Sir Alexander Irvine, 11th Laird of Drum

SIR ALEXANDER IRVINE OF DRUM

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

                   1

21 December 1664: Letters of horning and poinding at instance of Elspeth Irrwing, daughter of the deceased Sir Alexander Irving of Drume, against Alexander Irrwing of Drume, for the fulfilment of GD45/16/1546. Registered P.R. Hornings Aberdeen 11 December 1665. (With execution of arrestment of certain rents due to Alexander Irwine of Drum, following on above, 23 and 28 November 1666.) National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Maule Family, Earls of Dalhousie, Titles to Land, reference GD45/16/1553

                   2

15 June 1664: Extract registered obligation by Sir Alexander Irving of Drum narrating a contract between deceased Sir Alexander Irving of Drum, his father, and himself, on the one part, and deceased Mr. James Sandilands, town clerk of Aberdeen, and Robert Ker, burgess of the said burgh, on the other part, dated 2 and 4 August 1656, whereby in return for 21,720 merks Scots, the said deceased Sir Alexander disponed to them certain lands in the parishes of Peterculter and Drumoak, sheriffdom of Aberdeen, under reversion and undertaking to pay to Patrick Sandilands, eldest son of said deceased Mr. James Sandilands, half of the above sum at Whitsunday 1666 or to enter the said Patrick to possession of half of the above lands. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Duff Family of Fetteresso, reference GD105/160

                   3

18 July 1665: Letters of horning and poinding at instance of Charles Irving, son of the deceased Sir Alexander Irving of Drum, against Alexander Irving, now of Drum, for the fulfilment of GD45/16/1547. Registered P.R. Hornings Aberdeen 5 August 1665. (With execution of arrestment of certain goods and money owed to Alexander Irwing, following on above, 11 and 12 December 1666.) National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Maule Family, Earls of Dalhousie, Titles to Land, reference GD45/16/1558

Biographical Summary

Alexander, the 10th laird, was an ardent Royalist supporter of Charles I when most around him were Covenaners, the Scottish equivalent of Roundheads. He, too, was Sheriff of Aberdeen and with him, the family's prosperity and prestige reached its peak. As the Civil War spread, Alexander was away from Drum fighting when the castle was besieged. In the face of General Monroe's heavy siege equipment, Lady Irvine decided to surrender quite rapidly and included a promise that her husband would give himself up. So Drum Castle received a hostile garrison, the first of four it was to endure during the Civil War.

The laird's two soldier sons were also active Royalists: young Alexander was later to become one of Drum's most colorful lairds. He fought for the Marquess of Huntly and was excommunicated by the Church of Scotland for 'popery', with a reward of 18,000 merks put on his head for his capture, dead or alive. He and his brother tried to escape by sea from Fraserburgh, but high winds drove them back to the Scottish coast and capture.

Robert, the younger brother, died a miserable death in the depths of Edinburgh Castle, but Alexander survived there under sentence of death until he was set free after the Marquess of Montrose's victory at Kilsyth. His mother and wife were besieged and captured in Drum, this time by the Marquess of Argyll who turned both women out of the castle with nothing but 'two grey plaids and a couple of work nags'.

This time Drum Castle was completely ransacked. Twice captured, four times garrisoned, Drum and its lands had been severely ravaged during the war. Animals had been killed, crops ruined, silver, jewelry, and furniture stolen and its prosperity destroyed.

When young Alexander, the 11th laird, who had won a small cavalry encounter towards the end of the war, at last succeeded to his impoverished estates he was soon offered a peerage by the newly restored King Charles II. But he turned down the honor when the king refused to provide financial compensation for damage done to the Drum estate while supporting his cause.

So, twice the Irvines had missed becoming great magnates of the crown. The eleventh laird's first wife had apparently been somewhat aristocratically aloof but, after she died, he spotted a young shepherdess on his estates, some forty-seven years his junior. Sixteen-year-old Mary Coutts was not one to sell her virtue short so, despite general disapproval, the two were married and the old laird enjoyed six years of bliss before dying not long before his seventieth birthday in 1687. This story is recorded in the traditional ballad 'The Laird of Drum'.

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy