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

Lord Clerk Register The office of Lord Clerk Register (Scottish Gaelic: ''Clàr Morair Clèireach'') is the oldest remaining Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenanc ...

, PC, MP. He was, at

Stonehaven Stonehaven ( ) is a town on the northeast coast of Scotland, south of Aberdeen. It had a population of 11,177 at th2022 Census Stonehaven was formerly the county town of Kincardineshire, succeeding the now abandoned town of Kincardine, Aberd ...

, 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, 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 o ...

and the great-grandson of Alexander Burnett of Leys (died 1619), who completed the construction of

Crathes Castle Crathes Castle (pronounced ) is a castle, built in the 16th century, near Banchory in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is in the historic county of Kincardineshire. This harled castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was owned by the family for ...

Career

Sir Thomas was a Commissioner to the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

for

Kincardineshire Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the stewartry"), is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area on the ...

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 associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

, 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 teinds, 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 Darién (, ; ) is a Provinces of Panama, province in Panama whose capital city is La Palma, Darién, La Palma. With an area of , it is located at the eastern end of the country and bordered to the north by the province of Panamá Province, Panam ...

, 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, 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 1707, Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, 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 The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

, and in July appointed to the Scottish Court of Exchequer.

Acrimony

In his private life he was engaged in an unpleasant dispute, from 1695 to 1702, with the

Earl of Sutherland Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia, 1st Earl of Sutherland, William de Moravia and is the premier earldom in the Peerage of Scotland. The earl or countess of Sutherland is al ...

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 highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

, the legal proceedings being reported upon by Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall.

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 (16141670 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 Marque ...

. They had sixteen (or even more) children. Sir Thomas was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son and heir Sir Alexander Burnett, 4th Baronet. Of the other children: * William of Criggie (now Ecclesgreig) (1683–1747). * Robert, was made an honorary burgess of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

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 "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part o ...

of Pittarrow, (1673–1729). * Elizabeth (b.1692) married by contract in 1715 George Beattie, merchant in

Montrose, Angus Montrose ( ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Situated north of Dundee and south of Aberdeen, Montrose lies between the mouths of the River North Esk, Angus, North and River South Esk, South Esk rivers. It is the northe ...

. * Margaret (b.1696) married in 1721 James Ogilvie of Melros,

Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...

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

Forfarshire Angus (; ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agriculture and fishing. Global pharmaceuticals ...

(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 Officer of State, Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scotland, Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...

, 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 Nobility from Aberdeenshire 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 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