Search just our sites by using our customised search engine

Unique Cottages | Electric Scotland's Classified Directory

Click here to get a Printer Friendly PageSmiley

The History of Stirlingshire
Chapter XXVI. – Old County Families


James, the first Earl of Callendar, was a staunch adherent of King Charles, and became a commander in the army which marched to relieve him when a prisoner in the Isle of Wight, being attended by a body of his Falkirk retainers. His army having been discomfited, the earl retired to Holland; but his Falkirk troops valiantly forced their way through the victorious republicans. Alexander, the second earl, was a zealous covenanter, and a copy of the Solemn League is still preserved, bearing his signature, with that of many others. On two different occasions, the troops of government took possession of his house; but, in the last of these, in 1678, a mob from Falkirk put the intruders to flight. The other branch of the Livingstone family adhered to the royal cause, and members of it were engaged at the battle of Bothwell Bridge, and otherwise against the covenanters.

The powerful race of Seton was the parent stock of the Edmonstone family. In the middle of the fourteenth century, Sir John Edmonstone of Edmonstone appears a person of considerable importance, and was appointed by David II. coroner to the shire of Edinburgh in fee, accompanied by grants of lands in the county of Banff. His son, of the same name, was a person of still greater eminence, and was named a commissioner for negotiating with England, on three different occasions, during the captivity of James I. in 1407. He married the Lady Isabel, daughter of Robert II., and widow of James, Earl of Douglas and Mar, who was killed at the battle of Otterburne. By the marriage he had two sons, Sir David, who succeeded him, and Sir William Culloden, ancestor of the family of Duntreath. Sir David left two sons, of whom Sir James, the elder, died without male issue, and John, the younger, in whom the elder line of the family was continued, till the middle of the last century, when it became extinct by the death of the last male heir. This branch of the family continued in possession of Edmonstone, in Mid-Lothian, till late in the seventeenth century, when it was sold to the family of Wauchope; it resided, likewise, at Ednam, in Roxburghshire, a grant of Robert III.

To revert to the family of Duntreath, Sir William Edmonstone of Culloden, second son of Sir John, as above, married the Lady Mary, daughter of King Robert III., who had been married three times previously; first, to George Douglas, Earl of Angus; secondly, to Sir James Kennedy of Dunure, ancestor to the Earls of Cassilis; thirdly, to Sir William Graham of Kincardine, ancestor to the Duke of Montrose; and, lastly, to Sir William Edmonstone. By all four marriages she had issue; and, from the last, the present family of Duntreath are lineally descended. For the next century, the house of Duntreath continued in the highest degree prosperous. Its wealth and possessions had considerably increased, and appanages were bestowed on many of its junior branches, nearly all of which are now extinct. A succession of honourable alliances, too, had greatly tended to keep up its respectability. Sir William (the fourth in descent from the first Sir William of Duntreath), who was killed at the battle of Flodden, with James IV., and the flower of the Scottish nobility and gentry, had been appointed steward of Menteith, and constable of the castle of Doune. His son, of the same name, was continued in the same offices by the Regent, John Duke of Albany, which he held for eighteen years; but an heritable grant of them having been conferred by James V. on Sir James Stewart (ancestor of the Earl of Moray), Sir William and his brother Archibald were much irritated at being thus deprived of what had now for so many years been in possession of their family, and a fray ensued in the High Street of Dunblane, in which Sir James was killed. This event occurred on Whitsunday, 1543. A pardon for this offence was afterwards granted to the two brothers under the Great Seal by the Regent, Duke of Chatelherault, and being connected with the royal family, in consequence of his marriage with Lady Agnes Stewart, daughter to Matthew Earl of Lennox (grandfather to Henry Lord Darnley, the unfortunate husband of Queen Mary), Sir William was made one of the Privy Council during the queen’s minority.

