mm 
 
PUBLICATIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SCOTTISH HISTORY SOCIETY 
 
 VOLUME XII. 
 
 BARON COURT BOOK OF URIE 
 
 October 1892 
 
 a 
 
THE COURT BOOK 
 
 OF 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 IN 
 
 KINCARDINESHIRE 
 1604-1747 
 
 Edited from the Original Manuscript with Notes 
 and Introduction by the 
 Rev. DOUGLAS GORDON BARRON 
 
 M.A. 
 
 EDINBURGH 
 
 Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable 
 for the Scottish History Society 
 1892 
 
DA 
 ISo 
 
 . SlS 
 v. IZ, 
 
 BOSTON COLLEGE LIBBAR* 
 OCT 2 ^- 1971 
 
 465 JG5 
 
PREFATORY NOTE 
 
 The manuscript of the Court Book of the Barony of Urie 
 forms a small quarto volume. It has been carefully pre- 
 served, and though the writing is often slovenly and difficult 
 to decipher, there is no part of the record which has been 
 destroyed or rendered illegible through decay. Prior to the 
 death of Captain Barclay-Allardice in 1854, the Court Book 
 remained in the possession of the proprietors of Urie. It 
 subsequently passed into the hands of its present possessor, 
 Mr. Robert Barclay of Bury Hill, Dorking (see App. iv. 
 p. 192), to whom the thanks of the Society are due for 
 permitting its publication. 
 
 The manuscript has been carefully transcribed by the Rev. 
 Walter Macleod, whose kindness in revising the proof-sheets 
 of the text I gratefully acknowledge. 
 
 My thanks are also due to Sir Patrick Keith-Murray, Bart., 
 of Ochtertyre, Mr. Baird of Urie, Mr. Fraser of Findrack, 
 Mrs. Barclay-Allardice, and others, who have kindly put at 
 my disposal materials bearing upon the history of Urie and 
 its proprietors. To Mr. Barclay-Allardice I am indebted for 
 notes on the pedigree of the Barclays. 
 
 The illustration of the Old House of Urie, which forms the 
 frontispiece of this volume, is from an engraving by the late 
 
ii PREFATORY NOTE 
 
 William Miller, i/.R.S.A., Edinburgh. The signatures on 
 the margin are those of Colonel David Barclay and his son, 
 Robert Barclay, the Apologist. 
 
 Two maps have been introduced, in which it has been 
 attempted to define the original boundaries of the Baronies of 
 Cowie and Urie. While perfect accuracy is not claimed for 
 these, no trouble has been spared to render them as correct as 
 possible. D. G. B. 
 
 DuNNOTTARj 
 
 8th September 1892. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Prefatory Note, . . . . i 
 
 Introduction, ...... v 
 
 COURT BOOK, 1-174 
 
 Appendix — 
 
 I. The Rentall Buik off the Barony off Wrie, . . 177-178 
 
 II. Notes written on the fly-leaf of the ms., . . 179-180 
 
 III. Chronological Table of Prices, Converted Fermes, 
 
 Customs, etc., Extracted from the Court Book, . 181-184 
 
 IV. The Lairds of Urie, 1430-1892, .... 185-196 
 
 Glossary, ...... 197-200 
 
 Index, ....... 201-208 
 
 Illustration — Old House of Urie, at beginning. 
 
 Map of the Baronies of Cowie and of Urie, at end of Introduction. 
 
CORRIGENDA 
 
 P. xxiii, 1. 2, for James, Earl of Kinghorn, raz^/John, Earl of Kinghorn 
 P. xliv, 1. 30, for Baron-bailie, read Baron-bailiff 
 P. xlviii, 1. 18, for haddocks or, read haddocks and 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The establishment of the Baron Court in Scotland may be 
 regarded as an essential growth of feudalism, coincident with 
 the spread of the tenure of land by military service, as intro- 
 duced by Malcolm in. in the middle of the eleventh century, 
 and encouraged and extended by his successors. The object 
 of the early kings in fostering the new system of land-tenure 
 was sufficiently apparent. Desirous to increase the influence 
 of the Crown over their turbulent and restless subjects, they 
 were not slow to recognise in it a ready means of bringing 
 into subjection those who might otherwise have been the last 
 to acknowledge their supremacy, or to seal to it the warlike 
 tribes who followed them, and who knew no other claim to 
 gratitude or obedience than the old 4 tie of blood.' 
 
 The feudal lord, who held a charter of the king on terms 
 of military service, acquired thereby an wrvperium in imperio 
 which was admirably fitted to transmit through every stratum 
 of society that hitherto unknown respect for law and dis- 
 cipline which it was the object of the Crown to recommend 
 and teach. For, just as he did homage for his land, confess- 
 ing himself to be the vassal of his sovereign, so those who 
 held of him, whether as tenants or sub-vassals, were com- 
 pelled to recognise a similar indebtedness on their part, and 
 to submit themselves to his authority as their superior or 
 over-lord. Nor did it end here. A minor proprietor, although 
 not holding directly of the king, and being therefore the vassal 
 of a vassal, might yet assume, in virtue of his charter, the 
 position of an over-lord to his immediate dependants, from 
 
vi 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 whom he could exact the homage he himself had rendered, 
 and over whom he was empowered to exercise, though in a 
 limited degree, the jurisdiction to which he was himself subject. 
 
 The machinery which controlled this complicated system 
 was centered in the curia baronis, or Baron's Court. This 
 court it was the privilege of every superior to hold within the 
 bounds of his own lordship, provided always he had at least 
 two vassals to sit in it as peers. A Baron Court, it will be 
 seen, therefore, was not necessarily the Court of a Barony, 
 unless in so far as the jurisdiction of a minor proprietor might 
 be said to be covered by that of his superior. This principle 
 appears to have been recognised in the right of a crown 
 vassal to take part with his feudatory in the meetings of his 
 private court. 
 
 The authority of our earlier barons, alike in criminal and 
 civil matters, was practically absolute. They held their 
 baronies not only cum furca et fossa, with power of pit and 
 gallows, but even in certain instances cum placitis quatuor 
 punctorum coronae nostrae, that is, with right of jurisdiction 
 in what were termed 4 the four points of the Crown 1 — murder, 
 rape, robbery, and fire-raising. On one point only, that of 
 the crimen majestatis, or crime of treason, did the Crown 
 interpose its caveat to limit and restrain the jurisdiction of 
 its immediate vassals in dealing with the rude and lawless 
 spirit of their time. 
 
 As things progressed, or in other words, as the policy of 
 delegating power by the State in exchange for 4 homage and 
 service 1 gradually brought about the change anticipated, the 
 privileges of this dominant and ruling class were correspond- 
 ingly curtailed. Their boasted right of 4 pit and gallows'' was 
 tempered in the first instance by the withdrawal from their 
 jurisdiction of the Crown Pleas, and subsequently by the 
 limitation of their right to dispose of the homicide and thief, 
 to cases in which the former had been caught 4 red-handed, 1 or 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 vii 
 
 the latter hrfang, — that is, with the stolen property in his 
 possession within the confines of the barony. But apart 
 altogether from this higher jurisdiction, care was taken that 
 the feudal lord should still possess abundant power to bring 
 into subjection the most refractory of his vassals, did they 
 venture to dispute his high prerogative and claim. Fine and 
 forfeiture were at all times ready and effective instruments of 
 discipline, while the knowledge that fines and escheats, instead 
 of falling to the Crown, became the lawful property of the 
 superior, may be supposed to have encouraged the latter in the 
 vindication of their just authority, even if it did not occasion- 
 ally incite them to abuse its exercise through greed of gain. 
 
 As far as civil jurisdiction was concerned, the minor pro 
 prietor, who in no case possessed the power of life and death 
 over his vassals, and whose criminal authority was strictly 
 regulated by the terms of his charter, extending for the most 
 part to the punishment of petty thefts and the exaction of 
 bludcciies, 1 was exactly in the same position as he who held 
 directly of the Crown. Both had alike the right to settle at 
 their court all matters of dispute concerning land and tenancy. 
 They were empowered to pursue for debt, to punish for neglect 
 or contumacy, and, generally speaking, to direct and, in no 
 limited or formal sense, determine the material prosperity or 
 its opposite of all who owed to them the feudal obligation, 
 and were bound by its indissoluble and jealous claim. 
 
 It was a characteristic of Feudalism that a superior in trans- 
 mitting power or privilege to a dependant did so, as nearly as 
 was possible, in the precise form in which he himself enjoyed 
 it. The Baron, as we have seen, exercised to all intents and 
 purposes the functions of a king among his vassals, and we 
 cannot wonder, therefore, if his court presented in its salient 
 features an almost literal resemblance to the sovereign courts 
 
 Fines for shedding of blood. 
 
viii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 of the realm. Its place of meeting was originally a hill or 
 mound — the ' moot-hill , of an earlier period. And in the 
 record of a Baron Court held by Sir Patrick Gray, as superior 
 of the Barony of Longforgan, in the year 1385, we find this 
 ancient custom still prevailing. 1 
 
 Though interested enough to watch, and in certain circum- 
 stances, perhaps, even to influence, the judgment of the Court, 
 the Baron did not preside, at least in later times, in person. His 
 bailie or steward sat as preses of the Court, in this and other 
 matters occupying a position analogous to that of the royal 
 seneschal. Other officials were the chancellor or clerk, who 
 was invariably a notary, and qualified, therefore, to advise on 
 points of law and precedent ; the officer or sergeant, who acted 
 also as bailiff to the barony ; the dempster, a functionary 
 robbed in later times of his old power and state, and retained 
 merely to pronounce the sentence which the bailie, in his 
 capacity as judge, had first awarded ; and, finally, the suitors 
 or free- tenants, who were summoned to be present, just as the 
 Baron was himself required to sit in Parliament. Giving of 
 5 suit and presence ' at the Lord's Court was one of the impera- 
 tive requirements of all feudal tenure, and no one was exempted 
 without reasonable excuse from attending thrice yearly to 
 perform this 6 debtful service.' 
 
 The duties and responsibilities of suitors necessarily varied 
 with the different forms of trial which obtained at different 
 periods. Our earlier tribunals were scarcely calculated to 
 make any very formidable demand either upon their courage 
 or intelligence. In trials by compurgation, for example, they 
 were probably required to assist in making up the tale of 
 those who asserted, with no regard to evidence or fact, the 
 
 1 Four separate minutes of this Court are in the possession of Sir Patrick 
 Keith Murray, Bart., of Ochtertyre. They are described by Dr. Stuart as 
 ' almost a solitary specimen of the proceedings of a Barony Court in Scotland 
 in the fourteenth century.' — Third Report of Historical Manuscripts Commis- 
 sion, Appendix, p. 410. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 ix 
 
 inherent integrity, or the reverse, of the defendant. Where, 
 on the other hand, 'the judgment of God'' by ordeal or 
 combat had been claimed, it doubtless sufficed that they were 
 present as spectators, prepared if need be to bear witness that 
 the formalities had been impartially conducted. When, how- 
 ever, to use the words of Mr. Cosmo Innes, 4 men no longer 
 thought it convenient that he who was accused of the theft of 
 a cow should go free if twenty-four friends swore that they 
 thought him incapable of stealing," 1 and when, accordingly, 
 the older forms of trial were gradually supplanted by the 
 verdict of the 6 good men and true ? of the neighbourhood, the 
 suitor rose to take a permanent and foremost place in the 
 administration of justice. True, his position was still, and 
 always would remain equivocal, in so far as he was the creature 
 of his lord, but it was his own by universally acknowledged 
 right and custom, and it depended on himself to maintain or 
 to betray it. Besides serving on assize, suitors were further 
 entitled to appear as witnesses. They were required to act as 
 sureties for their fellow-suitors and dependants ; to serve as 
 arbiters in certain forms of dispute ; to value agricultural 
 effects ; to fix the boundaries of neighbouring ' tacks, 1 and 
 generally to be at the bidding of the Court in whatsoever 
 capacity their services might be demanded. 
 
 The formalities attendant on the holding of a Baron Court 
 are to be gathered incidentally from a variety of sources. The 
 first step, naturally, was to apprise those interested of the 
 place and date of meeting. This was done by written summons 
 of the officer, who received a warrant for that purpose from 
 the bailie. This summons he was afterwards required to read 
 in Court, in proof that he had executed the precept of his 
 superior. One such citation has fortunately been preserved in 
 the record of the Court of Longforgan, previously referred to. 
 Its terms are as follows : — 
 
 Innes's Scotch Legal Antiquities, p. 218. 
 
X 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 6 I, Robyn Jobson, sergand, lauchfully made and ordanyt of 
 the chef part of the barony of Langforgund, throw Sir Patrick 
 Gray, lord of that ilk, chef part of that ilk barony in the 
 sheradom of Perth, somonde at the chef plaz of the teneindri 
 of Lytilton, and Lowranstone of Ochtyrcomane within the 
 Lytilton, Sir Thomas the Hay of Lowchqwhorwart, and Dam 
 Jonat his spouse, throw reson of his spouse, Sir William of 
 Cunygham, and Dam Margaret his spouse, Elizabeth of 
 Maxwel, Alexandir of Kocborne, and Katerin his spouse, for 
 reson of his spouse, and Dugal McDuel, and Eufam his spouse, 
 for resone of his spouse, the Wedynysday, the xvi day of the 
 moneth of Nouember, that thai apere lauchfolly at the 
 Hundhil in Langforgrond, in tlie sheradom of Perth, to Sir 
 Patrick Gray, lord of the chef part of Langforgronde, and 
 orlord of the lands of Lytilton and Louranzstone of Ouchtir- 
 comon, thys tewysday that nw ys the xvi day of this moneth of 
 Jenuer, to schaw how and for quat caus, throw quat charter or 
 ewydens thai halde or clemys to hald the landys or tenandris 
 of Lytiltone and Lowranzstone of Achtyrcoman of hym, and 
 of his chef parts of the Barony of Longforgond within the 
 sheradom of Perth, and to do this day efter my somonz for 
 yhour haldyng as the law and ordyr of law askys in yt selfe. 
 Yat I haf mad this somondys in this maner as I hafe recordyt 
 lawfully, lo here my witnez, Robyn Jonson, of Balligyrnach 
 and Richard of Pentland, William Scot, and Androw Yhong.' 
 
 It will be noted that the above describes the purpose of the 
 meeting of the Court, and also refers by name to those whose 
 presence was especially desired. It is just possible that a less 
 formal mandate may have served to cite those members of the 
 Court who were required to act as suitors. 
 
 Parties being assembled, the Bailie instructed his officer to 
 4 Cry" the Court, which he did in these, or words of correspond- 
 ing import — 4 All maner of men that have to doe here at this 
 day drawe near and attend to the Courted Proceedings were 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xi 
 
 commenced by the rehearsal of the Suit Roll of the Barony. 
 During its recital the names of parties absent with excuse were 
 notified, defaulters being summarily amerced for non-attendance. 
 Other preliminaries included the adjustment of the roll of 
 pleas, reports as to the service of distraints, and kindred 
 matters. Did the billet of the Court include the trial of any 
 criminal offence the members of assize were next declared, 
 and sworn. The jury of a Scottish Baron Court numbered 
 fifteen. 1 Of these the Chancellor or foreman was sworn first, 
 and by himself. The remainder took the oath in groups of 
 three or four together. This was followed by the recital of 
 the 6 Charge,' during the delivery of which the assize remained 
 standing. This ceremony, which eventually degenerated into 
 a mere exhortation to defend the court, accompanied by a 
 threat of pain and penalty to such as should presume to trouble 
 or molest it, was originally a most important function. 
 
 In an anonymous volume, entitled The Justice of' the Peace, 
 published in London in 1564, a copy of a Court Charge, as 
 used in England at that period, is printed, and although on 
 many points it postulates a state of things inapplicable to our 
 Scottish Courts, we feel that we are justified in reproducing it. 
 Its value will be readily admitted, not only as touching one by 
 one the minutiae of baronial jurisdiction, but still more as 
 affording in itself a picture of the social condition of the feudal 
 vassal at a time when feudalism might be said to be still in the 
 zenith of its power, the sincerity and truth of which cannot be 
 questioned. 
 
 The Charge of a Court Barox. 
 Firste, ye good men that bene sworne, ye shall enquire and 
 
 1 This statement is made on the authority of Mr. Cosmo Innes {Legal Anti- 
 qttities, p. 59), but is not supported by the usage of the Court of Urie, where 
 the number of the assize varies, and appears in no instance to have reached 
 fifteen. 
 
xii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 truely present al the sutoutes 1 that owe any sute unto thys 
 courte at this day, as for theyr tenures, if they be heire or no, 
 and presente theyr names that make defaute. 
 
 Also, if there be any tenant deade sythen the last court daye, 
 ye shall enquyre of hym and doe us to wete 2 what he helde of this 
 Lordeship at the day of his deathe, and what auauntage the 
 lord shuld haue by his death, etc., as Ward, Mariage, and 
 Reliefe or Eschete, or any other profite, and who is his next 
 heyre, and what age he is of, and in whose keping. 
 
 Also, if there be any rent, custome, or seruice withdrawen 
 from this lordeship that oughte of right to be done, ye shall 
 enquire by whome it is withdrawen and what custome or 
 seruice it is, and in what Bayliffes time, and howe it hath bene 
 withdrawen, and where the land lieth, that we may distraine 
 for the arrerages that are behinde. 
 
 Also, if there bee any bonde man of bloude 3 that putteth his 
 sonne unto the scole to make him a preste or apprentice, or 
 set him to craft, or marieth his daughter without leaue, ye 
 shal do us to wete. 
 
 Also, if there be any bondeman that letteth his lande, that 
 is to say, for the halfe or for the thirde shefe without leave. 
 Or els if there be any bondeman that withdraweth his goodes 
 or cattelles out of the lordeship without leaue, do us to wete. 
 
 Also, if the lordes common bee so charged by any tenant 
 
 1 Suitors. 2 Inform us. 
 
 3 A bondman of blood or villein might be either (i) a villein in gross, who was 
 immediately bound to the person of his lord and his heirs ; or (2) a villein 
 regardant to a manor, who was bound to his lord as a member belonging and 
 annexed to a manor whereof the lord was owner. He was properly a true 
 villein, of whom the lord took redemption to many his daughter and to make 
 him free, and whom the lord might put out of his lands and tenements, goods 
 and chattels at his will, and beat and chastise but not maim. — Blount's Laxv 
 Dictionary. 
 
 A villein held his lands by copyhold, which means that he had nothing to show 
 for them but the copy of the rolls made by the steward of the Lord's Court. He 
 is distinguished from the free holder, who held in fee -simple, fee-tail, or for life. 
 Neither of these systems of tenure was known in Scotland. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xiii 
 
 with mo beastes then he should hold after the quantitie of his 
 tenure, ye shal do us to wete. 
 
 Also, if there be any bondman of bloud that longeth to this 
 lordeship, that is fledde, and dwelleth withoute this lordeship 
 without fyne or raunsome makinge, ye shal do us to wete. 
 
 Also, if there be any alienacion ouer twelve monethes and a 
 day or lesse for terme of yeres in fee or in fee taile, ye shal do 
 us to wete. 
 
 Also, if there be any transmutacion of possession, that is to 
 say, copy lande for fre lande, or fre lande for copy lande, whereof 
 the Lorde might take any dissauantage in amendinge of the 
 one and appairing of the other, ye shal do us to wete. 
 
 Also, of all maner wast done in housinge, letting downe, or 
 cutting the great tymbre. 
 
 Also, of al trespassours in corone or grasse, or in pastures or 
 greanes or meades, or fychers or foulers, or hunters or haukers, 
 within this lordeship or lordes warren, ye shall do us to wete if 
 there be any such. 
 
 Also, if there be any tenant of copy holde, tenant at will, or 
 tenant of bonde tenure, that suffer their tenements to bee 
 ruinous and falle downe, or els any fermovr bounden to 
 reparacion, repaire not as he ought to doe, do us to wete. 
 
 Also, if there be any boundemen of bloude within this lord- 
 ship that purchaseth any fre lande without any leaue or licence, 
 ye shal do us to wete what it is, and what heires he hath. 
 
 Also, of al other thinges that ye haue knowen that ought to 
 be presented to the Lordes auayle, ye shal do us to wete 
 thereof by the othes that ye haue made and brynge in a true 
 presentment. 
 
 Also, if any make any rescous or breake any arest made 
 by the baily or any other officer, or els if any man breake 
 the lordes pounde, that is to say, a distres put in the Lords 
 pound by an officer and taken out again without lycence, do us 
 to wete. 
 
XIV 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Also, if ye knowe any that remoueth or pulleth up mere- 
 stones or stactes betvvene lordeship and lordship, or tenant 
 and tenant, whether it bee fre or bonde, present theyr names. 
 
 Also, if any tenaunt giue any lande to the church, that is to 
 say, into mortmaine, sith the statut therof was made, without 
 licence of the king and the lord of this lordship, ye shal doe us 
 to wete. 
 
 Also, if any man haue encroched any of the lords soile, that 
 is to say, lande, medow, moore, pasture, or any vacant grounde 
 without licence of the lorde, present their names. 
 
 Also, if any man holde two tenementes, and waisteth the one 
 as if lie withdraweth anye trees from the one to the other, if ye 
 knowe any such, present their names by your forsayd othes. 
 
 Or els if ye know that any tenant hath made any strope or 
 wast upon his bonde tenant, strope, that is to say, pulling up 
 of trees or hedges, wast, is to saye, houses fall downe for 
 defaut of reperacion, if there be any suche, present their 
 names. 
 
 Also, if ye knowe any tenaunt that kepeth or withdraweth 
 any euidence that longe to this lordshipes courtes, rolles, 
 rentalles, customaryes, or any other euidence, ye shall present 
 their names. 
 
 The charge delivered, or in legal phrase, ' the Court being 
 lawfully fenced and affirmed, 1 the way was open for the trans- 
 action of business. Vassals having suit against their neigh- 
 bours were permitted to pursue in person, the superior either 
 personally or through his chamberlain or other deputy, while 
 in Courts of full Baronial Jurisdiction a Procurator-Fiscal was 
 appointed to prosecute in criminal causes. 
 
 It was a peculiarity of the Court that all processes were 
 introduced not by original writ or precept, but by plaint, a 
 description of the proposed action being reduced to writing 
 and presented to the Bailie either previous to the meeting or 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xv 
 
 in open Court. This having been produced, and a true bill 
 declared, the accused was summoned to appear against a 
 certain day, when formal proof was led and judgment followed. 
 Should he neglect the summons of the Court, an attachment 
 was decreed against him and a fresh citation ordered. It 
 being to be noted, however, that 6 no defendant should be 
 attached by his bodye, but only by his goddes,' that is to 
 say, 4 by his oxe, cowe, horse, potte, payne, or other maner of 
 chattell.' Further, non-appearance on the part of the accused 
 was followed by renewed distraint, till failing for the fourth 
 time to comply with the injunction of the Court deliverance 
 went against him by default. 
 
 Pleas to be tried were often various enough, but all passed 
 with equal freedom through the mill of medieval justice. 
 Here a defaulting tenant is arraigned, and promptly forfeits 
 the choicest of his stock to pay the landlord. A farmer's 
 horse has strayed upon his neighbour's grass, and has been 
 expeditiously and safely poinded. No qualifying circumstance 
 is urged or sought. The rustic Shylock claims his pound of 
 flesh and gets it. Now an indignant Baron bitterly complains 
 that such an one has violated the privileges of his Court by 
 pursuing, before the Lords of Session, Sheriff, or Commis- 
 sioners, a claim which ought to have been his. It is hard to 
 realise that the great man is wounded not in pride but purse, 
 and that his indignation centres in the fact that a presumably 
 substantial fine has found its way into the capacious pockets 
 of the State instead of into his, mayhap exceeding tight 
 ones. And yet, if there be doubt upon the point, the equa- 
 nimity with which he hears a further fine pronounced on his 
 offending vassal must effectually remove it. Here a rough 
 brawler is transferred to prison or the stocks, the distress which 
 has been placed upon his goods increased threefold, because 
 the blow he struck had chanced to be 6 above the breath,' 
 instead of under it. While there, a wretched thief, who has 
 
xvi 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 been caught iiifang, receives short shrift from men whose only 
 thought is to prevent his further depredations. 6 Notorious ' 
 and ' habit and repute,'' he has had both ears cropped, and 
 has been branded on the cheek for past delinquencies. It 
 only remains — and he will not have long to wait — that he be 
 ' whipped at a cart tail, 1 and ' hangit till he be ded 1 upon the 
 neighbouring gallows. 
 
 The sederunt of the Baron Court was closed by what appears 
 to us the curious formality of crying the Assize of Bread and 
 Ale. Here, again, the authority of the Baron interposed to 
 fix the price of commodities which could only be produced 
 for sale by his express indulgence. It may be hardly necessary 
 to suggest that baxter and brewer were alike required to 
 supply the Manor at a different price from that which they 
 were permitted to exact from the surrounding tenants. The 
 form of conducting this Assize which was most commonly in 
 use has been preserved as follows : — 
 
 In what wise the baylifFe or beddel, which serueth the 
 Courte, shall call thassyse of breade and ale whan the 
 Court is ended. 
 
 The stewarde shall cause the bailiff'e to take an oyes, 1 and 
 shall say : fc Al maner men that wyl bake breade to sell, loke 
 they sell foure loues for j 5 - and ij loues for j and loke 
 ye kepe thassise. All maner of brewers that will brewe to sell 
 loke ye sell a galon of ale of the beste, for Id. ob., the second 
 for a penye, and the worste for an ob., and kepe the assise, and 
 that no brewer sell out no burthen tyll the ale conoure 2 haue 
 assayed thereof, and sette a price thereon, upon peine of 
 forfayture, etc. 
 
 1 A corruption of the French oyez, hear ye, used by the Crier of a court to 
 enjoin silence. 
 
 2 The ale conoure, ox ale taster, was an officer appointed to look to the assize 
 and quality of bread and ale, within the precinct of the lordship. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xvii 
 
 ' And all maner of men that haue for to do at this day, 
 come and you shalbe harde, or els kepe your day at the nexte 
 Court by resonable warnynge, And God saue the kyng. 1 
 
 Such, in its main outlines, was the Baron Court on which in 
 feudal times the comfort and self-respect of the rural popula- 
 tion in England and Scotland rested. That feudalism, at its 
 introduction, was a power for good, cannot be questioned. No 
 other system could so successfully have coped with the lawless 
 spirit of the age, and brought it mercifully, as we must admit, 
 within the pale of civil government. This task accomplished, 
 that it eventually degenerated for the most part into an 
 instrument of petty tyranny and greed, is equally apparent. 
 And nowhere is this more clearly recognised than in the record 
 of its Baron Courts, where, despite an occasional affectation of 
 good faith, everything is so adjusted as to serve the interest 
 of the strong against the weak, the lord against his helpless 
 vassal and dependant. It was a red-letter day, therefore, for our 
 country when an otherwise least thoughtful or far-seeing Prince 
 struck a first solid and determined blow at its prerogatives. 1 
 The Act of Charles n. practically abolished feudalism in 
 England, and although nominally it still survives north of the 
 Tweed, it has long since been stripped by various Acts of its 
 more objectionable and repellent features. Baron Courts con- 
 tinued to be held in Scotland till 1747, when their jurisdiction 
 was by law curtailed to an extent which rendered them 
 no longer a convenient source either of profit or prestige to 
 their possessors. 2 A Baron still retains the right of holding 
 Courts, — a privilege, however, of which he has altogether 
 ceased to take advantage. It is still on statute that he may 
 pursue at his own Court for feu-duties and rents, and may 
 compel his tenants to perform their legal services. He has, 
 besides, a jurisdiction in civil actions to the extent of 40s. A 
 further right of punishing assault and petty theft by a fine not 
 
 1 Act 12 Car. n. c. 24. 2 Act 20 Geo. II. c. 43. 
 
 C.B.U. I 
 
xviii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 exceeding 20s., is so burdened with prohibitive restrictions as 
 practically to preclude its exercise. 
 
 Thus far the main object of inquiry has been as to the 
 general system of feudal laws upon which such minor judi- 
 catures as the Baron or Baron-baillie Courts of Scotland rested. 
 To France we may look as the original source of our feudal 
 customs and observances ; but not to France directly, for it is 
 probable that these came to Scotland through the channel of 
 English example and practice. A Baron Court in Scotland, 
 therefore, must have reflected in some degree the usages of 
 both England and France, and we may take it that in all 
 three countries, after making allowance for special national 
 characteristics and local divergences, the main features of these 
 Minor Courts were common to all. 
 
 The Baron Court Book of Urie, which forms the body of 
 this volume, contains a record of the proceedings of that Court 
 for a period extending from 1604 to 1747. These proceedings 
 not only afford evidence that the general principles of feudalism 
 were in full play during that period, but they preserve for us 
 also many rural usages and customs which must have been 
 common both to the locality of Urie and to Scotland generally. 
 With a view to illustrating these usages and customs it will 
 be necessary, in the first place, to give some account of the 
 estate of Urie and its successive proprietors ; and, secondly, to 
 cite a few facts bearing upon the relations which obtained 
 between the lairds of Urie and their tenants, more particularly 
 in connection with the civil jurisdiction of the former as 
 touching the occupancy of the land. 
 
 I. Urie and Monquich, which in the earlier minutes are 
 erroneously described as the 4 Barony of Urie, 1 are situated in 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xix 
 
 the county of Kincardine and parish of Fetteresso, and are in 
 the immediate vicinity of Stonehaven, the county town. They 
 originally formed part of the barony of Cowie. The records 
 of sederunt, therefore, which compose the earlier portion of 
 this volume, describe the doings of the court of a sub-vassal. 
 
 The early proprietors of Urie were cadets of the family of 
 Errol, who came into possession of the property about the 
 middle of the fifteenth century. Sir William Hay of Errol, 
 Hereditary Great Constable of Scotland, had purchased Cowie 
 from Sir William Fraser of Philorth in 1415. Fifteen years 
 later he granted to his younger son a charter of the lands of 
 Urie, thereby defining for the first time the extent and boun- 
 daries of the estate. He died in 1436, and was succeeded 
 by his grandson, also named William, who was created Earl 
 of Errol in 1452. To him the laird of Urie resigned his 
 lands, and this resignation was subsequently confirmed to his 
 son and successor, Nicholas, second Earl of Errol. Nicholas 
 thereupon conveyed Urie to his uncle, Gilbert Hay, by a 
 deed dated 12th April 1467. Of this Gilbert Hay, or 
 ' Master 1 Gilbert Hay, as he is invariably designed, we have 
 successive glimpses in the records of the period. He was 
 educated for the law, and although he succeeded through his 
 wife, who was the only daughter and heiress of Sir John 
 Dunbar of Crimond, to very considerable estates in the shires 
 of Aberdeen and Elgin, he yet appears to have pursued the 
 practice of his profession all through his active bustling life. 
 
 From Gilbert Hay, who died in 1487, six generations in 
 succession held the lands of Urie. John Hay, fifth in descent 
 of this unbroken line, is the first who occupies the position of 
 proprietor in the pages of the Court Book. He succeeded to 
 the estates in 1588, and died in 1607. Previous to the former 
 date he had embarked, along with his superior, Francis, eighth 
 Earl of Errol, in treasonable designs against the Government 
 of James vi. This Earl is known in history as a leader 
 
XX 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 of the Popish faction in the North, who, after the execu- 
 tion of Mary Queen of Scots, entered into correspondence 
 with the Spanish Court, then busied in preparing the Invincible 
 Armada for an attack on England. In the abortive rising at 
 Aberdeen in 1589, which was the first outcome of this ill- 
 advised and foolishly conducted league, John Hay of Urie was 
 involved, if not as an active participator in the fact, at least 
 as in friendship and sympathy with the rebels. Falling hence- 
 forth under suspicion, Hay was arrested three years later on a 
 charge of hearing Mass, and of ' resetting and intercommuning 
 with jesuits, priests, and papists.' The indictment was in all 
 respects a serious one enough, its gravity being proven by the 
 circumstance that the Parliament of 1594 included 4 wilful 
 hearing of Mass 1 among the list of capital offences. It is 
 evident, however, that considerable influence was brought to 
 bear on his behalf, most probably through the initiative of his 
 chief, whose treason, half connived at in secret by King James, 
 was never seriously resented. He was mulcted in a fine of 
 one thousand merks, and was required to appear in Aberdeen 
 before a Council on Religious Doubts, there to recant and 
 make atonement for his misdemeanours. The deliverance of 
 the Privy Council in the case bears evidence of a deliberate 
 attempt to shield the accused, almost at any cost, from the 
 responsibility and weight of the arraignment. 4 The king is 
 assured,' it runs, 4 that it (the offence of hearing Mass) pro- 
 ceeded, not of a malicious intent to contempt his Hines, but 
 being ignorant of the tenor of the Acts and grundit in his 
 dampnable errouris and oppinion be the crafty allurementis 
 and persuasioun of the saidis jesuitis, he wes movit, of very 
 simplicitie and ignorance, and upone a blind zeal borne be 
 him towardis his professioun.'' 
 
 John Hay of Urie, whose 4 simplicitie and ignorance 1 are 
 thus proclaimed, has failed to leave any very distinct impres- 
 sion of his personality on the few meetings of the Baron Court 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxi 
 
 which bear to have been called by his authority. If we should 
 venture to form any estimate of his character, as he appears 
 before us, we would be tempted to describe him as a seemingly 
 careless and indulgent laird who had been suddenly aroused 
 to the necessity of economy and retrenchment. His frequent 
 bringing to the front of obsolete or dormant statutes bears this 
 out, and his tenants can hardly be expected to have partici- 
 pated in his new found admiration and respect for the 
 4 wmquhil father of guid memorie 1 who is continually quoted 
 in support of reimposed exactions. 
 
 Doubtless the revenues of Urie had been considerably over- 
 taxed to meet the liabilities arising out of the treasonable 
 dealings of the proprietor. These liabilities naturally tended 
 to accumulate rather than decrease as public quarrels ripened 
 into private enmities. William Hay, who succeeded his father 
 in 1607, appears to have inherited, along with the estate, a 
 countless tale of feuds and heart-burnings. Nor is it by 
 any means apparent that the new laird was either prone to 
 shun the entrance to a quarrel or, being in, was without stomach 
 to maintain it. In the first year of his succession a dispute 
 with Robert Fraser of Brachmont assumed a somewhat serious 
 aspect ; so much so, indeed, that on Fraser bringing the matter 
 under the notice of the Privy Council, Hay was bound over, 
 himself in a thousand pounds, his brother Alexander in five 
 hundred, and no fewer than fifteen of their retainers (for 
 whom Robert Irvine at the Mill of Cowie became cautioner) in 
 three hundred merks each, to keep the peace. Six years later 
 Robert Strauchine, M.D., complained that William Hay of 
 Urie and Thomas Auchenleck, sometime servitor to the Earl 
 of Orkney, being armed with various weapons, had gone to a 
 certain dwelling-house in Stonehaven, believing him to be 
 there, and that, to make sure of finding him and slaying him, 
 the Laird of Urie had kept watch outside, while Auchenleck, 
 entering the house, sword in hand, had forced the chamber 
 
xxii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 doors and 'stoggit the beddis." Disappointed in their search, 
 and hearing that he ' had repairit to the lynkis of the said 
 town of Stanehyve to recreat himself,"* Strauchine further 
 explains how they had followed him thither with intent to 
 murder him, adding that they would undoubtedly have exe- 
 cuted their purpose had he not, acting on the counsel of his 
 friends, withdrawn himself from the links. 
 
 Such reckless conduct on the part of the laird could only 
 eventuate in the impoverishment and ruin of his estates. The 
 downward progress of events is shadowed forth by the Court 
 Book in the gradual assumption of proprietary rights on the 
 part of Francis, Earl of Errol, who, restored to royal favour in 
 1596, was now living in the enjoyment of his vast possessions at 
 Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire. On 30th July 1616 the Earl's 
 name is first inserted in the preamble of a minute of the Court, 
 ' with special consent of the proprietor." Such an announce- 
 ment does not necessarily imply anything further than that it 
 had pleased the Earl to exercise his prerogative of appearing 
 at the Court in his capacity of over-lord. Two years later his 
 name again appears, while the explanatory clause is absent. 
 In the minute of 11th July 1620 he is associated with the 
 laird as heritable proprietor. This continues till 5th October 
 1626, when the name of William Hay is abruptly dropped, 
 and Errol is henceforth described as sole proprietor of the 
 lordship. It is evident from the above that Hay had been 
 gradually parting with his interest in the estates to his 
 superior. It was not till four years after the date named, 
 however, that a formal transfer of the property was made, 
 following a process by 4 William Hay of Wry," to complete 
 his title as heir to his infants, Gilbert Hay. 
 
 Francis, Earl of Errol, died in 1631 : and his son William — 
 who during his brief tenure of the honours and estates did 
 much to squander the resources of the earldom — in 1637. 
 Gilbert, tenth Earl, who succeeded as a minor, is represented 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxiii 
 
 at the meetings of the Court by his curators, John, Lord 
 Yester ; James Lyon of Auldbar ; and 3&ibes, Earl of Kin- 
 ghorn. Twice only does the Court sit during their administra- 
 tion, the minute of 20th November 1639 being that of their 
 last recorded meeting. A blank of nearly thirty years follows, 
 during which period the lands of Urie underwent many 
 changes, and passed successively through various hands. The 
 greater portion of Monquich was permanently alienated from 
 the Barony, while L T rie itself was stripped of Finlayston and 
 Redclock, together with such minor adjuncts as the chapel 
 lands and crofts of Cowie. What remained of the estate 
 passed in the first instance, in wadset, to John Forbes of 
 Leslie, younger son of William Forbes of Monymusk. John 
 Forbes was a man of pushing and aggressive temperament, 
 and made himself conspicuous, not only as a purchaser of 
 extensive estates in the shires of Aberdeen and Kincardine, 
 but also as a zealous upholder of the Covenant, prepared to 
 do battle for his political opinions, and to maintain them 
 stoutly against all comers. He had acquired the lands of 
 Leslie in 1620 from George Leslie, last of that Ilk, and sub- 
 sequent to 1637 had added to his possessions the important 
 estate of Banchory, in Kincardineshire. Forbes was also pro- 
 prietor of the Barony of Durris, which was plundered by 
 the barons of the north after they had dispersed the meet- 
 ing of Estates at Turriff in 1639. Five years later, Spalding 
 tells us, ' his girnellis in Banchorie, sic as wes left oncareit to 
 Urie,'' were pillaged by Montrose, while, in 1645, he again 
 suffered at the hands of the great Marquis, who, having raided 
 the baronies of Dunnottar and Fetteresso, belonging to the 
 Earl Marischal, 6 merchis to Vrie. He fyres the place, burnis 
 all to the voltis and haill lauche bigging, cornes and barne- 
 yairdis ; and plunderis the haill grund. 1 A true type of the 
 hard-headed Scottish baron of the period, whether pursuing 
 the representatives of the broken clan Gregor through the 
 
xxiv 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 fastnesses of Deeside, or prosecuting his natural enemy, John 
 Gordon of Haddo, before the Committee of Estates of Parlia- 
 ment, or exchanging pistol shots with Sir Gilbert Menzies of 
 Pitfodels on the open highway at the entrance to the town of 
 Aberdeen, whereby, wounded in the leg, ' he lay wnder cure 
 quhill Januar 1643, and then began to walk upone ane staf 
 feblie and not soundlie healing 1 Forbes appears to have main- 
 tained all through a confident and unbroken spirit, prepared 
 to accept with equanimity what fortune sent. He is referred 
 to by Spalding as 4 ane gryte covenanter,' and the expression, 
 as descriptive of a strong man possessed of a resolutely deter- 
 mined will and purpose, is undoubtedly deserved. 
 
 In 1647, the affairs of the Earl of Errol having reached a 
 crisis, permission was granted by the Council of Estates to sell 
 Urie. It was purchased by the Earl Marischal at a cost, we 
 are told, of 6 2000 merks for ilk chalder of victuall and ilk 
 hundreth merks of silver."' Data furnished by the Court Book 
 enable us to estimate the number of chalders payable by the 
 tenants as fourteen; and it being further stated in the contract 
 of purchase that the money and victual rents were almost 
 equal, we may calculate the price paid as being roughly 56,000 
 merks or about i?3000 sterling. Marischal, who redeemed the 
 wadset on the lands of Urie, resold them in the following year 
 to Colonel David Barclay, to whom he also disposed of a con- 
 siderable part of his estates in the adjoining parish of Dun- 
 nottar, consisting of the town and mill lands of Stonehaven and 
 portions of each of the Baronies of Dunnottar and Uras. 
 Before, however, the titles to this transfer were completed, the 
 Earl of Marischal had been attainted by the Cromwellian 
 Parliament, and the subjects of the purchase were claimed as 
 forming part of the forfeited estate. 
 
 1 Referring to this incident, Spalding remarks, *■ this good cause brocht in the 
 beiring and weiring of gonis, quhilk bred mekill sorrow and mischeif in this 
 land.' — Spalding Club, Memorialls of the Trubles in Scotland, vol. ii. p. 205. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 XXV 
 
 Colonel Barclay, who thus came into disputed possession of 
 Urie, was the third son of David Barclay, proprietor of Mearns 
 and Mathers. Though representative of an old and once 
 powerful family in the district, David Barclay had become 
 involved in pecuniary embarrassments and was soon to dis- 
 pose of his possessions. Probably this circumstance was not 
 required to induce his son, Colonel Barclay, in accordance 
 with a custom prevalent among the junior branches of the 
 aristocracy of the period, to proceed abroad in search of useful 
 and congenial employment in one or other of the standing 
 armies of the Continent. He was successful in obtaining a 
 commission in the Swedish service under Gustavus Adolphus, 
 and accompanied that monarch on his campaign in Germany 
 in 1630. His splendid physique, his courage, and undoubted 
 military aptitude soon won for him promotion, and after the 
 death of Adolphus, on the field of Lutzen in 1632, Barclay 
 continued for some time to serve abroad. On the outbreak of 
 the Civil War in 1638, however, he returned to this country 
 and identifying himself with the Parliamentary Party took the 
 field in their behalf. In 1646 we find him ' Crowner 1 or 
 Colonel of a regiment of horse intrusted with the mission of 
 punishing the Earl of Crawford, who, with a mixed band of 
 Scots and Irish, was engaged in laying waste the northern 
 counties. Barclay encountered his antagonist in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Banff and defeated him with great slaughter. 
 Some months later he was sent as second in command to 
 General Middleton, to relieve the town of Inverness beleaguered 
 by the Earl of Seaforth and the Marquis of Montrose ; on 
 which occasion, at the head of his division, he forced the cross- 
 ing of the Ness in face of the opposing army, thereby raising 
 the siege and causing the Royalist leaders to retire. Barclay 
 continued to hold various military appointments under the 
 Estates, and, among other services which he was the means of 
 rendering to his party, was successful, along with General 
 
xxvi 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Middleton, in repulsing the Marquis of Huntly, who, in the 
 absence of the Parliamentary troops, had abruptly thrown 
 himself into the town of Aberdeen, from which as a centre he 
 proceeded to work havoc among the possessions of Presbyterian 
 lairds. His appointment as Governor of Strathbogie followed ; 
 and a year later, 1648, he married Catherine, eldest daughter 
 of Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonston, second son of the Earl 
 of Sutherland, and by his grandmother Lady Helen Stuart, 
 cousin of King James vi. 
 
 Barclay's purchase of Urie in 1648, and the subsequent 
 refusal of the Cromwellian Parliament to acknowledge his title 
 to the estates, formed an important turning-point in his career. 
 Disgusted with the treatment he had received, he determined 
 to quit the military service, and if possible to fight a bloodless 
 battle on his own behalf. To this end he applied himself to 
 enter Parliament, and was returned for Sutherlandshire in 
 1652, and again for the united counties of Forfar and Kincar- 
 dine in 1654 and 1656. He soon made his influence felt in 
 the councils of the Commonwealth, and maintaining all through 
 one definite and consistent purpose succeeded in securing for 
 himself an appointment as Trustee of Confiscated Estates in 
 Scotland. This done, infeftment in the lands of Urie followed 
 readily, though not till 1679 did he obtain that formal 
 charter which, combining the various subjects he had purchased 
 from the Earl Marischal, erected them into 'Ane haill and 
 free barony, called the Barony of Urie."' Barclay did not 
 retire from Parliament when his own immediate object had 
 been served. It was no part of his nature to remain indifferent 
 while others suffered from the harsh and selfish treatment 
 which, as applied to his own claim for justice, he had learned 
 deeply to resent. He became henceforth the champion of the 
 distressed and plundered Rovalists, whose pleas he did not 
 cease by every lawful effort to support. Conspicuous among 
 those who benefited by his disinterested advocacy were the 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxvii 
 
 Countess Marischal and her children, who, reduced to extremity 
 by the Earl's forfeiture, had so far appealed in vain to the 
 authorities for payment of the allowance granted them by the 
 Commissioners for their support. Writing to 4 My verie loving 
 freind Patrick Rankine, advocat, dualling at the foot of the 
 Kirkheughein Edinburgh,*' the Countess says, 6 1 did not intend 
 to have sent this bearer untill I had heard from yow. But 
 having within this tuo nightes receaved a letter from Daved 
 Barkley showing that severall claimes on my sones estate are 
 cliered, and it is his advyce that I shall enter my childrines 
 claimes, and also that some adreses be maid to the Trusties for 
 alowance to my grand childrine, I resolve to send the bearer 
 with the best instructiones I could give him. . . . Trewlie 
 Colonel Barklay wrytes verie kyndlie, and promises all the 
 asistance that is within his reatch. Soe that I have derected 
 the bearer that after he lies spoken with Maister John Nisbit 
 and yow he shall goe to him with my letter and ask his 
 advyce. 11 It might have been expected that such services, 
 rendered in behalf of those who had suffered on account of 
 their devotion to Charles i., would have assured for Colonel 
 Barclay at the Restoration the acknowledgment so justly 
 merited. On the contrary, the Colonel was seized and put in 
 prison, the charge against him being the singularly ungracious 
 one that he had acted as a Trustee under the Usurper. It was 
 while undergoing imprisonment for this offence in Edinburgh 
 Castle that Barclay came under the influence of Judge Swinton, 
 and, being impressed by the zeal of that remarkable enthusiast 
 — of whom it was said that he was more concerned to spread 
 the views he had adopted than to defend his own life — 
 was induced to become a member of the Society of Friends. 
 Released in 1666, he retired to Urie, where — having rebuilt the 
 manor-house, which, as we have seen, had been destroyed in 
 1645 — he subsequently continued to reside. He had bid fare- 
 1 This letter is in the possession of Sir Patrick Keith Murray, Bart. 
 
xxviii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 well alike to camp and senate-house, and the remainder of 
 his life was spent in propagating the mystic and self-abnegat- 
 ing creed of Quakerism, and in striving to realise its truth and 
 sacredness on the practical and living side. The institution of 
 public meetings for the purpose of Quaker worship was one of 
 his first steps in this direction, and very soon the little Meeting 
 House at Urie was built and opened, and this continued for 
 more than a hundred years to be the headquarters of the 
 Friends in the north of Scotland. Whatever may be said of 
 Quakerism as a religious system, no one can impugn the honesty 
 of David Barclay, or fail to admire the picture which his latter 
 days have given us of courage and integrity, and of that mild 
 and cheerful and long-suffering piety which is the ideal of the 
 sect. The proud warrior and skilled politician of the Common- 
 wealth has become strangely altered as we see him in the 
 simple garb of Quakerism, but the spirit of the old soldier of 
 Adolphus burns within him yet. In the face of much opposi- 
 tion, insult, and ill-will, he never wavers. Even renewed im- 
 prisonment at the instigation of the clergy in Aberdeen is 
 powerless to shake his constancy ; and to one regretting the 
 change in his position, and the abuse to which he is subjected 
 on account of his religious profession, he replies, u I find more 
 satisfaction as well as honour in being thus insulted for my 
 religious principles than when, some years ago, it was usual for 
 the magistrates, as I passed the city of Aberdeen, to meet me 
 several miles, and conduct me to a public entertainment in 
 their Townhouse, and then convey me as far out again, in 
 order to gain my favour." The history of a stormy and 
 ungrateful period in Scottish history has preserved to us the 
 record of the early deeds of Colonel Barclay, but it required 
 the genius of Whittier to describe his latter years. That 
 writer's inimitable ballad, entitled ' Barclay of Urie, 1 is familiar 
 to all who are even but partially conversant with American 
 literature, and is a fitting tribute to the memory of one 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxix 
 
 the trial of whose manhood was not more surely made what 
 time 
 
 he stood 
 Ankle deep in Liitzen's blood, 
 With the brave G^stavus ! 
 
 than when, the patient jest and s.corn of an ignorant and 
 brutal populace, — 
 
 Turning slow his horse's head 
 Towards the Tolbooth prison, 
 Where, through iron grates, he heard 
 Poor disciples of the word 
 Preach of Christ arisen. 
 
 In 1667, after an interval of nearly thirty years, Barclay 
 reconstituted the Baron Court of Urie. Among his earliest 
 acts in connection therewith is one which probably stands 
 unique in the history of such tribunals. We can easily under- 
 stand how, after so long a period of practical exemption from 
 authority, there had grown up in the barony a race of tenants 
 ill-disposed to brook the will of a superior however consider- 
 ately and wisely it might be imposed. Accordingly on 7th 
 May 1669 we have the curious incident of the laird volun- 
 tarily surrendering himself as a panel at the bar of his own 
 court in answer to the charge of being an oppressor and 
 exactor. The question narrows itself to one of the render- 
 ing of certain services, and on the refusal of the tenants to 
 prosecute ' in regaird they confessed they had noe reasons soe 
 to doe.'' Barclay himself proposes to discontinue the exaction 
 of service for the future on payment of a yearly money equi- 
 valent of six pounds Scots. 
 
 Yet notwithstanding this action on his part, it is not 
 difficult to see how, in discharging his duties as a landlord, 
 Barclay's religious opinions must have caused him, for a time 
 at all events, to be ill thought of and misjudged. In his hands 
 a court of legal justice is transformed, as far as may be, into a 
 
XXX 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 tribunal of religious equity, and doubtless there were few so 
 circumstanced among his vassals as rightly to appreciate the 
 change. It upset their notions and disturbed their equanimity. 
 It not seldom overtook with rebuke and penalty those who had 
 not calculated to meet a moral element in the preferment of 
 their oftentimes vexatious and ill-considered claims. 
 
 David Barclay died in 1686, and was succeeded in the 
 barony by his son, Robert Barclay, the famous 'Apologist 1 of 
 Quakers, whose name, along with that of his father, first 
 appears in the minutes of the court in 1679. 
 
 The latter was born at Gordonston, in Morayshire, the seat 
 of his maternal grandfather, on 28th December 1648. Here 
 his earliest education, he tells us, * fell among the strictest 
 sort of Calvinists, those of this country being generally 
 acknowledged to be the severest of that sect ; in heat of zeal 
 surpassing not only Geneva, but all other reformed churches 
 abroad. 1 At an early age, however, lie was withdrawn from 
 this atmosphere of earnest and aggressive Protestantism, and 
 transferred to Paris, where he continued till his sixteenth year 
 a member of the Scots College, of which his uncle was then 
 rector. Barclay's precocity soon arrested the attention of the 
 authorities of that seminary, and no pains seem to have been 
 spared in developing his nascent genius, and in preparing him, 
 as doubtless his preceptors calculated, for the profession of 
 a priest. It seemed for a time, indeed, as if their expecta- 
 tions would be realised, and that the Church of Rome was 
 destined to be permanently enriched by the acquisition of 
 the young enthusiast, who while yet a boy had practically 
 traversed the whole field of mediaeval scholarship, and whose 
 vivacity and keenness in debate had already gained him 
 numerous distinctions where such qualities were hard to 
 counterfeit, just in proportion as their possession was intelli- 
 gently and deeply prized. The solicitude, however, of a 
 dying parent for her eldest born outweighed in Colonel 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxxi 
 
 Barclay's mind the advantages of further residence in Paris, 
 and accordingly he himself went thither to fulfil his wife's 
 behest that her son might be removed from the insidious 
 influences to which her reason told her he was being increas- 
 ingly exposed. Not without regret did Barclay turn from 
 the career which had seemed to be opening so naturally before 
 him, but neither the promises nor expostulations of his uncle 
 were able in the issue to prevent his sacrificing personal 
 interest and inclination to what he felt were the imperative 
 demands of filial duty. His return to Scotland took place in 
 1666, and was almost immediately followed by the arrest and 
 imprisonment of his father in Edinburgh Castle, as above 
 described. The subsequent conversion of the latter to 
 Quakerism must have made a deep impression on the imagi- 
 nation of the youthful savant, who fresh, it may be, from 
 the study of the Aiigustinus of Cornelius Jansen published 
 under the care of Frommond in 1640, may have been already 
 predisposed to accept the teaching of the English Quietists. 
 Jaffray, in his Diary, is careful to anticipate the charge of 
 undue influence having been brought to bear in this direction, 
 and Barclay, speaking of himself at this period, says : 6 Who, 
 not by strength of argument, or by a particular disquisition of 
 each doctrine, and convincement of my understanding thereby, 
 came to receive and bear witness to the truth ; but by being 
 secretly reached by this life. For, when I came into the silent 
 assemblies of God's people, I felt a secret power amongst 
 them which touched my heart ; and as I gave way unto it, I 
 found the evil weakening in me, and the good raised up ; and 
 so I became knit and united unto them, hungering more and 
 more after the increase of this power and life, whereby I might 
 find myself perfectly redeemed. 1)1 Whatever may have been 
 the impelling influence, the fact remains that in 1667 Barclay 
 followed the example of his father, and became a member of 
 
 1 Apology for the Quakers, Prop. xi. sect. 7. 
 
xxxii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 the Society of Friends. Nothing more opportune could 
 possibly have happened in the interest of the Quaker cause. 
 In securing the allegiance of the younger Barclay, the fra- 
 ternity had obtained the services of the one man competent, 
 alike by education, by temperament, and by social position, 
 to guide them safely through the troublous sea of persecu- 
 tion and unprincipled misrepresentation on which they had 
 embarked. Entering with vigour upon the task which lay 
 before him, the youthful convert gave himself for a time to 
 the study of ecclesiastical history and the acquirement of the 
 Greek and Hebrew languages. Thus equipped, he was ready 
 to do battle with the adversaries of the New Evangel. 
 Previous to engaging in the strife, however, he found time to 
 form an alliance with the daughter of a Quaker family in 
 Aberdeen, distinguished for zeal and piety. The letter in 
 which he proposes to Christian Mollison is transcribed by 
 Jaffray, and forms by no means the least interesting relic of 
 the apologist which has been preserved. There is a delightful 
 blending of religious mysticism and of the masterfulness of 
 youthful passion in the following : — 4 Many things, 1 lie says, 
 'in the natural will concur to strengthen and encourage my 
 affection towards thee, and make thee acceptable unto me ; 
 but that which is before all and beyond all is, that I can say 
 in the fear of the Lord that I have received a charge from him 
 to love thee, and for that I know his love is much towards 
 thee, and his blessing and goodness is and shall be unto thee 
 so long as thou abidest in a true sense of it.'' 
 
 Barclay's marriage took place in 1670, and in the same year 
 was published the first of his controversial w r ritings, Truth 
 cleared of Calumnies , being an answer to A Dialogue between a 
 Quaker and a stable Christian, written by William Mitchell, 
 catechist of St. Clement's Chapel, Aberdeen. The appearance 
 of this work naturally occasioned no small fluttering in the 
 dovecots of the enemy. Its language is direct and forcible, 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxxiii 
 
 while the boldness with which it deals with the question of 
 the Sacraments was well calculated to terrify the orthodox, 
 and to bring its author into sharpest conflict with the cleri- 
 calism of the times. For the next ten years Barclay's pen 
 was seldom idle, and during that period he succeeded in 
 building up for himself a reputation, not only as a brilliant 
 controversialist, but as a responsible and learned theologian, 
 such as perhaps no other writer of his years has attained. 
 His great work, and that on which his fame now chiefly rests, 
 An Apology for the true Christian Divinity as the same is held 
 forth and preached by the people called in scorn Quakers, was 
 published in Amsterdam in 1676, when he had just completed 
 his twenty-seventh year. It was originally composed in Latin, 
 4 for the convenience of the learned,'' but an English trans- 
 lation was subsequently furnished by the author. The work 
 was prefaced by a letter addressed to Charles n., to have 
 written which is the best proof of Barclay's courage and sin- 
 cerity, and of the unflinching candour which he dared not 
 soften or conceal. Pleading for toleration on behalf of him- 
 self and his co-religionists he thus addresses his Majesty : — 
 4 Thou hast tasted of prosperity and adversity ; thou knowest 
 what it is to be banished thy native country, to be overruled 
 as well as to rule and sit upon a throne ; and, being oppressed, 
 thou hast reason to know how hateful the oppressor is both 
 to God and man. If, after all these warnings and advertise- 
 ments, thou dost not turn to the Lord with all thy heart, but 
 forget Him who remembered thee in thy distress, and give up 
 thyself to folly, lust, and vanity, surely great will be thy 
 condemnation. 1 In the Apology itself Barclay sets forth his 
 views in a series of fifteen propositions, the substance of which 
 it is not necessary here to summarise. It may suffice to indi- 
 cate that the main doctrine which pervades the whole treatise 
 is, that divine truth is made known to us, not by logical 
 investigation, but by immediate revelation to the heart of the 
 c.b.u. c 
 
xxxiv 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 individual, so that the faculty by which such revelation is 
 rendered possible is the internal light, the source of which is 
 Christ, 4 who is the true light which lighteth every man that 
 cometh into the world. , Of Barclay's other writings the next 
 in point of permanence to the Apology is his Treatise on 
 Universal Love, which was composed in prison in Aberdeen in 
 1677. This work, which is partly biographical, has been 
 described as 4 the first of that long series of noble and gentle 
 remonstrances against the criminality of war that has so 
 honourably distinguished the Society of Friends."' 
 
 While in Holland, superintending the publication of the 
 Apology in 1676, its author made the acquaintance of Eliza- 
 beth, Princess Palatine of the Rhine, and sister of Prince 
 Rupert, herself a woman of sincere and earnest piety, who, if 
 not an actual member of their Society, had much in sympathy 
 with the doctrines of the Friends. This acquaintance, which 
 speedily ripened into friendship, seems to have contributed in 
 no small degree to secure for the apologist that influence he 
 afterwards attained at the English Court, and through which 
 he was enabled to do so much, not only to secure immunity 
 from persecution for his own immediate friends and relatives, 
 but to procure for Quakerism generally that sufferance and 
 toleration it has since increasingly enjoyed. 
 
 In 1679 was published A Vindication of the Apology, and 
 with this and Tlie Anarchy of the Ranters, which appeared in 
 the same year, Barclay's literary activity may be said to have 
 entirely ceased. A new field of usefulness lay before him. 
 The opening up of North America as a sphere of British 
 enterprise had meanwhile been proceeding rapidly, and in 
 1681 the Quaker province of New Jersey, occupying a district 
 between the Delaware and the Hudson, was formally estab- 
 lished, chiefly through the instrumentality of William Penn. 
 Of this province Barclay was appointed nominal life-governor, 
 with the privilege of naming a deputy to represent him in 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 XXXV 
 
 America, at a salary of £4:00 per annum. The commission 
 of Charles n. confirming this appointment bears that 4 such 
 is his known fidelity and capacity that he has the govern- 
 ment during life ; but that every governor after him shall 
 have it for three years only.' An extensive tract of land in 
 the province was at the same time granted to him and to his 
 heirs in fee. 
 
 Henceforth it is as the advocate of the civil rights of 
 Quakerism, and as the indefatigable promoter of novel schemes 
 of emigration, that the Apologist is known. Many were the 
 plans devised by him to obtain settlers for the new colony, 
 and to secure the comfort and prosperity of those who, 
 whether voluntarily or by compulsion, were induced to seek a 
 home in the Far West. By far the greater number of his 
 colonists were rescued from the prisons of the mother country 
 — Quakers, Covenanters, Puritans — and it is interesting to 
 learn that among these were the famous prisoners of Dun- 
 nottar Castle, who having suffered practically within the con- 
 fines of his own barony, had doubtless thereby excited his 
 peculiar sympathy and regard. 
 
 During this period Barclay made frequent visits to London, 
 where his increasing influence at Court gained for him at all 
 times ready access to the royal presence. These journeys 
 were undertaken sometimes in the interest of the Quaker 
 community, but more frequently on private business, a differ- 
 ence which had arisen between his brother-in-law, Sir Ewan 
 Cameron of Lochiel, and the Duke of Gordon, causing him 
 considerable trouble and annoyance. In November 1688 
 occurred his historic interview with James n., whose political 
 embarrassments had by that time assumed a serious com- 
 plexion, and who did not hesitate to make allusion to them in 
 conversing with one whom he had learned not only to trust 
 as a subject but to respect and value as a friend. They were 
 standing by a window in the palace when James, gazing 
 
XX XVI 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 through the lattice, remarked, no doubt with a keen touch of 
 bitterness, that the wind was fair to bring over the Prince of 
 Orange. On Barclay remarking that it was hard that no 
 expedient could be found to satisfy the people, the king 
 replied that he was prepared to do anything becoming a gen- 
 tleman except to part with liberty of conscience. Doubtless 
 the sentiment of these words received the full approval of his 
 Quaker confidant. Very characteristic were they too of the 
 ill-fated monarch, of whom it lias been said that 'he lost 
 three kingdoms for a mass/ 
 
 The two remaining years of Barclay's life were spent at 
 Urie, 'in much retirement, enjoying, 1 says Jaffray, 'the esteem 
 and regard of his neighbours, the comforts of domestic society, 
 and doubtless partaking also in good measure a soul-sustaining 
 evidence of Divine approbation.' We are not, however, to 
 infer from this that at forty years of age he had determined to 
 retire from labour or anticipated giving up his share in the 
 responsibilities and cares of life. It is possible indeed that 
 considerations of ill-health restrained him so far, and that his 
 death, which occurred on 3d October 1690, consequent on a 
 cold which he had contracted at a meeting in Aberdeen some 
 ten days previously, may not have been so altogether unex- 
 pected as it seemed. Writing to Sir David Carnegie in 
 January 1689 he excuses himself on the ground of indisposi- 
 tion for having failed to keep an appointment he had made to 
 meet him on that day. The letter is interesting as giving a 
 hint of some new project he had been elaborating during his 
 retirement, and in which Carnegie and others were apparently 
 to have a part. Without attempting to offer any suggestion 
 as to the nature of this undertaking, we venture to print the 
 letter as an example of the apologist's epistolary style : — 
 
 Uru, im— 1689. 
 99 mo. 
 
 Frixd, — I am so indisposed I could not come to Drum- 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxxvii 
 
 lithie, and hope my man will come so timously to thee as to 
 prevent thy trouble of comeing from home. 
 
 I have here sent thee my raw project which thow may see, it 
 being the first and only coppy I have, to receave the amend- 
 ments of thy more mature judgment, which, when thow hast 
 perused and corrected, send to Johnston, that he may transmitt 
 to Oldbair what thow and he sees meet, that at least will let 
 those of Angus know what is our design. 
 
 I shall expect my coppy back one the next week, and the 
 weather being tollerable, iff in health, upon advertisement will 
 meet thee where thow will appoint. 
 
 This would be done as I said next week, that I may com- 
 municat what may be proper to some in Aberdeen. — Mind my 
 respects to thy lady, who am thy assured frind, 
 
 Robert Barclay. 
 
 To Sir David Carnegie. 1 
 
 Barclay's exercise of his baronial prerogatives, if sufficiently 
 sustained during his father's lifetime, when his name frequently 
 appears in' the pages of the Court Book, would seem in later 
 years to have completely lapsed. It may be that he had 
 difficulty in reconciling with his Quaker principles the assump- 
 tion of his legitimate position as a feudal baron. Once only is 
 the Court assembled during the period of his infeftment in the 
 lands of Urie, and then for the significant and friendly purpose 
 of adjusting the burdens put upon his tenants through the 
 forcible quartering upon those of them whose holdings lay adja- 
 cent to the public highway 4 of trouperis and sou^ieris' going 
 and returning from the north. Of his character as a landlord 
 therefore we have no materials from which to form a sufficient 
 estimate. As scholar, controversialist, and theologian his fame 
 has long since been so thoroughly established as to be beyond 
 the reach of cavil or debate. According to Mosheim the 
 
 1 Seventh Report of Hist. mss. Commission, Appendix, p. 724, 
 
xxxviii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 4 rude, confused, and ambiguous tenets of Quakerism assumed 
 in the masterly hands of Barclay the aspect of a regular 
 system." To this alone is due their permanence and the 
 spread of that peculiar phase of Christian thought and 
 sentiment which distinguishes the teaching of the Society 
 of Friends. The Quakerism of to-day continues to appre- 
 hend and to appreciate the doctrine of the Christ of Nazareth 
 chiefly as deflected through the brilliant lens of his imagina- 
 tion, the memory of whose sterling character and broad 
 unhindered charity is still universally cherished by the mem- 
 bers of the Fraternity as at once their proudest ornament and 
 worthiest boast. 
 
 Barclay was succeeded in the barony of Urie by his eldest 
 son, also named Robert, who, like his father, was a zealous 
 Quaker, and seems to have been appealed to by the fraternity 
 as their natural protector in times of difficulty and dispute. 
 Among the papers of the Family is preserved the copy of a 
 letter by this Robert Barclay addressed to the Earl of Marr 
 in 1713, in which he solicits his interest in regard to the 
 4 right of affirmation, 1 which had already been conceded — 
 though apparently in an unsatisfactory form — to the English 
 Quakers, and was about to be extended to their brethren 
 beyond the Tweed. ' Our case is this, 1 he argues : 6 we cannot 
 with freedom take the benefit of the solemn affirmation 
 formerly granted to our friends in England and now under 
 consideration of the House of Commons to be renewed and 
 extended to us, without it be made easier and more agreeable 
 to the simple and plain precept of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ. I beg of thee with all the earnestness I can, that if 
 it come your length, thou would become our advocate for an 
 amendment so as to make it effectual to us, thy friends in the 
 ancient kingdom, as well as thousands of our brethren in 
 England under the same difficulties with us, we always being 
 willing to be subjected, upon the breach of our simple 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xxxix 
 
 affirmation, to the same penalties by law inflicted upon per- 
 jury. 1 1 
 
 Undeterred by the apparent scruples of his predecessor, 
 Robert Barclay, secundus, held frequent meetings of the 
 Baron Court, and appears to have fulfilled the duties 
 of proprietor with diligence and impartiality. The one 
 obvious weakness in his administration may perhaps be best 
 described as arising from an exaggerated estimate of his respon- 
 sibility in enforcing the execution of certain statutes anent 
 the 6 destroying of wodis and dowcattis,' and the ' killing of 
 haires, doves, partriges, moore foullis, duke and draike. 1 In 
 the minute of 24th May 1698 some interesting provisions are 
 recounted for the relief of the poor within the barony, while 
 in a later minute the payment of 4 vagabond money ' is by 
 law enforced. In dealing with criminal causes the Quaker 
 principles of the proprietor become at once apparent. Muti- 
 lations for theft are unknown within the Court of Urie, and 
 banishment with forfeiture of 4 guidis and geyr ' is the severest 
 penalty at any time imposed. Vexatious enough perhaps were 
 the continual restrictions with regard to the 'casting'' of peats 
 or turf within forbidden areas. But it must be remembered 
 that the wantonness of tenants in this matter, not in Urie only 
 but elsewhere throughout the country, had already done much 
 to impoverish large tracts of land, which even in their own 
 interest all parties should have been careful to protect. 
 
 Outside the pages of the Court Book, Barclay is known by 
 his efforts to restore Urie to its original dimensions. He re- 
 purchased the lands of Finlayston and Redcloak, which, as we 
 have seen, had been alienated during the minority of Gilbert, 
 tenth Earl of Errol, and at the same time surrendered to the 
 Earls Marischal, their original possessors, such detached portions 
 of the barony as lay within the parish of Dunnottar. Dying in 
 
 Fifth Report of Hist. mss. Commission, Appendix, p. 632. 
 
xl 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 1747, he was succeeded by his son, who appears as * Younger 
 of Urie 1 in several minutes of the Baron Court. This laird, 
 who was known as 4 Robert the Strong," is the first of three 
 generations who together complete the succession of the Bar- 
 clays. His son and grandson both acquired distinction ; the 
 former — whose second wife was Sarah Ann, heiress of James 
 Allardice of Allardice — as an enlightened agriculturist ; the 
 latter, Captain Barclay- Allardice, as a pedestrian and athlete, 
 and later as the unsuccessful claimant to no less than three 
 dormant earldoms, to wit, those of Strathearn, Menteith, and 
 Airth. Captain Barclay-Allardice died in 1854, when the 
 Barony of Urie, passing from the family of Barclay, was 
 purchased by Alexander Baird of Gartsherrie, whose nephew, 
 Alexander Baird of Urie, is the present proprietor. 
 
 The Jurisdiction of the Court of Urie, as shown in the earlier 
 records of sederunt, appears to have extended beyond the limits 
 of that lordship, and to have covered certain more or less 
 important subjects within the burgh lands of Cowie, namely, 
 the crofts and 4 chapelandrie. , The former of these had doubt- 
 less been acquired by purchase. The chapel-lands fell to the 
 laird of Urie at the Reformation in virtue of his then position 
 as patron of the Chapel of St. Mary and St. Nathalan, for the 
 service of which, and for the maintenance of a permanent 
 incumbent, they had been originally bestowed. 
 
 The town of Cowie lay to the south-east of the barony 
 of that name, while its freehold property extended 
 over a considerable area between the barony and the sea, 
 embracing, among other parts and pertinents, the two Logies, 
 which were formerly known as the lands of Logy-Cowie. 
 Tradition tells us that the earliest charter of the burgh was 
 granted by King David i. However this may be, we have 
 the certain record of its re-erection into a free burgh in 
 1541, and there is little doubt that up to the beginning of the 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xli 
 
 seventeenth century it occupied the position of a flourishing 
 and wealthy town. It had decayed considerably before 1645, 
 when it was plundered by the Marquis of Montrose. No 
 vestige of the burgh now remains. The burgh lands, together 
 with Auchorthies — at one time a portion of the lordship of 
 Urie — form the modern estate of Cowie. 
 
 II. In turning to the consideration of the social condition 
 and environment of the inhabitants of Urie in the seventeenth 
 century, we are at once arrested by the marvellous change which 
 has since then been effected in the distribution of population 
 throughout our country districts. Many influences too com- 
 plex to be safely analysed have left the modern farmer prac- 
 tically alone upon the land he cultivates, save, perhaps, for a 
 couple of landless cottages, in which are housed his married 
 servants, and the inevitable bothy whose discomforts are the 
 common portion of the younger ploughmen. In mediaeval 
 times, however, things were different. The various sub-divisions 
 of a feudal property were each the centre of busy populations, 
 the individual members of which differed among themselves in 
 rank and privilege, just as on a higher platform the minor pro- 
 prietor differed from his superior, the baron from his sovereign 
 or liege. 
 
 The Husbandmen, who came first in point of status, were the 
 possessors each of a more or less substantial holding, ranging in 
 extent from half a ploughgate, or fifty-two acres, upwards. 
 They held their land of the laird by lease or 4 assedation," and 
 this was granted, not for a limited term, but in perpetuity, or 
 for so long at all events as they or their successors continued to 
 fulfil the conditions of their initial contract, which could only 
 be dissolved by formal resignation minuted at length in the 
 proceedings of the Baron Court. 
 
 Immediately below the Husbandmen were the Cottars, who 
 were tenants -at-will, not of the proprietor, but of the husband- 
 
xlii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 man, of whom they held in addition to their house and garden 
 a croft of probably an acre or a little more. For this they paid 
 little or no rent, either in money or in grain, but being to all 
 intents and purposes the vassals of the greater tenantry were 
 required in return for their holding to provide the latter with 
 a fixed number of days 1 labour in every year. 
 
 Lowest in the social scale were the Grossmen, Herds, etc., 
 corresponding very closely to the squatters of our present croft- 
 ing districts. These were entirely without land, possessing merely 
 house and garden, which they held sometimes by service only, 
 though more frequently by the payment also of a moiety of 
 money rent. There was theoretically no provision limiting the 
 number of grassmen on a feudal property. Practically, however, 
 the laird might interfere to prevent the erection of new huts or 
 cottages in congested districts where the population was judged 
 to be already greater than the land was able to support. 
 
 In addition to the enjoyment of their private holdings, 
 tenants had a right of grazing over the commonaltv or hill 
 pasturage, husbandmen being allowed to exercisj this privilege 
 according to the acreage of the lands they tenanted, while 
 cottars and grassmen — the latter of whom were not prevented 
 from keeping cattle if they felt disposed to — were required to 
 pay to the laird a certain stipulated sum of money for every 
 sheep or ox. This rate of payment probably varied with the 
 poverty or richness of the season. In 1636 we find the tenants 
 in Urie discerned to pay for every ox sixteen shillings and eight- 
 pence Scots, and for every sheep a fifth of that amount. 
 Cattle so grazed in common would be easily distinguishable by 
 their owners. Sheep, however, were subjected to various 
 6 clippings and markings,' in order to ensure their identification, 
 when the time came for their separation and return to their 
 winter quarters within the friendly shelter of the 4 in haime 
 grass." It was the duty of the cottars and grassmen to watch 
 the common -fold or cattle-pen from Rood Day till Michaelmas, 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xliii 
 
 according to the number of their live stock, ' quhilk failzing," 
 we are told 6 the contravener sail pay for ilk scheip tuelf pennies 
 and for ilk nolt beist thre schellingis four d. for ilk mcht. 1 
 
 Two or more husbandmen possessed as joint-tenants what 
 we would now term a farm. Their rents were threefold. The 
 major portion consisted either of rnaUl or ferine, money or 
 grain. But in addition to this a variety of customs were 
 exacted, while all parties were required to give service to the 
 laird at certain seasons ; their refusal to do so, after having 
 been duly cited by the officer of the barony, rendering them liable 
 to punishment by fine. Husbandmen were popularly known as 
 6 maillories 1 and * fet-mories,' according to the form in which 
 their rents were payable, and it is interesting to note that, 
 notwithstanding the discontinuance of all ferme payments, the 
 latter and not the former designation has survived. A maillor 
 paid his rent at the terms of Whitsunday and Martinmas. A 
 fermore's meal ferme was due at Candlemas, and his barley 
 ferme on Rood Day. Granaries were erected by the laird for 
 the reception of these victual payments, and a 6 grinter-man 1 
 appointed to receive the grain. Arrears of rent might be 
 recovered through the Baron Court, where a proprietor was 
 entitled through his chamberlain to sue defaulters. A 
 fermore's indebtedness in that case w T as resolved into its 
 money equivalent, which was invariably reckoned according to 
 the highest market values of the year. 
 
 Of the various customs payable at Urie at the date of the 
 opening of the Court Book little need be said. A ploughgate 
 of land carried with it in addition to the inevitable mert or 
 store ox, to be killed at Martinmas for the winter consumption 
 of the proprietor, two wethers, likewise intended for the pro- 
 vision of the manor-house, a dozen capons, and a similar 
 number of common poultry. Somewhat later a stone of butter 
 was added. The right of brewing entailed the payment of a 
 stone of tallow. While for some inscrutable reason Stephen 
 
xliv 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Forbes in Cowie was held bound to furnish yearly a dozen ells 
 of linen shirting, a commodity somewhat at a discount in the 
 local markets, if we may judge from his repeated failures to 
 produce it when required. 
 
 Service included the 6 casting and winning 1 of a load of peats 
 for the proprietor. The Urie tenants were required to stack 
 these on the peat-hill not later than the thirty first of July, — 
 the tenants of Monquich, on the other hand, were allowed till 
 the end of August to have theirs dried and properly secured. 
 Assistance within the Mains or home farm, with men and 
 horses, was required at seed-time and harvest ; and as the 
 chamberlain might demand attendance when it pleased him, 
 this form of service must have frequently occasioned serious 
 loss and inconvenience to the husbandmen in critical and 
 backward seasons. Nor would a trip to Slains Castle in 
 Aberdeenshire, in fulfilment of the obligation to render 
 i harriage and carriage,*' be deemed, we may suppose, a pleasant 
 interruption of the monotonous routine of farm labour, by 
 the struggling tenant vexed with worries of hard times and 
 
 DO o 
 
 falling markets such as he must have experienced in common 
 with his modern representative. 
 
 There still fall to be recorded various exactions which 
 pressed uneasily upon the feudal tenant, and aggravated the 
 already grievous burden of his yearly rent. Among these 
 were the payment of ' teind-silver, 1 where the teind of the 
 barony, as happened in the case of Urie, was farmed at a 
 profit by the proprietor : a tax on every ploughgate of a 
 merk to pay the schoolmaster ; a similar imposition of a boll 
 of meal for the upkeep of the local smithy; 4 officer dues 1 
 the perquisite of the baron-baili^( and last but not least 
 the payment of 6 girsome, 1 which is defined by Jamieson as 6 a 
 sum paid to a landlord or a superior by a tenant at the entry 
 of a lease, or by a new heir who succeeds to a lease, or on any 
 ground determined by the agreement of parties/ Many are 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xlv 
 
 the disputes arising whether from the legal or unjust exaction 
 of this final impost which, amounting oftentimes to a whole 
 years rent, in the case of succession to a lease or holding, 
 met the new tenant just at that time when naturally it 
 was most inconvenient, if not impossible, for him to 
 disburse. 
 
