[7] John Urquhart, "the Tutor of Cromartie," died in 1631, at the age of eighty-four, and was buried in the old church of King-Edward, Aberdeenshire, where there is a marble monument to his memory.
[9] Another erroneous date is in the edition of the _Tracts_ of 1774, where 1613 is given as the year of our author's birth.
[10] This is now amongst the Gardenston papers, having been formerly in the possession of Mr. Dunbar. All account of its contents is given in _Antiquarian Notes_, by C. Fraser Mackintosh, p. 195. An independent corroboration of the above date of the marriage is by a document now in the Register House in Edinburgh (_Aberdeen Sasines_), in which Sir Thomas Urquhart, senior, gives sasine of the barony of Fisherie to Lady Christian Elphinstone. The "precept," or clause in the marriage-contract, which directs the notary to give sasine of the estate settled on the bride, is also dated the 9th of July, 1606, and in it she is described as being _in suâ purâ virginitate_. Probably the marriage took place either on that day or very soon afterwards. The bridegroom was just of age, while Lady Christian was under sixteen, the date of her birth being 19th December, 1590 (_The Lords Elphinstone_, Fraser, i. 167).
The issue of this marriage were at least the following sons and daughters:--(l) THOMAS; (2) Alexander; (3) George; (4) John; (5) [name unknown]; (6) Henry; and (7) Jane, _m._ Sir Alexander Abercromby of Birkenbog; (8) Helen, _m._ Sir James Gordon of Lesmoir; (9) Annas, _m._ Alexander Strachan of Glenkindie; (10) Margaret, _m._ John Irving of Brucklay; (11) [name unknown], _m._ ---- Campbell of Calder.
[11] Fisherie is about six miles from Banff.
[12] It is quite possible, however, that, in the parish school of King-Edward, our author could have got the rudiments of a classical education. In 1649 (15th Nov.), Mr James Petrie, who was school-master there, applied for the school of Banff and, as a test of his power, "was ordeined to teache the sext satyr of Persius to-morrow in the school of Banf be nyne hours in presence of the bailyies and others in the toune who wer scholars." He passed through the test successfully, and was appointed to the office (_Annals of Banff_, ii. 30, New Spalding Club).