Learmonth_Lermontov_1057_2007_Molchanova_Learmonth_2007_Queen_Book_In_english

Tatiana Molchanova & Rex Learmonth 

Learmonths- 

Lermontovs. 

Origin &History 

of the Surname 

and Families 

1057 – 2007 

Russia & Great Britain 

2008 

Copyrights are preserved at the Copyrights Office, 

Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA, 2007. 

1

The Coat of Arms of Learmonth and Lermontov: 

1509 – 2007. 

This is the first study devoted to the Scottish Clan 

Learmonth and the origins of the Russian Lermontov family 

who are derived from this clan. 

The publication of this book received support from the 

association “Lermontov’s Hereditary”, Moscow, Russia. 

The books cover is decorated with the Russian Lermontov Tartan. 

This Tartan is registered with “The Scottish Tartans Authority” and 

was presented in August 2007 to the Lermontov family at 

Serednikovo, Moscow by Mr Brian Wilton the Director of the 

authority. The Lermontov’s are the first Russian family with 

Scottish origins to have their own registered tartan. 

2

Preface 

This is an academic project which has taken over six years to research 

and write. It is intend to be both a good read as well as a serious historical 

document and consists of the following sections. 

Part 1. 

Recorded Historical Background. 

This section looks at what information is generally available about the 

Learmonth name and family. All of which agree that the Learmonth clan 

or family first appeared in Berwickshire between the years 1050 – 1200. 

Page: 14-15. 

Part 2. 

The Roots, or how did the name evolve and where did it come from? 

We discuss all the possibilities and arrive at the conclusion that the 

Learmonth roots have an ancient topographical origin. It is a French 

name that in the year 1117 when it first appeared in writing was spelt and 

probably pronounced ‘Leuremue’. This name being the original name of 

the villages of East and West Learmouth situated on the English side of 

the river Tweed near Coldstream. We discuss this relationship and arrive 

at the conclusion that the two are one and the same. 

Page: 16-34. 

Part 3. 

The Spelling of the Surname. 

We identify the original spelling as having a French origin and discuss 

how the spelling altered through time due to changes in the language and 

the influences brought about by both fashion and literature. 

Page: 35-50. 

Part 4. 

The Learmonth Origins in the British Isles. 

We look at the work of William Stewart (“Buik of the Croniclus of 

Scotland, or a Metrical Version of the History of Hector Boece”), and 

also the work of George Mackenzie. These Scottish historians both 

identify an individual called Lermont, Leirmouth as being a supporter of 

Malcolm III in the war against Macbeth in the year 1057 and received 

land in payment for their support. We discuss this and look at other 

sources of information. We then move on to show that the Learmonth 

coat of arms has a distinct connection to the arms of the Luyrieux family 

from France. 

Page: 51-98. 

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Part 5. The Early Learmonths. 

We state that we have enough evidence to be reasonably certain that an 

individual or family called Learmonth came to the British Isles from 

France before the time of William the Conqueror and that they settled in 

the Scottish borders. We go on to show the historical impact that Beatrix 

Learmonth’s (1150-1221) marriage to William MacIntoch had on several 

well known Scottish clans. We tell the story of Thomas Learmonth or 

Thomas Rhymer born about 1220. We illustrate and translate extracts 

from early documents (1196 to 1204) from the reign of King Richard I 

and King John where the spelling of Learmonth is Luiremr, Leuremuere 

and Luiremuere which relates well with the spelling of the village of 

Leuremue. 

Page: 99-127. 

Part 6. 

The Learmonth’s of Fife. 

This is the history of the Learmonths of Dairsie and Balcomie starting 

from why they went to Fife from Earlston in about the year 1400. It 

discusses the families’ connection with the Scottish church, and the male 

family members who became the Provosts of St Andrews from 1473 to 

1608. We tell the stories of their successes and their troubles and detail 

the history of both Dairsie Castle and the other Learmonth castle of 

Balcomie in Crail. We illustrate their family tree and tell the stories of 

several individuals including James Wishart who was the son of Elizabeth 

Learmonth of Dairsie. We identify from old records the mothers of some 

of their illegitimate children. We also found a Panegyric written by Sir 

William Murdock in 1620 about the Learmonth family and of William 

Learmonth in particular which confirms that the Learmonth’s came 

originally from France. It has to be remembered that being of French 

extraction in those days was a high status asset to which the Learmonth’s 

of this period would have been very proud. The genealogy of the 

Learmonths of Fife is presented in an appendix 1. 

Page: 128-220. 

Part 7. 

We look at the life of David Spens who was the son of Margaret 

Learmonth a daughter of Sir Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie who through 

his profession as a mercenary soldier and his involvement with Sweden 

and Russia had a considerable influence on other members of the 

Learmonth family. A number of Learmonths became mercenary soldiers 

in northern Europe during the XVI century; in particular George 

Leirmont who became serving in Russian Army. This section discusses 

this ancestors family origins which from the Learmonths of Fife and his 

4

life as a mercenary soldier in Russia. It goes on to explain how he came 

to settle in Russia after his army service and what eventually became of 

him and his family. We look at how his descendants in 1688 and 1798 

established themselves as nobility in Russian society and their belief that 

they were descended from the Learmonth’s of Fife. We then look at the 

life of the most famous individual from this family Michail Yurievich 

Lermontov the Great Russian Poet (part 8). We then point out that 

Michail Lermontov born 1814, George Wishart born 1513 and Thomas 

Learmonth by approximately 1220 but it may well have been earlier, all 

from the same family who were born in the early 1200’s, 1500’s, 1800’s 

all had the strange gift of prophecy. Is the next Learmonth prophet going 

to be born in the early part of 2100? 

Page: 221-280. 

Part 8. 

Learmonths prominent. 

This section introduces Learmonths who by their various talents, hard 

work, and bravery deserve to be mentioned in our history. Some of them 

were famous within their particular sphere of life others were not, but this 

was not our only criterion. 

Page: 281-365. 

Part 9. 

950 th Anniversary Celebration of the Learmonth surname held in Russia 

during August 2007 showing a number of photographs. A photo show. 

Pages: 366-403. 

Appendix 2. 

We illustrate a list of the registered Learmonth Coat of Arms. 

Pages: 404-406. 

Appendix 3. 

We detail official Scottish records of the name Learmonth dated 1200- 

1854. 

Pages: 407-454. 

5

About the authors 

Tatiana Molchanova 

Graduated from the Lomonosov Institute of Fine Chemical Technologies; 

PhD in the Biological Sciences, Moscow, Russia. Holder of the position 

of the Senior Scientist in the Haematological Scientific Centre and was 

working in the collaboration with the Engelhard Institute Molecular 

Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Participated in 

pioneering molecular diagnosis of the hemoglobinopathies in Russia, 

studied the conformational mobility of protein molecules. Since 1991 has 

been working in the USA: Biochemistry Department & Sickle Cell 

Centre headed by Emeritus Professor T. Huisman; Pharmaceutical 

Companies; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Authors 

of more than hundred professional publications. The Last four years has 

been researching Genealogy & Family history. Author of books and 

articles. Tatiana Molchanova is a cousin of the Russian Lermontov- 

George (Yuri) Lermontov (1910-2005). 

Rex Learmonth 

Graduated from College. Served in the British Army. Became a trainee in 

the textile industry. In 1970 became the owner of the textile 

manufacturing business. Retired in 2000 and became an amateur historian 

and writer. Rex Learmonth is a direct descendent from the Scottish 

Borders Learmonths.. 

6

Acknowledgment 

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions made by: 

The Scottish National Library, Edinburgh, and particularly researcher 

Diana Baptie. 

The Benedictine Monks of the Pluscarden Abbey, near Elgin, Moray, 

Scotland, particularly for preserving the ancient Learmonth Coat of Arms 

and their interest and understanding of Russian literature. 

The University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and in particularly Prof. 

Steve Murdoch and A. Grosjean who created the databases "Scotland, 

Scandinavia and Northern Europe Database, 1580-1707» that allows us to 

identify many Learmonths served abroad during the period 1580-1630. 

The Wishart Genealogy Society, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The 

Chairman Dr. David Wishart kindly sent us not well-known portrait of 

the Scottish Martyr George Wishart-Learmonth. 

The representative of the Magistrate of the city St. Andrews Julie Poole 

who kindly sent us photographs of the relict Learmonth monuments 

exhibited in the Magistrate Hall, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. 

The Scottish Music Centre, Glasgow, and Glasgow University Library for 

their huge collection of the archive documents about Scottish composer 

George Learmonth Drysdale. 

The Court of the Lord Lyon - the official heraldry office for Scotland and 

in particularly Mr Bruce Gorie who is secretary to the Lyon Clerk. Mr. 

Gorie kindly sent us the list of the registered Learmonth Coat of Arms 

since 1672. 

Mr Chris Ruffle who now resides in Taiwan. He purchased Dairsie 

Castle from Andrew Logan, sight unseen, as part of the sale of Dairsie 

Farm. It was an unpromising start, for Dairsie was referred to as "an 

unsuitable candidate for restoration" by Historic Scotland. Undaunted 

Ruffle achieved planning permission to rebuild the castle within a year of 

the purchase. Chris then wrote the story of Dairsie Castle and kindly sent 

us a copy of his achievements. 

Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Music at 

Southwestern University Kenny Sheppard who had chosen the story of 

7

the Scottish composer George Learmonth Drysdale as a theme of his 

dissertation. 

The Director of the Scottish Tartans Authority Brian Wilton, Edinburgh, 

Scotland, for the professional skills and enthusiasm that were expressed 

during the creation and presentation in Russia of the Russia Lermontov 

Tartan in August 2007. 

David Redeker from the “Instituut voor Nederlandse Geschiedenis en 

NOW” who is an expert in the medieval history of Europe. David Scott – 

expert in the history of Orkney, Scotland. Jean Paul De Cloet, Chairman 

“V.Z.W. Geschiedkundige Heruitgeverij” and expert in the heraldry of 

the medieval France. Jim McGrath, Faculty Officer, Faculty of Science 

the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. John McCallum, Reformation 

Studies Institute, St John's House, St Andrews, Fife. Pascal Laparre who 

is an expert in early coat of arms from their onset to the end of the 

crusades. Judith Currey – an expert in the interpretation of the Medieval 

Norman-French-Latin texts. Kirsty F. Wilkinson from the “My Ain 

Folk”, Edinburgh, Scotland, who helped a lot with the interpretation of 

the Learmonth’s panegyric of 1620. 

We express the special gratitude to all Learmonth families who sent us 

their stories. 

Our work would not have been completed without constant support from 

the Russian association “Lermontov’s Hereditary” and its Chairman and 

our kin Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov who is now a Vice – Chairman of 

the Federal Scientific-Methodical Council, Ministry of Culture and Mass- 

Communications, Russian Federation. Mikhail and his wife Elena gave us 

both moral and financial support which enabled us to publish this book. 

The technical support from Olga Bakushkina was also greatly 

appreciated. The comments of the reviewers of the book: Dmitri Fedosov 

and Adrei Tsuguliev were most valuable. 

To collect the historical facts and illustrations we travelled few times over 

Scotland and England. Yuri Postnikov and Anya Lyakhovskaya 

(Tatiana’s husband and granddaughter) were extremely helpful and 

enthusiastic and we all became admirers of British history. 

8

9

Introduction 

The name Learmonth is one of the most ancient Scottish surname 

and has a history back to the year 1057. Historians generally agree that 

the legendary Scottish prophet and poet Thomas Rhymer was a member 

of this ancient family. Ten generations from 1420 to 1657 of the 

Learmonth family of the Fife hold the highest administrative positions in 

the city of St Andrews and played the historical role in the struggle 

between the Catholics and Protestants during the period of the 

reformation. The mother of the Scottish martyr George Wishart was a 

member of the Fife Learmonth family who eventually became relatives of 

the British Monarchy through their marriages. The children of Sir George 

Learmonth of Balcomie were the fourth cousins of Mary Queen of 

Scotland. The progenitor of the Russian Lermontov families and the 

Great Russian poet Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov was a member of this 

Fife Learmonth family. Sir John Learmonth of Balcomie was a Lady 

Diana's twelve-Great Grandfather. The Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, 

has an avenue, a terrace, a grove, a hotel and other places named after 

John Learmonth a Provost of the city. The unforgettable Scottish 

composer George Learmonth Drysdale was called the Scottish Grieg. Sir 

James Learmonth is called the father of the modern neurosurgery. Sir 

James Learmonth was a personal doctor to the King George VI and also 

to Queen Elizabeth II during their visits to Scotland. 

Learmonth families were among pioneer settlers in Australia, New 

Zealand, and USA. There are a number of locations named Learmonth in 

Australia. The Learmonth’s impact is notable in the progress of many 

countries. 

The main object of this research is to identify the origin of the 

name Learmonth and the history of the family from its beginnings to the 

present day. It proved to be very difficult to stay focused on these 

objectives as we were often side tracked down the many interesting 

avenues that were found which if fully investigated would have meant 

that this research would have turned into a lifetime occupation. 

Most of the information contained in this study is identified as to 

its source. We have avoided exaggerated or fictionalized statements and 

any items of history that are attributed to legend or folklore are clearly 

stated. In some instances we have put forward our conclusions based on 

the evidence presented, which are our own opinions, the reader may 

disagree, as in some cases the evidence could be said to have several 

possible interpretations. 

There is a certain amount of background history contained in this 

10

esearch because an understanding of how things were and the conditions 

of the time is necessary for the reader to appreciate and put into context 

the events that took place. 

We have come to realize as result of our work that there are 

hundreds of families with the surname Learmonth and similar spellings 

who live around the world. One could meet Learmonths not only in 

Scotland and England, but also in Australia, Canada, United States of 

America, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Spain, France, Germany and many 

other countries. 

There is also a huge family of Russian Lermontovs who originated 

from the Scottish Learmonth. Their genealogy is attested very well. 

Lermontovs live not only in Russia but also in Brazil, Morocco, France, 

Spain and the USA. 

It should be remembered that before England and Scotland united 

as one Kingdom in 1603 the Scottish borders where the Learmonth 

British origins begin was a turbulent place beset by war as well as local 

troubles. 

The records kept by the early Catholic Church in Scotland were 

largely destroyed during the reformation along with the paintings and 

icons. The Protestant church that followed started recording births deaths 

and marriages in the early 17th century. However it was quite common 

for some clergy not to keep records because their literary ability was 

poor, also in some cases the writing could not be deciphered, or the 

church record book was eventually lost, damaged by damp, burnt in a 

fire, or even eaten by mice. The result is that a lack of records of births, 

deaths and marriages before 1855 when the official records began in 

Scotland means that tracing family lines back to ancient times in many 

cases is not possible. However as we will show the surname Learmonth 

has a history that can be traced and that this surname and similar name 

variants evolved from the same original family. 

The early records that do exist contain names such as Lermouth 

Lerment and many others, these names being the recorders spelling 

interpretations. The most common original spellings of the name were 

Lermont, Lermond or Leirmouth. Most people could not read or write so 

they were unable to check the accuracy of what was written down and 

therefore in some cases you could be recorded as being called Lermont at 

birth, Learment when you were married and Leirmount when you were 

buried. 

Today the modern spelling ‘Learmonth’ is not that far removed 

from the original and is the most common, however some families from 

the same origins still continue to have their names spelt Learmond, 

Learmouth, Leirmont and a number of other variations. 

11

In the following research the modern spelling Learmonth is used 

except when an original document is referred to, quoted from, or 

illustrated. 

As in most families the majority of our ancestors were ordinary 

hard working people. However some were exceptional and just like today 

through hard work and a need to succeed in their chosen sphere as 

leaders, politicians, academics and adventurers some of them became 

well known and for this reason these individuals and in some cases their 

families are recorded from very early times. However the saying clogs to 

clogs in three generations does remain generally true in so much as the 

descendants of these individuals become ordinary people again 

However we would like to point out that anybody who is called 

Learmonth or is connected to the Learmonth family should be proud, as 

we have come to realize that the Learmonths have presented the world 

with many decent, energetic and talented people. It can also be said that a 

modern day person called Learmonth or a similar name variant can say 

that their family name has passed through time for over a thousand years 

and that it is pronounced today more or less the same is it was when it 

first came to be used. 

12

13

Part 1. 

Recorded Historical Background. 

We start by detailing the history of the name Learmonth and its 

origins with data from the internet and other historical sources. The 

surname Learmonth is of Scottish origin (http://.electricscotland.com) 

with multiple spelling variations, was first found in Berwickshire where 

they were seated from ancient times some say well before the Norman 

Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066. 

The Learmonth’s belong to the Official Clan registered by the 

Court of the Lord Lyon in 1600. Certain families have the right to bear 

their own heraldic arms, although they might not be recognized as clans 

themselves, and may not be associated as separates or dependents of 

recognized clans. Such families are called Armigerous Families. The 

Learmonth Clan was registered without a Clan Chief and hence is 

described as Armigerous. 

The surname Learmonth, Leirmont, Leirmonth, Learmouth is of 

English origin was first found in Berwickshire where they were seated 

from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and 

the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. 

(http://www.houseofnames.com). 

Learmonth: This is a name arising from lands in Berwickshire. The 

earliest family of note were the Learmonth’s of Ercildoune in the Merse, 

to which family Anderson attributes the early Scottish poet, Thomas the 

Rhymer. 

Sir Walter Scott, who named Thomas as the earliest Scottish poet, 

believed that he was born between 1226 and 1229 near the village now 

named Earlston in Berwickshire (http://www.myclan.com/default.php) 

Multiple spelling variations 

(Helen Darling Librarian Archives/Local History Scottish Boarders): 

Learmonth, Learmonthe, Lermonth, Larmonth, Lairmonth, 

Lermonthe,Leirmonth, Leermonth, Leirmonthe, Laremonth, Lormonth, 

Learmounth, Learmont,Learnmonth, Learmunth, Laumonth, Lawmonth, 

Lermouth, Learmontt. Lermont, Lawmonthe, Laumonthe, Lairmounth, 

Lernmonth, Leirmont, Lermontt, Lairmont, Lermonthe, Liermont, 

Learmond,Larmoth,Laremont, Lermoth, Lermoneth, Lormont, Lermond, 

Larmoth, Learmonds, Lawmounth, Leamonth. 

The progenitor of the Learmonth line was the Laird of Eriltoun 

(Ercildoune) in the Merse.(Genealogical Collections of Sir Robert 

Douglas of Glenbervie) 

14

The origin of the surname has at least three versions. However all 

these sources agree that the beginning of the Learmonth clan or family 

was first found in Berwickshire between 1050 – 1200. 

The name Learmonth (and other spelling) first appeared before 

1066AD in historical records and documents of both English and Scottish 

origin. 

That is really all there is so we start our investigation with almost a 

blank sheet of paper. However we hope that you will find the following 

account of the Learmonths and associated families as interesting to read 

as we found it to investigate. 

15

Part 2. 

The Roots. 

How did the name evolve and where did it come from? 

There are various general categories or types of personal bynames and 

different Scottish cultures had preferences for using different ones, as indeed 

did different classes of people. Bynames can be categorized as: 

Locative – from locations or places. There are two types of locative 

bynames: toponymic – involving proper names of locations, and includes 

bynames that are : territorial – indicating places held / owned by the person 

or their family, and topographic – involving descriptions of places rather 

than place names. 

Relational – indicating relatives of the person. Types of relational 

bynames include : patronymic – indicating the persons father. Metronymic / 

Matronymic – indicating a persons mother. 

Official – indicating an office held by a person. 

Occupational – indicating the trade or occupation of a person. 

Descriptive – nickname, personal attributes etc. 

Personal bynames are not always quite as neatly categorized as the 

above outline implies, there is sometimes an overlap and ambiguities 

between different categories, but in general it holds true. A topographical 

byname indicates a place by describing it by some topographical feature. 

This seems to usually have been a description of the place where the person 

lived or worked at the time. (Sharon L. Krossa, 1996 – 2002) 

(http://www.medieval scotland.org/scotsnames/scotnames101.shtml) 

Our research indicates that the surname Learmonth / 

Leirmouth in 1117 probably sounded like and meant ‘Leuremue’ which is a 

French sound name. The multiple spelling of the name can be divided into 

two parts as (Leure and mue) later as (Leir and mouth). Its origin is from a 

geographic place. Both parts are fitting well together to classify it as 

topographic. 

We know that many Scottish surnames originated from France, 

Scandinavia and other countries in Europe and today we have many more 

sources of information that were not available to earlier historians. In our 

opinion Mr L Sharon Krossa’s byname classification might well apply for a 

surname origin in any country, particularly one with a locative, 

topographical origin. Let us therefore look at the first route Leure’ or using 

the linguistic terminology we can say the phoneme ‘Leure’ 

A phoneme is a class of sounds that differ slightly from one another 

but can be substituted for one another without any change of meaning. As 

our surname has a topographical origin we detail a short review of the 

Monograph of Beauvois and Felix Henri Antoine Research on the 

Geographical Field: The derivatives and compounds of an international 

16

phoneme, Leir, Leira, Leiro, leire, Leyre, Leure, Lejre and the Loire 

Bordeaux – Pessac: l’auteur, Saint Paul-Fontaudin, 1967. 

According to Beauvois’s studies the phoneme Lier has been a source 

of place names used over the centuries on the geographical territory that 

covers the far north of Finland, Norway, Ireland and Greenland through 

Great Britain, Denmark, France, Spain and Portugal. Therefore the 

distribution of the phoneme Leir is an international fact. It is worth noting 

that the diphthong ‘lei’ instead of ‘li’ was found in Latin manuscripts before 

III century BC. 

We cannot detail all the examples of the phoneme Leir in the listed 

countries as there are far too many. There are also many different spellings 

depending on the era the language and dialect which people used in 

particular locations, as detailed above. So ‘Leure’ could be defiantly 

regarded as one of the onomastics of the phoneme ‘Leir’. 

There are more than 300 toponyms (the name by which a 

geographical place is known) and hydronyms (the names of water systems) 

with the phoneme Leir all over France. There are 13 in Scandinavia, 33 in 

Denmark, 58 in Norway, 17 in Ireland, about 3 in Great Britain, 3 in Spain, 

4 in Portugal, 1 in Italy and many more. The phoneme Leir is connected to 

sources that were vitally important to people and covers the assets connected 

to water, or with resources that allow water to come into areas or dwelling 

places. We cannot detail all the possible explanations that describe the 

phoneme Leir as there are far too many, we therefore illustrate just a few 

relevant examples and to the more interested reader we offer the original 

references. 

Referring to the work of Antoine beauvois the phoneme ‘Leir’ in 

France was defined as ‘flowing water’, ‘moving water’, ‘clear water’, or 

even a ‘vivifying force’. For example in Gascogne where the area is 

described, as having a relatively dry sandy soil which slowly filters water, is 

a ‘vivifying force’ (gives life to) for the areas inhabitants. It is interesting to 

note that the modern French word for water is ‘la leau’ which is a consonant 

with Leir. 

The phoneme Leir also acquired the meaning of ‘clay or mud’ in the 

northern lands located around the area of modern Denmark, Norway, 

Sweden and Iceland. Clay was a necessary part of the human being to build 

up living places so as a ‘vivifying force’. Clay and mud is the result of water 

mixing with heavy soil or other mineral deposits, which are usually located 

along seacoasts or river mouths particularly in northern countries. This 

material was used for dwellings and other types of household goods and 

commodities as a result some muddy places and utensils were given the 

phoneme Lier in their names. One interesting example is the Scandinavian 

toponyme Leirkrukke – ‘krukke’ is a clay jug, the word ‘leir’ means storing 

water. 

17

Clay cannot exist without water so water is the ‘vivifying force’ for 

both the ancient northern people and for the continental tribes. 

The ancient Danish kingdom was centred in Zealand, Falster and 

Laaland and its kings sat at Leire (according to other sources Lejre which is 

close to the Scandinavian spelling) near Roskilde in Zealand before 936 AD 

(http://www.angelfire.com/ego/etdeo/vikingage.wps.htm). 

The phoneme Leir has survived to this day in its native ancient form 

in the names of toponymes and hydronymes in the Scandinavian countries. 

We list below toponymes which appear on the modern map of Norway. 

1. Leirfjord 2. Leira, Nord-Aurdal 3. Leira, Tustna 

4. Leira, Rissa 5. Leira, Leirfjord 6. Leira, Grane 

7. Leirflaten, Sel 8. Leirpollen, Tana 9. Leirvåg, Sula 

10. Leirvik, Stord 11. Leirvågen, Vestnes 

12. Leirvågen, Sula 13. Leirsund, Skedsmo 

14. Leirgulen, Bremanger 15. Leirfjordgården, Sørfold 

16. Leirbakken, Lierne 

This list could be enlarged with numerous other hydronyms such as the river 

Leira which flows through the Leirdale valley. 

We cannot detail all hydronyms and toponyms in France. There are 

300 hydronyms and toponyms with the phoneme Lier, however the river 

Loire is the father of all French rivers. Jules Ceasar in his ‘Commentaries 

on the war of the Gauls’ (S.Dosson Editor) Latinised the vocabulary of these 

primitive people and changed the Loire to Liger / Ligerem. The Loir river 

was the Leiro in the XI century (Snorre Sturlasson 1117 – 1241) ‘Saga of 

Olaf Haraldson’ ‘Christiana’ translated by Samuel Laing, London 1853. 

18

The name of this river was finally changed to the Loire. The Loire River is 

more than 1,000 km (620 miles) long and is the largest in France. It has two 

major tributaries the Loir and the Allier both of which have the altered word 

Leir in their names. 

19

The Eyre River, which rises at Moustey in Gascoigne by the 

confluence of two rivers, the Greater Leyre and the Lesser Leyre, they are all 

the products of the phoneme leyre/lier. The Eyre river lost the ‘L‘ at the 

20

eginning of the word as a result of years of linguistic corruption caused 

entirely by different dialects. 

Below is the map of France with three Gascoigne “leir” rivers. 

When considering the hydronymes and toponymes in France, Antoine 

Beauvois suggests that the tautology presented in their names shows clearly 

that the phoneme leir is much older than its supposed Celtic origin namely 

before 800-1000 BC, which means that it is at least pre-Celtic. 

The hydronyme Leyrenne or Leirenne becomes part of the name Sain- 

Dizier-Leyrenne. 

21

Leirenne is Leir-Renne, the name Renne is obviously the Celtic word 

“renoc”. The River Rhine in German, also comes from the Celtic word 

renoc, meaning “raging flow”, it rises at the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier in the 

Swiss Alps and flows north and east for approximately 820 miles (1,320 

km). 

So Leir-Renne means “flowing water” or “raging flow” which is pure 

tautology. It would therefore seem that the Celts who came after ancient 

people to this area gave or added the name “renoc” for “running water” leir 

- renoc 

The same happened to the ancient farming country of Leyronnac near 

the mountain area of Thueits (see map below). 

Leyronnac could be divided into “Leyr” or “Leir”, plus “onna” and 

suffix “ac”. “Onna” or “onne” is a Gaelic “spring” / “source”, but that is not 

a Celtic word. Suffix “ac” is obviously Celtic. So Leyronnac combines 

22

ancient leyr/leir, Gaelic “onna” and Celtic “ac” showing that the phoneme 

leir might be even pre-Indo-European. Therefore Leyronnac is an example 

of tautology which developed as a result of a combination of different 

cultural features. 

The River Eyrieux which was originally called Leyrieux a tributary of 

the River Rhone is a good example of tautology. The phoneme Leyre or leir 

means “flowing / running water”; rieux could be interpreted as the latin rieu; 

rivu: ruisseau (French) means “stream” and Leyrieux may also be 

interpreted as “stream of flowing water” being pure tautology. 

See the modern map below showing the River Eyrieux and the town 

of Les Ollierres - Eyrieux. 

Why was the phoneme leir distributed so widely from the far North to 

the far South of the European continent ? 

According to David James Duncan (personal communication, 2004) 

“Going back to prehistoric times, the coastal areas of Spain, France, 

Britain, Norway and the Scottish Isles such as Orkney, were inhabited by 

seafaring peoples as far back as 5,000 BC, who made large stone 

monuments (cairns and megaliths). As they were constantly traveling in 

their ships around these countries, a common basic language would have 

gradually evolved right across this large area. 

These people were there several millennia before the Celts, but their 

influence particularly on the language continues to this day. 

Prehistory. North people (http://www.itv.se/boreale/history.htm). 

Long before the Swedish, Finnish or even the Viking culture had 

developed, the Scandinavian Peninsula was populated by the Saemieh 

(hereafter referred to as Sami). The oldest written source of knowledge on 

the Sami's is the Roman historian Tacitus' who describes them as Fenni in a 

book dated 98 A.D, although his account most certainly was based on 

hearsay only. 

In 555 A.D. the Greek historian, Procopius, refers to Scandinavia as 

Thule, and the inhabitants he calls Skridfinns. At this time the most southern 

part of Sweden was populated by the Vendel people a peaceful group of sun 

23

worshippers. Since they lived in a time before recorded history for this part 

of the world, little is known today about the Vendel's. Later emigration and 

mixing with Germanic tribes gave birth to the well known Viking culture in 

Sweden and Norway. 

CELT 

http://97.1911encyclopedia.org/C/CE/CELT.htm 

CELT, or KELT, the generic name of an ancient people, the bulk of whom 

inhabited the central and western parts of Europe. A great deal of confusion has arisen 

from the inaccurate use of the terms Celt and Celtic. It is the practice to speak of the dark 

complexioned people of France, Great Britain and Ireland as black Celts, although the 

ancient writers never applied the term Celt to any dark complexioned person. To them 

great stature, fair hair, and blue or grey eyes were the characteristics of the Celt. The 

philologists have added to the confusion by classing as Celtic the speech of the dark 

complexioned races of the west of Scotland and the west of Ireland. But, though usage 

has made it convenient to employ the word Celtic, it is really Gaelic. 

The ancient writers regarded as homogeneous all the fair haired peoples dwelling 

north of the Alps, the Greeks terming them all Keltoi. Physically they fall into two 

loosely-divided groups, which shade off into each other. The first of these is restricted to 

north-western Europe, having its chief seat in Scandinavia. It is distinguished by a long 

head, a long face, a narrow aquiline nose, blue eyes, very light hair and great stature. 

Those are the peoples usually termed Teutonic by modern writers. The other group is 

marked by a round head, a broad face, a nose often rather broad and heavy, hazel-grey 

eyes, light chestnut hair, they are thickset and of medium height. This race is often 

termed Celtic or Alpine from the fact of its occurrence all along the great mountain chain 

from south-west France, in Savoy, in Switzerland, the P0 valley and Tirol, as well as in 

Auvergne, Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, the Ardennes and the Vosges. It thus stands 

midway not only geographically but also in physical features between the Teutonic type 

of Scandinavian and the so-called Mediterranean race with its long head, long face, its 

rather broad nose, dark brown or black hair, dark eyes, and slender form of medium 

height. The Alpine race is commonly supposed to be Mongoloid in origin and to have 

come from Asia, the home of round skulled races. But it is far more probable that they 

are the same in origin as the dark race south of them and the tall fair race north of them, 

and that the broadness of their skulls is simply due to their having been long domiciled in 

mountainous regions. Thus the Celtic ox (Bos longifrons), from remote ages the common 

type in the Alpine regions, is characterized by the height of its forehead above the orbits, 

by its highly developed occipital region, and its small horns. It is not only animals who 

change their physical character in new surroundings over one or two centuries, e.g. the 

Americans of New England and the Boers of South Africa, prove that man is no less 

readily affected by his surroundings. 

The northern race had always kept pressing down on the broad skulled, browncomplexioned 

men of the Alps, and intermixing with them, and at times swept right over 

the great mountain chain into the tempting regions of the south, producing such races as 

the Celto-Ligyes, Celtiberians, Celtillyrians, CeltoThracians and Celto-Scythians. In its 

turn the Alpine race had pressed down upon their darker and less warlike kindred of the 

south, either driving them down before the tall sons of the north or swelling the hosts of 

the latter as they swept down south. 

This historical background leads us believe that the Northern people when they 

were involved in trade or war (which was the source of any exchange), mostly did this on 

24

the territory of the European continent. So they brought with them their culture and 

language. which was more or less preserved from external influence. The continental 

people were almost constantly at war for land, natural resources and power from late 

prehistoric times to the Roman period. 

It is quite possible that pre-Celtic Northern people brought the phoneme leir to 

continental Europe. Then the phoneme was then changed by their spelling culture 

however they kept the meanings which we have already discussed. 

Celtic people accepted and preserved the phoneme leir through the centuries in 

the capacity of their Sea God Leir. 

To understand how the phoneme leir arrived in the British Isles we refer to 

English / Scottish history which will be helpful in understanding the origins of the 

Learmonth surname. 

General English Scottish history 

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572205_3/England.html 

In the 1st millennium BC the Celts overran the British Isles, as they did virtually 

all of Western Europe. With iron plows they cultivated the heavy soil of the river valleys; 

with iron weapons and two-wheeled, horse-drawn chariots, they subdued and absorbed 

the indigenous inhabitants of the islands. Their priests, the Druids, dominated their 

society. 

Roman Rule 

Although it had long been known to the Mediterranean peoples as a source of tin, 

Britain did not enter the Roman world until Julius Caesar's arrival in 55 BC a sort of 

afterthought to his conquest of Gaul. Emperor Claudius I invaded Britain in force in AD 

43, but nearly two decades passed before the Romans had captured Anglesey, 

headquarters of the feared Druids (see Druidism), and put down the revolt of Boudicca, 

Queen of the Iceni. 

Britain was a military outpost, taking a tenth of the Roman army to hold it. 

Several towns attained a degree of Roman urban civilization, boasting baths and 

amphitheaters. Numerous villas vast estates worked by slaves and featuring sumptuous 

noble dwellings were also established. Beyond these, the countryside remained Celtic. 

Roman Withdrawal 

In 410 Rome abandoned Britain. After nearly four centuries of occupation, they 

left, a superb network of roads, the towns of London, York, and others bearing names 

that end in the suffix cester and caster and of course Christianity. The Anglo-Saxons, who 

occupied the country after the Romans left, ignored the towns, chased Christianity into 

Wales, and gave their own names, such as Watling Street, to the Roman roads. 

Anglo-Saxon England 

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a history of the English people begun in the 9th 

century, saints' lives, poetry, archaeological findings, and place-name studies. In the mid- 

5th century, they revived the Roman policy of hiring Germanic mercenaries to help 

defend them against warlike peoples of the north (Picts and Scots). The Saxon 

mercenaries revolted against their British chiefs and began the process of invasion and 

settlement that destroyed the native ruling class and established Germanic kingdoms 

throughout the island by the 7th century. Later legends about a hero named Arthur were 

placed in this period of violence. The invaders were variously Angles, Saxons, Frisians, 

Jutes, and Franks in origin, but were similar in culture and eventually identified 

themselves indifferently as Angles or Saxons. Any man of noble birth and success in war 

could organize an army of warriors loyal to him personally and attempt to conquer and 

establish a kingdom. 

25

By the 7th century the Germanic kingdoms included Northumbria, Bernicia, 

Deira, Lindsay, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Wessex, Sussex, and Kent. They were 

turbulent states, but all Anglo-Saxon societies were characterized by strong kinship 

groups, feuds, customary law, and a system of money compensations (wergeld) for death, 

personal injury, and theft. They practiced their traditional polytheistic religions, lacked 

written language, and depended on mixed economies of agriculture, hunting, and animal 

husbandry. 

Vikings 

The Viking Age saw the Nordic Sea-Peoples of Scandinavia, called “Vikings”, 

also “Varangians”, or “North-Men” ["Normans"], that is, the Norse, who were Danes, 

Norwegians, and Swedes, roving about the high seas in their dragon-ships as pirates 

traveling long distances, terrorized Europe for roughly three hundred years attacking 

unexpectedly without warning, looting, pillaging, and burning villages and towns and 

massacring their inhabitants. 

There are three distinct periods of the Viking Age : 

The Early Years, from the late 700s / early 800s to the mid 800s, which were 

characterized by sporadic raids made by small bands of Scandinavian sea raiders 

operating independently. These small bands of sea-borne pirates were led by the sons of 

Scandinavian kings or by the descendants of Scandinavian kings or even by dispossessed 

Scandinavian kings, who made their living as raiders. These raiding-parties were of 

mixed origin having been recruited by their leaders from all parts of Scandinavia [Irish: 

Lochlainn], that is, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. 

The Middle Period of the Viking Age, from the mid-800s to the mid- 

900s, saw the frequency and intensity of the Viking raids gather momentum 

which developed into large scale expeditions. Viking groups conducting 

scattered hit and run attacks to invasions of large armies with large fleets 

that sailed up the rivers of the British Isles and plundered great tracts of land 

and began to establish fortified camps, which they would use as their base of 

operations and / or spend the winter months. The attacks came to resemble 

not so much indiscriminate acts of piracy as a deliberate attempt by the 

Vikings to seize land for themselves on which to settle. Before long, the 

Vikings began establishing permanent settlements in the British Isles and 

even founding their own local kingdoms, namely, the Viking Kingdom of 

York (Jorvik) in England (Danish Deira), the Viking kingdoms of Dublin, 

Waterford, and Limerick in Ireland, and the Viking Kingdom of Man (the 

Isle of) and “The Isles”, that is, the Sudreys (Hebrides), in the Irish Sea. 

The Later Years, from the mid 900 to the mid 1000 (or, to 1066), were 

characterized by organized campaigns undertaken by Viking national states, 

particularly those of Norway, Denmark, and Normandy, whose objective 

was the total conquest of the whole British nation. These later Viking 

enterprises were not Viking in character but were rather the national policy 

of any one of the Viking states, whose aim was conquest and / or 

colonization of the British Isles. 

The Last Phase of the Viking Age, the great fleets no longer came to 

the British Isles to reinforce their colonies. The Viking settlements in the 

26

British Isles grew weaker in numbers and less of a menace to the native 

British population. The Viking settlers in the British Isles by this time had 

already begun intermarrying with the native British population in spite of 

their differences, adding to the nation’s culture, and, with the conversion of 

the pagan Vikings to Christianity they were integrated into the national life 

of the native British people. 

The Vikings, or Normans, were the fifth race of Medieval Britain. The 

five races of Medieval Britain were: (1) the Picts, the aborigines 

[descendants of Stone & Bronze Age Britons], who were absorbed by later 

settlers [the Celts/Gaels]; (2) the Irish, called Scots; (3) the Welsh, who were 

descendants of Iron Age Britons, Celts, and Romans; (4) the English (Anglo- 

Saxons); and (5) the Norman-French, that is, the French-speaking 

Scandinavian inhabitants of Normandy, a Viking-colony in France. 

The phoneme leir appears mostly in the names of toponymes in the 

British Isles and was not distributed as broadly in Britain as it was in 

Europe. 

Leicester 

The history of Leicester can be traced back as far as AD50, when the 

Romans founded a camp on the site where the city now stands. Parts of the 

old city wall, built 30 years later, and many relics of that and the intervening 

periods, still exist. Situated in the heart of England, it was recognised in 

earlier days as an ideal strategic position. 

Three of the great Roman highways which intersected Britain ran 

through or close by the city, while the River Leire, or Soar as it is now 

called, flowed through it (http://www.thacker-towers.supanet.com). 

The same information is detailed in “Britain's Heritage and History” 

(www.camelotintl.com/heritage/counties/england/Leicester) “Origin of 

name: Leicester is an English corruption of the Latin "a fort on the river 

Leire". 

27

A more detailed description of this area confirms the existence of the 

River Leire and not the River Soar in AD50: “Before the Roman Occupation 

which commenced in AD43, there was a lake to the south of Croft (see 

map). The lake probably had two overflows, one adjacent and to the south of 

Croft Church and the other crossing the Broughton Road near Poplars Farm. 

The second overflow across the Broughton Road would have discharged via 

a 'flume' parallel to the Fosseway into Leire Brook, just after the latter 

crosses the Fosseway. 

At the time of the Doomsday Survey in 1086 the river Leir continued 

across the Langham Bridge Causeway at Narborough which was within the 

bounds of Huncote, then to Leicester and on to the River Trent. 

Soar brook, after it's confluence with Clay Brook, discharged into the 

lake just east of Sharnford, so at this time the river Soar did not exist. 

Later quarrying of the isthmus in the south spur of Croft Hill formed a 

cleft, draining the lake and allowing the Soar Brook to flow across the 

lakebed and through the cleft, joining the River Leire and Thurlaston Brook 

at Langham Bridge. It is possible that the Romans floated building materials, 

stone, sand and gravel from the numerous outcrops bordering the lake via 

the 'flume' and Langham Bridge to build Leicester. Or was the lake and the 

surrounding hills a centre of Druidic religious culture and was the lake later 

drained as part of the suppression of that culture in AD 61? 

(www.the-journal.org.uk/archive/288/3453632670.html). 

The meaning of the name Leicester – the “cester" bit is derived from 

the roman "castra" meaning camp, other variants being caster and chester as 

in Lancaster and Manchester. The "Lei" comes from the river Leire (also 

known as Leir, Leyre and Legre). The Romans called Leicester Ratae 

Coritanorum the latin root of Leire-Caster comes from the influence of Latin 

on the English language, the anglicized name emerging later. We are not 

certain at what point the native population rejected most (all?) the Roman 

names for towns (like Bath, which they called Aquae Sulis). However by 

about 900AD Leicester had names like Ledecestre, Legecestria, Leyrcestria, 

but by the time of the Doomsday book in 1086 it had become Leicester 

(page 230, Domesday Book on-line, http://www.the-journal.org.uk). 

There is really no doubt that that the old name Leir River is closely 

connected to the French river Loire:” Mr. Stevenson regards Legra as the old 

name of the Soar, and the name survives in the name of the village Leire, 

spelt Legre in Domesday. There is no doubt that this name comes from 

Legere or Ligere, which relates to Liger, the “Loire.” 

(http://groups.msn.com/HOROSCOPESCHAT/mythology.msnw.) 

“The Origin of name: Leicester is an English corruption of the Latin 

“a fort on the river Leire". The 12th-century writer William of Malmesbury 

28

eferred to the Leire as the Legra. Name first recorded: 1087 as 

Laegrecastrescir. Motto: Foríard” 

We have shown by the phoneme Leir that the first root of 

our surname has a very ancient origin, probably pre-Celtic. This 

leir phoneme was, and still is distributed all over Europe and 

especially as part of the hydronyme names in modern France. 

This phoneme Leir would have been introduced into the British 

Isles in 400BC through to 1100AD by people from the continent 

namely the Celts, the Anglo Saxons, Norwegians-Vikings and 

Normans. 

Other leir toponymes found in modern Britain: Kensaleyre, 

Highlands; Aston Eyre, Shropshire (www.multimap.com). The interesting 

point is that these names are the same as the toponymes in France. The ‘L’ 

was just lost through time by linguistic corruption. 

29

East and West Learmouth 

We now look at the modern villages of East and West Learmouth 

located near Coldstream on the Tweed River (see following maps). The first 

mention of East Learmouth appears in a study of Roman marching camps. 

Temporary Marching Camp. East Learmouth, Northumberland NGRef: 

NT8736. OSMap: LR74. Type: Marching Camp. 

The Roman camp at East Learmouth most likely dates to the late 1 st century, 

possibly around AD78/79 during the campaigns of governor Gnaeus Julius 

Agricola, or may possibly be dated to the tenure of governor Quintus Lollius 

Urbicus, c. A.D.140, but this later date is far less likely. Both dates are 

suppositions only, and unfortunately, cannot be proved. There are other 

camps to the west at Carham and to the north at Norham. Another camp lies 

in the Borders Region at Wooden (NT7433). 

The modern name dates back to the 12 th century where it first 

appeared in a documents dated AD1177 where it was spelt Leuremue , 

Livermue, Levermue, Levernemue, Len’muth and (in 1293) Leu’muth 

(http://www.roman-britain.org/places/east_learmouth.htm). 

In the next chapter we investigate how the village of Learmouth is connected 

to the surname Learmonth. We list below the names of this village as 

detailed on the maps of the border area of England / Scotland from possibly 

1560 to the present day. This information is extracted from the Internet site 

of the National Library of Scotland (http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary). 

Map 1 Leirmouth. Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654.Name: Pont, 

Timothy, 1560 -1614 (?). Blaeu, Joan 1596-1673. Title: Mercia, vulgo 

vicecomitatus, Bervicensis / auct. Timothei Pont. Merce or Shirrefdome of 

Berwick. Imprint: (Amsterdam: Blaeu, 1654) Pagination: 1 map: hand col. ; 

362 x 478 mm., on sheet, 530 x 613 mm. Shelfmark: WD3B/7. This map 

shows us that there was originally only one Leirmouth settlement. 

30

Map 2. Learmouth. There is also just one Learmouth village. 

Map: The Shire of Berwick, alias the Mers or March and Lauderdale, 

by H.Moll, geographer. Counties of Scotland, 1580-1928. 

Name: Moll, Herman, d. 1732. Title: The Shire of Berwick alias the 

Mers or March and Lauderdale / by H. Moll. Imprint: [London: Bowles and 

Bowles, 1745] Pagination: 1 map : hand col. outlines ; 185 x 248 mm., on 

sheet, 221 x 362 mm. Shelfmark: EMS.b.2.1 (10). 

There are two unusual place names on the next map named Spaw and 

Bath. These names go back to the time of the Roman invasion. They also tell 

us that this area had natural springs with healing properties. 

Map 3. Spaw and Bath. Maps of Scotland 1560-1928. Name: 

Armstrong, Andrew, 1700-1794. Armstrong, Mostyn, fl. 1769-1791.Title: 

Map of the County of Berwick. Imprint: [London]: s.n., 1771. Pagination: 1 

map on 4 sheets : col. ; 736 x 1041 mm., sheets 450 x 598 mm. 

Shelfmark: EMS.s.316 

31

The next map shows a new development. There are two Learmouth’s: 

Learmouth Ho. and Learmouth. Also the stream has the name Learmouth 

Burn . 

Map 4. Learmouth Burn, Learmouth Ho, Learmouth: 

Name: Thomson, John, 1777- ca. 1840 Johnson, William, fl. 1806- 

1840. Title: Berwick-Shire. Imprint: Edinburgh: J. Thomson & Co., 1821. 

Pagination: 1 map : col. ; 514 x 673 mm., on sheet 525 x 736 mm. 

Shelfmark: EMS.s.712(3). Notes: View John Thomson's gazetteer or 

Consulting Index for this map. 

The next map shows two Learmouth villages which have acquired the 

names. Old Learmouth and New Learmouth. Old Learmouth is now located 

where Leirmouth was on the earliest map. 

Map 5. Old Learmouth and New Learmouth: Counties of Scotland, 

1580-1928. Name: Crawford, William, 1793-ca.1845. Brooke, William, fl. 

1835-47.Title: Map embracing extensive portions of the Counties of 

Roxburgh, Berwick, Selkirk & Midlothian and Part of Northumberland. 

Minutely & accurately surveyed… by Crawford and Brooke. Imprint: W. 

Forrester: Edinburgh, [1843] Pagination: 1 map on 9 sheets; 1292 x 1373 

cm., sheets 49 x 54 cm. Shelfmark: Newman 1097. 

32

The next map shows two Learmouth villages: East Learmouth 

became (Old Learmouth) and West Learmouth (New Learmouth) became as 

they are today. The Learmouth Burn (stream) is now called Willow Burn. 

Ordnance Survey One-inch "Popular" edition, Scotland, 1921-28. 

Map 6. West and East Learmouth: 

33

Map 7. Shows the current location of the villages of East and West 

Learmouth: 

Therefore the history of the phoneme Leir had its origin 

before Celtic times and was broadly distributed over the 

European continent and the British Isles. Learmonths could be 

proud of having the phoneme Leir as a part of the name as it is 

few thousands years old. 

34

Part 3. 

The Spelling of the Surname 

Before we examine the evolution of the spelling of the Learmonth 

surname we must firstly look at the history of the English language as it will 

be helpful in understanding how the spelling and meaning of the name 

evolved. 

Old English language (“The free encyclopedia on line”: 

http://en.wikipedia.org). 

Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English 

language that was spoken in England more or less between the years 500 and 

1150. It is a West Germanic language and therefore is similar to Old Frisian 

and Old Saxon. It is also quite similar to Old Norse and to modern Icelandic. 

Unlike modern English, Old English is a language rich with morphological 

diversity and is pronounced essentially as it was spelt. 

Old English was not static and its usage covered a period of some 700 

years or so from the Anglo-Saxon migrations into England around the midfifth 

century to some time after the Norman invasion of 1066 when the 

language underwent a major and dramatic transition. During this period of 

time it assimilated some aspects of the languages that it came in contact 

with, such as the Celtic languages and the two variants of the Scandinavian 

languages from the invading Norsemen who were occupying and controlling 

the Danelaw in northern and eastern England. 

The term Old English does not strictly refer to older varieties of 

Modern English such as found in Shakespeare or the King James Bible, 

which is called Early Modern English by linguists. In some older works such 

as the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary, Old English refers to Middle 

English, or more specifically Middle English as used from 1150 to 1350, 

with older forms of the language referred to exclusively as Anglo-Saxon. 

Germanic origin 

The most important shaping force on Old English was its Germanic 

heritage in vocabulary, sentence, structure and the grammar that it shared 

with its sister languages in continental Europe. Some of these features were 

specific to the West Germanic language family to which Old English 

35

elongs, while some other features were inherited from the Proto Germanic 

language from which all Germanic languages are believed to have been 

derived. 

Though many of these links with the other Germanic languages have since 

been obscured by later linguistic influences, particularly Norman French, 

many remain even in modern English 

Latin influence 

The influence of Latin on Old English should not be ignored. A large 

percentage of the educated and literate population of monks, clerics, etc 

were competent in Latin, which was then the prevalent lingua franca of 

Europe. It is sometimes possible to give approximate dates for the entry of 

individual Latin words into Old English based on which patterns of 

linguistic change they have undergone, though this is not always reliable. 

There were at least three notable periods of Latin influence. The first 

occurred before the ancestral Saxons left continental Europe for England. 

The second began when the Anglo Saxons were converted to Christianity 

and Latin speaking priests became widespread. However, the largest single 

transfer of Latin based words occurred following the Norman invasion of 

1066, after which an enormous number of Norman French words entered the 

language. Most of these words were themselves derived ultimately from 

classical Latin, although a notable stock of Norse words were introduced, or 

reintroduced in Norman form. The Norman Conquest marks approximately 

the ending of Old English and the advent of Middle English 

Viking influence 

The second major source of loan words into Old English were the 

Scandinavian words introduced during the Viking raids of the ninth and 

tenth centuries. The Vikings spoke Old Norse, a language that is related to 

English in that they both derive from the same ancestral Germanic language 

Celtic influence 

The number of Celtic loan words is of a much lower order than either 

Latin or Scandinavian. As few as twelve loan words have been identified as 

being certainly Celtic. Out of all the known and suspected Celtic loan words, 

most are names of geographical features, and especially rivers 

(http://asstudents.unco.edu). 

36

The thorn is derived from the Germanic runic writing system; the 

others are modifications of roman letters. Old English also had no need of 

some of the letters we use now: ‘k,’ ‘q,’ ‘x,’ and ‘z’ rarely appear in OE 

texts; ‘j’ and ‘v’ were not invented until much later. (OE manuscripts also 

used a runic symbol for ‘w,’ but in modern printed texts, a regular ‘w’ is 

usually used.) 

Table 1. 

Evolution of the spelling of the name of the village called Learmouth 

and the Learmonth surname 

Year Source Spelling Place Spelling 

surname 

1117 Temporary Marching 

Camp, 

12th and 

13th 

centuries 

Pipe Rolls and Assize 

Rolls for Northumberland 

(1130) 

Leuremue 

Livermue, 

Levermue, 

Leverneme 

Notes 

12th and 13th centuries. 

1293 Pipe Rolls and Assize 

Rolls for Northumberland 

Len’muth 

Leu’muth 

First 

recorded 

12th and 13th 

centuries 

Ivan Learmouth, 

personal communication 

Leu’muth 

1408 The Surnames of 

Scotland. Their origin, 

meaning, and history 

William de 

Leirmonthe 

By George F Black, PhD, 

first printing 1946, at the 

New York Public Library. 

1413 George F Black Andrea de 

Lermwth 

1426 George F Black Andrea de 

Lermonth 

37

1434 George F Black Alexander 

Leyremonthe/ 

Leremonthe 

1454 George F Black Jacobus 

Lermonth 

1479 George F Black William of 

Lermonth/ 

1560- 

1614 

1495- 

1600 

Blaeu Atlas of 

Scotland/Pont, Timothy 

www.scotlandspeople.gov. 

uk 

Leirmouth 

Lewrmonth 

Lermont 

Learmonth 

Lermond 

Different 

spellings 

could 

happen in 

one family. 

Lermonth 

Leirmont 

1580- 

1732 

Blaeu Atlas of Learmouth 

Scotland/the Shier of 

Berwick, alias the Mer or 

March and Lauderdale, by 

H. Moll, geographer 

Larmount 

Lairmont 

Leirmonth 

Lermonthe 

Leirmount 

Leirmont 

With the 

first root 

Leir and 

with the 

different 

corruptions 

of “mouth” 

spelling was 

mainly 

distributed 

in the Kelso 

area in 

1580-1600 

38

current 

time 

www.multimap.com 

Personal visit to Scotland 

by authors of this 

publication in 2001, 2005. 

Learmouth 


spelling is 

the name 

mostly 

widely 

distributed 

References 

1. «Roman Camps in England - The Field Archaeology by the R.C.H.M.E»; 

«Temporary Marching Camp East Learmouth, Northumberland»; The Oxford Dictionary 

of English Place-Names by A.D. Mills, Oxford 1991; Guy De La Bedoyere Roman 

Britain: A New History, 2006). 

2. The Great Rolls of the Exchequer: Feet of Fines in the Public records office of 

the Seventh and eighth years of King Richard I, A.D. 1196 to A.D. 1197, London: printed 

by Wyman & Sons. Lim., Great Queen Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, 1896; page 43, 

Suffolk, Ric. I, № 24, 3 Dec. 1196 

3. Rotuli de libertate ac de misis et Praesttitis, Regnante Johanne”. Cura T. Duffus 

Hardy, London, 1844, pages: 52, 72, 95 

4. The oldest extant pipe roll dates from the 31st year of the reign of Henry I 

(1130), 

5. Pipe Rolls and Assize Rolls for Northumberland 12th and 13th centuries 

6. Calendar of memoranda rolls (Exchequer) preserved in the Public Record 

Office: Michaelmas 1326, Michaelmas 1327. London, H.M.S.O., 1968, pages 382-385, 

2271: xxiv 

7. Ivan Learmouth, personal communication 

8. «The Surnames of Scotland. Their origin, meaning, and history» by George F 

Black, PhD, first printing 1946, at the New York Public Library. 











14. Blaeu Atlas of Scotland (Pont, Timothy), National Library of Scotland, 

Edinburgh; Еelectronic Library, www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk; Records of Moray county 

(Registrum Moraviense); personal communication, Pluscarden Abbey, Elgin, Moray, 

Scotland, UK. 

15. Blaeu Atlas of Scotland/the Shier of Berwick, alias the Mer or March and 

Lauderdale, by H. Moll, geographer, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, 

Еelectronic Library; www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. 

39

16. Personal visit of Scotland by authors of this publication in 2001, 2005, 2006; 

Analysis of the information detailed in the above table shows that the 

evolution of the spelling of the village of Learmouth was approximately 

parallel with that of the evolution of Learmonth. The earliest recorded 

Learmonth’s were William de Leirmonthe (1408), Andrea de Lermonth 

(1413 - 1426) and William of Lermonth / Lewrmonth (1479). That probably 

means that these people were called by the land / place that they owned or 

were from, which was almost certain to have been the village of Learmouth. 

The earliest spelling of the Learmouth village was Leuremue 

(1117AD). We know that in that period it was written as it sounded. It is also 

quite possible that it could also have been written as Lueuremue because 

Leuremue and Lueuremue would sound the same. 

Based on the above information we can try to identify which roots 

might fit the origin of the name of the Leuremue village. The references on 

the original manuscripts are dated after the time of William the Conqueror 

which was when the Old English language started to change to Middle 

English. 

The following table details words from the Old English language that 

may have a connection with the roots Leure and mue. 

Table 2. 

Word root’s from Old English 

http://home.comcast.net/~modean52/oeme_dictionaries.htm 

Old to Modern and Modern to Old English Dictionaries 

Word Alternative Meaning 

leafer 

Rush or bed of 

rush (in this case 

growing profusely in 

the river) 

léoflic 

adj dear, lovable, 

pleasant, beautiful, 

delightful; precious, 

40

valued; adv ~líce 

léoht 

light, not heavy; 

slight, easy, trifling, 

inconsiderable; quick, 

agile; gentle; 2. n (-es/-) 

light, daylight; power 

of vision; luminary; 

world; 3. adj luminous, 

bright, light, clear, 

resplendent, renowned, 

beautiful 

léohtlic 

light, of little weight or 

importance; adv ~líce 

lightly, slightly; 

inconsiderately; easily, 

quickly; gently, softly, 

slowly; 2. adj bright, 

radiant 

léohtmód 

adj easy-going 

lere lyre lyre [] m (-es/-as) loss, 

destruction, damage, 

hurt [léosan] 

léwer léower léoðweorc [] n (-es/-) 

poetry 

líeht 

see léoht-, líht- 

líðelic 

Muoa 

light, daylight; power 

of vision; luminary; 

world; 3. adj luminous, 

bright, light, clear, 

resplendent, renowned, 

beautiful 

adj gentle, soft, mild; 

adv ~líce 

Mouth of the river 

41

It is quite obvious that there are no roots for Leuremue: Leure and 

mue that could be pronounced as they are written according to the customary 

/ tradition of the Old English language. We therefore in the following table 

illustrate words from the Old French language (As old as we could find 

which could be said to be the Middle French language). 

Table 3. 

Root’s word from Old French 1611 

A dictionarie of the French and English tongues, de Randle Cotgrave 

(1611) dictionnaire français: (http://www.pbm.com). 

Word Alternative Meaning 

1 Lar A mans chiefe house; the right, or 

inberitance of his eldst sonne 

Bayonnois 

2 Lar Fat Bekon, yhe fat of Bakon, or of 

Porke, a Fliich of Bakon; the tree of 

a addle 

3 Lerre Atheefe Athee an Atheist; one that believes 

there is no God 

4 Leu m. as Lieu A place; and bence 

5 Leu m. Leue f. red, perused 

6 Leur their 

7 Levre A lip (also an Otter Savoyard 

8 Leurre f. A Lure allure attract, decoy 

(Faulkone/Faul 

con) 

lure 

9 Leve m. A tricke, at cards 

10 Leve f. A Mallet f. 

11 Leve: m. ee: f. Lifted, raised, reared, beaued, 

boisted, elevated, aduanced, 

leauned, 

leuied, risen, arised, got, or growne 

42

up 

12 Lever To lift, reise, reare, elevate, 

advance, boyse, beaue, or set up, to 

leuie, 

Lever 

Maur 

Lever 

to leauen 

Lucio in Latin Great Light [History of Christianity 

(p 26)] 

lever 

1297, from O.Fr. levier "a lifter, a 

lever," agent noun from lever "to 

raise," from L. levare "to raise," 

from levis "light" in weight, from 

(Middle English, from Old French 

levier, from lever, to raise, from 

Latin levre, from levis, light; see 

legwh- in Indo- 

European roots). 

(http://www.yourdictionary.com/ah 

d/l/l0138200.html) 

legwh- 

Light, having little weight. 

Derivatives include levity, carnival, 

elevate, leprechaun, and lung. 

Suffixed form *legwh-t-. 

LIGHT2, from Old English lht, 

loht, light; 

LIGHTER2, from Old English 

lhtan, to lighten. Both a and b from 

Germanic *lht(j)az. 

43

Suffixed form *legwh-wi-. 

LEAVEN, LEVER, LEVITY; 

ALLEVIATE, CARNIVAL, 

ELEVATE, LEGERDEMAIN, 

MEZZO-RELIEVO, RELEVANT, 

RELIEVE, from Latin levis, light, 

with its derivative levre, to lighten, 

raise. 

Levier Leauer An Iron crow (***), or wooden 

barre to lift up things 

13 Leveur m. a raiser, lifter, advancer, boyser, 

or beauey uu of, , 

a levier (imposition or collection),, 

a leauener (leavener) 

14 Liairre lierre 

15 Lier m. the allay of coyne (coine) 

16 Lier To try, bind, fasten, haltey, setter, 

soulder, vnite, combine, oblige, or 

make bcholden (beholden-) 

17 Lieve Leve 

18 Lire The musical instrument Lyra 

19 Lire To read 

20 Lieu m. a place; room; seat; stead, a 

qualitie, calling, degree, state, 

credit, account; 

house, dwelling, place; hence 

21 Lieu 

A mannor-house Norm 

chevels 

22 Lueure Light, brightneness, glistering, a 

casting forth of beames. 

23 Lueux m. eufe Light, brite, splendent, sbining 

(shining), glittering, glistering 

24 Meu m. meue f. moued, stirred, remouted 

(remount ), iogged, magged; 

44

troubled; induced, inclined, 

persuated, 

25 Meur m. meure Ripe, mature, mellow, discreet, 

considerate, aduifed, settled, stayed 

26 Meure f. A Mulberrie,Mulberries 

27 Mue A change, or changing; (hence) any 

casting of the coat, or skin, as the 

muing of the Hawke; the age, or 

year of age, of an intermure, or 

white Hawke; Hawkes mue; a Mue, 

or Coope where in fowle is fattened 

28 Mue m. ee f. change, altered, transformed, 

metamorphose, ; mued, renued ; 

cast, as the coat, or skin, 

29 Muere To change, alter, transforme, 

transfigure, difguise disguise, 

translate, shift, varie; to mue, to cast 

the bead ; coat, skin 

30 Muerier meurier A mulberrie tree; of two principle 

kind, a white, and a black one 

It can be seen that there are several French origin roots for Leuremue: 

Leure and mue that can be found in the above table. As they probably would 

be pronounced as they were written according to the customary / tradition of 

the Old / Early Middle English language so they fit the root Leure 

Leu/ Lieu-place, (a manor-house Norm) 

Leu/ Leue -red 

Leurre- lure (temptation) attractive 

Lueure - Light, brightness, glistering 

45

The meaning of the Leue, Leurre, Lueure could be considered similar 

as there is a similar meaning of red, lure, light, brightness, glistering 

Mue and muere means change, alter, transform, moving. 

Leu-mue might be translated from the Old French as a change of 

place. 

Leurre and Lueure-mue might mean moving light, or the moving of 

something glistering which could be moving clear water. 

If we consider that the root leure is the onomastic of the phoneme leir. 

There are many different spellings of leir depending on the era, the specific 

language and dialect which people used in particular locations as Leir, Leira, 

Leiro, Leire, Leyre, Leure, Lejre, Loire. The phoneme leir is a word 

describing being connected to water or with features or places where water 

can come into being, or places near dwellings. 

In considering the above evidence it would appear that a person or 

people from France relocated to the village now called Learmouth in the 

early XI century and brought the symbolic name to the new land. The name 

Leuremue which was probably written differently in the 11 th century but 

sounded similar had its origins in France. Further evidence of a French 

connection for this name is the place name Leure inhabited since 11th 

century and known for the building of vessels in Brittany. 

(http://www.ac-rouen.fr/colleges/pagnol-lehavre/1998 

2003/Travaux/Reporteure/Histeure.html). 

There is also the name Leure in the "Center Valley of the Loire" in 

France. However let us concentrate on Leuremue. In the 12 th 13 th centuries 

the place name changed and became Livermue, Levermue and Levernemue. 

Again we can see that the origin of the name had the old French root Lever 

that means to raise, from the Latin levre, from levis, light. The Middle 

English lever has its origin from the Old French levier or lever. The Lever 

Maur or “The Great Light” was the nickname of Lucius, king of the Britons 

in the 2 nd century. The History of the Christian Church, Volume IV: 

Mediaeval Christianity. A.D. 590-1073. Creator(s): Schaff, Philip (1819- 

1893). So Lever with the meaning Light was used in theological literature. 

We can therefore conclude that the root Leure was interpreted in general as 

Light using the root Lever. 

46

At approximately the same time in 1242 the name of the modern place 

Learchild appeared as Levericheheld, Leverilcheld, Levericheshille (Extract 

of the chart Ordnance Survey: Map of Roman Britain). 

The Latin Leofrici Villa was transformed to Old English Leverington, 

Cambrigeshure. The Liar Flux became the River Liver, in Lancashire. (A 

List of the Latin Names of Places in Great Britain and Ireland: 

http://comp.uark.edu/~mreynold/recint2.htm). 

The historical, geographers of ancient times (XII - XIII centuries) 

transformed the roots Leure, Leofrici / Leofric, Liar into the root 

Lever/Liver. This therefore could indicate that they interpreted our listed 

roots in similar ways. We have already considered the root Leure and accept 

that it might mean light, gleaming, glistening. Leofric has its origin from the 

Old English léohtlic that means light, bright. The root Liar connected with 

Flux, is a burn or running water and was most probably associated with the 

ancient phoneme Leir, so again had the meaning of running water. 

At the beginning of the XIII century the village named Leuremue 

became Leu’muth. This change was most probably influenced by the new 

era and the transformation of the language. The root mue is similar to the 

Old English “múða /muoa” which means “a mouth of the river”. The 

geographic location of the village of Leuremue is at the confluence of a 

small burn with the river Tweed. The root muth is the Old Frisian word for 

mouth (http://orel.rsl.ru/nettext/foreign/tolkien/ruk.htm ). 

We cannot be sure as to the exact date when the village came to be 

called Leu’muth. However we can be reasonably certain that it was 

sometime during the XIV / XV centuries when the village came to be called 

Leirmouth. A curious thing then seems to have happened, the first root 

Leu/Leure became Leir and acquired the final but ancient meaning of 

running, flowing water which is always sparkling in the sun when the 

weather is beautiful. The root “muth” became mouth as the mouth of the 

river. 

We found about 40 different spellings of the Leirmonth surname; 

however all are very similar and are closely connected to the original 

spelling in the sense of how it sounds and the meaning. The surname 

Leirmonth has not been corrupted over the years when compared with other 

Scottish and English surnames of different origins. This maybe explained by 

47

the roots of the surname. The root (phoneme) ‘leir’ and its multiple 

onomastics despite it being very ancient has survived over many centuries in 

different cultures because of its universal meaning. ‘Leir” which was used 

by the Celts (Sea God Leir); by the Scandinavian people (the ancient Dane 

Holy City Lejre/Leire), by the Europeans (particularly in France and Spain), 

by the Irish, Scottish, and English nations. Therefore the same is true for the 

Leirmonth surname. 

The first record of the Learmonth surname spelt as Leirmonth was 

William de Leirmonthe he was recorded as a juror at an inquest held in 

Swinton in 1408. It would be true to say that his name (Leirmonthe) was a 

corrupted spelling of Leirmouth. The particle “de” means that this William 

was from the place Leirmouth or was the owner of the land or village called 

Leirmouth. In this case the second root ‘mouth’ was substituted with 

‘month’. This was very common occurrence for English / Scottish surnames. 

We give just one example. Geoffrey of Monmouth (mn´mth) (key), c.1100– 

1154, English author. He was probably born at Monmouth and was of either 

Breton or of Welsh descent. Monmouth is a traditional historic town in south 

Wales, the county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is 

situated at the confluence of the River Wye and the River Monnow, and 

hence the name Monmouth this is an abbreviation of 'Monnow Mouth'. His 

work had great influence on Wace, Layamon, and many other chroniclers of 

the Middle Ages. Another work attributed to him, the Vita Merlini (1148), 

which influenced later stories of Arthur and Merlin. 

When reading accounts of the history of the British Isles Geoffrey of 

Monmouth is one of the most often cited authors. He is often referred to as 

Geoffrey of Monmouth, or Geoffrrey of Monmonth, and Geoffrey 

Monmonth (http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Monmouth). 

Therefore the same transformation of the root ‘mouth’ to root ‘month’ 

happened with the passing years in the name Leirmouth. to Leirmonth this 

form just became more acceptable. The same being true for ‘mond’ to 

‘mont’ in the English interpretation. 

Regarding the phoneme ‘leir’ we believe this was transformed to 

‘lear’ somewhere around the year 1600. This change was influenced by the 

Shakespeare play “King Leir”. 

48

“CORDELIA, KING LEAR AND HIS FOOL”. CHAPTER I. A PLAY FOR 

KING JAMES I. 

It was during the festive season of 1606 that Shakespeare first 

performed King Lear before King James I and possibly his family. We may 

be sure that when James and the then Dukes of Cornwall and Albany sat 

down to watch Shakespeare's production of King Lear, they were already 

very familiar with the rich folklore surrounding this legendary king of 

England who was supposed to have lived some 800 years earlier. It is 

perhaps hard for us to realize that the tale was then already a hundred or 

more years older than Shakespeare's version, and was probably as well 

known to Jacobean audiences as the cognate tale of Cinderella is to us today. 

A number of competing versions of the tale were in circulation at the time. 

It was less than thirty years since John Higgins had given his account 

of the tragic end of Cordila in “The Mirror for Magistrates” (1578). In this 

work, which closes with a stern warning against suicide, Cordila takes her 

own life in prison after failing to gain the throne of England from her evil 

sisters' sons. It is evident from the text of King Lear that Shakespeare was 

familiar with Higgins's work. However before Shakespeare's production 

there was another anonymous dramatic version: “The True Chronicle 

History of King Leir, and his three daughters, Gonorill, Ragan, and 

Cordella”. 

Published in 1605, it reversed the fortunes of Cordella who with the 

help of the King of France restores her father to the English throne and has a 

happy ending. According to the title page of this version it had recently been 

acted in different places at different times. Whether James had seen or read 

this version and commanded a performance of the tale by Shakespeare's 

troupe, or whether Shakespeare had been looking out for a suitable play to 

perform before his majesty during the festive season, we do not know. But 

we do know that Shakespeare in adapting the many versions of the story and 

other legendary material fashioned his own version for the performance 

before King James. 

At a later date, we believe, Shakespeare modified the presentation that he 

had made before King James for subsequent presentation to the general 

public at the Globe. Then in 1608, perhaps after public performances had 

been running at the Globe for some time, the play, as it had been performed 

before James, was published in the Quarto (single play) edition under the 

title : M. William Shakespeare, his “True Chronicle History of the Life and 

49

Death of King Lear, and his three Daughters”.“With the unfortunate life of 

Edgar, sonne and heire to the Earle of Glocester, and the sullen and assumed 

humour of Tom of Bedlam.” 

This believed changed the spelling of Leir to Lear and Leirmonth to 

Learmonth, and this spelling is still in use at modern times. 

50

Part 4. 

Learmonth’s Origin in the British Isles. 

When was the Learmonth surname first mention in historical papers? 

We know that the surname Learmonth/Leirmonth appeared in the British 

Isles before 1057 in connection with the reign of Malcolm III in Scotland 

and Edward the Confessor in England. 

In the early 1000's, Malcolm II emerged as the first ruler of Scotland 

roughly as we know it today. Malcolm succeeded as king in 1005. By about 

1018, he had won control of Lothian and had his lordship was recognized in 

Strathclyde. But Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles, all of which had 

long since been conquered by the Vikings lay outside his kingdom. 

Robert the Pious, King of France, died to be followed by his eldest 

son Henry. Canute travels to Scotland in 1031 where he forces the Scottish 

Kings into submission [http://www.druidcircle.net/timeline-10.html] 

In about 1034, Malcolm's II grandson, Duncan I, succeeded to the 

throne he was a weak king and so in 1040, one of Duncan's generals, 

Macbeth, defeated and killed him in battle. Macbeth seized the throne and 

proved to be a strong ruler. Godwin Earl of Wessex had been a threat to 

Edward’s throne since the year 1053 and with Macbeth a strong independent 

ruler in Scotland Edward felt threatened by this situation. He was a 

essentially a peaceful ruler and wanted to see a king in Scotland who would 

support his policies and an end to the Earl of Wessex. This is why he 

accepted the support of Siward a Danish warrior, who had come to England 

with King Canute. At the behest of King Harthacanute in 1041 Siward 

ravaged Worcestershire and perhaps murdered Eadwulf of Northumbria, 

thereafter Siward was himself Earl of Northumbria. In 1051 he supported 

Edward the Confessor against Godwin Earl of Wessex and in 1054 he 

defeated Macbeth, king of Scotland, on behalf of Siward’s nephew, later 

Malcolm III. But Macbeth clung to the Kingship until 1057, his stepson 

Lulach succeeded him but reigned for only a short period. 

The year 1057 was decisive for Malcolm III in his struggle for the 

Scottish throne. He was supported by the English King Edward Confessor 

and his uncle Siward the Earl of Northumbria. The main events happened in 

Forfar Castle which is reported to have stood on an island at the east end of 

Forfar Loch. 

51

This castle had been used as a base by Malcolm II in 1012 for the 

raising of an army to repel the Danish invaders under Canus, resulting in 

victories at Aberlemno and Barry. 

In Malcolm’s III times the Loch was much larger than it is now and 

the Castle Hill was very probably an island at its east end. The mound 

formerly known as "the Hill", to the west of Castle Hill, has since time 

immemorial been known as "The Manor" as place names continue to testify. 

This area, too, in early times, may have been an island but its gentler slopes 

support its traditional role of "Queen's manoure" or "pleasaunce". Castle 

Hill is slightly higher and has the support of tradition for its claim to have 

been the site of King Malcolm's Castle, to which he retired soon after his 

victories over Macbeth in 1051 and in 1054. 

In the year 1057 he held a "Parliament" or”The General Council” in 

Forfar. Below we illustrate extracts from several documents from the 

proceedings of this Parliament that include the Leirmond /Leirmonth/ 

Leirmouth surname which became part of both Scottish and English history. 

According to “William Stewart (“Buik of the Croniclus of Scotland; 

or A metrical Version of the History of Hector Boece” by William Stewart, 

edited by William B. Turnbull, London, 1858, p 664)) in his metrical 

vernacular version of the History of Scotland Hector Boece in 1526 states 

that a general council held at Forfar in 1057 (other sources in 1061) 

directed his chief subjects to adopt surnames from their territorial 

possessions, and there created ‘The first erlis that euir was in Scotland.’ 

“Mony surename also les and moir, wes maid that tyme quhilk wes nocht of 

befoir. As Calder, Lokart, Gordoun, and Setoun, Gallows, Lauder, Wawane, 

and Libertoun, Meldrum, Schaw, Leirmond, and Cargill, Stratherne, Rattray, 

Dundas als thairtill, With Cokburne, Mar, and Abircrumby, Myretoun, 

52

Menzeis, and also Leslie.” (p. 664). The surname Leirmonth is also 

appearing on the page 135 of the same William Stewart’s book. 

The other document is a fragment of page 72 from the book 

(“The lives and Characters of the most Eminent Writers of he Scots 

Nation” by George Mackenzie (1636-1690), MD, published in Edinburgh, 

1708, last edition 1971; v. II, chapter “The life of William Elphinston” 

(1431-1514), page 72). It would be important to say that the celebrated 

Hector Boece was the first principle in Elphinston’s College in Aberdeen, in 

~ 1506, when he was recalled from Paris. Bishop Elphinston also composed 

a history of Scotland, from the earliest period of her history, down to his 

own time; which is still preserved in the Bodleian library at Oxford. There is 

a strong suggestion that Hector Boece used this materials in his a history of 

Scotland in Latin (Boethius, Hector ‘Scotorum historiae”, Paris: Iodocus 

Badius Ascensius, 1526). 

“The lives and Characters of the most Eminent Writers of he Scots 

Nation” by George Mackenzie (1636-1690), MD, published in Edinburgh, 

1708, last edition 1971; v. II, chapter “The life of William Elphinston” 

(1431-1514), page 72: 

In these two accounts of the supporters of Malcolm III the surname 

Leirmouth / Leirmouth is included but it is written with two different 

53

spellings which is not unusual. Note that the second account from Boece’s 

History of Scotland indicates that Leirmouth came from England. 

According to this book these individuals received Lands and Dignities 

from Malcolm III and they also became progenitors of the Ancient Families. 

Another reference in “The Scotch-Irish or the Scot in North Britain, 

North Ireland, and North America. Chapter XVIII. The Angles” (Hanna, 

Charles A. “The Scotch-Irish or the Scot in North Britain, North Ireland and 

North America”, Vol. 2, New York, NY: Putnam, 1902): 

"Mony Jnglishmen in lyke maner of hich kin and blude followeat him 

[Malcolm Canmore] into Scotland, quhome the king of his liberalitie 

promouet til Dignities, because stoutlie thay had stande with him in his 

defence against his ennimies of quhilkes war Calder, Lockhart, Gordoun, 

Setoun, Lauder, Wawn, Meldroun, Schaw, Lermont, Libertoun, Straquhin, 

Rotray, Dundas, Cockburne, Myrtom, Jnglis, Leslye, Cargill, Cuilra, Mar, 

Meinzies, Abbercrummie, the chiefest: of thir mony nobile houses have tane 

the beginning. The name lykewyse mony have receivet frome their fortitude 

and mony fra the land quhair thay duell” 

The spelling Lermont is obviously the Latin influence of spelling of 

Leirmonth. 

These early documents are proof that the Leirmouth / Leirmond / Leirmonth 

/ Lermont surname was recorded in both English and Scottish history and 

shows that the Leirmouth family participated in the historical designative 

events which will predetermine the destiny of the coming years in England 

and Scotland. 

The next document was unexpectedly found in Russia in 1688. 

During the 16th and 17th centuries, tens of thousands of Scots fought as 

mercenaries (the professional soldiers who were part of an independent 

company or regiment serving under contract for pay in a foreign army) all 

across Europe. From the Scottish Brigade that served in the Low Countries 

for 300 years, to the regiments serving in Poland, and the Scottish officers 

fighting under Peter the Great, one of Scotland's largest exports has been 

fighting men. During the 30 Years War (1618-1648), 20-30,000 Highland 

Scots fought for Gustavus (http://www.clanntartan.org). 

A significant number the Scots-soldiers were in an army raised for 

Speech Pospolitoj. Sigizmund III equipped in 1598 for an expedition to 

master the crown of Sweden. This included in its structure, Poles Hungarians 

and Scots. 

54

In 1613 the Polsko-Lithuanian garrison were besieged in a fortress 

called “Belaya” (which means White) nowadays called Belaya which is the 

regional center of the Smolensk area. A group from the Scottish garrison 

came over to join part of the Russian army. 

“One of them was George (son Henry?) Leirmont, an ensign and is 

the ancestor of a surname which in the first half of XIX century has 

immortalized itself by becoming the Great Russian poet Michael Jurevichem 

Lermontov. This George Leirmont has left his handwriting on two 

documents (A:" George Leirmont with my Hand "; B: " I George Leirmont 

with my hall company has under wirittin this wryiting thatt, this man is dead 

att this same day": “George Lermont-ancestor of Russian branch 

Lermontovs” by V.N. Storozhev, Moscow, May 10, 1894, appendix 5, page 

24). 

Vasili Storozhev (1866-1924). 

The descendents of this George Leirmont presented the proof of their 

Scottish origin in 1688 when they applied for the genealogy of the Russian 

Lermontov family. 

Below we illustrate a fragment from this book “George Leirmontancestor 

of Russian branch Lermontovs” by V.N. Storozhev, Moscow, May 

55

10, 1894, p.33. It will be firstly in Russian and then in English 

(interpretation by Tatiania Molchanova). 

English interpretation (literary) 

“And our relative had received in Scotland. 

At the year 1057 after Christ Scottish lands of the direct heir 

Milcolumbus 

(Malcolmus) were taken out by Tyrant Makbetus and Milcolumbus’s 

father Dankanus Third was killed by this Tyrant. 

And Milcolumbus received favors from English King Edwardus as a 

result King had ordered Milcolumbus to accept any person which would 

like to go with him to return his natural Kingdom. 

Many noble men of English and French origin, together with others 

went with Milcolumbus, and they helped him to defeat those Tyrant 

Makbetus, and cleaned up Milcolumbus’s Scottish Kingdom. And he 

(Milcolumbus) granted them lands for their service, and Lermant was 

granted with land Rarsi (was later read as Darsie), which his heirs had 

owned till now. The witnesses of that are Gector Boeshuev, Yaganus Lesl 

and also other chroniclers” 

This was signed up with General and Lieutenant Peter Ivanovich 

Gordon and other colonels.” 

Remarks: 

There is a remarkable similarity in the spelling of Malcolm as Milcolumbus, 

56

Mackbeth as Makbetus, and Duncan as Dankanus in the Russian document. 

This spelling is very much like the spelling like Latin written old documents: 

“Marianus has in 1057 "Macfinlaeg occiditur in Augusto;" and again, "Inde 

Macfin - laeg regnavit annis 17 ad eandem missam Sanctae Mariae" (15th 

August). Tighernac under 1057, "Macbethadh mic Findlaich Airdri 

(sovereign of) Alban domarbad do (slain by) Maelcolaim mic Dondcadha, to 

which the Ulster Annals add "i cath" (in battle) (Chron. Picts and Scots, pp. 

65, 78, 369; http://search.ancestry.com/db-scotirsh/P206.aspx). 

So this could mean that George Leirmont (in 1613-1634) or his 

grandchildren (in 1688) were familiar with old Latin documents, George 

Leirmont himself was obviously an educated man. 

The Russian Lermontovs referred to the historian John Leslie, who 

was born 29 th Sept 1527, in Scotland, and died May 31, 1596, near Brussels. 

An able historian, he left valuable accounts of the Catholic view of the 

events of this time. His 10-volume Latin History of Scotland (1578) was 

translated by James Dalrymple (ed. by E. G. Cody, 1888–95) (Encyclopædia 

Britannica Article). Lesley's account of the English origin of so many 

Scottish families is based on information from Boece and Hanna (Hanna 

Charles A. The Scottish-Irish or the Scot in North Britain, North Ireland and 

North America, Vol. 2, New York, NY: Putnam, 1902). 

The story of George Leirmont (Russia, 1613-1634) regarding the 

Learmonth origins is very similar to the other versions regarding the 

participation of the person or persons called Leirmouth / Lermont in the 

Malcolm-Macbeth war for the Scottish throne. 

These sources confirm that the Leirmonth surname is one of the 

oldest in Scotland / England and belongs to one of the most ancient 

Scottish families. 

The other question is, was the surname (Leirmonth) on the original 

documents spelt as it was written by the above historians? Or did they spell 

the surname as it would have been spelt in about the year 1500? We 

considered this in the chapter “Spelling of the Surname” and from this 

research we can now be sure that in 1054-1061 our surname would have 

been written as Leuremue or possibly Levermue and not spelt as in the 

Hector Boece manuscript namely Leirmonth / Leirmond. It is therefore quite 

clear that Boece and others translated the name to the recognized spelling of 

their time. 

We now look at a few possible explanations as to how an individual 

called Leirmonth came to settle in the in British Isles. 

57

In or about the year 1000 AD a considerable number of people came 

to Britain from the European continent for all kinds of reasons some were 

people of standing and substance possibly noble men. They were traders, 

mercenary soldiers, clerics and adventurers amongst these people was an 

individual called Leirmonth who either came specifically to support 

Malcolm 111 in his fight for the Scottish crown against Macbeth or more 

likely was attracted to become involved by the promise of land titles and 

glory. 

This individual is identified in these old records as English or coming 

from England which leads us to believe that he could have been one of the 

many Normans who came to England with Edward the Confessor in the year 

1040. Edward although born in England in 1003 had spent most of his 

childhood and his early adult life in Normandy returning to England at the 

request of the King his half brother Hardicanute. Edward became King in 

1042 after Hardicanute, died after a heavy drinking party. Edward’s first 

action as King was to deprive his mother of all her estates which reduced her 

to relative poverty. It is said that Edward blamed her for his miserable and 

lonely childhood. He appointed the Norman friends of his youth to all the 

principle offices of both the church and state and filled his court with 

Norman advisors. The English nobles were to say the least furious at the 

Kings actions so in an effort to make the peace with them Edward married 

Edith who was the daughter of Godwin Earl of Wessex, the most important 

nobleman in England. However they had no children as the marriage was 

never consummated because Edward had taken a vow of celibacy in 

accordance with his deep religious convictions, which gave him the 

nickname ‘Confessor’. In 1051 a number of Normans were killed in a brawl 

in Dover. Edward wanted the people of Dover to be punished for their 

actions so he ordered Earl Godwin to do this. Godwin refused and raised an 

army against the King, however the earls of Mercia and Northumbria 

remained loyal to Edward, therefore outnumbered, Godwin agreed to leave 

England and live in Flanders with his family. Between 1051 and 1052 

Edward increased the number of Normans who advised him at court. This 

further angered the English nobles so much so that in 1052 Earl Godwin 

returned to England with an army commanded by his sons Harold and 

Tostig. Edward finding that he was not supported against Godwin was 

forced to send back to Normandy many of his Norman advisors and was also 

forced to accept Godwin back into the kingdom and to return his estates. 

(http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/edward_the_confessor.htm). 

58

The following accounts give more details of the rein of Edward the 

Confessor: Robert of Jumièges was the archbishop of Canterbury (1051-2). 

Robert Champart was a Norman monk of St. Ouen at Rouen and was prior 

of that house in 1037 he was elected Abbot of Jumièges. The Abbeys of 

Jumièges and Fontenelle in Normandy were founded in about 680 AD by 

monks from the glorious and powerful Benedictine Abbey of Luxeuil, 

Burgundy. The Abbeys of Jumièges were under the rules of the Benedictine 

Order in 1000 AD and later on. As abbot Robert began to build the fine 

Norman abbey-church, and at this time he was able to be of service to St. 

Edward the Confessor, then an exile. When Edward returned to England as 

king in 1043 Robert accompanied him and was made Bishop of London in 

1044. In this capacity he became the head of the Norman party in opposition 

to the Saxon party under Godwin, and exerted supreme influence over the 

king. In 1051 Robert was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. (Catholic 

Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13097a.htm.). 

The other eminent person who came from France to England with 

Edward the Confessor was Leofric (Bishop of Exeter, died in 1072 

[http://www.btinternet.com/~timeref/hprl.htm). Leofricus (the Leuricus of 

Domesday Book) descended from an illustrious family in Burgundy, but 

reared and educated in Lorrain, had probably formed an acquaintance with 

Edward the Confessor abroad. Shortly after his accession to the English 

throne we meet Leofric as his chaplain, to whom he gave an estate now 

called Holcombe, in the parish of Dawlish, in the county of Devon. The 

district had greatly suffered from the incursions of pirates. Leofric 

contemplated a removal of his residence into the fortified city Exeter, the 

capital of Devonia. King Edward bestowed on Leofric the monastery of St. 

Mary and St. Peter in Exeter for his future residence, and, in the course of 

the year 1050, assisted with Editha his queen, at the installation of the 

bishop in the said abbey-church, in the presence of a numerous assemblage 

of the nobles of England (Lives of the Bishops of Exeter: http://www.exetercathedral.org.uk/Clergy/Oliver/01.html). 

Leofric proved a hard-working and wise prelate, and gave generously 

of lands and moneys to his church. He had found it but poorly furnished, the 

wardrobe only containing "one worthless priest's dress." He also 

remembered it in his will, and the great "Liber Exoniensis" was his gift 

(History of the Chuech of St. Mary and St. Peter in Exeter: 

http://gwydir.demon.co.uk). In 1061 Liofric witnessed the grant by King 

Edward the Confessor of the manor of Ottery St. Mary in this diocese to the 

cathedral church of Rouen. 

