THE seat of the Right Hon. Sir Andrew Buchanan, G.C.B., is situated in the parish of Strathblane and county of Stirling, and is distant about nine miles from Glasgow.
The lands of Craigend originally formed part of the ancient barony of Mugdock, which was granted to Sir Patrick de Grame, ancestor of the noble family of Montrose, by Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, in the thirteenth century. (1) In consequence of the loyal exertions of the Great Marquis of Montrose, his fortune was greatly impaired, and at his death, the second Marquis, "James the Good," was obliged to sell part of the family estates to clear off the debt left by his father. A portion of the barony of Mugdock was then sold, and a small part of it, including that where the house of Craigend now stands, and which was formerly called the Gallowhill, was bought by Robert Smith in the year 1660. (2) The Smiths had previously, for many generations, been tenants on the same lands on the barony. An old house suited to the size of the property stood on or near the site of the present mansion.
Towards the end of last century, John Smith, the then laird, who was a West India proprietor and merchant in Glasgow, built a plain square house in lieu of the old residence of his forefathers; and soon after his death, James Smith, his son, built the present house, which includes part of the old one, from plans furnished by his cousin, James Smith, then younger of Jordanhill, and there has been no alteration since. The property of Craigend has been added to by purchases at various times. James Smith died in 1838, and was succeeded by his son John Smith, who sold the estate in 1851.
Craigend was then bought by the present proprietor, the Right Hon. Sir Andrew Buchanan, G.C.B., lately British Ambassador at the Court of Vienna. Sir Andrew is the only son of the late James Buchanan of Ardenconnel and Blairvadick, (3) Dumbartonshire, and formerly of the well known firm of Dennistoun, Buchanan & Co., merchants in Glasgow; his mother, the Lady Janet Buchanan, was the eldest daughter of James, 12th Earl of Caithness This branch of the ancient family of Buchanan have been settled for many generations in the counties of Stirling and Dumbarton, and many of its members have been connected, by commerce or otherwise, with the city of Glasgow.
Sir Andrew Buchanan of Craigend, born 1807, married first, in 1839, Frances Katharine, only daughter of the late Very Rev. Edward Mellish of Rushall, County Stafford, formerly Dean of Hereford, and sister of the late Right Honourable Sir George Mellish, Lord Justice of Appeal, by whom he has, with other issue, James, Captain R.N. Sir Andrew married secondly, in 1857, Georgiana Elizabeth, third daughter of Robert Walter, 11th Lord Blantyre.
(1) Chartulary of Lennox.
(2) There are several families of Glasgow citizens, and others, descended from this stock. John Smith, grandson of Robert Smith, was born at Craigend in 1724. In early life he entered the army, and, being wounded at one of the battles in Flanders, retired and established himself as a bookseller in Glasgow. His son was another John, the son of the original John Smith & Son, and his grandson was the late Dr. John Smith, of Crutherland well known for his antiquarian and literary tastes, and as a great supporter of the Maitland Club. He died unmarried. The M'Duffs of Bonhard are descendants of his sister. The firm John Smith & Son still exists, but none of the family are connected with it.
James Smith of Craigend, who married Jane Duncan and died in 1786, had a daughter, the eldest of the family, Elizabeth, mother of John Guthrie of Carbeth (which see), and besides, John Smith, the next laird, James of Craighead (which see), and Robert, the father of the late Stewart Smith of Glasgow, who was Bailie in 1820-28, and Dean of Guild 1828-30, and in 1803 captain of the Anderston regiment of the local militia. Stewart Smith had a large family, and his sons, William and James Graham, of the Lancefield company, and Charles Hutchison Smith, are now citizens of Glasgow. Archibald of Jordanhill (which see) was another of James Smith of Craigend's sons. A younger daughter Jean married Andrew Buchanan of Borrowstowness, and had issue. John Smith of Craigend, who married Janet Shortridge and died in 1816, had a daughter Hannah, who married in 1809 Andrew Ranken, an active and highly respected citizen, and a captain in the Glasgow Sharpshooters in 1823. He was the son of the Rev. Dr. Alexander Ranken, of the Ramshorn Kirk. His eldest son is Alexander Ranken, formerly of Glasgow. His eldest daughter, Janet, married James Macnair of Aucheneck, who has many descendants, his eldest daughter being Hannah, who is married to Charles Gairdner of the Union Bank. Another of Andrew Ranken's daughters, Euphemia, married Matthew Pearce, late of Glasgow, whose descendants are very numerous. James Smith of Craigend, who married Agnes Maxwell Graham, and died in 1838, was the father of John Smith, the last laird, and who sold Craigend; of James Graham, who married Janet Dunlop of Clober, and who assumed the additional name of Maxwell on succeeding to Merksworth; of Agnes, who married David, 13th Earl of Buchan, and had issue; and of Archibald, Charles, and Andrew.
(3) James Buchanan was the second son of Andrew Buchanan of Ardenconnel, and of the Drumpellier and Auchentorlie family (see Mount Vernon), by Jane, eldest daughter of James Dennistoun of Colgrain and Dennistoun. By his wife, the Lady Janet Sinclair, he had one son, Sir Andrew, the present proprietor of Craigend, and five daughters - Helen John Sinclair, wife of William Wootten Abney of Measham. He died without issue. Jane Dennistoun, married to William Tritton of the Grove, Somersetshire, whose daughter Margaret is the wife of Alexander J. Dennistoun Brown of Balloch; Jane Campbell, married to Richard Fox of Awbawn, and has issue; Charlotte Macgregor Murray, married to Charles Henry Forbes of Kingairloch, and has issue; and Matilda Frances Harriet, married to Patrick Maitland of Freugh, and has issue
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