GORDON, Thomas of Broadland ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

"Thomas Gordon of Broadland got sasine in Saphak, Dilspro and Mekill Goval April 19, 1621."

"A few years later (after 1495), Broadland was in the possession of James Gordon, afterwards the first baronet of Lesmoir, who, marrying Rebecca Keith (it was probably the celebration of this marriage, in the summer of 1589, that James VI. attended (Gordon's ''Scots Affairs," I., p. xxxiii.) is believed to have got the lauds as a part of her marriage portion. In 1614 - eleven years before the Lesmoir baronetcy was conferred - Gordon conveyed to his second son, William, and his spouse, Christian Walker, the whole barony of Broadland. (Wimberley's Lesmoir, p. 54.) This couple would appear to have got into serious financial difficulties, as shown by the numerous and heavy mortgages which they were obliged to grant. In 1630, they assigned two ploughlands - 208 acres Scots - of Broadland to Thomas Gordon (Sasine Register, vol. vii., p. 119); and that they had further mortgaged the lands is shown by the deed of assignation to the wadset over Broadland for 6300 merks Scots, granted, on 19th October, 1651, by Sir Thomas Burnett of Leys, Bart., with consent of his son, in favour of the hospital built for the help and support of old poor residenters in the barony of Leys. (Family of Burnett of Leys, pp. 261-63.)

In the inside and over the window of the gable of the old church of Crimond is a slab bearing a defaced shield with the Gordon arms, the motto BYDAND, the initials T. G., and a Latin inscription, of which the following is a translation -

Dr Thomas Gordon, jun., with his father.

Under this seat are laid the ashes of a man of good birth, Thomas Gordon of Broadland, 1652.

It is difficult to fix definitely the branch to which Thomas Gordon belonged. That he possessed considerable means is evidenced by his name appearing, in 1633, as lender of 5500 merks among six parties, two of whom were Sir James Gordon, younger of Lesmoir, and George Gordon of Terpersie. (Spalding Club 'Miscellany,' III., p. 102.)"

from Aberdeenshire Epitaphs


"Balmade, Gorauchie, etc., in King Edward appear to have passed (from the Lesmoir Gordons) into the hands of a Thomas Gordon of Broadland about 1642, in which year a man so designed got sasine in Balmade on December 26."

from Lesmoir ^{3 4 5}

  Research Notes:

A CONFUSION OF THOMAS GORDONS

It is clear from the records reproduced in House of Gordon that there were several men named Thomas Gordon living in the same general area about the same time, and at least two of them had some legal connection or were connected by name with Dilspro. The man here is one of them. However they were of two different families of Gordon. The three Thomas Gordons that should be distingusihed were:
1
Thomas Gordon of Grandholme, sometimes named of Dilspro, son of Alexander, was of the Abergelsie family;
2
Thomas Gordon of Dilspro, son of Henry or Harry, was of the Lesmoir family.
3
Thomas Gordon of Broadland, son of James Gordon, was also a Lesmoir descendant. he was an ancestor of the Buthlaw family of Gordon.
Matters are complicated further because more than one branch of them had legal or land links to Goval in New Machar.
Dilspro and modern Grandhome are situated quite near each other, a few miles east of Aberdeen Airport at Dyce. ⁴

Thomas married Margaret BODIE of Pitfour. (Margaret BODIE of Pitfour was born about 1600.)