59

Leofric arms: Or, a cross fleuree, sable, having on the fess point a 

mitre proper. Gothic cross: cross fleuree. The Leofric arms bear the cross as 

on the medal of St. Benedictine: The arms that bears: Or a cross sable 

(Usually given as a cross flory or Patonce) as at the Leofric arms looks like 

the blazon below: 

(http://www.onyxgate.com/university/heraldry) . 

We can assume that Leofric was dedicated to the Benedictine rules. 

Edward the Confessor, King of England, gave several estates in 

Sussex to Fécamp Abbey. So prior to the Norman invasion, Sussex was 

subject to considerable Norman influence. Hastings, Rye, Steyning and 

Winchelsea fell under the jurisdiction of the Norman abbey of Fecamp 

(http://www.britishcounties.org/sussex). There was an abbey at the port of 

Fécamp as early as 662, although this was destroyed by Viking invasions 

two centuries later. By 915 William Longsword, son of Rollo, the first Duke 

of Normany, had chosen Fécamp as the site of a ducal palace and church. 

His son, Richard I established a new abbey there and Fécamp became a 

place of miracles and saints. The Abbey of Fécamp was dedicated to the 

Trinity. Its holy relics included the blood of Christ and a bone from the arm 

of Mary Magdalene. Richard I and Richard II, Dukes of Normandy, are 

buried in the Abbey Church beneath a single marble tomb stone. 

In the year 1001, when Saint William of Volpiano, the first Abbot, 

introduced a new style of reformed monasticism at Fécamp, it was much 

admired by the aristocracy. The Benedictine Abbey attracted immense 

wealth. Its influence dominated the religious foundations of Normandy and 

England until the death of William the Conqueror 

(http://freespace.virgin.net/doug.thompson/normandy/Fecamp.htm). 

At the time of Edward the Confessor the Yarcombe Parish was owned 

by a Benedictine monastery from St Michaels in France and administered 

from one of their monasteries in Cornwall. In or around the year of 1060 the 

Manor of Lapley, including the villages of Lapley and Wheaton Aston, and 

the hamlets of Marston (then and now in Church Eaton parish) and 

Hydesland (now incorporated in the hamlet of Longnor) gained as their 

landlords the Benedictine Abbey of St Remigius in Rheims, France. 

60

Edward the Confessor. 

But when Edward the Confessor filled his court with French bishops and French 

nobility made them earls and bishops, his undisguised preference for strangers gave no 

small offence to his English subjects. In the main, however, the king’s personal likes and 

dislikes mattered little to the realm, since he had a comparatively small share in its 

governance. He was habitually overruled and dominated by his earls, of whom three, 

Leofric (died in 1057), Godwine and Siwardall old servants of Canutehad far more power 

than their master. Holding respectively the great earldoms of West Mercia, Wessex and 

Northumbria, they reigned almost like petty sovereigns in their domains, and there 

seemed some chance that England might fall apart into semi-independent feudal states, 

just as France had done in the preceding century. The rivalries and intrigues of these three 

magnates constitute the main part of the domestic politics of Edwards reign. Godwine, 

whose daughter had wedded the king, was the most forcible and ambitious of the three, 

but his pre-eminence provoked a general League against him and in 1051 he was cast out 

of the kingdom with his sons. In the next year he returned in arms, raised Wessex in 

revolt, and compelled the king to in-law him again, to restore his earldom, and to dismiss 

with ignominy the Norman favorites who were hunted over seas. The old earl Godwine 

died in 1053, but was succeeded in power by his son Harold, who for thirteen years 

maintained an unbroken mastery over the king, and ruled England almost with the power 

of a regent.(http://www.themolloys.net/molloy/the%20anglo-saxon%20kings.htm, 

http://37.1911encyclopedia.org). 

Edward was not an ambitious; he was more content to feed the poor and to give 

shelter to strangers. As a young man he had made a vow to go on Pilgrimage to Rome, 

but once he became king he felt to do so would be an irresponsible act towards his 

kingdom. Instead he decided to found a monastery dedicated to St. Peter. Thus Edward's 

greatest achievement was the construction of the Abbey, where virtually all English 

monarchs from William the Conqueror (the next crowned king) onwards have been 

crowned. Instead of building a new Minster in London, Edward decided to refound an 

existing house at Thorney to the west of the city, hence the name Westminster, and it to 

be always to be under royal patronage. This Abbey was also to be the home for 

Benedictine monks, who it was for over five centuries, and there is still a close 

connection with the Benedictines. 

Now we would like to suggest you to look at the scheme presenting the main 

genealogical ties of the courts: English, Normandy, France, Flanders around the 

considering years (see the scheme). It might help us to imagine where persons came from 

Europe to the English court of the Edward the Confessor. Edward went to exile to 

Normandy when Richard II Duke of Normandy (The Good) and the grandfather of 

William the Bastard was stile alive. Edward lived in the Normandy through the reign of 

Robert I Duke of Normandy (The Devil) and he was there when William the Bastard was 

born in 1027. William was a son of Edward's first cousin and was the best- Norman loved 

relative. 

In considering the Norman/Picard border in the eleventh century, Pierre Bauduin 

notes a similar focus of ducal influence at Arques, where William the Conqueror’s uncle 

William was established from the late 1030s with the title of count. Another ducal cousin 

was established at Eu and by the second half of the eleventh century a comital dynasty 

was in place. It was in this area that the Norman dukes made greatest use of the politics 

61

of matrimony. A sister of Duke Robert II (1027–35) was married to Baldwin IV of 

Flanders; a ducal cousin, Godgifu, sister of Edward the Confessor, was married to the 

count of Boulogne; William the Conqueror married Matilda of Flanders. William’s sister 

Adelaide became the wife of the Count of Ponthieu. [Book “La première Normandie 

(Xe–XIe siècles): sur les frontières de la haute Normandie: identité et construction d’une 

principauté” by Pierre Bauduin, Université de Caen, reviewer Kathleen Thompson, 

University of Sheffield, publisher Caen: Presses Universitaires de Caen, 2004] 

At the outset of the 10 th century Belgium consisted of the cities of Flanders, 

unified under their strong Counts, and the less unified cities to the south and east of the 

Scheldt. As the Norse raids fell off and Europe's major kingdoms gradually stabilized, 

trade began to grow by leaps and bounds. For Flanders in particular, this was the 

beginning of a golden age. By importing wool from England and weaving it into fine 

cloth for sale on the continent, the Flemish cities became exceedingly wealthy, populous, 

and powerful. Around the year 867, Baldwin Iron Arm, the first Count of Flanders, 

decided to build a castle at the meeting of the Lieve and Leie rivers in order to thwart the 

depredations of the raiding Norsemen. A town soon grew up around the castle, and 

Baldwin adopted it as the seat of his domain in Ghent 

[http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/By_Region/Countries/Belgium/Complete 

_List]. 

The River Epte had delineated the border of Norman influence since the earliest 

cession to Rollo, but the authority of the archbishop of Rouen extended further south, and 

in the early eleventh century numerous Norman religious houses held lands on either side 

of this frontier. Here the Normans’ neighbours were the counts of Amiens, Valois and 

Vexin, with whom, from the mid tenth century, relations were generally cordial, 

culminating in the joint pilgrimage of Count Walter I and Duke Robert I of Normandy to 

the Holy Land in 1035[[Book “La première Normandie (Xe–XIe siècles): sur les 

frontières de la haute Normandie: identité et construction d’une principauté” by Pierre 

Bauduin, Université de Caen, reviewer Kathleen Thompson, University of Sheffield, 

publisher Caen: Presses Universitaires de Caen, 2004]. 

Adeliza of Normandy (Adelaide, Judith), daughter of Richard II, Duke of 

Normandy, and his wife Judith, daughter of Conan I, Duke of Brittany, marriage married 

1016 to Rainald I, Count of Burgundy and Macon (026 – 1057) (b. c 988 - d. 1057).Their 

son Guy of Burgundy (b. c 1026- d. after 1069) was a rival to William the Conqueror and 

the unsuccessful claimant to the ducal crown of Normandy. The Battle of Val-ès-Dunes 

was fought in 1047 by the combined forces of William, Duke of Normandy and King 

Henry I of France against the forces of several rebel Norman barons, led by Guy of 

Burgundy. As a result of winning the battle, William (later to be William the Conqueror) 

was able to retain his title and maintain control over the western half of his duchy. 

[http://www.abitofhistory.net; http://en.wikipedia.org.] 

During the rein of Edward the Confessor there were many individuals from 

France and Flanders who came to England to occupy an office or because it was seen as a 

place of opportunity. 

Edward was a very religious man who made many friends amongst 

the French priests, abbots, and bishops which leads us to consider the 

62

possibility of our ancient ancestor (Leirmonth) having a connection to the 

church. 

In the five hundred years or so following the arrival of Augustine (in 598) 

together with a band of missionary monks, the church took hold in England, setting down 

roots and thriving. It did have its down times, but it was able to persevere and continue 

through the difficult periods never losing sight of the original aim - to bring Christianity 

to a pagan nation. 

The last five years of Edgar’s reign (959-975) were the high point of the English 

monastic movement. Unfortunately, after Edgar’s death in 975, its good fortune did not 

continue. Almost immediately a violent anti-monastic reaction rose up from the Anglo- 

Saxon nobility. In the last twenty years of the tenth century, those monasteries founded 

during Edgar’s reign grew to full stature. Several new houses had been founded during 

the time of revival, including Hyde Abbey (965), Ramsey (969), Cerne (987), and 

Burton-on-Trent (1004). Revived monasteries include Malmesbury (970), Bath (944), 

Westminster (958), St Augustine’s at Canterbury (978), Abingdon (964-5), Peterborough 

(966), St Alban’s (969), Winchcombe (972), Hexham (975), and Ripon (980)). 

The monastic revival had reached its peak by the year 1000. England 

was now a Benedictine nation with at least one monastery in every diocese 

(“The Benedictine Centuries:Monasticism in Anglo-Saxon England, 597- 

1066” by Andrea Hakari, Luther Seminary). 

In fact, the years 600-1000 are often called the Benedictine centuries, 

so great is the influence of these Benedictine monks 

(www.britannia.com/church/bened.html). 

The other important impact in the history of Europe and England 

before 1000 AD was the development of the feudalism, and knighthood. 

After the Roman Empire crumbled, Europe came under a series of invasions by 

warriors skilled in fighting on horseback - Magyars, Mongols and others. 

To respond, local warriors developed their own equestrian skills and the knight 

was born. A line of charging knights with spears in hand could easily crush opposing foot 

soldiers. The knight became the most important warrior on the medieval battlefield. 

Though their social status varied throughout Western Europe, early knights were 

mostly free peasants, rather than nobles. 

Feudalism in this narrow sense is based on the historical reality of the area 

between the Loire and Rhine Rivers during the tenth and eleventh centuries 

(http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/mil/html). 

By the end of the 10th Century the feudal system was firmly 

established. By the 11th century, however, as the knight's military value 

increased, so did his status - knights were merging into the aristocracy. 

63

Within a century, they would be synonymous with the nobles and would 

bear the title of knight. 

For now, though, European rulers needed a way to pay these rising 

warriors. In a money-poor economy, land was the answer. In return for a 

parcel of land, the knight agreed to fight for the King. The knight's lands 

would be farmed by workers who generated the income essential for a wellequipped 

fighting man. The successful knight could also, in turn, have 

vassals. 

But at a time when the rule of law meant rule of the sword, knights 

often ran amuck. Worried that the resulting violence was threatening the 

Church's role (and property), Rome made a move in the 10th century to rein 

in errant knights by tying them to the Church. 

The resulting "Peace of God" edict, declared in 989 at a council of 

bishops in France, threatened sanctions against any who raided churches, 

attacked unarmed clergy or robbed peasants, merchants and those traveling 

to or from church. The "Truce of God," first appearing in the early 11th 

century, ordered knights to forgo war from Thursday through Sunday and on 

all saints and holy days. The knight had emerged as protectors of the 

Church. 

The mounted soldier - the knight or man-at-arms with armor and 

sword and lance - had become the undisputed master of the battlefield, able 

to sweep all before him in one mighty charge. Now there was, at first, no 

inherent notion of hereditary claim by a mounted soldier to the lands 

allocated for his support, but this began to evolve even as the new military 

system successfully beat off the various threats 

(http://www.hyw.com/books/history/Evolutio.htm). 

The nobles from France who were invited by Edward the Confessor to 

accompany and serve him in England would have also taken with them their 

guardsmen, or knights. The same would have been true for the bishops and 

even priests. So it is quite possible that our ancestor (Leirmonth) came to 

England before 1057 AD. 

So the knights (soldiers of fortune) were looking for land in England 

in exchange for their support in exactly the same way as they would have 

been paid with land grants in France for their service. It was therefore seen 

as an attractive deal for these individuals to fight on behalf of Malcolm in 

his battle for the Scottish throne particularly when Edward the Confessor 

was actively supporting Malcolm. 

Therefore a soldier of fortune possibly a knight with the surname that 

meant or sounded (very French-like) as “Leuremue” that would later become 

Leirmonth was counted among the English because although originally from 

64

France he was in England as one of Edward’s supporters. He was then sent 

along with others by the English King to fight for Malcolm with the promise 

of land and possibly titles as payment when Malcolm became King. 

Feudalism (the use of surnames) was already well developed in Europe at 

the end of the 9 th century. People possessed land. They started to travel for 

many different reasons to trade, or conquer new lands, religious pilgrimage 

etc. It was therefore necessary to differentiate between people with the same 

first name therefore surnames came to be used. These surnames came from 

different origins. Our surname fits the origin from a place or land (see 

chapter Surname Roots). Feudalism in England came into being during the 

rein of Edward the Confessor due to the influence of the Normans and 

because it became necessary to identify individuals who received or needed 

to make awards or payments. Prior to this the English were known by their 

given / Christian name. Our ancestor (Leirmonth) originally Leuremue 

may have had a connection to the port of Le Havre, which is one of the most 

important northern ports in France as there is a village / small town called 

‘Leure’ which was located in the immediate region of Le Havre 

(http://glecornu.club.fr/histoire.htm). 

A short history of the City of Harfleur (now part of the La Havre, department of 

Seine-at-Maritime, Prefecture Rouen): 10 th century: the birth of Norman history.. 

Rollon, or Roll the Walker would have come into Harfleur in the year 860 after 

the treaty from Clear St on Epte. Note: Clear saint on Epte, commune of the Valley of 

Oise. Charles the Bald concludes a treaty there in 911 a treaty with the Norman head 

Rollon, to which it recognized the possession of the territory that was thereafter called 

Normandy. The Normans rebuild the abbeys of (Jumièges - St Wandrille - the Nozzle 

Hellouin). Harfleur becomes the principal port of Normandy. In the year 1006: Richard 

II Duke of Normandy gives Harfleur to the monks of Fécamp (six hostelleries within 

Harfleur and 60 measurements of salt, principal richness of Harfleur at that time). Year 

1035: Robert II withdraws from Harfleur with Fécamp and gives it to the abbey of 

Montivilliers. The Benedictines receive it with all the rights of the Port as well as High 

and Low justice. Year 1040: Edward (Edouard), nephew of Richard starts from Harfleur 

with 40 vessels provided by Guillaume the Bastard to conquer the throne of England 

occupied by Hardicanute his uterine (half) brother. The escort was huge as it had 40 

vessels. One can assume that there were members of Edward’s court from Rouen, 

prelates (high rank church officials) and many knight and guards. As already said at this 

time Harfleur was owned by Benedictines so it would be fair to assume that the prelates 

and knights were members of the Benedictine Order. The village of Leure, inhabited 

since the XI° century by paludiers and sailor-fishermen, has a natural split protected from 

the sea by benches of rollers forming a deep water port, it had an overall length of 

approximately 1,500 meters and a width of 120 meters open at both ends. 

65

The ships came in to take refuge in the split of Leure during bad weather. In the 

Middle Ages, there were salt works close to this village. Leure is mentioned many times 

in the history of Harfleur, (1000-1500 AD) as a strategically essential place in the 

communications between the countries of Northern and Southern Europe. 

It is a curious coincidence that “Leure” (the village in Harfleur) is the same as the 

first part of the name Leuremue the village in Northumbria founded by our ancestors. We 

of course cannot be sure that it is not just a coincidence but could it be possible that an 

individual who came from this village (Leure) as a member or part of the escort for 

Edward the Confessor in 1040 AD could be the same person who founded Leuremue? 

The port of Harfleur at this time was under the control of the Benedictines. The 

Benedictines having all the rights of the Port as well as High and Low justice. So this 

individual may have taken Leure as part of his name when he became a knight of the 

Benedictine Order. The second root “Muere/ Mue of the Leuremue surname has a general 

meaning of “change, altered, transformed”. So the complete name Leuremue could mean 

Leure was changed or altered to fit another place or to become a persons name. 

We already have conformation of the great power of the Benedictine Abbeys in 

1000 AD. The map that we illustrate below, shows the locations of a few Benedictine 

Abbeys in the area of the port of Harfleur and the village of Leure. 

1. Abbaye de NotreDame de Montivilliers, williers, Seine-Maritime), founded in 

682 AD the Benedictine Abbey, (archives AD) 

2. The construction of Notre-Dame-sur-l’Eau (Our Lady on the Water) or Sainte- 

Marie of Domfront dates from the early 12th century. Built on the bank of the river 

66

Varenne - hence its name - it was a stopping place for the pilgrims walking from Paris to 

the Mont Saint-Michel. 

3. Abbey of Fecamp founded m 658 AD, the Benedictine Abbey. 

4. Ablaye de La Croix-Saint-Leufroy, (La Croix-Saint Leufroy, Eure), 

benedictines. St Leufroy (Leufredus), founder of the Benedictine monastery at La-Croix 

Saint Ouen (Audoenus), who died 21 June, 738, and his brother St. Aifroy (Agofredus), 

who succeeded him (http://newadvent.org ) Diocese of Evreux, Evreux 

5. Abiaye Notre-Dame dc Lyre, (La Vieille-Lyre, Eure), found in 1045 AD, 

(archives AD) 

6. The Abbeys of Jumieges in Normandy were founded in about 680 AD by 

monks from the glorious and powerful Benedictine Abbey of Luxeuil, Burgundy. The 

Abbeys of Jumieges, were under the rules of de Benedictine Order in 1000 AD and later 

on. 

The name of the Notre-Dame-sur-l’Eau Abbey requires further explanation. 

(Our Lady on the water). The part of the name l'Eau" used with the meaning 

“water” demonstrates brilliantly that phoneme "Leau"/'Leure" (they sound similar) had 

the meaning of water in the vocabulary of the Medieval people. This root could be 

borrowed from the place name or surname by somebody who travels from the original 

dwelling. The same explanation could be attributed to the name of the Abbey Notre- 

Dame de Lyre. 

The ancient Benedictine Abbey de La Croix-Saint Leufroy could well be the 

source of the name Leofric in c 900-1100 AD in England. Many people with name 

Leofric and its multiple spellings can be found in "The Dictionary of National 

Biography", Elder and Co., 1885-1901. 

We now look at the knights who could be a part of the escort that 

accompanied Edward the Confessor on his journey from the port of Harfieur 

to England in the year 1040. 

Knights were the warriors in Europe from about 900 AD to 1500 AD 

and there was a special class of knight whose duty it was to protect the 

Church. One of the symbols of knighthood was the armor together with an 

armorial symbol necessary to identify the knight as to who he was on the 

battlefield (www.swordsandarmor.com). 

In the beginning, two metals (gold and silver), five colours (red, 

black, blue, green, and purple) and two furs (vair and ermine) were used as 

the base for these symbols. A knight also needed a shield to hold in front of 

him during battle. Shields were made of either wood or metal. Knights 

decorated their shields with their family emblem or crest and the family 

motto. 

We now look at the possible origin of the Leirmonth coat of arms. The 

surname origin and the family roots together with an understanding of the 

origin of heraldry are the main parts that need to be studied in order to arrive 

67

at the most likely answer particularly in the case of our family when the 

early records are not available. 

The Leirmonth coat of arms: Or, on a chevron Sable three mascles of 

the first, could be considered as an early type as it has a very simple symbol 

and the colours gold and black are associated with the beginning of knight's 

heraldry. Chevron - the N-shaped (ordinary or vert) symbol of protection 

was often a reward for notable achievement and faithful service 

(http://members.tripod.com). 

The arms were preserved over the centuries by the Scottish, English 

and Russian families. The first official register of the Learmonth coat of 

arms was 1672 at the Court of the Lord Lyon the last one being in 1968. 

However the original Leirmonth coat of arms was known as early as XIII 

century. 

According to ‘Alexander Nisbet’ English heraldry is derived from 

French heraldry ("A System of Heraldry- by Alexander Nisbet, published 

1816, v. I, page 16). The Chevron, anciently, as it appears on old seals and 

monuments, reached from the base to the top of the escutcheon (“A System 

of Heraldry- by Alexander Nisbet, published 1816, v. I, page 148”). This 

type of chevron is the oldest (1509, 1511 AD) found on the Leirmonth coat 

of arms (Pluscarden Benedictine Abbey, Elgin, Scotland; the Town Hall 

foyer, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland). This type of chevron is also present on 

the Russian Lermontov coat of arms. 

Our search of the early blazons (earlyBlazon.com) and seals shows 

that there are very few ancient ones with bearings or with the “Or, a chevron 

sable” and these were mainly found in Flanders. 

68

Location Flanders in about X century (on the left) and the blazon 

types distribution on the right. 

We contacted Mr. Pascal Laparre, who is an expert in this field and 

we detail below his comments and opinions: “I don't think there is any seal 

with a coat of arms as early as 900-1000 AD. The very first are from 1100- 

1200. Banners had most likely been in use before the coat of arms. Chevrons 

when single were used in the early stages of heraldry and are mostly to be 

found in Flanders. In France, it is more often 3 or more chevrons. Later of 

course it is a different story. On top of that, colors yellow (gold) and "sable" 

(black) are common in Flemish heraldry. In addition there were many 

Flemish people who followed William the Conqueror and then became 

landowners in Scotland” (www.earlyblazon.com). 

Flemish heraldry (‘The Flemish Nobility before 1300’ by Dr. Hist. E. 

Warlop, 1976, Kortrijk, Belgium). There are many chevron motives on the 

seals of individuals from families such as Aksel, Ghent (de Gant), Gistel, 

Herzele, Kortrijk and others. 

According to Jean Paul De Cloet (personal communication, and 

V.Z.W. Geschiedkundige Heruitgeverij Kruitmagazijnstraat , 9000 Gent) 

“Or, a chevron sable” was an armorial bearing of Ser Woutermans ambacht 

(de Gand), Santvoorde at least in the XVIth century. 

(http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1336/bergarmorial.html). 

The Gent is sited at the mouth of the river Leie. Leie sounds closely 

related to Lear/Leir. “Ghent” has the meaning of a confluence of two rivers: 

Leie and Scheldt. We can only speculate that the first Leirmont might have 

some connection to de Gant family that has a genealogy from 896 AD. 

69

We also found that another motive “gules or chevron” has occurred 

throughout history significantly more often in Northern France and in the 

British Isles (“The Weckelax families”:http://personal.fimnet.fi) bearing in 

mind that the heraldic motive “Or, a chevron sable” was not common in 

ancient heraldry except in Flanders and maybe France we now consider a 

few possibilities and speculations regarding the origin of the Leirmonth 

blazon and also the surname. 

It should be pointed out that nobody on Earth has a complete record of 

all the coats of arms used or granted throughout history. It is also important 

to understand that many families with different names have the same coat of 

arms and that a coat of arms does not necessarily identify a family. 

Also some coats of arms are a variant of arms held by a related 

family. This practice is called “cadency” and was quite common in medieval 

armory. A similar practice might be called “feudal cadency”; some minor 

noblemen adopting arms incorporating a small change from the arms of their 

overlords (http://www.users.bigpond.com/paulvanv/mini-faq.htm.). 

We therefore believe that it would be instructive to look at the 

information in the international armories. 

We have shown that the Leirmouth surname is an ancient name as its 

roots and old records prove. The meaning fits “the mouth of following 

water”. Leir or ‘following water’ is the driving part of the surname. As the 

phoneme ‘leir’ was broadly distributed across the European continent, and 

particularly in France. 

70

Hypothesis of the origin Learmonth from Burgundy, France 

Let us firstly look at the ancient Celtic God Luxovius: 

Luxovius - a Celtic god who was the eponymous deity of Luxeuil, 

France. He is known only from this site, where he was worshipped as the 

partner of the goddess Bricta. This divine couple was deities of the thermal 

spring, where other deities were also worshipped. Bricta - a Celtic goddess 

who was the consort of the god Luxovius. Known from inscriptions at 

thermal springs in France, and thought to have a possible connection to the 

Irish goddess Brigit. Gaulish water goddess associated with Luxovius, god 

of the thermal springs at Luxeuil (http://www.janeraeburn.com). 

Abbey of Luxeuil situated in the area of Haute-Saône in Franche- 

Comté, in the Diocese of Besançon. 

It was founded in 585 by the great Irish monk, St. Columbanus, on the 

ruins of the Gallo-Roman castle of Luxovium, about eight miles from 

Aunigray. It was dedicated to St. Peter and soon became the most important 

and flourishing monastery in Gaul. Columbanus had given way to what had 

then become the great monastic code of the West. Driven into exile by King 

Thierry and his grandmother Queen Brunehaut, St. Columbanus was 

succeeded as abbot by St. Eustace whom he had placed over the schools of 

Luxeuil. They sent forth many who became great bishops in Gaul and other 

parts of Europe, and to Luxeuil which was largely due the conversion and 

renewal of the Burgundian Empire. To Luxeuil came such monks as Conon, 

71

Abbot of Lérins, before setting about the reform of his somewhat 

degenerated monks, and St. Wandrille and St. Philibert who founded 

respectively the Abbeys of Fontenelle and Jumièges in Normandy, and spent 

years in studying the rule observed in monasteries which derived their origin 

from Luxeuil. In 731 the Vandals in their destructive career of conquest 

through western Gaul, took possession of Luxeuil and massacred most of the 

community. The few survivors rebuilt the abbey, and later, under the 

government of the eighteenth abbot, St. Ansegisus, it appeared as if it were 

about to recover its former greatness and prosperity (“The Catholic 

Encyclopedia” on line). 

993-1032 AD, Burgundy, France. 

Map of the Burgundy, France. 

Rudolf III, Burgundy Inherited by Conrad II the Salian. The Kingdom 

of Burgundy, a feature of the area south of the Rhine and of the Rhône- 

Saône valley since the 5 th century, when the Burgundians settled there, a 

common unit in the frequent re-divisions of the Merovingian kingdom, and a 

significant part of the inheritance of the Emperor Lothar I, regained its 

independence with the breakup of the Carolingian Empire and remained so 

until the 11 th century. The history of the Kingdom was mostly during an 

72

exceedingly obscure period when the Kings were not able to do a very good 

job of protecting it from Viking raids from the north, Arabs from the South, 

and even Magyars from the East. Luxeuil, in the far north of the Kingdom, 

was actually sacked by both Vikings coming up the Seine and Arabs coming 

up the Rhône http://www.arlay.com/gb/default.htm) 

There are a few places (toponymes) that have phoneme leir in their 

name to the south from Luxeuil (please see map and places that are 

numbered under the map): 

1. CHAMPDOR, CHAMPDOR 

2. LEYMIEUX, CHAGNON 

3. LES OLLIÈRES SUR EYRIEUX, LES OLLIÈRES SUR EYRIEUX 

4. DUNIÈRES SUR EYRIEUX, DUNIÈRES SUR EYRIEUX 

5. SAINT FORTUNAT SUR EYRIEUX 

6. REYRIEUX, REYRIEUX 

7. LEYRIEU, LEYRIEU 

8. VILLERS LÈS LUXEUIL, VILLERS LÈS LUXEUIL 

9. FONTAINE LÈS LUXEUIL, FONTAINE LÈS LUXEUIL 

10. BROTTE LÈS LUXEUIL, BROTTE LÈS LUXEUIL 

11. LA CHAPELLE LÈS LUXEUIL, LA CHAPELLE LÈS LUXEUIL 

12. LUXEUIL LES BAINS, LUXEUIL LES BAINS 

So we have the name of the Luxeuil Monastery, the ancient Celts and 

Gaels connected with the God Luxovius the god of water and the thermal 

springs at Luxeuil. We believe that this god has a connection with the God 

Leir, the Celtic God of the sea, and through the phoneme ‘leir’ they could be 

connected to the Leirmouth surname. 

73

Luyrieux family 

On the other hand we found that there was an ancient Luyrieux family 

(spelt as: Luyrieux, Luirieu, Liurieux, Luyrieu, Lurieux Luyrieu, Luirieux) 

recorded from at least 1100 AD: Alard de Luyrieux. Arms of de Luyrieux: 

"D'Or au chevron de sable." Alard de Luyrieux (Andr‚ Roux: Scrolls from 

his personal genealogical research. The Number refers to the family branch 

numbers on his many scrolls: born: before 1100; Alard was alive in the year 

1100, died after 1160 France, married before 1160. This family had a coat of 

arms which could very likely be the pre-Leirmouth coat of arms: “Or, 

chevron sable” (http://members.aol.com/mraffin/geneal2.htm). 

The Luyrieux Coat of Arms 

The existence of the names of the locations: Saint Fortunat sur 

Eyrieux, Reyrieux, Leyrieu in the same area leads us to be reasonably 

certain that this is where the Lyurieux family originated from. Lyurieux 

could have a general meaning of “owning of the Lyur”. This becomes 

obvious based on the fact that on December 15 th 1318, Amédée V De Savoy 

transferred the seignory of Champdor to Jean de Luyrieux. Champdor 

remained in the Luyrieux family for the next 200 years (1318-1516) except 

for twelve years interruption (1479-1491) when the lands were sold to 

Hugonin de Montfalcon and Claude de Montferrand”. 

The city Champdor was in Bugey, France. 

(During the Secondary Period, sixty-five million years ago, sediment deposited at 

the bottom of the Tethys (which at this time covered a large part of the territory) formed 

the limestone plateau of the Champdor area. Prehistoric men lived on this plateau since 

the Magdalian Era, 10,000 years ago. They fed themselves by hunting, and their main 

prey was the marmot. This flint knife found in Mazières woods is evidence of their 

presence during Neolithic Era. A rupestral drawing from the Bronze and Iron Ages has 

74

een discovered in Nantuy, a part of Hauteville's lands. Many artifacts from these periods 

have also been found in La Balme de Gondran. The names of several locations, for 

instance Brénod, attest to Celtic presence in this area. According to some historians, 

Champdor's etymology could also be Celtic (http://www.champdor.com)) 

Being difficult to access, the Bugey was not invaded during the big 

invasions that marked the first millenium. In 1077, the Bugey was annexed 

to the House of Savoy and stayed Savoyard for six centuries 

(http://www.champdor.com). Champdor is located near the areas with names 

that sound like the Luyrieux surname. The Luyrieux family had many ties to 

European Royalty and according to all the records belonged to the Royal 

Families of Europe (http://www.solsup.com.au). 

The Luyrieux family was owner of the Thol Castle for few dozens of 

years. It is not known the exact date of the construction of the castle Thol 

(which means "high", "Hill "). Its location has been high since ancient times 

an observatory on Ain valley. It is believed to date from around the years 

1100 / 1200. 

“Paladins de Thol” 

(Photo of Mr. Jean-Louis Loria 

Association “Paladins de Thol”) 

The first allegiance of the lordship of Thol was made in 1330 by the 

Count of Savoy to the Balme Barthelemy, who had a son, William, who died 

without heirs. His wife, Catherine de Sales, remarried to Humbert of 

Luyrieux which in turn became Lord of Thol and, in 1371, gave the debt for 

Stone Brenod. Luyrieux the bought and gave as dowry to his daughter, 

Marguerite, who married Derriosus of Vaugrigneuse. The castle remained 

two centuries to the family. 

75

Below we are presenting the map of France where we marked the 

location of places related to Luyrieux family and also important places 

around the area. 

The Coat of Arms cover the places that Luyrieux family owned in the 

XI-XII centuries: Corlier, Culoz, Hotonnes, Champdor, Thol Castle. 

Rose circle – Monastery of Remiremont, built about 620 for nobility. 

Blue circle - Luxeuil Monastery, Diocese of Besancon. 

White circle – Abbey of Lure built about 615, Diocese of Besancon. 

Grey circle – Abbey of Baume les Dames built in V century, Diocese 

of Besancon. 

Yellow empty circle – Besancon. 

Orange circle – Abbey of Citeaux, the most influenced along with 

Abbey of Cluny 

Yellow circle - Abbey of Cluny built in 910, the most influenced 

abbey of the X century. 

76

The Luyrieux family was an important family that was significantly 

strengthen by several marriages with the high nobility in XIII-XIV centuries. 

This observation can be confirmed with the fact that Luyrieux became the 

member of the high rang Catholic Order. 

The origin of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation 

begins in 1362, when Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (1343-1383) instituted 

the order's earliest designation, under the title of Order of the Collar. Even at 

this time, the order was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is 

celebrated as "Our Lady of the Annunciation." Thus, the order is a dynastic 

religious (or Catholic) order of chivalry. Under its first formulation, the 

order had fifteen knights. The number was symbolic of the number of daily 

masses celebrated with the order. In 1383, Amadeus VII, Duke of Savoy, 

(The Chief in 1383 – 1391) gave the order its first known statutes, and he 

extended the order to nine more knights (I Cavalieri dell'Ordine Supremo del 

Collare o della Santissima Annunziata). Among them was Umberto di 

Luyrieux signore di Luyrieux, Champagne, Cule, Montveran, Savigny, 

Prangin e Villars, the Coat of Arms: Or chevron sable and a motto: Belle 

sans blasme. 

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The Luyrieux Coat of Arms is at a low row, third from the left. 

The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (Ordine Supremo 

dela SS. Annunziata) was the primer dynastic order of the Kingdom of Italy, 

which ceased to be a national order when the kingdom became a republic in 

1946. Today, the order remains under the jurisdiction of the Head of the 

House of Savoy, HRH Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples, who is the 

order's hereditary Sovereign and Grand Master. Today it exists as a dynastic 

order for the Royal House in exile (Federico Bona “Ultimo aggiornamento 3 

Gennaio 2006”: http://www.sardimpex.com/savoia/savoia1.htm; “European 

Royl Houses. Royal House of Italy. House of Savoy”, General Editor Guy 

Stair Sainty, 2005: Michel Francou “Armorial historique des 

Archevêques de Lyon”, 2002; Alessandro Franchi-Verney, Armerista delle 

Famiglie Nobili e Titolate della Monarchia di Savoia, Torino, 1873, 

Armorial et Nobiliaire de l'ancien Duché de Savoie, a cura di Amédée de 

Foras e altri, DVD Mémoire et Documents, 2006). 

78

The Luyrieux family belonged to the Royal Families of Europe. In 

August 7, 1419 Renaude, daughter of Etienne de Salins and Louise of Rye, 

married Lancelot of Luyrieux. The wedding, which was invited a crowd of 

gentlemen, is celebrated in the castle of Louis de Châlon, Prince of Orange, 

to Lons-le-Saunier. Lancelot of Luyrieux became after her marriage, 

seneschal Beaucaire and Nîmes, bailiff of Savoy, Governor of Nice, and 

Lieutenant-General for the King of Provence. From this marriage was born 

William of Luyrieux, which left children and Hugh Lancelot de Luyrieux. 

Hughes married Etienne de Crèvecoeur, he left a widow before 1518. 

Lancelot of Luyrieux married Jeanne Rye, and in the lordship is lot of 

Beaufort. Denise Luyrieux of their daughter was married in the first 

wedding in 1547, with Gaspard de Coligny. She married in a second 

marriage, in 1558, François de Nancuise. She left to Philibert de Coligny his 

son, born of his first marriage, the beautiful land of Beaufort. Joachim de 

Coligny of Talaru and Jeanne, his wife, sold, May 6, 1662, Etienne de 

Berthon, Esquire, advisor to présidial Lyon. Françoise de Berthon, his 

daughter, brought in Antoine de dot-Persange Laurencin. Jean-Marie, 

Comte de Laurencin, was the last lord (“Mémoires” by Académie des 

sciences, belles-lettres et arts de Savoie, Chambery, Impremiede Puthod, au 

Champ-de-Mars, 1851, page 230). 

In 1449 Margarita de Luyrieux marriage Ludovicus Valperga from 

the Valperga di Masino family, a local dynasty whose fortune came from the 

hemp fields that once covered this fertile plain. For ten centuries the 

residence of the Valperga Counts, Masino castle - surrounded originally by 

walls and towers - is set in a monumental, romantic park dominating the 

Canavese plains. The wacky weed (which was woven, rather than smoked) 

even ended up in the family's coat of arms. More a country house than a 

proper castle – “Castello di Masino”, a marvelously preserved stately home 

that rises above the Canavese plain about 30 km north-east of Turin. 

79

Masino Castle, near Turin 

(http://xoomer.alice.it/blasonpiemon/index1.html) 

Red salun. 

Masino Castle, near Turin. 

(http://www.aaanetserv.com/turismo) 

The rooms here are decorated in styles that vary from medieval to 

rococo. The castle is now run by FAI (Italian Heritage Fund) and is an 

extraordinary museum of art and history: Baroque frescoes decorate halls, 

galleries, chambers, and parlours with precious furnishings, portraits, and 

extraordinary design of the Coat of Arms at the center Hall. The Masino 

Castle is a place where the original Luyrieux Coat of Arms is preserved 

(www.cntraveller.com/Guides/Italy/Turin) 

80

The hall of the coats of arms of the castle of Masino 

Matrimonial alliances of the Valperga di Masino 

The root ‘Lyur’ of the Lyurieux surname could be considered as one 

of spelling of the phoneme ‘leir’. Both ‘lyur’ and ‘leir’ are similar sounds. 

Moreover there are Eyrieux, Alleir rivers in this area. The Loire River 

starts here, running from the Mont Mezence (see Part 2. Learmonth name 

origin). So we cannot exclude the possibility that our ancestor 

(Leirmouth) when asked to adopt a surname in 1057 called himself after 

his lands in this area of France. 

There is also another point that adds weight to this possibility: the 

ancient coats of arms were very simple in design and the Learmonth coat of 

arms has the same relatively simple heraldic motive as that of the Lyurieux 

family which was kept unaltered over the centuries. So this heraldic 

similarity of two families leads us to believe that there is a connection. 

We can therefore speculate that an unknown individual, 

who was related to the Lyurieux family and who had been 

called, or later became known as Leuremue (Learmonth) was a 

part of an escort for Edward the Confessor who sailed from 

Harfleur to England in 1040 and then settled in England. When 

81

Malcolm III required fighting men in his war for the Scottish 

crown Edward the Confessor encouraged Leuremue and the 

other Knights under his influence to support Malcolm with the 

promise of a land grant as payment for their services. The land 

given to Leuremue in payment for his service was where the 

villages of East and West Learmouth are today. Based on the 

facts that we presented above we do think that a member of the 

Lyurieux family called the lands by his name. He used the first 

root “Lyur” that was changed later to “Leure” and added the 

second root “mue” to mark that his lands are located at mouth of 

an affluence of the River Tweed (the Learmonth Burn can be 

seen on the old maps of the Scottish Borders: Part 2, Map 4). 

Later in establishing himself as a member of the nobility of the 

country he designed his coat of arms with the same chevron and 

colours of the Luyrieux family but adding three mascles over the 

chevron to make it an individual bearing (mascles could be also 

the award for the special talent of being warned of). 

A comparison between the two coats of arms may also suggest that it could be a 

case of ‘cadency’ or ‘feudal cadency’ (as described earlier). 

The following is another possibility of the connection Learmonth’s coat of arms 

with France that actually looks more romantic than real. We found another coat of arms 

that is identical to the arms of the Luyrieux family in the Armorial du Herault 

Vermandois, Francoys, Part 2, # 742. This coat of arms belonged to Foucques (Fulk or 

Count) De Marcely: Or a chevron sable (http://www.braintimms.com/vermandois). 

The Folquet de Marseille Troubadours Coat of Arms 

We found this to be a fascinating story which is very similar to the story of the 

Scottish Poet-Prophet Thomas the Rhymer or Thomas Lermont (1220-1297 AD(1220- 

1297)) (Learmonth; of Leirmouth; Leirmont). Folquet de Marseille Troubadours (fôlk´ d 

märsý), 1150–1231, Provençal troubadour. He took orders, rose to be archbishop of 

Toulouse, and became notorious as the chief prosecutor in Provence of the Albigensian 

Crusade. Dante awarded him a place in Paradise (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth 

82

Edition, 2001.).Folquet De Marseille, Foulques De Toulouse born c. 1155, Marseille, 

Provence (France) died 1231, Toulouse. He was also called Foulques De Toulouse, 

Provençal troubadour and cleric. Born into a Genoese merchant family, Folquet left his 

life as a merchant to become a poet in about 1180. He was widely respected and 

successful throughout Provence and Aragon. His works include love lyrics (often 

dedicated to his patron’s wife), crusading songs, and religious poems (Article, 

Encyclopædia Britannica). 

Folquet De Marseille. He was born in Genoa, a belief accepted by the twentiethcentury 

Italian scholar Squillacioti, but this may reflect a desire to claim Folquet as an 

Italian. The wording of the vida makes it clear that Folquet’s father, Anfos, was Italian by 

the Italian honorific “Sier”; Folquet, however, is referred to universally with the Occitan 

honorific “En,” so his birthplace may be Marseille. Based on the timing of events in his 

life, Folquet is believed to have been born between 1150 and 1160. “And when his father 

died he left him rich in possessions.” The vida does not indicate Folquet’s profession 

directly, but because his father was a merchant and left him well off when he died, it is 

likely that Folquet inherited the family business as well. The Monk of Montaudon refer to 

Folquet as a “little merchant” in his satiric description of the important troubadours of his 

time. 58A Fulco Anfos is listed among the bourgeois of Marseille in a cartulary of 1178. 

In addition, Folquet refers to himself as “rich” in several songs. “And he strove for merit 

and put himself to serve worthy men and to frequent with them and to come to them. And 

he was well received by King Richard and by count Raimon of Toulouse and by Lord 

Barral his lord of Marseille.” This suggests that Folquet succeeded in rising socially 

through his activities as a troubadour. http://etd02.lnx390.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd- 

1106102-100713/unrestricted/01Chapter1.pdf. 

Is it just a coincidence that the two bards Folquet de Marseille Troubadours and 

Thomas Learmonth both had very similar lives shared the same fate and probably the 

same armory, they lived in different countries but in the same century. “Occasions, 

coincidences! They happen more often than regularities ?” (a Russian saying). 

Folquet De Marseille and Luyrieux lived at approximately the same time (1100- 

1300 AD), they had an identical coat of arms, and they lived in neighboring countries. 

It’s hard to believe that they did not have any family’s ties. 

Learmonths of the Medieval Time in Scotland. 

As the Learmonths settled in the Scottish Borders area it leads us to 

consider the history of the Scottish borders c. 1000-1300. The medieval 

villages that are called now East Learmouth and West Learmouth are 

connected by spelling with our surname chronologically (please, see Part 3.). 

83

These villages are located near ancient places Cornhill, Coldstream, Kelso, 

Melrose (on the West) and to Berwick (on the East). The Learmouth villages 

are also close to Earlston and the Eildon Hills Thomas Learmont’s home. 

Map of the Scottish Borders. 

Villages Earlston and Leirmouth are marked. 

From the beginning of recorded history the Anglo-Scottish Border 

was a violent area beset by wars and local conflicts. Before the year 1000 it 

was part of the powerful Kingdom of Northumbria, whose boundaries 

extended beyond the River Tweed towards Edinburgh and the Lothians. The 

lands along the River Tweed were both attractive and fertile and as a 

resulted they were very densely populated. The border area was the center of 

Christianity in Northumbria with its concentrated population around the 

flourishing abbeys. The spreading of Christianity started in Melrose with 

Prince Oswald in 635AD. 

Melrose is a large village located 37 miles (60 km) south-east of Edinburgh, in the 

old county of Roxburghshire (http://www.jedburgh.org.uk) 

In 635 Prince Oswald invited Aidav from the church of Iona who he new well to 

found Lindisfarn and its daughter house of Mailrose (now Melrose). Oswald’s death 

brought his brother Oswy, King 642-671, to the throne of Northumbria. Cuthbert (St. 

Cuthbert), aged 15, probably a student at Aidan’s school on Lindisfarne, served in king’s 

Oswy army in the defense of Bamburgh. He probably gained his first recognition as a 

“battle-saint” in 653 when Penda of Mercia raided Northumbria and was repulsed.In 655 

abbots Eata and Cuthbert, both from Melrose Abbey, were appointed to found Ripon 

Abbey. King Qswy also founded the abbeys of Gilling and Whitby after 655 AD and 

before his death in 671. In 664 Oswy convened the Synod in Whitby. The decisions of 

Whitby to adopt the Roman practice caused many Celtic church-men to withdraw to 

84

monasteries, even to Iona. Eata and Cuthbert accepted the Whitby decisions, continued 

their work in Northumbria and became the bishops, of Lindisfarne and Hexan 

respectively. Oswy gave Northumbria a time of peace and prosperity in which Melrose 

flourished. Abbeys and cathedrals and many lesser churches graced the land. Cuthbert 

became the most revered and beloved church-man of Northumbria. Despite his 

undoubted saintliness Cuthbert’s main value to the King of Northumbria was as a battlesaint. 

Even after his death reputation persisted. The records of Melrose Abbey have a lot 

of time gaps. During the following two hundred years there was plague in the years 665 

and 760; the three-day long dynasty battle of ‘Eldunum’ near Melrose in 761. But 

throughout all these troubles Melrose Abbey was continuing to serve the people by 

bringing Christianity to Northumbria. Melrose was destroyed by the order of Kenneth 

MacAlpin, king of Scots, in 875. Kenneth was installed on the throne in 840, by the year 

847 he had united Scotland. The Celtic church expelled in 717, was reinstated, and the 

Roman church, with its Northumbria links, was in turn expelled. By some miracle of 

diplomacy or guile MacAlpin preserved his new churches at Dunkeld and St. Andrews 

from Viking pillages. He also kept the eastern lands from the Great Glen to the Cheviot 

Hill free of Scandinavian settlements. Melrose Abbey was still a center of resistance. 

The campaigns of annexation continued for 150 years until the battle of Carham in 1018. 

The Battle of Carham was fought in 1018 between Malcolm II (grand grandfather 

of Malcolm III) King of Scotland and Eudulf Cudel, the Anglo-Saxon governor of 

Bernicia. The outcome of the battle had an important result as it established the River 

Tweed as the Anglo-Scottish boundary. Previously there was no defined border (North 

England History Pages: www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk ). 

The village of Leirmouth is considered a medieval village (first mention as 

Leuremue in 1177 AD, see “Learmonth surname spelling”) lies about 3 miles to the east 

of Carham. So Leirmouth originally was part of Northumbria. 

c.1030-1055 

Biornsson Siward (born c. 1020, Denmark, died c.1055, York, England) was the 

Earl of Northumbria. Siward being of Danish origin married the grand daughter of Uhtred 

the former earl of Northumbria thus strengthening his own position in that domain. Some 

sources say that through this marriage Siward was distantly related to Duncan and 

Malcolm III (http://www.thelandofmacbeth.com/Siward.htm). 

c. 1050 

In or about the year 1050 Malcolm invaded Scotland helped by Siward with some 

early success but had to retire when Macbeth counter attacked. 

c. 1054-1057 

In the year 1054 with Siward's men Malcolm made his big offensive which 

brought final victory in the year 1057. Malcolm III was crowned at Scone in April 1057. 

Many Englishmen jointed Malcolm’s court at that time. Leirmont was most likely 

among them to receive the land in the southern boundaries of Malcolm’s kingdom. 

Earl Siward died in c. 1055 (http://balder.prohosting.com). Edward the Confessor 

made Tostig Godwinson, son of Earl Godwine of Wessex and brother of Harold 

Godwine, the Earl of Northumbria (1055-1066). Of all the Godwins, Tostig was 

apparently Edward’s favourite which is why in 1055 on the death of Earl Siward of 

Northumbria, Tostig was appointed earl of Northumbria. In 1055 when Tostig was made 

earl of Northumbria, Gyrth, his brother (1032-1066) was given a section cut off from 

85

Northumbria to be his own earldom. At some time between 1056 and 1058 Gyrth was 

made earl of East Anglia. Tostig had great difficulty in controlling Northumbria and 

many quarrels broke out, particularly between Tostig and the Bishop of Durham. In 1065, 

Godwin's son Tostig was deprived of his earldom in Northumbria following his inept and 

tyrannical rule, and was banished to Flanders 

(http://www.geocities.com/egfrothos/Godwins.html).Tostig (c. 1026-1066), Gyrth (c. 

1032-1066) Harold's brother, Gyrth At some time between 1056 and 1058 Gyrth was 

made earl of East Anglia. He accompanied Tostig on a Papal mission in 1061, and Harold 

on his march north in 1066. Gyrth appears to have been a capable man, and a good 

strategist. If truly reported, he gave good advice to Harold in the crisis years of 1066, 

which Harold ignored to his cost. 

1059 

Malcolm III paid a visit to Edward the Confessor, during whose reign Scotland 

lived on amicable term with the English.However Malcolm III still made raids into 

England, the first of which was in 1061 while Earl Tostig of Northumbria was in Rome 

on a pilgrimage. Malcolm III also supported the losing side at the Battle of Stamford 

Bridge in 1066. When Edward the Confessor died in 1066 and after the short rule of 

Harold Godwine as the King of England, William the Conquer became the King in 1066. 

Northern England would not accept the new Norman power however this rebellion was 

crushed in a few months. The Normans marched steadily north, taking the boroughs one 

by one, massacring young and old, burning, sometimes, whole towns, and leaving, as 

they went on, a new portent. Malcolm III raided England in 1070 without success but the 

Normans under King William were in control and they were not going to take these 

attacks lying down. 

William came to Scotland two years later and although Malcolm refused to fight 

he was forced to accept the terms of the Treaty of Abernethy. In this agreement Malcolm 

was forced to become William's man and he also handed over his oldest son, Duncan, as 

a hostage. This did not stop Malcolm, however, he raided northern England again in 1079 

and this initiated the construction of new castles on the Tyne, by William's son Robert, 

and at Carlisle by William Rufus. These castles effectively set the Scottish - English 

border. In 1087 Rufus became King of England and by 1091 Malcolm was again raiding 

the north of England while Rufus was in Normandy. Rufus took his revenge by forcing 

Malcolm III to do homage to him (Encyclopedia Britannica Article 

http://www.maccorquodale.com). During the last of these invasions in 1093 Malcolm III 

was killed by the forces of King William II Rufus (reigned 1087-1100), near Alnwick, 

Northumberland, England. 

Throughout 1057-1093 there were almost constant raids over the 

Anglo-Scottish border. People who had lands in this area would have been 

lucky to survive. It is possible that the Leirmonts participated in the raids on 

the Scottish side and became skilful survivors. 

Malcolm's reign is best remembered in Scottish history for his 

marriage to Margaret rather than his ineffectual raids on England. His first 

wife, Ingibiorg, was the daughter, or widow, of the Earl of Orkney, Thorfin. 

Ingibiorg bore him four sons before her death in 1069. In 1071 Malcolm 

86

married Margaret to the fury of William I. Margaret was the sister of Edgar 

Atheling. Edgar would have become King of England if William the 

Conqueror had not over-run the country. Margaret was a virtuous and 

devout Queen and the chapel that she had built at Edinburgh Castle can still 

be seen. She had been raised in Hungary. Margaret was raised to be a 

princess by her parents and taught to be a devout Christian by Benedictine 

nuns (www.stmargaret.shaw.org). When she came to Scotland she brought 

with her some of the current manners, culture and ceremony of the European 

court. Margaret herself promoted the Catholic Church in Scotland 

throughout Malcolm's reign. At that time, Christianity did exist in Scotland 

in the form of the Celtic Church, but it took the form of converted sunworship 

and pagan rituals. Among Margaret's achievements was the building 

of Dunfermline Priory dedicated to the Holy Trinity (Benedictine Abbey) 

and the institution of the Queen's Ferry over the Forth to bring pilgrims to 

Fife to visit the shrine of St Andrew. During Malcolm III reign Scotland fell 

under the influence of England. The Lowlands of Scotland started speaking 

a Middle English dialect and adopting Anglo-Saxon habits. 

Malcolm and Margaret had eight children. As a Christian wife and 

mother, Margaret trained her eight children in the way of God. As kings of 

Scotland, her three youngest sons Edgar, David and Alexander I, ‘carried on 

her polices, inaugurating a golden age for Scotland that lasted 200 years’ 

(Joanne Turpin, “Women in Church History”). 

The date of erection of Dunfermline into a Royal Burgh has not been 

ascertained, but it has been supposed that it was so constituted by Alexander 

I., who, by charters, raised Stirling, Dunfermline, Perth, St. Andrews, 

Haddington to the dignity of Royal Burghs. These towns are each 

designated in these charters as "burgum meum” i.e., "my burgh," the King's 

burgh, hence a Royal Burgh. Dunfermline first appears in a charter as 

“burgum meum" in the year 1126. We place the date of the erection of 

Dunfermline into a Royal Burgh in the middle of his reign, viz., A.D. 1115, 

which may be received as the nearest approximate date now to be obtained. 

(See also date 1126.) Alexander I., the King (fifth son of Malcolm III.), died 

at Stirling on April 26th, in the 18th year of his reign, when he was about 48 

years of old, and was interred before the High Altar of the Church of the 

Holy Trinity, Dunfermline. 

From what is known of Alexander I, and his strong Romanish 

proclivities as strong as those which influenced his brother and successor, 

David I. It may be presumed that at the time, or shortly after the time of the 

opening the Church of the Holy Trinity, Dunfermline - the most splendid 

church Scotland had yet seen - he had, besides the magnificent gifts he had 

87

estowed on it, resolved to raise it still higher in importance, viz., to the rank 

of an Abbey; but to carry out such a resolution, monastic buildings for the 

domestic accommodation of an abbot, monks, and their necessary 

attendants, would in the first place have to be erected. It may be presumed, 

therefore, that a considerable portion of the time between 1115, and the time 

of his somewhat sudden death in 1124, was employed in erecting the 

necessary buildings. His sudden death in the latter year prevented him from 

carrying out his pious wishes, and the duty of doing so fell on his brother, 

David I. It will be seen by the next entry in the Annals that immediately 

after ascending the throne, David, apparently without the least delay, sent to 

Canterbury for his 13 monks, which fact implies that the monastic buildings 

erected for their accommodation by his brother and predecessor, Alexander, 

were complete. There can be little or no doubt that it was Alexander I. who 

founded and finished the Monastery of Dunfermline, between the years 1115 

and 1124. David I after his accession to the throne raised the Church of the 

Holy Trinity, at Dunfermline, to the rank and dignity of an Abbey, and 

translated to it a colony of 13 Benedictine monks from Canterbury, in 

England - this carried out the pious wishes of his deceased brother and 

predecessor. Therefore here were 13 Culdees and 13 Benedictine monks 

belonging to the Abbey by the year 1124. 

88

Dunfermline Abbey, 2006. 

89

Dunfermline, 2006. 

In the area of the Anglo-Scottish borders during the rein of William 

the Conqueror the land was not only owned by the lairds and lords who 

people worked for but a considerable amount of land had been given to the 

Church. 

The old Melrose Monastery (founded in 635 AD) that later became 

Melrose Abbey was in ruins by 1073. However at this time this Abbey gave 

shelter to a few Benedictine monks from York. A chapel of Durham 

Cathedral was built at Old Melrose, dedicated to St. Cuthbert in c. 1080. 

In 1098 Edgar, King of Scotland (1097-1107) son of Malcolm III and 

Queen Margaret founded the Benedictine Coldingham Abbey at the site of 

the old unisex Benedictine monastery of Coldingham (founded in 661 AD) 

(http://www.mearnscraft.co.uk). 

As well as the parish churches and chapels there were many other religious 

buildings in the medieval landscape of north-east England. Many abbeys and priories 

were founded in the years following the Norman Conquest, sometimes on the site of 

earlier monasteries, such as at Lindisfarne and Hexham. Many of these abbeys, such as 

Newminster (Newminster Abbey was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1138, near 

90

Newcastle) and Blanchland (Blanchland Abbey originally founded 1165, near Hexham, 

Newcastle)) were great landowners and gained great wealth through the produce of their 

farms. 

The monastery at Durham Cathedral deserves a special mention (Aldhun came to 

Durham in 995 and was a first Bishop of Durham). After 1066 it was one of the most 

important religious sites in England. The Bishop of Durham also had great political as 

well as religious power. King William had good reason to fear Durham as the people of 

the city had little love for the Norman invaders. King William devastated the land 

between York and Durham in 1069. This was known as the HARRYING OF THE 

NORTH. It demonstrated the might of the Norman army to the people of northern 

England and forced them to recognize Norman control 

(http://www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk/DurhamCathedral.htm) 

In 1081 William the Conqueror had given the bishops the same powers as a 

prince. The Cathedral of Durham as it stands today had begun its construction in the year 

1093 and was finished in 1135. Bishops of Durham ruled over Cleveland, Durham, Tyne 

and Wear and parts of North Northumberland (Norham, Tillmouth, and probably 

Cornhill) 

A monastery existed in Norham from at least AD 830 to AD 940. The monastery 

church stood until at least 1082 and may have been destroyed by David I of Scotland in 

1138. Norham Castle was built in the early 12th century by the Archbishop of Durham. 

Cornhill-on-Tweed lies in north Northumberland and, as its name suggests, lies alongside 

the banks of the River Tweed, which here forms the border with Scotland. The name 

Cornhill derives from 'corn-haugh' and was described as a place in the midst of rich corn 

lands. St Cuthbert's Chapel stood at the meeting of the rivers Tweed and Till and is first 

mentioned in 1311. This chapel was built in Gothick style but reused some of the 

medieval stonework that must have lain nearby. A stone coffin, reported to have been 

discovered here, was called St Cuthbert's boat and is said to have been used to float St 

Cuthbert's body from Melrose to Tillmouth. 

Because of the strategic importance of the area on the Scottish-English border, a 

castle was built at Wark around 1121. Wark Castle was built and destroyed many times 

and survives as a grassy mound in the village of Wark today. Close to Wark Castle, the 

remains of a medieval chapel can still be seen in the ground. Another chapel once existed 

at Pressen, but nothing survives of this 12th century building. In addition to small 

chapels, the area could also boast an Augustinian Abbey founded in 1131. Nothing can be 

seen of his abbey today, but it is thought to have been located west of the Church of St 

Cuthbert in Carham. 

The area around Carham once had a number of villages and the area was highly 

populated. Although in the 11th century there were no real towns in Northumberland and 

Durham. Despite the frequent warfare, for most people life was dominated by living and 

working on the land. Most of the land was owned by the powerful noble families or the 

monasteries. They often controlled large blocks made up of several separate estates 

(http://www.keystothepast.info). 

David Earl of Tweeddale and Northampton (later to become David I of Scotland 

(1124-1153) and son of Malcolm III and Queen Margaret) was the David I, who owned 

Tweeddale by hereditary right, decided he needed to use his manpower resources wisely 

if he wanted to change the nature of the land he governed. David's audience would have 

91

een the nobles and abbots of Scotland, including Norman and French imports. His goal 

would have been to establish in the minds and practices of his subjects a strong sense of 

centralized power, focused on the person and administration of the king, coupled with a 

strong sense of national identity, and recognition of the intimate ties between religious 

devotion and ordinary living 

The two ways in which David decided to develop his earldom was to create a 

strong castle and build a thriving town around it. 

David was one of the most powerful Scottish kings. He admitted into Scotland an 

Anglo-French (Norman) aristocracy that played a major part in the later history of the 

kingdom. He also reorganized Scottish Christianity to conform with continental European 

and English usages and founded many religious communities, mostly for Cistercian. 

Cistercian: Founded in 1098 in Citeaux, France. Strictly followed the 

Benedictine Rule in its purest form. They flourished in rural areas and strove to be 

entirely self-sufficient. 

Premonstratensian Order (White Canons): Founded in 1120 at Premontre. They 

were reformed Augustinians who also followed some of the Cistercian habits (Bendictine 

House) 

(http://www.arthistoryclub.com/art_history/Tironensian). 

Tironensian 

Tironensian monks, of the Order of Tiron, also spelled Thiron - apparently from 

Latin "thironium", a high hill (Guillemin, 1999)- so called after the location of the mother 

abbey (established in 1109) in the woods of Tiron, Perche (some 35 miles west of 

Chartres, France). Nicknamed "Grey Monks" because of their grey robes, which their 

spiritual cousins, the monks of Savigny, also wore (Benedictine House). 

The following is a list of the some major medieval monastic and religious 

foundations in Scotland (most of them are devoted to the Benedictine House). Some, of 

course, were previously Culdee/Celtic/Pictish foundations of much earlier date 

(http://www.cushnieent.force9.co.uk/medievalmonasteries.html). 

Order. Founde 

d. 

Dedication. Founder. Mother 

House. 

Coldingham Benedictine 1098 St Mary, King Edgar Durham 

Ebba & 

Cuthbert 

Selkirk Tironensian 1113 Tiron 

Scone Augustinian 1120 Holy King Nostell 

Trinity, 

B.V.M. Ss 

Laurence, 

Augustine 

& Michael 

Alexander I 

Loch Tay Augustinian 1122 St Mary King Scone 

Priory 

Alexander I 

Inchcolm Augustinian 1123 St King 

92

0 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

0 

1 

2 

Columba Alexander I 

Dunfermline Benedictine 1 

King David 

124 

I 

Urquhart Priory Benedictine 1124 Holy 

Trinity 

King David 

I 

Dunferm 

line 

Kelso Tironensian 1126 Ss Mary & King David Tiron 

John I 

Holyrood Augustinian 1128 St Mary, King David St. 

Andrew & I 

Angrews 

All Saints 

Melrose Cistercian 1136 St Mary King David 

I 

Rivaulx 

Jedburgh Augustinian 1138 St Mary King David Beauvais 

I 

Cambuskenneth Augustinian 1147 St Mary Kin A 

g David I rrouaise 

Dundrennan Cistercian 1140 St Mary King David Rivaulx 

I and 

Fergus, 

Lord of 

Galloway 

Newbattle Cistercian 1140 St Mary King David Melrose 

I 

Lesmahagow Tironensian 1144 St Malo King David Kelso 

Priory 

I 

Dryburgh Premonstrate 1150 St Mary Hugh de Alnwick 

nsian 

Moreville 

St Andrews Augustinian 1144 Scone 

Kinloss Cistercian 1150 B.V.M. King David 

I 

Kilwinning Tironensian 1162 St Mary Hugh de 

Moreville 

Mauchline Cistercian 1165 St Cuthbert King David 

Priory 

I 

Berwick Dominican 1230 King 

Alexander 

II 

Edinburgh Dominican 1230 King 

Alexander 

II 

Dunbar Trinitarian 1218 Holy Patrick, 

Trinity Earl of 

Dunbar 

Peebles Trinitarian 1261 Holy King 

Melrose 

Kelso 

Melrose 

93

3 Trinity Alexander 

III 

About 11(or 50%) of medieval monastic and religious foundations 

were created at the time of David I, king of Scotland. 

A great Abbey was founded in Kelso in 1113. 

Everything that follows on the “The History of Kelso" has been reproduced from 

the pages of Kelsae, a history of Kelso from earliest times by Alistair Moffat. 

The origin of the name Kelso. 

The origin of the name 'Kelso' comes from the fact that the town stands on a 

chalky heugh something that is remembered in the modern street-name of Chalkheugh 

Terrace - and early references in mediaeval documents variously appear as Calkou, 

Calchehoh or Celchehov. The recorded history of Kelso began in 1113, at Selkirk. David 

being the Earl of Tweeddale and Northampton brought 13 monks from the Abbey of 

Tiron of France to found a new monastery at Selkirk. David gave the French monks 

extensive lands in the Tweed valley, revenues in his burghs of Roxburgh and Berwick, 

from his own household, and some property in his English earldom of Northampton. It 

was common practice in the Middle Ages to set down all of these gifts in a document or 

charter, which the monks could produce as evidence for their ownership of land or 

services. The foundation charter of Selkirk Abbey is no exception, as it notes down in 

careful detail the names of all the places where the Abbey held property, and its exact 

geographical limits, along with all the other gifts and services it received. This charter 

gives the first historical glimpse of the Scottish Border country in the 12th century. The 

villages of Sprouston, Midlem, Bowden and Redden must all have been going concerns 

in 1113 when David gave parts of them to Selkirk Abbey, and his burghs of Roxburgh 

(which has now completely disappeared) and Berwick were undoubtedly thriving towns 

with weekly markets and a sizeable merchant population. Earl David held a strong castle 

at Roxburgh. Known as Marchidun or Marchmont, it was situated at strategically 

important crossing-points of both the Teviot and the Tweed and it acted as protection for 

the town of Roxburgh. Soon after he became King of Scotland in 1124 David decided, on 

the advice of John, Bishop of Glasgow, to move his Abbey of Selkirk to a new site at a 

place called Kelso. He did this so that he could concentrate power in southern Scotland in 

one centre around Roxburgh. Kelso was certainly thought of as no more than a suburb of 

Roxburgh, although it was the location of an earlier church called St Mary's. Before 

1128, when the Abbey of Selkirk was moved and became the Abbey of Kelso, the church 

of St Mary had been in the diocese of the Bishop of St Andrews. Bishop Robert was 

persuaded to give this church to the monks in 1128 probably as a temporary home for the 

abbey and certainly as a site where the building of the new foundation could begin. In 

order to avoid confusion over the transplantation of the monks from Selkirk to Kelso, 

David I re-issued the foundation charter in the name of Kelso, re-organized his gifts of 

land to suit the new location and on 3 rd May 1128 in the presence of the royal family and 

Scotland's nobility, the Abbey Kirk of Kelso was founded. That act marks the beginning 

of the continuous history of Kelso. 

94

David I set up abbeys in Kelso, Montrose, Dryburgh and Jedburgh. The monks 

had French connections. David grew up in the English court, which had just been 

captured by the Normans, and he was strongly influenced by the French monks. The 

monks set up hospitals and schools, and they were merchants they had mills and they 

exported their goods from Kelso to Berwick. The site of Roxburgh must have looked like 

the obvious place for a stronghold to the young Earl David. Bounded very closely by the 

River Teviot on its south side and by the Tweed only a short distance to the north, the 

long oblong mount that was to become Roxburgh Castle rose to a height of seventy to 

eighty feet, dominating the undulating landscape around it. To the east of the castle the 

two rivers Teviot and Tweed join to make a peninsula of the area where David built his 

new burgh, thus ensuring that it would be well defended by water. Although there is a 

strong likelihood that earlier forts had occupied the mount, it was Davis and his Frenchspeaking 

friends who probably gave the place its name. Roxburgh is usually styled 

'Rokesburgus' or 'Rochesburgus' in the early documents. Roches is the French word for 

stones or rocks and the name would have signified to these early inhabitants the nature of 

the castle-mount, because, unlike Edinburgh or Stirling, it is not a single roche but a big 

stoney ridge - Rocksburgh. The strategic importance of Roxbugh in terms of a military 

operation is underlined by the fact that David massed his army at Roxburgh before he 

invaded King Stephen's England in 1138. Not only was this site inherently strong but it 

also lay very near the junction of two medieval roads, and it controlled a relatively low 

crossing point of the Tweed - probably the last before the bridge at Berwick. 

For more than a century Roxburgh Castle stood at the centre of Scottish politics. 

It acted as a royal court on several occasions and many of the King's recorded acts ended 

with the phrase 'at Roxburgh' and the date of the document. 

Roxburgh Castle was finally destroyed in 1550 and now only a few fragments of 

masonry are left. These lie mostly on the south side of the site by the River Teviot. 

Roxburgh was a large castle and it is surprising that so little of it has survived, even 

taking into account the energy of the stone-robbers from across the Tweed at Kelso. In 

1255 the strength of Roxburgh was recognized when the English faction at the 

quarrelling Scottish court kidnapped the young Alexander III and held him prisoner at 

Roxburgh. 

The royal wedding of Lord Alexander, the son of Alexander III, and Margaret de 

Dampiere, daughter of the Count of Flanders, followed in 1282 but the castle was to be 

occupied by the English at the end of the thirteenth century. It is extraordinary that 

Roxburgh just disappeared, for a town that was, during the reign of David I, as important 

a burgh as Edinburgh, Dunfermline or Berwick (http://www.kelsoonline.co.uk/history.htm). 

Melrose was the first Cistercian abbey in Scotland, founded in 1136 by King 

David I. Three miles away from the present abbey, Old Melrose had been a monastic 

settlement since the 7th centaury, founded by St Aedan of Iona, the man who also 

founded Lindisfarne. So the foundation of the new abbey reflected continuity within 

Scotland’s monastic traditions rather than a radical break. The Melrose monks, being 

Cistercians or white monks, were one of the new wave of reformed monastic orders, and 

were founded in 1098 AD at Cîteaux, near Dijon in Burgundy, by a group of Benedictine 

monks. They were observers of St Benedict’s Rule, and believed that it was being 

followed in too lax a manner. The Cistercians, who took their name from the Latin for 

95

Cîteaux - 'Cistercium' - opted to follow St Benedict’s rule strictly, refusing feudal 

revenues and reintroducing manual labour for their monks. 

Effectively this gave the Order an unpaid work force, free of feudal customs. In 

medieval Europe this was a distinct competitive advantage and allowed them to develop 

their large estates without obstacles. 

In the 12th century, around Melrose, they forged ahead implementing new 

farming techniques and marketing Melrose wool throughout the great trading ports across 

northern Europe. Their economic success and the attraction of their austere spirituality 

helped to spread the Cistercian Order throughout Christendom. 

The Cistercian’s were very popular in Scotland. David I founded four of their 

houses in Scotland and eleven were established in all before their worldly success led to 

inevitable decline. 

One of the most famous Cistercians was St Bernard of Clairvaux, who 

championed the growing cult of the Virgin and denounced monastic ‘liberals’ who 

undermined the mysteries of God. The church at Melrose was dedicated to the Virgin 

Mary on its completion in 1146. 

In times of famine the Cistercians agricultural success was especially useful. 

According to the Scotichronicon, the Abbot of Melrose, Waltheof, stepson of David I, 

miraculously fed 4,000 peasants who were camped around the abbey for three months 

during the famine of 1148, sparing nothing to aid the starving. For such acts Waltheof 

was revered as a saint and when he died was buried at Melrose. A fragment of his tomb 

can still be seen at the site. 

“On one occasion when the calamity of famine threatened, a vast crowd of 

destitute people reckoned to number four thousand gathered at Melrose, and erected huts 

and tents for themselves in the fields and woods around the monastery to a distance of 

two miles.’Walter Bower's Scotichronicon - quoting from Jocelin’s 'Life of St Waltheof” 

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history). 

The Leirmonths as we have already described settled in the county of 

Berwick before 1066 AD and as already stated founded the village now 

called Learmouth. In the years 1040-1080 AD this area was constantly 

involved in the Anglo-Scottish wars for control of arable lands along the 

River Tweed and particularly near the village of Leirmouth. There were also 

several important religious foundations that brought Christianity to 

Northumbria. We believe that the Leirmonths settled in the area not by 

chance but because of the close proximity of these religious foundations and 

that they had a strong connection to one or all of these institutions. 

Despite the English Scottish wars and incursions which continuously 

plagued this part of the country we know that Learmonth’s continued to live 

in or close to this original location and that they were living in this area 

during 1200-1296 as the first and most prominent Scottish poet and prophet 

of ancient times, Thomas Learmonth or Thomas the Rhymer of Ercildoune, 

(see Part 5.) We know that it was 200 years after his death that his name 

appeared in Scottish historical papers. But we believe that the legend of his 

96

Learmonth surname is certainly based on the accounts of the Learmonth’s 

family stories if not on the historical records. The value of Thomas the 

Rhymer to Scottish borders history means that it is most unlikely that his 

Learmonth surname is a make believe story. 

There is below is a map of the part of Scotland illustrating the location of the 

main religious foundation. 

The village of Learmouth is surrounded by important religious 

institutions that existed in the 11 th -13 th centuries. There is Carham about 3 

miles/4.8 km to the northwest, Kelso Abbey about 7 miles/11 km to the 

southwest, Melrose Abbey, Dryburgh Abbey, and Thomas the Rhymer of 

Ercildoune (Earlston) about 25 miles/40 km to the west. There is Cornhill 

about 2 miles/3.2 km to the east, Coldsream about 5.5 miles/9 km, Tillmouth 

about 12 miles/20 km, Norham about 19 miles/30.4 km, and Berwick-upon- 

Tweed about 29 miles/46 km along the River Tweed on the northeast. 

So there were villages, castles, religious institutions that were mostly 

under the Bishops of Durham; also Kelso Abbey with its lands and hospital; 

the Roxburgh Royal Burgh to the southwest. We believe that the people 

(probably lairds) who lived in and around Learmouth were some kind of 

vassal (dependent on) or connected to Kelso Abbey or the Bishops of 

Durham. The spelling Leuremue in Rolls dated 1117 AD is a French-like 

spelling. The monks from Tiron Abbey in France were at Selkirk in 1113, 

97

and had been invited to found Selkirk Abbey and later Kelso Abbey. The 

records were written mostly by church clerics in those times. So the 

influence of the French language was dominant in the area of Selkirk, 

Roxburgh and Kelso during the XII century. 

There is no doubt that the lands around the Learmouth 

village during the XI - XIII centuries were heavily populated 

because it was located a short distance from Roxbugh which in 

those days had the same importance that Edinburgh has today. 

98

Part 5. 

The Early Learmonths 

We believe that there is enough evidence for us to be reasonably 

certain that an individual or family called Learmonth came to the British 

Isles from Europe, most probably from Normandy, before the time of 

William the Conqueror. 

We also believe that when the Learmonths settled in the Scottish 

borders their initial dwelling was in Northumbria where the villages of West 

and East Learmouth are now located. 

The very first Learmonth made the Learmonth surname famous in the 

early history of Scotland and England in or about the year 1057AD. The 

Learmonth surname being connected with the epoch making reign of the 

Malcolm III in Scotland and Edward the Confessor in England. 

The early Learmonth’s also made a historical impact on several well 

known Scottish Clans. The surname Learmonth was found in the Mac Duff 

Clan Genealogy: “Line of the Descent of William McKinley, the Twenty- 

Fifth President of the United States, from Mac Duff, Thane of Fife”, 

compiled by Edward A. Claypool, a Chicago genealogist, Chicago, USA, 

1897. 

William MacIntosh (page 12) married Beatrix Learmonth. We find 

more information on page 26: William MacIntosh, second son of Shaw (or 

Shaw Oig, i.e., the younger). Married Beatrix Learmonth (about 1150-1221), a 

surname as old as the reign of Malcolm III, and from which descended 

Thomas Learmonth, better known as “Thomas the Rhymer,” or “Thomas of 

Ercodoune”, Scotlands earliest poet, who is supposed to have been born 

between 1226 and 1229. William is said to have resided at the Castle of 

Inverness with the other sons and grandsons of Shaw (Oig), who defended it 

on numerous occasions against the marauding bands from the West. Some of 

them added considerably to the possessions of the family, which soon took 

firm root in the North.” William MacIntosh was the 10 th descendent from 

Duncan Macduff (1000-1060). Duncan Macduff or Maormor (Gaelic maor, 

steward; mor, great, or great stewart) of Fife, the celebrated Thane of 

Shakespeare, was the greatest chief of those who laboured to restore Malcom 

Cean-mor or King Malcolm III to his throne, which had been usurped by 

Macbeth. Macduff slew Macbeth at Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire, Scotland 

on December 5th, 1056. Learmonth and Macduff participated in the battle 

helping Malcolm Cean-mor to gain power. 

99

William Shaw and Bessie or Beatrix Learmonth gave birth to a son, 

Shaw (1179/1210-1265). Shaw Mackintosh being the eldest son of William 

Mackintosh and Beatrix Learmonth, for which he was sometimes called Shaw 

Macwilliam. In 1230 Shaw married Helena William, the daughter of William 

the Thane of Calder. Shaw Mackintosh acquired the lands of Meikle and 

Geddes, also the lands and castle of Rait on the river Nairn. He also acquired a 

lease for Rothiemurchus in Strathsprey from Andrew, Bishop of Moray in 

1236, from which his more common name of Shaw ‘of Rothiemurchus’ 

emerged. The lands of Rothiemurchus had been granted by King Alexander II 

to Andrew, Bishop of Moray in 1226. The descendants of Shaw would hold 

Rothiemurchus for over a hundred years. Shaw ‘of Rothiemurchus’ was 

named Fourth Chief of Mackintosh upon the death of his uncle, Ferquhard in 

1240. Shaw (of Rothiemurchus) died in 1265. 

The result of the marriage between William Mackintosh and Beatrix 

Learmonth gave rise to the following Scottish families: MacDuff, Shaw, 

Macintosh, Farquharson, and MacKinlay. The roots of William McKinley, 

the twenty fifth President of the United States come directly from the union of 

the Mackintosh and the Learmonth families. 

William McKinley 

25th President 1897-1901. Born in Ohio, the descendant of a farmer 

from Conagher, near Ballymoney, County Antrim, he was proud of his 

ancestry and addressed one of the national Scotch-Irish Congresses held in 

the late 19th Century. His second term as President was cut short by an 

assassin's bullet. 

100

Thomas Rhymer of Ereldoune or Thomas Learmonth: 

The romantic image of Thomas Rhymer 

(http://www.firstfoot.com/scotchmyth/thomastherhymer.htm) 

There are many books and written records which refer to Thomas and 

for that reason we can be certain that he did exist. ERCELDOIINE 

THOMAS also called the RHYMER and Learmont (c. 1220-1297), seer and 

poet, occupies much the same position in Scottish popular folklore as does 

Merlin in that of England, but with some historical foundation. His actual 

existence and approximate date can be fixed by contemporary documents. 

The name of' Thomas Rimor de Ercildun, with four others, is appended as 

witness to a deed whereby Petrus de Haga de Bemersvde agreed to pay half 

a stone of wax annually to the abbot of Melrose for the chapel of St. 

Cuthbert at Old Melrose (Liber de Melros, Bannatyne Club, 1298). The 

document is undated, but the Petrus de Hags, cannot be he who witnessed 

the signature of Richard de Mooresville, constable of Scotland, about 1170 

101

(Liber S. Marie de Dryburgh, Bannatyne, Club, 1847, p. 269), and must be 

identified with the person of that name who lived about 1220 (ib.pp.94-6), as 

proof the four witnesses mentioned above were Oliver, Abbot of Dryburgh 

(c. 1250-68), and Hugh de Peresbv, Viscount of Roxburgh, alive in 1281. In 

the cartulary of the Trinity House of Soltra, preserved in the Advocates' 

Library, Edinburgh, is a deed conveying to that house all the lands held by 

inheritance in Erceldoune by Thomas de Ercildoun filius et heres Thome 

Rymour de Ercildoun. The date has been usually quoted 1294-1299 (Source: 

“The Dictionary of National Biography, Founded in 1882 by George Smith, 

edited by Lesly Stephen and Sir Sidney Lee “From the Earliest Times to 

1900”, volume VI, published since 1917 the Oxford University Press and 

sold by The Waverley Book Co. Ltd., 96-97 Farrington St., London, E.C.4, 

page 803”)Detailed below is a short account of his life and the myth that 

gave him his name and reputation. 

He lived in the village of Ercildoune now called Earlston a village on the 

right bank of the river Leader. The ruins of the keep of an ancient tower 

which are almost still there were originally known as The Rymers Castle and 

later on Learmonth Tower. 

Earlstone (red circle) and Learmouth (blue circle) 

on the map of the Lowlands, Scotland. 

102

In the early days of the 13th century in Scotland, the ballad or poem 

told the stories and recorded the history, and Thomas was said to be able to 

hold his audience spellbound. Lord and Lady, Knight and knave young and 

old would hang on to every word, because Thomas could only tell the truth, 

and many of his rhymes were prophetic. He was born around 1220 and died 

about 1297 his prophecies only appeared in literary form in the 1400’s when 

he became a celebrated poet and prophet after his death. But while he lived 

he was famous too, because of the strange and fascinating events that led 

him to receive his amazing gifts. 

The story goes that Thomas was walking in Huntly Burn near the 

Eildon Hills close to his home in Ercildoune one fine May morning when he 

heard a horse in the distance, as it came closer he saw that the rider was a 

very beautiful lady with golden hair and jewels sparkling over her spring 

green cloak. She stopped by him and introduced herself as the Queen of the 

underworld. He begged her for a kiss and it was that which changed his life 

forever. She took the willing Thomas with her back to the underworld it was 

there that he was to learn that life consists of three paths. The first is desert 

flat wide and straight as far as the eye can see this path has an unhappy and 

fruitless ending. The second path is narrow, winding and treacherous with 

thorny hedges; this is the path of righteousness with a good ending. The 

third path is very green and lush with foliage and vegetation meandering into 

a forest or glade. This is the path to the underworld do not utter a word 

whilst passing down this way or you will stay forever. The Queen gave 

Thomas an apple from a perfectly laden tree that meant he would be graced 

with the gift of truth, foresight and poetry. He was transformed into a 

nobleman as with the gift of truth a man is indeed noble. He was given an 

enchanted harp that was to be used as the link between this world and the 

underworld showing its timeless mystical qualities. With this and all his 

other gifts he became a wise Laird. When he returned to Ercildoune he 

found he had been away for seven years that had seemed to him to have been 

only an hour or so. 

Thomas became Laird of the Castle of Ercildoune and quickly 

established himself as a prophet. He predicted the death of King Alexander 

III in a fall from his horse in 1286. This prediction was made to The Earl of 

March in Dumbar Castle the day before the accident happened. He also 

predicted the union of the Scottish and English Crowns, the Battle of 

Bannockburn and the Jacobite uprisings. He wrote poetry and his advice 

and wisdom was sort by all. The story goes that he disappeared in about 

1297 when he was called back to the underworld by two white deer or forest 

103

children who came to take their brother back home and he was never seen 

again. 

This story is of course the kind of myth that the people of those days 

believed never the less Thomas was regarded even in his own time as 

important, remarkable and special. As said before he has been called the 

Scottish Merlin and illustrations show him with a long white beard a tall hat 

and long cloak. Some accounts record that Thomas had a son however 

there is no detailed record of his larger family however they most certainly 

did exist, and as already stated had probably been in this part of Scotland for 

several hundred years before he was born. On a grave stone in the 1892 

Earlston Parish Church yard at the east of the village there is an inscription 

which reads: 

“Auld Rymer’s race 

lies in this place” 

The gravestone that is legendary considered as stone from the Thomas 

Rhyme’s grave. The cemetery in Earlstone, 2005. 

104

Thomas Rhymer-Learmont’s life crossed over with the heroic times in 

the Scottish history: War for Independence in 1296-1320. “J. A. H. Murray, 

who edited “The Romance and Prophecies” (E.E.T.S., 1875), thinks that he 

was living last three years (1294-1297) in a Cluniac priory in Ayrshire. He 

figures in the works of Barbour and Harry the Minstrel as the sympathizing 

contemporary of their heroes, and Walter Bower, who continued the 

Scotichronicon of Fordun (Pluscarden Abbey publications, page 147, 

personal communications, 2003). Blind Harry, also called Harry the 

Minstrel, flourished 1470-92, author of the Scottish historical poem “The 

Actis and Deidis of the Illustere and Vailzeand Campioun Schir William 

Wallace, Knicht of Ellerslie” (http://www.nndb.com/people). This poem is 

the one of the comprehensive source for the William Wallace (c. 1272-1306) 

live and his brave struggle (“Braveheart”) for Scot’s independence from 

English crown. According to Blind Harry William Wallace met Thomas 

Rhymer-Learmont few months before the famous battle for the Stirling 

Bridge in September 1297. “In an attempt to come to the aid of a youth 

being accosted by English troops he bit off a bit too much and found himself 

backed up and overpowered (it is happen in Ayrshire). He was pressed 

down, tied up and taken to the Wardens prison. News was spread that 

William Wallace was dead and his body was thrown onto a dung heap to be 

left to rot. 

In hearing that he was dead an old friend, namely his first nurse, made 

her way to the jail house and asked that she take the body away in order to 

give him a decent burial. Of course with William now dead and out of the 

way it seemed harmless enough to keep the locals happy by letting them 

bury him. 

She took William back to her house and began to clean and prepare 

him for a burial which he deserved. However, in cleaning him she noticed 

that he still had a signs of life and she began to spoon feed him, and even her 

daughter, who had a twelve week old baby, suckled young William and 

together they both brought him back from the brink. 

About this time Sir Thomas Rymour of Ercildoune heard of the death 

of William and instantly sent a servant to find out what had happened. When 

the servant returned with the news that he was alive and had defied death to 

the point where it seemed he had actually returned from the grave, it is at 

this point in Blind Harry's account that Thomas the Rhymer gives his 

prophesy regarding Wallace: 

105

“For sooth, ere he decease, 

Shall many thousands in the field make end. 

From Scotland he shall forth the Southron send, 

And Scotland thrice he shall bring to peace. 

So good of hand again shall ne'er be kenned.” 

(http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/wallace/truth8.htm) 

This prophecy was the sparkle flared the flame (1826, Alexander 

Pushkin “the flame will flare up from the spark”) all over the Scotland and 

finalized with the first Scottish Declaration of Independence or “The 

Declaration of Arbroath 1320” by Robert Bruce. The Declaration of 

Arbroath was and has been unequalled in its eloquent plea for the liberty of 

man. From the darkness of medieval minds it shone a torch upon future 

struggles which its signatories could not have foreseen or understood. (John 

Prebble, http://www.constitution.org/scot/arbroath.htm). 

106

107

108

William Wallace Monument near Stirling, 2006. 

Thomas Learmont and Fyvie Castle. 

The other mysterious story binds the famous Fyvie Castle, Aberdeen, 

Scotland, and Thomas Rhymer Learmont. The earliest mention of Fyvie 

Castle is said to be between 1211 and 1214; the exact date is not given, but 

within that period a chater was granted by William the Lion to the monk of 

Dunfirmline of the Church of Abercromby in Fife; and it is endorsed apud 

Fiuene [Fyvie]. That means that William the Lion was in residence at Fyvie 

with all his officials of Stste, who were witnesses to this charter. The history 

of Fyvie is of the great interest and could read in the book: «Fyvie Castle. Its 

lairds and their times” by A.M.W. Stirling, 1928, edited and updated in 2005 

by Sue Coburn. We would like to cite here just story related to the Tomas 

Learmont. 

109

Fyvie Castle, photo authors, 2006. 

“Between the years 1210 -1220, there is said to have been burn a poet, 

Thomas of Erceldoune, commonly known both to his contemporaries and 

through the legend as 'True Tammas' or 'Tammas the Rhymer'. He was a real 

person, proved to have witnessed a deed concerning payment sometime 

between 1230 and 1240, as well as being mentioned as a poet in chronicles. 

