Account of the families of Birnie and Hamilton of Broomhill

12 ACCOUNT OF THE FAMILIE
They being a little torn and difficult to read, as seueral other papers in
that chest are, I haue placed each of them in a coppie ; and they are seal'd
with the same coat of arms as on the signet seal he sent his brother, yet
in our custodie, with this difference, that about it is engrauen, " Maister
Robert Birnie ;" and bearing with his three garbs and a fork, crest, a dex-
ter hand holding a sword, all well done upon a bloodston, sett in massie
gold.
The way how he came by this coat of arms, and not these of the
familie, was that he went away young, knowing nothing of the matter ;
but after his attaining to riches and honour in Poland, he fell uneasie with
the grandees and gentry there, as being bred a merchant, so he wrot ouer
to his brother for his birth breiff. Mr Robert, minding more divinity
than herauldry, wrote to ane agent at Edinburgh, who did, indeed, ex-
pede it before the then Privie Council, with the best quality, relations, and
the aboue coat of arms, tho' not ours.
The said John Harper, being with the aboue father and son at their
deaths, the father's nephew, and many years his servant, must be the only
person wee could trust to here, anent the account of his effects ; and he
told that besydes his rich furnished house, fyne gardens and parks at
Samuchsha, he had a good part of the lordship thereof; and also, besydes
his profits of copartnery at Dantzick, he had about 2000 L. sterling, our
money, in the hands of John Sobieskie, Croun General, money in the
hands of Michael Witznowiskie, more among seueral others of the nobi-
lity ; which wee know by the complaint made in his last letter to his
brother, and Sir John Harper, upon their bargaining for him, anent the
estate of Mauldsley. Yet John Harper brought home nothing. All that
my father, Mr John, got from him was very small, and that by present
too, for rings sent over by his own confession, not delivered. He has also
seueral tymes told, that had he brought home the buttons upon his upper
Polonian coat, being diamonds sett in gold, they had made the produce
1 1 ■ of 1000 L. sterling.
John Birnie, only child to the aboue James ; he outlived his father a
very short tyme, and was with his aboue uncle, Mr Robert, at Lanark,