Biggar and the House of Fleming

550 BIGGAR AND THE HOUSE OF FLEMING.
quhilk his Maiestie hes reposit in thame, by advanceing tharae
to sa heich a rowme."
It appears that the Earl of Wigton, when frequenting the
court at Whitehall, not only presented petitions to his Majesty
from others, but that, like Richie Moniplies, he sometimes
embraced an opportunity of sliping into the royal hand " a
sifflication " of his own. We have an instance of this in 1613.
The Fleming family, at one time, were patrons of the Church
of Stobo,* which had four pendicles or chapels, viz., Dawick,
Drummekier,-f- Broughton, and Glenholm. The probability is
that they had a right to appoint the vicars to these chapels in
Roman Catholic times, and that they continued to exercise
the patronage after the Reformation, as in the parishes men-
tioned, they at one time held extensive possessions. We find
that in 1599, John Lord Fleming presented Alexander Flem-
ing to the church of Glenholm, but in the course of a few
years afterwards, the right of the Flemings to the patronage
of this church, had been alienated or disturbed, and the Earl
of Wigton, of whom we now speak, had again received a right
to the patronage from his present Majesty, and had also given
to the titular a large sum to secure his consent. The right of
the Earl was, however, disputed by one John Gib, who attempted
to establish his claim by an appeal to the legal tribunals of
the country. The Earl presented a petition to the King re-
garding this matter, when he was at court ; and he now
addressed the following letter to his Majesty on the same
subject : —
"Most Gratious and Dread Sourane,
At my laite being at your Heighnes Courte, the
petitioun preferred by me for the Kirk of Glenquhome was
gratiously acceptit by your Maistie, the samen Kirk being
formerly giftit by your Heighness to me, whiche nocht the less
in purchessing the Titular's consent to the samen did stand
me at no less rate than ten thousand poundis Scottis, as I
did particularly signifie to your Maiestie, who then out of your
Heighnes most gratious and bountifull disposition, pleased to
promeis that efter a course sould be tane for securing wnto me
* Pennecuik's Description of Tweeddale.
t Drummelzier, in former times, included the present parish of Tweedimuir,
which was called Upper Drummelzier.