THE FIRE OF FRENDRAUGHT.

FOR the recovery of this interesting Ballad, hitherto supposed to have been lost, the public is indebted to the industrious research of Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq. of Edinburgh, by whom it was obligingly communicated for insertion in the present Collection. It has already appeared in a small volume of exceeding rarity, privately printed at Edinburgh, in the beginning of 1824, under the title of "A North Countrie Garland;" but with this disadvantage of containing a very considerable number of slight verbal and literal inaccuracies, which in the present copy are carefully corrected by collation with Mr. Sharpe's MS. The Ballad itself has a high degree of poetic merit, and probably was written at the time by an eye-witness of the event which it records; for there is a horrid vivacity of colouring and circumstantial minuteness in the description of the agonies of the unhappy sufferers which none but a spectator could have given.

The guilt or innocence of Frendraught and his Lady has been, and perhaps will always be, problematical; it were but a fruitless waste of words now to seek to prove the one or to establish the other.

Spalding, whom Gordon, in his "History of the Illustrious Family of Gordon," says, "lived not far from the place, and had his account from eye-witnesses," thus minutely details the circumstances on which the Ballad is founded :

"Upon the first of January, 1630, the laird of Frendraught and his complices fell in a trouble with William Gordon of Rothemay and his complices, where the said William was unhappily slain, being a gallant gentleman, and on Frendraught's side was slain George Gordon, brother to James Gordon of Lesmoir, and divers others were hurt on both sides. The marquis of Huntly, and some well-set friends settled this feud, and Frendraught ordained to pay to the lady relict of Rothemay and the bairns, fifty thousand merks in composition of the slaughter, whilk as was said was truly paid.

"Upon the 27th September, 1630, the laird of Frendraught, having in his company Robert Crightoun of Candlan, and James Lesly, son to John Lesly of Pitcaple, with some other servants, the said Robert, after some speeches, shoots the said James Lesly through the arm. They were parted, and he convoyed to Pitcaple, and the other Frendraught shot out of his company.

"Likeas Frendraught upon the fifth of October held conference with the earl of Murray in Elgin, and upon the morn he came to the Bog of Gight,* where the marquis made him welcome. Pitcaple loups on about 30 horse in jack and spear, (hearing of Frendraught's being in the Bog) upon Thursday the 7th of October, and came to the marquis, who before his coming had discreetly directed Frendraught to confer with his lady. Pitcaple heavily complains of the hurt his son had got in Frendraught's company, and rashly avowed to be revenged before he went home. The marquis alleged Frendraught had done no wrong, and dissuaded him from any trouble. Pitcaple, displeased with the marquis, suddenly went to horse, and that same day rides his own ways, leaving Frendraught behind him in the Bog, to whom the marquis revealed what conference was betwixt him and Pitcaple, and held him all that night, and would not let him go. Upon the morn, being Friday, and a night of October, the marquis caused Frendraught to breakfast lovingly and kindly; after breakfast, the marquis directs his dear son, viscount of Aboyn, with some servants, to convoy Frendraught home to his own house, if Pitcaple was laid for him by the way; John Gordon, eldest son to the late slain Rothemay, happened to be in the Bog, who would also go with Aboyn: they ride without interruption to the place of Frendraught, or sight of Pitcaple by the way. Aboyn took his leave from the laird, but upon no condition he and his lady would not suffer him to go, nor none that was with him that night, but earnestly urged him, (though against his will) to bide. They were well entertained, supped merrily, The viscount was laid in an bed in the Old Tower going off the hall, and standing upon a vault, wherein there was an round hole devised of old, just under Aboyn's bed.

and went to bed joyfully.

Robert Gor

*

From Gordon of Gight was maternally descended the late Lord Byron.

don, born in Sutherland, his servitor, and English Will his page, were both laid beside him in the same chamber; the laird of Rothemay with some servants beside him, was laid in an upper chamber just above Aboyn's chamber; and in another room above that chamber, was laid George Chalmers of Noth, and George Gordon, another of the viscount's servants; with them also was laid captain Rollock, then in Frendraught's own company. Thus all being at rest, about midnight, that dolorous tower took fire in so sudden and furious manner, yea and in an clap, that the noble viscount, the laird of Rothemay, English Will, Colonel Ivat, another of Aboyn's servants, and other two, being six in number, were cruelly burnt and tormented to the death without help or relief. The laird of Frendraught, his lady, and haill household, looking on, without moving or striving to deliver them from the fury of this fearful fire, as was reported. Robert Gordon, called Sutherland Robert, being in the viscount's chamber, escaped this fire with the life. George Chalmers and Captain Rollock, being in the third room, escaped also this fire, and as was said, Aboyn might have saved himself also, if he would have gone out of doors, which he would not do, but suddenly ran up stairs to Rothemay's chamber and wakened him to rise; and as he is wakening him, the timber passage and lofting of the chamber hastily takes fire, so that none of them could win down stairs again, so they turned to a window looking to the close, where they piteously cryed, many time, Help, help! for God's cause! The laird and the lady with their servants all seeing and hearing the woeful crying, made no help nor manner of helping, which they perceiving, cried oftentimes mercy at God's hands for their sins, sine clasped in others arms, and cheerfully suffered their martyrdom. Thus died this noble viscount, of singular expectation, Rothemay a brave youth, and the rest, by this doleful fire, never enough to be deplored, to the great grief and sorrow of their kin, parents, and haill common people, especially to the noble marquis, who for his good will got this reward. No man can express the dolour of him and his lady, nor yet the grief of the viscount's own dear lady, when it came to her ears, which she kept to her dying day, disdaining after the company of man in her lifetime, following the love of the turtle dove.

