The

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Cartsburn in the

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

age of Scotland was created for Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn in 1669, when the lands of Cartsburn in the Parish of Easter Greenock in the Shire of Renfrew were erected , as a free barony held of the

Prince and Great Steward of Scotland Prince and Great Steward of Scotland are two of the titles of the heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom. The current holder of these titles is Prince William, who bears the other Scottish titles of Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick ...

. The estate of Cartsburn, also known as Crawfurdsburn, incorporated the lands of Cartsdyke and part of the lands of

Easter Greenock Castle Easter Greenock Castle was a castle of unknown design near the burgh of Greenock, Scotland. History Construction and location Built sometime in the mid-sixteenth century, the castle formed the centre of the lands and estates of Barony of Cartsbur ...

. The Barony of Cartsburn is a feudal Barony of Scotland. The seat of the Barony was the House of Cartsburn, built in the 17th century near

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...

. The most notable Barons of Cartsburn are Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 4th Baron of Cartsburn, Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn, and Mark Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, 14th Baron of Cartsburn. The current Baron is the 15th Baron of Cartsburn. Other people associated with the Barony include

George Crawfurd George Crawford (also Crawfurd) (1681-1748) was a Scottish genealogist and historian. Life He was the third son of Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn. When Simon Fraser laid claim to the barony of Lovat, he employed Crawfurd to investigate the case ...

, the compiler of ''The Peerage of Scotland'', the inventor

James Watt James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fun ...

, the nation's bard

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

, and the poet

Jean Adam Jean Adam (or Adams) (30 April 1704 – 3 April 1765) was a Scottish poet from the labouring classes; her best-known work is "There's Nae Luck Aboot The Hoose". In 1734 she published a volume of her poetry entitled ''Miscellany poems'', but the ...

. In 2010 the dignity 'Baron of Cartsburn' was transferred by assignation to Dr. Pier Felice degli Uberti..

History

The Barony of Cartsburn in the

Baronage of Scotland In Scotland, the Baronage is the class of barons and baronesses who are the heads of their respective Baron, baronies. Also known as prescriptive baronies, they used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which was situated the ''caput' ...

was created for Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn in 1669, when the lands of Cartsburn in the Parish of Easter Greenock in the Shire of Renfrew were erected ''in liberam baronium'', as a free Barony held of the

. The estate of Cartsburn, also known as Crawfurdsburn, incorporated the lands of Cartsdyke and part of the lands of

. The Barony of Cartsburn is a

feudal Barony A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

of Scotland. The seat of the Barony was the House of Cartsburn, built in the 17th century near

. Excerpts from the Baron Court Book of Cartsburn have been published, rendering it one of the few Baronies with comprehensive evidence for research into the social history of the area. George Crawfurd, the compiler of the notable and esteemed work ''The Peerage of Scotland'', belonged to the family of Crawfurd of Cartsburn and was the brother of the second Baron. It is suspected that it was through George Crawfurd's genealogical writings that the manuscript of Sir

Ewen Cameron of Lochiel Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel (Scottish Gaelic: ''Eòghain Camshròn Mac Dhòmhnaill Dubh''; February 1629 – 12 June 1719) was a Scottish highland chief, soldier and courtier. He was the Chief of Clan Cameron – the 17th Lochiel, and was renow ...

's memoirs came into the possession of the Crawfurds of Cartsburn, which William Macknight Crawfurd of Ratho, the seventh Baron, then donated for publication. Other people associated with the Barony include the inventor

, the nation's bard

, and the poet

. The famous inventor,

grew up within the Barony. His father and namesake, James Watt, was contracted to enlarge the mansion house of Sir John Shaw, 2nd Baronet at Greenock, and his grandfather, Thomas Watt, was

Bailie A bailie or baillie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where bailies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate (see bailiff). Baillies appointed the high constables i ...

of the Barony of Cartsburn.

was invited to stay at the estate at the invitation of the 4th Baron, Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn. He later mentioned the Baron in his work.

