Country code |
GB |
Repository code |
234 |
Repository |
National Records of Scotland |
Reference |
GD44 |
Title |
Papers of the Gordon Family, Dukes of Gordon (Gordon Castle Muniments) |
Dates |
14th century-20th century |
Access status |
Open |
Location |
Off site |
Description |
Contents
Titles to Land
GD44/1 Catholic [ie general] titles 1446-1754 Charters of the earldom and marquessate of Huntly and dukedom of Gordon.
GD44/2 Lordship of Huntly or Strathbogie [1357]-1642
GD44/3 Lands of Carvichen 1733-71; Essie and Lismore, 1603-1780; Cults, 1572-1743.
GD44/4 Lordship of Enzie and forest of Boyne alias Bunzie and Aingie, Banffshire, 1360 [or 1362]-1726 Including Fochabers, Bellie teinds and wadsets and feus in Enzie.
GD44/5 Fochabers and Dunkinty, and other lands 1639-1850. Davoch of Grange in parish of Keith, Banffshire, 1565-1724, including Auchindoun, 1474-1679.
GD44/6 Lordships of Strathaven and Strathdoun, 1472-1700.
GD44/7 Redeemed wadsets in Baron Gordon's inventory, 1673-1728, and other wadsets. Lands in sheriffdom of Moray [Elgin and Forres], 1524-1804.
GD44/8 Feus of Urquhart, 1545-1810; lands of Duffus 1678-1747; regality of Spynie, 1451-1721.
GD44/9 Bailiery of Kinloss, 1574-1749 Lands in sheriffdom of Inverness, 1507-1776 Lordship of Lochaber, 1500-1720
GD44/10 Lordship of Badenoch, 1338-1776 Barony of Kincardine, Inverness-shire, 1602-1754
GD44/11 Superiority lands in Aberdeenshire, 1436-1732.
GD44/12 Superiority lands in Aberdeenshire, 1546-1683. Miscellaneous writs: Berwickshire, 1457-1687; Clackmannanshire, 1488-1501; Glenluce in Wigtonshire, 1602-39; Tough Fraser in Stirlingshire, 1453-69; Kinfauns and Fothergill in Perthshire, 1431, 1506; Bordland and lordship of Dunfermline, Fife, 1547-89; Cardonness, Kirkcudbright, and Balcomie in Fife, 1687-1708.
Other Papers
GD44/13 Royal letters, gifts, remissions and commissions, 1455-1728. Bonds of manrent, 1444-1670.
GD44/14 Archibald, marquess of Argyll, and his claim on estate of Huntly, 1614-1714. Defence of Castle of Edinburgh, 1683-9. Miscellaneous papers, 1421-1762, including account of battle of Blenheim, 1704; description of the island of Jamaica, 1712; papers relative to Hanoverian losses in the rebellion, 1746.
GD44/15 Teinds, 1540-1673 Lands in Caithness and Sutherland, 1583-1695 Lordship of Strathnavar, 1583-1695 Marches and commonties including the Fea Vait near Inchrory, and dispute over forest of Strathaven 1623-1806
GD44/16 Wadsets and other redeemed rights 1478-1855
Writs and Legal Papers
GD44/17 Lordship of Huntly, 1449-1838 Regality papers [Huntly] 1683-1719 Specific places in lordship of Huntly, arranged alphabetically, A-B. 1632-1824.
GD44/18 Specific places in lordship of Huntly, arranged alphabetically, C-W, 1654-1835.
GD44/19 Lordship of Enzie, arranged alphabetically A-B 1585-1842.
GD44/20 Specific places in lordship of Enzie, arranged alphabetically, B-E 1490-1839.
GD44/21 Specific places in lordship of Enzie, arranged alphabetically, F-W 1599-1919.
GD44/22 Lordship of Grange, 1580-1830; Castlelands and other lands in sheriffdom of Inverness, including the Castle of Inverness and the Ness fishings, 1509-1828.
GD44/23 Lordship of Strathaven, including Tomintoul, 1618-1834.
