The Regarde Bien
Issue No. 6
In Issue 3, I briefly outlined the principal line of descent from Fergus Amuligane, the first known laird of Blackmyre, which ended with James Milligan alias Millikin, who died sometime before 1673, still in the prime of his life. It is not known exactly when or where he died, nor what became of his spouse, the daughter of John Dalziel. On August 1, 1661, James had a disposition (title deed) drawn up by which he disponed (that is, conveyed his legal rights) to his uncles, John Millikin (spelt Milligan) of Blackmyre and John Douglas of Stanehouse of all and whole of the lands of Blackmyre and Holm of Dalquhairn. No copies of the original letters of disposition have survived, except for a fleeting reference in a crown charter grant in favour of John Douglas of Stanehouse in 1663.
It is evident the lands conveyed in the 1661 letters of disposition had been used as collateral against at least two substantial loans that James Milligan was never able to repay. Copies of three bonds of obligation survive, two bonds of 300 Scottish merks granted by his father-in-law, John Dalziel, on December 21, 1658, and one for 4000 Scottish merks by John Douglas of Stanehouse on January 6, 1659, the former being registered in the books of the Court of Session in Edinburgh on December 17, 1661, and latter on September 6, 1661. Taken together, it is clear that James had fallen on hard times and lacked the kind of financial capital necessary to pay the huge feudal fees, rents and legal costs required by the Crown before an heir could obtain legal possession of father's heritage.
From the few documents that survive it can be shown that James Milligan was living at Blackmyre between Dec. 1658 and Dec. 1661. I have included extracts below listing the documents that proof a physical presence:
Dec. 21, 1658: Two Bonds of Obligation between James Milligan in Blackmyre and John Dalzeil in Glenmuckloch, signed and sealed by James Mulligan in the presence of witnesses, John Brown and John Fleming, at Sanquhar.
[Register of Deeds (National Archives of Scotland, Vol. 3, p. 355 & 356]
Jan. 6, 1659: One Bond of Obligation between James Milligan of Blackmyre and John Douglas of Stanehouse, signed and sealed in the presence of witnesses, Robert Smyth and Steven Gillespie, at Tynron.
[Register of Deeds (National Archives of Scotland, Vol. 3, p. 228]
June 5, 1660: Tack given by James Milligan of Blackmyre and John Douglas of Stanehouse to John Lorimer of the 30 shilling land of Blackmyre, for the yearly rent of œ70.
[Dumfries Burgh Deeds (Dumfries Archives Centre), July 23, 1661]
May 13, 1661: Instrument of sasine by William Wilson of Croglin, this documents gives the name of several witnesses and includes James Mulligane of Blackmyre.
[Miscellaneous MSS (Ewart Library Dumfries), Vol. 17, p.108]
Aug. 1, 1611: Letter of disposition by James Milligane of Blackmyre to John Milligane of Blackmyre and John Douglas, junior of Stanehouse infefting the lands of Blackmyre in the parish of Penpont, Nithsdale.
[Registry of the Great Seal of Scotland]
It will be asked then, was he living there prior to Dec. 1658 and did he continue to live there after 1661? It is evident from the 1660 tack granted to John Lorimer, Blackmyre was leased out to this man for a period not stated, indicating that by now James must have been living elsewhere probably at Holm of Dalquhairn in Galloway. Similarly, there is no evidence to indicate he was living at Blackmyre in November 1656, when his grandfather died, nor at Holm of Dalquhairn for that matter. The finality of the 1661 warrant of disposition makes it clear that James had sold Blackmyre and Holm of Dalqhairn to his uncles by then, but what became of him after this date has remained a mystery.
The history of the Milligans of Blackmyre, however, continues in the person of John Milliken alias Milligan of Blackmyre, James's uncle, who sometime prior to 1673 had found employment in the service of James Maxwell in Co. Cavan, Ireland In May 1673, John sold his rights to Blackmyre and Holm of Dalquhairn to his kinsman, Thomas Millikin merchant burgess in Ayr, a step that would bring the Millikens into direct confrontation with one of the most powerful men in Scotland, the Earl of Queensberry. He acquired the rights belonging to John Douglas of Stanehouse in that same year. Four documents survive that record Douglas's sale to Queensberry, all of which have only come to light within the last few months and are preserved in the private archives of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry at Drumlanrig Castle. In one of these documents dated at Sanquhar 5th December, 1673, John Douglas was obliged to insert a clause in which he states, "should it happen that Thomas Milligane, merchant in Ayr, should evict the Earl from the said lands by legal means, then John Douglas will refund the said money to Queensberry".
