BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 217
No. XCI.
SIR WILLIAM NAIRNE, BARONET,
LORD DUNSINNAN.
THIS gentleman was the son of Sir William Nairne, the second baronet of
Dunsinnan. Not being the oldest son, and having only a distant prospect of
succeeding to the estate, he was educated for the profession of the lam-, and
admitted an advocate in 1755. He was in 1758 appointed Commissary-Clerk
of Edinburgh, conjunctly with Alexander Nairne, a relative of his own. Sir
William (then Mr. Nairne), continued to practise at the bar upwards of thirty
years; and, if he did not acquire the fame of a great orator or a profound
lawyer, he was at least respectable in both capacities, and his virtues gained him
what was perhaps better-the esteem of all who knew him.
On the death of Lord Kennet, in 1786, Sir William was promoted to the
bench, and took his seat as Lord Dunsinnan-a circumstance which called forth
the following complimentary pun from the late Duchess of Gordon. A short
time after his elevation, her grace, happening to meet the newly appointed judge,
inquired what title he had assumed-Dunsinnun was of course the reply. ‘‘ I
am astonished at that, my lord,” said the Duchess, ‘‘ for I never knew that
you had begun sinning.”
In 1790 Sir William succeeded to the baronetcy, on the death of his nephew,
and thus became the fifth in succession who bore the title. He at the same
time bought the estate of Dunsinnan from another nephew, for the sum of
$16,000 ; and having almost no funds remaining, he was under the necessity
of adopting the utmost economy in order to clear off the purchase money. With
this view he continued to live a bachelor, keeping almost no company j and so
strictly did he abide by the rules he had laid down in this respect, that he was
accused by many of being actuated by very narrow and parsimonious feelings.
It is told of him, as illustrative of his peculiar economy, that he had only me
bed at Dunsinnan, besides those occupied by his servants, thus to preclude the
possibility of being put to the expense of entertaining visitors. It so occurred
that the late George Dempster of Dunnichen, one of the most intimate of the
very few friends with whom his lordship associated, paid him a visit at Dunsinnan
on one occasion ; and having tarried a little later than usual, a violent storm
arose, which induced Mr. Dempster to think of remaining all night. Dunsinnan,
unwilling to declare iAe inhospitable arrangement of his mansion, evaded
the proposition by every means possible, in hopes that the storm might abate.
At last, finding no likelihood of this, he sallied forth to the stable to order his
2F
218 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
friend‘s coach to the door, as the only effectual hint to his guest ; but Dempster’s
coachman was ngt to be so caught : he positively refused to harness the horses
in such a night, especially as the roads were so bad and dangerous, preferring
rather to lie in the stable, if he could get no other accommodation, till daylight,
Lord Dunsinnan, thus driven to extremities, returned to his guest, and
made known the dilemma in which they were placed. “ George, ” said he, ‘‘ if
you stay, you will go to bed at ten and rise at three ; and then I shall get the
bed after you.”
The property of Dunsinnan, which included nearly the entire parish of Collace,
was far from being in a state of improvement when it came into his hands ;
a great part of the lands consisted of what is termed “outfield,” and the
farms were made up of detached portions, many of these at considerable distances.
No sooner had Sir William obtained possession of the estate than he
set about dividing the lands into compact and regular farms, which he enclosed,
and gave to each a certain portion of outfield ; at the same time he built comfortable
dwellings for many of his tenants, and, by proper encouragement, induced
others to do so for themselves. He thus, with no niggardly hand, promoted
alike the prosperity of the tenant, and ensured the rapid improvement of
the soil.
Sir William was appointed a Lord of Justiaiary, in 1792, on the death of
Lord Stonefield ; and continued to attend the duties of the circuit until 1808,
when he resigned, and the following year retired from the Court of Session
altogether. He died at a very advanced age at Dunsinnan House on the
25th March 1811. The title became extinct in his person, and a nephew (his
sister’s son) succeeded to the estate and assumed the name of Nairne.
