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THE obligations imposed
upon craftsmen under their burgess oath, "to watch and ward the town,"
was no empty meaningless phrase—at least in Aberdeen. Few towns in
Scotland passed through so many troublous epochs, and none suffered more
from the ravages of war than this very town which boasts for its motto
the peaceful sentiment of "Bon-Accord." From the days of King William
the Lion, when he established his palace in the Green, to the Rebellion
of '45, Aberdeen was an important centre of action during the many
troublous periods of Scotland's history. In 1179 it was a town of such
size as to be considered worthy of being pillaged by Esteyn, one of the
kings of Norway; its castle was seized by the English in 1292; when Sir
William Wallace marched his army of relief from Dunnottar to Aberdeen in
1297, the enemy plundered and set fire to the town, and at a later stage
Aberdeen had to suffer at the hands of the English for the support and
shelter it gave to the Scottish champion. In the days of Robert Bruce,
Aberdeen was the scene of many a bloody conflict; the castle was retaken
from the English, and King Robert rewarded the citizens by bestowing on
them a number of charters. Then came the historic battle of Harlaw, in
which the citizens of Aberdeen, under Sir Robert Davidson, offered a
determined resistance to Donald, Lord of the Isles; but it would take us
out of our way to recount even the leading disturbances that occurred in
Aberdeen during several centuries. It was favoured with many a royal
visit, from the Jameses, Queen Mary, Charles II., and the leading
notables in the country, and these marks of royal favour brought the
town into a prominence that was not without its disadvantages. Then
again, during the Covenanting days, and the rebellious periods of 1715
and 1745, Aberdeen bore the brunt of many a sanguinary conflict.
At all these eventful
epochs the craftsmen, in their capacity of citizen soldiers, had to play
their part. Down to the time of the second rebellion it was imperative
that every free craftsman should be fully equipped with the weapons of
war. On being admitted a free burgess he had to appear before the
Magistrates clad "sufficentlie in armour, with an hagbute, bandaleire
[wooden powder case], and sword," as a guarantee that he was able to
"watch and ward;" besides having to contribute arms money towards the
maintenance of the town's magazine. In token of their prowess at the
battle of Harlaw in 1411, tradition says that each of the deacons
brought back as a trophy a sword taken from the enemy. Three of the
crafts—the Hammermen, the Tailors, and the Weavers—have still in their
possession swords which are said to be the veritable weapons brought
back from Harlaw, and their make and appearance do not belie the
tradition.
The following Act of
Parliament, passed on 6th March, 1457, and copies of which are to be
found carefully preserved among the papers of several of the Trades,
will give an indication of how the citizens were trained to the arts of
war at this period Item.—It is decrtyt and ordainyt that wapin-shaving
be halden be the lords and baronys spirituaIl and temporall four tymis
in the year, and that the fut ball and golf be utterly cryed down and
not to be used, and that bow marks be maide at ilk paroch kirk, a pair
of butts and schuting be used ilk Saturday, and that ilk man shoot sex
shotts att the least under the pain to be raised upon them that come
not, att the least two pennies to be given to them that comes to the bow
marks to drink. And this to be used frae pasch to alhowmass efter, and
be the next mydsummer to be reddy with all their greath without faizie.
And that there be a bower and fleg in every head town of the shire, and
that the town furnish him of stuff and gaithe aftor as needs him thereto
that they may serve the country with. And as toichande the fut ball and
the golf to be punished by the barrons unlaw. And if the pariochine be
meikle that there be three or four or five bow marks in such places as
ganys therefor, and that all men that is within fifty and past twelve
years shall use shooting. And that men that is outwith and past three
scoir yeirs sal use honest gamys as eft'ers.—Acts of the Parliaments of
Scotland, vol. ii.
Occasionally the
craftsmen made use of their arms for other than defensive purposes. In
1638, the deacon-convener and deacons were accused of "convocating the
haill frieman of thair saidis craftis with all thair servantis and
prentissis vpon Monday last, the twenty-ane day of Maii instant, be fyve
houris in the morning at the craftis hospital, and thairefter convening
thaiin all at the mercat croce in armes be eight houris, and in the
meintyme when as a number of seckis of meill, to the number of
fourescoir seckis or thairby, that wer brocht in that day frome Skeine
to hawe beine embarked in Martin Schankis schips, eves stayed and laid
doune at the mercat place, the saidis craftis, with thair servantis and
prentisses, being convenit at the mercat croce in armes, as said is,
with swords, pistollis, and lang wapynnes, thay rnellit and intromittit
with the said victuall violentlie and at thair awn handis compellit the
men that brocht in the same to carie it on thair awin horssis fra the
mercat placo to the said hospitall, and conveyit the same the haill way
in arines, as said is, notwithstanding that thay wer commandit and
chairgit be the Magistrattes." For this offence the Magistrates fined
the convener £80 and the deacons £40, and committed them to prison until
the fines were paid. They were also ordered to pay the owners of the
meal for the skaith done them, and to afterwards appear in the tolbooth
" in ane fencit court, and thair in presens of the Magistrats and
Counsal hmnblie to crawe God and thame pardone for the said riott and
disobedience, and promisis openlie newir to commit the lyk in tyin
coming."—Council Register, vol. lii., p. 380.
