FIVE SCRYMGEOUR WOMEN

By Jack Blair

Genealogies mainly concentrate on the male lines although often daughters and their spouses may be given passing references. Apart for the Scots Peerage most of the other printed family histories of Scrymgeours have ignored the female offspring and thus leave much work to be done to achieve completeness.

While researching various branches of my family, who are nearly all from Angus, I have discovered several female ancestors who were Scrymgeours. Due to the above-mentioned weakness of existing genealogies none of these forebears were identified even where daughters have been included.

I shall attempt here to identify the women who brought Scrymgeour blood into our family tree.

Alison Scrymgeour spouse to Henry Lindsay of Blairyfeddon. (1585c - 1651)

Born about 1585, Alison was probably the youngest of the six children born to John Scrymgeour of Glasswell by his wife Christain Moncur. Their home was a fine fortalice at Glasswell a mile or so to the east of Kirriemuir. An illustration of the castle and its garden about 1585 by Timothy Pont is now widely available online in the digital maps from the National Library of Scotland. Alison's brothers were i) John who succeeded to the title of Glasswell, ii) James who was a burgess in Dundee and iii) Gilbert who lived at Balbegnie just to the south of Glasswell. Her sisters were a) Janet who married in 1597 to David Ogilvy of Over Kinnaty and b) Christian who married Oliver Ogilvy in Kirkton of Kingoldrum.

Alison is first mentioned in the testament of her aunt, Grissel Scrymgeour who on making her will on 20 November 1603, bequeathed to her £200, describing Alison as daughter to the laird of Glasswell. Alison's father died within a few weeks of this for by February 1604 he was mentioned as the "umquhile John" in an Inhibition.

About 1613, or a little earlier, Alison married a neighbouring laird, Henry Lindsay of Blairyfeddon. The Scrymgeour of Glasswell estate included Torbirn on the south side of Kirriemuir (now called Whitelums) and also part of Ballinshoe (Benshie in the vernacular) to the east of Glasswell. The other portion of Ballinshoe was long owned by a cadet of Ogilvy of Inverquharity but after Henry's grandfather Alexander Lindsay of Blairyfeddon was killed in 1581 by the Ogilvy's, a son of the Lord Lindsay Earl of Crawford gained control. Henry or Harry was a henchman of Sir John Lindsay of Ballinshoe and thus would have been well acquainted with the neighbouring Glasswell family. Harry gained notoriety in his youth as he was seriously involved in the Ogilvy/Lindsay feud which troubled the locality in the early 1600's. Having lost his grandfather in 1581 and his father a few years later at the hands of Ogilvy of Inverquharity while still a boy, it is not surprising that he was recruited by the earl of Crawford's sons to join them in revenge attacks. Twice Harry was involved with them in murder but he settled down after marriage. Alison Scrymgeour bore him two sons and three daughters. Their second son David was born in 1615 and graduated from the University of St.Andrews in 1635. He was minister in the nearby parish of Rescobie where a fine monument to him records his parents, mentioning that Alison was a daughter of Glasswell. Alison's brother, Gilbert Scrymgeour was witness to some of the Blairyfeddon charters. A well preserved document dated 3 December 1619, records Henry granting Alison a liferent of the town and lands of Blairyfeddon including the teind sheaves. (town here being a farm-town). In later years they made over the estate to their children, giving an annuity from it to the three daughters.

Alison Scrymgeour died in 1651 but her age at death has been obliterated from the monumental inscription at Rescobie Kirk.

Elizabeth Scrymgeour spouse to Master John Ogilvy of Powrie (1555c - 1613)

Based on a letter written in 1775 to his sons by the Rev. Adam Fergusson, minister at Moulin, it would appear that my forebears, the Ogilvys of Ascreavie derived from Ogilvy of Bellaty and that two sons of David Ogilvy elder of Bellaty, married sisters who were daughters of Ogilvy of Powrie. The letter also indicated that the sister's mother "was a daughter of Scrymgeour of Dudhope afterwards Viscount Dundee". Thinking that the Viscount's family would be well recorded, I turned to the Scots Peerage only to be disappointed as there was no mention of a marriage to Ogilvy of Powrie. Research however revealed that Master John Ogilvy of Powrie married Elizabeth Scrymgeour and that they had issue. Elizabeth and the above mentioned Alison probably knew each other as they were closely related, Alison's father, John, and her uncle, Master Alexander, both being named in the entail of Dudhope in 1587. It appears that Elizabeth and Alison were second cousins once removed, as based on the most probable life span of Elizabeth it seems that she was the daughter of John Scrymgeour the Constable who died in November 1567. Interestingly, her aunt of like name married John Ogilvy of Pitpointie and was known as Lady Strathmartine.