However, the many prophesies attributed to him were no doubt invented 

after the events they were alleged to predict, and he has been immortalized 

in legend and superstition, as well as by the unsolved mystery of his 

eventual disappearance. He appears to have been a prophet of gloomy 

foreboding, who invariably foretold stormy weather, general disaster, or 

torrents of blood; like all prophets he cautiously uttered his predictions with 

a studied ambiguity, and seems to have had a predilection for cursing most 

of the ancient Houses in Scotland. 

A popular tale was that Thomas was carried off to Elfland at an early 

age, where he was instructed by the Queen of Elfland for seven years, before 

she returned him to Earth, where he carried out her work until she recalled 

him. While the mysterious disappearance of Tammas gave countenance to 

the idea of his return to Elfland, some credence was given to the rumour that 

110

he had retired to a monastery, but it seems more likely from a tale handed 

down, that a sinister fate overtook the gloomy prophet. 

Late one evening, it is said, Tammas entered a hostelry while on his 

travels, and while resting he rashly let it be known that he was on his way to 

sec a friend at Lauder Castle to whom he was conveying a considerable sum 

of money. From the moment he left the hostelry that night, he was never 

seen again, alive or dead. 

The tale of the stones, like everything connected with Tammas, is lost 

in a hazy tradition from which it is difficult t disentangle any distinct facts, 

but it is related that Fyvie had been expecting a visit from 'True Tammas', 

and apparently to conciliate that alarming prophet, the gates of the castle had 

been left open in welcome for an unprecedented time - tradition says seven 

years and a day. 

When he did appear, he was accompanied by a violent storm of wind 

and rain that stripped the surrounding trees of their leaves, and blew the 

Castle gates shut with a loud crash. But, while the tempest was raging on all 

sides, it was noticed that close by the spot where Tammas stood, there was 

not 'wind enough to shake a pile of grass or a hair of his beard'. 

And in the midst of that nerve-shattering hurricane, Tammas, 

according to his invariable custom, pronounced a curse - the generally 

accepted version goes: 

Fyvyn's riggs and towers, 

Hapless shall your mesdames be, 

When ye shall hae within your methes, 

Frae harryit kirks lands, stanes three; 

Ane in the oldest tower, 

Ane in my ladie's bower 

And ane below the water-yett, 

And it ye shall never get. 

Now the 'methes' are stones or lines indicating a boundary. This, and 

the expression `harryit kirks lands' seem to confirm that the stones in 

question were in truth some boundary line between the Church lands and the 

lands of the Laird in the parish of Fyvie. It is even possible that the alleged 

position of the three mysterious stones in the Castle may, in some subtle 

way, indicate the direction of the violated property. 

Another suggestion is both plausible and arresting if Tammas had 

lived through the 'harrying of Buchari and witnessed the cruel violence and 

111

destruction that took place, he might have been cursing stones taken from 

the 'harryit kirks lands' and used in the reconstruction of the Castle of Fyvie, 

which may have sustained considerable damage after it was supposed to 

have afforded shelter to the defeated followers of Comyn? 

The interpretation of Tammas's remarks has been that until the three 

stones were together again, some mysterious doom would hang over Fyvie, 

and this was accompanied by his assurance that the stones never could be 

put together! Yet the verses actually state that so long as these three ominous 

stones are within the boundaries of Fyvie, ill-luck will ensue, therefore their 

expulsion not their acquisition, is needed. 

Of what the threatened doom consisted, however, the prophet wisely 

refrained from hinting, and his malediction has therefore been explained in 

various ways: 

One version is that no heir shall ever be born in the Castle, and for 

five hundred years this is said to have been fulfilled. 

Another is that Fyvie will never pass in direct succession for two 

generations or from a father to his eldest son; and the fact that it remained so 

long in the gift of the Sovereign, no doubt gave credence to the supposition, 

while in the case of Sir James Lindsay and Sir Henry Preston neither had 

any male heir. 

The fate of the Setons and the Gordons, who we shall meet later, 

served to perpetuate the belief. 

One interesting point arising from the wording of the curse as it comes 

down to us, is the reference to 'the oldest tower'. 

Which was this in the days of True Tammas? 

Legend persists that Sir Henry Preston sacrilegiously used one of the 

sacred or boundary stones in his building of, or addition to, what is now the 

oldest tower, and in so doing cemented for all time the curse within the 

fortunes of Fyvie Castle. 

A tale remains that for a long time there existed on the battlements of 

Preston Tower a stone which behaved as no stone should - it was dry when it 

should have been wet, and wet when it should have been dry, till at last 

through incessant weeping and erratic behaviour it crumbled away! 

Finally it is hinted that the third mysterious stone which is beneath the 

'water-yett' is actually built into the foundation of the oldest tower, and that 

never till that foundation mingles with the dust can the curse be dispelled. 

But Thomas the Ryhmer must have been very old if he lived through 

the times of the 'harrying of Buchari , and the Preston Tower has been dated 

as being built nearly a century after that (circa 1400). 

112

Was what today is 'the oldest tower' or some part of it, already 

existing under another name and already ancient, over a century before the 

date assigned to it now? 

Or was Thomas so far imbued with the spirit of prophecy as to 

visualise a future in which the then unbuilt Preston Tower would become the 

oldest of the five towers of Fyvie Castle? 

Meanwhile, all three mysterious stones are said to be 'weeping stones' 

- at times they are dry and at times they emit moisture. 

It is said they weep when any ill threatens the Laird of Fyvie, and 

today one stone, un-traced, is said to be built into the Preston Tower, one lies 

unclaimed beneath the waters of the Ythan, and only one can be located - 

perhaps it was once in 'my lady's bower' but it now resides in the Charter 

Room at Fyvie Castle, where at times it is bone dry and at others exudes 

enough moisture to fill the two bowls in which it lies” (book by Sue 

Coburn, pages 20-24). 

'Weeping stones' in the Charter Room at Fyvie Castle, 

photograph of author, 2006. 

113

Thomas Learmont and Poet Lord Byron 

It happen that Thomas Learmont’s curse was pronounced for the 

Scottish-English Poet Lord Byron’s family. It is to be believed that a curse 

was realized so could influence the Byron’s fate. The Russian poet Mikhail 

Lermontov was the great lover of the Byron’s poetry but he could not know 

that his ancient predecessor Thomas Rhymer Learmont was mythically 

involved in the Byron’s fate. 

The Gordons of Gight, now extinct, sprang from the second son of the 

second Earl of Huntly, and the Princess Jane, daughter of James I. They 

seem to have been men of a fierce disposition and passionate temper, and 

were repeatedly guilty of outrages of the most violent nature. 

Gight Castle, Aberdeen, Scotland, painting by James Giles 

The last owner was mother of Poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) 

Towards the close of last century the family ended in an heiress, 

Catherine Gordon, who seems to have inherited the fierce and unruly 

passions of her family. She married, in 1785, Captain John Byron, a 

worthless and dissolute spendthrift, by whom she became the mother of the 

famous poet, Lord Byron. As she espoused Captain Byron without any 

‘settlement,’ her estate was seized by his creditors, and sold to Lord 

Aberdeen for £18,500, while she and her son were left in penury. 

The castle of Gight is now a complete ruin, with the exception of two 

modern rooms, which are preserved for the accommodation of parties 

visiting the glen. There is a prophecy regarding it and the family, as usual 

ascribed to Thomas the Rhymer who visited Gith Castle on his way to Fyvie 

and says— 

114

‘When the heron leaves the tree, 

The Laird o’ Gight shall landless be.’ 

It is said that when the honorable John Byron married the heiress of 

Gight, the denizens of a heronry which, forages, had fixed their airy abode 

among the branches of a magnificent tree in the immediate vicinity of the 

house, at once left their ancient habitation, and migrated in a troop to Kelly, 

where it is certain a family of herons is now domiciled. ‘The riggs soon 

followed’ is a familiar saying, which aptly enough fills up the tradition, for 

the estate of Gight is now in the hands of the Earls of Aberdeen. 

Another prophecy is even more remarkable, since its complete 

verification has been accomplished within a very recent period:— 

‘At Gight three men by sudden death shall dee, 

And after that the land shall lie in lea.’ 

‘In 1791 Lord Haddo met a violent death on the Green of Gight by 

the fall of his horse; some years after this a servant on the estate met a 

similar death on the Mains, or home farm. But two deaths were not sufficient 

to verify the seer’s words. A few years ago the house, preparatory to the 

farm being turned into lea, was being pulled down, when one of the men 

employed in the work casually remarked on the failure of the Rhymer’s 

prediction. But, as if to vindicate the veracity of the prophet’s words, in less 

than an hour the speaker himself supplied the fated number, lying crushed to 

death beneath the crumbling ruins of a fallen wall! We need scarcely add 

that the local fame of the Rhymer is now more than ever in the ascendant.’ 

Pratt adds: ‘We cannot take leave of the grey romantic towers of 

Gight in language more appropriate than that of the noble bard whose 

maternal ancestors occupied them for nearly four hundred years:- 

‘And there they stand, as stands a lofty mind— 

Worn, but unstooping to the baser crowd, 

All tenantless, save to the crannying wind, 

Or holding dark communion with the cloud, 

Banners on high, and battles passed below; 

And they who fought are in a bloody shroud, 

And those who waved are shredless dust ere now, 

And the bleak battlements shall bear no future blow.’ 

(http://www.electricscotland.com). 

115

Thomas Learmont prophecies only appeared in literary form in the 

1400’s once he became a celebrated poet and prophet after his death. 

Though Sir Tristrem was not printed until 1804 by Sir Walter Scott the 

author of the old metrical romance is thought to have been Thomas the 

Rhymer poet and prophet from Earlston Berwickshire. The Tristrem or 

Tristan legend forms a most valuable part of Celtic law; it is an 

indispensable part of the Arthurian corpus. Sources of Information 

(www.electricscotland.com) Ministrelsy of the Scottish Border by Sir Walter 

Scott (1803), Romance and Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune 

(edited in 1875 by J.A.H Murray; http://www.britannia.com; 

http://www.folklegend.com). 

It should be pointed out one more time that because of the lack of 

written records from this period very little background is known of Thomas 

and his family and even his name is a matter of controversy. It has been 

argued that in the few records of the time his surname is not mentioned: In a 

charter granted by his son and heir to the convent of Soltra, he is Thomas 

Rymer de Erceldun. Robert de Bronne, Fordun, Barbour, and Winton call 

him simply Thomas of Erceldoun. Henry the minstrel calls him Thomas 

Rymer (http://www,electricscotland.com). However because of his fame (a 

bit like a film star today) it is understandable that he was mainly known as 

Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas. Hector Boece is the first who uses the 

title `Thomas Leirmont' (Scotorum Historia, Paris, 1575, lib. xiii. 291). 

Alexander Nisbet, following Boece, extends the title to Thomas Learmont of 

Earlstoun in the Merss. Rymour was a Berwickshire name in those days, 

one John Rymour, a freeholder, having done homage to Edward I in 1296. 

Thomas the Rhymer did not become popular until Sir Walter Scott included 

“Thomas the Rhymer" in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, completed in 

1803. In the early 15th century, the prophecies of Thomas had appeared in 

literary form, Romance and Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune (edited in 

1875 by J.A.H. Murray). Sir Walter Scott, patriot and writer, enjoyed 

traveling around the Scottish border talking to the older people in an effort to 

collect the stories, poems, and songs that had been passed by word of mouth 

from one generation to the next. These he published as "Minstrelsy of the 

Scottish Border." Two volumes of the Minstrelsy were published in 1802 

and a third followed in 1803. The Tristrem or Tristan, old metrical romance 

is believed to have been based on Thomas the Rhymer. Legend forms a 

most valuable part of Celtic lore, it is an indispensable part of the Arthurian 

corpus. Sir Tristrem by Sir Walter Scott was printed in 1804 

(http://www.britannia.com/bios/rhymer.html). 

116

Commercial advertising for the modern movie 

“Tristan and Isolde”, London, 2006. 

Sir Walter Scott strengthened Hector Boece’s confidence in Thomas 

Rhymer being a Learmont. He wrote the third part for the famous Thomas’s 

rhyme “True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank” imitating Thomas Rhymer 

metrical romance where he introduced Learmont as Thomas Rhymer’s 

father. We present here just few parts from an ancient Thomas Rhymer’s 

poem and the Walter Scott rhyme. 

THOMAS THE RHYMER 

PART FIRST 

(Ancient) 

TRUE THOMAS lay on Huntlie bank ; 

A ferlie he spied wi’ his ee ; 

And there he saw a ladye bright, 

Come riding down by the Eildon Tree. 

117

“For as I say, so must it be.”— 

He has gotten a coat of the even cloth, 

And a pair of shoes of velvet green, 

And till seven years were gane and past 

True Thomas on earth was never seen. 


SECOND PART 

(Ancient) 

WHEN seven years were come and gane, 

The sun blinked fair on pool and stream, 

And Thomas lay on Huntlie bank, 

Like one awaken’d from a dream.” 


THIRD PART 

(By Sir Walter Scott) 

“WHEN seven years more were come and gone, 

Was war through Scotland spread, 

And Ruberslaw show’d high Dunyon 

His beacon blazing red. 

................................... 

“Farewell, my father’s ancient tower ! 

A long farewell,” said he : 

“The scene of pleasure, pomp, or power, 

Thou never more shall be. 

“To Learmont’s name no foot of earth 

Shall here again belong, 

And, on thy hospitable hearth,” 

(http://www.cyberscotia.com/ogmios/texts/thomas/thomas-balladscott.html) 

The Walter Scot’s rhyme was used mistakenly as confirmation that 

Thomas Rhymer was a Learmont by some biographers (Ovchininskaya et all 

“Thomas Learmonth Russian Poet’s Scottish ancestor”, 1991, page 6). 

Walter Scot and William Shakespeare were poets and writers but not 

historians. Walter Scott had a very strong sense of imagination which made 

him a glorious Scottish writer. However we found а publication explaining 

why Walter Scot connected Thomas Rhymer with the Learmont surname. 

“In a note to his Introduction to the metrical Romance of Sir Tristrem, Sir 

Walter Scott says: ‘ In removing and arranging some ancient papers, lodged 

118

in the offices of the Clerks of Session, the following genealogical memoir 

was discovered, among many writings belonging to the family of Learmonth 

of Balcomy, which is now extinct. It is in the handwriting of the 17 th 

century. ‘The genealogy of the honourable and ancient surname of 

Leirmont’, the chief of the name was the laird of Ersilmont in the Merse, 

whose predecessor, Thomas Leirmonth, (lived) in the reign of Alexander III. 

He foretold his death. (Database: “Scottish Nation Biographical History”: 

the Surname, Families, Literature, Honours, & Biographical History of the 

People, 1864, vol. 2 “The Scottish Nation”, LE 641). 

Sir Walter Scott learned that Thomas Rhymer was called Leirmont from the 

records of the Learmonth’s of Balcomie. He confirmed his findings in later 

writings, he may also have read the Hector Boece’s history. 

It is also possible that Sir Walter was told the story of Thomas being a 

Learmont during his time in the Scottish border region where he spent his 

childhood and where he died. 

Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1771. The 

young Walter Scott survived a childhood bout of polio that would leave him 

lame in his right leg for the rest of his life. To restore his health he was sent 

to live for some years with his grandparents in Smailholme, so Scott’s early 

years were spent in the Scottish border, at the residence of his paternal 

grandfather. There his grandmother told him tales of old heroes. Here he 

learned the speech patterns and many of the tales and legends which 

characterized much of his work. In 1799 he was appointed sheriff’s deputy 

of the county of Selkirk. In 1804 Walter Scott rented a small house at 

Ashetiel on Tweed. He died at Abbotsford in 1832 and he was buried in 

Dryburgh Abbey. Scott’s life was intimately connected with the stories and 

legends of the Scottish borders. 

The area of the Scottish borders where Walter Scott lived and worked 

was where many Learmonth families were located from early times. The 

following map illustrates the statistical distribution of the Learmonth’s 

according to their marriages and births (http://www.scottishdocuments.com 

with permission). This illustrates that a considerable number of Learmonth 

families were living near Earlston, Melrose, Kelso, and the villages of East / 

West Learmouth when Walter Scott was collecting information and writing 

his "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border." So the legend about Thomas 

Rhymer being a Learmonth could have been passed from one Learmonth 

generation to another finally reaching Walter Scott. 

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This conclusion is based on Walter Scott’s “Letters on demonology 

and witchcraft” (Sir Walter Scott, Letter IV, written in 1830, 

http://www.sacred-texts.com) He wrote that “In popular tradition, the name 

of Thomas Rhymer was always averred to be Learmonth, though he neither 

used it himself, nor is he so described by his son other than Le Rymour. The 

Learmonth’s of Dairsie, Fife, and claimed descent from the prophet”. 

It is appropriate at this point to mention that the Russian poet Muhail 

Yurievich Lermontov was persecuted by the Russian philosopher Vladimir 

Solovyov in his article “Lermontov” in 1899. Solovyov called Lermontov 

an abandoned wretch who fell under the temptation of the devils arrogance 

and heartlessness. Solovyov’s came to this opinion because he believed that 

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Lermontov’s had inherited these characteristics from his early ancestor, the 

prophet Thomas Rhymer or Thomas Learmont. Solovyov based this on the 

assumption that Lermontov knew this fact from Walter Scott’s books and 

was referring to a special predestination of his life manifesting itself in 

arrogance for other people. However we do not know if the poet Lermontov 

knew or assumed that Thomas Learmont was his ancestor. Solovyov 

arrogantly derided Lermontov’s genius of prophecy. Solovyov was probably 

some kind of religious fanatic because he could not discern the poet’s 

suffering from a lack of understanding of how much he loved Russia and 

how much he was suffering for his generation that was lost being busy with 

paltry private problems. 

It is strange to think that Thomas Rhymer (Learmont), who lived in 1220- 

1297 and did not do any harm to anybody, might have a devils influence on 

the mind of his descendent poet Michail Lermontov who lived six hundreds 

year later in 1814-1841. (Ref.: “Novyuy Mir”, 2000, 5 “Solzhenitsyun 

chitaet Brodskogo”; “Samoubiistvo v rassrochku” 

http://www.cl.spb.ru/tb2001/wca13.htm). 

Robert Learmont, the last of a family of that patronymic claiming 

descent from Thomas of' Erceldoune, died unmarried about 1840. But we 

believe that this Learmonth branch was continued in the Russian Lermontov 

families (see below). 

We made a personal visit to Earlston in October 2003 and March 

2005. The countryside of the area is wonderful and the occasional glimpse 

of sunlight made the colours on the hills and pastures sparkle. 

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Earlston Hill 

The farming activity in the area is intense and the quality and 

smartness of the land shows that agriculture is a worthwhile and fulfilling 

occupation. Earlston we would describe as small country market town with 

hotels, pubs, shops and helpful people. Without the instructions from the 

locals as to how to find The Rhymers Tower we may be still there. However 

what is left of this building is disappointing it is about 15 feet wide and 

about 35 feet high and situated at the back of a café and appears to form part 

of the boundary wall between the café and the next property. 

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The Thomas Tower, photo authors, 2005. 

The Rymers Café as it is called sells quite good coffee and you can 

walk through the back door to view what is left of the Tower. It also has 

information pamphlets that give a brief history of the site (they even spell 

the name Learmonth correctly). We did not take a walk to Huntly Burn or 

the Eildon Hills because of the weather but on a good day it would be a great 

pleasure. It is quite understandable why Thomas enjoyed walking in this 

area even if you do not meet beautiful ladies out riding. 

It cannot be definitely stated that the Learmonth families in 

Ercildoune and Dairsie / Balcomie were originally from the same line if 

indeed the Dairsie family existed in the year 1200. However, if they did 

exist, and there was a family connection, and there is some evidence to 

suggest that there was, it would explain the reason why members of the 

Ercildoune family went to the Fife area in later years (see Part 6. The 

Learmonth’s of Fife). 

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The Early Learmonths in England. 

During our investigations we came across the following interesting 

information in ‘Old Rolls’ which give details relating to the early 

Learmonth’s. This could indicate that there were several individuals called 

Learmonth living in both Scotland and England. 

Peter son of Henry of Luiremr served in England in 1196AD during 

the reign of king Richard I (The Great Rolls of the Exchequer: Feet of Fines 

in the Public records office of the Seventh and eighth years of King Richard 

I, A.D. 1196 to A.D. 1197, London: printed by Wyman & Sons. Lim., Great 

Queen Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, 1896; page 43, Suffolk, Ric. I, № 24, 3 

Dec. 1196). The spelling Luiremr in 1196 was an abbreviated Latin version 

of the Learmonth surname and relates well with the Learmonth name spelt 

as Leuremue / Leuremuere/ Luiremuere. This Peter had ‘fief’ (land granted 

to a vassal by his lord) in Greater Luiremr and Lesser Liuremr and also in 

Ameton. Unfortunately we were not able to positively identify these 

locations but they were in England. The Greater and the Lesser Luiremuere 

maybe the Old and New Learmouth in Northumbria. We detail the original 

extract below : 

“Petr fiI Henr de Luiremr Tenete de seruic duar parciu i. milit . vn 

placit fuit Int eos i pfat Cur . Et vn ide abb peciit i. marc argenti . qn scut de 

xx. solic poit fuit p Regn Et pdict Petr n recognou pdico abbi nisi x. solid . 7 

-VIII- d. Scilic 3 q pdict Petr Recognou pdico abbi 7 successorib 3 suis 

plenar suic duar pciu i, milit . faciend de feud suo i magna Luremr 7 i parua 

Luiremr . '7 i Ameton . Scilic 3 cu ad scut Integr poi! fuerit xx. solid i. marc 

argenti . 7 Cu plus . Plus 7 Cu minus . minus . Et pterea faciend plenar 7 

Integr Ward duar parciu .i. milit p annu ad Custod CastaIl de Norwic Et p 

hac recognicione ipius Petr pdict abb quiet clamau -, illi Omia Rerag p dici 

Suic retenti. 

Suff. Suff .” 

Seven years later in 1203-1204 AD Gerardo (Gerald) Leheramont / 

Leiramund/ Leermut was granted lands by King John. 

(“Rotuli de libertate ac de misis et Praesttitis, Regnante Johanne”. 

Cura T. Duffus Hardy, London, 1844, pages: 52, 72, 95). We detail below 

the original Latin texts followed by the English translations. 

Page 52, 1203 AD 

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Page 72, 1203 AD 

Page 95, 1204 AD 

Translation of the page 52, 1203 AD: 

“The land given: The King etc. to G. son of Peter etc. We command 

that you give without delay, to the inheritor Gerard de Leheramont, 25 

pounds for land from the land of Simon de Haverech, with all its wheat and 

farm stock and whatever will come forth from it: and if the aforesaid land is 

not worth 25 pounds, that you make this known to us by default. Given by 

myself at Montefort, 25th July.” 


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“The fief being granted anew it is commanded that G. son of Peter 

assign to Gerard de Leiramund 25 pounds sterling per annum in the matter 

of the fief to the Exchequer, and these things shall be done before the 

secretary (notary?), and by the time of their middle age, [the matter of ] his 

fief shall be done by the heir from the Exchequer of the former St. 

Michael’s.” 


“The King etc. for your support (prayers?) etc. We [at first told you 

that] without delay you make over to the heir Ger. De Leermut in full 

holding of the whole land which belonged to Gaufrey son of Hamois and 

Netestedel, who is in Britain (Brittany?) with our enemies, with all their 

farm stock, land and chattels, and make known to us what stock may be on 

that land, and what chattels, and how much the land itself may be worth with 

and without the stock, and how much it can be valued [in future]. Given 

etc.” (J. Currey in “International Translation. Latin to English: 

lingo2lingo@aol.com”). 

According to this information King John gave the order to his 

Justiciar' Geoffrey Fitz Peter who was 1st Earl of Essex, (Piers de 

Lutegareshale, b. ca. 1162, d. 1213) to give the lands to Gerald Leiramont in 

full holding. These lands belonged originally to Gaufrey (Geoffrey) son of 

Hamois (Havoise?) and Gerald Leiramont was the heir. They were vast 

lands with farm, chattels, and stocks, so Leiramont became a wealthy laird. 

In 1330 AD Adam Lethermouth was King Edward III groom 

(Calendar of memoranda rolls (Exchequer) preserved in the Public Record 

Office: Michaelmas 1326-Michaelmas 1327. London, H.M.S.O., 1968, 

pages 382-385, 2271: xxiv) (The King’s groom was an honorary title and did 

not mean that he looked after the Kings horses) 

The above information indicates that these Learmonths 

held high positions and that they were close to the English Court. 

The Learmonths made a historical impact on several well known Scottish 

Clans. The list of these family ties is presented on the next page. 

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Official Clan Surnames those Learmonth Males were directly marriage, 

1250-1854: ANDERSON (2), ARTHUR (2) BAIRD, BALFOUR, BALLANTYNE, BANNERMAN, 

BARCLAY, BELL (2,) BLAIR (2), BORTHWICK , BROUN (3), BRUCE, BUCHANNAN, 

CAMPBELL, CRISHOLM, CLELAND, COCHRANE (2), COCKBURNE, CRAIG (OR MCLATCHIE), 

CRAWFORD, CUNINGHAME, DALRYMPLE, DRUMMOND, ELPHINSTONE, FLEMING, 

FORBES, FORRESTER (2), GORDON, GRAHAM/CRAWFORD, GRANT (3), GRAY (3), 

HAILIBURN/HEPBURN, HALDANE, HAMILTON (5), HENDERSON (4), HOG, HOME, HOPE, 

HOPPRINGILL/PRINGLE, INGLES, KERR (2), LESLIE (3), LIVINGSTOUNE (3), LITTLE, 

LOCKHART (2), MACFARLANE (2), MACKINTOSH, MACPHERSON, MALCOM, MAXWELL, 

MCALISTER, MCDOUGALL, MCKAY, MCKINZIE, MERCER, MONCREIFF, MONTGOMERY 

NISBET, PRINGLE (2), RAMSAY, ROBERTSON (5), ROSS (4), SANDILANDS (2), SHAW (2), 

SCOTT(Scott in Nydie), SKENE, SPENS (2), STEWART, SUTHERLAND, TAYLOR (3), 

WATSON (2), WEMYSS, WICHART, YOUNG (3). 

Official Clan surnames that Learmonth Females were directly marriage, 

1553-1854: ANDERSON(4), ARMSTRONG(2), BALLANTYNE, BELL, BLAIR, 

BROUN(2),BURNET(2), CAMPBELL, CLELLAND, COKBURNE, 

CRAIG, CRAUFURD-GRAWFORD, CRIGHTOUN, DRYSDALE, ELLIOT 

ELPHINSTONE, FERGUSON (2), FLEMING (2), FORRESTER, FRASER, GIBSON, GORDON (3), 

GRAY (3), HAMILTON, HENDERSON (2), HOG (2), HOME= HUME (2), HOPE, HUNTER (2), 

INGLES (3), JOHNSTON (2), KENNEDY, KERR (3), LITTLE (2), LOCKHART, LUMSDEN (2), 

MCDOUGALL (MacDougall), MCKAY, MOFFAT, MONTGOMERY, MORRISON,MUIR (3), 

MURAY(3), NICHOLSON, NISBET, PATERSON, RIDDELL, ROBERTSON (4), 

ROSS, RUTHVEN, SANDILANDS, SCOTT (5) SHAW (4), SINCLAIR (2), 

SPENCE, STEWART (3), SUTHERLAND, TAYLOR (2), WATSON (2), WOOD (2), YOUNG (2). 

Sources: the official government source of genealogical data for 

Scotland: www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk; presented with the permission). 

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Part 6. 

The Learmonth’s of Fife. 

In about the year 1400 the Learmonth surname again made an 

important appearance in the history of Scotland when an individual called 

Learmonth settled in the County of Fife. Documents say that he was the laird 

of Ersiltoun (Earlston) in Merse (Genealogical Collection of Sir Robert 

Douglas of Glenbervie). 

The County of Fife always had a special standing in the history of Scotland. Fife's 

ancient status as an independent Pictish realm probably earned it the byname of "The 

Kingdom". The origin of the name is from ‘Fib’ which was one of the seven ancient 

Pictish Kingdoms (Wikipedia, the Internet free encyclopedia). Fife has a history of being 

closely associated with the ancient Scottish monarchy, so much so it's right to be known 

as 'The Kingdom' has always been fiercely defended. The ancient palace of the Stewarts 

was at Falkland and eight Scottish kings are thought to have been buried at the Abbey in 

Dunfermline. 

The town of St Andrews stands at the point where the river Eden flows into the 

sea and is famous for many reasons. Initially, it was a fishing port which eventually 

became the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland. In the 8th century the king of the Picts 

established a new church dedicated to St Andrew who was adopted as the patron saint of 

Scotland. From about the 10th century, the bishopric of St. Andrews became known as 

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the most important in the kingdom. The English influence on Scottish national life, both 

ecclesiastical and civil, which followed the marriage of Margaret, great-niece of Edward 

the Confessor, to Malcolm III King of Scots in 1069, had as one of its results the 

nomination of Turgot (Margaret's former confessor) to the See of St Andrews. He was 

succeeded by Eadmer, a Benedictine monk of Canterbury. The town was created a royal 

burgh in 1124. Eadmer was succeeded by Robert, a Canon Regular of St. Augustine, 

who founded the Cathedral Priory for Canons of his own order at St Andrews in 1144. It 

was his successor Arnold who began, the construction of the magnificent cathedral, the 

building of which occupied more than a century and a half. It was William Lamberton, 

the twenty third bishop of the diocese, who had the honour of seeing the cathedral 

completed, and solemnly consecrated in presence of King Robert Bruce on 5 July 1318. 

Among Lamberton's most eminent successors was Henry Wardlaw, who founded the 

University of St Andrews in 1411. In 1432 King James I, places the University under his 

personal protection, exempting its members from taxation. James Kennedy, founder of 

St. Salvator's College, and Patrick Graham (Kennedy's half-brother), who successfully 

resisted the claim revived by Archbishop Neville of York to have the supremacy of that 

See over the Scottish Church recognized in Rome. So successful was Graham's protest, 

that Sixtus IV finally decided the question by a Bull, 27 August 1472, erecting the See of 

St Andrews into an Archbishopric and its cathedral into the metropolitan church for the 

whole of Scotland. Twelve Sees were assigned to St Andrews as its suffragans, those of 

Glasgow, Dunkeld, Aberdeen, Moray, Brechin, Dunblane, Ross, Caithness, Orkney, 

Argyll, the Isles, and Galloway. The last named bishopric had hitherto been subject to 

York, while those of Orkney, Argyll, and the Isles had continued to form part of the 

Province of Trondhjem in Norway. Pope Sixtus announced the new creation in letters 

addressed to James III and to the Scottish bishops, and he also conferred on the primate 

the office of Apostolic Nuncio. The new metropolitan See, preserved its unique position 

for barely twenty years. Scotland was unanimous in demanding through its King, its 

chancellor, and its bishops that the ancient See of Glasgow should be similarly honoured, 

and in 1492 Innocent VIII erected it into an Archbishopric and a separate province, with 

Dunkeld, Dunblane, Galloway, and Argyll as suffragans. However the See of St. 

Andrews kept its leader status of a religious center right up to the Reformation. (Catholic 

Encyclopedia on-line; http://www.dmcity.com/slarty/narr/153.htm) 

The Learmonths appearance in Fife coincided with Henry Wardlaw 

becoming Bishop of St. Andrews and the foundation of St. Andrews 

University. 

Henry Wardlaw (c.1368 - c.1440) was born into a wealthy family, he 

was educated at the Universities of Oxford and Paris. His uncle was Cardinal 

Walter Wardlaw. Henry was appointed Bishop of St Andrews in 1403. 

The future James I (1394 - 1437) was placed in the care of Wardlaw at St 

Andrews Castle as a boy by his father Robert III (c.1340 - 1406). Wardlaw 

remained a trusted advisor to James, crowning him at Scone on the 21st May 

1424. Wardlaw was responsible for the restoration of 

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St. Andrews Cathedral, but his most notable achievement was the foundation 

of St Andrews University, modeled on Paris, in 1411 (confirmed by Pope 

Benedict in 1413). He became its first Chancellor and was buried in the 

cathedral at St Andrews in 1440 

(http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/people/famousfirst1899.html). 

Before the University of St. Andrews was established in 1413 J.M 

Leighton wrote that until the year 1371 “The learning and knowledge of the 

period was entirely confined to the clergy. The nobles were so utterly 

ignorant that up to the time of the death of David II, and the accession of 

Stuarts to the throne, it was impossible to find a single baron who could sign 

his name” (John M Leighton, “History of the county of Fife, from the 

earliest period to the present time” Glasgow, J. Swan, 1840, page 62). But 

even after 1413 education was not wide spread among the people in 

Scotland. Even the intellectual standard of those who served the parishes 

was not high, and those who lived in the country probably spent as much of 

their time farming their glebes as their parishioners did. But even at this 

level they somehow learned enough Latin to conduct services in that 

language. There must have been a scattering of schools who prepared at least 

a few people for occupations requiring literacy such as clerical 

administration, as Latin was the written language of both the government 

and the law. In the later middle ages four other languages were also in use 

Scots, French, Gaelic and Norwegian. But only Latin was the lingua franca 

used by the whole clerical class. Some of them clearly mastered much more 

than a minimum requirement because both public and private business 

required record keeping in Latin along with basic lawyerly skills. These 

people performed the critical functions which enabled families to handle 

their property and administer the various units of the church as well as 

running their own affairs. (“Scotland. Religion and Piety” by D.E.R.Watt, 

Baker & Taylor). Both law and religious books were written in Latin. 

Moreover, it is a matter of record that as early as 1496 a compulsory 

attendance law was actually passed by the Scottish Parliament At time when 

Scotland was still an integral part of Catholic Christendom. This was the 

first compulsory attendance law enacted by any European government, 

requiring barons and freeholders to send their sons and heirs to school from 

the age of eight or nine years until they should be “competently founded and 

have perfect Latin.” The law assumes the existence of schools which were 

planted in every considerable town in Scotland at this time (Popular 

Education During the Middle Ages: http://www.catholicculture.org). 

The Royal Burgh of St. Andrews (or King's Burgh) had no superior 

above them except the King. This was the highest status that could be 

130

conferred on a town. Royal burghs had a monopoly on foreign trade. The 

trade history of the free burghs is very important. Thus in 1466 the privilege 

of importing and exporting merchandise were confined to freemen, 

burgesses and their factors. Ships were directed to trade to the King's free 

burghs, there to pay the customs, and to receive their cocquets or customhouse 

seals. They also had more representation in parliament than non-royal 

burghs. Often the Royal Burghs were seaports or had some close connection 

with royalty. “The harbour of St. Andrews was not really suitable for 

imports or exports, and the Exchequer Rolls show that the wine and viands 

required for the supply of the cathedral and the bishop’s castle were landed 

either at Dundee or Inverkeithing, and carried overland to their destinations. 

The principal exports were wool and skins which were shipped from a 

number of Fife seaports. The customs exacted from exports and paid into the 

Royal Exchequer were levied by prominent burgesses, who usually held 

civic offices either as Provosts or bailies. In 1405 an important change was 

made by granting the whole of the customs of St. Andrews to Bishop Henry 

Wardlaw, together with the ‘cocket seal’ and the right to appoint 

‘custumars’. After that date the bishop’s chamberlain was the official 

collector of customs” (“Fife Pictorial and Historical” by A. H. Millar, 1895, 

page 315). So the growth and development of St Andrews was controlled by 

the ecclesiastical power. Despite its inconvenient seaport St Andrews was 

the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland and as many as two hundred of the then 

smaller vessels assembled from all parts of the continent during public fairs, 

which lasted for 15 days at a time. The piers then extended far beyond the 

present ones, the remnants of the original support posts of the old piers can 

still be seen. The castle was once the home of ecclesiastical power, which 

had equal, if not greater influence than Royalty itself in its own Regality, for 

the See of St Andrews at one time had the full rights of Admiralty, and could 

issue coquets to ships, and otherwise rule in its own jurisdiction without 

consulting the Crown. Bishop Kennedy had enjoyed this power for a quarter 

of a century, and signaled his reign by erecting the College and Chapel of St 

Salvator, founding the Greyfriars Monastery and endeavoring to introduce 

commerce to the city by building a large vessel suitable for export trade. 

The first public record of the name Learmonth in Fife was in 1461. 

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John Learmonth, son of the Learmonth who came from Earlston was 

a Keeper of the Coquet Seal in 1461 under the charter Bishop Kennedy 

(Charter by Bishop Kennedy; St. Salvators Writs). According to the act of 

1405 the bishop’s officials were collectors of customs. So John Learmonth 

was a person empowered to act for the bishop. Being the Keeper of Coquet 

John was a weighty officer who was granting the certificates under the seal 

that the custom had been paid on goods. He would have been an educated 

man being able to read law books and to hold the records in Latin. Our 

studies of the Learmonth dwellings in Scotland show that the Learmonth’s 

settled in areas with strong ecclesiastic power. Kelso and Learmouth on the 

opposite bank of the river Tweed were the ancient locations of Learmonth 

families. We therefore conclude that the Learmonth who came to St 

Andrews in about the year 1400 was both educated and of some standing. 

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Abbot of Kelso was granted the right to wear a 

mitre, which gave him precedence higher than any other Scottish abbot. The abbey's 

wealth came from its vast lands, its churches, schools, farms and its granges in the 

Cheviot Hills. Two kings, James III and James IV, were crowned in the Abbey, and 

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Prince Henry, son of David I, was buried there in 1152. Kelso abbey had considerable 

power and influence and its abbots at one stage claimed precedence over St Andrews 

Abbey. In 1160 Abbot Arnold of Kelso, was made bishop of St Andrews, and in 1161 the 

legate of the Pope in Scotland (http://www.kelso.bordernet.co.uk). 

John Learmonth was elected the Provost of St. Andrews in 1473- 

1474. According to the tradition of those days only Burgesses were allowed 

a voice in public affairs and the basic qualification for admission as a 

Burgess was the holding in fee of at least one toft of land within the Burgh. 

Alderman (Provost) and Baillies had to be ‘lele and of good fame’. We 

therefore conclude that John Learmonth being a great customer owned lands 

in the parish of St. Andrews and that he was a person of good fame. At this 

point let us look at other evidence concerning property ownership relating to 

the Learmonths of Fife. 

In notes to his Introduction to the Metrical Romance of Sir Trisrem, 

Sir Walter Scott says that “in removing and arranging some ancient papers, 

lodged in the offices of the Clerks of Session, the following genealogical 

memoir was discovered, among many writings belonging to the family of 

the Learmonths of Balcomy, which is now extinct. It is in the hand writing 

of the 17th century: ‘The genealogy of the honourable and ancient Surname 

of Leirmont. Leirmont beares: Or, on a chevron, Sable, three mascles voided 

of the first; the name is from France. The chief of the name was the laird of 

Ersilmont in the Merse, whose predecessor; Thomas Leirmont (lived) in the 

reign of K. Alexander III. He foretold his death. One of whose sons married 

Janet de Darsie, and had the lands of Darsie in Fife, be that marriage; the 

contract is yet extant confirmed be the king. The house of Darsie bears a 

rose in base for difference. It is now extinct, only Leirmont of Balcomie in 

Fife is chief now, whose predecessor was master of howshold to King James 

IV. His predecessor was the eldest son of Darsie, and took to himself, the 

estate of Balcomie, leaving Darsie to the second brother. Upon this account, 

Balcomie is holden of the King and Darsie of the Archbishop of St Andrews, 

so Balcomie bears the simile coat without the rose in base, since the 

distinction of Dairsie’: 

“They have been famous, learned, good and great, 

Which, Maronean style could never rate” 

(“Scott’s Poetical Works”, Vol. V, page 5”.) (“History of the county 

of Fife” by John M. Leighton published by Joseph Swan. MD CCCXL; pp. 

260-261”). We note that the rose could not be seen at any survived 

Learmonth of Dairsie coat of arms. 

133

According to this account the Learmonth’s would have had land 

in Fife in 1473. However the historian ‘Millar’ considered that “The 

evidence upon which this statement is made is utterly unworthy of credence, 

and if there ever was a family bearing the title of Dairsie or that ilk it is 

unknown to credible history. Historical records confirm that the Learmonths 

did not acquire Dairsie until about 1520 nearly two hundred years after the 

date popularly assigned as the beginning of their occupancy” (“Fife Pictorial 

and Historical” by A. H. Millar, 1895, page 165). Millar writing the history 

of the county of Fife collected thousands of facts and records. However we 

would say that Millar’s statement “it is unknown to credible history” is 

misleading because if one cannot find any record it does not mean that a 

record never existed as many records were lost during the troubled history of 

Scotland. We were however able to trace the Darsie surname in the Scottish 

Nation Biographical History: “Darsie a surname derived from the lands of 

that name in Fifeshire now comprehended in the parish of Dairsie. These 

lands were anciently held by the Dairseys of that ilk, under the bishops of St. 

Andrews the hereditary offices of bailie and admiral of the regality of St 

Andrews being also possessed by them. The family ended in an heiress Janet 

de Dairsay, who, marrying a younger son of Learmonth of Ercildoune 

Berwickshire Learmonth brought to him the lands at Dairsie and the 

heritable offices attached to them. They continued in the possession of his 

descendants until the whole were purchased from them during tile reign of 

James VI, by the then Lord Lindsay of the Byres. The lands afterwards 

belonged to the Spottiswoodes. 

In the old castle of Dairsie a parliament was held in the reign of David 

II. About 1590 the name of Darsie is found to occupy a prominent place in 

the records of the two neighboring parishes of Eastern and Western 

Anstruther. In the Cummissariat records of the diocese of St. Andrews the 

Dairsies of Anstruther are mentioned in 1594 and 1626, also in an old folio 

volume of ‘Retours’. The name of Darsie has also been noticed in 

connection with a property in Anstruther. In some of the old Records, the 

name is spelled Darsie and not Dairsie. James Melville in his Diary, and Sir 

Walter Scott in Redgauntlet, adopt the same spelling. The arms of the 

Darsies, Az on a bend argent three roses gules. Crest, a rose slipped gules. 

Motto, Spero (database online; Provo, Utah: My Family.com, Inc., 2003. 

Original data: Anderson, William. The Scottish Nation, Volumes I - III. 

Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & Co., 1864, page 21). Therefore we have enough 

evidence to conclude that the Learmonth’s owned lands in the County 

of Fife near St. Andrews before 1473. 

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John Learmonth, was the first Learmonth to become the Provost of 

St. Andrews (1473-1474). He served as Provost a year after the See of St. 

Andrews was established into the Archbishopric in (1472) which became the 

Metropolitan church in Scotland. John Learmonth had great authority in the 

city of St. Andrews at that time and was strongly connected to the 

ecclesiastic power, namely to Archbishop Patrick Graham. 

John Learmonth’s authority and the role of the Magistrate and Provost 

of the burgh and the general aspect of his civic duties in those times were as 

follows. Prior to the creation of cities, a number of towns had been awarded 

the status of a "Royal Burgh", usually granted by a charter from the king. 

Many of the very earliest royal burghs were created by King David I (1124- 

1153). This gave the people who lived there certain rights and 

responsibilities. Many were seaports and burgh status gave the "burgesses" 

(people of status who lived in the burgh) the right to own land and trade 

abroad. Nearly all the royal burghs sent a representative to the Scottish 

parliament (http://rampantscotland.com/know/blknow_cities.htm). 

In the early days of the Burgh the Chief Magistrate was known as the Alderman, 

the term ‘Prepositi’ being applied to the Burgh Baillies. In about 1460 however, Latin 

documents refer to the Chief Magistrate as ‘Prepositus’ and the term ‘Provost’ came into 

use shortly after. Only Burgesses were allowed a voice in public affairs and the basic 

qualification for admission as a Burgess was the holding in fee of at least one toft of land 

within the Burgh. On admission the ordinary Burgess had to pay a fee of 13 shillings and 

4 pence (Scots) but also provide a banquet. Alderman (Provost) and Baillies had to be 

‘lele and of good fame’. The duties of the Provost and Magistrate were wide and indeed 

covered every aspect of the working, spiritual and recreational life of the citizens. 

Defense. 

The defense of the Burgh was of prime importance. One of the Provost’s duties 

was to lead the citizens into battle. 

Law enforcement. 

From the earliest days of the Burgh, Aldermn, Provost and Baillies were 

responsible for law enforcement, though serious crimes might be remitted to a visiting 

Justiciary. Punishments were severe. Heretics and witches were ‘wirriet at the stake and 

brunt to asses,’ while minor crimes were punishable by ducking on the Cuckstool or an 

hour or two in the jougs or branks, the latter specially reserved for nagging wives and 

gossips (http://www.british-publishing.com/Pages/AberdeenOG/history.html). 

Trade. 

The trade history of the free burghs is very important. Provost and Magistrate 

were much concerned with trade and the operation of the market and sometimes severe 

penalties were imposed on traders who displayed shoddy goods or gave short measure. 

There are examples that the King could make an order directly to the Provost: “ James I 

at the same time granted a Charter to the Burgh, which, in the shape of a mandate to the 

"Provost and Baillies," directs that all goods attempted to be bought or sold contrary to 

the Charters, within the shire, and without the bounds of the Burgh, should be confiscated 

135

for the King's use” (http://www.jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia_Britannica). 

Election 

Previous to the year 1469 the Provosts and bailies of the Royal Burghs were 

popularly elected, by the whole body of Burgesses. An act of 1469 (King James III and 

Parliament) decreed that the old Council should choose the new and that the old and new 

should combine in the election of officials. By the Act of 1495 popular election had been 

suppressed (http://www.caledonia.org.uk). 

The acts of 1469 and 1495 resulted in rule of St. Andrews by an 

oligarchy and for the next 135 years the affairs of the Burgh were 

exclusively controlled by the members of one eminent Learmonth family. 

Lermonth’s: Provosts of St Andrews: 

John Lermonth 1473-1474 

Robert Lermonth: 1483-1484 

Robert Lermonth: 1494-1498 

David Lermonth of Clatto: 1505-1521 

Sir James Lermonth of Dairsie: 1525-1547 

Sir Patric Lermonth of Dairsie: 1548-1586 

James Lermonth of Dairsie: 1588-1593 

James Lermonth of Dairsie: 1595-1596 

William Learmonth of Clato (of Dairsie) 1597-1601 

James Learmonth of Dairsie 1602-1604 

Sir John Lermonth of Balcomie: 1607-1608 

136

137

St. Andrews, Town Hall, Monument’s Collection, 2005. 

Photos were kindly sent by Julie Poole following to our request. 

Robert Learmonth, a brother of John Learmonth, was elected the 

Provost of St. Andrews through 1483-1484. Then ten years later another 

Robert Learmonth, eldest son of John Learmonth, served five years as the 

Provost in 1494-1498. In 1462 Robert Learmonth married Beatrix Martine, 

daughter of Thomas Martine and a sister of George Martine, citizen of St 

Andrews. She had been married before to John Burne in St Andrews. 

Although St. Andrews was now the See of the Metropolitan Church of 

Scotland the years of the first three Learmonth Provosts (1474-1498) were 

full of troubles for the Archbishops of St. Andrews. The city itself was under 

pressure from the ecclesiastic power. The Metropolitan Church collected 

customs from all over the See and was wealthy and flourishing. But the 

inhabitants were far from wealthy. The city of about 12,000 inhabitants was 

in need of a strong social power in the person of the Magistrate and Provost 

to keep it in order which was a difficult task. “There was neither import nor 

export trade of any great extent in the fifteenth century. The fishing industry 

was the only business which was not sufficient to support the inhabitants” 

(“Fife Pictorial and Historical” by A. H. Millar, 1895, page 315). 

138

Despite the honour that Archbishop Graham (1465-1478) had brought to his 

country his life was a miserable one. He had paid bribes to the officials in Rome, who 

had assisted him, and in 1478 William Schevez, then Archdeacon, brought charges of 

heresy and simony against him, and he was deposed and imprisoned, first in the 

Monastery of Inchcolm, and afterwards in Loch Leven Castle, where he died, and was 

buried at St Serfs Isle. The ambitious Schevez, protégé of King James III, succeeded as 

second Archbishop, and apparently resided at the Castle. Hardly had he been appointed 

than he dashed into a controversy with Robert Blacader, Archbishop of Glasgow, on a 

point of etiquette as to precedence. The dispute became so violent that it had to be 

submitted to His Holiness Pope Innocent VIII, who evidently gave preference to St 

Andrews as the seat of the Primate. An ancient Chartulary, still in existence, throws a 

sinister light on this transaction. It shows that Schevez gave over the lands and Castle of 

Gloom, in Devon, and the Bishopshire on the Lomond Hills to the then Earl of Argyll as 

a bribe for his support in the dispute with Glasgow. He thus proves himself to be aloof 

mediaeval, ecclesiastic, solemn, precise and exacting anything but profound, whose 

interest lay more in vestments and ceremonies than the welfare of the precious souls 

committed to his charge. The Castle of St Andrews had now gained additional 

importance as the seat of the Primate, and the Archbishops took a prominent part in 

political affairs, and were recognized as statesmen. The King had the right of 

appointment to this Archbishopric. Hence, when the See of St Andrews became vacant 

through the death of James Stewart (1497-1503), the second son of James III, James IV 

who bore the same name as his younger brother, exercised his right under these peculiar 

circumstances. The King had then an illegitimate son, Alexander Stewart, born in 1493, 

but not of age to be made an Archbishop, so the See was left vacant till 1505, when he 

was nominated. In that year Stewart went abroad, studied under Erasmus at Padua, 

He returned to Scotland in 1509 for his installation. He was appointed Chancellor of 

Scotland in 1510, in 1513 he accompanied his father the King to Flodden, and fell on the 

battlefield. 

King James IV (1473-1513) was crowed in 1488. His reign was the time that 

later generations could look back on with real pride as the brilliant reign of James IV 

which ended, in the best Scottish tradition, with the most heart rending national tragedy. 

No one could have foreseen that the boy of fifteen, who came to the throne as a result of a 

rebellion against his father, in which he himself had participated, would become in the 

judgment of later generations the most brilliant Scottish King. 

James V1, perhaps initially with seaborne trade in mind, had Parliament pass a 

Shipping Act, requiring all coastal burghs to build twenty ton ships in the national 

interest. Building upon his success James arranged for the construction of what was 

virtually a Scottish Royal Navy, the flagship being the Great Michael, a giant among 

ships of its time. According to tradition all the oak trees in Fife were felled to provide for 

the Great Michael's building. James appears to have appreciated the advantages of 

involving a wider proportion of his subjects in public affairs, and he gave new 

importance to Parliament, requiring freeholders in the shires and merchants in the burghs 

to participate in the election of representatives thereby involving them in the obligations 

of parliamentary business. In 1496 Parliament passed an Act requiring all barons and 

freeholders, under a penalty of £20, to send their eldest sons or heirs, at the age of nine, to 

grammar schools, there to remain "till they be competently founded and have parfait 

139

Latin." They were then to proceed to schools of law that they might be qualified later on 

to dispense justice in their districts. This Act, which may be regarded as the first 

Compulsory Education Act, soon became inoperative owing to the troubles of the time, 

but it shows that James far-sighted wisdom and enlightened policies was far in advance 

of any other contemporary ruler (“Home Life of the Highlanders 1400 – 1746. 

Development of Highland Education” by Duncan MacGillivray; 

http://www.electricscotland). 

James and his advisers acted to reform the currency, to impose standard measures 

of weight and volume, all to inspire greater confidence in Scottish commerce. Domestic 

efficiency and commercial improvement enhanced Scotland's influence abroad, and under 

James, Scotland came to enjoy diplomatic importance. In his relations with England, 

James had been fortunate in having to deal with Henry VII. A change in the Scottish 

relationship attitudes towards England was certainly brought about by the marriage in 

1503 of James and Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII. The Royal burghs were 

conscious of their superiority which they guarded carefully, and the Convention of Royal 

Burghs watched keenly for any challenge or any infringement ever since James IV had 

raised the small Fife villages to Royal burgh status. Within the burghs there developed 

Gilds, whose members pursued a common trade or profession. 

The craft gilds of Bakers, Wrights and Fleshers regulated standards of work, 

licensed apprentices and disciplined craftsmen in the public interest. At a higher social 

and financial level there was one merchant Gild, organising all the overseas commerce of 

the town. Scots exports were very practical and showed the comparative poverty of the 

country. Salt and salted fish, wool, linen, hides, leather and coal these were the products 

which found their way to the Netherlands, to Scandinavia and the Baltic, to France and 

most of all to England. England was the only country with which Scotland could trade 

overland, and the biggest single Scottish export, live cattle, went there. In days to come, 

trade with Europe diminished and trade with England increased, and this dependence 

upon English custom had profound political consequences. Meanwhile the merchants 

prospered visibly. They imported fine fabrics, scents, spices, jewels and finely crafted 

metal, for sale to court and castle and of course for themselves and their families. The 

merchants at this time were the sophisticates of society, and all international contacts 

went through them. The burghs became more cultured, more worldly wise and in touch 

with new ideas and increasingly became influential in national affairs (“Scotland. A 

Concise History”, http://www.electricscotland). 

The prosperity of the Learmonth’s in the County of Fife continued to 

increase. John Learmonth, a second son of John Learmonth, Provost of St 

Andrews (1473-1474), and a brother of Robert Learmonth, Provost of St 

Andrews (1494-1498), was a baillie of St Andrews in 1476. On 20 th 

November 1481, he executed a charter of mortification and founded a 

chaplaincy and perpetual chaplain at the Altar of St Duthocus in the parish 

of St Andrews in which his wife, Janet is named. He inherited a house in 

South Street St Andrews belonging to Mr John Wood, minister of St 

Andrews pre 1482 (Private request, 2003: Diana Baptie’s requested studies, 

National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2003). 

140

John Learmonth became a chaplain to Alexander (Stewart) Archbishop of St 

Andrews (1505-1513). The chaplain to the Archbishop who as said before 

was of the royal blood line was a very important position particularly having 

in mind that Alexander Stewart was a very young and inexperienced 

Archbishop. The chaplain was the starting position for the career of many 

prominent Scots. Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Archbishop of York (1515), 

started as a court chaplain in 1507. In 1509 he was made Royal Almoner 

and, effectively, Royal Secretary. John Knox, a Protestant leader, was the 

chaplain of King James IV (1552). John Spottiswood (1565-1639), 

Archbishop of St Andrews and historian of Scotland, was a chaplain of 

Ludowick, Duke of Lennox in 1601 (www.archiveshub.ac.uk; 

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org; http://www.bbc.co.uk/history). 

John Learmonth was somewhat unlucky as chaplain with his young 

royal patron Alexander Stewart, being tragically killed at the battle of 

Flodden Field in 1513 at the age of twenty. However John Learmonth was 

educated man and a person of taste which was demonstrated by the fact that 

he wrote a book entitled “The Collection of Scottish Antiquities” which is 

mention in (“The Martial Achievements of the Scots Nation” by P. 

Abercromby, Edinburgh, 1711, v. 1, page 161). 

“Prior George Learmonth OSB” 

Sir James Learmonth's grandfather Robert was the eldest of three 

brothers, of whom Prior George was the youngest. Most of the known 

facts about his life and ecclesiastical career were outlined in “Pluscarden 

Benedictines” 102 (September 1994) pp. 8-9. 

141

Elgin 

Loch Ness Lake 

142

Elgin 

Pluscarden Abbey 

Pluscarden Abbey’s area. Personal visit, 2006. 

143

George Learmonth was probably born around 1478, graduated as a 

Master of Arts from the University of St Andrews in 1498 and maintained 

links with the university while holding benefices in St Andrews (1498- 

1503) and Fordoun in Kincardineshire (1503-1509). Following the 

resignation of Robert Harword he was nominated Prior of Pluscarden by 

James IV in March 1509. As the late Abbot Mark Dilworth observed in 

Pluscarden Benedictines 129 (Pentecost 2003) pp. 16-17 “The monastery 

enjoyed certain autonomy as neither the abbot or chapter of Dunfermline 

Abbey were involved in Learmonth's election”. He held the office for 

twenty years, having taken the monastic habit, very little is recorded of 

his activities; presumably his monastic life was quiet. 

However it was not to last as he was plucked from the cloister on 

20 th May 1529 when Clement VII appointed him colleague and successor 

to Bishop Gavin Dunbar 3 although Learmonth predeceased the Bishop of 

Aberdeen by dying on 18 th March 1531. By that time a number of 

nephews and nieces had established themselves in positions of 

importance, accruing benefits to their growing families.” (“Pluscarden 

Benedictines”, # 134, Christmas 2004, pp. 8-9) 

The Learmonth coat of arms carved in stone was found in Pluscarded 

Abbey of Benedictines, Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland. 

Fr. Giles kindly sent few publications about Prior George Learmond, 

picture and photo of his coat of arms in May, 2003 (personal 

communications). 

“Shield in the Chapter-House, Pluscardin found during the 

excavations and alterations presently in progress. Among the carved stones 

144

there is only one which is heraldic, viz.:-A slab with a shield (8.5 inches in 

width at the top) bearing arms: On a chevron three mascles. Behind the 

shield is a crosier” (Proceedings of the Society, 9 th April 1900, page 418). 

Looking at this photograph of the arms of Prior George Learmonth 

through the eyes of say Salvador Dali, who is a recognized genius and 

Spanish painter, it is said that we may see a man standing in piety. 

145

George Learmond signature of 1529 which was published in 2004. 

The close relationship of John Learmonth to ecclesiastic power which 

was direct to the Archbishop of St. Andrews and the Royal family together 

with the piety and the position of George Learmonth made a positive impact 

in the careers of future generations of Learmonth’s. 

David Learmonth, eldest son of Robert Learmonth, Provost of St. 

Andrews (1494-1498), and nephew to John Learmonth, became the chaplain 

of Alexander Archbishop of St. Andrews, and was a canon of St. Andrews 

priory in 1491-1505 (“Reforming of the Scottish Church. John Winram (c. 

1492-1582) and the example of Fife” by Linda J. Dunbar, Aldershot, Hants, 

England ; Burlington, Vt. : Ashgate, 2002). As detailed below the canon of 

the Cathedral was a most important position in the priory and was very close 

to the Archbishop. 

Cathedral canons were attached to the cathedral church and formed 

the senate or council. The canon as a member of the chapter owes the 

bishop reverence in three ways: by conceding reverence to him in the first 

place, by giving him assistance, by affording him escort. Conceding that the 

bishop has preference to chapter choir processions and other public acts. The 

bishop also has the right to the assistance of two canons in the government 

of his diocese, and all canons are bound to be present when he celebrates 

pontifically in the cathedral church, on such occasions they must meet him at 

an appointed place, not however more than 160 yards from the church, and 

after the service they must conduct him to the church door. The obligation of 

a canon with regard to choir service consists in the public recitation of the 

146

Divine Office and being present at the Chapter Masses (Catholic 

Encyclopedia ‘online’) 

Therefore by this period the Learmonth’s had moved ahead in their 

careers not only because they were energetic people but also because they 

served the very powerful Church of Scotland. 

A charter was granted to David Learmonth, his son James and his 

wife by Catherine Ramsay dated 20 th April 1517 whereby they were to 

continue living in the house in South Street which they had repaired and 

adorned. 

David Learmonth was elected the Provost of St. Andrews in 1506 and 

held this position until 1521. “He was also the Member of Parliament for St 

Andrews in 1524” (“Fife: pictorial and historical; its people, burghs, castles, 

and mansions” by A. H. Millar. Cupar-Fife, A. Westwood & Son; 1895, 

page 166). 

David Learmonth was designated as a landowner in Clatto (references 

are in many documents). We were unable to find the charter that would 

explain how David Learmonth received lands in Clatto. However we believe 

that the Learmonth family owned lands in Clatto until the year 1601. 

“On the lands of Clatto, at the southeastern extremity of the parish, 

there are remains of an old tower which is said to have belonged to an 

ancient family called Seaton, of whom tradition says that they were 

notorious robbers and murderers. The old road from Cupar to Kingshorn 

passed through Clatto and in the face of a hill, which forms its boundary, 

there is alleged to been a cave, which communicated to the tower of Clatto. 

The Seaton’s would wait in the cave for travelers to pass, the bandits would 

then rush out on the unsuspecting people, drag them into the caves, then rob 

and murder them. Clatto was the castle of the Seaton’s from the 1400's to 

1510. This branch of the Seaton family was all executed by James IV for 

their crimes” (http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/Kettle.html) 

“On 28th December 1520, the castle of Dairsie was conveyed by feucharter 

by Andrew Archbishop of St Andrews and his chapter, to David 

Learmonth of Clatto and his son James” (“Dairsie Parish. Civil History”: 

http://www.fifefhs.org/Maps/Stats/dairsiestats.htm). 

Dairsie Castle belonged to the Learmonth’s for over 100 years so its 

history deserves a special place in our studies. 

“No satisfactory origin has been suggested for the name of Dairsie. In 

ecclesiastical documents dated 1240 relating to St Andrews, there was 

147

mention of a farm in the area with the spelling Deruesyn”. In charters of a 

later date it takes the form of Deresy, Dersy, and Dairsy. The existence of 

Dairsie as a distinct parish previous to the thirteenth century is proved from 

existing documents, one of the most important of these being the record in 

the Pontifi that on 2nd August 1243, David de Bernham, bishop of St. 

Andrews (1240-1253), rededicated the church of Dairsie to the Virgin Mary. 

Even before this date there are repeated references made in the “Register of 

the Priory of St Andrews” to the church of Deruesyn. The earliest allusion 

to it is to be found in a confirmation by Pope Lucius III, dated 1183 in which 

it is stated that the church had been presented by Arnold, bishop of St 

Andrews, who occupied the See from 1159 till 1163. It was this bishop who 

laid the foundation of the magnificent cathedral of St Andrews in 1160. It is 

quite possible that the castle of Dairsie, where a Parliament was held in 1335 

and which (as shown below) may have been built by Bishop Lamberton, this 

was later demolished, and a new castle erected on its site when the 

Learmonth’s obtained the estate. “The whole of the castle was most 

probably, erected by the Learmonth’s of Dairsie in about 1550 from existing 

remains. From an examination of old drawings Dairsie Castle had been 

originally a simple circular keep, intended as a baronial stronghold rather 

than a fortified house. At a later day, as the refinements of civilization 

became necessities, the keep may have been gradually decorated internally, 

but its outward form probably remained unaltered for centuries. The close 

relationship with France exercised great influence upon castle building in 

Fifeshire more than on any other part of the kingdom and Dairsie may be 

taken as a good example of this type of construction. (“Fife: pictorial and 

historical; its people, burghs, castles, and mansions” by A. H. Millar. Cupar- 

Fife, A. Westwood & son; 1895, pages 163-164) 

Many generations of Learmonth’s were born in Dairsie Castle. 

148

Dairsie Castle before restoration. From Dairsie Castle. 

History of the Castle, 2005. 

149

The Learmonth coat of arms in the old Darsie Castle. 

Fragment of the picture on the roof of the Collairnie Tower (“Thomas 

Learmonth…” by I. Voronzhov, et all., Publishing House “Children’s 

Book”, Moscow, 1998) 

The restored Dairsie Castle. 

This picture was taken in 2006, personal visit. 

150

In May 1992, Chris Ruffle bought Dairsie Castle from Andrew Logan, 

sight unseen, as part of the sale of Dairsie Farm. It was an unpromising 

start, for Dairsie was referred to as "an unsuitable candidate for restoration" 

by Historic Scotland. Undaunted Ruffle achieved planning permission to 

rebuild the castle within a year of the purchase. The application process 

was complicated by the ruin being both a listed building and also a 

scheduled monument, and thus entailed private funding of a 3-month long 

archaeological dig. Although inconclusive it indicated that the surviving 

fabric was earlier than previously believed. All new sections of the building 

were faced with sandstone, and Historic Scotland requested that the stone 

then be harled. This stone cladding included a whole tower of curved 

ashlars, for which there is little precedent in Scotland. The owner's aim was 

to create a comfortable home while retaining much of the character of the 

original castle, and he is to be applauded for his personal commitment and 

cost in what he and the design and construction team have achieved. 

The restoration was completed in 1995. 

In the Town Hall foyer in St. Andrews there is a seat, (a settle) dated c 

1511, which is made up of 5 wooden panels, 2 on the top and 3 below. The 

top 2 panels show on the left an initial I which may have been L for 

Learmonth as it is damaged. Behind is a possible O or part of a D….David ? 

The plaque on the seat says: “The Panels in this Settle Belonged to 

David Learmonth who was Provost of St Andrews in 1511”. This is 

probably the earliest Learmonth coat of arms in existence. See the 

following page. 

151

The Top right panel (see below) is 

the ancient Learmonth coat of arms: 

These photographs were kindly taken in 2005 by Jolie Poole, 

a researcher at St Andrews Library. 

152

David Learmonth married Agnes Kynman, daughter of (most 

probably) Kynman of Hill in the Carse of Gowry. Their children were 

James, (heir) b. before 1500; Robert about 1501 and John (b. c. 1503). All 

three became educated men as did most of the Learmonth’s from these 

families. Robert Learmonth was a citizen of St Andrews in 1555. He was a 

witness to a deed by his brother, James in 1545. John was also a witness to 

the same deed in 1545. Robert and John Learmonth were both appointed 

procurators. Robert: in June 1545: page 10, October 1550: page 18, Robert 

and Sir John Learmonth May 1552: page 25, 1557: page 36, August 1556: 

page 36, September 1556: page 36. (Protocol book of Sir Alexander Gaw, 

1540-1558. Ed. by the Rev. John Anderson and William Angus. Edinburgh, 

Printed for the Society by J. Skinner, 1910). 

James Learmonth (b. before 1500) succeeded his father before 1525. 

He was elected Provost of St. Andrews in 1525 and held this position for 22 

years until his death in 1547. James Learmonth became the owner of Dairsie 

Castle and also inherited his fathers lands in Clatto he was described as 

James Learmonth of Clatto in the following document. “Description Precept 

of sasine by Alexander Stewart, Cornmendator of Scone (later Bishop of 

Moray), conveyed in favour of James Learmonth of Clatto of the lands of 

Balgally in the sheriffdom of Fife, 31 May 1525. ” (Angela Mace, Handlist 

of Documents in the Fuller Collection in the University of London Library 

Volume 1 (London, 1977) and F E L Carter Some Scottish Documents in the 

Fuller Collection, University of London Library,1979). A year later James 

Learmonth also became the owner of the Balcomie estate by charter. 

“James Learmonth of Clatto obtained Balcomie from James V. The 

charter is dated 19th November 1526 and is recorded in the Register of 

the Great Seal. The lands were then held directly for the King, who was 

the proprietor. See the photographs on the following page 

153

Balcomie Castle, 2005 (personal visit). 

Only a wing of Balcomie Castle remains, but even that shows that it 

must have been a fine house in its time. One of its late owners is reported to 

have said that he could accommodate a troop of dragoons, giving every man 

a bed, and every horse a stall (“Guide to the East Neuk of Fife. Crail”) 

154

A short history of Balcomie. 

The picturesque remains of Balcomie Castle form one of the most striking and 

interesting objects in the East Neuk of Fife. The castle stands about two miles north east 

of the ancient burgh of Crail, and when originally erected it must have been a very 

extensive and imposing structure. However like many similar buildings in Scotland its 

beauty has been sacrificed to the utilitarian spirit of the age. 

This quaint old castle, which had been the residence of several historical 

characters, has been deprived of its dignity, and transformed into a commodious 

farmhouse. The existing portions of the original structure are a tower, which 

probably formed, one of the wings of the castle, and an arched gateway. There 

must have been a dwelling of some kind at Balcomie long before 1526, as the name of 

the estate can be traced back to 1278 when it was in the possession of John de Haia 

(Hay), who is described as de Balcomy. However shortly thereafter the family name 

seems to have been dropped and the territorial title de Balcomy alone retained. The 

Balcomie family was very powerful in East Nuek of Fife. In 1297 Robert de Balcomie 

was constable of Crail, and acted in this capacity during the supremacy of Edward I. The 

name of successive members of the family can be found in the Exchequer Rolls up until 

1464, where they are repeatedly described as bailies of Crail. From the Register of 

Sasines it appears that George, bishop of Argyll, was placed in possession of Balcomie in 

1442. This eminent prelate was a scion of the house of Lauder of the Bass, and held the 

vicarage of Crail in 1425. It is interesting to find that in 1444 the bishop and his brother 

Patrick Lauder granted liberty to the Prior of St Andrews “to dig stones out of his quarry 

at Balcomy for repairing that convent”, and the few remaining fragments of that once 

noble building have most likely been erected with stones taken from this spot. The bishop 

survived till 1462, but eight years before his death in 1454 he had bestowed the land of 

Balcomie upon his niece, Isobel Lauder. She married in 1465 to Alexander Lesly of 

Wardies, Aberdeenshire, and the property was granted under a new charter of that date to 

herself and her husband in conjunct fee. 

The new laird of Balcomie was a very prominent personage at the Court of James 

III. He was chamberlain of Mar and Garviach, was marischal of the King’s Household, 

and was sent as a commissioner to Parliament. He was so highly esteemed by the King 

that the monarch granted a special charter confirming a mortification which meant that 

Lesly could withhold part of the annual rent from Balcomie to defray the expense of the 

celebration of masses for the repose of the souls of himself and his wife, Isabel Lauder. 

The latter long survived him, and was living in 1500 at the time when the property had 

passed into the hands of her second son, John Lesly of Wardris and Balcomie. 

A very peculiar transaction relating to Balcomie took place in 1511. James IV 

seems to have had the intention of forming a royal demesne in East Neuk of Fife, and to 

have fixed upon Balcomie with its own secluded harbour and with the ancient burgh of 

Crail in the immediate vicinity as a most suitable place for this purpose. Accordingly, in 

1511, the King exchanged the very extensive lands of Garviach in Aberdeenshire for the 

estate of Balcomie and placed John Lesly in full possession of the northern property. The 

sad event of Flodden Field, which occurred two years later, terminated this project so far 

as the King was concerned, and none of his successors ever took it up again. The 

interesting charter of excambion expressly refers to the lands of Balcomie, with the 

manor house and rabbit warrens terries de Balcony cum manerie et cunicularii this being 

155

the first distinct allusion to an earlier castle. Some portions of the Garviach estates were 

in the hands of the descendants of John Lesly until quite recently” (“Fife: pictorial and 

historical; its people, burghs, castles, and mansions” by A. H. Millar. Cupar-Fife, A. 

Westwood & son; [etc., etc.] 1895, pages 383-384) 

The Balcomie estate then came into the possession of Sir James 

Learmonth, who became the first laird of Balcomie of that name, he was a 

prominent historical character, and took a leading part in public affairs 

during the turbulent reign of James V. He was appointed the Master of the 

King’s Household in 1537. In 1538 the fortunes of the Learmonth families 

received a massive boost when Sir James Learmonth received Mary of 

Guise, the second wife of James V when she landed in Fifeshire, he 

entertained her at Balcomie before conducting her to St Andrews to meet the 

King. Her marriage to James was followed by much rejoicing; she was 

pleasantly surprised by the welcome she received and by what she saw. She 

had been led to believe that Scotland was barbaric and uncultivated but the 

visits to her new domains such as Falkland Palace, Linlithgow Palace, 

Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle changed her mind. The coronation took 

place at Edinburgh Castle on 22 nd February 1540 and baby James was born 

at St Andrews on 22 nd May of the same year. On 24 th April 1541 she gave 

birth at Stirling Castle to another son, Robert. However, within days of the 

christening, little James's health was once more in jeopardy. James rode to St 

Andrews but arrived too late to see his son alive. Distraught, James had yet 

another tragedy to face that day: his second son had also died while he was 

away. (“Fife: pictorial and historical; its people, burghs, castles, and 

mansions” by A. H. Millar. Cupar-Fife, A. Westwood & son; [etc., etc.] 

1895, pages 385; Mary, Queen of Scots Home Page http://www.mariestuart.co.uk/parents.htm) 

The times and events in which Sir James Learmonth participated and 

his close connection to the Royal family would not have been as colourful or 

as precise as Mr George Buchanan described them in his book “Rerum 

Scoticarum Historia” (Paris, 1582) 

“In the beginning of the year 1539, many people were apprehended, because they 

were suspected of Lutheranism, and by the end of February five were burnt, nine 

recanted, but many more were banish’d. 

The King, having heirs to succeed him, and thereby becoming more confident of 

his settledness and establishment, began to slight the Nobility as a sluggish and unwarlike 

generation and not likely to attempt anything against him, whose family was now rivetted 

and confirmed by male issue, so that he applied his mind to sumptuous and unnecessary 

buildings. He stood in need of money for that work, and, in regard he was as covetous as 

he was indigent, both factions of Nobles and priests were equally afraid, and each of 

156

them indeavoured to avert the tempest from falling upon them, that it might light on the 

other. And therefore whenever the King complain’d of the lowness of his exchequer 

amongst his friends, one party would extol the riches of the other, as if it were a prey 

ready for the seisure, and the King harkned sometimes to the one, and sometimes to the 

others, and so kept both in suspence between hope and fear, so that when ambassadors 

came at that time out of England to Court to desire the King to give his uncle a meeting at 

York, promising some mighty advantages by that interview and making a large harangue 

concerning the love and good-will of their King towards him, the faction which was 

adverse to the priests persuaded him by all means to meet at the time and place 

appointed. 

When the sacerdotal party heard of this, they thought their order would be quite 

undone if they did not hinder that meeting, and so disturb the concord by casting in seeds 

of discord betwixt the King and his Nobles. And, considering of all the ways how to 

effect it, no remedy seemed more ready at hand for the present malady than to attempt the 

King’s mind, which was not able to resist offers of money, by the promises of large 

subsidies. 

Whereupon they set before his eyes the greatness of the danger, the doubtful and 

uncertain credit of an enemies promise; that he might have a great sum of money at 

home, and more easily procurable. First of all, they promised to give him of their own 

30000 ducats of gold year by year, and all the rest of their estates also should be at his 

service; besides, enough to obviate future emergencies, if any happened. 

And as for those who rebelled against the authority of the Pope and the King’s, 

and so endeavoured to trouble the peace of the Church by new and wicked errors, and 

thereby would subvert all piety, overthrow the rights of magistracy, and cancel laws of so 

long standing, out of their estates he might get above an hundred thousand ducats more 

yearly into his exchequer by way of confiscation, if he would permit them to nominate a 

Lord-Chief-Justice in the case, because they themselves could not, by law, sit in capital 

causes to condemn any man. And that in the managing of the process against them there 

would be no danger nor any delay in passing sentence, seeing so many thousand men 

were not afraid to take the Books of the Old and New Testament into their hands, to 

discourse concerning the power of the Pope, to contemn the ancient ceremonies of the 

church, and to detract from that reverence and observance which was due to religious 

persons consecrated to God’s service. 

This they urged upon him with such vehemency that he appointed them a Judg 

according to their own hearts, and that was James Hamilton, base brother to the Earl of 

Arran. Him they had oblig’d by great gratuities before; and besides, he was resolv’d to 

conciliate the King’s favour (who long since had been offended with him) with the 

perpetration of some atoning fact, though never so cruel. About the same time, there 

came into Scotland James Hamilton, Sheriff of Linlithgow and cousin-german to the 

former James. He, after a long banishment, when he had commenced a suit against James 

the Bastard, and had obtained leave to return for a time to his own country, understanding 

in what danger he and the rest of the favourers of the Reformed Doctrine were in, sent his 

son in a message to the King as he was about to pass over into Fife; and having gotten 

him opportunely, before he went aboard, he filled his head, which was naturally 

suspicious, with fearful presages that this commission granted to Hamilton would be a 

capital matter and pernicious to the whole kingdom, unless he did prevent this sophistry 

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y another wile. The King, who was then hastning into Fife, sent the young man back to 

Edinburgh to the Court called the Exchequer-court, where he also commanded to 

assemble James Lermont, James Kircaldy, and Thomas Erskin, of whom one was the 

Master of the Houshold, the other Lord High Treasurer, neither of them averse from the 

Reformed Religion; the Third was highly of the Popish faction, and his Secretary. These 

were all ordered to meet, and the King commanded them to give the same credit to the 

messenger as they would to do to himself if he were present, and so took the ring off his 

finger and sent it to them as a known token between them. They laid their heads together 

and apprehended. James just after he had dined, and had fitted himself for his journy, 

and committed him prisoner to the Castle. 

But having intelligence by their spies at Court that the King was pacified and that 

he would be released, besides the public danger, they were afraid also for their particular 

selves, lest a man, factious and potent, being released after he had been provoked by so 

great an affront and ignominy, should afterwards study a cruel and bitter revenge against 

them. Whereupon they speedily hastned to Court and informed the King of the 

immanency of the danger, of the naughty disposition, fierceness, and power of the man, 

all which they augmented to raise the greater suspicion upon him, so that they persuaded 

the King not to suffer so crafty, and withal so puissant a person, being also provoked by 

this late disgrace, to be set at liberty without a legal trial. 

Whereupon the King came to Edinburgh, and from thence to Seton, where he 

caused James to be brought to this trial, and in a court legally constituted according to the 

custom of the country he was condemned and had his head struck off. His body was cut 

up after his execution, and his quarters hanged up in the publick places of the city” 

(“Rerum Scoticarum Historia” Paris (1582) (A hypertext critical edition by Dana F. 

Sutton. The University of California, Irvine http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk). 

At the same time James Learmonth was occupied with his regular 

duties as a Magistrate and a Provost of St. Andrews. His duties required him 

to participate in the solution of lawsuits. 1539/40: “James Leirmont of Dersy 

was among witness of the resignation by Henry Kempt of Thomastoun, with 

consent of Janet Dury, his wife, of the Lands of Harehope lying in the parish 

Eddilstoun and sheriffdom of Peblis, in to the hand of the superiors Andrew, 

Abbot of Melrose and the convent thereof. Done in the King’s Palace at 

Linlithqw, the 3 of January 1539/40” (Folio 94, 206, page 41); 1539/40 

“James Leirmont of Dersy was among witness of the resignation by James 

Hammyltoun of lands in the barony of Stanhouss and sheriffdom of Lanark” 

(Folio 97, 213, page 42); 1541: “James Leirmonth of Dersy, Master of the 

King’s household was directed the sasine concerning the lands of James 

Mortons. [He participated in the ancient ceremony of 'giving sasine' that 

dates back to the 15th century, when the parties would meet with a number 

of witnesses on the site of the land being granted.]” (Folio 112-113, 264, 

pages 52-53 in (“Protocol books” of Dominus Thomas Johnsoun, 1528- 

1578, Edinburgh, 1917) 

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Sir James Learmonth was in the sessions of Parliament in 1524, 1535, 

1540, 1543, 1544. He was twice sent as ambassador to England during the 

King's lifetime to endeavour to bring about a reconciliation between Henry 

VIII and his unfortunate nephew the King of Scots, but his efforts were 

rendered nugatory by the precipitancy of the Scottish nobles at Fala Moss. In 

1542 when Henry sent an army to invade Scotland James V was not slow to 

take reprisals, but his nobles were angry or indifferent, and on the 25 th 

November 1542 his forces were easily scattered at the rout of Solway Moss. 

This blow preyed upon the king’s mind, and on the 14 th December he died at 

Falkland, having just heard of the birth of his daughter. Sir James Learmonth 

was a witness to the will of King James V. 

The last five years of Sir James Learmonth’s life, were saturated with 

key events in Scottish history, which cannot be clearly understood without 

an examination of his cognate relations. 

George Wishart 

Sir James Learmonth’s sister Elizabeth was married to James 

Wishart of Pitarrow before April 1512, he was the Clerk of Justiciary, and 

King’s Advocate in the reign of James IV. Their only son, George Wishart, 

future martyr, was born about 1513. He was probably called George after his 

maternal grandfather or granduncle Prior George Learmond, the name was 

certainly derived from his mother’s family. Georges father James Wishart 

died before May 1525. Therefore his mother Elizabeth together with her 

brother James Learmonth of Balcomie was the two people who were 

responsible for George’s upbringing after his father’s death. George Wishart 

eventually chose to train in the clerical profession, in which several 

members of his House had attained distinction, and wherein his prospects of 

advancement, owing to the intimacy which existed between his family and 

David Beaton, Abbot of Arbroath, the future cardinal, were not 

inconsiderable. As his name does not appear in the registers of any of the 

Scottish colleges, it is most probable that he was sent by his maternal uncle, 

Sir James Learmonth of Balcomie, to one or more of the universities of 

Germany. During the progress of his studies he seems to have embraced the 

Reformed doctrines. (“Life of George Wishart”, Edinburgh, 1876). 

Sir James Learmonth was married twice: Catherine Ramsay of 

Pittedie and Grizel Meldrum of Logie. It was difficult to identify all his 

children. He had: Patrick (b. c. 1520) heir and future Patrick Learmonth of 

Dairsie; George (b. c. 1525, future George Learmonth of Balcomie; James 

(b. c. 1527), future James Learmonth of Kirkheugh; Thomas (b.c. 1528) He 

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also had daughters Christina, Marion (Mariota), Agnes, Isobel, Grizel, 

Elizabeth and Margaret. 

George Learmonth of Balcomie married before 1545 to Lady Euphene 

Leslie, daughter of George Leslie, forth Earl of Roth and Margaret Crichton 

(Margaret Crichton was daughter of William 3rd Lord of Crichton). Lady 

Euphene was a sib to Norman Leslie (b. c. 1518), who would become well 

known for the murder cardinal Beaton. 

Margaret Learmonth was married to William Kirkcaldy of Grange. 

This data is based on the following records: In RSS 3 (1542-48), there is a 

record of a letter granting the gift of a tack of the lands of Nether Freirtoun 

in Fife belonging to William Kirkcaldy sometime young laird of Grange to 

Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie and his sister, Margaret Learmonth, wife of 

William Kirkcaldy dated 27 November 1547 (no.2543). 

Sir James Kirkcaldy of Grange (d. 1556), a member of an old 

Fifeshire family was lord high treasurer of Scotland from 1537 to 1543 and 

was a determined opponent of Cardinal Beaton, for whose murder in 1546 

he was partly responsible. William Kirkcaldy assisted to compass this 

murder, and when the castle of St Andrews surrendered to the French in July 

1547 he was sent as a prisoner to Normandy, whence he escaped in 1550. He 

was then employed in France as a secret agent by the advisers of Edward 

VI., being known in the cyphers as Corax; and later he served in the French 

army, where he gained a lasting reputation for skill and bravery. The 

sentence passed on Kirkcaldy for his share in Beatons murder was removed 

in 1556, returning to Scotland in 1557 he came quickly to the front as a 

Protestant he was one of the leaders of the lords of the congregation in their 

struggle with the regent, Mary of Lorraine, and he assisted in harassing the 

French troops in Fife (http://62.1911encyclopedia.org). 

As a result of these marriages Sir James Learmonth, Provost of St. 

Andrews, became closely related to several main figures in the Reformation 

of the Scottish church, George Wishart martyr, Norman Leslie murder of 

Cardinal Beaton, William Kirkcaldy who was one of the Protestant leaders. 

After the death of King James V who was only six days old, the infant 

Mary became Queen of Scots. In March 1543, Parliament appointed Mary's 

cousin and next heir, James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, as Second Person and 

Governor of the Realm until the Queen attained her majority at the age of 

twelve. Arran, then twenty-seven, was a Protestant, and head of the powerful 

Hamilton clan. 

Arran's claim to the throne and to the succession was disputed, 

because there was uncertainty as to whether his parents had been lawfully 

160

married, hence his overriding purpose in life was to establish the legality of 

his claim. Self interest and the advancement of his House dictated his 

political policies, but his indolence, instability and lack of decisiveness lost 

him the support of many nobles. 

The King of England at that time was Henry VIII, who was a devoted 

Protestant, and was resolved to marry his five-year-old son and heir, Prince 

Edward, to the little Queen of Scots, and thereby unite England and Scotland 

under Tudor rule. Arran, eager to secure the support of the English King for 

his claims, was willing to co-operate. 

“To complete the long-pending negotiations with the English 

Government for the marriage of Edward Prince of Wales with the infant 

Queen Mary, commissioners from Scotland proceeded to London in June 

1543. These commissioners were the Earl of Glencairn, Sir George Douglas, 

Sir William Hamilton of Sanquhar, James Learmont of Balcomie, a 

representative of Parliament, and Henry Balnaves. They met the English 

commissioners at Greenwich on the 1st of July, when the marriage treaty 

was settled, and certain differences between the countries amicably adjusted. 

When the commissioners left Scotland, the governor Arran, then a professor 

of the Reformed faith, was at variance with Cardinal Beaton and no 

reconciliation between them seemed probable. 

James Learmont of Balcomie regarded the season as especially 

suitable for his relative George Wishart to leave Cambridge and return to 

Scotland. (“Life of George Wishart”, Edinburgh, 1876) 

The Catholic party in Scotland, led by Marie de Guise and Cardinal 

David Beaton, were opposed to the treaty. They removed Mary from Arran's 

care, took her to Stirling Castle, and had her crowned there, in the Chapel 

Royal on 9 th September 1543. In December a Catholic-dominated Parliament 

repudiated Mary's betrothal and renewed the ancient alliance between 

Scotland and France, England's enemy. 

Now, religious affiliations became identified with political issues, and 

two noble factions emerged, the Catholics, who favoured the 'auld alliance' 

with France, and a growing number of Protestants, who wanted closer 

relations with England, whose King, although a Catholic, had severed links 

with the Church of Rome and declared himself Supreme Head of the Church 

of England. 

During the 1540's, the impact of the Protestant Reformation began to 

be felt in Scotland. For decades now, the Catholic Church in Scotland had 

been morally lax and corrupt, and there had been calls for its reform. 

161

A sequence of political games between Queen Minorities, nobility, 

and Cardinal Beaton came to the pick. They all struggled for power. Earls 

and Lords changed sides many times switching their support to who ever 

offered the most profit. 

Real trouble began when a Protestant priest, George Wishart, was 

burned on the orders of Cardinal Beaton in 1546. 

George Wishart was a nephew of Sir James Learmonth of Balcomie. 

“George Wishart was said to be a man so full of grace there was none that 

had come before to whom we could compare him. He was unusually gifted 

intellectually, excelling not only in general studies but also in spiritual 

insight. He was also endowed with the spirit of prophecy, and some of his 

predictions which were later fulfilled were heard at firsthand by many.” 

(“George Wishart Prophecy”, Christian History Institute). 

There could not be better words about George Wishart than that of 

John Foxe (1516-1587) who lived during the same period. Foxe was an 

English Protestant clergyman and author of The Book of Martyrs. He was 

born in Boston, Lincolnshire, and educated at the University of Oxford. He 

was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1539 to 1545. From his 

famous Book of Martyrs, Wishart's contemporary gives us this firsthand 

information: “About the year of our Lord 1543, there was, in the University 

of Cambridge, one master George Wishart of Benet's College. He was a man 

of tall stature, polled-headed, and on the same a round French cap of the 

best. He was judged to be of melancholy complexion by his physiognomy, 

black-haired, long-bearded, comely of personage, well spoken after his 

country of Scotland, courteous, lowly, lovely, glad to teach, desirous to 

learn, and well traveled. He had for his clothing a frieze gown to the shoes, a 

black millian fustian doublet, and plain black hosen, coarse new canvas for 

his shirts, and white falling bands and cuffs at his hands.” 

