The History of Lochee

Old Lochee Book 1911.

From "Lochee" - As it was and is - by Alexander Elliot - 1911

Chapter 9

THE DUNCANS OF LUNDIE AND CAMPERDOWN.

FROM an entirely different aspect from anything heretofore mentioned, Lochee should prove interesting. It was built on lands owned by a distinguished family, the members of which contributed towards its development. Originally the Duncans were proprietors of Lundie only, but latterly other estates were added. These included Easter Gourdie, Pitalpin, and Dryburgh. About the exact date of the Duncans entering into possession of Lundie there is some dubiety. Several authorities differ slightly. Dr A. H. Millar, the compiler of the "Dundee Roll of Fame," gives a brief though succinct account of some of the earlier Duncans. "The family which is now represented by the Earl of Camperdown," he says, "can be traced in connection with Dundee from the beginning of the sixteenth century. From that date onwards the name appears frequently in the records of the burgh. In 1590 William Duncan, surgeon, was Dean of Guild of Dundee. The following year he was appointed Bailie, which, office he held till his death in 1608. From him descended that Alexander Duncan of Lundie who claimed to be a burgess through his father's privileges. He was the son of William Duncan of Seasyde, a Bailie in Dundee in 1656, and was born in 1652. At an early age he took part in the municipal affairs of the burgh; and, having amassed and inherited a considerable fortune, he acquired the estate of Lundie, from Colin Campbell, a scion of the family of Argyll. The exact date of the purchase is not known; but as Campbell was retoured to Lundie on 23rd April 1674, and Duncan was in possession of the estate in 1681, it must have been between these dates."Lord Camperdown, in his "History of Admiral Duncan" gives the indefinite date a year later than Dr Millar, and states that Alexander Duncan of Lundie, was Provost of Dundee from 1682 till 1685. His Lordship, in all likelihood, is right, as the figures 1682 are cut into some stone mouldings that had belonged to the Castle. Ochterlony, in his account of Forfarshire, in 1684-5, describing Lundie Castle, says: "It is a big old house, hath a great loch, abounding in pykes, pearches, and eels, and abundance of freshwater foul." It was reputed to have been built about 1540 by Sir John Campbell, Lord High Treasurer to James V.

Provost Duncan must have been a person of conspicuous ability, as he shed a lustre upon every office he filled. Within a year or two after demitting office he was re-elected bailie. The period was critical, and men with clear heads and undoubted aptitude were needed. A great revolution had passed over the laud. William of Orange had ascended the throne, and, although he dealt fairly between parties, bitterness and animosity were acutely in the ascendant. Tact and discrimination, therefore, were qualities most essential in dealing with questions rendered thorny by disappointed ambition and evaporating hopes. In Dundee an unfortunate dynasty had many sympathisers," amongst whom were the friends and allies of Claverhouse, who, on 13th May 1689, had made a futile attack upon the town. Acting with prudence, and with a firm hand, quelling the rebellious spirits of those fiery, meddlesome times, Alexander Duncan betrayed powers that entitled him to rank as one of the most able administrators of his time. In those days the life of a leading citizen was a strenuous one. Wise in counsel, and brave in strife—for the man of high estate or low had to place himself shoulder to shoulder with his fellows in common cause when the town was endangered—Duncan was always to the forefront. He spent himself, in fact, for behoof of his townsmen, and passed away veritably in harness. This gallant, self-sacrificing, public-spirited citizen died in 1696 at the com­paratively early age of 44 years. His remains were interred in the Howff beside those of his wife and several of his children. In 1718 an elaborate mural tablet was erected to his memory by Alexander, his son and successor.