 Scarcely less grievous than the burdens which were imposed 
 upon him by the proprietor, Avere the obligations which 
 the tenant owed to the tacksman of the mill. The latter 
 farmed the multures or mill-duties, for which he paid a yearly 
 rent to his superior, acquiring thereby a right to pursue the 
 tenants for the amount of their individual indebtedness as 
 6 suckeners ' within the 4 thirle. 1 This privilege he exercised 
 with rigorous fidelity, encouraged by the fact that every penny 
 he was able to extort from the reluctant tenantry went to 
 increase the profits he himself should reap from an arrangement 
 which had been entered into not less in his own interest than 
 for the benefit and convenience of the laird. Payments were 
 made in kind, all bona-Jide suckeners being required to forfeit 
 every thirteenth peck of meal which their land was able to 
 produce, in name of multure. A less oppressive tax appears 
 to have been levied on the laird's tenants in the crofts and 
 chapel-lands of Cowie, who were properly outside the 
 thirle ; w hile out-suckeners who were not tenants of the 
 laird, and who probably resided chiefly on the lands of 
 Logy-Cowie, were privileged to have their corn ground upon 
 still easier terms, for the obvious reason that being free to 
 convey it elsewhere they might deprive the miller of their 
 patronage at will. 
 
 Besides paying, multure tenants were required to render 
 frequent and vexatious services. They had to bring in water to 
 the mill in times of storm ; to keep the mill-race in repair, and 
 free from weeds ; to mend the dams ; to carry home the mill- 
 stones, and to perform a whole variety of kindred offices, such 
 
xlvi 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 as, according to our modern ideas, ought naturally to have 
 pertained to those who were directly interested in the sufficient 
 maintenance of the machinery and fabric of the mill. 
 
 It is impossible not to sympathise with the mediaeval 
 agriculturist in his continued efforts to evade the claims 
 of thirlage. Many were the expedients resorted to with 
 this object, and seldom is the miller exempted from appear- 
 ing in the capacity either of plaintiff or defendant at the 
 meetings of the Baron Court. For the most part there 
 is little interest in these contendings, although occasionally 
 a specious plea is entered whose crave requires the serious 
 consideration of the suitors and takes both time and patience 
 to decide. 
 
 The miller did not serve the mill in person, but was 
 represented by his servant or 'pecaman, 1 so called because 
 amid a multiplicity of other duties he was required to sharpen 
 or pick the mill stones. This official had originally for his 
 hire a pittance known as 'loak 1 or 4 go w pen, 1 the latter 
 term meaning literally as much meal as it was possible to 
 hold in both hands. Such a description of his fee, however, 
 had evidently proved inadequate, and liable to be turned 
 to his disadvantage by ill-affected parties, and accordingly a 
 more definite scale of payment took its place in Urie, where 
 so early as 1607 it was agreed that the pecaman should 
 receive 6 for grindeing of twente bollis gryt come ane pek 
 halff pek meill, and ane pek meill for the grindeing of twente 
 boll small corne, and ane pek of meill for the metteing of 
 twente boll meill. 1 In addition to grinding and measuring the 
 grain, the pecaman was required to preserve the peace within 
 his master's premises ; to give due precedence to customers, 
 according to the order in which they brought in their corn to 
 the mill ; to superintend the performance of service and report 
 defaulters, and to prevent the mixing of ' dust and stones 1 with 
 the laird's ferme, a practice so inveterate that in 1634 it was 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 xlvii 
 
 ordained that he should 6 tak the haill dust and reteine the 
 samen in his awin hous till the fermes be delyverit into the 
 girners.' Few tasks could possibly have been more irksome 
 than those performed by this luckless functionary, constrained 
 on the one hand to uphold the authority and consult the 
 interests of his master, and on the other devoted to maintain 
 the weary feud for ever waged against him by the tenantry, 
 who were accustomed to regard him as a common enemy, 
 whom it was their bounden duty to harass and, if possible, 
 out-wit. Nor does it appear that he habitually received 
 that consideration and support to which he was entitled 
 from those who were in authority at the Baron Court. An 
 appeal embodied in the first minute of the Court Book to 
 the effect that tenants should be forbidden to 6 temper 1 or 
 adjust the mill is promptly granted. In contrast to this, 
 however, it seems hardly fair that the servant, not the master, 
 should be made answerable for any damage which the corn of 
 the tenants might sustain in the mill premises, or that on a 
 complaint being lodged by certain parties that 6 their stuf was 
 stowyne in the miln be the puir people vnder sylence of the 
 nycht,"' the pecaman should be declared responsible, and the 
 complainants forthwith authorised to proceed against him for 
 the 6 skaith ' received. 
 
 One other class of tenants under the jurisdiction of the 
 Court of Urie falls to be described. Mid-way between the 
 husbandman and cottar, if not in social position at least in 
 superiority of tenure, stood the 'skipper' of the laird's boat, who 
 held the fisher crofts of Cowie directly of the proprietor, and 
 was responsible for the recovery of their various proportions of 
 rent from the individual members of his crew. The fishermen 
 did service to the laird in carting peats and harvesting, and 
 were to all intents and purposes bona-Jide tillers of the soil. 
 This, however, was only a subsidiary part of their employment, 
 designed to occupy their leisure moments when their legitimate 
 
xlviii 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 calling did not otherwise demand their services. The laird's 
 boat was apparently manned by a considerable crew in 
 addition to the skipper. The precise number cannot be ascer- 
 tained. These were so completely under the control of the 
 proprietor that he could compel them to proceed to sea in fair 
 weather under penalty of a fine. The hull and furnishings of 
 the boat were exclusively his property, as was also the 4 hwill 1 
 or small skiff which she appears to have carried, or which may 
 possibly have been used for work along the shore. Besides 
 paying a monetary rent for these, the fishermen surrendered 
 to the laird a 4 boat's part ' or boat's deal, as it would now be 
 expressed, that is, a definite proportion of every catch, equi- 
 valent to that received by each individual member of the crew. 
 This boat's part was most probably designed to meet repairs. 
 A yearly custom of a hundred haddocks or three large cod 
 4 to the lady, 1 together with a pint of oil from every fisherman, 
 completes the record of these fisher payments. 
 
 As to the social condition of the tenantry it is obvious that 
 it was far from perfect. Even the husbandman, though 
 technically raised above the other members of the agricultural 
 community, was really little in advance of them in comfort or 
 intelligence, or in that stimulating sense of growing freedom 
 from indebtedness which leads to both. Notions of agriculture 
 were notoriously crude and faulty. Those lands lying nearest to 
 the tenants' hand were subjected to some rough and ready system 
 of rotation, and were manured with farm offal mixed with turf 
 or 6 midden feal.' The 4 out-field ' however was simply cropped 
 until exhausted, and then permitted to rest for an indefinite and 
 naturally a lengthened period till it might reasonably be expected 
 once again to yield a harvest to the plough. 'Run-rig' lands 
 were treated as 4 in-field.' They were for the most part narrow 
 patches disjoined from the remainder of the tenant's holding, 
 and often situated at a considerable distance from it, their one 
 recommendation probably being the exceptional fertility of the 
 
LNTRODUCTION 
 
 xlix 
 
 soil of which they were composed. The staple crops were bere 
 (a rough species of barley), oats, a little wheat, and peas. Rye 
 is also mentioned in the minute of 9 February 1730. Tenants 
 were responsible for the up-keep of their farm premises, of 
 which the stone-work only was provided by the laird. Erections 
 little better than mere huts must have sufficed for dwelling- 
 houses, and the four bare walls of these the tenant was required, 
 on entering, to roof and furnish, his predecessor having stripped 
 them to regain the beams and rafters which he had previously 
 provided at his own expense. In circumstances such as these 
 we cannot be surprised that a tenant of Monquich, finding 
 himself domiciled in the mansion-house of that estate, was so 
 regardless of the decency and comfort it afforded him, as to 
 introduce his cattle to the * hall and chaln-iens, 1 rather than 
 repair the byres and stables which had been thus dismantled 
 and destroyed. 
 
 It is scarcely credible that this state of matters should have 
 continued so late as the beginning of the 18th century, and 
 yet in May 1705 the Court ordains that 6 Noe tennant, sub- 
 tennant, cottar, nor grassman, removing from ther respective 
 possessions within the laird of Urie's lands and heretage shall 
 pull doune any of there house wallis more than fries ther 
 timber.' Eight years later, arrangements were introduced 
 whereby the entering tenant should 4 take over the roofs and 
 fittings of his house and offices at a valuation. 1 These were 
 still, however, the property of the tenant, not of the proprietor, 
 the latter being exempt from all responsibility to provide a 
 suitable and efficient covering, either for man or beast. 
 
 The guardians of the peace within the Barony were the 
 6 birleymen 1 or members of the Court of Burlaw. This Neigh- 
 bours Court, as it was also called, is generally described as 
 being popularly elected, and is further credited with having 
 possessed a certain jurisdiction apart from the tribunal of the 
 laird. Both these statements seem to be discredited by the 
 
 c.b.u. d 
 
I 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 evidence of the Court Book. The birleymen of Urie were 
 essentially the creatures of the proprietor. They were nomin- 
 ated at his Court, no doubt with his connivance and approval, 
 and apparently with the one intention that they might assist 
 in enforcing his authority. 
 
 Naturally enough the relations of the tenants, one towards 
 another, were often strained and difficult. The keen- 
 ness of competing interests among a class of men whose 
 financial margins must have been of the narrowest description, 
 and who were thrown so closely into one another's company, 
 could scarcely have failed at times to occasion feuds and 
 heart-burnings, which were calculated to disturb the amenity 
 of social intercourse. To their credit be it said these quarrels 
 seldom wore a serious aspect, and the offended cottar or 
 defrauded husbandman was for the most part willing to accept 
 what legal satisfaction it was in his power to compass at the 
 Court of the Barony, whose verdict, once awarded in his favour, 
 it was the duty of the birleyman to carry out. 
 
 Trespass and petty thefts were the most common cause of 
 reprisals being sought before the laird's tribunal, and many 
 are the enactments made to render the course of justice definite 
 and smooth in dealing with such matters. It is enacted, for 
 example, that 4 Everie man that lies ane hors about the milne 
 of Cowie, sail hauld thair horss in the stabill betuixt elevine 
 houris at nicht and the sonne rysing in the morning ; and sick 
 as salbe fund to do in the contrair, sail pey for ilk hors 
 that salbe fund out of the stabill opoune the nicht, xxs. tot'ies 
 quoties, to be peyit to the pairtie offendit.' And the complais- 
 ance of the Court we feel has reached a climax when on 25 
 August 1624 it is 'statut that ewerie fFoull that gangs 
 amangis thair nichtbouris cornes sail pey ane peck of aits or 
 bear quhairin thay pastur. 1 
 
 Occasionally we stumble upon trials for assault and even 
 bloodshed. Once only are the minutes of the Court marred 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 li 
 
 by the record of an act of brutal and premeditated meanness. 
 And it is satisfactory to learn that Abraham Forbes, found 
 guilty by an assize on 30 July 1616 of cutting off the tail of a 
 horse belonging to his neighbour, Arthur Christie, is mulcted 
 in the substantial fine of forty pounds. 
 
 4 Occupiers in stouth,' stealers of colewort, fuel, and the like, 
 are duly fined. And the crime of cutting and pulling grass 
 among a neighbour s corn — an offence perhaps by no means so 
 trifling as it appears — is separately provided for and punished. 
 Perhaps one may understand the essentially litigious spirit of 
 the Scottish race only when he has learned, from some record 
 such as this, how it was fostered and encouraged by the feudal 
 masters of the soil, who through so many years possessed an 
 absolute and unchallenged right to shape alike the character 
 and sentiment of their dependants. 
 
 Whatever may have been their treatment of one another, 
 it is but fair to state that the proprietor was after all the 
 greatest sufferer from the peccadillos of his tenantry. Against 
 him one and all made common cause, while the fines exacted 
 by the Baron Court must in many instances have been 
 utterly inadequate to meet his losses. It would appear to 
 have been esteemed no felony to pilfer from the laird, no 
 moral evil to destroy his property, and so in spite of all that 
 he could threaten or devise his green wood fell before their 
 thieving hatchets. They stole his peats, they trespassed in 
 his hainings, they leapt his garden ' dykes,' to purloin, we 
 presume, his lettuces and gooseberries, and generally they made 
 it to be felt that however earnestly they were prepared on all 
 occasions to defend their private rights, his were not such as 
 were entitled in their opinion to be regarded. 
 
 There have been embodied in an Appendix to this volume 
 various matters which it was believed might be of interest to 
 
lil 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 the historical student, but which were obviously of such a 
 character as to preclude their introduction elsewhere. These 
 may be noticed in their order as follows : — 
 
 I. The Rentall Buik off the Barony off Wrie. 
 
 This fragment of a Rent Roll of the lands of Urie is bound 
 up at random with the minutes of the Baron Court. It is 
 undated. The handwriting, however, which has strongly 
 marked peculiarities, is unmistakably that of James Davidson, 
 who officiated as clerk at the first recorded meeting of the 
 Court, and is thereafter superseded by John Strathauchin. 
 We may therefore safely assign the document to a date not 
 later than 1604. It details the various items of rent paid for 
 certain holdings at that period, and is of value in view of the 
 complete statement of the rentals both of Urie and Montquich 
 given under minute of Court held on 27th June 1634. By 
 converting the different fermes, customes, kains, etc., into their 
 corresponding monetary equivalents (see Appendix in.), a 
 comparison of these two rent-rolls becomes possible, and we 
 find that the value of land has distinctly declined during the 
 thirty odd years that have elapsed between the earlier and 
 later valuations. This fact is borne out notwithstanding a 
 serious clerical error in the earlier rent-roll, which describes 
 the maill payable from Glithno as only 6 sax markes." 1 The 
 following table shows the money values of the rents of Bal- 
 nagight and Cairnton in 1604 and 1634 : — 
 
 Rent in l604. 
 
 Banageithe — ane pluche — lb. .v. d. lb. s. d. 
 
 Ten bollis victual!, . . 100 00 00 
 
 Ane custome mart, . . 013 06 08 
 
 Ane vaddir, . . .003 06 08 
 
 Ane dovssone of Cappounes, 004 00 00 
 
 Ane dovssone off puttrie, . 002 00 00 122 13 04 
 
 1 See p. 32, where George Straquhan in Glithno is decerned to pay the sum of 
 fifty merks for his Whitsunday and Martinmas maills. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 liii 
 
 Caimtoune — ane Pleuch — 
 
 lb. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 lb. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 Tuentie bollis victual], 
 
 onn 
 
 ~UU 
 
 nn 
 
 UU 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 
 
 
 Ane custume mart. 
 
 018 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 
 
 
 Tua vaddiris, 
 
 006 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 
 
 
 Ane dovssone off Cappounes, 
 
 004 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Dovsson off putrie, 
 
 002 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 Rent in 1634. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Bannageich — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Feftie markis, 
 
 33 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 
 
 
 Ane custome mart, 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Tua wadders, 
 
 06 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Ane dussone capouns, . 
 
 04 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Ane dussone of pultrie, 
 
 02 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Ane leet of peittis, 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 65 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 Carntoune — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Auchteine bollis meill, 
 
 162 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Ane custome mart, 
 
 010 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Tua wadders, 
 
 006 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Ane dussone capouns, 
 
 004 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Ane dussone pultrie, . 
 
 002 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Ane leet of peitts, 
 
 010 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 194 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 If we submit the rentals of all the various lands in the 
 possession of the laird of Urie as given in the minute of 1634 
 to the above treatment, it appears that the money value of 
 the entire estate, exclusive of services, teind-silver and the 
 like, amounted at that date to 3567 02 08 pounds Scots, 
 made up as follows : — 
 
 Chepel lands of Cowie — 
 
 lb. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 lb. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 Half chaplanrie in Cowie, 
 
 115 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 
 Nether half chaplanrie, 
 
 120 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 0235 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Crofts of Cowie — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smydie croft in Cowie, 
 
 . 011 
 
 09 
 
 04 
 
 
 
 
 Fischers crofts, . 
 
 006 
 
 18 
 
 08 
 
 
 
 
 Tua zairdes, 
 
 006 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 
 
 
 Burnesyid (1), 
 
 003 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 
 
 
 „ (2), • • 
 
 003 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 0031 
 
 08 
 
 00 
 
liv 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 
 lu. 
 
 s. 
 
 <*. 
 
 iviimc diiu. xviinie lanci 01 lowic^ 
 
 O'* / 
 
 U 1 
 
 nj. 
 
 U4< 
 
 R.eid Cloak, 
 
 108 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Wnllr i"n 1 1 n f± nf TTvi<=» 
 
 090 
 
 OO 
 uu 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 Rannii rrp i cl i 
 
 uuo 
 
 Ofi 
 
 OS 
 Uo 
 
 Carntoune 
 
 1 04 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 
 i nn 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 Woodheid — Eist syid. 
 
 216 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 } ) II Col SVlllj 
 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 Powbair, 
 
 184 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 lVTafrrav 
 
 lxxti^iay , .... 
 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 KinfiljiwQfrninf* 
 
 A lllUlaWolUUllCj ... 
 
 00<S 
 
 1 3 
 1 o 
 
 04 
 
 u-± 
 
 Lands of Monquich — 
 
 
 
 
 TVTon tfinhpiplip half anp 
 
 
 
 
 pleuche, 
 
 048 
 
 16 
 
 08 
 
 holt" onp *-\ Un/i ho 
 
 }} ii.tij line picucuc 
 
 
 
 
 ill 111 dllC tlUllj . . 
 
 uou 
 
 i o> 
 
 nj. 
 u** 
 
 uri" M p»v n n ] ft ia K *n < • h ^ 
 } , Wlllcl JlcUII picULIlC, 
 
 U-±o 
 
 1 u 
 
 no 
 Uo 
 
 }) ane pleuche, 
 
 nn7 
 uy / 
 
 1 Q 
 
 n/L 
 U-* 
 
 anp wt lipp vil pi ip n f 
 
 )y tUlL TV L11CI LJlCClVllC, 
 
 081 
 
 1 3 
 
 04 
 
 )} Wilier LIlllc pieuciib, 
 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 nn 
 uu 
 
 Milne and milne croft of 
 
 
 
 
 Montquheiche, 
 
 168 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 Sauchinshawe, 
 
 074 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 Bonnagubs, 
 
 097 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 Rothnik, .... 
 
 141 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 Quhytsyid, .... 
 
 048 
 
 16 
 
 08 
 
 Corsley, .... 
 
 076 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 II. Notes written ox the Fly Leaf of the ms. 
 
 1. Proclamation anent Barclay and Mathers Fairs. These 
 fairs appear to have been granted to Robert Barclay, son of the 
 Apologist, by the Union Parliament, early in the eighteenth 
 century, and subsequent, we may assume, to the surrender of 
 the Dunnottar portion of the barony to the Earls Marischal 
 (see page xxxix, supra). The right of holding fairs was a privi- 
 lege at all times greatly valued by proprietors on account of 
 the profits to be derived from customs, tolls, etc. On three 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 h 
 
 different occasions previous to this had 6 free fairs 1 been granted 
 in the neighbourhood. On 11th March 1541 it was given to 
 the burgesses of Cowie to hold a yearly fair in their town on 
 the Feast of St. Nathalan (8th January). Again, on 29th 
 September 1663, 6 Considering that the tennents, fewers, and 
 inhabitants of the toun of Stainhyve are much impoverished be 
 the late troubles, and be the mine of the bulwarks of the said 
 toun, And it lying far distant from the burgh Royall, and being 
 a place most fit for keeping of fairs and weekly mercats, where- 
 vnto not only the leidges in the cuntrie adjacent may most 
 conveniently resort with much ease for buyeing of all sorts 
 of commodities, if it had the freedome of some annuall fairs 
 and ane weekly mercat, but also the inhabitants would dayly 
 thereby increase in policie and tradeing,' Parliament granted to 
 William, Earl Marischal, and to his heirs and successors, the 
 right of holding a weekly market in the town of Stonehaven 
 every Thursday ; together with two yearly fairs, to be held one- 
 on the first Tuesday before Whitsunday, and the other on the 
 first Tuesday before Martinmas. In the statement of reasons 
 assigned for granting these fairs, it will be observed that the 
 Royal Burgh of Cowie, by this time no doubt sadly decayed, 
 is treated as if it were no longer existent. Probajbly Earl 
 Marischal in his desire to benefit Stonehaven had done his best 
 to minimise the importance and suitability for trading purposes 
 of its more ancient rival. Thirty years later, however, Sir 
 Thomas Burnet of Leys succeeded in obtaining from the Parlia- 
 ment of William i. an acknowledgment of the claims of the 
 latter. On 12th October 1696 he received a grant of two fairs 
 yearly, to be held at Cowie, which it is stated 4 lyes conveniently 
 for faires to be keept thereat,' the first to be held upon the last 
 Tuesday and Wednesday of June, and the second upon the 
 last Tuesday and Wednesday of September. These last-men- 
 tioned fairs so nearly correspond in date with those referred to 
 in the Proclamation printed in the Appendix, as to suggest that 
 
Ivi 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 the two are identical, and that that document merely records 
 the transference to the Laird of Urie of the market rights 
 originally pertaining to Sir Thomas Burnet. 
 
 Barclay and Mathers fairs continued to be held on the hill 
 of Megray till the present century, when they were transferred 
 to the Market Square of the New Town of Stonehaven by 
 Captain Barclay- Allardice. A yearly market, held in Stone- 
 haven on the third week of October, is still popularly known as 
 Megray Fair. 
 
 2. Accompt of the Come and Fodder received from the 
 tenents of the Brae of Urie, 1661. It is impossible to deter- 
 mine with certainty the precise significance of these jottings, 
 though probably the first column may contain the amount of 
 victual rent per acre, the second the total amount for the tenant 
 named. 
 
 3. A form of Court Charge, evidently written down for the 
 convenience of George Edward, the bailie therein mentioned, 
 who presided at the final meeting of the Baron Court (see p. 
 171 infra). It is interesting not only as the last charge 
 delivered at the Court of Urie, but as showing what form this 
 ceremony of Charging the Court had assumed at a date imme- 
 diately antecedent to the practical abolition of the baronial 
 judicature. 
 
 III. Chronological Table of Prices, Converted Fermes, 
 
 ClJSTOMES, ETC., EXTRACTED FROM THE CoURT BoOK. 
 
 This table has been compiled chiefly with a view of bringing 
 together within convenient compass a list of the current values 
 of the various commodities mentioned in the Court Book 
 during the period which that record covers. The dates given 
 are those of the Minutes of Sederunt in which the various 
 items are referred to. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 lvii 
 
 The reader will be able to glean from such a table various 
 hints as to the social and agricultural development of Urie, 
 especially during the period of the proprietorship of the Hays, 
 when the Court, possessing only a minor jurisdiction, is 
 naturally more concerned with details affecting the everyday 
 interests of the tenantry in their several capacities as husband- 
 men, fishers, and the like. 
 
 IV. The Lairds of Urie— 1430-1892. 
 
 This compilation in so far as it concerns the Hays of Urie 
 is based on a ms. in the possession of Mrs. Barclay- Allardice, 
 entitled A Genealogy of the Barons in the Mearns of late 
 memory deschending lenially unto the year of God 1578. Like 
 all genealogies of an early date it is extremely meagre, but the 
 author appears to have been possessed of sources of reliable 
 information, and is seldom at fault. Where we have failed to 
 corroborate his statements by independent evidence, these have 
 been printed within brackets. 
 
 Wood's edition of Douglas 1 Peerage has been followed 
 without acknowledgment in treating of the Earls Errol and 
 Marischal. 
 
 Among the various authorities consulted for the Barclays 
 may be mentioned JafFray's Biog raphy ; Robert Barclay's 
 Genealogical Account of the Barclays of Urie, ed. 1812 ; and 
 the inscriptions on the tombstones in the ' HoiuT 1 or burial- 
 place of the Barclays, which is still extant, and is situated 
 on a rising ground overlooking the mansion-house of Urie. 
 
THE BARONY OF COWIE 
 
 (Erected 1360) Showing t he land s of Uri e a Mo nqu.ch 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 ( Erected 1679 ) 
 
tCtie Coutrt 3Sutfe 
 
 William Haye of Wry with my Hand 
 
THE COURT BOOK OF THE BARONY 
 
 OF WRIE. 
 
 The Curt of the Barroney of Wr\e} the audit ofJunij 1604. 
 
 The said day Johne Ranney plennit in jugment, 2 alleging 
 that thair was sum tennentis within the grund that wald nocht 
 content thame selffis with the serwice of the Peckcaman, 3 bot 
 tuik vpone thame to tempper 4 the Miln as thai thocht guid, 
 without ony kynd of knawleg, and to that affect the pekaman 
 that aucht to occuppie that office wald naways be ansorablc 
 for the miln, nor zett for the stuff : Tharfor the Lard and his 
 Belze ordannis in all tymis cumming that na sik misordour be 
 vsit, vnder the pane of tene punddis. Vpone the quhilkis the 
 said Johne Ranney tuik act. 
 
 [And also it is statute that quhomsoever of the saidis ten- 
 nentis mistempers the mylne in handling of hir at the grynd- 
 ing of thair stuf sail pay the soume of fourtie schillingis, toties 
 quoties. 
 
 Continewis this Curt upon tuentie four houris warning, 
 
 Ita est Jacobus Davidson, 
 Notarius ac scriba.] 5 
 
 Aganis the f'urnissing Stanhif. 6 
 
 The said day the Lard being in jugment allegit that thair 
 was ane act and ordinance of Curt statuit and sett of befor 
 
 1 For Rental Book of the Barony of Urie, see Appendix. 
 
 2 Complained in court. 
 
 3 The miller's servant, whose duty it is to keep the mill in order by picking 
 the mill-stones. 4 Regulate. 
 
 5 The passage in brackets, which seems to be a continuation of the first 
 minute, is written in a different hand on the reverse of the title-page of the MS. 
 
 6 Stonehaven, the county town of Kincardineshire. Stonehaven proper is 
 situated in the extreme corner of Dunnottar parish, towards the north and east, 
 and adjoins the lands of Urie, over which the New Town of Stonehaven now 
 extends. Until the beginning of the seventeenth century it must have occupied a 
 
4 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [8 JUNE 
 
 contenyng 1 sik personis as furnessis and sellis fewaill to the 
 Stanhyiff, within his barroney of Wrie, syik as petteis, turris, or 
 haidder,' 2 and to that affect thair is ane pennaltie sett doun 
 vpone the transgressouris of the said act, To witt, tene punddis 
 money. And albeit it is of werrittie that thair is ane pairt of 
 the said barroney sence the making of the said act fund be 
 sufficient tryell earning peitteis to the Stanhyf, hierfor as off 
 befor, the Lard and li is Belze ratifeis and apprewis the 
 formeyr act to contennow firme and stable, and the trans- 
 gressouris thairof to be punddit preceislie as is aboun wryttin, 
 and euerie husbandman to be ansorable for his cotteris, 3 and 
 the cotteris to be compellit to releiff thair maisteris swa that 
 the penaltie may lvcht one thame quha transgressis the act. 
 
 The Curt of the Burrony of Wrie, beginning" the aucht clay 
 off Junj in anno 1604. 
 
 The Curt of the Barroney of Wrie haldyne at the Mill of 
 Cowie the aucht day of Junj anno ane thousand sax hundreth 
 and four zeiris, be ane honorable man Jhone Hay of Wry and 
 Maister Jhone Fullertoun his belze. The quhilk day the 
 soittis callit, the Curt fensit, 4 and the memberis thairof lauch- 
 fullie sworne and admettit. 
 
 position little different from that of the various fishing villages which still abound 
 upon the coast. In 1607, however, William, Earl Marischal, succeeded in trans- 
 ferring the county courts from Kincardine, the ancient capital of the county, to 
 Stonehaven, on the plea that suitable accommodation could not there be found 
 for the magistrates and their clients. The same earl created Stonehaven a burgh 
 of barony in 1624, thus by these acts laying the foundation of what influence and 
 prosperity the town has since enjoyed. Stonehaven and its modern suburb were 
 united under the Lindsay Act in 1889. The population is returned in the census 
 of 1 89 1 at 4497. 
 
 1 Qy. Concernyng; see p. 13 infra. 2 Peats, turf, and heather. 
 
 3 The cottar inhabited a cot or cottage on a farm, to which a small portion of 
 land was attached. He was dependent on the hnsband?nan or farmer of whom 
 he held his land, and to whom he paid for it in labour for a fixed number of days 
 in every year. 
 
 4 Equivalent to the Latin phrase sectis vocatis curia legitime affirmata. In 
 feudal law it was the duty of feudatories to attend the courts of their lords or 
 superiors. Parties often held their land by such service, and were therefore 
 called suitors, or, as it is written in the text, soittis — sectatores etirice. — Innes's 
 Legal Antiquities, p. 61. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 5 
 
 The said clay the Lard and his Belze, with consent and assent 
 of all and haill his tennentis within the said Barroney, ratefeis 
 and apprewis the actis and ordinance of Curt maid and sett 
 doun be wmquhill 1 "William Hay of Wrie, his father, of guid 
 memorie, and that in speciall conserning the detfull serwice 
 that is to be crawet of euerie tennent within the said grund 
 according to thair sett and laboring. 2 
 
 As also for the pennelteis sett doun for the obstraiking and 
 withaldyng of his multeris 3 and dewitteis from his Miln, with 
 the misordour of the destroying and cutting doun of his grene 
 wod, togidder wyth syik wther profitable actis and ordinance 
 of Curt to be obserwit to the vtillittie and proffeit off hym 
 and his haill grund. 
 
 It is ordined that the pickeman shall haue for his peanes in 
 grindeing of twente bollis 4 gryt corne, ane pek 5 halff pek 
 meill, and ane pek meill for the grindeing of twente boll small 
 corne, and ane peck of meill for the metteing of twente boll 
 meill. 
 
 Aganis Stouth. 6 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordannit be the Lard and his 
 Belze, wyth consent and assent of all and haill the tennentis 
 within the Barroney, That sik personnis as beis fund onlauch- 
 full, to wit, occupeiris in Stouth, 7 in stelying of keyll, 8 eldyng, 9 
 cornis, or oney wther wrangous intromessioun, sufficient try ell 
 being had, the commeittaris of the onlauchfull delyng saill be 
 punddit his radiest guidis and geyr, 10 extendyng to tene punddis 
 money, and the maister of that man or woman quha is com- 
 mettaris of the offenc saill at the nixt terme put thame away 
 and discharg tham of his serwice vnder the pane of xxlib., and 
 also tensell off his tack and roum 11 in the Larddis optioun. 
 
 1 The late. 2 Lease and farm. 
 
 3 Multure or mouter, the fee for grinding grain : properly that paid to the 
 master of the mill.— yaw. 
 
 4 Boll: a dry measure, the standard of which varied at different times and in 
 different localities. 
 
 5 The fourth part of a firlot. 6 Theft. 
 
 7 Parties who have taken forcible possession. 
 
 8 Colewort. 9 Fuel of any kind. 
 
 10 Guidis and geyr is a common phrase signifying effects. Guidis occurring 
 alone is used to denote live stock. 11 Forfeiture of his lease and holding. 
 
6 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [l6 JUNE 
 
 For Hedrowmis. 1 
 
 The said day, in respect of the menifald complentis that 
 accurris frome tyme to tyme amangis nychtbouris and tennenttis 
 within the Barroney in pasturing of tliair guiddis vpone 
 wtheris hedrowmis, in consideratioun thairof, and for pece 
 and queitnes amangis nychtbouris, it is decernit in jugment be 
 the Lard and his belze, with the consent of the tennentis of the 
 grund, That euerie ane of thame saill content wyth thair awane 
 hedrowmis, and nawavis to molest nor truble thair nycht- 
 bouris in thair pasturag, bot to content thame selffis with thair 
 awane bounddis, according to thair sett. And in kais that 
 oney tennent wald appone thame selffis to transgress this act, 
 sufficient tryell being haid, the transgressour thairof is decernit 
 in xx lib. money, to be punddit of his radyest guidis and geyr. 
 
 The Curt contennowit to the nixt aduerttisment. 
 
 Joiiaxxis Strathauchix, 
 Scriba dicte curie. 
 
 The Curt of the Barroney of Wric, haldyne at the Millions 
 of the samyne, he ane honorable man Johne Hay, lard 
 of the grund, and Mr. Jhon Fullartoun his Belze, the 
 16 day ofJunj 1604. 
 
 The said day Allexander Hay, official' off the said barroney, 
 complennit in jugment vpone the tennenttis of the grund, 
 alleging quhat tyme the Lardis pettis was in radynes to be 
 leyd, 2 and fra tyme that thaj war parttit, thair hes bene sik 
 misordour in tymis paist, and that be the tennenttis serwandis 
 that leddeis the petteis, that thaj do caist thame away in the 
 petpotteis, 3 as also theftiouslie stowyne away and conwoyit to 
 the Stanhyif, and to that affect desyrit the Lard and his belze, 
 with consent and assent of the Barroney, to sett doun sik 
 ordinance quharthrow the lyik misordour be naweyis vsit in 
 tvmis Cuming. To that affect the Lard and his belze, with 
 consent of his haill grund, statuitis and ordannis in all tymis 
 
 1 The outer boundaries of a feu or toti.—Jam. 
 
 2 Carted. 3 Holes from which peats have been dug. 
 
THE BARONY OF UKIK 
 
 7 
 
 to cum that thair be na sik misordour, and in kais that oney be 
 the commetteris of the offence, it being prowyn vpone thame, 
 is decernit be the tennour herof to be punddit thair radiest 
 guiddis and geyr, extending to tene punddis money, and the 
 tennent to be ansorable for his serwand, and this penalttie to 
 be tane oup as the occacioun of the fait beis tryitt. 
 
 Tlie said day James Miln in Cowie compeirrit in jugment, 
 and thair, in presence of the Lard and belze, and in audience 
 of the haill Curt, rennunsit all kynd of rycht, tyittill, or pos- 
 sessioun that he haid for the present in and to all and haill 
 the houssis, toift, 1 and land laist occupeit and lauborit be 
 James Miln his vmquhill father, and tuik hyme onlie to the 
 Lardis gtdd will as it saill pleis hym to occupie, sett, vse, and 
 dispone the sameyn as he thinkis guid, and quhatsumeuer 
 trawaill or expenssis maid be the said James thairone to be 
 refunddit to hym be the Lard, and that be the sicht of honest 
 men. Vpone the quhilkis the Lard tuik act. 
 
 The Curt of the Barroney of Wrie 9 heddyn at the Milhous of 
 the mmyne, be ane honorable man Jhone Hay, Lard of 
 the grand, and Maister Jhone Fullertoun his belze, the 
 29 of Julie 1604. 
 
 The sajd day, in consideratioun of the mennifald trublis and 
 molestationis that accuris amangis nychtbouris and tennentis 
 in the grund, the one oppressing the wther be violence, the 
 Lard being impaschit 2 throw thair dalie complenttis, thocht 
 guid to ratifie and apprewe ane act of Curt consernyng pece 
 and queyetnes within his grund, of the dait at the Miln of 
 Cowie the 16 day of October 1592 zeiris, Quhilk act and ordi- 
 nance of Curt contennis in affect that quhat sum euer tennent 
 within the grund that happennis to inwaid 3 his nychbour, or 
 oney wtheris within the grund, putting hand in hym be vio- 
 lence, sail incur ane pennaltie, to wit, tene punddis money to 
 
 1 Toift, or toft, a portion of land sufficient for a house and garden : a feu or 
 plot.— -Jam. 
 
 2 Hindered. Fr. empecher. ;J Invade. 
 
8 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [29 JULY 
 
 the Lard, as also to satisfie the wrang to thame to quliom thaj 
 haf commettit the offence. 
 
 The said day the Lard desyrit in jugment that the cutteris 
 of his wod sould be punddit 1 without respect of personis or 
 oney kind of excusis that may be allegit, and that conform to 
 the ordinance and decreit of Curt sett done at mair lyntht in 
 the days of his vmquhill father of guid memorie, Quhilk act 
 and ordinance contenis ane sertane pennaltie, to witt, fywe 
 punddis money, vpone ilk person that happennis to be fund 
 cutting his wod, and that for the first tyme, and gyf thaj 
 insist forther, saill for the secund tyme be punddit for tene 
 punddis money. Vpone the quhilkis the Belze ratiffeis the 
 former act to contennow ferine and stable, and ordannis decreit 
 of Curt to pas vpone thais that ar cutteris of the Larddis wod, 
 and to be punddit conforme to the ordinance abone speciefeit. 
 Vpone the quhilkis the Lard tuik act. 
 
 The said day Stewyne Smyth, in Cowie, plennit in jugment 
 vpone the tennenttis in the grund, alleging that thair was ane 
 pairt of thame that refusit to maik hym thankfull payment of 
 thair zeirlie smeddie boll, 2 and alleging that the smeddie collis 3 
 was risseyn to hiecher prycis and mair scant to be had thane 
 they war of befor, Throw the quhilkis he was vnhable to 
 susteyn the wark of the grund without gret loiss to hyme self. 
 To the quhilk allegance it was ansourit be the Lard and his 
 Belze that thaj wald on nawayis 4 compell the tennentis to 
 furnes collis, bot the said Stewane sould fumes and prowyd for 
 tham as he had done of befor, and euerie plucht in the grund 
 to pay zeirlie to the said Stewyne for thair smeddie wark ane 
 boll of aittis, and in kais of nonpayment the official' to pund 
 for the samyne according to the wallour and prycis, and the 
 said Stewyne to be radie and dilligent be hym self, or ane 
 sufficient serwand, to be raddie at all tymis quhan occacioun 
 beis to serwe the grund. Vpone the quhilkis Stewyn Smytht 
 tuik act. Johannis Strathauchix, 
 
 Scriba dicte Curie. 
 
 1 Poinded or distrained. 2 The payment in kind due to the smith. 
 
 3 Coals. 4 By no means. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 9 
 
 The Curt of the Barroncy of Wrie, haldyne at the Miln 
 Hons of the samyne, be ane honorable mane Johne Hay, 
 Lard of the grund, and Maistcr Robert Strathachhi his 
 Belze, 13 of October 1604 zeiris. 
 
 The said day Alexander Hay, the Lardis official', protestit 
 in jugment That quhatsumeuer tennent in the grund that re- 
 fusit to do thair detfull serwice to the Lard in carrigis as [? or] 
 wtherwayis as thaj ar oblisset, saill be punddit conforme to 
 the ordinance statuit and sett doun in to the dayis of William 
 Hay of Wry, the Lardis father of guid memorie, Quhilk act 
 and ordinance off Curt contennis sertane pennalteis decernit to 
 be payit be sic tennenttis as beis fund dissobedient toward 
 thair detfull dewittie oft' serwice, quharof the tennour follouis, 
 viz., Of euerie hors carrige fywe punddis to Buchane, of euerie 
 fwit 1 carrig to Buchane xl s., of hors carrige to Aberdyne xx s., 
 of fwit carrag to Aberdeyn tene schillingis, as also all wther 
 carrigis as thaj ar derectit be the Lard to be punddit for 
 dissobedience, conforme to the jurney that thaj ar to pas. 
 
 The said day the Lard protestit in jugment That quhat- 
 sumeuer tennent in the grund that ar obleist to pay hyme 
 custumis saill maik thame to be sufficient, and quhair thaj 
 haif thame nocht of thair awane, to by thame in the cunttrey 
 quhair thaj may be haid, or thane to pay the hiest prycis 
 thairfor. In consideratioun hierof the Belze, vnderstanding the 
 protestatioun to be altogidder resonab[le], decernis be decreit 
 of Curt the samyne to be fulfillit. Vpone the quhilkis the 
 Lard tuik act. 
 
 The said day it is decernit in jugment That the haill gress 
 men 2 within the Barroney, euerie ane of thame, saill help to 
 walk the fald, according to the nowmer off his guiddis, or to 
 agre with thais that walkis the fald, 3 and pay tham thairfor as 
 becumis his pairt. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordannit be the Lard and his 
 Belze, and be the consent of his haill Barronney, That na 
 
 1 Foot. 
 
 2 Grass-man : the tenant of a cottage in the country, who has no land attached 
 to it.— -Jam. 3 Watch the sheepfold. 
 
10 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [29 NOV. 
 
 tennent within the grund haiffing actioun of lawe aganis his 
 nychtbour, or oney wther tennent within the barronney, saill 
 nawayis be lesum to persewe thair actiounis aganis wtheris befor 
 the Lorddis of the Sessioun, Shireffis, or Commissionaris, bot 
 onlie that thair actionis to be persewit in the Larddis Curt, quha 
 saill beradie to do thame justice accordyng toressoun and guid 
 concience. And gyff oney of the said tennentis Avald pur- 
 poslie transgrece the conttentis and ordinance of this former 
 act saill be decernit in xx lib., for the pennaltie to be payit to 
 the Lard. per me Johannem Strath aohiic, 
 
 Scriba dicte Curie. 
 
 The Curt of the Barronney of IVrie, haldyne at the Millions 
 of the samyne be ane honorable man Johne Hay, Lard 
 of the grund, and Maister Johne Fullertoun his Belze, 
 the penult day of Nouember 1604 zeiris. 
 
 The said day it is decernit in jugment That na tennent 
 within the grund saill obstract oney kynd of multeris fra the 
 Lardis Mill that growis within the grund. As also it saill 
 nawayis be lesum to oney within the Barronney that ar malt 
 maikkaris to carrie the malt to oney wther miln, it being 
 drayit 1 in the grund, bot onlie to the Larddis miln. And in 
 kais that oney tennent wald purposlie transgrece this act, saill 
 be decernit in double multer, as also decernit for the contempt 
 to be punddit for xls. money, for thair contempt to be payit 
 to the Lard. Vpone the quhilk Johne Kanney tuik act. 
 
 The said day ane pairt of the tennentis in the grund plennit 
 in jugment that thair stuf was stowyne in the miln be the 
 puir people vnder sylence of the nycht, and to affect it is 
 statuit and ordannit be the Lard and his belze That fra the 
 nycht cum 2 thair be nawayis fund oney sik people within the 
 miln, and the pekaman to be ansorable for the stuf and 
 wictuall 3 within the miln. 
 
 The said day the tennenttis of the grund desyrit that quhat 
 skaith that thaj sustennit be the pekkaman, throw his slouth 
 and negligence, may be refunddit vnto thame. Quhilk swit 
 
 1 Dried. 
 
 2 From nightfall. 
 
 Grain of any kind. 
 
1604] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 11 
 
 was granttit vnto thame, according to the quant ittie of the 
 skaith sustennit. Vpone the quhilk the tennentis of the bar- 
 ronney tiiik act. 
 
 The said day the Lard desyrit in jugment that the ordin- 
 ance of Curt sett doun in the dayis of William Hay of Wrie, 
 his vmquhill father, to be rateffeit and apprewit in this Curt 
 consernyng the payment of his fermes be the tennenttis of his 
 grund, To wit, that the pekcaman saill se that na dust 1 be 
 grund amangis his ferme, and that it may be fund guid and 
 sufficient, and that the tennenttis to haiff 2 the ferme meill in 
 raddynes euerie zeir afor the first day of Merche, and the beir 
 ferme aganis the Ruid day, 3 quhilk desyir was willingle granttit. 
 
 The Curt of the Barronney of Wrie, haldene at Cozvie, in 
 Stephane Smyth hous, the xxviij of May 1607, be ane 
 lionorabill man William Hay of Wry, and Dauid 
 Grahame hi Arduthie, his belze for the tyme. The 
 quhilk day the Soittis callit the Curt fensit and the 
 memberis thairqf lauchfullie sworne and admeittit. 
 
 The said day the Lard and his Belze rateffeis and apprewis 
 the actis of Curt sett doun in to the dayis of his guidsir and 
 father of guid memorie to reman e ferme and stable and nawayis 
 to be alterite. 
 
 The said day the Lardis lyne men 4 that ar vpone his bott is 
 decernit be decreit of Curt to pay the dewittie that thaj ar 
 oblisset at the terme of Mertymes, as thaj salbe crawit conforme 
 to the rentaill Buik. 
 
 The said day it is decernit in jugment that the fischeris 
 vpone the Larddis boit sail nawayis ly one land in tyme of fair 
 wetheyr, and in kais that oney of the beyttis keippeyche 5 refwis, 
 
 1 The beard of the grain produced by taking off the outer x'm<\.—-Jam. 
 
 2 Have. 3 The 3rd of May ; the day of the Invention of the Cross. 
 4 Line, or white, fishers. 
 
 s The company sailing on board a ship, whether passengers or mariners. 
 From Fr. Equipage <Tun navire.—Jam. The word occurs as ' equippage ' under 
 date 1577, in a complaint before the Privy Council at the instance of John 
 Crooke, Bernard Cartmyll, and Thomas Demaresk, merchants in Southampton, 
 touching the seizure by Lord John Stewart, Fewar of Orkney, of their two 
 fishing vessels, the Michaell and the Mynion, at Scalloway, in Zetland. — Reg. 
 of Privy Council, vol. ii. p. 655. 
 
12 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [4 NOV. 
 
 the skeipper to gayng with hym to the sie salbe punddit, viz.. 
 xiij s. iiij d., and gif the fait be in the skeipper, he saill be 
 punddit for xxs., and this ordour to be keippit. 
 
 Tlie said day the Lard and his belze ratifeis and apprewis 
 that actis of Curt sett doun of befor consernyng the cutting of 
 his wod, and that the pennalteis that ar desernit thairvpone to 
 be taikkyne wp preseislie as the occaacioun of the fait beis 
 trayit. 
 
 The said day the tennenttis of Manquhyth desyrit in jug- 
 ment to haif ane official* creat vnto thame to do thair lauchtfull 
 turnis. Quhilk swit was granttit vnto thame be the Lard and 
 his belze, prowyddyng that Dauid Wod, the Lardis official', be 
 nawayis prejugit of his official* come quhilk tennentis granttit 
 willinglie to pay. Vpone the quhilk Dauid Wod tuik act. 
 
 The said day Stephane Smyth plennit in jugment that there 
 was ane pairt of the tennenttis in the grund that refwsit to 
 maik hym thankfull payment of his smeddie boll. To that 
 affect the Lard and his belze decernis the said Stephane to be 
 thankfullie payit of his smeddie boll, conforme to the ordin- 
 ance and act of Curt sett doun thairvpone be vmquhill John 
 Hay of Wry. Quhilk act and ordinance of Curt desernis ane 
 boll of aittis to be payit zeirlie of euerie plucht to the said 
 Stephane. Vpone the quhilk Stewyne tuik act. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Baronie of Wry, hauldin within 
 the duelling-hous of Stewin Forbes in Cozcy, zcpon the 
 fourt day qf November 1614, in name and behalf qf ane 
 honorabill man William Hay qf Wry, Laird qf the 
 ground, and in name qf ane honorabill man Robert 
 Irwmg at the mylne qf Corey, 1 his Bailze, James Dauid- 
 soun, notter Cleric, Robert Duneane, offieiar, 
 
 Dempster. Thre suittis callit, the Court lauch fully 
 fensit and affirmit. 
 
 The said Alexander Hey creat official*, quha hies giffin his 
 aithe defdeli administratione. 
 
 1 1 Robert Irvine at the Mill of Cowie ' is, in 1609, enrolled purchaser of 
 2000 acres of land in the Plantation of Ulster, the price — for which Edward 
 Johnestoun, younger,' merchant in Edinburgh, is named as surety — being ^400 
 sterling.— Reg. of Privy Council vol. viii. p. 324. 
 
1614] THE BARONY OF URIE 13 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis ar ordanit to bring in thair 
 mertis betuixt the dait present and the Fredday cwm aucht 
 dayis, quhilk is the of this instant. 
 
 The said day James Mancur, at the Walk-mylne 1 of Wry, 
 and Abraham Forfar, in Monthqueche, being persewit for 
 nocht winning and leading sufficient leitt peitts, according to 
 the remanent of the ground, 2 viz., ilk ane of them ane leit of 
 peittis, and in respect they hawe nocht leid nor win the sam, 
 they are decernit be the bailze to pey for ilk leit thairof the 
 sowm of merkis 3 money, and the official- ordanit to poynd 
 for the same within terme of lawe. 
 
 The said day Abrahame Forfar, being persewit for his ferme 
 wictuall of the cropis 1612 and 1613 zeiris, extending to four 
 scoir tuelf bolls wictuall, half meill half beir, and in respect of 
 his non-comperance he decernit contumassie, and to be sum-' 
 mondit to the nixt court with certificatioun and 4 he compeir 
 nocht the haill dame to be hauldin pro confesso. 
 
 Continewis this Court upone tuentie foir houris warnying. 
 Ita est Jacobus Dautdsoux, notarius ac sciiba Curie. 
 
 The Barron?/ Court of the Barrony of Ury, hauldin within 
 the duelling hous of Robert Inving at the mylne of 
 Coivye, wpone the ocxiij of Nouember 1614 zeiris, be ane 
 honorable man, Maister Williame Red, Shiref Depat of 
 Kincardin, sedentem pro tribunali, James Davidson, 
 notter, Clerk. 
 
 The said day Abrahame Forfar, being persewit for his ferme 
 Avictuall of the cropis 1612-1613 zeiris, and beand oft tymis 
 callit lauchfull tym of day biddin comperit nocht : In respect 
 quhairof he is ordanit to be summondit to the nixt Court, and 
 to mak just compt and reckning of the clame lybellit, with 
 certificatioun, and he compeir nocht the haill clame to be 
 hauldin pro confesso. 
 
 James Mancur decernit be his awin confessiown to pey sex- 
 tein pundis for ane leitt of peittis. 
 
 A fuller's mill. 2 In proportion to the other tenants. 
 
 A merk is equal in value to 15s. 40". Scots, or is. i^d. stg. 4 If. 
 
14 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [2y OCT. 
 
 The said day James Mwrray ordaneit to restoir the dour 
 bocht be him frome Jeillis Cairncorss, and to put the samen 
 quhair it was wnder the paine of fourtie shillingis, or elleis the 
 sowme of tuentie shillingis, as for the pryce thairof. 
 
 The said day, the haill barrony being sufficientlye tryit to 
 hawe leid peittis and sauld to the inhabitantis of Steinhewin, 
 contrar the actis sett downe thairanent, In respect quhairof 
 the bailze ordaneis ewery contrawener of the former actis sett 
 downe thairanent to pey fourtie shillingis toties quoties they 
 transgres, and to be poyndit for fywe pundis monie pro rato 
 for byganes. 1 
 
 Item, ane act to be sett down anent the grinding of the 
 lairdis fermeis and delyuerie thairof. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis within the Barronye of 
 Wry, being persewit for their meirtis of the crop 1614 zeiris, 
 quhilkis meirtis the Bailze ordaneis the saidis tennentis pey to 
 the Laird within aucht dayis, and failzeing of delyuerie of the 
 saidis meirtis being sufficient, the officiar to poynd for the 
 sowme of tuenty merkis monie for ilk mert one peyit. 2 
 
 This Court continewit upon tuenty four houris warnyng. 
 
 The Barronne Court of the Barrony of Wry, hauldin (it the 
 Mylne of Cowye upone the xxvij of October 1615, in 
 name and behalf of ane honorabill man William Hey of 
 Wry, and in name of honorabill men Robert Irwing and 
 George Strathaicchin, his bailzeis, James Dauidsoun, 
 notter, Clerk, Allexander Hey, officiar, George Bery, 
 Dempster. Thre suittis callit, the Court lauchfully 
 ■fynsit and ajfermit. 
 
 The said day James Duncane decernit to pey ane boll of 
 aittis to the Laird be his awin confessioun. 
 
 The said day the pickman, Allexander Makie, being persewit 
 be Stewin Forbis for spilling of certane cornis be grinding 
 thairof, and being probablye prowin, the said Allexander is 
 ordaneit in all tym cwming to pey ten pundis toties quoties he 
 happin to fall in the lyk scair. 
 
 1 Fast offences. 
 
 2 Unpaid. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 15 
 
 The said day Gilbert Mathow and Allexander Middlitoun, 
 cotter in Wry, deeernit to pey sex peckis aittis to the Laird. 
 
 The said day Duncane Robertsoun in Findlastoun deeernit 
 to restoir to James Mancwr his aix, borrowit be him, or elles 
 xiij s. iiij d. for the same. 
 
 The said day it is statute be the Layrd and tennentis be 
 their awin consentis that quhasoewer cwmis to the mylne first 
 with their corneis sail keip their rowm, 1 and quhasoewir tru- 
 bilis his nichtbour in the paceabill grinding of his cornis and 
 keiping of their rowme, sail pey to the Laird the sovvme of 
 fourtie shillingis. As also it is ordaneit that quhansoewer ony 
 of the saidis tennentis cornis beis grindand, the pickiman 
 schelland the meill 2 to thame, and being content thairwith, 
 the pickiman sail be frie ony skathe alledgit downe to the stuf 
 in liis default, he attendand on his senvice diligently. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Barronye of Wry, hauldin at the 
 mylne of Cozcye, icpone the xxv day of Nouember 1615, 
 be ane honorabdl man George Strathaxcchin,sedentem pro 
 tribunal}, the remanent member is of Court all present. 
 Thre suittis callit, the Court lawfully fensit and affermit. 
 
 The said day Johne Mowet in Powbare, deeernit be the 
 depoitioun of his aithe of werity to pey to Robert Irwing 
 sewin peckis and ane half peck beir, and absoluit of all zeiris 
 multeris preceiding the dait heirof, in respect of his depoitioun 
 foirsaid. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis restand mertis ar deeernit 
 to pey sufficient mertis be the sicht of friemen, 3 or elles tuentie 
 merkis for the peice 4 thairof, and their reddiest guidis and 
 geir to be poyndit for the same. 
 
 James Mackie in Brunthoileis, Allexander Burnet, ordanit 
 to sicht and compryse the mertis. Quhilkis personis ar dewly 
 posit to that effect. 
 
 The said day Robert Duncane, be the aithe of Helein Brig, 
 deeernit to pey to Beatrix Candolin the sowme x lib. yj s. 
 viij d. 
 
 1 Retain their place, or order of coming. 2 Taking off the husks. 
 
 3 The term friemen is here used as signifying neutral parties. 4 For each. 
 
16 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [25 NOV. 
 
 The said day Robert Wilsoun and William Brabiner decernit 
 in amerciament of court hinc hide, wiz. : — to pey fourty 
 shillingis to the Laird. 
 
 The said day Robert Wilsone decernit to pey to William 
 Brabiner xiij s. iiij d. agane Pasche day nixt, with ane peckt of 
 presentlye, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day James Mancwr, being summondit to hawe 
 comperit and mak pey men t of threittein bollis meill for his 
 ferme of Walkmylne, and in respect of his [nonjcompeirans, 
 decernit contumase, and to pey xl s. for the same. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Barronye of Wry, hauldin within 
 the duelling hous of Stewin Forbes in Cowye, in name 
 and behalf of ane honorabill man, William Hey of Wry, 
 laird of the ground, and in name of ane honorabill man, 
 George Straquan in Glathne, his bailze, remanent mem- 
 beris of Court all present. Thre suittis callit, the Court 
 lawfully fensit and affermit. 
 
 The said day comperit Allexander Hey of Logie, judicially e, 
 and maid Williame Hey of Wry, his german brother, assigney 
 in and to ane lyfrent letter tack grantit to umquhile John 
 Strathawchin, sumtym in Walk myln of Wry, one the towne 
 and landis thairof, southe landis of Wry, quhilk assedatioun 
 the said Allexander is assigney vnto, and to the uplifting of 
 the nowmber of threttein bollis wictuall from handis of James 
 Mancur, taxisman thairof. Quhilk assignatioiin was dewlye 
 intimat to the said James Mancwr, taxisman as said is, and the 
 said James being persewit be uerteu of the foirnamit assigna- 
 tioun for peyment of the foirnamit threitein bollis wictuall 
 the Bailze decernis the said James maik peyment thairof pro 
 vt in scriptis, and the nixt Court after assignit to produce the 
 said assignatioiin for instructioun of the clame. Quhairupon 
 the said Williame Hey desyrit act of Court. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Barronie of Vrie, hauldin ed the 
 barn yairds thairof, vpone the penult day of July 1616, 
 in name and behalf of ane nob ill and potent Lord Franceis 
 
i6i5] THE BARONY OF URIE 17 
 
 Ertt of A roll, 1 Gryt Constabill of Scotland, with sped all 
 consent of a ne honorabill man William Hey of Vrie, pro- 
 prietor of the said ground, be ane discreit man George 
 Straquhan, bailzie to the said William Hey, Maister 
 James Inc'ing, natter public, Clerk, Alexander Hey, 
 officiar, and Archibald Mwirheid, Dempster. The Court 
 lauclifullie fencit and affirm it, Seuttis callit, and absentis 
 amerciat. 
 
 The said day Alexander Schives, llobert Duncane, Archibald 
 Duncane, beand accusit for away takin of the Lairdis peittis : 
 The saidis persones comperand and hawand deponit as follonis, 
 to wit, the said Alexander Schives four cartes, the said Archi- 
 bald Duncane and his serwandis two, and the said Robert 
 Duncane frie be his ayth. 
 
 The said day Abraham Forfer, perseuit be Arthour Crystie 
 for cutting of his hors tail], quhilk the said Abraham confessit, 
 and thairfoir the bailze hes put the samen to ane assyse. 
 
 The names ok the Assise. 
 
 Alexander Chein. James Downnie. 
 
 William Duthie. Stewin Grig. 
 
 James Alardes. Archibald Duncan. 
 
 Dauid Michell. liodger Skein. 
 
 Alexander Burnet. Jhone Hutschone. 
 Jhone Fergusoun. 
 
 The said day the said Abraham is conwict in ane vnlaw of 
 fourtie pundis money, and that be the haill assise forsaid, and 
 concerning the contravertit libel betuixt the said Abraham 
 and Arthowr, the samen is decernit to be sichtit be Alexander 
 Hey, James Denune, and Jhon Messour, induelleris of Man- 
 quheych, and quhow soever thaj decret the pairteis to stand 
 thairat. 
 
 The said day William Brabiner in fourtie s. for his absence 
 unlawit, within term of law. 
 
 The said day it is ordenit that James Duncan, in the stryp 2 
 
 1 The Earl of Errol here holds court in virtue of his position as feudal superior 
 of the barony. 
 
 2 A long narrow plantation or belt of trees.— -Jaw. 
 
18 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [l8 MAR. 
 
 of sail pey to the Laird twa stein 1 of brew chres 2 
 
 zeirlie. 
 
 The said day Thomas Penter in Manquhiche, is decernit to 
 be in the Lairdis will for perseuing his clame befor ane uther 
 court, and that conforme to ane former act, and conforme to 
 the said former act contenit. 
 
 The said day it is ordenit that ewerie ane, and quhatsum- 
 ewer beis fund in tyme cuming to loip the Lairdis yaird daikis, 3 
 sail pey ten pundis totics quoties. 
 
 The said day James Boner is conuict in ane vnlaw of ten 
 merkis for cuttin of grein wood, and thairfor ordenit to pey 
 the samen to the Laird. 
 
 The said [day] Quhatsumewr tennentis that cummis nocht 
 in dew tym for the Lardis serwic, being chargit be the officier 
 fourtie aucht houris befor, the said persone sail pey aucht 
 merkis to the Laird totics quoties. 
 
 The said day James Sellat confessit himself 4 to releiw 
 George Grig of the prys, corne acclamit. 
 
 J. Irwixg, notar ei curie scriba. 
 
 The Barroun Court off the Baronyeis of Wrye and Mount- 
 qtieiche, hauldhi within the duelling hous of Stewin 
 Forbes in Cozvye, upon the auchteinday of Merche 1617, 
 in name and beh alf of ane honorable man William Hey of 
 Wry, Lard of the ground, be Mr. Williame Reid, Sheref 
 Deput of Kincardin, sedentem 'pro tribunali, James Dauid- 
 soun, notter, Clerk, Alexander Hey, officiar, John Tail- 
 zeour, Dempster: The suittis callit, the court lazvfidly 
 fensit and qffermit. 
 
 Wood Cutting. 
 The said day comperit Robert Duncane in Cairntoun and 
 Archibald Duncane in Banageicht judicially, and ilk ane of 
 thame became bound and oblist as cawtioner for wther and for 
 
 1 A measure of weight equal to 16 lbs.— -Jam. 
 
 2 Cres or Creischie : tallow. Brew cres : the custom paid for the liberty of 
 brewing. ' The reddendo for an alehouse and alehouse croft was often a quantity 
 of tallow, the produce, perhaps, of the kitchen of the little inn.' — Innes's Legal 
 Antiqui>ies, p. 49, n. I. 
 
 3 Overleapt the laird's garden walls : evidently a trespass with a view to theft. 
 
 4 Acknowledged his obligation. 
 
1617] THE BARONY OF URIE 19 
 
 their tennentis and serwandis, that they nor nane 1 of them 
 sail cutt nor distroye ony of the Lairdis grein wood or zoung 
 that growis within the beyndis 2 [of J the barrony of Wry, and 
 quhow oft so ewer ather of them selffis or their tennentis beis 
 schallangit or apprehendit in cutting thairof, obleissis thame 
 heirby to pey to the Laird the sowm of fourtie pundis as pen- 
 altie decernit of their awin consent, but 3 modih'catioun. 
 
 The said day James Mwrray, James Duncane, John Mwrray, 
 and Dauid Murray, being persewit for cutting and distroying 
 of the Lairdis wod, and possit thairwpon, wald nocht depone, 
 In respect quhairof decernit all in amerciament of Court, and 
 to pey in unlaw the sowm of ten pundis ilk ane pro rato. 
 
 The said day Williame Duthie and James Allardes, ilk ane, 
 becwm cawtioneris for [other], and for their men, tennentis 
 and serwandis, that nane of thame distroy nor cut the Lairdis 
 wood in tym cwming, wnder paine of fourtie pundis money toties 
 quoties they be apprehendit cutting ony thairof in tym cwming. 
 
 James Dewny becwm in the Lairds will foir alledgit cutting 
 of the Lairdis woid, and decernit in amerciament of Court for 
 the same. 
 
 James Dennie decernit in amerciament of Court for cutting 
 and distroying of the Lairdis wood, in respect, being posit, 
 wald nocht depone, and James Allardes becwm cawtioner for 
 his transgressiown thairanent in tym cwming, wnder paine of 
 fourtie pundis toties quoties he be apprehendit. 
 
 Archibald Siller and William Burnett ar becwm in the Lairdis 
 will for the alledgit cutting of the Lairdis grein wood, and ilk 
 ane of them becwm cawtioneris for wther in tym cwming wnder 
 paine foirsaidis. 
 
 John Mwrray decernit in amerciament of Court for the 
 alledgit cutting of the said wood, as also Archibald Mwrray 
 decernit in amerciament, and ilk ane of thame becwme caw- 
 tioneris for wther in tym cwming wnder paine foirsaid toties 
 quoties they be apprehendit thairwith. 
 
 Patrick Stewin decernit in amerciament of Court, and John 
 Arbuthnet in Logy, becwm cawtioner for him in tyme cwming, 
 wnder paine foirsaid. 
 
 1 Nor any. 
 
 2 Bounds. 
 
 3 Without. 
 
20 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [l8 MAR. 
 
 Gilbert Greig decernit in amerciament of Court, and John 
 Arbuthnet lykwayes cawtioner for his abstinans in tym cwming, 
 wnder paine foirsaid. 
 
 Charlie Sutter decernit in amerciament of Court, and Stewin 
 Forbes cautioner for his abstinand in tym cwming under paine 
 foirsaid tot'ics quoties they be apprehendit. 
 
 James Traill and John Smyth, being posit, wald nocht 
 depone, In respect quhairof decernit in amerciament of Court, 
 and Stewin Forbes cawtioner for their abstinans in tym cwming 
 wnder paine foirsaid. 
 
 Allexander Traill decernit in amerciament of Court, in 
 respect being posit wald nocht depone, and sicklyk 1 Barroun 
 Reid, elder, 2 decernit in amerciament of Court, and ilk ane of 
 them becwm cawtioun for wther for their abstinans in tym 
 cwming, wnder paine foirsaid. 
 
 James Mill decernit in amerciament of Court for cutting of 
 the said wood, and George Strathawchin in Glathno, becwm 
 cawtioner for his abstinans thairfra in tym cwming. 
 
 Stewin Forbes decernit in amerciament of Court for cutting 
 of the said wood. Lykas James Downye in Mounthqueiche is 
 becwm actit judicially that the said Stewin Forbes, his men, 
 tennentis and serwandis, sail abstein from cutting of the said 
 wood or ony pairt thairof in tym cwming, wnder paine of fourtie 
 pundis, specially agreit on be the said James. 
 
 Allexander Burnett decernit in amerciament of Court, and 
 Allexander Hay becwm cawtioner for his abstinans in tym 
 cwming. 
 
 John Arbuthnet cawtioner for James Ros abstinans fra 
 cutting of the Lairdis wod in tym cwming. 
 
 Androw Leper decernit be his awin confessiown in amercia- 
 ment of Court, and Allexander Burnett cawtioner for his 
 abstinans in tym cwming, and the said Androw cawtioner for 
 the said Allexander, wnder the paine foirsaid tot'ies quoties- 
 ather of them be apprehendit. 
 
 James Mancur being persewit for cutting of the said wood, 
 
 1 Similarly. 
 
 2 Senior. ' Elder ' and £ younger ' were at one time used precisely as we now 
 apply the terms senior and junior. The latter form still occurs in speaking of 
 an heir-apparent, whom it is common to designate ' younger ' of so-and-so. 
 
THE BARONY OF UME 
 
 21 
 
 and being law fully summondit to that effect, cpmperit nocht, 
 In respect quhairof decernit contumaxed, as also William 
 Measoun, being summondit to the effect foirsaid, decernit 
 contumaxed. 
 
 James Sellett decernit in amerciament, and findis George 
 Strathawchin cau tioner for his abstinans in tym cwming, wnder 
 paine foirsaid. 
 
 Seruice. 
 
 The said day Archibald Leper and Archibald Burnett 
 decernit, ilk ane of thame, pey the sowme of ten pundis for 
 brewing but tollerans 1 of the Laird. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis that peyis serwice within 
 tlie Barrony of Wry being present became actit of their awin 
 consentis, being lawfully warnit wpone tuentie four houris 
 warnying to enter to quhatsumewer serwice addetit be thame 
 or ather of thame to be dew to the Laird of Wry, and gyf 
 thaj enter nocht to ther serwice in conwenient tyme, sail pey 
 ten pundis money to the Laird totics quoties they transgress 
 heiranent. It a est Jacobus Dauidsoux, 
 
 Notarius ac Scriba. 
 
 The Barrone Court of the Baroneis of Wry, liauldin within 
 the duelling hous of Stewin Forbes in Coicy, xvpone the 
 .rij of May 1617, be ane honorabill man Maister 
 Williams Real, Shiref Deput of Kincardine sedentem pro 
 tribunal), ete. James Dauidsoun, notter publiet, Clerk. 
 
 The said day James Mancur in Walk mylne of Wry, being 
 persewit be George Miller, froster, 2 for cutting and distroying 
 of the grein woods growand within barrony of Wry, and the 
 said James being personall present and accusit thairwpon, 
 confessit the samen, In respect quhairof decernit in amercia- 
 ment. 
 
 Williame Measoun, serwitour to James Mancur, decernit in 
 amerciament of court for cutting of the said wood, James 
 Mancur cawtioner for Williame Measoun, his abstinans in tym 
 euming, under the pane of fourty pundis. 
 
 Without permission. 
 
 2 Forester. 
 
22 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [12 MAY 
 
 The said day James Mancur, being desyrit [to] find caw- 
 tioun actit 1 for abstinand from cutting and distroying of the 
 said Wood in tym cwming, refusit to do the same, In respect 
 quhairof decernit tottes quoties he be apprehendit transgres to 
 pey according to the act of Parliament. 
 
 John Hendersoun decernit in amerciament for cutting of 
 the wood, and Allexander Hey of Logy, cawtioner for his 
 abstinans in tym cuming, wnder paine foirsaid, as also for 
 Allexander Mearse, his abstinans, quha is decernit in amercia- 
 ment lykwayis. 
 
 James Boner, be his awin confessioun decernit in amercia- 
 ment of Court for the distroying of the Laird of Wry his wood. 
 
 Williame Duthy in Mounthqueichie becum cawtioner for 
 Abrahame Forfar, his abstinans frome cutting of the Lairdis 
 wood in tym cuming. 
 
 Thomas Sellett decernit in amerciament for cutteing of the 
 said wood. 
 
 Seruick. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis of Mountqueiche being 
 desyrit and requirit to enter to their serwices barrages and 
 carrageis within quhatsumewer meaneis 2 within the barrony of 
 Wrye labourit in the Lairdis name, The saidis haill tennentis 
 being presonally present, they and ilk ane of them became 
 actit of their awin frie will and consent to enter to all sort of 
 barrage carrage wther dew serwice within the meaneis of Wry, 
 or wther meaneis within the barrony thairof, labourit in the 
 Lairdis name wpone lawfull premonitiown and warnyng maid 
 be the official*, and that conform to the remanent tennentis of 
 the barrony of Wry, Quhairwpone Allexander Hey, officiar and 
 procuratour for the Laird, tuik act and instrument. 
 
 The said day James Mancur being persewit for his reist 3 
 ferme crop 1615, extending to thre bollis, quhilk the said 
 James confessis reistand, In respect quhairof decernit to 
 pey for ilk boll conform to the feir 4 of the zeir. As also 
 
 1 Entered in the court book. - Common lands. 
 
 3 That remained owing. 
 
 4 Feirs or fiars signifies in Scotland the legally fixed prices of grain in the 
 different counties for the current year. These prices are determined at a Fiars 
 
i6i 7 ] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 23 
 
 (luivrnit ruiotand the nowmbcr of fywe bollio nicill for this 
 pre s ent crop o. 
 
 And being persewit for the reist ferme of this present crope 
 1616, comperit the said James Mancnr, and offerit him pro we 
 compleit peyment of the haill in the next court to be hauldin 
 the xxiiij Jim nixt, except ten firlottis meill, quhilk he obleissis 
 in caice of failze of peyment to pey for ilk boll x libis money, 
 Quhairwpon the [said] Allexander Hey, procuratour foirsaid, 
 tuik instrument. 
 
 The said day it is statuit be the Laird and bailze, be consent 
 of the tennentis, that quhatsumewer cotter or geirsman within 
 the barrony of Wry, being lauchfully chargit to his maisteris 
 serwice, and disobeyis, sail pey sex shillingis audit pennies for 
 ilk day. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Barroneis of Wry, hauldin within 
 the duelling hous of Stewin Forbes in Cozcy, vpone the 
 xxiiij day of Jun 1617 zeiris^ be ane honorabill man 
 Maister William Reid, sedentem pro tribunal/, etc. 
 James Dauidsoun, notter publict, Clerk. 
 
 The said day being assignit to James Mancur to prowe 
 compleit peyment of the haill ferme for his occupatioun of 
 Walk myl of Wry, crope 1616, lyk as he is becwm actit be ane 
 former act to pey the sowm vij pundis money for ilk [boll] thairof 
 that was nocht peyit, exceptand ten firlottis, 1 and being law- 
 fully citat to that effect, lawfull executioun producit thairwpon, 
 comperit nocht, In respect quhairof decernit contumaxed, and 
 to pey the foirnameit sowme of ten pundis money for ilk boll 
 he was reistand, extending in the haill to audit bollis and ane 
 half, at ten lib the boll. 
 
 Court, which meets in February of each year, and is presided over by the sheriff 
 of the county. A jury is summoned, before whom the evidence of farmers, corn- 
 dealers, and others is led as to the market values of the different grains raised in 
 the district. The prices subsequently fixed by the opinion of the jury, and sanc- 
 tioned by the sheriff, are termed the fiars of the year. They dftermine the 
 prices of grain in all contracts where these have not been previously arranged 
 between paities. The term Jiars is of doubtful origin, but is probably connected 
 with the French affeurage, taxation, fiars having been originally used to fix 
 Crown rents. 
 
 1 A corn measure, the fourth part of a boll. 
 
24 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [24 JUKE 
 
 The said day James Mill, being perse wit be Allexander Hey, 
 as procuratour for William Hey of Wry, for the reist of some 
 bollis beir crop 1616, and the said James being personate 
 present, confessit him reistand the said four bollis beir, quhilk 
 the bailze decernit him pey within terme of law, or vij pundis 
 for ilk boll thairoff. 
 
 The said day Abrahame Forfar, being persewit be the Laird 
 for the nocht erecting and biging of liis garding, and hail! 
 bigging 1 of Mounthquheiclie possessit be him, and suffering his 
 horss and beistis pasture within the said zaird, and inputting 
 of his hors and guidis in the hall and chalmeris thairof, Com- 
 perit the said Abrahame and denyit the haill alledgeins 2 pro- 
 ponit be the Laird ex aduerso. The Laird, being present, 
 offerrit him prowc the haill alledgeins in the nixt court, and 
 to instruct the same be ane band subscryvit be the said 
 Abrahame. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Bamonye of Wry, hauldin within 
 the Wood heid, upone first day of Not^ember 1617, be 
 Maister Williatne Held, sedentem pro tribunal?, James 
 Dauidsoun, notter publict, Clerk, remanent memberis all 
 present. The suittis callit, the Court lawfully Jensit and 
 qffermit. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordaneit that in all tyni 
 cwming Williame Duthie in Wood heid, Robert Duncane in 
 Cairntown, James Allardes ther, and Archibald Duncane in 
 Bonageicht, salbe barley men 3 for comprysing and sichting of 
 pryce corneis, and to discern thairupone, and in Mounthqueiche 
 William Duthie, elder, and Allexander Duthie ther, James 
 Downy and Abrahame Forfar ther, for Mounthqueiche, and 
 to hauld courtis, and to discerne thairwpone in all tym cwming. 
 
 1 A house, properly of a large size, as opposed to a cottage. —Jam. 
 
 2 Allegation. 
 
 3 Men chosen to sit in a Court of Burlaw (A.-S. bur, a village). The province 
 of this Court was to adjust disputes on minor matters between neighbours, the 
 rights of outgoing and incoming tenants, the value of meliorations, and other 
 questions of a similar character being referred to it for judgment. It is invari- 
 ably stated in reference to the Court of Burlaw that its members were popularly 
 elected. The above, however, seems to throw discredit on this statement, and 
 to suggest that they were after all the mere nominees of the proprietor. 
 
THE BARONY OF TRIE 
 
 25 
 
 The said day James Mill in Cowy ordaincit to produce his 
 assedatiown in the nixt court, and to be summondit to that 
 effect. 
 
 The said day the haill brosteris 1 in the Barrony of Wry 
 ordaneit to ane stein 2 of talloun, 3 or pryce thairof, for ewery 
 zeir they hawe browin, fra their entry to the dait of thir pre- 
 sents, except sick as produceis ane sufficient tytill. 
 
 The said day Thomas Buchan creat froster for the tor 4 and 
 wattersyd of Wrrye, quha lies giffin his ayth de fidelj admini- 
 stratione. 
 
 The Barroun Courtt of the Barrony of Wrrye, heddin In 
 Vodheid, the auchtein day of December 16017 zeiris 9 be 
 Maister Williame Reid, Shireff Deput of Kincardin. 
 The Court lauchfidliejenssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day compeiritt James Millin in [Cowie], and being 
 persewit be Alexander Hay, official* for brew lauche, 5 ordanitt 
 to pay ane stein of creischie within term of law, vnder the 
 paine of poinding. 
 
 Compeirit the said James Millin, and refuis in judgmentt to 
 pay ane stein of cris. Quharvpone the baillye hes ordanit him 
 to pay within terme of law, or than to shawe his warrand in 
 the nixt courtt. 
 
 The said day James Mancur, in Valkmyl of Wrye, is decernit 
 be the Laird to pay his ferme of his tak of Walkmill, viz. 
 thrattine bollis, tua firlottis meill, to Maister Villiame Reid, 
 ShirefFe Deputt of Kincardin, crope 16017. 
 
 The Barronie Court of the Barroney of Wry, lialdin in the 
 bairne of Andro Alardes in JVoodheid, wpoune the audit 
 day of May 1618, \n name and behalf of ane nobdl and 
 michtie lord Franeeis, erle of Eroll, lord Hay, etc., and 
 William Hay of Wry, heritable propriater of the grand, 
 and Maister William Reid in Cowy, their bailzie, James 
 Thomsoun, natter publiet, Clerk, Alexander Hay, qffieiar. 
 