"He was modest, temperate, fearing God, hating covetousness, for his 

charity had never end, night, noon, nor day. He went without one meal in 

three, one day in four for the most part, except for something to comfort 

nature. He lay hard upon a puff of straw and coarse, new canvas sheets, 

which, when he changed, he gave away. He had commonly by his bedside a 

tub of water, in which (his people being in bed, the candle put out and all 

quiet) he used to bathe himself. He loved me tenderly, and I him. He taught 

with great modesty and gravity, so that some of his people thought him 

severe, and would have slain him, but the Lord was his defense. And he, 

after due correction for their malice, by good exhortation amended them and 

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went his way. Oh, that the Lord had left him to me, his poor boy, that he 

might have finished what he had begun!" (“Foxe’s Book of Martyrs”, USA, 

Whitaker House, 1981, pp. 236-262). 

George Wishart left Cambridge and returned to Scotland with his 

uncle James Learmonth in 1543. He preached all over the country in his 

delicate and cordial style. He was the most trusted and popular priest in 

Scotland. However Cardinal Beaton did not waste time in fighting this pious 

gentleman. 

George Wishart was in Dundee teaching from the Epistle to the 

Romans. But Cardinal Beaton recruited a leading citizen of Dundee, Mr. 

Robert Myll, to publicly interrupt Wishart's teaching and warned him in 

front of everyone gathered that he was to stop preaching and stop troubling 

the town right away and that they would put up with no more of it. Wishart 

paused a long time, looked up to heaven, and then at the crowd that gathered 

and said: “God knows that I came here not to trouble anyone but to bring 

comfort. If you are being troubled, I assure you that bothers me more than it 

does you. But you must realize that to silence me from explaining to you 

God's word, and to chase me out of town, is not going to preserve you from 

trouble. It is just the opposite. It will increase your troubles." “So he left and 

went to the western region where his teaching was received warmly by 

many. But again the Cardinal stepped in and influenced the Bishop of 

Glasgow to interfere. However four days after he was forced to leave 

Dundee, a terrible plague broke out there. The death count grew rapidly. 

Every day more people were dying. When Master George heard of this he 

went back there right away against the advice of his colleagues. Many 

rejoiced at his return to minister to them again. He preached at the East Port 

of the town and taught how death need not be feared if God be trusted. And 

he did more than preach. Master George attended to the sick, rich and poor 

alike, tending both body and soul, without concern for his own well being. 

Cardinal Beaton was as furious as he was afraid of George Wishart’s 

growing influence. He plotted several murder attempts against Master 

George. Finally he found men who delivered George Wishat up to the 

Cardinal, who imprisoned him, first in the Castle of Edinburgh, and soon 

after carried him to St Andrews, where he was brought before the 

ecclesiastical tribunal, condemned for heresy, and most cruelly put to death. 

He was a man mighty in the Scriptures, and few even amongst the martyrs 

have displayed more meekness and humility which ought to characterize the 

follower of Jesus Christ, but his knowledge of the Scriptures availed him 

nothing, and the meek graces of his character, like oil thrown upon flame, 

only heightened the rage and inflamed the fury of his persecutors. Earl 

163

Arran, pressed by his friends, and perhaps by his own conscience, wrote to 

the Cardinal to stay the proceedings till he should have time to inquire into 

the matter, and threatened him with the guilt of innocent blood. But the 

warning was in vain, and the innocent victim was only the more rapidly 

hurried to his end for fear of a rescue. George Wishat was strangled and 

burned at the stake on March 1, 1546, at the age of 33. His enemies thought 

they had solved their problem with this pesky advocate of reform. Nothing 

could be further from the truth. This act of tyranny and murder was extolled 

by the clergy and their dependants as highly glorifying to God and 

honourable to the actor, who was now regarded by them as one of the prime 

pillars of heaven, under whose auspices the most glorious days might be 

expected. The people in general felt differently, and were irritated rather 

than terrified and regarded the Cardinal as a monster of cruelty and lust, 

whom it would be a meritorious action to destroy” (Significant Scots. 

Cardinal David Beaton: http://www.electricscotland.com). 

We are fortunate that there is a portrait of George Wishart preserved 

in the art collection at the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland, in 

Edinburgh. Mr. David Wishart, Ph.D., Honorary Research Fellow, 

The University of St. Andrews, Scotland kindly sent us a copy see the 

next page. 

164

George Wishat (c. 1513 – March 1, 1546). 

There is a remarkable resemblance between George Wishat and the 

great Russian poet Michael Yurievich Lermontov. Although Lermontov 

was born 300 years later they both shared a common ancestor from the 

Scottish Learmonth family from about the year 1400 

165

They also both died a violet death at a very young age. 

People did not always understand them. 

They were both endowed with the spirit of prophecy 

166

167

The Martyr’s Monument, St. Andrews, 2006 (personal visit authors). 

After George Wishart’s death, the conspirators had no definite plans. 

They were just motivated by deadly revenge, which was probably aimed at 

James Learmonth of Balcomie, the martyr’s relative. It would appear the 

final plot was in active progress a few weeks after the martyrdom. (“Life of 

George Wishart”, Edinburgh, 1876) “Beaton was not unaware of the hatred 

and contempt in which he was held, nor of the devices that were forming 

against him, but he supposed his power to be now so firmly established as to 

be beyond the reach of faction, and he was determined by the most prompt 

and decisive measures to be before hand with his enemies. In the meantime, 

he thought it prudent to strengthen his interests, which were already great, 

by giving his daughter in marriage to the Master of Crawford. For this 

purpose he preceded to Angus, where the marriage was celebrated with 

almost royal splendour, the bride receiving from her father the Cardinal, no 

less than four thousand marks of dowry. From these festivities he was 

suddenly recalled by intelligence that Henry of England was collecting a 

great naval force, with which he intended to annoy Scotland, and especially 

the coast of Fife. To provide against such an exigency, the Cardinal 

168

summoned the nobility to attend him in a tour round the coast, where he 

ordered fortifications to be made, and garrisons placed in the most 

advantageous positions. In this tour he was attended by the Master of 

Rothes, Norman Leslie, who had formerly been one of his friends, but had of 

late, from some private grudge, had become cold towards him. Some 

altercation of course ensued, and they parted in mortal enmity, the Cardinal 

determined secretly to take off, or to imprison Norman, with his friends the 

Lairds of Grange, elder and younger (James Kirkcaldy and William 

Kirkcaldy). Sir James Learmont, provost of St Andrews, and the Laird of 

Raith, all whom he feared, and Norman resolved to slay the Cardinal, be the 

consequences what they would. (Norman Leslie, William Kirkcaldy through 

James Learmonth were all close relatives of George Wishart who was 

executed by Cardinal two months before) 

The Cardinal was in the meantime in great haste to repair and 

strengthen his castle, upon which a large number of men were employed 

almost night and day. The conspirators having lodged themselves secretly in 

St Andrews on the night of May the twenty-eighth, 1546, were, ere the dawn 

of the next morning, assembled to the number of ten or twelve persons in the 

neighbourhood of the castle, and the gates being opened to let in the 

workmen with their building materials, Kircaldy of Grange entered, and with 

him six persons, who held a parley with the porter. Norman Leslie, James 

Learmonth and their company having then entered, passed to the middle of 

the court. Lastly came John Leslie and four men with him, at whose 

appearance the porter, suspecting some design, attempted to lift the 

drawbridge, but was prevented by Leslie, who leaped upon it, seized the 

keys, and threw the janitor himself headlong into the ditch. The place thus 

secured, the workmen, to the number of a hundred, ran off the walls, and 

were put forth at the wicket gate unhurt. Kirkcaldy then took charge of the 

privy postern, the others going through the different chambers, from which 

they ejected upwards of fifty persons, who were quietly permitted to escape. 

The Cardinal, roused from his morning slumbers by the noise, threw up his 

window and asked what it meant. Being answered that Norman Leslie had 

taken his castle, he ran to the postern, but, finding it secured, returned to his 

chamber, drew his two-handed sword, and ordered his chamberlain to 

barricade the door. In the meantime, Leslie demanded admittance, but did 

not gain it till a chimneyful of burning coals was brought to burn the door, 

when the Cardinal or his chamberlain (it is not known which) threw it open. 

Beaton, who had in the mean time hidden a box of gold under some coals in 

a corner of the room, now sat down in a chair, crying, ‘I am a priest, I am a 

priest, you will not slay me’. But he was now in the hands of men to whom 

169

his priestly character was no recommendation. John Leslie, according to his 

vow, struck him twice with his dagger, and so did Peter Carmichael; but 

James Melville, perceiving them to be in a passion, withdrew them, saying, 

‘This work and judgment of God, although it is secret, ought to be gone 

about with gravity’. Then admonishing the Cardinal of his wicked life, 

particularly his shedding the blood of that eminent preacher, Mr George 

Wishart, Melville struck him thrice through with a stag sword, and he fell, 

exclaiming, ‘Fie, fie, I am a priest, all’s gone!’ Before this time the 

inhabitants of St Andrews were apprized of what was going on, and began to 

throng around the castle, exclaiming, ‘Have ye slain my Lord Cardinal? 

What have ye done with my Lord Cardinal?’ As they refused to depart till 

they saw him, his dead body was slung out by the assassins at the same 

window from which he had but a short time before witnessed the burning of 

GeorgeWishart (Significant Scots. Cardinal David Beaton 

http://www.electricscotland.com). “The events of the morning were a 

terrible sequel to the auto-da-fe of March. The citizens were in 

consternation. The Provost Sir James Learmonth convened the town 

council, and, proceeded to the ramparts of the castle. They were joined by 

John Knox. The Earl of Huntly succeeded Beaton and Mary sent Arran to 

recapture the castle and avenge Beaton's death. However, Beaton having 

previously kept Arran's son as hostage in the castle, Arran did not dare do 

anything too drastic that might put his own life in jeopardy. In November of 

1546 a mine was begun by the attackers which were successfully counter 

mined by the defenders. Both the mine and counter mine cut through solid 

rock. The siege continued well into the following spring. France and 

England had just signed a peace treaty in which Scotland was trying to be 

included, when Henry VIII died in January 1547, leaving the Earl of 

Hertford in power. On the French side Francis I also died four months later, 

but his successor Henry II assured Mary of his support. This materialized in 

July 1547. “The French fleet was seen not far from the promontory of St. 

Ebb, wherein were one and twenty ships. 

The Regent, Governor Arran, imagining what the matter was, that 

they were come to besiege the Castle of St. Andrews (as had been agreed 

between them), marched joyfully home. Leon Strozy, Admiral of the French 

fleet, had agreed to lay close siege to the Castle, which they did with so 

much celerity that many of the garrison souldiers which were abroad could 

not come in, and many country men, which had no hand in the conspiracy 

but occasionally came into the Castle about their private affairs could not get 

out. They planted their brass guns upon the towers of two churches which 

stood near on both sides the Castle, which did so annoy the whole court 

170

within the Castle walls that the defenders could hardly stir in or out. And 

afterwards they brought bigger pieces of ordnance and played upon part of 

the wall which stood between the two towers, which were soon battered 

down because the later buildings were not at all compacted with the former, 

and so it fell down with a mighty noise. 

Hereupon they within, who before trusted to their fortifications and 

were ready to expose themselves to stop any breach, now began to be afraid 

and, calling together a council of war because they feared the cruelty of the 

Regent in revenging the death of his kinsman (fearing the Regent’s cruelty, 

which is more wont to blaze forth in men of weak character), they 

surrendered the Castle and themselves to Leon Strozy only upon quarter for 

life. 

Leon hereupon sent in his men to pillage the Castle, wherein was 

found, besides a great quantity of provisions of all sorts, all the Cardinal’s 

mony and household stuff, and all the wealth of the garrison souldiers, and 

of many others also who had laid up their goods there as in a place of refuge. 

There also they found the Regent’s son, who was before given in hostage by 

his father to the Cardinal, and, when he was slain, was detained there. 

The Castle was demolished by advice and order of the Governor (Earl 

Arran) and Council, and, a few days after, Leon Strozy set sail with his 

prisoners for France. These things fell out in August, 1547” (“Rerum 

Scoticarum Historia” by George Buchanan, Paris (1582). A hypertext critical 

edition by D. F. Sutton. The University of California, Irvine). 

171

The ruins of the St. Andrews Castle. 

Pictures were taken by authors, personal visit 2005 and 2006. 

Sir James Learmonth had survived the drastic events in St. Andrews. 

Being the honest son of his country he took part in the next Scottish disaster, 

in the so called Pinkie battle. 

“After Henry's death in January 1547, Edward Seymour, Duke of 

Somerset and Protector of England as regent to the child King Edward VI, 

devised a new strategy to win the ‘bride’ for his master. He hoped to not 

only successfully invade Scotland but also establish permanent garrisons in 

strategic positions across the country, holding it in virtual subjugation. 

Perhaps one reason why the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (cleugh being a narrow 

glen or valley in Scots Gaelic) has been all but forgotten is because its 

political consequences were so slight. England's ambitious Edward 

Seymour, Duke of Somerset, had come to Scotland to win a bride, at the 

point of a sword, for his young master, the 9-year-old King Edward VI. In 

that, however, he would fail, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was spirited away 

to France, dashing English hopes of a union of the two crowns. 

172

Yet, in one respect, the battle was highly significant. Historians have 

tended to regard the British Isles as a military backwater in the 16th century, 

but a close examination of the campaign suggests that Pinkie Cleugh was the 

first "modern" battle on British soil featuring combined arms, cooperation 

between infantry, artillery and cavalry and, most remarkably, a naval 

bombardment in support of land forces. Such an interpretation places Britain 

in the mainstream of military development 100 years earlier than is generally 

accepted. On 10 th September 1547, known as "Black Saturday", the Scots 

suffered a bitter defeat at Pinkie Cleugh near Musselburgh. The day of 

Pinkie Clench was one of the memorable epochs in Scots history; it was the 

last great disaster in a contest for national existence the turning point at 

which there came life when hope seemed past. A success of an encouraging 

and peculiar character, of which we have only the outline, followed the 

disaster of Pinkie. 

It was reported at the Court of France that this was a great victory 

over some nine or ten thousand invaders, of whom three thousand were 

slain. The news went, with other events, to show that there still lived in 

Scotland a spirit of resistance which, with a little aid, might baffle England. 

But there was prospect of another and more effectual relief to the 

miseries of the country. Independent and self-willed as the Scots people 

were, they had an almost religious veneration for their royal line. It became 

the more sacred in their eyes, from the way in which it had been preserved 

through attenuated threads of existence. It now ran in the life of an infant for 

her, English armies invaded, and Scots armies fought them” 

(http://www.royal-stuarts.org/Pinkie_cleuch.htm). 

Sir James Learmonth fell at the battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547 whilst 

resisting the unwarrantable invasion of Scotland by the perfidious English 

monarch. 

Sir James Learmonth purchased the fue of St Nicholas in 1529, he had 

sasine of Dron; he had charter of land of Kilmynanane and of the land of 

Pittendreich. So the Learmonth’s owned two castles (Dairsie and Balcomie) 

and other land in Fife before 1547 (please see picture on the following 

page). They were now the wealthy and influential lairds in Fife. 

173

Sir James Learmonth’s eldest son from his first marriage, Patrick 

Learmonth succeeded his father in 1547 at the age of 27. 

He became Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie and was elected the Provost 

of St. Andrews in 1548. We already know the Learmonth’s of Dairsie were 

supporters of the reformation by their family ties and by their convictions. 

St. Andrews was at the center of the reforms and had already suffered from 

this destructive struggle in 1547. The city was devastated but the citizens 

and magistrate were determined to defend the growing strength of the 

reformation that had now become the symbol of Scottish independence. 

Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie was married to Isobel Balfour, daughter 

of Sir James Balfour of Pittendreich, who was also a prominent man and a 

supporter of the reformation until the year 1566. 

“Sir James Balfour (of Pittendreich, Moray, Scotland) (d. 1583 or 1584), Scottish judge 

and politician, son of Sir Michael Balfour of Montquhanny, was educated for the legal 

branch of the Church of Scotland. In June 1547, together with Knox and others had been 

174

taken prisoner by the French at St Andrews, Fife and was condemned to the French 

galleys, but was released in 1549, abjured (promised under oath to stop supporting the 

reformers). He entered the service of Mary of Guise, and was rewarded with some 

considerable legal appointments. After Mary Queen of Scots arrival in Scotland he 

became one of her secretaries, in 1565 being reported as her greatest favourite after 

Rizzio. He obtained the parsonage of Flisk in Fife in 1561, was nominated a Lord of 

Session, and in 1563 one of the commissaries of the court which now took the place of 

the former ecclesiastical tribunal. In 1565 he was made a Privy Councilor, and in 1566 

Lord Clerk Register, and knighted ( http://www.answers.com). 

Meanwhile the widow of James V, Mary de Guise, to who Patrick 

Learmonth’s father in law was so close being the Householder, continued 

her struggle for religious and political power in Scotland and for the safety 

of her only child Queen Mary. 

In February 1548 hearing that the English were on their way, Mary 

moved her daughter to Dumbarton. The English left a trail of devastation 

behind once more and seized the strategically located town of Haddington. 

In June, the much awaited French help arrived and Mary, aged 33, decided 

that the time had come for her to play an active military role. Shaming the 

deserting soldiers she found relaxing at home, rewarding and spurring on 

those on the battlefield, she behaved like her father's true daughter. On 

7 th July, the French Marriage Treaty was signed at a nunnery near 

Haddington and by 7 th August, the French fleet was sailing back to France 

carrying the Queen of Scots on board. Her daughter may be safe in France 

but the French treaty was to prove yet another source of worry for Mary. 

Firstly, there was the problem of her financial resources seriously depleted 

by years of war and Arran's extravagance. Secondly, the French presence in 

Scotland was causing a lot of ill feeling amongst her people. On the bright 

side, Huntly, who had been held prisoner in England since the battle of 

Pinkie, managed to escape and he celebrated his return by leading an 

expedition to the borders in February 1549. In June of the same year, an 

English fleet captured the small island of Inchkeith, occupying a strategic 

position opposite Leith 

In 1549 Patrick Learmonth acquired the Isle of May (In 1318 all the 

rights to the Priory of May were transferred to the canons of St Andrews, 

when a priory at Pittenweem appears to have been substituted for that on the 

island), with a view to developing a profitable sideline raising rabbits there. 

The “stately monastery of stone” had been destroyed by the English in 1543, 

but the church remained and was restored by the faithful on account of the 

frequent miracles wrought there. There are still the remains of this church 

today. It was a plain parallelogram measuring inside barely 32 by 15 feet. 

175

The two windows in the west wall show that it dates from the thirteenth 

century. Their external tops are each cut out of one stone, and internally they 

are arched and enormously splayed. The most remarkable thing about this 

chapel is that it stands almost due north and south. There can be little doubt 

that it was long preserved “out of reverence for St Adrian and the other 

saints there interred.”(http://www.electricscotland.com). 

Patrick Learmonth fortifies a building of the former Cluniac priory on 

the Isle by adding a round tower with gun ports to one corner with a design 

not dissimilar to that found at Dairsie. Two years later in 1551 the island is 

sold on to Andrew Balfour of Mountquhanie. 

In 1550 French reinforcements arrived once more, headed by Monsieur De 

Thermes and easily recaptured Inchkeith. In April 1550, the French and the English 

signed a peace treaty in which Scotland was included. Mary of Guise was now free to 

travel to France to persuade the King of France Henry II to help her financially. It is in 

that spirit that she conducted negotiations with Henry II, encouraging him to bribe her 

Lords and thereby easing the tension between both nationalities. Henry also agreed to her 

desire for the Regency. On 18 October 1551 Mary decided to pay England a royal visit 

and meet the young English King, Edward VI. Crossing the country from Portsmouth, 

she returned to Scotland in triumph. Turning her attention to the enforcement of law and 

order, she traveled throughout the country with Châtelherault (Earl of Arran) to hold 

justice hearings. In the summer of 1553, Edward VI of England died, succeeded briefly 

by Lady Jane Grey and then by his half sister, the catholic Mary Tudor. This was good 

news for Mary who now found herself on the same side of the religious fence as her old 

enemy, England. Mary therefore decided that it was time to claim the Regency. The 

ceremony taking place on 12 th April in Edinburgh, Mary of Guise was Regent at last. The 

problems of war with England, the safety of little Mary Queen of Scots and Châtelherault 

dealt with, Mary now concentrated on helping Scotland's battered economy to recover, 

and to restore law and order once more. However, as usual, the Scottish nobles were a 

force to be reckoned with. There were many who disliked her authority and the union 

with France. Would Scotland come to be ruled entirely by a French King? People thus 

began to favour an alliance with England, especially since the Protestant movement was 

gaining strength in Scotland. 

Mary recognised the golden opportunity which presented itself to her adversaries, 

under the pretext of religion; they would stir up the population against her and seize land 

and power. The first thing she did as Regent was to surround herself with her supporters, 

including the Earl of Cassilis, James Makgill and the Abbot of Cupar. Others were 

rewarded and bribed with generous gifts. Nevertheless, the nobility demanded that the 

marriage of the little Queen to the French Dauphin be finalised. Mary was loath to rush 

Henry II who was after all the more influential party in this arrangement. 

On the other hand, she did not want the explosive situation in Scotland to 

deteriorate even further. The difficulty lay in that France was at war with Spain whose 

King Philip had married the English Mary Tudor. Henry II was now asking Scotland to 

divert England's attention away from this conflict by reopening hostilities. This was a 

very ill timed campaign for Mary but she remained bound to obey given how dependent 

176

she was on help from France. However, the Scottish Lords openly flouted her authority 

and refused to proceed. 

‘This year and the year before the cause of religion seem’d to be dormant, for, it 

being somewhat crush’d by the death of George Wiseheart, one party accounted 

themselves well satisfy’d if they could worship God in their own tongue in private 

assemblies and dispute soberly concerning matters of divinity, and the other party, after 

the Cardinal was slain, shew’d themselves rather destitute of an head than undesirous of 

revenge. For he who succeeded in his place did rather covet the mony than the blood of 

his enemies, and was seldom cruel but when it was to maintain his licentiousness and to 

expend on his pleasures. In April 1558 Walter Mills, a priest, one of the most learned, 

was yet suspected by the bishops because he left off to say Mass, whereupon he was 

haled to their court. Though he was weak by constitution of body and age, extream poor, 

and also brought out from a nasty prison, and lay under such high discouragements, yet 

he answer’d so stoutly and prudently too that his very enemies could not but acknowledg 

that such greatness and confidence of spirit in such an enfeebled carkase must needs have 

a support from on high. The citizens of St. Andrews were so much affected at the wrong 

done him that there was none found who would sit as judg upon him, and all the 

tradesmen shut up their shops that they might sell no materials toward his execution, 

which was the cause of his reprieve for one day more than was intended’ (“Rerum 

Scoticarum Historia” by George Buchanan, Paris (1582). A hypertext critical edition by 

Dana F. Sutton The University of California, Irvine) 

Having been condemned, the authority to execute was sought from the 

Provost Patrick Learmonth but he refused to provide it and promptly left 

town (http://www.orrnamestudy.com/waltemill.htm). This illustrates the 

Protestant courage and humanity of Patrick Learmonth. Being the Provost of 

St. Andrews he should have obeyed the order to execute the prominent old 

priest Walter Mills but he smartly avoided doing this. 

At about the same time Patrick Learmonth’s brother, James 

Learmonth became Provost of Kirkheugh. Kirkheugh has an ancient history 

being the Culdee monastery at Kirkheugh. 

“Dr Laing suggested that the provostry of Kirhheugh was made a chapel royal in 

the reign of Alexander II. (I2I4-I249). The provostry of Kirkheugh was a place of much 

importance, drawing revenues not only from Fife, but from remote parts of Forfarshire 

and Kincardineshire. The ruling official was sometimes styled “Provost of St Andrews" 

in documents of the thirteenth century, and this has led to much misapprehension on the 

part of historians of the city who have supposed erroneously that he was a civic official, 

and not an ecclesiastic. 

“By a charter, dated 4th October, 1501 James IV declared that, in accordance with 

the intention of his progenitors, by whom the chapel was founded, it should be lawful for 

the Provost of the Collegiate Church to present to the prebends of Kimkell, Dura, 

Lammelethin, and Kinglassy qualified persons and able priests who had been examined 

177

y learned men, and competent choristers," who should reside and conduct divine service 

from day to day” 

In anticipating the events of the time the building survived the 

Reformation as James Learmonth, who was Provost of the Church of 

Kirkheugh in 1557-1577, gave sasine of the lands of Nether Kinaldy to 

Robert Aitoun in 1565, and it is important to note that the charter was signed 

at the chapel of the Kirkheugh (“Fife Pictorial and Historical” by A. H. 

Millar, 1895, page 280) 

The events of 1557-1560 were crucial and decisive for the history of 

the Scottish Reformation and the Learmonth families in Fife. So we rely on 

an eyewitness and historian George Buchanan to relate the history of this 

period (George Buchanan “Rerum Scoticarum Historia”, Paris, 1582). 

Events in 1557-1560. 

Something had to be done quickly to restore the balance of power. Mary's eldest 

brother had just captured Calais from the English in January 1558 and Henry II was keen 

to reward the family. He ordered the royal marriage to go ahead. 

On 24 April 1558, the little Queen of Scots was married to the French Dauphin. 

Mary was to remain Regent while she was out of the country and the crown of Scotland 

would revert to Châtelherault if no children were born to the marriage. However, a secret 

agreement had been signed by the Scottish Queen, to the effect that the French King 

would inherit Scotland instead if she died childless. 

But political unrest prevailed in Scotland under the religious reform. Disturbances 

and pillages were taking place to the outrage of the helpless Mary. To make matters 

worse, on 17 th November 1558, Mary Tudor died making way for her Protestant halfsister, 

Elizabeth I. Luckily, in the spring of 1559, the Treaty of Cateau Cambrésis was 

signed, a truce between France and Spain, and an end to the English threat for Scotland. 

But in May 1559 John Knox returned from exile after his capture at the siege of St 

Andrews in 1547 and his spell in the French galleys. Pouring out all of his venom in his 

incendiary sermons (as he later would continue to do to Mary, Queen of Scots); he roused 

the congregation to violent action. 

“Matters standing in this ticklish posture, Knox assembled the multitude at Perth 

and made such an excellent sermon to them that he set their minds, already moved, all in 

a flame. When the tidings of these matters were brought to the Queen, with some 

exaggerations, they so inflamed her lofty spirit that she solemnly swore that she would 

expiate this nefarious wickedness with the blood of the citizens and with the burning of 

the city. 

The inhabitants of Cowper (Cupar) in Fife hearing of the procedure of affairs at 

Perth, they also by general consent either broke the images or threw them out of the 

church, and thus cleansed their temple, at which the Parson of the parish was so grieved 

that the night following he laid violent hands on himself. 

178

The Regent was amazed to hear this news, and sent for Hamilton, the Earl of 

Argyle and Athol, with their allies and clanships to come to her, and though she desired 

by her hasty proceeding to prevent the preparations of her enemies. The Earl of Argyle 

and James Stuart left the Regent at Perth and went to St. Andrews. But she, the 

volunteers being disbanded on both sides, having entered the place with a small retinue, 

was honorably received according to the ability of the citizens. For within three days after 

she began to turn all things topsy-turvy. Some of the citizens she fined, others she 

banished, and changed their magistrates without any judicial proceedings. And, on going 

to Sterlin, she left some mercenary Scots under French pay in the town to garison it, 

whereby she pretended she had not broken her word, which was that the city should be 

left free and no French man enter into it. When ’twas objected to her that, by the 

agreement, all those were to be accounted French who had sworn fealty to the French 

King, then she had refuge to that common refuge of the Papists, that promises were not to 

be kept with hereticks, but her excuse would have been as honest if she told them that she 

had no obligation lay on her conscience but that she might lawfully take away both life 

and goods from such a sort of people as they were, and moreover, that princes were not to 

be so eagerly pressed for the performance of their promises. These things sufficiently 

declar’d that the concord was not like to be lasting; and besides, the things which 

followed gave further occasion to conceive a sinister opinion of her. For she prosecuted 

James Stuart and Gilespy Cambel with threatning letters and commands, denouncing the 

extremity of the law against them unless they came in to her. As for the army of the 

adverse faction, she disregarded that, because she knew it was made up of volunteers and 

such as fought without pay, and when they were dismiss’d they would not easily be 

brought together again. After she had restor’d the Mass and setled other things as well as 

she could, she left a garison the town, as I said before, and went towards Sterlin. She was 

very desirous to have the possession of that place, in regard ’twas scituate almost in the 

middle of the whole kingdom and was the only walled town therein. For when the matter 

came to be divulg’d, it gave occasion of many insurrections in all parts of the kingdom. 

For the Earl of Argyle and James Stuart, perceiving that their credit was crack’d by the 

violation of that truce which they were authors of, convocated the neighbour-Nobility at 

St. Andrews and join’d themselves to the Reform’d, and wrote to their confederates of 

the same sect that the Regent was at Falcoland with French forces, and that she was intent 

on the taking of Cowper and St. Andrews, and unless help were presently sent, all the 

churches in Fife would be in great danger.Whereupon a great multitude came presently in 

to them from the neighbouring parts, mightily inrag’d against the Queen and her forces. 

They thought themselves to wage a war against a faithless and barbarous people that had 

no respect to equity, right, faith, promises, or the religion of an oath so that they prepared 

themselves to overcome or die. By these and such like speeches the minds of all present 

were so inflamed that first of all they made an assault on Carail, a town scituate in the 

furthest angle of Fife, where they overthrew the altars, broke down the images, and 

spoil’d all the apparatus of the Mass-trade, and that which was almost incredible in the 

case, anger prevail’d more in the minds of the vulgar than avarice. From thence they went 

to St. Andrews, where they spoil’d the temples of the other Saints and levell’d the 

monast’ries of the Franciscan and Dominican Friars to the ground. In the camp of the 

Regent there were 2000 French under the command of D’Osel, and 1000 Scots led by 

James Hamilton, Duke of Chastel-Herault, as he was then call’d”. 

179

‘These sent their guns before them on the 2 nd watch, and, marching 

early in the morning, came all so near as to see the enemy and to be seen by 

them. There was a small river between them, where at convenient posts their 

great guns were planted. 500 horses were sent before to make light 

skirmishes with the enemy, and also to hinder their passage over the river if 

they should attempt it. The alacrity of these men gave some stop to the 

French, which was further increas’t by the coming in of Patrick Lermont, 

Mayor of St. Andrews, with 500 citizens in arms, who, for the conveniency 

of their march being stretched out in length, made a show of a far greater 

number than the were. This kept them from discovering the number and 

order of their enemies, which they much desir’d to know; neither could they 

discover if the commanders were at hand, that so they might give notice to 

their fellows, as they were commanded’ 

“And therefore some of the French went to the top of a high hill adjoining, that so 

they might have as full a view of the enemy and they thought that the whole numerous 

party was laid in ambush for them. And this news they carry’d to their fellows, 

aggravating all things beyond what they were, indeed. Whereupon the commanders of the 

army, by the advice of the Council, sent to the Regent, who staid behind at Falkland, to 

acquaint her how matters stood, that the Scots seem’d more numerous than they expected 

and more ready to fight, and, on the contrary, that their own men did grumble, and some 

of them did publickly give forth that they scorn’d for the sake of a few strangers to be led 

to an engagement against their own country-men, friends, and kindred. Whereupon, by 

the assent of the Queen, three ambassadors of the Nobles were sent from Hamilton, such 

as had some friends or sons in the enemies army. These embassadors could not clap up a 

peace because the Reformers, having been so often deluded by vain promises, gave no 

credit to their concessions. The Regent at that time had not any other voucher to make 

good her stipulation, and, if she had, she thought it to be below her dignity to produce it. 

Besides, there was another difficulty in the case, which was the expulsion of the 

foreigners out of the kingdom (a thing principally insisted upon), and that she could not 

to without acquainting] the French King, so that only truces were made, not to incline 

their minds to peace, as they had often experienced before, but to procure foreign aid. 

Only this was accorded betwixt them, that the French forces should be 

transported into Lothian, and a truce should be made for 8 days till the Regent sent some 

pacificators of her own to St. Andrews to propound equal conditions of peace to both 

parties. But the Reformers, plainly perceiving that the Regent did but protract time till she 

passed her army over the next firth because she could not compose things to her own 

advantage, the Earl of Argyle and James Stuart dealt with her by letters that she would 

withdraw the garison out of Perth and leave the city to its own laws, as she promised 

when she was admitted into it, and that the envy of her breach of covenant was cast upon 

them who were the authors of the agreement. The Regent giving no answer to these 

letters, they turn’d their ensigns towards Perth, from whence miserable complaints and 

groans for relief were daily brought them. For the Laird of Kinfans, a neighbouring Laird 

180

whom the Regent at her departure had made Governor of the town, to show his 

officiousness did mightily vex the citizens. For, taking the opportunity of his command 

over them, he indulg’d his own private passions and reveng’d the old grudges which he 

had with many of them even to extremity, banishing some and spoiling others on the 

account of religion, and he also allow’d the like liberty to his souldiers. The forces which 

were at Cowper, understanding of these injuries done to their friends and partners in the 

Reformation, beat up a march thither very early in the morning. They besieg’d the town, 

which after a few days was surrendred to them. Kinfans was outed of his Governorship 

and Patrick Ruven, the old Governor, substituted in his place. Afterward they burnt 

Scone, an old and unpeopled town, because, contrary to their faith given, they had slain 

one of their number. By their spies they were inform’d that the Regent was sending a 

garison of French to Sterlin, that so they who were beyond the Forth might be cut off 

from the rest. To prevent this design, Gilespy Cambel and James Stuart, late in the night 

with great silence, remov’d from Perth and enter’d Sterlin, where they presently 

overthrew the monast’ry of the friars. They also purg’d the other churches about the city 

from all monuments of idolatry, and thus after 3 days they march’d towards Edinburgh 

and destroyed the superstitious relicks at Linlithgo, a town in the midway. 

The Scots nobles who were the leaders of the Reformation staid there several days to 

order matters. For, besides cleansing of the temples from all the Massifying trade, they 

appointed preachers to expound the Word of God purely and sincerely to the people. 

Mary summoned Châtelherault and sweet-talked him into crushing the rebels but the 

Congregation kept the upper hand. After much to-ing and fro-ing, an agreement was 

reached on 23 July 1559 on Leith Links with the Lords of the Congregation (as they now 

called themselves).But this momentary respite was not to last. The Lords of the 

Congregation now signed a bond agreeing that none of their number should go to see or 

speak to the Queen Regent without the consent of the others. Elizabeth I dispatched Sir 

Ralph Sadler under secret instructions to nourish faction against the French, urge 

Châtelherault to abandon Mary and coerce her into signing a treaty of perpetual peace 

with England. With the death of Henry II in August 1559, Mary lost a powerful ally. The 

Lords who were already complaining of changes to Scottish laws. French-style taxation 

and the appointment of Frenchmen to important offices of state were overjoyed by the 

arrival of Châtelherault's son, who had inherited his father's title of Earl of Arran. 

Châtelherault had once again switched sides and was preparing to take up arms when 

Mary decided to fortify Leith. Mary's attempts to win over Châtelherault and her step 

son, Lord James were of no avail and her circle of supporters diminished daily. On 15 

October, the Protestants marched to Edinburgh but Mary had already escaped to Leith. 

On 21 of October, the Lords announced that her Regency was suspended”. On 27 

February 1560, Lords James, Ruthven and others met with the Duke of Norfolk and 

signed the Treaty of Berwick, agreeing that Elizabeth should accept the realm of Scotland 

with Châtelherault being declared heir apparent to the crown. In return, the Scottish 

Protestants promised to support the English forces and to resist any annexation by France. 

This was a serious blow to Mary who, no longer safe in Leith, convinced Lord Erskine, 

Keeper of Edinburgh Castle, to let her stay there and deny entrance to anyone else. Then, 

a series of negotiations between English envoys, Scottish Lords and Mary were entered 

into. The lords demanded that French troops be sent home, but in Leith, the English siege 

181

had begun. Negotiations finally broke down over the question of the league with 

England. 

Mary's health was rapidly deteriorating. Her heart disease had resulted in dropsy 

and negotiations with the Protestants had ceased. All her letters were intercepted and her 

last supporters were deserting her, and yet, no help came from France. On the morning of 

7 June 1560, Mary sent for the lords and asked for their forgiveness for having 

inadvertently offended them and forgave them for their disloyalty. She dictated her will 

and made arrangements for her funeral. Her mother and brother, the Duke of Guise were 

to be her executors, with the Earl Marischal (who later repudiated the task) and Sir John 

acting in the same capacity in Scotland. Finally, on 11 June 1560 in the evening, she 

passed away”. 

During all these events the St. Andrews Kirk session was already 

functioning. We were able to find that “The Grey Friars' Monastery in St. 

Andrews suffered so much during the Reformation that in an Instrument of 

Sasine, dated 20 th September 1559, its site was conveyed to Patrick 

Learmonth, Provost, and the community of St. Andrews, as a piece of waste 

ground demolished in its buildings containing six particates of land in 

breadth and lately possest by the Minor Friars lying on the north side of the 

Mercategate and going north as far as the North Street” (Abstract of Writs, 

No. 293; “St Andrews Kirk Session” page 94). 

On 13 August 1560, Parliament agreed. (In those days, a nation's religion was set 

by its rulers.) The legislators instructed the Protestants to prepare a plain account of the 

doctrines with which they wanted to replace the Old Catholic teachings. Parliament 

would establish these as the only wholesome and true doctrines “necessary to be believed 

and received" within Scotland. John Knox, who was Scotland's leading reformer and five 

other ministers also named John went to work. These were John Winram, John 

Spottiswoode, John Willock, John Douglas, and John Row. In just four days they had the 

Scots Confession ready. On this day, August 17 th 1560, Knox and his helpers presented 

the Scots Confession to Parliament. The entire document was read through twice out loud 

for the legislators. The solidly Calvinistic document consisted of twenty five short 

chapters, each of which was substantiated with scripture quotations. Topics included the 

doctrine of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, mankind's origin and sin, the role of the 

church, good works, the relation of church and state, the law, the future life, and more. As 

with most such confessions, the nature and work of Christ received the most attention. 

For example, here is its short chapter on Christ's resurrection (with spelling and language 

modernized): 

“We believe without doubt that, since it was impossible that the sorrows of death 

should keep in bondage the Author of life, that our Lord Jesus Christ crucified, dead, and 

buried, who descended into hell, did rise again for our justification; and destroying him 

who was the author of death [i.e.: Satan], brought life again to us that were subject to 

death and to its bondage. We know that his resurrection was confirmed by the testimony 

of his very enemies [and] by the resurrection of the dead, whose tombs did open, and they 

did arise and appear to many within the city of Jerusalem. It was also confirmed by the 

182

testimony of angels, and by the senses and judgments of his apostles, and of others, who 

had conversation, and did eat and drink with him after his resurrection." 

During the Parliamentary readings, the six Johns stood by, ready to answer any 

question. According to Knox, the Catholic bishops who were present did not raise any 

objections. Perhaps they recognized that public opinion was against them. By an 

overwhelming margin, Parliament ratified and approved the document, declaring it to be 

sound doctrine grounded upon the infallible truth of God. The few who voted against it 

gave as their reason, "We will believe as our fathers believed." (Knox, John. The History 

of the Reformation of Religion within the Realm of Scotland; edited for popular use by 

C. J. Guthrie. London: A. and C. Black, 1905). Winram, as prior of Portmoak, attended 

the parliament of August, 1560, which ratified the protestant Confession of Faith. The 

first General Assembly held in December following, declared Winram fit for and apt to 

minister the word and sacraments; and on Sunday, April 13, 1561, he was elected 

superintendent of Fife, Fothrick, and Stratherne, "be the common consent of lordis, 

baronis, ministeris, elderis, of the saidis bowndis, and otheris common pepill," 

(http://www.electricscotland.com). 

There were the special conditions declared for the Civil Magistrate in Chapter 24: 

“We confess and acknowledge empires, kingdoms, dominions, and cities to be 

distinguished and ordained by God, the powers and authorities in the same (be it of 

emperors in their empires, of kings in their realms, dukes and princes in their dominions, 

or of other magistrates in free cities) to be God's holy ordinance, ordained for 

manifestation of his own glory, and for the singular profit and commodity of mankind So 

that whosoever goes about to take away or to confound the whole state of civil policies, 

now long established; we affirm the same men not only to be enemies to mankind, but 

also wickedly to fight against God's expressed will. We further confess and 

acknowledge, that such persons as are placed in authority are to be loved, honoured, 

feared, and held in most reverent estimation because they are the lieutenants of God, in 

whose sessions God himself does sit and judge (yea even the judges and princes 

themselves), to whom by God is given the sword, to the praise and defense of good men, 

and to revenge and punish all open malefactors. Moreover, to kings, princes, rulers, and 

magistrates, we affirm that chiefly and most principally the conservation and purgation of 

the religion appertains; so that not only they are appointed for civil policy, but also for 

maintenance of the true religion, and for suppressing of idolatry and superstition 

whatsoever: as in David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah, and others, highly commended 

for their zeal in that case, may be espied.” (“The Scottish Confession of Faith” by 

Presbyterian Heritage Publications, 1995, the electronic version) 

Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie, Provost of St. Andrews and his brother 

George Learmonth of Balcomie, both sat in Parliament on 17 th August 1560 

when the Confession of Faith was ratified (“Kirk Session. St Andrews parish 

and http://www.electricscotland.com) 

The activities of the Learmonth families of Fife during this period 

clearly show the strengthening of their power. By the year 1560 they were 

big landowners, they were close to royalty and consolidated their position by 

183

marriages with other high ranking families, they took up leading posts in the 

magistrate of St. Andrews, and became strong supporters and leaders of the 

Scottish Reformation. That is why we find Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie 

and his brother George Learmonth of Balcomie in Parliament approving the 

Scottish Confession of Faith in 1560. 

The situation regarding the Learmonth families during this period was 

certainly both difficult and controversial. The Reformation created years of 

hardship struggle and feuding in Scotland. Lords and Lairds were changing 

sides almost every few days from being supporters of the Catholic Scottish 

Royalty who were under the influence of the French Catholic House of 

Guise to Protestantism whose hatred of the Catholic idolatry was absolute. 

Meanwhile both parties gave allegiance to the lawful Scottish Queen (King) 

which made the whole situation both quarrelsome and occasionally bloody. 

The younger brother of Patrick Lermonth of Dairsie, George 

Learmonth of Balcomie (c.1523-1586) had royal connections through his 

marriage (c. 1558) with Lady Ephene, daughter of George Leslie the 4 th Earl 

of Roth. Lady Euphene was a granddaughter of Princes Margaret Stewart, a 

daughter of the Scottish King James II. So Euphene Leslie Lermonth was the 

great granddaughter of the Scottish King James II. She was also the third 

cousin of King James V and third aunt to Mary Queen of Scots. The 

children of George Learmonth of Balcomie and Lady Euphen were fourth 

cousins to Mary Queen of Scots (see the genealogy on the following page). 

George Learmonth of Balcomie was obviously a prominent individual 

but he was not actively involved in the political intrigues. He mostly cared 

for his lands and properties which he received as an heir and by charters. 

184

02.10-06 

James II, King of Scotland 

1430-1460 

George Learmonth of Balcomie 

Royal Connection 

James III 

King of Scotland 

(1451-1488) 

Margaret Stewart 

James IV 


1473-1513 

Margaret Crichton 

James V 


I 512-1542 

Norman Leslie 

c. 1517-1554 

Mary Queen 

of Scotland 

1542-1587 

James VI 


and 

James I 

King of England 

1566-1625 

Euphene Leslie 

(c. 1543-1588) 

Married 

George Learmonth of Balcomie 

James 


of Balcomie 

John 


of Balcomie 

Robert 


of St. Nicolas 

Children of George Learmonth are fourth 

cousins of Mary Queen 

and fourth uncles for King James VI. 

William 


In 1560 George Learmonth of Balcomie was granted the land of 

Northbank (in Fife) by Margaret Erskine Douglas which is confirmed by the 

following documents: Notes on a Deed by Lady Margaret Douglas of 

Lochleven dated 16 th October 1560 (BT Charles Henderson, S.S.C., F.S.A. 

Scot: “I had occasion sometime ago to make an investigation into the history 

of certain lands in the parish of Cameron, in Fifeshire, belonging to Colonel 

John Anstruther Thomson of Charleton, and in doing so I found the Deed, 

which is exhibited by his kind permission”. “In the phraseology of feudal 

conveyancing, it is a Procuratory of Resignation. In other words, it is a 

warrant granted by Lady Douglas the owner of certain lands in Fifeshire, for 

the purpose of rendering these back to the Over Lord or Feudal Superior, 

with the view of his giving a new Grant or Charter to George Lermonth of 

Balcomy, in the east of Fife, the purchaser from her. In short, the object of 

the Deed is to affect a transfer of the lands from Lady Douglas to Mr. 

George Lermonth”. The original document is difficult to understand but we 

detail the original text below for the interested reader” “All and Haill the 

saids Lands of Northbank wyth the pertinents liand wyt-in the Regalitie of 

Sanct Andrews and Sheriffdome of Fyff as in the hands of the Superior 

therof in favors of ane honorable man George Lermonth of Balcomy for 

185

heritibill infeftment to be given to hyrn of the foresaids lands in feu ferme 

and heritably after his deceisyt to John Lermonth his son his airs and 

assignais wyth all rycht and titill of rycht clame propertie and possessione 

quhilk I had hes or any wayis may clame or haif to the foresaids Lands of 

Northbank wyt the pertinents in ony time to cum renunciand the samyn for 

me my airis and assignais for now and ever to the effect the said George 

Lermonth may be heritablie infeft in the foresaids lands wyt the pertinents in 

maner above expremit and after his deceist to the said John Lermonth his 

son his airis and assignais and therupon Instruments and Documents to ask 

lift and raiss and generally all and quhatsomiver my said Procurators 

conjunctly and severally in the premissis lawfullie bides to be done in my 

name and to stand and abide at ye same firme and stabill, haldand and for to 

hald and to stand for thame in judgment and outouth, giff neid beis, under 

the panis of my guds movable and immovable, and I never to come in the 

contrar hairof. In witness of the whilk thing to thir my present Letters of 

procuratory I haif subscrivit the samen wyth my hand my sele is hairto 

affixit at Locldeven the XVI day of October the yeir of God jm ve and 

threescore yeres before thir witnesses Patrick Heburn of Tullibole, Henry 

Douglas of Muckhart Mill, James Demsterton wyt others divers” (Margaret 

Erskyn Lady of Lochlevin: http://www.electricscotland.com). 

The granting of this land by Lady Margaret Erskine Douglas to 

George Learmonth of Balcomie is not surprising. Margaret Erskine was the 

mother of James Stewart (1531-1570) the illegitimate son of King James V. 

So James Stewart Earl of Moray was the son of the third cousin of Euphene 

Learmonth Leslie, the wife of George Learmonth. Also Margaret Erskine 

was the third aunt to Lady Euphene. 

Moreover James Stewart was born and grew up when James 

Learmonth of Dairsie was the Master of King James V’s Household. 

So Margaret Erskine would most probably have had a good social and 

friendly attachment to the Learmonth family. 

Following the death of Francis II in 1560, Lord James Stuart visited his half sister, 

Mary, now widowed but of age to succeed to the throne of Scotland. He was coldly 

received by the Guise family and the French Court where he received many insults. Soon 

after he left Paris in May 1561 he returned to Scotland with a commission from Queen 

Mary, appointing him Regent until she returned. Mary returned to Scotland in 1561. 

Although Roman Catholic, she at first accepted the Protestant led government that she 

found in place. Her chief minister was her half brother James Stuart, who she later made 

Earl of Moray. Her position was crucially important for the Catholic powers of Europe, 

and for opponents of Elizabeth I, as they saw Mary as the rightful queen of England, 

because, like Elizabeth, she was descended from Henry VII. Mary almost immediately 

186

fell into dispute with John Knox and the Church in general when it became clear she was 

intent on restoring Catholicism as the official religion. Lord James had counseled her to 

keep her personal practices private but she stubbornly ignored this sound advice. 

About this time there was an outbreak of lawlessness on the Borders with England 

and Lord James was sent with a small force to deal with them. It would appear that 

Mary`s intention in sending James was possibly to get him killed as she was aware of his 

popularity among the common people and he annoyed her greatly with his reproaches. 

The forces allotted him were woefully inadequate but nevertheless James captured twenty 

eight of the ring leaders, some were executed, and others were forced to provide hostages 

for their future behavior. For this endeavor he was made Earl of Mar, and in February 

1562 created Earl of Moray. Shortly after he married Lady Agnes Keith, the daughter of 

William, 4th Earl Marischal (http://orrnamestudy.com; http://uk.encarta.msn.com) 

Patrick Learmonth of Balcomie was probably James Stewart’s 

companion in the Borders Raid. Queen Mary knighted him on the 8th of 

February 1561 the day of her brothers marriage (“St Andrews Kirk Session 

Register”, Part 1, Edinburgh, 1889, page 8: Diurnal of Occurrents, pp. 70 

71). 

Mary Queen of Scots was a widow. People were beginning to ask who she would 

marry. As with Elizabeth, her marriage was of immense political importance. It 

concerned the English government greatly. Elizabeth feared that she would marry a very 

powerful prince who could help her raise an army to invade England. Elizabeth wanted 

Mary to marry a man with very little power or influence, so that her Scottish cousin 

would be less of a threat. Perhaps with this in mind, Elizabeth offered her Robert Dudley, 

Earl of Leicester. This was laughed at as he was widely thought to be Elizabeth's lover. 

Lord Henry Darnley, the second son of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox and 

Lady Margaret Douglas, who was the daughter of Margaret Tudor (sister of Henry VIII) 

with her second husband, Archibald, 6th Earl of Angus, and an English Catholic cousin 

to Mary who also had a claim to the English crown, was permitted by Elizabeth to travel 

with his father to Scotland. On 17th February 1565, Darnley arrived at Wemyss Castle in 

Fife (This castle lies on the cliffs between West and East Wemyss, near Kirkcaldy), 

where he met up with Mary for the third time. Mary, attracted by his person and position, 

decided to marry him. Darnley and Mary were married in a short Catholic ceremony on 

29th July 1565. However, the contractual part of the marriage was probably completed in 

secret on 9th of the same month. Mary did not wait for the papal dispensation necessary 

for their marriage as they were related, and when it did arrive, it was luckily backdated so 

as to validate their union. Mary thus married Darnley hurriedly, bestowing titles upon 

him and issuing a coin in his honour, building up a group of supporters in the face of 

mounting opposition from Moray's party, and ignoring Elizabeth's orders. Elizabeth was 

outraged. With their joint claim to her throne, Elizabeth feared that they would have 

substantial support for trying to depose her. It also emerged that Darnley's mother, Lady 

Lennox, had been involved in secret negotiations to have Mary and Darnley placed upon 

the English throne. There was very little Elizabeth could do, however, as Mary and 

Darnley were legally married, and she had to accept him as Prince consort. Elizabeth's 

187

consolation was the fact that matters could have been much worse had Mary married a 

powerful European prince, and Darnley in fact posed very little threat to her safety. 

In what became known as the Chaseabout Raid open rebellion broke 

out between August and October 1565. The Chaseabout Raid also known as 

the war of the North Lands was a rebellion by the 1st Earl of Moray, James 

Stewart against his half sister, Mary Queen of Scots, caused by her marriage 

to Lord Darnley. The lords were divided over support for Lord James and 

Queen Elizabeth or support for Mary and Darnley. Lord James, Argyll, 

Ochiltree, Boyd, Glencairn, and Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie (“St 

Andrews Kirk Session Register, Part 1, Edinburgh, 1889, page 8: Register of 

Privy Council 369, 405; In the ms. copy of Wyntoun's Cronykil preserved in 

the University Library, where it is written at the bottom of a page vi) and 

others were opposed to Mary. 

However, by the time the Earl of Moray and his accomplices had fled to England 

in October 1565 following the crushing of their rebellion against Mary, the mood had 

changed. Mary, who had elevated Darnley to virtual King status before they were even 

married, and conferred upon him more authority than she may have had the right to, 

began to realise Darnley's true nature. If she had loved him, she now perceived that the 

feeling was not returned and that she was just the stepping stone to his own advancement. 

The Crown Matrimonial, which would have allowed Darnley to rule in Scotland should 

Mary have died childless, was his most cherished goal. Her marriage to Darnley had 

resulted in a loss of support for Mary, and Parliament attendance was at an all time low. 

However when James VI was born on 19 th June 1566 Darnley made no attempt to deny 

his paternity. James was baptized in a lavish Catholic ceremony at Stirling Castle on 12 th 

December 1566 to which Darnley, although on site did not attend. 

On 9th January 1567, Mary was told that Darnley was ill with an infection she 

sent her physician to report on his health. By mid January, Mary had removed her son 

from Stirling to the palace of Holyroodhouse, still fearing a plot by Darnley to seize him. 

Mary did not want Darnley at Holyroodhouse for fear of contagion as he had become 

badly disfigured with an infectious disease; fortunately he did not want to be seen there 

either. A more salubrious environment was suggested to him, which he accepted. The site 

in question was the Old Provost's Lodging, south of the Cowgate and just within the city 

wall. On the night of 9th February 1567, Mary should have spent the night there but had 

to return to Holyroodhouse to attend the final rejoicings of her favourite page's wedding. 

Darnley is reported to have been annoyed at this and Mary gave him her ring until the 

next day as a token of her commitment to him. In the early hours of the morning, a huge 

explosion brought the Old Provost's Lodging down. Darnley's body and that of his 

servant William Taylor were found half-naked in the adjacent orchard, unmarked and 

lying beside some puzzling objects, a cloak, a dagger, rope and a chair. Although the full 

blame was thrown on Bothwell as the chief murderer and later Mary as his accomplice, 

there is no doubt that several groups of conspirators were involved. 

188

Mary's marriage to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was widely 

suspected of murdering the Duke of Albany, on 15 th May of the same year made her even 

more unpopular. In June 1567, the Protestant rebels arrested Mary and imprisoned her in 

Loch Leven Castle. Mary was forced to abdicate the throne on 24 th July, 1567 in favour 

of James, then only thirteen months old. 

James was formally crowned king at the Kirk of the Holy Rude, Stirling on 29 th 

July 1567. In deference to the religious beliefs of most of the Scots ruling class, he was 

brought up as a member of the Scottish Protestant Kirk and educated by men with 

Presbyterian sympathies. Historian and poet George Buchanan was responsible for James 

education. During James VI's early reign, power was held by a series of regents, the first 

of whom was James Stuart, 1st Earl of Moray, his mother's illegitimate half brother. 

Mary escaped from prison in 1568, leading to a brief period of violence. Lord 

Moray defeated Mary's troops at the Battle of Langside, forcing Mary to flee to England, 

where she was imprisoned by Queen, Elizabeth I. 

Elizabeth welcomed Mary to England and refused to turn her over to the Scottish 

government. She then persuaded both parties to present their cases before an English 

tribunal, first at York and then at Westminster (1568–69). 

In St Andrews. 

“February 7, 1567 Maister James Lermontht Provost of Kirkhill 

marriage Margaret Kircaldy, the daughter of John Kircaldy, a relative of 

William Kircaldy (Kirkcaldy) of Grange. In “1568 year, 12 March 

Agness Malwill (Mellvile) confessit (confession) that she hes a sone 

to Maister James Lermontht, Provest of Kirkhill. Bairn (Burn) is ane yeir 

auld and sumthing mair. (Son is an year and something more [in March 12, 

1568, so bairn was born at the end of 1566 before James Learmonth married 

Margaret Kirkcaldy). And the said Provest to resave bairn fra hir to be ?? 

and nurischeid upon his expensis. And Agnes allegis that sche maid 

satisfaction for hir offence in Marie Kirk of Aberluthnot in the Mearnis, in 

the presence of the heal congregation thair. (Agnes was satisfied for her 

offence)” On 16 th November 1569 Agnes Maling (Melville) told that her 

bairn (Maister James Lermontht, Provest of Kirkhill) was baptized (“St 

Andrews Kirk Session Register, Part 1, Edinburgh, 1889, page 8(“St 

Andrews Kirk Session Register, Part 1, Edinburgh, 1889, pages 293-294; 

324). 

These records show that James Learmonth was an honest man. He not 

only took care for his illegitimate son but the child was baptized (the name 

of his son is unknown). James Learmonth’s illegitimate son did not appear to 

have been an obstacle to his marriage to Margaret Kircaldy and later on for 

189

the acquisition of the Firthfield land from her father John Kircaldy. 

(Firthfield was located few miles away from Balcomie directly to the West) 

In the year 1570 Sir James Balfour, father-in-law for Patrick 

Learmonth of Dairsie (see above) had found refuge in Dairsie Castle. 

‘Sir James Balfour at his alder years became a great deal of intriguer’. 

Immediately after Darnley’s murder, Balfour was openly accused of having been an 

accessory to it, and a paper of the following tenor was affixed to the door of the Tolbooth 

of Edinburgh, on the night of the 16th of February: “I, according to the proclamation, 

have made inquisition for the slaughter of the king, and do find the earl of Bothwell, Mr. 

James Balfour, parson of Flisk, Mr. David Chambers and black Mr. John Spence, the 

principal devisers thereof, and if this be not true speir at Gilbert Balfour In the beginning 

of 1567 Balfour had been appointed deputy governor of Edinburgh Castle, under the earl 

of Bothwell, who committed to his care the famous bond, signed by eight bishops, nine 

earls, and seven barons, declaring that ambitious and unscrupulous nobleman were not 

guiltless of Darnley’s murder and were a suitable match for the queen, which he 

afterwards used with fatal effect against the regent Morton. According to the enemies of 

Mary after she surrendered at Carberry, it was Sir James Balfour who received a casket 

sent by Bothwell which was said to contain the letters that formed the alleged evidence of 

her guilt. This casket was not delivered, but on secret information furnished by him, the 

messenger was seized by the confederated lords, with whom he was at the time 

tampering. (George Buchanan, b. xviii. p. 51). After Mary’s imprisonment, Balfour 

surrendered Edinburgh castle to the regent Murray, on the following conditions: First, a 

pardon for his share in Darnley’s murder. Secondly, a gift of the priory of Pittenweem, 

then held by the regent in commendam. Thirdly, a heritable annuity to his son out of the 

rents of the priory of St. Andrews. Fourthly, a gift of five hundred pounds to himself. 

These terms being fulfilled, the castle was delivered into the hands of Sir William 

Kirkaldy of Grange, who was appointed governor (Willian Kirkcaldy of Grange who was 

married to Margaret Learmonth, a sister of Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie). Sir James 

Balfour continued to serve in the Privy Council headed by the regent Murray, to please 

Murray he resigned his office of Clerk Register, then Sir James Macgill was reappointed. 

For this service, in December of the same year (1567) Balfour received a pension of five 

hundred pounds, and was appointed president of the Court of Session. He was present at 

the battle of Langside on the side of the regent, and was instrumental in obtaining the 

overthrow of his former benefactress. (Melville’s Memoirs, p. 202.) Seldom long 

constant to any party, and equally ungrateful to Murray for the honours conferred upon 

190

him as he had been to his hapless sister, Sir James Balfour, during the years 1568 and 

1569, busily engaged in intrigues in behalf of Mary, and was, in consequence, in August 

of the latter year, apprehended by the earl of Lennox, for participation in his son’s 

murder. 

He found refuge in Darsie Castle, the home of his son in law Patrick 

Learmonth however James Balfour was set at liberty on caution, but was 

never brought to trial, having made his peace with the regent by means of 

large bribes to his servants (Mr. Ruffle, currently the owner of Dairsie, 

personal communication (http://www.electricscotland.com). 

In about 1570 George Learmonth of Balcomie acquired the Birkhill 

land. Before the year 1560 the Birkhill lands were in the possession of the 

Balmerino the House of the Cistercian monks. Robert, Abbot of Balmerino, 

demitted in feu-farm to Andrew Leslie of Kilmany, son of George, Earl of 

Rothes, “ the lands of Corby, Corbyhill, and eight acres of arable land lying 

next to Corbyhill,” and this charter was confirmed by James V on 16th 

March, 1541-42, and ratified by Parliament in 1567. Since 1570 and until 

1614 these lands were in the possession of the Learmonth family. John 

Learmonth, second son of George Learmonth of Balcomie was designated 

“of Birkhill" until about 1614 (“Fife: Pictorial and Historical” by A.H. 

Millar, Edinburgh, 1893, page 307). 

On 16 May 1568 Mary, Queen of Scots fled to England and her infant 

son James became King of Scotland, she left behind a divided nation. In 

1571 Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange was keeper of Edinburgh Castle, and 

he decided to come out openly in support of the exiled Queen. The King's 

supporters immediately laid siege to the castle, but since the best artillery 

was inside the castle it proceded inconclusively for two years hence its name 

the "Lang (long) Siege". Kirkcaldy's stout defense of the castle came to an 

end only after England sent a large force of heavy artillery at the request of 

the King's party, led by the Regent Morton. In May 1573, after a devastating 

eleven-day bombardment, the east defenses of the medieval castle came 

crashing to the ground. Kirkcaldy surrendered and was executed 

(http://www.edinburghcastle.biz/history.html). 

The death of William Kirkcaldy a brave soldier and an honest man in 

the service of Queen Mary had serious consequences for his son in law 

Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie, who gave his support to Lord Hamilton who’s 

allegiance was to Queen Mary. Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie became 

involve in the war between the Douglas’s and the Hamilton’s. In July 1575 

James Douglas, the 4 th Earl of Morton laid siege to Dairsie Castle 

191

(http://www.answers.com). Following is an explanation of why Patrick 

Learmonth of Dairsie found himself in this situation. 

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (d.1581), Scottish nobleman, was the nephew 

of Archibald Douglas, 6th earl of Angus, he married Elizabeth Douglas, from whose 

father he inherited in 1553 the earldom of Morton. A member of the Protestant party, he 

became Lord High Chancellor to Mary Queen of Scots in 1563. He was a principal in the 

murder of David Rizzio (1566) and fled thereafter to England. Pardoned, he returned to 

Scotland the following year and became involved in the plot to murder Lord Darnley. 

After Mary's marriage to Lord Bothwell, Morton turned against the Queen, whose forces 

he defeated at Langside (1568). He was chief counselor to the regent James Stuart, 1st 

earl of Murray, and became regent himself on the death of the 1st earl of Mar. His rule 

was devoted to the pacification of a religiously divided and war torn Scotland. 

John, 1st Marquess of Hamilton (c. 1542-1604), third son of James Hamilton, 2nd 

earl of Arran and Duke of Châtellerault, was given the abbey of Arbroath in 1551. In 

politics he was largely under the influence of his energetic and unscrupulous younger 

brother Claud, afterwards Baron Paisley (c. 1543-1622, ancestor of the dukes of 

Abercorn). 

The brothers were the real heads of the house of Hamilton. At first hostile to 

Mary, they later became her devoted partisans. Their uncle, John Hamilton, Archbishop 

of St. Andrews, natural son of the 1st earl of Arran, was restored to his consistorial 

jurisdiction by Mary in 1566, and in May of the next year he divorced Bothwell from his 

wife. Lord Claud met Mary on her escape from Lochleven and escorted her to Hamilton 

palace. John Hamilton appears to have been in France in 1568 when the battle of 

Langslide was fought, and it was Claud who commanded Mary's vanguard in the battle. 

With others of the Queen's party they were forfeited by parliament and sought their 

revenge on the regent Murray. Although the Hamiltons disavowed all connection with 

Murray's murderer, James Hamilton had been provided with horse and weapons by the 

abbot of Arbroath, and it was at Hamilton that he sought refuge after the deed. 

Archbishop Hamilton was hanged at Stirling in 1571 for alleged complicity in the murder 

of Darnley, and is said to have admitted that he was a party to the murder of Murray. At 

the pacification of Perth in 1573 the Hamiltons abandoned Mary's cause, and 

reconciliation with the Douglases which was sealed by Lord John's marriage to Margaret, 

daughter of the 7th Lord Glamis, a cousin of the regent Morton. However Sir William 

Douglas of Lochleven persistently sought his life in revenge for the murder of his half 

brother James Stewart Earl Moray. 

“On the 26th July 1575, Lord John Hamilton, son of the late regent, 

the Duke of Chatelherault, and a leader of the Queen's party, was ambushed 

at Cupar by his enemies “the Earle of Buchan, the Earle of Morton that is 

now, George Douglas thair brother of Lochleven, George Bishop of 

Murray... with fyve hundredth horsemen, accompanied with sum of my Lord 

Lyndesayis freyndis". He bought time by sending his own retinue to act as a 

decoy, whilst he sought refuge in "sum fine house". He was "immediately 

192

elived in the house of a worshipful gentleman called Learmonth of 

Dairsie; in where he was... defend it friendly and manfully to the utmost ". 

He was shortly rescued by a party of his friends including "Erle of Angus, 

Rothes, Erroll and George Lord Seytoun and Hamiltons". His party then 

made a feint towards Queensferry, before slipping away North. The Regent 

was clearly implicated in the plot. And notwithstanding of this outrage done 

aganis him, the Regent maid na redres, but rather doublet his malice against 

the family." Hamilton followed the Queen into exile after defeat at the battle 

of Langside in 1579, for which he was much to blame, but, unlike her, was 

restored to his properties in 1585. 

Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie was a supporter of the Protestant Lords. 

But in 1575 he helped in the escape of Lord John Hamilton who was the 

main supporter of the troubled Mary Queen of Scotland. There is nothing 

strange in this as we already know that people of high rank changed sides 

very quickly depending on the profits and the interests of their Clan, power, 

money, lands, and future prestige. Royal power was always the supreme 

power so to be in immediate proximity to royalty was advantageous and also 

prestigious. 

The Earl of Morton's power as Regent lasted only six years and his 

temporary downfall in 1578 brought to an end the familiar device of 

regency, adopted for governing the country during most of James VI's 

minority” (Scotland Under Morton, 1572-80 by George R. Hewitt) 

(www.historytoday.com). 

In 1578 there was the huge dispute over lands between the Border 

Clans. Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie being the Provost of St. Andrews and 

Member of Parliament took a part in solving the conflict. 

‘The Earl of Morton, also a Douglas, who became Regent in 1572, desired the 

two families to refer their difficulties to the Lords in Council, and the Laird of Johnstone 

and Lord Maxwell each appointed certain noblemen and friends to represent them in 

Edinburgh, any four, three, or two on each side being empowered to act for all. Maxwell 

selected his own relations and kinsmen. Johnstone also nominated relations and 

connections—John Johnstone of Newbie, the Earl of Rothes, Sir James Balfour, Sir 

James Hamilton, William Livingstone of Jerviswood, Thomas Johnstone of 

Craighopburne, Robert Douglas of Cassehogil, Walter Scott of Guildlands, and Walter 

Scot of Tuschelaw. The deputies were to meet at Edinburgh on the 15 th February 1578 

both parties promising to keep good rule in the country during their absence. John 

Johnstone of Newbie died in Edinburgh, Feb. 1577, but the dispute seems to have been 

settled to the advantage of his chief, who, the following year was made Warden of the 

Borders and knighted, an honour enjoyed by some of his ancestors. He also came forward 

as a candidate, though unsuccessfully, for the office of Provost of Dumfries, which had 

hitherto been held by the members or friends of the Maxwell family. His audacity in 

193

contesting it gave additional displeasure to Lord Maxwell, who prevented him and his 

followers from entering the town with an armed force. A family feud of long standing 

was revived, till Maxwell having quarreled with the King’s favourite (Lord Arran) was 

declared an outlaw by James VI., on the ground that he protected the robber Jock 

Armstrongs. Johnstone, in his capacity as Warden, was ordered to pursue and arrest him, 

and two bands of soldiers under William Baillie of Lamington and Captain Cranstown 

were sent to assist him’ (http://www.electricscotland.com). 

As a result Jock Armstrong was taken into custody and put under the 

control of Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie Castle in 1578. 

The Armstrong’s were a significant border clan whose origins lie in Cumberland, 

south of the frontier between Scotland and England which was officially established in 

1237. The Armstrong name has a mythological origin, in that it is said their heroic 

progenitor, Fairbairn, saves the king of Scotland in battle. The family crest records this 

act of heroism that was to be rewarded with a grant of lands in the Borders and the 

famous Armstrong name. The Armstrong’s' relationship with subsequent Scottish kings 

was turbulent to say the least. In 1587 an act was passed by the Scottish parliament “for 

the quieting and keeping in obedience of the inhabitants of the Borders, Highland and 

Isles. That contained a roll of Chieftains and clans that confirms the status of Border 

families as an important part of clan history, and the Armstrong’s as perhaps the most 

significant Border clan (“Scottish Clan history”). 

The latter events in the Learmonth history relate to the reign of King 

James VI, and the administrative management of St. Andrews. 

Lord Morton was successful in finally crushing the families who continued to 

support Mary. His fall was brought about not by Mary's supporters, but by the King's 

closest courtiers, who impressed upon the young monarch the extent of the royal powers, 

thereby encouraging him to take control himself. The courtiers accused Lord Morton of 

participating in the murder of James' father. Lord Morton was consequently tried, 

convicted and then executed in 1581, power (at least theoretically) was thenceforth held 

by the King himself, rather than by a regent. 

Nevertheless, James VI did not rule by himself, instead relying on the advice of 

his closest courtiers. One of the most important noblemen at the time was James VI's 

cousin, Esmé Stuart, Seigneur d'Aubigny, who came from France in 1579, and was made 

Earl of Lennox. Another powerful courtier at the time was James Stuart, who was created 

Earl of Arran as a reward for his testimony against Lord Morton. As Lord Lennox was a 

Catholic, Lord Arran leaned towards Episcopalianism, the Presbyterian Scottish Lords 

found the government distasteful. In the Raid of Ruthven (1582), some Presbyterian 

nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, captured James and held him captive 

for almost a year at Ruthven Castle, now known as Huntingtower Castle, in Perthshire. 

194

“On 27 th June 1583 James VI, at age 17 escapes to Dairsie from his 

Ruthven captors at Falkland by pretending to go hawking. As described in 

Sir James Melville's Memoirs, "his Maieste...had appointed the Erle of 

Marche, the provost of Sanctandrowes, with some uther Barrons to meit him 

at Darze. At quhilk meting his Maieste thoct himself at liberte, with gret joy 

and exclamation, lyk a burd flowen out of a kage, passing his time in 

hacking be the way...thinking himself then far anough." 

The Ruthvens derive their descent from a Norwegian baron named 

Thor, who flourished in the reign of William the Lion, obtained a grant of 

the manors of Ruthven, Tippermuir, and other lands in Perthshire, and was 

also superior of the territory of Crawford, in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire, 

which the progenitors of the great family of the Lindsays were held as 

vassals under him. The descendants of Suconus Thor assumed the surname 

of Ruthven from one of their Perthshire estates. William Ruthven was a 

descendent from this family and was created Earl of Gowriein in 1581. The 

Earl of Gowrie was a staunch supporter of the cause of the Reformation, by 

which he, in common with many other Scottish nobles, had largely profited. 

He was one of the confederate lords to whom Mary surrendered at Carberry 

Hill, and to him, in conjunction with Lord Lindsay, was entrusted the task of 

conducting the hapless Queen to Lochleven Castle on the night of the 16th 

June in that same year. He fought on the side of the Regent Moray at the 

battle of Langside, which ruined the Queen’s cause, and he prevented a 

junction between the retainers of Huntly and the clansmen of Argyll and 

Arran, and compelled these noblemen to disband their forces. He was 

rewarded for his services by his appointment for life, in 1571, to the office 

of Treasurer. He was also appointed Lieutenant of the Borders and the Earl 

of Angus, and towards the close of the same year he was nominated as one 

of the Extraordinary Lords of Session. But a bitter quarrel now broke out 

between him and his former friend the Regent Morton, who had taken the 

part of Lord Oliphant in a deadly feud between that nobleman and the 

Ruthvens and in the following year Lord Ruthven was one of the leaders of 

the party who brought Morton to the scaffold. 

Titles and estates were liberally conferred on the successful plotters. 

Lord Maxwell obtained the earldom of the fallen Regent, and Lord Ruthven, 

as we have mentioned, was created Earl of Gowrie. But the new favourite, 

Arran, a person of most infamous character, soon made himself so 

obnoxious that a conspiracy was formed to expel him from the royal 

councils. 

The Protestant Lords were commanded to retire to their own estates, 

and to remain there till the King should call them. Gowrie, however, having 

195

obtained permission from James, returned privately to St. Andrews, and, 

falling on his knees before him, professed his sorrow for his share in the raid 

and implored forgiveness, which the King readily granted. The Earl, 

however, retained his self respect while expressing his penitence. Though 

there was ‘a fault in the form,’ he argued that the deed itself was not evil, ‘in 

respect of the great danger that both religion and the commonwealth did 

stand into at that time’. James, overjoyed at regaining his freedom, declared, 

in the presence of the lords of both parties and of an assemblage of the 

neighbouring gentry, the chief magistrates of the adjacent towns, and the 

ministers and the heads of colleges, that he would not impute the seizure of 

his person to any one as a crime, and that he would henceforth govern all his 

subjects with strict impartiality and justice. As a proof of his sincerity, he 

paid a special visit to Ruthven Castle, ‘to let the country see that he was 

entirely reconciled with the Earl of Gowrie.’ The Earl entertained his 

Majesty with great splendour. After dinner he fell on his knees publicly 

before him, and entreated pardon for the indignity which had been put upon 

him at his last visit to that ‘unhappy house,’ assuring the King that the 

detention of his person was unpremeditated, and had fallen out rather by 

accident than by deliberate intention. James professed the greatest kindness 

for the Earl, told him he well knew how blindly he had been involved in the 

conspiracy by the practices of other persons, and promised never to impute 

to him his accidental fault. Arran was still a prisoner in the hands of Gowrie, 

but the King begged so earnestly that his old favourite should be permitted 

to come and see him ‘but once’ and then return to his place of detention, that 

the lords at length consented. As might have been foreseen, the interview 

was followed by Arran’s restoration to the Court and to his former place in 

the Council. The obnoxious favourite speedily regained his ascendancy over 

the King, and a proclamation was issued repudiating all the Acts of State and 

royal promises respecting the pardon granted to the lords who had been 

engaged in the Raid of Ruthven. That enterprise was declared to be treason, 

and the royal clemency was to be extended to those who had taken part in it 

only upon their acknowledging their offence and suing for pardon within a 

limited time, and submitting to temporary banishment, money payment, or 

such other punishment as the King, or rather as Arran, might think fit. 

Lord Lennox was banished to France. Lord Gowrie was executed, 

and the rebels forced to flee to England. The Scottish Parliament, 

subservient to the King, passed the Black Acts, putting the Church of 

Scotland directly under royal control. These Acts were extremely unpopular 

the clergy opposed and denounced him, attempting to keep his influence 

196

under control, lest he grow so powerful as to be bold enough to disestablish 

Presbyterianism (www.wikipedia.org; http://www.burkes-peerage.net). 

James now had a new favorite, Patrick, Master of Gray who had been 

an agent of Mary's in France. James sent Gray to England in 1584 where 

Mary's supporters were trying to persuade Elizabeth to free her. It was 

Mary's claim that she should share the throne of Scotland with James. James 

realised how weak her position was, although at one point he had entertained 

this idea. Gray, thinking that Mary's case was hopeless, did not plead her 

cause but merely discussed plans for an alliance between Scotland and 

England. James did not want Mary put to death but he did not now want to 

risk his chances at the throne of England to help his mother. He could have 

threatened to break off negotiations with regard to the alliance and Elizabeth 

needing all the allies she could get because of the impending Spanish 

Armada might have reconsidered. Even Scotsmen who had been Mary's 

enemies felt that it would be a dishonor to their country to execute Mary. In 

the long run, James was indecisive. He did make a mild protests to Elizabeth 

when his mother was executed (http://www.nwlink.com). 

Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie was a Magistrate of St Andrews and a 

Member of Parliament for 18 years and took part in the Parliamentary 

sessions during the years 1567, 1568, 1569, 1581 and 1585. 

William Learmonth was elected a ballie of St Andrews in 1582 / 1583 

and probably occupied this office until 1590 (“St Andrews Kirk Session 

Register, Edinburgh, 1889, pages 488, 511, 575, 587, 588, 590, 607, 608, 

612, 615, 619, 620, 625, 637, 666, 681, 694, 721). 

Patrick Learmonth died in about 1587. 

His eldest son James Learmonth of Dairsie (c.1540-1596) succeeded 

him, he was elected Provost of St. Andrews in 1588: “nominat be the gentill 

men and parrochenaris upon land--conperit ane rycht honourabill man, 

James Lermonth of Darsy, Provest of St. Androus” (“St Andrews Kirk 

Session Register, Edinburgh, 1889, page 641). He held this post until 1596”. 

James married Janet Sandilands in about 1560; she was a 6 th 

generation descendant of Robert II of Scotland and the daughter of James 

Sandilands of Cruvie and St. Monance and Elizabeth Meldrum. Therefore 

James Learmonth’s children were the descendents of King Robert II of 

Scotland. 

Patrick Learmonth and James Learmonth were Provosts, William 

Learmonth was a Ballie, all participated in the Kirk Sessions of St. Andrews. 

These were the years when the Scottish Protestants were establishing 

197

themselves after the Confession of Faith was adopted in 1560 which also 

included declared special conditions for the Civil Magistrate. 

The magistrate was acknowledged to be both distinguished and 

ordained by God. The powers and authorities in the same to be God's holy 

ordinance, ordained for manifestation of his own glory, and for the singular 

profit and commodity of mankind but also to route out those who wickedly 

fight against God's expressed will. Such persons as are placed in authority 

are to be loved, honoured, feared, and held in most reverent estimation 

because they are the lieutenants of God, in whose sessions God himself does 

sit and judge, to whom by God is given the sword, to the praise and defense 

of good men, and to revenge and punish all open malefactors (“The Scottish 

Confession of Faith” by Presbyterian Heritage Publications, 1995, the 

electronic version). There is no doubt that the Learmonth’s who were elected 

and served extensively in the magistrate of St. Andrews during this time 

were regarded as honorable, learned and loved people. They had a duty to 

maintain order in the city, to punish drunkards, boors, outrage, to solve and 

to punish sides for adultery, fornication and illegitimate children. The 

magistrate gave special attention to the order in the city for people’s 

attendance to the prayer services during religious holydays. 

“Commercial life in medieval St Andrews was dominated by the 

Trade Guilds. It had the famous seven trades: Bakers, Fleshers, Shoemakers, 

Smiths, Tailors, Weavers, and Wrights. They set the quality standards to be 

expected and their terms of employment etc.”(“A (very) Brief History of St 

Andrews or how St Andrews became what it is today” by Raymond Lamont- 

Brown and Frank G. Riddell). 

In 1593 William Lermonth became Dean of Guild during the 

Provostry of James Lermonth of Dairsie (“St Andrews Kirk Session 

Register, Edinburgh, 1889, pages 748-750). Below is an attempt to clarify 

the positions of William Lermonth and the other members of the Lermonth 

family and their rolls in the St Andrews magistrate. 

198

James Learmonth of Clatto, 

of Dairsie, of Balcomie 

~ 1500-1547 

Patrick Learmonth 

of Dairsie (~1520-1587) 

Provost St Andr. 1548-1587 

Son from 1st marriage 

George Learmonth 

of Balcomie (~1535-1586) 

Eldest Son from 

second marriage 

Marriage about 1560 

Euphenie Leslie 

James Learmonth 

(~ 1535-1581) 

Provost Kirkheugh 

1557-1577 

Marriage 1567 with 

Margaret Kircaldy 

POSSIBLY ???? 

William Learmonth 

(before 1547-1602) 

Ballie in St Andr. 1582(?) 

Elder in St Andr. 1586-1593(?) 

Dean of Guild St Andr 1593(?) 

James Learmonth William Learmonth 

of Darsie (~1540-1604) Younger 

Provost of St Andr. (mention in brother 

1588-1596 

James testament) 

1602-1604 Birth after 1565 - ~1615 

Marriage Christian Makeson, 

daughter of John Makesonof Crail, 

member of parliament 1612. 


(~1560-~1607) 

William Learmonth of Clatto 

later of Dairsie 

Ballie in St Andr. 1582 (?) 

Elder in St Andr. 1586-1593(?) 

Dean of Guild St Andr 1593(?) 

Provost of St. Andr. 1597-1601 

William Murdoch wrote poem 

for his Provostry 

???????????? 

William Learmonth Younger 

Bith about 1568 

Ballie in St Andr. 1597 

Elder in St.Andr. 1598 

Marioun Adie, 

spous to 

William Lermonth younger 

1599 

Illegitimate son 

in 1567 with 

Agnes Melville 

Son was nursing 

in his expens 

The assumptions detailed below are based on the records of “St 

Andrews Kirk Session Register, Edinburgh, 1889. One William Learmonth 

served for Patrick Hepburn, Bishop of Moray. He was a witness in the trial 

of the adultery of Joan Hepburn, an illegitimate daughter of Patrick 

Hepburn, Bishop of Moray in 1565. This William Learmonth could be a son 

of James Learmonth of Clatto, or of Dairsie, and of Balcomie (b. c. 1500-d. 

1547). William Learmonth was also mentioned as a servant of George 

Learmonth Laird of Balcomie in 1575. In those days it was traditional for a 

son to assist his father in housekeeping and the running of the estate. So we 

believe that this William Learmonth was the son of George Learmonth of 

Balcomie. This William also served in France. William Learmonth who 

became a ballie in St. Andrews and a magistrate in 1583 was probably a son 

of James Learmonth of Dairsie (b.c. 1540-d.c. 1604). William Learmonth 

the younger (was most probably a son of James Learmonth of Kirkeugh) 

who was a ballie of St. Andrews in 1593, he was William Learmonth of 

Clatto and later of Dairsie and eventually became a Provost of St. Andrews. 

There is a record that William Learmonth the younger was the spouse 

of Marion Addie. The Learmonth’s genealogical data collected for us by 

Diana Baptie says that a son of James Learmonth of Kirkeugh, William 

Learmonth was married to Marion Addie. 

199

The year 1593 was a turbulent time for the Learmonth families. The 

cries of magistrate power were heard in St. Andrews. It was started with the 

appointment Mr.David Black and Mr. Robert Wallace as special 

commissioners to the kirk of St Andrews “for outsetting of the glorie of 

God, mentinance of the trew religion, and punishment of vice. The 

appointment was proceeded according the Act of the Synnodall Assembly, 

holding at St. Andrews in 1592” “The magistrates appear to have had a 

grudge against Wallace. On the 17th of February 1591-2 they had lodged a 

complaint against him with the Presbytery, which, on the 24th of March, was 

referred to the Synod. The municipal management of St. Andrews was not in 

the best hands. On the 24th of March 1592-1593 its ‘miserable estait’ was 

brought before the Privy Council by the Provost, James Lermonth of Darsie, 

and his fellow rulers. The bailies were Mr. David Russell, Duncan Balfour, 

Mr. William Cok, and Andrew Ramsay; while William Lermonth was Dean 

of Guild. The matter in dispute was remitted to certain referees, but as they 

gave no verdict, the Provost, bailies, and council (4th April 1593) craved 

that some other order might be taken. Now, however, they were not the only 

complainers, for Thomas Lundy, John Hagy, and other five hundred of the 

inhabitants, stated that `the commoun guidis, reatis and patrimonie' of St. 

Andrews àr and hes beine delapidat, applyit and convertit to the privat usis 

and commoditie of certane particulair personis, for the maist part 

magistrattis of the same cietie.' The list of grievances which they wished 

redressed is of great length. They craved that order might be taken:-' First, 

that ane godlie and zelous minister and helpere be providit to Maisteris 

David Blak and Robert Yuile to this cietie, conforme to the ordinance of the 

Sinodole Assemblie, that we may have the sacramentis ministrat. Item, ane 

soleid ordour to be taine for the puires help and support in this cietie, that the 

servandis of God have na forder occasioun to compleiae of our negligence. 

Item, to the effect that thir thingis may be performit, that the gift quhilk his 

Majesteis mother of guid memorie gaif to the toun of the Blak Freiris be 

producit, to the effect that Mr. David Russell may instantlie restoir to the 

toun four bollis quheit, quhilk he hes maist wranguslie and injustlie taine 

furth of the samin gift to himaelff and his bairnis, and hes upliftit yeirlie sen 

the Reformatioun of Religioun the saidis four bollis quheit”. 

As before, the whole business was remitted to referees (Register of Privy 

Council, v. 56, 57 61-64). As will be seen there was a local revolution six 

months later. (“St Andrews Kirk Session Register, Edinburgh, 1889, pages 

749-750). 

200

The new elections of Provost and Baillie of St. Andrews took place in 

November 1593. The election was accompanied by disagreements of the 

rival parties of the formal Provost James Learmonth of Dairsie and newly 

elected Provost Captain William Murray. The dispute was delivered to King 

James VI and to the Lords of Session. 

“In Novembris, 1593 the quhilk day, being appointit to all parteis 

haifand interes, as thai that wer laidfullie warnit upon Sonday lasi wes, to 

conpeir this day to object aganis the nominatioun of elderis and deaconis, 

quha wer publicle red Sonday last wes in the kirk ; and becaus nane conperit 

to object the sessioun ordanit the electioun to proceid, bot becaus the 

contentioun is presentlie in Edinburgh for the magistrace, nocht yit decidit, 

the sessioun continewis the electioun to this day aucht dayis quhill the 

magistra[tis] be present with the sessioun. The matter had been decided at 

Holyrood on the previous day, by the Convention of Estates, although the 

result had not yet reached St. Andrews. From the Act of Convention it 

appears that Letters had been raised ' at the instance of the suld Provest 

baillies and counsale of the citie of Sanctandrois, makand mentioun :-That 

quhair laitlie at the tyme of electioun of the magistratis of the said citie, the 

saidis complenaris, with certane of the maist honnest burgessis and 

inhabitantis thairof, haveing convenit thame selffis in the tolbuith of the 

same, off intentioun to have procedit to thair ordinair forme of electioun of 

magiscratis according to the Actis of Burrowis and Parliament, appointing 

the auld Provest baillies and counsale to cheis the new, lippynning for na 

hinder mot impediment to have bene maid to thame thairin ; nevirtheles it is 

of veritie dot a grite nowmer of the rascall multitude inhabitantis of the said 

citie, sterit up be sum seditious and unquiet personis, convenit thame selffis 

togidder, and to onlie debarrit and stoppit the saidis complenaris to proceid 

in the said electioun, be boisting minassing dinging and misusing of sum of 

the honnest men assisting thame with thair vote, bot, in thair pretendit maner 

maist inordourly aganis the accustumat forme, and expres contrair the 

tennour of the saidis Actis d Burrowis and Act of Parliament, electit sic 

Provest baillies and counsale to beir office and charge within the said citie 

for the yeir tocum, as thay thocht meitast for mantenance and setting 

fordwart of thair seditious purpois; caiyin thairwith a grite mutine toumult 

and divisioun within the said citie, to the disturbing of the publict estate 

thairof, and appeirand genering of forder trouble and incouvenient without 

remeid be providit.' The following pursuers were present at Holyrood: - 

James Lermonth of Dersy auld Provest, Michaell Balfour, Alexander 

Winsister, and Johnne Forrett of Fingask.' Of the defenders there were:- 

Maister Williame Murray, Mr. Dauid Auchmowtie eldair, Williame Moffet 

201

and Johnne Smith.' After hearing both parties, and receiving the advice of 

certain Commissioners of Burghs, the King and Lords approved the election 

of the new Provost, bailies, and council, `becaus the same electioun was 

maid and done according to the forme practique and consuetude observit 

within the same citie in tyme bigane past memoir of man' ; and therfor 

ordained them 'to be reverenceit acknaulegeit and obeyit as lauchfull 

magistrattis of the same citie be the haill commuaitie and inhabitantis 

thairof, and uthiris his Hienes liegis, during the said space”. 

