1709.—GREAT SNOW AND
FROST.—The great snow and frost
“which set in with the year 1709,” appears to have been
general in
Dunfermline and West of Fife. The snow and frost lasted
37 days. The burns were all deep frozen, and large
numbers of sheep were lost. (MS. and old newspapers.)
PENNY MEALS.—“21st
Feb., 1709: The said day the magistrates and town
counsel, taking to their consideration the great trouble
and great expense the magistrates and
thesaurer are at in yearly collecting the penny
mealls and
annualls payable yearly to the
town out of the burgage lands;
and, beside that, the toun
have no right for some of these
pennie mealls, except
immemorial use of payment, and that it would be more to
the advantage of the toun, and
save a great deall of trouble,
that the burgesses were allowed to buy and redeem these
pennie
mealls and annuals: They therefore did and hereby
do enact and declare that any burgess of this burgh who
pleases shall have full power to buy and redeem the
pennie
mealls and annualls
payable out of his own proper lands at fifteen years’
purchase, and that upon his paying of the same to the
thesaurer for the time, in
presence of the counsell, and
getting ane extract yr of
under the hands of the thesaurer
and clerk, the counsel declares, ye
sd pennie
mealls and
annualls renounced and
discharged, and ye lands quat
and free yr of forever.” (Burgh Rec.; see also An. Dunf.
date 1712.) This offer of redemption of the meals, &c.,
at 15 years’ purchase, was at another meeting of the
council reduced to 10 years purchase.
THE PROVINCIAL SYNOD OF
FIFE assembled in the Church of Dunfermline on April 7th,
1709. (Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol. i.
p. 436.)
RALPH ERSKINE, who had
been for some months previous to June this year residing
within “the bounds of the Presbytery,
held on June 8th,
1709, “licensed to preach the everlasting gospel” on same
day. Mr. James Wardlaw (his future colleague) was also
licensed. (Presb. Rec.; Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol.
i. p. 428.)
EXECUTION OF JANET
MITCHELL on Town Hill Road for the Murder of her
Illegitimate Child.—The following is a copy of minute in
the Burgh Records regarding the execution:--“6 Sept.
1709: The counsel having received a letter
fra Robert
Ged of Baldridge and John
Moubray of Cockarnie, craving
the favour of a guard at Janet
Mitchel’s execution, they agreed to grant the
favour, and ordered the baillies to cause to warn the
militia men to be a guard on Thursday next.” Janet
Mitchell, a native of Saline, was condemned to death by
the Regality Court of Dunfermline, for the murder of her
illegitimate child. “She died very penitent on the
gallows, Town-hill, near Dunfermline.” In 1764 a pamphlet
of 16 pp. was published at Edinburgh, entitled, “A Brief
Account of the Last Words and Confession of Janet
Mitchel, parishioner of
Saline, who was executed at Dunfermline upon the 8th
September, 1709, for the horrid crime of child murder.”
The writer has a copy of this very rare pamphlet. The
pamphlet mentions near its conclusion that Janet
Mitchel--
“Notwithstanding of her mean education and all her other
natural disadvantages, acted rationally and spoke
pertinently. Being asked, very near her being turned
over, what particular sins did now stare her in the face,
she answered, ‘The bairn,’ but
hoped that the Lord had pardoned; and added: ‘O Sirs, pray
much for me; now I am a dear bought sight to you. There
is a sight this night betwixt Michael and his angels, and
the Dragon and his angels, about my poor soul. But I hope
Michael will prevail, who hath delivered me from these
torturing feats of wrath, especially these eight nights
bygone. O pray, pray that the
devil may now get a completer disappointment; that the red
Dragon’s head may be broken, and he may now be foiled. O
that Christ might overcome him for me, and take a fast
grip of the jewel of my precious soul, for I cannot think
of dying without Thee. There are now many looking on me,
but there is another kind of company in heaven, who, I
hope, will rejoice this night at the coming in of the lost
sheep. O come, leave the ninety and nine and fetch it
in. O that He would send a guard of angels about me, to
receive me to Himself; O for faith and strength, comfort
and support, for I am going an
untrodden path. The Lord Jesus
be my stay and staff, a leader and all to me
through the dark valley of the shadow of death, for His
name’s sake. O for an upmaking
meal of free grace—a rich alms to make all odds even—for I
am one of the poorest beggars that ever came to Thy
door.’ And with many more significant expressions, she
gave a sigh, saying, ‘unto Thy hands I commend my
spirit.’”
