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THE EPISCOPAL HISTORY OF PERTH 
 
/'■ 
 
ffe 
 
 l^pi^^jjal |]i^l0rg of :]^rtli 
 
 1689-1894. 
 
 Rev. GEO. T. S. FARQUHAR, M.A., Oxon. 
 
 CANON AND PRECENTOR OF PERTH CATHEDRAL ANl' 
 SUPERNUMERARY OK THK DIOCESE. 
 
 Thioafjh iiuiity <jri<fti htr upward path kaa lain.' 
 
 PERTH: JAMKS H. JACKSON, 20 High Street 
 
 MDCCCXCIV. 
 
Printed at Jackson's Printing Works, Pert 
 
Behold' how Israel, driven from the shore. 
 Moves doton into th' er/ibraces of the sea ! 
 7'hough striving from t\fiiction thus to jiee. 
 
 Yon loelteriny flood niust whelm them evermore ! 
 
 But look / de^pit( the hiUoivs" threatening roar. 
 Its curse in silenced by Divine decree : 
 'Tween lapsing 7mlh the tribesmen still go free, 
 
 Tvustitig to Heaven for that which lies before. 
 Church of the Fair City, it is thou ! 
 Thee would the ivavcn have buried until notv ! 
 
 Yet, since our God so far has cleft a way 
 
 Through ^hy long looes, faith tells vie thou wilt stand, 
 Ere all be dnne^ upon the further strand, 
 
 A7id chant with Miriam thine exulting lay! 
 
 G. T. S. F. 
 
Preface. 
 
 In 1887, when there was no longer any doubt that 
 the nave of Perth Cathedral would be erected, it 
 occurred to me that a leaflet containing some account 
 of the past of the institution might be useful in the 
 interests of the building fund. The frequent discovery, 
 however, of new material, combined with the incessant 
 calls of pastoral work, constantly delayed me and 
 changed the character of my undertaking. Had it not 
 been that my position, as member of a Cathedral 
 staff, sets me free from the overwhelmingly arduous 
 duty of preaching two sermons every Sunday to the 
 same congregation, my attempt would probably have 
 come to nothing. As it is, the reader has the result 
 now before him in the present volume. 
 
 My object has simply been to do what has never 
 been attempted before, viz. : — to bring to light the 
 full Truth concerning the History of the Church in 
 Perth during the last two centuries, or somewhat 
 longer. 
 
 It may indeed be argued by some that, as the 
 Truth in this case proves to be of so troubled a 
 character, it would have been better to leave it in its 
 former obscurity ; but my idea is this : that on all 
 occasions (and, therefore, in the present instance), the 
 Truth is the best foundation on which to build. It 
 has its own sure way, sooner or later, of rewarding its 
 followers. We cannot altogether say how, in the matter 
 here dealt with, it will do so; but that such will 
 ultimately be the case, we are confident. This 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 much at least is clear, that, if there is something 
 in the record to humble us (and that itself may not 
 be a bad thing), there is also something to enlighten 
 us. We now see that, if we have failed, since the 
 Revolution, to carry a great proportion of the popula- 
 tion with ns in this place, the reason has not been 
 that our principles have been unimpededly before the 
 public, and nevertheless rejected by them, but that (if 
 we may use a somewhat heathenish phrase) they have 
 never been allowed a fair chance. For more than 100 
 years (1689-1792) penal laws — subtly designed at once 
 to depress Scottish Episcopacy and to encourage the so- 
 called "English" schism — were in force against us. Then, 
 after all excuse was taken away from that division 
 by our acceptance of the " powers that were " in 
 1788, hidden foes of the Church continued it here till 
 1846 ; and when at last our flock was revived in the 
 City, in the latter j^ear, it happened to be at the 
 most distracting crisis of the Oxford movement — i.e., 
 the year after Newman's secession. Thus (if we may 
 risk an Irish bull) there have always been exceptional 
 difficulties, not arising from our essential principles, in 
 the Church's way in Perth ; and, therefore, the very 
 manifestation of these causes of depression is a ground 
 of hope for the future. It is reasonable to expect that a 
 time will come — (it has come) — when there are no excep- 
 tional difficulties, either of external persecution or of 
 internal dissension, to hinder us. And other benefits, 
 such as the force of the noble examples of faithfulness 
 here recorded, must arise from the relation of the Truth 
 concerning our past. 
 
 However, it may be thought that, excellent as my 
 aim is, I have developed it at too great length. Since 
 my subject only concerns a handful of people in a 
 
Preface. ix. 
 
 Scottish town of secondary importance, it is here 
 treated with excessive fuhiess. But is there no force 
 in the following consideration? Undoubtedly the bio- 
 graphy of a single individual is an interesting form of 
 literature. So also is the history of a nation. But it 
 does not seem to me to follow that therefore every- 
 thing that lies between an individual biography and a 
 national history must be uninteresting. On the con- 
 trary, it appears that an account of the fortunes of a 
 society, such as a congregation, will have its own 
 attraction too. It will be surely all the more so, if it be 
 given not merely in skeleton outline, but enriched with 
 local, personal, and contemporary touches, which 
 inevitably demand a certain amount of space. I hope 
 that thus the student of our common nature, as well 
 as the Scottish Churchman, may find some points of 
 interest here. This would justify the writing of the 
 " history of any congregation at some length, and it 
 ought certainly to do so in the case of a narrative, 
 which, like the following, deals with events exhibiting 
 anything but a monotonous character. 
 
 Once more. Some of those, who agree with me so 
 far and allow that the Truth on this subject was 
 worth telling and telling at some length, may still 
 object that I have not unfolded it on strictly un- 
 denominational lines. I plead guilty to this charge. 
 I have to confess that undenominationalism utterly 
 fails both to win my affections and to satisfy my 
 mind. I believe, on the contrary, that those beliefs, 
 which, in this country, are in popular phraseology 
 known as Episcopalianism, are Orthodox, and therefore 
 Catholic. And so, while admitting that the following 
 narrative is not written from an undenominational 
 stand-point, but from that of the system, which I 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 believe to be true, I avow that I consider this to be 
 not a fault but a merit. 
 
 A last objection, which may be brought against 
 me, is this : that, because T am a Churchman, therefore 
 I have written uncharitably of those, who adhere to 
 different systems. Now, as Churchmanship consists of 
 the acceptance, not only of the Apostolical Ministry 
 founded by Christ in the days of His Flesh, but also 
 of the things committed to the charge of that Ministry, 
 such as the Commandment of Love, it follows that, so 
 far as I have departed from Charity, in that degree 
 have I departed from Churchmanship. It is I, not 
 the Church, that must thus bear the blame of any 
 unkindness, which may appear in these pages. But I 
 earnestly hope there is none. Certainly I have striven 
 hard so to write as to do justice to every one's 
 motives. Where the facts, indeed, appear to me to 
 establish an unfavourable Case, I have not scrupled to 
 state my opinion. But then, I hope, these conclusions 
 have been reached not through way of prejudice, but 
 through processes of reason ; and I am open to 
 correction. But wherever there is something to be 
 said on both sides, I trust that I have allowed it, 
 and, if virtue has appeared anywhere, I shall be 
 disappointed iijdeed, if I can be shewn not to have 
 been magnanimous enough to do it justice. 
 
 After all, I cannot hope to have avoided every 
 mistake either as to facts or the spirit, in which I 
 have written, or the judgment which I have exercised, 
 and I therefore hope the result of my labours will be 
 received in a kindly and tolerant spirit. 
 
 It now only remains for me to express my thanks 
 in varying degrees for help generously given (through 
 the loan of MSS., etc.) to the following : — The Most 
 
Preface. xi. 
 
 Rev. the Primus ; the Right Revs, the Bishops of 
 Edinburgh and (late) of S. Andrews ; the Very Rev. 
 the Dean of S. Andrews ; the Revs. Canon Skinner 
 Wilson ; Canon Cole, late of Doune ; Canon Keating ; 
 J. G. Simpson, Vice-Principal of our Theological 
 College ; Dr. Gordon, late of S. Andrew's, Glasgow ; 
 Dr Walker, Monymusk ; Chr. Bowstead of Pitlochry ; 
 and last, but by no means least, J. Ferguson, Parish 
 Minister of Aberdalgie and Presbytery Clerk. Also to 
 the following laymen : — Ex-Lord Provost Wilson of 
 Perth ; the Keeper of the Advocate's Library ; John 
 Thomas, Esq., Sheriff Clerk of Perth ; Erskine 
 Beveridge, Esq., Dunfermline ; J. Miller, Esq., Perth ; 
 W. L. Watson, Esq. of Ayton ; J. Whyte, Esq., M.D., 
 Perth ; W. Wordsworth, Esq. ; R. S. Fittis, Esq., 
 Perth ; and J. R. Anderson, Esq., Convener of our 
 Foreign Mission Board. Also to Miss Christian Bruce 
 of Dunimarle for the sight of the Robert Lyon relics. 
 I shall be happy indeed if my " History '' is found 
 worthy of a place beside the works of the Rev. W. 
 Walker, L.L.D. ; the Rev. J. D. Craven ; the Rev. 
 Canon Archibald, and others of a like nature. 
 Benedictus henedicat ! 
 
 George T. S. Farquhar. 
 
 20 Balhousie Street, Perth, 
 S. James' Day, 1894. 
 
Contents. 
 
 Book I. — Disestablishment and Disendowment. 
 
 CHAPTER ■ PAGE 
 
 I. — How THE First Storm Gathered Round Perth, 
 
 1688-9, :i 
 
 II.— How THE Episcopal Clergy were Ousted from 
 
 Perth, 1689-90, 8 
 
 III. — How the NEIGHBOnHING PARISHES WERE PURGED 
 
 and Plaxted, 1689-99, - 15 
 
 IV. — How THE Neighbouring Parishes were Purged 
 
 AND Planted, 1699-1709, 26 
 
 V. — How THE Church Battled kor Existence in Perth, 
 
 1691-1707, • 39 
 
 VI. — How A New Bishop was Appointed and the Prayer 
 
 Book Introduced to Perth, 1704-9, 53 
 
 VII. — How THE Revs. Messrs. Smith, Rhynd, and Walker 
 
 WERE Sentenced by the Presbytery, 1709-10, .59 
 
 VIII. — How THE Revs. Messrs. H. and T. Murray akd 
 W. Stewart were Sentenced by the Pres- 
 bytery, 1711-12, 71 
 IX. —How the Presbytery " brought the Whole 
 
 Matter to a Period," 1712-16, 81 
 
 Book II. — Penal Laws and Divisions. 
 
 X. — How THE Church in Perth was Involved in a 
 
 Second Disaster, 171.5-19, 9.j 
 
 XI. — How Perth was Implicated in the College and 
 
 Usage Controversies, 1720-26, 105 
 
 XII. — How the Last Years ok the Rev. Henry 
 
 Murray's Incumbency were passed, 1727-35, 122 
 
 XIII. — How THE Rev. Robert Lyon was Settled in 
 
 Perth, 1735-39, 131 
 
 XIV. — How THERE was A ScHISM IN THE PERTH CON- 
 GREGATION, 1740, 137 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 CHAPTER I'AGE 
 
 XV. — How Bishop Rattray became Primus, Died, and 
 
 WAS Succeeded, 1738-44, 143 
 
 XVI. — How Matters went in Perth, 1740-45., 153 
 
 XVII. — How Robert Lyon followed Prince Charlie, 
 
 1745, 161 
 
 XVIII. — How the Church in Perth was Overwhelmed by 
 
 a Fourth Great Disaster, 1746, 168 
 
 XIX.— How the Rev» Robert Lyon suffered Death 
 
 AT Penrith, 1746, 3 78 
 
 XX. — How the Persecution Raged from 1746 to 1756. 187 
 XXI. — How the Two Congregations Fared, 1750-76, 199 
 
 XXII. — How THE Ecclesiastical Succession was Continued 
 
 in Perth, 1776-91, 21.o 
 
 Book III. — Repeal and Exhaustion. 
 
 XXIII. — How Perth Churchmen Contributed to the 
 
 Repeal op the Penal Laws, 1788-92, - 225 
 
 XXIV. — How THE Repual of the Penal Laws was 
 
 FOLLOWED by the EXTINCTION OF THE ChURCH 
 
 IN Perth, 1792-1809, 233 
 
 XXV.— How the Land Lay Desolate, 1810-46, 246 
 
 Book IV.— Revival. 
 
 XXVI. — How the Scottish Congregation was Revived in 
 
 Perth, 1846, 265 
 
 XXVIL— How the Schism of 1740 was Healed, 1842-48, 273 
 
 XXVIII. — How THE Idea of a Cathedral began to take 
 
 Root, 1847-49, 280 
 
 XXIX. — How the Church of S. John, Prinof,s Street, 
 
 WAS Built, 1849-51 (to, 1873), 286 
 
 XXX. — How THE Cathedral was Partly Built, Con- 
 stituted, AND Consecrated, 1849-50, 292 
 XXXI. — How THE Cathedral Fared till Bishop Torry's 
 
 Death, 1850-52, 307 
 
 XXXII. — How Bishop Torry Authorized «. Scottish Prayer 
 
 Book, 1847-52, 316 
 
 XXXIII.— How Bishop Torry Died and was Buried, and 
 how Bishop Wordsworth was Elected, 1852- 
 53, 324 
 
Contents. 
 
 OHAPTKR i'AUK 
 
 XXXIV. — How THE Cathkdbal was Accepted by thk 
 
 , DiocESAH Synod, 18.53, 33:-i 
 
 XXXV. — How Matters went in Perth diihinq Bishoi' 
 
 Wordsworth's hbst Three Years, 1853-,"i»), 343 
 
 XXXVL— How the Thirty Years' War Kaqed, 1856-86, 3.51 
 
 XXXVII. — How Peace enabled a New Start to be made, 
 
 18S5-89, - 368 
 
 XXXVIII.— How the Nave of the Cathedral was Built, 
 
 1886-90, 377 
 
 XXXIX. — How the Nave was Consecrated, 1890, 39i 
 
 XL. — How the Cathedral Fared during Bishop 
 
 Woedsworth'-s last Three Years, 1890-92, 403 
 
 XLI. — How Bishop Wordsworth Died, and Bishop 
 
 Wilkinson Succeeded, 1892-93, 410 
 
 Epilooue, 1894, 418 
 
BOOK I. 
 
 Disestabliebment an& Di6ent)owment. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 HOW THE FIRST STORM GATHERED ROUND PERTH, 
 1688-9. 
 
 When our narrative begins, we find ourselves upon the 
 following scene. As regards place, it is the City of 
 Perth, lying between its two " Inches," on the banks 
 of that noble, rushing river, the Tay. But the town 
 is not to fill the whole of our view. It occupies the 
 centre, indeed, and is the most conspicuous object, 
 but round it iu a circle are gathered, about equally 
 in every direction, a group of parishes to the number 
 of nearly thirty. We need not pause at present to 
 identify each of these by name, since the ensuing story 
 will erelong make us familiar with all of them. But 
 there is one circumstance, which we must here notice 
 in connection with the whole view. Nature, indeed, is 
 seen to be the same as it is in the nineteenth century, 
 but the works of man are different. And this indicates 
 that the time is not the present. It is, in fact, October, 
 1688. Regarding the scene, as we do, from an ecclesi- 
 astical standpoint, two chief differences strike our 
 attention. The first of these is that instead of the 
 many sacred edifices, which at present find a place in 
 the Fair City, only one is to be found in the whole 
 Burgh. The venerable spire of old S. John's emerges 
 above the surrounding roofs, but it has no companions. 
 And, if we advance and enter, we find that, instead 
 of the Choir, Transepts and Nave being divided by 
 partitions as now (1894) into the separate Churches, 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 called respectively the East, Middle, and West, only 
 the West is partitioned off from the Middle. Although 
 the latter is alone fitted up for public worship, yet 
 it and the East or Choir open into each other. 
 
 But there is also a second and more important 
 difference in the ecclesiastical situation. We make 
 enquiries and find that although there are Kirk-Sessions, 
 Presbyteries, black gowns and, within certain limits, 
 ex tempore forms of prayer, the Established Church is 
 Episcopal. We are in the Diocese of S. Andrews, and 
 under the rule of Archbishop Ross (or Rose). Of this 
 Prelate, indeed, his enemies (being bitter) say: — "He 
 is a poor, ignorant, worthless man, in whom obedience 
 and fury (two very opposite qualities!) are so eminent 
 that they supply all other defects." His friends, 
 however, who know him better, say : - " This Archbishop 
 is a man of sound judgment and great integrity." As 
 touching his income, he is far better off than any of 
 his brethren on the bench. For, while the Bishop of 
 Edinburgh enjoys a revenue of £93 per annum ; the 
 Bishop of Brechin, £76 ; the Bishop of Dunblane, £43 ; 
 and the others not much more, our Primate receives 
 £1500. The Parish Ministers of Perth are Adam 
 Barclay, M.A., Incumbent of the first charge, who has 
 only succeeded to the living a month or two ago. 
 His predecessor, Mr. William Hay, resigned it last 
 February on being consecrated Bishop of Moray. The 
 minister of the second charge is David Anderson, M.A., 
 who has been in his place since October 20th, 16S0. 
 And, if we travel round all the parishes in the 
 neighbourhood, as we shall have occasion before long to 
 do, we shall find that each of the clergy holds the Episcopal 
 licence. And, what is more, in the south-west of 
 Scotland, indeed, there is a bitter animus on the part 
 
Threatening Prospects. 
 
 of a turbulent faction against the Established Church, 
 but in the vicinity of Perth it is strong in the 
 affections of the people. 
 
 Thus, things are in a very satisfactory state, and 
 the public in a very contented frame of mind. But 
 ominous news reaches the City from outside. By his 
 infatuated attempt to force Eomanism upon an unwilling 
 nation. King James VII. has alienated all sympathies 
 from himself. In fact, in England, where the enterprise 
 has been more open and persistent, seven of the Bishops, 
 the most loyal supporters of the dynasty, have 
 had to suffer imprisonment, and are casting about in 
 their minds whether some sort of Regency to restrain 
 the King cannot be devised. Two also of the Scottish 
 Prelates, Glasgow and Dunkeld, are in disgrace at Court 
 for opposing the Royal designs. And since this is the 
 state of mind of the most loyal section of the community, 
 we are distressed, but not surprised, to hear that on 
 November 5th, AVilliam, Prince of Orange, and husband 
 of one of the King's daughters, has landed in the 
 south at the head of an army, and that the ill-advised 
 monarch, finding his troops untrustworthy, has fled to 
 France and left the way open, not merely to a con- 
 stitutional Regency such as the Bishops desired, but 
 to a revolution, and the recognition of the Dutch 
 adventurer as King. 
 
 It is soon known, indeed, that the revolutionary 
 Prince is in favour of what is called " Moderate 
 Episcopacy.'' But, whatever comfort may be drawn 
 from that, is completely dissipated by the news that 
 follows. From the south-west of Scotland comes intelli- 
 gence that large numbers of the Clergy are being 
 " rabbled " out of their livings by a furious and fanatical 
 mob. In January, 1689, Bishop Rose alienates William's 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 sympathies by hinting that not merely expediency, but 
 also " reason and justice,'' would influence the conduct 
 of the Scottish Bishops. A convention also assembles 
 in Edinburgh on March IJfth, the elections to which 
 (if a modern political phrase may be allowed), have 
 been so " jerrymandered " that Churchmen cannot but 
 dread the very worst from its proceedings. Quickly 
 following upon this comes the formal proclamation of 
 William and Mary as King and Queen, together with 
 a decree that the Clergy are to read the proclamation 
 from their pulpits, abjure King James, whom they 
 were bound by oath to support, and pray publicly for 
 the newcomer and his Consort. The Scottish Council 
 also invite information to be laid against all Episcopal 
 Clergy, who fail to obey. And lastly, in July a Bill 
 is passed by the Convention (which has now transformed 
 itself into a Parliament) to the eifect that " Prelacy 
 and all superiority of any office in the Church of this 
 kingdom above Presbyters is hereby abolished." It is, 
 of course, absolutely preposterous to suppose that a 
 secular Convention has the slightest power really to 
 abolish a spiritual office which they did not and couM 
 not create, but our friends in Perth recognise that, 
 though, of course, the Episcopate is not abrogated but 
 lives on by Christ's authority, yet it is now a stern 
 reality that the holders of that sacred office are to be 
 forthwith reduced to the state which their predecessors 
 occupied before the days of Constantine. They are to 
 be stripped of all the Church's worldly possessions and 
 status. 
 
 The prospect is truly alarming. Can nothing be done ? 
 Cannot a single blow be struck on behalf of the old 
 regime? Yes! there is a brilliant gleam of hope. The 
 gallant Viscount Dundee, disgusted at the disloyalty 
 
Killiecrankie. 
 
 and injustice of the Convention Parliament in Edinburgh, 
 has withdrawn from the capital : collected what forces 
 he has been able and retired to Blair-Athole. From 
 this in May he suddenly swoops down on Perth and 
 causes infinite consternation to the party of the 
 Kevolution there by making some Whig Lairds prisoners. 
 On his departure he is entertained by Lord Stormont, 
 who thereby gets himself into trouble with those now 
 endeavouring to secure authority for their side. On 
 Jvly 27th, within a week after the passing of the 
 Disestablishment Act, a battle is fought in the Pass 
 of Killiecrankie between Dundee and General Mackay, 
 who commanded the Dutch Prince's forces. The result 
 is that, though the latter are defeated, yet the gallant 
 Viscount is killed and in his grave are buried all 
 immediate hopes of retrieving the day in favour of the 
 exiled Monarch. The Earl of Dunfermline, indeed, 
 rashly ventures' another action near Perth, but is defeated 
 with the loss of 400 men ; and William is now 
 de facto King. 
 
 Although, therefore, the Clergy still hold possession 
 of their livings in this neighbourhood, it is evident 
 that the storm, which has already burst so furiously 
 upon their brethren in the south-west, is drawing with 
 alarming rapidity close to the Fair City. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 HOW THE EPISCOPAL CLERGY WERE OUSTED 
 FROM PERTH, 1689-gO. 
 
 In the last Chapter we saw the doom of the Episcopal 
 Church in this part of the country, in common with 
 the same in the rest of Scotland, resolved upon. We 
 have now to observe how the process of putting the 
 abstract decree into practice began to be carried out 
 in this region. Those, who do not reflect, are very- 
 apt, when they have ascertained that the Disestablish- 
 ment Bill was passed on July %2nd, 1689, to imagine 
 that there and then the Episcopal regime was no more. 
 But that to decree the expulsion of the Clergy, whatever 
 it might be elsewhere, was in the Perth district a very 
 different thing from expelling them will speedily become 
 evident, as we trace, the course of events. That the 
 Clergy here were popular is evident from the following 
 testimonies. The Presbyterian Dr. Carlyle, of course, 
 states in a general way that "more than two-thirds of 
 the people of the country and most part of the gentry 
 were Episcopals.'' And another Presbyterian, Dr. Scott 
 of Perth, the well-known compiler of the Fasti, after tran- 
 scribing the narrative of affairs at this crisis, honestly 
 states it as his opinion that "in the north of Scotland 
 not only the nobility and gentry but also the 
 bulk of the people were fondly attached to the Episcopal 
 Incumbents." This he gives under the year 1689 and 
 then he adds : — " In the Presbytery of Perth the Episcopal 
 Ministers were deprived not with the minds of the people 
 
Episcopacy popular In Perth. 
 
 but contrary thereto." And, if it is objected that these 
 are later opinions the same cannot be said of the 
 following. It was written, not by a Scottish Churchman, 
 but by the Rev. Mr. Morer, an English Chaplain who 
 accompanied King William's forces into Scotland. " The 
 Church of Scotland," he saj's, " is at this time under 
 the claw of an enraged lion : Episcopacy abolished ■ its 
 revenues alienated : the Clergy routed, some by form 
 of sentence and others by violence and popular fury : 
 their persons and families abused : their houses ransacked, 
 with many other injuries and indignities." This, he 
 goes on to say, was due to an extreme faction : for 
 everywhere the gentry, and northward the people too 
 were favourable to Episcopacy. He knows it from his 
 own personal experience, because, for example, " at 
 Perth I was readily admitted into the Church and 
 Pulpit, though the Magistrate) refused the same favour 
 to Lord Gardross, a Privy Gouncillor, and the Lord 
 Argyle, on behalf of two Cameronian preachers." 
 
 Our Incumbents, then, being in possession of their 
 parishes not only by legal right, but also " with the 
 minds of the people," how was their expulsion carried 
 out? 
 
 Our method of replying to this question will be simply 
 to give the narrative of proceedings in each parish 
 mainly as taken, not from any Episcopal source (for 
 none such is forthcoming), but from the Perth I'reshytery 
 Records and to let them speak for themselves. By thus 
 giving the story substantially from our adversaries' 
 chronicle, it is hoped that at least no overwhelming 
 prejudice will be allowed to colour the narrative in 
 favour of the disestablished Church. And the order, in 
 which each' parish will be brought forward, will be 
 merely that of time. Those parishes, from which the 
 
10 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Episcopal Incumbents were first driven and in which 
 Presbyterian successors were first " planted," will be first 
 dealt with and the rest will follow in due order. 
 
 The first Church to become vacant was that of 
 Perth itself. The story of this will fully occupy the 
 remainder of this Chapter. It seems that the parish 
 Clergy here were full of hope during Viscount Dundee's 
 enterprise. At least Mr. John Blair, Minister of Scone, 
 when he heard that King William's troops had been 
 defeated at Killiecrankie exclaimed, " It is the best 
 news in the world ! " And Mr. David Anderson, 
 Minister of the second charge in Perth was evidently 
 of the same mind, for we read that in the street " he 
 met with one, Mr. James Kobertson, residenter in 
 Balhousie, who was a Conventicler." Confident no doubt 
 that he was still strong in his position as Parish 
 Minister, he took the opportunity of expostulating with 
 his Dissenting friend. The latter, however, " laid hold 
 on his gown, when he was going to pass from him 
 and told him what had happened {i.e., that Dundee 
 was killed) and that King William's troops were on 
 the way to Perth ! " Naturally Mr. Anderson was 
 " greatly troubled " at the news. " His countenance 
 changed," and he did not think it safe to await the 
 arrival of the revolutionary forces. Before their coming, 
 therefore, he withdrew himself some distance from the 
 town. It was evidently a case where discretion was 
 the better part of valour. What could one or even 
 two unarmed Clergy do against an army flushed by 
 recent success ? 
 
 When the forces arrived in the City, a preacher, 
 Mr. John Anderson by name, who had been Minister 
 of Auchtergaven under Cromwell and after that a holder 
 of Conventicles, was taken under their formidable 
 
Perth Clergy Ousted. ii 
 
 patronage and protection. Until May, 1691, he was 
 escorted to and from the Pulpit of S. John's by a 
 guard of soldiers. 
 
 Our two Ministers were also confronted by civil, 
 as well as military, force. It must be remembered that 
 so far, although the Episcopal Church had been dis- 
 established by law, Presbyterianism had not yet been 
 put in its place. There were at this time ten months, 
 which the " Voluntaries " of the nineteenth century 
 must hail as exhibiting the ideal of ecclesiastical 
 arrangement. There was no established Church in 
 Scotland. There could, therefore, be no pretence of 
 depriving our Perth Clergy of their cure of souls by 
 any professing spiritual authority. This, however, did 
 not trouble the minds of the new rulers. The Privy 
 Council continuing its own wrong traditions, felt itself 
 quite equal to the task, and on September 3rd, 1689, 
 ratified the violence of the soldiery and dissolved the 
 spiritual bond, which a successor of the Apostles had 
 established between the Revs. Adam Barclay and David 
 Anderson on the one side and their Parish on the 
 other. They were deprived for not reading the Pro- 
 clamation of Estates and not praying for King William 
 and Queen Mary. No formal settlement of Mr. John 
 Anderson in their place was attempted but he was 
 allowed to go on preaching under the patronage of the 
 soldiers. 
 
 But how was old S. John's permanently settled with 
 Presbyterian Ministers 1 Not by any means speedily 
 or with the goodwill of the citizens, as the following 
 narrative will show. 
 
 In May, 1690, a motion for the establishment of 
 Presbyterianism passed the Scottish Parliament and 
 received the Royal assent. The legislators were afraid 
 
12 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 for an abnormal time to face the people at a general 
 election but they took upon themselves to declare that 
 the Genevan polity satisfied the wishes of the people. 
 The government of the Church was now conferred by 
 the secular power, not upon the existing Clergy, nor 
 even upon all Presbyterian Ministers but upon those 
 of the latter only, who had held livings under the 
 usurpation of Cromwell, and whatever others they 
 chose to associate with themselves. In this neighbour- 
 hood, therefore, all eyes were turned to those, who 
 within the bounds of the Presbytery of Perth, answered 
 to this description. But Presbyterianism was here 
 conspicuous only by its absence, notwithstanding the 
 Toleration granted by King James. Indeed, so as to 
 collect a number, which could at least make some 
 appearance of passing muster as a Presbytery, the whole 
 Presbytery of Dunkeld and half of that of Auchterarder 
 had to be added to the Presbytery of Perth. But, 
 even when these two-and-a-half Presbyteries were 
 united, there were only three Presbyterian Ministers 
 in all the bounds, answering to the requirements of 
 the new Establishment, i.e., 'those in Rattray, Arngask 
 and the soldiers' nominee in Perth. However, their 
 numbers were soon doubled. There was an Irish 
 Minister, Glass by name, in the district and, though 
 he was under obligation to return to Ireland, whenever 
 wanted, he was added to the rudimentary Presbytery. 
 And then Mr. Alexander Pitcairn, Minister of Dron, 
 and Mr. James Inglis, Minister of S. Martins, both of 
 whom had originally been Presbyterians, but who had 
 changed sides under Episcopacy, once more turned round. 
 The Presbytery of Perth, therefore, now numbering 
 six names for about 40 parishes, was duly consti- 
 tuted and proceeded in terms of the Act of Parliament 
 
Perth Planted. 13 
 
 of May 26th to " purge out all insufficient, negligent, 
 erroneous, and scandalous Ministers,'' and to " plant " 
 their extensive bounds with Presbyterians. It is so 
 remarkable a coincidence that every single Episcopal 
 Clergyman (with one exception, who turned Presbyterian) 
 should have been discovered to have been either " in- 
 sufficient, negligent, erroneous or scandalous " that we 
 cannot help suspecting that all these adjectives were 
 more or less synonymous with '' Episcopal." But before 
 going on to shew that this was the case in the other 
 parishes, we must relate how Perth (the " purging '' 
 of which from its " insufficient," etc.. Ministers has 
 already been related) was " planted " with Ministers of 
 an opposite {i.e., Presbyterian) character. This proved 
 not to be an altogether easy matter. For it turned 
 out that the Town Council and a large section of the 
 citizens were in favour of the old Church and they 
 had considerable power to enforce their Episcopal 
 leanings, inasmuch as "since 1616 the Provost and 
 Bailies of Perth were ex officio members of Session." 
 This body, therefore, determined to call a Minister after 
 their own hearts and require the Presbytery to admit 
 him. They accordingly presented a call for Mr. James 
 Lundie and Mr. Robert Anderson. Also they desired 
 that the latter should preach on the next Sabbath. 
 But the Presbytery declined. Their reasons were (1) 
 that the calling elders were only Prelatic elders and 
 were never admitted elders under the present Govern- 
 ment ; (2) that Mr. James Lundy was a Prelatic Minister; 
 and (3) that it did not come in the shape of a call 
 but of a presentation. On these grounds they refuse 
 to accede to the request of the Town Council and 
 resolve to proceed to the election and ordination of 
 Presbyterian elders. 
 
14 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 It appears probable that this over-riding of the local 
 wishes by the newly-cotistructed Presbytery was the 
 occasion of the following incident related by Bishop 
 Sage (who as long ago as 1672 had been bringing the 
 younger members of the Drummond family into Perth 
 for educational purposes and had formed a friendship 
 with the afterwards celebrated parish Minister, the 
 Eev. Alexander Rose). " I remember," he says, " that 
 some of the Magistrates of Perth, after both their 
 Ministers were deprived, came to the Earl of Craufurd 
 and insinuated to him that they were hopeful Mr. 
 David Anderson, a good-natured man and a very 
 good pastor, who had been one of the Ministers of the 
 said Town, perhaps might yet be induced to comply 
 and that he would be extremely acceptable to the people, 
 if he were reponed. But presently his Lordship turned 
 huffy and told them that that was not so much as to be 
 mentioned. So they were forced to let fall that design." 
 
 They had, however, no intention of at once ceasing 
 their efforts on behalf of the old Church and the dispute 
 raged for the greater part of a year. But the Presbytery, 
 locally feeble as we have seen it to be and representing 
 a party certainly not numbering more than half the 
 Nation, yet was backed by the prestige of having been 
 on the winning side in the late Civil War ; by the 
 support of the body which was now able to call itself 
 the Scottish Parliament and by the countenance of a 
 Prince, whose interests happened to coincide with theirs. 
 Under these circumstances, therefore, the excess of 
 force lay with them, and on June J).th, 1691, they had 
 the satisfaction of " planting " Perth with a Presbyterian 
 divine according to their own forms. The name of 
 this first Minister of the present Establishment was 
 Mr. Robert Anderson. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 HOW THE EPISCOPAL INCUMBENTS WERE OUSTED 
 AND PRESBYTERIANS PLANTED IN THE NEIGH- 
 BOURING PARISHES, 1688-98. 
 
 Having " purged " the City itself of Episcopacy and 
 " planted " it with Presbyterianism, the Presbytery now 
 determined to proceed with the utmost rigour of the 
 law to do the same for the extensive district under 
 their supervision. In this and the next Chapter we 
 shall follow them step by step, omitting only a few of 
 the more distant parishes, which lie to the north of 
 the Tay in the region of Dunkeld. These two Chapters 
 may prove to be a little tedious to the reader but, as 
 general statements only carry the authority of the 
 person who makes them, it will be more valuable 
 to give all the particular facts as gathered from the 
 Presbytery Records, on which any general statement 
 must be founded. 
 
 At one of the earliest meetings of the Presbytery a 
 bird's-eye view of the state of their jurisdiction is 
 given. They describe the flocks as being " in a desolate 
 condition." The " desolation " consisted in a full supply 
 of Episcopal Clergy and a complete dearth of Presby- 
 terians. 
 
 The problem before them , was how to reverse the 
 state of affairs : how to create a full supply of Pres- 
 byterians and a dearth of Episcopalians. This result 
 shewed no signs of producing itself spontaneously and 
 therefore some more drastic method must be devised. 
 The plan ultimately adopted was that vacancies were 
 
i6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 to be forcibly made by the help of the Privy Council 
 and then these " vacancies " filled up in the following 
 manner. The existing elders were all to be ignored 
 as being Prelatical. New ones were to be elected 
 according to the forms, which prevailed in the Presby- 
 terian body under the Toleration of King James. The 
 elders, when duly constituted, would call Ministers 
 and appeal to the Presbytery to admit them. If any 
 locality proved refractory and failed to call a Minister 
 within six months, then the Presbytery knew that 
 according to the Act of May 26th, 1690, they had the 
 right of themselves nominating and inducting an Incum- 
 bent, tanquam jure devoluto. In the last resort they 
 could require the Civil Magistrate to support their 
 proceedings. 
 
 Let us therefore proceed to follow the campaign. It 
 has been said that Perth itself was the first parish to 
 be captured. This is so far true that it certainly was 
 the first to be "purged" of Episcopacy ; but, though, 
 as we have seen, it was " planted " with Presbyterianism 
 tolerably soon, yet there were two parishes, which, 
 having been ''purged" later, were "planted" earlier, 
 i.e., Dunbarney and Abernethy. Here follow the 
 particulars : — 
 
 DUNBARNEY :— 
 
 The Episcopal Parish Minister was Mr. John Balneaves. 
 He was deprived by the Privy Council in July, 1690, 
 for not reading the Proclamation of Estates and for 
 not praying for William and Mary. On January 14th 
 next year the Presbytery succeeded in taking possession 
 of the parish by the ordination of a Mr. Tullidaph. 
 
 ABERNETHY :— 
 
 Mr. R. Jenkins, who had been Incumbent under the 
 Bishops since 1672, was deprived along with his brother 
 
Aberdalgie — Dunning. 17 
 
 of Dunbarney and his place taken without difficulty by 
 the ordination on April 29th, 1691, of a Mr. Alexander 
 Dunning. An incident, characteristic of the times, is 
 recorded in connection with the change. In order to 
 get the Precentorship, a Mr. James Sibbald " compeared 
 before the Presbytery and declared he was very sensible 
 of his former failing in complying with the late sinful 
 {i.e.. Episcopal) times." 
 
 Of course the easiest cases come first and the same 
 year saw two more parishes surrender to the attack, i.e., 
 
 ABERDALGIE :— 
 
 Mr. John Hardie, instituted by the Bishop in 1679, 
 shares the same fate as the two former brethren, and 
 is succeeded by the Presbyterian Mr. Schaw on September 
 23rd, 1691. 
 
 DUNNING :— 
 
 The Episcopal Parish Minister was Mr. David Free- 
 bairn, " a man of blameless conversation and sweet 
 temper ; a vigilant preacher and successful physician 
 and one of the kindest of friends."* These qualities, 
 however, were no protection to him, and on September 
 20th, 1691, an attempt was made by the Presbytery 
 to ordain Mr. William Eeid in his place. It proved, 
 however, unsuccessful. Mr. Freebairn evidently had 
 friends, and the Presbytery speak of " a party of armed 
 men sent from Tullibardine by the Marquis of Athol," 
 to protect him. But the following week Mr. Eeid's 
 ordination was carried through. Mr. Freebairn will 
 reappear in our narrative.! 
 
 The next year (1692) saw four more parishes "purged 
 
 and planted," though not without resistance. They 
 
 are as follows, the case of Erroll being particularly 
 
 noteworthy. 
 
 * MS. by Mr. Smith of Perth in the Episcopal Chest : 0. 9. 
 tSee Chapters XII., xni., xiv., xv. 
 
i8 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 ERROLL :— 
 
 The Prelatic Incumbent was Mr. John Nicholson, to 
 whom " the Session gave a high testimonial for faith- 
 fulness and painfulness." The first sign of trouble 
 came on September 8th, 1689, under which date we 
 read that " there was no sermon because the troopers 
 came into the town and dissipat the people with sound of 
 trumpet, and Dr. Nicholson was informed that they 
 would offer him violence." Notwithstanding this 
 threatening omen, the good clergyman was let alone 
 for the next nine months, when sentence of deprivation 
 was passed against him by the Privy Council and the 
 keys of Erroll Kirk ordered to be delivered up to the 
 Presbytery. It was easier, however, for the Eevolution 
 authorities to issue than to enforce such orders. Another 
 seven months were allowed to elapse before a serious 
 attempt was again made to dislodge Dr. Nicholson. 
 On February Ji.th, 1691, Mr. John Anderson, who had 
 been sent by the Presbytery to preach the Church 
 vacant, had to report that he was unable to obtain 
 admission. 
 
 This, of course, was an unsatisfactory state of affairs 
 for the local Presbyterians, and on May 10th Mr. 
 TuUidaph appeared on the scene to carry out that 
 which Mr. Anderson had failed to accomplish. But 
 the other parishioners, having got note of his intentions, 
 convened in considerable numbers and met the Pres- 
 bytery's emissary and his guards, as he was entering 
 the Church-yard. "One of the two Presbyterian lairds 
 began to harangue and to soothe them, but the resolute 
 clowns were not to be wrought upon by such whining 
 rhetorick, and therefore they told the laird promptly 
 that the preacher would do best to be gone without 
 any further noise, for that day he should not enter 
 
Monievard — Collace. ig 
 
 the Church of Erroll. The Presbyterians then began 
 to offer blows, but they were soundly beaten and 
 Tullidaph with his, friends was obliged to retreat." 
 
 Three months later Dr. Nicholson is still in possession 
 and " Lord Kinnaird, Sir John Hay, and several other 
 gentlemen compeared before the Presbytery from Erroll 
 . . . and menaced any that should be sent by them to 
 preach there.'' This threat was duly fulfilled, for, when, 
 after the lapse of another five months the Presbytery 
 again sent Mr. Keid to preach the Church vacant, " he 
 was stopped by a rabble from preaching in the Kirk 
 but did so in the Kirkyard and served Mr. Nairne's 
 edict.'' At last on January 12th, 1692, the parish 
 surrendered after holding out against repeated attacks 
 since September 8th, 1689, and Mr. Nairne entered on 
 his duties as first Minister of the new Establishment 
 there. 
 
 MONIEVARD :— 
 
 Mr. David Young was deprived by the Privy Council 
 on September 1st, 1689, for not praying for William 
 and Mary but for King James. On May J/ih, 169%, he 
 was superseded by Mr. John Campbell, " who gave 
 satisfaction for complying with Prelacie.'' This does 
 not mean that he was in Episcopal Orders but that, 
 being a Presbyterian, the Bishops, with the toleration 
 which marked their dealings with the more moderate 
 of his persuasion, had allowed him to continue in his 
 parish after the Restoration. 
 
 COLLACE :— 
 
 Mr. George M'Gruther, of whom we shall hear more 
 afterwards, had been Episcopal Parish Minister of this 
 place since 1670. He was deprived in 1689 for the 
 usual reasons : was actually ousted on March 2Srd, 
 
20 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 1692, and succeeded on July 6th by the Presbyterian, 
 Mr. James Campbell. 
 
 TIBBERMUIR :— 
 
 Mr. Alexander Balneaves, who seems to have begun 
 his ministerial career under the Episcopate of Charles I.'s 
 time and had been made Dean of Dunkeld by Bishop 
 Hamilton, was Minister here. He had long ago got 
 into trouble with the Presbyterians for giving the 
 Marquis of Montrose a glass of water, and now again 
 on November 26th, 169Q, he is summoned before the 
 Presbytery. On December Slst he is reported as 
 keeping neither fasts nor thanksgivings nor reading the 
 proclamations. This action, however, on his part is not 
 to be wondered at, since the fasts were often appointed 
 on a day which the Church does not allow to be 
 considered a fast, i.e., Sunday, and for the purpose of 
 bewailing the sinfulness of the late Prelatic times. 
 For some time he was beyond the reach of attack but 
 on July 20th, J692, we read that Mr. Balneaves, who 
 had had the artifice to keep himself free from prosecu- 
 tions during the changes, was now cited before the 
 Presbytery but compeared not. Cited pro secundo, 
 compeared not. He was accused (1) of not residing 
 in his Parish (and, if he had done so, we may be sure 
 that would have been an ofience also) but on his 
 estate of Carnbadie : (2) of being guilty of frequent 
 and unnecessary travelling between his home and his 
 Parish and crossing the river thereby twice in boats ; 
 a profanation of the Sabbath : (3) of not praying for 
 William and Mary. 
 
 He was deprived on September 7th. 
 
 The Duke of Atholl thereupon obtained Mr. Meldrum, 
 who had served under Episcopacy at Irvine, to be 
 settled. It was at Mr. Meldrum's institution that the 
 
Little Dunkeld— Methven. 21 
 
 Presbytery of Perth first subscribed the Westminster 
 Confession, not only as the Confession of the Church 
 of Scotland but as their own. 
 
 In the following year (1693) there was only one 
 Parish settled, i.e., — 
 
 LITTLE DUNKELD :— 
 
 March 29th, 169S. Mr. Alexander M'Lagan "re- 
 nounced " Episcopacy and was continued as Parish 
 Minister by the Presbytery. This was the only 
 instance where the like occurred in our two-and-a-half 
 Presbyteries. 
 
 Next year (1694) there was again only one Parish 
 "purged and planted" but it was a very notable case, 
 as will appear from the following narrative drawn 
 from the Presbytery Records : — 
 
 METHVElSr :— 
 
 In this case the death of the Episcopal Incumbent, 
 Mr. John Omey, seemed at first likely to render the 
 occupation of the Parish easy. But in fact it did not 
 prove to be so. All November and December, 1693, the 
 Presbytery's representative, Mr. Anderson, failed to 
 obtain access to the Church. He complained that the 
 Laird of Methven's answers " contained nothing but 
 dilatours." 
 
 Mr. Alexander Dunning was then appointed to preach 
 the Kirk vacant. His action was more vigorous but 
 not more successful than that of Mr. Anderson. By 
 the end of January all he could report was that "on 
 Sabbath he went to the Parish Kirk of Methven, 
 where he found a great rabble of people stopping his 
 access and that Mr. Young, late Incumbent of Monie- 
 vard . . . was within the Kirk at the same time." 
 Mr. Dunning, however, preached to those, who were 
 disposed to listen to him, in the Churchyard, and 
 
22 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 declared the Kirk vacant. Not satisfied with the 
 progress he had made, he went in March to Edinburgh 
 and prosecuted the matter before the Privy Council. 
 
 On May 2nd, 1694, the Parish having been vacant for 
 six months, the Presbytery claimed the right of filling it 
 up, quasi jure devoluto. This of course was resisted by 
 the Lairds of Methven and Balgowan. Nevertheless the 
 Presbytery persist and select Mr. William Moncrieff but 
 (June nth) "there were uncommon circumstances attend- 
 ing his ordination." When the Presbytery with their 
 Moderator, Mr. Robert Anderson of Perth, went to 
 Methven and were proceeding to the Kirk, they found 
 the Laird of Balpowan, Busbie, David Smyth, brother of 
 the Laird of Methven, and several parishioners standing 
 as a guard before the Church door. Mr. Robert Anderson 
 in the name of the Presbytery desired that he might have 
 access to perform the intention, on which he and his 
 brethren had come there : but he was answered with a 
 positive refusal. He and his fellows thereupon protested 
 and then met together in a house near the Church to 
 consider what they were to do next. There they 
 determined that Mr. Robert should preach in the Kirk- 
 yard and should perform there, as they could not get 
 access to the Kirk, the solemnities of the ordination : 
 which was accordingly done." 
 
 Such was the solitary victory gained by the Presby- 
 terians in 1694. Their advance in 1695 was no greater 
 but somewhat more easily won : — 
 
 FORGANDENNy:— 
 
 "Mr. Andrew Hardie, who had been admitted to the 
 Parish in 1667 was deprived very early and the Parish 
 being long vacant and a qualified Session ordained, Mr. 
 William Dick, a preacher in the bounds of the Presbytery 
 
Fowlis- Wester — Kinnoull — Auchtergaven. 23 
 
 of Kirkcaldy was after due formalities ordained and 
 admitted Minister of Forgandenny, Sept. Jfth, 1695.'" 
 
 The year 1696 passed without the loss of a single 
 Parish in the district to our disestablished Church. In 
 1697, however, another was wrested from them by the 
 Presbytery : — 
 
 FOWLIS WESTER:— 
 
 Of this Ml-. John Drummond was Parish Minister under 
 the Bishops. He was deprived by the Privy Council for 
 the usual reasons, and not only so but also committed to 
 prison. He died in 1695. Two years later — March SI, 
 1697 — Mr. William Hepburn obtained possession of the 
 Parish in the interests of Presbyterianism. 
 
 The Episcopal Church had thus only been deprived 
 of four parishes in the last five years. But the following 
 twelvemonth (1698) saw three more Presbyteriariized, 
 i.e. ■ — 
 
 KINNOULL :— 
 
 Of this Parish, Mr. Thomas Fowlar had been Episcopal 
 Incumbent since four years subsequent to the Restora- 
 tion of Charles II. After the Revolution he was 
 deprived by the Privy Council for the usual reasons 
 and for thanking God for Viscount Dundee's victory 
 over Major-General Mackay at Killiecrankie. He was, 
 however, a great favourite with the parishioners and 
 held his own till 1697, when he was obliged wholly 
 to leave the Church and to deliver up the box. with 
 500 merks therein. At last ilr. Andrew Darling was 
 admitted by the Presbytery on February 2, 1698. 
 
 AUCHTERGAVEN :— 
 
 !Mr. William Aisson (or Easson) described by one, 
 who knew him, as "a good, serious Christian, but weak 
 and credulous," was the Prelatic Incumbent here. He 
 was deprived by the Privy Coimcil on October 8th, 
 
24 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 1689, for "praying that the Lord would exalt King 
 James's horn above those of his enemies." As usual, 
 however, it was easier to decree than to effect" his de- 
 privation; a thing, which Mr. Anderson, who was 
 admitted to the l^arish by the Presbytery on April 
 Z5th, 1690, found to his cost, his position being 
 so insecure that he only remained a few months. For 
 five years after this Mr. Easson and his friend, Mr. 
 William Frazer, continued to officiate uuprevented. 
 But on February 6, 1695, letters of horning were 
 issued not only against them but also against the 
 Patron, Lord Nairne, as "havers of the keys of the 
 Kirk of Auchtergaven." This second attack also they 
 were enabled to defeat and they remained in possession 
 for another three years, but at last, on April 26th, 1698, 
 Presbyterianism gained the Parish and Mr. Thomas 
 Fisher, its representative, was admitted to the living. 
 
 The third Parish "purged and planted" in 1698 
 was : — 
 
 KILSPINDY :— 
 
 Of this Mr. John Blair had been Incumbent since 
 1667. On Novemher 26th, 1690, he was summoned 
 before the Presbytery but he compeared not and 
 Provost Smith's son, of Perth, a staunch Churchman, 
 brought a commission from him, which the Court refused 
 to hear. One of the crimes charged against him is 
 that he has failed to celebrate " the Protestant victory 
 in Ireland." On March 29th of the following year he 
 is summoned before the Synod of Perth and Stirling. 
 He treats them, however, as he treated the Presbytery, 
 and is "deposed." Nevertheless eight months after- 
 wards "he does yet continue to baptize children to the 
 great contempt of the Government and Laws now 
 established. . . . His contempt and disorder being 
 
Review of the first Ten Years. 25 
 
 notour, the Presbytery appoint him to be cited before 
 the nest Provincial Assembly." Somehow or another 
 that body had no better success with him than the 
 Synod and Presbytery had. For, three years afterwards, 
 we still find him in possession of Kilspindy and it is 
 not till February ii6, 1698, that, after obtaining letters 
 of horning against him, Mr. William English is ordained 
 to the Parish by the Presbytery. And, when this was 
 done, they must bitterly have regretted their own 
 action, for Mr. English gave them great trouble till at 
 last in 1718 they proceeded to depose him. 
 
 The reader will observe that, as the Prince of Orange 
 landed at Torbay on Novemher 5th, 1688, and as 
 Kilspindy was only planted on September 26th, 1698, 
 about ten years had now passed, and that 14 of the 
 29 Pa.rishes, with which we have taken in hand to 
 deal, were still in the hands of the Episcopalians. It 
 is evident therefore, that, even if we admit that the 
 mass of the people were rather tolerant of the old 
 Prelacy than intelligent and enthusiastic supporters of 
 it, yet their reception of Presbyterianism was very cold 
 and perfunctory. There was, to say the least of it, 
 no active dislike of the Bishops and no zeal for the 
 Genevan system such as swept the old Church from 
 the south-western districts of Scotland. And, if this 
 is evident from the narrative of the Presbytery Record, 
 we may be sure that it would have been still more 
 clearly brought out, if any full chronicle on the 
 Episcopal side had survived the confusion of the time. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HOW THE PURGING AND PLANTING FARED IN ITS 
 SECOND DECADE, 1699-1709. 
 
 The concluding remarks of the last chapter will be 
 greatly strengthened by the consideration that another 
 is needed before we can complete the story of the 
 purgation and plantation of our district. The new 
 Establishment, which has been working vigorously and 
 systematically for ten years to obtain possession of the 
 (extended) Perth Presbytery, has still a struggle of 
 fully another ten years to come, ere it can call itself 
 master of the field. 
 
 One Parish was lost to the Church in 1699, i.e.: — 
 
 RATTRAY :— 
 
 The Episcopal Parish Minister here at the time of 
 the Revolution was Mr. David Rankin. On October 
 10th, 1689, the usual Privy Council formula of depriva- 
 tion was passed against him. But for manj' years it 
 was only a hrutum fulmen. On July 16th, 1691, indeed, 
 the Presbytery's representative, Mr. William Reid, 
 attempts to enter the Parish but he is obliged to report 
 that "he can neither have safe access at present to 
 the Church, nor a legal call given him by reason of 
 the disafFectedness of heritors and people." Evidently 
 there was no dislike of Episcopacy here. An opening 
 for the Presbytery at last occurs on May 10th, 1699, 
 and Mr. Bowis is then ordained to the Parish. 
 
 Special efforts seem to have been made by the 
 Presbytery in 1700, since during its course no less 
 
Rhynd — Rogorton. 27 
 
 than five additional Parishes were purged and planted. 
 They follow in due order : — 
 
 HHYND :— 
 
 The Episcopal Parish Minister here since 1678 had 
 been Mr. William Poplay. After the Eevolution he 
 "was long kept in possession of his Parish and the 
 exercise of his Ministry by his noble parishioner, who 
 resided at Elcho Castle, i.e., Margaret, Countess of 
 Wemyss." 
 
 Octoher Zl^th, 1694., Mr. W. Poplay is summoned 
 before the Presbytery. He declines its jurisdiction. 
 Here the matter seems to have rested until 1696, 
 when on a new complaint Mr. Poplay was summoned 
 before the Privy Council. He now subscribes a resig- 
 nation of the Parish but continues preaching in fields 
 and private houses until 1700, when by a special act 
 of the Privy Council he is compelled to leave the 
 district. Mr. Thomas Fisher, who had been ordained 
 by the Presbytery on October 6th, 1699, then obtained 
 possession of the Parish. 
 
 ROGORTON :— 
 
 Of this Parish Mr. Patrick Ochterlonie was the Pre- 
 Revolution Clergyman, having been ordained in 1681. 
 During the years 1690 and 1691 he was several times 
 summoned before the Presbytery and Synod. Sometimes 
 he compeared and sometimes he did not. When he did so, 
 it was to decline their jurisdiction. On one occasion 
 he based his position on the ground that the Synod 
 of Dunkeld had disjoined his Parish from the Presby- 
 tery of Perth. The reply to this gives little countenance 
 to the modern theory, held by some, that there was 
 continuity between the Pre-Revolution Episcopal 
 Church and the Post-Revolution Establishment. For 
 the Presbytery's answer to Mr. Ochterlonie's plea was 
 
28 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 that "the Presbytery may not own the deed of the 
 Bishop and Synod of Dunkeld," i.e., in the matter of 
 the transference of the Parish. On July 20th, 1691, 
 Mr. Tullidaph succeeded in declaring Eogorton vacant, 
 but very little was gained by this formality, for Mr. 
 Ochterlonie not only held his own, but is reported to 
 have been administering Baptism in the great Church 
 of Perth. Probably this was due to the influence of 
 that staunch Churchman, Provost Smith, and the 
 Episoopally-inclined Town Council. Five years after- 
 wards the Presbytery's Commissioners to the General 
 Assembly are instructed to report " the great hurt 
 done to the Government by deprived and deposed 
 Ministers, particularly by Mr. Ochterlonie, who con- 
 tinues in ofiice, notwithstanding he is deposed hy the 
 Church." At last on August 30th, 1699, things begin 
 to look more hopeful for the Presbyterians : no less 
 than two elders and two heads of families sign a call 
 for a Minister of that persuasion, and in the following 
 Spring (April 25th, 1700,) Mr. George Blackie is 
 admitted by the Presbytery. Mr. Ochterlonie then 
 retires to the neighbourhood of Brechin, where he 
 acts as Lord Panmure's factor till 1716.* 
 
 KINCLAVEN :— 
 
 Mr. Thomas Murray was the Episcopal Parish 
 Minister here, having been admitted only a year 
 or two before the Revolution. He succeeded in 
 holding his own for many years, and was not dis- 
 lodged till April 30th, 1700, when Mr. Alexander 
 
 * On May 16th, 1711, Wodrow (Letters, I., 223) mentions that 
 an Episcopal Clergyman, Mr. John Aohterlony, was ministering 
 with such success at Aberlemno, near Brechin, that the Parish 
 Kirk was deserted. This Mr. Achterlony removed in 1726 to 
 Dundee, and re-appears in Chapter XII. as Bishop of that District. 
 
Trinity-Gask — Auchterarder — Kinfauns. 29 
 
 Glas was admitted to the Parish by the Presbytery. 
 But his dislodgmeiit by no means put an end to Mr. 
 T. Murraj''s activities, as we shall hereafter see. 
 
 TRINITY GASK:— 
 
 Mr. James Roy, the Prelatic Incumbent, was cited 
 before the Presbytery on October SJ^th, 1694-, but his 
 summons was delayed at that time owing to the bad 
 state of the roads. When, however, he did compear 
 on December 19th, it was only to decline the authority 
 of the Court. The latter, therefore, "appoints him to 
 be represented to the next Session of the Commission 
 of the General Assembly, being so rude that by no 
 means he could be persuaded to stay to hear the 
 grounds and reasons of his citation.'' Whatever these 
 grounds and reasons may have been, they proved in- 
 operative during six years, for it was not till September 
 3rd, 1700, that the Presbytery's representative, Mr. 
 John Murray, was admitted to the Parish. 
 
 AUCHTERARDER :— 
 
 The Episcopal Parish Minister was Mr. John Rattray, 
 who was in due course deprived for not praying for 
 King William and Queen Mary. On February 6th, 
 1695, the Presbytery obtained letters of horning 
 against him as " a haver of the Church keys " 1'he 
 Presbyterian, Mr. James Mitchell, was substituted for 
 him iri 1700. 
 
 KINFAUNS :— 
 
 Mr. John Gall, the Episcopal Parish Minister, " was 
 according to many traditionary accounts a man of the 
 most respectable and amiable character. He was well 
 affected to the Revolution of civil government, and 
 thankful that the three kingdoms were happily delivered 
 from the apprehensions justly entertained of the intended 
 introduction of Popery. But the utter ruin of the 
 
30 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Episcopal Church and the prosecutions against its 
 Ministers alienated his affections from the new Govern- 
 ment, so that he left off mentioning King William by 
 name in the public prayers. He was deposed by the 
 Presbytery on July 28th, 1697, and Mr. Schaw was 
 appointed to declare the Parish vacant. On Stptemher 
 31st, " it is reported for Mr. Schaw that he went to 
 Kinfauns Kirk and preached in the Kirkyard, and 
 intimated sentence of deposition and declared the Church 
 vacant." In 1698 letters from the Privy Council were 
 procured and executed against Mr. Gall, who then left 
 the Parish wholly and gave no more trouble to the 
 Presbytery. Nevertheless it was not till September 
 12th, 1700, that Mr. Matthew Coupar was translated 
 from Ochiltree and admitted Minister of Kinfauns. 
 " The Moderator gave him institution by delivering 
 him the Church Bible, the keys of the Church doors, 
 and the bell-strings." 
 
 After the energy displayed by the Presbytery in 
 
 1700, they made less rapid progress for some time. In 
 
 1701, indeed, they gained two Parishes, i.e., — 
 MADDERTY :— 
 
 Mr. James Graham, the Episcopal Incumbent, was 
 deprived at the Eevolution for the usual reasons, and 
 on February Bth, 1696, letters of horning were out 
 against him and others as " havers of the Church 
 keys." The incident ended on January 8th, 1701, with 
 the ordination of Mr. Andrew Brugh to the Parish by 
 the Presbytery. 
 
 S. MADOES :— 
 
 The Pre-Revolution Minister here was Mr. Thomas 
 Hall. He was cited for intruding on November 7th, 
 1694. Oil appearing before the Presbytery, he declined 
 its authority. The occurrence seems to have had no 
 
S. Madoes. 31 
 
 effect upon his conduct, for he was again summoned 
 three years later. On this occasion he refused to 
 appear at all. In his absence witnesses were examined, 
 one of whom, Oliver Elder, deponed "he has many 
 times heard Mr. Hall preach, and that long since he 
 heard him pray for King William and Queen Mary, 
 but he has not heard him do so this long time : 
 knows not whether he kept the last Fast or not ! " 
 James JBromi depones that " he was witness to Mr. 
 Hall's baptising Patrick Donald's child," and there 
 were more witnesses to the same effect. The Presbytery, 
 therefore, " considering his great contumacy at this 
 time, notwithstanding four citations, . . . deposes 
 him from his office of Minister, and appoints Mr. Dick 
 to preach at S. Madoes and declare the Church 
 vacant." The latter gentlemen tried to fulfil his com- 
 mission, but on September 21at, 1697, came back 
 reporting that " he went to S. Madoes, but met with 
 such opposition from the Pitfours, senior and junior, 
 and their associates that he could get no access 
 to preach in the Kirk, Kirkyard, nor ground of the 
 Parish. Nevertheless he intimated the sentence, and 
 declared the Kirk vacant." Notwithstanding these 
 steps, however, the Presbytery could get no permanent 
 entrance to S. Madoes till March 12th, 1701. They 
 then ordained Mr. George Blair to the Parish. 
 
 The conquest of Madderty and S. Madoes in the 
 first year of the eighteenth century was followed 
 by a truce of four and a-half year's duration. All 
 through this time the Presbytery did not jDurge and 
 plant a single additional Parish. What can have been 
 the reason ? May we not believe that this pause was 
 the local shadow of the following imperial events? — viz., 
 the- death of King James on September 16th, 1701 ; 
 
32 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 that of King William on March 8th, 1702, and the 
 consequent accession of Queen Anne. For it was an 
 open secret that the new Monarch strongly sympathised 
 with the old Church. No doubt the knowledge of 
 this, accentuated by an actual letter of Toleration from 
 Her Majesty, induced men to pause and see how the 
 stream was going to flow. The Revolution arrangements 
 might, for all people knew, undergo serious modification, or 
 even, as many hoped, be altogether upset. However, they 
 held their ground, and so our Presbytery felt it safe once 
 more to proceed with the expulsion of the Episcopalians. 
 
 At the same time a local circumstance may have 
 contributed to the same result. For during the years in 
 question the Presbytery had on hand probably the severest 
 ttruggle, which they ever had to undertake, in order 
 so force themselves into an unwilling Parish. This was : — 
 
 CARGILL :— 
 
 The Episcopal Incumbent here was Mr. William 
 Rattray, " a robust, strong man, and would have made 
 as good a trooper as a minister.'' This muscular Christian 
 was deprived by the Privy Council in 1689, but 13 
 years after his " deprivation," we still find him " ordinarily 
 intruding both within and without the Parooh." 
 
 On February 8th, 170S, a formal attempt was made 
 to gain entrance to Cargill. " The Presbytery finding 
 no access to the Church, the doors thereof being all 
 shut and the Bedell absenting himself, the Moderator 
 and the rest of the brethren went to the most patent 
 door of the Church and after knocking and calling for 
 the keys to get entry and none compeared with the 
 keys to give access, the Moderator in the name of the 
 Presbytery took instruments in the Clerk's hands before 
 witnesses. Then appeared George Rattray, brother to 
 the late Incumbent, and owned judiciall that he had 
 
Cargill. 33 
 
 looked the Church door and had the keys, but would 
 not give them up, all edging that he had Blair-drummond 
 and other heritors, their orders, for so doing." 
 
 Two more attempts were equally unsuccessful. On 
 March 31st, 1703, Mr. Wylie attempted to preach on 
 behalf of the Presbytery, but reported that " he was 
 interrupted by George Rattray and could get no access." 
 On April SOth he had a similar report to make : — 
 " Seeing he could get no Nottare Public to go with 
 him but at an extraordinary rate, he went up without 
 any, and finding he could get no auditory though he 
 had gone {i.e., to the Church), he went not." 
 
 In view of these failures the Presbytery resolve to 
 bring in the aid of the secular arm. Accordingly 
 application is made to Sheriff-Depute Ramsay, but he 
 replies that he will not meddle with the business. This, 
 of course, leads to an appeal to the Sheriff Principal, 
 the Duke of Athole, but that functionary discovers 
 that Cargill is not within his jurisdiction. 
 
