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

JAMES, OF CRAIGIE. 61
vol-i.o; D.C.B. If); bailie, 7, ftOct, 11, 10 Nov. 15G6(D.P.B 132, 134; D.B.ll. 152, 1.53,/); Parti,
magistrate, 7 Oct. 1567 {ib. 1.5.5 b) ; councillor, 27 Sept., 4 Oct. 1.5CS (D.T.(;. 10 6 ; D.B.ll. ^'^^P "'•
168); on assize, 2 Sept., 3 Oct. 15G9 ((/,. 177 c, 178) ; builie, July 1571 (U.l'.B. 153),
and ajrain 2, 6 Oct. 1571 "James WL-dderburn of C"ni'_'y"is named as ou the council
(D.B.ll. 200). He is also referred to as claiming, tofjctlier with other burlinesses, relief
from a fine imposed on the town 22 Dec. 15G7 (U.l'.C. ;!), and, 9 J;in. laCS, as amongst
those " who were in Edinburgh at the time of the late tumult " between the iuiiabitants of
Perth and Dundee, and are now acquitted and allowed to "f relic depait iianie" (t6. 4).
He was for many years "coqueter" or "clerk of the cocket" of Dundee, an office
which gave him the control of the customs of the burgh, and the rigiit to order the
searching of vessels couung to its port. Thus, 27 Aug. 15G0, he, as coqueter, sued David
Gardyn (D. B.R. 96) ; and, 11 .Ian. 1563, as "coqueter and searcher under our Soverano
Lady," he applies to the council for help in searching a ship {ihA'ld). On one occasion ho
seems to have been over zealous in seizing part of the cargo of a Dutch vessel, commanded
by one Simon Clouston, and was ordered both by the bailies of Dundee and by the Lords
of the Privy Council, 27 Nov., 3 Dec. 1564, to return what he had soizcil il). ii.K. NO;
E.P.C. 1). He is again named as coqueter 16 March 15G.'i, 7 March 15G7 (h.lJ.U. 1-13,
155a). On another occasion some years later, 6 June I.'iG7, he was at;ain befurctlio I'rivy
Council on the complaint of Henry Nauchtie, of Kirkwall in Orkney, for having seized
Nauchtie's ship "under silence of nycht," and on his not appearing, althou'.ih sunnuoned,
he was denounced rebell and put to the honi, and his goods escheated for his "eoutenqitioun
" (K.P.C. 2). We do not hear of him again as "coqueter" for some years, but
25 March 157.5 there is a formal letter from the King, registered under the I'rivy Sea),
constituting him " clerk of our sovereign lord's coc(|uet of Dundee," with power to appoint
his own deputies, and custody of the cocquet seal (11. P. S. 23), and he is at once named as
holding this office in the Register of the Privy Council, 27 March 1575 (IH'.C. 8), although
as he died in the following .September he did not live long to exercise it.
He is mentioned in various legal proceedings. Thus, 12 Jime 1 500, .\udio Sands sues
him for having seized Sands' artailzerie (D.B.ll. 91); 23 Aug., he jiroduces for registration a
receipt by .lacob Loheid of Dantzig(i'6 95 ; 16 Dec. 1562, he refers a matter to arbitntiou
(t6. 124