2 REMINISCENCES OF 



Lord Sinclair, and he left all his personal property 

 to my father. 



James Thomson of Mildaine and Montrybo (Mil- 

 deans and Montrave) matriculated his arms about 

 1676. His eldest son, John, married, in 1709, 

 Rachael, daughter of John Brymer of Edrom, in 

 the county of Berwick. Her mother was Mary 

 Bethune of Balfour. Their eldest daughter, Mary, 

 married John Spottiswoode of Spottiswoode, Co. 

 Berwick. In 1713 he bought the Barony of Charle- 

 ton from Colonel John Hope. The barony consists 

 of the farms of Laddedy, Newbigging of Charleton 

 (now called Newbigging of Ceres), Newbigging of 

 Craighall, Wilkieston and Gathercauld. He also 

 was laird of the lands of Kilmany and Touch, which 

 he left to his younger sons. His eldest son, John 

 (who married Margaret Paterson), succeeded him, 

 built the present house of Charleton about 1760, and 

 then matriculated his arms again as Thomson of 

 Charleton. The old house was called Newton, 

 and was situated where the farm buildings now are. 

 When it was pulled down the " flooring deals" were 

 sent for cradling to the coal pits at Laddedy. 



They had one son, John, who died at the age of 

 eighteen, and two daughters — Rachel, married to 

 Colonel John MacDonell, Younger of Lochgary, who 

 died young without children, and Grizel, who mar- 

 ried Colonel John Anstruther (my grandfather). 

 Colonel Anstruther joined Wolfe's Regiment in 

 1756. He was afterwards Major in the 63rd Regi- 

 ment and Colonel in the 62nd Regiment. He served 



