Wedderburn book > History

ROBERT WEDDERBURN. 95
Robert Wedderburn, together with his cousin, the clerk (D.B.R. 30+, 305). He Partic.
was expressly declared son lawful to his father. 8 May 1609 (D.C.B. 32). Barbara chap - ''
Wedderburn ratified her will 12 Sept. 1607 (D.P.B. 369), and probably died soon
after. She may, perhaps, have been living 8 May 1609, as she is not named as
deceased at that date (D.C.B. 32), but was certainly dead before 18 May 1615
(S.W. 186). She is again named as deceased 28 May (ib. 190) and 23 Sept. 1616
(D.P.B. 408). 1
2. Janet Wedderburn 2 m. James Thomson, also called Reyky or Retry. She is
named with her husband 9 June 1573 (D P.B. 182), and again as his relict
17 Dec. in that year, so that the date of his death is approximately fixed (D.P.B.
168, 184). On the latter occasion her children, James and Margaret, are named,
and her son James is also mentioned in the will (1611) of his uncle, Robert Wed-
derburn, the notary, who leaves a legacy to '• James Thomsoue, his sister's son " :;
(Br.T. 2). The date of Janet Wedderburn 's death is not ascertained, but as she is
not named as deceased in the will of her brother Robert, she may have been
then alive.
3. Elizabeth Wedderburn 4 m. John Coustoun, or Cowstone, sometimes called Craig-
touu. This marriage took place before 17 Oct. 1563, as appears from a sasine
of that date (transumed 8 July 1595) to Coustoun and his wife (D.B.R. 301c).
A few days later, 26 Oct., there is a settlement of a North Seagait property
made by John Coustoun on himself and his wife, and their son William (D.P.B.
113). Other properties acquired by them are named 21 Aug. 1565 (D.P.B. 122),
and 23 Nov. 1567 (ib. 139), and they are also both named 29 April, 21 May 1569
(if>. 1 42). They are constantly mentioned with Mark Barrie and his wife, Magdalene
Wedderburn, 5 chiefly in regard to a property in Dundee called the "Ladie VVark
Stairs," about which they seem to have litigated. Thus, 10 June 1570, they get
an annual rent from the Barries (D.P.B. 150); 14 Aug. 1571, they enter into a
contract with them (D.B.R. 198) ; 18 May 1573, Magdalene Wedderburn protests
that she is not to be prejudiced by the failure of John Coustoun to poynd the Lady
Warkstairs for her annual rent (ib. 208), while, 12 Oct. 1580, she, as life-rentrix of
that property, is sued by the Coustouns (ib. 256), and, 1 4 Nov. 1580, protests
against Robert Kyd being a judge in the action on the ground that he is maternal
uncle to Elizabeth (ib. 258). On 24 Feb. 1581 the Coustouns enter a complaint v.
Magdalene Wedderburn for failure to repair a North Marketgait tenement (D.P.B.
198), and 10 July 1583 there is a decree in another suit against John Craigtoun
(sic.) and his wife (D.B.R. 265 b). Coustoun is named as living 5 May 1587, when
he settles a South Seagait tenement on his wife for life and on their son Thomas in
fee (D.P.B. 267 e), but died before 2 March 1590 when Elizabeth is described as his
relict in a decree in her favour (D.B.R. 279). She gets another decree as " conjunct
fiar of the Lady Warkstairs" 23 Aug. 1593 (D.B.R. 293), and was living in 1593,
when (3 Aug.) her son, Mr. James Coustoun, resigns a North Seagait tenement,
subject to the life-rent of his mother, Elizabeth Wedderburn (D.P.B. 293 c). The
date of her death does not appear. 6 A contract, 30 March 1611, between her and her
husband and the Barries is registered 13 March 1613, when both Coustoun and
Mark Barrie were certainly dead (D.B.R. 385 note). Her son David is named as the
owner of the Lady Warkstairs 3 Sept. 1611, without any mention of her, so that she
was, probably, then deceased (D.B.R. 383). She had issue by John Coustoun
several sons (D.P.B. 230, 251), James, David, John, who died before 1611 (D.B.R.
383), Thomas, who is named in the will of his uncle Robert Wedderburn, the notary,
1611 (Br.T. 2), George, and a daughter, Eufame (D.P.B. 254), whom., 1, Robert
Scot and. 2, Robert Wedderburn, the merchant (see ante, p. 20).
1 Lands once belonging to her are named as a boundary many years after, 23 Feb. 1664 (F.S. 42 d).
- She was, perhaps, first married to William Man. See ante p. 86, s. Janet Wedderburn.
:i He is probably the James Thomson or Reyky who married Elspet Hering, third wife and widow of his
cousin, Robert Wedderburn (S.A.T. 1, 2, 3).
4 Synopsis of References :— D.P.B. 113, 122, 139, 142, 150, 198, 230, 251. 254, 267 c, 293 c. and Orig. MS.
Vol. 241 (fol. 2076) ; D.B.R. 198, 208, 256, 258, 265 A, 279 a, 293 b, 301 a c, 383, 385 ; Br.T. 2.
5 Elizabeth is once miscalled Magdalene 15 Aug. 1573 (D.P.B. vol. 241, fol. 2076, Orig. MS.).
a There are some decrees for Elizabeth Wedderburn, not designed relict of John Coustoun, which may refer
to her, e.g., 5, 21 May 1595 (D.B.R. 301 a), or, perhaps more probably, to Elizabeth, daughter of
Robert Wedderburn and Eufame Coustoun (ante, p. 20).