Sir Thomas Nicolson of Carnock, 1st Baronet (Before 1605 – 8 January 1646) was a Scottish lawyer, landowner, commissioner for

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling ( ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. It borders Perthshir ...

, and postmaster.

Early life

He was the son of John Nicolson of

Lasswade Lasswade is a village and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River North Esk, south of Edinburgh city centre, contiguous with Bonnyrigg and between Dalkeith to the east and Loanhead to the west. Melville Castle lies to the north ...

(d. 1605) and Elizabeth (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Henderson) Nicolson. His father was a practising advocate at

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. His elder brother was Sir John Nicolson of Lasswade (grandfather of Sir John Nicolson, 2nd Baronet), was created a baronet in 1629 and died in 1651. His paternal grandparents were James Nicolson (the Burgess of

and of Sheriff Clerk of Aberdeen) and Janet (née Swinton) Nicolson and his maternal grandparents were Edward Henderson (son of George Henderson, 2nd of Fordell) and Helen (née Swinton) Henderson. His grandmothers were sisters, both being daughters of Sir John Swinton, 18th

of that Ilk "Of that Ilk", otherwise known as "Chief of that Bluid", is a term used in the Scottish nobility to denote a clan chieftain in some Scottish clans. The term '' of that ilk'' means "of the same ame, and is used to avoid repetition in a person's ti ...

Career

An advocate from 1612, in 1623 Nicolson was rewarded with the office of postmaster of

Cockburnspath Cockburnspath ( ) is a village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dunbar. Cockburnspath is the eastern terminus of the Southern Upland Way as well as the northern terminus of ...

for his assistance to

John Murray, 1st Earl of Annandale John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. In 1634, Nicolson bought Carnock House near

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

from John Drummond the grandson of

Robert Drummond of Carnock Sir Robert Drummond of Carnock (died 1592) was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland from 1579 to 1583. This was the responsibility for building and repair of palaces and castles. His appointment was made to be "as Sir James Hamilton of Finnar ...

. His son John Drummond of Drummondshall married Margaret Rollock, daughter of his business partner John Rollock, and their lands became the Bannockburn estate. Nicolson was said to have been a great patron and encourager of the minister James Guthrie. He was created Baronet Nicolson of Carnock,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

on 16 January 1637, and he decorated his house at Carnock with his new heraldry in stone and plasterwork.

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

has some plasterwork from a ceiling from the house including the Nova Scotia arms of Nicolson of Carnock. A number of Nicolson's letters and charters are held by the

National Archives of Scotland The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europ ...

Personal life

Carnock House Stirlingshire plaster ceiling

Nicolson married Isobel Henderson, a daughter of Walter Henderson of Granton. Their children included: * Elizabeth Nicolson, who married Thomas Drummond of

Riccarton Riccarton may refer to: New Zealand * Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch ** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it ** The location of Riccarton Race Course * a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago Scot ...

. * Ann Nicolson, who married Sir George Stirling, 6th of

Keir Keir is a surname and given name shortened from Keiron. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Andrew Keir (1926–1997), Scottish actor * Colin Keir (born 1959), Scottish politician * David Keir (1884–1971), British actor * David Li ...

and 3rd of Cawder, son of Sir James Stirling, as his third wife in 1654. * Sir Thomas Nicolson (1628–1664), who married Lady Margaret Livingstone, daughter of Alexander Livingston, 2nd Earl of Linlithgow and Lady Mary Douglas (daughter of

William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus (15543 March 1611) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus (1533–1591). Career Douglas studied at St. Andrews University and joined the household of the Earl of Mo ...

). * Sir John Nicolson of

Tillicoultry Tillicoultry ( ; Scottish Gaelic: Tulach Cultraidh, perhaps from older Gaelic ''Tullich-cul-tir'', or "the mount/hill at the back of the country") is a town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Tillicoultry is usually referred to as Tilly by the loc ...

(1629–1683), who married Sabina Colyear, daughter of Colonel Walter Colyear. * Jane Nicolson, who made her brother John her heir. Sir Nicolson died on 8 January 1646 and was succeeded by his eldest son, who became Sir Thomas Nicolson of Carnock, 2nd Baronet.George Edward Cokayne, editor, ''The Complete Baronetage, 5 Volumes'' (); reprint,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1983), volume II, page 424.

Descendants

Through his eldest son Sir Thomas, he was a grandfather of Margaret Nicolson (mother of Alexander Hamilton of Ballincrieff, MP for

Linlithgowshire West Lothian, also known as Linlithgowshire (its official name until 1925), is a counties of Scotland, historic county in the east central Lowlands of Scotland. until 1925. It is bounded geographically by the River Avon, Falkirk, Avon to the wes ...

and Margaret Nicolson, wife of

William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian, ( – 28 July 1767) was a Scottish nobleman, styled Master of Jedburgh from 1692 to 1703 and Lord Jedburgh from 1703 to 1722. Early life He was the son of William Kerr, 2nd Marquess of Lothian and Lady Jea ...

) and Thomas Nicolson (1649–1670), who married Jean Napier and succeeded Sir Thomas as the 3rd Baronet in 1664. The 3rd Baronet was the father of Thomas Nicolson (1669–1688), who became the 4th Baronet as well as the 4th Lord Napier, which he inherited from his maternal uncle, Archibald Napier, 3rd Lord Napier. As the 4th Baronet died in 1688, unmarried and childless, the Carnock estate and the baronetcy passed to his paternal uncle, the 1st Baronets grandson, Sir Thomas Nicolson, 5th Baronet (d. 1699).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolson, Thomas 1646 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Members of the Faculty of Advocates

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Scottish knights 17th-century Scottish people Year of birth uncertain