Genealogical account of the family of Edmonstone of Duntreath

THE FAMILY OF EDMONSTONE. 81
is declared to be of lawful age, and, with his brother Archibald, had their father's charge
continued. This appears to have been done by the Regent Albany during the Queen's
residence in England, having been kept from her dower being one of her great complaints
against the Government. In 1525 the Earl of Lennox, Sir William and Archibald's
brother-in-law, joined the party of the Queen against the Earl of Angus, and in endeavour-
ing to emancipate the young King James the Fifth the Earl was murdered, after his party
had been defeated at Linlithgow by the Earls of Angus and Arran. In the autumn of
1527 the Queen married Harry Stewart, who was created Lord Methven, and in the July
previous she appeared in the Council to appeal against Sir William Edmonstone's keeping
possession of Doune Castle, which she naturally now wished to make over to the care of
Methven. Sir William was ordered to surrender it in forty-eight hours under penalty of
prosecution. Sir William had, however, obtained the King's signature to an order for
retaining the possession, but this order the Council annulled, though they suspended
the execution of the delivery for twelve days. (Acta Dom. Concilii, Register House,
July 1 1, 1527.) As James the Fifth alienated the crown lands of Methven at the Queen's
request to her husband, Methven got the Queen to make over the stewartry of Monteith
and constabulary of Doune to his younger brother, Sir James Stewart of Beath. According,
however, to Miss Strickland, the Queen was tricked by her husband — he having procured
the absolute grant of Monteith and Doune to his brother from the King, for whom he had
fought, and was left for dead at Linlithgow. Queen Margaret never meant to lose the
income of her dower lands, and this caused their first quarrel. The charter for this grant
is dated 1531. James the Fifth died in December 1542, and the raid took place at
Dunblane on the Whitsunday of the following year, in which Sir James Stewart lost his
life. In 1547 the penalty on account of this transaction was remitted by the Regent
Duke of Chatelherault, and the stewartry appears to have been restored to Sir William
Edmonstone, for among the family papers is a discharge with the sign-manual of the
Queen Dowager Mary of Lorraine to Sir William Edmonstone of Duntreath, Chamberlain
Depute of Monteith, for the rents, etc., of the years 1542, 1543, 1544, 1545, discharging also
William Earl of Montrose, and all others concerned. It is dated Edinburgh, April 25,
1549- From this it would appear that the cession of Doune to Sir James Stewart was
not held good, and that when Mary of Lorraine came into possession of her dower lands,
on the death of James the Fifth, she restored the stewardship to Sir William Edmonstone,
which led to the raid above mentioned, and that during the time Sir William was probably
in seclusion on account of Stewart's death the administration of the rents was made over
to Sir William's near relation, the Earl of Montrose. On her mother's death, when the
dower lands would revert to the crown, Queen Mary committed the stewartry of Doune to
the Earl of Montrose in 1 560, but three years later the son of Sir James Stewart recovered
possession, and the lands of Doune were erected into a Barony in his favour in 1580.
Note 44, Page 36.
As regards the Lady Elizabeth Leslie, I am indebted to Mr. Riddell for a copy of the
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