Admission to the office of Advocate

Sir Andrew’s letter of admission to the office of Advocate in 1704 has been preserved among the family papers. His portrait was commissioned later, possibly to mark his appointment as Sherriff Depute for Edinburghshire.  As a pushy lawyer, he was fortunate in securing heiress Elizabeth Leirmonth as his wife, and their son John was educated in the Low Countries.  Sir Andrew sought to protect the Ramsay lands by establishing an entail, a legal instrument that effectively kept the estate together, until entails were abolished by Parliament in 1925. The Ramsay Holster is linked to Sir Andrew, who lived in turbulent times and needed protection, in the streets and when travelling around the country.  It presumably saw action in subsequent generations, during musters. 

Letter of admission to the office of advocate