History of the Fife Pitcairns

80 THE FIFE PITCAIRNS.
Held of the said Archdeaconry 4 lb. annually with precept
of sasine of the said Thomas Balfour. Witness Anthonio Ruther-
forde, Hugo Murray, Robert Duglas in Dunfermling.
At Dunfermling, 24 Mar. 1565. 1
In 1551, when Robert was thirty-one years of age, he
bought from his father, David Pitcairn of that Ilk,
the lands of Forthir, with towers, fortalices, manors, gardens and
orchards, the lands of Dunfield, with towers, fortalices, manor,
gardens and orchards in Fyffe.
Held by the said Robert and his legitimate heirs-male. If he
has no children, then to go to John Pitcairn, son of the said David
Pitcairn and his heirs ; if he has none, then to the next heirs-male
of the said David Pitcairn, held under the Queen in ward.
8th of Nov. 1 55 1. 2
His father David goes on to say in another charter, of
the date 25th of Jan. 1551, that he
reserves to himself, and his wife, Elizabeth Dury, the freehold
dwelling of Forthir, with some part of Dunfield, or Downfield, and
a quarter of the third part of Forthir lands.
Signed at Forthir in Jan. 155 1.
Robert Pitcairn became successor to George Durie in
1561, as Commendator of Dunfermline (though only Abbot
by courtesy), George Durie having fled to France in 1560
during the troubles of the Reformation ; and in the follow-
ing year Pitcairn was appointed Commendator, at the age
of forty-one, with entire control of the revenues of the
Abbey.
" The monasteries were dissolved by Parliament in 1560,
and therefore when Robert Pitcairn was made Commen-
dator, the jurisdiction or power of regality, along with the
lands of the monastery, devolved upon him ; thus he ob-
tained a right to its lands and rents, which he held until
his death in 1584." 3
Pitcairn's official residence was situated close to the old
churchyard of the Abbey, in Maygate : it is still inhabited
by two families, and in perfect preservation. Dr Henderson^
in his ' Annals of Dunfermline,' believes the house to have
1 From the Dunfermline Cartulary. Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. xxxv. No. 47.
2 Reg. Mag. Sig., lib. xxx. No. 637. 3 Chambers's Gazetteer, 1842.