A succession of Crawfurds

As this memorial tablet shows, sometimes the laws of succession of lands and titles can be a bit tricky to work out.  The tablet has a prominent place in the former Old West Kirk on the Esplanade in Greenock, which houses the Crawfurd family vault.  The Crawfurds owned the lands of Cartsburn or Crawfurdsburn in the east end of Greenock. 

The tablet reads:- Here are deposited the remains of THOMAS CRAWFURD of Cartsburn who departed this life 3rd February 1743 in the 81st year of his age.  Also Ann, his daughter and Margaret Semple his fourth wife. Also Archibald Crawfurd of Cartsburn who departed this life 13th January 1783 in the 74th year of his age and Margaret Cunningham, his spouse who departed this life 23rd August 1787. And Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn their son, who departed this life 24 September 1791 In the 46th year of his age.  This monument was erected to their Memory by Christian Crawfurd of Cartsburn, Daughter to the first, and Aunt to the last mentioned Thomas Crawfurd 1792.

The Thomas Crawfurd (1662-1743) named on the memorial is the second of Cartsburn. He succeeded his father in 1695.  (Read about the first Crawfurd of Cartsburn here.)  He was married four times.  First in 1682 - Rebecca Barns (1659-1694), the daughter of Provost John Barns of Glasgow who had business interests in Greenock.  They had a daughter Marion (1688-?) who married Patrick Hunter of Hunterston.  Second in 1695 - Bethia Robertson (daughter of Archibald Roberton of Bedlay), Third in 1717 - Beatrix Clark and fourth in 1729 - Margaret Semple (daughter of William Semple of Cathcart).

Thomas Crawfurd and Bethia Robertson had the following children - (a) Thomas Crawfurd (d.1732).   He became and advocate and married Cecile Forbes (daughter of John Forbes of Knappernay).  Thomas died before his father and without issue.  (b) Archibald Crawfurd (1710-1783)- succeeded his father.  (c) Christian Crawfurd (1705-1796) - succeeded her nephew. 

Third of Cartsburn - Archibald Crawfurd (1710-1783) succeeded his father in 1743.  He married in 1739 - Margaret Cunninghame (daughter of John Cunningham of Caddel and Thorntoun, Ayr). They had one son, fourth of Cartsburn – Thomas Crawfurd (1746-1791) who succeeded his father in 1783 and died in 1791.  Read more about Thomas Crawfurd here.  He wrote to Scottish poet, Robert Burns, in 1788  inviting him to visit Cartsburn.  Thomas was unmarried and died without issue. 

Thomas was succeeded in 1791 by his aunt, fifth of Cartsburn - Christian Crawfurd (1705-1796), daughter of Thomas Crawfurd and Bethia Robertson.  She married Robert Arthur (d. 1779) in 1743 at Greenock.  Robert Arthur was a merchant from Irvine who had business dealings with George Moore of the Isle of Man (among others).  The couple had four children - Bethia (1744-), Thomas (1745-), William (1746-) and Christian (1749-).  Arthur Street in Greenock is named after this family.

At her death in 1796, her only surviving child was her daughter, Christian Arthur Crawfurd and that's where the story starts to get interesting!