Her body was cut down,
after hanging the usual time, and carted to a cross road
near the Yetts of
Muckart, and there interred.
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—“10th Oct. 1709: the said day the
said magistrates and grand counsel elected and continued
Sir Peter Halket of
Pitfirrane, Provost.” (Burgh Records.)
A WOMAN SMORED IN THE
HEUGH.—“17 Nov. 1709: This day the
ocunsell ordered the thesaurer
to give to Robert Adie twnetie
shillings on charity, to help to bury his daughter
smored in the
heugh, and to cure his other
daughter’s broken leg.”
1710.—DIED at
Dunfermline, James graham, the last Episcopal minister of
Dunfermline. (Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol.
i. p. 416, &c.; see also dates 1687-1701.) There
is still extant a small quarto volume of Mr. Graham’s
Sermons, 43 pp. (see date 1719.) Although Mr. Graham was
deposed by the Synod in June, 1701, he continued to
discharge his pulpit duties in Dunfermline Church until
his death this year (1710.)
GRAHAM’S
MORTIFICATION.—In the year 1710, six hundred merks
Scots—(£33 6s. 8d. sterling)—were found in the
poor’s box at the death of Mr.
Graham, which sum was, by the Justices of the Peace,
Heritors, and Town Council, mortified in the hands of the
town for the benefit of the poor. By the bond granted by
the council, they are obligbed
to pay yearly the interest of the above sum, the one half
to the poor of the burgh, conform to a list to
be yearly subscribed by the
Magistrates and Town Council, and the other half to the
poor of the landward part of the parish, conform to a list
to be yearly subscribed by the Justices of the Peace and
Heritors, or a quorum of them. (Fernie’s Hist. Dunf. p.
48, 49 and other Hist. Dunf.)
ROBERT ADIE, one of the
bailies of
Dunfermline, “a most
active, worthy, and upright
man,” died, and was buried in the north porch, where there
is a monumental tomb to his memory, with a short
inscription on it.
RIDING THE MARCHES.—“30th
May, 1710: That day the counsel ordered the
heall burgesses to be warned
to attend the magistrates on horseback at riding of the
marches on munday next. And
that such as cannot get horses, shall attend on foot, with
certification that each person that answers not to his
name at Craigncat, shall be
fyned in half a
merk without forgiveness; and
declares the dean of Gild liable for each gild-brother’s
fine, and he to have his relief from the absent gild
brethren; and that each deacon of croft be
lyable for the absents of his
own croft; and the baillies to see to the exacting of the
fynes of the common burgess.”
(Burgh Records.) How do the Marches stand in 1878?
SIBBALD’S HISTORY OF
FIFE, &c., and his Account of Dunfermline.—In
the year 1710 Sir Robert Sibbald
published his “History, Ancient and Modern, of the
Sheriffdoms of Fife and
Kinross” (folio edition). The following are a few notes,
taken from this celebrated work, referring to
Dunfermline:--
“Dunfermline
is a royal burgh, having its name from a kill near
a crooked water, which is the
situation of it, for it lies upon the ridge of a hill,
sloping gently to the south. It was the ordinary abode of
Malcolm Kenmore. The ruins of a tower he dwelt in are yet
to be seen near to the west bridge. This King Malcolm
III. founded the monastery; and
he and his successors, especially David I., did endow the
same with great riches and privileges, &c. . . . . . In
the town, the town is one long street, which runs from the
east to the south-west, where, by a lane, it
entereth the King’s Palace,
which is famous for the birth of King Charles I. The
monastery is joined to it—a great
fabrick. It was, for the Benedictine Monks,
founded by King David, anno
1130. The town has a manufactory of
dornick cloth. It gives the title of Earl to a
branch of the Seatons. The
heritable keeping of the palace, with the revenues of the
monastery and the superiority and jurisdiction,
belongeth now to the Marquis
of Tweeddale. In Mr.
Sletzer’s
Theatrum Scotiæ’ there
is a prospect of the town and abbey, and another of the
abbey.” (See An. Dunf. under date 1690.)