“The usual proclamation was to be made at the market cross of St. 

Andrews and other places needful, that none might be in ignorance, the 

inhabitants were to be charged to reverence acknowlege and obey the new 

magistrates, ùndir all hiest pane cryme and offence” (“St Andrews Kirk 

Session Register, Edinburgh, 1889, pages 758-759). 

In January 1593 William Learmonth elder and his supporters 

promised the Kirk of session to obey the new magistrate. William 

Learmonth the younger was entered into the new magistrate as a baillie. 

However in 1593 William Learmonth the younger left the magistrate: 

“William Lermonth younger passis fra the lettres and proces of exemptioun 

of him fra the saidis Provest and bailyeis jurisdictioun, and fra the actioun 

for extracting of the proces quhair he wes deprivit fra his fredome” 

Despite the approval of King’s (James VI) and the newly elected 

Provost Captain William Murray, the disturbances in St Andrews continued 

for the next two years. 

In December 1593 the members of the Learmonth families and their 

friends ‘exploded with rage against the new magistrate’. “The matter is thus 

referred to by James Melville: “On the Michelmes that yeir, the crafts and 

burgesses of St. Androis changing thair Provest, for the Lard of Darsie, 

chosit Capitan Wilyeam Murray, quhilk maid Darsie's frinds to rage (“St 

Andrews Kirk Session Register, Edinburgh, 1889, pages 764-766). “The said 

Lard of Darsie maid a grait convocation of his frinds, with the quhilk in 

armes he purposed to enter in the town, and abbuse certean citiciners thairof 

at his pleasour, and that indeid of the best sort' (Melville's Diary, p. 3t3). The 

Learmonth families were represented by the Laird of Dairsie, James 

Learmonth of Dairsie, Patrick Lermonth, a brother of Laird of Dairsie, the 

Laird of Ballcolmie, James Learmonth a son of George Learmonth, M. 

Robert Lermonth his brother german”. 

They had many supporters among the decent families as illustrated 

from the original texts detailed below. 

“The quhilk day, it being declarit and delatit to the sessioun that Mr. 

Dauid Russell, Mr. William Russell, Duncane Balfour, William Lermonth 

202

elder, Dauid Watsoun, Mr. Dauid Auchmowty younger, Andro Forrett, 

James Robertsoun younger, Alexander Carstaris, Alexander Wynchister, Pa. 

Gutherie, William Lermonth younger, Andro Ramsay, Thomas Lentroun, 

Mr. William Cok, Stevin Philp, Jhone Wylie, and Jhone Ferry, upon the xj 

day of December last wes, conperit befoir Provest and bailyeis of St. 

Androus ; and being requirit to gif thair athis that thai wald gif obedience to 

the saidis Provest and bailyeis this present yeir, according to his Majesteis 

decrete pronuncit in thair favouris, thai ansuerit be ostentioun of thair rycht 

hand that thai wald obey the saidis Provest and bailyeis, as the Act subscrivit 

be Patrik Bonkill beris. Nochttheles Dunca.n Balfour, Mr. William Russell, 

William Ler[month] elder and younger, Dauid Watsoun, Alexander 

Wynstier, Alexander Carstaris, Thomas Lentron, Jhone Ferry, Andro Forret, 

and Mr. Dauid Auchmoty younger, upon the 8 January 1593-1594 instant, 

purchest the Lordis lettres exeming thame fra the saidis Provest and bailyes 

jurisdiction, contrar to thair athis. Quhairfor the sessioun hes found thame 

perjuret, and ordanis thame to conpeir the 17 of Januar instant, to heir thame 

pronuncit perjuret, and to abyde the censsouris of the kirk thairfor (Pages 

771-772). 

“The quhilk day (Januari, 1593-4), conperit Duucane Balfour, 

Alexander Wynchister, Mr. William Russell, Alexander Carstaris, James 

Robertsoun younger, Mr. Dauid Auchmowty younger, William Lermonth 

elder, and Dauid Watsoun, citineris in St. Androus, as in terme statut to 

thame, to gif ansuer quhidder thai will abyde be persuit of the reductioun of 

the electioun of Mr. William Mwrray, Provest, Mr. Dauid Auchmowty, 

William vfuffett, and Jhone Martine, bailyes, Jhone Wod, Dane of Gild, and 

Mr. George Mernis, thesawrar, of this citee ; and in persuit of the 

exemptioun of thame fra the saidis Provest and bailyeis jurisdictioun, intentit 

at thair instance befoir the Lordis; and if thai wald reverence and obey thame 

as laidfull magistratis for this present yeir. The saidis personis, all in ane 

voce, passis be thir presentis fra the saidis tua actionis of reductioun and 

exemptioun and haill lettres and executionis of the samyn, and all that hes 

followit or may follow thairupon, oblising thame and ilk ane of thame to 

reverence and obey the saidis magistratis for this present yeir, conforme to 

thair electioun, and decrete of Secrete Consall past thairupon, authorising the 

samyn in all thingis” (page 773). 

In September 1595 new elections came to St. Andrews resulting in 

James Learmonth of Dairsie celebrating the victory of his party and his 

election once more as the Provost of St. Andrews, he held this post 

throughout the following year (page 802). 

203

In 1597 William Learmonth of Clatto, eldest son and heir of James 

Learmonth of Dairsie was elected Provost of St Andrews a post that he held 

until 1601. William Learmonth the younger was the ballie in this magistrate 

(pages 830-833). 

William Learmonth of Clatto and later of Dairsie was a prominent 

person of his time. We found a panegyric dedicated to William Learmonth, 

Provost of St. Andrews 1597-1601 written by Sir William Murdoch in about 

1620. (Learmonth family, of Dairsie & Balcomie, Fife: 3 documents relating 

to, 1620-51 (Acc. 10940) (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) 

Sir William Murdoch was obviously a close friend of the Learmonth 

families because only a friend could write with this sense of adoration and 

excitement about William and his family. 

Sir William, Sei nowe renoцant; in order forme de we concordant, 

Invesfit, in ane deis Quadrant: Lermonths, ler langsome, laborant 

Invesfit, in ane deis Quadrant: Lermonths, ler langsome, laborant 

Lorthie William, youre dignitie; Lord Provest nowe successiuelie 

In losans lengthnit, quadrant wayes: youre Lordship honor, quhilk displayes 

Loe heir the laboure, licht, length blaze; Saintandrois state quuhilk solide stayes 

Lang as antiquitie dois record as monuments witnesses afforde. 

204

It is in memorie richt adord; that nowe the aucbt Provest and Lord 

Ascending by ane blissit Franese: quhilk neuer dyie doe faile, or stancbe 

Magnificklie bot euer forth lancbe SAINTANDROIS LERMONTHS never 

quhacbe 

Lermonths lang luie Monthlie doe Leir, youre honor charge, Prouestrie to beir 

Euer youre Coate, newe cognizaunce weir for na misreport faint, or feir 

Regard of richt, the rich reward and trewe seruice doe Lier garde 

Make manie tymes this be declard, youre seruice renowme ay prepard. 

Of dewe deservit destanie; youre attendance love, loyaltie 

Nowe accept this flonnor trewlie and lasting debtbond dignitie 

To this therefore have greit respect, Godds Word and treuth for to erect 

Horrible treason, ay detect: King Crown Realme euer mair protect 

LORD PROVEST than youre halte Gradrant, to Sainandrois Croce excrescent 

Lof SAINTANDROIS the Croce sall vaut D LERMONTHS Laude Lore never 

scant 

William Murdoch (1620-1652) 

Mr. William Mordoch’s panegyric is following by the round 

genealogy of the Clan Learmonth where mostly presented the provosts of St. 

Andrews. 

205

Round Genealogy of the Clan Learmonth 1473-160, 

St. Andrews, Fife. 

The document is dated 1620-1652. 

We have to return to St. Andrews of 1590 th to continue our narration 

about Learmonths. St Andrews city was divided for 12 districts in those 

times: “Divisioun of the town in twelf quarteris with the elderis and deaconis 

in ilk quarter”. The elder and deacon, they were responsible for keeping 

order in one district. William Learmonth younger and Jhone Hagy were 

elders in the district that spended from the Port west Argyl and to the east to 

Jhone Haheis house (page 832). 

206

As we already notice that the moral rules established by the Kirk 

Session in St. Andrews were strong and serious against insult. For example 

it was a long dispute between William Learmonth younger, ballie of St. 

Andres against Mr. Wiiliam Waluod, Bessy Waluod, and their colleges in 

1597-1598. William Learmonth was summoned before Presbyteries many 

times for insult of said people. It was hearing over a long period of time of 

both sides to avoid the wrong conclusion. William Learmonth younger was 

publicly warning and paid penalty (pages 837-838). 

In 1602 James Learmonth of Dairsie was again elected the Provost of 

St. Andrews for two years until 1604. Probably he died about 1605. 

The eldest son of George Learmonth of Balcomie and Lady Euphene 

and the fourth cousins to Mary Queen, James Learmonth (b.c. 1560-1600) 

was known for his adventurous life. He married Anna Mercer, daughter of 

Laurence Mercer of Addie c. 1587. They had no issue. James Learmonth had 

few adulteries started from 1575. He had at least fife illegitimated children 

that are listed below in according with the “St Andrews Kirk Session 

Register”, Edinburgh, 1889. 

James Lermonth of Balcomie. Adulteries: 

1. In December 1577 year “Beterage Strang confessis hir to be with 

child to James Lermontht of Balcomy yownger” Beaty Strang was a servant 

to the Laird of Balcomy in 1575, 1576, 1577. Her mother was a keeper of 

the Laird of Balcomy at that time (page 428). 

2. In November 1584 Grissell Gray confesses that she had a bairn to 

James Lermonth apparent of Balcomie (page 575) 

3. In 1587 Elene Pait had the barn and the barn was the James 

Lermonth of Balcomies (page 610). 

4. In 1590 Elene Huntar, a daughter of William Huntar and wife of 

Alan Lentron confessed before the Presbyteries that she born a man child 

fife years ago and the child was James Learmonth of Balcomie younger. A 

son was taken by George Anderson, servant to James Learmonth of 

Balcomie, to Balcomie. In 1590 Elene Huntar told that she understood that 

her son is still living in Balcomie (pages 672-674). 

5. In January 1590 year James Lermonth had adultery with Mirrabill 

Cuik, and she has a barn with him (page 696). 

The adulteries were not something as exclusion at those medieval 

times. All Scottish and English kings had illegitimated children. All children 

successfully married and held the high places at the court. “St Andrews 

Kirk Session Register” (1559-1600, Edinburgh, 1890) contains more than 

300 cases of adulteries and inquiries into paternity. 

207

We were able to verify that different Learmonths had at least eight 

illegitimated children. James Learmonth, Provost of Kirheugh had one barn 

by Agnes Melville about 1567. James Learmonth, son of Patrick Learmonth 

(of Dron) and grandson of Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie had two sons by 

Margaret Scott in about 1593. James Learmonth younger had fife children, 

one of them was son by Helen Huntar about 1590 and this son was 

supported and was reared in Balcomie. It is very likely that Learmonth’s 

illegitimated sons kept Learmonth surname as their fathers recognized their 

paternity. 

“The name of Sir James Learmonth, younger laird of Balcomie, is 

associated with the famous project of James VI for the colonization of the 

Island of Lewis in the Hebrides. He set sail with a number of Fife gentlemen 

for this remote spot in 1599, but after repeated attempts to quell the 

resistance of the natives, the adventurers were forced to abandon their 

purpose, and Sir James Learmonth fell in one of these inglorious skirmishes 

in 1600. As he left no legitimated issue, the estate fell to his brother” (“Fife 

Pictorial and Historical” by A.H. Millar, Edinburgh, 1895). 

John Learmonth, a brother the above James Learmonth and second 

son of George Learmonth of Balcomie and Lady Euphene and also the 

fourth cousins to Mary Queen, became the heir of Bolcomie about 1600. 

He was also styled of Birkhill. He married Elizabeth Myrton in about 1580. 

She was a daughter of David Myrton of Cambo and of Randerston. John 

Learmonth was a graduate of St Andrews University. He was Knighted by 

1606. Sir John Learmonth of Balcomie, Provost of St. Andrews in 1607- 

1608, was the last Learmonth who was the Provost of St. Andrews. 

Upon the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, the Crown should have passed 

(under the will of Henry VIII) to the Lady Anne Stanley. Nevertheless, 

James was the only serious claimant to the English Crown; all the others, 

including the Lady Anne, were not powerful enough to defend their claims. 

Thus, an Accession Council met and proclaimed James King of England. He 

and his wife were crowned on 25 July 1603 at Westminster Abbey. 

(www.wikipedia.org) 

Sir John Learmonth of Balcomie and of Birkhill was one of the 

Scottish commissioner appointed to settle the union of the kingdoms in 

1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth, and he survived to see James VI 

securely established on the throne of the United Kingdom. Sir John 

Learmonth’s death took place at the same time as that of his royal master in 

1625. 

208

Sir James Learmonth of Balcomie (b~1580-1657), the eldest son of 

Sir John, was one of the fore most lawyers of his time, and rose to the 

highest eminence in his profession. He appointed a Lord of Session on 8th 

November, 1627, and though he was temporary deprived of his office during 

the troubles in the early part of the reign of Charles 1, he was reappointed as 

a judge by the King in 1641. Twice in his official career he was elected Lord 

President of the Court of Session-in 1643 and 1647-but having joined in "the 

engagement" he was disqualified from holding this important office. It was 

found however, that a man so eminent as he was could not be easily 

dispensed with, and accordingly he was made a commissioner for the 

administration of justice in 1655 and resumed his seat as a Lord of Session. 

His parliamentary career was not less distinguished. He represented 

Fifeshire in the convention of 1625, and eight years afterwards served upon 

several parliamentary commissions. His end was both sudden and appalling. 

Whilst on the bench giving judgment in a Court of Session case on 26th 

June, 1657, he stopped in the midst of his speech; his head suddenly dropped 

on his breast, and expired without warning. The incident is thus related in 

Nicol's "Diary": "A man verie painsful in his office, and willing to dispatch 

business in till, tyme, departed this lyfe even in a moment, sitting upone the 

bensche in the Parliament 'Hous, about nyne of the cloke in the morning, to 

the great grieff of much people corps was honorablie buryit in the kirkyeard 

in Edinburgh, with such numbers of people as was admirable, and had 

murners befoir and following the bier, above fyve hundreth personis. His 

removal fra that bensche was esteemed to be a national judgment." Sir James 

Learmonth was buried in Edinburgh. He was so admirable person that more 

than five hundred people came to his funeral to grant honours Sir James 

Learmonth. 

Sir James Learmonth married with Margaret Sandilands. Margaret 

Sandilands was a daughter of William Sandilands of Monance and she was a 

descendent from the King Robert II of Scotland in 8 th generation. 

Hence as Learmonths of Dairsie so Learmonths of 

Balcomie through their marriages became distant relatives of 

royal Stewart House. 

Though Sir James had a numerous family, the majority of his children 

predeceased him, and his son Robert, who succeeded him, died without issue 

in 1696, leaving the estate heavily encumbered. Serious disputes then arose 

as to the succession. The only daughter of Sir James had married Sir 

209

William Gordon of Lesmoir, and her son, William Gordon, king's solicitor to 

James VII, claimed Balcomie as the nearest heir of his grand father (“Fife 

Pictorial and Historical” by A. H. Millar, Edinburgh, 1895, pages 383-386). 

Andrew Learmonth, third son of John Learmonth of Balcomie and 

Birkhill, and Elizabeth Myrton of Randerston, was a regent in Old College, 

St Andrews (pres. by Charles I. 7th Sept. 1627, and adm. soon after). Mr. 

Andrew Learmonth was the minister of the Liberton from 1629 until 1636. 

In 1638 he informed the King of the outrages of the people against those 

ministers who were zealous in his service. He was deposed in 1639 for 

calling the Covenanters perjured, etc. He was obliged to quit the Kingdom; 

lived in great want, and died 4th Nov. 1662, leaving not enough to bury him. 

His widow, Agnes Aytoun, obtained a grant from the vacant stipends in 

1662 (Privy Council Decreta). He had issue - Jean; David; John; Margaret. - 

[Edin. Reg. (Bapt.), Wodrow, MSS., Durie's Dec., Lochleven Pap.; Baillie's 

Lett., i.; Peterkin's Records, Stevenson's Hist.] 

(http://www.dwalker.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk) 

John Learmonth, one of sons of above Sir James Learmonth of 

Balcomie Lord of Session, was probably the Captain John Learnmonth 

(ID:442; please see below). He returned to Scotland. Captain John 

Learmonth was slain during the Battle of Inverkeithing. Most of soldiers, 

who were stained, were wounded. One of them was Captian John 

Learmonth. He died in prison in 1651. 

The Battle of Inverkeithing (20 July 1651) was a battle in the Third 

English Civil War. Regiments of the English Parliamentary New Model 

Army under the command of Major-General John Lambert decisively 

defeated a Scotish Royalists army under the command of Sir John Browne. 

In July 1651, Oliver Cromwell sent Lambert across the Firth of Forth into 

Fife with a force of 4,500 troops to threaten David Leslie's supply lines. 

Leslie sent Sir John Browne with 4,000 troops to drive Lambert back over 

the Firth of Forth. The engagement began with skirmishes at Inverkeithing. 

As Lambert's army pressed on northward, a general battle took place on the 

level ground south of Pitreavie House. In the battle the Scottish Royalists 

suffered a decisive defeat with up to 2,000 killed, many wounded and 500 

taken prisoner (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on Internet). 

The Elegie was written in October, 1651 for the Death of Captain 

John Learmonth of Balcomie: 

210

211

Appendix 

Genealogy of the Learmonth of Fife. 

(Special order of author. National Libraery of Scotland, Edinburgh, 

Scotland. Collected by Diana Baptie) 

Part 1. Learmonth Family 

According to Adv.MS 20.1.10 (Genealogical Collections of Sir Robert 

Douglas of Glenbervie), the progenitor of the Learmonth line was the laird 

of Ersiltoun (Earlston) in the Merse. An unnamed descendant of his went to 

St Andrews with Henry Wardlaw, Bishop of St Andrews c.1409 

He had two sons 

1. John Lermont, alive in 1496 (St Salvators Writs), citizen of St Andrews, 

Great Customer and Keeper of Coquet Seal (Charter by Bishop Kennedy, 2 

May 1461). He married twice (i) to Janet ... and (ii) Margaret Walch 

(Calender of Charters, 24 March 1468) and had: 

(i) Robert Lermont, his heir 

(ii) John Lermont 

(iii) George Lermont - in 1498, prebendary of Kernys and Cameron in the 

Lady Kirk of Hewch, resigned 1503 (RSS 297;962); in 1509 appointed prior 

of Pluscarden (RSS 1849) 

2. Robert Lermont 

2.(i) - Robert Lermont, son and heir of John Lermont above, baillie of St 

Andrews, Provost in 1494 (Calendar of St Andrews Charters, no.134). He 

married c.1464 Beatrix Martine, widow of John Burne (Macfarlane’s 

Genealogical Collections, ii, 185) 

They had: 

(i) David Learmonth of Clatto 

(ii) Alison Learmonth 

3(i) - David Learmonth of Clatto, son and heir of Robert Lermont above; 

Provost in 1506 and 1514-21 (Parliamemts of Scotland, vol ii, 417), Great 

Customer etc (GD7/1/65); acquired the lands of Dairsie - feu charter by 

Andrew, Archbishop of St Andrews (Calendar of Charters, nos 202 and 

212

212); had a tack of Balcomie from the Queen Mother, 8 Nov 1513 (Acts of 

the Lords of Council in Public Affairs, 156). He d. by 1526 (Calendar of St 

Andrews Charters, no.238). He married Agnes Kynman, she a widow by 28 

Feb 1526/7 (ibid) 

They had: 

(i) James Learmonth of Dairsie 

(ii) Robert Learmonth, citizen of St Andrews, had a son, David Learmonth, 

apparent heir in 1504 (The Laing’s Charters (854-1837), no, 248) 

(iii) John Learmonth 

4 (i) - James Learmonth of Dairsie and Balcomie, succeeded before 1525 

(Exchequer Rolls, xv, 103); Provost of St Andrews, 1526-44 (Parliaments of 

Scotland, ii, 417); Master of the King’s Houshold, 1537 (ibid); witness to 

the will of James V (GD124/10/13); Ambassador to conclude the marriage 

between Queen Mary and Edward, Prince of Wales in 1542 (ibid); 

purchased the feu of St Nicholas in 1529; had sasine of Dron; had charter of 

land of Kilmynanane and of the lands of Pittendreich (RD1/37; CC20/11/1; 

RH6/1210; Acts of Parliament); slain at the battle of Pinkie in 1547 

(Exchequer Rolls xviii, 447). He married (i) Catherine Ramsay and (ii) 

Grizel Meldrum 

He had: 

Sons 

(i) Sir Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie 

(ii) George Learmonth of Balcomy 

(iii) James Learmonth, provost of Kirkheugh who married Margaret 

Kirkcaldy (RMS (1580-83) nos 866; 1870) and acquired Firthfield from her 

father, John Kirkcaldy (CC8/8/8 - 11 Feb 1580/1). He died on the 22 March 

1572 (CC8/8/8 f.683). 

They had: 

(i) William Learmonth, citizen of St Andrews, 1583 (RD1/80 - 1601); of 

Firthfield; d. by June 1611 (GD30/898); married Marion Adie (RMS (1593- 

1608), no.765) and had: 

(a) William younger, citizen of St Andrews (RD1/127 - 11 Dec 1606); 

(b)Thomas; 

(c) Mary who married Andro Greer (CS7/316 - July 1617) 

213

(ii) youngest son was Patrick Learmonth (named in his father’s testament 

dative). 

(Note: this William Learmonth may have been a son of James Learmonth, 

but it seems more likely he was a son of James Learmonth, provost of 

Kirkheugh, given that he was ‘of Kirkfield. There is a testament for a 

William Learmonth elder, citzen of St Andrews recorded 29 June 1607. He 

died Dec 1606, intestate, his executor was his son, James, indweller in 

Haddington. There is also one for a William Learmonth, citizen of St 

Andrews recorded 20 Feb 1615. He died testate and left all to his wife, Janet 

Geddes - both recorded in Edinburgh Commissary Court ) 

(iv) Thomas Learmonth (MS17.1.3 - Register of Pittenweem and Priory of 

St Andrews, 188 (1565) 

Daughters 

(i) Christian Learmonth married George Clephan of Carslogie who d. pre 

1564 (Index to Edinburgh Commissary Court Testaments - testament 

missing) and they had George Clephan of Carslogie (d 1 Feb 1582 - 

CC8/8/12) who married Jonet Forbes and they, in turn, had Patrick, Andrew, 

Grizel, Janet, Beatrix and Margaret Clephans 

(ii) Mariota (Marion) Learmonth married Thomas Duddingston of Kincaple 

(RPC ii, 3868; iii, 587) 

(iii) Agnes Learmonth married John Trail of Blebo (Index to Calendar of 

Deeds in the Acts and Decreets (1564-79)0 

(vi) Isobel Learmonth (CC20/11/1 - 3 March 1572) 

(v) Grizel Learmonth (ibid) 

(vi) Elizabeth Learmonth married Sir George Hailiburton of Pitcur (RMS 

(1546-80) nos 767; 1832) 

It has not been possible to sort out who the mothers of the various children 

were. One strange document exists in the Calendar of Charters (RH6/1950). 

It records that David Learmonth, natural son of Grizel Meldrum, Lady 

Balcomie was to be infeft in 2 acres of arable land beside St Andrews, whom 

failing to his brother, Robert - given by the Commendator of the Priory of St 

Andrews (19 April 1564) 

Part 2. Learmonths of Dairsie 

214

Sir Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie, heir to his father in 1547, married Isobel 

Balfour, daughter of Sir James Balfour of Pittendreich. He died by 1587 

They had: 

Sons 


(ii) John Learmonth (RD1/73 f.286) 

(iii) Patrick Learmonth of Dron married Jonet Forbes, Lady Carslogie, 

widow of George Clephan. George Clephan had died 1 Feb 1582 

(CC8/8/12) and his parents were George Clephan of Carslogie and Christian 

Learmonth, eldest daughter of Sir James Learmonth and Catherine Ramsay) 

She d. 1594 (CC8/8/28). 

That Patrick had an illegitimate son, James who fathered the two children 

by Margaret Scott in Nydie (St Andrews Kirk Session Records) 

That Patrick Learmonth was possibly the same as the one in the Scottish 

Guard in France. 

Daughters 

(i) Elizabeth (Elspet) had a natural son to William Kirkcaldy alias Ker of 

Grange (Index to Calendar of Deeds) 

(ii) Margaret Learmonth married (i) Sir David Spens of Wormiston. He 

died by 1586. They had Sir James Spens of Wormiston (1571-1632) and 

Jean Spens (Index to Calendar of Deeds) 

James Learmonth of Dairsie married Janet Sandilands, m. con 11 Dec 1560 

(Index to Calendar of Deeds) 

They had: 

Sons 

(i) William Learmonth of Dairsie 

(ii) James Learmonth, burgess of Crail, d. Dec 1661 (RPC, i 422); had a 

son, James Learmonth (B10/1/3) 

(iii) Robert Learmonth 

(iv) John Learmonth 

(v) Patrick Learmonth, Captian in Sweden 

(vi) David Learmonth (recorded in several deeds in RD1) 

Daughters 

(i) Elspet Learmonth married Walter Chisholm, eldest son of Walter 

Chicholm of that Ilk, m con 27 Jan 1593 - RD1/76 f.124) 

215

(ii) Isobel Learmonth 

(iii) Margaret Learmonth 

William Learmonth of Dairsie d.pre 1616 (RMS vii, 1766) maried Cecil 

Wemyss 

They had: 

Sons 

(i) William Learmonth 

(ii) Robert Learmonth 


(iv) Patrick Learmonth 

Daughter 

Margaret Learmonth (Index to Fife Sasines) 

Dairsie was sold to the Spottiswood family in 1616 

Part 2 - Learmonths of Dairsie 

Sir Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie, heir to his father in 1547, married Isobel 

Balfour, daughter of Sir James Balfour of Pittendreich. He died by 1587 

They had: 

Sons 


(ii) John Learmonth (RD1/73 f.286) 

(iii) Patrick Learmonth of Dron married Jonet Forbes, Lady Carslogie, 

widow of George Clephan. George Clephan had died 1 Feb 1582 

(CC8/8/12) and his parents were George Clephan of Carslogie and Christian 

Learmonth, eldest daughter of Sir James Learmonth and Catherine Ramsay) 

She d. 1594 (CC8/8/28). 

That Patrick had an illegitimate son, James who fathered the two children 

by Margaret Scott in Nydie (St Andrews Kirk Session Records) 

That Patrick Learmonth was possibly the same as the one in the Scottish 

Guard in France. 

Daughters 

216

(i) Elizabeth (Elspet) had a natural son to William Kirkcaldy alias Ker of 

Grange (Index to Calendar of Deeds) 

(ii) Margaret Learmonth married (i) Sir David Spens of Wormiston. He 

died by 1586. They had Sir James Spens of Wormiston (1571-1632) and 

Jean Spens (Index to Calendar of Deeds) 

James Learmonth of Dairsie married Janet Sandilands, m. con 11 Dec 1560 

(Index to Calendar of Deeds) 

They had: 

Sons 

(i) William Learmonth of Dairsie 

(ii) James Learmonth, burgess of Crail, d. Dec 1661 (RPC, i 422); had a 

son, James Learmonth (B10/1/3) 

(iii) Robert Learmonth 

(iv) John Learmonth 

(v) Patrick Learmonth, Captian in Sweden 

(vi) David Learmonth (recorded in several deeds in RD1) 

Daughters 

(i) Elspet Learmonth married Walter Chisholm, eldest son of Walter 

Chicholm of that Ilk, m con 27 Jan 1593 - RD1/76 f.124) 

(ii) Isobel Learmonth 

(iii) Margaret Learmonth 

William Learmonth of Dairsie d.pre 1616 (RMS vii, 1766) maried Cecil 

Wemyss 

They had: 

Sons 

(i) William Learmonth 

(ii) Robert Learmonth 


(iv) Patrick Learmonth 

Daughter 

Margaret Learmonth (Index to Fife Sasines) 

Dairsie was sold to the Spottiswood family in 1616 

217

Part 3. Learmonths of Balcomie 

George Learmonth of Balcomie married before 1544 Euphan Leslie, 

daughter of George, Earl of Rothes. George Learmonth died in June 1585 

(CC8/8/15). She married (ii) John Cunningham of Barns and died April 

1588 (Scots Peerage, vii, 290) 

They had: 

Sons 

(i). Sir James Learmonth of Balcomie 

(ii) Sir John Learmonth of Balcomie, heir to James above 

(iii) Robert Learmonth of St Nicolas, advocate, married Margaret Skene, 28 

Feb 1599 [26 Nov 1605 ?.] He died by 1643. They had John Learmonth, 

advocate. He died by 1652. He had David Learmonth, served heir to his 

father 28 Sept 1652 

(iv) William Learmonth, citizen of St Andrews (named in brother, James’s 

testament dative - CC8/8/34), burgess of Crail? married Christian Makeson, 

daughter of John Makeson, clerk in Crail (Index to General Register of 

Sasines, 1618) 

Daughters 

(i) Elspeth (executrix to father) 

(ii) Katherine (ibid) married Cuthbert Borthwick, burgess of Edinburgh 

(Index to Fife Sasines; RD1 - 26 May 1607) 

(iii) Jean (executrix) 

(iv) Euphame (ibid) married William Barclay, burgess of St Andrews 

(Monumental Inscription in St Andrews Cathedral) 

(v) Isobel married Thomas Forrester of Strathendrie, m.con 20 August 1572 

(vi) Helen married David Myrton of Cambo 

Sir James Learmonth of Balcomie, Fife adventurer to Isle of Lewis, died en 

route home at Orkney, 22 March 1598 (CC8/8/34; Calender of Scottish 

Papers). He married Anna Mercer, daughter of Laurence Mercer of Aldie, 

m. con 9 Sept 1587 (Index to Calendar of Deeds). They had no issue. Sir 

James Learmonth fathered 3 illegitimate children in 1577; 1584 and 1585, 

the last being a son and taken by his servant George Andersoun to live at 

Balcomie (St.Andrews Kirk Session Register 1582-1600. Part 11 published 

by the Scottish History Society (Edinburgh 1890)) 

218

Sir John Learmonth of Balcomie, heir to James above, 6 March 1600. He 

was first styled of Birkhill. He married Elizabeth Myrton, daughter of David 

Myrton of Cambo. He died in 1625 (CC20/4/8) and she died 12 Dec 1617 

(CC20/4/7) 

They had: 

Sons 

(i) Sir James Learmonth of Balcomie 

(ii) David Learmonth, Captain in the Swedish Service, died in Germany in 

1627 (MS 33.2.27; RMS - 13 March 1614) 

(iii) Andrew Learmonth, minister of Liberton married Agnes Aytoun (ibid; 

Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae). He died They had: Jean, David and John 

Learmonths 

(iv) George Learmonth (named in mother’s testament; also in B10/1/3 - 3 

Jan 1600) 

(v) Thomas Learmonth ( named in mother’s testament) 

(vi) John Learmonth (ibid), Captain in a Company of Denmark, d. 1627 in 

Boitzenburg (T Riis - Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot) 

(vii) Robert Learmonth (named in mother’s testament) 

Daughters 

(i) Cecil (Cecilia) Learmonth married John Schevas of Kemback 

(ii) Elspeth Learmonth 

(iii) Helen Learmonth 

(iv) Isobel Learmonth (all above named in mother’s will) 

(v) Catherine Learmonth married James Melville of Halhill, m.con 19 April 

1615 (GD98/565) 

(vi) Anna Learmonth married John Bonar of Lumquhat (GD194/box 7) 

(vii) Margaret Learmonth married William Moncrieff of Randiston 

(viii) possibly another daughter 

Sir James Learmonth of Balcomie, President of the Court of Session married 

Margaret Sandilands, daughter of William Sandilands of St Monans. He 

died 3 Feb 1657 

They had: 

(i) John Learmonth died 1651 [married 1625] 

(ii) George Learmonth 

(iii) ? James Leamonth 

219

(iv) Robert Learmonth 

(v) John, regent in St. Andrews in 1657 

(vi) Daughter married William 2-nd son of Sir Wm. Gordon of Lesmoir, 

and solicitor to James VII. 

Robert Learmonth of Balcomie died in 1696, leaving the estate encumbered 

with debt. 

220

Part 7. 

Learmonths served abroad in XVI century. 

George Leirmont in Russia. 

To continue our narration about Learmonths who were descendents 

from Learmonths of Dairsie and of Balcomie we have to return few dozens 

years back when Learmonth family crossed over with the Spens family from 

Crail in about year of 1560. 

Margaret Learmonth, a daughter of Sir Patrick Learmonth of Daisie, 

married David Spens of Wormeston, Grail, Fife, somewhere after 1550. All 

of the children of David Spens and Margaret Learmonth are not known. But 

the career of their oldest son is very impressive. “No Scottish name during 

the time of Charles IX and Gustavus Adolphus is more frequently named in 

court or camp than that of Sir James Spens of Wormiston” (a grandson of 

Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie) ( Th. A. Ficsher “The Scots in Sweden. Part II 

(B). Militaria. The period of Custavus II (Adolphus), first published in 1902, 

www.elecriscotland.com). 

There is a difference of opinion concerning James Spens’s date of 

birth of while the Watson article gives his date of birth as 1571 (“The 

Spenses of Wormiston”: http://www.fife.50megs.com). The most detailed 

information about Sir James Spens’s military and diplomatic career are 

presented by Steve Murdoch and Alexia Grosjean in the well known records 

“Scotland, Scandinavia & Northern Europe, 1580-1707”, 1998-2006 (SSNE 

Database): “ID:1642: 

Surname First Name 

SPENS, SPENSE, SPENTZ, SPENCER, SPÄNTZ, SPENCE OF WORMISTON, WORMLISTON, WORMESTON JAMES, 

JACOB, JAKOB 

Variant Title/Rank 

BARON WORMISTON, WORMLISTON, WORMESTON 

Nationality Region 

SCOT FIFE 

Social Status Education 

NOBILITY 

Service Record 

COUNTRY LOCATION ARRIVED RANK A DEPARTED RANK B CAPACITY PURPOSE 

SWEDEN STUART KINGDOMS 1605/10/01- 1607/12/31 AGENT MILITARY 

SWEDEN JAMES SPENS 1608/01/01 COLONEL 1608/12/31 COLONEL OFFICER MILITARY 


STUART KINGDOMS SWEDEN 1609/05/01-1613/07/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 

SWEDEN STUART KINGDOMS 1610/01/01-1610/12/31 LEGATE DIPLOMACY 

SWEDEN JAMES SPENS 1610/01/01 GENERAL 1610/12/31 GENERAL OFFICER MILITARY 

STUART KINGDOMS RISBY, SWEDEN 1611/09/04-1611/12-31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 

STUART KINGDOMS SWEDEN [KNARED] 1612/01/01-1612/12/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 

STUART KINGDOMS JÖNKÖPING, SWEDEN 1612/07/08-1612/12/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 

SWEDEN STUART KINGDOMS 1613/01/01-1613/12/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 


STUART KINGDOMS DENMARK-NORWAY 1619/08/01-1619/10/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 



221


STUART KINGDOMS THE DUTCH REPUBLIC 1624/01/01-1625/04/01 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 



STUART KINGDOMS DANZIG 1627/04/28-1628/12/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 

STUART KINGDOMS BRANDENBURG 1627/04/28-1628/12/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 

STUART KINGDOMS SWEDEN [ELBING] 1627/04/28-1628/12/31 AMBASSADOR DIPLOMACY 


STUART KINGDOMS GUSTAV II ADOLF'S COURT IN GERMANY 1631/01/01-1632/12/31 AMBASSADOR 

DIPLOMACY 

Text Source 

James Spens of Wormiston was born in 1571, and in 1594 was a Provost in Craill 

in Fifeshire. He, his stepfather and others (such as Patrick, Abbot of Lindores, Colonel 

William Stewart, Captain William Murray, Mr James Lermonth of Balcomy, Sir James 

Anstruther of that Ilk and James Forret of Fingask) were engaged in a plan to occupy and 

populate Lewis in 1598 but the attempt failed and he was left as a hostage. The Aberdeen 

burgh impost accounts record on the 11 May 1605 the fee for a boat belonging to the 

"Lewis merchant" James Spens and this is most likely the same man. Very soon after 

this, Spens' attentions turned toward Sweden. Spens' first military contact in Sweden 

appears to have been first approached by King Karl IX (1599-1611)in 1605 when he 

asked Spens and his brother David [SSNE 1156] to arrange the levy of 1600 infantry and 

600 cavalry for Sweden, with the proviso that this was undertaken with King James VI & 

I's permission. For each 300 men Spens would receive 1600 daler. Spens was to be made 

a colonel over the troops he brought over. In 1608 Spens heard again from Karl IX this 

time offering 1700 daler per company of 200 infantry, and the same would be paid for 

each company of 100 cavalry. The Swedish king was obviously keen to have Spens on 

board as that year he sent 700 daler to Spens and the next year he provided 4500 riksdaler 

for the recruitment. There is a travel pass dated 17 December 1609 for Spens, Samuel 

Cockburn [SSNE 4219], John Wauchop [SSNE 4220], Patrick Ruthven[SSNE 3413] 

Hugo Cochran [SSNE 4221], Daniel Rogers [SSNE 4222], Robert Kinnaird [SSNE 

4223], George Douglas [SSNE 2129], and William Horne [SSNE 4224] to go to Britain, 

presumably on a recruiting mission. Spens as a diplomat. 

In 1610 Spens came as the Stuart Court legate to Sweden. Some of the 1200 

British troops to be recruited by Spens were sent to Russia around this time under a 

lieutenant-colonel Calvine and another 300 went with Cockburn (see Lubimenko's 

printed letter of Thomas Chamberlain). The regiment strength was put at 600 horse and 

1800 foot, and Spens had been the regiment's colonel some 20 years, although whether 

Spens himself accompanied the men to Russia is unclear. The regiment was lent to the 

Russians by the Swedes and placed under the overall command in Russia of General 

Endred Horne, senior Swedish general there. Spens became general of all British troops 

in Sweden that same year, and got the task of recruiting a further 3000 men. He was 

Swedish legate to the Stuart Court in 1611 when King Karl IX wrote him seeking 

recruits. As Sweden was at war with Denmark-Norway Spens was worried about his and 

the recruits' safety on their travel to Sweden. And in fact Karl IX had to complain to King 

Christian IV in April about some Danes (200 in one report) who the previous year had 

strayed half a Swedish mile into Swedish territory, bearing arms, attacked Spens, robbing 

him of letters and money, killing one of his associates and abusing 4 others. This point 

was specifically brought up when the Swedes confronted Christian IV in December 1612 

about the perceived Danish provocation which had led to war. In addition to this 

Christian IV's men had detained Spens for 3 days at the Helsinborg port. Spens had a 

222

personal audience with the king at Risby on 4 September 1611, and at Jönköping on 8 

July 1612. In between those meetings he had returned to London as an envoy and as 

diplomatic correspondent to the Stuart Court between March and June 1612. Spens also 

levied ca.1000 Scottish soldiers for Swedish service, implying that either he or an agent 

of his had been to Scotland. These soldiers were to disembark in Oslo and be met there 

by secret Swedish guides who would lead them to Sweden. He mediated in the double 

duty of Swedish-Stuart representative along with Sir Robert Anstruther [SSNE 1472], his 

half-brother, in 1612-13 for the Knared peace treaty between Sweden and Denmark. Axel 

Oxenstierna, Nicolas Bielke and Gustav Stenbock wrote King James VI and I on 21 

January 1613 to compliment Spens and Anstruther on their "fide, diligentia, industria" in 

the negotiations. Spens returned to London in 1613 and served as the Swedish 

ambassador to the Stuart court. During 1614 he appears to have been in Sweden as that 

year in September Chancellor Oxenstierna replied to him with regard to issues Spens had 

raised on behalf of some English merchants and their complaints. Spens was the Stuart 

court ambassador to Sweden in 1619, 1620, and 1624 and Denmark-Norway in 1619. 

Although he sometimes appeared in Denmark, his loyalty to the Swedish Crown was 

well-received and rewarded. Not only did he hold land in Sweden, the estate of Orreholm 

which he obtained in April 1622, but he was also ennobled as a baron in Sweden, and his 

sons subsequently enjoyed the privileges of nobility. The Spens coat of arms can be seen 

displayed in Riddarhuset in Stockholm. Spens and the Polish, Bohemian and 30 Years' 

Wars. 

After the Bohemian revolt, 1618-1621, the exiled King of Bohemia and Prince 

Charles of Wales (later King Charles I) offered monthly subsidies to cover a Swedish 

attack on the Imperial forces. However, the Swedes were keen to effect a confederation 

with Great Britain and the Netherlands and Spens was given the diplomatic missions. In 

December 1623 Spens was en route to the continent, via Lubeck. In June 1624 he was 

also engaged in the recruitment of British troops for King Gustav II Adolf and was 

appointed General of all British troops in Swedish service. Spens was the Stuart court 

ambassador to the Netherlands in 1624 and in September he left Sweden on a mission to 

Germany. In January 1625 Spens was sent to London via the Netherlands. Oxenstierna 

and the king were more than keen to learn whether Prince Charles favoured Denmark 

over Sweden - and Spens' letter in reply indicated that King James VI and I was fickle 

about the whole issue of the Common Cause. Oxenstierna preferred then to keep Spens in 

London, to continue to negotiate with James, and sent him copies of the correspondence 

between Gustav II and Christian IV. Spens returned to Sweden in May and by June 1625 

it was clear that James VI and I did not accept Gustav II Adolf's proposals regarding 

military preparations for use against the Habsburgs. Spens was court councillor and 

Swedish legate to the Stuart court in 1626 and the Stuart court ambassador to Danzig and 

Brandenburg in 1627. As part of his mission, Spens was asked to raise another 1200 men 

for his regiment in Sweden. This he achieved when the Scottish Privy Council granted his 

levy on 13 February 1627. On his return to the Swedish Court, Spens delivered the order 

of the Garter to King Gustav Adolf in August 1627 in Dirschau. In January 1629 he 

wrote a report of his regiment, listing all his captains and their company strengths and 

locations. He met his new chaplain Eleazer Borthwick in Elbing who was appointed to 

the congregation there in 1629. Spens befriended the Scottish cleric John Durie [a cousin 

of his son-in-law] whom he helped to gain an audience with the Swedish king. Here he 

223

ecame ordinary resident ambassador to the Stuart Court in 1629. In August 1629 an 

English ship arrived at Pillau, which Spens had sent for use by the Swedish shipping 

companies. That year his troops were sent to Stralsund when the Swedish army stepped 

in to protect the town after the defeat and withdrawal of the Danes from war with the 

Habsburgs. There is also a reference to Spens' troops being divided and sent to 

Gothenburg, Kalmar and Stockholm - whether these are the troops under Spens jr [SSNE 

11] or not, is hard to tell. Accotding to the Swedish Intelligencer three Scottish regiments 

fought alongside each other after the Swedish tarmy arrived on the continent in 1630. 

These were the regiments of Donald Mackay Lord Reay, the Spens Regiment and the 

regiment of Colonel James macDougall. Whether the colonels were with their troops is 

not mentioned. However, James Spens sr. had certainly returned to the continent by 1631 

accompanied by Eleazer Borthwick [SSNE 1064] and remained with the Court of Gustav 

II Adolf as they travelled around Germany. Apparently his troops, often referred to as the 

"English" regiment, were under the command of Earl Crawford and great tensions 

occurred between the leading officers, which resulted in a lack of morale amongst the 

soldiery. Spens died in 1632, some say in shock at the death of Gustav II Adolf at Lutzen. 

Spens family: Spens was married to Agnes Durie [SSNE 6249] and Margareta 

Foratt [SSNE 6267] (her 2nd marriage was to Colonel Hugo Hamilton [SSNE 2582] also 

ennobled in Sweden). With Agnes Durie he had the children James [SSNE 11], David 

and William [SSNE 3553], Cecilia [SSNE 6129], Isabella [SSNE 6263], and an unnamed 

daughter. With Margaret Foratt he had the children Axel [SSNE 1643] and James [SSNE 

3549]. 

Sir James Spens through his mother, Margaret Learmonth, was a 

grandson of Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie and so he had numerous close 

relatives among the members of the Learmonth families. They all lived very 

close in Fife. Sir James Spens was a cousin of William Learmonth of Clatto 

and of Dairsie (Provost of St. Andrews 1597-1601; please, see above) and a 

cousin of all other siblings of Sir William Learmonth: James, Robert, John, 

Patrick, David. Sir James Spens was second nephew to James Learmonth 

(young laird of Balcomie, the adventure of the Isle Lewis). Sir James Spens 

was a half-cousin to all children of Sir John Learmonth of Balcomie and 

Birkhill: Sir James Learmonth Lord of Session, David, Andrew, George, 

Thomas, John, Robert. 

224

225

Most of the activities of Sir James Spens at the beginning of his career 

were connected with the recruitment of Scottish-English, or those times 

British, mercenaries for Sweden in 1600-1614 years (please, see details 

above and below). Sir James Spens served in close and successive 

collaboration with his half-brother Sir Robert Anstruther who was also a son 

of Margaret Learmonth (and a grandson of Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie) 

from her second marriage for near neighbour and kinsman, Sir James 

Anstruther. 

It would be a surprise if the Learmonths being close relatives of the 

Spens and Anstruther were not involved in military service abroad during 

this time, most probably with the assistance and encouragement of their 

influential relatives. We therefore detail below the military service records 

of the Learmonths who served in northern Europe. This information was 

taken from “Scotland, Scandinavia & Northern Europe, 1580-1707” by 

Steve Murdoch & Alexia Grosjean, 1998-2006 (http://www.standrews.ac.uk/history/ssne). 

The comments that we make regarding each 

individual are based on an analysis of the genealogy of the Learmonth’s of 

Fife which are detailed at the end of Part 6. 

226

Peter Learmonth (ID: 1763) was an ensign in Swedish service in 

1603-1604. It was perhaps this P. Lermonth who was an officer in James 

Spens' [SSNE 1642] regiment in 1610. Cf. [SSNE ID: 865]. He may or may 

not be the same individual who later served in Poland [SSNE 5222]. 

Our comments: 

This P. Learmonth could be Patrick/Peter Learmonth a brother of 

William Learmonth of Dairsie and a cousin of James Spens through his 

mother Margaret Learmonth. So ID: 1763 and ID: 865 could be the same 

person. 

Patrick Learmonth (ID: 865) served in the Swedish army between 

1609-1613. This is possibly the same as Captain Lermund referred to by 

Axel Oxenstierna in his letter of September 1612 to Field Marshal Jesper 

Mattson Krus, as of use to Krus in the war against Denmark-Norway. 

Our comments: 

This Patrick Learmonth (b. after 1570) was a son of James Learmonth 

of Dairsie and Janet Sandilands (they married in 1560). 

Peter Learmonth (ID: 5222), "nobilis", was granted a heritage by King 

Sigismund III of Poland in 1619. The grant refers to Learmonth's honourable 

service as a soldier against the Duke of Sodermanland (King Karl IX of 

Sweden) and against the Russians at Smolensk. In 1621 he and captain 

William Keith received letters of recommendation and travel passes dated 

Warsaw, 17th January. He was to commission a levy of a regiment of 900 

infantry of Scots living in Poland. He later led 3 companies of German 

infantry whilst the Scottish regiment served with Polish artillery and hussars. 

He was probably the same Peter Learmonth who was captured by the Poles 

whilst in Swedish service, fighting on behalf of Muscovy during Russia's 

hostilities with Poland-Lithuania 1614-16. He then entered Polish service 

and commanded troops at Smolensk and Viazma and fought against 

Moscow in 1617-18. This is probably the same Peter Learmonth who 

rejoined Polish service in 1648, 13 years after the army had been disbanded 

following the treaty of Stuhmsdorf in 1635. He may be the same as the Peter 

Learmonth who was an ensign in Swedish service in 1603 [SSNE ID: 1763]. 

Our comments. 

This Peter Learmonth (b.~ 1580) could be Patrick Learmonth (Peter 

and Patrick are interchangeable names), a son of William Learmonth of 

Dairsie and Cecil Wemyss, so a nephew of the Captain Patrick Learmonth 

who was deceased by 1614. 

227

George Learmonth (ID: 3968; f.~1593-1634) was an ensign in 1613. 

He crossed over from Polish service to Russian service with other Scots in 

the Polish garrison of Belaya. He served under Prince Pozharsky and was 

granted land near Galich. He served as a captain of horse in the war with 

Poland-Lithuania and was killed at the siege of Smolensk. He had three 

sons: William [SSNE 3969], Henry (Andrei) [SSNE ID: 3970] and Peter 

[SSNE ID: 3971] who all served in the Russian army. 

Our comments. 

This George Learmonth (b. after1580) was probably a son of John 

Learmonth of Balcomie and Elizabeth Myrton (please, see his story in the 

following texts and chapters) 

Captain Learmonth (ID: 4227) is listed as a member of Gustav II 

Adolf's one and only Scottish regiment (Samuel Cockburn's [SSNE ID: 

4219] during the Kalmar War, 1611-13. Despite this, there were various 

other companies led by and comprising of Scottish officer and men. 

Captain John Learmonth (ID: 441) was the brother of Lord Balcomy. 

He served in the Danish-Norwegian army as a captain in command of a 

company in Colonel Donald Mackay's [SSNE ID: 93] regiment, but died of 

wounds received in action at Boitzenburg 1627. 

Our comments. 

Captain John Learmonth ( b.~ 1585) was a son of John Learmonth of 

Balcomie and Elizabeth Myrton. He could be the same person under ID: 

4227 and ID: 441. 

Captain John Learnmonth (ID: 442) served in command of a company 

of Scottish foot in Danish service between 1627-1629 with Colonel Donald 

Mackay's [SSNE ID: 93] regiment. On 24/12/1627 at Hamburg, he gave a 

receipt for 120 rixdollars, and was garrisoned with his company at 

Gluckstadt between August 1628 - March 1629. The company was 

disbanded on 27/6/1629. Like many of the remaining Scots in Danish 

service, Learmonth transferred to Swedish service with Mackay's regiment. 

He eventually transferred to Erik Hansson Ulfsparre's dragoons 

Our comments. 

This John Learmonth (b.~1580) could be a son of William Learmonth 

of Dairsie and Cecil Wemyss. So he was probably a nephew of Captain 

Patrick Learmonth deceased in 1614. He also could be a son of James 

Learmonth Lord of Session and Margaret Sandilands. He then returned to 

228

Scotland. He died in 1651 after the Battle of Inverkeithing (please, see 

above). 

David Learmonth (ID: 95) was authorised by Count Ernst of Mansfeld 

to levy Scottish Regiments on his behalf for service with the King and 

Queen of Bohemia. Learmonth represented Mansfeld when contact was 

made with Sir Donald Mackay [SSNE 93]. He was to furnish ships for 

transport of Mackay's men from Scotland to Gluckstadt in September 1627. 

Learmonth was himself stationed there in September 1627-July 1628. 

David Learmonth (ID: 2905 ) served in the Danish army as an ensign 

in 1629, most probably in Donald Mackay's [SSNE 93] regiment. He 

certainly served with Mackay's regiment in Sweden as an ensign in 1629. 

There is some confusion as to whether there may have been two men with 

the same name as Fischer notes a Lieutenant D. Learmonth serving as 

lieutenant with Patrick Ruthven [SSNE 3413] in Sweden in 1630. The 

muster-roll indicates he was still and ensign, though he may have held a 

temporary position. He appears to have become a full lieutenant with Erik 

Ulfsparre in 1631 and was reformed in 1632, perhaps serving as ensign 

again. 

Our comments. 

David Learmonth (ID: 95 and ID: 2905) was probably the same 

person. The career of the David Learmonth (ID: 95) looks as it continues a 

career of David Learmonth (ID: 2905). We suggest that this David 

Learmonth (b.~1580) was a son of John Learmonth of Balcomie and 

Elizabeth Myron. The previous Captain John Learmonth (ID: 442) and 

above David Learmonth (ID: 95), they were both almost simultaneously 

recorded at Gluckstadt in 1628. In 1628 both were recorded in Mackey 

regiment. David Learmonth (ID:2905) was eventually in Erik Hansson 

Ulfsparre's dragoons. Captain John Learmonth (ID: 442) was also in Erik 

Hansson Ulfsparre's dragoons about the same years. 

Thomas Learmonth (ID: 2911) served first as an ensign with John 

Meldrom's [SSNE 572] regiment between 1629-1630. He was a reformed 

lieutenant with Peter Murray's troop in 1634-5 and served in the same 

capacity with Alexander Gordon's [SSNE ID: 2499] dragoon regiment 1635, 

where he became a lieutenant captain in 1636. The fact he does not appear 

on Swedish muster-rolls between 1632-1633 suggests he was elsewhere. It 

is at this time that a man of the same name appeared in the Russian army 

under the command of the Swedish colonel, Alexander Leslie [SSNE ID: 

229

2916], who had been sent to the Russians by Gustav II Adolf to open a front 

against the Poles in what has become known as the Smolensk War (1632- 

1634). It has been documented by the Russian historian, Vasilii Storozhev 

that Thomas Learmonth was in the regiment of one James 

Wilson/Williamson/Wallace, and was paid 10 rubles per month, though the 

latter individual is yet to be traced. Of course, the two Learmonths may have 

been separate individuals. In any case, while in Russian service Thomas 

Learmonth may have served with his kinsman George Learmonth [SSNE 

ID: 3968]. Many of the survivors of the Smolensk campaign returned to 

Sweden while others took up Polish service. Thanks to Tatian Molchanova 

for translating the following source Vasilii Storozhev, “Georg Lermont. The 

Progenitor of the Russian Lermontov Family” (Moscow, 1894), p.14. 

Our comments. 

Thomas Learmonth had a diverse military career: 

The fact that this Thomas Learmonth appeared in Russia in 1632-1633 

leads us to conclude that he had a special reason to go to Russia. Probably he 

was looking for his relative. In Russia this relative could be George 

Learmonth (ID: 3968). They might have communicated over these years. 

We believe that Thomas Learmonth (b. after 1580) was a son of John 

Learmonth of Balcomie and Elizabeth Myrton. He was a brother of Captain 

John Learmonth (ID : 441) and a brother of Lord Balcomie. Thomas 

Learmonth served with Alexander Gordon in 1635. There is an Alexander 

Gordon who came to the Russian side in 1613 after the Belaya’s siege. 

According to Storozhev Alexander Gordon was not among the “Belskih 

nemzhev” who decided to stay in Russian after captivity. Alexander Gordon 

could be the men who later told Thomas Learmonth about George 

Learmonth and influenced George’s decision in 1613 to stay in Russia. 

George Learmonth (ID: 2907) was an ensign in William Lawson's 

[SSNE ID: 2899] recruited squadron in 1628. He was then an ensign in 

James Ramsay's [SSNE 3315] recruited infantry regiment in 1628 where he 

became lieutenant 

Our comments. 

This George Learmonth (b. ~ 1600) was probably son of James 

Learmonth Lord of Session and Margaret Sandilands. He was probably the 

same G. Learmouth, at Boitzenburg, captain, served for King of Sweden 

Gustavus II (“Scots in Germany” by Th. A. Ficsher, 1902, book on line: 

http://www.electricalscotland.com) 

230

In conclusion we can say that there is an inspiring list of Learmonths 

who originated from the families of Dairsie and of Balcomie and who were 

mainly employed by the Swedish Kings in the years 1603-1630. 

Their careers and life’s were often very different. They were 

mercenary soldiers which in those days was an honourable profession they 

were paid for the service that they were providing. They could not be 

blamed for changing sides their loyalty was to who could afford to paid them 

and the conditions they were offered. We can see that they were brave 

soldiers and honest people 

Mr. Th. A. Ficsher in his Book “The Scots in Sweden. Part II (A). 

Millitaria the time before Gustavus II (Adolphus)”, first published in 1902, 

wrote: “The earliest Scottish legionaries fighting for Sweden were hitherto 

assumed to be those that the great Gustavus engaged at the time of the Thirty 

Years’ War on the Continent (1618-48). This is a mistake. Scottish soldiers 

formed part of the army of Sweden as early as 1563” “The last years of the 

XVIth century are filled with the war between Duke Charles and Sigismund, 

who was then King of Poland and King of Sweden as well. He (Sigismund) 

was a Roman Catholic, and had by his faithlessness and by his continued 

residence in Poland for feint the esteem of the greater number of his 

subjects. The war was one of momentous issue. It was to decide whether 

Sweden was to become a Roman Catholic country or continue to be 

Protestant. 

When Sigismund, in 1598, brought his army across, a great number of 

Scots were found in it. The resolution of the Swedish Senate, that henceforth 

Sigismund and his heirs should be excluded from succeeding as kings on the 

throne of Sweden, called forth a long war, known as the War of Succession, 

between Poland and Sweden. Of course new troops were wanted, and 

foreign countries were drained of their available forces. On the 2nd of July 

1602, King Charles IX of Sweden writes to Colonel Thomas Uggleby 

(Ogilvie) in Scotland, that he should send two ships and his captain 

Cornelius, also the money expended in raising the levies, as soon as 

possible. Towards the close of Charles IX reign the scene of the war 

against Poland had shifted from Livland to Russia. 

The latter empire was then torn by rebellion against Czar Vasilij 

Schuiskij, who in his turn had asked the assistance of Sweden. Auxiliary 

troops to the number of 5000 were promised in return for the cession of the 

fortress of Kexholm and district. To raise these troops, which were to be 

under the command of Jacob de la Gardie, extraordinary efforts were made” 

231

“In 1606 James Spens made his entrance into Swedish history. In 

April of that year he received a letter from Charles IX concerning the 

enlistment of 600 horsemen and 1600 foot soldiers. In January 1607 the 

King wrote that he hoped that Spens and his troops would arrive with 8-10 

ships in the spring. In 1608 Spens received a promise of the command over 

all British troops in Sweden, and a colonelcy, provided that he arrived in the 

spring of 1609 with 500 horsemen and 1000 soldiers. 

In June 1608 Charles IX wrote to the Earl of Orkney, who had 

recommended his brother, William Stuart, as enlisting agent. The King 

complained that no troops were arriving, and that had he realized that 

William Stuart and James Spens would not be able to keep their promises he 

would have sent over an ambassador long since. He also wrote and 

complained to James VI, who received in December 1608 a delegation 

consisting of James Spens and other officers who were concerned to enlist 

men for service in Sweden. These included Robert Kinnaird, who had been 

in contact with Charles IX as early as in 1607, and two other Scots who 

became famous in Sweden, Samuel Cobron and Patrick Ruthven (“Scots in 

Sweden, by Jonas Berg and Bo Lagercrantz”: 

http://www.electricscotland.com). 

“The result of these great efforts and machinations was a paltry three 

hundred men, with whom William Stewart landed in Sweden towards the 

middle of January 1610. The king is rather angry at his having arrived so 

late. “Your arrival would have been more gratifying to us if it had happened 

last summer,” he writes. Now, what was the reason of this falling off in the 

number of recruits from Scotland? No doubt, first, the very plausible one of 

want of material, secondly the inability of the Swedish ruler to provide the 

necessary means, and thirdly - if we mistake not - a growing dislike on the 

part of King James to allow these levies to go on, directed as they were 

against a near relation of his. But be this as it may, the failure of procuring 

levies just at that time was very acutely felt. 

Enlistment, however, continued to move slowly. In February 1609 

William Stuart received a warrant to enlist 500 men, and Robert Sim, 

Colonel Rutherford’s adjutant, 200 men. When Stuart had not arrived by 

September Charles IX annulled the order for two reasons, namely that the 

war was almost over and that the summer was at an end. Stuart, however, 

arrived in January 1610 with 300 men. These 300 seem to have comprised 

the only Scottish contingent to have arrived in Sweden during the first 

decade of the 17th century. Charles IX desperately needed in the strong and 

huge troops. 

232

Poland was trying to get King Sigismund’s son Vladislav Vasa elected 

as new tsar of Russia. Second False Dmitri –“Vor” (as he sounds in Russian) 

and Marina Mnishek tried to get the Russian throne by taking out Tsar Vasili 

Sjuiskij with the support of the part of Russian and Polish nobility. Sweden 

was against a Russian-Polish alliance. Therefore Sweden decided to support 

Tsar Vasilij Sjuiskij in the war for the power. A treaty was signed between 

Sweden and tsar Sjuiskij on February 28, 1609 in Vyborg. As a service in 

return Sweden was to receive Kexholms län (a province on the border 

between Sweden and Russia). Prince Michael Skopin was the leader of the 

Russian Army against Poles. But it was pretty clear that Skopin could not 

fought out Poles and False Dmitri’s companions without the support of the 

Sweden and her mercenaries. On March 12, 1610 the Russian Prince 

Michael Skopin and the Swedish Field Marshall Jakob De la Gardie 

marched through the streets of Moscow with their armies (“History of 

Russia” by S. Soloviev, vol. 8). False Dmitri and King Sigismund were in 

the difficult position. Russian and Swedes troops moved to Smolensk where 

King Sigismund took emplacement. The movement and the tactic of 

Russian-Swedish Army should decide the battle for the power very likely in 

favor of the Russian Tsar Vasili Sjuiskij. However the jealousy of the 

Sjuiskij’s family for the popularity of Prince Skopin was comparable only 

with stupidity. On April 23, 1610 Price Skopin was poisoned by Sjuiskij’s 

cousin in law. And Tsar’s brother Dmitri Sjuiskij, who was unskillful and 

cowardly conducted, took the leadership in the Russian Army. 

The failure to procure levies (from Scotland) at this time was very 

acutely felt. Jacob de la Gardie, the Swedish General, had not been 

successful in his war against Poland. In the Battle of Clusina on July 4, 1610 

the Russians under the command of the weak leader Dmitri Sjuiskij deserted 

him and the foreign legionaries - long discontented on account of their being 

without wages for many months - went over to the enemy.” That is how the 

Clushina battle was reported by foreign sources. 

233

The battle for Clushina (Kluszyn is illustrated on the map in the 

centre). Fortress Belaya (Biala is on the map to the north-west from Clushina 

see the red arrows). 

The battle for Clushina was described by the famous Russian historian 

Sergei Soloviev (“The history of Russia”, vol. 8). The Russian Army was 

about 35,000 - 40,000 Russians (including about 5,000 - 10,000 mercenaries, 

mostly Swedish under the command of Jacob De la Gardie with some 

regiments composed of French, German, English and Scots. There were 

5 to 1 Poles against the Russians-Swedes. Soloviev wrote that during the 

battle two De la Gardie’s deserters went to the Polish camp and informed 

themof the Russian’s movements. This was the first case of treachery in the 

Russian-Swedish camp. As a result Poles started to overcome both the 

Russian-Swedish infantry and cavalry. The Russians and De la Gardie’s 

mercenaries fought hard and bravely but to no avail. The mercenaries were 

fed up with their commanders being unpaid for months and they were now 

exhausted from the battle. 

The Poles felt that they were going to win and started to provoke the 

mercenaries calling them “come, come’. Most of them decided to negotiate 

with Hetman Zolkiewski. Chroniclers considered that the non-payment was 

the only reason why the mercenaries changed sides. The mercenaries had 

asked for their wages before the Clushina battle and were turned down 

because it was said that they did not have the money. It was known that the 

234

commander had the money the mercenaries therefore sent a message to 

Hetman Zolkiewski telling him that they would not fight the Poles. 

Polish sources give a similar account of the mercenary’s actions 

during the Clushina battle: “However the historical evidence is not clear. 

According to Zolkiewski, the English and Scots did not participate in the 

battle. Giovanni Loony reported that the Scots did not want to fight from the 

start of the battle, but that the Frenchmen and Flemmings fought bravely. 

The Muscovy chronicler, Conrad Bussow, claimed that two regiments of 

French cavalry had deserted and joined the Poles, and fought alongside them 

(by Radek Sikora: http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/kluszyn.htm). 

The Soloveiv’s version looks very similar. The mercenary’s not being 

paid was not unknown in those times: soldiers, officers, colonels all suffered 

the same treatment. According to Ficsher “the offer to raise a body of 

legionaries (in Scotland) was made by the officers, the king only accepting 

their offer and adding not infrequently that the levies must be raised at their 

own expense, “there being no money in the treasury.” But he (king) could 

appoint them Colonels or Captains of the soldiers they were to bring over to 

the assistance of Sweden, and this he did in the so-called “Litteræ Stipendii.” 

That is why they changed sides from time to time for more money. 

We are paying attention to the battle of Clushina on July 

1610, not only because of its historical importance but also 

because in our opinion the fate and future of a some of the 

Learmonths was to be greatly influenced as a result of this battle. 

We believe that Patrick Learmonth, a brother of Sir William 

Learmonth of Dairsie (Provost of St. Andrews in 1597-1601) was killed 

during this battle. Patrick Learmonth (ID: 865) served in the Swedish army 

between years 1609-1613. This Patrick Learmonth was obviously a son of 

James Learmonth of Dairsie and Janet Sandilands (they married in about 

1560). We have confirmation of this in a letter from James Spens (Swedish 

Ambassador in London) to Gustavus Adolphus dated 20 July 1614 and 

received 14 October 1614. The original letter appears to be in the Swedish 

archives. He enquires on behalf of 'William Learmonth, elder brother of 

Your Majesty's Captain Patrick Learmonth now deceased, who has entrusted 

my servant, the bearer of this letter, with his letters of commendation asking 

to recover what concerns his brother Patrick Learmonth (by virtus (sic) of 

his being next of kin)' (Ref. Diane Baptie GD334/107 - Spens Monuments, 

235

London 1614-07-25 Reg. nr. 3508). The Latin text of James Spens’s 

correspondence with Axel Oxenstierna is detailed below: 

“Tertio negotium Guilielmi Lermonthiis, Capitanei Patricii 

Lermonthiis sub Rege iam extincti fratris senioris, qui literas suas 

mandatorias præsentium latori, seruo meo, tradidit, vt quæcunque ad fratrem 

suum Patricium Lermonthium (ipsius vt proximi hæredis nomine) 

pertinebant, repetat siue ut debita siue alio quocunque modo. 

Simili etiam pacto de Capitanei Dauidis Spensii bonis, cuius pater 

ætate provectus, verbi divini prædicator, ægenus nonnihil est. Pro quibus 

veniam peto, si vltra quàm deceat sollicitus videar, cum consanguinei mihi 

valdè sint. Supplicatio itaque mea est, vt non modò ipsis de debitis solvatur, 

verùm vt autoritate Regia muniatur præsentium lator, quò faciliùs apud alios 

bonorum illorum possessores ipsi repondeatur” 

(http://62.20.57.212/ra/ao/Spens_1614-20_SWE.html). 

This last letter also confirmed that Captain Patrick Learmonth was 

deceased by 1614. So we can be reasonably certain that Captain Patrick 

Learmonth was dead by 1614. Theses letters stated that this Captain Patrick 

Learmonth had eldest brother William Learmonth (of Dairsie) and was 

proximate relative of James Spens. We already know that James Spens was 

the son of David Spens and Margaret Learmonth of Darsie who in turn was a 

sister of William Learmonth of Dairsie. So James Spens was a cousin of 

Captain Patrick Learmonth. This Patrick Learmonth was probably born in 

1564-1570. So he was about 40 years old when James Spens made his first 

enlistment for King Charles IX of Sweden in 1610 (please, see above). His 

death before 1614 leads us to believe that he was probably killed during the 

battle of Clushina in 1610. 

It is in general accepted that Scots were very supportive for their 

relatives or Clan members when they went to serve abroad as mercenaries. 

One could find many individuals with the same surname in the records as 

“Scots in Sweden”, “Scots in Germany”, “Scots in East and West Prussia” 

(http://www.electricscotland.com; Scotland, Scandinavia & Northern 

Europe, 1580-1707, by Steve Murdoch & Alexia Grosjean, 1998-2006; 

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk). 

Bearing in mind the number of Learmonths who served abroad in 

1603-1630 it was not only Patrick Learmonth who decided to support his kin 

James Spens in his military career in 1606. 

Peter Learmonth (ID: 5222; please, see above) could be Patrick 

Learmonth, a son of William Learmonth of Dairsie and Cecil Wemyss. He 

may be the same as Peter Learmonth who was an ensign in Swedish service 

236

in 1603 (ID: 1763). He was probably the same Peter Learmonth who was 

captured by the Poles whilst in Swedish service, fighting on behalf of 

Muscovy during Russia's hostilities with Poland-Lithuania 1610-16. He then 

entered Polish service and commanded troops at Smolensk and Viazma and 

fought against Moscow in 1617-18. All these bit of evidence lead us to 

believe that this Learmonth fought in the battle of Clushina. He then entered 

Polish service and had a good career serving King Sigismund III. 

George Learmonth (ID: 3968; 1593(?)-1634) was an ensign in 

1613. He crossed over from Polish to Russian service with other Scots in 

the Polish garrison of Belaya in 1613. 

A review of other literary sources regarding the many Learmonths in 

military service brought to our attention the fact that most of them as did the 

thousands of other Scotsmen joined the army in Poland and Germany 

through the levies for Sweden. Sir James Spens levied mercenaries in 

Scotland in 1606-1610. Patrick Learmonth, Peter/Patrick Learmonth said 

above could be among them; also George Learmonth (ID: 3968). George 

Learmonth, probably a son of John Learmonth and Elizabeth Myrton, (b. 

around 1590) was an ensign and as yet inexperienced in military service. It 

is possible that all three were with the Swedish General De la Gardie and 

participated at the battle of Clushina. It is quite possible that one Learmonth 

was recorded as Patrick and the other one as Peter. It could be that Captain 

Patrick Learmonth was killed. Peter/Patrick and George Learmonth then 

came over to the Poles. Peter/Patrick Learmonth was the eldest and as a 

result experienced so he started to move up in his military career. George 

Learmonth was with the Polish troops around Smolensk during 1610-1613. 

It is quite possible as King Sigismund III needed the mercenaries 

desperately. He held mercenary troops in Mozhaisk near Moscow and 

around Smolensk: Borovsk, Vyasma, Dorogobuzh, and Belaya. Many 

mercenaries who came over to the Poles after the Clushina Battle 

participated in the Battle for Moscow and took the Kremlin. The war with 

Russia being successful in 1610-1612 brought a great deal of trouble for 

Poland towards the end of 1612 and at the beginning of 1613. In November 

1612 Sigismund lost hope of catching Moscow and the Poles were forced to 

leave Volokolamsk (near Moscow). Then Sigismund and most of his troops 

moved to Warsaw. Poles were holding the areas around Smolensk mostly 

with mercenaries. All mercenaries were called “nemzsy” by Russians. That 

meant “non Russian speaking” or “dumb”. Dumb sound in Russian “nemoi” 

237

so a person was called “nemezh”. This applied not just to the Germans but to 

all foreigners. 

The new Tsar Michael Romanov was elected on 21 February 1613. 

He immediately became the supreme power in Russia his coronation taking 

place on the 11 July 1613. Meanwhile the war with Poland was continuing. 

Smolensk was the key city on the way from Poland to Moscow. Russian 

troops moved through the western regions. The commanders of the Russian 

Army were Dmitri Cherkassky and Michael Buturlin. They seized Vyasma 

and Dorogobuzh (already mentioned above), advanced and came to Belaya. 

The defenders of Belay composed mostly from mercenaries tried to resist. 

But it did not last long. Belaya was seized on August 1613. 

There were 64 mercenaries who came over the Russian side and one 

of them was George Learmonth (he wrote himself as George Leirmont. That 

spelling of the Learmonth surname was accepted at the beginning of the 17 th 

century. Please, see part 2 and part 3). 

So the circumstances accompanying George Leirmont’s 

appearance in Russia in 1613 lets us to think that he was one of 

those closely related Learmonths who fought at Clushina for 

Russia, then came over the Polish side forcedly, and then one 

more time and now finally came over Russia. 

The peculiar fact could be in favor of our version. Thomas Learmonth 

(ID:2911) who served first as an ensign with John Meldrom's [SSNE 572] 

regiment between 1629-30, was found in Russian records in 1632-1633. 

238

Thomas Learmonth was an ensign in the regiment of one James 

Wilson/Williamson/Wallace, and was paid 10 rubles per month, though the 

latter he is yet to be traced (“Georg Lermont. The founder of the Russian 

branch Lermontov” by Vasili Storozhev, Moscow 1894, page 14). This 

Thomas Learmonth perfectly fits for son of John Laermonth and Elizabeth 

Myrton (b. around 1590). We do think that he went to Russia to find and to 

communicate with his brother George Learmonth. 

So this small fact can make the whole story of the origin of 

the founder of the Russian branch of Learmonth quite clear. 

Namely George Leirmont/Learmonth was a son of john 

Learmonth of Balcomie and Elizabeth Myrton. To gratify the 

Russian Lermontov’s vainglory we would like to remind that this 

George Learmonth could be the descendent from the Scottish 

King James Stewart II (1430-1460) in fifth generation (please, 

see George Learmonth of Balcomie (~1523-1585) above). If that 

true (and we believe it is true) so it could be the tragic fact that 

Russian Poet Michael Yurievich Lermontov did not know who 

was his ancestor and he suffered so much the whole life of the 

“misery” of the ancestor from his father side. 

“George Lermont came over Russia” 

In 1613 George Lermont was among at least sixty other Scots and as 

many Irishmen men, who were either captured or changed sides during the 

siege at Belaya and who then became part of the Russian army. They were 

made very welcome because Russia was desperate for trained soldiers. 

The earliest list of these Scottish / Irish mercenaries was dated 

October 1616 and was made for the distribution of salaries in Tula where the 

Scots and Irish were in service. 

According to this account there was a company of 64 Scottish soldiers 

who were divided into three groups. They had their own command structure, 

"shlyahtichi" or nobility and ordinary. These Scottish companies were called 

“Shcotskie nemzhi” (Oleg Skobelkin, Voronrzh University, Voronezh, 

Russia, 2001). 

George (son of Henry?) Leirmont, an ensign was in one of these companies 

and was to eventually become the ancestor of the Russian poet Michael 

239

Yurevich Lermontov. In Russia this George Leirmont left his signature on 

two documents: “George Leirmont with my Hand”, “I George Leirmont with 

my hall company has under wirittin this wryiting thatt, this man is dead att 

this same day” (V.N. Storozhev, 1894, appendix V, page 24). 

Georgo 

Leirmont 

of Balcomy 

July 1586 

We found Leirmont spelling of the Learmonth surname at the original 

wills of Sir George Learmonth of Balcomie dated 1586 («Оfficial 

government source of genealogical data for Scotland»: 

www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk). 

We note that Vasily Storozhev did not include in his manuscript the 

original documents that George was the “son of Henry” or “son of Andrey”. 

George Lermont's patronymic (a name derived from the father or ancestor) 

as Andreevich appeared for the first time in V.V. Nikolskoi's publication 

(“Russian olden time” “Russkaya Starina”, 1873). The original document 

had not been found yet to confirm V.V. Nikolskoi's statement. 

It should be noted that George Leirmont was called Yury Andreevich 

in many Russian publications, but it does not mean, that the name of his 

father was Andrew, it could be Henry or any other. Andreevich appeared for 

the first time in Nikolsky's publication (1873) when Nikolsky presented the 

genealogy of the Russain Lermont’s so this would have been 54 years after 

George Leirmont's death. Another well known Russian historian Vasili 

Storozhev never referred to George Leirmont's patronymics from early 

documents. 

240

It would have been known in Russia that Saint Andrew is the patron 

saint of Scotland. We believe that George Leirmont was from the 

Learmonth’s of Balcomie family and therefore came from a place that was 

located very close to the marvelous town of St Andrews. Moreover 

Learmonths of Balcomie had tight administrative connections with the city 

of St. Andrews. It is very likely that George received the patronymics in 

honour of his Scottish origins and his hometown of St. Andrews. This was 

may have been his way of keeping the link to his native country. He 

naturally would have told his Russian relatives about the city and country of 

his birth so about St. Andrews. That is probably why they gave him the 

name Andreevich and why one of his sons was called Andrew. 

At this time in Russia it was most important to demonstrate that you 

were a person of consequence. George Leirmont’s position as a person in 

service was "shlyahtich" (slyahstvo in Polish) which was an exclusive class 

in Poland and Lithuania and the equivalent of Russian nobility. When 

George Leirmont arrived in Russia he gave himself the title of “Shlihtich” 

which could be considered to be a little bit over the top, however George 

would not have realized this. In Scotland it was generally expected that 

when being introduced an individual would ensure his status and that of his 

family would be made known and it would not be seen as snobbish or 

boasting. According to the statement of Bishop John Leslie who published 

“History of Scotland" in 1578 “This custom was shared by all people, not 

only nobility" Characteristic features of consciousness and behavior were 

kept and even amplified, since the XV century the natives of Scotland, 

mainly minor noblemen (Lairds), in great numbers went to live and work 

across mainland Europe, in France, Netherlands, Germany, the Scandinavian 

countries, Poland and Russia. They often achieved success as merchants as 

well as mercenary soldiers and thereby increased their social status although 

they were originally only the younger sons of the Clan chiefs”. The younger 

members of the Scottish Learmonth’s of Dairsie and Balcomie were 

considered to be minor nobility despite their importance in the Scottish 

magistrate court of St Andrews, Parliament, Protestantism and other political 

and military processes in Scotland particularly in XIVth - XVIIth centuries. 

We now consider the genealogy of George Leirmont's grandsons 

presented in 1688 (which was published by V.V.Nikolski, in 1873 “Russian 

olden time"/ “Russkaya Starina” and then republished by Vasili Storozhev, 

in 1894 appendix XII, p. 33). 

They begin the genealogy directly with George Leirmont. We 

therefore assume that they either did not know, or they did not want to 

241

identify George Leirmont's parents or the place of his birth in Scotland. 

They only confirm that George Leirmont was of Scottish origin. The text is 

difficult to translate exactly into English (interpretation by Tatiana 

Molchanova): 

“And in the land of Shkotskoj (Scotland) to our relative it is given. 

In years from Christmas Hristova (Jesus Christ) 1057th the direct 

successor of Shkotskie (Scottish) land Milkolumbusa (read Malcolm III) 

drove out the tyrant Makbetus (Macbeth) and father Milkolambusova 

Dankanusa the third that name killed (read: drove out the tyrant Macbeth 

who killed the Malcolm’s father Duncan III) . 

And Milkolambus (Malcolm III) got a support from the English King 

Edward and King Edward gave order and had sent people who want to help 

Malcolm to re-conquer his native realm. 

And many nobles from England, France and other countries have 

gone with Malcolm III and they helped Malcolm to conquer his Scottish 

land. 

And they were awarded for their such services with ancestral lands, 

and Lermant was given an ancestral lands gospodinstvo (read manor) Rarsi 

(read Dairsie) which gospodinstvom (read manor) and nowadays his 

successors own. 

Hector Boetsyev (Hector Boece or Hector Boetium), Jaganus Lesli 

(James Leslie) testifies about this, and other chroniclers. Under that is 

written in the hand of the general and lieutenant Peter Ivanov son of Gordon, 

and other colonels and on against it there is written in nemetski (English) by 

their hands " (V. Storozhev, page 33, the appendix 12) 

Lermonts having passed about 700 years presented some unnamed 

relative, to whom the lands have been belonged in Rarsi (read Dairsie) in 

1057 and successors of that Lermont owned this estate till nowadays. 

According to this statement the Lermont’s owned Dairsie Castle from the 

year 1057. 

It is a matter of public record that Dairsie was purchased by David 

Learmonth of Clatto in December 1520. The Learmonths then sold Dairsie 

in 1616 to the Spottiswood family. This shows that in 1688 George 

Leirmont’s grandsons did not know, that the Learmonth family were no 

longer the owners of Dairsie Castle or the Dairsie Estate and illustrates that 

from 1616 to 1688 neither George nor any of his family had any contact 

with the Scottish Fife Learmonths. 

It is also very unusual that the family tree of the Russian Lermonts 

presented in 1688 was signed by a general of the Russian army Peter 

242

Ivanovich Gordon, a person close to Tsar Peter the Great. Peter Ivanovich 

Gordon, or Patrick Leopold Gordon (1635-1699) was a Scotsman. Further 

details of Patrick Gordon are given later as his fate was similar to that which 

befell George Leirmont. 

It has always been assumed that George was a member of the 

Learmonths of Balcomie family mainly because they were the most well 

known during this period and because other members of this family were 

involved as mercenaries in Sweden and Russia. It is of course just as likely 

that George was from another branch of the family and that he stayed in 

Russia because he had been successful and therefore created the opportunity 

of a much better life for himself and his family. 

George Leirmont settled in Russia and was accepted into Russian 

military service in 1613 by Prince M. M. Cherkasski and M. M. Buturlin. At 

this time both were powerful men at the court of Tsar Michael Fyodorovich 

Romanov, Prince M. M. Cherkasski being a close relative of the Tsar. 

Being accepted into the Russian army, George received a fixed salary. 

There is no record of his army service from 1613 to 1616. However between 

1613 and 1616 one action by the "Belaya’s Scots” under the command of 

Captain Andrew (Henry) Mowbray (sounds Ondrey Mutr in Russian) led to 

the humiliation of the rebellious Cossacks. Another section under the 

command of William Durie was in Tula and beat off several Tatar attacks. A 

petition (application) from George Leirmont dated 1628 when listing his 

military career stated that he fought against the Tatars, so it is quite possible 

that he was with Durie at Tula during these actions. This regiment acted 

under the overall command of prince Vasily Kurakin. The Tula service was 

hard and dangerous many Scots and Russians were killed or badly wounded. 

However George Leirmont survived and in 1617 he was promoted to 

lieutenant with the approval of the whole company to replace David 

Edwards who had been killed. 

In September 1617 Vladislav, the son of the Polish King, together 

with Hetman Hodkevich opposed the Russian state. The Russian 

commanders were very worried when they learnt, that the king's son had an 

army and that Dorogobuzh and Vayzma had fallen into the hands of 

Vladislav. However Kaluga protected by Prince Dimitriem Mihajlovichem 

Pozharskim had not surrendered. In June 1618 there was a battle for 

Mozhaisk. George Leirmont was with the regiment that was led by boyars 

Boris Mihajlovichem Lykov and Grigory Valuev. The Russians beat off the 

attack by Vladislav at Mozhaisk and several weeks then passed without any 

further action. Therefore in August 1618 Prince Lykov supported by Prince 

243

D. M. Pozharski disengaged the armies from Mozhaisk and returned to 

Moscow. 

In the action at Mozhaisk George Leirmont was under the command 

of the very influential Prince Boris Mihajlovicha Lykov. He, as well as 

Prince Dmitry Mamstrjukovich Cherkassky, was close relatives of the 

reigning Michael Fedorovicha Romanov. 

In September 1618 Vladislav moved directly towards Moscow. 

George Leirmont was in Moscow at this time with a group under the 

command of Prince Vasily Semyonovicha Kurakin. On the night of the 1st 

October 1618 he fought at the Arbat gate during an attack from Valadislavs 

army. The military group that protected the Arbat gate, not only caused 

heavy losses on the enemy, but also made a successful sortie. On this attack 

a Scots lieutenant Peter/Patrick Yule was killed. George Leirmont was 

appointed to replace him. 

Thus in September 1618 George Leirmont was promoted to the rank 

of Captain of the “Shcotskoya”/Scottish company. Also his pay was 

increased five fold for five years military service in Russia (1613-1618) and 

for his regular communications addressed to Tsar Michael Fyodorovich. His 

important role in the actions he was engaged in together with his personal 

qualities ensured promotion and the increase in his pay. His reputation was 

also greatly enhanced due to his service under the high-ranking and 

influential commanders Prince Dmitry Mamstrjukovich Cherkassky, Prince 

Boris Mihajlovich Lykov and Prince Vasily Semyonovich Kurakin. 

By the end of 1618 Poland and Russia signed an armistice which 

allowed George Leirmont and other foreigners to make plans for their future. 

In 1619 Captain George Leirmont with other Scots wrote an application to 

the Sovereign. They listed the services they had performed as soldiers on 

behalf of the Tsar and the Russian people. The purpose of the application 

was a request to grant them lands and financial assistance so that they could 

become Russian citizens and land owners. The resolution under this 

application was received in accordance with a policy of the Sovereign 

“Foreigners are not taken into the imperial service by force. In the same way 

as nobody would be married by force in Moscow. The Sovereign does not 

offend anyone who bows to the imperial service. The Sovereign shows his 

favour to any foreigners who would like to serve him. These foreigners 

would not be driven away and they would have moneyed assistance. The 

lands could be granted only to those foreigners who would wish to remain in 

the State of Moscow forever” (“History of Russia” S. Solovyov, vol. 9). 

244

A list of the 47 individuals who decided to stay in Russia can be 

found in the “The book of orders” Amongst the names recorded are Captain 

George Leirmont, Captain Jacob Shaw, Ensigns Ian Farfar (John Fermor) 

and Jan Wood (John Wood). 

This George Leirmont's decision to remain in Russia in 

1619 has defined the future of the Russian Lermontovs. 

In 1620 George Leirmont, Jacob Shaw, Ian Farfar (John Fermor) and 

Jan Wood (John Wood) all received estates in the Galich, Zabolotski’s 

districts. George Leirmont and his fellow Scots received their lands in 

accordance with the Russian Law for ownership of estates by foreigners. 

These estates were not a personal gift from the Tsar Michael Fyodorovich 

Romanov to George Leirmont (V. Storozhev, 1894). 

Before the Polish intervention a large part of the district of Galich 

consisted of the so-called "black" lands. It meant that peasants who lived 

here did not really know the serfdom. Tsar Michael Fyodorovich distributed 

the Galich Lands to Russian well born boyars and also to foreigners who 

wanted to stay in Russia. In the year 1621 and in 1628 George Leirmont 

received the official documents of ownership of 10 estates signed by the 

local clerk Ivan Grjazeva. The villages where he received land were in: 

Kuznezhovo, Usol’zhevo, Cheremisovo, Filino, Ryavkino, Semenkovo, 

Okatovo, Pravilkino, Kopylovo and Ostrozhnikovo on the rive Penka (near 

Chuhloma) 

On the modern Russian map some of these villages still have the same 

names, which are surprising, but it confirms the reliability of the documents 

from 1621 / 1628. 

245

Ismailovo 

Kusnetsovo 

Kolotilovo Chukhloma 

Ostrozhnikovo 

Usol’tsevo 

Filino 

Semenkovo 

Usol’tsevo 

Galich 

Filino 

Semenkovo 

246

The estate meant a conditional possession of land in Russia at the end 

XV - the beginnings of XVIII centuries. The estate was given by the state to 

person who had to provide the military service and the public service. The 

estate was not a subject for sale, an exchange and inheritance. In XVI-XVII 

centuries an ancestral ownership of the land gradually approached and has 

been secured under the decree in 1714. The ancestral lands are the most 

ancient kind of the landed property in Russia passed by right of succession. 

