Aberdour and Inchcolme; being historical notices of the parish and monastery, in twelve lectures online

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES



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ABERDOUR AND INCHCOLME.



Edinburgh : Printed by Thomas and A rch:bal<{ onttable



DAVID DOUGLAS.

LONDON HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO.

CAMBRIDGE MACMILLAN AND BOWES.

GLASGOW JAMES MACLKHOSK AND SONS.



ABERDOUR AND INCHCOLME

BEING HISTORICAL NOTICES OF THE
PARISH AND MONASTERY

IN TWELVE LECTURES



BY THE



REV. WILLIAM ROSS, LL.D.

AUTHOR OF ' BURGH LIFE IN DUNFERMLINE IN THE OLDEN TIME,' ' PASTORAL WORK
IN THE COVENANTING TIMES,' ' BUSBY AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD," ETC.



EDINBURGH: DAVID DOUGLAS
1885



TO

WILLIAM HENRY GOOLD, D.D.

EDINBURGH

&f>i0 Folume 10 inecribeB

IN TOKEN OF THE AUTHOR'S RESPECT AND AFFECTION
AFTER A FRIENDSHIP WHICH BEGINNING AT

ABERDOUR

HAS DEEPENED WITH THE FLOW OF MORE THAN
THIRTY YEARS.



PREFACE.

THE Lectures which compose this volume were
written, chiefly as a relaxation from professional
work, and delivered to the inhabitants of Aberdour
more than twenty years ago. Designed for popular
audiences, they are written in a simple, spoken style.
They do not offer to the confirmed antiquary the
minute details and constant reference to authorities
which his habit of mind demands ; and to very grave
people the little pleasantries which occur may appear
trifling. But such readers will be good enough to
bear in mind the audiences to whom the Lectures
were originally adapted, and they may find that what
lightened the task of listening to historical details has
also made the reading of them more easy.

As regards the subjects with which the volume
deals, it may be said, first of all, that this is the only
attempt to give anything like a full account of the
Monastery of Inchcolme, drawn mainly from its
charters. To those who live in the neighbourhood of
the ruins of the Abbey, whether on the Fife coast or
the Midlothian shore of the Firth, the want of infor-
mation regarding the old Religious House must



x PREFACE.

often have been felt. But great difficulties have lain
in the way of providing this. The original Chartulary
of the Abbey seems to be irrecoverably lost ; and
few can be expected to wade through the Macfarlane
transcript of it in the Advocates' Library. The author
had a copy of this MS. made, and through the kindness
of the Hon. John Stuart, afterwards Earl of Moray,
he got admission to the charter-room at Donibristle,'
which brought other valuable papers connected with
the Monastery under his notice. He has also been at
pains to consult every authority within his reach that
was thought likely to give information on the subject.
The most of these authorities, if not all, are named in
the body of the Lectures, and it will be a matter of
regret if any of them are omitted. To the author it
seems most desirable that the information contained
in the printed Chartularies, and even those still in
manuscript, should be brought within the reach of
the ordinary reading public. He has attempted to
do this in the case of the MS. Chartulary of Inch-
colme, but could wish that he had been more
successful. He has endeavoured to reproduce the
living past, in its broader and more important lines
of thought and action, and has not forgotten that
mere lumber, however ancient, is lumber still.

As regards the historical notices connected with
Aberdour, the author can only hope that his old
friends, the inhabitants of the village and parish, will
derive some pleasure from the reading of this volume,
and that his researches will do something to call



PREFACE. xr

attention to a beautiful and interesting health resort,
in which many of his happiest years were spent.

It may seem strange to some, that, in spite of
many requests to give these Lectures to the public,
so many years should have been allowed to elapse
between their delivery and their publication. But
occupied as the writer has been with busy pastoral
work, in a health resort still more frequented than
Aberdour, it has only been of late, when failing health
has made an assistant necessary, that he has found
leisure to prepare this volume for the press. This
delay has, however, enabled him to add a number of
facts, which make his account of the Monastery and
the parish still more complete.

