56

THE CASTELLATED ARCHITECTURE OE ABERDEENSHIRE.

fell by the hand of the Master of Monteith. The fifth Laird of Gight, married the daughter ofOchterlony of Kelly, by whom he had a large family, the eldest of whom became Laird ofGight, and married the daughter of Wood of Bonnytown; he died in 1641, and was succeededby his son George, seventh Laird of Gight, who married the daughter of Lord Ogilvy. Theirson, George, became the eighth Laird of Gight; he married the daughter of Keith of Lud-quliarn, by whom he had an only daughter. This marriage produced a schism in the family anda variance with his mother ; being then the young laird, he alleged that his father had never beeninfeft in the lands, and that consequently he had a right to the fee of the estate. The daughterof Lord Ogilvy stoutly resisted delivering up papers in the absence of her husband. In conse-quence of this resolution, young Gight, with the assistance of Ludquharn, attacked his father’shouse, with the intention of taking forcible possession, and having lodged themselves in someof the outbuildings, for the purpose of compelling the inmates to open the gates, they fired inat the hall windows, and grievously wounded William Gordon, one of the dependents. TheEarl of Airly, on being made acquainted with these circumstances by his sister, immediatelyapplied to the Marquis of Huntly, who agreed to act as arbiter, and for that purpose held ameeting with young Gight and his mother, which ended in an amicable arrangement. In theyear 1644, the Castle of Gight was taken by the Covenanters, and garrisoned by them; theplace was plundered, the furniture removed or destroyed, and the interior of the house, even tothe wainscoting, torn to pieces. It was at this time that the chivalrous Laird of Haddo, afterhaving taken measures for defence, was compelled to surrender the House of Kelly. On thearrival of the Marquis of Argyll, the Earl Marischal, the Lords Fraser and Gordon, the Masterof Forbes, and other Barons, that place was summoned, accompanied by a communication, thatunless surrendered without delay, no mercy would be shown to the inhabitants; at this criticalmoment Haddo’s cannonier made his escape from the walls, and deserted to the enemy. Thelaird then held a council, and was informed by his men that they were prepared to resist, pro-vided he could point out to them any reasonable prospect of a successful result, but unless thatwas the case, they preferred accepting conditions to being forced into unconditional surrender.The laird in vain endeavoured to alter their opinions, and seeing his life set on a cast, repentedhaving shut himself up under circumstances where relief was hopeless, and where protractedresistance against an army was impossible; he therefore resolved, if possible, to come to terms,and having made the signal for a parley, called to him his relative, the Lord Gordon, to whomhe agreed to surrender, provided his own life and that of his people were secured. This theLord Gordon could not grant. He then applied to the Earl Marischal, proposing similarconditions, which were again refused, and he was informed, that the only terms he could obtain,were, that he should surrender with his people, and be at the mercy of the Estates, as thecovenanting authorities were then designated. Seeing no hope of relief, or of obtaining betterterms, Haddo came forth, and delivered himself to the assembled leaders. Subsequent to theseevents, the Lairds of Gight and Haddo were conveyed as prisoners to Edinburgh . The latterwas brought to trial under sundry charges, on which he was convicted, as was also his faithfulfollower, John Logie, and they suffered on the same scaffold.