Wedderburn book; a history of the Wedderburns in ... - waughfamily.ca

INTRODUCTION.
hii.
collector of taxations. He was, in addition, for some years keeper of the Forfar introd.
Register of Sa.sines, and is so named from 1(524 to 1637, wiien the post became
vacant by his decease, which occurred in yeptember of the last-named year.
He had inatried in 1G12 Maj^dalen Scrymi^eour, daughter of John Scrym^^eour
of Kirktoim (an important branch of the Scrymgeours of Dudhope, constables of
Dundee), and by her (who died before 1G20) had had issue two .sons, of whom
John, living in 1G29, died unmarried in the lifetime of his father, liis brother,
Alexander, being his executor and heir.
This Alexander, third of Kingennie, was born in 1615, and on the death
°^ *^*'''"^'" ^^'^^ retoured heir both to
Alexander
'''^r
him and to the
thiY^or^"^ fiist Kingennie. He was admitted burgess of Dundee in 1G32,
^THi.'^*' )^'^*^° °°'y seventeen years of age. He is repeatedly named
iu the burgh records, as bailie, kirkmaster, captain of the
Overgait for the weapon-schawing, commissioner to represent the town in
various disputes, references which show him to have been a capable m.-in,
who had the confidence of the burgh, of which he became chief magistrate
in 1660. This office he held for six years, during which he twice— 1GG2
and 16G3—represented Dundee in parliament. He was provost again for
a second period (1G7G-80), and at this time also, was again (lG7S-7t)), its
parliamentary representative. In church politics I incline to think that he
went with the times, for while in 1C39 he is elected to the new council
as "a faithful covenanter," and in lG4-t lent the town £1,000 towards a sum
advanced by it for "the late Northern expedition" of the iMarquis uf Argylc,
we find him after the Restoration obtaining a license from the Privy Council,
allowing " him and those at bis table to eat flesh in Lent and upon the
three weekly fish days named in the late (1663) proclamation."
He largely added to his estate by the purchase in IoG2, for 3S,000
merks, of the barony of Easter Powrie, co. Forfar, from Dougall
theiSjonyof ° McPhersone of Bellacliroan. There are numerous documents
^°^"®' f^i'''"
relating to this piu'chase amf)ng the family papers, from which
it appears that it involved him in prolonged litigation and
perhaps provided an element of the " private splean," out of which ^IcPliersane
encouraged another law suit against him. This was a process by Weilderbaru's
ward and cousin, Margaret Scrymgeour, a daughter of one of his
mother's brothers, whose widow had married McPhersone, in regard to his
administration of her father's estate. The suit lasted from 1GI54 to 167G,
Margaret being led on by her stepfather " out of a private splean he beares "
to VVedderburn, even after the defender had got a decree of exoneration
in the suit. A really final judgment in these days seems to have been a
thing very difficult to obtain.
The death of Easter Powrie occurred 9 April, 1683, when he was buried iu
the Howff of Dundee under a splendid monument bearing his arms and those
of his first wife, and a Latin inscription describing him as " head of his
house, provost of the burgh, and its delegate to the first parliament of
Charles IL" He had been thrice married— (1) in 1G3S-S0,
Tbe marriages to Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of John Ramsay of
Po's^^!'" Dundee, who died in 1G43, leaving issue, two sons, Alexander
and John (who died iu 1648), and one daughter, Magdaleu,
who married in 1659 her cousin, John Scrymgeour of Kirktoun, and had
issue, including an only surviving son, Alexander Scrymgeour (horn IGG9),
from whom descend the Scrymgeour-Wedderburns, now of Wedderburn ; (2)
in 1643-44, Margaret Folheringhame, by whom he had issue, a son, David,
and a daughter, both of whom died young; and (3; in 16G0, Margaret Milue,
relict of Major Robert, Lindsay, and daughter of Alexander Milne, burgess
of Dundee and Elgin, by whom, who survived him and was life-reuirix. of
"ane greatt tenement "or ludgeing lying in the 0/ergait of Dundee