{80} James V and mtDNA Descents for Lord Byron (1788-1824)

Lord Byron (1788-1824)

I want to thank my friend John Higgins for bringing my attention to a line of descent for the famous poet George Gordon, 6th Baron Byron from James V of Scotland's illegitimate son the Earl of Moray. It's a 11-generation descent through Lord Byron's maternal grandmother Katharine Abercromby.

The Abercrombys of Glassaugh House, in the parish of Fordyce, Banffshire, were a collateral branch of the Abercromby baronets of Birkenbog House, also in Banffshire. Though Burke's Peerage 107th Edition (2003), pp. 7-8, provides a nice pedigree of the Abercromby baronets of Birkenbog, it doesn't trace the Glassaugh House branch. Nick Kingsley, in his blog Landed Families of Britain and Ireland, has a post 'Abercromby of Birkenbog and Forglen, baronets', which includes much more detail than Burke's, and which does trace the Glassaugh House line. It doesn't however identify the spouses which provide that line with the descent from James V and earlier Stewart monarchs.

James V = Margaret Erskine (d. 1572), and had

1st Earl of Moray -
see Generation 1

1) James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, illegit. (1531-1570) m. Lady Agnes Keith (c.1544-1588, descended from James I of Scotland), and had
2) Elizabeth Stewart, 2nd Countess of Moray (1565-1591) m. James Stewart, 2nd Lord Doune, Earl of Moray (1565-1592, descended from Edward III), and had
3) Lady Grizel Stewart (b. c.1590) m. Sir Robert Innes, 1st Baronet of that Ilk (1584-1658, descended from James IV), and had
4) ELIZABETH INNES, b. c.1613; d. 12 Aug. 1640; m. 2nd[*1] 28 Oct. 1635 Innes, Morayshire, Scotland, ALEXANDER BRODIE, 15th Laird of Brodie, b. 25 July 1617; d. 17 Apr. 1680, son of David, 14th Laird of Brodie (1586-1632) and Katherine Dunbar (d. aft.1664), and had
5) GRIZEL BRODIE, b. 28 Aug. 1636 Brodie Castle, Dyke, Morayshire, Scotland, bap. 2 Sept. 1636 Dyke Parish Church; d. unknown; m. 7 Sept. 1654, Sir ROBERT DUNBAR, 3rd Laird of Grangehill House, Elginshire, Scotland b. c.1625; d. (21 Sept. 1689?)[*2], son of Ninian Dunbar, 2nd Laird of Grangehill House (c.1585-aft.1647) and his 1st wife Marion Ogilvy of Dunlugas House (c.1595-by 1629, descended from James I of Scotland), and had
6) KATHERINE DUNBAR, b. 7 Aug. 1655; d. unknown; m. 2nd[*3] 22 July 1675 Dyke Parish Church, ALEXANDER ABERCROMBY, 2nd of Glassaugh House, b. c.1650; d. 1690, son and heir of John Abercromby, 1st of Glassaugh House (c.1610-1691) and Katherine Gordon of Lesmoir Castle (descended from James I of Scotland), and had
7) ALEXANDER ABERCROMBY, 3rd of Glassaugh House, M.P. Banffshire 1706-27, b. 5 Nov. 1678; d. 23 Dec. 1729; m. by 1703, HELEN MELDRUM, b. c.1685; d. aft.1744, dau. of Rev. George Meldrum of Crombie, Minister of Glass (1616-1692) and Jean Duff of Keithmore (c.1660-1725, descended from Edward III), and had[*4]
8) KATHARINE ABERCROMBY, b. Glassaugh House, bap. 9 May 1708 Fordyce Parish Church; d. 8 Oct. 1784, bur. Banff Parish Church, Banffshire; m. 26 Nov. 1729, ALEXANDER INNES of Rosieburn House, Banffshire, b. Dec. 1701; d. 16 Apr. 1761, bur. Banff Parish Church, son of John Innes, 6th of Edingight House (1662-1719, descended from James IV) and Helen Strachan, and had
9) KATHARINE INNES, b. c.1742; d. 16 Aug. 1782; m. 2 June 1763 Banff Parish Church, GEORGE GORDON, 12th Laird of Gight Castle, bap. 14 Nov. 1740 Ardlogie, Morayshire, Scotland; d. 9 Jan. 1779 Bath, Somersetshire, bur. 15 Jan. 1779 Bath Abbey, son and heir of Alexander Gordon, 11th Laird of Gight Castle (1716-1760, descended from James I of Scotland) and Margaret Duff (1720-1801, descended from Edward III), and had