GD44/24 Lordship of Urquhart, 1576-1833.
GD44/25 Lordship of Lochaber, general papers and specific places arranged alphabetically A-I 1503-1837.
GD44/26 Specific places in Lochaber, arranged alphabetically K-T, including Maryburgh and Fort William, 1637-1833.
GD44/27 Lordship of Badenoch, general papers and specific places arranged alphabetically, A-B 1500-1845.
GD44/28 Lordship of Badenoch, specific places arranged alphabetically, C-S including attack by the Macphersons on John Gordon of Glenbucket in 1724, 1637-1834.
GD44/29 Barony of Kincardine including the Glenmore woods disputed with Grant of Rothiemurchus, 1697-1822. Lands in Berwickshire, 1587-1829.
GD44/30 Aberdeenshire lands and superiorities arranged alphabetically A-I, including Aboyne, 1422-1836.
GD44/31 Aberdeenshire lands and superiorities, arranged alphabetically I-W including King's and Marischal Colleges in Aberdeen. 1554-1826.
GD44/32 Old and new villages of Fochabers, 1676-1873.
Family Papers
GD44/33 Family papers, 1501-1823 including papers relating to relations between families of Argyll and Gordon, marriage contracts, political papers, pocket books of Alexander, 2nd duke of Gordon and Cosmo George, 3rd duke of Gordon, executry papers, miscellaneous misplaced accounts, trustees of Alexander, 4th duke of Gordon.
GD44/34 Papers relating to foreign travel, personal and household accounts including London bills, many due by Jane Maxwell, duchess of Gordon, at Shrubhill House, Edinburgh, and elsewhere, papers relating to other branches of the family, reports of the Gordon trust 1760-1836.
Estate Papers
GD44/35 Spey fishings, 1590-1889
GD44/36 Spey fishings, 1627-1885
GD44/37 Ecclesiastical papers, general, 1674-1883; individual parishes arranged alphabetically, A-K 1593-1886.
GD44/38 Ecclesiastical papers, individual parishes arranged alphabetically, K-U, and Gordon Castle chapel, 1590-1890.
GD44/39 Papers relating to marches, arranged alphabetically, including the Fea Vait in Strathaven, 1603-1884. GD44/39/1-23 Woods, 1712-1831 GD44/39/24-27 Mines, 1726-1891 GD44/39/28-31
GD44/40 Miscellaneous papers, 1572-1837, including tacks of lands in Badenoch and Lochaber, copy of the Achallader declaration of 30 June 1691; purchase of a ship called the "Marie and Margaret," 1713, papers relative to sale of meal and salmon, unconvincing report of what Alexander, 2nd duke of Gordon, is said to have said on learning of arrival of the Old Pretender, agreements with servants and tradespeople, improvement of the estate, disputes over marches and qualifications of voters.
Caithness and Sutherland and Miscellaneous
GD44/41 Writs and legal papers: Caithness and Sutherland, 1543-1805. Miscellaneous papers 1639-1828 some relating to family of Argyll, petitions of tenants and feuars rash enough to join the Jacobite force headed by Alexander, 2nd duke of Gordon, in 1716, other petitions, prosecutions for poaching, rinderpest, the Elgin election of 1771, executry of Jacques or James Benet, Cuthbert Gordon's discovery of cudbear, various deeds of settlement, annuity given by the queen to widow of Alexander Milne, a native of Huntly, 1796-1800, shipwreck of the "Phaeton or Friendship" of Gothenburg, 1800-11, invention of a machine to drive the organ at Gordon Castle, 1832-3.
GD44/42 Debts and relative processes 1623-1853; bonds and discharges, 1600-1845; roads and bridges, 1739-1865. Freehold papers, 1731-1806.
