Laird Vaus, Lord Of Menie

Notes

• Menie was for a long time an independent feudal lordship originally granted, amongst other lands including Blairton, by Robert the Bruce to John De Boneville in 1317. Portions of the land then passed from de Boneville’s son, also John, to other noblemen. Aberdeen Burgess, William Chalmers, for instance gained the rights to Menie in 1379 as part of a transaction confirmed by King Robert II (1371-1390), the nephew of David II.
• Menie had passed to the Vaus family by 1406 and Richard Vaus was listed as 'of Many' in a charter of that year. He was probably the grandson of John Vaus, a provost of Aberdeen on several occasions between 1420 and 1445. He was obviously liked as, in 1447, the councillors of Aberdeen rewarded his previous good work by allowing him to give half his portion of fishing to 'any friende he chooses except Lordis'. Richard also granted lands in Aberdeen to the Franciscans to build Greyfriars monastery in 1477.
• Menie remained in the Vaus family, through Gilbert, his son Gilbert, and his grandson John until 1556. Then a mystery develops as to why John's sons never inherited Menie. It appears that John was attainted of treason, having been involved in manslaughter and possibly even a direct assault on King James V (1513-1542) himself. John Vaus had respite for six months in June 1537 for complicity in the slaughter of James Lyon, mutilation of Alexander Rutherford, who was a baillie of Aberdeen, and the deforcing of the magistrates of Aberdeen. A few months later, in December, Vaus had a remission for all the offences except for that of treason. As a traitor Vaus could not keep his property and the land therefore passed onto his daughter, Margaret, who had married John Carnegie of Kinnaird. In 1556 Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1567), confirmed the charter granting the barony of Menie along with Easter and Wester Ruthvens to the couple. Earlier in the century, William Lyon had obtained a grant of the lands of Pettens, amongst other lands in Scotland, from James V in 1538. In 1540 this king listed the barony of Belhelvie among his territories. MEDIEVAL BELHELVIE