His son, Sir James, was appointed justice-deputy under the Earl of Argyll, justice-general, and in 1582 was named one of the assessors on the trial of the Earl of Gowrie, for the celebrated conspiracy against the liberty of James VI., called the Raid of Ruthven; but he appears himself implicated in a similar plot soon after. He was accused, together with three others of the names of Douglas, Cunningham, and Hamilton, of a design to convey the king to some place of confinement, till those lords who had left the country in consequence of their concern in the above conspiracy should be advertised. It was believed to have been little more than an idle conversation; however, the four were seized and indicted for high treason. Sir James pleaded guilty, and threw himself on the king’s mercy. The others convicted of having held this treasonable design were executed. Sir James seems to have acted an unworthy part in this business; and, being pardoned, he retired to Duntreath, which he considerably enlarged. A stone with his arms and cipher, but without a date, mark this. The estate, however, was mortgaged by his son and successor, William, to Sir William Livingstone of Kilsyth, and considerable estates purchased in the counties of Down and Antrim, in the north of Ireland. But, fortunately, his next successor, Archibald, resold part of the Irish purchases and redeemed the estate of Duntreath, though the family residence continued to be, for above a century, chiefly at Red Hall, in a district called Broadisland, in the county of Antrim. This Archibald was a strict Presbyterian, and being returned member for the county of Stirling in the parliament which met at Edinburgh in 1633, in presence of Charles I., he strongly opposed every effort made by that monarch for the establishment of Episcopacy in Scotland. He had two sons, William and Archibald. Of these the elder, known as the Dumb Laird of Duntreath, was disinherited, and put under the tutelage of his brother, on account of having been born deaf and dumb. He was, however, a person of great vivacity and cheerfulness, with a very retentive memory; and, according to a portrait which exists of him, of a handsome and intelligent countenance. It is recorded, moreover, that he had a strong sense of religion; and a tradition is preserved that he was endowed with the faculty of second-sight. He lived to a very advanced age. A tower at Duntreath, which he is said to have occupied, still preserves his name. The inheritance, in consequence of the infirmity of the elder, devolved upon the younger brother, Archibald. This gentleman followed the same line as his father, in opposing the tyrannical acts of the government in their endeavour to establish Episcopal jurisdiction, and was fined and imprisoned for holding a conventicle in the private chapel of his house at Duntreath. After his release he retired to Ireland, and died in consequence of his exertions in defending the fort of Culmore, contiguous to Londonderry, at the famous siege of that city by James II., in 1689. He was succeeded by his son and namesake, who appears to have resided chiefly at Red Hall, so that Duntreath fell into decay. He married, first, The Honourable Anne Erskine, daughter to David, Lord Cardross, ancestor to the Earl of Buchan, by whom he had one daughter; and secondly, Anne, daughter of the Honourable John Campbell of Mammore, second son of the unfortunate Earl of Argyll who was beheaded in 1685. Her brother, John, succeeded to the dukedom of Argyle, on the death of his cousin, Archibald. By this marriage he had three sons and three daughters, and was succeeded by his eldest son.

Sir Archibald, created a baronet in 1774, married, first, Susanna, daughter to Roger Harenc, of Footscray Place, in Kent, by whom he had five sons and three daughters; and secondly, Hester, daughter to Sir John Heathcote of Normanton, in Rutlandshire, by whom he had no issue. Sir Archibald sat for above twenty years in Parliament for the county of Dumbarton and the Ayr and Irvine district of burghs. He very judiciously sold the estate in Ireland, and purchased that of Kilsyth, in 1783, which had been forfeited by the Livingstons, Viscounts of Kilsyth, in 1715, and thus established and concentrated the family in their native country. He likewise began a liberal system of improvement upon his estates, which was carried on to a greater extent and completed by his successor. Sir Archibald died at the advanced age of eighty-nine, in 1807, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Sir Charles, who married, first, Emma, daughter of Richard Wilbraham Booth, Esq. of Lathorn House, in the county of Lancaster. By her he had a son and daughter. His second marriage was with the Honourable Louisa Hotham, daughter to Beaumont, second Lord Hotham, by whom he had four sons and two daughters. Sir Charles represented the county of Stirling in parliament for several years previous to his death, which took place on the 1st April, 1821, in the fifty-eighth year of his age. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Archibald, the late baronet, who married, in October, 1832, his cousin Emma, daughter of Randle Wilbraham, Esq. of Red Hall. Sir William, the present baronet, to whom we have already referred, is thirteenth in lineal descent from Sir William of Culloden, the first of the branch of Duntreath.

