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the spring is conveyed by means of a lead pipe. This place, which might cost L. 150, is let to a tenant for L. 45 a-year, with the exclusive privilege of selling the water; and, as he cannot pay his rent in this way, he must fall upon other shifts to satisfy his landlord. This house stands in a bog where you cannot stir abroad (as there is no road to it) without wetting your feet, so that a person, in a delicate state of health, runs a risk of receiving as much injury from the dampness and wetness of the place, as benefit from the use of the water. In these circumstances, visitors usually reside at Dunblane, but the distance and bad roads render even this extremely inconvenient. I was informed that some public-spirited gentlemen offered to build a number of neat cottages round the wells for the accominodation of strangers, but the noble proprietor declined listening to the proposal. Whether he has any views of improving the place himself, or what these may be, I have not learned; but it would seem highly worthy of his attention, and of that of every benevolent person in the neighbourhood, that the public may be allowed to reap all the benefit of the blessings which heaven has put into his Lordship's hands for alleviating the sufferings of humanity. Nor does this seem in any way inconsistent with his Lordship's interest; and his tenants in that quarter would receive advantage from an increase of visitors to the wells, which would undoubtedly be the case if they were put on a better footing. I am, &c. 4th Sept. 1817.

BALFOUR OF BURLEY.

W. J.

THE name of this remarkable person, who bore so conspicuous a part in the unhappy scenes of bigotry and tyranny which Scotland displayed towards the close of the reign of Charles II., must be familiar to every class of readers, since the appearance of the "Tales of my Landlord." By the mysterious author of that work, and the discussions to which it has given rise, Burley has been drawn from the comparative obscurity in which he had hitherto remained, known only to the divine and the historian, and held up to the world as a person eminently entitled to respect or reprobation, according to the opposite views which

are still taken of the cause in which he was engaged. At present we do not mean to enter into this discussion; but, anxious to gratify the curiosity of our readers, if we should fail in higher objects, we are happy to be able to lay before them some account of this extraordinary character, drawn up from original manuscripts in his own hand-writing, and from accredited works already before the public, to which we shall refer.

John Balfour of Kinloch✶ was the son of John Balfour, portioner of Kinloch, by his wife Grizzel Hay, daughter of Hay of Paris in Perthshire. He was probably born about the year 1640; and we find him served heir to his grandfather, Robert Balfour, on the 26th February 1663. ↑ His grandfather appears to have had a daughter Helen, married about the year 1621 to John Williamson, son of John Williamson, portioner of Kinloch; she died before her husband, (whose death took place in the year 1644,) leaving four daughters, of whom Christian, the eldest, disposed of her heritage to John Balfour her uncle.

This John, the father of Burley, seems to have died before the year 1655, as his son was then boarded with John Hay, who grants a receipt to Robert and Alexander Tamson for fourscore pounds Scots, as payment of the said board, dated at Auchtermuchtie. Hay was Burley's uncle; and it is certain that he afterwards resided with another of his uncles, as the following discharge proves :

"I, Francis Hay of Strowie, grant me to be compleitlie payed and satisfied by John Balfour, portioner of Kinloch, my nevoy, of the soume of four hundreth merks, for the boarding and entertaining of the s John in meat and clothes, horse and man, for the yeires of God 16 thriescoir six, and 16 thriescoir seven, and of all yeires preceiding ye day and dait heirof; as also of the soum of thrie hundereth eightein punds Scotts layed out, payed, and

The appellation of Burley was used in consequence of his close connection with the Balfours of Burley. About 1560, Sir Michael Balfour of Burley (more properly Burleigh) a gentleman of an ancient and highly respectable family, made a grant of

the lands of Kinloch to his "near kinsman," the grandfather of Burley. + Retours of Fife.

advanced by me at the earnest desire of the sd John his freinds, for his necessar and lawful affaires, and other publick burdens. As also of all compts, reckonings, charges, claims, as well named as not named, ever since my intromission with the goods and gear of umq' Grissell Hay, my sister, and mother to the said John, for whatsumever cause or causes known, or that sall heirafter happin to be knowen, dispensand with the generalitie hereof, as if everie particular were herein exprest, &c. In witnes w'of, thir presents, written be John Moncrief of

Balfour seems to have joined pretty early with the party which showed resistance to Episcopacy; for he is

the same quarter.
We are tempted to add another bill from

Compt, John Balfoure, por of Kinloch,
To John Glas, mert in Perth.
Imp. rests be him con-

