Baron of Craigie
Baron of Cragie is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland.
The barony was established by crown charter, within and near Dundee. Craigie has long been incorporated within the boundaries of the Royal Burgh of Dundee; before that it was a barony lying on the periphery of the town. The Barony of Craigie is governed under the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act, Scotland, 2000 which protects the dignity of the title.
Baronies date from the medieval period and were administrative units established by the Scottish king, where the local barons ruled on behalf of the king through a baron court. Their powers were substantial within the barony which included forcing people to fight as soldiers. This was their downfall as some barons took their tenants into rebellions such as the Jacobites in 1745, resulting in Barons' powers being stripped in 1747.
The current noble baron is The Much Honoured Rabbi '''Robert Owen Thomas III, 1st Baron of Craigie.'''
Location
Lands
The lands and farms of Craigie were designated as "Craigie" before AD 1534, although it was labelled as "Kragy" in some maps, such as the "Lower Angus and Perthshire east of the Tay map", by Timothy Pont, circa 1583–1596. Kragy and Craigie may refer to a rocky landscape. Craigie is located near a hill of sorts in some maps, such as "Anguss / R.G.", by Robert Gordon , circa 1636–1652.The old lands of the Barony of Craigie lie to the east of central Dundee, Scotland, in the vicinity of A929 Forfar Road to the west, and A972 Kinsgway East to the north. The A930, Broughty Ferry Road and Dundee Road West, begins in what was the land of Craigie. Other lands, particularly from the Barony of Barry and Woodhill, were drawn into the Barony of Craigie.
While much of Craigie is now developed and within Dundee, some portions of the lands of Craigie remain much as they were at the formation of the barony. In 1881 the lands of Craigie were described in idyllic terms, such as "Craigie, Kid, excellent land, a good house, with a new little park;"
The lands of Craigie, including Craigie House and the farms of Craigie, can be found on maps found on the ScotlandPlaces web site. An entry from the National Library of Scotland, "Northern Part of Angus Shire. Southern Part.", by Edinburgh : J. Thomson & Co., in 1825 provides an excellent view of the lands of Craigie. Craigie is located just to the east of Dundee, just north of the coastline, and west of the Broughty Castle. Other historical references to Craigie include citations in 1678 as found in the Angusia Provincia Scotiae sive The Shire of Angus, by Janssonius Waesberghe, Moses Pitt and Stephanus Swart of Amsterdam.
The lands of the Barony of Craigie were never fully set, with frequent changes of territory between abbeys, merchants, towns, and nobles. Warden states that the ''"...property of Craigie was a large and valuable estate five or six centuries ago , but it was at an early period cut up into several sections, and these were again sub-divided into smaller portions, which makes it impossible to give a correct continuous account of either the sections or the smaller portions into which they were divided..."''
Seat
The seat, also known as the caput or messuage, of the Barony of Craigie was Craigie House near Dundee. Craigie House has also been called Wallace Craigie House and The House of Craigie. The home was built by the 1st Baron of Craigie James Guthrie or his son. The manor home was located at the end of the current Southampton Road leading off Craigie Drive in Dundee, Scotland.However, Wallace Craigie House and Craigie House should not be confused, the former being situated some distance from the latter, at the west end of Blackscroft, Dundee, until c1820, when it was probably demolished to facilitate industrial development in the area. Around the time the Guthries acquired Craigie, the neighbouring Wallace Craigie was purchased by George Constable. The principal residence of the Craigie estate prior to the construction of Craigie House, may have been Old Craigie, which survived as a farmhouse until the mid 20th century.
In the latter half of the 18th century Craigie House was one of the better-known country houses in Forfarshire. In the Statistical Account of 1793 the agricultural focus on the manor was noted: "The market in Dundee, for all kinds of butcher meat, is one of the best in Scotland. No sheep are bred, or even fattened for sale, except a few by Mr. Guthrie of Craigie."
In 1831 the Guthrie family, having interests elsewhere, put the demesne up for sale. At the time the demesne included Craigie House and 232 acres. The demesne was not sold in 1831, however, and remained in the Guthrie family.
In 1856 Craigie House was described as a "...neat villa, beautifully situated amid finely wooded grounds and gardens, on the sea-coast, on the north side of the Broughty Ferry Road, about two miles east of Dundee." Broughty Ferry Road exists today and can be viewed on Google Maps.
Alexander Johnston Warden, in his 1884 work Angus or Forfarshire, the Land and its People, Descriptive and Historical, quotes Reverend James Headrick from his 1813 work Review of the Agriculture of Angus, who says of Craigie House "The plantations are so artificially disposed as to hide all those parts of the Tay where the tide leaves the bottom dry, and to give it all the effect of an artificial lake. The constant play of the boats and shipping, seen through these openings, gives them all the effect of figures in the magic lantern." Warden goes on to comment that the view from Craigie House is "extremely beautiful," with Craigie House surrounded by thriving plantations, clumps of trees, and much well-grown timber. The house is described by Warden as a good, comfortable dwelling despite not being in the modern style.
