Alexander Porterfield (1673 - 1743)

Born 1673 in Duchall, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Kathrine (Boyd) Porterfield — married Jun 1694 in Scotland

Descendants

Died 14 May 1743 at about age 70 in Duchall, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Edward Erdmann [send private message]

Biography

Alexander became the 5th Porterfield laird of the Duchal estate upon the death of his grandfather. He succeeded his grandfather to the impoverished estate at the age of 17 and remained the head of the family for over 50 years. He was prominent in the affairs of Kilmacolm.^[1]

Alexander was born in 1673. He was the oldest son of William Porterfield and Anabel Stewart. His father predeceased him. He died in 1743.^[2]

Family

In 1693 Alexander entered into a marriage contract with Catherine Boyd of Kilmarnock, daughter of William of Kilmarnock.^[3] They married in June 1694.^[1]

Alexander and Catherine had the following children who survived to adulthood:^[4]

1. William, born 1696, he succeeded to Duchal
2. Robert, died in his father's lifetime, unmarried
3. Jean, married James Corbett of Tollcross
4. Euphemia (Eupham, married Emmanuel Walker
5. Catherine (Katherine), married James Baird
6. Alexander, married Ms. Jolie, of Ireland

The also had three or four children who did not live to adulthood.^[1]

1697 Paisley Witch Trials

Alexander Porterfield was involved in the 1697 Paisley Witch Trial in Scotland

This Alexander Porterfield (of Duchal), Alexander Porterfield of Fulwood, and numerous other Renfrewshire lairds served as commissioners of the 1697 Paisley Witchcraft Trials. The charges were brought by Christian Shaw, the 11 year old daughter of John Shaw, laird of Bargarran. ^[5]. Thirty five people were accused. Seven people were eventually convicted of bewitching the young girl. One committed suicide, the other six were hung and burned on the Gallow Green of Paisley. Today, a memorial marker stands at the location of their killing.^[6][7][8]

1700 Parliament

Alexander was elected to Parliament before October 1700.^[9] He was seated in the Scottish Parliament 29 October 1700 during the reign of King William. He is found again in Parliament on 9 June 1702 during Queen Anne's reign.^[10]

Some reports indicate he was a member of the Scottish parliament when it voted for dissolution in 1707 at which time England and Scotland became Great Britain. Hector (1878) does not list him in Parliament at that time ^[10]

1710 New Duchal Estate

In 1710 he built a new house about one mile east of the Duchal Castle, the ancestral home of the Porterfields.^[4] Stones from the castle were used to build the new home. Just a small ruins remains of the old castle today.

1720 Church Troubles

Throughout his adult life he was at odds with established church in Kilmacolm.

In 1720 he wrote 3 letters to John Stirling, Principal or the University of Glasgow, complaining of the minister of the Kilmacolm church. He was requested intervention of the church that was not to be forthcoming. In 1722 he wrote a final letter indicating he was leaving the church. One letter indicated his brother (presumed to be John) had also written a letter to Mr. Stirling, assumed to be about the same concerns.^[11]

