DALHYMPLK FAMILY. 



DALRYMPLE, JOHN. 



Origin and Progress] of Heraldry in England,' 4to, 1792. He had 

 before (1789) edited the ' Letters of Dr. Handle, Bishop of IX-rry, to 

 Mn. Sandy*.' Later lie devoted himself to artistic and topographical 

 antiquities. He published in 1800 Anecdote* of the Arts in KngUnd, 

 or Comparative Remark* on Architecture, Painting, and Sculpture ; ' 

 in 1806 'Observations on English Architecture;' in 1816 'Statuary 

 and Sculpture among the Ancients.' He edited in 1886 an edition of 

 Walpole'a Anecdote, of Painting' and the ' Letters and other Works 

 of Lady Mary Wortley Montague, from her original Manuscripts, 

 with Memoirs of her Life,' 5 Tola. 8vo, 1809. He wrote also a 

 ' Memoir' of Bishop Hidley ; but the work by which he is best known, 

 and one which will serre as the basis of the labours of any future his- 

 torian* of Sussex, is his ' History of Western Sussex,' of which the 

 third part (' Rapo of Bramber') was edited by the Her. E. Cartwright 

 Mr. Dallawsy wa* elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 

 1789; and he contributed several paper* to the Society** ' Archteo- 

 logia : ' he was also an occasional contributor to the ' Gentleman's 

 Magazine,' the ' Retroepectire Review,' Ac, Doth as an antiquary and 

 a writer on art he belonged to the old school, and there is in a.l his 

 writings a great want of precision, depth of research, and reach of 

 thought He died at Leatherhead in 1 



DALRYMPLE FAMILY. The surname of this family is derived 

 from the lands of Dalrymple, in the shire of Ayr, of which, in remote 

 time*, the chief of the house was proprietor. The family appear* to 

 hare been of importance very early, for in the reign of Kiu^ 

 Robert 1IL, Duncan DalrumpiU had a charter of the office of Tos- 

 cheodorach (or principal executive officer of the crown) in Nithsdale; 

 and in 1462 James de Dalrymple was clericus regie. 



The lands of Stair, whence the visoounty and earldom are derived, 

 came into the family by William de Dalrymple, who became pos- 

 sessed of them in the middle of the 15th century by his marriage 

 with hi* relation, Agnes Kennedy, heiress of the estate. The son of 

 these parties married a daughter of Sir John Chalmers, of Qarlgirtb, 

 in the same shire, whose first ancestor had held the high office of 

 chamberlain of Scotland ; and in lineal descent from him was James 

 Dalrymple of Stair, who married Janet, daughter of Kennedy of 

 Knockdaw, and by her had 



JAMES DALHTMPLE, first Viscount Stair. He was born in May 161 9, 

 at Dummarchie, in the parish of Barr, 'county of Ayr, and lost his 

 father before be had attained his fifth year. At that tender age he 

 was left under the guardianship of his mother, who survived her 

 husband upward* of thirty year*. Hi* early education was acquired 

 at the school of Mancbline, whence, at the age of fourteen, be was 

 removed to the college of Glasgow, where, applying himself closely to 

 his studies, he qualified himself for taking the degree of A.M. iu 

 16S7. He left college the following year, and at the breaking out of 

 the civil war obtained a captain's commission in the Earl of Glencairu's 

 regiment About this time the chair of philosophy in the University 

 of Glasgow became vacant, and having, by the advice of some of the 

 professors, become a candidate, he was in 1641, being then twenty-two 

 year* old, appointed to the place after a comparative trial. It was 

 then the practice for every regent (a* the professors appointed by the 

 crown were called) to swear at taking office that he would demit on 

 liis marriage. Thi* Dalrymple did, and having in 1613 married 

 Margaret Ross, co-hriress of the estate of Balneil in \Vigtou, he 

 mlfiisil the chair, but was soon afterwards re-appointed. In this 

 place he sedulou-ly pursued his studios, and particularly the study of 

 the civil law, with the view to the profession of the law, in which a 

 knowledge of the Roman jurisprudence was then of great moment 

 In 1947 be ntignH hi* chair, removed to Edinburgh, and after the 

 muni trials, was admitted an advocate on the 17th of February 1948. 

