Barony of Cartsburn
Encyclopedia
The Barony of Cartsburn in the Baron
age of Scotland was created for Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn in 1669, when the lands of Cartsburn in the Parish of Easter Greenock in the Shire of Renfrew were erected in liberam baronium, as a free Barony held of the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
. The estate of Cartsburn, also known as Crawfurdsburn, incorporated the lands of Cartsdyke, or Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the lands of Easter Greenock Castle
. The Barony of Cartsburn is a feudal Barony of Scotland. The seat of the Barony was the House of Cartsburn, built in the 17th century near Greenock
, Renfrewshire
.
The most notable Barons of Cartsburn are Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 4th Baron of Cartsburn, Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn, and Mark Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, 14th Baron of Cartsburn. The current Baron is the 15th Baron of Cartsburn. Other people associated with the Barony include George Crawfurd
, the compiler of The Peerage of Scotland, the inventor James Watt
, the nation's bard Robert Burns
, and the poet Jean Adam
.
. The estate of Cartsburn, also known as Crawfurdsburn, incorporated the lands of Cartsdyke, or Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the lands of Easter Greenock Castle
. The Barony of Cartsburn is a feudal Barony of Scotland. The seat of the Barony was the House of Cartsburn, built in the 17th century near Greenock
, Renfrewshire
.
Excerpts from the Baron Court Book of Cartsburn have been published, rendering it one of the few Baronies with comprehensive evidence for research into the social history of the area. George Crawfurd, the compiler of the notable and esteemed work The Peerage of Scotland, belonged to the family of Crawfurd of Cartsburn and was the brother of the second Baron. It is suspected that it was through George Crawfurd's genealogical writings that the manuscript of Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel
's memoirs came into the possession of the Crawfurds of Cartsburn, which William Macknight Crawfurd of Ratho, the seventh Baron, then donated for publication.
Other people associated with the Barony include the inventor James Watt
, the nation's bard Robert Burns
, and the poet Jean Adam
. The famous inventor, James Watt
grew up within the Barony. His father and namesake, James Watt, was contracted to enlarge the mansion house of Sir John Shaw, 2nd Baronet at Greenock, and his grandfather, Thomas Watt, was Bailie of the Barony of Cartsburn. Robert Burns
was invited to stay at the estate at the invitation of the 4th Baron, Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn. He later mentioned the Baron in his work. Jean Adam
's published poems of 1734 were dedicated to the Baron of Cartsburn.
to be called the Burgh of Barony of Crawfurdsdyke. Crawfurdsdyke, now commonly called Cartsdyke, has its own railway station
. The charter erecting the lands of Crawfurdsdyke into a Burgh of Barony included the rights to a harbour. 'The earliest vessel which crossed the Atlantic from Greenock was in July, 1684, and contained 22 persons, who were sentenced at Glasgow to be transported to Carolina.' The dignity of baron of the burgh of barony was alienated from the Barony, resulting in a distinct Baron of Crawfurdsdyke.
, Chief
of the Clan Cameron
, James Macknight describes Thomas as "a person of superior literary attainments", who "collected a considerable library".
Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn was credited with a number of ameliorations to the grounds of Lauriston Castle
, a property which he acquired in 1871. He made general improvements to Lauriston, including the bringing of a number of architectural features from his estate at Cartsburn.
Mark Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, the 14th Baron of Cartsburn, when a student and editor of Gaudie
, the newspaper of the University of Aberdeen
, resigned in protest at editorial interference from the University's Students' Association. His campaign for editorial independence received the support of Orkney & Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael
and Moray MP Angus Robertson
, who tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament
criticising the Students' Association's "ill-advised move".
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
age of Scotland was created for Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn in 1669, when the lands of Cartsburn in the Parish of Easter Greenock in the Shire of Renfrew were erected in liberam baronium, as a free Barony held of the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Prince of Scotland
Prince and Great Steward of Scotland are two of the titles of the heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom. The current holder of these titles is HRH The Prince Charles who bears the Scottish titles of Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles and Baron Renfrew, and is known...
. The estate of Cartsburn, also known as Crawfurdsburn, incorporated the lands of Cartsdyke, or Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the lands of Easter Greenock Castle
Easter Greenock Castle
Easter Greenock Castle was a castle of unknown design near the burgh of Greenock, Scotland.Built sometime in the mid-sixteenth century, the castle formed the centre of the lands and estates of Cartsburn and Easter Greenock. These belonged to the Crawfords of Kilbirnie in Ayrshire who acquired them...