Other references list Wallace Craigie house as an ancient house, set within a walled land on the banks of the Tay. A drawing, perhaps by John Slezer in or about 1678, shows a home that was likely constructed, at least in part, before 1733. In the mid 18th century whaling companies had occupied the lands that had once been the waterside gardens of Wallace Craigie House. Wallace Craigie House was described as being quite similar to Invergowrie House, a manse on the grounds of Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
As a result of business interests elsewhere, the Guthrie family sold Craigie House, an acre and a half of ground, and the Stables of Craigie House, in 1911. The Stables of Craigie House were converted into a dwelling place in 1910, and sold independently as Stirling House in 1920.
Craigie House was a private nursing home from 1923 until 1949, first run by Miss Clementina Methven and then by Mrs. Christine Brodie and her family. In 1948 it was sold to Jute Industries Ltd. who used it as a hostel for workers. In 1949 it was sold to Dundee Corporation as a retirement home. In 1974 it was transferred to the Tayside Region, and in 1996 it reverted to the Dundee City Council. The home became unsuitable as a residence because of increasing standards of care and was demolished in 1983. A home for the elderly now stands on the site of Craigie House.
The acreage of the demesne was sold off to various concerns over the years, with the last 60 acres of the demesne sold to Strathern Estates Ltd. in 1955 for use by Craigie High School, Craigiebarns Primary, and other uses.
Today the demesne of the Barony of Craigie is a developed, suburban, largely residential area of Dundee.
Woodhill House in Barry, Angus may have formed part of the Barony of Craigie as well.
History and formation of the lands and Barony
Craigie prior to the Barony
The lands of Craigie were in the hands of several prominent families in the vicinity of Dundee, most of whom leased out these lands to tenant farmers during the medieval period. It was not until the mid seventeenth century that the lands of Craigie together with lands in the parish of Barry, Angus, were formed into a distinct barony.David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon, owned the lands of Craigie near Dundee in the late 12th century. About 1200 the lands of Hilton and Milton of Craigie were donated by his second daughter, possibly known as Ysabella de Brous, to the Abbey of Lindores in north Fife. These lands remained under the abbey until at least 1480. King David II of Scotland confirmed this grant in a charter at Dundee on 20 September 1365. The affirmation states that the original charter was granted by King Alexander II of Scotland at Maiden's Castle on 12 November 1247.
In 1309 King Robert the Bruce of Scotland granted parts of the lands of Craigie to Robert Barbor, Andrew Gray, and Allan of Balmossie. Much of the granted lands formerly belonged to John Baliol.
Patrick of Inverpeffer, a burgess of Dundee, was granted part of the lands of Craigie with fishing rights by King Robert II of Scotland in 1378.
In 1365 King David II of Scotland granted a charter to John Gray of all his lands, and of Craigie in Forfarshire. King David II also reaffirmed the grant of lands to the Abbey of Lindores.
Much of the confusion around the lands of Craigie may come from the variety of spellings, notably Craigie and Kragy. In a charter from King David II of Scotland dated 11 February 1366, William Guppyld is confirmed in his land from the inheritance of Alexander of Lambirtoun. The charter, witnessed by Laurence, Archdeacon of Brechin, Margarita Countess of Angus, Sir Walter of Leslie, and Sir Alexander de Lindsay, confirms William Guppyld into lands from both Lumlathyn and "Cragoe".
King Robert III of Scotland gave by charter a portion of the lands of Craigie, then in the Barony of Dundee, to St Salvador's Altar in the parish church of Dundee.
On 9 October 1535, David Wedderburn of Tofts, Town Clerk of Dundee, received from King James V of Scotland a charter to the lands of Hilton of Craigie. The charter was granted to Wedderburn and his spouse, Helen Lawson.
In 1600 King James VI of Scotland granted the properties of the Abbey of Lindores to Patrick Leslie, the Commendator of Lindores. This grant included Hilton, Hillend, and Miltoun of Craigie.
On 29 December 1607, Sir William Scharp of Pitkethley was retoured in the sixth part of Hilton of Craigie. On 2 May 1611, John Scharp of Ballindoch, brother of Sir William Scharp, was retoured the same sixth part of Hilton of Craigie. Another heir of Sir William Scharp, John Scharp of Ballindoch, received other parts of the lands of Craigie.
The lands of Craigie passed through the Scharp family passed down portions of Craigie, generally around Hilton of Craigie.