A HISTORY OF PEEBLESSHIREWhitsladeThis property adjoins Rachan on the west, extends from the Biggar Water to the lands of Quarter, and includes Heughbrae, a name still applied to cottages on the side of the road to Quarter.Judging from the description in the present writs, it was a £6 land of old extent (312 acres), and it frequently appears in early references in conjunction with the lands of Glenkirk, although these lands lie towards the head of the valley of Glenholm, while Whitslade is at the foot. The earliest reference found to Whitslade is on 14th August, 1439, in a charter of the half of Logan to William Brown by William Porteous, who calls himself son and heir of John Porteous of Whitslade, showing that Whitslade was at that date in the possession of the Porteouses. On 16th March, 1489–90, King James VI confirmed a charter of Whitslade and Glenkirk to Matthew Glendonwyn of Glenrath, who had acquired it from 'Janet Lichtoun of Petdynis, with consent of Thomas Erskin, her spouse, at Auldwerk in the forest of Ettrick.' Subsequent transmissions are difficult to trace, for the lands appear to have been divided up amongst several proprietors. On 5th July, 1482, George Porteous, portioner of Balcasky, exchanged with John Strang, portioner of Whitslade and Glenkirk, his quarter of Balcasky for Strang's quarter of Whitslade and Glenkirk, and Porteous's charter to Strang was confirmed by the King on 10th December thereafter. As the Porteouses had already a part of Whitslade, presumably a quarter, this addition would make their portion the half, or a £3 land. About 1510, as shown by a roll of the Head Court of Peebles, five portioners are referred to – William Porteous, Patrick Gillies, James Cockburn, Marion Dickson, and Christian Inglis. Whether there were then, other proprietors in addition to these, or what their respective shares were, there is no record to show, except that the share of Patrick Gillies was apparently one-eighth, and that he had acquired it in 1503 from John Multray of Markinch. It may also be taken as probable that the share of Porteous, as before indicated, was one-half. The story of the lands during the sixteenth century is confused, and it is only possible to give a note of ascertained transmissions. We shall take the five portioners above mentioned in their order. (1) PORTEOUS'S SHARE On 9th April, 1513, John Porteous of Glenkirk had a charter from King James IV of the lands of Glenkirk and Whitslade, which had been 'recognosced' from him, and they were then, with the lands of Logan, Mossfennan, Quarter, and Chapelgill, erected into the free tenandry of Whitslade. That charter included the share of Whitslade (probably one-half) which Porteous then had, but later it appears that the superiority of the other half was also acquired, as by another charter dated 31st August and confirmed by the Crown on 28th September, 1544 William Porteous of Glenkirk disponed to his son and heir John and his affianced spouse Christian Muirhead, daughter of James Muirhead of Lauchope, the £6 lands of Whitslade. Prior to 1558 part of the property was wadset for 100 merks to Leonard Marshall, son and heir of James Marshall, and in that year John Porteous, younger of Glenkirk, redeemed it for that sum and took delivery of the writs. He then gave sasine of the 30s. lands of Whitslade, occupied by Leonard Marshall, to Adam Ros, who for a year or two thereafter is designated 'of Whitslade.' The £6 lands are again referred to in the service on 17th April, 1600, of Thomas Porteous of Glenkirk as heir to Alexander, his father. This Thomas fell into debt, and on 6th January, 1630, his £6 lands of Whitslade and Heughbrae were apprised by James Tweedie of Drumelzier for a debt of 6400 merks and on 14th January his brother, William Porteous of Stewarton, also apprised the lands, including their pendicles, for a debt of 1460 merks. Crown charters followed on both apprisings on 16th January. (2) GILLIES'S SHARE Patrick Gillies, the portioner of 1510, was a burgess of Peebles when he received the lands in 1503. He became a councillor of the burgh, and he had also a share of the lands of Glenkirk. On 18th February, 1508–9, a protection and respite was granted to 'Patrick Gillies of Glenkirk, bailie of Peebles, who passes by the King's (James IV) licence in his pilgrimage to