NO. XI.

NOTES REGARDING A DRINKING CUP WHICH BELONGED TO THE OLD KILSYTH LIVINGSTONES, AND OTHERWISE RELATIVE TO THAT FAMILY :

BY

DR. STEWART,

KIRKINTILLOCH.

[Read at a Meeting of the Society held at Glasgow on 10th December, 1860.]

KILSYTH, a parish now in the middle of Stirlingshire, was until 1649 part of Campsie Parish, bearing the district name of Moniabroch, or Monæbrugh, and until about 1310 it was topographically designed as occupying the south-eastern extremity of Dumbartonshire, or of the Lennox. Malcolm Fleming of Biggar, who assisted at the murder of Cumyn in Dumfries on 10th February 1305, was afterwards rewarded for his attachment to Bruce by a grant of Cumyn's forfeited lands of Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch, and, having been appointed governor of Dumbarton Castle, he procured the disjunction from Stirlingshire of these two parishes, and in lieu of them Campsie and some other parishes were given off from Dumbartonshire. In 1503 an act of parliament was passed restoring these parishes to their original counties. Six years afterwards an act was passed repealing the arrangement of 1503. In 1539 another change was attempted by the Montrose family and others, which was opposed by the Earl of Mar, then Sheriff of Stirlingshire, and was accomplished afterwards by the 73rd act of James VI.; but by an act passed in 1641 these parishes finally took their place as they now stand. The ancient designation of the Kilsyth district was retained until about the middle of last century. The communion cups, dated 1731, are marked "Kirk Monæburgh," and the kirk tokens of 1755 bear the impress M.K. The name may have come from a stream called the Abroch, which rises in the Barr Wood, a mile or two east of the present village, whence Abroch Moor, or Moniabroch. It is probable that in very early times, perhaps even in the days of the Druids, a sacred place had been near the village, for tradition points

to such a conclusion. Tumuli containing urns and ashes have been found near Chapel Green there, and the name Kilsyth is by some believed to indicate a holy grove, or side, or site, or seat; while the name of the river, the Kelvin, which takes its rise from springs in the locality, is supposed to denote that it flows from a place held in reverence.

Crawford, in his remarks on the Ragman Roll, says he had seen a charter by Malduin, Earl of the Levenax, to his nephew and son-inlaw Malcolm, son of Duncan of the lands of Glasswell, and part of the land of Kilsyth, with the patronage of the Church Monæbroch, dated 1217; also, a charter of confirmation to Malcolm, son of Duncan, dated 1239, of lands in Glentarvin, Monæbroch, Kilsyth, and Glasswell, which he had by the grant of the Earl of Lennox, and of the lands of Calynter, which he had from the king in free forestry. Malcolm was succeeded by his son Aluin. A successor about 1330, viz., Patrick de Calynter, having attached himself to the Baliol party, brought on his estate a forfeiture by David II., who granted the lands of Kilsyth to William Livingston, son-in-law of Patrick.

The Livingston family have assumed that they came originally from Hungary about 1075, and that a Living-perhaps Liebling or Liebchen, from Liebe, love, a name meaning darling or pet,-held some lands under David I.

The first of them who greatly distinguished himself was Sir Alexander Livingston or Livingstoun, who, Pitscottie tells us, was, at the time of James I.'s murder, 1437, Knicht of the Callendar, "But becaus the King (James II.) was not sufficient to governe the realme for inlake of aige," this Knight was, by the "Lordis at ane conventioun, maid governour over all the realme. In this meane tyme, Alexander, Earle of Douglas, being uerie potent in kine and friendis, contemned all the Kingis officeris in respect of his great puissance, and caused proclamie publicklie that no man within Annerdaill and otheris boundis quhatsoever pertaining to his dominiones, not to obey any of the Kingis officeris under the paine of dead. The whol youthis of Scotland begane to raige in mischiefe, and meikle hirschip and stouth was in land and borrowis, great crueltie of nobles amongest themselffis, for slauchter, theft, and murther was than patent, sau that he was estemed the greatest man of renoun that was the greatest brigant, theife, and murther."

