Wedderburn book > History

70 THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Part I. never to play " ad legas neque taxillas " after the following Christmas (D.P.B. 3). 1 He is
Chap. iv. ofteu express ] y ca ]i e( j « tne S on of Robert," e.g., 8 April 1521 (D.P.B. 4), and before
1524, in order to distinguish him from the son of old David AVedderburn in Murraygait, is
often called "younger," e.g., 16 April, 30 Sept. 1521 (D.B.R. 6 b, 10 b) and 30 Dec. in the
same year, when three James Wedderburns, " elder," " younger," and "James' son," are all
on an assize (ib. 12). On 15 Jan. 1522 he is surety for David AVedderburn (D.B.R. 15), aud
again, 5 Feb. following, he is surety that his sister Elizabeth Wedderburn will hand over certain
" airschip " goods to her son James Lovell on his majority (ib. 1 6 ). There are several other
references to him in this year, e.g., 14 Feb., as witness, "son of the late Robert " (D.P.B. lb);
2G March, chosen umpire in a dispute (D.B.R 18 <^); 28 March, witness (D.P.B. 7 c);
11 April, James of AVedderburn is arbiter (D.B.R. 20 a) ; 25 April, he appears for
David AVedderburn, son of Janet Nicholson (ib. 19 b) ; 15 July, James of AVedderburn,
son of Robert, is surety (ib. 20 b) ; and, 27 Aug., he chooses procurators (ib. 20 c).
In 1523, Oct. 3, he and both his namesakes were elected councillors (ib. 21 c), after which,
1524-27, he is often named as bailie, &c. 2 After the death of his namesake, the son of old
David AVedderburn in Murraygait, in 1 524, this James is called " elder " as against the son
of James AVedderburn and Janet Barry. Thus, 6 Dec. 1528, James AVedderburn, elder,
burgess of Dundee, is named in a remission to his brother germau, George Wedderburn
(R.P.S. 2) ; 18 April 1531, he, again called "elder," gets a third of Drurogeth from Janet
Douglas, Lady of Glammys (D.P.B. 37), and again, 27 Feb. li 534, James AA r edderbum,
elder, is named as present (ib. 51 a). 3 He is referred to as the " son and heir of the late
Robert" in a resignation to him of a North Flukergait land, 21 June 1529 (D.P.B. 32),
while the settlement of a North Murraygait land made on him and his son, Robert, by his
mother, Janet Froster, 8 Oct. 1530 (S.AV. 8), has been already noted in the account of his
father. It is no doubt he and not James' son who holds a bailie court 22 Aug. 1537
(D.C. 20) ; is a witness 11 Oct. in that year to a notarial instrument by the wife of his
brother Alexander (Bl. 2; and see S.AV. 32) ; and was commissioner for Dundee to the
Scottish parliament in 1540 (A.P.S. 1). There is a charter of 1540 (S.AV. 11) by him,
" son and heir of the late Robert," by which he sells his North Rattonraw land to "his
dearest brother Robert." A facsimile of his signature to this document will be found in
vol. ii., opp. p. 5, and his seal, showing a chevron between three roses, is still attached to the
charter (ib). He is also named 8 March 1541 as mortgagee of part of the lands of
Inchenonan, co. Perth (G.S.R. 29) ; and is also the "fermorar of the teind sheaves of the
Kirk of Dundee" mentioned 15 Oct. in that year (Bee. Test., post vol. ii., p. 482, n. 1).
He was still living in I 543, in which year, 6 April, he was at the horn for the slaughter of
David Rollok, and a gift of the escheat of his goods was given to Sir Robert Logan of
Restalrig, no doubt a near relative of his wife (R.P.S. 8), until on 27 July following, he
and his accomplices got a respite for their art and part in the affair (ib. 12). He died
before 16 Aug. 1544, when he is first named as deceased in a gift of the escheat of the
goods of his son Robert, " son of the deceased James Wedderburn, elder, burgess of Dundee
of all the merchants of Dundee (D.B.R. 3) ; May 31, June 3, 7, 11, on assize {ib. 7 6) ; June 17, James
Mallison is ordered to restore to James Wedderburn's land certain goods arrested for James' house
maills (D.B.R. 8) ; June 18, chosen an arbiter (ib. 9 a) ; June 21, protests against the jurisdiction of
the bailies (ib. 9 o) ; 1522 Jan. 2, on assize (ib. 13) ; Jan. 14, asks instruments (ib. 14 4); Jan. 15, on
assize [ib. 15) ; Feb. 14, bailie of the constable (S.W. 7) ; March 31, cautioner (D.B.R. 19 a); 1523
March 25, witness (D.C. 12) ; May 5, on assize (D.B.R. 21 b) ; 1524 Sept. 22, mentioned (D.P.B. 11 b).
Then. 1527-37, we have :— 1527 May 27, charged with assault (D.P.B. 16 a); Oct 23, 24, Nov. 26,
Dec. 17, present (ii. 21c); 1528 March 28. present (ib. 25*); 1530, often present (ib. 33) ; 1531
Sept. 4, present (ib. 40) ; 1533 Aug. 16, witness (S.W. 10) ; 1534 Feb. 6, witness (D.C. 15) ; 1537
Aug. 9, councillor (D.C. 19).
[Svnopsis of references :— S.W. 7, 10 ; D.C. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19 ; D.P.B. 2, 11 b, 16 a, 21 c, 25 b,
33, 36 6, 40; D.B.R. 2, 3, 5, 7 a b, 8,9 a b, 10 b, 12, 13, 14 a b, 15, 19 a, 21 b c ; G.S.R. 14 ; R.A.D. 6.]
1 James Wedderburn is not designed in this entry, but as, 3 March 1523, James, "son of Robert,'' had an
action v. Henry Halis (D.B.R. 21 a), it is no doubt he.
- James Wedderburn is named as bailie 1524 Oct. 28, Nov. 7 (D.P.B. 9ab) ; 1525 Nov. 6, 22 (ib. 12a) ;
1526 March 7, 13, April 20, July 16, in court (ib. 13 6) ; 1527 May 15, bailie (ib. 15) ; June 6. dean of
gild (ib. 16 b) ; July 10, 11, 12, bailie (ib. 19 a b). That he and not James, son of James, is the bailie
at this period is clear from an entry 4 Nov. 1532, when " James Wedderburn, bailie, protests against
an application made to the bailies by James Wedderburn, younger " (D.P.B. 47). I think it is he, and
not James' son, who produces a charter belonging to the burgh 15 July 1527 (Ex.R. 11) ; whose lands
are named as a boundary 20 Aug. 1527 (D.P.B. 21 a); and who is named as bailie 22 Aug. 1537 (D.C.
20). See also ante p. 5, note 3, as to the possibility of his having been customar of Dundee 1510-12.
3 An account on behalf of the bailies of Dundee is rendered at Edinburgh by James Wedderburn, one of
their number, in respect of the year 1532-33 (Exchequer Rolls, vol. xvi, p. 235).