Examination of the claim of John Lindsay Crawfurd

JOHN LINDSAY CRAWFURD. 9
of Hamilton farm, and died 18th June, 1748. Of this lady some
farther notice will be taken in the sequel.
Patrick, Lord Garnock, having died on the 29th May, 1735, was join, third
succeeded by his eldest son John, third Viscount of Garnock, who GarC*.
died at Edinburgh, on the 22d September, 1738, in the 17th year
of his age, unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother George, the George,
fourth Viscount of Garnock. He was" born in the year 1729, and count g&v-
finished his education at St Andrews, as, from evidence to be after- D0C '
wards noticed, we find him there in 1745, at the period of the death
of the Honourable James Crawfurd, his uncle.
In 1747, his Lordship was a Lieutenant in Lord Drumlanrig's
regiment, then in the service of the States of Holland ; and on the
death of the celebrated John, eighteenth Earl of Crawfurd, and succeeds to
fourth of Lindsay, he succeeded to these dignities, and the estates eighteenth
of that family. It appears, however, that the Crawfurd property fur ' d) &T
had been greatly involved, as Lord Garnock took the precaution,
observed in such cases, of having himself served heir to Earl John
cum beneficio inventarii, and thereby to guard against involving him-
self for Earl Crawfurd's debts to any farther extent than the amount
of the succession. His Lordship, after much trouble and exertion,
bought up the debts affecting the Crawfurd property, and added
to the family estates by several purchases. He married, in Decern- h. s mar-
ber, 1755, Jean, eldest daughter and heiress of Robert Hamilton f 1Idge "
Bourtreehill, by whom he acquired a great accession of property.
After their marriage, they resided at the house of Kilbirnie, from
which they were driven by a serious and destructive fire, the parti-
culars of which are still remembered by old people in the neigh-
bourhood. It was on a calm Sunday morning, in the month of nestruc-
April, 1757, when the family were unconscious of danger, that one Mansion-"
of the servants, in going to the stables, observed smoke issuing from Kawmie
the roof of the mansion-house, and gave the alarm. Lord Craw- by fire "
furd came instantly down, and seeing the reality of the danger, ran
to the garrets, when it was found that the fire was in the apartment
called the barracks-room, which was kept for the servants of visit-
ors ; and when not so occupied, was used as a lumber-room. On
opening the door of this apartment, the flames burst forth with
B