Early Life
James Menteith was the eldest son of
William Menteith of
Randiford and
Margaret Colville, daughter of
Sir James Colville of
Ochiltree (Ayrshire) and
East Wemyss (Fife). I estimate James Menteith would have been born c. 1555:
- He is described as "still a youth"1 when he succeeded his father c. 1571
- He married in 1580
Family Life
James married
Christian Reid, daughter of
David Reid of
Aikenhead in Lanarkshire in 1580 (marriage contract dated 9
th January 1580). James had at least one child, whose name is not recorded. From this un-named child, there were at least three generations of Menteiths who all married incredibly young (aged 14 or so) which is not impossible, but at least is interesting. I wondered whether the unnamed son of James really existed, because if not, then the implied ages at marriage are much more reasonable, but Gordon MacGregor (in personal correspondence) is convinced that this generation did indeed exist.
Death
James must have died before February 1578/9, when his (un-named) son was made heir.
Footnotes
[1]
Red Book of Scotland, vol. 6, Gordon MacGregor; Menteith of Randiford
Abt 1555 - Bef 1592 (~ 37 years)