Wedderburn book > History

THE ARMORIAL BEARINGS.
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fronting a narrow " wynd " or passage. The engraving here given is from a drawing I had Part v.
made of it by Mr. C. L. Phillips, a Dundee artist, in 1892. The letters " M.A.W." stand, Cha P- "•
of course, for " Magister Alexander Wedderburn," while the initials " H.R." are those of
his wife. The actual size of the stone is 49i ins. by 18 ins. The exact date of the sculpture
cannot be fixed. It must have been between 1582 (the date of his marriage) and 1626
(that of his death), and is probably about 1596 — 1600.
I
u
ARMS OF ALEXANDER WEDDERBURN OF KINGENNIE AND HIS WIFE, HELEN RAMSAY, 1590 — 1600.
(11) Sculptured Stones at Kingennie, 1600 — 1639.
There are at Kingennie, co. Forfar, six sculptured stones which were originally in the
old mansion house there, now long since demolished. The plate opposite gives a fair
idea of each of these stones. Of these (1) gives the arms of old
Alexander Wedderburn of Kingennie, who died 1626 ; (2) those of
his wife, Helen Ramsay ; (3) the date of the first marriage of their
grandson, Alexander Wedderburn, third of Kingennie and first of
Easter Powrie ; (4) his arms impaled with those of Elizabeth Ramsay,
his first wife ; (5) her arms ; (6) the Drummond arms, with the
initials " S.D." 1 It will be noticed that the fleui'-de-lys is charged on
the cheveron in both sculptures of the Wedderburn arms.
Of these stones No. 4 originally formed part of a large fireplace,
the sides and lintel of which have been re-erected as the doorway to
the back entrance of the factor's modern dwelling. No, 2 was
formerly over the entrance to the old kitchen, and has now been set above No. 4, while
the others, No. 1, 3, 5 and 6, are set in the walls of the farm stedding.
(12) The Kingennie Monument 1626-8S. 2
J.W. says that this was originally the tombstone of
Alexander Wedderburn, first of Kingennie, and that though
the inscription on it was worn out and a fresh one substituted
on the death of his grandson, Easter Powrie, in 1683, the
Wedderburn and Ramsay arms were then left as originally
sculptured (see ante, pp. 412-13). This may be so, but J.W.
givesno authority for his statement, and I do not know that he
was a competent judge of the dates of such sculptures. He
gives this engraving "from the monument," but here again
one caunot rely on its being an accurate representation, either in the absence of the
1 See S.W. 1S5 for a suggestion of connection between the lands of Kingennie and the Drummonds. I
have not, however, pursued any researches into this matter.
2 See also ante, pp. 416-17, for an account of the tombstones of Kingennie's sister Margaret (m. Peter Clayhills)
and Katharine (m. William Duncan), whose arms, impaled with those of their husbands, are thereshown.