Letter dated July 17 1999 from Julie Goddard:

I visited the Hungerford Archives last week. There I found a large file of thirty pages concerning the Hungerford Lidderdales.

There is a photocopy of a long letter concerning researches by an enquiry agent about the origins of the Hungerford family written in 1986 by John Lidderdale of Cheltenham. He says that [William] Robertson Lidderdale of Castlemilk, Dumfriesshire had twin illegitimate sons by a lady thought to be an American named Mary Tapp, who was a house guest. She was given an annuity and handed over the children. John became a Second Lieutenant in the 15th Light Dragoons, while his brother William qualified as a doctor and was posted as the doctor of the same regiment, but was killed in France in 1812. John retired, on half pay probably, to Hungerford and became a Captain in the Berkshire Yeomanry Cavalry. He took part in suppressing the Agricultural Riots in 1831.

He had married a local lady in 1800 and they had four sons and four daughers. One of the daughters married a Goddard and they had 13 children, the majority of them emigrating to America, Australia and Africa.

There appear to have been Lidderdales at Castlemilk for several centuries and the file has a copy of the signature of "Thomas Lidderdale. of Isle Barroun of Sanct Marie Isle, Steward depute of Kircudbright, and Commissioner of Militia, of Excise and of Supply, Convener of the C9mmission of Miitia and Excise". No date. There is also a shield with crest and motto. And also "The signatures on the Tax Roll for the Priorie of St. Marie Ile for 1630 a) Thomas L... who attended the Convention of Estates in 1626" b) James Lidderdaill, Younger of Sanct Marie Ile, c) Mr. John Meikill, notary public in Kircudbright.

She goes on to say there was also a picture of St. Mary's Isle (Old House) the seat of the Earl of Selkirk, formerly the seat of the Lidderdales. There was also, intriguingly, a plan of Ward's Fork, Virginia, the property of John Lidderdale of Castlemilk dated 1744.

Source: Communication from Hazel Frith.

3rd June 1745 - 8th July 1814, married Julia Rae on 14th February 1789. He was a Captain in the Scots Greys. He succeeded to the Castle Milk Estate and Ellerby Lodge near Carlisle. Later he lived at Eastwood, North Riding, Yorks, dying at Gretna Hall. Evidently he was a good horseman as this letter proves; it is to his brother Thomas:

My dear Tom,

After being almost frozen and blown away, I got here in 43 hours from Carlisle - quite exhausted, and the Frenchman by the force of the wind stopped in his furious career. Emma, I found quite well, and in good spirits - she will later thank you for your favour and more so in not communicating her letter to me. This town is a scene of madness and dissipation. The disappointment of the outs make them grumble and inns are fearful of being thrown out so is the general run of mankind. I shall send you a draft for your arrears etc. and I beg you will endeavour by every means to send me game once a week directed to me No. 57, Great Portland Street, where I have an elegant little house. Greenwich Hospital is partly burnt dawn.

Sir Lochart Ross and Sir John Lindsay have thrown up their comms. as Capts. in the Navy - like honest men being determined not to serve under any King who can suffer an Admiral to be disgraced as after 7 months to be called to trial for only the assertion of an informer. We have taken 2 frigates and 10 sail of victuallers from the French Fleet. The storm on Friday night drove an outward bound E. India man on Dover Pier, another E. India man was run down by a 74 gun man of war.

Write me particularly how everything goes and desire Fenwick to let me know how his affair is doing.

3rd Jany. 1778.

Yours R.L.

Evidently he seldom used his Christian name William. He signed the latter to James, the Solicitor, 'R' for Robertson.

The Forrests have an oil painting and a water colour drawing of two of his horses, one of which may be the "Frenchman" named in the letter.

William Robertson and Julia had eight children: Margaret who died young, Julia, Margaret, David, Robertson, Elizabeth, Eleanora and Jane

On the walls of the family burial enclosure in Galtway Kirkyard are tablets to the memory of the following members of the family mostly buried there.

- JOHN LIDDERDALE of Castle Milk, son of David of Torrs, died 10th August 1777, aged 64.
- His son WILLIAM ROBERTSON LIDDERDALE died 8th July 1814., aged 69.
- His daughters:
- ELEANORA died 30th May 1824, aged 19.
- ELIZABETH died 20th August, 1827, aged 24.
- MARGARET died 28th October 1868, aged 74.

Source: Robert Halliday Lidderdale, An Account of the Lowland Scots Family of Lidderdale, 1950.

William Robertson Lidderdale succeeded to the representation of the family at the death of his father at Castlemilk, in August 1777. He succeeded to Castlemilk, and became a captain in the Scots Greys in 1775, which regiment he joined as a coronet. He sold the property. He married Julia Rae in 1789, and had issue, of whom survived,

    David, died unmarried in 1860.
    Robertson, died unmarried in 1840.
    Julia, married, in 1822, John Forrest of Long Meadow, Annan. She died in 1834, leaving issue,
        John James [Forrest], died young.
        William John [Forrest], born in 1828, of Long Meadow. He married, and had issue. He died in 1873.
            William Robertson Lidderdale [Forrest], born in 1870.
            Julia Isabel [Forrest].
         Andrew Turnbull [Forrest], born 1830. He married, and has issue,
            John Andrew [Forrest], born in 1870.
            Julia Margaret [Forrest].
    Margaret, died 1868, buried at Gata.
    Elizabeth, died 1827.
    Eleanora, died 1824.
    Jane, died 1831.

Source: P.H. McKerlie, History of the Lands and Their Owners in Galloway, 1878.

William Robertson Lidderdale is listed in Lowndes' The London Directory for the Year 1779 (13th edition) and the years 1780 (15th and 16th editions) and 1781 (17th edition), containing alphabetical lists of names and places of abode of the merchants and principal traders of the city of London. (http://www.Ancestry.com)

Janet McKnight of Canada posted the following text from a memorial at the Annan Old Parish Church burial ground on the Rootsweb.com Dumfries-Galloway Mailing List on November 8, 2001 (http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/SCT/Dumfries-Galloway.html)

____ LIDDERDALE who died ____ 1833 aged 69 years. And of their youngest son ____ Robertson who died the 6th of June 1840 aged 39 years.

This part of the headstone most likely is for Julia Rae.