OGILVY, James of Acheeries

  General Notes:

from Annals of Banff

'Spalding, in his "History of the Troubles," briefly notes an event under the year 1628, which, must have caused no little excitement even in these troublous times : \emdash

" And siclike about Michaelmas in the said year, the laird, thereafter Lord of Banff, unhappily slew Jas. Ogilvie, his cousin, being a proper gentieman : there was some assythment made for this slaughter, and he went peaceably."

The Sheriff Court Records of the County enable us to obtain a closer view of the "slauchter." From these it appears that in the aforesaid year James Ogilvie of Acheeries was killed in the streets of Banff. His relict, his daughter and his brother, together with John Gordon, the Laird of Buckie, and William Gordon, the Laird of Caimfield, his brothers uterine and his remaining kin and friends, complained before the Court upon Sir George Ogilvie of Banff, Provost of Banff, Sir George Ogilvie of Camousie, Robert Ogilvie, burgess of Banff, William Ogilvie, Robert Stuart, James Anderson, Patrick Weyness, John Ross and others, in the following terms : \emdash

Sir George Ogilvie of Banff having a deadly hatred to James Ogilvie of Acheeries, accompanied with the said William Ogilvie, Greorge Braibner, alias " Joukie," and several others, with swords, dirks, steelbonnets, hackbuts, daggers, pistolets, long guns, &c., contrary to the Act of Parliament, came under silence and cloud of night by way of hamesucken about midnight to Margaret Ogilvie her house (relict of the above James Ogilvie) in Paddocklaw where she and her family were in quiet and sober manner for the time in their beds taking the night's rest, thinking to have rested in peace and security under God and our protection. Her husband being absent and the said laird of Banff falsely usurping upon him the name of John Gordon of Buckie, brother uterine to her said late husband, chopped at the door and under the usurped name foresaid desired entry and howsoon she heard of the said John Gordon, his name, whom she thought had been attending, at the word she rose out of her bed and opened the door, but howsoon the laird of Banff with his associates had gotten entry they, in a great rage and fiiry drew their swords and bended their pistolets, and held the points of their swords and bended pistolets to her poor naked armless servants' breasts threatening them with present death if they revealed not where the said umquhile James was; thereafter went athort the haill house and chambers within the same, scorched with their swords all the beds they found within, and were resolved on set purpose to have slain and murdered her late husband in his bed if he had been apprehended and at that time she the said Margret was great with child.

On third of October last the said umquhile James being directed by the Lady Boyne for production of a sasine for removing some tenants off her liferent lands before the Sheriff of Banff being the Head Michaelmas Court day the said Sir George Ogilvie of Banff, Knight baronet and provost of the said town of Banff and the said Sir George Ogilvie of Camousie being at the said Head Court the Court being fenced and suits called and not regarding the said place of justice at such ane solemn time the said umquhile James Ogilvie making due court and reverence to the said Lairds of Camowsie and Banff, saluting them, the said Laird of Banff, of precogitate malice and evil will conceived to him against the said James Ogilvie perceiving his head uncovered and his bonnet off, struck the said umquhile James on the bare head with a baton to the effusion of his blood in great quantity and thereafter the said Lairds of Banff and Camowsie and the hail! remanent persons complained upon drew their swords within the said tolbooth in time of Court and "strake most fearclie and crewlie '' at the said James, who defending himself with his sword escaped furth of the said tolbooth of Banff to the King's high causeway of Banff.

They most fiercely pursued and followed the said James Ogilvie "alangouslie the calsay of the said burghe be the space of tua buttis and mair " and having overtaken him and he being alone, and they above twenty persons, most barbarously, cruelly and unhumanly anew beset the said James on every side, being a naked man, destitute of all and armour and help, except only a sword in his hand, and there most cruelly, shamefully and unmercifully murdered the said James and gave him many cruel and deadly strokes upon his head and divers other parts of his body, and especially the said Laird of Banff with his own hand struck the said James behind his back with a sword through the fifth rib and through the liver being "ane dead straike " and also the said Laird of Carnowsie most barbarously, shamefully and unhumanly shot the said umquhile James Ogilvie with a pistol, charged with two bullets, the top bone of his thigh being broken. [Rest of Sheriff Court Record lost] ' ¹

  Research Notes:

ACHEERIES

This is probably Auchiries.

James married Margaret OGILVY. (Margaret OGILVY was born about 1582.)