GARTSHORE, James 1st of Alderston, WS ^{2 3}

   Other names for James were GARTHSHORE, James,⁵ GARTHSHORE, James of Alderston, WS ^{4 6} and GARTSHORE, James.^{1 7 8}

   User ID: G2.

  General Notes:

"William appeared at Kirkcudbright on June 12, 1735 to assure the magistrates he was the nearest living kin of the last John MacNaucht of Kilquhanity, and to ask that he be declared heir. A jury of inquest headed by David Telfour, merchant and former Provost of Kirkcudbright, solemnly listened to his statements and then served him heir in general to John VI. This done, William sold out his rights as heir to Thomas Murdoch on April 11,1738. The latter had obtained a charter of confirmation to Kilquhanity from the Crown on February 13, 1738? and on January 26,1740 the charter was recorded.

Then Murdoch's creditors began a process of ranking and sale - an action involving a listing of claims for debt and a judicial sale in bankruptcy. No one seemed willing to take a chance on buying into a first- class lawsuit that might be started by the McNaught family, and the sale had to be postponed eleven times. Finally James Garthshore, a lawyer who had been acting as agent for both Murdoch and his creditors, bought Kilquhanity on July 31, 1744 for £886 sterling: a price that had been made sufficiently low to tempt him.

To avoid risk, Garthshore exacted a warrandice to insure him against loss of his money, from the creditors who benefited by the sale: the Earl of Galloway, Colonel William Maxwell of Cardoness, and Samuel Brown of Barharrow. Five years later Garthshore sold the McNaught homestead to Thomas Edgar of Netherwood, Dumfries, for £1,200 sterling, and in turn warranted him against loss because of clouded title. Edgar kept Kilquhanity until 1768, when he gave it to his niece, Janet Martin. After she had registered the title on August 20, 1769, she had a Crown charter confirmed the following day to her husband, John Martin." (page 245)

from The MacNauchtan Saga




"13 Jan 1746

Signature of the lands of Kilquhanidy granted to James Gartshore (Garthshore).

Signatures were the original drafts in English of the Latin charters found under the same dates in the Register of the Privy Seal and the Great Seal Register: they were in effect the warrants for issuing these charters."

from SIG1/70/14




"26 Jul 1746

Signature of the lands of Corsock etc granted to James Baillie (Bailzie, Bellie), Robert Brown (Broun, Broune), Heritors, Minister and Kirk Session of Dalry, Robert Dalrymple, James Gartshore (Garthshore), Archibald Gordon, Isobel Stet, widow of James Herries (Herreis, Herres, Herris), James Kennan, John McCourty, Dr John McDowall, John McMillan, Robert McMillan, Capt John Maxwell and Janet Simpson (Simson, Sympsone, Symson)."

from SIG1/46/18




"William Cochran of Alderston, who had a precept furth of chancery as heir of his father in the above-named lands dated 10th August 1750. Very shortly thereafter the property was again sold, James Gartshore, clerk to the Signet, being the purchaser."

from The Parish of Mid-Calder




"23 Feb 1753

Signature of the lands of Over Aldingstoun granted to James Gartshore (Garthshore)."

from SIG1/70/76




""Garthshore
James
3 / 8 / 1774
of Alderstone, W.S.
TD
Edinburgh Commissary Court
CC8/8/123"

from Wills and Testaments ^{2 3 5 7 8 9 10}

James married Jean SCOTT after June 1724. (Jean SCOTT was born about 1701 and died before 1753 ^{10 11}.)

  Marriage Notes:

"James Gartshore of Alderston was a writer to the Signet in very extensive practice in Edinburgh, if we may judge by the frequency of the occurrence of his name in the records relating to that period. He was a son of Mr James Gartshore, minister of Carmichael, and was admitted to the society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet on 6th October 1729. He had a charter from the Crown on his own resignation of the lands and barony of Alderston, with manor place, etc., comprehending, as formerly specified, to him and to James Gartshore his only son, the child of the deceased Mistress Jean Scott, his spouse, dated at Edinburgh 23rd February 1753. His first wife was Jean Scott, third daughter of Sir Patrick Scott of Ancrum, Bart., and widow of David Muirhead, younger of Linhouse, with whom he had James, before-mentioned, and a daughter, Jane, who married in 1755 Thomas Tod of Drygrange, W.S."

from The Parish of Mid-Calder




"6ARTSH0RE, JAMES, of Alderston. 6th October 1729. Apprentice to Alexander Hamilton of Pencaitland. - Son of Mr. James Gartshore, Minister of Carmichael. Died 23d January 1774. Mar. (1) Jean, daughter of Sir Patrick Scott of Ancrum, and widow of David Muirhead of Linhouse ; and (2) June 1756, Helen, daughter of John Spottiswoode, Advocate."

from A history of the Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet ^{2 4}

James next married Helen SPOTTISWOOD, daughter of John SPOTTISWOOD of that Ilk, Advocate and Helen ARBUTHNOTT, on 13 June 1756 in Edinburgh, Scotland.¹ (Helen SPOTTISWOOD was born about 1720.)

  Marriage Notes:

"Jean Scott died before 1753, and the laird of Alderston espoused secondly, in the month of June 1756, Helen, daughter of John Spottiswoode, advocate, to whom he gave a liferent annuity of £150 sterling out of the lands and barony of Alderston in terms of the contract of marriage between them."

from The Parish of Mid-Calder ²