1721 Deed of Entails

In a Deed of Entail dated in October 1721 Alexander conveyed the lands of Duchal and others to his eldest son, William, and heirs between him and his wife Julian Steele. The deed was the subject of a court in 1835 against the eventual successor to Duchall, James Corbett Porterfield. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} James Murray, Kilmacolm: a Parish History, 1100-1898 (1898), p. 253-255; scanned image, Open Library (https://archive.org/stream/kilmacolmparishh00murr).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} M. Anderson, The Scottish Jurist: Containing Reports of Cases Decided in the House of Lords, Courts of Session, Teinds, and Exchequer, and the Jury and Justiciary Courts, Volume 7 (Edinburgh: M Anderson, 1835), pp. 529-530, digital images, https://books.google.com/books?id=kvJQAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA529. Google Books (https://books.google.com: accessed 11 November 2016).
3. ↑ John Rankin, editor, Scots Revised Reports: Court of Session. first series, Volume 3 (Edinburgh: William Green and Sons, 1900), p. 367, digital images, https://books.google.com/books?id=NB1HAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA367. Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 19 March 2016).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Frank Burke Porterfield, The Porterfields (1947), p. 11-12, 24; scanned image, Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=12275).
5. ↑ Isabel Adam, Witch hunt : the great Scottish witchcraft trials of 1697, (London: Macmillan, 1978), https://www.worldcat.org/title/644738866
6. ↑ "1697, The Renfrewshire Witch Trials", Renfrewshire Heritage, https://www.renfrewshireheritage.co.uk/1697-the-renfrewshire-witch-trials/
7. ↑ John Millar, A History of the Witches of Renfrewshire: Who Were Burned on the Gallowgreen of Paisley, p. 115, 121 (Paisley: J Neilson, 1809,
8. ↑ "12/1/1699", Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database, http://witches.shca.ed.ac.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.caserecord&caseref=C%2FLA%2F3235&search_type=searchaccused&search_string=lastname
9. ↑ W. H. Hill, The Scottish Jurist: Containing Reports of Cases Decided in the House of Lords, Courts of Session, Teinds, and Exchequer, and the Jury and Justiciary Courts, Volume 7 (Edinburgh: M Anderson, 1835), pp. 529-530, digital images, https://books.google.com/books?id=kvJQAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA529. Google Books (https://books.google.com: accessed 11 November 2016).
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} William Hector, Selections from the judicial records of Renfrewshire : illustrative of the administration of the laws in the county, and manners and condition of the inhabitants, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries ; with notes introductory and explanatory facsimiles of old documents, and plan of Paisley 1490 till about 1545 (Paisley: J & J Cook, 1878), p. 11, digital images, https://archive.org/stream/selectionsfromju00hect#page/10. The Internet Archive (http://archive.org: accessed 22 November 2016).
11. ↑ John Sterling, "Letters to the late Reverend and Mr. John Stirling, Vol II", MS Murray - Murray Collection, bound transcriptions of letters, University of Glasgow Special Collections, http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/manuscripts/search/results_ac.cfm?ID=1

See also:

• George Crawfurd, A General Description of the Shire of Renfrew (1818), p. 63-64, 402; scanned image, (http://books.google.com/books?id=bpnmAAAAMAAJ).
• George Robertson, A Genealogical Account of the Principal Families in Ayrshire (1823), p. 110, (http://books.google.com/books?id=4KUHAAAAQAAJ).
• James Paterson, History of the County of Ayr, Volume 1 (1847), p. 462; Google Book, Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=BvEHAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22archibald+stewart%22+porterfield+annabella&source=gbs_navlinks_s).
• John Birnie, William Barclay Turnbull, ed., Account of the Families of Birnie and Hamilton of Broomhill (1838), pp. 34-36; Google eBook, Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=4chrAAAAMAAJ).
• John Hall, History of the Presbyterian Church in Trenton, N. J. (1859), p. 72. John Porterfield died in 1738 His will dated three years before describes him of Trenton merchant and devises a thousand acres the south branch of the Raritan and other property in East New Jersey late recovered John Earl of Melfort one of the noble proprietaries It mentions his brother Alexander of Duchall in Scotland and a nephew Rollston of the shire of Air and Boyd Porterfield grandson to my brother He to another nephew William Farquhar chirurgeon of Brunswick all my interest in one part of the forge at Trenton John Kinsey of Philadelphia Joseph Peace of Trenton and William Farquhar were his executors; scanned image, Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=BIoFZ9gycqYC&dq=porterfield+farquhar&source=gbs_navlinks_s).
• New Jersey Historical Society, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Administrations, Etc,, Vol 30 (1918), p. 152. 1733 July 7 Drummond John late Earl of Mellfort deceased Petition of John Porterfield of Trenton New Jersey in behalf Alexander Porterfield Esquire of Duchall in the Shire of Renfrew Scotland brother to the petitioner setting forth that John Drummond late Earl of Mellfort was indebted to the petitioner's said brother 1733 July 4 Bond of John Porterfield of Trenton Esquire as administrator of estate of the Right Honorable John late Earl of Melfort Fellow bondsman John Hyndshaw of Hunterdon Co yeoman Hunterdon Wills 87 J; scanned image,
• Ancestry.com, Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com.
• William Hector, Selections from the judicial records of Renfrewshire : illustrative of the administration of the laws in the county, and manners and condition of the inhabitants, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries ; with notes introductory and explanatory facsimiles of old documents, and plan of Paisley 1490 till about 1545 (Paisley: J & J Cook, 1878), p. 29, digital images, https://archive.org/stream/selectionsfromju00hect#page/29. The Internet Archive (http://archive.org: accessed 22 November 2016). Listed with Alexander of Fullwood in County election of 1734.
• Sir Bernard Burke, Royal descents and pedigrees of founders' kin, Pedigree IV, Countess of Mornington (unpaginated), https://archive.org/details/royaldescentsped00burk/page/n123/mode/2up?q=Porterfield