Wedderburn book > History

Iviii. THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
introd. in 1694-95, but died 1695-96, he had issue, two daughters and two sons, viz.,
Elizabeth, who married the Rev. Robert Rait, minister of Dundee, and
died before 1704, leaving issue, an only son, Alexander Rait ; Janet, who
died young ; John, who died in infancy, and Peter (born 1667-68), who was
long a merchant in Dundee, but who, though twice married— (1) to Helen
Lyon ; (2) to Barbara Auchinlek — had no issue. His second wife died in
1721 ; he himself in 1723-24, when his heir was his great-nephew, David
Wedderburn of that ilk, who is so named in 1743-44 and 1752-56. 1
The provost was thus succeeded by his eldest son and namesake,
who was born in 1640 and retoured heir to his father in
fourth^ of 1 " 1684. After the purchase of Easter Powrie he is often designed
Scond of 6 ' " 0I " Kingennie " in his father's life, it appearing that from
Easter Powrie, that time his father resided at the manor place of Powrie
and gave up the estate of Kingennie to his son. I have
not found much about him. He is often named in regard to family
affairs, as a witness to baptisms, curator to the children of relatives,
and occasionally as "sheriff," and as "sitting on assize." He is also one
of those who, in 1686, signed a declaration of intention to "live peacablie
and regularly free of all fanatical disorder " according to the Act of 1685.
He died in Jan. 1692, leaving a will by which he directed his " body to be
honestly buryed in the ordinar buriall place of Dundee, besyd my neirest
friends and relatione?," and appointing guardians to his son. He had married
in 1665 his second cousin, Grissell, fourth daughter of Sir Alexander
Wedderburn of Blackness (post, p. lxii), and by her (born 1647; died
1685-86) had issue, four sons, John, Alexander, Peter, and Alexander (born
1681), of whom the youngest, who alone survived, succeeded his father ; and
four daughters, Elizabeth and Matilda, both of whom died young ; Margaret,
who died unmarried in 1692-93 ; and Rachel who married, in 1711, Gilbert
Stewart (son of Thomas Stewart of Stenton), an Edinburgh merchant, but
died without issue.
Alexander Wedderburn, the fourth but only surviving son of his
father, thus succeeded him in his estates. He was born in
Alexander, !g 81 am ] returned heir to his father in 1692. He had
fifth of Km- ' _ .... . . , , .
gennie, third of a somewhat long minority, during which he was under tutors
and first of and curators, and was educated at first by a " governour," but
msf-mS™' later at S - Andrew's, where he matriculated in 1697. He,
like his father, was not active in affairs, nor did he add to
his estate. He obtained, however, from the Crown, in 1708, a great seal
charter re-erecting the barony of Easter Powrie into one whole free barony
now and in all time coming to be called the barony of Wedderburn, and
thus he and his successors became by royal charter " Wedderburns of that
ilk." He died in 1713, at the early age of thirty-two, having married in
1703 Grissell Gardyne (of the family of Latoun), and by her, who married
secondly, David Graham of Duntroon, heir male of Claverhouse, Viscount
Dundee, had issue five sons and two daughters, viz., Alexander, Robert, Peter,
David, Gilbert, Grizel, and Rachel, who predeceased her father. Four of these
children, the last of their race in direct line, died in infancy, while the remaining
three, Peter, David, and Grizel, succeeded, one after the other, to the family estates.
Peter (born 1708) was retoured heir to his father early in
wedderburn of 1714, but died almost immediately after, when his heir was
Seam*™ 1 ' ^ S on ty surviving brother, David (born 1710), who was thus
the last male descendant in male line of his great-great-
grandfather, Alexander, second of Kingennie. He was educated at home, in
1 Easter Powrie had also a natural son, John Wedderburn, baxter in Dundee, who married in 1666
Helene Rodger, and had issue two daughters— Margaret, born 1667, who married in 1691 John
Pearson ; and Euphame, born 1668, who died youug.