Elizabeth's husband, Master John Ogilvy, was the eldest son of Gilbert Ogilvy of that Ilk and his spouse Sibilla Drummond. Master John was strongly supportive of the Catholic church. He with John Ogilvy of Craig and Mr Walter Lindsay of Balgavies, were called by the Privy Council in 1594 to answer charges of their "tressonable resset, intercommuning and trafficquing" with conspirators against the true religion "and for their avowing of papistrie". The close ties between these Catholic sympathisers was again demonstrated when on 3 May 1602 at the kirk of Invergowrie, Master John undertook to stand cautioner in surety of 5000 merks for Sir John Ogilvy of Craig not to harm John Scrymgeour of Glasswell. Thus we see how the families of these two women had paths which crossed, not always amicably. Nor was that the only coincidence for Alison's husband, Harry Lindsay, aided David Lindsay the Master of Crawford in his attack and murder of the above Mr Walter Lindsay of Balgavies on 25 October 1605 near Brechin.

John Ogilvy and Elizabeth had two sons and five daughters. Both Gilbert and Thomas in due course were heirs to their father's ancient title of Ogilvy of that Ilk. The daughters were Isabel, Margaret, Magdalen, Elizabeth and Sibilla. The last two were named in her will in 1614 without mention of husband, presumably as they were still quite young. Magdalen married David Ogilvy of Bellaty and his brother James married Elizabeth.

Master John Ogilvy inherited the title of Ogilvy and of Powrie in 1601 on the death of his father. He died in 1609 and was succeeded by Gilbert who died without issue about three years later. Elizabeth's other son, Thomas was the last of the ancient line of Ogilvy of that Ilk, the family having been granted Ogilvy and Powrie by King William the Lion about 1172. Elizabeth died in 1614 and the executor of her will was John Scrymgeour, Constable of Dundee.

Margaret Scrymgeour spouse to Patrick Gray of Baledgarno

Donald Ogilvy, a grandson of the fore-mentioned David Ogilvy elder of Bellaty was tenant of Ascreavie. His third son married Eupham Gray in 1673 and with her tocher they purchased Ascreavie. Eupham's grandfather was James Gray of Kirkland son of Andrew Gray of Baledgarno who in turn was son of Patrick Gray and Margaret Scrymgeour. Reference to the Scots Peerage does yield fruit in this case, for we read that Patrick and Margaret were given a grant of lands in Kingoodie in 1549/50 by the Constable of Dundee, he being John Scrymgeour of Glassery who died in 1562. Was Margaret a daughter of this laird of Dudhope? The "Peerage " remains silent on this, naming only his daughter Elizabeth, who married to Andrew Winton in 1559.

Alternatively, at this time, there was a James Scrymgeour of Baledgarno which suggested that Patrick Gray of Baledgarno may have married a close neighbour. James Scrymgeour of Kirkton had married a co-heiress of the Constable who died in 1546 and in 1539 they were gifted the Mains of Baledgarno. For the next 25 years they took their designation from that place until exchanging it to return to Kirkton. However, nothing was found to link these neighbours in a marriage bond. Research of Patrick Gray shows that he was closely involved with the Johns Scrymgeour elder and younger and then James, the Constables of Dundee. Also James Scrymgeour of Glasswell and his mother carried out transactions through the Constable on the Mains of Baledgarno. When the Constable John died in November 1567, the executors of his estate promptly handled his business. On 28 November 1567 they dealt with a claim from Hew Hering and the record names them as Andrew Winton of Strathmartine, James Scrymgeour of Glasswell and Patrick Gray of Baledgarno. Andrew, as mentioned, was spouse to the sister of the defunct, Glasswell was the senior kinsman as the Dudhope entail of 1587 indicates and thus we can assume that Patrick Gray was of like kinship and thus a brother-in-law of the defunct. Margaret Scrymgeour clearly appears to be a daughter of the Constable who died in 1562. More research into the valuable sources in Dundee City Archive may further substantiate this. It should be noted that this current study has revealed that the Constable died between 1 - 28 November 1567 and not a year later as given in the Scots Peerage.