Correspondence
GD44/43 Correspondence 1689-1864. Including letters to Alexander, 2nd duke of Gordon, 1703-28, writers including Richard Green, a professional land drainer; John Irvine of Cuttlebrae, Roman Catholic priest and the duke's cashkeeper; Sir Donald Macdonald of Macdonald; Laurence Magnolfi, Florence, in name of the Grand Duke Cosimo, godfather of Cosmo George, 3rd duke of Gordon; Alexander Gordon sent to study music in Rome; John Gordon, merchant in Rotterdam; jacobite prisoners in Stirling Castle; John Alexander, artist; letters relative to sending hawks to the Grand Duke at Florence, and supply of outsize soldiers for the Prussian army; on attempted murder of `honest' Glenbucket, 1724; dispute over the duke's roman catholic chapel, 1725-8; barracks at Ruthven in Badenoch; Lochy fishings; removal of stones of Inverness castle; development of the Glenmore woods; horse sent to the duke from Florence in 1728.
Correspondence of Alexander, 4th duke of Gordon, 1760-1827. Mainly estate letters to James Ross and John Menzies, cashiers at Gordon Castle. Topics include bridge building; disputes due to conflict of interest between the Spey fishings and the floating of timber; execution of Gordon of Wardhouse as a spy; debts of Macintosh of Borlum; planned village of Fochabers; appointment of ministers and itinerants; local politics of Banff, Moray, Nairn and Inverness in general and the thrilling Elgin election of 1771 and the Inverness election of 1782 in particular; planned villages of Fochabers and Tomintoul; fisheries and manufactures; failure of Douglas, Heron and Co; the cudbear manufactory; development of village of Tomintoul and its mineral well; recruiting for the Northern Fencibles. The letters also relate to personal matters, such as estrangement between the duke and duchess, his liaison with Jane Christie, the housekeeper, and later his second wife, and provision for their illegitimate children.
Correspondents include Principal William Robertson, David Robertson, surveyor of military roads; David Ross, secretary of the GPO Edinburgh; Thomas Coutts, banker; Consul Thomas Gordon of Lesmoir; John Ballantyne, publisher; Samuel Mackenzie, portrait painter; John Baxter, architect in Edinburgh, on alterations to Gordon Castle; surveyors Peter May, Alexander Taylor, Thomas Milne and George Brown. Later estate correspondence, 1828-64, mainly on forests and shootings, also on Kinrara House, kennels, fishing, poaching, alterations at Gordon Castle, 1841-5, and flooding.
Miscellaneous Papers
GD44/44 Legal correspondence on the Gordon Trust, 1835-60. Including letters on estate affairs at Gordon Castle: salmon fishing, poaching, shooting, deer forests, presentations to churches, schools, the Free Church of Scotland, improvements, manganese mine, harbours and bridges, and railways.
GD44/45 Special mss, 1545-1827 Includes a history of the ducal family by Robert Gordon of Straloch, c.1640, and a catalogue of books in the library at Gordon Castle in 1719.
GD44/46 Genealogies and genealogical papers, 1700-1903.
GD44/47 Military papers, Fraser Highlanders, 1775-6; Northern Fencibles, first raising, 1778-98, and second raising, 1790-1806; militia papers, 1794-1807; volunteers, 1794-1820.
GD44/48 Maps and Plans transferred to RHP series, with exception of a few miscellaneous items not suitable for this series, 1762-1850.
GD44/49 Papers relating to Gordon Castle and policies, 1659-1847. Subjects include: repairs to the castle; furnishings; wages to servants; gardens and park; fire in the east wing in 1827 and subsequent restoration to plans of Archibald Simpson, architect in Aberdeen; inventories of plenishing and books; accounts for plasterwork by Philip Robertson, Edinburgh; rebuilding the castle to designs of John Baxter, architect in Edinburgh; measurement of lands; supply of gas to the castle, 1840-2.
Items relating to other places including Huntly Castle; inn at Fochabers, Minmore House in Glenlivet; estate of Glenfiddich.
GD44/50 Commissions and other papers, 1688-1903.
