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210 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 14, 1927. II. CATERANE TH S OV INVERAVEN JOHY B . N MALCOLM BULLOCH, LL.D., P.S.A.ScoT. The Castle of Corgarff in its early history stood as shield against the inroads of the Highlanders in the valley of the Spey into the fertile t Deed thosBu an .e n districtDo valleye d anotheth ha sf o s r linf o e defence in the presence of the family of Gordon, who for purely personal reasons formed a buttress along the whole western border of Aberdeen- shire against the operations of marauders, who represented the original Highland peoples of the broad district into which the Gordons had come from the Borders in the early years of the fourteenth century. The Gordons had brought with them at least the elements of 'feudal polity, saie b dy thama an tt di fro m firs laso e familyt t th t , retaining their southern training, never quite understood the Highland temperament. Even in 1724 the Duke of Gordon's factor, Gordon of Glenlucket, was attacked by some of the Mackintoshes; and, still later, during the re- cruiting for the various regiments raised by the ducal head of the house, Gordone th s were frequentl t variancya e wit spirie hth f theio t r High- land tenant neighboursd san . The attitude of the Gordons, in regard to their Highland neighbours e fifteentith n d sixteentan h h centuries s conditioney an wa , y b t dno desir pla o et e policema yth communitye th o nt defeno t t ,dbu thein row holding. The crucial fact was that the main line was in the keeping of a woman, Elizabeth Gordon, who settled in Strathbogie and married Alexander Seton, founding the noble family of Huntly. Her "handfasted " cousin, Jock, established himself in Bhynie as a defence post to the south, and his brother, Tarn of Bivven, to the north in Cairnie, and thos senroott o el rounou tw t sal d them, sometimes ousting older settlers and sometimes taking in what was practically virgin soil. That in a nut- shell is the history of the house. Sometimes the ennobled family itself sent out new flanks. This was notably the case in the creation of the Castle of Auchindoun, picturesquely associated with the redoubtable Edom o' Gordon: and similar attempts at overlordship had been made before that in the wild region of Inveraven, or Strathaven, still recalled in one of the titles of the Marquis of -Huntly, whose ancestor, the 1st Earl of Aboyne, was created Lord Gordo f Strathaveo n d Glenlivean n n 1660i t . Into this wild, inaccessible region the 3rd Earl of Huntly sent his younger son, THE CATERANS OF INVERAVEN. 211 Alexander upholo t , s right dhi keed an sp some semblanc f ordeo e n i r hostila e countryside. fror Butfa mo s , conquerin Celtie gth c population, the descendants of the Gordons, by a curious irony, assimilated the manner e nativesth f o s -ws a , e shall seebecamd an , e quite as lawless sa the many Macs who dwelt there. thay sa t y Strathavema I beed nha n originall estate y th par f f eo o t Alexander Stewart (fourth son of Robert II.), Earl of Buchan, who died in 1406. He left it to his second (natural) son, Sir Andrew Stewart, and it came to the latter's (bastard) nephew, Thomas Stewart, who in turn Alexandersolo t t di , Ear t kno f Huntly.no lo wo d whe I purchase nth e took 22nn placeo t d bu Octobe, r 1495, Alexander, Lord Gordon, after- ward d Ear 3r f sHuntly o l t infeftmengo , e Councilordey th b t f o rf o , " Inrowreyis " (Inverourie) and Inverlochy, and of the lands of Fodder- letter, which John Grant of Freuchie had withheld (Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, vol. ii. pp. 308-9). The paris f Inveraveho n immediately nort f Kirkmichaeho l sprawls some fifteen miles fro Strathdonn i mr ElginshirMo m spure . Ca th f o seo t wils i bard Muc t di an thio et f ho s day, notabl e regioyth f Glenlivetno , with its miles of moor, and in former times it was very inaccessible, though probabl t i containey d more people tha t i ndoe s to-daye Th . consequence was that the Highland inhabitants, hard put to it at times fo lawe re reac th harvestth , f f madho o f weld o t finea an st ou l ar e raiding. The district was the cradle of caterans, vagabonds, " lymmars," and " broken men,middl e r dowseventeente th