New Spalding Club > Thanage of Fermartyn including the district commonly called Formartine

Duiitbrcck and OrcJiardtoivn. 469
Criminal Trials," ' and in the preface to the " Burgh Records of Aberdeen," • some of
his atrocious deeds are recorded. He seems to have conceived a deadly feud against
his brother, Andrew Meldrum ; attacked and grievously wounded him at the Milltown
of Dumbreck, made him prisoner, and kept him for eight weeks in straight captivity in
the castle of Dumbreck. He afterwards removed him to Erneslde, from which, after
three weeks captivity, he managed to escape. He also took prisoner Andrew Meldrum
of Auquhorthies, in his own dwelling-house, and carried him to the Boroughmuir of
Edinburgh. In addition to these acts of violence to his own kindred, he struck higher
game, and took Mr. Alexander Gibson, one of the clerks of Session, prisoner, also a
friend and servant, who were residing with Mr. Gibson, into England, and detained him
in ca[>tivity for eight days. He then took possession of the castle of Dumbreck, and
kept the same against the King's guard, who had commission to charge him to render it
up. This he refused to do, and the burgh of Aberdeen, as recorded in the " Burgh
Records," had to furnish sixteen soldiers to assist the royal guard in besieging this
atrocious freebooter in his retreat. For these crimes, George Meldrum, younger of
Dumbreck, had sentence pronounced against him to have his head struck from his body,
and his estate heritable and moveable to be forfaulted to His Majesty. Andrew
Meldrum, brother of George, succeeded to the estate of Dumbreck, some time before
161 2. He is to be found mentioned in a deed of sasine of the lands of Frendraught of
date 161 2, directed to Andrew Meldrum of Dumbreck, "ane honourable man,
deputy-sheriff of Aberdeen, in hac parte." This deed is remarkable, as it and another,
being in Edinburgh, alone escaped when the castle of Frendraught, in 1630, was
burned, and all its contents, including the " great kist " with the charters. In the
Register House, Edinburgh, there are two deeds of sasine of the lands of Muirs of
Fyvie and Ordley to Andrew Meldrum of Dumbreck, of dates 1619-1620.3 Soon after
the last-mentioned date, the Meldrums disappear from Dumbreck. They had already
parted with Fyvie, of which Andrew Meldrum was for some time proprietor. Hatton,
in Auchterless, seems to have been the last of their possessions, which was retained by
a branch of the family down till the beginning of the eighteenth century.
The family became very impecunious and troublesome, and at the present day there
is no known male representative. Urquhart of Meldrum, in the female line, still repre-
sents the original family of Meldrum of Meldrum, from whom the other branches sprung.
Sometime before the departure of the Meldrums there seems to have been a disposal
of the barony of Dumbreck in portions, as several proprietors are found, and as there
was another Dumbreck in the parish of Echt, some confusion between the two has
arisen. The following, however, refers to Dumbreck in Udny. In 1622, we find a
sasine to James Clerk in Pennyburn, Forgue, of the sun half of the lands of Dumbreck ;
and in 1623 there is a sasine by William King, son to umquhile William King, of the
1 Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, II. p. 42S. 3 H. M. Reg. House, Edinb.
2 Burgh Records of Aberdeen, II. pref.