That gentleman, too, seems to have possessed many excellent traits. Like his father, he was initiated into the ways of public life when quite a young man; and also like his sire, he long bore a conspicuous and honourable part in the affairs of the venerable burgh. It was during his civic career that an historic phantasm, enlivened with a certain amount of popular ceremonial and garish display, disturbed the national mind, and eventually dwarfed into insignificance. The Earl of Mar, with that ardour which has always characterised the Highland chieftain, precipitated the cause of the Chevalier de St George by hoisting his standard at Braemar, 6th September 1715. Flattered and feted, amid an array of pageantry and pomp, the claimant to royal place and power made a pilgrimage of the principal places in the north-east of Scotland, issuing manifestoes as he went. In. the succeeding January Dundee was honoured with his presence. The ensemblage was imposing, and embraced elements calculated to leave their impress upon the minds of an excited and sympathetic multitude. Accompanied by a brilliant cavalcade, which included representatives of some of the best families in the shires, his advent to Dundee was hailed with acclamation by the crowd. Mounted on a gaily caparisoned steed—his personal attendants being noblemen of rank—he was the cynosure of all eyes. Most of the magistrates were Jacobites. Their love for the old House burned as loyally as in days of yore. The fascination and charm which were the peculiar attributes of the Stuarts were exercised to the fullest, and jubilation was unqualified and universal. Those of the magistracy who held opposite views discreetly remained in the background. Alexander Duncan was one of that limited circle. Staunch to his constitutional principles, he did not forsake his duty, and, despite taunts and threats, remained in the town undaunted.

The outbreak ended in disaster. It was a vain show from start to finish. The insurgents fled at the approach of Argyle. A temporary magistracy was formed, and to Alexander Duncan, who was appointed Constable-Depute, David Hallyburton of Pitcur, John Scrimgeour, sen., and John Scrimgeour, jun., that duty was delegated. The elder Scrimgeour was elected provost, and Mr Duncan was made a member of Council. A few years later he was deservedly promoted 'to a higher place. In all his pursuits —in times of tranquility and of storm and stress—he brought to bear unflinching integrity. Could a man, therefore, be better equipped to fill the highest civic post? And was it not to the credit of his colleagues that they should on 26th September 1717 —two years subsequent to the Rebellion—elevate him to the provostship? From then until his death some time later he continued in office, and displayed an unselfishness and singleness of purpose that strengthened the bond between him and the people. Little wonder that his strength gave way prematurely, the strain, mental and physical, engendered by the outbreak no doubt being the cause. This fact is borne out by the Rev. John Willison, in a publication now scarce, entitled "An Apology for the Church of Scotland," which he dedicated to Provost Duncan of Lundie. "His (Mr Duncan's) health," he writes, " hath been long in a declining state, and particularly ever since the late unnatural rebellion, for Lundie, being thereby obliged to retire from his own house and native air, and live several months together in a town, all contributed to a bad habit of body under which he hath been languishing ever since that time." He died 2nd January 1719. Mr Willison eulogised the character of the deceased provost, and records that "he was an unspeakable loss to the town of Dundee and the whole county of Angus. A man of eminent piety, sound principles, and widely read, he was a resolute adherent of the Church of Scotland and the Protestant Succession as established by law." Mr Willison brings out a fine trait in Mr Duncan's character illustrative of the personal interest he took in the varied affairs of his tenantry and dependents. "As he was a most easy and kind master to his tenants all his life," he states," so at his death he testified great charity to such of them as were insolvent or poor by causing them to burn their bonds and bills for what they owed. ... In a word, Lundie was a rare and extraordinary instance of one in whom appeared a very sweet inixture of knowledge and zeal, capacity, and readiness to serve the public good." Such is the graceful tribute of a minister of the gospel towards a man of acknowledged worth, Mr Duncan at his decease was in his prime, being only forty-two years of age. His remains were interred amongst those of his kindred in the Howff.

ANOTHER DUNCAN OF NOTE.

