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CRAIGIE –
Additional to the notices of families of this surname given earlier.
In Orkney there was a
family of Craigie from an early period. The first of whom any notice has
been found in James of Craigy, dominus de Hupe, who married a daughter
of Henry Sinclair, earl of Orkney. He is supposed to have accompanied
that noble to Orkney, when he received an investiture of the earldom
from the king of Denmark, in 1379, and was probably a son of John de
Craigie and Margaret de Mondofe. Of that marriage, besides a daughter,
there were at least 2 sons. Of date 1367-8, there is a safe conduct
granted by Edward III. to various Scottish men, and among these is John
de Craigy, armigere de Scot. He was one of the barons present at the
coronation of Robert II. at Scone, March 27, 1371. In the 2d year of
that reign there is a charter in his favour of the lands of Kyledeleth,
and a grant by the same king to his beloved and faithful John de Craigy
pro fideli servicio nobis impenso et impendendo, of 40 merks sterling
yearly to him and his heirs from us and our heirs to be heritably
secured, &c. This John de Craigy had an only daughter, Margaret, domina
de Craigie, heiress of Craigie and Braidwood, who married Sir John
Stewart, ancestor of the Stewarts of Craigiehall.
The family of Craigie
soon acquired property and great influence in Orkney, many of the name
filling the important office of Law-man in that county. The Craigies of
Burgh in Rousay were the principal family of the name till the beginning
of the 17th century, when it ended in co-heiresses. The representation
devolved on the Craigies of Gausay and Pabdale, and, on their failure in
an heiress, on the Craigies of Saviskail in Rousay, the last of whom
married a sister of Balfour of Trenabie, grandfather of David Balfour,
Esq. of Balfour and Trenabie.
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The ancient family of
Craigie of Kilgraston, in the parish of Dumbarnie, Perthshire, were
descended, according to family tradition, from James of Craigy above
named, and had emigrated from Orkney at an early period. Several members
of the family have held important legal appointments. Lawrence Craigie
of Kilgraston, eldest son of Lawrence Craigie of Kilgraston, by his
wife, Katherine Colville, daughter of Hon. William Colville, brother of
Robert, Lord Colville of Ochiltree, admitted advocate in 1712, was made
a baron of exchequer in 1747. He married Ann, daughter of Drummond of
Megginch, Perthshire. His eldest son, John Craigie of Kilgraston,
advocate, married his cousin, Anne, daughter of President Craigie, and
had several children.
His eldest son, Lawrence
Craigie of Kilgraston, was called to the bar in 1773. He sold Kilgraston
in 1784, and died in 1818.
The 2d son, Robert
Craigie, became a lord of session in 1811, under the title of Lord
Craigie, He died, unmarried, in 1834.
The third son, John
Craigie, Esq., was, for several years, commissary-general of Lower
Canada. He married Susan Coffin, widow of James Grant, Esq., and had a
numerous family. Their eldest son, John Craigie, Esq., advocate,
sheriff-substitute of Roxburghshire, is the representative of the
Craigies of Kilgraston.
Their 2d son,
Rear-admiral Robert Craigie, born in 1800, entered the royal navy as a
volunteer at eleven years of age, and after serving on the coast of
Africa, the West Indies, the Cape of Good Hope, the South American and
the East India stations, and participating in the capture of the Unites
States sloop-or-war Syren by H.M.S. Medway in 1814, the cutting out of a
Sardinian brig by the boats of the Naiad, from under the fire of the
batteries of Bona, and, in company with H.M.S. Cameleon, in the capture
of an Algerine brig in 1824, and various other services, was promoted to
the rank of lieutenant in January 1823, and to that of commander in
September 1828.
After obtaining his
commander rank, Captain Craigie devoted the next three years to study in
the Royal Naval college and at the university of Edinburgh, and the
addition which he made at this period to his general and scientific
information, proved of great service to him in the performance of the
various civil as well as strictly professional duties that afterwards
devolved upon him.
In December 1835 he was
appointed to the command of H.M.S. Scout, for service on the coast of
Africa, and on two occasions during his service on that station, he had
charge, for periods of 9 and 11 months respectively, of the squadron on
the West coast. In March 1837, his duties as senior officer called him
into the river Bonny, for the purpose of supporting British mercantile
interests; and, under circumstances of a very critical character, he
rendered services which met with the “entire approbation” of the
commander-in-chief, the admiralty, and the foreign office. In the year
1838, Captain Graigie again ascended the Bonny, with the ratification by
H.M. government of a treaty which, on his previous visit, he had
effected between himself, as the representative of Great Britain, and
King Peppel, the chief of that kingdom. Total abolition of slave
exportation, which previously had amounted to 20,000 slaves annually,
was one of the results of this important treaty, -- a fact which was
prominently alluded to by Lord Brougham, when presenting in 1860, to the
House of peers, a petition from the Anti-Slavery society, in favour of
King Peppel.
On his arrival in
England, he was rewarded with a post-commission, dated Nov. 7, 1839.
From 1847 to 1852, he was employed in directing the Relief operations in
Shetland, acting during the first two years as resident inspector, and
during the last two as inspector-general. In 1849 the very important
co-operative arrangement for the construction of the great lines of
roads in Shetland was placed under his charge. In the minutes of the
committee of management of the Edinburgh section of the Central Board
for the relief of Highland destitution, it is stated that “till the end
of 1850, he had the advantage of the presence of Captain Webb. R.E., as
government officer, under whom a staff of sappers and miners was placed.