 Before, therefore, the Episcopal Incumbent can be 
 coerced, it appears that both the Sheriffs must them- 
 selves undergo that process. Accordingly on May 9th, 
 1705, orders are received from the Privy Council to 
 the Sheriff directing him to put the Presbytery " in 
 possession and keeping them in it of the Kirk of 
 Cargill." Having now the Privy Council at their back, 
 in the matter, the Presbytery return to the charge. 
 They desire the Sheriff-Depute on June 27th " to execute 
 the Council's order and to deliver the keys of Cargill 
 to the Presbytery." The Duke of Athole also undertakes 
 to see that his deputy delivers the keys. But for 
 many months they are not surrendered. Either the 
 Sheriff-Depute did not happen to be at home when 
 the Presbytery's representative called ; or else, when 
 
 c 
 
34 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 they did have an interview, there was some informalit}- 
 discovered in the form of their demand. However, without 
 the proper surrender of the lien's, the Presbytery consider 
 that the Parish is practically purged, and proceed to 
 plant it. On JuTie 27th, by virtue of jus devolutum, 
 they give a unanimous call to a young man, John 
 Gow by name. The latter finishes his trials on August 
 28th, and on September 20th he is ordained to'Cargill. 
 " The Moderator gave him institution by delivering 
 the Bible and bell stringes and also earth and stone 
 to him of the Manse and Glebe." Two months later, 
 however, Mr. Gow reports that " his circumstances in 
 the Paroch are very grievous to him." Still, supported 
 by the Presbytery, he holds on, although it now appears 
 that all that had been already done in order to obtain 
 access to the Church, must be done over again with 
 respect to the Manse. Mr. Gow fails to oust Mr. 
 Eafctray from it : the Sheriff and his deputy find that 
 it too is not in their jurisdiction : the Commission of 
 the General Assembly thereupon apply to the Queen's 
 Advocate : that official discovers that he can do nothing 
 without orders from the Privy Council : his memorj- 
 proves treacherous and " the Presbytery therefore 
 appoint Mr. Darling to writt the Clerk of the Com- 
 mission to mind the Advocate thereof against the first 
 Council day." But, having got the Presbytery so far 
 towards possession, we shall leave Mr. Darling writing 
 to the Advocate and decidedly nonplussed because he 
 receives no answer. 
 
 The year 1707 saw the surrender of another 
 Parish, i.e. : — 
 
 ARNGASK : — 
 
 The Episcopal Incumbent here was Mr. Gilbert 
 Melvill. A Presbyterian field preacher ministered some- 
 
Arngask— Scone. 35 
 
 what irregularly in the place till 1694, and ou February 
 27th, 1695, Mr. John Demster was admitted Minister 
 of the Parish. This, indeed, might entitle Arngask to 
 be classed as planted in the year lfi95. But after Mr. 
 Demster had remained only about a twelvemonth, he 
 was translated, and the Parish, once more vacant, was 
 torn by factions. On May 16th and July 31st, 1706, 
 it is reported that " there is great heat and dissension 
 existing at Arngask." In December it is still the 
 same, but at last on May 21st, 1707, Mr. Gillespie is 
 successfully ordained by the Presbytery. 
 
 About a year after the " settlement " of Arngask, 
 the keys of another Parish were surrendered, i.e. : — 
 
 SCONE :— 
 
 The new Establishment met with as frigid a reception 
 here as it did in Cargill. The Episcopal Incumbent 
 was Mr. Patrick Walker, who had recently succeeded 
 a Mr. John Liddell. " Purging " operations seem to 
 have been begun in earnest in 1694. No progress 
 having been made, letters of horning against Viscount 
 Stormont and the Beadle of Scone are obtained early 
 in 1695. In September, 1696, the Presbytery's com- 
 missioners are instructed to lay complaints against his 
 Lordship before the General Assembly, and two years 
 afterwards a Mr. Christie is actually ordained to the 
 Parish. However, he dies after three years, and the 
 whole case is re-opened. On November Hth, 1706, the 
 Parish is still " desolate." The Presbytery therefore 
 call Mr. John Kennedy, but on January 2nd, 1706, .x, 
 petition is presented in the name of some small heritors 
 and the whole elders " craving that in regaird Mr. 
 John Kennedy ... is unacceptable to the whole 
 body of the people of the Paroch, the -Presbytery will 
 
36 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 be pleased to revoke their sentence.'' This, however, 
 they decline to do. But on April 10th Mr. Kennedy 
 himself " refuses his exercises for Scone on account of 
 the opposition of the people, and because the Synod 
 seem inclined to let them choose their own Minister.'' 
 At last on January 2nd, 1707, Mr. James Stewart is 
 ordained to the Parish, but only to resign on September 
 10th. On January 9th, 1708, the Minister sent to 
 preach is forcibly prevented by Lord Stormont's 
 servants, but the Presbytery may be said to have 
 triumphed, when the keys were surrendered to them 
 on April 28th, 1708, i.e., twenty years after the fall 
 of the Pre-Eevolution system. 
 
 By one method of reckoning. Scone would be the 
 last Parish to be settled, but there still remains 
 Forteviot to be accounted for. It was, indeed, 
 "planted" with a Presbyterian Minister in 1696; but, 
 as the settlement proved, like some of the former 
 ones, to be only temporary, it seems legitimate to 
 consider it as not finally surrendered to Presbyterianism 
 till 1708. The narrative follows : — 
 
 FORTEVIOT:— 
 
 Mr. William Barclay (ordained 1651) was the Pre- 
 Revolution Minister here. He is deposed oh October 
 8th, 1690, and on September 9th, 1696, Mr. A. Chalmers 
 admitted by the Presbytery. He leaves after a year, 
 and is succeeded by a man of bad character, and then 
 ensues protracted agitation. In 1705 (October 3rd) 
 the Presbytery " take the desolate state of Forteviot 
 into their serious consideration." On December 5th 
 they "spend some time in prayer that God would give 
 them light and direction in making choice of some fit 
 person." But a month later a report is handed in 
 
Review of Twenty Years. 37 
 
 from the Parish stating that " it is impossible to 
 reconcile the different and factious humours there." 
 The Synod, the Duke of Athole and Lord Dupplin are 
 all appealed to for their co-operation, and the Presby- 
 tery resolve " to compel the Sheriff-Depute to put the 
 law in operation against Mr. John Graham, Intruder 
 (Episcopal) at Forteviot." At last a Mr. Walker is 
 settled, but we cannot pursue his history farther than 
 to say that on March 17th, 1709, he complains that he 
 cannot get his stipend paid. 
 
 Such are the facts, as related almost entirely by the 
 Perth Presbytery Record, concerning the purging out 
 of Episcopacy and the planting in of Presbyterianism 
 throughout the district with which we are dealing. 
 From them the reader can now draw his own 
 conclusions as to whether Episcopacy was the in- 
 tolerable burden it was represented to be in the 
 Act of Disestablishment, and Presbyterianism the 
 spontaneous choice of the People. The truth, in- 
 deed, appears to have been far otherwise. From 
 the evidence now adduced, it is evident that, over 
 the extensive region through which we have travelled. 
 Episcopacy, if not universally defended with the 
 intelligence and enthusiasm of the masses, was yet 
 in possession " with the minds of the People." On the 
 other hand it is equally evident that Presbyterianism 
 was regarded as disturbing a very satisfactory 
 state of affairs, and that it owed its triumph to the 
 general prestige it had gained by its support of the 
 Givil Eevolution : to the defeat of King James' cause 
 on the field of battle : to King William's astute 
 support of it to serve his own ends : and last, but by 
 no means least, to the forcible and unyielding way in 
 which the Presbytery coerced all who withstood them 
 
38 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 with the pains and penalties of the law. But every 
 reader can judge for himself from the particulars which 
 have gone before. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 HOW THE church's BATTLE FOR EXISTENCE 
 FARED IN PERTH FROM l6gi TO I707. 
 
 We now pass from the long struggle, which the Perth 
 Presbytevj- had to undertake before they could gain 
 our neighbourhood, to the story of that which subse- 
 quently befel the ousted Churchmen. A thoughtless, 
 modern reader might be disposed to imagine that all 
 that the evicted Incumbents would have to do was to 
 organize their followers into a free Church, and live as 
 comfortably as they could with their neighbours of the 
 new Establishment. He might remember the case of 
 the Disestablisiiment of the Irish Church, in the 
 Xineteenth Century, and think that we had now to 
 describe similar experiences. Or, if it did occur to him 
 that things were done more roughly in times past than 
 now, he might recollect that, even in the bitter times 
 of the "Reformation," the Scottish Bishops were 
 allowed at least sufficient income to provide for their 
 needs till the end of their lives. And so he might 
 now expect to hear that the evicted Clergy were left 
 in a tolerably comfortable position. 
 
 But far otherwise was the real state of affairs. It 
 was not only that they were suddenly deprived of 
 house and income for the future, but the arrears of 
 stipend, which happened to be owing them from the 
 past, were to be paid, not to them, but to their 
 supplanters. This was bad enough : it was, indeed, 
 very severe. But worse remained. No worship but 
 
40 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 that of the Established Communion was now to be 
 tolerated withia their bounds by the pertinacious 
 Presbytery, and so (not at present to refer to higher 
 principles) the ejected Ministers were to be prevented 
 from, in any shape, exercising the only profession by 
 which they had been trained to earn their daily 
 bread. 
 
 And thus the root of an evil was planted, which 
 was to spring up into a veritable bed of thorns for the 
 disestablished Church in the first half of the eighteenth 
 century. For on its disestablishment during the present 
 period it was never allowed a moment's breathing space, 
 in which to create some organisation suitable to its 
 altered circumstances. Organisation i The moment she 
 had fought and lost the battle of retaining some of 
 her property and former position, and was in all the 
 confusion of defeat (" in the claw of an enraged lion,'' 
 as Mr. Morer well described it), a second and more 
 serious contest still, that namely for existence in any 
 form whatever, was suddenly thrust upon the afflicted 
 Church. And all that her sons could do under the 
 circumstances was either to fight or fly, each at his 
 own discretion and in his own way. 
 
 We must now, therefore, proceed to relate how our 
 Presbytery fell upon the rear of the defeated forces, 
 and endeavoured to exterminate them utterly within 
 their bounds. 
 
 At the end of the last chapter, we had reached the 
 year 1708. ^ But as this was only in watching our 
 Priests being evicted from their livings, it is evident 
 that, in order to tell the story of how they fared after 
 their expulsion, we must turn back to the year in 
 which the first of them were ejected, i.e., 1691. And, 
 as in the case of the "purgation and planting," the 
 
Course pursued by Evicted Clergy. 41 
 
 Presbytery Records are again almost our only source 
 of information : the Episcopal Clergy were evidently in 
 no case to keep methodical diaries of what occurred, or 
 to hand them systematically down to official successors, 
 if they had kept them. 
 
 This authority, obviously, will not supply us with 
 any information concerning those who did not remain 
 in this district to fight the battle. " Many of the 
 Episcopal Clergy,'' we learn, however, from the writer 
 of the Perth MS. in the Advocates' Library, " went 
 into England, where it is said some of them acquired 
 a great reputation by their learning and piety and 
 devotional writings."' Archbishop Eoss, our Diocesan, 
 moved to Edinburgh. Of Mr. David Anderson, late 
 Minister of the second charge in the City, we are 
 informed that he retired with his young family to the 
 Gowrie House, where he kept a school. Their circum- 
 stances compel us to believe of many — and there is 
 evidence to prove it — that were driven into great 
 poverty and distress. 
 
 All honour to those who suffered the despoiling of 
 their goods for conscience sake. But we must perforce 
 turn from them and proceed to relate the doings of 
 their more militant brethren, who fought and left a 
 record behind them, and saved a remnant of the Church 
 to descend with blessing to our own day. 
 
 It would be an anachronism to suppose that in these 
 early days the Church was already reduced to the 
 " shadow of a shade." That only came about after a 
 century of affliction. From what has already transpired, 
 it is evident that our Presbytery had completely failed 
 to carry the landed gentry as a class with them. These 
 remained faithful to the old Church. The Magistrates 
 of Perth also have been shewn to be staunch in their 
 
42 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Churchmanshij), and both from what has gone before 
 and from evidence subsequently laid before the 
 Presbytery, there is no doubt that great numbers of 
 the people both assisted the Lairds in the attempt to 
 keep the Presbyterians out, and also attended the worship 
 conducted by the disestablished Clergy. To take one 
 example of each. In Scone, for instance, we saw that 
 the Presbytery's nominee was " unacceptable to the 
 whole body of the people," and we shall soon hear of 
 " multitudes of people being convened " in the Episcopal 
 Meeting-House of Perth. 
 
 It would be manifestly impossible any longer to attempt 
 to follow the fortunes of these Churchmen systematically 
 throughout the large district, which has been dealt 
 with in the preceding chapters. In the times of dis- 
 organization, which were now thrust on the disestablished 
 communion, we must be content to obtain glimpses 
 wherever we can. The evicted Clergy evidently exerted 
 themselves to hold their people together in those places 
 alone, where their own capacity and the circumstances 
 of the locality rendered it possible. Since they had no 
 access allowed them to the old buildings of the Church, 
 they were obliged to form make-shift chapels, which 
 they termed by the temporary name of " Meeting- 
 Houses." It is to these Meeting-Houses that we must 
 now attend. 
 
 The Presbytery attended to them. AVhat they aimed 
 at was, having ejected the Episcopal Clergy from their 
 Parishes, to put down their ministrations in their 
 humble chapels also. It was to be a matter of life 
 and death. The officiating Clergy were technically 
 styled " Intruders.'' Perhaps this term was chosen by 
 way of rejjrisal, since, if human nature was the same 
 then as now, it is not impossible that, when the new 
 
" Intruders "—Perth Meeting-House. 43 
 
 Presbyterian Incumbent walked in at one door of the 
 Parish Church and the Episcopalian retreated by the 
 other, the latter might not infrequently have allowed 
 that very word to drop from his lips. Alas ! for the 
 bitterness of feeling ! but it is for the historian to 
 record facts, not to create ideals. "Intruders," however, 
 the old Clergy were henceforth styled by the new : they 
 were cited as such before the Presbytery : ordered to 
 discontinue their ministrations altogether : on their 
 refusal, deposed from the ministerial office (so far as 
 Orders Episcopally conferred can be cancelled by those, 
 who do not hold the Bishop's office), and handed over 
 to the (generally unwilling) Secular arm to be con- 
 cussed into obedience, and if the Magistrates on their part 
 iiesitated to enforce the law in all its rigour, they too found 
 themselves threatened by the determined Presbytery. 
 
 The rest of this Chapter must therefore be filled by 
 transactions such as these, which happened in our 
 district in the earlier part of our time, viz., from 1691 
 to 1706. They consist of three attempts to suppress 
 the Meeting-House of Perth itself, and of one to do 
 the same for the Episcopal assemblies in Rhynd and 
 S. Madoes respectively. All of these, however, were 
 only very partially successful. 
 
 (1) CASE OF THE PERTH MEETING-HOUSE, 1691-1697 :— 
 
 Not unnaturally, the information in our possession 
 about this early period is very scanty. But we shall 
 here gather together all that is recorded over and above 
 what was related before with regard to the deposi- 
 tion of the two Ministers, Mr. Adam Barclay and 
 Mr. David Anderson. First let us collect all the 
 notices possible of Episcopalian doings, remembering 
 that they are the beginnings of our disestablished 
 
44 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 congregation. To begin with (as lias already been 
 stated for a different purpose), the Kev. David Anderson 
 con tinned to reside at the Gowrie House within the 
 City, and although he did not come actively enough 
 forward to be summoned before the Presbytery, it is 
 yet to be presumed that he did what little he 
 could in a quiet way to help the good cause. In 
 June, 1693, he had a daughter born to him, and 
 procured the services of the ousted Incumbent of 
 Kilspindie, Mr. Blair, to baptise her under the name 
 of Elizabeth ; and again, on September ZJ/th, 1696, the 
 Eev. Adam Barclay, late Minister of the first charge, 
 baptises another of his daughters, called Margaret. At 
 last, in 1697, Mr. Anderson died* about the age of 50, 
 having lived " piously and inoffensibly." This is all 
 we know of him subsequent to his dejDOsition. Of Mr. 
 Barclay all that can be said is that the friendly service 
 he rendered to Mr. Anderson shews that he remained 
 true to the Church. But, while the two late Incumbents 
 of the City seem to have lived so quietlj', a couple of 
 their country brethren made more stir. "Mr. John Blair,'' 
 say the Presbytery, " late Incumbent of Kilspindy, and 
 Patrick Auchterlonie, late Incumbent of Rogorton, both 
 lawfully deposed from the Ministry by the Synod of 
 Perth . . yet continue in other places and baptise 
 
 children within the Town of Perth and the great Church 
 thereof, to the great contempt of the Government and 
 laws now established, and of the Ministers now settled 
 in that place " {December 26th, 1691). 
 
 These are all the definite acts of Episcopalian Clergy, 
 which have come down to us from the period 1691-97. 
 
 *This Rev. David Anderson of Pertli is an ancestor of 
 J. R. Anderson, Esq., Convener of the Church's Foreign Mission 
 Board (1894). 
 
Act concerning Baptism— Rhynd. 45 
 
 But that they are only examples of a greater number, 
 which are unrecorded, is to be presumed from the 
 following hostile action of the Presbytery. On Der.emher 
 25th, 1691, they pass the following resolution against 
 the Revs. J. Blair and P. Auchterlonie : — "Their 
 contempt and disorder being so notour not only to all 
 the members of the Presbytery, but to all the town of 
 Perth and country about, the Presbytery appoint them 
 to be cited to the next Provincial Assembly, to be 
 holden January 16th, 169'2." It does not appear from 
 the Preshytei'y Record what the result of this move 
 was, but those in authority evidently felt that they 
 were not yet a^med with sufficiently drastic powers to 
 suppress the disestablished Clergy, for in 1695 an Act 
 was passed through the Scottish Parliament " prohibiting 
 and discharging every outed Minister, under pain of 
 imprisonment, ay, and to find caution to go out of the 
 Kingdom, and never to return thereto, from baptizing 
 and solemnizing marriages betwixt any parties in all 
 time coming." The passing of such an Act implies 
 that the ejected Clergy were pretty active, and we know 
 that they were at least as zealous in Perth as else- 
 where. 
 
 (2) ATTEMPT TO FOUND A HEETING-HOUSE AT 
 RHYND, 1696-1700:— 
 
 After this imperfect glimpse of the beginnings of a 
 Meeting-House in Perth, following immediately on the 
 Disestablishment, we have an equally imperfect glance 
 at a less successful attempt to found one at Rhynd. 
 The ejected Incumbent, the Rev. William Poplay, 
 "continued after 1696 to preach in fields and private 
 houses until 1700, when, by a special Act of the Privy 
 Council, he was compelled to leave the district." 
 
46 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 (3) NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT THE PERTH MEETING- 
 HOUSE, 1698-1700:— 
 
 After the Rev. D. Anderson's death at the Gowrie 
 House in 1697, there were new developments in 
 the Perth Congregation ; and this strengthens our 
 conclusion that, though little is recorded of Mr. 
 Anderson, he must have had a say in the management 
 of local Church affairs, and that his influence was used 
 on behalf of a quiet and unobtrusive policy. Messrs. 
 Barclay, Blair, and Auchterlonie also disappear from 
 view — the last probably to his factorship at Brechin. 
 But their places are^ taken by two very vigorous 
 clerics, i.e., Mr. Thomas Murray, late Parish Minister 
 of Kinclaven, and Mr. George M'Gruther, late Incum- 
 bent of Collace. 
 
 In order to preserve the aroma of the time, what 
 followed will be related chiefly in the words of the 
 Presbytery : — 
 
 This body, having (December ISth, 1698) been 
 appealed to by the Kirk Session " anent suppressing 
 the disorderly preachings and meetings in this town, 
 appoint the Moderator {December IJ/ih) first to apply 
 to the Magistrates, in the Presbytery's name, and crave 
 remedy thereof according to Law, and in the meantime 
 appoint Mr. Thos. Murray and Mr. Geo. M'Gruther 
 to be cited to the next Presbytery day for 
 their intrusion." When the brethren reassemble on 
 January 11th, 1699, the two recalcitrant Incunabents 
 fail to appear before them. They are summoned pro 
 secmido, and a deputation appointed to wait on them 
 and demand the surrender of the Session-books in their 
 possession. Moreover, it appears that the Presbytery 
 have been attempting, but unsuccessfully, to call in the 
 aid of a powerful ally against the Episcopalians : — 
 
Two Clergymen Prosecuted. 47 
 
 " The Moderator and Mr. Nairn reported that they 
 ■went to the Provost of this Burgh, as appointed, and 
 represented the irregularity of the Meeting-House, and 
 tlie dangerous consequence in such a place as this 
 town. The Provost answered he supposed the Presby- 
 tery had power within themselves to suppress it, and, 
 they once doing their pairt, he would assist, as is 
 incumbent on him as a Magistrate." 
 
 At the two subsequent Meetings of the Presbytery, 
 our friends still fail to put in an appearance. Provost 
 Davidson is "loth to meddle with them," and so the 
 Presbytery begin their trial in the absence of the 
 accused. Although the Provost shelters the two 
 Clergy, he yet commands the witnesses against them 
 to be present. They, having had their duties explained 
 to them, are ordered to appear before a Committee 
 at 7 a.m. next morning. When that early hour arrives, 
 only a few of them keep the engagement. Their 
 evidence is interesting: — "After prayer, ... all 
 present being purged of prejudice, etc., Walter Moncriejf 
 deponed as to the haill interrogaters that he hath 
 heard Mr. Thomas Murray preach within his own 
 dwelling-house in this town of Perth within this half- 
 year byegone : likewise Mr. George M'Gruther preach 
 once or twice within the said Mr. Murray's house, and 
 within the said time, but did not hear Mr. Patrick 
 Auchterlonie, and depones negative as to marriage and 
 baptism, and this to be veritie as he shall answer to 
 God." James Rioch depones that " he has heard Mr. 
 Thos. Murray preach in his own house often : Mr. George 
 iPGruther only once, and it was at Mr. Murray's also. 
 And both of them preached on the Sabbath day and 
 at the ordinar preaching time," etc. Joseph Taylor 
 depones the same, adding " and resolve to hear him 
 
48 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 {i.e., Mr. Murray) again." On March 23nd, some more 
 of the witnesses are brought forward and give similar 
 evidence, and one " Patrick Coupar, Flesher," adds the 
 interesting circumstances that " since Martinmas last 
 there was great multitudes of people convened to hear Mr. 
 Murray," and that "an oiFering was collected at the door.'' 
 On April 10th, a few more reluctant witnesses are 
 examined and give similar evidence, both as to the 
 fact of the services and the numbers attending them. 
 Henry Hardie confesses " he could tell several times 
 against them, but would not tell or depone anything." 
 The Presbytery now have the case iij formal shape, 
 but how are they to bring matters practically to a 
 head ? The supineness of the local Magistracy must be 
 superseded or reinforced by a little energy from head- 
 quarters. And so, on July 5th, " the brethren appoint 
 Mr. Andrew Harlaw to go to Edinburgh and represent 
 the case of the Meeting-House at Perth ... to 
 the Commission or to the King's Advocate," and the 
 Moderator is to write to Mr. G. Meldrum to assist him. 
 On July 19th, 1699, the deputation reports " that he 
 went to Edinburgh, as appointed, and brought ane 
 letter from the King's Advocate directed to the 
 Magistrates of Perth, advizing them to discharge the 
 Meeting-House in this town." But even this does not 
 bring matters to a head ; for, next year (1700), we 
 still tind the Presbytery expostulating with Mr. 
 M'Gruther for performing " irregular baptisms," which 
 shows that he had not been suppi-essed. And here, 
 for a time, the case seems to have remained stationary. 
 
 (4) ATTEMPT TO PRESERVE AN EPISCOPAL CONGRE- 
 GATION AT S. MADOES, 1699-1705, 
 
 It appears that Mr. Poplay, while trying to keep 
 together a remnant of Church-people in the Parish of 
 
S. Madoes^Perth Meeting-House. 49 
 
 Rhynd, as related above,* also crossed over into S. 
 Madoes, until he was expelled in 1700. 
 
 But Episcopacy by no means disappeared from the 
 Parish along with him. For, in 1705 {March 15th), 
 Mr. George Blair arrives from Edinburgh, and reports 
 to the Presbytery "that Mr. Walker has got advice to 
 rease Council letters against Mr. Hall, who was 
 ' intruding ' at S. Madoes.'' On June ISth, " the 
 Presbytery appoints the Clerk to write to Mr. Hall that 
 they have gotten the Council's sentence against him, 
 and, if he will live peaceably, without making en- 
 croachments upon the Parioch where he lives, they will 
 proceed no further against him ; but, if he transgresses, 
 they will proceed as far as the Law will allow." On 
 June 27th, the same message is repeated, but evidently 
 without effect, for on the 11th of the following month 
 letters of denunciation are produced against Mr. Hall. 
 
 (5) ATTACK OP PRESBYTERY ON REV. H. MURRAY OF 
 PERTH MEETING-HOUSE, 1703-6 :— 
 
 But we must once more return to Perth. The 
 Rev. Messrs. T. Murray and M'Gruther no longer 
 appear in the matter. Whether it was that the 
 Presbytery had succeeded in suppressing them, or 
 whether they departed on account of a new arrange- 
 ment, which was now entered upon by the Perth 
 Church-people, is uncertain. But, at any rate, a very 
 important step was now taken by those in authority 
 at the Meeting-House. On her accession to the Throne, 
 as we have seen, Queen Anne issued a letter of 
 toleration, in which the following sentence occurred : — 
 " It is our Royal pleasure that they (i.e., the Scottish 
 Episcopalians) should be directed to live suitably, etc., 
 and that in so doing they be protected in the peaceable 
 *Page 45. 
 
50 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 exercise of their religion, and we recommend to the 
 
 Clergy of the Established discipline their living in 
 
 brotherly love and communion with such dfrsenters." 
 
 Availing themselves, as it would appear, of the new 
 
 Queen's friendly disposition, the Churchmen in Perth 
 
 decided that the time was come when they must 
 
 organize their congregation on a more regular basis, 
 
 suitable to their disestablished position. Accordingly, 
 
 a contemporary* informs us that " the Rev. Henry 
 
 Murray, who had been licensed by the Presbytery of 
 
 Auchterarder in 1685, appointed Chaplain to the 
 
 Marquis of Athole and Minister of Duukeld in 1688, 
 
 and deprived 1701, was in 1703 chosen to be Minister 
 
 of the Episcopal Meeting-House in Perth.'' 
 
 This was too much for the Presbytery. At first, 
 
 indeed, their hands seem to have been too full of other 
 
 similar matters to allow them to do anythingt eflFectual 
 
 but on July 6th, 170J/., " the keeper of the Baptisms 
 
 obtains powers from the Presbytery to exact baptismal 
 
 fees from those baptised in the Meeting-House." Thi^ 
 
 was all for the present, but on March ISth, 1705, the 
 
 Kirk Session began to move again. " George Threip- 
 
 land, George Wilson, and John Gourlay . . severally 
 
 compeared before them . . and confessed that they 
 
 were married to their wives by Henry Murray." This 
 
 roused the activities of the Presbytery once more. 
 
 Their first move was {April 24.-25, 1706) that their 
 
 " Moderator and Mr. Jamieson repaired to the personal 
 
 presence of Mr. John Eamsay, Sheriflf-Depute, and in 
 
 the Presbytery's name by way of instrument, required 
 
 him to put the law in execution conform to the late 
 
 proclamation of Her Majesty's Privy Council, of date 
 
 March 21st, 1706, anent intruders upon Churches and 
 
 *Mr. Smith of Perth. MS. in Episcopal Chest. 
 tSee pp. 31-2. 
 
The Sheriff and the Presbytery. 51 
 
 Parishes." But the Sheriff-Depute succeeded in evading 
 their demand, and in bringing them into collision with 
 his Principal, the Duke of Athole. His Grace "is 
 much incensed that the Presbytery should have instru- 
 mented his Depute to put the late Act of Council in 
 operation against the Intruders in their bounds, without 
 acquainting his Grace first and desiring that the Pres- 
 bytery should send some of their number to commune 
 with his Grace before they proceeded furder against his 
 Depute. The Presbytery having heard the representa- 
 tion, appointed brethren to go to Dunkeld and wait 
 upon his Grace, and represent to his Grace that before 
 the Presbytery did instrument his Deputy, they sent 
 two of their number to commune with his Grace, but 
 that his Grace had gone to Hamilton before they could 
 reach him. And also to complain to his Grace that 
 his Depute has not obeyed the Council's will, and 
 withall they appoint them to tell his Grace 
 that they cannot delay that affair any longer, but if 
 nothing be done effectually betwixt and next Presby- 
 tery day they will be necessitate to proceed and also 
 to complain to his Grace that his Depute does much 
 countenance the Meeting-Houses." Nothing, evidently, 
 was done, and so an application to the authorities in 
 the Scottish Capital was resolved upon. Accordingly, on 
 April 25th " a letter to the Queen's Advocate anent 
 the affair of the Perth Meeting-House " was sent to 
 Edinburgh. Then Mr. Darling is appointed to accompany 
 the Perth Magistrates thither. But on i/ay 29th he 
 reports that " according to the appointment he was in 
 readiness to go with them, but when he came to wait 
 upon them, could find none of them to go with him." 
 The Presbytery, however, is not a body to be turned 
 back by a few difficulties, and (vl/aj/ 29th) " it being 
 
52 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 represented that some of the Magistrates in Perth are 
 just now in Edinburgh, the Presbytery appoint their 
 Rev. Brethren, Mr. Jamieson and Mr. Stodd, to go to 
 Edinburgh and use their endeavours to get Perth rid 
 of the Meeting-House . . 
 
 They came very near, indeed, to doing so. The secular 
 Government was now intent on bringing about the 
 Union of Scotland and England. Doubtless the Queen 
 herself would have liked it to be in Church as well as 
 in State. But her advisers judged that to bring in a 
 purpose of ecclesiastical amalgamation would have proved 
 disastrous to the scheme in any form, owing to the 
 temper of the dominant faction in Scotland. They not 
 only, therefore, dropped all idea of the union of the 
 two Churches, but in their zeal for that of the two 
 States, became actively hostile to all idea of encourage- 
 ment of Scottish Episcopalians. Indeed, they resolved 
 that, in order to win the Presbyterians to the project 
 of civil union between the countries, they must humour 
 them in their hostility to the disestablished Church. 
 Accordingly a Royal Proclamation was issued against 
 the Episcopal Clergy, and the Duke of Queensberry 
 wrote to the Privy Council, in harmony with the address 
 of the Commission " to let loose the laws against the 
 dissenting Clergy.'' It was accordingly proclaimed to be 
 high treason to speak or to write against Presby terianism ! 
 
 " In pursuance of the above-mentioned Act of Privy 
 
 Council, the Ministers of the Meeting-House of Perth 
 
 and Elgin* were both put up in jail by the Magistrates 
 
 of these respective Burghs, though they daily prayed 
 
 for the Queen, and were ready to qualify themselves 
 
 to the Government." This crisis was reached in the 
 
 year 1706 or 1707. 
 
 * Also five of the Edinburgh Clergy {Stephen IV., p. 32, and 
 Case of the Episcopal ^Church of Scotland, 1707, p. 137). 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HOW A NEW BISHOP WAS APPOINTED, AND THE 
 PRAYER-BOOK INTRODUCED IN PERTH. 
 
 We shall avail ourselves of this interval of ominous 
 stillness to deal with two matters, one of which 
 occurred slightly earlier and the other slightly later 
 than the point reached at the end of the last chapter. 
 (1.) — On June loth, 170Jf, the Prelate in whose 
 Diocese Perth lay, i.e., Ross, Archbishop of S. Andrews, 
 died in Edinburgh. The deeply-important question 
 therefore comes up: — "How was our first Post-Revolu- 
 tion Diocesan appointed?" The following remarks will 
 answer this question. Just as the Stuart Dynasty had, 
 in 1660, risen superior to the Rehellion and been 
 restored, so now the followers of the same line of 
 Princes very naturally and reasonably hoped that it 
 would ultimately regain its own from the Revolution. 
 Now, of course, the Scottish Bishops were of those 
 who entertained this anticipation. Inasmuch, therefore, 
 as they held very strongly that it was the mutual 
 duty of the Church and State to co-operate with one 
 another, they came to the decision : first, that in 
 order to preserve the esse of the Church they 
 would confer the Episcopal character on new colleagues, 
 in order that the Apostolical Succession might be 
 continued, but that they would best be consulting the 
 hene esse of the Church if they delayed assigning 
 particular Dioceses to the new Prelates, until such 
 time as they could carry the State along with them in 
 
54 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 ^their arrangements. Pending, therefore, the collapse of 
 the Kevolution, and the restoration of the old regime, 
 the new Bishops (although Bishops) should not share 
 in the active government of the Church, and, whenever 
 a Diocese became vacant, it would fall to be ad- 
 ministered by the senior surviving Diocesan Bishop. 
 Strange as this expedient undoubtedly was on so large 
 a scale as was then accorded to it, yet it is to be 
 remembered first that the Bishops confidently hoped 
 that it would only have to be resorted to on a small 
 scale and for a brief time ; and secondly, that the 
 Church still acts upon it on occasions. For, when a 
 Diocese is vacant, it falls to be administered by the 
 Primus ; and, between the time of the Consecration 
 and the Collation of a new Bishop, we have the same 
 state of affairs on a small scale as the Post-Revolution 
 Prelates resorted to on a larger, i.e., a Diocesan Bishop, 
 the Primus, actively administering a portion of 
 the Church, while a Non-Diocesan Bishop stands 
 beside him. It is a necessary, though essentially 
 temporary, state of affairs. 
 
 Archbishop Boss then, being dead, our Diocese 
 naturally came under the jurisdiction of the Senior 
 Bishop, until the Church, having consulted the (soon 
 to be restored) secular Power, saw its way to confer 
 the permanent jurisdiction on a new Prelate. And the 
 Senior Bishop, to whom our Diocese now fell, and fell 
 for a much longer period than was probably contem- 
 plated at the time, was Dr. Alexander Rose, Bishop of 
 Edinburgh, who now claimed precedence as Viciir- 
 General of S. Andrews. Of this Prelate it is recorded 
 that he was the nephew of the deceased Archbishop. 
 He took his M.A. degree at King's College,, Aberdeen, 
 and studied Theology under Bishop Burnet at Glasgow. 
 
Bishop Rose — Book of Common Prayer. 55 
 
 His first appointment had been as Parish Minister of 
 Perth. In 1684 he had been nominated by the Crown 
 to the Principalship of S. Mary's College, S. Andrews. 
 The Royal Warrant for his Consecration to the See of 
 Moray was dated March 8th, 1687, from which he was 
 translated to Edinburgh before he had visited his 
 northern Diocese. 
 
 Through the absence of documents on the dis- 
 established side, and owing to the fact that it was the 
 policy of the Bishops at this epoch to keep as (juiet 
 as possible, we cannot say what part either Archbishop 
 Ross or Bishop Rose played in uur local historj'. 
 What is certain is that they were our Bishops, and we 
 may presume that they took what measures seemed 
 most advisable to them for the welfare of the Perth 
 Congregation. Certainly Bishop Rose proved himself a 
 very wise and able administrator as head of the whole 
 Scottish Church. 
 
 (2.) — The other matter alluded to at the opening of 
 this Chapter was a most important modification in the 
 conduct of public worship, which was introduced into 
 our neighbourhood at this time. 
 
 It is, of course, an historical commonplace that from 
 the time of the Restoration of the Episcopate in 1661 
 to the date at which our narrative has arrived, neither 
 the Book of Common Prayer nor anything similar had 
 been used in the religious assemblies of the Scottish 
 Church. There were certain points, indeed, and these 
 not unimportant, in which the Episcopal differed from 
 the Presbyterian forms. There was the systematic 
 reading of Holy Scripture,, the repetition of the Creed, 
 the Lord's Prayer, and the Gloria Pairi, and the 
 keeping of some of the Festivals to distinguish the 
 Episcopal from the Presbyterian worship. But apart 
 
56 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 from these points, some of which were not universal, 
 the general structure of the one worship was much 
 the same as that of the other, i.e., ex tempore forms 
 were used. So moderate were the Restoration Bishops, 
 ecclesiastically speaking ! They probably reflected that 
 it was the introduction of the Prayer Book in 1637 
 which led to the total overthrow of the Church in 
 1638, and concluded that their proper policy was to 
 remain content with the restoration of the Apostolic 
 authority to the Ministry, without attempting a premature 
 introduction of liturgical forms. 
 
 But now that the Bishops were loosed from their 
 bond with the Nation, they felt themselves no longer 
 tied by that excessive moderation which had characterised 
 them while they had been " established." Everywhere 
 throughout the Kingdom by a spontaneous impulse the 
 Booh of Common Prayer began to be used. And, if it 
 be asked whether it was the Scottish Book of 1637, or 
 the English Booh that was now being adopted, the 
 answer must be as follows. The Scottish Booh was 
 undoubtedly reprinted at Edinburgh in 1712 : (the 
 Communion had already appeared in 1707) and doubt- 
 less used to a limited extent. But there was a grave 
 difficulty in the way of re-publishing the Booh of 1637 
 on a large scale, and that was that it would have been 
 necessary either to print the name of King James VIIL, 
 or else that of Queen Anne in it, and to do either 
 would have led to disastrous results. To do the former 
 would have been to court the wrath of the "powers 
 that be," and to do the latter would have been to 
 raise dissension in the Church. This was enough to 
 make the re-issue of the old Scottish Booh hang fire. 
 But the same difficulty did not lie against the English 
 Booh. Friends sent down 19,000 copies of it from the 
 
Prayer Book first used in Perth. 57 
 
 south. No doubt the Eevolution Monarch's name 
 appeared in them, but then it was the Book of the 
 English, and not formally of the Scottish, branch of 
 the Church. To borrow it and adapt it to their own 
 use did not commit Scottish Churchmen to either of 
 the two Sovereigns. Moreover, there was to some 
 minds a positive reason in favour of the English Boole. 
 The Scottish Church was in an afflicted condition : a. 
 Treaty of Union was iDcing signed between England 
 and Scotland, and was it not prudent to court as close 
 an alliance as possible with the great Church of the 
 great Nation to which they were now being united ? 
 And so, as has been said, the English Booh of Common 
 Prayer was being introduced by common consent on 
 all sides. 
 
 Were Perth Churchmen to be backward in so good 
 a cause ? Certainly not. The actual date on which 
 the Liturgy was first used in the neighbourhood is not 
 recorded. But, though we cannot actually lay our finger 
 on the happy day itself, yet there appears to be little 
 doubt that it occurred some time in the year 1709. 
 At all events the following extract from the Presbytery 
 Records is the first notice of the use of the Liturgy in 
 post-Eeformation times in these parts. 
 
 November 3rd, 1709. — "The Presbytery are informed 
 that some of the Episcopal Incumbents living within 
 their bounds did in their gowns perform a number of 
 superstitious ceremonies altogether foreign to this Church 
 and Kingdom, at the interring of the corps of Mr. Patrick 
 Strachan (sometime Incumbent of the Parish of Mains) in 
 the Burial Yard of Perth, before a confluence of 
 people." 
 
 There were also two other places where the Prayer 
 Booh was introduced, i.e., the Parishes of Methven and 
 
58 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Scone. As for the former, we have the following 
 evidence : — 
 
 November Srd, 1709. — " The Laird of Balgowan said 
 that he had only the worship of God in his family 
 according to the English form, and herein he apprehended 
 that he did nothing contrary to the law." 
 
 And, as for Scone, there are reported to be " Innova- 
 tions " there. This came to be the usual way of 
 describing the introduction of the Prayer Book. They, 
 who considered that a Revolution in Church and State 
 was " glorious,'' were scandalized at the subversive 
 rashness of those who, in their own religious assemblies, 
 changed ex tempore for written forms of worship, and 
 " Innovator " became a term of reproach on these 
 men's lips ! 
 
GHAPTEE VII. 
 
 HOW THE REVS. MESSRS. SMITH, RHYND, AND 
 WALKER WERE SENTENCED BY THE PRESBY- 
 TERY, 1709-10. 
 
 Episcopacy without the Prayer Book had been bad 
 enough, but Episcopacy with the Prayer Book was far 
 worse. Its adversaries were more than ever exasperated. 
 Where was the completeness of the victory over 
 Charles I. and Archbishop Laud, if the seed which 
 they had sowed was to be allowed to strike even a few 
 permanent roots in Scottish soil ? And so we have 
 the Kev. Alexander Dinning, Minister of Abernethj', 
 thundering, on behalf of his friends, against the 
 " Innovation." At the conclusion of a sermon, he 
 exclaimed, "by way of syllogism,'' that "those who 
 read their prayers worship the Devil." " For," he 
 continues, " if the Scripture had not commanded us to 
 sing Psalms and we did sing Psalms, then were we 
 worshipping the Devil. And, if the Scriptures had not 
 commanded us to pray and we notwithstanding did 
 pray, then were we praying to the Devil. But I defy 
 all the world to shew me where the Scripture commands 
 us to read Prayers ; therefore, they who read Prayers 
 worship the Devil ! "* In vain did that staunch 
 Churchman, Mr. James Smyth, Apothecary in Perth, 
 on hearing these sentiments, cry out:— "Mr. Alexander 
 Dinning makes all the venerable members of the 
 (!!hurch of England, the Queen's Majesty not excepted, 
 worshippers of the Devil!" The current of events was 
 *MS. in Episcopal Chest. 
 
6o Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 too strong for him, and the Presbytery determined to 
 malse once for all a supreme effort to suppress both 
 Episcopacy and Prayer Book within their bounds. 
 
 The following is the story of this attempt as drawn 
 from their own Records : — 
 
 It was determined to prosecute certain Churchmen 
 for their conduct in three different places. (1) The 
 Revs. William Smith and Thomas Rhynd had been 
 keeping the Episcopalians together in the Parish of 
 Methven and introducing the Prayer Book there. (2) 
 The same two Priests had publicly interred the re- 
 mains of the late Rev. Patrick Strachan in Perth Burial 
 Ground, and used the English Service at the solemnity. 
 And (3) the Rev. Patrick Walker had been officiating 
 in the Parish of Scone. 
 
 We shall briefly deal with the last case first. On 
 December 2nd, 1709, the Sev. Patrick Walker, Chaplain 
 to the Viscount of Stormont, was formally reported to 
 the Presbytery as practising " Innovations " in the 
 Parish of Scone. On February l^th, 1710, his libel 
 was prepared. Omitting much that is formal, we extract 
 the two following points from it: — (1) He has "intruded 
 in a most disorderly and irregular manner into the 
 Paroch of Scone, where there is a fixed Gospel Ministry," 
 and " has introduced a sett form," etc. (2) And 
 " particularly you baptized a child to John Stewart, 
 living in the Paroch of Scone since Whitsunday, 1709," 
 and three other children likewise. He is to be summoned 
 pro tertio to the next Presbytery. At this meeting 
 (March 8th, 1710) he does not appear, and is 
 declared contumacious. On April 5th some witnesses 
 give evidence as to Mr. Walker preaching, baptizing, 
 and making use of the English Book. Others were 
 called to prove drunkenness against him. But concerning 
 
Three Divines Prosecuted. 6i 
 
 this last charge it is to be remarlied that the Com- 
 mittee appointed to consider the matter reported that 
 on this head there was "nothing proven." On Septem- 
 ber 13th sentence was passed for the ecclesiastical 
 " offences " ; but with regard to the drunkenness, while 
 it was mentioned in the Preamble, it is not repeated, 
 as the ecclesiastical matters are later on, as one of the 
 grounds of the sentence. 
 
 The other two cases, i.e., those of the Eevs. Messrs. 
 Smith and Rhynd (who had "intruded" together both 
 in Perth and in the Parish of Methven), we shall 
 describe at some length and together. They aftbrd 
 us a very vivid glimpse into the doings of the time. 
 
 On November Srd, 1709, the Presbytery resolve to 
 process the " intruding " Clergy, and order the Clerk 
 to find out who they are and to summon them. At 
 the next meeting this official reports that the 
 " Innovators " are " Mr. William Smith, sometime 
 Incumbent of Moneydie; the other Mr. Thomas Ehynd, 
 Chaplain to the Laird of Balgowan, . . and he had 
 given order and warrand to the officer to summond 
 them." Nevertheless " they compeared not." Here- 
 upon they are summoned pro secundo and again pro 
 tertio, but " compear not," both on Jamiary 10th, and 
 on February l^th, 1710. However, on the last of 
 these dates the Presbytery go on with the case. 
 Meeting at 7 a.m., they called for the libels which the 
 Committee had prepared : — 
 
 LiBELL BY THE PeESEYTEET OF PeKTH AGAINST Mr. WILLIAM 
 
 Smith, iNonMBENT under the late Prelacy in the 
 
 Pabooh of Monedie, and for the present residing 
 
 within the Paeoch of Methven. 
 
 Primo. That whereas the purity of religion and particularly 
 
 of Divine "Worahip and uniformity therein is a signal blessing to 
 
 the Church of God, and that it hath been the great happiness 
 
62 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 of this Church ever since our reformation from Popery to have 
 enjoyed and to have maintained the same in great measure, yet 
 it is a verity that you, the said Mr. William Smith, have not 
 only in a most irregular and disorderly manner intruded upon 
 the Paroeh of Methven, where there is a settled Gospel Ministry, 
 but also by an avowed discharging of the several parts of the 
 ministerial function, you have intruded a set form of worship, 
 and that in direct opposition and contrary to the known 
 principles of this Church, contained in the Confession of Faith 
 (which is that God should not be worshipped according to the 
 imaginations and devices of men, or any other way not pre- 
 scribed by Holy Scripture) contrary to the constant practice of 
 this Church, yea and which was not so much as attempted 
 under the late Prelacie, and likewise in contempt of the standing 
 acts of the judicatories of this national Church peremptorily 
 forbidding these and the like innovations, particularly the 15th 
 Act of the General Assembly, held at Edinburgh, April SJst, 
 1707, entitled ''An Act against innovations in the worship of 
 God," which further declares such attempts to have been and 
 still to be of fatal and dangerous consequence to the Church, 
 and visibly tending to corrupt the puritie of religion, mar the 
 uniformity of worship, and to foment schism and division to the 
 disturbance of the peace, both of Church and State, and that, 
 notwithstanding the doctrine, worship, discipline, and govern- 
 ment of this Church, is ratified by good and laudable laws 
 made since the late happy Revolution establishing and securing the 
 same (particularly 5th Act of Parliament, 1690, and, 23rd, 1693,) 
 which Acts are most expressly ratified and confirmed by the 
 6th Act of Parliament, 1707. As also by the Act ratifying and 
 approving the union of the two kingdoms of England and 
 Scotland it is expressly provided that the form, puritie, and 
 uniformity of worship, as now established in this Church, is, in 
 the terms of the foresaid Acts, to continue to the people of this 
 Church without any alteration in all succeeding generations, and 
 this to be held as a fundamental and essential condition of the 
 said Union without any alteration or derogation thereto in any 
 sort for ever. 
 
 Secundo. Upon the (blank in MS.) day of November last you 
 did in a most disorderly way in and about the Burial-place of 
 Perth assist at the Funerals of Mr. Patrick Strachan, late incum- 
 bent in the Parish of Mains, in performing such rites and 
 
The Libels. 63 
 
 ceremonies as are condemned by the Constitutions of this (!hurch 
 in the First Book of Policie and her constant practice consonant 
 thereto, being altogether foreign and strange to the people of 
 this Church and Kingdom since the Reformation from Popery, 
 which is likewise of most dangerous consequences as manifestly 
 tending to grieve the godly, lay a stumbling-bloke before the 
 weak, and to harden Papists in their superstitions, and fostering 
 the same among Protestants, such superstitious practices at Burials 
 being also condemned in the Directory for Public Worship. 
 
 Tertio. That you in the like disorderly course have taken 
 upon you to administer the Sacrament of Baptism, cross to the 
 constitution and practice of this Church, and that notwith- 
 standing the known law of the land against irregular Baptisms, 
 and particularly you baptized several children, within these five 
 or six years immediately bye-past, to John Stewart, sometime 
 living in the Milne of Piteairn, in the Parish of Rogorton, where 
 there was a settled Minister at the time. Witnesses, etc. 
 
 Such was the libel against Mr. Smith. That against 
 Mr. Rhynd ran in very similar terms, and need not 
 be given in extenso ; but the following first head of it 
 is both peculiar to himself, and interesting as showing 
 that the Episcopal Church was actually making con- 
 verts to herself from the educated classes at this time: — 
 "Notwithstanding, he, the said Mr. Thomas Rhynd, 
 was trained up and educat at the charge of the present 
 Established Church, having been Bursar to the Synod 
 of Merse, and also was further encouraged by the 
 Commission of the General Assembly to enter upon 
 tryals in order to the Ministry to the service of the 
 Church, he then professing a great zeal for Presby- 
 terian Government, yet he has not only renounced his 
 former principles, but in a most daring and presumptuous 
 manner in a well-constituted Church has invaded the 
 Office of the Holy Ministry [i.e., been Episcopally 
 ordained] without a lawful and orderly call thereto." 
 
 March 8th, 1710. — Report having been made of 
 serving summonses, etc., on the " Innovators," the 
 
64 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Presbytery then proceeded to call them to answer to 
 their libels. " Which having been done, none com- 
 peared ; but one, Mr. James Smith, Apothecary in 
 Perth, compeared, and said he had a commission from 
 Mr. Smith and Mr. Rhynd," The witnesses also were 
 called, and they compeared in considerable numbers. 
 The Meeting having been adjourned to 3 p.m., "Mr. 
 James Smith produced two papers, which he called 
 commissions, to answer for Mr. W. Smith and Mr. T. 
 Khynd, which were both read. The tenor whereof 
 follows:— "I, Mr. William Smith, Minister of the 
 Gospel, being cited to appear this day before the 
 Presbytery of Perth for intrusion, baptizing, etc., as 
 the libell bears, and, not inclining to attend myself, I 
 do hereby grant full power and commission to Mr. 
 James Smith, Apothecary, etc., and decline them as 
 no ways judges competent in the matters libelled 
 against me, conform to and for the reasons mentioned 
 in a Declinator and Protestation subscribed by me of 
 this date, which he is to present and produce to them, 
 and thereupon take instruments and to do every other 
 tiling, as if I were present. — March 8th, 1710." 
 
 " Then the said Mr. James Smith produced two other 
 papers, which he called Protestations and Declinators, 
 and offered them to the Presbytery, and urged to have 
 them read." Here follows the Declinator as taken from 
 a copy in the Episcopal Chest. We give it in extenso 
 as being the fullest explanation of the views on the 
 Episcopal side which has survived : — 
 
 Deolinatob and Protestation offeked by Mr. Wm. Smith, 
 Minister of the Gospel, to the Presbytery op Perth. 
 
 It may be thought strange that one in my circumstances, who 
 have lived so many years among you, without giving disturbance 
 to any person, should be processed before you for intrusion! 
 
Mr. Smith's Declinator. 65 
 
 baptizeing of children, and innovation in worship, as your libell 
 against me bears, since it is notably known to you all that I am 
 a Minister of the Gospell of the Episoopall Communion, and, as I 
 have hitherto lived, so I hope to continue in the unity of the 
 Catholick Church and its Government descended with Christianitie 
 itself from the days of the Apostles. And therefore I cannot, 
 without schismatically separating from that great and venerable 
 body, own any spiritual jurisdiction in you ; for, first, albeit the 
 present laws have empowered you to prosecute such Episcopall 
 Ministers as continue in their Churches, or desire to be assumed 
 by you into the Government of the Kirk, and have subjected 
 such to your discipline and cognisance, in so far as they are really 
 scandalous, erroneous, negligent, and inefficient, yet I am in 
 neither of these cases and the laws have not subjected such 
 as I am to your discipline, who, without possessing any Church, 
 Manse, or Benefice, or keeping any Public Meeting-House, do only 
 worship God in my own family. (2) As to the crimes of intru- 
 sion and baptizeing, these are purely civill and only cognizable by 
 the Judge- Ordinary, such as the Privy Councill, and therefore, as 
 I am noways subject to your jurisdiction on this account, so you 
 are not Judges competent therein. (3) As to the English Liturgie, 
 which you call innovation, contrary to the puritie of the Gospel, 
 and worshipping God according to the devices and imaginations 
 of men, I think it is agreeable to the Word of God and the 
 practice of the Primitive Church, and is no innovation, being 
 universally practised at the beginning of the Reformation, as 
 Buchanan in the nineteenth book of his History afBrms, saying — 
 " Scoti religioiiis cvltui et ritihus Anglis communibus suhscripserunf," 
 and has been likewise continowed in many places and families 
 both before and since the Revolution, neither is there any law 
 against useing it by any of a different communion from the 
 Presbyterian, but every person may worship God with or without 
 book, by conceived or extemporary prayers, as they please. 
 However, you having declared yourselves against the English 
 Service are parties, and therefore cannot be judges in this 
 matter, nor I any wayes obliged to account to you for the same. 
 And therefore I do decline your authority and jurisdiction in the 
 premises for the reasons foresaid, and protest that you proceed 
 no further therein, otherwise to be lyable for cost, scaith, and 
 dammage, and thereupon I take instruments. 
 
 Such was the document. But, though " Mr. James 
 
65 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Smith earnestly insisted to have the papers, which he 
 called Declinators, read, the Presbytery utterly refused." 
 Nay, they " simpliciter reject the pretended proxies,'' 
 and declare Messrs. Smith and Rhynd contumacious. 
 
 Witnesses were now examined. Mr. Rhynd's libel first 
 came up : several gave evidence of his having performed 
 clerical duties within the Parish of Methven. One of them 
 heard him preach : also read prayers out of a book, and 
 saw him make use of the Booh of Common Prayer : " like- 
 wise the deponent said that some of his hearers do speak in 
 time of Divine Service." Another "heard him preach 
 very good orthodox doctrine, etc. : " He said, " In time 
 of preaching the hearers do not speak, but in time of 
 prayer they do." Again he has " not only vilified 
 that form of sound words contained in the Confession 
 of Faith of this Church, . . but in conference with 
 people has most profanely called the said Confession a 
 bundle of nonsense, and the compilers thereof a pack 
 of rogues." As to Mr. Smith's libel several witnesses 
 testified to seeing him perform ministerial functions ; 
 and as to the two libels combined : — Nathaniel Fife 
 " saw Messrs. Smith and Ehynd " at the Burial of 
 Mr. Strachan in Perth. Mr. Rhynd did officiate as 
 Priest or Curat. Mr. Smith did no more • than -he 
 did, only he had the distinction of a gown. He 
 further deponed that he heard and saw them do 
 according to the Kubrick of the Book, which he pre- 
 sented to the Presbytery, which was the Book of 
 Common Prayer, at the interment of the corps of Mr, 
 Patrick Strachan." John Alexander " saw an old man 
 and a young man there in canonical* gowns, but knew 
 
 *Would he have described the gowns, which the Presbyterian 
 Ministers wore, as " canonical " ? and have we, therefore, a hint 
 here that the Episcopal and Presbyterian Clergy used different 
 vestments at this epoch ? 
 
Report of Committee. 67 
 
 not who they were." He deponed that Mr. Patrick 
 Strachan was buried after the English form. Charles 
 Wilson "saw them in black gowns, and the Booh of 
 Common Prayer in their hands, from which they read 
 from the entry of the Burial Yard of Perth to the 
 grave." Several more witnesses gave similar evidence, 
 and then the Presbytery resolved to adjoimi. More 
 witnesses were examined on March 22nd. 
 
 The Committee appointed by the Presbytery to 
 revise and report upon the whole case found it proved 
 that both the Iimovators were guilty in all points 
 according to the evidence. On April 6th the Presby- 
 tery put the affair in shape for bringing before the 
 Synod, and on April 19th the latter body "ordered 
 the Presbytery of Perth to lay the whole matter before 
 the General Assembly." Accordingly they enjoin their 
 commissioners to the Assembly "to be very careful 
 and diligent about that matter." On 2Iay 31st the 
 Meetings of Assembly being over, the Commissioners 
 reported to the Presbytery tha.t "they had laid that 
 matter before the Committee of the General Assembly 
 for Overtures, and they, having taken it into their 
 consideration, gave it as their advice that this Pres- 
 bytery should proceed to declare them Intruders and 
 Innovators in the Worship of God, and require the 
 Magistrat to make their sentence effectual, and, if he 
 shall refuse to do it, that they instrument him, and 
 send over their instrument extended to the Church 
 Agent, that criminal letters may be raised against the said 
 Innovators." The Presbytery, having heard the report 
 of their brethren, . . " resolved to bring that affair 
 to a period by proceeding to a sentence against the 
 Innovators the next Presbytery." 
 
 This they did on September 13th, 1710. The 
 
68 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 " Sentence of the Presbytery of Perth against Mr. Wm. 
 Smith, late Incumbent of Money die,'' is far too long a 
 a document to be given here in full. The first 
 paragraph recites the warnings given by the General 
 Assembly and the Acts of Parliament passed against 
 Intruders and Innovators. The second gives a detailed 
 narrative of the case against Mr. Smith. The remainder 
 of the sentence runs as follows : — 
 
 "And the Presbytery of Perth, having given him 
 time to reflect upon his former way, and to reflect 
 upon the dangerous and dismal course he is engaged 
 in ; as also they being called by the above named Act 
 to give an- account of their diligence to support 
 ecclesiastical judicatories, withal being desirous to 
 consult with the same in whose bounds the like 
 innovations are found, that there may be the greater 
 harmony in these measures and methods that may be 
 judged most expedient for suppressing and preventing 
 the growth of such scandalous and innovating courses, 
 which the abettors thereof are bestirring themselves 
 with so much vigour on all hands to advance, have 
 for some time sisted their procedure, but now, after all, 
 finding that any further delay is not likely to be 
 profitable, but rather prejudicial to such, whom, hj 
 their restless endeavours, they are labouring to seduce, 
 and that by our silence we may not be found guilty 
 in not doing at present what we judge incumbent to 
 us, in giving our joint testimony against the shameful 
 defection, which he hath made from the puritie and 
 simplicitie of Gospel ordinances, and the divisive courses 
 that he is still cleaving to, therefore, we, being now 
 met in the name and by the Authority of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, sole Head and King of the Church, do, 
 by virtue of that said power committed to us, discharge 
 
The Sentences. 6g 
 
 the said Mr. William Smith from intruding any longer 
 upon the Paroch of Methven, or any other Paroch 
 within the bounds of this Presbytery; as also from 
 introducing ceremonies and innovations not warranted 
 by the Word of God, and contrary to the purity of 
 doctrine confessed, and uniformity of worship at present 
 practised in this Church, least he meet with that 
 challenge, ' Who hath required these things at your 
 hands ? In vain do ye worship Me, teaching for 
 doctrine the commandments of men.' And, providing 
 he would suffer the word of exhortation, then, if either 
 he tender the Glory of God, the success of the preached 
 Gospel and the quiet of this Church and Kingdom; or 
 if he have any regard to his own peace, either now or 
 at a dying hour, we would, in the fear of the Lord, 
 obtest him seriously to consider what such innovating 
 and divisive courses, if not timeously prevented, will 
 terminate in to him and those seduced by him. But, 
 if to his former contumacy he shall superadd this, to 
 despise our faithful warning and authoritative prohibi- 
 tion, then, as he may tremble to be found among those 
 by whom offences come, and cause divisions contrary 
 to the doctrine we have received, and of the dreadful 
 doom of evil men and seducers, their waxing worse 
 and worse, deceiving and being deceived, so we must 
 proceed according to our duty and his merit." 
 
 The sentence against Mr. Rhynd was of a similar length 
 and character. 
 
 These sentences were read from all the pulpits on the 
 24th of the mouth, and accompanied by exhortations 
 to the people " anent the danger of being seduced, 
 and of . . . forsaking the Assemblie of the Saints 
 that we be not again entangled in the yoke 
 of bondage.'' 
 
70 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 But they had not the desired effect, for the entry 
 in the Presbytery Record of October 25th, 1710, runs 
 as follows : — " With respect to the Innovators that are 
 under process at this time, the Ministers of those 
 Pariochs where they reside told they had made enquiries 
 anent them, and are informed that they continue to 
 contemn the sentences that were intimated against them. 
 Further, the Presbytery having sought advice from the 
 Synod how to proceed with respect to them, they 
 advized that they ajjply to the Civil Magistrat, and 
 require him by Law to make their Sentences effectual." 
 On May 12th an Act of Synod was read before the 
 Presbytery exhorting them to be vigorous in putting 
 down the Innovators. 
 
 What became of Messrs. Smith* and AValker after 
 the appeal to the "Civil Magistrat" does not appear; 
 but on September 26th, 1711, we discover the result 
 with regard to Mr. Rhynd, for on that day the Pres- 
 bytery of Dundee apply for a copy of his sentence, as 
 " he has set up the English Service there.'' 
 
 * But see page 87. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 HOW THE REVS. HENRIE AND THOMAS MURRAY 
 AND WALTER STEWART WERE DEPOSED BY 
 THE PRESBYTERY, 17II-I2. 
 
 This struggle for bare existence, following upon their 
 defeat as Ministers of the Establishment, must have 
 been a trj-ing one for our Priests. But there was a 
 constant succession of them prepared to go on contending 
 for the right without regard to temporal consequences. 
 And so the trials described in the last chapter were 
 followed bj' others, which must be related in this. It 
 is hoped that a full narration of all that occurred will 
 not be considered unimportant. In the various Libels, 
 Declinatms, and Sentences, the principles, on which the 
 two parties acted, are clearly brought out, and Church- 
 men at least have the satisfaction of seeing that they, 
 who so prominently contended for their cause in Perth, 
 laid due stress on the fundamental principle of the 
 Apostolical Succession. In the last chapter, for instance, 
 we saw Mr. Smith expressing his resolution " to con- 
 tinue in the unity of the Catholic Church and its 
 government, descended with Christianitie itself from the 
 days of the Apostles.'' And now the Clergy, about to 
 be implicated in the trial, which is the subject of this 
 chapter, assure us that it was not merely for non- 
 essentials, but for the preservation of the unbroken 
 line of historical continuity that they were contending 
 in opposition to the Presbytery : — Their words are : 
 " We cannot separate . . from the Catholic, Christian 
 Church, whose government — namely, the Episcopal — ■ 
 has descended to us from Apostolick days." 
 
fz Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Understanding, therefore, that the struggle was main- 
 tained in defence of a principle of vital importance, we 
 proceed the more willingly to trace its course, still 
 availing ourselves of the all but exclusive aid of the 
 Freshyiery Record. 
 
 Under the date September ',i7th, 1711, we find the 
 following entry : — " The Presbytery now resolves to do 
 something in the affair of the Innovators. And, having 
 taken the matter into their serious consideration, and 
 after some communing thereon, and finding that there 
 are some more of the Episcopal Clergy besides those 
 whom they formerly prosecuted, who are guilty of 
 intruding into Pariochs within the bounds of this 
 Presbytery, that are planted, publicly practising innova- 
 tions in the worship of God that have no foundation 
 in Holy Scripture, and are contrary to the present 
 established order of this Church, and are guilty of 
 several other irregular practices, viz. : — Mr. Henrie 
 Murray and Mr. Walter Stewart, both in the Burgh 
 of Perth, and Mr. Thomas Murray, in the Parioch of 
 Kilspindy, the Presbytery hereby appoints the afore- 
 said persons to be summoned to compear before the 
 next Presbytery . . . " 
 
 October 2^th, 1711. — The officer reports that he has 
 summoned the Intruders : the Presbytery order him to 
 call them at the most patent door : which having beefi 
 done, none of them compeared. " Then the Committee 
 was enquired at if they had met and prepared draughts 
 of libels against the said Innovators ? They told that 
 they had met and done something in that matter, but 
 have not got the Libels fully compleated." 
 
