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

INTRODUCTION. ;.
General Sketch. The Wedderburn's in Berwickshire. Su^mmary of the
Contents of the whole Work.
IN
common with many other old Scottish families, that of Wedderburn finds introd.
the earliest recorded mention of its name^ in the famous Ruijiium Roil
or instrument of honiai,'e, by which on 2S Aujj. 1290, the
wtdderbum
'
Among
1296.
»""®^'^ ^^'^ \&'A5Qx barons of Scotland swore fealty To Edward I.
the latter was Waiter de Weddeiburn, whose seal
bearing his name and a seven-rayed star is still attaclied to
the ancient document. I quote the passage- in which Walter's name occurs :
Item : Atour Ceaus qui cestes Lettreg veiTont ou orroiit,, AVaiitior Bvset (et inter
alios), Wautier de Wederbume .... del coimte de Edeiieburk, Salui',.^" Pur cet qe
Nous sumes venuz a La Foi, e a La Volunte du tres noble Prince e nostre elder
Seignor Sire Edward, par la Grace Dieu, lloi d'Engleterre, Seignur Dirland, e Due
d'Aquitaigne. Nous promettoms pur nous, et pur nos Heirs, sur Peine de Corse
Davoir, e sur quautqe nous peussoms encoure, Que nous servironis bicn, e leaument,
contre totes Gentz qui purront vivre e moiir totes lea Foiz que nous
TOe^RagmaD serronis requis, ou garuiz de Par nostre Seigneur Le Roi d'Kngloterre
avauntdit ou par ses Heirs, e que nous leur Damage ne sauroms,
e que nous nel destorbeoras a tot nostre Poer, e a cestes Glioses tenir a garder nous
obligeoms nous e nos Heirs e touz uos Blens, e outre ceo avonis jurcz sur seintes
Evaungeiles. Estre ceo Nous tous e chescun de nous par sey avoina fait feaute a
nfe Seigneur Le Roi avandit en cestes Paroles. leo serrai feal e leal, e Foi e Leaute
porcerai au Roi Edward Roi d'Engletre, e a ses Heirs, etc. En tcsnioignance de
queus Choses nous avoms fait faire cestes Lettres ovcrtcs, Scales dc nos Seaus.
Donees a Berewyk sur Twed, Le Viute utisme jour Daust, L'au du Regue are
Seigneur Le Roi d'Engleterre avauntdit Vintisme quart.
This Walter de Wedderburn is the only person of the name whom I find
mentioned in any record earlier than l^Qi, and as before the middle of the
fifteenth century we find the lands of Wedderburn, co. Dorwiclc,
WecWerburn^ 'n possession of the Homes, a branch of whom were tben and
have ever since been designed " of Wedderburn," it has been
• Surnames are .'>ai(l to have arisen in France at the end of the tenth century, and to have been
introear in the charters of Alexander I.
(1107—1124). They begin to be found in the time of David I. (1 12-1— 115J), and in tlie
Inquisitio Davidis of 1116 several appear, the two oldest being those of Ocrvase dc Riddel and
Robert de Corbet. After this date they become gradually more common, those cimnccled with
or derived from land being the most honoundJe. See J.W. in his .MS. Mcnmir, citing Camden's
Remains, pp. 92-93 ; Anderson's Independence, App. iv. ; Dalrynqjle's Culkclxom, pruf. IxL,
App. i., ii. Chalmers Caledonia, vol. ii., ]ip. 238-40, 499 ; aurl Ver.-tegan's Aniu/isiiiet, eliap. ix.
;
J.M'., from wliose printed volume I cite the above passage, gives alsci the title of the roll,
as follows:— " Instrumeuta Publica super Homagio et Fidelitate jjr.clator: NoUlmin et communitatum
'
regni Scotia; factis regi Anglia; Edwardo primo, anno ie;:ui itui ixiv, 1291;." Tho
'
roll was then in the Tower of London, but is now in the IJecord Ullice. Sic S.l'. 1 and poet,
p. 423, note I, where the seal of Walter de Wedderburn is further deseriU'd.
' Walter de Wedderburn, it will be noticed, is described as ann^ng th'j-e who do Iminago for lands in
the c.iunty of Edinburgh, although the lands of Wedderburn lie close to the Tweed, in wluit is
now the county of Berwick. In early times, however, Lothian extended from E.linimrgh to
Tweed, and, even later, parts of what is now Bcrwick.-hire aie rle.-criUAl in various documents
as in the county of Edinburgh. Thus, althougli in the lt.ii.-man ItoU th'-ro ai-e frcjucut,
mentions of the countv of Berwick as distinct from that of Edinburgh, it ha.f lx;en a~>umcl
that the lands for whidi Walter did homage were those or i«rt of tlio.sc in co. I'.erwicW. There
is no record of any lauds of the name nearer to Edinburgh, and the a«umptioa :s probably
correct.