Wedderburn book > History

xvi. THE WEDDEKBURN BOOK.
Preface, published State Papers, a complete catalogue of the material wills recorded
at Somerset House, and the results of a search at the Heralds' College.
I have, however, in addition to the above, also examined the modern
registers of births, deaths, and marriages, both in Edinburgh and in London,
together with some of the records at the India Office, and a few parish
registers in England. A large number of printed volumes have also been
consulted, as for instance many of the chartularies of the Scottish
monasteries, edited by the Maitland or Bannatyne Clubs ; the histories of
great Scotch houses, by Sir William Fraser, and numerous other books. The
material so supplied has been embodied in the first, but has not been
separately printed in the second volume, partly because of its fragmentary
nature, and partly because much of it was not obtained until after the
second volume had passed through the press, that portion of the work
having in fact been almost entirely printed before any of the first volume
had been set up in type.
The book in fact may be said to have been to a large extent written
and pi-inted in the reverse order to that in which it is presented to the
reader. The first thing was to collect the evidence, the next to select and
arrange the material portions of it. The result of this labour will be
found in the second volume, which contains the evidence or, so to speak,
the separate stones with which I have gradually built up the history which
occupies the main part of Volume i. In writing that history I have
endeavoured to refer to or quote the authority for each statement
made, and though I have not despised tradition I have never consciously
confused it with proved fact. But such a plan, though scientific,
involves the necessary tediousness of laboured proof, and much of Volume i.,
though it will, I hope, bear close examination as a work of reference as to
particular individuals or events, is unavoidably far from readable. I have,
therefore, added an introduction, in which, after dealing with some general
matters, I have summed up the main contents of the pages which follow
it. This course means, no doubt, considerable repetition, because the same
fact is thus sometimes stated three times over, first in the introduction, next
in the detailed history, and lastly in the abstract of some document given
in the second volume ; but at the same time it has the advantage of
providing first a guide to and a summary of the main contents of the book ;
then a history of the family, shewn to be authentic; and, lastly, what seems
to me essential, the actual evidence on which the history rests, and by
means of which the reader may gauge the accuracy of any statements which
seem to him doubtful.
The order in which the book has thus been written and printed
accounts for my having in some instances corrected in the first volume some
error or omission of the second. A little additional matter has also gone on
reaching me from time to time up to the last moment of completion. This
is embodied in the additions and corrections at the close of Volume i. I
much regret that there should be so many of the latter, but the correction
of the press in such a work as the present is very difficult.' In regard to
In particular I regret the incomplete and incorrect account of the family of Isabella Colvile (Mrs.
Marindin) on p. 309. The account was compiled from printed books of reference and some
personal information, and after being set up in type was sent to a member of the family for
any corrections and additions. After waiting for some time without reply, I assumed that there
were none of importance, and passed the sheet for press. Soon after, but too late, I found
that the delay in answering .had been due to absence abroad, and I received the fuller and
accurate account which will be found among the additions and corrections at the end of this
volume.