William Guthrie

Preamble:

The ’62: An Act of Parliament dated 1662 that forbade ministers from accumulating large quantities of assets and wealth in either land or monetary terms. This was seen as getting in the way of their ministry; they weren’t supposed to have vast amounts of worldly possessions and should live a humble life more akin to that of their parishioners. If they did inherit then it could (would) be taken away from them by the Church / State.

Male Primogeniture Rule: The estate and title of a deceased person passes to the eldest son. If there are no sons then the estate and title may pass to a daughter (House of Lords Library, 2022). In cases where a daughter inherits when she marries it all becomes her husband’s property[1].

William Guthrie

William Guthrie was one of ten children born to James Guthrie (of Kingennie later of Pitforthie) and Jean[2] Lyon, eldest daughter of James Lyon, the 6th Laird of Easter Ogil; and his wife, a daughter of Guthrie of that Ilk (Lyon, 1734). William was the first child and in the normal course of events, would have been the successor to his father when the time came.

The manuscript belonging to (Lyon, 1870) clearly demonstrates the link between the Guthrie of Pitforthie family and Guthrie of that Ilk. Leaving links to Guthrie Castle aside the Guthrie of Pitforthie family consisted of 6 sons and 4 daughters baptised (or born)[3] over a sixteen year period (O'Neill, 2025). Amongst the Guthrie boys, Andro died young (O'Neill, 2025) and David was the only son not to enter the Ministry. Instead, he became a farmer.

It does seem clear that William disponed[4] or sold the estate to David when he (David) “purchased Pitforthy from his elder brother” (Lyon, 1870). Note that both William’s sons (Willam (jnr) and John) died in infancy.

William had made attempts to prevent the loss of the estate but still secure an income for his family by “liferent”. In Scots Law, liferent is the right to receive for life the benefits of a property or other asset without the right to dispose of the property or asset (University of St Andrews, 2007).

Given that three of William’s brothers were all ministers (Robert, Alexander and John) then they had the same problem under the ’62; so, William has only one brother who can take over the estate - David Guthrie – the only male who was not a minister and could, therefore, inherit.

At the time of Robert’s death in the summer of 1665 (Scott, 1920) William was preaching in Ayrshire and heads home to deal with the family business affairs[5]. Whilst there William heads into Brechin to visit his sister (Margaret Skinner nee Guthrie) and brother-in-law (Lawrence Skinner), at the cathedral manse where Lawrence is the minister. Whilst there William is taken ill, is bedridden and after some 8-10 days dies of “ye gravel[6]”. William appears to have had problems with “ye gravel” for a number of years and finally succumbs on 10 October 1665 (William Guthrie, 1655), was cremated “and was buried in the Cathedral there in Brechin Cathedral under “the Pitforthie benches” (Scott, 1920).

That David is the rightful heir and successor to the Lands of Pitforthie is confirmed by Oliver Cromwell in July 1655 with a formal declaration to that effect as follows:

1655. Edinburgh, July 27. The Protector grants to David Guthrie [brother], lawful son to the deceased James Guthrie of Pitforthie, his heirs and assignees (subject to the legal reversion) the lands of Pitforthie, manor-places etc thereof in the barony of Keithick and sheriffdom of Forfar, with the teind sheaves and other teinds of the said lands; which lands pertained to the said James Guthrie, and were on 9th August 1653 apprised from Mr William Guthrie, minister at the new kirk of Kilmarnock, for himself and as charged to enter heir to the deceased James, his father, at the instance of Robert Arbuthnott, fiar of Findowrie, in payment to him of 36,653 merks, with sheriff-fee corresponding thereto (at 12d for ilk pound, conform to the Act of Parliament) to John Black, messenger, which decree the said Robert Arbuthnot assigned to the said David Guthrie; with precerpt of sasine PR viii.17. [Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum, Vol 10].

William married Agnes Campbell in August 1645, in Fenwick, Ayrshire. The couple went on to have six children of which only two daughters survived him. Agnes, who became the wife of Matthew Miller, of Glenlee and Barskimming, surgeon/apothecary in Kilmarnock, and from her was descended Lord Glenlee, one of the senators of the College of Justice; and Mary, who was married to the Rev. Mr. Warner, minister of Irvine after the Revolution, their daughter Margaret, a lady remarkable for her personal accomplishments and her exalted devotion becoming the wife of the Rev. Robert Wodrow, and the mother of sixteen children, three of whom entered the ministry of the Church of Scotland, while one succeeded his father as minister of Eastwood (Carslaw, 1900).

The Guthrie line of descent through (The Divine) William Guthrie stops with his sons when they die in infancy. In any event, the Estate and Title had already passed to their uncle, David Guthrie, and did not move laterally to a daughter.

[1] Unless a clause is written into a family document that might prevent that eg upon a death the land might revert back to the females family.

[2] Jonet aka Janet aka Jean.

[3] From 1855 the State required records of Birth, Marriage and Death to be recorded. Prior to this the Church kept records of Baptism, Marriage and Burial. Depending upon the point in time an event happens then it may be, for example, a Birth or a Baptism and these can be a number of years apart.

[4] Dispone: in Scots Law to grant or convey.

[5] William has already disponed the Pitforthie Estate to David.

[6] Kidney stones.

References

Carslaw, R. W. H., 1900. Heroes of the Covenant | Life and Times of William Guthrie M. A.. Glasgow: Alexander Gardner.

House of Lords Library, 2022. Women, hereditary peerages and gender inequality in the line of succession. [Online]
Available at: https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/women-hereditary-peerages-and-gender-inequality-in-the-line-of-succession/#:~:text=peerage%20inheritance%20rules%3F-,2.1%20Hereditary%20peerages%20and%20female%20succession,enable%20a%20woman%20to%20inherit.
[Accessed 17 January 2025].

Lyon, W., 1734. Lyon of Ogil. Claughton: s.n.

Lyon, W. F. K., 1870. Lyon of Ogil. London: s.n.

O'Neill, A. C., 2025. Guthrie of Pitforthie. [Online]
Available at: https://mylifeswork.net/guthrie-of-pitforthie
[Accessed 8 May 2025].

Scott, H., 1920. Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae Vol 3. Glosgow: Oliver and Boyd.

University of St Andrews, 2007. Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707 (1605/6/39). [Online]
Available at: https://www.rps.ac.uk/
[Accessed 10 April 2025].

William Guthrie, 1655. Death Certificate of William Guthrie. 10 October 1655/ Old Parish Registers Deaths 592 / Fenwick: National Records of Scotland.