Sir Thomas Burnett of Leys, 3rd Baronet, (ca. 1658 – January 1714),

Lord Clerk Register The office of Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenance and care of the public records of Scotland. Tod ...

, PC, MP. He was, at Stonehaven, 21 April 1664, retoured as heir to his father, Sir Alexander Burnett, 2nd Baronet who had died the previous year. The 3rd Baronet is the grandson of

Sir Thomas Burnett, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Burnett, 1st Baronet of Leys (died 27 June 1653) was a feudal baron and leading Covenanter who had represented Kincardineshire in the Scottish Parliament in 1621. Early years The eldest surviving son of Alexander Burnett of Leys and ...

, who completed the reconstruction of

Muchalls Castle Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well-preserved Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers of ...

and the great-grandson of

Alexander Burnett of Leys (died 1619) Alexander Burnett, 12th Laird of Leys (died 5 July 1619) was a Scottish landowner. Burnett was the Laird of Crathes Castle in the late 16th and early 17th century, and is credited for the completion of Crathes in 1596. He acquired Muchalls Castle ...

, who completed the construction of Crathes Castle.

Career

Sir Thomas was a Commissioner to the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

for Kincardineshire between 1689 and 1707. In 1689 he subscribed to the Act declaratory of the legality of the Meeting of Estates summoned by the

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

, and was a signatory to the letter of congratulation him as King William II. In 1690 he was one of nine appointed to a Parliamentary Committee for the Plantation of Kirks and valuation of

teind In Scotland a teind () was a tithe derived from the produce of the land for the maintenance of the clergy. It is also an old lowland term for a tribute due to be paid by the fairies to the devil every seven years. Found in the story of Tam Lin as ...

s, and one of four chosen as

. On the discovery of plots for the King's assassination, he was one of the signatories to the association in defence of King William. He opposed the proposal of making an addition to the standing army, which parliament adopted; and in the same parliament, during the discussions regarding the colony of New Caledonia in Darién Province, when the question was raised whether the company's right should be made the subject of an address to the King or of an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

, and the former alternative was carried by a majority of 108 to 84. Sir Thomas Burnett was one of the dissenters and protestors. In May 1701 he was nominated, with others, for a peerage, but the King, being at the time ill, did not sign the patents, which subsequently lapsed. In 1703 Sir Thomas made a protest against the Act allowing the importation of French wines and brandies as "dishonourable to Her Majesty, and inconsistent with the Grand Alliance in which she is engaged." His votes recorded in connexion with the Union are in favour of the first article and of the whole measure as carried. On 13 February 1707 he was elected as a Member of the

Parliament of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdo ...

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, but he seems never to have presented his commission or taken his seat. On 21 May he was appointed a member of the Privy Council of Scotland, and in July appointed to the

Scottish Court of Exchequer The Court of Exchequer was formerly a distinct part of the court system of Scotland, with responsibility for administration of government revenue and jurisdiction of adjudicate on cases relating to customs and excise, revenue, stamp duty and prob ...

Acrimony

In his private life he was engaged in an unpleasant dispute, from 1695 to 1702, with the Earl of Sutherland regarding the affairs of the Arbuthnot family. The matter became very acrimonious and finally went to the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...

, the legal proceedings being reported upon by Sir

John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall, 2nd Baronet, Lord Fountainhall (baptised 2 August 1646 – 20 September 1722) was one of Scotland's leading jurists who remains to this day an oft consulted authority. He was knighted in 1680 and matriculated his ...

Marriage and issue

He married while still under age, in 1677, Margaret (1662–1744), daughter of Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd Viscount Arbuthnot, by his spouse Elizabeth, daughter of

William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal (16101670 or 1671) was a Scottish nobleman and Covenanter. He was the eldest son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal. Life During the English Civil War, the 7th Earl Marischal joined James Graham, 1st Marques ...

. They had sixteen (or even more) children. Sir Thomas was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son and heir

Sir Alexander Burnett, 4th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

. Of the other children: * William of Criggie (now Ecclesgreig) (1683–1747). * Robert, was made an honorary

burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

on 8 January 1689. * Thomas (b.1686) was made an honorary burgess of Aberdeen on 8 January 1689. * John (b. 1688) was made an honorary burgess of Aberdeen on 8 January 1689. * Charles (b.1691; d.unm.), an advocate. * Katherine (d.1749), married in 1702 Sir William Seton, 2nd Baronet of Pitmedden, M.P. (bap.6 Mar 1673; d.1744). * Mary (d.5 Jun 1754), married in 1712

Sir John Carnegie, 2nd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

of Pittarrow, (1673–1729). * Elizabeth (b.1692) married by contract in 1715 George Beattie, merchant in Montrose, Angus. * Margaret (b.1696) married in 1721 James Ogilvie of Melros,

Banffshire Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...

. * Jean (b.1698) married in 1722 George Lauder of Pitscandlie,

Forfarshire Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agri ...

(d.bef August 1760), a younger son of Sir Robert Lauder of Beilmouth, Knt., M.P. (d.1709) * Helen (b.1698) married Allardice of that Ilk.

References

* ''The Baronage of Scotland'', by Sir Robert Douglas, et al., Edinburgh, 1798, p. 18

* ''The Family of Burnett of Leys'', (with collateral branches), by George Burnett,

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

, Aberdeen, 1901, pps: 78 - 86. * ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage'', edited by Peter Townend, 105th edition, London, 1970, p. 98.

External links

Official Burnett Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Sir Thomas, 3rd Baronet 1650s births 1714 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Scottish politicians Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Members of the Privy Council of Scotland 17th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish politicians Scottish knights Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1689–1702 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 Year of birth uncertain