LADY GKISBLL HOUSKHOLB 0 0 ! iSillw «$ leoTiiii: PUBLICATIONS OF THE SCOTTISH HISTORY SOCIETY NEW SERIES VOL. I LADY GRISELL BAILLIE’S HOUSEHOLD BOOK ■October 1911 LADY GRISELL BAILLIE, aged 69. (From a Portrait at Mellerstain, probably by Maria Verelst.) v' THE HOUSEHOLD BOOK OF LADY GRISELL BAILLIE 1692-1738 Edited, with Notes and Introduction, by ROBERT SCOTT-MONCRIEFF, W.S. EDINBURGH Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society CONTENTS INTRODUCTION, ix Extracts from Household Books— Sundry Disbursements, 1 Housekeeping, ® Servants, . • • .117 Household Furniture, Clothing, 188 Business Charges, • .218 ^ Horsekeeping, 225 * Estate Management, ...••■• 28^ Expenses of Garden, . .251 Doctors and Surgeons, ..... • 255 Small Payments, 257 Brothers’ and Sisters’ Accounts, . .261 Expenses of Mrs. Baillie’s Funeral, 267 Sketch of Life of Robert Baillie, ..... 269 Memoranda and Directions to Servants, .... 273 Bills of Fare, . • - .281 Note of Supplies consumed at Mellerstain, . • 304 Expenses of a Visit to Bath, ...... 306 vi HOUSE BOOK OF LADY GRISELL BAILLIE PAGE Expenses of Foreign Tour, ...... 309 Memoranda as to Foreign Travel, ..... 384- APPENDICES— i. State showing articles mentioned in accounts with prices then and now, . 411 n. Statement as to Servants’ Wages, . .418 in. Note of Fees in connection with Education, 420 iv. Tables of Money and Measures, . .421 v. Note as to Salary and Wages, .... 428 vi. Genealogical Table, 430 GLOSSARY, 431 INDEX, .... 433 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Lady Grisell Baillie, age 69, . Frontispiece From a Portrait at Mellerstain, probably by Maria Verelst. Robert Baillie of Jerviswood, . To face page xi Rachel Johnston, wife of Robert Baillie of Jervis- wood, . „ xii From a Portrait by John Scougall at Mellerstain. George Baillie of Jerviswood and his Daughter Grisell, ...... ,, xix From a Portrait at Mellerstain. Book Plate of George Baillie of Jerviswood, ,, xxvi Lady Murray, aged 33, ... ,, xxviii From a Portrait at Mellerstain by Maria Verelst. Lady Binning, aged 29, .... xl From a Portrait at Mellerstain by Maria Verelst. Lord Binning, ..... „ xliii From a Portrait at Mellerstain. ‘ Grisie ’ and £ Rachie ’ Baillie, aged 6 and 2 respectively, ..... Frwn a Picture at Mellerstain by John Scougall. Sampler at Mellerstain, worked under the Direc- tions of Miss Menzies. The animals are copied from a book which belonged to Miss Menzies, and is still at Mellerstain, . • » » xlvii The Right Hon. Patrick Hume, Earl of March-, MONT, . • >} ,s Ixxix From a Portrait at Mellerstain. INTRODUCTION This volume forms one of a series of publications issued by the Scottish History Society dealing with household expenditure during the seventeenth and eighteenth cen- turies, and goes far to fill the hiatus in years between the Foulis Book 1 and the Ochtertyre Book.2 For this reason alone it would serve a useful purpose, but considerably more than this is claimed for it. In the first place, it deals with a much wider range of subject-matter than is usually included in what are termed ‘ House Books,’ taking these words in their ordinary acceptation. To a certain extent, therefore, its title is inadequate. In the second place, owing to the various changes of residence of the family with which it deals, it affords an opportunity of contrasting the expenses of living in the country with those of living in a close in the High Street of Edinburgh, and again of comparing these with the expenses of living in London, in Bath, and on the Continent. In the third place, it gives us memoranda as to the duties of servants, as to the arrangement of the dinner-table, as to travelling, and as to many other matters of interest. And lastly, it brings us indirectly into touch with a remarkably interesting group of people, whether viewed socially, politically, or intellectually, who were well known in their day and generation, and whose history it is a pleasure to study. The Baillies of Jerviswood were cadets of the Baillies 1 2 The Account Book of Sir John Foulis of Ravelston, 1671-1707. Ochtertyre House Booke of Accomps, 1737-1739. X HOUSE-BOOK OF LADY GRISELL BAILLIE of St. John’s Kirk, who in their turn were cadets of the Baillies of Lamington, ‘ the original Balliols,’ according to Lord Fountainhall. The first Baillie of Jerviswood was George Baillie, second son of Baillie of St. John’s Kirk,1 and grandfather of Lady Grisell’s husband. As was then common, he entered into trade, duly compeared before Thomas Inglis, Dean of Guild of the City of Edinburgh, and others, on 8th September 1613, ‘ sufficientlie armit with ane furnisht hagbut,’ and was sworn in as a ‘ Mer- chant Burgess ’ of the city. What he traded in it is impossible to say, but he at least owned a share in a ship to which he had succeeded through his first wife Christian Vorie.2 This lady, who was the illegitimate 3 daughter of John Vorie in Balbaird, died without issue on 7th October 1628. George Baillie throve, became a town councillor4 in 1631, purchased in 1636 the lands of Jerviswood in Lanarkshire from the family of Livingston, and in 1643 the estate of Mellerstain in Berwickshire from Andrew Edmonston of Ednem. The titles to these properties, along with his ‘ best clothes ’ and his ‘ silver and goldsmyth work,’ were ‘ all totallie burnt ’ in August 1645, ‘ the tyme of that Lament- able fyre that was then in Edinburgh,’ they being contained in ‘ ane trunk and ane kist ’ in the house of James Baillie, Merchant Burgess of Edinburgh, which was ‘ totallie burnt ’ (Act of Parliament, 1647). It was probably before 1636 that he had made his second marriage—that with Margaret Johnston, daughter of James Johnston, Merchant Burgess of Edinburgh, 1 Reg. Mag. Sig., 14th June 1647. 