HISTORY OF SCOTS AFFAIRS. THE FIRST VOLUME. ABERDEEN ; PRINTED AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICE, BY WILLIAM BENNETT. : HISTORY OF SCOTS AFFAIRS, From M DC XXXYII to M DC XLI. JAMES GORDON, PARSON OF ROTHIEMAY. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. ABERDEEN PRINTED FOR THE SPALDING CLUB. MDCCCXLI. v.i BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRAKV CHESTNUT HILL MA 02167 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE The Laws of the Club, 7 List of the Members of the Club, 11 The Editors' Preface, 25 Appendix to the Preface : No. 1. Introduction, by James Man to his pro- jected " Memoirs of Scotish Affairs,"... i No. II. Marriage Contract of James Gordon, xlv No. III. Last Will of Gordon of Straloch, xlviii No. IV. Extracts from the Registers of the Kirk Session of Rothiemay, 1 No. V. Extracts from the Council Register of Aberdeen, Ixiii History of Scots Affairs : The Argument, Ixvii The Second Booke, 1 The Third Booke, 137 RULES OF THE SPALDING CLUB. I. The name of the Society shall be " The Spalding Club, for the printing of the Historical, Ecclesiastical, Genealogical, Topographical, and Literary Remains of the North-Eastern Counties of Scotland." II. The objects of the Club shall be the printing of inedited manuscripts, and the reprinting of works of sufficiept rarity and importance to make such reprints desirable. III. The Club shall consist of members being subscribers of One Guinea an- nually ; such subscription to be paid in advance, on or before the first day of January in each year. IV. The management of the afi'airs of the Club shall be vested in a President, a Vice-President, and a Council of Thirty-one members, all to be chosen yearly by the Club at large, at a General Meeting, to be held at Aberdeen, on the twenty-second day of December, or on the Monday following, when the twenty-second of December shall fall upon a Sunday. V. Immediately after the annual meeting, the Council shall, from their own number, elect a Secretary and Treasurer, along with nine other members, who shall form a Committee of the Council, and shall determine on the 8 RULES OF THE SPALDING CLUB. works to be printed by the Club, and superintend the arrangements neces- sary to the production thereof. The meetings of the Committee shall be open to all the members of the Club. VI. The accounts of the Receipt and Expenditure of the Club shall be audited annually by three Auditors, to be elected at the General Meeting, from among the members ; and the Report of the Auditors, with an Ab- stract of the Accounts, shall be printed and circulated among the members. VII. The names of the members proposed to be elected as President, Vice- President, Councillors, and Auditors, shall be transmitted by the proposers to the Secretary, at least one month before the General Meeting ; and hsts of the persons so proposed shall be forwarded by the Secretary, at least a fortnight before the General Meeting, to all the members. VIII. Members may vote at the General Meeting by proxy ; but no member whose subscription is in arrear shall be entitled to vote. IX. In the absence of the President and Vice-President, the Council, at their meetings, shall elect a Chairman, who, beside his own deliberative vote, shall have a casting vote in case of equality of numbers. X. The funds of the Club shall be expended in the payment of the expenses necessary to the printing of the works of the Club. XI. After the members of the Club shall have reached the number of five hundred, vacancies shall be filled up by the Council, from time to time as they occur. XII. Every member, not in arrear of his annual subscription, shall receive one copy of each work printed by the Club. RULES OF THE SPALDING CLUB. 9 XIII. Members who are disposed to contribute works at their own expense, shall be invited to do so, such works having been submitted to the Council and approved of by them before being sent to press. XIV. The Editors of the works to be printed by the Club shall be chosen by the Committee of the Council, and shall be entitled to receive a certain number of copies of the work edited by them, at the discretion of the Committee. XV. The number of works printed shall be limited to the number of members of the Club, except when it shall be determined by the Committee to print an additional number ; and no work printed by the Club shall be exposed by them for sale. XVI. Members of the Club may, at any time, compound for their future annual subscriptions, by payment of Ten Guineas over and above their subscrip- tion for the current year ; and any member who shall present to the Club a work, which is sanctioned by the Committee, shall be ever afterwards exempt from any annual subscription. XVII. Any member of the Club, who, after the expiry of three years from his admission, shall intimate to the Council his desire to withdraw from the same, or who shall be two years in arrear of his annual subscription, shall thereupon cease to be a member. XVIII. The Committee of the Council may appoint Local Secretaries in such places and with such powers as to them shall seem expedient, every Local Secretary being a member of the Club. XIX. The Council may enact Bye-laws for its own government. 