The author has only further to add that, amidst
such a multiplicity of statements, stretching over
so many years, it will not be thought wonderful if,
in spite of all his care, some errors have crept into
his book, and some important facts have been left
unnoticed. And as regards the moralisings which
are found in the Lectures, it has been his aim in
all he has written, not only to exhibit the great
natural beauty and the rich historical interest of
the neighbourhood with which he has been deal-
ing, but also to advance the cause of morality and
religion.

BRIDGE OF ALLAN, May 1885.



CONTENTS.



LECTURE I.

Nature and plan of the work Sources of information Notices of
the parish and church in the twelfth century Natural features
of parish The Castle : its antiquity and appearance The
Viponts and Mortimers The ballad of Sir Patrick Spens
Randolph, Earl of Moray The Douglases Origin of the
family The ' Flower of Chivalry ' The Regality of Aberdour
The first Earl of Morton The Regent Morton John, Lord
Maxwell William, the eighth Earl The Castle burned
Cuttlehill The dishonest trooper The gallery and the school-
masters, ....... Page i



LECTURE II.

The old church and churchyard The church a pre-Reformation
one The architecture of it Inscription under west window
A church in Aberdour as early as the beginning of twelfth
century An early Columban settlement ? Fight between
William de Mortimer and Canons of Inchcolme Contest
between the Canons and Simon of Balran The chapel of
Beaupr6 The ' Fechtin' Bishop ' and Richard of Kirkcaldy
St. Fillan and his luminous arm The Pilgrims' Well The
Hospital of St. Martha : its site, foundation, endowment, con-
firmation, occupants, career, and fall The Sisterlands, . 29



LECTURE III.

The Monastery of Inchcolme The influence wielded by monastic
institutions Interest connected with the island Danish monu-



CONTENTS.

ment St. Columba The hermit's oratory Foundation of
Monastery Alexander the Fierce Bull of Pope Alexander the
Third List of churches and other possessions The Order of
Augustinian Canons Early monastic edifice Diocese of Dun-
keld Bishops buried on Inchcolme Story of the ' Fechtin'
Bishop ' An Abbot of romance Legend of Sir Alan Mor-
timer's daughter, ......



LECTURE IV.

The Monastery at first a priory, then an abbey The Augustinian
Rule The dress of the Canons Bricius and Walter, Priors,
and their contemporaries Michael and Walter, Priors The
unbearable excesses of Prior William Excellent qualities of
Prior Nigel Henry, the first Abbot Quarrel about the mill
of Aberdour Abbot Thomas, his reign and resignation
Abbot William, fight about the multures of Cullelo An appeal
to the Pope Abbot Bricius Raids and miracles Abbot
Walter Abbot John Dersy Abbot Laurence and his edifices
Abbot John The 'sitting down of the Cardinal!' Abbot
Walter Bower Abbot Michael Patrick Graham, Archbishop
of St. Andrews, a prisoner in the Monastery Abbot Thomas
Abbot John Richard Abercromby, the last of the Abbots
The martyr, Thomas Forret, Vicar of Dollar Sir John Luttrell.
Knight and Abbot, ...... 78

LECTURE V.

Possessions of the Monastery Gifts of King David the First
Kincarnathar Donibrysell Fear of the English rovers I^auin
the Lesser Ecclesmaline Innerkinglassin and Kilrie
Churches of Aberdour, Dalgety, Rosyth, Auchtertool, and
Beath Possessions near Kinghorn - Tofts in Cramond and
Edinburgh Pagan the goldsmith Tofts in Haddington, etc.
Kincarnie and Otherstown Various rentals A thousand eels
out of Strathenry William de Mortimer's gift of land, in his
territory of Aberdour Caer-almond Restalrig Inverkeithing
and Fordell The Avenels and Mores of Abercorn, their gifts
Richard of Inverkeithing and Constantine of Lochore The
fights of Fithkil or Leslie Baledmon and Lundy Fights about
the mill of Aberdour Story of the King's physician The
' Crossaikers ' Eglismartyn Lochorward The church of
Dollar Tenements in Haddington Brego Town of Wester
Aberdour Retour of the lordship of St. Colme Feuing and
alienation of the possessions of the Monastery The Com-
mendators The suppressed Monastery becomes a receptacle