 November 21st, 1711. — The accused send Mr. James 
 Smith to " decline the Presbytery as no ways judges 
 competent in the matter we are cited on." After a 
 
Declinator of the Accused. ']^ 
 
 vigorous discussion, the Moderator makes a counter 
 protest to the effect that the Proxy has declined a 
 judicatory of Jesus Christ, authorised by law. The 
 paper of the accused is then read : — 
 
 Declinature and Peotestation oi' Me. Henrie Mureay, Mr. 
 Walter Stewaet, and Mr. Thomas Murray, Ministers of 
 THE Gospel, to the Presbytery of Perth, November 
 21, 1711. 
 Having expressed surprise that they should be pro- 
 ceeded against after the expression of the Queen's wish 
 for toleration, they go on : — 
 
 1. However, we cannot own any spiritual jurisdiction in you, 
 without separating from the Catholick, Christian Church, both 
 ancient and modern, whose government — namely, the Episcopal 
 — has descended to us from Apostolick days. And, as we have 
 hitherto lived, so we hope to continue in the unity of the Church. 
 
 2. But that, albeit the present laws, from which you derive 
 all your authority, have subjected such Episcopal Ministers as 
 continue in their Churches, or are really scandalous, erroneous, 
 negUgent, or inefficient to your cognizance and censure, yet, since 
 we are in neither of these cases, we cannot submit to your 
 jurisdiction. 
 
 3. As to the charge of intrusion, we answer that they are 
 properly intruders in the Scriptural sense of the word, who 
 thrust themselves into the Ministrie without a legal mission or 
 canonical ordination, and by the acts and laws of the Church of 
 England no ordination is valid but which is originally Episcopal. 
 Neither can we be charged with intruding in the legal or parlia- 
 mentary sense of the word, because intruding is properly in 
 vacnam possessionem, 3,s the Act of 1695 expresses it, "intruding 
 into vacant Churches possessing Manses and Benefices,'' which 
 cannot be charged on us, who only preach in a, Meeting- House, 
 and to willing people. However, if this b.e a crime it is purely 
 civil, and therefore cognizable by the Judge Ordinary, and there- 
 fore ye cannot be competent judges in this matter. 
 
 i. As to the English Liturgy, which you mean by innovations, 
 we think it is agreeable to the Word of God and the practice 
 of the primitive Church, and likewise of our own Keformers, for 
 Buchanan tells us in the 19th Book of his History that the 
 
74 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Scotch, being deiivered from the French slavery by assistance of 
 the English, did thereupon subscribe to the same worship in 
 Religion and the ceremonies in common with England. So that 
 the using of the Book of Common Prayer and English Liturgy 
 is no innovation in this Church, but rather a retrieving or 
 reviving of that regular worship, which was professed and practised 
 at the Reformation, and we are fully persuaded that it is necessary 
 to the peace of the Church that all Churches or Congregations, 
 at least under one Prince, should use one form of Liturgy or of 
 Divine ^yorship. The Queen and Parliament have lately declared 
 ill Mr. Greenshields' trial* that there is no law in this nation 
 against using the English Liturgy, and " where there is no law 
 there can be no transgression." However, you, having declared 
 yourselves against the English Service, are parties, and therefore 
 cannot be judges in the matter, nor we any ways obliged to 
 account to you for the same. 
 
 5. As to what may be meant by disorderly practices, for which 
 you charge us in your summons, we are not conscious to our- 
 selves of any that can subject us to your censure. And, there- 
 fore, for these and other reasons to be added, if we see cause, 
 we decline your authority and jurisdiction, and protest that you 
 proceed no further therein, otherwise to be liable for cost and 
 damage, and whereupon we take instruments thereon." 
 
 This Declinature being read, as said is, the Proxie was desired 
 to remove until the Presbytery should consider if they should 
 deliver libels to him for his constituents. And he being removed, 
 and the Presbytery taking the matter into their serious con- 
 sideration, they agreed not to give libels to the Prctie, especially 
 after he had declined them. The Proxie being called in, the 
 premises were intimated to him (whereupon followed protests 
 and counter-protests). 
 
 After this the Presbytery adjourned till 3 p.m., 
 when the libels were read. As it will be necessary 
 only to give one of these, we reproduce that of Mr. 
 Murray at full length. It exhibits to us the mind 
 of the Presbytery : — : 
 
 Me. Henrie MnRKAv's Libel. 
 
 " Whereas, by the blessing of God upon the pious endeavours 
 of our worthy and renowned ancestors, it hath been the mercy 
 *This was another case in Edinburgh very similar to their own. 
 
Mr. H. Murray's Libel. 75 
 
 and- happiness of this National Church to be at first purely 
 reformed, according to the Word of God, in Doctrine, Worship, 
 Discipline, and Oovernment, as is evident from our Confession of 
 Puith, Books of Discipline, and Acts of many General Assemblies, 
 Likeas the puritie of Gospel Ordinances, free from the dregs of 
 superstition, idolatry, and will-worship, together with a beautiful 
 uniformity of dispensing the same, hath in a great measure been 
 hitherto preserved, and that by the countenance the Lord hath given 
 to the zealous wrestlings of others since, in contending for the 
 " Faith once delivered to the Saints," in opposition to attempts 
 for corrupting tliereof by ceremonies and inventions of men, as 
 clearly appears from many Acts both of Assembly and Parliament 
 made for establishing the same to us, especially since the late 
 happy Revolution ; which laudable laws are expressly confirmed 
 by (such and such Acts, etc.). 
 
 Yet it is a veritie that you, Henrie Murray, notwithstanding 
 all this, and the faithful warnings that the General Assembly 
 and Commission have given to all persons of the dangerous con- 
 sequences of such innovationp, as some by their restless endeavours 
 are labouring to introduce into the Worship of God at present 
 in this Church, together with the fatal tendency thereof both to 
 Church and State, ordaining withal inferior judicatories to take 
 tryal and prosecute such as shall be found guilty, which you 
 could not be ignorant of, yet, for all this, we say, casting off all 
 regard to the peace, order, and edification of this Church, you 
 do in a bold manner fly in the face of all authority, both civil 
 and ecclesiastical, in several lawless and irregular practices. As 
 Imo That within the ancient burgh of Perth, where there have 
 been of a good time and now are two Ministers of the Gospel 
 settled in a legal and orderly way, you presume to exercise the 
 several parts of the Ministerial Office, without any legal call 
 thereto, while in the meantime you have not owned the Con- 
 fession of Faith, established by Law, nor so much as qualified 
 yourself in terms prescribed by Law, in order to share in the 
 benefits of that protection allowed by our gracious Queen to 
 such of your persuasion that are thus qualified. 
 
 2do That in the Administration of the Holy Sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper you oblige communicants to kneel in the act of receiv- 
 ing, which hath always been condemned by Acts of the General 
 Assembly and the practice of this Church as not agreeable to our 
 Blessed Lord's practice in the Institution of the same ; as a gesture 
 
76 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 symbolizing with idolaters in their idolatrous worship, and 11 
 manifest breach of the foresaid puritie and uniformitie of Worship. 
 
 Stio You obserye the festival days, and not only those pretended 
 to be kept in honour of our Blessed Saviour, but also such as are 
 dedicated to Saints and Angels, and that cross to Acts of 
 Assembly and Boolcs of Discipline, which condemn the same as 
 idolatrous and superstitious, and ranks them among the abomina- 
 tions of the Romish Church. 
 
 4to You have iutruded a Liturgy and set form in the public 
 Worship of God,* not only without any warrant from any law 
 of the land establishing it, but also such as was not so much as 
 attempted under the late Prelacie, nor practised by yourself 
 since your intrusion till within these few months, upon what 
 motives or views you yourself know. 
 
 oto You follow the order prescribed by the said Liturgy in 
 burying of the dead, particularly on November 6th, 1711, or one 
 or another of the days of the said month, in and about the 
 burial place of the Burgh of Perth, at the funerals of Bethia 
 Omay,+ late spouse to Alexander Conqueror, merchant in the 
 said burgh, which rites and ceremonies are condemned by the 
 constitution of this Church in her first HooJc of Policie and 
 Directorie for Public Worship as being of most dangerous con- 
 sequence, and her constant practice consonant thereto, in the 
 performance whereof you assisted at the foresaid burial, which 
 gave no small offence, these ceremonies being altogether foreign 
 and strange to the people of North Britain ever since their 
 Reformation from Poperie. 
 
 6*0 After the like disorderly manner you have taken upon you 
 to administer the Sacrament of Baptism, cross to the constitu- 
 tion and practice of this Church, notwithstanding the known law 
 of the land against irregular Baptisms. And this you have been 
 frequently guilty of, and among others you baptized the children 
 of John Mordoch, junior, Glover in Perth ; James Walker, 
 Maltman there ; Laurence Chapman, Messenger there ; Daniel 
 Cameron, Teacher of a Private School there ; John Crookatt, 
 Maltman there ; John Cuthbert, Tailor there ; and Alexander 
 
 * Whether is it with tlie Presbytery or the Episcopal Clergy that the 
 present Established Church Service Society and authors of the Euchologiou 
 sympathize ? 
 
 t Probably, I should think, a relative of the evicted Parish Minister of 
 Methven. 
 
Mr. W. Stewart's Libel. 77 
 
 Much, "■ person to whom the Ministers of the place refused the 
 privilege of Baptism to his child, and all these within these few 
 years bye-past." Witnesses, etc., to prove this, etc. 
 Mr. Walter Stewart's Libel. 
 
 It is the same as Mr. Henry Murray's, mutatis 
 mutandis, with the exception of the following : — 
 
 &to All this is more highly aggravated, because, though you 
 formerly upjn all occasions professed great zeal for the present 
 Church Establishment, yet you have not only apostatized from 
 and renounced your former principles, but in a most daring and 
 presunjptuous manner in a well-constituted Church, invaded the 
 office of the holy Ministrie without a lawful and orderly call 
 thereto, at least without any legal document warranting you to 
 enter upon the said sacred function. 
 
 Although the Presbytery were in so much doubt as 
 to the validity of Mr. Stewart's claim to exercise the 
 functions of the Ministry, and although he did not 
 enlighten them, it will be convenient to interpolate 
 here the following quotation from the Dunkeld Diocesan 
 Register : — "The Rev. Walter Stewart was ordained 
 Deacon by Bishop George Haliburton of Aberdeen at 
 Denhead, February 16th, 1711." 
 
 But to return to the trial. Mr. Thomas Murray's 
 Lihel was in similar terms to the other two, and 
 therefore need not be reproduced in these pages. 
 
 After summoning the accused p''o tertio, the next 
 step was the examination . of witnesses on December 
 19th, 1711. Their depositions will not be given in 
 full, because they simply go to prove the statements 
 in the libels, without throwing any new light on 
 the subject. Two little points, however, are interesting. 
 One man, for example, ''minds he was in the Meeting- 
 House on All Saints' Day, and particularly he saw 
 Mr. Murray keep Yule Day." It is also interesting to 
 observe what a plentiful supply of local tradespeople 
 there was, qualified by attendance at the Church 
 
78 Episcopal History of Perth, 
 
 Services to serve as witnesses. None of the witnesses 
 against Mr. Thomas Murray compeared. 
 
 On January 9th, 1712, the Committee appointed to 
 consider the whole process report that " they find Mr. 
 Henrie Murray's and Mr. Walter Stewart's Libels 
 clearly proven, but have- not got an Overture prepared." 
 The matter is accordingly delayed till 11 a.m. next 
 day "that they may bring the whole matter to a period^ 
 Accordingly next day at 11 a.m., "the Presbytery took 
 the whole affair into their serious consideration, and, 
 having reasoned thereon at some length, they agreed 
 presently to pass sentence on them, and, having made 
 application to God by prayer, a vote was stated 
 simpliciter : Depose Mr. Henrie Murray from the 
 Ministerial office, and authoritatively discharge him 
 from exercising any part thereof within the congrega- 
 tion of Perth or any pariooh within the bounds of the 
 Presbytery? The rolls being called and the votes 
 marked, it was carried unanimously Depo»e. Therefore 
 the Presbytery did and do hereby simpliciter depose 
 the said Henrie Murray from the Ministerial office.'' 
 • The same is also done with regard to Mr. Walter 
 Stewart. 
 
 Then follow copies of the sentences, of which we 
 shall only give the important part of Mr. Stewart's. 
 
 The first paragraph of this recites the Process before 
 the Presbytery, and describes the accused's Declinator 
 as " a displayed banner against the order and govern- 
 ment of tKis Church ; to be fraught with insolent and 
 disdainful speeches in his own avouching the said 
 innovations, and adducing such reasons in defence of 
 the same as do not only sufficiently evidence his 
 virulent and schismatiok temper and disposition, but 
 also such as . . . will be found to the disgrace of 
 
Mr. W. Stewart's Sentence. 79 
 
 a Protestant Profession." ..." 'I'hey do find the 
 the followmg Articles sufficiently proven, viz. : — His 
 intruding upon the said Congregation and Burgh of 
 Perth ; his observing of Festival Days ; his using a 
 Liturgy in the worship performed by him ; his following 
 the order prescribed in the said Liturgy for the Burial 
 of the Dead ; his taking upon himself to administer 
 the Sacrament of Baptism, cross to the constitution 
 and practice of this Church . . . : they must hold 
 him pro confesso as guilty of invading that sacred 
 function [i.e., of the Ministry] . . . which is highly 
 censurable . . . Upon the whole they judge him 
 a person unworthy of claiming any interest in the 
 office of the Ministry of the Gospel, and therefore, 
 being moved with a zeal to the Glory of God and a 
 sincere desire to prove faithful in contending for the 
 Faith once delivered to the Saints, and consequently 
 to purge the Church of all such dangerous innovations, 
 especially of invasions on the office of the Ministry 
 itself, We, being met in the Name and by the 
 Authoritie of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, sole 
 King and Head of His Church, do, by virtue of that 
 Power and Authoritie committed to us, Depose the said 
 2Ir. Walter Stewart from, the Office of the said Holy 
 Ministrie, which he has assumed, and deprive him of 
 all pretensions thereto, and consequently discharge him 
 from the e.xercise of any part thereof." This Sentence 
 is to be intimated throughout the bounds of the 
 Presbytery. 
 
 And they, "judging it to be their duty in this 
 juncture to signify to the neighbouring Presbyteries an 
 account of their procedure in reference to Innovators 
 within their bounds, which they have under process, as 
 to the length they are come in that affair, and of the 
 
8o Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 above-named Sentences, which they have passed 
 against them and appointed to be intimated ; and 
 withal in a brotherly way to represent to them that, 
 as they humbly conceive their former Sentences were 
 not without success, so they are of opinion that a 
 vigorous prosecution of others and as much harmony in 
 sentencing the same as can be obtained, may be 
 a means (through the Blessing of God) for strengthening 
 one another's hands and putting a stop to the Inno- 
 vations that like a flood are coming in upon this poor 
 Church." 
 
 Such were the processes against the Eev. Henrie 
 Murray, his young Deacon the Rev. Walter Stewart, 
 and the Kev. Thomas Murray of Kilspiiidie. But in 
 the case of the last of these there is an entry ominous 
 of coming change : a change which must be more 
 largely set forth in the next chapter. The entry is as 
 follows : — 
 
 February 20th, 1712. — "The brethren that were at 
 the Commission of the General Assembly reported that 
 they had gotten no advice anent summonding witnesses 
 that were given up to prove Mr. Thomas Murray's 
 Libel that were contumacious." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOW THE PRESBYTERY SUCCEEDED IN " BRINGING 
 THE WHOLE MATTER TO A PERIOD," I712-I5. 
 
 Yes ! the prosecutors " could get no advice " at this 
 juncture of affairs, and consequently (as Wodrow wrote to 
 his friend, the Rev. Alexander M'Crackan), "our brethren 
 there (viz., of the Perth and other northern Presbyteries) 
 H.re in a very sad taking, and need your sympathy 
 very much." Sympathy indeed, for " mighty changes 
 in the posture of our Church affairs " were occurring 
 and rendering it impossible for them any longer to go 
 on treating the Episcopal Clergy as they had been 
 treating them for .the last twenty-three years ! 
 
 On March 3rd, 1712, a Toleration Bill passed through 
 Parliament and received the Royal assent. Its title 
 was as follows: — "An Act to prevent the disturbing 
 of those of the Episcopal Communion in that part of 
 Great Britain called Scotland in the exercise of their 
 religious worship, and in the use of the Liturgy of the 
 Church of England ; and for repealing the Act passed 
 in the Parliament of Scotland intituled An Act against 
 irregular Baptisms and Marriages." And the Bill itself 
 opens in the following manner : — " Whereas, since the 
 abolishing of the Episcopal Government in Scotland, 
 those of the Episcopal persuasion there have been 
 frequently disturbed and interrupted in their religious 
 assemblies, and their Ministers prosecuted for reading 
 the English Service in their congregations, and for 
 administering the Sacrament according to the form and 
 
82 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 manner prescribed in the Liturgy of the Church of 
 England — -Be it therefore enacted, etc., that it shall be 
 free and lawful for all those of the Episcopal Com- 
 munion in that part of Great Britain called Scotland 
 to meet and assemble for Divine Worship to be per- 
 formed in their own manner," etc., etc. 
 
 What had brought this great change in the posture 
 of affairs about ? That, on the one side, the (church- 
 men of Perth might congratulate themselves on their 
 patient endurance and brave struggles for liberty having 
 seriously contributed to enlist public sympathy ; and, on 
 the other, that the Presbytery of Perth might assure 
 themselves that it was largely their conduct, as described 
 in the preceding pages, which had thus succeeded in 
 " bringing the whole matter to a period," is evidenced 
 by the following quotation from Wodrow : — " I hear," 
 he says, " of no (Presbyteries) but those of Perth and 
 Aberdeen that raised processes against these Innovators ; 
 and the first went on and deposed one for contumacy 
 and bringing in a foreign Liturgy. This was made the 
 introduction to the bringing in the bill for protecting 
 those of the Episcopal Communion in Scotland." This 
 passage, indeed, shews that he was very imperfectly 
 informed as to the number of Presbyteries in which 
 Episcopal Clergy were prosecuted, for there were cases of 
 this sort not only in Perth and Aberdeen, but also in 
 Crail, S. Andrews, Orkney, and Edinburgh. It also shews 
 that he was very imperfectly informed as to what had 
 been happening even in Perth, when he merely says 
 that there they " went on and deposed one " Episcopal 
 Clergyman, for the preceding pages shew that they 
 prosecuted and sentenced at least six, viz., Messrs. Smith, 
 Walker, Ehynd, H. Murray, T. Murray, and Stewart, 
 not to speak of their attacks on Messrs. Blair, M'Gruther, 
 
The Toleration Bill. 83 
 
 Poplay, and Auchterlony. But yet, that a contemporary, 
 like Wodrow, should positively affirm that the doings 
 in the Perth Presbytery were made the introduction 
 to the bringing in of the Toleration Bill, is pretty 
 conclusive testimony that public opinion had approved 
 the conduct of pur Perth friends and condemned that 
 of their prosecutors. So then, although the Episcopal 
 Church had lost the first great contest, and had been 
 altogether driven from her " established " position, she 
 had (though not without loss and confusion) gained 
 substantial victory in the second battle, — that, namely, 
 which she waged for Toleration. A new epoch had 
 dawned, and the Disestablished Communion found itself 
 in a position which, compared with all that had gone 
 before, was enviable. There were drawbacks, indeed, 
 which must be presently described, but the following 
 benefits were now well assured, viz., there was " ample 
 room and verge enough " allowed by the law, and a 
 very considerable proportion of the nation still adhered 
 to the " ancient paths." Granted that things were to 
 continue in their present state, there was every reason 
 to believe that Episcopacy would form one of the most 
 prominent elements in the religious life of Scotland 
 during the newly-begun century. 
 
 There is another thing besides the prosecution of the 
 Clergy of the Perth Meeting-House, to which " a period 
 was put " by the present turn of affairs, and that was 
 the full entries concerning the Episcopalians in the 
 Presbytery Records. And so the materials for this 
 History become for a time sadly diminished : we enter 
 upon an obscure period. Nevertheless, sufficient notices 
 remain to enable us to give at least an outline of the 
 happier time, which had at length dawned for the 
 Church in Perth. 
 
84 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 To illustrate the bright side of this nearly recordless 
 time, the following six notices are available : — 
 
 (1.) — The first is from the Presbytery Records, and, 
 as it were, formally marks the cessation of the long 
 series of prosecutions, which have been already recorded. 
 The tone of the entry seems to prove the justice of 
 Wodrow's remark that our Presbytery and their friends 
 were "in a very sad taking and needed sympathy very 
 much." (It is dated at the end of the period with 
 which we are dealing) : — 
 
 August 31st, 1716. — " The Presbytery being asked by 
 the Commission to make a collection for defraying the 
 expenses the Church has been at in commencing 
 processes for removing Intruders into Churches and 
 suppressing other disorders, this Presbytery finds 
 themselves in case to do nothing in that matter, they 
 having been at great charges already in processing 
 Episcopal Incumbents and getting them removed, and 
 planting of Churches in their bounds since the late 
 happy Revolution, without any reparation." 
 
 That they did not like being forced to tolerate 
 Episcopacy is further evidenced by the following 
 quotation from Wodrow. Writing on July 12th, 1713, 
 the latter says that Mr. Addison, a Presbyterian 
 Minister, "fell foul of the English ceremonies in the 
 Church of Perth, and disgusted many of the officers of 
 the soldiers there." 
 
 (2.) — The next little memorial of the time, which we 
 shall bring forward, consists of two extracts, the first 
 from our Presbytery Records and the other from a 
 Proclamation by the Synod of Perth and Stirling. 
 As the extract of August Slst, 1715, given above, 
 marks the present freedom of the Church from perse- 
 cution, so these have reference to its internal growth 
 
Spread of Episcopacy. 85 
 
 and prosperity. The Presbytery, on June 9th, 171Jf, 
 " take into their serious consideration the threatening 
 aspect of affairs, the pernicious influence of erroneous 
 doctrine, the great prevalencie of Popish and supersti- 
 tious worship, the bold encroachments upon our 
 Constitution, the lamentable defection of many from 
 our Covenanting principles, and the restless endeavours 
 both in Church and State.'' The Synod, on June 23th, 
 after lamenting " the many heinous sins of all ranks ; 
 gross atheism and ignorance, great barranness and 
 unfruitfulness under a pure and plentiful Gospel 
 Dispensation ; high contempt of the precious ordinances 
 of Jesus Christ ; all manner of immoralities, as horrid 
 prophanation of the Lord^s Day, cursing and swearing, 
 drunkenness and uncleanness," go on to mention, as it 
 were, in a climax, "the woful defection some have made 
 from the true doctrine of Christ and worship of God, 
 since a door has been opened for introducing Errors in 
 doctrine and Innovations in public worship, and the 
 great danger many are in of being carried away . . from 
 the purity and simplicity of the Gospel to a form and mode 
 of worship not warranted by the Word of God." Evidently 
 the main drift of these passages is simply that Episcopacy 
 was now in a comparatively flourishing condition within 
 the district, as well as elsewhere, and in fact they only 
 present us with the Presbyterian way of describing 
 that, which an Episcopal Historian relates thus : — 
 "About this time the Liturgy of the Church of 
 England was almost universally received and intro- 
 duced in all the Episcopal Churches of Scotland. . . . 
 Meeting-Houses were set up in several towns and 
 villages, where both pastors and people manifested the 
 greatest forwardness for embracing the English liturgy; 
 Church principles and communion began to be 
 
86 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 now better understood by the generality of the people.'' 
 (3) — And we are in a position to add a few par- 
 ticulars concerning the welfare of our Congregation 
 itself. "At this period the ejected Bishops were held 
 in the greatest respect and veneration during their 
 lives by the members of the Church. Even the 
 descendents of some of their predecessors in the 
 Episcopate were highly esteemed in their localities; 
 The Perth MS. in the Advocates' Library supplies an 
 illustration of this. It describes the case of the family 
 of Dr. W. Lindsay, who had been one of the Incum- 
 bents of- Perth, and died Bishop of Dunkeld in 1679. 
 His wife had died a short time before him, and his 
 surviving children were placed under the care of a 
 relative in Perth. The old women of that town used 
 to stroke the heads of his little grand-children, and 
 bless them for their grandfather's sake, who, they were 
 sure, was a good man." 
 
 (4). — Our fourth group of notices give us a 
 glimpse of the Clergy of the Perth Congregation. The 
 son of the Eev. W. Smith (whose trial by the Presby- 
 tery was related at some length in chap, vii.) informs 
 us that Eev. H. Murray "continued in the Meeting 
 House till 1716" (he had been, we remember, formally 
 appointed to the charge in 1703). "He was," adds 
 Mr. Smith, " in the habit of praying for her Majesty 
 (Queen Anne), but after her death never complying 
 nor praying for the King (George I.)." 
 
 His young assistant also, the Rev. Walter Stewart, 
 whose acquaintance we have already made as a Deacon, 
 " was now [i.e., March 11th, 171°2) promoted to the 
 Presbyterate by the said Bishop of Aberdeen (i.e., 
 George Haliburton), and was thereafter three years 
 Law&ou, II., p. 125. 
 
The Perth Congregation. 87 
 
 officiating in the Meeting House of Perth and at 
 Auohterarder." The reason why it was the Bishop of 
 Aberdeen, who performed the Ordinations of Mr. 
 Stewart, is probably to be found in the fact that, 
 after being driven from his northern Diocese, this 
 Prelate took up his abode so near at hand as Denhead, 
 (Joupar Angus. And, indeed, it may be conjectured 
 that, although the Dioceses, as they fell vacant, passed 
 under the formal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Edin- 
 burgh, he, who ordained Mr. Stewart, performed other 
 Episcopal Offices for the Perth Church-people, until his 
 death on September 29th, 1715. 
 
 Also "in the year 1712" (says Mr. Smyth, junior), 
 " the Rev. Wm. Smyth, late of Moneydie, came to 
 Perth to his son's house, where he always read Prayers 
 to as many as pleased to hear him, when the Minister 
 of the Meeting House " was prevented doing so. 
 
 (5). — And, not only have we the above information 
 with regard to the clerical arrangements, but we know 
 also that there was a Constitution of some kind drawn 
 up for the Congregation, and that the chief lay 
 officials were entitled " Managers," who, on certain 
 occasions, summoned a general meeting of the Con- 
 gregation, or at least had the power to do so. 
 
 (6). — Lastly, we are informed* that our friends 
 turned their attention towards obtaining a more 
 suitable place of Worship. The name, "Meeting 
 House," on the lips of Churchmen, was, of course, 
 allowable enough, when deliberately applied to a tem- 
 porary and makeshift Chapel, such as had hitherto 
 been in use since their ejection from the old Church 
 of S. John ; but it was a different thing to acquiesce 
 permanently, either in the name or the thing itself. 
 * Fittis's Gleanings, p. 182. 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Accordingly they proposed to furnish themselves with 
 a more satisfactory edifice, and the actual proposal, 
 ■which they made, shews what an extraordinary change 
 had " come o'er the spirit of the scene " since the 
 passing of the Toleration Bill in 1712. "It consisted 
 of nothing less than an application for leave to adopt 
 the unused East Church {i.e., the Choir of S. John's) 
 as their place of Worship. The Perth Presbytery, 
 however (so we are told), took steps to frustrate the 
 attempt." It is not recorded what arrangement was 
 actually made upon the occurrence of this disappoint- 
 ment. Perhaps a hall was hired and properly fitted 
 up. One consequence was that the temporary term of 
 " Meeting-House " had to be acquiesced in for some 
 time longer, and, as a matter of fact, for so long a 
 time that at last its temporary nature was forgotten. 
 
 Altogether, then, things were looking to a wonderful 
 degree brighter than probably the most hopeful for 
 many a long year had expected. But there were 
 shadows as well. 
 
 Amongst these was the wretched state to which 
 many of the evicted Clergy appear to have been 
 reduced at this epoch. Thomas Stephen says that 
 there were about 200 of their families " totally 
 destitute." Many of them sought their daily bread in 
 England, and " many were obliged to apply themselves 
 to mean secular employments." Doubtless, if we had 
 records on the Episcopal side, we should find that the 
 sacrifices which our Clergy made, were of no trifling 
 character. It is not likely that the Presbytery would 
 think it their duty to record the sufferings, which they 
 (no doubt conscientiously) felt obliged to cause ; but it 
 does so happen that at least two local notices are 
 extant, which illustrate this feature of the time. In 
 
Shadows. 89 
 
 the one case we have a pathetic notice of Mr. George 
 M'Gruther, the ousted Parish Minister of Collace, whom 
 ■we have already seen, struggling hard on behalf of the 
 Church in Perth. Scott, in his Fasti, says of him : — 
 " Getting into poverty, he received aid from the Kirk 
 Sessions of S. Madoes, Scoonie, and Kettins." Now, 
 this evidently iaiplies that he had been reduced pretty 
 low. It would naturally be hard for a Parish Minister 
 to be driven to depend on any one's .charity; but to 
 be compelled to wait on that of the very people who 
 had despoiled him, unjustly, as he believed, argues 
 considerable suffering on his part. Also in the Kirh 
 Session Record of Forgandenny there is the following 
 eloquent eatxj :— March 29th, 1713. — "It being repre- 
 sented likewise by the Minister that, since the last 
 Session, he had ordered two shillings for an abdicate 
 Episcopal Minister, whose name he had forgot, the 
 Session allows the Boxmaster to give the said two 
 shillings to the Minister, and this to be stated." 
 
 This was a shadow thrown by the past upon the 
 brightness of the present period of Toleration. There 
 was also another shadow cast by the future. For, 
 strictly speaking, the benefits of the Act were only 
 to be extended to those, who took the oaths of 
 Abjuration and Allegiance. And, though many of the 
 Clergy (the Kev. Henry Murray amongst them), were 
 ready to swear positive allegiance to Queen Anne, 
 yet they could not conscientiously take a negative oath 
 that, in the event of the death of this Stuart Princess, 
 her brother. King James's son, would have no right to 
 the succession. Nor can the Presbyterians plead that 
 the refusal of this oath put our friends out of the 
 pale of legitimate toleration, for they themselves, 
 although for a different reason, scrupled at the same 
 
go Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 oath. Their insuperable difficulty was that they could 
 not bring themselves to swear that the future King of 
 England must be a member of the Church of England. 
 Still, the case of the Presbyterians does not concern 
 us. What is evident is that, notwithstanding the 
 present Toleration, there will be a serious contest 
 between the two parties over the succession, as soon as 
 the now childless* monarch shall be removed by death. 
 
 *In Dean Stanley's "Westminster Abbey" there is a descrip- 
 tion of the finding of 15 little coffins of this Queen's family. 
 
BOOK II. 
 
 penal ILawe anb Divisions. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 HOW THE CHURCH IN PERTH WAS INVOLVED IN A 
 SECOND DISASTER, I715-I719. 
 
 On August 1st, 1714-, Queen Anne died, and the anxious 
 crisis had arrived. It is preposterous (as is so often 
 done) to describe Prince James, the late Queen's 
 brother, and oldest son of her father, King James VII., 
 as a Pretender, when he now claimed to be heir of the 
 Throne. It is a simple fact that he had considerable 
 weight of reason on his side, and this even though it is 
 granted that there was considerable weight of reason on the 
 other side also. The Jacobites, therefore, as the Stuart 
 party now began to be called, were not irrational fanatics. 
 We are not called upon, indeed, to discuss the 
 rising of 1715 in all its bearings as a national question; 
 but a few general words from a Church point of view 
 may here be allowed. While, therefore, we hold that 
 all, who then considered that the balance of argument 
 was in favour of continuing the old Dynasty, were 
 perfectly justified in making a determined effort to 
 cause their views to prevail, we also hold that there 
 were certain considerations, which might justly have 
 given Churchmen pause before joining in the enterprise 
 actually undertaken. In the first place, just as Pope 
 Leo XIIL, in a.d. 1892, commanded Royalist French 
 Churchmen to give their support to the Republic, on the 
 ground that the Church cannot undertake to set forth 
 any form of secular government as a necessary article 
 of the faith, so our friends might have acted on a 
 similar principle at this crisis. They might have 
 
94 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 said : — " As citizens we believe in the doctrine of 
 a hereditary monarchy in opposition to that of one 
 based on parliamentary election ; but, ecclesiastically, 
 we cannot presume to stake the Church's existence on 
 either the one or the other of these political theories, 
 and, therefore, we prefer to play a passive part during 
 the present secular changes." Such a point of view, 
 however, was but little known to the Churchmen of 
 that day, amongst whom Archbishop Laud's theory 
 of alliance between Church and State was more 
 prevalent. Even those, however, who felt pledged by 
 every principle of loyalty to draw the sword for the 
 defeat of an attack upon their ancient, national 
 Dynasty, might still have hesitated on another ground 
 as Churchmen to join the actual enterprise of 1715. 
 Seeing that the failure of this political movement would 
 mean the ruin of the Church, they might fairly have 
 stood aloof until they were satisfied that the rising was 
 not foredoomed to failure by incapacity on the part of 
 its promoters ; inadequacy of design and lack of means. 
 This reasoning, however, though sound, partakes too 
 much of the nature of wisdom after the event. At 
 all events it weighed little with men, whose late success 
 in the matter of the Toleration Act had rendered them 
 sanguine : most of whom imagined that the Church 
 did commit herself to the principle of a hereditary 
 Monarchy, and whose loyalty to the Stuarts had been 
 raised to white heat by the persecution, which they 
 had lately been compelled to endure at the hands of 
 their rivals. And so, there being much real weight of 
 reason, and an inexhaustible supply of generous feeling 
 (not to speak of lower incentives) in favour of the 
 enterprise, a vast number of Scottish Churchmen espoused 
 the cause of the exiled Prince. 
 
Lord Mar in Perth. 95 
 
 In this undertaking the City of Perth played a con- 
 spicuous part, and it would greatly enliven these pages 
 if we were to transfer to them an account of Lord 
 Mar's occupation of the Town in favour of Prince 
 James, and of the Chevalier's own visit to the same. 
 We must not, however, stray too far into the region 
 of secular history, but confine ourselves to whatever 
 bears upon the local fortunes of the Church. 
 
 While Mar's troops held the City, there can be 
 little doubt that our local Episcopacy would enjoy a 
 brief moment of importance, greater than had fallen to 
 its lot since the Disestablishment. But military and 
 political questions seem so to have absorbed men's 
 minds that little has been chronicled concerning ecclesi- 
 astical affairs. The Presbytery Records throw no light 
 on the state of the Church in Perth at this time, and, 
 if the Eev. H. Murray kept any register, it has 
 perished. 
 
 The Commander-in-Chief soon found that the Presby- 
 terians as a whole regarded the cause of him, whom 
 they called " The Pretender," and that of Anti-Christ 
 as identical.* He therefore laboured assiduously to over- 
 come the bias of the popular mind. For this purpose 
 he imported a valuable possession, of which the Fair 
 City had hitherto been devoid. He brought in a printing- 
 press, which was managed by a Mr. Freebairn. Jacobite 
 publications (at least one of which still survives in 
 the Episcopal Chest in Edinburgh) were put forth, and 
 urged that King James VIII. had not the remotest 
 desire to disturb the Protestant settlement of the 
 Kingdom. Eecourse was also had to the pulpit as well 
 as the press. In pursuance of the General's orders, 
 
 * Fittia's Sketches, p. 160. [I am indebted to the same work 
 for several other statements in this chapter. — Author.'] 
 
g6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 suitable sermons were preached by non-juring Divines 
 on texts selected by Lord Mar himself. 
 
 One of these discourses delivered (probably) in Perth 
 contained the following passage:* — "I shall now consider 
 you as Protestant, and apply myself to the deluded 
 populace, who are bugbeard out of their duty by two 
 terrifying scarcrows and ugly vizors : the one is the 
 King's religion : the other his education at the French 
 Court. As to the first, it is an old maxim ' Si vis 
 fallere plehem, flnge Deum ; ' that is, ' The best way 
 to buble people is to pretend religion. . . ' Did 
 
 any of you make exception against the Duke of Hannover 
 for being a Lutheran ? We all know that we of the 
 reformed religion are as disgustful to those of that 
 profession as Papists themselves are : witness the reception 
 of the poor English reformers at Lubeck, when they 
 fled from Queen Marie's persecution. Witness also your 
 own now reigning Prince, who has built Churches to 
 the Jesuits (reputed the worst of Papists) in his 
 capatall of Germany : yet there the reformed have not 
 the least allowance for the exercise of their religion. 
 
 . . Ar their errors small ? What think you now 
 of consubstantiation, picturs, and images in Churches ? 
 What would many of our Presbyterians say to be obliged 
 to swear backword as to many heads of their profession 
 of faith by the Lutherans, who are all of them Arminians ? 
 How grossly partial are we in this matter I to except 
 against the religion of our native Prince, and yet to set 
 up a stranger lyable to the very sam objections / . . . 
 Is there but the remotest probability that the King 
 will venture his crowns by trusting to any Popish 
 potentate for help, considering how regardless all of 
 them have been of him 1 " 
 
 * Oliphant's Jacobite Lairds of Gask, p. 38. 
 
Sheriffmuir. 97 
 
 Notwithstanding, however, both the real argument 
 and also the assumption of a maximum of zeal for 
 Protestantism contained in the above, the preaching 
 and the printing proved to be unproductive work, and 
 when Lord Mar set himself to compel Parish Ministers 
 to cease praying in public worship for the Elector of 
 Brunswick (George I.), he was equally unsuccessful. 
 One potent reason, no doubt, why he found it so difficult 
 to enlist Protestant sentiment on his behalf was the 
 fact that, however sincere the Prince may have been 
 in his assurances that he did not intend to coerce his 
 subjects into Romanism, it was evident that he was 
 equally determined that he, a Romanist, should not be 
 coerced into Protestantism by his subjects. When he 
 arrived in Perth, he could with difficulty, if at all, be 
 persuaded to darken the door of a non-Roman Church 
 there. Nor was a Royal Proclamation from Scone, so 
 far recognizing his subjects' religion as to enjoin a general 
 thanksgiving for his arrival, and the offering of prayers 
 on his behalf in the Churches, more successful. 
 
 We must not follow the march of the army from 
 Perth to the indecisive battle of Sheriffmuir ; nor must 
 we linger over the subsequent meeting of the Council 
 in Scone, at which it was decided that the Prince 
 must retreat ; nor must we retire with him and Mar 
 across the frozen Tay and listen to his desponding 
 witticism " See, my Lord, hoiv you have led me on to 
 the ice ! " But, considering that Churchmen in Perth 
 were, as a whole, involved in the dismay which 
 followed upon the Prince's withdrawal and the utter 
 collapse of all their hopes, we may well pause to 
 describe the state of the deserted City. When the fiat 
 of the Council was promulgated, it produced much dis- 
 satisfaction, which became intensified at the news of 
 
gS Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Argyle's approach. The Jacobite burghers were in a 
 dreadful plight. " The Clergy,'' says Sinclair, " the 
 inhabitants of the City ; the Magistrates in the countrj' ; 
 the merchants, tradesmen, and the like, who, though 
 they had not taken arms, had yet publicly discovered 
 themselves ; had received the Chevalier ; had owned 
 him ; had assisted in proclaiming him, and perhaps 
 signed addresses to him, or in some other way had 
 distinguished themselves against those into whose hands 
 they were now to fall ; these were all in an inexpres- 
 sible consternation, enquiring every moment what was 
 determined on at Scone, slnd visibly preparing to get 
 out of the way even before the army left Perth " 
 (January Slst, 1716). 
 
 Of course the sum-total of these events constituted 
 a disaster to the Church, as notable as its Dis- 
 establishment and Disendowment in 1689. In Perth, 
 the Town Council on May 21st passed a resolution 
 depriving those concerned in the late " rebellion " of 
 their freedom. But that was comparatively little. A 
 Bill was carried through Parliament discharging the 
 Episcopal Clergy, who had not taken the oaths required 
 by the Toleration Act of 1712, from officiating to any 
 number of persons above eight, and the family in which 
 they performed any part Of their office. During the 
 year 1716 this Act was used with crushing effect. 
 The Presbyterians in various parts of the country, but 
 especially in the north, where Episcopacy was strong, 
 vised it as a potent weapon wherewith to strike Church- 
 men down. Those of the latter, who had already been 
 driven out of the Parishes, had to look on while their 
 "Meeting-Houses'' were demolished, and those, who still 
 retained their Parish Churches, were expelled, and many 
 of both classes were thrown into prison. 
 
Rev. W. Smith's Ministry. gg 
 
 Amongst other misfortunes, both Mr. Murray and 
 Mr. Stewart had to leave Perth. The latter retired to 
 Doune, where he ministered for some time, but the 
 name of the place to which the former betook himself 
 is not recorded. Their congregation, however, though 
 it must have received a deplorable shaking, was not 
 wholly deserted. For (says the Rev. W. Smith's son) 
 " when Mr. Henry Murray was obstructed by the 
 Magistrates, my father, who had settled in the Town, 
 was accustomed to conduct service in his own house 
 for all who chose to come.'' 
 
 During, therefore, at least' the earlier part of this 
 obscure period, Mr. Smith may be said to have 
 been Incumbent. And whatever incidents or notices of 
 these years are extant may here be grouped together. 
 Surely the fragmentary records of a Ministry exercised 
 under such discouraging circumstances will be perused 
 with sympathetic interest by Churchmen of a happier 
 epoch. 
 
 Mr. Smith, then, we may be certain, often used the 
 prayer issued by Bishop Rose for those troubled days, 
 the invocation of which ran thus : — " Eternal God ! 
 who in Thy righteou.s judgment hast covered many of 
 us with a cloud in the day of Thine anger, and hast 
 broken us sore in the place of dragons.'' 
 
 It would seem probable also that the same Presbyter 
 is referred to in the following narrative :* — When the 
 troops of what was now settled as the Government 
 had possession of Fiugask in 1716, and some of the 
 soldiers quartered in the house, one of the family 
 relates that " the good lady became alarmingly ill, and 
 in the midst of much anxiety and care (her husband 
 and sons being at a distance, and uncertain of their 
 * Fittis's Sketches, p. 213. 
 
100 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 fate, and the cause on which they were embarked 
 giving way on every side), my father, Sir Stewart 
 Threipland, was born. It was thought that, under the 
 distressing circumstances of her situation, she could not 
 survive, and a Clergyman of the Episcopal Church in Perth 
 was sent for privately — the Clergy of that persuasion 
 being marked men at that period as known adherents 
 of the Jacobite cause. He, having administered the 
 Holy Communion, proposed, as so favourable an oppor- 
 tunity might not occur again, to baptize the child. 
 This suggestion, communicated in a whisper to the 
 imrse and others, was at once assented to by them. 
 But the difficulty consisted in knowing by what name 
 the infant should be called, his father having left no 
 directions, and his poor mother being thought to be 
 much too weak to be consulted on the subject. The 
 good lady, however, heard a little of what was passing 
 near her bed, and drawing back the curtain she called 
 in a faint voice, ' Stewart, Stewart ! ' This was 
 enough, and by that name was my father christened 
 before the Clergyman left the house.'' 
 
 Before quoting the extracts from the Presbytery 
 Records, which relate to these years, we may remark 
 generally that, while our Presbytery surpassed others 
 in their zeal against Episcopalians between 1689 and 
 1712, they appear to have allowed others to sm-pass 
 them in this respect subsequent to 1715. The re- 
 flection that all their former efforts had only led up 
 to the carrying of the Toleration Act of 1712 seems 
 always to have haunted them. That they were de- 
 termined, however, to shew to the Episcopal Clergy 
 within their bounds that the brief day of Toleration 
 was over, appears from the following entries : — 
 Evidently some of the more distant parishes had 
 
The Presbytery again Active. loi 
 
 continued even to this time in possession of the Pre- 
 Eevolution Clergy. " But,'' say the Presbytery on 
 May 2nd, 1716, " we have a prospect of getting more 
 churches in our possession : the most part, if not all 
 the late Incumbents and Intruders having complied 
 with the Eebellion." 
 
 They go on to mention the names of some Clergy, 
 who attempted to " gather up the fragments that re- 
 mained " to the Church at this melancholy period, in 
 the country districts : — 
 
 May 3nd, 1716. — A Jlr. Adamson is reported to be 
 " intruding '' in various parishes, and not praying for 
 the King and the Royal Family. It is not said, indeed, 
 that he was an Episcopalian, but the probability is 
 that he was so. 
 
 November 21st, 1716. — " Mr. James Mercer, Minister 
 at Forteviot, having represented to the Presbytery that 
 one, Ninian Niving, an Episcopal Preacher, who in- 
 truded on the Church (of Crail*) in Fife in the time 
 of the late Rebellion, and prayed for the Pretender 
 under the designation of .King James VIII., has intruded 
 of late upon his parish, and preaches in the Laird of 
 Invermay's house on Sabbath days, the Presbytery, 
 taking the affair into their consideration, appoint the 
 Clerk to write to the Laird that, if he do not remove 
 the said Mr. Niving, the Presbytery will take notice 
 of him, which will be nothing to his advantage." 
 
 December 19th, 1716. — A letter i.s written to the Laird 
 of Invermay anent Mr. Niving. 
 
 The vigilance of the Presbytery was still active a 
 year later. 
 
 December 13th, 17i7.— "There being a letter sent 
 up from the Presbytery of Dundee directed to this 
 
 * AVood's Eait ycuk of Fife. 
 
102 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Presbytery, which was read, shewing that the said 
 Presbytery of Dundee have had several complaints laid 
 before them anent illegal and irregular practices com- 
 mitted by Mr. Thomas Murray, who was lately deposed 
 by this (i.e., Perth) Presbytery, such as his intrusion 
 into several Churches within the bounds of this 
 Presbytery during the late Rebellion, and since that 
 time continues ordinarily to preach, baptize, and 
 exercise other parts of the Ministerial Office within 
 congregations belonging to this Presbytery ; therefore, 
 the said Presbytery of Dundee do hereby signify that, 
 seeing that the most notour of these irregularities were 
 done within the bounds of the Presbytery of Perth, 
 that they may please take some effectual course 
 against the said Mr. Thomas Murray, and what 
 assistance and concurrence the Presbytery of Dundee 
 can give will not be wanting." The brethren, 
 " having read and considered the foresaid letter, and 
 after communing anent these irregularities committed 
 by the said Mr. Thomas Murray, do recommend to all 
 the brethren to bring in particular information anent 
 these irregularities . . against next meeting in this 
 place, and in the meantime appoints the Moderator to 
 write a return to the Presbytery of Dundee." 
 
 January 15th, 1718. — Mr. T. Murray is reported to 
 have intruded on the parish of Kilspindie and Kinfauns 
 during the time of the late Kebellion. Further 
 enquiries to be made. 
 
 October 9th, 1718. — Episcopal Clergy reported to be 
 baptizing, and the matter is referred to a Committee. 
 
 December 10th, 1718. — " Anent irregular baptisms by 
 Episcopal Incumbents, the Committee recommend the 
 Presbytery to apply to the Sheriff to take effectual 
 methods for restraining this abuse by calling the 
 
The Penal Law of 1719. 103 
 
 Intruders before them, or any other manner of way, 
 as they shall think fit." The report of the Committee 
 is accepted, and the Sheriff to be approached. 
 
 There are no further entries concerning these cases, 
 which seems strange. Perhaps the reason is to be 
 found in this, that while before the Rising the Episco- 
 palians could count on an immense amount of latent 
 sympathy in the public, and thus be enabled to fight 
 the Presbytery vigorously, after the late misfortunes 
 the populace were afraid to shew themselves on the 
 defeated side, and so the Clergy .were obliged to yield 
 more speedily, when attacked by the Presbytery and 
 the Sheriff. 
 
 Bad, however, as things had been in the three years 
 subsequent to Sheriffmuir (1716-1718), they were still 
 worse by 1719. In the first place the Rev. W. Smyth 
 died in 1718, and it does not appear how his place was filled. 
 Possibly the Congregation may have been reduced to 
 depend on the occasional ministrations of visitor Priests, 
 liut there would be serious difficulties even in the way 
 of this. For, not having learnt by their late experiences 
 that if the Throne of Britain were to be regained for 
 the Stuarts, a very large, well-supported, and well- 
 conducted movement must be organized, the Jacobites 
 were foolish enough to land a paltry force of 400 
 Spaniards in Ross-shire on March 6th, 1719. These 
 having been easily disposed of, the penal laws, the 
 administration of which had been shewing some signs 
 of relaxation, were rendered more severe than ever. In 
 April an Act was passed by which every Episcopal 
 Minister performing Divine Service in any Meeting- 
 House within Scotland, without having taken the oaths, 
 . . . is to suffer six months' imprisonment, and 
 have his Meeting-House shut up for six months ; and 
 
104 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 every house where nine or more persons, besides the 
 family, are present at Divine Service, is declared to be 
 a Meeting-House within the meaning of the Act. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 HOW PERTH FARED IN THE COLLEGE AND USAGE 
 CONTROVERSIES FROM 172O TO I726. 
 
 When things were thus at their darkest " the valuable 
 pilot, who had so ably steered the helm of the tossed 
 vessel " of the Scottish Church, was removed by death. 
 In the beginning of March, 1720, Bishop Rose had a 
 fainting fit. From this he recovered, but on the 20th 
 he went to his sister's house in the Canongate, and 
 died there of another fainting fit in the 74th year of 
 his age. 
 
 This was the end of an old and the beginning of a 
 new era in the Scottish Church. Hitherto, or at least 
 up to the failure of the enterprise of 1715, the 
 restoration of the Stuarts had been sincerely believed 
 to be an actually impending event. In view of its 
 occurrence, as we have seen, the organization of the 
 Church had taken a peculiar form. It is important to 
 remember at this point what the actual shape, which 
 things had assumed, was. Up till now, as we have 
 seen, it had not been considered necessary to make 
 any permanent and regular arrangements. When, 
 indeed, the Secular power was once more on a proper 
 footing by the Coronation of Prince James, then it 
 would be worth while for the ecclesiastical authorities 
 to place their organization on a lasting basis, and to 
 complete the bene esse of the Church by the assign- 
 ment of Dioceses to the Post-Revolution Bishops ; but, 
 in the meantime, a temporary arrangement had been 
 acquiesced in. The Pre-Revolution Bishops, as Diocesans, 
 
io6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 retained the actual government of tlie Church in their 
 own hands. When a Diocese became vacant it was 
 pro tempore administered by the senior of these 
 Diocesans, of whom Bishop Eose .was the last survivor, 
 and the Prelates, consecrated subsequent to the Dis- 
 establishment, were content that an undefined interval 
 should elapse between their Consecrations and Collation 
 to their Sees. 
 
 Naturallj' the death of Bishop Eose, following upon 
 the late disastrous overthrow of the Stuart Prince, 
 changed the whole aspect of affairs. The rest of this 
 chapter will be taken up fir&t with giving a general 
 description of two great controversies, which sprang up 
 in the Church at large out of the situation ; secondly, 
 •with weaving together into a narrative such fragmen- 
 tary notices of local Church affairs in Perth as have 
 come down to us ; and thirdly, with relating how far 
 Perth was involved, through the succession of the 
 Bishops, in the controversies described in the first 
 section. 
 
 (1). — Owing to late events, therefore, as we have 
 seen, the Church had now to face the problem of 
 providing for its permanent existence as a disestablished 
 Communion, and to do so in the light of its past 
 stormy history. What was the proper policy to pursue 
 under the circumstances ? 
 
 Alas ! the Church as a whole was unprepared to 
 answer this momentous question. Owing to the rude 
 manner of her disestablishment and disendowment ; 
 to the severe contest for bare existence which she had 
 had to wage between 1689-1712; to the irregular 
 Episcopal organization, whicii had been adopted as a 
 supposedly temporary expedient ; and finally to the 
 disaster of 1716, and the penal law of 1719, our 
 
The College Party. 107 
 
 Communion found herself in such a confused condition 
 that she had no Prelate or Assembly recognized as 
 endowed with authority to .give an answer. The 
 melancholy circumstances of the case brought it about 
 that everyone had as good a right to speak for the 
 (]hurch as any one else. And, therefore, a large 
 charity is needed in judging the conduct of individuals, 
 who now found themselves plunged, whether they 
 would or not, into a serious controversy. One comfort 
 is that, while the centrifugal forces, which almost con- 
 temporaneously developed themselves in Presbyterianism, 
 have proved too strong for those of a centripetal 
 character even to the present day, the centripetal 
 forces of Episcopacy have ultimately proved vastly 
 stronger than the centrifugal. 
 
 AVith these preliminary remarks we may now proceed 
 to describe the substance of the controversies which 
 sprang up at this time. They were two in number. 
 
 (a). — To begin with, one arose in connection 
 with the question : — " What policy of Church Govern- 
 ment are we to pursue now that the last of the 
 Diocesan Prelates is dead?" The answer proved to be 
 a discordant one, and two opposite courses were 
 advocated. On the one hand were ranged the majority 
 of the Bishops and the exiled Prince, as represented 
 by the royal delegate, Lockhart of Carnwath. The 
 southern Clergy also, who looked to Edinburgh as their 
 centre, were of this party. Their views seem to have 
 been prompted by a somewhat superficial conservatism. 
 Without making any deep study of the past of 
 Christendom, they were satisfied to continue what an 
 ordinary, commonsense layman would take to be the 
 organization of the Scottish Church, as it had been 
 under Bishop Eose. Pioughly speaking, when that 
 
io8 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Prelate was the sole Diocesan remaining, and was 
 himself as such administering all the Dioceses in the 
 country because they happened to be vacant, and was 
 sup-oiinded by a group of non-Diocesan Bishops whom 
 he used to consult, the appearance of things was that 
 of an Episcopal Committee with a Chairman governing 
 the Church as a unit. Let this state of things, 
 therefore, said our friends, be continued ; let the 
 Church be still regarded as one Diocese, and governed, 
 not by local Bishops, each in his own Diocese, but by 
 the Episcopal bench sitting conjointly as a committee 
 under its chairman, and called the College. Hence 
 they were known as the College Party. Undoubtedlj' 
 the holders of this view were animated also by the 
 Erastian spirit. For, while it would have been very 
 difficult for the (exiled) secular power to control a 
 number of Diocesan Bishops, it would evidently be 
 easy for the banished monarch to control the Church, 
 when he had it under a single committee, the members 
 of which were to be nominated by himself, and that 
 committee under a Primate of his own appointment. 
 
 On the other hand, there were those who took a 
 very different view. Such were Bishops John Falconer 
 and Gadderar; Dr. Rattray of Craighall, and, generally 
 speaking, the northern Clergy, who looked to Aberdeen 
 as their centre, and not a few Laity. These held that 
 the " College " view was an entire mistake. They did 
 did not, indeed, object to the conservatism of the theory, 
 but to the superficiality of its conservatism. They 
 must go further back and deeper down. {a) There 
 must no longer be such utter dependence on the Civil 
 Power as had hitherto prevailed. No doubt there must 
 not be a breach betvveen the Church and the (exiled) 
 Monarch : the latter must have his ecclesiastical rights, 
 
The Diocesan Party. 109 
 
 but the Church must learn far more to live her own 
 life and do her own work, trusting chiefly to her own 
 apostolical commission, (b) Again, it was quite a mistake 
 to suppose that Bishop Eose had superseded the Diocesan 
 principle, and governed the Church as the Primus of 
 a College. Doubtless he had consulted his non-diocesan 
 brethren, but the very ground on which he administered 
 the whole of Scotland was that ho was a Diocesan 
 Bishop, and that not only permanently, as Bishop of 
 Edinbui'gh, but also temporarily, as Bishop of each of 
 the vacant Sees. In accordance, therefore, both with 
 the underlying principle of Bishop Rose's administration 
 and the customs of antiquity, the Church must be 
 governed by Diocesan Prelates. Hence they formed a 
 Diocesan Party. (c) Again, having resolved on in- 
 dependent action on the part of the Church, and the 
 re-organization of the l^iiocesan system, they must be 
 able to tell their rivals by what authority they pro- 
 posed that local jurisdiction should now be conferred 
 upon those who had already been consecrated Bishops 
 before Bishop Rose's death. And the answer to this 
 was ultimately found in an appeal to antiquity. The 
 visible Church derives its " esse " and its powers from 
 the Apostolical Commission handed on from generation 
 to generation through the Episcopate. This Commission 
 is conferred in all its fulness at Consecration. Whether 
 regular or irregular, the ministrations of a consecrated 
 Bishop are always valid. And this essential endow- 
 ment the present Scottish Prelates had. But it was 
 not enough that there should be Bishops anyhow. The 
 "bene esse" of the Church required that the principle 
 of order should prevail amongst the Prelates : to each 
 should be assigned a definite local sphere or Diocese, 
 beyond which the exercise of his powers should be 
 
no Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 restrained. And it is tliis practical limitation to a 
 particular district of the theoretically universal com- 
 mission conferred by consecration which is called juris- 
 diction. The latter is thus not a Divine essential of 
 the Church, like Consecration, but simply an ecclesi- 
 astical arrangement for its " hene esse." Obviously, 
 therefore, a Church possessing the Apostolical Com- 
 mission could take whatever steps seemed good to it 
 ■with regard to the assignment of jurisdiction. Hitherto 
 in Scotland the Civil Power had been, even too largely, 
 allowed to regulate this point, and Bishops had allowed 
 it to assign them their particular Sees. But now the 
 Civil Power was in exile, and so the Church must 
 resume the power, which she had delegated to it, and 
 take order herself for the assignment of jurisdiction to 
 her already consecrated Prelates. And what order should 
 it be 1 Of course, the primitive mode of election. Such 
 was the " Diocesan " party which opposed that of the 
 " College.'-' 
 
 There was a certain amount of right on each side. 
 On the one hand the essential view of the Diocesans 
 was the more orthodox, but they were at first led to 
 push the theory of Diocesan independance to such an 
 extent as to render unity in the Scottish Church almost 
 impossible. On the other hand, although the " College " 
 party were even more inclined to push their idea also 
 to an extreme, yet it was necessary that, for the sake 
 of unity, at least partial expression should be given to 
 their views. 
 
 (b). — But, besides this constitutional question, into 
 which the course of events had plunged the Church, 
 there was another controversy of equal seriousness. 
 Its nature was as follows. It will be remembered that 
 before the Disestablishment the all but universal rule 
 
Usagers and Anti-Usagers. iii 
 
 was that, except for the use of the Creed, the Doxologj-, 
 and the Lord's Prayer, the general ex tempore character 
 of the ivorship of the Church was the same as that of 
 the Presbyterians. It will be remembered also that 
 after the Revolution " liturgical forms " began to bo 
 everywhere adopted. In general, it was the English 
 Prayer Book that was used, but while some old-fashioned 
 people still retained the ex tempore method, there were 
 also instances of the Scottish Eucharistic Service of 
 1637 being revived. As time went on, however, the study 
 of antiquity and the appeal of the English non-jurors to 
 the Scottish Prelates concerning their Liturgy of 1718 
 led many of our most learned northern Divines to see 
 that the Scottish Office of 1637, especially if the order 
 of the prayers were modified, was an altogether more 
 satisfactory Eucharistic Service than that contained in 
 the English Book. Ultimately it came about that, 
 while the " College " party as a whole were contented 
 with the superficially conservative policy of being satisfied 
 with the arrangements for public worship, as they then 
 happened to be in Scotland, the Diocesan party as a 
 whole now felt that there was really no further call on 
 the Church to conciliate a Presbyterianised public opinion. 
 The latter therefore advocated an appeal to Antiquity, 
 not only for Episcopal organization, but also for liturgical 
 forms. As a matter of fact, besides Immersion in 
 Baptism, the restoration of Confirmation, and the use 
 of Chrism in that Sacramental Ordinance, the chief 
 points upon which they insisted were — (1) The express 
 Invocation of the Holy Spirit in consecrating the 
 Eucharist ; (2) The Oblation of the same during the 
 Consecration; (3) The change of the' Prayer for the 
 Church militant into one for the whole Church, includ- 
 ing the faithful departed ; (4) The mixture of water 
 
112 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 with the wine, and to these may be added (5) The 
 restoration of the component parts of the Altar Service 
 to the order in which they occur in the ancient Liturgies. 
 In 1735 an edition of the Eucharistic Service embody- 
 ing these points (which had already become customary) 
 was printed, and was substantially identical with the 
 "Scotch Office" now in use amongst ourselves. Such 
 was the nature of the " Usage " controversy, as it was 
 called. 
 
 (2). — We have occupied considerable space in giving 
 a general outline of the two great controversies which 
 now shook the Church to its centre. Our excuse is 
 that, unless the reader had some clear notion of their 
 character and importance, the subsequent history of the 
 Church in Perth would for many years be unin- 
 telligible to him. 
 
 We may now, therefore, return to the Fair City 
 itself. A.nd, first, we must combine the few and 
 scattered local notices which have been preserved to 
 us in such a way as to shew that our Perth Congrega- 
 tion had a continuous existence during this period. 
 We left our friends in the last chapter at the year 
 1719 (the twelve-month succeeding the death of the 
 Kev. W. Smith), but we are unable to state how they 
 were providing for the carrying on of Services under 
 the diflBcult circumstances of the time. It seems pretty 
 certain that one of the great weaknesses of a 
 " voluntary " and disorganized Church began to shew 
 itself in our Congregation, and that is that the Clergy, 
 being wholly dependent on their flock for their 
 subsistence, the Lay Managers became Managers indeed. 
 The first Presbyters, whom we come across after Mr. 
 Smith's death, are two old friends still in distress. 
 On January 3^th, 1721, the Revs. Thomas Murray and 
 
Rev. H. Murray back to Perth. 113 
 
 George M'Gruther receive respectively from the Bishop 
 of Edinburgh's fund for the relief of indigent Clergy, 
 ten and seven-and-a-half crowns. Whether or not they 
 were in Perth, however, is not recorded ; but in the 
 same year Bishop Falconer speaks of " the Presbyters 
 in and about Perth." He does not, indeed, give their 
 names, for our Clergy were then very cautious about 
 committing their designations and places of residence 
 to paper; but clearer information comes with 1722. 
 It appears that previous to this time negotiations were 
 in progress to bring a certain Rev. Mr. Irvine* to fill 
 the vacant charge, but for some reason they failed. 
 In the year in question, however, a settlement was 
 made. Mr. Smith, junior, tells us that now, " by 
 invitation of the members of the Episcopal Society, 
 Mr. Henry Murray returned (to Perth, which he had 
 left in 1716) and officiat, never complying nor praying 
 for the King but in general terms." The next glimpse 
 we have of this Presbyter is on Feh^uary %2nd, 1726, 
 when the Rev. George Sempill (of whom more anon) 
 writes to a friend : — " One, Mr. Wingate, brought Dr. 
 Stirling's letter to Mr. Murray at Perth." That this 
 Mr. Murray is our Incumbent seems certain, because, 
 in the same letter, Mr. Sempill describes him as "our 
 Moderator,'' which both shews that a cleric is referred 
 to, and also gives us an interesting glimpse of the 
 survival of Pre-Revolution arrangements long after 
 Disestablishment. Mr. Smith, junior, also informs us 
 that the Rev. H. Murray continued in charge of 
 the Perth Congregation till his death. Now, as 
 this did not occur till much later, we can be quite 
 sure of the existence of our flock during the present 
 period. 
 
