GORDON, Patrick 4th of Nethermuir 1 2
- Baptised: 7 July 1634, Saint Nicholas parish, Aberdeen, Scotland
- Marriage (1): STRACHAN, Anna 1
- Died: After 5 August 1704
Another name for Patrick was GORDONN, Patrik.3
User ID: P321.
General Notes:
"GORDONN
PATRIK
PATRIK GORDONN/JEANE GELLIE
M
07/07/1634
168 / A
30 / 104
Aberdeen"
from Births and Baptisms
Old Parish Registers
Saint Nicholas parish Aberdeen
Baptisms
"1634
7 July
Gordone [sic]
Patrik Gordonn and Jeane gellie ane sone his name patrik patrik jack mr wm moir wm cordoner mr rob paul God faths" 3 4
Research Notes:
THE FATHER OF PATRICK GORDON, 4TH LAIRD OF NETHERMUIR
[The Gordons of Nethermuir is rather poorly edited; its pages are often in the wrong order and it contains a number of errors that with more careful oversight should have been corrected. The reader should be cautious, then, of just dipping into it. Many early sources are presented with differing information and they contradict each other in a serious and potentially misleading way.]
Available sources differ, according to The Gordons of Nethermuir, regarding the father of Patrick Gordon 4th Laird of Nethermuir. They differ on the number of sons fathered by Patrick, the 2nd Laird, and on their order of birth. The number and order presented here follows that of of the author of The Gordons of Nethermuir as presented in pages 13 to 19.
There are some facts we can assemble to consider who was and was not the 4th Laird's father.
The 2nd laird died before 9 March 1630. "Patrick Gordon died before 1630. The Balbithan MS. states that he married 'the Parson of Kinkell's daughter.' She was Katherine Lumsden, and, as we have seen, she was Patrick's wife in May, 1602. After his death, she married Mr Richard Maitland of Auchencruive, her marriage contract with whom was signed at Nethermuir, March 9, 1630." (The Gordons of Nethermuir, page 12)
1
George, the 2nd Laird's eldest child, succeeded as 3rd Laird of Nethermuir, and died after 9 August 1642. "Whether he left any issue is far from clear." (The Gordons of Nethermuir, page 22). No issue is recorded .
2
It is known that the 2nd Laird's second son, Patrick, died before 21 June 1643. If his elder brother, George the 3rd laird, had no surviving sons then one would think that Patrick, his nearest brother, would inherit the lairdship. It may be that Patrick had died before George did. If so, then any son of Patrick's would be the heir of George, his uncle.
3 The 2nd Laird's third son was John: "John Gordon, 'third lauchfull sone to wmquhile Patrick Gordoun of Nathirmwir' ("Particular Register of Sasines for Aberdeenshire," vol. viii., fol. 184-6)." (The Gordons of Nethermuir, page 13)
John, married in 1633 and had a son, General Patrick Gordon (1635-1709). Neither John nor his son Patrick, have been suggested as succeeding to Nethermuir.
4
The 2nd Laird's fourth son was Thomas. " 'Mr' Thomas Gordon (followed his brother) in Auchleuchries, 'as assignee of James Gordon, lawful son of the late Patrick Gordon of Nethermuir,' appears on July 28, 1643, as 'heir of the late Patrick Gordon, his brother german.' " (The Gordons of Nethermuir, page 14) Thomas died after 6 March 1649 and before 29 December 1670. He had a son named James who was present when the 1670 sasine was given. Neither Thomas nor his son, James, have been suggested as succeeding to Nethermuir.
5
Gilbert was the fifth son of the 2nd Laird. Not much is known of him. He was living in November 1643 and nothing is known of any children he might have had.
6
James was the sixth and youngest son. "Paterson calls him 'third son.' The 1670 MS. says that all Patrick's sons, 'except the youngest sone James, God hath blissed with a numerous hopeful issue,' and the Theodore Gordon MS. says the same. This is rather borne out by the statement in the 'Tagebuch' (ii., 505) that James put Gen. Patrick and his children in his will. But Paterson ('History of Ayr') gives James as the grandfather of John Gordon who succeeded to Nethermuir, and whose father was undoubtedly Alexander, Mill of Aberdour, founder of the Gordons of Aberdour. I cannot clear up these statements at present." (The Gordons of Nethermuir, page 17). Since no sons of James are actually named or any source recorded for them, it is as likely as not that he had no sons.
Conclusion:
Deducing who was the father of Patrick Gordon, 4th of Nethermuir, in the absence of official sources, depends largely, it would seem, in establishing the sons of the 2nd laird and the order of their birth.
The youngest James is not recorded as having any children, apart from the outlier source, Paterson, in his History of Ayr, and Paterson may not have known of the other brothers of James.
John and Thomas, younger brothers of the 3rd laird but elder brothers of James, had sons, but these sons did not succeed to the estate.
All of this points to Patrick, the second son of the 2nd Laird, being the father of the 4th laird.
Patrick most likely died before his elder brother George, the 3rd laird, but after having fathered a son, also named Patrick, who then succeeded George as 4th laird.
Since this was the 'natural' order of succession, it was not, perhaps, publicly signalled as anything out of the ordinary. Since both father and son were named Patrick, and one was deceased and the other a child, it may be that some slight confusion arose about the succession in later generations.
Patrick married Anna STRACHAN, daughter of Reverend Mr William STRACHAN of Luesk, Minister of Daviot parish and Girsall SMYTH.1 (Anna STRACHAN was born about 1625 and died in 1699 5.)
Marriage Notes:
"In 1847, James Paterson published a brief account of the family in his 'History of Ayr' (i., 220-1), based apparently on information from the laird of that period, John Taylor Gordon, who had transferred his main interest and his residence to an estate in Avrshire. Paterson's account runs thus: ....
.... IV. Patrick Gordon of Nethermuir, who married Anna Strachan, and had issue Patrick John William" (page 5)
"One of the witnesses to the bond was Mr William Straquhan, minister of Daviot, probably a relation of Anne Strachan who married Patrick Gordon, IV. of Nethermuir." (page 14)
"Paterson ('History of Ayr,' i., 220) states that George, the anti-Covenanting laird, was 'succeeded by Patrick Gordon of Nethermuir, who married Anna Strachan' " (page 22)
"When the Poll Tax was taken up in 1696, 'Patrick Gordon of Nethermoor' appears, 'his part of the valued rent of Nethermoor being .£153;' his spouse, Anna Strachan, and 'William Gordon, his sone in familia,' figuring at six shillings each." (page 24)
"Patrick Gordon married Anna Strachan, who was alive in 1696 ('Poll Book,' ii., 10). She was granted sasine on the lands of Knaven, the sasine being registered Oct. 10, 1673 ('Register of Sasines'). They had at least four sons" (pages 24 and 25)
from Gordons of Nethermuir 1
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