The third Alexander Duncan worthily upheld the reputation of his family. Born at Lundie in 1703, like his sires he was destined to take an active part in a stirring epoch in Scottish annals. Like his sires, too, he found scope for the exercise of his talents in the affairs of the burgh, to the administration of which he devoted a large part of his lifetime. Entering the Town Council in 1742, he was soon raised to the chief magistracy. It was during his term of office that Scotland was again thrown into one of those fierce paroxysms of internecine turmoil that have so often marred her equanimity and repose. Charles Stuart, that Prince of the old Scottish line whose praises have been rapturously sung, and whose misfortunes have formed the burden of many a fascinating tale, burst over the land like a brilliant but somewhat erratic meteor. With his advent the floodgates of enthusiasm were flung open. The sentiment of loyalty, which was the mainspring of the Rising of 1715, was not so dormant that the potency of the royal charmer could fail to quicken it into renewed activity; and well it was known that the hearts of his admirers were so susceptible that the very utterance of his name was sufficient to make them glow as of old with all their impulsive strength and unselfish ardour. It was under these critical circumstances that the inherent quality of a man entrusted with the supreme guidance of a burgh was tested. When the troops of the Prince, turbulent, fiery, and elated with success, threatened the destruction of Dundee, the common sense which was a ruling feature in the Duncans did not fail. During a desultory occupation of six months—harassed on the one hand by the wild excesses of rude, undisciplined clansmen, and on the other by the intrigues and chicanery of political zealots—Provost Duncan acted temperately, and endeavoured to stem lawlessness and preserve order. After the rebels had departed there was the usual reflux in public opinion; some vacillated, some were staunch, and others were assertive. Eventually an address setting forth the loyalty of the inhabitants was forwarded to the King. The signatory was Provost Duncan, and the missive was presented to His Majesty by Mr Thomas Leslie, member of Parliament for the district. After a long and useful career Mr Duncan succumbed at Lundie House, not far from the city, at the age of 62 years. His remains were consigned to the tomb of his fathers in the Howff.

It is seldom that a group of men, succeeding each other in one family, stand out in such bold relief as this noble triumvirate. Each was a man of distinctive mark. Each followed in the footsteps of the other—the son in those of the sire. And each, in chivalrous spirit, devoted a large slice of his lifetime to the public weal. In three outstanding phases in our annals they fill niches allotted to few. The first resisted Claverhouse; the second defied the First Pretender; and the third opposed the Second Pretender! A great historic tableau! These strenuous Lairds of Lundie individually were successively raised to the highest dignity the town could bestow; each walked in wisdom's ways; and it was the fortune of each, too, in a civic capacity, to safeguard the Constitution in times of peril and stress. THE HERO OF A WELL-KNOWN NOVEL—A GRAND SOLDIER.

When Provost Duncan left Lundie Castle during the rising of Prince Charles and settled at Gourdie House, to enable him to be near the town in case of emergency, he had three sons, who, in their respective walks of life, were destined to play important parts. John, the eldest, died in China after a brilliant career in the service of the East India Company. The others were Alexander and Adam—a soldier the one, the famous Admiral the other. The former is lost to fame—the memory of the Admiral will be enshrined in the hearts of his countrymen for all time.

Alexander lies in the quiet churchyard of Lundie, forgotten and unknown. The Admiral, who also lies in that sunny spot, is a national asset. More, perhaps, than any other member of the family, Alexander Duncan took an interest in the rising colony of Lochee. During his brief proprietorship it was in the heyday of prosperity. Experience gained in the school of the world enabled him to foresee the great part industry would play in the future. His views were not so obscured by his long connection, with arms as to blind him to the advantages of commerce. To Lochee he gave every encouragement, and commended its products. It would be regrettable, therefore, if this grand type of a Scottish soldier of the eighteenth century, who maintained the reputation of our arms at home and in lands afar off should be entirely lost sight of. Lord Camperdown, in his memoirs of the admiral, alludes to this distinguished veteran. "Alexander Duncan," he remarks, "obtained a commission in the 55th Regiment, which was raised in the neighbourhood of Stirling at the time of the Rebellion of 1745. He was present on January 14, 1746, at Falkirk, when General Hawley's forces were defeated by the Highlanders; but, although his regiment broke, he with some officers remained, and came off unharmed. He afterwards served on the Continent and in Canada. He was an excellent regimental officer, devoted both to his officers and men, but he seems to have had no opportunity of distinguishing himself in the field, although he was well known in Canada, and was the 'Major Duncan' of Fenimore Cooper's novel 'The Pathfinder.'" Who has not read that fascinating novel, the fourth of the stirring "Leather Stocking" series, and -one of the most popular that came from .the pen of the once world-read "Scott, of America"?

