GORDON, Alexander 'in Culsh', then at Miln of Aberdour ²

   Another name for Alexander was GORDOUN, Alexander.

  General Notes:

"4. Alexander Gordon, Mill of Aberdour, and founder of the family of Gordon of Aberdour. His son John ultimately became laird of Nethermuir."

from Page 26 of The Gordons of Nethermuir where he names the four sons born to Patrick Gordon and Anna Strachan

Old Parish Register
New Deer Parish Aberdeenshire
Baptisms

Jany 30 (1698 yeares from previous entry)
Gordon
The said day Allexr Gordon in Culsh had a son brought forth be his wif Anna Lindsay and was baptised upon ye said day named John Godfathers John Gordon of nethermuir & Allexr Gordon of Auchmungell"

'The inventory of his goods, gear and debts was given up by Christian Gordon, "relict of the said defunct (her husband John Gordon 6th Laird of Nethermuir) and executrix dative to him conform to decreet pronounced thereanent of date 28 September last," 1732.
The inventory consisted of the insight and plenishing- of the defunct's house, which, after setting- apart the heirship moveables, was valued at £311 17s Scots: one third belonged to the widow in virtue of the contract of marriage made between them dated March 1, 1731. "Item, the sum of 2000 merks, contained in a bond by the deceased Sir Samuel Forbes of Foveran and Sir Alexander Forbes, "now of Foveran, his son, to Alexander Gordon, at Miln of Aberdour, formerly in Oldmad, dated 18 June, 1710, etc., to which the defunct had right by virtue of an assignation granted to him by the said Alexander Gordon, his father, dated 8 February, 1731."'

'The will also contains another copy of the inventory with a Bond of Cautionary by Alexander Gordon at Miln of Aberdour, "for Christian Gordon, relict of the deceast John Gordon of Nethermuir my son." Dated at Nethermuir, 12 April, 1733: witnessed by "Alexander Gordon of Barrack and Alexander Gordon [I. of Aberdour], lawful son of the said Alexander Gordon at Miln of Aberdour."'

from The Gordons of Nethermuir

  Research Notes:

THE FATHER OF ALEXANDER GORDON

It is important and right to draw the reader's attention to the fact that in other parts of The Gordons of Nethermuir, the author J. M. Bulloch puts forward a different father for this Alexander Gordon.

He states elsewhere in his study, in contradiction to his own statement from page 26 (of the 1913 edition privately printed at Peterhead), quoted here above in the General Notes for Alexander Gordon, son of Patrick Gordon 4th laird and brother of the 5th laird, that John Gordon 6th Laird of Nethermuir was the grandson of James, son of Patrick Gordon, 2nd Laird of Nethermuir.

The contradiction lies specifically in who Bulloch refers to as the father of Alexander Gordon of Mill of Aberdour:

1)
on page 7 of the same 1913 edition privately printed at Peterhead, where a family tree outline places the 6th Laird John Gordon as the son of Alexander Gordon of Mill of Aberdour, and the latter as the son of James? Gordon, son of Patrick Gordon 2nd Laird of Nethermuir

2)
on page 17 of the same 1913 edition privately printed at Peterhead:
'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.'

3)
on pages 42 and 43 of the same 1913 edition privately printed at Peterhead:
'In his "History of Ayr" (i., 221), James Paterson states that "George Gordon of Nethermuir, dying without issue, was succeeded by [John Gordon] the grandson of James, third son of Patrick Gordon of Nethermuir." John Gordon was certainly the next heir male after George, but, as I have stated, the latter never seems to have held Nethermuir. This came to John long before George's death.
John Gordon was the son of Alexander Gordon, Mill of Aberdour, who was the son of James Gordon, which James was the younger son of Patrick Gordon II. of Nethermuir. He seems to have come into Nethermuir throug;h his marriage with his kinswoman Christian Gordon, daughter of John Gordon of Nethermuir. and sister of the aforesaid George.

The Old Parish Register for New Deer demonstrates that there is no doubt that the John Gordon baptised there in 1698 was the son of Alexander Gordon " in Culsh" and Anna Lindsay. One of his godfathers was John Gordon of Nethermuir, presumably 5th laird. Alexander Gordon "in Culsh"therefore would appear to be the same person as "Alexander Gordon, Mill of Aberdour" referred to by Bulloch, since later documents make it clear that the John Gordon who married Christian Gordon and became the 6th laird was the son of this man. The 6th laird's will refers to another son of the same Alexander, also Alexander, and he is entitled "Alexander Gordon, at Miln of Aberdour, formerly in Oldmad".

The contradictions referred to above are likely to have arisen from the editing of the book The Gordons of Nethermuir. Bulloch had such a prolific output as historian and writer that tme was probably against him. The contradictions noted here are not the only 'mistakes' Bulloch makes in the book in question. For example on page 45 we find, at the end of one section
"William Gordon, VIII. of Nethermuir."
and immediately following, to open the new section:
WILLIAM CORDON, VII. OF NETHERMUIR."
And there are others. The 'book' is most probably a collection of his notes that were not appropriately edited before publication, but it is still a highly valuable collection for all that, as is all Bulloch's work. He was undoubtedly a master in his field, and fieldwork. It does remind those interested in such matters, however, that his texts are not holy writ, and that we have a duty to investigate and test for ourselves, wherever possible, whatever others, however godlike, may publish.

CULSH

This occurs in several place names in New Deer parish Aberdeenshire, specifically north of the village, as well as being found in the names of places in other parishes around Aberdeenshire. ^{3 4}

Alexander married Anna LINDSAY, daughter of William LINDSAY of Culsh and Barbara LEITH, in 1689 in New Deer parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.¹ (Anna LINDSAY was born about 1668 and died in May 1699 ¹.)