During the troublous
covenanting times, the craftsmen suffered severely both in person and
property. At the battle of Justice Mills on 13th September, 1644, when
Montrose with his three Irish regiments played such fearful havoc in the
town, a number of leading craftsmen were slain, including Thomas
Robertsone, deacon of the cordiners. In the same encounter Matthew
Lumsden, baillie; Thomas Buck, master of kirk works; Robert Leslie,
master of hospital (town's hospital) ; Alexander and Robert Reid,
advocates; and about a hundred and sixty other citizens were killed.
When the Rebellion of
1715 broke out most of the craftsmen joined with the Magistrates, but
they were not by any means all of one mind. The records of the different
Trades tell a curious tale of divided feeling. With the view,
apparently, of ascertaining which side each craftsman favoured, all the
Trades passed a resolution to the effect that the whole members should
again take the oath of allegiance, and those who refused to undergo this
shibboleth process, were for the time debarred from the meetings of the
craft. Judging from the numbers in the Shoemaker's Trade who subscribed
the oath a considerable time after the rebellion had died down, it is
evident that a considerable proportion of them were in sympathy with the
Pretender; while the Hammermen, a number of whom were armourers and
gunsmiths, were almost to a man sturdy Loyalists. Joseph Robertson's
"Short Memorandum of quhat heath occurred in Aberdeen since xx.
September, MMDCCXV.," which, he says, was written by a gentleman in
Aberdeen, contains the following interesting account of the part which
the Trades in Aberdeen took in the proceedings:-
20th September,
1715.—Said day the Earl Iliarchall entered the toun with severall
gentelmen and inhabitants with ther swords drawn, and went to the Cross,
where he, with severall others, went up, and the Chireff deput read, and
Jo. Duff proclaimed the pretender and then dranck his health. The names
of some of them ye have herewith on the other syde. At night the bells
was rung and illuminations ordered, and those that waild not obey,
rabbled.
21st.—Patrick Gray,
conviner, with all his diacons and boxmasters, entertened Earl hlarchall
with severall of his company in their Treads hall, and drunck King
James' health, and suckses to his armes, &c. In the afternoon the Earl
went towards Inverugie, and was attended out of toun by most of thos who
came in with him, besides the Couvinner and his treads in a seperate
body, and as they went threw the old toun they proclaimed the pretender
there.
22d.—The Magistrates
having mett in the Counsel houss about the toune's affaires, they were
insulted by a mobb, who first mett in Mistres Hebbrun's and then came to
the counsel house and requyered the armes and amunitions belonging to
the toun with the Keys of the Block house, seeing they wer not to regard
the majestrates any longer as majestrates: for Earl Marchall had given
the command of the toun to Capt. Jo. Bennarman. Accordingly they seazed
all, and ever since keep the command of the toun : the neams of most of
them you have herewith.
26th.—The Earl Marchal
returned, and there haveing been severall metteing amongst the Rebells
ffor the chosing a new majestrace, upon the 28th they maid intimatione
by beat of drum, that all the Burgers should mett at the new church nixt
day in order to chose new Magistrates and Counsell—Notta.—This 28th was
the Legall day that the Magistrates and Counsell should be chosen, but
the Treads, who are a pairt of the Electors, being in rebelione, there
could no Legall Election be.
29th.—The Earl Marchal,
attended by some few besides the members of the Colledge and Treads,
went to the new church, where the Earl caused Alexr Charles calle the
neams, and then give him a list of those he designed for Magistrats and
Counsel], quhilk being read was approven : the names of the Magistrats
and Counsell, with a few Electors, you have herewith.
Pro Octr.—The Earl
Marchal went out of toun towards the camp, and was conveyed by the new
Magistrates and Convener, with his treads, having all their swords
drawn. . . .
3to.—This day the Marques
of Iiuutly came here with abut 70 horsemen, who was taken to the Counsel
house with my Lord Pitsligo, and intertened by the Majestrats. In the
mean tym, Capt. Mideltoune brought ffrom a French Veshell in the Road
the Laird of Boyn, who was in disguise: he had the Earl of Marchal's
Commission, &c, which occasioned great rejoicing, and amongst the rest
of the Royall healths, they drunck the D. Orleans, &c.