. The Barony of Cartsburn is a feudal Barony of Scotland. The seat of the Barony was the House of Cartsburn, built in the 17th century near Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
.
The most notable Barons of Cartsburn are Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 4th Baron of Cartsburn, Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn, and Mark Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, 14th Baron of Cartsburn. The current Baron is the 15th Baron of Cartsburn. Other people associated with the Barony include George Crawfurd
George Crawfurd
-Life:He was the third son of Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn. When Simon Fraser laid claim to the barony of Lovat, he employed Crawfurd to investigate the case, and to supply materials to support it...
, the compiler of The Peerage of Scotland, the inventor James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
, the nation's bard Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
, and the poet Jean Adam
Jean Adam
Jean Adam was a Scottish poet.-Early years:Born in Greenock into a maritime family, her most famous work is "There's Nae Luck Aboot The Hoose," a tale of a sailor's wife and the safe return of her husband from the sea...
.
History
The Barony of Cartsburn in the Baronage of Scotland was created for Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn in 1669, when the lands of Cartsburn in the Parish of Easter Greenock in the Shire of Renfrew were erected in liberam baronium, as a free Barony held of the Prince and Great Steward of ScotlandPrince of Scotland
Prince and Great Steward of Scotland are two of the titles of the heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom. The current holder of these titles is HRH The Prince Charles who bears the Scottish titles of Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles and Baron Renfrew, and is known...
. The estate of Cartsburn, also known as Crawfurdsburn, incorporated the lands of Cartsdyke, or Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the lands of Easter Greenock Castle
Easter Greenock Castle
Easter Greenock Castle was a castle of unknown design near the burgh of Greenock, Scotland.Built sometime in the mid-sixteenth century, the castle formed the centre of the lands and estates of Cartsburn and Easter Greenock. These belonged to the Crawfords of Kilbirnie in Ayrshire who acquired them...
. The Barony of Cartsburn is a feudal Barony of Scotland. The seat of the Barony was the House of Cartsburn, built in the 17th century near Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
.
Excerpts from the Baron Court Book of Cartsburn have been published, rendering it one of the few Baronies with comprehensive evidence for research into the social history of the area. George Crawfurd, the compiler of the notable and esteemed work The Peerage of Scotland, belonged to the family of Crawfurd of Cartsburn and was the brother of the second Baron. It is suspected that it was through George Crawfurd's genealogical writings that the manuscript of Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel
Ewen Cameron of Lochiel
Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel was a Scottish highland chieftain, the 17th Chief of Clan Cameron.Macaulay called Ewen the "Ulysses of the Highlands". He was a man of enormous strength and size...
's memoirs came into the possession of the Crawfurds of Cartsburn, which William Macknight Crawfurd of Ratho, the seventh Baron, then donated for publication.
Other people associated with the Barony include the inventor James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
, the nation's bard Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
, and the poet Jean Adam
Jean Adam
Jean Adam was a Scottish poet.-Early years:Born in Greenock into a maritime family, her most famous work is "There's Nae Luck Aboot The Hoose," a tale of a sailor's wife and the safe return of her husband from the sea...
. The famous inventor, James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
grew up within the Barony. His father and namesake, James Watt, was contracted to enlarge the mansion house of Sir John Shaw, 2nd Baronet at Greenock, and his grandfather, Thomas Watt, was Bailie of the Barony of Cartsburn. Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
was invited to stay at the estate at the invitation of the 4th Baron, Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn. He later mentioned the Baron in his work. Jean Adam
Jean Adam
Jean Adam was a Scottish poet.-Early years:Born in Greenock into a maritime family, her most famous work is "There's Nae Luck Aboot The Hoose," a tale of a sailor's wife and the safe return of her husband from the sea...
's published poems of 1734 were dedicated to the Baron of Cartsburn.
Burgh of Barony of Crawfurdsdyke
Included within the Crown charter of 1669 was the confirmation of the erection of those parts of the lands of the Barony of Cartsburn known as Cartsdyke or Crawfurdsdyke into a Burgh of BaronyBurgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
to be called the Burgh of Barony of Crawfurdsdyke. Crawfurdsdyke, now commonly called Cartsdyke, has its own railway station
Cartsdyke railway station
Cartsdyke railway station serves part of the town of Greenock, Scotland. The station is on the Inverclyde Line, west of .The station is situated between Bawhirley Road and McDougall Street and it serves passengers going to and from Gourock and Glasgow....