During the last year Captain Webb was withdrawn, and Captain Craigie
most handsomely undertook his arduous duties, in addition to his no less
responsible and difficult position. The committee are satisfied that all
who have had an opportunity of judging of the character of Capt.
Craigie’s services will agree with them in thinking that his local
administration of Shetland has been most successful and beneficial to
the inhabitants, and that this result is mainly to be attributed to the
ability, good feeling, admirable judgment, and sound discretion which
Captain Craigie has shown in the execution of his arduous and delicate
duties.” In December 1858, Captain Craigie received directions to enroll
and organize the 5th division of the Royal naval coast volunteers in
Scotland, numbering 1,500 men. His name, while thus employed, was borne
on the books of the Fisgard. In this service he was completely
successful, and he received the thanks of the admiralty for his
exertions. In Nov. 1854 he was nominated superintendent of the packet
establishment at Southampton; and in Feb. 1855, during the heat of the
war in the Crimea, he received the new and important appointment of
chairman of the transport board, the arduous duties of which office he
performed with the greatest advantage to the country. On the dissolution
of the board, consequent on the termination of hostilities, he was
appointed, Nov. 13, 1856, superintendent of the Royal William
victualling yard and Royal naval hospital at Plymouth, where he remained
until Feb. 24, 1858, when, not having qualified for the active list – on
account of his employment in the civil service, in which, at the
instance of three first lords of the admiralty, he had reluctantly
sacrificed his fair prospects as a naval officer, to the exigencies of
the public requirements – he was placed on the list of reserved
rear-admirals. He married, April 28, 1842, Charlotte, 2d daughter of
Charles Grant, Esq., and niece of the Right Hon. Sir William Grant,
master of the rolls, with issue.
Lawrence Craigie, son of
Baron Craigie foresaid, was a writer to the signet, and about the middle
of last century purchased the estate of Dumbarnie from his relatives the
Halkett Craigies, afterwards mentioned. About 1780 he sold Dumbarnie to
his cousin, David Craigie, 3d son of President Craigie (see next
article). By his marriage with Miss Duncan of Lundie, sister of the 1st
Viscount Duncan of Camperdown, he had a large family. His son, Major
Thomas Craigie, was at the capture of Seringapatam; and among his
grandsons are, colonel John Craigie, formerly military secretary in
Bengal, and Major-general Peter Edmonstone Craigie, who at one time held
an important command in India.
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The Craigies of Glendoick,
in the Carse of Gowrie, descend from Robert Craigie, a younger brother
of Baron Craigie of Kilgraston, above-mentioned. Born in 1685, he was
admitted advocate in 1710, and after a successful career at the bar,
which enabled him to purchase the estate of Glendoick in 1726, he was
appointed lord advocate of Scotland in 1742. He held that important
office during the eventful period of the rebellion, 1745-6, and in 1754
he was raised to the bench as lord president of the court of session. He
died in 1760. A collection of interesting letters relating to the
“rising” in 1745, is preserved in the library at Glendoick, and there is
an excellent portrait of him by Allan Ramsay, painted in 1741. By his
marriage with Barbara, daughter and heiress of Charles Stewart of Carie,
a younger son of Stewart of Urrard, he had, with 3 daughters, 4 sons. 1.
Charles Craigie of Glendoick, who died unmarried. 2. John Craigie of
Glendoick, who was succeeded by his son, Laurence Craigie, Esq., present
proprietor, whose 2d son, Capt. A. Craigie, R.E., was killed before
Sebastopol. 3. David Craigie, Esq. of Dumbarnie, whose grandson, Robert
George Craigie, R.N., in command of H.M.S. Ringdove, made post captain
for gallant conduct in China, died at Yokohama, Japan, Sept. 15, 1862,
of cholera, and whose great-granddaughter is in possession of Dumbarnie.
4. Robert, died unmarried. Daughters; 1. Anne, married her cousin, John
Craigie of Kilgraston. 2. Cecilia, wife of Colonel Douglas of
Strathendry, Fifeshire. 3. Isabella, died unmarried.
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Coeval with the Craigies
of Kilgraston were the Craigies of Dumbarnie, in the parish of that
name, and besides owing their common origin to the family of Craigie in
Orkney, they were intimately connected by frequent intermarriages.
James Craigie, younger of
Dumbarnie, was one of the commissioners to parliament for Perthshire
from 1698 to 1701. His brother, John Craigie, professor of philosophy in
the university of St. Andrews, was proprietor of the lands of Hallhill,
&c., Fifeshire, and, under the provisions of a contract of mutual
entail, succeeded to the estate of Dumbarnie.
His son, John Craigie of
Dumbarnie, one of the lords of justiciary in Scotland, married Susan,
daughter of Sir John Inglis of Cramond, by Lady Susan Hamilton, daughter
of the 4th earl of Haddington, and was succeeded in his estates by his
eldest daughter, Anne, who married Charles Halkett, Esq., colonel in the
Dutch service and governor of Naumur. By deeds of settlement her husband
and his successors were obliged to assume the name and arms of Craigie
in addition to those of Halkett. This family is represented by Charles
Halkett Craigie Inglis, Esq. of Cramond. |
