Post by ChrisDoak on Nov 30, 2003 5:02:04 GMT -6
At the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689,Sir Ewan Cameron of Lochiel led the Highland Clans to victory in their support for the exiled James V11.History records the glamourous image of Ewan atop his grey charger,covered in armour,leather,and tartan."His very look so fierce,might fright the boldest foe.His savage glance,and the swarthy hue of his Spanish countenance,his flashing eyes,and his beard and moustache curled as the moon's horns."
This image fits in seamlessly with the "Righ nam Mearleach"(King of the Thieves) nickname he was known by in the Highlands.But Sir Ewan was not just a great soldier and Clan Chief,he was also an astute busienessman.For whilst he was swinging his claymore above his head at Killicrankie,Agents acting on his behalf in America,were beavering away purchasing tracts of land for the Lochiel Estate.
The Archives section of this Website,for instance,records a Transaction of April 1687,when Sir Ewan aquired land from a Thomas Cox,comprising 13/40ths of a tract of land in East New Jersey.Until recently,I was in the belief that this was the sum total of his holdings there,but documents in the National Archives of Scotland prove otherwise.
With regard to this first land transaction,ownership was passed on by Sir Ewan Cameron to his his young grandson Donald in 1713,with Power of Attorney granted to one Phinias Mackintosh of Borlum,a Planter in America,to act on their behalf there.The decision to transfer ownership to his grandson,rather than to his son John,was to prove a wise decision.John,Clan Chief-in-Waiting,had been involved in Jacobite plotting since the affairs of the 1680s,and his subsequent active role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715,when he led the Clan Cameron at the Battle of Sherrifmuir,ended with his voluntary exile to France for the rest of his life.
Sir Ewan,well aware of the implications of his son's actions,and well aware of how the Government would punish the Lochiel family,promptly appointed his grandson Donald successor as Clan Chief,and in 1716 conveyed the Lochiel lands in Lochaber into his name.This move was largely successful,for when the Estate was Forfeited by the Crown in 1717,the authorities had little success,legally,in extracting compensation from Donald for his father's actions.
The Authorities were made conscious of the land holdings in America,perceived by them to be in the ownership of the attainted John Cameron.Unaware that the ownership had been transferred to his son,the Commissioners for the Forfeited Estates appointed James Rochead,a Merchant in New York,to act as Steward/Receiver/Ballif,and Factor on John Cameron's holdings in America.
The Lochiel family were slow to react to the potential implications of the Commissioners' appointment,assuming that is,that they had been informed of it.Sir Ewan Cameron had died in 1719 at the age of 90,and his son John's abortive attempt that year of another Jacobite coup in Scotland,would surely have heightened the neccessity for them to protect their interests.
In 1722,the ownership of the lands in America was transferred by them to Ewan Drummond,a Merchant in Glasgow,who was also a frequent visitor to America.On the basis that it is best to keep things in the family,Ewan was the son of Alexander Drummond of Balhaldie,and Margaret Cameron,eldest daughter of Sir Ewan Cameron.The Transaction,drafted by John Cameron(the future Fassifern),stipulated that Drummond was not to sell any of the lands for "at least five years".(Drummond subsequently sold half,two years later,to James Alexander,a Surveyor in New York).
James Rochead ,the appointed Baillif,was busy,meanwhile,attempting to identify the Lochiel lands in New Jersey.An outspoken character,with a liking for the strong drink,he came to the attention of the authorities in America,when he was arrested on "the Bridge" at New York for loudly proclaiming in company that "John Cameron of Lochiel was Forfeited!",and "that he believed King William was now suffering in Hell on account of the affair of Darien."(The disasterous Scottish settlement on the Darrien Peninsula in Panama in 1698 - but that's another story).