We have now enough information to understand that George (now in 

Russian: Georg or Yuri Yuriya or even Yushko) Leirmont was a person 

with serious intentions of arrangement of the decent life in Moscow State (in 

Russia). Owing to his duly service he has received estates and the monetary 

assistance or salary and by 1620 he owned dozens of villages. So George 

Leirmont became the Russian landowner and belonged to personnel (in our 

modern mean) of the State. We also can assume what kind of person was 

George Leirmont. According to his signature under the papers that were left 

in 1613 George Leirmont was literary person and wrote well in English. He 

probably got the education that was mostly available to wealthy families in 

Scotland in XVI – XVII centuries. Leirmont was held in respect also in trust 

by the colleagues. He was kind and took care for soldiers that he was 

247

esponsible by his duty. He had been certainly brave, courageous, racks and 

possessed professional skills of the soldier (for five years of heavy battles he 

has not been wounded). George Leirmont was estimated at commander's 

true worth; and he quickly moved ahead in military career. George Leirmont 

was very practical person to what its regular applications on increase of the 

salary and amplification his estates testify. Bearing duly military service, 

George Leirmont was strongly attracted by family busyness and took care 

for his successors. George Leirmont had three sons William, Peter/Patrick 

and Andrew/Henry. The names of his sons were always spelled in English 

manner in the original early documents but not in Russian equivalents as it 

were used to spell in Russia. We know that these sons were from his first 

married quite possible as yet he was in Scotland. The name of his first wife 

had sunk into oblivion. Subsequently Peter has remained Peter, and 

Andrew/Henry began to be called as Andrey later on. William Leirmont 

served in the Russian army. In 1634 he was with the Prince Ivan Borisovich 

Cherkassky’s regiment and had a pretty good salary. William had never the 

estate and lived separately from his father’s second family. He was probably 

killed in 1636 on the battle fields (V. Storozhev, 1894, page 16). As concern 

the date of William birth there is some kind inconsistence. George 

Leirmonth was very busy in 1613-1620. He almost continuously participated 

in the battles. He was sending petitions for the increase of his monetary 

assistance practically every year. Did he have time to marry and start a 

family in Russia in 1613-1620? The answer is more likely not. But his 

activities say us the he was worried about his wealth so he probably was 

marriage and/or had children somewhere else for example in Scotland. 

William Leirmont, his son, had pretty good salary in 1634. If he was born in 

Russia in 1613 or later so he would be about 20 years old in 1634. We doubt 

that as George Leirmont was too busy to marry in 1613-1620. Certainly 

William could not be born after 1620 as he could not be experienced soldier 

with a good pay at the age of 14. So it is coming up that the eldest son 

William Leirmont was probably born before George Leirmont came over to 

Russia. The same concerns of his other two sons Peter and Andrew who 

were William’s brothers. Their Scottish names are in favor of this 

hypothesis. 

George Leirmont’s activities during the 1620-1628 years were mostly 

directed to the management and improvement of his estates. He married for 

the second time by the Russian woman. George Leirmont’s second wife was 

Ekaterina Fedorovna NN*. She has accepted stepsons Peter and Andrew and 

treated them as they were her own children. As we already discussed above 

the eldest son William was in the military service so he did not live with the 

248

new father’s family. Ekaterina Fedorovna was a decent and practical Russian 

woman if we will judge her efforts to save her husband’s estates and to take 

proper care for sharing of the property between successors after George 

Leirmont's death in 1634. There is a true feeling that relations were warm 

and confidential in the Leirmont’s family based even on scanty information 

that we can find. George and his wife Ekaterina had a daughter Ekaterina (b. 

about1623-1625). In 1628 the financial affairs of George Leirmont were 

more than safely. 

Over 1620-1628 the Moscow State experienced a hard time in the 

making of the superpower of the Romanov Dynasty. 

There is a brief list of these events (S. Solovyov, v. 9): marriage of Tsar with 

princes Dolgorukaya and a death of tsarina (1624.).The marriage of Tsar with Eudokia 

Lukjanovna Streshneva (1625). The aggressive relations with Crimea and Tatars. 

Business with Sweden; imperial orders to army commanders related to the church and 

deserters; the relations with Gustavus-Adolfus concerning the Poland (1626); the 

Relations with England; the great help of James VI & I of Scotland and England in war 

with Poland; arrival of English ambassador Merick and negotiations with him; opinions 

of the Moscow visitors on English trade; the termination of a question on travel of 

English merchants from Persian along the River Volga. The first French ambassador in 

Moscow. Embassies: Dutch, Danish, Hungarian, Persian. Polish affair: the reasons of 

new war enclosed in Deulin’s armistice; offensive letters to Tsar Michael from Poland. 

Poles threaten with the impostor; Turks induce tsar with a war against Poland. 

Preparations to the war with Poland which was expected after termination of the term of 

Deuline’s armistice on 1 st July 1633). 

The Tsar and the Moscow government paid special attention to the 

modernization of army by introduction of the foreign experts and to 

strengthening of the army staff by foreign officers. There were Poles, 

Lithuanians, Scots, Englishmen, Irish, Germen, Danes, Greeks, Serbs and 

Romanians among foreign officers who were newly levied into the Russian 

imperial service. The formation of two Russian regiments consisted from 

mercenaries were bring up to strength in the April 1630. An outstanding 

Scottish officer the Colonel Alexander Leslie was sent by the King James VI 

& I of Scotland and England to Russia to manage the new mercenary 

regiments. During the same time foreigners of the old entrance had been 

called. Together with new officers they should become chiefs and instructors 

of the newly formatting regiments. 

Captain George Leirmont was called by Prince Ivan Borisovich 

Cherkasski in June 1632 to train and to command the rider company that 

consisted from about 200 persons. William Leirmont, son of George 

Leirmont, served at the same Ivan Borisovich Cherkasski’s regiment at least 

in 1635. So it is quite possible that father and son served together. 

249

The same year, May 1632, we found Thomas Learmonth who entered 

the Russian military service among the new levy of mercenaries. Thomas 

Learmonth was ensign in the James Williamson’s regiment. There are no 

documents confirming that Thomas Learmonth met George Leirmont. We 

found that Thomas Learmonth was possibly a son of John Learmonth of 

Balcomie and Elizabeth Myrton (please, see above text). We do not believe 

that Thomas Learmonth went to Russia just by chance. He served before in 

Sweden. He appeared in Russia in 1632 for 2 years and then again went to 

serve in Sweden. We do think that Thomas Learmonth used the occasion to 

try to find his relative George Leirmont who was his brother. 

Since 1632 up to the end of Smolensk war in 1634 the Russian 

government had generated 10 regiments and brought up to strength all 

mercenaries (about 17 thousands soldiers) under the leadership of Scottish 

Colonel Alexander Leslie. 

Alexander Leslie (1590-1663) of Auchintoul was the son of William Leslie, 

third laird of Crichie, a branch of the Balquhain Leslies. This is the Colonel Alexander 

Leslie who was in Russia in the 1630s during the Smolensk War. He was Russia's first 

General and reformer of the Muscovite army. In 1618 he was an officer in Polish employ, 

captured by the Russians, but released. In 1629 he was a colonel in Sweden, sent by King 

Gustav II Adolf on a mission to Moscow and entered the Tsar's service. Leslie returned to 

Sweden in April 1631 to inform King Gustav II Adolf that war between Russia and 

Poland was imminent. In 1631 he recruited thousands of soldiers in Western countries 

including Scotland and supervised the first regiments of "foreign order" organised and 

armed along Western lines. In 1632-4 he was one of the Russian commanders in the 

Smolensk War. In 1654 he wrested Smolensk from the Poles and became Tsar's governor 

there (ID:2916 in Steve Murdoch database) 

In 1632 the 30-thousands Russian army under command of boyar 

Sheina had besieged the Smolensk. However the siege lasted for 8 months 

so much longer than Russians expected. The time was lost. The political 

situation had been changed in Poland. And the new Polish King Vladislav 

IV defeated Smolensk in 1634 but Russia failed to re-conquer her own 

territories. There were left survived 8056 soldiers from the 30 0000 of the 

Russian army who went home. About 2000 wounded men were left under 

Smolensk. 

George Leirmont was killed in the battle for Smolensk in 

1634 although the exact date of his death is not known. 

In conclusion we can say that George Leirmont was an intelligent 

man, an excellent soldier, a good organizer and family man. 

250

Were these characteristics inherited from his Scottish ancestors? Any 

Scot would say yes. His general background and education obviously came 

from his Scottish family as would most of his other characteristics but his 

own experience of the struggle for life and for prosperity came from his own 

efforts and his need to succeed. 

Thus George Leirmont, being a Scotsman, who through his profession 

as a mercenary soldier settled in Russia which he came to regard as his new 

fatherland and started a Scottish / Russian family which in turn imparted 

both his strength and the good traditions of his family to his Russian 

descendants. 

It is not known exactly when the letters ‘ov’ became attached to the 

name Leirmont making it Lermontov. However George’s children at some 

time after 1634 started to be called Lermontov this small change making the 

name sound Russian. 

The genealogy of the Russian Lermontov family during the years 1613-1870 

shows that all the male descendants had a military rank. 

Peter Yurievich Lermontov, a son of George Leirmont, was the 

military deputy in the Russian city of Saransk in 1655-1657. The military 

deputy was the Provost of the city and had military rank and military 

authority. His conversion into Russian Orthodoxy in 1653 helped him in his 

career. Peter Yurivich was also introduced to the Russian Tsar Aleksey 

Michailovich. 

Peter’s position as a Provost of a Russian city is very similar to the 

Scottish Learmonth’s of Dairsie and of Balcomie who were Provosts of St. 

Andrews. This may not be just a coincidence, Peter may well have been told 

by his father the stories of his Scottish ancestors, therefore this may have 

motivated Peter to do his best to emulate them. Peter Yurivich Lermontov’s 

sons, Yuri (Evtihi) and Peter, served finally as “Stolniks” an ancient Russian 

court rank. 

In the structure of Russian service “Stolnik” was in fifth place: 

1.“Boyars” (the court rank, is the highest rank of service in Russia, 

and are people with a high noble title) 

2. “Frontier officer” (a court rank, usually a person who took care of 

the Tsar’s travels abroad and for the Tsar’s negotiations with the foreign 

embassies). 

3. “Member of Duma” (State Council), highborn noblemen. 

4.“Duma’s clerks” 

251

5. “Stolnik” (a court rank, Tsar Palace officer), solicitor and others 

(more than 20 categories). 

As pointed out earlier we have been unable to find any records that 

identify George Leirmont’s parents and the place of his birth. The coat of 

arms registered by the Russian Lermontov family is one clue to his family 

origins. The history of George Leirmont’s Scottish ancestors would naturally 

be passed on by him to his children and his children in their turn to their 

children. This would be followed by the recording of the genealogy of the 

Russian Lermontov family. This information was then supplied officially in 

1688 to the Russian “Book of Rights” in accordance with the Russian law of 

the time. 

The Russian Tsar Feodor Alekseeviche Romanov (1661-1682, Tsar 

from 1676) cancelled regionalism (regionalism in Russia was the order of 

appointment to high positions in State service which was awarded according 

to how high born an individual was and the position of his ancestors in the 

hierarchy which served the supreme power). There was an order to burn all 

records (so called “Books of Ranks”) containing the regional affairs and 

including the data of the genealogy of the most ancient and prominent 

families in Russia. Tsar Aleksey Ferdorovich decided that a person’s level of 

ability and suitability for State service did not necessarily relate to a person’s 

level of nobility. To support the records of the Russian noble families there 

was an order to create the “Pedigree Books”. These books contained a list of 

data and the genealogy of all noble families but did not give any records of 

their personal ranks at the State Council. The Tsar also made an order to 

appoint a Special Committee (in Russian “palata”) to manage the Russian 

noble pedigrees. This committee worked successfully for many years. 

However after his death in 1682 this system was strongly criticized by 

Russian historians (P.N. Petrov “The history of the Russian noble 

pedigrees”, 1886) and by N. P. Lihachirv, the well known historian, who 

wrote that the information regarding a person’s genealogy detailed in these 

books came from the creator of the pedigree. Therefore some of the families 

who were included in these publications were creating a family tree based on 

the author’s imagination and not on information which could be proved 

(http://www.chronologia.org). 

We have no proof that the statements made above are correct nor have 

we any interest in either proving or disproving any families genealogy but 

we have to discuss the possibly of wrong information or wishful thinking. 

Therefore this is why the Lermontovs presented their genealogy in 

1688. It was done in accordance with an order from the Tsar. The Russian 

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Leirmont / Lermontov family pedigree of 1688 was confirmed by original 

documents. Our investigation of George Leirmont’s life in Russia is based 

on these published documents. The description of the origins of the 

Learmonth Clan in Scotland in the year 1057 given in Russia in 1688 is 

almost identical to that of the Scottish chroniclers except for the ownership 

in 1057 of Dairsie by the Learmonth’s this detail was not included in the 

Scottish archive. 

There could be a number of reasons for this: 

George may have read about the origins of the Learmonth’s in a 

book. We know he was educated and could read and write. However it is 

much more likely that the story of the Learmonth’s Scottish origins in 1057 

would have been told to George by his father or a family member when he 

was a child as this was the way Scottish families and indeed families 

everywhere passed on information about ancestors and legends. So in his 

turn George Leirmont would tell the story to his sons and his sons told their 

sons. If George Leirmont’s parents lived in Dairsie, in the county of Fife, he 

could have added this information to the story of his family origins 

Therefore 54 years, after George’s death, his grandsons just mixed the two 

elements together and gave the story of their ancestors in Scotland as it is 

recorded in Russia in 1688 

The information presented by the Lermontovs in 1688 is as already 

stated very similar to the details from original Scottish sources. The list of 

names (supporters of Malcolm III in 1057) has been taken from Scottish 

historical records. We discovered during our investigations that many 

Scottish and English chroniclers and historians considered that there was 

only one, or certainly very few ancient Scottish sources for this information 

therefore many historians referred to the same record in their publications. 

One of the earliest sources could be a manuscript of Marianus Scotus, 1083, 

the Irish founder of the Benedictine Abbey of St James at Regensburgh in Germany. 

The monastery was transferred by the Pope to Scottish monks in 1515. This rarity is 

about 280 pages. It was written on parchment and is not available to the public. The 

next one was Florence of Worcester who was an English chronicler; all that is 

known of his personal history is that he was a monk of Worcester and that he died 

in 1118. His "Chronicon ex Chronicis" is the first attempt made in England to write 

a universal chronicle from the creation onwards, but the universal part is based 

entirely on the work of Marianus Scotus an Irish monk who died at Mainz about 

1082. 

The other book is “Cant. Scalacronica” c. 1280” or “The Scalacronica”, in 

particular, provides a unique insight into the way in which English history was 

viewed by a politically and militarily active member of the gentry, at a time when 

253

such men were wielding increasing influence in the conduct of government. The 

most remarkable work is the Scalacronica, written in French by a layman, Thomas 

Gray. This is the only surviving historical work by a member of the fourteenthcentury 

knightly class. A new edition of the Scalacronica is needed, as the existing 

1836 one, by Joseph Stevenson (Scalacronica, by Sir Thomas Gray or Heton, Knight 

(Edinburgh, 1836), prints only about a quarter of the text, the part from 1066 

onwards. The translation by H.E. Maxwell published in 1907 (Scalacronica. The 

Reigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III, (Glasgow, 1907) 

http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/mcpproject.htm). 

We believe that these last two sources were not available to the general 

public in Scotland at the end of XVI and the beginning of the XVII centuries. 

In 1688 the Lermontovs when detailing the story of their Scottish ancestor 

referred to Hector Boece and Jagunus Leslie (read John Leslie). Hector Boece 

(~1435-1536) wrote his book in Latin: “Boece, Hector Scotorum historiae a prima 

gentis origine, cum aliarum et rerum et gentium illustratione non vulgari, Libri 

XIX. Hectore Boethio Deidonano auctore. Duo postremi huius historiae libri nunc 

primum... Paris. Vaenundantur a Iacobo du Puys sub signo Samaritanae, prope 

collegium Cameracense, 1574.” There is a text related to Leirmonts: “Multarum 

nova cognomina Scotorum familiis indita, Calder, Locart, Gordon, Setoun, Gallora, 

Laudir, Wawain, Meldrun, Shaw, Leirmont, Libert, Straquhyn, Cargil, Ratra, 

Doundas, Cocburn, Mar, Menzees, Abbercromme, Lesbei, Myrtoun multaque alia 

praediorum nomina, quibus viri fortes a rege donati in munerum concessere 

cognomina."(Hector Boethicus или Boece, Parisiis, 1574). 

Most of the British historians consider Boece’s “History of Scotland” as a 

book that contains a lot of invented facts and fairytales. However that is the most 

cited book in Scottish genealogy. The Scottish king James V asked William Stewart 

(1480-1550, poet, member of the University of St. Andrews, and a companion of the 

Scottish King James V) to translate Boece’s book into English which was 

successfully completed. 

According to “William Stewart (“Buik of the Croniclus of Scotland, or A 

metrical Version of the History of Hector Boece” by William Stewart (edited by 

William B. Turnbull, London, 1858, p 664) in his metrical vernacular version of the 

History of Scotland by Hector Boece says that a general council held at Forfar in 

1057 (other sources in 1061) directed his chief subjects to adopt surnames from their 

territorial possessions, and there created ‘The first erlis that euir was in Scotland.’” 

“Mony surename also les and moir, wes maid that tyme quhilk wes nocht of befoir. 

As Calder, Lokart, Gordoun, and Setoun, Gallows, Lauder, Wawane, and 

Libertoun, Meldrum, Schaw, Leirmond, and Cargill, Stratherne, Rattray, Dundas 

als thairtill, With Cokburne, Mar, and Abircrumby, Myretoun, Menzeis, and also 

Leslie.” (p. 664). The surname Leirmonth is also appearing on page 135 of the same 

book by William Stewart. 

254

James Learmonth of Dairsie (1520-1547) was a Master of the Household of 

King James V of Scotland. It is very likely that James Learmonth (spelled as 

Leirmont / Leirmonth in the book by William Stewart) of Dairsie and William 

Stewart knew each other and probably discussed the background of the 

Learmonth’s origins in 1057. That is probably how the story of the Learmonth 

origins became known to the Learmonth family of Dairsie and of Balcomie. 

John Leslie (1527–1596), Scottish bishop, historian, and statesman. After 

studying in France, returned (c.1554) to Scotland, where he opposed the 

Reformation. He became the ecclesiastical adviser to Mary Queen of Scots and a 

member of her privy council. His 10-volume Latin history of Scotland (1578) was 

translated by James Dalrymple (ed. by E. G. Cody, 1888–95) (Encyclopedia 

Britannica Article). The Protestant Learmonth’s of Dairsie and Balcomie would not 

have communicated with a Catholic Bishop but they could have read his book 

written in Latin. 

The research regarding George Leirmont given above leads us to 

consider the following possibilities: 

1. The presentation by George’s Russian descendents in 1688 

regarding their Scottish origins does appear to indicate that George Leirmont 

was a member of the Dairsie / Balcomie Learmonth family. 

2. It is also possible that the Scottish Learmonth’s story was simply 

borrowed from a Scottish historical source by an educated Scotsman who 

new the Russian Lermontovs in 1688. This individual just helped them with 

the search for their Scottish ancestors. In the year 1688 nobody in Russia 

asked the Lermontov or indeed any other foreigner to present documented 

proof of their origins. They were asked to present a nice/decent story. The 

details of their family background were considered to be their own private 

business. 

The Russian Lermontov’s pedigree in 1688 was signed by General Patrick 

Leopold Gordon. 

Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries (March, 1635- November, 1699). 

Patrick Gordon was born in Auchleuchries, Scotland in 1635. His father was not a 

prominent member of the Gordon Clan, being a “younger brother of a younger house”, 

the Gordons of Haddo. Patrick Gordon was a Catholic and a supporter of the Stewart 

House. He was the Cadet of the Haddo family, serving the Swedish and Polish crowns. 

In 1661 he entered the Russian Tsar’s service as a major, his career then moved forward 

very quickly. In 1665 he became a colonel and was sent on a diplomatic mission from 

Moscow to London in 1666 / 67, he went to Scotland in 1669-70, where he was made a 

Freeman of Aberdeen. In 1677-78 he was very prominent in the Chigirin campaigns, 

being made a Major General and becoming the commander of the Kiev garrison. He 

supervised the creation of the Tsar’s Life Guard regiments and initiated military reforms. 

In 1687-89 he took part in the Crimean campaigns and was promoted to full General in 

1689. Gordon supported Tsar Peter in his coup against the Regent Sophia. In 1695-96 he 

255

was active in the siege and capture of Azov from the Turks. In 1698 he suppressed the 

Streltsy rebellion saving the throne for Peter. He secured permission to build the first 

Roman Catholic Church in Russia. A staunch Jacobite, he prevented the recognition of 

William of Orange by the Tsar. A well educated man, Patrick Gordon was also the 

Russian correspondent of the “London Gazette” and the author of a famous diary, still 

inadequately published. (RGVIA – Passages from the Diary of Gen Patrick Gordon of 

Uachleuchries. Aberdeen, 1859) (http://www.electricscotland.com). 

Yuri Lermontov (? – 1708) held the rank of “Stolnic in 1686 as did 

Peter Lermontov (?- 1704) in 1692. As already explained “Stolnik” was a 

court rank so they would both have had the opportunity to get to know 

General Patrick Gordon. It is possible therefore that when the question of the 

Lermontov’s pedigree arose in about 1682 it would be natural to asked for 

advice from their prominent country man Patrick Gordon, as to what they 

could do regarding their Scottish genealogy. Patrick Gordon may have 

promised to help them when he next returned to Scotland, this happened in 

1686. Gordon as a well-educated man would most probably have read “The 

History of Scotland” by Hector Boece-William Stewart and John Leslie. But 

Gordon was also a very busy man, so maybe the part of the story of the 

Learmonth’s ownership of land at Dairsie in 1057 was just not properly 

researched. 

Coat of Arms 

Let us now consider the relationship between the coat of arms of the 

Scottish Learmonth families and the coat of arms of the Russian Lermontov 

family. 

The Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland was 

established in 1672 (“Court of the Lord Lyon” 25 May 2005, personal 

communication with Mr. Bruce Gorie, Secretary to Lyon Clerk). 

It has to be remembered that a Coat of Arms in Scotland belongs to an 

individual, not a family. “Coats of arms and crests are a form of property and may 

rightfully be used only by the male line descendants of the individual to whom they 

were first granted or allowed. Such grants were and are made by the appropriate 

heraldic authority acting under the sovereign”. 

“Surprisingly few people who use a coat of arms and crest today have any 

actual right to do so. Armorial bearings do not appertain to all persons of a given 

surname but belong to and identify members of one particular family. Such grants 

were and are made by the appropriate heraldic authority acting under the 

sovereign. These authorities are for England, Wales and Northern Ireland the 

College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4BT. For Scotland “The 

256

Lyon Office”, New Register House, Edinburgh EH1 3YT. In the Republic of Eire, 

the relevant official is the Chief Herald of Ireland, Genealogical Office, 2 Kildare 

Street, Dublin 2, Eire. In order to discover whether an inherited right to arms exists, 

it is necessary to trace one’s male line ancestry back as far as possible and then to 

examine the official records of the heraldic authority concerned. Unfortunately, 

over the centuries, many families have simply assumed arms and crests belonging to 

other families of the same name, usually without authority and without 

demonstrating any relationship between the families. It follows that mere usage of a 

coat of arms, even over a long period, does not necessarily indicate a descent from 

the family for whom it was first recorded. Indeed, more often than not, there is no 

such connection. Even in the days when a tax was levied on the use of armorial 

bearings, those paying the tax by no means always had an established right to arms. 

The erroneous and widespread practice of adopting the arms of a family of 

the same surname (extracted in most cases from one of the printed armorials listing 

the arms of families alphabetically) is much to be deplored. It detracts from the 

basic purpose of coats of arms and crests, which is to provide hereditary symbols by 

which particular families may be identified. Grants of new arms have been made to 

worthy applicants, on payment of fees, since the fifteenth century” (Society of 

Genealogists Information. Leaflet No. 15. The right to arms: 

http://www.sog.org.uk/leaflets/arms.html). 

Thanks to the kindness of Mr. Bruce Gorie we have a description of 

seven registered coat of arms for the Learmonth’s through the years 1672- 

1968. 

The first one has reference: vol. 1, folio 178, 1672-1679. George 

Learmonth of Balcomie, Representer of the family of Learmonth of Dairsie. 

Shield: Quartely, 1st and 4st, Or, on a chevron Sable three mascles of the 

first (for Learmonth); 2nd and 3rd, Azure, on a bend Argent three roses 

Gules (for Balcomie). Crest: A rose slipped Proper. Motto: “Spero”. 

This coat of arms can still be seen today above the Gate Way of 

Balcomie Castle, Fife. Please see the photograph taken on a personal visit in 

March 2005. 

257

George Learmonth of Balcomie who register this coat of arms in 

1672-1679 could be a son of James Learmonth of Balcomie Lord of Session 

(b. after 1580-1657). Probably this George Learmonth is the same person 

identified with the ID: 2907. However this Learmonth coat of arms is not 

the ancient one. These arms are also quarterly arms so they shared heraldry 

of two families: Learmonth and Balcomie. The last one is quite unclear and 

we can not identify the certain family who bore arms like those. 

The earliest description of the Learmonth coat of arms is “Leirmound 

of yat ilk: Or, on a chevron Sable three mascles Or (QM093) (Queen Mary's 

Roll. National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh 204 QM c. 1562. Reference 

letters QM. No. of shields 204: http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk). 

The other Learmonth coat of arms bears Or, on a chevron, S (sable), 

three muscles voided of the first. The house of Dairsie is slightly different 

and bears a rose in the base. Balcomie bears a simple coat without the rose 

in the base, (Anderson, William “The Scottish Nation”, and Volumes I-III. 

Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & Co., 1864, page 641). 

Among the Learmonth coat of arms that are survived till 

our days we can not find a conformation that the house of 

Dairsie bore a rose in the base (please, see below). 

This Learmonth coat of arms preserved in the Town Hall of St. 

Andrews dated c. 1511 (a seat, or a settle dated c1511, which is made up of 

wooden panels, Photograph by the historian Julie Poole, St. Andrews, Fife, 

Scotland, (personal communication, 2005 

258

(Notice the Leirmont surname spelling). 

The coat of arms below is c. 1509-1531 and belonged George 

Learmond, Prior of Pluscarden Abbey (“Proceedings of the Society of the 

Pluscarden Benedictine Abbey, April 9, 1900, page 418. The photograph of 

the coat of arms was kindly sent by Father Gilles, Pluscarden Abbey, Elgin, 

Scotalnd, 2003). 

259

On the following page is the ‘LEARMONTH STONE’, a heraldic 

stone dated 1565, originally built into the west side of the OLD 

TOLBOOTH in Market Street, St. Andrews which was demolished in 1862. 

On the left the Arms of Sir Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie, Provost of St 

Andrews 1550-86. This has a helmet over the shield. On the right of the 

Arms is the Burgh of St Andrews boar (a wild pig) and oak tree (historian 

Julie Poole, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, personal communications, 2005). 

Below is a beautiful sample of the Learmonth coat of arms discovered 

in the ruins of Dairsie Castle, Fife, Scotland (“Thomas Learmonth, Russian 

Poet Scottish ancestor” by L. Ovchininskaya and others, “Literature for 

children”, 1998, page 5). 

260

As a result we not only have a description but also the original 

samples which confirm the unique design of the original Learmonth coat of 

arms: 1511, 1531, 1565, also probably 1520-1616. 

All these ancient examples of the Learmonth (Leirmont) coats of arms 

have one common feature (with the exception of the arms on the gate of old 

Balcomie Castle) that could not be reproduced in the description: “the 

Chevron, as it appears on old seals and monuments, reaches from the base 

to the top of the escutcheon (“A System of Heraldry” by Alexander Nisbet. 

1816, v. I, page 148). This feature was changed in later times and the top of 

the chevron now reaches no further than the collar point, this can be seen on 

arms from the XVIII century and particularly in recent times. Modern 

designers do not seem use the old chevron positioning. 

The placement of the chevron at the shield could be the one thing that 

gives a direct connection to George Leirmont and the Learmonth family of 

Dairsie and Balcomie (page 262 and 265). 

Below the oldest Learmonth Coat of Arms are collected all together. 

There not too many families in the world who could be 

proud of the almost 500 years survived coat of arms. 

261

262

Under instructions from this Imperial Majesty Paul from 20th January 

until the 27th July 1797 there were collected and published for the first time 

in Russia a book entitled “The General System of Heraldry of the Russian 

Noble Families”. According to this decree each noble family whose arms are 

recorded in this book, would receive a certificate from the leader of the 

nobility. 

The individuals who could prove that they belonged to a noble family 

would be given a copy of the family coat of arms on a parchment with a 

press. His Imperial Majesty Paul ordered that the “The General System of 

Heraldry of the Russian Noble Families” would be the main source of 

information that would prove a families or persons Noble origins ("The 

Noble Families in the Russian Empire ", St. Petersburg, 1993). 

On 22nd March 2003 an application was made by T. Molchanova to 

the Russian Archives and conformation was received that the Lermontov 

coat of arms is in fact in “The General System of Heraldry of the Russian 

Noble Families”, 1798, v. IV, on page 102. 

263

The following description was given of the Lermontov arms: The 

Shield has a gold field; there is a black chevron with three gold mascles on it 

under a chevron black flower. The shield is topped by an ordinary noble 

Helmet with a noble crown on it. The colour on the shield is gold enclosed 

with red, in the bottom the Motto: SORS MEA JESUS. (Please, see 

Learmonth coat of arms “Or, on a chevron Sable three mascles Or” for 

comparison). 

264

Major Yuri Matveevich Lermontov (1730 after 1799) received the 

certificate in 1799 confirming his genealogy and bearing the Lermontov coat 

of arms. The certificate was considered in the Senate and new data was 

included in the next addition of the “The General System of Heraldry of the 

Russian Noble Families” in 1799. Major-General Rostislav Matveivich 

Lermontov (1810-1877), a grandson of Yuri Matveevich Lermontov had a 

beautiful seal made with this coat of arms, illustrated on the following page 

(http://www.romanovrussia.com). 

265

The other Russian Lermontov coat of arms is survived in our family 

line (Ostrozhnikovskaya line of the Russian Lermontov Family that the 

relatives of Tatiana Molchanova belong). The Tobacco Case was handed to 

General Major Michail Alexandrovich Lermontov, a direct descendent of 

George Leirmont, in about 1860 as a present from his Lermontov’s relatives. 

This Tobacco Case was passed to the eldest son in the family since that time. 

266

There is no found coat of arms in the poet Michail 

Yurievich Lermontov’s line unfortunately. 

The shield is the French type shied at the Russian Lermontov coat 

of ams. The similar type of shield we can refer to a shield at the ancient 

Learmonth of Darsie and of Balcomie coat of arms (please, see above). 

We can see that the chevron reaches from the base to the top of the 

escutcheon on the Scottish ancient Learmonth of Dairsie (of Balcomie) 

coat of arms and on the Lermontov coat of arms. The chevron as a 

heraldic symbol was not common in Russia at all and was used mostly 

for the dividing of the shield. Someone should see the image of arms to 

design the Lermontov coat of arms in 1798 in Russia that would be 

similar to the coat of arms of Learmonth of Dairsie (of Balcomie). 

Moreover as we mentioned above this placement of the chevron is 

considered as the ancient in Scotland and in England. This feature was 

changed in latter times and the top of the chevron reaches no further 

267

than the collar point. So similarity in the chevron placements is in favor 

of the common origin of both coat of arms, the Learmonth of Dairsie (of 

Balcomie) and Lermontov one. The original one was certainly the 

Learmonth of Dairsie coat of arms. 

The similarity of the Coat of Arms once more confirms our 

statement that a progenitor of the Russian Lermontov family 

George Leirmont was from the Learmonths of Fife. 

Motto 

The other peculiar detail is the Latin Motto on the Lermontov coat of 

Arms. We discovered that the spelling of the Lermontov’s Motto was 

originally not “Sors mea Jesus” (“My destiny is Jesus”) as it is detailed by 

most sources but it is “Sors mea IESVS”. The appearance of the motto “Sors 

mea IESVS” at the period 1613-1798 on the coat of arms means that this 

motto could not have been taken from Russian Orthodox literature. The 

orthography of the Russian language did not come under Latin influence 

until the year 1654 when Jesus was spelt as ІСЪ, ІСЕ, ІС и and ІСС. In 

1654 the Russian Patriarch Nikon reformed the theological books according 

to the ancient Russian and Greek languages (http://www. religion.rin.ru.). 

The name Jesus was then spelt as ІИСЪ sometimes ІИСЕ or in its full form: 

ІИСQСЪ/ІИСQСЕ (in Greek:ΙΗΣΟΥΣ: http://www.anafemat.narod.ru). 

The Latin version of Jesus name as IESVS came from Roman Latin. “When 

the Romans, Romanized Jesus name, they spelled it “IESVS”, giving it the 

normal ending for a Latin male name. The Romans would have pronounced 

this “Yesus”. This spelling was later changed to “JESUS”, as the Latin 

language changed its pronunciation and orthography in the early Middle 

Ages” (http://www.focusedandfree.com/word:press/2005/09/27/jesus-thename). 

According to other versions “Super old school Latin would spell Jesus 

: IESVS, since there is no J in Latin and no U. But, even the Vatican uses the 

spelling IESUS, the J, is still not used in the Vatican's Nova Vulgata 

(http://www.essene.com/Yeshua/Yeshua.htm). 

“The spelling "Iesus" as "Iesvs" was used in the King James version 

of the New Testament from 1611 to 1628, by the year 1629 the King James 

version began to adopt the spelling "Jesus". Gradually, during the 17th 

century, the name shifted from "Iesus" to the pronunciation "Jesus" which is 

the spelling we still use today (http://wahiduddin.net/words/jesus.htm; “The 

King James Version KJV” published in 1611). However there were earlier 

268

translations of the Bible that spelt Jesus as Iesvs. In Scotland in 1582 / 1589, 

(The text of the New Testament of Iesvs Christ, translated out of vulgar 

Latin, 1589, Bible Versions, Catholic vs. Protestant in http://scatoday.net; 

Martin, Gregory et al. “The New Testament, of IESVS Christ”, Rhemes: 

Iohn Fogny, 1582 in: http://horton.gatech.edu) 

Upon the slab covering William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) grave is 

the epitaph:” GOOD FREND FOR IESVS SAKE FORBEARE, TO DIGG 

THE DVST ENCLOASED HEARE. BLESE BE YE MAN YT SPARES 

THES STONES, AND CVRST BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES” 

(http://home.att.net/~mleary/positive.htm). 

So in England in 1616 Jesus was still spelt as Iesvs. 

We therefore conclude that an individual, most probably George 

Leirmont, new that Jesus name was spelt as Iesvs in the old Latin manner in 

Scotland and England before 1613. It is also possible that he had a Bible 

from Scotland and this Bible may still have been in the possession of the 

Russian Lermontov family when they applied for their coat of arms in 1798. 

The motto “Sors mea Iesvs” of the Russian Lermontov family sits 

well with Protestant ideology from “The Scottish Confession of Faith” 

adopted in 1560 in Scotland. We detail below just one chapter from this 

work to illustrate the point. 

“Chapter 11 

Ascension 

We nothing doubt but that the selfsame body, which was born of the virgin, was 

crucified, dead, and buried, and which did rise again, did ascend into the heavens, for the 

accomplishment of all things;[1] where, in our names, and for our comfort he has 

received all power in heaven and in earth,[2] where he sits at the right hand of the Father 

inaugurated in his kingdom, Advocate and only Mediator for us:[3] which glory, honour, 

and prerogative he alone amongst the brethren shall possess, till that all his enemies be 

made his footstool,[4] as that we undoubtedly believe they shall be in the final judgment; 

to the execution whereof we certainly believe that the same our Lord Jesus shall visibly 

return, as that he was seen to ascend.[5] And then we firmly believe, that the time of 

refreshing and restitution of all things shall come,[6] insomuch that those that from the 

beginning have suffered violence, injury, and wrong for righteousness' sake, shall inherit 

that blessed immortality promised from the beginning.[7] 

But contrariwise, the stubborn, disobedient, cruel oppressors, filthy persons, 

idolaters, and all sorts of unfaithful shall be cast in the dungeon of utter darkness, where 

their worm shall not die, neither yet their fire shall be extinguished.[8] The remembrance 

of which day, and of the judgment to be executed in the same, is not only to us a bridle, 

whereby our carnal lusts are refrained; but also such inestimable comfort, that neither 

may the threatening of worldly princes, neither yet the fear of temporal death and present 

269

danger, move us to renounce and forsake that blessed society, which we, the members, 

have with our Head and only Mediator Christ Jesus:[9] whom we confess and avow to be 

the Messiah promised, the only Head of his kirk, our just Lawgiver, our only High Priest, 

Advocate, and Mediator.[10] In which honours and offices, if man or angel presume to 

intrude themselves, we utterly detest and abhor them, as blasphemous to our Sovereign 

and Supreme Governor, Christ Jesus.” (“The Scottish Confession of Faith” 1993, 1995 

by Presbyterian Heritage Publications. The electronic version. 

http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/ScotConf.htm) 

It is an interesting fact that a motto “Sors mea Iesvs” or “My destiny 

is Jesus” has a similar or parallel link with the motto of King Charles X of 

Sweden: “In Jehova sors mea, ipse faciet” or “In God (is) my destiny, He 

will do it” (Karl X Gustav, Swedish king 1654-60, 

http://members.chello.se/hansdotter/motton.html). 

The name Jehova was one of the spellings of Jesus. So it would be more 

correct to translate the first part as “In Jesus is my destiny”. Does this 

possibly indicate further help from Patrick Gordon to his country men the 

Leirmont? Patrick Gordon entered the service of King Charles X of Sweden 

in 1651 and served him for 10 years until he changed sides and found his 

way to Moscow in 1661 (http://www.1911_Britannica.com). So he may well 

have given advice as to the Leirmont family Motto. However the spelling of 

the name Jesus as Iesvs must have come from a different influence. 

Black Flower 

One of the mysteries of the Lermontov Coat of Arms is the “black 

flower” at the base. 

270

The black six petal design at the base of the Russian Lermontov coat 

of arms (see above) is not really a flower as the rose - a heraldic symbol and 

has five petals. This six petal symbol has been used over the centuries and 

has a legacy dating back to the resurrection of Christ. This design was 

named the Morning Star or Day Star. It was first used to describe the star in 

the morning sky the planet Venus, which had great importance to cultures 

2,000 years ago. The motif was carved into an Ossuary, or small secondary 

casket pictured below in 70 AD. The Morning Star symbol was displayed by 

the Clovis and throughout the Merovingian Kingdom as a sign of Christ, the 

resurrection, and the afterlife. The symbol of the Morning Star can still be 

seen in Churches and Christian objects in the territory conquered by 

Charlemagne. His Kingdom was the basis for Medieval Europe between the 

years 700A.D. to 1200A.D. 

According to the Bible, Revelation 22:16 “I Jesus have sent mine 

angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the 

offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star” 

Symbolism 

The symbol was handed down, from generation to generation, as an 

icon of Christianity and culture. It was the Morning Star of ascension and 

resurrection of life, a sign of life eternal. The location of the Morning Star 

design on gravestones and upon churches states to all, these people are 

Christian and believe in the resurrection into the afterlife. 

271

The antiquity of the six petal symbol. 

272

1. Photograph of the Temple of Osiris, Egypt dated 2300 BC 

(Princeton University Index of Christian Art, 

http://bennerfarms.com/symbol) 

2. Athens, Dipylon period (900 -750 BC). British museum, photo of 

authors, 2006) 

3. Athens, gravestone, 350 BC. British museum, photo of authors, 

2006) 

4. Ossuary from Jifna, Jordan 70A.D. - Courtesy of, and permission 

from the University of Chicago, Dr. Harold H. Willoughby, 

http://bennerfarms.com/symbol. 

5. Casket Bronze - Courtesy of, and with permission from the 

University of Alabama Birmingham, http://bennerfarms.com/symbol. 

6. Fragment from a Lintel or Frieze with Cross and Morning Star 

500A.D. - Courtesy of, and with permission from the New York 

Metropolitian Museum, http://bennerfarms.com/symbol. 

7. Alexandria in approximately 100A.D, 

http://bennerfarms.com/symbol. 

There is the six petal symbol from the Lermontov coat of arms in the 

center. 

The Celtic God Taranis. 

The name Taranis derives from the Celtic (or Indo-European) root 

'taran' meaning thunderer or thunder. The bronze figurine was found in Le 

Chatelet, France and dates to the 1st or 2nd century B.C. It shows a wise, 

patriarchal being holding a lightening bolt and a solar wheel with six spokes. 

This figure is almost instantly recognizable as Jupiter, only the solar wheel 

with six spokes giving away the fact that this is a Celtic and not a Roman 

figure (“Taranis “, http://www.kernunnos.com). The Taranis was associated 

with ‘Fire’, the fire of the skies, the Sun, and the fire of the air, lightening 

and its voice thunder, giving the God his name, Taranis, complete with 

wheel,' thought to represent the Celtic god of thunder, Taranis, who, hurling 

his wheel through the clouds, unleashed the terrible din. 

Spirals 

Spirals are among the most sacred signs of Neolithic Europe, 

symbolizing the womb, death and re-birth, they appear on megalithic 

monuments, entrances to caves - sacred places of worship, all over the 

continent and the British isles, such as Newgrange in Ireland, and Gavrinis 

in Brittany. The spiral was a particular symbol of the Goddess faith. Spirals 

also symbolized the coiled serpent or dragon, both regarded as sacred in old 

religion, representing the natural energies of the earth and sky 

273

(http://www.kelticdesigns.com). Spirals also look similar to a “six 

petal flower”. 

In ancient pre Christian times, the Celtic or wheel cross was simple in 

design and would only have markings to measure angles on a wheel that 

were either fixed to a cross with a long staff and using a plumb line to 

intersect the degrees so as to establish a fairly accurate measurement, or it 

would have been a simple rotating wheel weighted at the bottom so as to 

have the same fixed result. 

The answer to why the occult symbolism was carved on the Celtic 

cross is the result of an attempt to maintain the knowledge by Mason's who 

were hired by The Roman Catholic Church to design the Medieval 

Cathedrals. 

It was the Emperor Constantine who absorbed this key of ancient 

knowledge into the Roman Catholic Church when he raised Christianity to 

become the official State Religion along with many other "Pagan" symbols 

and practices based on Astrology that had extended world wide during the 

Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Ages (Crichton T.M. Millier "The Golden 

Thread of Time”, 2000). 

274

275

1. The Celtic God Taranis, http://www.kernunnos.com. 

2. The head of the Celtic God Taranis as a drawing with a solar wheel 

with six spokes. The rock drawing, about 600 BC, 

http://www.kernunnos.com. 

3. Celtic cross with the hexagon inside (Dunfermline, photo of 

authors, 2006). The geometric view of the Taranis wheel is above the cross. 

4. Examples of Spirals. Pictish Trail. A guide to Pictish sculpture from 

Inverness to Dunrobin the Highland (www.higharch.demon.co.uk). 

5. A fragment of the Rosemarkie Stone. Pictish Trail. A guide to 

Pictish sculpture from Inverness to Dunrobin the Highland 

(www.higharch.demon.co.uk) 

6. A modern Celtic cross design (Dunfermline. Photo of authors, 

2006). 

7. A fragment of the gravestone, St. Andrews, photo of authors, 

2006). 

8. A fragment of the gravestone, the cemetery at Kilmartin (Argyll, 

Scotland), http://www.pbase.com). 

We believe that our point is adequately made by these photographs 

and illustrations. The following are examples of the six petal symbol found 

in Scotland and England during our visit in 2006. 

276

1. An ancient wind rose, stone sculpture, in the nave at Canterbury 

Cathedral. 

2. The gravestone of John Peckham: 1279-1293, Canterbury 

Cathedral. 

3. Westminster Abbey, London. 

4. Salisbury Cathedral. This Cathedral was built between 1220-1258; 

its original architecture is still practically intact. 

277

5. A stained-glass window, Durham Cathedral. This Cathedral was 

founded in 1093. 

6. Jedburgh Abbey, Lowlands, Scotland. 

7. A stained-glass window, Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland. 

8. A fragment of the Russian Lermontov coat of arms. 

9. St. Andrews Cathedral. A restored picture of a stained-glass 

window, 1378. 

We therefore believe that we have presented enough evidence to show 

that the “six petal flower” at the base of the Russian Lermontov coat of arms 

is a symbolic “six petal flower” that was and is still broadly distributed all 

over Great Britain as a Christian symbol of ascension and resurrection of 

life, or a sign of life eternal. This motive was also used on gravestones as a 

symbol of remembrance and honor. 

Both Learmonth and Lermontov Coat of Arms have a gold shield. The 

gold colour has been considered as a nobler colour than the others, 

representing the light of the sun. The colour gold is the noblest in the work, 

because gold, of its nature, is bright and shining and full of virtue. The black 

chevron rises to the top of the shield being a chevron in chief. Chevron is 

one of the honorable ordinaries meaning the defense. Sable or back has been 

considered as the second most important colour which seems remarkable 

abstruse and symbolizes steadfastness or grief. 

The “six petal flower” in black was probably included on 

the Russian Lermontov coat of arms as an illustration and 

expression of the family’s memories of their home country 

Scotland. The Motto “Sors mea Iesvs” the ancient symbolic 

motif of Christianity was a symbol of unity between the Scottish 

and Russian families whose names are from the same origins but 

whose paths took different directions. 

The Scotsman George Leirmont became the ancestor of the twelve 

generations of Lermontovs who are living mostly in Russia. The genealogies 

of Lermontov families have been studied vigorously by the Russian 

historians. There have been enlisted more than 800 persons in all Lermontov 

families over almost 400 years: 1613-2007. Along with the brilliant and 

world-known poet Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov (1814-1841) there are 

many other prominent Lermontovs among them. To illustrate these data we 

278

are presenting Lermontov’s genealogy by year 1981 and also Lermontovs 

who are the direct male descendents of Scotsman George Leirmont by year 

2007. 

General genealogy of the Russian Lermontov Family, 1981. 

(“Lermontovskaya Encyclopedia”, Moscow, 1981, page 464). 

279

Lermontovs who are direct male descendents 

of Scottish George Leirmont (Learmonth) by year 2007. 

280

Part 8. 

Learmonths prominent. 

John Learmonth, Lord Provost of Edinburgh 

(1789 - 1858). 

John Learmonth was born in 1789, in Edinburgh. He was the son of 

John Learmonth and Elisabeth Young (it is believed that they may have 

originally come from Fife, Scotland). There are no records regarding his 

education or personal life, however in a letter written by James Russell to 

William Forbes of Callender (1756 – 1823) he refers to John Learmonth of 

Dean (https://www.falkirk.gov.uk). So from this information we can assume 

that John Learmonth was an owner of the Dean area north of the Water of 

Leith in Edinburgh before 1823. He was a prominent merchant and a 

celebrated coachbuilder in Edinburgh before 1830, becoming Lord Provost 

of Edinburgh in 1831 to 1833. His most famous legacy is the Dean Bridge, 

which was built by Thomas Telford (1757-1834) during the time he was 

Lord Provost. This bridge, a masterpiece in its own right, directly linked the 

roads to and from South Queensferry and the city. It was privately paid for 

by Learmonth, to improve the communication and transport route through 

his estate and enabled him to develop the land for housing. 

May, 2006 

281

Dean Bridge, May, 2006. 

In 1837 the greater part of the whole Dean Estate was sold to John 

Learmonth, who had already been given the nick name of the builder in 

Edinburgh. He later, in 1842 and 1847, acquired what was left of the Dean 

Lands and barony. 

The Broadside ballad entitled 'Freedom and Learmonth Must Carry 

the Day' was advertised as a new song in 1831 which should be sung to the 

tune 'Lillibulero'. The 'Learmonth' referred to in this text refers to John 

Learmonth, Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1831. 

FREEDOM 

AND 

LEARMONTH 

MUST CARRY THE DAY!! 

A NEW SONG. 

TUNE Lillibulero, &c. 

I 

ALL honest electors of this our fair town 

Come listen to me, and I plainly will shew 

282

How an impudent LAWYER, with wig and 

with gown, 

By a good man and true, shall soon be laid low— 

John Learmonth's the man 

To defeat each vile plan, 

In his quiet, unpretending, yet resolute way, 

For in spite of their tricks, 

We will beat them to sticks, 

And freedom and Learmonth will carry the day. 

II. 

If they call him “a tradesman," I merely reply, 

That his is a better and honester trade 

Than a lawyer, whose life's one perpetual lie, 

And who sports just the conscience for which he is paid. 

They may try to be droll 

On his place at the pole, 

And many smart things of the sort they may say, 

Yet there's no one but feels 

That we're now “upon wheels," 

And that freedom and Learmonth must carry the day. 

III. 

He is ONE OF OURSELVES, and has all his life been, 

So that all can his talents and virtues declare; 

And if at your leisure you walk t'wards THE DEAN, 

You will see what a BRIDGE he has built for us there; 

Your men of the law, 

With their jabber and jaw, 

May be all well enough in their own roguish way; 

But they'll talk for some time, 

Ere they “beat stone and lime," 

So Improvement and Learmonth must carry the day. 

IV. 

At the old burgh system, the CLIQUE used to rail, 

Yet now that at last from that scourge we are free, 

They would fain make us o'er by a sort of entail, 

To a junto of lawyers to hold us in fee! 

But GIBSON & Co., 

To their sorrow shall know, 

That this is a trade which no longer will pay, 

283

And it now shall be shewn, 

And that freedom and Learmonth must carry the day. 

V. 

Their English ATTORNEY, with forehead of brass, 

Who's been kicked here from DUDLEY will scarce do 

for me, 

Why,'tis worse than the days of old WILLIAM DUNDAS! 

Far worse than the tricks of the old thirty-three !!! 

No, no, Sir James, no, 

We're not quite so low 

As to welcome each minion of Althorp or Grey— 

Your OLD DUDS, 'tis clear, 

Will never do here, 

And true-blue and Learmonth must carry the day. 

VI. 

Then Learmonth for ever ! and down with THE CLIQUE 

Who have sucked us so long , but have now lost their 

hold, 

And who (as the song says) " tho' at their last squeak, 

Still would treat us like Gatton or Sarum of old !" 

JOHN LEARMONTH's the man 

Who in liberty's VAN 

Goes forward as smoothly as on a railway; 

And DUDLEY, 'tis clear, 

Will be left in the rear, 

While freedom and Learmonth will carry the day! 

(http://www.nls.uk/broadsides/broadside.cfm/id/16463) 

John Learmonth ensured that his reputation as a builder in Edinburgh 

would endure into the future by giving his surname to the places he 

developed in the Dean estate area. Therefore we find South and North 

Learmonth Gardens, Learmonth Terrace, Learmonth Grove, Learmonth 

Place on the map of Edinburgh dated 1925. Learmonth Avenue, Learmonth 

Grove, Learmonth place, Learmonth Gardens, South Learmonth Gardens, 

Learmonth Terrace Lane, Learmonth Terrace, and Learmonth Hotel are all 

illustrated on the modern map of Edinburgh. 

284

Places named John Learmonth, Edinburgh 1925 

Places named John Learmonth, Edinburgh 2006. 

Edinburgh May 2006. 

285

Learmonth Terrace, Edinburgh, May 2006. 

May 2006. 

286

May 2006 

Learmonth Hotel, Dean Area, Edinburgh. 

Rex Learmonth and Tanya Molchanova, 2005. 

We hope that our illustrations demonstrate that the name Learmonths 

is never forgotten in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. 

287

Michael Yurievich Lermontov, 

a brilliant Russian poet. 

("Lermontov- Encyclopaedia Brittanica") 

Lermontov was born in Oct. 15 [Oct. 3, Old Style], 1814, Moscow, 

Russia—died in July 27 [July 15], 1841, Pyatigorsk, the leading Russian 

Romantic poet and author of the novel Geroy nashego vremeni (1840; A 

Hero of Our Time), which was to have a profound influence on later 

Russian writers. 

Life 

Lermontov was the son of Yury Petrovich Lermontov, a retired army 

captain, and Mariya Mikhaylovna, née Arsenyeva. At the age of three he 

lost his mother and was brought up by his grandmother, Yelizaveta 

Alekseyevna Arsenyeva, on her estate in Penzenskaya province. Russia's 

abundant natural beauty, its folk songs and tales, its customs and 

ceremonies, the hard forced labour of the serfs, and stories and legends of 

peasant mutinies all had a great influence in developing the future poet's 

character. Because the child was often ill, he was taken to spas in the 

Caucasus on three occasions, where the exotic landscapes created lasting 

impressions on him. 

288

In 1827 he moved with his grandmother to Moscow, and, while 

attending a boarding school for children of the nobility (at Moscow 

University), he began to write poetry and also studied painting. In 1828 he 

wrote the poems Cherkesy ("Circassians") and Kavkazsky plennik 

("Prisoner of the Caucasus") in the vein of the English Romantic poet Lord 

Byron, whose influence then predominated over young Russian writers. 

Two years later his first verse, Vesna ("Spring"), was published. The same 

year he entered Moscow University, then one of the liveliest centres of 

culture and ideology, where such democratically minded representatives of 

nobility as Aleksandr Herzen, Nikolay Platonovich Ogaryov, and others 

studied. Students ardently discussed political and philosophical problems, 

the hard fate of serf peasantry, and the recent Decembrist uprising. In this 

atmosphere he wrote many lyrical verses, longer, narrative poems, and 

dramas. His drama Stranny chelovek (1831; "A Strange Man") reflected the 

attitudes current among members of student societies: hatred of the despotic 

tsarist regime and of serfdom. In 1832, after clashing with a reactionary 

professor, Lermontov left the university and went to St. Petersburg, where 

he entered the cadet school. Upon his graduation in 1834 with the rank of 

subensign (or cornet), Lermontov was appointed to the Life-Guard Hussar 

Regiment stationed at Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin), close to St. 

Petersburg. As a young officer, he spent a considerable portion of his time 

in the capital, and his critical observations of aristocratic life there formed 

the basis of his play Maskarad ("Masquerade"). During this period his deep- 

-but unreciprocated--attachment to Varvara Lopukhina, a sentiment that 

never left him, was reflected in Knyaginya Ligovskaya ("Duchess 

Ligovskaya") and other works. 

Lermontov was greatly shaken in January 1837 by the death of the 

great poet Pushkin in a duel. He wrote an elegy that expressed the nation's 

love for the dead poet, denouncing not only his killer but also the court 

aristocracy, whom he saw as executioners of freedom and the true culprits 

of the tragedy. As soon as the verses became known to the court of 

Nicholas I, Lermontov was arrested and exiled to a regiment stationed in 

the Caucasus. Travel to new places, meetings with Decembrists (in exile in 

the Caucasus), and introduction to the Georgian intelligentsia--to the 

outstanding poet Ilia Chavchavadze, whose daughter had married a wellknown 

Russian dramatist, poet, and diplomatist, Aleksandr Sergeyevich 

Griboyedov as well as to other prominent Georgian poets in Tiflis (now 

Tbilisi) broadened his horizon. Attracted to the nature and poetry of the 

Caucasus and excited by its folklore, he studied the local languages and 

translated and polished the Azerbaijanian story "Ashik Kerib." Caucasian 

themes and images occupy a strong place in his poetry and in the novel 

Geroy nashego vremeni, as well as in his sketches and paintings. 

289

As a result of zealous intercession by his grandmother and by the 

influential poet V.A. Zhukovsky, Lermontov was allowed to return to the 

capital in 1838. His verses began to appear in the press: the romantic poem 

Pesnya pro tsarya Ivana Vasilyevicha, molodogo oprichnika i udalogo 

kuptsa Kalashnikova (1837; "A Song About Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, His 

Young Bodyguard, and the Valiant Merchant Kalashnikov"), the realistic 

satirical poems Tambovskaya kaznacheysha (1838; "The Tambov 

Paymaster's Wife") and Sashka (written 1839, published 1862), and the 

romantic poem Demon. Soon Lermontov became popular; he was called 

Pushkin's successor and was lauded for having suffered and been exiled 

because of his libertarian verses. Writers and journalists took an interest in 

him, and fashionable ladies were attracted to him. He made friends among 

the editorial staff of Otechestvennye zapiski, the leading magazine of the 

Western-oriented intellectuals, and in 1840 he met the prominent 

progressive critic Belinsky, who envisioned him as the great hope of 

Russian literature. Lermontov had arrived among the circle of St. 

Petersburg writers. 

At the end of the 1830s, the principal directions of his creative work 

had been established. His freedom-loving sentiments and his bitterly 

skeptical evaluation of the times in which he lived are embodied in his 

philosophical lyric poetry ("Duma" ["Thought"], "Ne ver sebye . . . " ["Do 

Not Trust Yourself . . . "]) and are interpreted in an original fashion in the 

romantic and fantastic images of his Caucasian poems, Mtsyri (1840) and 

Demon, on which the poet worked for the remainder of his life. Finally, 

Lermontov's mature prose showed a critical picture of contemporary life in 

his novel Geroy nashego vremeni, containing the sum total of his reflections 

on contemporary society and the fortunes of his generation. The hero, 

Pechorin, is a cynical person of superior accomplishments who, having 

experienced everything else, devotes himself to experimenting with human 

situations. This realistic novel, full of social and psychological content and 

written in prose of superb quality, played an important role in the 

development of Russian prose. 

In February 1840 Lermontov was brought to trial before a military 

tribunal for his duel with the son of the French ambassador at St. 

Petersburg--a duel used as a pretext for punishing the recalcitrant poet. On 

the instructions of Nicholas I, Lermontov was sentenced to a new exile in 

the Caucasus, this time to an infantry regiment that was preparing for 

dangerous military operations. Soon compelled to take part in cavalry 

sorties and hand-to-hand battles, he distinguished himself in the heavy 

fighting at Valerik River, which he describes in "Valerik" and in the verse 

"Ya k vam pishu . . . " ("I Am Writing to You . . . "). The military command 

290

made due note of the great courage and presence of mind displayed by the 

officer-poet. 

As a result of persistent requests by his grandmother, Lermontov 

was given a short leave in February 1841. He spent several weeks in the 

capital, continuing work on compositions he had already begun and writing 

several poems noted for their maturity of thought and talent ("Rodina" 

["Motherland"], "Lyubil i ya v bylye gody" ["And I Was in Love"]. 

Lermontov devised a plan for publishing his own magazine, planned new 

novels, and sought Belinsky's criticism. But he soon received an order to 

return to his regiment and left, full of gloomy forebodings. During this long 

journey he experienced a flood of creative energy: his last notebook 

contains such masterpieces of Russian lyric poetry as "Utes" ("The Cliff"), 

"Spor" ("Argument"), "Svidanye" ("Meeting"), "Listok" ("A Leaf"), "Net, 

ne tebya tak pylko ya lyublyu" ("No, It Was Not You I Loved So 

Fervently"), "Vykhozhu odin ya na dorogu . . . " ("I go to the Road 

Alone..“) , and "Prorok" ("Prophet"), his last work. 

On the way to his regiment, Lermontov lingered on in the health 

resort city of Pyatigorsk for treatment. There he met many fashionable 

young people from St. Petersburg, among whom were secret ill-wishers 

who knew his reputation in court circles. Some of the young people feared 

his tongue, while others envied his fame. An atmosphere of intrigue, 

scandal, and hatred grew up around him. Finally, a quarrel was provoked 

between Lermontov and another officer, N.S. Martynov; the two fought a 

duel that ended in the poet's death. He was buried two days later in the 

municipal cemetery, and the entire population of the city gathered at his 

funeral. Later, Lermontov's coffin was moved to the Tarkhana estate, and 

on April 23, 1842, he was buried in the Arsenyev family vault. 

Assessment 

Only 26 years old when he died, Lermontov had proved his worth as 

a brilliant and gifted poet-thinker, prose writer, and playwright, the 

successor of Pushkin, and an exponent of the best traditions of Russian 

literature. His youthful lyric poetry is filled with a passionate craving for 

freedom and contains calls to battle, agonizing reflections on how to apply 

his strengths to his life's work, and dreams of heroic deeds. He was deeply 

troubled by political events, and the peasant mutinies of 1830 had suggested 

to him a time "when the crown of the tsars will fall." Revolutionary ferment 

in Western Europe met with an enthusiastic response from him (verses on 

the July 1830 revolution in France, on the fall of Charles X), and the theme 

of the French Revolution is found in his later works (the poem Sashka). 

291

Civic and philosophical themes as well as subjective, deeply 

personal motifs were closely interwoven in Lermontov's poetry. He 

introduced into Russian poetry the intonations of "iron verse," noted for its 

heroic sound and its energy of intellectual expression. His enthusiasm for 

the future responded to the spiritual needs of Russian society. Lermontov's 

legacy has found varied interpretations in the works of Russian artists, 

composers, and theatrical and cinematic figures. His dramatic compositions 

have played a considerable role in the development of theatrical art, and his 

life has served as material for many novels, poems, plays, and films. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Laurence Kelly, Lermontov: Tragedy in the Caucasus (1977, 

reissued 1983), is a detailed biography. Shorter biographical sketches are 

found in the works of literary criticism, such as John Mersereau, Mikhail 

Lermontov (1962); Janko Lavrin, Lermontov (1959); B.M. Eikhenbaum, 

Lermontov: A Study in Literary-Historical Evaluation (1981); and John 

Garrard, Mikhail Lermontov (1982), which discuss both the romantic 

poetry and prose of the writer. Lermontov's largest and most important 

prose work is analyzed in C.J.B. Turner, Pechorin: An Essay on 

Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time" (1978); and William Mills Todd III, 

Fiction and Society in the Age of Pushkin: Ideology, Institutions, and 

Narrative (1986). Good translations of Lermontov into English are found in 

Charles Johnston (trans.), Narrative Poems by Alexander Pushkin and by 

Mikhail Lermontov (1983); and Guy Daniels (trans.), A Lermontov Reader 

(1965). 

The official biography of the Russian poet Mikhal Yurievich 

Lermontov would not be complete without mentioning that Lermontov is 

considered as one of the mysterious Russian poet. The discussion of his life 

and his literary works is still continued as more documents are discovered. 

Mikhail lost his mother Mariya Mikhaylovna, née Arsenyeva, when 

he was 2.5 years old. His grandmother Yelizaveta Alekseyevna Arsenyeva, 

nee Stolypina, was a strong, egoistic and wealthy person. She was sure that 

she is the only person who can take care of her grandson Misha Lermontov. 

Misha’s father Yuri Petrovich Lermontov and all Lermontov’s relatives 

were considered as miserable because of their relative poverty. Yelizaveta 

Alekseyevna Arsenyeva had to accept that Yuri Petrovich Lermontov was a 

nobleman so she could not ignore this fact. She promised to keep the 

honour of Lermontov surname but as a matter of fact she separated Misha 

from his father. Misha Lermontov was growing up in surrounding of the 

Stolypin’s relatives mostly bearing just his own surname – Lermontov. 

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Mikhail Yurievich believed that his ancestry is coming from Scotland. So 

when he was at least at the age of fifteen in 1830 he wrote two poems “The 

Grave of Ossian” and “Desire” dedicated to his homeland Scotland. 

The Grave of Ossian 

In my beloved Scottish highlands, 

Under a curtain of cold mists, 

Between the sky of storms and dry sands, 

The grave of Ossian exists. 

My dreaming heart flies to its stone 

To breathe in native air puffs 

And take from it the priceless loan - 

The treasure of the second life. 

Mikhai Lermontov, 1830. 

(Translated by Yevgeny Bonver, October, 2000 

Edited by Dmitry Karshtedt, May, 2001) 

Desire 

Why not am I the steppe raven, 

Just passed me by across the haven? 

Why can’t I glide alone on sky? 

Being a spirit, being free and fly? 

I'd fly to west, tear west along 

To ancestral lea, to ancestral home, 

To deserted castle on the foggy hill, 

To forgotten ashes where ancestors live. 

Their ancient shield on the castles’ wall, 

Their rusty sword - It says it all. 

I‘d fly to brush my sword and shield, 

To recall the pride of flourished field 

I have dream to touch Scottish harp a string 

Hearty tone fulfill every castle wing 

Waking up a dream, flying up the vault, 

Breaking time and space, crashing poet’s soul. 

But pray is hopeless, and dreams are vain 

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Against the destiny, against the fate. 

I am far away from foggy hills. 

The Northern Sea as laying sill 

The last offspring of Scottish knights, 

Buried by snow, faded by night. 

In snow country being born, 

The foreign soul I did not learn. 

Oh, why not am I the steppe raven? 

Michael Lermontov, 1830 

(Interpreted by Tatiana Molchanova, 2005). 

Dear poet did not know how many prominent and wealthy 

Lermontov relatives he had and who were the direct descendents, as poet 

was, from the Scottish George Leirmont and who lived in Sankt Petersburg 

at the same time as Mikhail Yurievich lived there: Admiral Mikhail 

Nikolaevich Lermontov (1792-1866), General Major Vladimir Nikolaevich 

Lermontov (1796-1876), General Major Dmitri Nikolaevich Lermontov 

(1802-1854), General Major Vsevolod Nikolaevich Lermontov (1812- 

1877), General Major Rostislav Matveevich Lermontov (1810-1877), and 

many others. Most of them belong to the heroes of the Russian wars of their 

times. 

294

The lack of knowledge about Lermontov relatives was among the 

reasons of the poet’s tragic fate. This particular theme is broadly discussing 

in the Russian literature and would be the special topic of new literary 

work. 

The name of the Russian Poet Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov was 

known in the Great Britain as early as 1843 when Thomas Shaw interpreted 

Lermontov’s poem “Terek” (“Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine vol. 54, 

Dec 1843): 

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296

297

We think that in 1843 Scottish famous writer T. Shaw did not 

connect Lermontov’s name with the Scottish family of Learmonth as the 

article “Memories of Kirkaldy of Grange” that appeared in this Magazine in 

January 1849 did not mention about possible connection Sir James 

Learmonth of Dairsie with the Russian Poet Mikhail Lermontov. However 

the Scottish Newspapers reacted pretty quickly in response to the Vladimir 

Vasilievich Nikolski’s publication in the Russian Magazinr “Russkaya 

Starina” in 1873. We present below the original article from a Scottish 

Magazine (Collected by Henry George Farmer, GB 0247 MS Farmer 252, 

and Accession Number: 4638, Glasgow University Library): 

298

299

This article probably raised for the first time the question of the kin 

relations between Scottish Learmonths and Russian Lermontovs before the 

Scottish historians and public. Unfortunately since those times there were 

no any systematic studies in this direction in Scotland. There was probably 

just belief. That is why the series publications appeared in 1925 and then in 

1941, 1944 in the Scotland about the Scottish-Russian poet Mikhail 

Yurievich Lermontov and we appreciate them all. These publications were 

based on the Russian archives documentary work and Dr. Crocket’s request 

to the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, 1913. We 

illustrate below all of them in the chronological order (Glasgow University 

Library, Farmer Special Collection, author’s private request). 

300

1925, by W. S. Crocket 

301

1925, by Thomas Ross. 

302

303

304

Two previous publications were in 1925. 

The most impressive memories of the 100 anniversary of Mikhail 

Yurievich Lermontov’s death were published in July 1941 in Scotland when 

the Second World War stormed through Europe and Russia. 

305

306

307

308

309

The gift that is described in the Scottish Magazine above is wellknown 

in Russia. The descendents of Vladimir Nikolaevicn Lermontov, 

whose portrait is presented above, made the extremely valuable donation to 

the Russian National Defense Fund in 1941. 

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The modern Russian Lermontov families are very active in their 

community particularly in combination with the association “Lermontov’s 

Hereditary”. The Chairman of the association Professor Mikhail Yurievich 

Lermontov is a prominent man: Vice – Chairman of the Federal Scientific- 

Methodical Council, Ministry of Culture and Mass-Communications, 

Russian Federation. He restored the historical manor “Serednikovo”, near 

Moscow, where poet Mikhail Lermontov spent his three happy, romantic 

summer during 1829 to 1831. As a result there are now two restored 

historical manors that are strongly connected to both families: Scotish 

Learmonth - Dairsie Castle, Fife, Scotland; and the Russian Lermontov - 

Serednikovo, near Moscow, Russia. One is very Scottish and the other is 

very Russian: 

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George John Learmont Drysdale 

(1866–1909) 

Learmont Drysdale (1866–1909) was a prolific composer who 

enjoyed considerable success during his lifetime, although today his works 

are virtually unknown. 

George John Learmont Drysdale has been described as a 

Scottish Grieg 

He was born and brought up in Edinburgh. Learmont’s mother could 

trace her lineage back to the great Scottish poet and seer of the thirteenth 

century, Sir Thomas Learmontof Ercildoune, better known as Thomas the 

Rhymer. Learmont Drysdale’s maternal grandfather, George Learmont, 

reared near the Traquair House where the Quair and Tweed Rivers join, was 

factor to the last Earls of Traquair for over forty years. This area spawned 

many legends, ballads and songs which the young Learmont learned from 

his mother. 

On leaving school he studied architecture for some time, but his 

interest in music led him to enrol at the Royal Academy of Music in 

London. After his student days, Drysdale taught for a short time in the 

Athenaeum in Glasgow, but the remainder of his fairly short life was 

devoted to composition. He produced a large number of songs and song 

312

arrangements, a few orchestral works, some instrumental and chamber 

music, and several operas and dramatic cantatas as “Thomas the Rhymer”. 

He spent most of his working years in London, returning to Scotland 

only towards the end of his life. His extant compositions include theatrical 

and orchestral works, choral music, chamber pieces, numerous songs and 

folksong arrangements, though few of these were published. 

When the clergyman, novelist and folklorist Sabine Baring-Gould 

published his colorful novel of 18th-century country life Red Spider in 

1887, it was so well received that he was persuaded to write an operatic 

version. During this period he was collaborating with fellow clergyman and 

musician Henry Fleetwood-Sheppard on their monumental collections of 

West Country folksong Songs and Ballads of the West (1891) and A 

Garland of Country Song (1895). Fleetwood-Sheppard agreed to provide 

the music for Red Spider which, in reflection of its Devonshire setting, was 

to be based on local traditional melodies. However, following a period of 

collaboration, Fleetwood-Sheppard withdrew from the project and Baring- 

Gould chose Learmont Drysdale as his new partner. 

Red Spider was Drysdale’s greatest public success. The work was 

extravagantly mounted and a first-rate company engaged with Lucy Carr- 

Shaw (1853–1920), singer, actress and sister of George Bernard Shaw, in 

the leading rôle. During the autumn of 1898, Red Spider toured Britain with 

a lengthy run that lasted for more than 100 performances, but, sadly, it has 

not been staged since (Moira A Harris: Learmont Drysdale’s ‘Red Spider’, 

Music in 19th-Century Britain Conference: Abstracts) 

As the result of the friendship which developed in the 1940s between 

Henry Farmer and Drysdale’s sister Janey, who through the years had tried 

to promote her brother’s works whenever possible, she was persuaded by 

Farmer to donate to Glasgow University Library many of Drysdale’s 

manuscript compositions, as well as a number of published pieces and a 

quantity of archival material. The Farmer Collection is an additional source 

of material on Drysdale as it includes many letters from Janey Drysdale to 

Henry Farmer concerning her brother’s music as well as other topics (The 

Special Collections Department. Henry George Farmer’s (1882-1965) 

Collection, University of Glasgow; Kenny M. Sheppard “Selected choral 

works of Learmont Drysdale, Scotland’s forgotten composer, Texas Tech 

University, USA, 1987). Janey Drysdale was probably the first Learmonth 

who tried to establish the connection between her Learmonth family and the 

Russian poet Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov. Mr. Crocket, her close friend, 

made the request to Russia in 1913 to find the origin of the Mikhail 

Lermontov’s family. The only fact that they had found was Lermontov’s 

Scottish origin. 

313

One of the unusual and touched memories of all Learmonth- 

Lermontov families George Learmont’s work “Thomas the Rhymer” was 

restored and orchestrated by the famous Russian composer Edward 

Artemiev in 2007 for the 950 Anniversary of the Learmonth surname. 

Robert Learmonth 

(1831-1886) 

Robert Learmonth, for many years well and widely known in 

connection with the handling of machinery on the Great Lakes, and at 

present chief engineer of the Anchor line, is a Scotchman by birth. He was 

born at Kingston, East Lothian, Scotland, January 30, 1831, a son of Robert 

and Christian(sic) (Fair) Learmonth. The father, a farmer by occupation 

lived at Quebec, Canada, whither he had come in 1842, and where he died 

in the year 1886, at the age of eighty-six years, having been born in 1800. 

His children were Alexander (deceased) Gavin, Janet and Robert. 

Robert Learmonth came to Quebec with his father in 1842, and 

remained on the latter's farm in that vicinity for about five years. 

Subsequently he removed to Quebec and worked five years in Bissets 

Foundry, learning his trade of machinist and engineer. He removed to 

314

Buffalo in 1852, where he worked about a year in Sheppard's Works, now 

known as the King Iron Works. His first employment on the lakes was in 

1853, when he put an engine in the steamer Iowa, of the Evans (now the 

Anchor) line, for the Buffalo Steam Engine Works. This steamer was 

changed from a side-wheeler to a propeller, and was commanded by 

Captain Pratt, with Almer Johnson as her chief engineer. Mr. Learmonth ran 

her only one trip. 

In 1854 he became second engineer of the steamer Toledo, then 

owned by Messrs. Lee & Able and Captain Montgomery, the last named 

being also her master. He was on this steamer the full season, and the 

season following was employed by the Buffalo Steam Engine Works to go 

to Milwaukee to fit out the steamer Allegheny, built by James Jones, of that 

city. On this steamer he was chief engineer for two consecutive seasons. 

During the following three seasons Mr. Learmonth remained ashore, 

and during those years had charge of the machinery of Stewart & 

Shoemaker's distillery, located at Black Rock. The seasons of 1860-61-62 

he was chief engineer of the steamer Queen of the Lakes, of the Evans line, 

and the two following seasons was chief engineer of the steamer Pacific, of 

the New York Central line, running between Buffalo and Cleveland. For the 

next fifteen years he was master mechanic for Pratt & Co.'s rolling mill and 

blast furnace. This company has been out of existence since 1880, and was 

succeeded by The Griffin Car Wheel Company. 

In 1880 Mr. Learmonth was for three years U.S. local inspector of 

boilers for the Ninth district, under the administration of President Hayes, 

and located at Buffalo, N.Y. On July 1, 1884, he resigned that office to 

become chief engineer of the Anchor line which position he now holds. 

During Mr. Learmonth's time as chief engineer three steamers 

belonging to the Anchor line have been lost. The Philadelphia came in 

collision with the Albany off Point aux Barques in a heavy fog in 

November, 1893, and was a total loss. The crews of both steamers 

attempted to get ashore in the two small boats of the Philadelphia, one of 

which being overloaded was lost; the other, containing twenty-two men, 

reached the shore in safety. The Winslow was burned at the dock at Duluth 

in 1891, and was a total loss also; she was being unloaded at the time and 

had very little cargo aboard. The steamer Annie Young was burned on Lake 

Huron, about ten miles from Port Huron, in 1890, and was a total loss. 

There have been added to the fleet during this time four new steamers, 

Susquehanna, in 1886, Codorus, Schuylkill and Mahoning, in 1892. Mr. 

Learmonth is also the patentee of the Buffalo Feed Water Heater and 

Purifier, an apparatus which has added greatly to the efficiency of the 

marine boiler, and is now being extensively used, with good success, on 

many of the largest lake steamers. 

315

Mr. Learmonth was wedded to Miss Anna Frame, a native of Leith, 

Scotland, who died in 1892. Four children were born to this union, three of 

whom are now deceased; the other, now Mrs. John Ferguson, resides at No. 

200 La Fayette avenue, Buffalo, N.Y., where Robert Learmonth lived 

during his retirement. 

Henry Learmonth (1801-1891) and Family in Australia. 

This is a short account about one ordinary family called Learmonth 

who in 1865 emigrated from Scotland to Australia. During the 19th century 

several thousand families called Learmonth and similar variants left 

Scotalnd in search of a better life in Australia, Canada, the United States of 

America, South Africa and New Zealand. We tell the story of just one 

family as an illustration of the contribution that the Learmonth families 

made to their new countries by their hard work and Scottish traditions. 

In October 1865 a ship called ‘Morning Light’ arrived in Melbourne 

Australia. This passenger sailing ship along with a number of other similar 

ships specialised in transporting people to Australia, Canada and the USA 

from the British Isles. Amongst the passengers (Ref : B251 003) were 

Henry Learmonth (60) his wife Jane Learmonth (60) together with 

Henry’s youngest son Alexander Learmonth (22) his wife Miriam 

Learmonth (22) and their son Henry Learmonth (1). Also travelling with 

them was Henry’s grandson Robert Learmonth (18) (Public Records Office 

of Victoria) who came to live with his grandparents after he was born in 

1847. He was the son of Thomas Learmonth (Henry’s eldest son) and 

Helen Henderson. 

They travelled from Melbourne to Bullarook to join David 

Learmonth (Henry’s 6th son aged 27) who had been in Australia since 

1857. 

At this time Bullarook was a gold rush settlement and was a 

collection of basic wooden buildings which would have made life both 

difficult and uncomfortable. Today there is not much left of the town apart 

from a few signs to say where it was. Jane Learmonth died here on 12th 

June 1866 only 8 months after they arrived, she is buried in the nearby 

Creswick cemetery. There is no gravestone, however the burial record 

details the plot number and also the cost of the funeral (£2) which in those 

days was a considerable amount of money. We do not know the cause of 

death but the living conditions cannot have been a healthy environment and 

may well have contributed to her demise. (Information and from Warren 

316

Learmonth Lang, Australia) 

Between1858 and 1862 David Learmonth was living in Spring Hill. 

However in 1862 he married Mary King in Bullarook where he then lived 

until 1864, he then went to Mt Prospect where he continued living until at 

least 1882, and he died in Kingston on 20th April 1900. (The following 

information is taken from : Victoria and its Metropolis Past and Present 

(Melbourne Library Services), Letters From Victoria Pioneers, 

Encyclopaedia of Victoria, The Selectors in the Parishes of Bangerang and 

Areegra) 

Soon after Alexander Learmonth arrived in Bullarook he worked on a 

local farm for 18 months, and as a carter for one year. He then selected 160 

acres at Warra Warra near Glenorchy and farmed it for seven years, but not 

being successful, sold out and moved to the parish of Areegra in 1876. 

There he selected 160 acres and has since bought a further160 acres. He 

also holds 320 acres in right of his son, and farms the whole. In 1887 he 

cropped 170 acres and also runs sheep and is doing well. Alexander’s 

father Henry Learmonth lived and worked with him as a farmer, he died in 

Areegra in September1891and is buried in the nearby Nullan cemetery 

(there is no headstone). 

Robert Learmonth worked on a farm near Bullarook staying there a 

short time, and then on two other farms in the same locality for 16 months 

and 2 years respectively. He next settled on the banks of the Wimmera 

river, and selected 160 acres, but finding the land was no good threw it up 

after farming the land for a little while. In 1876 he went to Areegra, and 

selected 320 acres to which he then added a further 320 acres. He devoted 

the whole to farming and grazing, running both sheep and cattle, and has 

been successful. 

In 1877 Alexander and Robert Learmonth along with 7 other 

residents made a petition to have a school established in Areega. This 

school began in July1880 under Mr Horace Sanders (The Donald Express 

dated 28th October 1887). 

At the Areega picnic and sports day the foot race for ‘Old Buffers’ 

was won by Mr R Learmonth. The reporter writes ‘How things and times 

change, 10 years ago when I first came to this place there were neither 

fences, water, houses or people let alone a picnic and sports day’. 

David Learmonth and his wife Mary had 3 sons and 5 daughters. 

Alexander Learmonth and his wife Miriam had a family of 5 sons and 

2 daughters Alexander died in Areegra on 30th June 1920 and is also buried 

in Nullan cemetery (there is no headstone). 

Robert Learmonth married Sarah McClure at Areegra in 1876 they 

had 3 sons and 8 daughters. 

317

We have made no attempt to trace any of the descendents of these 

families. However if the Learmonth breeding standards were maintained 

there could now be least two hundred of them (The following information 

was obtained from Hon Lord Robert Reed a descendant of Jane Broomfield 

Learmonth). Jane Broomfield’s brother Adam Broomfield and his family 

also emigrated to Australia in 1852 on board the ‘Wanata’ This ship left 

Liverpool in June arriving in Port Philip Bay Melbourne in September. By 

that time 33 children and 6 adults had died of typhoid or whooping cough. 

The passengers were quarantined for 3 weeks until there were no new cases. 

When allowed to disembark most of the passengers travelled to the 

goldfields of Ballarat and Ballarook. When Jane (Broomfield) Learmonth 

died in June 1866 Adam Broomfield was in Ballarook as it was Adam who 

registered her death. 

There is an amazing connection of this Learmonth family line 

and the Russian Noble family Bunevic: 

318

1742 Thomas Learmonth married Isabel Douglas 

Thomas Learmonth 

born 1750 

married: 

1. Elizabeth Nesbit 

2. Isobel Dove 

Henry Learmonth 

born 1801 

married 

Jean Broomfield 

They had 9 sons 

Alexander Learmonth 

born 1843 

married Miriam 

Dunlop Swanston 

They had 5 sons and 2 daughters 

Immigrated to Australia 1865 

Henry Heriot Learmonth 

born 1834 in Nenthorn 

married Isabell Cowan, 1854 

Stayed in Scotland 


born 1873 

married Mary 

Anne McClurie, 1909 

They had three daughters 

Mary Learmonth 

married McDonough 

Valerie McDonough 

married Leon Buynevic 

(Leon Buynevic is a son 

of the Russian Cadet 

Leonid Buynevich 

(died in 1992), he was graduated from 

Polozhki Cadet Corpus in ~1919. 

General major Vsevolod Lermontov 

was a Director of this Corpus 

in 1852-1854. 

George Learmonth 

born 1875, Wilton, Scotland 

married Jessie Gibson, 1875, Hawick 

Christopher 

McEwen Learmonth 

born 1911, Hawick 

married Minnie 

Louise Thornton 

Rex Learmonth 

born 1937, 

Bradford, England. 

Rex is the coauthor 

of the book 

“Learmonth name origin 

and Learmonth-Lermontovs 

families,1057-2007” 

Buynevic Family. 

Leonid Broneslavovich Buynevic was born into this Russian noble 

family in about 1900 they were of Polish origin. His parents Evgenia and 

Broneslav Buynevic served in the Russian Imperial Army during 1914- 

1919. 

319

Evgenia and Broneslav Buynevic, about 1914. 

In about the year 1912 Leonid Buynevic entered the Polozhki 

Cedetski Curpus when he was 10-12 years old. 

The Polozhki Cedetski Corpus was establish in the 1830’s by the 

Russian Emperor Nicholas I and was opened during 1835 in Polozhk which 

is in the Vitebsk province. (Vladlen Gurkovski “Catetskie Korpusa 

Rossiiskoi Imperii”, 2005, Moscow, page 46-65). There were thirteen 

directors of this corpus between the years 1835-1917, among them was 

General-Major Vsevolod Nikolaevich Lermontov (1853-1854). 

General-Major’s A.N. Vaulin and M.G. Chigir were the last directors 

during 1905-1917. 

320

City Polozhk, Russia. Cadet Corpus Building, 1913. 

The First World War started the displacement of the Russian people 

and this displacement still continues today. Leonid Buyenevich wrote in his 

memoirs “that the evacuation of the Polozhki Cedetski Corpus started in the 

autumn of 1914. The Cadets packed their belongings and left the Corpus in 

a carefree manner and marched along the streets of Polozhk with jokes and 

merriment feeling certain that they were starting a new adventure that 

would be interesting and fulfilling. Leonid Buynevic found himself in the 

Russian city of Summu with the third company from the Polozhki Corpus 

that consisted of the first and second classes and included cadets aged 10 to 

12 years old. Leonid’s mother Evgenia Buynevic was living in Summu 

during this period in 1914 so he was able to joint her for his vocation during 

the summer time. 

There was a cosy little gathering of seven: Leonid Buynevic, two brothers 

George and Vladimir Vishnyakov (from Yaroslavskii Cadet Corpus. These 

two brothers Vishnyakov are two uncles-in-law of the writer of this account 

– Tatiana Molchanova), two Rohmaninov brothers and also two friends 

from the local school. They all had a good time together as they were so 

young and full of hope (Leonod Buynevic “Yesterday”, “Cadetskaya 

Pereklichka”, USA, 1976, #16). 

321

City Sumy, Russia. The Cadet Corpus Building, 1900. 

In March 1917 everything changed, they suddenly started to have a 

very hard time and as the revolution spread things got even worse with the 

death of Czar Nicholas II and his family. All the cadets were touched by 

this event. During the summer of that year Leonid and his friends tried to 

join the volunteer army, they reached the Austrian front line but were 

caught and returned to Summu. Leonid’s mother Evgenia Buynevic left 

Summu and went to the war zone as a voluntary nurse. The fate of the 

cadets was dreadful and during 1917-1919 they were dispersed all over 

bloody Russia. They stood and bravely fought for the principals which they 

had been taught and held dear at the Cedetskii Corpus and for their beloved 

Russia against the revolutionary terror. In 1917 Leonid Buynevich joined 

the Voluntary White Army, he almost died traveling on the military ship 

“Kronshtatd” from Odessa. Finally he reached Yugoslavia where three 

Cadetskih Corpuses had gathered along with a further thirty two Russian 

Cadet Corpuses. All the cadets tried to reach Yugoslavia where they hoped 

to complete their education. At the end of 1919 all the Cadets who made it 

to Yugoslavia (mostly from the Odesski Corpus,Vladimirsko-Kievski and 

Polozhski) were formed into the First Russian Cadet Corpus at Sarajevo. In 

1929 this Corpus was moved to the city Belaya Tserkov. 

322

The group of cadets. 

Leonid Buynevich is in the center of the upper row. 

Leonid Buynevich had by this time already graduated. Sarajevo 

continued to be the centre of the flourishing social and cultural life for these 

emigrants. The South-Slovenian-Russian League was proclaimed there a 

few years later. The year 1937 was the 100 th anniversary of the death of the 

great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin which was celebrated by the Russian 

community, this event further strengthened the League. Leonid and has 

wife Shura Buynevic, were among them. They also participated in the 

meetings devoted to the Day of Irreconcilability which was a revolt against 

the Communistic Russian government on November 7 th – the Day of the 

Revolution in Russia. Leonid and Alexandra Buynevic had two sons Leonid 

(later Leon) and Vladimir. The family moved to Australia in 1950 after the 

2 nd World War. 

Leonid Buynevic continued his career as a draftsman. He was also a 

good musician and finally became a writer publishing his memoirs in the 

issues “Cedetskaya Pereklichka” (started in the USA in 1970). He died on 

May 24, 1992. 

323

Vladimir Buynevic 

Son of Leonid Buynevic, Australia. 

