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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1996-06 > 0834531865


From: Jared Olar <>
Subject: Blair of that Ilk/Blair of Blair (4)
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 17:24:25 -0500
In-Reply-To: <Pine.HPP.3.91.960606152035.239A-100000@eagle.uis.edu>


This is 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 Blairs 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:

BRYCE BLAIR OF THAT ILK, son of John Blair (wife Grissel Sempill), son of
John Blair (wife Margaret Cunninghame), 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. **Note that this pedigree deletes the "John Blair" whom
Douglas shows as the father of Bryce, instead identifying Bryce's
father John who died 1609 with the John Blair who married Grissel
Sempill, whom Douglas mistakenly said were Bryce's grandparents
instead of parents.** Bryce was served and retoured heir to his
father John in the whole lands and barony of Blair 10 April 1610.
Douglas did not know the name of Bryce's wife, but said that he
had two sons, Sir Bryce and John, and a daughter named MARGARET who
married SIR DUNCAN CAMPBELL of Auchinbreck, Baronet. [ BP p.463
says that Sir Duncan Campbell, 2nd. Bt. of Auchinbreck, married
in 1620 to MARGARET BLAIR, daughter of BRYCE BLAIR OF BLAIR. BP
goes on to say that Margaret died sine prole circa 1627. **But see
below**] Bryce died 4 Feb. 1639 and was succeeded by his eldest
son:

SIR BRYCE BLAIR of that Ilk, son of Bryce Blair, knighted in his youth by
King Charles I. Sir Bryce was served and retoured heir to his
father Bryce in the whole lands and barony of Blair 25 April 1639.
Douglas did not know the name of his wife, but says he had only one
child, a son named John. Sir Bryce did not long survive his father,
dying in July 1639, and being succeeded by his son:

JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, son of Sir Bryce, was served and retoured heir to
his grandfather Bryce, and his father Sir Bryce, in the whole lands
and barony of Blair 1 May 1645, but died soon after that without issue.
He was succeeded by his uncle John, younger brother of Sir Bryce:

JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, second son of Bryce, in 1650 was served and retoured
heir to John Blair of that Ilk, his grandfather who had died in 1609.
John died 1662, and the representation of the Blairs of that Ilk
continued among his descendants. [ This John Blair, or perhaps his
grandfather, is probably the John Blair of that Ilk mentioned in
GC II p.279 as the father of Elizabeth Blair, wife of Uchtred Knox,
nephew of Andrew Knox who died 1632. ]

That should suffice for the Blair family as recorded by Douglas. Now,
here is a genealogical chart illustrating the elder Bryce's ancestry and the
kinship of his parents John Blair and Grissel Sempill. (In addition to
Douglas, the sources for this chart include the articles on the Earls of
Eglinton and the Lords Sempill found in SP, along with other notices in SP
referred to in previous Blair posts.)

HUGH MONTGOMERIE===Helen Campbell,
1st. Earl of Eglinton | dau. of Colin Campbell,
d.1545 | 1st. Earl of Argyll.
_________________________|__________________
| |
Margaret Montgomerie Helen Montgomerie
d. ante 12 Feb. 1522/3 m. (ante 15 Nov. 1500) to
m. WILLIAM SEMPILL (Semple), John Blair of that Ilk.
2nd. Lord Sempill, died |
3 June 1552 |
| |
ROBERT SEMPILL ==/== Elizabeth Carlile, John Blair of that Ilk
3rd. Lord Sempill | an Englishwoman. m. Helen Ross, dau. of
d. c. 1574 | John Ross, 2nd. Lord Ross.
| |
| John Blair of that Ilk
| m.Margaret Cunninghame
| |
|_________ ______|
| |
Grissel Sempill===John Blair of that Ilk
| (or "John Blair of Blair")
| [Marriage contract dated
| 11 May 1565] d.1609
|
Bryce Blair
of that Ilk

This Bryce Blair must be the same as the "Bryce Blair of Lochwood"
mentioned in SP III p.339. He must also be the "Bryce Blair of that Ilk"
mentioned in BP p.2530, where he is said to have had a daughter named
MARGARET BLAIR, first wife of SIR ARCHIBALD STEWART of Blackhall,
Ardgowan, etc. Of this marriage, Bolton p.21 says the following:

"Sir Archibald married firstly, c.1613, Margaret Blair, daughter of
Bryce Blair, a descendant of the Semples. From the Semples, Bryce Blair had
gained part of the lands of Langside, including the Arbory Fort and the
ancient Fort of Camphill. The lands were sold c.1615.
"By this marriage there were four sons and two daughters . . . ."

Bolton's comment describing Bryce as "a descendant of the Semples" is
noteworthy. Since Bryce's mother was a Semple/Sempill, it seems odd to
describe Bryce as "descended" from the Semples (though I've seen a
translation of Tacitus in which someone was described as a person's
descendant, and the relationship was only that of grandson and
grandfather). Bolton's remark is probably based on Douglas' version, where
Bryce is the *grandson* of Grissel Semple--whereas SP III p.339 would make
Bryce Grissel's son.

BP p.2530 says that Bryce's daughter Margaret Blair died December 1621. (BP
p.2530 and Bolton p.21 go on to say that Sir Archibald married secondly
Lady Margaret Home, daughter of Sir George Home of Wedderburne and Lady Jean
Haldane of Gleneagles, having from this marriage one son. Sir Archibald died
1665.)

***But compare Sir Archibald Stewart's wife Margaret, daughter of Bryce
Blair of that Ilk, to Sir Duncan Campbell's wife Margaret, daughter of
Bryce Blair of Blair.*** According to BP, Archibald's wife died 1621, while
Duncan's wife died circa 1627. These two Margaret Blairs, daughters of Bryce,
cannot be identical. Did Bryce have TWO daughters named Margaret? Or was
Duncan's wife a daughter of Bryce's son Sir Bryce (that is, was Duncan's wife
a niece of Archibald's wife)?

This is the last of my posts concerning the Blair family. Here are my
questions:

Does anyone have information which clarifies this matter of the two Margaret
and their fathers named Bryce? Also, whom did Bryce Blair (father-in-law of
Sir Archibald Stewart) marry? Douglas did not know--has her identity been
discovered?

If anyone knows something which can clear up and/or correct these or any
other points brought up in these four posts, please let me know.

Jared Olar


University Court West #127
Springfield, IL 62703-5400

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