His lordship’s residence in Edinburgh was Minto House, Argyle Square.
Previous to his removal thither, he occupied a tenement at the head of the
Parliament Stairs, lately a printing-office ; but now removed to make way for
the new Justiciary Court-Room.
Before concluding this sketch, it may be noticed that Lord Dunsinnan was
uncle to the famous Catherine Nairne or Ogilvie, whose trial in 17 65 for the
crimes of murder and incest, excited such general interest. She married in
that year Thomas Ogilvie, Esq. of Eastmiln, Forfarshire,-a gentleman, as was
stated at the trial, forty years of age and of a sickly constitution-the lady’s
own age being only nineteen. Shortly before the marriage, a younger brother
of this gentleman, named Patrick, and a lieutenant in the 89th Foot, had returned
on account of bad health from India, and had taken up his residence
as a visitor at his brother’s house. The marriage took place three or four days
after Patrick’s return; and in less than a week the intercourse betwixt him
and his brother’s wife, which led to such tragical consequences, was stated to
have commenced. Four months afterwards, in pursuance of a diabolical plot
betwixt Mrs. Ogilvie and her seducer, the former effected the death of her husband
by means of arsenic. She and her accomplice were accordingly brought
to trial, when both were found guilty, and condemned to be hanged. Sentencedangerous, preferring
rather to lie in the stable, if he could get no other accommodation, till daylight,
Lord Dunsinnan, thus driven to extremities, returned to his guest, and
made known the dilemma in which they were placed. “ George, ” said he, ‘‘ if
you stay, you will go to bed at ten and rise at three ; and then I shall get the
bed after you.”
The property of Dunsinnan, which included nearly the entire parish of Collace,
was far from being in a state of improvement when it came into his hands ;
a great part of the lands consisted of what is termed “outfield,” and the
farms were made up of detached portions, many of these at considerable distances.
No sooner had Sir William obtained possession of the estate than he
set about dividing the lands into compact and regular farms, which he enclosed,
and gave to each a certain portion of outfield ; at the same time he built comfortable
dwellings for many of his tenants, and, by proper encouragement, induced
others to do so for themselves. He thus, with no niggardly hand, promoted
alike the prosperity of the tenant, and ensured the rapid improvement of
the soil.
Sir William was appointed a Lord of Justiaiary, in 1792, on the death of
Lord Stonefield ; and continued to attend the duties of the circuit until 1808,
when he resigned, and the following year retired from the Court of Session
altogether. He died at a very advanced age at Dunsinnan House on the
25th March 1811. The title became extinct in his person, and a nephew (his
sister’s son) succeeded to the estate and assumed the name of Nairne.
His lordship’s residence in Edinburgh was Minto House, Argyle Square.
Previous to his removal thither, he occupied a tenement at the head of the
Parliament Stairs, lately a printing-office ; but now removed to make way for
the new Justiciary Court-Room.
Before concluding this sketch, it may be noticed that Lord Dunsinnan was
uncle to the famous Catherine Nairne or Ogilvie, whose trial in 17 65 for the
crimes of murder and incest, excited such general interest. She married in
that year Thomas Ogilvie, Esq. of Eastmiln, Forfarshire,-a gentleman, as was
stated at the trial, forty years of age and of a sickly constitution-the lady’s
own age being only nineteen. Shortly before the marriage, a younger brother
of this gentleman, named Patrick, and a lieutenant in the 89th Foot, had returned
on account of bad health from India, and had taken up his residence
as a visitor at his brother’s house. The marriage took place three or four days
after Patrick’s return; and in less than a week the intercourse betwixt him
and his brother’s wife, which led to such tragical consequences, was stated to
have commenced. Four months afterwards, in pursuance of a diabolical plot
betwixt Mrs. Ogilvie and her seducer, the former effected the death of her husband
by means of arsenic. She and her accomplice were accordingly brought
to trial, when both were found guilty, and condemned to be hanged. Sentence
