John Dickson of Busbie

JOHN DICKSON OF BUSBIE

Merchant in Glasgow; Burgess of Glasgow

John Dickson of Busbie, merchant in Glasgow, was "The first knouen predecessor" of the family of " Dickson of Innerask." Anelecta Scotica: 56 He was enrolled as a burgess and freeman of Glasgow on 29 August 1589, having been admitted in right of his wife Janet Rankene. Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Glasgow, 1573-1750, p. 19

Death

John Dickson of Busbie died before 29 November 1632. NRS: GD172/2481

Marriage

John Dickson of Busbie married Janet Rankin. Analecta Scotica: 57 They were married before 29 August 1589, the date upon which John was enrolled as a burgess of Glasgow. Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Glasgow, 1573-1750, p. 19

Child

1. Reverend Mr. David Dickson of Busbie

Evidence from Glasgow Protocols

10 May 1598: Quintigern Wilsone, merchant, citizen, and Jonet Pollok, spouses (vested in the great tenement, houses, close, yard, and pertinents, described in No. 3445), granted in feu-farm to John Diksone, merchant, citizen, and Jonet Rankeyne, spouses, and l.l., a piece of their back tenement and houses, then occupied by David Adam and William Bell, under and above, lying on the west side of the back close, with the privilege of the half of the south gavil adjacent, and also a piece of waste land, situated on the north side of the said houses, between the same on the south, and the hedge at the head of the yard on the north ; and with the privilege of the half of the close opposite the said houses and piece of waste land, and with free passage, ingress and egress, by the whole close ; and that for the payment of £10 yearly in name of feu-farm. Sasine given by John Andersone, bailie. Witnesses : James Hammiltoun of Torrens, James Hammiltoun, his son, W^illiam Symsoun, citizen, Mr. John Allansoun, Robert Herbertsoun, notaries, John Fouler and Andrew Andersoun, officers. Glasgow Protocols XI: 3446

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

                   1

3 June 1614: Decreet of transuming of entry, dated 2 June 1598, in protocol book of Henry Gibson (Gibsoun), court clerk of Glasgow, recording sasine in favour of James Crawford of Minnock and Elyta Turnbull (Turnbule), his spouse, of annualrent of £40 scots from tenement in city of Glasgow on west side of public way leading from market cross to the south gate, following on contract with James Rankin (Rankein) in Balmilbyear and Margaret Stark, his spouse, decreet being at instance of Mr David Dickson (Dicksoun), son and apparent heir of John Dickson, merchant burgess of Glasgow against James Crawford of Meikle (Mekill) Govan (Govane). National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Henderson Family of Fordell, reference GD172/141

                 2

29 November 1632: Brieve of inquest of Mr David Dickson, minister of Irvine, as heir of deceased John Dickson of Busbie, his father. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Henderson Family of Fordell, reference GD172/2481

Genealogy

Analecta Scotica: pp. 56-59

Father of John Dickson The Harvey Book pp. 380-382

""Harvey, Oscar Jewell. The Harvey Book : Giving the genealogies of certain branches of the American families of Harvey, Nesbitt, Dixon and Jameson, and notes on many other families, together with numerous biographical sketches. Digitised by Internet Archive Pennsylvania: Wilkesbarre, 1899. Accessed 21 Aug 2021]"" [https://archive.org/details/harveybookgiving00harv]

The Harvey Book on page 382 says that he was the son of John Dicksone of Bughtrig who is mentioned in a Bond signed on 19 January 1574.

The sons of the afore-mentioned Richard, or “ Dick,” de Keith, were styled after him, the affix “son” in the Lowlands of Scotland answering to the prefix “Mac” in the Highlands.

The Keiths were one of the most powerful families in Scot¬ land at a period when, outside the royal family, the title of Earl was the highest in the kingdom. They had so many possessions that, it was formerly said, they could journey from the north to the south of Scotland and sleep every night in one of their own castles.

