THE SCRIMGEOURS OF GLASSARY
AND OF GLASSWELL
In addition to the family tree provided by John
Scrimgeour of England, another tree included in this issue also
dates back to the 1600s. It has been received in correspondence
from Mr. Jack Blair of the Bridge of Earn, near Perth in
Scotland. Besides his research into the ancestry of his own
family, Mr. Blair is well known as one of the most active members
of the Tay Valley Family History Society (TVFHS), which is based
in Dundee. Frequently he is an author for parts of their
society's publication. In addition, he looks after the
genealogical Family Group Sheets that are submitted to him by
members of the TVFHS. These now number more than 2500 submissions
covering more than 18,000 people. Many useful cross connections
have been discovered from the database constructed from this
wealth of information.
The correspondence received from Mr Blair
provided a copy of the Scrymgeour of Glasswell family tree as
determined in the course of research into the origins of his own
family. As he writes:
"My line to the Glasswell tree is via
Henry Lindsay of Blairyfeddon and Alison Scrymgeour. In Dundee
City archives, I discovered several old documents of their
contracts from 1613 on. In Scottish Archives (formerly SRO) in
Edinburgh the Forfar Sasines show later contracts of them making
arrangements for their three daughters' finances in the 1640's.
My line is from their second son, Mr. David Lindsay who was
granted by his elder brother, John, a charter of Blairyfeddon in
the 1630's a year after his graduation from the University of St.
Andrews. David's monumental inscription at Rescobie states that
his mother, Alison, was a daughter of Scrymgeour of Glasswell. I
do not have absolute proof that her mother was Christine Moncur
but one of her daughters was named Christian and Gilbert
Scrymgeour was a witness to one of Harry Lindsay's charters in
1611. Indications are that she [i.e. Alison] was born about 1590.
She died in 1651 but her age is obliterated on the monument. Her
husband Harry or Henry was a boy when his father's killers were
given remission in 1588."
In a subsequent letter Mr. Blair has now
provided a full twenty page typed manuscript on his findings in
addition to two slightly modified trees as reprinted herein. A
few notes and explanations may be helpful to any readers wishing
to gain a full appreciation of the information on these trees.
- The Glassary lands were the Scrymgeour
lands in the vicinity of Loch Awe in the west highlands.
- There is reference in his notes to Walter
of Glasswell c1495-1544 having received Fincharn from his
brother. The ruins of Fincharn castle are located on the
south side of Loch Awe. The site and ruins were obtained
from a local landowner by the 11th Earl of Dundee for a
nominal sum and have been a point of great interest on at
least two occasions when the annual clan gathering was
held in hotels close to Loch Awe.
- Glasswell is a small estate on the east
side of Kirriemuir, north of Dundee.
- Readers may recall that there is a sketch
of Balinsho Castle (1) on page 82 of the Munro book plus
a reference to its last known occupant, Captain Thomas
Scrimgeour. Also there was a drawing of Balinsho (1) on
the front cover of the Skirmisher for 1988. This carried
a note to the effect that it is close to the lands where
Murray (2) Scrimgeour's son and grandchildren work and
play.
- Note (1): Spelled Balinshoe in these
present day publications.
- Note (2): Our well known editor of the
Skirmisher at that time.
- The Constables and the 1st Earl of Dundee
are descended from John of Glassary shown as c1490-1562
(Constable of Dundee) on the first tree. This line ended
in 1668 on the death of the 1st Earl of Dundee and led to
a lapse of nearly three hundred years before the title
and other honours were restored.
- While the history of the Scrymgeour family
who were the Constables of Dundee have been published in
various books, the cadet families of Fardill, Glasswell
and others* are considerably less well recorded. As a
distant descendant of the Scrymgeours of Glasswell, the
purpose of Mr. Blair's account is to provide a fuller
account and genealogy of that branch. ( * for a useful
diagram and for other cadet lines see Munro p.36)
- Readers who consult the Munro book index
(under cadet families) will find many additional accounts
relating to the names of those shown on these two trees.
- The manuscript for Mr. Blair's treatise
runs to some twenty pages of closely typed text. Every
statement is fully authenticated by means of some 135
footnotes that refer to Charters, Letters, Exchequer
Rolls, Diaries, Inventories, Retours and other ancient
documents in addition to cross references to the book by
the Munros.
- His manuscript documents additional
connections by marriage to the Murray, Lindsay, Ogilvy,
Melville, Gardyne and Wishart families and others, many
of whom lived near to Glasswell. By reading this
fascinating work, considerable insight can be gained into
their lives and in some instances into land and other
disputes that occurred.
- Eventually, in 1613, the Glassary lands
passed from John Scrymgeour to his brother in law David
Ogilvy. He was married to John's sister Janet Scrymgeour
as shown on the second tree.
- The Tealing lands, held by the Scrimgeours
for many generations, also lie very close to this area
and could be the subject of another account since there
is a well documented record of their owners. The original
John of Tealing is understood by those in this line to
have been a younger brother to the 3rd Earl of Dundee (de
jure). Eventually the Tealing lands passed to the
Fothringham family by way of a marriage to Marion
Scrimgeour, an only daughter.
- One hopes in due course that this valuable
treatise on Scrymgeour of Glasswell will be published,
presumably in an appropriate genealogical journal. It
would then be ideal, if arrangements could be made, to
have this reprinted as a clan document and made available
under clan goods. Meanwhile, we are very much indebted to
Mr. Blair for his advising of this scholarly work and for
permission to reprint the two trees shown on the
following pages.
RELATIONSHIP
OF SCRYMGEOURS OF GLASSARY AND OF GLASSWELL TO SCRYMGEOUR,
CONSTABLE OF DUNDEE
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the tree
FAMILY
TREE OF SCRYMGEOUR OF GLASSWELL
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the tree