer. 23 Return, etc., supra cit., pt. ii. 253. 24 Books of
Sederunt, xx.
208 BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW
Clerk, commission dated 19 October 1811 ; l sworn of the
Privy Council 8 April 1820 ; 2 and appointed Lord Justice-
General and Constant President of the Court of Session, by
royal letter dated 7 October 1841. 3 He was elected Lord
Rector of the University of Glasgow 15 November 1815. 4
On 30 January 1837 he succeeded to Shewalton on the
death of his brother John, to whom he was served heir of
tailzie and provision special 19 July following. 5 On 7 July
1837 he changed his official title as a Lord of Session to
'Lord Shewalton.' 6 He retired from the bench 5 May
1852 ; 7 died at Shewalton 4, and was buried at Dundonald
11, February 1853. 8
He married, first, at Annick Lodge, 24 December 1804,
Elizabeth Montgomerie, eldest daughter of Alexander Mont-
gomerie of Annick Lodge, 9 brother-german of Hugh, twelfth
Earl of Eglinton ; and by her, who died at Edinburgh 14, 10
and was buried at St. John's Episcopal Church there 22,
April 1822, u had issue :
i. Patrick, born at Edinburgh 29 March 1808. He was
educated at Oriel College, Oxford; proceeded M.A.
1832. He was admitted Advocate 10 July 1829, and
on 27 and 29 March 1833 was appointed Clerk Depute
of Justiciary, which office he renounced 30 April 1856.
He succeeded to Shewalton on the death of his father
4 February 1853, and served as Convener of the county
of Ayr 1864-74. He died at Shewalton 4 September,
and was buried at Dundonald 9 September, 1874.
He married, at Logie Elphinstone, co. Aberdeen,
17 August 1830, Mary Frances Elphinstone-Dalrymple,
second daughter of Sir Robert Dalrymple - Horn-
Elphinstone of Horn and Logie Elphinstone, Bart.,
and by her (who died at Ayr 15 September, and was
buried at Dundonald 18 September, 1880), had issue : -
(i) DAVID, born at Edinburgh 31 May 1833; suc-
ceeded as seventh Earl of Glasgow 23 April
1890 ; of him after.
(ii) Robert Elphinstone, born at Rome 3 June 1837.
Ensign late 46th Bengal Native Infantry 10
December 1854 ; Bengal Staff Corps 12 Septem-
ber 1866 ; colonel 10 December 1884 ; unem-
ployed supernumerary list. Served with the
2nd Bengal Fusiliers (now 2/Royal Munster
Fusiliers), and 2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry
(afterwards 12th Bengal Cavalry) in the
Mutiny campaigns 1857-60; specially thanked
by the Governments of India and the North-
Western Provinces for services with the
latter regiment in 1859-60; medal. Served in
command of the xi. P. W.O. Bengal Lancers
1 Books of Sederunt, xx. 2 Haydn's Book of Dignities, 210. 3 Books of
Sederunt, xxvii. 234. 4 Letter of Intimation at Kelburne. 6 Dec. Ind.
Bet., 1830-39, 9. 6 Sed. Book, 2nd Div. 7 Exch. Rec. 8 Dundonald
Register. 9 Dreghorn Register. 10 M. I. at St. John's Episcopal Church,
Edinburgh. u Reg. of St. John's.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 209
in Afghanistan 1878-79, mentioned in dis-
patches ; medal, with clasp for Ali Masjid.
(iii) Alexander James, born at Treesbanks, co. Ayr,
26 February 1842. Ensign 30th Regiment 12
March 1861 ; retired by the sale of his com-
mission 20 October 1865.
He married, first, at Sydney, New South
Wales, 20 July 1876, Mary Louisa Jane
Hodgkinson (daughter of William Hodgkin-
son), who died without issue ; secondly, at
Sydney, 14 November 1892, Clare, daughter
of John Banning, of Sydney, and widow of
William Sydney Jones; and by her had
issue :
a. Helen Graeme, born in London 14 Feb-
ruary 1895 ; died at St. Helen's, Isle of
Wight, 14 January 1899.
(iv) Grceme Hepburn, born at Edinburgh 8 February
1848 ; died at Malaga 28 January 1852 ; buried
there.
(v) Elizabeth Magdalene Grceme, born at Edin-
burgh 3 January 1835.
(vi) Louisa Laura, born at Florence 5 June 1838;
died at Edinburgh 28 June 1847 ; buried at St.
John's Episcopal Church there.
(vii) Mary Helen, born at Shewalton 11 March 1840.
(viii) Helen Jane, born at Edinburgh 26 April 1844.
(ix) Henrietta Augusta, born at Edinburgh 5 Nov-
ember 1845; died at Torre Molinos, near
Malaga, 6 May 1852 ; buried at Malaga,
(x) Catherine Charlotte Anne Eliza, born at Edin-
burgh 9 February 1849; died at Malaga 16
December 1851 ; buried there.
The survivors of this family had a warrant
of precedence as Earl's children, dated 17
August 1892.
ii. Alexander, born at Edinburgh 9 March 1810. He
entered the Royal Naval College in September 1823,
and had commission as lieutenant R.N. 5 October
1840. He retired as captain with the rank of rear-
admiral 2 July 1864 ; and was promoted to retired
vice-admiral 2 August 1879. He died in London 8,
and was buried at Brompton Cemetery 11, June 1884.
He married, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, 2 July
1844, Agnes Walker, youngest daughter of James
Walker, C.E. ; and by her (who died in London 16,
and was buried at Brompton Cemetery 20, April 1898)
had issue :
(i) Patrick David, born at Edinburgh 24 October
1848. Ensign 89th Regiment 16 September 1868 ;
ensign and lieutenant Grenadier Guards 9
October 1869 ; regimental adjutant 29 January
to 11 November 1878 ; captain and lieutenant-
colonel 11 October 1879 ; colonel 1 October 1884 ;
major Grenadier Guards 26 May 1885; military
VOL. IV. O
210 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
secretary to General Sir T. M. Steele, K.C.B.,
Commander of the Forces in Ireland, from
1 October 1880 to 1 October 1885; retired 1
October 1885.
He married at Tilehurst, 3 August 1872,
Kathleen Digby Blagrave, third daughter of
John Henry Blagrave of Calcot Park, Berks,
and by her has issue :
a. Godfrey Henry Patrick, born in London
4 February 1882 ; 2nd lieutenant North-
umberland Fusiliers 30 April 1902.
b. Cecil Alexander, born in London 28
March 1888.
(ii) James, born at Edinburgh 27 February 1850.
Educated at Harrow. Ensign 89th Regiment
9 October 1869, captain 23 June 1880; A.D.C.
to Sir James Fergusson, Bart., Governor of
Bombay, from January 1883 to April 1885;
officiating Military Secretary from April to
November 1883. Retired 2 September 1885.
Appointed Consul at Galveston, Texas, U.S.A.,
7 February 1891, and at Copenhagen 16 October
1894. M.V.O. 18 April 1904.
He married in London, 30 April 1891,
Blanche Eleanor Murray Pratt, eldest
daughter of the Rev. Jermyn Pratt of Ryston
Hall, Norfolk.
(iii) Alexander, born in London 24 November 1857.
Educated at Harrow.
He married at Waimate, Canterbury, New
Zealand, 5 July 1883, Fanny Studholme, eldest
daughter of Michael Studholme of Waimate,
and by her has issue :
a. Alexander David, born at Langlands,
Otaio, South Canterbury, New Zealand,
3 November 1887. Naval cadet 15
September, midshipman, R.N., 30
November 1904.
6. Alister Patrick, born at Lower Riccar-
ton, Christchurch, New Zealand, 7
January 1905.
c. Janet, born at Langlands, Otaio, 22
January 1886.
d. Phyllis Montgomerie, born at Riccarton,
Canterbury, New Zealand, 9 November
1889.
(iv) Janet, born at Edinburgh 3 June 1845; was
married at Hartley Wintney, 16 October 1879,
to Captain William Henry Fife, 9th Lancers,
now brevet-major, and retired, of Langton
Hall, Northallerton, and has issue,
(v) Elizabeth Helen, born at Westminster 13 August
1846.
(vi) Agnes Margaret, born at Merton, Wimbledon,
BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW
211
28 June 1851 ; was married in London, 9 May
1876, to Francis Pratt-Barlow, and has issue,
(vii) Henrietta Camilla, born at Southsea 14 Feb-
ruary 1853, was married in London, 21 January
1880, to Colonel John Sutton Rothwell, R.A.
(who died 13 March 1893), and had issue. She
died at Sandhurst 28 May, and was buried at
' Camberley 2 June, 1902.
(viii) Frances Montgomerie, born at Southsea 12
April 1854; was married in London, 16 July
1879, to Charles Woodbyne Parish (eldest son
of the second marriage of the late Sir Wood-
bine Parish, K.C.H.), and had issue. She died
in London 29, and was buried at Brompton
Cemetery 31, January 1889.
iii. David, born at Edinburgh 10 July 1811. He died there
21 February 1815.
iv. John, born at Hawkhill, near Edinburgh, 9 September
1819. He studied at Glasgow University 1835-36, 1837-
38, and obtained the Snell Exhibition 12 November
1839. He matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford, 22
March 1839 ; he there took a 3rd class degree ; B.A.