Thomas Millikin in Ayr never succeeded in securing his rights to Blackmyre for by 1677 it was firmly in Queensberry's possession. It will be asked, who then was the elusive Thomas Millikin and how was he related to the lairds of Blackmyre? The old burgh or town council register of Ayr, records that Thomas was admitted burgess and guild brother in 1665 by right of his father-in-law, John Moore, late merchant burgess in Ayr. In addition, the entry also tell us that Thomas was a merchant of Ballywalter in Co. Down. This sea-board town lies in the Ards peninsula and was an important crossing point between Ireland and Scotland. Thomas was already an established merchant by 1665 and arguably one of the new breed of men known as colonial merchants. John Moore was one of the first Scottish adventurers to sail to Barbados, where he owned a tobacco plantation in 1651.
The old burgh council register of Ayr reveals one more piece of information that is relevant to those interested in the early colonial history of the Mullikins in Ireland and America. It notes that on July 1, 1651, John Millikin merchant weaver in Ireland was admitted burgess and guild brother of Ayr "for his services done and to be done, and made faith as use is". In other words, he was admitted as an honorary burgess and guild brother at no cost to himself, because of his help to the burgh. It is unfortunate, John's exact place of origin in Ireland isn't given, but as he crossed over into Ayr, it is probably fair to say he came from either County Down or Antrim. As a merchant weaver, he was evidently engaged in the manufacture of cloth and linen in Ireland, and on returning to Scotland found a market in Ayr that provided an opportunity for the manufacture of cloth and linen.
As a merchant in Ayr, Thomas Millikin is also known to have been actively engaged in the import of tobacco and export of goods to the Caribbean; and I am told by the archivist of the Cranagie Library in Ayr, it is on record, that he actually made a journey to the Caribbean late in life; he died in 1694. It is significant that not a single Millikin admitted burgess and guild brother to the burgh of Ayr between 1647 and 1685 came from Ayrshire itself, but all came from the North of Ireland. This trend is a fairly typical for Scottish colonial merchants who had made their fortune aboard and had came home to enjoy the benefits. It is also indicative of the strong trading links between the colonial Scots of Ulster and their homeland, and the West Indies and American during the 1600s. The arrival of both John and Thomas Millikin from Ireland, also points to a group of Ms' actively engaged in the export and import of goods to and from Co. Down
Until the act of the Union in 1707, Scotland was treated as a foreign nation by England and to protect English industry and English shipping against competition, a series of legislation known as the Navigation acts were introduced between 1650 and 1673. The effects of these acts on Scottish trade would be far reaching as all colonial imports and exports had to be carried in English ships, manned by English crews, via English ports. Irish-built ships counted as English, as did Irish crews, but Scottish and Irish ports counted as foreign. However, the direct export of provisions to the West Indies colonies from both Scotland and Ireland was permitted due to it's dependence on imported foodstuffs. To circumvent the 1660 and 1667 Navigation acts, Scottish merchants importing and exporting goods to the American colonies, were forced to employ English vessels, though, in many cases it was much easier to employ Irish vessels, particularly where strong families ties existed in ports like Ballywalter in Co. Down, and then ship their goods via the port of Bristol in England.
There are few genealogical sources related to Co. Down surviving for the first half of the seventeenth century that record M' names, but of those that do, they are mainly muster rolls. In the 1642 muster roll, there is mention of a Jo[hn] Mulligan, James Mulligan, Thomas Mulligan, John Milligan, John Mulligan and Patrick Millikin in the regiment of Sir James Montgomery, the brother Hugh, Viscount Montgomery of Ards. Sir James Montgomery was a major landowner in the Ards peninsula and it is known that most of the men recruited into his regiment at the out break of the 1641 Irish Rebellion came from the Ards peninsula. The following list of names for Co. Down was taken from books of Muster Rolls held at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Belfast.
