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

'
INTRODUCTION.
l,xvii.
and abroad, at one time furnishing the King of Denmark with a Scottisli regiment introd.
of twelve companies.
In 168-5 he was in command, as major of a troop of liorse in
Lanarkshire, and subsequently became lieutenant-colonel. Eurlv in 1088 he went
abroad, and was drowned otf Calais in May of that year. His body was brought
home and buried in the church of Aberlady. He was never married, and tlMis
though providing in his will for a son, David Wedderbum (of whom I iiave but
little note, and who may have gone abroad) was succeeded by his next brother
Peter, who carried on the senior line of their father's familv.
This Peter, afterwards Sir Peter Wedderbum of Gostord, or Halkett of
Pitfirrane, was born in 16.59, and, like his cider'
Sir Peter
brother, was for
ofGoeford, a time jn the army, and also sat in the Scottish Parliament.
?^°°dfed^°746. 1° 1^^' ''^ ^^^s created a baronet, with remainder to the lieirs
male of his body (and not, as stated by J.W. in his printed
book, to bis heirs male).i He married in 1094 Janet, d'aughter of Sir Charles
Halkett, Baronet, of Pitfirrane, to which estate she succeeded as lieiress on the
death of her brother, Sir James, in 1705. Upon this succession Sir Peter and
bis wife entailed their two estates of Gosford and of Pitfirrane upon their
descendants in such a manner that the two properties should never he in the
eame hand, and so that the successor to Pittiirane should hear the name and
arms of Halkett, and the successor to Gosford those of Wedderbum. Thus on
the death of Sir Peter, in 1746, his eldest son, Peter, succeeded to his baronetcy
of Gosford and to the estate of Pitfirrane, while his second son, Charles, inherited
the Gosford property. Other of his sons were Alexander, afterwards of S.
Germain's, who married but died s.p. in 1787; John, who died youn^ ; and
Robert, long a merchant in Dunfermline, who married and had three daui^diters.
Of these and of Sir Peter's five daughters (only two of whom married, viz.,
Janet, to Robert Colvile of Ochiltree, and Christian, to James Carstairs-Hruce\
an account will be found post pp. 376-79. I now follow the succession to'
Pitfirrane and Gosford.
Sir Peter Halkett of Pitfirrane, second baronet of Gosford, was born in 1695.
He entered the army, and was present as a captain of Lee's
Haike^tt%econd regiment, part of the government forces, at the battle of
^d^'lTS?^ ^^^^' Gludsmuir, when he was one of those taken prisoner by the
Prince. Although thus the only meml)er of the family "out"
on (to quote J.W.) the wrong side, he acted a high part in his refusal to obey
the orders of the Duke of Cumberland. He and several others had been liherated
in September by the Prince on parole not to bear arms against King James
for eighteen months. Yet the Duke, in the following February, issued a letter
absolving these officers from their word, and threatening to pimish them by the
loss of their commissions unless they obeyed him. "The man (says J.W.j and
the threat were infamous, and those to whom it was addres.^ed were little hetter,
for out of their whole number only five had the honour to refuse compliance,
replying that Cumberland was 'master of their commissions but not of their
probity.' " In 1754 Sir Peter went to America in command of the 44th regiment,
and there fell in the defeat of the Indians on the banks of the river Monogaht-la
in 175.5. He had married Lady Emilia Stewart (daughter of Francis, Karl of
Moray), and by her had issue three sons, viz., Peter, his successor; Francis, a
major in the army, who died unmarried in 1760; and James, also unmarried,
who fell with his father in 1755.
The eldest son, Peter, who thus succeeded as third baronet of Gosford,
sir Peter never married. His mind was affected from his infancy, and
t^igi baronet he never came into more than titular possession of Pittirrane,
died 1779.
his brother Francis really holding the estate on their fathurn
'
Had the limitation been to heira male, the curious result would have followed that the hfir yrvsumptive
of the present baronet of Goaford would have been the pre.sent barouet of ii;Lin.ku