 1 Brewers. 2 A measure of weight equal to 16 lbs. 3 Tallow. 
 
 4 A wooded hill or eminence. 5 A tax paid for the liberty of brewing. 
 
26 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [8 MAY 
 
 John Dauidsoun, Dempster. The suit call it, the court 
 lauchfullie fensit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day James Thomesoun, notter publict, is admittit 
 Clark, and John Dauidsoun, Dempster, quha gave their ayth 
 de fideli administration), ay and quhill 1 thav be dischairgit. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeant be cowmoune consent 
 of the haill tennentis of the barrony of Wry, and in speciall 
 the tennentis of Mountquheche, that their haill guidis sail 
 pastour wpoune the Mounth 8 and out boundis, 3 as thaj have 
 beine in vse befor, Bot it i^ statuit that for ilk beast, wiz., 
 hors, ox. or kow, that cumes wpoun their nichtbouris in haime 
 gers, 4 sail pey to the pairtie interes toties quoties how oft thaj 
 sail contravein this present act the sowme of vj s. 8d., and for 
 ilk scheip xxxij d. toties quoties how oft the pairtie interest 
 mev prowe the contraventioune of this act, and the official- 
 ordeanit to poynd thairfor, quhairanent this present act salbe 
 ane sufficient war rand. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis of Montquheye is decernit 
 be the bailzie to cum and do their service be the Manse 5 of 
 Wry the morne, 0 the nynt of May instant, wnder the paine 
 contenit in the former actis, and the official* ordenit to poynd 
 thairfor. 
 
 The said day it statuit and ordeanit that quhasoeuer within 
 the barronny off Wry sall>e fund to lowp the gairdine dyik of 
 Wrv, ather Maister or servand, sail pey tuentie schillingis 
 money to the Laird, and the Maister to be comptable for his 
 servand. and the official- ordeanit to poynd thairfor. 
 
 The said dav James Miln in Cowie. being charffit to this 
 court be Alexander Hay, officiar, quhairon lie gave his aith to 
 produce his assedatioune annent his brew talloune, conforme to 
 the ordinance of the last courtt, and in respect the said James, 
 his nocht compeirance. according to the will of the former act, 
 
 1 Until. 
 
 8 The name given to the district covered by the eastern extremity of the 
 Grampians. 3 Common pasturage. 
 
 4 In haime gers : that which belonged to the private holdings of the tenants, 
 in opposition to the grass of the ' Mounth and out boundis.' 
 
 s Mains. 6 To-morrow. 
 
1618] THE BARONY OF URIE 27 
 
 the said James is decernit to pey ane staine of Talloun within 
 terme of law, or than four merkis for the price thairof. 
 
 Ita est Jacobus Thomesoun, 
 notarius publicus ac scriba Curie. 
 
 The Barroune Courtt off the Barronny of Wry, haldin in the 
 barne of Andro AUardes in Woodheid, wpoune the xvij 
 day of Jun 1618, in name of ane nobill and potent lord 
 Frances, erle of Erroll, Lord Hay, etc., and William 
 Hay of Wry, hcritabill propriator of the said landis, Mr. 
 William Reid, thair bailzie, James Thomesoun, notter 
 publict, court cleric, Alexander Hay, officiar. Thric suit is 
 calit, the court lau/'ullie fensit and affirmit. Andro 
 Tullo, Dempster. 
 
 The said day Archebalcl Burnet is decernit to pey four 
 merkis for ane zeiris lu*ew Talloun, within terme of law, wilder 
 pain of poynding within terme of law. 
 
 Peats. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit, with cowmoun con- 
 sent of the haill tennentis of the barroney of Wry, baith hus- 
 bandis and cotters convenit for the tyme, that nane of tham 
 sail sell, dispone, or away put any peitt or fewall to any man 
 in ony tym cumming without leave of the erle of Erroll and 
 the laird of Wry be wryt, 1 wnder the paine of tene pundis 
 money, to be peyit be the contraveiner to the laird of Wry, 
 and the officiar ordenit to poynd for the same. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents of Wry and Mountquheiche 
 is decernit, sick as ar astrickit to service, to cum in on Monon- 
 day nixt, ilk pleuche with tua hors, and leid sick peittis as the 
 laird hed causit cast, and that by and attour 2 ordinal* leitt 
 peitts baithe of Wry and Montquheiche respective, quhair thaj 
 audit to leid the same, wnder the pain of xl s. ilk pleuche, and 
 the tennents of Mountquheiche ordenit to cast, win, and leid 
 thrie leitt of peittis to the hall of Montquheiche, wnder pain 
 of x merkis for ilk leitt wncastin win and led in maner foirsaid. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis of the Burnesyd and the 
 
 By written permission. 
 
 2 Over and above. 
 
28 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [17 JUNE 
 
 fisharis in Cowie are decernit and ordenit to pey to the laird 
 sick service in sheiring 1 and leading of cornis and in leiding of 
 peitts as thaj war in vse to pey to his wmquhile father, and it 
 is ordeanit that Archibald Murreys tak be sichtit and maid 
 equall with the rest. 
 
 The said day compeirit James Milne in Cowij, and confessit 
 him selff to be restand awand to the laird of AVry four bollis bear, 
 and to Maister Andro INIilne, 2 Minister, tua bollis ane firlott 
 bear of his occupatioun of the Chapelandrie of Cowy 3 for the 
 crope 1617 zeiris, and in respect of the said James confessioun 
 the bailzie decernis the said James to pey the same to the said 
 Laird and Minister respect iue ilk ane for their awin pairtis, 
 and in caice of failzie Alexander Hey, procuratour for the laird, 
 and the persoune for him self, protestit for the heichest pryss. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis of the barrony of Wry ar 
 decernit to pey ilk pleuche xiij s. iiij d. to the school maister 
 zeirlie, and the official' ordenit to poynd for the sam. 
 
 The said day Archibald Leaper, John Smyth, Ninian llobert- 
 son, and John Foull is decernit to pey sextein merkis money for 
 their maill for tua zeiris bygane befor Witsonday last, wilder 
 paine of poynding, together with ilk ane of thame ane pynt of 
 oylly zeirlie for ilk zeir of the said tua zeiris. 4 
 
 J. Thomesouxe, notarius publicus ac scnba Curia'. 
 
 1 Reaping. 
 
 2 Mr. Andrew Milne was admitted minister of Fetteresso in 1605. He was a 
 member of the General Assemblies of 1638, '39, and died 12th October 1640 in 
 his fifty-eighth year. — Scott's Fasti Eiclesiic Scoticamc, vol. iii. Part II. p. 869. 
 
 " 5 Chapel lands of Cowie. The Chapel of Cowie was dedicated by William 
 "Wishart, Bishop of St. Andrews, as a subsidiary place of worship for the 
 parishioners of Fetteresso, in June 1276, ita qitod nullum prejudiciuni generetur 
 matrici ccchsie de Fethyressach (Fetteresso). — Statuta Fcclesia Scoticaiiiv, vol. i. 
 p. 303. This chapel was originally possessed of a considerable endowment in 
 lands and otherwise, the value of the benefice being estimated at the time of the 
 Reformation at 24 bolls of bear. In 1601, the then minister of Fetteresso, also 
 named Andrew Milne, received from the King, in appreciation of his 1 gude, 
 trew, and thankfull seruices, etc.,' a grant of one-third of the Chaplainrie of 
 Cowie, to be held during his lifetime. From the above it would appear that 
 this grant had been continued to his successor. 
 
 4 The above parties were evidently fishermen (see p. 32, where Smith and 
 Robertson are described as such). The reddendo exacted was oil manufactured 
 from fish livers, to be used for burning in the open lamps or cruisies commoa all 
 over Scotland a generation ago. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 29 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Barronny of Wry, haldin in the 
 dueling hous of Andro Alardys in Woodheid, wpemn the 
 xxiiij of July 1()18 zeiris, in name and behalf of ane 
 nobill and potent lord Francis, erle of Erroll, and 
 William Hay of Wry, and Robert Irving- at Miln of 
 Coicie, their bailzie deputfor the tyrne, James Thomesoun, 
 notter publict, Clerk, Alexander Hay, offieiar. 
 Andro TuUo, Dempster. 
 
 The suits callit, the Court laufullie J'ensit and afirmit. 
 
 The said day compeirit Duncan Robertsoun in Findlastoun, 
 and is decernit to pey to Alexander Blak, maltnian, b urges of 
 Aberde[en], the soum of aucht merkis iij s. iiij d. for the price 
 of ane boll malt restand be him to the said Alexander In 
 respect refuisit to give his ayth in the contrail*. 1 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit be the Laird and his- 
 bailzie that John Miln at the milne of Montqueiche and 
 Alexander Maky, miler at the milne of Cowie, salbe official' to 
 thame selffis, and be thir presents givis thame power to poynd 
 for all dissobedience thair miln service. 
 
 J. Thomksounk, notarius publicus ae scriba Curia-. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Barrouny of Wrye, haldin in the 
 Scholiums off Wrie, wpoune the tuentiefyve day qfMarche 
 1620 zeiris, in name and behalf of ane nobill and potent 
 lord Francis, erle of Err oil, Lord Hay, etc., and William 
 Hay of Wrie, heritable propri ate r off the said barrouny 
 off Wrie, and in name of ane discreit gentilmane Georg 
 Mowatt in Reidcloak, thair bailzie deput for the tyme. 
 James Tliomsoune, notter publict, Court Clark, Alexander 
 Hay, offieiar, James Spark, Dempster. The suits calet, 
 the Court laufullie fensit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day Georg Mowatt in Reidcloak is admitit greatt 
 bailzie, James Wyshart and James Spark, Dempster, quha gave 
 their aithe de fideli administration) ', ay and quhill thay be dis- 
 chairgeit. 
 
 Refused to deny his indebtedness on oath. 
 
30 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [21 JULY 
 
 The said day John Tailzeour in Keidcloak being perse wit be 
 Thomas Durart, his nichtbour, and James Wyshart, procura- 
 tour fiscall, for the erle of Erroll and the laird of Wrie for his 
 entres, for hurting, wounding, and bluid-drawing off the said 
 Thomas Durart in the back syid off the heid, and the samen 
 being sufficientlie provin be Alexander Mowat and William 
 Blindscheall, admitit witness be the said John Tailzeour his 
 consent, the said John Tailzeour is decernit to pey to the erle 
 off Erroll and the Laird the sowme of tene pundis money 
 within terme of law vnder paine of poynding. 
 
 J. Thomesoune, notarius scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of' Wrie, haldin in 
 James AJardes barne in Woodhead, wpoune the xay day 
 ofJulij 1620, in name and behalf' of anc nobill and potent 
 erle Francis, erle of Erroll, Lord Hay, etc., and William 
 Hay of Wrie, heritable propriaters of the saids landis, 
 and in name of anc honourable man John Hay of 
 Crimoundmog it 1 their bailzie. James Thomsoune, notter, 
 Clark, Alexander Hay, qfficiar, William Gicht, Dempster. 
 The suits ealit, the Court laicfulUefoisit and ajfirmit. 
 
 The said day William Gicht was creat Dempster, quha gave 
 his ayth de fidei) administration], ay and quhill he be dis- 
 chargit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis efter specifeit ar decernit be 
 thair awin consentis to pay ilk ane for their awine pairtis the 
 particular quantaties of wictuall customes and sowmes of money 
 wnder writtin to John Mowatt, in Powbair, as chalmerlane and 
 factour to my lord of Erroll, wiz. — Nynteine bollis meill and 
 nyne bollis of bear restand be Gilbert Barclay of his ferme of 
 Magray, crop 1619, with thrie dussane of caponis, or than 
 
 1 Cousin of the Laird of Urie. He succeeded his father, designed William 
 Hay of Little Arnage, in 1614. — Retours, Aberdeenshire, 135. Crimonmogate, 
 in the Buchan district of Aberdeenshire, formed part of the barony of Crimond, 
 which was acquired by the lairds of Urie in the latter part of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury, through the marriage of Gilbert Hay of Urie to Beatrix, daughter of Sir 
 John Dunbar of Crimond. Crimonmogate is now in the pos«es-ion of the Ban- 
 nermans, formerly of Elrick, to whom it was bequeathed by Mr. Patrick Milne. — 
 Smith's New Hist, of Aberdeenshire, vol. ii. p. 942. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 31 
 
 vj s. 8d. for the peice thairoff, with thrie custome wadders 
 wnder the woll, 1 or thane fyve merk for the peice thairoff, for 
 his customes crope forsaid 1619. Margarat Cheine, spous to 
 Robert Irving at the milne of Cowie, ane boll and thrie pecks 
 bear of hir ferme off the milne of Cowie, crope 1619, with ane 
 custome mert, or than tene punds money for the price thairoff, 
 crope forsaid, with auchtein caponis, or than vj s. 8 d. for the 
 peice thairof, crope forsaid. William Duthie and James and 
 Andro Alardess is decernit to pey their haill fermes, dewties, 
 and wther customes for their seuerall occupationis of Woodheid, 
 for the crope 1619 zeiris, in caice they produce nocht sufficient 
 acquittances vpoune the recept thairoff. Robert Duncane, in 
 Cairntoune, decernit for his haill dewitie of the said crope 
 in lyk manner, in caice he produce nocht ane sufficient dis- 
 charge thairvpoune. James Milne, in Cowie, is decernit be 
 his awin confessioun to pey to the said chalmerlane thrie bollis 
 thrie firlottis bear, in peyment of his ferme bear for the crope 
 1619 zeiris, with 1 dozen of pultrie foullis, or than iii s. iiij d. 
 for the peice thairof, crope forsaid. Stephane Forbes in Cowie 
 is decernit to pey the sowme of sex pundis money for ilk dozen 
 off fourtein dozen elnis 2 of sarking lining clayth 3 restand be 
 him this fourtein zeiris bygaine, in caice the said Stephane 
 produce nocht his assedatioune within terme of law bearand 
 that he aucht nocht to pey the same. Arehebald Duncan in 
 Bannageith is decernit to pey feftie merkis money for his 
 Mertimes maill, in j m. vj c. and nynteine, and Witsonday in 
 1620. George Milne in Corsley ane quarter of butter and 
 four pultrie foullis. Alexander Duthie in Montquhiche the 
 sowme off feftie merkis money for his Witsonday maill in 
 1620. Abrahame Forfar, elevine merkis money in compleit 
 peyment of his Mertimes maill in 1619, with feftie merkis 
 money for his Witsonday maill, 1620. Alexander Wyshart 
 in Montquhiche feftie merkis money for his Witsonday maill, 
 
 1 Under the woll : unshorn. 
 
 2 The Scotch ell contains 37*0598 imperial inches. The Plaiding ell, by 
 which some coarse stuffs were measured, was somewhat longer, that in the 
 custody of the Dean of Guild of Aberdeen containing 38*416 imperial inches. — 
 Elgen's Tables, p. 21. 
 
 3 Sarking lining clayth : linen cloth suitable for making shirts. 
 
32 THE COURT BOOK OF [21 JULY 
 
 in this instant zeir of God 1620 zeiris. Dauid Dunbar in 
 Rothnik and Georg Schiphird in Bannagubs, is decernit to 
 pey to the said John Mowatt, factour forsaid, the sowme oft' 
 ane hundreth pundis money for the Witsonday maill of the 
 saidis landis, in this instant zeir of God 1620 zeiris. Georg 
 Straquhan in Glithno is decernit to pey the soiune of fiftie 
 merkis for his Witsonday and Mertimes maillis, in anno 
 1619, with tuentie fyve merkis for his Witsonday maill, in this 
 instant zeir of God 1620 zeiris. Alexander Hey of Findlaw- 
 stoune is decernit to pey to John Mowatt, chalmerlane, the 
 sowme of tuentie merkis money for his Mertimes maill of Find- 
 lawstoune in 1619 and Witsonday in 1620. John Foullar is 
 decernit to pey xxxiij s. iiij d. for his maill for ilk zeir, thir 
 thrie zeiris bygaine extendis to fyve pundis. John Smyth, 
 fischer in Cowie, is decernit in lyk maner to pey fyve pundis for 
 his maill thir thrie zeiris bygane, with ane pynt of oylie, or 
 than viij s. Ninian Robertsoune, fischer, is decernit in lyk 
 manner to pey the sowme of fyve pundis money for his maill 
 thir thrie zeiris bigaine. The quhilkis haill personis al)oun 
 wreittin are ilk decernit respectiue for thair awine pairtis to 
 content and pey the haill nowmber and quantatie of wictuall, 
 meill, and bear befor mentionat, with the haill customes or 
 prisses thairoff befor wreittin, and haill particular sowmes befor 
 specifeitt to the said John Mowatt, chalmerlane, within terme 
 of law, wnder the paine of poynding of ilk ane of their rediest 
 guidis and geir respectiue for their awine pairts, wnder the 
 paine of poyinding within terme of law. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeainet be the bailzie that 
 quhatsumeiuer persone or personis that happine to brew and 
 sell within the barrouny of Wrie, or my lordis landis in Cowie, 
 sail pey zeirlie ane staine of brew tallowne, or thane fyve 
 merkis for ilk staine thairof. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeanit be the bailzie that 
 ewerie pleuche in Montquhiche and Corsley sail cast, wine, leid, 
 and stak zeirlie ane sufficient leitt of peittis in dew tyme, and 
 in caice of failzie to pey fyve pundis money for the price of ilk 
 halff leitt, and the officiar ordeanit to poynd thairfor. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeanit, with consent of the 
 haill tennentis within the barrouny of Wrie, that quhat- 
 
1 620] THE BARONY OF URIE 33 
 
 sumeuer persone or personis salbe fund and tryit to stcill or 
 away taik ony off their nichtboiiris peittis in tyme cuming, 
 sail pey for ewerie burding of peitts xx s. for ilk laid of peits 
 on hors with creillis, 1 xl s. for ilk kairt full of peitts, thrie 
 pundis money, and the official* ordeanit to poynd for the same. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeanit be the bailzie, with 
 cowmoune consent of the haill tennentis within the barrouny, 
 that quhatsumeuer persone or personis beis fund to steill, pull, 
 or away tak ony off their nichtbouris peis, 2 sail pey for ewerie 
 tyme, toties quotics how oft soeuer they be chalengit, the 
 sowme off fourtie shilings money, and the maisteris to be 
 comptable for their bairnis and servandis. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeanit be the bailzie that 
 quhatsumeuer persoune or personis in tymes cuming sail leid 
 peittis furth of the barrouny of Wrie, and sell to the indualars 
 of Stanehevine without ane speciall lycence and libertie haid 
 and obtenit be thame of my lord of Erroll, sail pey the sowme 
 of tene pundis money to the said nobill erle, and the official* 
 ordeanit to poynd for the sam. 
 
 The said day James Dewinny in Montquhiche, William 
 Duthie there, Robert Duncane in Cairntoune, and William 
 Duthie thair, is electit, nominat, and chossin barlaw men within 
 the barrouny of Montquhiche and Wrie in tyme cuming, quha 
 gave their aithe de Jidelj administration} ay and quhill they be 
 dischairgit. 
 
 The said day compeirit John Mowat, procuratour for the 
 erle of Erroll, and protestit for the heighest priss for sick 
 bollis of wictuall as sail happin to be restand be ony of the 
 tennents efter the terme of Lambes 3 nixt. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeanit be the bailzie, with 
 consent of the haill tennentis of the barrouny of Wrie that 
 ar obleist to cast and win leitt peitis, sail cast, win, leid, and 
 stack, ilk ane of thame, ane sufficient leit off peittis, as thaj ar 
 obleist, wpoune the peithill of Wrie, zeirly befoir the last of 
 Julij, wnder the pain of ten pundis money for ilk leitt thairoff, 
 and the officiar ordeanit to poynd for the same. 
 
 The said day the personis following is convenit and aggriet 
 
 1 Baskets made of osiers. 2 Peas. 
 
 3 Lammas, the 1st of August. 
 
 e 
 
34 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [l6 JUNE 
 
 with Margarat Cheine, spous to llobert Irving, for their 
 bygane multeris befor 1 the crope on the grund in this instant 
 zeir of God 1620, in manner wnder wreittin, to wit, William 
 Duthie in Woidheid j firlott malt, Andro and James Alardes 
 j firlot malt, John Hendersoune j peck of sehilingis, 2 Archebald 
 Duncane ij pecks meill, quhilk they ar decernit to pey to hir 
 within terme of law. J. Thomesofxe, notarius publieus, 
 
 ac scriba Curie. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of Wry, haldin in 
 William Duthies ha rue in Woidheid, vpoune the xvj 
 daye of Junij 1621 zeiris, in name ana 1 behalf of ane 
 nobitt and potent lord Francis, erle of Erroll, Lord Hay, 
 etc., ((nd in name of the rieht honorable William Hay of 
 Wry, propriater of the said landis, Maister William 
 Reid in Corey thair bailzie, Alexander Hay, officiar 
 dcput for the tyme 9 James Thomsoun, notter, Clark, 
 Archibald Murray, Dempster. The suitis calit, the 
 court laufullie Jensit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day Archebald Murray in Cowij was creat, con- 
 stitut, and ordeainet dempster, qua gave ayth de fidelj admini- 
 stration) ay and quliill he be dischairgit. 
 
 The said day compeirit James Alardes, elder in Woodheid, 
 tennent and taksman of the halff thairof, and voluntarlie, 
 frielie, and of his awin guid will, with his blissing and kyndnes, 
 rennuncit, resignit, dischairgit, quytclamet and simpliciter over 
 gaiwe his haill occupatioune off the toune and landis of Wood- 
 heid, with housses, bigings, zairds, toftis, crofts, pairtis, pen- 
 diculs, 3 and pertinents of the same, lyand within the barrony 
 of Wrie, parochine of Fethereschawe, 4 and sherefdome of Kin- 
 cardine, to and in favouris of ane nobill and potent lord 
 
 1 For. 
 
 2 Grain that has passed through the mill and been freed from the hwsk.—Jam. 
 
 3 A pendicle is a small piece of ground either depending on a larger farm, or 
 let separately by the owner.— Jam. 
 
 4 Fetteresso. The anomalous termination schawe occurs in Gordon of Straloch's 
 Map of Scotland in 1654, where the name of the parish is printed Fethirschaw. 
 Earlier authorities give the forms Fodresach, Fcthyressach, Fet 'lures sow ; and the 
 like, and from these must necessarily be traced the modern spelling. 
 
1 62 1] THE BARONY OF URIE 35 
 
 Francis, erle of Enroll, Lord Hay, etc., and William Hay of 
 Wry, heritable propriater thairoff, with libertie and licens to 
 the said nobill lord and William Hay of Wry, or ather of 
 thame, be thame selffis, thir servandis, or vtheris in thir names, 
 presentlie to enter thairwith, jois, occupie, labour, and manure 
 the samen at their plessour in all tyme cuming, but actioun of 
 ejectioune, interusioun, spoyliatioun, or deid of wrang in ony 
 sort, to be mowet, suitit, or persewit be him thairanent, and 
 be the tennour heirof grantis him selff to be als ordourlie 
 remowet thairfra at the terme of Witsonday last bypast, in 
 this instant zeir of God aboune writtin, as iff the said nobill 
 lord and William Hay of Wry haid obtenit ane decreit off 
 remowing against him befor the lordis of Counsall and Sessioun, 
 or SherefF of Kincardine, decernand and ordeanand him to 
 remowe thairfra, Quhairwpoune the said William Hay of Wry 
 him self, and John Mowat in Powbair, as procuratour for the 
 said nobill lord, tuik act of Court and instrument, and the 
 said James is content, and consentis that this present renun- 
 ciatioun be insert and registrat in the SherefF Court buikis of 
 Kincardyne, that executioun may pas thairon. 
 
 Mill Seruice. 
 
 The said day it is statu t and ordeainet, be consent of the 
 Laird and bailzie, that the four men following, to wit, James 
 Dewiny in Montquheiche, Gilbert Grig in Schauchinschaw, 
 John Main there, and Robert Duncane in Cairntoune, sail pas 
 and try the marches 1 betuixt Abrahame Forfar in Mont- 
 quheiche and Alexander Duthie thair, and sick as the saidis 
 four men sail find efter dew try all to haue bein propertie in 
 tymes past sail remaine propertie, and sick as lies bein in vse 
 off Cowmountie sail remain in cowmontie, and ather of the 
 saidis tua that salbe tryit to be ane malicious and ewill nicht- 
 bour thairefter, sail pey to the laird the soume of tene pundis 
 Scotis money. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeanit, with consent of the 
 haill tennentis in the Nether barrouny, 2 that ewerie maister of 
 
 1 Pas and try the marches : measure {lit. pace) and legally determine the 
 boundaries. 
 
 2 Urie as distinguished from Monquich, which is repeatedly referred to else- 
 where as the Over Barony. 
 
36 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [l6 JUNE 
 
 ane pleuche sail pas, vpoune tuentie four houris warning, to 
 the dame of the milne of Cowij, and thair be thame selffis, 
 thair servantis, hors, and kairtis, sail mend and repair the 
 haill milne dame, and mak the same sufficient, wilder the paine 
 of fourtie shilling money, to be pevit be ewerie ane that sail 
 happin to dissobey quhen they salbe requyirit as said is, and to 
 be gewin to theas that sail obey and mend the said dame, and 
 the offieiar ordeanit to poynd for the same. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeanit that ewerie man that 
 hes ane hors about the milne of Cowij sail hauld thair horss in 
 the stabill betuixt elevine houris at nicht and the sonne rysing 
 in the morning, and sick as salbe fund to do in the contrair 
 sail pey for ilk hors that salbe fund out of the stabill vpoune 
 the nicht sail pey for ilk hors xx s. toties quoties, to be peyit 
 to the pairtie offendit. 1 
 
 The said day James Milne in Cowij is decernit be his awin 
 confessioun to pay to the Laird fywe bollis thrie firlots bear 
 betuixt the dait heirof and the sext day off Julij nixt, or than 
 to pey the soume off fywe pundis money for ilk boll thairoff, 
 with thrie dozen of pultrie foullis, or than fourtie schilings for 
 ilk dozen thairof, within terme of law. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes in Cowij is decernit to pey to 
 the Ladie Wry ane dozen elnis of sufficient sarking lyning for 
 this zeir to Mertimes nixt, or thane sex pund for the price 
 thairof. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis of the our and nether 
 barrony is decernit be thair awine consent that ilk occupiar off 
 ane plewche of the saidis landis sail zeirlie cast, wine, and leid 
 ane leitt of peits, and the tennentis of Montquheiche to stak 
 the same on the peithill of Montquheiehe, and the tennentis of 
 "Wry to stack thair leits on the peithill of Wry zeirlie befor 
 the xxiiij of August, and in caice of failzie, to pey for ilk leit 
 that sail happin to be wnstackit in manner forsaid to pey the 
 soume off tene pundis. 
 
 The said day it is decernit and ordeanit that the haill ten- 
 nentis in Montquheiehe sail pas and teill and ry we out 2 new 
 
 1 Injured, viz., by the trespass of the horse upon their lands. 
 
 2 To plough. Spoken of ground that has either long lain in lea, or has never 
 been ploughed before.— yaw. 
 
1 62 1] THE BARONY OF URIE 37 
 
 landis be thame selffis, thair servandis, and plewches wpoune 
 the boundis nixt adjacent to the laird of Petfoddellis merchs 1 
 within the clame, and ewerie man that sail happin to refuis 
 and dissobey to go himself, als weill as his servandis and 
 pleuchs, sail pey the soume of tnentie pundis toties quoties how 
 oft they sail dissobey. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis in Montquheiche is decernit 
 and ordeanit to repair the laird is zaird dyik in Montquheiche, 
 wnder the pain of fourtie shillings money, to be peyit be ilk 
 dissobedient. J. Thomesoune, notarius publiciis, 
 
 ac scriba Curie. 
 
 The Barrowne Court of Wrie, hauldin in Stepliane Forbes 
 dialling hous hi Cozen/, on the penult day of August 
 1621, in name and behalf' of ane nobill lord Francis, erle 
 of ErroU, Lord Hay, etc., and William Hay of Wry 
 heritable propriater of the said land, and in name of ane 
 honorable mane Maister William Reid in Cozcy, thair 
 baihsie, James Thomsoun, notter, Clark, Alexander Hay, 
 offieiar, Robert Crystie, Dempster. The suits calit, the 
 Court laufullie J'ensit and ajjirmit. 
 
 The said day the bailzie ordeanis the four barlaw men to pas 
 presentlie and visie the leit peittis, bothe vpoune the peithill 
 of Wrie and Mountquheiche, and quhair it salbe fund that 
 ewerie persoune that is obleist to stak ane leit of peits wpoune 
 ather of the said peithillis, and the same be nocht fund suffi- 
 cient, ilk persone is decernit for thair awin pairtis to pey x lib. 
 money for ilk leit, conforme to ane former act. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis of the barrouny of Wry and 
 Montquheiche is decernit and ordeanit be thair awine consentis 
 to pay to the laird zeirlie and ilk zeir in tyme cuming sufficient 
 
 1 The boundaries of the lands of Blairs in the neighbouring parish of Ban- 
 chory-Devenick are here referred to. Blairs was then in the possession of Sir 
 Gilbert Menzies of Pitfodels. Sir Gilbert was a devoted Royalist, and greatly 
 distinguished himself in the north during the Civil Wars. He is referred to in 
 the following lines : 
 
 1 Gilbert Menzies of Pitfodels 
 Did for King Charles wear the blue.' 
 
 Old Ballad. 
 
38 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [30 AUG. 
 
 wictuall at the termes of peyment vsit and wount of the wictuall 
 that growis on thair awin possessioune. 
 
 Seruice Mill of Moxquheich. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeaniet be the Laird and 
 bailzie, with consent of the haill tennents and sub-tennents, 
 cotteris, greas men, and wtheris quhatsumeur, that wha soeuer 
 sail disobey to cum to any cowmoune actioun in tym cuming 
 perteining to my lord, or the lairds weill, vtilitie, profeit, or 
 honour, sail pey tene pundis. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit be the Laird and 
 bailzie, with consent of the haill tennents, cotteris, and greas 
 men, that whatsumeuer persone or personis salbe tryit at ony 
 tyme heirefter to cut or pull 1 any greas amangs thair maisters 
 [or] nichtbouris cornis in tyme cuming sail pey fourtie shilings 
 to the pairtie offendit tot'ics quoties how oft thaj sail be tryit 
 to contravein this present act. Quhairon Maister Andrew 
 Leslie, Gilbert Barclay, George Milne, for thame selffis, and in 
 name of the rest of the tennents tuik act. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit be the Laird and 
 bailzie, with consent of the haill tennentis in the our barrouny, 
 that ewerie tennent and subtennent, cotters, and greasmen, sail 
 answer and obey John Milne, milner at the milne of Mont- 
 quheiche, as they salbe requyrit to cast the laids, 2 fens the 
 damis, 3 and bring watter to the milne in stormes, and at wther 
 tymes as they salbe requyrit, as said is sail pey ewerie man 
 xl s. toties quoties how oft they sail be fund to dissobey, and the 
 said John ordeanit to be official* in that pairt. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wry, havldin in Woodheid on the 
 sevint day of November 1621 zeir, in nam and behalf of 
 ane nobill and potent lord Francis, erle of ErroU, Lord 
 
 1 For cutting or pulling. 
 
 2 Cut the mill-races. The meaning probably is that they were required to 
 keep them clear by cutting or digging out the weeds, etc., by which they were 
 liable to be become choked. 
 
 3 To fence, in the sense of keeping them water-tight. Should they be broken 
 through in time of storms, it was the duty of the tenants to repair them, and so 
 keep the mill supplied with water. 
 
1 62 1] THE BARONY OF URIE 39 
 
 Hay, etc., and William Hay of' Wry, heritable propriaters 
 of the saidis landis, and in name of one honorable man 
 Maister William Reid in Cozcy, thair baihie, James 
 Thomsoune, notter, ClarJc, Alexander Hay, offieiar, Danid 
 Mitchell, Dempster. The suits ecdit, the Court Jensit 
 and ajfirmit. 
 
 Absextis. 
 
 James Dewiny in Montquheiehe. 
 
 Maister Andro Leslie thair. 
 
 George Dewny thair. 
 
 William Duthie thair. 
 
 Alexander Duthie thair. 
 
 Archibald Duneane thair. 
 
 George Milne in Corsley. 
 
 Robert Duneane in Cairntoune. 
 
 John Hendersoun in Bannageiche. 
 
 Gilbert Barclay in Magray. 
 
 Stephane Forbes in Cowy. 
 
 Alexander M°Kav at the miln of Cowy. 1 
 
 Archibald Murray thair. 
 
 Alexander Burnett thair. 
 
 The said day the haill absents aboun wreitten ar decernit to 
 pey the sowme of fyve pundis for thair absence, and the official' 
 ordeanit to poynd for the same. 
 
 The said day George Straquhan decernit be his awin confes- 
 sioun to pey to Thomas Cruikshank liii s. 4d. for ane eln broun 
 fleming, xxj s. for ane eln bred lyning, 2 x s. for ane vther eln of 
 thrie quarter bred, xviij s. for ane vnce edgit frenzies, 3 with 
 xxv s. monie. 
 
 The said day James Milne in Cowy is decernit to pey to the 
 Laird ane boll malt restand be him of the crop 1620 zeirs, 
 withine terme of law, wilder the pain of poynding. 
 
 1 The clerk has drawn his pen over this entry in the MS., from which we may 
 infer that while M'Kay was absent when the ' suits ' were called he had appeared 
 later, and in time to take his part in the business of the Court. The usage is a 
 common one in old records of sederunt. 
 
 - A particular kind of soft woollen cloth, so called from the Flemings , who 
 introduced its manufacture into Scotland. 
 
 :i Pointed fringe. It was evidently sold by weight. 
 
40 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [7 NOV. 1621 
 
 The said day compeirit Alexander M c Key, miliar at the 
 milne of Cowie, and gave his ayth that he sail nocht suffer dust 
 nor staines to [be] put amang the laird is fermes, and that the 
 sam sail be milnt as effeirs. 
 
 The said day the haill browsters, within the barrounv of 
 Wry, ar decernit to pey thair brew talloun within terme of 
 law, or four punds for the staine thairof. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents that peyes maillis is decernit 
 to pey thair Mertimes mailles to John Mowatt, chalmerlane, 
 befor the terme of Mertimes nixt, wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 Girsomes. 1 
 
 The said day compeirit John Mowatt, chalmerlane, and per- 
 sewit Georg Straquhan in Glithno for peyment of the sowme 
 of ane hundreth markis monie for the greassum of Glithno, 
 alledgeit promeist be him to the guidman 2 of Crimmondmogit 
 ex aduersso compeirit the said George, and alledget he was na 
 enterit tennent, and that he never promeist gersum and siclyk, 
 being perse wit for all by rune maillis sence the said John his 
 entres to the said office of chalmerlanrie, and the said George 
 alledgeit lie haid peyit the same to the laird, and haid his in 
 acquittancis thairupoun, quhilk the bailzie ordeanis him to 
 produce befor the laird, bailzie, and clark within terme of law, 
 wtherways to pey the saidis byrune maillis to the chalmerlane, 
 wnder paine of poynding. J. Thomesouxe, scriba. 
 
 The said dey 
 
 TheBarroune Court of the barrouny of Wry Jicddin at the milne 
 of Co7ij. on the nynteine day of Januar 1622 zeiris, in 
 nam and behalf of ane nohill and potent lord Francis, 
 erle qfJDrroll, Lord Hay. etc.. and William Hay of Wry, 
 heritabdl propricders of the grund, Maister William Reid 
 
 1 Girsome, or grassum : a sum of money paid by the tenant to the landlord on 
 entering into possession of his farm.— -Jam. It may also mean a fine paid for a 
 lease of land during a term of years. — Bell's Lazv of Scotland, p. 411. 
 
 2 A small proprietor who farms his own land, a bonnet-laird. 
 
19 JAN. 1622J THE B AHO NY OF WRIE 
 
 41 
 
 in Cowy, their bailzie, James Thomsoun, natter, thair 
 Clark, Alexander Hay, qfficiar, Archibald Murrey, 
 Dempster. The suitis calit, the court lawfully fenssit 
 and affirmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wry 
 and Monquheiche, without exceptioun, ar decernit and ordeanit 
 ilk ane for thair awin pairte to carye the lairdis letters to 
 Slaines, 1 or els quhair as thej sail occur, ewerie pleuche thair 
 tyme about as it sail fall to thame, and whasoeuer sail dissobey 
 to pey the so wine of xl s. for ilk dissobedience toties quoties. 
 
 GlllSOMES. 
 
 The said day compeirit John Mo watt, chalmerlane, and per- 
 sewit Abrahame Forfar, for the sowme of ane hundreth merkis 
 of gressam, for fyve zeirs tak of his rowme in Montquhiche, fra 
 Witsonday last by past in j m vj c tuentie ane zeiris, with ane 
 hundreth merkis money for his Witsonday and Mertimes maill 
 of the zeir of God 1621 zeirs, togither with twentie sevin 
 merkis for his customes of the said zeir, quhilk the bailzie 
 decernit the said Abrahame to pey within terme of law, wilder 
 the paine of poynding, or thane to obteine my lord Erroll his 
 discharge thair wpoun. 
 
 The said day James Milne is decernit be his awin confessioun 
 to pey to the laird twalfF bollis ferme bear for his occupatioun 
 of the chaplenrie of Cowij for the zeir of God 1621 zeiris within 
 terme of law, wilder the pain of poynding, or than the sowme 
 of tene pundis money, conforme to ane protestatioun takin be 
 John Mowat, chalmerlane. 
 
 The said day compeirit John Mowatt, chalmerlane, and per- 
 sewit Robert Irving, at the miln of Cowy, for sex bollis tene 
 pecks bear, and nynteine bollis tua firlotis ferme meill, for his 
 ferme of miln of Cowie, for this instant zeir of God 1621 zeiris. 
 Compeirit the said Robert Irving, and confest he was restand 
 the said bear and meill respectiue aboun wreittin. In respect 
 quhairof the bailzie forsaid decernit the said Robert to mak 
 peyment thairofF within terme of law, wnder the pain of 
 poynding. 
 
 1 Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, the seat of the Earls of Errol. 
 
42 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [7 MAY 
 
 The said day James Alardes in Woodheid is decernit be his 
 awin confessioun to pey tene bollis meill and tua bollis bear for 
 the rest of his ferme for the wast syid of Wodheid for the zeir 
 of God 1621 zeiris within terme of law, wilder pain of poynd- 
 ing. J. Thomesoune. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of Wrie, haldin in 
 Bannagubis wpoun the sewini day of May 1622 zeiris, 
 in name and behalff qfane nobitt and potent lord Franc is, 
 eric of EnrroU, Lord Hay, etc., and William Hay of Wry, 
 heritable proprietars oftJie saidis landis, Maister William 
 Reid in Cowy, bailzie, James Thomsoun, natter, Court 
 Clark, Alexander Hay, offieiar, John Tailzeour, Demp- 
 ster. The suitis ealit, the Court lauj'ullie Jhnsit and 
 affirm it. 
 
 The said daycompeirit Alexander Bannerman of Elsick, 1 as 
 procuratour for John Bannermane, his brother, and protestit 
 that the haulding of this court wpoun the tonne and landis of 
 Bannagubis be nawayis preiudiciall to the said John Banner- 
 mane his letter of tak, quhilk he lies of my lord of Erroll and 
 William Hay of Wry wpoun the saidis landis of Bannacubis and 
 Rothuik for the spaice of sevin zeir nixt efter the redeniptioun 
 of the saidis landis, at the leist of sua mony of the saidis sevin 
 zeirs as ar zit to rune. Quhairwpoun the said Alexander tuik 
 act of Court and instrument. 
 
 The said dey the haill tennents that peyis maill and customs 
 to the laird ar decernit to pey the same at the terme of Wit- 
 sonday nixt to cum, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day William Duthie in Montquheiche, James 
 Dewiny thair, Archibald Duncane thair, and Georg Dewiny 
 thair, ar nominat, electit, and chossin be mutual consent of the 
 laird and Abrahame Forfar to mett, messour, and designe als 
 meikle land to the laird furth of Abrahame Forff'ar his occupa- 
 tioun in Montquheiche as the said Abrahame lies gottin designit 
 
 1 Alexander Bannerman, burgess of Aberdeen, had a charter in 1387 from Sir 
 Alexander Fraser of Cowie of the lands of Elsick, which continued to be the seat 
 of the family for three hundred and seventy years. — Stodart's Arms of Scotland, 
 vol. ii. p. 396. 
 
2 JULY 1622] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 43 
 
 to him furth of the rest of the lands of Montquheiche, and the 
 saidis four men being personallie present, war ordeanit to do 
 the same before the fyiftein days nixt to cum, ilk ane of thame, 
 wnder the paine of xlib., and the official' ordeanit to poynd 
 thairfoir. J. Thomesouxe, scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny off Wrie hauldin in 
 the duelling lions of Maister William Reid in Cowy, 
 wpoun the secund day off' July 1622 zeiris, in name and 
 behaljf oj'ane nob'ill and potent lord Francis, erle qfErroll, 
 etc., and William Hay of Wrie, heritable propriators of 
 the saidis land is, Maister William Reid thair bailzie, 
 James Thomcsouti, notter, Clark, Alexander Hay, official', 
 Archibald Murrey, Dempster. The suitis calit, the 
 court laiifully fenssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day James Milne in Cowy being laufullie summondit 
 to this court, was decernit to pey to the laird four bollis 
 threttein pecks bear for the rest of his ferme bear of the crop 
 1621 zeirs, quhilk the Judge forthwith decernit him to pey 
 within terme of law or thane the heigest pryss conforme to the 
 lairds protestatioun, and siclyk the said James is decernit to 
 pey xl s. for his contumacie, being laufullie warnit within 
 terme of law wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Andro and Archibald Leapperis, John Fowllar, 
 and Niniane Robertsounes ar decernit to redelyuer back the 
 saill of the boit bak to the laird, als sufficient as they receauit 
 the same, or than fourtie merkis for the price thairoff', within 
 terme of law, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 J. Thomesouxe, scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of Wrie, lialdin in the 
 dualing hous off Stephane Forbes, alies Smyth in Cowie, 
 wpoun the first day of August 1622 zeirs, in name and 
 behalff of ane nobill and potent lord Francis, erle of 
 Err oil, Lord Hay, etc., William Hay of Wry, heritable 
 propriators of the said barrouny, Maister William Reid 
 in Cowie thair bailzie, James Thomesoun, notter, Clark, 
 
44 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [i AUG. 
 
 Alexander Hay, officiary Archibald Murrey, Dempster. 
 The .suits calit, the cou?'t fenssit and affirmit. 
 
 This day Archibald Duncane in Montquheiche is decernit be 
 his awin confessioune to pay to John Mowatt, chalmerlane, the 
 sowme off tuentie sewine merkis Scotis money, and that for his 
 customes of his occupatioun of Montquheiche, quhilk suld hawe 
 beine peyit at Mertinmes last by past in j m vj c tuentie ane 
 zeirs, togidder with feftie merkis monie for his Witsonday 
 maill in this instant zeir of God j m vj c xxij zeirs, and siclyk 
 Alexander Duthie in Montquheiche is decernit be his awin 
 confessioun to pay to the said John Mowatt, chalmerlane, feftie 
 merkis monie for his Witsonday maill in this instant zeir of 
 God 1622, and that within fvfteine days nixt efter they be 
 requyirit thairto, wnder the paine of povnding, and the officiar 
 ordeanit to poynd for the sam. J. Thomesoune, scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court off the Barrouny off Wry, hauldin 'in 
 the dualing hems off' Stephane Forbes in Cowie, wpoun 
 the tuentie tua day off November 1622 zeirs, in name and 
 behalff off ane nobill and potent lord Francis, erle of 
 Erroll, Lord Hay, etc., and William Hay off Wry, 
 heritable propriators of the said barrouny, George Mowatt 
 thair bailzie, James Thomesoun, notter publict, dark, 
 Alexander Hay, officiar, James Xeilson, Dempster. The 
 suitis calit, the court laufuUie fenssit and affrmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents underwritten are decernit, 
 ilk ane for thair awin pairtis, to pey to John Mowat, chalmer- 
 lane, the sowmes of money efter specifeit, wiz. : Archibald 
 Duncane in Montquheiche for his Mertimes maill and customes 
 of this instant zeir of God 1622 zeirs, and of all termes and 
 zeirs preceiding, the sowme off sewine scoir fourteine merkis ; 
 Alexander Duthie thair for his Martimes terms maill and 
 customes in this instant zeir of God 1622 zeirs, and for all 
 termes preceiding, sex scoir sevin merkis ; George Milne in 
 Corsley tuentie pundis money for his Mertinmes maile, 1622 
 zeires, with auchteine pundis for his customes the said crope ; 
 James Dewinny in Montquheiche feftie merkis for his Mertimes 
 maill 1622, with xviij lib. for his customes ; Maister Andro 
 
1 622] THE BARONY OF URIE 45 
 
 Leslie feftie merkis for his Mertimes maill 1622, with xviij lib. 
 for his customes, within terme of law, wilder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day James Milne in Cowie, Stephane Forbes thair, 
 Archibald Burnett at Cowie niilne, Alexander IMaky thair, 
 James dimming, James Duncan in Strype, ar ilk ane decernit 
 to pey ane staine of brew talloun or than fyve merkis to the 
 laird, within terme of law wilder pain of poynding'. 
 
 The said dey compeirit Robert Irving at the milne of Cowie, 
 and being persewit for peyment off the fermes off milne of 
 Cowy restand be him for the crope 1622 zeirs, the bailzie for- 
 said decernis the said Robert Irving to mak peyment to John 
 Mowatt, chalmerlane, of all fermes, meill, and bear, and quhyt, 1 
 and with all wther customes, capouns, milne swyne, 2 and 
 moull 3 for the crop forsaid, at the leist to find sufficient 
 cautioun for the peyment thairoff, within terme of law, or 
 wther ways to mell and intromett with the milne clap 4 and 
 wptake the multers thairoff conforme to the decreit of remowe- 
 ing obtenit against the said Robert. 
 
 The said dey the haill fischers ar decernit ilk lyneman to pey 
 ane hundreth haddox zeirlie and thrie keilling thir thrie 
 zeiris bygane promitit be thame to the Lady, or wtherways to 
 produce the Ladys acquittance thairwpoun. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordained that ilk husbandman 
 within this barrouny that lies ather cotter, greasman, or woman 
 that is thocht be thair honest nichtbouris nocht to be laufull 
 nichtbouris, and wantis keall or peitts, that thair maister sail 
 remowe thame within audit dayis nixt following the dait heirof,. 
 or thane to pey tene pundis money, the ane half thairof to the 
 laird and the other half to the pairtie skaythit. 
 
 The said day in respect off the great abuse that is enterit in 
 amangs the cowmond 5 people in steilling, thairfor it is statut 
 and ordeainet be the laird and bailzie that Georg Dewiny and 
 Alexander Duthie in Montquheiche sail gang throwe the haill 
 
 1 Wheat. 
 
 2 Swine fed at the mill. A mill even in modern rentals, often gives the 
 reddendo of a fat pig. — Innes's Legal Antu/trities, p. 49. 
 
 3 The refuse of the meal, commonly used for swine-feeding.— -Jam. 
 
 4 A piece of wood that strikes and shakes the hopper of the mill during grind- 
 ing. The symbol for giving sasine in a mill is the clap and hopper. — Bell's Law 
 of Scotland^ p. 567. 5 Common. 
 
46 THE COURT BOOK OF [22 Nov. 
 
 ower baiTouny as official's conjunctlie and seueraly, with the 
 assistance of thair nichtbouris, and dacker, 1 searche, and seik all 
 stowin guidis, as they salbe requirit thairto. 
 
 The said day it is statut and ordeaned that ewerie man 
 within the nether barrouny of Wry, als weill husbandmen, 
 cotters, as greasmen, salbe thirlit 2 to wirk thair haill irne wark 
 with Stephane Forbes, smyth in Cowie, as he and they cane 
 agyrie, ilk ane for thair awin pairtis, and that iff they or ather 
 of thame pass by and dimes nocht to wirk with him as saidis, 
 they sail pey him smydie boll as iff they haid wrocht with him. 
 Lykas also the said Stephane Forbes bindis and obleidges him 
 to giwe ilk ane of thame in thair awin rowmes as they sail cum 
 and crave the samen, or wtherways in caice of failzie and nocht 
 tymous service, in that caice to pey to ilk man that is nocht 
 thankfullie and tymouslie servit the dowble of ane zeirs boll. 
 Quhairon the saidis tennents and Stewin Forbes tuik act. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis ar decernit and ordeanit ilk 
 ane to gang thair ordinar cairadge, thair tyme about as thaj 
 salbe warnit thairto, wnder the pain of xxs., and the official' 
 to poynd thairfor. J. Thomesoune. 
 
 The BaiTOune Court qf the Barrouny of Wry, hauldin [in] 
 Wodheid the Jyfi day of December 1622 zeirs, in name 
 and behaljf' of ane nobill and potent lord Francis, erle of 
 Erroll, Lord Hay, etc., and William Hay qf Wry, herit- 
 able propriaters thairqff', and in name qf ane honorable 
 man John Hay qf Cr'nnondmogit, thair bailzie, Dan id 
 Burnett, ojfeiar, Georg Walcar, Dempster. The suits 
 calit, the Court laufulUe J'enssit and ajfirmit. 
 
 Absentis. 
 
 Archibald Murrey. 
 
 Archibald Burnet. 
 
 John Ilendersounc in Bannagciche. 
 
 Andro Arbuthnot in Findlawstounc. 
 
 John Hendersoune thair. 
 
 1 To search for stolen goods. 
 
 2 Bound by lease or otherwise.— yaw. 
 
5 dec. 1622] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 47 
 
 Alexander Hay of Logy. 
 
 George Straquin in Glithno. 
 
 James Kewiny in Montquheiche. 
 
 Georg Milne in Corsley. 
 
 Georg G air - dyne in Rothuik . 
 
 Georg Shiphird in Bannagubs. 
 The said Dauid Burnet was creat, constitut, and ordeant 
 official- within the barrouny of Wry and Montquheiche, quha 
 gaiue his aithe de fidelj administratione, ay and quhill he be 
 dischairget. 
 
 The said day Archibald Duncane in Montequheiche is 
 decernit be his a win confessioun to pey to John Mowatt, 
 chalmerlane, the sowme oh 1 ' sewin scoir fourteine merkis money 
 for his Mertimes maill and customes in this instant zeir of God 
 1622 zeirs, and for all bygane maillis and customes preceiding 
 the said terme [quhairin he was decernit alredy], within terme 
 of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said dey Alexander Duthie in Montquheiche is decernit 
 be his awin confessioun to pey to John Mowatt, chalmerlan, of 
 the sowme off sex scoir sewin merkis for his Mertimes maill and 
 customes in this instant zeir of God 1622 zeirs, and for all 
 bygane dewties preceiding the said terme, within terme of law, 
 wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day Abrahame Forfar is decernit be his awin con- 
 fessioun to pey to John Mowatt, chalmerlaine, the sowme off* 
 ane hundreth merkis for fyve zeirs gressam, tuo hundreth and 
 feftie merkis money for his Whitsonday and Mertimes maill in 
 1622 zeirs, and for all bygaine maillis restand be him preceid- 
 ing the said terme, togither with feftie four merkis for his 
 customes of Montquheiche for the crope 1622 zeirs instant and 
 the crope to cum in 1623 zeirs, makand in the haill four hun- 
 dreth and four merkis money, within terme of law, wnder pain 
 of poynding. 
 
 The said dey Maister Andro Leslie in Montquheiche is 
 decernit be his awin confessioun to pey to John Mowatt, chal- 
 merlane, feftie merkis money for his Mertimes maill 1622 zeirs, 
 with auchteine pundis for his customes for the crop 1623 zeirs, 
 within terme of law, v t supra. 
 
 The said day Georg Milne in Corsley is decernit to pey to 
 
4cS 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [5 DEC. 
 
 the chalmerlane auchteine pundis money for his customes for 
 the crop 1623. 
 
 The said day Georg Straquhan in Glithno is decernit to pey 
 to the chalmerlane fourtie fvve merkis money for his Witsonday 
 and Mertimes maill 1622 zeirs. 
 
 The said day John Hendersoune in Bannageiche is decernit 
 be his awin confessioune to pey to John Mowatt, chalmerlane, 
 tuentie merkis money for the rest of his Mertimes maill in this 
 instant zeir of God 1622 zeirs. 
 
 The said dey James Milne in Cowy is decernit to pey to 
 John Mowatt, chalmerlane, fywe merkis money for ilk staine 
 off thrie staine of brew talloun for the zeirs of God j m vj° and 
 tuentie ane and tuentie tua zeirs. Stephane Forbes in Cowy 
 is decernit to pey ane staine of brew talloune zeirlie in tyme 
 cuming be his awin confessioun. Alexander Maky is decernit 
 to pey to the chalmerlane ane staine of brew talloun for the 
 zeir 1622 zeirs, or thane fyve merkis money. James Cuming 
 ane staine of talloune, or thane fvve merkis, for the zeir 
 1622. And James Duncane ane staine of brew talloun for the 
 crop 1622, or thane fyve merkis, within terme of law, wnder 
 the pain of poynding. 
 
 The said dey the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wrie 
 that peys ferme, ar decernit and ordeanit to lay in thair meill 
 ferme into the girners 1 befor Candlemes nixt to cum, or thane 
 to pey tene pundis monie for ilk boll thairoff, and thair haill 
 bear ferme befor Ruid day nixt, or thane tualff pundis money, 
 for ilk boll thairoff. 
 
 The said dey the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wry, 
 that set nocht thair leitt peitts wpoun the peit hill of Wry 
 this zeir instant 1622 zeirs, sail pey to the chalmerlane fywe 
 merkis money for ilk leitt thairoff. 
 
 The said day compeirit Robert Irving at the milne off Cowy, 
 and being perse wit be John Mowatt, chalmerlaine, for peyment 
 off his fermes for this instant crop and zeir of God j m yj c tuentie 
 tua zeirs, compeirit the said Robert Irving, and wilinglie off 
 his awin guid will band and obleist him selff to cum to the 
 
 1 Granaries. These were the storehouses of the laird, to which the tenants 
 were held bound to bring their payments in kind. 
 
THE BARON Y OF URIE 
 
 49 
 
 said John Mo watt befor the fourteine day off December, and 
 find ane sufficient and responssall cautiouner to the said John 
 Mowatt for peyment off the said dewitieis at the termes of 
 peyment vsit and wount, and in caice of failzie and nocht find- 
 ing of the said cautioun, thane and in that caice, the said 
 Robert Irving, be tennour heiroff obleidges him to pey his haill 
 bear ferme befor the said day aboun wreittin, and for peyment 
 of the nieill ferme rennuncis quytclames, and dischairges the 
 haill multers of the barrouny of Wrie and out suckin 1 what- 
 sumeuer in fauouris of the said John Mowatt, to be collectit 
 and ingatherit be the said John Mowatt and his deputis 
 quhom he sail appoynt, ay and quhill the haill meill ferme be 
 compleitlee peyit, and to that effect obleidges him selfF to 
 delvuer to the laird the milne clap, 2 to be delyuerit to the said 
 John Mowatt the said fourtein day of December nixt ; and in 
 caice of absence of the said Robert the said day, to delyuer the 
 said clap, and to put the said John in possessioun, the said 
 John Mowatt to have power be thir presents to enter with the 
 said clap milne and multers thairoff, knawshipe 3 and sequells 
 of the said milne, the day forsaid, but actioun of ejectioun, in- 
 trusioun, wrangous intromissioun, or ony deid of wrang what- 
 sumeuer. 
 
 Rot. Irving. 
 
 J. Thomesoune, scriba. 
 
 The Barrounie Court off the Barrouny of Wrie, hauldin in the 
 duelling hous of Ja mes Thomsoune, in Woodheid, wpoan 
 the 17 qfAppryll 1623 zeirs, in name and behalf off ane 
 nobill and potent erle Francis, erle off Erroll, etc., and 
 
 1 Stuken is the jurisdiction attached to a mill ; or that extent of ground, the 
 tenants of which were bound to bring their grain thither. Out-sticken, on the 
 contrary, means the freedom from bondage to a mill ; or the liberty which a 
 tenant may enjoy, by his lease, of taking his grain to be ground where he 
 pleases.— Jam. 
 
 2 See p. 45 n. 4, sup?-a. 
 
 3 One of the sequels of thirlage. Sequels, as distinguished from multure, 
 which was paid to the proprietor or tacksman of the mill, were payments of 
 grain made to the mill servants for grinding. These sequels differed according 
 to the particular usage of the mill, and were known as 'knaveship,' ' bannock,' 
 and 1 lock ' or ' gowpen. ' 
 
 D 
 
50 THE COURT BOOK OF [17 april 
 
 William Hay of Wrry, heritable propriators thairoff, 
 Georg Mowat, in ReidcloaJc, thair builzie, James Thome- 
 soun, aotter publiet, court Clark, Dauid Burnet, ojpeiar, 
 Archibald Murray, Dempster. The .suits ealit, the eourt 
 la ufullie fenssit and affirm it. 
 
 The said day the liaill tennentis under wreittin ar decernit 
 be thair awin confessioun to pay the particular bollis of ferme 
 victuall, wiz., meill and bear restand be ilk ane of thaine for thair 
 awin pairts for the crope last by past 1622 zeirs, within terme 
 off law, or thane the prysses following, wiz., Robert Duncane in 
 Cairntoune aucht bollis meill ; Dauid Grahame for the walk- 
 mylne of Wry four bollis thrie firlotis meill; William Duthie 
 in Woodheid four bollis thrie firlotis meill, with four bollis 
 bear; James Thomesoune tua bollis thrie firlotis thrie peeks 
 bear ; John Mowatt, for his occupatioun of milne off Cowy, 
 four bollis bear ; James Miln in Cowy sevine bollis sevine 
 pecks bear. Quhilikis haill personis ar ilk ane decernit to mak 
 peyment for awin pairts of the haill bollis of wictuall aboun 
 specifeit within terme off law, or thane tene pundis of money 
 for ilk boll thairof, wnder the paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes is decernit to pey to the Ladie 
 Wrry ane dozen elnis off sarking lyneing for the zeir of God 
 1622 zeirs, within terme of law, or thane viij s. for ilk elne 
 thairoff', wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Alexander M c Ky, at the milne off Cowie, is 
 decernit to pey to the Laird tene merkis money, within terme 
 of law, for his milne swyne, wnder pain of poynding, with 
 aucht capounis, or thane vjs. 8d. for ilk peice thairoff. 
 
 The said day compeirit John Midltoun, being warnit to this 
 court at the instance of James Murrey, and the said James 
 nocht compeirand to persew him, protestit for his expenssis 
 befor the said James be hard to persewet him. 
 
 J. Thomesoune, scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of Wrie, haldin at the 
 eist syicl of the gairdyne of Montquheiehe, the nynt of 
 Junj 1623 zeirs, be ane honorable man John Hay of 
 Crimondmogit, bailzie to ane nobill and potent erle 
 
25 OCT. 1623] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 51 
 
 Francis, erle of Erroll, etc., and William Hay of Wry, 
 heritable propriaters off' the saidis landis, James Thom- 
 soun, notter, dark, Dauid Burnet, qffieiar, James Lich- 
 toun, Dempster. The suits calit, the court lawfully Jenssit 
 and affirmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents of Montquheiche, Corsley, 
 Bannagubs, and Rothnik, is decernit to pay thair Witsondays 
 maill in this instant zeir of God 1623 to John Mowatt, chalmer- 
 lain, within terme off law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day John Smyth, skipper, is ordeanit to sit xxiiij 
 houris in the stokis, for abussing off John Mowat in lawage. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents in Montquheiche ar ordeanit 
 and decernit to pay thair haill customes to the laird within 
 terme of law. 
 
 The said day James Lichtoune is constitut, creat, and 
 ordeanit pnndlar in the milne off Cowy, and be the tennour 
 heirofF the said James sail hawe power to tak and poynd all 
 and quhatsumener guides that sail happin to cum wpoun the 
 greas thairoff, wiz. : ilk hors or nolt vj s. 8d., ilk scheip ij s. 8d., 
 toties quoties how oft they be apprehendit. 
 
 The Barroune Court off the Barrounie off' Wrie, hauldin in 
 Woodhcid, wpoune the xxv. day of October 1623 zeirs, in 
 name and behalff off ane nobill and potent erle Francis, 
 erle off Err oil, etc., and William Hay off Wry, heritable 
 propriaters off the saidis landis, and in nam and behalff 
 off ane honorable man John Hay off Crimoundmogatt, 
 thair bailzie, James Thomsone, notter publict, court dark, 
 Dauid Burnett, qffieiar, Richard Gilbert, Dempster. The 
 suitis calit, the court laicfully Jenssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day compt and rakning being haid withe Alexander 
 Duthie in Montquheiche, it is fund that he is restand for his 
 Witsonday maill feftie markis money last by past in this 
 instant zeir of God 1623, with xviij lib. for his custumes the 
 said yeir, quhilk he is decernit to pay to John Mowatt, chal- 
 merlan, within terme off law, wnder pain off poynding. 
 
 The said day Abrahame Forfar is decernit be his awin confes- 
 
52 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [25 OCT. 1623 
 
 sioun to pay to John Mowatt, chalmerlaiie, feftie markis money 
 for his Witsonday of Montquheiche last by past in this instant 
 zeir of God 1622 zeirs, within terme of law, etc. 
 
 The said day Robert Duncan is decernit to pey to the Laird 
 the sowme off money for ilk boll off aucht bollis meill 
 
 restand be him for his occupatioune of Carntoun off the crope 
 1622 zeirs ; and iff it salbe fund, efter compt and rakning with 
 the Lady, that he lies peyit ony thairoff, the samen to be 
 allouit to him. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wry, hauldin in Wodheid wpoun the 
 aucht day of November lb'2:>, in name and bclialff off 
 arte nobitt and potent erle Francis, erle off Erroll, etc., 
 and William Hay of Wry, heritable propriators of the 
 saidis land is, Georg Mowatt in Reidcloak, baihie, James 
 Thomsoun, natter, clark, Dauid Burnet, qfficiar, Archi- 
 bald Murrey, Dempster. The suits calit, the court lau- 
 Jully jensit and affrmit. 
 
 The said day in the actioun of blood persewit be Edward 
 Irving contra Alexander Maky being refferit to the said Alex- 
 ander, his ayth of weritie the said Alexander tuik the xv. of 
 November to depone with certificatioun pro confesso. 
 
 J. Thomsone, Scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of Wrie, hauldin in the 
 dualing hous of James Thomsone in Wodheid, wpoun the 
 tuentie day of Merche 1624 zeirs, in name and behalf of 
 one nobill and potent erle Francis, erle of Erroll, lord 
 Hay, etc., and William Hay of Wry, heritable pro- 
 priators of the saidis landis, Maister William Reid in 
 Cowy, and George Mowatt in Reidcloak, thair conjunct 
 bailzies, James Thomsone, notter publict, Court Clark, 
 Dauid Burnet, offieiar, John Cathnes, Dempster. The 
 suits calit, the court laufullie fehssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day James Milne in Cowy being persewit be the 
 Laird, compeirit Jean Fullartoun his spous, and confessit that 
 hir said husband is justlie restand to the laird ane firlot bear 
 of the rest of thair ferme of the crope 1623 zeirs, togidder 
 
25 JUNE 1624] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 53 
 
 with aucht hollis bear for his ferme of the chaplanrie in Cowie 
 for the crop last by past 1623 zeirs, quhilk the bailzies forsaid 
 decernit the said James Mylne to pay within terme off law 
 wnder pain of poynding. J. Thomsoxe, Scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of Wry, hauldin in the 
 dualing hous of James Thomsone in Wodheid the secund 
 of Junij 1624 zeirs, be ane discreit gentilman Andro 
 Hat/, bailzie for the tyme to ane nobitt and potent erle 
 Francis, erle of Erroll, etc., and Wittia/m Hay of Wry, 
 heritable propriators of the saidis lands, James Thom- 
 sone, nottcr, Clark, Dauid Burnet, officiar, Archibald 
 Murrey, Dempster. The suitis calit, the court laufuUie 
 fenssit and affirmitt. 
 
 The said day compeirit Maister Androw Lesly in Mont- 
 quheiche and confest that his sone John Leslie strak and dang 
 John Fergussone in Montquheiche, for the quhilk said Maister 
 Androw become in the lairdis will, and thairfor the bailzie 
 forsaid decernit the said Maister Androw to pay tene pundis 
 money to the laird within fyftein dayis wnder paine of 
 poynding. J. Thomsoxe, Scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny off Wry, hauldin in the 
 dualing hous of James Thomsone in Wodheid wpoim the 
 xjcv day of Junij 1624 zeirs, in nam and behalf of ane 
 noble and potent erle Francis, erle of Erroll, etc., and 
 William Hay of Wry, heritable propriators thairof, and 
 in nam of ane honorable man John Hay of Crimond- 
 mogat thair bailzie, James Thomsone, nottcr publict 
 court Clark, Dauid Burnet, officiar, Archibald Murrey, 
 Dempster, etc. The suitis calit, the court laufuUie fenssit 
 and affirmit. 
 
 The said day compeirit William Duthie in AVoodheid, and 
 grantit him selff restand to the laird four bollis ferme bear for 
 his ferme bear of the crope 1623 zeirs, with tua bollis thrie 
 firlots meill for the rest of his ferme meill of the said crope 
 1623, thrie capouns and ane custome wadder, quhilk suld have 
 bein peyit at Witsonday last, in this instant zeir of God 1624 
 
54 
 
 THE COUltT BOOK OF 
 
 [25 JUNE 
 
 zeirs. Robert Duncane in Cairntoune is decernit be his awin 
 confessioun to pay to the laird fywe bollis, thrie firlotis, tua 
 pecks meill, for the rest of his ferme of Cairntoun for the 
 crope 1623, with aucht capouns for the crope forsaid. Archi- 
 bald Duncane in Bannageiche, tuentie fywe merkis money for 
 his Witsonday maill of Bannageiche in this instant zeir of 
 God 1624 zeirs. Jean Fullartoun, relict of vmquhile James 
 Mylne in Cowie, fywe bollis ane peck bear for the rest of hir 
 ferme of the half chaplanrie of Cowij, for the crope forsaid 
 1623 zeirs. Quhilkis haill personis respective aboun specifeit 
 ar ordeanit ilk ane for thair awin parts to pay to the laird 
 within terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the suckin of the 
 milne of Cowij ar, ilk ane for thair awin pairts, decernit and 
 ordeanit to gang wpoun dew and laufull warning of tualff 
 houris warning and dyik in hauld 1 the watter to the milne in 
 the dames thairoflp, and quhasoeuer sail happin to failzie sail 
 pay xl s. to the remanent that wphauldis and wirkis the samen, 
 and the official' ordeanit to poynd for the samen. 
 
 The said day the Judge forsaid decernis and ordeanis Andro 
 Leapper to aggrie with John Law, skipper, and pay his dewtie 
 for his hous, yaird, and land to the said John Law, or thane to 
 remowe thairfra, and leave the samen woid, red and patent to 
 the said John Law, conforme to his set thairoff*. 
 
 J. Thomsoxe. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wry, hauldin in the Hall thairoff be 
 ane honorable man Maister William Reid in Coze?/, bailzie 
 be ane nobill and potent erle Francis, erle of Er roll, etc., 
 and William Hay of Wry, Jamis Thomsone, notter 
 jmblict, Clark, David Burnet, offieiar, John Fergussone, 
 Dempster. The suits calit, etc. 
 
 The said day Alexander Annand, elder of Ochterallane, 2 
 
 1 To enclose with walls or ramparts. 
 
 2 Alexander Annand succeeded his father in the lands of Auchterellon, in 
 Aberdeenshire, in July 1601. He married Margaret, daughter of Cheyne of 
 Esslemont. — Pratt's Buchan, p. 264. Annand evidently resided in Wrie at this 
 period, as he is subsequently designed 1 Alexander Annand, Eider, in Findlaws- 
 toun,' see p. 59, infra. 
 
25 AUG. 1624] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 55 
 
 was constitut, creat, and ordeanit bailzie of the barrouny of 
 Wry, wha gie his ayth de fidelj administratione ay and quhill 
 lie be dischargit. 
 
 Secunda Curia. 
 
 The said day Alexander Fraser was admitit official', wha 
 gaive his ayth dejidelj administration]. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit that all cornes that 
 thoill fvir and watter 1 within the grund sail pas to the mylne, 
 or wtherwavs salbe obleisit to pay dowbill multer. 
 
 The said day Gilbert Barclay is decernit to pay sex bollis 
 nyne pecks sufficient malt for the rest of his ferine bear of the 
 crop 1623, betuixt the dait heirof and the xxiv day of August 
 nixt to cum, or thane the heighest pryss. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents ar ordeanit to cast the peitts 
 befor the fyftein day of May, to leid the samen befor Lambes, 
 or thane to pay tene lib. for ilk leitt thairoff. 
 
 The Barron ne Court of Wry, haldin in Woodheid wpotm the 
 xxv day of August 1624 zeirs, be ane honorable man 
 John Hay of Crimundmogat, bailzie to ane nobill erle 
 Francis, erle of Erroll, etc., James Thomsoun, notter, 
 clark, Alexander Fraser, qfflciar, Archibald Murrey, 
 Dempster. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes in Cowij is decernit to pay to 
 my lord or his factouris tene merkis money for his maill of the 
 zeir of God 1623 zeirs, with audit shilings money for ilk elne of 
 i dozen ellis of lyning. 
 
 The said day Georg Straquhan in Glithno is decernit be his 
 awin confessioun to pay the soum of tuentie fy ve merkis money 
 
 1 This phrase is descriptive of one of the forms of thirlage. These were ( I ) 
 omnia grana crescentia, which included, with the exception of certain duties, 
 such as farm rent, teinds, etc., all grains grown within the thirle or sucken ; 
 (2) grana ??iolibilia, restricted to so much only of the grain grown within the 
 thirle as the vassal had occasion to grind for his own use ; and (3) ovinia grana 
 inveda et i I lata, or all grain brought within the thirle that ' tholes fire and water,' 
 i.e. that has not been ground before being brought in. 'Tholes [or suffers] fire 
 and water ' refers to the cobling and kilning (steeping and firing) to which the 
 grain was subjected in preparing it for the mill.— Erskine's Institutes, p, 424. 
 
56 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [25 AUG. 1624 
 
 for his Witsonday maill in 1624, within terme of law, wnder 
 pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day Gilbert Barclay is decernit to pay to the laird 
 tene pundis money for ilk boll of fyve bollis nyne peeks malt 
 restand be him of the erope 1623 zeirs, within terme of law, 
 wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day it being refferit to Robert and Archibald Dun- 
 canes, Abrahame Forfar, and William Duthie, what suld be 
 allowit to J cane Fullartoune, relict of James Mylne, for the 
 want of the castellhead of Cowij, quhilk was ewictit fra hir be 
 law be the erle Merschall, 1 wha deponit that they thoct the 
 said peice land worthe tuo firlots bear zeirlie, and thairfor 
 thair is deducit be the laird and bailzie to hir tua bollis bear 
 of that quhilk scho is restand for the crope 1623 zeirs, quhilk 
 payis hir of all lose and interest sustenit be hir preceiding the 
 crop in this instant 1624 zeirs. 
 
 The said day William Duthie is decernit to pay to the laird 
 tene pundis for cuting of the laird is wood. 
 
 The said day Alexander Fraser is admitit grinter man 2 to 
 receawe the fermes of thebarrouny of Wry in my lords name, etc. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit that the officiar sail 
 poynd xx s. for ewerie dissobedient, and iff they wha is poyndit 
 releive nocht, thair poynd be peyit within fyifteine days, the 
 officiar to dispone thairwpoune. 
 
 The said day it is statuit that ewerie ffbull that gangs amangis 
 thair nichtbouris cornes sail pey ane peck of aits or bear 
 quhairin thay pastur, etc. J. Thomsoxe. 
 
 The Barroune Court off the Barrounyqf Wry, haldin zvpoune 
 the xvy day of Novvmber 1624, in the dualing how of 
 James Thomsone in Wodheid, hi name of ane nobill and 
 potent erle Francis, erle of ErrolJ, etc., and William Hay 
 of Wry, be ane honorable man John Hay of Crimond- 
 mogat, thair bailzie, James Thomsone, notter, court dark, 
 Alexander Fraser, officiar, Archibald Raitt, Dempster, 
 
 1 William, sixth Earl Marischal, is here referred to. He succeeded his father, 
 George, fifth Earl, the founder of Marischal College, Aberdeen, in April 1623. 
 
 2 The keeper of the laird's granary. 
 
25 may 1625] THE BARONY" OF URIE 
 
 57 
 
 etc. The suits calif, the court lawfully fenssit and 
 affirm H. 
 
 The said day Georg Straquban in Glithnocht is decernit 
 be the bailzie forsaid be his awin confessioun to pay to the 
 laird the sowme of tuentie fywe markis money for his Mertimes 
 maill of Glithnocht, for this instant zeir of God 1624, with 
 tuentie fywe markis for his Witsonday maill of the said zeir 
 within terme of law, etc. 
 
 Secunda Curia, laufullie fenssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day John Mowatt at the milne of Cowy is constitut, 
 creat, and ordeainit bailzie deput in John Hay of Crimond- 
 mogat his veice and plaice, quha gaive his ayth de Jidelij 
 administration) ay and quhill he be dischairgit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis, husbandis, cotters, and 
 greas men, within the barrouny of Wry and Montquheiche, ar 
 decernit ilk ane for thair awin pairts respective to mak payment 
 of thair official* cornes to Alexander Fraser, official*, as they war 
 in vse abefor to pay to vmquhile Alexander Hay, or ony wther 
 official's within the said barrouny, and the said Alexander 
 Fraser to poynd thairfor as neid beis. 
 
 John Thomsoxe. 
 
 The Barrona Court of' Wry, haldin in the Halt thairoff, 
 wpoun the ccxv day of Mai} 1625 zeirs, be ane honorable 
 man John Hay of Crimondmogat, bailzie to ane nobill 
 and potent erle Francis, erle of Err oil, and William Hay 
 of Wry; James Thomsone, notter publict, dark, Alexander 
 Fraser, officiar, Archibald Murrey, Dempster. The suits 
 calit, etc. 
 
 The said day compt and rakning being laid betuixt the laird 
 and the tennents, it is fund that James Thomsone lies maid 
 compleit payment and satisfactioun off all maills, customes, 
 and fermes, and wther dewties preceiding the crope to cum in 
 this instant zeir of God 1625 zeirs, quhairon he lies the laird 
 his acquittance. Jeane Fullartoun is decernit be hir awin con- 
 fessioun to pay thrie bollis bear for the rest of hir ferine off the 
 crope j m vj c tuentie and four zeirs. John Mowatt is decernit to 
 
58 THE COURT BOOK OF [25 MAY 
 
 mak payment to the laird four bollis meill, with 
 
 bear for the rest off* his ferme of Powbair and 
 mylne of Cowij for the crop 1624 zeirs. Georg Mowatt, for 
 the ferme off Walkmylne of the crope 1624 zeirs, thretteine 
 bollis meill with thrie bollis malt for the rest of his ferme off 
 Reidcloak for the crope forsaid. Stephane Forbes is decernit 
 to pay tene markis money for his Witsonday and Mertimes 
 maill 1624 zeirs, with ane elne of lyneing for the crop forsaid, 
 with fywe markis for his Witsonday maill to cum in this instant 
 zeir 162-5. Gilbert Barclay is decernit be his awin confessioune 
 to pay to the laird tene bollis meill for the crope 1624 zeirs, 
 with bear for the crope forsaid, with 
 
 xx s. for the rest of his capouns of the crope 1625. Quhilkis 
 haill personis, ilk ane for thair awin pairts respective, ar decernit 
 to mak payment of the particular wictuall and sowmes respec- 
 tive as is aboun dewyidit within terme of law, wnder pain of 
 poynding. Mair, William Duthie is decernit to pay to the 
 laird sex bollis tua peckis les of bear, viz., tua bollis for the rest 
 of his ferme 1623, tua bollis tua pecks les, and four bollis for 
 the crop 1624 zeirs. 
 
 The said day John Lawe, skipper, is decernit to pay aucht 
 shillings money for ane pynt of ovlie for the crope 1624. 
 Archibald Leapper ...... 
 
 The said day compeirit Georg Mowatt in Reidcloak, and 
 voluntarlie of his awin guid vill, with his guid and kyndnes, 
 Renuncit, resignit, dischairgit, and quhytclamet all and what- 
 sumeuer richt, tytill of richt, clame, entres, or possessioun, 
 baythe petitour 1 and possessour that he hes haid, or ony ways 
 may pretend to have, in and to that pairt and pendicull of 
 milne off Cowv, calit Thomas Haining, 2 lyand on the southe 
 syid of the wattei of Cowie, to and in favouris of John Mowatt, 
 present possessour of the mylne and milne landis of Cowij, with 
 power to the said John to enter thairwith at the terme off 
 
 1 One entitled to raise a petitory action, i.e. an action by which something is 
 sought to be decreed by the judge, in consequence of a right of property in the 
 pursuer. — Bell's Laiv of Scotland, p. 632. 
 
 2 Haining is the term applied to an enclosed portion of pasture-land from 
 which the tenants cut their hay. — Innes's Legal Aiitiquities, p. 242. 
 
30 NOV. 1625] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 59 
 
 Witsonday nixt to cum in this instant zeir of God 1625, but 
 actioun of ejectioun, intervussioun, or any deid off wrang, 1 
 quhairon the saids George and John tuik instruments. 
 
 George Mow at. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanitthat all and whatsum- 
 euer persones, puir or riche, within the suckin of the milne off 
 Cowie, sail have meit grund to thame at the milne scheilling 
 off thair awin cornes, and also John Mowatt sail [have] libertie 
 to met all malt heirefter in the milne fluir befoir it be grund, 
 and sail have halff ane peck malt ower ilk boll malt. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wry 
 and Montquheiche that payis maill is decernit to pay thair 
 Witsonday maills for this instant zeir of God 1625 zeirs, within 
 terme off law, wilder pain of poynding. 
 
 J. Thomsoxe, Scriba. 
 
 The Barrouny Court off Wry, hdldin in the duelling hous of 
 James Thomsone, notter publict, in Woodheid the last of' 
 Now. 1625, m nam and behalf of' ane nobill and potent 
 erle Francis, erle off Erroll, Lord Hay, etc., and William 
 Hay of Wry, heritable propriaters of the saidis landis, be 
 ane honorable man Allexander Annand, elder in Findlaw- 
 stoun, bailzie, James Thomsone forsaid, dark, Alexander 
 Frasser, offic'iar, Archibald Murrey, Dempster. The 
 suits calit, the court laufulYiefenssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents wnder writtin ar decernit ilk 
 ane for thair awin pairtis to pay to John Mowatt, chalmerlan, 
 the sowmes off money efter specifeitt, wiz., Maister Andro Leslie, 
 the sowme off ane hundrethe merkis money for his Witsonday 
 and Mertimes maill, in this instant zeir of God j m v c tuentie and 
 fywe zeirs. Georg Dewiny, ane hundrethe merkis money for his 
 Witsonday and Mertimes of Netherley, in the zeir off God for- 
 said. James Dewiny, feftie marks money for his Mertimes maill 
 last by past, in the zeir of God aboun wrettin. Georg Milne, in 
 Corsley, tuentie pundis money for his Mertimes maill forsaid. 
 Johnne Bannerman, thrie hundrethe markis for the Witsonday 
 
 1 An unlawful act. 
 
60 THE COURT BOOK OF [30 NOV. 1625 
 
 and Mertimes maill, in the zeir forsaid, for Rothnik and 
 Bannagubs, and that the officiar is ordeanit to poynd presentlie 
 for the samen, in respect terme of law is alredy expyirit efter 
 the terme. 
 
 The said day Georg Straquhan, in Glithnocht, is decernit to 
 pey to the laird tuentie fywe markis money for his Mertimes 
 maill last by past, in this instant zeir 1625. 
 
 The said day the tennents wnder wreittin ar decernit ilk 
 ane for thair awin pairts respective to pay to John Mo watt, 
 chalmerlan, the sowmes wnder wreittin for the rest of thair 
 teynd siluer 1 for the crops j m vj c tuentie tua, xxiij, and xxiiij 
 zeirs. Georg Straquhane tualff pundis money for the said thrie 
 zeirs teynd siluer of Glithnocht. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes, in Cowie, is decernit to pay 
 tuentie markis money for his maill of the zeirs of God 1624 
 and 1625 zeirs, with ij dozen elnes of sarking lyneing for the 
 said zeirs, or vj s. 8 d. for ilk elne thairoff, within terme of law, 
 wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes is decernit to pay to the laird 
 fyve markis money for ilk stane of tua staine of brew talloun 
 for the zeirs of God 1623 and 1624. As also Alexander Maky, 
 at Cowie milne, is decernit to pay fyve markis for ilk staine of 
 sex quarters brew talloun for the zeirs forsaid, within terme of 
 law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wry 
 that addetit and restand any fermes for the crope 1625, ar 
 ordeanit to hawe the samen in redines, and to pay the samen 
 at the termes of payment vsit and wount. 
 
 The said day Archebald Murrey is decernit to pay to the 
 laird xls. money for the maill of ane peice fischerland, with 
 xx s. for thrie capounes restand be him that he become debtour 
 ffor John Mowatt for 1624 zeirs, within terme off law, under 
 pain of poynding. J. Thomsone, Scriba. 
 
 1 A proprietor might have a tack of teinds, conveying to him the whole par- 
 sonage and vicarage teinds of his estate at a fixed rent, and he levied the amount, 
 no doubt, somewhat increased from the tenants, but commuted or fixed. — Innes's 
 Legal Antiquities, p. 261. 
 
8 AUG. 1626] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 61 
 
 The Baroun Court of the Baronie of Vrie, haldin at Wodheid 
 vpon the audit day of August 1626 zeirs, James Thom- 
 soun, baifcie, Alexander Fraser, officiary Archibald 
 Murray, Dempster. The court laufullie jens'it and 
 affiermit. 
 
 The tennentis efter nominat being calit for payment of thair 
 byrun dewties restand be tham cropis 1625, 1626, quhairof the 
 terms of payment is bypast, viz., George Myln, in Corsley, crop 
 1625, fyve pultrie foullis. George Schiphird, for Rothnik and 
 Bannagubis, for the crop 1627, sex wedders or iij lib. for the 
 pece, within term of law, wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 The said Stephane Forbes is decernit to pay five markis male 
 for Mertimes term 1625, and fyve markis for Witsondayis 
 term 1626, with tuelff ellis lyning, or viij s. for ilk ell, for the 
 crop 1625, within term of law, wnder the pane of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day George Gordoun is decernit to pay to 1 the 
 customes and service of his occupatioun of Megra restand sen 
 Witsonday last and in all tyme cuming, and that within term 
 of law, wnder pane of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day the haill fremen 2 are decernit to pay thair 
 ulie of this zeir, or the pryces thairof, within term of law, wnder 
 the pane of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day Maister Andro Leslie is decernit to pay his 
 Witsondayis male last by past, viz., fiftie markis, within term 
 of law, wnder the pane of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day the said Maister Andro Leslie Stephan 
 Forbes and John Aberdein ar ilk ane decernit to pay tuentie 
 shillingis money for thair non comperans to this court this day, 
 within term of law, wnder the pane of poynding. 
 
 1 Pay up. 
 
 2 Fremen is obviously used to denote the fishing population, they being the 
 only parties who paid customs in oil. If we could assume that a popular notion, 
 still occasionally advanced, prevailed at this period, to the effect that the fisher- 
 men along the coast of Kincardineshire were originally ' incomers ' who had 
 settled there from foreign parts, we might refer the term fremen to the root frem, 
 signifying strange or foreign. It may possibly, however, be akin to the Orcadian 
 fram the sea, by fra?n seaward, in which case framen or fremen would mean 
 
 seamen. 
 
62 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [5 oct. 1626 
 
 The Baroun Court of Vrie, haldin at Wodheid vpon thefyft 
 day of October 1626 be James Thomson n, bailzie, to 
 Frances, e arte of Err oil, heritable proprietor of the said is 
 landis. The suittis callit, the court luufullie fensit. 
 Alevander Fraser^ officio John Murray, Dempster. 
 
 The quhilk day Thomas Sellat is decernit be his awin con- 
 fessioun to pay to James Deviny, in Montquheiche, ten markis 
 hous male, with ten shillingis for thrie pultrie, and four pundis 
 sevin shillingis sex pennies borrrowit money, within term of 
 law, wnder the pane of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day the tailzie ratefeis and approves all former 
 actis maid anent the payment of the fermes and vther deuties 
 to the said Maister of ground, viz., the earle of Erroll and his 
 chalmerlane of all croftis bygane and to cum, viz., the fermes 
 to Alexander Fraser, and the remanent deuties to John Mowat. 
 The haill tennentis convenit assentis, and ar beeum actit thair- 
 foir according to thair assedatiounes and former actis maid 
 thairanent. Quhairvpon tlie chalmerlanes tuik act. 
 
 The quhilk day the haill tennentis that pay is martis ar 
 ordanit to pay thame befoir Halumes, or ten pundis for the 
 pece thairof. 
 
 The Court of the Barrounie of Wrie, haldin in the Woodheid 
 of Wrie, the sei'inteine day of July 1627 zeirs, in name 
 and behalff of ane nobill and potent erle, Francis erle of 
 Erroll, Lord Hay, etc., Heiche Const abill of Scotland, 
 and heritable propi-iater of the saidis landis, be Maister 
 Andro Leslie, bailzie for the tyme. James Thomsone, 
 nottcr publict, dark', Alexander Fraser, officiar, John 
 Murrey, Dempster. Tlie suits calit, the court laufullie 
 fenssit and afficrmit. 
 
 The said day Maister Andro Leslie is admitit and creat 
 bailzie for the tyme, wha gaive his ayth de jidelij admini- 
 strationj, ay and quhill he be dischairgit. 
 
 The said day John Law, skipper, Archibald Leapper, Niniane 
 Robertsone, Magnus Fowllar, and the remanent fremen in 
 Cowv, ar decernit to pas to sie ilk day that vther boitis in the 
 
io NOV. 1627] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 63 
 
 cost syid in sick schoiris gois to sie, or thane to pay ane boits 
 pairt of fischss for ilk day thay ly on land, quhen thay may 
 convenientlie go to sie. 
 
 The said day Georg Gordoune is decernit be his awin con- 
 fessioun to pay to my Lord thrie sufficient custome wedderis 
 with thair woll for his custome wadderis, quhilk suld beine 
 payit at Ruid day last by past. Archebald Duncane, twa 
 customes Madders with the woll that suld beine payit at the 
 terme forsaid, or thane the ordinar prycis, wnder pain of 
 poynding. 
 
 The said day compeirit Alexander Fraser as procuratour for 
 my lord, and protestit for the heighest prycis of all sick fermes, 
 meill and bear, as sail happin to be restand efter the terme of 
 Lambes nixt, within the barrouny of Wrie, Quhairon the pro- 
 curatour forsaid tuik act of court and instrument. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes is decernit be his awin confes- 
 sioun to pay to my lord ane dozen elns lyning, quhilk suld bein 
 pevit at AVitsonday last in this instant zeir 1627 zeirs, or thane 
 aucht shillings for ilk elne thairoff, within terme of law, wnder 
 pain of poynding. J. Thomsoxe, Scriba. 
 
 The Baroun Court of the Baronie of Vrie, haldin at Woodhekl 
 vpone the tent day of November 1627, James Thomson, 
 bailzie, Alexander Fraser, ojfciar, John Murray, Demp- 
 ster. The suttis cattit, the court laufuttie fensit and 
 affiermit. 
 
 The quhilk day Maister Andro Leslie, George Schiphird, 
 and Archibald Duncan ar decernit ilk ane of thame to pay to 
 the Maister of the grund ane sufficient mart, or ten pundis 
 money, within term of law, wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day George Gordoun and William Duthie ar 
 decernit in the pryces contenit in ane former act for ilk leit of 
 peitis restand be thame, crop 1627. 
 
 The quhilk day George Myln in Findlastoun, is decernit to 
 pay to the Maister of the ground ane steane brew creische, or 
 four markis, preceiding the dait hereof, viz., for the brewing, 
 tyme forsaid, and that within terme of law, wnder the paine of 
 poynding. 
 
64 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [n dec. 1627 
 
 The quhilk day James Duncan is decernit to pay to Thomas 
 Measoun tua markis borruit money with four shillings expenses, 
 within term of law, wnder the pane of poynding. 
 
 Patrik Laishan. 
 
 The Baroun Court of the Baronie of Vrie, haldin at Woodheid 
 vpon the eUcv'int day of December 1627 be George Moxcat 
 and James Thomsoun^ bailzies, to ane potent erle Frances, 
 erle of Erroll, etc., Alexander Fraser, qfficiar, John 
 Murray, Dempster. 
 
 The quhilk day Jeane Fullertoun is decernit to pay to 
 William Duthie four markis iij s. viij d., within term of law, 
 wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day the haill sucken is ordanit to keip the myln, 
 wnder the pane of paying dubill multer for thair abstractit 
 multeris, and poynding to follow thairvpon, and the malt to be 
 groundin vpon the sheiling. 1 
 
 The quhilk day the haill tennentis ar obleist to gif in thair 
 ferm beir in sufficient holsum stuff to his maltmen, to the effect 
 the malt may be sufficient to serue his hous. 
 
 The quhilk day James Allardes is decernit be his awin con- 
 fessioun to pay to James Thomsoun tuentie tua merkis x s. viijd. 
 byrun male, within term of law, wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 The Baroun Court of the Baronie of Vrie, haldin at Woodheid 
 vpone the sevint day of Maij 1628 be James Thomsoun, 
 bailzie, to ane potent earle Frances, earle of Erroll, etc., 
 heritable proprietar of the forsakl baronie. The suittis 
 callit, the court laifidlie fensit. Alexander Fraser, 
 officiar, James Murray, Dempster. 
 
 The quhilk day the haill tennentis ar decernit and ordanit to 
 cast thair leit peatis in dew tyme, conform to the former act 
 maid thairanent, and wnder the failzie thairin mentionat. 
 
 1 Sheiling here stands for sheiling-mill. According to modern usage malt 
 is crushed by being passed through iron rollers in a separate mill provided for the 
 purpose. Formerly, however, the sheiling-mill was used, or that by which in 
 the ordinary process of meal-making the husk and dust are detached from the 
 grain previous to its being ground. 
 
may 1628] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 65 
 
 The quhilk day the haill tennentis that ar obleist to pay 
 wedderis, ar ordanit to gif in thair wedderis wnder woll worth 
 thrie pundis be the sicht of John Movvat and George Davenie 
 betuix, befoir the fyiftein of this instant Maij, or ellis the pryce 
 forsaid. 
 
 The quhilk day the haill tennentis ar decernit to pay thair 
 Witsonday male preceislie at the term, wnder the pane of 
 poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day all cotteris ar decernit to keip 1 thair maisteris 
 fauld, with their guidis maistlie betuix rud day and Michelmes, 
 quhilk failzeing the contravener sail pay for ilk scheip tuelf 
 pennies, and for ilk nolt bcist thre schillingis four d. for ilk 
 nicht, and that to be extended in all tyme cuming, and poynd- 
 ing to follow thairvpon. 
 
 The quhilk day Alexander Syret is decernit to pay to the 
 laird of the ground ten pundis for selling peatis without the 
 lairdis consent, and refusit to sell to the laird him selff, and 
 that within term of law, wnder the pane of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day it is ordanit, be consent of the haill tennentis 
 convenit for the tyme, that quhoseuir takis away ony of thair 
 nichtbouris peitis thaj sail pay tuentie schillingis thairfoir 
 toties quoties. Quhairvpon thaj tuik act. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wrie, lialdin in Wodheid the penult 
 day of January 1629, be ane honorable man John Hay 
 of Cremoundmogat, bailzie to ane nobill erle Francis, 
 erle of Err oil, Lord Hay, etc., heritable propriater of the 
 saidis landis, James Thomsone, notter publict, Clark, 
 Alexander Fraser, officiar, James Murrey, Dempster, etc. 
 
 The said day Maister Andro Leslie in Montquheiche is 
 decernit to pay to John Mowatt feftie merkis for his Mertimes 
 maill in j m vj c tuentie aucht zeirs. Abrahame Forfar tuentie 
 fyve merkis, and James Forfar tuentie fyve markis, for thair 
 Mertimes maillis the zeir forsaidis within terme of law wnder 
 paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Maister Andro Leslie is decernit to pay to the 
 
 1 Watch. ' Keip the fauld ' is equivalent to the expression ' walk the fald ' 
 on p. 9. 
 
 E 
 
66 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [8 MAY 
 
 laird xx lib. for his custome mairte for 1627 and 1628 zeirs. 
 Abrahame Forfar and James Forfar x lib. for thair mailt 1628 
 zeirs, within terme of law, etc. 
 
 The said day it is statuit that ilk tennent addebtit in pay- 
 ment of ferme meill within the barrouny sail mak at least ane 
 chalder 1 aitis at ane tyme in ferme, to the effect the miliar 
 may keip the ferme frie of dust. J. Thomsone, Scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wry, haldin in Woodheid vpone the 
 audit day of Mat) 1629 zeirs, be ane honorable man 
 John Hay (f Crimoundmogat, bailzie to ane nobill and 
 potent erle Francis, erle of Erroll, etc., heritable pro- 
 pr later of the said harroiuiy, James Thomsone, notter 
 publict, Court Clark, Alexander Fraser, ojpciar, Robert 
 Syrie, Dempster. The suits calit, etc. 
 
 The said [day] the haill tennents of Montquheiche, Rothnik, 
 Bannagubs, and Corsley, is decernit to cast and leid thair leitt 
 peitts this instant zeir in the ordinar moss of Wrie, and leid 
 the samen to the peithill of Wrie in dew tyme, conforme to 
 the former actis. 
 
 The said day Allexander Fraser is ordeanit to receave the 
 fermes and customes of the Bray of Wrie, and to give dis- 
 charges thair wpone, quhilk salbe sufficient to the tennentis, 
 Quhairon George Mo watt in name of the remanent tuik act. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of 
 Wrie that ar restand ony of thair fermes for the crope 1629 
 zeiris, ar decernit to pay the samen to the girner in Wrie 
 within terme of law, or thane tualff pundis money for ilk 
 thairof, meill and bear respectively, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 J. Thomsone, Scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wrie, haldin in Wodheid wpone the 
 x) day of Nouember 1629 zeiris, be ane honorable man 
 John Douglas of Wast Barras, 2 bailzie constitut ay and 
 
 1 A measure consisting of sixteen bolls. 
 
 2 John Douglas of Wester Barras was fourth son of Sir William Douglas of 
 Glenbervie, who succeeded to the earldom of Angus on the death of Archibald, 
 eighth earl, in 1588. John Douglas received the lands of Wester Barras, which 
 had previously formed part of the Barony of Glenbervie, in portion from his 
 
ii NOV. 1629] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 67 
 
 quhill he he dischairgit he ane nobill and potent lord 
 William Hay, etc., heritable propriater of the saidis 
 landis, James Thomsone, notter puhlict, Clark, Alleocander 
 Fraser, qfficiar, Robert Syrie, Dempster. The suits 
 calit, the court lanfidlie fensit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day James Forfar is decernit to pay to the laird of 
 Wrie fywe pundis money for halfF ane leit of peits, quhilk suld 
 have beine set vpone the peithill of Montquheiche this instant 
 zeir 1629, with fyve pundis for his half mairt 1629, and xxs. 
 for sex pultrie foullis, within terme of law, wnder paine of 
 poynding. 
 
 The said day William Duthie in Wodheid is decernit be his 
 awin confessioun to pay to the laird ane sufficient custome 
 mairt, or thane tene pundis money for the pryce thairoff, within 
 terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis within the barrouny of 
 Wrie ar decernit be the bailzie forsaidis to pay in thair fermes 
 to Alexander Fraser, to wit the meill ferme befor Candlmes nixt 
 to cum in 1630, and the bear ferme befor ruid day thairefter. 
 
 The said day Georg Milne in Corsley is decernit be the 
 judge forsaid to pay to John Mowatt, chalmerlane, ane hun- 
 drethe markis money for his Witsonclay and Mertimes maillis 
 of Crosley last by past in this instant zeir 1629 zeiris, with ane 
 vther hundrethe markis for his Witsonday and Mertimes maill 
 of ane pleuche of Montquheiche last occupiet be Maister 
 Andro Leslie, and now occupiet be him for this instant zeir 
 1629, Quhairwnto the said Georg objectit and alledgit he suld 
 nocht pay bot onlie thrie scoir sextein markis zeirlie, con- 
 forme to ane conditione maid be him with the laird of Wrie. 
 [Nochtwithstanding of the quhilk objectioun the bailzie for- 
 said decernit the said George to mak payment of the sowme of 
 ane hundrethe markis zeirlie for the said pleuche in Mont- 
 quheiche, within terme of law, wnder paine of poynding]. 1 
 
 father. He married Jean, daughter of Fraser of Durris. His son, John Douglas, 
 sold Wester Barras, in 1640, to his brother-in-law, George Ogilvie, who so nobly 
 defended the castle of Dunottar against the forces of the Commonwealth in 
 1 65 1 -2. — Nisbet's Heraldry, Appendix, p. 222. 
 
 1 The passage printed within brackets has marks of erasure drawn over it in 
 the original MS. 
 
68 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [II NOV. 
 
 Quhairwpone he gave his avth and thairfor was decernit to 
 pay bot onlie the said soum of thrie scoir sextein markis for 
 the said tua termes. 
 
 The said day Georg Moscrope alies Shiphird is decernit to 
 mak payment to John Mo watt, chalmerlan, of the soume of 
 tua hundrethe markis for his Witsonday and Mertimes maill 
 of Rothnik, in this instant zeir 1629 zeirs. William Maine is 
 decernit to pay to the chalmerlane ane hundrethe markis for 
 his Witsonday and Mertimes [maill] of ane pleuche in Mont- 
 quheiche, occupiet be him in this instant zeir 1629. Abraham 
 Forfar is decernit to pay to the chalmerlane fourtie markis in 
 compleit payment of his Witsonday and Mertimes maill of 
 half ane pleuche in Montquheiche in this instant zeir 1629, 
 within terme of law. George Straquhan is decernit to pay 
 feftie pundis for his Mertimes maill of Glithnocht in this 
 instant zeir 1629, within terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day William Murray and Alexander Munzie ar 
 decernit to pay to the laird of Wrie tuentie markis money 
 equalie betuix thame for thair Mertimes maill 1629. John 
 Maissone in Montquheiche tene pundis for his Mertimes maill, 
 and Archebald Duncane tuentie ffyve markis for his Mertimes 
 maill of Bannageiche, in this instant zeir 1629. Stephane 
 Forbes in Cowie tene markis for his Witsonday and Mertimes 
 maill of the smydie croft in this instant zeir, with aucht shil- 
 ings for ilk elne of ane dozen elnes of lyning restand be him 
 for the said zeir, within terme of law, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Abrahame Forfar, being persewit be Alexander 
 Fraser, officiar, for deforcing him in taking ane plaid frome 
 him quhilk he had poyndit from the said Abrahame for his 
 dissobedience, being warnit to have cariet corne frome Mont- 
 quheiche to Wrie. Compeirit the said Abrahame, and refferit 
 the samen to the said Allexander, his ayth of weritie, wha 
 being sworne deponit the said Abrahame deforcit him in 
 taking back the said plaid. Quhairfor the judge forsaid 
 decernit the said Abrahame in ane amerciament of tene pundis, 
 quhilk he is decernit to pay to the laird within terme of law. 
 wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes in Cowie is decernit to pay to 
 Georg Johnstoun, burges of Aberdein, fyve markis money 
 
1 629] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 69 
 
 restand be him to the said Georg of byrun compts, within 
 terme of law. J. Thomsone, Scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wrie, heddin in the Hall thairojf' 
 wpone the sexteine day ofJunij 1630 zeirs, in name and 
 behalf qf ane nobill and potent lord William, Lord Hay, 
 etc., and ane honorable man John Hay of Crimound- 
 mogat, his lord-ship's bailzie, James Thomsone, notter 
 publiet, court dark, Alexander Fraser, officiar, Robert 
 Syrie, Dempster. The suits ealit, etc., the court laufullie 
 Jenssit and affirm it. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis within the barrouny of Wrie 
 and Montquheiche that ar restand thair Witsonday maill in 
 this instant zeir 1630 zeirs, ar decernit ilk ane for thair awin 
 pairtis respective to mak payment thairof to John Mowatt, 
 chalmerlane, within terme of law, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day the tennentis efter specifeit ar decernit ilk ane 
 for thair awin pairts respective to pay to the laird of W rie the 
 particular bollis of bear and meill wnder written, wiz. : William 
 Duthie four bollis bear for the crope 1629. Jeane Fullartoun 
 ftyve bollis bear. Georg Gordoune tua bollis thrie firlots 
 bear and four bollis meill. Robert Duncane ane boll thrie 
 pecks meill, within terme of law, or thane tene pundis for ilk 
 boll thairoff, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day George Gordoune is decernit to pay four libs, 
 for ilk dussone of thrie dozen caponis restand be him for the 
 crope 1629 zeirs, within terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wrie 
 that sail happin in any tyme heirefter to reais fyir and burne 
 mwir within any pairte of the said barrouny efter the tent day 
 of Marche zeirlie, sail pay tene pundis toties quoties to the laird 
 for ilk mwir burne 1 to be reaisit be thame efter the said day 
 abone mentionat. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes in Cowie is decernit be his 
 awin confessioun to pav tuentie markis for his maill of the 
 smydie croft in Cowie for the Witsonday terme last by past in 
 this instant zeir 1630, and [for] all termes preceiding, togidder 
 
 The act of burning moors or heath.— Jam. 
 
70 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [l6 MAY 
 
 with ane dozen elnes lyning clayth, or thane aucht shilingis 
 for ilk elne thairof for the said Witsonday terme abone wreittin, 
 within terme of law, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit that ewerie cotter 
 and greas man within the barrouny of Wrie that is bird to his 
 awin guidis in the day tyme, sail watche and waird for thame 
 in the fauld or the aucht tyme, 1 conforme to the number of 
 guids that he lies, and iff any skayth sail happin in thair default, 
 to be comptable for the samen and pay the skayth. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit that the haill tennents 
 within the nether barrouny of Wrie that ar thirlit to the milne 
 of Cowie sail keip the said milne in all tyme cuminge, and pay 
 the ordinar multers of thair corns, conforme as thai war in vse 
 in vmquhile John Hays tyme, of sick corn as growis within 
 the grund, and all vther that is coft and brocht in and tholis 
 ffyir and watter within tlie grund sail pay out suckin 2 to the 
 said mylne. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wrie, haldin in the Woodhcid wpoune 
 the sextein day of Maij, be ane honorable man Johnne 
 Hay of Crimoundmoga t, bailzie to ane nobitt and potent 
 erle Franeis, erle qfErroll, and William Lord Hay, herit- 
 able propriaters thairof James Tnomsoune, notter pub- 
 lict, dark, Allexander Fraser, qfficiar, Dauid Mitchell, 
 Dempster. The suits calit, the court laufulliefenssit and 
 affirmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents wnder wreittin ar decernit to 
 Mote.— The pay to John Mo watt in Powbair the sowmes efter specifeit, 
 x lTof th8° tten res t an d be ilk ane of thame for thair awin pairt respectiue for 
 soume. thair Mertimes maillis last by past in j m vj c and threttie zeirs, 
 
 wiz. : George Milne in Corsley feftie merkis, with the ordinar 
 annuel-rent thairof since the said terme. Georg Moscrope in 
 Bannagubis foir his Mertimes maill of Ilothnik and Quhytsyid 
 the zeir forsaid four scoir sevinteine markis sex sh[ilings] 
 viiij d., with the ordinar annuel-rent thairof since the terme 
 
 1 Up till eight times. 
 
 2 Out -suckin here signifies the remuneration which the ' out-suckeners ' paid 
 
 to the miller for grinding their grain. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 71 
 
 forsaid. Allexander Mengzeis in Montquheiche threttie audit 
 markis for his Mertimes maill 1630. Dauid Craig tuentie fyve 
 markis for his Mertimes maill the zeir forsaid, with the 
 ordinal* annuel-rent thairoff. Georg Straquhane in Glithnocht 
 feftie pundis for his Mertimes maill the zeir forsaid, with the 
 ordinar annuel-rent since the said terme, within terme of law, 
 wilder paine of [poynding], as also the haill tenents addebtit 
 in payment of siluer maill ar decernit ilk ane for thair awin 
 pairts respectiue to mak payment of thair Witsonday maillis in 
 this instant zeir j m vj c threttie ane zeirs preceislie at the terme 
 of Witsonday, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wrie 
 that ar restand any of thair fermes for the crope j m vj c and threttie 
 zeiris ar ilk ane for thair awine pairtis respectiue sua far as is 
 restand be thame, and ilk ane of thame ar decernit to mak 
 payment thairof to the laird of Wrie, within terme of law, or 
 thane tene pundis money for ilk vndelyuerit boll thairof meill 
 and bear respectiue, wnder paine of poynding, and the official* 
 ordeanit to poynd for the samen. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents that ar restand any customes 
 wadders, capouns, and pultrie ar decernit ilk ane for thair 
 awine pairtis at the termes of payment vsit and wount, or thane 
 the ordinar prycis thairoff, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Stephane Forbes in Cowie is decernit to pay to 
 the laird fyve markis money for his Witsonday maill in this 
 instant zeir 1631, with ane dozen elnes of lyning clayth quhilk 
 suld beine payit oniday last by past, or thane audit shilings 
 money for ilk elne thairof, wnder paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day the bailzie forsaid decernis and ordeanis Georg 
 Milne in Corsley tene pundis money for ane leit of peittis 
 quhilk he suld have castin for that pleuche in Montquheiche 
 occupiet be him in j m vj c and threttie zeiris, within terme of law, 
 wnder paine of poynding. J. Thomsone, Seriba. 
 
 The said day Thomas Sellatt in Montquheiche is decernit to 
 pay to John Midltoune in Findlawstoun tene pundis for ane 
 kow, etc. 
 
 The Barroiui Court of the Barrouny of Wrie, haldin in 
 Woodheid wpoun the ocj day of September 1632 zeiris, be 
 
72 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [u SEPT. 1632 
 
 John Mowatt in Powbmr, baihie to arte nobill and potent 
 erle William, erle of Err oil, Lord Hay, etc., heritable 
 propriater of' the saidis landis, James Tliomsone, notter 
 puhlict, court dark, Alexander Fraser, officiar, Rob. Syr if, 
 Dempster. The suits calit, etc. 
 
 The said day compeirit William Reid, seruitor to John 
 Mowatt in Rothnik, and complenit wpoun Agnes Duncan^ 
 dochter to William Duncane thair, that the said Agnes hade 
 dung, strukin, and bled the said William. Compeirit the said 
 Agnes and denyit the samen, in respect quhairof the forsaid 
 referrit the samen to the knawledge of ane assyse, wha be the 
 mouth of George Straquhane, chosin chancier, 1 convict the 
 said Agnes in the blood, in respect of her awin confessioun. 
 Quhairfor the Judge forsaid decernis the said Agnes to pay 
 ffyve pundis to Alexander Fraser, procuratour fiscall, within 
 terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day compeirit William Duncane in Rothnik, and 
 being persewit for contravening of ane former act quhairin the 
 haill tennents ar obleidgit naine of thame to persew wtheris 
 befor the Shereff, and the said William haweing persewit 
 Allexander Munzie befor the Shereff, he refferit himself in 
 William Hay of Wrie his will. Quhairon Allexander Fraser 
 tuik act. J. Thomsoxe, Scriba. 
 
 The Barroune Court of' the barrouny of Wrie, haldin in the 
 dualing hous of James Tliomsone in Woodheid wpoun 
 the tuentie audit day of Januar 1634, be John Hay of 
 Ardlethine, 2 baihie to ane nobill and potent erle William, 
 erle of Erroll, Lord Hay, Heidie Constable of Scotland, 
 her et able propriater of the saidis landis, James Tliomsone, 
 notter publict, dark, Allexander Fraser, officiar, Robert 
 Syrie, Dempster. The suits calit, the court laifullic 
 fenssit and qffirmit. 
 
 The said day compeirit John Ramsay in Magray and con- 
 
 1 The Chancellor of a jury is the preses or foreman, who announces the verdict. 
 — Bell's Law of Scotland, p. 151. 
 
 2 The lands of Ardlethen are situated in the parish of Ellon in Aberdeenshire. 
 John Hay succeeded his father, George, third son of George, sixth Earl of Errol, 
 in these lands subsequent to 161 2. — Reg. Priv. Conn. vol. ix. p. 417. 
 
28 JAN. 1634] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 73 
 
 fessit himself to be restand audit bollis bear of his ferme crop 
 1632 zeiris, in respect quhairof the bailzie forsaid decernis and 
 ordeanis the said John Ramsay to pay nyne pundis money for 
 ilk boll thairof to John Mowatt, chalmerlane, within terme of 
 law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day compeirit Abraliame Forfar in Montquheiche 
 and confessit himseltf to be restand ane hundrethe and ffywe 
 markis money for his Mertimes termes maill of his occupatioun 
 of Montquheiclie last by past in 1633, and in compleit payment 
 of his haill maillis of all zeirs and termes by gain preceiding the 
 .said terme of Mertimes. Quhilk sowme the said Abraliame is 
 decernit to pay to the said John Mowatt, chalmerlane, within 
 terme of law, wnder paine of poynding, as also the said 
 Abraliame is fund restand ane custome mairt pryce tene pundis 
 with sex pundis money for the pryce of tua custome wadders, 
 and that for his customss of Montquheiche for the crope 1633, 
 and for the crope to cum in this instant zeir 1634 zeirs, quhilk 
 he is decernit to pay to the chalmerlane forsaid, within term 
 of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day compeirit Allexander Menzeis in Montquheiche 
 and confest him selff to be restand ane hundrethe and fourteine 
 markis for his Mertimes maill last by past in 1633, and all zeirs 
 and termes preceiding, quhilk sowme he is decernit to pay to 
 John Mowatt, chalmerlane, within terme of law, wnder pain of 
 poynding. 
 
 The said day Georg Straquhane in Glitlmocht is decernit be 
 his awine confessioun to pay feftie pundis money to John 
 Mowat, chalmerlane, for his Mertimes termes maill 1633, 
 within terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day James Gordoun and John Mowatt in Rothnik 
 is decernit be thair awin confessioun to pay to John Mowatt, 
 chalmerlane, feftie pundis for their Mertimes maill 1633, within 
 terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day Allexander Munzie in Quhytsyid is decernit to 
 pay tuentie fywe markis for his Mertimes maill 1633, with fyve 
 pundis for half ane mairt to the chalmerlane forsaid, within 
 terme of law, wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wrie 
 ar decernit to mak payment of thair haill fermes meill and bear 
 
74 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [8 JAN. 
 
 restand be thame for the crope 1633, to John Mowatt in 
 Powbair into the girners of Wrie, in sufficient wictuall cleane 
 but dust or steanes (except James Thomsone, wha hes producit 
 ane dischairge of the said zeirs ferme alredie), the meill ferme 
 befor the first of Marche, or thane nyne pundis for the boll 
 thairof, and the bear befor the thrid day of Maij nixt to cum, 
 or thane tene pundis for ilk boll thairof. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit be the bailzie forsaid 
 that whosoeuer within this barouny salbe tryit to cut or distroy 
 any of the planting of Wrie sail pay tene pundis money to my 
 lord efter dew tryall. 
 Note. — Abra- The said day the bailzie forsaid decernis and ordeanis 
 se^boiHsof the Abraham e Forfar to pay tene bollis ane firlot of his meill ferme 
 firTots for* 3 °^ Findlawstoun for the crope 1632, with his haill ferme, meill, 
 j£4, 3s. 4d. the and bear for the crope 1633, into the girners in Wrie, to John 
 Mowatt to be keipit and preservit be the said John to the weill 
 and profeit of Allexander Annand of Findlawstoun, or any 
 wther who salbe fund to have best richt thairto. And in caice of 
 failzie to pay my lord is prycis. As also the said Abrahame is 
 decernit to pay his customes or prycis thairof to the said John, 
 within terme of law. 
 
 The said day Magnus Milne at the milneof Cowie is ordeanit 
 to sie the ferme cleine sheilit, and that thair be nather dust nor 
 staines put amangis the samen, and to that effect he sail tak 
 the haill dust and reteine the samen in his awin hous till the 
 fermes be delvuerit into the girners, quhairwpoun he hes given 
 his ayth. 
 
 The said [day] John Irving in Corsley is decernit to pay 
 feftie markis for his Mertimes maill 1633, to John Mowatt, 
 within terme of law, wilder pain of poynding. 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wrie, haldin in Woodheid upounc 
 the 27 of Junij 1634 zeirs, be ane honorable man John 
 Hay of Ardlethin, bailzie to ane nobill and michtie erle 
 William, erle of Err oil, Lord Hay, Heiche Constable of 
 Scotland, etc., heritable propriator of the saidis landis ; 
 James Thomson, notter dark, Allexander Fraser, ojpeiar, 
 Dauid Syrie, Dempster. The suit calit, etc. 
 
 The said day compeiret the haill tennents wilder writtin, per- 
 
27 JUNE 1634] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 75 
 
 sonallie, and confessit that ilk ane of tliame ar in vse to pay for 
 tbair seuerall occupatiounis efter specifeit the particular maillis, 
 fermes, and dewties respectiue efter mentionat, wiz. : Jeane 
 Fullartoune, for the half chaplanrie in Cowie, elevine bollis tua 
 firlots bear. And Patrik Austiane, Shereff Clerk of Kincardyne, 
 being necessarlie absent from this court, in respect he was at 
 ane SherefF Court, declairit to the bailzie forsaid this morning 
 that he payis for the nether half chaplanrie tualf bollis bear. 
 Stewine Forbes payit for the smydie croft in Cowie tene markis, 
 ane dussone of lyning clayth, and vphaldis ane pleuchs smyth 
 wark in the mainse of Wrie. John Law, skipper, Magnus 
 Falconner, Archibald Leapper, and Edward Robertsone, 
 fischers in Cowie, pays aucht markis tua quartis of oylie, the 
 boits pairt being drawin. 1 Thomas Maine payis for tua 
 zairdis thair tene markis. Dauid Burnet at the burnesyid of 
 Cowie payis fyive markis. George Quhyt thair payis thrie 
 pundis. Magnus Milne payis for the milne dozen 2 of Covie 
 tuentie four bollis meill, and for the milne land thairoff threttie 
 bollis bear, four dussoun capouns, ane milne swyne, ane 
 custome mairt, fourtie shilings of maill, ane leitt of peittis. 
 Georg Mowatt payis for Reidcloak tuentie pundis of maill, 
 four bollis malt, thrie bollis hors corne, four wadders, auchteine 
 capons, auchteine pultrie. Item, mair he payis for Walkmilne 
 of Wrie fFourtie pundis money. Archibald Duncane payis for 
 Bannageich feftie markis, ane custome mart, tua wadders, ane 
 dussone capouns, ane dussone of pultrie, ane leit of peittis. 
 Robert Duncane payis for Carntoune auchteine bollis meill, 
 ane custome mart, tua wadders, ane dussone capouns and ane 
 dussone pultrie, ane leitt of peitts. Georg Straquhane pay [is] 
 for Glithnocht ane hundrethe pundis money. William Duthie 
 pays for the eist syid of Woodheid sexteine bollis meill, and 
 four bollis bear, ane custome mart, tua wadders, ane dussone 
 capons, ane dussone pultrie, ane leitt of peitts. James 
 Thomsone pays for the wast half thairoff the lyik dewtie, 
 except sick he hade doun 3 for his seruice. John Mowatt pays 
 for Powbair sexteine bollis meill and four bollis bear. 
 
 1 Withdrawn or passed.— yaw. (Supplement). 
 
 2 See p. 79 n. 2, infra. 
 
 What he had done. 
 
76 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 |8 JAN. 
 
 Abraham e Forfar payis for half ane pleuclie in Montquheiche 
 feftie markis, half ane mart, ane wadder, half ane staine of 
 butter, sex pultrie, half ane leitt peittis. Gilbert Menzies 
 payis for half ane pleuche and ane croft thrie scoir sexteine 
 markis, with sex pundis for customes. John Mowatt payis for 
 ane wther halff pleuche thair feftie markis, half ane mart, ane 
 wadder, half ane staine butter, sex pultrie, and half ane leitt 
 of peittis. William Maine pays for ane pleuche thair ane 
 hundrethe markis, ane mart, tua wadders, ane staine of butter, 
 ane dussone of pultrie, ane leitt of peittis. Alexander 
 Menzies pays for ane wther pleuche thair thrie scoir sexteine 
 markis, ane mart, tua wadders, ane staine of butter, ane 
 dussone of pultrie, and ane leitt of peittis. The wther thrie 
 pleuchs in Montquheiche wodset to George Dewinny, and 
 pays to him, ilk pleuche, ane hundrethe markis, ane mart, tua 
 wadders, ane staine of butter, ane dossone pultrie and leidis 
 ane leit of peits, ilk pleuclie, to the peithill in Montquheiche. 
 John Milne payis for the milne and milne croft of Montquheiche 
 tuentie bollis meill, audit pundis of maill, ane mylne swyne, 
 ane dussone capouns. Sauchinshawe, wodset to Georg 
 Dewinny, pas to him ane hundrethe markis, ane wadder, ane 
 staine of butter, ane dussone pultrie. Bonnagubs, wodset to 
 Georg Shiphird, alies Moscrope, pays ane hundrethe markis, 
 ane mart, tua wadders, ane staine butter, ane dussone pultrie, 
 and ane leit of peittis. 
 
 James Gordoune and John Mowatt pays for Kothnik ane 
 hundrethe pundis of maill, ane mart, half mart, thrie wadders, 
 ane staine, half staine of butter, auchteine pultrie, ane leitt of 
 peitis. Quhytsyid being the quarter of Rothnik, and now 
 waist, payis feftie markis, half ane mart, ane wadder, half ane 
 staine of butter, sex pultrie, and half ane leitt of peittis. 
 Corsley being now waist and tennentlese, in respect John 
 Irvings remowing thairfra, payit ane hundrethe markis and ane 
 leit of peittis onlie. In respect vmquhile John Ramsey, wha 
 was tennent in Magray, is laitlie depairtit this present lyff, and 
 his relict being vnable to compeir this day, it is declairit be 
 John Mowatt, chalmerlane, and wthers that knawis the 
 rentall, that Magray payis fourtie bolls wictuall, half meill, 
 half bear, thrie wadders, tua dussone capouns, ane dussone 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 77 
 
 pultrie, tua leitt of peittis. In respect Allexander Annand in 
 Findlawstoune was not present, it is declairit be William Hay 
 of Wrie and the chalmerlane that Findlawstoune payis onlie 
 tene markis of maill, Qahilkis haill tennents particularlie 
 abowe namet are ilk ane for thair awine pairtis respective 
 decernit, except the wodset landis abowe specifeit, be the bailzie 
 forsaid, to mak payment of the particular maillis, fermes, and 
 dewties addebtit be ilk ane of thame for thair seueral occupa- 
 tiones respective abowe specifeit, wiz : the fermes for crope 
 instantlie presentlie wpoun the ground in this present zeir of 
 God j m vj c threttie four zeiris, and thair maillis and customes 
 for the crope to cum in zeir of God j m vj c threttie ffyve zeirs 
 to the said nobill erle and his chalmerlane in his name, wiz., 
 John Mowatt in Powbair, at the termes of payment vsit and 
 wount, wnder the paine of poynding. 
 
 The said day Androw Duncane is decernit to pay to Allex- 
 ander Maine xxlb. be his avvin confessioun, wnder paine of 
 poynding, within terme of law. 
 
 The Barrouny Court of Wrie, haldin in Woodheid, the 26 
 of Februar 1635, be John Hay of Ardlethine, bailzie to 
 ane nobill and potent erle William, eroll of Err oil, Lord 
 Hay, etc., Heiche Constable of Scotland, heritable pro- 
 pr tutor of 'the saidis landis, James Thomsone, notter clerk, 
 Dauid Burnet, qfficiar, Allexander Murray, Dempster. 
 The suits calit, the court laifullie fenssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of 
 Wrie ar, ilk ane for thair awin pairts respective, decernit to pay 
 in thair fermes of the crope j m vj c threttie four zeirs, to John 
 Mowatt, chalmerlane, into the girners in Wrie, befor Pashe 
 nixt, or thane tene pundis for ilk boll meill and twalff pundis 
 for ilk boll bear, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents that payis siluer maill 
 within the said barrouny (except Georg Mowatt, wha alleges 
 he lies ane dischairge of the laird of Wrie) are decernit, ilk ane 
 for thair awin pairts respective, to mak payment to the 
 chalmerlane forsaid of thair Mertimes maillis last by past in 
 the zeir of God j m yj c threttie ffour zeiris, Togidder with the 
 
78 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [26 FEB. 1635 
 
 ordiner pryces of thair customes marts, wadders, pultrie, and 
 capones for the crope to cum in this instant zeir jm vj c threttie 
 fly ve zeirs, within terme of law, wnder pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day Georg Dewinny in Montquheiche, William 
 Elaine thair, Georg Shiphird in Bannagubis, William Diithie 
 in Woodheid, and Archebald Duncane and Magnus Milne in 
 Bannageiche, ar admitit to be barlawe men within the barrouny 
 of Wrie, wha gave thair aithes de fldelj administratione ay and 
 quhill they be dischairgit. 
 
 The said day Patrik Makie in Glithnocht is decernit be his 
 awin confessioun to pay to Maister Thomas Blakhall in 
 Aberdein audit pundis for the pryce of ane boll meill, coft and 
 receauit be him fra the said Maister Thomas, within terme of 
 law, under pain of poynding. 
 
 The Barroune Court of the Barrouny of Wrie, haldin at 
 Wrie, the circuit day off September j m vj° threttie jf'yvc 
 zeiris, be John Hay of Ardlethine, bailzie to ane nobill 
 and potent erle William, eric of Err oil, lord Hay, Heiche 
 Constable off Scotland, heretable propriator thairoff, 
 James Thomsonc, natter publ'ict, court dark, Dau'ul 
 Burnet, qfficier, Alltwandcr Murray, Dempster. The 
 ■suits calit, the court laujuttic fenssit and ujjirmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wrie 
 that payis siluer maill are ilk ane decernit for thair awin 
 pairtis respective to mak peyment of thair Witsonday maillis 
 last by past in this instant zeir of God 1635 zeirs, within 
 terme of law, wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit that the barlawmen 
 sail go and sicht Gilbert Menzeis, Abrahame Forfar, and 
 William Murray's rowmes in Montqueithe, and wha ewer salbe 
 fund to hawe the halff pleuche and the croft in Montquheithe 
 that suld be amang them, salbe obleist to pay the rentall 
 thairoff. 
 
 The said day compeirit . . . 
 
 The Barroune Court of Wrie, haldin in the Woodheid 
 thairoff, wpone the nynt day off Januar 1636 zeirs, be 
 
9 JAN. 1636] THE BARONY OF UHIE 
 
 79 
 
 Juhn Hay of Ardlethine, bailzie to ane nobill and potent 
 erle William, erle of Err oil, lord Hay, Heichc Constable 
 of Scotland, heretable propriater thairoff. James Thom- 
 sune, nottcr publict, court dark, Dauid Burnet, offic'iar, 
 AUexander Murray, Dempster. The suits calit, the 
 court lauj'ullie Jenssit and affirmit. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wrie 
 that are addebtit in payment of siluer maill ar decernit ilk ane 
 for their awin pairtis respective to mak payment to John 
 Mowatt, chalmerlane, of their Mertimes maillis last by past 
 in the zeir of God j m vj c threttie fFyve zeiris, within terme of 
 law, wnder pain of poynding thair rediest guidis and geir. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the barrouny of Wrie 
 ar ordeanit to conveine and pairt the mainse of Wrie, and 
 reid 1 the samen equalie amongest thame, conforme to thair 
 promeis maid to my lord for this zeir. 
 
 The said day the haill tennents within the said barrouny 
 that ar addebtit in payment of ferme victuall, meill, and bear 
 ar decernit to pay thair meill ferme before Candlmes nixt and 
 thair bear ferme befoir the thrid of May nixt to cum to Georg 
 Pattoun of Ferrochie or his vnder receaver, my lordis mil dozen, 2 
 or thane tene pund for ilk boll meill and xij tib. for ilk boll bear. 
 
 The said day it is statuit and ordeanit that the barlaw men 
 sail visseit and compryse that hous that perteinet to vmquhile 
 Issobell Gilaspie, and what it is furthe to be worthe 3 at hir 
 deceas. John Gairdyne, wha is fund to have melit thairwith 
 and demolished the samen, is decernit and ordeanit to reidifie 
 the samen and mak it alse guid as it was the tyme he medlit 
 
 1 To put in order, to cX^x.—Jam. 
 
 2 My lordis mil dozoi signifies the multure payable to the laird by those using 
 the mill. Parties grinding their corn were held bound to render him every 
 thirteenth peck in virtue of his position as proprietor. This scale of payment is 
 of very ancient origin. In an Act of Alexander in., of date 1284, and intended 
 to discourage the use of Querns, as prejudicial to the interests of those landlords 
 who had erected water-mills for the accommodation of their tenants, it is pro- 
 vided that ' na man sail presume to grind quheit, maishlock, or rye, with hand 
 mylne, except he be compelled by storm, or be in lack of mills quhilk sould grinde 
 the samen. And in this case, gif a man grindes at hand mylnes, he sail gif the 
 threttein measure as mutter, and gif any man contraveins this our prohibition, he 
 sail tine his hand mylnes perpetuallie.' — Blount's Ancient Tenures, p. 614. 
 
 3 Furthe to be worthe, manifestly worth. 
 
80 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [9 JAN. 
 
 with it, or thane to pay the pryce of it, as salbe comprysit be 
 the barlaw men, within terme of law, wnder pain of povncling. 
 
 The said day John Law, Skipper, Archebald Leapper, 
 Magnus Falconner, and Edward Robertsone, lyne men in the 
 boit of Cowie, ar decernit and ordeanit to pay thair boits pairt 
 to thease wha lies richt to receave the samen dewlie and 
 trewlie, conforme as the boits of Muchallis 1 and Elsick payis, 
 and the officiar ordeanit to poynd for the samen. 
 
 The said day the cotteris in Wrie, wiz., John Murray, 
 Richard Smyth, and Georg Walcar, ar decernit to pay to the 
 chalmerlane for the grease of thair guidis as follows to John 
 Murray : — 
 
 . . . 2 for ane mear ; sextein shilings audit pennes for ilk 
 beist of thrie nolt, 3s. 4d. for ilk sheip of heidis 
 of sheip. Richard Smyth, for ane staig, with sex- 
 
 tein shilings audit pennes for ilk beast of four nolt, 3s. 4d. 
 for ilk sheipe of sixtein headis. Archebald Walcar, 16s. 8d. 
 for ilk nolt beist of thrie, with 3s. 4d. for ilk sheip of 
 audit sheip. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis sick as are mailleris within 
 the barrony of Wrie ar decernit and ordeneit to content and 
 [pay] the haill rest maillis, Witsounday and Mertimes termes, 
 within terme of law, wnder pain of poynding, and sick of the 
 saidis tennentis, mailloris allenerlie as saidis, that ar resting 
 thair saidis maillis and fealyieis in payment within fyiftein 
 dayis nixt efter the expyiring of the said fyiftein deyis, ar 
 decernit, sic thairof as peyis ane hundreth markis or fyiftie 
 markis ar decernit, ilk persone conforme to his mailling, pro 
 rato, to content and pey the soume of ten pundis money for ilk 
 termes failzie to the chalmerleane, Viz., ten pundis for ilk 
 hundreth markis fealzie, and sua furth, conforme to thair 
 maillingis. 
 
 The said day it is decernit that sick of the fermoreis 3 within 
 the said barrony of Vrie as fealzeis in tymeous peyment mack- 
 
 1 Alexander Burnett of Leys had a charter of the lands of Muchals, which 
 formed part of the barony of Cowie — with fishings, mills, etc. — on the resigna- 
 tion of Francis, Earl of Enrol, granted at Edinburgh, 24th June 1606. — Reg. 
 Mag. Sig. (1 593- 1 608) 1764. 
 
 2 Blank in MS. 3 Payers of ferme, i.e. farmers. 
 
1636] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 81 
 
 ing of thair fermeis ar decernit to content and pey for ilk boll 
 vnpeyit bear the soume of aucht pundis money, and for ilk 
 vnsatisfeit boll of meall the soume of sex pundis fyve shillingis 
 money. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis within the said barrony ar 
 decerneit and ordeneit to pay ther haill keains, 1 custom es, and 
 vther dewteis, sick thairof as ar restand the samen to pey the 
 samen to the chalmerleane, within terme of law, vnder pain of 
 poynding. 
 
 The said dey ilk persone inhabeiting within the barrony of 
 Vrie, or any of thair guidis that salbe apprehendit passing or 
 pastouring throw the zaird or hainingis of Vrie, ilk persone 
 passing or gaiting 2 throw the zaird, or possessour off any beast 
 pastouring in the haining as said is, ar decernit to pey to the 
 gairdner the soume of fourtie shillingis. 
 
 The Baroun Court qf the Baronie of Vrie, haldin in the 
 Maner place thairof, wpon the aucht day qf November 
 1658, be Johnnc Hay qf Ardlethin, bailzie to John, Lord 
 Zester, 3 and James Lyon qf Aaldbarf with consent qf 
 John, eirle qf Kinghorn, Lord Lyon, etc. 5 Dauid Burnet, 
 qfficiar, George Quheit, Dempster. The suittis callit, the 
 court laufuJUe affcrmit. 
 
 The quhilk day the haill tennentis of the said barronie 
 restand fermis customes or male of thair cropt 1637, and Wit- 
 sondayis term 1638, ar decernit all and ilk ane of thame, 
 conform to thair rest comptis, to pay the samen to John Mowat, 
 chalmerlane, within xv dayis, wnder the pain of poynding. 
 
 The quhilk day Archebald Duncan in Bannageiche is 
 
 1 Customes paid in poultry, eggs, etc. 
 
 2 Making their way. 
 
 3 John Hay, 8th Lord Yester, succeeded his father in 1600. He was created 
 Earl of Tweeddale, 1st December 1646, and died 1653. — Douglas' Peerage, vol. ii. 
 p. 607. 
 
 4 James Lyon of Auldbar, second son of Patrick, nth Lord Glammis and 1st 
 Earl of Kinghorn. — Ibid. p. 561. 
 
 5 John, Earl of Kinghorn, elder brother of James Lyon of Auldbar. He 
 succeeded his father as 2d Earl of Kinghorn in 161 5. Auldbar and Kinghorn 
 were uncles of Gilbert, 10th Earl of Errol, whose father, William, 9th Earl, 
 married their sister, Lady Ann Lyon. — Ibid. p. 565. 
 
 F 
 
82 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [20 NOV. 
 
 decernit be his awin confessioun to pay to Stephin Lichtoun in 
 Glithno fyve markis, within term of law. 
 
 The Court of the Barony of Wry, haldin in the Hall thairoff, 
 vpon the xx day of November 1639, be James Hay of 
 Muryfaldis^ bailye to ane noble erlle Gilbert, erlle of 
 Erroll, and be ane noble erlle John, erlle of Kinghornc, 
 his lordships tut our, gydar, and administrator. John 
 Wishart, notter dark, Daukl Burnet, qfficiar, William 
 Quhyte, Dempster. The suitts callit, and the court lau- 
 fulliefencit and qffirmit. 
 
 It is ordaned be the bailie, with consent of the haill grand, 
 that at quhat tyme they be chargit for helping of the dame of 
 the my In of Cowie, ilk man salbe, with his horss and kairttes 
 and serwandis, wpon the first advirteisment, vnder the pane of 
 twante schillings, vnlaw toties quoties they contravein the 
 premissis. 
 
 It is ordaned that the Maister of the myln and his servandis 
 sail haue his myln redy pickit be fair day licht at all occasionis 
 for grinding or sheiling, and the maister of the myln sail haue 
 onle four bollis malt betuixt the grinding and sheilling, vnder 
 the pane foirsaid. 
 
 It is ordaned that the pikkeman sail haue for his panes in 
 grinding everie twantie bollis great aittis ane pek and half pek 
 meall, and ane pek meall for ilk twintie bollis small aittis, and 
 ane pek meall for metting of ilk twantie bollis meall, etc. 
 
 Lyk as it is ordaned that at the grinding of the tennentis 
 fermes the chalmerlen salbe advertesit at thair entre thairto, 
 and the dust sett in the miliars house thair to remane wntill 
 the ferms be delyuerit. 
 
 The quhilk day the haill tennentis of the said barony 
 addettit in thair maillis, customes, and dewties for the 
 Mertimes terrne last by past 1639, and all yeires and termes 
 
 1 James Hay of Muriefauld in Aberdeenshire was a cadet of the house of Errol. 
 Adopting the policy of his chief, he appears as a supporter of the Covenant, and 
 is intrusted with the command of ' the Erll of Errollis men in Buchane,' at the 
 hosting of the shires of Aberdeen, Kincardine, and Banff, held at Aberdeen, by 
 order of Committee, in September 1644. — Spalding's Memorialls of the Trubles 
 in Scotland, vol. ii. p. 401. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 83 
 
 preceiding, are decernit to mak payment thairof within fyftene 
 dayis nixt heirefter to John Mowat, chalmerlen, wtherveyes 
 the birla men appointit to poynd and distrenzie for the thrid 
 peny mair nor the just debt. 
 
 Abrahame Forffar, with my hand. 
 
 The quhilk day it is statuite and ordaned that ilk person 
 within the said barony that salbe fund using pastour quhair 1 
 wayes or gaittes throw the yeardis and hanynges of the yeardis 
 of Wry, the contravenars heirof sail pay toties quoties, it be 
 qualifyit that they haue transgressit, sail pay of wnlaw to my 
 lord and his chalmerlene, toties quoties, the sowme of fourtie 
 shilling money and remane in the stokis for the space of 
 fourtie aucht houris. 
 
 It is appoyntit and aggreit betuixt John Mowat, chalmerlen, 
 on the ane pairt, and the fisheris of Cowie on the other pairt 
 in manner following, viz. : That for the present he sail caus 
 beit 2 the hwill 3 and boit they have sufficientlie. For the 
 quhilk boit they sail pey twante four Kb. till Witsonday nixt, 
 and at the said terme he sail caus build ane sufficient boitt, 
 and they sail pay for the samen sic sowmes as the laird of 
 Leyes resaues for his boit, and they to haue land and houssis as 
 his fisheres hes in possessione. 
 
 [The long blank between this and the following Minute may be 
 accounted for partly by reference to the unsettled state of the 
 district during the Revolution period, and partly to peculiar cir- 
 cumstances in connection with the proprietorship of the lands, 
 which are explained in the Introduction.] 
 
 The Court of the Barronie of Wrie, haldine within the hous 
 ofJohne Auchinleck in Cowie, the 23 May 1667 zeires, 
 in name and behalfe of Dawid Barclay, habitable pro- 
 priater of the landis of Wrie, and in name and behalfe of 
 Alexander Mowat in Reidcloake, his bailzie. Johne Auch- 
 inleck, notar publict, Clerke to the court, Androw Mancur, 
 officier, Daivid Mitchell, Dempster. The suitts callitt, the 
 court laiifullie fenssit and ciffirmett. 
 
 Axdrow Maxcur, qfficier. 
 
 Da. Mitchell, dempster. 
 
 1 Where are. 2 Repair. 
 
 3 Hwill or whill, equivalent to the Shetland whilly, a small skiff. 
 
84 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [23 MAY 
 
 The said day the tenants within the landis off Wrie and 
 Manquith belanging to Collonel Barclay, conveined thes that 
 ar found restand off mailles dewties ar ordainet to pey in ther 
 severall proportiones as they ar found heir restand within terme 
 off law. Lykwayes thes that ar found restand ther fermes, 
 is ordainet to pey in ther fermes betuixt the dait heiroff and 
 the day aucht dayes, or else to bring money therfor. 
 
 The said day John Mowat in llothnick is found restand 
 for his maill and silver dewtie sevine pundes and thretteine 
 schillinge Scottis, James Gordoune ther is found restand four 
 Hb. nynteinth schillinge Scottis, George Mowat is found 
 restand four merkis Scottis, Margrat Cadonheid at the milne 
 off Manquith aucht merkis Scottis, John Duncane in Banna- 
 geith tuentie sex pundis Scottis and sex schillinge, George 
 and Androw Farfare tuentie aucht Hb. sexteine schillinge 
 Scottis, and tuentie bollis and ane halfe boll meill, Androw 
 Mancurr in Wodheid is found restand tuentie sex boll and 
 ane half of meill and three bollis fywe peckes bear, Magnus 
 Broune in Magra sevine merkis Scottis money, fywe bollis 
 and ane halfe bear, William Wilsone and Alexander Falkoner 
 restes eleven pund fyfteine schillinge four d. money, and ten 
 bollis and ane halfe meill and tuelfe bollis bear, and that for 
 the cropsis and zeiris of God j m yj c sextie fywe and sextie sext 
 yeires, and ar ordainet the abowreittin silver and ferme dewtie, 
 within terme of law. 
 
 The said day the pickieman is ordainet to hawe for ilk 
 chalder off meill grinding within the milne of Cowie, or the 
 meill off two chalder small oates, ane peck off meill, and ane 
 peck off meill for the metting off ilk tuentie bollis, and lyk- 
 wayes the pickeman off the mill off Manquith. 
 
 The said day Androw Mancurr in Wodheid constitute and 
 appoyntit ground officer, and heirby the heall tennents ar 
 ordainet to obey him, and pey in the officer dewties to him 
 wsed and wount. 
 
 Jox. Auchixleck, Scriba Curiw. 
 
 The Court of the Barronie of Wrie, haldine within the hous 
 of Androw Mancurr in Woodheid, the % de day off 
 November 1667, in name and behalfe [of] Collonel 
 
i66;] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 85 
 
 Dawid Barclay, heritable propriater of the landis qfVrie, 
 and in name and behalfe of Alexander Mowat, his baUzie. 
 Johnc Auchinleck, Clerk to the said Court, Andrew Man- 
 curr, qfficier, Robert SpairJce, Dempster. The Suitts 
 caUit, the court lawfalliefenssit and ajjirmet. 
 
 Androw Mancurr, officier. 
 
 Robert Spairke, dempster. 
 
 The quhilk day William Duthie inactis himselfe to pey his 
 heall bygone restes mailles preceiding Mertimes nixt to come 
 within ten dayes after the terme. 
 
 Margrat Cadoneheid inactis hir selfe to pey hir rests within 
 ten dayes after the terme. 
 
 Walter Wilsone inactis to pay his heall bygone restis within 
 ten dayes after the terme. 
 
 Alexander Falkoner and William Wilsone inactis themselwes 
 to pey ther heall bygane restis preceiding Mertimes nixt, and 
 the Mertimes maill, within ten dayes after the terme. 
 
 Johne Duncan inactis himselfe to pey his bygone restis within 
 ten dayes after the terme. 
 
 Magnus Broune lies peyed fourteine pundes for his Witson- 
 day customes 1667. 
 
 The haill tennantis oft 1 Irvie and Manquith ar ordained to 
 keipe themselwes from goeing throug the yeard and plantine 
 of Irvie, and whosumewer sail cut any green timber wpon the 
 water syd or Williesbog ar inacted to pey ten punds Scottis, 
 toties cjuoties, And this present Act is to be intimat be the 
 tennantis to ther subtennantis, that they pretend no ignorance. 
 
 It is inacted that the tennantis who suffers any in Staine- 
 hywe to cast or vinne turwes or peites within ther heid rowme, 
 or within the mairch off* the land, that they sail imediatlie 
 make wse off them, wtherwayes if they suffer, 1 they ar to pey 
 ten punds Scottis, toties quoties, for ilk fault. 
 
 The said day Alexander Murry in Powbair is ordainet to 
 pey to Stevin Broune ane firlot off oates for pryze corne, wilder 
 the paine of poynding, within terme of law. 
 
 Jox. An hinleck, Seriba Curias, 
 
 1 Delay. 
 
86 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [7 DEC. 
 
 The Barrone Court off the Barronie qfWrie, haldine vithin 
 the hous of Androzc Mancurr in Woodheid, the 1th day 
 of December 1667, in name of Collonel Dawid Barclay , off 
 Wrie, heritable propriatcr off the saidis landes, and Alex- 
 ander Mowat in Reidcloake, his bailzie. Johne Auchin- 
 leck, Clerk to the said Court, Androw Mancurr, his officier, 
 Robert SparJce, Dempster. The suitts callit, the court 
 lawfulUe fenssit and affirmct. 
 
 Androw Maxcur, officer. 
 
 Robert Sparke, dempster. 
 
 The said day compeiret Androw MancuiT, officier, who, in 
 name of his maister, did goe lawfullie and dacker the ground 
 for severalls thinges wanted about the hous of Wrie and wther 
 places on the ground. 
 
 The said day the officier produced some plucked wooll 1 and 
 fishes and wthers thinges found within the hous of Dawid 
 Watt in Woodheid. Quhilk wes referred to ane assysse whither 
 they found lawfull or not. 
 
 The Assysses Names. 
 Georg Cannock. William Wilsone. 
 
 Walter Wilsone. Magnus Broune. 
 
 George Lyell. Robert Lyon. 
 
 George Mackinzie. 
 Johne Mancurr. 
 Johne Erskine. 
 
 The abowwreitin assysse findes the abow wreittin thinges 
 found within the hous off the said Dawid Watt to be wnlawfull 
 and not to be his oune. Wherwpon the Judge ordaines him to 
 remowe with his wyfe and children from his hous and without 
 the ground, betuixt this and the 10th off this instant, and John 
 Mancurr, his master, inactis himselfe to put him from the 
 hous and off the toune, at or beffor the said day, wnder the 
 paine off ane hundreth pundes, and it is ordained that Androw 
 Mancurr sail be peyed off ten merkes Scottis off the first and 
 off the rediest goodes and gear belonging now to the said 
 
 1 The system of plucking the fleece, or pulling it from the sheep, instead of 
 clipping it, still maintains in Shetland ; the advantage being that the wool thus 
 obtained is longer in fibre than if it had been shorn. 
 
i66 7 ] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 87 
 
 Dawid, and it is ordained that the servant that shore for the 
 said Dawid in harvest sail be peyit, and the officer is ordained 
 to poynd for hir fie. 
 
 The said day George Lyell inactis himselfe to remowe from 
 the ground of Wrie at Witsonday nixt, and inactis himself 
 that his heall guides and gear sail be confiscatt to the Laird in 
 caice lie doe not behawe himselfe honestlie during the said 
 tyme, and ffor not remoweing at the said terme. 
 
 The said day Johne Brabner inactis himselfe to remowe 
 from the ground of Vrie at Witsonday nixt, and in caice any 
 wnlikely be found off thift or disobedience ether to his maister 
 or the officer off the ground, his haill guides and gear is to be 
 confiscat. 
 
 Johne Jamiesone in Glithno is ordainet to pey to George 
 Carnock in Cowie ane yeirs culse maill 1 and ten libs. Scottis, 
 in caice the said George sail prowe his hors ever to be teathert 
 on his grasse. And the said George inactis himselfe in the 
 contrair, and this at the nixt court day. 
 
 Jox. Auchinleck, No s : Publicus Scribd Curiae. 
 
 The Barrone Court off the Barronie off Vrie, holdine att the 
 Manor place their off, vpon the sevint day off May j m vj c 
 sextie nyne yeirs, be Alexander Keith of Cozvtoune 2 , 
 
 1 Causeway -mail : road clues. This probably refers to the tax imposed by 
 Parliament in 1634, and renewed on 22d Feb. 1661, for the upkeep of the 
 ' Kingis Calsay in Cowiemont.' We find that previous to 1630 the highway 
 from Stonehaven to Aberdeen had fallen into such serious disrepair that various 
 representations had been made to the King and his Council concerning it. The 
 Act of 1661 gives power, during a period of nineteen years, to the Bailies of 
 Aberdeen and others to uplift the following duties : ' Of everie footman two 
 pennies, of everie horseman eight pennies, of everie horseload of whatsumever 
 commoditie eight pennies, of everie ten sheep eight pennies, of everie cow or ox 
 four pennies, and of everie Pairt of whatsumever commodities two shilling, to be 
 applied for the beiting, mending, and upholding of the saids Calsayes, with 
 power to collectors to poind for payment, and to close the port of the saids Cal- 
 sayes, and suffer non to have passage that way bot such as shall pay the forsaid 
 duetie.' — Acta Pari. vol. vii. c. 61, p. 42. 
 
 2 Alexander Keith of Cowton was the lineal descendant of Alexander, fourth 
 son of William third Earl Marischal, who obtained the lands of Pittendrum in 
 Aberdeenshire, on resignation of his brother Gilbert in 15 13. Alexander Keith 
 married, in 1659, Marjory, daughter of Robert Arbuthnot of Little Fiddes. He 
 sold Cowton in 1672, and purchased in its stead the wadset of Uras, in the parish 
 of Dunnottar, becoming thereby the founder of the family of Keith of Uras, to 
 which the famous Bishop Robert Keith belonged. — MS. Pedigree of Family of 
 Marischal) in possession of Sir Patrick Keith Murray, Bart, of Ochtertyre. 
 
88 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [7 MAY 
 
 tailzie to Colonel! David Barclay of Vr'ic. Georg 
 Thomson, nottar publict, Clerk, George Forfar, officer, 
 and William King, Dempster. 
 Seetis vocatis. Curia legittime affirmata. 
 
 The said day the tennentis off Vrie and Montwhich belong- 
 ing to Colonel David Barclay being present, and it being- 
 presented to the Judge by the said Colonell David Barclay 
 that he was informed some off his tennentis did calumniate him 
 as ane opressor and exactor. This being farr from his mynd 
 as he professed he was willing that all his tennentis might be 
 heard as to their just and laufull complaints, and willinglie 
 removed himselff till these compleaintis might be given in. 
 Wherupon the tennentis being called and present to give in 
 their complaintis, they refused to doc itt in regaird they con- 
 fessed they had noe reasons soe to doe. 
 
 And as to tyme cumeing that cleanes 1 might be betwixt 
 maister and tennent as to the mater of seruice, it was frielie 
 offered by the maister that it should be in the tennentis 
 optione aither to pey hariadge, cariadge, and dew service as 
 they should be requyred, or wtherways to pay tenne merkis 
 yeirlie for the said service. The tennentis haveing considdered 
 the propositione, they all with one accord and consent agrie to 
 their giveing of dew service as they shall be requyred. And in 
 caice they failie, or any of them being so lawfullie requyred, 
 the Judge ordeanes them of their owne consent twente sex 
 shillinges eight pennies for ilk dayes failyie. From this act is 
 excepted the tennentis of Rothnick, Corsley, Tries, and Burne- 
 hauch, who are onlie to pey the tenne merkis of service siller 
 and four pundis for their — and ilk ane of their leitt of peittis 
 and swa to be frie of all wther service. The rest of the 
 tennentis in the nether barronie are obleidged for their service 
 casting and winning of their leittes of peittis, conform to their 
 assedatiounes, Powbaire onlie excepted, who is to pey money 
 for their service. And it is declaired that the Montwhich 
 men their peyment of the four pundis for the leitt of peittis 
 is in the first end of the yeirlie dewties conteaned in their 
 assedationes. 
 
 It is statute and ordeaned that the haill tennentis macke 
 
 1 A clear understanding. 
 
1 66 9 ] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 89 
 
 peyment of their Witsonday maillis and silver dewties preceislie 
 against the terme of Witsonday nixt, vnder the paine of 
 poynding, etc. 
 
 It is statute that the tennentis of the nether barronie shall 
 keip the smiddie att Cransacker with Charles Robb, smith 
 ther, and work their haill iron work with him — they getting 
 good service to pey such proportiones of oattis or meill as the 
 raaister, with the tennentis advyse, sail agrie wpone. 
 
 The said sevint day off' jNIaij 1669 it is statute and ordeaned 
 by the Judge foirsaid that the haill tennentis of the nether 
 barronie of Wrie, immediatlie efter darseing 1 of their bear seid, 
 ilk pleuch vpon advertisement furnish two men, with ane hors 
 and cairt, to work att the milne daime of Cowie till the samen 
 be sufficientlie repaired. And the pickieman is constituite 
 officer for chargeing the tennentis, and vpon refusall or 
 deficiencie and not observaince efter charge lawfullie given to 
 poynd for thrie pundis Scottis from ilk pleuch swa deficient in 
 ther dewtie. 
 
 It is ordeaned that the haill tennentis that ar deficient in 
 peyment of the Scholemaisteris ordinare dewtie macke pey- 
 ment to him of the samen, within terme of law. 
 
 The said day Georg Hunter in Tries being called for his 
 contumacious disobedience to the maisteris commandis in 
 laboring ane peice of contraverted ground betuixt Tries and 
 Brachmount, which was ordained to ly vnlabored. 
 
 The said George pleading ignorance, and it being found by 
 the Judge to have beine done vpon wther sinister grounds, 
 wherwpon the judge haveing tacken the mater to consideratione, 
 he ordeanes the said ground to ly vnlaboreit in tyme cumeing 
 till setting of marches, conforme to mutual condescendance, 
 and for his former disobedience and contempt of his maisteris 
 commandis decernes him in the sowme of fortie pundis, to be 
 peyit to the maister, within terme of law, wilder pane of 
 poynding. Geo. Thomson, Scriba. 
 
 1 We have been unable to identify this term, which does not occur in Jamieson, 
 nor in any of the various vocabularies we have had the opportunity of consulting. 
 It was probably a local expression ; but if so, its use has long since been aban- 
 doned in the district, where it is now absolutely unknown. Fortunately the 
 context renders the meaning of the term unmistakable. The tenants are sum- 
 moned to do service ' immediatlie efter darseing (or sowing) of their bear seid.' 
 
90 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [15 JAN. 
 
 The Barone Court ofDawid Burden of Wrie, huldine within 
 the plaice of Wrie, the loth day of January the yew of 
 God j m ij c and sevmtie yeires, by Alexander Keith of 
 Cowtoune, ba'rizie to the said Dawid. Johne Auchinleck, 
 notur publiet, clerk, George Forfar, officii 1 ?' . 
 
 The suittes culled and the court JuuJ'uUie affermit. 
 
 The said day the Judge ordaines and constitutes that ilk 
 plugh within the nether barronie is to send tuo sufficient men 
 and tuo horse for home-draweing off the milne stones off the 
 milne of Cowie at whatsoewer time they ar to be brought home 
 for the use of the said milne, and sicklyk they ar ordained to 
 send tuo horse and tuo men for helpeing wp the milne dame, 
 ilk plugh e of the said nether barronie, wpon lawfullie premoni- 
 tione bv the pickieman off the said milne, constitute officier for 
 that effect, wnder the failzie off sex pundes Scottis, tot'ics qaoties, 
 for ilk plugh, and this besyd the cottars and girseman if thev 
 anv haw. 1 And the cottars and girseman is to pey ilk on of 
 them the soum off fourtie schillinge Scottis for their deficiencie 
 in all tyme comeing. And the pickieman is ordained to giwe 
 notice to the master off the ground off the severall absentc ts 
 imediatlie vnder the failzie off ffourtie schillinge Scottis for ilk 
 persone that he concealls or giwe no notice therof to his said 
 master. 
 
 It is statute and ordainet that no tennant within the 
 barronie off Wrie sail at [any] time heirafter cast wp anv 
 suard ground or meddow ground for midding feall 2 or wther- 
 waves, wnder the paines conteaned in the act off parlament at 
 ilk tyme they failzie. And in caice any off' them pretend thev 
 hawe non, they ar to come to ther master or his factor, who is 
 to showe them wher they ar to cast in 3 ther severall toumes. 4 
 And if anv sail brack to advertise ther master and wiolentlie 
 brack the forsaid act, they are imediatlie to be punished 
 accordinglie. 
 
 Foralsmuch it hes beine the custome oft 1 the former actis oft' 
 1 Have any. 
 
 - Turf that is mixed with manure to form a dung heap.— Jam. 
 
 3 To make or construct, as in casting ditches. 
 
 4 Places into which rubbish or manure is emptied. — Ibid. 
 
i6/o] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 91 
 
 the courts of this land discharging all selling off peittes, 
 therffor the said Judge statutes and ordaines that no tennant, 
 cottar, nor grasman, sail presume to sell any peittes off the land 
 in all tyme comeing, without leaw askit and gewen by ther 
 master, wilder the failzie of ten pundes Scottis, toties quoties, 
 for ilk fault how oft they sail be fownd to transgress. 
 
 The act insert in the former courtis ratified anent the smith 
 that ilk tennant sail keipe the smiddie, providing they gett 
 sufficient service and pey the ordinar dewties thereto, vnder 
 failzie off the dowble off ther dewties to the said smiddie. And 
 in caice the smith sail feall to giwe readie service, the smith, 
 wpon complent maid by the tennant, is to [be] punished by his 
 master. 
 
 It is inactit (ewerie tennant being present) that they ar to 
 come and resawe in ther severall proportiones off the land off 
 the haugh 1 and buttes, 2 presentlie in ther masters hand, and 
 ear and labour the samen tymouslie to all farres. 3 
 
 It is inactit that ewerie tennant lvable for leitt peittes sail 
 cast and lead ther severall leitt peittes, halfe leitt or heall leitt, 
 in optione of ther said master, and that tymouslie, ther 
 master aloweing them, according to wse and wont, for ther 
 casting and leading, and peying them, conforme quhich is four 
 pund for ilk leitt off' peittes and ane firlott off meill. 
 
