MARGARET GRAEME OF INCHBRAKIE, BARONESS NAIRNE AND STRATHORD

Though no written tribute of the "excellent virtues" of this lady has been handed down to us as in the case of her elder sister Anna, she was a remarkable character, as her history relates, and the portrait given of her shows her to have been of pleasing appearance.

Margaret Graeme is a figure in the county history of Scotland as ancestress of the noble house of Nairne, and the grandmother of the girls who carried on the line of seven of the prominent families in Scotland. Indeed, both the daughters of Black Pate seem to have shared largely the beauty of their mother the Honourable Jean Drummond, and the brave and energetic spirit of the Earls Marichall, so conspicuously shown in the Earl’s grand-daughter and Black Pate’s mother, Margaret Keith.

Passing through the great troubles of 1645 to 1660, Margaret Graeme had been through the fire of an experience worse even than that of her father and grandmother, though as a child she had shared the troubles of the "ladies older and younger of Inchbrakie." For at least seven years she was separated from her fiancé by his imprisonment in the Tower for his devotion to the royal cause; and that same Tower of London was her bridal home during the first three years of their wedded life!

It must be acknowledged that her spirit and "high mettle" was at least equal to that of her sister the "Lady Abercairny".

Her husband, Robert Nairne’s descent was good; it dated from the reign of Robert III, and his own high qualities added largely to the luster of his family.

The fourth Nairne in descent obtained from James V the charter of Muckersie, and with his wife Margaret Oliphant came a large right of fishing on the Tay to him and his heirs male.

The seventh Nairne in line obtained the charter of Ochtergaven, and the ninth (Robert) was the husband of Margaret Graeme and the first Lord Nairne; he was the eldest son of Mr Robert Nairne of Strathord, by Margaret, daughter of Sir John Preston of Penecuick.

The picturesque old timbered fronted house, where Lord Nairne’s father and mother were married, stood in the High Street of Edinburgh, one of the most perfect speciments of the old French style of the sixteenth century. It was built just after the burning of Edinburgh in 1544. The owner, Mr John Preston, in 1581, though a baker, was also an eminent lawyer; he was knighted by King James and raised to the bench in 1594 as Lord Fentonbarns, and died President of the Court in 1616, having attained great wealth.

His daughter and Mr Nairne had several children besides

Robert, the future Peer.

John, who became Bairne of Muckersie;

Alexander Nairne of Greenyards;

William, slain at Worcester;

Agnes, married to William Blair of Tarsapie;

Margaret, married to Sir David Falconer of

Newtown, President of the College of Justice

Mr Robert Nairne studied for the law and took his degree; after a period of devotion to his profession he threw aside his pen and gown and buckled on the sword, wearing the cload of the cavalier instead of the lawyer. Scotland was in the labour of her great troubles, and shw was to find no stauncher friend in the cause of the Royal Stuarts than Robert Nairne.

In 1649, Campbell of Lawers, an officer of Argyll’s gives a roll call of the "estates" of participators in Montrose’s wars, a long list of nobles and gentlemen amongst whom are Tossachs, Graemes and Drummonds (and the "Laird of Strathurd younger"), who are to be fined.

The Parliament of the Estates is a debtor to Campbell for 4000 pounds; they grant half the above fines to Campbell in payment of the debt, the other half to be used as public money.

Robert was born about 1620, and entered as an advocate in 1644. He attracted no special attention towards himself from the Parliament party until after Montrose’s departure from Scotland; one of his last meetings with his future bride must have been at the coronation of Charles II at Scone (near Perth), where all the nobility and gentry of Scotland attended to pay homage to their King, and where there must have been many whispered words, and perhaps a measure trod together where eyes would venture to express words, and feelings too bold for words.

Then in January 1651 came the levy of the troops for the King and Robert Nairne worked hard in the cause; a meeting was arranged by night to secure privacy, and many of the gallants of Scotland rode forth at the appointed hour to meet at Alyth, near Perth.

It was however Alyth near Perth that Robert Nairne rode to that August night, when a strong party of English horse suddenly surrounded the group of Royalists and bore them captive to the South, where for ten years they were confined to the Tower of London until released by the restoration of Charles II.

Under those gloomy portals Margaret Graeme passed to sign her marriage contract in the presence of her future spouse in 1657, when he dowered his bride with the lands of Auchtergaven; there the ceremony must have taken place, and there, in the dingy rooms, with deep embrasured windows obscured by their heavy bars, Margaret remained after the "witnesses" and her friends had departed one by one to doff her wedding robes and make a new and brighter imprisonment for the man she loved so well and so deeply that she never gave a thought to the wise fair lands of Inchbrakie left behind, but brightened with her girlish presence and the lilting of their Scottish ballads and their hero Montrose’s songs, the tedious hours of the gloomy jail. No light task for a girl over whose husband’s head was hovering the sword of death, which fell on more than one of his friends!