Lord Camperdown further adds: " An interesting memoir of him [Colonel Duncan] at the time of the French war in Canada, when he was major of the regiment, is to be found in a book well-known in America, 'Memoirs of an American Lady,' by Mrs Grant of Laggan, whose father was an officer in the regiment, at that time stationed at Albany, and later at Fort Oswego, on Lake Ontario, 'Major Duncan,' she writes, 'was an experienced officer, possessed of considerable military science, learned, humane, and judicious. Wherever he went a respectable library went with him. He took great pains with the officers and men of the regiment, and when stationed up country strongly inculcated the necessity of not being idle, and taught them to occupy their time with industries. He learned them gardening and farming. He set young officers to read books which .suited their different inclinations. They loved him, and, at the same time, stood in awe of him. He was so just and impartial, so free from fickleness and favouritism, so attentive to their health, their amusements, and their economy that every individual felt him to be necessary to their comfort, and looked up to him as guide, philosopher, and friend. The war, which broke out after the peace of 1763, occasioned the detention of six companies of the regiment at Ontario until 1765, when Colonel Duncan, who now commanded, returned to Ireland, and soon after retired from the service. He was frequently visited by his old officers at his Forfarshire home (Lundie House), who still regarded him with warm attachment.'" It was this gallant gentlemen, unostentatious and brave, who on the death of his father, the third Provost Duncan, succeeded to the Lundie estates, upon which he made many improvements. Colonel Duncan married Miss Smythe of Methven, and during the years vouchsafed him he enjoyed that domestic felicity that was a fitting reward to one who had spent most of his lifetime in listening to "war's alarms" on the Continent and in the vast solitudes of the Canadian wilderness. It would be interesting to learn how Fenimore Cooper became acquainted with details in the career of this fine old soldier, who had left Canada several years before the novelist was born. It is just possible that Cooper, whilst in quest of suitable material for his novels had stumbled upon and interviewed some of the veterans who had formed part of Duncan's command. Cooper, too, must have been fairly conversant with the family history and its antecedents, as the delineation of the colonel is true to life. "Tall, of imposing figure, grave in disposition, and accurate and precise in his acts and manner of thinking; experience and tried service, in his opinion, were of as much value as birth or money." Alexander Haldane likewise pays a tribute to the gallant veteran. "He was a man," he writes, "of a very noble, gallant, and energetic character, whose services were so highly prized by the Government that it was with difficulty he obtained leave to retire from the army." Alexander Duncan, gentleman and soldier, died without issue at Lundie House in August 1798.

THE HERO OF CAMPERDOWN.

Adam Duncan, the illustrious Admiral, succeeded to the family estates. The personal characteristics of the brothers were identical. Brave to a degree, they were gentle and kind. Both were of great stature, Alexander being over six feet and the Admiral several inches taller. It was remarkable, too, that through life they adhered to the behest of their forefathers, and were noted for their high ideal of Christian deportment. The piety of William Duncan of Seasyde, their ancestor, seems to have permeated adown the generations. In view of the comprehensive biography of the Admiral by his kinsman, Lord Camperdown, it would be injudicious to present, even in epitome, anything of the nature of a sketch of the valiant sailor. Permission, however, may be taken to state that Admiral Duncan was born at top of Seagate, Dundee, 1st July 1731, and received his education at the Grammar School of the town. Entering the Navy in 1746, he passed successively from rank to rank until eventually he was honoured with the blue ribbon of his profession. He was engaged in active service in all parts of the world, and it is said so devoted was he to his calling that for half a century he scarcely once saw home. The reward, however, was in keeping with an arduous career, and the climax was attained by the crushing victory over the Dutch off Camperdown, llth October 1797. Honoured and applauded by the nation, he received the adulation with that spirit of self-abnegation for which he was distinguished. On the death of his elder brother he was served owner to the paternal estates, and as he was now well-advanced in life he determined to retire to the home of his people. It has been stated that the Duncans were men of fine physique A graphic delineation of the Admiral's personality at the time of his retirement is quoted from a magazine of the period. Before his departure for Scotland he was entertained to a banquet at Yarmouth.

