[596] Sir John Nisbet of Dirleton.
Naper is a french name and runs in it n'a pair, he hath not a peer. The Giffards of Shirefhall, they say, ware of old Shirefs of Louthian, and from that their house got its denomination. Tho some alledge their was in old tymes a Lord Giffard, and that it ended with ane heritrix married in the house of Yester: yet my Lord Duke of Lauderdale sayes he hes bein at very much pains to find if it was so, and he could never find any thing to instruct it.
* * * * *
The Wrichtshouses near Edenburgh, they say, was denominat from this, that in King James the 2ds dayes the ground about all being a forrest (lochia sylva is derived from lochs, insidioe, in the Greek, quia insidiantibus capta est sylva. Wossius[597] partit. orator, p. 328), and wheirin their was many robbries and murders committed. K. Ja. gave order to cut it doune. The Wrichts that ware appointed for this work had their huts and lodges whither they resorted for their dyet and on other accompts put up in the very individuall place wheir the house and place of the Wrightshouses is now situat, and so gave that denomination to the ground theirafter.
[597] Vossius, Gerard. Johannes, Dutch philologist, 1577-1649, author of De Quatuor Artibus Popularibus, etc.
(3)
CHANGES AND ALTERATIONS AND REMARKABLE EMERGENTS OF AND IN THE SESSION 1668-1676.[598]
[598] MS. H.
On the 5 of June 1668 was I admitted Advocat. At this tyme died my Lord
Carden, and Gosfurd succeided.
In the November theirafter died Mr. Robert Burnet, Advocat.