Notes |
- Bishop of Fife
- (Research):Some little inaccuracies as to the Family
and Representatives of Bishop Keith, having appeared in
the Preface and Biographical Sketch prefixed to the First
Volume of his History, as republished in 1844, under the
auspices of the Spottiswoode Society, I beg to supply you,
from an authentic source, with more correct information ;
simply adding that, when the First Volume appeared, there
was no opportunity of testing the accuracy of the state-
ments then made to the Editor, by reference to any of the
Bishop's descendants. What follows, therefore, will be
received in connexion with the statements in Vol. 1st. pp.
viii. xi. lvii. lviii. lxxv. xc.
" The Bishop married a lady named Isabel Cameron,
daughter of the Rev. John Cameron, by whom he had two
daughters. One of these died unmarried ; the other, named
Katherine, was married to Mr Stewart Carmichael of Leith.
The offspring of this marriage was a daughter, Katharina
Stewartina, and a son who died young. The former became
the first wife of Mr William Douglas, Merchant, Leith, and
left issue by him, William (who died unmarried) Stewart,
Archibald, and four daughters. The direct representation
of the Bishop's Family, therefore, rests with the descend-
ants of the late Mr Stewart Douglas ; who left five sons,
the eldest of whom, William Douglas, Esq. of Liver-
pool, the great-great-grandson of the Bishop, is likewise
nearest of kin, through his grandmother, to Colonel Robert
Keith, of the 2d Regiment of Foot Guards '97 who was, up to
his death in 1780, acknowledged as the nearest male
representative of George, tenth Earl Marischal, who died
two years before him, namely, in 1778.
" Taking it for granted then, that, with the death of
Keith of Northfield, referred to in the statement by John
Riddell, Esq. in p. lxxxix, the male representatives of the
Family became extinct, the representation in the female line
belongs, in the first place, to the direct descendants of
Keith of Northfield; or failing them, to the direct descend-
ants or nearest heirs of Colonel Robert Keith, who are
manifestly much nearer, in point of propinquity, to the last
male representative who would have inherited the title and
property, than the Family of Lady Clementina Elphinstone
can be.
" In reference to a statement made at p. Ixxv, it may be
remarked, that the fact of the title and estates of Kintore
devolving on the heirs-female of George, tenth Earl Maris-
chal, goes no farther than to point out the representatives
of the Kintore Family, which, by the terms of the charter,
were allowed to pass through the female line. The title
and estates of Marischal were restricted to male descend-
ants ; and would, therefore, as has been before observed, have
devolved on Colonel Robert Keith, as the nearest male heir.
" By giving insertion to the foregoing statement, for the
accuracy of which I am of course responsible, '97 You will
much oblige, Rev. Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
A. J. Douglas.
Mathon, Malvern,
8th December 1849.
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