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A History of the Setons
of Meldrum, copied from `Inverurie and the Earldom of Garioch
- a Topographical and Historical Account of Garioch from the
Earliest Times to the Revolution Settlement', by Rev. John
Davidson, Minister of Inverurie, 1878.
Sir William Seton of
Seton, of Winton, and Tranent, and of Winchburgh, West
Lothian, 1st Lord Seton, had by his wife,
Katherine, daughter of Sir William Sinclair of Herdmanstoun,
two sons. The elder, Sir John Seton of Seton, was ancestor of
the Earls of Winton, attainted 1716, of the Earls of
Dunfermline, Lords of Fyvie and Urquhart, attainted 1690, and
of the Viscounts of Kingston, attainted 1715. The second son
was the ancestor of the Seton’s of Strathbogie and of Garioch
(p. 112).
Sir Alexander Seton
married, circa 1408, Elizabeth de Gordon, heiress of Gordon,
and became Lord Gordon, and their sons were Alexander, 1st
Earl of Huntly; William, 1st Seton Baron of the Lordship of
Meldrum; and Henry, killed along with his brother William in
the battle of Brechin (1452).
The Seton's of Meldrum
I. – William Seton
married Elizabeth de Meldrum, heiress of Meldrum, whose mother
was a daughter of the Earl of Sutherland. He fell in the
battle of Brechin, in 1452 (p. 112).
II. – Alexander Seton
2nd of Meldrum, their son, married Muriel, daughter
of Sutherland, ancestor of the Lord Duffus. He was served
heir to his mother in 1456.
III. – William Seton 3rd
of Meldrum was put in possession of the estate in his father’s
lifetime, but predeceased him. He and his wife, Elizabeth,
daughter of Alexander Leslie of Wardes, had a charter of
Balcairn, in 1490. She married John Collison, Provost of
Aberdeen, after the decease of her husband, William Seton (p.
138).
IV. – Alexander Seton
4th of Meldrum (p. 137), son of William, was, in
1512, served heir to his grandfather in the Lordship of
Meldrum. He was killed at Aberdeen in 1527. He married – 1st
Agnes, daughter of Patrick Gordon of Haddo, ancestor of the
Earls of Aberdeen, and had by her two sons, William of Meldrum
and Alexander of Mounie. By his second wife, Janet, daughter
and co-heiress of George Leith of Barnes he had John Seton of
Blair, who got a charter, in 1526, of the lands of Auchleven
(whence he began the house later known as Licklyhead),
Drumrossy, and others, inheriting also Blair from his mother.
V. – William Seton 5th
of Meldrum, served heir to his father Alexander in 1533,
married (first) Janet, daughter of James Gordon of Lesmoir,
and by her had three sons – Alexander of Meldrum, John of
Lumphard, afterwards of Mounie, and William of Slatie (Slattie).
By his second wife, Margaret, daughter of Innes of Leuchars,
he had two sons – George Seton of Barra and James Seton of
Pitmedden. William Seton of Meldrum died in 1571.
VI. – Alexander Seton
6th of Meldrum, served heir to his father William,
3rd May 1581, married twice. His first wife,
Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander Irvine of Drum, bare him one
son, Alexander, who married, in 1584, Christian, daughter of
Michael Fraser of Stoneywood, and a daughter, Elizabeth –
afterwards heiress of Meldrum, and ancestor of the Urquharts
of Meldrum. He died before his father, having been killed in
1590 (p.151). The second marriage of Alexander, 6th
of Meldrum, was with Jean, daughter of Alexander, 6th
Lord Abernethy of Saltoun. Two sons were born of it – John ;
and William, the last Seton of Meldrum – and two daughters,
Margaret, wife of Chalmers of Balbithan, and Isabel, wife of
Erksine of Pittodrie.
VII. – John Seton 7th
of Meldrum succeeded his father, and married Lady Grizel
Stewart, but died without issue, about 1619, and was succeeded
by,
VIII. – William Seton
8th of Meldrum, his brother, who married Ann,
daughter of James Crichton of Frendraught. Having no
children, he settled the estate, in 1635, upon Patrick
Urquhart of Lethinty, the son of his niece, Elizabeth Seton,
by her marriage with John Urquhart of Craigfintry, Tutor of
Cromarty, contracted in 1610.
