215
retained them, till he lost them in his turn by his forfeiture. In October 1573,
the same offices were transferred to Archibald Earl of Angus and his heirs-
male (n). The brother of Lord Home, though he was restored both in his
estates and blood, was never restored to the offices of sheriff of Berwick and
bailie of Lauderdale, and in July 1587, Francis, another audacious Earl
of Both well, obtained, from the imprudence of King James, both those offices, to
him, and to his heirs-male (0). Upon his forfeiture in 1591, the king, in the
spirit of folly, transferred both those offices to Lodowick Duke of Lennox, and
his heirs-male. Yet, in October 1592, the Duke of Lennox transferred the
office of sheriff to Alexander, Lord Home, and his heirs. This lord, who was
created Earl of Home in 1605, resigned the office of sheriff to the king in
1616, who thereupon appointed Alexander Home, of Renton, to be sheriff-prin-
cipal of Berwickshire, on the 9th of January 1617, who executed this office till
the 15th of February 1621 (p). From the epoch of Alexander Earl of Home's
resignation, who was the last heritable sheriff, the appointment to this trust was
in the king, and there followed no fewer appointments than five-and-twenty
before the king's restoration, by such authorities as existed in the country
during a period of change. In August 1661, James Earl of Home was restored
to this office. In October 1667, Alexander Earl of Home was sheriff. In
January 1675, James Earl of Home, was again sheriff, though other persons had
been appointed in the mean time. At the revolution, this great trust was trans-
ferred to a somewhat different family; and on the 21st of August 1690, Sir
Patrick Home of Polworth, was appointed sheriff by King William. Yet, on
the 26th of September 1710, when a change of influence had taken place,
Alexander Earl of Home was appointed to the same office, during pleasure, by
Queen Anne. On the 13th of January 1715, Patrick Earl of Marchmont was
again named sheriff during pleasure, by George I.; and on the 2nd of October
1724, Alexander Earl of Marchmont was constituted, during pleasure, by the
same king (q). After the abolition of the heritable jurisdictions, George Ker,
who became one of the senators of the College of Justice, in 1755, by the title
of Lord Nisbet, was appointed the first sheriff of Berwickshire, under that new
and salutary arrangement.
(n) Dougl. Peer., 193, who quotes a charter in the Pub. Archives. MS. Memorial of the sheriffs
of this shire.
(o) Pub. Rec. ; Dougl. Peer., 86.
(p) Pub. Rec. From all those transfers, it is easy to perceive that the sheriffdona of Berwick was
conveyed as property.
(q) MS. Paper Office.