GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives

Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1996-06 > 0834092946


From: Jared Olar <>
Subject: Blair of that Ilk/Blair of Blair (3) -- Corrected
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 15:29:06 -0500
In-Reply-To: <Pine.HPP.3.91.960605220743.13145B-100000@eagle.uis.edu>


This is a correction of a continuation of a previous post . . . .

I thought I'd post a few messages in which I will share what I have
on this Scottish family, in the hope that someone can help me sort out a
problem I have. . . . And if not, anyone interested in the Blair would
probably appreciate what I've been able to dig up . . . .

Sources abbreviated as follows:

BP Burke's Peerage, 1970.
LG Burke's Landed Gentry, 1939.
Douglas Baronage of Scotland, Sir Robert Douglas, 1700's.
GC II Genealogical Collections Concerning Families in
Scotland, Made by Walter MacFarlane 1750-1751, Vol. II.
SP Scots Peerage, Balfour Paul, nine volumes.
Bolton Beginning with Kings--From Royal Stewart to Shaw Stewart,
J. S. Bolton, 1989.
SCM Stewart Clan Magazine, August 1934
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is taken from Douglas pp.194-6, supplemented with notices
in other sources. The pedigree of the Blairs continues with:

JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, son of John Blair (wife Helen Ross), son of
John Blair (wife Helen Montgomerie), son of David Blair, son of
James Blair, son of James Blair, son of Roger Blair, son of
David Blair, son of William Blair, son of William Blair. This
third John Blair married MARGARET CUNNINGHAME. John did not long
survive his father, dying in the beginning of the reign of James VI,
leaving a son and heir, also named John.

JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, son of John and Margaret. Douglas tells us that
John got several charters, the earliest dated 8 February 1573, the
latest dated 3/4 February 1580. According to Douglas, he married
GRISEL SEMPLE, daughter of Robert, 2nd. Lord Semple, and had one
son (his heir), John, and three daughters:
-- Jean Blair, who got a charter under the Great Seal--
"Jeannae Blair, filia Johannis Blair de eodem, terrarum
de Hutterhill, etc." in Ayrhsire--dated 14 August 1591
[ This Jean Blair must be the one mentioned in SCM as
the third wife of John Stewart, Hereditary Sheriff of
Bute, who died ante 1612. ]
-- Margaret Blair, who married (NN) KER of Kersland, and
got a charter under the Great Seal to her and Robert
Ker her son, of the lands of Frearn in Ayrshire, dated
2 Jan. 1594.
-- Grisel Blair, who married DAVID BLAIR of Adamton, by a
charter under the Great Seal, 21 July 1598.

Douglas then continues with John Blair, son of John and Grisel:

JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, got a charter under the Great Seal--"Johanni Blair
de eodem, terrarum de Ramshorn, Meadow Flat, etc., etc." in the
shires of Edinburgh and Lanark, dated 18 Feb. 1597. Douglas says
that this John had three sons, and then died in 1609, being
succeeded by his eldest son. Here are his sons, according to
Douglas:
-- Bryce (Bricius) Blair, his heir.
-- James Blair of Malsmure, "fratri germano Bricii Blair de
eodem," who got two charters under the Great Seal,
dated in June of 1615. Married Annabella Stewart.
-- Robert Blair of Bogtoun, who was the father of Sir Adam
Blair of Bogtoun (Adam is designed nephew of Bryce Blair
of that Ilk.)

The above information can be represented in a chart as follows:

John Blair===Grisel Semple
liv. 1580 |
____________________________|________________________
| | | |
John Blair Jean Blair Margaret Blair Grisel Blair
d.1609 m.John Stewart, m.(NN) Ker of m.David Blair
| Sheriff of Bute, Kersland. of Adamton.
| d. ante 1612 |
____|_______________________ |
| | | |
Bryce James Blair Robert Blair Robert Ker
Blair Seen 1615. of Bogtoun Seen 1594.
m.Annabella
Stewart.