 * Perhaps Mr. Irvine of Doune, a College Bishop. 
 
 H 
 
114 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Having settled this point, let us now collect our 
 fragmentary notices of Episcopacy in the country 
 districts at the same time. 
 
 The Pre&bytery Record informs us that in January, 
 1725, "Mr. Foord, Schoolmaster at Kilspindy, is com- 
 plained against by some of the heritors as being unfit 
 for his post." Summoned before the Presbytery, he 
 compeared, and "told he was in the Paroch of Kil- 
 spindy in the time of the Kebellion, and that there 
 was an Episcopal preacher, Mr. Thomas Murray, who 
 preached at Kilspindy at that time, and that he sat 
 as Precentor to the said Mr. Murray, and that he read 
 a paper emitted by the Earl of Mar's order." Mr. 
 Foord is therefore now dismissed from his office " as 
 being disaffected to the Church and State." Churchmen, 
 it appears, were still called upon and willing to suffer 
 for their principles. 
 
 On September 23rd of the same year we have our 
 first glimpse of an ecclesiastic of great learning and 
 power, who was destined to play a very important 
 part in our local Church affairs. This was the Eev. 
 Robert Rattray, D.D., Laird of Craighall, near Blair- 
 gowrie. Having been born in 1684, we find him at 
 the age of 29 (in 1713) requesting Bishop John 
 Falconer to baptize him by immersion, and confirm 
 him by Chrism. Probably this was in view of his 
 Ordination. Now, in 1725, he was in the prime of 
 life, being 41 years old. It is Mr. Sempill who gives 
 us our glance at him. " Craighall," he says (referring 
 in the Scottish manner to Dr. Rattray), " came to 
 Duplin when Mr. Gray and I were there. 
 He went off on Saturday, and held forth in young 
 Balgowan's house on Sunday." His discourse on that 
 occasion is not recorded for us, but Mr. Sempill gives 
 
The Laird of Craighall. 115 
 
 us a (not very appreciative) outline of one delivered 
 five months later, probably at Dunsinane. " I heard,' 
 he says, " Craighall deliver my Lord Nairn's funeral 
 harangue. He was as cautious as he could be with 
 respect to his darling (doctrine of an Intermediate 
 State). He told the chief way we could perpetuat 
 the memory of the righteous was by commemorating 
 them at the Altar. And for the separate state I 
 observe he took the cautious way Divines take with 
 the question, ' Wliere was Lazarus' soul the three days he 
 ivas dead 1 ' He told not if the separate souls were in 
 Heaven or Hades, but that they were in God's hands." 
 
 On April 17th, 1726, the Presbytery Record leads us 
 to suppose that there were some Episcopal assemblies 
 in our neighbourhood, for one of the instructions 
 with which the Presbytery charges its delegate to the 
 General Assembly is, " to beg the Assembly to take 
 such methods to suppress such meetings for worship 
 that are nurseries of disaffection to His Majesty's 
 Government." 
 
 (3.) — Having now explained the nature of the con- 
 troversies, which agitated the Scottish Church at large, 
 and produced the evidence, which shows the continuance 
 of Episcopacy in our city and neighbourhood, it remains 
 to prove in what manner our district was involved in 
 the "College" and "Usage" disputes. And, in doing 
 this, we shall reap the further benefit of tracing our 
 Episcopal succession. 
 
 On the death of Bishop Eose the Church was divided 
 as follows, between the "College "and the "Diocesan" 
 parties. The College remained everywhere in possession, 
 except in the following important districts, which fell 
 to the "Diocesans." The Clergy of the Diocese of 
 Aberdeen elected Bishop Archibald Campbell (whose 
 
ii6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 place was, in 1722, taken by Bishop Gadderar, because 
 he himself lived in London). The Clergy of Angus, 
 Mearns, S. Andrews City and its immediate neighbour- 
 hood, and those of that part of the Diocese of Dmikeld, 
 which consists of Perthshire east of the Tay (excluding 
 Perth itself), elected Bishop John Falconer, of Carnbee 
 in Fife. The new Bishop of Aberdeen was so staunch 
 a "Diocesan" and "Usager" that he accepted his See 
 in complete independence of the " College." Bishop 
 Falconer, however, though a convinced member of the 
 same school of thought, was eminently a man of peace 
 and conciliation. On the one hand, he satisfied his 
 own friends by acquiescing in his election ; but, on 
 the other, he was so happy as to induce the College 
 also to concur in his appointment, by representing to 
 them that it was the Clergy of a new "District" and 
 not of an old "Diocese," who had elected him! 
 Would that this good Prelate's tact had been shared 
 in by all ! 
 
 Seeing, however, that Perth was expressly excluded 
 from his jurisdiction, why do we bring in Bishop 
 Falconer ? For this reason : that, though our city 
 adhered to the "College" and "Anti-Usage" party, 
 this Prelate, so far as can be judged from' the scanty 
 information at our disposal, appears to have been a 
 persona grata in our neighbourhood, 'and not to have 
 been unwilling to represent the College beyond the 
 limits of his own District. Aud it is probable that, in 
 this capacity, or perhaps in no regularly defined 
 capacity at all, he performed Episcopal acts in the 
 Fair City. The evidence on which this conclusion is 
 based is as follows. Writing on October 7th, 1721, he 
 first mentions " the verie long expedition I have made 
 throughout that too vast district, which is assigned me,'' 
 
Bishop Falconer. 117 
 
 and then adds : — "And not only that, but I launched 
 out farther through a great part of Perthshire, but this 
 at the importuuitie of parents and children, and of the 
 Clergy, who has the care of them." It seems all the 
 more liltely that this " launching out " beyond his own 
 District included Perth itself, because he goes on to 
 say that " the Presbiters in and about Perth petitioned 
 for a Bishop." The position of our Congregation, 
 therefore seems to have been this, that, while taking 
 the " College '' and " Anti-Usage " side, they were, in 
 the days of Bishop Falconer, so skilfully treated that 
 they both allowed him, in some capacity or another, to 
 confirm the children belonging to them, and also 
 begged him to use his influence with the " College " to 
 assign them a particular Bishop for their neighbourhood, 
 in something of the same way in which they had 
 assigned Bishop Fullarton to the (not Diocese ! but) 
 District of Edinburgh. 
 
 Confident, therefore, that Bishop Falconer was to a 
 certain extent officially connected with our City, we 
 give the following glimpse of the worthy Father's 
 Episcopal attire. It is interesting, not only for its 
 extreme quaintness, but also for the light which it 
 throws upon the subject of the vestments of the 
 Scottish Prelates at this period. When, indeed. Arch- 
 bishop Sharpe and his colleagues were consecrated in 
 Westminster Abbey in 1661, they wore the Rochet 
 and Chimere, and again when the rest of the Scottish 
 Prelates were raised to the Episcopate at Holyrood in 
 1662, the Archbishop and his assistants were similarly 
 habited. Moreover (if we may argue from a portrait 
 reproduced by the Rev. J. B. Craven in his Histoiy of 
 the Church in Orkney, 1662-89), Bishop Honey man used 
 to wear the Surplice and Scarf. It is certain also that 
 
ii8 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 a Mitre and Crosier were conspicuous objects in the 
 funeral procession of Archbishop Sharpe after his murder 
 in 1679. So that we must conclude that it was not 
 objection to the Episcopal attire, as such, that caused 
 the Scottish Bishops to lay it aside, but their policy 
 of moderation and conciliation in strictly non-essential 
 ecclesiastical affairs. Still they did for the greater part 
 allow it to fall into disuse, and the black gown became 
 the mark of the Episcopal Clergy of all ranks, as blue seems 
 to have been that of the moderate Presbyterians, and 
 brown that of the extreme Covenanters. The Bishops, 
 however, as was becoming, retained a distinctive habit 
 for themselves in addition to the black gown, and this 
 was the Cassock. Here, therefore, we find Bishop 
 Falconer, who had hitherto concealed his Episcopal 
 rank, waxing bolder, and on March 11th, 1719, saying : — 
 " I now have taken the courage again to wear a Cassock, 
 which is not excepted against by any (for ought I 
 know), and approven by many : but, though I want 
 not a girdle, yet it is so heavie that I cannot easilie 
 travel (walk) with it, and therefore Mistress Berrie, I 
 suppose, will project some convenient easie one for 
 mee ; it might be some strong, broad, black ribband, 
 which may surround mee twice, and then have knobs, 
 or some such ends, which I cannot express, through 
 want of the terms of art. . . . Sober pageantrie 
 wants not its usefulness.'' 
 
 Unfortunately our Prelate did not long survive to 
 fill the position, which he held after the death of 
 Bishop Rose. Forty years after his ordination as 
 Priest {May 19th, 1683), fifteen after his secret eleva- 
 tion to the Episcopate in Bishop Douglas's house at 
 Dundee, and scarcely three years after his election to 
 the District, he departed this life. The Postboy of 
 
A Contested Election. 119 
 
 July 25th, 1723, contained the following notice : — * 
 " On Saturday, 6th inst., died John Falconer, D.D., 
 much lamented. He was a gentleman well born, being 
 a descendent of Lord Halkerstoun's family. 
 He was made Rector of Carnbee in Fife. ... He 
 was a gentleman endued with great meekness, modera- 
 tion, and charity, . . of good natural parts, and 
 great learning. He always applied himself more 
 particularly to the study of the Holy Scriptures and 
 the writings of the early Fathers : in both he was a 
 great proficient. ... He was calm, serene, and uni- 
 form under the pressure of very narrow circumstances." 
 His death was the letting out of waters. With great 
 tact he had been able to keep the controversy in its 
 initial stages within bounds throughout, and even 
 beyond, his District. But now, the person who united 
 them being gone, the two parties came into open 
 conflict. The crux, of course, was found in the 
 appointment of a successor. The " College " party, 
 acting in obedience to the exiled Prince's agent, 
 Lockhart of Carnwath, submitted to the Kev. Robert 
 Norrie, " an ancient Presbyter of Dundee," as their 
 nominee. Probably a more unsuitable choice could 
 not have been made. Here was a district, in which 
 quite one-half of the leading Clergy and Laity were 
 "Diocesans" and "Usagers," and, of all people to force 
 upon them, the nominee of the Prince, a man, who 
 had resisted not merely the Usages but the English 
 Prayer Booh itself, and had long held out for the 
 retention of ex tempore forms, was the most unfortunate. 
 On their side, the other party put forward the Rev. 
 Dr. Rattray of Craighall, who was not only a man of 
 
 * See Scottish' Ecclesiastical Journal, 1853, p. 78 (Article by 
 Canon Bright, D.D.). 
 
120 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 position in the District, but the most learned and 
 respected theologian then serving in the Scottish 
 Church. He was the very Achilles of the "Diocesans" 
 and "Usagers." When the matter came to the vote, 
 each side was practically equal to the other. The 
 case was argued out before a meeting of the Bishops 
 in Edinburgh. Dr. Rattray, backed by Lord Panmure, 
 made a very powerful defence of his claim, but the 
 decision was given in favour of Mr. Norrie, he being 
 the Bishops' own candidate. He was, therefore, conse- 
 crated about the beginning of winter, 1724. 
 
 It was one thing, however, to consecrate him, and 
 another to settle him in his District against the 
 protests of an influential half of the Clerg-y and people. 
 Accordingly we learn from Mr. Sempill that " Craighall 
 has declined his Ordinar's authority. . . . Bishop 
 Norrie indeed meets with a great many provoking 
 things" {Hepiember 23rd, 1725). Dr. Rattray himself 
 writes on October 29th, 1726, about "the hardship of 
 endeavouring to impose Bishops upon a Clergy against 
 their consent." And, besides his theological bias 
 against the Collegians, he gives a very good common- 
 sense ground for opposing Bishop Norrie's party, and 
 writes thus : — "It is surprising to think that they will 
 not consider how much they are at the mercy of the 
 present Government, who, though otherwise they seem 
 willing to overlook them, yet cannot but be provoked at 
 their acting so openly and avowedly by authority from 
 abroad. And, if by this way of doing they shall pull 
 down a persecution upon the Church, how can they 
 answer it to God ? " 
 
 Perth, indeed, seems to have recognised Bishop 
 Norrie, but his cause did not make way, and Dr. 
 Rattray's did. The former was probably already in bad 
 
Death of Bishop Norrie. 121 
 
 health and unfit for the struggle ; and the latter, as 
 appears from a letter of Mr. Sempill's {May 9th, 1726), 
 gained the adhesion of Lord Strathmore, or at least 
 detached him from Bishop Norrie's side. Already, on 
 February 22nd, 1726, Mr. Sempill makes a suggestion 
 that a meeting should be held in Perth to consider a 
 new election, and, after the meeting was over, he wrote 
 in April : — " At the Perth meeting, Logie Drummond 
 said : ' There was a necessity to take in Craighall.' " 
 And before the year was out, or at least in the 
 beginning of 1727, the position was simplified by the 
 death of Bishop Norrie. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 HOW THE LAST YEARS OF THE REV. H. MURRAY'S 
 INCUMBENCY WERE PASSED, I727-I735. 
 
 Solely by virtue of Prince James's nomination, and 
 without any election, the College Prelates consecrated 
 John Ochterlony (Presbyter of Aberlemno),* and proposed 
 to thrust him into the vacant See. But what were 
 Dr. Rattray's thoughts upon the subject ? He considered 
 it a matter of life and death that another Collegian 
 and Anti-Usager should not be forced upon the District. 
 Bishop Gadderar of Aberdeen was now the only Usager 
 Prelate in Scotland.t If he were to be taken away 
 the " Diocesans " would be absolutely unrepresented 
 amongst the Bishops. At all costs a " Usager " must 
 be elected and consecrated. Then, perhaps, there might 
 be some hope of rescuing the Church from absolute 
 subservience to the (exiled) civil power; some hope of 
 restoring the Catholic system of Diocesan Episcopacy ; 
 of asserting the elective power of the Clergy ; and of 
 adopting a Liturgy agreeable to primitive models. 
 With two Diocesan Prelates the attainment of these 
 things would at least not be hopeless. 
 
 A favourable omen preceded the election. Fullarton, 
 Bishop of Edinburgh, and successor of Bishop Kose as 
 Vicar-General of S. Andrews, died at the age of 87. 
 Now, he was a "Collegian"; but the Presbyters of 
 Edinburgh, contrary to the Prince's wishes, elected 
 Bishop Millar to succeed him. And, consequently, the 
 latter saw fit to abandon the College and join the Diocesan 
 * See page 28. t Bishop Campbell lived in London. 
 
Election of Bishop Rattray. 123 
 
 party. Our election was therefore proceeded with at a 
 time, when the quasi-metropolitan Bishop of Edinburgh 
 and the Bishop of Aberdeen were Diocesans. These 
 two were almost immediately joined by Bishop Cant. 
 If a Usager, therefore, were carried, there was the 
 canonical number of Bishops willing to consecrate. 
 
 And so our election was proceeded with. On May 
 13th, 1727, Dr. Kattray writes: — "I conclude Bishop 
 Millar will cheerfully concur in consecrating the' elect 
 of Murray, and the person who shall be elected to this 
 district, which they are jvist now going about, and will 
 in a few days be finished." On May 17th he announces 
 the result to his friend Mr. Keith : — " The election in 
 this district is very near finished, and a considerable 
 majority of the Preshyters have been pleased to make 
 choice of me; the rest, who are but a third of our 
 number, having only taken it into further consideration, 
 three, or at most four, of them only excepted, who 
 were for referring it to what they call the College." 
 Of the three or four who thus declined to vote for 
 Dr. Kattray, Mr. Murray of Perth was evidently one, 
 but how far he acted on his own views, and how far 
 on those of his Lay Managers, is not so certain. 
 
 The election of his friend, Mr. Dunbar, to Moray, 
 and of himself to Angus, Mearns, and that part of 
 Perthshire which lies to the east of the Tay,* was 
 described by our Bishop-elect as "a great opportunity 
 for the peace of the Church." There was thus at 
 last the prospect of the " Usagers " being a powerful 
 minority on the Episcopal bench. 
 
 On June 4th, 1727, though not without protests 
 from the College party. Dr. Rattray was consecrated 
 
 * N.B. — From this time Bishop Rattray called himself Bishop 
 of Brechin. 
 
124 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 in Edinburgh by Primus Millar, assisted by Bishops 
 Gadderar and Cant. They then proceeded, by rather 
 a stretch of their authority, to nominate and consecrate 
 the Eev. Robert Keith as Coadjutor* to the Primus, 
 and so the Usagers now numbered five Prelates in 
 their ranks, as against seven Anti-Usagers. 
 
 Dr. Rattray at once returned to his district in 
 the character of its Bishop. For some years, indeed, 
 he was unable altogether to make good his position. 
 As far as our scanty records allow us to judge, the 
 Perth managers were the chief thorn in his side. On 
 July 7th he writes to Bishop Keith ; — " I visited several 
 worthy families in that country (Strathearu), and en- 
 deavoured to state our case in a true light to them, 
 which I hope may not want its effect in due time. 
 As to the Clergy there, I thought it to no purpose to 
 speak to Mr. Murray in Perth . . nor to Mr. 
 Drummond, who is with Sir John Moncrieffe." The 
 latter Presbyter was, not only with Sir John Moncrieffe, 
 but also, either now or else a year or two later, became 
 Mr. Murray's colleague in Perth. The Bishop goes on 
 to say that there were only three more Clergymen, who 
 followed the Perth example of opposition to him, and 
 refers to other three as doubtful. This gives five clerics 
 opposing, three doubtful, and the rest favourable. What 
 the actual number of the latter was does not appear, 
 but the total was probably much the same as at the 
 election of Bishop Falconer, which was 27. This would 
 give the Bishop a majority of at least 19 against 8, 
 which was more than ample. Mr. Charles White of 
 Dundee informs us that our Prelate had "a great 
 
 * But down eveu to the middle of the present century it used 
 to be thought that Bishops had the right of nominating their 
 own Coadjutors. 
 
Parties in Perth. 125 
 
 majority of the Presbyters of the District." Compared, 
 therefore, with the reception given to his predecessor, 
 Bishop Norrie, his entrance upon his Diocese may be 
 called triumphant. The attempt of the College to 
 thrust in Bishop Ochterlonie was thus a failure. 
 
 For some years after Bishop Eattray's settlement as 
 successor to Bishop Falconer and Bishop Norrie, there 
 is almost a complete dearth of local Perth records. 
 Almost but not quite. One suggestive assertion in the 
 Kilmavoenig MS. remains to us. It is there recorded 
 that a Committee of those in the Town who, we know, 
 were favourable to the new Bishop (and these included 
 some of the Managers themselves), was appointed in 
 1728 " to receive the rights of the Meeting-House from, 
 Corbs." This does not appear to be a very illuminative 
 statement at first sight : but, as a matter of fact, a 
 good deal may be inferred from it. It shews first 
 that there were two parties in the Perth Congregation. 
 And what two can they have been but tJsagers and 
 Anti-Usagers 1 Secondly, that the title-deeds of the 
 Chapel were in the hands of Mr. Blair of Corbs, as 
 representing the " Collegians " and " Anti-Usagers." 
 Thirdly, that at this time the " Diocesans " and 
 "Usagers" were making an effort to obtain the official 
 custody of the documents. And, if we ask why they 
 were trying to do so at this period, it is clear that 
 their object was the recognition of Bishop Eattray. 
 Probably they thought that after both preceding Prelates 
 had obtained at least some kind of recognition in the 
 City, it was wrong to make such an opposition to 
 their successor, as that it was useless for him to call 
 on Mr. Murray when he was going the round of his 
 District. Most likely also they wished for the complete 
 recognition of Bishop Rattray as Bishop of the Diocese, 
 
126 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 and not only the incomplete recognition which had 
 been accorded to his two predecessors. And the mere 
 fact that an influential section of the Congregation 
 were advocating submission to our Bishop, viewed in 
 connection with the other fact that the meetings con- 
 cerning a successor to Bishop Norrie were held at 
 Perth in 1726, seems to shew that our Congregation 
 by taking part in the election had practically admitted 
 that this City was to be in the District of the new 
 Bishop. Thus Bishop Eattray, besides being welcomed 
 by " a vast majority of the Presbyters," had also a 
 certain hold over Perth, where two out of the five 
 Clergy who actively opposed him lived. 
 
 Mr. Blair, however, did not give up the title deeds, 
 and there is no record surviving to show that the 
 Bishop pressed his claims further at present. But he 
 exercised his office in the neighbourhood of our City, 
 as the following extract from one of his letters 
 shews. On July 16th, 1727, he writes to Bishop 
 Keith : — " You may remember I told you the Laird of 
 Balgowan spoke to me at Edinburgh to provide him in 
 a Chaplain. He renewed his desire, when I saw him 
 the other day. I must therefore beg of you that you 
 will do your utmost, as soon as possible, to look out a 
 right one for him. A young man might live very 
 easily there, and have the advantage of a pretty good 
 collection of books. I think I may procure a £15 for 
 him, which, though but small, is better in the country 
 and in a family than much more in a town, where he 
 had himself to maintain. That, which makes me so 
 pressing with you to assist me in this, as soon 
 as you can, is that a lad of tolerable prudence 
 and right principles would do more service in that 
 country, if got in time, than you may imagine." This 
 
The Concordate. 127 
 
 last remark probably has reference to the Bishop's 
 relations with Perth. 
 
 At last, the unhappy disputes, which for nine years 
 or more had been dividing the Church, received a 
 settlement in 1731. It was a settlement, indeed, 
 which nearly broke down more than once in the 
 Church at large, and actually did so in the case of 
 Perth; but it was so far successful that it preserved 
 the "Usager" and " Anti-Usager " Prelates in union, 
 until the latter were all removed by death. It came 
 about thus : — The Bishops, " seriously laying to heart 
 the great danger they were in by their unhappy 
 divisions," determined to come to an agreement amongst 
 themselves. A meeting was accordingly held in Edin- 
 burgh, at which a Concordate was signed with practical 
 unanimity. We must not occupy our space by giving 
 a complete account of it; but, as regards the "College" 
 question, the Collegians yielded, so as to allow Scotland 
 to be divided into ten Dioceses, and to recognize the 
 principle of election, while the "Diocesans" yielded so 
 far as to agree that the Presbyters were not to proceed 
 to elect without a mandate from the Primus, and no 
 one was to be consecrated without the consent of 
 a majority of the Bishops. All metropolitical claim 
 was to be dropped, and the office of Primus substituted. 
 As regards the " Usage " controversy, the compromise 
 arrived at was that "only the Scottish or English 
 Liturgies should be used." If we lament the differences 
 that distracted the Church in the second quarter 
 of the eighteenth century, let us at least note 
 this Concordate with thankfulness. That no such 
 agreement was come to amongst the Presbyterians is 
 evident by the still separate existence of the U.P. 
 Church. 
 
128 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 But, besides these widespread effects of the Conv 
 promise, it had particular results in our neighbourhood, 
 Bishop Kattray agreed to yield up his title " Bishop of 
 Brechin" to Bishop Ochterlonie; and it was arranged 
 instead, that the Diocese of Dunkeld, together with the 
 whole Presbyteries of Meigle and Forfar, the town of 
 Perth, and parish of Methven, shall be under the 
 inspection of Bishop Rattray." Thus our Prelate now 
 had a position recognized by the unanimous voice of 
 the Episcopate, — and not only by theirs, but also by 
 that of the locality, which had been assigned to him. 
 To begin with, a meeting of three Bishops (Eattray, 
 the great Usager ; Ochterlonie of Dundee, the staunch 
 Anti-Usager ; and Gillan of Dunblane, who now inclined 
 to Bishop Rattray's views) was held at Perth in 1732. 
 At this meeting a satisfactory understanding was come 
 to between the three Prelates concerning the outlines 
 of their Dioceses and other subjects. And it is pleasant 
 to relate that Bishop Rattray undertook an expedition 
 into Bishop Ochterlonie's district, in order to persuade 
 the "Usagers" there to submit to their "Anti-Usager" 
 Diocesan. For this Bishop Ochterlonie thanlied him. 
 
 "Then," says Bishop Rattray, "I must take the 
 properest method I can think of for getting myself as 
 regularly settled in my own District as possible." 
 This must be taken as an allusion more particularly to 
 Perth. A section of the Managers there were almost 
 the only people who had not submitted ; but now they felt 
 themselves at last obliged to do so. In a paper, written 
 some years later for the purpose of explaining away 
 the Bishop's authority, they are obliged to speak thus 
 concerning the present time : — " The Bishops were 
 prevailed upon to restore {sic) to him his Episcopate, 
 and the gentlemen of Perth thought themselves likewise 
 
Bishop Rattray Leads the Church. 129 
 
 under some obligation to follow the exnmijle, and iu some 
 measure acknowledged his authority." And ensuing 
 acts shew that they aclcnowledged him not only 
 theoretically, but practically also. 
 
 Dr. Rattray was now therefore recognised by the 
 entire Episcopate of the Scottish Church, the Presby- 
 terate of the Diocese, and the Congregations of the 
 same, as Bishop of Dunkeld. The disputes, which had 
 raged in our neighbourhood since good Bishop Falconer's 
 death in 1723, were thus terminated by a definite 
 treaty of peace. 
 
 For a 3'ear or two things seem to have gone on 
 with tolerable quietness. In 1735, however, the latent 
 differences again revealed themselves. All the Bishops 
 continued, indeed, to be loyal to the Concordate ; but, 
 when Bishop Gillan of Dunblane died, and the Rev. 
 Robert White was elected by the Clergy to succeed 
 him, there was a misunderstanding as to whether the 
 Primus (Freebairii of Edinburgh, an Anti-Usager), whose 
 office had been established by the Concordate, and who 
 was supported by Bishop Ochterlonie, or the majority 
 of the Bishops (Rattray, Dunbar, and Keith, who were 
 Usagers), ought to manage affairs. In the end the 
 majority visited Pitscandly, near Forfar, and consecrated 
 the Bishop-elect in the Rev. Mr. Guthrie's neighbouring 
 Chapel at Carsebank. This controversy had, before 
 long, some bearing upon Perth. Meantime our Prelate's 
 position was certainly becoming a strong one. There 
 were now four Usager Bishops, and only two Anti- 
 Usagers, and he was the leader of the Usagers. In 
 Perth itself also his authority was acquiesced in quietly 
 — at least from the time of the Concordate (1731) to 
 the end of the period embraced in this chapter (1735). 
 The only local notice of these years which has come 
 
130 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 down to us, is of a sufficiently peaceful character, and 
 runs as follows : — " I will, by no means,'' writes the 
 Bishop, "have the shares of the Presbyters under my 
 inspection remitted to me ; but, so soon as I am in- 
 formed what each of them is to have, and I receive a 
 form of the receits they are to give, I shall acquaint 
 them to send up their receits to the place required, 
 and call for their money there." 
 
 Amid these circumstances the Eev. Henry Murray 
 died in 1735. He had been Incumbent of Perth 
 between 1703 and 1716. Between the latter year and 
 1721 he disappeared from our City; but from 1721 
 till his death he was again Incumbent here. It speaks 
 well for him that he should have been invited to return 
 to the City after a residence of thirteen years there, 
 and an absence of five. We have scarcely materials 
 whereby to form an estimate of his character. On the 
 one hand he seems to have played a very courageous 
 part on behalf of the Church previous to 1712. On 
 the other, Bishop Eattray speaks of him in his latter 
 years, in terms which lead us to suppose that he was 
 then entirely led by the Managers of the Congregation 
 in their extreme Anti-Usager attitude. Perhaps circum- 
 stances beyond his own control rendered him too 
 dependent on them for his means of subsistence. 
 Upon the whole he appears to have rendered very 
 faithful service to the Church in extremely difficult 
 times. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HOW THE REV. ROBERT LYON WAS SETTLED 
 IN PERTH, 1735-39- 
 
 The Rev. Laurence Drummoiid was now by the death 
 of his colleague left in sole charge of the Congregation 
 in the Fair City. Unfortunately, as we are told, " he 
 was but a valetudinary man." It was considered 
 necessary, therefore, that he should be provided with 
 an assistant. Without consulting the Bishop, the 
 " gentlemen of the ileeting-House '' bestirred themselves 
 in the matter. During the long and luiself-assertive 
 Incumbency of Air. Murray, they had evidently come 
 to absorb a good many of the Episcopal prerogatives, 
 and now it is evident that the Anti-Usagers amongst 
 them were eager to make such an appointment that 
 there would be no chance of these prerogatives reverting 
 to the Bishop. They, therefore (in their own words), 
 " grant commission to Mr. Drummond to look out for 
 a pious, discreet, and peaceable man to supply the 
 vacancy." Fortunately for Mr. Drummond's repose of 
 mind (for he seems to have been a very quiet, retiring- 
 man), he received a commission from the Bishop to 
 exactly the same effect. " Accordingly,'' continue the 
 Managers, " after somp days' deliberation he proposed 
 Mr. John Graeme of Souterton, who was very well 
 known to all the gentlemen concerned, and readily 
 approven by them." This Presbyter was the Anti- 
 Usager Incumbent of Dunning, and what follows leads 
 us to suppose that, like the Rev. H. Murray in Perth, 
 his private views were not of a very pronounced 
 
132 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 character, but that, owing probably to being dependent 
 on his Lay Managers for his living, he was a docile 
 instrument in their hands. We know exactly how he 
 felt when the offer from Perth arrived, for the Kev. 
 Mr. Erskine of Muthill writes thus to the Rev. John 
 Alexander of Alloa : — " My neighbour, Mr. Graeme's, 
 congregation at Dunning are still unanimous in stand- 
 ing out against their Bishop (White), but I'm told 
 himself is now determined to acknowledge him, and 
 having both Leith and Perth in his offer, he is difEculted 
 which to accept, but certainly, as he gives out, one of 
 them." Accordingly, on December 10th, 1735, a letter 
 was received from Mr. Graeme intimating his willing- 
 ness to come to Perth. Seeing that he was now ready 
 to submit both to his present and intended Bishops, 
 and also agreeable to the Managers, Bishop Rattray was 
 ready to accept him. This appears from a letter 
 which he wrote privately to Bishop Keith, December 
 Wih, 1736 : — " He is a sincere, good man," he says, 
 " but timorous, and has no courage to stand his ground 
 even in what he thinks to be right, when he sees 
 himself likely to meet with any opposition ; however, 
 I have very prudential reasons for acquiescing in their 
 choice of him." No doubt the Bishop was delighted 
 to accept a man acceptable to both himself and the 
 Managers. However, this promising arrangement was 
 upset by Mr. Graeme's " timorousness " and the over- 
 bearingness of the Dunning Managers. They brought 
 pressure to bear on him, and induced him to withdraw 
 his intended submission to the Bishops, and to remain 
 where he was. " So," says Bishop Rattray, " he gave 
 the Perth people the slip.'' 
 
 Whereupon our Managers, evidently labouring under 
 the false idea that the Bishop had wilfully baffled 
 
Affair of Mr. Fyffe. 133 
 
 them, " pitched on Mr. David FyfFe of Glenboy, and 
 invited him to Perth. He preached, and gave entire 
 satisfaction.'' However, the negotiations with him also 
 miscarried, and with a view to understanding the real 
 motives of the actors in our drama, and of estimating 
 the share of each in the serious result, to which these 
 events were leading up, it is important that we should 
 relate Mr. FyfFe's affair. In a long letter {February 
 22nd, 17S6) to Bishop Keith, Bishop Rattray explains 
 what occurred. It appears that it did not please the 
 Managers to send any intimation to the Bishop that 
 they had opened correspondence with Mr. FyfFe. Now, 
 it so happened that at this very time he received an 
 application from Lady Mary Lyon to allow Mr. Fyffe 
 to add Glamis and Eassie to his present charge of 
 Glenboy. Of course, along with the application an 
 offer of a substantial increase of salary was also made. 
 Having had no intimation from the Perth Managers 
 of what they were doing, the Bishop acceded to Lady 
 Mary Lyon's request, and promised her that effect 
 should be given to her proposal. Thereupon he was 
 at last informed that the Perth Managers had fixed 
 upon Mr. FyfFe for themselves. It was most unfortunate, 
 but he could not break faith with Lady Mary Lyon. 
 He says distinctly that he "apologised" to the Managers. 
 And there is every reason for believing that his apology 
 was sincere, for what ground have we for supposing 
 that he should be manoeuvring so as to prevent the 
 settlement of one of his own Clergy in the important 
 but semi-disafFected Congregation of Perth ? Neverthe- 
 less, he received a " saucy " reply to the efFect that 
 "no landward parish whatsoever was to be put in com- 
 petition with " the Fair City, and much more to the 
 same efFect. 
 
134 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 So far was the Bishop from wishing to gain an open 
 triumph over the Perth Managers in the matter of 
 the appointment of a colleague to Mr. Drummond, 
 that on April 2Ji.ih we find him writing to his con- 
 fidential friend, Bishop Keith : — "I shall be -very well 
 pleased to have Forbes* at Perth, but I must not be 
 seen in it.'' By this he seems to imply that he would 
 rather accept a nominee of the Managers, than try to 
 force a candidate of his own upon them. 
 
 Coming now to the year 1738, the latter, in their 
 " Narrative," go ou to say : — " A gentleman occasionally 
 passing through the town proposed to some of the 
 Managers to take a trial of Mr. Eobert Lj'on, who 
 had been a short time before Deaconat ; and, as Mr. 
 Drummond was but a valetudinary man, they were 
 easily induced to do so. But they previously wrote to 
 a Reverend and very worthy Clergyman to know his 
 character, and particularly with regaird to the Usages, 
 whose answer left them no room to suspect him, and 
 accordingly we took him to Mr. Drummond's assistance." 
 It was the Managers, therefore, and not the Bishop, 
 who brought Mr. Lyon to Perth, and it was " a 
 Keverend and very worthy Clergyman," a friend of 
 their own, and not Mr. Lyon himself, who induced 
 them to believe that he was not inclined to the 
 Usages. This is their own account of the matter. 
 
 Who was this Deacon that now steps prominently 
 forward in the Church affairs of Perth ?t The individual 
 
 * Possibly Rev. Robert Forbes, afterwards. Bishop of Ross. 
 
 + He must not be confused with another Rev. Robert Lyon, 
 who was also a friend of Bishop Rattray : Incumbent of Crail 
 at least as early as 1732 ; appeared as Bishop Dunbar's proxy at 
 the Edinliurgh Synod of 1738 ; subsequently went to reside in 
 Stretton at Bedfordshire ; saw Bishop Rattray's Liturgies through 
 the press, 1744; corresponded with Bishop Alexander in 1750; 
 sent that Prelate money from Mr. Bowdler ; and died in 1764. 
 
Settlement of Mr. Lyon. 135 
 
 who best answers to the description which he gives of 
 his father, is the Eev. James Lyon, a native of Forfar- 
 shire, who was ordained under the patronage of the 
 Earl of Strathmore ; appointed to the Charge of 
 Kirkwall ; wrote a vigorous pamphlet in defence of 
 Episcopacy there, which is still extant ; and was 
 finally ejected from his living subsequent to the 
 Revolution. But it is only a conjecture that he was 
 really the father of the Clergyman who now settled 
 in Perth. A ring in possession of Miss Christian 
 Bruce of Dunimarl'e, containing some relic of Mr. Lyon, 
 gives us to understand that he was 29 years of age 
 on his appointment, and therefore he must have been 
 born in 1709 or 1710. We learn that he had no 
 brothers, but two or three sisters. Cicely seems to 
 have been his favourite of these, but the whole family 
 appear to have lived happily together. He gives the 
 following account of his early years : — " I have the 
 honour," he says, " to be descended from one of those 
 Clergymen who unhappily survived our flourishing 
 Church and prosperous Nation at the late Revolution 
 (1688), by which means it was my lot, through the 
 wise providence of God, to be early trained up in the 
 school of adversity, inasmuch as my father underwent 
 the common fate of our other spiritual pastors and 
 dear fathers in Christ, who were by merely secular 
 and, what is worse, unlawful force, thrust away from 
 their charges, and deprived of that maintenance to 
 which they had a general and divine right, as well as 
 
 a legal title by our constitution Into 
 
 this once glorious but now declining part of the Church 
 Catholic, I was, through the care and loving piety of 
 my loving parents, entered by a holy Baptism. . . . 
 I received a liberal and pious education through the 
 
136 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 goodness and care of Heaven, manifested in tlie wonderful 
 support and preservation of our family, though my father, 
 worn out with sufferings, lived not to see it half completed." 
 Under the calamitous circumstances of the Church, and 
 after observing his parent's fate, it would have been ex- 
 cusable in young Lyon if he had prudently selected to 
 enter upon another line than that of the Ministry of the 
 afflicted Church; "but,'' says he, "it clearly appeared upon 
 impartial enquiry that this Church, for purity of doctrine, 
 orthodoxy in the faith, perfection of worship, and her 
 apostolic government, equals, if not excels, any other 
 Church on earth. Therefore, I persisted by the Divine 
 Grace, an unworthy member in her faithful communion 
 till ... at length arrived at that age,* when, by 
 the Canons of the Church, I could be admitted to 
 Holy Orders, which I received at a time when no 
 earthly motive could influence me but a sincere inten- 
 tion to serve God, and to my power to do good 
 ofiices to men." This was the individual who, now 
 with the Bishop's consent, was settled in Perth by our 
 Managers as Mr. Drummond's colleague. On November 
 15th, 17S9, we find him present at a general meeting 
 of the Congregation. The final arrangements for his 
 stipend are not without interest. "At the earnest desire of 
 the Rev. L. Dmmmond," we read, "that Mr. Lyon, his col- 
 league, ought to be gratified for the extraordinary trouble 
 he has got, and may get hereafter, through the said Mr. 
 Drummond's infirm state of health, the meeting do unani- 
 mously appoint James Bayne, their Treasurer, immediately 
 to pay to the said Mr. Lyon the sum of X5 sterling, 
 and agreed and resolved that hereafter his salary shall 
 be £30 sterling yearly, to commence from Martinmas last. 
 
 * It is difficult to harmonize this statement of his age with the 
 inscription on the Duuimarle Ring. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HOW THERE WAS A SCHISM IN THE PERTH 
 CONGREGATION, I74O. 
 
 It was now evident that a crisis was approaching in 
 our Congregation. The Concordate of 1731, indeed 
 (strained as it was at times), availed to keep the 
 " Usager " and " Anti-Usager " Bishops together, and 
 so the unity of the Scottish Church at large was 
 always successfully preserved. But the two parties were 
 still facing one another in Perth with jealous feelings. 
 On the one side were ranged seven of the Managers, i.e., 
 Jlessrs. Davidson, Blair of Corbs, Dr. John Murray, 
 James Oliphant, Wood, Keir, and Young. These were 
 the " Anti-Usagers." Confirmation itself seems to have 
 been regarded by them as one of the Usages, since 
 Mr. Davidson had never received that Apostolic ordin- 
 ance. They looked upon the distinction between the 
 Church and the Presbyterians more as one of taste 
 than of principle, and their conduct leads us to suppose 
 that they rather viewed Bishops and Clergy as the 
 employes of a religious society managed by themselves, 
 than as persons inheriting a spiritual commission derived 
 from Christ. The leaders on the other side were the 
 Revs. L. Drummond and R. Lyon ; four Managers, i.e., 
 Dr. Carmichael, and Messrs. Smith,* Stirling, and "Dow- 
 hill ; " also Lady Stormont, and James Bayn, the 
 Treasurer. These were the " Usagers," that is, as a 
 party they looked upon Bishops of the Apostolical line 
 as essential to the visible Church, and while satisfied 
 * Probably the son of the late Kev. W. Smith. 
 
138 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 to confine themselves to the English Book of Common 
 Prayer for the sake of unity with the others, would 
 prefer that the Scottish Eucharistic Office should conie 
 into use. A modus vivendi might, indeed, have been 
 found between these two parties in Perth, as it was 
 amongst the Bishops, but unfortunately it appears that 
 the personal equation was allowed free scope in the 
 situation here. 
 
 If we regard this combination of parties in the con- 
 gregation as a heap of fuel, then we may take the 
 Rev. Robert Lyon as the spark which set them all 
 ablaze. His first offence seems to have been that he 
 obtained Priest's Orders from the Bishop without pre- 
 viously receiving the consent of the Lay Managers. 
 Then, Mr. Drummond being very infirm, the practical 
 work of the Congregation was gathered up more and 
 more into his hands. Then it was discovered that the 
 Communion tokens were marked with " R. L." instead 
 of " L. D." He next began to vent some of his Usage 
 doctrines, though he " often couched them, being afraid 
 to be too plain at first." Worst of all, he is said to 
 " have advocated private Confession. This most of his 
 hearers took (but mistakenly, as Mr. Lyon would, no 
 doubt, have said) to be the same with the auricular 
 Confession of the Church of Rome.'' And there were 
 more such accusations. 
 
 Hence sprang a conflagration. We need not follow 
 all the windings of the dispute. It is evident that in 
 Mr. Lyon the Managers found that they had not the 
 same pliable material to deal with as they had been 
 accustomed to in Mr. Murray and Mr. Drummond, 
 and, though nothing whatever to the real discredit of 
 Mr. Lyon emerges, it is not improbable that in his 
 youthful enthusiasm, he may not always have displayed 
 
The Bishop Mediates. 139 
 
 that consummate tact, which his difficult position re- 
 quired, and of which we had so eminent an example 
 in Bishop Falconer. On the other hand, the Managers 
 were overbearing and most unecclesiastioal in their 
 views. They certainly displayed fully as much want 
 of tact as Mr. Lyon, in that they were absolutely 
 intolerant of a little unbalanced enthusiasm (if it was 
 so) in a young man -only recently admitted to Holy 
 Orders. 
 
 It is consoling to find the Bishop playing a firm and 
 dignified part. His conduct is thus described by the 
 disaffected Managers : — " Craighall now came to Perth 
 and called a meeting of the gentlemen of both sides, 
 to whom he communicated himself in terms to this 
 purpose ; that he was sorry to hear of the divisions 
 that had for some time prevailed amongst us, and he 
 should think himself lucky if he could be the happy 
 instrument of removing them. To compass which, he 
 made a proposal that both parties should submit their 
 whole disputes to two or four gentlemen to be mutually 
 chosen, and become obliged to adhere to the deter- 
 mination of these arbiters." Nothing, surely, could 
 have been juster or more becoming his Episcopal char- 
 acter under the circumstances. In an ordinary case, 
 of course, he himself ought to have been the arbiter, 
 but, seeing that he might be supposed to be biased on 
 the particular question at issue, it was a wise thing 
 to waive his own right, and propose to hand the 
 matter over to umpires chosen equally by both sides. 
 
 Mr. Lyon's friends were, of course, willing to abide 
 by the Bishop's ruling, but the seven Managers, as if 
 thinking that they would belie their title, if they 
 allowed the supreme control to slip in any degree out . 
 of their own hands, scornfully rejected the proposition. 
 
140 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 A very awkward problem now came up. "Esther"' 
 (Easter) was at hand, and it was out of the question 
 that the two warring factions should approach the 
 Altar together, without the re-establishment of mutual 
 charity. The Bishop therefore ruled that " only those 
 should be admitted, who were willing to accept his 
 peaceable mediation." The Cprbsites, who had already 
 repudiated both their Priests, threw their Bishop over 
 for the second time, and never so much as hinted of 
 appealing to the Episcopal bench. However anxious 
 we may be to do them justice, it is difficult to see 
 wherein their Episcopalian principles lay. It was, at 
 any rate, impossible for them to receive the Holy 
 Sacrament at the hands of those, whose authority they 
 defied. And they did not. The Schism was complete! 
 Whatever was wanting to consummate it, was speedily 
 supplied by the seceding party. "They were so lucky," 
 they say, "as to prevail upon the Rev. George Sempill 
 to accept the charge." This Presbyter, who came 
 from Newtyle, was, as we have already seen in Bishop 
 Norrie's time, an extreme partisan on the Anti-Usager' 
 side. It is not easy to understand how he could imagine 
 that Mr. Blair of Corbs and his partners could give 
 him spiritual mission in opposition to the Bishop of the 
 Diocese. But, indeed, he adopted their sohismatical 
 situation with zeal. It appears that Mr. Lyon, thinking, 
 most likely, that in the present exasperated state of 
 feeling, some one other than himself would be more 
 acceptable, exchanged duty temporarily with the Rev. 
 David Lindsay of Dimning. When, however, the latter 
 presented himself at the Perth Meeting-House with a 
 view to officiating, the door was locked in his face. 
 
 What was it becoming for the Bishop to do under 
 the circumstances ? Here was Mr. Sempill, a Presbyter, 
 
Mr. Sempill Deposed. 141 
 
 coming without leave into his Diocese ; joining with 
 those who had recently defied his jurisdiction ; officiating 
 without a license, and locking the door of their Chapel 
 upon one of the regular Clergy ! Would he have been 
 fulfilling his duty, if he had let all this pass t He, at 
 least, did not think so. On the contrary, he char- 
 acterised Mr. Sempill's conduct as " such an encroach- 
 ment on the rights of his brethren, such a violation 
 of order, and such an insult on the authority of the 
 Church, as, if it should be allowed to pass unpunished, 
 would render us despicable in the eyes of men of all 
 persuasions." His own opinion was that sentence of 
 deposition should be pronounced. But, before proceed- 
 ing to such an extremity, he wrote to consult the 
 other Bishops, i.e., Keith, Ochterlonie, Dunbar, and 
 White. The second (who was now, since the death of 
 Bishop Freebairn in 1739, the only surviving Prelate 
 of the " College " party), characteristically replied that 
 he recommended a trial before the College of Bishops. 
 The other three strongly recommended Bishop Eattray 
 to depose Sempill on his own authority. 
 
 He therefore summoned the erring Presbyter to appear 
 before him at a certain place and hour in Perth. Instead 
 of preparing a proper defence, the course, which the latter 
 took without apprizing his Diocesan, was to obtain a pro- 
 mise from the Town Council that they would have officers 
 in waiting to disperse the Bishop's meeting. HaA'ing heard 
 of this plan, and ascertaining from the Provost himself 
 that he had not been misinformed, our Prelate took pains 
 that Sempill should receive a second summons, this 
 time to Scone. " Indeed," he says (August 18th, 17Jfl), 
 " had not my Lady Stormont offered us the use of 
 the house of Scone, we had been very much put to it." 
 The accused, however, did not appear, and on the 
 
142 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 next day the Bishop writes to Bishop Keith : — " I was 
 obliged yesterday to proceed to the deposition of Mr. 
 George Sempill. I would most willingly have taken a 
 milder course, but you will see by the whole process 
 . . . . that there was a necessity for doing it, and 
 that without further loss of time." The Presbyters of 
 the Diocese, with hardly an exception, approved of the 
 course taken by the Bishop. 
 
 And it is difficult for us not to endorse their opinion. 
 That in the complete break down of Church organiza- 
 tion, which followed the Disestablishment and the 
 rising of 1715, and that during the period of controversy 
 concerning the form in which the Church was to be 
 re-habilitated (1720-1731), the lay Managers of a par- 
 ticular Congregation should have gathered the supreme 
 ecclesiastical power into their own hands, is not to 
 be wondered at, and may be excused. Far be it 
 from us to judge men hardly, who lived in such 
 difficult times. But that, after Bishop Rattray had 
 been not only received as Diocesan by the Clergy and 
 Congregations of the District, but also unanimously 
 recognised as such by the bench of Bishops in 1731, 
 and submitted to by the Managers themselves, — that, 
 alter all this, rebellion should be declared against him, 
 appears to be plainly inexcusable. There is no mis- 
 conduct recorded on his part sufficient to justify such 
 a course, and, therefore, we are forced to the conclusion 
 that the disaffected Managers and the Rev. George 
 Sempill were guilty of Schism. 
 
 " Remember not. Lord, our offences, nor the offences 
 of our forefathers, neither take Thou vengeance on our 
 sins, but spare us, good Lord, spare Thy people, whom 
 Thou -hast redeemed with Thy most precious blood, and 
 be not angry with us for ever ! Spare us, good Lord ! " 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HOW BISHOP RATTRAY BECAME PRIMUS, DIED, 
 AND WAS SUCCEEDED, I738-44. 
 
 The local Schism, described in the last chapter, reached 
 its crisis, as we saw, at Easter, 1740, and was rendered 
 irrevocable a few months later. In the next chapter 
 all that is known of the two congregations, between 
 1740 and 1745, will be related. Meanwhile, we must 
 anticipate part of the time to be subsequently dealt with, 
 and give our attention to events which, though seriously 
 affecting Perth, relate rather to the Diocese at large. 
 
 (1). — In the year 1738 an Episcopal Synod was held in 
 Edinburgh. Since 1735, when Bishop Eattray, as 
 leader of the majority of the Bishops, had, without 
 the concurrence of Primus Freebairn, consecrated the 
 Eev. E. White as Bishop of Dunblane, the situation 
 had been uncomfortable. To have one man officially 
 Primus, and another, who was the sti'ongest and ablest 
 on the bench, leader of the majority, was an unsatis- 
 factory arrangement. It was the object of the new 
 Synod to find a solution of the problem. When it 
 came to be held, the decision actually arrived at, 
 though not without difficulty, was that Bishop Freebairn 
 should be superseded as Primus by Bishop Eattray. 
 This decision, which was supported by Bishops Eattray, 
 Keith, and White, who were present, and Dunbar, who 
 voted by proxy, and was opposed by Bishops Freebairn 
 and Oohterlony, was based on a reference to the terms 
 of the Concordate of 1731, wherein the office of Primus 
 had been substituted for that of Metropolitan. It is 
 
144 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 possible that the action of this majority may have 
 appeared a little masterful, since the terms of the 
 Ooncordate were not absolutely beyond doubt on the 
 point, and we can hardly be surprised that Bishop 
 Freebairn protested. But, on the other hand, practical 
 necessity required that the vigorous leader of the 
 majority of the Bishops should no longer find himself 
 hampered at every turn by the resistance of the aged 
 and infirm Primus, acting on the instigation of the 
 Erastian Bishop Ochterlonie. The spirit of the Con- 
 cordate, and the discussions which had taken place at 
 its ratification, seemed to contemplate such action as 
 had now been taken. And, we may add, the present 
 Code of Canons (that of 1890) substantially supports 
 the proceedings of Bishop Rattray's upholders on this 
 occasion (see Canon XXXI., § ^). 
 
 In any case the matter was soon settled by the 
 course of Providence, for Bishop Freebairn died the 
 very next year, at the age of 84. Bishop Rattray then 
 demitted the office of Primus, but, of course, his 
 resignation was not accepted. In 1742 Bishop Ochter- 
 lonie also died. For the last three years or so he had 
 been the sole remnant of the " College " party on the 
 bench. The "Usagers" considered that he was 
 " notoriously secular," and it was rather he than 
 Primus Freebairn, who had kept up the opposition to 
 Bishop Rattray and the Usagers since 1731. By his 
 death, therefore, every obstacle was cleared out of the 
 way of our Primus. The position in which the latter 
 now found himself must have been the cause of much 
 legitimate satisfaction to him. His career had been 
 one long struggle against the Collegians and Anti- 
 Usagers. But in that long struggle he was con- 
 stantly gaining a step, and whenever he did so, he did 
 
Bishop Rattray. 145 
 
 not again witlidraw his foot bacliwards. At first he 
 appears upon the scene as the supporter of Bishop 
 Falconer (1720-3) ; on that Prelate's death he comes 
 forward in his room as leader, against Bishop Norrie, 
 of the cause which the former had so ably championed ; 
 on this second Prelate's death he is elected to succeed 
 him in Brechin by a majority, though still opposed by 
 a minority of his Clergy and a majority of the Bishops; 
 in 1731 he is unanimously recognised as Diocesan of 
 the Dunkeld District; then in 1733 he becomes the 
 leader of a majority of the Bishops; next, in 1738, he 
 has a disputed election to the Primus-ship ; afterwards, 
 in 1739, an undisputed claim to that office; and now the 
 last of his opponents is carried off by death, and he is 
 left master of the situation. It is the career of a 
 strong man, who, in difficult times, knows his own 
 mind and how to give effect to it. But was it the 
 career oi an honest man aiming at the good of the 
 Church, or that of an ambitious man scheming for his 
 own exaltation? There is nothing in the preceding 
 narrative, nor in his remaining MSS. letters, to favour 
 the latter supposition, but everything to prove of the 
 former. 
 
 Bishop Rattray's inspiring motive is, in fact, clear 
 enough. For he was a man well versed in theological 
 lore, as well as a practical ecclesiastic. His Essay on 
 the nature of the Church ; his Review* of the Election 
 of Bishops in the Primitive Church ; his Essay on the 
 Nature of Man ; and his Instructions in the Christian 
 Covenant, are learned and powerful treatises, which 
 well repay study, and would have brought him great 
 reputation had he belonged to a more popular Com- 
 munion. His liturgical work also, especially in connection 
 *In aiiswer to a work entitled A View of the Election of Bishops. 
 
 J 
 
146 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 with the Liturgy of S. James, cannot (according to so 
 high an authority as Bishop Dowden) " be considered 
 as yet superseded, and deserves even now a place in 
 the library of every liturgical student." It may be 
 considered as beyond doubt, therefore, that Bishop 
 Kattray's leading motive was not personal ambition, 
 but the earnest longing of a deeply read theologian to 
 give effect to sound ecclesiastical principles at a time, 
 when an important work of reconstruction was forced 
 upon the Church. 
 
 Moreover, he succeeded in realising these high aims. 
 His opponents, indeed, may have thought that he hit 
 them too hard at some critical turning points. It 
 must also be allowed both that he was a Jacobite (if 
 that is a fault), and also that he left the legislative 
 privileges of the Presbyterate unrecognised. But it is 
 unfair (especially when we remember that he never had 
 a free hand till the death of his last Collegian .opponent 
 in 1742) to blame him for not accomplishing every- 
 thing in the disorganised Church. And in several 
 directions he was an invaluable benefactor to the dis- 
 tressed Communion. First, it was greatly due to him 
 that the Erastian plan of Royal nomination to vacant 
 Bishoprics was abandoned. Secondly, he did not only 
 destroy the wrong, but also contributed largely to the 
 substitution of the right system, namely, election by 
 the Church. Thirdly, the vicious College system found 
 in him a victorious adversary, and the primitive Diocesan 
 arrangement a successful champion. Fourthly, he conferred 
 a priceless boon directly on the Scottish (and indirectly, 
 therefore, on the American) Church by his labours and 
 studies on behalf of the Scottish Office. And lastly, 
 although the opportunity of supplying the fatal want 
 of a recognised collection of laws, which necessarily 
 
Bishop Rattray's Death. 147 
 
 prevailed at that period in the Scottish Church, never 
 came to him during his lifetime, yet he left behind 
 him a proposed Code of Canons, ^vhich was adopted 
 after his death, and became the basis of our present 
 system. 
 
 Alas ! this great Prelate was not long spared to enjoy 
 the triumph of his policy. It was in May, 17Ji2, that 
 Bishop Ochterlouie died, and on May 9th, 17^3, the 
 Primus himself took ill in Edinburgh, and passed away 
 on the 12th {Ascension Day), in the 60th year of his 
 age. A contemporary poet. Dr. Thomas Drummond of 
 Logiealmond, gives the following account of his end : — 
 
 With unconcern he views th' approaching gloom 
 
 Of sudden Fate, sudden to all but him, 
 
 Whose soul was ever plumed for ready flight 
 
 And longing to depart. With unconcern 
 
 He views the gaping tomb, the coffin, and the shroud, 
 
 (The bugbear fright of infant minds appall'd 
 
 With cowardly pannick). Now with unconcern 
 
 He leaves this giddy world and bids adieu 
 
 To every social tye. And now the scene 
 
 Begins to close. Kach wandering thought attend ! 
 
 Fancy, be still ! Profaneness, drop the page, 
 
 Or read with awe ! See there with holy hands ; 
 
 His eyes upraised with reverential joy ; 
 
 His soul intent on Heav'n ; in rapture high 
 
 Of mental pray'r, th' unbloody sacrifice. 
 
 Soul-strengthening food, he takes, — 
 
 He takes, he wonders, he adores, he dies ! 
 
 " He was a man," says his contemporary, Skinner of 
 Linshart, " whom the Episcopal Church of Scotland 
 will long look back to with a mixture of pleasure and 
 regret : with pleasure in the grateful remembrance of 
 having had such a Bishop, and with a deep regret for 
 having been so soon deprived of him.'' 
 
148 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 (2.) — This eventful Episcopate of sixteen years h^-viuo; 
 been thus concluded, it was necessary for the Clergy to fill 
 the vacant Chair. On June 28th, 17 4S, therefore, " by 
 the invitation of the Very Rev. Mr. William Seton, in 
 Forfar, Dean of the District, a Synod was held in 
 Meigle, in the house of Mr. Peter Laird, to consider 
 the situation." A sense of bereavement is very strongly 
 expressed on the part of the electors in the Minutes 
 of the Meeting. There were ten Clergy present, of 
 whom two, the Revs. Robert Lyon, Perth, and George 
 Innes, Balgowan, were from this immediate neighbour- 
 hood. 
 
 The Dean having opened proceedings, Mr. Lyon pro- 
 duced a letter from the Rev. Laurence Drummond, 
 nominating him to appear and vote as his proxy. It 
 was addressed to the Dean, and ran as follows : — 
 "Yours* of the 14th 1 received, and you may believe 
 none is more willing to meet and unite with you and 
 the rest of my Rev. Brethren in such measures as 
 shall be thought proper in our present destitute state. 
 I am very sensible of the great loss the whole Church, 
 as well as we of this District, sustain in the death of 
 the good and the great Bishop Rattray, our late 
 Oi'dinary, and of the great necessity of having a fit 
 person again set over us as our centre of unity. But 
 I hope the great weakness of body I have long laboured 
 under, will be a sufficient excuse for my not meeting 
 with you and my brethren at the time and place you 
 appoint. Therefore, as I cannot personally attend, I 
 hereby declare that I think it proper that we should, 
 without delay, address the Bishops of this Church for 
 a mandate to elect a proper Bishop for ourselves, and 
 as my brother and colleague, Mr. Lyon, is to meet 
 * Dunkeld MS. Diocesan Register. 
 
Bishop Alexander Elected. 149 
 
 ■with you, who sufficiently knows my mind, so I hereby 
 nominate and appoint him my proxy, and in my name to 
 give his vote for me, as he shall do for himself, in 
 everything that shall come before you. I pray God 
 direct you all, now and at all other times, with His 
 Holy Spirit." Mr. Drummond's suggestion was the 
 finding of the meeting, and a mandate was applied for. 
 
 This having been obtained, there was a second meet^ 
 ing held at Meigle on Aicgust 9th. Here, too, Mr. 
 Lyon was accepted as Mr. Drummond's proxy. The 
 latter wrote : — " I beg you ... to give my vote 
 for Mr. John Alexander hi Alloa, to be our Bishop, he 
 being, as far as I can judge or inform myself, a person 
 eminent for piety, learning, and Catholic principles.'' 
 This Priest was unanimously elected, and " the Bishops 
 of the National Church " appealed to for Consecration. 
 Accordingly he was raised to the Episcopate on August 
 19th by Bishops Keith, White, Raitt, and W. Falconer. 
 
 (3). — While we are dealing with the strictly Episcopal 
 aspect of our local affairs, it will not be out of place 
 to conclude the chapter with the account of a Perth 
 Ordination of this period. It will introduce us to our 
 new Bishop. 
 
 There was a young man, Mr. Donald Robertson, 
 belonging to the Perth congregation, whom Primus 
 Keith wished to be ordained for a vacant charge in the 
 Diocese of Glasgow, and in whom Lady Stormont took 
 a great interest. Jlr. Lyon, indeed, in his ardent zeal, 
 felt a little uncomfortable about the candidate's 
 Orthodoxy. Bishop W. Falconer writes to Bishop 
 Alexander: — "I am informed that Mr. Robertson has 
 some singularities about him : that he is a great 
 disciple of Mr. Wesley's* in England. I hope the lad's 
 * Of course, Mr. Wesley was in full Communion with the Church. 
 
150 Episcopal History of Pei'th. 
 
 piety will be no bar against his promotion, but we 
 should be well assured of his Orthodoxy. My Lady 
 Stormont is much his friend. I wish Mr. Lyon may 
 not disoblige her Ladyship by opposing her views for 
 Mr. Robertson." On this occasion, at least, Mr. 
 Drummond's young colleague seems to have tempered 
 his conduct with discretion, for the course of affairs 
 was allowed to run smoothly as follows : — April 10th, 
 17Ji4-—"^^ the Synodical Meeting of the Clergy of 
 this District, held in presence and under the direction 
 of the Right Rev. Mr. John Alexander, Bishop of 
 Dunkeld, Perth, etc. (the Meeting being opened by 
 prayer), appeared Mr. Donald Robertson, Student of 
 Divinity in this town, and gave in to the Bishop and 
 Clergy a Testificat written and signed by our Reverend 
 Brother, Mr. Laurence Drummond, Presbyter in Perth, 
 recommending him to them as a person in his judge- 
 ment fit to be admitted to tryal, in order to his 
 advancement into Holy Orders ; which petition the 
 Bishop and his Clergy having taken into their 
 consideration, readily complied therewith, and appointed 
 the said Mr. Donald Robertson to attend the next 
 meeting of Clergy of this District, to be held in the 
 house of the Rev. Mr. James Hill at Blairgowrie, on 
 the 12th of June next, and there to give in a written 
 Discourse in the Latin tongue upon the Christian 
 doctrine of Justification by way of Exegesis : also a 
 written discourse in the method of a Sermon on S. 
 John IIL, 5 (' Except a Tnan he horn of ivater,' etc.), 
 both of his own composition, and to aj)ply himself with 
 diligence, in the meantime, to the reading of the 
 Antiquities of the Christian Church, particularly those 
 of the second and third centuries, that he may be the 
 better prepared to answer such questions as shall be 
 
The Bishop in Synod. 151 
 
 put to him relating to tlie History, Heresies, and 
 Schisms of that period. Liljewise that he shall have 
 his thoughts much employed upon the Canon of Holy 
 Scripture and its Divine Authority, that he may be 
 able to answer such questions as may be put to him 
 relative thereto. That upon a fair and impartial tryal 
 of his qualifications and abilities for the Holy Ministry, 
 he may (if found qualified) be recommended to our 
 Bishop for Ordination." 
 
 When we think of the Deism and Eationalism and 
 ignorance of Catholic Antiquity, which 'characterized 
 the religion of the 18th century, it is indeed refreshing 
 to read such an extract as the above. Here in the 
 bosom of the Church, cast out and despised by the 
 world, we have a Bishop, who had been elected by his 
 Clergy as " eminent for Piety, Learning, and Catholic 
 principles,'' sitting in Synod surrounded by his Pres- 
 byters. There is no sign of the prevailing Scepticism 
 amongst them : the Nicene Faith evidently supplies 
 the spiritual breath they breathe, and the course of 
 study, which they prescribe to the devoutly-disposed 
 aspirant to the Diaconate, is not even an Apology 
 against Deism, but simply Holy Scripture and Christian 
 Antiquity, together with a sacramental text and a 
 discourse on Justification. In the middle of that 
 century such a sight is especially welcome ! 
 
