Francis Gordon, 7th Laird of Craig of Auchindoir

Francis Gordon 7th Laird of Craig and Auchindoir = Agnes Ogilvy (Francis: Approx. 1650’s - , born Graig Castle Aberdeenshire) (Agnes: 1638 - 1698, daughter of George Ogilvy 2nd Lord Banf and Agnes Falconer 1601 - 1661, granddaughter of Sir Alexander 1st Lord Falconer of Halkerton, see Ogilvy genealogy III and Falconer genealogy) (source: http://www.archive.org/stream/memorialsoffamil00wimb/memorialsoffam..., Francis Gordon, 7th Laird of Craig of Auchindoir and http://www.clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info/genealogy/TNGWebsite/descen...)

Notes on Francis Gordon 7th Laird of Craig: (from “The Family Gordon of Graig” by Captain Douglas Wimberly, http://archive.org/details/memorialsoffamil00wimb) “Francis, VII. laird, eldest son of his father by his first marriage, succeeded about 1690. Some interesting details about this laird and his family are given in the Poll Book or List of Pollable Persons in Aberdeenshire 1696. We find there " The Laird of Craig the greatest heritor in the Parish of Auchindoir ; " " his valuation <£720 [the whole valuation of said Paroch being .£1322 lis."] The laird's poll,£12 and 6s., the lady 6s., Francis, his son, 16 years of age, William and Alexander, his sons, Agnes, aged 19, Mary, aged 18, Elizabeth, aged 10, Jane and Barbara, all his daughters poll 6s. each. This shows that his wife was still living in 1696, and that he then had, besides the issue given in the Balb. MS., two other sons, William and Alexander, and another daughter, Jane: further, that Agnes was the eldest, Mary the second, and that Elizabeth was much younger than either of these, instead of being the eldest. •It shows further, that the laird had still a good landed estate. We also learn something of the farms and tenants on part of the Craig estate. The milne of Auchindoir had as tenant James Gordon, gentleman farmer ; Newtoune of Auchindoir, John Gordon, gentleman farmer ; John Warrack and Thomas his son were tenants in Tolloffin ; in Bogs were three tenants ; Whitehillock two tenants ; Cairnfuroch one tenant ; Longlands one tenant ; Creak three tenants ; Crofts of Auchindoir two tenants; Contlach five tenants; Auchinleith one tenant; Over Fulzemont five tenants; Nether Fulzemont five tenants ; Brankind [Qaery Braland] one tenant ; and Nether-oard [Nether Ord] one tenant.—(Poll Book, Vol. I., pp. 505 et sequent.) There must have been a great number of very small holdings, possibly owing to several bad seasons, and tenants of large farms having been obliged to give them up. Balbithan tells us of this laird that he accompanied the Earl of Mar [on the Jacobite side], Superior of the estate of Craig, in 1715, and was wounded and taken prisioner in a skirmish at Dunfermling 24 Oct. 1715. In " Castles of Aberdeenshire," p. 33, there is a somewhat fuller account, which is as follows : " Francis Gordon of Craig, joined the Standard of the Stuarts in 1715. In the month of October of that year the Earl of Mar sent a detachment consisting of two hundred infantry and a hundred horsemen under the command of Gordon of Glenbucket to occupy Dunfermling ; but information having been given to the Duke of Argyll, he ordered a detachment of cavalry to make a rapid night march, and if possible take the Gordons unaware. Argyll's cavalry found Glen- bucket at five o'clock in the morning entirely unprepared. The surprise was complete, many were killed: a rout ensued, and among the prisoners taken were Gordon of Craig, Gordon, younger of Aberdour, Gordon of Mill of Kincardine, and other gentlemen. The laird of Craig was conveyed to the Castle of Stirling, where he died of his wounds soon afterwards in 1716. He married, according to the Balb. MS., " My Lord Banff (Ogilvy) his eldest sister : with whom he begat sons and daughters his eldest son, Francis Gordon, [eighth] laird of Craig : one daughter married the Barron of Lesmurdie (Stuart) ; another, Mary, married Mr George Skene, parson of Kinkell; another Barbara." " Their father, the said Francis, was taken prisoner at Sheriff- muir, and died at Stirling, 1716." Harperfield gives a fuller and more precise account : he says that "this laird married Agnes Ogilvie, daughter of George, second Lord Banff: issue one son and four daughters, viz. : I. Francis, heir apparent [afterwards eighth laird.] H. Elizabeth, married Alexander Stewart of Lesmurdie. III. Mart, married George Skene, parson of Kinkell. IV. Agnes, married Charles Gordon of Blelack. V. Barbara. But the Poll Book shows that he had three sons and four daughters, and as it gives the ages of several of them, it shows that they were born in the following order, viz.: I. Agnes, aged 19 in 1695-6 II.Mary, „18 „ III. Francis, Afterwards VIIIth laird IV. William V. Alexander VI. Elizabeth VII.Jane VIII. Barbara

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Sep 29 2023, 0:45:20 UTC