Sir Robert closes his
meager account in noticing the royal and other interments
at Dunfermline, &c. There are several inaccuracies in his
account. In 1803 a reprint of this work was published by
Mr. Tullis, publisher,
Cupar-Fife (octavo), edited by
the Rev. Dr. Adamson. The editor illustrates the original
text with copious notes. At page 294 of this edition,
there is a very nice view (within an oval space), entitled
“Ruins of the Monastery of Dunfermline,”
which view appears to be a reproduction, in
miniature, of Juke’s large view of “The Abbey and
Palace.” (See Annals of Dunfermline, date 1792.) In his
first note, the editor of the new edition says—“In some
old manuscripts, the Abbey,” &c., “is designated ‘Monasterium
de monte
infirmorum,’” but does not refer to where the “old
manuscripts” are to be seen. (Sib. Hist. of Fife, 1803
edit. Pp. 293-298.)
TOWER HILL ROAD
CUTTING.—“1 July, 1710: The ocunsell
ordered the thesaurer to give
fifteen shillings to John Mackie, in order to help him to
pay the expense of cutting the Town Hill to make the
highway straight.” (Burgh Records.) At this period the
only road from Dunfermline to the west was by this road.
Probably the road would be made straight by cutting down
part of the Twr-hill brae near
the bridge.
TROUBLESOME
DRAGOONS.—“15 July: The said day the council
commissionat the convener to
goe to Edinburgh and speak to
the advocate and general to see to get the dragoons
removed.” (Burgh Records.)
PROVOST OF DUNFERMLINE.—“9
Oct. 1710;
That
day the grand counsel re-elected Sir Peter
Halket, of Pitfirrane,
Provost.” (Burgh Records.)
CHAPMAN’S STANDS.—“15
Nov. 1710: The said day the magistrates and counsel
statute and ordained that in all time coming the chapmen
in the public mercats be
provided with sufficient furnished stands by the
inhabitants or tenents of the
landes before which the
chapman’s stands are set, at
twelve shilling for each stand each
mercat; And in case the chapmen be not furnished
and provided with stands, as said is, allows the chapmen
to set up on the street gratis; Reserving always power to
the counsel to alter this as they shall think fit.”
(Burgh Records.)
MR. THOMAS BUCHANAN was
translated from Tulliallan and
admitted to the First Charge of Dunfermline Church on 30th
Nov., 1710. (Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol.
i. p. 416.)
BROWN AND HONEYMAN’S
MORTIFICATION.—“30 Dec. 1710: The said day the counsel,
William and David Brown’s and John
Honeyman’s mortifications for the year 1710, and
six pounds as the half-year of the town’s half of the six
hundred merks mortified by the heritors at Whitsunday
last, with eight pounds eighteen shillings or
augmentation, conform to the particular list this day
signed by the magistrates, to be dealt and
payd to the respective poor.”
(Burgh Records.)
1711.—MR. RALPH ERSKINE
Preaching as a Probationer.—Early in the year 1711 Mr.
Erskine, after having received
a certificate (or license) from the Presbytery of
Dunfermline, that “he exercised the talents which the Lord
had given him within the bounds of the said Presbytery,
both in vacancies and settled congregations, to the great
satisfaction of his hearers, both ministers and people,”
soon after this received a call to
Tulliallan, and also to Dunfermline, which latter
call he preferred and accepted. (Dunf. Par. Rec.)
AN OBSTREPEROUS
DEACON.—“30 May, 1711: That day George Walls, deacon of
the Wrights, was, in a fenced court,
holden by the provost in presence of the counsel,
convict by his own confession of
deforcing the magistrates
yesternight, and of ringing the tollbooth bell, and
throwing stones o ut at the
window, and barricading the tollbooth door, refusing entry
to the magistrates, and throwing lyme
in their faces when attempting to enter, was therefore, by
the said provost and counsel suspended of his office as
counselor during the counsell’s
pleasure, and fyned in twenty
pounds scots, to remain in
prison till payment, or giving bill therefore.” On Sept.
7, showing himself “very penitent for his offense,” he was
restored to office, &c. (Burgh Records.)
MR. RALPH ERSKINE
ordained minister of the Second Charge of Dunfermline
Church on 7th August, 1711. (Chal. Hist. Dunf.
vol. i. p. 416; vide also An.
Dunf. date 1716.)