 June 12th, 174.^. — A Testamur signed by Mr. Lyon, 
 Mr. Innes, and six other Clergy, runs as follows ; — 
 " Eight Kev. Sir, — According to your appointment at 
 our last meeting we have taken Mr. Donald Robertson 
 to tryals, and he has acquitted himself upon the 
 several subjects, which were presented to him, very 
 much to our satisfaction, and we therefore think our- 
 selves at full freedom to recommend him to you for 
 
152 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Ordination.'' On June 18th Mr. Erskiue of Mutliill 
 writes to the Bishop: — "Mr.'Innes at Balgowan is to 
 present Mr. Donald Robertson to you for Ordination, 
 and I take it for granted that it will be obliging to 
 Lord and Lady Stormont that you do it soon." And 
 soon it was done. On S. Peter's Day (June 29th) we 
 read : — " At Alloa, in Bishop Alexander's Chapel, Mr. 
 Donald Robertson in Perth, after tryals of his sufficiency 
 as above, was ordained a Deacon in the said Chapel:* 
 present, Mr. George Innes at Balgowan ; Mr. William 
 Erskine at Muthill, Priests; Mr. William Abernethy,t 
 Deacon, and sundrie Laicks." 
 
 Nor was Mr. Robertson the only fruit in this way 
 of the work done at the Chapel in Perth, as the 
 following entry in the Dunkeld Register shews : — 
 " May 17th, 174.4- — -A-t Bishop Alexander's Chapel in 
 Alloa, Mr. Charles Rose J in Perth, was ordained 
 Deacon : then present, Mr. Wm. Erskiue in Muthill, 
 and Mr. Robert Lyon in Perth, Priests, and sundrie 
 Laicks.'' 
 
 * On January 14th, ] 745, " Donald Robertson, Presbyter at 
 Ecclefechan in Annandale, adheres" to a declaration of Bishop 
 Alexander. 
 
 t Afterwards Dr. Abernethy Drummond, Bishop of Edinburgh, 
 1787. 
 
 JAfterwards Bishop of Dunblane, 1774, and Bishop Alexander's 
 successor in Dunkeld. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HOW CONGREGATIONAL MATTERS WENT IN PERTH 
 BETWEEN 1740 AND 1745. 
 
 In order to give a consecutive account of the afi'airs 
 of our Bishopric, we were led in the last chapter to 
 advance to the year 1744. We must now return to 
 the year 1741, and gather together what is known to- 
 us concerning the two Congregations themselves between 
 that date and the year 1745. 
 
 As for the irregular Congregation, all that is 
 left to us is contained in two notices, which are as 
 follows. There is a passing sentence in the Frt&bytery 
 Record a good many years later (1748), which assumes 
 it as matter of common notoriety that Jlr. George 
 Sempill went on officiating after his deposition. And 
 the Rev. Robert Lyon in a letter dated Juiy IJ/ih, 
 17JfO, says : — " He most presiimptuously takes upon 
 him to administer in Holy Offices and did officiate on 
 Sunday last in our Meeting-House, but, blessed be 
 God, to as thin a congregation as before, and I have 
 no reason to doubt but that he will continue so to do." 
 We shall hear of him still being in Perth gome years hence. 
 
 With regard to the regular Congregation, the Bishop, 
 in a letter dated June '21st, 17Jfi, speaks of it as "still 
 flourishing," and in the Managers' Minute Book (which 
 by some strange chance, is preserved to us at Pitlochry) 
 the following fifty names occur as signing a certain 
 resolution. The likelihood appears to be that they 
 represent at least the great bulk of the Communicants : — 
 Lau. Drummond ; Rob. Lyon ; Thos. Carmichael ; John 
 
154 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Campbell ; Jas. Lindsay ; Geo. Drummond ; Patrick 
 Conqueror ; Wm. Lindsay ; Jos. Taylor ; Thos. Murray ; 
 Wm. Lindsay ; L. A. Grant ; Ja. Smyth ; George 
 Stirling ; David Conqueror ; P. Murray ; John Stewart ; 
 G. Young; J. Rutherford; Jas. Stewart; Thos. Rattray; 
 James Honey ; Duncan Henderson ; John Balneavis. 
 Then on another page come the female names : — M. 
 Stormont ; A. Lovett ; Jean Murray ; Helena Murray ; 
 E. Gray ; Euphemia Bayne ; Marg. Eraser ; Rebecca 
 Grant ; Anna Murray ; Stewart Rose ; Margaret Rose ; 
 Isabel Hunter ; Cicilia Martin ; Anna Murray ; J. L. 
 Young ; Ma. Oliphant ; Ma. Kinloch ; Christina Mercer ; 
 Ann Drummond ; Mary Drummond ; Elizabeth Sohaw ; 
 Mary Brown ; Helen Brown ; Barbara Smyth ; Isabel 
 Murray ; Alison Ogilvy. 
 
 Being forcibly excluded from the " Meeting-House " 
 proper, they did not, of course, renounce their claim 
 to it. But, as the whole Episcopal Church was barely, 
 if at all, accorded legal existence, they had little chance 
 of making good their rights, and that all the less, 
 inasmuch as the Civic Authorities were prepared to 
 countenance those, who were in a state of rebellion 
 against the Bishop. Only one course was, therefore, open 
 to our friends, — namely, to provide themselves with 
 another temporary place of loorship. Accordingly, on 
 Ju7ie 18th, 17Jfi, we read :— " The Meeting find it 
 necessary in the meantime that a convenient House be 
 looked out for accommodating the Congregation for the 
 worship of God on the Lord's Day and other days, 
 and do therefore appoint (a Coramittee) to provide a 
 convenient House for the Congregation, and whatever 
 they shall do therein shall be ratified by the Meeting.'' 
 A suitable building was therefore rented, but all attempts 
 to identify its site have proved unavailing. 
 
The Orthodox Flock. 155 
 
 So much, then, for the number of the congregation 
 and their chapel. AVhat was its constitution 1 It was 
 administered by a committee of sqven Managers. These 
 Managers were elected every year at a general meeting 
 in Februarj'. The two Presbyters were always chosen, 
 and one of them took the chair at ever}' meeting 
 The following list of names supplied the Lay members 
 from time to time within the years dealt with in this 
 chapter : — Dr. Carmichael ; Dr. George Stirling ; Bon- 
 hard ; David Conqueror ; Mr. James Smyth ; Patrick 
 Murray ; "William Lindsay ; D. Stewart ; David Grant ; 
 and Joseph Taylor. At their annual meeting held in 
 January, the " Thesaurer's " accounts were inspected 
 and passed. The revenue appears to have been 
 altogether derived from seat-rents. There was some 
 difficulty in collecting these; but, as a rule, the annual 
 income, amounting generally to about £95, was some- 
 what in excess of the expenditure. 
 
 With regard to their forma of worship we should 
 certainly have expected, now that the " Anti-Usagers " 
 had seceded, that our friends would have adopted the 
 Scottish Liturgy in its entirety, and this all the more 
 as its use was at this epoch all but universal. But, 
 for some reason or another, it was a combination of 
 the two Offices that was actually used. Perhaps the 
 reason was that the " Collegians " having so long com- 
 pelled the use of the English formulary, it had become 
 endeared to the people through " Use and Wont." 
 Perhaps (and we should like to think so) it was that 
 the adoption of the Scottish Office was rejected on the 
 ground that it would have been a hopeless barrier in 
 the way of the return of the Corbsites ; but, whatever 
 the reason might be, the, Service which they now used 
 was that of the English Prayer Boole, enriched by the 
 
156 Episcopal Histor}' of Perth. 
 
 priceless addition of the Oblation and Invocation from 
 the Scottish form. This we learn from the following 
 extract from a letter written by Mr. Lyon, JVovumber 
 28th, 174,5 .-—"The majority, who use the Scotch 
 Liturgy, is so great that they are now but very few 
 who do otherwise, and these few in the southern parts 
 mostly, overawed by some ignorant Laity. (Is this an 
 oblique reference to Blair of Corbs?) All in this 
 District are unanimous in the Scotch, save myself, who, 
 not of inclination, but for reasons too well known, was 
 obliged to comply with borrowing only the Invocation 
 and Oblation from the Scotch. ... I am persuaded 
 the most of the Clergy of my acquaintance, and with 
 great sincerity I can say it of myself, would much 
 sooner resign our several charges than give up the 
 Scotch to use the English Office. Yea, the greater 
 number of our Laity would desert us should we attempt 
 it.'' That the sacramental ordinance of Confirmation 
 was duly practised is proved by the following extracts 
 from contemporary correspondence: — On May Jfth, ITJ/l, 
 the Bishop writes, "I go for'Balgowan to-morrow, and 
 from thence to Perth, in order to confirm some persons 
 there before Whitsunday." Again on March 18th, 17 iJ/., 
 Mr. Lyon writes to the Bishop: — "It is generally 
 desired that you- should be with us a Sunday, and 
 you'll find it necessary, because they expect a visit 
 from you at Balgowan and Nairne. What number 
 we'll have here to confirm I cannot say, because our 
 examination is not yet over, but I presume they will 
 not be many." It appears to be the case that this 
 proposed arrangement was carried out, because there is 
 a letter from Mr. Erskine at Muthill, dated July 21st, 
 njpf., and addressed to the Bishop, " care of Rev. R. 
 Lyon at Perth." 
 
Perth Forms of Worship. 157 
 
 It is to be presumed that, as the Eucharistic Office 
 of the English Book was made the basis of the Altar 
 Service, the same volume was used for the lesser 
 Services of 2[f>rning and Evening Prayer. But here 
 again it is evident that at least one significant modifica- 
 tion was introduced, "for," says Mr. Lyon, "I never 
 prayed in express terms for any King, because for many 
 years it has not been the practice of our Church : and 
 to mark such in her offices I thought inconsistent for 
 me, without the appointment or at least permission of 
 my Superiors." 
 
 ■\Ve sometimes think that Harvest Festivals are 
 peculiar to the Nineteenth Century. But it is not so. 
 On Xovemher 15th, 17Jt3, there was a Harvest Festival 
 held in Perth and the District in general, with proper 
 Collect, Epistle, Gospel, and Psalms, sanctioned by the 
 Bishop. 
 
 We have Mr. Lyon's own account of his Sermons. 
 There were those, indeed, who on this head affirmed 
 that " the Meeting-House was a nursery of Jacobitism 
 and rebellion," but we know that the members of the 
 irregular congregation were prejudiced. What our 
 Priest says is : — " I preached the plain truth of 
 the Gospel without touching on political matters." 
 What he understood by this may be gathered from 
 the following exhortation, which he addi-essed to 
 certain of his friends: — "Strenuously adhere, in spite 
 of all opposition, to those doctrines and principles 
 which, through the grace of God and my weak 
 ability, I have endeavoured to teach publicly and 
 to inculcate on you in my private conversation. 
 I mean the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures, with 
 their only genuine and authentic comment, the uni- 
 versal doctrines and practices of Chrisfx Church in 
 
158 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 her purest ages, even the first three centuries* before the 
 manifold errors of Popery on the one hand, or Presby- 
 terianism on the other," had been developed. Using 
 this canon, Mr. Lyon convinced himself of (and doubt- 
 less impressed upon his hearers), the necessity of " the 
 Apostolic government of the Bishops," and, as will 
 appear from the following description of his domestic 
 worship, of the customs known as the Usages. " Man," 
 he says, " cannot be perfectly happy without the re- 
 union of soul and body. In consequence of this principle 
 it was my practice in my family devotions to com- 
 memorate the souls of my deceased friends who died 
 in the Lord, . . . that they might obtain rest, 
 peace, light, and refreshment, that they might find 
 mercy in the Day of the Lord, and be partakers of 
 perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and 
 soul, in God's eternal and everlasting glory." And 
 then, remembering the other primitive customs, which 
 were being restored, he exclaims, " May our good and 
 wise ecclesiastical governors with the Divine assistance 
 contribute their endeavours to restore this {i.e., prayer 
 for the faithful departed) and other primitive Apostolical 
 practices in due form to the public offices of our Church, 
 which would be a means to contribute comfort and 
 great consolation to many a pious and devout soul ! " 
 Lest any should say that because Mr. Lyon felt a 
 peculiar interest in those truths of Christianity, which 
 were especially forgotten by his fellow-countrymen, and 
 that he ignored the ground of piety, which he held in 
 common with all Christians, let the general tone of 
 the following paragraph serve as a witness : — '■ Pray, 
 
 * Our readers will notice that the doctrines of the Oxford 
 Movement prevailed amongst us all through the dark Eighteenth 
 Century — substantially, at least. 
 
Mr. Lyon's Sentiments. 159 
 
 then, consider," he pleads, " that God is perfect love 
 and goodness ; that we are not only His creatures but 
 His children, and as dear to Him as to ourselves ; 
 that He does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children 
 of men, and that all evils of affliction which befall us 
 are intended for the cure and prevention of greater 
 evils of sin and punishment ; and, therefore, we ought 
 not only to submit to them with patience, as being- 
 deserved by us, but to receive them with thankfulness, 
 as being designed by Him to do us that good and to 
 bring us to that sense of Him and ourselves which 
 perhaps nothing else would have done ; that the suffer- 
 ings of this present life are but short and slight com- 
 pared with those extreme and endless miseries which 
 we have deserved, and with that exceeding w-eight of 
 glory which we hope for in the other world. If we 
 be careful to make the best preparations for death 
 and eternity, whatsoever hardships or afflictions we 
 suffer for our attachment to truth and righteousness, bring 
 us nearer to our everlasting happiness : and how rugged 
 soever the way may be, the comfort is that it leads to 
 our Father's house." 
 
 The man,- in whose mouth these words were the 
 sincere utterance of his heart and a practical rule of 
 life, as they certainly were in the case of Mr. Lyon, 
 deserves in the fullest degree the title of Christian, as 
 the former quotations entitle him to that of Churchman. 
 But our friend, in the exercise of his Ministry, did not 
 attempt " to wind himself too high, for sinful man 
 beneath the sky." This his domestic arrangements will 
 show. The following remark of his leads us to suppose 
 that his dear sister Cicely " kept house for him." 
 " It gives me no small uneasiness,'' he says, " that I 
 have made some encroachments upon poor Cicely's 
 
i6o Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 stock : but then, I might say in my own vindication, 
 this was not by any luxury or riot, but rather owing 
 to a small yearly income, an expensive place for living, 
 and being too liberally disposed on certain occasions." 
 Moreover, he formed a still warmer attachment in 
 another quarter. " Before I end this letter," he writes 
 to his mother and sisters, "I might take this opportunity 
 to acquaint you of one thing that none on earth knows, 
 but the person immediately concerned. The matter is 
 this : . . . I designed and proposed to make Stewart 
 Kose, whom I know to be a virtuous, wise, good, and 
 religious young woman, partner of my life and fortune." 
 This lady was the daughter of the Right Rev. James 
 Rose, Bishop of Fife {1726-17S3), and sister of the 
 Rev. Charles Rose, whose Ordination was related in the 
 last chapter (afterwards Bishop of Dunblane, 1774--1791). 
 Her own name appears in the list of the Perth 
 Congregation. 
 
 We may fitly conclude the chapter with one or two 
 extracts. From Primus Keith's letters we learn that 
 this Prelate, after the death of Bishop Rattray, regarded 
 Lord Stormont as one of his most trusted advisers. 
 On April 15th, 17i5, there was a general nieeting of 
 the Congregation for the purpose of devizing steps for 
 recovering the "Meeting-House" from the dissenters. 
 But that there was a dark fate impending, which 
 prevented anything coming of these plans, is hinted 
 in the following words of the Rev. W. Erskine to 
 Bishop Alexander, in a letter dated September 26th, 
 17JfJf. : — " If there is any new thing going on in Perth, 
 you shall have it. In the meantime, what I hear from 
 thence bodes little good to Robert Lyon;" 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 HOW ROBERT LYON FOLLOWED PRINCE CHARLIE, 
 1745- 
 
 Cor^iPAREU with what might have been, the state of the 
 Scottish Church in the period succeeding the Concordate 
 of 1731 was, indeed, one of depression. The number 
 of its Clergy was now reduced to 125. But, if we 
 compare the condition of things in this interval with 
 that, in which they were to be placed after 1745, 
 when the number of Clergy gradually fell to 40, we 
 must pronounce the years 1731-1745 to be comparatively 
 prosperous. F'or now the greatest disaster, which the 
 Church had ever experienced, was to fall upon it. We 
 are not, indeed, concerned to trace its general course 
 in the country at large ; but, though we are to confine 
 ourselves to ecclesiastical affairs in Perth, we shall learn 
 most of its leading features. The manner of this 
 calamity was as follows : — In 1745, Prince Charles 
 Edward, son of Prince James of the 1715, determined 
 to strike a last blow for the recovery of his grand 
 father's Crown. Accordingly, he made the voyage from 
 France to the- west coast of Scotland in the DouteUe, 
 ■A Nantes brig of 18 tons. His personal following 
 numbered only seven adherents, the most important 
 of whom was the Marquis of Tullibardine. But 
 he chivalrously hoped that those he conscientiously 
 believed (with considerable reason) to be his own 
 people, would rally to the standard of right, as 
 soon as he unfolded it. Nor was he altogether mis- 
 taken. Erelong he had gathered a very respectable 
 
 K 
 
i62 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 following, whom he inspired with the most generous 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 How was his appeal received by Churchmen in Perth 1 
 We, taught by the event, may indeed wish that they 
 had allowed prudence as well as ardour to guide their 
 choice ; we may wish that they had reflected how 
 sufficient sacrifices had already been made in the cause 
 of fidelity ; we may wish that they had recognised in 
 the failure of previous attempts, and in the 57 years' 
 unbroken success of the new regime, practical indica- 
 tions of the decrees of Providence. But the historian's 
 part is not to describe what might have been, but 
 simply to record what actually happened. As a matter 
 of fact, then, the Episcopalians of our City were, like 
 their brethren elsewhere, and like others of different 
 religious persuasions, inspired by the Stuart enthusiasm. 
 As for Robert Lyon we can set forth his state of 
 mind pretty exactly, for he has described it for us 
 himself. First, without going into the abstract question 
 of the divine right of Kings, he could not believe 
 that James VII. (II. of England) had been duly 
 deposed, even on the principles of the popular party. 
 For the Edinburgh Convention, which, in 1689, had 
 declared the Throne vacant, had been elected in such 
 an irregular and masterful way, and so dominated by 
 bodies of armed Presbyterians and Orange troops, that 
 it was not fairly representative of the Scottish people. 
 This was the belief of our Presbyter, shared in by 
 many. " I never could view that convention," he says, 
 " which pretended to depose King James VII., and 
 dispose of his crown : I never could view that unlawful 
 and packed assembly in any other light but as traitors 
 to their country and as rebels to their King." 
 Secondly, he goes on, " I was soon determined from 
 
Mr. Lyon joins the Prince. 163 
 
 rational and solid arguments to embrace the doctrine 
 of passive obedience,* the divine right of Kings, and 
 in particular the indefeasible and hereditarj' right of 
 our own gracious sovereign, King James VIII. and III." 
 And thirdly, he proceeds, " As our then injured king 
 and his undoubted heirs have from time to time 
 uninterruptedly claimed their right and asserted their 
 dominion, I am so far from thinking that the royal 
 misfortunes loose the subjects from their obedience, 
 that I rather apprehend that they loudly call for a 
 steadier allegience and more faithful duty." And 
 fourthly, " In these sentiments I have been still more 
 and more confirmed by the lamentable consequences of 
 the opposite opinion." These are all political views. 
 That they are not necessarily connected with Church 
 principles! is evident, inasmuch as — Lyon himself being 
 vi-itness — he had not been in the habit of praying 
 for King James in public worship, and this by the 
 directions of the Bishop. Moreover, the English 
 Prelates did actually so pray for King George, and, on 
 the other hand, there were Presbyterians and Roman 
 Catholics who took up arms for Prince Charlie. 
 
 Had these been all the motives, therefore, that guided 
 Robert Lyon and his brethren in this town at the 
 present crisis, we could omit all mention of his adherence 
 to the romantic attempt to recover the British Crown 
 for the Stuarts. This is not a secular history. Perhaps 
 his political opinions would have induced him to act 
 as he did, even though they had not been reinforced 
 by other considerations, and perhaps they would not. 
 
 * This phrase is often misinterpreted. It does not mean un- 
 questioning subservience to the Monarch in everything ; but, while 
 contrasted with positive rebellion on one side, is on the other 
 intended to distinguish from active obedience. 
 
 + Liddon's Life of Pusey, vol. ii., p. 27. 
 
164 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 But he distinctly assures us that his prevailing motives 
 on the present critical occasion were religious. His 
 most cogent reason for sympathizing with the enterprise 
 was that the hostile legislation and administration, 
 which had for so long depressed the Church, might be 
 brought to an end. After finishing with his political 
 reasons, he concludes thus : "But ivhat more naturally 
 falls to my share to consider, and what, I fear, has 
 been still less regarded, is the long persecuted state of 
 my dear Mother, the Church of Scotland — that Church 
 of which it is my greatest honour to be a member 
 and a Priest, though very undeserving of either." 
 
 Such, then, was the state of mind at "which our 
 Perth Presbyter arrived when he heard that Prince 
 Charlie had come to win his own again. He resolved 
 accordingly, to throw in his lot with him partly for 
 political reasons, but still more because he thought 
 that so he might justly render a service to the Church. 
 He had argued the matter out to the best of his 
 ability, and though some may think that he ought to 
 have come to opposite conclusions, yet it must be 
 admitted that here was a man determined conscientiously 
 to adhere to his principles, and prepared to risk some- 
 thing for them. 
 
 Although, therefore, it is not actually recorded that 
 he was present on the occasion, we feel morally certain 
 that he mingled with the crowd, when his hero entered 
 Perth. " The* Prince came in by the North Port and 
 Skinnergate (the then usual mode of entry) to the 
 High Street. His leading, adherents surrounded him, 
 several of whom had joined him when approaching 
 Perth, such as the head of Drummonds, styled Duke 
 
 * Fittia's Gleanings, p. 175, which also supplies other particulars 
 iu this Chapter. 
 
The Prince in Perth. 165 
 
 of Pertli, Hon. R. Mercer of Aldie, and Laurence 
 Oliphant, Esq. of Gask. On reaching the Cross, while 
 shouts rent the slcy, and countless handkerchiefs were 
 waved from the windows, the happy Prince was con- 
 ducted to the lodging provided for him, being the 
 house of Viscount Stormont, an old-fashioned wooden 
 tenement, occupying the site near the foot of the 
 High Street now occupied by the National Bank. Lord 
 Stormont was suspected of Jacobite tendencies, but 
 had withdrawn to the south. Two of his sisters, how- 
 ever, remained in the Perth mansion. These ladies 
 rendered sumptuous hospitality to their Eoyal giiest." 
 The Prince remained a week in the City, and during 
 that time endeavoured to get his recruits well drilled 
 on the North Inch, and was joined by Lord Strathallan 
 and Lord George Murray. Sir David Threipland of 
 Fingask, then in his 79th year, Avas making ready to come 
 in also, but died suddenly while pulling on his boots 
 with the intention of riding to Perth. Two of his 
 sons, however, immediately joined the Prince. One 
 secret of the latter's popularity was undoubtedly to be 
 found in the fact that, at least in these years of hope, 
 he was, as Robert Lyon says, " a stranger to every 
 vice that high life is most subject to." This would be 
 a pleasant change after the Courts of the Revolution 
 Monarchs, George L and George IL* 
 
 As before, in 1715, so now the great bulk of the Scottish 
 people regarded the Stuart cause as identical with that 
 of Popery, which they detested. But with the view of 
 allaying the feeling on this important point, as had 
 also been attempted by his father thirty years previously, 
 Prince Charles resolved, while at Perth, that he would 
 publicly attend Scottish worship at S. John's Church. 
 * See Thackeray's Pour Georges. 
 
i66 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 He therefore appeared in the Middle Kirk on Sunday, 
 Sexitemher 8th, and, sitting in the King's seat, became 
 the cynosure of all eyes. It was not to be expected 
 that the Presbyterian Minister, Mr. Black, would be 
 allo\ved to fill the Pulpit on this occasion. Neither 
 did the duty fall to Mr. Lyon. The preacher was the 
 Rev. Mr. Armstrong of the Episcopal Church. He chose 
 as his text Isaiah xiv., 1-2 . " For the Lord will have 
 mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and ivill set 
 thein in their own land and the people shall take 
 
 them and bring them to their place . . and they 
 
 shall rule over their oppiressors." 
 
 Shortly afterwards, the Prince's army crossed the 
 Forth, and advancing tipon Edinburgh, seized the city 
 without a blow. General Cope landed at Dunbar to 
 oppose the Highland host, but was ignominously defeated 
 at Prestonpans. When the news of the victory reached 
 Perth, there were great rejoicings amongst the Jacobites 
 in the city, and the windows of Mr. Lyon's house were 
 illuminated, and the letters " C, P. R." (Charles, Prince 
 Regent) in large characters with the lights shining 
 through them. 
 
 " Ast illi intcrea tneritis 'pro talibiis, atras 
 Insidias, dademque parant ! " ^ 
 
 That is, George Miller, the Town Clerk, an energetic 
 partizan of the Hanoverian dynasty, was watching and 
 waiting an opportunity against Mr. Lyon. Meanwhile, 
 however, the latter's star was in its brief ascendant. 
 
 fit's informed," writes one of his opponents, "that 
 Mr. Lyon is with the rebel army in England : he is in 
 Highland cloaths and bearing arms.' This was an 
 adversary's account of his proceedings subsequent to 
 the Battle of Prestonpans, and, of course, there was 
 * Bishop Charles Wordsworth's Mexico. tFittis's Gleanings, p. 200. 
 
Lord Ogilvie's Chaplain. 167 
 
 some truth in it. But what is his own version of the 
 matter? "Every patriot," he writes, " who had courage 
 to resolve to conquer and suffer in the way of duty 
 according to the will of God, joined the Eoyal standard. 
 Thither many did come to whom I was attached by 
 relation, friendship, and several other ties, dutifully 
 exhorted, kindly invited, and earnestly requested me 
 to attend them as their Priest, while they were laudably 
 engaged in King and Country's cause. To this — 
 agreeable as it was to my own professed principles — I 
 readily assented. I plainly foresaw that I could not 
 discharge my (clerical) functions with more safety in 
 that congregation (i.e., Perth) to which I have peculiar 
 and spiritual relation, where part of the Prince's forces 
 already lay, therein going along with my friends in 
 their glorious expedition." The post, to which he was 
 appointed in the Jacobite Army, was the Chaplaincy of 
 Lord Ogilvie's Regiment. "And here I must declare, 
 he goes on, " that, while I accompanied my country- 
 men in this noble expedition, I saw a decency and 
 discipline maintained amongst them equal, if not 
 superior to, that of any regular disciplined force ; and 
 if any hardships or severities were committed, I am 
 fully persuaded it was unknown and very cross to the 
 inclinations of their merciful and Eoyal leader. And 
 for my own particular, I do solemnly affirm that, 
 during this expedition, / never bore arms, for this I 
 thought inconsistent with my sacred character." 
 
CHAPTEE XVIIl. 
 
 HOW THE CHURCH IN PERTH WAS OVERWHELMED 
 IN A FOURTH GREAT DISASTER, 1746. 
 
 As if the Disestablishment of 1689, the failure of 
 Prince James's enterprise in 1715, and the schism of 
 1740 did not constitute sufficient affliction for the 
 Churchmen of Perth to pass through, another blow, 
 more crushing than any of the former, was now to fall 
 on them. For, between the end of the last chapter 
 and the beginning of this, we must imagine that 
 " bonnie Prince Charlie " has retreated from Derby to 
 Inverness, and been overthrown on the bloody field of 
 CuUoden. "Under what heads, therefore, shall we divide 
 our description of the overwhelming disasters that now 
 ■descended upon our friends. 
 
 (I.) First, let us bring the victorious general to the 
 Fair City. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumber- 
 land, who now triumphed, was " a clumsy German, with 
 obese figure, puffed visage, and coarse address." The 
 present Lord Eosebery describes* him as " the slave of 
 violent passions," and says that " success in battle was 
 destined to develop the worst phase of his character, 
 i.e., a brutal disregard of all the dictates of justice 
 and common humanity when dealing with a brave but 
 vanquished enemy. No blacker, no bloodier page will 
 be found in the history of any country than that, 
 which records the atrocities perpetrated at CuUoden at 
 the command and under the ej^e of a British Monarch's 
 son.'' 
 
 * Preface to List of Persons concerned in the Rehellion. 
 
Hanoverian Atrocities. 169 
 
 We may, however, pass over most of the sickening- 
 cruelties of the Hanoverian Prince as not connected, 
 except indirectly, with the history of the Church in 
 Perth. But we note that the line of his approach 
 was marked by the destruction of Episcopal Chapels 
 in the counties of Moray, Banff, Kincardine, and Forfar. 
 His Royal Highness entered Perth on Wednesday/, 
 Fehrum-y 5th, 171fi, to the boundless joy of the Whig 
 inhabitants. The North Inch was no longer encumbered 
 with the presence of the Scottish Prince's native troops, 
 but was now honoured by the encampment of a host 
 of 5000 Germans. Detachments of these were sent 
 out to plunder and lay waste the lands of all the 
 Jacobite families in the neighbourhood. " The Butcher's " 
 orders were obeyed with merciless severity, and the 
 spoil was brought in to Perth. Part of it was sold 
 at the Cross, but at last His Koyal Highness was 
 compelled by the general outcry which his doings had 
 raised to check such ruthlessness. 
 
 As the Episcopal Chapels were everywhere destroyed, 
 it seems reasonable to suppose that both ]Mr. Drumniond's 
 and Mr. Sempill's places of worship shared the general 
 fate. If we are right in this supjiosition, additional 
 pathos is added to the following words of Mr. Lyon : — 
 " The Church of Scotland is now, alas ! devoted in the 
 intention of her adversaries to utter destruction, which 
 I fervently pray God to prevent. Her oratories have 
 been profaned and burnt ; her holy altars desecrated ; 
 her priests outrageously plundered, deprived, and some 
 of them imprisoned and treated with uncommon cruelty ; 
 her faithful members almost deprived of the means of 
 salvation, and this mostly done without a form of law 
 by a hostile force especially appointed by him who 
 calls himself the Duke of Cumberland, and who (God 
 
170 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 grant him a timely repentance and forgive him ! ) has 
 occasioned the painful and untimely death of many 
 innocent and inoffensive persons, and by wilful fire 
 and sword, and by every means of torment, distress, 
 and barbarity, exceeding Glencoe's massacre itself, 
 has brought a dreadful desolation on my dear 
 country." 
 
 (II.) Secondly, leaving the bloodstained proceedings 
 of Cumberland, let us consider the penal legislation, to 
 which our friends were now made subject. " It was 
 enacted that from and after September 1, 174.6, every 
 person exercising the function of a Pastor or Minister 
 in any Episcopal Meeting-House in Scotland without 
 registering his letters of Orders, and taking all the 
 oaths required by law, and praying for King George 
 and the Eoyal Family by name, shall for the first 
 oifence suffer six months' imprisonment, and for the 
 second or any subsequent offence, being convicted 
 thereof before the Justiciary or any of the Circuit 
 Courts, shall be transported for life to some of His 
 Majesty's plantations in America, and in case of his 
 return to Great Britain, shall suffer imprisonment for 
 life." An Episcopal Meeting-House was defined to be 
 a place " where five persons over and above the house- 
 hold are assembled " for purjDoses of worship. Sheriffs, 
 etc., were " to shut up or otherwise suppress such 
 Meeting-Houses." Worshippers who were present were 
 to report under severe penalties. All Laity resorting 
 to Episcopal assemblies were to be punished. 
 
 Now, though these were excessively severe measures 
 against a Church which, in its corporate capacity, had 
 not required her sons to join in the rising, yet the 
 Government might at first plead that all the Episcopal 
 Clergy, who would take the oaths of allegiance, were 
 
Penal Laws. 171 
 
 free to exercise their calling without let or hindrance, 
 We do not see what civil rulers, be they Stuarts or be 
 they Hanoverians, can do, except require a recognition 
 of their civil authority. 
 
 But on the present occasion the "Powers that were" 
 advanced further than this. The boundary, which 
 divides secular from religious affairs, was now clearly 
 overstepped. For, after first enacting, legitimately 
 enough, that those of our Clergy, who refused to 
 take the oaths of obedience, must come under legal 
 penalties, they went on to enact that no Scottish 
 Priest, lohether lie took the oaths or not, was to he 
 allowed to officiate. This amazing enactment ran as 
 follows: — "All letters of Orders would be deemed void 
 in the registration, except those granted by a Bishop 
 of the Church of England or of the Church of Ireland." 
 Nor was this allowed to remain a dead letter. The 
 Eev. John Skinner of Linshart (" Tullochgorum ") took 
 all the oaths required by Government, and was, in 
 fact, a thoroughly loyal Hanoverian, but was thrown 
 into prison for the purely religious act of ministering 
 in spiritual things as a Scottish ordained Priest. The 
 intention evidently was to destroy the Church, not 
 merely in its supposed capacity as a dangerous political 
 organization, but as a religious society. Even those, 
 therefore, who sympathise with the Government against 
 the Jacobites, have strong grounds for sympathising 
 with the disestablished Churchmen against rulers, who 
 were either tyrannical or else criminally ignorant of 
 ecclesiastical affairs. 
 
 (III.) Thirdly, having seen his victorious Royal 
 Highness arrived in Perth, and having given a general 
 view of the legislation by which his action was fortified 
 about this period, let us retiu'n and see how the army 
 
172 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 and the law combined completed the work of repression 
 in our City. 
 
 Cumberland had now fairly settled down to his work. 
 He appointed a junto under the name of " The Town 
 of Perth Committee " to manage the civic aifairs, and 
 especially "to denounce all those who had been con- 
 cerned in the Kebellion."* Let us see how they acted. 
 They met at Perth February 9th, 17Jfi. The Preses 
 reported to the members that by order of His Eoyal 
 Highness he had caused the underwritten advertisement 
 to be published by tuck of drum round the town on 
 the 7th and 8th current, viz. : — 
 
 By Order op H.R.H. the Ddke ok Gomberland. 
 
 " Any person who, within the Town or Liberty of this place, 
 shall conceal any Rebell or arras, ammunition, or anything else 
 belonging to the Rebels, and shall not immediately bring in the 
 said Rebel or stores or goods to Provost James Crie shall, upon 
 proof of disobedience to this order, be hanged." 
 
 In a list of persons reported to the Duke by General 
 Hawley, the following names of undoubted Churchmen 
 occur : — 
 
 " That the said Kobert Lyon, non-jurant Clergyman, a 
 noted Jacobite and suspected to be Popish, went from 
 Perth with the Pretender and his Eebel Army, September, 
 1745." The witnesses are the same that witness against 
 John Eutherford and the rest of Lyon's congregation. 
 "And that, when the news of the battle of Preston reached 
 Perth, Mr. Lyon's windows were illuminated, and the 
 letters C, P. E. in large characters and the lights shining 
 through them ; and it's informed that, when the Eebel 
 Army were in England, the said Lyon was in High- 
 land cloaths, bearing arms.'' We have seen that this 
 last particular is directly contradicted in Lyon's own 
 
 narrative. 
 
 * Fittis's Gleanings, pp. 194 to 202. 
 
List of Accused. 173 
 
 "John Rutherford, Writer, habit and repute a 
 Jacobite in so far as he has always attended public 
 worship in Robert Lyon's non-jnring Episcopal Meeting- 
 Hoiise, where the King and Royal Family were never 
 prayed for, and which was a noted nursery of Jacobitism 
 and Rebellion, although the said John has sworn the 
 oaths to Government as a Public Notary, Sherifi' Clerk 
 Substitute, and as Procurator before the inferior Courts 
 of Perth, and that the said Rutherford did, on 
 September 11th last, bpenly insult and throw off the 
 hats of some of the inhabitants on the street for not 
 bowing to the Pretender when he was passing out of 
 Perth." Other Churchmen on this list are : — James 
 
 Lindsay; Duncan Henderson; Stewart: shoemaker, 
 
 merchant, and journeyman glover respectively. 
 
 George Drummond is accused of "aiding in the 
 assault upon the loyal inhabitants, who were ringing 
 the bells on October SOth, 1745, being the King's 
 birthday," and of " being otherwise a tool of the two 
 Rebell Governors of Perth." 
 
 Mr. James Smyth, Surgeon ; Mr. George Stirling, 
 Surgeon ; and Mr. James Oliphant, Merchant, brother 
 of Gask, "did introduce several ladies to the Pretender, 
 both in his bedroom and also in the Town House." 
 They are also accused of taking part in the affair of 
 the bell-ringing on George IL's birthday. 
 
 Mr. William Hall is a " noted Jacobite, and alwise 
 attended Mr. Lyon's Meeting-House," and is accused 
 " of furnishing carriages for canuon to, and otherwise 
 serving, the Rebells." 
 
 William Lindsay, Wright, is "a noted Jacobite, and 
 a disciple of Mr. Lyon's," and is accused of " felling 
 and. cutting down the Town of Perth's planting, and 
 fitting the wood for pallisades to the Rebels." 
 
174 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 The following names of Churchmen occur in the 
 Town Council's report : — " Thomas Powrie, son to Wm. 
 Powrie, Bedall to a Non-Juring Meeting-House." 
 
 Some reputed Jacobites and constant hearers in the 
 Non-juring Meeting-House, namely, Dr. Thomas Car- 
 michael. Physician ; Patrick Blair and Walter Keir, 
 Merchants, are reported as not being known to haVe 
 taken part in the Kebellion. 
 
 The only Episcopalian, who appears actively on the 
 Hanoverian side, is Patrick Conqueror, who bears 
 witness against John Rutherford. The probability 
 is that he did not stand altogether alone, but it is 
 uncertain whether he was Orthodox or Corbsite. 
 
 The full list of names is a very much longer one, 
 but the rest are omitted as they cannot be shewn to 
 have been Churchmen. 
 
 The wretched prisoners could look for no pity nor 
 mercy from "Butcher" Cumberland. They were, in 
 fact, crammed into the Tolbooth to the number of 79. 
 Let us describe this miserable place. "It* was close to 
 S. John's Church, and had formerly been part of a 
 religious house. On the ground floor there was one 
 cell 12 ft. square and arched above. The window was 
 raised 8 ft. from the floor, and so thoroughly set with 
 a triple grating that very little light entered the place. 
 The inner door was composed of thick oak planks : 
 there was also an outer one of iron. This was what 
 was generally termed the ' Condemned Cell,' or ' Laigh 
 Iron House.' Here the criminal was fastened to a 
 chain in the floor ; his bed, a little straw on the damp 
 stones, and a single blanket for a covering. Above 
 stairs there was only another small cell for criminals, 
 and a small dark room for debtors. To these were 
 * Penny's Traditions of Perth, pp. 10-11. 
 
Perth Tolbooth. 175 
 
 added other two garret rooms for the latter class. 
 The upper cells were about 16 ft. by 12 ft. In the 
 lower one there were three cages, each about 6 ft. long 
 and 4 ft. wide, built up to the roof and of double 
 plank. The door into them was about 4 ft. high and 18 
 inches wide, with a hole (for handing iu prisoners' bread) 
 about 12 in. by 9 in. with iron gratings. Within were 
 chains for locking the prisoners to the floor, a bundle 
 of straw, and a blanket. Beside them was placed a 
 wooden stoup, which was filled with water twice a 
 week, and the place was only cleaned once a week. 
 In the upper cell, which was usually allotted for women, 
 there was only one cage situated in the centre of the 
 room. In these wretched places, with only a scanty 
 allowance of bread and water, the poor unfortunates 
 used to be confined for months and some of them for 
 years without seeing the light of day or breathing a 
 mouthful of fresh air." It was into this veritable 
 " Black Hole of Calcutta," evidently small enough to 
 be crowded by a quarter of their number, that the 
 79 Jacobite prisoners were crammed by the ruthless 
 Cumberland. 
 
 Possibly Mr. Lyon was amongst them ; but, as he 
 had been away acting as Chaplain in Prince Charlie's 
 army, it is likely that it was not in Perth Tolbooth 
 that he was confined. He certainly was for a time 
 prisoner at Montrose. 
 
 However that might be, these fourscore friends and 
 fellow-churchmen of his were in a deplorable condition 
 in Perth. No adequate provision existed for their daily 
 maintenance : they were in danger of absokite star- 
 vation. Even the Committee felt ashamed of a state 
 of affairs more " wicked and unnatural " than the 
 Eebellion itself. At least they did not want the prisoners 
 
176 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 to become a burden on the town, and accordingly we 
 have the following Minute : — " The Committee* of the 
 Town of Perth recommend it to Provost Crie, their 
 Prases, to represent to H.E.H. the Duke of Cumber- 
 land that there are many prisoners taken by the army 
 and committed to the Tolbooth of Perth, who are 
 referred by His Koyal Highness's order to be examined 
 by the Deputy Sheriffs of the Shire of Perth : that 
 these prisoners will starve for want of food, or be a 
 burden on the inhabitants of the Town, unless His 
 Koyal Highness will be pleased to appoint some proper 
 fund for their maintenance, and the Preses having 
 made the above representation to His Royal Highness, 
 he received for answer (February 11th, nJfi) that 
 application must be made through the Lord Justice- 
 Clerk to the Commissioners at London for the sick and 
 wounded (!) " If the prisoners had been Covenanters 
 and the Duke, a Stuart Prince, there would have been 
 tolerable unanimity in favour of viewing this answer 
 as sufficient cause to justify forfeiture of its author's 
 Royalty.t 
 
 In May two batches of the unfortunates were removed 
 from Perth : one sent to Inverness on May 10th, and 
 thence transported to London by sea, and the other 
 carried to Stirling on the 12th. It was probably about 
 the same time that Mr. Lyon was removed from Montrose 
 to York. It is difficult to see why Scotchmen, arrested 
 in Scotland for offences committed . there, should not 
 have had the right allowed them of being tried by their 
 own law and their own countrymen, but' should have been 
 transported across tlie Border. If a Stuart Prince had 
 
 * Fittis's Gleanings, p. 205. 
 
 tThe frontiispiece of the Oentleman's Magazine for 1746 was a 
 portrait of the Duke with the words "ecoe homo" beueath ! 
 
• Harsh Measures. 177 
 
 carried Covenanting prisoners to their certain doom in 
 England after some such battle as Bothwell Bridge, 
 it would have been universally considered as a proof 
 that he was unfit to reign. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 HOW THE REV. ROBERT LYON SUFFERED DEATH 
 AT PENRITH, 1746. 
 
 It is not known what eventually became of the 
 generality of the Perth prisoners. We must therefore 
 leave them. But we can fully describe the fate of 
 Robert Lyon. 
 
 In October he is in captivity at York.* After seeing 
 what the prison arrangements in Perth were, we are not 
 surprised to find him complaining of the hardships of his 
 close confinement. " It has pleased Almighty God," ho 
 goes on, "in His unsearchable Providence, for some time 
 past to afflict me with grievous and sore troubles : every- 
 thing that could be looked upon as comfortable in this 
 world has been denied me." One painful trial he had 
 to suffer over and above the rigours of confinement. 
 " Hereby," he says, " the unmerciful disposition of the 
 Hanoverian family appears the more evident, and the 
 injustice and cruelty of the Elector's Council-at-Law in 
 this, that they indicted, arraigned, and condemned William 
 Baird, a person whom I had forced up by a sub-pcena to 
 attend my trial at Carlisle as an exculpatory witness, 
 notwithstanding he had long before delivered himself 
 up in consequence of the pretended Duke of Cumberland's 
 proclamation, and had obtained a protection and had 
 got a pass. This the more deeply concerns me in case 
 any of his friends should imagine I had any design 
 against him by forcing him to run such a hazard. 
 But I here call God to witness I esteemed the man, 
 * Lord Rosebery's List of Persons, p. 371. 
 
Mr. Lyon in Prison. lyg 
 
 and, as I thought liim perfectly safe, I had no other 
 view in bringing him this length than to do myself 
 justice." Then he adds: — "I have reason to believe 
 that George Miller, Town Clerk of Perth, was prose- 
 cuting me to the death, whom to my knowledge I never 
 injured in thought, word, or deed." 
 
 Nevertheless, he had one consolation. " I acknow- 
 ledge, with all the tender-heartedness of a brother, the 
 grievous troubles and afflictions, both of mind and body, 
 ray dear sister Cicely has undergone, in order to be of 
 use and comfort to me under my severe trials. Her 
 firm love to me has made her follow me too far, and 
 be a witness of more of my troubles than I could have 
 wished. But, whatever she has suffered on my account 
 (which, indeed, cannot be expressed), she has been of 
 unspeakable service to me. May Almighty God reward 
 her, and whatever love all of you bore to her formerly, 
 I hope it will be enlarged to her on this very account." 
 One good result of these truly romantic eflforts of his 
 sorrowing sister was that, at her instance, the Primus 
 of the Scottish Church (Keith) and Mr. Lyon's own 
 Bishop (Alexander) ran the risk of writing the prisoner 
 a sympathetic letter of consolation.* This could not 
 fail to greatly cheer a Priest of Mr. Lyon's principles. 
 
 When the trial came on at Carlisle, he "was forced 
 by surprise and the advice of his counsel to confess 
 that, thougTi he had never carried arms, he had 
 followed the Prince's army in a purely pastoral capacity." 
 " Upon' which," he goes on, "my pretended judges 
 declared and the jury found me guilty of high treason 
 and levying war, for barely accompanying the Royal 
 army, as before mentioned. This their rigorous pro- 
 cedure they founded on a pretended Act of Parliament, 
 * Episcopal Chest MS. 
 
i8o Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 made since I was personally engaged in the Eoyal 
 cause, and, for what I know, since I was prisoner : 
 which plainly shows that, whatever my private senti- 
 ments might have been, my life has been greedily 
 sought after and unjustly taken away, inasmuch as 
 they passed their sentence without any other act of 
 high treason (even in their own sense) proved against 
 me." 
 
 The sentence was that he was to be executed at 
 Penrith on October 88th. Against this sentence he was 
 persuaded to appeal, and indeed, to the ordinary mind, 
 it appears that, if justice had been the point aimed at, 
 the ingenuity of the legal mind might have been 
 successful in detecting flaws in the proceedings. But 
 the appeal failed. Whereupon Mr. Lyon writes: — "I do 
 hereby acknowledge publicly, and with a strong and 
 inward sense of guilt, that through fear, human frailty, 
 persuasion of lawyers, and the promise and assurance 
 of life, I was prevailed upon . . to address the 
 
 Elector of Hanover for mercy and my life. Which 
 address, petition, or anything of that kind I have 
 signed derogatory to the Koyal cause . . I hereby 
 retract, and with sorrow and contrition of a dying 
 penitent most humbly beg forgiveness of my Heavenly 
 Father for this my great offence.'' 
 
 Probably the Eucharistic Office of the Scottish Prayer 
 Book of 1637 has been used only a very limited 
 number of times. If Mr. Chambers* is making no 
 mistake concerning the edition of the northern Ofiice, 
 we may at least say that never has it been recited 
 under such memorable circumstances as it was now. He 
 informs us that .fifty of the condemned followers of 
 the last Stuart Prince assembled together in Carlisle 
 * History of the 1745, p. 464. 
 
Mr. Lyon's Last Words. i8i 
 
 Castle, and there, in the form of the Royal Martyr's 
 Liturgy, the Eov. Robert Lyon offered the Memorial of 
 Christ's Sacrifice and administered the Holy Communion 
 of His Body and Blood. Long afterwards. Bishop 
 R. Forbes treasured the copy of the Office, which was 
 used on this occasion, as a sacred relic. 
 
 While lying captive under these circumstances, Mr. 
 Lyon composed two documents,"' which have already 
 been largely quoted in these pages, i.e., a long letter 
 of farewell to his mother and sisters, and a speech to 
 be delivered on the scaffold. From these let us now 
 draw a picture of his state of mind in view of im- 
 mediate death. 
 
 (1). — First, what were his sentiments towards those 
 who stood in the position of enemies towards him t 
 He tells us ; — " In obedience to the precept, and after 
 the Divine example, of my Blessed Master, Jesus Christ, 
 I heartily and cheerfully forgive them, as I do all my 
 adversaries of whatsoever kind : particularly George 
 ililler, Town Clerk of Perth, Lord ! grant him repentance 
 that he may obtain forgiveness of God ! And more 
 especially I forgive the Elector of Hanover, by virtue 
 of whose unlawful commission I am brought to a public 
 and violent death, and whom I consider as my greatest 
 enemy, because the mortal enemy of Holy Mother 
 Church, of my King, and of my coimtry ! " 
 
 (2). — And did his afflictions make him forget his 
 Congregation in Perth 1 Far from it. " I cannot con- 
 clude," he says, " without offering my best wishes (as 
 they have always had my prayers) to Mr. Drummond, 
 my colleague, and every individual person a member 
 of our congregation. May Almighty God bless all of 
 
 * See Bishop E. Forbes's Lyon in Mourning and Stephen's 
 Episcopal Magazine, 1836, pp. 10, 111. 
 
i82 Episcopal History of Perth; 
 
 them, both in temporal and spiritual concerns, and of 
 His infinite goodness reward theai for their love and kind- 
 ness, their attachment and concern for me in the several 
 difficulties I have undergone. May the same God in 
 His due time afford them authorized guides to perform 
 Divine offices amongst them, to administer to them the 
 means of grace and bread of life that they may be 
 no longer as sheep without a shepherd. . . . You 
 will be pleased to offer my hearty and sincere wishes 
 to Balgowan and to all that worthy family : I grate- 
 fully acknowledge their remarkable and undeserved 
 favours. May Almighty God return them sevenfold 
 into their bosom ! I sincerely pray that Almighty God 
 may reward the family of Moncrieff, Mr. Smith's, Mr. 
 Stirling's, Dr. Carmichael's, Mr. Green's, the Ladies of 
 Stormont, Lady Tindals, and all other of my kind 
 benefactors and well-wishers with you (who have so 
 bountifully ministered to my necessities) with His 
 eternal and everlasting good things ! " 
 
 (3). — If he remembered these friends so affectionately, 
 the last sentence will remind us that he was not cold 
 at this dreadful crisis towards his Mother and Sisters. 
 " Before this reaches you," he writes to them, " the 
 last fatal scene of my sufferings will be over, and I 
 set at liberty (even by my enemies themselves) from 
 the heavy load of irons and chains I have so long 
 dragged. . . . You labour under affliction for the 
 death and loss of your only sou, and you of your only 
 brother, and all of you of your dearest earthly friend. 
 . . . I find in myself a great tenderness in parting 
 with you, my dearest relations, which, I must confess, 
 doth very sensibly touch me. My dear mother and 
 sisters, I commend you all to the Father of mercies 
 and God of all consolation and comfort, beseeching 
 
Mr. Lyon's Last Words. 183 
 
 Him to increase your faith, patience, and resignation, 
 and to stand by you in all your conflicts and difficulties 
 and troubles, that when you walk through the valley 
 of the shadow of death you may fear no evil, and 
 when your heart fails, and when your strength fails, 
 you may find Him the strength of your heart and 
 your portion for ever ! Farewell, my dear mother ! 
 Farewell, my loving sisters ! Farewell, every one of 
 you, for ever, and let us fervently pray for one another 
 that we may have a happy meeting in another world ! " 
 
 (4). — Nor, we may be sure, was his Betrothed for- 
 gotten in her grief and sorrow. " May Almighty God 
 support and comfort her ! " he cries, and then continues, 
 " I commend her to you, my dear mother, always to 
 look upon her as your daughter, and do you, my dear 
 sisters, so treat her always as your own sister, she 
 being really so in my most serious intention and fixed 
 resolution. I am sensible that all of you esteemed 
 her before on your acquaintance with her and on her 
 own proper merit, and am convinced that my discovering 
 my mind thus far will more and more increase, and 
 not lessen, your love and regard to her ! " 
 
 (5). — And what thought he of the poor, despised, 
 Scottish Church, now that devotion to her had brought 
 him to this terrible pass? "Continue," he pleads, "stead- 
 fastly and constantly in the faith of our holy persecuted 
 Mother, the Church of Scotland (in the which 1 have 
 the honour to die a very unworthy Priest), whatever 
 temporal inconveniences and hardships you may wrestle 
 with in so doing. ... It is a Church national 
 and independent of any other, and every, power on 
 earth, happily governed by her own truly primitive 
 Bishops, as so many spiritual princes presiding in their 
 different Districts, and in them accountable to none 
 
184 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 but God for the administration of her discipline : a 
 Church "whose Creeds demonstrate her soundness in the 
 Faith, and blest with a Liturgy (I mean the Scots 
 Liturgy) compiled by her own Bishops, nigher to the 
 primitive model than any other Church this day can 
 boast of. . . In a word a Church very near 
 resembling the purest ages, and which, after more than 
 half-a-century groaning under persecution and mourning 
 in her own ashes, but all the while distinguishing 
 herself not less by forbearance and charity to her 
 bitterest enemies than by standing to principles and 
 Catholic Unity, is now at last (alas !) devoted in the 
 intention of her adversaries to utter destruction, which 
 I fervently pi'ay God to prevent. May the gracious 
 hand of Heaven interpose and stop this wide destruc- 
 tion ! May our Church once more resume her ancient 
 lustre ! Her Presbyters be clothed with righteousness, 
 and her Saints sing with joyfulness ! May her members 
 yet be multiplied, blest with grace and felicity in this 
 world, and crowned with immortality in that which is 
 to come ! " 
 
 (6). — There is yet one more subject, on which he 
 discourses, ere the fearful moment, and that is his 
 Personal Religion. " I heartily thank God's holy 
 providence," he says, " for vouchsafing me the honour 
 and felicity of dying for the sake of conscience, and 
 of sealing with my blood those heavenly truths I have 
 mentioned, particularly that of loyalty to my King 
 and Prince. And I do declare upon this awful and 
 solemn occasion, I feel no sting of conscience for the 
 part I have acted in our civil discord, and do sincerely 
 profess before God and the world that, had He of His 
 infinite wisdom thought proper to prolong my life, I 
 should ever, by His all-powerful aid and grace, steadily 
 
Death of Mr. Lyon. 185 
 
 have persisted in the same faith and principles in the 
 hearty and zealous belief and open profession of which 
 I now die, and with fervent charity to all men, im- 
 ploring the pardon and forgiveness of all my sins 
 through the merits and mediation of my Crucified 
 Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. . . Lord ! loose me 
 from the burden of my sins, assist me in my last and 
 greatest trial, receive my soul, and bring me into the 
 way of eternal happiness and joy." Mr. Lyon then 
 repeated the Collect for the day (S. Simon and S. Jude, 
 October 28th), then that for S. Stephen's day that he 
 " might steadfastly look up to Heaven and behold bj' 
 faith the glory that shall be revealed, and being filled 
 with the Holy Ghost might learn to love and bless 
 his persecutors." He then added, " Good Lord ! lay 
 not innocent blood to the charge of this people and 
 nation ! Lord Jesus receive my spirit." 
 
 And so, after having discoursed for about 20 minutes 
 in a spirit of charity towards men, and with a deep and 
 chastened sense of fear towards God, he resigned him- 
 self into the executioner's hands. The method in which 
 the prisoners, in various batches, and to the number 
 of 77, were put to death was this : — They were first 
 hanged for three minutes, and then disembowelled. It 
 is much to be feared* that life was not in all instances 
 extinct before the second process was proceeded with. 
 Let us hope that it was, in the case of Mr. Lyon. It 
 is difficult again on the present occasion, as in the 
 matter of the barbarities on the field of Culloden 
 and the imprisonments at Perth, not to feel that, if 
 the victims had been Covenanters, and the reigning 
 monarch a Stuart, these wholesale and dreadful execu- 
 tions would have covered the perpetrators with lasting 
 * Gentleman's Magazine for November, 1746. 
 
i86 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 obloquy. Surely, if it is fair to remember from genera- 
 tion to generation the sufferings of the Covenanters, 
 it is fair to do likewise with those of the Jacobites. 
 "And yet, shew I unto you a more excellent way,'' viz. : 
 that the sufferings of the Jacobites should be at last 
 allowed to cancel out those of the Covenanters, and 
 that, while Episcopalians cease to cast the one in the 
 teeth of Presbyterians, Presbyterians should cease to 
 cast the other in the teeth of Episcopalians. 
 
 ^ A sorrow-stricken friend of Mr. Lyon must have been 
 present on the scaffold with him, for some of his blood 
 was preserved and set within the glass jewel of a ring. 
 This ring is now in possession of Miss Christian Bruce 
 of Dunimarle, and bears the following inscription on 
 the outside of the circle : — " Mr. Robert Lyon, E.S.P. 
 ( Ecclesioe Scoticaiice Presbyter), 28th October, l/JfB, 
 (Etat 36 ; " and in the inside the legend runs : — " Pro 
 rege et patria trucidato." Some of the sawdust also 
 from the scaffold was collected and formed into a pin- 
 cushion. This is now in possession of the same lady, 
 who owns the ring ; and on the silk of the pincushion 
 is printed in the centre a white rose, round which 
 appear the names of the 77 martyrs. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 HOW THE PERSECUTION RAGED FROM 
 1746 TO 1756. 
 
 Considering the Duke of Cumberland's achievements, 
 the Town Council of Perth thought that His Eojal 
 Highness ought to receive some tangible mark of their 
 gratitude. Accordingly they presented him with that 
 interesting relic of Scottish antiquity, the Gowrie 
 House.* His Royal Highness was graciously pleased to 
 accept the gift, sell it, and take himself off for good. 
 
 This, however, did not mean that the shattered 
 fragments of the Church were to be allowed to 
 reorganize themselves. On the contrary, everything was 
 done which ingenuity could devise to stamp Episcopacy 
 thoroughly out, and it took about two years to bring 
 those penal laws to perfection, a general view of which 
 was given in the central part of the chapter before last. 
 
 Our present object is to shew how our local Chvu'ch 
 history fared during the ten years or so, during which 
 the repressive legislation was actively enforced. 
 
 (I). — The Rev. L. Drummond's signature is appended 
 
 to a document dated Jammry Hlh, 17JfB,\ but nothing 
 
 more is heard of him afterwards. Doubtless the awful 
 
 experiences, through which he had been compelled to 
 
 come, proved too much for one in so frail a state of 
 
 health. But whatever Mr. Dnunmond's fate was, it is 
 
 curtain that a new name now occupies his place. The 
 
 Rev. George InnesJ appears prominently upon the scene. 
 
 * Town Council MS. t Dr. Gordon's Scotichronicon, vol. v. 
 t Not to be confuaed with his contemiJorary the Rev. George 
 Inne.s of Forres, afterwards Bishop of Aberdeen. 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 We have already been introduced to this- Priest. He 
 was present on S. Peter's Day, 1744j a-t the Ordination 
 of Mr. Donald Robertson by Bishop Alexander at 
 Alloa. He is described on that occasion as " at Bal- 
 gowan." In the same year he is also spoken of as 
 "at Perth." The fact seems, therefore, to have been 
 that he was the Chaplain, whom Bishop Rattray had 
 procured for the Balgowan family, and also that he 
 used to render assistance in some manner to the 
 Congregation in Perth. 
 
 Of course, for some time after the disasters just 
 related it would be necessary for Mr. Innes to do 
 whatever pastoral work he did do as secretly as possible. 
 We need not, therefore, be surprised that for the four 
 years following Mr. Lyon's death we hear nothing 
 either of Mr. Innes or of his flock. But at the 
 beginning of 1750 our Presbyter is still "at Perth," 
 and from this time onwards his letters to Bishop 
 Alexander, which are still extant,* give us a pretty 
 full account of the affairs of the Congregation. On 
 February 5th he writes, " The story, which you would 
 see in the newspapers, of Highlandmen being in arms 
 is absolutely false. It had its rise from a party's going 
 up from hence (Perth) to assist a factor in taking a 
 rental of Strowan's estate." Four months later, how- 
 ever, he thinks that, though the feelings of the populace 
 are as bitter as ever, the Government are inclined to 
 be less severe. " I learn," he says, " that those in 
 power are become a little more favourable. You are 
 happy ; everybody, I believe, is happy except myself. 
 I am hunted and watched every day, and yet I make 
 a shift to do what some would not have done (i.e., 
 celebrate Divine Service?)." The truth was that neither 
 * Theological College MSS. 
 
A Time of Fear. 189 
 
 himself nor bis brethren were " happy.'' On July 6th, 
 1752, he writes : — " As for Perth, the militaTy have 
 orders to take up all strangers who come there, and 
 have them examined before the Sheriff and Magistrates. 
 They have accordingly taken up severals : some are 
 detained in prison : some sent to Edinburgh under a 
 guard : others are dismissed as soon as examined, it 
 their papers, etc., are found unexceptionable. Even Lord 
 Lyon did not escape their examination.'' On July 20th, 
 he continues : — " My* alarms grow upon me. I have 
 
 had no peace since S 1 came here, which is now 
 
 some more than four weeks ago. In order to frighten 
 my people he gives out that he will have every one 
 of them sworn, whether they have seen me transgress 
 the law, and too many are weak enough to believe he 
 can and will do so. He has, I am told, joined with 
 some of — (?) — to surprise me, and yesterday was the time 
 appointed for the revengeful malice. But, thanks to 
 (iod. He has hitherto protected me, and, I trust, will 
 do it. The design of these mine enemies is to terrify 
 my people' so as to make them leave me, or to make 
 my life so uneasy as to make me leave this place, 
 either of which they think will answer their design of 
 increasing their own numbers, and truly they have 
 reduced me to a very disagreeable situation. The 
 generality of my people are giddy, and so thoughtless 
 as to tell me that if I do not give them preaching 
 and singing they must go elsewhere. In the end I 
 generally humour them, which gives me no small fatigue, 
 as it obliges me to run such risks, as I am at present 
 really unwilling to do." On August 11th he hears that the 
 Sheriff has been informed that he " is a transgressor 
 in point of numbers, and warrants are being prepared 
 *MS. lent by the Rev. W. Hawdon. 
 
igo Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 for the breaking open of doors, etc. This," he goes 
 on, " I at first fancied to be only a design to intimidate, 
 but found afterwards that the thing was well designed, 
 and that I was really in danger." A little later he 
 adds : — " My situation deserves to be pitied. This last 
 alarm frightens many who slighted the former. I have 
 great reason to fear that precognitions will be taken 
 here, and then I know my fate. What shall I do ? 
 How shall I behave ? If I keep to the legal number 
 I am sure more of my people will leave me. If I 
 exceed I must go to prison : hard dilemma : both horns 
 wound ! I pray that God, who alone can do it, would 
 speedily deliver me out of these straits, and in the 
 meantime direct me to do that which is, right and 
 proper." 
 
 Thus was our Presbyter himself afflicted by the 
 persecution, and his brethren were harassed in a similar 
 way. On November 19th, 1753, the Bishop writes* to 
 inform him that " three of Mr. Jaffray's hearers have 
 been summoned anew and fined £5 sterling each, and 
 were obliged to pay, only the Clerk passed from his 
 third part. The two brethren in Enzie have been 
 obliged to abscond, their hearers also have been sum- 
 moned, and upon their appearance threatened with the 
 penalty if ever they hear such pastors. And this is- 
 the method which it is said the persecutors do here- 
 after intend to take, as being more effectual and less 
 invidious." 
 
 Again, on January 30th, 1755, Mr. Connachar, a 
 fellow Clergyman near Stirling, was arrested for 
 celebrating marriages. It was proved, indeed, that, on 
 those occasions, every circumstance legally necessary 
 was attended to, the only offence being that the 
 * College MS. 
 
Alarms. igi 
 
 ceremony was performed by a person, who was not a 
 minister of the Established Church. One of the laws, 
 which were so wicked when used by a Stuart Prince 
 against the Covenanters, was revived and brought into 
 play against him.* The Lord of Justiciary, before 
 whom he was tried at Inverary, said that non- 
 • juring Episcopal Clergymen of the prisoner's activity 
 were dangerous to the present happy Establishment. 
 The jury found him guilty, recommending him to 
 mercy. He was sentenced to perpetual banishment from 
 Scotland, and forbidden to return under pain of death. 
 His fellow Churchmen seem to have done what they 
 could for the unfortunate Priest, for on October 8th 
 we find Mr. Innes sending £6 3s. Od. to the Bishop, 
 which he had collected for Mr. Connachar. 
 
