Chapter XXIII: Appendix: XI

LETTER FROM JOHN RIDDELL, THE SCOTS GENEALOGIST, TO JAMES MAIDMENT, REGARDING THE DESCENDANTS OF CRANSTOUN.

(From the original MS. in the possession of Mr. John A. Fairley.)

Edinburgh, April 16th, 1843. 57 Melville Street,

My Dear Sir,--I herewith return your Blandy and Cranstoun
collections, with many thanks.

I certainly understood from the late James Rutherford, Esqr., of the
Customs, Edinburgh, a cadet of the Rutherfords of Edgerston, and
through his mother, a female descendant--one of the nearest--of the
Edmonstones of Corehouse, that it was in consequence of the great
exertions of an Edmonstone of Corehouse that the guilty Cranston was
first concealed, and afterwards enabled to escape abroad. I think he
said that the Edmonstones of Corehouse were descended, or relatives,
of the Cranstons, but that the latter were not descended of the
former, or could be in any respect their heirs.

A greater intimacy, however, subsequently arose between the two
families, owing to the friendly exertions of the Edmonstone as
above, that ended in a superannuated lady, the late Miss Edmonstone
of Corehouse, entailing or settling her estate upon the present
George Cranstoun of Corehouse,[34] nephew of the poisoner, to the
exclusion of the late Roger Ayton, and her other heirs at law. In
this manner the Cranston family may be said to have benefitted by
his atrocity, and advantage to have resulted from evil; the
friendship or kindness of the Edmonstones having been rivetted and
increased towards the relatives of him they had rescued, and whom,
on that account, they additionally cherished--this I learnt from the
previous authority referred to. Nay, the old lady wished above all
things that the _ci-devant_ judge should marry and continue his
line, a thing that for some special reason he did not desire, and
found it difficult to stave off to her. This also from the same
authority. Though very old, no legal ground could be found on
enquiry by which her settlement could be voided.

The following excerpt from the Statement of the Evidence submitted
to the jury, on the occasion of the present Admiral Sir Thomas
Livingstone of Westquarter, Baronet, being served heir-male of
James, first Earl of Calender in 1821, in which I was professionally
engaged, shews what became of the issue of William Henry Cranstoun,
the poisoner. Alexander (Livingstone) of Bedlormie and Ogilface,
afterwards Sir Alexander Livingstone, Bart., having succeeded to the
Scottish Baronetage of Westquarter and to the estates of that branch
of the house of Livingstone, was twice married; first to Anne
Atkinson, daughter of John Atkinson of London, and secondly to Jane
Cranston, daughter of the Honourable William Henry Cranston, fifth
son of the Lord Cranston. By his first marriage he had seven sons,
Alexander, William, Thomas, the claimant (still alive), John,
Thurstanus, James and George, and one daughter, Anne, married to the
Rev. John Fenton of Torpenhow, in the County of Cumberland. By his
second marriage he had two sons, Francis and David, both dead
unmarried, and one daughter, Elizabeth, married to James Kirsopp,
Esquire, of the Spital, Northumberland.

I remain,

Yours sincerely,

JOHN RIDDELL.