 The following year be was appointed secretary to the commissioners 

 scot by the Scottish parliament to treat with Charles 1 1., then an 

 exile in Holland, for his return to his native dominions. Ho held the 

 um*) office in the more successful mission of 1650, and was on that 

 occasion particularly noted for hi* " abilities, sincerity, and modera- 

 tion." Daring the Protectorate he was warmly recommended to 

 Cromwell by Ooosral Monk, a* a fit person to be one of the judges 

 of the court of session, and on the 1st of July 16A7, Dalrymple took 

 his seat on the bench. At the Restoration he went to London with 

 the Karl of Cansilis to pay his respects to tho king. On that oocaiion 

 the honour of knighthood was conferred npon him ; and by letter, 

 dated Whitehall, 14th February 1061, he was also nominated one of 

 the lord* of session. But refusing to sljfn the declaration enacted in 

 1999, bis place was declared vacant 19th of January 1664. Having 

 some time after waited on the king hi London, his majesty allowed 

 him to qualify his subscription to the Declaration, and restored him 

 to bis seat He was created a baronet in June 1664 ; and on the 

 resignation of Sir John Qilmour, he was appointed president of tin- 

 court of session 7th of January 1671. On the 28th of February 1672, 

 bis eldest son, John, was admitted an advocate before the court : on 

 the t9th of Jane 1676, his next son, James, was admitted; mi-l l.i 

 third son, Hew, on the 23rd of February 1677. Dalrymple continued 

 president till the year 1681, when, on account of his conduct on 

 occasion of the Test Act, he wss superseded, and found it necessary 

 to retire into Holland. In 1681 ho published his ' Institutions of the 

 Law of Scotland,' the work of a great and philosophic mind, but one 

 deeply imbued with the principles of the Roman jurisprudence : it 



gave consistency to the body of Scot* law ; and till our own day has 

 guided the determinations of the Scottish lawyers. From his retire- 

 ment at Lryilen he transmitted to the Edinburgh press his ' Decision* 

 of the Court of Session from 1661 to 16al ; ' ti. lirnt volume appear- 

 ing in 1684, and the second in 1687. And iu 1686 he published at 

 Ley Jen his 'Philosophia Nova Experimental!*.' He also busied 

 himself about this time on a work relating to the mutual obligation* 

 of the sovereign and his people, but it was never published. On the 

 accession of King James II., Dalryiuple's eldest son wai appointed 

 lord advocate of Scotland in the room of Sir George Mackenzie ; and 

 in this place he had influence enough to procure a pardon for his 

 father, who, on the testimony of Spence, the secretory of Argyll, had 

 been prosecuted and outlawed for his alleged concern in the Rye- 

 house Plot Sir John held the situation of lord advocate for about 

 twelve months, when he was appointed successor to Foulis of Coliuton, 

 both as lord justice clerk and as on ordinary lord of session. Hi* 

 father, on coming over to this country witli the Prince of Orange, 

 with whom he had been much iu favour while in Holland, was 

 reinstated in the ^residency of that court; and on the 21st of April 

 1690, raised to the peerage by the style and title of Viscount Stair. 

 The same year Sir John was re appointed lord advocate ; and the next 

 year advanced to be one of the principal secretaries of stattt, in which 

 latter place he continued till the year 1695, when he was driven from 

 office upon the parliamentary inquiry into the equally impolitic and 

 barbarous mosaacre of Glencoo, of which he appears to have been tho 

 chief instigator. 



