Blair Atholl parish Session Minutes

[Throth]

Duncan must have survived working in the New Plantations as a daughter, Isobel, was born to Duncan Seaton and Elspeth Stewart in Ardtulichan (which is next to Balrobie) on 14th April 1728.

[Anneatki]

I really enjoy reading these sorts of things, it adds 'life' to the facts we find out about our ancestors.
Thankyou Throth!   

[jennywren001]

Hi Throth,
I'm sitting here transcribing 1861 census details written in beautiful copperplate and still having to double and triple check words.  What you're done must have taken a monumental effort.
'Withdrawing services' get a completely new take when it's a wet nurse wanting her payment! Many thanks for this - really appreciated.
Jen

[Throth]

The Blair Atholl parish Session Minutes are now complete from 1718 until November 1723 when they cease, and are available on the web-site.

They don't start again until 1741 - just before the last Jacobite Rising.

The hyper-link is still on the first entry, but you may need to refresh.

Isis (www.borenich.co.uk)

[tidybooks]

Hi Throth,

Read the Kirk Session minutes that you have made available online. Fascinating reading, I cannot get Billy Connolly out of my head saying, "Thou Shalt Not!"

With all their goings on, I am surprised the church membership is going down. When did these Kirk Session meetings stop calling offenders to their meetings. Assuming that the practice has stopped.

Tom

[Skoosh]

Stopped long ago Tom, maybe if it had continued the kirks would be packed!   

Skoosh.

[tidybooks]

Hi Skoosh,


Put me down to be an elder sitting on the Kirk Session, more entertaining than Strictly and the X Factor. Save the licence money, as well, as it would be a full time job nowadays.

Tom

[Throth]

What we found difficult was the Presbyterian / Episcopalian issue.  St Brides is in Old Blair and Kilmaveonaig church is just the other side of the river Tilt - very close together.  Now we had assumed that the two churches were running in parallel with the former Presbyterian and the latter Episcopalian, but that does not seem to have been the case.

In the 1600s it would appear that Blair Atholl was Episcopalian in attitude. The two ministers prior to Mr Duncan Stewart were the grandfather and father of Mungo Campbell of Clune-more (Dr Hamilton's chief Elder). So although Mungo was a Presbyterian Elder, his ancestors were Episcopalian ministers.

Whether they were using one church or both churches is unclear, certainly neither would have been large enough to hold even a fraction of the parish inhabitants at that time.

Robertson of Lude invited Mr Duncan Stewart to follow on from the Campbells, and the minister was strongly Jacobite and Episcopalian (maybe the trouble was that they tended to go hand-in-hand). Anyway the new minister must have been on good terms with Atholl, as Mr Duncan Stewart lent him the money to go down to London when he was elevated to Duke of Atholl (around 1703).

Mr Duncan Stewart seems to have been using St Brides as his accounts in the Session Minutes seems to be referring to the repair of the porches and kirkyard wall of St Brides.  Was Kilmaveonaig kirk in ruins?

Eventually the Duke of Atholl told the Dunkeld Presbytery that he was withdrawing his support for Mr Duncan Stewart as he would not pray for the Hanoverian King (read this as - no stipend for the minister!), and eventually Dr Hamilton was appointed to the parish.  He found St Brides in a shocking state.  No pulpit and no communion cup etc.  So had Kilmaveonaig been the church of worship, and St Brides the neglected church?

Certainly the Episcopalian minister continued to preach (possibly at Orchil) even after he had been ousted, and despite the later banning of Episcopalian meetings. So some of the poor sinners were being hounded by both branches of Christianity.

[Skoosh]

These old parish churches were indeed to wee to hold the congregation, particularly with the Presbyterian emphasis on preaching. The services must have been largely outdoor affairs (weather permitting) just as Highland funerals still are in places, the church not being used.
 The Atholl religious situation was unusual in that the family were dyke-jumpers par excellence, whatever way the wind blew there was a duke to fit.

Skoosh.