's published poems of 1734 were dedicated to the Baron of Cartsburn.

Notable Barons

Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 4th Baron of Cartsburn, invited Robert Burns to stay at his country estate at Cartsburn. Burns himself writes of Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn's "ingenious, friendly, and elegant epistle". In his Preface to the ''Memoirs'' of Sir

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the

Clan Cameron Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands lies Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Chief ...

, James Macknight describes Thomas as "a person of superior literary attainments", who "collected a considerable library". Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn was credited with a number of ameliorations to the grounds of

Lauriston Castle Lauriston Castle is a 16th-century tower house with 19th-century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies on Cramond Road South, between Cramond, Davidson's Mains, and Silverknowes. The substantial grounds, La ...

, a property which he acquired in 1871. He made general improvements to Lauriston, including the bringing of a number of architectural features from his estate at Cartsburn. Mark Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, the 14th Baron of Cartsburn, when a student and editor of

Gaudie ''The Gaudie'' is a student newspaper at the University of Aberdeen covering campus and local news. It has been in circulation since 1934 and is currently free of charge. It aims to print unbiased, student-focused articles. ''The Gaudie'' is pa ...

, the newspaper of the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

, resigned in protest at editorial interference from the University's Students' Association. His campaign for editorial independence received the support of Orkney & Shetland MP

Alistair Carmichael Alexander Morrison "Alistair" CarmichaelFull name is given as "CARMICHAEL, Alexander Morrison, commonly known as Alistair Carmichael" in the returning officer'2010 general election declaration (born 15 July 1965) is a Scottish politician and s ...

and Moray MP

Angus Robertson Angus Struan Carolus Robertson (born 28 September 1969) is a Scottish politician serving as the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture since 2021. Former Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 201 ...

, who tabled an Early Day Motion in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

criticising the Students' Association's "ill-advised move". Lindley-Highfield received the title in 2008 before assigning it on in 2010.

Barons of Cartsburn (1669–Present)

The following is a list of the Barons of Cartsburn, from 1669 to the present: *Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 1st Baron of Cartsburn (1669–1695) *Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 2nd Baron of Cartsburn (1695–1743) *Archibald Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 3rd Baron of Cartsburn (1743–1783) *Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 4th Baron of Cartsburn (1783–1791) *Christian Crawfurd of Crawfurdsburn, 5th Baroness of Cartsburn (1791–1796) (married Robert Arthur) *Christian Crawfurd of Crawfurdsburn, 6th Baroness of Cartsburn (1796–1818) (married Thomas Macknight of Ratho) *William Macknight Crawfurd of Ratho, 7th Baron of Cartsburn (1818–1855) *Thomas Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn and Lauriston Castle, 8th Baron of Cartsburn (1856–1909) *Marion Woddrop Dennistoun Mitchell Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 9th Baroness of Cartsburn (1909–1912) (married James Dennistoun Mitchell of Carwood) *Lilian Parkinson or Macknight Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 10th Baroness of Cartsburn (1912–1912) ( liferent) *Robert Arthur Christie Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 11th Baron of Cartsburn (1912–1935) (with liferent to Lilian Parkinson or Macknight Crawfurd) *Amy Christie Crawfurd of Cartsburn, 12th Baroness of Cartsburn (1935–1958) (held in trust for her sons by her husband, 1958–1974) *Alan Howard Crawfurd Colls, 13th Baron of Cartsburn (1958–2008) (as senior heir and joint holder with his brother Richard Andrew Colls, for both of whom the Barony was held in trust 1958–1974) *Mark Paul Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, 14th Baron of Cartsburn (2008–2010) *Dr. Pier Felice degli Uberti, 15th Baron of Cartsburn (2010–Present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barony Of Cartsburn Cartsburn Greenock Inverclyde Renfrewshire People associated with Inverclyde

History

Notable Barons

Barons of Cartsburn (1669–Present)

See also

References