“The first Dickson on record was evidently a person of very good standing, such as a grandson of the Earl Marshal might be expected to be — a man of wealth as well as of influence and was also a clansman of the Douglas. Two of the oldest Scottish historians recount his deeds — Archdeacon Barbour who wrote in 1375, and Blind Harry, or Henry the Minstrel, whose metrical history was written about 1381.

“According to them, when Douglas wished to recover his castle of Sanquhar in 1295 he applied to ‘Thom Dycson,’ who was ‘born to himself’ — that is, relation or clansman by birth — and addressed him as ‘ Dear Friend,’ and relied so much upon him that he afterwards selected him to pass through the enemy’s camp of some 3000 men to bear a message to Wallace.” [Dixon%E2%80%99s “ The Border Clans.”]

This Thomas Dycson, or Dicson — as his name was indiscriminately written — was born A. D. 1247, son of “ Dick ” de Keith. If he was a grandson of Hervey de Keith, first Earl Marischal, then he was second cousin to William, seventh Lord Douglas. He dwelt in Lanarkshire, where he was Laird of Symonston and Hesleside, and Castellan of Douglas. In the year 1306, he received from King Robert Bruce a charter, wherein he is referred to as “ filius Ricardi ” (son of Richard), and the document is endorsed “ Carta Thom. fil. Dick" (Char¬ ter to Thomas, Dick’s son).

In 1338, some years after the death of Thomas Dycson, his sons removed to the county of Peebles, which adjoins Lanarkshire on the east, and in 1380 the family removed further east to the border county of Berwick.

Robert Dicksone of Bughtrig, in Berwickshire, married Isa¬ bel Murray and had, with other issue, sons John and Robert. Robert, the father, fell on the fatal field of Flodden in 1513.

In 1552 Robert Dicksoun of Bughtrig, and others, appeared before the Lords of the Privy Council and signed an obligation to pay a sum of money to Richard Maitland.

In 1557 Robert Dicksoun of Bughtrig and John Dicksoun of Belchester, in Berwickshire, were charged with having, on the 8th of Aug., 1556, with a party of fourteen score men, pursued and slain Archibald Douglas, Provost of Edinburgh.

27 Dec., 1565, Robert Dicksoun of Bughtrig, and Elizabeth McDowell his wife, had a charter from the King and Queen of lands in Bughtrig and Lethame, and six months afterwards the same lands were confirmed to Robert Dicksoun, eldest son and heir of Robert Dicksoun of Bughtrig.”

19 Jan., 1574, Robert Dicksoun of Bughtrig, John Dicksone and other Dicksons, principals and representatives of those bearing the surname Dickson, signed a bond in which they obliged themselves and those they represented to behave as dutiful subjects of the King, and to keep good rule, under a penalty of ^5000.

In accordance with an Act of Parliament passed in 1672, re-quiring all the nobility and gentry of Scotland to register their armorial bearings, the arms of the Dicksons of Bughtrig (which had then been borne by three or four or more generations of the family) were duly entered upon the records of the Lyon Office in the year mentioned. As before noted these arms carry the chief of Keith, with the Douglas mullets in base — a perfect specimen of composed arms. The following, in the language of the Lyon Register, is a description of the arms (see Nisbet’s “ Heraldry,” I. : 74, and Dixon’s “Border Clans,” 139): “Dickson of Bughtrig, in Berwickshire, descended of ye familie of ye Earle Marischall, Bears azure , three mullets argent, on a chief or, as many pallets gules ; crest, a dexter hand grasping a sword in bend, proper. The motto in an escroll, Fortes for tun a juvat.

John Dicksone, or Dixson. During the reign of King James VI. of Scotland (A. D. 1567-1625) John Dicksone, a wealthy merchant in the Trongate of Glasgow, who was a scion of the Bughtrig family, and is presumed to have been a son of the John Dicksone hereinbefore mentioned, purchased of Sir Matthew Stewart of Minto the lands of Busby in Lanarkshire, about twenty miles north-east of the village of Irvine in Ayrshire, mentioned in the note on page 249 ante. Disposing of his business in Glasgow, John Dicksone retired with his wife and son to Busby, where he resided until his death.