. The charter erecting the lands of Crawfurdsdyke into a Burgh of Barony included the rights to a harbour. 'The earliest vessel which crossed the Atlantic from Greenock was in July, 1684, and contained 22 persons, who were sentenced at Glasgow to be transported to Carolina.' The dignity of baron of the burgh of barony was alienated from the Barony, resulting in a distinct Baron of Crawfurdsdyke.
Notable Barons
Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 4th Baron of Cartsburn, invited Robert Burns to stay at his country estate at Cartsburn. Burns himself writes of Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn's "ingenious, friendly, and elegant epistle". In his Preface to the Memoirs of Sir Ewen Cameron of LochielEwen Cameron of Lochiel
Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel was a Scottish highland chieftain, the 17th Chief of Clan Cameron.Macaulay called Ewen the "Ulysses of the Highlands". He was a man of enormous strength and size...
, Chief
Scottish clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
of the Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
, James Macknight describes Thomas as "a person of superior literary attainments", who "collected a considerable library".
Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn was credited with a number of ameliorations to the grounds of Lauriston Castle
Lauriston Castle
Lauriston Castle is a 16th century tower house with 19th century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland.-History:...
, a property which he acquired in 1871. He made general improvements to Lauriston, including the bringing of a number of architectural features from his estate at Cartsburn.
Mark Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, the 14th Baron of Cartsburn, when a student and editor of Gaudie
Gaudie
Gaudie is an independent student run newspaper at the University of Aberdeen covering campus and local news. It has been in circulation since 1934 and is currently free-of-charge. The Gaudie is funded directly by Aberdeen University Students' Association, whose President holds the position of...
, the newspaper of the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, resigned in protest at editorial interference from the University's Students' Association. His campaign for editorial independence received the support of Orkney & Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael
Alistair Carmichael
Alexander Morrison "Alistair" Carmichael is a Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Scottish seat of Orkney and Shetland since the 2001 general election.-Early life:...
and Moray MP Angus Robertson
Angus Robertson
Angus Struan Carolus Robertson is the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Moray and is the SNP's Parliamentary Group Leader and spokesperson for foreign affairs and defence.Robertson was the Election Co-ordinator for the Scottish National party's successful 2007 and 2011 Scottish...
, who tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
criticising the Students' Association's "ill-advised move".
Barons of Cartsburn (1669–Present)
The following is a list of the Barons of Cartsburn, from 1669 to the present:- Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 1st Baron of Cartsburn (1669–1695)
- Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 2nd Baron of Cartsburn (1695–1743)
- Archibald Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 3rd Baron of Cartsburn (1743–1783)
- Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 4th Baron of Cartsburn (1783–1791)
- Christian Crawfurd of Crawfurdsburn, 5th Baroness of Cartsburn (1791–1796) (married Robert Arthur)
- Christian Crawfurd of Crawfurdsburn, 6th Baroness of Cartsburn (1796–1818) (married Thomas Macknight of Ratho)
- William Macknight Crawfurd of Ratho, 7th Baron of Cartsburn (1818–1855)
- Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn (1856–1909)
- Marion Woddrop Dennistoun Mitchell Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 9th Baroness of Cartsburn (1909–1912) (married James Dennistoun Mitchell of Carwood)
- Lilian Parkinson or Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 10th Baroness of Cartsburn (1912–1912) (liferent)
- Robert Arthur Christie Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 11th Baron of Cartsburn (1912–1935) (with liferent to Lilian Parkinson or Macknight Crawfurd)
- Amy Christie Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 12th Baroness of Cartsburn (1935–1958) (held in trust for her sons by her husband, 1958–1974)
- Alan Howard Crawfurd Colls, 13th Baron of Cartsburn (1958–2008) (as senior heir and joint holder with his brother Richard Andrew Colls, for both of whom the Barony was held in trust 1958–1974)
- Mark Paul Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, 14th Baron of Cartsburn (2008–2010)
- The 15th Baron of Cartsburn (2010–)
See also
- Easter Greenock CastleEaster Greenock CastleEaster Greenock Castle was a castle of unknown design near the burgh of Greenock, Scotland.Built sometime in the mid-sixteenth century, the castle formed the centre of the lands and estates of Cartsburn and Easter Greenock. These belonged to the Crawfords of Kilbirnie in Ayrshire who acquired them...
- Lauriston CastleLauriston CastleLauriston Castle is a 16th century tower house with 19th century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland.-History:...
- Ballumbie Castle
- List of feudal baronies
- Burgh of baronyBurgh of baronyA burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
- List of burghs in Scotland