Patrick Urquhart,
first Urquhart of Meldrum, succeeded about 1636. His mother,
in her widowhood married Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth,
afterwards tenth Lord Saltoun, and had a son, Alexander, who
died Master of Saltoun, in 1682, and was the father of
William, eleventh Lord Saltoun.
Arms: - Seton (Meldrum,
co. Aberdeen; heiress m. Urquhart, of Craigfintry).
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, or, three
crescents within a double tressure flory counterflory gu.
; 2nd and 3rd, argent, a demi
otter sable issuing out of a bar wavy crowned gules,
for Meldrum.
Seton of Mounie.
First Line. Pp. 141-231. (Representative of the Seton of
Meldrum Line)
I.
– John Seton of Lumphard, son of William Seton, fifth
of Meldrum, and Nephew of Alexander Seton, Vicar of Bethelnie,
Chancellor of the Diocese of Aberdeen, got the separate farms
of the lands of Mounie, which had been held partly by his
father and partly by his uncle, under Episcopal Charter of
1556, united under a Great Seal Charter in 1575. He married a
daughter of John Panton of Pitmedden, and dying about 1596,
left a son (*who succeeded him, as well as another son,
John, who was Chamberlain to Lord Fyvie, the 1st Earl of
Dunfermline at Fyvie Castle - see the Nova Scotia Family),
II.
– William Seton of Mounie; who was served heir in 1597;
and, in 1598, was admitted an honorary burgess of Aberdeen, at
the request of Alexander Seton, Lord Fyvie. He married Helen,
daughter and heiress of Udny of that Ilk; and in 1623, under
the designation of William Seton of Udny, he sold Mounie to
John Urquhart of Craigfintry and Elizabeth Seton, his wife,
heiress of Meldrum. Their son, Patrick Urquhart, disponed
Mounie in 1636-7 to Mr. Robert Farquhar, - whose heirs lost
the lands by bankruptcy in 1702; when they became temporarily
the property of Alexander Hay of Arnbath, and were
re-purchased, in 1714, by George Seton, ancestor of the
present Setons of Mounie. William Seton had two sons –
William Seton of Menie and Alexander Seton of Kinloch, which
last died in 1672.
III.
– William Seton, called of Menie (Meanie), in Buchan,
son of William of Mounie and Helen Udny, married Margaret
Graham, daughter of Sir Robert Graham of Morphie, and had a
son,
IV.
– William Seton of Menie, whose son,
V.
– James Seton, last of Menie, died without issue in
1707, when the line was represented by
VI.
– (Captain) Robert Seton, son of Alexander
Seton, of Kinloch, the second son of William Seton of Mounie
and Helen Udny.
VII.
– Robert Seton, his son, was the last of the (Menie-Meldrum)
line, and commonly called “of Mexico” in Belhelvie (parish).
Setons of Mounie. Second Line. P. 231.
I.
– George Seton, Advocate, who was the second son of Sir
Alexander Seton (a Lord of Session, by the Title of Lord
Pitmedden), having inherited a considerable provision from his
mother, purchased Mounie. By his second wife, Ann, daughter
of John Leslie of Tocher, grandson of James Leslie of Warthill,
he had a son and several daughters, of whom Isabela married
Dr. Skene Ogilvy, minister of Old Machar. He died about 1763.
II.
– William Seton, the son, succeeded his father, but
died unmarried, and was succeeded by his sister, Margaret
Seton, wife of James Anderson, LL.D., of Cobenshaw, who, in
terms of succession, assumed the name of Seton. Their son
became:
III.
– Alexander Seton of Mounie (born 1769, died 1850). He
married, in 1810, his cousin, Janet Skene, daughter of the
above named Dr. Skene Ogilvie, and had three sons – Alexander,
David and George. George, a Major in the Army, married
Anne-Lucy, daughter of Baldwin Wake, Esq., grandson of Sir
William Wake of Courteen Hall, Northamptonshire, seventh
Baronet, and has issue – Alexander, David.
IV.
– Alexander Seton, Colonel in the Army, was the
commander of the troops on board the troop-ship ‘Birkenhead,’
which was wrecked, 26th February, 1852, near the
Cape of Good Hope, when Colonel Seton and almost all on board
perished. He was succeeded by his brother,
V.
– David Seton, of Mounie, formerly an Officer in the 93rd
Highlanders and 49th Regiment.
Arms: - Seton (Mounie, co. Aberdeen). As
Pitmedden, with a crescent az. in the centre of the
quarters.