LIBRARY.—“29th
Sept. 1711: The said day the magistrates and counsel,
taking to their consideration that it would ten much to
the benefit of their grammar school, That a library were
founded here, did, for encouragement of so good and pious
a design, resolve, out of the common good to contribute
ten pounds sterling for that end; and did and do hereby
recommend to the Gildry and
respective corporations of the burgh, and all other
persons who pleases frankly to
contribut, in order to make up such a sum as may
buy such a number of good books as may lay a competent
foundation for a library: Declaring always that the
foresaid library and heall
additions hereafter to be made thereto shall for ever be
under the sole management of the
oucnsell or such person as they shall appoint
keeper, who shall give bond to keep the books safe, and
re-deliver them when the counsel shall call for them. Sic
subcrivitur, PET. HALKET.” It
would appear that nothing came out of this excellent
proposal.. It is not again
noticed in the Burgh Records. Perhaps the “conditions”
made shipwreck of the scheme.
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—“8th Oct. 1711: The said day, Sir
Peter Halket was re-elected
Provost.” (Burgh Records.)
PENNY WEDDINGS
PROHIBITED.—“8th Dec., 1711: This day the
counsel ordains the drum to go through the town to
discharge penny weddings in terms of the act of parliament
of King Charles the Second.” (Burgh Records.)
1712.—MASON LODGE.—There
is an entry in the Masons’ Records, of date
15th January,
1712, which cotifies, that the
following charities had been bestowed: “Item, to
ane poor man that was taken
with the pooks, 6s. Scots;
item, to ane blind
violer, 12s. Scots; to ye
pyper, 12s. Scots; to Geo.
Miller, 6s. Scots.”
CARD MAKER.—In
an old MS. book of accounts, there is a notice of 4s. 2d.
having been paid to “John Maxwell. Card Maker at the
back-o-the-dam.” These cards were made for carding wool.
The carding and the sorting of wool was at this period
carried on to a considerable extent at the back of the
dam. Probably Wooler’s Alley
or Woo’ers Alley may in some
way have derived its name from the “woo’ carders,” which,
according to tradition, were employed in this locality.
REDEMPTION OF PENNY
MEALS.—The Act of Council, of date 21st
February, 1709, regarding the redemption of burgh Meals
and Annuals at ten years’ purchase, appears to have been
very favourably received by
the community. The following is an extract of the town
council meeting on the subject:--
“3rd
March, 1712.—The said day,
Robert Adie, late treasurer, now one of the present
bailies of the said burgh, did
in presence of the counsel, give ina
subscription list of the heall
penny mealls payable out of
the burgage lands of burgh
which had been redeemed during his office. And or
redemption thereof by order of the counsel he had received
ten years’ purchase. The counsel ordered the said list to
be registrat in the counsel
books in perpetuam
rei memoriam, and the clerk to
give extracts thereof to such persons as should please to
call for them. And declaired
and hereby declare, the penny meals contained in the said
written list, to be redeemed for now and for ever.”
This said list gives the
names of those who had redeemed the meals and annuals,
along with the names of the streets wherein their
properties were situated; it form an interesting paper for
“natives,” a kind of Directory for 1712. Such is a list
of the greater part of “The Worthy Ratepayers of 1712.”
It may be noted here that the meals and annuals in great
on flats or compartments of dwellings, and also on “kailyeards.”
The counsel also derived considerable sums from parties
who had liberty from them to have “oot-side
stairs” projecting from the front of the houses into the
street, besides a small annual rent for “the allowance.
(Burgh Records, &c.)
LORD OF THE CHAPMEN’S
STANDS.—“10TH June: The said day, upon a
complaint fra the Lord of
Chapmeans, showing that some
merchants in the otun set up
stands before Gibbs Walls, to the prejudice of the
mercat and hindering of the
Chapemen to set up their
stands,” &c.; “the counsil
enact that such must not happen, but declares that they
may do so if stranger chapmen come not to set up.”
“Gibb’s Walls” were a little below the Cross, on the north
side of the street. (Burgh Records.)
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—Sir Peter Halket
of Pitfirrane, re-elected Provost. (Burgh Records.)
1713.—BROWN’S
MORTIFICATION.—“11th March, 1713: The sad day
bailie Wilson represented to
the counsel that Mr. William Brown, lecturer in Edinburgh,
now minister in South lieth,
had given to him thirty-six pounds
scots, and ordered him to mortify the same in the
toun’s hands on condition that
the annual rent of other mortifications.” (Burgh
Records.)
