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

•xL THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Introd William Hamilton's, hir brother-in-law's, house." I have not ascertained the
date of her death, but she survived her husband and was living in 1G91.
T)ie issue ot" the marriage was three sons and live daughters, in regard to
none of whom have I got much information. The daughters were all
living and unmarried in 1G90. The sons were, Robert, who was served heir
to his father in 1670 and was living in 1G82, when he is called " Mr.
Kobert," a prefi.x: usually implying some degree or learned qualification;
William, who seeins to have piedeceased his father ; and John, who was
living in 1691. I have no record of the subsequent career of either Robert
or John, both of whom may, of course, have married and left descendants.
III. The third of the four contemporary members of the family whom
we find in Dundee in the fifteenth century was David Wed-
Davidinthe derburn in the Murraygait, who is frequently named in the
died 1495-97! records between 1464 and 1497. He is occasionally designed
"scutifer," and was at one time on the Dundee Council.
He married Christian Anderson (who is named as his widow in 1497), and
left issue two sons, David and James, and perhaps some daughters. The
priority of the sons is not known, but it is immaterial, as it is clear that
James, although it is possible that he married, died s.p., before Oct. 1524,
when his brother is spoken of as his heir. This brother was David Wedderburn
of Craigie and in the Murraygait, who married Helen Lawson,
and whom Douglas in his Baronage of Scotland, followed by J.W. in his
printed memoir and by several others, makes the father of Alexander
Wedderburn of Kingennie. He was nothing of the kind, and his career is
now clearly ascertained. He was horn ai)0ut 14vS5 and died in 1559-60,
some two years before Kingennie's birth. During his long life he was an
active member of the community in Dundee, to the freedom of which he
was admitted before 1514, so that his admission is not entered in the
Loclcit Builc, in which he is, however, named as "dean of gild" in 1524.
There is a very curious entry in one of tlie Dundee Protocol Books which
probably refers to him. It is dated 15 July l.o27, and is the record of the
sale to David Wedilerburn by Alexander Dlak for £20 of Blak's " maritagium
" or right to marry, and of an agreement by Blak to accept in
marriage any wife however jilain, maimed (" lusca aut claudieata "),
David or ailing, short of two diseases " le bock et cragyngour." The
dledTsia' nature "of this transaction is not clear to me, and I do not
know if it has any parallel in other old records. It seems
as if Blak was resigning his right to marry some particular person, and
certain it is that soon after we find David married to Cristina Jameson,
his first wife. His position among his fellow-citizens is indicated by his lieing
made trustee for the lepers of the burgh in 1534, and hy the fact that many
years later it was in his house that the council deposited the Church plate ui
the burgh in time of war. Thus, 12 Aug. 1557, the burgh records tell us
that "the council and communitie hes receivit from the liauds of pa\ i,l
David had in keiimig. _I[o
'
Wedderburn of Craigie their jewels . . . which
was also at one time "clerk of the cocket" and "searcher of all gouds'^ m
Dundee, being so appointed by a letter under the Privy Seal, dated 11 I-eli.
1550, and in this ofiice he was succeeded bv his son James. In contract with
this respectability, we find both him and his sons in occasional .liinenltics.
He took part in the family feud between the Wedderburns and the Kole.ts,
to which I have already referred, and was "fugitive from law aii.l at ti.e
horn" for the slaughter of David Rollok in 154:}. Ten years later .-tl! l.o
and his sons are charged with having "troubled Robert MersclM-ll. ..;U-r oi
the burgh, in the execution of his dutv," and, although he, alter reU-rru.g