Duff of Muirton

DUFF

of MUIRTOWN

 

William Duff, 1st of Muirtown, younger son of Alexander Duff, 3rd of Drummuir and Provost of Inverness, and training for the law, he was admitted Advocate. He acquired the lands of Muirtown, near Inverness, in 1741.

He m. Mary, daughter of Baillie of Torbreck, (she d. at Muirtown, on 6 October 1770[1]), and d. at Muirtown, on 18 May 1782,[2] aged, 75 years,[3] having had issue,

  1. Alexander Duff, younger of Muirtown, (see below).
  2. John Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 5 July 1753.
  3. Jean Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 21 October 1739 and m. on 9 November 1765, to Hugh Falconer of Draikes and Merchant in Inverness,[4] (he d. at Inverness, on 4 July 1775[5]). They had issue.
  4. Katherine Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 7 January 1741 and d. young.
  5. Katherine Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 24 December 1748.
  6. Anne Duff, m. Major John Forbes of Newe, (he d. in the King’s Bench Prison, London, on 2 February 1792[6]), and had issue.
  7. Magdalen Duff, m. firstly, in 1770, to Alexander Duff of Davidson, (he d. on 24 January 1778), and had issue; and secondly, to Rev. Andrew MacFarlane, Bishop of Moray and Ross. She d. at Inverness, on 22 November 1828, in her 77th year.[7]
  8. Mary Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 26 September 1755.

Alexander Duff, younger of Muirtown, bap. at Inverness, in May 1738, and served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 73rdRegiment throughout the German war, then in India.

He m. Christian, daughter of Hugh Baillie of Dochfour, (she d. at Gillingham, Kent, on 19 December 1776, aged 29 years[8]), and d. vita patris at London, in 1778.[9] He was father of,

  1. William Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 27 January 1770 and dsp before December 1776.
  2. Hugh Robert Duff, 2nd of Muirtown, (see below).
  3. William Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 13 June 1776.
  4. Emilia Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 21 December 1772 and m. on 18 February 1795, to Alexander Fraser of Inchcoulter,[10] (he d. at Balcony, on 23 March 1837). She d. at Balcony, on 19 February 1839.[11]
  5. Mary Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 12 April 1774.

Hugh Robert Duff, 2nd of Muirtown, bap. at Inverness, on 30 August 1771 and succeeding, he was served heir to his father and his paternal grandfather, William Duff of Muirton, on 25 July 1783.[12]

He m. at Culloden House, on 26 July 1798, to Sarah Louisa, only daughter of Arthur Forbes of Culloden,[13] (she d. at Muirton House, on 3 July 1829[14]), and d. at Muirtown House on 2 August 1832[15] having had issue,

  1. Alexander Arthur Duff, b. on 31 August 1799 and served in the Royal Regiment of Foot. He dsp at Negapatam, “where he had gone from Trinchonopoly on a few weeks’ visit of pleasure”, on 20 July 1821.[16]
  2. Duncan Forbes Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 24 February 1804 and dsp at Salisbury Place, Regent’s Park, London, on Wednesday 9 July 1828.[17]
  3. Hugh Robert Duff, younger of Muirton, b. on 24 November 1805 and served in the Grenadier Guards of the 9th Regiment. He dsp vita patris at Inches, on 13 January 1830.[18]
  4. William John Duff, bap. at Inverness, on 8 August 1810 and d. at Muirton, on 13 June 1827.[19]
  5. Huntly George Gordon Duff, 3rd of Muirton, (see below).
  6. Sarah Georgina Duff, m. at Muirtown, on 31 August 1825, to Captain Wemyss Erskine Sutherland, of the 33rd Regiment.[20]They both perished on 21 October of that same year when the Comet steam-packet sank off Gourock.[21]
  7. Emilia Mary Duff, b. on 24 January 1803 and m. on 4 October 1824, to Alexander Warrand, M.D., 7th Madras Light Cavalry.[22] She d. at Stratton Lodge, near Inverness, on 19 July 1864.[23]
  8. Christian Baillie Duff, b. on 3 January 1808 and d. at Muirtown, on 23 April 1825.[24]
  9. Louisa Octavia Duff, b. on 14 November 1813 and d. on 14 July 1814.[25]
  10. Maria Louisa Duff, b. on 17 July 1815 and d. at Muirtown House, on 6 June 1832.[26]
  11. Jane Dorothea Stratton Duff, b. on 15 December 1818 and m. at Inverness, on 11 January 1838, to Captain Robert Shirreff, 2ndRegiment Madras army.[27] She d. at Madras, on 8 June 1841.[28]

Huntly George Gordon Duff, 3rd of Muirtown, b. on 5 July 1822 and succeeding his father, he had service as heir to him in the lands of Muirtown on 7 February 1838.[29]

He m. at St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, London, on 17 June 1847, to Helen, youngest daughter of James Fraser of Auchnagairn, (she survived him and m. secondly, on 28 July 1859, to Charles Middleton, of Middleton Lodge, Ilkley[30]), and d. on 27 May 1856.[31] He was father of,

  1. Emily Dora Helen Duff, b. on 1 January 1849 and was served co-heir general to her father on 5 October 1858.[32] She d. at Rome, on 8 February 1859.[33]
  2. Georgina Huntly Duff, 4th of Muirtown, b. on 20 August 1856 and was served a co-heir with her sister, Emily, to their father on 5 October 1858.[34] She m. at St. Martin’s Church, Scarborough, on Wednesday 12 June 1889, to Francis Darwin of Crosskeld,[35] and d. at Weymouth, on 30 December 1920.

 

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[1] Scots Magazine, 1st October 1770 edition.

[2] Scots Magazine, 1st May 1782 edition.

[3] Old High, Inverness, Monumental Inscription. Monument erected in 1822 by his grandson, Hugh Robert Duff, and on which he styled “advocate, third son of Drumuir.“

[4] OPR – Inverness.

[5] Scots Magazine, 1st July 1775 edition.

[6] Scots Magazine, 1st February 1792 edition.

[7] Morning Post, 12th December 1828 edition.

[8] Old High, Inverness, Monumental Inscriptions. Upon which she is styled daughter to Dochfour.

[9] Old High, Inverness, Monumental Inscriptions.

[10] OPR – Inverness.

[11] Inverness Courier, 27th February 1839 edition.

[12] Services of Heirs.

[13] OPR – Inverness. See also: Aberdeen Press & Journal, 6th August 1798 edition.

[14] Edinburgh Evening Courant, 9th July 1829 edition.

[15] Edinburgh Evening Courant, 16th August 1832 edition.

[16] Inverness Courier, 20th December 1821 edition.

[17] London Courier, 19th July 1828 edition.

[18] Perthshire Courier, 21st January 1830 edition.

[19] Perthshire Courier, 21st June 1827 edition.

[20] OPR – Inverness. See also: Inverness Courier, 7th September 1825 edition.

[21] Morning Advertiser, 28th October 1825 edition.

[22] OPR – Inverness.

[23] Statutory record. See also: Inverness Courier, 28th July 1864 edition.

[24] Fife Herald, 5th May 1825 edition.

[25] OPR – Inverness.

[26] Fife Herald, 21st June 1832 edition.

[27] Perthshire Advertiser, 18th January 1838 edition.

[28] Perthshire Courier, 2nd September 1841 edition.

[29] Services of Heirs.

[30] OPR – Saint James, Westminster, London.

[31] Statutory record.

[32] Services of Heirs.

[33] Elgin Courier, 25th February 1859 edition.

[34] Services of Heirs.

[35] Craven Herald, 15th June 1889 edition.. He was brother to Charles Darwin, the celebrated Naturalist.