TROTTER, Joanna 'of Mortonhall' ¹

   Another name for Joanna was TROTTER, Jackie.¹

   User ID: P499.

Joanna married Charles GORDON of Braid, WS, 3rd of Cluny (of the 3rd House), son of John GORDON 1st of Cluny (of the 3rd House), Factor to the Duke of Gordon and Mary LINDSAY, on 8 November 1775 in Edinburgh, Scotland.¹ (Charles GORDON of Braid, WS, 3rd of Cluny (of the 3rd House) was born about 1738, died on 8 May 1814 in Braid, near Edinburgh, Scotland ¹ and was buried on 13 May 1814 in St Cuthbert's cemetery, Edinburgh, Scotland ¹.)

  Marriage Notes:

"He (Charles Gordon) married on Nov. 8, 1775, Joanna (usually known as 'Jackie') Trotter, daughter of Thomas Trotter of Mortonhall, Midlothian (a family described at length in Burke's 'Landed Gentry'). She died at Weymouth, Aug. 10, 1798 ('Gentleman's Mag.,' vol. 68, p.' 729). The Gordon mausoleum in St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, gives the date as Sept. 7. Charles Gordon had at least three sons and three daughters

1. John Gordon IV. of Cluny.

2. Alexander Gordon of Great Myless, Essex. For a time he occupied Terregles House, in the parish of that name in Kirkcudbright, but whether he actually owned land there I cannot say. In 1775 a John Gordon had sasine of an annual rent of £6 10s out of the one Merkland of Nunwood-head, formerly called Carlyle lands of old extent in Terregles ('Dumfries Particular Sasines Register'). The Harrow School Register certainly describes Alexander Gordon as 'of Terregles.' He died at Nunton on Benbecula on September 13, 1839 ('Gentleman's Magazine,' vol. 12, N.S., p. 550). The Gordon mausoleum in St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, gives the date as Oct. 12. He married Eleanor, who died March 2, 1850 ('Gentleman's Magazine,' vol. 33, N.S., p. 451). He had six sons and four daughters

3. Cosmo George Gordon, 'youngest son of Gordon of Braid,' died there Sept. 8, 1795 ('Scots Mag.'). The Gordon mausoleum at St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, gives the date as Sept. 12.

4. Joanna ('Jacky') Gordon. Margaret Mackintosh, daughter of John Mackintosh of Corrybrough More, on the Findhorn, writes to her sister Anne, about 1802, that she had met 'Miss,' that is Jacky, Gordon at the 'practising,' and that she was 'ridiculously' dressed ('Balfours of Pilrig,' 196). Her ridiculousness, however, did not prevent her capturing, two years later (May 28, 1804), the future Earl of Stair. At that time he was plain Mr John William Henry Dairymple, son of General the Hon. William Dalrymple, who was uncle of the 6th Earl of Stair. He was an officer in the 5th Dragoon Guards, and met Joanna Gordon when his regiment was stationed in Edinburgh, being at the time of his marriage only 20 years of age. He told her that family circumstances rendered it necessary to keep the marriage secret during the life time of his father. Miss Gordon 'yielded to his injunctions of secrecy,' and the pair simply exchanged mutual written promises to this effect (more detail given here of the secret relationship)...... On June 3, 1808, Dalrymple married at St. George's, Hanover Square, by special licence, Laura Manners (youngest daughter of John Manners, by Louisa, afterwards sua jure Countess of Dysart), on the ground that his marriage with Miss Gordon was invalid. Miss Gordon carried her case to law, and it was decided in her favour in the Consistory Court at Doctors' Commons on July 16, 1811, by Sir Walter Scott, afterwards Lord Stowell (whose younger brother, Lord Eldon, the well known Lord Chancellor, had taken a similar step by a run-away marriage at Gretna Green in 1772). (further detail of the aftermath of this situation follows in the text)"

5. Mary Gordon, died unmarried, July 7, 1846 (Gordon Mausoleum, Edinburgh).

6. Charlotte Gordon is described by Col. Gordon as 'my third sister.' Margaret Mackintosh met her at the 'practising' in Edinburgh in 1802, and says she 'looked very well,' in contrast to her sister Jacky, who was 'very ridiculously dressed' ('Balfours of Pilrig,' 196). Sir James Dalziel of Binns (1774-1841) was with her; 'he is a constant attendant of Charlotte, and they say he will be a match.' As a matter of fact, he died unmarried, while Charlotte herself married at Edinburgh, May 18, 1805, Captain (afterwards Sir) John Lowther Johnstone of the Coldstream Guards, son of Governor George Johnstone (1730- 1787) and nephew of Sir William Pulteney ('Scots Magazine'). (more detail follows regarding Charlotte's family)"

from The Gordons of Cluny ¹