Robert Barclay

1648 - 1690  (41 years)

• Name	Robert Barclay  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Birth	23 Dec 1648	Drainie, Moray, Scotland
  	According to William Penn's 'Testimony to the Memory of Robert Barclay'
  Gender	Male
  Education	Abt 1662	Paris, Île-de-France, France
  	Attended the Scots College where his uncle Robert was Principal. Returned in 1663 on the death of his mother
  Religion	Dec 1666	Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland   [1]
  	Quaker, becoming 'convinced' following his father David. In 1672 he took to walking through the streets of Aberdeen in sackcloth and ashes.
  Residence	Jun 1667	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [5]
  	Sent by his father David, along with David Falconar to promote Quakerism in Edinburgh
  Imprisonment	Dec 1672	Montrose, Angus, Scotland   [6]
  	Brief imprisonment in Montrose Tolbooth. Released 2 January 1673 by action of the Privy Council
  Occupation	1676	Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
  	Author, publishing 'An apology for the true Christian divinity', first in Latin then in English (1678)
  Imprisonment	7 Nov 1676	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland   [7]
  	Imprisonment, until 9 Apr 1677
  Imprisonment	13 Jun 1677	Banff, Banffshire, Scotland
  	Five Quakers (Patrick Livingstone, George Keith, Robert Barclay, John Skene and Alexander Jaffray) were removed from Aberdeen to prison in Banff, where they could not preach out the tolbooth windows!
  	On their release he accompanied Robert Barclay to London where he met William Penn
  Arrival	Abt Nov 1677	Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany   [8]
  	Visited Princess Elizabeth with William Penn and Benjamin Furly during a week-long proselytising trip to Holland and Westphalia
  	The source refers to Herwerden, another name for Herford, and places the town in The Netherlands
  Departure	26 Nov 1677
  	Embarked on a proselytising tour of Holland and north Germany with George Fox, William Penn, etc
  Legal	17 Jul 1678	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [9]
  	With other Quakers, including his father, fined by the Privy Council for keeping conventicles at a house on the north side of Kirkgate, Aberdeen
  Property	11 Feb 1678/79	Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland   [10]
  	Signature of the lands of Urie, etc granted to Robert Barclay and his father, Col David Barclay
  Imprisonment	4 Nov 1679	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
  	His last spell in prison in Aberdeen
  Occupation	Sep 1682	London, England
  	Governor (non-resident ) of East Jersey
  Property	23 Sep 1682	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [11]
  	Conveyance of 1/2 of 1/12 of East New Jersey to Robert Barclay by William Penn
  Property	5 Mar 1682/83	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [12]
  	Deed from Ambros Rigge (Proprietors of East New Jersey) to Robert Barclay of 1/2 of 1/24 of East New Jersey
  Legal	14 Mar 1682/83	London, England   [13]
  	Contract containing disposition by His Royal Highness James Duke of York to James, Earl of Perth, John Drummond of Lundie, Robert Barclay of Ury and others for East New Jersey
  Role	Apr 1683	Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland   [14]
  	Emigration agent
  Departure	Aug 1683	London, England
  	When heading back to Scotland, attacked by highwaymen, during which his friend and fellow East Jersey investor, Arent Sonmans was killed
  Role	1684	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA
  	Proprietor (absent)
  Title Suffix	of Ury
  	or 'of Urie'
  Property	22 Apr 1684	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21]
  	Conveyances of 1/10 of 1/48 of East Jersey to David Barclay, John Dalrimple, Robert Fullerton, Thomas Fullerton, Charles Gordon, John Gordon, Thomas Gordon, James Johnstone, William Aickman
  Property	22 Jan 1686/87	Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [22]
  	Confirmation to Robert Barclay by the East Jersey Proprietors of 2,000 acres 20 miles above the Falls of Passaic River
  Origin	Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland
  	Ury
  Burial	1690	Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland
  	Ury
  Death	3 Oct 1690	Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland
  	Ury
  Person ID	I44753	East Jersey Genealogies
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

