"Genealogical Collections" - Preface [very long]
Phil Moody
There has been some bemoaning of the scant Scottish material available just
recently; so I thought I would bring to the open, an apparently obscure
title to the majority of this group. It is by Walter MacFarlane, who, by his
efforts, a wealth of Scottish historical records were preserved. We perhaps
owe him our gratitude for such works as the "Peerage of Scotland" by Sir
Robert Douglas, who relied heavily on MacFarlane for his work, and as I
understand the situation, the "Scots Peerage" used the "Peerage of Scotland"
as the foundation for its content (I have not seen this work, but I know it
is often quoted here and highly regarded).
Much of the content will be found to be inferior to the modern high
standards of scholarship, but it does contain various Latin Charters and
foundation charters to Abbeys, which are always useful in themselves, as
genealogical records and some interesting conjecture. Much of the records do
predate the "Victorian Era" and can therefore be used as an indication of
the current tenor of traditions prior to any manipulation by sycophants, or
want to be Normans.
The preface is a preamble of sorts, to the contents of both volumes to
follow. They are both rather long and the preface will end with "Advocates'
Library, 1900", and if it does not get through in one piece, I will have to
break it up into more manageable pieces:-)
Best Wishes,
Phil
Genealogical
Collections,
Concerning Families In
Scotland,
Made By
Walter MacFarlane
1750-1751
Edited from the Original Manuscripts
In the Advocates Library, by
James Toshach Clark,
Keeper Of The Library
In Two Volumes
Edinburgh
Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable
For the Scottish History Society
1900
Preface, Vol. I, pg. v. follows:
The Collection of Manuscripts formed by Walter MacFarlane was purchased by
the Faculty of Advocates in 1785 from his niece Miss Janet MacFarlane, for
the sum of twenty-one pounds. Among those manuscripts, in addition to the
two volumes of "Genealogical Collections" - now by the permission of the
Faculty published for the first time - were "The Geographical Collections, 3
vols.; the publication of which is shortly to be undertaken by by the
Society; "Collections relative to several Scottish Families", 2 vols.;
"Index to the Register of the Great Seal to 1762", 5 vols.; "Diplomatum
regiorum quæ in publicis archivis extant abbreviations", 10 vols.; several
volumes of transcripts of charters, including the charters of Melrose,
Balmerinoch, and other religious houses; and various other transcripts.
The following biographical notice of Walter MacFarlane is taken from "The
Chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country", by the late Sir William Fraser, vol.
Ii. Pp. 99, 100:
'Walter MacFarlane, one of the most laborious and accurate antiquaries of
his age, was the son and successor of this John by his wife, Helen, daughter
of Robert, second Viscount of Arbuthnot. He transcribed with his own hand
mand old cartularies and muniments deposited in private charter-chests. He
was very liberal in allowing access to his valuable collections and
transcripts, which are still consulted and often quoted by authors, being
regarded as of high authority. To his industry we owe the existence of a
copy of the Levenax Cartulary, the original of which is now lost. He married
Lady Elizabeth Erskine, daughter of Alexander, sixth Earl of Kellie. Little
is known of his history, which appears to have been chiefly that of a
pg. vi. follows:
student without any remarkable incidents to record. In Anderson's "Diplomata
Scotiæ", published at Edinburgh in the year 1739, the learned editors, Mr.
Anderson and Mr. Thomas Ruddiman, in an acknowledgement of their obligations
to those who contributed the original charters engraved in that great work,
notice in favourable terms the assistance given them by the Laird of
MacFarlane: "In this list of the most noble and most eminent men deserves in
particular to be inscribed by us a most accomplished young man, Walter
MacFarlane of that Ilk, Esq., Chief of the MacFarlanes, one of the most
ancient of the clans, who, as he is conspicuous for the utmost urbanity, and
for his acquaintance with all the more elegant, and, especially, the
antiquarian departments of literature, most readily devoted much labour and
industry in explaining to us the names of men and places." The eulogium
pronounced upon him by Smollett is afterwards¹ quoted. He died, without
issue, at his town-house in the Canongate of Edinburgh, on 5th June 1767.
After his death his valuable collections were purchased by the Faculty of
Advocates, Edinburgh. His portrait, an excellent original painting, which
exhibits a remarkably intelligent, manly, and open countenance, occupies a
place on the walls of the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland,
to whom it was gifted in 1786 by his nephew, Walter MacFarlane. This
portrait was engraved for the late Mr. W. B. D. D. Turnbull, for the purpose
of being introduced into his "Monastieon of Scotland," a work which was
never completed.'
The Cash Book of the late William MacFarlane of Portsburgh, W.S., who died
on 13th July 1831, contains, under date 1785, the following notice:
'Walter MacFarlane of MacFarlane (20th), of Arrochar, was the second but
eldest surviving son of John MacFarlane (19th) of Arrochar and Lady Helen,
daughter of the 2nd Viscount Arbuthnot. He succeeded his father 13th May
1705. He married, 21st April 1760, Lady Elizabeth Erskine, daughter of
-----------------------------
¹ Should probably be 'previously', instead of 'afterwards' as the passage
referred to occurs on p. 80, vol. ii. of "The Chiefs of Colquhoun". The
eulogium is in "Humphry Clinker", where MacFarlane is spoken of as 'the
greatest genealogist I ever knew in any country, and perfectly acquainted
with all the antiquities of Scotland.'
