Biggar and the House of Fleming

562 BIGGAR AND THE HOUSE OF FLEMING.
Daniel Weir of Stonebyres, the Laird of Corehouse, Sir James
Carmichael of Bonniton, Sir James Lockhart of Lee, Baillie of
Lamington, Alexander Menzies of Coulterallers, and others,
assembled all their vassals, and had them regularly drilled and
ready to take the field in support of the movements of the
Duke of Argyle, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Forces.
The Duke of .Douglas raised a regiment of 300 men, com-
pletely officered and trained. The first detachment, consisting
of 100 men, commenced their march to the Royalist camp at
Stirling on the 27th September 1715, and got the length of
Carluke, when intelligence arrived that they were not to ad-
vance farther, in consequence of a scarcity of provisions in the
camp. They consequently returned to Douglas ; but the Duke
himself, Baillie of Lamington, Sir James Carmichael, etc., pro-
ceeded onwards, and arrived at Stirling on the 29 th. They
were very likely present at the battle of Sheriffmuir, which
took place about a fortnight afterwards.
It was the Earl of whom we are now speaking that, in
1739, carried on a series of litigations with his vassals and
feuars at Biggar regarding their respective rights to the Com-
mon. This was most likely done preparatory to his effecting
the new entail of his estates in 1741. As already stated, he
seems to have been altogether unaware of the regrant by Charles
II. in 16G9.
By the new deed of entail, he became bound to resign his
estates and titles in favour of heirs-male lawfully procreated of
his own body ; but failing these, in favour of Charles Fleming,
his broth er-german, and his heirs-male lawfully begotten ; and
failing all these, in favour of heirs-female. One of the special
objects of the Earl was, that as his brother was unmarried, and
as his only daughter Clementina had in 1735 married Charles
Elphinstone, son of Charles, ninth Lord Elphinstone, the peer-
age of Wigton should not be merged in or identified with any
other title. It was therefore expressly stated, that the heir to
succeed should be bound and obliged to assume and bear the
title, name, arms, and designation of Lord or Baron Fleming,
and no other. He therefore provided, that when any heir
other than the heir-male of himself or his brother should suc-
ceed, or have a right to succeed, to the estates of Biggar and
Cumbernauld, and should also succeed, or have a right to sue-