Guthrie of Gagie

Guthrie of Guthrie,
and Guthrie of Gaigie,
Guthrie of Taybank,
and Guthrie of Craigie.

~ Anonymous
A provincial couplet signifying the prominence of the Guthrie surname in Angus.

Guthrie of Gagie: Genealogy & History

The Guthrie of Gagie line is a significant cadet branch of the Guthries of that Ilk (the chiefly line). This branch played a pivotal role in the family’s history, eventually inheriting the chiefly title and Guthrie Castle itself in the 17th century through marriage, thereby preventing the extinction of the main line.

🏰 Gagie House

Location: Parish of Murroes, Angus (Forfarshire), ~5 miles NE of Dundee.

Gagie House served as a dower house for the Guthrie family—a residence for the heir apparent or the widow of a deceased laird. It is a historic property that has survived fires and centuries of modification.

  • 1610: Purchased by William Guthrie from the Sibbalds of Rankeilor.
  • Architecture: Originally a small 17th-century mansion; expanded in the mid-18th century.
  • Key Features:
    • Whitewashed Walls: Distinctive hauled and whitewashed exterior.
    • Angle-Turrets: Two long turrets on the south gable.
    • Heraldry: The Guthrie arms appear over the old entrance (1614) and on the 1762 summerhouse.
  • Destruction & Rebirth:
    • 1890: Main house destroyed by fire; quickly rebuilt.
    • 1980: East wing destroyed by fire; restored by architect France Smoor.
Latitude: 56.527 / 56°31’37″N
Longitude: -2.8968 / 2°53’48″W
🌳 Family Lineage & Biography

1. William Guthrie

1st Baron of Gagie, Ravensbie, and Eastertown William was the second son of Alexander Guthrie (4th Baron Guthrie of that Ilk) and Isabel Wood. He established the Gagie line, which would later save the main Guthrie bloodline.

  • Born: c. 1540
  • Died: 18 July 1621
  • Spouse: Isabella Leslie (Daughter of Leslie of Balquhain)

Children:

  • Alexander Guthrie: 2nd of Gagie (See below).
  • Francis Guthrie: 3rd of Gagie & 12th of Guthrie (See below).
  • Margaret Guthrie
  • Jean Guthrie

Key Events Timeline:

  • 1603: Purchased the lands of Ravensbie from John Cant.
  • 1610: Purchased the lands of Gagie from the Sibbald family.
  • 1618 (The Gardyne Feud): In a notorious chapter of family history, William—instigated by his mother, Isabel Wood—avenged his father’s murder. He slaughtered his kinsmen Patrick Gardyne of that Ilk and Robert Gardyne on the highway between Brechin and Dundee. He received a royal remission (pardon) for this act.
  • 1621: Died in July; testament recorded at St Andrews Commissary Court.
  • 1625: Testament, Testamentar and Inventory of William Guthrie of Gagie, parish of Murroes, 16 July 1625. See also Isobel Leslie. – St Andrews Commissary Court – CC20/4/8. Digital Repository: Scotlands People

2. Alexander Guthrie

2nd Baron of Gagie | Commissary of the Western Isles The eldest son of William, Alexander was a prominent administrator but left no descendants.

  • Born: Before 1600
  • Died: November 1637
  • Spouse: Unknown/Unmarried
  • Issue: None (Died s.p. – sine prole)

Career & Life:

Academic articles and books mention Alexander Guthrie of Gagie in this role in collecting ecclesiastical revenues on behalf of the bishop. His notes include careful documentation of the fishing boats visiting the Isles, 1627-c1635. Alexander Guthrie was a relative John Guthrie, Bishop of Moray, 1623-49. Alexander Guthrie of Gagie died in November 1637, but was sufficiently wealthy to leave a mortification of 10,000 merks ‘for bringing up of the yowthes (youths) at the schools.”
1) MacCoinnich, A. (2019). The Maritime Dimension to Scotland’s “Highland Problem”, ca. 1540–1630. Journal of the North Atlantic, 44–72.
2) MacCoinnich, Aonghas. Plantation and Civility in the North Atlantic World: The Case of the Northern Hebrides, 1570-1639 (PDF)

Francis Guthrie, 3. Francis Guthrie

3rd Baron of Gagie | 12th Baron Guthrie of that Ilk Francis is the critical link that united the Gagie branch back with the main Guthrie line.

  • Born: c. 1600
  • Died: c. 1677
  • Spouse: Bathiah Guthrie (Daughter and heiress of John Guthrie, Bishop of Moray & 11th Baron of Guthrie).