POPULATION OF THE
PARISH—Proposed Third Minister for Dunfermline.—At this
period it was proposed (but with success) to have a third
minister for the Church of Dunfermline, as the population
was 5000, which was considered too great for two
ministers. (Presb. Records.)
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—“5th Oct. 1713: This day Sir
Peter Halket accepted and gave
his oath de fideli, and was
re-elected Provost of Dunfermline.” (Burgh Records.)
TOWN’S COLLIERS LENT TO
THE EARL OF ROTHES, &C.—At this
period colliers were slaves. They were property which
could be sold, exchanged, and lent. On 31st
October this year the Earl of Rothes
sent a letter to the town counsel of Dunfermline asking
for the loan of two colliers, when the council
”warranted the baillies to lend to the earl, David
Murgain and George Brown, upon
the earl’s bond to restore them on demand without
expence. And in case the
lady Pittencrieff want William
Watson, warrants the baillies to len
Watson to her.” (Burgh Records.)
CATTLE MARKET to be
removed to the New Raw.—8 Nov.: counsel resolved that the
nolt
mercat be removed to the
Newraw against March fair next, and same to be
intimate at Januar fair.”
(Burgh Records.)
1714.—MEAL AND FLESH
MARKET TO BE BUILT.—“20th Feb.: The said day
the counsel appointed the baillies,
dean of gild, convener, baillie
Wilsone, John Reid, and
george
Waggs to draw up a scheme for building a
meall and flesh
mercat in Gibb’s walls.”
(Burgh Records.) Before 7th May, 1715, these
markets appear to have been erected, as shown by the
following council minute:--“7th May, 1715: The
said day allows William Stevinson
to advance to William Inglis
and John Reid six or seven hundred merks, in part of what
the toun
ows them on the accompt
of their contract for building of the
meall and flesh mercat.”
(Burgh Records.)
THE NEW DRUMMER AND
DUTIES, &c.—“29 May: That day James Cumin
dimitted his office of
drummer, and the oucnsell
unanimously elected John Hoggan
drummer in his stead; And appoints the drummer to
goe through alone every
morning by four o’clock, an every night alone at seven.
And appoints the piper to go through alone at six in the
morning and nyne at night.”
(Burgh Records.) The community appear
to have been very fond of “hard music” in those days.
(See also An. Dunf. date 1701.)
BUTTER MARKET AND
BUTTER SELLING, &C.—“5 June: The counsel discharges
selling of butter of cheese in any place but at the
trone, and not til after seven
a cloak in the morning in may, june,
and july, and til after eight
the rest of the year, under the pain of
fourty shillings each
faillie.” (Burgh Records.)
Probably the Dunfermline Butter and Cheese Market
originated at this time. These markets continued to be
held at the tron until 1832.
LITERATURE.—Mr. James
Bayne, schoolmaster of the Grammar School,
Dunfermline, published a
“short Introduction to the Latin Grammar,” 8vo,
Edin.,
1714.
CITY OF
DUNFERMLINE;--The following extract is given here because
it uses the designation, City of Dunfermline:--“June 26th,
1714: The very Reverend Ralph
Erskine, one of the ministers in the City of
Dunfermline, gave up his name to be proclaimed, in order
to marriage with Margaret Dewar (only daughter of John
Dewar of Lassody) and gave to
the Box £3 os.
od.”
(Beath Par. Regist. 1714.)
THE QUEEN’S
ILLNESS.—List of Fencible Men,
Arms, &c.—“5 Aug. 1714: The counsel having received a
letter from the Lord of the
justiciary, the barons of the exchequer, the
advocate, provost of Edinburgh, the
Generall and Solicitor, acquainting them that her
Majesty was in danger by sickness; and that it was the
command of the Lords of the Privy
Counsell that all ministers and others in authority
use their utmost endeavour for
taking care of the public peace, and to give such
directions as may be most likely to prevent any
disturbance in the Kingdom, in case her majesty be carried
of by this fit of sickness. The magistrates and counsel
judged it proper to appoint and to appoint hereby the
baiillies, dean of gild and
deacon Wilsone, with such
others of the ocunsell as
shall please to go along to take up a list of the
heall
fencible inhabitants, and of the heal arms and
ammunitions presently within the burgh and report.”