The narrator was one of the guests. "He was," he remarks, "one of the finest men in his person I ever beheld. Imagine a man, six feet four inches in height, with limbs of proportionate girth and strength. His features were nobly beautiful, his forehead high and fair, and his hair white as snow. His movements were all stately and unaffected, and his manner easy though dignified. One beautiful trait in the gallant old man was that he took the earliest occasion to turn towards his own home and affections. 'Gentlemen,' said he, ' I'll give you [a toast] the best woman in the world—I'll give you my own wife, Lady Duncan!' . . . When the moment arrived for the departure of Lord Duncan, he rose slowly from his seat, drew himself up to his full height, and, in a few simple words, announced that he must take his leave. A dead silence ensued. He turned to the Russian Admiral, and, folding his vast arms round him, expressed his farewell in this solemn embrace. It was then that the voices of his companions-in-arms broke forth, and he was saluted with three such cheers—so hearty, so regular, so true, that they vibrated through every fibre of my frame. The venerable man bent his head upon his breast for a moment, and seemed deeply impressed. He then bowed low and majestically, tucked his triangular gold-laced hat under his huge arm, and walked gravely down the room to the door amid a silence so intense that his measured tread sounded like minute drops. He stopped; he turned; he again reared himself to his noble height, took his hat from under his arm, waved it over his head, gave three loud, articulate, and distinct hurrahs in return for the former salutation, placed his hat upon his brow, and closed the door."

Admiral Duncan when young was the finest and tallest man in the navy. Ralfe, in his "Naval Biography," describes him as a "person of manly and athletic form, erect, and graceful, with a countenance that indicated great intelligence and benevolence, and was considered one of the handsomest men of his age. It is reported that when appointed to a lieutenancy, and passing through Chatham, the inhabitants were so struck with his figure and appearance that they came out of their houses and followed him as far as the eye could reach, as though they beheld some strange or unusual prodigy."
During the few years the Admiral resided at Lundie House he took much interest in the affairs of Lochee. He visited it frequently, and aged persons recount the tales told by their parents of his kindness and that of his lady. He could never, it seems, throw off his seafaring habits, and when he went amongst the people his dress partook largely of the nautical. He was much beloved, especially by his tenantry, his demeanour being always marked by dignified courtesy. The manner of his death at Cornhill, Berwickshire, on 4th August 1804, whilst on his way to London, is well known. Mourning was universal and sincere. He was interred beside his brother, the gallant soldier, in Lundie Churchyard, where a monument was erected to his memory.

ANOTHER DISTINGUISHED MEMBER OF THE DUNCAN FAMILY.