Pg. vii. follows:
Alexander, Earl of Kelly, by whom he had no issue. He died in his house in
the Canongate, Edinburgh, on the 5th, and was buried in the Grayfriars,
Edinburgh, betwixt the two west pillars of the New Kirk, on the 8th of June
1767. He was succeeded by his brother, Dr. William MacFarlane, as 21st of
Arrochar, who sold the estate in March 1784, after having been five hundred
and fifty-nine years in the family.'
The original sources from which MacFarlane's transcripts have been derived
are occasionally indicated by him, and some account of these may be given.
Martine of Clermont, from whose manuscript the history of the Balfours,
Leslies, Maules, and others has been taken, was George Martine, the elder,
born 1635, died 1712. He was secretary to Archbishop Sharp, and author of
the "Reliquæ divi Andreæ, or The State of the Venerable See of St. Andrews,"
written in 1638, but not published till 1797. Nothing is now known regarding
these manuscripts. The history of the Martines will be found in vol. ii.,
pp. 183-197, of this work.
The 'Person of Quality' who wrote the genealogy of the MacKenzies (vol. i.
p. 54) is said by Sir William Fraser in his "Earls of Cromartie," vol. i. p.
xii, to have been Sir George MacKenzie of Tarbat, afterwards first Earl of
Cromartie, and he states that the original history in manuscript is at
Tarbat house. Other authorities - among them the British Museum Catalogue
(the Genealogy was published in Dingwall in 1843) - give as the 'Person of
Quality' John Mackenzie, second of Applecross, known as 'Ian Mollach,' or
hairy John, son of Patrick Mackenzie, and grandnephew of Kenneth, first Lord
Mackenzie, of Kintail. Several copies of the manuscript are known to exist
in Mackenzie collections. Sir Alexander Muir Mackenzie of Delvine has one in
his possession, and in all probability it is the one from which MacFarlane
made his transcript. Stonyhurst College possesses another copy, and the
editor is indebted to the courtesy of the Rev. Father Coupe, S.J., the
present
pg. viii. follows:
librarian at Stonyhurst, for a description of that manuscript. The archives,
he says, give no information as to where the manuscript came from, but he
suggests that Kenneth Francis Xavier Mackenzie, who entered the Society in
1739, may have gifted it to the library.
Mr. James Chapman, who is said to have written "The Genealogy of the
Grants" (vol. i. p. 103), was the son of an Inverness merchant. He graduated
M.A. at Aberdeen University in 1695, was ordained to the parish of Cawdor in
1699, translated to Cromdale in 1702, and died there in 1737, aged
sixty-three.
Matthew Lumsden of Tillycairn, who composed "The Genealogy of the Name
Forbes" (vol. ii. p. 207), was the second son of Robert Lumsden of
Balnakelly and Medlar. He married Anapel, a natural daughter of Lord Forbes.
From accounts given of him by the family historian, he does not seem to have
possessed a very good character. He died 27th June 1580. The genealogy was
published in Inverness in 1819. Mr. William Forbes, by whom Lumsden's
narrative was 'improved' (vol. ii. p. 471), belonged to the Corisindae
branch of the Forbeses, and was a member of the Faculty of Advocates, having
been admitted to that body on 8th February 1696. He received the appointment
of Professor of Law in the University of Glasgow in 1714,and held the office
till his death on 23rd October 1745. His father, Dr. Thomas Forbes, who,
according to the Lyon Register, was descended from the second son of the
second Lord Forbes, graduated M.D. at Padua, and was at one time a professor
in the University of Pisa.
The account of the House of Ranfurlie (vol. ii. p. 284) was written by
David Crawford of Drumsoy (1665-1726), Historiographer Royal for Scotland,
author of "Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland," and other works.
Dr. Miln's "Lives of the Bishops of Dunkeld" (vol. ii. pp. 302 and 304,
note), referred to as then in manuscript,
pg ix. follows:
has since been published in "Transactions of the Literary and Antiquarian
Society of Perth," 1827.
The Life of Sir Simon Fraser, who, in 1307, three times defeated the
English in one day, was written by Dr. Abercromby (vol. ii. p. 316, and
note), and will be found in Abercromby's "Martial Atchievements of the Scots
Nation," pp. 552-7.
In editing these volumes, the editor has endeavored to reproduce as
faithfully as possible the manuscript as it stands. No attempt has been made
to fill up the numerous blanks in the narratives, to correct errors, or to
rectify the spelling. The only departure from this rule has been the
insertion, under the sanction of the Council of the Society, of a
translation, by the Rev. Walter Macleod, of the genealogy of the Mackintosh
family. The few notes of the editor relate merely to the external condition
of the text, as, for example, marking interlineations or additions by others
than the transcriber. The notes to which an 'M' is appended have been added
to the transcript by MacFarlane, and those between extended lines are in the
handwriting of MacFarlane's transcriber, and were, in all probability, in
the original manuscripts.
The importance of these collections as sources of genealogical information
is evidenced by the fact that they are being constantly used by those making
inquires into family history, and it must be a satisfaction to the Society
that, through the appropriate and acceptable action on the part of Sir
William Fraser's trustees, and the courtesy of the Faculty of Advocates,
they have enabled to make the collections, hitherto confined to a single
manuscript, so much more widely accessible.
Advocates' Library,
June 1900