Series 5 > Miscellany [of the Scottish History Society] XIII

TWEEDDALE’S RELATIONE', 1683
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by My Lord Dumbartons' moyen which they made use of by giving
him thereafter My Ladys coach & horses for his service therin,
(besides it is here to be remarked that at the same time Mr. Vas had
orders for providing this Dutchess of Lawderdales wedding cloaths2
by the advice of Madmosell de Four My L[or]d Dumbartons Miss)
and so by threats & other means they prevailed with the Lady Boghall
to deliver all up to them was intrusted to her,2 and the Lord Yester
being then at London whither he had gone to see his goodfather &
condole his goodmothers death, he [i.e. Lauderdale] never acquainted
him with any thing thereof, but keeped him hinging upon him untill
his Manage was over, giving him some generall hopes that he would
do him all right when he came into Scotland, where he & his Lady
came soon after. But the first message his daughter had from him
(who had been brought to bed of her third sone two or three dayes
befor)4 was a Citation to appear befor the judge ordinary to hear it
found & declared that she had no right nor title to any of those jewells
or movables of her mothers, they being affected with debts above the
1 George Douglas, who became earl of Dumbarton in 1675, was commander of a
Scottish regiment in French service.
2 In reporting these purchases Hay of Drumelzier, who was in Paris, commented in a
letter to Yester that ‘it seems my L. Lauderdale intends that somebody shall rejoice,
mourn who pleases’. NLS, MS 14414, fo. 15.
3 In the first draft the italicized passage reads as follows (spelling modernized):
‘Meanwhile the E. Lauderdale employs a servant, one Mr. Waus (who had been
sent over upon pretext to see my Lady before she died, but really to provide what
was fitting & most fashionable for his second Lady her wedding clothes by the
advice of the E. of Dumbarton’s mis[tress], which wedding followed 3 months
after), & to use means at the Court of France for getting the jewels into his hands as
Mr. Fo[rre]ster was also sent over for the same end after his Lady’s death who by
my Lord Dumbarton’s interest at the French Court & under the pretext of a law of
that country whereby strangers cannot dispose of their moveables, though the Scots
nation be excepted as being naturalized and accordingly have succeeded to estate(s)
there, both real & personal, yet by virtue thereof & the means used, the jewels were
got from the Lady Boghall, not without the using of some threats & promises of
good deed.’
The new version is in Lord Yester’s hand. He had originally proposed a somewhat
longer version which included his allegation that Lauderdale intercepted his letters
to France and his displeasure at seeing his mother-in-law’s goods ‘set up in Ham
and in the possession of this Duchess’. NLS, MS 3134, no. 120. Drumelzier from
Paris kept urging Yester to send instructions; they came too late, after Lady Boghall
had surrendered the jewels and papers. 14 Jan. 1672, Drumelzier to Yester, NLS,
MS 14414, fos. 11-12.
4 William, who became a soldier, rising to the rank of brigadier-general. He died in
1723.