Janet Scrymgeour spouse to Master John Lindsay of Blairyfeddon. (1500c -1560c)

There is no element of surprise that this next subject was an ancestor of Alison Scrymgeour's husband. This Janet was great-grandmother to Harry Lindsay. In 1526, Master John Lindsay and his wife Janet Scrymgeour purchased from David Lindsay, Earl of Crawford the lands of Whytforret and Blairyfeddon in the Forest of Platane which stretches eastward from Kirriemuir towards Forfar. Given that Walter Scrymgeour gained the title of Glasswell about 1530 and that his father had held an interest in the Kirriemuir area from the 1490's, at first sight one might expect to find that Janet was sister to Walter and thus a daughter of Master John Scrymgeour of Glassery. Research proved otherwise, after gathering clues from her husband's background. Born about 1495, Master John was a younger son of John Lindsay of Dowhill in the county of Kinross. He graduated Master of Arts from St Andrew's University in 1512 and entered the law becoming a notary public. He was clerk of the diocese of Dunkeld. As his elder brother, Adam Lindsay of Dowhill, owned properties at Kinloch, between Blairgowrie and Dunkeld, it is possible that Master John initially based himself there to be near the Bishop and by chance to his future wife.

In a Procuratory letter of 30 August 1536 Adam Lindsay of Dowhill authorised Mr John Lindsay of Blairyfeddon and Thomas Lindsay, citizen of Dunkeld, to give notice to James Scrymgeour to receive 1000 merks at the high alter of the parish church of Dundee in redemption of the lands of Easter Kinloch. Although James Scrymgeour is not identified therein, from earlier transactions he can be seen to be James Scrymgeour of Fordie who with his wife Margaret Scrymgeour had a charter of the lands of Easter Kinloch on 6 November 1533. These neighbours of Kinloch with their interest in the Dowhill lands appear to be the kinsfolk of Master John's wife, Janet.

This becomes more apparent some eight years after the death of Master John. Janet Scrymgeour survived her husband and was involved in a party of 24 people, who in Dundee on 13 November 1553, removed Janet the daughter of the deceased Andrew Scrymgeour of Fordie from the care of James Scrymgeour of Redgothen. Isabel Lindsay, the mother of this young Janet was the ringleader along with Janet.. This involvement supports the hypotheseis that Janet Scrymgeour was the daughter of Alexander Scrymgeour of Baltully, and sister to James Scrymgeour of Fordie, whose son and heir, Andrew, died at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh on 10 September 1547 leaving the little Janet as laird of Fordie.

Jane Scrymgeour spouse to Walter Ogston of Craigs

This last subject ought to be found in the Scots Peerage but again earlier genealogists have failed to recognise her. When Alison Scrymgeour was a child at Glasswell, her grandmother, Marion Crichton also lived there at least to 1600. Alison probably heard how Marion's father John Crichton fell at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh and how his father James and grandfather Sir Adam Crichton also fell fighting an English army earlier at Flodden. Perhaps too she learned that John Crichton's mother was Janet Ogston the last heiress of Ogston of that Ilk. Janet and her elder sister, Elizabeth, were the only surviving children of Walter Ogston of that Ilk and his spouse Jane Scrymgeour. Walter died in 1489 young leaving three daughters who were thus heirs portioners of the estate of Ogston (now called Gordonston near Elgin) and lands in Aberdeenshire, the Mearns and Angus. Elizabeth as eldest inherited the title of Ogston of that Ilk and was then of age confimed by a Brieve of Inquest in 1490. The younger sisters were not of age and thus Curators were appopinted. Mr John Scrymgeour of Glassery as eme (mother's brother) of Janet was appointed her Curator. Even after she had reached the age of twenty one years, the younger and only surviving of the Ogston heiresses, Janet Ogston, consulted her "eyme" and curator, Mr John Scrymgeour. On 24 April 1505, with his advice Janet renounced her heritage of Criags of Glenilsa to Adam Hepburn in exchange for some of the lands at Kilry and Criagisla and the financial gift of her marriage which was held by Adam, her widowed brother-in-law. Having arranged this she married James Crichton, fiar of Ruthven.

This brief history of the early years of Janet Ogston shows clearly that her mother, Jane, was sister to Mr John Scrymgeour of Glassery. Thus beside Matilda, Elizabeth and Mariota we should add Jane as a daughter to James Scrymgeour the Constable of Dundee who died about 1477.

Conclusion

Although sadly many of our old church records have been lost over the turbulent years of Church history since the Reformation in 1560, there is still a wealth of primary source material to be examined in other sources lodged in National and local archives. I hope that the above gives some insight into the opportunities which exist. Those studying the Scrymgeour name are fortunate indeed that the office of Constables of Dundee ensured that much of their material has survived. It awaits the efforts of those prepared to develop a working knowledge of the Secretary Hand and brush up or learn some Latin. Perhaps the Scrimgeour Clan Association could consider means of encouraging this through the University of Dundee or by some other local project with a clear aim.