On 25 July 1544, John Guthrie and his wife Isobel Ogilvy received a feu of Colliston, Ruffys, Park of Conon, and Guthrie Hill. From this point forward, John appears as the first of the landed Guthries of Colliston.

The documented Colliston lineage begins before the family actually held Colliston. The 1509 Mylhill tack identifies Henry Guthrie, burgess of Arbroath, his wife Elizabeth Lyell, and their eldest son John, while also naming Henry’s father, James Guthrie, as the previous holder. In a single record, therefore, we can see three successive generations:

James Guthrie → Henry Guthrie & Elizabeth Lyell → John Guthrie

Henry, Elizabeth, and John continued to appear in the Arbroath Abbey records. By 1528, their holdings included Ruffys (Ruives), Park of Conon, and Mylhill. John eventually carried the family into its new landed identity at Colliston.

A testament dative recorded in the Edinburgh Commissary Court in 1582 adds another member to this early family. The deceased, Henry Guthrie in the Canongate, had died in August 1581 and is described in the record as brother-german to the late John Guthrie of Colliston.

The John named in the testament can be identified with John Guthrie, 1st of Colliston. John had already been succeeded by his son Henry by 1554, while the later John Guthrie, 3rd of Colliston was still living in the 1590s. In Scots legal and genealogical usage, brother-german means a full brother — two men sharing both father and mother.

Taken together with the 1509 record identifying John as the eldest son of Henry Guthrie and Elizabeth Lyell, the testament therefore establishes the Canongate Henry as another son of Henry Guthrie of Ruffys and Elizabeth Lyell.

The executor dative was David Guthrie in Carlungie. His relationship to the deceased Henry has not yet been established.

John carried the family from its earlier Abbey holdings into its new territorial identity. He received a tack of Colliston in 1533, establishing the family’s first known documentary connection with the property.

In 1544, John and his wife Isobel Ogilvy received a feu of Colliston, Ruffys, Park of Conon, and Guthrie Hill. From this point, John emerges as the first documented Guthrie feuar and landed holder of Colliston.

Records from the following years also connect John with Cookston (Cukistoun), another property that remained important in tracing the succession to the next generation.

At least two sons of John are documented: Henry, who succeeded in the main Colliston line, and James Guthrie, who later appears in records concerning the lands of Skithen.

On 27 June 1554, Henry Guthrie was returned heir to his father, John Guthrie of Collistoun, in the lands of Cookston. This provides a direct documentary link between the first and second generations of the landed Colliston family.

On 27 June 1554, Henry was returned heir to his father, John Guthrie of Collistoun, in the lands of Cukistoun / Cookston. This provides direct evidence for the succession from the first documented Colliston generation to Henry.

In 1570, Henry Guthre of Collistoun granted Letters of Reversion to James Guthre, burgess of Edinburgh and portioner of Balnabreich, and Christian Barron, his spouse, concerning part of the lands of Balnabreich in the lordship of Brechin.

Although the repeated Guthrie surname makes the transaction genealogically interesting, the document itself does not state a family relationship between Henry of Colliston and James Guthrie of Balnabreich.

By 1578, John Guthrie is expressly identified as the son and apparent heir of Henry Guthrie of Colliston.

In this generation the family’s former Arbroath Abbey offices were granted on a hereditary basis. This is distinct from the earlier 1528 grant to Henry’s father and grandfather, which had granted those offices for their lifetimes.

An endorsement on the 1570 Balnabreich document records a renunciation dated 4 March 1582 by John Guthre of Colieston, son and heir of the deceased Henry Guthre of Coleston, to James Guthre of Easter Balnabreich.

This is particularly valuable evidence because it directly identifies John as both Henry’s son and his heir after Henry’s death. Since John was still described as Henry’s apparent heir in 1578, Henry’s death can presently be bounded to after 1578 and before 4 March 1582.

The evidence gives a particularly clear succession: John Guthrie, 1st of Colliston → Henry Guthrie, 2nd of Colliston → John Guthrie, 3rd of Colliston . Henry’s wife remains unidentified, but contemporary records securely establish John as his son and heir and place James and David within the same sibling group.

The surviving 1583 Guthrie–Falconer carving at Colliston Castle bears the initials I.G. and M.F., together with the arms of the two families and the motto Laus Deo.

The use of I for J in early modern inscriptions makes I.G. consistent with John Guthrie. The Falconer arms and initials M.F. are in turn consistent with Margaret Falconer, who is independently named as John’s spouse in contemporary written records.

The date 1583 belongs to the surviving carved panel and should not automatically be interpreted as the date of John and Margaret’s marriage.

