1600 - 2017 - Craufurd of Craufurdland
John Craufurd of Craufurdland married twice in his lifetime, first to Helen Chalmers of Gadgirth, by whom he had a son, John, his heir, and three daughters: Janet, Agnes and Helen. Secondly, he married Christian Wallace of Auchans, and widow of Mr James Ross of Whiteriggs and thereafter Lady Dreghorn. Together they had a son Robert, and a daughter Catherine. Robert got from his father the lands of Monkland, but his son, John, died without issue shortly after his father, and the lands returned to the family of Craufurdland. He died in 1612 aged 42.
John Craufurd married Elizabeth Cunningham of Corsehill in 1610, who bore him two sons: 1) John and Alexander, who died an infant. John died aged 21 shortly before his father, apparently dying from injuries received at ‘football’, however more likely a game which used a bladder ball, and possibly swords.
John Craufurd of Craufurdland, born in 1611, succeeded his Grandfather in 1612. He married Janet Cunninghame of Craigends in 1630. Theirs was a large family, with seven sons and five daughters. The sons were: John, his heir; Alexander Craufurd of Fergushill; William, who was a merchant and burgess of Glasgow, (He married Martha Miller, by whom he had four sons and a daughter, the second son, Mathew, who from his second marriage had seven sons and a daughter, Esther, who in turn was mother to Janet Esther Whyte, Wife of William Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead, the 21st laird of Craufurdland); James, was a surgeon; Archibald, who died in Africa aged 20; Robert; Thomas.
Of the daughters, 1) Elizabeth; 2) Agnes and 5) Janet married, whilst 3) Isabella and 4) Anne died in infancy.
Secondly John married Margaret Skeene of Hallyards, and Elizabeth Inglis of Ingliston, with no issue from these last two marriages. He died in 1698, aged 75.
John Craufurd of Craufurdland married Anna Stuart of Castlemilk in 1667. They had three sons and four daughters, with only the sons surviving to adulthood. The first son, and heir 1) John; 2) Archibald; 3) James. John notarised himself rather unfortunately being incarcerated in 1691 on suspicion of being concerned in the Bothwel-Brig insurrection. He died in 1693.
John Craufurd of Craufurdland married Elizabeth Kerr of Morrieston, by whom he had five sons and three daughters. Of his sons, 1) John, his heir was the only to bear issue, his 2nd and 3rd sons died without issue, 4) William was a writer in Edinburgh, 5) Andrew was surgeon in Lord Mark Kerr’s Dragoons (his maternal Grandfather or Uncle) dying in Edinburgh in 1762. His 1st and 3rd daughters also died unmarried, and his 2nd Elizabeth, who saved Craufurdland from her brother’s banker.
John Craufurd of Craufurdland, born in 1694, married Robina Walkinshaw daughter and heiress of John Walkinshaw of that Ilk, Laird of Bishoptoun. Upon their marriage, John added the name and arms of Walkinshaw to his own. The couple had four sons and one daughter, but only the eldest, John Walkinshaw Craufurd survived to adulthood. John later married Elenora Nicolson of Carnock, by whom he had no issue. He died in Newcastle 10th January 1763.
John Walkinshaw Craufurd of Craufurdland, the twentieth Laird, was a distinguished soldier who, after entering the army at an early age, rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was present at the victory of Dettingen in 1743, also distinguishing himself at Fontenoy two years later.
Despite his faithful service to the house of Hanover, he was an intimate and faithful friend of the Jacobite Earl of Kilmarnock, and he accompanied his ill-fated friend to the scaffold as a last act of comradeship. He received the earl’s severed head and attended to the solemnities of his funeral. This act of charity resulted in his name’s being placed at the bottom of the army list. However, he restored his fortunes and in 1761 he was appointed falconer to the king. Despite his devotion to his friends, he did not seem to share a similar affinity for his family. He died in 1793 and in his will left his entire estates to Sir Thomas Coutts, the eminent banker. The deed was, however, contested by Elizabeth Craufurd (mentioned earlier), and her daughter, also Elizabeth. The case was eventually won in the House of Lords in 1806, but sadly Elizabeth died before winning her long battle, and the ancient estates passed back to the rightful heir, her daughter.
Elizabeth Craufurd of Craufurdland, daughter of the before-mentioned John Craufurd of Craufurdland and Elizabeth Kerr of Morrieston, was Aunt to John Walkinshaw Craufurd of Craufurdland, married twice. Her first husband was William Fairlie of that Ilk, by whom she bore one daughter who died in infancy. Afterwards, on 3rd June 1744 she married John Houison of Braehead, in Midlothian, head of an ancient family in that county. They had two sons, William and John, who both died in infancy, and two daughters, Elisabeth, and Margaret, who died unmarried in 1801. Elizabeth Houison Craufurd (nee Craufurd) died at the impressive age of 97 in 1802, succeeded only by her daughter Elizabeth, and still four years short of the rightful restoration of Craufurdland to the Craufurd Family, a battle she had fought for nine years at time of her death.
Elizabeth Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead, the only representation of these two ancient families, which up until her mother, had both been in the male line. Elizabeth married the Rev James Moody, who assumes the name of James Houison Moody Craufurd, to who she had seven children. Their sons were: 1) John, who died in infancy; 2) Alexander, born I 1780, dying aged 16 in 1796; 3) William, who succeeded his parents. William had four sisters: 1) Elizabeth Beatrix who died in infancy; 2) Margaret, Elizabeth, who died in infancy; and 4) Isabella. Elizabeth, saviour of Craufurdland, died on 1st April 1823, succeeded by her son William.
William Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead, married in 1808 to Janet Esther Whyte, only daughter of James Whyte of Newmains and his wife Esther Craufurd (mentioned above, whose father was a lineal male descendent of William, the third son of John Craufurd of Craufurdland and Janet Cunninghame. John and Janet were William’s great, great, great, great grandparents.) William and Janet had three children, a son John Reginald, and two daughters, Elizabeth Constantia, and Winifred Janet.
John Reginald Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead married Mary Hamilton, by whom he had two sons, Reginald and Archibald, and three daughters, Beatrice, Constantine and Caroline.
William Reginald Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead married Emily Maud Hassard, daughter of Major General Hassard C.B., but they did not have any children and after Reginald’s death, Maud passed the estate onto her nephew, John Douglas, son of Reginald’s younger brother Brigadier-General John Archibald Houison Craufurd CBE and his wife Nelly Dalrymple Hays (the author’s great grandparents).Brigadier-General John Archibald Houison Craufurd CBE was Assistant Quartermaster-General, Scottish Command, in the Army, transferring to the RAF in 1918, and here he was Brigadier-General (Administration), HQ North-Western Area, until his retirement in 1919.
John Douglas Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead, married Irene Marlow, and they had two children John Peter, and Barbara.
(John) Peter Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead, was the 28th laird, and saw the Castle modernised extensively inside. He married Caroline Helen Berry, daughter of Lionel Berry, Viscount Kemsley. They have three children, two sons: 1) Alexander, 2) Simon, and daughter Tessa. Alexander is married to Christine Gray, and they have two daughters, Katie and Elisabeth. Tessa is married to Christopher Geall, and they have one son Jack, and three daughters, Sophie, Rosie and Poppy. Simon is married to Adity Priyadarshini, and has two daughters, Indra and Manisha.
Simon Douglas Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead, is the 29th laird. He and Adity have further modernised the castle, using the ‘Towerhouse’ as a luxury self-catering apartment for upto 16, and continue to renovate and restore the castle.