The Family
of the Seton's
of Meldrum
There are various records for the Seton's of Meldrum not only in Scotland, but
also in France and in Rome. The Scots College at Douai, for example, lists
records for "Baroni de Meldrum" stemming after the beginning of the 15th
century.
William Seton, 2nd Seton Laird of Mounie,
of the family of Meldrum, was Regius Professor of Jurisprudence at Angiers and was one of the greatest lawyers of his age. He was residing
at Rome when Dempster wrote his History (c. 1627). William was also
mentioned by Francisque-Michel, in his writing, "Les
Ecossais en France", (ii. 295) as "le docteur William Seton", one of the most learned men of his time - a
distinguished "jurisconsulte", and, in the opinion of his contemporaries, "le flambeau de l'epoque". William
also wrote a volume on the life of Chancellor Alexander Seton entitled the Life of Chancellor Seton, which Dempster
refers to in his History. He mentions it as by, "Gulielmus Setonius,
J.C.., Alexandri consanguineus, et olim familiaris",
which was intended to be published by William and not fulfilled.
John Seton, of Lumphart, Broomhill and
Mounie in Aberdeenshire was the second son of William Seton, 5th Seton Laird of
Meldrum by his wife Janet Gordon of Lesmoir in
Aberdeenshire. John Seton held the two former lands confirmed by a Charter under the Great Seal in 1575, and retained
the lands of Mounie under a Charter dated 1597. John married Marjory Panton (Patton?) of
Pitmedden and had a son, William Seton of Mounie and also a son John Seton.
William Seton of Mounie married the heiress Helen Udny of Udny and thereby sold
Mounie to John Urquhart of Craigfintry and his wife, Elizabeth Seton of Meldrum,
and became William Seton of Udny. He had two sons, William Seton of Menie
and Alexander Seton of Kinloch (d. 1672).
John Seton of
Auquorthies: Chamberlain to the
Earl of Dunfermline, his portrait is at Mounie Castle in
Aberdeenshire. He was also mentioned in the funeral of
Chancellor Seton in 1622, as then being of Menie, "John Seaton of
Menies Chamberland of Fyvie". By 1638, he is settled at
Aquhorthies, where the Skene family papers record him having sent
wood to aid his cousin, wife of the Laird of Tibertis.
He is remembered in the family papers of the Skene's of Rubislaw
as:
"Letter from John Seton to Laird of
Tibertis (Tipperty) sending wood to aid cure for the gravel for
his cousin John Skene's wife, dated at Auchquhorty, 17 June 1638".
Alexander Seton of
Mounie, of the family of Meldrum married Isabel Leslie of Balquain in the late 1400’s
or early 1500’s. She was the daughter of William Leslie of Balquain who
succeded in 1496 and who’s wife was Elizabeth Ogilvie of Boyne (dau. of Sir
Walter Ogilvie of Boyne). Alexander Seton was Chancellor of
Aberdeen and Vicar of Bethelme.
William Seton
(Seaton) of Udny and Menie (Menies/Meanies)
of the Seton's of Meldrum family line, is
mentioned in the
funeral account of
Alexander Seton, Chancellor of Scotland and 1st Earl
of Dunfermline, in 1622. It is mentioned in the funeral account of
Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline and Chancellor of Scotland, that William Seton of Oudnie (Udny) and
the, "Good Men of Mounie" carried the arms of the House of Hamilton of Sorn in the procession, 19th July, 1622 (Memoirs
of Chancellor Seton, by George Seton, Rep. of Cariston, 1882). This William Seton was
son of John Seton, 1st of Mounie. The only other reference that
I have been able to find is in Land Ownership Records for Belhelvie.
In 1629, William
Seton bought the lands and barony of Menies, Aberdeenshire, from George Gordon.
He
married Margaret Graham and had a son John Seton of Udny,
born about 1630. He lost the lands of Menie in 1633, whereby his creditor,
Robert Graham of Morphie, was granted his lands. In 1696, James Seton
(Seaton) re-acquired the lands, though no further details are known.
James Seton of
Menie (Meanie):
James Seton, last of Seton Meanies / Menie had a sister, Margaret Seton,who married Thomas Fraser of Cairnbulg (born 1649 ?) as his second wife.
James died without issue in 1707 and the line's representation
passed to Robert Seton, son of Alexander Seton of Kinloch.
..A5 Thomas Fraser of
Cairnbulg, b probably 1649, m 1st (contract 23 June
1680) Margaret, elder dtr of Robert Forbes of Ludquhairn, Tutor of
Craigievar, and m 2nd Margaret Seton, sister of James Seton
of Meanie, and had by his 1st wife issue:
....b1. Margaret Fraser m (contract 2 December 1699) Sir
James Innes of Orton, Bt.
