Wedderburn book > History

INTKODTJCTION.
himself " to God and a good assize," was acquitted, his sons were found guilty, introd.
Both they and their father, however, almost immediately got a remission under
the Privy Seal. He owned various houses in Dundee, including a mansion,
sold by him to the burgh in 1551 for £90, payment of which he accepted
in the form of six burgess-ships, and he was also a shipowner. The property
of Craigie, which afterwards passed by purchase to the Scharps of Houstoun
and the Kyds of Craigie, he first acquired under a charter of the shadow-
half of Hiltoun of Craigie to him and his wife from the Abbot of Lindores
in 1535, while later on, in Aug. 1552, he got another charter of part of
Wester Craigie from Patrick, Lord Gray, from whom ten years previously
he had acquired the mains of Huntlie, in the barony of Foulis, co. Perth.
These properties are occasionally mentioned in the records, and David is
designed " of Craigie " or " elder " to distinguish him from contemporary
namesakes, especially from David in Welgait, of whom an account has
already been given. In June 1559, being " in his bodie hevelie weixit with
infirmitie and yit as apperit havand perfyte knowledge and memorie," he
declared his will, and died soon after, his son James being named as his
heir in Aug. 15G0. He was twice married, viz., (1) to Cristina Jameson, who
is named as his wife in 1528-32, and by whom he had a daughter Isobell, 1
who married Alexander Kyd in 1558, and had issue ; (2) to Helen Lawson,
who survived him and was living as late as 1568, and by whom he had
issue two sons and a daughter Magdalen, who was married to Mark Barrie
(a member of a very old family in Dundee), and who is named in the
records as late as 1611 in regard to a property called the "Lady Wark-
stairs," which seems to have been the subject of frequent litigation. Her
two brothers were James and William, to whom I have just referred as
being concerned with their father in the violence done to Robert Merschell.
Of them, the younger, William, was admitted a burgess of Dundee in 1554,
six years before his elder brother, and was on the council in 1560. After
his father's death he had differences in regard to David's
William estate, both with his mother and with his brother James,
died 1593-97. ' the former of which was referred to arbitration, while in
the latter William got a decree. This, however, he seems
to have been unwilling to enforce, as on both brothers appearing " in the
reuestrie of the paroche kirk " James tenders payment and William refuses
it, on which James protests, seeing that William " wes nather ydeot nor
foole." William's wife — a Rollok — seems to have thought him both on this
occasion, for she, too, enters a protest that his refusal is not to "prejudice
her or her bairns." The matter then went to arbitration, and after the
death of James we find his widow sued by his brother and his wife.
William, who is named as owning part of his father's Murraygait property,
died between 1593 and 1597. He married in about 1559 Margaret Rollok,
and by her, who survived him, had issue two sons and a daughter, viz.,
James and William, both of whom went to sea, and Magdalen, who seems
to have been three times married, (1) to William Myln, (2) to — Henderson,
and (3) to — Mitchell. As her son, John Mitchell, is named as one of
William's heirs (another of her sons, William Henderson, being, it seems,
also one of them), and as the Dundee records contain no reference to any
heirs of William in male line, it is clear that both her brothers died
without issue. Her father's elder brother,
James Wedderburn of Craigie, was admitted burgess in 1560, and is
thereafter often named as councillor, bailie, etc. He is one
of craigie, of those who, with other Dundonians, was " in Edinburgh
died 1575. at the time of the l a te tumult " between the inhabitants
1 It is doubtful if this daughter was the child of David's first or second marriage. See post, pp. 58
and 518.