Stair died in the end of the same year, on the 23rd of November 

 1695, shortly after tho publication of his work entiled ' A Vindication 

 of the Divine Perfections,' and was buried iu the high church of 

 Edinburgh. He waa succeeded in his title and estate by his eldest 

 son, who on the 8th of April 1703 was a<lvauced to be Karl of Stair, 

 and who died suddenly on the 8th of January 1707, after a warm debate 

 that day on the 22nd article of the treaty of Union, which relates to 

 the number and privileges of Scots peers. By his wife, daughter and 

 heiress of Sir John Dundas of Newliaton, in the shire of Edinburgh, he 

 left a younger son, who was 



JOHN DALIIYJII-LE, second Earl of Stair. He was born at Edinburgh 

 on the 20th of July 1673, and in early youth had the misfortune to 

 kill his elder brother by the aocMenlal discharge of a pistol. For 

 some years afterwards he waa under the tuition of a clergyman in the 

 shire of Ayr, whence he was at length restored to his father's house. 

 In 1692 he entered as a volunteer under the Earl of Angus, commander 

 of the Camerouian regiment at the battle of Steinkirk. His parents 

 however appear to have been desirous of his adopting the profession of 

 the law, and for that purposo seat him to Leydeu; but on his return 

 in 1701 from his travels he accepted a commU.-ion as lieutenant-colonel 

 of the Scots regiment of Fool-guards. The year following he served 

 as aide-de-camp to the Duke of Marlboruugh at the taking of 

 and Liege, and the attack on Peer ; and in the course of the year 1706 

 he successively obtained the command of the C.iim-roniau regiturnt 

 and the Scots Greys. On his father's death in the beginning of 1707 

 he succeeded to the earldom of Stair, and wai soon afterwards chosen 

 one of the representative peers of Scotland in the united parliament. 

 In the subsequent victories of Oudonarde, Malplaquet, and Ratnilies, 

 he held high command and obtained great distinction ; but on the 

 accession of the new ministry ill 1711, when the career of Marl borough 

 was stopped, he sold out of the Scot* Greys, and retired fro 

 army. When George L succeeded to the throne the Earl of Stair was 

 appointed a lord of the bedchamber and a privy councillor, and in tho 

 absence of the Duke of Argyll was constituted Commander-in-chief of 

 the forces iu Scotland. The next year he was sent on a diplomatic 

 mission to France ; and it would seem that the embassy was distin- 

 guished by much skill and address, and at the same time by remarkable 

 splendour and magnificence. He was recalled in 1720, and for the 

 next twenty-two years lived in retirement at his seat at Newliston, 

 where it it said he planted various groups of trees in a manner designed 

 to represent the arrangement of the British troops at one of the victories 

 he had been engaged in. He also turned his attention to agriculture, 

 and was the first in Scotland to plant turnip* and cabbages in the open 

 field*. On the dissolution of the Wnlpola administration in 1742 hu 

 was recalled to public life, and served in a military capacity on different 

 important occasion* till hi* death, which happened at (jucounborry 

 House, Edinburgh, on tho 9th of May 1747. He left a widow, but no 

 children. 



Hi* next brother, WiUian Dalrymplt of Glenmure, who was a 

 colonel in the army, married Penelope, ooontees of Dumfries, and 

 their issue succeeded to the earldom. His youngest brother, Qeoryt 

 JMrymjilr of Dalmahoy, passed advocate, and on Baron Smith's 

 advancement to the chair was made a puisne baron of Exchequer, in 

 which situation ho continued till his death in July 1 715. More Lit. -Iy 

 there was on the bench of the same court a member of another branch 

 of the name family, Sir Jok Dalrymplt of Cranstoun, Bart, who was 

 appointed in 1 776 one of the barons of the Exchequer, and so con- 

 tinued till the year 1H07, when he resigned. Ho was tho author of 

 'Memoirs of Great Britain,' 'Tracts on Feudal Law,' and other 

 publications. He was descended from Jama, second son of the lirst 

 Viscount Stair, who was author of ' Collections concerning Scottish 

 History preceding the Death of David 1.,' and who wo* created A 