1843, M.A. 1846. He is a barrister-at-law.
He married, at the Episcopal Church of Hamilton,
co. Lanark, 6 September 1853, Jane Walrond, second
daughter of Theodore Walrond of Calder Park, and
has issue :
(i) Henry David, born in London 26 December 1856 ;
educated at Wellington College.
He married, at Hurstpierpoint, 19 Septem-
ber 1882, Emma Chambres Robinson, eldest
daughter of the Rev. Hugh George Robinson,
Honorary Canon of York, and one of H.M.'s
Charity Commissioners, and has issue :
a. David Hugh Montgomerie, born in
London 1 September 1883 ; educated at
Wellington College and New College,
Oxford ; Imperial Chinese Customs,
1904.
(ii) Montgomerie, born at Egham 20 March 1859.
Second lieutenant South Nottinghamshire Im-
perial Yeomanry 15 December 1897, captain
23 April 1902.
He married, at Ruddington, 7 April 1891
Constance Helen, youngest daughter of Henry
Abel-Smith of Wilford, co. Notts, and has
issue :
a. Marion Montgomerie, born at Pendog-
gett, co. Somerset, 21 August 1892.
(iii) Jane Flora, born in London 8 February 1855.
v. William, born at Edinburgh 25 January 1821. Entered
the army, from which he retired in 1874 with the
rank of colonel, and C.B., Knight of the Legion of
Honour, and fifth class of the Turkish Order of the
212 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
Medjidie, having seen much service. He died in
London 14, and was buried at Sandhurst 19, Feb-
ruary 1874.
He married, at Sandhurst, 14 June 1853, Louisa
Catherine Parsons, eldest daughter of the Rev.
Henry Parsons, Rector of Sandhurst, and by her (who
died at Valetta, Malta, 2 February, and was buried
there 3 February, 1873), had issue:
(i) William Henry David, born in London 11 Feb-
ruary 1861, educated at Eton and King's
College, Cambridge; proceeded M.A. 12 May
1887. He was appointed a clerk in the office
of the Local Government Board 15 September
1884, and was transferred to the Treasury 21
August 1888. He died in London 7, and was
buried at East Dean, co. Wilts, 10, July 1897.
He married, at Salisbury, 22 September
1888, Eleanor Curzon, third daughter of the
Honourable Henry Dugdale Curzon, and by
her (who died in London 15, and was buried
at East Dean 21, November 1893) had an only
son :
a. George Frederic, born in London 11
October 1893.
(ii) Anna Louisa Alexandrina, born at the Citadel,
Corfu, 4 November 1854.
vi. Archibald Thomas, born at Edinburgh 14 April 1822,
died unmarried 27 March 1863.
vii. Elizabeth, born at Edinburgh 8 June 1807. She was
married there, 2 December 1828, to James Hope, W.S.,
Joint Deputy Keeper of the Signet (sole Keeper 1850-
82), third son of the Right Honourable Charles Hope,
Lord President of the Court of Session, and had
issue. She died at Devon port 20, and was buried
at Warriston Cemetery, Edinburgh, 24, July 1880.
He died at Edinburgh 14 February 1882.
viii. Helen, born at Edinburgh 24 October 1808. She was
married there, 1 June 1829, to Sir Charles Dalrymple-
Fergusson of Kilkerran, Bart., and had issue. She
died at Newhailes 26 June, and was buried at Dailly,
co. Ayr, 2 July, 1869. He died at Inveresk 18 March
1849.
ix. Hamilla Augusta, born at Seagrove, near Edinburgh,
14 September 1813, died unmarried at Wemyss Bay
21, and was buried at Largs Cemetery 26, July 1875.
x. Jane, born at Edinburgh 21 February 1815, and died
there 11 May 1824.
xi. Eleanora Charlotte, born at Hawkhill, near Edin-
burgh, 12 July 1816, died unmarried at Wemyss Bay
10, and was buried at Largs Cemetery 14, December
1891.
The Right Honourable David Boyle married, secondly,
at Edinburgh, 17 July 1827, Catherine Campbell Smythe,
eldest surviving daughter of David Smythe of Methven, a
Senator of the College of Justice (styled Lord Methven),
213
and by her (who died in London 25, and was buried at
Highgate 29, December 1880), had issue 1 :
xii. George David, seventh son, born at Edinburgh, 17
May 1828. He was educated at Charter House and
Exeter College, Oxford; proceeded M.A. 1853. He
took orders, and was presented to the Vicarage of
Kidderminster 1867 ; and appointed Dean of Salisbury
5 May 1880. He died at Salisbury 21, and was
buried in the Cathedral cloisters 26, March 1901.
He married, at Hagley, co. Worcester, 7 January
1861, without issue, Mary Christiana Robins, eldest
daughter of William Robins, Hagley.
xiii. Robert, born at Edinburgh, 2 December 1830 ; 2nd
lieutenant R.A. 19 December 1848, captain 1 June
1855 ; served at the siege and fall of Sebastopol ;
medal and clasp. He died at Kidderminster 29
August, and was buried at Hagley 2 September,
He married, at Valetta, Malta, 9 July 1856, Frances
Sydney Sankey, eldest daughter of Francis F.
Sankey, M.D., and had issue :
(i) Charles Fremoult, born at Valetta 5 July 1857.
He married at St. Helena, Montana, U.S.A.,
in September 1883, Martha Trotter, and has
issue :
a. Robert Fremoult, born at Helena, Mon-
tana, 17 February 1887.
6. Frances Minna Fremoult, born at Salt
Lake, U.S.A., 4 July 1884.
(ii) Sydney Herbert, born at Woolwich 8 April 1863.
Educated at Keble College, Oxford. Served
in the Railway Pioneer Regiment in the Boer
war 1900-2 ; lieutenant 6 July 1901 ; medal,
and three clasps for Cape Colony, Free State,
and Transvaal. Educational Department,
Transvaal, 1 April 1902.
(iii) Edward Louis Dalrymple, born at Woolwich,
19 December 1864 ; naval cadet 15 January
1878, lieutenant R.N. 18 June 1885 ; resigned
the service 28 October 1890. His commission
was afterwards restored to him, as an emerg-
ency officer, under order in Council dated 13
May 1891. He served in the Egyptian war of
1882, and in the Soudan 1884 ; present with
the Naval Brigade at the action of El Teb,
fought against Osman Digna 29 February 1884,
when British troops first met the forces of
the Mahdi. Egyptian medal, with clasps for
Suakim 1884, and El Teb, and Khedive's star.
He married, in London, 14 September 1889,
Theodosia Isabella Ogilvie, third daughter of
Edward David Stuart Ogilvie of Yulgilbar,
New South Wales, and has issue :
a. Edward Patrick Ogilvie, born at Emma-
ville, N.S.W., 22 July 1893.
214 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
6. Theodosia Frances, born at Beverley, co.
York, 24 June 1890.
c. Irene Florinda Maud, born at Casino,
N.S.W., 6 January 1895.
(iv) Cecil David, born at Llandaff 8 March 1869 ;
educated at Wellington College. He served
in the Border Regiment ; on the unattached
list in the Tirah campaign of 1897-98 (medal),
and in the Waziri expedition (medal) ; also
with the Indian Transport Corps in the Boer
war 1899-1900; was appointed lieutenant in
the Provisional Mounted Police, Orange River
Colony, May 1900 ; captured by the enemy at
Dewetsdorp 23 November 1900, and shot while
a prisoner in January 1901.
(v) Catherine Minna, born at Valetta 16 September
1859.
(vi) Constance Antonina, born at Bexley 21 December
1865.
xiv. Henry Dundas, born at Edinburgh 1 February 1833.
He was appointed to the East India Company's
Civil Service, but did not live to go to India. He
died at Shewalton 19 April, and was buried at
Dundonald 25 April, 1853.
xv. Amelia Laura, sixth daughter, born at Edinburgh
27 December 1835.
(5) Helen, who was married at Irvine, 3 June 1791 (contract dated
the previous day J ), to Thomas Mure of Warriston House,
Inverleith, Edinburgh (son of Lieutenant-Colonel George
Mure, and nephew of William Mure of Caldwell), and had
issue. She died at Newcastle-under-Lyme 7 August 1805. 2
He died at Warriston House 26 June, and was buried at
Greyfriars 1 July, 1806. 3
(6) Elizabeth, who was married, 10 November 1800, to Rear-
Admiral John Rouet-Smollett of Bonhill and Auchindennan,
co. Dumbarton, and had issue. He died in the year 1842 ;
she died at Cameron 6 August, and was buried at Alex-
andria 13 August, 1858.
(7) Margaret, baptized 4 February 1770 ; 4 died young.
(8) Agnes, born 13 May 1774 ; 6 died unmarried 5 May 1791. 6
6. David, born 20 December 1717 ; 7 died young.
7. Janet, born 17 January 1711 ; 8 died unmarried, and
was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh, 24 March 1770. 9
8. Margaret, born 27 July 1712 ; 10 died unmarried (at
Queensberry House, Canongate), and was buried at
Greyfriars 29 March 1772."