CONTENTS, xv

for pirates, then a lazaretto Reflections on the monastic
system, ....... Pa.gei\-$



LECTURE VI.

The Regent Moray's birth, parentage, and upbringing Made Prior
of St. Andrews in the third year of his age Other ecclesias-
tical honours heaped on the child His youthful bravery
Accompanies the Princess Mary to France His patriotism
Abandons the profession of Churchman His place in the work
of Reformation Knox's influence over him Compelled to
abandon the cause of the Queen-Regent A Commissioner to
France to invite Queen Mary to return to Scotland His
devotion to her His marriage, and Knox's sermon on the
occasion Quells disturbances on the Borders The battle of
Corrichie Popish plots His opposition to the Queen's mar-
riage with Darnley Flees into England Returns after the
death of Rizzio Darnley 's murder, and Mary's favour for
Bothwell Moray at the French Court Mary's imprisonment
in Lochleven Castle Moray's interview with her Accepts the
Regency Character of his government Mary's escape from
Lochleven Castle Battle of Langside Moray's efforts to save
Mary's life His assassination at Linlithgow Testimonies of
friendly and unfriendly historians to his worth, . . . 152



LECTURE VII.

Birth, parentage, and education of the Regent Morton State of
the country Power of the Douglases, and their traitorous
connection with Henry of England Wily character of Sir
George Douglas Escape of James the Fifth from Falkland,
and virtual banishment of the Douglases Their return on the
King's death The capture of a wife and an earldom by sapping
and mining The marriage an unhappy one A Lord of the
Congregation His late developed powers Becomes Lord High
Chancellor The part he acted in connection with Rizzio's
murder This tragedy a virtual revolution His relation to the
murder of Darnley The Quee n's relation to it Bothwell's part
in it Disgraceful skirmishing between Morton and Kirkcaldy
of Grange Morton becomes Regent Character of his govern-
ment Knox's warning Charges brought against him, and
his defence Resigns the Re gency His residence at Aberdour
Is tempted to grasp power again Is imprisoned in Edin-
burgh Castle, then in Dumbarton Castle Brought to trial,
condemned, and beheaded, ..... 182



CONTENTS.



LECTURE VIII.

The history of the old Church of Aberdour resumed Its earliest
Protestant ministers Mr. Peter Blackwood : his wide sphere
of labour The Readers and Exhorters John Fairfull, Exhorter
and father of an Archbishop) Mr. Andrew Kirk, Vicar John
Row, the historian, schoolmaster at Aberdour Story of the
conversion to Protestantism of his father, the Pope's Nuncio
Contest about a stipend A member of the ' Angelical
Assembly ' Mr. William Paton succeeded by Mr. Walter
Stewart Mr. Robert Bruce of Kincavil Dalgety and Beath
separated from Aberdour Paganism of Beath John Row and
Colville of Blair befriend Beath Mr. Robert Bruce's suspen-
sion An exploit in pastoral visitation Mr. William Cochrane
and Mr. William Smyth, assistants, and their stipends Mr.
Thomas Litster Mr. Robert Johnston Notices of the public
worship of the period Communion seasons Special collections
made for various objects, ..... Page 212



LECTURE IX.

