P R E F A СЕ.

Among the family mansions of Scotland few can be named that are at the present day so emblematic of complete repose and unprotected security as Cullen House-the ancestral home of the noble family of Seafield. Amidst the charming walks and lovely views, with which the extensive policies abound, the stranger is struck with the feeling of supreme calm and peace that reign around, not unmixed at times with the spirit of sadness; the very woods, and walks, and streams, all apparently in sympathy with the dark shadow that now for several years has overhung this House.

But Cullen House, though now in peace, had its share of troubles in the troublous times of our nation's history.

The present building is of no great antiquity. It was founded in 1600, on a site adjacent to the old House, which is supposed to have stood from the days of Robert the Bruce.

In 1645 Cullen and Cullen House were plundered by the Farquharsons of Braemar, by orders of Montrose, the Earl of Findlater being “a grite Covenanter." At the same time the Laird of Grant, with his soldiers, were sent to plunder Elgin. It would have been not a little curious had Montrose appointed the Grants to plunder Cullen House, the estates connected with which they ultimately came to inherit.

"Montrose marches fra the Bog to the place of Cullen of Boyne, the Erll of Findlater himself haveing fled south befoir to Edinbrugh, leaving in thir dangerous dayis, pitifull to behold, his lady behind him. This staitlie hous, weill decoirit with braue insicht and plenishing and furneshit with silver plait and all vther necessares wes pitifullie plunderit, and nothing tursabill left." (Spalding.)

It was only saved from being burned to the ground by the intercession of Lady Findlater who obtained from Montrose a respite of fifteen days for the ransom of 20,000 merks, of which she instantly paid down 5000 merks.

In 1640 the neighbouring mansion of Glassaugh was plundered by Monro's soldiers at the instigation, it is said, of the Earl of Findlater.

In the first Jacobite Rebellion, Lord Deskford, son of the Chancellor Earl, was so strongly suspected of Jacobite leanings, that he was put in prison. In his later years, as Earl of Findlater, he was one of the strongest supporters the Government had in the North during the second Jacobite Rebellion. In fact, both the Grant and Ogilvie branches of this family rendered most conspicuous services to the Government at many critical times, but there is no record of any recompense they received therefor. The loss incurred by the Laird of Grant in the service of the Government was estimated in 1785 to amount to £72,000 Stg. "The plain consequence is, that the family of Grant has been ruined by the Revolution, and by its constant and uniform adherence to Revolution principles and the present Royal Family, during the Rebellions of 1715 and 1745.” A like remark may be made as regards the Ogilvie branch.

The following pages consist of notes taken from a MS. volume in H.M. Register House, Edinburgh, entitled, "A Register kept in pursuance of Acts 20 and 21 of King George II for the Earl of Findlater and Lord Elchies." The part of the Register referring to the Earl of Findlater consists of 53 pages of preliminary matter, followed by depositions up to page 132, then the Decreet and Judgment of the Court of Session, which occupies

200 pages. The notes are a summary of the proceedings in reference to the Earl of Findlater, such particulars as have more special reference to Cullen being given in greater detail. Mere repetition or corroboration of previous evidence has for the most part been omitted, while the spelling has, in several instances, been modernized.

This small pamphlet forms a bit of authentic history that has not hitherto seen the light, and is valuable mainly for the vivid picture it presents of the doings of the rebels in this locality immediately prior to the Battle of Culloden, and valuable subordinately for the additional light it casts on the parties concerned in the suppression of that Rebellion.

The facts here narrated have almost entirely departed from memory, even in the locality. Almost all that tradition records in reference to the plundering is the grotesque sight presented by some of the Highlanders carrying away as valuable booty certain articles that even in the North of Scotland have for long been considered essential to the complete furnishing of a bedroom, the use of which articles were, however, altogether unknown to the plunderers. A somewhat similar, and perhaps equally grotesque, sight appears in the course of the following evidence where the Highland gentleman on horseback compels the minister to aid him in loading his horse with Lord Findlater's law books, the use of which would probably be as unknown to the plunderer as in the previous case. Another small matter that lives in tradition is that the injuries still visible on the marble slab inserted on the north side of the "Big" Bridge, in commemoration of its erection in 1744, were inflicted by the rebels, who first attempted to remove the slab, which had been placed there a short time before, and, failing in this, they injured it with a hammer. Unreliable as tradition usually is, still there is no reason to discredit it in this instance.