 It is ordainet that ilk persone within the ground off Wrie 
 being lawfullie sumondit to come to the Barrone Court within 
 the ground, and does failzie to come after they being lawfullie 
 warned, sail pey for ther contumacie the soume off fourtie 
 schillinge Scottis, without they instruct 4 relevant excuses. 
 
 Jox. Auchixleck, Seriba Curice. 
 
 The Barroun Court of the Barronie of Vrie pertearmng 
 heriteiblie to David Bctrelay of Vrie, holdin within the 
 meinour place therqf, vpon the tuentie thrid deiy of A gust 
 j m vj c sevintie tzco, by Alexander Keith of Coictoune. 
 
 1 Low-lying flat ground, properly on the border of a river, and such as is 
 sometimes overflowed.— yaw. 
 
 8 Small piece of ground disjoined from the adjacent lands. — Ibid. 
 
 3 Boundaries; properly ridges marked out by the plough. — Ibid. 
 
 4 To prove clearly. —Ibid. 
 
92 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [23 AUG. 1672 
 
 tailzie, Georg Thomson, nottar Clerk, Thomas Kergie, 
 officer, James Melvall, Dempster. 
 
 The which day David and James Wyes in Woodheid, Walter 
 Wilson at Milne of Cowie, Alexander and James Lyell in 
 Cairnetoune and maines of Vrie, being personallie present, 
 Alexander Wyllie in Powbair, Issobell Wyllie in Magray, 
 Janet Rollock, relict of John Auchenleck, for the said rowme 
 of Magray, being lawfullie warned to ther dyet, and it being 
 holdin furth be the said David Barclay to the said Alexander 
 Keith, bailyie, that he haveing requyred and desyred his 
 tennentis afoirsaid tymeouslie to have peyit in their meill and 
 bear ferme for the crope j m vj c sevintie one last past, and had 
 promised to have helped them who soe peyit in their bollis 
 with victuall in sarins 1 at the merchantis pryee. Notwithstand- 
 ing quherof the foirnamed persones, and ilk ane of them, wer 
 resting seuerall bollis of beare and meill for the said crope, and 
 therfor craveing they might be decerned to pey such pryces 
 therfoir as he haid receaved for the rest of his ferme victuall 
 crope foirsaid, Viz. : Tenne merkis for ilk boll of beare and 
 sex pundis for ilk boll of meill, and that preceislie befor or at 
 the terme of Martimes nixt to come. 
 
 Which desyre being by the foirsaid bailyie considdered and 
 found reasonable, and the tennentis present haveing noething 
 to object in the contrair, he decerned and decernes ilk ane of 
 saidis tennentis for ther awine pairtis to satisfie and pey to 
 their said maister the foirsaid sowme of tenne merkis Scotts for 
 ilk rest boll of beare and sex pundis money foirsaid for ilk rest 
 boll of meill dew be them for the crope forsaid, and that pre- 
 ceislie at or befoir the said terme of Martimes nixt to come, 
 vnder the pane of poynding of their readiest goodis and geir. 
 
 Sicklyke, complaint being maid by the gardner that some 
 people within the ground did break the orchard dykes and 
 steall furth therof turnepes and carrottis and wther rootis ; It 
 is therfor inacted by the Judge foirsaid that whoever shall be 
 found guiltie of the cryme forsaid and convict therof sail be 
 punished and fyned, conforme to the acts of parliament, and 
 the ground officer to poynd therfor. Al. Keith, 
 
 Geo. Thomson, Scriba Cnr'uv. 
 
 Services of food for a man or beast.— Jam. 
 
18 may 1 674] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 93 
 
 The Barronie Court of the lands and barronie of Vrie, belong- 
 ing heretablie to David Barclay, koldine within the 
 Manour place of Vrie vpone the eightene day of Mai j 
 j m vj c sevintic four ycircs, be Alexander Keith qfCowtoune, 
 bailyie, George Thomsone, nottar Clerk, Thomas Kergie, 
 officiar, William Carnegie, Dempster. 
 
 Sectis vocatis Curia Icgift'nna affirmata. 
 
 The whilk day conipt and reckoning being maid betwixt the 
 said David Barclay and AValter Wilsone, his tennent at the 
 milne of Cowie, for his bygone rest dewtie 1673, And it is 
 found by Walter, his awine confessione, that he is resting eight 
 bollis beare, thrie firlottis and tuo pecks meill, and thrie scoir 
 pundis money, wherof the Judge foirsaid ordeanes the said 
 Walter to mack peyment to his master within fyifteine dayes, 
 vnder the paine of poynding of his readiest guidis and geir, 
 and failyieng of peyment at the day foirsaid decernes him to 
 pey sex pundis fyve shillinge for ilk boll of beare, and such 
 pryce for the meill as he gettis from wtheris to whome he sellis 
 the same. 
 
 Sicklyke, compt and reckoning being maid with Alexander 
 Wyis in Woodheid. The said Alexander acknowledges he is 
 resting four bollis meill crope 1673, wherof the bailzie ordeanes 
 him to make peyment to his master within fyifteine dayes, 
 vnder paine oft' poynding, at such rate and pryce as the said 
 David Barclay, his said maister, gettis for the rest of his meil. 
 
 James Presho in Magray haveing beine lawfullie summoned 
 to this dyet of court oft tymes called and not compeirand, the 
 said David Barclay declaired to the judge foirsaid that he had 
 set vp accompt with the said James sincerlie, and he was 
 trewlie resting thrie bollis beare of the crope 1672 and 
 eighteine bollis beare for the crop 1673, wherof the bailyie 
 ordeanes the said James Preschoe to make peyment to his said 
 maister within fyifteine dayes, vnder paine of poynding, and 
 failyieing of peyment at the day foirsaid sex pundis fyve 
 shillinges for ilk boll of the said beare, both cropes. 
 
 The said day Walter Wilsone, David and Alexander Wyiss, 
 being removeing tennentis, are with their awine consentis 
 ordeaned to cast and wine the leit peittis for this yeir 1674, 
 
94 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [14 MAR. 
 
 and the incumeing tennent ordeaned to lead the samen, for 
 which the caster and winner is to have the ordinar allowance of 
 meill and the leader of the peittis the money, and this forme 
 is ordeaned to be keiped amongst the tennentis of the saidis 
 landis as to outgoer and incomer in tyme comeing. 
 
 The said day the ground maister, considdering the trouble 
 the tennentis ar at in vpholding the milne dame, moved to 1 
 these that wer present befor the judge what they wer willing 
 to give yeirlie to the miller to wphold their proportiones of the 
 said milne dame, and they frielie offered ane firlot of meill 
 yeirlie for ilk pleuch, and theirfor the judge decernes ilk pleuch 
 to pey the said miller yeirlie ane firlot of meill for wpholding 
 their proportione of the said dame. And the cotter and grasmen 
 to be lyable in halff ane peck ilk ane of them theirof. 
 
 The said day it is, with consent of the tennentis present and 
 William Gibbon, entring tennent at the milne of Cowie, 
 ordeaned by the judge foirsaid that the pickieman at the said 
 milne shall have ane cogill 2 of meill for grinding fy ve peckis of 
 shilling or malt, keiping the peck as formerlie, and this by and 
 attour the tennentis guidwill at their owne pleassour to the 
 pickieman, his servant, for such service as he sail doe to them. 
 
 The said day the tennentis present, of their awine consent, 
 are ordeaned ilk pleuch to pay tenne merkis yeirlie for their 
 service as formerlie in caice they satisfie nocht the laird with 
 corne and fodder for the same. Al. Keith, 
 
 Geo. Thomson, Scriba Curiae. 
 
 14 March 1679. 
 
 Court qf the landes and baronie qf Wrie, belonging heritablie 
 to David and Robert Barclayes, holdine be the said Robert, 
 personallie present, by Johne Er shine in Glithnoe, bailzie, 
 within George Selbie, f idler at the manor place. George 
 Thomsone, notter publict, Clerhe qf Court, Thomas 
 Ke\rgie\ qffi\ciar\ and , Dempster. 
 
 The Court being laufidlie affirmed. 
 
 The said day the Judge forsaid ordaines the heall tennentis 
 
 1 Asked. 
 
 2 A measure used at mills containing the fourth part of a peck.— -Jam. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 95 
 
 of the barrony of Wrie to lead and carrie to the mill of Cowie 
 ilke pleweh ffour wyises 1 of strae for thatching of the said 
 mill, and that betwixt and the last of March instant, wnder the 
 failzie of tuelff pennies ilk wyise, and ordaines the saids 
 tennentis, wpon William Gibones advertisement, to carie to the 
 said mill the trees that lye at Reedcloake for the wse of the 
 said mill, and that wnder the failzie of tuentie shilling Scotes 
 to be peyed by the refuseris wpon the said adverticement. 
 
 Jo. Erskixe, bealie. 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, N.P., Clericus Curia?. 
 
 24 March 1679. 
 
 The said day ane compleant being given in by Thomas 
 Kergie, plentive, for and in name of James Baginet in 
 Muchallis, and gave in the said compleant against James 
 Melvine, servitor to George Selbie, fuller, at the walke mill of 
 Wrie, showing wheras ther being some wordes passing betwixt 
 the saids parties, they bothe straike and bett ilke ane another 
 within the said George Selbie his house. And the said James 
 Melvine, compeiring personallie, acknowledged the stricking of 
 the said James Baginet, in respecte wherof the said John 
 Erskine amerciat the said James Melvine in ane wnlaw of ten 
 pounds and in the assythment of 40 shilling to the said James 
 Baginet for the wrong sustained by him, and peyment to be 
 maid therof within terme of law, and executione to pas heirone 
 in forme as effieris. Jo. Erskixe, bealie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, N.P., Cls. Curias : 
 
 24 Marty 1679. 
 The said day compeired Thomas Kergie, procurator for 
 Robert Murray, residenter in Newcastell, and gave in ane 
 clame at the instance of the said Robert against the said 
 James Melvine for peyment macking to him of the soume of 
 tenn merkis Scotis money. The said James compeiring, 
 acknouleidgit the forsaid clame, in respect quherof the said 
 John Erskine, bailzie, decernet the said James Melvine to pey 
 and satisffie the samen, And lyikwayes decerned the said 
 
 Trusses. 
 
96 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [29 JULY 
 
 George Selbie, who compeiring lykways and confessing to be 
 debiter to the said Robert Murray therof at the said George 
 his terme of peyment, wherto the said James assented, and 
 whervpone the said Judge interpones his authoritie. 
 
 Jo. Erskixe, bealie, 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Clericus Curiae. 
 
 Wrie, 29 July 1682. 
 
 The haill tennenties of Montquheich being conveined, they 
 and everie one of them amicablie concord and condiscend to 
 lead this instant yeir ane leit of peates out of the latch of 
 Glithnoe and moss of Cairn toune, quhich are castine by the 
 laird, and to carrie the same to the peat hill of Wrie betwixt 
 and the eight day of Agust nixt, and everie plewch condiscend 
 to furnish three horss till the said leit beis ledd, For quhich the 
 laird is to furnish mans meat and hors meat, and this noewayes 
 to infer any preparative of yeirlie service of such nature. 
 
 Da. Barclay. 
 
 Alexr. Mo watt, bey elk. 
 
 Curia terrarum et Baron'nv de Wrie, tent a in Maneriej loco 
 ejusdem vigesimo nemo die mensis July millesimo sexcen- 
 tesimo oetuageshno secundo per AUexandrum Mowed in 
 Reedcloake, ballivum honor abUium virorum Davidis et 
 Robert) Barelayes deWrie, Georgium Thomsone, notarium 
 publicum, Scribam curia?, Thomam Kergie, officiarium, et 
 Jacobum Sinclair, Dempsterum. Sectis vocatis Curia 
 legittime affirm at a. 
 
 The said [day] in presence of the said David Barclay and 
 his said balzie and als the heall tennentis of the baronies of 
 Wrie and Montwheich being personallie present, the Laird 
 and balzie ordained the heall tennentis of both baronies to set 
 and plant trees yeirlie in their respective yeardes, to wit, ashes, 
 plaines, birkes, fir or rountrie, geintrie, To wit everie husband- 
 mane yeirlie sex trees, every cottar three, and everie grasman 
 two trees yeirlie, and that wnder the failzie of eight poundis 
 everie husbandman, everie cottar ffourtie shilling, and every 
 grasman twentie shilling, whilkis trees, of the qualities for- 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 97 
 
 saidis, the saidis tennentis are ordained to come and receive 
 from the Laird or his gairdner yeirlie at Michalmas and 
 March, begining at Michalmas nixt, in the yeire of God above 
 wreittin, and swa to continue during the tacks, wherof the 
 heail tennentis acceptes. 
 
 Da. Barclay. 
 
 Alexr. Mowatt, bey lie. 
 
 Geo. Thomson, Scriba Curiae. 
 
 At Wrie the twentie nynt day of Julij j m vj c eighth two yeires. 
 
 The said day John Mowat in Rothnicke, being persewed 
 at the instance of Alexander Thorn in Balnagight for the 
 alleadged wrongous clipping and marking of ane wedder 1 
 belonging to the said Alexander, which, being exameined, the 
 said Alexander Thorn declaired the said wedder was strayed 
 and away from the rest of his sheep the speace of eight dayes, 
 and he, macking inquerie therfor, ffound his said sheep pastur- 
 ing promiscuouslie amongest the said John Mowates sheepe 
 and otheris in the hill, and that his sheep was clipped and 
 marked with the said John Mowat his sheepes marke, but 
 wold not imput the same to be done aither be the said John 
 nor his servantes. The said John Mowat compeiring judici- 
 allie and interrogat annent the premisses, the bailzie, instead 
 of ane farder probatione, remitted the same to his oath of 
 veritie simpliciter, who deponed solemnlie that he, his wyff, 
 bairnes, nor servantis, to his knowledge, never clipped nor 
 marked the said sheep directlie nor indirectlie. Wherwpon 
 the bailzie absolves the said John Mowat from the forsaid 
 alleadged cryme, and ordaines Thorn to intromet with his 
 awine sheep, and to dispone theirone at his pleassour. 
 
 Alexr. Mowatt, beyelie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Seriba Curice. 
 
 Court of' the lands and Barony of Wrie and Montqwheich 
 pertaining to Collonell Dawid Barcklay of Wrie and 
 Robert Barclay ', far 2 therof holdine at Wrie in presence 
 
 1 It is still the custom in certain districts for owners to distinguish sheep 
 which are fed on common pasturage by cutting or ' clipping ' each his private 
 mark upon the ears of those which belong to him. 
 
 2 One who has the reversion of property.— Jam. 
 
 (1 
 
THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [2S tan. 
 
 of the said Robert Barcllay, upon the ticent'ie eight day 
 of Jamtarij j m vj* eightie Jour yeires. by John Erskine 
 in Glithnoe. bafcie. George Thom$om\ notar publict. 
 Clerke of Court. Ja. Sinclair, Phiscult. Thomas Kerg'u\ 
 offieiar. and Dempster. Ja. Sinclair , 
 
 Fiscal!. Scctis vocatu curie legittime affirmata. 
 
 The which day the judge forsaid. talking to con side rati one 
 ane compleant given in befor him be the said James Sinclair, 
 procurator fiscall. against William Gibons at mill of Cowie, 
 William Gibons younger ther. John Cruishanke ther, William 
 Mowat in Trees, Allexander Wylie in Powbair. William 
 Mowat in Rothnicke, Hugh Mowat at Mill of Monthqwheich. 
 James Gordoune in Rothnicke. James Broune in Magray, 
 William Falconar in Glithnoe. and Allexander Mowat in 
 Croslev. ffor ilke ane of the foirnamed persones ther trans- 
 gressing his Majesties actis of parliament in carrying of gunes, 
 pistoless, and other fyre ingynes. and for killing of hares, 
 doves, partriges, duke and draike, and otheris forbidden be 
 the saids, and particulate the fyifteint parliament of King 
 James the Sext, cap. 2-t8. and the other actes maid against 
 the saids forbidden ffoullis, like ane of the foirnamed persones 
 compeiring personallie acknowledged ther having off gunnes, 
 and that thev had killed ffoullis and haires and otheris pro- 
 hibited be the actes of parliament. The saids Hugh Mowat 
 and James Gordoune acknowledged having off gunnes and 
 grewhound dogs wherwith they had killed haires. etc. 
 
 The said balzie, taiking the fforsaids confessiones to his 
 consideratione, and efter revising the saids actes of parliament, 
 Decerned and decernes ilke ane of the foirnamed persones in 
 ane wnlaw of ten pounds Scotes money, and ordaines the saids 
 actes to be put to executione, conform to the tenor theroff, 
 and to delvver wp ther severall gunes, pistolets, or other Afire 
 inorynes thev have in ther custodves to the saids Collonell 
 
 r?. - ■ 
 
 David and Robert Barclayes immediatlie, and this present act 
 to be put in executione in forme as effieris, and ilke ane of 
 them to fluid cautione conform to the actes off parliament. 
 R. Barclay. Jo. Ersklxe, baylie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, X.P.. 
 Cls. Curia?. 
 
i68 4 ] 
 
 THE BARONY OF UKIE 
 
 99 
 
 28 January 1684. 
 
 Ordaines the heall tennents that they doe not in any tyme 
 heirefter carry with horss or otherwayes any peats to Stonhwe. 
 wnder the falzie off tenn pounds, without libertie of the 
 master. Jo. Erskixe, Baily. 
 
 Court of the hauls and Barony of Wrie, and Montqwheich^ 
 belonging to Robert Barclay of Wrie, holdine within 
 the Manor place of Wrie he John Erskine in Glithnoe, 
 haihie, George Thomson, notar publict, Clerke of Court. 
 Thomas Kergie, officio r, and Dempster, 
 this threttie day of December j m vjc eight ic nyne y circs. 
 The mitts called and the Court laufuUie fenced and 
 affirmed. 
 
 The said day the said Robert Barclay of Wrie and his said 
 balzie taiking to ther consideratione the great burdence of 
 quartering of trouperis and souldieris wpon the lands of Mill 
 of Cowie, Magray, Powbair, Woodhead, and Glithnoe, in ther 
 transeunt quarteris, and that the tounes and lands of Crossley, 
 Rothnike, ZVIill of Montqwheich, Burnhauch, Trees, and Bal- 
 nagight are frie of the saids transeunt quarterings, therfor 
 that the saids laigh roumes above mentioned mey be eased of 
 ther burdeine of furnishing baggadge horss to souldieris and 
 trouperis when quartering occurres in tyme comeing, it is 
 statute, apoynted, and ordained that the saids wpper toones 
 and lands furnish for transporting baggadge tenn horss, To 
 wit, Crossley one horss, Rothnik thre hors, Mill of Mont- 
 qwheich one hors, Trees and Burnhaugh three horss, Glithnoe 
 and Balnagight two horss, and ordaines William Durie, Wm. 
 Knollis, and Alexander Lyell, wpon adverticement from William 
 Gibons or Allexander Wylie, to goe imediatly efter adver- 
 ticement as said is to the saids wpper roumes wpon night or 
 day, and to order the saids lands to bring furtli ther horss 
 proportionate as they are appoynted to Stonhyve against 
 the particular hour wherto they are adverticed, witli such fur- 
 niture as shall be ordained, begining first at Rothnik and 
 Crossley, nixt Mill of Montqwheich, Burnhaugh, and Trees, 
 and lastly Glithnoe and Balnagight, and swa furth eircuitlie 
 
100 THE COURT BOOK OF [8 FEB. 
 
 by turnes, that 11011 mey be burdeined be otheris ; 1 and in caice 
 of the recusantis or not tymeus comeing wp to Stonhyve 
 against the hour appoynted, the failzieris are heirby enacted 
 and decerned in ane wnlaw of ten merkis toties quoties they 
 faill in ther respective obedience and performances, and ordaines 
 poynding to pas heirone as effieris, and in respect Glithnoe is 
 sometimes burdened with quartering, therfor ordaines the 
 saids premonisheris to ease the said toune (when quartered 
 wpon) of anie hors at that tyme. 
 
 11. Baiiclay. 
 
 Jon. Euskix, Bealyie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, N.P., Scriba Curie. 
 
 Octavo February 1692. 
 
 Court of the lands and Barrony of Wry, perteining heritably 
 to Robert Barclay of Wry, hold'in within the said 
 Manour place, in presence of the said Robert, by William 
 Gibone at Mill of Cowie, Balzie, chosen to the said court, 
 Alexander Wylie in Pozvbair, procuratour Fiscall, 
 George Thomsone, nottar publict, Clerlce of Court, 
 Thomas Kergie, qfficiar, and Dempster. 
 The suittis called and the court laufullie affenced. 
 
 The whicb day the said Balzie taiking to his serius con- 
 sideratione and compleant givein in befor him at the instance 
 of the said procuratour fiscall against George Mowat in Trees, 
 William Mowat in Rothnicke, James Broune in Magray, 
 Alexander Broune in Woodhead, James Haig, gairdner at Wry, 
 George Knoullis in Kairntoune, James Lightoune in Wood- 
 head, Andro Melvine in Maines of Wrie, Johne Melvine ther, 
 William Binnie ther, who being all sumoned and personallie 
 apprehended and sicklyike compeirand to answer to the poyntis 
 of the said procuratour fiscall his said compleant given in this 
 day and plaice — That is to say, for transgressing the severall 
 lawes and actis of parliament, and particularlie the fifteint 
 parliament of King James the Sext, capt. 248, wherby the 
 killing of haires, doves, partriges, moorefoullis, duke and 
 draike, and otheris therein specifeit, are expresslie prohibited 
 
 More than others. 
 
I6 9 2] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 101 
 
 to be killed with gunns, pistollis, stamps, girnes, or sucli other 
 ingynes, wnder the paines and penalties expresslie therin set 
 doune, and the heall foirnamed persoines, personallie present, 
 being by the said judge interrogat anent the premisses, they 
 and ilke ane of them acknowledged and confessit the killing of 
 hairis with gunes and other ingynes. The saids George Mowat, 
 James Broune, Andro Melvine, William Mowat, James Haig, 
 sicklyike acknouledged ther killing of moore foullis and par- 
 triges with gunnes, which poyntis of dittay the said balzie 
 haveing advyised and being therwith reaplie informed be the 
 heall foirnamed persones ther above written confessiones, finds 
 ther heall moveablis to become escheat in respect of the carry- 
 ing of gunns, ordaining the saids gunns to be delyvered up to 
 ther said master, and decernes ilke ane of them in the soume 
 of twentie merkis less or more, appoynted to be peyed be ilke 
 ane of them for killing of the saids haires and wild foullis, 
 and therfor decerned and ordained, and heirby decernes and 
 ordaines peyment of the saids fynes to be made within terme 
 of law, with certificatione as effieris, and ordaines the clerke of 
 Court to extract precepts for the causses forsaids in forme as 
 effieris. In testimonie wherof the said balzie lies heirto inter- 
 poned his autoritie and subscryvit thir presentis with the said 
 Robert Barclay and clerke of court, etc. 
 
 R. Barclay. 
 
 Will. Gibox, baillzie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, N.P., Clerkus Curie. 
 
 Court of the lands' and baronie of Wrie, holdine within the 
 manor place tlicrof zvpon the nynt day of Apryllj" 1 vj c 
 nyntie two yeiris, by William Gibone at Mill of Cowie, 
 balzie to ane honorable gentleman Robert Barclay of 
 Wry, George Thomsone, nottar publict, clerke of Court, 
 Allexander Wylic in Powbair, procurator Fiscally Thomas 
 Kaitgie, officiate and Dempster. Sect is 
 
 vocati.s Curia legittime affirmata. 
 
 The whilke day the said Allexander Wylie, procurator fiscall, 
 gave in ane Indytment against John Buchane, in Magray, for 
 his stealing and away taiking of certaine peattis furth of the 
 
102 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [9APRIL1692 
 
 peat stackis of Allexander Burnet, in Cowie, some tymes by- 
 gane. The said John Buchane, being eited to this day and 
 place, compeiring personallie and interrogat annent the said 
 thift and cryme, he judiciallie acknowledged that he helped 
 and assisted his wyf to carrie away ane backe burdeine of the 
 said Allexander Burnet his peattis, and that he carried away 
 ane burdeine of some person's peatis furth of the moss himself, 
 but knew not to whom the same pertained, and that he hade 
 severall tymes carried away gathrings of lairis 1 of peatis of 
 other persones furth of the moss, but never anie more belong- 
 ing to Allexander Burnet. The said bailzie taiking the said 
 John his confessione to eonsideratione, he fyns and amerciatis 
 the said John Buchane in ane unlaw of twentie pounds Scotis, 
 and to give satisfactione to the said Allexander Burnet at the 
 said Robert Barclay or his said balzie's arbitrement, and 
 ordanis precepts to be direct heirone as effieris. In witnes 
 wherof the said balzie and clerke have subscrivit thir presentis, 
 and inacts and statutes, in caice any such ryotis shall heir- 
 efter be done in the ground, that the persons found guyltie 
 shall be imediatly removed fra ther possessions, and put in the 
 SherefTs hands for ther ffynes. 
 
 Will. Gibox, balzie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, X.P. Clericus Curie. 
 
 Barrone Court of the lands and haronie qf Wrie, periamemg 
 heretabUe to ane honorable gentleman Robert Barclay qf 
 Wrie, heretable proprietor there f holden withm the great 
 hall erf Urie, upon the tuentie fourth day of May f'v'f 
 nyntie eight year is, in presence qf the said Robert Bar- 
 clay, by James Thomsone in Stonhyve, balzie. George 
 Thomsone, nottar publict, clerk qf court. John Buchan, 
 officer. William Gibone at Mill qf Stonhive, procurator 
 Fiscally and Dempster. Sect is 
 
 vocatis curia legittime affirmata. 
 
 The which day the said Robert Barclay, in obedience to the 
 Councillis proclamatione emitted for mantaineing of the poor 
 within this kingdom, ordaineing and appoynting the heritors, 
 
 Places for spreading peats to dry.— Jam. 
 
24 may 1698] THE BARONY OF URIE 103 
 
 ministers, and kirk-sessione of the respective parishes within 
 the samen, to appoynt provisione for the severall poore within 
 ther particular parishes, as the said act bearis. In obedience 
 to which the haill heritoris within the parish of Fetteresso 
 haveing unanitnouslie, with concourse of the minister, elders, 
 and kirksessione of the said parish, aggreed wpon and condi- 
 scended that ilk ane of them shall maintaine the poor within 
 thair particular lands by themselfes and thair tenents, and to 
 give badges 1 to such as are travelling within ther own grounds. 
 Therfor the said Robert Barclay and his said balzie appoynts 
 and ordans ane peck and ane half peck of meall to be given 
 weekly to Rachel Lightoune, in Glithno, blind woman, and 
 ane servant to attend her. Sicklyke appoynts half ane peck 
 of meall weekly to be given to Alexander Burnet, in Powbair, 
 his children, and ordains badges to be given to the persones 
 following, Viz*., Isobell Murray in Glithno, Marioun Ritchie 
 thair, tuo children of Alexander Burnetis thair, Margaret 
 Boys in Magro, and George Mill at Mill of Montwheich, and 
 ordainis half ane peck of meall weekly to Margaret Lyell and 
 her children, which quantity of victuall to be given out to 
 beddells, 2 extends to weekly two peckis half peck meall, and 
 ordains the saids beddalls to begin at William Gibone at Mill 
 of Cowie, and receave from him the saids tuo pecks half peck 
 meall, commenseing upon the tuentie thrid of May instant, 
 which compleits his peyment to them for fyftine weekis nixt 
 therafter ; 2dly, appoynts them to goe to James Brown in 
 Maigroe, and ther to receave the like quantity for the sub- 
 sequent week, which compleitis his payment for the space 
 forsaid ; 3dly, appoyntis them to goe to Powbair, and ther 
 to receave fyve peckis meall, which compleitis Janet Mowat 
 ther her payment for tuo weeks, for the space of fyftine weeks 
 therafter ; 4tly, to goe to the Mains of Urie to the laird 
 himself, and ther to receave the like fyve pecks, which com- 
 
 1 The ' beggars badge ' conferred the right to solicit alms within a certain 
 district. It was generally made of pewter, and bore, in addition to the name of 
 the parish from which it was issued, a number corresponding to that which the 
 recipient held in the parish alms-book. The Fetteresso badges are of copper. 
 They are oval in form, and measure 3 inches by 4^ inches. 
 
 2 Licensed beggars. 
 
104 THE COURT BOOK OF [24 may 
 
 pleits his payment for tuo weeks to them for the said space of 
 fyftine weeks ; 5tly, to goe to Balnagight, tlier to receave 2 
 pecks half peck meall, which compleits his payment for one 
 week to him for the said space ; 6tly, to Glithno 2 pecks half 
 peck meall for the said space ; 7tly, Rothnike 5 pecks for tuo 
 weeks, compleiting as afforsaid ; 8tly, Crossley 2 pecks half 
 peck meall for one week, compleiting as said is, includeing 
 Mill of Montwheich ; 9tly, Burnhaugh 2 pecks half peck for 
 one week, compleiting as said is ; lOtly, Trees 2 pecks half 
 peck for one week, compleiting as said is; ll ly , Woodheads a 
 2 pecks half peck for one week, which compleits as afforsaid. 
 The said balzie ordains the said method and order to be keept 
 in tyme comeing, aye and till the counsell shall rescind ther for 
 said act ; and whoever shall be deficient or disobedient to give in 
 thair forsaides contributiones weekly, in maner above appoynted, 
 amerciatis the deficient in the double of the quantity, and 
 executione to pass heiron as effeiris, wherunto the said bailzie 
 interpones his authority. Ja. Thomsoxe, baylie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Clerieus. 
 
 Uric the tuentie fourth day of May 1698 years. 
 
 The said day anent ane complent given in by William 
 Gibone, at Mill of Cowie, against the haill tennents within the 
 sucken of the said Mill, for ther abstracting of ane great 
 quantity of ther grindable grane of the said Mill. The said 
 balzie enacts and ordains ilk ane of the saids tennents to corn- 
 pone and aggree with the said William Gibone within fyftine 
 days after this date, otherwayes decernitur conforme to his 
 clame ; and als statuts and ordains that noe persone nor per- 
 sons within the said Mill sucken, shall abstract any of ther 
 grindable grane from the said mill in tyme comeing, under the 
 pain of the double of the quantity and quality of the said 
 grane suae abstracted, and shall be oblidged to make faith 
 theranent, otherwayes decerniture, 1 wherto the said balzie 
 interpones his authority. 
 
 Ja. Thomsoxe, baylie. 
 Geo. Thomsone, Cls. 
 
 1 A decree or sentence of a court, sometimes as enforcing payment of a debt. 
 — /am. 
 
1698] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 105 
 
 The said day Hugh Mowat, at Mill of Montwheich, gave in 
 the like complent against the tennentis within the sucken of 
 the Mill. The said balzie considering the samen statuts, 
 enacts, decerns, and ordains, in maner and conforme the forsaid 
 decernitur past in favours of the forsaid William Gibone, and 
 -ordains executioune to pass heiron as effeirs, wherunto the said 
 balzie interpones his authority. 
 
 J a. Thomson, Bay Me. 
 Geo. Thomsone, Cls. 
 
 Urie, the 24 May 1698 yearis. 
 
 The said day the said balzie statuts, enacts, and ordains that 
 non of the subtenentis of the toune and lands of Glithnoe shall 
 cast, won, lead, transport, or away carie, or sell, any peats furth 
 of the latch of Glithnoe, moss or banks therof, in any tyme 
 comeing, and particularlie from putting of any peatis in stackis 
 or selling any to the toune of Stonhive, or any other personc 
 or place whatsomever, under the penaltie of ten pounds, toties 
 quoties any person shall be found guilty therof, permitting and 
 excaipting alwayes James Smith, cotterman in Glithnoe, to 
 •cast such peatis therin as may serve him in fire allenerly, with- 
 out selling any peatis, and ordains executione to pass heiron as 
 <effeiris, whereunto the said balzie interpones his authority. 
 
 Ja. Thomsone, baylie. 
 Geo. Thomsons, Ch. 
 
 Urie, 24 May 1698 yearis. 
 
 James Thomsone, balzie. 
 
 The whilk day, anent the actione and cause intented and 
 perseued at the instance of William Gibone at Mill of Ston- 
 hyve, Procuratour Fiscall, of the said Robert his Barone Court 
 against the persones after mentioned, makeing mentione that 
 wher by the 6 Act of 6 Session of His Majestic King William 
 his first parliament it is expresslie statute and ordained that, 
 from and after the first day of January then next to come all 
 sorts of meall bought and sold within this kingdome shall be 
 sold and delivered be weight at 8 ston Troys weight in place 
 
106 THE COURT BOOK OE [24 may 
 
 of the boll of Litligo measure, 1 and soe proportioiiallie, and 
 that under the pains contained in the said tack [? Act], And 
 sicklyke be the 37 Act of the said parliament it is statute and 
 ordained that in tyme comeing all malt that is sold and 
 bought within the kingdomc shall be delivered with the heap 
 measure 2 according to the bear firlot of the place wher it is 
 delivered, certifieing the leiges 3 and under the amerciaments 
 contained in the saids acts. Nevertheless true it is and of 
 verity William Gibon at Mill of Cowie and otheris, the 
 persones underwryttin, within the saids lands and baronie of 
 Wrie, are guilty of the saids acts made both anent meall and 
 malt since the saids acts of parliament had prohibit the samen T 
 the quantities wherof they cannot particularlie condiscend on 
 at the tyme nor make faith theranent, and therfor the said 
 William Gibone, Alexander Mackie, his pikieman, Alexander 
 Broun in Maigroe, Janet Mowat in Powbair, Elizabeth 
 Douglas in Glithnoe, Alexander Broun and James Edward in 
 Woodhead, William Mowat in Rothnick, Margaret Wylie 
 ther, John Wylie in Crossley, Hugh Mowat at Mill of Mont- 
 wheich, William Thonisone ther, William Duthie in Burn- 
 liaugh, George Mowat in Trees, George Troup in Cramsaker, 
 are not only guilty themselves, but also ther wifes, in selling 
 particular quantities of the said prohibited victuall, and in 
 respect the saids persones could not condiscend upon the samen 
 particular quantities sua sold be them or ther wifes in nianer 
 lybelled be the said procuratour u'scall, the quantities and 
 
 1 The Act of King William above referred to aimed at bringing about a 
 uniform standard of Dry Measures such as had not hitherto prevailed in Scotland. 
 The nominal standard for meal was the Linlithgow boll, but the capacity of the 
 actual measures used in the various counties only approximated to the Linlithgow 
 measure, and hence it was only by discarding these altogether, and substituting 
 weight for measurement, that an absolute uniformity could be obtained. Eight 
 stone Troy was therefore constituted the standard boll. A stone Scots Troy, or 
 Dutch weight, as it was also termed, consisted of \"]\ pounds avoirdupois. — 
 Elgin's Tables, p. 1 6. 
 
 - Heap measure is that in which the measure is heaped with the hand till it 
 can hold no more. It is opposed to sleaks or streeks, where the measure is only 
 filled up to the edge of the wood or a little higher. 
 
 3 Certifieing the leiges, warning the vassals. Certification means the assurance 
 given to a party of the course to be pursued in case he disobeys the order of the 
 court. — Bell's Lan< of Scotland, p. 148. 
 
1698] THE BARONY OF URIE 107 
 
 qualities wherof are more particularlie mentioned and set 
 doune in the said lybell and indictment : Therefor the said 
 balzies, takeing ther saids confessions of ther said guilt, 
 decerned and ordained, and heirby decernes and ordaines them 
 to make payment to the said procuratour fiscall, informer, of 
 the double of the value of ilk quantity of the samen suae sold 
 be them contrar to the saids acts of parliament, and ordains 
 incarceratione of ther persones at the said Robert Barclay his 
 pleasure, and ordains all executione to pass against them in 
 forme as effeiris, wherunto the said judge and ballzie lies 
 interponed, and heirby interpones, ther authority, and which 
 act is subscryvit be the said Robert Barclay. 
 
 R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsoxe, baylie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Cls. 
 
 Court of the lands and baronie of Uric, holdcn within the 
 manor place therqf, wpon the tuentie seventh day of May 
 1698 yearis, by James Thomsonc in Stonhive, balrsie to 
 Robert Barclay of Urie, heritable proprietar of the said 
 lands and baronie there)/', in his personall presence; 
 George Thomsone, nottar pnblict, Clerk of Court, Johnc 
 Davine in Stonhyve^ Procuratour Fiscall, John Buchan, 
 officer and Dempster. 
 
 The Sides being called, the Court laufullie affirmed. 
 
 The quhilk day, in presence of the said Robert Barclay of 
 Urie, the said John Davin, procurator fiscall. gave in ane 
 lybell and indictment against John Knows, servitor to William 
 Knows in Urie, mentioneing wheras the said John Knows was 
 ane commune and notour thieff by stealing certane cloaths and 
 other particulars furth of the house of Springhall, and par- 
 ticularly ane pair of sheets and several clews of yearne 1 furth 
 of the said house, and being lawfully summoned be the said 
 ground officer to have compeared this day and place to have 
 answered befor the said judge at the instance of the said 
 procurator fiscall to underly the law for the forsaid crime of 
 thift, the said John Knows being oft tymes called and not 
 
 1 Balls of thread. 
 
108 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [22 MAR. 
 
 compeirand, the said judge and balzie fund him guilty of thift, 
 and declares him fugitive and outlaw, and ordains his haill 
 moveable goods and gear to be escheat and inbrought to the 
 said fiscall his use for the said John his contempt and dis- 
 obedience, and ordains his persone to be apprehended in caice 
 he shall be found within the said baronie of Urie and brought 
 to condigne punishment for the said crime, and ordains all 
 executioun neccssar to pass heiron as effeiris. 
 
 R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsone;, baylie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Cls. 
 
 Barone Court of the hauls and Baronie of Uric pertenning 
 herUabUe to Robert Barclay of Urie, holdcn within the 
 great hall of the manor place therqf in the personall pre- 
 sence of the said Robert Barclay, wpon the tuentie two 
 day of March j m vj c nyntie nyne yearis, by James 
 Thomsone in Stonhyve, Baltic, George Thomsone, notar 
 publict, Clerke of Court, William Gibone at Mill of 
 Co:cic. Procurator Fiscall, William Gray, Officer and 
 Dempster. 
 
 The -suits called and Court affirmed. 
 
 The which day the judge and balzie, haveing heard ane 
 compleant given in be the said procurator fiscall and Helen 
 Buchane in Glithnoe against Allexander Duncane in Glithnoe 
 nor the said Allexander his stealling of comes with the fodder 
 off from the goodwyif of Glithnoes land last harvest. The 
 said Allexander, compeiring personally, denyed the samen, and 
 creaved witnesses might be adduced in the said mater. The 
 <aid Helen Buchane alleadgit that Margaret Findlay, servant 
 to the said Allexander Duncan sayd that he had taiken the 
 saids cornes above uryttin, which alleadgeance being taiken to 
 the balzies consideratione, amerciats the said Helen in ten 
 pounds Scots money. R. Barclay, 
 
 Ja. Thomsone. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Cls. 
 
 The said day being the tuentie secund day of March j m vj c 
 nyntie nyne, in presence of the said James Thomson, balzie, 
 
1 699] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 the said Allexander Duncane being conveined for alleadgeing 
 that Helen Buchane and her sister had plucked his keall and 
 wer guyiltie of the stealling of two ewes he then wanted. The 
 said Allexander confessed he had sayd they had stollen his 
 keall, but could not approve the samen. Wherfor the said 
 balzie amerciats him in ten pounds for his forsaid alleadgeance r 
 and failzieing to approve the same. And as to the woole of the 
 ewes, compeired George Troup in Cransaker, examined ther- 
 anent, declaired that Allexander Duncane did say that he 
 suspected none for the thift of his ewes but Helen Buchane, 
 Marjory Richie, her mother, and her sister. The said Allex- 
 ander being interrogat whither he could approve the samen or 
 not, he declaired he could not, and therfor amerciat him in 
 other ten pounds. And in the mean tyme the said laird of 
 Ury and his balzie ordaines the said Marjory Richie and her 
 daughteris to flit and remove themselffs furth of the lands of 
 Ury within tuentie four houris, otherways the laird wold 
 ordaine them to be carryed to the theefs hole 1 at Stonh y ve r 
 besyd what other punishment he should inflict. 
 
 R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomson*:. 
 
 Geo. Tiiomsone, Cls. 
 
 The said day Allexander Duncane within designed being 
 conveined for stealing of grass and pasturaig with his horss 
 within the lairds Hainings and deikis in sumer last, he com- 
 peired and acknouleidged the samen, wherfor the balzie 
 amerciats and fynes him in the soume of ten pounds Scotis 
 money, and statutis and ordaines in caice the said Allexander 
 shall at any tyme comeing be found with his bestiall, or that it 
 cane be approven against him that he shall distroy the lairds 
 grass, or the goodwyf of Glithnoes, but wher he is or may be 
 privieledged be her, he shall pey the soume of ten pounds 
 toties quoties he shall be found guyltie. R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsonk. 
 
 The said day amerciats William Gray at the mill of Cowie 
 in the soume of ffburtie shilling for killing of dooves within 
 
 1 The common prison. It was popularly known all over Scotland by this 
 designation. 
 
110 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [22 mar. 1699 
 
 the bounds of the lairds ducat. And also amerciats James 
 Edward in Woodhead and James Walker in Magray in the 
 soume of ten pounds the peece 1 for killing of salmon and 
 smoutis within his wateris this winter, and ordaines them to 
 bring in ther spearis 2 to the laird. And in caice any persone 
 shall be found guyltie of killing of dooves or fishes within his 
 wateris in tyme eomeing, they are heirby fyned ilke persone 
 guyltie in the soume of ten pounds toties quoties without 
 libertie grantet. 11. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsoxe. 
 
 The said day the balzie prohibits all tennentis, cottaris, 
 grassmen, and otheris within the lands of Ury not to harbour 
 or recept within ther houssis any beggeris whatsomever over 
 one night, wnder the penaltie of fourtie shilling Scotis toties 
 quoties. And in caice any persone shall be found to have in 
 ther custodie anie suspect goodes, wherannent they cannot 
 prove the buying of the said goodes by honest witnesses who 
 saw them buy the samen, the persone soe guiltie shall be holden 
 and repute as theefs, and punished according to law, and pro- 
 ceeded against therfor as accords. And whatever goodes shall 
 be offered to [? by] any person that may be suspect infamous, 
 the persone who shall get the goods offered to them are heirby 
 enacted to bring the same to the laird, wnder the penalty of 
 ifour pounds toties quoties. 
 
 R. Barclay. Ja. Thomsoxe. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Cls. 
 
 22 March 1699. — Allexander Duncane requyred to make 
 peyment of his amerciaments, etc. 
 
 Court of the lauds and Barony of Ury, pertaining heretablie 
 to Robert Barclay of Ury, holden at the Manor place 
 theroff the tenth day of May one thousand seven hundreth 
 
 1 Each. 
 
 2 The above tenants had evidently been guilty of leistering. This sport, which 
 was very popular in many districts of Scotland till a recent date, and which was 
 known in the Lowland counties as 1 burning the water,' was usually engaged in 
 under cover of night. A torch was held above the pool where the salmon were 
 supposed to be lying, and the fish running towards the light, were struck with 
 spears or leisters. Scott, in Guy Mannering, chap, xxvi., describes the sport. 
 
10MAY1701] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 111 
 
 and one yeiris, by James Thomsone, Balzie, George 
 Thomsone, motor publict, Clerke of Court, William 
 Gibone, Procurator Fiscall, Thomas Scott, officer, and 
 Dempster. Sectis vocatis Curia 
 
 legittime affirmata. 
 
 The said day the said Robert Barclay, considering his leet 
 peats, as they are now peyable and built on the stacke hill of 
 Ury doe not sufficiently winne and dry, creaved that the 
 tenentis might condiscend to build ther leitis in the terms 
 following, viz. : That ilke leet of peats shall consist of ten 
 ellis and ane half of length and three ellis of breadth. The 
 heall tenentis present condiscend to build ther respective leitis 
 proportionally to ten ellis of length and three ellis of breadth, 
 and to cover the same sufficiently with turff within fourteine 
 dayes, as weather serves, after building of the saids leitis, 
 wherwith the laird, tennentis, and balzie are content, and 
 ordaines this present act to continue in tyme coming. 
 
 R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsone, baylie. 
 
 The said day the said balzie statutes enacts and ordaines 
 that considering the laird of Ury hath beine at a considerable 
 charge and expensse in building of deikis and inclosuris for 
 preservatione of grass and trees planted therin, amerciats ilke 
 persone whose sheepe shall hapin to leape the saids inclosuris, 
 except in tyme of snowie wreathes, shall pey fourtie penies for 
 ilke sheepe toties quoties, the deike being sufficiently coped 
 with stons, and als amerciatis ilke tennent, cottar, grasman, 
 and servant within the ground shall happine to leape the 
 inclosuris at any tyme coming, shall pey fourty pennies toties 
 quoties, the master being alwayes lyable for the servantis dilict, 
 retaining allwayes off the servantis fie the fynes wherin the 
 servant is culpable, wherinto the balzie interpones his authority. 
 
 R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsone, baylie. 
 
 Ury, 10th May 1701. 
 
 Statuts inactis and ordaines that noe tennentis whatsomever, 
 nor subtennentis, shall cast any ley or sward meadow ground 
 
112 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [iO MAY 
 
 within ther respective possessions, under the penalty of 
 twenty pounds ilke tennent, and ten pound ilke persone 
 inferior to a tennentis degrie. R. Barclay, 
 
 Ja. Thomsoxe, baylie. 
 The said day amerciatis ilke tennent, cottar, and grassman 
 who shall happine to cast potts 1 within any of the laird of 
 Wryes propertie or comountie betwixt him and the Earle 
 Marischall and the laird of Leyes, shall pey ffbur pounds for 
 ilke pott made by them in any of the saids mosses, property,, 
 or comountie, but what peats they cast therin shall be made 
 wpe with ane face of ane moss without potting. 
 
 R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsoxe, baylie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Cls. Curie. 
 
 Urie, 10th May 1701. 
 The said day amerciatis John Mauld in Glithnoe, and 
 Allexander Duncane ther, ilke ane of them in fyftie poundis 
 Scotis for mutuall beating and striking of otheris, and ordains 
 peyment to be made heiroff within fiftein dayes, and precepts 
 to be direct heirone. R. Barclay. 
 
 Ja. Thomsoxe, baylie. 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Cls. Curie. 
 
 Baronie Court of' the lands and Baronie of Ury, pertaining 
 heretablie to Robert Barclay, proprietar of the saids 
 lands, in his owen presence, holden by Mr. James Keith 
 of Aqzvhorske, 2 Shereff Depirt of Kincardine, balzie, 
 
 1 Moss-holes whence peats have been dug.— -Jam. 
 
 2 The lands of Aquhorsk formed part of the barony of Kintore in Aberdeen-- 
 shire, and their possessors, who had held the lands for a very considerable period, 
 were probably a younger branch of the Keith Mareschal family. On 1st Nov. 
 1601, James Keith of Aquhorsk is summoned, under caution of ioo merks, to 
 answer before the Lords of Secret Council to the challenge made against him by 
 George, Earl of Marshall, for 'invading certain persons with pistolets.' — Reg. 
 Privy Council, vol. vi. p. 697. In all likelihood this act of violence on his part 
 may have been intended to avenge the death of his father, Alexander Keith of 
 Aquhorsk, who was slain in Aberdeen, 7th June 1584, by the Guidman of 
 Babithan, Arthur Anderson, burgess in Aberdeen, and Walter Leslie, all of 
 whom we find obtained a free pardon by deed of Council dated 7th June 1596, 
 on the ground that the murder of Keith was 'accidental.' — Spalding Club 
 Miscellany, vol. ii. p. 56 ; Reg. Privy Council, vol. v. p. 397. 
 
1701] THE BARONY OF URIE 113 
 
 George Thomsone, notar publict, Clerk of Court, 
 William Melvine, Procurator Fiscally Thomas Scott, 
 officer, and Dempster. Holden this 
 
 twentie second day of May j m vij c and five yeiris. 
 Sectis vocatis Curea legittime affirmata. 
 
 The said day the said balzie statutis, enactis, and ordains 
 that noe tennent, subtennent, cottar, nor grassmen, removeing 
 from ther respective possessiones within the laird of Uries 
 lands and heretage, shall pull doune any of ther house wallis 
 more then fries ther timber, neither pull doune anie of ther 
 yeard deikis, wnder the penaltie off fourtie pound ilke tennent, 
 and ten pound ilke subtennent, cottar, and grassmen, by and 
 attour peyment of the expensses of reparatione. J. Keith. 
 
 The said day the said balzie statutis, enactis, and ordaines 
 that the haill tennentis lyable in peyment of leet peatts shall 
 cast their respective proportions of leets in such moss yeirly as 
 the laird shall appoynt and ordor, wnder the penalty of fourtie 
 pound Scots ilk tennent transgressing toties quoties. 
 
 J. Keith. 
 
 22 May 1705. 
 
 The said day the said Balzie enacts and ordains that noe 
 tennent lead ther leet peets in the night tyme, and that ilke 
 tennent keepe ther owen larache 1 and wnder moss dry and 
 levell, under the penaltie of ten pounds toties quoties, and that 
 if any cottaris, grassmen, subtennent, or heardis, 2 or any 
 otheris, transgress the premisses, whither wnder pretence of 
 command from the masteris, or any other wayes whatsomever, 
 without particular order from the laird, ilke cottar, grassman, 
 heard, or hyreman 3 shall be lyable in fyve pound to the laird 
 toties quoties, and which fynes are to be made furthcoming by 
 the masteris out of ther readiest of the hyremen transgressoris 
 fies, and if cottaris or grasmen, ilke ane of them to be imme- 
 diatly poynded for the said fyve pound. J. Keith. 
 
 1 The site of a building.— Jam. Larache is obviously used in the text to- 
 signify the sole of the ground from which peats have been cut. 
 
 2 Parties whose duty it is to tend cattle.— -Ja??i. 
 
 3 A male servant who works for wages.— -Jam. 
 
 H 
 
114 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [22 may 1705 
 
 The said day the said balzie ordaines ilke tennent within 
 the lards nether baronie of Urie to keep the entering smith 
 his smidie with ther heall iron work and pey ther ordinarie 
 boll, he, the said smith, giveing allwayes good and readie 
 service to the ground, excepting furth heiroff 1 the mill of 
 Cowie, in caice the smith cannot work the mill irons, and that 
 u nder the penaltie of tuentie pounds attour performance. 
 
 J. Keith. 
 
 22 May 1705. 
 
 The said day the said Balzie amerciats and fynes ilke persone 
 found cutting of wands in willies bog, shall pay fourtie shilling 
 Scots toties quoties, ilke master comptable for his servants, and 
 ilke parent for ther childreine. J. Keith. 
 
 The said day the said Balzie statutis, enactis, and ordaines 
 that ilke tennent within the ground lyable in payment of 
 ferme meall shall pay in to William Gibone, grintall man, ther 
 respective ferme mealls yearly, good and sufficient merchand 
 stuff, and that at eight stone four pound weight ilke boll, and 
 that William Gibone give recepts to the tennentis of the said 
 weight, conforme to eight stone four pound the boll yeirlie 
 in tyme comeing, Wherwnto the said balzie interpones his 
 authoritie, and wherto the heall tennentis consentes. 
 
 J. Keith. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Cls. 
 
 Barone Court of the lands and Baronie of Urie, comprehend- 
 ing the lands of Montqzcheich, pertaining heritablie to 
 Robert Barclay of Urie, holden at Urie the nynteinth 
 day of July j m vif and twelve yeiris, by erne discreet 
 gentleman Master John Raitt of Findlazcstoune, Bcdzie, 
 George Thomsone, notar publict, Clerk of Court, James 
 Thomsone in Stonhyve, Procurator Fisccdl, Thomas 
 Scot, officer, and Dempster. 
 Sectis vocatis Curea legittime affirmata. 
 
 The said day annent ane complaint given in befor the said 
 Balzie at the instance of the procurator ffiscall, who hade 
 
 1 Excepting furth heiroff: excluding from the above. 
 
19 JULY 17 1 2] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 115 
 
 advyce from certaine people of the countrie complain to the 
 laird of Urie that the tennentis, subtennentis, cottaris, gras- 
 men and servantis of the saids lands of Ury this yeire, in tyme 
 of leading their leit peatts to the peatt hill of Urie, had not 
 only wrongouslie intrometted with and away tacken severall 
 other persones peatts, casten in the moss of Cowie neir adjacent 
 to the saids leit peatts, and carried the samen to mack wp 
 their leit peattis at Wry, but also it is the forsaids persons 
 their yeirlie custome and practize soe to do these severall 
 yeires bygone, and lyikwayes to make comoune roads throw 
 otheris persones peatts, to the great prejudice of the owneris 
 therof, and the persones guiltie ought and should be amerchiat 
 therfor, and the damnadges repaired at the balzies discretion. 
 
 Urie, the nynteint clay ofJulij 1712. 
 
 The said day the haill tennentis, subtennentis, cottaris, 
 grasmen, and servantis being conveined befor the Balzie within 
 designed for the caussis within expressit, ther was noe persone 
 found guiltie in stealling of peatts except George Whyt, ser- 
 vant to William Duthie in Burnehaugh, who, after deponing, 
 confessed, and is fyned in four pound Scots money, and the 
 said four pound is ordained to lye in his masteris hands of his 
 fie till the samen be peyed, quherof intimatione is made to 
 the said William Duthie apucl acta. As also amerciats John 
 Blaber in the soume of ffburtie shilling Scots as guiltie of the 
 lyik fault, and the same is ordained to be made furthcomand 
 by Hugh Mowat at mill of Montqwheich, his master, wherof 
 he was warned at the barr, and sicklyike Robert Spark, ser- 
 vant to William Mowat in Rothnick, is fyned in twentie shil- 
 ling for the lyike fault, and the same is ordained to be made 
 furthcomand out of his fie. Wherwnto the balzie interpones 
 his authoritie, and ordaines precepts to be direct heiron as 
 effieris. Jo. Raitt. 
 
 The said day the balzie of new enactis and ordaines that the 
 heall tennentis lyable in peyment of leitis shall not at any 
 tyme heirafter lead any leat peatts in the night tyme, and 
 befor any persone lift his first draught, without his principall 
 
116 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [19 JULY 1712 
 
 servant present with his horss, for whom the master shall be 
 answerable, the master shall be fyned and amerciat in twentie 
 pounds Scots money, how soone any compleant of stealling of 
 peats is dilated to the laird. Jo. Raitt. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Cls. 
 
 19 July 1712. 
 
 The said day the said balzie statutis, enactis, and ordaines 
 that noe cottar nor grass man within the land, who shall heirafter 
 remove from ther respective possessions, shall not hinder nor 
 impead the entering tennent to labour the emptie ground of 
 ther kaill yeards at Pasch yeirlie, without doeing prejudice to 
 the tennent then removeing, and any persone contraveening 
 the premisses is heirby amerciat in fourtie shilling Scots. 
 
 Jo. Raitt. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Cls. 
 
 The said day the said Balzie statuts, enacts, and ordains that 
 noe cottar nor grassmen shall at any tyme comeing taike doune 
 any of the timber of ther office housses, such as barne, byre, or 
 cott, without first offering the same to the entering tennent for 
 sale, and that they shall not pull doune the thatch nor walls 
 therof, wnder the penaltie of ten pound. And in caice the 
 removeing and the entering tennent cannot agrie betwixt them- 
 selffis as to the pryces of the timber of the saids housses, it is 
 heirby ordained that both shall choise two honest men for 
 maiking the pryce therof, wnder the penaltie above written. 
 
 Jo. Raitt. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Cls., N.P. 
 
 Sward and ley groundis allreadie enacted, 10 May 1701. 1 
 
 Court of the lands and Baronie of Ury pertaining heretablie 
 to the much honored Robert Barclay of Ury, holden 
 withm the Maner house therof wpon the second day of 
 Mai) one thousand seven hundred and tuentie yeirs 
 
 See p. in, supra. 
 
2 may 1720] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 117 
 
 (the said Robert Barclay being personally present) be 
 George Thomson, notar publict in Stonhyve, Bailie, 
 James Milne, notar publict, Clerk, John Souter, Fiscal!, 
 Thomas Scot, officer, and , 
 Dempster. 
 
 Sectis vocatis Curia legitime affirmata. 
 
 The which day compeared John Edward in Munboys, and 
 gave in ane complaint against John Donald in Springhall, 
 representing that the said John had medled with and crav'd 
 right and title to a wedder hog 1 pertaining to him, the said 
 John Edward. The action being called, both parties person- 
 allie present, the said John Edward offered to prove the samen 
 by witnesses, and having adduced such witnesses as were 
 summoned for that effect, they declined to give their oaths of 
 veritie theranent, and Elspeth Donald, sister to the said John 
 Donald, compeiring personallie (and owning the hog to be hers), 
 the veritie quherof was admitted be the said John Edward to 
 her oath, quheranent she depon'd affirmative, and that the hog 
 was lambed of ane of her own ews, and that the same was hers. 
 The Bailie having considered the petitioners complaint, and 
 his failing to prove his allegiance, with the said Elspet Donald 
 her deposition, ordains the hog to belong to her allannerllie, 
 and amerciats John Edward in fourtie shillings Scots, to be 
 peyed to the fiscall of Court for his medling therwith, within 
 term of law. Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 
 J A. MlLNE, N.P. Clk'. 
 
 The said day compeared the said John Edward, and gave in 
 ane other complaint against the said John Donald, alleadging 
 that yesterday, being the Sabboth day, Donald's bestiall were 
 pastureing upon his grass and propertie, and that Donald had 
 beat and struck the said John Edward with stones, and chased 
 him in the time he was turning the bestiall, and, for proveing 
 of Donald's bestiall pasturing upon Edwards propertie, adduced 
 Marjorie Tailour, spouse to Andrew Masson in Glithno. Shee 
 compearing declared shee knew nocht the propertie pertaining 
 
 A sheep of a year old. 
 
118 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [2 may 1720 
 
 to either partie, but was willing togoe to the particular parcell 
 of ground with the laird, and show him where the bestiall were 
 pastureing. Which being considered be the bailie that in caice 
 it shall be found be the laird that Donald's bestiall were 
 pastureing wpon John Edward's propertie, he amerciats Donald 
 in ten punds Scots to be peyed to the Fiscall of Court. And 
 further the said complaint bears that the forsaid day, and in 
 that meantime, when John Edward was indeavouring to drive 
 off Donald's bestiall off the forsaid propertie, he, the said 
 Donald, threw stones at the said Edward and beat him ther- 
 with, which Donald did not deny, at least would not depon 
 theranent. Wherefore the Bailie holds him as confest, and 
 amerciats him in tuentie punds Scots, especiallie seeing the 
 same was done upon the Saboth day. And amerciats the said 
 John Edward in ten punds Scots for his beating and stricking 
 of John Donald the mean time with a stick which he confest. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P. Clk. 
 
 The said day amerciats Jean Barclay in Springhall in ten 
 pund Scots for her cursing of John Edward in face of court. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P. CR\ 
 
 Court of the lands and Baronie of Urye pertaining heretablie 
 to the much honored Robert Barclay qf Ury, holden 
 within the Maner house therqf upon the tuentie eight 
 day of February one thousand seven hundred tuentie 
 one years, in presence qf the said Robert Barclay, be 
 George Thomson, notar publict, i?i Stonhyve, Bailie, James 
 Milne, notar publict, Clerk, John Souter, Phiseall, Thomas 
 Scot, officer, and , Dempster. 
 
 The which day the persons under writen being laufullie sum- 
 moned to this day and place to answer at the instance of the 
 said Phiseall of Court, for transgressing the severall laws and 
 acts of parliament, and particulate the fifteent parliament of 
 King James 6, cap. 248, wherby the killing of hares, doves, 
 partridges, moor foullis, duke, draick, and others therin speci- 
 
28 FEB. 1 72 1] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 119 
 
 feit are expressly prohibited to be killed with guns, pistollis, 
 stampts, girns, or other ingines, under the pains and penalties 
 therin exprest. Compeard Alexander Gibbon at miln of Cowie, 
 and confest he had kilFd only one pair of partridges three 
 years past, and no other foulls dureing that time, and declared 
 this to be of truth, as he shall answer to God. 
 
 Alexr. Glbbone. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., ClJc. 
 
 Compeared Robert Wyllie in Powbair and deny'd the haill 
 clame, which is of truth, as he shall answer to God. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie. 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., ClJc. 
 
 Alexander Gibbon, milner at miln of Cowie, compeared and 
 deponed negative, and declard this to be of truth, as he shall 
 answer to God. Alexr. Gibon. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., ClJc. 
 
 James Strachan, masson ther, compeard and depond negative, 
 and declared he could not writ. Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., ClJc. 
 
 James Wyss in Glithno compeard and acknowledged he 
 killd only one pair of partridges these three years bypast, and 
 this was of truth, as he shall answer to God, and declard he 
 could not writ. Geo. Thomsone, Bailie. 
 
 Compeard Alexander Mowat in Rothnick and confest guilty. 
 
 Alexr. Mouat. 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., ClJc. 
 
 Compeard James Mowat at miln of Montquheich and 
 depon'd negative. James Mowat. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, A r .P., ClJc. 
 
120 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [28 FEB. 
 
 Compeard William Duthie in Burnhaugh and depond 
 negative, but owns he keeps a gun. William Duthie. 
 
 Geo. Thomson*:, Balk. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Ctie. 
 
 Compeard John Lyon in Cransacre and depond negative, and 
 declares he cannot writ. Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 William Duthie in Trees compeard be Alexander Duncan 
 his servant, and depond, his master being sick and not able to 
 come to this Court this day, that his master bid him acknow- 
 ledge that lie was guilty of killing of hares. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard Alexander Duthie in Crosley and confesses the 
 killing of three hares these three years bygon, and no other 
 beast nor foull prohibited by law. Alexr. Duthie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard James Milne in Mains of Ury and depon'd he 
 had only killd one dove these three years bygon, and this 
 was of truth, as he shall answer to God, and declares he has a 
 gun. James Milne. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., CI. 
 
 Compeard James Broun in Maigray and ownd he keeps a 
 gun, and had only shot a dove, and no other foulls nor hares 
 these three years by past, and this he declar'd to be of truth, as 
 he shall answer to God. I. B. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard Alexander Broun in Maigray and confesses he 
 killd some doves, but nothing els these three years past. 
 
 Alexr. Brown. 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
1721] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 121 
 
 Compeard James Edward ther, and ownd he had only killd 
 one dove this year, with ane borrowd gun, which is of truth 
 as he shall answer to God. James Edward. 
 
 Geo. Thomson e, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 The said day the said Bailie having taken to his considera- 
 tion the confessants, their severall acknowledgments of their 
 guilt as is mentioned in their depositions wpon the preceeding 
 pages in this act of Court, amerciats each one of them in the 
 penalties prescribed by acts of parliament, and ordains each 
 one of the havers of the guns to bring in the same to the laird 
 to be disposed upon be him as he shall think fitt, and ordains 
 precepts to be issued out to the effect forsaid. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Balk. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., CIA: 
 
 Barron Court off the lands- and bar ronie off ' Urk pertaining 
 heretably to the much honoured Robert Barclay, younger 
 thereof, holden within the Manor place thereof, by 
 Robert Wyttie in Polbair, Balie, qualified in the terms of 
 law. Georg Thomson, noter publick, Clerk of Court, 
 John Sutor, Procurator Fiscall, John Hunter, qffisier and 
 Dempster. 
 
 Sa tis vocatis curia legittime affirmata. 
 
 The which day, in presence of the said heretor and balie 
 forsaid, anent ane complaint given in befor them against 
 James Wise in Glithno, att the instance of the said procurator 
 fiscall, makeing mention that wher, in ane publick mercat 
 holden wpon the hill called Magrie hill, wpon the eightenth 
 day of June instant, the said James Wise was found in handie 
 grips 1 with one George Caddell, fisherman in Couie, and they 
 strugling on with another, by which it came to earnest, and 
 that the said James Wise did hurt and blood drew of the said 
 Georg Caddell. 
 
 The said James Wise being laufully summoned by the said 
 ground offischer to compeir befor the Balie forsaid in ane 
 
 1 Close grappling. 
 
122 THE COURT BOOK OF [20 JUNE 
 
 barron court to be hold en within the Manor place of Urie this 
 day, compeired the said James Wise, and being called to 
 answer at the instance of the said procurator fiscall to hear and 
 see himself deserned be decreet of Court order of law and 
 justice, and to heir and see the said indictment sufficientlie 
 verefied and proven, and the samen being suae verefied, him- 
 self to underly the law in the pains and penaltes thereof. 
 
 Compeired the said James Wise, and being examined and in- 
 terrogat anent the points of the said indictment, confessed and 
 acknolidged that he, being appointed by his said master to go 
 as one of the guard with others of the said merket, it hapned 
 their fell a plee betuixt the said Georg Caddel and one Grig, 
 sone to John Grig, smith in Stonhyve, by which the merket 
 was disturbed, and he the said James Wise endeauouring 
 campesce and setle them, he the said George Caddel, out of 
 his fury and rage becaus he could not gett his will of Grig, 
 invaded and pursued the said James Wise, so that he could not 
 be ridd of the said Caddel, who fell wpon him most inhumanely 
 by dragging him by the brest, and in his oun defence bleed 
 Caddel with the butt of his gun, by which both parties wer 
 seized by Uries servants and dispached 1 the merket. The 
 procurator fiscall alledged their wer witneses to the said ryot, 
 and creaved they might be examined. And accordingly com- 
 peired John Mouat, younger in Wodhead, James Kaird, 
 vounger their, Robert Cruikshank in Mountboy, and John 
 Youngson in Balnagight, all lawfully summoned to this day 
 and place, who, being publickly called, compeiring and 
 solemnly suoren, interrogat ilk ane of them deponed in maner 
 wnder writen. To witt, the said John Mouat, younger, of the 
 age of twentie three or thereby, witnes, cited, solemnly suoren, 
 purged of partiall counsel, examined, deponed that he did see 
 James Wise and Georg Caddel in handie grips together, and 
 did hear and see the said Wise desireing Caddell to stand of 
 from him, and did hear and see the said Caddel invad Wise 
 two severall times, and being thus prouoked and pursued by 
 Caddel, he did see James Wise give him two stroaks with the 
 butt of a gun to the effusion of Caddels blood, which is all he 
 
 Driven out of. 
 
1724] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 123 
 
 did heir and see, and which is a truth, as he shall answer to 
 God, causa scientie patet he wes present all the time. 
 
 John Mowat. 
 Rot. Wyllie, balk. 
 
 The said day compeired James Kaird in Woodhead, of the 
 age of twentie three years or thereby, witnes, cited, solemnly 
 suoren, purged of partiall counscel, examined, deponed that he 
 did see Georg Caddel invade James Wise by takeing him by 
 the breast, and did hear Wise severall times desireing him to 
 stand off, which Caddel would not, and att last did see James 
 Wise give Caddel two stroaks to the effusion of his blood, 
 which was all that he did see or heir, as he shall answer to God, 
 causa scientie patet he wes present all the time. 
 
 Ja. Caird. 
 Rt. Wyllie, bailie. 
 
 The said day compeired Robert Crukshank in Mountboy, 
 aged thertie years or thereby, a maried man, witnes cited, 
 admitted, purged of partiall counscel, examined, deponed in 
 omnibus conform to James Caird, which is a truth, as he shall 
 answer to God, causa scientie patet, he was present all the time. 
 
 R. C. 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 The said day compeired John Youngson in Balnagight, 
 unmaried, of the age of twentie four years or thereby, witnes 
 cited, solemnly suorn, purged of partiall counscel, examined, 
 interrogat, depones that he wes within a litle distance off 
 Georg Caddel, he did see James Wise come touards Georg 
 Caddell, desireing him to be at pase and not disturb the 
 merket. The deponent did see James Wise draw a stroak att 
 Caddel, but depons he did not see the stroak given, but did 
 see Caddels blood when he was brought to the tent, which is 
 all he did see or hear, as he shall answer to God, and declares 
 he cannot write. Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsone, Clk. 
 
 Urie, 20th June 1724. 
 Robert Wyllie, balie within mentioned, haveing heard and 
 
124 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [20 JUNE 
 
 considered the within written indictment, the defender his 
 judiciall confession and witneses depositions, and being reaply 
 aduised, he fines and amerciats the said James Wise in the 
 soume of fiftie pound Scots money, to be payed within term of 
 law to the fiscall of Court, and ordains the ground offischer to 
 require him to make payment thereof, within term of law, and 
 ordains precepts to be direct hereupon. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balk. 
 
 The said day the Balie deserns and ordains the said James 
 Wise to pay to the said George Caddel the soume of ten 
 pounds Scots of assythment for cureing his wound, and ordains 
 precepts to be direct hereupon, in form as effeirs. 
 
 R. Barclay, Jun r . 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Geo. Thomsoxe, Clk. 
 
 The said day, in presence of the said Robert AVyllie, balie, 
 it is enacted and ordained that no tennent, cottar, nor grase man 
 within the barronie of Urie shall presume nor take wpon hand 
 to cast, ween, led, sell, nor away put any peats, turf, or feuell 
 furth of the moss and latch of Glithno, nor cast foot peatis 1 in 
 the hill of Glithno or Alachie, under the penaltie of fourtie 
 shilling Scots toties guoties, they shall be found guiltie in con- 
 traveening this present act. Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 The said day, in presence of Robert Wyllie, balie, it is 
 statute, enacted, and ordained that ilk tennent of one plough 
 lauboring or above it shall sow yearely ane firlot of pise or 
 beans wpon their possession ; betuixt a pleugh and fiftie merks 
 pay two pecks yearely, and inferior to fiftie merks pay to ane 
 acre of land ane peck, and under that half peck, and in cace of 
 contravention of this present act, the contraveeners shall pay 
 four pound Scots gradually from the highest to louest that 
 
 1 Foot peats are peats cast by the digger standing on the surface and pressing 
 in the peat spade with his foot. They are distinguished from breast peats, which 
 are cast from a perpendicular face of moss, the digger standing on the level of 
 the bottom, and driving in the spade horizontally. The former manner of work- 
 ing would naturally maintain where the turf was shallow and least suitable for 
 casting, and this may explain the prohibition of the text. See p. 133, infra. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 125 
 
 should sow half a peck, and ordains the ground offischer to go 
 and inspect yearly the tennents and subtennents within the 
 barronie of Urie, and report the samen to the heretor. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 The said day, in presence of Robert Wyllie, balie, it is statute 
 and ordained that, begining within the barronie of Urie, that two 
 men shall attend the two mercets of Magray yearely, begining 
 at the one end of the land to the other, under the penaltie of 
 three pound ilk defiscient man, he being in health or [not] 
 giveing a lawfull excuse, and ordains the ground offischer 
 yearely befor each merket to give due intimation to the 
 persons that should attend the saids merkets. 1 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 The said day, in presenc of Robert Wyllie, balie, it is 
 statute, enacted, and ordained that no tennent within the said 
 barronie shall att any time hereafter outlabour 2 any outfield 3 or 
 ley ground within their possesions att their removel theirfrae 
 in prejudice of the entring tennent, under the penaltie of one 
 hundred pound Scots. Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 The said day, in presenc of Robert Wyllie, balie, it is 
 statute, enacted, and ordained that no tennent, cotter, nor grase 
 man, their servents, themselves, nor their children, shall att ony 
 time hereafter burn any mosses or moores within the said 
 barronie, under the penaltie of twentie pound Scots toties 
 quoties, and the master to be ansuerable for their children and 
 servants. R. Barclay, Jr. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Geo. Thomson, Clk. 
 
 Barron Court off the lands and Ban mie of Urie perteineing 
 heretably to the much honoured Robert Barclay of Urie, 
 junier thereof, heretor thereof, holden at Cransacre, by 
 Robert Wyllie, balie, qualified in terms of law. Alex- 
 
 1 These were probably required to act as guard ; see p. 122, supra. 
 
 2 To exhaust by too much tillage.— -Jam. 
 
 3 A term applied to arable land, which is not manured, but cropped till it is 
 worn out, so as to be unfit for bearing corn for some years.— -Jam. 
 
126 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [april 22, 1725 
 
 under Gibbon at Mitt of Cowie, Clerk of' Court, Joint 
 Souter, Procurator Fiscatt, John Hunter, Officer, and 
 , Dempster. 
 April the 22, 1725. 
 Sectis vocatis curia legittime affirmata. 
 
 The whilk day, in presence of the said heretor and balie, 
 anent ane complent at the instance of the said procurator 
 h'scall, showing that William White and his wife Agnes Heriat 
 in Woodhead, had wounded and beatt William Walker in the 
 said toun of Woodhead, in a cruel maner, therefor desired they 
 might be prosecute according to law. The said William White 
 and his said wife being lawfully summonsed and compeiring, 
 being interogat thereupon, they both confessed that in the 
 hight of their passion they wer guilty of invading and beatting 
 the said William Walker. The forsaid balie, takeing their 
 said confessions into his consideration and being ripely advised 
 thereupon, ammerciats each of the said persons in the soume 
 of ten pound Scots, to be payed to the fiscal of court, within 
 term of law, and ordains precepts to be direct hereupon in 
 form as effiers, and requisitions to be made by the ground 
 offischer to the effect above mentioned. 
 
 R. Barclay, Jr. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Alexr. Gibbon, scriba curie. 
 
 Barron Court of' the lands and barronie of Urie pertaincing 
 heritably to the much honoured Robert Barclay of Urie, 
 junier, holden at Cransacre, by Robert Wyllie, Balie, 
 quallified in terms of law, Alexander Gibbon, Clerk of 
 Court, Robert Eduard, Fiscal, and John Hunter, offiser, 
 and , Dempster. 
 
 June the Uh, 1726. 
 
 Sectis vocatis [curia] legittime affirmata. 
 
 Cransacre, June the 4>th, 1726. 
 
 The which day, in presenc of the heretor and balie forsaid, 
 compeared John Fergison, servant to Alexander Gibbon att 
 
JUNE 4, 1726] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 127 
 
 mill of Cowie, being lawfully summoned to this day att the 
 instance of the said procurator fiscall to answer to the balie of 
 the said court, according to law and justice, for his beatting 
 and whipeing of James Laurie, servant to Duthie 
 in Craiffwalls, att the hous of James Strachan, brewer in mill 
 of Cowie, wpon the second day of June seventeen hundred and 
 twentie six, about the midle of the said day, the said John 
 Fargeson, being about his lawfull occasions in serving his 
 master at Polbair, wes personaly summonsed ther as aforsaid 
 befor lawfull witnesses, Robert Millne and James Burnes, ser- 
 vants their, by the afforsaid ground offiscer, and the said John 
 Fergeson comperand accordingly, being interrogat declared and 
 confessed that the said Lawrie haveing his whip in his custodie 
 among his masters empty seeks, the said Fergeson presumeing 
 that Laurie had stol it from him, or malisiously taken it away, 
 and he haveing found the same confessed he gave the said 
 Laurie severall stroaks with it. Which judiciall confession the 
 afforsaid balie haveing taken to his consideration, amerciats 
 the said Fergison in the soume of ten pound Scots to be payed 
 to the fiscall of court within term of law, and ordains precepts 
 to be direct thereon in form as effeirs. 
 
 R. Barclay, Junr. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Aler. Gibbon, scriba curie. 
 
 Cransacre, June the 4*th 9 1726. 
 
 The said day the afforsaid fiscall made a complent against 
 John Suiter, gardner att Urie, did graple and disturb in a 
 rietous maner Alexander Keith alies Craig in Invercarren, for 
 which he ought to be summoned according to law. The said 
 John Souter being lawfully summonsed and interrogat their- 
 anent, accnoledged that in drinking with Alexander Keith in 
 ane ale hous in Invercarren he wes guilty of throwing doun and 
 grapling with the said Alexander Keith, they being both 
 inebriat, for which the balie fyns him in ten pound Scots, and 
 ordains the same to be payed within term of law. 
 
 R. Barclay, Junr. Aler. Gibbon, Clk. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, bailie. 
 
128 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [31 DEC. 
 
 Court of the lands and baronie of Uric pertaining her etablie to 
 the much honourd Robert Barclay, younger of' Urie, holdcn 
 within the Manner place therqff (he himself' being present 
 personallie) upon the last day of December one thousand 
 seven hundred and twenty six years, be Robert Wyllie 
 in Powbair, Bailie, James Millne, notar publick, Clerk, 
 John Souter, gardiner of Urie, Fischall, John Hunter, 
 Officer, and , Dernj)stcr. 
 
 The which day anent the action and riot intented and pur- 
 sued at the instance of the said procurator fischall against the 
 haill persons after named and designed, tennants and possessors 
 of the forsaid lands and baronie, for their killing, shooting, and 
 destroying of hares, partridges, and other wild fowls, and keep- 
 ing, caryeing, and useing of guns contrair to law. 
 