The 1642 Muster Roll of Co. Down
Muster taken by William Robert, muster officer
Sir James Montgomery Knt & Colonel's Regiment
Mustered on 22 April, 1642, at Bishop Court
John Miligan, soldier in the company of Capt. Patrick Houston
Mustered on 22 April, 1642, at Bishop Court
John Mulligane, soldier in the company of Capt. Collin Maxwell
Patrick Millikin, soldier in the company of Capt. Hugh Montgomery
Mustered on 4 August, 1642, at Ballyklender
Jo Mulligan, soldier in the company of Richard Bingley
James Mulligan, soldier in the company of Richard Bingley
Thomas Mulligan, soldier in the company of Richard Bingley
Hugh Lord Viscount Montgomery, Colonel's Regiment
Mustered on 23 April, 1642 at Comber
Quintin Milliken, trooper in the troop of horse of Capt. Hugh Montgomery
John Millykin, trooper in the troop of horse of Capt. Hugh Montgomery
John Milligane, soldier in the company of Maj. James Agnew
Mustered on 29 July, 1642, at Comber
Quintin Millekin, corporal in the troop of horse of Capt. Hugh Montgomery
John Millikin, trooper in the troop of horse of Capt. Hugh Montgomery
John Mullekin, soldier in the company of Maj. James Agnew
James Lord Viscount Claneboy, Colonel's Regiment
Mustered on 25 April, 1642, at Killelegh
Robert O'Muligan, soldier in the company of Capt. Alexander Hamilton
Edmund O'Muligan, soldier in the Capt. Alexander Hamilton
Mustered on 2 August, 1642, at Little Belfast
Robert Mulligan, soldier in the company of Capt. Alexander Hamilton
The 1630 Muster Rolls of Ulster
County Down
The Lord Claneboy, his land in the barony of Great Ards.
His British tenants - 314
Milligan, Dunkan . pike only
The Lord Claneboy, his town and lands of Holywood in the barony of Castlereagh
His British tenants - 414.
Milligan, Dunkan pike only
The Lord Montgomery, his lands in the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards.
His British tenants - 1517.
Milligan, John . no arms
Mulligan, Thomas .. sword only
Mulligan, John sword only
Milligan, Alexander . sword only
Mulligan, James .. sword & pike
Mulligan, Robert . sword & musket
Mulligan, James .. sword only
Milligan, John . no arms
O'Miligan, Patrick no arms
Milligan, James no arms
The Bishop of Dromore, his town and church lands in barony of Lower Iveagh.
His British tenants - 156.
Mulligan, John . sword only
McMulligan, Walter . sword only
The 1630 and 1642 muster rolls list the names of men of British birth and not Irish, but of course, nearly all the tenants on Montgomery's estate were Scottish. These lists are fascinating as they provide further proof, showing how the prefix A' and O' can be used interchangeably. In one we find Patrick's surname spelt at O'Miligan and in the other as Millikin, a contrast paralleled by the use of the Gaelic Christian name Shaun for John as found in the Kirk Session Records of Ayr. It records the marriage of Shaun Amulagan and Janet McMount, both of this parish, on Nov. 5, 1646.
Taken together, they clearly point to a settlement of Ms' living in the Ards peninsula in Co. Down, where the town of Ballywalter is located. As already indicated, John and Thomas Millikin both burgesses of Ayr came from North of Ireland, where both names are commonly found in the Ards peninsula. In my opinion, the fact that Thomas had a claim on Blackmyre points to the Ards settlement having direct links with Ms of Blackmyre, though, how these relationships can be defined e.g. brother/cousins, is unclear to me. I also wonder if there is a link between Patrick Mullikin who on Nov. 20, 1654, purchased a neck of land in Leonard's Creek in Maryland and Patrick Millikin who appears in the Ards peninsula. Members of this family later settled near Belfast, where the name of Patrick Millikin appears in the 1666 hearth roll in Lower Malone, near Belfast. This area belonged to an English landowner and not a Scottish, therefore, increasing the likelihood of a direct migration to Maryland.
Queries To
April, 2000.