1669.

forme to the parti-lib. s. d. cular accompt dely

vered to him 21 May

1669

It. a p of bairnes shoes
to him, at

his Ire 2 ells and ane

14 17 6

00 6 0

half of fyn black 07 10 0 searge at 3 lib. ell,

Tippermaloch, are subscribed with my 17 Sep It. delyt conforme to`
hand, at Auchtermuchtie, this twen-
tie-third day of Januar, 16 thriescoir
aught yeires, befor thir witnesses,
George Moncrief of Ridie, George
Duncan, portioner of Auchterinuch-
tie, and the said John Moncrief
younger."

Among Burley's papers there is an account given in about this time, by a merchant at Perth, which is curious, as exhibiting the prices of various articles. Among other things we find a muff mentioned, a piece of male dress, which, however common at that time, is not now consonant with our ideas of the character so ably delineated in the Tales of my Landlord. This delicate article of attire, however, may possibly have been the property of his wife.

Compt, John Balfour, portioner of
Kinlough,

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1670.

is

3 Jay It. delyt to James ffar-"
mer, conforme to his
Ire, a q'ter and ane
half of fyn Lond.
cloath, at 10 lb. ye
ell, is

1670.

01 03 4

17 No

pen for his muff 01 04 00

May It. 4 doz. fyne moy hair

mand butons

01 00 00

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It. 3 q'ters of searge
It. 1 doz. of small but-

tones

It. 6 q'ters of loupen
It. a pd of anet seid
It. a qr of paper

It. apd and a half of small
row tobacco

It. a black longtailed but

tone

03 15 0

01 7 0

00 30

00 4 6

00 10 0

00 6 0

00 18 0

00

It. 2 drop of black silk 00
It. I på 12 vnce of sugar,

80 3 0

at 13s. 4d. per pd, is 01 3 4 It. 4 ells of gray wal

lens, 12s. and 2 drop 00 15 0 gray silk, 3s. is

It. 1 vnce and a half of

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It may be observed, that in the year 1677, Balfour was put to the horn by this John Glass for non-payment of the sum of L. 47, 3s. 4d. specified in a bond granted by him to Glass in the year 1672.

*

asserted, in the appendix to the Life of Archbishop Sharp, to have deserted the church, and followed after field conventicles long previous to the Bishop's murder, "glorying," according to the writer," to be reputed one of the most furious zealots, and stoutest champions of the phanatick party in Fife; for which he was denounced, and intercommuned." In the year 1677, he was attacked by a party sent out to apprehend him, in his own house, the details of which affray are thus given by the Reverend Mr James Kirkton in his History of the Church of Scotland. "Another accident, at this time, helped to inflame the displeasure of our governours, and that was this: Captain Carstaires was at that time very bussie in the east end of Fyffe; the Lady Colvill he chased out of her own house, and by constraining her to lie upon the mountains, broke the poor ladie's health; William Sherthumb he laid in prison, but the doores were opened, and he sett free. But the poor people of that country who were conventiclers, knew not what to doe; so some dozen of them mett at Kinloch, the house of John Balfour, a bold man, who was himself present, and with him Alexander Hamilton of Kincaill, a most irreconcileable enemy to the bishops, also Robert Hamilton, younger son to Sir Robert Hamilton of Preston, a man who had very lately changed his character, and of a loose youth became a high strained zealot; but a man he was who made a great deal more noise than ever he did business, and some countreymen more. Of these Carstaires gets intelligence,

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and so comes upon them very boldly with his party of some eight or nine horses, among whom Philip Garret, a desperate English tinker, was chief. Garret alights, and perceiving a man standing in the door of the house, fires upon him, but misses him; upon which one out of the chamber fires upon Garret, being at that time in the court of the house; the shot pierced Garret's shoulder, and made him fall. Carstaires fired in at another door, and pierced the leg of a man in the house; but upon this, all within horsed, and chased Carstaires and his party, though no more blood was shed, only Kincaill's horse was shott, and Garrett received some more blows with a sword, but his life was spared. This action, upon Carstaires's information, was reckoned resistance and rebellion. All present, because they appeared not when called, were denunced rebells, and some who were not present, were denunced with the rest, as it was very frequently done; but this was charged upon the whole party.'