Arbroath protocol-book entries identify Margaret Falconer as the spouse of John Guthrie of Colliston. An entry of 26 February 1593 names John Guthrie of Collistoun with Margaret Falconer, his spouse, and further records in 1595 again place the couple together.

These records resolve the uncertainty created by older accounts that variously supplied Marion or Margaret as her first name. The contemporary evidence supports Margaret Falconer.

John was still appearing in contemporary records as John Guthrie of Colliston on 12 September 1595. This provides the latest presently identified evidence for him during his lifetime.

This James belongs to a different generation from James Guthrie, brother-german of John, who was a son of Henry, 2nd of Colliston. The records therefore preserve two men named James in successive generations: John’s brother James and John’s son James.

John was still living on 12 September 1595, but the Edinburgh apprenticeship record of 20 March 1598/9 describes his son James as the son of the late John Guthrie of Colliston. John’s death can therefore presently be bounded to after 12 September 1595 and before 20 March 1598/9 .

His son Henry “Harie” Guthrie carried the main family line into the seventeenth century, when Colliston Castle acquired some of its most important surviving heraldic features.

On 13 September 1620, a sasine concerning Colliston, Ruives, Park of Conon, and Guthrie Hill refers to the late John Guthrie of Colliston as father of Henry Guthrie, now of Colliston .

This provides direct contemporary evidence for the succession from John Guthrie, 3rd of Colliston to Henry Guthrie, 4th of Colliston.

A second sasine recorded the same day names Henry Guthrie of Colliston and Jean Livingston, his spouse, in Ruives, Park of Conon, and the mill lands of Colliston.

Property records from 1619 and 1620 name Jean Livingston as the wife of Henry Guthrie of Colliston. Her documented presence immediately before the dated castle work of 1621 makes her the strongest identification for the I.L. carved beside Henry’s initials.

The castle’s use of I.R. for Iacobus Rex — King James — provides a contemporary example of I being used where a modern reader would expect J. The fuller reasoning behind the I.L. = Jean Livingston identification is discussed in the castle section above.

The surviving 1621 heraldic ensemble combines the initials H.G. / I.L., the motto Laus Deo, and royal heraldry associated with James VI and I. Together with the 1619–1620 records, the carving provides an unusually tangible link between Henry Guthrie and Jean Livingston.

Henry’s eldest son was John Guthrie, who appears as Fiar of Colliston — the recognized heir apparent to the estate.

On 14 August 1649, Harie Guthrie of Colliston and John Guthrie, fiar thereof appear together as witnesses to a sasine, giving us a clear contemporary picture of father and heir.

John was therefore already an adult and heir more than a decade before Henry’s later marriage to Margaret Levingstoun. The chronology makes Jean Livingston the strongest candidate for John’s mother, although no record yet located expressly names her as such.

On 12 June 1660, Harie Guthrie married Margaret Levingstoun. The marriage appears in both Edinburgh and Duddingston parish records, with normal spelling variations in the couple’s names.

The identification is strengthened by a 21 February 1662 charter granting Henry Guthrie of Collistoun and Margaret Livingstoun, his spouse the lands and barony of Skræesburgh or Hunthill.

Margaret therefore belongs to the later part of Henry’s life and should not be confused with the woman represented by I.L. on the 1621 castle carving.

A particularly valuable 1663 record identifies Harie Guthrie of Colliston, John Guthrie, fiar thereof, his eldest son, and Sir Hary Guthrie, Henry’s grandson and John’s eldest son.

This record is crucial because it prevents the creation of an extra Henry generation between John the Fiar and the later Sir Henry Guthrie of King Edward.

John’s mother is not expressly named in the records so far located. The chronology, however, strongly favors Jean Livingston. She was documented as Henry’s wife in 1619–1620, while John was already appearing as Fiar of Colliston by 1649.

Henry’s later marriage to Margaret Levingstoun did not occur until 1660, so Margaret cannot reasonably have been John’s mother.

In a sasine of 14 August 1649, Harie Guthrie of Colliston and John Guthrie, fiar thereof appear together as witnesses. The wording gives us a contemporary picture of father and designated successor within the same record.

A further record in 1650 describes John Guthrie, apparent of Colliston, as son of Henry Guthrie of Colliston. This independently reinforces both John’s parentage and his recognized position in the succession.

John’s eldest son was Henry, or Hary, Guthrie. A marriage contract dated 14–21 May 1656 identifies Hearie Guthrie as the eldest son of John Guthrie, Fiar of Colliston and records his marriage to Jean Lindsay, only daughter of the late Mr Laurence Lindsay.