(Burgh Records.)
DEATH OF THE
QUEEN—George I. Proclaimed.--:7th August,
1714: That day the magistrates and town counsel being
certainly informed that it has pleased almighty God to
call to his mercy our late Sovereign Lady, Queen Ann of
blessed memory, by whose decease the
imperiall Crown of Great
brittain, France, and Ireland are solely and
rightfully come to the high and mighty prince George,
elector of Brunswick and Luxemburg; and that he had been
proclaimed King at London, Edinburgh, and many other towns
in the nation: They therefore resolved this day, at two
afternoon, to proclaim from the cross that the said high
and mighty prince George, elector of Brunswick Lunenburg
is now by the death of our said late Sovereign Lady, of
happy memory, become our only lawfull
and rightfull liege Lord,
George, by the Grace of God, King of great
brittain,
france, and irland,
defender of the faith.” (Burgh Records.)
Note.—Queen Anne died
on 1st August, 1714, aged 50. The news of her
death appears to have officially reached the magistrates
of Dunfermline on August 6th or 7th.
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—“11th Oct., 1714: The Grand
councel continued the provost
(Sir Peter Halket) for the
ensuing year.” (Burgh Records.)
THREATENED
REVELLION.—During the latter part of the year, 1714, the
country was threatened with rebellion and “a general
rising in arms,” to place James VIII, on the throne; much
commotion; Dunfermline Fencibles
in arms to defend King George, &c. (Burgh Records.)
THE EXCISE
BILL.—Dunfermline strenuously opposed the proposed excise
bill; great dissatisfaction and
threatenings prevailed in Dunfermline. (Burhg
Records and Newspapers.)
PROCLAMATION OF KING
GEORGE I.—An old note states
that King George I. was proclaimed in August this year by
the Magistrates and Council at the
Tolbooth Stair, at the Cross, and at the Gate of
the East Port.
(Burgh Records.) “A deal of drinking followed the
ceremony.” (MS.)
1715.—MR. THOMAS
BUCHANAN, MINISTER OF THE First Charge of Dunfermline
Church, died on the 10th April, 1715. (Dunf.
Presb. Records.)
“THE EXCISE BIL” BURNT
BY THE HANGMAN.—in the Caledonian Mercury for 18th
April, 1715, there is the following paragraph:--“We hear
of strange doings at Dunfermline last Thursday, when the
excise bill was burnt by the hands of the common
hangman.” (Edinburgh Courant: MSS., &c.)
THREATENED
INVASION—Powder and Shot Ordered.—“4 August, 1715: The
counsel, taking to their consideration the hazard this
town may be in if the country turn loose by threatened
invasion, and that it is very fit the town be provided in
powder and lead; they therefore ordered
baillie
Wilsone and William Stevinson
to buy one hundred pound weight of
pouder, and six hundred pound weight of lead, as
soon as possible.” (Burgh Records.) “23rd
Sept.: The said day the counsel approved of the
baillies their distributing the
toun’s
pouder and lead among such inhabitants as had
arms.” (Ibid.)
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—“1st Oct. 1715: This day, Sir
Peter Halket was re-elected
Provost. (Burgh Records.)
THE REBELLION.—Surprisal
of a Jacobite Detachment in Dunfermline.—Oct. 24, 1715:
The fortunes of war brought Dunfermline within the sphere
of “war operations” in October, 1715. Sir Walter Scott,
in his “Tales of a Grandfather,” gives the following
graphic account of the surprisal
of a Jacobite detachment who had taken possession of the
Palace and Monastic buildings:--
“A detachment
of about four score horse and three Highland foot—chiefly
followers of the Marquis of Huntly—was
sent from Perth to raise the Cess.
The direct road from Perth to Dunfermline is considerably
shorter, but the troops had orders to take the route by
Castle-Campbell, which prolonged the journey considerably,
for no apparent purpose but to insult the Duke of Argyle’s
garrison there by marching in their view. When the
detachment arrived at Dunfermline, Gordon of
Glenbucket, who commanded the
Highlanders, conducted them into the old Abbey, which is
strongly situated, and there placed a sentinel. He took
up his own quarters in the town, and placed a sentinel
there also. The commander of the horse, Major Graham,
took the ineffectual precaution of doing the same at the
bridge, but used no further measures to avoid surprise.
