Anne Burnett married George Gordon, V of Terpersie. Bulloch (p. 128) identifies her as ‘Anna Burnett, second daughter of Alexander Gordon of Craigmyle’.

She apparently lived at least until 1745, as her son, Charles, VI of Terpersie, invokes blessings upon her in a letter written in Carlisle and dated 14^th November 1746, the eve of his execution, referring to her as ‘my poor mother, if still living’.

In The Family of Burnett of Leys, With Collateral Branches, from the MSS. of the late George Burnett, LL.D., p. 114, she is identified as ‘ANNE, married George Gordon of Terpersie, died, leaving a son, Charles’. It will be noticed that the date of Anne’s death is not supplied. It must therefore be questioned whether Dr Burnett has taken cognisance of Charles’s letter.

Forebears

Parents

Anne’s parents were Alexander Burnett of Craigmyle (Aberdeenshire), who was admitted to the Bar on 12^th July 1642, and Christian, daughter of Thomas Fraser of Strichen; Alexander and Christian married in 1649. Alexander died in 1677.

Grandparents

Alexander Burnett of Craigmyle was the eldest son of James Burnett and Elizabeth Burnett.

According to the Allardyce study, at p. 113, Alexander had the following brothers: Thomas of Kenmay; James of Lagavin and Monboddo, and Robert;

of Cowtown, Muchalls, and Criggie, of whom some account has been given as Tutor of Leys (p. 86). The parish register of Fetteresso records his baptism as on 18th April, 1620. He married (1st), 22nd December, 1646, Jean, daughter of Mr. John Mortimer, bailie of Aberdeen (Aberdeen Parish Register), by whom he had no issue, and (2nd), c. 1682, Helen Arbuthnot, afterwards wife of John Sandilands...

To this it need only be added that the original Parish Register entry is hard to decipher but the year for the marriage of Robert and Jean looks more like 1645 than 1646.

There is a footnote:

The Fetteresso parish register contains the baptisms of the following children of James Burnet of Craigmyle :- ... Helen, 21st January, 1623 ; William, 10th February, 1624 ; Margaret, 9th September, 1625 ; George, 10th April, 1628 ; and John, 6th June 1633.

To this the commentary is added that once again, the original source document is very hard to read. Also, the name ‘William’ is difficult to verify and the date associated with Margaret appears to be 19^th, not 9^th.

Great-grandparents

James was the second son of Alexander Burnet of Leys (1578-1619) (dates henceforth relate to periods of infeftment), of whom George Burnet (p. 32) records:

He married soon after, if not before, his succession, Katherine, daughter of Alexander Gordon of Lesmoir, by whom he had a numerous family.

The relevant generations of the Gordons of Lesmoir are dealt with separately.

Great-great-grandparents

Alexander Burnet of Leys (1575-78) married his cousin-german, Katherine, daughter of Robert Arbuthnot of Pitcarlies.

Great x 3 grandparents

John Burnett of Leys (1574-75) married Elizabeth, daughter of John Lumsden of Cushnie.

Great x 4 grandparents

George Burnett, p. 19:

Alexander Burnet of Canneglerocht, as heir to his father, Alexander Burnet of Colonach, had, on 11th February, 1525-6, sasine on a precept from his still surviving grandfather, Alexander Burnet of Leys, of Colonach and The Hill.

Great x 5 grandparents

George Burnett, pp. 18-19:

Alexander Burnet, younger of Leys, is mentioned in many documents of the time. He was, along with his wife, Agnes Lechtoun, put in possession by his grandfather of Collonach and The Hill, in the barony of Leys, of which they had sasine on 5th May, 1501 (Leys Charters)... Alexander was alive 2nd September, 1525, but died before 11th February following.

Great x 6 grandparents

George Burnett (p. 16):

Alexander Burnet of Leys (1505 -1529), son of the last, is found in inquests and on services in his father’s lifetime in 1493, 1495, and 1498 (Antiq. Ab. Banff., III, 301, 335 ; IV., 78). Before 1481 he was married to Janet Gardine, and had from his father on 28th May of that year a grant to himself and his wife of Canneglerocht, a pendicle of Leys, of which for some generations it became the practice to put the eldest son in possession.

Great x 7 grandparents

Alexander Burnard (or Burnet) of Leys (1454-1505), was 1^st Baron of Leys during the reigns of James II, III and IV. He died shortly before 15^th July 1505, having married (George Burnett, p. 14):

Elizabeth, the lady of Leys, mentioned in the 1485 tack of Glenfarquhar, seems to have been a Forbes of Echt, and widow of one Alexander Riock. The omission of her name in the later Glenfarquhar lease suggests that she was dead before 1497.

Great x 8 grandfather

John Burnet of Leyis, who died between Whitsunday and Martinmas 1454, preceded Alexander Burnard in title and was probably his father.

Great x 9 grandfather

Robert Burnarde rendered an account as Deputy-Sheriff of Kincardine in 1391.

Great x 10 grandfather

William Burnard received a charter from Robert II, dated 26^th December 1328, upon the resignation of his father, Symon, of all lands held in the forest of Drum.

Great x 11 grandfather

Symon Burnard succeeded Alexander Burnard and was probably his eldest son.

Great x 12 grandfather

The connection of the Burnard, later Burnett, dynasty with Aberdeenshire began with Alexander Burnard during the reign of King Robert the Bruce. Alexander was an adherent and is taken to have rendered considerable services from the extent of the lands granted to him; the Park of Killenachclerach and other lands in the Forest of Drum, also the lands of Easter and Wester Cardney, the reddendo being a chalder of oatmeal payable to the King, by a charter dated 28^th March 1323, with confirmations of these earlier charters granted by King David II to the same Alexander Burnard in 1358.

George Burnett states (p. 7):

The name of Killenachclerach survives in Collonach and Canneglerach. Of the lands in the forest here conveyed, the Dee was the southern boundary from the ford of Durris to the mouth of the stream (now called Bennie), issuing from the Loch of Banchory (the now drained Loch of Leys). The west boundary, following the course of this stream, includes the loch and island of Banchory (Leys), and though some of the landmarks given can no longer be identified, the northern boundary adjoins the marches of Tillibothville. Easter and Wester Cardney, extending towards the Loch of Skene, are a little disjoined from the other subjects, and are not distinctly asserted to have been royal property. Two years later, on 29th January 1324-5, Alexander Burnard had a second charter, conveying apparently lands that had come into the King’s hands by the forfeiture of the Cumyns, namely, Tullibothil, in the Sheriffdom of Kincardine, and the barony of Little Culter in that of Aberdeen, described as formerly belonging to John of Walchope, “pro homagio et servicio.”’

The Loch of Banchory, otherwise the Loch of Leys, was completely drained in 1850. It held an articificial island which was the site of an ancient crannog. George Burnett (p. 9);

there is strong reason for believing that a building on the site of the old crannog was a seat or stronghold of Alexander Burnard and his successors down to the middle of the sixteenth century, when Crathes Castle was begun.

Origins

Prior to this time, the Burnards held ‘the very considerable barony of Farningdoun, or Fairnington, in the county and parish of Roxburgh’ (George Burnett, p. 3). George Burnett explains their arrival in Scotland (also p. 3):

In the twelfth century Burnards appear among the numerous English who came to Scotland in the train of David I.

King David I was the founder of the feudal system of land tenure in Scotland.

The family of Burnards had previously flourished south of the border in Bedfordshire and Wiltshire during Saxon times, prior to the Norman Conquest.