James Gordon

c 1707

GOR00021

Home Page Return to the Home Page of the Farndale Family Website

The Paternal Coutts Family Tree

The Maternal Coutts Family Tree

The Gordon Family Tree

Headlines are in brown.

Dates are in red.

Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.

References and citations are in turquoise.

Context and local history are in purple.

Geographical context is in green.

William Gordon, Esquire of Birkenburn, is mentioned as one of the proprietors of the Parish of Keith in a description of that place written about 1742 (see Vol 2 of the Spalding Club’s Antiquities of Aberdeen and Banffshire p242). On the death of his son the old man had so far relented as to send for the two younger boys, James and John, who certainly had left Peterhead and gone to him whether by invitation or not prior to 1740. Both were settled in large farms, James somewhere near Monimusk and John in the neighbourhood of Spynie. Their grandfather had either sold Birkenburn or had directed it to be sold on his death and divided the money between them as their father could not have provided for them so well.

In the rebellion of 1745, both James and John went out with Prince Charles and, of course, were ruined. The circumstances of two young men sons of a rigid Presbyterian and brothers of another, living too distant to act by concert and going out in a cause wherein they had no personal interest shows clearly that their minds had become warped since they left their home. There can be no doubt that their old grandfather had effected this change. It also shows that this difference in politico-religious sentiment had been the main cause of the old man’s dislike to his son and eldest grandson neither of whom benefitted a farthing by him. What became of James I could never learn, indeed William (my grandfather) would never speak on the subject as my mother and father have assured me. Yet there had been no quarrel among them for William named two of his sons, James, who both died in infancy, after that brother; and another, the eldest of his surviving children, John, after the other. John himself told me that he had never seen his namefather, who had left Peterhead some years before he, John, was born, to wit in 1744. I know not if James was that Lieutenant James Gordon of Grant’s Aberdeenshire Regiment, who was taken at Carlisle. I think I have read somewhere of his having been a lad of the Wardhouse family; but I doubt if Gordons were in Wardhouse at that time, and am undecided on that point, especially as that is likely to have been the regiment to which James would belong. John, at length, did cast up. He had escaped to France, where he entered in the Scotch Brigade and served till the peace of 1782. In the following year he returned to Scotland and wrote to my father for pecuniary assistance. He died at a place near Castle Grant about the close of last century. The unwillingness of William to speak of his brothers seems to have arisen from a conviction that they were both alive and a dread of giving the satellites of the vindictive government of Geo 11 a clue to their whereabouts. Thus, the obstinacy and selfish bigotry of the old man had ruined one half of his family, when alive, and the other half after his death.

(“The Gordon Victorian Narrative, c 1850”)

1707

Perhaps James Gordon was born in about 1707.

1730

If his father William Gordon died in 1730, he might have been settled in his farm near Monimusk about then.

(About 20km northwest of Aberdeen)

1745

In the rebellion of 1745, both James and John went out with Prince Charles and, of course, were ruined. The circumstances of two young men sons of a rigid Presbyterian and brothers of another, living too distant to act by concert and going out in a cause wherein they had no personal interest shows clearly that their minds had become warped since they left their home. There can be no doubt that their old grandfather had effected this change. It also shows that this difference in politico-religious sentiment had been the main cause of the old man’s dislike to his son and eldest grandson neither of whom benefitted a farthing by him.

What became of James I could never learn, indeed William (my grandfather) would never speak on the subject as my mother and father have assured me. Yet there had been no quarrel among them for William named two of his sons, James, who both died in infancy, after that brother; and another, the eldest of his surviving children, John, after the other. John himself told me that he had never seen his namefather, who had left Peterhead some years before he, John, was born, to wit in 1744. I know not if James was that Lieutenant James Gordon of Grant’s Aberdeenshire Regiment, who was taken at Carlisle. I think I have read somewhere of his having been a lad of the Wardhouse family; but I doubt if Gordons were in Wardhouse at that time, and am undecided on that point, especially as that is likely to have been the regiment to which James would belong.

It seems quite likely this was him, given the reference to Birkenbush.

2103 - James. 1745, Lt, 'very active'; wounded in the Inverury skirmish. 1746, May 7, whereabouts unknown (Rosebery's List, 28). Brother of George, of Birkenbush (d. 1752); and connected with the Gordons of Dallachy and Clashterim; m. Elizabeth Gordon, and had issue; related to James Cosmo, 788 (from Gordons Under Arms).

Gordon, James, Younger brother of Birkenbush. Very active, wounded at Inverurie skirmish. He seems to ave recovered as he married Elizabeth Gordon and had issue." (from Jacobites of 1745).

1749

This James Gordon married Elizabeth Gordon, the daughter of Thomas Gordon of Lettoch and Margaret Grant on 19 January 1749 at Glenbucket, Aberdeenshire.

There is reference to this James Gordon being the son of James Gordon of Birkenbush and in turn James Gordon of Birkenbush was (Gordon), James, f. legitimus quondam Adami de Aberlour, h. Georgii f. legitimi quondam magistri Roberti scribae in Edinburgh, f. fratris I. G., 19 June 1697, “James, lawful son of the late Adam of Aberlour, heir to George lawful son of the late master Robert clerk/writer in Edinburgh, his brother's son (from Services of Heirs).

It doesn’t quite work and the Birkenbush has been interpreted as a place near Aberlour, but the similarly to Birkenburn seems to suggest that there may be a link here.