The founder of the family of Buchanan was Anselan, a native of Ireland, who is said to have arrived in the eleventh century. His descendants originally bore the name of M’Aslan, a corruption of Anselan, and were chamberlains to the Earls of Lennox. At an early period, they obtained a grant of part of the lands of Buchanan, which afterwards became the family name. In 1225, they received from Maldwin, Earl of Lennox, a charter for Clarinch, an islet in Lochlomond, which was adopted as the war-cry of the clan. In 1296, "Malcolm of Boughcanian" appears in the list of proprietors in Stirlingshire who swore fealty to Edward I. of England. In 1482, a younger son founded the house of Drumnahill, from which sprung, in 1506, the celebrated George Buchanan. In 1519, "Walterus Bucquhanan de eodem" conveyed to his son, Walter, the lands of Spittal. In 1682, the direct line of male succession became extinct; and, in the absence of other competitors, the late Dr. H. Buchanan, of Spittal and Lenny, claimed, in 1826, to be chief of the family. The Buchanans are a numerous clan in the Lennox and adjacent counties. Beside the M’Aslans, already mentioned, they recognize as clansmen some other branches, whose names are common in the district, particularly the Zuils and the Risks – originally soubriquets of individuals, but afterwards surnames of their descendants. The one was so called from the day of his birth, Yule (Christmas); Risk (a bare knoll) of Drymen. Many of the Buchanans have settled and prospered in Glasgow, where they have established a charitable society for the poor members of the clan, which distributes the interest of their capital, amounting to upwards of 500 pounds per annum, among all their branches, whatever be their name. The family of Buchanan, though it flourished for upwards of 500 years, while Scotland remained a separate kingdom, was never distinguished in political transactions. One evident cause was the smallness of the family estate, which included only the lower part of the present parish. Their fame rests on their literary eminence. Besides the classical Buchanan, they can boast of Dr. Buchanan, already mentioned, celebrated for his valuable works on the civil and natural history of India (obiit 15th June, 1829); and Dr. Claudius Buchanan, who is entitled to respect and gratitude for having, by his writings and labours, excited the British nation to send the blessing of education and religion to their Indian empire. Dr. Claudius died 9th February, 1815.

At the death of the last Buchanan of that ilk, in 1682, the estate was sold by his creditors, and purchased by the family of Montrose. They, too, claim high antiquity. Without asserting the existence of the Caledonian who, in the fifth century, is said to have broken down the wall of Antoninus, and to have given it his own name of Graham’s Dyke, it may be stated that the present Duke of Montrose is the twenty-first lineal descendant from Sir Patrick de Graham, who fell, regretted by friend and foe, at the battle of Dunbar, in 1296. This family, unlike their predecessor, is famed for their military achievements; and numbers among their sons, Sir John de Graham, the companion of Wallace; the Marquis of Montrose, who flourished in the civil wars; the Viscount Dundee, who fell bravely, though vainly, attempting to support the tottering throne of James II.; and the late Lord Lynedoch, who distinguished himself by his chivalrous exertions in the wars of the French Revolution. The late duke, who died 30th December, 1836, must be mentioned as an able and persevering patron of agriculture. During a long life, he was unwearied in embellishing his residence at Buchanan, in improving and extending his plantations, and in introducing superior breeds of farm stock.

According to tradition, the founder of the ancient and noble house of Drummond was a Hungarian, named Maurice, who came over from Hungary in the train of Margaret, queen of Malcolm Canmore, and obtained, in reward of his services, a grant of certain lands, and, among others, of Drymen, in Stirlingshire. It is not certainly known in what part of that parish the Drummonds had their residence, but it was probably somewhere near the Endrick. It is equally uncertain how, or at what period, the family ceased to be connected with the county. In the year 1360, in consequence of a feud which had long subsisted between them and the Earls of Menteith, a compact was entered into at a meeting on the banks of the Forth, in presence of the justiciaries of Scotland, by which Sir John Drummond resigned certain lands in the Lennox, and obtained in lieu of them others of greater value in Perthshire. Shortly after this, and probably in consequence of it, their residence seems to have been transferred to Stobhall, in Perthshire, which, along with other extensive estates in that county, had some years before come into possession of the family by marriage. Previous to this change of residence, however, Annabella, daughter of Sir John Drummond, married Robert, Earl of Carrick, high steward of Scotland, who afterwards succeeded to the throne by the title of Robert III. The fruit of this marriage was two sons, one of whom afterwards became James I. Thus Drymen parish may lay claim to the honour of having produced a lady from whom descended the royal House of Stuart; and who was not more distinguished for rank and station, than for the many virtues which adorned her character.