This Henry is the younger man who later appears as Sir Henry Guthrie of King Edward. He should not be confused with his grandfather Henry “Harie” Guthrie of Colliston.

A 1663 record removes any doubt about the generational sequence. It names Harie Guthrie of Colliston, John Guthrie, fiar thereof, his eldest son, and Sir Hary Guthrie, described as the elder Henry’s grandson and as John’s eldest son.

John continued to be described as Fiar of Colliston, and no record has yet been found showing that he completed a succession to the estate as its principal proprietor. He was still living in 1663.

On 5 November 1684, John’s son Sir Henry Guthrie of King Edward was returned heir to Henry Guthrie of Colliston, his grandfather, in Colliston, Ruives, Park of Conon, and Guthrie Hill. The retour therefore shows Sir Henry deriving his title to the old Colliston estate directly as heir of his grandfather.

The surviving evidence does not establish whether John died before or after his father. Nor has a completed succession by John as principal proprietor yet been identified. For that reason, John is retained in this profile by his contemporary designation Fiar of Colliston rather than assigned a number in the sequence of Colliston proprietors.

A marriage contract dated 14–21 May 1656 identifies Hearie Guthrie as the eldest son of John Guthrie, Fiar of Colliston and records his marriage to Jean Lindsay, only daughter of the late Mr Laurence Lindsay.

This record is particularly important because it establishes that the Jean Lindsay marriage belongs to Sir Henry’s generation, not to his grandfather Henry and the H.G. / I.L. couple represented at Colliston Castle in 1621.

A particularly valuable 1663 record identifies Sir Hary Guthrie as the eldest son of John Guthrie, Fiar of Colliston and as the grandson — described in the record as the elder Henry’s oy — of Harie Guthrie of Colliston.

This contemporary description securely fixes Sir Henry’s place in the pedigree and shows that there was no additional Henry generation between John the Fiar and Sir Henry.

By 7 May 1664, Sir Henry was married to Dame Barbara Urquhart. The couple appears together in documents concerning the conveyance of the lands of Fisherrie, with further documentation dated 19 June 1668.

Barbara remained his spouse during the period in which the family’s Aberdeenshire interests expanded toward King Edward.

Sir Henry held a Baronetcy of Nova Scotia, one of the hereditary Scottish dignities created in the seventeenth century in connection with Scotland’s colonial plans for Nova Scotia. A baronet was entitled to the style “Sir”, and the dignity normally descended according to the remainder specified in its creation.

The family’s contemporary records place the dignity securely in Sir Henry’s lifetime. He is already styled Sir Hary Guthrie in the 1663 record identifying him as the eldest son of John Guthrie, Fiar of Colliston.

In 1672, his arms were formally entered in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. The armorial entry identifies him as Sir Henrie Guthrie of King Edward, Knight and Baronet and associates the dignity with Nova Scotia.

The 1672 heraldic registration confirms the nature of the baronetcy, but it should not be mistaken for the date on which the dignity was first conferred. Sir Henry was already using the style “Sir” by 1663, while the precise creation or succession date of the Guthrie baronetcy remains to be established.

Crown records of 1672 concerning Sir Henry and Barbara included lands at Fisherrie, the mill of King Edward, and part of Dunglas . By this time the family’s territorial focus was firmly shifting north into Aberdeenshire.

The same year’s armorial record styles him Sir Henrie Guthrie of King Edward, Knight and Baronet , providing contemporary confirmation of his new territorial designation.

On 5 November 1684, Sir Henry Guthrie of King Edward was retoured heir to Henry Guthrie of Colliston in the old Angus properties of Colliston, Ruives, Park of Conon, and Guthrie Hill .

The 1663 pedigree establishes that this Henry of Colliston was Sir Henry’s grandfather. Sir Henry’s father, John Guthrie, Fiar of Colliston, was no longer living by the time of the retour, but the surviving evidence does not establish whether John had died before or after his own father.

No completed succession through John has presently been identified. The 1684 retour therefore documents Sir Henry succeeding directly in the old Colliston lands as heir to his grandfather.

Later accounts place the transfer of Colliston out of Guthrie ownership soon after Sir Henry’s 1684 retour.

The actual conveyance has not yet been located, so the precise date and purchaser should remain qualified rather than treated as established by a surviving deed.

Sir Henry married Jonet (Janet) Wallace at Edinburgh on 27 January 1687.

A later marriage record from 1698 describes Dame Janet Wallace as the widow of Sir Henry Guthrie of King Edward , confirming that Sir Henry had died before her subsequent marriage.