  Father	Colonel David Barclay,   b. 1610, Marykirk, Kincardineshire, Scotland d. 12 Oct 1686, Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland (Age 76 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Lady Katharine Gordon,   b. 11 Jan 1620/21, Drainie, Moray, Scotland d. Mar 1662/63, Drainie, Moray, Scotland (Age 42 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	26 Jan 1647/48  [23]
  	Contract dated 24 Dec 1647 at Bog o'Gight (Castle Gordon) and Gordonstoun
  Family ID	F31184	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Christian Molleson,   b. 18 Jul 1647, Echt, Aberdeenshire, Scotland d. 14 Feb 1722/23 (Age 75 years)
  Marriage	Nov 1669	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland   [24, 25]
  	The Digest of Quaker marriages also gives a date of 1 Feb 1670 for this marriage At Bailie Molleson's house (ie, that of Christian's father). The was the first marriage in Scotland to be conducted without a church minister and it led to a disturbance and a threat by the Bishop fof Aberdeen to prosecute Robert for unlawful marriage.
  Children	1. David Barclay,   b. 8 Sep 1670, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland d. 1671 (Age 0 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Robert Barclay,   b. 25 Mar 1672, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland d. 27 Mar 1747 (Age 75 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Margaret Barclay,   b. 4 Oct 1673, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland d. 1685 (Age 11 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Patience Barclay,   b. 25 Nov 1675, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland d. Abt 1755, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland (Age 79 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. Katharine Barclay,   b. 26 Jun 1678, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland d. 9 Nov 1758, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland (Age 80 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   6. Christian Barclay,   b. 15 May 1680, Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland d. 1751 (Age 70 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   7. David Barclay,   b. 17 Sep 1682, Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland d. 18 May 1769, Edmonton, Middlesex, England (Age 86 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   8. Jean Barclay,   b. 27 Dec 1683, Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland d. Aft May 1740, London, England (Age > 57 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   9. John Barclay,   b. 10 Aug 1687, Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland d. 8 Jun 1751, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland (Age 63 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F31185	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Education - Attended the Scots College where his uncle Robert was Principal. Returned in 1663 on the death of his mother - Abt 1662 - Paris, Île-de-France, France Religion - Quaker, becoming 'convinced' following his father David. In 1672 he took to walking through the streets of Aberdeen in sackcloth and ashes. - Dec 1666 - Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland Residence - Sent by his father David, along with David Falconar to promote Quakerism in Edinburgh - Jun 1667 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Marriage - Nov 1669 - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Imprisonment - Brief imprisonment in Montrose Tolbooth. Released 2 January 1673 by action of the Privy Council - Dec 1672 - Montrose, Angus, Scotland Occupation - Author, publishing 'An apology for the true Christian divinity', first in Latin then in English (1678) - 1676 - Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands Imprisonment - Imprisonment, until 9 Apr 1677 - 7 Nov 1676 - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Imprisonment - Five Quakers (Patrick Livingstone, George Keith, Robert Barclay, John Skene and Alexander Jaffray) were removed from Aberdeen to prison in Banff, where they could not preach out the tolbooth windows! - 13 Jun 1677 - Banff, Banffshire, Scotland Arrival - Visited Princess Elizabeth with William Penn and Benjamin Furly during a week-long proselytising trip to Holland and Westphalia - Abt Nov 1677 - Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Legal - With other Quakers, including his father, fined by the Privy Council for keeping conventicles at a house on the north side of Kirkgate, Aberdeen - 17 Jul 1678 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Property - Signature of the lands of Urie, etc granted to Robert Barclay and his father, Col David Barclay - 11 Feb 1678/79 - Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland Imprisonment - His last spell in prison in Aberdeen - 4 Nov 1679 - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Occupation - Governor (non-resident ) of East Jersey - Sep 1682 - London, England Legal - Contract containing disposition by His Royal Highness James Duke of York to James, Earl of Perth, John Drummond of Lundie, Robert Barclay of Ury and others for East New Jersey - 14 Mar 1682/83 - London, England Role - Emigration agent - Apr 1683 - Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland Departure - When heading back to Scotland, attacked by highwaymen, during which his friend and fellow East Jersey investor, Arent Sonmans was killed - Aug 1683 - London, England Property - Confirmation to Robert Barclay by the East Jersey Proprietors of 2,000 acres 20 miles above the Falls of Passaic River - 22 Jan 1686/87 - Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Origin - Ury - - Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland Burial - 1690 - Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland Death - 3 Oct 1690 - Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S3566] DesBrisay, Gordon, "Barclay, Robert, of Ury (1648–1690), Religious Writer and Colonial Governor". [S3584] Trueblood, D. Elton, Robert Barclay. [S3573] Fryer, Linda G., "Robert Barclay of Ury and East New Jersey". [S3724] Barclay, Hubert F., A History of the Barclay Family, with Full Pedigree from 1066 to 1933, pp98-191. [S3641] Miller, William F., The Record Book of Friends at the Monethly Meeting Att Urie, (Name: Friends Historical Society; Location: London; Date: 1910;), Part I, p92. [S3584] Trueblood, D. Elton, Robert Barclay, p62. [S3565] Burnet, George B., The Rise, Progress and Decline of the Quaker Movement in Scotland, p125. [S3670] Hull, William Isaac, Benjamin Furly and Quakerism in Rotterdam, p48. [S3611] Privy Council of Scotland, The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd Series, III, pp75-77. [S3526] National Records of Scotland, (Location: Edinburgh;), SIG1/10/23. [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 44 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 200 (SSTSE023). [S3526] National Records of Scotland, (Location: Edinburgh;), GD305/1/122/515. [S3659] Scots Proprietors, The, Advertisement to All Trades-Men, Husbandmen, Servants and Others Who Are Willing to Transport Themselves unto the Province of New-East-Jersy in America, a Great Part of Which Belongs to Scots-Men, Proprietors Thereof, p2. [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 253 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 227 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 248 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 326 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 325 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 326-327 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 429 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, B(EJ): Folio 277-278 (SSTSE023). [S3724] Barclay, Hubert F., A History of the Barclay Family, with Full Pedigree from 1066 to 1933, p22. [S3615] Strath-Maxwell, Archibald, Digest of Quaker births, marriages and burials in Scotland, 1647-1878, (Location: Aberdeen; Date: 1960;), p99. [S3641] Miller, William F., The Record Book of Friends at the Monethly Meeting Att Urie, (Name: Friends Historical Society; Location: London; Date: 1910;), Part I, p93.