Wedderburn book > History

PART II.
Chapter III.
Alexander Wedderburn, first of Kingennie (eldest son of Alexander Wedderburn
and Janet Myln) town clerk of Dundee 1582 — 1626.
With an account of his children, other than his two eldest sons, Alexander (post,
Chap. IV.) and James (post, Part III). See tabular pedigree, p. 131.
Alexander Wedderburn [1561 — 1626], 1 afterwards of Kingennie, eldest son of Part n.
Alexander Wedderburn and Janet Myln, was born, no doubt, at Dundee in 1561. This is cha P- m -
fully shown by the inscription on his picture by Jamieson, 2 which states that he was sixty-
four in 1625, as well as by his admission as notary which relates that he was twenty-two
in 1583 (D.P.B. 242), and by a note at the end of one of his protocol books (vol. 265),
which runs " set. suae, a° 1616, 55 " (post, vol. ii., p. 240). 3 The earliest references to him
are in a contract, 16 May 1575, by which his parents and he, "Alexander Wedderburn,
younger, thair sone and appeirand air," are to be infeft in an annual rent out of Wester
Gourdie for a payment of 600 merks (S.W. 29), and two years later, 30 Dec. 1577, in the
excambion of property between him and his brother Robert (S.W. 35-37 ; D.W. 11 h, 12 A).
He matriculated at S. Andrew's in 157S (S.A.R. 10), but there is no entry of his taking
his degree there, though the prefix of " magister," by which he is always distinguished,
e.g., 1580-81, when he is occasionally named as a witness to transactions (S.W. 39-40 ;
D.P.B. 214, 222; D.G.R. 2; G.S.R. 44, 45), implies that he did so. On 8 May 1582,
when he had, probably, just come of age, he was admitted to the freedom of the burgh
by the privilege of his father (D.L.B. 26), who, a few months later, 20 Sept. in the same
year, " resignit and demittit " his office of clerk to the bailies sitting in court, whereupon
according to the tenor of a letter subscribed by the council, they elected his sou their
clerk, retaining the father as clerk substitute for life (S.W. 43 ; D.B.R. 262) ; a passing
on of the office which occurred more than once in the family, and is indicative of its
importance in the burgh. The father, as we have seen, only survived some three years,
long enough, however, to see his eldest son married at the close of 1582 (see below) and
admitted a notary at Edinburgh, 1 June 1583 (D.P.B. 242). Meanwhile we find the son
spoken of as clerk of Dundee, e.g., 12 Feb. 1585, when his brother Robert grants him a
discharge (R.D. 1).
He seems to have almost at once entered with activity into the affairs of the burgh.
The first pages of the Lockit Buik of Dundee are in his hand, and contain a roll of the
burgesses from 1513-82, which he must have compiled from some earlier materials. An
eloquent Latin inscription which he inscribed on the title page will be found post, vol. ii.,
' Synopsis of Beferences :— S.W. 12, 13, 23 n, 29, 35-37, 39-40, 43, 45, 50-53, 54, 55, 57-59, 63-67, 68 b,
69-70, 72-74, 75-89, 93-98, 100, 104-5, 107-9. 110-45, 147-52, 154-58, 160-62, 164-201, 203, 204, 206,
207, 209-11, 215-17, 218 6-23, 225-27, 232, 234, 237-39, 249-50, 254, 257-59, 290, 296-97, 302, 600,
667-68; Bl.P. 2 m, 12, 13, 23, 24; D.W. 2 a, 3, 806, 9 o, 10 6c, 11 clopt, I2fhi, IZach, liabeh,
15 abehlv, 16*, 17 g, 19 a, 21 e ; J.W. 104, 105/ ; S.A.R. 10; D.C. 36-39, 42, 43, 47-48, 50, 51, 55,
59 ; D.L.B. 26, 36, 37, 44 ; D P.B. 214, 216-18, 222, 223/, 240, 242, 256, 259-61, 266, 283, 28Sa, 315,
317 a be, 318, 320-22. 339 6, 344 a 5, 365, 374, 376, 389, 395, 404, 407, 411, 413-14, 417, 423 6, 428,
431, 439, 441, 449, 466, 472. 487; D.B.R. vol. ie, 262, 264, 292, 296, 299, 303, 304, 309, 334, 337,
350, 369, 372, 383, 385, 388, 392, 395, 399, 405, 407 e ; D.P.B. 28, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37, 39, 44 ; D.D. 3,
29 ; D.G.K. 2, 4 ; D.R.S. 12 ; G.S.R. 44-51, 58-60, 63, 65, 66, 69-70, 72, 74, 75, 78, 80-88, 90, 92, 93, 95,
97, 101,104, 144, and see vol. 1 634-51, §§ 310, 1163, 1177,2076; R.P C. 15-18, 20, 22,27-29,31. 33-36,
48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 56, 58 ; A.P.S. 2-14 ; R.P.S. 26, 33 ; G.R.S. 1, 6 ; F.S. 1-3, 66 ; R.D. 1, 3, 7, 10,
21 06, 31, 32, 42, 44, 50, 53, 59, 63, 64, 69, 72-76, 80, 84, 86-SS, 90-91, 99, 111, 115, 124, 128 ; R.A.D.
24, 31, 32, 34, 37, 40, 43, 45, 46, 50, 61, 62, 65, 163 ; Br.T. 1, 2 ; S.A.T. 1 ; P.B.N. 5, 6 a b, 7, 8, 10,
11-13, 16. 19, 20, 22, 23. See also MonMeth Par. Reg. ; Reg. de Pannure; Aberd. Council lieg., cited
post, p. 124, n. 1.
2 This portrait is at Birkhill ; and a similar one is at Meredith, a reproduction of which faces this page.
The condition of the Birkhill picture made it impossible to get a good photograph from it. It is,
however, the most authentic portrait, as that at Meredith is only a copy, made in 1800, from an
earlier picture which fell into decay. A copy of the Meredith picture is in my possession. The Arms
are not shown in the Birkhill picture, as they are in that at Meredith, on which the letters M.A.W. stand
of course for Magister Alexander Wedderburn.
3 He seems to have begun to help his father early. Thus he is witness to the will of Catharine Campbell,
Countess of Crawford, at Dundee 18 June 1578 (Crawford Charters), and Vol. 15 of the Burgh and
Head Court Records, 1580-82, is in his hand.