Ormidale Memorial
Below we bring you, bit by bit, a memorial that Ormidale wrote in 1798 laying out his grievances against his brother (“the late Otter”) in an attempt to have his will overturned. We have done our best to decipher Ormidale’s scrawl but please feel free to offer corrections of any word you think we have misread. We are quite sure that there will be a few.
Excerpt 22
Here we have Ormidale getting down to the legal basis of his complaint – that Otter had changed their father’s legal papers to make it look as if he could do whatever he wished with the estate, and hid any records that would show that he did not have the power to do so.
We also have another phrase that we can’t quite work out – “and Furlage lent” appears to be what is written above “Boisterous Dispositin”, but that means nothing to us.
16 Late Otter lived upon his Estate Thirty five years
Three months and some days The Memorialist heard
Over the Country that Otter had in June last when he
Was Blind and otherwise Unfaring gone to Edinburgh and
Intirely Altered his Fathers Deeds which all Corroborated
From the 1741 till the 1749 which must have been Owing
To hide who was Obliged from time to time to actain a
Clause reserving power to himself to Alter as he saw fit
First by reason of his Oldest son George who went wrong
And Contrary to his Fathers Wish and also because his
^ and Furlage lent
Second son who was of a Boisterous Dispositin
Father considered it Necessary to reserve a Clause of
Reservation as said the Memorialist Father had made
Page 9th Sure in a friendly manner to the Memorialist nor would
Nor his wifes he in like manner Shew his Mothers Contract of Marriage
Contract of Marr= nor any other papers Whatever which Shews a perverse
=iage which lay Diabolocall Temper of Mind with Scarce a parralell
At Otter
Excerpt 23
Orimdale’s argument here is that his brother exerted undue influence over their father because it amused him to pull the rug from under his feet, as it were.
17 The which causes are heretofore Sett forth in a Short
Narrative that ansars the Destinations & should be laid
Aside at the Will or Caprice of any person it is feard
Too plain that the Memorialist has been the Butt of his Brothers
Malice in order to please himself And it is further presumed
That His Father never would have done it by putting it in
the power of his son Late Otter if he had not at some point
When his father was old and unfirm had with a Brutall
Temper Brow Beat and Insulted his Father in a Barbarous
Manner till he gave all up to a Most Unnatural Tempered
Man his son late Otter
Excerpt 24
Ormidale evidently regarded his brother as something of a “spoiled brat” who had had his temper tantrums indulged in childhood and who took the same approach as an adult.
if the said old man had done as is said
Suspected it is most certain that Indue Methods were taken for that purpo
=pers by late Otter to the prejudice of all concerned in said
Destinations for it was late Otter made since he could Crawl
Upon every occasions he would brow Beat his Father till he
Yielded to grant such as late Otter wanted sole for peace Sak
That the character the Memorialist his brother late Otter
boar in the Country That from his Infancy he was brought
up without Controll there was not one person over all his Fathers
Familie without any Exceptions but he would take an
Umbrage at by turns same as Whom he would not speak to=
for Days same for Months same for Years besides he had the
same behaviour to many Gentlemen over the Country and
that By and while till he found a New Object to Vent his
Anger at particularly his relations,
