STRACHAN, John in Kincraigie

   Other names for John were STRACHAN, John of Dullivard ¹ and STRATHAUCIN, Jhone in Kincraigy.

  General Notes:

"ABIDING FROM THE RAIDS OF LANGHOLM ETC ad 1548
Aug. 13 - John Strathauchin, in Kincragy, (at the horn) found caution to underly the law at the next aire of Aberdeen, for contemptuously abiding from the Queen's Armies convened at BIGEAME (Birgeame), LANGHOLM, SANCTANDROIS, and HADINGTOUNE, for resisting our ancient enemies the English, and for defence of the kingdom."

from Ancient Trials in Scotland

"GEORGE LESLIE, FOURTH LAIRD OF KINCRAIGIE.

GRANT by Queen MARY to GEORGE LESLIE, Son and Heirapparent of Alexander Leslie of Kincraigie, of the Goods of John Strachan in Kincraigie, forfeited by his absenting himself from the Queen's Host at RoslinMuir, at the first Siege of St. Andrews, at the Raid of Langholm, and at the Siege of Haddington 18th July 1548:

'ANE lettre maid to George Leslie sone and apperand air to Alexander Leslie of Kincragy ... of the gift of all gudis. . . quhilkis pertenit to Jhone Strathauchin in Kincragy and now perteining ... to our Souerane Lady be resoun of eschete throw the said Jhonis tressonable byding at hame fra hir Hienes oistis raidis and armys following or fra ony of thame that is to say . . . the oist raid and army conuenit with hir Tutour on Rosling Mure in the moneth of August the yeir of God jmvc xlv yeris quhilk thareafter past to Birgem for resisting of our auld inymeis of Ingland."

from Historical Records of the Family of Leslie


The following quotation points to an awareness of a later century of the connection between the descendants of William Strachan minister at Old Machar and the Strachans of Thornton:

"I am Assured from many hands that the Gentlemen at London the Councellour at Law Dr Strachan and his Brothers are Descended of the House of Thornton. Their Great Grand- father was John Strachan a Younger Son of the Family of Thornton that he had a Small Estate Called Dyhill near Bamff that his Son was a Clergyman a Minister at Aberdeen That his Son again was bred to the Church was a Minister & Professor of Divinity in the University of Edinburgh before the Revolution in 1689 The Gentlemen at London I say are his Sons."

from Publications of the Scottish History Society Vol XXXIV Mcfarlane's Genealogical Collections ^{1 2 3}

  Research Notes:

DYHILL

In the quotation in the General Notes, it is clear that the information has been passed by word of mouth, and probably not by people in the north of Scotland. The exact reference indicated by "Dyhill" is not obvious or detailed. Several possibilities arise.

For example in Memorials of Angus and the Mearns we read:

"It may be added that Strachan is a local surname, assumed from a district on the north-west of the Mearns. It is said to mean 'the strath or valley of waters,' which not inaptly describes that district, there being three considerable rivers in the parish - the Dye, the Aan, and the Feugh. The name, which is variously spelled, is commonly pronounced Straan, and persons were designed from the district long before the Strachans of Thornton appeared in the Mearns."

If Dyhill was linked to the Dye river mentioned here, the writer above may have simply been referring to a John Strachan who was a younger son of the Thornton Strachan family. The reference to 'Bamff' may be no more than a casual wave indicating 'up north'.

On the other hand, there is a River Dye, a smallish river, running between Banchory and Fettercairn. The Royal Deeside website notes:

"Driving south from Banchory to Fettercairn past Scolty Hill, the Bridge of Feugh, the village of Strachan, one enters the horse-shoe shaped valley. To the left is Mount Kerloch (1747 ft ), to the right are Peter Hill (2000ft) and Clachnaben (or Clochnaben, 1900 ft) and ahead lie Mount Battock (2555 ft) and Cairn o' Mount (1488 ft) ... Glen Dye exudes a sense of loneliness and history and the road twists and turns, passing buildings and former bridges that indicate the old road was even more twisted. The lower slopes of the valley are quite wooded but trees give way to open heather moorland. Clachnaben ( Clach-na-Beinn - stone of the mountain) is a very distinctive hill (reminiscent of Ben Avon, the Munro north of Braemar) because of the great granite outcrop near its peak. An old quote states

Clochnaben and Bennachie
Are twa lan' marks o' the sea."

Thus "Dyehill" may refer to that specific part of northern Scotland where Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire abut each other, and where the Tibbertie and Tillifroskie families were to be found. The book, Kincardineshire, enlarges the picture:

"The Dee, 96 miles from source to sea, issues out of Braeriach, one of the Cairngorm summits, at the 'Wells of Dee' and flowing eastward, enters Kincardineshire near Potarch. Through the three-spanned bridge of Potarch, between Aboyne and Banchory, it sweeps deep and strong over its gravelly bed. The road over Cairn o' Mount, the much-frequented old road from Tay to Dee, formerly crossed here by a ford below the bridge. For 12 miles the river continues its course through the county, and then forms the northern boundary for the remaining 14 miles. From Kincardine-O'Neil it receives the Canny (9 miles) directly below Inchmarlo House and close to Invercanny reservoirs, connected with the Aberdeen water supply; and also the small burns of Cluny and Corrichie from the Hill of Fare. On the south side the Feugh (20 miles), from the Forest of Birse, flows for 8 miles to Whitestone. There it is joined by the Aan (10 miles), which comes along the county boundary from Mount Battock, and at Kirkton of Strachan by the Dye from Glen Dye. The Bridge of Feugh, 350 yards from the point where the Feugh and Dee join, is one of the most noted and beautiful spots."

Tillyfruskie is situated about three and a half miles west of Strachan, and five or six miles north of Bridge of Dye. Aboyne is about eight miles to the west.
Tipperty is situated about half way between Banchory and Laurencekirk, about thirteen miles south east of the Water of Dye. ^{4 5 6}

John married Agnes LESLIE, daughter of Sir William LESLIE 7th of Balquhain and Elizabeth OGILVY, 1528(1529). (Agnes LESLIE was born about 1516.)