Comments in refutation of pretensions advanced for the first time, and statements in a recent work "The Stirlings of Keir and their family papers"

6 COMMENTS ON KEIR PERFORMANCE,
passage, like others in the work, is not so distinctly or definitely worded as it
might be. If it intends to intimate, as might appear, that Cadder was in fact
their earliest inheritance, or rather patrimony, that is clearly refuted by the
work elsewhere proving that they had acquired other properties antecedently
to Cadder, in which, as has just been stated, they were only first seised under
a singular title in 1541.
1 See Keir At the Same time, the pedigree cited from the Keir Performance includes
ance°™e- thc stock of Keir proper, and a statement of each successiA^e generation.
and Hi's-' ' Next thereafter is " an account of the branches of the Stirling family, and of
S3i-ise-j. several famihes connected with the Stirlings, at least by name."^ But then
■ this is preceded by what is too curtly and indistinctly entitled an "Abstract
of the charters," &c.,* or premonitory kind of index, not amounting, on the
whole, to an ordinary fidl inventory, subsequent to which, though with the
strange and awkward intervention of the above pedigree and branches, only
come the " char'ters," &c., themselves, in the shape of a heterogeneous mass
of writs and muniments, in reference to suncby Stirlings of different origins,
and, moreover, to distinct families ; while, lastly, after this sort of hodge-
podge, are the Keir births and marriages, &c., with their letters, that form,
perhaps, the most curious and interesting portion of the work. With the
latter, however, the present Exposition does not deal, only confining its
criticism or remarks to the earlier or more ancient contents.
The better plan, in the case of this heterogeneous assemblage of writs
and muniments — adduced, it must be confessed, rather in pell-mell con-
fusion — and saving us the necessity, in consequence, too often to wander
in quest of necessary facts and information through a species of labyrinth
actually from p. 197 to 472 inclusive, might have been their arrangement Iti
this way, under distinct and appropriate heads, according to their contents : —
I. The oldest at the outset, generally affecting the Stirhngs ;
II. Those exclusively the chief line of Stirling of Cadder do-wnwards, with
their cadets ;
III. Those, in like manner, Keir ;
IV. Those similarly as to Craigbarnet, &c., and not overlooking cadets
eitiier : and so on, whether in regard to other Stirlings, or strangers introduced
* The " Abstr.i.ct " ic question, with its title, ate pedigrees again, and immediately before the
regularly should have 1 leen after the pedigree or heterogeneous mass of writs to which it directly
account of the Stirlings, an<l intervening separ- and exclusively refers.