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

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PART 11.
Chapter
III.
Ale-xander Wedderdurx, first of Kinge.nnie (eldest son of Alexakder AVedoerdurn
AND Janet Myln) town clerk of Du.vdee 1582— 1G2G.
With an account of his children, other than his two eldest sons, Alexander (post.
Chap. IV.) and James (post, Part III). See tabular pedigree, p. 131.
Alexander Wedderburn [15G1— 162G],i afterwards of King-cmiio, eldest son of Part ii.
Alexander Wedderburn and Janet Myln, was born, no donbt, at Dnndee in 15G1. This is '^^^P- '"•
fully shown by the inscription on his picture by Janiicson,-' which states that he w;is sixtyfour
in 1625, as well as by hia admission as notary which relates that ho was twentv-two
in 1583 (D.RB. 242), and by a note at the end of one of his protcicol books (vol. 2C3),
which runs " fct. sure, a° 1616, 55 " (post, vol. ii., p. 210).^ The earliest references to him
are in a contract, 16 May 1575, by which his parents and he, "Alexander Wedderburn,
younger, thair soue and appeirand air," are to be infeft in an annual rent out r>f Wester
Gourdie for a payment of 600 merks (S.W. 2'J). and two years later, 30 Dec. 1577, in tho
excambion of property between him and his brother Robert (S.W. 35-37 ; D.W. 1 1 //, 12 A).
He matriculated at S. Andrew's in 157S (S.A.II. 10), but there is no entry of his takinj^
his degree there, though the prefix of "magister," by which lie is alwavs distin^'uished,
e.g., 1580-81, when he is occasionally named as a witness to transactions (S.\V. 3'.)-40 •
D.P.B. 214, 222; D.G.R. 2; G.S.R. 44, 45), implies that he did so. On 8 May 1582,'
when he had, probably, just come of age, he was admitted to the freedom of the burgh
by the privilege of his father (D. L.B. 26 i, who, a few mouths later, 20 Sept. in the same
year, " resigiiit and demittit '' his office of clerk to the bailies sitting' in court, whireupoii
according to the tenor of a letter subscribed by the council, they elected his sou their
clerk, retaining the father as clerk substitute for life (S.W. 43 ; D.l!. R. 262) ; u passing
cu of the office which occurred more than once in the family, and is indicative of its
importance in the burgh. The father, as we have seen, only survived some three vears,
long enough, however, to see his eldest son married at the close of LOMi' (^ee below) and
admitted a notary at Edinburgh, 1 June 1583 (D.P.B. 242). Meanwhile wo find the sou
spoken of as clerk of Dundee, e.g., 12 Feb. 1585, when his brother Robert gnint.-i him a
discharge (R.D. 1).
He seems to have almost at once entered with activity into the atlairs of the bur^,'h.
The first pages of the Lockit Buik of L'undee are in his hand, and contain a roll of tho
burgesses from 1513-82, which he must have compiled from some earlier ni.iterials. \n
eloquent Latin inscription which he inscribed on the title page will be found (xist, vol. ii.^
'
Synopsis of Eeferences :-S.W. 12, 13, 23 «. 29, 35-37, 39-4(1, 43, 45, 50-5:1, .l), 55. 57-59, C3-i-.r, flS k,
69-70, 72-74, 75-89, 93-98, 100, 104-5, 107-9. 110-45, 147-52, 154-58. ICO Cj. lt!|.L!01. •.;0:), I'Oi. I'ljd,
207, 209-11, 215-17, 218 4-23, 225-27, 232, 234. 237-39, 249-50. 251. :.'57-.'l>. -".'O. 2;'iM*7, V.iyji. .;00,
667-68; Bl.P. 2 71, 12, 13, 23, 24; D.W. 2 a, 3. 8 ai, 9 «, \0 he, \\ cl'tft. 12?Ai. \ia(h. Wahrk,
Ibabehlv, 16 *, 17?, 19a, 21 e ;
J.W. 104, 105/; S.A.R. 10; V.C. li'i:^:>. rj, 4:i. 174-. .Vi, 51, 55,
5S ; D.L.B. 26, 36, 37, 44 ; D P.B. 214, 216-18, 222, 223 /; 240, 242, 25'J. 259-61, •J'.'l, 2.'-;l. 2-H a, 315,
317 abc, 318. 320-22. 339 6, 344a6, 365, 374, 376. 3b9, 395, 404, 407, 411, 41:! 11. 417. 42:! t, 42S.
431, 439, 441, 449, 466, 472. 487; D.B.R. vol. i ^ 262, 264, 292, 296. 2!'9. .'ifa. ;i01. ;10'.'. ;;:it, 3:)7,
350,369, 372, 383, 385, 388, 392, 395, 399, 405, 407 3,
29;D.G.K.2, 4 ; D.U.S. 12; G.S.K. 44-51, 58-60,63,6.5, 66,69-70,72, 74, 75. 7>. >0>M2, 93. 95.
97, 101, 104, 144, and see vol. 1634-51, §§ 310. 1103, 1177, 2076 : 11 1' C. I5•l^ •-'J. 22, 27 2;', 31,3 !.;!rt.
48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 56. 58 ; A.P.S. 2-14 ; K.P.S. 26, 33 ; G.K..S. 1.6; K S. 13, M
; li.D. 1. :!, 7. 10.
21 a 6 31, 32, 42. 44, 50, 53, 59, 63,64. 69, 72-76.80, 84. 6688, 90-91. 99. 111. 115. 1'JI. I;;s ; Il.A t>.
24, 31, 32, 34, 37, 40, 4-3, 45, 46, 50, 61. 62, 65, 163 ; Br.T. 1, 2 ;
S A.T. 1 ;
IMS N. J. 6 « 6. 7. s, 10.
11-13, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23. See also MomiiuK Par. Koj. ; Kfj. tie V'of.iiiiir ; A'jinl. O^ymcl Itj., oi«J
post, p. 124, n. 1.
, • . » 1 L 1 I
This portrait is at Birkbill ; and a similar one is at Meredith, a repr.KluclK.n of »liKh f.crt i!,:. |*.:t..
The condition of the Birkhill picture made it im|...ssil.l
are not shown in the Birkhill picture, as they are in iliat at Mtredith, ou vihuL \.U, l.tur» M.A.M . .Ucl
ef course for Magister Alexander Wedderburn.
•
-i . /• ,• i in
seems to have begun to help his fatlier early. Thus he is witncw. U> the ».il .-f ( .ll.*riM l.tnpU.l.
Countess of Crawford, at Dundee IS June 1578 ^Crawford Charter... .cJ \ oi. 1- -< «U« l-ur^L m\
»
He
Htad Court Records, 1580-82, is in his hand.