The estate of Alva was anciently possessed by the Stirlings of Calder in Clydesdale. According to Nisbet, in his first volume of Heraldry, "Sir J. Menteith, son of Sir Walter Menteith, of Rusky, married Marion Stirling, daughter and co-heir to Sir John Stirling, of Calder in Clydesdale, and with her he got ye lands of Kerse and Alveth (Alva), for which ye family carried ye buckler for the name of Stirling, and flourished for many years." Sir William Menteth or Menteath, of Alva, married Helen Bruce, daughter of the laird of Airth, and his son, Sir William Menteth, married Agnes Erskine, daughter to Alexander, Lord Erskine, whose successors afterwards, through right of their mother, inherited the earldom of Mar. The Countess of Mar and Kelly is a descendant of the family of Menteth of Rusky. By the intermarriage before alluded to, it is highly probably that the Alva property went to the Bruce, and afterwards to the Erskine family. In 1620 it went to Sir Charles Erskine, fifth son of John, sixth Earl of Mar. His great grandson, Sir Henry Erskine of Alva, father to the late Earl of Rosslyn, sold it in 1759 to his uncle, lord justice clerk, called Lord Tinwald, whose son, James Erskine, a senator of the College of Justice, inherited it, with the title of Lord Alva. He was one of the most energetic proprietors, with the exception of the Bruces, who founded the present mansion and church. Lord Alva sold the estate in 1775 to John Johnstone, Esq., son of Sir James Johnstone, Bart. of Westerhall, Dumfriesshire, brother to Sir William Pulteney. Sir John and Sir Charles Erskine, two of the Alva proprietors, were both killed when abroad in 1746.

There are several very old families in Campsie parish, the principal of which are the Lennoxes of Woodhead, the Kincaids of Kincaid, the Stirlings of Craigbarnet, the Stirlings of Glorat, and the M’Farlans of Kirkton, who are derived, by the female line, from the same stock from which the Lennoxes of Woodhead claim descent. M’Farlan of Kirkton, or Bancleroche, came into possession of that estate in 1624. Antermony was purchased by Captain John Lennox, a younger son of the Woodhead family. The claim of this family to the Lennox peerage has been brought down to her own time by Margaret Lennox, late of Woodhead; from which case it appears that Askill, a powerful Northumbrian baron of that age of William the Conqueror, having found it necessary, with many other northern barons, to flee into Scotland, was kindly received by Malcolm III., and his son, Alwyne, was by Malcolm VI, created Earl of Lennox, the name being derived from the river Leven, and the estate extending over Dumbartonshire, great part of Stirlingshire, and parts of the counties of Perth and Renfrew. The earldom continued in this family down to the time of Earl Duncan, who, with the Duke of Albany and his two sons, was executed at Stirling, May 1425. After this, Isabella, his eldest daughter, enjoyed it many years, and she having died without issue in 1459, the earldom, without any forfeiture having taken place, but by reason of the feudal incident of non-entry, fell into the hands of the sovereign as superior. Donald, son of Earl Duncan, by a second marriage, was the ancestor of the Lennoxes of Ballcorach. John, the sixth of Ballcorach, came into possession of the lands of Woodhead about 1520.

The Kincaids were in possession of Kincaid in 1280, as is proved by a charter extant. In 1421, Duncan, Earl of Levenax, conveyed to his son, Donald, ancestor of the Woodhead family, the lands of Balcorrach, Balgrochyr, Bencloich, Thombay, and others in the parish of Campsie. His son, John, was served heir of his father in said lands in 1454, and seems to have been also proprietor of the estates of Kilmordining and Caillie. The estate of Bencloich was sold to Edmonstone of Duntreath in 1660, and was by Sir Archibald Edmonstone sold to Charles Macintosh, Esq., and William Macfarlan, Esq., in 1834. Glorat was a part of the earldom of Levenax, and Isabella, Duchess of Albany, eldest daughter of the last earl of the old line, was in possession of it, as appears from the Exchequer Rolls, in 1456. John, Earl of Lennox, in the Darnley line, gave a grant of the lands of Inchinnan in Renfrewshire, "delecto consanguineo suo Gulielmo Stirling de Glorat et Margaretae Houstoun sposae suae," in 1525, which is the first trace to be found of the family; but very probably Glorat was acquired by the Stirlings about 1470, after the death of Isabella. In 1550, George Stirling of Glorat was captain and governor-in-chief of Dumbarton castle. The arms and motto, "semper fidelis," were granted to the family for their loyalty to their sovereigns Charles I. and II., and in the year 1666, the family was honoured with the dignity of knight baronet. Both the Glorat family and the Stirlings of Craigbarnet are descended from the Stirlings of Calder or Cadder, whose name appears in the Ragman’s Roll, 1279. John Striveling or Stirling of Craigbernard (Craigbarnet) is witness to a deed in 1468. Kincaid, "Laird of Kincaid of Stirlingshire," for his valiant services in recovering Edinburgh Castle from the English, in the time of Edward I., was made constable of the castle, and his posterity enjoyed that office for a long period, carrying the castle in their armorial bearings. There is an old broad sword belonging to a branch of the family, upon which are the arms, gules on a fesse ermine, between two mullets-in-chief or, and a castle triple towered in base argent, with these words, -