Katharine (née Gordon), Lady Byron
- see Generation 10

10) KATHARINE GORDON, bap. 22 Apr. 1764 Banff Parish Church ("Katharine, daughter of George Gordon of Gight and Mrs. Katharine Innes, Lady Gight, was baptised and named after Mrs. Katharine Abercrombie, relict of Alexander Innes of Rosieburn, the grandmother by the mother"); d. 1 Aug. 1811 Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, bur. 9 Aug. 1811 St Mary Magdalene Church, Hucknall Torkard, Nottinghamshire; m. 12 May 1785 St Michael Church, Bath, as his 2nd wife, Capt. JOHN BYRON of Marylebone, b. 7 Feb. 1757 Plymouth, Devon, bap. 17 Mar. 1757 St Andrew Church, Plymouth; d. 2 Aug. 1791 Valenciennes, France, er son of Hon. John Byron of Plymouth (1723-1786, descended from Edward III) and Sophia Trevanion (1730-1790, descended from Edward III), and had
11) GEORGE GORDON, 6th Baron BYRON of Rochdale, b. 22 Jan. 1788 Marylebone, London, bap. 1 Mar. 1788 St Marylebone Parish Church; d. 19 Apr. 1824 Missolonghi, Greece, bur. 16 July 1824 St Mary Magdalene Church, Hucknall Torkard, Nottinghamshire - the famous Lord Byron

[*1] Elizabeth Innes m. 1st by 1632, John Urquhart, 3rd of Craigston Castle, d. 30 Mar. 1634, son of John Urquhart, 2nd of Craigston Castle (d. 1631) and Isabel Irvine of Drum Castle (descended from James I of Scotland). Elizabeth's second marriage to Alexander Brodie, the birth and marriage dates of their only daughter Grizel Brodie, plus the birthdate of their eldest granddaughter Katherine Dunbar, are all found in The Diary of Alexander Brodie of Brodie.

Grangehill House (today Dalvey House), Elginshire
[Image from Castles and Manor Houses of the Clan Grant]

[*2] Many genealogies give 21 Sept. 1659 as the date of death of Sir Robert Dunbar. But as The Dunbar Pedigree makes clear, he was M.P. for Elgin and Fores-shire 1669-70, and he and his wife Grizel Brodie had eleven children, so 1659 is incorrect for his death. Perhaps '1659' was originally a mis-transcription of '1689'?

Abercromby Coat of Arms
[Argent, a chevron, Gules,
between three boars' heads]

[*3] Katherine Dunbar m. 1st 6 Nov. 1673 Dyke Parish Church, Charles Gordon (1631-1674), a yr son of Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet of Gordonstoun. Katherine m. 3rd, James Ogilvy of Badintoul (living 1707), a man for whom I can find little information. By her third husband she had further issue, two daughters, one of whom was Anna Ogilvy, wife of Rev. Walter Turing, minister of Rayne (c.1671-1743). Katherine had by her second husband three sons Alexander (see above), James Abercromby (bap. 14 June 1683 Fordyce) and George Abercromby (bap. 1 Dec. 1684 Fordyce), and two daughters: Elizabeth Abercromby (1686-1756), 2nd wife of William Baird of Auchmedden (1676-1720) and Grizzel Abercromby, wife of Malcom Fraser of Culduthell.

[*4] Alexander Abercromby and Helen Meldrum had two sons and five daughters: Jean Abercromby (b. 1704) m. 1729 George Joass of Colleonard (1707-1755); Ann Abercromby (b. 1705, d. young); Gen. James Abercromby, 4th of Glassaugh House (1706-1781); Katherine (see above); Isabel Abercromby (b. 1710, d. unm.); Helen Abercromby (1712-1781) m. 1732 James Duff of Craigston; Alexander Abercromby (b. 1721), an artist, with a life patent as King’s limner in Scotland.

This has also opened up Lord Byron's matrilineal (mtDNA) line ten generations in my database:

1) Jean Barclay (d. 1607) m. Robert Innes, 4th Laird of Invermarkie Castle (c.1555-1595, descended from Edward III), and had
2) Margaret Innes m. Patrick Og Grant of Easter Elchies (c.1575-by 1640, descended from Edward III), and had

Innes Coat of Arms

3) Margaret Grant m. Alexander Grant of Allachie (d. aft.1672), and had
4) Helen Grant (c.1635-1694) m. Alexander Duff of Keithmore (1623-1696, descended from Edward III), and had
5) Jean Duff (c.1660-1725) m. Rev. George Meldrum of Crombie (1616-1692), and had
6) Helen Meldrum (c.1685-aft.1744) m. Alexander Abercromby, 3rd of Glassaugh House (1678-1729, descended from James V), and had
7) Katharine Abercromby (1708-1784) m. Alexander Innes of Rosieburn House (1701-1761, descended from James IV), and had
8) Katherine Innes (c.1742-1782) m. George Gordon, 12th Laird of Gight Castle (1740-1779, descended from James I of Scotland), and had
9) Katharine Gordon (1764-1811) m. Capt. John Byron of Marylebone (1757-1791, descended from Edward III), and had
10) George Gordon, 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale (1788-1824)

Jean Barclay above has no apparent descents from Edward I so her lineage falls outside the scope of my project. For anyone interested in taking Lord Byron's mtDNA line further back, the parents of Jean Barclay were Walter Barclay of Towie (d. 1587) and Elizabeth Hay of Dalgety.

There is an another James IV line for Lord Byron thru his Abercromby of Glassaugh ancestry, in addition to this one thru James V. The former blogpost 'James IV Descents for Katharine (née Gordon) (1764-1811), Mother of Lord Byron' has been updated to include it.

Thanks again to John Higgins for opening up the Abercromby of Glassaugh ancestry.

Cheers,                                 ------Brad