MILL OR MILNE, James Minister of Inverurie parish, Reverend Mr ¹

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  General Notes:

" '13 October. Mr. James Mill, minister at Inverurie, ane lawful sone bapt. callit James wit., Sir George Johnstonne of that ilk and Caskieben ; James Elphinstonne of Glack ; Alex. Leslie of Tullos, and Mr. Andrew Logy, person of Rane. Borne 2 Oct., 1630.'

The minister seems to have been cordially disposed to celebrate his accession to the dignity of paternity ; and that by a wife belonging to one of the county families, probably considered as an advance upon his previous twenty-six years alliance with a ruling burgh house. The laird of Glack may have been the father of his wife, Meriorie ; who collected her husband's friends at christenings pretty frequently afterwards. Caskieben, the son of Mr. Mill's old friend godly and virtuous John Johnston had been five years a baronet in 1630, and was Sheriff of the county, in succession to the Earl of Huntly, removed by Charles I. in his policy of curbing the great nobles. Mr. Mill's other christenings, with their graphic records, have been noted already. He appends to this, the first of his Manse baptisms, notice of an historical event, which made a great commotion at the time, 'the burning of Frendraught,' supposed to have been a malicious and cruel act of faction strife. The date of the birth was 2nd October, 1630, the same day that the sad tragedy had its beginning."

"Ardtannies in Mr. James Mill's time, was the residence in succession of Leslie of Wardes the proprietor, of Walter Innes the wealthy miller of Inverurie, brother-in-law probably of the laird of Glack, of Gilbert Johnston, Caskieben's next younger brother, of William Coutts the young laird of Auchtercoull, newly wedded to a daughter of the baronet of Cluny, and of John Leslie of Badifurrow, Kincraigie's second son ; all of whom were in their turn wadsetters of Ardtannies. The Blakhalls of that Ilk, Coroners and Foresters of the Garioch were close by, and in near neighbourhood, James Elphinstone of Glack, father-in-law in 1630 apparently to both the middle aged minister of Inverurie and Monkegy, and to Alexander Leslie of Tullos then a young man, who forty years afterwards became fourteenth baron of Balquhain, and a Count of the Holy Roman Empire which dignity his brother Walter, pushing his fortunes abroad, had attained in the service of Austria."

from Inverurie and the Earldom ^{1 2}

James married Margaret LESLIE, daughter of William LESLIE 4th of New Leslie and Elizabeth FORBES, in 1603.¹ (Margaret LESLIE was born about 1575 and died on 20 April 1629 ¹.)

  Marriage Notes:

(at Inverurie in 1600)

"James Mill [or Milne], pres. to the vicarage of both charges above mentioned, by James VI. 16th Jan. 1600, in which year he was a member of Assembly, as well as of that held at Aberdeen, 2nd July 1605, but for maintaining before the Privy Council, 3rd Oct., that the Aberdeen Assembly was not lawful, he was ordered to return to his parish and attend to his duties ; still min. in 1641, when his last entry was made in a register of Births and Deaths, which he seems to have kept with great regularity from 1609. He marr. (1) 1603, Margaret Leslie (died s.p. 20th April 1629, aged 77), widow of Alexander Leslie, and sister of the Laird of New Leslie, and of George L. of Bogis: (2) Marjorie Elphinstone, and had issue James, physician, Inverurie, born 2nd Oct. 1630 ; Elizabeth, born 16th Feb. 1632 ; Jean, born 29th Oct. 1633 ; Andrew, born 3rd Oct. 1635 ; Alexander, min. of West Quarter, Glasgow, born 4th Jan. 1637; George, born 28th Aug. 1638; Marjorie, born 31st March 1640.[Aberdeen Sas. Sec. Reg., iv., 169; Davidson's Inverurie, 159, 161, 207 ; Prot.-Book of George Barclay, Town-clerk of Inverurie.]"

from Fasti Ecclesiae ¹

James next married Marjorie ELPHINSTONE, daughter of James ELPHINSTONE of Glack and Elizabeth WOOD, After 2o April 1629.¹ (Marjorie ELPHINSTONE was born about 1608.)

  Marriage Notes:

"He (Rev James Mill) marr. (2) Marjorie Elphinstone, and had issue James, physician, Inverurie, born 2nd Oct. 1630 ; Elizabeth, born 16th Feb. 1632 ; Jean, born 29th Oct. 1633 ; Andrew, born 3rd Oct. 1635 ; Alexander, min. of West Quarter, Glasgow, born 4th Jan. 1637; George, born 28th Aug. 1638; Marjorie, born 31st March 1640."

from Fasti Ecclesiae

Note: James Elphinstone of Glack was a witness at the baptism of James Mill in 1630, and at that of Andrew Mill in 1635. ^{1 2}