9. Jean, died unmarried 12 May 1756."
1 Perceton Muniments. 2 Scots Mag., Ixvii. 646. 3 M. I. at Greyfriars;
Greyfriars Reg. 4 Irvine Reg. 6 Ibid. 6 Date on mourning brooch at
Kelburne. 7 Canongate Reg. 8 Ibid. Greyfriars Reg. 10 Canongate
Reg. Greyfriars Reg. n Gent. Mag.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 215
10. Helen, who was married, 25 September 1768, as
second wife, to Sir James Douglas of Springwood
Park, co. Roxburgh, Bart., Admiral of the White,
but had no issue. She died at Portman Square,
London, 17 October 1794.
11. Marion, died unmarried at Kelburne 12 May 1757. 1
12. Catharine, who was married, 10 December 1770, 2 to
Dr. James MacNeill of Neilhall. The contract of
marriage was dated 23 November 1770. 3
III. JOHN, third Earl of Glasgow, was born at Edinburgh
4 November 1714. 4 He succeeded his father on 22 May
1740. In 1744 he purchased a cornetcy in the Royal North
British Dragoons (Scots Greys), the regiment of which his
uncle by marriage, General Sir James Campbell, was
colonel. 5 He served with them in Flanders in that year 6
and the next, and was wounded at the battle of Fontenoy,
30 April 1745, 7 having two fingers shot off. 8 He was after-
wards promoted into the 33rd (Johnson's) Regiment of Foot,
and was taken on the strength as additional captain 17 June
1746. 9 He was present at the battle of Laffeld (Laeffelt),
or Val, 2 July 1747 (N.S.), where he was again wounded
severely in several places. 10 He retired from the service
29 April 1752. 11 He was Lord High Commissioner to the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1764 to
1772 inclusive. 12 He died at Kelburne 7 May 1775, 13 and was
buried at Largs. 14
He married, 7 July 1755, Elizabeth, second daughter of
George, twelfth Lord Ross. Her brother William, last
Lord Ross, was succeeded in the family estates of Hawk-
head, co. Renfrew, etc., by her elder sister, the Hon. Jean
Ross (wife of John Ross McKye) ; on whose death, without
issue, 19 August 1777, the succession devolved on the
Countess of Glasgow and her heirs. 15 She died in London
1 Fam. Pedigree. 2 Scots Mag., xxxii. 683. 3 Deeds (Mack.), ccxxxi.,
31 January 1782. 4 Canongate Reg. 5 Caldwell Papers, i. 157 n. 6 Corre-
spondence at Kelburne. 7 Gazette Extraordinary, Whitehall, 11 May
1745. 8 Caldwell Papers, loc. cit. 9 Ms. Army Lists, Rec. Off., 9, 1736,
etc., 94. 10 London Gazette, No. 8654, June 30- July 4, 1747. u Ms. Army
Lists ut supra', London Gazette, No. 9164, gives the date of the pro-
motion in succession to him as 13 May 1752. 12 Haydn's Book of Dignities,
417. 13 Scots Mag., xxxvii. 166. " Family Pedigree. 16 Deeds (Mack.),
ccxxiv., pt. ii., 17 November 1778.
216 BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW
9 October 1791, 1 and was buried at Renfrew. 2 The issue
of this marriage was :
1. John, styled Lord Boyle, born 26 March 1756, died
young.
2. GEORGE, styled Lord Boyle, who succeeded as fourth
Earl of Glasgow ; of him after.
3. Elizabeth, who was married at Hawkhead, 16
October 1786, to Sir George Douglas of Springwood
Park, Bart., M.P. for the county of Roxburgh, and
had issue. She died in London 15 February 1791. 3
4. Helen, died unmarried 4 October 1780. 4
5. Jane, died unmarried 30 April 1823.
IV. GEORGE, fourth Earl of Glasgow, was born 18 Sep-
tember 1765. 5 He succeeded his father 7 May 1775. He
served as captain in the West Lothian Fencible Regiment
in 1793 ; and afterwards as major of the Angus Fencibles,
lieutenant-colonel of the Rothesay and Caithness Fen-
cibles, and colonel, first of the Ayr and Renfrew, and
afterwards of the Renfrewshire Militia. He retired in
1806. He had commission as Lord-Lieutenant of the county
of Renfrew, dated 11 April 1810 ; 9 was chosen a Repre-
sentative Peer at the general election of 1790, and re-
chosen at every election till 1815 ; 7 and was elected Lord
Rector of the University of Glasgow 1817. He was created
a Baron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland by the title of BARON ROSS OF HAWKHEAD,
in the county of Renfrew, by patent dated 11 August
1815. 8 He had commission as Lord-Lieutenant of Ayrshire
17 January 1820, 9 but resigned the appointment before 25
February following. 10 He received the Grand Cross of the
Order of the Guelphs (Hanover), Civil Division, in 1830. 11
He succeeded to the Lindsay-Crawford estates, and Kil-
birnie, etc., 21 November 1833. 12 He died 3 July 1843, and
was buried at Renfrew.
He married, first, at Edinburgh, 7 March 1788, Lady
Augusta Hay, third daughter of James, fifteenth Earl of
1 Scots Mag., liii. 518. 2 Family Pedigree. 3 Ibid. * Gentleman's
Mag., 495. 6 Coll. of Arms, Norfolk 5, 30. 6 Original at Kelburne.
7 Almanacks, V. Y., Adv. Lib. 8 Norfolk 5, ut supra. 9 Haydn's Bk. of
Dig., 508. 10 London Gazette, 361. u Haydn's Bk. of Dig., 786. Vide
p. 204.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 217
Erroll, 1 and by her, who, in 1806, succeeded to Etal, co.
Northumberland, the estate of Sir William Oarr, her maternal
grandfather, and who died 23 July 1822, had issue :
1. John, styled Lord Boyle, born at Edinburgh 12
August 1789. 2 Served in the Royal Navy. In July
1807, when a midshipman on board H.M.S. Gibraltar,
in the squadron of the Channel Fleet off Brest and
Lorient, he was put in charge of the Chasse-Maree
'Loriewt,' which was attacked by the French in
Quiberon Bay, and after a gallant resistance was
compelled to surrender. He was sent as a prisoner
of war to Verdun, and did not obtain his liberty until
July 1814. 3 He died v.p., unmarried, at Tunbridge
Wells, 4 6 March, 5 and was buried at Marylebone
Parish Church 16 March, 1818. 6
2. JAMES, succeeded as fifth Earl of Glasgow; of him after.
3. William, born at Edinburgh 8 November 1802. 7 He
died 7 September, and was buried in Canterbury
Cathedral 13 September, 1819. 8
4. Isabella Margaret, born 7 July 1790 ; 9 died, unmarried,
in January 1834.
5. Elisabeth, born in London 21 March 1794 ; 10 died, un-
married, at Hawkhead 1 February 1819, and was
buried at Renfrew.
6. Augusta, born at Richmond 14 August 1801. 11 She
was married, 19 May 1821, at Kent House, Knights-
bridge, to Captain Frederick Fitzclarence of the 7th
Regiment, natural son of H.R.H. the Duke of Clarence,
(afterwards, under royal warrant dated 24 May 1831, 12
Lord Frederick Fitzclarence, who became a lieutenant-
general, G.O.H., and Commander-in-chief at Bombay,
and died 30 November 1854 at Poorundhur, near
Poonah, aged 55) ; and had issue a daughter. Lady
Augusta succeeded to Etal on the death of the fifth
Earl, her brother, 11 March 1869. She died 28 July 1876.
1 Coll. of Arms, Peers' Pedigrees, A., 101, 104. 2 Norfolk 5, ut supra.
He was invariably styled Lord Boyle during his lifetime. 3 Rec. Off.,
Dispatches ; Correspondence at Kelburne. 4 Complete Peerage, iv. 27.
5 Norfolk 5, ut supra. 6 Marylebone Register. 7 His birth was registered
in the Abbey Church of Paisley (Norfolk 5, ut supra). 8 Printed Register
of Burials in the Cathedral. 9 Norfolk 5, ut supra. 10 Ibid. n Ibid.
12 Complete Peerage, v. 423 n.
218 BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
George, fourth Earl of Glasgow, married, secondly, 13
November 1824, Julia Sinclair, third daughter of Sir John
Sinclair of Ulbster, Bart., and by her (who died 19 February
1868, and was buried at Renfrew) had issue :
7. GEORGE FREDERICK, fourth son, who succeeded as
sixth Earl of Glasgow ; of him after.
