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THE STUART BARONS, JOHN
ROY, AND THE COUNT OF MAIDA.
This interesting
parish, now given up almost entirely to sport, was once the centre
of poetry, song, and activity.
I have note of a very
early charter, without date, but from the names of the witnesses,
circa 1296-1307. It is a conveyance, in very loose description, of
lands which appear to read "Corncarn." The original was communicated
on the 11th of August, 1815, to the well-known antiquarian
collector, General Hutton, by "Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon,
Inverness-shire," no doubt of Invertromie, and as it is included
among Inverness-shire charters, I have concluded that it applies to
the ancient barony of Kincairn or Kincardine, and was part of the
Gordon muniments.
It is right to say
that I have noticed a farm to let a century ago called "Corncairne,"
in the county of Banff; but being merely a farm, I do not suppose it
is identical with the lands in this ancient charter. It is granted
by Sir William de Soulis to Sir William of Abernethy of all and
whole his lands of Corncairn, also his other land which he held in
exchange from Sir Thomas de Colville, videlicet, the lands some time
held by Sir Walter de Umphraville of and under two Kings of
Scotland," and are not further described, by parish or county. The
witnesses are Robert, Bishop of Glasgow, Sir John, Abbot of Jedburgh,
Sir Alexander de Ballo, Sir Thomas de Colville, and Hugh de
Scoresby.
Kincardine was
afterwards possessed by the Wolf of Badenoch, and descended to one
of his illegitimate sons. The Stuarts of Kincardine were Free
Barons, and ruled in Abernethy for about 300 years, when, according
to Shaw, a weak proprietor sold it, or rather was cozened into
selling it to the first Duke of Gordon.
As the names of the
various owners are given in Stuart's genealogies, I merely note the
names of such as I have myself observed.
In 1520 there is
notice of Donald, Baron of Kincardine; in 1544 John is served heir
to his father Donald, and is living in 1561. To this John succeeded
Walter; and in 1602 John of Kincardine, eldest son of Walter,
appears. In 1642 Duncan, son of John is found; his brother Patrick
is served heir to his brother Duncan in 1657, and I rather think
that it was this Patrick, styled "of Kincardine" in 1661, who parted
with the estate.
A branch of the
Stuarts settled at Inverness, and was represented in 1745 by Bailie
John Stuart, a noted Jacobite, frequently referred to in the
Jacobite histories. The Bailie's grandson, I understand, was
Lieutenant-General Sir John Stuart, Count of Maida; a most
distinguished officer, regarding whom the following notice appeared
in the London Gazette -
"Whitehall, May 14,
1813.
His Royal Highness
the Prince Regent has been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of
His Majesty, to grant unto Lieutenant-General Sir John Stuart,
Count of Maida, Knight Companion of the Most Honourable Military
Order of the Bath, His Majesty's royal license and permission, that,
in compliance with the desire of His Majesty Ferdinand the Fourth,
King of the two Sicilies, he may accept, and that he and his
descendants may bear the following honourable armorial augmentation,
viz., in chief of his and their arms the Royal Scilian Eagle, with
the royal cypher, ensigned with the Crown of his Sicilian Majesty on
the breast thereof; and as a crest the same Eagle charged as
aforesaid ' ; the said distinction having been granted by His
Sicilian Majesty to the said Sir John Stuart, as a signal mark of
his royal favour and esteem, and in order to perpetuate in his
family and to posterity the remembrance of the great, important, and
highly distinguished services rendered by him to the Crown of Sicily
on divers occasions whilst commanding the British Army, serving in
defence of his dominions, and particularly in the year 1810, (an era
to be ever memorable in the annals of Sicily) when a most formidable
attempt upon that Kingdom, by a powerful enemy, was repelled by the
valour and firmness of the British forces in co-operation with the
faithful and zealous exertions of His Sicilian Majesty's own brave
and loyal subjects ; the said armorial distinctions being first duly
exemplified according to the laws of arms, and recorded in the
Herald's Office."
Though long
disconnected with Kincardine it is understood that there are several
representatives of the family in existence, including the gallant
Sir Donald Stuart, and it is hoped that Mr William Mackay, who has
had the matter before him, will find time to write a full and
suitable account of this ancient family. So much has been written
about Colonel John Roy Stuart that there is not much new to say ;
but though somewhat lengthy, relating as they do to the 'Forty-five,
events of never-dying interest to Highlanders, I give certain
extracts from the collections of the late Mr John Anderson, W.S.,
made from personal researches and observations, written down about
seventy years ago—
"On the morning of
the battle of Culloden, John Roy was exceedingly anxious that the
army should take up a position at Dalmagarrie, several miles to the
south of the River Nairn, and beyond a pass where cavalry and
artillery of the enemy would be useless. Lord Elcho, who commanded a
party of Life Guards, even went to the Prince to solicit that the
command on that day be conceded to John Roy Stuart, and that his
plans should guide them. The Prince's answer was to this purport—'
He had given his word that he would fight where he was, and it could
not be violated; moreover, he had promised Lord George Murray that
he should lead the battle, and he had too many men, besides ten
pieces of cannon, to cause him to be slighted. Stuart himself asked
that nobleman what was to be the upshot of opposing the English to
such disadvantage. His words were—'You'll soon see Stuart, we'll
make short work of it,' a reply which subsequent events led the
Highlanders, and especially John Roy, to believe smacked of
treachery. Lord Elcho afterwards found the Prince in a cabin beside
the river Nairn, surrounded by Irishmen, and deaf to his entreaties
to rally the fugitives and again to make head. Hence the muster at
Ruthven on the 18th and 19th of 9000 Highlanders came to nought.
