New Spalding Club > Records of Invercauld MDXLVII - MDCCCXXVIII [1547- 1828]

Io6 RECORDS OF INVERCAULD.
Farquharson, Conform to Retour of his general service expede before the
Sheriff of the County of Edinburgh upon the ist day of April 1789, To
and In favours of William Farquharson, Esq. of Monaltrie, Advocate, of
inter alia All and Whole the Town and Lands of Dalbedie (which) con-
tains special Assignation in and To the said unexecuted Charter of
Resignation and Confirmation, Dated 24th March 1795."
Instrument of Sasine follows thereon ; and the Estate thus incor-
porated in that of Monaltrie came into the possession of the Invercauld
family as stated in the Deed of Disposition by William Farquharson,
Dated 26th January 1803.
The three Farquharsons, mentioned in the Deed of Disposition and
Assignation, comprise the Lairds of Monaltrie of the second Family, who
successively held the estate from its acquisition in 1702 : 1st Alexander
Farquharson, younger brother of John of 'Invercauld : 2nd Francis, his
son, the " Baron Ban " of the '45, whose mother was a daughter of the
House of Finzean ; and 3rd William Farquharson, nephew of Francis, in
whose favour the deed was made by his uncle.
William, during the thirty-eight years of his tenure of the property,
was a prominent leader in every movement that had for its object the
promotion of the material or social prosperity of the country. Following
the example of his uncle, he introduced many agricultural improvements,
planted much timber, made new roads and bridges, held courts of law as
a Justice of Peace, founded and promoted the St. Nathlan Lodge of
Freemasons, and, to crown all, was the founder of the village of Ballater.
He died at Vivay, in Switzerland (whither he had gone for his health),
where there is a tombstone bearing the inscription : —
" Sacred to the memory of W. Farquharson of Monaltrie, who died at Vivais, 28th Nov.,
1828, aged 74."
And on the knoll of Tomnakist, to the east of the old church, there
is an obelisk to his memory, erected by his widow, who was a daughter
of Mr. Garden of Troup, M.P., bearing a similar inscription.
Several anecdotes regarding the old laird, as he was generally called
in his later years, were wont to be related by himself to the friends who
assembled round iiis hospitable board, one of which may be here
recorded.