 Compeard Alexander Brown in Mains of Urie, James Wyse 
 there, Robert Young there, Alexander Beatie there, William 
 Clark there, Robert Beattie there, Alexander Duncan there, 
 and and Duncans his 
 
 sons there, and John Strachan there, and all being interrogate 
 annent the forsaid riot denyed the lybell, and the fischall offers 
 to prove. Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard also Alexander Youngson in Bannagight, William 
 Thomson there, and William Murray there, and being inter- 
 rogate ut supra denyed the hail lybell, and the fischall offered 
 to prove. Ja. Milne, N.P., ClJc. 
 
 Compeard likeways John Steivenson in Kairntown, John 
 Jack there, and John Laurance there, and denyM the hail 
 lybell, except the said John Laurance, who owns the keeping 
 and caryeing of a gun. Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard also Robert Cruckshank, George Mowat, and 
 John Pypper in Munboy, Andrew Mason in Glithnow, Alex- 
 ander Wobster there, James Wobster there, Andrew Mason 
 younger there, John Strachan there, and Andrew Morgan 
 there, and all denyed the lybell, and the fischall offered to 
 prove. Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
1726] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 129 
 
 Compeard lykeways John Lyon in Cransaire, John Youngson 
 there, Robert Mason there, John Smith there, Thomas Forester 
 there, and John Hunter there, and all denyed. The fischall 
 offers to prove against them, excepting the said John Lyon, 
 who owens the keeping of a gun. Ja. Milne, N.P., CIA'. 
 
 Compeard also James Kairds elder and younger in Wood- 
 head, John Mowats elder and younger there, William Kaird 
 there, Robert Selbie there, John Sutor there, and Robert 
 Pypper there, and all denyed, an the fischall offers to prove 
 against them, except the saids John Mowat and Robert Selbie, 
 who owend the keeping of a gun each. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard lykways Alexander Cruikshank in Powbair, David 
 Walker there, William Walker there, Andrew Melvill there, 
 Robert Wyllie there, and and 
 
 his servants, and denyed, and the 
 fischall offers to prove against them, except the said Andrew 
 Melvill, who confessed the keeping of a gun. 
 
 Ja. Milne, iV.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard also James Brown in Megrey, William Main there, 
 James Edward there, George Scot there, George Allan there, 
 John Ferguson there, and all denyed, except the said John 
 Ferguson confesses the keeping and useing of a gun and 
 shooting of hares and fowls contrair to law. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard, lastly, Allexander Gibbon att Milln of Cowie, 
 Allexander Gibbon, miller there, John Ferquhar there, James 
 Ker there, James Strachan there, and Allexander Deans there, 
 and the said James Ker and Allexander Deans denyed the 
 lybell, and the fischall offered to prove against them, and the 
 said Allexander Gibbon, tenent, and John Farquhar owend 
 the shooting ut supra, and the said Allexander Gibbon, miller, 
 and James Strachan owend the keeping of a gun each. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 i 
 
130 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [31 dec. 1726 
 
 The day within writen and year forsaid the bailie, haveing 
 considered the severall confessions of the persons summoned to 
 this court anent the facts libelled, fines and amerciats each one 
 of the confessants in the penalities prescribed by acts of Parlia- 
 ment, and ordains each one of the havers and users of their 
 guns and pistols to bring up the same to the said laird of Urie, 
 their master, to be disposed upon be him as he shall think fit, 
 and ordains precepts and other executorialls needfull, to be 
 issued out and direct heiron in form as efFeirs. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balk. 
 
 J a. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 The bailie forsaid heirby enacts and ordains that no person 
 within this Baronie shall cast turflfs for seale, excepting upon 
 the commontie, under the penalltie of fourty shilling Scots, 
 toties quoties, and that none, under the said penalltie and 
 payeing and makeing up the damnages, shall pot 1 the fisher 
 my res, or any other mosses within the barronie, excepting the 
 smith for his coals. And sicklike that no person shall cast 
 turffs or eartli whatsoever upon the ground contiguous to his 
 neighbours corns, if his neighbours incline to improve the same 
 for corn ground. And, lastly, the bailie ordains that no tenent 
 or inhabitant whatsoever within the baronie shall pull down 
 any of their houses at their removeall, after the inventar of the 
 biggings is fullfilled and satisfied, without offering the same for 
 sale to the master or entring tenent, under the penalltie of ten 
 pounds Scots, and, in caice they shall not agree one the price, 
 that they shall chuse and call ane honest man or two for 
 decideing the difference and adhere thereto. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Ja. Milxe, N.P., Clk: 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and Barrony of Urie, holden 
 within the Mannour place of Urie upon the twenty 
 fourth day of January one thousand seven hundrcth 
 and thirty years (in presence of Robert Barclay, younger 
 of' Urie, heritable proprietar of the saids lands) be Robert 
 
 1 Cast peats upon. 
 
24 JAN. 1730] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 131 
 
 WyUie in Pollbuir, Barron Baillie, John Maule, 1 nottar 
 publick and Clerk of Court, John Solder, Fiscall, William 
 Thomson, officer, Dempster. 
 Sectis vocatis Curia legitime afirmata. 
 
 The said day the fiscall haveing given in a complaint that 
 the pasturage, muirs, meadow, and sward ground within the 
 said lands and barrony of Ury were so cast up and destroyed 
 that in a short time it would be quite wore out and rendred 
 useless unless timously prevented. And the same being 
 seriously considered by the said baillie, he enacts, statutes, and 
 ordains that for the better preserving of the said ground, 
 pasturage, and muirs from being destroyed in time coming, 
 and for assertaining a certain piece of hill for pasturage to 
 
 1 John Maule, writer, Stonehaven, was a cadet of the house of Panmure. lie 
 appears to have been a man of considerable force of character, and his name is 
 still remembered in the district as that of a prominent adherent of the Stuart 
 cause. Previous to the Rebellion of 1745, Maule held the responsible position 
 of Procurator-Fiscal for the county of Kincardine, in which capacity he dis- 
 tinguished himself by the energy and zeal with which he entered Into the dis- 
 charge of his official duties. Many are the stories illustrative of his harsh treat- 
 ment of offenders, which were still current in the neighbourhood a generation 
 ago. It is told of him, for example, that a woman guilty of theft having been 
 sentenced to be branded with a red-hot iron, he not only superintended the 
 execution of her sentence, but subjected to the same barbarous cruelty the infant 
 whom she carried at her breast. On another occasion one Farnie was con- 
 demned to be whipped through the town for sheep-stealing, and so effectually 
 was this chastisement administered under his direction that it became a saying 
 in the district, as applied to any act of seemingly gratuitous severity, — ' It 's 
 weel whuppit, quo' Farnie.' Maule joined the Stuart faction in '45, and having 
 obtained a commission as an ensign in the rebel army, soon made himself con- 
 spicuous in the enlistment of recruits. He himself proclaimed the Pretender in 
 the market-place of Stonehaven, going through the ceremony of drawing a flag 
 over the Cross in token of allegiance to King James. In the official list of rebels 
 presented to the Commissioners of Assize, in May 1746, Maule is reported 1 dead.' 
 But this statement is inaccurate, and the mistake may in all probability 
 have been less the result of accident than of design. Maule survived the battle 
 of Culloden, and, escaping southwards, seems to have contemplated returning to 
 Stonehaven. He was recognised, however, lurking in the vicinity of the town, 
 and narrowly escaped capture at the hands of the soldiers of the Duke of Cum- 
 berland, by one of whom he was shot in the leg. Badly wounded though he was, 
 Maule contrived to baffle his pursuers, and pressing towards Dundee obtained 
 a safe asylum in the neighbourhood of that city. There he remained for several 
 years in hiding, but eventually obtained a free pardon from the Government, 
 through the influence of his kinsman, Lord Panmure. The remaining years of 
 his life were spent in Stonehaven, in the practice of his profession as a lawyer. 
 
132 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [2 4 JAN. 
 
 each toun within the said barrony, it is hereby enacted, statute, 
 and ordained, that no person or persons whatsomever shall, at 
 any time hereafter, cast any turf, fail], or other fewell what- 
 somever for firring or other uses upon the plans following, Viz.: 
 To the westward of the high road from the foord to the toun 
 of Megfay upon the said hill, upon the northward of the den 
 called the Den of Woodhead, and westward of the new and 
 present cart road of the hill of Glithno to the place called the 
 Heathery Bridges upon north side of Bruxden, and eastward of 
 the high road betwixt Bruxden and Montboys of the hill of 
 the Mains, and upon the north side of the hill of Cairntoun 
 and Balnagight from the water draught 1 of the loch of Balna- 
 gight, including the binty 2 ground along to the edge of the 
 uppermost part of Bruxden, presently possessed by John 
 Steinson. Also that non cast up any ground for what 
 occasion soever within the wards 3 called the Wards of Megray 
 and Pollbair, as the samen is bounded by the vistage of an 
 old faill dyke round the same, nor that no ground upon what 
 occasion soever shall be cast upon any part of the grass 
 meadow or corne ground of the whole touns and lands of 
 Megray and miln of Cowie, excepting upon the ground that 
 lyes betwixt the aboun ward of Megray and George Allans 
 croft, for a moderate use of midden faill allenarly, and upon the 
 common brea or bogg betwixt the said toun of Megray and 
 miln of Cowie. And likeways that no other person upon any 
 other part of the said barrony of Ury cast up any faill or land 
 quhatsomever upon any lands or meadow ground, nor upon any 
 other part of their possessions, except for a moderate use of 
 midden faill in ground not particularly excepted by this or 
 former acts of Court, in those places they have been in use of 
 casting for severall years bygon. And the contravenners of 
 any of these acts to be fynd and ammerciat in the sum of 
 twenty pound Scots money so often as they shall be found 
 guilty of incurring the said penalty, by and attour makeing up 
 the damnages the lands incurrs, and forfaulture of the truf, faill, 
 divott 4 or others whatsomever so casten contrary to this act. 
 
 1 The outlet for the water. 2 Covered with bent grass. 
 
 3 Small pieces of pasture ground, enclosed on all sides.— -Jam. 
 
 4 A thin flat turf, generally of an oblong form, used for covering cottages and 
 also for fuel.— yaw. 
 
THE BARONY OF UME 
 
 133 
 
 As also it is ordainM that no person upon the west side of the 
 burn of Glithno shall cast aboun one days casting of truf, 
 excepting on the west and north sides of the lands of Mont- 
 boy and Balnagight belonging to George Mouat and William 
 Murray, and that under the forsaid penalty so often as the 
 samin is incurrd, and ordains the said penalty to be payed so 
 often as the same is incurrd to the said fiscall, and the said 
 turf or divot so cast contrary to this act to be forfeit, as said 
 is, for the use of the said Robert Barclay, who may lead or 
 destroy the same brevi manu. And likways it is ordained that 
 the casting of any fewell for fire whatsomever with the foot 
 spade is by this act intirly abolishd for ever under the above 
 written penalty, to be apply ed as above mentioned, and for- 
 faulture like ways. To all and sundry the premisses the baillie 
 forsaid interpons his authority. Rot. Wyllie, Balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 L 2-±tJi January 1730, presentia Robert Wyllie. 
 
 Anent the complaint given in at the procurator fiscalls in- 
 stance, against John Piper and John Jack in Cairntown and 
 Montboys, for their illegal and unwarrantable cutting and 
 letting out of the water out of the water furr 1 belonging to 
 the said Robert Barclay. 
 
 Compeard the said John Piper and John Jack, and judicially 
 confessd the same, which, being considerd by the said bailie, 
 he fynd and amerciate ilk one of them in the sum of one pound 
 ten shilling Scots, and ordained the same to be instantly payed 
 in to the said fiscall for the use of the said Robert Barclay, or 
 to go to prison till the same be payed. Rot. Wyllie, Balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and barrony of Ur'ie pertaining* to 
 the honourable Robert Barclay, younger qfUrie, heritable 
 proprietor therqf, holden, in his own presence, within the 
 Mannour place therof, upon the ninth day of' February 
 one thousand seven hundreth and thirty years, be Robert 
 
 A furrow formed by the plough for draining off surface water.— yaw. 
 
134 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [9 FEB. 
 
 WyUke in Polbair, BaiUie, John Muulc, nottar jmbUck, 
 Clerk, John Souter in Whinnidelf, Procurator Fiscall, 
 William Thomson, Officer, and , 
 Demster. 
 
 Sectis vocatis Curieque legitime qfirmata. 
 
 The said day compeard Alexander Gibbon, tacksman of miln 
 of Cowie, and produced ane Execution, together with ane 
 Lybelld Summons, at his instance against the haill tennents, 
 subtennents, cotters, and others, not only within the said lands 
 and barrony of Urie, but also those within the lands of Reid 
 Cloak, Findlavstoun, and toun of Cowie, all lvable in multure 
 and thirld to the said miln of Cowie, as the said execution, 
 under the hand of the said William Thomson, officer, bearing 
 and containing the names and designations of the said haill 
 tennents, and others, within the said sucken of miln of Cowie, 
 and that he had personally summond them, and ilk one of 
 them, to this day and place (and who were all accordingly per- 
 sonally present and answerd to their severall names), and in the 
 said lybell craveing from them, and ilk one of them, the number 
 and quantity of ten bolls of oats or eight merks for ilk boll 
 thereof, eight bolls of bear or six pound Scots as the price of 
 ilk boll therof, six bolls of peas or six pound Scots for 
 ilk boll therof, six bolls of white or nine pound Scots for ilk 
 boll therof, and six bolls of rey or five pound mony forsaid for 
 ilk boll therof, all due by them, and ilk one of them, for 
 abstracted multurs abstracted from the miln of Cowie be them, 
 and ilk one of them, of their severall grundable grains above 
 mentioned, for these five years bygone preceding this date, and 
 for which the said Alexander Gibbon had good and undoubted 
 right to pursue as taxman forsaid, as the said lybell and 
 execution forsaid, on a paper apart, more fully bear. And this 
 same being again called, 
 
 Compeard Alexander Roger in Reid Cloack, and confessed 
 that he was only due for the multure of two bolls of bear and 
 no more. Item, James Dounie there, and confessed that he 
 was due for the multure of half a boll of bear. Item, Andrew 
 Melvin there, and confessed that he was due to the pursuer for 
 five pecks of bear of abstracted multures. Item, compeard 
 Thomas Walker in Findlaystoun, and being solemnly sworn, 
 
1730] THE BARONY OF URIE 135 
 
 depone! that he was due to the pursuer the multure of two 
 bolls of bear and one boll of corn, and no more, and this he 
 declair'd to be truth, as he shall answer to God, and declair'd 
 he could not write. 
 
 Item, Alexander Lighton in Pollbair confessd that he was 
 due the multure of two pecks of bear, and no more. Item, 
 James Edward in My re confessd that he was due to the pursuer 
 a firlot of bear, and William Main there depond ut supra that 
 he was due three firlots of bear to the pursuer, abstracted as 
 said is. Item, Robert Edward in Cowie confessd that he was 
 due for the multure of seven bolls of bear at the one and 
 twentieth current. 1 And further, it is agreed on, betwixt the 
 said Robert Edward in Bridgeston of Cowie and Alexander 
 Gibbon, that, in regard a part of the said Robert Edwards 
 lands payd the seventeenth current and another part the 
 twenty-fifth current, therfor they both judicially agree that, as 
 a medium 'twixt the two, the said Robert Edward shall pay in 
 time comeing the one and twentieth current of multure, as was 
 formerly payed, seed and farm bear excepted, and that within 
 the haill tack of Bridgeston as possessed be him and his pre- 
 dicessors, and in testimony wherof they have subscrived the 
 same. R. E. 
 
 Alexr. Gibbon. 
 
 And the Baillie decernd against the haill forenamed persons, 
 conform to their severall depositions and confessions mentioned 
 in the two preceding pages. And also decerned, and hereby 
 decerns, against John Main in Cowie for the multure of four 
 bolls and a half of bear yearly for the space of five years 
 bygone preceding this date, and decernd, and hereby decerns, 
 against George Mouat in Mains of Urie, Andrew Measson in 
 Glitlmo, Alexander Webster there, and James Kaird in 
 Woodhead, conform to the claim, in respect of their compearing 
 
 1 While parties thirled to a mill had, as a general rule, to pay every thirteenth 
 peck as multure (see p. 79, supra), it might so happen that in certain circum- 
 stances a smaller duty was demanded. It was probably on account of his land 
 lying within the precinct of the town of Cowie that Robert Edward was taxed 
 at the one and twentieth current, or, in other words, was only required to pay 
 every twenty-first peck. 
 
136 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [9 FEB. 
 
 and refusing to depon. And ordaind, and hereby ordains, all 
 execution to pass hereon in terms of law, and to which the 
 baillie forsaid interpons his authority. And assoilzied, and 
 hereby assoilzies, the haill other persons contained in the said 
 execution and lybell for the reasons therm mentioned. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, bahc. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said ninth day of February 1730, in presence forsaid, 
 compeard William Duthie, tennent in Reid Cloak, and gave in 
 ane representation and petition subscrived with his hand, men- 
 tioning that the tacks of Bruntliolls and Lachdewis were not 
 lyable in the payment of miln multures for twelve bolls of bear 
 allenarly, and that the above multures had not been payed be 
 the tennents thereof nor regularly required or obtained for the 
 space of fourty years backward, and therfor presumd that gave 
 a right to the possessing of twelve bolls of bear multure free in 
 all time coming, and creaved that he might be assignd a day 
 for proveing the same be witnesses. To whom the baillie for- 
 said assigned the first lawfull day of August next for that 
 effect as on the said paper apart bears. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said ninth day of February, in presence forsaid, anent 
 ane complaint given in by the whole above mentioned tennents 
 within the said sucken, petitioning the knavships and loak or 
 bannock belonging to the miller may be regulate, and that 
 they are willing to pay full knawship, which before to the 
 goodman of the miln was only ane lippie 1 meall for grinding 
 five pecks of shillin, the other fifth being applyed for making 
 the millers luk and goodwill the better. But now they are 
 content and creave that they may pay the whole knawship to 
 the goodman, which is one lippie for the four pecks of shillin 
 grinding, and instead of the dues commonly called luk and 
 goodwill, they condisend to pay half of the said knaveship, 
 which is half a lippie for the grinding of four pecks of shillin. 
 
 1 The fourth part of a peck. 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 137 
 
 Which petition the said heritor and baillie refer 1 d the con- 
 sideration therof to the next court to be holden place forsaid. 
 
 R. Barclay, Jr. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 Mannor place qfUrie the first day of August j m vij c and thirty. 
 In presence of Robert Wyllie in Polbair, Baillie, of the 
 lands and barrony of Ury. 
 
 The said day, in the term assign'd to William Duthie in 
 Reid Cloack for proveing, in terms of the petition and repre- 
 sentation given in by him upon the ninth day of February last 
 by past, anent the miln multures of Lochdews and Bruntholes, 
 Compeared the said William Duthie, and aduiced as witnesses 
 for proveing therof James Lighton in Smiddiemuir, John 
 Craig in Clofrickdyke of Muchells, and Andrew Melvin in 
 Mosshead of Reid Cloack, and Katherin Hunter in the Hill- 
 head therof, and the saids witnesses being called, compeard the 
 said James Lighton in Smiddiemuir, married man, aged sixty 
 nine years or thereby, witness, admitted, received, purged of 
 partiall councill, and interrogate, depon'd that, about thirty 
 four years since, he possessd, as subtennent to the taxman of 
 Reid Cloack, the said town of Bruntholes and Lochdews, and 
 that during the time he possessd the same, which was about 
 fourteen years or thereby, He had allowed to him twelve bolls 
 of bear free of multure from his master, which was then 
 possessd be Robert Keith, taxman therof, and that he payed 
 the said twelve bolls of bear yearly to his said master, and that 
 Lochdews, which payed eight bolls therof, was only cottar 
 crofts before that time. Depons that he knows not whether 
 the said twelve bolls of bear payed multure, or not, since his 
 removall from the said taks. And also depons that he was 
 required to pay multures for the said bear by William Gibbon, 
 tennent of Mill of Cowie, for the saids years during his posses- 
 sion, but the liferentrix of Reid Cloack and Ury common'd 1 
 about it, but does not know what agreement they made. And 
 also remembers that the multures therof was pursued for before 
 
 1 Had dealings. 
 
138 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [i AUG. 
 
 the Sherrif Court before that time. And this he declairs to be 
 truth, as he shall answer to God, and that he cannot write. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balk. 
 
 Johx Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said first of' August 1730. 
 Presentia forsaid Baillie. 
 
 Compeard John Craig in Clofrickdykes above named, married 
 man, aged sixty years or thereby, witness, admitted, received, 
 purged of partiall councill, and interrogate, deponed That, 
 about thirty years or thereby since, he was servant to Robert 
 Keith in Reid Cloack, who was taxman therof, and that the 
 sub-tennents that possessed the saids Lochdews and Brun tholes 
 payed to the said taxman twelve bolls of fearm bear, and that 
 the said Robert Keith told him that lie payed no multure for 
 the same to the tennent of Miln of Cowie. And likeways 
 depons that before that time, when he was servant there, that 
 there was a cotter man upon Lochdews who wrought for his 
 croft and payed no fearm bear. And this is the truth, as he 
 shall answer to God, and declairs he cannot write. 1 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said first of August 1730. 
 Presentia forsaid Baillie. 
 
 Compeard the said Andrew Melvin in Mosshead of Reid 
 Cloack, married man, aged fifty years or thereby, witness, 
 admitted, received, purged of partiall councell, and interrogate, 
 depone! that, about thirty nine years since or thereby, his father 
 in law, John Duthie, possessd, as subtennent to the said 
 Robert Keith, and Alexander Mouat, taxmen of Reid Cloack, 
 the said place called Lochdews, and that he payed eight bolls 
 of farm bear therfore, but that the said eight bolls of bear 
 payed no multure to the tennent of Miln of Cowie for ought 
 that lie, the deponent, knew. But that he knows William 
 Gibbon, then tennent in Miln of Cowie, frequently demanded 
 the multure thereof. And likeways that he knows that for the 
 space of twenty four years by past the said touns have payed 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 139 
 
 no fearm bear, but only money, to the principal tennent, and 
 payed full multure for the haill grouth therof to the tennent of 
 Miln of Cowie of what they carried to the said miln. Also 
 depons that, befor liis father in law dwelled on the said Loch- 
 dewes, he knew one cotter man dwell theron, and that he pay\l 
 no farm bear, but wrought for his said possession. And this 
 he declair'd to be truth, as he shall answer to God, and 
 declairs he cannot write. Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 Compeard Katherin Hunter in Hillhead of Reid Cloack, 
 aged seventy three years or thereby, witness, admitted, re- 
 ceived, purged of partiall councill, and interrogate ut supra, 
 depon'd that, about sixty years or thereby, she knew the said 
 Lochdewes four cottar crofts, and that it then payed no farm 
 bear, and that one John Roy afterwards payed money rent as 
 it doth just now, and has done for above this eighteen years 
 past. And also depons that immediatly after the said John 
 Roy, the said Lochdews was possessd by John Duthie, and 
 Bruntholls be William Hunter, the deponents father, and that 
 the said John Duthie payed eight bolls of farm bear, and that 
 William Hunter payed four bolls of farm bear. And this is 
 the truth, as she shall answer to God, and declares she cannot 
 write. And further depons that it is fifty one years since her 
 father possess'd the said tack. Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Therafter compeard the said William Duthie, and renounced 
 any further probation, but alledged that by the above proof 
 adduced and witnesses depositions, that it was proven that for 
 betwixt this fourty and fifty years by past, that it was in custom, 
 till within this eighteen years past, that the said Lochdews and 
 Bruntholes payed twelve bolls of fearm bear and no mony, 
 and payed no multure for the said twelve bolls, and since the 
 conversion of that bear into mony. Therfor creaves that the 
 said two tacks may be assolzied from payment of any multure 
 for the saids quantity of bear in time comeing, in regard they 
 have never payed any multure for what bear they have sold in 
 that place since that date. Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
140 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [i AUG. 
 
 To which it was answerd be the said heritor and tennent of 
 Miln of Cowie, That l mo , The generall thirlage of the haill 
 toun of Reid Cloak being proven (and what they doe not 
 pretend to deny) in all the said heritors dispositions and 
 charters ratified in Parliament, and even the heritors of Reid- 
 cloaks charters is burthen Yl with the same, being formerly part 
 of the barrony of Ury, no part therof is free of multure but 
 what can be proven scripto. 
 
 2d. That some of these subtacks were antiently the cottar 
 crofts of the toun of Reidcloak, as is proven be the evidence 
 adduced be the said William Duthie, and afterwards [were 
 paid for] in mony rent, before that ever they were sett for farm 
 bear. And seeing likeways the said two tacks of Bruntholes 
 and Lochdewes have for these eighteen years and upwards 
 payed mony rent and full multure at the miln, as they for- 
 merly did when they were cottar crofts, according to the wit- 
 nesses depositions, there only remains thirty two or thirty 
 three years that ever they payed fearm bear, which is so far 
 from proveing that it payed fourty years farm bear, as the said 
 William Duthie asserts, that it clearly demonstrates the contrary. 
 
 3 tio . That if it were otherways, yet it is not in the power of 
 ane heritor, much less a tennent, to constitute a farm bear at 
 pleasure after he is thirled, in order to evade the payment of 
 multurs. Since, if it were, ane heritor might constitute as much 
 farm bear as would exhaust all the grain upon the lands 
 thirFd, and afterwards, colluding with their tennents, convert it 
 into mony rent for the ease of the tennents, and so evade the 
 payment of multurs, the just property of another person, which 
 is clearly the case hereof. In regard it cannot be proven that 
 ever there grew so much as twelve bolls of bear upon the said 
 two tacks communibus annis above 1 the seed, so they constituted 
 that extraordinary farm bear purposly to evade paying of 
 multurs, because they immediatly turnd it into mony rent, by 
 reason it never grew to the said quantity, and so creaved it to 
 be free of so much multure. And likeways the deponents 
 swears that they were always pursued before the Sherrif Court 
 and required be the taxman of the miln, even in the time of 
 
 In addition to. 
 
1730] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 141 
 
 the payment of farm bear, for the multurs therof, another 
 evidence of its not being fourty years proscrived. 
 
 Lastly, as to that of their not paying dry multure 1 for these 
 eighteen years bygone for what bear they have sold, is an 
 argument what the greatest part of this sucken, yea, the whole 
 kingdom, may pretend to. Which only shows the negligence 
 or lenity of the taxman of the miln, and their defrauding the 
 taxman of his just right, but can never infringe the lawful 
 property of the proprietar, and dues of the tennent, and ther- 
 fore creaves they may be found lyable in manner acclaiufd. 
 
 1st August 1730. 
 Presentia Robert Wyllie, Baillie forsaid. 
 
 The Baillie forsaid haveing considered fully the witnesses 
 depositions, William Duthies alleadgances therupon, together 
 with the answers therto, Finds the thirlage of the whole toun 
 of Reidcloak relevant to include the multurs of the saids two 
 subtacks of Lochdews and Bruntholls, and that the prescription 
 pretended by virtue of farm bear are not suficient to take off 
 payment of multures. In regard it is proven that they were 
 formerly and prior to their payment of farm bear cottar crofts, 
 and payed full multure, and since for these eighteen years 
 bygone they were and presently are sett for mony rent which 
 pays the same full dues. And likewise finds that no tennent 
 bound to the miln can at his pleasure subsett a tack for farm 
 bear, so as to defraud the heritor or taxman of the said miln 
 of his just dues. And lastly, that their not paying dry 
 multure these severall years past is also irrelivant, in so farr as 
 it was only done by the negligence of the taxmans not requir- 
 ing it for some years, it being proven that they were always 
 pursued before the Judge competent for and required to make 
 payment of the same. In respect wherof, Finds the defenders 
 lyable, and Decerns against them in manner acclaimed. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 Johx Maule, Clk. 
 
 1 Dry multure : a yearly payment paid in money or grain, whether the 
 tenant grind his grain at the mill or not. — Bell's Law of Scotland, p. 824. 
 
142 
 
 THE COUKT BOOK OF 
 
 [l6 NOV. 
 
 Barron Court of the land and Barrony of Urie pertaining 
 heritably to the honourable Robert Barclay ', younger of 
 Urie, holden at the mannor place therof, in the place 
 where the said Court usually sitts, upon the sixteenth day 
 of November one thousand seven hundred and thirty 
 years, in presence of the said Robert Barclay, by James 
 Edward in Maigro, Baillie, Alexander Browii in Mains 
 of Ury, Procurator Fiscally and John Maule, nottar 
 publicl; Clerk therto, William Thomson, officer, and 
 Dempster. 
 
 Sectis vocatis Cnria legittime affirmata. 
 
 The said day anent the complaint given in at the instance 
 of the said procurator fiscall against Alexander Gibbon in 
 Miln of Cowie, mentioning that the said Alexander Gibbon, 
 notwithstanding by the nature of all tacks every tennent is 
 obliged to keep the ground he has in possession in good order, 
 and defend it from any accidentall damnage of water and 
 otherways, and by law is restrained from wasting and destroy- 
 ing their possessions, which they only have for their lawfull use 
 and advantage, and likeways the said Alexander Gibbon is 
 expressly bound in his assedation, herewith produced, to defend 
 his ground from the incursions of the water of Cowie, and also 
 there are severall acts of this Court against casting of faill or 
 divot, ather in sward, ley, or grass ground, etc., and particularly 
 the toun of miln of Cowie is not to be cast up, except upon 
 the common breas therof allenarly, as by ane act of this court, 
 dated the twenty fourth day of January last by past more fully 
 bears, and that under the penalty of twenty pound Scots mony, 
 by and attour the damnages incurred by the heritors there 
 thorrow, Yet nevertheless the said Alexander Gibbon has negli- 
 gently or willfully allowed the water of Cowie to break in upon 
 the ground of the lands of the Miln of Cowie, and destroyed 
 the same with utter ruin therof, and also allowed a burn that 
 runs betwixt the said lands and that of Polbair, whereby the 
 saids ground is likeways destroyed, all extending to the value 
 of fifty merks Scots of damnages, the property therof being 
 forever rend red useless ; and also the said Alexander Gibbon 
 has by himself or servants, since the term of Whitsunday last 
 
1730] THE BARONY OF URIE 143 
 
 by past, cast up faill and divott upon the balks of the lands 
 called the Craighouse of the Miln of Cowie, which was the best 
 grass of the haill lands on the said toun, and therby forever 
 rendred useless, and therfore the said Alexander Gibbon ought 
 and should be decernM and ordained to pay and deliver to the 
 said procurator Fiscall, for the use and behoof of the said 
 Robert Barclay, not only the said sum of fifty merks Scots of 
 damnage, but also the said sum of twenty pound Scots mony 
 of penalty incurrd as above, and otherways enacted, fynd, and 
 amerciate in terms of law, to the terror of others from com- 
 mitting the like in time comeing. 
 
 Whereupon compeard the said Alexander Gibbon, and being 
 interrogate in terms of the above complaint, acknowledged that 
 the water of Cowie had incroached upon the said lands and 
 done some damnage therto, but that the same was but small 
 and inconsiderate, and also confessd the casting up of feall on 
 the said balks of the Craighouse. Alexr. Gibbon. 
 
 The Baillie forsaid haveing considerd the above complaint, 
 togither with the said Alexander Gibbon his judiciall confes- 
 sion, fyns and amerciates the said Alexander Gibbon in the 
 sum of twenty pound Scots for his casting up of the said faill 
 on the Craighouse, and also fyns and amerciates him in the 
 like sum of twenty pound Scots for the damnage done to the 
 saids lands by the water of Cowie, and decerns against him 
 therfor, and ordains all execution to pass hereon for the saids 
 sums in term of law. James Edvard, Ba. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said day the Baillie forsaid enacts and ordains that, 
 within three days next of this, the said Alexander Gibbon shall 
 repair, by bullwarks or other such fences, the lands he possess 
 that are adjacent or lyable to the incursions of the said water 
 of Cowie and burn betwixt Polbairs lands and his, which if the 
 said Alexander Gibbon faill to doe, then it shall be lawfull for, 
 and in the power of the said Robert Barclay to employ work- 
 men for securing the saids lands from the incroachments or 
 damnage of the said waters, upon the proper charge and 
 expence of the said Alexander Gibbon, and not only from what 
 
144 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [16 Nov. 1730 
 
 damnage is done just now, but likeways in time comeing, to 
 which the said Alexander Gibbon consents, and therto the 
 Baillie forsaid interpons his authority. 
 
 Alex it. Giubox. 
 James Edard, Ba. 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The forsaid day the said Baillie enacts that no person shall 
 cast any faill or turf quhatsumever upon the muir and hill 
 lying upon the eastward of the high road that goes betwixt 
 Bruxden and the place called the Sandiehillock, and that under 
 the penalty of twenty pound Scots mony, to be payed in to the 
 use of the said heritor, toties quoties they are found guilty 
 therof, and forfaulting of the faill or turf so cast up, wherunto 
 the Baillie forsaid interpons his authority. 
 
 James Edward, Ba. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 Court of the lands and Baronie of Ur%e pertaining heretably 
 to the honorable Robert Barclay, younger therof, holden 
 att the manor place therof upon the thretteint day of 
 February one thousand seven hundred and threttie one 
 years, be Alexander Broun in Mains, Bailie James Milne, 
 notar jmblict, Clerk, John Souter, Fiscall, and William 
 Kairn, Dempster, and William Thomson, officer, in 
 presence qf the Laird. 
 
 The which day anent the action and ryot pursued at the 
 instance of the said procurator fiscall against John Smith, 
 servitor to the said laird of Urie, for hurting, wounding, and 
 blood drawing of John and James Davidsons, brothers, in 
 Muchollis, and Alexander Davidson and William Henderson, 
 all at the lands of Muchollis, and that in and about the house 
 of Cransacre, upon the third, fourt, or fift days of February 
 last, or one or other of the saids days, and the said phiscall 
 craved one assythment to be decernd in favours of the said 
 Alexander Davidson (if the ryot shall be proven) or any other 
 persons wounded, and to underly the law therfore, and to be 
 amerciat conform to law. 
 
 Compeard the said John Smith, and said that upon one or 
 
13 FEB. 1730] THE BARONY 'OF URIE 
 
 145 
 
 other of the forsaids days he was mightily provockYl and in- 
 sulted by the above named Davidsons and Henderson in 
 Mucholls, being first abusd in the house of Cransacre, and then 
 went out to shun their company, they folloued him armed with 
 staffs and other weapons, and pursued him for his life, so that 
 he was necessarly obliged to beat them in his oun defence. 
 The fiscall to confirm and fortifie the forsaid confession craved 
 the witnesses cited for proveing the said lybell might be 
 examined. Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard Robert Measson in Cransacre, witnes cited, 
 solemnly suorn, purgd of partiall counsell, and examined and 
 interrogat, depons, That upon one or other of the saids days 
 he heard Alexander Davidson abuse James Burne in Powbair 
 to a great degree, and threatne to beat him ; to prevent which 
 John Lyon remov'd them all out of his house, But they after- 
 wards came back and abusd and insulted the said John Smith, 
 threatning him with his staff. Afterwards he saw the said 
 John Smith goe out of the house, and thereafter the said 
 Alexander Davidson, and the other above persons in Mucholls, 
 folloued him armed as above, and then the said deponent went 
 out and saw the said John Smith give the forsaid Alexander 
 Davidsone one stroak to the effusion of his bloud. And this 
 is truth, as he shall answer to God, and declares he can sign 
 no otherwise than his initial letters. R. M. 
 
 Alexr. Brovn, balie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Compeard Robert Milne in Powbair, witnes cited, solemnly 
 sworn, purgd of partiall Counsell, and examined and interogat, 
 depons, That upon one or other of the forsaids days he was in 
 Cransacre, and saw John Lyon put out the above Davidsons 
 and Henderson furth of his house becaus of their making 
 abuse and disturbance therin, and therafter they returned again 
 and insulted, provocked, and abused John Smith : after that 
 they and he went out of the house together, and then the 
 deponent following, saw the forsaid John Smith beat the said 
 Alexander Davidson to the effusion of his bloud, and further 
 depons that the other tuo Davidsons came and pursue[d] the 
 
 K 
 
146 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [13 FEB. 173 
 
 said John Smith as he thought, whom he turned back. And 
 this is truth, as he shall answer to God, and declares he cannot 
 writ. 
 
 De mandato dicti Robert i Milne Scribere nescientis ut asseruit 
 ego Jacobus Milne notarius publicus subscribo. 
 
 Alexr. brovx, baile. 
 J a. Milne, X.P., CM. 
 
 Eodem die, The Bailie forsaid having considered the said 
 John Smith, his judiciall confession, and the witnesses deposi- 
 tions, amerciat the within named John Smith in Fiftie punds 
 Scots, to be paid to the fiscall of Court within term of law, 
 and ordains precepts to be issued out in form as effeirs for that 
 effect. But finds no assythment due to the said Alexander 
 Davidson, in regard by the above depositions he was provocked 
 to doe what he did in his oun defence, and therefore absolves 
 the said John Smith therfrom in all time coming. 
 
 R. Barclay, Jr. Alexr. Brovx, bailie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., CIL 
 
 Court qf the lands and Baronie of Ury pertaining heritably 
 to Robert Barclay, younger therqf', holden att his Manor 
 house upon the tuentie first day of July one thousand 
 seven hundred threttie tuo years, be William Duthie in 
 Rcid Cloake, his honours Bailie, James Milne, notar 
 publict, Clerk; John Souter, Fiscall, William Edward, 
 officer, and Dempster. 
 Will, Duthie, Bailie. 
 
 The which day anent the action and ryot intented and pur- 
 sued at the instance of the said fiscall of Court against John 
 Cassie and Robert Laurence, servitors to William Ronald in 
 Stonhyve, George Lightoun, sone to James Lightoun in 
 Smiddie moor, and Robert Chalmer, servitor to John Young, 
 ShirrefF Clerk of Kincardine, 1 for their ryotous destroying of 
 
 1 John Young, Sheriff- Clerk of Kincardine, was proprietor of the lands of 
 Stank (now Bellfield), in the parish of Kinneff, having acquired the same by 
 purchase from Mr. Isaac Fullerton. He died in 1750. His son, William Young 
 of Fawside, sold Stank to Mr. Charles Abercromby, writer, Edinburgh. The 
 lands are now in the possession of the trustees of the late William Harvie. 
 
21 JULY 1732] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 147 
 
 the corns and grass of Robert Wyllie in Powbair, with horss 
 and carts going through the same this day, and severall other 
 days of the last moneth, to the outter ruin therof, and the 
 said Robert Wyllie his great detriment and loss, contrair to 
 all laws, equitie, and justice, and for which ryot, when proven, 
 the above named defenders ought to be fynd and amerciat and 
 decernd in such damages to the partie forsaid as the Bailie 
 shall think fitt. 
 
 Compeared the haill forenamed defenders, and being inter- 
 rogat anent the forsaid ryot, they all and each of them plainly 
 confessd and acknowledgd the same as lybelld, and all of them 
 gave the Clerk of Court power to sign this their said judiciall 
 confession, except the said Robert Chalmer, who signd himself. 
 De mandato prefati Joannis Cassie Robert) Laurence et 
 Georgij Lightoun scribere nescientium ut asseruere ego 
 Jacobus Milne, notarius publicus, subscribo. 
 
 Will. Duthie, Bcdie. 
 J a. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 The Bailie within named and designd having considered the 
 defenders within named their within confession, fyns and amer- 
 ciats each one of them in six punds Scots, to be paid to the 
 fiscall of Court within term of law. 
 
 Will. Duthie, Bailie. 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Court of the lands and Baronie of Ury, pertaining heretably 
 to Robert Barclay, younger therof, holden at his Manor 
 place upon the tuentie first day of July one thousand 
 seven hundred threttie tuo years, be William Duthie in 
 Reidcloak, Bailie, James Milne, notar publict, clerk, John 
 Solder, Fiscall, William Thomson, officer, and 
 Dempster. 
 
 The which day anent the action and ryot intented and pur- 
 sued at the instance of the said fiscall of Court against Robert 
 Edward, servitor to the said laird of Ury, for hurting, wound- 
 ing, and bloud draueing of David Smith and Hamp- 
 toun, servitors to John Falconer at miln of Stonhyve, who 
 craved assythments off the said Robert Edward. 
 
148 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [21 JULY 1732 
 
 Compeared the said Robert Edward and declared and ac- 
 knowledged that being ordered by Ins said Master to endeavour 
 to apprehend the persons who were willfully and masterfully 
 destroying Robert Wyllie in Powbair, his corns and grass, the 
 saids David Smith and Hamptoun gave him very 
 
 abusive and provocking language, and impudently owifd that 
 they had destroyed the saids corns and grass, and would doe it 
 again ; and they still persisting in doing therof, and the said 
 Robert endeavouring to apprehend them and stop them ther- 
 from, they violently attempted to throw him down. For which 
 cause and reason he in his own defence owns he did beat them 
 severall times to the effusion of their bloud, and one of them 
 trying to catch a mercat halbert from him, which he had in 
 his hand, run his hand theron and bled him. And the said 
 Robert does not deny but that in the strugle and grapling he 
 might have drawen bloud of one or both of them. 
 
 The Bailie forsaid having considered the above confession, 
 finds that the said Robert, endeavouring to apprehend the 
 forenamed persons, who were actually upon the said Robert 
 Wyllies grass and corns, sufficient to liberat and free him from 
 all assythment, especiallie since what he did was in his own 
 defence as said is, and that the wounds they had receaved 
 were occasioned by their own foollish and willfull trying to 
 take the halbert from him, but owns his beating and stricking 
 of them with his hands and otherwise, which was contrair to 
 all law. Therefore the said Bailie fyns and amerciats the said 
 Robert Edward in the sum of fiftie punds Scots, to be paid to 
 the fiscall of Court within term of law under the pain of 
 poinding. Will. Duthte, Bailie. 
 
 Ja. Milne, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and Barrony of Ury pertaining 
 hcritably to Robert Barclay, younger of Ury, holden at 
 the Mannor place thereof, in the place where the said 
 Court usually sitts, upon the thirteenth day of Februari) 
 one thousand seven hundreth and thirty three years, in 
 presence of the said Robert Barclay, by William Duthie, 
 in Reid Cloa~k, Baillie, Robert Wyllie, in Pollbair, Pro- 
 curator Fiscall, and John Maide, nottar publicl', Clerk 
 
13 FEB. 1733] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 149 
 
 thereto, William Thomson, officer, and Dempster. 
 The suits called and the Court lawfully fenced and 
 affirmed. 
 
 The which day the Baillie forsaid takeing in to his serious 
 consideration, at the desire of the said proprietar, that many 
 laudable laws and acts of parliament have been made to cause 
 their tennants and others plant trees in their yeards and pos- 
 sessions, and that the whole Barrony of Ury is now inteirly 
 destitute of planting notwithstanding thereof and severall acts 
 of Court made for that effect, to the great loss of the heritor 
 and improvement and ornament of the country in generall, 
 hereby ordains the present gairdner of Ury, or any other 
 gairdner or person that the said heritor shall appoynt, to plant 
 trees in the respective yeards of the whole Barrony, as well 
 that of Montqueich as the Nether Barrony of Ury, and that 
 with all convenient speed. And in regard some trees formerly 
 planted have been intirly spoylled in the grouth, not only by 
 cutting and breaking thereof, but likeways by digging and 
 cutting the roots of the trees so planted with their spades, 
 therfore it is hereby statute and ordained that each tennant, 
 subtenant, and other within the said Barrony shall hereafter 
 leave unlaboured a strip of ground round their respective 
 yeard dykes, not under two feet and ane half of measure, for 
 preserving the said trees, and that no person nor persons in 
 time comeing digg, break, or cutt the roots, or any part of the 
 said trees, under the penalty of ten pound Scots for each tree 
 so broak, cutt, or otherways defaced or abused, to be payed 
 to the said heritor for each tree under ten years growth, 
 and twenty pound Scots for each tree so broak or defaced 
 above ten years growth ; and each tennent, cottar, grassmen, 
 and others to be lyable for all their wifes, bairns, servants, and 
 others within their severall housses who shall be guilty of 
 breaking or destroying the saids trees, according to the 16th 
 Act of the 7th Session of King Williams first parliament, etc., 
 for preservation of planting. And likeways each tennent and 
 subtennent to clear their several yeards of all sauchs or shrubs 
 whatsumever, betwixt this and the fifteent day of March next 
 to come, that the trees so to be planted may receive no pre- 
 judice thereby, and that under the penalty of ten pound Scots, 
 
150 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [13 FEB. 
 
 to be payed by the contra vener to the said heritor, with power 
 to him to employ workmen to clear the same, and that at the 
 expence and charge of the contraveener. 
 
 Will. Duthie, Balk . 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 13 February 1733. 
 Presentia William Duthie, BaiUie for said. 
 
 Anent the complaint given in by the ground officer, with 
 concurse of the said heritor, anent the loss of the said ground 
 officers dues for some time past by tennents casting on the 
 burthen of their officers corn on their subtenents, afterwards 
 turning out their subtennents and taking their crofts in their 
 own hand. Then they neglect to pay their officers corn and 
 services, not only to their loss but also the loss of others, who 
 are obliged to come to harriage and carriage the oftner upon 
 that account, and particularly condesends upon Andrew 
 Meason and Alexander Wobster in Glithno, John Lvon in 
 Cransacher, and Alexander Youngson in Balnagight, who have 
 been deficient therof. To remieding wherof the Baillie forsaid 
 ordains each toun to pay what they were in use and custom to 
 pav, either of officer dues or services, and when the subtennent 
 is putt out the principall tennent shall pay and uphold officer 
 dues and services for each subtennent so putt out of their 
 respective possessions in all time comeing. And for the more 
 effectual clearing thereof the following quotas are found due 
 and ordained to be payed by each tennent within the touns of 
 the lands of Ury aftermentioned : videlicet for Balnagight as 
 possessed by Alexander Youngson, three firlots and two pecks 
 of corn and services for five familys ; John Lounann in Cairn- 
 toun, two pecks and service effeiring to his possession. Item, 
 Robert Cruikshank in Montboy, one firlot and service for two 
 familys. Item, George Mouat in Mosstoun, two pecks and 
 service conform. Item, Andrew Meason in Glithno, one firlot 
 of corn and service for two familys. Item, Alexander Webster, 
 one firlot and service for two familys. Item, John Strachan 
 there, six pecks of corn and service for two familys. Item, 
 John Lyon in Cransaicker, ten pecks of corn and service for 
 
1733] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 15J 
 
 four familys. Item, James Kaird and William Kaird in 
 Woodhead, each of them two pecks of corn and usuall service. 
 Item, John Mouat there, one firlot and service for two familys. 
 Item, Robert Wyllie in Polbair, seventeen pecks of corn and 
 service used by himself and for six familys. Item, Alexander 
 Brown in Maigro, four pecks of corn and services for two 
 familys. Item, James Edward there, one firlot of corn and 
 services for two familys ; William Main there, two pecks and 
 services conform. Item, John Main in Cowie, services con- 
 form to neighbours and others. Alexander Gibbon, in Miln 
 of Cowie, one firlot and usuall services, and ordains all the 
 above to be performed yearly, and ilk year in time comeing, 
 under the pain of poynding and other execution needfull to 
 pas hereon in form as effeirs. Will. Duthie, Balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 Court of the lands and Baronie of Urie pertaining heretably 
 to the much honored Robert Barclay, younger therqf, 
 holden at the Manor place of Urie, upon the sixteent day 
 of June one thousand seven hundred threttie three years, 
 be William Duthie in Reidcloak, Bailie, James Milne, 
 notar publict, Clerk, John Souter, Phiscall, William 
 Thomson, Officer, and 
 Dempster. 
 
 The which day, anent the action and ryot intented and 
 pursued at the instance of the said phiscall, with concourse of 
 the heritor of the said lands and baronie, against the persons 
 particularly afternamed, for their kindling of mureburn, 1 fire 
 raising, and burning the mosses and mures within the said 
 baronie, and priviledges thereof, particularly within the fisher 
 Myres and bounds adjacent therto, which, if proven, the 
 persons guilty and convict ought to be fyn'd and amerciated in 
 the pains and penalties prescribed be law. 
 
 Compear d William White in Woodhead, aged fiftie three 
 years or therby, lawfull cited, solemnly sworn, and examined, 
 
 1 The practice of mureburn was resorted to for the purpose of producing turfs. 
 The grass and heath were set fire to about Midsummer, and the surface of the 
 ground so burned was subsequently raised to be used as fuel or otherwise. 
 
152 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [16 JUNE 1733 
 
 and interrogat annent the forsaid ryot, who depon'd negative 
 theranent, and was absolved, and declared he could not writ. 
 
 Will. Duthie, Balk. 
 
 Ja. Milxe, N.P., Clk: 
 
 Compeared William White, younger there, cited, sworn, 
 and examined, and interogat id supra, acknowledges himself 
 guilty of the said ryot, and referred himself to the Bailie, and 
 declares he cannot writ. Will. Duthie, Bal'ie. 
 
 Ja. Milxe, N.P., Ok. 
 
 Compear'd David Walker in Woodhead, lawfullie cited, 
 solemnly sworn, and examined and interogat, depon'd that he 
 rais'd fire in the moss, but that he extinguished the same 
 before he left it, and declares he cannot write. 
 
 Will. Duthie, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milxe, N.P:, Clk. 
 
 The Judge and Bailie forsaid having considered the confes- 
 sions of the above named William White, younger, and David 
 Walker, fyns and amerciats each of them in fyve punds Scots, 
 to be paid in to the Fiscall of Court, within term of law, who 
 were required to make payment apud acta for that effect. 
 
 Will. Duthie, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milxe, N.P., Clk. 
 
 The said day and place the Bailie forsaid, for the more 
 effectual preventing the fyreing of mosses and mures in time 
 coming, ordains that no person whatsoever shall give out fire 
 out of his or their houses, or allow the same to be taken out, 
 or know of the same, without stopping of it; otherwise the 
 contraveeners shall be deem'd as guilty of [? as] the raiseris of 
 fire, and suffer the pains and penalties of law accordingly, and 
 pay the damages thereof. Will. Duthie, Balie. 
 
 Ja. Milxe, N.P., Clk. 
 
 Also, the said Bailie ordains that every person within the 
 Baronie keep his bank and lairs, both upper and under, level 
 and not hollow the same beneath to the splitting or falling 
 
28 JULY 1735] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 153 
 
 doun of the upper survice of the bank, but that the faces of 
 the bank shall be made in ti rely even, otherwise the person or 
 persons convict for controveening this act each shall be lyable 
 in a penaltie of ten pundis to the Fiscall of Court totles quoties. 
 And further, ordains the ground officer, or any other person 
 the laird shall appoint, to inspect the mosses yearly at 
 Lambmas, beginning this present year, and so on yearly there- 
 after, and to levell, smooth, and make right any of the mosses 
 that shall be casten contrail* to this act. And the said ground 
 officer or other person so imploy'd shall be paid for his pains 
 att the rate of half ane merk each day, to be paid be the 
 person convict, besides the penaltie above exprest, all which 
 the Bailie ordains to be paid, within term of law, under pain 
 of poinding. Will. Duthie, Balie. 
 
 Barron Court erf the lands and Barrony of ' Urie pertaining 
 heritably to the honourable Robert Barclay, younger of' 
 Uric, holden at the Mannour place thereof, where the 
 said coui't usually sitts, upon the twenty eight day of 
 Jully j" ! vij c and thirty five years, in presence of the said 
 Robert Barclay, by James Gordon in Rothnicl; Barron 
 Baillie, Robert Wyllie in Polbair, Fiscall, John Maulc, 
 nottar publick, Clerlx, William Thomson, Officer, 
 , Dempster. 
 
 The suits called, and the court lawfully fenced and affirmed. 
 
 The said day, in presence forsaid, compeard the said 
 Robert Barclay, and gave in the following complaint against 
 the haill tennents within the said Barrony, mentioning that, 
 notwithstanding of the many and former acts of this Court 
 made against weasting of ground within the barrony of Urie, 
 yet the lands continue to be ruined to the irreparrable loss both 
 of the heritor and tennents, and that it is pretended the same 
 is much occasioned by the tennents not being more particularly 
 regulated in their labouring and casting up of meadow sward, 
 moss, or other ground whatsoever. And which being con- 
 sidered by the Baillie forsaid, he not only ratifies, homologates, 
 approves, and confirms all former acts of Court already made in 
 this barrony against the casting up of any meadow, sward, 
 
154 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [28 JULY 
 
 moss, or other ground in the haill articles, heads, and contents 
 thereof, but also in corroboration thereof, and for further re- 
 meeding of the same, hereby enacts, statutes, and ordains that 
 in all time coming from and after this date, all the saids 
 former acts shall be expressly kept and obeyed under the 
 several 1 penaltvs therin contained, and for further clearing the 
 same that no ground upon the toun of Trees shall be cast 
 up upon any account to the eastward of the east-most hous in 
 Curbigg and the hill of Trees in a straight line, nor below the 
 nether Cassie upon the west side of the said hill, nor upon any 
 of the bentis or green ground below the ridge of the hill, nor 
 for fireing to the eastward of the mosses and Bruntland of 
 Carbigg in a straight line to the new Bruntland upon the west 
 side of Trees, nor upon any place of the toun of Burnhaugh, 
 except upon the Haulk hill, nor upon the lands of milne of 
 Montqueich except for peats where they presently cast, and 
 for mending the damni, and that only in proper ground sett 
 apart by the heritor, and noways detrimental! to the grass or 
 corn land of the said toun, nor upon the toun of Crossley 
 except in ditches and near the present sheep rive, 1 and only on 
 ground where the surface is already cast up, nor upon the 
 toun of Rothnick, but where they are or shall be licensed by 
 the heritor upon certain places where the surface is already 
 cast up, not exceeding the half of the quantity usually casten, 
 nor upon the toun of Balnagight, Cairntoun, Montboy, and 
 AVoodhead, except in the mains thereof that are not prohibited, 
 nor upon Glithno nor Crans Aicker, except upon the north east 
 of the Xewfolds above Andrew Measons house, and to the 
 northward of the north most corn lands of Alexander Webster, 
 John Straiton, and John Lyon, nor upon the toun of Polbair, 
 but upon the ground where the surface is already cast up lying 
 betwixt the corn yeard thereof and the corn land to the north- 
 ward of the same for a moderate use allenarly, nor upon 
 Megray except in the muir thereof, James Edward being to 
 east in the Mercatt stance and non else, and in the common 
 breas betwixt that and milne of Cowie where the tennents of 
 Milne of Cowie are priviledged to cast allenarly and no where 
 
 1 Sheep rive, pasturage for sheep. 
 
1735] 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 155 
 
 else. And likways it is enacted and ordained that all mosses be 
 regularly and even cast up without underminding the moss, 
 and the under lair levelled, and whers the surface of the moss 
 happens to be green or bent, or anything else but black ground 
 wholly, they shall first cast the surface of the ground with a 
 flaughter spade 1 and carefully lay the same upon the bottom of 
 the moss so cast up, that the same may grow green again. As 
 also that all who possess land upon the banks of waters or 
 stripes fortifie the same against the incurtions of the water, and 
 non labour ground within the waterflood marks. That no 
 ground be brunt until after the first of J ully yearly, and non 
 brunt at all except what is ribb'd 2 and above two foot deep of 
 black or moss ground, and that non be over brunt. And in 
 case any of the saids acts shall happen to be contraveen'd, the 
 Baillie ordains the ground officer to cause any two honest men 
 whom the heritor shall appoynt to view the trespass committed 
 and legally report the damnage at the first Barron Court then 
 next after, when the contravenner or contravenners of any of 
 the above acts shall, for each offence so committed by him or 
 them, and found guilty of, shall, for each offence, incurr the 
 penalty of twenty pound Scots money to the heritor by and 
 attour the damnage committed by him or them at the modi- 
 fication of the Baillie then sitting in judgement. And also 
 ordains that, for the better preservation of planting and in- 
 closures, that no person either in their persons, or with their 
 bestiall, pastureng within the parks of the said barrony for the 
 future, nor be found traveling therin or leaping over the dykes 
 and fences thereof, under the penalty of five pound Scots money 
 totics quoties. To all which the Baillie forsaid interpon'd his 
 authority. James Gordon, balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 mh Julhj 1735. 
 
 Presentia said Baillie ; anent the Complaint given in by the 
 Fiscall against Alexander Youngson, younger in Balnagight, 
 
 1 A long two-handed instrument used for casting turfs. — -Jam. 
 
 2 Half ploughed. In ribbing land the furrow raised by the plough is turned 
 over upon an equal superficies of land left firm. — Agricultural Survey, Peebles- 
 shire, p. 137. 
 
156 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [28 JULY 1735 
 
 and Robert Cruikshank, younger in Montboys, for their 
 mutuall beating, bruising, and blooding of one another, 
 grapling with each other, and throwing one another to the 
 ground, and that upon the twenty fourth day of June last. 
 Compeared the said defenders, and denyed the lybell, and the 
 fiscall offered to prove the same by witnesses. Wherupon 
 compeard Andrew Meason, younger in Glithno, unmarried 
 man, aged twenty five years or thereby, witness, addmitted, 
 sworn, purged of partiall concill, and interrogate, depon'd that 
 at the time lybelled he saw the defenders throw a dogg 1 at eacli 
 other, and then grapple with one another, that the said Alex- 
 ander Youngson did throw Robert Cruikshank violently to the 
 ground, that he saw them both blooding when they were 
 parted. And this is the truth, as he shall answer to God. 
 
 Andrew Meason. 
 
 James Gordon. 
 
 Compeared John Glenny in Montboy, unmarried man, aged 
 twenty years or thereby, witness, admitted at supra, and 
 solemnly sworn, depon'd conformis presidaite in omnibus, only 
 with this variation, that he saw no blood upon Alexander 
 Youngson when he and Robert Cruikshank were parted from 
 other. And this is truth, as he shall answer to God. 
 
 John Glennie. 
 
 James Gordon, bailie. 
 
 John Mauie, Clk. 
 
 28th Julty 1735, Presentia Baillie forsaid. 
 
 The Baillie forsaid haveing consider'd the forsaid lybell with 
 the witnesses depositions, finds both the blooding and beating 
 proven against the said Alexander Youngson, younger, and the 
 beating proven against the said Robert Cruikshank, and therfor 
 ammerciates the said Alexander Youngson in the sum of fifty 
 pound Scots, and the said Robert Cruikshank in ten pound, to 
 be payed to the fiscall for the heritors behoof, and ordains 
 them to goe to prison until the same be payed. 
 
 James Gordon, balie. 
 
 John Maule, CIA: 
 
 1 A lever used by blacksmiths in hooping cart-wheels. — -Jam. 
 
13 JAN. 1738] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 157 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and Barrony of Urie, pertaining 
 heritably to the honourable Robert Barclay, younger of 
 Uric, holdcn at the Manour place therqf where the said 
 Court usually sifts, upon the thirteenth day of January 
 j m vij c and thirty eight years, in presence of the said 
 Robert Barclay, by John Somervell, merchant in Aber- 
 deen, Baillie, Robert Wyllie, Fiscall, John Maule, nottar 
 publicli, Clerk, William Thomson, Officer, 
 Dempster. 
 
 The mitts called, and the court lawfully fenced and affirmed. 
 
 The said day, in presence forsaid, compeared the said Robert 
 Barclay, and gave in to the said Baillie the Decreet Arbitrall 
 pronounced by Master Robert Dundas of Arnistoun, 1 advocate, 
 now Lord Arniston, in the submission entered into betwixt him 
 the said Robert Barclay and John Fullertoun of Cowie, creave- 
 ing the Baillie forsaid might ordain his clerk to read and publish 
 the same in presence of the haill tennents and subtennents of 
 the haill lands and barrony of Urie, which desire the Baillie 
 found reasonable, and accordingly the said Decreet was pub- 
 lickly read and published that non of the tennents and others 
 forsaid might pretend ignorance. Whereupon the Baillie 
 ordained the contents of the said Decreet to be punctually 
 observed by the haill tennents forsaid, under the highest pains 
 of law, by and attour the performance thereof. 
 
 Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 Johx Maule, Cll: 
 
 13 January 1738, Presentia Baillie Somervell. 
 
 It being represented the loss the tennents of this barrony are 
 at for want of legall sworn barly men for deciding anent eaten 
 corns' 2 and other controversies that may arise 'twixt master 
 
 1 Robert Dundas of Arniston was born 9th December 1685. He was called 
 to the Bar in 1709, and appointed Solicitor-General for Scotland in 17 17. 
 In 1720 he became Lord Advocate, and two years later was elected Member of 
 Parliament for the county of Edinburgh. In June 1737 Mr. Dundas was raised 
 to the bench as Lord Arniston, and on 10th September 1748 he succeeded 
 Duncan Forbes of Culloden as Lord President of the Court of Session. He died 
 26th August 1753. — Anderson's Scottish Nation, vol. ii. p. 95. 
 
 2 Eaten corns : probably corns that had been destroyed by the trespass of cattle 
 belonging to the tenants of neighbouring holdings. 
 
158 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [13 JAN. 
 
 and tcnnent, or betwixt tennent and subtennents themselves, 
 or 'twixt tennent and tennent, and for appryzing houses, and 
 doeing every other thing pertaining to legall sworn barlymen. 
 And John Lyon in Cransaicker, James Edward in Megray, 
 Robert Edward in Mill of Cowie, John Strachan in Glithno, 
 James Gordon in Rothnick, John Airth in Trees, and James 
 Murray in Corslev being named, with the consent of the 
 heritors and haill tenents, they compeard, and being solemnly 
 sworn, gave their oath de JideVi as barly men forsaid, and 
 accepted as such by their respective subscriptions. To which 
 the Baillie interpon'd his authority, and ordain'd any one or 
 more of them when called to act as a sworn barly man in 
 maner forsaid, the Baillie and Clerk of Court haveing sub- 
 scrived for such of them as cannot write. 
 
 James Edward. 
 
 James Gordon. 
 
 John Airth. 
 
 Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 13th January 1738, Presentia Baillie Somervell. 
 
 Compeared Robert Barclay, elder of Urie, and the said 
 Barclay, younger thereof, and gave in a joynt complaint not 
 only against the tennents and subtennents of the nether part 
 of the Barrony of Urie, but also against the tennents of that 
 part of the said Barrony of Urie called Montqueich, represent- 
 ing the greatt damnage done to the proper mosses and muirs of 
 the said barrony in and thorrow the said haill tennents and 
 their subtennents casting up, wasting, selling, and destroying 
 thereof. Which complaint haveing been seriously considered by 
 the said Baillie, he enacted, decerned, and ordain'd, and hereby 
 enacts, decerns, and ordains that in all time comeing from and 
 after this date, that no tennent, subtennent, or other possessor 
 within the lands and Barrony of Urie shall not cast up any 
 truf or other fewell to the west and south west of the road 
 that leads from the Lonn of Shigyhead to the foord of 
 Auchanyark, and from the said foord to the Katherie Bridges, 
 and that no peats, turf, or other fewell be sold by any tenent, 
 
17381 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 159 
 
 subtennent, or other possessor within the said barrony out of 
 the moss called the Coall Moss and mosses of Montqueich, or 
 any other of the proper mosses or muirs within any part of the 
 haill barrony of Urie, under the penalty of half a crown for 
 each load of turf or peats that shall so happen to be sold 
 toties quoties by and attour confiscation of all such peats or 
 other fewell. And further, the Baillie forsaid enacts and 
 ordains that Andrew Meason in Glithno and his subtennents 
 shall in all time comeing cast his haill fireing, whether turf or 
 peats, where the other tennents of Glithno presently cast their 
 peats and other fewell, and no where else, under the above 
 pennalty of half a crown for each load, and confiscation of the 
 haill to the heritor. And that no turf be cast and sold off of 
 the Hill called the Blairs, and this but prejudice of all former 
 acts of court ; all which, togither with this present act, the 
 Baillie forsaid ordains to be punctually observed, under the 
 respective penaltys therin contained, and hereto interpons his 
 authority. Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk* 
 
 13th January 1738. — Presentia Baillie Somervell. 
 
 The Baillie forsaid ordained the principall tennent of each 
 plough within this Barrony to pay in yearly four shilling and 
 six pennies Scots for each plough of vagabond mony 1 as long 
 as the same shall be continued as a cess upon the shyre, and 
 that to Robert Wyllie in Powbair, collector appoynted for that 
 effect, under the pain of poynding. To which the haill 
 tennents present consented, and the Baillie interpon'd his 
 authority thereto. Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said day a complaint being entered by the said heritor 
 and fiscall against Alexander Burnet, subtennent in Glithno. 
 for his casting up ground upon the commonty without liberty, 
 and he compearing and being interrogate, judicially confest the 
 
 1 Vagabond ??wney was a tax levied one half from the heritors and one half 
 from the tenants, according to their means and substance, to meet such weekly 
 charges as might be sufficient to sustain the poor. — Acta Pari. c. 52, vii. 
 P- 485. 
 
160 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [13 JAN. 
 
 same. Wherfor the Baillie amerciate him in six pound Scots, 
 to be payed to the fiscall for the heritors behoof, within term 
 of law, and ordained precepts of poynding in common form. 
 Therafter compeared the said Alexander Burnet, and judicially 
 enacted himself to flitt, redd, and remove himself, his wife, 
 bairns, family, servants, goods, and gear furth and from the 
 occupation of his said possession, and that within forty eight 
 hours after the term of Whitsunday next to come, under the 
 penalty of twenty pound Scots, besides being ejected by the 
 ground officer of this Barrony. And declaired he could not write, 
 and therfor the Baillie interponM his authority thereto, and 
 subscrived for him, as did also the Clerk, having gott power 
 from him for that effect. Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 John Maole, Clh 
 
 The said day anent a Complaint given in by John Lyon, 
 ground smith of the said Barrony, that the most of tennents 
 and subtennents had abstracted themselves from his smiddy, 
 therfor creaves that they may be all bound and pay their dues 
 for the futher, 1 in terms of a former act of this Court, dated 
 anno j m vij c and five, 2 which desire the Baillie forsaid found 
 reasonable, and therfor revived and herby ordain'd the said act 
 to be keep'd in all time coming, under the penaltys therin con- 
 tained, as oft as the same is contravened by and attour perfor- 
 mance. The said John Lyon being always obliged to give true, 
 ready, and sufficient service and work, in terms of the said act. 
 To which the Baillie forsaid interpons his authority. 
 
 Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 Johx Maule, Clk: 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and Barrony of Urie, pertaining 
 heritably to the honourable Robert Barclay, younger of 
 Urie, holden at the mannour place thereof where the said 
 Court usually sits, upon this fourth day of November 
 j" l vij c and thirty eight years, in presence of the said 
 Robert Barclay, by Alexander Walker z in Auquhirie, 
 
 1 For the time coming. 2 See p. 114, supra. 
 
 3 Alexander Walker, who farmed the lands of Auquhirie, in the parish of 
 Dunnottar, was a prominent agriculturist in his time. He was succeeded in the 
 
4 NOV. 1738] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 161 
 
 Baillie, James Lighton, Fiscally John Maule, nottar 
 
 publlck, Clerk, Alexander Edward, officer, 
 
 Dempster. 
 
 The suits called, and the court lawfully fenced and affirmed. 
 
 The said day, in presence forsaid, compeared the said heritor 
 and fiscall, and gave in a complaint against William Kaird in 
 Woodhead, representing that the said William Kaird had in a 
 most contentious and vitious manner cast up water furrs, and 
 carried the said water from that of his own possession upon the 
 lands also belonging to the said heritor possessed by the said 
 James Lighton, wherby the same was damnaged to a consider- 
 able value, and that after the said William Kaird was duely 
 interpelFd from acting or doeing the same. Whereupon com- 
 peared the said William Kaird, and judicially confess" d that he 
 had fiird up a ditch cast by order of the heritor for preventing 
 any damnage to be done by water to the said James Lightons 
 lands. Whereupon the Baillie ordain'd the barly men adduced 
 for proveing the said damnage to compear, and they being 
 called accordingly compear'd, James Edward in Megray, and 
 Robert Edward in Mill of Cowie, who being on oath as sworn 
 barlymen, declair'd that the damnage done by the said Walter 
 to James Lightons land ammounted to a peck of corn with the 
 fodder yearly, at six shilling Scots the peck. All which being 
 considered by the said Baillie, he fyned and amerciat the said 
 William Kaird in the sum of three pound Scots mony to be 
 payed to the said fiscall for the heritors behoof, within term of 
 law, and grants precepts of poynding for that effect, and further 
 ordains the said William Kaird in time comeing to defend his 
 water furrs from doeing any further damnage to the said James 
 Lightons possession, and keep redd water furrs for that effect, 
 under pain of law. Alexr. Walker, Bade. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said day anent a complaint given in by the said heritor 
 
 farm of Auquhirie by his son, John Walker {b. 1740 : d. 1812), who was asso- 
 ciated with Robert Barclay of Urie, son of the ' Robert Barclay, younger,' of the 
 text, in his attempts to introduce the principles of scientific farming into the 
 district. The Walkers were proprietors of the estate of Blairton in Aberdeen- 
 shire. 
 
 L 
 
162 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [4 NOV. 1738 
 
 and fiscall that the tennents, subtennents, and others of the 
 Mains, Kirntoun, and Balnagight had contraveen'd the last act 
 relative to the selling of peats. But upon the tennents and 
 others forsaid enacting themselves to obey the act in time 
 comeing, the heritor and fiscall deserted the pursuit, and 
 therfor the saids haill tennents and others hereby enact them- 
 selves to obey the said act in time comeing, under the penaltys 
 and damnages therin contain^, which they all did in face of 
 court, and to which the Baillie forsaid interpons his authority, 
 and subscrives for such as cannot write. 
 
 Alexr. Walker, Ba'ilc. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said day compear VI the said Fiscall, and exhibite a com- 
 plaint against Alexander Milne in Mill of Montqueich, for his 
 cruell beating, bruiseing, and blooding of Alexander Burnet, 
 weaver in Cowie, upon the day of October last by past, 
 
 grapleing with him and throwing him to the ground, and 
 creaved that he might be fyn'd and amarciate therfor. Where- 
 upon compeared the said Alexander Milne, and being solemnly 
 sworn, depon'd and confess'd that he violently grapled with the 
 saids Alexander Burnet, but denys that [he] bled him or threw 
 him quite down to the ground. And that was the truth, as he 
 should answer to God. Alexr. Milne. 
 
 Alexr. Walker, Bade. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 In respect of the above deposition and confession the Baillie 
 fyns and amerciates the said Alexander Milne in the sum of 
 ten pound Scots, to be payed to the fiscall for the heritors 
 behoof, and ordains him to goe to prison till the same be 
 payed. Alexr. Walker, Baile. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and Barrony qf'Ury, pertaining 
 heritably to the honourable Robert Barclay, junior, of 
 Ury, holden at the Mannour place thereof the tzvelfth day 
 of June one thousand seven hundred and thirty nine, 
 in presence of the said heiritor, by Robert Wylie, in Pow- 
 
12 JUNE 1739] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 163 
 
 bah', Balie of said Barony, John Gleny, Procurator 
 Fiscal to the said court, John Maide, nottar publick, 
 Clerk, William Thomson, officer, and Demster. 
 The suits called, and the court laze fully fenced and affirmed. 
 
 The which day, in presence forsaid, the said heritor repre- 
 sented that there had been several acts of Court made anent 
 preserving the mosses, muirs, meadow, and swaird grounds per- 
 taining to said Barrony of Ury, and particularly to that act 
 made the twenty eight of July one thousand seven hundred 
 and thirty five, and another dated January 13th, 1738, and in 
 order to put the said acts in full execution, homologates, 
 aproves, and ratifies the same, and all former acts made, and in 
 preserving the said mosses, muirs, meadow, and suaird grounds, 
 and not only ordains the same to be keapt in full force in all time 
 comming, but also ordains the contraveeners of any particular 
 part thereof to be conveened before this court, and fine and 
 amertiate for such contraventione as has already happned, or 
 may hereafter happen, as the said act of Court and law fully 
 direct. R. Barclay, Jr. R. Wylie, balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 The said day anent the complaint given in by the said pro- 
 curator fiscal against James Cards, elder and younger in Wood- 
 head, and AVilliam Card there, for their mutual beating, 
 bruising, and blooding one another, grapling with and throw- 
 ing each other violently to the ground, upon the fourth day of 
 June currant, or upon one or other of the days of the said 
 month, and craving that the saids defenders might be fined 
 and amerciate in their persons, goods, and gear, as law directs. 
 And they being lawfully summoned for that effect, compeared 
 the said James Card, younger, and judicially confessed that he 
 grappled with and threw to the ground the said William Card, 
 and put his foot upon his belly, but denys that he blood him, 
 and declares he cannot write. Thereafter compeared the said 
 William Card, and being interrogate whither or not he beat, 
 blood, or bruised, or violently threw to the ground the persons 
 of saids James Cards, elder and younger, and the Fiscall offer- 
 ing to prove the same by the oath of the said William Card, 
 
164 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF [17 JAN. 1740 
 
 he refused to depon, and for which the Balie held him as con- 
 fessed. In respect of which confession of the said James Card, 
 younger, and the said William Card his refusing to depone, 
 fines and amerciates the said James Card, younger, in the sum 
 of ten pounds Scots, and the said William Card in the like 
 sum of ten pound money forsaid, to be paid to the procurator 
 fiscall for the heritors behoof, and ordains them to go to the 
 ordinary prison of the barrony untill the same be paid. 
 
 Rot. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 John Maule, Clk. 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and Barrony of' Unj pertaining 
 heritably to the honourable Robe?i Barclay, junior, of 
 Cry, holden at the Mannour place thereof the seventeenth 
 day of January one thousand seven hundred and forty, in 
 presence of the said heritor, by John Somervel, merchant 
 in Aberdeen, Baillie of the said barrony, Robert Willie, 
 Procurator Fiscal to the said court, John Glenny, Cleric, 
 John Irvine, Officer, ami Demster. 
 
 The suits called, and the court lawfully fenced and affirmed. 
 
 The which day, in presence forsaid, and of Robert Barclay, 
 elder of Ury, for his intrest, anent a complaint given in by 
 the said heritor and fiscal against the hail tenants, subtenants, 
 and inhabitants of the barrony for their contentious disobeying 
 the laws and acts of courts relative to their selling of peats and 
 turf, casting up of ground, wasting of their possessions, and the 
 contraveening of other acts formerly made therefore, craving 
 that the persons guilty may be ordined to pay the damnages 
 to the heritor, with the penalties thereby incurred. 
 
 Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 John Glenny, Clerk. 
 
 January the 17th, presentia within Baillie, etc. 
 
 Accordingly compeared Robert Cruikshank, George Mouat, 
 John Laurance, Alexander Youngson, and denied the lybal. 
 Likewise compeared the tenants of Rothnick and Corsley, and 
 likewise denied the lybal. The heritor and fiscal offers to 
 prove. Jo. Somervel, Bailie. 
 
 John Glenny, Clerk. 
 
2 JAN. 1741] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 165 
 
 Barron Court of the lands and Barrony of Ury pertaining 
 heritably to the honorable Robert Barclay of Ury ', junior, 
 holden att the Mannor Place thereof the second day of 
 January one thousand seven hundred and forty one, in 
 presence of the said heritor, by Robert Wylie in Poubare, 
 Bailie of the said barrony, Joseph Mouat, Procurator 
 Fiscall to the said Court, John Glenny, Cleric, John 
 Irvine, Officer, and William White, Demster. 
 
 The suits called, and the court lawfully fenced and affirmed. 
 
 The which day, in presence of the heritor and baillie forsaid, 
 complaints being given in by said fiscall thatt notwithstanding 
 the many acts of court to hinder the wasting of mosses, muires, 
 meadows, grass, and corn lands, woods, plantings, fishings, and 
 wild fouls, and venison, continue little better then before, 
 therefore craving that not only former acts thereanent be 
 ratified, but new ones made in order the better to inforce the 
 observance of the same for the future, and the persons guilty 
 to be punished, and to pay damage in terms of law and former 
 acts of court thereanent. R. Wyllie, balie. 
 
 J. Glenny, cm. 
 
 Which complent being considered by the Bailie, he, in pre- 
 sence of the hail tennants and subtennants within the barrony, 
 statutes and ordains that in all time coming no peats shall be 
 left in the mosses, nor no turfs upon the muirs, in any place 
 whatsomever after the first day of September yearly, under the 
 penalty of twenty pound Scots, to be paid to the heritor by 
 every person for each time he shall be guilty of the same, 
 besides the loss of such peats and turfs, which is to be forfeited 
 to the heritor, who is hereby impoured to dispose of the same 
 as he shall think proper. It is also further enacted by the 
 forsaid Bailie, that no person whatsomever hunt fish or foul 
 within the barrony, nor be found within any inclosure, without 
 the heritors licience, under the penal tys prescribed by acts of 
 parliament for such as shall be found to hunt fish or foul as 
 abovesaid, and four pound Scots for each time they shall be 
 found within park inclosure or planting in any place what- 
 somever. He also further ordains that no braes shall be 
 
166 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [2 JAN. 
 
 laboured but such as have been in use to be so, and they only 
 for three years, untill they be rested nine years each time 
 before they be taken in, and no brae to be laboured but such 
 as can be done without letting the ground fall to the foot of 
 the brae, under the penalty to be paid as above, and damages 
 likewise. R. Wyllie, bahe. 
 