8. Dicwa, born 1 July 1828. She was married, without
issue, 4 July 1849, to John Slaney Pakington, after-
wards second Lord Hampton. She died in London 1,
and was buried at Powick, co. "Worcester, 5, January
1877. He died 26 April 1893.
V. JAMES, fifth Earl of Glasgow, was born 10 April 1792. 1
He was styled Viscount Kelburne after the death of Lord
Boyle, his brother, in 1818, until he succeeded his father 3
July 1843. After succeeding to Etal at his mother's death,
he prefixed the surname of Carr to that of Boyle, by royal
licence dated 2 August 1823. 2 He served in the Royal
Navy, was present at the capture of the Ionian Islands
from the French, 1809-10, attained the rank of lieutenant
8 January 1814, and was placed on the retired list with the
rank of commander 7 November 1856. He was elected
M.P. for Ayrshire 1 May 1839, and again at the general
election of 1841 ; and sat till his succession in 1843. 3 He
was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Renfrewshire 21 October
1844. 4 He was well known and very popular on the turf as
a breeder and owner of racehorses. He died at Hawkhead
11, and was buried at Renfrew 19, March 1869.
He married, at Milton, par. Straiten, co. Ayr, 4 August
1821, Georgina Ann Hay-Mackenzie, youngest daughter of
Edward Hay -Mackenzie of Newhall and Cromarty, without
issue. She died, aged 99, at Portmore, co. Peebles, 14,
and was buried at Renfrew 19, March 1895.
VI. GEORGE FREDERICK, sixth Earl of Glasgow, was born
at Edinburgh 9 October 1825. He was educated at Christ
Church, Oxford ; proceeded M.A. 1852. 5 He succeeded his
half-brother 11 March 1869. He erected at Millport,
1 Marylebone Register. 2 Complete Peerage, iv. 27. 3 Return of Members
of Parliament, 1 March 1878, pt. ii., 374, 391. * London Gazette, 3601.
6 Foster's Alum. Oxon., i.
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW 219
Oumbrae, a college, with a collegiate church now used as
the Cathedral of the Diocese of the Isles, and Pro-cathedral
of the Diocese of Argyll, Episcopal Church of Scotland.
He sat as M.P. for Bute from 6 February to 20 July 1865. 1
He was appointed Lord Clerk Register 21 February 1879,
and held the office until his death. On 5 May 1886 he
petitioned the Court of Session for authority to record
an instrument of disentail of his entailed estates, which
was granted. He died at Edinburgh 23, and was buried
at the college, Millport, 30, April 1890. The barony of
Ross of Hawkhead in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
became extinct at his decease.
He married, at Stirling, 29 April 1856, the Hon. Montagu
Abercromby, only daughter of George Ralph, third Lord
Abercromby, and had issue :
1. Gertrude Georgina, born at Edinburgh, 15 November
1861. She was married, in London, 2 December 1880,
to the Hon. Thomas Horatio Arthur Ernest Cochrane,
third son of Thomas, eleventh Earl of Dundonald,
and has issue. Lady Gertrude is heir of line of the
original family of Maxwell of Pollok, of the Lords
Lindsay of the Byres, and the Garnock line of the
Earls of Crawford ; and co-heir of line of the family
of Crawfurd of Kilbirnie. 2
2. Muriel Louisa Diana, born at Edinburgh 18 November
1873.
VII. DAVID, seventh Earl of Glasgow, eldest son of
Patrick Boyle of Shewalton (vide p. 208, descendants of
John, second Earl), was born at Edinburgh 31 May 1833.
He served in the Royal Navy ; naval cadet 28 April 1846,
commander 16 December 1865. He took part in the opera-
tions against the Russians in the White Sea in 1854, and in
the China war of 1857 ; was employed in the destruction of
Chinese war-vessels in Escape Creek, 25 May 1857 (China
medal), and was present at the destruction of the Fatshan
flotilla of war-junks, 1 June 1857 (clasp for Fatshan). He
retired with the rank of captain, 6 September 1878. He
succeeded to Shewalton 4 September 1874, and as seventh
Earl of Glasgow 23 April 1890. He acquired the estate of
1 Return, etc. , 1878, pt. ii. 457, 473. 8 Vide pp. 196 and 204.
220
BOYLE, EARL OF GLASGOW
Kelburne in November 1886, 1 and afterwards sold that of
Shewalton. He was appointed Governor and Commander-
in-chief of the colony of New Zealand and its dependencies,
27 February 1892, 2 and held that position until 7 April 1897. 3
He was gazetted Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St.
Michael and St. George on his appointment as Governor,
22 February 1892 ; and was created a Peer of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland by the title of
BARON FAIRLIE OF FAIRLIE in the county of Ayr,
by patent dated 23 July 1897. The degree of LL.D. was
conferred on him, honoris causa, by the University of
Glasgow, 14 June 1901, and by the University of Dublin,
30 June 1904. He is a J.P. and D.L. for the county of Ayr.
He married, at Blairquhan, co. Ayr, 23 July 1873, Dorothea
Elizabeth Thomasina Hunter-Blair, eldest daughter of Sir
Edward Hunter-Blair, Bart., of Blairquhan, and has issue:
1. Patrick James, styled Viscount Kelburne, born at Edin-
burgh 18 June 1874, an officer in the Royal Navy ;
naval cadet 15 January 1888, lieutenant 22 June 1897.
He married at Bletchingley, 29 May 1906, Hyacinthe
Mary, youngest daughter of William A. Bell, of
Pendell Court, co. Surrey.
2. Edward George, born at Shewalton 16 June 1875.
Appointed second lieutenant Rifle Brigade 4 May 1898.
He served in the Soudan in 1898, and was present at
the battle of Omdurman (medal and clasp). He died,
unmarried, at the Military Hospital, Malta, 23 October
1898, and was buried at the Florian cemetery.
3. James, born at Shewalton 11 March 1880; educated
at Trinity Hall, Cambridge; second lieutenant 3rd
Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, 27 May 1898, lieuten-
ant 26 June 1899. He served with the 2nd battalion
of that regiment, and was attached to Imperial
Yeomanry, in the Boer War 1901-2 (medal and five
clasps for Transvaal, Free State, Cape Colony, 1901
and 1902). Appointed second lieutenant Royal Scots
Fusiliers 28 January 1903 ; lieutenant, 6 June 1906.
4. John David, born at Shewalton 8 July 1884. Educated
at Winchester. Appointed second lieutenant Rifle
Brigade 15 May 1906.
1 Gen. Reg. Sas., 16 November 1886. 2 London Gazette, 1200. 3 Ibid., 2021.
BOYLE, EARL OP GLASGOW 221
5. Alan Reginald, born at Ayr, 8 October 1886. Educated
at Haileybury.
6. Augusta Helen Elizabeth, born at Shewalton 25 August
1876. Married at Fairlie, 28 April 1898, to Charles Lind-
say Orr-Ewing of Dunskey, M.P. (who died at Dunskey
24 December 1903), fifth son of the late Sir Archibald
Orr-Ewing of Ballikinrain, Bart., and has issue.
7. Alice Mary, born at Shewalton, 18 December 1877.
Married in London, 18 July 1901, to Colonel Charles
Fergusson, D.S.O., M.V.O., Grenadier Guards, eldest
son of the Right Hon. Sir James Fergusson of Kilker-
ran, Bart., G.C.S.I., K.C.M.G., O.I.E.,and has issue.
8. Dorothy Montagu, born at Shewalton, 14 March 1879.
Married, 25 April 1899, to the Hon. Gathorne
Gathorne-Hardy, eldest son of John Stewart, Lord
Medway, and grandson of Gathorne, first Earl Oran-
brook, and has issue.
CREATIONS. 31 January 1699, Lord Boyle of Kelburn,
Stewartoun, Oumbrae, Finnick, Largs and Dairy ; 12 April
1703, Earl of Glasgow, Viscount Kelburn and Lord Boyle of
Stewarton, Cumbraes, Fenwick, Largs, and Dairy, in the
Peerage of Scotland; 11 August 1815, Baron Ross of
Hawkhead ; 23 July 1897, Baron Fairlie of Fairlie, both in
the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
ARMS (recorded in Lyon Register). Quarterly : 1st and
4th, or, an eagle with two heads displayed gules, for the earl-
dom of Glasgow ; 2nd and 3rd, per bend embattled argent and
gules, as a coat of affection (for the Earls of Burlington) :
over all on an escutcheon or, three harts' horns erect gules,
two and one, the paternal arms of Boyle of Kelburne.
CREST. A double-headed eagle displayed, parted per pale
embattled gules and argent.
SUPPORTERS. Dexter, a savage wreathed about the loins
with laurel, and carrying in his exterior hand a branch of
laurel all proper : sinister, a lion rampant, parted per pale
embattled argent and gules.
MOTTO. Dominus providebit.
[R. E. B.]
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF
GLENCAIRN
UNNINGHAM (also spelt
Ouningham, Ounigham,
Ounyngham and Gonyng-
ham) as a surname, is de-
rived from part of the
district of that name in
Ayrshire, which was held
by the family.
WERNEBALD, the re-
puted ancestor of the
family of Cunningham, is
said to have come into
Scotland in the train of
Hugh de Morville the
great noble who about
1140 became Constable
of Scotland, and who possessed large estates comprehend-
ing the districts of Cunningham in Ayrshire, Lauderdale,
and lands in the Lothians. Wernebald is said to have
received from Hugh Morville the lands of Kilmaurs, and
though he does not appear on record as owner, he is referred
to in charters by his son l
ROBERT, SON OF WERNEBALD, who gave in alms to the
monks of the Abbey of Kelso the patronage of the church
of Kilmaurs, with a half carucate, or about fifty acres, of
1 Douglas assigns to Wernebald two sons, Robert, and a Galfrid de
Cunninghame, who is stated to be a witness to a charter by King Mal-
colm iv. to the Abbey of Scone, but the charter shows that the witness's
name was Galfrid de Cunigsburgh (Acta Parl. Scot., i. 365).
