“Mr. Johne Lermonth, chapline to Alexander Archbishop of St. Andrews, hath left upon record in a deduction of the descent of the House of Rowallane collected by him at the command of the said Archbishop (whose interest in the familie is to be spoken of heirafter), that Robert, Great Stewart of Scotland, having taken away the said Elizabeth Mure, drew to Sir Adam her father ane instrument that he should take her to his lawful wife, (which myself hath seen saith the collector), as also ane testimonie written in latine by Roger Mc Adame, priest of our Ladie Marie’s chapel (in Kyle), that the said Roger maried Robert and Elizabeth forsds.  But yrafter durring the great troubles in the reign of King David Bruce, to whom the Earl of Rosse continued long a great enemie, at perswasion of some of the great ones of the time, the Bishop of Glasgow, William Rae by name, gave way that the sd marriage should be abrogate by transaction, which both the chief instrument, the Lord Duglasse, the Bishope, and in all likelihood the Great Stewart himself, repented ever hereafter.  The Lord Yester Snawdoune, named Gifford, got to wife the sd Elizabeth, and the Earl of Rosse’s daughter was maried to the Great Stewart, which Lord Yester and Eupheme, daughter to the Earle of Rosse, departing near to one time, the Great Stewart, being then king, openly acknowledged the first mariage, and invited home Elizabeth Mure to his lawfull bed, whose children shortlie yrafter the nobility did sweare in parliament to maintaine in the right of succession to the croune as the only lawfull heirs yrof.”

“In these harder times shee bare to him Robert (named Johne Fairneyear), after Earle of Carrick, who succeeded to the croune; Robert, after Earl of Fyffe and Maneteeth, and Governour; and Alexander, after Earle of Buchane, Lord Badyenoch; and daughters, the eldest maried to Johne Dumbar, brother to the Earl of March, after Earle of Murray, and the second to Johne the Whyt Lyon, progenitor of the House of Glames, now Earle of Kinghorn.”

So much for the marriage of Elizabeth Mure, as given by the historian of the House of Rowallane.  Can any of your readers inform me whether Elizabeth had any issue by her second husband, Lord Yester Snawdoune?  If so, there would be a relationship between Queen Victoria and the Hays, Marquesses of Tweeddale, and the Brouns, Baronets of Colstoun.  One of the latter family received as a dowry with a daughter of one of the Lords Yester the celebrated WARLOCK PEAR, said to have been enchanted by the necromancer Hugo de Gifford, who died in 1267, and which is now nearly six centuries old.  In the Lady of the Lake, James Fitz-James is styled by Scott “Snawdon’s knight;” but why or wherefore does not appear, unless Queen Elizabeth Mure had issue by Gifford.  Robert II. was one of three Scottish kings in succession who married the daughters of their own subjects, and those only of the degree of knights; namely, David Bruce, who married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Loggie; Robert II., who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Adam Mure; and Robert III., who married Annabell, daughter to Sir John Drummond of Stobhall.