"How soon the marquis gets word, he directs some friends to take up their ashes and burnt bones, which they could get, and as they could be kent, to put ilk one's ashes and bones in an chest, being six chests in the haill, which with great sorrow and care, was had to the kirk of Garntullie, and there buried. In the meantime the marquis writes to the lord Gordon, then dwelling in Inverness, of the accident. It is reported that upon the morn after this woeful fire, the lady Frendraught, daughter to the earl of Sutherland, and near cousin to the marquis, busked in a white plaid, and riding on a small nag, having a boy leading her horse, without any more in her company, in this pitiful manner she came weeping and mourning to the Bog, desiring entry to speak with my lord, but this was refused, so she returned back to her own house the same gate she came, comfortless.

"The lord Gordon, upon the receipt of the marquis's letter, came hastily to the bog, conveened William, with whose sister the viscount was married, and many other friends, who, after serious consideration, concluded this fearful fire could not come by chance, sloth, or accident, but that it was plotted and devised of set purpose, as ye may hereafter see, whereof Frendraught, his lady, and servants and friends, one or other was upon the knowledge; so thir friends dissolves, and the marquis would not revenge himself by way of deed, but seek the laws with all diligence, whereunto he had more than reason.

"Now there was a gentleman called John Meldrum, who some time served the laird of Frendraught, and got not good payment of his fee, as he alledged, whereat he was miscontent: this Meldrum thereafter married with Pitcaple's sister, and the hurting of James Lesly made this grief the greater, and bred some suspicion of the raising of this fire, whereupon he with one John Toasch, servitor to Frendraught, and an young woman called-Wood, daughter to the laird of Colpnay, all suspected persons to be either airt and part, or on the counsel of this fire, one or other of them, were apprehended and warded in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh. This young gentlewoman was first accused before the Lords of Session, and sharply examined. She stands to her innocence, and denies all ; she is therefore put into the boots, and cruelly tortured, yet confesses

nothing, whereupon she is set to liberty, as an innocent, but the other two men are kept in strait ward, where I will leve them till afterwards.

"His majesty gone to London, the lady marchioness and lady Aboyn stay behind him in Edinburgh, using all the means they could, for trial of the fire of Frendraught; at last she causes put John Meldrum and John Toasch, who ye heard before were warded in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, to trial. And first the lords, upon the second and third days of August, began to accuse the said John Meldrum what he knew anent the said fire; and therewith examined him upon certain speeches whilk he, as was alledged, had spoken concerning that purpose; he utterly denied all; and what he said was written. Thereafter the lords begins another day to re-examine him, could find no light; yet found him varying frae his first declaration in some circumstances, and therefore the lords shortly refers him to the trial of an assize, where he was convicted and condemned to be hanged to the death at the Cross of Edinburgh; his head to be stricken frae his shoulders, and his body demaimed and quartered, and set up on exemplary places of the town, in example of others to do the like. He was executed upon the day of August, and died without any certain and real confession, as was said, anent this doleful fire."

To the foregoing we may add the following observations on the same event, by the author of the "Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland :

"The rumour of this vnhappie accident did spedelie spread itselff throwout the whole kingdom, everie man bevailling it, and constructing it diverslie, as ther affections led them; some laying ane aspersion vpon Frendret, as if he had wilfullie destroyed his guests, who had come thither to defend him against his enemies, which careid no appeirance of truth; for besydes the improbabilitie of the mater, he did lose therin a great quantitie of silver, both cunyeid and vncunyeid, and lykewise all his writs and evidents wer therin burnt. Others ascryved it to an accidentall fyre; but most pairt evin presentlie suspected it to come from the Leslies and ther adherents, who were then so enraged against Frendret, that they gave out openlie they wold burn the place of Frendret, and had delt to this effect with the rebell James Grant,