"Wha will pursew, I will defend
My life and honour to the end"

The ancestor of the Macfarlanes of Kirkton was George Macfarlane of Markinch, second son to Andrew Macfarlane of that ilk, in the reign of James V. George having sold the aforesaid lands of Markinch, went afterwards and settled in the north Highlands amongst his namesakes the Macfarlanes, promiscuously called in the Irish language, M’Allans, Allanich, or Clan-Allan – i.e., the posterity of Allan, because of their descent from Allan Macfarlane, younger son to one of the lairds of Macfarlane, who settled in Strathdown, Aberdeenshire, several centuries ago. From him are descended the families of Auchorrachan, Balnengown, Lismurdie, &c., as also several others in Braemar and Strathspey. His posterity continued in the north for several generations, until the time of Patrick Macfarlane, the fourth descendant in a direct line, who, returning again to the south, purchased the lands of Kirkton. He married Christian Blair, daughter to – Blair, commissary of Glasgow, who was younger son to – Blair of that ilk, an ancient family in the shire of Ayr, by whom he had James Macfarlane of Kirkton, his successor, and a daughter, Christian, married to Sir Hugh Wallace of Wolmet. James married Mary Keith, daughter to John Keith, younger son to the Earl Marischal, by whom he had Hugh, his successor, who married Elizabeth Doig, daughter, and ultimately sole heiress to Paul Doig of Ballingrew, a very ancient Perthshire family. Hugh, by this marriage, had, besides William his heir, a numerous issue both of sons and daughters. The armorial bearing of the family is quarterly – first and fourth, argent, a saltier wavey, cantoned with four roses, gules, as a cadet of Macfarlane of that ilk; second and third, gules, a cheveron between two cinquefoils in chief and a sword pale-ways, argent, hilted and pommelled, or, in base, for Doig of Ballingrew; crest, a demi-savage proper, holding in his right hand a sheaf of arrows, and pointing with his left hand to an imperial crown, or. Motto – "This I’ll defend."

The Dunmore family is a branch of the house of Athole, springing from John, first Marquess of Athole, and his wife Ameliana-Sophia, daughter of James, seventh Earl of Derby, through their second son, Lord Charles Murray, master of the horse to Queen Mary II. of England, who was elevated to the peerage of Scotland 16th August, 1686, in the dignities of Lord Murray, of Blair. Monlin, and Tellymot, Viscount Fincastle, and Earl of Dunmore. His lordship married Katherine, daughter of Robert Watts, Esq., and had three sons and three daughters. He died in 1719, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, John, one of the representative peers in 1713, and colonel of the 3rd regiment of footguards, a general officer in the army, and governor of Plymouth. His lordship died unmarried, 18th April, 1752, when the honours devolved upon his brother, William. This nobleman married Catherine, daughter of his uncle, Lord William Murray (who became Lord Nairne by marrying the heiress of that family), by whom he had two sons and two daughters. His lordship having been involved in the rebellion of 1745, was arraigned at the court held at Southwark for high treason, in 1746, and pleaded guilty, but obtained the king’s most gracious pardon. He died in December, 1756, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John, one of the representative peers from 1761 to 1784. His lordship married, 21st February, 1759, lady Charlotte Stewart, daughter of Alexander, sixth Earl of Galloway, by whom he had two sons. We have referred in a following chapter to the later members of this noble family, the fifth Earl of which was created Baron of the United Kingdom in 1831. Their motto is "Furth fortune and fill the fetters." The present earl, in addition to his excellent qualities as a landlord and country gentleman, is a man of distinguished gallantry and bravery. A year ago near Harris he, at great risk, when a very heavy gale was blowing, put out in a boat, which other three men and himself pulled for eight hours, and rescued the crew of a yacht. Nobody would face the storm but the earl and the three men who went out along with him, and but for their heroic assistance the ladies, gentlemen, and children in the yacht must have perished. For this act of bravery, the noble earl was awarded the medal of the Royal Humane Society; while a sum of money was distributed amongst the three men who courageously accompanied him. His lordship is also well known as an accomplished musician, both in theory and practice. His concerts in London attract great attention. The Prince of Wales is generally present, and the earl conducts the music himself. These concerts are the most select gatherings that society furnishes. They are, moreover, the only respectable ones at which smoking is permitted, and where good wine is given to the audience free of charge. They usually break up about two o’clock; and are, of course, the occasion of all the gossip of the week.