The army and navy claimed "two distinguished members of the Duncan family. The enlightened profession of medicine demanded another. William Duncan, the second son of the second proprietor of Lundie, studied in Edinburgh University, and took his degree of M.D. with honour. Subsequently, he gravitated to London, and acquired a good practice. While in London, according to a clerical writer of some fifty years ago, "he captivated the affections of the lady who afterwards became his wife "—the Lady Mary Tufton, daughter of Sackville, Earl of Thanet. After his marriage Dr Duncan went abroad. On returning to England he again settled in London, where, as stated by the same authority, "he lived in great splendour." The Duncan family had always been loyal to the House of Hanover. Its members had stood by it in the hour of trouble. They were staunch, dour, siccar—ever ready to help with hand and heart and head. Royalty did not forget, and their merit was recognised even before the fullness of time. Dr Duncan became a personal friend of George II., who appointed him Physician-Extraordinary to his own person; and in 1754 he was further honoured by being created a Baronet. Sir William died in 1789, and Lady Mary, his wife, erected a mausoleum in Lundie Churchyard for the reception of his remains. Her Ladyship at death was interred beside her husband. There being no family, the title lapsed. Lady Mary seems to have been as much esteemed as her husband, and her name lingered as a sweet memory long after her demise. Admiral Duncan was succeeded by Robert Dundas Haldane Duncan, his eldest surviving son, who was born 21st March 1785. Apart from improving his estates, he associated himself with local and imperial affairs. A consistent Constitutionalist, he was created by letters patent an Earl in 1831. Passing away on 22nd December 1859, he was followed by Adam, his son—born 25th March 1812—to whom many harbour improvements can be ascribed. Camperdown Dock, as a recognition of his services, was dedicated to him. At his death, 30th January 1867, Robert Adam Phillips Haldane Duncan, the present holder of the title and Baron of Lundie—born 28th May 1841—is the most distin­guished member of the family since the days of the gallant Admiral. In him the public spirit of his ancestors is reflected, his career, from youth onward, affording many illustrations of his attachment to his native land and determination that it shall hold a front place in the nations of the world. When only twenty-one years of age he unsuccessfully contested a constituency. The death of his father rendered any further effort in that direction unnecessary, as he forthwith took his seat in the House of Lords. In 1868-71 he held office as Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria; and during Gladstone's administration was Civil Lord of the Admiralty from 1871 till 1874. When the Liberal Party was severed on the question of Home Rule, Lord Camperdown demurred to the Gladstone policy, and adopted that of the Unionists, to which he has continued to adhere. Lord Camper-down has always been intimately associated with Dundee, and has done much to place its institutions on a popular and stable base, his exertions on behalf of University College, for example, being highly meritorious. Since its inception Lord Camperdown has acted as Chairman of the Forfarshire County Council, and there is no doubt it has been mainly through his initiative that so many important improvements have been effected in all parts of the shire. He is also Chairman of the Dundee and District Liberal Unionist Association, and holds numerous honorary appointments. In addition to the Lundie estates he is owner of Gleneagles in Perthshire, and estates in Warwickshire in England.

THE HALDANES—YOUTH AND TRAINING.

Robert and James Haldane, who were almost as celebrated in the evangelical field as Wesley and Whitfield, spent most of their youth amongst their relations at Lundie House, where their father, Captain James Haldane, had married his cousin, Catherine Duncan, on 15th December 1762. The Haldanes lost their parents in childhood, the father dying of fever in 1768, and their mother six years thereafter. Upon Lady Duncan the responsibility of their upbringing and early education devolved, and no duty could have been more faithfully discharged, as the after lives of these exemplary men fully testified. In due time the Haldanes were placed in charge of resident tutors—an uncle of Thomas Hood, the poet and satirist, being one of them, and upon whom they latterly conferred several personal mementoes. Subsequently the youths were transferred to the Grammar School in Dundee, Lady Duncan making the town house of George Dempster of Dunnichen her residence to be near them. Ultimately the Haldanes finished their education in Edinburgh. It often has been observed that the idiosyncrasies of manhood are foreshadowed in early years. That holds good in the case of the Haldanes. Their parents were pious, and after the death of the father the solicitude of the remaining parent for the adequate religioiis training of her children was strongly manifested. It is recorded that when Mrs Haldane was left a widow it became her chief concern to bring up her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. From their infancy she laboured to instil into their minds a sense of the importance of eternity, particularly impressing upon them the necessity of prayer. "She lived," said her eldest son, many years after, "very near to God, and much grace was given to her." Apart from maternal example, the Haldanes by nature were devout. Robert for a time entertained a desire to fit himself for the ministry. At Lundie House, it "was his wont regularly every Sunday to exhibit this inclination by addressing—or it may be called preaching to—the domestics in the servants' hall. This may be considered as savouring of childish sport, but he himself spoke of it far otherwise near the close of his life, and stated that from the time he was nine years old he had more or less serious convictions of the things of God. It was also the frequent custom of the two boys, after they had retired to bed, to converse together about the things to which their departed mother had attached so much importance; and this habit, no doubt, was beneficial to both, tending to cherish in their hearts a hidden spark of love to Jesus Christ and the things of heaven." A bright light is herewith thrown upon their early lives. After the Battle of Camperdown, Admiral Duncan declared that of all the letters of congratulation he had received on his victory none had gratified him more than those of his nephew, Robert Haldane. And when he returned home to Lundie House, no one conversed more fully or familiarly or with greater interest than his nephews on the details of the action. The Haldanes frequently visited Lochee and Dundee. St David's Established Church, originally known as the Tabernacle, was built at their instance in 1800.

