LYON, John elder, of Muiresk ¹

   Another name for John was LYON, John of Craigstoun.²

   User ID: F506.

  General Notes:

"By 1659 Lyon had acquired an interest in what is part of the modern estate of Beldornie, as the following Sasine minute shows : Last Feb., 1659. Renunciatione Johne Lyone, elder of Muresk, and Jon Lyone, younger yroff, of the toune and landes of Belcherie. By 1664, he must have acquired the superiority of Beldornie, otherwise he would not have been entered in the county suite roll for that subject. Gordon seems, however, to have retained some hold of the lands, as the following Sasine minute shows: 22 Dec., 1664. Seasing Jon Gordon of Beldornie of ye toune and lands of Beldornies, comprehending ye lands of Argalies, Lynbaine, myln lands yrof, ye lands of ----, ye east and west land of Gouls and salmond [fishing] yrof...

Lyon's possession was evidently insecure; and in 1663 he had recourse to the Justiciary Court at Edinburgh for protection from reiving highlanders, who had settled on the lands of Beldornie. Criminal letters were at his instance issued against them, returnable on l0th July, 1663 ; but on that day Lyon was excused by the court because he could get no messenger to go and cite them in 'Badenough where they lived.' By 1st August 1664 the letters were returned, and the accused were declared 'fugitives for absence.' On 10th November, 1665, one of the Beldornie tenants, John Roy, in Auchinhandock, was indited before the same court for harbouring and assisting Patrick Roy McGregor and other reivers in stealing 60 oxen and 17 cows belonging to John Lyon. The same day, Roy McGregor and his accomplices were declared fugitives. Early in 1666, one of them, Lauchlane Mclntosh, was tried, condemned and executed...

'The said Pat, being also declared fugitive upon the information and prosecution of the said John Lyon, and letters of intercommuning and commission of fire and sword being direct against the said Patrick, he, in resentment of the said proceedings, vowed to be revenged on the said John Lyon, and in prosecution thereof came to his lands of Belchirie, and the said Pat Drummond came there also with their associatts and plundered them; and the said John Lyon having gone up to the saids lands to defend them, and being lodged in his house of Belchirie, the saids pannells and their associatts upon the last of Aprile, 1666, did besett the house, and brought straw and corn from the barn yards, and fired the same about the house where the said John Lyon and Alexr. Lyon his son were, and forced them out upon capitulation for their lives; and thereafter carryed them away with all their goods, horses and furniture to the Highlands, to the Braes of Abernethie at 16 miles distance from Belchirie, and there killed the said John Lyon and his son, giving them many wounds and strokes, and left their bodys in the open fields; and thereafter quartered upon their lands of Belchirie, and oppressed the poor inhabitants; and thereafter with the number of 40 men did assault the town of Keith in Banffshyre for not paying black maill, and fought against these who opposed them, and in particular agt. Alexander Gordon of Glengaroch, and his brother Thomas Gordon, and John Ogilvie of Milton and their followers, and did wound and mutilate the said John Ogilvie and Thomas Gordon, and the pannells themselves being ill wounded at the time and not able to flee far were taken prisoners the next day, and conveyed from shyre to shyre to the tolbooth of Edinbr., where they are now prisoners, of the which crimes, etc., or ane or other of them, they are actors art and part and ought to be punished. The assize finds them guilty...

The said P. Roy McGregor and P. Drummond their right hands to be first cutt off by the executioner, and then to be hanged to the death, and thereafter their bodies to lie hung up in chains upon the gallows betwixt Leith and Edinburgh, and their haill goods to be escheat to His Majesties use, which sentence was accordingly execute.' "

from Records of the County of Banff ¹

John married.