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

'
quisition,
—
THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
introd. assumed that they obtained the lands of Wedderbum through marriacre with
an heiress descended from Walter, while the male representative "of the
Wedderburns established himself in Dundee somewhere about 1400. Fresh
facts, liowever, and a very little criticism dispose of this suofcrestion. Altiiough
it is true that Sir David Home of Wedderbum and his wife Alice, who h'as
been assumed to be the heiress of Walter, are named in charters of the
barony of Wedderbum in favour of them and their heirs, dated 19 April 1430,
and 16 May 1450i (G.R.S. 3), not only is there nothing to show who this
Alice was, but the Homes were designed of Wedderbum nearly a century
earlier, as appears from a document, printed in the Histoi-y of North Durham,
by the Rev. James Raine (App. No. dlxv., p. 99), entitled :
"Prefectio dfii Dauid Home de Wliedirbum mil in ballivu de Coldyiigham per
Job Prioru Duuelm' and Will Priore de Cold pro tinino quadraginta aimo5 recipiendo
singlis annis sli. men' Scotife xvi. Sep' MCCCXLI."
to which is attached Sir David's seal showing, for arms, a Hon rampant, for
crest, a ram's head, and for supporters, two peacocks.
Further, the designation of the Homes as "of Wedderbum" in 1341
does not, we shall see, preclude othei-s in the county of Berwick from beinf^
so designed for more than a century after that date. In
wedefborne '^^ volume just quoted (App. No. Dcxx., p. lOS}, is an in-
1364.
dated on the vigil of S. Thomas the Apostle in 1364,
which names2 as a member of an inquest relating to the'
"vill" or township of Lumsden, one John de Wederborne, whose seal bearinohis
name " Sig . . . Weddibum," and not the seven-rayed star of Walter, but
with slight differences the arms of the Forfarshire family, is attached to the
document (post, p. 423).
One more mention of the name in the fourteenth century is found
among the Douglas Charters, in a resignation of about 1375, by Robert Ayr
to Margaret Stewart, Countess of Mar and Angus, of the lands of Fastforland,
CO. Berwick, the attestation clause of which recites that " since
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WediXira
*^^ ^^^^ °^ Robert Ayr is less well known he has got leave to
c. 1375. attach to the resignation that of a noble man, "William of
Wedirburn."^ Unfortunately, the seal is gone from the document,
and we are left in doubt whether the arms corresponded to those of Walter
de "Wedderbum in 1290, or, as is more probable, to those of John de
Wedderbum in 1364.
These three documents, the Ragman Roll of 1290, the inquisition of
1304, and the charter of about 1375, constitute the only
"wedderh^L references to persons of the name up to the biuinning of the
fifteenth century. The vill or township of Wedderbum is,
> This charter ia as follows :—" Jacobus Dei gracia, etc. . . . confinnasse dilectis nostris David Hwme
de Wethirburne militi et Alicie spouse sue omnes et singiilas terras Je Wethirburne, etc.,
tenendas, etc., pra;fatis David et Alicie sue spouse ac eorum alteri diutius viuenti et post eorum
deces-i^um Oeorgeo Hwme tilin quondam David Hwme filii dicti David resignatitis et heredibus
suis niasculis, etc., quibus deficieutibus Patricio Hwme fratri germauo dicti Georgei et heredibus
euis masculis, etc. Apud Striweline Id^o ^laii 1450"^°."
See p. 2 of the Claim aud Evidence in the Peerage Case of Alexander Home and Francis
Douglas Home, his son (1820), claiming the Earldom of Marchmont, when the original charter
was produced from the Home of Wedderbum charter chest.
' " InquisicO fc'a de villa de Lumesden ocoidentali ilCCCLXIV., c. iiij. iij. Inq'sico facta apud
Bonkyl die ven'ris in vigilia Sci Thome apli Anno d'ni, etc., sejtagesimo quarto sup saomenta
coram vicecom' videlj pat'ciu de Nesbyt, Joh'n de Wederborne, Kobtu de paxton, Gilb' de
Lumysden, Joh' haldmarkeyt, Alan de Swynton etc ,
Qui dicuut