Kinneff, Lumgair and Barras
(page 403)
...the fifteenth century that Keith Marischal had any interest in Uras 1 and whether by mortgage or otherwise during ihe possession of the third Earl Marischal Patrick Crichton of Cranston Riddell had retours of that barony But it again fell to the Keiths and was given in wadset in 1672 to the father of Robert Keith Bishop of Caithness and Orkney author of the Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops and other meritorious books The Bishop was born there on the 7th of February 1681 and was lineally descended from Alexander the youngest son of the third Earl Marischal 2 Besides being an early acquired part of the Lindsay property Lumgair is further remarkable as the first Kincardine shire estate of the Ogilvys of Barras the first of whom William second and only surviving son of Ogilvy of Balnagarrow and Chapelton a cadet of the house of Inverquharity sold his patrimony in Angus and had a wadset right of Lumgair from Earl Marischal who was then superior He married a niece of Strachan of Thornton by whom he had the brave governor of Dunnottar Castle He and his wife were buried at Duimot tar and the following inscription is on their grave stone Heir lyes a famovs and worthy gentillman William Ogilvy of Lumger and Catherin Straquhan his spovs he being 76 yeirs of age he departed this lyfe in peace 3 Jany 1650 and shee being 89 yeirs of age departed hir lyfe the 28 of Febr 1651 The first of the Falconers is said to have had charters of Lonkyir Lumgair from David I 3 but the earliest authentic notice of that family occurs only in the time of William the Lion when William Auceps or William the Falconer granted AD 1218 22 certain lands to ihe kirk of Maringtun or Mary ton 4
i Reg Mag Sig pp 66 no 218 162 no 4 3 Keith Catalog p xx A farm called Chapelton lies about a mile and a half west of Uras and from Ragman Rolls p 165 it appears that John Vicar da Urres swore fealty to Edward in 1296 3 Chalmers Caled ip 541 Reg Vet Ab rbr p 100 AD 1218 22 Walter de Lunkyrr witnessed a deed of vendition of the lands of Drumsleed by Gregory Bishop of Brechin Reg Ep BT ii p 272 KINNEFF LUMGALR AND BARRAS 403
The History and Traditions of the Land of the Lindsays in Angus and Mearns With Notices of Alyth and Meigle By Andrew Jervise, James Gammack
Mention of a John Mowat and the change of the name Movat to the modern Mowat
(page 228 & 229)
lands of Brechin to Sir Gilbert de Haya of Errol 1 and on the resignation of John de Haya Dominus de Tulybothevyle de Montealto had charters of the lands of Brichty in the parish of Murroes which were given by Richard de Montealto in the year 1379 to Sir Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk 2 This Richard was chancellor of the cathedral of Brechin and in the same year resigned the barony of Inverlunan in favour of Alexander Stuart the king's son by Marion de Cardny a resignation that took place at Dundee from the customs of which burgh de Montealto at the same period had a pension of twenty pounds Two years prior to this date however Richard had resigned all claim to the barony of Fern in favour of his son William whose charters of it were confirmed at the Abbey of Cupar by Robert n 4 and as before noticed a younger son was rector of the kirk of Finhaven in the lifetime of Sir Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk and a witness to the charter of Brichty Richard was alive in 1383 as his surname changed for the first time into the modern form of Movat or Mowat recurs in connection with the barony of Lunan 5 John is the last of the Mowats whom we have found connected with Fern he had charters of Syanford now Shandford from Robert in but from this period until about 1450 there is a hiatus in the proprietary history of Fern that we are unable fully to supply 7 The surname of this once powerful family is now generally unknown in the district but it is curious to observe that a place on the hill of Bruff Shank is still called Mowat's Seat or Mowat's Cairn and although popularly associated with the deeds of a Cateran of the name of Mowat there is good reason to conclude that it more probably has reference to the ancient lords of the district and is the only positive evidence of their name now in the parish
notes
1 Robertson Index p 18 68 Fraser Hist Carnegies of Sauthesk ii pp 492 537 3 Robertson Index pp 122 123 R g Mag Sig p 149 108 5 Robertson Index p 124 15 Ibid p 139 5 7 Sir William de Monte Alto was of Fern in 1410 Reg Mag Sig p 246 8 The History and Traditions of the Land of the Lindsays in Angus and Mearns With Notices of Alyth and Meigle By Andrew Jervise, James Gammack
(page 229)
Perhaps the barony of Fern had been resigned to Lindsay of Glenesk at the same time as Brichty and to his descendants Shandford may have fallen on the death of John Mowat Be that as it may these lands were in possession of the Earls of Crawford some time before 1450 for in that year Walter of Beaufort obtained them from his nephew the fifth Earl and afterwards Duke of Montrose in exchange for his patrimony of Strathnairn in Inverness shire which the first Earl had acquired by marriage with Elizabeth daughter of Robert II and yet in the same year John Crawmond de Fern was a charter witness 1 From the period of Montealto's resignation of Fern it was held under the superiority of the Earls of Crawford although at the time of Walter of Beaufort's succession and that of his son Sir David it formed part of the Edzell barony and along with Vayne was given to Alexander Sir David's second son by his second wife The wife of Alexander Lindsay of the Vayne was named Elizabeth Bethune as appears from charters of the land of Skyne Scryne and Vayne dated respectively 31st August 1547 and 1st April 1550 Perhaps Elizabeth was a daughter of Cardinal Beaton and sister to Margaret Beaton who was married to the son of the wicked master of Crawford By the descendants of Alexander the lesser estates of Balquhadlie and Balquharn were subsequently held and it may be remarked that the Lindsays of both these places were concerned with their cousin Sir David of Edzell in the slaughter of Campbell of Lundy North of the church on the hill of Drumrnore the place is still pointed out where a Lady Lindsay perhaps the Countess of the ninth Earl of Crawford met her tenants and collected her rents and some earthen benches adjoining are said to be those on which the tenantry sat on these occasions The estate of Deuchar was also under the superiority of the lords of Fern as was in fact the whole parish and from earliest 1 Reg Ejiiic Brech ip 146 The History and Traditions of the Land of the Lindsays in Angus and Mearns With Notices of Alyth and Meigle By Andrew Jervise, James Gammack
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