 J. Glenny, Clk. 
 
 Presenfia jbrsaid eodem die. 
 
 The said Bailie likewise ordains that no ground be laboured 
 till five years rested if outfield, nor no ground to be watered till 
 past the fourth year, nor none to be laboured longer then four 
 years untill rested the said five years, under the within men- 
 tioned penalties and dammages, to be paid by each person 
 contraveening toties quoties as already directed. And the 
 Bailie also further ordains all former acts of court relative to 
 mosses, muirs, meadows, suaird ground, bruntland, selling of 
 peats, to be punctuall observed, under the penalties and 
 dammages therein contained, to be duely observed in all time 
 coming by the hail tenants, subtennants, and others within the 
 barrony in the haill heads and clauses thereof, as if the same 
 were word for word herein expressed. 
 
 R. Wyllie, balie. 
 J. Glexxy, Clk, 
 
 It is further enacted by the said Bailie that no ground be 
 cast up for any use whatsomever upon the lands of Glithnoe, 
 that the heritor shall think fit to be taken in out of the muirs 
 thereof, and so marked for that effect as probable to be taken 
 in for corn land, or shall be marked by [him] for the future for 
 said purpose, under the penalty of twenty pounds and damages, 
 to be paid tones quoties as already directed, which act shall 
 extend to the rest of the barrony. 
 
 R. Wyllie, balie. 
 J. Glexxy, Clk. 
 
 The said day, on a complaint made by Robert Eduard in 
 Milne of Cowie, that severall persons neglect or refuse to assist 
 in bringing home of milne stones and mending the dam and 
 
THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 167 
 
 watergang of milne of Cowie, and performing other milne 
 services, it is enacted by the Bailie, that each deficient person, 
 where a horse shall be required, shall pay four pound Scots for 
 each time, and where a man is required, to pay two pounds Scots 
 for each time he shall be deficient after due requisition made 
 by the said Robert Edward his miller and his men or servants, 
 or any of them, who are hereby appointed officers for that 
 effect, and ordains them, and each one of them, to peind each 
 deficient the above sums in terms of law. 
 
 R. Wyllie, balie. 
 J. Glexxy, Clk. 
 
 The said day Duncan Gordon and Alexander Burnet are 
 amerciate in ten pounds Scots by the Bailie, for their contu- 
 macy in absenting from the court, which they are hereby 
 ordained to pay to the fiscall for the behooff of the heritor 
 within term of law, and orders precepts of peinding to be 
 directed for that effect in form as effeirs. 
 
 R. Wyllie, bailie. 
 J. Glexxy, Clk. 
 
 The said day Duncan Gordon and John Morton, with 
 Robert Crukshank, George Mouat, and John Lawrance, being 
 summoned to this court for selling of peats contrary to former 
 acts of court, and their own enacting to the contrary att the 
 said fiscall and heritors instance, craving the forenamed persons 
 may pay the penalties and damages appointed by former acts 
 of court, and otherways punished att the bailies discretion, 
 who accordingly appeared and confest the libell ; but except 
 the said Duncan Gordon, they all declared they could not write. 
 
 Duncan Gordox. 
 
 R. Wyllie, bailie. 
 
 Jo. Glexxy, Clk 
 
 Presentia Jbrsaid eodem die. 
 The Bailie having considered the within judiciall confessions 
 of Duncan Gordon, John Morton, Robert Crukshank, George 
 Mouat, and John Lawrance, amerciates each one of them in 
 ten pounds Scots, to be paid to the Fiscall of court for the 
 
168 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [2 JAN. 1 74 1 
 
 heritors behoof, within term of law, and for that effect ordains 
 precepts of peinding to be directed hereon in form as effeirs. 
 
 R. Wyllte, bailie. 
 
 Jo. Glexxy, Clfo 
 
 The said day, anent a complaint given in by said heritor and 
 fiscal, showing that by the late increase of houses, the mosses 
 and grounds within the barrony are in danger of being wasted, 
 particularly within the bounds of Burnhaugh and Trees. Which 
 being considered by the said Bailie, he ordains that no houses 
 be built but what were in old use and wont, and particularly 
 orders that none but three houses for firing 1 be in Burnthaugh, 
 and not above five houses for firing in Trees, under the penalty 
 of twenty pound attour damages, to be paid by the contra- 
 veeners toties quoties as formerly directed, and for that purpose 
 the said tennants of Burnhaugh and Trees are required said 
 day to take notice of said act by discharging all houses except- 
 ing in the above terms. R. Wyllie, bailie. 
 
 Jo. Glexxy, Clerk. 
 
 Barron Court of the Barrony of Ury and lands of Matheris 2 
 pertaining heritably to the honourable Robert Barclay, 
 junior, of Ury, holden att the Manner place of Ury, the 
 seventh day of June one thousand seven hundred and 
 fourty six years, in presence of the said heritor, by David 
 Barclay in the Manor place of Finlayston, Balie of the 
 said barrony and lands, and Joseph Mouat in Rothnik, 
 Procurator Fiscall of said court, John Glenny, Clerk, 
 John Irvine, Officer, and William Caird, Dempster. 
 
 R. Barclay, Jr. 
 
 1 Houses for firing seems here to be equivalent to fire houses in the next 
 Minute of Court. Fire houses may be taken generally to mean dwelling-houses, 
 though, strictly speaking, such a definition is not accurate. Many houses of the 
 poorer people in the country had at one time no provision for firing, which, 
 indeed, was looked upon as a luxury, and made subject to a tax called ' hearth- 
 money. ' In a return with reference to this tax, presented to Parliament by the 
 sub-collector of Kincardine on i6th August 1704, the number of hearths in the 
 county is reckoned at 3628. — Acta Pari. xi. p. 171. 
 
 2 It is difficult to explain why the lands of Mathers are mentioned along with 
 the Barony of Urie in this and the succeeding minute. David Barclay, an- 
 cestor of the Barclays of Urie, sold the lands of Mathers, which had been in the 
 possession of his family for three hundred years, in 1633. 
 
7 JUNE 1746] THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 169 
 
 The suits calVd, and the court lawfully fenced and affirmed. 
 
 The which day the hail tennants of said barrony and lands 
 being conveened, it was enacted by the forsaid Bailie, for pre- 
 venting the wasting of mosses, that the number of both 
 tennants and subtennants fire houses shall not exceed six, in 
 Crossley three, in milne of Montquhigh two, Burnhaugh three, 
 and Trees four, and in case of contravention of this act, not 
 only the tennant shall be obleidged who contraveens the same 
 instantly to reduce the number of the above houses to the for- 
 said standard, but also to pay the damages occasioned thereby 
 to the heritor, with ten pound Scots of penalty for each time 
 this act shall be contraveened, to be paid within terms of law. 
 
 Da. Barclay, balle. 
 John Glenny, Clk. 
 
 June the 7th, present la David Barclay, Bailie. 
 
 It is ordained by the Bailie that there be no casting of 
 ground for firing upon the hill of the Walkmilne, except as 
 allowed by the heritor, under the pain of the damages re- 
 founded, and ten pound Scots for each time this act is con- 
 traveened. Da. Barclay, Baillie. 
 
 John Glenny, Clk. 
 
 The said day the heritor and whole tennants and others 
 within the barrony of Ury and lands of Matheris agree to the 
 apointing an aditional number of barlawmen within the said 
 barrony and lands to the barlawmen formerly appointed, viz. : 
 Alexander Milne in miln of Montquhigh, William Main in 
 Jockys loch, Andrew Mason in Latch of Glithnoe, John Foth- 
 ringham in Reedcloak, James Smith in nether Finlayston, and 
 
 , who all gave their 
 
 oath de fidele, and to which the Bailie interpones his authoritie. 
 
 Alexr. Milne. 
 W. M. 
 
 Androw Meason. 
 John Foderingem. 
 James Smith. 
 
 Da. Baiicley, Ba. 
 John Glenxv, Clk. 
 
170 
 
 THE COURT BOOK OF 
 
 [7 JUNE 
 
 June the 7th 9 Presentia David Barclay, Bailie. 
 
 The Bailie enacts that each barlawman shall receive of 
 wages from those who employ them att the rate of twelve 
 shillings Scots each time each person is called out, it being 
 Scots mone, excepting in time of harvest, when the wages are 
 to be one pound four shilling Scots for each time. 
 
 Da. Barclay, BaiUc . 
 John Glexxy, CIA: 
 
 The said day David Williamson in Finlayston being sum- 
 moned to this court for abstracted moulters by Robert 
 Edward in Milne of Couie, and is found to be due to said 
 Robert Edward by his oun confession one pound Scots, which 
 the Bailie ordains to be paid, within terms of law, under pain 
 of poinding, he being accordingly required att the Barr. 
 
 Da. Barclay, BaiUc. 
 
 Johx Glexxy, ClJc. 
 
 The forsaid day, anent a difference betwixt John Mouat in 
 Woodhead and William Caird there, concerning the run rigg'd 
 land 1 presently posesed by James Caird, which is reserved out 
 of William Caird's assidation thereupon, for which there is 
 deduction of ten merks in the tack, which the heritor agreed to 
 because William Caird asserted that to be the old price, and 
 afterwards the said run rigg'd land was set to John Mouat for 
 nine merks Scots by the heritor, who forgot the former price in 
 William Caird's tack, because John Mouat asserted the price 
 to be only nine merks, according to which the heritor would 
 lose a mark yearly. To prevent which and in order to clear 
 the same the Bailie and the said John Mouat and William 
 Caird refer'd unanimously to the oath of Robert Youngson, 
 who formerly lived in Woodhead, whether the merk in dispute 
 should be paid by the said John Mouat or the said William 
 Caird notwithstanding what is written in their respective 
 assidations to the contrary. And accordingly the said Robert 
 
 1 Runrig lands are lands where the alternate ridges of a field belong to different 
 proprietors. It may also be applied to lands where the portions consist not of 
 ridges only, but of alternate portions of several acres each. — Bell's Law of Scot- 
 land, p. 731. 
 
THE BARONY OF UR1E 
 
 171 
 
 Youngson, being solemnly sworn, purged of partiall councill, 
 etc., interrogate, depones that the old price of the said run- 
 rigged land was ten merks Scots exactly, which is a truth, as 
 he shall answer to God, and declares he cannot write. 
 
 Da. Barclay, Baillie. 
 
 John Glenny. 
 
 The Bailie having considered the above deposition, finds the 
 true price of the above runrigg land to be ten merks Scots, and 
 therefore ordains one merks Scots more then is contained in 
 John Mouats assidation to his son Andrew to be paid by them 
 to the said heritor, his heirs and assigneys, how soon ever the 
 said John and Andrew Mouat, or either of them, posesses the 
 said runrigg'd lands, which they are to pay to the heritor and 
 his forsaids, always yearly and termly, along with the rent. 
 
 Da. Barclay, Ba. 
 John Glenny, CIA: 
 
 The forsaid day, presentia David Barclay, Bailie. Anent a 
 Complaint of John Lyon in Burnhaugh, who alledged breach 
 of Bargain in Alexander Meerns subtennant there, because he 
 had sold him a stack of bear and fodder, which only delivered 
 a part of, quhich being denied by said Meerns, the same was 
 refer'd by the said Bailie to Alexander Meerns oath of verity, 
 who deponVl negative. In respect whereof the Bailie asoilzied 
 the said Alexander Meerns from the forsaid persuit. 
 
 Da. Barclay, Baillie. 
 
 John Glenny, Clk. 
 
 Barron Court of the Barony of Ury and lands of Mather is, 
 pertaining heritably to the honurable Robert Barclay of 
 Ury, holden att the Milne Toun of Coivie, the twenty 
 fifth day of June seventeen hundred and fourty seven 
 years, in presence of the said heritor, by George Edward 
 in Upper Finlayston, Balie, John Glenny, Clerk, James 
 Smith, Fiscall, and John Irvin, Officer, and 
 
 , Dempster. R. Barclay. 
 
 Sectis vocatis curia legitime ajfirmata. 
 
 The which day, in presence of the said heritor and Balie, the 
 
172 THE COURT BOOK OF [25 JUNE 
 
 hail tennants being conveen'd, it was enacted by the forsaid 
 Balie that in consideration the dam of Milne of Couie is pre- 
 sently out, therefore ordains that the whole sucken with men 
 and horses come in and work thereat till the same be sufficiently 
 mended, when required by Robert Edward, his millers or 
 servants, under the penalty of sixteen shillings Scots each 
 deficient man, and twenty shillings Scots for each deficient 
 horse. And the said Robert Edward, his miller, servants, or 
 ground officer for the time to poind for the same, and ordains 
 the said Robert Edward and others impouered by him to warn 
 the sucken to begin regularly and go through the whole 
 sucken, always warning them, till the dam be compleatly 
 finished. And when any happens to be deficient, the said 
 Robert Edward must hire a man or horse, and repay himself 
 out of the said penalty. And as it may so fall out in this busy 
 time of the year that a man and horse cannot be got att the 
 ordinary wedges, and the work must not ly, in order to ingage 
 other men with horses to work the more readily, the said 
 Robert Edward is hereby empowered to give the full penalty 
 above enacted. And further, each man who labours his land 
 himself, or in neigh bourhead with another, must always send, 
 when required as above, the half of the number of their horses. 
 And those who have their land laboured to them must always 
 serve as above, personally, as likewise all others, and the whole 
 inhabitants of the sucken must come every day when required, 
 with horses, preciesly att the miln dam att eight of the cloak 
 in morning, and work att least four hours before they go home, 
 with suitable instruments for working, with the said horses. 
 And when men are ordered to work without horses, then they 
 shall, each time they are required, be att the milne dam at 
 eight a clok in the morning, and work sufficiently till six a 
 clock afternoon, they always being obliedged to bring spades, 
 barrow, shovels, and other instruments as required. And in 
 regard there are not sufficient number of carts for this work, 
 therefore the whole tennants and inhabitants lyable in furnish- 
 ing of horses hereby voluntarily obliedge themselves to pay to 
 the said Robert Edward fourteen shillings sterling, for which 
 he is hereby obliedged to furnish sufficient carts till the dam be 
 compleated, which they are to pay att the rate of a shilling 
 
174/1 
 
 THE BARONY OF URIE 
 
 173 
 
 each plough, and the deficient person to be poinded by the 
 ground officer. And likewise in regard there are not a suffi- 
 cient number of barrows for this work, therefore all those 
 who have their plough land ploughed to them do hereby 
 voluntarly obliedge themselves each man to pay doun twelve 
 pennies Scots to James Young, miller, who hereby obliedges 
 himself for the same to furnish a sufficient number of barrows 
 till the work is finished. And the deficient person or persons 
 to be poinded by the said officer as above. And in respect it is 
 enacted that the men who bring horses attend att the milne 
 att eight a clok in the morning may sometimes occasion in- 
 conveniencys, therefore the said Robert Edward and forsaids 
 are hereby empouered to warn the men and horses att any time 
 betwixt sun and sun that he thinks proper, they being only to 
 work four hours att each yoking, and the deficients lyable in 
 the penaltys forsaid. George Edvard, Ba. 
 
 John Glenn y, Clk. 
 
 END OF THE BARRONY COURT BOOK. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE RENTALL BUIK OFF THE BARONY 
 OFF WRIE. 
 
 Banageithe ane Pluche. 1 
 
 Iteme, Jhone Dunckane peyes ten bollis victuall, ane cus- 
 tume 2 mart, ane vaddir, 3 ane dovssone of cappounes, ane 
 dovssone off puttrie, with harrage, carrage within the maines, 4 
 togedder vith lang arrage. 5 
 
 Cairntoune ane Pleuch. 
 Iteme, Robert Dunckane peyes tuentie bollis victuall, ane 
 
 1 Pluche, plrwe, or plucht : a plough. The term is sometimes used of the 
 husbandman who is responsible for a plough's work, and sometimes, as in the 
 text, of the ploughgate, i.e. the extent of land tilled by eight oxen, or 104 acres. 
 — Innes's Legal Antiquities, p. 242. 
 
 2 Besides giving service, which implied a great variety of duties, from that of 
 military service downwards, the feudal tenant paid rent to his lord — (1) in 
 money, known as mailt ; (2) in corn, or ferme ; (3) in customs. Mr. Cosmo 
 Innes enumerates some of the more ordinary custom-dues as follows : — ' These 
 are generally a mart or ox to be killed at Martinmas, two or three wedders or 
 muttons, as many lambs, grice or young pigs, geese, capons, and poultry, 
 chickens, eggs, and almost universally the ancient tax of a reek-hen, or a hen 
 for every fire-house. A very little tallow is paid from the alehouse of the 
 barony, and there are customs of butter and cheese in very small quantities. 
 Besides these commodities for the kitchen, the low country farms often pay a 
 few ells of cloth, not of wool, but linen cloth of three-quarters broad for my 
 lady's napery.' — Innes's Legal Antiquities, p. 257. 
 
 3 Wether. 
 
 4 Maims: the farm attached to the mansion-house on an estate, and in former 
 times usually possessed by the proprietor. — Ja?n. Contraction of French demesne. 
 
 5 Arrage, or Harrage, was the service due from a tenant to a landlord in men 
 and horses. It is distinguishable from carrage, which implies the use of carts 
 or waggons. Long arrage was such as required more than a day for its per- 
 formance. — Jam. 
 
 M 
 
178 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 custume mart, tua vaddiris, ane dovssone off cappounes, and 
 dovsson off putrie, vith harrage, carrag, dov 1 seruice, as said is. 
 
 Glithnocht ane Pleuch. 
 
 Iteme, the Glithnothe peyes sax markes mell 2 at tua termes, 
 to vit Vitsonday and Mertimes, tua vaddiris, sakis capones, ane 
 dovsone of puttrie, with harrage, carrag vithin the maines. 
 
 Wodhckl tua Plews. 
 
 Iteme, Androv Dunckane and Villiame Duththe peyes betuix 
 thaime tua, to vit, euerie ane off thaime ane chalder 3 meill, 
 fouir bollis beir, ane mart, ane doussone off capounes, tua cus- 
 toum vaddiris, ane dowssone off putrie, vith harrag, carrag 
 vithin the grund. 
 
 Megra thru Plewes. 
 
 Iteme, Alexander Dunckane peyes ane chaldir beir, ane 
 chalder mill, tua dovson of capounes, tua vaddires. Iteme, 
 Jhone Manecure peyes aucht bollis mill, audit bollis beir, ane 
 dovsson of capounes, ane vadder. 
 
 Powbair ane Pleuche vadsett.* 
 
 Iteme, Johne Movatt peyes ane chaldir of meill, fouir bollis 
 beir, fouir capouns, sakkis puttrie. 
 
 The Crqf'tis of Covy. 
 
 Iteme, James Mill peyes half chalder of beir. Iteme, 
 Stephone Smythe, for the milne croft, halff chalder of beir. 
 Iteme, Stephane Smythe, skipper, for his croft, xxvij s. viijd. 5 
 
 Iteme, Alexander Tellzour, for his croft, xxvj s. viij d. 
 
 1 Due. 2 Maill. 
 
 3 A measure consisting of sixteen bolls. 
 
 4 Wadset : pledged, with power of redemption. 
 
 5 27s. 8d. Scots money, equal to a little over 2s. 3d. sterling. A pound 
 sterling is equal in value to twelve pounds Scots. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 179 
 
 II. 
 
 NOTES WRITTEN ON THE FLY-LEAF OF THE MS. 
 
 1. 
 
 These are to give notice that Barclay Fair, standing upon 
 the hill of Megray, nar Cowie, begining yearly upon the third 
 Tuesday of June ; as also Maithers Fair, standing in the same 
 place, and begining upon the second Tuesday of October, 
 yearly, both granted by act of parliament, and belonging 
 heritably to Robert Barclay of Ury, are both of them to con- 
 tinue always herafter for four days, to witt, Tuesday for sheep 
 of all sorts, Wedensday for all sort of timber in the morning, 
 and the rest of the day for all sorts of cloth and stockings, 
 and butter and cheese, with all sort of merchant ware, Thurs- 
 day for all sort of nolt and cattel, and Friday for horse. All 
 buyers and sellers, merchants, and others, are expected to 
 attend ilk ane of these fairs with their comodities, where they 
 may expect good encouragement. 
 
 2. 
 
 Accompt of the Corne and Fodder receued from the tenents 
 of the Brea of Vrie, 1661. 
 
 
 Boll Fir. 
 
 Lip. 
 
 
 Boll. 
 
 
 
 Imprimes from Jhon Erskine, 
 
 3 
 
 Q 
 
 is 
 
 15 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 Item from William Wilsone, 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Item from Allexander Falconar, 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 Item from Andrew Moncure, 
 
 2 
 
 
 is 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 Item from Jhon Moncure, . 
 
 2 
 
 n 
 
 is 
 
 13 
 
 2 
 
 0 
 
 Item from Jhon Duncan, 
 
 Q 
 
 i 
 
 4 
 
 is 
 
 9 
 
 0 
 
 3 
 
 Item from George Farfar, . 
 
 . 1 1 
 
 31 
 
 is 
 
 29 
 
 1 
 
 0 
 
 Item of Bear. 
 
 From William Wilsone. 
 
 From Allexander Falconar, . . 1 : J pek : 2 1. 25 2 2 
 
 3. 
 
 I defend and forbid in his Majesty name and authorite, our 
 
180 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 Soveraign Lord George the 2d, by the grace of God, King of 
 Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, 
 and in the name and authorite of Robert Barclay, heritable 
 propriatar of the Barony of Ury and lands of Matheris, and 
 George Edward in upper Finlayston, his Balie, that non 
 molest the Court, under pain of law. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 181 
 
 III. 
 
 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF PRICES, CONVERTED 
 FERMES, CUSTOMS, ETC., EXTRACTED FROM THE 
 COURT BOOK. 
 
 13 October 1604. 
 
 lb. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 Of everie hors carrige to Buchane, 
 
 05 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Of everie fwit carrig to Buchane, 
 
 02 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Of hors carrige to Aberdyne, 
 
 01 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Of fwit carrag to Aberdeyn, 
 
 00 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 23 November 1 6l 4. 
 
 
 
 
 Ane leitt of peittis, ..... 
 
 16 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 A dour, ....... 
 
 01 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk mert, ....... 
 
 13 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 27 October 1615. 
 
 
 
 
 Ane aix, ....... 
 
 00 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 25 November 1615. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk mert, ....... 
 
 13 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 12 May 1617. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll meill, 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 8 May 1618. 
 
 
 
 
 Ane staine of talloun, ..... 
 
 02 
 
 13 
 
 04 
 
 24 July 1618. 
 
 
 
 
 Ane boll malt, ...... 
 
 05 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 21 July 1620. 
 
 
 
 
 Ane capon, . .. 
 
 00 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 Ane custome wadder, wnder the woll, . 
 
 03 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 Ane custome mert, . . . . 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane pultrie foull, ..... 
 
 00 
 
 03 
 
 04 
 
 Ilk dozen elnis of sarking lining clayth, 
 
 06 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane pynt of oylie, ..... 
 
 00 
 
 08 
 
 00 
 
 Ane staine of brew tallowne, 
 
 03 
 
 06 
 
 08 
 
 Ilk burding of peitts, ..... 
 
 01 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk laid of peitts on hors with creillis, . 
 
 02 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk kairt full of peitts, .... 
 
 03 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 16 June 1621. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll bear, ...... 
 
 05 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk dozen pultrie foul lis, .... 
 
 02 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane dozen elnis of sufficient sarking lyning, 
 
 06 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
182 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 7 November 1621. 
 
 Ane eln brown fleming, 
 
 Ane eln bred lyning, . 
 
 Ane eln thrie quarter bred, . 
 
 Ane once edgit frenzies, 
 19 January 1622. 
 
 To carye the lairdis letters to Slaines, 
 2 July 1622. 
 
 The saill of a boit, 
 22 November 1622. 
 
 Cairadge, ordinar, 
 5 December 1622. 
 
 Ilk staine of brew talloun, 
 
 Ane boll meill, 
 
 Ane boll bear, 
 
 Ilk leitt peitts, 
 17 April 1623. 
 
 Ane boll meill, 
 
 Ane boll bear, 
 
 Ane eln off sarking lyneing, 
 
 A milne swyne, 
 
 Ilk capoun, 
 25 August 1624. 
 
 Ilk elne of lyning, 
 
 Ane boll malt, 
 25 May 1625. 
 
 Ane pynt of oylie, 
 30 November 1625. 
 
 Ilk elne of sarking lyneing, 
 
 Ilk staine of brew tallown, 
 
 Thrie capounes, . 
 
 8 August 1626. 
 
 Sex wedders, 
 
 Ilk ell lyning, 
 5 October 1626. 
 
 Thrie pultrie, 
 
 Ilk mart, 
 17 Jully 1627. 
 
 Ilk elne of lyning, 
 10 November 1627. 
 
 Ilk mart, 
 
 Ane steane brew creische, 
 
 lb. 
 01 
 01 
 00 
 01 
 
 02 00 00 
 26 13 04 
 01 00 00 
 
 03 06 08 
 10 00 00 
 12 00 00 
 03 06 08 
 
 10 00 00 
 
 10 00 00 
 
 00 08 00 
 
 06 13 04 
 
 00 06 08 
 
 00 08 00 
 
 10 00 00 
 
 00 08 00 
 
 00 06 08 
 03 06 08 
 
 01 00 00 
 
 18 00 00 
 
 00 08 00 
 
 00 10 00 
 
 10 00 00 
 
 00 08 00 
 
 10 00 00 
 
 02 13 04 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 183 
 
 7 May 1(528. 
 
 Ib. 
 
 A". 
 
 d. 
 
 A wedder wilder woll, ..... 
 
 03 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 30 January 1629. 
 
 
 
 
 Ane custome mairte, ..... 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 8 May 1629. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll meill, 
 
 12 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk boll bear, 
 
 12 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 11 November 1629« 
 
 
 
 
 HalfF ane leit of peits, ..... 
 
 05 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane half mairt, ...... 
 
 05 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Sex poultrie foullis, ..... 
 
 01 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane el ne lyning, ...... 
 
 00 
 
 08 
 
 00 
 
 16 June 1630. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll meill, 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk boll bear, ...... 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk dussone caponis, ..... 
 
 04 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk elne lyning clayth, ..... 
 
 00 
 
 08 
 
 00 
 
 16 May 1632. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll meill, 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk boll bear, 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk elne Iyning clayth, .... 
 
 00 
 
 08 
 
 00 
 
 Ane leit of peittis, ..... 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane kow, ....... 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 8 January 1634. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll bear, ...... 
 
 09 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane custome mairt, ..... 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Tua custome wadders, ..... 
 
 06 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane boll bear (payable before 3rd May) 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane boll meill (payable before 1st March), . 
 
 09 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 26 February 1635. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll meill, . . . 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk boll bear, 
 
 12 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ane boll meill (coft in Aberdeen), 
 
 08 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 9 January 1636. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll meill, 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Ilk boll bear, 
 
 12 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 23 August 1672. 
 
 
 
 
 Ilk boll beare, ...... 
 
 06 
 
 13 
 
 06 
 
 Ilk boll meill, 
 
 06 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
184 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 14 March 1679- 
 
 Ilk wyise of strae, 
 9 February 1730. 
 
 Ilk boll oats, 
 
 Ilk boll bear, 
 
 Ilk boll peas, 
 
 11 k boll white, 
 
 Ilk boll rey, 
 4 November 1738. 
 
 A peck of corn with the fodder, 
 
 lb. s. d. 
 
 00 00 12 
 
 07 06 08 
 
 06 00 00 
 
 06 00 00 
 
 09 00 00 
 
 0.5 00 00 
 
 00 06 00 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 185 
 
 IV. 
 
 THE LAIRDS OF URIE, 1430-1892. 
 
 I. SIR WILLIAM HAY OF ERROL, Hereditary Great Constable 
 of Scotland, obtained a charter of the Barony of C owie on resig- 
 nation of Sir William Fraser of Philorth, great-grandson of Sir 
 Alexander Fraser of Cowie, 14th May 1415. 1 He was appointed 
 one of the Commissioners to treat with the English for the release 
 of James i., and was knighted at his coronation. He died in 
 1436, having had issue — 
 
 i. Gilbert, who predeceased his father, married Alice, daughter 
 of Sir William Hay of Yester, by whom he had two sons — 
 
 1. William (see No. III. infra). 
 
 2. Gilbert (see No. V. infra). 
 ii. William of Urie. 
 
 II. WILLIAM HAY OF URIE, second son of Sir William Hay of 
 Errol, obtained from his father the lands of Urie in the Barony of 
 Cowie in 1430. 2 He received from his nephew, Sir William Hay 
 of Errol, a charter of Cowie, dated 20th September 1447, and 
 subsequently granted, ad sustentationem unius capellani perpetui in 
 Capella Viryinis Marie et S. Nauthlani, prope villain de Cowy, the 
 following crofts within the Town — the Langcroft alias Brounis- 
 land, the Balehalch, Maldiscroft, the Smiddycroft, and the 
 Abbottiscroft. 3 He resigned Urie in March 1453, confirming this 
 resignation fourteen years later to his grand-nephew, Nicholas 
 Hay of Errol. He had issue — 
 
 i. Thomas of Little Arnage. 4 
 
 ii. Elizabeth, who married James Douglas, was served heir to 
 
 her father in the lands of Raustoun and Cragy in the sheriff- 
 dom of Aberdeen, 1st June 1493. 5 
 
 III. SIR WILLIAM HAY OF ERROL succeeded his grandfather, Sir 
 William Hay, in 1436. He was created Earl of Errol in 1458, 
 and is so designed in an acceptance of a resignation of the lands 
 of Urie from his uncle, William Hay, in March of that year. He 
 married Beatrix Douglas, daughter of the third Lord Dalkeith. 
 He died in 1460, and left male issue — 
 i. Nicholas, his successor. 
 ii. William, third Earl. 
 
 1 Reg. Mag. Sig. ( 1424- 1 513), 158. 
 
 2 Spalding Club Miscellany, vol. ii. p. 321. 
 
 3 Keg. Mag. Sig. (1424-1513), 2681. 
 
 4 New Spalding Club, Rec. Marischal College, p. 9. 
 
 5 Retours, vol. ii. Acta Do?n. Audi/or., p. 170. 
 
* 
 
 186 APPENDIX 
 
 IV. NICHOLAS, SECOND EARL OF ERROL, succeeded his father 
 in 14G0. By a charter, dated 12th August 1467, he granted the 
 lands of Urie to Master Gilbert Hay, his uncle. He died in 
 1470, and was succeeded in the Earldom of Errol by his brother, 
 William. 
 
 V. MASTER GILBERT HAY, brother of William, first Earl of Errol, 
 who, as above stated, received a charter of the lands of Trie 
 in 1467, became thereby the founder of the family of ( Hay 
 of Urie.' Following the example of his uncle, William Hay of 
 Urie, he contributed to the endowment of the chaplaincy of Cowie, 
 by a grant of 40s. annual rent of the lands of Magray. 1 He was a 
 lawyer by profession, and his name frequently occurs in the legal 
 processes of the period. 2 He married in 1471 Beatrice Dunbar, 
 daughter and heiress of Sir John Dunbar of Crimond, through 
 whom he became possessed of various estates in the shires of Aber- 
 deen and Elgin. Master Gilbert Hay acted as Constable-Depute 
 at a Parliament held at Edinburgh on 4th May 1480.3 He died in 
 1487, and left issue — 
 i. William, his successor. 
 il Gilbert. 4 
 hi. Thomas. 5 
 
 VI. WILLIAM HAY was still a minor when, on the death of his 
 
 father, he succeeded to the lands of Urie in 1487. He married 
 Katherine, daughter of Archibald Rate of Drumtochty, 6 and the 
 same year, 1487, obtained from his mother, Beatrice Dunbar — ' of 
 my filial love and affection to my very dear son and heir-apparent ' 
 — a resignation of the Barony of Crimond. 7 Crimond remained 
 throughout in the possession of this sept of the family of Hay, 
 who in consequence came to be indifferently described as f of Urie' 
 and 'of Crimond.' William Hay confirmed the gifts of his father 
 and great-uncle to the chapel of Cowie. He died in 1513, and 
 left issue — 
 
 Andrew, his successor. 
 
 VII. ANDREW HAY was served heir to his father in an annual rent 
 
 of 40 merks from the Barony of Kilmalamak on 17th February 
 1513. 8 [He married a daughter of Barclay of Gartly] and, 
 dying in 1531, left issue — 
 Patrick, his successor. 
 
 1 Reg. Mag. Sig., (1424-15 13), 2681. 
 
 2 Acta Dom. Auditor. , pp. 47, 145, etc. 
 
 3 Acta Pari., vol. ii. p. 129. 
 
 4 Spalding Club, Familie of Innes, p. 92. 5 Ibid. p. 90. 
 
 6 Spalding Club, Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, vol. iv. 
 p. 632. 
 
 7 Ibid. p. 80. * Familie of /fines, p. 94. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 187 
 
 VIII. PATRICK HAY, who succeeded his father in 1531, resigned the 
 annual from Kilmalamak, above mentioned, to Robert Innes of 
 Rothmakenzie. He granted a charter to Gilbert Brabner and 
 his spouse of the lands of Over Cremond or Cremondgortht, 
 which is confirmed at Edinburgh on 22d March 1514. 1 [He 
 married a daughter of Comyn of Inverallochy.] He died in 
 1552, and left issue — 
 
 i. Alexander : was next in substitution to George sixth Earl 
 of Errol in the charters of Errol, Slains, etc. , in December 
 1511. 2 He died before his father, and left no issue. 
 
 ii. William, his successor, 
 in. Robert. 3 
 
 IX. WILLIAM HAY succeeded his father in 1552, and died in 1588. 
 He was appointed a member of Committee formed for the valua- 
 tion of the lands of Kincardineshire in 1554, 4 on which Com- 
 mittee there served among others 'William, Earl Marischal, and 
 David Barclay of Mathers, his Depute,' the latter being great- 
 great-grandfather of Colonel Barclay of Urie (see No. XVII. 
 infra). He was one of the signatories of the band of allegiance to 
 James vi. , entitled, 'Bond of the Barons of the North,' sub- 
 scribed at Aberdeen on 2d September 1574. 5 Having subse- 
 quently become involved in the treasonable conspiracies of his 
 chief, Francis, eighth Earl of Errol (see No. XII. infra), he, by 
 charter dated 12th January 1588, resigned the lands of Urie to 
 his grandson, William Hay, retaining for himself and for John 
 Hay, his heir-apparent, who was also implicated in the doings 
 of the Popish faction, the liferent of the same. 6 The possible 
 forfeitures which this deed anticipated were happily avoided. 
 He married Jonete Wood 7 [daughter of Wood of Balbegno], 
 and had issue — 
 
 l John, his successor. 
 
 ii. William of Little Arnage held the rank of captain in the 
 king's service. 8 He had issue — 
 
 1 Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, vol. iv. p. 634. 
 
 2 Reg. Mag. Sig. (1513-46), 2517. 3 Reg. of Privy Council, vol. ii. p. 723. 
 
 4 Retours, vol. ii. Inquis. Valorum, 2. This Committee returned the aggre- 
 gate value of all the lands in the county at 445^ pounds. The following are 
 among the separate returns — Barony of Cowie xx lib. land ; Lands of Logy- 
 Cowie i lib. land ; Barony of Uras x lib. land ; Barony of Dunnottar v lib. 
 land. As to the meaning and significance of these valuations, see Innes, 
 Legal Antiquities, p. 275 et seq. 5 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 723. 
 
 6 Reg. Mag. Sig. (1580-93) 1435. * n trie above charter the lands of Anchor- 
 thies are mentioned as forming part of the estate of Urie. They appear to 
 have been alienated prior to 1604. 
 
 7 Ibid. (1546-80), 2256. 8 Reg. of Privy Council, vol. vii. p. 682. 
 
188 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 1. John of Crimondmogate appears in the minutes of the 
 Court Book as bailie to Francis. Earl of Errol, and 
 William Hay of Urie, see p. 30 supra. 
 in. ? James. 1 
 
 iv. [Jean married James Lyall of Balmaledy.] 
 
 X. JOHN HAY, on whose behalf the first recorded meeting - of the 
 Baron Court is held, on 8th July 1004, succeeded his father in 
 1588. 2 It does not appear whether he actually took the field 
 in the unsuccessful rising in which, in the following year, the 
 Earl of Errol was engaged, but that he sympathised with the 
 Popish party and did not hesitate to render them assistance is 
 clearly proved. In 1592 he is fined 1000 merks for hearing 
 Mass, and for ' resetting and intercommuning with Jesuits, 
 priests, and papests.' 3 He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir 
 Alexander Irving of Drum, and died in 1607 3 leu\ ing issue — 
 l William, his successor. 
 ii. Alexander of Logie. 4 
 
 XI. WILLIAM HAY, last of the ' Hays of trie,' was summoned under 
 pain of rebellion to appear before the Lords of Council, on 2d 
 June 1500, to answer ' concerning persute and invasion of his 
 Majesteis declairit traitouris, rebellious and unnaturall sub- 
 jects, tressoimable practizaris and conspiratouris aganes the 
 trew religioun presentlie professet within this realme, his 
 Majesteis persone and estate, and libertie of this cuntrey. '* 
 He succeeded his father in 1G07, and married Margaret, daughter 
 of Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth. He sold the lands of Urie 
 to Francis, Earl of Errol, in 1G30, and died subsequent to 163-4. 
 
 XII. FRANCIS, EIGHTH EARL OF ERROL, succeeded to the titles 
 and estates of that earldom on the death of his father, in 1585. 
 He was a staunch Roman Catholic, and became one of the 
 leaders of the Popish faction who espoused the interests of 
 Spain in 1588. He took part, along with the Earls of Crawford, 
 Huntly, and Bothwell, in the attempted rising of 1589, and on 
 its suppression was imprisoned and arraigned for treason. After 
 suffering a few months' confinement, however, he was liberated 
 on the occasion of the king's marriage. In July 1592, he was 
 again arrested on a charge of ' papistry,' but was again released. 
 He renewed his treasonable correspondence with the Spanish 
 Court, and in February 1593 was formally declared e rebel.' 
 On 3d October 1591 was fought the battle of Glenlivat, where, 
 
 1 New Spalding Club, Miscellany, vol. i. p. 145. 
 
 2 Acta Pari., C. 141, vol. iii. p. 615. 
 
 3 Reg. of Privy Council, vol. v. pp. 54, 60-61, 78. 
 
 4 See p. 16, supra. 5 Reg. of Privy Council, vol. v. p. 146. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 189 
 
 in conjunction with the Earl of Huntly, he defeated a royal 
 army of 7000 men under the leadership of Argyll. The king 
 advancing in person to oppose the insurgents, both leaders ulti- 
 mately surrendered. They obtained permission to go abroad, 
 where they remained in exile for two years. Errol subsequently 
 regained the royal favour, and Mas one of the Commissioners 
 nominated by Parliament to treat of a union with England, 
 1 1th July 1G04. The remaining years of his life were spent in 
 the administration of his vast estates, and in the exercise of a 
 princely charity among the poor. As above stated, he acquired 
 the lands of Trie in 1630. He died on 16th July 1631, leaving 
 issue by his third wife, Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of 
 Morton — 
 
 William, his successor. 
 
 XIII. WILLIAM, NINTH EARL OF ERROL, was educated in the 
 Protestant religion. He was brought up at Court, and was in 
 high favour with King Charles i. , at whose coronation his personal 
 expenditure as Constable was so great as to severely cripple the 
 resources of the earldom. He continued to live in a style of 
 lavish, magnificence, which eventuated, in the first instance, in 
 the sale of the old family estate of Errol, in the Carse of Gowrie, 
 which had been in the possession of his ancestors from the time 
 of William the Lion. Nor was this sacrifice in itself sufficient 
 to relieve the pressure of his financial embarrassments. At his 
 death, which took place on 13th December 1636, it was found 
 that the affairs of the earldom were almost hopelessly involved. 
 He married Ann Lyon, daughter of Patrick, eleventh Lord 
 Glammis and first Earl of Kinghorn, by whom he had issue — 
 Gilbert, his successor. 
 
 XIV. GILBERT, TENTH EARL OF ERROL, was a mere child at the 
 date of his succession. During his minority various expedients 
 were resorted to by his curators to redeem the fortunes of the 
 house. To this end, portions of the estate of Urie were from 
 time to time disposed of, among which were the lands of Redcloak 
 and Finlayston, together with the greater part of the Over- 
 barony, or Monquich, which last became the property of George 
 Thomson, Clerk of the Sheriffdom of Kincardine. 1 The remain- 
 
 i Retonrs, vol. i., Kincardine, 132. The portion of Monquich thus alienated 
 consisted of the lands of Balnagubs, Sane kens /i aw, Old Hillock, Craigwells, and 
 Netherley. It appears to have remained in the possession of the heirs of George 
 Thomson till 1748, when it was sold by James Thomson of Portlethen, advocate 
 in Aberdeen, to William Chalmers, Commissary of His Majesty's stores at 
 Gibraltar. In 1754 it again changed hands, being purchased from William 
 Chalmers by Alexander Silver, a retired East India merchant, who built the 
 present mansion-house of Netherley. \ He died in 1797. His son, George 
 
190 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 ing lands passed in wadset to John Forbes of Leslie, in whose 
 possession they remained till 1647. 1 In that year it was found 
 necessary still further to relieve the indebtedness of the earl- 
 dom, and permission was obtained from Parliament to sell Urie, 
 which was thereupon acquired by William, seventh Earl 
 MarischaL 2 Gilbert, Earl of Errol, married Catherine, daughter 
 of James, Earl of Southesk, and died without issue in 1674. 
 
 XV. JOHN FORBES, wadsetter, was second son of William Forbes 
 
 of Monymusk and Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter of the 
 ninth Earl of Angus. He had obtained the lands of Leslie 
 in Aberdeenshire in 1020, and ten years later secured the 
 proprietorship of the estate of Banchory, in the parish of 
 Banchory-Devenick. 3 A Presbyterian and a zealous supporter 
 of the Covenant, he drew down upon himself the vengeance of 
 Montrose, who, in March 1645, having first sacked the town of 
 Stonehaven, and spoiled the Earl Marischal's lands of Dunnottar 
 and Fetteresso, plundered the whole lands of Urie, burning the 
 ancient fortalice of the Hays, and utterly wasting all that it 
 contained. 4 Forbes, whose wadset on the lands of Urie was 
 redeemed by Earl Marischal in 1647, married Jean Leslie, sister 
 of Patrick, second Lord Lindores. He died in ]663.' J 
 
 XVI. WILLIAM SEVENTH EARL MARISCHAL, succeeded to the 
 
 earldom on the death of his father in 1635. He was a Presby- 
 terian, and adhered to the Covenanting party till the surrender of 
 King Charles i. in 1646. Henceforward he became an ardent 
 Royalist. Raising a troop of horse at his own expense, he 
 marched with them into England in 1648, and was present at 
 the battle of Preston, where he narrowly escaped being taken 
 prisoner. He subsequently entertained Charles n. at Dunnottar 
 Castle in 1650, and would have accompanied him to England, 
 had he not been appointed, along with the Earls of Crawford 
 and Glencairn, to remain at home in charge of the kingdom. 
 
 Silver, acquired from Robert Barclay Allardice of Urie (see No. XXII. infra), 
 the remaining portion of Monquich, conform to a disposition dated 1st October 
 1816. He died in 1841, and was succeeded by his son, also named George, 
 who was resident in Madeira. The latter dying without issue in 1844, his 
 brother James, who succeeded, sold the estate nine years later to Horatio Ross 
 of Rossie. Monquich, now known as Netherley, was purchased from Mr. Ross 
 by William Nathaniel Forbes of Auchernach, the present proprietor, in 1863. — 
 Notes on the Titles of Netherley, in the possession of W. N. Forbes, Esq. 
 
 1 Acta Pari., C. 85, vol. viii. p. 532. 
 
 2 Ibid., C. 339, vol. vii. p. 762. 
 
 3 Henderson's History of Banchory-Devenick, p. 14. 
 
 4 Spalding's Memorialls of the Trubles in Scotland, vol. ii. p. 460. 
 
 5 Retours, vol. ii., Inquis. Generates, 4749. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 191 
 
 After the defeat at Worcester, he was attainted by the Crom- 
 wellian Parliament, and having been surprised at Elliot, in 
 Angus, by a strong- party of English horse, was conveyed to 
 London and imprisoned in the Tower. There he remained till 
 the Restoration. As above mentioned, Earl Marischal pur- 
 chased Urie in 1647. In the following year he disposed of it 
 by sale, along with various lands in the parish of Dunnottar, to 
 Colonel David Barclay, son of David Barclay of Mearns and 
 Mathers. 1 In recompence for his great merits and suffer- 
 ings in the royal cause, he was appointed a Privy Councillor by 
 Charles n. in 1000, and shortly afterwards was made Lord Privy 
 Seal, which office he retained till his death in 1661. He had 
 married Elizabeth Seton, daughter of George, Earl of Y Vinton, 
 but, having no male issue, was succeeded in the earldom of 
 Marischal by his brother. 
 
 XVII. COLONEL DAVID BARCLAY was born at Kirktonhill, in the 
 parish of Marykirk, in 1610, and married in 1647 Katherine, 
 daughter of Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonston, second son 
 of the Earl of Sutherland. In his youth he served under 
 Gustavus Adolphus, and was present at the battle of Lutzen 
 in November 16-32. Returning to this country on the out- 
 break of the civil wars, he allied himself with the Covenanting 
 Party, and did good service in the field on its behalf. His 
 purchase of Urie in 1648 was so far unfortunate. Having failed 
 to complete his titles before the forfeiture of the Earl Maris- 
 chal, he was denied admission to the lands on the plea that 
 they had fallen to the State. He thereupon applied himself 
 to obtain a seat in the Cromwellian Parliament as an only 
 means of vindicating his rights. He was elected member for 
 Sutherlandshire in 1653, and for the shires of Forfar and Kin- 
 cardine in 1654, and again in 1656. In 1654 he was appointed 
 a Trustee on the Confiscated Estates in Scotland, 2 a distinction 
 for which he afterwards suffered at the hands of Charles u. 
 by imprisonment in Edinburgh Castle. It was while in prison 
 on this occasion that he was induced to embrace the doctrines 
 of the Society of Friends, through the influence of Judge 
 Swinton. Having obtained his freedom in 1666, he retired to 
 Urie, where he afterwards continued to reside. On 13th 
 August 1679 Colonel Barclay obtained from the king a formal 
 charter erecting his lands, which he had purchased from the 
 Earl Marischal twenty years previously, into ' ane haill and 
 free Barony, called the Barony of Urie.' 3 He built the ' Old 
 
 1 Barclay's Genealogical Account of the Barclays of Urie, Ed. 1812, p. 20. 
 
 2 Acta Pari. vol. vi. 2, p. 821 a. 
 
 3 Ibid., C. 85, vol. VIII. p. 531. 
 
192 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 House of Urie' (see Frontispiece)., and dying on 12th October 
 1 686, left issue— 
 
 i. Robert, his successor. 
 
 ii. John, married in New Jersey, and had issue ; died in 1731. 
 in. David, died unmarried in 1685. 
 iv. Lucy, died unmarried. 
 
 v. Jean, married Sir Evan Cameron of Lochiel. 
 
 XVIII. ROBERT BARCLAY Mas born at Gordonston, in Morayshire, 
 on 23d October 1648, and was educated at the Scots College, 
 Paris, of which his uncle, Robert Barclay, was rector. He 
 returned to Scotland in 1G64, and three years later joined the 
 Society of Friends, which found in him its most devoted 
 champion and ablest advocate. He married in 1670 Christian 
 (died February 1725), daughter of Gilbert Mollison, mer- 
 chant in Aberdeen. In the same year appeared the first 
 of his published works, a pamphlet in vindication of the 
 religious tenets of the Quakers, entitled Truth Cleared of 
 Calumnies. His famous Apology for the Quakers was published 
 in Amsterdam in 1675. From November 1676 till April 1677 
 he was imprisoned in Aberdeen, at the instance of the clergy, 
 during which time he occupied himself in the composition of 
 his treatise on Universal Love, a remonstrance against the 
 criminality of war. A Vindication of the Apology appeared in 
 1679, followed in the same year by The Anarchy of the Ranters, 
 in which latter work he laboured to defend the Quakers from 
 the charge of superstition on the one hand and fanaticism on 
 the other. 1 In 1681 he became one of a syndicate for the 
 purchase of the American Province New Caesarea or New 
 Jersey, as it eventually came to be called, lying between the 
 Delaware and the Hudson. A year later he was appointed 
 nominal life-governor of the Province by the proprietors. 
 The remainder of his life was chiefly spent in laborious efforts 
 to further the interests of this Colony. He died on 3d October 
 1690, and left issue — 
 
 i. Robert, his successor. 
 
 ii. David, settled in London. He married (1) Anne, daughter 
 
 of James Taylor, draper in London, and (2) Priscilla, 
 daughter of John Freame, banker. He entered the 
 Mercantile Profession, and had the honour of enter- 
 taining the first three Hanoverian Monarchs on Lord 
 Mayor's Day, at his residence in Cheapside. 2 
 
 1 For a complete list of the writings of Robert Barclay, the Apologist, see 
 Anderson's Scottish Nation, vol. i. p. 245. 
 
 2 David Barclay is ancestor of the present Robert Barclay, Esq., of Bury 
 Hill, Dorking, in whose possession is the original MS. of the Court Book of the 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 193 
 
 in. John, resident in Dublin, married Anne, daughter of 
 Amos Stretell, merchant. 
 
 iv. Patience, married Timothy Forbes, son of Alexander 
 
 Forbes of Aquorthies. 
 
 v. Catherine, married James Forbes, brother of the pre- 
 
 ceding-. 
 
 vi. Christian, married, in 1699, Alexander Jaffray of Kings- 
 
 wells, and died in 1751. 
 vn. Jean, married Alexander Forbes, merchant, London, 
 son of John Forbes of Aquorthies. 
 
 XIX. ROBERT BARCLAY was born on 25th March 1672, and suc- 
 ceeded his father in 1690. He resigned the Dunnottar portions 
 of the Barony to the Earl Marischal prior to 1715, and having 
 acquired the lands of Finlayston and Redcloak, which had been 
 alienated during the minority of Gilbert, Earl of Errol (see 
 No. XIV. supra), he in 1722 executed a deed of entail over 
 the estates. He published in 1740 A Genealogical Account of 
 the Barclays of Urie. He died 27th March 1747. By his wife 
 Elizabeth, daughter of James O'Brian, merchant in London, 
 he left issue — 
 
 i. Robert, his successor. 
 
 ii. David was born in 1728. He married Margaret, daughter 
 of John Pardoe, merchant, Worcester, and died 30th 
 May 1809. 
 
 in. John, died unmarried. 
 
 iv. Mollison, married John, son of John Doubleday of 
 
 Alnwick Abbey, in Northumberland, 
 v. Elizabeth, married Sir ^\ ^ illiam Ogilvy, Bart. , of Barras. 
 vi. Catherine. 
 
 Barony of Urie, and to whose courtesy in permitting it to be printed the Society 
 is indebted for this volume. Mr. Barclay is heir-male of the Barclays of Urie. 
 The following is his descent — 
 
 David, 
 
 James, 
 
 Alexander, b. 171 1 ; d. at 
 Philadelphia 1768. 
 
 Joseph, d.s.p. 
 
 Alexander, d.s.p. 
 
 Robert, of Bury Hill, b. 1751. 
 
 Charles, b. 1780. 
 
 Arthur Rett, b. 1806. 
 
 Robert, b. 1837, s. 1869. 
 
 x 
 
194 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 XX. ROBERT BARCLAY, known as ' Robert the Strong/ was born 
 20th July 1699, succeeded his father in 1747, and died 10th 
 October 1760. He is accredited with having had friendly 
 leanings towards the Jacobites, but if so, was careful not to 
 commit himself in '45. He married Une, daughter of Sir 
 Evan Cameron of Lochiel, and had issue — 
 L Robert, his successor. 
 EL Evan, unmarried. 
 DDL Alexander, unmarried. 
 
 iv. David, unmarried, killed at taking of Martinique in 
 
 1762. 
 
 v. Jane, born in 1726, and died unmarried in 1750. 
 
 XXL ROBERT B A RC LAY- A L L A RD I C E, the distinguished agricul- 
 turist, was born in 1731, and died 7th April 1797. He was 
 educated at the University of Aberdeen, and afterwards studied 
 farming in Xorfolkshire. He succeeded to the estates in 1760, 
 and eight years later began his experiments in scientific farm- 
 ing. 1 In 1788 he was elected member of Parliament for Kin- 
 cardineshire, and continued to represent the county till his 
 death in 1797. The New Town of Stonehaven was founded 
 by him in 1795, encouragement to build upon what was then 
 known as the Links of Arduthic, being afforded in the granting 
 of feu-charters on liberal terms. He married — 
 
 (1) Lucy, daughter of David Barclay, by whom he had issue — 
 
 Lucy, married Samuel Galton of Duddeston House, "War- 
 wick. 
 
 (2) Sarah-Anne, only daughter and heiress of James Allardice of 
 Allardice, who in 1785 was served nearest lawful heir-por- 
 tioner of William, last Earl of Airth and Menteith, and had 
 issue — 
 
 i. Robert, his successor. 
 
 ii. James Allardice, born in 1784, died at Ceylon, unmar- 
 ried, in 1803. 
 
 in. David Stuart, born in 1786, was Major in the 28th 
 Regiment of Foot, and died unmarried at Otranto, in 
 Italy, in 1826. 
 
 iv. Rodney, born in 1782, and died unmarried in 1853. 
 
 v. Anne, born 13th September 1777, and died unmarried 
 
 on 29th October 1782. 
 vt. Une Cameron, born in 1778, married John Innes of 
 
 Cowie, and died September 1809. 
 vii. Mary, born in 1780, died unmarried in 1799. 
 vm. Margaret, married Hudson Gurney of Keswick. 
 
 1 For particulars as to Mr. Barclay's agricultural improvements, see British 
 Biographical Dictionary ; old Statistical Account, vol. xii. p. 597 ; Pennant's 
 Tour in Scotland, vol. xii, p. 148 ; Donaldson's General View of the Agriculture 
 of Kincardine, p. 17. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 195 
 
 XXII. CAPTAIN ROBERT BARCLAY-ALLARUICE was born in 
 1779, and was educated in England, studying for a time at 
 the University of Cambridge. As heir-general and of line 
 of William, first Earl of Airth, he unsuccessfully claimed the 
 Earldoms of Strathearn, Menteith, and Airth. He entered 
 the army and served, as aide-de-camp to the Marquis of 
 Huntly, in the ill-fated Walcheren expedition, sent to the 
 coast of the Netherlands in 1809, to aid Austria in her struggle 
 against Napoleon 1. Subsequently abandoning the military 
 profession, he betook himself to farming and cattle-rearing. 
 In 1822 was formed the once famous Urie Herd of Shorthorns, 
 which did much to improve the breed of cattle in the district. 
 He is now chiefly remembered for his pedestrian achievements. 
 His great feat of walking 1000 miles in 1000 consecutive hours 
 took place at Newmarket in June and July of 1809. 1 The 
 deed of entail executed by his great-grandfather (see No. 
 XIX. supra) having been proved faulty, he sold to George 
 Silver of Netherley the lands of Monquich, etc. , in 1816. 2 At 
 his death, which happened in 1854, the remainder of the 
 Barony of Urie passed from the family of Barclay, being pur- 
 chased by Mr. Baird of Gartsherrie. Captain Barclay mar- 
 ried in 1819 Mary Dalgarno, and had issue — 
 1. Margaret, who assumed by Royal Licence, 2d July 1883, 
 
 for herself and her heirs, the surnames and arms of 
 
 Barclay-Allardice. She married — 
 
 (1) in 1840, Samuel Ritchie, by whom she had issue — 
 
 1. Robert, her heir. 
 
 2. Samuel Frederick, died unmarried in 1862. 
 
 3. David Stuart, married in 1868 Fannie Foster, daugh- 
 
 ter of Edwin S. Elliott of West Brattleboro, Ver- 
 mont, U.S., and has issue — 
 
 1. Robert, b. 1869. 
 
 2. Elliot Ritchie, b. 1873. 
 
 3. David Graham, b. 1877. 
 
 4. Clinton, b. 1882. 
 
 5. Margaret Anna. 
 
 6. Augusta Standish. 
 
 7. Amelia. 
 
 4. Mary Hay, died in 1849. 
 
 (2) in 1854, James Tanner, and had issue — 
 Augusta Graham, died, unmarried, in 1874. 
 
 XXIII. ALEXANDER BAIRD, a member of the celebrated firm of iron- 
 masters, the Messrs. Baird of Gartsherrie, Lanarkshire, pur- 
 
 1 See Thorn's Pedestrianism (1813). 
 Notes on the Titles of Netherley. 
 
196 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 chased the Barony of Urie, as above stated, on the death of 
 Captain Barclay- Allardice in 1854. He built the present 
 House of trie in 1855, on the site of the old c Manor Place ' of 
 the Barclays. He died without issue in 18G2. 
 
 XXIV. JOHN BAIRD OF LOCH\TOOD succeeded to the Barony of 
 Urie on the death of his brother, Alexander Baird (see No. 
 XXIII. supra) in 1862. He married Margaret, daughter of 
 John Finlay of Springhill, and died in 1870, leaving issue — 
 L Alexander, who succeeded to Urie. 
 II. John of Loch wood and Knoydart. 
 m. Janet, married Colonel Chalmer. 
 
 XXV. ALEXANDER BAIRD OF URIE succeeded his father in 1870. 
 
 He purchased the estate of Rickarton, which, previous to the 
 forfeiture of George, tenth Earl Marischal, had formed part 
 of the Barony of Fetteresso, on the death of Captain Rickart- 
 Hepburn in 1871. Mr. Baird, who has travelled much, is an 
 accomplished Oriental scholar, his acquirements in this respect 
 being recognised by Sir Richard Burton, who, in dedicating to 
 him the ninth volume of his Thousand JSlghts and a Night, says, 
 ' Your long residence in Egypt, and your extensive acquaint- 
 ance with its "politic," private and public, make you a 
 thoroughly competent judge of the merits and demerits of this 
 volume ; and encourage me to hope that in reading it you will 
 take something of the pleasure I have had in writing it.' On 
 the outbreak of famine in Upper Egypt in 1870, Mr. Baird, 
 who was then resident in Cairo, was intrusted with the relief 
 of the starving populations in the Provinces of Girgeh, Kenneh, 
 and Esneh. In a report which he subsequently presented to 
 the Egyptian Government, he contended that the distress under 
 which the people suffered was ' a money famine,' due to over- 
 taxation, and suggested various reforms in the interest of the 
 fellahs, all of which have since been carried into effect. For 
 his services in this crisis he received the thanks of the Egyp- 
 tian Government, and was invested by the Khedive with the 
 Order of the Osmanie. Mr. Baird succeeded the late Sir 
 Thomas Gladstone, Bart., of Fasque, as Lord-Lieutenant of 
 the County of Kincardine in 1890. He married in 1873, the 
 Honourable Annette Maria (died 21st May 1881), elder daughter 
 of Lawrence Vaughan Palk, first Lord Haldon, and has issue — 
 
 i. John Lawrence, his heir. rv. Nor ah. 
 
 ii. Evelyn. v. Nina. 
 
 hi. Alexander Walter Frederic vl Muriel Jane. 
 
GLOSSARY 
 
 Act, instrument. 
 Allegance, Alledgeins, allegation. 
 Allenerlie, only. 
 Amerciament, a fine. 
 Amerciat, to fine. 
 Appone, to appose. 
 Assedatioun, a lease. 
 Assertaining, fixing, apportion- 
 ing- 
 
 Assythment, compensatio?i. 
 Astrickit, bound, engaged. 
 Attour, beyond, in addition to. 
 
 Bannock, one of the duties exacted 
 
 at a mill. 
 Barley-men, ?ne?nbers of a Court 
 
 of Burlaw. 
 Bauk, a ridge. 
 
 Be others, more than others. 
 
 Beddell, a bedema?t, a beggar. 
 
 Befor,/<?r. 
 
 Beit, to mend. 
 
 Bestiall, live stock. 
 
 Beyndis, boundaries. 
 
 Bigging, a house. 
 
 Binty, covered with bent grass. 
 
 Birk, the birch-tree. 
 
 Boll, a dry measure. 
 
 Brack, to fail, to break. 
 
 Brew-lauche, the privilege of 
 
 brewing. 
 Brosteris, brewers. 
 But, without. 
 
 Butt, a small disjoined portion 
 
 of land. 
 Bygaine, past. 
 Byganes, past offences. 
 By past, past. 
 By rune, past. 
 By which, whereupon. 
 
 C.B.U. 0 
 
 Calse, causeway. 
 Campesce, to restrain. 
 Cast, to dig, to cut. 
 Chapelandrie, chapel lands. 
 Clew, a ball of thread. 
 Coff, to buy. 
 Coft, bought. 
 Colli s, coals. 
 
 Collude, to have collusion with. 
 Common, to have dealings with. 
 Compone, to come to an agree- 
 ment. 
 
 Compryse, to seize, to arrest. 
 Concord, to unite. 
 Concurse, concurrence, co-ope?'a- 
 tion. 
 
 Condescend, to agree. 
 Contravert, to dispute. 
 Contumassie, contumacious. 
 Cotter, one who inhabits a cot or 
 
 cottage. 
 Covvmond, common. 
 Cowmountie, a common. 
 Creill, a basket made of osiers. 
 Creischie, cris, chreese, tallow. 
 
 Dacker, to search forstolengoods. 
 
 Daik, dyik, a wall. 
 
 Darseing, sowing. 
 
 Decerniture, a decree of Court. 
 
 Depoition, deposition. 
 
 Designe, to mark out. 
 
 Detfull, due. 
 
 Dilete, to legally accuse. 
 
 Dilict, a misde?neanour, a petty 
 
 crime. 
 Ding, to beat, to strike. 
 Discharging, prohibiting. 
 Dispached, drive?i out of. 
 Dispone, to convey to another. 
 
198 
 
 GLOSSARY 
 
 Dittay, an indictment. 
 
 Dogg, a lever used by blacksmiths 
 
 in hooping cart wheels. 
 Ducat, dowcat, a dove-cot. 
 Dust, the beard of the grain pro- 
 
 ducedby takingoff theouterrind. 
 
 Ear, to plough, to till. 
 Efteirs, it behoves. 
 K\dyng,fuel of any kind. 
 Ell, elne, a Scotch measure con- 
 taining thirty-seven inches. 
 Entres, interest, co?icern. 
 Extend, to assess, to value. 
 Face, an edge. 
 Failze, failure, a penalty. 
 Fair, thorough, complete. 
 Farres, ridges. 
 Feall, fail], turf. 
 
 Fermoreis, payers of ferme, 
 
 farmers. 
 Fiar, one who has the reversion 
 
 of property. 
 Firlot, the fourth part of a boll. 
 Flaughter-spade, an instrument 
 
 for casting turfs. 
 Flit, to remove from one's house. 
 Fra, from. 
 Fremen, fishermen. 
 Frenzie, a fringe. 
 Froster, a forester. 
 Furr, a furrow. 
 
 Furth, furthe, abroad, manifest. 
 
 Gaiting, making one's way. 
 Gaitte, a road. 
 Gatherings, glea?iings. 
 Geir, geyr, goods, effects. 
 Girne, a snare. 
 
 Gowpin, a handful j one of the 
 duties exacted at a mill. 
 
 Gradually, proportio?ially. 
 
 Greatt balzie, chief bailie. 
 
 Gresman, the tenant of a cottage 
 who has no land attached to it. 
 
 Grinter-man, grintall-man, the 
 keeper of the laird's granary. 
 
 Guidis, live stock. 
 Guidman, a small proprietor. 
 Guidsir, a grandfather. 
 GyfT, if. 
 
 Halumes, All-hallows. 
 Handie-grips, close grappling. 
 Haining, an enclosure which is 
 
 neither cut nor pastured. 
 Hedrowmis, the outer boundaries 
 
 of a feu or toft. 
 Heirfor, therefore, wherefore. 
 Helping, repairing. 
 Hiecher, higher. 
 Hog, a sheep of a year old. 
 Holt, oxen. 
 
 Husbandman, a farmer. 
 Hwill, a small skiff. 
 Hy reman, a ?nale servant who 
 works for wages. 
 
 Ilk, each. 
 
 Impasche, to hi?ider. 
 Inconsiderate, of little conse- 
 quence. 
 Indweller, a resident. 
 Intent, to prosecute. 
 Intromett, to i?itermeddle. 
 Introvussion, alienation. 
 Instruct, to prove clearly. 
 Invade, to attack. 
 
 Jois, to possess. 
 
 Kail, keall, keyll, colcwort. 
 Keains, customs paid i?i poultry 
 
 and eggs. 
 Keilling, a large codfish. 
 Keip, to heed, to watch. 
 Keippeythe, a boafs crew. 
 Knawshipe, one of the duties 
 
 exacted at a mill. 
 
 LAID, a mill-race. 
 
 Lairis, places on which peats are 
 
 spread to dry. 
 Lambes, Lammas, the first of 
 
 August. 
 
GLOSSARY 
 
 199 
 
 Larache, the site of a building. 
 Latch, a bog, a marsh. 
 Laubor, to tilt, to cultivate. 
 Lauboring, tillage, a farm. 
 Laufull, law-abiding. 
 Lede, leyd, to cart. 
 Leitt, a load. 
 Lesum, lawful, 
 
 Lippie, the fourth part of a peck. 
 Loak, loke, a handful j one of 
 
 the duties exacted at a mill. 
 Loip, to overleap. 
 Lykas, lykwayis, likewise. 
 Lyne-man, a white fisher. 
 
 Maines, the farm attached to a 
 mansion-house. 
 
 Maill, rent. 
 
 Maistlie, especially. 
 
 Malicious, troublesome. 
 
 Manse, a manor house. 
 
 Meaneis, common lands. 
 
 Meit, meal. 
 
 Mell, to meddle. 
 
 Merchand, marketable. 
 
 Merk, a silver coifi, equal in value 
 to thirteen shillings a?td four- 
 pence. 
 
 Metteing, measurhig. 
 
 Midding, a diuig-heaft. 
 
 Milne swyne, swi?ie fed on a mill. 
 
 Moull, the refuse of meal. 
 
 Mouter, multer, a fee for gri?id- 
 ing corn. 
 
 Mwir, heath. 
 
 Mureburn, the act of burning 
 heath. 
 
 Nane, no, none. 
 Nor, than. 
 
 Notour, well-known^ notorious. 
 
 Obleis, to bind to engage. 
 Obstraiking, withdrawing. 
 Of before, formerly. 
 Offend, to injure. 
 
 Onnawayis, in ?w wise. 
 Or, before, ere. 
 Other is, each other. 
 Our, over. 
 
 Outbounds, commo7i pasturage. 
 Outlabour, to exhaust by too 
 
 ?nuch tillage. 
 Oylly, oil. 
 
 Pairt, to divide, to portion off. 
 Pas, to pace, to measure, 
 Pasche, Easter. 
 Patent, ready. 
 
 Peck, the fourth part of a firlot. 
 Peckcaman, pekaman, pickie- 
 
 man, a miller's servant. 
 Pendicul, a small piece of ground 
 
 either depending on a large 
 
 farm, or let separately by the 
 
 owner. 
 
 Petitour, one entitled to raise a 
 
 petitory action. 
 Petpotteis, holes from whicli peats 
 
 have been dug. 
 Plaice, a ma?ior house. 
 Plee, a dispute. 
 Posit, interrogated. 
 Pott, a hole whence peats have 
 
 been dug; to make peat-holes. 
 Precept, a summons. 
 Prejugit, injured, deprived. 
 Preparative, a precedent. 
 Pretend, to set forth, to state. 
 Probablye, clearly, certainly. 
 Procuratour, solicitor. 
 Promit, to proinise. 
 Possession, a holding. 
 Pundlar, a distrainer. 
 
 Qualifyit, proven. 
 Quhair, since, whereas. 
 Quhairanent, concerning which. 
 Quhill, until. 
 Quhyt, wheat. 
 
 Reaplie, ripely, fully, 
 Recusantis, refusing. 
 
200 
 
 GLOSSARY 
 
 Red, redd, to put in order, to 
 
 clear. 
 Redigie, to repair. 
 Reist, re stand, that remained due 
 Remanent, other. 
 Remeid, to remedy. 
 Rest, to be i?idcbted to any one; 
 
 bala?ice due. 
 Ribb, to halj plough. To plough 
 
 in such a way as to throw the 
 
 earth turned over upon an 
 
 equal quantity oj 'surface which 
 
 7-emains undisturbed. 
 Roum, rowm, a holding. 
 Rountrie, the mountain ash. 
 Ruid-day, the third of May, the 
 
 day of the invention of the 
 
 Cross. 
 Ryot, a depredatio?i. 
 Ryve out, to plough lea land. 
 
 Sarking, shirting. 
 Sauch, a willow. 
 Scair, mishap. 
 
 Schell, to take off the husks of 
 grain. 
 
 Schilingis, grain freed from the 
 
 husk. 
 Servitour, a servant. 
 Set, sett, a lease. 
 Sheir, to reap corn. 
 Sheep rive, pasture for sheep. 
 Sicht, i?ispection ; to inspect. 
 Sicklyk, similarly 
 Sincerely, honestly. 
 Smeddie, a smithes workshop. 
 Smoutis, salmon fry. 
 Spilling', destroying. 
 Staig, a young horse. 
 Stamp, a trap. 
 Stouth, theft. 
 
 Stryp, a lo?ig narrow plantatio?t. 
 Stuff, grain of any kind. 
 Subscryve, to sign. 
 Snckin, the jurisdiction attached 
 to a mill. 
 
 Suffer, to delay. 
 Swa, so. 
 
 Tack, a lease. 
 Tallown, Tallowne, tallow. 
 Taxisman, tacksman, a tenant. 
 Ten s e 1 1, forfeiture. 
 Tempper, to adjust. 
 Thankfull, legally sufficient. 
 The morne, to-morrow. 
 The piece, each. 
 
 Thirl, to bind by the terms of a 
 
 lease, or otherwise to grind at 
 
 a certain mill. 
 Thoill, to bear, to undergo. 
 Toft, a portion of land sufficient 
 
 for a house and garden, a feu 
 
 or plot. 
 Tollerans, permission. 
 Tor, an etninence, a hill. 
 Toume, a place into which rubbish 
 
 or manure is emptied. 
 Towne, a farm steading. 
 Trawaill, labour. 
 Turris, turf. 
 
 ULIE, oil. 
 
 Underlie, to be subjected to, to un- 
 dergo. 
 Unlaw, a fine; to fi?ie. 
 Unlikely, an offence. 
 
 Veice, stead. 
 Visie, to exanmie. 
 Vistage, remains, ruins. 
 
 Wallour, value. 
 Walk, to watch. 
 Want, to lack, to miss. 
 Warn, to summon. 
 Wictuall, grain of any kind. 
 Win, wine, to dry. 
 Wmquhill, late, deceased. 
 Wyises, trusses. 
 
 Ward, a small piece of enclosed 
 pasture ground. 
 
 Yaird, a garden. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abbottiscroft, 185. 
 Abercromby, Charles, 146 
 Aberdeen, 9. 
 Aberdein, John, 61. 
 Airth, John, 158. 
 
 and Menteith, William, earl of, 
 
 192. 
 Alachie, 124. 
 Allan, George, 129. 
 Allardice (Alardes), Andro, 25, 27, 
 
 29, 31, 34- 
 
 James, 17, 19, 24, 30, 31, 34, 
 
 42, 64. 
 
 Robert Barclay, of Urie, 190 n. 
 
 Sarah Anne, 192. 
 
 Anderson, Arthur, 112 n. 
 
 Annand, Alexander, 54 and 11., 59, 77. 
 
 Aquhorsk, 112 n. 
 
 Arbuthnot, Andro, 46. 
 
 John, 19, 20. 
 
 Robert, 87 n. 
 
 Ardlethen, Aberdeenshire, 72 n. 
 
 Assault, vii, xv, xvii, 1, 7, 30, 52, 53, 
 72, 95, 112, 117-18, 121-4, 126, 127, 
 144-6, 147-8, 156, 162, 163. 
 
 Assize of bread and ale, xvi. 
 
 Auchanyark ford, 158. 
 
 Auchinleck, Johne, 83-86, 90-92. 
 
 Thomas, xxi. 
 
 Auchorthies, xli, 187 11. 
 
 Auchterellon, lands of, 54 n. 
 
 Auquhirie, 16011., 161 n. 
 
 Austiane, Patrik, shereff clerk of Kin- 
 cardyne, 75. 
 
 Baginet, James, 95. 
 Baird, Alexander, 193. 
 
 of Urie, xl, 194. 
 
 of Gartsherrie, xl, 193. 
 
 John, of Lochwood, 194. 
 
 Balehalch, 185. 
 
 Balnagight (Bannageith), lii, 18, 31, 
 75,99, 104, 132, 133, 150, 154, 162. 
 
 Banchory, xxiii, 190. 
 
 Bannagubs, 32, 42, 51, 60, 61, 66, 68, 
 76. 
 
 Barclay, David, of Mathers, 168 n., 
 187. 
 
 of Urie, xxiv-xxx, 83, 85, 
 
 86, 88, 90-100, 191. 
 Barclay, David, 168, 169, 170 passim. 
 
 Gilbert, 30, 38, 39, 55, 56, 58. 
 
 Jean, 118. 
 
 Robert, of Urie (1648-1690), xxx- 
 
 xxxviii, 94, 96-100, 192. 
 (1672-1747), xxxviii-xl, 
 
 107, 118, 121, 124-128, 191. 
 (1699-1760), 133, 162, 163 
 
 passim, 192. 
 rector, Scots college, Paris, 
 
 192. 
 
 Barclay fair, liv, lvi, 179. 
 
 Barclay- Allardice, Robert (1731-1797), 
 
 192 and n. 
 
 captain Robert, xl, 193. 
 
 Beattie (Beatie), Alexander, 128. 
 
 Robert, 128. 
 
 ' Beggar's badge,' 103 and n. 
 
 Beggars, lodging of, no. 
 
 Bellrield, 146 n. 
 
 Bery, George, 14. 
 
 Binnie, William, 100. 
 
 Birleymen, xlix, 24 and 33, 37, 
 
 78, 158, 169, 170. 
 Blaber, John, 115. 
 Blairs, 37, 159. 
 
 Blairton, Aberdeenshire, 161 ;/. 
 
 Blak, Alexander, 29. 
 
 Blakhall, Thomas, 78. 
 
 Blindscheall, William, 30. 
 
 Boner, James, 18, 22. 
 
 Boys, Margaret, 103. 
 
 Brabner (Brabiner), Gilbert, 187. 
 
 Johne, 87. 
 
 William, 16, 17. 
 
 Brachmount, 89. 
 
 Brewing, privilege of, xliii, 21, 25, 27, 
 
 32, 40 passim. 
 Bridgeston, 135. 
 Brig, Helein, 15. 
 
 Brown (Broun), Alexander, in Mains 
 of Urie, 128. 
 
 r.B.u. 
 
202 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Brown (Broun), Megray, 106, 120, 142, 
 
 144, 145, 146, 151. 
 
 Woodhead, 100, 106. 
 
 James, 98, 100, 101, 103, 120, 
 
 129. 
 
 Magnus, 84, 85, 
 
 Stevin, 85. 
 
 Bruntholls, 15, 136-141, 
 Bruxden, 132, 144.. 
 Buchan, Helen, 108, 109. 
 
 John, 101, 102, 107. 
 
 Thomas, 25. 
 
 Burne, James, 145. 
 Burnes, James, 127. 
 Burnet, Alexander, 15, 17, 20, 39, 
 80 11., 102, 103, 159, 160, 162, 167. 
 
 Archibald, 21, 27, 45, 46. 
 
 David, 46, 47, 50, 51, 53 passim. 
 
 sir Thomas, of Leys, lv. 
 
 William, 19. 
 
 Burnhaugh, 88, 99, 104, 154, 168, 
 169. 
 
 Caddell, George, 121- 124. 
 
 Cadonheid, Margrat, 84, 85. 
 
 Caird (Card, Kaiid), James, 122, 123, 
 
 i35> 151. 163, 170. 
 William, 129, 144, 151, 161, 163, 
 
 168, 170. 
 Cairncorss, Jeillis, 14. 
 Cairntoun (Kirntoun), lii, 18, 33, 52, 
 
 75, 96, 132, 154, 162. 
 Cameron, sir Evan, of Lochiel, 192. 
 
 Une, 192. 
 
 Candolin, Beatrix, 15. 
 Carmock, George, 86, 87. 
 Carnegie, sir David, xxxvii. 
 
 William, 93. 
 
 Cartmyll, Bernard, 1 1 11. 
 Cassie, 154. 
 
 John, 146. 
 
 Cathnes, John, 52. 
 Causeway-mail, 87 and 11. 
 Chalmer, colonel, 194. 
 
 Robert, 146, 147. 
 
 William, 189 11. 
 
 Chein, Alexander, 17. 
 
 Margaret, 31, 34. 
 
 Cheyne of Esslemont, 54 11. 
 Christie, Arthur, li, 17. 
 Clark, William, 128. 
 Comyn of Inverallochy, 187. 
 Corsley, 31, 32, 51, 66, 76, 88, 99, 
 
 104, 154, 164, 169. 
 Cottars, xlii, 4 and n, 23, 38, 45, 65, 
 
 70, 90, passim. 
 Court of Burlaw, xlix, 24 11. 
 Court Baron, Charge of, xi-xiv, Ivi, 
 179-80. 
 
 Cowie, xl, liii, lv, 4, 7, 11, 28 11., 29, 
 3r, 32, 36, 69, 70, 99, 114, 115, 
 134, 140, 154, 178. 
 
 Cowton, 87 11. 
 
 Craig, Alexander. See Keith. 
 
 David, 71. 
 
 Johri, 137, 138. 
 
 Craighouse of Milne of Cowie, 143. 
 Cransacre, 89, 126, 144, 145, 154. 
 Crimond, 30 n. , 186. 
 Crimonmogate, 30 and 11., 40. 
 Crooke, John, 1 1 n. 
 Cruikshank, Alexander, 129. 
 John, 98. 
 
 Robert, 122, 123, 128, 150, 156, 
 
 164, 167. 
 
 Thomas, 39. 
 
 Crystie, Arthour, 17. 
 
 Robert, 37. 
 
 dimming, James, 45, 48. 
 Cunygham, sir William, x. 
 Curbigg, or Carbigg, 154. 
 
 Dalgarno, Mary, 193. 
 
 Davidson, Alexander, 144-146. 
 
 James, lii, 3, 12, 13, 18, 21, 23, 
 
 26, 144-145- 
 
 John, 26, 144-145. 
 
 Davin, John, 107. 
 Deans, Alexander, 129. 
 Demaresk, Thomas, 1 1 n. 
 Den of Woodhead, the, 132. 
 Denune, James, 17. 
 Dewinny. See Downie. 
 Donald, Elspeth, 117. 
 
 John, 117, 118. 
 
 Doubleday, John, of Alnwick abbey, 
 
 1911 • o 
 
 Douglas, Beatrix, 185. 
 
 Elizabeth, in Glithnoe, 106. 
 
 John, of Wast Barras, 66 and n. 
 
 lady Margaret, 1 90. 
 
 sir William, of Glenbervie, 66 11. 
 
 Downie (Davenie, Dewinny), George, 
 
 39, 42, 45, 59, 65, 76, 78. 
 James, 17, 19, 20, 24, 33, 35, 39, 
 
 42, 44, 59, 62, 134. 
 Dunbar, Beatrix, 30 it., 186. 
 
 David, 32. 
 
 sir John, xix, 30 11., 186. 
 
 Duncan, Agnes, 72. 
 
 Alexander, 108, 109, Iio, 112, 
 
 120, 128, 178. 
 
 Andrew, 77, 178. 
 
 Archibald, 17, 18, 24, 31, 34, 
 
 39, 42, 44, 47, 54, 5 6 > 6 3> 68, 75, 
 
 78, 81. 
 
 James, 14, 17, 19, 45, 4§, 64. 
 
 John, 84, 85, 177, 179. 
 
INDEX 
 
 203 
 
 Duncan, Robert, 12, 15, 17, 18, 24, 33, 
 
 35, 39, 5o, 52, 54, 56, 69, 75, 177- 
 William, 72. 
 
 Dundas, Robert, of Arnistoun, 157 
 
 and ». 
 Dunottar castle, 67 ». 
 Durart, Thomas, 30. 
 Durie, William, 99. 
 Durris, xxiii. 
 
 Duthie, , in Craigwalls, 127. 
 
 Alexander, 24, 31, 35, 39, 44, 
 
 45, 47, 51, 120. 
 Duthie, John, 138, 139. 
 William, 17, 19, 22, 24, 31, 33, 
 
 34, 39, 42, 5°, 53, 5 6 , 5 8 , 6 3, 64, 
 67, passim. 
 
 Edward, Alexander, 161. 
 
 George, hi, 171, 173, 180. 
 
 James, 106, no, 121, 129, 135, 
 
 142, 144, 151, 154, 158. 
 
 John, 117, 118. 
 
 Robert, 126, 135, 147, 148, 158, 
 
 161, 166, 170, 172, 173. 
 Ell measure, 31 and 11. 
 Elliott, Edwin S., 193. 
 
 Fanny P oster, 193. 
 
 Elsick, 80. 
 
 Errol, earls of. See Hay. 
 
 Erskine, John, 86, 94-96, 98, passim. 
 
 Fairs, liv. 
 
 Falconer (Falkoner), Alexander, 84, 
 
 85, 179. 
 
 John, 147. 
 
 Magnus, 75, 80. 
 
 William, 98. 
 
 Farfar. See Forfar. 
 
 Farnie, whipped for sheep-stealing, 
 
 131 n. 
 Farquhar, John, 129. 
 Ferguson, John, 17, 53, 54, 126, 127, 
 
 129. 
 
 Fetteresso (Fethereschawe), 28 n., 34 
 
 and 103, 194. 
 Fiars court, 22-23 n - 
 Finlay, John, of Springhill, 194. 
 
 Margaret, 108, 194. 
 
 Finlayston (Findlawstoun), xxiii, xxxix, 
 
 29, 32, 74, 134, 168, 189, 191. 
 Fishers, xlvii-viii, n and n. , 28 and 
 
 n., 43, 45, 54, 58, 61 and n., 62, 
 
 75, 80, 83. 
 Forbes, Abraham, li. 
 
 Alexander, of Aquorthies, 191. 
 
 Duncan, of Culloden, 157 
 
 -James, 191. 
 
 John, of Aquorthies, 191. 
 
 of Leslie, xxiii, 190. 
 
 Forbes, Stephen, xliii, 12, 14, 16, 18, 
 20, 21, 23, 31, 36, 37, 39, 43, passim. 
 
 Timothy, 191. 
 
 William, of Monymusk, 190. 
 
 Forester, Thomas, 129. 
 
 Forfar, Abraham, 13, 17, 22, 24, 31, 
 35, 41, 42, 47, 51, 56, passim. 
 
 Androw, 84. 
 
 George, 84, 88, 90, 179. 
 
 James, 65-67. 
 
 Fothringham, John, 169. 
 
 Foull, John, 28. 
 
 Fowllar, John, 32, 43. 
 
 Magnus, 62. 
 
 Fraser of Durris, 67 n. 
 
 Fraser, Alexander, 55-59, passim. 
 
 sir Alexander, of Cowie, 42 
 
 185. 
 
 of Philorth, 188. 
 
 Margaret, 188. ' 
 
 Robert, of Brachmont, xxi. 
 
 sir William, of Philorth, xix, 
 
 185. 
 
 Freame, John, 192. 
 
 Priscilla, 192. 
 
 Fremen. See Fishers. 
 Fullerton, Isaac, 146 n. 
 
 Jean, 52, 54, 56, 57, 64, 69, 75. 
 
 John, 4, 6, 7, 157. 
 
 Gairdyne, George, 47. 
 
 John, 79. 
 
 Galton, Lucy, 192. 
 Samuel, 192. 
 
 Game, penalties for the killing of, 
 xxxix, 98-101, 109-110, 1 18-120, 
 
 128, 129. 
 
 Gibbon, Alexander, 119, 126, 127, 
 
 129, 134, passim. 
 
 William, 94, 95, 98-104, passim. 
 
 younger, 98. 
 
 Gicht, William, 30. 
 Gilaspie, Issobell, 79. 
 Gilbert, Richard, 51. 
 Girsome, xliv, 40, 41. 
 Glenbervie, 66 n. 
 Glenlivat, battle of, 188. 
 Glenny, John, 156, 163, 164, 166, 
 passim. 
 
 Glithnoe, 68, 96, 99, 10c, 104, 105, 
 
 109, 124, passim. 
 Gordon, Catherine, xxvi, 191. 
 
 Duncan, 167. 
 
 George, 61, 63, 69. 
 
 James, 73, 76, 84, 98, 153, 155, 
 
 156, 158. 
 
 John, of Pladdo, xxiv. 
 
 sir Robert, of Gordonston, xxvi, 
 
 191. 
 
204 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Gordonston, xxx. 
 
 Grahame, David, II, 50. 
 
 Grassmen, xlii, 9 and 23, 38, 45, 
 
 70, 90, passim. 
 Gray, sir Patrick, viii-x. 
 
 William, 108, 109. 
 
 Green wood, cutting of, li, 5, 8, 12, 
 
 18, 19, 21 et passim. 
 Greig (Grig), George, 18. 
 Grinter man, xliii, 56 and 11. 
 
 Gilbert, 20, 35. 
 
 John, 122. 
 
 Stewin, 17. 
 
 Gurney, Hudson, of Keswick, 192. 
 
 Haig, James, gardener at Wry, 100, 
 101. 
 
 Haining, Thomas, 58 and 11. 
 Hamptoun, servitor to John Falconer, 
 
 147, 148. 
 Harvie, William, 146 
 Haulk hill, 154. 
 
 Hay, Alexander, 6, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 
 
 18, 20, 22-30, 32, 34, passim. 
 
 Andrew, 53, 186. 
 
 Francis, earl of Errol, xix, xxii, 
 
 17, 25, 27, 29, 30, 33-35, 38-41, 
 
 passim, 188. 
 
 George, earl of Errol, 72. 
 
 Gilbert, xix, 30 n., 186. 
 
 earl of Errol, xxii, xxxix, 
 
 189-191. 
 
 James, of Muryfaldis, 82 and 11. 
 
 - John, xix-xxi, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 
 
 30 and 7i. , 46, 50, passim. 
 • Mary, 193. 
 
 Nicholas, earl of Errol. xix, 1S5, 
 
 186. 
 
 Patrick, 187. 
 
 sir Thomas, of Lowchquhor- 
 
 wart, x. 
 
 William, of Ury (1430-1453), 
 
 185. 
 
 (1487-1513), 186. 
 
 (1552-1588), 187. 
 
 ' (1607-1630), xxi-xxii, 5, 9, 
 
 it, 12, 14, 16-18, 24, 25, 27, 29, 
 
 3°» 34 ? 37? passim, 188. 
 
 ■ of Little Arnage, 30, 187. 
 
 earl of Errol, xix, xxii, 185, 
 
 189. 
 
 sir William, of Errol, xix, 185. 
 
 of Yester, 185. 
 
 Heathery Bridges, 132. 
 
 Henderson, John, 22, 34, 39, 46, 48. 
 
 William, 144. 
 
 Heriat, Agnes, 126. 
 Hey. See Hay. 
 Hunter, George, 89. 
 
 Hunter, John, 121, 126, 129. 
 
 Katherine, 137, 139. 
 
 William, 139. 
 
 Husbandmen, xli, xliii, 4 and 46. 
 Hutschone, Jhone, 17. 
 
 Innes, John, of Cowie, 192. 
 
 Robert, of Rothmakenzie, 187. 
 
 Invercarren, 127. 
 
 Irving or Irvine, Alexander, of Drum, 
 188. 
 
 Edward, 52. 
 
 Elizabeth, 188. 
 
 Tames, 17, 18. 
 
 John, 74, 76, 164, 165, 171. 
 
 Robert, xxi, 12 and n., 13-15, 
 
 29, 31, 41, 45, 48, 49- 
 
 Jack, John, 128, 133. 
 
 Jaffray, Alexander, of Kingswells, 191. 
 
 Jamiesone, John, 87. 
 
 Jobson, Robyn, x. 
 
 Johnestoun, Edward, 12 11. 
 
 George, 68. 
 
 Kaird. See Caird. 
 I Katherie Bridges, 158. 
 1 Keith, Alexander, of Cowtoune, 87 
 and n., 90-94. 
 
 in Invercarren, 127. 
 
 of Aquhorsk, 112 11. 
 
 James, of Aqwhorske, 112 and 
 
 n., 113, 114. 
 
 Robert, 137, 138. 
 
 I Ker, James, 129. 
 
 Kergie, Thomas, 92-96, 99-101. 
 
 Kewing, James, 47. 
 j Kilmalamak, 186. 
 
 King, William, 88. 
 \ Kinghorn, John, earl of, xxiij, 81 n., 
 82. See Corrigenda. 
 
 Kirntoun. See Cairntoun. 
 
 Knoullis, George, 100. 
 
 William, 99. 
 
 Knows, John, 107. 
 
 William, 107. 
 
 Land, resignation of, xli, 7, 34, 58. 
 I Langcroft, 185. 
 
 Laurance, John, 128, 164, 167. 
 
 Robert, 146. 
 
 j Laurie, James, 127. 
 
 Law, John, skipper, 54, 58, 62, 75, 
 80. 
 
 Leighton (Lighton), Alexander, 135. 
 
 George, 146. 
 
 James, 51, 100, 137, 161. 
 
 Rachel, 103. 
 
 Stephin, 82. 
 
INDEX 
 
 205 
 
 Leper (Leapper), Androw, 20, 43, 54. 
 
 Archibald, 21, 28, 43, 58, 62, 
 
 . 75, 80. 
 
 Leslie, Androw, 38, 39, 44, 47, 53, 
 
 59, 61, passim. 
 
 George, of Leslie, xxiii. 
 
 Jean, 190. 
 
 John, 53. 
 
 Walter, 112 ;;. 
 
 > lands of, 190. 
 
 Leyes, laird of, 112. 
 
 Lighton. See Leighton. 
 
 Lindores, Patrick, lord, 190. 
 
 Line-men. See Fishers. 
 
 Linlithgow measure, 106 and ;;. 
 
 Little Arnage, 30. 
 
 Lochdews (Lachdewis), 136-141. 
 
 Logie, 16, 19. 
 
 Logy-Covvie, xl. 
 
 Longforgan, viii, ix. 
 
 Lonn of Shigyhead, the, 158. 
 
 Lounann, John, in Cairntoun, 150. 
 
 Lyell, Alexander, 92, 99. 
 
 George, 86, 87. 
 
 James, 92. 
 
 Margaret, 1 03. 
 
 Lyon, Ann, 81 ;;., 189. 
 
 James, of Auldbar, xxiii, 81 and;;. 
 
 John, 120, 129, 145, 150, 158, 
 
 160, 171. 
 Robert, 86. 
 
 M'Duel, Dugal, x. 
 Mackie (Maky), Alexander, 14, 29, 
 39, 40, 45, 48, 50, 52, 60, 106. 
 
 James, 15. 
 
 Patrick, 78. 
 
 Mackinzie, George, 86. 
 Magray. See Megray. 
 Main, John, 35, 135, 151. 
 Thomas, 75. 
 
 William, 68, 129, 135, 51, 169. 
 
 Mains, 162. 
 
 Maissone. See Mason. 
 Maldiscroft, 185. 
 Mancur. See Moncur. 
 Manquheych. See Monquich. 
 Marischal, countess, xxvii. 
 
 George, earl, 112, 187, 194, 
 
 William, earl, lv, xxiv, 4 n., 56 
 
 and ;;., 87 ;;., 187, 190. 
 Marr, earl of, xxxviii. 
 Mason (Maissone, Measson), Andrew, 
 
 117, 128, 135, 150, 154, 156, 159, 
 
 169. 
 
 John, 68. 
 
 Robert, 129, 145. 
 
 Thomas, 64. 
 
 William, 21. 
 
 Mathers, lands of, 168 and ;;. , 169, 
 171. 
 
 fair, liv, lvi, 179. 
 
 Mathow, Gilbert, 15. 
 Mauld, John, 112. 
 
 Maule, 131 and ;;., 133, 134, 136,/^- 
 
 sim. , 
 Mearse, Alexander, 22. 
 Messour, Jhon, 17. 
 Meerns, Alexander, 171. 
 Megray, lvi, 30, 61, 76, 92, 99, 121, 
 
 125, 132, 154, 186. 
 Melvill (Melvin), Andrew, 100, ioi, 
 
 129, 134, 137, 138. 
 
 James, dempster, 92. 
 
 servitor to George Selbie, 
 
 95- 
 
 Johne, 100. 
 
 Menzies (Mengzeis), Alexander, 71, 
 73, 76. 
 
 in Quhytsyid, 73. 
 
 sir Gilbert, of Pitfodels, xxiv, 
 
 37 ;;., 76, 78. 
 Michell. See Mitchell. 
 Middleton, general, xxv-xxvi. 
 
 Alexander, 1 5. 
 
 John, 50, 71. 
 
 Mill (Milne, Myln), Alexander, 162, 
 169. 
 
 Andro, 28 and ;;. 
 
 George, 31, 38, 39, 44, 47, 59, 
 
 61, 63, pas si vi. 
 James, 7, 20, 24-26, 28, 39, 41, 
 
 43, 5°, 5 2 , 54, passim. 
 Mill, John, 29, 38, 76. 
 
 Magnus, 74, 75, 78. 
 
 Robert, 127, 145, 146. 
 
 Miller, George, 21. 
 
 Mill service, 29, 35, 38, 54, 82, 89, 
 
 90, 94, 95, passim. 
 Mitchell, David, 17, 39, 70, 83. 
 Mollison, Christian, xxxii, 192. 
 Gilbert, 192. 
 
 Moncur (Mancure), Andrew, 83-86, 
 179. 
 
 James, 13, 15, 16, 20-23, 25. 
 
 John, 86, 178. 
 
 Montboys, 132, 133, 154. 
 
 Monquich (Montqueich, Manquhyth, 
 Monquhigh), xviii, xxiii, xliv, 12, 
 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, passim. 
 
 Montrose, marquis of, xli. 
 
 Morgan, Andrew, 128. 
 
 Morton, John, 167. 
 
 Moscrope alias Shiphird. See Shep- 
 herd, George. 
 
 Mowat (Mouat), Alexander, 30, 83, 
 85, 86, 96-98. 
 
 Andrew, 171. 
 
206 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Mowat, George, 29, 50, 52, 58, 64, 66, 
 75» 77, 84, 100, 101, 106, passim. 
 
 Hugh, 98, 105, 106, 115. 
 
 James, 1 19. 
 
 ■ Janet, 103, 106. 
 
 ■ John, 15, 30, 32, 33, 35, 40, 41, 
 
 44, passim. 
 
 Joseph, 165, 168. 
 
 William, 98, 100, ioi, 106, 1 1 5. 
 
 Mucholls, 80 and ji., 145. 
 
 Muirheid (Mwirheid), Archibald, 17. 
 
 Multure, xlv, 5, 10, 15, 34, passim. 
 
 Munzie, Alexander, 68, 72. 
 
 Murray, Alex., 43, 44, 85. 
 
 Andrew, 77, 78, passim. 
 
 Archibald, 19, 28, 34, 39, 41, 46, 
 
 5°, 5 2 > 53> passim. 
 
 - David, 19. 
 
 Isobell, 103. 
 
 James, 14, 19, 50, 52, 53, pas- 
 sim. 
 
 John, 19, 62, 65, 80. 
 
 ■ Robert, 95, 96. 
 
 William, 68, 78, 128, 133. 
 
 Neilson, James, 44. 
 Netherley, 59. 
 
 O'Brian, Elizabeth, 191. 
 
 ■ James, 191. 
 
 Officer dues, xliv, 12, 57. 
 
 Ogilvie, George, 67 n. 
 
 Ogilvy, sir William, of Barras, 191. 
 
 Over Cremond or Cremondgortht, 
 
 lands of, 187. 
 Out-field, xlviii. 125, 166. 
 
 Palk, hon. Annette Maria, 194. 
 ? Lawrence Vaughan, first lord 
 
 Haldon, 194. 
 Pardoe, John, 191. 
 
 Margaret, 1 91. 
 
 Pattoun, George, of Ferrochie, 79, 
 Peats, xliv, 4, 6, 13, 14, 27, 32, 33, 
 
 36, 37, passim. 
 Pecaman, xlvi-vii, 3, 5, 10, 1 1, 14, 15, 
 
 82, 84, 90, 94, passim. 
 Penter, Thomas. 18. 
 Piper (Pypper), John, 128, 133. 
 
 Robert, 129. 
 
 Pitfodels (Petfoddellis), 37 and n. 
 Pittendrum, 87 11. 
 
 Poor, maintenance of, xxxix, 102- 104, 
 
 159 and n. 
 Powbare, 15, 30, 35, 58, 88, 99, 103, 
 
 178. 
 
 Presho, James, 93. 
 Prices, table of, 181- 184, 
 Pypper. See Piper. 
 
 Quhyte. See White. 
 
 Raitt (Rate), Archibald, 56, 186, 
 
 John, 114-116. 
 
 Katherine, 186. 
 
 Ramsay, John, 72, 76. 
 
 Rankine, Patrick, xxvii. 
 
 Ranney, Johne, 3, 10. 
 
 Redclock (Reidcloak), xxiii, xxxix, 
 
 29, 30, 75. 95, 134, 137, 140, i4i» 
 
 189, 191. 
 Reid (Red) Barroun, 20. 
 William, shiref deput of Kin- 
 
 cardin, 13, 18, 23-25, 27, 34, 37, 
 
 39, passim. 
 Richie. See Ritchie. 
 Rickart-Hepburn, captain, 194. 
 Rickarton, 194. 
 
 Ritchie (Richie), Marioun, 103. 
 
 Marjory, 109. 
 
 Samuel, 193. 
 
 Robb, Charles, 89. 
 
 Robertsoun, Duncane, in Findlastoun, 
 
 15, 29. 
 
 Edward, 75, 80. 
 
 Ninian, 28, 32, 43, 62. 
 
 Roger, Alexander, in Reid Cloack, 
 
 134. 
 
 Rollock, Janet, 92. 
 Ronald, William, 146. 
 Ros, James, 20. 
 
 Rothnik, 32, 42, 51, 60-61, 66, 68, 70, 
 
 76, 88, 99, 104, 154, 164. 
 Roy, John, 139, 
 Runrig lands, 170 and 
 
 Salmon, leistering of, no and n. 
 Sandiehillock, 144. 
 Sauchinshawe, 35, 76. 
 Schiphird. See Shepherd. 
 Schives, Alexander, 17. 
 Schoolmaster, payment of, xliv, 28, 
 89. 
 
 Scott, George, 129. 
 
 Thomas, ill, 1 13, 1 14, 117, 
 
 118. 
 
 William, x. 
 
 Selbie, George, 94, 95, 96. 
 
 Robert, 129. 
 
 Sellat, James, 18, 21, 22. 
 
 Thomas, 62, 71. 
 
 Service, 5, 9, 18, 21, 22, 26, 27, 46, 
 
 88, 94, 150. 
 Session, Lords of, xv, 10. 
 Seton, Elizabeth, 191. 
 Sheep, marking of, xlii, 97 and 11. 
 Shepherd (Schiphird), George, 32, 47, 
 
 61, 63, 68, 70, 76, 78. 
 Siller, Archibald, 19. 
 
INDEX 
 
 207 
 
 Silver, Alexander, 189. 
 
 George, of Netherley, 193. 
 
 Sinclair, James, 96, 98. 
 Skein, Rodger, 17. 
 Skipper. See Fishers. 
 Slains castle, xliv, 41. 
 Smiddycroft, 185. 
 Smith, David, 147, 148. 
 
 James, in Glithnoe, 105, 169, 
 
 171. 
 
 John, 20, 28, 32, 129, 144-146. 
 
 Richard, 80. 
 
 Stephen, 8, 11, 12, 178. 
 
 Smithy boll, xliv, 8, 12. 
 
 Smyth. See Smith. 
 
 Soldiers, regulations as to the quar- 
 tering of, 100. 
 
 Somervell, John, merchant in Aber- 
 deen, 157-160, 164. 
 
 Souter (Suter), John, 117, 118, 121, 
 126-129, 131, 134, 144, passim. 
 
 Southesk, James, earl of, 190. 
 
 Spark (Spaiike), Tames, dempster, 29. 
 
 Robert, 85, 86, 115. 
 
 Springhall, 107. 
 
 Stank, lands of, 146 n. 
 
 Steivenson, John, 128, 132. 
 
 Stewin, Patrick, 19. 
 
 Stewart, lord John, 1 1. 
 
 St. Mary and St. Nathalan, chapel of, 
 xl, 28 n, 185. 
 
 St. Nathalan's fair, lv. 
 
 Stonehaven (Stanhif, Steinheivin), xix, 
 xxi, lv, 3 and ;z., 14, 33, 85, 87 n., 
 99, 100, 109, 192. 
 
 Strachan (Straquin, Strathawchin), 
 George, 14-17, 20, 32, 39, 40, 47, 
 48, 55> 57, 60, 68, 71-75. 
 
 James, 1 19, 127, 129. 
 
 John, Hi, 6, 8, 10, 16, 128, 150, 
 
 158. 
 
 Robert, xxi, 9. 
 
 Stretell, Anne, 191. 
 Suitor, office of a, viii.-x. 
 Suter. See Souter. 
 Sutter, Charlie, 20. 
 Syret, Alexander, 65. 
 Syrie, David, 74. 
 Robert, 66, 67, 69, 72. 
 
 Taylor (Tailzeour), Alexander, 
 178. 
 
 Anne, 192. 
 
 James, 192. 
 
 John, dempster, 18, 30, 42. 
 
 Marjorie, 117. 
 
 Teind-silver, xliv, 60. 
 Theft, vi-vii, xxxix, 1, 5, 17, 33, 45, 
 86, 92, 101-2, 107-8, 109, 1 1 7-18. 
 
 Thorn, Alexander, 97. 
 
 Thomson, George, nottar publict, 88, 
 
 89, 92-97, passim. 
 James, notter publict, 25, 27, 28- 
 
 3°, 34, 37, 39, 4*, passim. 
 William, 106, 128, 131, 134, 
 
 163. 
 
 Traill, Alexander, 20. 
 
 James, 20. 
 
 Trees, planting of, 96, 149. 
 Trespass, 1, 6, 18, 26, 36, 51, 56, 81, 
 
 109, in, 117. 
 Tries, lands of, 88, 89, 99, 104, 154, 
 
 168, 169. 
 Troup, George, 106, 109. 
 Tullo, Andro, 27, 29. 
 
 Uras, in Dunottar, 87 n. 
 
 Vagabond money, xxxix, 159 and n. 
 
 Walker (Walcar), Alexander, 
 160 and n., 161. 
 
 David, 129, 152. 
 
 George, 46, 80. 
 
 James, 1 10. 
 
 John, 161 n. 
 
 Thomas, 134. 
 
 William, 126. 
 
 Watt, David, 86. 
 
 Webster (Wobster), Alexander, 128, 
 
 135, 150, 154. 
 Webster, James, 128. 
 White (Quhyte), George, 75, 81, 115. 
 
 William, 82, 126, 151, 165. 
 
 younger, 152. 
 
 Whiteside (Quhytsyid), 70, 76. 
 Williamson, David, 1 70. 
 Williesbog, 85. 
 Wilsoun, Robert, 16. 
 
 Walter, 85, 86, 92, 93. 
 
 William, 84-86, 179. 
 
 Winton, George, earl of, 191. 
 Wise (Wyse), Alexander, 93. 
 
 David, 92, 93. 
 
 James, 92, 119, 121-124, 128. 
 
 Wishart (Wyshart), Alexander, 31. 
 
 James, 29, 30. 
 
 John, 82. 
 
 William, 28. 
 
 Wood (Wod), David, 12. 
 Jonete, 187. 
 
 Woodhead, 24, 25, 29, 30, 34, 99, 
 104, 154. 
 
 Wyllie, Alexander, 92, 98, 100-101. 
 
 Issobell, 92. 
 
 John, 106. 
 
 Margaret, in Rothnick, 106. 
 
208 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Wyllie, Robert, 119, 121, 122, 124, 
 
 125-129, 131, 134, 137, passim. 
 Wyse. See Wise. 
 
 Yester, John, Lord, xxiii, 81 and n. 
 Young, James, 173. 
 
 John, sheriff clerk of Kincardine, 
 
 146 and n. 
 
 Young, Robert, I, 28. 
 
 i William, of Fawside, 146 11. 
 
 Youngson, Alexander, 128, 150, 
 156, 164. 
 
 John, 122, 123, 129. 
 
 Robert, 170. 
 
 Z ester. See Yester. 
 
 Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to Her Majesty, 
 at the Edinburgh University Press. 
 
£>cotttst) #tstorp £>octetp 
 
 LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 1890-91. 
 
LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 Abernethy, James, 11 Prince of Wales Terrace, Kensington, 
 
 London, W. 
 Adam, Sir Charles E., Bart., Blair-Adam. 
 Adam, Robert, Brae-Moray, Gillsland Road, Edinburgh. 
 Adam, Thomas, Hazelbank, Uddingston. 
 Adams, William, 28 Ash ton Terrace, Hillhead, Glasgow. 
 Agnew, Alex., Procurator-Fiscal, Court-House Buildings, 
 
 Dundee. 
 
 Aikman, Andrew, 27 Buckingham Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 
 Airy, Osmund, The Laurels, Solihull, Birmingham. 
 
 Aitken, Dr. A. P., 57 Great King Street, Edinburgh. 
 10 Aitken, James H., Gartcows, Falkirk. 
 
 Alexander, William, M.D., Dundonald, Kilmarnock. 
 
 Allan, A. G., Blackfriars Haugh, Elgin. 
 
 Allan, George, Advocate, 56 Castle Street, Aberdeen. 
 
 Allan, Rev. William, Manse of Mochrum, Wigtownshire. 
 
 Allen, Lady Henrietta, Tusculum House, North Berwick. 
 
 Anderson, Archibald, 30 Oxford Square, London, W. 
 
 Anderson, Arthur, M.D., C.B., Sunny-Brae, Pitlochry. 
 
 Anderson, John, jun., Atlantic Mills, Bridgeton, Glasgow. 
 
 Andrew, Thomas, Doune, Perthshire. 
 20 Armstrong, Robert Bruce, 6 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 
 Arnot, James, M.A., 57 Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 
 Arrol, William A., 1 1 Lynedoch Place, Glasgow. 
 
 Baird, J. G. A., Wellwood, Muirkirk. 
 
 Balfour, Right Hon. J. B., Q.C., 6 Rothesay Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 
4 
 
 LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 Ballingall, Hugh, Dundee. 
 
 Barclay, George, 17 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Barron, Rev. Douglas Gordon, Dunnottar Manse, Stonehaven. 
 Begg, Ferdinand Faithfull, 13 Earl's Court Square, London, 
 S.W. 
 
 Bell, A. Beatson, Advocate, 2 Eglinton Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 SO Bell, Joseph, F.R.C.S., 2 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 
 Bell, Robert Fitzroy, Advocate, 42 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. 
 
 Bell, Russell, Advocate, Kildalloig, Campbeltown. 
 
 Beveridge, Erskine, St. Leonard's Hill, Dunfermline. 
 
 Black, James Tait, 29 Palace Court, Bayswater Hill, London, W. 
 
 Black, Rev. John S., 6 Oxford Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 
 Blaikie, Walter B., 22 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. 
 
 Blair, Patrick, Advocate, 4 Ardross Terrace, Inverness. 
 
 Bonar, Horatius, W.S., 15 Strathearn Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Boyd, Sir Thomas J., 41 Moray Place, Edinburgh. 
 40 Brodie, Sir T. D., W.S., 5 Thistle Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Brookman, James, W.S., 16 Ravelston Park, Edinburgh. 
 
 Broun-Morison, J. B., of Finderlie, The Old House, Harrow- 
 on-the-Hill. 
 
 Brown, Professor Alex. Crum, 8 Belgrave Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Brown, J. A. Harvie, Dunipace House, Larbert, Stirlingshire. 
 Brown, P. Hume, 25 Gillespie Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Brown, Robert, Underwood Park, Paisley. 
 Brown, William, 26 Princes Street, Edinburgh. 
 Brownlie, James R., 10 Brandon PI., West George St., Glasgow. 
 Bruce, Alex., 16 Royal Crescent, Crosshill, Glasgow. 
 50 Bruce, James, W.S., 23 St. Bernard's Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Bruce, Hon. R. Preston, Broom Hall, Dunfermline. 
 Bryce, James, M.P., 54 Portland Place, London, W. 
 Bryce, William Moir, 5 Dick Place, Edinburgh. 
 Buchanan, T. D., M.D., 24 Westminster Terrace, West, Glasgow. 
 Burns, George Stewart, D.D., 3 Westbourne Terrace, Glasgow. 
 Burns, John William, Kilmahew, Cardross. 
 Burns, Rev. Thomas, 2 St. Margaret's Road, Edinburgh. 
 Bute, The Marquis of, Mountstuart, Isle of Bute. 
 
LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 5 
 
 Caldwell, James, Craigielea Place, Paisley. 
 60 Cameron, Dr. J. A., Elgin. 
 
 Cameron, Richard, 1 South St. David Street, Edinburgh. 
 Campbell, Rev. James, D.D., the Manse, Balmerino, Dundee. 
 Campbell, James A., Stracathro, Brechin. 
 
 Carne-Ross, Joseph, M.D., Parsonage Nook, Withington, Man- 
 chester. 
 
 Carrick, J. Stewart, 58 Renfield Street, Glasgow. 
 Chalmers, Mrs. Patrick H., 29 Albyn Place, Aberdeen. 
 Chambers, W. & R., 339 High Street, Edinburgh. 
 Chiene, Professor, 26 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. 
 Christie, J., Breadalbane Estate Office, Kenmore, Aberfeldy. 
 70 Christie, Thomas Craig, of Bedlay, Chryston, Glasgow. 
 Clark, G. Bennet, W.S., 57 Queen Street, Edinburgh. 
 Clark, James, Advocate, 4 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh. 
 Clark, James T., Crear Villa, Ferry Road, Edinburgh. 
 Clark, Robert, 42 Hanover Street, Edinburgh. 
 Clark, Sir Thomas, Bart., 11 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Ciouston, T. S., M.D., Tipperlinn House, Morningside Place, 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 Cochran-Patrick, R. W., LL.D., of Woodside, Beith, Ayrshire. 
 
 Coldstream, John P., W.S., 6 Buckingham Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 
 Constable, Archibald, 1 Nelson Street, Edinburgh. 
 80 Cowan, George, 1 Gillsland Road, Edinburgh. 
 
 Cowan, Hugh, St. Leonards, Ayr. 
 
 Cowan, J. J., 38 West Register Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Cowan, John, W.S., St. Roque, Grange Loan, Edinburgh. 
 
 Cowan, John, Beeslack, Mid-Lothian. 
 
 Cowan, William, 2 Montpelier, Edinburgh. 
 
 Cox, Edward, Lyndhurst, Dundee. 
 
 Craik, James, W.S., 9 Eglinton Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 
 Crawford, Donald, M.P., 60 Pali Mall, London. 
 
 Crole, Gerard L, Advocate, 1 Royal Circus, Edinburgh. 
 90 Cunningham, Geo. Miller, C.E., 2 Ainslie Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Cunynghame, R. J. Blair, M.D., 18 Rothesay Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Currie, James, 16 Bernard Street, Leith. 
 
6 
 
 LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 Currie, Walter Thomson, Rankeillour, by Cupar-Fife. 
 Currie, W. R., 28 Holyrood Quadrant, Glasgow. 
 Cuthbert, Alex. A., 14 Newton Terrace, Glasgow. 
 
 Dalgleish, John J., of Ardnamurchan, 8 Atholl Cres., Edin. 
 Dalrymple, Hon. Hew, Lochinch, Castle Kennedy, Wigtown- 
 shire. 
 
 Davidson, Hugh, Braedale, Lanark. 
 
 Davidson, J., Solicitor, Kirriemuir. 
 100 Davidson, Thomas, 339 High Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Davies, J. Mair, C.A., Sheiling, Pollokshields, Glasgow. 
 
 Dickson, Thomas, LL.D., Register House, Edinburgh. 
 
 Dickson, Dr. Walter G. W., 3 Royal Circus, Edinburgh. 
 
 Dickson, William K., Advocate, 19 Dundas Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Dickson, Wm. Traquair, W.S., 11 Hill Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Dixon, John H., Inveran, Poole we, by Dingwall. 
 
 Doak, Rev. Andrew, M.A., Trinity Free Church, Aberdeen. 
 
 Dodds, Rev. James, D.D., The Manse, Corstorphine. 
 
 Dods, Colonel P., United Service Club, Edinburgh. 
 110 Donaldson, James, LL.D., Principal, St. Andrews University. 
 
 Donaldson, James, Sunnyside, Formby, Liverpool. 
 
 Douglas, Hon. and Right Rev. A. G., Bishop of Aberdeen and 
 Orkney, Aberdeen. 
 
 Douglas, David, 15a Castle Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Dowden, Right Rev. John, D.D., Bishop of Edinburgh, Lynn 
 House, Gillsland Road, Edinburgh. 
 
 Duncan, J. Dalrymple, Meiklewood, Stirling. 
 
 Duncan, James Barker, W.S., 6 Hill Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Duncan, John, National Bank, Haymarket, Edinburgh. 
 
 Dundas, Ralph, C.S., 28 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh. 
 
 Dunn, Robert Hunter, Belgian Consulate, Glasgow. 
 
 120 Easton, Walter, 125 Buchanan Street, Glasgow. 
 Ewart, Prof. Cossar, 2 Belford Park, Edinburgh. 
 
 Faulds, A. Wilson, Knockbuckle, Beith, Ayrshire. 
 Ferguson, James, Advocate, 41 Manor Place, Edinburgh. 
 
LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 7 
 
 Ferguson, John, Town Clerk, Linlithgow. 
 Ferguson, Rev. John, Manse, Aberdalgie, Perth. 
 Findlay, J. Ritchie, 3 Rothesay Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 Findlay, Rev. Win., The Manse, Saline, Fife. 
 Firth, Charles Harding, 33 Norham Road, Oxford. 
 Fleming, D. Hay, 16 North Bell Street, St. Andrews. 
 130 Fleming, J. S., 16 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 
 Flint, Prof., D.D., LL.D., Johnstone Lodge, Craigmillar Park, 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 Forrest, James R. P., 32 Broughton Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Forrester, John, 29 Windsor Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Foulis, James, M.D., 34 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. 
 
 Fraser, Professor A. Campbell, D.C.L., LL.D., Gorton 
 
 House, Hawthornden. 
 Fraser, W. N., S.S.C., 41 Albany Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Gaedeke, Dr. Arnold, Professor of History, Polytechnikum, 
 
 3 Liebigstrasse, Dresden. 
 Gairdner, Charles, Broom, Newton-Mearns, Glasgow. 
 Galletly, Edwin G., 22 Albany Street, Edinburgh. 
 140 Gardner, Alexander, 7 Gilmour Street, Paisley. 
 
 Gartshore, Miss Murray, Ravelston, Blackhall, Edinburgh. 
 Geikie, Sir Archibald, LL.D., Geological Survey, 28 Jermyn 
 
 Street, London, S.W. 
 Geikie, Prof. James, LL.D., 31 Merchiston Avenue, Edinburgh. 
 Gemmill, William, 150 Hope Street, Glasgow. 
 Gibson, Andrew, 3 Morrison Street, Govan. 
 Gibson, James T., LL.B., W.S., 28 St. Andrew Sq., Edinburgh. 
 Giles, Arthur, 107 Princes Street, Edinburgh. 
 Gillespie, G. R., Advocate, 5 Darnaway Street, Edinburgh. 
 Gillies, Walter, M.A., The Academy, Perth. 
 150 Gordon, Rev. Robert, Mayfield Gardens, Edinburgh. 
 
 Goudie, Gilbert, F.S.A. Scot., 39 Northumberland Street, 
 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 Goudie, James Tulloch, Oakleigh Park, Nithsdale Drive, 
 Pollokshields. 
 
8 
 
 LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 Goudie, Robert, Commissary Clerk of Ayrshire, Ayr. 
 Gourlay, Robert, Bank of Scotland, Glasgow. 
 Gow, Leonard, Hayston, Kelvinside, Glasgow. 
 Graeme, Lieut.-Col., Naval and Military Club, 94 Piccadilly, 
 London. 
 
 Grahame, James, 93 Hope Street, Glasgow. 
 Grant, William G. L., Woodside, East Newport, Fife. 
 Gray, George, Clerk of the Peace, Glasgow. 
 160 Greig, Andrew, 36 Belmont Gardens, Hillhead, Glasgow. 
 Grub, Prof. George, LL.D., University, Aberdeen. 
 Gunning, His Excellency Robert Haliday, M.D., 12 Addison 
 
 Crescent, Kensington, London, W. 
 Guthrie, Charles J., Advocate, 13 Royal Circus, Edinburgh. 
 Guy, Robert, 120 West Regent Street, Glasgow. 
 
 Halkett, Miss Katherine E., 2 Edinburgh Ten-ace, Kensing- 
 ton, London, W. 
 
 Hall, David, Elmbank House, Kilmarnock. 
 
 Hallen, Rev. A. W. Cornelius, The Parsonage, Alloa. 
 
 Hamilton, Hubert, Advocate, 55 Manor Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Hamilton, Lord, of Dalzell, Motherwell. 
 170 Hamilton-Ogilvy, Henry T. N., Biel. 
 
 Harrison, John, 36 North Bridge, Edinburgh. 
 
 Hedderwick, A. W. H., 79 St. George's Place, Glasgow. 
 
 Henderson, J. G. B., Nether Parkley, Linlithgow. 
 
 Henderson, Joseph, 1 1 Blythswood Square, Glasgow. 
 
 Henry, David, 2 Lockhart Place, St. Andrews, Fife. 
 
 Hewison, Rev. J. King, The Manse, Rothesay. 
 
 Hill, William H., LL.D., Barlanark, Shettleston, Glasgow. 
 
 Hislop, Robert, Solicitor, Auchterarder. 
 
 Hogg, John, 66 Chancery Street, Boston, U.S. 
 180 Honeyman, John, A.R.S.A., 140 Bath Street, Glasgow. 
 
 Hope, Sir John David, Bart., Pinkie House, Musselburgh. 
 
 Howden, Charles R. A., Advocate, 25 Melville St., Edinburgh. 
 
 Hunt, John, Fingarry, Milton of Campsie, Glasgow. 
 
 Hunter, Colonel, F.R.S., of Plas Coch, Anglesea. 
 
LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 9 
 
 Hutcheson, Alexander, Herschel House, Broughty Ferry. 
 Hutchison, John, D.D., Afton Lodge, Bonnington. 
 Hyslop, J. M., M.D., 22 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Imrie, Rev. T. Nairne, Dunfermline. 
 
 Jameson, J. H., W.S., 3 Northumberland Street, Edinburgh. 
 190 Jamieson, George Auldjo, C.A., 37 Drumsheugh Gardens, 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 Jamieson, J. Auldjo, W.S., 14- Buckingham Ter., Edinburgh. 
 Japp, William, Solicitor, Alyth. 
 
 Johnston, David, 24 Huntly Gardens, Kelvinside, Glasgow. 
 Johnston, George Harvey, 6 Osborne Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 Johnston, George P., 33 George Street, Edinburgh. 
 Johnston, T. Morton, Eskhill, Roslin. 
 
 Johnstone, James F. Kellas, 3 Broad Street Buildings, Liver- 
 pool Street, London. 
 Jonas, Alfred Charles, Poundfald, Penclawdd, Swansea. 
 
 Kemp, D. William, Ivy Lodge, Trinity, Edinburgh. 
 200 Kennedy, David H. C, 27 St. Vincent Place, Glasgow. 
 Kermack, John, W.S., 10 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Kincairney, The Hon. Lord, 6 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. 
 Kinnear, The Hon. Lord, 2 Moray Place, Edinburgh. 
 Kirkpatrick, Prof. John, LL.B., Advocate, 24 Alva Street, 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 Kirkpatrick, Robert, 1 Queen Square, Strathbungo, Glasgow. 
 
 Laidlaw, David, jun., 6 Marlborough Ter., Kelvinside, Glasgow. 
 Laing, Alex., Norfolk House, St. Leonards, Sussex. 
 Lang, James, 9 Crown Gardens, Dowanhill, Glasgow. 
 Langwill, Robert B., Manse, Currie. 
 210 Laurie, Professor S. S., Nairne Lodge, Duddingston. 
 Law, James F., Seaview, Monifieth. 
 
 Law, Thomas Graves, Signet Library, Edinburgh, Secretary. 
 Leadbetter, Thomas, 122 George Street, Edinburgh. 
 Livingston, E. B., 9 Gracechurch Street, London, E.C. 
 Lorimer, George, 2 Abbotsford Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 
10 
 
 LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 Macadam, W. Ivison, Slioch, Lady Road, Newington, Edinburgh. 
 Macandrew, Sir Henry C, Aisthorpe, Midmills Road, Inverness. 
 Macbrayne, David, Jun., 17 Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. 
 M'Call, James, F.S.A., 6 St. John's Ter., Hillhead, Glasgow. 
 220 M'Candlish, John M., W.S. 27 Drumsheugh Gar., Edinburgh. 
 Macdonald, James, W.S., 4 Greenhill Park, Edinburgh. 
 Macdonald, W. Rae, 1 Forres Street, Edinburgh. 
 Macdougall, James Patten, Advocate, 16 Lynedoch Place, 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 M f Ewen, W. C, W.S., 2 Rothesay Place, Edinburgh. 
 Macfarlane, George L., Advocate, 14 Moray Place, Edinburgh. 
 Macgeorge, B. B., 19 Woodside Crescent, Glasgow. 
 Macgregor, John, W.S., 10 Dundas Street, Edinburgh. 
 M'Grigor, Alexander, 172 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. 
 Macintyre, P. M., Advocate, 12 India Street, Edinburgh. 
 230 Mackay, ^Eneas J. G., LL.D., 7 Albyn Place, Edinburgh. 
 Mackay, James F., W.S., Whitehouse, Cramond. 
 Mackay, Rev. G. S., M.A., Free Church Manse, Doune. 
 Mackay, James R., 37 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh. 
 Mackay, John. 
 
 Mackay, Thomas, 14 Wetherby Place, South Kensington, 
 
 London, S.W. 
 Mackay, Thomas A., 14 Henderson Row, Edinburgh. 
 Mackay, William, Solicitor, Inverness. 
 Mackenzie, A., St. Catherines, Paisley. 
 Mackenzie, David J., Sheriff-Substitute, Wick. 
 240 Mackenzie, Thomas, M.A., Sheriff-Substitute of Ross, Old 
 
 Bank, Golspie. 
 Mackinlay, David, 6 Great Western Terrace, Glasgow. 
 Mackinnon, Professor, 1 Merchiston Place, Edinburgh. 
 Mackinnon, Sir W., Bart., 203 West George Street, Glasgow. 
 Mackinnon, William, 115 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. 
 Mackintosh, Charles Fraser, 5 Clarges Street, London, W. 
 Mackintosh, W. F., 27 Commerce Street, Arbroath. 
 Maclachan, John, W.S., 12 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh. 
 Maclagan, Prof. Sir Douglas, M.D., 28 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. 
 
LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 11 
 
 Maclagan, Robert Craig, M.D., 5 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 250 Maclauchlan, John, Albert Institute, Dundee. 
 
 Maclean, Sir Andrew, Viewfield House, Balshagray, Partick, 
 Glasgow. 
 
 Maclean, William C, F.R.G.S., 31 Camperdown Place, Great 
 Yarmouth. 
 
 Maclehose, James J., 6l St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. 
 Macleod, Rev. Walter, 112 Thirlestane Road, Edinburgh. 
 Macniven, John, 138 Princes Street, Edinburgh. 
 M'Phee, Donald, Oakfield, Fort William. 
 Macray, Rev. W. D., Bodleian Library, Oxford. 
 Macritchie, David, 4 Archibald Place, Edinburgh. 
 Main, W. D., 128 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. 
 260 Makellar, Rev. W 7 illiam, 8 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. 
 Marshall, John, Caldergrove, Newton, Lanarkshire. 
 Martin, John, W.S., 19 Chester Street, Edinburgh. 
 Marwick, Sir J. D., LL.D., Killermont Ho., Maryhill, Glasgow. 
 Masson, Professor David, LL.D., 58 Gt. King St., Edinburgh. 
 Mathieson, Thomas A., 3 Grosvenor Terrace, Glasgow. 
 Maxwell, W. J., Terraughtie, Dumfries. 
 
 Millar, Alexander H., Rosslyn House, Clepington Road, 
 Dundee. 
 
 Miller, P., 8 Belle vue Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 Milligan, John, W.S., 10 Carlton Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 270 Milne, A. & R., Union Street, Aberdeen. 
 
 Milne, Thomas, M.D., 17 Mar Street, Alloa. 
 Mitchell, James, 240 Darnley Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow. 
 Mitchell, Rev. Professor Alexander, D.D., University, St. 
 Andrews. 
 
 Mitchell, Sir Arthur, K.C.B., M.D., LL.D., 34 Drummond 
 
 Place, Edinburgh. 
 Moncrieff, W. G. Scott, Advocate, Weedingshall Ho., Polmont. 
 Moffatt, Alexander, 23 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh. 
 Moffatt, Alexander, jun., M.A., Advocate, 37 Northumberland 
 
 Street, Edinburgh. 
 Morice, Arthur D., Fonthill Road, Aberdeen. 
 
12 
 
 LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 Morison, John, 11 Burnbank Gardens, Glasgow. 
 280 Morrison, Hew, 7 Hermitage Terrace, Morningside. 
 
 Morton, Charles, W.S., 11 Palmerston Road, Edinburgh. 
 Muir, James, 27 Huntly Gardens, Dowanhill, Glasgow. 
 Muirhead, James, 10 Doune Gardens, Kelvinside, Glasgow. 
 Murdoch, Rev. A. D., All Saints' Parsonage, Edinburgh. 
 Murdoch, J. B., of Capelrig, Mearns, Renfrewshire. 
 Murray, David, 16*9 West George Street, Glasgow. 
 Murray, Rev. Allan F., M.A., Free Church Manse, Tor- 
 phichen, Bathgate. 
 
 Napier and Ettrick, Lord, Thirlestane, Selkirk. 
 
 Norfor, Robert T, C.A., 30 Morningside Drive, Edinburgh. 
 
 290 Oliver, James, Thornwood, Hawick. 
 
 Orrock, Archibald, 17 St. Catherine's Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Panton, George A., F.R.S.E., 73 Westfield Road, Edgbaston, 
 Birmingham. 
 
 Paton, Allan Park, Greenock Library, Watt Monument, 
 Greenock. 
 
 Paton, Henry, M.A., 15 Myrtle Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 
 Patrick, David, 339 High Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Paul, J. Balfour, Advocate, Lyon King of Arms, 32 Great 
 
 King Street, Edinburgh. 
 Paul, Rev. Robert, F.S.A. Scot., Dollar. 
 
 Pearson, David Ritchie, M.D., 23 Upper Phillimore Place, 
 
 Kensington, London, W. 
 Pillans, Hugh H., 12 Dryden Place, Edinburgh. 
 300 Pollock, Hugh, 25 Carlton Place, Glasgow. 
 Prentice, A. R., 18 Kilblain Street, Greenock. 
 Pullar, Robert, Tayside, Perth. 
 Purves, A. P., W.S., Esk Tower, Lasswade. 
 
 Rampini, Charles, LL.D., Advocate, Springfield House, Elgin. 
 Rankine, John, Advocate, Professor of Scots Law, 23 Ainslie 
 Place, Edinburgh. 
 
LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 13 
 
 Reichel, H. R., University College, Bangor, North Wales. 
 Reid, Alexander George, Solicitor, Auchterarder. 
 Reid, H. G., 11 Cromwell Cres., S. Kensington, London, S.W. 
 Reid, John Alexander, Advocate, 1 1 Royal Circus, Edinburgh 
 310 Renwick, Robert, Depute Town-Clerk, City Chambers, Glasgow. 
 Richardson, Ralph, W.S., Commissary Office, 2 Parliament 
 
 Square, Edinburgh. 
 Ritchie, David, Hopeville, Dowanhill Gardens, Glasgow. 
 Ritchie, R. Peel, M.D., 1 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Roberton, James D., 1 Park Terrace East, Glasgow, 
 Robertson, D. Argyll, M.D., 18 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. 
 Robertson, J. Stewart, W.S., Edradynate, Ballinluig. 
 Robertson, John, Elmslea, Dundee. 
 
 Robson, William, Marchholm, Gillsland Road, Edinburgh. 
 Rogerson, John J., LL.B., Merchiston Castle, Edinburgh. 
 320 Rosebery, The Earl of, LL.D., Dalmeny Park, Linlithgowshire. 
 Ross, T. S., Balgillo Terrace, Broughty Ferry. 
 Ross, Rev. William, LL.D., 7 Grange Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 Roy, William G., S.S.C., 28 Broughton Place, Edinburgh. 
 Russell, John, 7 Seton Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Scott, John, C.B., Seafield, Greenock. 
 Shaw, David, W.S., 1 Thistle Court, Edinburgh. 
 Scott, Rev. Archibald, D.D., 16 Rothesay Place, Edinburgh. 
 Shaw, Rev. R. D., B.D., Auchencairn Manse, Hamilton. 
 Shaw, Thomas, Advocate, 17 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh. 
 330 Shiell, John, 5 Bank Street, Dundee. 
 
 Simpson, Prof. A. R., 52 Queen Street, Edinburgh. 
 Simpson, Sir W. G., Bart., Stoneshiel Hall, Reston, Berwick- 
 shire. 
 
 Simson, D. J., Advocate, 3 Glenfinlas Street, Edinburgh. 
 Sinclair, Alexander, Glasgow Herald Office, Glasgow. 
 Skelton, John, Advocate, C.B., LL.D., the Hermitage of 
 
 Braid, Edinburgh. 
 Skene, W. F., D.C.L., LL.D., 27 Inverleith Row, Edinburgh. 
 Skinner, William, W.S., 35 George Square, Edinburgh. 
 
14 
 
 LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 Smart, William, M.A., Nunholm, Dowanhill, Glasgow. 
 
 Smith, G. Gregory, M.A., 9 Warrender Park Cres., Edinburgh. 
 340 Smith, Rev. G. Mure, 6 Clarendon Place, Stirling. 
 
 Smith, Rev. R. Nimmo, Manse of the First Charge, Haddington. 
 
 Smith, Robert, 24 Meadowside, Dundee. 
 
 Smythe, David M., Methven Castle, Perth. 
 
 Sprott, Rev. Dr., The Manse, North Berwick. 
 
 Stair, Earl of, Oxenfoord Castle, Dalkeith. 
 
 Steele, W. Cunninghame, Advocate, 33 Dublin St., Edinburgh. 
 
 Stevenson, J. H., Advocate, 10 Albyn Place, Edinburgh. 
 
 Stevenson, Rev. Robert, M.A., The Abbey, Dunfermline. 
 
 Stevenson, T. G., 22 Frederick Street, Edinburgh. 
 350 Stevenson, William, Towerbank, Lenzie, by Glasgow. 
 
 Stewart, Major-General Shaw, 6 1 Lancaster Gate, London, W. 
 
 Stewart, James R., 31 George Square, Edinburgh. 
 
 Stewart, R. K., Murdostoun Castle, Newmains, Lanarkshire. 
 
 Stewart, Prof. T. Grainger, M.D., 19 Charlotte Sq., Edinburgh. 
 
 Stirling, Major C. C. Graham, Craigbarnet, Haughhead of 
 Campsie, Glasgow. 
 
 Strathallan, Lord, Carlton Club, Pall Mall, London, S.W. 
 
 Strathern, Robert, W.S., 12 South Charlotte St., Edinburgh. 
 
 Strathmore, Earl of, Glamis Castle, Glamis. 
 
 Stuart, Surgeon-Major G. B., 7 Carlton Street, Edinburgh. 
 360 Sturrock, James S., W.S., 110 George Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Sutherland, James B., S.S.C., 10 Windsor Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Taylor, Benjamin, 10 Derby Crescent, Kelvinside, Glasgow. 
 Taylor, Rev. Malcolm C, D.D., Professor of Church Historjr, 
 
 6 Greenhill Park, Edinburgh. 
 Telford, Rev. W. H., Free Church Manse, Reston, Berwickshire. 
 Tennant, Sir Charles, Bart., The Glen, Innerleithen. 
 Thorns, George H. M., Advocate, 13 Charlotte Sq., Edinburgh. 
 Thomson, John Comrie, Advocate, 30 Moray Place, Edinburgh. 
 Thomson, Rev. John Henderson, Free Church Manse, 
 
 Hightae, by Lockerbie. 
 Thomson, John Maitland, Advocate, 10 Wemyss PL, Edinburgh. 
 
LIST OF MEMBERS. 
 
 15 
 
 370 Thomson, Lockhart, S.S.C., 114 George Street, Edinburgh. 
 Thorburn, Robert Macfie, Uddevalla, Sweden. 
 Trail, John A., W.S., 30 Drummond Place, Edinburgh. 
 Trayner, The Hon. Lord, 27 Moray Place, Edinburgh. 
 Tuke, John Batty, M.D., 20 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. 
 Turnbull, John, W.S., 49 George Square, Edinburgh. 
 Tweedale, Mrs., Milton Hall, Milton, Cambridge. 
 Tweeddale, Marquis of, Yester, Gifford, Haddington. 
 
 Underhill, Charles E., M.D., 8 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 Veitch, Professor, LL.D., 4 The College, Glasgow. 
 
 380 Waddel, Alexander, Royal Bank, Calton, Glasgow. 
 
 Walker, Alexander, o'4 Hamilton Place, Aberdeen. 
 
 Walker, James, Hanley Lodge, Corstorphine. 
 
 Walker, Robert, M.A., University Library, Aberdeen. 
 
 Wannop, Rev. Canon, Parsonage, Haddington. 
 
 Watson, D., Hillside Cottage, Hawick. 
 
 Watson, James, Myskyns, Ticehurst, Hawkhurst. 
 
 Waugh, Alexander, National Bank, Newton-Stewart, N.B. 
 
 Weld- French, A. D., Union Club, Boston, U.S. 
 
 Will, J. C. Ogilvie, M.D., 379 Union Street, Aberdeen. 
 390 Wilson, Rev. J. Skinner, 4 Duke Street, Edinburgh. 
 
 Wilson, John J., Clydesdale Bank, Penicuik. 
 
 Wilson, Robert, Procurator-Fiscal, County Buildings, Hamilton. 
 
 Wood, Mrs. Christina S., Woodburn, Galashiels. 
 
 Wood, Prof. J. P., W.S., 16 Buckingham Terrace, Edinburgh. 
 
 Wood, W. A., C.A., 11 Clarendon Crescent, Edinburgh. 
 
 Wordie, John, 49 West Nile Street, Glasgow. 
 
 Young, David, Town Clerk, Paisley. 
 
 Young, A. J., Advocate, 60 Great King Street, Edinburgh. 
 Young, J. W.j W.S., 22 Royal Circus, Edinburgh. 
 400 Young, William Laurence, Solicitor, Auchterarder. 
 
16 
 
 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 
 
 Aberdeen Free Public Library. 
 Aberdeen University Library. 
 All Souls' College, Oxford. 
 Antiquaries, Society of, Edinburgh. 
 
 Baillie's Institution Free Library, 48 Miller St., Glasgow. 
 
 Berlin Royal Library. 
 
 Bodleian Library, Oxford. 
 
 Boston Athenaeum. 
 
 Boston Public Library. 
 10 British Museum. 
 
 Cambridge University Library. 
 
 Copenhagen (Bibliotheque Royale). 
 
 Dollar Institution. 
 
 Dundee Free Library. 
 
 Edinburgh Public Library. 
 
 Edinburgh University Library. 
 
 Free Church College Library, Edinburgh. 
 
 Free Church College Library, Glasgow. 
 
 Glasgow University Library. 
 20 Gray's Inn, Hon. Society of, London. 
 
 Harvard College Library, Cambridge, Mass. 
 
 Leeds Subscription Library. 
 
 London Corporation Library, Guildhall. 
 
 London Library, 12 St. James Square. 
 
 Manchester Public Free Library. 
 
 Mitchell Library, Glasgow. 
 
 National Liberal Club, London. 
 
 National Library of Ireland. 
 
 Nottingham Free Public Library. 
 30 Ottawa Parliamentary Library. 
 
 Paisley Philosophical Institution. 
 
 Philosophical Institution. Edinburgh. 
 
 Procurators, Faculty of, Glasgow. 
 
 Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. 
 
 St. Andrews University Library. 
 
 Sheffield Free Public Library. 
 
 Signet Library, Edinburgh. 
 
 Solicitors, Society of, before the Supreme Court, Edinburgh. 
 Speculative Society, Edinburgh. 
 40 Stonyhurst College, Blackburn, Lancashire. 
 Sydney Free Library. 
 Vienna, Library of the R. I. University. 
 
REPORT OF THE 
 FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SCOTTISH HISTORY SOCIETY 
 
 The Fourth Annual Meeting of the Scottish History Society 
 was held in Dowells' Rooms, Edinburgh, October 28, 1890 — 
 Professor Masson in the chair. 
 
 The Secretary submitted the report of the Council as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 The Council has to announce with regret the death of ten 
 members of the Society during the past twelve months. 
 Among the deaths there should be specially mentioned that 
 of Mr. J. J. Reid, the honorary treasurer of the Society ; and 
 that of Mr. George Burnett, late Lyon King of Arms, a 
 member of the Council. Seven members have resigned ; but, 
 after filling up the vacancies, there still remain nineteen 
 names on the list of applicants for admission. Mr. J. T. 
 Clark has, on the invitation of the Council, kindly undertaken 
 to act as interim honorary treasurer, in the place of the late 
 Mr. Reid ; and the Council now proposes to the Society the 
 ratification of his appointment to that office. It is also pro- 
 posed to confirm the appointment of Mr. T. G. Murray, 
 W.S., and Mr. James Ferguson, advocate, to the vacant places 
 in the Council. 
 
o 
 
 Three volumes have, within the past week, been issued to 
 members. Of these, one onlv, The Book of Glamis, edited by 
 Mr. A. H. Millar, properly belongs to the issue of the year 
 1889-90 ; for the second part of the Register of the St. 
 Andrews Kirk-Session was due to the preceding vear ; and 
 The List of Rebels is an extra volume, a gift for which the 
 Society has to thank Lord llosebery, the president. The 
 second volume promised for this year's issue, viz., Mr. 
 Constable's translation of Major's History, is, however, com- 
 pleted, and a few sheets of the text have already been set in 
 type ; but the work ofrevising and annotating this important 
 volume, which will extend to about 500 pages, must proceed 
 carefully and slowly. 
 
 But if the Council is behindhand with regard to this 
 volume, the Society will take into account the fact that the 
 executive has far exceeded its promise in the total quantity of 
 matter issued during the past four years. The Council under- 
 took at the outset to supply to members 640 printed pages 
 annually. Actually the seven volumes already issued, exclud- 
 ing The List of Rebels, give 2865 pages, or 240 pages in excess 
 of the stipulated amount. If we include The List qf Rebels, 
 we have had up to this date 680 pages, or roughly estimated 
 the equivalent of two volumes over and above our bargain 
 without reckoning Major s History, which is due. 
 
 Good progress has been made with several of the works in 
 contemplation. It is proposed to issue in the course of next 
 year, 1890-91, the first portion of the Records of the Com- 
 mission of the General Assembly. Matter sufficient for one 
 volume has already been transcribed by Mr. Henry Paton, 
 and is ready to go to press. It will include the 6 Acts and 
 Proceedings of the Commission of the General Assembly 
 holden in Edinburgh, 1 from June 1646 to August 1647. It 
 will be edited by Dr. Christie, and furnished with a preface by 
 Professor Mitchell of St. Andrews. The companion volume 
 for the year, The Diary of Sir John Cleric of Penicuik, has 
 
3 
 
 also been transcribed, and is now in the hands of Mr. J. M. 
 Gray, the editor. The Diary of Mr. Andrew Hay, 1659-60, 
 to be edited by Mr. A. G. Reid of Auchterarder, is in an 
 advanced state of preparation. The Court Book of the Barony 
 of Ur'ie is also transcribed. The titles of other works in pro- 
 gress will be found in the list of announcements printed at the 
 end of The Book of Glamis. 
 
 It will be seen by a reference to the accompanying abstract 
 of the interim-treasurers accounts that the income for the 
 year has been i?475, 10s., and expenditure <£ ) 336, 3s. 10d., 
 leaving a balance in favour of the Society of c£139, 6s. 2d. It 
 is, however, to be noted that from this balance the cost of the 
 production of Major s History falls to be deducted. With 
 regard to the reserve fund agreed to at the meeting of the 
 Society held last year, the Council, understanding that this fund 
 was not meant to be cumulative, have considered it right that 
 the interest accruing thereon should form part of the annual 
 income, and that the sum in reserve should stand at ^300. 
 
 The Chairman proposed a special vote of thanks to Lord 
 Rosebery for his generous gift of the volume — The List of 
 Rebels — a gift not only valuable on its own account, but valu- 
 able also as one more proof of the active interest which Lord 
 Rosebery, as President of the Society, had taken from the first 
 in its affairs and its objects. Mr. Traquair Dickson, W.S., 
 seconded the motion. 
 
 The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the Report, 
 mentioned that the Society had in prospect a gift by Sheriff 
 Thorns of a volume of documents giving a complete history of 
 the Scottish Lord High- Admirals and Vice- Admirals, and a 
 history of the Admiralty Court generally, with an introduction 
 by himself. Mr. Goudie, Treasurer of the Society of Anti- 
 quaries, seconded the motion, which was adopted. 
 
 [over 
 
4 
 
 ABSTRACT OF THE TREASURER'S 
 ACCOUNTS. 
 
 For Year to 1st November 1890. 
 Charge. 
 
 Balance from last year, 
 Less credited in error, 
 
 400 Subscriptions for 1889-90 at £l, Is., 
 36 Libraries at £l, Is., .... 
 Copies of previous issues sold to new members, 
 Interest on Bank Account and Deposit Receipts, 
 
 Sum of Charge, 
 Discharge. 
 
 I. Incidental Expenses — 
 
 Printing Circulars and Cards, . £2 16 6 
 
 „ Annual Report of Council, 1 6 6 
 
 ,, Report of Third Annual 
 
 Meeting, . . . 1 13 6 
 
 „ Rules, etc., . . . 1 16 0 
 
 Stationery, . . . . 110 
 
 Making-up and delivering copies, 10 0 0 
 
 Postages of Secretary and Treasurer, 4 7 0 
 
 Clerical work, . . . . 3 1 6 
 
 Charges on Cheques, . . . 0 17 0 
 
 Hire of Room for Meeting, . . 0 5 0 
 
 II. St. Andrews Register, Vol. 11. — 
 Composition, Presswork, and 
 
 Paper, .... £147 18 7 
 Proofs and Corrections (including 
 
 marginal and footnotes), . 37 12 0 
 Copying mss., Lithographing, and 
 
 Engraving, . . . . 7 19 0 
 
 £320 13 1 
 
 1 1 0 
 
 £319 12 1 
 
 420 0 0 
 
 37 16 0 
 
 3 3 
 14 18 
 
 £795 9 6 
 
 £27 4 0 
 
 Carry forward, £l93 9 7 £27 4 0 
 
5 
 
 Brought forward, £193 9 7 £27 4 0 
 Binding and Hack-lettering, . 18 2 
 Transcribing, . . . 28 0 0 
 
 £239 11 10 
 
 Less paid to account 1889, . 45 9 0 
 
 194 2 10 
 
 III. (Ham is Papers — 
 
 Composition, Presswork, and 
 
 Paper, . . . . £58 15 9 
 
 Proofs and Corrections, . . 6 12 0 
 
 Collotype Reproductions, . 9 15 0 
 
 Binding and Back-lettering, . 18 Hi 3 
 
 93 19 0 
 
 IV. Barony Court Book of Uric — 
 
 Transcribing and Examining Papers, . . 15 18 6 
 
 V. Craig, De Unione — 
 
 Transcribing, ....... 500 
 
 Total Expenditure, . . . £336 4 4 
 
 VI. Balance to next Account — 
 
 19 Subscriptions for 1889-90 in 
 
 arrear, . . . . £19 19 0 
 Sum due by Bank of 
 Scotlandon Deposit 
 Receipt, . . £300 0 0 
 Sum due by Bank of 
 Scotland on Cur 
 rent Account, . 141 8 2 
 
 441 8 2 
 
 £461 7 2 
 
 Less 2 Subscriptions for 1890-91 
 
 paid in advance, . . . 2 2 0 
 
 459 
 
 Sum of Discharge, . £795 9 6 
 
 Edinburgh, \{)lh November 1890. — We have examined the 
 Accounts of the Treasurer of the Scottish History Society for the 
 
6 
 
 year ending 1st November 1890, and having compared them with 
 the vouchers, we find them to be correct, closing with a balance 
 in the Bank of Scotland of Four hundred and forty-one pounds, 
 Eight shillings, and Two pence, Sterling, whereof Two Guineas 
 are subscriptions paid in advance. 
 
 j Ralph Richardson. 
 ^ * ' ( Wm. Traquair Dickson. 
 
^totttst) ^tstorp S>octetp* 
 
 THE EXECUTIVE. 
 
 President. 
 The Earl of Rosebery, LL.D. 
 
 Chairman of Council. 
 
 David Masson, LL.D., Professor of English Literature, 
 Edinburgh University. 
 
 Council. 
 
 J. R. Findlav, Esq. 
 P. Hume Brown, M.A. 
 G. Gregory Smith, M.A. 
 J. Ferguson, Esq., Advocate. 
 
 Right Rev. John Dowden, D.D., Bishop of Edinburgh. 
 ./Eneas J. G. Mackay, LL.D., Sheriff of Fife. 
 John Russell, Esq. 
 
 Sir Arthur Mitchell, K.C.B., M.D., LL.D. 
 Rev. Geo. W. Sprott, D.D. 
 Rev. A. W. Cornelius Hallen. 
 
 W. F. Skene, D.C.L., LL.D., Historiographer - Royal for 
 
 Scotland. 
 Colonel P. Dods. 
 
 Corresponding Members of the Council. 
 
 Osmund Airy, Esq., Birmingham ; Professor George Grub, 
 LL.D., Aberdeen; Rev. W. D. Macray, Oxford; Professor 
 A. F. Mitchell, D.D., St. Andrews; Professor J. Veitch, 
 LL.D., Glasgow ; A. H. Millar, Esq., Dundee. 
 
 Hon. Treasurer. 
 J. T. Clark, Keeper of the Advocates' Library. 
 
 Hon. Secretary. 
 T. G. Law, Librarian, Signet Library. 
 
RULES 
 
 1. The object of the Society is the discovery and printing, under 
 selected editorship, of unpublished documents illustrative of the civil, 
 religious, and social history of Scotland. The Society will also under- 
 take, in exceptional cases, to issue translations of printed works of a 
 similar nature, which have not hitherto been accessible in English. 
 
 2. The number of Members of the Society shall be limited to 400. 
 
 3. The affairs of the Society shall be managed by a Council, consisting 
 of a Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, and twelve elected Members, five 
 to make a quorum. Three of the twelve elected Members shall retire 
 annually by ballot, but they shall be eligible for re-election. 
 
 4. The Annual Subscription to the Society shall be One Guinea. The 
 publications of the Society shall not be delivered to any Member whose 
 Subscription is in arrear, and no Member shall be permitted to receive 
 more than one copy of the Society's publications. 
 
 5. The Society will undertake the issue of its own publications, i.e. 
 without the intervention of a publisher or any other paid agent. 
 
 6. The Society will issue yearly two octavo volumes of about 320 pages 
 each. 
 
 7. An Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held on the 
 last Tuesday in October. 
 
 8. Two stated Meetings of the Council shall be held each year, one on 
 the last Tuesday of May, the other on the Tuesday preceding the day 
 upon which the Annual General Meeting shall be held. The Secretary, 
 on the request of three Members of the Council, shall call a special 
 meeting of the Council. 
 
 9. Editors shall receive 20 copies of each volume they edit for the 
 Society. 
 
 10. The owners of Manuscripts published by the Society will also be 
 presented with a certain number of copies. 
 
 11. The Annual Balance-Sheet, Rules, and List of Members shall be 
 printed. 
 
 12. No alteration shall be made in these Rules except at a General 
 Meeting of the Society. A fortnight's notice of any alteration to be 
 proposed shall be given to the Members of the Council. 
 
PUBLICATIONS 
 
 For the year 1886-1887. 
 
 1. Bishop Pococke's Tours in Scotland, 1747-1760. Edited by 
 
 D. W. Kemp. (Oct. 1887.) 
 
 2. Diary of and General Expenditure Book of William 
 
 Cunningham of Craigends, 1673-1680. Edited by the Rev. 
 James Dodds, D.D. (Oct. 1887.) 
 
 For the year 1887-1888. 
 
 3. Panurgi Philo-caballi Scoti Grameidos libri sex. — The 
 
 Grameid : an heroic poem descriptive of the Campaign of 
 Viscount Dundee in 1689, by James Philip of Almerieclose. 
 Translated and Edited by the Rev. A. D. Murdoch. 
 
 (Oct. 1888.) 
 
 4. The Register of the Kirk-Session of St. Andrews. Part i. 
 
 1559-1582. Edited by D. Hay Fleming. (Feb. 1 889-) 
 
 For the year 1888-1889. 
 
 5. Diary of the Rev. John Mill, Minister of Dunrossness, Sand- 
 
 wick, and Cunningsburgh, in Shetland, 1740-1803. Edited 
 by Gilbert Goudie, F.S.A. Scot. (June 1889.) 
 
 6. Narrative of Mr. James Nimmo, a Covenanter, 1654-1709. 
 
 Edited by W. G. Scott-Moncrieff, Advocate. (June 1889.) 
 
 7. The Register of the Kirk-Session of St. Andrews. Part n. 
 
 1583-1600. Edited by D. Hay Fleming. (Aug. 1890.) 
 
 For the year 1889-1890. 
 
 8. A List of Persons concerned in the Rebellion (1745). With 
 
 a Preface by the Earl of Rosebery and Annotations by the 
 Rev. Walter Macleod. (Sept. 1890.) 
 
 Presented to the Society by the Earl of Bosebery. 
 
 9. Glamis Papers: The e Book of Record,' a Diary written by 
 
 Patrick, first Earl of Strathmore, and other documents 
 relating to Glamis Castle (1684-89). Edited by A. H. 
 Millar, F.S.A. Scot. (Sept. 1890.) 
 
 10. John Major's History of Greater Britain (1521). Trans- 
 lated and Edited by Archibald Constable, with a Life of the 
 author by JEneas J. G. Mackay, Advocate. (Feb. 1892.) 
 
4 
 
 PUBLICATIONS 
 
 For the year 1890-1891. 
 
 11. The Records of the Commissions of the General Assemblies, 
 
 1646-47. Edited by the Rev. Professor Mitchell, D.D., and 
 the Rev. James Christie, D.D., with an Introduction by the 
 former. (May 1892.) 
 
 12. Court-Book of the Barony of Urie, 1604-1747. Edited 
 by the Rev. D. G. Barron, from a ms. in possession of Mr. R. 
 Barclay of Dorking. (October 1892.) 
 
 To be issued for 1891-1892. 
 
 The Jacobite Rising of 1719. Letter Book of James, Second 
 Duke of Ormonde, Nov. 4, 1718— Sept. 27, 1719- Edited 
 by John Russell. (In active progress.) 
 
 ' The History of my Life, extracted from Journals I kept since I 
 was twenty-six years of age, interspersed with short accounts 
 of the most remarkable public affairs that happened in my time, 
 especially such as I had some immediate concern in/ 1702-1754. 
 By Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, Baron of the Exchequer, 
 Commissioner of the Union, etc. Edited from the original ms. 
 in Penicuik House by J. M. Gray. (In active progress.) 
 
 Li preparation. 
 
 The Diary of Andrew Hay of Stone, near Biggar, afterwards 
 
 of Craignethan Castle, 1659-60. Edited by A. G. Reid, 
 
 F.S.A. Scot., from a manuscript in his possession. 
 Sir Thomas Craig's De Unione Regnorum Britannle. Edited, 
 
 with an English Translation, from the unpublished manuscript 
 
 in the Advocates' Library. 
 The Diaries or Account Books of Sir John Foulis of Ravelston, 
 
 (1679-1707), and the Account Book of Dame Hannah Erskine 
 
 (1675-1699). Edited by the Rev. A. W. Cornelius Hallen. 
 Papers relating to the Military Government of Scotland, and 
 
 the Correspondence of Robert Lilburne and General Monk, 
 
 from 1653 to 1658. Edited by C. H. Firth. 
 A Selection of the Forfeited Estate Papers preserved in H.M. 
 
 General Register House. 
 Continuation of the Records of the Commissions of the General 
 
 Assemblies, 1648-1 662. 
 
 In contemplation. 
 Diary of Col. the Hon. John Erskine of Carnock, 1683-1687. 
 From a ms. in possession of Henry David Erskine, Esq., of 
 Cardross. 
 
DATE DUE 
 
DA 
 
 750 Scottish history society* 
 
 • S25 Publieai iorio ♦ 
 
 v. 
 
 Bapst Library 
 
 Boston College 
 Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02167