Vladimir started his career as “a cameraman with Channel 7 on 

Australian TV in 1969. Since 1972 he has been a freelance cinematographer 

and over that time he has gained an enormous amount of experience, 

shooting film and video in its many format variation. Vladimir Bunyevich 

was fully appreciated for his 37 years experience in the industry (September 

5 th 2006: www.avpa.org.au). Vladimir Buynevic is a Full Member of the 

Australian Cinematographers Society. He has a daughter Erica. 

Leon Buynevic met his future wife Valerie McDonough, nee 

Learmonth, in 1970 in Australia. They married and have two children. 

Taken in 1972, Valerie Buynevic with her first child in Australia. 

Valerie is a descendent of the Learmonth family from the Scottish 

Borders, Her great great grand father Henry Learmonth and his wife Jean 

came to Australia in 1865 with their youngest son Alexander Learmonth 

and grandson Robert Learmonth. Their other son Henry Heriot Learmonth 

stayed in Scotland. So Henry and Jean Learmonth’s two sons had 

descendents in Australia (Alexander) and in Scotland (Henry) forming two 

separate Learmonth lines in two countries (see genealogy below). It is 

believed that this Scotsman Henry Learmonth was a descendent of the 

324

prophet – Thomas Rhymer - Learmont (1220-1297) from Earlston, in the 

Scottish Borders, Scotland. 

Another descendent of Thomas Rhymer-Learmont- a Scotsman 

George Leirmont (Learmonth), went to live in Russia in 1613. His 

descendants are the Russian Lermontov family. 

Valerie, a great great granddaughter of Henry Learmonth in 

Australia, became the wife of Leon Buynevich – son of the Russian cadet 

and a descendent from the Russian Noble family (not Lermontov family, 

but Buynevich). 

Rex Learmonth, a great great grandson of Henry Learmonth in 

Scotland, found me, Tatiana Molchanova who is a relative of the Russian 

Lermontov family. We wrote a book “Learmonth-Lermontov surname. 

Origin & History of families, 1057-2007.”. 

So fate again connected our two families. 

us. 

Henry’s line of the Learmoth family in Australia became wellknown 

thanks the prominent personality Alexander Learmonth. 

His progenitor Liisa Hobler collected family stories and kindly sent 

Liisa Hobler, 2007. 

JOHN LEARMONTH was born in July 1783 in Edinburgh, 

Scotland. 

John left Polmont where the family had been farmers and moved to 

Edinburgh. He became Provisioner for the Army. 

It is thought that John had a brother James Learmonth living at 

Polmont. According to James’ great granddaughter, Helen Woodman , 

James was born in 1825/30 in Falkirk near Polmont. He married Ellen 

Gillespie about 1850 in Falkirk. Ellen was born 30.12.1832 in Falkirk. 

They had a daughter Ellen Learmonth, born in Polmont on 22.5.1851. 

325

John Learmonth married MARGARET WATSON on 9 th April, 

1807 Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh. (IGI Record) 

They had 7 sons, 3 of which died before adulthood. They were: 

1. ALEXANDER born on November 21 st . 1809 in 

Edinburgh. Alexander married May Ann Horncastle and they had a 

daughter Jessie. He married for the second time, Mary Ann 

Hanbury Williams, and had 8 children. Alexander died on 

February 8 th 1874 in Hamilton, Victoria. 

2. Peter born October 18 th , 1811 in Edinburgh and died on 

April 2 nd 1820 in Edinburgh. 

3. John born on May 17 th , 1813 in Edinburgh and died on 

July 27 th 1821 in Edinburgh. 

4. William born on January 31 st , 1815 in Edinburgh. 

He married Mary Ralston in 1837 in Evandale, Tasmania and had 

8 children. William died on July 7 th 1889 at Ettrick, Victoria. 

5. Robert born on January 7 th , 1817 in Edinburgh. 

He died on March 25 th , 1820 in Edinburgh. 

6. James Allan born on August 31 st 1818 in 

Edinburgh, married Jane Holhitch and had no issue but adopted a 

daughter. He died on June 28 th 1873 in Heidelberg. 

7. Peter born on February 9 th , 1821 in Edinburgh, 

married Mary Jarvey Pearson in 1854 and had 10 children. Peter 

died on July 19 th 1893 in Hamilton, Victoria. 

John Learmonth died on 6 th July, 1823 in Edinburgh aged 40. 

ALEXANDER LEARMONTH was born near Edinburgh, Scotland, 

on 21st November, 1809. 

He attended school in Edinburgh and on the death of his father in 

1823, when he was aged 14, he was placed in a book seller’s depot where 

he contrived to improve his knowledge by reading. Some years later he 

joined the staff of a paper manufacturing company in Limerick, Ireland, and 

subsequently went to a better position in a paper factory in Wales. He later 

purchased the bookselling business at Edinburgh where he began his 

business career. The Scottish Booktrade Index (SBTI) shows: 

LEARMONTH Alexander bookseller and stationer Edinburgh – 38 Howe 

Street 1834-1837. (Edin Dir; Pigot 1837) 

He married MARY ANN HORNCASTLE. They had a daughter 

JESSIE ANN, born 31 st January, 1838. Mary Ann may have died in 

childbirth. 

326

Alexander married again, a Mary Ann Hanbury-Williams of 

Wyeside, Monmouthshire, Wales. 

His brothers, William and Peter, succeeded in convincing him he 

should emigrate to Van Diemens Land. So he sold his business and went to 

Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land in 1841. Papers show that Alexander arrived in 

the barque ‘George’ with his wife Mary Ann, baby Jessie Ann, as well as 

his mother, Margaret, her second husband Mr Anderson and their three 

daughters. 

Alexander became an accountant with the Cornwall Insurance Co. in 

Hobart and was a frequent contributor to the Launceston ‘Examiner’, a 

newspaper which did much to bring Portland Bay, Victoria into 

prominence. (A seal trader had visited the area in 1828 and built a house 

there in 1829. He lived there only temporarily. Major Thomas Mitchell had 

crossed the area in 1836 and named the river the Grange. Edward Henty 

landed at Portland on the 19th November, 

1834, having sailed on the 'Thistle', - see 

report in the Launceston Advertiser 

14.10.1834. He became the first settler in 

Victoria and, with his brothers, was 

responsible for the first developing 

settlement in Victoria.) 

Alexander Learmonth was presented 

with a plaque by "the friends of virtue and 

freedom in Tasmania" for his efforts in the 

cause of anti-transportation. He spent 16 

years in Tasmania, at Hobart. 

Brother William also had migrated 

to Tasmania, arriving in 1834, and settled 

in Evandale, Tasmania before moving to 

Portland in 1842 and becoming a successful pastoralist. He was also a flour 

miller and had a pastoral property and stock and station agency. William, 

became the first Mayor of the Borough of Portland in 1864. Brother Peter 

came out in 1840, ran sheep on the Tasman Peninsula, and went to the 

Californian Goldfields. 

Alexander Learmonth 

In 1857, Alexander and family moved to Portland in western 

Victoria. He took charge of Henty, Learmonth and Co, Merchants. He also 

took over the management from his brother, William, who had bought out 

Stephen George Henty. Alexander was later to be taken into the business 

and managed it until it was sold. 

The town of Hamilton was planned in 1850 and named in 1859. It 

became a Borough in 1863. 

327

Taking a leading part in the severence of the Hamilton district from 

the Portland Bay Roads Board, he was the first Chairman of the Dundas 

Roads Board, which included the township of Hamilton. During his term of 

office, he obtained a special grant of 3,000 pounds from the Government by 

way of addition to the Board’s revenue, which at that time was negligible. 

Hamilton 

Melbourne 

Alexander became one of the most prominent men in the Hamilton 

District. He was the founder of the central municipality of Hamilton, having 

initiated the petition for it’s incorporation. He was the first Mayor of the 

Borough of Hamilton. He held office in that capacity for six consecutive 

years, and on his retirement from the mayorality for the last time in 

November 1866, he was presented by the Mayor, Dr Govett, on behalf of 

the council, with an illuminated address and a cup full of sovereigns. 

To his exertions the town owed the erection of a Court House and 

Government buildings, the Hamilton Hospital and Benevolent Asylum, the 

Presbyterian Church, manse and school, and the Masonic Hall. He lent a 

friendly hand to the institution of the Press in Hamilton, and for some time 

assisted in conducting the ‘Spectator’ in it’s early days. With Mr Mackersey 

he established the Hamilton P and A Society, and was one of the proprietors 

of the Wannon Woollen Mills Company. He was one of the founders of a 

Hamilton Savings Bank and was later actuary. He secured the opening of a 

sub-treasury in Hamilton and was the leading spirit in the original Western 

Railway League. He was appointed the territorial Magistrate in 1858, a 

District Commissioner in 1862, and Government auditor in 1870, President 

of the Hospital Committee. At different times the Secretary of the P and A 

Society and President also. He was Secretary and Treasurer of the 

Presbyterian Church, President of the Mechanics Institute, Patron of the 

National School, Founder of the Terminating Building Society and was 

328

generally to be found in the 

forefront of everything in the 

interest of the place of his 

adoption. 

Alexander died in 

Hamilton on 8th February, 

1874 from enlargement of the liver and is 

buried in Hamilton. A public memorial 

was erected in his memory in the 

Hamilton Cemetery. The Hamilton and District Historical Society's main 

room is dedicated to his memory. 

Mr Alexander Learmonth on right. 

Alexander’s Grave in Hamilton 

“Mr Learmonth’s failings, which were but few” remarked an old 

friend, “leaned to the side of amiability. He was a man of genial, kindly and 

benevolent disposition, always ready with no niggard hand to help the 

needy, often at the sacrifice of his own personal interests. These qualities, 

added to his sterling integrity and a considerable aptitude for business, has 

caused him to be regarded as a sort of public factotum whose counsel and 

assistance could freely be sought by persons wanting advice under any 

circumstances of difficulty.” 

“Pioneer Families of Australia”contains several paragraphs about 

Alexander Learmonth and his family in Scotland. 

“Burke’s Colonial Gentry” has a section dedicated to Alexander. 

Peter Learmonth’s descendants at Hamilton have a ring for sealing 

belonging to the old Learmonths - a Rose and Spero = Hope 

Copy of a letter written by Alexander Learmonth to his brother 

William from Launceston, Tasmania, November 1856: 

My dear William, 

329

It seems you are in doubt about some of your ages – take the 

following: extracted from our Father’s Bible (the big one) - 

Register of the Ages of John Learmonth and Margaret Watson’s 

children. 

Married 16 th April, 1807 – 

BIRTHS 

1. Alexander Born 21 st November 1809 

2. Peter (1) Born 18 th October 1811 

3. John Born 17 th May 1813 

4. William Born 31 st January 1815 

5. Robert Born 7 th January 1817 

6. James Allan Born 31 st August 1818 

7. Peter (2) Born 9 th February 1821 

DEATHS 

Robert Died 25 th March 1820 Aged 3 ½ years 

Peter (1) Died 2 nd April 1820 Aged 8 ½ years 

John Died 27 th July 1821 Aged 8 ½ years 

Mr John Learmonth, Father of the above, Died 6 th July 1823, aged 40 

years. 

(signed) Alex Learmonth, Launceston, 28 th Nov 1856 

'Burke's Colonial Gentry' has a good article on Alexander Learmonth. 

Some of the notes have been taken from this record. There is also an article 

on him in the Australian Dictionary of Biography and various newspaper 

clippings. 

There was another branch of the Learmonth family 

who came to Australia. 

(Australian Dictionary of Biography, 

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au) 

They left Scotland for London, India and Australia. They inherited 

property from the Livingstone side of their family and changed their name 

to Livingstone-Learmonth. 

Learmonth John (1812-1871), Thomas (1818-1903), Somerville 

(1819-1878), and Andrew James (1825-1892), early settlers were the sons 

of Thomas Learmonth (1783-1869) and his second wife, Christian Donald. 

They were grandsons of Margaret Livingstone, heiress to her grandfather, 

Alexander Mitchell, of Parkhall, Stirlingshire, Scotland, and her husband, 

John Learmonth, merchant, of Leith. 

Thomas Learmonth senior's eldest brother, Alexander, inherited 

Parkhall, but died bankrupt in 1815, soon after Thomas, who had farmed 

330

the customs at Grangemouth, left for India to succeed the second brother, 

John, who had made enough at Calcutta to return and buy Parkhall when 

auctioned in 1820. 

From India, doubtless influenced by Captain Charles Swanston and 

the Mercer connexion, Thomas Learmonth senior moved to Van Diemen's 

Land, where by May 1835 he was a merchant in Hobart Town. Of his sons, 

John (M.D. Edinburgh) was married on 24 January 1837 to Anna, second 

daughter of Dr John Macwhirter, of Edinburgh; Thomas and Somerville 

began at Port Phillip as squatters in the following April. Andrew lived in 

Tasmania; in April 1845 he left for England with John's eldest son, John 

Franklin, who like himself became an ensign in the East India Co.'s army, 

but not before 1850, when Andrew returned to Australia, pending 

retirement after five years of service. 

About 1845, shortly before he visited Britain, from which he returned 

in 1848, John Learmonth, whose headquarters had become Geelong, began 

to build a homestead which still stands, on freehold at Batesford acquired 

by his father in 1839 as successor with Swanston, Mercer, and John 

Montagu to the assets of the Port Phillip Association. This was called 

Laurence Park, after Thomas Learmonth senior's former holding near 

Falkirk. Here Andrew was in charge during 1854-55 when his brother was 

absent again; but by 1859 he was once more in Britain. His mother had died 

in Tasmania in 1841 and his father had suffered in that period's general 

financial collapse. By 1853, however, Thomas Learmonth senior was in 

Scotland with a third wife. There he remained, succeeding to the Parkhall 

estate in 1864, and taking the name of Livingstone before his own. All his 

sons left descendants, and all returned to Britain before or soon after his 

death. 

Thomas and Somerville, acting first as agents for their father and 

brother John, led in the pastoral settlement of Port Phillip, and finally in 

wool production. They soon moved from Geelong to the Ballarat district, 

and from their Boninyong station took up the larger run of Borrumbeet. 

There, about 1859, with Andrew's help in the planning, they completed their 

Scottish baronial Ercildoun homestead, which apparently dates from 1854, 

the year after Thomas responded from Boninyong to La Trobe's request for 

details of local settlement, and the year before the Boninyong station was 

let. Before they sold Ercildoun to Samuel Wilson in 1873 and left Australia, 

no woolgrower had better sheep than T. & S. Learmonth. 

Thomas's report to La Trobe, with its accompanying map, sufficiently 

illustrates the partners' drive and intelligence. Ercildoun furniture in the 

Ballarat Art Gallery displays their taste. 

331

Ercildoun, Australia. The Learmonth’s Manor. The photo was kindly 

sent by the descendent of this Learmonth line in Australia – 

Gillie Learmonth, 2007. 

They were strict Presbyterians, whose departure has been attributed 

to their belief that they were unjustly treated in the notorious case of the 

Mount Egerton mine. 

332


Ballarat 


Ercildoun 

Lake 


But, as heirs of Scotland and India, undoubtedly the brothers were 

versed in shrewd calculation and finesse. Despite their close attention to 

Thomas Shaw's Australian merino, they were essentially detached, 

investing sojourners, not inextricably entangled. Thomas junior, who finally 

possessed Parkhall, married in 1856 Louisa (d.1878), youngest daughter of 

Major-General Sir Thomas Valiant, and in 1879 the fourth daughter of 

Lestock Reid (Mrs John Learmonth's uncle), of the Bombay Civil Service, 

333

whose second daughter married Somerville in 1860. Andrew's wife, whom 

he married in 1869, became Viscountess Portman in 1908. 

Other Learmonths who came and settled in Australia. 

Learmonth, William (1815-1889) and Peter (1821-1893), pastoralists, 

were born in Scotland, the second and fourth sons of John Learmonth, army 

contractor, and his wife Margaret, née Watson. 

William, born on 31 January 1815, was educated at the High School 

in Edinburgh and in 1834 arrived at Van Diemen's Land in the Tamar. At 

first engaged to a firm of solicitors, he turned to pastoral pursuits and 

developed Williamswood, a property near Evandale. By 1839 he had 

14,000 sheep. Hard hit by the prevailing depression he visited Portland, Port 

Phillip District, in 1842 and, encouraged by an advertisement of cattle for 

sale at Port Fairy, left Tasmania in August 1844. He bought many cattle and 

decided to take up a run at Darlot's Creek despite warnings about hostile 

Aboriginals. He took up 39,000 acres (15,783 ha) near Portland and held 

the first licence for the property which he renamed Ettrick. In September 

1845 he was joined by his wife Mary, née Ralston, whom he had married in 

April 1837, and their three children. He was then investing in sheep and by 

December had begun to pay off his debts. Although the commissioner of 

crown lands, F. Fyans, urged him to withdraw because of troublesome 

Aboriginals, Learmonth stayed on. He prospered and was able to invest in 

several other runs. Ettrick became one of the best stations in the district and 

he held it until 1880. 

In 1854-63 Learmonth lived in Portland, where he was partner of S. 

G. Henty in a mercantile business; they also held a 15,000-acre (6070 ha) 

run near Hamilton. Learmonth was first mayor of the Portland Borough 

Council in 1863 and for years served on it and the Shire Council of which 

he was president many times. He also stood for the Legislative Council but 

without success. He was an enthusiast for the Volunteer Movement in 

which he became colonel. He was a keen sportsman and race-horse owner. 

He died at Ettrick on 7 July 1889, survived by his widow and three children. 

Peter Learmonth was born on 9 February 1821 and worked on an 

uncle's farm until at 19 he decided to join his brother William in Tasmania. 

He worked on William's property near Evandale for two years and then 

started a sheep station on Tasman Peninsula. In 1848 he made a fruitless 

visit to the California goldfields but in 1851 gold again attracted him and he 

was successful at Forest Creek, near Castlemaine. He then decided to raise 

livestock and managed Francis Henty's Merino Downs station. In 1859 

Learmonth turned to flour-milling, building or buying mills at 

Prestonholme, near Hamilton, and at Sandford, Byaduk and Penshurst. He 

also bought land at Prestonholme and Dunkeld for his merino flock and 

334

established a wool and finance business, P. Learmonth & Co., in Hamilton. 

His last big investment was to buy a third interest in the Nacimiento estate, 

Mexico, where he later gave his share of 82,000 acres (33,184 ha) to two of 

his sons. A practical citizen, he was an early member of Dundas Shire 

Council and often its president. He helped to establish the Hamilton 

Hospital and presided over its committee for years. He also raised capital 

for founding Hamilton College and Alexandra Ladies' College. He worked 

hard for temperance and helped to bring railway communication to the 

district. He died at Prestonholme on 19 July 1893, leaving an estate worth 

£54,000 and was survived by his wife Mary Jarvey (d.1913), daughter of 

John Pearson, whom he had married on 18 December 1854; they had seven 

sons and three daughters. 

335

William's eldest son, John Ralston (1838-1911), was born in 

Tasmania and educated by his parents at Ettrick. In 1855-56 he worked for 

the Bank of Australasia at Portland. From 1857 he managed some of his 

father's properties, becoming owner of Ellangowan station adjoining 

Ettrick. He was active in municipal affairs, became a justice of the peace in 

336

1861 and was thrice president and eighteen years a member of the 

Minhamite Shire Council. He also gave long service as a Portland shire 

councillor. A crack shot, he was prominent as well in horse-racing and for 

years was a breeder, owner and judge at Hamilton and the Melbourne 

Show. He died at Ellangowan on 11 August 1911. He was survived by his 

wife Mary Jane Marshall, née Fulford, whom he had married in April 1875, 

by two of his three sons and a daughter, and by thirteen grandchildren 

(Author: Michael T. Moore, Australian Dictionary of Biography, 

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au) 

Learmonth, Noel Fulford (1880 - 1970), farmer, naturalist and local 

historian, was born on 22 February 1880 at Ettrick, the family property near 

Tyrendarra, Victoria, son of Tasmanian-born John Ralston Learmonth, 

grazier, and his wife Mary Jane Marshall, née Fulford, from South 

Australia. William Learmonth was his grandfather. Noel completed his 

education (1895-98) at Geelong Church of England Grammar School. He 

worked for the Victorian Railways (notably on the Mildura survey), served 

(1902-03) as private secretary to M. K. McKenzie, the commissioner of 

crown lands, and took up a pastoral block near Gayndah, Queensland. After 

his father's death in 1911, he returned to Victoria, named the land he 

inherited Carramar and began farming there. On 26 August 1914 at St 

Alban's Anglican Church, Armadale, Melbourne, he married Edith Mary 

Salter (d.1964); they were to have four children. 

Throughout his life Learmonth developed his skills as a naturalist and 

local historian. While working on the Mildura survey, he had sent 

paragraphs to the Bulletin which were published under the pen-name, 'Leo'. 

In 1910-11 the Geelong Grammar School Quarterly included two of his 

articles. Learmonth's contributions to the ornithology of south-west 

Victoria, especially its seabirds, continued in articles in the Emu, the 

Victorian Naturalist and the Bird Observers' Club Notes, culminating in The 

Birds of the Portland District (1966). In this work, and in activities such as 

the campaigns for national parks at Mount Richmond (proclaimed 1960) 

and Lower Glenelg (proclaimed 1969), he was assisted by members of the 

Portland Field Naturalists' Club which he had helped to found in 1945. His 

interest in bird-life earned him an associate-fellowship of the National 

Museum of Victoria. 

Learmonth's first full-scale historical project had been The Portland 

Bay Settlement (1934), prepared to mark Portland's centenary. Following 

his retirement to that city in 1952, his responses to various requests for local 

histories included The Story of St Stephens (1956), The Story of a Port 

(1960) and Portland 1800 to 1920 (1966). His final book, Four Towns and a 

Survey (1970), included studies of several local towns, first published in the 

Portland Guardian, and an account of his time on the Mildura railway 

337

survey. His pioneering work, meticulously detailed and lucidly written, was 

recognized by life membership of the Melbourne Anglican Diocesan 

Historical Society and a fellowship (1962) of the Royal Historical Society 

of Victoria. Colleagues found Learmonth a stimulating companion, 'his 

forthrightness tempered with courtesy, his knowledge with wit'. He was a 

member of the Bread and Cheese Club, and the Melbourne Cricket Club. 

Survived by his daughter, he died on 9 September 1970 at Portland and was 

cremated. One of his sons had died in infancy, the other two became heroes 

of the Second World War. 

Lieutenant John Learmonth 

Son of Noel Fulford Learmonth. 

“Today thousands of Australians visit Greece. Many are Greek 

emigrants or their children returning to visit relatives in the land of their 

ancestors. Others are simply tourists drawn, no doubt, by the lure of 

Greece’s extraordinary history and the country’s magnificent mainland and 

island scenery. Hardly any of them miss the Parthenon before hurrying off 

to island playgrounds such as Mikanos or the dramatic land and seascapes 

of Naxos or Santorini. How many, one wonders, visit Phaleron or Suda Bay 

war cemeteries and wander among the headstones with inscriptions 

recording the presence here of men from the 2/11th Battalion or the 2/3rd 

Field Regiment, men from the 6th Australian Division who fought and died 

for Greece and Australia? If they read the cemetery register with its brief 

outline of the campaigns in Greece and Crete they will encounter 

placenames such as Vevi, Aliakmos, Tembe Gorge, Thermopylae, Hania, 

Rethymno and Heraklio, placenames recalled by many Australian families 

in the years after World War II. They might also ponder this passage from 

the diary of Lieutenant John Learmonth, 2/3rd Field Regiment, written as 

his troopship approached Pireaus on 29 April 1941: 

It is only a quarter of a century since the Australians of the first A.I.F. 

made history here, yet this was the cradle of history before the Australians, 

or even the British, had come into being. I wonder shall we in our turn add 

fresh deeds to the story of mankind, deeds that will go down from 

generation to generation for thousands of years to come; and I wonder also 

what new races will rise up and fight their wars here, when we are as longdistant 

and forgotten as the Ancient Greeks … now seem to us.” 

John Manifold, well-known poet, wrote a poem in 1944: 

This is not sorrow, this is work: 

I build A cairn of words over a silent man, 

My friend John Learmonth whom the Germans killed. 

338

There was no word of hero in his plan; 

Verse should have been his love and peace his trade, 

But history turned him to a partisan. 

Far from the battle as his bones are laid 

Crete will remember him. Remember well, 

Mountains of Crete, the Second Field Brigade! 

Say Crete, and there is little more to tell 

Of muddle tall as treachery, despair 

And black defeat resounding like a bell; 

But bring the magnifying focus near 

And in contempt of muddle and defeat 

The old heroic virtues still appear. 

Australian blood where hot and icy meet 

(James Hogg and Lermontov were of his kin) 

Lie still and fertilise the fields of Crete. 

Schoolboy, I watched his ballading begin: 

Billy and bullocky and billabong, 

Our properties of childhood, all were in. 

I heard the air though not the undersong, 

The fierceness and resolve; but all the same 

They’re the tradition, and tradition's strong. 

Swagman and bushranger die hard, die game, 

Die fighting, like that wild colonial boy – 

Jack Dowling, says the ballad, was his name. 

He also spun his pistol like a toy, 

Turned to the hills like wolf or kangaroo, 

And faced destruction with a bitter joy. 

His freedom gave him nothing else to do 

But set his back against his family tree 

And fight the better for the fact he knew 

He was as good as dead. Because the sea 

Was closed and the air dark and the land lost, 

339

'They'll never capture me alive,' said he. 

That's courage chemically pure, uncrossed 

With sacrifice or duty or career, 

Which counts and pays in ready coin the cost 

Of holding course. Armies are not its sphere 

Where all's contrived to achieve its counterfeit; 

It swears with discipline, it's volunteer. 

I could as hardly make a moral fit 

Around it as around a lightning flash. 

There is no moral, that's the point of it, 

No moral. But I’m glad of this panache 

That sparkles, as from flint, from us and steel, 

True to no crown nor presidential sash 

Nor flag nor fame. Let others mourn and feel 

He died for nothing: nothings have their place. 

While thus the kind and civilised conceal 

This spring of unsuspected inward grace 

And look on death as equals, I am filled 

With queer affection for the human race. 

340

Wing Commander Charles Learmonth. 

DFC and Bar. R.A.A.F 

Son of Noel Fulford Learmonth. 

The following information was taken from the magazine ‘Airforce 

News’ which is the official Newspaper of the Royal Australian Air Force, 

volume 42, number 11, December 2000 : “Australian Beaufort returns 

from the grave” by Michael Armit (pages 32-34). Scores of accidents 

particularly in 1942 and 1943, in training and operational flying, killing 

many aircrew, cast a shadow over the Beaufort aircraft. This resulted in 

many harsh words being spoken at No1 Operational Training Unit in 

Victoria and other places, until the cause was found and corrected. 

One Beaufort tragedy was the crash off Western Australia of A9-346 

captained by 26 year old Wing Commander Charles Learmonth, DFC and 

Bar, commanding 14 Squadron, during formation flying practice between 

the RAAF’s Pearce base and Rottnest Island in January 1944. 

341

The crew of the second aircraft in his flight of three was asked by 

Learmonth to come close and inspect his tail plain as his aircraft had a 

severe flutter, making it difficult to handle. They noticed Learmonth’s 

starboard elevator trim tab was free and oscillating, causing the entire 

elevator to vibrate violently. In a second, AO-346 went into a dive and hit 

the water at an angle of 60 degrees, killing Learmonth and his crew. This 

accident should not have happened as the authorities had pointed out, had 

instructions issued several weeks earlier been carried out – to inspect the 

tail plain before all flights to ensure the elevator was safe until 

modifications were made. 

Learmonth flew his first operational sorties in New Guinea in 1942 – 

his ‘pet’ Boston was A28-9 She’s Apples-and in March 1943, despite 

repeated attacks by zeroes, led five Bostons of No22 Squadron in low level 

strikes against enemy shipping in the Battle of the Bismarck sea, described 

by General McArthur as “the decisive aerial engagement of the war in the 

South-West Pacific. 

The RAAF base in Western Australia which was first established 

during the second world war and was eventually named RAAF Learmonth 

after Wing Commander Charles Learmonth who was regarded as a hero 

when test flying a Beaufort aircraft he radioed back to base the reason why 

this aircraft type was failing and killing the crews. Unfortunately, just after 

his radio message he lost control of the aircraft which plunged into the sea 

killing Learmonth and his crew (The following information was given by 

John Kennewell PhD, the Principle Physicist at the Learmonth Solar 

Observatory, personal communications) 

In 1945, it was decided to name the RAAF base Learmonth in 

memory of Charles and the name was also applied to the locality around the 

base. The airbase has now also become a civilian airport that also bares his 

name “Learmonth Airport” and it has a plaque about Charles Learmonth in 

the entrance area (personal communication, historian Charles Page). 

In 1979 the nearby Learmonth Observatory became operational 

which also took its name from the same Charles Learmonth. 


West Australia 

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Captain (Acting Major) 

O’Kill Massey Learmonth VC, MC. 

2nd Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force Eastern Ontario 

Regiment Only Son of William Learmonth St Louis Road Quebec. 

Mother Mrs O.M Learmonth c/o Nursing Sister S.W Tamarch. 133, 

Oxford St London. For the action on Hill 70 on 18th August 1917 (citation 

reads) “For most conspicuous bravery and exceptional devotion to duty. 

During a determined counter attack on our new positions, this officer, when 

his company was momentarily surprised, instantly charged and personally 

disposed of the attackers. Later he carried on a tremendous fight with the 

advancing enemy. Although under intense barrage and mortally wounded 

he stood on the parapet of the trench, bombed the enemy continuously and 

directed the defense in such a manner as to infuse a spirit Towards the end 

of July 1917, the 2nd Battalion moved into the area around hill 70. Rumour 

had it that the Canadian Corps was preparing a two division attack on the 

feature, and the battalion’s presence added credibility to the gossip. Hill 70 

was located midway between Loos and Cite St. Auguste, and although 

classified as a hill, the feature was not nearly as imposing as Vimy Ridge 

but merely the highest contour in the area. The attack on Hill 70 began in 

the early hours of 15th August. The 1st Canadian Division held the centre 

and the 3rd and part of the 2nd brigades sallied forth to do battle, leaving 

part of the 2nd and 1st in reserve. They moved forward on the 16th August 

under heavy harassing fire. Suffering numerous setbacks and overcoming 

several obstacles, the 2nd relieved the entire 3rd brigade at approximately 

0700hrs on the 17th. The 2nd Battalion held the new position and repelled a 

strong German counter attack which stretched all four companies to 

breaking point. 

The German attack on the morning of 18th August marked the 2nd 

Battalions first encounter with flame throwers. The Germans employed 

these fearful weapons in an attempt to clear the parapet of defenders and the 

Germans showed great courage in pressing home their attack against the 

withering fire of the defenders but they were finally forced to retreat having 

gained none of their objectives. 

A particular valiant display was that of Maj O’Kill Massey 

Learmonth, commanding 3rd company, when part of his line recoiled from 

a fierce attack. Maj Learmonth himself bombed the attackers despite two 

separate wounds, inspired the men to counter attack and repulse the 

Germans. Later Maj Learmonth sustained a broken leg but continued to 

direct his company from the bottom of the trench, refusing evacuation. 

When finally forced to leave, Maj Learmonth first gave a complete briefing 

to Lt Hugh Smith and then, although mortally wounded, forced his stretcher 

343

earers to take him to report to battalion headquarters. Maj Learmonth, 

who was with the battalion from the beginning and was wounded as an 

enlisted man at Ypres, died in the dressing station below hill 70. For his 

courage and extreme valour he was awarded the Victoria Cross. 

Sir James Ronvald Learmonth 

(1895 – 1967). 

While it is always a little risky to assign paternity to someone, there 

are historical precedents designating a person as the “father” of a given field 

of specific medical interest. For example, the general surgeon, Dr. Sterling 

Bunnell, established the field of hand surgery. Today, each surgeon 

completing a hand surgery fellowship can trace his or her lineage, through 

the immediate program director, to the first group of hand surgeons trained 

by Sterling Bunnell. 

While we are unaware of such a figure assuming paternity in the field 

of peripheral nerve surgery, the contributions in basic science and clinical 

practice that constituted the life of James Learmonth suggest that he may 

be the first surgeon to devote himself significantly to the peripheral nerve. 

JAMES ROGNVÄLD LEARMONTH, K.C.V.O., C.B.E., 

MB,CH.B., CH.M., F.R.C.S.E. James Rognväld Learmonth was born on 

March 23, 1895, at Gatehouse-of Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, the 

eldest son of William Learmonth and Kathleen Macosquin Craig. His 

father, a native of Edinburgh, was the head master of the parish school of 

Girthon. His mother came from Coleraine, Northern Ireland. His middle 

name, with its Scandanavian spelling, was used by his family and friends 

344

for many years. He attended the Kilmarnock Academy from 1909 through 

1912, and began his medical studies at the University of Glasgow in 1913, 

only to have them interrupted for duty in World War I. He served in the 

Kings Own Scottish Borderers, with combat duty in France. Thereafter, he 

was officer in charge of the Anti-Gas School, Scottish Command. He 

returned to complete his medical education in Glasgow, receiving the 

MB,Ch.B. degree, and the Burton Memorial Prize as the most distinguished 

graduate in medicine in 1921. He stayed on to be resident physician and 

surgeon at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, from 1921 through 1923, 

culminating in a final year from 1923 to 1924 as assistant to Sir Archibald 

Young, Professor of Surgery in the Dispensary at Glasgow University. 

In 1924 he received a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation, as 

well as one from the Medical Research Council. He used these fellowships 

to study neurological surgery under the direction of Dr. Alfred W. Adson at 

the Mayo Clinic. While there, he met Charlotte N. Bundy, and they were 

married on June 25, 1925. In the summer of 1925, he returned to Scotland 

to obtain a master’s degree, Ch. M., which he received with high 

commendation in 1927. His thesis was on the pathology of spinal tumors. In 

1928, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh 

(FRCSE). 

In 1928, Dr. William J. Mayo invited Learmonth to join his staff. 

Learmonth took the post as Associate Professor of Neurologic Surgery at 

the University of Minnesota, where he served through 1932. This was a 

productive time in which he did research on the role of the sympathetic 

nervous system in peripheral vascular disease and pelvic dysfunction, 

including the innervation of the bladder. He published about 24 papers 

during this time. 

In 1932, at the age of 37, Learmonth returned to Scotland to become 

Regius Professor of Surgery at the University of Aberdeen. He was also the 

consulting neurologic surgeon at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and 

the consulting surgeon at the Municipal Hospital. 

In 1939, he moved to Edinburgh, where he was Professor of 

Systematic Surgery at the university of Edinburgh. During World War II, 

Learmonth organized the Gogaburn Hospital for the treatment of peripheral 

nerve and vascular injuries. After the war, he organized separate units in 

Edinburgh for vascular, pediatric, plastic, and urologic surgery. For this 

wartime work, he was made a Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.). 

In 1946, he was appointed to the Regius Chair of Clinical Surgery and in 

1948, he became the President of the Association of Surgeons of Great 

Britain and Ireland. 

Learmonth was called to the service of King George VI at 

Buckingham Palace; the patient was suffering with ischemia of his right leg. 

345

Learmonth performed a lumbar sympathectomy on March 12, 1949. The 

king lived three more years, ultimately succumbing to carcinoma of the 

lung. Thereafter, Learmonth was knighted (K.C.V.O.) and was made a 

Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. In 1962, he was made Extra Surgeon to 

Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland. Other awards included an Hon. FACS in 

1949, an Hon. LLD, Glasgow in 1949, the Lister Medal for “distinguished 

contribution to surgical science” in 1951, an Hon. FRACS in 1954, an Hon. 

LLD, St. Andrew’s in 1956, an Hon., DSc., Sydney in 1956, an Hon. LLD, 

Edinburgh in 1965, and the Outstanding Achievement Award of the 

University of Minnesota, awarded in 1964 at the Mayo Clinic Centennial 

Convocation. 

He served on the Editorial Board for Great Britain for Surgery, 

Gynecology and Obstetrics from 1938 through 1954. His contemporaries on 

that Board, under the leadership of Loyal Davis, were William J. Mayo, 

Harvey Cushing, John M. T. Finney, George Crile and later, Alfred Blalock 

and Frank H. Lahey. 

He was honored also by giving several named lectures. The range of 

his chosen topics is of interest. The 1947 Heath Clark lecture was entitled 

“Contribution of Surgery to Public Health.” The 1951 Harveian Oration 

was entitled “Surgery of the Spleen.” The 1953 Linacre Lecture was 

entitled the “Fabric of Surgery.” Of particular interest is the title of 

Learmonth’s 1954 

Paget Lecture: “Surgeon’s Debt to Animal Experiment.” In 1956, he 

retired from the University of Edinburgh to a country home in Broughton. 

His scientific publications included one book and 118 papers. He served as 

Assessor of the General Council of the Court at the University of Glasgow 

from 1960 through 1966. He died on September 27, 1967 of bronchial 

carcinoma in Ardbucho, Broughton-Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland, where 

he was cremated and buried. 

James Learmonth was survived by his wife, a daughter, Jean, and a 

son, James William. His hobbies included gardening, reading (biographies 

and history), an occasional game of golf (he is reported to have scored a 

hole in one on the Spey Bay course), and watching cricket. The comments 

of peers at the time of Learmonth’s appointment as Professor in Edinburgh 

are of interest. Sir Achibald Young, with whom Learmonth had worked at 

the end of his residency in Glasgow, stated “his work on the sympathetic 

nervous system, and hitherto most intractable conditions of the bladder and 

large bowel, has made him a man of mark, whose further achievements in 

this line of research surgeons all over the world anticipate with considerable 

hope.” Sir Charles Ballance, who with Duel wrote the classic work on facial 

nerve reconstruction in 1931, and who at the time of this quote was 

consultant at St. Thomas Hospital in London and the Lister medalist of the 

346

Royal College of Surgeons, wrote that Learmonth was “one of the leaders 

of the younger group of neurological surgeons and the University that 

selects him for the Chair of Surgery will make a wise choice, which coming 

years will amply justify.” 

In a letter to the editor of the Mayo Alumnus, written on January 19, 

1967, shortly before his death, Learmonth wrote about the model he used to 

“describe the qualities desirable in the staff of a scientific department.” He 

wrote that he found these “had been enumerated” by Francis Bacon about 

350 years earlier. Although Learmonth does not state which parts of what 

follows were exactly Bacon’s words, most likely only those italicized are, 

since the inclusion of John Hunter’s quote to explain further the italicized 

header could not have been included by Bacon, who preceded Hunter, nor 

the comment about computers (A. Lee Dellon and Peter C. Amadio 

“JAMES R. LEARMONTH: THE FIRST PERIPHERAL NERVE 

SURGEON” Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery, v. 16, #3, pp. 213- 

217, 2000). 

James William Frederic Learmonth 

(1939 – 2003) 

(Son of Sir James Ronvald Learmonth) 

Born in Aberdeen Scotland.Educated at an Episcopalian boarding 

school in Perthshire Scotland. He read classics at Edinburgh University and 

later read English at Gonville and Caius Cambridge. His mother was 

American and he enjoyed dual nationality. 

He was an Educationist who was determined to help disadvantage 

students. His first job was at Eltham Green School inner London where 

taught low-achieving pupils. With his first wife Clare Marriot a social 

worker he sheltered and subsequently fostered three children he also had 

three children of his own. 

347

He was as effective as a teacher he was appointed a Schools Council 

research fellow and seconded to Leicester University’s Centre for Mass 

Communications. He wrote textbooks and anthologies for use with lowerachieving 

pupils. He was appointed as head of George Green Community 

School in 1975. His success led to his appointment in 1980 as an Inspector 

of Schools. He worked for a time in America examining their approaches 

in inner city schools. He wrote papers on the influence of television on 

children and was a member of the working group created by the British 

Film Institute to look into media education. In 1989 he was appointed 

Deputy Director and Chief Inspector of Schools in Richmond. He was also 

editor of an influential publication called Teaching and Learning. He later 

worked as an Educational Consultant in Britain and abroad. His final 

appointment in 1997 was to establish The Centre for Educational 

Leadership and School Improvement at Canterbury Christ Church 

University College which has since become a byword for school 

improvement. James Learmonth educationist was born on April 19th 1939. 

He died of cancer on August 8th 2003 age 64. 

(http://www.canoncollins.org.uk) 

James Learmonth was a gifted and influential educational practitioner 

with a wide range of interests: in media education, in inspection and 

advisory work, in schooling for the disadvantaged, in educational leadership 

and school improvement, and in international links. He wrote books on 

these themes, and contributed greatly in many ways to their furtherance. He 

set up the Centre for Educational Leadership and School Improvement at 

Christ Church University College, Canterbury. 

James was always puzzled and sad that the gap between rich and poor 

had widened, in the UK and globally, during the second half of the 

twentieth century; he believed strongly that education was a key to greater 

inclusion, social stability and international co-operation. He also believed 

that teachers and educational leaders can only be effective if they continue 

learning. 

James died of cancer in 2003. His wife Maggie, his family and 

numerous colleagues and friends have considered what he would have 

wanted to do if he had had more time. He had already forged international 

links with the US, Australia and Hong Kong; he had hoped to extend these 

to bring help to less advantaged urban areas in other parts of the world. To 

help carry out this ambition of his, they have decided to establish a James 

Learmonth Scholarship that would support students, teachers and 

educational leaders in southern African countries to pursue studies in 

education. 

The scholarship fund, like other similar scholarships, will be 

administered by the Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa, 

348

and will have charitable status. The Fund will be used to support study and 

research in the fields of educational leadership and school improvement, 

especially in urban areas. 

'A man lives for as long as we carry him inside us, 

for as long as we carry the harvest of his dreams; 

for as long as we ourselves live, holding memories in common, 

a man lives.' (Pablo Neruda) (http://news.independent.co.uk). 

Learmonth James (1935-2002), Australia. 

The autobiography and photos of Jamie Learmonth was kindly sent 

by his dearest wife Louise Learmonth in May 2007. We are presenting here 

the unchanged text. 

Curriculum Vitae 

James Crofts Learmonth, [Jamie] B.Arch., Dip. TRP., LFRAIA., 

LFHKIP Born, 5h. April, 1935. Naracoorte, South Australia Educated, 

Victoria Matriculated, 1954. Tertiary Degree and Diploma from the 

University of Melbourne Address90 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park. Victoria. 

3206. 

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Unconventional as it may have been at the time and without any clear 

definition of what I was going to do, I took the decision not to follow my 

elder brother to be a farmer on my father's property, but to look for 

independence. Instead, on leaving school T took advantage of a small 

inheritance from my godmother to travel overseas with a school master 

returning to England, and another friend. This we did by purchasing a 

vehicle, shipping it to Colombo, and then driving overland to UK over a 

period of five months. That trip had a definitive influence by introducing 

me to a world at large and the absolute difference between an insulated 

upbringing and the opportunities and responsibilities that were attached to 

seeking to be a part of that world. In UK I worked as a tutor in a private 

preparatory school in Surrey and as a farm hand in Essex; traveling also as 

opportunity became available and funds allowed, finally returning to 

Australia by ship early in 1955 in time for the commencement of a 

University Science degree [Geology/Botany] from which later I withdrew 

because of declining interest and an assessment that it was leading me in a 

direction that I did not want to pursue. 

In 1958 I took the opportunity to apply for student work in the mines 

for the permitted span of six months in each of both Broken Hill and 

Kalgoorlie, working underground shift work during which time I decided to 

seek positive assistance in getting a more reasoned direction to what it was 

that I was going to do. In doing that I was recommended to an Industrial 

350

Consultant who, after testing, suggested strongly that I pursue a profession 

in Architecture. T was fortunate enough to be accepted back into the 

University of Melbourne where I commenced a B. Arch. degree. 

That opened a new world where, through intense interest in 

something not previously considered, study and part time work became an 

occupation of preference and where success was achieved. During that time 

student awards were made and prizes won, including three successive Nell 

Norris annual bursaries and an award in the Tasmania Timber House 

competition, and vacation work was readily available with a major 

Melbourne firm of Architects, Yuncken Freeman. On graduation a 

permanent position was secured working with the newly appointed Master 

Planner for the establishment of La Trobe University at Bundaora as 

personal and research assistant to Roy Simpson. That task was one that 

sparked a long term interest in the architecture of educational institutions: it 

was completed at the end of 1965 which fell at a time when I again met 

Evan Walker who invited me to work with him in Toronto, Ontario, 

Canada. Roy Simpson encouraged me to take that opportunity and so I set 

off on the great adventure of working overseas and taking that opportunity 

to see and study the work of influential architects first in Canada and the 

United States, and later in Europe and the UK. 

Evan had recently completed his Masters Degree at the University of 

Toronto and was engaged with John Andrews, another Australian architect, 

planning and designing a major student residence complex at Guelf, It was 

a time of major expansion of tertiary education development in Canada and 

many further opportunities arose enabling a very broad spectrum of 

experience to be gained. Ted Sheffield, a man of considerable stature in the 

Canadian Grants Commission, recommended that I seek an opportunity 

with UNESCO first in New York and then Paris. This i did when traveling 

to return to Australia and was immediately appointed to a short consultant 

commission to review the development of primary schools in and close to 

Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

Return to Australia was short-lived. Despite being appointed an 

Associate of Yuncken Freeman with the responsibility to again work with 

Roy Simpson on the new Master Plan for the Australian National 

University in Canberra, the firm granted leave to me to undertake another 

consultant mission for UNESCO, with an economist from Norway and an 

educational expert from UK, to study and make recommendations for the 

relocation of the University of Singapore to the Kent Ridge site where it 

now stands. That was a scarce opportunity from which I benefited greatly 

Return to Melbourne again was followed by a wide range of 

appointments for Master Planning of Institutes of Advanced Education at 

Churchill, Bendigo, Warrnambool, Coburg and Toorak, the winning of the 

351

Royal Australian Institute of Architects traveling Sisalcraft Scholarship to 

study the newly emerging computer technology being applied to Campus 

Planning, and the major appointment as Master Planner for the development 

of the TriServices Academy at Duntroon, again requiring study overseas 

with officers from the Department of Defence. 

A conclusion reached after all that time was the understanding and 

strong belief in the ambition to engage in professional activity that would 

see the development of opportunity for the export of consultant services 

abroad by Australians: one that had the added benefit of having the 

consultant industry recognized also for their ability to earn foreign income, 

rather than being totally reliant on local subsistence. It was, and remains of 

importance that the understanding of the quality of professional skill 

available in this country is equal to and very competitive with that exported 

by other countries. 

It coincided also with the invitation to live in Hong Kong and to 

establish an office there as founding resident partner for Yuncken Freeman. 

In undertaking that assignment, 1 was fortunate in being able to make 

contact with people from within both government and the private sector 

who recognised skills I had developed or had access to that were not 

available there at the time. The result was that very considerable 

opportunity was provided that enabled an office to be established and a 

wide range of work to be undertaken for landscape/resource master 

planning of new towns, the urban design of new town centres each with a 

projected population of about forty thousand residents, health care work, 

multistorey housing development, work for the private sector for banks, 

retail and commercial development and for the Urban Services Department 

for the construction of social and recreational infrastructure. In all I was 

very fortunate to be supported by and have access to a large number of very 

talented Australian colleagues who traveled to Asia to work in our office 

and who gave unstintingly of their time and enthusiasm to achieve a large 

body of work. That time also saw the expansion of the firm to obtain work 

in the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, 

During the time in Hong Kong I was actively engaged as Honorary 

Secretary in the formation of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners the prime 

purpose of which was to form a body, acceptable to Government, to 

recognize planning qualifications for locally educated students who, until 

that time, were reliant on the need to travel to UK to seek recognition by 

examination from the Royal Institute of Planners in London. I was awarded 

a Life Fellowship of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners in 1982. 

Returning to Australia in 1981 after the dissolution of Yuncken 

Freeman and the sale of the Hong Kong office to others, I joined the Peddle 

Thorp group, head-quartered in Sydney, to be the managing partner of their 

352

office in Melbourne. The firm was then very small and in a very difficult 

period far the development industry in Australia. Again, I was more than 

ordinarily fortunate with the support T was given by my mentor partner, 

Graham Thorp, particularly in realizing the ambition to apply advanced 

computer technology to the practice of architecture. Peddle Thorp and 

Learmonth were the first firm in Australia to acquire that technology, and 

almost immediately others followed. 

The opportunities to which I was introduced then including most 

importantly, to Tennis Australia were of pivotal importance to the future of 

the firm. It had the outcome of being appointed as architects, with Philip 

Cox as associated consultants, far the development of the National Tennis 

Centre now at Melbourne Park, a project that achieved some international 

acclaim because of the ground breaking technology applied to its operable 

roof structure, a world first. It was a project that could not have been 

realized in the time given without the [then] sophisticated technology that 

was applied to the project. 

That was rapidly followed by other projects of scale including the 

redevelopment of the National Bank offices in Collins Street, the Stock 

353

Exchange Building at 530 Collins Street, the Hyatt Hotel and the World 

Headquarters of the ANZ Bank in Queen Street, significant for the 

amalgamation of the registered original 'gothic' bank into an integrated 

facility to provide for the long term needs of that organization. 

Stock Exchange Building at 530 Collins Street 

Other projects included large undertakings for both public and private 

hospitals, the State Sports and Aquatic Centre and widespread work on 

private housing in rural areas and for affordable housing for underprivileged 

people against which PTL initiated and funded a research project for the 

purpose of better understanding the nature of what is required to meet the 

urgent needs of those living in poverty, and the homeless, That enterprise 

achieved success largely because of the support, encouragement and 

participation by sponsoring organisations from the private sector and 

significantly, from government. 

354

During this time also, work was undertaken involving many other 

disciplines from this country in mainland China, [Tianjin], Malaysia 

[Penang], UK [Wimbledon], the United Arab Emerites in all of Abu Dhabi, 

Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, and in Saudi Arabia for the Saudi Tennis 

Association 

During the last number of years I have been actively engaged in the 

Royal Australian Institute of Architects as the Victorian State Chapter 

President and as a National Councillor, far two terms at the end of which T 

was the Honorary Treasurer. T remain involved with the RATA as a State 

Chapter Councillor [ex officio], as member of a sub committee and as a 

mentor to a number of students now completing their degrees. I was made a 

Life Fellow of the RAIA in 1999. 

355

I retired from Peddle Thorp and Learmonth in 1997 and since that 

time have been engaged as the Organising Committee Chairman for the 

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 6''. World Congress held in 

Melbourne in March 2001; as advisor to the Bone Marrow Donor Institute 

for the redevelopment of their property in North Melbourne for a palliative 

care centre for patients and their families, and for the Royal Victorian 

Institute for the Blind for the further development of their premises in Saint 

Kilda Road. I have been appointed, [ongoing], to the La Trobe University 

Building Committee to advise on matters of continuing development and 

participate on a range of other committees and boards in an advisory 

capacity. Activities of current importance to me are in major fund raising 

for the Bionic Ear Institute, regular duty as sidesperson for Christ Church, 

South Yarra, and offering advice/assistance to young architects seeking to 

establish professional offices. 

Louise Learmonth notification: 

After Jamie's notes were written he pursued his hidden talents as an 

'artist" - which he enjoyed enormously and was totally absorbed in. this was 

fantastic. There was still so much more to learn. In the short time he spent 

painting he produced some interesting, realistic and pleasing to eye oil 

paintings - he had hardly touched the surface. 

356

As a dear close friend of Jamie's commented "he should have taken 

up painting , years ago". His new adventure had quickly become his 

"passion". 

“A man with a wonderful imagination, whose integrity, 

gentleness and generosity will always be with us.” 

Jamie Learmonth died 15 th November 2002. 

Roger Learmonth 

Roger Learmonth is a computer scientist whose achievements in the 

sphere of the applied computer technologies in 1981 are still making him as 

one of the well-known computer scientist in the world. 

Roger Learmonth and his companion Rainer Burchett worked for the 

Business Information System Group (BIS Group that became part of the 

Nynex phone company and currently is part of the Verizon wireless) based 

in London until 1977, when they left to set up their own database design 

firm Learmonth & Burchett Management Systems (LBMS) in London. 

LBMS was one of around 40 companies that responded to the British 

government's invitation to supply a methodology for all its departments. 

Learmonth and Burchett Management Systems of London won a contract in 

1981 to supply the British government with a software development 

methodology for all government offices and departments. LBMS went on to 

become the supplier of the methodology mandated by the U.K. government 

for all public sector projects, and is still the most widely-used by the U.K. 

private sector as well. LBMS won with its Structured Systems Analysis and 

Design Method (SSADM), mainly because of good references from users of 

its database products and because its approach fit well with the Michael 

Jackson structured programming techniques, then popular in the U.K. "We 

never made a lot of money out of SSADM, but it made us very well-known 

in this country," said Roger Learmonth, LBMS's CEO in 1992. It became 

even clear sixteen years later that SSADM and its versions is still the most 

popular program all over the world. 

Not only was the methodology itself successful, but it stimulated in 

the U.K. the general acceptance of a more disciplined attitude to systems 

development. Approximately two-thirds of U.K. computer users now 

employ a methodology of some sort, with much of that growth coming in 

the last four years. This acceptance of methodologies also set the stage for 

the successful adoption of computer-aided software engineering (Case) 

tools. 

357

SSDAM has since been further developed by the government's 

Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), with help 

from many companies. The latest version of SSADM, Version 4, covers the 

complete life cycle of development from feasibility study through physical 

design. It also involves end users much more integrally in the production 

process (Software Magazine, Jan, 1992 by George Black). 

A methodology such as SSADM has gained popularity for its 

strengths in comparison to its weaknesses. Its strengths, as mentioned 

before, would lie in its three techniques, which cover all aspects of a 

system, and forces the developer not only to understand the system in its 

entirety but also to review the different phases continuously as development 

progresses. The SSADM process constantly makes reference to the human 

components of the system, guiding user and stakeholder decisions. This 

means that at implementation the system developed should be the most 

appropriate and relevant solution to the issues identified. Like any other 

methodology, the success of a project relies on the scope, experience and 

world-view of the developer, consultant or intended problem solver. 

Senior Lecturer in Informatics and Cognitive Science at University of 

Wales Institute, Cardiff, Derek Smith wrote in 2001 that SSADM is now 

widely used in civil service and commercial applications. For further 

details, some help is available online, and the booklet SSADM “Version 4” 

is a good introduction (CCTA, 1991). The CCTA investigated a number of 

approaches before accepting a tender from Learmonth & Burchett 

Management Systems to continue to develop the method. The U.S. 

government is a major user of SSADM. SSADM is what professional 

systems analysts do for a living, and you do not have to know much about 

it. 

Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method – SSADM, is 

currently a part of the Russian Management Systems: Risk Assessment, 

Risk Management, Business Continuity, and Network Security. The study 

of the SSADAM included in the main course of the computer management 

in the Moscow State University, the Bauman Technical University and 

many other colleges in Russia. 

We would like to point out to all Russian and British computer 

scientists that the Roger Learmonth, a developer of SSADM, and the 

brilliant Russian poet Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov belong to the same 

Scottish Clan Learmonth and are descendent from a common predecessor. 

Rex Learmonth family. 

Rex Learmonth born 1937 in Bradford England. 

All my family before George born 1875 were farmers or agricultural 

workers. In 1890 George along with other young men who came from 

358

farming backgrounds gained employment to train as technicians in the fast 

emerging border textile industry. After the 1st World War all 

manufacturing in Great Britain went into severe recession the textile 

industry in the Scottish borders was particularly badly hit. However by this 

time George had become a skilled technician able to set weaving machines 

to make tartan and other fancy patterns and was able to gain employment 

with a textile company in West Yorkshire England arriving there in 1921 

with his wife and 10 children. He quickly settled into a new way of life, he 

prospered and so did his children he died in 1954 aged 79. 

My father was George’s 7th son Christopher McEwen Learmonth he 

was always interested in cars and vehicles of all kinds and made his living 

repairing and selling automobiles of all kinds. During the 2nd world war he 

served in a technical regiment of the British army rising to become a 

warrant officer. In 1946 he and my mother divorced and I lost contact with 

him until 1969 when he was living near Bristol he had acquired a new wife 

and son. He died of cancer in 1985. 

I was born in 1937 my early recollections are of wartime England 

however knowing now how other countries suffered my memories of food 

rationing and general shortages from that time seem as of nothing compared 

to what others had to endure. 

Rex (on the left) and Clive (on the right) Learmonths 

with their mother, 1947. 

359

I became a product of the lower English education system because I 

was dyslexic which at the time was considered as being lazy. I therefore 

came out of school at the age of 15 years semi literate and went to work in 

the local textile factory. I decided to go to evening classes which slowly 

improved my academic abilities however my lack of a good background 

education did hamper my confidence during this period. I served without 

distinction in the British army for 2 years national service joining as a 

private soldier and leaving with the same rank. I came to realize during this 

time that I could not take orders and that I had a dislike of discipline for its 

own sake. On leaving the army in 1958 I went back to the textile factory 

where I was offered management training which I enjoyed, this also 

allowed me to learn more technical skills as well as improving my general 

education. In 1970 I left the company to start my own business which 

quickly prospered and over the next 30 years despite a few disappointments 

provided me with a good living. I married in 1960 and was fortunate to 

have a good wife who gave me 4 wonderful children all of who have helped 

to move the world a little bit further forward. 

When I retired from my full time occupation amongst other interests I 

decided to investigate my family history for no other reason that I thought 

that it would be and interesting thing to do. After about 2 years I realized 

that I needed to adopt a much more professional approach as I had collected 

information which was both random and in the main unsubstantiated. At 

this point I was very fortunate to make contact through the internet with 

Tatiana Molchanova who because of her family connection with the 

Russian Lermontov’s was also researching the Learmonth family. We 

decided to work together which meant that her skills of studying, attention 

to detail and report writing were used to make our research both thorough 

and professional. This relationship has proved to be both happy and 

productive as together we have been able to move things forward when it 

seemed that we had lost focus or had reached a dead end. The old saying 

that two heads are better than one in our case has proved to be correct. 

My eldest son is Dr Mark Learmonth, MA (Leeds), PhD (Leeds). His 

occupation is Lecturer in Organizational Behaviour; research Interests: 

Public Sector Management; Management Discourse; Critical 

Management Studies; Philosophy of management. He has a son James 18 

and a daughter Katie 15. 

360

Mark Learmonth 

My second son is John Learmonth. He has a degree in English from 

Liverpool; he is a production manager for an American textile company 

based in England. John is marriage and has a son George Henry of 10. 

My third son Ian Learmonth is an aircraft engineer, he has an 

engineering degree; he has a son Angus – 12, and a daughter Rose - 9. 

My daughter Catherine Learmonth, she has a degree in English from 

Liverpool, she is a computer programmer, she has a daughter Holly of two 

years old. 

My brother Clive (age 73) served in the Royal Air Force from the age 

of 18 to 52 he retired as a Wing Commander – Lieutenant Colonel. He has 4 

sons and two daughters. His eldest son is a lawyer; his second son - 

Duncan Learmonth is a consultant surgeon and practices in Birmingham. 

His third son – Greg Learmonth, is an artist and his forth son Stewart 

Learmonth has a television and theatre property supply business in London. 

Clive’s daughters are both married with children. 

361

Rex Learmonth’s family, 2006. 

From left to right - Stewart, Duncan, Judy & Clive, Maria & Andrew, 

Deborah, Greg and Anthony Learmonths. 

362

Greg Learmonth, an artist. 

363

364

The whole Rex Learmonth’s family that is now more than forty 

persons likes to gather at the Christmas time to share traditions of their 

Learmonth family and memorize the stories of their ancient ancestors. 

There are so many prominent Learmonth and 

Lermontov Families are living all over the world that is 

practically impossible to cover their history in one book. 

The book could be continued by additions and 

new stories. 

365

Part 9. 

LHC TÇÇ|äxÜátÜç Éy à{x 

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fâÜÇtÅxA 

eâáá|t? H@DE Tâzâáà 

ECCJA 

c{ÉàÉ áxáá|ÉÇ Éy à{x xäxÇàá 

366

August 5, 2007. First day in the Serednikovo. 

From the left to the right: Tanya Molchanova (Scientist, writer, Russia-USA, 

Ostrozhnikovskaya branch of the Lermontov’s family), Anya Lyakhovskaya (Tanya’s 

granddaughter), Diana Learmonth-Mitchel (former Model and actor, USA), Valeri 

Chernyaev (Russia, Honoured artist), Gillie Learmonth (designer, Australia), Lubov 

Chirkova (Russia, Honoured artist), Jennie Learmonth (Australia, wife of the Honoured 

Australian Architect James Learmonth), Michael Lermontov (Upper raw, businessman, 

Chairman association “Lermontov Hereditary”, Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov 

Family, Moscow, Russia), Olga Sedel’nikova-Verbitskaya (wife of George Verbizky, 

writer, Sainte Genevieve de Bois, France), Alexandra (before Olga, Anya’s sister), Elena 

Lermontova (Michael Lermontov’s wife, Russia), Brian Wilton (Director Scottish 

Tartans Authority, Edinburgh, Scotland), Yuri Vladimirovich Lermontov 

(Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov Family, Michael Lermontov’s father, Russia), 

Michael Alexandrovich Lermontov (Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov Family, 

Architect, Artist, Writer, USA), George Verbizky (grandson of Elena Lermontova, 

retired engineer, Sainte Genevieve de Bois, France), Nikita Lermontov (grandson of 

Michael Alexandrovich Lermontov, Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov Family, 

USA), Andrey Tzhuguliev (Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov Family, Russia), 

Olga Lermontova (daughter of Michael Alexandrovich Lermontov, Kolotilovskaya 

branch of the Lermontov Family, USA), Elena Lermontova (daughter of Michael 

Alexandrovich Lermontov, Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov Family, USA), 

Michael Lermontov (grandson of Michael Alexandrovich Lermontov, Kolotilovskaya 

branch of the Lermontov Family, USA), Anastasia Lermontova-Artemieva 

(Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov Family, Russia), Irina Lermontova (linguist, 

Kolotilovskaya branch of the Lermontov Family, Ufa, Russia). 

August 5, 2007. First evening in the Serednikovo. 

Family Dinner at the reception-room. 

367

August 6, 2007, Serednikovo, Russia. 

The main event started with offering up a prayer for the Great Russian Poet 

Michael Yurievich Lermontov before the Obelisk devoted to the Poet at the 

Serednikovo. 


Personal treasures of the Lermontov’s Family 

368


369

Tartan presentation. Photo Session. 

370

371

August 6, 2007, Serednikovo, Russia. Lermontov Tartan Presentation. 


Book “Learmonths-Lermontovs 1057-2007” by Tatiana Molchanova and 

Rex Learmonth presentation and greeting from Tatiana Molchanova. 

372


Learmonths-Lermontovs and their guests are all dancing. 

373

374

375

August 7, 2007. 

Leisurely walk, Moscow, Russia. 

376

Rex Learmonth, coauthor of the book, businessman, UK, at the Red Square. 

Brian Learmonth, businessman, Australia, at the Red Square. 

Lenochka Lermontova, our guide and sweet lady. 

377

American Lermontovs, Australian Learmonths and Russian Anya 

Lyakhovskaya- a member of the Russian Lermontov family. 

A big Family: Scottish, Russian, Australians. 

378

Going to Kremlin. 

379

380

Good meal and drink after hard walk. 

Clive and Rex Learmonths, Brian Wilton. 

381

Diana (USA) and Louse (Australia) Learmonths, Anastasia Lermontova 

(Russia), Brian Learmonth (Australia). 

Olga, Nikita, Michael and Elena Lermontovy (USA). 

382

Vladimir, Olya, Irina and Rodion Lermontovy (Russia). 

Gillie Learmonth, Tamara (Learmonth) and Barry Waters, Judith 

Mckechnie (Australia). 

383

Lermontovy and Verbizky. 

384

Evgeni, Nina and Svetlana Lermontovy who are still living at the city 

Chuhloma where Scott George Leirmont, the ancestor of the Russian 

Lermontov Family, received his lands in Russia in 1618. 

Tanya Molchanova, her granddaughters: Anya and Alexandra; and their 

new relative Masha Lermontova. 

385

Learmonths and Lermontovy are paying their respect to the Great Russian 

Poet Michael Yurievich Lermontov, Moscow. 

386

387

August 9, 2007, Serednikovo. 

Scientific session: presentation of the book “Learmonths-Lermontovs 1057- 

2007” following talks by Tatiana Molchanova and Rex Learmonth. 

388

389

390

391

Presentation of the Lermontov Tartan to Tatiana Molchanova. 

392

Olga Bakushkina before Tanya’s Poster. Olga was a great help to prepare 

book for presentation and to bring all Learmonths and Brian Wilton to 

Russia. 

Continue the events in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

August 10-12, 2007. 

393

Visiting Tzarskoje Selo, The Catherine Palace: Brian Learmonths 

(Australia), Ian and Julia Learmonths (Financial Products, Macquarie Bank 

Limited, UK) and guests from a city Ufa (Russia). 

394

The Catherine Palace. 

Hermitage. 

395

Boat Trip: Louse Learmonth (Australia) and Rex Learmonth (UK). 

Boat Trip: Rex, Clive (UK) and Diana Learmonths (US). 

396

The Central Library by name M. Yu. Lermontov, St. Petersburg. 

August 11, 2007. 

950 jubilee of the Learmonth-Lermontov Surname celebration. 

Presantation of the book “Learmonth-Lermontov 1057-2007” by Tatiana 

Molchanova (Russia-USA) and Rex Learmonth (UK). 

The Lermontov Tartan Presentation. 

397

Book Presentation: Tatiana Molchanova. 

398

Book Presentation: Rex Learmonth. 

399

Learmonths, Lermontovs and guests are enjoying the Concert: (from the 

right to the left at the first raw) Tatiana Molchanova, Sergey Sereychik –a 

Director of the Central Library by name M. Yu. Lermontov, St. Petersburg. 

400

The events were completed at the Institute of the Russian Literature 

(Pushkin House), the Museum of the Literature, St. Petersburg, Russia. 

Learmonths and Lermontovs at the Lermontov’s Memorial Hall. 

cÄxtáx áxx áÉÅx zxÇxtÄÉz|xá Éy 

_xtÜÅÉÇà{á tÇw _xÜÅÉÇàÉäá 

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401

Lermontovs who are direct descendents 

of Scottish George Leirmont (Learmonth) 

by male lines, 2007. 

402

Genealogies of the Australian Learmonths who 

joined the 950 Anniversary of the Learmonth Surname 

celebrated in Russia in 2007. 

403

Appendix 2. 

Court of the Lord Lyon 

Registered Learmonth Coat of Arms. A complete list, 2006. 

1. 

Volume 1, folio 178 1672-1679 

George Learmonth of Balcomie, Representer of the family of Learmonth of 

Dairsie. 

Shield Quarterly, 1 S` and 4`h, Or, on a chevron Sable three mascles 

of the first (for Learmonth); 2"a and 3rd, Azure, on a bend Argent three 

roses Gules (for Balcomie). 

Crest A rose slipped Proper. Motto "Spero" 

2. 

Volume 8, folio 79 16 November 1870 

John Livingstone Learmonth, eldest son of the late Thomas Livingstone 

Learmonth of Parkhall in the County of Stirling and his wife, Christian 

Donald. Thomas Livingstone Learmonth was the 3rd son who left issue of 

John Learmonth, Merchant of Leith and Margaret Livingstone, daughter 

and co-heir of John Mitchell Livingstone of Parkhall. 

Address at time of recording Number Eleven Gloucester Gardens, Hyde 

Park, Middlesex. 

Shield Quarterly, first and fourth, Or, on a chevron Sable three 

lozenges of the First, for Learmonth; second and third, Argent, a mascle 

Azure between three gilliflowers slipped Gules within a double tressure 

flowered counterflowered of fleurs-de-lys Vert, for Livingstone. 

Crests Dexter, a dove holding in its beak an olive branch Proper. Sinister, a 

dexter hand grasping a sabre Proper. 

Mottos Dexter, "Dum Spiro Spero". Sinister, "Si Possim". 

3. 


Andrew James Livingstone Learmonth of Ercildoun in the Colony of 

Victoria (Australia) , 4th son of the late Thomas Livingstone Learmonth of 

Parkhall in the County of Stirling and his wife, Christian Donald. 




flowered counterflowered of fleurs-de-lys Vert, for Livingstone; all within a 

bordure wavy Azure for difference. 




4. 

404


Thomas Livingstone Learmonth of Parkhall in the County of Stirling, 2nd 

son of the late Thomas Livingstone Learmonth of Parkhall in the County of 

Stirling and his wife, Christian Donald. 





bordure engrailed Azure for difference. 




5. 


Somerville Livingstone Learmonth of Ercildoun in the Colony of Victoria 

(Australia), 3rd son of the late Thomas Livingstone Learmonth of Parkhall 

in the County of Stirling and his wife, Christian Donald. 





bordure invected Azure for difference. 




6. 

Volume 39, folio 107 31 August 1953 

Nigel Power Livingstone Learmonth, born 5 January 1927, only son of 

Francis Leger Christian Livingstone Learmonth, CMG., 4th son of Andrew 

James Livingstone Learmonth (see Volume 8, folio 80) and his wife, 

Gabrielle Palmer. 

Address at time of recording 49 Roland Gardens, London, SW 7. 





bordure wavy Azure for difference. 




7. 

Volume 48, folio 117 28 June 1968 

Peter Alexander Learmond, born 22 December 1922, eldest son of Colonel 

Alexander William Swanson Learmond and his wife, Florence Needham. 

405

Address at time of recording 53 Cadogan Lane, Belgrave Square, 

London. 

Shield Or, on a chevron Sable three mascles of the First, on a base 

undy Azure and Argent a swan naiant, wings elevated Sable. 

Crest A dexter hand grasping a sabre all Proper, and between two rose 

sprigs Vert, each supporting rose Gules, barbed and seeded Vert. 

Motto "Sperandum Etiam" 

Above information is kindly sent us by Mr. Bruce Gorie “Court of the Lord 

Lyon”, Edinburg, Scotland, 2006. 

406

Appendix 3. 

Collected Families Scotland 1200-1854 

(More than 300 families) 

Records are presented with the permission of the owners of records. 

Sources: http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk (the official government source of genealogical data for 

Scotland); http://www.scottishdocuments.com http://www.ancestry.com; 

The commissariat Record of Edinburgh ”Register of Testaments”, Part 1, volumes 1-35 – 1514-1600 

National Library of Scotland, original records of birth, Marriage, death, Testaments. 

(Learmonth of Dairsie and of Balcomie ~1400 -1670: please, see Appendix 1, Part 6). 

There are no Learmonths of Orkney families are not included, please see the Internet site: 

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/klearmonth/). 

1220-1297 Thomas the Rhymer Learmont Earlston 

1210-1265 Bessie Learmonth / Willian Shaw (Willian Shaw was 10th descendant from Duncan MacDuff 

(100-1060), Moray 

Marriage 

ABT 1495 LERMONT Bessy (Birth : ABT 1475 Balcomy, FIFE, SCOTLAND) Spouse: BAIRD, 

Andrew (Birth : 1475, Posso, Peebles, SCOTLAND) 

Birth: 

BAIRD, George (INGRAM - Genealogy Database 

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~grinfrog/g2www/dat59.htm) 

(Official Baaird Clan) 

Marriage 

08 Aug 1538 Learmonth George, G., be r. of w. Jonet, dr. of umq. Robt. Henrisone 

See clan Henderson 

Henderson, Henryson, Henrisoun, Henders, MacHendry, McHendry, MacHenry, McHenry, Hendry, Henry, 

Hendrie, Hendron, d'Handresson, MacKendrick, McKendrick, MacKendry, McKendry, McKendree, 

Kendrick, and other versions of MacEanruig, "son of Henry" Literary period: Middle English Occupation: 

Schoolmaster, poet. The Testament of Cressida (excerpt) 

Robert Henryson (1424?-1506?) Glasgow University: 10 September 1462 

http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem967.html 

(Official Henderson Clan) This Learmonth George could be the same as was in Methlen. See wills of 1598. 

Marriage 

Before 1566 JAMES LERMOND/ CANONGATE EDINBURGH 

Birth 

28 Dec 1566 LERMOND JONAT JAMES LERMOND/ CANONGATE EDINBURGH 

Marriage 

16 Mar 1568-9 John Learmonth, in Sauchtoune, spouse to Haldane (Halden), Jonet 

Register of Testaments. First Section--1514-1600. Edited by Francis J. Grant, W.S. West Lothian, & 

Midlothian; Gloucestershire: Edinburgh 

16 Mar 1568-9 Lermonth, John, in Sauchtoune; and his spouse Jonet Haldane, 

(Official Haldane Clan) 

Marriage 

23 Dec 1569 William Learmonth, burgess of Dunbar, spouse to Pringill or Hoppringill, Alison 

(Official Pringle Clan) 

407



07 Apr 1570 Learmonth Henry, B., servand to Mr. David Borthuik 

Register of Testaments. First Section--1514-1600, West Lothian, & Midlothian; Gloucestershire: 

Edinburgh 

27 Nov 1570 , 20 Mar 1573 , 20 Oct 1574 , 09 Nov 1581 , and 01 Jan 1590-1 Lermonth, John, of the Hill, 

par. of Prestonkirk 



30 Jun 1576 Lermonth, Sir John, Vicar-pensioner of Dunblane 

Marriage 

29 Apr 1579 Learmonth Henry, G., B. of befoir , be r. of w. Margaret, second dr. to umq. Rt. Flemyng. 

West Lothian, & Midlothian; Gloucestershire: Edinburgh; Bristol- Commissariot Record of Edinburgh, 

Register of Testaments, 1514-1600; Bristol Wills, 1572-1792 

(Official Fleming Clan) 

Marriage 

20 Mar 1578-9 Learmonth Mr. John, B. and G., advocat, be r. of w. Helene, eldest dr. to Duncan 

Levingstoun, B. and G. 

List of Burials excerpted Learmonth (Leirmont), Mr. John, advocate 18 Feb 1609 

Children??????? 



11 Feb 1580-1 Lermonth, Mr. James, provest of Kirkheuch (Kirkhaugh) 

Registered 1581 LARMOUNT JANE MIDDLETON THO LONDON (ST VEDAST FOSTER LANE) 

LONDON 



02 Jul 1582 Lermonth, Thomas, sometime servitor to the Laird of Keir 



09 Jun 1586 Lermonth, Walter, common cook, burgess of Edinburgh 

Marriage 

22 Jan 1587 LERMONT / PATRIK KATRIN ROGER FR152 M DUNFERMLINE 

Birth 

8 Oct 1587 LERMONTH BESSE PETE LERMONTH/KATERIN ROGER FR156 DUNFERMLINE 



13 Jul 1591 Lermonth, Peter, in Quhynne, par. of Calder, sher. of Edinburgh 



20 Sep 1593 Lermonth, Bartilmo, maltman, indweller in Leith 

408

Marriage 

12 Jul 1593 LAIRMONT ROBERT JONET SCHELL/FR2876 M LEITH SOUTH 

Birth (possible) 

5 Feb 1609 LEIRMONTH ANDROW ROBERT LEIRMONTH/JONET SCHAW FR124 LEITH SOUTH 

(Official Shaw Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1594 HEW LAIRMONT/ JONET HENDERSOUN FR2902 LEITH SOUTH 

Birth 

4 Jul 1594 LAIRMONT HEW LAIRMONT/ JONET HENDERSOUN FR2902 LEITH 

SOUTH 

PS: Hendersounand Henrisone – the same surname. See 08 Aug 1538 Learmonth George, G., be r. of w. 

Jonet, dr. of umq. Robt. Henrisone 

(Official Henderson Clan) 

Marriage 

13 Aug 1595 LEIRMOUNT JOHNNE ISOBELL KENNOCHE/FR638 M 

EDINBURGH 

Possible Birth 

14 Dec 1595 LEIRMOUNT ELSPAITH JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

7 Mar 1595 LEIRMOUNT JONAT JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

31 Oct 1596 LEIRMONT JONAT JOHNNE LEIRMONT/ EDINBURGH 

15 Feb 1597 LEIRMOUNT KATHARENE JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

10 Sep 1598 LEIRMOUNT JOHNNE JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

21 Mar 1598 LEIRMOUNT WALTER JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

24 May 1601 LEIRMOUNT ALEXANDER JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

26 Oct 1602 LEIRMOUNT EDMOUND JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

19 Sep 1602 LEIRMOUNT JANET JOHNNE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 



21 Jul 1597 Lermonth, Peter, of Cornishill, par. of Torphichen, sher. of Linlithgow 21 Jul 1597 

Marriage 

Dec 1608 LERMOUNT 

EDINBURGH 

HENRIE JOHNNE LERMOUNT/MARGARET ANDERSOUNE FR195 

Wills 

Leirmonth Johnne 18/2/1609 advocate Edinburgh Commissary 

Court 

(Official – Anderson Clan) 

1596 LARMOTH THO MILNES SUS c (ST MARGARET) MIDDLESEX 

Marriage 

before 1595 MYCHAELL LEIRMONT/ EDINBURGH 

Spouse is unknown 

Birth 

31 Aug 1595 LEIRMONT JONAT MYCHAELL LEIRMONT/ EDINBURGH 

2 Aug 1601 LERMONTHE MICHELL MICHELL LERMONTHE/ 

CANONGATE EDINBURGH 

409

?20 Oct 1611 LEARMONTH WILLIAME MICHAELL LEARMONTH/MARION MEIK 

FR259 EDINBURGH 

19 Sep 1613 LEARMONTH JOHNE MICHAELL LEARMONTH/MARIONE MEIK FR314 

EDINBURGH 

Marriage 

22 Feb 1597 LERMOUNT JOSEPHE KATHARENE BROUN/FR646 M 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

27 Jun 1599 LEIRMONT MARGARET JOSEPHE LEIRMONT EDINBURGH 

19 Oct 1600 LEIRMOUNT BARBARA JOSEPHE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

12 Jun 1602 LEIRMOUNT JOHNNE JOSEPHE LEIRMOUNT/ 

EDINBURGH 

18 Sep 1603 LEIRMOUNT AGNES JOSEPHE LEIRMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

27 Apr 1606 LERMOUNT ROBERT JOSEPHE LERMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

16 Sep 1607 LERMOUNT JANET JOSEPHE LERMOUNT/ EDINBURGH 

22 Mar 1612 LEARMONTH JOSEPH JOSEPH LEARMONTH/CATHARINE BROUN 


5 Sep 1608 LERMOUNTJOSEPH JOSEPH LERMOUNT/CHRISTIN BROUN FR192 

EDINBURGH 

17 Apr 1614 LEARMONTH THOMAS JOSEPH LEARMONTH/CATHARINE BROUN FR331 M 

EDINBURGH 

16 Apr 1615 LEARMONTH JAMES JOSEPH LEARMONTH /CATHARINE BROUN 

FR356 M EDINBURGH 

Wills 

Broune Kathereine 

(Official Broun Clan) 

21/1/1617 sometime spouse to Joseph Lermonth, baxter, burgess of Edinburgh 

Marriage 

28 Feb 1598 LEIRMOUNT ROBERT MARGARET SKENE /FR649 M 

EDINBURGH 

Robert Leirmouth of St. Nicolas, advocate was son of George Learmonth of Balcomie. R.L. diead 1652 

Birth 

2 Dec 1599 LEIRMONT HELENE ROBERT LEIRMONT/ EDINBURGH 

13 Dec 1618 LEARMONTH JOHNNE ROBERT LEARMONTH/MARGARET SKENE 


(Official Skene Clan) 

WILLS 

15/3/1598 Lermonth George Sir, one of the prebendaries of Methven, sheriffdom of Perth 

Edinburgh Commissary Court 

The village of Methven lies 8km west of Perth amidst the rolling farmland of lowland Perthshire. 

Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII of England, lived in Methven Castle from 1526-41. In 1503 she had 

married James IV but he died at the disasterous Battle of Flodden in 1514. Margaret married her 3rd 

husband Henry Stewart (later Lord Methven) in 1526. 

Marriage 

Before 1599 ANDRO LEIRMONT/JONAT POT FR6 KELSO 

Birth 

8 May 1599 LEIRMONT AGNES ANDRO LEIRMONT/JONAT POT FR6 KELSO 

24 Jan 1602 LEIRMONT THOMAS ANDRO LEIRMONT/JONAT POT FR21 KELSO 

4 Nov 1600 LEIRMONTH ELIZABETH ANDRO LEIRMONTH/MARGARET POTT FR13 

KELSO 

Marriage 

410

Before 1599 LEXANDER LEIRMONT/ ELSPET PALMER FR9 KELSO 

Birh 

16 Dec 1599 LEIRMONT ANDRO ALEXANDER LEIRMONT/ ELSPET PALMER FR9 

KELSO 

17 Jun 1604 LEIRMONT WILLIAM ALEXANDER LEIRMONT/ PALMER FR40 

KELSO 

11 

Marriage 

Before 1600 ROBERT LEIRMONT/NICOLAS BROUNFEILD FR11 KELSO 

Birth 

10 Aug 1600 LEIRMONT JAMES ROBERT LEIRMONT/NICOLAS BROUNFEILD 

FR11KELSO 

2 Jan 1610 LEIRMONT ADAM ROBERT LEIRMONT/... ... FR83 KELSO 

7 Jul 1612 LEIRMONT ISSOBELLROBERT LEIRMONT/NICOLAS BROUNFEILD 

FR94KELSO 

12 Mar 1615 LEIRMONT NANC ROBERT LEIRMONT/ NICOLAS BROWNFEILD 

FR105 KELSO 

12 

Marriage 

Before 1600 RICHERD LERMONT/ MERJORIE FURD FR199 DUNFERMLINE 

Birth 

18 Jul 1600 LERMONT EUPHAIM RICHERD LERMONT/ MERJORIE FURD FR199 

DUNFERMLINE 

Marriage 

Before 1600 ADAM LEIRMONT/AGNES ADAMSONE FR11 KELSO 

Birth 

23 Apr 1600 LEIRMONT WILLIAM ADAM LEIRMONT/AGNES ADAMSONE FR11 

KELSO 

9 Mar 1607 LERMOUNT JOHNE ADAME LERMOUNT/AGNES ADAMSONE FR57 KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1601 WILLIAM LEIRMONTH/MARGARET HOPPRINGILL FR18 KELSO 

Birth 

5 Apr 1601 LEIRMONTH MARION WILLIAM LEIRMONTH/MARGARET 

HOPPRINGILL FR18 KELSO 

(Oficcial Clan Pringl) 

Marriage 

Before 1601 JAMES LEIRMONTH/JANET HARVIE FR21 KELSO 

Birth 

22 Dec 1601 LEIRMONTH JEANE JAMES LEIRMONTH/JANET HARVIE FR21 KELSO 

List of Burials excerpted 

Learmonth (Leirmont), James, indweller in Kelso, sher. of Roxburgh 19 Jun 1606 

Marriage 

Before 1602 ADAM LEIRMONTH/NANYS ADAMSOUN FR28 KELSO 

Birth 

5 Sep 1602 LEIRMONTH JAMES ADAM LEIRMONTH/NANYS ADAMSOUN FR28 KELSO 

19 Jun 1605 LERMONT JENOT ADAM LERMONT/NANS ADAMSONE FR48 KELSO 

411

Register of Apprentices of The City of Edinburgh, 1583-1666 

21 Jun 1603 Joseph Learmonth, Baxter, with Young, Alexander, son to Edward Y., in the Deyne 

Marriage 

Before 1603 THOMAS LEIRMONTH OR PARK NANIS DAVIDSOUN FR31 KELSO 

Birth 

20 Mar 1603 LEIRMONTH WILLIAM THOMAS LEIRMONTH OR PARK NANIS 

DAVIDSOUN FR31 KELSO 

(Official Davidson Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1604 WILLIAM LEIRMOUNT/HELENE JOHNESTOUN FR149 EDINBURGH 

Birth 

1 Jun 1604 LEIRMOUNT WILLIAM WILLIAM LEIRMOUNT/HELENE JOHNESTOUN 



Learmonth (Leirmont), William, elder, citiner in St. Andrews, in Fife 29 May 1607 

(Oficcial Johnstone Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1604 ROBIN /LERMONT MEG CURRELL FR39 KELSO 

Birth 

22 Jul 1604 LERMONT RUDCHART ROBIN /LERMONT MEG CURRELL FR39 KELSO 

Marriage 

20 Oct 1601 LEIRMONT ANDROW MARGARET CAMPBELL/FR1359 M 

KELSO 

Bith 

1 Nov 1601 LEIRMONT EFFIE ANDRO LEIRMONT/MEG CAMPBELL FR20 KELSO 

5 Aug 1604 LERMONT NANS ANDROW LERMONT/MARGRIT CAMPBELL FR40 

KELSO 

30 Oct 1605 LERMOUNT MARGRIT ANDROW LERMOUNT/MARGRIT CAMPBELL 

FR50KELSO 

(Official – Campbell Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1601 ANDRO LEIRMONT/MEG HASWELL FR22 KELSO 

Birth 

29 Dec 1601 LEIRMONT ANDRO LEIRMONT/MEG HASWELL FR22 KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1601 WILLIAM LEIRMONT/BESSIE KER FR17 KELSO (Clan Ker) 

Birth 

28 Apr 1601 LEIRMONT ROBERT WILLIAM LEIRMONT/BESSIE KER FR17 

KELSO 

24 Mar 1605 LERMONT JOHNE WILLIAM LERMONT/BESSY KER FR45 KELSO 

10 Sep 1609 LEIRMONT GRISSELL WILLIAM LEIRMONT/BESSE KER FR83 KELSO 

(Official Kerr Clan) 

23 

Marriage 

Before 1601 ALEXANDER LEIRMOUNT/JONAT WILSOUNE FR114 EDINBURGH 

Birth 

2 Sep 1601 LEIRMOUNT JONAT ALEXANDER LEIRMOUNT/JONAT WILSOUNE FR114 

EDINBURGH 

412

Marriage 

29 Nov 1601 LEIRMONTH ALEXANDER JANET GOTRAY/FR1361 M KELSO 

Marriage 

17 Feb 1601 LEIRMONTH JAMES CHRISTIAN WILSONE/FR1360 M KELSO 

17 Feb 1601 LEIRMONTH JAMES CHRISTIAN WILSONE/FR1360 M KELSO 

Birth 

7 Feb 1602 LEIRMONTH DAND JAMES LEIRMONTH/CHRISTIAN WILSOUN FR22 

KELSO 

7 Apr 1607 LEIRMOUNT MARGRAT JAMES LEIRMOUNT/CHRISTIAN WILSON FR58 

KELSO 

Wills 

Leirmont James 19/6/1606 indweller in KELSO, sheriffdom of 

Roxburgh 

Marriage 

30 Dec 1601 LERMONT PATRIK CHRISTIAN DAVIDSOUN/FR209 M 

DUNFERMLINE 

Marriage 

9 Nov 1602 LEIRMONTH WILLIAM MARIOUN PENMAN/FR1363 M KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1602 ADAM LEIRMONTH/ELIZABETH CHATTO FR26 KELSO 

Birth 

4 Jul 1602 LEIRMONTH ISSOBELL ADAM LEIRMONTH/ELIZABETH CHATTO FR26 KELSO 

Marriage 

22 Nov 1603 LAIRMONTH WALTER ELSPIT SIBBIT/FR2966 M LEITH SOUTH 

Could be second Marriage? 