Jerusalem'. The protection extended to his wife, bairns and servants, and endured for forty days after Patrick's return. He was still a bailie in 1511, and in 1513 he was burgh treasurer. He was killed at Flodden. In 1561 Alexander Gillies, a descendant, paid £40 as the final instalment of the price of the 5s. lands of Glenkirk sold to him by Janet Dickson, William Tait, her husband, and Thomas Tait, their son. Two years later there is record of a submission between this Alexander and William Tweedie of Wrae relative to an accounting of the profits of the 30s lands of Whitslade belonging to Gillies and the 10s. lands of Glenkirk belonging to Tweedie, which it was stated had been in each other's hands. Alexander was succeeded by his son Patrick, and the family were still there in 1627, when Adam Gillies – he was the only portioner nominally from Whitslade – appeared at the weaponshaw at Peebles 'well horsed, with a lance and sword.' He is also referred to in 1611 in the records of the Privy Council as having wounded William Thriepland, and James Tweedie of Drumelzier became his 'bondsman' in connection with that affair. (3) COCKBURN'S SHARE On 7th May, 1531, a gift was made under the Privy Seal to James Johnston, Merchant Burgess of Edinburgh, of the ward of the 30s. lands of Whitslade which belonged to Adam Cockburn in property, and the 10s. lands of Glenkirk held by the said Adam in tenandry and on 28th March, 1541, Katharine Adamson, the widow of James Johnston, obtained a decree of apprising of the £3 9s. lands of Whitslade and Glenkirk for a debt of £69 Scots. Elizabeth Cockburn was served on 20th November, 1582, as heir portioner to William Cockburn, her father, in the eighth part of Whitslade (15s. land) and the 10s. lands of Glenkirk. Her sister Katherine was another portioner, and she was served on 27th April, 1598. In 1632 the share belonged to William Cockburn, son of the late William of Cockburn, and on 20th January of that year it was apprised for 1280 merks and 64 merks of sheriff's fee by Matthew Brisbane, writer in Edinburgh, and Margaret Row, his spouse, who had a Crown charter on 2nd April, the lands being redeemable within seven years. (4) DICKSON'S SHARE In 1555 Janet Dickson, referred to as lady of one part of the lands of Whitslade (she was also lady of Glenrath), appointed procurators to resign that part, being a 20S. land in the hands of the Crown, for infeftment to her son, Thomas Tait. And on 2nd December, 1560 she and her husband, William Tait, obliged themselves to sell their 15s. lands of Whitslade to Janet Baird and Charles Geddess, her son, for 112 merks, but on 21st December, as the price was not forthcoming, the bargain was cancelled, although James Geddes appeared for Charles and offered a certain sum. |
In July of the following year Janet Dickson, then designed as spouse of William Tait in Fairnielie, granted a procuration for the resignation of their 15s. lands to Adam Ros, the price to be 140 merks. But this bargain she also cancelled, going to the Cross of Peebles for that purpose. Adam Ros, then styled indweller in Meirburn (Muirburn), in the parish of Stobo, protested, and consigned in the hands of James Tweedie, bailie of Peebles, 125 merks, which he said was the sum due in terms of the contrat. (5) INGLIS'S SHARE No further reference has been traced to the share of Christian Inglis. OTHER PORTIONERS OF WHITSLADE (a) TWEEDIE OF KIRKHALL AND WRAE James Tweedie of 'Quhitislaid' is referred to in 1511 as a witness at Peebles. On 31st July 1550, William Tweedie of Kirkhall was, served heir to his brother, James Tweedie, in the 30s. lands of Whitslade and 10s. land of Glenkirk. The previous year James Tweedie had been fined for absenting himself from the courts of the shire, and William Kid, officer and King's sergeant, went to Whitslade on 22nd December to distrain and poind the lands for the fines. He took twelve cows and led them to the ford of Broughton 'without impediment of any person,' but there Alexander Weir in Drumelzier 'violently took the said poinds from the said William and despoiled him thereof.' The officer thereupon declared himself deforced, and in token thereof broke his wand (virgam), which he carried in his hand. In 1600, on the resignation of William Tweedie, elder of Wrae, a Crown charter was granted to