Chapter 81
No. II.--THE PEDIGREE OF THE DERWENt.w.a.tER FAMILY. (_See Page 513._)
Francis Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Derwent.w.a.ter; died 1696;===Catherine Fenwick.
| +-------------------------------------------------------------------+-+-+-+--------+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | Francis, 2nd Earl of Derwent.w.a.ter; === Lady Mary Tudor; born 1673; Four sons; Four born ----; married 1687; died 1705. | mar. three times; died 1726. whose fates daughters.
| are unknown.
| +-------------------------------+---------+------------------------------------+ | | | | James, 3rd Earl===Anna Maria Francis; Charles === Charlotte, Countess of Mary === Mr.
Derwent.w.a.ter; | Webb; no Radcliffe;| Newburgh, in her own Tudor. | Petre, beheaded 1716; | born 1693; issue. beheaded | right, the descendants | of aged 26. | mar. 1712; 1746, | of her daughter in her | Belhouse.
| died 1723. aged 53. | first husband, Thomas | | | Clifford, being born No surviving issue.
| | aliens do not succeed.
| | She died 1755.
+---------------+ | | | | John, died Anne === Robert James, | unmarried, Radcliffe; | 8th Lord Petre; | about 1730. born 1713 | born 1713; | mar. 1732; | mar. 1732; | died 1760. | died 1742. +-----------------------+-----------+ | | | | | James Bartholomew,===Miss James; Mary; born===Francis +----------------------+ 4th Earl Newburgh; | Kemp. no issue; ----; mar. | Eyre, of | born 1725-6; mar. | died 1788. 1755; died | Ha.s.sop Robert, 9th Lord === Anne Howard; 1749; died 1786. | 1798. | Petre; b. 1733; | born 1742; | | mar. 1762; | mar. 1762; +------------+ | died 1801. | died 1787. | | | Anthony, === Miss Webb; | +---------------------------------+ 5th Earl | now | | | Newburgh; | living, | Robert, 10th === Mary Howard; Other b. ----; | 1846. +----------------------------+ Lord Petre; | born 1767; Issue. mar. 17--; | | | born 1763; | mar. 1786; died 1814. | Francis Eyre,===Miss Gladwin. Other mar. 1786; | died 1843. | 6th Earl | issue.
died 1809. | No issue. Newburgh; | | born 1762; | +----------------------+ mar. 1787; | | | died 1827. | William, 11th, and Other | present, Lord issue. +----------------------+------------------+-+-+ Petre. | | | | | Thomas Eyre, 7th Earl Francis Eyre, 8th, Three Newburgh; born 1790; and present, Earl daughters.
mar. 1817; died 1833. Newburgh.
No issue.
No. III.
The following address affords a curious specimen of the subtlety of Lord Lovat, and the mode usually adopted by him of cajoling his clan. It was copied by Alexander Macdonald, Esq., from an old process, in which it was produced before the Court of Session, and it is preserved in the Register House, Edinburgh; the signature, date, and address are, holographs of Lord Lovat.
THE HONOURABLE THE GENTLEMEN OF THE NAME OF FRASER.
My dear Friends,
Since, by all appearances, this is the last time of my life I shall have occasion to write to you, I being now very ill of a dangerous fever, I do declare to you before G.o.d, before whom I must apear, and all of us at the great day of Judgement, that I loved you all, I mean you and all the rest of my kindred and family who are for the standing of their chief and name; and, as I loved you, so I loved all my faithful Commons in general more than I did my own life or health, or comfort, or satisfaction; and G.o.d to whom I must answer, knows that my greatest desire and the greatest happiness I proposed to myself under heaven was, to make you all live happy and make my poor Commons flourish; and that it was my constant principle to think
I make my earnest and dying prayers to G.o.d Almighty, that he may, in his mercy, thro the merits of Christ Jesus, save you and all my poor people, whom I always found honest and zealous to me and their duty, from that blindness of heart that will inevitably bring those ruins and disgraces upon you and your posterity; and I pray that Almighty and Mercifull G.o.d, who has often miraculously saved my family and name from utter ruin, may give you the spirit of courage, of zeal, and of fidelity, that you owe to your chief, to your name, to your selves, to your children, and to your country; and may the most mercifull, and adorable Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons, one G.o.d, save all your souls eternally, throu the blood of Christ Jesus, our Blessed Lord and Saviour, to whom I heartily recommende you.
I desire that this letter may be kept in a box, at Beaufort, or Maniack, and read once a-year by the heir male, or a princ.i.p.ale gentleman of the name, to all honest Frasers that will continue faithfull to the duty I have enjoined in this above-written letter, to whom, with you and all honest Frasers, and my other friends, I leave my tender and affectionat blessing, and bid you my kind, and last farewell.
LOVAT.
London, the 5 of Aprile, 1718.
Not being able to write myself, I did dictat the above letter to the little French boy, that's my servant. It contains the most sincere sentiments of my heart; and if it touch my kindred in reading of it, as it did me while I dictat it, I am sure it will have a good effect, which are my earnest prayers to G.o.d.
IV.
Allusion having been made often, in the course of these memoirs, to the process of "serving oneself heir" to an estate, in Scotland: the following doc.u.ment,[424] shewing the form of such a process, may not be deemed uninteresting.
Claim for William Maxwell, Esq. of Carruchan, who served heir-male in general of Robert, Fourth Earl of Nithisdale.
"Honourable persons and good men of Inquest: I, William Maxwell, of Carruchan, who was son of Captain Maxwell of Carruchan, who was son of Alexander Maxwell, of Yark and Terraughty, who was son of the Honourable James Maxwell, of Breckonside, immediate younger brother of John, third Earl of Nithisdale, who was father of Robert, fourth Earl of Nithisdale, say unto your wisdoms, that the said Maxwell of Nithisdale, nephews of my great-great-great-grandfather, died in the faith and peace of our Sovereign Lord the King then reigning, and that I am nearest and lawful heir male in general to the said Robert, fourth Earl of Nithisdale, the nephew of my great-great-great-grandfather, and that I am of lawful age.
Therefore I beseech your wisdoms to serve and cognesce me nearest and lawful heir male in general to the said deceased Robert, fourth Earl of Nithisdale, and cause your clerk of the Court to return my service to your Majesty's Chancery. Under my seal,
"According to justice and your wisdom's answer, &c. &c."
FOOTNOTE:
[424] I am indebted for a copy of this process to Sir John Maxwell, Bart. Pollok.