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It may be remarked, that Kirkton mistakes one Garret for the infamous English tinker Scarlet, who, after riding as one of Mr John Welch's body guard, was suspected to have been concerned in the barbarous murder of two soldiers at Newmills; † and that the Tory account of this fracas states Balfour to have removed his wife and children out of the house, expecting the attack, for which he was well prepared both with fire-arms and men.

The next traces we find of him are in desperate consultations with his accomplices respecting the castigation of one Bailie Carmichael, who was brought over by Sharp from Edinburgh, and made Sheriff-depute of Fife under Rothes, for the purpose of enforcing the grievous penalties enacted against the Presbyterians. The barbarous murder of the Archbishop, which occurred soon afterwards, has been so fully and frequently described and expatiated upon, that it is unnecessary to rehearse again the particulars of that transaction.

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Burley is well known to have been one of the chief agents in the assassination.

*

After the murder, Burley and his friends rambled about for a few days, avoiding observation, and then joined the insurgents at Drumclog. There he behaved with great bravery, and is made the hero of a ballad descriptive of that skirmish, to be found in the Border Minstrelsy. On disarming one of the Duke of Hamilton's servants, who had been in the action, he desired the man, as it is said, to tell his master he would retain, till meeting, the pistols which he had taken from him. "Afterwards, when the Duke asked his man what he was like? he told him he was a little man, squint-eyed, and of a very fierce aspect; the Duke said, he knew who it was, and withal prayed that he might never see his face, for if he should, he was sure he would not live long." + At the affair of Bothwell Bridge, Burley displayed his wonted courage; and received a wound, which occasioned him to exclaim, "The devil cut off his hands that gave it." His conduct prior and subsequent to that fatal conflict, is partly narrated in a letter subjoined, addressed to James Ure of Shirgartoun, whose sufferings in the cause of presbytery are recorded by Wodrow. Burley's letter, now first published from the original MS. bears no direction, but a passage respecting the affair of "Humiliation," so much debated by the insurgents, compared with one in Russell, || ascertains to whom it was written. The reader will find in Russell many circumstances respecting Burley's motions after the rout at Bothwell Bridge, which concluded in a flight to Holland, where he was not very cordially entreated by his fellow refugees, being debarred from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He appears to have resided chiefly with his uncle, John Hay, who became an eminent bookseller in Holland. When the Prince of Orange undertook his descent, Burley received a commission as a cavalry officer, but died on the passage. His property had been confiscated, and given to Lord Lindores. After the Revolution, the act of attainder was reversed. David

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Balfour, the son, was then served heir to his father, and commenced a prosecution against Lord Lindores for his intromissions with the estate. In 1694 David married the daugh

ter of

- Russell, Esq. of Kettle, by which marriage he obtained the estates of Bankton and Kettle. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William, who died without issue about 1736, and left the estates to his brother Henry. Barbara Balfour, the daughter of Henry, was married to the father of the present Colonel J. Balfour Wemyss + of Wemyss Hall, in the county of Fife.

His character, as given by his biographer in the Scots Worthies, is, "That although he was by some reckoned none of the most religious, yet he was always zealous and honest-hearted, courageous in every enterprise, and a brave soldier, seldom any escaping that came into his hands."

The following description of his person is given in the trial of Hackstoun of Rathillet, whose sister Barbara he

Notwithstanding the appellation of portioner, the estate of this distinguished person appears to have corresponded with the rank and antiquity of his family. dores and Patrick and Alexander ThomFrom an original tack between Lord Linsons, dated 19th October 1685, it appears that the rent of four-eighteen parts of Kinloch was 4 chalders and 13 bolls of bear and oats, 4 dozen of hens, and L. 100 Scots in money. What proportion this bore to the whole estate we have not the means of ascertaining, but lands possessed by other

tenants are mentioned in the same lease. The cess paid for the whole of John Balfour's part of Kinloch from May 1656, to May 1657, according to receipts signed

by the collector, David Walker, amounted

to L. 56, 1s. 4d. Scots.

+ To this highly respectable gentleman, now the lineal representative of Balfour of Burley, we are happy to own ourselves indebted for the papers here laid before the public, as well as for the principal facts above stated, which he has communicated with a liberality that demands our warmest acknowledgments. Colonel Wemyss, in his communication to us, says with a genuine Scottish spirit, "I am too proud of my great progenitor to refuse my name to his life, or my hand to his defence."

health. Colonel Wemyss's father succeedThis lady is still alive, and in perfect ed, in right of his wife, to the estates of Kinloch, Bankton, and King's Kettle. The former he sold to the family of the present possessor, Andrew Thomson, Esq.