 But the whole incident brought home vividly to the 
 Perth flock how utterly they lay at the mercy of their 
 enemies. This comes out pathetically in the following 
 extract, written by our Incumbent to the Bishop while 
 the last case was proceeding : — " Though my folk 
 promised to you to take a House {i.e., for Worship), 
 or at least to assist me in taking one, yet, now when 
 it's come to the push, they will do nothing : a shadow 
 frights them at any time, and now this story is turned 
 into a bugbear and makes them tremble, though, if 
 there be danger, it's only I must suffer. But I trust 
 to the same Providence as has hitherto protected me, 
 and am resolved to go on, though with caution, in the 
 duties of my office." 
 
 (II). — The Corbsites too had their troubles. As we 
 
 have seen one of the differences between the "Collegians" 
 
 and the " Diocesans " had been that, while the former 
 
 advocated subservience to the (exiled) Civil Power, the 
 
 * Grub, vol. iv., p. 42. 
 
192 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 latter insisted on a substantial amount of ecclesiastical 
 independence on the part of the Church. Now, Mr. 
 George Sempill and his party being " Collegians," we 
 must not be surprised to learn that they got into 
 difficulties with their Jaoobitism as well as the Orthodox. 
 It came about in this way. 
 
 In December, 174-7,* " four soldiers rushed suddenly . 
 into a room in Perth [this certainly favours the theory 
 that Cumberland had destroyed the Meeting-House] in 
 which the Rev. George Sempill was performing Divine 
 Service, and, finding his audience more numerous than 
 the law allowed, they secured him. He was carried 
 before the Magistrate on the following day, and com- 
 mitted to prison for sis months in terms of the Act. 
 The persons present were also cited to appear, and to 
 pay their fine of £5 each ; but they proved that they 
 had given information wi,thin the proper time and were 
 assoilzied." 
 
 We are fortunately able to follow Mr. Sempill's case 
 up, after he was committed to prison. The following 
 extracts (very characteristic of the times) from the 
 Preihyttry Record continue the story for us : — 
 
 January 27th, 174-8. — " The Moderator produced a 
 letter from the Kev. Mr. Cumming, Minister at Edin- 
 burgh, in answer to one write to him by some 
 members of the Presbytery, desiring him to deliver a 
 letter to my Lord Justice Clerk, begging that he would 
 cause the imprisonment of Mr. Sempill, a non-jurant 
 Episcopal Minister, to be rendered more safe for his 
 weakly constitution by changing his prison, which is 
 bad. Which letter the Moderator begged leave to 
 inform the Presbytery, though signed in the name and 
 by authority of the Presbytery, they had not adverted, 
 * Lawson's History, vol. ii., p. 294. 
 
Presbytery and Mr. Sempill. 193 
 
 when it was wrote, that the Presbytery was not 
 actually constituted. The Presbytery, after some 
 reasoning, came to a question : — Whether it was proper 
 to make an application to the Duke of Newcastle, in 
 favour of the said Mr. Sempill, in a Presbyterial 
 capacity or not ? and, rolls being called and votes 
 marked, it was carried : — Apply in 'a Presbyterial 
 capacity. Against which sentence the Eevs. Messrs. 
 Lindsay and Stevenson protested and dissented for 
 reasons to be given in, and thereupon ajked and took 
 instruments in the Clerk's hand. Then it was agreed 
 that a letter should be write in name of the Presbytery 
 to His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, enclosed in another 
 letter to the Earl of Leven." 
 
 February 24th, 1748.—" Mr. Warden, the Moderator, 
 represented that, in consequence of the Presbytery's 
 orders laid on him on January 27th, he had signed 
 and transmitted the letters from the Presbytery to the 
 Duke of Newcastle and the Earl of Leven soliciting 
 an easier and less hurtful imprisonment for the Rev. 
 G. Sempill, and that the Moderator had got a return 
 from the Earl of Leven signifying that there will very 
 soon be orders given to remove the poor old man to 
 a more wholesome place of confinement, and that more 
 could not reasonably be expected. Which being con- 
 sidered by the Presbytery, they appoint the Moderator 
 and Messrs. Bannerman and Black to return their 
 most hearty thanks to the Earl of Leven for his trouble 
 in this affair. The Clerk represented that Mr. Steven- 
 son had transmitted to him his reasons of dissent 
 from the resolve of the Presbytery of January 27th. 
 Of which reasons the tenor follows : — 
 
 Imo — " I judge it extremely unsuitable to the char- 
 acter of any Presbytery of the Church of Scotland to 
 
194 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 interpose in favour of a non-jurant Episcopal Minister 
 convicted of transgressing a statute framed for the 
 support of the Government and Constitution, to which 
 all such persons are known to be enemies, and upon 
 the preservation of which the very being of this Church 
 does, under God, depend. 2do — Because I apprehend 
 that such a recommendation or petition coming from 
 a Presbytery of this Church may bring such Presby- 
 tery under suspicion of disaiFection to the Government. 
 .Sfo'o — Because I conceive the arguments used for the 
 recommendation, drawn from Mr. Sempell's pretended 
 moderation in his principles and his great age and 
 infirmity, and the dampness of the prison in which he 
 is confined, are extremely weak. That Mr. Sempell 
 was deposed by his pretended Bishop is allowed, but 
 it is not aleaged that his loyalty to King George was 
 the cause of his deposition, but his not complying 
 with the imposing spirit of his party in the matter of 
 the Usages : nor is it aleaged that he in the least 
 degree differs from the other non-jurant Episcopal 
 Ministers in Scotland in his sentiments and principles 
 with regard to the Government, which he is known to 
 regard as a usurpation. And, though Mr. Sempell 
 might have preached against Popery during the rebellion 
 as he did formerly after his deposition, yet this will 
 never be allowed to be a proof of his loyalty." (Mr. 
 Stevenson then argues against old age as a reason for 
 mitigating the sentence). 
 
 April 20th, 1748. — The Presbytery answer Mr. Steven- 
 son's reasons of dissent. The following are the heads 
 of their reply : — \mo, They did not vote for suspension 
 of the law, but only that a sentence of imprisonment 
 might not inadvertently be turned into one of death. 
 Ido, They do not want the Government to think them 
 
Under the Penal Laws. 195 
 
 narrow and vindictive. 3tio, Mr. Sempell is a man of 
 great moderation, charity, and benevolence. 
 
 No doubt it is pleasant to read of the Presbytery 
 taking this line with regard to an Episcopal Clergyman, 
 biit too much must not be made of it. In benefiting 
 this particular Presbyter, who was openly rebellious to 
 his Bishop, and a fatal cause of weakness to his Church, 
 they were, in fact, aiming a blow at Episcopacy. We 
 shall soon see that they did nothing to help another 
 aged Presbyter, who was obedient to his Bishop, in 
 precisely similar circumstances. 
 
 (III). — The following incident, though not strictly 
 belonging to the Churchma.nship of our City, yet 
 happened at so little a distance from it, and is so 
 illustrative of the times, that it is well to insert it. 
 Under the date JIarch 20th, 1750, the Eev. W. Erskine 
 of Muthill writes in his Baptismal Register : — "W.£. — 
 With such excessive severity were the penal laws 
 executed at this time that Andrew Moir, having 
 neglected to keep his appointment with me at my own 
 house this morning, and following me to Lord Eollo's 
 house at Duncrub, we could not take the child into a 
 house, but I was obliged to go under the cover of 
 trees in one of Lord Eollo's parks, to prevent our 
 being discovered, and baptize the child there." 
 
 (IV). — The last case of suffering even to bonds on 
 behalf of the Church, which we shall have to chronicle, 
 occurred eleven years after the " Forty-Five," — namely, 
 in October, 1766. It was that of an old friend of the 
 reader. The Eev. Walter Stewart, who was ordained 
 Deacon in 1711 and Priest in 1712, and who had 
 contributed his share to the forces, which passed the 
 Toleration Act of the latter year, was, as we saw, 
 obliged to leave Perth, along with the Eev. Henry 
 
196 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Murray, in 1716. After that he served in Doune, and 
 then removed* to Blair-Athol (Kilmavosnig) in 1728. 
 And there he had been ever since. He now reappears 
 in that Perth gaol, into which 79 prisoners had been 
 thrust in 1746, and confinement in which in 1748 
 appeared to the Presbytery to be equivalent to a 
 sentence of death to an old man. Hef was apprehended 
 in Athol and brought to Perth by the Sheriff-Depute, 
 but was released on bail. His trial before the same 
 Magistrate took place on December 28th, and he was 
 eJiarged with having performed Divine Service in his 
 own house every Sunday from Christmas, 1755, to 
 October last, or at least on one or another of those 
 Sundays, when more than four persons were present 
 besides his own family, and craving that the penalties 
 of the Act 19, George II., should be inflicted. Mr. 
 Stewart confessed the charge, and was sentenced to six 
 months' imprisonment, during which his Meeting-House 
 was to be shut up. He was accordingly committed to the 
 gsiol of Perth, and, as he was in his seventieth year, 
 his friends very naturally dreaded the consequences of 
 such a punishment. Four of Mr. Stewart's hearers were 
 also indicted for being present, and not giving informa- 
 tion. They confessed, and were fined £5 sterling each, 
 which they paid at the bar, — the one half adjudged to 
 the King, the other to the prosecutor. One of the 
 gentlemen fined was a notary-public, and he was 
 declared to have forfeited his ofiice, and to be incapable 
 of bearing any ofiice, civil or military, for twelve 
 months. 
 
 When, as often happens, it is said that the Scotch 
 people have in the past shown no liking for Episcopacy, 
 
 * See Appendix to this Chapter. 
 tLawson's History, vol. ii., p. 309. 
 
Review of the Times. 197 
 
 it is only fair to remember what Episcopacy meant, at 
 least from 1G89 to 1756, and that was loss of estab- 
 lished position ; loss of endowments ; legal proceedings ; 
 fines ; loss of position ; banishment ; imprisonment and 
 death. Doubtless their own want of worldly wisdom 
 was partly to blame for bringing these things upon 
 our friends, but the fact remains that during the sixty- 
 seven years, with which this " History " has hitherto 
 been dealing, it was only Episcopacy plus all these 
 afflictions, and not Episcopacy pure and simple, that 
 was before the Scottish people. We are at least 
 entitled to our opinion that the discomforts engendered 
 during so long a period by these penal proceedings had 
 a good deal to do with opening the eyes of our 
 shrewd countrymen to the undesirability of our Church 
 principles. To these sixty-seven years, moreover, we 
 must add the next thirty-six, during which the penal 
 laws, though no longer actively enforced, still remained 
 on the Statute Book. 
 
 Appendix to Chai>ter XX. 
 
 The following letter of invitation addressed by the Blair-Athol 
 people to the Rev. Walter Stewart, while he was at Doune, is 
 too amusing to withhold : — 
 
 *" Rev. Sir. — After several meetings of gentlemen concerned in 
 " our Meeting-House, we have all unanimously made choice of you 
 " as the properest and most acceptable to be our Pastor, and 
 " therefore now, for ourselves and in the name of the gentlemen 
 "and commons of our Meeting-House in the Parish of Blair-Athol 
 " (Kilmavcenig), do hereby most heartily call and invite you to 
 " be our Minister, and for your encouragement we promise you 
 " £25 stg. yearly, to be paid out of our hand, which is as much 
 " as you get where you are : we expect your satisfactory answer 
 " by the bearer. Our congregation is very much to be sympathized 
 " with by all good men, and we are hopeful the good gentlemen 
 " you live amongst (tho' they may be sorry to part with you) 
 -* Kilmavcenig MS. 
 
igS Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 " will not only part with you willingly but press your coming to 
 " such a congregation as we have, which may, by the blessing of 
 " God, be for the good of the Church and State. We know no 
 " scruples you may have against coming, if it is not being out of 
 " the use of the Irish (GaeUc) tongue. But you'll soon overcome 
 " that difficulty by a little practice, and in the meantime your 
 " English discourse will atone sufficiently for that little defect, 
 " and your countrymen hope, now that we unanimously make 
 " choice of you, that you'll frankly embrace this our cordial 
 " invitation home to your native country, and prevent our asking 
 " the interposition of the Bishop's authority, which we are 
 " determined to have, if you refuse our kindly call. — We are. Sir, 
 " your humble servants : J. Robeetson of Lude ; A. Robertson 
 " of Faskally ; J. Stewart of Kynaohan." 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 HOW THE TWO CONGREGATIONS FARED BETWEEN 
 1750 AND 1776. 
 
 Having in the last chapter seen the Orthodox Con- 
 gregation "frighted at a shadow" during the time when 
 the penal laws were being actively enforced, and the Eevs. 
 G. Sempill and W. Stewart imprisoned, let us now pursue 
 our history further through that epoch, when the 
 Scottish , Church had neither the freedom of legal 
 toleration to enjoy, nor yet the excitement of persecution 
 to animate her zeal. 
 
 (I). — And first, for the irregular or Anti-Usage Con- 
 gregation. But before coming directly to it, a few 
 general remarks will be necessary. After the failure 
 of the first Jacobite enterprise of 1715 a new danger 
 had begun to threaten the Scottish Church. As we 
 have already seen, the differences, which prevailed amongst 
 the Scottish Bishops concerning the lines of organiza- 
 tion and worship on which the shattered Church ought 
 to be re-organized, and which generated the "Diocesan- 
 Usage'' and "Anti-Usage College" parties, never produced 
 an actual schism, at least amongst the Prelates them- 
 selves. But nevertheless schismatical action was taken 
 by a body external to their Communion. Congregations 
 began to spring up which, though professing and calling 
 themselves " Episcopal," repudiated the Episcopal 
 authority of the national Prelates. They professed to 
 place themselves under the jurisdiction of English or 
 Irish Bishops, although these could neither have such 
 jurisdiction in the Dioceses of their Scottish brethren 
 
200 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 on any ecclesiastical principle, nor yet, for fear of 
 political consequences, practically affect to exercise it. 
 The position, therefore, of the congregations in question 
 was in itself utterly anomalous. One excuse, indeed, 
 they had during the eighteenth century, and that was 
 that the Scottish Church had gone too far in the 
 direction of erecting a non-essential {i.e., the political 
 principle of loyalty to a hereditary monarchy) into a 
 term of Communion. But even so their conduct was 
 schismatical, for instead of proclaiming their adherence 
 to the national Episcopate in matters religious, and 
 leaving the burden of rejecting them for purely political 
 reasons on the Prelates themselves, they professed to 
 repudiate the latter as Bishops, and to intrude their 
 English and Irish brethren into their Sees. 
 
 In any case these anomalous " English " congregations, 
 independent of all Episcopal jurisdiction, sprang up 
 after 1715, and increased after 1745. And this fact 
 enables us to understand the step, which Mr. Sempill's 
 congregation now seems to have taken. As they had 
 schismatically separated from the Usager Bishop, and 
 had not been taken up even by Bishop Ochterlony, 
 they were plainly severed from the Scottish Church. 
 At the same time they had hitherto professed to be 
 " Scottish " and not " English " Episcopalians. They 
 were, in fact, altogether sui generis. Now, therefore, 
 that their old Clergyman was in prison, and they were 
 compelled to reconsider their position for the future, 
 we are not surprised to learn that they determined 
 henceforth to pose as an "English" congregation. The 
 proof that they did so is simply this, that the Anti- 
 Usage Congregation is never more heard of as such 
 after this date ; that they did not re-unite with the 
 regular Congregation, and that the Regiater of S. John's 
 
S. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, PERTH. 
 
An " English " Congregation. 201 
 
 Church, Princes Street, contains an MS. note to the 
 effect that itself (which used to be " English ") was 
 founded about the year 1750. That the Rev. A. Wood 
 of the " English " Episcopal Congregation was simplj' 
 the successor of the Eev. G. Sempill of the Anti- 
 Usagers is beyond reasonable doubt. 
 
 We have several references to him in Mr. Innes's 
 correspondence.'' On November 9th, 1750, the latter 
 writes to the Bishop : — " We have got a qualified man 
 here," and the Rev. W. Abernethy (Drummond) remarks 
 ou Decemlier 29th : — "I am sorry to hear your aocoimts 
 about Perth. Pray, who are to be the supports of a 
 
 Compiler there 1 I know of none but il , and 
 
 I should not think he would care to launch out for 
 Religion's sake." !Mr. Innes again writes to the 
 Bishop : — " When I have learned something of my 
 neighbour's character and conduct, you may expect to 
 hear it ; he has been here a fortnight, but I have 
 been much out of town." On November 27th he has 
 learned a little more, for he adds : — " I can as yet 
 give you no satisfactory character of my neighbour. 
 So far as I know he is discreet enough himself, tho' 
 I cannot say so much for some of those he is concerned 
 with. But you know the men, tliey bred a schism in 
 the Church before." This last observation proves that 
 Jlr. Wood's and ilr. Sempell's congregations were the 
 same. 
 
 Of course the new position which they had taken 
 up involved the desertion of a principle, to which 
 hitherto they had been no less loyal than their brethren, 
 namely, their Jacobitism. And this was not the only 
 link binding the two congregations somewhat together 
 that was now broken. For the following extracts from 
 * Theological College MSS. 
 
202 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Mr. Innes's correspondence with the Bishop shew that 
 some financial bond had lingered on for a few years. 
 On February 5th, 1760, he writes: — "Mr. Kutherford 
 has got nothing done at Corbs, but is going to summond 
 and pursue him in a legal way.'' Three weeks later 
 he adds: — "Corbs has at last paid your £10; it's in 
 J. Eutherford's hands, and will be given to any person 
 you order to receiTe it." Again, on May 7th, he says : — 
 " Corb refuses to pay any interest, and 1 think you 
 you would as good have no more dealings with such a 
 man." 
 
 It will be as well, before passing on to the regular 
 Congregation, to say what little can be said concerning 
 the other, so as to bring it to the end of the period 
 embraced in this chapter {i.e., 1776). All that is known 
 is that Mr. AVood stayed in Perth but a few years, 
 and the note in the S. John's Register records that he 
 was succeeded by the Kev. John Cameron, whose 
 ministry lasted till 1770, when he left for America. 
 The Eev. Adam Peebles then followed, and remained 
 on long after 1776. 
 
 (II). — Let us now turn back to the regular Con- 
 gregation, and allow Mr. Innes to speak of himself 
 at some length, and so paint for us the picture of a 
 Scottish Presbyter, faithfully serving the Church 
 during that trying and depressing period in which his 
 lot was cast. 
 
 {a) And first with regard to the place in which 
 Public Worship was conducted. We have already seen 
 that in 1755 the Congregation were in such fear that 
 they could not pluck up courage to provide themselves 
 with a Meeting-House. Previous to that time, therefore, 
 we must conclude that they had more or less recourse 
 to the same expedients, which the historian tells us 
 
Mr. Innes on Worship. 203 
 
 were adopted in the district at large. " lu some cases," 
 says Lawson,* " the people were congregated at the 
 mansions of noblemen and gentlemen. In order to 
 evade the law against more than four persons being 
 present, the Service was performed in a large room on 
 the ground floor, in which were the Clergyman, the 
 family, and four persons. Two window-frames, however, 
 were removed, and as many as could look in or hear 
 from the outside, listened and responded. If the 
 apartment was so constructed that it communicated 
 by folding doors with another room, the doors were 
 removed for the time, and the room was filled with 
 people, who could hear and see with the greatest ease. 
 If the apartment were not so constructed, the passages 
 and staircases were crowded with worshippers, and 
 every spot in the vicinity of the room where the 
 pastor's voice could be heard. Amongst other districts, 
 we are told, this 2}ractice was very common in Perth- 
 shire.. In towns it is evident that the same thing 
 could be done by the Priest standing with four persons 
 in a passage, and the rooms opening off the passage 
 being filled with people.'' 
 
 (h) As for the Services, which were thus conducted, 
 it is to be presumed that the English Book was in 
 the main followed by Mr. Innes. With regard, however, 
 to the Celebration of the Eucharist, there is an 
 interesting notice. On September 15th, 1765, he writes 
 to his Diocesan : — " The 50 copies of the Scots Liturgy 
 came to my hand this day. What is their price, or 
 are they to be given gratis ? It is the Scots Liturgy 
 that I iise, but have been in great want of copies." 
 This was an advance on the Rev. Robert Lyon's usage- 
 Probably, as we saw, with a view to leaving a door of 
 * History, vol. ii., pp. 301-2. 
 
2 04 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 return open, for the dissentients, that Priest had been 
 obliged to content himself with grafting the Scottish 
 Invocation and Oblation upon the Office in the Booh of 
 Common Prayer. Now, however, that the transfor- 
 mation of the dissentients into an " English '' or 
 " Qualified " congregation had put the hope of reconcile- 
 ment out of the way, Mr. In,nes evidently felt that 
 there was no call for his people to deny themselves 
 any longer the privilege of the nobler Liturgy. That 
 he was able to understand the question is to be 
 inferred from the fact that there is still extant a copy 
 of Brett's Antient Liturgies, with Mr. Innes's MS. 
 signature on the title page. 
 
 (c) On 2Iay 21st, 1750, he lets in an amusing light 
 upon his Sermons. " My people,'' he writes, " are 
 continually teiziug me for preachings. I have just 
 now little time to write any. It will be a great 
 favour done me if you will send me, or bring with 
 you when you come, 40 or 50, with some occasional 
 ones. I promise to be very careful of and punctually 
 return. I am sure you (the Bishop) have numbers to 
 spare." Twelve years later there is a similar request : — 
 " I would fain beg the favour of some good discourses, 
 such as you have last used or judge most proper; and 
 particularly if you can spare them for the holy days in 
 the enclosed list, which I much want, being very ill 
 provided on the 5 first, having but one Sett on the 
 next 3, and on the rest none at all, except an old one 
 on S. Thomas, and some few for Lent." It is unlilcely 
 that in those days, when books were dear and incomes 
 slenderj ilr. Inues had much of a library, and it is 
 only those, who feel equal to pi-oducing a constant 
 supply of sermons to the same people without the 
 assistance of study, who will consider his requests as 
 
Mr. Innes as Pastor. 205 
 
 ought but reasonable. Surely he did far better to let 
 his flock have the benefit of their Bishop's well- 
 written discourses (as no doubt they would be), than to 
 palm off his own rambling rhetoric upon them, on 
 occasions when his heart and mind refused to produce 
 a satisfactory original sermon. 
 
 (d) And here we have a glimpse of Mr. Innes's 
 Church 2}'''i'n-ciples. It is gratifying to find that he 
 carries on through his section of the eighteenth cencur}' 
 that tradition of deference to the Primitive Church, to 
 which the Revs. AVilliam Smyth, H. Murray, and others 
 appealed in 1711 ; which Bishop Falconer kept alive 
 till 1723 ; which Bishop Rattray vigorously defended 
 against much opposition till 1743 ; and to which the 
 Rev. Robert Lj'on bore such sincere witness till 1746. 
 On May 31st, 1750, Mr. Innes informs the Bishop 
 that he is " reading Dr. Middleton's Enquiry into 
 Miraculous Powers. But,'' he goes on, " I am not 
 pleased with him ; he horridly abuses the Fathers, 
 and treats them with the outmost contempt ; he en- 
 deavours to overthrow the credit of all Ckuroh history." 
 
 (c) That our Priest was also attentive to his parochial 
 visitations, and " bore his people in his heart," we 
 gather from the following " Vignettes from, a Parson's 
 Album." On February 6th, 1750, he writes : — " My 
 poor congregation has been much distressed of late, 
 which was the cause of my being so long in acknow- 
 ledging the receipt of yours. Miss Graeme has been 
 ill of a fever and the nerves, and I'm afraid she's not 
 yet quite out of danger. Mrs. Smyth has likewise 
 had a feaver, but it is better, and like to do well : 
 some others also have been sick that you are not so 
 well acquainted with. I am just come in from attend- 
 ing M. Belby Blair in her last moments. Poor Mr. 
 
2o6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Stirling died on Wednesday last, and has left behind 
 him a very disconsolate widow. These were all sick 
 together, so that you may believe I had little idle 
 time on my hands for some weeks bye-gone." The 
 report on May 38th is in a more cheerful vein : — 
 " Mr. D. Young has held out this winter exceeding 
 well ; better than ever I have seen him ; but about 
 fourteen days ago he got some disorder in his stomach 
 which kept him some days, but he has now got the 
 better of it and is quite well, and is gallanting the 
 ladies as much as he did fifty years ago ! " On 
 October S^-d, however, there is more sorrow : — " I doubt 
 not but you have heard the news of George Stirling's 
 death. He sickened on August 16th at Paris, and 
 died of a feaver. I need not say what a heavy stroke 
 this was to his poor disconsolate mother. He was 
 always a ground of comfort to her, but now nothing 
 here can comfort her, and, till reason resume its authority, 
 motives of comfort drawn from religion have no weight. 
 Indeed, his death is not only a loss to his friends, but 
 to the place in general, being one of tlie most hopeful, 
 promising young men of my acquaintance.'' In the 
 same letter he mentions that he was pressed by the 
 generality of the Dunkeld people to remove thither, 
 but he says : — " I was determined not to give up 
 (Perth) as long as my people stuck by me." On 
 October 8th, 1756, we have another vivid character 
 sketch : — " Yesterday Mrs. Murray dyed here in the 
 same way the rest of the family did, keeping the world 
 as long as she could, and then leaving her share of it 
 to such as had no need of it.'' On May 20th, 1762, 
 he presents us with a not unfamiliar little drama : — 
 " You would hear that I have lost Miss Murray as a 
 parishioner, the most considerable one I had to lose, 
 
Mr. Innes in the Country. 207 
 
 and, if my information be good, she is lost to us all. 
 The laird, they say, being positive not to let her hear 
 a non-juror. Be that as it may, he has attended the 
 kirk ever since his marriage, which he did not use to 
 do before." Can we not see it all ? 
 
 (f) Mr. Innes's attentions were nut confined to the 
 City itself. He did his best to keep the Church alive 
 in the neighbourhood. On February 26th, 1760, he 
 writes : — " I am heartily sorry there is no likelihood 
 of getting (a Clergyman) for the poor folks at Nairn. 
 I am very willing to do all the good I can ; but, 
 unless they come to me, there is but little in my 
 power." On May 7th he continues the subject : — " I 
 was at Stanley last week. My Lady Nairne and 
 people thereabouts are very pressing to have some- 
 body amongst them, and I must own they deserve a 
 supply, if it was possible to procure one for them. 
 Logic -has reflected very severely upon me for saying 
 that, if he had given what he had first promised, a 
 man had been settled in these parts. I forgive him." 
 On May 28th we read : — " How D. Lyon would please 
 the N. people I caimot well tell, but my opinion is that, 
 if another could be got, it would be better." On 
 November 9th he says : — " If they find themselves 
 neglected, I will not answer for the consequence. I 
 am afraid some of them are wavering already, and 
 have the more need of a proper person to keep them 
 steady. It is not in my power to do them any service 
 in my present situation. I have enough to do at home 
 to take care of my own people." On November 27th : — 
 " I am still of opinion that there is danger of the 
 Dunkeld people particularly {i.e., getting a 'Qualified' 
 man). I am nearer those of Nairn, and shall not fail 
 to do all in my power to keep them steady." On 
 
2o8 Episcopal 'History of Perth. 
 
 December 12th he thinks David Lyon might be acceptable 
 to the Nairn people, but not to Logic and Duukeld. 
 On the last day of the year he " would be glad his 
 friend's settlement in the district would take place, 
 but is afraid the encouragement {i.e., income) here will 
 not answer expectation." On September 15th, 1755, we 
 find the following : — " One of the gentlemen of the 
 Glenisla congregation came to me a few days ago and 
 desired me, in the name of that Society, to thank you 
 for the supply you have sent thera. He promises that 
 they will make good the £6, and begs of you to 
 advance the other £6 to such of the Clergy as supply 
 them." Mr. Abernethy (afterwards Bishop of Edin- 
 burgh) was also considered by Mr. Innes in connection 
 with Logic, Dunkeld, and Nairn ; but he says : — 
 " Though the people of Nairn know him,* and he 
 might do very well with them, with the others, if I 
 understand them and him aright, he will not." 
 Altogether it is to be feared from the foregoing that 
 our good Bishop and his faithful Priest could not 
 make bricks without straw, and supply all their out- 
 lying people, when they had neither men, money, nor 
 legal toleration. 
 
 ((/) Meantime the worthy man's private finances were 
 on a very humble scale. Yet, though this fact is sure 
 to have contributed towards rendering him insignificant 
 in the eyes of the world, it must have had a very 
 different result in the sight of Heaven. For thus 
 does he allude to his circumstances. " You see,'' he 
 says on February 5th, 1750, "my people are mouldering 
 away {i.e., through the many recent deaths), and my 
 
 *0n January 14th, 1745, " Wm. Abernethie, Deacon at Nairn 
 and Logie," had signed a document still extant (Dr. Gordon's 
 ScotioAronicon, vol. v.). 
 
Mr. Innes in Private. 209 
 
 finances every day growing lower, and, indeed, in a 
 little time they are like to be scarce worth notticing. 
 Yet, I am better cor^fent than 1 thought I could have 
 been on so considerable a reduction. Providence, I 
 hope, will provide.'' This account of his afl'airs seems 
 to have moved the Bishop, for on February 26th we 
 find him again writing to the latter : — " I think you 
 have a little mistaken my last, for, though I told you 
 my finances were still decreasing, I did not, if I 
 remember right, say I was uneasie or disconcerted. I 
 have no cause to be so. I have hitherto had food and 
 raiment, and the same good Providence that has 
 formerly jjrovided for me is able, and, it I deserve it, 
 will be willing to take care of me iu time coming. 
 Nay, I verily believe I am still better than some of 
 my brethren. . . . Balgowan has, without my 
 asking it, given me £15 for {i.e., instead of) my £20, 
 and, as I was resolved not to quarrel with him, I 
 thankful]}" accepted." 
 
 (h) Meantime his health was none of the best, as 
 we learn from the following : — " September 15th, 1755. — 
 I have been in the country several times, but my 
 cough still continues." On December 16th he is worse : — 
 " I had yours of October 13th, to which I ought to 
 have returned answer long ago. But I have been so 
 distressed that it has made me forget ever3'thing of 
 the kind. My cough still continues. I have gone 
 through all the jargon of the shops. Last time Dr. 
 Bayne and Mr. Wood saw me I asked what I was to 
 take next : they answered ' Nothing. You must go to 
 the country for some weeks, if that does not answer 
 you must go to Aberdeen, perhaps the journey will 
 do you good, your native air may recover your health.' 
 I understand this language pretty well, and yet, 
 
210 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 perhaps they are mistaken, for I still flatter nij-self 
 with hopes that (through the mercy of God) I may 
 recover. But this town is certainly unwholesome. I 
 begin to wish I was out of it, and yet some have, 
 lived in it to a good old age.'' 
 
 (i) A glance at the postal arrangements, though not 
 an ecclesiastical subject, may be allowed here. On 
 Kovemher S7th, 1750, Mr. Innes writes : — " I had yours 
 of the 24th from Edinburgh, with one enclosed for 
 Mr. Cameron, which I shall convey to him on the 
 first opportunity. If there be nothing in the letters, 
 which you have occasion to enclose to me that you 
 would not have me know, I would be glad if you left 
 them open. I would thereby make a better judgement 
 of what haste was required in conveying them to those, 
 for whom they are directed, besides, a double seal is 
 almost always a double postage." On April 11th, 1765, 
 we read : — " I have now written you twice without any 
 return. Whether my letters have reached you I know 
 not ; but they are sent in the ordinary waj'." On 
 April 16th: — "I had yours of the 14th, wherein you 
 blame me for not writing, and yet this is now the 
 fourth time I have done it without return. What has 
 become of my letters I know not. I put them into 
 the Post Office rayself ; three enclosed to Mr. Mitchell, 
 and the last directed to yourself without any cover 
 and franked by our post-master, which favour I asked 
 of him, as I suspected my letters had been neglected 
 at Edinburgh." On September 15th : — " I had yours of 
 August 25th, which had been perused before I saw it; 
 but no great matter, it contained no secret." 
 
 (j) Perhaps those who employ themselves upon the 
 subject of the general finances of the Church, may not 
 be iminterested by such glimpses as Mr. Innes gives 
 
Church Finance. 211 
 
 us into the arrangements of those days. It appears, 
 then, that the custom was for collections to be made 
 in the Congregations for, and donations given by 
 individuals to, the Bishop. Some of these were intended 
 for himself, and others to be distributed by him, at 
 his discretion, amongst his Clergy. We have the 
 following notices on this head from Mr. Innes's 
 letters : — [The first has already been quoted to illustrate 
 a different point.] " Corbs has at last paid your £10 ; 
 it's in J. Rutherford's hands, and will be given to any 
 person you order to receive it." On November 19th, 
 1753, Bishop Alexander writes : — " Mr. Innes at Perth 
 had not then got my letter ordering him to send in 
 the £16, but it will surely come. He says Mr. David 
 Young's verbal legacy of £AQ stg. to the poor Clergy 
 in the District is confirmed by the Executor, and will 
 be paid up in the beginning of the year.'' On 
 September loth, 1755, Mr. Innes writes : — " My folks 
 have made their collection, and I have got Balgowan's 
 and Lady Balgowan's, so that I have now in my hand 
 of yours something more than £20, which I shall 
 remit to Edinbiirgh, as soon' as I hear from you how 
 much I am to retain in my hand, as you formerly 
 told me to keep something in case of your having to 
 send any money this way." On October 8th: — "I had 
 yours of September 17th, and in answer to it sent to 
 Mr. Calendar on the 19th a bill on Mansfield k, Hunter 
 for £20 17s., desiring him on receipt to write either 
 to you or to me." And again, " Balgowan bids me 
 tell you he has left money to pay your bill in the 
 hands of James Grteme of Damside, Writer, at Edin- 
 burgh." On August 12th, 1765, the Rev.- Robert 
 Lyon (formerly of Crail in Fife, now of Stretton in 
 Bedfordshire) writes to Bishop Alexander, and introduces 
 
212 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 us to one, who conferred invaluable benefits on the 
 Scottish Church in the days of her poverty : — " That 
 worthy friend, Thomas Bowdler, Esq., ordered £15 15s. 
 into my hand, to be applied to the. relief of the most 
 needy brethren, provided only they be not Seceders, 
 nor stand in opposition to their Bishops. I have sent 
 £7 7s. to Grd. [Gerard, Bishop of Aberdeen?], and 
 you have here a remainder. Ye have no occasion to 
 mention this even to any of your own Order, but just 
 to send me a receipt of so much money, and to fulfil 
 the good man's intentions so far as ye can." 
 
 (h) We may now say what little is possible about our 
 Bishop himself. Doubtless, if his letters to Mr. Innes 
 had been found, they would have thrown a flood of 
 light upon things, but not more than one or two 
 unimportant specimens have come to light. We must 
 be content, therefore, with Mr. Innes's allusions to him. 
 Under this head we notice that the latter always 
 addresses his communications thus on the outside : — 
 " To the Right Reverend Mr. John Alexander at his 
 house in Alloa." In the inside they begin with 
 " Right Rev. Sir," or " R. R. S.," and end with " I 
 recommend myself and all' under my charge to your 
 benediction, and am, with the most sincere esteem, 
 your most affectionate son and most humble servant, 
 (ieorge Innes." On May 28th, 1750, our Presbyter 
 " would be glade the Bishop would fix a day for coming 
 to Perth that he may not miss him : he much wishes 
 it had been convenient for him to come sooner : he 
 believes he'll miss several of his friends : he is almost 
 tempted to advise him to put off his journey till the 
 beginning of August, when he hopes he'll find all or 
 most of his friends at home ; but the Bishop can best 
 judge what it is convenient for himself to do." On 
 
Episcopal Visits. 2ij 
 
 Jime nth, 1750 : — " I am heartily glade to find that 
 the affair of the Confirmation is quite over ; there has, 
 I find, been more noise than danger ; your account of 
 it gives me a great deal of satisfaction." On October 
 30th he is sorry he missed seeing the Bishop at 
 Balgowan. On 2Iay 10th, ITHH : — "As I expect to 
 have the pleasure of seeing you here soon after Trinity, 
 I beg you'll be so good, whenever you have fixed your 
 time, to let me know as near as may be the day on 
 which you intend to be in Perth, that I may not be 
 absent when you come." Mr. Innes's tone to the 
 Bishop is always very respectful, notwithstanding his 
 evident intimacy with him. Thus he writes : — " But I 
 hope you will not so understand me as if I meant 
 either to dictate or even to advize, but only to inform 
 you (which I look upon as my duty), since by my 
 nearness to and place of conversation with the people, 
 I may possibly know more of their inclinations than 
 you at such a distance can be supposed to know." 
 
 (III.) — So much for the two congregations during 
 this period. We shall conclude the chapter with 
 notices of four visits paid to Perth by two Bishops 
 not connected with the Diocese, and not appearing in 
 their Episcopal capacity. 
 
 In 1760 Dr. Pocooke, Bishop of Down and Connor, 
 passed through the Fair City on his tour through 
 Scotland, but did not here concern himself with any 
 ecclesiastical matter.* 
 
 Two years later, " Mr. Robert Forbes," Bishop of Ross 
 and Caithness, also passed through the town. The 
 following is the account, which he himself gives of his 
 visit: — Y'July 13th, 1762 — At Bridge of Earn of several 
 
 * Bishop Pococke's Diary. 
 
 + Craven's Bishop Forbes' Journals, pp. 140, 241-2. 
 
214 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 arches at a half after seven, where a toll is paid for 
 all machines and four-footed beasts. At Perth by 
 8 p.m. : a Royal Burgh, pleasantly situated on the 
 ^vest bank of the Tay, between two beautiful natural 
 greens called the South Inch and the North Inch. 
 Tuesday, July 13th — Set out from Perth half after six 
 in the morning, and had a most charming road to 
 Dunkeld, where we arrived 10 minutes before 10." 
 So far, indeed, it looks as if he did not meet Mr. lunes 
 on this occasion, but that this is a false conclusion to 
 draw from his silence appears from the entry under date 
 September 1st : — " Set off from Invar of Dunkeld 20 
 minutes before 10 o'clock. . . We arrived at Perth 
 24 minutes before 1 o'clock. As the Rev. George Innes 
 spent the evening here going northward, I now sent 
 for him to dine with me, but he was gone a-visiting 
 into the country." 
 
 Eight years later this same enthusiastically Jacobite 
 Prelate again passed through the Fair City oij the way 
 from his Incumbency at Leith to his northern Diocese 
 of Ross, Argyle, and Caithness. Although no mention 
 is made in his " Journal " of Mr. Innes, the entry is 
 too characteristic of the times to be omitted: — '•'June 
 Jiih, 1770 — Set out from Kinross at 27 minutes after 
 9, and at Perth 10 minutes after 1, where we dined 
 at Stewart's. We made all the haste we could out of 
 Perth, as the town was in an uproar with a birthday, 
 and therefore we left at 2.35 p.m." The characteristic 
 point in this entry lies in the fact, which the Bishop 
 disdains to mention, — namely, that June Jfth was 
 George III.'s birthday! A smile, not unmingled with sad- 
 ness, passes over the countenance, as we leave the faithful- 
 hearted Prelate wrathfully shaking the dust of our City off 
 his feet, and urging on his swift steeds towards Dunkeld- 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 HOW THE ECCLESIASTICAL SUCCESSION WAS CON- 
 TINUED IN PERTH, I776-I791. 
 
 Bishop Ai.exaxder died in Alloa on July 17th, 1776. 
 Though he was not a man of the same power or 
 position as his predecessor, yet he seems to have been 
 a most worthy Prelate. That he continued Bishop 
 Rattraj-'s policy appears evident from those of his 
 letters, which are published in Dr. Gordon's Scoti- 
 chronicon, Vol. V. No doubt he was a Jacobite, 
 politicallj', but on the other hand he energetically 
 withstood Primus White's proposal, in 1759, to conse- 
 crate Henrj' Edgar as Coadjutor for Fife, on the 
 nomination of the Prince, and boasts of the fact that 
 not one of the Scottish Prelates owed his promotion to 
 the (exiled) Secular Authority. He also advocated 
 keeping the See of Edinburgh still vacant, though it 
 had been in that condition since the death of Bishop 
 Freebairn in 1739. His reason for this advice is 
 instructive. It appears that, though Bishop Rattray 
 had been able to establish freedom of election in every 
 other Diocese, yet the Prince had issued an Inhibition* 
 against filling that of Edinburgh without his sanction. 
 This was well known. Therefore (Bishop Alexander 
 argued), it would be better to continue making no 
 appointment to the Metropolitan See, because, if they 
 filled it up, it must either be by obtaining the Prince's 
 leave, which would be suicidal ; or, if they did so 
 without such permission, yet the Government would 
 
 * Scotichronicon, v., p. 296. 
 
2i6 Episcopal History of Perth, 
 
 assume that they had obtained a suspension of the 
 Inhibition from the exiled Court, and trouble would be 
 the consequence all the same. But, perhaps, the saying 
 of our Prelate's, which will longest dwell in the 
 memory, is that sentence addressed to Bishop W. 
 Falconer, in which he alludes to the difficulty or 
 preserving even the existence of the Episcopal Order in 
 those dangerous times. " The Succession,^' he writes, 
 " lyes as near my heart as it can do yours — many an 
 anxious thought and waking hour it gives me.'' 
 
 At a meeting held in Coupar-Angus, after Bishop 
 Alexander's death, the Dean produced a Mandate, signed 
 by all the members of the Scottish Episcopate, *" em- 
 powering the Presbyters of the District of Dunkeld to 
 meet and elect a successor to our late worthy Bishop." 
 Their choice fell upon Charles Rose, Bishop of Dunblane 
 and Incumbent of Doune, who, as we have formerly 
 seen, was the son of the late Bishop James Rose of 
 Fife, and brother of the Rev. R. Lyon's betrothed. 
 He acquiesced in his election, remarking, " I am fully 
 determined with myself that I will never proceed' to do 
 anything of moment, without first advizing and con- 
 sulting with you." The new Bishop was an enthusiastic 
 Jacobite, and therefore on very intimate terms with his 
 neighbour, Laui'ence Oliphant, Esq. of Gask. Little 
 has been recorded of him, but there is still a 
 path at Doune called in his memory, " The Bishop's 
 Walk,'' because he used frequently to take exercise 
 there. Unfortunately, by the year 1786 he had fallen into 
 his dotage. While retaining Dunblane, therefore (now 
 but " the shadow of a shade " as a Diocese, and consisting 
 of only one Presbytert), he was induced to resign Dunkeld. 
 
 * Dunkeld MS. Register. 
 tDr. Walker's Oleig, p. 200. 
 
Vacancy and Bishop Watson. 217 
 
 *Accordingly on October 6th there was a meeting of 
 the Clergy of our Diocese held at Shielhill, Kirriemnir, 
 for the purpose of electing a successor. As there were 
 now but 40 Clergy remaining in the whole of Scot- 
 land, the range of choice was limited, and was taxed 
 to the uttermost in vain. The electors' first choice 
 fell on Dr. Abernethy-Drummond (afterwards Bishop 
 of Edinburgh), but he refused, as also did the Rev. 
 James Lyall, the next selection. On November 9th 
 there was another Synodical Meeting, at which that 
 powerful ecclesiastic, Dr. Gleig of Pittenweem, editor 
 of the Encydopcedia Britannica, was chosen. But he 
 was too powerful. As leader of the Southern party he 
 had become obnoxious to Bishop John Skinner of Aber- 
 deen, the leader of the Northern, and the latter, 
 owing to the vigour of his own character and the 
 absence of all canonical restraint on the Bishops of 
 those days, was practically sole Ruler of the Church. 
 He therefore vetoed Dr. Gleig's election. The Diocese 
 then remained vacant for six years, during wliich time 
 Bishops Skinner, Abernethy-Drummond, and Strachan 
 (Brechin) performed the necessary Episcopal offices. 
 At last, on July ^th, 1792, a meeting of Clergy, held 
 at Forfar, applied for another Mandate. The result 
 was (as Dr. Walker has shewn) that Dr. Gleig (now 
 of Stirling), was again elected. But Bishop Skinner, 
 who two years previously had become Primus, again 
 vetoed his Consecration. The Clergy then " transferred 
 their votes to Mr. Jonathan Watson, a young man of 
 31," who had been Presbyter at Laurencekirk since 
 August, 1791. He, " seriously considering the situation 
 
 * For this paragraph see: Grub, iv., pp. 91, 99, 111 ; Walker's 
 Gleig, pp. 198, 222-3 ; Brechin Register ; Dunkeld Register ; 
 T. Stephen, iv., p. 481. 
 
2i8 Episcopal Historj' of Perth. 
 
 of our Church, and trusting on the gracious support 
 of her Almighty Head, if the Bishops shall be pleased 
 to confirm the election, humbly acquiesced." Accord- 
 ingly he was consecrated at Stonehaven, on September 
 20th, by Bishops Skinner, Macfarlane, Abernethy- 
 Drummond, and Strachan. " Bishop Watson was a 
 native of Banffshire, and, like most of his contemporaries 
 in the Diocese of Aberdeen, he had been trained for 
 the Ministry by Mr. Skinner of Linshart. He was a 
 diligent and successful student, and his classical and 
 theological acquirements did credit to his venerable 
 instructor." 
 
 And now, having taken the Bishops to the end of 
 the period included in this chapter, let us return by 
 way of the Deans (who, it may be of interest to note, 
 are always described as "The Very Rev." in the Diocesan 
 Register) to Perth itself. AVe have seen that at the 
 meeting convened to elect a successor to Bishop 
 Alexander on July 17th, 1776, the Deau presided. 
 That official was none other than our friend, the Eev. 
 George Innes, who had been unanimously elected to 
 the dignity on the same day. His predecessors in the 
 Decanal office had been as follows. At the date of 
 the Revolution Alexander Balneaves, Parish Minister 
 of Tibbermuir, was Dean of Dunkeld. After his death* 
 there can be little doubt that the confusion of the 
 times prevented his place being filled. But the 
 appointment of Diocesan Deans followed the Concordate 
 of 1731. It is uncertain what steps were taken in 
 consequence of this in our Diocese immediately after 
 that agreement; but, in 1743,1 the Rev. W. Seton of 
 
 * The date of which I have not been able to ascertain. He 
 was alive in 1699 (Scott's " Fasti "). 
 t Dunkeld MS. Register. 
 
Death of Dean Innes. 219 
 
 Forfar is found presiding as Dean over the Synod at 
 which Bishop Rattray's successor was elected. In 1754 
 he was succeeded by the Rev. David Guthrie of 
 Restennet and Carsebanli, near Forfar, who held the 
 appointment till 1764. The next who enjoyed the 
 dignity was the Rev. James Hill of Wester Gourdie 
 (1764-1776). After his election in 1776 we hear nothing 
 of Dean Innes for two years. On January 26th, 1778, 
 however, he receives a solitary vote as successor to 
 Bishop Rait of Brechin. Again on May 16th, 1781, 
 the Rev. J. Allan writes thus to Bishop Petrie : — 
 *" Mr. Innes in Perth is struck with a palsie, and as he 
 was anxious when in health to have a Clergyman 
 settled in his place, to whom he professed himself 
 willing to resign the Congregation, there is an absolute 
 necessity of having it done immediately, otherwise, as 
 there is a qualified man there, the people will be lost. 
 Simon Reid, is willing to take his chance there in case 
 Bishop Kilgour consents, and a decent provision can 
 be made for him.'' There is nothing, however, to shew 
 that Mr. Reid was actually enabled to come to the 
 old man's assistance. And there is something significant 
 in the circumstance that, on May 11th, 1781/.,^ Lord 
 Stormont contributes .£5 os. towards the fund for the 
 relief of indigent Clergy. On October 12th, 1785, 
 Bishop Petrie writes a letter to our aged Priest, who, 
 in 1786, rendered unfit by age and infirmity to perform 
 his duties,^ resigns the office of Dean, and is succeeded 
 by " Father Skene " of Forfar. 
 
 At last, in June, 1789, he died. There is something 
 
 * Canon Archibald's Historic Episcopate, p. 380. 
 t This was the notable year in which the Scottish Bishops, 
 out of their poverty, gave the Episcopate to America. 
 X MS. in Episcopal Chest. 
 
220 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 very admirable, as we conclude from his letters, in the 
 patient diligence, with which he fulfilled his pastoral 
 duties during nearly 50 years in Perth, amid every 
 incentive to discouragement. The cause, which lay so 
 near his heart, was slowly but surely declining 
 throughout his life.* But he lived to add his signature 
 to a document, which was to prove the dawn of better 
 things. The year before he died Prince Charlie passed 
 away, and it was resolved by the Bishops that 
 Churchmen were now free to transfer their allegiance 
 to King George. Old Bishop Eose of Dunblane, indeed, 
 and the Laird of Cask utterly refused to take the stepj 
 and others manifested their disapproval by blowing of 
 noses and shuffling of feet, when the State prayers 
 were first read in their altered form ; but Mr. Innes 
 was sensible enough to concur in the Episcopal 
 resolution. 
 
 During the last three years of his life he was 
 assisted successively by iivo young colleagues. We 
 learn from the Diocesan Register that, in 1786, " Mr. 
 William Jolly at Gask, having been ordained Deacon 
 on S. Peter's day at Down (Doune), was then sent by 
 the Bishop to be assistant to the . Very Eev. Dean 
 Innes at Perth, who, by age and infirmity, was several 
 months before rendered incapable of oificiating." On 
 December 6th of the same year, and June 20th of the 
 following, the Rev. Wm. Jolly is entered in the account 
 book as receiving two successive grants of £2 10s. 
 each, from the relief of indigent Clergy Fund. On 
 October 5th, 1786, we find him acting as Proxy for his 
 Senior Colleague at a Synodical meeting held at 
 Shielhill, Kirriemuir. In fact he is appointed clerk of 
 
 * In 17.56 there were 88 Clergy in Scotland ; in 1786, 40. — 
 Dean Nicolson's MSS., p. 150. 
 
Rev. David Low. 221 
 
 the meeting. On November 9th he is present at a 
 precisely similar assembly in tlie same capacity. On 
 May 10th, 17S7, Mr. ^Villiam Jolly is removed from 
 Perth and ordained Priest at Forfar.* 
 
 As we learn from the Register, he was succeeded by the 
 Rev. David Low. This Clergyman, says Mr. Conolly,t 
 had little more than completed his nineteenth year, when 
 he was appointed to take charge of the remnant of the 
 old non-juring congregation at Perth, and was ordained 
 Deacon December oth, 1787, by Bishop Strachan of 
 Brechin. The place of his ministrations at Perth seems 
 to have been a very humble one, i.e., the Wrights' 
 Hall in the Watergate, and the congregation pro- 
 portionately' small. Like his predecessor, he, in 17 88, 
 receives a grant of £,'2 10s. from the Indigent Fund. 
 After fifteen months' service in the Diaconate, the 
 Congregation presented a request for the advancement 
 of their Pastor to full Orders, and accordingly, on 
 February l^th, 1789, he was ordained Priest by Bishop 
 Strachan, the assisting Presbyters being the Revs. W. 
 Nicoll and W. Jolly. 
 
 Of course, these Ordinations were conferred on one 
 who had not yet attained the canonical age, but they 
 were amply justified, both by the present distress, and 
 also by the exceptionally faithful subsequent career of 
 the youthful cleric. To the thoughtful mind, nothing 
 can well be more pathetic than the indomitable faith 
 of these good men, who, amid the ruins of their 
 Church, the pressure of an unjust law, and the con- 
 tempt and dislike of the public, clung with unconquerable 
 tenacity to " Evangelical Truth and Apostolic Order." 
 
 * Bishop .Watson meotions meeting Mr. Jolly at Forfar in 
 December, 1793 (see MS. letter, c/o Miss Terry), 
 t Life of Bishop Lowe, p. 29. 
 
222 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 That Mr. Low did not stay long in Perth appears 
 from the following entry in the DunJcdd Register: — 
 " The Rev. Alexander Walker, Presbyter at Luthermuir 
 in Meanis, having been invited to take charge of the • 
 Congregation in Perth, now vacant by the translation 
 of Mr. Low to Pittenweeni in Fife, was translated 
 thither." He seems to have been a man of about the 
 same age as Mr. Low, having been ordained Deacon 
 and Priest in 1787-8 by Bishops Abernethy-Drummond 
 and Straohan {Brechin MS. Register). 
 
 On December 16th, 1784-, we have a glimpse of the 
 Rev. Adam Peebles of the " Qualified " Chapel. He is 
 then present at a meeting held " in a room adjoining 
 the Perth Academy,'' at which the Literary and Anti- 
 quarian Society of Perth was founded, and his name 
 subsequently appears as one of those, who used to read 
 papers before its meetings. 
 
 During ' this period there seems, at least for a time, 
 to have been a third congregation in our neighbourhood. 
 In the Brechin Diocesan Register, the name of the 
 " Rev. Thomas Beat at Inchyra " appears from January 
 29th, 1777, till August 2nd, 1787. It was this 
 Presbyter, who recorded his vote for his neighbour 
 Dean lunes as successor to Bishop Rait in the Diocese 
 of Brechin. 
 
BOOK III. 
 
 IRepeal an& lEybaustion. 
 
CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 HOW PERTH CHURCHMEN CONTRIBUTED- TO THE 
 REPEAL OF THE PENAL LAWS, 1789-1792. 
 
 At last, in 1789, after a century of almost unparalleled 
 misfortunes, a happier period was about to dawn 
 upon the well-nigh exhausted Church. Taking ad- 
 vantage of the fact that the death of Prince 
 Charlie in 1788 had set Churchmen free to acknow- 
 ledge the reigning family, it occurred amongst others 
 to " Tullochgorum's " son. Primus John Skinner, 
 Bishop of Aberdeen, that the time had come, 
 when application might be made for the repeal of 
 the Penal Laws. Accordingly, accompanied by Bishops 
 Strachan and Abernethy-Drummond, he went up to 
 London. The Perth family of the Lords Stormont 
 had honoured themselves, as we have seen, on 
 many former occasions, by aiding the cause of the 
 Church in her afflictions. A Lord Stormont had 
 sheltered Dundee before Killiecrankie, and had main- 
 tained the Episcopal Clergyman of Scone in his place 
 for years after the Disestablishment : a Lord Stormont 
 had taken part with Prince James in the 1715, and 
 may therefore be presumed to have been friendly 
 to the Church : Lady Stormont helped Bishop Rattray 
 in 1740 : in 1745, the Lord Stormont of the day was 
 the trusted friend of Primus Keith, and his sisters 
 entertained Prince Charlie: in 1784, Lord Stormont 
 had subscribed for the relief of Dean Innes, and now 
 once more a Lord Stormont is found strengthening the 
 
226 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 hand of the Scottish Prelates. For Bishops Skinner 
 and Abernethy-Drummond carried with them to London 
 the following letter addressed to Lord Stormont from 
 Lord Henderland:—*" Edinburgh, April 2nd, 1789— 
 The gentlemen, who will wait upon your Lordship with 
 this, are Mr. Abernethy and Mr. Skinner, Bishops of 
 the Ancient Episcopal Church of Scotland. They go to 
 London to obtain a repeal of the disqualifications 
 imposed by Act of Parliament upon persons of that 
 persuasion under certain circumstances, and will, with 
 your Lordship's permission, explain more fully to you 
 the nature of the business. They, as well as all of 
 their Order that I know of in. Scotland, are men of 
 irreproachable character and exemplary conduct, and, 
 as they desired a letter of introduction to your 
 Lordship, who receives with so much politeness every 
 person engaged in public concerns, I thought you 
 would excuse my presumption in giving it. I have 
 stated what I believe to be a fair testimony in their 
 favour. As to the propriety of the measure, I leave 
 others to decide upon it.'' 
 
 The recipient of this letter, along with another 
 Perthshire nobleman and others not connected with the 
 shire, evidently decided in favour of the " propriety of 
 the measure," for, in a letter to the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, dated May 1st, Bishop Skinner says : 
 " The Earl of Breadalbane, Lord Stormont (and others), 
 did us the honour to call for us and proffer us their 
 services." With this support, the Relief Bill prospered 
 excellently at first. It actually passed through the 
 House of Commons ; but on reaching the House of 
 Lords, it encountered the opposition of the all-powerful 
 Chancellor, Lord Thurlow. He had no sufficient reason 
 * Dean Skinner's Annals, pp. 92-93, 99, etc. 
 
Repeal Committee at Perth. 227 
 
 for his conduct.* He did not even understand the 
 matter, and Bishops Horsley and Warren, who laboured 
 to enlighten him, " found him so uninformed upon the 
 business that it would take them too much time to 
 make him understand it, to give any reasonable hope 
 of success." The Bill was therefore lost. The Scottish 
 Bishops at once returned home, and the Primus 
 summoned a Convention . of the Church to meet at 
 Laurencekirk. It was here determined to continue the 
 fight, and a Committee of three Bishops, three Priests, 
 and three Laymen were appointed to deal with the 
 matter. One of the three Laymen was from Perth, i.e., 
 John Pattullo of Balhousie. 
 
 On February 2Ji.th, 1790, the Committee met in the 
 Fair City. The Members present were Bishop Skinner, 
 Kevs. Allan, Gleig, and Aitken ; John Stirling, Esq. of 
 Kippendavie ; and John Niven, Esq., of Peebles. 
 Bishop Strachan and Mr. Pattullo sent valid excuses, 
 but cordially approved of the resolutions formed, of 
 which the following statement is extracted from the 
 Minutes : — " The Preses gave the Committee a detail 
 of our extensive correspondence, which he had held on 
 the subject of the proposed Act of Repeal, particularly 
 with Dr. G. Gaskin, James Allan Park and William 
 Stevens, Esqs., all of the City of London. The 
 
 * Probably the motive, which influenced him, was a suspicion 
 (to which the preliminary hesitation of the Bishops to agree to 
 the introduction of Prayers for King George by name lent a faint 
 semblance of excuse) that the Episcopal Church was still disloyal 
 to the German dynasty. But this was not a sufficient excuse for 
 his conduct, for the Bishops were ready to take the oaths of 
 loyalty, and for Parliament to dictate to them, over and above 
 that, what prayers were to be addressed to Almighty God, was 
 a tyrannical act. For a fuller treatment of the incident, see Dr. 
 Walker's Life of Bishop Oleig (pp. 201-204). 
 
228 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Committee, having considered that correspondence, and 
 heard each other's sentiments on the present state of 
 affairs of this Church, were unanimously of opinion 
 that an application should be made in the present 
 Session of Parliament for obtaining redress of the 
 grievances complained of." It was further resolved to 
 enlist the sympathies of the Universities of Oxford and 
 Cambridge, and of all Members of Parliament, and a 
 circular was drawn up for this purpose. The London 
 Committee was thanked, and Bishop Skinner empowered 
 to act on behalf of the Scottish Committee. 
 
 After this our City does not come into connection 
 with the Repeal Movement again until 1792. Suffice 
 it to say that the Lord Chancellor's surly hostility was 
 sufficient to defeat the measure in three successive 
 Sessions. Li 1792, however, the result was at last 
 different, and there can be little doubt that, along with 
 Bishop Horsley's successful oration, the following speeches* 
 of our two Perth laymen largely contributed to the 
 happy result: — "Lord Stormont then {i.e., after Lord 
 Thurlow) rose and began with assuring their Lordships 
 that, as there was no question before them, he was 
 conscious it would ill become him to detain the House 
 long. Whatever fell from the mouth of the noble and 
 learned Lord (Thurlow) had so much weight on the 
 minds of noble Lords in that House, and with so much 
 justice, that he begged to speak a few words m rejpli/ 
 to some parts of the speech of the noble and learned 
 Lord, and also shortly and simply to explain the 
 jirinciple on which he thought it his duty to support 
 the Bill. 
 
 " His Lordship then proceeded to detail the grounds, 
 on which the penalties had been imposed, which the 
 * From a contemporary pamphlet. 
 
Lord Stormont's Speech. 229 
 
 present Bill went tn repeal. When the Statute of 
 Qiieen Anne passed, their Lordships, he said, would 
 recollect that the circumstances of the times were 
 peculiar. Those of the Episcopal Communion in 
 Scotland were then known to be disaffected to the 
 Government of the country from motives of conscience, 
 not thinking themselves at liberty to withdraw their 
 allegiance from the heir of the abdicated Sovereign. 
 On those persons, therefore, and ou those only, it was 
 that the Statute was intended to attach. 
 
 " The case, however, at present was totally different. 
 There now existed no such description of persons as those 
 Avho were the objects of that Act. The Scottish Episco- 
 palians of the present day were well affected to the 
 Government of their country, and prayed for His Majesty 
 and the Eoyal Family, as formally and sincerely as those 
 in England did. 
 
 "With respect to what the noble and learned Lord had 
 said concerning Toleration, Lord Stormont declared that 
 he did not think it necessary to discuss that point, or to 
 state his opinion on the subject. The noble and learned 
 Lord, he observed, had said that Toleration ought to be 
 extended to those persons only, who were known to pro- 
 fess some principles of religion consonant to the doctrines 
 of Christianity. 
 
 " It was, however, a circumstance rather strongly in 
 favour of the objects of the present Bill, that the mem- 
 bers of the Established Church of Scotland wished them 
 to be relieved from the penalties in question, which, 
 although certainly sharper than necessary under the 
 present circumstances of the times, were perhaps justifi- 
 able at that period of our history when they were first 
 imposed. In Scotland, his Lordship said, he should no 
 doubt be deemed a dissenter, yet he could not but feel 
 
230 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 some degree of national pride on observing the liberal 
 sentiments, which the Established Church of Scotland 
 had manifested of this occasion. 
 
 " With regard to what the noble and learned Lord 
 had said respecting the necessity of every Episcopalian 
 Pastor being able to prove that he had been regularly 
 ordained by a Protestant Bishop of England or Ireland, 
 Lord Stormont said he must beg leave to differ entirely 
 from his Lordship. If their Lordships would but 
 attend for a moment, they would see that in many 
 oases it was from its nature utterly impossible. If 
 Episcopalian Pastors were men of conscience, as he 
 hoped they were, they could not submit to receive a 
 second Ordination ; and, if they did, he would only 
 ask how the case would stand in the eyes of their 
 congregations. Their hearers might justly tell them, 
 ' You have passed upon us those 20 or 30 years for 
 what you are not ; you have preached to us and we 
 have listened to you ; but we now at last find that, 
 before this time, you were never duly qualified.' 
 Besides, if these Episcopalian Pastors were to apply to 
 a Bishop of England or Ireland, where would they get 
 a title ? If an Episcopalian candidate for orders were 
 to say, ' My friends in Scotland will procure a Meeting- 
 House for me and provide for my support,' would any 
 of the learned prelates opposite to me (said Lord 
 Stormont, pointing to the bench) deem that a com- 
 petant title ? Most certainly not ! 
 
 " With regard to what the noble and learned Lord 
 had said respecting marriage, it was well known that 
 in Scotland marriage was considered merely as a civil 
 contract, as appeared from the frequent reports of Avhat 
 was transacted at Gretna Green, a place where he had 
 some concern ; and, if a counsel were at their Lord- 
 
Lord Stormont's Speech. 231 
 
 ships' bar, and attempted to bring a witness to prove 
 that marriage was anything else than what he had 
 now stated it, he was persuaded that the noble and 
 learned Lord on the Woolsack would immediately think 
 it his duty to stop him. 
 