William Tweedie, younger of Wrae, and Mary Baillie, his spouse, of the same lands – called half of a quarter of Whitslade and Glenkirk – and also the lands of Wrae. William Tweedie and Mary Baillie resigned their lands in 1637 to their son William and his wife, Agnes Tweedie, and this was followed by a Crown charter. (b) GEDDES OF RACHAN This family held a 15s. part of Whitslade, which was confirmed to Charles Geddes by King James V in 1537, and in 1625 his grandson Charles was served as heir therein. THE WHOLE PROPERTY About 1635 Sir David Murray of Stanhope began to buy up the lands from the portioners. In that year he acquired from James Geddes of Rachan the 15s. lands which he held, and although this is the only purchase definitely traced, he had before his death apparently purchased the whole property. On 28th April, 1654, William Murray of Stanhope was served heir of his brother, John Murray, eldest son of Sir David Murray, in (1) the half lands of Whitslade and Heughbrae (2) the half of the 30s. lands of Whitslade called the half of the quarter or the eighth part of the whole lands; (3) the other half of the 30s. lands; and (4) the 15s. lands of Whitslade. In later descriptions, e.g. 1766 and 1897, it is stated that these four shares had belonged respectively to Thomas Porteous of Glenkirk, William Cockburn, James Reid of Pitlethie, and James Geddes of Rachan. Sir William Murray had also a Crown charter of these lands on 24th May 1671 and in 1681 there is a sasine given to him of the half of a quarter of Whitslade. [There is no reference here to the shares which had been held by Gillies and Tweedie; James Reid of Pitlethie must have acquired a part, and the remainder may have been absorbed by the other portioners.] DICKSON OF WHITSLADE Whitslade is said to have been purchased by John Dickson of Hartree (Lord Hartree) prior to his death in 1653, but it is more probable that it was acquired by his second surviving son, Mr. John Dickson, who is not designated of Whitslade until 1668, and whose infeftment in the lands did not take place till 20th June, 1670. He had a charter of the lands on 15th August, 1679. Mr. John died before March 1684. His son, John, in December, 1692, witnessed the contract of marriage of John Dickson of Hartree, to whom his father had been tutor, and in July 1695, was included in the entail of the Hartree estate, in case of failure of the entailer's brother. His eldest son, John, succeeded to Whitslade, and was in 1719 and 1728 served heir to his two aunts, Margaret and Elizabeth. In 1752 his eldest son, John, was in turn served as heir to him, and he had sons, John and William, the latter of whom, his brother having died without leaving issue, was in 1768 served heir to his great-grandfather, Mr. John Dickson, as having been last infeft in the lands. About the same time, on 3rd July 1766, John Dickson of Kilbucho was served heir to his father, William Dickson of Kilbucho, in the same lands, of which the Retour states his father had sasine on 7th January, 1766, on a Crown charter of adjudication dated 12th February, 1765, showing that Whitslade had fallen in debt to Kilbucho. The Dicksons of Kilbucho were thus practically in possession of the lands, and the Rev. David Dickson served himself heir to his father, William, in them in 1770. They were, however, sold by William Dickson of Whitslade in 1769 to his cousin, Dr. Michael Dickson of Taunton, Somerset, for £2500, and in 1775 William Dickson obtained a decree of reduction against the Rev. David Dickson and other creditors. TWEEDIE OF WHITSLADE AND QUARTER In 1777 Dr. Michael Dickson's son, William, sold Whitslade to Alexander Tweedie of Quarter, who in 1778 obtained a decree of adjudication against David Dickson of Kilbucho, and a Crown charter of Whitslade and Heughbrae was granted to his son, Thomas, in 1803. Thereafter Whitslade shares the story of Quarter. The present dwelling-house, which has been greatly improved within recent years, is beautifully situated on the shoulder of Whitslade hill, and commands an extensive view across the valley of the Tweed. Near the house are the remains of the old peel tower. Reproduced from 'A History of Peeblesshire' by JW Buchan and Rev H Paton, 1925–27, Jackson, Wylie and Co of Glasgow |
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