The chancellor, Sir William Crichtoun, "kiped both the Castle of Edinburgh, and als our young king thair-intill. Vpon the other

syd Sir Alexander Levingstoun conteaned ane other factione to whois opinion Queine mother, with monie of the nobilitie, verie trewlie assisted. Shoe passed to Edinburgh, and having libertie to enter and ische to the Castle, shoe gave the chancellour to vnderstand that she had made ane vow to pas to the quhyte Kirk of Brechine, desiring thairby to have license to carrie away tua cofferis with hir cloathis and ornamentis forth of the castle, quhilk being granted to hir, shoe inclosed the zoung king in one of the cofferis and her cloathis in ane other coffer, and so shoe passed forwardis into Stirling. The chancellour persaved himselff so done, sent ane message to the Earle of Douglas, desiring to have support of him againes the governour and queine. The message scantlie endit, the Earle Douglas with an irfull countenance, lykeas if he had been wood and furious, ansred him againe, "It is bot little skaith I think for me, albeit sick mischeivous traytouris as Sir William Chrichtoun and Alexander Livingstoun, moue warres contrair otheris, and als it becometh not the honorable estait of noblemen to help any of them, albeit ilk ane of thame wraick vtheris so that thair war not sick ane thing as any memorie of thame heirafter to our posteritie."

Tytler says," Having liberated her son, the Queen mother appears for some time to have reposed unlimited confidence in the fidelity of Sir Alexander Livingstone, who, having raised his vassals, laid siege to the Castle of Edinburgh. Crichton did not consider himself strong enough to contend. The proud answer of the Earl of Douglas produced a disposition towards a settlement of differences, and the result was a truce between the rival lords and a reconciliation. The new friends divided between them the power. Cameron, bishop of Glasgow, a partisan of Douglas, was deprived of the situation of chancellor, which was bestowed on Crichton; whilst to Livingstone was committed the guardianship of the King's person, and the chief management in the government." Pitscottie's character of Bishop Cameron is a remarkable one. He says, this bishop "caused the prince and his ruellaris to exerce oppressioun vpoun the realme, as he had done himselff vpoun the poore tennentis of Glasgow, sua that quhen the power divyne of God had permitted him to scourge and overune the people on this wayes for ane certain space, he thought to put ane end to his tyrannie. At last, vpoun yuill evin quhen he was lying sleiping in his bed, thair cam on thunderring voyce out of heavin, summonding him to the extreame judgment of God, quhair he sould give an account of all his cruell offences bot ony fardder

delay. And frae hand the same voyce and wordis war more vgsumlie hard cry nor befoir. The bischop renderit the spirit hastilie at the pleasour of God, and schew out his tongue most vyldlie as he had beine hanged vpon ane gallous, ane terrible sight to all murtheraris and oppressouris of the poore."

To return to Governor Livingston, we find in Pitscottie that, "in this meane tyme quhill the countrie was walterrand to and fro in this maner, thair was nothing but murther, thift, and slauchter in the South and Wast of Scotland;" and then he tells how Sir Thomas Boyd slew Sir Allane Stewart of Gartullie, Knycht of Pawmatt House, thrie myllies from the Falkirk; and how Alexander Stewart, "to revenge his brotheris slauchter, sett upoun Sir Thomas Boyd in plaine batle, quhair the said Sir Thomas was cruellie slaine with manie valient men on everie syd;" how Archibald, Earl of Douglas, died of "hot fever in 1439, to quhom Williame, his sone succeeided, ane young man of 14 yeirs of age, gottin vpoun Mauld Lindsay, dochter to the Earle of Crawforde; how the young earl got into the "mischeivous companie of harlottis and flatteraris, quhilkis ar the most vnhappie and vicked pest that evir man, of quhatsoevir estate or conditione he be of, may be infested with;" how he became proud, "to the great contemptione of the kingis auctoritie, at all tymes accompanied aboue his estate quhairevir he raid convoyed with 1000 horsmen and moe, amongest whom he maintained ane great number of theifis and murthereris, and to advance his mightie power he held parliamentis within his awn boundis, without advyce of the king;" how Sir James Stewart, brother to the Lord of Lorne, "quha married King James the First his wayff, assisted be the Earle of Douglas," became troublesome to the governor and the chancellor, and "the governour, to repres Sir James Stewartis insolencie, took him with his brother, and kest them both in prisone;" how "the Queine, highlie commoved at hir husband and brotheris imprisonment, was wairded also with the governour within the Castle of Stirling;" how "efter this Sir Alexander Seatoune, alias Gordoun, the 1st Earle of Huntlie, obleist him and became cautioner, under the pain of 4000 markis, that sick enormities should not be committed, and Sir James and his brother war relaxed;" how "the governour regairded no man, ruling all thingis at his pleasour, bot ony adwyse or consultatione of vtheris nobles in the realme;" how "Lauchlen Macklend and Murdo Gibsone were the principall men of the Illes, and tuo great thiefis and murdereris," and came into Dumbartonshire with their followers, and after fighting the Laird