William Burnet,Governor of New York,was asked by the Commisioners of the Forfeited Estates in Britain to investigate the ownership of the Lochiel land.His inquiry produced a very detailed response from Ewan Drummond - much concerned that his land might be confiscated.In a very illuminating letter to Burnet,he stressed that none of his land was owned by John Cameron of Lochiel,and confirmed that he had aquired all of the land which was originally purchased by Sir Ewan Cameron of Lochiel.He detailed as follows:
-Patent dated 1 May 1688.(Lib.C,folio 49):1000 acres on the North side of the Bound Brook in County Essex.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690.(Lib.10,folio 236):One tract containing 2000 acres lying between the Bound Brook and the Blue Hills.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690:for 250 acres,being 1/2 of Lot 22 at Wickatoun.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690:for 400 acres of meadow and up-land at Barnagat.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690:for eight and a half acres in the City of Perthamboy,and a town Lot there (10 chains long x 1 chain broad,bounded by High Street and Water Street).
Other relevant transactions confirmed by Drummond were also to be found under the date of 17 November 1721 in the Volumes Lib.D no 2,folios 25 -29.(Presumably the transfer of ownership to himself).
A flurry of letters criss-crossed the Atlantic between Governor Burnet and the Commissioners,with Burnet ultimately determining in 1724 that John Cameron of Lochiel had no link with the land in America.Obviously bored of the subject by now,he put down the whole stushie to a "personal quarrel" between Rochead and the Lochiel family,as they had turned down a request from Rochead's brother in Scotland to sell him the land in America for £400.Burnet was puzzled though,as to why all this land worth "£4000 New York" had lain unused for so long,with only a small part returning a minute £20 rental per annum.
So why did Sir Ewan Cameron buy this property in America?The answer lies partly in his third marriage in 1685 - to Jean Barclay,daughter of Colonel David Barclay of Urie.The following year,with the help and intervention of Robert Barclay of Urie (David's brother?),James V11 issued a Decree in favour of Sir Ewan,which settled a longstanding dispute between himself and the Earl of Argyll and the Duke of Gordon.Sir Ewan,it has been stated,was now a very wealthy man.By pure coincidence (oh yeh?),Robert Barclay had recently been appointed the nominal Governor of East New Jersey for life - on the condition that he recruited four other Scot's proprietors.
Was it a simple case of "You scratch my back,and I'll scratch yours",or did Sir Ewan Cameron,unsure of the outcome of the political and religious strife of the 1680s and 90s,have a plan of action up his sleeve?
Anyone like to speculate?
This image fits in seamlessly with the "Righ nam Mearleach"(King of the Thieves) nickname he was known by in the Highlands.But Sir Ewan was not just a great soldier and Clan Chief,he was also an astute busienessman.For whilst he was swinging his claymore above his head at Killicrankie,Agents acting on his behalf in America,were beavering away purchasing tracts of land for the Lochiel Estate.
The Archives section of this Website,for instance,records a Transaction of April 1687,when Sir Ewan aquired land from a Thomas Cox,comprising 13/40ths of a tract of land in East New Jersey.Until recently,I was in the belief that this was the sum total of his holdings there,but documents in the National Archives of Scotland prove otherwise.
With regard to this first land transaction,ownership was passed on by Sir Ewan Cameron to his his young grandson Donald in 1713,with Power of Attorney granted to one Phinias Mackintosh of Borlum,a Planter in America,to act on their behalf there.The decision to transfer ownership to his grandson,rather than to his son John,was to prove a wise decision.John,Clan Chief-in-Waiting,had been involved in Jacobite plotting since the affairs of the 1680s,and his subsequent active role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715,when he led the Clan Cameron at the Battle of Sherrifmuir,ended with his voluntary exile to France for the rest of his life.
Sir Ewan,well aware of the implications of his son's actions,and well aware of how the Government would punish the Lochiel family,promptly appointed his grandson Donald successor as Clan Chief,and in 1716 conveyed the Lochiel lands in Lochaber into his name.This move was largely successful,for when the Estate was Forfeited by the Crown in 1717,the authorities had little success,legally,in extracting compensation from Donald for his father's actions.
The Authorities were made conscious of the land holdings in America,perceived by them to be in the ownership of the attainted John Cameron.Unaware that the ownership had been transferred to his son,the Commissioners for the Forfeited Estates appointed James Rochead,a Merchant in New York,to act as Steward/Receiver/Ballif,and Factor on John Cameron's holdings in America.
