118 HALLDYKES AND THE HERRIES FAMILY. 
or injure Andrew Murray of Brockelrig, or his family, tenants, 
or servants. Robert Herries had also in 1674 a quarrel on 
hand with James Carlyle of Boytath.’. He married Jane, 
daughter of William Irving of Cove (son of Jeffrey Irving of 
Robgill and grandson of Edward Irving of Bonshaw), the 
marriage contract being dated at Cove the 13th December, 
1670.8 
William Herries, the son infefted with him in the property 
in 1702, died before the 5th August, 1703, when his brother 
Robert was served his heir. This Robert had sasine of ihe 
property, the 12th July (registered at Edinburgh the 9th 
August), 1704, by virtue of a precept of Clare Constat by Lord 
Stormont in his favour as brother-german and heir of William, 
eldest son of the late Robert Herries of Halldykes, dated the 
1oth May, 1704. His initials, with those of his wife, appear 
on the present house at Halldykes, as has been related already. 
His grandson, Robert, the last Herries owner of Halldykes, 
in some MS. notes about his family describes him, on the 
authority of his own father, as a ‘‘ dapper little man, a perfect 
gentleman, who never stirred without bearing his sword by 
his side.’’ He continues :—‘‘ How he contrived to bring up his 
large family seems quite wonderful, . . . all his daugh- 
ters appear to have had a tolerable education, and the hand- 
writing of all his sons was remarkably good, as various papers 
in my possession show.’’ These notes say that he was living’ 
in 1724, when he “‘ charged his estate as provision for each of 
his younger sons.’’ He died before 21st June, 1728, when 
Lord Stormont issued a precept of Clave Constat for infefting 
William Herries in the Little Hutton estate, as eldest son and 
heir of Robert Herries of Halldykes. The consequent sasine 
did not take place till the 23rd October, 1735, and it was 
registered at Dumfries on the following 15th December. 
William Herries is said to have ruined himself by extra- 
vagant devotion to sport. At anyrate, according to the in- 
ventory, he made a disposition of the Little Hutton property 
7 R.P.C., 3rd Series, iv., pp. 607, 612, 666. 
8 Colonel J. B. Irving’s Book of the Irvings, p. 50. 