John Roy Stuart took refuge in a wild cave near Rothiemurchus. A
natural son of his, by name Charles Stuart (afterwards an officer in
the English army) brought him his victuals daily to the cave, in
front of which ran a mountain stream. Coming on one occasion early
in the morning on his usual errand, he met a party of soldiers,
headed by a Lieutenant, making for his father's p1-ice of
concealmeat. With instinctive sagacity he at once guessed their
purpose, and picking up acquaintance with a little drummer, who
could hardly drag his weary limbs along under the weight of his
drum, he offered the boy some of the food which, he said, he was
carrying to the hills for his own breakfast whilst he tended his
master's cattle if he would tell him what sort of an instrument that
was he carried. The poor lad, glad to relieve his hunger at so cheap
a rate, twisted round his drum and beat two or three flourishes on
it. This was all young Stuart wanted. The officer in command in a
hasty tone chid the little musician, and said he had spoiled their
labour, for the game was scared! And so it was : on the first stroke
John Roy leapt at one bound out of the cave to the opposite side of
the burn; there crouching under a tree whilst he firmly grasped his
broadsword he awaited the soldiers' approach. But they had turned
back, rightly conjecturing that the cave was empty. Stuart
dislocated his ankle in the leap, but with great personal strength
and acute pain reset it tearing off his shirt to make a bandage.
Then crawling through the water he ascended to his erie. It was
whilst lying under a tree, his wounded foot dangling in the water,
that he composed the prayer in Gaelic, so much admired in the
Highlands in the last age, which goes by his name."
Other localities, it
is right to say, claim the spot of John Roy's concealment. I follow
Mr Anderson, who was a careful observer with trained intellect, who
wrote at a comparatively recent date and free from bias, whether as
regarded peoples or localities. Another recent Collector says "Upon
another occasion word was brought to this gallant soldier that his
mother had died in Rannoch. Bent on personally beholding the last
rites paid to her remains, he assumed the long gown and the limping
gait of one of the privileged Bedesmen who then roamed from place to
place. As he came through the forest of Drimochter he encountered
two English officers. With a feigned tale of distress he demanded
charity of them, the better to keep up his assumed character. One of
them cursed him for a Highland rascal and passed on ; but the other
gave him a trifle, which he was in the act of pocketing when his
gown, raised too high, disclosed part of his broadsword. 'We have
got a rebel here,' shouted the officer to his companion in advance,
'let us take the villan.' 'That you never shall,' retorted Stuart,
as drawing a pistol from his belt he shot the speaker dead. His
friend hastened to revenge him, but he met more than his match and
called for mercy, which Roy granted on condition that he reported to
the Duke of Cumberland he owed his life to him."
"John Roy was a
famous poet and composer of music, much of both being repeated and
sung at the time, and the reel 'John Roy Stuart' is one of the
finest reels which is now played. He added much to the music of
Strathspey, and gave it such a character that it will now stand for
ages." (Farr .MS. collections, 1834.)
THE ABERNETHY
REMOVALS.
The Parish of
Abernethy was latterly possessed by two proprietors. Kincardine
began to suffer from the moment it became the property of the
Gordons. Wood grew there naturally to magnificent proportions, and
the desire to convert it into money brought about the settlement of
hard and unsympathetic Southrons, who deemed it much to their
advantage to get rid of the inhabitants. Further, the people were
Roman Catholics and, with the zeal of converts or perverts, the
Gordons having changed themselves, persecuted the people by the
conditions in their leases against papists! Then followed
considerable depopulation by large sheep farmers, culminating in the
Barony being ultimately converted into a deer forest. The Valuation
Roll for 1896-97 gives a total rent of £1678 195 6d from 18
subjects, whereof not less than £1310 is for forest rent alone.
The Grants have
treated their part of Abernethy in no better spirit First, the area
for timber growing has been much increased at the cost of the
agricultural occupants, while, worst of all, the occupants have in
many cases, such as Tulloch and Garten, been removed to make room
for a deer forest. By favour one may drive up from Nethy-Bridge
towards the northern slopes of the Grampians and cross over into the
Glenmore or Kincardine forest, coming out at Rothiemurchus. A finer
drive cannot be imagined, nor can grander pines be seen in
Strathspey; but alas, along this beautiful line of road the
traveller passes much arable land of considerable extent, going back
yearly to sour pasture, with the ruins of houses, I might say
townships, standing out gaunt and bleak, guilty memorials of the
destroyer.
These ruined
localities, given up to sport of an isolated and selfish character,
were once the abode of a cheerful and happy people, imbued with the
romance of their magnificent surroundings, breaking out into song
and poetic feeling, as may be evidenced by the mere name, which I
preserve from extinction, of one little streamlet of water, "Ruith
bhrist cridhe"—The run of the broken heart.
The life and
prosperity in and about Nethy-Bridge testify most strongly as to
what could be done if the whole district were permitted to be opened
up. Is it to be, and by whom? |
