1618 Scottish will - 11-8-1618 Johne Dryisdeall Alias Barnbugall in Tillicoultry

[Ronda231]

Hi all,

The ScotlandsPeople image of Johne Dryisdeall's 1618 will is copied below.

The handwriting is very neat and I've tried to transcribe it but it remains unintelligible to me.

This chap is a bit of a mystery and I haven't been able to place him in the Drysdale family tree, so any help with deciphering this would be very much appreciated.

I know the will in its entirety is a very big job and normally I would try to get this professionally transcribed, but my genealogy hobby is starting to become too expensive (like many other things nowadays) and this is something I can no longer justify.

If no one is interested, then no problem, someone in the future will pick up on this document and unravel its content.

Many thanks & best regards

[goldie61]

I've made a start...........

The testament dative and
Inventra of the guids gere debts
sumes of money ? p(er)tein-
ing To umq(u)le Johne dryisdeall
alias barnbugall in Tillicoultry
the tyme of his deceis quha
deceissit in the moneth of Sep(tembe)r
1616 zeirs faithfullie

maid and giffen up be donal malhiun
his se(van)t? in na? and behalf of ?
helein and donal dryisdeall alias
barnbugall in Tillicoultry bairnis & Ex(ecuto)rs
datives decernit to the said umq(uhi)le
Johne th(ei)r fathers guids gere & debts
be the comiss(aria)t of dunblane upon
the cj day of august 1618 zeiris


The testament dative and
Inventory of the goods gear debts
sums of money [    ] pertain-
ing to the late John Dryisdeall
alias Barnbugall in Tillicoultry
the time of his decease who
deceased in the month of September
1616 years faithfully
made up by Donal Malhuin
his servant? in ? and behalf of
Helen and Donal Dryisdeall alias
Barnbugall in Tillcoultry children and executors
datives decided to the said late
John their fathers goods gear & debts
by the Commissariat of Dunblane upon
the 11th day of August 1618 years


The next part is the Inventory of his goods.
You can see lots of numbers in there.
I can see bolls of corn, and bolls of other things, (A boll was a measure of dry goods)
Then there are debts owing to him, (awand to the dead), and debts owing by him (awand be the dead).

I don’t think there’s any more mention of famiiy.
Scottish testaments were not like English wills.
They were mainly just concerned with the value of the deceased’s estate.


From Scotlandspeople:
"The process by which an executor is appointed by a court, in the absence of a will, results in a document called a testament dative."

[Ronda231]

Hi goldie61

Thank you very much for your prompt and skilfull assistance with this document. The family members are obviously the most important, and you seem to have identified them all.
The bolls or wheat, livestock etc don't really have much import of course but any other names in the document (eg debts owed to and owed by him & to whom) would still be useful as I think it was this chap who took part in a famous raid on Holyrood House in 1591 (see below).

A little more research on this gentleman has revealed that he has some history - he was the son of John Dryisdaill a personal servant of William Douglas, Laird of Lochleven and, while in his employ, this elder Dryisdaill was somehow involved on the Mary Queen of Scots intrigues, when she was imprisoned there in 1568. (see first document below)

The Johne Dryisdaill (whose will this is) and the 'treasonable attack' on Holyrood house in 1591 is recorded in the publication - Ref  "Genealogical notes anent some ancient Scottish families"
-  as a punishment for this treason he had all his personal effects confiscated. (see second document below)

This raid is recorded here Ref Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_of_Holyrood :

"The Raid of Holyrood was an attack on Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh on 27 December 1591 by Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell (who was a nephew of Mary, Queen of Scots).  Bothwell came with sixty followers after supper on Monday 27 December 1591, including the lairds James Douglas of Spott, Archibald Wauchope of Niddrie, John Colville, and Archibald Douglas (a son of the Earl of Morton). The raid was resisted and Bothwell's men retreated, thereafter seven of Bothwell's men were captured and hanged."

Thanks once again for your valued transcription

Best regards





 

[GR2]

The children are James, Helen (helein) and Jonat (not Donald). The inventory is given up by John's spouse, Jonat Malcolm (Malcum).

