The Sharp Family

by Charles Frederick Hesketh – Sharp

 

From what I learned from my father, we trace our family settlement to the couty of Galloway, Scotland, and that we are descended from the “Sharps” and “Kirkpatricks,” who in the days of strife, were allies or retainers of the great “Douglas” family for instance (later) the “Black Douglas.”

 

Kirkpatrick’s cry of “Mak siccar” (make sure) reverberates thro’ the pages of history.

 

The “Sharps” of Hoddam Castle, near Annan, Dumfriesshire, are the descendants of the “Kirkpatricks” and of the stout old Sir Roger Kirkpatrick of Forthorwald Castle, who was at the slaughter of the “Red Comyn” at the Greyfriars Monastery, Dumfries, after Comyn had been stabbed by the “Bruce” (King Robert Bruce) the future hers of Bannockburn.

 

Bruce met Comyn by appointment at the Monastery, the[y] quarreled, Bruce charged Comyn with treachery, and struck him down in the geat of passion with his dagger.  Bruce rushed from the monastery and in reply to questions by those who awaited him at the door, hastily replied: “I doubt I have slain Comyn,” to which the fierce knight of Forthorwald rejoined: “So you leave such a matter to doubt?  I mak siccar!” and he ran into the monastery and dispatched the wounded Red Comyn.  From that period up till recently the crest of the old Kirkpatricks was a hand grasping a bloddy dagger with the motto: “I’ll mak siccar.”

 

The change of name from Kirkpatrick to Sharp is referred to in an old Border snatch:

 

“Kirkpatricks “mak siccar,” now Sharp is the name

In old Hoddam Castle, mak siccars the same

The horns of the altar, and freedom the plea

Will never divide mak siccar from thee.”

 

(Red Comyn it may be explained was slain upon the High Altar of the Church[)]

 

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Kirkpatrick, anciently sometimes spelled Kilpatrick, a surname derived from “Cella Patricii,” (the Church of Patrick).  The ancient family of Kirkpatrick have according to tradition held lands in Nithsdale since the 9th century.   In the reign of David I (1124 – 1158) Yoo Kirkpatrick was witness to a charter of Robert Bruce.  Among those mentioned as having in 1296 sworn fealty to Edward I are Stephen de Kirkpatrick and Roger de Kirkpatrick.

 

Roger Kirkpatrick, successor of John, was one of the attendants of King Robert Bruce at Dumfries, when he met Red Comyn in the church of the Franciscians in that town, and it was he who on Bruce rushing out, and expressing a doubt that he had killed Red Comyn exclaimed “You doubt!  I’ll mak siccar!” which became the motto of his family, their crest being a hand holding a dagger, in pale, distilling drops of blood.

 

In 1314 he was sent on an embassy to England in company with Sir Neil Campbell, ancestor of the Duke of Argyle, Roger’s son, Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, besides inheriting Closeburn, for his father’s signal service and his own, to his sovereign and country, got the lands of Redburgh in Dumfries, as the charter of Robert Bruce bears dated at Lochmaben 4th January in the 14th year of his reign.  In 1355, Sir Thomas’s son, Sir Roger, distinguished himself by taking from the English, the castles of Caerlaverock and Dalswinton, and thus preserved the whole territory of Nithsdale in allegiance to the Scottish Crown.  It is said he levelled the former castle to the ground.  This however could not be literally true, as he continued to reside in it until his assasination by his kinsmen, Sir James Lindsay in 1357.  No known cause of the quarrel existed between them, except that Kirkpatrick had married a lady to whom Lindsay was greatly attached.  Lindsay expiated his crime with his life, having been executed by order of David II.  Sir Roger’s son, Winfred or Umfrey, in addition to the lands of Redburgh, got those of Forthorwald.  The son or grandson of the latter, sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, made a resignation of the baronies

 

