Whitelaw

The lands and barony of Whitelaw lie in the Borders parish of Bowden. There are also lands of this name at Morebattle. John de Wytelowe of the county of Edinburgh appears on the Ragman Roll, rendering homage to Edward I of England in 1296. John Wytelowe of that Ilk was a juror on an inquiry into the extent of lands at Gladsmuir in 1430. Archibald Whitelaw was Archdeacon of St Andrews and rose to become Secretary of State to James III. Nisbet states that Archibald was a son of Whitelaw of that Ilk. The Whitelaws of that Ilk ended with an heiress, Jean, who married Walter Burnside. The Whitelaws of Gartshore now bear arms only slightly differenced from that of the principal stem. From this family descended William Whitelaw (now Viscount Whitelaw), the distinguished twentieth-century British politician.