Sir Henry continued to appear in public records after his marriage to Janet Wallace. On 27 April 1689 he was named among the commissioners for supply in the sheriffdom of Aberdeen, and he was included again in a revised nomination on 21 May 1689.

Most importantly for his chronology, Sir Henry Guthrie of King Edward was again named as a commissioner for the sheriffdom of Aberdeen in the parliamentary supply act of 7 June 1690. He was therefore still living and publicly active at that date.

The mother of Sir Henry’s heir, Sir John Guthrie, has not yet been established by direct evidence. Jean Lindsay and Barbara Urquhart are both chronologically possible mothers on the evidence presently assembled. The much later Jonet Wallace marriage should not be assigned maternity without a contemporary record demonstrating it.

The exact date of Sir Henry’s death has not yet been established. Parliamentary records document him alive on 7 June 1690, while a record from 1698 identifies Janet Wallace as his widow.

His death can therefore presently be bounded to after 7 June 1690 and before 1698. Later evidence from the generation of his son Sir John may eventually allow this range to be narrowed further.

Sir Henry Guthrie married more than once, but no contemporary record so far located directly identifies the mother of Sir John Guthrie.

Jean Lindsay, whose marriage contract with Sir Henry dates to 1656, and Barbara Urquhart, documented as Sir Henry’s wife by 1664, are both chronologically possible mothers on the evidence presently assembled. The much later marriage to Jonet Wallace in 1687 is a considerably less plausible fit for an heir already established at King Edward by the 1690s.

Until a record directly establishes Sir John’s maternity, however, it remains unassigned.

By 1694, Sir John is associated in Crown records with the Barony of King Edward, and he appears again in records connected with the 1696 poll at King Edward.

These records securely place Sir John within the family’s King Edward succession by the mid-1690s. They should not, however, be used by themselves to assign a precise death date to his father, Sir Henry Guthrie.

Sir John’s public role continued into the reign of Queen Anne. On 5 August 1704, Sir John Guthrie of King-Edward was named among the commissioners of supply for the shire of Aberdeen.

This provides an additional secure contemporary appearance between the King Edward records of the 1690s and the later Ludquharn evidence of the 1710s–1720s.

Sir John’s own 1722 will proves that he had been married previously. It expressly identifies Agnes Guthrie as a daughter of his first marriage, but it does not name Sir John’s first wife.

Later family accounts identify that wife as Agnes Robertson. Until a contemporary marriage, property, testamentary, or other record confirms her identity, Agnes Robertson should be treated as a reported identification rather than a directly documented spouse.

Sir John’s daughter Agnes Guthrie should not be confused with the reported first wife of the same given name. The daughter married William Burnet of Campfield, a relationship documented directly in Sir John’s testament.

Sir John’s will identifies Mary Forbes as “my present spouse.” He provided that, during her widowhood, she should have the care of the children “procreated betwixt her and me.”

The will then appoints tutors and curators for Alexander, Katherine, Jean, Christian, and Mary Guthrie . Read together with Sir John’s wording, these provisions provide strong contemporary evidence that the five children belonged to the marriage of Sir John Guthrie and Mary Forbes.

By the end of Sir John’s life, the family was clearly established at Ludquharn. His son’s 1721 baptism styles him Sir John Guthrie of Ludquharn, and his 1722 testament and inventory refer to property, rents, crops, livestock, and other interests associated with the estate.

Ludquharn therefore represents an important later residence and property association. It should not be taken to mean that the family’s established territorial designation “of King Edward” had necessarily disappeared.

Sir John made his will at Ludquharn on 3 August 1722. He appointed Thomas Forbes of Gavel as his sole executor and made detailed provisions for his wife, daughters, and younger children.

The accompanying inventory states that Sir John died during the month of August 1722. His testament was later confirmed by the Aberdeen Commissary Court on 17 December 1722.

The date 17 December 1722 therefore represents the confirmation of the testament, not Sir John’s date of death.

Administration of Sir John’s estate continued after the original confirmation. A 1725 testament dative and inventory identifies Dame Mary Forbes as his relict and concerns estate matters associated with Sir Alexander Guthrie.

In 1737, an additional eik describes Sir Alexander Guthrie of King Edward as executor for omitted or previously unexecuted matters belonging to “the deceased Sir John Guthrie of King Edward his father.” The testamentary sequence therefore provides direct primary evidence for the father-son relationship and confirms that King Edward remained part of the family’s formal territorial identity.