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of Closeburn and Redburgh into the hands of Robert, Duke of Albany, Earl of Fife, and Governor of Scotland, for a new Charter of Taibzie, to himself and his heirs, dated at Ayr 14thth October 1409.  He was succeeded by his brother Roger Kirkpatrick.  His descendant Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, knight, a gentleman of the Privy Council  of James VI obtained from that monarch a patent of free denizen within the Kingdom of England in 1603, he died about 1628.  His great grandson Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, for his unshaken fidelity to Charles I was created a baronet of Nova Scotia 26th March  1685.  His eldest son, Sir Thomas, second baronet, had four sons and a daughter.  The eldest of these (Sir Thomas) 3rd Baronet, bu his marriage with Susannah, daughter and heiress of James Gierson of Capenoch brought that estate into the family.  He had eight children.  His second and eldest surviving son Sir James, 4th baronet commenced in 1772 the limeworks both in Closeburn & Keir, he died 7th June 1804.  His son Sir Thomas, 5th Baronet, Sheriff of Dumfriesshire, married Jane, daughter of Charles Sharp Esq of Hoddam and died in 1844 when his son Sir Charles Sharp Kirkpatrick , born in 1808 became 6th baronet.  The younder brother of the third baronet of Closeburn, William Kirkpatrick of Ellisland married a daughter of Lord Justice Clark Erskine.  Their son, Charles, succeeded to the state of Hoddam, and assumed the name of Sharp, and was father of General Matthew Sharp M.P. for the Dumfries burghs, who died in 1841 and of the antiquary and wit, Mr. Charles Kirkpatrick Sharp of Hoddam, who died in 1851.  The latter drew up a chart of the family tree of the Kirkpatricks of Closeburn.  From a branch of the Kirkpatricks, styled of Conheath is descended the ( ) Empress Eugenie.  According to one account this branch springs from Alexander Kirkpatrick of Kirkmichail, second son of the third Roger de Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, the barony of Conheath having been bestowed upon him as the reward of valour in making a captive of the 9th Earl of Douglas

 

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at Buronowark in 1484.  Another account grafts it on to the main tree at a more recent date.  The Empress Eugenie’s great great grandfather joined the standard of the Pretender in 1745, and being takern prisoner, died on the scaffold.  His son left Scotland, and settled in Ostend, whence the family emigrated to Spain.  About the middle of the eighteenth century, William Kirkpatrick, cousin german of Sir James Kirpatrick baronet of Closeburn, was proprieter of the estate of Conheath, parish of Caerlaverock.  The estate had originally been one of the numerous possessions of the Closeburn family, of which he was a cadet, but which passed out of their hands, and was repurchased by Mr. Kirkpatrick’s grandfather.  Mr. Kirkpatrick had a very large family, the only remaining member of which, Miss Jane Forbes Kirkpatrick, resided at Nith Bank, Dumfries, who died 21 December 1854 in her 89th year, was aunt of the Countess of Montijo, the mother of Empress Eugenie.  One of his sons, also named William Kirkpatrick was for upwards of a quarter of a century a Merchant in Malaga, and American Consul of that city.  He married Francisco, eldest daughter of Baron Grivignee, a Belgian, and had one son who died young, and three daughters.  Maria Kirkpatrick, the eldest, married Don Cipriano Palafox, the Count of Teba, a grandee of Spain of the first class, later, on the death of his eldest brother, Count Del Montijo, issue two daughters, the elder married the Duke of Berwick & Alba, and died in September 1860 leaving three children; the younger Eugenie Marie de Guzman, Countess of Teba, born at Grenada, May 5th, 1826 married 29th January 1853, Charles Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) Emperor of the French.

 

William Kirkpatrick’s second daughter, Carlotta, married her cousin, Thomas Kirkpatrick of Ostend.  The third daughter Enriquetta married Count De Cabarrus whose sister was the celebrated Madame Tallien.

 

When the Empress fled from France during the Empire, she paid a flying visit to Scotland, and visited some of her relatives in Dumfries.

 

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In one of the battles against England (I fancy it was at Bannockburn or Culloden) some of our relatives were made prisoners by the English, and they with others were sold as slaves to Planters in Jamaica and were never heard of again.

Some of the family settled down at Castle Douglas, and others at Newton Stewart, after residing at these places many years, several sons at that time thought they could improve themselves by removing to Glasgow and neighbourhood.  These six sons were all single, and it is very probable when they arrived in Glasgow they were accompanied by their aged parents.  My Grandfather (John) was born in Glasgow, but left there for Paisley (about 7 miles out of Glasgow) and established himself in business as a Master Weaver – one or two of these, founded the firm of “John Sharp & Sons,” Flax & Jute Manufacturers, Dundee, and died at his residence “Balmuir” the later end of February 1895.

 

My grandfater had several apprentices, two of whom were named Wilson.  One of these became known as the Giant Professor Wilson, whoe wrote under the name of “Christopher North” – and was the Author of “Nortes Ambrosiana (  )”.

The other Wilson became a Poet, and wrote a poem detrimental to Grandfather who prosecuted him.  Wilson was sentenced to a few weeks imprisonment, and the poem was publicly burnt.  Wilson afterwards went to America where he died.

About the year 1759 my Grandfater left Paisley for Coventry to teach fancy weaving, at which place he resided for some years before returning to Scotland, where he died at a good ripe age greatly respected.

 

Many years before his deathe he was appointed Magistrate of Paisley.  He left a large family, 3 Sons and 6 Daughters by his wife Janet Ure, a daughter of Dugal or Duncan Ure of Glasgow Flesher (i.e. Butcher).

 

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