The gentlemen of the squadron sought each his personal
accommodation, with their usual neglect of discipline,
neither knowing with accuracy where they were to
dind their horses, nor fixing
on any alarm-post where they were to rendezvous. Their
officers sat down to a bottle of wine. During all this
scene of confusion, the Honourable
Colonel (afterwards Lord) Cathcart,
was lying without the town, with a strong party of
cavalry, and obtaining regular information from his spies
within it. About five o’clock on the m9orning of the 24th
October, he entered the town with two parties of his
dragoons—one mounted the other on foot. The
surprisal was complete, and
the Jacobite cavaliers suffered in proportion; several
were killed and wounded, and about twenty made prisoners,
whose loss was the more felt as they were all gentlemen,
and some of them considerable proprietors. The assailants
lost no time in their enterprise, and retreated as
speedily as they entered. The neighbourhood of the
Highland infantry in the abbey was a
stron reason for dispatch. This slight affair
seemed considerable in a war, which had been as yet so
little marked by military incident. The appearance of the
prisoners at Stirling, and the list of their names, gave ‘eclat
to the Duke of Argyle’s tactics, and threw disparagement
on those of Mar. On the other side, stories were
circulated at Perth of the loss which Cathcart had
sustained in the action, with rumours of men buried in the
night, and horses returned to Stirling without their
riders. This account, however fabulous, was received with
credit even by those who were engaged at Dunfermline; for
the confusion having become general, no one knew what was
the fate of his comrade. But, in very deed, the whole
return of casualties on Colonel
Cathcart’s side amounted to a dragoon hurt in the
cheek, and a horse wounded. This little affair was made
the subject of songs and pasquils
in the army at Perth, which increased the Marquis of
Huntly’s disgust at the
enterprise,” &c.
At this period, the
Palace stood in ruins, and therefore could give no
accommodation to this party. The Abbey—that is, the
Church—would not be “taken possession of”; the old
buildings o the west side of the Church, forming the
northern boundary of the Abbey Close, biz., the Queen’s
House, the two Constabulary Houses, and the
Pends, would be the houses in
the old Abbey which were “taken possession of” on this
occasion. The bridge here alluded to would, no doubt, be
the Tower-Burn Bridge, close by on the west. It may be
noted that the suck apartment, or cellar, down a few steps
(south-east end of the Palace), was on this occasion used
as a store-room, and into which were stowed gunpowder,
shot, guns, and other war materials. From this
circumstance the cellar got the name of “The Magazine,”
which name to this day it retains.
1716.—THE AURORA
BOREALIS.—An old account notifies that “the inhabitants of
Dunfermline, as everywhere else, were taken by great
surprise, and many by terror, at the sudden appearance in
the north-east sky of meteoric flames (the aurora
borealis, now so frequently seen), which occurred on the
evening of March 6th. Many of the pious
portion of the lieges were in
terror; many went out to the toon’s
end (East Port
Street, &c.) to get a better view of it.” This grand
meteoric display was everywhere long remembered.
THE “LANTERN TOWER” OF
THE ABBEY fell down early in 1716.
Traditionary accounts inform us that the Great
Lantern or Central Tower, which stood at the junction of
the Choir and the Nave, and which was “at least 150 feet
in height, and about 30 feet square, and had two stories
of three tall Gothic Lancet windows in it on all sides, or
24 windows in all, fell with a heavy fall early on a
Sunday morning in April 1716.” The area of the Old Choir
had since 1560 been used as a place of interment, and was
known as the Sythar or Psalter
Kirkyard. “The deep graves
which were dug around the base of this Great Tower, in
time loosened its foundations and at last caused it to
fall.” (For views of this tower, &c., see Annals, dates
1226, 1290, 1670 and 1672.) With the fall of the Great
Tower the most interesting and picturesque part of the
ruin of the Old Choir disappeared. It would appear that “it’s
fall was long remembered in sadness by the inhabitants”—as
Arnold says—
“Towers, temples,
pyramids must fall,
And man, their builder, pass
away:
Oblivion, soon thy shadowy pall
Shall shroud them from the eye of day.”
