John Anderson of Dowhill, elder

JOHN ANDERSON OF DOWHILL elder

Merchant, Burgess and Guild Brother of Glasgow: Sometime Provost of Glasgow

John Anderson of Dowhill, elder, is the son of Ninian Anderson. The Regality Club. Second Series. Part First (James MacLehose & Sons, Glasgow, 1889), p.110 In the catalogue issued for the Old Glasgow Exhibition of 1894, his father is identified as Ninian Anderson, Deacon of the Cordiners, but this is wrong. Exhibition Illustrative of Old Glasgow 1894 exhibit number 105 on pp. 38-9 His father is Ninian Anderson, merchant in Glasgow, and his mother is Christian Dickson. His father died in November 1658. [National Records of Scotland, Commissary Records of Glasgow, reference CC9/7/32 ff. 251v-252r] His mother died in January 1653. [National Records of Scotland, Commissary Records of Glasgow, Testament Testamentar of Christiam Dickson, reference CC9/7/32 folios 3-4]

John Anderson of Dowhill, elder. is the son of Ninian Anderson and his wife Christian Dickson. He was born before 13 August 1611, the date upon which his baptism was registered at High Church parish in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. [National Records of Scotland, High Church Baptisms, reference 644/1 10 64]

Concerning the Stobcross Estate

Stobcross is a forty shilling ferme land which belonged to the bishops of Glasgow. It was located in and arround the modern Glasgow district called Anderston, which took its name from the village of the same name. Stobcross was a rural estate which lay to the west of Glasgow. James Anderson is first noticed as a rentaller of this land in 1545 Rental Book of the Diocese of Glasgow, page 126 and his grandson William Anderson of Stobcross obtained a feu charter for Stobcross before 1595. Glasgow Protocols, protocol numbers 3348 and 3349 on pp. 18-20 Stobcross was sold by James Anderson of Stobcross in 1746. Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry Between the first James Anderson and the last, seven generations of the same family held this land. They have no known connection with the family who held Dowhill on the east side of the former burgh of Glasgow.

Robert Reid (alias Senex), the Glasgow historian, was under the false impression that Stobcross was: "formerly the property of the Andersons of Dowhill" but he was mistaken. However, his error, if it was not entirely responsible for creating the modern misconception, that ownership of the Stobcross and Dowhill estates was vested in the same family, it probably contributed greatly to it. The Andersons of Stobcross may have been related to the Andersons of Dowhill but proof is wanting. Old Glasgow and its Environs

Concerning the Dowhill Estate

Dowhill is the name of a hill within the bounds of the burgh Glasgow, which was ocassionally referred to in Glasgow's records as "the Dowhill." It is located near the Cathedral, on the east side of the burgh, and the hill itself overlooked the Gallowgate. The Dowhill probably had a rural appearance when it was first aquired by John Anderson of Dowhill, elder, but the estate was comprised mainly of town houses and small portions of land within the burgh when the young laird of Dowhill died on 30 September 1710. No mention of a house named Dowhill has been found, although Marion Anderson, daughter of Dowhill the younger and the widow of Reverend Charles Moore, took up residence in a tenement called "Dowhill's Land" when she returned to Glasgow following the death of her husband. According to Henry Fulton, writing in his 2014 biography of Doctor John Moore (1729-1802), John Anderson of Dowhill, the elder, was the first member of the family to hold Dowhill. He also suggests that part of his holding within Glasgow may have come to him with his marriage to Barbara Gilhagie. A Life in Medicine, page 10 A list of the individual properties which made up the Dowhill estate was published in 1864. Old Glasgow and its Environs, Historical and Topographical by Sexex (David Robertson, Glasgow, MDCCCLXIV), p. 218

Burgess and Guild Brother of Glasgow

John Anderson, merchant in Glasgow, was enrolled as a burgess and guild brother of Glasgow on 5 February 1635. The town council admitted him in right of him being the eldest son of Ninian Anderson, merchant, burgess and guild brother of Glasgow, who was sometime "callit Lyttle Niniane." Glasgow Burgesses, 1573-1750, p. 90

John Anderson Refuses to serve on the Town Council of Glasgow

John Anderson of Dowhill, elder, and his son John Anderson of Dowhill, younger, were nominated to serve on the town council of Glasgow for the year 1674-75 but refused. The council convened on 6 October 1674 in order to elect magistrates and ordered: "twa persones to be sent for in place of John Andersone, elder and younger of Dowhill, who had bein choysen to be ordinarie counsellouris but had never acceptit the place." Glasgow Records. 1663-1690, p. 186

Dungeon John

John Anderson of Dowhill, elder, is referred to on one occassion in the records of the town council of Glasgow as Dungeon John: "callit Dungeon John" Glasgow Records, 1691-1717, p. 246

John Anderson is Found Guilty of Assault

On 19 August 1634 John Anderson assaulted Francis Bruntoun in full view of the provost and magistrates of Glasgow, during a sitting of the burgh court. Francis Bruntoun was representing Donald Campbell in an action that he had raised against Anderson's father-in-law Ninian Gilhagie. Thereafter, on 26 August 1634, John Anderson, together with James Peadie, both sons-in-law of Ninian Gilhagie, lay in wait for Bruntoun, on the road from Glasgow to Calder, and assaulted him further to his great injury. Bruntoun complained to the Scottish Privy Council, who heard his complaint on 4 November 1634 and found Anderson guilty. He was fined twenty pounds, to be paid to the complainer, and ordered to pay four pounds to each of the witnesses who had been called. Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, Second Seried, vol. v., A. D. 1633-1635, pp. 397-98

