146 Estate Management in the Eighteenth Century. 



19th January, 1912. 



Chairman — Dr W. Semple, V.P. 



Some Notes on Estate Management in the Eighteenth 

 Century. By Mr R. W. Milne. 



At different times I have noticed that interesting lectures 

 have been delivered to this Society from notes taken from Parish 

 Session Records and Town Council Minutes. To-night I am 

 going to do something in the same direction, the source of mv 

 paper being a Minute Book kept by John Earl of Hopetoun 

 during part of the period he had charge of the Annandale estates 

 from 23rd May, 1758, to 30th December, 1774, during which 

 time every transaction of importance seems to have been 

 recorded. As far as possible it will be my purpose to select such 

 information of general interest tending in a small way to illustrate 

 the manners and customs of estate management in the latter half 

 of the eighteenth century, while the care and regularity with 

 which the various entiies were made render them very suitable to 

 be extracted and read without alteration. 



I may mention that the factors who conducted the ordinary 

 affairs of the estates under the Earl were Bryce Blair and Ronald 

 Crawford, whom, as the Earl wrote in his Journal or Minute 

 Book, " were both very knowing and skilled in their business as 

 writers and had great practice in Law and Country affairs whereby 

 they were not only of great use by their advice but also in the 

 execution of their duties — particularly Mr Blair, who, living in 

 Annandale, was always at hand and ready upon any emergency." 



Mr Blair died in January, 1762, and was succeeded by John 

 Story, writer in Dumfries, Avho went to reside in Moffat at 

 Whitsunday, 1763. It is interesting to note that Sir Robert 

 Laurie of Maxwelton was a surety for his intromissions. 



The other Factor at that time was James Hoggan (who was 

 not a writer), and he managed the upper division of the estates 

 till the appointment of John Story, when he was transferred to 

 the lower division. 



With the foregoing introductory explanation, I will now 

 begin with the Minute Book. I mentioned that the Earl was 

 appointed on 23rd May, 1758, and it should be noted that he 



