Thomas Maclellan of Bombie, Provost of Kirkcudbright

Sir Thomas Maclellan (died 1597) was Provost of Kirkcudbright and father of Robert Maclellan, 1st Lord Kirkcudbright. He was responsible for the construction of MacLellan's Castle in the town. He was appointed as a gentleman in the bedchamber of James VI in October 1580.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Maclellan_of_Bombie

During his illness in June 1597, Maclellan travelled to Bath, Somerset in England to seek a cure. He wrote to William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley asking permission to send things he had bought for his house in Kirkcubright by sea from London. Physicians in Bath told him there was no cure for his "tympanicall hydropsie".[2]

The peerage of Scotland: containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom, ... collected from the public records, and ancient chartularies of this nation, ... Illustrated with copper-plates. By Robert Douglas, Esq;. Douglas, Robert, Sir, 1694-1770. < link >

Ancestry

V. Sir WILLIAM, who got charters un∣der the great seal,*Willielmo MacLellan de Bombie, of several lands and baronies, inter 1507 et 1512.mmHe was in great favour with king James IV.* whom he accompanied to the fatal field of Flowdon, where he lost his life, anno 1513, leaving issue, by Elizabeth Mure his wife, a son and successor,

VI. Sir THOMAS, who got charters un∣der the great seal,*Thomae MacLellan de Bom∣bie, of the lands of Plintoun, Blackmark, and several others, inter 1516 et 1520. This sir Thomas had the misfortune to be killed in the street of Edinburgh,* in a fami∣ly feud between him and his neighbours the barons of Drumlanrig and Lochinvar, in Ju∣ly 1526, leaving issue a son,

VII. Sir THOMAS who succeeded him. He got a charter, under the great seal,* of all the lands that his father sir Thomas, and his grandfather sir William died possest of, do∣mino Thomae MacLellan de Bombie, &c. anno 1542. He married Helen,* daughter of sir James Gordon of Lochinvar, by whom he had a son,

VIII, Sir THOMAS who succeeded him, and got charters under the great seal,*domino Thomae MacLellan de Bombie, of several lands and baronies, inter 1590, et 1595. He married Grizel Maxwell, daughter of John lord Herries, by whom he had three sons.

• 1. Sir Robert, afterwards lord Kirkcudbright.
• 2. William MacLellan of Glenshannoch, whose son Thomas succeeded to the honours of Kirkcudbright, of whom afterwards.
• 3. John MacLellan of Bourg, whose son John succeeded also to the lordship of Kirkcud∣bright, as will be shown hereafter..

Sir Thomas died anno 1607, and was suc∣ceeded by his eldest son,

Descent

IX. Sir Robert, who, in his father's life∣time, got a charter under the great seal,*Ro∣berto filio et haeredi apparenti domini Thomae MacLellan de Bombie, terrarum baroniae de Bombiae, &c. anno 1595. He was served and retoured heir to his fa∣ther sir Thomas,*anno 1608. He got a charter under the great seal,*do∣mino Roberto MacLellan de Bombie, militi, of several lands, anno 1610. He afterwards got charters under the great seal,* of many other lands and baronies, inter 1612, et 1616. He was a man of great worth and merit, and highly esteemed by king James VI. who conferred the honour of knighthood upon him, and made him one of the gentlemen of his bed-chamber; and being in no less favour with king Charles I. was by that prince first created a baronet, then raised to the dignity of the peerage, by the title of lord baron of Kirkcudbright,* 25th May 1633, by patent to his heirs male general, they carrying the name and arms of MacLellan, &c.

He married, 1st, Margaret, daughter of sir Matthew Campbell of Loudoun, by whom he had a daughter.

1. Marian, married to sir Robert Maxwell of Orchardtown.

He married, 2dly, Mary Montgomery, daughter of Hugh viscount Airds, of the king∣dom of Ireland, by whom he had no children.

And dying without issue-male anno 1641, his estate and honours devolved upon his ne∣phew and heir-male,

X. THOMAS MACLELLAN, son of his brother William of Glenskennoch before mentioned, who was next brother to the pa∣tentee.

References

• http://www.kirkcudbright.co/historyarticle.asp?ID=116&p=19&g=4
• https://www.clanmaclellan.net/History.htm
• http://www.heritagearchaeology.com.au/history-kirkcudbright.html
• https://www.clanmaclellanancestry.com/MacLellan%20Castle%20Site.htm Built by Sir Thomas MacLellan of Bombie, Castle MacLellan is not a castle in the traditional sense but stands in the centre of the town of Kircudbright (pronounced Kirkoobray) in what is now known as the county of Dumfries and Galloway.  It was built on the site of the convent of Greyfriars which had been established by King James II in 1449.  Within nine years of the Reformation Act of 1560,  Sir Thomas, the local Provost, acquired the site and the convent and used the buildings as a quarry for his new house. It was not built as a fortified castle (the gun loops are more a defense against potential robbers and riots rather than an invading army). But it was a house on a grand scale to impress the townspeople of its owners importance and prestige. In 1587 Sir Thomas entertained King James VI in Kircudbright and the king gave him a silver gun which is still in the local museum.