Commissioner to Apprehend the Importers of Foreign Coin

Privy Council Register, pp. 517-18

John Anderson Acts Himself as Cautioner for Margaret Woddrop

John Anderson, Merchant, Burgess of Glasgow, and William Hoome, identified as the sons-in-law of Margaret Woddrop, acted themselves as cautioners for their mother-in-law, when she gave up the inventory of her deceased husband's moveable estate [National Archives of Scotland, H. M. General Register House, Edinburgh, Commissary Records of Glasgow, Register of Testaments, The Testament Testamentar of Ninian Gilhagie, Merchant in Glasgow, which was confirmed on 11 March 1641, reference CC9/7/28 ff. 418-21]

Death

John Anderson of Dowhill, elder, died in October 1684. His testament dative and inventory were given up by his eldest son and heir John Anderson "now of Dowhill" who received confirmation on 17 April 1685. He probably died in Glasgow. [National Records of Scotland, Commissary Records of Glasgow, Testament Dative of John Anderson, elder of Dowhill, merchant burgess of Glasgow, reference CC9/7/46]

Monumental Inscription

This is the buriall place of John Anderson of Douhill, present Provost of Glasgow Wheire lyes buried his grandfather Ninian, his father John Anderson who was allso Provost there, and There wifes and children June 1704 [Monumental Inscription on the south wall of the High Churchyard]The Regality Club. Second Series. Part First (James MacLehose & Sons, Glasgow, 1889), p.110

Marriage

John Anderson married Barbara Gilhagie.The marriage was booked on 7 January 1634, at Glasgow in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The booking reads as follows: "7 Jary 1634 Johne Andersone Barbara Gilhagie". [National Records of Scotland, Glasgow Marriage Records, 1612-87, reference OPR.641/1/23] Image of Marriage Record

Children

1. John Anderson of Dowhill, younger
2. Ninian Anderson, merchant in Glasgow
3. Margaret Anderson, primus
4. Christine Anderson, primus
5. Christine Anderson, secundus
6. William Anderson
7. Margaret Anderson, secundus

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

4 November 1634: Complaint by Francis Bruntoun, procurator in Glasgow, and Donald Campbell, merchant there, for his interest, as follows: On 19th August last, while the complainer was “procuring before the provest and baillies of Glasgow” for the said Donald Campbell, who was defender in an action against him by Ninian Gilhagie, merchant in Glasgow, and when he had “proposed some defences for the said Donald, the said Ninian, fretting thairat, in opin face of court, being accompanied with James Padie, his sone-in-lawe, shamefullie raylled upon the said procurator, calling him mensworne, with many other contumelious speeches.” And the said James Pedie came to him standing at the bar at the instigation of the said Ninian, repeated his opprobrious speeches and gave the complainer a cruel stroke with his foot on the leg, birsing and bruising it. Further, when on the 26th of that month the complainer rode out of Glasgow toward Calder to attend the Laird of Kelburne and his lady, the said James Pedie and John Anderson, both burgesses of Glasgow and sons-in-law to the said Ninian, at the said Ninian’s instigation, lay in wait for him all the way from Glasgow to Calder to take his life. At last the said James “stayed his hors at the braes of Calder till the compleaner came to him and or ever he wes aware the said James shamefullie strake the compleaner with his hand and falded neiffs to the effusion of his blood.” The complainer then fled back to Glasgow him, for fear of his life, and these two persons followed and overtook when, after upbraiding him with opprobrious speeches, they “with thair falded neiffs or some great rungs strake him on the eyes, face and nose to the great effusion of his blood, dang [him] backwards aff the horse quhere he stuke to the stripe under the horse bellie, his face being to the ground and wes trailled throw dubs and myres be ane quarter of ane myle and had died under the horse womb until at last the strip brake and the horse left the compleaner wallowing in his blood; and being brought home he wes so swelled that his wife, seeing so pitifull a spectacle parted with chylde.” Charge having been given to the said John Andersoune and Ninian Gilhagie, and pursuer and defenders compearing and they and witnesses having been heard, the Lords fond that John Andersoun assaulted the pursuer “and gave him a cuff” for which they fine him £20 to be paid to the pursuer, but they assoilize the other defender against whom nothing was proved. They further ordain John Andersoun to pay to each of the witnesses £4 before to-morrow at 12 o’clock otherwise pay the double. Registrum Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum. The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, Second Series, vol. v., A. D. 1633-1635, pp. 397-98

Published Evidence

1. P. Hume Browm, M.A., LL.D., The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, Second Series. Vol. V. A.D. 1633-1635 (H.M. General Register House, Edinburgh, 1904), 851 pp. including index

Genealogy

1. The Anderson Association: The Stobcross Andersons
2. George Macintosh, Biographical Memoir of the late Charles Macintosh, F.R.S. of Campsie and Dunchattan (Printed for Private Circulation by W. G. Blackie & Co., Glasgow, MDCCCXLVII), 188 pp. For a Sketch of the Family of Anderson of Dowhill pp. 167-74
3. Exhibition Illustrative of Old Glasgow 1894 exhibit number 105 on pp. 38-9
4. Electric Scotland: John Anderson of Dowhill
5. Henry L. Fulton, Dr. John Moore, 1729-1802: A Life in Medicine, Travel, and Revolution (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), 810 pp.
6. Memories of People I Never Knew: Anderson Genealogy
7. Stirnet: Anderson 04