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John (Blair) Blair of that Ilk (abt. 1502 - abt. 1566)

John Blair of that Ilk formerly Blair
Born about in Blair, Ayrshire, Scotlandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 1524 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died about at about age 64 in Blair, Ayrshire, Scotlandmap
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Profile last modified | Created 22 Jun 2011
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Preceded by
John Blair
[5th] Blair of that Ilk
1533 - 1566
Succeeded by
John Blair

Biography

John (Blair) Blair of that Ilk is a member of Clan Blair.
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John (Blair) Blair of that Ilk was born in Scotland.

John Blair of that Ilk, born circa 1502 in Blair, Ayrshire, Scotland, was the son and heir of John Blair of that Ilk (c.1476-c.1548) and Elizabeth Montgomerie.[1]

He married Helen Ross.[1] They had issue:

  1. John, his heir[1]

John died in 1566.[1]

Research Notes

Earlier writers on the Blairs of that Ilk, including Douglas, Robertson, and Paterson,[2] inadvertently skipped this John Blair in their accounting of the Blair genealogy.

Peter Murray of Markham, Ontario, in his unpublished paper, "Blair Family -- Ancient Lairds of Blair, in Ayrshire, Scotland" (12 March 1999), provides the following summary biography of this John Blair:

"JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, obtained a charter to Blair and other lands on the resignation of his father in 1546. (sic) He succeeded his father and died ca.1567 not long before the death of his son and successor. He married in 1524, in the lifetime of his father (marriage dispensation), Helen Ross, daughter of John, 2nd Lord Ross of Halkhead. The accounts of Douglas, Robertson and Paterson omit him and his marriage, apparently in error, attributing his issue incorrectly to his father's marriage with Elizabeth Montgomerie. He left issue, presumably by Helen Ross:
  1. John, of that Ilk</b>, who follows below.</i>
  2. Alexander, of Windy-edge</b>, stated by his grandson the celebrated Revd Robert Blair to be brother-germain of the laird of Blair. Which Laird of Blair was his brother is deduced from the dates of other family members. In addition to the family of Revd Robert Blair and his Blair descendants of Avontoun, this Alexander Blair is ancestor of the families of Blair of Giffordland and Blair of Burrowland. . . .</i>
  3. Ninian, had with his spouse, Isobel Kennedy, Lady of Cloncarde, a charter to the land of Fishertoun in Monkton, dated 1553. The name Ninian appears also in the family of Helen Ross the apparent mother of this Ninian Blair, which may explain his name which is otherwise unknown in the Blair family.</i>
  4. Margaret, stated explicitly by Paterson to be daughter of John Blair and Elizabeth Montgomerie but from the dates must have instead been son of John Blair and Helen Ross. She married John Craufurd of Craufurdland, parents of John Craufurd of Craufurdland and Thomas Craufurd of Giffordland. The latter was father-in-law of John Blair of Giffordland</i>"
Besides the four children listed above, it appears that there was a fifth child, a daughter whose Christian name is unknown. In his history of the principal families of Ayrshire, George Robertson refers to a daughter of John Blair of that Ilk who married Uchtred Knox of Ranfurly, Robertson comments: ". . . about the time corresponding to this period, Uchtred Knox of Ranfurly married a daughter of the laird of Blair [see Renf., p.307]"[3] Later writers on the Blair family, such as Paterson, repeat Robertson's information regarding this daughter. Robertson et al. suggest that she was a daughter of the John Blair of that Ilk who married Margaret Cunningham, but it appears rather that this daughter married Uchtred in the 1540s, which would make her a sister of the John Blair who married Margaret Cunningham.

Although Peter Murray attributed the 1546 charter of the lands of Tunnybankhead and Blair, Ardoch, etc., to this John Blair of that Ilk, that is certainly a mistake. Robert Douglas in his "Baronage of Scotland" said this charter was dated 23 Nov. 1546, and cited it as: "Johanni Blair, apparenti de eodem, et Margaretae Cunningham ejus sponsae, terrarum de Tunybankhead, Blairardoch, etc." Thus, the charter was granted not to this John Blair, but rather to his son and heir John, who married Margaret Cuninghame.

John Blair married (papal dispensation in 1524) Helen Ross, daughter of John, 2nd. Lord Ross of Halkhead (who fell at Flodden 9 Sept. 1513), by his wife Christian Edmonstone of Duntreath. [4] The 1524 papal dispensation for the marriage of John Blair and Helen Ross was administered by Robert Forman, Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Glasgow, and granted by Pope Clement VII, "permitting John de Blare of the Glasgow diocese, son, and apparent heir of the Lands of Blare, to marry Helen Ross of St. Andrew's diocese, Fifeshire, though they are within 3 and 4 degrees of consanguinal relationship" (quoted by Jack Richard Blair in his "The Blair Surname" (1999), p.53, citing 'Blair Archives, SRO F/GD167,BO').