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN 223
land belonging thereto, for the benefit of his own soul, 1 and
that he might be received into the fraternity of the house ; if
he wished to change his life before his death, he would change
it by their counsel, and he further gave to them two parts
of such goods as belonged to him at his death. This grant
was confirmed by the overlord Richard de Morville, and
also by Ingelram, Bishop of Glasgow. 2 The latter died in
1174, and the grant by Robert must therefore be earlier.
It does not appear when he died, but his name occurs in at
least one charter after 1196, by King William, confirming a
charter by the [deceased] William de Morville to James
de Loudoun of the lands of Loudoun. 3 His wife is unknown.
He is usually said to have married Richenda, daughter of
Sir Humphrey de Berkeley of Garntuly, but this is very
doubtful. The Robert, son of Wernebald, who was husband
of Richenda, must have been of later date, as the charters
granted by them are in the time of King Alexander 11.,
and are confirmed by that King in 1238 when the husband
of Richenda was still alive, she herself surviving till 1245
or later. 4 Richenda and her husband do not appear to have
had children. Robert, son of Wernebald had a son.
ROBERT, SON OP ROBERT, SON OF WERNEBALD, who con-
firms and repeats the grant made by his father to the monks
of Kelso. He also is to be received into their fraternity,
and gives the same grant at his death of two-thirds of his
gear. The writ is not dated, but Richard de Morville, who
died in 1189, is a witness, and the grant may have been
made between that date and 1174. 5 Robert, son of Robert,
son of Wernebald appears also in a charter dated between
1187 and 1189. 6 Nothing further is known of him, and the
next step in the pedigree is conjectural.
RICHARD DE CUNNINGHAM appears as a witness to a
1 Paterson, History of Ayr andWlgtown, iii. 468, expresses surprise that
Robert did not give his grant to the new monastery of Kilwinning, but he
overlooks the fact that Kelso was the parent church, and it is not certain
that the colony from Kelso had taken up residence. 2 Reg. de Calchou,
i. 231-233. 3 Original at Loudoun Castle. 4 Beg. de Aberbrothoc, 82, 91,
198-200 ; Paterson ut cit. dates the charters by Richenda and her husband
to the monks of Arbroath as between 1153-1156, more than twenty years
before the abbey was founded. 6 Reg. de Calchou, i. 232. 6 Reg.
Glasguensis, i. 67.
224 CUNNINGHAM, EARL OP GLENOAIRN
charter by Alan, son of Roland, Constable of Scotland,
confirming a grant by Margaret, daughter of Adam Loccard,
of one-third of Stevenston to Hugh de Crawford, dated
after 1210, and before 1233. 1
HARVEY (HERVICUS) DE CUNNINGHAM, appears to be the
next on record. He is usually said to have fought at the
battle of Largs in 1263, and to have had a charter from
King Alexander in. of the lands of Kilmaurs in 1264.
The original charter is not known to be in existence, but
an old extract of it taken from the register is at Gartmore,
which gives no clue either as to the granter or the date of the
granting, the record not giving the witnesses. But in an
old inventory of charters dated about 1579, now in the
General Register House, the grant of Kilmaurs to Hervey
Cunningham, called Henry in the roll, is entered with
others, indisputably of the reign of King Alexander II., 2
and this seems to fix his date. The King granted to
Hervey Cunyghame the whole barony of Kilmaurs, for a
reddendo of half a merk yearly in name of blench on the
morrow of St. Mary Virgin, at the principal messuage of
the barony. It may be noted that the King makes no
reference to Harvey's father or any other ancestor having
held the lands. 3 In a writ dated 13 May 1403, the then
Laird of Kilmaurs, Sir William Cunningham, in erecting the
church of Kilmaurs into a foundation for three presbyters,
commemorates Henry de Cuninghame as the founder of
the church. No other notice of Hervey Cunningham has
been found, and his successor is doubtful, but may have
been
EDWARD CUNNINGHAM, who is said by Nisbet to have
gifted the lands of Grange to the monastery of Kilwinning. 4
He is also said to have married a daughter of the High
Stewart of Scotland. A Cunningham did marry a sister of
James the High Stewart, as appears from a letter from
1 Original at Loudoun Castle. 2 The roll contains inter alia notes of
charters to Ferquhard Ross (1230-1251) of the earldom of Ross, to Walter
Comyn of the earldom of Menteith (who became Earl about 1231), and
Patrick, Earl of Atholl (from 1231-1242). 3 From extract under the hand
of Thomas Marjoribanks of Ratho, Lord Clerk Register, at Gartmore.
4 Heraldry, ii. App. 41.
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN 225
Robert Felton, English Castellan of Lochmaben to King
Edward I., dated in or about October 1299. He reports that
Robert de Conyngham, the Scottish Constable of Carlaverock
Castle, which had caused them much damage, had been
slain, and his head placed on the tower at Lochmaben,
adding that he was a ' vallet ' of the Stewart of Scotland,
* whose sister his uncle had married,' and the Stewart was
grieved at his loss. 1 Edward is said to have had two sons.
The name of the eldest appears to have been Robert ; the
name of the second son is conjectural, though one authority
states it was Reginald, and that he married the heiress of
Glengarnock, and became the ancestor of the family of
Cunningham of Glengarnock. 2
ROBERT CUNNINGHAM appears to be the next in order.
He swore fealty to Edward i. in 1296, 3 but in 1306 he joined
Bruce, and his lands were requested from Edward on that
ground. 4 Later, in 1321, he received from King Robert
Bruce a grant of the superiority of the lands of Lambrach-
ton or Lambroughton and Grugar in Cunningham, to be
held as Alan la Zouch and William Ferrers held them. 5
HUGH DE CUNNINGHAM received from King Robert Bruce,
on 24 August 1321, the lands of Lambroughtoun, now in the
King's hands by forfeiture, to be held of the chief lords of
the fee for the usual services. 6 On 4 July 1328 he had
another charter of the lands of Polcarn or Polquhairn in
1 Cal. Doc. Scot., ii. No. 1101. ' Robertson and heir of Robert de Cuning-
hame ' is named in a charter (about 1276) to the monks of Paisley (Beg. de
Passelet, 59), and may have been the Constable of Carlaverock. 2 Pater-
son's Ayr and Wigtown, iii. 289. Douglas assigns to Edward two sons,
Gilbert and Richard. The latter has not been found, while the refer-
ences to the former show him to be a Gilbert de Cuningburgh. 3 Cal.
Doc. Scot., ii. 212. He is designed as of the county of Lanark, which
seems to imply that he held Ranfurley in co. Renfrew, then part of Lan-
arkshire. Alltheother Cunningham lands were in Ayrshire. 4 Palgrave,
308, 314. 5 Meg. Mag. Sig.,fol. 11. Another Cunningham who flourished at
this time was Sir James, who, about 1322, had a charter from King
Robert i. of the lands of Hassendean, co. Roxburgh, for a reddendo of
11 sterling yearly (Reg. Mag. Sig., fol. 5). He had, on 6 October 1318, a
dispensation to marry a lady styled variously Elena Carrideby and Can-
tantilly (probably Quarentely) (Papal Register, Letters, ii. 192, 224),
by whom he had issue. Before 1409 Hassendean was in possession of
James Cunningham, apparently a grandson of Sir James, from whom
it passed to the then Laird of Kilmaurs (Reg. Mag. Sig., fol. 243).
8 Original at Gartmore.
VOL. IV. P
226 CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN
Ayrshire. 1 Nothing more has been found regarding him,
but he was probably the father of the following :
1. SIR WILLIAM.
2. Andrew, who had a charter from Donald, Earl of
Lennox (1333-1364), of the lands of Eschend and
others in Lennox. 2 He had, on 22 April 1369 and 16
January 1371-72, charters of Kyndeny or Kildinnie
in Perthshire, 3 to himself and Margaret his wife,
also of an annuity of 20 sterling till provided to 20
merks' worth of land. He had a charter of Kil-
fassane and Ballindalloch in Lennox from Malcolm
Fleming, Earl of Wigtoun, 4 and is said to be ancestor
of the Cunninghams of Drumquhassil and others in
Lennox. He died in 1388, leaving issue :
(1) Sir Humphrey, called in charters of 1399 and 1413. His
father's annuity of 20 was continued to him until 1425. 6
(2) Archibald, called in charters of 1399 and 1413 as brother of
Sir Humphrey.
3. Sir Nigel Cunningham, Knight, who appears in a charter
of David n. on 7 September 1362, as a witness to a
grant by Thomas, Earl of Wigtoun on 8 February
1371-72, and had a charter from King Robert 11. of
the lands of West Barns in Fife, 8 December 1376, 6
may have been another brother. He had a son
Archibald, called in the entail of 1399 cited below, who had a
son
William, called in the entail of 7 August 1413 cited
below.