Events affecting the neighbourhood in the Covenanting Times
Object of the Covenant of 1638 The grave of Robert Blair
His early life His labours in Ireland Seeks to escape per-
secution by going to America, but is driven back by storms
The Echlins of Pittadro Blair's labours at Ayr Translated
to St. Andrews Employment in public affairs Appointed
Chaplain to the King His opinion of Cromwell 'Cuffed on
both haffets ' Sharp's treachery and persecutions Blair con-
fined to Couston Castle in Aberdour parish Deathbed
experiences Anecdotes of him His poor tombstone His
descendants The ' Engagement' Renewal of the Covenant
The burden of the soldiers Cromwell's invasion The battle
of Inverkeithing Mr. Bruce's flight The right of an English-
man to marry a Scotch girl Aberdour men taken prisoners at
the battle of Worcester Margaret Gray's feelings towards her
husband Strange proceedings, with a view to discover Arch-
bishop Sharp's murderer Sufferers by fining in Aberdour
parish, ........ 245



LECTURE X.

Mr. Robert Johnston, ejected minister at the Revolution An eight
years' vacancy and its baneful results Mr. David Cumming's
labours His frequent absences Labours of the Kirk-Session,



CONTENTS. xvii

as gathered from the Record Number of elders Their dis-
tricts Act for ' restraining the number of the Session 'Hugh
Bailzie, a troublesome member His pipe of wine His ten-
dency to ' take loans ' Episcopal jealousy of the lay element
Frequency of meetings of Kirk -Session Efforts on the part of
the Session to encourage family worship Visiting the town on
Sabbaths and Tuesdays Dealings with neglecters of public
worship Certificates Care required in drawing conclusions
from Session Records ' Foully treated both with hands and
tongue' Dealings with cases of drunkenness The notorious
John Lochtie The crime of selling drink to beggars Sir John
Erskine of Otterston Dealings with Sabbath -breakers William
Craig's ' straiking of his wife ' A ' cock-and-bull ' story
Case of murder at Croftgarie Modes of punishment resorted
to by the Kirk-Session : ' sitting down on the knees ' the
' joggis ' the branks the stocks sackcloth and the repenting-
stool fining ' Drink and shake hands ' Usages connected
with baptisms and marriages The system of pledges The
abuse of 'pypers' 'Penny bridles' Usages connected with
funerals The beadle's hand-bell The mortcloth Burying in
the 'queir' The horologe The cause of Education The
long labour to secure a school and schoolmaster's house
Mr. Francis Hannay The doctor Dealings with parents
Dame schools Management of the poor The box Trades
Amusements, ...... Page 270



LECTURE XL

Superstitions prevalent in the neighbourhood in the seventeenth
century Definition of the term Superstition vanishing before
knowledge Mirage ' Death-tick ' and ' death-warning '
Ecclesiastical miracles Superstition of D ark and Middle Ages
chargeable against the Roman Catholic Church Witchcraft,
how accounted for The sin of the profession of it, and the
crime against society Belief in witchcraft w ellnigh universal in
seventeenth century A bishop consulting a witch The Earl
of Angus refusing to do so King James's treatise on Demon-
ology Mr. Brace's incumbency the great period of witch-
burning in Aberdour Case of Janet Anderson The ' Brodder '
and his needles Margaret Cant's case Heroic resolution of
the Kirk-Session Accusations against Margaret Currie, Catha-
rine Robertson, and Janet Bell Lord Morton's interference
Delation by dying witches Susanna Alexander thus accused
Instruments of torture had recourse to in some places
' Casting up ' the sins of the dead Bessie Lamb accuses



ii CONTENTS,

Elspeth Kirkland of the crime of bewitching with a ' hairn
tedder' Pretended divination by 'riddle and shears,' and ' key
and Bible ' Superstition traced to London ! Mr. Francis
Hannay's mode of proving a woman guilty of child-murder
Superstitions in the neighbouring parish of Inverkeithing
Mr. Walter Bruce of Inverkeithing a great witch-finder Case
of Robert Small Sad case of the lady of Pittadro Wife-
keeping versus witch-burning Cases in Burntisland, . Page 315



LECTURE XII.

