THE PARISH OF MANOR

                             

                                     V

 

 

                INGLIS OF MANOR AND MANORHEAD

 

ARMS.—Azure, a lion rampant Argent and in chief three stars of the first.

CREST—A demi lion Argent.

MOTTO.—Nobilis  est  ira leonis.

 

 

King Robert III. introduced the family of Inglis into the valley of Manor by giving the barony in 1396 to Sir William Inglis ‘ as a reward for his killing an English knight, Thomas de Struthers, who was marauding on the Marches.2 The holding was blench, with full baronial powers, for payment of a silver penny at the Kirk of “Menar” on the feast of St. Gorgon. The charter was dated on 2nd October at Stirling, and witnessed, among others, by Mr. Duncan Petyt, Archdeacon of Glasgow, Chancellor of Scotland, who would also be the chaplain of Manor Kirk. Undoubtedly this deed con-

 

1 ‘’He particularly distinguished himself at Rule-haugh on the Borders when Sir Thomas Struthers, an English champion, a bold and daring knight, had given the brag and bid defiance to any Scotsman who durst encounter him. Sir William Inglis accepted his challenge. fought him and killed him dead on the spot. Archibald, Earl of Douglas, and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, the two wardens of the marches, were witnesses and judges of the combat, which happened in 1395” (Douglas: Baronage of Scotland).

2 The original charter is still preserved among the Barns Papers now in the keeping of the Town Council of Peebles. In the entry in Robert­son’s Index (p. 137, No. 58) there is excepted from the grant the lands belonging to Sir William Gledstanes. This reservation does not appear in the charter itself.

 

  552                HISTORY OF PEEBLESHIRE

 

veyed the whole barony, with the exception perhaps of Hundleshope, and Sir William and his son may have been in full possession. But their descendents never held more than half, and the probability is that the other half was soon afterwards granted to the family of Lowis (p. 555).1

Nothing further is known of this Sir William, who died about 1420, succeeded by his son John.

John Inglis, according to Nisbet, had a charter of confirmation of the barony to himself and his son Thomas from Archibald, Earl of Douglas, who had evidently become the superior, perhaps by arrange­ment with the family, who were retainers of the house of Douglas, from whom they already held extensive lands in Roxburghshire. To denote this connection with the Douglases three stars were added to the Inglis coat of arms.

Thomas Inglis, son of John, on 23rd July, 1446, exchanged his lands of Branxholm in Teviotdale and other lands with Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch for the lands of Murdieston and Hartwood in the barony of Bothwell, Lanarkshire (p. 184). He appears to have been twice married. By the first marriage there was a son, probably the William Inglis aftermentioried,2 who continued the main line of the family and took the designation “of Murdieston.” By the second marriage with his wife Christian there were three sons, John, Oswald, and Gavin. To John, the eldest son, and his heirs his father in 1457 granted the lands of Manorhope (evidently the earlier name for Manorhead), whom failing to Oswald and Gavin in succession, the lands to be held blench for payment of a penny at the feast of St. Gorgon, the martyr. The charter ~ containing this grant was dated at Manor on 6th August, and John took sasine ~ on 19th September at Manorhope, at an old wall on the north side of Smallburne near the water of Manor.

On the death of Thomas Inglis, William Inglis succeeded to Murdie­ston, the superiority of Manorhead and the other lands in Manor, while his half-brother, John, became proprietor of Manorhead. William Inglis was sued in 1494 by Alexander Fokkert and Christian Lowis, his spouse, for alleged spoilation from them of some goods, and an annual rent connected with the third of Glack and Gayer­I Judging from later writs, the half belonging to Inglis included

Manorhead, Woodhouse, Town of Manor and a joint superiOritY of Caverhill and Glack; while the Lowis half comprised DollarbUm, Castlehill, Hallmanor, Hallmeadow, Horswaird and the said joint superiority.

I Douglas calls the son John, evidently confusing him with William’S own son.

Among the witnesses were Paul Veitch of Dawyck, William Baird of Posso, John Dickson of Smithfield and Thomas Dickson of Ormistofl.

2 Among the witnesses were Andrew and Patrick de Lowis and Stephen ~ie Kirkhope. (Horsburgh Papers.)

 

THE PARISH OF MANOR                            553

 

hill.1 On 5th August, 1500, at Woodhouse he granted a tack to his son-in-law, John Burnet of that Ilk, of the third part of the ward lands of Caverhill and Glack, which belonged to him through the death of Elspeth Caverhill, for all the time they should be in his ward, for the yearly payment of five nobles. The witnesses to this deed were James, David and William Inglis, sons of the granter, and John Inglis of Manorhead. By 23rd September, 1505, John Burnet was dead, and William Inglis had become tutor at law to his grandson William Burnet (p. 572).

