| Administrative History | The earliest recorded instance of the name 'Irvine' date back to the 12th century but it was King Robert the Bruce who established the Irvines in the north-east of Scotland. A clerk in the royal chancellery, William of Irvine, was appointed the King's representative in the royal forest of Drum and was granted lands there in 1323. He later was granted the barony of Drum and married a grandaughter of Robert the Bruce: from this union stems the two great families of Bonshaw and Drum. The north-east Irvines were strongly royalist throughout the seveneteenth century and many priests found refuge at Drum Castle. During the eighteenth century this adherence to the Stuart dynasty resulted in the forfeiture of lands around Drum. The fourteenth laird of Drum fought at Sheriffmuir (1715) and the seventeenth laird joined Lord Pitsligo in the rising of 1745. He escaped the aftermath of Culloden and went into hiding in secret compartments in Drum Castle. He was tried in absentia and acquitted on a technicality.
The present collection consists of letters to, from, or concerning two lairds of Drum: (1) Alexander Irvine (1695 - 1735),14th laird of Drum from 1720, and (2) Alexander Irvine of Crimond (c. 1675 - 1744), 16th laird of Drum from 1737. The first of these was a Jacobite who was wounded in the 1715 rising and was in exile in France until 1718. Then estate of Drum was heavily indebted, and was sequestered in 1726 to meet the demands of its creditors; Irvine of Crimond was the heir of entail. The mass of the correspondence relates to those money difficulties, and to Crimond's efforts to achieve an arrangement to regain control over the estate.
See J.F. Leslie, 'The Irvines of Drum and Collateral Branches' (Aberdeen: 1909) |
| Description | The correspondence prior to Irvine's succession to Drum in 1720 relates to his life in France, his contacts with other Jacobite exiles, and his money problems. The later correspondence relates mainly to the claim by Alexander Irvine of Crimond and William Irvine of Artamford to the bill of provision for £80,000 Scots granted to Charles Irvine, which they wished to use to pay their creditors, and the arrangement reached by Crimond with Patrick Duff of Premnay and William Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen, in 1733.
In addition to the 13th, 14th, and 16th lairds of Drum (all named Alexander Irvine), correspondents include Wiliam Black, James Blair, James Catanach, Alexander Cuming, Patrick Duff of Premnay, Alexander Gillanders, Francis Gillanders, Charles Gordon, Thomas Irvine, William Irvine, and George Keith advocate in Aberdeen.
Also includes a document signed by all the barons of Aberdeenshire, promising they will not support candidates for Parliament who uphold the doctrine that the city of Aberdeen and the colleges are entitled to corporate votes in the General Elections (undated, early 18th century). 66 items. |