Succession Details:

  • Inheritance of Gagie: Inherited Gagie after his older brother Alexander died without children in 1637.
  • Inheritance of Guthrie: The 11th Baron (Bishop John Guthrie) had no surviving male heirs. Francis married the Bishop’s daughter, Bathiah. Through this marriage, Francis became the 12th Baron Guthrie, ensuring the castle and title remained with a male Guthrie (albeit from the cadet Gagie line).

Timeline of Events

See Guthries of Guthrie for additional generations:
John Guthrie, 13th Baron Guthrie of that Ilk, and Cecelia Carnegie
James Guthrie, 14th Baron Guthrie of that Ilk, and Margaret Turnbull
John Guthrie, 15th Baron Guthrie of that Ilk, and Jean Hodge (see Gagie’s Summerhouse, above)
Etc.

READING and RESOURCES

BOOK: Warden, Alexander J (1885). Angus or Forfarshire, the Land and People, Volume V. Digital Repository: Internet Archive
p.n26 (10)
The Earls of Angus were superiors of the lands of Gagie. The lands appear to have been divided into two parts in early times, each of which was held by distinct proprietors. The one portion appears to have been called Gagie or Easter Gagie, and the other for a time, Wester Gagie. It is only in a few cases we can say which of the two we are treating of. In the Valuation Roll of 1683 Gagie is entered thus:– Easter Gagie, value L100; Guthrie or Wester Gagie, value L183 6s 8d. In 1822 the first is also named “Easter Gagie” and the second “Wester Gagie”.
The Olifers or Olivers were proprietors of the lands of Gagie at an early period. David Oliver is designed of Gagie in 1457. David Oliver of Gagie was one of an assize at a retour of service of John Carnegie at Dundee, 16th May, 1508. He, or another of the same name, was a retour of service, 7th May 1519. Gagie passed from the Oliver’s to the Sibbalds of Rankeilor, but we have not learned the date. In 1610, the Sibbalds sold the property to William Guthrie, second son of Alexander Guthrie of that ilk, and brother of Alexander Guthrie, who succeeded his father, Alexander, in Guthrie. William Guthrie acquired Ravensby, in Barry, from John Cant, on 11th June 1603, and was designed of Ravensby. He had a portion of Halton and Milton of Guthrie, 29th December, 1574. He is said to have married Isabella, daughter of Leslie of Balquhain. The Guthrie arms are on the lintel of the summerhouse of Gagie, with the date 1614. A shield on the front wall of Gagie house bears the Leslie arms, with the letters I. L.
p.n27 (11)
On 24th March, 1629, Alexander Guthrie, heir of William Guthrie of Wester Gagie, was retoured in the town and land of Wester Gagie. On 4th May 1647, Francis Guthrie of Gagie married his cousin, Bathia, daughter of Bishop Guthrie, who had acquired the estate of Guthrie. Francis died before 4th April 1665, as on that day his son John was served heir to his father in the lands of Wester Gagie; and in the lands of Guthrie, &c, in right of his mother, heiress of Bishop Guthrie. The Laird of the estate of Gagie, a younger branch of the family, thus became the chief of the name Guthrie.
A stone, having the family arms carved upon it, stood over the old entrance to, or court-gate of Gagie. The initials (J.G. : JH) and the date 1737 were also on the slab. The initials are those of John Guthrie of that Ilk and his wife, Jean, a daughter of Rev. James Hodge, minister of Longforgan. Their son became the twelfth (actually 13th) Baron Guthrie. The estates of Guthrie and Gagie, &c, have ever since continued in the chief of the old family of Guthrie of that ilk. John Guthrie had also two daughters by Jean Hodge. one of them was married to John Scrymgeor of Tealing, and the other to William Alison, merchant, Dundee.

ARTICLES:
1) MacCoinnich, A. (2019). The Maritime Dimension to Scotland’s “Highland Problem”, ca. 1540–1630. Journal of the North Atlantic, 44–72. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27133160
2) MacCoinnich, Aonghas. Plantation and Civility in the North Atlantic World: The Case of the Northern Hebrides, 1570-1639 (PDF)

WEBSITE: Castles and Other Buildings Associated with the Guthries

BOOK: Jervise, Andrew (1882). History and Traditions of the Land of the Lindsays, in Angus and Mearns, Edinburgh, Scotland. Digital Repository: National Library of Scotland.

Historic Environment: Canmore (National Records of the Historic Environment) for architectural details of Gagie House.