John Blair and his brother-in-law Ninian, 3rd. Lord Ross, are mentioned in the Testament of Andrew Crawford of Gifferlent, 1 Feb. 1542.[5]

Mary Queen of Scots wrote a letter dated 14 March 1554 relieving John Blair of that Ilk of his duties at court due to gout.[6]

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 MacGregor, Gordon, "The Red Book of Scotland", Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. I, p. 796
  2. Paterson, James, History of the County of Ayr: With a Genealogical Account of the Families of Ayrshire, Edinburgh: John Dick, 1847, Vol. I, Archive.org, p. 414
  3. Robertson, George, "A Genealogical Account of the Principal Families in Ayrshire, More Particulary in Cunninghame", Irvine: Cunninghame Press, 1823, Archive.org, p. 83
  4. Paul, James Balfour. "The Scots Peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1910, Vol. VII, Archive.org, p. 251
  5. Fraser, William, "Memorials of the Montgomeries. Earls of Eglinton", Edinburgh: private, 1859, Vol. II, Archive.org, p. 126
  6. Letter from Blair Castle sold at auction by Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh.

See also:

  • Murray, Peter. "Blair Family -- Ancient Lairds of Blair, in Ayrshire, Scotland," 12 March 1999, p.4 -- unpublished genealogical paper supplied to Jared L. Olar 28 March 1999.
  • Blair, Jack Richard. The Blair Surname (1999), Sydney, Australia, p.53.




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Comments: 3

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James Paterson's account of the John Blair of that Ilk who married Elizabeth Montgomerie is incorrect, because Paterson was unaware of an additional John Blair in the lineage, namely, the John Blair who married Helen Ross -- he was the son of John Blair and Elizabeth/Helen Montgomerie.

Peter Murray of Markham, Ontario, provides the following corrected, de-tangled account of these two generations of this family, in his unpublished paper, "Blair Family -- Ancient Lairds of Blair, in Ayrshire, Scotland" (12 March 1999):

"JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, succeeded his father in the reign of James V (1513+) and obtained charters to additional lands in Ayrshire dated 1540 and 1544. He resigned his lands to his son John in 1546. How long he lived after that is not known. In 1513 he inherited half of the property of Middle Auchindrane from his father killed at Flodden. He would appear to have surrendered or bequeathed this property to a nephew and namesake in 1548. In that year his share was reunited with the share of his brother James Blair who had died in 1547 and confirmed in possession of John Blair of Middle Auchindrane, who was probably a son of James. John Blair of that Ilk married, apparently at a young age, Elizabeth Montgomerie, daughter of Hugh, 1st Earl of Eglinton, by his wife Helen Campbell daughter of Colin, 1st Earl of Argyll. They had a son who is apparently in error omitted in most accounts of the family,

"JOHN BLAIR of that Ilk, obtained a charter to Blair and other lands on the resignation of his father in 1546. He succeeded his father and died ca.1567 not long before the death of his son and successor. He married in 1524, in the lifetime of his father (marriage dispensation), Helen Ross, daughter of John, 2nd Lord Ross of Halkhead. The accounts of Douglas, Robertson and Paterson omit him and his marriage, apparently in error, attributing his issue incorrectly to his father's marriage with Elizabeth Montgomerie. He left issue, presumably by Helen Ross:

"1a. John Blair of that Ilk, who follows below.

"2a. Alexander Blair of Windy-edge, stated by his grandson the celebrated Revd Robert Blair to be brother-germain of the laird of Blair. Which Laird of Blair was his brother is deduced from the dates of other family members. In addition to the family of Revd Robert Blair and his Blair descendants of Avontoun, this Alexander Blair is ancestor of the families of Blair of Giffordland and Blair of Burrowland. (see BLAIR OF GIFFORDLAND for the descent of our ancestor Sarah Blair, wife of Samuel Watkinson)

"3a. Ninian Blair, had with his spouse, Isobel Kennedy, Lady of Cloncarde, a charter to the land of Fishertoun in Monkton, dated 1553. The name Ninian appears also in the family of Helen Ross the apparent mother of this Ninian Blair, which may explain his name which is otherwise unknown in the Blair family.

"4a. Margaret Blair, stated explicitly by Paterson to be daughter of John Blair and Elizabeth Montgomerie but from the dates must have instead been son of John Blair and Helen Ross. She married John Craufurd of Craufurdland, parents of John Craufurd of Craufurdland and Thomas Craufurd of Giffordland. The latter was father-in-law of John Blair of Giffordland (see CRAUFURD OF GIFFORDLAND and BLAIR OF GIFFORDLAND for our line of descent.)"

posted by Jared Olar
edited by Jared Olar
Peter Murray's account is mistaken on one point, though -- the charter of 1546 was granted to the John Blair of that Ilk who married Margaret Cuninghame, not to the John Blair of that Ilk who married Helen Ross.
posted by Jared Olar
Blair-377 and Blair-2944 appear to represent the same person because: same name, Margaret Blair Crawford, daughter, Ross wife, same time frame, same location

Rejected matches › John Blair

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Categories: Clan Blair