SIR WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, who first appears on record
in a roll of Parliament of June 1344, where he is named as
a surety for the friends of the late Sir Alexander Ramsay
that they would keep the peace with the adherents of Sir
William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale. 7 He is next referred
to on 3 February 1350-51, as paying money to the Earl of
Northampton at Lochmaben, probably Crown dues from
his sheriffship of Lanark. 8 He was one of those magnates
whose son or brother was proposed as a hostage for King
1 Original at Gartmore. 2 Cart, de Lennox, 66. 3 Reg. Mag. Sig., fol.
49, 85. 4 Cart, de Lennox, 67. 6 Exch. Rolls, iii. 183 ; iv. 395. 6 Reg.
Mag. Sig., fol. 21, 114, 134. 7 Fragment of original roll of Parliament
communicated by Messrs. Burnet and Baxter, W.S. 8 Cal. Doc. Scot.,
iii. No. 1551.
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLBNOAIRN 227
David n. in 1354. 1 He had a charter, granted about 1361 or
1362, from that King of the earldom of Carrick, 2 and bore
the title of Lord of Carrick for some years. He is so styled
in a charter by himself granting the lands of Polcarn to
James Lekprevick, confirmed by King David 5 December
1365, 3 but in 1369 he is again styled Sir William Cunningham.
It is frequently stated that he got the earldom by marrying
Eleanor Douglas or Bruce, Countess of Carrick, and lost
it on her death, but though the lady was several times
married, Sir William does not appear as one of her husbands.
She was alive in 1376, when a dispensation was granted for
her fifth marriage. 4 On 18 April 1369 he had a charter of
the lands of Kinclevin in Perth, until provided by the King
in a forty-pound land (reserving Mariota Fleming's right in
the lands of Grintuly) to be held to himself and Margaret
his spouse. 5 He was Sheriff of Ayr in 1376. 6 In 1385 he
resigned in favour of his son, Sir William, the lands of
Kilmaurs and Lambroughton, Skelmorlie, and Kilbryde, in
Cunningham and Polquharn in Kyle, confirmed by King
Robert n. at Arneil on 22 May 1385. 7 He was still alive
in December 1396, and died between that date and July
1399. 8 He had issue :
1. ROBERT, who in 1357 was one of the hostages for King
David ii. 9 In or about 1346 he had a charter of
Garvard and other lands in Argyllshire. 10 He died,
apparently without issue, some time before 1385,
when his younger brother William was apparent heir
to their father.
2. SIR WILLIAM, who succeeded.
3. Thomas, who, on 9 May 1385, received from his father,
with consent of his then eldest brother Sir William, a
charter of the lands of Badlane or Baidland in the
holding of Dairy, barony of Conygham and sheriffdom
of Ayr. The lands were to be held of the Laird of
Lyne in Dairy for a reddendo of a silver penny in name
of blench, payable on the feast of St. Margaret
Virgin, 20 July, at the parish church of Dairy if
1 Cal. Doc. Scot., iii. No. 1576. 2 Beg. Mag. Sig., fol. 23. 3 Ibid., 40.
4 Douglas Book, i. 215. 6 Original at Gartmore. 6 Exch. Rolls, ii. 530,
7 Original at Gartmore. 8 Ibid., see below. 9 Cal. Doc. Scot., iii. p. 434.
10 Robertson's Index, 59, No. 7.
228 CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN
asked. If Thomas died without lawful heir of his
own body, the lands were to revert to the granters. 1
He was called in his brother's charter of entail of
8 July 1399, and also in the charter of 7 August 1413,
to his nephew Robert. He was ancestor of the family
of Cunningham of Caprintoun, now represented by
Sir William Stewart Dick-Cony ngham, Bart., of
Prestonfield.
4. Alexander, called in the charters of 1399 and 1413.
5. John, also named in these writs.
6. Margaret, married some time before 1364 to ' Fergus
Macduel,' probably of Mackerstoun. On 2 January
1364 they had a dispensation to remain in marriage,
notwithstanding certain disabilities, their offspring,
present and future, to be legitimate. 2
SIR WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, who succeeded, had received
the honour of knighthood before 1384, the first reference to
him on record. 3 He may have been the Sir William Cun-
ningham of Kilmaurs who, in April 1385, aided in defeating
and expelling a party of English invaders, stragglers from
the Duke of Lancaster's army, who had attacked and
partially burned the Abbey of Inchcolm in the Firth of
Forth. 4 On 9 May 1385 he joined in his father's grant
to his younger brother Thomas, cited above. About the
same time his father resigned in his favour the lands of
Kilmaurs, Lambroughton, Skelmorlie, and Kilbride in the
barony of Cunningham, Polquhairn in Kyle, Ayrshire, and
Ranfurley, in the barony of Renfrew, then in the sheriffdom
of Lanark, a resignation confirmed by King Robert n. at
Arneil on 22 May 1385. 5 In November of the same year
he was one of those who shared in the 40,000 francs which
the King of France sent to Scotland, the amount paid to
him being 500 livres Tournois, 8 and he was one of three
Scottish commissioners appointed to distribute the money.
It was probably he who acted as Sheriff of Ayr in 1386. 7
1 Copy (taken from the original) in Gen. Reg. Ho. 2 Papal Petitions,
i. 476. 3 Writ referred to by Paterson, History of Ayr, iii. 471. 4 Fordun
a Goodall, ii. 399. It is more probable it was the younger Sir William
who took part in this adventure, though his father was still Lord of Kil-
maurs. 6 Original at Gartmore. Rymer's Foedera, vii. 485. J Exch.
Rolls, iii. 682.
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OP GLENOAIRN 229
He was still younger of Kilmaurs on 8 December 1396,
when King Robert in. granted to him the barony of Red-
hall in Midlothian, resigned in his favour by Sir Murdoch
Stewart, afterwards Duke of Albany. 1 A little later he
had a grant of the superiority of the land of Pearston,
Warwickhill, Drummore, Caprington, and Warrix, in Cun-
ningham, Ayrshire. 2 He succeeded his father some time
before 8 July 1399, when he had a charter from King
Robert in. of the Ayrshire and Renfrew lands enumerated
above, with the additions of Redhall, Midlothian, Neve, in
Porfarshire, and Hassendean in Roxburghshire, all which he
resigned in the King's hands at Rothesay. They were
regranted to be held to himself and the lawful heirs-male
of his body ; whom failing, to Thomas, Alexander, and John
his brothers in succession and the heirs-male of their bodies ;
whom failing, to Humphrey Conynghame, Knight, his (Sir
William's) cousin, then to Archibald, brother of Humphrey,
and the heirs-male of their bodies ; whom failing, to Archi-
bald Oonynghame, Knight, son and heir of the late Nigel
Conynghame, Knight, and the heirs-male of his body ; whom
failing, to the lawful and nearest heirs of Sir William him-
self. A clause was added granting to Sir William, by the
King's special favour, that this entail should be no impedi-
ment to him in assigning the lands or part of them at his
pleasure. 3
Sir William was in 1399 summoned to Parliament to
answer a complaint at the instance of Thomas Boyd, but
the sequel is not stated. 4 He is referred to as Sheriff of
Ayr in 1406. 5 In 1409, as superior of the half-barony of
Hassendean, he granted to John Turnbull the lands of
Hassendean Bank which had belonged to and were resigned
by James Cunningham, son and heir of Christal Cunning-
ham, cousin of the granter. 6 He was alive on 7 August
1413, when he resigned his lands in favour of his eldest son
1 Original writ at Gartmore. This seems to disprove the statement of
Crawfurd that Redhall came to Sir William through his wife Margaret
Danielston. The history of the barony of Redhall can be traced from the
Menzieses to Robert, Earl of Fife, and his son, who now resigned it
(Robertson's Index, 68 ; Reg. Mag. Sig., fol. 128). 2 Robertson's Index,
140, No. 34. 3 Original at Gartmore. The lands of Neve in Forfar were,
soon after, resigned by Sir William in favour of Alexander Ogilvie,
Sheriff of Angus (Robertson's Index, 141, No. 54). * Acta Part. Scot.,
i. 574, 575. 5 Beg. Mag. Sig., fol. 228. 6 Ibid., 243.
230 CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN
Robert and other heirs of entail, but apparently died before
December 1415. 1
Sir William married, first, Margaret, eldest of the two
daughters and co-heiresses of Sir Robert Danielston of that
Ilk. 2 With her he obtained a large accession of property,
comprehending the whole or half the baronies of Daniels-
town, and Finlaystown in Renfrew, Kilmarnock, Dum-
bartonshire, and Glencairn in Dumfriesshire. She died
some time before July 1409, when he had a Papal Dispen-
sation to marry Marjory (Mary) Stewart, widow of James
Kennedy, notwithstanding Margaret his first wife was
related to Marjory in the second and third degrees. 3 Mary
Stewart was the second daughter of King Robert in., and
was widow, first, of George Douglas, first Earl of Angus,
and secondly, of James Kennedy, younger of Dunure, who
was killed before 8 November 1408. There is no clear
evidence that the marriage with Sir William Cunningham
took place, though it is not improbable. Her third or
fourth marriage with Sir William Grahame is first referred
to on 15 May 1416, when he and she had a charter of certain
lands. 4 Sir William Cunningham is usually said to have
had two sons :
1. ROBERT, who succeeded.
2, William, who is said to be the ancestor of the family
of Cunninghamhead. The only proof adduced is by
Orawfurd, 5 who quotes Sir John Cunningham as
noting a charter by Sir William Cunningham of Kil-
maurs to his son William of the lands of Woodhall.