Ministry of Mr. Alexander Scot Lord Morton's protest against
his admission Ebenezer Erskine's testimony to Mr. Scot's
excellence Acts of Kirk-Session pointing to pastoral dili-
gence, in reference to education, morality, and care of the poor
John Stevenson has his ruinous house rebuilt Troops in the
Castle give much trouble The Jacobite rising in 1715 tells
severely on the parish The Communion season in 1718, with
tent-preaching on the Castle green Mr. Scot's death Wealth
of the box Revenue derived from mortcloth dues Banking
business of the Kirk-Session Glance at general condition of
the Church The 'Marrow' controversy Balance of parties
in the Presbytery Story of the forced settlement of Mr. John
Listen Lord Morton's high-handed measures Protest of
Ebenezer Erskine and others Ordination of Mr. Listen by a
' Riding Committee ' Mr. Nairne's sermon and ill-chosen
text Alienation of the people from the Church of their
fathers The dreary period that followed Strange case of dis-
cipline Elders deserting, and parents going elsewhere for
baptism John Millar deposed from the eldership Strange
mendicancy on the part of the Session A badge for beggars
within the parish Begging cripples carried away on a ' slead '
Collections made in Mr. John Listen's time Mr. Robert Listen
appointed colleague and successor Fulness of secular details
in Minutes The mortcloths The minister's travails in getting
a church bell Notices of times of dearth Condition of the
parish, its inhabitants and industries, at the close of the
eighteenth century Mr. Liston chosen Moderator of General
Assembly Dr. Bryce becomes minister of the parish The
Volunteer movement Notable persons connected with
Aberdour, ........ 346



CONTENTS. xix

APPENDIX.

I. LORD MORTON'S VAULT IN THE OLD CHURCH, . Page 381

II. ERECTION OF ABERDOUR-WESTER INTO A BURGH OF

BARONY, ....... 383

III. THE MURDER OF THE BONNY EARL OF MORAY, . . 385

IV. REASONS OF DISSENT FROM THE SENTENCE OF THE SYNOD

OF FIFE SUSTAINING THE CALL TO MR. JOHN LlSTON, . 388

INDEX, .... ... 399



ABERDOUR AND INCHCOLME.



LECTURE I.

Nature and plan of the work Sources of information Notices of the
parish and church in the twelfth century Natural features of
parish The Castle : its antiquity and appearance The Viponts
and Mortimers The ballad of Sir Patrick Spens Randolph, Earl of
Moray The Douglases Origin of the family The 'Flower of
Chivalry 'The Regality of Aberdour The first Earl of Morton The
Regent Morton John, Lord Maxwell William, the eighth Earl
The Castle burned Cuttlehill The dishonest trooper The gallery
and the schoolmasters.

IN this and subsequent lectures I am desirous of calling
your attention to the leading historical incidents, of a civil,
ecclesiastical, and social kind, which are connected with
our village and its immediate neighbourhood, being of
opinion that much that is fitted to be instructive, as well as
interesting, is to be found in such local notices.

When I first came among you, a perfect stranger to the
neighbourhood, I could not help being greatly struck with
its singular beauty. But when I had gazed and admired,
I naturally began to put the questions to myself What of
the history of this place ? What events, of an important or
interesting kind, have taken place in it, or near it ? What
associations are connected with that venerable pile, the old
castle? What memories linger around the old church,

A



2 ABERDOUR AND INCHCOLME.

which stands in so secluded and picturesque a spot, and
of which the trees have begun to take possession, now
that the worshippers have, for so many years, forsaken it ?
What historical incidents are there, belonging to the noble
house of Morton, on the one hand, and of Moray, on the
other? What incidents of an interesting kind are there
associated with the village itself? How long has the
smoke curled over its roofs ; and children, in groups, played
on its door-steps ; and the hum of industry been heard in
its streets ? What have the fortunes of the village been, in
earlier and later times, during seasons of peace and war ?
What are the legends that are told around its firesides on
winter evenings ? What notable men nobles or ecclesi-
astics, soldiers or sailors have been connected with the
place? What men noted for their virtues have lived in
it ; and, leaving their names inscribed on the mouldering
tombstones of its churchyards, have at the same time left
their worth imprinted on the memories and hearts of the
villagers ?

