Mystery surrounds the origins of the Blairs of Ladymuir. However, while some of the early Blairs of Ladymuir and their connections seem obscure, the Lands of Ladymuir comprised an estate of rough farmlands approximately 10 kilometers north west of Castle Sernpill and Sempill Loch in Renfrewshire west of Glasgow and about 10 kilometers south of the town of Kilmacolm. It was these lands which were said to have come into possession of two brothers, James and William Blair of Dalry, Ayrshire, about 1620.  "Ladymuir" still exists in Renfrewshire and can be found on a detailed map of Scotland. Further details are unknown.

There are two major mysteries surrounding the Blairs of Ladymuir. One is their ancestry (it is believed that they were grandsons of John and Grisel Blair, of the 15th generation of Blair descendants on the Blair of Blair lineage) and the other is the line of descent from James to Hugh Blair (b. c1660) who married Margaret Rodger.

Before we get into a discussion of a Ladymuir connection to the Blair of Blair, let's first look at the line of descent from James to Hugh Blair. Shown at the right are three possible lines of descent that various pedigree charts put forward.

The first line showing Hugh Blair as the son of James has several problems. It is highly unlikely that James could be born in 1620 if he came into possession of Ladymuir about 1620. An even bigger problem is that at least one record indicates that James died prior to January 16, 1627. There are also other records which indicate this line is not correct.

The second line shows Hugh as the gr-gr-gr grandson of James. This line shows James b. about 1585 and his son John born about 1590, which is quite impossible. Either James would have to be born around 1570 or John and Hew would have to born later than established.

The third line is actually the same as line 1 except it places James' birth as about 1560. This would mean James was between 30 and 40 when he had John and that he about 60 when he took procession of Ladymuir.

There is probably no way that DNA testing will help sort out the lineage from James Blair to Hugh Blair. To do this we would need to find known descendant from the those Blairs believed to be part of the line, and since we are not even sure who is part of the line from James to Hugh it is unlikely we will know who their descendants are.

However, it may be possible to use DNA testing to determine if the Blair of Ladymuir line descends from the Blair of Blair. To do so we must accept the assumption that Hugh Blair (b. c1660) who married Margaret Rodger is a direct descendant of the original James Blair of Ladymuir. Given the fact Hugh had possession of Ladymuir this seems like a reasonable assumption.

We now have test results for three individuals who descend from Hugh Blair and Margaret Rodger through the James Blair/Janet Laird, John Blair/Elizabeth Crawford line. 

Participant #8368 (Ernest William "Bill" Blair) descends through Matthew Blair (son of John Blair/Elizabeth Crawford) and Janet Blackwood. Bill has tested on 25 markers.

Participant #36943 (Robert Douglas Blair) descends through John Blair (son of John Blair/Elizabeth Crawford) and Agnes Taylor. Robert has tested on 37 markers.

The 3rd individual (SGMF01) is not part of the Blair DNA Project, but tested with the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF).  SGMF01 descends from John Blair/Agnes Taylor, just like Robert. However Robert comes down through son John while SMGF01 comes down through son Robert.

The test results for the three participants are shown below.

First there no doubt that all three participants are in fact descendants of John Blair and Elizabeth Crawford. All three participants match exactly on all the markers they tested in common. #8368 and #36943 are a 25/25 match. #8368 and SMGF01 match 17/17. #36943 and SGMF01 match 24/24.

DNA test results so far provide compelling evidence that John Blair (who married Elizabeth Crawford) does not descend from the Blair of Blair. The result also provide strong, but not compelling evidence, that Hugh Blair of Ladymuir does not descend from the Blair of Blair. Although unlikely it is possible to John is not a descendant of Hugh. Further testing is required.

The best possible candidate for testing would be a Blair who descends from Hugh Blair and Mary Blackburn. Unfortunately I have no information on this line other than Hugh possibly had four sons shown above. It appears that one of these sons (Robert) died at an early age since there are two Roberts listed.