No date is given. If this be so, however, it seems
strange that in the charter of 1413 cited below his
name is not given after that of his brother Robert.
There was certainly a William Cunningham, Lord of
Woodhall, who appears in various charters in 1415
and 1417. 6 He is said to have been father of Robert
1 Laing Charters, No. 94 ; Cal. of Reg. Ho. Charters, 27 December 1415.
2 The other daughter Elizabeth married Sir Robert Maxwell of Calder-
wood, and there seems to have been a mutual division of property in
1404 (Crawfurd, 168 note) and on 18 October 1405 (Eraser's Maxwells of
Pollok, i. 145, 462). 3 Papal Registers, Petitions, i. 639. 4 Reg. Mag. Sig.,
29 August 1430. Complete Peerage (iv. 70) assigns an exact date, 13
November 1413, for her marriage with Graham, but no proof is given,
and Cunningham was still living on 7 August 1413. 6 Peerage, 168 note.
6 Cal. Reg. Ho. Charters, Nos. 244a, 247a, 249.
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN 231
Cunningham of Ounninghamhead. On 13 May 1448
William de Fergushill of that Ilk leased his lands of
Cunninghamhead, co. Ayr, to Robert Cunningham of
' Benalla ' or Bonaly, and Marion Lockhart his wife,
for five years. 1 On 18 February 1461-62 Robert was
infeft in the lands on the resignation of William
Fergushill, 2 and thereafter is styled of Conyngham-
head. But the proof that William Cunningham of
Woodhall was a son of Sir William is wanting, and
it is possible he may be identical with the William,
son of Sir Archibald, named last in the entail of 1413,
cited below.
3. Sir William had also a natural son John, who in a writ
of 27 December 1415 is described as ' natural son of
the late Sir William Cunningham, Lord of Kilmaurs. 3
4. Another natural son appears to have been Mr. William
Cunningham, designed son of the late Sir William
Cunningham, Lord of Kilmaurs, in a deed of 1 March
1418 by himself, mortifying certain tenements in
Irvine for prayers at the altars of St. Catharine and
St. Ninian in the parish church of Irvine for himself,
his father, and Agnes his mother. He was vicar
of Dundonald and a Canon of Glasgow. 4
SIR ROBERT CUNNINGHAM of Kilmaurs, the eldest son, had
on 7 August 1413 a charter by Robert, Duke of Albany, of
the lands of Kilmaurs, Lambrachtown, Kilbride, Skelmorlie,
Polquharn, Redhall, Hassendean, and Ranfurly, co. Ren-
frew, resigned by his father Sir William, to be held to
Robert himself and the heirs-male of his body, whom fail-
ing, to his father Sir William, whom failing, to Thomas,
Alexander, and John, his (Sir William's) brothers, whom
failing, to Sir Humphrey Conynghame, and Archibald his
brother (Sir William's cousins), whom failing, to William
of Conynghame, son of the late Sir Archibald Conynghame,
Knight, whom all failing, to Sir William's nearest lawful
heirs ; reserving Sir William's liferent in the lands. 5 Sir
1 Cal. Reg. Ho. Charters, No. 314b. 2 Ibid., No. 365. 3 Ibid., No. 244a.
4 Original writ and a similar deed, 26 July 1426, at Irvine. 6 Laing
Charters, No. 94, in the index to which work Sir Humphrey and
Archibald are described as cousins of Robert, but the previously cited
charter of 1399 shows they were cousins of Sir William.
232 CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENCAIRN
Robert was one of those magnates who went to meet King
James i. at Durham as hostages for his deliverance 3
February 1423-24. 1 He was knighted by the King at his
coronation on 21 May 1424, and was one of the jury on the
trial of Murdach, Duke of Albany, 1425." He was one of four
chiefs despatched shortly afterwards on an expedition to
Loch Lomond against James Stewart, son of Duke Murdach,
who had caused a disturbance there, and burned the town
of Dumbarton. 3 Sir Robert and Sir Alexander Montgomery
of Ardrossan had a joint commission for governing and
defending Kintyre and Knapdale 10 August 1430. 4 On 31
January 1448 King James n. granted to Sir Alexander
Montgomery the heritable office of Bailie of the King's
barony of Cunningham, formerly held by Sir Robert, a
grant which gave rise to the long and bitter feud between
the Cunninghams of Kilmaurs and the Montgomeries. 5
He married, contract dated 16 June 1425, Anne, only
daughter of Sir John de Montgomery of Ardrossan, and
had two sons :
1. ALEXANDER.
2. Archibald, 6 who had a charter from his brother Alex-
ander, Lord Kilmaurs, of the lands of Watertoun 27
April 1458, confirmed by charter under the Great
Seal 16 November 1478. 7
I. SIB ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM of Kilmaurs succeeded
his father before 20 March 1450-51, when as Lord of Kil-
maurs he granted to the friars preachers of Glasgow a
yearly sum of four and a half merks from the lands of
Finlaystoun for masses on behalf of his grandfather and
grandmother. 8 He was in the train of King James 11.
while on his expedition to the south country against James,
ninth and last Earl of Douglas, in July 1452. Upon the 18
of that month, within the tent of the Lord Chancellor of
Scotland (Crichton), Alexander Cunningham of Kilmaurs
resigned into the King's hands his lands of Kilmaurs, etc.,
in the sheriffdom of Ayr, whereupon, after pause, the King
granted and gave the said lands to Alexander and his heirs,
1 Cal. Doc, Scot., iv. 190. 2 Fordun a Goodall, ii. 483. 3 Ibid., 484 ;
Exch. Bolls, iv. 91. * Memorials of the Montgomeries, ii. 27. 6 High
Treasurer's Accounts, i. 9. Registrum Glasguense, 413 ; Laing Charters,
34. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig. 8 Mun. Frat. Predicatorum de Glasyu., 169.
in free barony, to be called Kilmaurs. He further resigned
the lands of Kilmaronok in Stirling, Finlaystoun in Renfrew,
Glencairn in Dumfries, and Hilton in Berwick, which were
again granted to him and his heirs, whom failing, to his
brother Archibald. 1 Sir Alexander acted as Bailie of Cun-
ningham in 1458. 2 Sir Alexander was subsequently accused
of having dealings with the traitor Earl of Douglas, and on
13 January 1463-64 he complained to the King in Parlia-
ment that there was a rumour that he had assisted James of
Douglas, notwithstanding a letter of 8 February 1462-63 from
the King declaring him innocent. He then offered purga-
tion by an assize of his peers, by the purgation of 100
knights and esquires, or to defend himself according to the
laws of arms. Parliament declared him innocent. 3
That is the first reference to him as LORD KILMAURS,
a dignity to which he had been raised between 8 February
1462-63, the date of the royal letter, where he is styled
Alexander Ounynghame, Lord of Kilmaurs, and 13 January
1463-64, when as Lord Kilmauris he complained in Parlia-
ment. 4 He witnessed a charter ' Alexander Dominus Kil-
mauris ' on 15 October 1464, and had a charter as Alexander
Dominus de Kilmaweris of his lands of Drips, in the lordship
of Kilbride, co. Lanark, 13 January 1477-78. 5 He sat
continually in Parliament as Lord Kilmaurs from 1464 to
1488. 6 In 1488 a great part of the Scottish nobles rebelled
against James in., and on the second February 1488 the
prince his son, then about sixteen years of age, left Stirling
Castle and joined the rebels. 7 Lord Kilmaurs, who was
then very powerful, brought his forces to aid the King's
party, and assisted in the defeat of the rebels at Blackness.
Probably in return for this service, and as a mark of royal
favour, Lord Kilmaurs was, on 28 May 1488, advanced to
the dignity of EARL OF GLENCAIRN by royal charter, 8
in which he is designated Alexander, Earl of Glencairn and
Lord Kilmaurs. The words used are ' facimus et creamus
eundem nostrum consanguineum Oomitem in exaltationem
sui honoris, perpetuis futuris temporibus Oomitem de Glen-
1 Laing Charters, Nos. 134, 136. 2 Exch. Rolls, vi. 428. 3 Acta Part.
Scot., Supp. 29. * These dates seem clearly to fix the year of his creation,
which has hitherto been uncertain. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig. Acta Parl.
Scot., ii. 12. 7 Ibid. 8 Kilkerran Family Papers.
234 CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN
cairn et Dominum de Kilmauris nuncupandum.' l In support
of this honour, the King, by the same deed, granted the
thirty-pound lands of Drummond and the ten-pound lands
of Duchray, in the earldom of Lennox, to be held to
the Earl and his heirs and successors for ever. 2 It was
upon this charter that Sir Adam Fergusson of Kilkerran
founded his claim to the title of Earl of Glencairn, when,
on the death of John, fifteenth Earl, 24 September 1796, the
whole male descendants of William, twelfth Earl, failed.