The Lochiel family were slow to react to the potential implications of the Commissioners' appointment,assuming that is,that they had been informed of it.Sir Ewan Cameron had died in 1719 at the age of 90,and his son John's abortive attempt that year of another Jacobite coup in Scotland,would surely have heightened the neccessity for them to protect their interests.
In 1722,the ownership of the lands in America was transferred by them to Ewan Drummond,a Merchant in Glasgow,who was also a frequent visitor to America.On the basis that it is best to keep things in the family,Ewan was the son of Alexander Drummond of Balhaldie,and Margaret Cameron,eldest daughter of Sir Ewan Cameron.The Transaction,drafted by John Cameron(the future Fassifern),stipulated that Drummond was not to sell any of the lands for "at least five years".(Drummond subsequently sold half,two years later,to James Alexander,a Surveyor in New York).
James Rochead ,the appointed Baillif,was busy,meanwhile,attempting to identify the Lochiel lands in New Jersey.An outspoken character,with a liking for the strong drink,he came to the attention of the authorities in America,when he was arrested on "the Bridge" at New York for loudly proclaiming in company that "John Cameron of Lochiel was Forfeited!",and "that he believed King William was now suffering in Hell on account of the affair of Darien."(The disasterous Scottish settlement on the Darrien Peninsula in Panama in 1698 - but that's another story).
William Burnet,Governor of New York,was asked by the Commisioners of the Forfeited Estates in Britain to investigate the ownership of the Lochiel land.His inquiry produced a very detailed response from Ewan Drummond - much concerned that his land might be confiscated.In a very illuminating letter to Burnet,he stressed that none of his land was owned by John Cameron of Lochiel,and confirmed that he had aquired all of the land which was originally purchased by Sir Ewan Cameron of Lochiel.He detailed as follows:
-Patent dated 1 May 1688.(Lib.C,folio 49):1000 acres on the North side of the Bound Brook in County Essex.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690.(Lib.10,folio 236):One tract containing 2000 acres lying between the Bound Brook and the Blue Hills.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690:for 250 acres,being 1/2 of Lot 22 at Wickatoun.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690:for 400 acres of meadow and up-land at Barnagat.
-Patent dated 4 May 1690:for eight and a half acres in the City of Perthamboy,and a town Lot there (10 chains long x 1 chain broad,bounded by High Street and Water Street).
Other relevant transactions confirmed by Drummond were also to be found under the date of 17 November 1721 in the Volumes Lib.D no 2,folios 25 -29.(Presumably the transfer of ownership to himself).
A flurry of letters criss-crossed the Atlantic between Governor Burnet and the Commissioners,with Burnet ultimately determining in 1724 that John Cameron of Lochiel had no link with the land in America.Obviously bored of the subject by now,he put down the whole stushie to a "personal quarrel" between Rochead and the Lochiel family,as they had turned down a request from Rochead's brother in Scotland to sell him the land in America for £400.Burnet was puzzled though,as to why all this land worth "£4000 New York" had lain unused for so long,with only a small part returning a minute £20 rental per annum.
So why did Sir Ewan Cameron buy this property in America?The answer lies partly in his third marriage in 1685 - to Jean Barclay,daughter of Colonel David Barclay of Urie.The following year,with the help and intervention of Robert Barclay of Urie (David's brother?),James V11 issued a Decree in favour of Sir Ewan,which settled a longstanding dispute between himself and the Earl of Argyll and the Duke of Gordon.Sir Ewan,it has been stated,was now a very wealthy man.By pure coincidence (oh yeh?),Robert Barclay had recently been appointed the nominal Governor of East New Jersey for life - on the condition that he recruited four other Scot's proprietors.
Was it a simple case of "You scratch my back,and I'll scratch yours",or did Sir Ewan Cameron,unsure of the outcome of the political and religious strife of the 1680s and 90s,have a plan of action up his sleeve?
Anyone like to speculate?