Records of the Pringles of the Scottish Border, by Alex Pringle

Chapter 25

EAST BERWICKSHIRE

S l e g d e n

DAVID

1. DAVID HOPPRINGILL, son of William, first of Torwoodlee, who was killed at Flodden, appears first in the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer in 1537, thus, " Given to David Hoppringill to pay for their lodging and meat so long as they remained in Edinburgh, and the said David's expenses to ride with them- two daughters of Lady Glamis, to whom the King had given double-soled shoes, two purses, and hose - to Haddington and North Berwick, 20s.'' The historical trial of their mother was taking place in Edinburgh and the young ladies were being consigned to the care of Margaret Hume, Prioress of North Berwick, or their aunt Alison Lady Wedderburn, and Elizabeth Hoppringill dowager Lady.

In October 1542 the King, James V., granted in feu to David the 5 1/2. husbandlands of Slegden, occupied by him, in the sheriffdom of Berwick ; to be held by him and his heirs male, whom failing by his brother John, whom failing by the senior of his heirs female without division ; paying £7, 10s. feu duty ; also to build a mansion with policies (G. S.).

On 14th March 1544, O. S. (1545) " Letters are sent furth of Edinburgh to Yair to David Hoppringill and -- French, charging them to come to Edinburgh to my Lord Governor (Earl of Arran) and Lords of Council, to answer for an Englishman taken by them at the field of Ancrum Moor on 27th February ult. (T. A.). At this battle the Scots made good for the fiasco of Solway Moss in 1542, slaying or taking some thirteen hundred English. On 13th March it was agreed that all gentlemen taken were to remain prisoners for the present. Henry VIII, obsessed with the idea of getting the Scottish Princess Mary married to his son Edward, and so dominating Scotland, had set about it by burning and wrecking the beautiful Border Abbeys, the towns, villages, and homesteads between the Cheviots and Lammermoors, plundering the households, and driving off to England everything that walked on four legs. One of his chief devastators had been Sir John Horsely his Sheriff of Northumberland and Captain of Bamborough Castle, who in 1542 took part in plundering and burning 20 homesteads on Bowmont Water that maintained 140 ploughs, and in 1543 Attonburn, Primside, Morebattle, etc. (H. L.); and he it was whom David had captured and the Governor wanted to talk about. In April 1546 David Hoppringill of Slegden grants in presence of the Lords that he had received John Horsely, Captain of Bamborough from Mr Andrew Hume, parson of Lauder (David's cousin), and John Edmonston of that Ilk, who had him in keeping, and had discharged them of their sureties of 1000 angel nobles for his delivery to him and Thomas Ker of Yair before Lammas; and he had delivered him to certain Englishmen, sureties of Sir Robert Bowes, English Warden of the Middle March (A. D.).

In May 1547 David complained that he had sold to George Towers of lnverleith (his nephew), for 44 angel nobles, Thomas Neale, an Englishman (a spy ?) whom in September last he had taken prisoner near Fala, and that he would not pay him : in April the Lords referring to Towers' allegation that four or five days after the sale David said if Neale escaped he would be content with half the price, and that in fact after 20 days or thereby he did escape though he had two servants continually keeping him, and so he was liable for only half the price, the Lords appoint a day for him to produce witnesses (A. D.).

In May 1548 the Lord High Treasurer pays to David Hoppringill, Robert Ormiston and their Companies £88 for the ransom of an English trumpeter, who was exchanged for a herald and trumpeter furth of Haddington, which after the battle of Pinkie in 1547 was garrisoned by the English (T. A.).

In 1555 David granted to Alexander Hume of Manderston a charter of sale of Slegden, the notary subscribing for him (G. S., 1556).

David seems to have died about 1572. By his spouse Maisie Ker, apparently of Yair, he had a son Alexander who succeeded him.

2. In 1571 Alexander Hoppringill, servitor to Alexander Hume of Manderston, is granted the escheat of three Romaneses in Lauderdale, denounced rebels for absenting themselves from the levies (P. S.). In 1572 Alexander Hume infefts his third son John in Slegden. In 1578 Sir George Hume of Wedderburn, claiming to be tacksman of the teind sheaves of Greenlaw, charges Alexander with appropriating those of Slegden for 1576, and Alexander protests that the Commissioner of Lauder is not a competent judge of the matter, through the deadly feud existing between him and his master's people, who had burned. his brother Cuthbert Cranston's place of Thirlestane Mains, and slain 2 of his servants ; the Lords however remit the case to the Commissioner, and order him to do justice as answerable to the King (A.. D.). In 1583 died Isabella Hume, daughter of Patrick, 3rd of Polwarth, wife of Alexander Hoppringill of Slegden; the inventory, revised by her brother Alexander Hume of North Berwick Mains, showed free gear £1275 (T. E.). She had another brother Adam, parson of Polwarth, a sister Margaret, Prioress of North Berwick, another Katherine, married to Robert Hoppringill of Blindlee, and another Isabella 2, married to Adam Hepburn of East Craig. In 1589 John Hume, the King's Master Hunter, alleged proprietor of Slegden, summons Alexander to pay him the mails of Slegden for 16 years bypast. Four Hoppringills and 5 Humes were summoned to give evidence. In 1590 the Lords found Alexander quit of all payment beyond £40 yearly as paid by him to Alexander the said John's father (A. D.). In 1591 Alexander and the said John Hume make an agreement according to which Alexander vacates Slegden at once, retaining the crops he had sown; witnesses, John Cockburn of Ormiston, George Hume of Spott, James Lawson of Humble, David Hoppringill, apothecary burgess of Edinburgh ; signed " Alexander Hoppringill with my hand at the pen led by the notary, witness John Pringill of Buckholm (R. D,).

Wedderburn

In August 1490 a charter is granted by George Hume to his beloved son and heir apparent David Hume and his spouse Elizabeth Pringill in conjunct fee, and their heirs male, of the whole lands of Morriston, in the bailiary of Lauderdale. This Elizabeth was the sister of David 2 of Smailholm, and not the daughter; for as he was married in 1473 he could not have had a daughter who like her could have had eleven children before 1513, with seven of the sons old enough in that year to take part in the battle of Flodden. In 1506, art Holyrood Palace, David Hume of Wedderburn received from the King, James IV., a charter of his lands of Polwarth, in favour of himself and his wife Isabella Hoppringill in conjunct fee, and their lawful heirs (G. S.). In 1513 David was slain at Flodden.

In 1531 the King, James V., granted David's widow the lands of Broomdykes and the Main quarter of East Nisbet, apprised by her, and redeemable within seven years (G. S.). In 1542 she summoned George Hume of Wedderburn, her grandson, who objected to her and others cutting wood on Polwarth Mains which she had herself planted, and the Lords of Council direct Crown officers to enquire into the matter (A. D.). According to Hume of Godscroft, the historian (her great grandson), Elizabeth (Isabella) died in December 1545, " having been for 32 years a widow, esteemed and honoured by a1l.'' By her husband Elizabeth had eleven children, of whom seven sons were known as " The Seven Spears of Wedderburn.''

" Vails not to tell what steeds did spurn,

Where the Seven Spears of Wedderburne

Their men in battle-order set."

1. George, who was slain at Flodden along with his father.

2. David, 4th of Wedderburn, who marr. Alison Douglas, sister of the Earl of Angus. He had a short but stirring life. He slew De la Bastie, Governor Albany's Deputy and Warden of the Marches; also the new Prior of Coldingham. He was forfeited in February 1517; but before the end of the year he was pardoned, and got a, grant of the half lands of Manderston. In 1524 he was killed in an encounter with the English.

3. Alexander, of Manderston, died before 1565; issue: 1. Alexander his heir; 2. Patrick of Renton; 3. John, the King's Master Hunter ; 4. George, the King's Stabler ; 5. Agnes, marr. Patrick Hume of Polwarth. Alexander, 2nd of Manderston, died before December 1593. His third son George rose to be Earl of Dunbar 1605, and died in 1611,

4. John, and

5. Robert, marr. the heiresses of Andrew Blackadder of that Ilk in 1518.

6. Patrick, progenitor of the Humes of Broomhouse.

7. Andrew, parson of Lauder.

8. Bartholomew, of Simprin.

Daughters : Margaret, marr. John Swinton of that Ilk; Isabella, marr, William Cockburn ; Mariota, marr. James Towers of Innerleith (Godscroft, The Humes of Wedderburn, 1839).

Succeeding Lairds of Wedderburn were: 5th, George, who was killed at the battle of Pinkie in 1547. 6th, David, brother, taken prisoner at Pinkie, marr. as his second wife Margaret Ker, widow of James Hoppringill of Whytbank, died in 1547. 7th, Sir George, Comptroller of the Household of James VI., who died in 1616. 8th, Sir David, who with his eldest son fell at the battle of Dunbar in 1650. 9th, Sir George, 2nd Bart.,out in the " 15,'' and taken prisoner at the battle of Preston in 1715 ; he died in 1720, the last male heir of the line.

The Hoppringills continued connected with the Humes of Wedderburn. Alexander and John appear once each as witnesses to Sir George, .while between 1586 and 1592 James Pringill, " my servitor," appears five times. In 1577 John is at Fast Castle, servitor to the historical Robert Logan of Restalrig, and again John, son of the late William, is a tenant of Sir George's in Eyemouth 1597, and " Pringle's lands '' there were quoted as a boundary as late as 1714.

Billie

In January 1547 Lord Grey, commanding the English invaders in Scotland, wrote to Somerset, " I have ordered one Thomas Carlyle with 50 horse to lie in Billie Tower, 9 miles from Berwick, on the edge of Lammermoor, between Angus's barony of Buncle and Coldingham. The owner is fled ; and the house is of so good strength that Carlyle will hold it against all Scotland without a cannon ; and if any gentleman betwixt that and Edinburgh, as the laird of Blackadder, or Hume of Wedderburn, refuses to do service, he shall whip him to your Grace's contentment '' (S. P. S.).

In 1580 John Renton of Billie married as his third wife Alison Heriot, widow of William Hoppringill of Torwoodlee, infefting her in Easter Pencaitland, and investing 6400 merks at 10 per cent for her children, if any and promising to educate and bring up William, James, David, Bessie, and Janet Hoppringill, her children by her previous marriage. In 1589 Alison and David Renton, son and heir of the late John, make a contract (R. D.). Alison died in 1591, leaving by her second husband two children, Agnes and James Renton; and in 1614 Agnes married James Pringle, fear of Buckholm.

In 1621 Agnes and her husband James Pringill (who was constituted assignee of her brother James Renton) sue John Renton, grandson and heir of the said John Renton, to fulfil her mother Alison's marriage contract; with the result that his lands of Lamberton were apprised by them for 4860 merks (redeemable within 7 years) and disponed by them to the said James Renton, who in 1623 got a royal charter of Billie (G. S.). In 1630 James Pringill took sasine of the Lamberton lands; when William, son to the late William Pringill of Colligarrie, was present (see Ireland). In 1634 Lamberton is restored to John Renton, who gives up all rights to Billie. James Renton of Billie died in 1637; and in 1638 George Pringill, son of James of Buckholm, is granted the ward and nonentry of Billie (held immediately of the King), and the marriage of James Renton, the eldest son and heir, his cousin (P. S.).

According to the records George Pringle was represented in 1676 by William Pringle in Little Billie and David in Lintlaw, followed by James Pringle, wright in Preston 1704; Robert, wright in Lintlaw, who died in 1820; and Robert, wright there and in Thirlington where he died in 1845 and of whose family of five sons all, except the eldest Alexander, emigrated, like many of their relations, to Ontario (T. L.) (Jonet Pringill, 1676).