GD44/51 Factors' Accounts and Related Papers
Factors' Accounts and Vouchers Badenoch and Lochaber GD44/51/1-24 Enzie including Fochabers GD44/51/25-71 Huntly GD44/51/72-120 Speymouth GD44/51/121-2 Strathavon and Glenlivet GD44/51/123-45 Cairnie GD44/51/146-9 Alves Kirktown and Earnside GD44/51/150 Grange GD44/51/151 Merse GD44/51/152 Kincardine GD44/51/153 Castle lands of Inverness GD44/51/154-7 Urquhart and Duffus GD44/51/158-64 Gordon Castle and policies GD44/51/165 Miscellaneous GD44/51/166-8
Payments by the cashiers GD44/51/169-71
General Accounts: Vouchers of Charge Debts recovered GD44/51/172 Payments by factors GD44/51/173-9 Farm GD44/51/180-2 Spey bridge GD44/51/183-4 Money borrowed GD44/51/185-90 Lands, feuduties and superiorities sold GD44/51/191-3 Grassums GD44/51/194 Promiscuous articles GD44/51/195-6 Wood sold GD44/51/197-8 Duke's personal estates GD44/51/199
General Accounts; Vouchers of Discharge Debts paid GD44/51/200-214 Interests paid GD44/51/215-49 Lands purchased GD44/51/250 Fochabers tenements purchased GD44/51/251 Payments for Burghead [wanting] GD44/51/252 Annuities and charities GD44/51/253-8 Payments for the duke GD44/51/259-77 Payments for the duchess GD44/51/278-81 Payments for the marquess GD44/51/282-9 Payments for Lord Alexander Gordon GD44/51/290-1 Payments for the young ladies GD44/51/292-3 Family expenses GD44/51/294-353 Forest of Glenaven GD44/51/354 Gordon Castle farm GD44/51/355-65 Burnside of Tynet GD44/51/366 Garden and policies GD44/51/367-75 Miscellaneous estate papers GD44/51/376 Land surveying GD44/51/377-8 Buildings and repairs GD44/51/379-91 Glenmore GD44/51/392-3 Turnpike roads GD44/51/394 Expenses of management GD44/51/395-406 Charles Gordon of Cluny WS GD44/51/407-9 Debts outstanding GD44/51/410-12 Law affairs GD44/51/413-28 Money lent GD44/51/429-30 Promiscuous payments GD44/51/431-3 Tutory and curatory GD44/51/434-5 Feus, stipends, etc GD44/51/436-9 Public burdens GD44/51/440-2 Miscellaneous vouchers [including cashiers', factory and chamberlainry vouchers, servants' expenditure, repairs, personal, estate and household accounts, fishing papers, London accounts, Ardonald lime works, weekly and quarterly accounts] GD44/51/443-712 Remittances to bankers GD44/51/713-26 Retired securities GD44/51/727-30 Rentals GD44/51/731-48 Inventories GD44/51/749-54 Printed papers GD44/51/755-67
Factors' accounts and related papers, 1637-1825, divided into areas each under a chamberlain or factor. Areas covered include: Badenoch and Lochaber with accounts for planned village of Kingussie; Enzie and Fochabers, (with Achindoun, Cabrach and Glenrinnes), with accounts for planned village of Fochabers; Huntly (with Newtongarry, Cocklarachy and Carvichen); Strathaven and Glenlivet; Speymouth (with Dipple, Essill and Garmouth); Cairnie; Alves, Kirktown and Earnside; Grange; Kincardine in Inverness-shire; Castle lands of Inverness; Urquhart and Duffus; Buckie
Vouchers of charge, 1759-1826. Including Gordon Castle farm, 1759-1813; Spey Bridge, 1805-26; wood sold, 1765-1815.
