(1124-53). And it was likely sometime
after this before they became barons of Aboyne. By the year 1242
they had become a very powerful family in Scotland, and the
chieftainship seemed to rest in Walter Bisset, Lord of Aboyne. For
some time a feud had existed between him and Patrick Galloway, Earl
of Athole, who in the same year was burnt in his lodgings in
Haddington. Although Walter Bisset proved that at the time of the
fire he was entertaining the Queen, Joanna, at his Castle of Aboyne,
where she had honoured him with a visit, and whom he had escorted as
far as Forfar on her way south, he did not escape the suspicion of
having instigated his followers to set fire to the lodgings of
Athole. The end of it was that he was obliged to take refuge in
England, where the Queen's brother, Henry III., protected him from
his enemies in Scotland.
Although they were declared
"forfeit," the lands of Aboyne did not pass out of the hands of his
family. As we have seen, the charter chest of Aboyne was rifled by
Edward I. in 1296, and its contents carried off to England. We can
understand why Edward was so anxious to secure these charters.
Bisset, in order to be avenged on his Scottish foes, among whom he
even included the King, had represented to the English sovereign
that the crown of Scotland was a fief of that of England, and that
there was evidence of this in the ancient charters. This was just
the point that Edward was anxious to establish; and Bisset's own
charters were likely to afford the evidence required.
Another Walter Bisset had a charter
from King Robert Bruce of the lands of "Aboyne, in the county of
Aberdeen." We do not know whether this was a son of Old Walter, the
exile, or not; but the Bissets had good family reasons for taking
the side of Bruce against the Galloways, who were the kinsfolk and
abettors of the Baliols.
At this time there were a great many
small lairds on Deeside, as elsewhere in Scotland. These held their
lands on charters from greater lairds, or barons; and these, again,
from still greater; while the greatest of all, or Lord Superior of
the district, held directly of the Crown. Of this last class were
the Bissets of Aboyne. In time of war they could have called out the
whole military force of the Parishes of Glenmuick, Tullich,
Glentanar, Aboyne, Birse, and the greater part of Strachan and
Durris.
The last of this powerful family, who
seems to have been a son of the last named Walter Bisset, was Thomas
Bisset, to whom David II. granted a charter confirming to him the
grants made to his ancestors of the lands of Aboyne. The line then
terminated in an heiress, who married John Eraser, son of Sir
Alexander Fraser and Mary Bruce, second sister of the great King
Robert This marriage, which took place soon after the battle of
Culblean, brought the whole lordship of Aboyne into the house of
Eraser, to remain there only for one generation.
The eldest daughter of John Fraser
the Lady Margaret Fraser, married Sir William Keith, the great
Marischal of Scotland, who received with her the "arrearage and
annuels of Aboyne, with other large estates, particularly the Forest
of Cowie, the thanedoin of Durris, the baronies of Strauchan,
Culperso, Johnstone, and many others in the counties of Aberdeen and
Kincardine"—a princely "tocher," but then Lady Margaret had royal
blood in her veins, and the house of Marischal was second to none in
Scotland.
Sir William Keith and Margaret
Fraser, his wife, had three sons and four daughters. The youngest
daughter, the Lady Elizabeth Keith, married Sir Adam Gordon of
Huntly ; and the eldest son, Lord John Keith, married a daughter of
King Robert II. Here was another marriage
into the Eoyal Family ; on which event the parents of the young
bridegroom resigned in his favour a large portion of their estates,
including the barony of Aboyne. He however died soon after, leaving
an only son, Eobert, who also died before his grandfather, leaving
an only daughter, the Lady Jape Keith, who married Alexander Gordon,
first Earl of Huntly, and "brought to him a large estate,"
comprising, among others, "the lands of Cluny, Tulch (Tullich),
Aboyn, Glentanyr, and Glenmuck," in Aberdeenshire. Subjoined is the
genealogy of the proprietors of Kinnord, which was generally
included in the barony of Aboyne, till it came into the possession
of the Huntly family :—
N.B.—The red lines represent the
owners of the lands of Aboyne and Einnord. Dates are noted where
they seem important and can be approximately ascertained.
[In regard to the succession to the
Aboyne property of John Keith, son of Sir William Keith and Margaret
Fraser, it has to be observed that he was defrauded of his title to
it by the Regent Albany and the Stewarts. Sir William and his Lady
were compelled to grant charters of resignation, making over the
greater part of their estates to this ruling or reigning family. I
say compelled because it was most unlikely, being most unnatural
that they should have voluntarily put their estates past their own
children, and because these charters, when examined, are found to be
attested only by coteries of this grasping faction and their
minions. What are we to think of this one, for example, dated at
Falkland, 18th May, 1407, conveying the barony of Aboyne out of the
family of Sir William Keith to John Stewart, Earl of Buchan, in
which it is provided that, failing Buchan's heirs, other two
families of Stewarts, his uncles, and all their heirs, are to come
into possession before the rightful heir shall have a claim on the
property ? This scandalous deed is attested by seven Stewarts, sons,
brothers, and nephews of the beneficiary, without a single Keith or
Fraser among the witnesses. No doubt John, Earl of Buchan, was a
brave and accomplished knight; but that was no good reason why he
should have taken other people's properties. He had already by
another of these compulsory charters possessed himself of the
baronies of Kincardine O'Neil and Coull; and he must needs have that
of Aboyne also. At court he was styled "John O'Coull,"—an epithet,
which, passing through several families, notably the Rosses, has
survived to the present day. I have not included him in the above
Chart; but have entered the rightful heir, to whom it was restored,
when James I. returned from his captivity, and put an end to the
rapacity of the house of Albany.]
It thus appears that the lordship, or
barony, of Aboyne was in the family of the Bissets for at least
three generations, probably four, that is about 100 years; that in
the fourth or fifth generation it passed into the family of the
Frasers, in which it remained for one generation, or about 30 years,
passing in the second into the family of Keith, Earls Marischal, in
which it remained two generations, or about 70 years, passing in the
third into the family of Gordon, in which it is to be hoped it will
always remain,