 " The validity of an Episcopalian Pastor's ordination, 
 his Lordship contended, was totally out of the question. 
 In considering the principle of ,the present bill, the 
 house had nothing to do with it ; and, if he held in 
 his hand the book written by Father Courayer, some 
 few pages of which he had' once read, he declared he 
 would not resort to the volume for a single argument 
 in support of the doctrine he was then maintaining. 
 
 "The sole and, as he had before stated it, the simple 
 point, on which rested the claim of the Episcopalians 
 in Scotland to the relief which the Bill would give, 
 was that, when the penalties complained of were 
 imposed, they were clearly meant to attach on persons, 
 who were disaffected to the existing government of the 
 country and to the Prince upon the throne ; whereas, 
 the present Episcopalians, both Pastors and Laymen, 
 were persons of a wholly different description. There 
 was no occasion, his Lordship said, for him to go back 
 to the reign of Constantine to prove what Episcopacy 
 was ; and, therefore, after apologizing to their Lord- 
 ships for having detained them so long, he would 
 conclude with declaring that it appeared to him an 
 irrefragable argument in favour of the present Bill, 
 that the Episcopalians of Scotland had exactly and 
 precisely the same claims on the indulgence of the 
 Legislature as those of the Dissenters in this part of 
 the Kingdom from the Established Church of England." 
 
 After Bishop Horsley had lifted the debate into a 
 somewhat more ecclesiastical atmosphere, "the Earl 
 
232 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 of Kinnoull (Lord Hay) made a short speech in favour 
 of the Bill, and delivered his sentiments -with much 
 emphasis and energy. He described the members of 
 the Scottish Episcopal Church as a decent, quiet, 
 respectable body of people, who, in the most trying 
 time, had always behaved in a very becoming and quiet 
 manner, and were therefore well entitled to every 
 indulgence which the Legislature could show them. 
 Whatever amendments might be proposed, he could 
 see no good ground for any objection to the principle 
 of the present Bill, and declared himself to be 
 thoroughly convinced that a marked distinction of 
 legislative liberality ought ever to attach to the 
 Established Church of either part of the Kingdom." 
 
 Thereafter the Bill successfully passed its second 
 and third readings, and the Disestablished Church 
 entered an important new phase of its history. 
 
CHAPTEE XXIV. 
 
 HOW THE REPEAL OF THE PENAL LAWS WAS 
 FOLLOWED BY THE EXTINCTION OF THE 
 CHURCH IN PERTH, I792-181O. 
 
 (1). After the bappy result of their efforts the 
 Primus wrote formal letters of thanks, both to others, 
 and also to Lords Stormont and Kinuoull.* 
 
 It was, indeed, a time for congratulation to all 
 members of the Church.' But a good many years 
 were to elapse before the benefits of the Repeal could 
 be actually enjoyed. For, although Lord Chancellor 
 Thurlow, on the very eve of his fall, had at last 
 allowed the Bill to pass, he had hampered it with 
 certain conditions, in which the promoters of the 
 measure had found themselves forced to acquiesce. 
 The first of these was, that the Clergy should be 
 bound to take the oaths of Allegiance and Abjuration, 
 and, although all were ready enough to take the 
 former, which was a reasonable and practical stipulation, 
 yet many scrupled at the latter, which was a require- 
 ment that, after all, was not absolutely needed. The 
 second of Lord Thurlow's conditions was a surprising 
 one : it obliged the Scottish Clergy to sign the Thirty- 
 nine Articles of the Church of England before 
 Toleration could be extended to them. Now, many 
 of the Clergy scrupled 'at this theological formula, 
 erroneously supposing that it could only be interpreted 
 in a Calvinistic sense. But, even if they had been 
 satisfied with its subject matter, they might well have 
 * Lawson, ii., p. 392. 
 
234 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 asked by what authority a secular Assembly was 
 dictating a theological formula to them. For twelve 
 years, therefore, the Church did not avail herself of 
 the benefits of the Repeal Bill. Her state was like 
 that of a convalescent during the earliest stage of 
 recovery from a severe illness. Primus John Skinner, 
 indeed, was all energy ; Bishop Jolly all learning and 
 goodness ; and Dr. Gleig all intellect ; but (if we may 
 change the metaphor), there was a prolonged twilight 
 before sunrise. 
 
 How were the local affairs of Perth progressing 
 during this transitional period? 
 
 With regard to the regular congregation, very little 
 is known. It certainly, indeed, continued to exist. If 
 we cannot be sure that, of the 18 Episcopalians, who 
 at this time *(1795) " lived peaceably with their 
 neighbours in Kinnoull," any owed allegiance to their 
 true Bishop, it is at least probable that some did ; 
 for the Eev. A. Walker, whom we have mentioned as 
 succeeding Mr. Low in 1789, was still to the fore. 
 This is evidenced by two circumstances. First, because 
 Miss Helen Laidlaw, who died somewhere about the 
 year 1870 at a very advanced age (circa 86), used to 
 tell trustworthy witnesses, still alive (1894), that, 
 while her father occupied Balhousie Castle, the 
 Episcopal Service was held under his roof, and that' 
 the circumstance was amongst her own earliest recollec- 
 tions ; and this would carry us back to the times, with 
 which we are now dealing. And, secondly, I\Ir. Walker's 
 name appears in the year 1802 as Secretary in the 
 Records of the Perth Literary and Antiquarian 
 Society, and the titles of some of the papers, which 
 he read before that body, are still preserved. But 
 
 * Statistical Account of Perth, pp. 84-90. 
 
Chapel in Princes Street. 235 
 
 there can be little doubt that, although existing, our 
 congregation was in a declining state. The very fact 
 that they had left off worshipping in the Wright's 
 Hall, and had migrated to a gentleman's private 
 residence, seems to imply that both their means and 
 numbers had fallen off. And in 1802 it must have 
 been recognised that the end was not distant, for in 
 that year Lords Mansfield (Stormont) and Kinnoull 
 renounced their allegiance to the Scottish Bishops. 
 
 *^Vhile this was the state of affairs in Perth, the 
 Dean of the Diocese (Skene of Forfar) died, after a 
 ministry of 43 years, on April 19th, 1797. He was 
 certainlj^ succeeded in his Decanal capacity at some 
 time, and probably at once, by the Rev. John 
 Robertson of Strathtay. 
 
 With regard to the irregular Congregation, it has to 
 be recorded both that its affairs were more prosperous, 
 and also that it has left fuller memorials behind it. 
 That they still had the Rev. Adam Peebles in their 
 employment as minister (he had succeeded Mr. Cameron 
 in 1770) is evident, because his name occurs as one 
 of the Vice-Presidents of the same society as that of 
 which Mr. Walker was secretary. Under his regime 
 an important step was resolved upon. Owing to the 
 increase of the Co:igregation and the growing dilapida- 
 tion of the Parliament House, where they had assembled 
 since 1750, it was resolved to build a new Chapel. t 
 With this end in view a subscription was started about 
 the year 1793. Two years later a site was acquired 
 in what is now Princes Street, and five years later 
 still, it was formally made over to the Congregation 
 for a' sum of .£70, by Col. Mark Wood of Potterhill. 
 A condition (shewing a somewhat irreconcilable spirit) 
 
 * Dunkeld MS. Register. t S. John's MSS. Minute Books. 
 
236 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 was made to the effect that a place of worship, in 
 which only the Services of the Church of England 
 should be performed, must be built upon the spot. 
 The erection of the Chapel was, of course, the next 
 thing proceeded with. This was completed in the 
 year 1800, and the Congregation moved into it. The 
 chief contributor to the building fund was Sir William 
 Nairne, Lord Dunsinane, who paid off a debt of about 
 £550 after the completion of the edifice. In 1802 
 the Earls of Kinnoull and Mansfield Joined the Con- 
 gregation ; but one is compelled to believe that there 
 can have been no great fervour of true Church life 
 there, when we learn that, while the upper flat of their 
 new building was the Chapel proper, the lower 
 (horresco referens J) was let out for wine and porter 
 stores ! In 1804 Mr. Peebles died. 
 
 (2). The same year was also noteworthy in the 
 history of the Church at large. For on October 2^th 
 at a Convocation held in Laurencekirk,* the Church, 
 by the free exercise of her own will, determined to 
 accept the XXXIX Articles. And this had two happy 
 effects : first, that now the provisions of the Bill for 
 the repeal of the Penal Statiites were formally com- 
 plied with ; and secondly, that the various irregular 
 and (so-called) " English " Congregations at the same 
 time resolved to return to the unity of the Church, 
 and so brought its numbers up to about 25,000, t or 
 double of what it was before. On the one side Primus 
 Skinner and the re^t of the Bishops did all they 
 could to smooth the way, and on the other Dr. Sand- 
 ford, the leading " English Episcopalian," set his 
 brethren a noble example of dutifulness by coming 
 over, and was, to the satisfaction of all, consecrated 
 *Dean Skinner's Annals, pp. 345-351. tDr. Walker's GUig, p. 213. 
 
Prospects of Union. 237 
 
 Bishop of Edinburgh — Bishop Abernethy-Drummond 
 having resigned on purpose to make way for him. 
 
 While union was thus the characteristic of the age 
 at large, in what way was it forwarded in Perth ? 
 Surely the Scottish Congregation in the City, now that 
 it has weathered so many violent storms, has at last 
 sailed into a haven of peace ! Surely the " English " 
 Congregation will at length repay the wrong it did the 
 Church, through its indefensible schism in Bishop 
 Rattray's time, by returning and imparting to its 
 decaying Scottish sister a share in its worldly pros- 
 peritj' I But no ! Not yet was this happy consumma- 
 tion to be reached. 
 
 '^ Facilis descensus Avcrni, 
 Scd rcvocarc grudwm, sitperasque evadcre ad auras^ 
 Hie labor, hoc opus est ! " 
 The narrative of the failure is this : — *0n the death 
 of the Rev. A. Peebles, it was resolved to hold a 
 general meeting of the Congregation for the purpose of 
 electing a Vestry ; and elected a Vestry was, with 
 powers such as are calculated to make 
 
 " eaeh, pariicultir hair to stand on end, 
 Like quills upon the fretful porcupine," 
 of any Churchman, who is made acquainted with their 
 tenor. For they ran as follows, leaving no possible 
 opening for a Bishop in a professedly Episcopal Con- 
 gregation : — The newly-appointed body is " to have 
 powers to elect new members as vacancies might 
 happen : to appoint and remove Clergymen, and to do 
 everything for the complete management of the temporal 
 and spiritual affairs in every jjarticular, without 
 control." 
 
 Clothed though they were with these truly Papal 
 prerogatives, they nevertheless judged it expedient to 
 * S. John's MSS. Minute Boohs supply the main outline. 
 
238 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 delegate some of their spiritual authority to a humbler 
 individual, who should be responsible for the actual 
 reading of Pjrayers and delivery of Sermons ; or, in 
 other words, they proceeded to institute a Clergyman. 
 And, in the carrying out of this project, we are 
 thankful to say that they began to act on better 
 principles than they formally professed. For it so 
 happened that Mr. Walker left Perth at this con- 
 juncture and settled at Monymusk,* in Aberdeenshire, 
 and thus both our Incumbencies were vacant at the 
 same time. It is certain that the opportunity was 
 therefore taken of trying to unite the two Congregations. 
 On the one hand. Bishop Gleig, acting for the Bishop 
 of the Diocese, advised Mr. Walker's people to attend 
 the "English" Chapel ;t and, on the other, when the 
 election came on there, they were made welcome to 
 join in it. 
 
 There can be no doubt that the popular under- 
 standing was that, what was going on everywhere else, 
 was about to take place in Perth also, and that a 
 Presbyter in communion with the Bishop was to be 
 chosen. Even the Vestry, who appear to have been 
 somewhat reticent on the point, gave considerable 
 support to this view by writing the following letter to 
 the Primus :— " March 12th, 1805.— The Vestry, con- 
 sidering that there is a difference of opinion among the 
 members of the Congregation whether the Clergyman 
 should be a member of the Scots Episcopal Church, 
 and with a view to conciliate that difference as much 
 possible, agree to write Bishop Skinner at Aberdeen to 
 enquire if one of his sons, who was educated in 
 England, and ordained by an English Bishop, would 
 undertake the Charge." To this the Primus replied 
 ' Aberdeen MS, Diocesan Register. + Dr. Walker's Oleig, p. 390. 
 
Bishop Skinner's Letter. 239 
 
 cautiously : he evidently emieavoured to encourage the 
 unmistakeable movement towards union, but yet was 
 unwilling altogether to commit himself till the Vestry 
 were more definite. On March 16th he wrote : — " I am 
 just now favoured with your letter containing a pro- 
 posal from the Vestry of the English Episcopal Chapel 
 in Perth that my son, who was ordained in England, 
 should offer himself a candidate for the present 
 vacancy in that Chapel. Both he and I consider 
 ourselves as much obliged to tlie gentlemen of the 
 Vestry for this mark of their respect and good opinion 
 of my son's qualification, and I think it my duty to 
 lose no time in informing you that my sou is settled 
 here in the character of my Assistant. With that view 
 he received his Ordination from an English Bishop, to 
 shew that there is no inconsistency in persons so 
 ordained uniting themselves to the Scottish Episcopal 
 Church. Such a union, therefore, I would beg leave 
 to recommend as highly worthy of the attention of so 
 respectable a body as the Vestry and Congregation of 
 the now vacant English Episcopal Chapel, Perth ; a 
 measure, which has met with the warmest approbation 
 of some of the most distinguished Prelates of the 
 Church of England as the best means of promoting the 
 truest interests of Episcopacy in this part of the 
 Kingdom." 
 
 The result of this correspondence was that the 
 Vestry had done nothing formally to commit themselves 
 to the union piroject, and, at the same time, the 
 members of the two Congregations, knowing that the 
 Primus was being taken into- counsel, must have con- 
 cluded that there was a serious intention of doing 
 what so many Congregations in like circumstances 
 were doing, i.e., coming to an agreement with the 
 
240 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Bishops. This impression could not fail to be much 
 strengthened by that, which followed the failure to 
 obtain the Rev. W. Skinner's services. For the Vestiy, 
 continuing their enquiries, fixed upon the Rev. Mr. 
 Fenwick, who was recommended by the Congregation 
 of Leith. Now this Congregation had joined in the 
 union, having before been in the same position as our 
 irregular Chapel. Hereupon, when the election took 
 place, twenty-one "members of the late Scots Episcopal 
 Congregation" joined in the vote in favour of Mr. Femvick. 
 And he, on his arrival, came to an understanding with 
 the Bishop of the Diocese (Watson).* Thus the 
 members of the two Congregations were amalgamated, 
 on terms that were, ecclesiastically speaking, satisfactory 
 enough. 
 
 But, alas ! Mr. AValker's people should have made 
 certain that the terms were not only satisfactory, but 
 also rendered formally binding on both parties. There 
 was a want of business exactness about the whole 
 transaction. The mass of the Congregation is shewn 
 by their election of Mr. Fenwick to have been quite 
 glad to have a Clergyman, who submitted to the 
 Bishop. But the Vestry had never cancelled their own 
 episcopal powers, and seem never to have intended to 
 allow the Chapel to pass under the Bishop's hands, 
 whatever the people and the Clergyman might choose 
 to do. And so, when it was found that Mr. Fenwick 
 did not give satisfaction, and went to England in 1808, 
 they secured the appointment of the Rev. H. Skete, 
 Curate of Wooler, in the IDiocese of Durham. And he, 
 notwithstanding the fact that, t" when passing through 
 Edinburgh on his way north, he had waited on Bishop 
 Sandford and promised to maintain the union, renounced 
 *]Sreale's Torry, p. 303. tNeale's Torry, p. 335. 
 
Death of Bishop Watson. 241 
 
 his allegiance in a lettei' to his own bishop under the 
 pretence that he was connected with the Church of 
 England." This was in 1810. He was probably 
 inspired in his action by one or two of the very 
 influential personages on the Yestry. The Constitution 
 clothed them, as we have seen, with autocratic powers, 
 and these they were determined to preserve by 
 thwarting the union. 
 
 It is not to be expected that the Bishop of the 
 Diocese would allow a flock, which had practically 
 come under his jurisdiction, and which in any case 
 had absorbed a congregation that wholly belonged to 
 him, to drift back to schism without at least a fatherly 
 attempt to stop the relapse. And, in fact, such an 
 attempt was made. If there was to be a renewal of 
 the division, the blame was not to lie at his door. 
 
 But, before we describe the Bishop's conduct in this 
 matter, we have to relate a change with regard to the 
 occupant of the Episcopal Throne. Bishop Watson had 
 fallen *" into a complete prostration of strength and as 
 much bodily imbecility '' as if he had reached the three 
 score and ten years of the Psalmist, although in fact 
 he was only forty-seven. And this circumstance • may 
 explain how it was that the movement for union in 
 Perth was carried through on such unsatisfactory lines. 
 In 1808 he died. There was again some difficulty in 
 the choice of a successor. For the third time Dr. 
 Gleig was pitched upon by the Clergy ; but, owing to 
 the continued opposition of Primus Skinner, the con- 
 firmation of the election fell through.t Accordingly 
 
 *T. Stephen, iv., p. 181. 
 
 t This same year, however, Dr. Gleig was unanimously elected 
 to Brechin, and the Primus was obliged to consecrate him. The 
 two Bishop.s worked, after all, harmoniously together (Walker's 
 GUig, 259). 
 
 P 
 
242 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 another meeting was held under the presidency of 
 Dean Kobertson, at which Patrick Terry, Incumbent 
 of Peterhead, was chosen.* The Bishops having ratified 
 the vote, the Prelate-elect was consecrated at Aberdeen, 
 and continued, according to the custom and necessities 
 of the time, to live at Peterhead. He was, indeed, a 
 thorough Scotchman of the old-fashioned school ; but 
 this description must be understood as comprising a 
 cultivated mind, dignified manners, and a decided will. 
 Theologically also he was thoroughly Scotch, inheriting 
 all the old traditions of the school of Bishop Rattray 
 and Bishop Alexander. " He_ often," said his son, the 
 Dean, " refreshed his memory with the works of (the 
 old non-juring Divines) Kenn, Hickes, Collier, Brett, 
 and others.'' And the maintenance of the Scottish 
 Eucharistic Office was the passion of his life. 
 
 Such was the Prelate whose lot it became to make 
 the last paternal effort for restraining the Perth 
 Congregation from Schism. What he did was to write 
 in the following entirely friendly way to the Vestry ; — 
 ''June 30th, 1809. — As I have been called by the 
 good Providence of God to discharge the duties of the 
 Episcopal Oflfice in the Diocese of Dunkeld ; t and, as 
 I intend by the Divine permission to hold my primary 
 visitation of the Diocese in the month of August next, 
 I have deemed it •incumbent on me to notify this 
 intention to you and to the Clergyman officiating in 
 
 *Neale's Torry, pp. 68, 299. 
 
 tThe late Bishop Wordsworth once suggested to me that 
 Bishop Torry made a mistake in claiming Perth as being in the 
 Diocese of Dunkeld. And, of course, it is originally part of the 
 Diocese of S. Andrews. Over this Bishop Torry did not preside 
 when he wrote the above letter. But surely the Conmrdate of 
 1731 must be looked upon as an act of the Scottish Church. 
 Even the dissentient Perth Managers acquiesced in it till 1740. 
 
End of the Orthodox. 243 
 
 your Uhapel, and to say that, if you are desirous of 
 having the sacred and Apostohc Eite of Confirmation 
 administered to the young people of the Congregation, 
 with which you are connected, I will most gladly come 
 forward to Perth for that purpose." And the good 
 Bishop added a few kindly words about " there being 
 such a beauty in the entire harmony and unity of 
 those who are distinguished by the same name and 
 profession." But it was all in vain. In reply " the 
 Clergyman and Vestry of the Qualified Chapel declined 
 his services on the pretence that they belonged to the 
 Church of England : a pretence so groundless that 
 Bishop Horsley, wlien pleading the cause of the Scottish 
 Church in the House of Peers, . . . declared, in 
 reference to those gentlemen called the ' Qualified 
 Clergymen,' that they had no more connection with 
 the Church of England than they had with the Church 
 of Mesopotamia." 
 
 And so our Congregation, the history of which we 
 have been relating, and which 120 years of trouble had 
 not sufficed to destroy, came to an end at last by 
 yielding a too ready compliance to the suggestions of 
 seeming friends. In any case, the termination of so 
 long and so brave a struggle for existence against over- 
 whelming odds would move our sympathy. But it is 
 all the sadder because, while our flock was dying, the 
 
 And by the Concordate Perth, if not actually transferred to the 
 Diocese of Dunkeld, was placed under the Jurisdiction of the 
 Bishop who presided over that See, and from that time till 1837, 
 while the two Dioceses were separate, the Perth Clergy took 
 part in all elections to the Bishopric of Dunkeld, and were 
 subject to the occupant of that See. Until, therefore, our City 
 is as formally restored to the Diocese of S. Andrews as it was 
 transferred to the Bishop of Dunkeld in 1731, it must be looked 
 upon as under the jurisdiction of the latter. 
 
244 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 first pulse of renewed life was beating in the veins of 
 our northern Zion. *The Dissentients elsewhere were 
 being reconciled. £12,000 was being collected for the 
 hitherto unpaid Bishops and the more necessitous of the 
 Clergy. The Government was being persuaded to grant 
 the Regium Donum. The Friendly Society was 
 beginning its beneficent career for the widows and 
 orphans of the Clergy, and a fund was being raised in 
 England for the building and repair of our Churches. 
 God only, who chastiseth every son whom He receiveth, 
 knows why our flock should have been at length 
 starved to death in sight of food. But, whatever the 
 reason, so it was. 
 
 (3). — But, in fact, these first signs of new life did 
 not prevent our country districts too from suffering 
 much the same fate as Perth itself. In them also the 
 Church was dying from the exhaustion engendered by 
 her prolonged distress. It is related,t for instance, that 
 about this time, " in a certain glen in Perthshire" the 
 inhabitants were lost to our Communion from the 
 want of means to maintain a Clergyman. At first the 
 Church portion of the community, whilst they fre- 
 quented the Established worship on Sundays, continued 
 for a long time to resort- to the nearest Episcopal 
 Church on the high festivals. At last even this practice 
 fell into disuse. Here and there, however, a few stood 
 firm in the faith of their fathers, and these were 
 frequently subjected to a good deal of ridicule on 
 account of their alleged bigotry. The following tale 
 of this period still survives : — "On the day before a 
 certain Good Friday, a Highlander, clad in his 'best, 
 was seen wending his way southward through his 
 
 * Dr. Walker's Last Hundred Years. 
 
 \ Scottish Ecclesiastical Journal, 1862, p. 23. 
 
Presbytery Victorious. 245 
 
 native glen. Passing a group of his acquaintances, 
 he was saluted with the question, evidently meant as 
 the introduction to a little bantering : " Ou, Alister, far 
 
 loill ye he gaen this fine day?" "To ," was the 
 
 reply, mentioning a town 25 miles distant. '^ An' fat may 
 he tackin' ye awa' sic a distance at this time 0' year ? " 
 — was the next enquiry. The questioner had himself 
 once been a Churchman, and drew down upon himself 
 the quick retort: "Just to get the Bishop's blessing, a 
 thing that was ill waured (hestowed) on you." 
 
 No longer need the Perth Presbytery be "in a very 
 sad taking, and needing our sympathy very much." 
 The district, where they had struggled in vain between 
 1690 and 1712 to abolish Episcopacy, was now almost 
 completely reduced to the state at which they aimed 
 to bring it. But, indeed, even they had probably by 
 this time come to understand that it was their former 
 adversaries, who really "needed sympathy very much." 
 
 Nevertheless,- thus saith the Lord: — "Yi't will I leave 
 a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape, 
 ivhen ye shall he scattered " {Ez. vi., 8). 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 HOW THE LAND LAY DESOLATE, 181O-1846. 
 
 The Scottish Magazine'" informs us that " the Orthodox 
 Party in Perth contented themselves with abstaining 
 from participating in the Sacraments of their Minister." 
 Notwithstanding this last effort to retain their in- 
 dividuality, however, it is likely to have been made on 
 a small scale and for a limited period. bike the 
 Highlanders in the glen, described at the close of the 
 last chapter, the discouraged remnant probably began 
 to force themselves to make the best of inevitable 
 circumstances, which they disliked, but for which they 
 could hardly be blamed. And so, with the exception 
 of whatever protests it was in their power to record, 
 the history of the Church in our City is a mournful 
 blank for the next thirty-six years. 
 
 Bishop Torry was grieved at the result, but what step 
 could he take to help it? "Something, indeed," he says,t 
 " must be done, and done soon, or the few faithful people 
 will be for ever lost to us." And he welcomed the 
 suggestion of Mr. Low (who had left Perth in 1789) to 
 the effect that the best thing to do was "to get a young 
 man of decent manners and respectable talents to open a 
 Chapel. But unluckily," he adds, "what was Mr. 
 Walker's Chapel has fallen down, and I know not where 
 the rent could be found for some time for another house 
 sufficiently large." Doubtless it was the lack of funds 
 which hampered the Bishop. It was out of the question 
 to suppose that the 21 voters of the old Congregation, 
 * 1850, p. 18. t Dr. Walker's Qlcirj, p. 290. 
 
Stagnation. 247 
 
 ■who had been enticed over to Princes Street, could both 
 pay for a Clergyman's salary and the expense of pro- 
 cnring and maintaining a Chapel. None of them could 
 have been wealthy. And it must be remembered that, 
 while there was a lack of local resources, a Bishop in 
 those days had no " Kepresentative Church Council," 
 or anything of a general kind answering to it, to fall 
 back upon. The fact is, that after Primus Skinner 
 had gathered together the fragments of the Church 
 that remained after the Repeal of the Penal Lmi's, 
 these remnants were foiuid to be afflicted with extreme 
 poverty and lack of corporate organization. Each 
 congregation aimed at simply struggling along for 
 itself. They hailed the permission to exist, which 
 they had now gained, as a great gift, and an aggres- 
 sive Mission policy did not come within the range of 
 their practical politics. And it is a curious fact 
 that not the Scottish Church alone was invaded at 
 this epoch by this passive spirit. The Church of 
 England, too, shared in it, and had to be roused by 
 the Oxford Movement of 1833 ; the Scottish Estab- 
 lishment shared in it until it was roused by the 
 Secession of the Free Kirk in 1843 ; and the State 
 itself shared in it, and had to be roused by the 
 Reform Bill of 1832. Things, therefore, being in this 
 state, Bishop Torry found it impossible to make an 
 energetic forward movement in Perth. And, even if 
 hc' had attempted it, he would have been met by the 
 opposition of all the titled and landed gentry, who, 
 professing to be Churchmen in the neighbourhood of 
 the Fair City, constituted the Vestry of the Princes 
 Street congregation. 
 
 And so the land lay desolate. The history, there- 
 fore, of the Church in Perth between the years 1810- 
 
248 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 1846 can only consist of three, and these hardly 
 genuine, kinds. First, we may look for some account 
 of our quasi-episcopal Chapel ; secondly, we may wander 
 from Perth and take a glimpse of Bishop Torry in 
 the other parts of his Diocese ; and, thirdly, we may 
 chronicle the passing visits of outside Churchmen to 
 our City. We shall take these three in their order : — 
 
 (I.) — First, therefore, with regard to the quasi- 
 Episcopal Chapel in Princes Street.* 
 
 Since in them was lodged the power " to appoint 
 and remove clergymen and to do everything for the 
 complete management of the temporal and spiritual 
 affairs (of the Congregation) in every particular without 
 control," we must, of course, begin with the Vestry. 
 After the general meeting of 1805, which had conferred 
 on them such plenitude of spiritual authority as 
 no Bishop in the Church would • dare to claim for 
 himself (for he would admit some " control " in the 
 shape of the Canon Law of Synods and Councils), 
 there was no subsequent election, and the Earl of 
 Kinnoull, the Earl of Mansfield, Lord Dunsinnane, 
 Lord Gray, Sir David Moncrieff'e, Sir J. Bichardson, 
 and John Grant, Esq. of Kilgraston, continued at 
 their posts. 
 
 From this right . reverend body we descend to their 
 Minister. He, good man, was bound by the Prayer Booh 
 (which was supposed to be accepted in the Chapel) " to 
 instruct the people committed to his charge " ; "to 
 minister the discipline of Christ " to the same ; " to 
 use both publick and private monitions and exhorta- 
 tions as well to the sick as the whole " ; and 
 " reverently to obey his Ordinary." But, considering the 
 powers claimed by the Vestry, the social position of 
 * S. John's Minute Books. 
 
Seat Rents. 249 
 
 the gentlemen composing it, and the fact that he was 
 absolutely dependent on them for his £100 a year (or 
 £150 in good years), we are not surprised to learn 
 that the requirements of the Prayer Booh were 
 exactly reversed, and the unfortunate Minister of 
 Christ " was in all things s'uhject to the Vestry." 
 
 The income of the Chapel was derived from a 
 collection taken at the door and from seat rents. 
 The letting of the latter occupies a great space in the 
 Jlinute hooks. Of course this source of revenue forms 
 matter for discussion even to the present day. We 
 are, therefore, not surprised to find that it was found 
 to have its drawbacks under the circumstances, which 
 we are considering. Tlie following notices in connec- 
 tion with this point afford food for reflection. We 
 find one noble Lord (forgetting, it would seem, that 
 he was referring to the House of God) " conceiving 
 that the seat he occupied was his absolute 'pn'P'^i^^y^ 
 and protesting against any alteration which might in 
 the smallest degree encroach upon or tend to diminish 
 the comfort and convenience of it." And then he and 
 his colleagues meet together in obedience to a 
 Christian instinct, which was better than the prin- 
 ciples, ^vhich they formally professed, to lament the 
 fact that the attendance of the poorer members was 
 falling off. Might it not have occurred to them that 
 the cause of this was possibly to be found in the fact 
 that self-respecting working men must have had some 
 delicacy in intruding into a building, over which a 
 Committee of Grandees claimed such absolute powers 
 of ownership and control ? A Labourer might be 
 excused for a suspicion that perhaps his presence or 
 that of his family next a seat, in which a noble Lord 
 claimed an absolute property, might be held " to 
 
250 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 interfere with the comfort and convenience of it." 
 Of coiirse the Vestry "would have been distressed to 
 think that such ideas got about, and they very 
 properly endeavoured to remove all ground for them by 
 agreeing to set apart a few seats as free ; but the 
 diminution of the attendance of the humbler classes 
 was doubtless caused, unknown even to themselves, by 
 that absence of the Catholic conception of the Church, 
 which characterized the administration of the Chapel. 
 
 The military also attended, and were a slight 
 additional source of income. 
 
 In 1809 a subscription for an Organ was opened, 
 and estimates invited both " for finger and barrel." 
 An instrument of the required kind was therefore 
 procured. It is probably the earliest instance of "a 
 kist of whnstles '' in a Perth Church since the 
 Keformation. At first all seems to have gone well 
 with its management : the only change necessary was 
 that Worship should begin a little earlier than had 
 been usual ; and on October 22nd, 1810, the Vestry 
 resolve that, " considering that the time of service is 
 lengthened by the Organ, it will be necessary for to 
 go in at II o'clock." Afterwards, however, it is 
 evident that effects not aimed at by the best com- 
 posers must have been persistently produced on that 
 instrument ; for on November 9th, 1832, " the 
 meeting direct Mr. MoncriefF to desire that the Clerk 
 occupy the lower desk when reading the Service, and 
 make arrangements for the Organ being grinded in 
 place of being played." On February 9th, 1844, " ^l^i'- 
 Watson, one of the Choir, is appointed along with 
 four or five boys to make the responses, which can be 
 accomplished at the expense of £5 or £6." 
 
 As the old Scotch Episcopalians did not wear the 
 
Surplice and Altar. 251 
 
 surplice either before or after their Disestablishment 
 in 1689 (in the former period owing to the excessive 
 moderation, which they practised from prudential 
 reasons towards those without, and in the latter owing 
 to the succession of storms, through which they had to 
 pass, and which rendered it advisable to make them- 
 selves as little conspicuous as possible), Mr. Skete was 
 probably the first to iise that vestment in Perth. We 
 presume that he did so at the ordinary Services ; and 
 we are informed* that he attempted to do so at a 
 funeral, but that in the latter case he was compelled 
 to desist, as it elicited a volley of stones from the 
 crowd which had assembled. 
 
 Considering the theological bent of the congregation, 
 we are as much surprised as delighted to find them 
 speaking of the " Holy Table " as the "Altar." Since, 
 however, this was in 1809, shortly after the Bishop's 
 congregation was absorbed, and as the old Scotch 
 Episcopalians were very " high " in doctrine, however 
 " low " they were in Ritual, we may presume that the 
 use of the word was due to the influence of the 
 " Catholic remnant.'' 
 
 W^hen things were in their most flourishing condition 
 during this period, Mr. Skete had about 120 com- 
 municants ; but, as a rule, in these pre-railroad days 
 the ecclesiastical vigour displayed seems to have been 
 very moderate in volume. 
 
 (II.) — But to proceed now to our second point — 
 viz., a glance at the Bishop in the other parts of his 
 Diocese. Such a glimpse as we desire is provided by 
 the following reminiscences of his father's Episcopal 
 tours by the Rev. J. Torry (afterwards Dean): — f'The 
 
 * Scottish Magazine, 1849, p. 251. 
 
 t Scottish Ecclexiustical Journal, 1862, p. 57. 
 
252 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 late Bishop Torry," he says, " lived at a remote 
 extremity of Aberdeenshire, and his Diocese of Dunkeld 
 and Dunblane (he was not yet Bishop of Fife or S. 
 Andrews) extended over a large portion of the counties 
 of Forfar and Perth, the nearest part of it being 
 about 100 miles from his place of abode. Every third 
 year he went forth, according to the regulation of the 
 Church, for the purpose of confirming and discharging 
 other Episcopal duties. It was not then the days of 
 " Defiance " coaches or railwajf speed. The Bishop's 
 practice, therefore, was to hire a horse and gig at 
 Peterhead, and in that conveyance to continue his 
 journey from day to day during the three or four 
 weeks his peregrinations lasted. The gig of tliose 
 days was a vehicle of very humble description, and 
 furnished with a steed which, generally speaking, 
 ■would go about five miles an hour. In the summer 
 of 1816, I accompanied my Father through his 
 Diocese, and as his charioteer acquired my first 
 lessons in driving. The Bishop's territory and profes- 
 sional labours began at Forfar, and after they were 
 over for the day, we enjoyed at the pleasant villa of 
 Inchgarth the hospitality of the Incumbent, the Eev. 
 John Skinner. The next morning took us to the 
 neighbouring town of Kirriemuir, five miles off. On 
 our way to Alyth on the following day, the unskil- 
 fulness of the driver caused the gig to be upset, with, 
 however, no serious results. A few days after the 
 accident found us at the residence of the Dean 
 (Robertson), Incumbent of Strathtay-oum-Blair-Athole- 
 et-Tummel-Bridge (for in those days our Clergy were 
 few, though their charges were many and far between). 
 This gentleman lived in a house overlooking the 
 pleasant valley of Strathtay ; but ! how unlike the 
 
Bishop Torry's Visitation. 253 
 
 Decanal Palaces of merry England ! It could not 
 even be said of it in Goldsmith's words — 
 
 ' Near yonder copse, where once a garden smiled. 
 The village preacher's modest mansion rose.' 
 
 No flowers grew there, and the semblance of a garden 
 contained only some Scotch kale and leeks and a few 
 other useful herbs. It was a small, rude cottage, 
 with a solitary ash tree or two growing near it, which 
 bore the Celtic name of 'filly joowie, and stood on the 
 face of a bare hill at an elevation of not less than 500 
 feet or 600 feet above the Tay. There was a small 
 farm attached, by means of which the old Dean 
 (otherwise ' passing rich with forty pounds a year ') 
 contrived to treat his visitors hospitably. On the 
 first day of our arrival we had service in the little 
 Church below, and there occurred one of those scenes 
 of the Bishop imparting his Blessing to large numbers 
 — a thing which I witnessed for the first time, and 
 which is fixed indelibly on my mind." The form which 
 he used was as follows : — *" The Blessing of Almighty 
 God and the Comfort of His Holy Spirit be upon you 
 and abide with you for ever ! " From Strathtay the 
 Bishop and his son travelled first to Pitlochrie, then to 
 Blair-Athole and Tummel Bridge, where " the Services 
 being over, both the ladies and the gentlemen repaired 
 to the Inn to entertain the Bishop to lunch. The 
 latter had now reached the most distant part of his 
 Diocese, and returned by a hilly but otherwise 
 excellent road to the valley of the Tay. In pro- 
 ceeding down its banks from Aberfeldy to Dunkeld, 
 we stopped about half-way at Balnaguard Inn. Such 
 were some of the comforts incident to Episcopal 
 journeys in bye-gone days." 
 
 * According to the memory of an aged Churchman. 
 
254 
 
 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 And now, while the absence of local Perth history is 
 inviting us to malse this excursus into general Diocesan 
 affairs, a statistical view of Bishop Torry's Diocese* will 
 not be uninteresting, especially as it has not before 
 appeared in print. 
 
 In 1801, there were six charges in Dunkeld under 
 the Bishop of that Diocese ; and Jive in Dunblane and 
 Fife, which Sees were not then united to Dunkeld : 
 total, 11. 
 
 No statistics till 1829, when, . beginning with 
 Dunkeld alone, things went thus : — 
 
 Yeab, 
 
 Congrega- 
 tions. 
 
 Bavtisms. 
 
 Communi- 
 cants. 
 
 Mahhiages. 
 
 FUXEKALS. 
 
 1829. 
 
 5 
 
 25 
 
 345^ 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 1830. 
 
 5 
 
 39 
 
 435'' 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 1831. 
 
 5 
 
 33 
 
 427* 
 
 5 
 
 20 
 
 - 1832. 
 
 5 
 
 39 
 
 451'' 
 
 3 
 
 19 
 
 1833. 
 
 6 
 
 33 
 
 436'' 
 
 8 
 
 22 
 
 1834. 
 
 5 
 
 36 
 
 425'* 
 
 12 
 
 21 
 
 n835. 
 
 6 
 
 40 
 
 480-* 
 
 8 
 
 22 
 
 1836. 
 
 6 
 
 56 
 
 482^ 
 
 8 
 
 29 
 
 -1837. 
 
 6 
 
 45 
 
 479-' 
 
 5 
 
 29 
 
 ^838. 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 1839. 
 
 9 
 
 57 
 
 682= 
 
 9 
 
 25 
 
 ^1840. 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 1841. 
 
 11 
 
 41 
 
 518* 
 
 4 
 
 14 
 
 1842. 
 
 11 
 
 70 
 
 541* 
 
 4 
 
 23 
 
 1843. 
 
 12 
 
 80 
 
 673* 
 
 11 
 
 38 
 
 1844. 
 
 13 
 
 78 
 
 7025 
 
 8 
 
 27 
 
 1845. 
 
 13 
 
 60 
 
 847= 
 
 9 
 
 27 
 
 1846. 
 
 14 
 
 74 
 
 871= 
 
 7 
 
 29 
 
 1 In 1835, the Diocese of Dunblane was added to that of Dunkeld. 
 
 2 In 1837, the Diocese of Fife {S. Andrews) was added to Dunkeld and Dunblane. 
 
 3 Returns very incomplete. 
 
 4 Number of Persons, who actually communicated at the chief Festivals. 
 
 5 Number of "Communicable Persons." 
 
 A consideration of the table showSj on the one hand, 
 that in the area comprised by the three Dioceses the 
 * From the MS. Diocesan Register. 
 
Diocesan Statistics. 255 
 
 Church must have beeu retrograding during the first 
 forty years of the century, since it is not till the year 
 1840 that the total of Incumbencies for the year 1801 
 is equalled. On the other hand, there is a steady 
 increase, in a small way, over the whole district after 
 1840, and in Dunkeld alone there seems to have been 
 a slight advance previous to that year. 
 
 This will be the proper place to carry on the 
 Decanal Succession. Dean Robertson died in 1829. 
 He was succeeded by the Rev. John Skinner of Forfar. 
 The new Dean was the grandson of " Tullochgorum '' 
 (Skinner of Linshart); the son of Primus John Skinner; 
 the brother of Primus William Skinner ; and the 
 father of him, who was afterwards well-knowu as the 
 Rev. James Skinner of Malvern. He himself was well 
 known as the author of Annals of Scottish Episcopacy 
 which was practically a fourth volume to his grand- 
 father's Ecclesiastical History of Scotland, and he was 
 undoubtedly a man of great ability and energy. 
 Had his ideas been carried out, the Church's period of 
 torpor would certainly have been shortened. In 1838, 
 ill-health compelled him to resign ; and he was 
 succeeded by the Bishop's son, the Rev. John Torry, 
 Incumbent of Meigle, and afterwards of Coupar- 
 Angus. 
 
 (III.)— And now, thirdly, we must chronicle the 
 temporary visits of outside Churchmen to our City : 
 
 (a) *In 1819, Bishop Torry was passing through 
 Perth on his way to Stirling to assist at the Consecra- 
 tion of our former Incumbent, the Rev. David Low, to 
 the Bishopric of Ross and Argyle. While tarrying here, 
 he received the following letter from the venerable 
 Bishop of Moray (Alexander Jolly) :^" Will you then 
 * Archibald's Olmrck in Keith, p. 152. 
 
256 Episcopal History of Perthi. 
 
 bespeak a snug little bedroom (single), easily warmed by 
 :i good fire, kindled some time before the arrival of the 
 coach, that a friend of yours, valetudinary, may retire 
 to it — making the proper acknowledgement of what he 
 may want there, and not in the travellers' room 1 " 
 
 (b) *In 1824, the Bishop authorized a meeting of 
 Clergy to be held in Perth, " as the most convenient 
 place," and fixed the date " for the third Wednesday 
 after Easter, because the Festival duties of even the 
 most scattered charges will then be over.'' The 
 meeting was held as appointed. Its object was the 
 consideration of a proposal made by Mr. Skinner of 
 Forfar to the effect that Synods ought to be more 
 frequently held, their powers extended, and the Laity 
 admitted to their deliberations. Mr. Skinner's zeal on 
 the subject had been kindled by the visit of the 
 American Bishop, Dr. Hobart, and he felt that it was 
 necessary that his proposal should be carried out, in 
 order that the Church should be roused from its 
 stagnation into life and action. Whatever may be 
 thought about his project of admitting the Laity as 
 constituent members of the Synods, there can be no 
 question that their complete exclusion from an official 
 position in ecclesiastical work, which then obtained, was a 
 grievous wrong inflicted on the Church, and some 
 recognized sphere of usefulness ought at once to have 
 been made theirs. There can also be no doubt that 
 there was crying need for the more frequent meetings 
 of Synods, both Diocesan and General. But Mr. 
 Skinner's proposals came to nothing at the time : his 
 aims were regarded with some consternation. It was 
 held revolutionary even to ventilate suggestions on any 
 subject before the Bishops moved. 
 
 * Neale's Torry, p. 116. 
 
Desolation. 257 
 
 (c) In 1835, we have the foUowmg characteristic but 
 pathetic peep into the ecclesiastical affairs of our 
 City : — " 'Twas on a fine morning about the beginning 
 of November," says an anonymous writer in Stephen's 
 Magazine, "that I found myself pretty comfortably 
 seated on the top of the Defiance coach. Nothing worthy 
 of notice occurred during our journey to Perth. But 
 here my musing began. AVhat a pity, said I to myself, 
 to see so many fine houses inhabited by intelligent 
 people, without a single one, that I am aware of, 
 being occupied by a member of the Scottish Episcopal 
 Church ! That all, who attend what is anomalously 
 called ' The English Chapel,' are ignorant of Episcopacy 
 I cannot allow myself to suppose ; nay, in the spirit of 
 charity, which ought always to pervade our minds, I 
 can even imagine that some of the best informed 
 amongst them would not be hostile to an indigenous 
 Bishop, were their present state fairly and fully brought 
 before them. . Just as I was about to contem- 
 
 plate in imagination the pleasing spectacle of a 
 Confirmation in Perth, the guard of the coach desired 
 the passengers to replace themselves. Of course, I 
 obeyed the summons, and after proceeding a few 
 miles sleep seized me with such a firm grasp, as I 
 reclined on a pedlar's pack, that nothing but the dirl 
 of the coach on the streets of Forfar had the effect of 
 awakening me." 
 
 (IV.) — We shall conclude this chapter by returning 
 to the first of our three heads, and adding something 
 more on the subject of the quasi-Episcopal Chapel. 
 And fortunately it is matter, which both completely 
 justified the charitable meditations of the traveller on 
 the Defiance coach, and also conducts us to the 
 comforting conclusion that the schismatical position of 
 
258 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 the Congregation was not due to the Congregation 
 itself, but to the determination of some powerful 
 individual or individuals, who loved to wield the 
 Episcopal authority in their own influential but 
 unordained persons. The circumstance, to which we 
 allude, consisted of an outburst of genuine Church 
 principle from within the Congregation itself. This 
 was probably created, first, by some remnants of the 
 old Scottish flock still existing in the shape both of 
 people and of tradition ; and secondly, by , the contact 
 of this element with the great Movement, headed by 
 Keble, Newman, Pusey, and others, which was now 
 quickening the life of the Church of England. 
 
 The form which this local revival of true ecclesi- 
 astical principles took is recorded in a Minute of 
 December Jfth, ISJfl, which also throws some light 
 upon the question of who was, and who was not, 
 responsible for the schism. Mr. Grant of Kilgraston 
 " proposed that measures should be taken for a union 
 of the Chapel with the Episcopal Church of Scotland, 
 assigning his reasons for the proposition, which was 
 seconded by Mr. Ross. Lord Mansfield objected to 
 the proposition. Mr. Lorimer, Lord Kinnoull's factor, 
 stated that he had reason to believe that Lord 
 Kinnoull concurred with Lord Mansfield. It was, 
 therefore, agreed to postpone further consideration of 
 the subject." 
 
 The Earls had been powerful enough to put down 
 this first attempt to question their spiritual authority. 
 But they had by no means heard the last of it. 
 Catholic principle is a very real thing, and it had 
 now fairly taken hold on the minds of the party, 
 which was growing in favour of reconciliation with the 
 Church. The result was that they returned to the 
 
Address on Union. 259 
 
 charge on 2fay Srd, 1S^2, with the following pointed 
 and admirable "Address " : — 
 
 " We, the undersigned members of the Congregation, 
 beg humbly to bring under the serious consideration 
 of the Vestry the necessity there exists of the Chapel 
 being placed under the jurisdiction of the Scottish 
 Episcopal Church. And in support thereof will 
 observe that, as now constituted, we do not recognize 
 the Episcopal Church in Scotland tolerated and 
 allowed by Act 10th of Queen Anne and subsequent 
 Statutes ; in particular by a Statute introduced by 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury and passed in the year 
 1840. That, except one other Chapel, we form the 
 sole and only congregation in this country, which does 
 not belong to the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is 
 further to be observed that, though the Service of the 
 Church of England is performed and the Clergyman is 
 of English Ordination, yet the Chapel being situated 
 in a country not included in the Colonial Act, but 
 even where the jurisdiction of English Bishops is 
 excluded by Act of Parliament, and therefore that 
 spiritual Jurisdiction, Confirmation, and Control, which 
 as an Episcopal Church we are entitled to enjoy, 
 cannot be procured. 
 
 " This glaring defect in a Congregation professing 
 Episcopacy is attempted to be got over, as will be 
 seen from the Minute constituting the Vestry, which 
 gives power ' in doing everything for the complete 
 management of the temporal and spiritual concerns 
 (see XXXIX. Articles, No. 20) in every particular 
 without control ' to that body. The Vestry, as 
 thereby constituted, assume a power which can only 
 be exercised by the Church, if we are Episcopalians. 
 Besides, the exercise of the above spiritual power by a 
 
26o Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Vestry we humbly consider not to be recognized by 
 the Catholic Church, but is a Presbyterian invention.. 
 
 " The attention of the Vestry is next directed to 
 the Scottish Episcopal Church, which has been recog- 
 nized by the Church of England. Although not the 
 Established Church by Act of Parliament, and there- 
 fore enjoying no pecuniary emoluments from the State, 
 yet it exists as a pure, spiritual Episcopacy. Having 
 been cast off at the Kevolution by the State, it then 
 reverted to that, which had been the condition of 
 every Church in Christendom before the Establishment 
 of Christianity in the Roman Empire by the Emperor 
 Constantine. The Scottish Episcopal Church, in that 
 discarded condition, has regularly kept up the succession 
 of its Bishops amidst all the privations and persecutions, 
 to which it has been subjected. Moreover, the Bishops 
 form examples of piety and learning, and it is our 
 earnest desire that we be placed under their spiritual 
 guidance and control, so as not to remain a body of 
 Schismatics, which accusation, we are afraid, is only too 
 truly and correctly applicable to our present condi- 
 tion. 
 
 " We will now, in conclusion, briefly call the atten- 
 tion of the Vestry to the opinion of that learned Divine, 
 Bishop Horsley, the first Theologian, and Sir W. Scott 
 (Lord Stowell), the greatest ecclesiastical Lawyer, of 
 their day. Also to the speech of the Bishop of S. 
 David's in the House of Lords, May 2nd, 1792, and 
 to that of Lord Stormont (afterwards Earl of Mansfield) 
 and that of the Earl of Kinnoull. To these opinions 
 the attention of the Vestry is directed, in the earnest 
 hope that they will adopt such steps as are desirable, 
 and in accordance with the government of the Episcopal 
 Church." 
 
Union Frustrated. 261 
 
 This excellent Memorial was signed by no less than 
 sixty prominent members of the Congregation, and it 
 seemed as if it were going to be successful ; for the 
 Vestry, having considered it, were decidedly of opinion 
 (with the exception of Messrs. Geekie & Lorimer, 
 factors, who appeared on behalf of Lords Kinnoull and 
 Mansfield) that the union should take place, but 
 adjourned the meeting with a view to secure unanimity. 
 
 But, alas ! this was not to be obtained. The influence 
 of the two Earls, alienated from the principles of their 
 ancestors, again pi-evailed against the general sentiment 
 of the Congregation. The Chapel was doomed to 
 remain in its anomalous position for some years longer. 
 
BOOK IV. 
 
 IRevival. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 HOW THE SCOTTISH CONGREGATION WAS 
 REVIVED IN PERTH, 1846. 
 
 But, though our local affairs seemed at the end of 1842 
 to be more hopeless than ever, the period of lethargy in 
 the Church at large had given place to a time of 
 energy and action. " For some time," says Dr. 
 Walker,* " every year witnessed- the adoption of a fresh 
 measure of Church progress. 1838 had its General 
 Synod, which revised the Canons, enacting one which 
 formed the first step towards a sound system of 
 Church finance. 1839 saw the Church Society in full 
 operation ; 1840 the repeal of the most humiliating 
 restriction of the Relief Act of 1792 — that, namely, 
 which prohibited a Clergyman of Scottish Ordination 
 from even officiating in an English Church. 1841 
 witnessed the effective launching of the project, which 
 resulted in Trinity College, Glenalmond. . . . All 
 was life and motion, and those, who lived through that 
 stirring period, will remember the glow of enthusiasm 
 that animated the breasts of the zealous northern 
 Churchmen in the first stage of the Oxford ^Movement." 
 And the new life reached Perth. It was already 
 (1846) thirty-six years since the Rulers of the Princes 
 Street Congregation had defied Bishop Torry. Since 
 then, for one reason or another, as we have seen — 
 partly owing to the weakness of the Church after its 
 disasters in the 18th century; partly owing to the 
 great local influence of the Dissentient Vestry ; and 
 * Last Hvndred Years, p. 10. 
 
266 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 partly because he hoped they might yet return to the 
 fold — our Prelate had done nothing in the matter. But, 
 now that the movement towards union, so long hoped 
 for, had (as related in the last chapter) been made and 
 ended in failure, things assumed a different aspect. 
 The Bishop aroused himself. Animated by the signs 
 .of progress visible on all sides, he resolved to do some- 
 thing for Perth. He determined to act on what was 
 a principle unknoAvn during the first half of the 
 Century. He made up his mind that a Mission must 
 be set on foot in the City as a rallying point for the 
 faithful in Princes Street and as the germ of new 
 spiritual life. 
 
 But, granted that means for carrying on the work 
 were to come from the recently-established " Church 
 Society,'' where was the Priest to be found ? And 
 here we touch upon a new phenomenon, as characteristic 
 of the new epoch as the Missionary idea itself. Sjnce 
 our " History '' began, everything connected with the 
 Church in Perth, and the Diocese at large, has been 
 thoroughly Scotch. The Bishop, both by blood and 
 sympathies, was so. He represented, as it were, the 
 vessel of our old non-juring divines, which had sailed 
 through so many storms, arrived in new seas. 
 Warmer breezes from the south had begun to salute 
 it. Mr. Wordsworth, an Englishman, was presiding 
 over Trinity College ; the members of the Episcopate 
 were no longer of the old-fashioned Aberdeen School, 
 but men influenced by England ; congregations of a 
 similar tone were springing up, not now among the 
 farmers of the north, but amongst the well-to-do 
 inhabitants of Edinburgh and Glasgow. And Bishop 
 Torry himself acknowledged the affinity between his 
 old-fashioned Scottish School and the new light that 
 
Mission of Mr. Chambers. 267 
 
 had arisen at Oxford. *" The theologians there started 
 from the point where his predecessors had held their 
 ground so long through evil report and good report!" And 
 it shall be by an alliance with these powerful restorers 
 of the old ways in the South that our northern 
 Prelate must rekindle the life of the Church in Perth. 
 Accordingly he f" authorizes the Rev. A. Lendrum to 
 endeavour, while engaged in raising subscriptions in 
 England for building a Church in Crieff, to obtain 
 the services of a Missionary Priest " for our City. 
 The Rev. J. C. Chambers, a stout upholder of the 
 Tractarian views, offers himself for the work ; and on 
 S. Audi'ew's day, being also Advent Sunday (1846), 
 a start is made. Mr. Chambers thus describes it :J — 
 " The notices of services having been published in the 
 .Journals and posted in the Town, I commenced the 
 exercise of my functions, without having any hope of 
 more than six persons as members." ^ 
 
 And so we must now record a few particulars con- 
 cerning the Bishop's revived congregation in our midst. 
 The place of worship where Mr. Chambers officiated, 
 was a hall in Athole Street, situated on the 
 traveller's left hand as he walks from the North Inch 
 towards Methven Street. It stood in that block of 
 buildings, which occupies the space between Kinnoull 
 Street and North William Street, almost facing 
 Stormont Street, and was fitted up in as ecclesiastical 
 a manner as the nature of the case admitted, with 
 Altar and other necessaries of Christian devotion. 
 
 With regard to the Worship itself we are assured 
 that " daily Prayers, frequent Communions, and Choral 
 Services were introduced ; " and, as might have been 
 
 * Last Hundred Years, p. 10. tNeale's Torry, p. 298. 
 + Cathedral M,S. 
 
268 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 foretold, the Bishop insisted as a sine qua non that 
 the Scottish Eueharistic Office should alone be iised. 
 A volume of the Sermons, which Mr. Chambers preached, 
 still stands on the shelves of the library. They are 
 characterised by an earnest pastoral desire for the good 
 of souls, and an outspoken assertion of Church principles. 
 In connection with the choral part of the services, it 
 may be remarked that there is still living a poor 
 woman in South Street, who remembers it as the 
 proudest (but most anxious) moment of her life, when 
 she saw her son enter the Chapel as probably the first 
 surpliced chorister in Perth since the Reformation. In 
 September, 1847, the Bishop confirmed 18 candidates. 
 
 Day and Sunday Schools were also begun. There 
 was, however, little nucleus for this in the town, as 
 there were scarcely any poor, who had remained 
 faithful to the Church. But gradually the attendance 
 increased until Mr. Chambers was obliged to obtain 
 the assistance of a student in the teaching of the 
 children. And thus, amid" the often wearisome routine 
 of a Parish Schoolmaster's work, our Priest bore 
 patient testimony to the fact that (despite all School 
 Board theories of a later day) it is the Church's duty 
 to feed Christ's Lambs by providing them with a 
 sufficient and systematic religious education. 
 
 Having thus seen the ecclesiastical machinery, which 
 was brought into play with a view to restoring a 
 Congregation to the Church in the most central town 
 in the Diocese, we may ask how the effort was responded 
 to hy the people. And we are assured that, though 
 the Mission was only opened on the first Sunday in 
 Advent, about 30 communicants had enrolled them- 
 selves by Christmas.* These, of course, must have 
 *Neale's Torrij, p. 300. 
 
The Revived Flock. 269 
 
 been Episcopalians previously. With regard to those 
 outside, progress was necessarily slow, since there 
 was an invincible prejudice, at that time universal in 
 Scotland, against the Church, and also the grandees of 
 Princes Street would thoroughly confuse the minds of 
 the 'people with regard to f'hurch principles by their 
 schismatical position. Nevertheless, stranger to pliability 
 and compromise as Mr. (chambers personally was, he 
 gathered a congregation about him, which, though 
 small in number, was strong in principle. 
 
 And now, having got a congregation once more together 
 in the Fair City, let us examine it with a view to discover- 
 ing whether it is the introduction of something absolutely 
 new, as the inhabitants of the town took for granted 
 that it was, or whether it was merely the revival of 
 the old Scottish Congregation, which had been betrayed 
 by Mr. Skete's secession in 1810. In support of the 
 former contention it may, of course, be said that the 
 whole of the machinery of the Athole Street Mission 
 was different from that of the late Mr. Walker's, and 
 the English element and way of looking at things, 
 which Mr. Chambers inevitably brought with him, was 
 also quite new. But, in favour of viewing the Mission 
 as the restoration of the old Scottish Congregation, 
 there are certain important circumstances to be con- 
 sidered, viz. : — Notwithstanding the introduction of the 
 Surplice, Choral Services, and the unquestioning ac- 
 ceptance of the whole of the English Prayer Book in 
 all its parts, which distinguished the later from the 
 earlier Congregation, the theological principles repre- 
 sented by the two were identical : the great truths of 
 the Apostolical Succession, the Grace of the Sacraments, 
 the Oblation in the Eucharist, and the repudiation of 
 Calvinism as well as Papalism, were common alike to 
 
270 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 the Tractarians of Oxford, whom Mr. Chambers 
 represented, and the Scottish non-jurors, who had been 
 presided over by such men as Bishops Eattray and 
 Alexander. And the Mission was not only a revival 
 of the principles of the older Congregation, but the 
 two were also bound together by as many personal 
 ties as the lapse of 36 years admitted of. Bishop 
 Torry himself was an important link binding the 
 two together. And then, concerning those 30 com- 
 municants, who joined Mr. Chambers as soon as he 
 was settled in Perth, they must (as there had been no 
 Confirmation) have come from Princes Street. And is 
 it unreasonable to suppose that at least some of them 
 had either themselves been members of the submerged 
 Congregation in 1810, or else the inheritors of the 
 orthodox traditions of those who had been? But we 
 are not left altogether to conjecture on this point. 
 For it is within the memory of old members of the 
 Congregation still living that the two Misses Laidlaw, 
 who used to worship in Balhousie Castle in the days 
 of the Rev. A. Walker, together with a Mr. Robertson, 
 who did likewise, were actually amongst that 30 who 
 left Princes Street and came to the Mission in Athole 
 Street. There was also a Mrs. Monk, who was either 
 in the same position, or else had inherited the orthodox 
 tradition from her people. Moreover, in the Cathedral 
 Library there is an old non-juring Prayer Book, with 
 an MS. inscription to the effect that it was presented 
 to Mr. Chambers by him, who used to be the 
 Precentor in the old Congregation. Thus there are 
 real grounds for regarding Mr. Chambers as the 
 successor, after a long interregnum, of Mr. Walker. 
 
 Turning now to the financial view of affairs, let us 
 enquire how the Mission was supported. Dovibtless 
 
The Military Chaplaincy. 271 
 
 the humble flock, which assembled in the Upper Room, 
 contributed according to their means, but help was 
 also looked for from the Church Society, which, as wc 
 saw, had begun seven years previously to make a 
 system of finance possible for the Scottish Church. 
 " It is to be remarked," says Dr. Neale, " that in 
 most places in Scotland the Bishops usually waited till 
 a number of persons formed themselves into a con- 
 gregation, and then, after having selected a Minister, 
 petitioned the Bishop to receive them into his flock. 
 In such a case the Minister relied on an engagement 
 entered into betwixt himself and the Vestry in order 
 to his maintenance and support. In this, however, of 
 Perth, the Missionary had no such certainty ; he had 
 to hire and fit up the temporary chamber, and support 
 himself and keep up the school till the annual meeting 
 of the Church Society, when the retrospective salary, 
 both of ilinister and Schoolmaster, would be submitted 
 to a vote." Faith was evidently making a venture 
 here. 
 
 The Bishop now thought that he saw a means of 
 strengthening Mr. Chambers's position.* It occurred to 
 him that the soldiers, who were still being marched to 
 the Princes Street Chapel, were thus, whether they liked 
 it or not, being offioially forced to separate themselves 
 from the Bishop of the Diocese, and consequently from 
 every regular branch of the Anglican Communion. 
 There could be no doubt that this was a grievance. 
 He therefore made an attempt to have it redressed, 
 but the authorities of the War Office decided that it was 
 a less violence to the troops to compel them to worship 
 in schism from the Anglican Church altogether, than 
 to order them to a Chapel, where the local rulers of 
 * Neale's Torry, p. 307. 
 
272 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 that Church had decided that one rather than another 
 of the recognized Anglican Communion Offices should 
 be used. It was a blow aimed from an unexpected 
 quarter at the principle of discipline, but there was no 
 remedy. 
 
 Notwithstauding all obstacles, however, Mr. Chambers 
 persevered, and, as we gather from one of the Bishop's 
 letters in 1849, the Mission was about to take an 
 important step forward. "Nothing is wanting," he 
 writes to Mr. Chambers, " to the further prosperity of 
 your Mission than the erection of a Church, which I 
 trust will be commenced early in spring. Preparation 
 for it, by quarrying stones, ought to be going on at 
 present, but I fear is not, as 1 hear nothing about it." 
 
 But the Church, which the Bishop thus contemplated, 
 was destined never to be built. Late one night, Mr. 
 Chambers ran into the house of one of his faithful 
 working-people, full of news, which he could not 
 withhold. We must delay the discovery of what that 
 news was, until we relate, in the next chapter, one of 
 very happiest incidents, which ever occurred in the 
 History of the Church in Perth. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 HOW THE SCHISM OF I74O WAS HEALED, 
 1842-8. 
 
 At no time had the prospects of the reconciliation of 
 the Princes Street Congregation with the Church 
 seemed darker. Not only had the attempt at union 
 in 1842 proved abortive, but the ranks of the 
 schismatics in the country had been trebled. In 1842, 
 as we saw, there was only one Congregation in 
 Scotland to bear Mr. Skete's company, i.e., Montrose : 
 these two, alone of the " Qualified " Congregations 
 of the Eighteenth Century, had not come in. 
 But, in 1842, a certain Mr. Drummond* had been 
 persistently violating the Canons, and had, in conse- 
 quence, been admonished by his Diocesan, the Bishop 
 of Edinburgh. In consequence, he defied his superior, 
 and inaugurated a new schism. His example was 
 followed by the Rev. Sir William Dunbar, in Aberdeen. 
 Moreover, the opening of the Mission in Athole Street 
 was exasperating our friends in Princes Street : " the 
 Bishop, they thought, was forcing not only a Minister 
 but a Liturgy upon them." And, on their side, the 
 Orthodox, -who had lain quiet in an inferior position for 
 nearly forty years, were evidently determined at last 
 to call a spade a spade and a schism a schism. Mr. 
 Wordsworth, the Warden of Glenalmond, refused to 
 receive one of the Princes Street Congregation to Holy 
 Communion,! and the Bishop wrote to his brother of 
 
 * T. Stephen's History, iv., oh. 83-4. 
 
 t Bishop Wordsworth's Annals, ii., p. 46. 
 