[goldie61]

Ah GR2. Thanks for that.
'Spouse' rather than 'servant' makes quite a lot of difference! 

[GR2]

The inventory part:

In the first the said umq[uhi]le (= late) Johne had p[er]teining to him the
tyme foirsaid (= foresaid) the guidis geir eftersp[ecif]eit (= afterspecified) of the valour (= value) and
estima[ti]on follouing (= following) To witt ( = to wit = namely) ane mear (= a mare) pryce   xiij li.
                                                                                                                6 s viij d (= £13 6/8d)
Item thrie forow (= not in calf) ky (= cows) w(i)t(h) yair (= their) folloueris (= followers = their
                                                                                                         young) pryce of the peice
orhead (= a head, per head) w(i)t(h) ye follouer x li. (= £10) inde xxx li. (= £30) Item the sawing
                                                                                                                                (= sowing)
of xv (= 15) b[oll]is (a boll is a measure of grain) aitis (= oats) estimat to the thrid corne (=
                           estimated to the third corn, i.e. estimated to yield three grains for every one
                            sown when the harvest comes) inde (= Latin for hence) xlv (= 45) b[oll]is aitis
w(i)t(h) ye fodder (= straw) pryce of the boll w(i)t(h) ye fodder iij li. (= £3) inde vj ^xx
xv li. (= [6 X 20] + 15 = £135) Item the sawing of iiij (= 4) b[oll]is bear (= a kind of barley)
                                                                                                   estimat to the fourt (= fourth)
corne (= estimated to yield four times what was sown) inde xvj (= 16) b[oll]is bear w(i)t(h) ye
                                                                                           fodder pryce of the boll w(i)t(h) ye
fodder v li. (= £5) inde iiij ^xx li. (= 4 X 20 = £80) Item the sawing of j (= 1) boll peiss
                                                                                                                                 (= peas)
estimat to the fourt corne Inde iiij (= 4) b[oll]is peiss w(i)t(h) ye fodder 
pryce of the boll w(i)t(h) ye fodder v lib. (£5) inde xx li. (= £20) Item in
utincils and domicils (= household equipment and furnishings) by the airschip (= by the heirship - to
                                                                                  which they are entitled as heirs) estimat to
xiij li. 6 s viij d (= £13 6/8d)            Su[m]ma (= Latin for sum, total) of the Inventar (= inventory)
                                      ij c iiij ^xx xj li. 13 s 4 d (= 200 + [4 X 20]+ 11 = £291 13/4d)
                                      Na (= no) debtis auand (= owing) To the dead                               
                                      Debtis auand be (= by) the dead
In the first to my Lord coluile (= Colville) of few deutie (= feu duty) crop foirs[ai]d
iiij (= 4) b[oll]is ij (= 2) f[(i)r[lot]is (= firlots, a firlot = quarter a boll) bear pryce of the boll foirsaid
                                                                                      (= foresaid) inde xxij li. x s (= £22 10/-)
Item to Robert dryisdeall of fie (= of wages) vij li. 6 s viij d (= £7 6/8d) Ite[m] to
W[illia]m sym 6 li. (= £6) Item To margrat dryisdeall of fie iij li.
6 s viij d (= £3 6/8d)  Su[m]ma of the debtis auand be (= by) the dead
                                                            xxxix li. iij s iiij d (= £39 3/4d)
                Restis (= remains) of frie (= free) geir the debtis deducit (= deducted)
                               ij c lij li. x s (= £252 10/-)
                 To be devydit in thrie pairtis (= parts) deadis p[air]t (= the dead's part)
                                                           iiij ^xx iiij li. iij s iiij d (= £84 3/4d)

[In the margin it says: Quota (= the quot or quota, the money paid to the commissary for confirming the testament, usually a twentieth of the dead's part) iiij li. iiij s ij d (£4 4/2d)]

[GR2]

The final section, which is the confirmation.