4to.—Lord Pitsligo and
severall others went for the camp at Pearth as did the Laird of Boyne.
5to.—The Marques of
Huntly being interteaned by the convener and his treads in there hall,
where all the loyall healths wer drunck,—he mounted at the crosse with
all his retinue, and was waited upon by the Magistra.ts and treads, as
also by my Lord Frasser and my Lord Aboyn the Standard carried by Sir
Robert Gordon, the whole about 230.
Owing to the commotion in
the town, no elections took place among the Trades for that year, and
after order had been restored each of the Trades made a special
application to the Magistrates for power to hold an election.
The annual elections were
again interrupted in 1745, when the second attempt was made to restore
the Stuart dynasty, and several pages of the Trades' records for this
period are quite blank, no business of any kind having apparently been
transacted for several months. In the month of July, 1746, the
Magistrates granted special warrants to hold meetings for the election
of office-bearers, and, as was the case in 1715, the members had again
to take the oath of allegiance. Some of the members protested against
taking the oath a second time, and only did so after the Convener Court
had passed the following enactment :—
17th December, 1748.—The
Convener Court having heard and considered ane act of the Hammermen
Trade, dated 30th September, 1748, they approve of the same, and statute
and ordain the same to be here insert, of which the tenor follows :—"
The Hammermen Trade taking to their serious consideration that when the
rebellion in August and September, 1745, broke out, they were then
interrupted in their then usual election by the violence of the rebels,
but were in 1746 rejoined to the privileges of electing the annual
officers for the Corporation by His Majesty's most gracious order in
Privy Council, whereas it is undeniable nottour that many in this town
and neighbouring county did join the said rebels, and many more were
known to be secret abettors of this cause, who yet did not take arms in
rebellion, which brought our country under the imputation of
disaffection, therefore (and notwithstanding of ane interlocutor of the
Lords of Session finding that any tradesman who should take the oaths by
law directed once in a reign was not obliged to repeat them previous to
any election thereafter during that reign, nor to be debarred from being
aue elector for not repeating the said oath) it was advised and fand
reasonable to avoid the imputation of disaffection, and to show as much
as possible that we were entirely free of any accession to the
rebellion, that every member should take the usual oaths as in the case
of the commencement of a new reign, and which all the members of this
trade who voted at the two preceding elections have done. But some of
the corporations, for reasons best known to themselves, have not
required any vote in the two preceding elections, and for what is known
have not taken the usual oaths to His Majesty since the rebellion in
seventeen forty-five broke out. Therefore the trade hereby statute and
ordain that no member of this corporation who has not been qualified to
His Majesty since the first of March, 1745, shall be allowed to vote in
any election of deacon, boxmaster, or masters of this corporation until
he first show an attestation of his having taken the oath to His Majesty
before two or more of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace since the said
first of March, 1746. And the trade further statute and ordain that the
deacon of the trade shall be hereby warranted by this corporation in
refusing to receive such member's vote until he show attestation as
aforesaid. And if any deacon shall receive the vote of any member who
refuses to produce such attestation, any two or more members of this
corporation are hereby empowered to prosecute such deacon, and the
unqualified member so voting before any competent court, on the expense
of this corporation, the boxmaster whereof is hereby empowered to issue
forth the necessary money for that effect. And the trade hereby further
statute that in respect the names of those in the corporation who have
since the rebellion in 1745 qualified to His Majesty are recorded
previous to this being allowed to vote, that every member who shall
hereafter produce ane attestation of his having taken the oaths to His
Majesty as law directs shall be recorded as qualified, so that he be not
obliged to produce his attestation anew, and that a roll of such as are
qualified and have produced attestations thereof, or shall hereafter
produce attestation, be annually made out, and be the election roll, and
all such as are not so recorded be debarred voting, and held as not
qualified and incapable of electing or being elected into any office in
this corporation whatever." And the Convener Court appoint and empower
the convener for the time being to see this act put in due execution
among the several corporations.
At various other periods
the Trades manifested their readiness to perform their duties as citizen
soldiers. In 1797 a volunteer corps was formed in connection with the
Trades, "for internal defence and opposing invasion," the Trinity
Gardens being set apart as a drilling ground, and a stand of colours
supplied by the Convener Court. During the American war the Craftsmen
subscribed £400 "to assist in subduing the rebellion in the colonies,"
and again, in 1798, a sum of £50 was subscribed to the Government on
account of the crisis then existing in the country. |
