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

xlii. THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Introd. of Perth and Dundee, acquitted of any share in it, and allowed to
" frelie depart hanie" in 1507. Like his father, he was "coqueter"
or "clerk of the cocket ' of Dundee from 15G0 till his death in 1575,
and seems to have been active in the discharge of his office. In
two cases his zeal led him too far—once in 15C3, when he seized part
of the cargo of a Dutch vessel, commanded by one Simon Clouston, and
again in 1567, when he, " under silence of nycht," seized the vessel of one
Henry Nauchtie of Kirkwall in Orkney. On both occasions he was
prosecuted and judgment went against him, but, all the same, in 1575 he
got a fresh appointment under the Privy Seal as "clerk of our sovereign
lord's cocquet of Dundte," with power to appoint his own deputies. He
owned several vessels, wholly or in part, and is occasionally named in
connection with them. He is constantly designed "of Craigie," and his
ownership of those lands is frequently referred to after his death. He died
in Sept. 1575, leaving a will, dated in 15(J0, and confirmed at his death, by
which he appoints his wife, ilargaret Dumlas, executrix and tutrix to his
children. By this lady (who married, secondly, William Fotheringhame, and
was living in loSi; he had issue two suns and three daughters, viz., John,
Walter, Helen, Elizabeth, and Eufame. We know little of the daughters,
of whom, it seems, Helen died unmarried, while Elizabeth married John
Lawsone, and Eufame died young. The second son, Walter, married Marjorie
Bruce (relict of David Bruce of Lynmyln), but died s.p. before 1005, when
his brother's only chiki, Elizabeth, was retoured his heir.
John Wedderburn of Craigie seems to have been bred to the law, and
studied under his cousin, Alexander, the clerk. He gradually
John, disposed of his Craigie property, partly to Sir John Scharp
ot Craigie, f it l ,-n, t i • " i. • i u ii,
died 1600. of Houston in lo94. 1 believe him to have given up the
law, entered the service of David, Earl of Crawford, and
lived an adventurous life. It is he, I think, who was convicted in 1588
of wounding one David Gardyne, and ho certainly is the John Wedderburn,
buigess of Dundee, who was accused in 1.096 of the murder of
Robert Lindsay of Balhall, and of Janus Leitcli, Irishman, was denounced
rebel, and having, no doubt, to tly the country, came South. He is also,
I think, without doubt, the person of his name who is named in a
letter irom Ralph, Lord Eure, to Lord J?urgliley in 1597 as "a Scottishe
gentleman, called Mr. John Weiiderburn, disguised in mariner's apparel, and
that of the meanest soit," whom Lord Euie arrested and detained as a
Buspicious character. According to this l»-tfer he professed himself a follower
of Lord Botbwell, and emploved by him to compass the death of Sir
Robert Kerr, by blowing up liis castle at Halleden. He also claimed to
have been in the service of the Kiug of France, and to have "served in
Fraunce on pleasure not under anie charge," and is described as having " the
Franche tongue reasonable well." The grounds ot suspicion on which he
was detained by Lord Eure were "his wife carriage, his birthe and manner
of disguising, yealding apparauiite tU!.i>iciou of more devilish practises
then he revealeth." Lord Lure i;iMS a clo.^e description of him, as "of
reasonable stature, verie square boiiytd, l.i^^g l