M 340

Dating: JB's letter to Claud Alexander, 4 Feb 1794 (L 15.4) does not mention the poem specifically, but it may be implied in JB's saying, "Since you take my joking in good part, your Estate shall have any name you please; and I allow your deviation is very slight, and the reason for it of no inconsiderable weight."

Lairds of Ballochmyle known to JB: "Laird Reid I fully recollect."
This could hardly be John Reid of Ballochmyle who was adm. to the Faculty of Advocates 26 July 1710 "eldest son of John Reid of Ballochmyle, d. about 1736". Possibly this John had a son who was laird for the intervening years before Alan Whitefoord bought the property.
Paterson says it was sold "towards the middle of last century".
Certainly, the Rev. George Reid of St. Quivox (d.21 Mar 1763, aged 70 -- Fasti) was a brother to the "old Ballochmyle" whose journal JB made an effort to obtain (see Auld's letter 25 July 1782). There is no "George" given among the children of the advocate John Reid's father (Paterson i.552).

JB's second Laird was Alan Whitefoord who bought the estate "about 1750"; he was a younger son of Sir Adam Whitefoord, 1st Bt. (d.1727) and Margaret (d. 1742) only dau. of Alan, 7th Lord Cathcart( but see Paterson ii.469) (continued)

M 340

(card 2)

Alan Whitefoord was succeeded at Ballochmyle by his nephew, Sir John Whitefoord, 3d Bt. (d. 1803), JB's third Laird, mentioned many times in the Journal. He was concerned in the failure of the Douglas Heron Bank and had to leave Ballochmyle, afterwards living in Edinburgh; his portrait in Kay's *Edinburgh Portraits*. On 30 Dec 1784, JB "went to dine with Sir John Whitefoord for the last time at Ballochmyle". The estate was sold and Claud Alexander, returning from India, took possession of it in 1786.

(See Paterson ii.469, Whitefoords of Blairquhan, which seems to indicate that Alan Whitefoord was of a different branch of the family).