James Holborne of Menstrie
|
|
The Nova Scotian baronetcy of Holborne was intimately connected with Menstrie Castle in Clackmannanshire, and was derived from Sir James Holborne who was a Major General in the Scottish army during the revolutionary years of the English Civil war. Major General Sir James Holborne lived at Castle Menstrie, in Scotland.
A James Holburn is recorded as having married an Helen Millar on 29 July 1680 at Muthill, Perthshire in Scotland. With a reference in the International Genealogical Index records (UK) of the marriage between Margaret Gordon and James Holburn on the 30th of August, 1682, also at Monimail, Fife, it would seem he had a second wife.
He was a relation (nephew/brother?) of Sir Robert Holbourn, the attorney general of king James I.
His son was also named James and was admitted as advocate on the 23rd of November in 1714 becoming thereafter an Examiner in the Exchequer.
This James was married at first to Janet (ne) Inglis of Crammond, and later to Jean, the daughter of Alexander Spital of Leuchat.
Descendants of James Holborne:
The advocate James Holborne had four sons, the most eminent, Francis (Admiral) was created a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1706. The sons of James Holborne were James, Francis, Alexander and William.
|
Menstrie Castle had formerly been the home of Sir William Alexander, when he was born at the castle in 1567. Sir William Alexander, later created 1st earl of Stirling, was a founder of Nova Scotia, and an advisor to king James VI of Scotland, with his proposal to form the Order of Baronets of Nova Scotia.
Sir William Alexander was a descendant of the Earl of Argyle, a Chancellor of Scotland in the late 15th century who lived at Castle Campbell. A descendant of Sir William Alexander sold the estate to Sir James Holborne, in 1649.
An additional property, abandoned and now utterly demolished, was once situated on the opposite side of the road, immediately opposite Menstrie Castle, to serve as a second laird's house, (or family home) which was named Windsor House, or castle.
in 1719 most of the Menstrie estate was sold on to George Abercromby of Tullibody. ("In 1637 Alexander Abercromby of Birkenbog was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia."). The Holborne family kept the smaller mansion, probably a 'dower-house'
Although now demolished a heraldic panel in stone, from over the door was preserved, and later built into the gable end of the residential home for the elderly now standing on the site. Holborne's motto 'DECUS MEUM VIRTUS' is still legible, but differs from the motto on the family crest (Decus Summum Virtus).
The last surviving heir of the Holborne family of Menstrie was a miss Mary Anne of Bath, daughter of the 5th Baronet, and left an endowment of £8000 in 1882, for the church of Menstrie.
Major General Sir James Holborne in the Civil War
James Holborne was with Sir William Waller's Parliamentary Division at Cropredy Bridge on Saturday, June 29th, 1644.
At Stowe St Mary, near Tavistock, in January 1645 Sydenham House, a large Elizabethan mansion on the banks of the River Lyd, then being garrisoned for the king was taken by Colonel Holborne.
Nominated with the Earl of Leven and by then (1645) Major General Holborne, as a deputation from the Convention of Estates, the most powerful party in Scotland at that time, Lord Kirkcudbright opened negotiations with Oliver Cromwell, whose army was then at Berwick.
On the 4th October in 1648 Oliver Cromwell made his first visit to Edinburgh. The Earl of Kirkcudbright and Major-general Holborne conducted him into the city, where he was lodged in the Earl of Moray’s house in the Canongate.
By the Autumn of 1650 James Holborne was fighting against Cromwell at the Battle of Dunbar.
After the defeat of the Covenanting army by Cromwell at Dunbar, Charles II had been crowned by Argyll at Scone in Scotland, assuming personal command of the Scottish army, he managed to restrain Cromwell at Stirling for a month. Cromwell tried to turn the Scottish flank by sending a force under Colonel Overton into Fife.
To defeat this attempt Charles sent forward a contingent under two officers, Brown and Holborne of Menstrie with twelve hundred horse and fifteen hundred infantry, and on Sunday, 20th July, a battle took place on the north shore of the Forth at Inverkeithing.
In that encounter Holborne showed himself uncertain of his new allegiance, at the beginning of the battle Holborne fled with his cavalry, and although Brown with a small force of infantry under Sir Hector Maclean and Sir George Buchanan fought bravely, they were defeated, the army being 'cut to pieces'.
Major General James Holborne later arrived at Ardvreck castle as escort for Montrose who was held captive by Neil Macleod after his defeat at Carbisdale, to be led to Edinburgh by a troop of horse by order of the General David Leslie to meet his judges and his death on May 4th 1660.
On May 5th Montrose thus begun his long and humiliating captive journey, and on May 6th Major General Holborne took shelter at Castle Skibo, the home of the dowager Lady Gray. The Lady Gray, being loyal to Montrose requested him (The Earl, James Grahame) to be seated next to her at dinner.
Major General Holborne insisted on a strict military order to affairs and (yet) placed the Marquis between himself and another Officer. With this breach of Etiquette the Lady Gray flew into a violent rage, and seizing upon a leg of roasted mutton by the shank she confronted the Major General with “such a notable blow on his head, knocking him of his seat.”
The Officers ‘took alarm’, expecting an attempt to rescue their prisoner! Lady Gray promptly reminded them that they were her guests and as such, as gentleman they should accommodate themselves to such an adjustment of place at her table, as she considered to be correct. Order having been restored, mutton replaced to the table, every possible civility was thereafter directed by all present toward the Marquis.
On May 7 Montrose was ferried across Dornoch Firth to Tain where General David Leslie took personal command of the procession. Montrose was led down the East Coast of Scotland on the long journey toward Edinburgh, where he was met at the town’s Watergate and the sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering was pronounced.