John Blair (aft. 1565 - 1605)

Born after 1565 in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Isobel (Boyd) Campbell — married 5 Jul 1589 in Scotland

Descendants

Died Jan 1605 before age 40 in Ayrshire, Scotland

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Biography

John Blair was born in Scotland.

John was the eldest son of John Blair and Grizell Sempill.^[1][2] As the eldest son, John was the heir designate of his father.

In 1602 John and his father were on the trial of Allaster M'Gregor for being at the 'conflict of Glenfruine'.^[3] John Blair, younger of that Ilk, was named in charters under the Great Seal of Scotland as the son and heir apparent of his father in 1597 and 1604,^[4] first named with his father, on 18 Feb. 1597, as "Joanne Blair de eodem et Jo. B. de eodem ejus filio et herede apparente," and second, on 18 May 1604, as "Joanne Blair juniore de eodem." The latter charter is dated four months after John's death, but he had witnessed the document before his death. He was also named as son and heir of his father in his marriage contract.^[5]

John married, by contract dated 7 Jul 1589,Isobel, daughter of Thomas Boyd, 6th Lord Boyd, and Margaret Campbell.^[2][5][6] They had issue:

1. Grizel,^[3] m. Sir John Maxwell of Pollock^[2], no issue.
2. Isobell,^[3] occurs in 1604.
3. Anna/Agnes^[3][7][8][2], m. Laird of Porterfield, ancestors of the Hamiltons of Holmhead and the Craufurds of Auchenames.
4. Margaret,^[3] m. John Crawfurd of Kilbirnie^[2], ancestors of the later Earls of Crawfurd.

These four daughters, and no other children, are named in the 1604 testament of the late John Blair, younger of that Ilk.

Because John predeceased his father, the Blair estates passed to John's younger brother Bryce, who, as Paterson mentions, was retoured heir of his father on 10 April 1610. The fact that John's younger brother Bryce succeeded as Laird of that Ilk proves that John had no son of his own who could inherit.

John d.v.p. in Jan 1604/5^[1][3] his testament proved 30 Jul 1608.^[9]

DNA

• Hugh Sempill (abt.1592-1639)/Elizabeth Hay (1598-1656) or John Blair/Grizzel Semple

Parental relationship is suggested with an AncestryDNA test match between Jim Thompson and Janice (Anderson) Hobson, 10th cousins once removed. Predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: 5th to 8th Cousins based on sharing 6 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment

Research Notes

John's parents were married 11 May 1565 and as John is the first born son, he could have been born as early as 11 Feb 1566 (assuming no daughters preceded him). As he married on 6 Jul 1589, one can be certain he was born before 6 Jul 1575 giving a range of about 94 months with a midpoint of Jan 1570. Although the legal minimum age was 14 for grooms, marriage rarely occured at such a tender age and his birth was probably shortly after the year 1565.

Robertson seems to believe John had only three^[2] or four daughters^[2][10] and Douglas (who garbles the Blair genealogy at this point, conflating John Blair, younger of that Ilk, with his father) says he had three sons.^[11]

Ila May Fisher Maughan' s old published Blair genealogy asserted that John and his wife Isobel had a son Brice who purportedly married an Esther Peden and fled to Ulster. However, since John's testament names only his four daughters and no sons, he could not have been the father of a son named Brice. If John and Isobel had any sons, they would have died in infancy or childhood, and there is no record of them.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} MacGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. I, p. 797
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} Robertson, George, "A Genealogical Account of the Principal Families in Ayrshire, More Particulary in Cunninghame", Irvine: Cunninghame Press, 1823, Google Books, p. 85
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} 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
4. ↑ Reg. Mag. Sig., Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum:: The register of the Great seal of Scotland, A.D. 1593-1608 published by the authority of the Lords commissioners of H.M. Treasury., Edinburgh: General Register House, 1890, Vol. 6. Archive.org, pp. 218-19, #661, p.565, #1552
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Reg. Mag. Sig., Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum:: The register of the Great seal of Scotland, A.D. 1593-1608 published by the authority of the Lords commissioners of H.M. Treasury., Edinburgh: General Register House, 1890, Vol. 6. Archive.org, pp. 278, #853
6. ↑ 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, 1908, Vol. V, Archive.org, p. 167
7. ↑ Murray, James, "Kilmalcolm: A Parish History, 1100-1898", Paisley: Alexander Gardner, 1898, Archive.org, p. 249
8. ↑ Crawfurd, George, "A General Description of the Shire of Renfrew: Including an Account of the Noble and Ancient Families ... To which is Added, a Genealogical History of the Royal House of Stewart, and of the Several Noble and Illustrious Families of that Name, from the Year 1034 to the Year 1710", Paisley: J.Neilson , 1818, Hathitrust, p. 63
9. ↑ Grant, Francis James, Commissariot Record of Glasgow, Register of Testaments, 1547-1800, Edinburgh: James Skinner & Co., 1901, Archive.org, p. 45
10. ↑ Semple, William Alexander, "History of the Lairds of Glenfield, etc", Paisley: Paisley Herald, 1860, Google Books, p. 48
11. ↑ Douglas, Robert, "The Baronage of Scotland, Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Gentry of that Kingdom. Collected from the Public Records and Chartularies of this Country, the Records and Private Writings of Families and the Works of Our Best Historians", Edinburgh: 1798, Google Books, p. 195

See also:

• Peskett, Hugh. "Chiefship of Blair," 22 Aug. 1992, unpublished original research report on the Blairs of that Ilk addressed to William Campbell Blair.

• Blair, William Campbell. "Corrected Lineage of the Blair of Blair Line in Scotland," in Blair Family Magazine, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 ( Fall 2010); online archives, Blair Family - Blair DNA Project 4 (http://www.silverhillala.com/blair/William_Campbell_Blair_2010.pdf).

• Scottish Nation: Blair

• Wikidata: Item Q76013399