Series 1 > Diary of Andrew Hay of Craignethan

INTRODUCTION
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in which he took notes of them is evidence that they were
read in a careful and studious manner. Mr. Hay went to
reside at the Stane, a small property in the parish of Biggar
belonging to Dickson of Hartree, at Whitsunday 1656.
Although proprietor of the adjoining lands of Threepwood,
there does not appear to have been any mansion-house
thereon, and the intimation of his landlord in 1659, that he
would require to remove from the Stane, appears to have
given him a good deal of concern. There seems to have been
some difference about the amount of rent which had lain in
abeyance, and which was ultimately settled through the good
offices of his minister, Mr. Alexander Livingstone. In the
meantime, while he was undecided where to take up his
residence, he got the offer of a house at the Sciennes, near
Edinburgh, which did not appear to have been suitable to
his views ; and thereafter he got the spontaneous offer of the
mansion-house of Skirling when he should leave the Stane,
and this offer appears to have given great satisfaction and
relief to his mind. It is doubtful if he ever went to Skirling,
as in the lease which he granted to James Hamilton of the
lands of Fence in 1662 he seems to have had a mansion-
house at Lanark. In this he was following the example of
other Lanarkshire lairds who had a town-house in that burgh,
but although the burgh records have been searched, they are
silent in indicating any particular house which he occupied.
As mentioned afterwards, he built a dwelling-house at Craig-
nethan Castle in 1665, to which he would then remove.
In 1655 Biggar was conjoined with Lanark into one presby¬
tery; this would be about or shortly before Mr. Hay took up
his residence in the parish of Biggar. As an elder of that
parish he was regular in his attendance at meetings of the
kirk-session and of the presbytery, and from his social position
and legal knowledge was much looked up to and consulted in
ecclesiastical matters: indeed he appears to have been the
ruling adviser in these church courts. The district was the
b