These, and a hundred other questions, naturally sug-
gested themselves ; and to very few of them, as you may
well suppose, could I at first give a satisfactory answer.
Snatches of old ballads, read in early days ballads which
tell of 'Sir Patrick Spens' and the 'Bonny Earl of
Murray ' were no doubt recalled to memory ; and, along
with these, historical recollections of the ' Good Regent,'
and that other, of very different mould, who pronounced
the panegyric over the grave of Knox : ' There lies one
who never feared the face of man ! ' But all else was to
learn.

From that time to this, I have, as occasion has offered,
been quietly learning the history of the place ; and I am
here to-night to share with you what I have learned. When
I thus speak, it is of course implied that I believe I have
something to tell which is not generally known. Indeed,
I cannot help wondering that so little seems to be known



SO UR CES OF INFORM A TION. 3

regarding the history of Aberdour and its neighbourhood.
I cannot attribute this to any want of interest in their
native place, or any want of intelligence, on the part of the
inhabitants. It is rather to be traced to the difficulty of
getting at the sources of information. For it has to be
confessed that the history of Aberdour has yet to be
written, and, indeed, has hardly been touched. There are
no doubt such notices of it as give excursionists all the
information they may care to have. There are notices in
Gazetteers, which are meagre enough, and not over correct
in the information they do give. There are the two Statis-
tical Accounts. But the old one, though very good in a
strictly statistical point of view, does not enter at all on
the antiquities of the parish ; and the new one is little
better than an abridgment of the old, adapted to a later
time. In Sibbald's History of Fife the whole notices of
Aberdour are comprised within a page or two; and the
letterpress of Swan's Views of Fife leaves untouched some
of the most interesting features of its history.

What, then, it may be asked, are the authorities from
which I have drawn my materials? In the earliest part
of the history I have gone to the MS. Register of Inch-
colme, the printed Morton Papers, and the charters and
other valuable documents lying in the charter-room at
Donibristle to which, through the kindness of the Hon.
John Stuart, afterwards eleventh Earl of Moray, I have
been allowed access. From these sources I have got infor-
mation which is not to be found in either the earlier or later
printed histories of our country. And as regards the later
part of the history, I have carefully examined the Kirk-
Session records of the parish, which, through the courtesy
of the Rev. George Roddick, I have for a considerable time
had in my possession. In addition to these authorities, I
have had many charters and papers of various kinds put
into my hands by the feuars and other inhabitants of the
village. Another source of information, regarding local



4 ABERDOUK AND IWCHCOLME.

matters, it would be ungrateful in me not to mention. It is
pointed out in the lines of Allan Cunningham

Much with hoary men
He walked conversing, and sedately glad,
Heard stories which escaped historic pen.

A single remark more, and these preliminary statements,
already too long, are at an end. I wish it to be distinctly
understood that the historical notices of Aberdour and its
neighbourhood, which I am to lay before you, in this and
other lectures, do not pretend to be exhaustive. More
information than I now have, and more leisure than I can
command, would be necessary ere anything having the
least claim to be an exhaustive history could be produced.
Moreover, I do not keep by a rigid order of a chrono-
logical kind ; indeed, in some instances it will be seen that
the order of acquiring my information determines the order
of my narration. On the present occasion I do little more
than look at the history of the village, as that is reflected
from the history of its ancient and now ruined Castle.

Aberdour, as the most of you are probably aware, derives
its name from the little stream, the Dour, that runs between
the Easter and Wester villages, and falls into the Firth of
Forth at the harbour. The prefix, Aber, signifies the mouth
of a stream ; and it is generally coupled with the name of