After the battle of Blackness a proposal was made
for a treaty between the opposite parties, and articles
were drawn up for that purpose. These articles were not
observed. The prince's party now accused the others of
having entered into a treaty with England. 3 The war
broke out again, and on 11 June 1488 the King was killed
in a battle against his rebels at Sauchieburn near Stirling,
and with him fell Alexander, the newly-created Earl of
Glencairn.
Alexander, first Earl of Glencairn, married Margaret,
daughter of Adam Hepburn, Lord of Hailes, and by her had
four sons :
1. ROBERT, second Lord Kilmaurs.
2. William of Oraigends, ancestor of that family, and said
to be ancestor of the Cunninghams of Robertland,
Oarncurin, Bedlaw, Auchinharvie, and Auchinyards.
On 23 August 1477 his father granted 'filio suo
carnali Wilelmo Cunyngham propter carnalem affec-
tionem quam habet erga ipsum,' an annualrent of
15 merks from the lands of Walterston in Kilbarchan
parish ; and on 4 February 1478-79 he received from
his father a charter of the lands of Craiganys (Craig-
ends) in the lordship of Ranfurley. 4
3. Alexander.
4. Edward, both mentioned in a charter of 1483. 6
II. ROBERT, second Lord Kilmaurs, had sasine of the
whole barony of Reidhall in the sheriffdom of Edinburgh
30 January 1482-83. 6 As Master of Kilmaurs he was
1 Maidment's Reports, App. vi. 93. 2 On 3 June 1488 sasine of these
lands was given to Alexander, Earl of Glencairn, in terms of the King's
precept. Laing Charters, No. 198. 3 ActaParl. Scot. 4 Original Writs of
Craigends. 6 Reg. Mag. Sig., 25 February 1483-84. 6 Laing Charters, 188.
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN 235
present in Parliament 1484. 1 On the accession of King
James iv. his first object was to void the later grants
made by his father, and accordingly on 17 October 1488 it
was enacted inter alia that all creations of new dignities
granted since 2 February preceding (1487-88) by the de-
ceased King were annulled. In virtue of this statute,
Robert, the son of Alexander, Earl of Glencairn, was deprived
of the dignity of an earldom conferred on his father. He
sat in Parliament as Lord Kilmaurs 1489, 2 but died before
1492. He married Christian, eldest daughter of John, first
Lord Lindsay of Byres, 3 relict of John, Master of Seton.
This marriage took place before 19 July 1476, when an
action was determined against Robert Cunningham and
his wife respecting part of the rent of Winchburgh, belong-
ing to Lord Seton. He was succeeded by his son,
III. OUTHBERT, third Lord Kilmaurs, and second Earl of
Glencairn, had sasine of Kilmaurs, Lambroughton, Skel-
morlie, Polquhairn, Skeldon, and of Hilton 1492, Hassenden,
Brieryardis, Drupps, Redhall 1495, 4 and in a charter to
William his son, dated 6 November 1498, 5 he is also styled
Cuthbert, Lord Kilmaurs. He had charters to ' Cuthbert,
Lord Kilmaurs,' of the lands of Drumalin and Adintoun in
Lanarkshire, on the resignation of George Douglas, son and
heir-apparent of Archibald, Earl of Angus, 25 June 1492. 6
Lord Kilmaurs appears to have been restored to the rank of
Earl at the marriage of Margaret of England with James iv.
of Scotland in 1503. John Young, Somerset Herald (who
attended the Princess to Scotland) records that on Sunday,
13 August of that year, three noble lords were made Earls
in the Queen's presence. They were presented to the King
by Marchmont Herald, took the oaths, and the King
'girdled them with the sword above their shoulders, and
gave them their lordships, to them and to their heirs.'
One of these was Lord Kilmaurs, now proclaimed as ' Outh-
berd, Comte de Glencarne, Lord de Kylmarres, Baron
Banerett, and Lord of Parliament.' 7 This statement is so
far corroborated by the fact that the Earl sat in Parlia-
1 Ada Parl. Scot., ii. 167a. 2 Ibid., ii. 216b. 3 Acta And. 54, 167.
4 Exch. Rolls, x. 764-770. 5 Reg. Mag. Sig. 6 Ibid. 7 Leland's Collectanea,
iv. 300. The two other Earls thus created were James Hamilton, Earl
of Arran, and William Grahame, Earl of Montrose.
236
ment as such on 18 November 1505. 1 He had also a charter
to Outhbert, Earl of Glencairn, and Lord Kilmaurs of the
lands and barony of Hiltoun in Berwickshire 7 February
1507-8, 2 and the barony of Hassindean in Roxburghshire 27
February 1510-1 1, 3 and to him and Marion Douglas his wife
in liferent, and William their son and heir, and his heirs, of
the earldom and barony of Glencairn 24 July 1511. 4 On
20 January 1515 he had sasine of the lands of Drummond
and Duchray, which had been in nonentry for twenty-
seven years, 5 and which had originally been confirmed upon
his grandfather by King James n. by the same charter which
raised him to the earldom of Glencairn (p. 234). He joined
the Earl of Lennox in his unsuccessful attempt to win
King James v. from the power of the Douglases, and was
wounded after fighting bravely at the battle of Linlithgow
on 4 September 1526. 6 He died between May 1540 and
May 1541, when his son is styled Earl.' He married (con-
tract dated 24 June 1492) Marion, daughter of Archibald
Douglas, fifth Earl of Angus, 8 and had issue, so far as
known, one son :
WILLIAM, who succeeded.
IV. WILLIAM, third Earl of Glencairn, had, as son and
heir-apparent of Outhbert, Lord Kilmaurs, a charter 6 June
1498, on his father's resignation, of the lands and barony
of Kilmaurs, the lands of Skelmorlie and others in the county
of Ayr, together with many other lands in the counties of
Renfrew, Stirling, Dumbarton, Lanark, Dumfries, Edin-
burgh, Selkirk, and Berwick, to himself and his heirs-male
of entail with the reservation of his father's liferent and
his mother's terce ; 9 on 10 July 1499 he had another, as
Sir William Ounninghame, Knight, of Redhall, co. Edinburgh,
and Langlands, co. Ayr, to himself and his wife, and of the
Castle of Kilmaurs to himself and his heirs-male of entail,
with a similar reservation of the terce of the lands to his
mother. 10 On 24 July 1511 he had, along with his father
and mother, a charter of the earldom and barony of Glen-
cairn as above mentioned. He appears very frequently in
1 Ada Parl. Scot., ii. 259. 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 6 Exch.
Rolls, iv. 580. Pitscottie's Chronicle, Scot. Text. Soc., i. 320. 7 Reg. Mag.
Sig., 12 June 1540 ; Hamilton Papers, i. 73. 8 The Douglas Book, iii. 131-
134. 9 Reg. Mag. Sig. 10 Ibid.
CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENOAIRN 237
the Register of Great Seal charters both as the granter
and grantee of lands ; but it is not till 5 August 1541, in a
charter from the King to his second son, that he is styled
Earl of Glencairn, having succeeded some time before May
of that year. On 25 June 1526 he got a commission as
Lord High Treasurer, the term of his appointment being
for four years. But his father having joined the Earl of
Lennox as already stated, he became obnoxious to Angus,
and was summarily deprived of his office.
The Earl of Glencairn was one of those taken prisoner
at the rout of Solway, and committed to the custody of the
Duke of Norfolk, but was released on the payment of a
ransom of 1000, and signing an agreement with the
English King to promote a match between his son Edward
and the infant Scottish Queen. The real purpose of Henry
was, no doubt, to get absolute dominion over Scotland, and
Glencairn seems to have embraced the English cause with
much fervour. On 4 May 1543 he had a commission to
treat for peace with England, and for the marriage of
Edward and Mary, 1 treaties which were confirmed on 25
August. 2 The Earl was no half-hearted supporter of Henry,
and it is said that in connection with an invasion of Scot-
land contemplated by Henry, he undertook to convey his
army from Carlisle to Glasgow without stroke or challenge. 3
On 17 May 1544 a treaty was entered into between the
English King and the Earls of Lennox and Glencairn, by
which the last-named and his son were to receive ample
pensions, and on their part they undertook to have the
King appointed Protector of Scotland, and deliver the
Queen and country into his hands. 4 Glencairn was, how-
ever, opposed in arms by Arran at the head of a large
force, completely defeated in an engagement near Glasgow,
where his second son was killed, and he was compelled to
take refuge in England. 5 But the intrigues of Glencairn
and his associates at this time are matters more for the
historian than the genealogist. It is sufficient to say that
he obtained on 12 December 1544 a remission to himself
and his adherents for all crimes of treason committed
previous to that date, 8 and died about four years after-
1 Fouler a, xiv. 781, 783. 2 Ibid., xv. 4, 5. 3 Sadler, 1-156. 4 Feeder a,
xv. 22. 5 Diurnal of Occurrents, 32. Ada Parl. Scot., ii. 450.
238 CUNNINGHAM, EARL OF GLENCAIRN
wards, soon a 