MR. RALPH ERSKINE,
minister of the Second Charge, was, on May 1st,
1716, admitted minister of the First Charge of Dunfermline
Church. (See An. Dunf. date 1711; Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol.
i. p. 416; also An. of Dunf.
date 1740.)
REBELLION FAST.—“
A fast day was kept on 7th June for the
suppression of the unnatural rebellion of the
preceeding year.” (Par.
Records.)
LOSS SUSTAINED BY
DUNFERMLINE “through the Heeland
Insurgents.”—“28th June, 1716: The counsel
appoints the baillies to writer to
Buquhan to see if he can recover the money lost by
the toun by the rebels, and
the expence the
toun has been at by the
detachment of his Majesties forces that lay there.”
(Burgh Records.)
ANCIENT SOCIETY OF
GARDENERS IN DUNFERMLINE, &c.—There is no record, so far
as is known, which gives an account of the origin of the
Gardeners’ Society. The earliest date in its oldest
Record Book is 16th October, 1716. This
Society of Gardeners is supposed to be the oldest one in
Scotland. Its Charter begins:--“”Be it
kend to all men by
thir prnt
letrs, we, John
Daill
Gairdiner in Pittencrieff pnt.
deacon, John
Campell
gairdener in Pitfirrane pnt.
boxmaster.
To the Gairdiners of the
toun
and Presbytrie of
Dunfermline.” Then follows a long notice in praise of
Gardenery, its great
antiquity, &c., which is signed “Moray” and “Tweeddale.”
See the Gardeners’ Society Book, entitled;--“Laws of the
Ancient Society of Gardenery
in and about
Dunfermline;” for full
particulars, see also Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol.
i. pp. 456, 457. This Society
has had as members I Duke; I Marquis; 6 Earls; 7 Lords; 8
Baronets and Knights; 2 Colonels; 6 Captains; 3
Lieutenants; 4 Ensigns; I Professor in a college; II
Magistrates; 6 Ministers; 7 Advocates; 2 Writers to the
Signet; 21 Doctors and Surgeons; 122 Gentlemen of Landed
Property, with a long list of names of the worthy
Burgesses of Dunfermline, &c. (See Abridged Histories of
the Gardeners’ Society, which have been frequently printed
since this period.)
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—“8TH Oct., 1716: This day the
magistrates and grand counsel elected and continued Sir
Peter Halket Provost.” (Burgh
Records.)
1717.—MILITIAMAN FOR
THE TOWN.—“13th March, 1717: The said day John
Bell, weaver in St Katharine’s wynd
was made burges, and engaged
himself to serve the toun as a
malitiaman—sic
subst. j. B.; John Bell, his
mark.” (Burgh Records.)
LITERATURE.—A
small work, entitled “The Believer’s Dowry,” by the Rev.
Ralph Erskine, minister of
First Charge,
Dunfermline Church, was published early in this year; this
is supposed to be his first production.
DEAN OF GUILD
COURT—Harry Davidson Fined.—At a Dean of Guild Court, held
on 20th June, “Hary
Davidson, son to Hary Davidson
of St. John Chapel [Chapelwell],
appeared before the court to answer for encroaching on the
privileges of the Gildry; and
having referred himself to the Dean of Gild and
Counsell, they
fyned him in three pounds
Scots, whereof the clerk got his third, the Fiscal and
Gild Officer got each six shillings, is to be charged on
Robert Paterson the Treasurer.” (Guildry
Records, 1717.) This is a specimen of doing legal
business in “the good old times.”
PROVOST OF
DUNFERMLINE.—Sir Peter Halket,
of Pitfirrane, elected Provost; 7th October,
1717. (Burgh Records.)
WEAVING.—At this
period, “the devices woven on goods in the loom consisted,
generally, of such emblems as the British flag, the
British coat of arms, and the coat of arms of the
nobility, gentlemen,” &c.”
MASON’S LODGE.—“21st
Nov., 1717: That day John Oberwhyte,
son to Edward Oberwhyte, mason
burgis of Dunfermline,
wes entered apprentice to the
sd Ludge
by James Somerville younger, and gave his oath de
fidely, and to obey the
haill laws of the
sd Ludge,
and each St. Jons day to
subscribe to ther bond of
Scocietie. The bill given
be sd
James Somerville for the rest of the
sd Ludge. Signed,
James Somerville younger John
Overwhyt.” (Masons’ Register.)