Birth 

18 Oct 1603 LERMONTH ELSPIT WALTER LERMONTH/ELSPITH SIBBIT FR62 LEITH 

SOUTH 

12 Feb 1605 LEIRMONTH BESSIE WALTER LEIRMONTH/ELSPIT SIBBIT FR78 LEITH 

SOUTH 

Marriage 

14 Sep 1603 LEIRMONT THOMAS JONAT HOWIE/FR1363 M KELSO 

Birth 

27 Nov 1603 LEIRMONT JAMES THOMAS LEIRMONT/JONAT HAWE FR36 KELSO 

26 May 1605 LERMOUNT ANDROW THOMAS LERMOUNT/JENOT HAWY FR47 KELSO 

Second Marriage JONAT HOWIE ?? 

Birth 

21 Sep 1600 LEIRMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEIRMONTH/JANET HAWIE FR13 

KELSO 

Marriage 

9 Jan 1605 LEIRMONTH ADAM AGNES LEIRMONTH/FR1366 M KELSO 

9 Jan 1605 LEIRMONTH AGNES ADAM LEIRMONTH/FR1366 F KELSO 

Birth 

413

14 Jul 1607 LERMOUNT JEANE ADAME LERMOUNT/AGNES LERMOUNT FR59 KELSO 

Second Marriage?? 

Jan 1605 LERMON MANY ADAM LERMON/ NANS?? LERMONT FR44 KELSO 


07 Nov 1632 Learmonth (Leirmont), Adam, in Fuird, par. of Quhytkirk, constab. of Haddington 

Marriage 

26 Nov 1605 Learmonthe (Learmonth), Robert, and Isobell Pollock p. 01 Nov 1605 , 

Marriage 

Before 1606 WALTER LERMONTH/BESSIE STRAITOUN FR94 LEITH SOUTH 

Birth 

29 Jul 1606 LERMONTH BARTILMO WALTER LERMONTH/BESSIE STRAITOUN 

FR94 LEITH SOUTH 

3 Jan 1608 LEIRMONTH MARGARET WALTER LEIRMONTH/BESSIE STRAITTOUNE 

FR108 LEITH SOUTH 

17 Dec 1609 LEIRMONTH WALTER LEIRMONTH/BESSIE STRAITTOUNE FR134 LEITH 

SOUTH 

8 Oct 1611 LEIRMOUND JOHNE WALTER LEIRMOUND/BESSIE STRAITTOUN FR168 

LEITH SOUTH 

12 Dec 1613 LEIRMOUND JAMES WALTER LEIRMOUND/BESSIE STRATTOUNE FR208 

LEITH SOUTH 

Wills 

Leirmonth Bartilmo 20/9/1593 maltman, indweller in Leith Edinburgh Commissary 

Court 

Marriage 

Before 1607 ROBERT LEAREMONTH/ FR12 INVERESK 

Birth 

5 Oct 1607 LEAREMONTH HENRY ROBERT LEAREMONTH/ FR12 INVERESK 


28 Jul 1608 Learmonth (Leirmont), James, in Lusnoraw, par. of Aberladie, constab. of Haddington 

Marriage 

Before 1608 WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET SIMSON FR63 KELSO 

Birth 

5 Jun 1608 LEIRMONT JAMES WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET SIMSON FR63 

KELSO 

4 Dec 1610 LEIRMONT WILLIAM WILLIAM LEIRMONT/JONET SIMSON FR88 

KELSO 

10 Oct 1613 LEIRMONT JHONE WILLIAM LEIRMONT/JONET SIMSON FR99 KELSO 

22 Feb 1617 LEIRMONT ANDRO WILLIAM LEIRMONT/JONET SIMSON FR112 U 

KELSO 

9 Apr 1620 LEIRMONT GEORG WILLIAM LEIRMONT /JONET SIMSON FR126KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1608 WILLIAM LEIRMOUNT/BESSIE WEDDEL FR65 KELSO 

Birth 

4 Sep 1608 LEIRMOUNT WILLIAM LEIRMOUNT/BESSIE WEDDEL FR65 KELSO 

4 Aug 1611 LEIRMUNT ANDRO WILLIAM LEIRMUNT/BESSIE WEDDELL FR90 KELSO 

414

20 Sep 1612 LEIRMONT ADAM WILLIAM LEIRMONT/BESSIE WEDDELL FR95 

KELSO 

12 May 1616 LEIRMONT JHONE WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ BESSIE WEDDELL 

FR109KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1609 FRANCES /LEERMONTHE BEATRIX SMERT FR53 KINGHORN 

Birth 

16 Oct 1609 LEERMONTHE ROBERT FRANCES /LEERMONTHE BEATRIX SMERT 

FR53 KINGHORN 

37 

Marriage 

Before 1609 ADAM LEIRMONT/NANC LEIRMONT FR82 KELSO 

Birth 

22 Aug 1609 LEIRMONT ANDRO ADAM LEIRMONT/NANC LEIRMONT 

FR82KELSO 

5 Jan 1612 LEIRMONT MARGRET ADAM LEIRMONT/NANC LEIRMONT 

FR92KELSO 

17 Mar 1616 LEIRMONT ADAM LEIRMONT/ NANC LEIRMONT FR110 U KELSO 

21 Nov 1618 LEIRMONT AND ROADAM LEIRMONT/ NANC LEIRMONT FR120 KELSO 

Marriage 

13 Dec 1610 LEIRMONT PATRIKALISON HOWISONE/FR248 M PRESTONPANS 

Birth 

30 Sep 1610 LEIRMONT MARIONPATRIK LEIRMONT/ALISONE HOWISONE FR115 

PRESTONPANS 

Marriage 

21 Oct 1610 LEIRMOUNT JHONE MARION DODIS/FR1372 M KELSO 

Birth 

15 Dec 1611 LEIRMONT JONET JHONE LEIRMONT/MARION DODIS FR91 KELSO 

21 Apr 1616 LEIRMONT ROBERTJHONE LEIRMONT/ MARION DODIS FR109 

UKELSO 

16 Mar 1617 LEIRMONT JAMES JHONE LEIRMONT/ MARION DODIS FR113 KELSO 

19 Sep 1619 LEIRMONT ISSOBEL JHONE LEIRMONT/ MARION DODES FR124 

KELSO 

21 Nov 1624 LEIRMONT WILLIAM JHONE LEIRMONT/ MARION DODS 

FR144KELSO 

Marriage 

17 Jun 1610 LEIRMUNT WALTER CHRISTIANE SIMSONE/FR1371 M 

KELSO 

Bith 

28 Feb 1613 LEIRMONT MARGRAT WALTER LEIRMONT/CHRISTIEN SIMSON FR96 

KELSO 

28 Feb 1613 LEIRMONT ROBERT WALTER LEIRMONT/CHRISTIEN SIMSON 

FR96KELSO 

27 Aug 1615 LEIRMONT WALTER WALTER LEIRMONT/CHRISTIAN SIMSON 

FR107 KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1611 EDWARD LERMONTHE/ TRANENT 

Spouse unknown 

Birth 

29 Sep 1611 LERMONTHE MARGARET EDWARD LERMONTHE/ TRANENT 

415

1 Oct 1613 LERMONTHE EUPHAM EDWARD LERMONTHE/ TRANENT 

Marriage 

17 May 1612 LEIRMUNT ANDRO JHONE ANC PULMURE/FR1373 M KELSO 

Birth 

20 Jun 1613 LEIRMONT JHONE ANDRO LEIRMONT/NANC PULMURE FR98 KELSO 

Marriage 

16 Aug 1612 LEIRMUNT THOMAS MARION BROUNFEILD/FR1374 M KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1612 THOMAS LEIRMONT/NANC BUSBIE FR94 U KELSO 

Birth 

4 Aug 1612 LEIRMONT MASIE THOMAS LEIRMONT/NANC BUSBIE FR94KELSO 

6 Jun 1615 LEIRMONT JAMES THOMAS LEIRMONT/ NANC BUSBIE FR105 KELSO 

18 Aug 1616 LEIRMONT MARGRAT THOMAS LEIRMONT/ NANC BUSBIE FR110 

KELSO 

17 Aug 1617 LEIRMONT JONET THOMAS LEIRMONT/ NANC BUSBIE FR114 KELSO 

14 Jan 1627 LEIRMONT ISSOBELL THOMAS LEIRMONT/ NANS BUSBIE FR158 

KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1614 TOMAS LEIRMONT/MARION BROUNFIELD 

KELSO 

Birth 

3 Jul 1614 LEIRMONT THOMAS THOMAS LEIRMONT/MARION BROUNFIELD 

FR102 U KELSO 

23 Mar 1618 LEIRMONT GILBERT THOMAS LEIRMONT/ MARION BROUNFEILD 

FR117 U KELSO 

8 May 1621 LEIRMONT HARIE THOMAS LEIRMONT/ MARION BROUNFEILD FR131 

U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1616 

Birth 

14 May 1616 LEIRMONT THOMAS ROBERT LEIRMONT/ MARION CLERK FR109 

U KELSO 

2 Jun 1618 LEIRMONT ROBERT ROBERT LEIRMONT/MARION CLERK FR118 

U KELSO 

22 Jul 1623 LEIRMONT ANDRO ROBERT LEIRMONT/MARIOUN CLERK FR140 

U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1617 

Birth 

9 Apr 1617 LEIRMONT ANDRO JHONE LEIRMONT/ISSOBEL W. FR113 KELSO 

31 Oct 1625 LEIRMONT BESSIE JOHNE LEIRMONT/ISSOBELL WILSON FR149 KELSO 

21 Sep 1630 LEIRMONT MARGRAT JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL WILSONE 

FR172 KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1618 JHONE LEIRMONT/ISSOBEL ACHISON FR118 U KELSO 

Birth 

2 Aug 1618 LEIRMONT WILLIAM JHONE LEIRMONT/ISSOBEL ACHISON FR118 

U KELSO 

416

8 Dec 1622 LEIRMONT JAMES JHONE LEIRMONT/ISSOBELL ACHISON FR137 

U KELSO 

7 Dec 1630 LEIRMONT MARGRAT JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL ACHESONE 

FR173 U KELSO 

2 Dec 1632 LEIRMONT ROBERT JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL ACHESONE 

FR185 U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1617 GEORG LEIRMONT/JEAN WAUCH FR114 U KELSO 

Birth 

2 Jun 1617 LEIRMONT BESSIE GEORG LEIRMONT/JEAN WAUCH FR114 

UKELSO 

10 Sep 1620 LEIRMONT CHRISTIAN GEORG LEIRMONT/JEAN WAUCH FR128 

U KELSO 

Could be second Marriage 

Birth 

24 Nov 1630 LEIRMONT GEORGE GEORGE LEIRMONT/ HELENE WAUCHE 

FR172 U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1620 ARCHEBALD LEARMONTH/MARIONE COKBURNE FR531 M 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

27 Jun 1620 LEARMONTH JAMES ARCHEBALD LEARMONTH/MARIONE 

COKBURNE FR531 M EDINBURGH 

5 Dec 1622 LEARMONTH JOHNNE ARCHEBALD LEARMONTH/ MARIONE 

COKBURNE FR631 M EDINBURGH 

(Official Cockburn Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1621 JAMES LEARMONTH/ ISSOBELL HERIOT FR576 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

8 Nov 1621 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ ISSOBELL HERIOT FR576 

M EDINBURGH 

10 Apr 1623 LEARMONTH ROBERT JAMES LEARMONTH/ ISSOBELL HERIOT 


26 May 1625 LEARMONTH ROBERT JAMES LEARMONTH/ ISSOBELL HERIOT 


Marriage 

Before 1621 JOHNNE LEARMONTH/ MARGARET HUTCHESONE FR566 M 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

17 Jul 1621 LEARMONTH RICHARD JOHNNE LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

HUTCHESONE FR566 M EDINBURGH 

4 Nov 1624 LEARMONTH THOMAS JOHNNE LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


23 Oct 1623 LEARMONTH JOHNNE JOHNNE LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

HUTSONE FR660 M EDINBURGH 

6 Mar 1626 LEARMONTH ROBERT JOHNNE LEARMONTH/MARGARET 

HUTSONE FR739 M EDINBURGH 

24 Oct 1628 LEARMONTH ROBERT JOHNNE LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


Birth 

1 Apr 1621 LEARMONTH JAMIS WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ M PENCAITLAND 

417

Marriage 

Before 1623 

JOSEPH LEARMONTH/MARGARET ADAME 


Birth 

6 Apr 1623 LEARMONTH THOMAS JOSEPH LEARMONTH/MARGARET ADAME 


10 Aug 1625 LEARMONTH JAMES JOSEPH LEARMONTH/MARGARET ADAME 


(Official Adam Clan) 

Marriage see Georg Leormont / Jean Wauch 

Birth 

12 Nov 1624 LEIRMONT WILLIAM WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JEANE WAUCHE FR143 

U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1626 THOMAS LEIRMONT/ ALESONE KER FR154 U KELSO 

Birth 

4 Jun 1626 LEIRMONT ANDRO THOMAS LEIRMONT/ ALESONE KER FR154 U 

KELSO 


Marriage before 1626 

Birth 

18 Apr 1626 LEIRMONT JAMES ANDRO LEIRMONT/ MARGRAT SIMSON FR153 U 

KELSO 


Birth 

24 Mar 1626 LEIRMONT JAMES JOHNE LEIRMONT/ CRISTIANE CUNINGHAME FR152 

U KELSO (Clan Cuninghame) 

(Official Cunningham Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1628 DAND LEIRMONT/ MARGRAT SYMSON FR169 U KELSO 

Birth 

21 Oct 1628 LEIRMONT CRISTIANE DAND LEIRMONT/ MARGRAT SYMSON FR169 

U KELSO 

17 May 1631 LEIRMONT WILLIAME DAND LEIRMONT/ MARGRAT SYMSON FR177 

U KELSO 

9 Jan 1634 LEIRMONT MARGRAT DAND LEIRMONT/ MARGRAT SYMSON FR190 

U KELSO 


Birth 

23 Sep 1628 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ JONAT FINLAYSOUN 

FR625 M CANONGATE EDINBURGH 

Marriage 

Before 1631 JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAICHE FR179 U KELSO 

Birth 

8 Nov 1631 LEIRMONT JOHNE JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAICHE FR179 

U KELSO 

8 Jan 1633 LEIRMONT ANDRO JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAITCHE FR186 

U KELSO 

418

10 Mar 1635 LEIRMONT THOMAS JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAITCHE FR197 

U KELSO 

4 Jul 1637 LEIRMONT JONET JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAITCHE FR208 

U KELSO 

11 Feb 1640 LEIRMONT ANDRO JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAITCH FR220 

U KELSO 

5 Apr 1642 LEIRMONT ROBERT JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAITCHE FR228 

U KELSO 

9 Jul 1644 LEIRMONT MARGRAT JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH VAITCHE FR242 

U KELSO 

17 Sep 1646 LEIRMONT CRISTIANE JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETHE VAITCHE 

FR255 U KELSO 

8 Feb 1648 LEIRMONT ALLIACTONE JOHNE LEIRMONT/ ELSPETH WAITCH FR265 

U KELSO 

Marriage 

before 1633 GEORGE LEIRMONT/ ALESONE HARDIE FR186 U KELSO 

Birth 

27 Feb 1633 LEIRMONT MARGRAT GEORGE LEIRMONT/ ALESONE HARDIE FR186 

U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1635 WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL WILSON FR198 U KELSO 

Birth 

5 Apr 1635 LEIRMONT THOMAS WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL WILSON 

FR198 U KELSO 

3 Apr 1636 LEIRMONT ISSOBELL WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL WILSONE 

FR204 U KELSO 

9 Aug 1640 LEIRMONT ROBERT WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL WILSONE 

FR222 U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1636 JAMES LEIRMONT/ MARIOUN SYMSONE FR204 U KELSO 

Birth 

15 Mar 1636 LEIRMONT WILLIAM JAMES LEIRMONT/ MARIOUN SYMSONE 

FR204 U KELSO 

8 Jan 1639 LEIRMONT MARGRAT JAMES LEIRMONT/ MARION SIMSONE FR215 

U KELSO 

4 Jul 1641 LEIRMONT JONET JAMES LEIRMONT/MARIOUN SYMSONE FR227 

U KELSO 

22 Apr 1644 LEIRMONT CRISTIANE JAMES LEIRMONT/ MARIOUN SYMSONE 

FR241 U KELSO 

6 Jan 1646 LEIRMONT GEORGE JAMES LEIRMONT/MARION SYMSONE FR251 

U KELSO 

Marriage 

before 1637 WALTER LEIRMONT/ JEANE PRINGLE FR208 U KELSO 

Birth 

24 Mar 1637 LEIRMONT JOHNE ROBERT WALTER LEIRMONT/ JEANE PRINGLE 

FR208 U KELSO 


Marriage 

Before 1639 WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET DAVIDSONE FR215 U KELSO 

Birth 

419

6 Jan 1639 LEIRMONT JOHNE WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET DAVIDSONE 

FR215 U KELSO 

23 Aug 1640 LEIRMONT ISSOBELL WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET DAVIDSONE 

FR223 U KELSO 

21 Feb 1643 LEIRMONT JONET MARGRAT WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET 

DAVIDSONE FR235 U KELSO 

20 Apr 1645 LEIRMONT NANS WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET DAVIDSONE 

FR247 U KELSO 

11 Apr 1647 LEIRMONT WALTER WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ JONET DAVIDSONE 

FR260 U KELSO 

(Official Davidson Clan) 

Birth 

12 Jul 1640 LEARMONTH GEORGE ROBERT LEARMONTH/ M PENCAITLAND 

Marriage 

19 Nov 1640 LEIRMONTH DAVID ELSPET CARSTAIRIS FR1308 ST 

ANDREWS AND ST LEONAR 453/00 0005 

Marriage 

Before 1641 THOMAS LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL MYLLER FR228 U KELSO 

Birth 

29 Dec 1641 LEIRMONT ROBERT THOMAS LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL MYLLER 

FR228 U KELSO 

11 Feb 1646 LEIRMONT ROBERT THOMAS LEIRMONT/ISSOBELL MYLLER 

FR252 U KELSO 

23 May 1647 LEIRMONT MARGRAT THOMAS LEIRMONT/ISSOBELL MYLLER 

FR259 U KELSO 

27 Aug 1649 LEIRMONT JAMES THOMAS LEIRMONT/ ISSOBELL MYLLER FR274 

U KELSO 

14 Mar 1652 LEIRMONT WILLIAM THOMAS LEIRMONT/ ISSOBEL MILLER 

FR288 U KELSO 

Birth 

29 Aug 1641 LEARMONTH ROBERT ROBERT LEARMONTH/ M ORMISTON 

Marriage 

2 Aug 1642 LEIRMONTH JOHNE MERGARET STEUARTE/FR1422 M KELSO 

Birth 

13 Aug 1643 LEIRMONT JEANE JOHNE LEIRMONT/ MARGRAT STEWART FR236 

U KELSO 

29 Sep 1645 LEIRMONT MARIOUN JOHNE LEIRMONT/ MARGRAT STEWART 

FR249 U KELSO 

(Official Stewart Clan) 

Marriage 

before 1645 JOHNNE LEARMONTH/ MARGARET BRUCE FR1335 M EDINBURGH 

(Clan Bruce) 

Birth 

4 Jul 1645 LEARMONTH DAVID JOHNNE LEARMONTH/ MARGARET BRUCE FR1335 

M EDINBURGH 

(Official Bruce Clan) 

420

Birth 

10 Oct 1648 LEIRMONT ----- WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ U KELSO 

Birth 

9 Oct 1648 LEIRMONT JONES WALTER LEIRMONT/ NANS WATHO FR269 U 

KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1649 WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ CHIRSTIAN LEIRMONT FR273 U KELSO 

Birth 

1 Apr 1649 LEIRMONT MARIONE WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ CHIRSTIAN LEIRMONT 

FR273 U KELSO 

6 Oct 1650 LEIRMONT JEANE WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ CHIRSTAIN LEIRMONT 

FR280 U KELSO 

7 Jun 1657 LEIRMONT MARGARET WILLIAM LEIRMONT/ CHRISTIAN 

LEIRMONTH FR315 U KELSO 

Birth 

14 Oct 1650 LEIRMONT JAMES JOHN LEIRMONT/ JONNETT GLADSTAINES FR281 

U KELSO 

(Official Gladstaines Clan) 

76 

Marriage 

Before 1651 

Birth 

23 Mar 1651 LEIRMONT ROBERT WALTER LEIRMONT/ AGNES WALDIE FR282 

U KELSO 

27 Apr 1668 LEIRMONT JOHN WALTER LEIRMONT/ AGNES WALDIE FR379 

U KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1655 ALEXANDER LERMONT/ KATHREN MURRAY FR225 U DALKEITH 

(Clan Murray) 

Birth 

2 Mar 1655 LERMONT GEORGE ALEXANDER LERMONT/ KATHREN MURRAY 

FR225 U DALKEITH 

2 Nov 1656 LEARMONTH ROBERT ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ CATHARINE 

MURRAY FR1582 U EDINBURGH 

1 Dec 1661 LEARMONTH JOHNE ALLEXR. LEARMONTH/ KATHRINE MURRAY U 

PERTH 

(Official Murray Clan) 

Birth 

2 Oct 1659 LEIRMONT STEVEN ROBERT LEIRMONT/ BARBRA FAIRBAIRNE 

FR38 U STITCHEL AND HUME 

Marriage 

Before 1659 

Birth 

20 Nov 1659 LAIRMONT AGNES ROBERT LAIRMONT/ MARGARET HOP FR20 

U SMAILHOLM 

20 Nov 1659?? LAIRMONT ELIZABETH ROBERT LAIRMONT/ MARGARET HOP FR20 

U SMAILHOLM 

(Oficial Hope Clan) 

421

Marriage 

Before 1662 THOMAS LEARMONTH/JEIN CASS FR279 U DALKEITH 

Birth 

22 Jun 1662 LEARMONTH JEIN THOMAS LEARMONTH/JEIN CASS FR279 

U DALKEITH 

3 Sep 1663 LEARMONTH ROBERT THOMAS LEARMONTH/ JEAN CASS FR286 

U DALKEITH 

Marriage 

Before 1662 JOHNE LEARMONTH/ MARION MUBRAE FR280 U DALKEITH 

Birth 

22 Jul 1662 LEARMONTH JOSSEPH JOHNE LEARMONTH/ MARION MUBRAE 


Marriage 

Before 1662 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ GRISSELL FORREST FR1728 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

26 Jan 1662 LEARMONTH THOMAS ROBERT LEARMONTH/ GRISSELL FORREST 


10 Mar 1663 LEARMONTH WALLTER ROBERT LEARMONTH/ GRISSELL FORREST 


25 Sep 1664 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ROBERT LEARMONTH/ GRISSELL FORREST 


1 Jul 1669 LEIRMONT GABRIELL ROBERT LEIRMONT/ GRISSELL FORREST 



27 Dec 1687 Learmonth (Lairmen, Leirman, Leirmen, Leirmin, Lermen, Lermont, Lermonth, Lermunt), 

Robert, merchant, his widow, Grizel Forrest 

(Official Forrester Clan) 

Birth 

15 Jul 1664 LEARMONTH GEORGE JOHN LEARMONTH/ M 

ATHELSTANEFORD 

Marriage 

Before 1665 RICHARD LEIRMONT/ MARGARET KER FR363 U KELSO 

Birth 

2 Jul 1665 LEIRMONT ANDRO RICHARD LEIRMONT/ MARGARET KER FR363 

U KELSO 


Marriage 

Before 1655 JAMES LEARMONTH/ JEAN ROSS 

Birth 

22 Jan 1665 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH/ JEAN ROSS FR1804 

M EDINBURGH 

23 Sep 1666 LEARMONTH ROBERT JAMES LEARMONTH/ JEAN ROSS FR1859 

M EDINBURGH 


Ross, Jane, wife of James Learmonth, tailor 01 Feb 1674 

(Official Ross Clan) 

422

Marriage 

Before 1666 JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET WATHERSTOUN FR1854 M 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

9 Aug 1666 LEARMONTH JOHN THOMAS JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

WATHERSTOUN FR1854 M EDINBURGH 

87 

Marriage 

Before 1667 JOHN LEIRMONT/ ELISABETH BROUN FR374 U KELSO 

Birth 

23 Jul 1667 LEIRMONT JOHN JOHN LEIRMONT/ ELISABETH BROUN FR374 U 

KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1667 GEORGE LEIRMONT/ JEAN HALL FR371 U KELSO 

Birth 

8 Apr 1667 LEIRMONT JOHN GEORGE LEIRMONT/ JEAN HALL FR371 U 

KELSO 

Birth 

10 Nov 1668 LEARMONTH ANDROW HENRIE LEARMONTH/ U ANSTRUTHER 

EASTER 

Birth 

12 Jan 1668 LEARMONTH JAMES PATRICK LEARMONTH/ M 

DIRLETON 

5 Oct 1673 LEARMONTH PATRICK PATRICK LEARMONTH/ M 

DIRLETON 

Marriage 

16 Oct 1669 LEARMENT ROBERT ELSPETH FORREST/FR1878 M 

HADDINGTON 709/00 0006 

Marriage 

16 Jan 1676 Learmonth (Learmount, Lermonth) Robert, in Torphichen and Christian Inglis in Loch coat 

both in this parish. Westlothian: Torphichen - Registers of Baptisms, Prociamations, Marriages and 

Mortcloth Dues, 1673-1714 

(Official Inglis Clan) 

Birth 

31 Jan 1678 LERMONT GEORGE WILLIAM LERMONT/ M NORTH 

BERWICK 

Marriage 

Before 1678 THOMAS LEIRMONT/ HELEN CRAIG FR366 U DALKEITH 

Birth 

25 Mar 1678 LEIRMONT MARJORIE THOMAS LEIRMONT/ HELEN CRAIG FR366 

U DALKEITH 

8 Apr 1679 LEIRMONT WILLIAM THOMAS LEIRMONT/ HELEN CRAIG FR373 

U DALKEITH 

423

27 Aug 1680 LEIRMONT ELISABETH THOMAS LEIRMONT/ HELEN CRAIG FR399 

U DALKEITH 

Birth 

John Leirmont could be son of ALEXANDER LERMONT/ KATHREN MURRAY FR225 

DALKEITH 

U 

Marriage 

Before 1681 JOHN LEIRMONT/ MARGARIT MURRAY 

Birth 

4 Jun 1681 LEIRMONT MARGARIT JOHN LEIRMONT/ MARGARIT MURRAY 


10 Sep 1682 LEIRMONT THOMAS JOHN LEIRMONT/ MARGARET MURRAY 


3 Jun 1688 LEIRMONT JOHN JOHN LEIRMONT/ MARGARIT MURRAY 



Marriage 

13 Aug 1682 Learmonth (Learmount, Lermonth) John, and Beatrix Colvill, cited for irregular Marriage. 

Westlothian: Torphichen - Registers of Baptisms, Prociamations, Marriages and Mortcloth Dues, 1673- 

1714 

(Official Colville Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1685 MARK LEIRMONT/ JEAN HAY FR437 U DALKEITH (Clan Hay) 

Birth 

10 May 1685 LEIRMONT ANNA MARK LEIRMONT/ JEAN HAY FR437 U 

DALKEITH 

29 Jun 1691 LEIRMONT JOHN MARK LEIRMONT/ JEANE HAY FR481 U 

DALKEITH 

21 Aug 1692 LEIRMONT MARGRET MARK LEIRMONT /JEANE HAY FR483 U 

DALKEITH 

(Official Hay Clan) 

Birth 

8 Feb 1692 LEARMONTH ROBERT GEORGE LEARMONTH/ AGNES YEAMOND 

FR795 ZEAMOND M PRESTONPANS 

10 May 1707 LERMONT GEORGE GEORGE LERMONT/ AGNESS ZEMAN FR926 

M HADDINGTON 

Birth 

11 Oct 1691 LEARMONTH WILLIAM STEPHVEN LEARMONTH/ U 

STITCHEL AND HUME 

2 Apr 1693 LEARMONTH ----- STEPHVEN LEARMONTH/ U 

STITCHEL AND HUME 

Birth 

18 Feb 1694 LERMOND GEORGE WILLIAM LERMOND/ M WESTERKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1696 JAMES LEARMONTH /JENNET WADDELL FR867 M PRESTONPANS 

424

Birth 

26 Jan 1696 LEARMONTH ANDREW JAMES LEARMONTH /JENNET WADDELL 

FR867 M PRESTONPANS 

7 Oct 1701 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ JONET WADDELL 

FR933 M PRESTONPANS 

Marriage 

Before 1699 WALTER LEIRMONT/ ISOBELL PAMER FR508 M KELSO 

Birth 

19 Nov 1699 LEIRMONT WALTER WALTER LEIRMONT/ ISOBELL PAMER FR508 

M KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1699 JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES CUNINGHAM FR262 M ABERLADY 

Birth 

17 Sep 1699 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES CUNINGHAM 

FR250 M ABERLADY 

8 Feb 1702 LEARMONTH GEORGE JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES CUNINGHAM 


20 Oct 1706 LEARMONTH JAMES JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES CUNINGHAM 


22 Feb 1708 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES CUNINGHAM 


25 Dec 1715 LEARMONTH PATRICK JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES CUNINGHAME 


(Official Cunningham Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1700 WALTER LEIRMONT/ JEAN DICKSON FR510 M KELSO 

Birth 

18 Nov 1700 LEIRMONT ANDREW WALTER LEIRMONT/ JEAN DICKSON FR510 

M KELSO 

Marriage 

139 7 Sep 1701 LEARMONTH JOHN JEAN HAMILTOUN OR SIMPSON FR1348 

U EDINBURGH 685/01 0045 

Marriage 

13 Mar 1703 , m. 27 Apr 1703 Learmonth (Learmount, Lermonth) Peter, in Hilderston and Margaret 

Gardiner in Torphichen p. Westlothian: Torphichen - Registers of Baptisms, Prociamations, Marriages and 

Mortcloth Dues, 1673-1714 

Marriage 

Before 1704 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ LILIAS SIM FR22 U MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

13 Aug 1704 LEARMONTH JONET ROBERT LEARMONTH/ LILIAS SIM FR22 

U MUIRAVONSIDE 

29 Dec 1706 LEARMONTH ANNA ROBERT LEARMONTH/ LILIAS SIM FR24 


25 Apr 1708 LEARMONTH ANNA ROBERT LEARMONTH/ LILLIAS SIM FR26 


12 Nov 1710 LEARMONTH LILIAS ROBERT LEARMONTH /LILIAS SIM FR28 


10 May 1713 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ROBERT LEARMONTH/ LILIAS SIM FR31 


2 Sep 1716 LEARMONTH ROBERT ROBERT LEARMONTH/ LILIAS SIM FR35 


425

Marriage 

Before 1703 JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DODS FR268 M ABERLADY 

Birth 

26 Sep 1703 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DODS FR268 

M ABERLADY 

17 Jun 1705 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DODS FR275 

M ABERLADY 

Marriage 

03 Dec 1704 , m. 26 Dec 1704Learmonth (Learmount, Lermonth) John, and Agnes Thomson in this parish 

p. Westlothian: Torphichen - Registers of Baptisms, Prociamations, Marriages and Mortcloth Dues, 1673- 

1714 

Marriage 

May 1704 , m. 15 Jun 1704 Learmonth (Learmount, Lermonth) John, and Giles Mershell in this parish p. - 


1714 

Marriage 

27 Oct 1705 , m. 21 Nov 1705 Learmonth (Learmount, Lermonth) James, and Mary Stone in this parish p. 


1714 

Marriage 

Before 1705 ALEXANDER LAIRMOUNTH/ MARY LIVINGSTOUN FR4050 M 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

6 Dec 1705 LAIRMOUNTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LAIRMOUNTH/ MARY 

LIVINGSTOUN FR4050 M EDINBURGH 

26 Dec 1718 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY 

LIVINGSTON FR4470 M EDINBURGH 

(Official Livingstone Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1707 JOHN LAIRMONTH /JEAN PEIRIE FR4093 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

27 Mar 1707 LAIRMONTH ROBERT JOHN LAIRMONTH /JEAN PEIRIE FR4093 

M EDINBURGH 

Marriage 

Before 1710 THOMAS LEIRMONT/ M EARLSTON 

Birth 

1 Jan 1710 LEIRMONT ANDROW THOMAS LEIRMONT/ M EARLSTON 

6 Jun 1714 LEIRMONT THOMAS THOMAS LEIRMONT/ M EARLSTON 

10 Jun 1716 LEIRMONT WILLIAM THOMAS LEIRMONT/ M EARLSTON 

Marriage 

Before 1710 JOHN LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN LIVINGSTONE FR490 M 

BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

Birth 

11 Apr 1710 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

LIVINGSTONE FR490 M BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

28 Feb 1712 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JOHN LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 


426

1 Oct 1713 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 


14 Nov 1714 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JOHN LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 


(Official Livingstone Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1711 JOHN LEARMONTH/ JEAN HASUELL FR300 U ABERLADY 

Birth 

14 Oct 1711 LEARMONTH ELIZABETH JOHN LEARMONTH/ JEAN HASUELL FR300 

U ABERLADY 

19 Jun 1715 LEARMONTH JAMES JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANNIT HASWELL FR314 

M ABERLADY 

Marriage 

Date (?) 1711 Learmonth (Learmount, Lermonth) John, and Jean Crawford in this parish; Westlothian: 

Torphichen - Registers of Baptisms, Prociamations, Marriages and Mortcloth Dues, 1673-1714 

Marriage 

Before 1712 JAMES LEARMONTH/ BARBARA KEMP FR 304 M ABERLADY 

Birth 

14 Dec 1712 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH/ BARBARA KEMP FR 304 

M ABERLADY 

29 Jun 1715 LEARMONTH GEORGE JAMES LEARMONTH/ BARBARA KEMP FR314 

M ABERLADY 

Marriage 

Before 1713 JAMES LERMONT/JEAN CAIRNS FR114 M ATHELSTANEFORD 

Birth 

20 Sep 1713 LERMONT GEORGE JAMES LERMONT/JEAN CAIRNS FR114 

M ATHELSTANEFORD 

24 Oct 1725 LERMONT GEORGE JAMES LERMONT/ JEAN CAIRNS FR145 

U ATHELSTANEFORD 

Birth 

10 May 1713 LAIRMENT HELIEN ROBERT LAIRMENT/ U ASHKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1714 PETER LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN SMITH FR1174 M LINLITHGOW 

Birth 

22 Aug 1714 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER PETER LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN SMITH 

FR1174 M LINLITHGOW 

Marriage 

Before 1717 JOHN ADAM LAIRMONT/ M DUMFRIES (near Georgeton, Gaston) 

Birth 

8 Aug 1717 LAIRMONT JOHN ADAM LAIRMONT/ M DUMFRIES 

31 Aug 1718 LAIRMONT JAMES ADAM LAIRMONT/ M DUMFRIES 

15 Sep 1720 LAIRMONT ADAM ADAM LAIRMONT/ M DUMFRIES 

Marriage 

Before 1717 THOMAS LAIRMOUNT/ MARGARET PORTEUS FR103 U PRESTONKIRK 

Birth 

2 Jun 1717 LAIRMOUNT MARIEN THOMAS LAIRMOUNT/ MARGARET PORTEUS 

FR103 U PRESTONKIRK 

427

Birth 

14 Aug 1720 LERMONT GEORGE JAMES LERMONT/ HELEN LERMONT FR1043 

M HADDINGTON 

Marriage 

5 Aug 1720 LERMOND JOHN / ISOBEL GORDON OR FYFE FR1533 U 

EDINBURGH 685/01 0046 

Marriage 

30 Sep 1720 LEIRMONT JOHN LAIRD HANDAXWOOD ISOBEL WALKER/FR28 U 

764/00 0001 

Birth 

2 Jul 1721 LEIRMONT JOHN JOHN LAIRD HANDAXWOOD LEIRMONT/ 

ISOBEL WALKER FR32 U 

12 Oct 1722 LEIRMONT ALEXANDER JOHN LAIRD HANDAXWOOD LEIRMONT/ 

ISOBEL WALKER FR42 U ??????? 

Marriage 

Before 1721 ANDREW LEARMONTH/AGNES HAMILTON FR1282 M LINLITHGOW 

Birth 

19 Jul 1721 LEARMONTH JOHN ANDREW LEARMONTH/ AGNES HAMILTON 


11 Sep 1723 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ANDREW LEARMONTH/ AGNES HAMILTON 


3 Apr 1726 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ANDREW LEARMONTH/AGNES HAMILTON 


25 Feb 1729 LEARMONTH ANDREW ANDREW LEARMONTH/AGNES HAMILTON 


(Official Hamilton Clan) 

Birth 

18 Dec 1722 LEARMONTH JOSEPH JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES MCNAUGHT 


Birth 

21 Jun 1724 LEARMONTH ANDREW ROBERT LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBSON FR619 

M KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1727 ANDREW LEARMONTH /ISABEL STEWART FR643 M KELSO 

Birth 

6 Dec 1727 LEARMONTH HENRY ANDREW LEARMONTH /ISABEL STEWART FR643 

M KELSO 

14 Sep 1729 LEARMONTH ----- ANDREW LEARMONTH/ ISABEL STEWART FR652 

M KELSO 

(Official Stewart Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1727 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET LAWRIE FR638 M KELSO 

Birth 

5 Feb 1727 LEARMONTH JAMES WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET LAWRIE 

FR638 M KELSO 

428

9 Oct 1738 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET LAWRIE 

FR694 M KELSO 

Marriage 

Before 1729 JAMES LEARMONTH/ MARGARET RICHARDSON FR651 M KELSO 

Birth 

26 Oct 1729 LEARMONTH RICHARD JAMES LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

RICHARDSON FR651 M KELSO 

21 Nov 1731 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

RICHARDSON FR664 M KELSO 

Birth 

14 Jul 1730 LERMOND GEORGE JOHN LERMOND/ M GORDON 

124 

Birth 

1 Dec 1731 LEARMONTH JOHN /MARGARET LEARMONTH 


Birth 

13 Aug 1732 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ MARGARET DICK FR55 U 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Marriage 

Before 1731 JAMES LEARMONTH/ JANET DICK FR29 M POLMONT 

Birth 

3 Mar 1731 LEARMONTH ROBERT JAMES LEARMONTH/ JENNET DICK FR53 


8 Sep 1734 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH/ JANET DICK FR11 

M POLMONT 

10 Apr 1743 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/ JANET DICK FR21 

U POLMONT 

28 Jul 1745 LEARMONTH ANDREW JAMES LEARMONTH/ JANET DICK FR22 

M POLMONT 

5 May 1751 LEARMONTH JOHN JAMES LEARMONTH/ JANET DICK FR29 

M POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1723 JAMES LEARMONTH/ JANET TURNBUL FR664 M KELSO 

Birth 

13 Feb 1732 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ JANET TURNBUL FR664 

M KELSO 

(Official Turnbull Clan) 

Birth 

13 Apr 1734 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ M CUPAR 

11 Mar 1738 LEARMONTH THOMAS WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ M CUPAR 

Marriage 

Before 1736 WILLIAM LAIRMOND /MARION RUTHERFOORD FR572 U TRANENT 

Birth 

429

23 Apr 1736 LAIRMOND MARY WILLIAM LAIRMOND /MARION 

RUTHERFOORD FR572 U TRANENT 

3 Sep 1738 LAIRMOUTH PATRICK WILLIAM LAIRMOUTH/ MARION 

RUTHERFOORD FR586 U TRANENT 

(Official Rutherford Clan) 

Birth 

3 Sep 1738 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ M EARLSTON 

Marriage 

Before 1740 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET MURRAY FR6048 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

1 Apr 1740 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET MURRAY 


1 Mar 1753 LEARMONTH ROBERT ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET MURRAY 



Birth 

15 Mar 1747 LERMOND GEORGE JOHN LERMOND/ M GORDON 

Marriage 

Before 1748 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANE BUCHANNAN FR75 UMUIRAVONSIDE (near 

Polmont ) 

Birth 

12 Oct 1748 LEARMONTH HELEN ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANE BUCHANNAN FR75 


22 Apr 1750 LEARMONTH LILIAS ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANE BUCHANNAN FR78 


29 Mar 1752 LEARMONTH JAMES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JEAN BUCHANAN FR1121 

U FALKIRK 

26 Dec 1753 LEARMONTH JEAN ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JEAN BUCHANAN FR1131 

U FALKIRK (near polmont?) 

(Official Buchanan Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1741 JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR349 CHILD U KILMARNOCK 

Birth 

9 Nov 1741 LAIRMONT JEAN JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR349 

CHILD U KILMARNOCK 

5 Jul 1744 LAIRMONT ELIZABETH JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR363 

CHILD 3 U KILMARNOCK 

6 Mar 1746 LAIRMONT ANN JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR372 


11 Feb 1748 LAIRMONT JANET JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR384 CHILD 

5 U KILMARNOCK 

25 Jan 1750 LAIRMONT JAMES JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR394 CHILD 

6 U KILMARNOCK 

7 Nov 1751 LAIRMONT JOHN JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR405 


14 Mar 1754 LAIRMONT WILLIAM JAMES LAIRMONT JANET DICKIE FR423 


430

18 Apr 1756 LAIRMONT THOMAS JAMES LAIRMONT /JANET DICKIE FR438 


1 Feb 1759 LAIRMONT MARY JAMES LAIRMONT/ JANET DICKIE FR456 


Marriage 

Before 1742 HUGH LEARMONTH/ AGNES GRAY FR18 M POLMONT 

Birth 

29 Jan 1742 LEARMONTH WILLIAM HUGH LEARMONTH/ AGNES GRAY FR18 

M POLMONT 

11 Dec 1743 LEARMONTH HUGH HUGH LEARMONTH/ AGNES GRAY FR20 

M POLMONT 

18 Feb 1750 LEARMONTH PATRICK HUGH LEARMONTH/ AGNES GRAY FR27 

M POLMONT 

(Official Gray Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1743 JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DUNLOP FR68 U 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

30 Jan 1743 LEARMONTH ANDREW JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DUNLOP 

FR68 U MUIRAVONSIDE 

(Official Dunlop Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1745 JAMES LEARMONTH /AGNES DUNLOP FR70 U 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

26 May 1745 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH /AGNES DUNLOP FR70 


18 Sep 1748 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DUNLOP 


14 Apr 1751 LEARMONTH ELIZABETH JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DUNLOP 


3 Sep 1758 LEARMONTH SARAH JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DUNLOP 



Marriage 

Before 1744 JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON FR451 M CARRIDEN 

Birth 

16 Sep 1744 LEARMONTH GEORGE JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON 

FR451 M CARRIDEN 

5 Oct 1746 LEARMONTH ANDREW JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON 

FR473 M CARRIDEN 

(Official Robertson Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1745 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ HELEN ANDROW FR70 U 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

6 Mar 1745 LEARMONTH ROBERT ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ HELEN ANDROW 


431

Marriage 

14 Mar 1742 LEARMENT JOHN ELISABETH GORDON/FR1191 M 

DUMFRIES 821/00 0004 

Birth 

7 Jan 1746 LEARMONTH WALTER MR5/1 M 

ST CUTHBERT'S BLOTTER 

Marriage 

26 Dec 1745 LERMOND JOHN/ AGNES YORKSTON/FR868 U GORDON 

742/00 0003 

Marriage 

23 Jul 1747 LERMOND JOHN MARGARET FAIRBAIRN/FR878 U 

GORDON 742/00 0003 

Marriage 

Before 1753 JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DUNLAP FR84 U 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

21 Oct 1753 LEARMONTH JANET JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH DUNLAP FR84 



Marriage 

Before 1757 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARION COWIE FR40 M POLMONT 

Birth 

10 Jul 1757 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARION COWIE FR40 

M POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1758 GEORGE LAIRMONT /JANET FINDLAY FR454 CHILD 1 U KILMARNOCK 

Birth 

19 Oct 1758 LAIRMONT JEAN GEORGE LAIRMONT /JANET FINDLAY FR454 


5 Oct 1760 LAIRMONT WILLIAM GEORGE LAIRMONT/ JANET FINDLAY FR470 


5 Jun 1763 LAIRMONT ELIZABETH GEORGE LAIRMONT/ JANET FINDLAY FR489 


Marriage 

Before 1760 GEORGE LEARMONTH/ AGNES GUILD FR8119 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

18 Mar 1760 LEARMONTH WALTER GEORGE LEARMONTH/ AGNES GUILD FR8119 

M EDINBURGH 

4 Oct 1766 LEARMONTH WILLIAM GEORGE LEARMONTH/ AGNES GUILD FR8538 

M EDINBURGH 

18 Jul 1772 LEARMONTH JAMES GEORGE LEARMONTH/AGNES GULD FR8992 

M EDINBURGH 

432

Birth 

16 Apr 1763 LEARMONTH HENRY GEORGE LEARMONTH/ M EDROM 

Marriage 

Before 1766 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET ANDERSON FR55 M POLMONT 

Birth 

13 Jul 1766 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET 

ANDERSON FR55 M POLMONT 

12 Sep 1779 LEARMONTH ROBERT ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET 

ANDERSON FR77 M POLMONT 

3 Feb 1782 LEARMONTH JOHN ALEXANDER LEARMONTH /JANET ANDERSON 

FR157 M POLMONT 

5 Sep 1784 LEARMONTH JAMES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET ANDERSON 


31 Dec 1786 LEARMONTH HENRY ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET ANDERSON 


(Official Anderson Clan) 

Marriage 

Bbefore 1761 GEORGE LERMOND/ KATHRINE WHITE FR540 U ABERLADY 

Birth 

31 May 1761 LERMOND GEORGE GEORGE LERMOND/ KATHRINE WHITE FR540 

U ABERLADY 

Marriage 

Before 1770 THOMAS LEARMONTH/ KATHARINE TAYLOR FR61 M POLMONT 

Birth 

10 Jun 1770 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER THOMAS LEARMONTH/ KATHARINE TAYLOR 


(Official Tailyour Clan) 

149 

Marriage 

Before 1770 ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET MCALISTER FR115 U 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

25 Mar 1770 LEARMONTH ANDREW ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

MCALISTER FR115 U MUIRAVONSIDE 

7 Jun 1772 LEARMONTH ELIZABETH ANDREW LEARMONTH MARGARET 

MCALISTER FR119 U MUIRAVONSIDE 

12 Oct 1773 LEARMONTH JAMES ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET MCALISTER 

FR121 


(Official MacAlister Clan) 

Birth 

15 Jul 1773 LERMONT GEORGE WILLIAM LERMONT/ M EDROM 

Marriage 

Before 1773 RICHARD LERMOND/ CHRISTIAN SMITH FR2426 M ST 

CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

Birth 

16 Nov 1773 LERMOND GEORGE RICHARD LERMOND/ CHRISTIAN SMITH 

FR2426 M ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

433

15 Jun 1781 LEARMONTH JAMES RICHARD LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN SMITH 

FR2703 M ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

Marriage 

Before 1773 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH GAFF FR66 M POLMONT 

Birth 

21 Feb 1773 LEARMONTH HUGH WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH GAFF FR66 

M POLMONT 

Birth 

13 Jan 1777 LAIRMONTH JOHN / M GORDON 

Marriage 

Before 1777 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET THOMSON FR1006 


Birth 

26 Nov 1777 LEARMONTH JAMES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET THOMSON 

FR914 BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

1 Apr 1783 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

THOMSON FR1006 BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

23 Dec 1784 LEARMONTH ROBERT ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET THOMSON 


10 Dec 1786 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/MARGARET 

THOMSON FR145 M MUIRAVONSIDE (polmon area??) 

Marriage 

Before 1782 GEORGE THOMAS LERMOND/ ELIZABETH NIZBIT FR63 M 

MERTON 

Birth 

28 Apr 1782 LERMOND GEORGE THOMAS LERMOND/ ELIZABETH NIZBIT FR63 

M MERTON 

3 Mar 1784 LERMOND GEORGE THOMAS LERMOND/ELIZABETH NISBIT FR66 

M MERTON 

(Official Nesbitt Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1782 JAMES LAIRMONT/ SARAH DASON FR101 M BUITTLE 

Birth 

24 Apr 1782 LAIRMONT JOHN JAMES LAIRMONT/ SARAH DASON FR101 M 

BUITTLE 

Marriage 

Before 1783 JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FR1355 U FALKIRK 

Birth 

28 Apr 1783 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FR1355 

U FALKIRK 

2 Apr 1786 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FR1387 

U FALKIRK 

434

13 Feb 1791 LEARMONTH MARGARET JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FRCH2V17 

U FALKIRK 

31 Mar 1793 LEARMONTH MARGARET JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FRCH2V17 

U FALKIRK 

24 May 1801 LEARMONTH HELEN JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FR1548 

U FALKIRK 

7 Oct 1804 LEARMONTH CHARLES JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FR1581 

U FALKIRK 

7 Oct 1804 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH/ HELEN GAFF FR1581 

U FALKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1784 ANDREW LEARMONTH/ AGNES EASTON FR1052 


Birth 

2 Oct 1784 LEARMONTH JAMES ANDREW LEARMONTH/ AGNES EASTON 


6 Aug 1786 LEARMONTH ANDREW ANDREW LEARMONTH/AGNES EASTON 


Birth 

19 Jun 1785 LAIRMENT ALEXANDER LAIRMENT/ U LEGERWOOD 

Marriage 

Before 1785 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ ISABEL ARTHUR FR1068 M 


Marriage 

Before 1785 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ ISABEL ARTHUR FR1068 M 


Birth 

20 Mar 1785 LEARMONTH JAMES ROBERT LEARMONTH/ ISABEL ARTHUR FR1068 

M BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

(Official Arthur Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1786 JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES DRYSDALE FR166 M POLMONT 

Birth 

30 Apr 1786 LEARMONTH PETER JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES DRYSDALE FR166 M 

POLMONT 

26 Feb 1792 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ AGNES DRYSDALE FR185 M 

POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1786 JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON FR1089 M 


Birth 

15 Jun 1786 LEARMONTH JAMES JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON FR1089 

M BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

1 Mar 1795 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON 

FR1262 M BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

7 Mar 1801 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON 


435

17 Apr 1803 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET ROBERTSON 


19 May 1805 LEARMONTH ANDREW JOHN LEARMONTH/JANET ROBERTSON 



Marriage 

14 Dec 1787 LEARMENT GEORGE HELEN REID OR WILKIE FR2145 U 

EDINBURGH 685/01 0051 

Birth 

8 Feb 1787 LERMONT GEORGE MARK LERMONT/ M EDROM 

Marriage 

28 Jul 1787 LEARMONTH RICHARD JEAN HUTCHISON OR ORMISTON FR4968 ST 

CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 685/02 0066 

Marriage 

Before 1787 LEARMONTH/ AGNESS THOMSON FR3025 M CANONGATE 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

11 Mar 1787 LEARMONTH GEORGE PETER LEARMONTH/ AGNESS THOMSON 

FR3025 M CANONGATE EDINBURGH 

21 Sep 1788 LEARMONTH ROBERT PETER LEARMONTH/AGNES THOMSON 

FR1471 M GLASGOW 

Marriage 

Before 1788 JAMES LEARMONTH/ SARAH DAWSON FR47 M CROSS MICHAEL 

Birth 

24 Aug 1788 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ SARAH DAWSON FR47 M 

CROSS MICHAEL 

Birth 

12 Oct 1789 LERMONT GEORGE GEORGE LERMONT/ MARGRET MAKE FR915 

M DUNS 

Marriage 

Before 1789 JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH YOUNG FR9777 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

16 May 1789 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH YOUNG FR9777 

M EDINBURGH 

(Official Young Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1797 JOHN LEARMONTH/ GRACE YOUNG FR175 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

23 Feb 1797 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ GRACE YOUNG FR175 

M EDINBURGH 

24 Mar 1799 LEARMONTH THOMAS JOHN LEARMONTH/ GRACE YOUNG FR175 

M EDINBURGH 

31 Mar 1802 LEARMONTH ROBERT JOHN LEARMONTH/GRACE YOUNG FR175 

M EDINBURGH 

436


Marriage 

Before 1789 GEORGE LEARMONTH/ HELEN REID FR9784 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

31 Aug 1789 LEARMONTH WALTER GEORGE LEARMONTH/ HELEN REID FR9784 

M EDINBURGH 

Marriage 

Before 1790 WILLIAM LEARMONTH /MARGARET SMITH FR179 M POLMONT 

Birth 

15 Jul 1790 LEARMONTH HUGH WILLIAM LEARMONTH /MARGARET SMITH FR179 

M POLMONT 

171 

Marriage 

Before 1794 LEARMONTH/ FLORENTIA ROBERTSON FR1663 M LINLITHGOW 

Birth 

23 Nov 1794 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ FLORENTIA 

ROBERTSON FR1663 M LINLITHGOW 


Marriage 

Before 1794 JOHN LEARMONTH/ JEAN PAXTON FR1740 U PRESTONPANS 

Birth 

25 May 1794 LEARMONTH MARION JOHN LEARMONTH/ JEAN PAXTON FR1740 

U PRESTONPANS 

Marriage 

Before 1796 PETER LEARMONTH/ELIZABETH HARDIE FR198 M POLMONT 

Birth 

17 Apr 1796 LEARMONTH HUGH PETER LEARMONTH/ELIZABETH HARDIE 


14 Jul 1799 LEARMONTH DAVID PETER LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH HARDIE 


7 Jun 1801 LEARMONTH PETER PETER LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH HARDIE 


10 Feb 1805 LEARMONTH WILLIAM PETER LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH HARDIE 


25 Oct 1807 LEARMONTH ELIZABETH PETER LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH HARDIE 

FRCH2V28 FOUND IN 1838 U FALKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1797 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY LEARMONTH FR202 M 

POLMONT 

Birth 

31 Dec 1797 LEARMONTH THOMAS ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY 

LEARMONTH FR202 M POLMONT 

28 Jun 1807 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY 


30 Apr 1812 LEARMONTH ROBERT ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY 


20 Mar 1814 LEARMONTH JOHN ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY 


437

24 Sep 1820 LEARMONTH JAMES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY 


Marriage 

Before 1799 ROBERT LERMONT/ ISABEL TAYLOR FR689 M CRAILING 

Birth 

4 Nov 1799 LERMONT GEORGE ROBERT LERMONT/ ISABEL TAYLOR FR689 

M CRAILING 

Marriage 

Before 1800 JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELSPETH ROUGHEAD FR1062 M DUNS 

Birth 

29 Jan 1800 LEARMONTH GEORGE JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELSPETH ROUGHEAD 

FR1062 M DUNS 

24 Nov 1801 LEARMONTH JOHN JAMES LEARMONTH/ELSPETH ROUGHEAD 

FR1062 M DUNS 

21 Jan 1808 LEARMONTH ROBERT JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELSPETH ROUGHEAD 

FR1104 M DUNS 

Marriage 

Before 1800 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ AGNES ARTHUR FR1854 M GLASGOW 

Birth 

18 Jan 1800 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ AGNES ARTHUR 


28 Apr 1802 LEARMONTH JOHN WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ AGNES ARTHUR 


(Official Arthur Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1801 GABRIEL LEARMONTH/ MARGARET WHITE FR100 M MERTON 

Birth 

17 May 1801 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER GABRIEL LEARMONTH/ 

U MERTON 

20 Dec 1807 LEARMONTH WILLIAM GABRIEL LEARMONTH/ MARGARET WHITE 

FR100 M MERTON 

Stop looking on the map Wednesday, January 19, 2005 

Marriage 

Before 1801 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH GAFF FR1549 U FALKIRK 

Birth 

14 Jun 1801 LEARMONTH ELISABETH ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH GAFF 

FR1549 U FALKIRK 

26 Jun 1803 LEARMONTH CHARLES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH GAFF 


17 Mar 1805 LEARMONTH MARY ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH GAFF 


28 Dec 1806 LEARMONTH JOHN ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH GAFF 


Birth 

13 Aug 1802 LEARMONTH ELIZABETH THOMAS LEARMONTH/ ISOBEL DOVE FR90 

U MERTON 

Birth 

438

1 Jan 1803 LEARMONTHJOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGT. THOM U CRAIG 

Marriage 

Before 1805 ARCHIBALD LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN MILLER M KIRKWALL 

(Orkney) 

Birth 

8 Dec 1805 LEARMONTH ROBERT ARCHIBALD LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

MILLER M KIRKWALL 

26 Sep 1813 LEARMONTH JOHN MITCHEL ARCHD. LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

MILLER M KIRKWALL 

Marriage 

Before 1807 JOSEPH LEARMONTH/ALISON KNOX FR1532 M COLDINGHAM 

Birth 

7 Oct 1807 LEARMONTH JOSEPH JOSEPH LEARMONTH/ALISON KNOX FR1532 

M COLDINGHAM 

Marriage 

Before 1804 ROBERT LERMONT/ MARGARET WATT FR520 M PRESTONKIRK 

Birth 

11 Aug 1804 LERMONT GEORGE ROBERT LERMONT/ MARGARET WATT FR520 

M PRESTONKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1808 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ AGNES LEARMONTH FR1394 


Birth 

11 Dec 1808 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ AGNES 

LEARMONTH FR1394 BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

4 Feb 1810 LEARMONTH ROBERT ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ AGNES 


20 Aug 1813 LEARMONTH JAMES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ AGNES 


Marriage 

Before 1808 PETER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET MIDDLEMISS FR71 WHITSOME 

AND HILTON 

Birth 

20 Aug 1808 LEARMONTH WILLIAM PETER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

MIDDLEMISS FR71 WHITSOME AND HILTON 

10 Feb 1823 LEARMONTH JAMES PETER LEARMONTH /MARGARET MIDDLEMISS 

FR147 M WHITSOME AND HILTON 

Marriage 

Before 1808 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN INGLIS FR186 U 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

6 Nov 1808 LEARMONTH ROBERT ROBERT LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN INGLIS 


(Official Inglis Clan) 

Marriage 

8 Jan 1809 LEARMENT JAMES / ELISABETH SCOTT/FR476 M STITCHEL AND 

HUME 808/00 0002 

439

Marriage 

Before 1809 ALEXANDER LERMONT/ MARGARET PRINGLE FR536 M PRESTONKIRK 

Birth 

19 Mar 1809 LERMONT GEORGE ALEXANDER LERMONT/ MARGARET 

PRINGLE FR536 M PRESTONKIRK 


Marriage 

9 Apr 1807 LEARMONTH JOHN MARGARET WATSON/FR2449 M EDINBURGH 

685/01 0053 

Birth 

21 Nov 1809 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

WATSON FR433 M EDINBURGH 

18 Oct 1811 LEARMONTH PETER JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


17 May 1813 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/MARGARET 


31 Jan 1815 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


7 Jan 1817 LEARMONTH ROBERT JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


(Official Watson Clan) 

John Learmonth the BUILDER 

Marriage 

Before 1810 ANDREW LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN ROBERTSON FR79 M 

LANGTON (old parish Yorkshire) 

Birth 

7 Jan 1810 LEARMONTH DAVID ANDREW LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

ROBERTSON FR79 M LANGTON 

25 Aug 1822 LEARMONTH HELEN ANDREW LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

ROBERTSON FR345 U LANGTON 

20 Apr 1828 LEARMONTH ANDREW ANDREW LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

ROBERTSON FR348 M LANGTON 


Marriage 

Before 1812 JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES REID FR285 M POLMONT 

Birth 

5 Jan 1812 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES REID FR285 

M POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1812 THOMAS LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN DONALD FR286 M POLMONT 

Birth 

30 Mar 1812 LEARMONTH JOHN THOMAS LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

DONALD FR286 POLMONT 

2 May 1818 LEARMONTH THOMAS THOMAS LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

DONALD FR298 U POLMONT 

28 Nov 1819 LEARMONTH SOMMERVILLE THOMAS LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

DONALD FR300 U POLMONT 

440

25 Sep 1825 LEARMONTH ANDREW JAMES THOMAS LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

DONALD FR713 M POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1813 THOMAS LEARMONTH/ JEAN KNOX FR112 M MERTON 

Birth 

14 Dec 1813 LEARMONTH THOMAS THOMAS LEARMONTH/ JEAN KNOX FR112 

M MERTON 

2 Mar 1817 LEARMONTH WILLIAM THOMAS LEARMONTH/ JEAN KNOX FR119 

M MERTON 

26 Jul 1820 LEARMONTH GEORGE THOMAS LEARMONTH/ JEAN KNOX FR235 

M MERTON 

Marriage 

Before 1813 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/AGNES LEARMONTH FR733 M 

CARRIDEN 

Birth 

2 Aug 1813 LEARMONTH JAMES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/AGNES 

LEARMONTH FR733 M CARRIDEN 

17 Aug 1817 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ AGNES 


4 Apr 1819 LEARMONTH JOHN THOMSON ALEXANDER LEARMONTH /AGNES 


12 Aug 1821 LEARMONTH DAVID ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ AGNES 


17 Sep 1826 LEARMONTH ANDREW ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ AGNES 


Marriage 

Before 1814 WALTER LEARMONTH/ MARION WHITE FR492 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

16 Dec 1814 LEARMONTH JAMES WALTER LEARMONTH/ MARION WHITE 


Marriage 

Before 1814 JAMES LEARMONTH/ MARY YOUNG FR155 M ST BOSWELLS 

Birth 

11 Feb 1814 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH/ MARY YOUNG FR155 

M ST BOSWELLS 

18 Oct 1818 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/MARY YOUNG FR178 

M ST BOSWELLS 


Marriage 

Before 1817 JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZA BROWN FR2399 M GLASGOW 

Birth 

10 May 1817 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZA BROWN FR2399 

M GLASGOW 


441

Marriage 

Before 1817 GEORGE LEARMONTH/ISABELLA ANDERSON FRMR4-33 M 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

2 Jan 1817 LEARMONTH THOMAS GEORGE LEARMONTH/ISABELLA ANDERSON 

FRMR4-33 M EDINBURGH 

(Official Anderson Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1820 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ANN SPENS FR3863 M LINLITHGOW 

Birth 

7 May 1820 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ANN 

SPENS FR3863 M LINLITHGOW 

9 Jul 1822 LEARMONTH THOMAS SPENS ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ANNE 

SPENS FR3871 M LINLITHGOW 

(Official Spens Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1820 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH HOGG FR1488 U NORTH 

BERWICK 

Birth 

3 Feb 1820 LEARMONTH CATHARINE WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH HOGG 

FR1488 U NORTH BERWICK 

(official Hogg Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1820 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH /MARY BROOM FR2628 U FALKIRK 

Birth 

14 May 1820 LEARMONTH JOHN ALEXANDER LEARMONTH /MARY 

BROOM FR2628 U FALKIRK ?????????? 

14 May 1820 LEARMONTH JOHN ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY BROOM 

FRCH2V24 U FALKIRK 

29 Jun 1828 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/MARY 

BROOM FR2755 U FALKIRK 

25 Sep 1831 LEARMONTH MARY ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/MARY 

BROOM FR2820 U FALKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1821 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ANNE THOMSON FR1917 M 


Birth 

16 Aug 1821 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ANNE THOMSON 


9 Oct 1825 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ANNE THOMSON 


2 Nov 1828 LEARMONTH JOHN WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ANNE THOMSON 


Marriage 

Before 1821 HUGH LEARMONTH/ MARGARET CHISHOLM FR284 M MAKERSTON 

Birth 

18 Jun 1821 LEARMONTH HUGH HUGH LEARMONTH/ MARGARET CHISHOLM 

FR284 M MAKERSTON 

(Official Chisholm Clan) 

442

204 

Marriage 

Before 1822 HUGH LEARMONTH /MARGARET COUBROUGH FR2647 U 

FALKIRK??? 

Birth 

19 Jul 1822 LEARMONTH JAMES SMITH HUGH LEARMONTH /MARGARET 

COUBROUGH FR2647 U FALKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1822 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY BROWN FR2660 U FALKIRK 

Birth 

11 Aug 1822 LEARMONTH JANET ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY BROWN FR2660 

U FALKIRK 

20 Mar 1825 LEARMONTH JAMES ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY BROWN FR2699 

U FALKIRK 


Marriage 

Before 1823 ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET THOMSON FR1923 


Birth 

25 Nov 1823 LEARMONTH ANDREW ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


11 Feb 1828 LEARMONTH RICHARD ANDREW LEARMONTH/MARGARET 


14 Mar 1830 LEARMONTH JAMES ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

THOMSON FR728 M POLMONT 

8 Apr 1832 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


6 Sep 1836 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ANDREW LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 


207 

Marriage 

Before 1824 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ANN THOMSON FR1923 M 


Birth 

11 Jan 1824 LEARMONTH JAMES WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ANN THOMSON 


Marriage 

Before 1824 WILLIAM C./ LEARMONTH GLORIANA MCKENZIE FR341 

MUIRAVONSIDE 

Birth 

30 Aug 1824 LEARMONTH JOHN LIVINGSTON WILLIAM C./ LEARMONTH GLORIANA 

MCKENZIE FR341 MUIRAVONSIDE 

19 Aug 1829 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ALEXAND WILLIAM C. /LEARMONTH GLORIANA 

MCKENZIE FR350 MUIRAVONSIDE 

(Official MacKenzie Clan) 

443

Marriage 

Before 1824 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ CATHERINE KELTY FR601 M PRESTONKIRK 

1 Oct 1824 LEARMONTH ROBERT WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ CATHERINE KELTY 

FR601 M PRESTONKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1825 THOMAS LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH JEFFREY FR996 U BATHGATE 

(near Edin) 

Birth 

23 Jan 1825 LEARMONTH ELIZABETH THOMAS LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH JEFFREY 

FR996 U BATHGATE 

Marriage 

Before 1825 JAMES LEARMONTH/ JEAN GIBB FR2702 U FALKIRK 

Birth 

12 Jun 1825 LEARMONTH HELEN JAMES LEARMONTH/ JEAN GIBB FR2702 U 

FALKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1825 JAMES LEARMONTH /MARGARET CHISHOLM FR711 M POLMONT 

Birth 

13 Mar 1825 LEARMONTH JOHN JAMES LEARMONTH /MARGARET CHISHOLM FR711 

M POLMONT 

Marriage 

Bofore 1826 JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET ALEXANDER CLEGHORN FR511 M 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

21 Oct 1826 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET ALEXANDER 

CLEGHORN FR511 M EDINBURGH 

3 Oct 1828 LEARMONTH JAMES CLEGHORN JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

ALEXANDER CLEGHORN FR608 EDINBURGH 

1 Oct 1829 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARGARET ALEXANDER 

CLEGHORN FR638 M EDINBURGH 

17 Dec 1830 LEARMONTH THOMAS JOHN LEARMONTH/MARGARET 

ALEXANDER CLEGHORN FR680 EDINBURGH 

Marriage 

Before 1826 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ CATHRINE KELTIE FR602 M PRESTONKIRK 

Birth 

6 Apr 1826 LEARMONTH RICHARD WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ CATHRINE KELTIE 


28 Aug 1827 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ CATHERINE KELTIE 


Marriage 

Before 1827 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ BARBARA HEDDEL FR633 M EDINBURGH 

Birth 

11 May 1827 LEARMONTH ROBERT ROBERT LEARMONTH/ BARBARA 

HEDDEL FR633 M EDINBURGH 

444

16 Jul 1829 LEARMONTH WILLIAM SCOTT ROBERT LEARMONTH/ BARBARA 

HEDDEL FR633 M EDINBURGH 

Marriage 

Before 1828 ARCHIBALD LEARMONTH/ MARGARET WRIGHT M KINCARDINE 

Birth 

8 Aug 1828 LEARMONTH ANDREW ARCHIBALD LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

WRIGHT M KINCARDINE 

Marriage 

Before 1828 JAMES LEARMONTH/JEAN LEARMONTH FR723 M POLMONT 

Birth 

28 Jul 1828 LEARMONTH JOHN JAMES LEARMONTH/JEAN LEARMONTH FR723 

M POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1828 JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET HARDIE FR429 U LARBERT (near Falkirk) 

Birth 

26 Dec 1828 LEARMONTH ROBERT JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET HARDIE FR429 

U LARBERT 

15 May 1831 LEARMONTH MARGARET JOHN LEARMONTH/JANET HARDIE FR444 

U LARBERT 

8 Sep 1833 LEARMONTH JAMES JOHN LEARMONTH/JANET HARDIE 

M DYSART 

18 Apr 1840 LEARMONTH JANET JOHN LEARMONTH/JANET HARDIE FR375 

U CULTS 

Marriage 

Before 1828 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET HARCUS MSANDAY (CROSS AND 

BURNES 

Birth 

15 Sep 1828 LEARMONTH WILLIAM TRAILL WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

HARCUS MSANDAY (CROSS AND BURNES 

Marriage 

Before 1829 HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG 

Birth 

11 Oct 1829 LEARMONTH PETER HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FR2780 

U FALKIRK 

11 Oct 1829 LEARMONTH PETER HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FRCH2V27 

U FALKIRK 

27 Jul 1831 LEARMONTH MARGARET HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FR2817 

U FALKIRK 

23 Jul 1833 LEARMONTH THOMAS HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FR2853 

U FALKIRK 

11 Feb 1836 LEARMONTH ELISABETH HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FRCH2V28 

U FALKIRK 

26 Apr 1839 LEARMONTH JANET HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FR2964 

U FALKIRK 

18 Oct 1841 LEARMONTH AGNES HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FRCH2V29 

U FALKIRK 

5 Sep 1841 LEARMONTH AGNES HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FR3000 

U FALKIRK 

445

22 Jan 1844 LEARMONTH JOHN BOAG HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FR3036 

U FALKIRK 

12 Mar 1844 LEARMONTH JOHN BOAG HUGH LEARMONTH/ JANET BOAG FRCH2V30 

U FALKIRK 

10 Feb 1851 LEARMONTH WILLIAM SMITH HUGH LEARMONTH/I. 

U FALKIRK 

6 Jan 1854 LEARMONTH LEWIS IRVINE HUGH LEARMONTH/ 

U FALKIRK 

Marriage 

Before 1829 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET AITCHISON FR1494 M DUNS 

Birth 

11 Sep 1829 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

AITCHISON FR1494 M DUNS 

31 May 1835 LEARMONTH JOHN AITCHISON WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

AITCHISON FR1494 M DUNS 

( Rex Learmonth Line) 

Marriage 

Before 1830 HENRY LEARMONTH/ JEAN BROOMFIELD FR262 M MAKERSTON 

14 Nov 1829 LEARMENT HENRY JANE BROOMFIELD/FR575 M 

STITCHEL AND HUME 808/00 0003 

Birth 

3 Oct 1830 LEARMONTH JAMES HENRY LEARMONTH/ JEAN BROOMFIELD 

FR262 M MAKERSTON 

Marriage 

Before 1830 GEORGE LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN LESSLIE FR620CH2V35 CANONGATE 

SCROLL REG. 

Birth 

7 Oct 1830 LEARMONTH JAMES HALL GEORGE LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN LESSLIE 

FR620CH2V35 CANONGATE SCROLL REG. 

20 Jul 1832 LEARMONTH ANDREW LESSLIE GEORGE LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

LESSLIE FR7279 CANONGATE EDINBURGH 

(Official Leslie Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1830 HUGH LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH TELFER FR271 M MAXTON 

Birth 

2 Aug 1830 LEARMONTH WILLIAM HUGH LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH TELFER 

FR271 M MAXTON 

Marriage 

Before 1832 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ AGNES DOBIE FR570 M ATHELSTANEFORD 

Birth 

3 Jun 1832 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER KINLO WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ AGNES 

DOBIE FR570 M ATHELSTANEFORD 

Marriage 

Before 1832 JAMES LEARMONTH/MARY LUKE FR620CH2V35 M CANONGATE 

SCROLL REG. 

Birth 

446

26 Aug 1832 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/MARY LUKE FR620CH2V35 

M CANONGATE SCROLL REG. 

Marriage 

Before 1835 JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES DENOVAN FR2067 U ST NINIANS 

Birth 

22 Jun 1835 LEARMONTH ANDREW JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES DENOVAN 

FR2067 U ST NINIANS 

12 May 1840 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES DENOVAN FR2082 

U ST NINIANS 

16 Feb 1843 LEARMONTH PRISCILLA JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES DENOVAN 

FR2090 U ST NINIANS 

15 Nov 1845 LEARMONTH JANET JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES DENOVAN FR2099 

U ST NINIANS 

12 Jun 1848 LEARMONTH JOHN JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES DENOVAN FR2106 

U ST NINIANS 

Marriage 

Before 1835 JOHN LEARMONTH /ELISABETH COCHRANE FR3913 M LINLITHGOW 

Birth 

1 May 1835 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH /ELISABETH 

COCHRANE FR3913 M LINLITHGOW 

28 Jun 1837 LEARMONTH ANDREW JOHN LEARMONTH/ ELISABETH 


18 Mar 1845 LEARMONTH JAMES ROBERT JOHN LEARMONTH/ELISABETH 


(Official Cochrane Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1835 ROBERT LAIRMONTH/ JANET DONALDSON M WATTEN 

Birth 

8 Mar 1835 LAIRMONTH ALEXANDER ROBERT LAIRMONTH/ JANET DONALDSON 

M WATTEN 

Marriage 

Before 1836 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ JEAN MACPHERSON FR2903 U FALKIRK 

Birth 

12 Jun 1836 LEARMONTH MARGARET WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ JEAN MACPHERSON 


(Official – MacPherson Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1836 WLLIAM LEARMONTH/ ALISON WADDLE FR583 M AYTON 

Birth 

16 Jul 1836 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ALISON WADDLE 

FR583 M AYTON 

Marriage 

Before 1837 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ JANE SABESTON M WALLS AND FLOTTA 

Birth 

19 Sep 1837 LEARMONTH ROBERT WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ JANE SABESTON 

M WALLS AND FLOTTA 

447

Marriage 

Before 1837 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ CECILIA LESSLIE FR7380 M CANONGATE 

EDINBURGH 

Birth 

1 Jan 1837 LEARMONTH JAMES ROBERT LEARMONTH/ CECILIA LESSLIE FR7380 

M CANONGATE EDINBURGH 


Marriage 

Before 1838 DAVID LERMONT/ JANE LESSLIE FR534 SANDAY (CROSS AND 

BURNES 

Birth 

4 Mar 1838 LERMONT GEORGE SMELLIE DAVID LERMONT/ JANE LESSLIE 

FR534 SANDAY (CROSS AND BURNES 


Marriage 

Before 1839 THOMAS LEARMONTH/ BETSY FOTHERINGHAME M SANDAY 

(CROSS AND BURNES 

Birth 

14 Sep 1839 LEARMONTH JOHN THOMAS LEARMONTH/ BETSY FOTHERINGHAME 

M SANDAY (CROSS AND BURNES 

Marriage 

Before 1840 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN COCHRANE FR631 M WEST CALDER 

Birth 

9 Aug 1840 LEARMONTH JOHN WILLIAMSON WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN 

COCHRANE FR631 M WEST CALDER 

1 May 1842 LEARMONTH JAMES ANDREW WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN 


31 Jul 1843 LEARMONTH WILLIAM COCHRAN WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN 


24 Oct 1844 LEARMONTH ANDREW ROBERTSO WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN 

COCHRINE FR405 M WEST CALDER 

24 Oct 1844 LEARMONTH ANDREW SMELLIE WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN 


(Official Cochrane Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1840 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH WOOD FR1269 M 

CARRIDEN 

Birth 

23 Mar 1840 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH 

WOOD FR1269 M CARRIDEN 

Marriage 

Before 1840 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ELISABETH BLACK FR209 228 M SMAILHOLM 

Birth 

3 Jan 1840 LEARMONTH THOMAS WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ELISABETH BLACK 

FR209 228 M SMAILHOLM 

448

Marriage 

Before 1840 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET HARVIE FR9452 ST 


Birth 

6 Jul 1840 LEARMONTH THOMAS ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

HARVIE FR9452 ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

10 Aug 1850 LEARMONTH ----- ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ 

M ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

Marriage 

Before 1840 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY COMB FR245 M BUNCLE AND 

PRESTON 

Birth 

1 Mar 1840 LEARMONTH THOMAS ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY COMB 

FR245 M BUNCLE AND PRESTON 

24 Mar 1847 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARY COMB 

FR250 M BUNCLE AND PRESTON 

Birth 

12 Apr 1841 LEARMONTH ANDREW LEARMONTH/ U POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1841 JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES BLAIR FR3928 M LINLITHGOW 

Birth 

18 Jan 1841 LEARMONTH JAMES JAMES LEARMONTH/ AGNES BLAIR FR3928 

M LINLITHGOW 

10 Feb 1846 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/AGNES BLAIR FR3996 

M LINLITHGOW 

(official Blair Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1841 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ BARBARA HEDDLE FR2489 M ST 


Birth 

12 Aug 1841 LEARMONTH JOHN ROBERT LEARMONTH/ BARBARA HEDDLE FR2489 

M ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

Marriage 

Before 1842 JOHN LEARMONTH /MARGARET CAIRNS FR1274 U CARRIDEN 

Birth 

2 Sep 1842 LEARMONTH AGNES JOHN LEARMONTH /MARGARET CAIRNS 

FR1274 U CARRIDEN 

Marriage 

Before 1842 JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH KERR FR801 U KIRKLISTON 

Birth 

5 Jun 1842 LEARMONTH GEORGE JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH 

KERR FR801 U KIRKLISTON 

6 Jul 1849 LEARMONTH HENRY SAMUEL JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH 

KERR FR1054 U BATHGATE 

7 Nov 1851 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/ ELIZABETH 

KERR FR1058 U BATHGATE 


449

Marriage 

Before 1842 WILLIAM LEARMONTH /MARGARET RANKINE FR769 M POLMONT 

Birth 

27 Feb 1842 LEARMONTH HENRY WILLIAM LEARMONTH /MARGARET RANKINE 


Marriage 

Before 1842 WILLIAM LEARMONTH /JANET BALLANTYNE FR597 M AYTON 

Birth 

24 Jul 1842 LEARMONTH PETER WILLIAM LEARMONTH /JANET BALLANTYNE 

FR597 M AYTON 

25 Oct 1846 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ANET BALLANTINE 

FR608 M AYTON 

Marriage 

Before 1843 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET HARVEY FR9310 ST 


Birth 

1 Jan 1843 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ MARGARET 

HARVEY FR9310 ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

Marriage 

Before 1843 ADAM LEARMONTH/ ARY MAXWELL FR1857 U TRANENT 

Birth 

21 Jul 1843 LEARMONTH ISABELLA ADAM LEARMONTH/ ARY MAXWELL FR1857 

U TRANENT 

(Official Maxwell Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1845 JAMES LEARMONTH/ ARGARET GIBSON FR540 M LOCHMABEN 

Birth 

13 Feb 1845 LEARMONTH DAVID JAMES LEARMONTH/ ARGARET GIBSON 

FR540 M LOCHMABEN 

16 Feb 1849 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JAMES LEARMONTH/ ARGARET GIBSON 

FR554 M LOCHMABEN 

Marriage 

Before 1845 JAMES LEARMONTH/ SABELLA BANNERMAN FR5814 M GLASGOW 

Birth 

23 Sep 1845 LEARMONTH JOHN JAMES LEARMONTH/ SABELLA BANNERMAN FR5814 

M GLASGOW 

(Official Bannerman Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1845 PETER LEARMONTH/JANE TAYLOR FR663 M PRESTONKIRK 

Birth 

31 Aug 1845 LEARMONTH ROBERT PETER LEARMONTH/JANE TAYLOR 


20 Apr 1847 LEARMONTH ANDREW TAYLOR PETER LEARMONTH/ ANE TAYLOR 


450

30 Oct 1852 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER PETER LEARMONTH / ANE TAYLOR 

FR1115 M INNERWICK 

(official Tailyour Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1846 JOHN LEARMONTH/ MAGDALENE WILLIAMSON FR1280 M 

CARRIDEN 

Birth 

4 Feb 1846 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JOHN LEARMONTH/ MAGDALENE 

WILLIAMSON FR1280 M CARRIDEN 

Marriage 

Before 1847 JOHN LEARMONTH/ ANN CRAIG FR283 U EAGLESHAM 

Birth 

8 Jan 1847 LEARMONTH AGNES JOHN LEARMONTH/ ANN CRAIG FR283 

U EAGLESHAM 

12 Mar 1849 LEARMONTH WILLIAM JOHN LEARMONTH/ ANN CRAIG FR283 

U EAGLESHAM 

19 Sep 1851 LEARMONTH JOHN CRAIG JOHN LEARMONTH/ ANN CRAIG FR283 

U EAGLESHAM 

28 Mar 1854 LEARMONTH ROBERT JOHN LEARMONTH/ ANN CRAIG FR283 

U EAGLESHAM 

(Official Craig Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1846 DAVID LEARMONTH/ ANN EWING FR780 M POLMONT 

Birth 

22 Nov 1846 LEARMONTH PETER HARDIE DAVID LEARMONTH/ ANN EWING 


14 May 1848 LEARMONTH JAMES EWING DAVID LEARMONTH/ ANN EWING 


7 Jul 1850 LEARMONTH DAVID DAVID LEARMONTH/ ANN EWING 


Marriage 

Before 1847 JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARY AITKENHEAD U CULTS 

Birth 

12 Sep 1847 LEARMONTH ISABELLA JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARY AITKENHEAD 

U CULTS 

3 Jun 1849 LEARMONTH JANET JOHN LEARMONTH /MARY AITKENHEAD 

U CULTS 

21 Feb 1851 LEARMONTH MARGARET JOHN LEARMONTH/ MARY AITKENHEAD 

U CULTS 

14 Nov 1852 LEARMONTH JOHN JOHN LEARMONTH/MARY AITKENHEAD 

U CULTS 

Marriage 

Before 1847 THOMAS LEARMONTH/ HELEN HENDERSON FR200 M NENTHORN 

Birth 

16 Feb 1847 LEARMONTH ROBERT THOMAS LEARMONTH/ HELEN HENDERSON 

FR200 M NENTHORN 

(Official Henderson Clan) 

451

248 

Marriage 

Before 1847 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ MARGARET HARDIE FR3999 M LINLITHGOW 

Birth 

6 Feb 1847 LEARMONTH ROBERT ROBERT LEARMONTH/ MARGARET HARDIE 


20 Jan 1852 LEARMONTH THOMAS ROBERT LEARMONTH/ MARGARET HARDIE 


Marriage 

Before 1847 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET GRAY FR1284 M CARRIDEN 

Birth 

16 Oct 1847 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET 

GRAY FR1284 M CARRIDEN 

26 May 1851 LEARMONTH GEORGE GRAY ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANET 

GRAY FR1295 M CARRIDEN 

(Official Gray Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1848 

Birth 

10 Feb 1848 LEARMONTH GEORGE LINDSAY R M ST CUTHBERT'S 

BLOTTER 

Marriage 

Before 1848 ANDREW LEARMONTH/ LILLIAS TAYLOR FR1979 M 


Birth 

9 Jul 1848 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ANDREW LEARMONTH/ LILLIAS TAYLOR 


8 Dec 1850 LEARMONTH JOHN ANDREW LEARMONTH/ LILLIAS TAYLOR 


(Official Tailyour Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1848 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANE ALLAN FR906 U AIRTH 

Bith 

8 Nov 1848 LEARMONTH ANDREW ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANE ALLAN 

FR906 U AIRTH 

29 Oct 1851 LEARMONTH MARGARET ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ JANE ALLAN 

FR906 U AIRTH 

Marriage 

Before 1848 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MATILDA RAE FR9452ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

Birth 

10 Feb 1848 LEARMONTH GEORGE LINDSAY WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ MATILDA 

RAE FR9452ST CUTHBERT'S EDINBURG 

Marriage 

Before 1848 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ CATHRINE ANGUS FR246 M STRONSAY 

Birth 

14 Nov 1848 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ROBERT LEARMONTH/ CATHRINE ANGUS 

FR246 M STRONSAY 

452

Marriage 

Before 1849 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN LEARMONTH FR802 U POLMONT 

Birth 

8 Jul 1849 LEARMONTH JOHN WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN 

LEARMONTH FR802 DATE ASSUMED POLMONT 

2 Dec 1851 LEARMONTH MARY WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ HELEN 

LEARMONTH FR802 U POLMONT 

Marriage 

Before 1849 JOSEPH LEARMONTH/CHRISTIAN LOCKHART FR112 ABBEY ST 

BATHANS 

Birth 

31 Dec 1849 LEARMONTH JOSEPH JOSEPH LEARMONTH/CHRISTIAN 

LOCKHART FR112 

ABBEY ST BATHANS 

3 Jun 1852 LEARMONTH DAVID JOSEPH LEARMONTH/ CHRISTIAN 

LOCKHART FR114 M ABBEY ST BATHANS 

(Official Lockhart Clan) 

Marriage 

Before 1850 HUGH LEARMONTH/ MARY THOMSON FR277 M MAXTON 

Birth 

10 Mar 1850 LEARMONTH THOMAS HUGH LEARMONTH/ MARY THOMSON FR277 

M MAXTON 

Marriage 

Before 1850 LEARMONTH /JANE GRAHAM CRAWFORD FR1983 


Birth 

27 Nov 1850 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH /JANE GRAHAM 

CRAWFORD FR1983 BORROWSTOUNNESS(BO'NES 

(Official Crawford Clan) 

(REX LEARMONTH LINE) 

Marriage 

Before 1850 ADAM LEARMONTH/ MARY WHITE FR292 SON 1 M EARLSTON 

Birth 

3 May 1850 LEARMONTH WILLIAM ADAM LEARMONTH/ MARY WHITE FR292 

SON 1 M EARLSTON 

9 Apr 1854 LEARMONTH HENRY ADAM LEARMONTH/ MARY WHITE FR1433 

M GORDON 

Marriage 

Before 1851 ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ANN WALKER FR611 M 

ATHELSTANEFORD 

Birth 

9 Jun 1851 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER ALEXANDER LEARMONTH/ ANN WALKER 

FR611 M ATHELSTANEFORD 

Marriage 

Before 1851 WALTER LEARMONTH/ MARY CUTHBERTSON FR1855 M ALLOA 

Birth 

26 Nov 1851 LEARMONTH ANDREW WALTER LEARMONTH/ MARY 

CUTHBERTSON FR1855 M ALLOA 

453

Marriage 

Before 1852 ROBERT LEARMONTH/ EUPHEMIA GARLAND U CULTS 

Birth 

11 Aug 1852 LEARMONTH JOHN ROBERT LEARMONTH/ EUPHEMIA 

GARLAND U CULTS 

Marriage 

Before 1852 WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ISABELLA DONALDSON M LOGIE 

Birth 

14 Jul 1852 LEARMONTH WILLIAM WILLIAM LEARMONTH/ ISABELLA 

DONALDSON M LOGIE 

Marriage 

Before 1854 JAMES LEARMONTH/ ANNE YOUNG FR844 M ABERLADY 

Birth 

31 Dec 1854 LEARMONTH ALEXANDER JAMES LEARMONTH/ ANNE YOUNG FR844 

M ABERLADY 


Marriage 

Before 1854 JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET FELL FR248 M DRYFESDALE 

Birth 

7 Oct 1854 LEARMONTH JAMES JOHN LEARMONTH/ JANET FELL FR248 

M DRYFESDALE 

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Please write to Tatiana Molchanova: 

tatocka@prodigy.net 

Appreciate anyone who can read 

our book till the end. 

454

Learmonth_Lermontov_1057_2007_Molchanova_Learmonth_2007_Queen_Book_In_english

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