The manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of ... - Electric Scotland

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ordered our militia and the gentry and people of that countrey to conveen,
and to do all they could iu obedience to the laws and proclamations.
Since the march of the dragoons and these ordors giv^en, Gilkerscleugh,
Litlgill, Alershaw has been with me, and tells me that they drew together
on Fryday night and severall of my tenants with them, and made all the
search they could, and in Crafurdjohn they could hear tell of none ; and
in Crafurd all they could hear was that on Thursday or Fryday
morning 7 in arms come to a roome of Hoptons called Pedwan, and
stayed a while, and tooke meat and drinke. This far I thought fit to
giue your Lordship an account of, and when the parties returns and
heritors of these parishes comes befor us, you will no doubt get from us
a more full account of this matter. My tenants in Crafurd thinks it is
a hard caice for them to be called out to take these rogues, and not
suffered to cary their arms to defend themselues ; and our people in this
countrey are in such disorder and consternation, there being (beside
heritors apearing befor us) many hundreds of the commons for not
keeping the church given up by their ministers, and who generally say,
tho they could not depon they had keeped church in strict tearms of
the law, yet they had frequently done it, and was willing to haue ingadged
to their ministers to have keeped it in the futture as much as they
could. I confes I wold gladly had commissions sent to the seuerall
parishes to haue taken these ingadgments to saued the poore people the
pains of comeing to Glasgow, but it was not judged fitt. So by these
things wee shall have ill payed rents this year, but if it proue an advantage
to the Kings service, none shall les grudge at that then, my Lord,
your Lordships most humble servant and most affectionate brother
Hamilton.
187. The Cess granted at Glasgow for Lanarkshire—taking of the
Test.—His house in Crawford not fit for a garrison.—His daughter
Susan to be married to Lord Cochran.
Hamilton, 3 Nov. 1864.
This night I received the honor of your Lordships by this bearer,
Doctor Fall, by whom I need say litle since he can giue you so full an
account of all our proceedings at Glasgow, and how wee parted, and
with whom I have used some friedom to safe you the trouble of a longer
letter. Iff the shire of Airs offer as to the cess be more then ours, v/ee
I thinke are more then severall others, and I am sure as much as wee
are able to bear, at least as I am able to bear, and have withall to intertain
my famely, considering the other inconveniences has fallen on my
estat, and still lyes on itt, which your lordship shall know more fully at
meeting. There was some noise indead amongest us about some vassalls
of mine in Evandale that did not apear at first, and for there not
apearing they wer fined in lOO^^- a peice, and a troop sent to eat it up,
if they did not apear ; and most did apear, and wer such as wer not
worth the 1001b., being heritors onely of houses in the toun of Straven,
and most of them beggers ; and 1 heard of feu others of my vassalls that
wer absent, and most of them in Lesmahagow tooke the test. I haue
not yet heard what Drumfries shire has given of cess. The way your
lordship has taken as to the binding them to acquies to what the councill
shall thinke just and practicable for their orderly and regular leiveing
is much the best, and is what I wold gladly had done ; and I wish with
all my heart that some cess and bonds was that which was intended
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that on form and the quantity of cess had been given in the instructions,
which wold haue prevented much trouble wee have mett with
and may meet with hereafter. And for my part, untill I heard it
pressed at Glasgow, I did not understand any such things was to be done,