east-lothian-1924/05-027

Transcription

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS (SCOTLAND) COMMISSION.

by sale, and in 1631 Sir John Maxwell of Innerwick became owner, who from
1646 rejoiced in the title of Earl of Dirleton, the first and the last to wear this
dignity. In 1663 Sir John Nisbet bought the property and as Lord Advocate
adopted the style of Lord Dirleton.
The barony of North Berwick originally belonged to the Earl of Fife, from
whom the first Earl of Douglas had the lands in tenantry. ¹ On the forfeiture
of the Duke of Albany and Earl of Fife in 1425 the Douglases became tenants-
in-chief of the Crown for this property. On the rebellion of the Black Douglas
line in 1452 the Earl of Angus received lands in the barony, which were
separately erected into the free barony of Tantallon (cf. No. 106). The grant
was renewed in 1479, and the property remained with the Douglases till in
1699 they were sold to Sir Hew Dalrymple, Lord President of the Court of
Session. Other Douglas families in East Lothian, for a long or short space of
time, were those of Kilspindie (see No. 4), Redhouse (see No. 7) and Whitting-
hame (see No. 213). Whittinghame was conferred by the Earl of March in
1372 on Sir James Douglas of Dalkeith, who had married his sister. It
passed from the Douglases in 1660 by marriage of the heiress to Alexander
Seton, first Lord Kingston, and again by a similar marriage to the son of
the first Earl of Tweeddale. (cf. No. 213).

The Bass was associated since early in the fourteenth century with the
family of Lauder, though the southern half of the island, apparently as
attached to the church there, belonged to the bishopric of St. Andrews ³
The charter by Bishop William Sinclair of St. Andrews to Robert de Lawedre
of " our part " of the Bass is dated 1316, but is now known only from a
copy. ⁴ Robert Lauder of the Bass was among the captives at the second
battle of Nesbit in 1402 (cf. p. xxviii). The Lauders of the Bass were also
tenants of Tynninghame and baillies of the lordship for the Archbishop of
St. Andrews, and at Tynninghame was their principal residence. The family
fell into financial difficulties early in the seventeenth century and the Bass,
after passing through several hands, came into possession of the Hepburns of
Waughton, in respect both of the north part held from the King and the
southern side formerly held from the Archbishop of St. Andrews. ⁵ From the
Hepburns it passed to Sir Alexander Ramsay, Lord Provost of Edinburgh,
from whom it was bought by the Crown in 1671, but in 1706 was granted
by charter to Sir Hew Dalrymple.
Innerwick had been a possession of Stewarts, having been granted by
David I. to Walter Fitz-Alan son of the first ' Steward.' In this way it
came to the Stewart Earls of Angus, the last of whom left two heiresses.
One of these, Margaret, married the first Earl of Douglas and Mar and the
other, Elizabeth Stewart, became the wife of Alexander Hamilton, grandson
through a younger son of " Wauter fiz Gilbert de Hameldone " of Ragman
Roll. Countess Margaret conferred Innerwick on her sister and Alexander
Hamilton in a charter confirmed by the King in 1398. ⁶ " Hameltone Laird

1 Act. Par. i. pp. 555, 565.
2 R.M.S. i. No. 522.
3 Exch. Rolls i. p. 453 ; R.M.S. (1425) No. 29 (1508) No. 3185, &c.
4 Cf. The Grange of St. Giles p. 152.
5 R.M.S. (1641) No. 1021.
6 Douglas Book iii. No. 33.

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