FORESTS OF ANCIENT SCOTLAND
SEARCH FOR THE LINDSAYS
Thus I started on my journey attempting to find my Lindsay ancestors. A disinherited child was literally erased from existence from all family genealogy records, church records, and his name never spoken of again. The name John Lindsay is the most common name given male boys in the Lindsay clan. It was equivalent to searching for John Smith in the United States.
Through marriage the Lindsays acquired two-thirds of the county of Angus. The Highland district of Glenesk by marriage to the heiress of the Stirlings of Edzell. They also inherited the Abernethy lands in Angus. The marriage of David Lindsay, Earl of Huntingdon, resulted in great landholdings in the Forfarshire County, Scotland. The Lindsays came to occupy much of this district and by the 1800s had over 100 family branches living in the area. Scotland in historic times was covered by vast stretches of wooded forests. Many of these forests were destroyed by removal of many oak trees for lumber, farming and the introduction of Caviot Sheep. The employment of Gamekeepers was associated with these great forests. The book "Lands of the Lindsays" identified these forests of old: Deer Forest, Kilgerry Forest, Montrethmont Forest, Alyth Forest, Plater Forest, and Kinblethmont. The Gamekeeper's Daughter folklore legend had its origin in one of these six forests, which were occupied simultaneously by both the Lindsays and Guthries.The Bowmans occupied these lands also as their names appear in Parish records for all these regions as early as the 1600s when records were started. The Guthries of Halkerton held the barony by right of the office of royal falconers in Angus during the 17th and 18th century. ANCIENT FORESTS of 16th Century Angus, Scotland
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DEER FOREST, Lochlee
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David Skair |
KILGERRY FOREST, Menmuir
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FOREST OF MONTREUTHMONT, Parish of Ferne |
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ALYTH FOREST, Parish of Ruthven, Queich, & Alytb |
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PLATER FOREST |
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Gamekkeeper Appointment
Reference: "The Manuscripts in the Possession of Sir John James Graham, of Fintry, K..C.M.G." page 223. Historical Manuscripts Commission. Report of Manuscripts in Various Collections, Volume 4. Dublin. Printed for his Majesty's Stationaery Office by John Falconner, 53 Upper Sackville Street. 1907. |
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KINBLETHMONT FOREST Kinblethmont "theKing's blythe mount," was believed to be the hunting seat of William the Lion. The GUTHRIES were designed of Kinblethmont from at least the year 1470 till 1594. They were of the family Lindsay of Colliston and sold Kinblethmont to Master Peter Young about 1582. Kinblethmont is located halfway between Colliston and Inverkeilor. |
The founder of the
Kinblethmont branch of the family of Lindsay, in the
1570s, was Alexander, youngest son of the 10th
Earl of Crawford, and wife Margaret Beaton. Alexander,
also known as Lord Spynie married Jean
Lyon, daughter of John, 8th Lord Glamis. Lord
Spynie died in a riot which occurred between young Edzell
and the Master of Crawford, on the High Street of
Edinburgh, on the 5th of July 1607. David Guthrie, esquire to the Earl of Crawford, purchased the barony of Guthrie from the Earl of Crawford about 1465. David Guthrie also purchased the church of Guthrie, from the Abbey of Arbroath. The castle of Guthrie was built about 1468. |
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Kinblethmont Forest is
in the upper right hand corner of the adjacent map. The Parish of Carmyllie lies nine miles southwest of the Kinblethmont Forest. The Cotton of West Skichen, Curleys and Cotton of Carnegie, in the lower left-hand corner of map, lies 2 miles further southeast of the Parish of Carmyllie. This is where the children of John Bowman and Helen Guthrie were born between 1825 and 1839. Carbuddo (Newton of Kirkbuddo) |
Early Bowmans in parish register had named spelled Browmm, Browm, and Bowman. 1696, June John Browmm, the ground of Carbudo (Kirkbuddo) had a son baptized Thomas. Witnesses Thomas Lindsay and Androw Chrigston (Crichton). 1701, July - John Browm, the ground of Kirkbuddo had a son baptized called John. Witness: Jas. Asplone (sp?) and Alison Lindsay. |
Sources: