340 The Swintons of that Ilk, by A. Campbell Swinton. 



learned antiquary, and an extensive contributor to the Philoso- 

 phical Transactions and the Universal History. Being addicted 

 to occasional absence of mind, the story is related of him, that 

 preaching the condemnation sermon before some criminals who 

 were to be executed the following morning, he told his audience 

 that he would give them the remainder of his discourse next 

 Lord's day. Lord Mersington's second wife was Katharine 

 Skeen, of the family of Hallyards, by whom he had two sons 

 and seven daughters. Both sons were officers in the Dutch ser- 

 vice, and were killed in the French trenches at the battle of 

 Malplaquet. The eldest daughter Mary, was by her second 

 marriage to Brigadier- General James Bruce, of Kennet, an an- 

 cestress of the family to which the title of Lord Balfour of Bur- 

 leigh was adjudged by the House of Lords in 1868. Helen, the 

 fifth daughter, became the wife of Colonel Francis Oharteris of 

 Amisfield. That name and estate their only daughter trans- 

 mitted to the noble family of Wemyss, by her marriage to James 

 the 4th Earl. Lord Mersington's other daughters married Sir 

 Alexander Cummin of Culter, John Belsches of Tofts, Swinton of 

 Laughton, Laurence Drummond, a brother of the laird of Pit- 

 kellony, and Sir Alexander Brown of Bassendean. 



Robert, the third son of Sir Alexander Swinton of Swinton, 

 commanded a troop of horse at the battle of Worcester, and was 

 killed while attempting to carry off Cromwell's standard, which 

 he had seized. The fourth son, James, is said to have been en- 

 gaged in the same battle.* But the writer who makes the state- 

 ment may have confounded him with his brother Alexander. 



The fifth son was George of Chesters, writer to the signet ; the 

 sixth, David of Laughton, merchant in Edinburgh. 



XX. John Swinton of Swinton, the eldest son of Sir 

 Alexander, was a man of great ability, and very varied 

 fortunes. Before succeeding to the family estate by the 

 death of his father in 1652, he was chosen one of the 

 Committee of Estates, and appointed a commissioner for 

 the plantation of kirks. He was also named one of the 

 Colonels for Berwickshire, for putting the kingdom into a 

 posture of defence. Nevertheless, we find him in June 1650, 

 voting against a levy, " when, as the parliament was informed 

 certainly, Cromwell and a strong army of Sectaries were marching 



* Douglas' Baronage, p. 131. 