Then came the Restoration and the Light! Gay, gallant, happy, generous, laughing Charles was home again; the prison doors were opened wide and the birds had taken wing back to bonny Scotland, to its fair straths and laughing rivers and to its guardian hills!

Surely that brave, unselfish discipline made Baroness Nairne fit mate for the founding of a race of men as the Lords Nairne and Strathallan and the Jacobite Laird younger of Gask in the ’45, for the continuing of such noble houses as Lansdowne and Dunmore, and of heroes like the gallant Keiths; while her woman’s softer influence showed in Margaret and Carolina Oliphant of Gask, the descendants who both returned to nest in the old homes of Margaret Graeme; the former as wife of the eighth Laird of Inchbrakie, the latter, the sweet songstress of Scotland, was married to the fifth Lord Nairne.

In 1669, twelve years after her most romantic marriage, Margaret is a proud and happy mother by the birth of a little daughter and great rejoicings must have taken place when on the 16^th October Mr Laurie, the Dean of Edinburgh, baptizes the baby girl as Margaret (no other name could equal that in the ears of Sir Robert Nairne) and if there was not to be a son, the little daughter must have all the honours of the godfathers, and next day, "17^th October 1669, Sir Robert Nairne of Strathord, Senator of the College of Justice, registers the name of his and Dame Margaret Graeme’s daughter and the witness" are John, Earl of Atholl, James, Earl of Perth, and Dr Henry Henderson.

The following December he makes all straight and clear for his little heiress, and his lands are made into one charter and called the Barony of Strathord in Sir Robert’s name.

Sir Robert’s income was increasing rapidly and he was growing rich in lands and money and in the favour of his king and countrymen. Dame Margaret Graeme, Lady Strathord, must share in it, and he "dispones" to her "Lady Strathord in lyfrent" not only the lands of her marriage contract "Ochtergaven", but "Anewonachie, Bleloch, Logie-bridge, Kassidey, Ledmore, Belmacollie, Milu and Miln lands in the Barony of Strathord and Insturvie.

In 1681, Sir Robert Nairne receives a precept clare constat of the Nairne lands of Muchersie, dated April 28^th, and two days later his little girl is dowered with an annual income of 1200 merks, charged partly on lands of Inchbrakie (her mother’s tocher) and partly on the Barony of Strathford.

In 1681 Robert Nairne reaches his ambition and is created a Peer as Baron Nairne, and all his lands are converted under a fresh charter to himself, under "Title and Dignity of Baron Nairn on January 27^th, 1681" From its ratification is confirmed the date of his and Margaret Graeme’s marriage (10^th January 1657). This meaning of the charter of 27^th January 1681 has not hitherto been clearly explained in genealogical notices; in many of which it is stated that the Barony was settled on Lord William Murray, son to the first Maquis of Atholl, failing heirs male of Lord Nairne’s body.

This is an error; the MS register of the Great Seal,which through the kindness of the sub-curator, Mr John Anderson, I have seen, states that the title of Baron Nairne is granted to Sir Robert Nairne of Strathord and the "airs male" of his body,which failing, to Margaret Nairne, his only lawful daughter, and to heirs male to be lawfully pro-created between her and Lord George Murray, youngest son to the Marquis of Atholl, or to any other son to whom she may be married.

This charter was no doubt in consequence of a contract of marriage made in 1676 (five years previous to Lord Nairne being granted his patent of nobility). The baby heiress was but seven years old, and the contract was between her and Lord George, and failing him to "his immediate elder brother and so upward".

Why such a contract was formed is not clear; the present Duke states that the Atholls "had been on the wrong side", and one can but suppose that it was for the purpose of binding the allegiance of that noble race more firmly to the throne – a hope they nobly fulfilled hereafter. The prospect of the alliance appears to have given great satisfaction to the Atholl family; the eldest son, Lord Murray, writes to his mother, the Marchioness, dated April 1676, mentioning the news of the contract, which he had heard at St Andrews, saying he was "mightielie surprised at it, "but", as my Aunt says, "I wish the rest of my brothers no worse luck".

A very different fate awaited the poor little Lord George, who was but three years old when this contract was drawn up; he became the victim of bad health and the marriage was abandoned.

Lord Nairne was served heir to his father in the lands of Easter Greenyard, and other lands in Stirling on 21 February 1683. Lord Nairne’s success created jealousy and when the Parliamentary party were defeated regarding Argyll’s conviction in 1681, Woodrow expresses himself strongly on the matter "being very old and infirm he (Lord Nairne) had long been unable to perform the duties of Lord Ordinary in the outer house in turn with his brother judges, and on the occasion in question" (trial of the Earl of Argyll, 12 December 1681) " was forced from fatigue to retire to bed while the pleadings on the relevancy were still going on.