The Setons of Blair. P.418.
John Seton of , son of Alexander Seton,
fourth of Meldrum, and his second wife, Janet Leith, daughter
and co-heiress of George Leith of Barnes, inherited Blair (Aberdeenshire) from his mother. His descendants cannot be traced
continuously.
William Seton of Blair was a
burgess of Aberdeen in 1595; and superior of Licklyhead.
William Seton of Blair was served
heir to his father William in 1612 and 1616. He had a
brother, Alexander, admitted a burgess of Aberdeen, 20th
September, 1619.
George Seton of Blair, in 1651,
protested against the appointment of an assistant and
successor to the minister of Bourtie. His daughters, Margaret
and Elizabeth, were served heirs portioners in the lands of
Blair in 1661; and are so stated in the Poll Book, 1696.
George seems to have been a physician, and was regarded by
the Church Courts as a propagator of Romanism.
The Setons of Schethin and of Disblair
Individuals of the two Aberdeenshire
families of the name of Seton – viz., Setons of Schethin and
of Disblair (connected with the Seton’s of Meldrum) – appear
in the Spalding Club publications. The Abreviates of Retours
of Service contain the following notices: -
April 26th, 1623 – William Seton
of Disblair, heir portioner of Andrew Tulliduff of that Ilk,
his grandfather on the mother’s side. Feb. 27th,
1658 – William Seton, sometime of Easter Disblair, heir male
and of taillzie of John Seton of Easter Disblair, his brother,
in the lands of Easter Disblair and the Mill of Cavill, within
the Regality of St. Andrews.
Oct. 4th, 1625 – To
George Seton of Schethin deceased, his son, William Seton of
Schethin, served heir in various lands, 4th
October. June 26th, 1668 – Mr. William Seton,
Rector of Logie Buchan, server heir to his brother, Mr. John
Seton, Minister of the Church of Foveran, in the lands of
Schethin, in the parish of Tarves, 26th June. Nov.
1st, 1672 – James Seton, son of Mr. William Seton,
Minister at Logie Buchan, served heir to his said father, in
the lands of Schethin, in the parish of Tarves.
Seton of Bourtie, Now of Pitmedden. P.230.
Mr. George Seton of Barra, Chancellor of
Aberdeen, and his brother and heir, were the sons of William
Seton, fifth of Meldrum, by his second wife, Margaret,
daughter of Innes of Leuchars. William Seton of Meldrum, the
Chancellors nephew, was, in 1627, served heir male to him in
Barra, - which must have meant part of Barra, as James Seton
was, in 1598, styled portioner of Barra.
I.
– James Seton, portioner of Barra, in 1598, acquired
from the Barclays of Towie the lands of Auld Bourtie, with the
Mill, Hillbrae, Selbie, and Lochtulloch; which two last
properties were afterwards sold to Sir George Johnston of
Caskieben. He married Margaret, grand-daughter of Mr. William
Rolland, Master of the Mint at Aberdeen to King James V. In
1619, in a Crown charter of Auchmore, &c., he was styled of
Pitmedden.
II.
– Alexander Seton of Pitmedden, his son (served heir to
him in 1628), married Beatrix, daughter of Sir Walter Ogilvy
of Dunglass, sister of George, first Lord Banff. He had a
charter in 1630 of the estate of Barra disponed to him by
William Seton, last of Meldrum. He was succeeded by his son,
III.
– John Seton of Pitmedden, the Royalist soldier; who,
in 1633 shortly after succeeding, married Elizabeth, daughter
of Sir Samuel Johnston of Elphinston, by whom he had two
sons. He fell in battle at the Bridge of Dee, in June, 1639,
with the Royal Standard in his hands, and was buried with
military honours by the Covenanters’ General, the Earl of
Montrose. His two sons, James and Alexander, left fatherless
very young, were taken charge of by the Earl of Winton, their
mother marrying the Earl of Hartfell. The boys were educated
at Marischal College, and both attained some eminence.
“Bonnie John” of Pitmedden’s elder son,
IV.
– James Seton of Pitmedden entered the Navy, after
having spent some time in foreign travel. He fought in the
victory obtained over the Dutch by the Duke of York, off
Harwich in 1665. He died of wounds received in another naval
engagement, in 1667. He had sold Bourtie, in 1657, to Mr.
