'Dempster1'
Index links to: Lead / Letter
Families covered: Dempster of Auchterless, Dempster of Balbougie, Dempster of Balrownie, Dempster of Careston, Dempster of Dunnichen, Dempster of Muiresk, Dempster of Pitliver, Dempster of Skibo
| It appears that this family's name derived from their heriditary role as court dempster or doomster which involved reading out the verdict of doom when people were condemned to death. The following comes almost wholly from a web site which has not been worked on for several years so, having found no other source that covers this family in anything like as much depth, we have absorbed its data not least to help make sure that the results of the large amount of work which appears to have been done in compiling that data are not lost. | |||||||||||||||
| Duncan Dempster of Alrethis or Allardyce (a 1306) | |||||||||||||||
| 1. | John Dempster (a 1369) | ||||||||||||||
| A. | Andrew Dempster of Careston, Forfarshire (a1380) | ||||||||||||||
| i. | Robert Dempster of Careston | ||||||||||||||
| a. | Andrew Dempster of Careston | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | David Dempster of Careston (a 1445) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Margaret Scrymgeour | |||||||||||||||
| (A) | David Dempster of Careston (d before 1472) | ||||||||||||||
| (i) | John Dempster of Careston (a 1500) | ||||||||||||||
| (a) | Peter Dempster of Careston | ||||||||||||||
| m. Janet Ochterlony | |||||||||||||||
| ((1)) | William Dempster of Careston | ||||||||||||||
| ((A)) | David Dempster (dvp?) | ||||||||||||||
| ((B)) | daughter | ||||||||||||||
| m. _ Linn | |||||||||||||||
| ((C)) | daughter | ||||||||||||||
| m. _ Ochterlony | |||||||||||||||
| (ii)+ | other issue - David, Alexander, Thomas | ||||||||||||||
| (B)+ | other issue - Robert, Andrew | ||||||||||||||
| ii. | Walter Dempster of Auchterless (a 1380) | ||||||||||||||
| a. | Walter Dempster of Auchterless (a 1430) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Katherine (widow of Sir Walter Lindsey of Kinneff) | |||||||||||||||
| (1) | David Dempster of Auchterless (d before 1461) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Elizabeth | |||||||||||||||
| (A) | Walter Dempster of Auchterless (d c1467) | ||||||||||||||
| (i) | John Dempster of Auchterless (d 1504) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Euphemia Murray | |||||||||||||||
| (a) | Walter Dempster of Auchterless (d 1506) - continued below | ||||||||||||||
| m. Elizabeth Barclay (of family of Towie?) | |||||||||||||||
| (ii)+ | other issue - David, George | ||||||||||||||
| 2. | Andrew Dempster of Menmuir | ||||||||||||||
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| Walter Dempster of Auchterless (d 1506) - continued above | |||||||||||||||
| m. Elizabeth Barclay (of family of Towie?) | |||||||||||||||
| 1. | John Dempster of Auchterless 'of Muiresk' (d c1558) | ||||||||||||||
| m1. _ Menzies (dau of Gilbert Menzies of Findern, Provost of Aberdeen) | |||||||||||||||
| m2. "Lady Margaret Stewart of Buchan" | |||||||||||||||
| A. | James Dempster of Auchterless, Sheriff of Banff (b c1530, d 1579) | ||||||||||||||
| m1. Janet Fraser (possibly of family of Filorth (sb Dures?), widow of (John?) Cheyne of Arnage) | |||||||||||||||
| i. | Thomas Dempster of Auchterless & Muiresk, Sheriff of Banff (b c1550, d 1620) | ||||||||||||||
| The family site shows Thomas as m1. Jean Leslie of Balquhain, mother of James, then m2. Isabella Gordon and then shows his son James's wife as Isabella Gordon also. However, the Leslie records show Jane Leslie (of Balquhain) as married to James of Muiresk. Provisionally we show Thomas as married twice and leave James's wife unidentified. | |||||||||||||||
| m1. (1568) Jean Leslie of Balquhain | |||||||||||||||
| a. | James Dempster 'of Muiresk' (b c1570, dvp 1614) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | Robert Dempster of Cushnie (b 1570, a 1642, dsp?) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Janet Ogilvie | |||||||||||||||
| m2. Isabella Gordon of Avochie | |||||||||||||||
| ii. | George Dempster (of Ordley?) | ||||||||||||||
| iii. | John Dempster | ||||||||||||||
| The family site identifies John as possibly ancestor of the Dempsters of Balbougie but does not follow his line. We presume that he was indeed ancestor of that line and provide the following from cross-references from elsewhere in the database. | |||||||||||||||
| a. | ?? Dempster presumed intermediary generation, presumed father of ... | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | Sir John Dempster of Logiealton & Balbougie father of Bethia, presumed also of Robert | ||||||||||||||