"The judges being however equally divided and the Duke of Queensberry who presided as Justice General being unwilling to vote, it became necessary to send for Lord Nairne; he was accordingly "raised out of bed and carried into Court where the pleadings were read over to him by a Clerk"; he fell asleep again while this useless ceremony was performing, but being awakened, voted for the relevancy of the indictment."

The above statement by Woodrow appears of a party nature and somewhat exaggerated; we are told that Lord Nairne was born about 1620; he was therefore little over sixty years of age at this time; it was his son-in-law who was excused from attending Parliament, June 1693 (Act of Parliament.

Margaret Nairne in 1683 was served heir to her father and acquired the same year the lands of Rogertoune (March 30^th). Her father was dead and she succeeded as Baroness Nairne in her own right; Lord Murray appears to have expressed a wish that the original terms of the contract of 1676 be carried out, and that his brother, Lord William, be accepted as the Baroness Nairne’s husband, pressing some alteration or addition. A letter from the widowed Baroness, Margaret Graeme, points to this; she is writing to Lord Murray.

Dowager Lady Nairne to Lord Murray.

Nairne, 10 Feb. 1690

My Lord, I have ever had so high ane esteem for your Lordship that I could not have thought that ye should a been the hindrer of this affair which your Lordship was the first proponderer of to me. I use to blame my Lord Marques for several things but in this I doe not, for I am sure it is the information your Lordship sent up that made my Lord make any alteration and noat put his hand to so just a paper as that was which was drawn by your Lordship consent and the rest of your friends when they were here. I spoke to every one of them and all of them said to me it was rightly and rationally done, and persuaded us your Lordship could say nothing against it; but how ane other paper comes to be drawen up with things worded in it, that is not in the first contacts and causes tending to the outer ruining of this family if they should fal out, I know not, but, before I condishend, I rather I not my daughter had never been in it, for the friends say if I yield to this it is certainly ruined, nether doo I think any coult aske us to doo it, but they that desires this affair to be broaken up; surely if it be I am not to blame, for I have suffered more trouble to gett this interest to on of my Lord Marquess’ family than all that ever I suffered on earth, and it is well known I could have settled my daughter long agoe and goten conditions far better than are asked if it had not been for waiting on your Lordship family.

My Lord, I beg pardon for this long and I believe troublesome letter, but I am a proud Graeme and loves not to be slighted and not tell it, but, whatever becomes of this affair, I shall wish all happiness to your Lordships family and shall ever be my Lord your Lordship most faithful and very humble servant.

Margaret Nairne.

I and my daughter begs pardon to give our most humble services to my Lady and both of us to your Lordship.

Lord Murray, afterwards the first Duke, was pulling the reins too tightly, possible over the legal arrangements. Margaret Graeme’s spirit is roused and the "Pride of the Graeme" also; she will keep to the original bargain or have none of it.

Lord William Murray has won her heart and that of the young Baroness, as a staunch Royalist, and as such he may have his bride in spite of the fact that the Dowager Lady Nairne could have settled her daughter long ago and with better conditions; the pride (and may we add the straightforwardness)of the Graeme, which was no less strong now than centuries before, has won! The disagreement of the elders is overcome and the young people’s contract of marriage is signed in the September of 1690.

The children of Margaret Nairne and Lord William Murray were:

John, third Lord Nairne, engaged in the 1715 with his father and again in the 1745; after Culloden, he sailed for Sweden in company with the Oliphants of Gask and many others; as already stated the beautiful house of Nairne was razed to the ground; its old belfry given to the town of Perth, is seen crowning King James the Sixth Hospital. The "Bell Tree" still remains (1869) near the former site of the house; it marks the spot where Lord Nairne marshaled his followers the day they set out to join their Prince in 1715. John married Catherine, third daughter of the first Earl of Dunmore; he died in France 1770, leaving male issue which ended in the son of Caroline Oliphant (the Poetess) who married her cousin Lord Nairne.

Robert Nairne killed at Culloden; he had married the heiress of Aldie; she died in 1749, and their son, Colonel William Mercer of Aldie and Meiklour, married Margaret Murray, heiress of Pitkeathly, and died at Meiklour, 19 January 1790. They left three daughters; Jane married on 9^th April 1787 to George Keith Elphinstone, Admiral of the Blue and created Viscount Keith; the Barony of Keith descended to their only child Margaret, who married Count Flahaut; a daughter was born in 1819. On the death of the last Lord Nairne (only son of Caroline Oliphant) the songstress of Scotland) this lady became the Baroness Nairne in her own right; she married in 1843 the fourth Marquis of Lonsdown and the title of Baron Nairne is now vested in that noble family in the person of the present and fifth Marquis.

William, Captain of an Indiaman; died 1743 d.s.p

James, an officer in the British Service d.s.p

Margaret, married William, fourth Viscount