The Longside parish register records on 10 March 1721 that “Sir John Guthrie of Ludquharn had a son baptized named Alexander.”

The entry records Alexander’s baptism, not necessarily his exact date of birth. It names only his father, but Sir John’s will, written the following year, identifies Mary Forbes as his present spouse and places Alexander among the children for whom provision was made in the context of that marriage.

Alexander was still a very young child when his father made his will at Ludquharn on 3 August 1722. Sir John appointed tutors and curators for Alexander, Katherine, Jean, Christian, and Mary Guthrie .

Sir John died later that same month. Alexander therefore became the surviving male heir while still an infant or very young child.

A later historical account reports that on 9 February 1723 Alexander was served heir to his father, Sir John Guthrie. He was still only a child.

Although the exact underlying service or retour reference has not yet been recovered for this profile, Alexander’s identity as Sir John’s son is independently proved by later testamentary evidence.

Additional administration of Sir John’s estate in 1725 concerns Sir Alexander Guthrie, while an eik dated 14 July 1737 explicitly describes Sir Alexander Guthrie of King Edward as executor for omitted matters belonging to “the deceased Sir John Guthrie of King Edward his father.”

Parish-register evidence records the marriage of Sir Alexander Guthrie and Margaret Moir at Cruden on 9 February 1751.

No children of the couple have yet been securely identified in the contemporary records examined for this profile.

The strongest contemporary territorial designation presently documented for Alexander is “of King Edward.” The 1737 testamentary administration uses that style explicitly.

Ludquharn belongs particularly to his father’s later residence and estate history, although later sources also associate Alexander himself with Ludquharn. Published accounts additionally style him of Fairfield. Those place-names are useful parts of the family’s later Aberdeenshire story, but they should not displace the directly documented King Edward designation.

John A. Henderson’s Aberdeenshire Epitaphs and Inscriptions gives 26 October 1761 as Sir Alexander’s date of death and reports his age as forty-two.

Henderson notes that many of the particulars concerning this Guthrie family were supplied by John Anderson, Curator of the Historical Department, H.M. General Register House, Edinburgh. That gives the published account additional evidentiary interest, but the underlying death, testamentary, or estate record has not yet been recovered for this profile.

The date should therefore remain a well-supported published report rather than a death date independently verified from the original record.

A previously associated date of 19 January 1762 appears to have come from extracted probate material connected with Sir John’s estate rather than from a testament belonging to Alexander. It is therefore no longer used here as evidence for Sir Alexander’s death.

Published accounts identify Sir Alexander as the last baronet of this Guthrie line and treat the title as extinct at his death. Henderson specifically states that the baronetcy became extinct with Sir Alexander.

Henderson also reports that Alexander’s sisters Jean, Christian, and Mary were subsequently appointed his executors. That is potentially important evidence concerning the absence of a surviving son, but the underlying estate or confirmation record has not yet been recovered and examined directly.

The surviving primary evidence located so far does not include a contemporary record expressly declaring the baronetcy extinct or a complete family record proving that Sir Alexander and Margaret Moir had no surviving male issue. The traditional conclusion is therefore retained as strong published evidence awaiting confirmation from the underlying succession and estate records.

The wider family continued through daughters and collateral lines, but no later holder of the Guthrie baronetcy of King Edward has been identified.

Recent evidence has clarified several previously uncertain points.

Margaret Falconer is now directly documented as the wife of John Guthrie, 3rd of Colliston , confirming the woman represented by the M.F. initials on the 1583 castle carving.

The 1582 testament CC8/8/10 has been correctly reassigned to Henry Guthrie in the Canongate, brother-german of John Guthrie, 1st of Colliston. Read with the 1509 evidence, it identifies Henry as another son of Henry Guthrie of Ruffys and Elizabeth Lyell.

A 1620 sasine directly confirms John Guthrie, 3rd of Colliston → Henry Guthrie, 4th of Colliston .

The 1663 record establishes the later sequence Henry of Colliston → John the Fiar → Sir Henry , eliminating an extra Henry generation that had appeared in some reconstructions.

Sir John’s 1722 testament proves that he had a first marriage, although it does not name the wife, and provides strong contemporary evidence that Alexander, Katherine, Jean, Christian, and Mary Guthrie belonged to his marriage with Mary Forbes .

Finally, wider research into the St Andrews / Craigie Guthries now establishes the parentage and family setting of John Guthrie, Bishop of Moray. He should no longer be treated as an unidentified son or brother within the documented Colliston succession. The remaining Colliston-related question concerns only the origin and meaning of Patrick Guthrie’s occasional “of Collistoun” designation.