S

had married, and who commanded the party which assasinated the Archbishop, but retired to a little distance, and declined to take any share in it. "John Balfour of Kinloch, who is a laigh broad man, round, ruddie faced, dark-brown hair, and hade ane brown stoned horse, armed with hulster pistolls, and a shabble."*

LETTER FROM BALFOUR OF BURLEY TO JAMES URE OF SHIRGARTOUN. ተ SIR, March 30, 168 - THER cam to my hands a short (and, as its termed, a trew) relation of yt sad and deplorabel busines yt fell out the other year; which relation I judg, on good grounds, to be yours, tho y', in wisdom, ye conciled your neam; and I most say, (pardon me in this, sir,) y', if ye had forboren soom expressions of your own actings, which canot but mak yow knowen to al yt wer in yt armay, ye had don mor wisly than by screwing them up to such as ye hav don, which renders them suspitius of falshood to al who reids your information. But pardon me, sir, to leav this, and com a litel to the other particulars. Ye tel us yt ye cam on the Saboth, with soom wel armed

* A crooked sword, or hanger.-Howell's

State Trials, X. 839.

"The sufferings of the family of James Ure of Shargartoun were likewise very considerable during this period. His house was frequently pillaged by parties of soldiers. When he was forfeited after Bothwel, where he behaved with courage, his rents and moveables were all seized, and many times parties were in search for him, but he happily escaped. His mother, a gentlewoman about 70 years of age, was put in prison at Glasgow, where she died,

notwithstanding all the interest that was made for her. Meanwhile, a hundred pound Scots was offered to any who should apprehend Shargartoun, dead or alive; but he escaped to Ireland, where he continued half a year. Then he ventured home; but was obliged to conceal himself in the fields; so that during the winter 1684, he lay in the wood of Balquhan for several weeks. His lady was apprehended for conversing with her own husband, and carried prisoner to Stirling, with a sucking child at her breast, and from thence to Edinburgh, and put into the Canongate jail. At last the managers thought fit to release her. Shargartoun survived his troubles, and lived to the unnatural Rebellion 1715, when he saw vengeance overtake some of his persecutors." -Crookshanks's History of the Church of Scotland, Vol. II.

men; it is treuth they wer so; and if yt they had not ben so fre in shoting ther wolays nedlesly, I think yt thay had considerabel provision of puder also. Yeat, if I be not deceaved, I gav them several piks at Glasko, or at least they got of thos piks yt I took at Glasko. As to what past y' night betwixt Mr Hamilton and you, I know nothing of it. As to what Mr Duglas had in his sermon, I cannot tel what. it was; but I judg y' it hath ben soom reflections on that dreadful supreamasie, which I tak to be his dutay, and al fa'ful ministers duty, to preach a gainst, yea, tho y' it should ofend such loiel persons as you. As to yt councel of war on the moore, yt did condem the man, and to his sentenc, and the grond therof, I remember yt it was proven yt he was sen strik at yt man with a fork, and the person yt he kiled was wounded by a fork, so y' he was condemed by a weray considerable numer of oficers, whereof ye was on yt woted him giltay, tho y', its lik, after yt ye saw soom ministers wer for sending him to the civel magestrat, yt he might be punished as a*was in their judgment; tho y' to me it semeth both ye and they wer out of your deuty, ye in retracting, and they in desairing us to oun thos usurpers,

for

ye

usurper they ar, be what they wil, y carays, I should have said pretens to bear ruel in Scotland this day. Yea ther is non of them, from the greatest to the meinest, yt hath anay right to ruel, for al are perjured and mensworn blooday wretchis; so it is cristian should own such as judges, y* to me weray streang y anay sober both by the law of god, and laws of selvs. But, fearing to griv your low the nation, ar guyltay of death themspirit, I pas yt, and come to what is nixt, which was soom debeats anent a decleration, and its form. I remember yt it was desaird that yt yt god moking draught yt was produced should be altered in thrie or four things, first, yt the third artical of the covenant (yt was insert in it to the ful, tho both against law and reason, we being no mor bond to him yt hath by act of parliament rechinded the weray ground whereon he receaved the crown) should be taken away altogether out of it, or at least y' the forth might be insert to balenc it, which

* Vide Russell's Narrative of Archbishop Sharp's Murder, p. 457.

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