The Bruce family of Stenhouse claims a common ancestor with the noble house of Elgin. Sir Alexander Bruce, of Airth, lineally descended from Sir Robert Bruce, Knt., of Clackmannan, married Janet, daughter of Alexander, the fifth Lord Livingstone, and had several sons, of whom the eldest, William, was ancestor of the Bruces of Airth, now extinct. Robert, the youngest, became progenitor of the Bruces of Kinnaird; and William, the second son, obtained from his father the lands of Stenhouse, &c., in a charter, dated 28th June, 1611. This gentleman, who was created a baronet of Nova Scotia, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever, 26th June, 1629, married, first, the heiress of Lothian, by whom he had an only daughter; and secondly, Rachael, daughter of Joseph Johnston, Esq., of Hiltoun, by whom he had two sons, and was succeeded at his decease, in 1630, by the elder, William. As we have stated elsewhere, the present representative of this house is Sir William Cunningham Bruce.

The family of Livingston has figured in the history of Scotland. Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar became governor to James II. on the death of the late king. Sir Alexander and the Chancellor Crichton are accused of confining the queen mother, for the sake of usurping the power committed to her by her deceased lord. Both were concerned in that act of cruelty to which, in the presence of the youthful monarch, William sixth Earl of Douglas fell a victim in Edinburgh castle; by which James was trained to the assassination of another of the Douglasses; and which brought down on the two principal actors the vengeance of the house of Douglas. Livingston was, afterwards, at the instigation of the eighth Earl of Douglas, impeached, sentenced to the loss of his estate, and imprisoned in Dumbarton castle. He was afterwards restored to the royal favour, recovered his estate, was a member of the Privy Council, ambassador to England, and justice general. His son and successor, James, was created Lord Livingston, was master of the household, and, afterwards, lord great chamberlain. Sir Alexander’s younger brother, Sir William, had founded the house of Kilsyth, having got the estate from his father. His representative in the sixth generation, Sir William of Darnchester, who, at Prince Henry’s baptism, had been knighted during his father’s lifetime, was eminent as a lawyer; and, in 1609, was appointed a senator of the College of Justice, and, afterwards, a member of the Privy Council and Vice-Chancellor. He died in 1627, and was succeeded by his son and grandson, but at length, in 1647, by his brother, Sir James Livingston of Barncleugh, who, having maintained his loyalty during the civil wars and usurpation, was, on the restoration of the House of Stuart, created Viscount Kilsyth, Lord Campsie, &c. His second son, William third Viscount Kilsyth, having engaged in the insurrection of 1715, was forfeited. He married first, Jean, daughter of William Lord Cochran, and widow of the Viscount Dundee, who brought him a son; secondly, Barbara, daughter of Macdougal of Mackerston, by whom he had a daughter. Both children died early, and were buried in the family mausoleum at Kilsyth.

Neither the Airths or the Mores have attained to the dignity of the peerage. The first had the baronies of Airth, Carnock, and Plean; which, in the reign of James I., came to heirs female, and, by marriage, to the Bruces, Drummonds, and Somervilles.

The Napiers of Ballikenrain were an ancient family; but the male line is now extinct. They are treated under the head of Eminent Men.


Previous Page | Index | Next Page


 


This comment system requires you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an account you already have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account with any of these companies then you can create an account with Disqus. All comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator has approved your comment.

comments powered by Disqus

Quantcast