10 RULES OF THE SPALDING CLUB. XX. No alteration shall be made on these Laws, except at a General Meeting of the Club, nor then, unless at least one month's notice of the change to be proposed at such meeting shall have been given in writing to the Secre- tary. THE SPALDING CLUB. NOVEMBER, M.DCCC.XI.. The EARL of ABERDEEN, K.T. The VISCOUNT ARBUTHNOTT. Ci)e OTotittcil. The Honourable The Lord Provost of Aberdeen. Alexander Bannerman, M.P. General Byres of Tonley. David Chalmers of Westburn. Thomas Abercromby Duff of Haddo. Sir Robert Dalrymple Horn Elphinstone, Bart. The Reverend James Farquharson, LL.D., F.R.S. The Honourable The Master of Forbes. The Reverend Alexander John Forsyth, LL.D. Captain the Honourable William Gordon, M.P. William Gordon of Fyvie. George Grub, Advocate, Aberdeen. The Very Reverend William Jack, D.D., King's College. Alexander Johnston, W.S., Tullos. Professor William Knight, LL.D., Marischal College. The Reverend Alexander Low, Keig. Hugh Lumsden of Pitcaple. John Whiteford Mackenzie, W.S. William M'Combie of Easter Skene. The Rev. James Melvin, LL.D. Rector of the Grammar School. 12 THE SPALDING CLUB. Robert Pitcairn, W.S. Edinburgh. Joseph Robertson, F.S.A. Scot. Aberdeen. Professor Hercules Scott, A.M., King's College. The Right Reverend William Skinner, D.D., Aberdeen. Alexander Smith of Glenmillan. The Reverend Alexander Taylor, Leochel-Cushnie. Thomas Thomson, Deputy Clerk-Registrar of Scotland. William Watson, Sheriff- Substitute of Aberdeenshire. John Stuart, Advocate, 3, Queen-street, Aberdeen. Extamxtx, John Blaikie, Advocate, 247, Union-street, Aberdeen. Sir Robert Abercromby of Birkenbog, Bart. The Earl of Aberdeen, K.T. The Lord Provost of Aberdeen. James Adam, Editor of the Aberdeen Herald. John Adam of Scobbach. Philip Barrington Ainslie, St. Colme House, Fifeshire. John Alexander, Merchant, Liverpool. William Alexander, Manufacturer, Villafield. Alexander Allan, Advocate, Aberdeen. John Allan, Merchant, Elgin. James Allardes of Boynsmill. William Allardyce, Merchant, Aberdeen. Alexander Anderson, Advocate, Aberdeen. The Reverend Archibald Anderson, Crathie. John Anderson, Merchant, Liverpool. William James Anderson of Techmuiry. George Angus of Tilliecorthie. John Angus, Advocate, Town-Clerk of Aberdeen. THE SPALDING CLUB. William Annand of Belmont. Adam Arbuthnott, Merchant, Peterhead. Major-General the Hon. Hugh Arbuthnott, M.P. Robert Arbuthnott, Manufacturer, Culter. The Viscount Arbuthnott. Thomas Arnold, Bookseller, London. John Auldjo of Pennyghael. Alexander Bannerman, M.P. Thomas Bannerman, Manufacturer, Aberdeen. William Barclay, Solicitor, Banff. Keith Barnes, Portland Place, London. Alexander Beaton, Auchencrieve. William Bell, W.S. Edinburgh. The Reverend James Bisset, Bourtie. The Reverend Thomas Bisset, Addiscombe College. William Black, Bedford-square, London. Alexander Blackie, Banker, Aberdeen. John Blaikie, Advocate, Aberdeen. John Blaikie of Devanha. Bindon Blood of Cranaker, Edinburgh. Beriah Botfield, Norton Hall, Northamptonshire. George Black Bothwell, Manufacturer, Aberdeen. James Brebner, Advocate, Aberdeen. William Brebner, Governor of the Glasgow Bridewell. Thomas John Bremner, Advocate, Peterhead. John C. Brodie, W.S. Edinburgh. Alexander Brown, Bookseller, Aberdeen. The Reverend Robert James Brown, D.D., Marischal College. James Burn, W.S. Edinburgh. James Brown, Merchant, Inverury. John Bruce, F.S.A. Chelsea. Sir Michael Bruce of Stenhouse and Scotstown, Bart. The Reverend Alexander Brunton, D.D. Edinburgh. The Reverend James Bryce, Aberdeen. James Buchan of Auchmacoy. Alexander Burness, Merchant, Aberdeen. THE SPALDING CLUB. Arthur Burnett, Sheriff- Substitute of Peebles. Thomas Burnett, Advocate, Aberdeen. The Reverend Thomas Burnett, Daviot. Sir Thomas Burnett of Leys, Bart. John Hill Burton, Advocate, Edinburgh. General Byres of Tonley. William Cadenhead, liiverpool. Edw^ard Calder, London. John S. Cameron, Writer, Elgin. John Campbell, Surgeon, Aberdeen. A. N. Carmichael, Edinburgh Academy. Captain Carmichael, Aberdeen. William Catto, Merchant, Aberdeen. Robert Catto, junior, Merchant, Aberdeen. The Earl of Cawdor. Charles Chalmers, Advocate, Aberdeen. David Chalmers of Westbui'n. William Chalmers, North of Scotland Assurance Co. The Reverend Patrick Cheyne, St. John's, Aberdeen. Alexander Chivas, Advocate, Aberdeen. Peter Christian, Solicitor, Stonehaven. Thomas Clark, M.D., Marischal College. John Clark, Advocate, Aberdeen. George Clark, Castletown of Braemar. Stewart Clark, Surgeon, Braemar. Norval Clyne, Writer, Edinburgh. William Clyne, Merchant, Aberdeen. Lord Cockburn. The Reverend Charles Cole, Peterhead. George Cornwall, Printer, Aberdeen. The Reverend William Cowie, Cairnie. James Thomson Gibson Craig, W.S., Edinburgh. William Burnett Craigie of Linton. D. Maitland Makgill Crichton of Rankeillour. Peter Crooks, W.S., Edinburgh.