However, Douglas' above reconstruction of this part of the Blair pedigree
appears to be incorrect. Documents pertaining to the family of the
Cochranes, Earls of Dundonald, require a different reconstruction, and
mention children of John Blair and Grisel Semple not found in Douglas.
The following is based of SP III p.339, SP VII p.550, and BP pp.868, 1784:

SP III p.339 John Blair===Grissel Sempill,
mistakenly calls of Blair, or | illeg. dau. of
John "Alexander," of that Ilk. | Robert, 3rd. Lord
but this error is (Marriage contract| Sempill, by his
corrected in the to Grissel dated | mistress Elizabeth
Corrigenda in 11 May 1565.) | Carlile, an English-
SP IX. | woman.
______________________________|____________________________
| | | | | |
Bryce Blair Robert Blair Alexander Blair Hugh Gavin Grizel Blair
of Lochwood of Auldmure d.1641 Blair Blair m2.Sir John
(Alexander's md.(1600) to Maxwell of
"eldest brother Elizabeth Cochrane Pollok,
german.") | d.1647
Sir William Cochrane
1st. Earl of Dundonald
d.1685

First, notice that John and Grissel's sons Alexander, Hugh, and Gavin do
not appear in Douglas. Furthermore, Douglas' John Blair, eldest son of
John and Grisel, is not found here. Instead, we have Bryce Blair of
Lochwood as the eldest son, whereas Douglas shows a Bryce as grandson of
John and Grisel. Also, the only Robert Blair shown by Douglas for this
era is grandson of John and Grisel, whereas SP III p.339 shows a Robert Blair
of Auldmure (not Bogtoun) as a son of John and Grissel. (Robert was
probably named after the 3rd. Lord Sempill.)

Apparently, Douglas has split Grissel Sempill's husband John Blair into
TWO men, making them father and son. The information quoted in SP III
p.339 seems to require that we identify Douglas' John Blair who died in
1609 as the John Blair who married Grissel Sempill.

Next, notice that Grizel or Grisel is shown in BP as the wife of Sir John
Maxwell as well as of David Blair of Adamton. She married both men, David
first, and Sir John second (John seems to have survived her). This is
mentioned in BP p.1784, "Sir John Maxwell, Bt., of Pollok, . . . m. 2ndly,
ante 1615, Grizel, widow of David Blair, 7th of Adamton, and eldest dau. and
co-heir of John Blair, yr., of that Ilk."

If we put Douglas together with SP and BP, the list of John Blair's
descendants should be something like this:

JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, also called John Blair of Blair, received charters
dated from 8 Feb. 1573 to 3/4 Feb. 1575. Married (contract dated
11 May 1565) GRISSEL SEMPILL, illegitimate daughter of Robert, 3rd.
Lord Sempill (**Note that Douglas mistakenly calls him 2nd. Lord
Semple.**). This John must be the one who is said by Douglas to
have died in 1609, father of Bryce Blair who succeeded 1610. John's
known children (certainly not all by Grissel) are as follows (*not*
in order of birth):
1. BRYCE BLAIR, styled "of Lochwood" during his father's life,
afterwards "of Blair" or "of that Ilk." Bryce is called
"eldest brother german" of Alexander Blair, no. 4 below.
2. JAMES BLAIR, styled "of Malsmure," called Bryce's "brother
german" in charters dated June of 1615. James married
Annabella Stewart.
3. ROBERT BLAIR, styled "of Auldmure," styled by Douglas "of
Bogtoun." Robert's son was SIR ADAM BLAIR of Bogtoun, who is
mentioned as "nephew of Sir Bryce Blair of that Ilk."
4. ALEXANDER BLAIR, married in 1600 to Elizabeth Cochrane, heiress of
the Cochranes, and died in 1641. Their son SIR WILLIAM COCHRANE
became 1st. Earl of Dundonald, and died 1685.
5. HUGH BLAIR, mentioned as a younger brother of Alexander Blair.
6. GAVIN BLAIR, mentioned as another younger brother of Alexander.
7. GRISEL BLAIR, said by Douglas and BP to be daughter of John and
Grissel. Married (charter dated 21 July 1598) David Blair of
Adamton, her distant cousin. BP p.1784 says she married ante
1615 Sir John Maxwell of Pollok, d.1647, the second marriage for
both of them--BP also says Grisel was John Blair eldest daughter,
seemingly having been named after her mother.
8. JEAN BLAIR, said by Douglas to be daughter of John and Grissel,
got a charter dated 14 Aug. 1591. Said in SCM to have been the
3rd. wife of John Stewart, Hereditary Sheriff of Bute, who died
ante 1612.
9. MARGARET BLAIR, said by Douglas to be daughter of John and
Grissel. Married (NN) KER of Kersland, and had a son named
ROBERT KER. Robert and Margaret got a charter dated 2 Jan. 1594.

If anyone can provide further documentation which can confirm or correct
the above reconstruction, please let me know.

In the next post I will present information concerning the Semple or
Sempill family, showing how John Blair and Grissel Sempill were related.
I also hope to present one last problem pertaining to the family of Bryce
Blair in the first half of the 1600's.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED . . . .

Jared Olar

This thread: