George Auchinleck, 1st of Balmanno

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From the Book of Eminent Burgesses of Dundee 1513 to 1885.

Sir George Auchinleck of Balmanno - 2nd September 1631

WHICH DAY SIR GEORGE AUCHINLECK OF BALMANNO, ONE OF THE SENATORS OF THE COLLEGE OF JUSTICE, IS ADDED TO THE NUMBER OF THE BURGESSES AND BRETHREN OF THE GUILD OF DUNDEE.

The AUCHINLECKS of Balmanno were cadets of the family of AUCHINLECK of that Ilk, one of whom appears on the Burgess Roll under date 10th May, 1575 (vide page 48). SIR GEORGE AUCHINLECK was closely related to the (DOUGLAS) EARLS OF MORTON and the EARLS OF ANGUS. His great grandfather, SIR GEORGE, was married to MARY DOUGLAS, sister of the REGENT MORTON; and his grandmother was SARAH, daughter of the ninth EARL OF ANGUS. His father, SIR WILLIAM AUCHINLECK, succeeded to the estate on the death of LADY SARAH'S husband, SIR GEORGE, in 1597. SIR GEORGE, whose name is entered here, followed the profession of the Law, and won a high reputation and obtained special distinction. He represented Perthshire in the Parliament of 1617, and on 14th February, 1626, he was appointed an Ordinary Lord of Session in place of VISCOUNT LAUDERDALE, who had been superseded by the Act of that year which made it illegal for a nobleman to fill this office. Like LORD FODDERANCE and LORD BROOMHALL (vide pages 134 and 137), he was on the Commission for Revising Laws; and he was also employed upon several other duties of a similar nature during the early part of the reign of CHARLES I. Amongst the documents preserved at Traquair House there is a letter signed by CHARLES I, and dated from Whitehall, May, 1638, by which an arrangement for the retirement of LORD BALMANNO from the Court of Session is made, the statement being that he, "in respect of his age and other infirmities, is willing and desyrous to retire himself from that chairge." His death took place previous to 23rd February, 1639, as on that day SIR JAMES CARMICHAEL, Treasurer Depute, was appointed to his vacant place on the Bench. He was succeeded by his eldest Son, SIR WILLIAM AUCHINLECK, who survived till 1648. Magister ARCHIBALD AUCHINLECK was the second son of SIR GEORGE, LORD BALMANNO. He was born in 1600, and had evidently completed his studies and taken his degree before the date of his enrolment as a Burgess. According to SIR PATRICK LYON of Carse (quoted by STODART, Scottish Arms, IL, p. 62), he is said to have married ANNA, daughter of ARNOT of Woodmill, and to have left a daughter, ANNA, heiress of the family, who married JOHN CARNEGIE of Kinnell," but this does not agree with the inscription upon his tombstone in the Howff of Dundee, which reads thus

Heir lyis entomb'd, who, sprung of worthie race, Match'd with the Provest's dochter of this plaice Liv'd long in hemen's knot, thogh fates decried For thame no chyld, yet heauens this want supplied By good Balmanno, his brother, rather sonne, Who honours now his Ashes with this tombe.

Mr Archibald Auchinleck lived in ye state of mariage with his beloved wylf, Janet Auchinleck, 26 years; he died in ye Lord ye 27 of Novem. 1647, of his age 47.

Death's uncontroll'd syth moues all men doun, From poorest slave to him that wears the croun Wirtew, nor noble birth doth non exieme, For death such qualities doth not esteime; But suddenlie, and oft in middle dayes, As was this worthic on[e] intonib'd heir lyes.

Magister Archibaldus Auchinleekius. " Anagramma. Salubris niihi Archangeli aitditus." [The hearing of the Archangel shall be my salvation.]

From this inscription it is apparent that Magister ARCHIBALD AUCHINLECK was married in 1621 to JANET, daughter of WILLIAM AUCHINLECK of Woodhill, who was Provost of Dundee in 1619, and it also proves that they had no children. ARCHIBALD AUCIIINLECK was one of the leading men in the movement for an armed resistance to the imposition of Episcopacy, as appears from the Council Minutes of the period. On 18th October, 1643, it is recorded that "the Counsel hes nominat and ordained Mr ARCHIBALD AUCHINLECK to provyde for 15 or 16 baggage horse at the easiest pryce he can, and at most not to exceed 50 merk the piece." In the following year, when the Burgh raised a troop for the purpose of assisting in quelling the Rebellion under the MARQUESS OF HUNTLY in the North, ARCHIBALD AUCHINLECK was "nominat to be captayne thairof," and he probably accompanied the Dundee contingent on that expedition. His death took place, as his tombstone shows, three years after this event.