As we know Walter Seth Logan, Sr. had “a close kinship” with James David Logan, Secretary to Penn. Since I have been able to trace Walter to John Logan of 1699, Walter and James have to be cousins to some degree, somewhere. So, I decided to put James’ lineage in my tree hoping to connect them one day. James’ lineage, on his maternal side, goes all the way to Robert Stewart, II (1316-1390) aka King Robert II of Scotland.
James is the King’s 9th Great Grandson.
Remember, as seen above, his mother is Isabel Hume. His father was Patrick Logan. It is mentioned in several places that Patrick is the grandson of Robert Logan of Restalrig of which there are many. But, from which son? There were many from the last Robert, by three different wives. This is where the disconnect is. There were seven sons from these three marriages and some of them were banished to Ireland after the Gowrie Affair.
Read for more information on that.
The Robert Logan I above is the son to Katherine de Lestalric (see below). It is quite convoluted. They are related by the Hume (pronounced Home) and the Logan families. There are two Isabel Hume’s who married into the same family of Logan’s! This makes my head spin.
- The castle of the Logan family stood on the site of Lochend House, overlooking Lochend Loch. The castle was largely destroyed by fire in the late 16th century.
“The area was once controlled by a powerful Anglo-Norman family the Lestalrics. The Lestalric family turned up around 1166 a very neat century after the first wave of conquests, sweeping north along with the likes of the St Clairs the De Bruis’ (as in Robert The Bruce) Montgomery’s and the de Moffet’s. The Normans were originally Vikings who had raided France so much the decided to settle – a bit like Brits who go on holiday in Spain and end up with a villa.
Lestalric gradually morphed in Restalrig which is more familiar with Leith residents and travellers. The area as far afield as South Leith was controlled by the Lestalric family until 1382 when Sir John de Lestalric died , leaving his estate to his daughter Katharine and her husband, Sir Robert Logan, who became the laird. Robert’s family had come from Ayrshire and had supported Robert the Bruce, a decision that cost them their lands in that area when Edward I of England forfeited them. Dominus Walter Logan was captured by the English in 1306 and hanged at Durham.”
Source: http://www.scotclans.com/the-logans-of-restalrig/
The History of Leith; The Logans is a great read from Electric Scotland’s page and clan. They have done extensive research and this history shows where some of the confusion lies. There are also some photos of the different Logan mansions and castles.
Sir Robert Logan (d.1439), and his wife Dame Katherine founded the monastery of St Anthony which was near South Leith Parish Church with an outlying chapel at Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park, which survives as a ruin.
Robert inherited Fast Castle and other lands near the border with England, as ‘nephew’ and heir of Elizabeth Martene, Lady Fastcastle, widow of Cuthbert Home who had fallen at Flodden Field; in the 1570s Robert was lord of half of the lands of Fastcastle, and Sir George Ogilvie of Dunlugus was lord of the other half.
19th-century engraving of Fast Castle, involved in Robert’s plot to abduct James VI of Scotland and Robert Logan’s home, Lochend Castle, at Restalrig.
The Gowrie Conspiracy is basically this:
The subject of a unique trial for treason. The Logan family were wealthy landowners, who possessed the Barony of Restalrig from the 14th Century and lived in Lochend Castle. Sir Robert’s father died while he was young, but he went on to inherit property in Ayrshire, Coldingham (Scottish Borders). He also inherited Fast Castle in the Scottish Borders from his mother who had taken Alexander, 5th Lord Home, as her second husband.
Logan died in 1606 and was buried in his family tomb at South Leith Parish Church. However, some two years later, suspicions were raised that Logan had been involved in the ‘Gowrie Conspiracy’ a plot to assassinate King James VI in 1600. The plot had been foiled and the principal conspirators, John Ruthven, the 3rd Earl of Gowrie and his brother, Alexander, Master of Ruthven, had been killed in Perth and their bodies taken to Edinburgh to be displayed.
In 1609, Logan (who was dead) was summoned to appear in court and his body exhumed and laid before the court. With Logan in no position to defend himself, he was found guilty on the flimsiest of evidence and his estates were forfeit. Source: http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst1326.html
From another cousin who has studied the Logan line a lot longer than I, Stephanie Logan Falls:
“Logan’s kids were not allowed freedoms or personal liberties (could not own land, hold office…) and of course the near 30,000 pounds (a multi millionaire back then) was taken by the Crown.
As to the Logan name, I really don’t see any proof that the name was truly outlawed. Since I do not have a copy of the original forfeiture I am unable to determine if the name was truly outlawed, or if some irate Logan over-exaggerated; but regardless, the name continued in the public registers just like it always had.
One last important note about Logan’s trial; the Earl of Dunbar was instrumental in getting Logan’s conviction, but one has to wonder why he was allowed to be involved since he owed the Logan estate for the purchase price of the Restalrig estate (no little amount of change there!) and stood to benefit when the forfeiture absolved him from his debts, but he got to keep the land.
Talk about a fixed trial! The whole thing reeks of deceit.
There was a Reversal of Attainder in 1616.
Basically Robert’s minor children at the time of forfeiture (one has to wonder if this meant the year Robert’s bones were convicted in 1609, or when this supposed murder attempt was made, 5 August 1600) were allowed to live a normal life, with the exception that they could inherit nothing from their father’s estate (especially seeing as that the King had already taken the entire estate away!!) This clemency did not extend to the three oldest children, sons: Robert, George, and John.
This means that Logan’s children from 1609-1616 had few rights.”
Evidently it was proven later that he was wrongly accused of this whole affair by forgeries of his secretary/notary, Sprott.
My genealogical cousin, James, who I talked about in my last blog, is going to Scotland with his wife this summer. He is going to look at some archives and hopes to enlighten us more on our line. James David Logan (Penn’s secretary) and our John are only twenty-five years apart. There is a connection between the two families somewhere. I’m going to find it.
Loganalogy- The Family Historian 