Collections towards a history of the county of Clackmannan

37
the celebrated Dr Jamieson, author of the
Scottish Dictionary.
No. 292.— 29th December, 1718.— Extract
from the Kegister of Births for the city of Edin-
burgh, of this date " Alexander Bruce, younger
of Keunet, and Mary Balfour, his spouse, had a
son named Robert baptized. Witnesses, Capt.
Alexander Gumming of Coulter, Alex, Melvell
of Balgravie, Mr James Bruce, advocate, and
Thomas Eairholm, of Pittown. This child was
born on the twenty-eighth instant."
The Robert Bruce here mentioned was after-
wards Lord Kennet. He passed advocate 15th
January 1743, was appointed professor of the
law of nations in the University of Edinburgh,
22d June, 1759 ; in the following year he was
constituted Sheriff of Clackmannan, and on the
4th July, 1764, promoted to the bench as Lord
Kennet. On the 16th November, 1769, he
became a Lord of Justiciary, and died at
Kennet, 8th April, 1785.
No. 293.— 23d February, 1720.— Bond and
assignation by Margaret Cleland or Bruce,
relict of the deceased Mr Alexander Bruce of
Garlet, in favour of her daugher, Rachael Bruce.
(Mackenzie, vol. 132, 12th Dec, 1722, Register
House, Edinburgh.)
In this deed there is first a full narrative of
the contract of marriage, and then a statement
that after Mr Bruce's death she obtained a
decree on the 14th February, 1705, ordering the
tenants of Garlet to pay her the rents of their
lands in satisfaction of her annuity of 500 merks
provided by that contract, and then the deed
proceeds :— " And seeing that foresaid liferent
annuities, 500 merks money foresaid yearly, for
the years 1704 to 1719, doth extend in haill for
the said sixteen years to the sum of 8000 merks
Scots money, and that I have only intromitted
with the nu mber of two chalders of victual where-
of 20 bolls meal and 12 bolls bear, with 18 hens
yearly furth of the said lands and others after
specified, and that for the said sixteen years
extending in haill the price of the said victual
during the said space being 32 chalders conform
to the fiars' prices of the sheriffdom of Clack-
mannan, as appears by ane extract thereof under
the hands of Robert Sheriff, clerk of the said
shire, with the prices the said hens at the price
of 6s Scots the piece, in haill the sum of 3200
merks Scots money, salvo justo: calculo, after
allowance of the cesses, ministers' stipends, and
schoolmasters' fees, and other public burdens,
of the first and of the price of the said victual, so
that there is truly resting owingto me of intarcks
of the said liferent annuities since the decease
of my said husband, and at and preceding the
term of March last by past the sum of 4800
merks money foresaid, and in regard I have in-
tromit with and dispensed on several consider-
able sums of money belonging to Rachael
Bruce, my only daughter in life, and my other
children, whereunto she hath right as executrix
to them and otherwise. And it being just and
reasonable that I should grant these presents to
the effect the said Rachael Bruce may obtain
repetition of the said sums uplifted be and dis-
posed on by me as said is. Therefore she assigns
to Rachael Bruce not only the said debt of
4800 merks and all other arrears of the annuity
past or to come, but also my haill insight and
household plenishing, with all sums of money,
bond bills, obligations, contracts, decrees, and
other rights and securities, goods, gear, and
others, whatsoever presently pertaining or that
shall happen to belong to me, at the time of
my decease, with all action, diligence, &c,
competent to me upon the premises. The deed
then reserves Mrs Bruce's liferent of all the
property thus conveyed, and contains several
usual formal clauses. The deed was registered
in the books of Council and Session, 12th Dec,
1722, after Mrs Bruce's death, which took place
in Garlet in 1722. It is probable that David
Bruce was at this time dead, and that James
and Rachael were now the sole surviving child-
ren of Mr Alexander Bruce, first of Garlet, and
Margaret Cleland. It will be seen from No. 228
that David left no family, and the only grand-
child, at all events in Scotland, at this time,
was William, the son of Alexander Bruce, sur-
geon, of Edinburgh. James Bruce was now a
rising advocate, a member of the Colonial
Parliament, and a considerable proprietor in
Barbadoes ; so the appointment of Rachael
Bruce as universal legatee was quite natural.
No. 294.— June, 1720— Mr John Edgar, ad-
vocate in Edinburgh, married clandestinely Mrs
Jeanie Bruce, daughter of Brigadier Jas. Bruce
of Kennet. (Clackmannan Session Records.)
No. 295 — 2d June, 1720— Process before the
Lords of Council and Session, relative to the
property in Dalkeith and lands of Garlet, as
far as William Bruce was interested, as heir-
apparent of his father and grandfather, at the
instant of Anna Stewart, widow of Wm. Bruce's
father, and her second husband, the Rev. Archi-
bald Campbell, minister of Weems, against the
said William Bruce.
This action was brought to recover compen-
sation for the now implement of that provision
in the marriage and contract of Margaret Cle-
land and Alexander Bruce, by which it was
declared that if there be heirs male of the
marriage who shall survive twenty-one years
complete and happen to marry, that in that
case Margaret Cleland was restricted to the
half of the said yards and orchards of Garlet,
and the other half thereof was to belong to the
said heirs ; but it is only noticed here as shew-
ing the course of the family history. William
Bruce was now 13 years of age.