William Inglis died about 1509, in which year John Inglis of Murdie­ston, his son, took infeftment in the half barony of Manor as his father’s heir.2 Two years later, at the instance of Mr. Patrick Tweedie, commissary of the jurisdiction of Manor, a royal order was issued for the apprehension and imprisonment of John Inglis, as he was under sentence of excommunication for contempt of the church.2 On 17th May, I515, as superior of Manorhead, John Inglis “of Morderstoune and Vodhouse,” as he styled himself, gave sasine thereof to his cousin, John Inglis, two of his sons, John and Thomas, witnessing the transaction. Ten days later he wadset the west half of the Town of Manor for 260 merks to William Allan, burgess of Peebles; and in 1522 he took his leave of Manor by selling the whole half barony to David Hoppringle of Smailholm and Margaret Lundie, his spouse, by charter (dated at Dawyck 16th June), which received the royal confirmation the same day.4

James Hoppringle, son of this David, was served heir to his father, and took sasine of the half barony on 9th January, 1534-5. Later he calls himself James Pringle of Woodhouse. He was succeeded by James Hoppringle of Quhytbank, his son, who was infeft on 27th March, 1564, in the half of the lands of Manor,5 and this he sold about 1600 to William Burnet of Barns.

Returning to John Inglis of Manorhead,6 who received the grant in

1457 from his father Thomas, he died at an advanced age between

1495 and 1500, and was succeeded by his son John, who had sasine

as before mentioned in 1515 from his cousin John of Murdieston.

He died in 1535, and was succeeded by his son John, who died before

I 58o, and was succeeded in turn by his son John. This John Inglis

married Barbara Govan, and died in 1612, leaving a son John, in

minority, to whom Thomas Inglis, his father’s brother7 became tutor,

     ‘Acta Audit. (p. 187).                            2 Barns Papers.       3Yester Papers.
     4Barns Papers.                         5 Ibid.

6 Professor Veitch considered there was strong presumptive evidence that a son of this John Inglis was Sir James Inglis of Cambuskenneth, the author of the famous Complaynt of Scotland (History and Poetry, vol. ii. p. 86).

There was another brother, George Inglis, who about 1625 was in Glensax, and afterwards in Glenrath and Newby, and in 1632 had a disposition of two-thirds of Manorhead to himself and his second son John from Malcolm Inglis of Manorhead and his wife. His eldest son was named Thomas.

 

554.            HISTORY OF PEEBLESSHIRE

 

and who in 1614 was served heir to his father in Manorhead, of which William Burnet of Barns was then the superior.’ This John seems to have died young and unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother Malcolm.

Malcolm Inglis had a long lairdship, from at least 1627 to 1696. He married Isabel Pringle, and in 1629 acquired from John Lowis, Hall-manor, with Harehope and the mill of Manor, which he sold in 1637 (p. 559).2 His first wife died before 1666, and he was then married to Jean Brown, the widow of Robert Scott in Glack. During his time a conventicle was held at Manorhead which brought quite a number of those around into the Sheriff Court.3 He had two sons. John, the elder married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Mitchelson of Middleton, and died in October, 1695, shortly before his father, leaving a son Thomas, who succeeded to Manorhead. Malcolm’s second son, Thomas, was designated of Craigend, and married Isobel Abernethie.

Thomas Inglis was infeft in Manorhead on 9th July, 1696, as heir to his grandfather, Malcolm, on a precept of clare constat from Charles, Earl of Traquair. He was also served heir to his father, John, in the half of the lands of Cortilferrie, Midlothian. He married in 1695 Lilias Turnbull, eldest daughter of William Turnbull of Currie, and sold Manorhead on 1oth August, 1709, to Alexander Horsburgh of that Ilk, in whose family it has since remained.

 

LOWIS OF MANOR

This old family, like the Inglises of Manor, took the baronial designation, but they never held more than half the barony, which, as has been indicated, they probably acquired early in the fifteenth century.

Patrick of the Lowis of “Meaner” was on an inquest at Inner­leithen on 27th August, 1427; and he acted as bailie for Sir Walter Scott on 22nd July, 1434, in a transaction which took place in the chapel of St. Mary in the parish church of Peebles, when John of Geddes resigned his half lands of Ladyurd and gave them to his son William.4 He also witnessed an agreement at Peebles on 15th February thereafter between this William Geddes of Ladyurd and Davy the Hay, Lord of Yester.5 There are several other references to him acting as a witness, including one at Mossfennan on 14th August, 1439, and he was also a witness on 19th September, 1457, when John Inglis, the son of his neighbour baron of Manor, was infeft in Manorhope.6

His successor was Thomas de Lowis of Manor, probably his son. In 1455 he was acting as baron bailie for Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch

 1 Horsburgh Papers.  2 Barns Papers. 3 Sheriff Court Books.

4 Acta. Dom. Con. and Skirling Inventory (see p. 189).

5 Yester \Vrits, No. 63.

6 Wigtown Inventory and Horsburgh Writs.