Vouchers of discharge, 1591-1849. Personal, household, estate and business accounts paid for the ducal family, mainly for Alexander, 4th duke of Gordon, his wife and children. They include accounts due to Thomas Pennant, Charles Cordiner and colonel Thomas Thornton; James Giles, John Alexander, Allan Ramsay and Philippe Mercier, all painters; expenditure on London houses in Conduit Street [3rd duke], 7 Norfolk Street [4th duke], and on house on Enfield Chace [both 3rd and 4th dukes]; building shooting lodges at Glenfiddich and Blackwater; alterations to Gordon Castle to plans of John Baxter, architect, and later alterations after fire of 1827 to plans of Archibald Simpson, architect; prizes for the Huntly Race; personal accounts due by Jane Maxwell, duchess of Gordon, at Gordon Castle and London, and then later when separated from Alexander, 4th duke of Gordon, her husband, at her cottage at Kinrara, and with accounts for her monument there; household bills mainly due at Gordon Castle and London, but also at Edinburgh and Glenfiddich; purchases of scientific instruments for Alexander, 4th duke, garden and policies, 1734-1826; land surveying, 1770-1815' Glenmore forest, `1784-1807; legal accounts relative to political struggles among the Gordons, Grants, earl Fife and the Findlaters, late 18th century; Ardonald lime works, 1803-19; rentals, 1595-1824.
GD44/52 Ledgers and cash books. Includes: crop ledgers for various factories and chamberlainries, 1770-1820; factory accounts of the tutors and curators, and, later, cashiers of Cosmo George, 3rd duke of Gordon, 1734-49, and of Alexander, 4th duke, 1749-1827; cashier's letterbooks, 1771-93; pay lists of labourers and gardeners, 1770-1826; servants' wages, 1717-85; London tradesmen's accounts, 1791-7; Ardonald lime works, 1802-19; fishing accounts, Spey and Tugnet, 1765-82; cellar books, 1786-1860; Gordon Castle household books, 1737-44, 1749-82; factors' and chamberlains accounts, 1712-21; London household accounts, 1763-72, 1785-97, 1809-21; registers of abstracts of factors' accounts, 1789-1802; Port Gordon coal ledger, 1803; Kimbolton tradesmen's books, 1794-5; measurement of plaster and stucco work at Gordon Castle, 1778-83; autobiographical fragment written by Consul Thomas Gordon of Lesmoir.
GD44/53 Additional papers mainly handed over by trustees appointed by Alexander, 4th duke of Gordon. Includes Spey Bridge, 1801-4, 1831-7; cashier's accounts, 1813-38; legal papers relative to disputes over excambions, marches, church presentations, Spey fishings and bulwarks, floating logs, Glenmore woods, divisions of commonty, payment of feu duties, local politics, multures, loans, vouchers, rentals, turnpikes and roads; sale of parts of estates of Badenoch and on estate of Enzie, 1841-6; accounts paid for Jane, duchess of Gordon, and her daughters, in Edinburgh, London, Dublin and Kinrara, 1781-1812; notes on plasterwork at Gordon Castle, 1775-8.
GD44/54 Legal papers from Dundas and Wilson, CS Writs of the earldom and marquessate of Huntly, 1766-1828
GD44/55 Manuscript and typescript calendar of Richmond and Gordon papers intended for an HMC publication. |
Level |
Fonds |
Admin
history |
These are the muniments of the earls and marquesses of Huntly, later dukes of Gordon. For a genealogical account of the family, see Sir J B Paul, 'The Scots Peerage', Vol iv, pp. 505-62. George, 5th and last duke of Gordon, died childless in 1836. On his death, the title of duke of Gordon became extinct, but that of marquess of Huntly went to George Gordon, eldest son of Charles, 4th earl of Aboyne, the fourth cousin once removed of the fifth duke. The duke's estates went to Charlotte, his eldest sister and heir of line, widow of Charles, 9th duke of Richmond. Charles, 10th duke of Richmond, their son, succeeded his father in 1819, and took the additional surname of Gordon on succeeding to estates of his maternal uncle. His son, Charles, 11th duke of Richmond, was created earl of Kinrara and duke of Gordon in 1876. |
Arrangement |
This inventory is to be used alongside the old one produced in 1912, which consists of 7 volumes:
The first four volumes formerly labelled 1 (parts 1-2) and 2 (parts 1-2) contain a mid-18th century inventory [with later insertions] of writs and other papers in sections 1-16. This is extremely detailed and gives a great deal of information on individual documents. The new inventory merely gives references to these four volumes when the details are given, and only expands those sections which were treated in less detail. Volume 4 contains an index to volumes 1-4.