                               Confirmatioune
I Mr Johne Rollock c[om]miss[a]r of du[n]blane Efter (= after) lauchfull (= lawful)
cita[ti]oun maid be publick edict (= citation made by public edict) [  ] forme as effeiris (= as is proper) 
                                                                                                                              Be (= by) the
tennor heirof (= hereof) Ratifeis approuis and c[on]fermis (= ratifies, approves and confirms) this
                                                                                                                                  p[rese]nt
testame[n]t dative and Inventar aboueur[it]in (= abovewritten) in sa far as (= in so far as)
the samyn (= same) is rytlie maid & giffin up (= rightly made and given up) And als (= also)
                                                                                                        c[on]fermis (= confirms)
the saidis James helein (= Helen) and  Jonat dryisdeallis onlie ex[ecuto]ris (= only executors)
datives to the said umq[uhi]le (= late) Johne y[ai]r (= their) father With pouer (= power) to
tham (= them) to intromet (= intromit) w(i)t(h) his guidis gier and debtis
befoirsp[ecif]eit (= beforespecified) Outred (= clear, settle) debt To creditoris And [          ]
[       ] use and exerce (= perform) all thingis y[ai]ranen[t] (= thereanent, concerning that) [       ]
                                                                                                                              p[er]teining
To any ex[ecuto]ris datives w(i)t(h)in this realme To do in the
lyck wyss (= to do in the likewise, to do likewise) provyding thai (= they) rander (= render) co[m]pt
                                                                                       (= account) rekining (= reckoning) and
payme[n]t of y[ai]r (= their) intromissionis as effeiris And the said Jonat
malcum (= Malcolm) In name of the saidis bairnis becaus of yr (= their)
minoritie (= minority) & als aig (= also age) hes maid faith (= has made faith = has taken an oath
                                               to perform her duties properly) heirupon & fund (= found) James
callendar brother to the laird of maner cau[tio]un (= caution, surety) that
the foirsaidis (= foresaid) guidis geir & debtis salbe furthc[um]and (= shall be forthcoming) to all
p[ar]ties heavand e[n]tres (= having interest) as law will for [    ] releiff
sho (= she) is becum actit (= her name has been entered into the official record) as actis maid
                                                       y[ai]rupon p[ro]poirtis (= as acts made thereupon state)
This testame[nt] is c[on]fermit be (= confirmed by) the said c[om]miss[a]r at
Dunblaine the xj (= 11th) day of august 1618

[In the margin it says:

Cau[tiou]n Callendar

[John's wife and children are all mentioned again, with the detail that the children are underage. It is clear from this section that the surname of John's wife is Malcolm (malcum). James Callendar is cautioner or surety.]

[Ronda231]

GR2

Thankyou so much for this work of art, I'm very pleased with what you have achieved.

Although neatly written, the document contains so many abbreviations and scots phrases that without your level of skill, its contents and meaning would undoubtedly have remained obscure.

From my side, there are a lot of genealogical titbits in this document that will keep me busy for a good few days now.

Thanks again to goldie61 and best regards to the both of you.

Ron

Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GR2]

Just a couple of tweaks to Goldie61's sterling work with the first part.

The Testament dative and
Inventar of the guidis geir debtis
soumis of money and uy[e]ris (= utheris = others) p[er]tein-
ing To umq[uhi]le (= the late) Johne dryisdeall
alias barnbugall in Tullicutrie
the tyme of his deceis quha (= who)
deceissit in the moneth (= month) of sep[tembe]r
1616 zeiris (= years) ffaithfullie
maid and giffin up be (= made and given up by) Jonat malcum (= Malcolm)
his spous in name and behalf of James
helein (= Helen) and Jonat dryisdeallis alias
barnbugallis y[ai]r lauchfull (= their lawful) bairnis & ex[ecuto]ris
datives decernit (= officially appointed) to the said umq[uhi]le
Johne y[ai]r (= their) fatheris guidis geir & debtis
be (= by) the co[m]miss[a]r of dumblaine upon
the xj (= 11th) day of august 1618 zeiris As
ane act maid (= an act made) y[ai]ranent (= thereanent, concerning that) of the said
dait (= date) p[ro]poirtis (= proports, states)