| m. Euphanie Henderson (dau of James Henderson of Fordell) wife of John, presumed mother of ... | |||||||||||||||
| (A) | Robert Dempster of Pitliver | ||||||||||||||
| Identified by TSP (vol 4, p567) as "representative of the Dempsters of Auchterless and Muiresk, heritable Doomsters of Scotland" and as father of James of Balbougie father of Euphame. We presume that he was also father of ... | |||||||||||||||
| (i) | Sir John Dempster of Pitliver father of Jean, probably of this generation | ||||||||||||||
| (a) | Jean Dempster | ||||||||||||||
| m. Sir James Campbell, 2nd Bart of Aberuchill (d 10.05.1754) | |||||||||||||||
| (ii) | James Dempster of Balbougie | ||||||||||||||
| (a) | Euphame Dempster (heir) | ||||||||||||||
| m. (1675) David Carmichael (d 1676) | |||||||||||||||
| (B) | Bethia Dempster (d before 1662) | ||||||||||||||
| m. (c1619) James Baird of Little Fiddes (b c1588, d 1655) | |||||||||||||||
| m2. Janet Grant of Freuchie (widow of Alexander Sunderland of Duffus) | |||||||||||||||
| B. | John Dempster of Inglismaldie & Knockleith | ||||||||||||||
| C. | Archibald Dempster of Hassiewells, Sheriff of Banff (d before 1601) | ||||||||||||||
| The family site indicates that the following connections are likely but not fully proven. | |||||||||||||||
| i. | George Dempster of Hassiewells | ||||||||||||||
| ii. | William Dempster in Skellesta, Shetland (b c1580, d c1648) | ||||||||||||||
| m1. Margaret Williamsdaughter | |||||||||||||||
| a. | Laurence Dempster in Skellesta | ||||||||||||||
| m. Catherine Dempster | |||||||||||||||
| The family site suggests that they had children who may have taken the name Laurenson. | |||||||||||||||
| b.+ | other issue - Edward, Hew, Dorothy, Elizabeth/Elspet, Catherine | ||||||||||||||
| m2. Janet Wilson | |||||||||||||||
| g.+ | other issue - Janet, Margaret | ||||||||||||||
| D. | Margaret Dempster | ||||||||||||||
| m. George Leslie of Aikenway | |||||||||||||||
| E. | Elizabeth Dempster | ||||||||||||||
| m. John Leslie of that ilk | |||||||||||||||
| m3. Katherine Murray | |||||||||||||||
| 2. | Charles Dempster of Balrownie (a 1586) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Margaret Crawmond | |||||||||||||||
| A. | Charles Dempster of Balrownie (a 1631) | ||||||||||||||
| i. | John Dempster of Balrownie | ||||||||||||||
| a. | George Dempster of Brechin | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | son (2nd son?) | ||||||||||||||
| (A) | George Dempster of Kirktounhilll | ||||||||||||||
| (2) | John Dempster (b c1640, d 1708, minister of Moniefeith) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Anna Maule | |||||||||||||||
| (A) | George Dempster of Dunnichen (b 1678, d 1752) | ||||||||||||||
| m. (19.10.1699) Margaret Raith of Pitforthy | |||||||||||||||
| The following is mostly supported by BLG1937 ('Hall-Dempster now Napier of Dunnichen'). | |||||||||||||||
| (i) | John Dempster of Dunnichen (b 1706, d 03.11.1754) | ||||||||||||||
| m(1). Isobel Ogilvie mother of George, presumed also of the other children | |||||||||||||||
| (a) | George Dempster of Dunnichen (b 08.12.1732, d 13.02.1818, MP) | ||||||||||||||
| Sundry details regarding George come from HoP. | |||||||||||||||
| m. (24.09.1744) Rose Heming of Caldecott Hall (dau of Richard Heming of Jamaica) | |||||||||||||||
| (b) | John Hamilton Dempster of Skibo | ||||||||||||||
| m1. Jean Ferguson of Kilkarren | |||||||||||||||
| ((1)) | George Dempster (d 1800) | ||||||||||||||
| m2. _ Thompson | |||||||||||||||
| ((2)) | Harriet Dempster of Skibo (b c1786, d 1810) | ||||||||||||||
| m. William Soper, later Soper-Dempster of Skibo Castle | |||||||||||||||
| ((A)) | George Soper-Dempster of Skibo (dsp 1889) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Joanna Dundas (d 1891, dau of Robert Dundas of Arniston) | |||||||||||||||
| ((B)) | Charlotte Soper-Dempster (d 1842) | ||||||||||||||
| m. (1830) James Whitshed Hawkins-Dempster of Dunnichen (b 1796, d 1841) | |||||||||||||||
| ((C)) | Ellen Soper-Dempster probably of this generation | ||||||||||||||
| m. (03.10.1828) Henry White, 1st Lord Annaly (b 1789, d 1873) | |||||||||||||||
| (c) | Helen Dempster (d 1831) | ||||||||||||||
| m. _ Burrington (General) | |||||||||||||||
| ((1)) | Helen Dempster Burrington of Dunnichen (d 1855) | ||||||||||||||
| m. Francis Hawkins (d 1854) | |||||||||||||||
| B. | John Dempster | ||||||||||||||
Main source(s): easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~jdempster/ (here) with input as reported above
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