Volumes 5-6 list sections 17-50, containing writs, legal papers, family and estate papers, correspondence and miscellaneous papers. Again, when the original list gives details, the new inventory merely gives references, but when the old inventory is uninformative, as with the correspondence, the new list is much fuller.
Volume 7 of the old list dealt with estate papers, ledgers and additional papers and was extremely cursory; the new list expands this with more detail.
The new list also contains two additional sections: 54 [legal papers from Dundas and Wilson, CS] and 55 [the manuscript and typescript draft of the abortive HMC publication on the papers of the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon].
The new inventory has kept the old references as much as possible. Some of the bundles, particularly vouchers, were enormous, and these have been split up, subnumbering the original bundle numbers. In some sections the numbers had been duplicated, and there the first set of numbers has been kept with the second renumbered on at the end.
There are a good many gaps in the collection, where interesting or early items have beem removed prior to deposit in 1947. Both inventories [old and new] note where anything is known to be wanting. Much of the interesting material was removed to Goodwood and is now in the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester. A brief catalogue of this material is available in the NAS library. |
Finding aids |
Inventory |
Format |
Text |
Language |
English |
Related material |
Further material relative to the Gordon Castle estates is available among the Crown Estate papers, also held in the National Records of Scotland CR6 Glenbucket Estate Office records, 1770-1883 and CR8 Fochabers Estate Office records, 1490-1951. Both contain rentals, ledgers, letter books, cash books, etc.
The following private collections also contain related material: GD128: Fraser Macintosh collection: GD128/6/1-5 contains legal and estate papers relative to the dukes of Gordon, 1683-1834, and GD128/61/1 has papers relative to a legal action over the Ness fishings, c.1767. GD181: Earl of Aboyne papers GD312: Marquess of Huntly papers |
Archival history |
This collection has already been inventoried at various levels. The writs were calendared very fully in an old inventory of about 1782 copied in 1912. The other papers were handlisted in 1912 onwards. References are given to this inventory in square brackets when it gives fuller details. This inventory of 1996 concentrates on the areas previously neglected, such as estate papers and correspondence. The volume of the old inventory are numbered as follows: 1. Sections 1-5 2. Sections 6-8 3. Sections 8-10 4. Sections 11-16 5. Sections 17-26 6. Sections 27-50 7. Sections 51-4 When a reference appears at the end of an entry it indicates that a more detailed entry can be found there.
The papers were formerly held at Gordon Castle, Fochabers, Moray. During the war of 1939-45 the building was let to the War Department, while the Commissioners of Crown Lands allowed the Duke of Richmond to retain the use of the muniment room and wine cellar. From minutes of a meeting held at Gordon Castle, 20 October 1947, to survey the muniments there, it appears that some of the documents had been stolen by soldiers while the castle was occupied as a depot by troops; thereafter the collection was transferred to the Scottish Record Office to be examined and checked against the inventory handed over by Messrs J C Brodie and Sons, WS. Mr Hardie, factor for the Crown and Gordon estates at Fochabers, retained some plans and what is described as 'old tin boxes nos 3-4'. The collection's removal to the Scottish Record Office took place on 21-2 November 1947. Further papers were deposited in 1950-63 and in 1978.
In 1966, the Historical Manuscripts Commission presented a manuscript and typescript calendar of papers formerly at Gordon Castle and Goodwood [now GD44/55/1]. This was made in response to a report [HMC first report, pp.114-16] urging that the Richmond letters of 1744-6 and other miscellaneous papers mentioned in this report should be calendared. Most of the material transcribed was removed to Goodwood House and is now in the West Sussex Record Office at Chichester. Details of their holdings of Gordon material are given in "The Goodwood Estate Archives", volumes 2-3, catalogue edited by T J McCann, published in 1972 and 1984. |
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