fa th s s n"f a a e o h century. Soon after being plante d Earld father s ther3r hi ,e y Alexandereb th , Gordon came to the conclusion that the region of Strathaven was much too bleak and unprofitable. So in 1539 he exchanged his Highland holding e morfoth r e fertile land f Clunyo s Aberdeenshiren i , e paristh f n i ,ho that name, twenty-seven miles eastwards—he must have trekkee th y db Lech Corgarfd tan f road—foundin f Gordon o firse t gth se t f Clunyso o ,wh were quite unconnected with the present family. He reserved, however, lifn e heritableth ow ren d s an hi t e righ f Blairfindyo t . Whethee h r actually move Cluno dt yt dieknowe h himsel no dt o peac"n bu d ,i I f e " at his castle of' Drumin, Inveraven, at the junction of the Avon and Livet, probably about e land1568 Th f Strathave.o s n remainee th n di main line of the Huntly family. George, the 5th Earl of Huntly, the great grandnephew of Alexander I of Cluny, had a charter of Strathaven from his father in 1549 (for he was then only a second son), and his second son, Alexander (died 1622), also held Strathaven. Alexander Gordon of Strathaven .and I of Cluny married the younger daughter either of John Grant of Grant or of James Grant III of Freuchie sonso tw , d whoy Alexande,b ha e mh Johnd succeedeo ran wh , d PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 1927H14 . hi mn turi s lairdna f Clunyo s . Fro e youngemth r son, John, were descende familiee dth Clunyf so Birsemoif ,o r (ancesto Patricf ro k Gordon, Governo Pennsylvania)f ro parise , whicth f n PittenBirsef i ho o s hi d ,an - dreich, in the parish of Keig. All these families seem to be extinct. Alexander Gordo d naturalalso ha ntw o r perhapo , s "handfasted" sons, Georg f Tombaeo Williad an e f mDelmoreo wero wh , e legitimised by a charter issued at Perth on 24th June 1553 under the Great. Seal, where we learn that " the Queen gave letters of legimation to William Gordon and George Gordon, natural sons ('bastardis filiis naturalibus') of Alexander Gordon of Straithowin." It will be noticed that William is given first, whereas the " Balbithan MS." gives him second. It is much more likely, however lande , th tha t s tgo Williae eldere h th s s a , mwa of Delmore unde shadoe e paternarth th f wo l castl f Drumineo , whereas Tombae furthey e east.la th ,o t rprobabl mucn yo h less fertile lands a , compared to Delmore, which was watered by the Avon and the Livet. As often happen sucn i s h cases, descendant naturao tw s hi l f sono s s survive, notably the Gordons of Croughly, whose remarkable career— they have produced thirty officers—is not difficult to understand in view e extraordinariloth f y warlike characteristic f theio s r ancestors, which I shall e describeotheth n r e malO handth . l e al ,legitimat e issuf eo Alexande knowe f Clunw o s rI a , yextinctr arefa o s , . fathes Jushi s ta r had palmed off the poor lands of Inveraven on Alexander as a younger son Alexandeo s , r himself lefnaturas hi t l sons Inveravenbehinn i m dhi , where they quickly assimilate mannere dth wile th df so origina l Highland inhabitants. Before goin y givge natura th farthema e e on l r sond theian s r descendant s statea s n thadi t invaluable sourc f genealogicao e l infor- mation "e Balbithath , n MS.," whic fortunatels hha y been printee th y db New Spaldin ge firs Cluth t n bi volum e Houseth f f Gordon.eo o That document states that the two natural sons were:— 1. George Gordon 'of Tombae, near the Livet Water. He married Janee ton sonGrano d died tw an s Tombaen an d dti ha e H . daughter. (1) Alexander Gordon in Tombae. He married Janet Stuart and died in peace. [The Privy Council Register, 1st series, vol. ix. p. 421, says he was dead by November foud ha 1612.r e sonH ] s: a. George Gordon in Tombae. 6. John Gordon. [The Privy Council Register,t 1s , series 421,. volp . , call .ix " Johm Gordon,sy hi nRo " alivs sayd Novembewa n e i e an sh r 1612.] E CATERANTH 3 21 F INVERAVENO S . c. Patrick Gordon. [The Privy Council Register, 1st series, vol. ix. p. 421, says he was alive in November 1612.] d. William Gordon. (2) James Gordo n Achdrignyi n w spelno , t Achdregnie, o milewhictw s i h south-eas f d Tombaeo t ha e H . one son, a.

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