THE HOMES OF THE DUNCANS.

Those writers who refer to the Duncan family and its ante­cedents seem to have a hazy idea of the proper location of the patrimonial residences. To them Lundie Castle and Lundie House seem synonymous, and both have been taken for one and the same dwelling. It is therein the mistake lies, as they were entirely separate mansions. Indeed, no effort appears to have been made to ascertain their exact relationship, or if any existed. Lundie Castle was situated on an eminence not far from the village of Lundie, and Lundie House stood near the present mansion of Camperdown. Alexander Haldane, in his "Lives of Robert Haldane of Airthrey and his Brother, James Haldane," furnishes an explanation. Mr Haldane states that after the Rebellion of 1745—towards the suppression of which he did good service, and while nearing the close of a long life—Provost Duncan "left the fine old family residence of Lundie Castle to reside nearer the town at Grourdie House, a name for which his eldest son (Colonel Duncan) substituted that of Lundie, but which was destined to be again changed to Camperdown upon the erection by his grandson of a new and splendid edifice." Like all strongholds, the castle has been described as massive, and fitted to withstand aggressive onslaughts. The debris of the old building was not wholly removed till about 1830, and there is still extant a remnant of one of the offices, whilst a number of carved stones, some of them grotesque, have been built into the walls of a neat cottage which stands on the site of the castle.

Lundie House was of a different order, and typical of the archi­tecture of the middle of the seventeenth century. Occupying a fine situation a short distant west of the present mansion, it was substantial and devoid of elaboration. In height it was two storeys, and the attic windows were of the dormer pattern. The whole formed a quadrangle, with a hollow square in the centre, access to the latter being obtained by a wide arched passage at the north. The principal apartments and main entrance fronted the south.

Following a common practice of the period, the external surface of the walls was harled and treated to a coating of lime-wash, over which there clung clustering roses and climbing plants. A lawn of considerable extent, well laid out, added to its simple attractiveness, and great spreading trees timbered its environs. Only two mementoes of this fine old family seat remain—the site of a pump and a fragment of masonry. The pump gives the position of the building. This useful domestic accessory stood close to the door of the kitchen, which, along with the servants' quarters, was on the west side of the square. The masonry adverted to was part of the retaining wall of the gardens which adjoined the mansion on the north. It is now adjacent to the stables.

Some interest is lent to it by having the figurehead (lion rampant) of the "Vryheid," Admiral de Winter's flagship, enclosed in a gigantic case, close beside it. For many years this unique fragment of a great sea conflict stood unsheltered in front of Lundie House. The modern seat of the family is Camperdown House, situated about three miles from Dundee. It is a handsome edifice, though somewhat plain in the composition of its architecture. This fault, if it is one, is relieved by a massive portico, the super­structure being supported by a range of Ionic fluted columns. White sandstone has been used, and this material imparts to the structure a perennially fresh appearance. The family removed into it in 1828, and Lundie House was demolished some years afterwards.
The weeping elms, generally known as the "Camperdown Weeper," have long been conspicuous amongst the timber which covers the grounds. These trees, many offshoots of which adorn the lawns of great mansions in England and Scotland, are still the chief arboreal ornaments at Camperdown. A sycamore planted by Admiral Duncan in 1800, and known as the "Admiral's Tree," is conspicuous on the lawn near the south elevation of the mansion.