Talk:Alexander Arbuthnot (politician)

Contradiction
The source added by DGG states he represented Bervie until 1707, but he died in 1705? Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 12:46, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Legal document from 1685
I've OCRed this document from Historical Notices of Scotish Affairs: Selected from the Manuscripts of Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall, Bart., one of the Senators of the College of Justice, Volume 2nd 1683-1688 1848, Edinburgh - the whole book is downloadable from Google books. Please note I don't think this helps his notability either way. Note that Arbuthnot is referred to as Knox in the document- the Vicountesse of Arbuthnot referred to is Katherine, widow of his brother Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd Viscount of Arbuthnott (who died in 1682) who remarried Sir David Carnegie, 1st Baronet of Pitcarrow. Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 13:32, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

"Ultimo Aprilis 1685.-At Privy Counsell, Alexander Arbuthnot of Knox is pershueing the Vicountesse of Arbuthnot, and Sir David Car­nagie of Pitarro, now hir husband, to deliver up to him, as nearest agnate past 25 years, (for my Lord Arbuthnot was but 22,) and as tutor at law served to his brother's children, with ther writs, shee having lost the tutory and custody by hir 2' marriage. Alleged, 1st, Some are within 7 years, and so ought to remain with the mother; others are part pupil­arity, and so belong not to the tutor. 2" The Vicount, by a write under his hand, had ordained his children to stay with ther mother the wholl tyme of ther minority. Answered, Esto he had expressly appointed them to stay even after hir re-marieng, the law repudiated that provision as contra jus et utilitatern publicam ; for shee being sub potestate mariti, could not have children in sua potestate, being hirselfe sub potestate alterius; and this was so found by the Lords in Dury, 8" Martij 1636, Stewart contra Anderson, and he was not alioqui successurus, and so might be trusted with ther custody. The Lords having resolved to gratify Pittarro on the Lady Erroll's solicitation, found, tho' Knox had the right of tutory, yet the mother, tho' re-married, had the right of custody, (which was a subtile distinction,) in respect of the father's enixe will and inclination; which they gathered from this, that in the same paper he declares, if shee marry again, shee shall lose ane additionall joynture he had given hir, but does not adject that clause to the tutory, that shee shall lose it in case of hir re-marriage. Thus the living expound the will of the dead as they please. In case they had been decerned to give up the bairnes, (as in law they should,) Pittarro was resolved to offer to aliment them at 300 mks. the piece, to force Knox to take them at the same rate."

Residence
I found a reference to him as being "of Knox Castle"- I assume that the Castle is the one marked here, southwest of Inverbervie, west of Gourdon, Aberdeenshire? However a search for "Knox Castle" doesn't turn up anything so perhaps it's now called something else? Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 13:54, 6 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I think it might be Benholm Castle-, - can anyone confirm whether this was where Alexander Arbuthnot lived? Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 14:01, 6 June 2007 (UTC)
 * OK, this suggests that Benholm Castle was owned by the Lundie family, then passed into the Keith family, Earls Marischal through the marriage of Elizabeth Lundie to Robert Keith, Lord Altrie. When he died in 1596 it passed to George Keith 5th Earl Marischal. George's daughter Margaret married Sir Robert Arbuthnott, of that ilk (grandfather of this Alexander, although she wasn't his grandmother) and Elizabeth, the daughter of William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal married Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd Viscount of Arbuthnott, brother of this Alexander Arbuthnot. However I cannot really see why Benholm Castle would pass into Alexander's hands and I can find no reference to him owning it. Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 14:30, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 05:08, 10 November 2007 (UTC)