3- Edinburgh Commissariat Testaments, 24th December 1623. Letters of legitimisation granted to Christian Vorie, natural daughter of the late John Vorie in Balbaird, spouse of George Baillie, Merchant Burgess of Edinburgh.—Reg.4 Mag. Sig., 7th July 1625. Reg. Mag. Sig., 25th March 1631. ! ROBERT BAILLIE OF JERVISWOOD. INTRODUCTION xi and sister of Sir Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston, by whom he had several children, namely:— 1. John Baillie, who predeceased him. 2. Robert Baillie, who succeeded him. 3. Archibald Baillie. 4. Captain George Baillie of Mannerhall. 5. Captain James Baillie of the City Guard of Edinburgh. 6. Christian Baillie. 7. Elizabeth Baillie,1 was married to Mr. James Kirkton, .at one time minister of Merton, afterwards of the Tolbooth, Edinburgh, 31st December 1657 (Edinburgh Register of Marriages). 8. Rachel Baillie, was married first to Mr. Andrew Gray, one of the ministers of Glasgow; second, to Mr. George Hutcheson, at one time minister in Edinburgh, afterwards in Irvine. George Baillie probably died early in 1646, for the ‘ Account of the Annual Rents belonging to the Children of George Baillie ’ begins in March of that year. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son Robert. A sketch of the life of this remarkable man will be found on p. 269. The original is not in the handwriting of Lady Grisell, but it is endorsed by her ‘ My father-in-law.’ As will be seen from this sketch, Robert Baillie first came into the clutches of the law in 1676, through rescuing his brother-in-law, the Rev. James Kirkton, from the hands of Captain Carstairs. The story is a curious one, and will be found fully set forth in volume forty-four of the Pro- ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The result of the trial was that Baillie was fined £500 sterling,2 1 This lady’s name is erroneously given in Scott’s Fasti Ecclesia as ‘ Grisell.’ Both Kirkton and Hutcheson suffered for their principles, the latter on one occasion being fined half a year’s stipend for not keeping the Anniversary of the2 Restoration. This fine, or at least a considerable part of it, was subsequently remitted by the Earl of Lauderdale. xii HOUSE-BOOK OF LADY GRISELL BAILLIE and incarcerated in the Edinburgh Tolbooth. It was during his confinement at this time that his son George Baillie first made the acquaintance of his future wife, then Grisell Hume, aged twelve, the eldest daughter of Sir Patrick Hume, afterwards Earl of Marchmont. Sir Patrick was anxious to communicate with Jerviswood, to whom he was deeply attached, and in order to avoid suspicion sent his little daughter from Redbraes, his country seat, to execute this dangerous and delicate com- mission. She succeeded so well ‘ that from that time her hardships began, from the confidence was put in her and the activity she naturally had far beyond her age in executing whatever she was intrusted with.’ When Robert Baillie was arrested in 1683 for high treason, he was residing in London, and was accordingly first confined in the Tower. As his condemnation by an English court would only have entailed forfeiture of his movable estate, it was resolved to send him and his fellow- countrymen in misfortune to Scotland, where their heritable estates could also be confiscated. The prisoners were accordingly shipped north, and we have the following pathetic note as to her husband’s arrest and journey to Scotland in the handwriting of Mrs. Baillie. It is con- tained in a small commonplace-book of her husband’s, and has for convenience been divided into sentences. We war Led in presen by en order from his Majest, writer of it Sr Lyen Jenkins, detted 27 of Joun 1683. Last Ocf 1683. We cam from London by the Kings yach called the Kettchen yach, on Capten Croo our skiper and on sergen histinns, 12 sogers, all of the Kings owen foot gard. We was sheped opon the Last of Octr and had a very dengerowes Jarny, and cam to Leth opon 14 day of Novbr, when 11 gentellmen was garded w‘ horse and foott, the preseners being in coshs ontill they cam to the Netherbow ell, and then Mager Whett cam from the Chansler and traserer and commanded them to go on foot RACHEL JOHNSTON WIFE OF ROBERT BAILLIE OF JERVISWOOD [From a Portrait by John Scougall at Mellerstain,) INTRODUCTION xiii and so they did, garded w1 hors and foot, to the Tollboth, where thay ar keeped geloss.