The valuable MSS., &c., bequeathed by the late Bishop Kyle to the Roman Catholic Church include among them, the present writer, at least, is of opinion, certain documents that formed part of the plunder of Cullen House, and the opinion he formed from a cursory perusal of them is confirmed to some extent by the evidence adduced in the following pages. It would be interesting were the authorities of Blairs College, or other legatees of the Bequest, to find on examination and consideration that it was proper for them to restore to the Charter Room of Cullen House certain documents that they were led to presume must have been carried off thence by the rebels.

The plundering of Cullen House occurred on Tuesday the 8th day of April, 1746, the day the Duke of Cumberland left Aberdeen on his march northwards. What effect was produced on the Duke's mind, when, three days later, in company with the Earl and Countess of Findlater, he viewed the scene of what one of the witnesses characterized as "the most horrible destruction man ever beheld," has not been recorded, but seeing that, as Ray asserts, the Duke, on the previous day, caused a countryman to be executed for making notches on a stick, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the plundering of the house of one of his most zealous supporters may furnish some explanation of certain of the Duke's after proceedings.

This Earl of Findlater, who was Vice-Admiral of Scotland (and a portrait of whom is to be seen in the City Hall, Aberdeen), in a petition to Parliament estimated the loss he had sustained by the rebels at £8,000 sterling, and craved redress, but, there is reason to believe, he obtained

none.

Betwixt the date when the Earl of Findlater presented his petition claiming the benefit of the Act of Parliament and the final decision of the Court of Session, occurred a transaction between the Earl and the authorities of the Burgh of Cullen, whereby the Burgh disponed to the Earl in perpetual feu the Castle Hill and the greater part of the Burgh Lands.

It will make matters clearer to remember in reading the following pages that the whole regular force under the Duke of Cumberland was 7200 men, besides 2000 militia. At the time the Duke left Aberdeen with the last division of his army, six battalions, with Kingston's Horse and Cobham's

Dragoons, under Major-General Bland, were stationed at Strathbogie, and three battalions at Old Meldrum, under Brigadier Mordaunt. The Duke quartered the first night at Old Meldrum and the next at Banff. On the 11th April (Friday) he marched to Cullen, and on his march was joined at Portsoy by the part of the army that had been stationed at Strathbogie and Old Meldrum. The army was too numerous to get quarters in the town, so the foot encamped on some ploughed fields to the right of the town, and the horse quartered in Cullen and the adjacent villages. Here the Earl of Findlater made a present of 200 guineas to the Duke's troops. (Brown's Hist. of the Highlands.) Next day they marched towards the Spey. James Ray, a volunteer under the Duke of Cumberland, says, "Cullen is a small town consisting of one street, at the entrance of which is a fine seat belonging to the Earl of Findlater, but had been plundered by the Rebels. His Royal Highness quartered here, and the Lord and Lady Findlater accompanied the Duke, and in all the march from Aberdeen to Inverness. Here the people are well affected to the Government." An English officer, who accompanied the Duke of Cumberland's army, relates that at Cullen the kirkyard was full of rebel horses that had been taken.

The second Jacobite Rebellion took very little hold in this district. From the Church Records it appears that the Synod of Aberdeen enjoined all ministers within their bounds inter alia to pray nominatim for His Majesty King George and His Royal Family, and all the members of the Presbytery of Fordyce declared they had obeyed said recommendation in the strictest manner. From the Kirk Session Records of Fordyce we learn that (1) on 18th Dec., 1745, a fast was held by Royal Proclamation for the Rebellion (2) on 20th April, 1746, a thanksgiving was intimated by order of the Synod for the prospect of deliverance from oppression by the rebels (3) on 25th May a proclamation was read from the Duke of Cumberland, and a letter from the Lord Justice Clerk, relating to the discovery of the rebels, and the elders gave an account of the several rebels that had gone out of that parish (4) on 15th June the King's Proclamation was read for a pardon to the inferior rebels upon laying down their arms and (5) on 26th June a Thanksgiving was held for delivery from the Rebellion. In Deskford Church a Thanksgiving was held on 23rd April, 1746, "for the glorious victory over the Rebels, 16th inst., where numbers of the rebel army were slain and a complete victory obtained." About 26th Feb., 1746, ministers were unable to attend the Synod meeting, as numbers of the rebels were passing and repassing. In 1746 the Presbytery recommended the schoolmaster at Broadley, in the parish of Rathven, to an increase of salary, "he having suffered considerably by the rebels in their passing and repassing by his house." The minutes of the Kirk Session of Rathven are lost for some years prior to the Rebellion, and the Session Clerk, under date Feb. 2, 1746 notes that "The Troubles in the nation much hindered the free course of discipline at this time." On 30th March, 1746, the Kirk Session of Rathven granted their beadle the loan of a crown, he "being straitned by reason of the Pretender's son's soldiers threatening to poind him for his Excise." On 23rd April the Thanksgiving was held in Rathven. Even on 4th May, 1746, the Session had to record that they "thought proper to supersede the exercise of discipline for some time till magistrates be sitting in judgment, except such as voluntarily comply," but by the following Sunday matters had so far improved that it is recorded-"Upon a second consideration, appointed charge the delinquents to subsequent dyets." The Kirk Session of Cullen gave 12s. Scots to a sick soldier on 13th April, and in Cullen 23rd April and 26th June were held as days of Thanksgiving for deliverance from the Rebels. The Rebels had the daring to make the Town Council of Cullen prisoners. "On 26th March, while His Royal Highness was at Aberdeen, a party of the Rebels' foot and horse came to this place and forced payment of all the public money, viz., Cess, Eque, Excise, and Postages, by taking us and office-bearers prisoners, and using many threats and menaces against our persons and effects."

In Dr Fraser's "Chiefs of Grant" is a letter from Lord Lewis Gordon in

which Lord Lewis presents his compliments to Lord and Lady Findlater, and assures them that "what I am to do for the Prince's cause in Banfshire shall be executed in the mildest and easiest way in my power." A letter of date 11th December, 1745, says that Abachie, Lord Lewis Gordon's ". " prime minister of oppression," is "playing the devil" with Lord Findlater's tenants. On 10th December, 1745, Duncan Forbes of Culloden writes as follows to James, 5th Farl of Findlater and Seafield :—

"I observe with concern the menaces used by the rebells in Bamfshire to induce his Majesty's subjects to raise money and men towards the subversion of the Government. Your lordship has surely returned to those who have consulted with you a very solid advice and has no doubt given the proper directions to those that take care of your affairs on the subject of the letter that was written to yourself and if those advices and directions can prevent men's subjecting themselves to the penaltys of high treason for a very few days they will be delivered from all apprehersions of such usage, for before any notice came from your Lordship a body of between 500 and 600 men was this day marched from Inverness towards Aberdeen by Elgin to be followed by my Lord Loudoun very quickly with as many more if needfull and by a farther force from hence if it shall be wanted. Thus your Lordship's tennants and neighboors will be speedily relieved from the oppression under which they groan and I should hope they will have the fortitude to resist the threats that are employed to induce them to become partys to high treason for a very few days, when relief is so very near at hand, as on the other hand, I imagine the rebells will be cautious how they execute those threats when reprisalls can be so speedily made on those who may be so wicked as to put them in execution."

From the "Chiefs of Grant" we learn some further particulars regarding these times. On 16th December, 1745, Sir Harry Innes wrote the Laird of Grant that Abbachie, Lord Lewis Gordon's officer, went to Cullen with 180 men, retreating from M'Leod's men. M'Leod was at Cullen on 17th December, and at Banff two days later. Ludovick Grant of Grant writing his father says that the rebels have intercepted Kyliemore whom he (Ludovick) had sent to Cullen with instructions to a party of his men sent there some hours before to prevent any of them getting into Lord Findlater's house. They detained Kyliemore prisoner till about five o'clock in the morning, and then they marched as fast as they could for Strathbogie before daylight and all the parties that were in Banff and Portsoy fled off on Sunday evening when the party he (Ludovick) sent to Cullen entered that town. On 11th March, 1746 Ludovick Grant of Grant writes from Inverurie to his father as follows:

"I am informed the Young Pretender has taken possession of Gordon Castle, and that a considerable bodie of the rebells is about Fochabers besides their advanced parties about Keith, Strathbogie, Cullen and Banff. I am perswaded they will all retire as the armie advancess to the Murray side. The situation of the countrie is such at present that there is noe monie to be had from the most substantiall tennant in it."

On 29th March 1746 the Earl of Findlater writes to Ludovick Grant of Grant :

"My gardner was dispatched this morning early to Cullen by His Royal Highness's orders. I have writ to Mr Lawtie that, if they burn my house or the house of any well-affected gentleman his army will burn the houses of all the rebels and this he has ordered to intimate by showing [my letter] to every party that may come there."

Ludovick Grant writes as follows to his father, Sir James, in London :— 'Elgin, April 13, 1746.

Fryday the 11th His Royal Highnes the Duke marched from Bamff to Cullen, and the troups that were in Strathbogie joined him at Cullen. I came with them. Yesterday about one His Royal Highnes crossed the Spey; the rebells who were this side of the Spey all fled earlie in the morning. You'll have heard that they pillaged Cullen House, left naething they could finde and took away all the books. The same was to have been done to yours but the Duke's advanceing has prevented it.'