Wedderburn book > History

128 THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Part u. From ] 600 on the clerk is constantly designed as "of Kingennie," where he no doubt
Chap. III. resided for a considerable part of the year. Some sculptured stones, bearing the arms and
initials of himself and his wife, together with some bearing those of his grandson and his
wife, are still to be seen at Kingennie, set in the farm buildings, which occupy the site of
the old mansion, and also over an entrance to the present factor's house. 1
His clerkship, however, no doubt compelled his frequent presence in Dundee, where
he probably resided throughout the winter months. He and his wife owned various
properties there, and there are many references both to these and to other interests of
theirs. Their principal house was in Nethergait, and though now demolished and rebuilt,
there is, here again, a sculptured stone bearing the initials and impaled arms of Kingennie
and his wife set in the wall of the modern building. 1 A portion of a decorated ceiling also,
found in his house, was exhibited (No 967) in the "Old Dundee" Exhibition of 1892-93,
and is given opposite, together with a cut of an old door, also in the Exhibition (No. 682),
and formerly in the house of Kingennie's great grandson, James (post, Part III., chap. v.).
I deal briefly with his minor properties, annual rents, etc. Thus, 1 2-19 Nov. 1586,
he and his wife get a charter and sasine of an annual rent (S.W. 53-55, 100 ; D.P B.
259-60) ; 25 May 1588, they get a North Argylegait yard (S.W. 59); 6 Sept. 1588, the
clerk's cousin, Thomas Guthrie, resigns an annual rent to him (D.P.B. 266); 17 May
1589, his cousin, John Wedderburn of Craigie, charges his lands of Craigie in his favour
(ib. 315) ; and there is another such charge to the clerk, and his wife, 14 June 1591 (S W.
75), while they seem to have acquired a sixth part of the lands a few weeks later, 1 1 Au».
(D.P.B. 317 c), and themselves charged it, 18 Nov. in that year (S.W. 80). They
owned a malthouse in North Argylegait, which is often named (D.P.B. 317 a), 2
and a land called the Greneland, which they settled on their son James (ib. 317 b), and
later, 9 Nov. 1591, on William Davidson (D.B.R. 299).- In 1595, April 30, they got a
charter of a croft called the Seres Hauch (l>.C. 36); 9 June, the clerk got a yearly
pension of wheat from Peter Hay (S.W. 108) ; 7 Oct., an annual rent from John Auchinlek
(D.P.B. 322) ; and 29 May 1596, a few ferme from his brother, James Wedderburn, the
merchant (S.W. 112). There is a contract by the clerk and his wife, 16 March 1597, to
infeft William Davidson and Janet Wedderburn (ante, p. 98; in a lodging east of the
Greneland (R.D. 7); 18 July in the same year the clerk gets a gift of the escheat
of James Scrymgeour, burgess, at the horn, for debt (R.P.S. 26) ; 17 Feb. 1600, David
Carnegy of Kinnaird grants to the clerk a charge on his lands at Panbryde " for thankfull
service done and to be done" (S.W. 118), while, 10-13 Dec. 1600, Kingennie added to
his town property by the purchase from his neighbour, John Traill, for 1,200 merks, of a
North Argylegait land (S.W. 139-41). In 1602, July 20, we find him proceeding v David,
Earl of Crawford, for the last sixteen years' arrears of an annual out of the barony of
Downy, co. Forfar, in which his parents had been infeft in 1579, and for which he obtained
a decree by the end of the year (R.A.D. 43). Perhaps it was in settlement of this that
soon after, 10 July 1603, the Earl, "for services, etc.," granted him the right to pasture
his cattle on the barony, and to cut peats from the muir (S.W. 155-56), a grant in
regard to which there was litigation between their successors in subsequent years (S.W.
257-58 a). In 1612, April 15, he bought several annual rents from his nephew, Alexander
Clayhills (S.W. 175, and see R.D. 32), while in 1616, March-May, he acquired from
Patrick Wedderburn and his son Alexander (ante, p. 78) a North Maiketgait foreland
to which frequent reference is made (S.W. 188-89; D.PB. 407; D.B.R. 395). In 1615,
July 25, he and his wife got a charter from John Scrymgeour of Dudhope of the sunny
half of Balruddrie, which they at once settled, subject to their own liferents on their
youngest daughters Jean and Elizabeth (D.P.B. 404). Other dealings of his are recorded
21 Dec. 1616, when he renounces to William Tyrie of DrumkilbooOO merks for the redemp-
tion of Loggine-gill, co. Perth (R.D. 59) ; 2 May 1617, when he was cognosced heir to his
"guidschyr" James Myln in his lands in Dundee (D.B.R. 399) 4 ; 12 July 1621, when
1 See post, Part v. s, the chapter on the family arms, where there is an illustration of these stones.
2 It seems at one time to have belonged to his grandson, Sir Alexander of Blackness (D.P.B. 468). See
also D.P.B. 472, 487, where it is named, 11 Aug. 1645, 9 June 1662, as let by Kingennie to
Alexander Nicoll, and then acquired by William Petrie. His North Argylegait lands are also
named (D.P.B. 395 ; R.A.D. 163).
3 The Greneland is named as a boundary in 1642 (D.P.B. 468).
4 He is also named, 10 Nov. 1586, as sister's son and heir to the late James Myln, younger, from whom he
inherits the old annual rent of eight merks, out of the Murraygait land of the late David Wedderburn
(D.P.B. 260). See also ante, p. 56 and post, p. 147, n.