James Reid, Advocate, Aberdeen. He was married, but died
without issue in London. His brother,
V.
– Sir Alexander Seton, a Judge oft eh Court of Session,
by the title of Lord Pitmedden, under Charles II., was his
successor in Pitmedden. He was Knighted in 1664, and
appointed a Judge in 1677. He served in several Parliaments
for Aberdeenshire; and in 1684 Charles II. Bestowed upon him
the rank of Baronet. After the Revolution, King William
offered him his old position of Judge, but he declined,
thinking acceptance incompatible with the oaths previously
taken. He married Margaret, daughter of William Lauder, one
of the Clerks of Session, and had, besides several other
children, two sons – Sir William, his heir, and Mr. George
Seton, Advocate, first of the second Setons of Mounie. Sir
Alexander died at a very advanced age, in 1719. Of three
daughters, Elizabeth married Sir Alexander Wedderburn of
Blackness, Bart.; Margaret married Sir John Lauder of
Fountainhall, Bart.; and Anne married William Dick of Grange.
The Baronets, Dick Lauder of Grange, descend from a son of
Margaret and a daughter Anne.
VI.
– Sir William Seton, second Baronet of Pitmedden, who
in his father’s lifetime represented Aberdeenshire in the
Scottish Parliament from 1702 to 1706, (when Queen Anne
appointed him one of the Commissioners about the union between
Scotland and England,) married Katherine, daughter of Sir
Thomas Burnet of Leys, and had five sons and four daughters.
He died in 1744, and was succeeded by three of his five sons,
and by a son of his fifth son. Two of his daughters married;
Margaret becoming the wife of Sir John Paterson, Bart.; and
Katherine, the wife of Rev. – Forbes.
VII.
– Sir Alexander Seton of Pitmedden succeeded his father
as third Baronet. He was an Officer in the Guards, and died,
s.p., at Pitmedden House, in July, 1750, aged 47.
VIII.
- Sir William Seton of Pitmedden, fourth Baronet,
succeeded his brother, but died s.p.
IX.
– Sir Archibald Seton of Pitmedden, fifth Baronet,
succeeded his brother. He was in the Royal Navy. He died,
s.p.
X.
– Sir William Seton of Pitmedden, sixth Baronet, son of
Charles Seton, the fifth son of the second Baronet, succeeded
his uncle, Sir Archibald. Sir William married Margaret,
daughter of James Ligertwood of Tillery, and had issue – 1,
Charles, died young; 2, James, Major in the 92nd
Highlanders, killed in the Peninsular War, 1814. He married
Frances, daughter of Captain George Coote, nephew of Sir Eyre
Coote, and had issue, William Coote, who succeeded his
grandfather. Sir William died in 1819, and was succeeded by
his grandson,
XI.
– Sir Wiliam Coote Seton of Pitmedden, seventh Baronet,
who was admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates,
Edinburgh, in 1831. He married, in 1834, Eliza Henrietta,
daughter of Henry Lumsden of Cushnie, county Aberdeen, and
relict of Captain John Wilson, H.E.I.C.S., and had issue: - 1,
James Lumsden, Captain 102nd Foot (retired); 2,
William Samuel, major, Bombay Staff Corps, married Eva Kate
St. Leger, only daughter of Colonel Hastings Wood, C.B., and
has issue; 3, Henry, in Holy Orders, died, unmarried, in 1867;
4, Matthew, Barrister-at-Law, married Theresa Prudence Rose,
only daughter of Mr. Pierre Bonnet; 5, Charles; daughters – 1,
Eliza, wife of David Bryce Brown, Esq., M.D.; 2, Magdalen
Frances, wife of Arthur Talbot Bevan, Esq.; 3, Frances.
Arms; - Seton (Pitmedden, co. Aberdeen,
bart., 1684). Quarterly, 1st and 4th,
or, three crescents, and in the centre a man’s heart
distilling blood, the whole within a double tressure flory and
counterflory gu., for Seton; 2nd and 3rd,
ar. a demi otter sa. crowned or issuing
out of a bar wavy of the second, for Meldrum. Crest – A demi
man in military habit, holding the banner of Scotland,
proper. Supporters – Dexter, a deerhound argent
collared – gu. charged with a crescent or; sinister, an
otter sa. Mottos – Above the crest: Sustento
sanguine signa; below the arms: Merces haec certa
laborum. |