....b2. Jean Fraser
....b3. Sophia Fraser
....A6 James Fraser, d young, probably before 26 June 1676
....a2. Margaret Fraser m (contract 5 June 1679) Thomas
Gordon of Newark, MD
....a3. Elizabeth Fraser
Thomas Seton of
Manx, buried in Kirk Malew, Ilse of Man, 1743, Thos. Seton, son of John Seaton,
goldsmith, in Edinburgh, of the family of Meldrum, descended from the Setons, Earls of
Winton, in East Lothian, 10th February.
John Seaton of
Disblair
He is mentioned in the
record of the trial of the murder of William Mackintosh as a juror
appointed by the Gordon's, Earl of Huntly, along with William
Seton (Seaton) of Meldrum (and others), on August 2, 1550.
William Seton of
Schethin: William was born circa 1585
and married Janet Cheyne. Janet Chene was born circa 1590, and
they married circa 1615.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cheyne/earlychn/nindex.htm
George Seton of
Schethin - c.1616 (witness)
He may well be the same George Seton of Barra, which likelyhood is
made clearer by the account of the funeral of Chancellor Seton in
1622, where he is given as: "Mr. George Seaton of Barha, the Laird
of Schethim Seaton". He is previously recorded in 1616, in this year an Obligation is recorded in the Sheriff Court
Books of Aberdeenshire on 20th May, 1616, by James Curour in Kinmunite as
principal, and Alexander Robertson, Minister at Aboyne, Alexander
Curour in Kinmunite, and George Gordon in Woodend of Birse,
Cautioners for 200 merks. The witnesses are George Seton of
Schethin; William Dunn, Muirtown of Bourtie; Magnes Cadonheid,
son to Andrew Cadonheid in Cortanes of Drum; Andrew Murray,
son to Thomas Murray, Burgess, Aberdeen; and Andrew Clark,
Procurator.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sommers/3_decendents_of_drum.txt
Alexander
Seaton of Cuttle-Craigs, Lethenty, Daviot Parish, Aberdeenshire.
He is mentioned in
Quaker writings in Ulster Ireland and Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He was born circa 1652,
at Cuttlecraigs, near Lumphart in Daviot parish, and died in 1723
in Hillsborough, Co. Down, Ireland. His father was John Seaton
of the family of Meldrum.
His four sons, Thomas, John, James and Andrew, went to Ireland first and
then later to
Pennsylvania and Virginia, as did his daughter Ruth. Thomas
remained in Ireland. John married
a Jane Edwards in Scotland and learned the Tailor trade, James was
engaged in Linen manufacturing in Drogheda, Ireland, and Andrew
kept a Public House in Ireland and became quite wealthy, although
he was shipwrecked off Sable Island off of the coast of Nova
Scotia and lost everything. Ruth
married James Miller of Armagh, Ireland on Feb. 10, 1734, his
second wife, in London Grove Pennsylvania. Alexander was an
eminent minister of Friends in Ireland, son of John Seaton, of the Seatons of Meldrum, was born about
1652, at Cuttle-Craggs, near Lethinty and Lumphart, in the Parish of Daviot,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and was brought up a scholar, studying for
some time in the college in the old town of Aberdeen. Here in
1675, he became convinced of the Quaker principles and was
frequently engaged at that time in their activities in Ulster.
Finally, from Glasgow,
in 1699, he removed to Ireland, making his residence at
Hillsborough, County Down. He died 1 Mo. 1723.--Rutty, Leadbeater,
Piety, Promoted.
The Society of Friends in Lisburn, Ireland.
Immigration of the Irish Quakers into
Pennsylvania
1682-1750 With Their
Early History in Ireland
New Garden Monthly Meeting
In Chester County. Established in 1718, from Newark or Kennett.
Received 9 Mo. 24, 1733, from Ballinderry Meeting, Ireland.
George Seton was parson of Belhelvie during the 15th
century. His Arms were in the wall of the Prebends House and noted in the
history of the Belhelvie Parish in Aberdeen.
John Seton of Newark
His daughter Jean Seton married
Alexander Abercrombie in 1670. Alexander Abercromby, succeeding Hector, his
father, had a papal charter of Fetternear. He married Jean, daughter of John
Seton of Newark, and by her had Francis Abercromby, their eldest son, who
succeeded to Fetternear. He married Anna, Baroness Sempill, who died in 1698.
Francis Abercromby was in 1685 created Lord Glasfoord, for his own lifetime only.
He sold Fetternear to Patrick Leslie of Balquhain in 1690. His descendants by
Lady Sempill bear the title of Baron Sempill. Francis Abercromby of
Fetterneir, who after having married the heiress of the Lord Sempill, was himself
created Lord Glasford, AD MDCLXXXV. He was the author of "The Martial
Atchievements of the Scotish Nation," in two volumes.