 R 
 
274 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Durham expostulating against two Clergy from that 
 Diocese presuming to officiate in the separated Chapel. 
 Union never seemed less likely. 
 
 The darkest hour, however, they say, comes before 
 the dawn. It was so in this case. To the mere man 
 of the world, no doubt, the differences between the two 
 ■flocks only formed a subject for laughter. But the 
 active controversies over the true principles of order in 
 the Church could only have one result with fair-minded 
 people. They could only end in revealing how com- 
 pletely untenable the position of the Princes Street 
 Congregation had all along been, and how just were 
 the Episcopal claims. 
 
 This was what happened in the present instance. 
 
 On Christmas Day, 18Ifi, Mr. Skete,* the Minister 
 of the Chapel, died. Then came the tug of war. The 
 Congregation split into three parties — one, under Lord 
 Mansfield's influence, for total independence of all 
 Episcopal Authority ; another for connecting themselves 
 with the Drunamond schism in Edinburgh ; and a third, 
 imdaunted by their failure of 1842, for submission to 
 the Bishop. 
 
 tBishop Torry, indeed, did not know " whether the 
 death of Mr. Skete . . . would prove obstructive or 
 promotive of the good work of reconciliation," but he 
 
 * Mr. Skete's grave is situated in the Greyfriars Cemetery, 
 just outside the east eud of S. John's Church. The inscription 
 on the stone is as follows : — " Saered to the Memory of the 
 Reverend Henry Attiuood iSkete, M.A., Oxon, Xneumhent of 
 S. John's Episcopal Church, Perth, for a period of 3S years. Be 
 was an accomplished Scholar and eloquent Preacher. He died, 
 lamented by his Congregation and Family, on December 35, 1846, 
 aged 68 years." That date, "December 25th," on a Clergyman's 
 Tombstone is eloquent ! 
 
 t Neale's Torry, p.p. 300-333. 
 
Bishop Torry urges Union. 275 
 
 had far too deep a sense of 'responsibility to allow the 
 present opportunity for good to pass by untried. 
 Accordingly, he addressed a communication to the 
 Vestry, which contained these words : — " My dear 
 friends : The relation, which I bear to the Diocese of 
 Dankeld, wherein you are located, and a strong sense 
 of my obligation to promote the interests of my 
 Heavenly Master's Kingdom, combined with the account, 
 which I must render of my Ministry before the 
 Judgment Seat of Christ, have induced me to incur 
 the hazard of perhaps offending you by this address, 
 although my wishes are to promote your good, both 
 for time and for eternity. My nearness also to the 
 confines of another world (being in my 84th year) 
 makes it at least expedient, if not absolutely necessary, 
 that, if I can be of any service to you, I ought not 
 to delay the attempt. I allude to your position as 
 Episcopalians by profession, and yet living in a state 
 of separation from the only Bishop in the world who 
 is authorized ecclesiastically to direct and interfere 
 with your spiritual concerns. ... I feel myself 
 constrained by the love of Christ, and of those for 
 whom He died, to address you most seriously on the 
 danger of your position, and to invite you to avail 
 yourselves of the opportunity of entering into that 
 fold, the door of which has been opened to you . . . ; 
 the opportunity now set before you of connecting 
 yourselves with a pure portion of the Catholic Church of 
 Christ." 
 
 Nothing could have been better from the Church's 
 side. How was it responded to by the separatists 1 
 Almost unanimously in an equally admirable spirit. 
 
 The Eev. G. Wood, who had been appointed by the 
 Vestry to succeed Mr. Skete, addressed a pastoral letter 
 
276 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 to his flock, strongly advocating union ; and once more 
 a determined effort to bring about this desirable end 
 was resolved upon. For the first time since 1805 the 
 Congregation was assembled to elect a new Vestry.* 
 Lords Kinnoull, Mansfield, and Gray, Sir Thomas 
 Moncreiffe, Sir J. S. Eichardson, John Grant, Esq. of 
 Kilgraston, Major Jelph Sharpe, and Messrs. Ross, 
 Archer, and Ransom were returned. It was significant 
 that the new body did not assume unlimited spiritual 
 power " without control," as their predecessors had 
 done. This preliminary over, a general meeting of the 
 Congregation was summoned to meet in the George 
 Hotel to deal finally with the question of union. There 
 was a large attendance, and Lord Mansfield occupied 
 the chair. Lord Gray proposed the following motion. 
 That this Congregation should immediately take steps to 
 place itself in communion with the Scottish Episcopal 
 Church, reserving to itself the use of the Liturgy and 
 Communion Service of the Church of England, exclusive 
 of all other Services." Major Grseme of Inchbrakie 
 moved as an amendment, " That no steps be taken for 
 one year.'' The Earl of Kinnoull frankly stated that 
 having .great diffidence in his own ecclesiastical know- 
 ledge, he had consulted the Bishop of Rochester, and 
 he advised union. "This short speech boded well for 
 the good cause, as the Earl of Mansfield was now 
 thoroughly isolated in his opposition to it. When the 
 motion was put, 108 voted for union; 17 against it; 
 and about 30 members did not declare their opinions. 
 A motion by Mr. Grant was then carried unanimously 
 that the Vestry be instructed to complete the union. 
 Hereupon the occult influence, which had been 
 the real cause of the schism, became defined and 
 * S. John's MS. Minutes. 
 
Union. 277 
 
 evident : Lord Mansfield resigned his seat on the 
 Vestry. 
 
 Mr. Wood at once wrote to the Bishop announcing 
 the good news. But the latter, remembering the evil 
 results of the rashly entered into reconciliation of 
 1809, assumed a cautious attitude, and replied: — "On 
 the whole, you and I cannot, as times go, settle the 
 matter under discussion, unless you write under a 
 commission from the majority of your Congregation, 
 or their Preses and Secretary acting in their name. It 
 might otherwise all be overturned, as in the case of 
 Bishop Watson and Mr. Fenwick.'' Accordingly, at a 
 meeting of the Vestry on December 20th, ISJ/S, " The 
 Vestry, in the name of and acting for the Congregation, do 
 hereby acknowledge the Episcopal Church of Scotland, 
 into whose communion they are desirous of being 
 admitted, and promise that spiritual obedience, which 
 is due by the congregations of the said Church, this 
 Congregation reserving the exclusive use of the Liturgy 
 and Communion Service of the Church of Englaiid. 
 And further, the Vestry hereby authorize and empower 
 the Eev. George 'Wood to sign the Canons of the 
 Episcopal Church of Scotland," etc., etc. 
 
 But even now the Bishop was in no hurry. He 
 went so far to meet the returning wanderers that he 
 reluctantly dropped his intention of inducing them to 
 accept the Scotch Office, but he insisted, as it were, 
 upon an oath of abjuration : he must have a formal 
 expression of regret for the late long-continued schism. 
 Since the Vestry, in the absence of Lord Mansfield, no 
 doubt honestly felt such a regret, as the Bishop wished 
 them to express, they, with an admirable Christian 
 humility, " learned of Him who was meek and lowly 
 of heart," and agreed to the Bishop's demand. The 
 
278 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 final terms of reconciliation were agreed upon as 
 follows : — 
 
 *Whereas we, Patrick Torry, D.D., Bishop of S. Andrews, 
 Dunkeld, and Dunblane, in answer to the application of the 
 majority of the congregation of the so-called English Chapel in 
 Perth, to be received into' union with the Scotch Episcopal 
 Church (which application and desire we hereby commend as 
 good and wise) : yet, whereas, from the experience of former 
 failures and infringements of such union, when formed, to the 
 great disturbance of the Church, and excitement of much hostile 
 and uncharitable feeling, due precaution in this important 
 matter becomes necessary : therefore, we, the Bishop aforesaid, 
 deem it our duty, for the peace of our own conscience and as 
 an evidence of our faithfulness to the Divine Head of the Church 
 and sense of our accountability to Him, to require of the Clergy- 
 man on his part to express a faithful adherence to the union 
 during his life or residence in Perth as pastor of said congregation, 
 and of at least two respectable and influential lay members of 
 the congregation in the name thereof to express a deep regret 
 for having so long delayed to make the application as above 
 stated ; while the Bishop on his part solemnly promises not to 
 attempt to concuss the Clergyman or Congregation into compliance 
 with the use of the Scotch Communion Office, although for their 
 own sake he greatly deplores their opposition to it, and hopes 
 the day is not far distant, though he may not see it, when they 
 will of their own accord desire it. In testimony whereof, we, 
 the Bishop, the Clergymen, and the Laymen above alluded to, 
 adhibit our names, date, and place as follows : — Peterhead, 
 January 8th, 1849, Patrick Torry, D.D., Bishop of S. Andrews, 
 etc.; Perth, January 10th, George Wood, M.A. , Lincoln College, 
 Oxford ; Edinburgh, January 11th, John Grant of Kilgraston ; 
 Perth, January 12th, William Ross, Rose Terrace. 
 
 Immediately after this, Mr. Wood signed the Canons 
 and Thirty-nine Articles, in the presence of and was 
 instituted by the Dean of the Diocese, John Torry, 
 son of the Bishop, acting for his father. The latter 
 was prevented by the infirmities of extreme old age 
 from officiating on the occasion. 
 
 * Neale's Torry, p. 3^8. 
 
" S. John the Baptist's." 279 
 
 The Vestry, now that the Chapel was in connection 
 with the Scottish Episcopal Church, were of opinion 
 that it should be known by some other appellation 
 than " The English Chapel," and they " hereby decree 
 that its name and designation shall be from henceforth 
 ' S. John the Baptist's Episcopal Chapel.' " 
 
 It was a bright day for the Church in Perth ! 
 Since that sad Easter (1740), when Bishop Rattray had 
 been, compelled, by their lawless conduct and partizan 
 animosity, to debar Blair of Corbs and his faction 
 from the Altar, the Church here had been unnaturally 
 crippled. It seems clear indeed that, both, in the 
 origin of the schism, the defiance of the Episcopal 
 authority was indefensible ; and, in its continuance, 
 the assumption of the role of an English Congregation 
 in Scotland, anomalous, and — at least since 1788, when 
 the Bishops recognized King George — utterly inexcusable. 
 But, on the other hand, for the last forty years the 
 perpetuation of the split seems to have been caused by 
 one influential individual, rather than by the wishes of 
 the Congregation at large. 
 
 And what could be imagined more truly Christian 
 than the ample manner in which the Vestry confessed 
 their error to Bishop Torry ? " Blessed are the peace- 
 makers I " Those members of S. John's, who carried 
 through the re-union, certainly deserve to be enrolled 
 amongst the most faithful sons whom the Church has 
 had in Perth ! 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 HOW THE IDEA OF A CATHEDRAL BEGAN TO TAKE 
 ROOT, 1847-9. 
 
 We must now unfold the news which had brought 
 Mr. Chambers, at the end of Chapter XXVI., to his 
 friend's house at an unusually late hour of the 
 evening. 
 
 It seemed to some as if more than the reconciliation 
 of the long-separated Congregation might be brought 
 about, and the Warden of Glenalmond gave voice to 
 this feeling in a pamphlet entitled A Call to Union. 
 His proposal was the amalgamation of the two Con- 
 gregations upon the basis of one large and handsome 
 Church, with becoming Services, and the alternate use 
 of the Scotch and English Offices. To this day (1894) 
 the plans of the proposed edifice adorn the walls of 
 S. John's Vestry. There was much indeed to be said 
 in favour of this scheme from an abstract point of view ; 
 but, upon the whole, it was scarcely practicable under 
 the circumstances. The Athole Street Congregation 
 was inclined to maximize, and that of Princes Street 
 to minimize, the Catholic element in the Prayer Book, 
 and human nature being human nature, it was perhaps 
 wisest, after all, to allow the two types of Churchmen 
 to go their ways as friendly members of the same 
 Communion, rather than to force on a marriage of 
 convenience between them. 
 
 While the proposals for amalgamation were still 
 going on, good Mr. Chambers was visited by some 
 searchings of heart : he was afraid that the Congrega- 
 
A Cathedral Contemplated. 281 
 
 tion which he had called into existence, and on which 
 he had impressed the full Catholic teaching of the 
 Book of Common Prayer, was about to be swamped 
 by the superior number and social position of those, 
 who had for so many years been imbued with the 
 spirit of Protestantism. But the Bishop wrote to 
 reassure him by making known the terms of the 
 recent reconciliation. " You," his Lordship added, " and 
 your little flock have nothing to fear." This letter of 
 his Diocesan would, indeed, be calculated to cheer any 
 despondency, which our Presbyter might have begun 
 to feel. But there was still greater cause of joy behind. 
 And it was the intelligence of this that drove Mr. 
 Chambers out on that evening, to which we have 
 referred, in order to unbosom himself to a member of 
 of his flock. 
 
 The fact was this : — The late Lord Forbes happened 
 to be residing in O.xford, and the Hon. G. F. Boyle 
 (afterwards Earl of Glasgow) was still (1847) an under- 
 graduate in the same University. Now the prospects 
 of the Scottish Church would often form the subject 
 of their discussion, and it occurred to their ardent and 
 patriotic hearts, stirred by the vigorous movement by 
 which they found themselves surrounded, that they 
 ought to inaugurate some grand attempt for the revival 
 of the northern Zion. The proposal to begin a restor- 
 ation of our Cathedral institutions was no sooner sug- 
 gested than it fascinated their minds. The then practice 
 of Bishops residing at long distances from their Dioceses 
 in the capacity of ordinary Incumbents might be 
 justifiable in times past on the ground of necessity, 
 but it was not to be tolerated in this period of Church 
 revival. At least one Prelate should be brought to 
 reside at the centre of his Diocese : be released from 
 
282 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 the need to act as an ordinary Parish Priest, and be 
 enabled to celebrate the Divine mysteries with becoming 
 dignity. Mission Clergy must likewise be attached to 
 the proposed Cathedral, in order that its life might 
 course through the veins of the Diocese at large. 
 
 The question was then asked whether one of the old 
 Cathedral structures might not be restored and revived. 
 Of course, however, that, as a practical measure, was 
 out of the question. Nevertheless, " they considered 
 that the present wants of the Church and their own 
 present duty were paramount to every other consider- 
 ation." If, then, the scheme was to be proceeded with 
 apart from the old buildings of that character, what 
 was the most suitable locality, in which to erect it ? 
 Bishop Torry seemed the Prelate most likely to welcome 
 the proposed institution in his Diocese, and after mature 
 consideration, Perth was selected as the actual spot 
 for the following reasons. It was a City of consider- 
 able population ; it was in the very centre of the land ; 
 there passed through it perhaps a greater number of 
 strangers than through any other town in Scotland, 
 except Edinburgh ; Trinity College was in the neigh- 
 bourhood, and in this place it might consequently be 
 expected to exercise a powerful influence on the future 
 destinies of the Church throughout the country. 
 
 And so, a definite outline having been formed in 
 their minds. Lord Forbes addressed to the Bishop, then 
 in his 84th year, a formal communication, in which it 
 was proposed "to erect a Cathedral in Perth, together 
 with a Collegiate Eesidence for the Bishop of the 
 Diocese and a staff' of four or five Clergy to conduct 
 the daily and Sunday services of the Cathedral, and to 
 celebrate Divine Service in surrounding localities where 
 there are no Clergy resident, as the Bishop for the 
 
The Bishop's Sanction. 283 
 
 time being may direct and require, and also to endow 
 the Bishopric and the requisite staff of Clergymen." 
 The Bishop replied as follows to this communication 
 {July 2nd, IS47) : — " It is in my estimation a noble 
 scheme, and -would doubtless, if carried into effect, be, 
 through the Divine blessing, productive of great benefit 
 to the Church. When contemplated even in prospect' 
 only, it excites joyful feelings : how much more, there- 
 fore, when it shall become a resdity ? Were it the 
 will of God it would gladden my heart in the evening 
 of my days to witness even the commencement of it, 
 and its partial execution by the erection of the 
 Chancel to serve as an interim Church. The entire 
 completion of the scheme I dare not hope to see, for 
 I am in my 84th year and the oldest Prelate in the 
 island of Great Britain, with the exception of the 
 Archbishop of York. It appears that your Lordship is 
 the originator of this noble scheme, and that you have 
 shewn your liberality by contributing a considerable 
 sum of money towards its accomplishment. For this 
 your Lordship deserves the hearty thanks of the 
 Church generally, and particularly of myself for the 
 interest you have shewn in the welfare of the Diocese, 
 which I hereby respectfully and cordially offer to you. 
 I may Lave occasion to address your Lordship again 
 after I have seen Jlr. Leudrum." 
 
 The interview with the latter resulted in the 
 publication of a second letter recommending the scheme 
 in a formal manner. As it was of considerable length, 
 and of much the same tenor as that addressed to 
 Lord Forbes, already quoted, we shall mention only 
 that in it the Bishop constitutes a Committee to carry 
 out the plan, and places the following names upon it: 
 (1) The Bishop; (2) Mr. Chambers; (3) Mr. Lendrum; 
 
284 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 (4) Mr. Macmillan; (5) Dean Torry; and of the Laity 
 (6) Lord Forbes; (7) Viscount Campden ; (8) Hon. G. 
 F. Boyle; (9) Sir J. Kamsay ; (10) Sir J. Forbes; and 
 (11) Mr. W. E. Gladstone. 
 
 Having thus obtained the Diocesan's sanction, the 
 persons mentioned at once set to work. They printed 
 and circulated the Bishop's formal letter to Lord 
 Forbes, and " repeated appeals were made to Church- 
 men both in Scotland and in England during the two 
 following years," 1848 and 1849, and contributions, 
 given for building and endowment, were advertized 
 from numbers of subscribers. " It seems now to be 
 quite certain," the Bishop writes, " that the building 
 of the Chaucel of a large Church at Perth will be 
 carried into effect, as a considerable number of gentle- 
 men of influence and fortune have undertaken to act 
 as a committee for that purpose. The Hon. Mr. Boyle, 
 brother of the Earl of Glasgow, and heir-presumptive 
 to his immense property, came to (me at) Muthill to 
 signify his concurrence with others in that business ; 
 and, as they have subscriptions amounting to £3000 
 and more (as I believe), there can be no doubt that 
 the work will be commenced and carried forward with 
 energy in the spring, unless some unseen obstacles 
 start up." 
 
 So certain, indeed, did it now appear that a Cathedral 
 would be erected in Perth, that the Fair City,' which 
 had for so long been one of the weakest spots in the 
 Scottish Church, began already to be considered the 
 proper centre, of Diocesan life. "On June 21st, I8J1.8, 
 the annual Synod met in the Upper Eoom in Athole 
 Street. There was a choral Service at 11 a.m. conducted 
 by Mr. Chambers. The Dean then opened the Synod 
 in the absence of the Bishop. There were in all 12 
 
S\'nods in Perth. 285 
 
 Clergy present." The same Assembly seems to have 
 met here again in 1850, for on Ai^ril 6th of that year 
 Bishop Torry writes: — "I have received the report of 
 the proceedings at Perth last Thursday by the Clergy 
 of my Diocese, the general result of which, after much 
 discussion, was a unanimous recognition of the doctrine 
 of Baptismal Regeneration as the truth and the only 
 truth of that Sacrament of Baptism, without the 
 admission of which no person is qualified to claim 
 institution to a benefice in the Church of England, 
 although regularly presented to the same.'' Thus our 
 Diocese tried to repay their Orthodox friends in Eng- 
 land, as best they could, by supporting them in the 
 gallant effort they were making in the Gorham 
 controversy to " contend earnestly for the Faith once 
 delivered to the Saints ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 HOW THE CHURCH OF S. JOHN, PRINCES STREET, 
 WAS BUILT AND PROSPERED, 1849-187O. 
 
 It has become apparent that we have entered upon a 
 new and happier era of our history. The troubles of the 
 Eighteenth Century are things of the long past. The state 
 of collapse that characterized, roughly speaking, the 
 first half of the jSTineteenth Centurj' has also disappeared. 
 We have already seen the Scottish Episcopal Congrega- 
 tion revived in a modest manner, the schismatic flock 
 reconciled, and even the idea of a Cathedral broached. 
 There is now another advance to be chronicled. On 
 March 8th, ISJfi, a Sub-Committee of the S. John's 
 Vestry was appointed to enquire into the advisability of 
 providing 150 additional sittings in the Chapel. The 
 result was that early in 1850 the following Appeal was 
 issued : — " The small Episcopal Chapel, Princes Street, 
 being found quite insufficient to accommodate more 
 than the present Congregation, whilst applications are 
 continually received from parties, who wish to become 
 members of it, it has become imperatively necessary to 
 adopt measures for meeting the want thus created. 
 For this purpose, various members of the Congregation, 
 with other well-disposed individuals, have resolved to 
 attempt the erection of another and more commodious 
 place of worship, sufficient not only for the present 
 Congregation, and of those, who are seeking to become 
 members of it, but also for the gratuitous accommoda- 
 tion of the poorer classes, who are virtually excluded 
 from the present Chapel, but many of whom are 
 
New S. John's Built. 287 
 
 desirous of worshipping God after the manner of their 
 fathers. A large addition has lately been made to the 
 population of Perth, consisting chiefly of people from 
 England, who are connected the different lines of 
 railway. And no Christian can regard it as a subject 
 of unconcern, that these should be excluded from 
 ordinances, to which it is found on enquiry that many 
 of them are attached, or suffered as sheep without 
 a shepherd to unite themselves to other bodies 
 as fancy dictates, or, as is too probable, to fall 
 into a state of practical heathenism. The Committee 
 therefore urge upon all to do their best in support of 
 the proposed scheme." 
 
 On the motion of Mr. Grant of Kilgraston, Sir 
 Thomas Jloucreiffe was appointed Chairman, and Colonel 
 Belshes, Deputy-Chairman, of the Building Committee. 
 By autumn the sum of £1523 had been subscribed, 
 and thereupon the plans of Mr. Hay of Liverpool were 
 accepted. The total cost seemed likely to be about 
 £2000. 
 
 The Congregation made themselves responsible for 
 the required £500, and Sunday, Septe^nber 15th, was 
 the last date, on which service was conducted in the 
 old chapel of 1805. The Session of the East Kirk 
 very kindly offered the Congregation the use of an old 
 Chapel belonging to them in Kinnoull Street, and 
 there they worshipped during the erection of their own 
 new Church. The first stone of this was laid on the 
 site of the now demolished building on September 28th. 
 It occupies a position in the foundation of the east 
 wall of the chancel close to the Greyfriars Burying- 
 Ground. By June, 1861, the edifice was completed. 
 Votes of thanks were passed to Messrs. Wood, Falshaw, 
 and Boss, the Sub-Committee, and especially to Colonel 
 
288 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Belahes, the Deputy-Chairman, of the Building Com- 
 mittee. The next step to be taken was to secure the 
 Consecration of the Church. Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 
 Mr. Grant, Colonel Belshes, and Major Jelph Sharpe 
 were appointed to see after this. 
 
 On October 22nd, at eleven o'clock, the Bishop of 
 Edinburgh (Terrot), acting for the Bishop of the Diocese, 
 was received at the west door of the Church by the 
 above-named gentlemen, with whom were associated 
 Messrs. AV. Boss, E. Anoell, P. D. Brown, and Mr. 
 Henderson, constituting a majority and quorum of the 
 Vestry. At 11.30 a.m. the service began. The Bishop 
 and Clergy {i.e., Very Rev. Dean Torry, and Revs, 
 a. Wood of S. John's, Milne of Cupar-Fife ; C. Lyon 
 of S. Andrews ; W. Blatch of Pittenweem ; W. Bruce of 
 Dunfermline ; H. Malcolm of Dunblane ; J. Douglas of 
 Kirriemuir ; J. Dodgson, Perth ; J. C. Chambers of 
 S. Ninian's, Perth ; J. M'Millan of Dunkeld ; J. Burton 
 of Blairgowrie ; W. Warburton, Scone Palace ; and C. 
 Wordsworth, Warden of Trinity College), having pro- 
 ceeded from the Vestry to the Chancel, tne petition 
 for Consecratiou, along with a deed for holding the 
 new Church in communion with the Episcopal Church 
 of Scotland, was presented to the Bishop. His Lord- 
 ship having formally' granted the prayer, the service 
 appropriate to the occasion was proceeded with. When 
 the Consecration was finished, a deed recording the 
 fact was read by the Bishop's Chaplain, the Rev. 
 Henry Malcolm, and signed by the Bishop. Morning 
 Prayer was then said by the Incumbent, and a 
 celebration of the Holy Communion, with a Sermon by 
 the Bishop, followed, the communicants numbering 
 about 80. After the completion of these three Offices 
 in the new Church, luncheon was given by the Vestry 
 
New S. John's. 289 
 
 in the George Hotel. After a short interval, those of 
 the company, who could, returned for Evening Prayer 
 at 4 p.m., which was conducted by the Dean. At the 
 close of this, Confirmation was administered to upwards 
 of 30 persons by the Bishop. The general sentiment 
 with regard to the day's proceedings was thus summed 
 up by a contemporary writer : — " Every one," he 
 said, " was pleased and delighted at the manner in 
 which the service was conducted, and with everything 
 connected with this day's proceedings." 
 
 There was, however, at least one "who cast a longing, 
 lingering look behind," and that was the widow of the 
 late Incumbent. A new Church and a Bishop might 
 be all very well for the rising generation, but " Mrs. 
 Skete having signified her wish to have the pulpit 
 cushion of the old Chapel, as it was used by her 
 husband, the Vestry agreed to the same, and requested 
 their Secretary to transmit it to her " (October 25th, 
 1851). 
 
 This will be the best place to notice certain additions 
 to the Church property that were subsequently made 
 from time to time. On March 17th, 1851, a new 
 Pulpit of Caen Stone was ordered. This was after- 
 wards enriched by bas-reliefs in white marble by Miss 
 Grant (October, 1872). In 1857 a new organ was 
 erected at the cost of £350, which lasted till it was 
 superseded by a still better instrument in 1890. In 
 1857 a Parsonage was obtained for the sum of £900, 
 which sum was cleared off in 1863. In the latter 
 year Colonel Belshes bequeathed £200 for a set of 
 Communion plate. In 1865 Mr. Stewart left £1000 
 for the Clergy Endowment Fund, which was paid over 
 in due time. Another £500 seems to have come in b}' 
 the end of 1868. "In 1871 a member of the Congrega- 
 
ago Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 tion, Mr. Stuart, left £500 for the endowment of the 
 Bishoprick. 
 
 In 1855, Eev. G. Wood resigned the Incumbency 
 and went to England. He was succeeded by the Eev. 
 W. Blatch, who had formerly been an English Wesleyan 
 Minister, but had joined the Church and been ordained 
 by the Bishop of Edinburgh. He held the Incumbency 
 of Pittenweem at the time of his appointment to Perth. 
 Under his supervision the latter Congregation prospered 
 and increased. 
 
 On Easter Day, 1867, there were 30 more com- 
 municants than there ever had been before, and by 
 1871 the Congregation numbered altogether 650. The 
 guaranteed stipend was £250 ; and in ilr. Blatch's day, 
 for the first time, the Clergyman obtained a seat 
 on the Vestry. 
 
 A few words on ecclesiastical customs and suchlike 
 will be appropriate here. In 1864 it was resolved to 
 adopt the new financial schemes of the Scottish 
 Episcopal Church, and Mr. Grant was elected Lay 
 Representative. The subscriptions forwarded to head- 
 quarters have long been amongst the very best in the 
 Diocese. It is evident that the Union of 1849 was 
 sincerely entered into. In 1871 the black go^\n was 
 still used in the Pulpit. In the same year "-Hymns, 
 Ancient and Modern" the Offertory during Service, the 
 N^eio Lectionary, and Evening in place of Afteruoou 
 Service were all adopted. 
 
 From 1860 for about ten years the Bishop and his 
 family occupied a seat in the Church. 
 
 The history of S. John's has now been given with 
 as much completeness as possible, from its foundation 
 in 1740 to the building of the present Church, exactly 
 110 years later. If we do not trace the fortunes of 
 
Farewell to S. John's. 291 
 
 this Congregation, subsequent to the date we have 
 reached, with the same fullness as before, the reader 
 is requested to note the reason why this course has been 
 taken. It is clearly recognised that the omission means 
 the loss of half (often much more than half) of our Church 
 life in Perth. But, on the other hand, for a Clergyman of 
 one Congregation in the town to approach the office-bearers 
 of the other with the proposal that their private Minute 
 Boohs and Recorda of the present day should be sub- 
 mitted to his inspection, with a view to the publication 
 of the results, was felt to be too delicate a task to be 
 undertaken. Sincere friendships and brotherly relations 
 are possessions so valuable that it was considered wiser 
 not even to try experiments with them. Nevertheless, 
 a few statements of facts, which are public property, 
 will be found in some of the following chapters. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 HOW THE CATHEDRAL WAS PARTLY BUILT, CON- 
 STITUTED, AND CONSECRATED, 1849-5O. 
 
 But, in order to give a consecutive account of S. 
 John's, we have gone far ahead of the point, at which 
 we left Mr. Chambers and his Mission in Athole Street. 
 We left it at the time when the proposal to erect a 
 Cathedral, or at least a portion of one, was beginning 
 to take practical shape. Let us, therefore, return to 
 this point. 
 
 (I). — As long as the scheme was merely floating as 
 an ideal before the minds of its promoters, we hear of 
 no opposition. But, as Dr. Walker has pointed out,* 
 this first period of revived life in the Scottish Church 
 was marked also by no little controversy, which arose 
 from the very same region whence the fresh strength 
 was being derived, i.e., from England. Not a few of 
 the Clergy from the south went to work in this country 
 exactly as they would have done in their own, making 
 no allowance for the Scottish character. A more serious 
 drawback also on progress was the entanglement of 
 the small Northern Church in the disputes, which were 
 agitating its great sister in the south. 
 
 And Perth was destined to have a fuller and far longer 
 share of these controversies than almost any other 
 place in the country. At the present crisis, accord- 
 ingly, when the proposed Cathedral was beginning to 
 become a reality, and the subscription lists already 
 showed £5800 collected from upwards of 200 subscribers, 
 * Last Hundred Years, p. 1 2. 
 
The Scotch Point of View. 293 
 
 ■we begin to hear ot " every possible phase of dis- 
 couragement " springing up. 
 
 First came that arising from the contact of the 
 common sentiment ot the country with this new out- 
 come of southern Tractarian zeal. Without the least 
 intentional irreverence — far from it ! — the people had 
 for generations been accustomed to regard religion in 
 the most matter-of-fact way. The serenity of mind, 
 with which they held their services in sordidly-furnished, 
 barn-like structures, was never troubled by the slightest 
 misgivings. Indeed, the very idea of worship, as distinct 
 from preaching, had been starved out of their thoughts. 
 Calvinism had accustomed them to believe that the 
 whole scheme of salvation had not only been worked 
 out for us long ago, but also irrevocably applied 
 (or not applied, as the case might be) to every 
 individual soul from all eternity, and the sole object 
 of repairing to Church was simply to contemplate this 
 fact intellectually from time to time. Nothing that 
 the individual could do, either by way of conduct or 
 prayer, had power to make the very slightest difference 
 to what had been fixed by God's Sovereign decree 
 from everlasting. Language, therefore, almost breaks 
 down, when an attempt is made to express how mean- 
 ingless, nay, how repulsive, to the ordinary Scotch 
 mind the spectacle of worship appeared. Men knelt, 
 stood, chanted, bowed, and uttered the short supplicating 
 cries of the responsive Liturgy before Him, who was 
 the immutable embodiment of unchangeable predestina- 
 tion ! Only one conclusion was possible ; people, who 
 did such a preposterously useless thing, must be either 
 weak in the intellect or else playing the part of 
 hypocrites ! There was some colour lent to the former 
 hypothesis, in that those, who so behaved themselves, 
 
294 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 did not speak in tlie broad, deliberate, rough tones, to 
 which Perth was aooustomed, but in an unfamiliar, 
 soft, and apparently womanish dialect from the south. 
 But whether it were the outcome of brainlessness or 
 hypocrisy, the inhabitants of the Fair City were not 
 prepared to welcome the proposed institution in their 
 midst. 
 
 Public opinion, then, was hostile to the Cathedral 
 scheme. But it was not only those outside who opposed 
 it. There were some Churchmen, who were such not 
 by principle but by accident. Having long lived on 
 terms of friendliness with Presbyterians, they had to 
 all intents and purposes embraced their principles. 
 And Churchmen there were also, who were such by 
 conviction, but who, like the AVarden of Glenalmond, sym- 
 pathized with the old-fashioned party, which in England 
 was opposing the Oxford leaders, and who, therefore, 
 distrusted the Cathedral scheme owing to its ultimate 
 parentage. And there were also Churchmen who, though 
 they upon the whole sympathized with the Catholic 
 movement in general, yet objected to the Cathedral 
 project in particular, inasmuch as it was being carried 
 through, not with the concurrence of the Diocese, but 
 solely on the authority of the Bishop, who, moreover, 
 was too old and frail to visit his jurisdiction in person. 
 
 Objections and expostulations made themselves heard 
 from all these different quarters. But the Bishop 
 withstood them. As regards the utter dislike, with 
 which the scheme was regarded by Presbyterian, or 
 Presbyterianized, opinion, he probably consoled himself 
 with the thought that this was a case wher^ he could 
 justly take that saying to himself : — " Blessed are ye 
 when all men shall speak evil of you falsely for My 
 sake.'' With regard to the opposition of bond fide 
 
Bishop Torry Perseveres. 295 
 
 Chi\rchmen, however, there was more difficulty. Still, 
 was it merely objected that he was plunging into a 
 scheme too large and comprehensive for his small 
 Diocese to carry out? Well, but he actually had 
 £6500 in hand, which was enough, or nearly so, where- 
 with to erect that part of the Cathedral which was 
 intended. And he had also the promise of future help 
 in the matter from Lord Forbes and Mr. Boyle (the 
 Earl of Glasgow). Was it objected that he was 
 carrj'ing the whole thing through on his own authority, 
 and that the Diocesan Synod had not been consulted ? 
 He could reply that theoretically a Bishop is not bound 
 to be governed by his Clergy, and that practically 
 this principle had been universally ■ recognised through- 
 out the Scottish Church. Was it objected that, 
 granting he had the right to constitute a Cathedral, 
 still it was inexpedient to ignore his Synod ? He 
 could reply that, as a general rule, the proposition 
 might be admitted, but that in the present instance a 
 great opportunity would probably be thrown away, if, 
 by putting it to the vote in times of such excitement 
 and difference of opinion, he hesitated to close with 
 the generous offer.- Lastly, if it was objected to as 
 simply a move of the " Puseyite " party, he could 
 answer that " Puseyite " was a nickname, and that, 
 without altogether identifying himself with that party, 
 he found substantial agreement between the theology 
 of the Catholic Revival in England and that, which he 
 had inherited from his predecessors. 
 
 And so the Bishop determined to ignore the opposition, 
 and proceed with the scheme.* On January 8th, ISJfi, 
 we find him discussing with Lord Forbes, no longer 
 whether the Cathedral is to be built, but which part 
 * For the rest of this section see Neale'a Torry, pp. 343 348 349. 
 
2g6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 of it is to be built first. The " engineer," it seems, 
 had dissented from the idea that the east end should 
 be fixed upon as the part to be proceeded with. But the 
 Bishop adheres to his proposal, and gives his reasons for 
 it : — " Whatever portion of the Church," he says, " in 
 the meantime be erected, it is in my judgment highly 
 desirable that the genuine symbols of the Christian 
 Faith and Worship should be plainly indicated by the 
 very form of its structure, and that from the very day 
 it is made available for Divine Service. Now, no part 
 of the Church does that sufficiently without a Sanctuary. 
 Its purpose, mark, or distinction, its separation from 
 the body of the Church, although still a part, is to 
 make every humble and faithful worshipper, casting 
 his eyes upon it, to feel and say in his heart, ' That 
 place is holy to the Lord.' There the riches of Divine 
 Bounty are most plentifully bestowed on Christian 
 worshippers ; there they are spiritually fed and sustained 
 during their earthly pilgrimage, in order to their 
 endless enjoyment of celestial peace and rest ! " On 
 June 6th he writes to Bishop Forbes, " The hope of 
 the ultimate accomplishment of the Cathedral at Perth 
 is still cherished by the estimable Lord Forbes." 
 
 The next letter shews us another step in advance. 
 Mr. Butterfield has been selected as Architect, and on 
 December 2Srd, 184-8, we find the Bishop writing : — 
 " The plans of the proposed Cathedral in Perth reached 
 me two days ago, the designs of which I think 
 extremely beautiful, and admirably adapted for its 
 
 high and holy purpose The portion of 
 
 that structure intended for erection in the meantime 
 will, I hope, be sufficient for all the worshippers that 
 may reasonably be expected to attend the daily services 
 of God for some time to come. . . . The finishing 
 
The Foundation Stone, 297 
 
 of the Choir, in conformity with the beautiful plan 
 given, may, I hope, be accomplished in my own life- 
 time, if it be not presumptuous for a man in his 86th 
 year to entertain such an expectation. The Choir will 
 form in itself a very beautiful small Church, with all 
 appropriate symbols adapted for the solemn service of 
 God ; and the very sight of it will give new vigour 
 to the Mission." 
 
 On December 9th, ISJlfi, Mr. Boyle writes: — "Apian 
 engages the attention of the Committee for taking a 
 large house, and giving each Prebendary a room, rent 
 free, as part of his stipend, and fitting up the remainder 
 as a Collegiate School. . . . This plan, if it can 
 be carried into effect, will save the necessity of com- 
 mencing Collegiate buildings, and enable all our means 
 to be concentrated on the Cathedral. It will help to 
 support the Clergy ; it will furnish an efficient Choir 
 for the Cathedral without any annual expense to its 
 funds ; it will bring many of the middle class, who 
 cannot afford Trinity College, under the influence of 
 the Church, and would not in any way interfere with 
 that institution. Lord Forbes and I and some others 
 are going to become answerable for the rent should 
 the annual offerings prove insufficient.'' 
 
 Soon after this, Mr. Boyle was empowered to sign 
 the contracts, and what had so long existed in idea 
 only, began also to exist in fact. '■" On September loth, 
 being the Eve of S. Ninian's Day (1849) to whose memory 
 the Church is to be dedicated, the first stone was laid. 
 
 . . The Clergy present were the Lord Bishop of 
 
 Brechin, who acted for the venerable Diocesan, and [21 
 
 other Clergy]. The Services began at 8 a.m. with 
 
 Morning Prayer. At 9 a.m. the Bishop held a 
 
 * Scottish. Macjazine, 1849, p. 513. 
 
298 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Confirmation, when eight adult candidates were ad- 
 mitted. This is the second Confirmation held within 
 three months. The Holy Communion was celebrated at 
 10 a.m., and about 11.30 a.m. the procession was 
 formed, and moved towards the ground. The choristers, 
 12 in number, vested in white surplices, advanced first; 
 next, the Deacons, Priests, and Bishop, followed by the 
 whole Congregation, walking two and two. On being 
 arranged at the ground, the Bishop, Clergy, and 
 choristers began the appointed Service, in which the 
 ' people joined. There was also present a large 
 concourse of spectators, who behaved with the greatest 
 decorum, — the most part of those within hearing being 
 uncovered when the Service began. The morning was 
 rather gloomy ; but, as the day advanced, it brightened, 
 and, while the stone was being laid, the sun shone 
 forth in all his splendour — an omen, we trust, that the 
 Divine blessing rested on the work of the day ! " 
 A symbol, certainly, of that epoch of Church history, 
 not least in Perth : " Progress amid the clouds of 
 Controversy." 
 
 Thereafter, building operations, of which "Mr. 
 Cihambers was a daily witness,'' proceeded regularly. 
 It was,- of course, hoped that the portion of the 
 edifice taken in hand would be completed by S. 
 Ninian's Day, 1850, but this was not possible: it was 
 not finished till about three months later. As it then 
 stood, the Cathedral consisted of Choir, Dwarf -Transepts, 
 and one bay of the Nave, and there was room for 
 about 350 of a Congregation. The style of archi- 
 tecture adopted was early middle pointed, plain and 
 severe, but the great height of the building (70 feet), 
 compared with its width and the elevation of the 
 Chancel, gave it a dignity and proportions, which 
 
Cathedral Statutes. 299 
 
 stamped it at once as a Cathedral, and not as an ordinary 
 Church. 
 
 (II). — So the material building was completed, and 
 we must now pay attention to the Statutes, which were 
 drawn up for the administration of the Institution. 
 
 On Decemher 9th, 1849, Mr. .Boyle wrote to the 
 Bishop : — " I delayed writing to you until I had seen 
 Lord Forbes, whom I am now visiting. The meeting of 
 Committee passed off well. A large portion of the 
 Statutes were considered, but a good deal more remains 
 to be done. The meeting was adjourned, but will, I 
 trust, meet again in the course of next month, having 
 completed the draft, and be enabled to submit it 
 to you for your ratification." 
 
 *The Statutes were 27 in number, and, especially iu 
 view of future events, it will be necessary to indicate 
 their leading features. All the real power was lodged 
 in the lesser Chapter, — that is, in the Dean and 
 Canons residentiary. The entii-e patronage was in their 
 hands ; that is, they elected the Dean, Canons, 
 Prebendaries, and appointed all other officials. They 
 could increase or decrease the number of these. They 
 had the right of altering the Constitution ; and thus 
 they took the initiative in everything. The position of 
 the Bishop was of a more passive kind : ordinarily, 
 the work of the Institution would go on without him. 
 He had no more authority over the Cathedral than 
 over any other Incumbency. He was to adjudge all 
 disputes, ivhen referred to him ; he had a veto upon 
 all appointments, and everything that was done was 
 ineffectual without his ratification. J'he Scottish Com- 
 munion Office, with the ancient usages thereof, was to 
 be exclusively used in the Cathedral. The Clergy of 
 * Canon Humbles Letter to the Bishop, p. 71. 
 
300 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 the Diocese were hardly connected with the founda- 
 tion ; since, when installing the Prebendaries, the 
 Chapter were not free to select from the whole body, 
 but must only choose those, who held Incumbencies 
 founded by the Cathedra], or the patronage of 
 which was somehow vested in the hands of its 
 officials. 
 
 As yet the Dean was not nominated, but the 
 following Priests were appointed Canons by the Bishop's 
 authority, and therefore constituted the Chapter, i.e., 
 the Revs. J. C. Chambers, H. Humble, and J. Haskell.* 
 Although, however, the Deanery was for the present 
 left vacant, it is interesting to remember that it was 
 first offered to Mr. Kenrick, but declined by him. 
 The celebrated Dr. Neale was then invited to accept 
 the post.t And herein, it may be remarked, our 
 authorities did themselves honour. For, notwith- 
 standing Dr. Neale's untiring zeal, remarkable attain- 
 ments, and his sounding title of " Warden of Sackville 
 College," it is to be remembered that (since that 
 College was only an Almshouse) no post worthy of his 
 eminence had ever been made his in the South. We 
 may, therefore, be proud that our Chapter did what it 
 could to reward worth, and to secure the services of 
 such a distinguished divine for the service of the 
 Diocese. But, unfortunately, private considerations 
 obliged him to decline the office. Mr. Wordsworth 
 was to the last very anxious to have the Statute, 
 which required the exclusive use of the Scotch Office, 
 changed into a stipulation that both offices should be 
 adopted ; but the Bishop remained firm, as was to have 
 
 *The Rev. Joseph HaskoU was Inoumbeut of Laurencekirk. 
 — Eraser's Laurencekirh, p. 260. 
 + Neale's Torry, p. 363. 
 
Bishop Torry to Bishop Forbes. 301 
 
 been expected on that point, and signed the Constitution 
 as sketched above on January 16th, 1851. 
 
 (III). — And now, there being a Cathedral in 
 existence, we must proceed to give some account of the 
 Consecration ceremonies. 
 
 On Decemher 7th, 1850, Lord Forbes wrote to the 
 Bishop saying that, "with a view to the Consecration 
 of Perth Cathedral Church, which is being erected on 
 two pieces of ground acquired for that purpose and 
 vested in his name, he engaged to convey and make 
 over the said ground " to the Cathedral authorities ; 
 but with this proviso, " that the same shall be held in- 
 alienably and solely for the use and behoof of a 
 Cathedral Church . . in strict connection with the 
 Episcopal Church of Scotland, etc." 
 
 The way was clear, and therefore our aged Diocesan 
 wrote as follows, on August 12th, 1850, to Bishop 
 Forbes, who acted in a most cordial way through- 
 out : — " I beg to ask whether you will have the 
 goodness to discharge in my place the duty of con- 
 secrating the Cathedral in Perth, when it shall be so 
 far finished as to admit of that solemnity. The 16th 
 day of September (S. Ninian's Day) is designed for 
 the day of Consecration, but much will depend on 
 the progress made towards completing the structure, 
 so far as presently intended. Mr. Chambers will be 
 able to give the necessary information, and I shall not 
 fail to draw it from him nor lose time in making the 
 communication to you, in the hope that sympathy 
 with an aged brother will induce you to comply with 
 the request.'' 
 
 As we have already seen, the Cathedral was not 
 finished by S. Ninian's Day, and so the Bishop had 
 again to write to Bishop Forbes on November 7th. In 
 
302 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 this letter lie repeats the request that his brother of 
 Brechin will perform the Consecration, and also that 
 he will ordain Mr. John Comper about the same time, 
 and read the deeds of institution of the three Canons. 
 " On the whole," he concludes, " I grieve to be so 
 burdensome to you, but it is all for the Glory of 
 God." 
 
 "I may now," says Dr. Neale,* "relate the Consecra- 
 tion of S. Ninian's, the first British Cathedral, be it 
 remembered (with the single exception of S. Paul's), 
 that has been consecrated since the Reformation, as I 
 had the privilege to be present and assist at it. It 
 was just about sunset on a fine December day that I 
 arrived in Perth. There had been a slight fall of 
 snow on the grampians, and the stillness of the Fair 
 City and the setting in of the frost seemed to bring 
 out in greater relief the bustle within the walls of the 
 Cathedral : and the glare of its lights, as the workmen 
 were hurrying to the conclusion of their task, was in 
 strange contrast with the darkness and quietness of 
 the adjacent street. That night I shall ever remember 
 as one of the strangest in my life. Many of the most 
 necessary arrangements had been driven off to the 
 very last : the carpenter's hammer and the mason's 
 chisel were still to be heard ; a crowd of workmen 
 were yet engaged in putting the finishing touches to 
 their respective departments ; the frescoes were still 
 incomplete, and in the later hours of the evening the 
 Choir was practising the Chants and Hymns for the 
 next day. An English reader can hardly form any 
 idea of the interest and curiosity, with which our 
 proceedings were regarded by Presbyterian spefctators, 
 to whom the whole ritual of the Church was then so 
 *P. 367. 
 
The Consecration. 303 
 
 utterly unknown, that, as I remember, the leading- 
 Perth newspaper of the following week gave an elaborate 
 description to its readers of what was meant by chanting. 
 Perfect silence settled down over the City ; but still, 
 as we visited the Cathedral at twelve, at two, at four, 
 and at six, the workmen were still engaged in their various 
 occupations; nor was it till the late morning of a Scottish 
 December day had fairly broken that everything was 
 prepared for the approaching solemnity. . . . The 
 doors of the Cathedral were thrown open at 10.30 
 a.m., and by a simple arrangement the members of 
 the Scotch Church were separated from others, whom 
 curiosity or a better feeling drew to the ceremonial. 
 In the meantime the Choir, which is exceedingly 
 elevated, was gradually filled by the Canons, Clergy, 
 Lay- Vicars, and Choristers to the number of about 50 
 in all. The Bishop of Brechin, who officiated for the 
 Bishop of S. Andrews, arrived at 11.30 a.m., and was 
 rnet at the western door by the whole body of the 
 Clergy, by whom he was conducted to the Altar. The 
 usual formularies having been gone through, the pro- 
 cession was formed. . . Proceeding down the Nave 
 and round the north and south Aisles, they returned up 
 the Nave again, and such was the length of the pro- 
 cession that the foremost chorister had already passed 
 the Chancel doors on his way to the north Aisle 
 before the Bishop had reached the west door. At that 
 moment the Precentor intoned ' The earth is the Lord's 
 and all that therein is,' and the Choir thundered out, 
 ' The compass of the world and they that dwell therein,' 
 ■with the rest of the Psalm. . . The Bishop having 
 again taken his place at the Altar, pronounced the 
 usual Prayers of Consecration ; that for the Font being 
 followed by the Anthem, 'If ye love Me;' that for 
 
304 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 the Pulpit, ' The Lord gave the Word ; ' and that for 
 the Altar by the ' Hallelujah Chorus.' The Clergy 
 then returned into the Sacristy, while the doors of the 
 Church being thrown open, it was soon crammed. The 
 Bishop having taken his seat on his Throne, prayers 
 were sung by the Kev. H. F. Humble, Chanter ; the 
 lessons were read by the Rev. J. Haskoll, Sacrist, and 
 the Kev. J. C. Chambers, Chancellor, and the Litany 
 by the Rev. T. Helmore, and the Rev. W. Wilson. For 
 the anthem ' Angularis Fundamentum.' The Holy 
 Communion was celebrated, of course, according to the 
 Scotch use by the Bishop, assisted by three Canons as 
 Epistler, Gospeller, and Assistant Priest. After the 
 Nicene Creed, letters missive were read from the Bishop 
 of S. Andrews, by which he erected the Collegiate 
 Church into the Cathedral of the united Diocese. The 
 Rev. J. M. Neale, Warden of Sackville College, preached 
 from S. Matthew vi., 5. The Nave was crowded with 
 hearers, a great portion of them standing. . . In 
 the evening the Rev. T. Chamberlain delivered the 
 sermon. 
 
 " On Thursday, during the Communion, J. Comper 
 was ordained Deacon, the address being given by the 
 Rev. E. B. K. Fortescue. In the evening several adults 
 received Baptism, and some, who had done so in other 
 religiovis bodies, were admitted into the Church, as they 
 knelt at the west door, with the words, ' We receive 
 this person,' etc. After prayer, these, with certain of 
 those who had just been baptized, were confirmed by 
 the Bishop according to the Scottish form, ' / sign 
 thee,' etc. On account of the extreme length of the 
 Service, which was not over till 10 p.m., there was 
 no Sermon. On Friday morning, after Prayers, the 
 Bishop was enthroned (by proxy) and the Canons were 
 
Canon Chambers. 305 
 
 installed. The Eev. C. T. Erskine, representing the 
 Bishop, was received at the west door by the Canons 
 and conducted to the Altar, where prayers were said 
 over him, and thence to the Throne, after which Te 
 Deum was sung. The Sermon at the early Communion 
 was preached by the Kev. C. T. Erskine ; that at the 
 second Celebration by the Rev. P. Cheyne ; and that 
 in the evening by the Rev. A. Lendrum." 
 
 *After the Consecration the Clergy, Choir, and a 
 number of lay friends partook of luncheon in the 
 dining hall of S. Ninian's College, the Chancellor of 
 the Cathedral presiding. When it was over, the guests 
 were requested to remain and Mr. Chambers to with- 
 draw. A statement was then made pointing out some 
 of the difficulties, with which the latter had to struggle 
 in establishing the Mission, and the laborious, self- 
 denying, and unwearied exertions he had made to 
 bring it to what it now was. The fact was also stated 
 that he had almost kept open house since he came to 
 Perth, extending his hospitality alike to English and 
 Scotch, who had occasion to be there, and that on 
 very limited means, which he could not have done 
 withoLit great personal self-denial. A proposal was 
 then made to raise and present himi with a purse, if 
 possible, of not less than £100, as a testimonial of 
 the way, in which his labours and conduct were 
 appreciated by the friends of the Church, and a very 
 slight acknowledgment and return for his hospitality. 
 The statement was corroborated in every particular by 
 the Bishop of Brechin, and the suggestion warmly 
 taken up by all present. £56 was immediately sub- 
 scribed in the room, and several contributions were 
 subsequently received. 
 
 " Scottish Magazine, 1851, p. 31. 
 
3o6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Our account of the completion of the Cathedral will 
 be fitly ■ closed by the following letter, dated from 
 Peterhead, December ISth, 1850, by Bishop Torry to 
 Bishop Forbes : — " My dear Eight Rev. Brother : I 
 acknowledge with grateful heart the receipt of your 
 letter of yesterday's date, and I beg further to say 
 that I can never adequately recompense you for the 
 services done on my behalf on the day of the Conse- 
 cration of the Cathedral at Perth, and subsequent days. 
 But as your Divine Master, Whom you faithfully 
 serve, is not only kind but generous, it is comfortable 
 to think that a day is approa;ching, when you will 
 meet with an ample reward, not only for the work 
 alluded to, but, I trust, for long-continued services in 
 this Church, which greatly needs such a friend. If I 
 may judge from present appearances, it is to me clear 
 that, but for you, the good work must have remained 
 undone until my removal hence. May God stir up 
 many such as yourself to co-operate with you, and then 
 the object, for which Christ shed His Blood, will be 
 accomplished more successfully than heretofore. It is 
 with difficulty that I have been able to write thus far ; 
 and must conclude with a reiteration of my thanks and 
 an aged Bishop's blessing to yourself and all friends 
 of the Institution at Perth, both clerical and lay ; 
 being ever yours most affectionately, Patrick Torry, 
 Bishop of St. Atidrews," 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 HOW THE CATHEDRAL FARED FROM ITS CONSE- 
 CRATION TILL BISHOP TORRY'S DEATH, 
 1850-2. 
 
 Having now traced the revival of our affairs in Perth 
 after the long desolation of 1810-1846, first by the 
 opening of the Athole Street Mission ; secondly by the 
 reconciliation of the (so-called) " English " Chapel, and 
 then by the erection and consecration both of S. 
 John's Church and S. Ninian's Cathedral, we must 
 enter upon a new phase of our narrative and relate 
 the history of (at least) the latter after its Establish- 
 ment. 
 
 (I). — And fii'st let us deal with the relation of the 
 Bishop towards it. 
 
 This, it is gratifying to relate, continued to the end 
 to be characterised by the utmost friendship and 
 cordiality. 
 
 He. defended it stoutly against all opposition. At 
 the present day, indeed, after the founding of so many 
 Cathedrals, it may be difficult to understand why the 
 idea that something revolutionary was being done did 
 not soon die away. To us it appears natural that a 
 Bishop should have a central Church wherein to fix 
 his oflicial seat (or cathedra). But it was not so then. 
 As there was resistance of various kinds to the 
 scheme before it was more than a project, so also was 
 there hostility now that it was fairly started. The 
 Presbyterians continued to despise and -dislike it, and 
 traditions still (1894) survive to the effect that the 
 
3o8 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Clergy used to be stoned in the street. The Pro- 
 testant party of our own communion continued their 
 antagonism, and the Rev. C. J. Lyon of S. Andrews 
 agreed with the Rev. W. Blatoh of Pittenweem that 
 " the Bishop was doing an act utterly incompetent 
 for any Bishop to propose or even for a Diocesan 
 Synod to accept." Even staunch Churchmen, such as 
 the Warden of Glenalmond and the Rev. W. Farquhar 
 of Pitscandly, failed to have their doubts as to the 
 expediency of our Prelate's policy — i.e., doing all on 
 his own responsibility — removed ; they were afraid 
 that in reality he was, unknown to himself, being 
 used by a party. The Synod also threw difficulties 
 in the way, and disputed the right of the Cathedral 
 Clergy to vote in its Debates* ; and the Church Society 
 raised objections to paying Mr. Chambers's salary. 
 The Episcopal College itself (with the exception of 
 Bishop Forbes) frowned upon the new institution, and 
 wrote on March 12th, 1851, to enquire,! "as they 
 could not have the advantage of the Bishop's presence, 
 and as the question is one, in which the Church at 
 large is interested, what was the Bishop's own view 
 of the position of the Clergy in connection with the 
 new Church at Perth?" And the Bishop of Moray 
 (Eden) expressed an opinion to his aged colleague 
 that the scholastic work commenced in connection 
 with the Cathedral might end in rivalry to Trinity 
 College. 
 
 But the Bishop continued stoutly to defend the 
 Cathedral from all these attacks. And, whatever may 
 be thought of each of the steps which he took, yet, 
 since the matter related essentially to the constitu- 
 tion of his own Diocese, was nowhere forbidden by 
 
 * Scottish Magazine, 1852, p. 363. tNeale's Torry, p. 376. 
 
Bishop Torry and the Cathedral. 309 
 
 our Canons, and was in harmony with ancient 
 custom, there can be no doubt but that, strictly 
 speaking, he was within his rights ; that his action 
 was valid ; and that he was labouring for the good 
 of his Diocese. Accordingly he replied to the Clerk 
 of the Episcopal College that, as a Diocesan Bishop, 
 he claimed the right to act as he was doing, and 
 added : — "The usage of the Universal Church has been 
 that where there is a Christian Bishop there ought, if 
 possible, to be a Cathedral," and, of course, a staff of 
 Clergy to keep up suitable services. To the Bishop 
 of Moray he wrote: — "The Schools . . may be 
 productive of good to each other by the Middle 
 School at Perth becoming a feeder to that at Glen- 
 almond. I have never looked upon it in any other 
 view.'' And all other attacks he warded off in a 
 similar manner. 
 
 Indeed, he was the enthusiastic patron of the scheme. 
 The following letter to Dr. Neale shews this : — " My 
 heart is in the prosperity of S. Ninian's Cathedral. 
 For every testimony, therefore, in its favour I feel 
 grateful, because I heartily wish it God-speed. I shall, 
 however, never see it, because of my extreme old age, 
 being uow in my 88th year, and my locomotive powers 
 being almost entirely gone. But I will not cease to 
 pray for its welfare while I live and retain my senses ; 
 because, if well served, its obvious tendency is to 
 promote the glory of God and the endless benefit of 
 many precious and immortal souls." 
 
 (II.) — Meantime, while it was being thus defended 
 by its Bishop, how were matters proceeding at the 
 Cathedral itself? 
 
 On the very day after the Statutes had received 
 the Episcopal signature {January 7th, 18dl) the newlj'- 
 
310 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 installed Cations met for the election of a Dean, that 
 being their privilege by the Constitution. Their unani- 
 mous choice fell upon the Eev. E. B. K. Fortescue, 
 M.A., Incumbent of Wilmoote, near Stratford-on-Avou, 
 who accepted the appointment. We, indeed, who know 
 the subsequent history, and are in a position to be 
 wise after the event, may be permitted to doubt whether 
 a refined and emotional Englishman, very little versed 
 in Scotch affairs, and whose leading interest was Eitual, 
 was the most suitable appointment that could have 
 been made at that particular time. In these early 
 days of renewed English sympathy with the Scottish 
 Church, it might have been useful to have had at 
 least one Scotchman on the Chapter. Even Bishop 
 Torry, from his distant residence at Peterhead, seems 
 to have had an inkling of this a month or two before 
 he died. For when Dean Fortescue, in the zeal of 
 his soul, resolved that the Cathedral should become a 
 supporter of some English Church Societies, our Prelate 
 wrote thus to him in reply (Jtme, 1862) : — " I am not 
 at all inclined to accept the burden of collections for 
 societies, who are basking under the sun of a rich arid 
 powerful establishment. There is non-congruity between 
 their condition and that of a poor disestablished Church 
 like our own, which greatly needs to receive such 
 pecuniary aid as generous dispositions are inclined to 
 give, and has little to bestow beyond a scanty allow- 
 ance to their own pastors.'' But it is easy to criticise, 
 and it is much pleasanter to bring forward the follow- 
 ing testimony to the energy with which the new Dean 
 threw himself into the discharge of his duties. " I 
 mention these gentlemen," says Mr. Wordsworth, alluding 
 to the Dean and Canon Chambers, " as the only two 
 members of the Chapter who have been constantly 
 
Cathedral Ritual. 311 
 
 resident. They have done much, very much, I believe, 
 to attach earnest minds to the scheme."* 
 
 The ambition of the Chapter and the Founders was 
 that the Cathedral Services should be a model of 
 Catholic Worship. Starting on a new foundation, they 
 thought that they could go back to more orthodox 
 forms than, owing to Puritan corruptions, many even 
 of the great English Churches were now able to adopt. 
 (3n this head Canon Humble says : — t" Our whole 
 Ritual was settled with the assistance and by the 
 advice of the first Ritual Scholar of our Communion. 
 We could not and did not regard this as a mere 
 question of prettiness or hollow show ; we were minded 
 to render it as fitting an expression as we could of 
 the holy Services, which it was to embody. We did 
 not go exclusively to the existing Cathedrals of Eng- 
 land for our model, because, however good the Ritual 
 might have been at the period of the Restoration 
 (1661), time had very seriously impaired it, and a cry 
 had gone forth, joined in even by Churchmen, to pull 
 down and destroy those venerable institutions as 
 utterly effete and dead. Neither did we regard the 
 latter end of the 17th century [i.e., the time of the 
 Revolution, when the High Church party were being- 
 chased out of the establishment both in England and 
 Scotland] as favourable to correct Ritualism. Like its 
 Architecture, its Ritual and Music ' were a composite 
 mixture of religious and secular. As, therefore, we 
 carefully abandoned the one, so too we went back to 
 an earlier period for the other. . . . Upon 
 this point of Ritual we felt strongly, for we could not 
 see why the Christian Church should treat with 
 disregard that, which formed so considerable a feature 
 * Charge of 1853, p. 28. f Letter to the Bishop of S. Andrews, p. 6, 
 
312 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 in the Divine commandments respecting tlie Jewish 
 Worship. We knew, too, what pains some of our holiest 
 Bishops had bestowed on these things — Andrews, 
 Cosin, Butler, and many more. Using, therefore, 
 all available means to fix a Ritual at once worthy of 
 a new Cathedral and of the Service to be therein 
 rendered, we had the satisfaction of knowing that we 
 were not engaged on unmeaning mummeries when 
 worshipping Almighty God. We could not see any 
 reason why ignorance and mere prejudice should 
 dictate oiu- Worship, so nothing was done contrary to 
 the rubrical directions of the Prayer Book — more than 
 our architectural forms.'' 
 
 The customs in connection with the Celebration of 
 the Eucharist, which they chiefly valued at this time, 
 were the use of the Scotch Office ; the Eastward 
 position ; unleavened bread ; the Mixture of Water 
 with the Wine ; the Lights ; Incense ; Vestments ; and 
 the use of Gregorian music. It is, however, curious to 
 notice in this connection that the Black Gown was 
 worn in the Pulpit for afternoon Sermon. 
 
 And here it may be interesting to record the im- 
 pression which Services conducted on such principles 
 by our English friends had on one, who had been 
 brought up in the old-fashioned Scotch traditions of 
 the Aberdeen school. It is evident indeed that, while 
 the symbolic Ritual was quite strange to the Rev. W. 
 Farquhar of Forfar, the general drift of the doctrines 
 symbolized was congenial to his mind. *" I confess,'' 
 he said, " for myself, speaking as a Scotchman, that 
 the first two or three « times I was present at the 
 Cathedral Service, I felt a strong opposition and dislike 
 to it ; but I have also no hesitation in saying that 
 * Report of Special Synod of 1S53, p. 55. 
 
A Funeral. 313 
 
 this soon wore off in a great degree. I believe, if the 
 Scotch people were properly trained, they would be as 
 capable of relishing the Cathedral Service as the 
 English are." 
 
 (III). — And now we may turn from the Cathedral 
 to the Pastoral or Congregational aspect of the 
 institution. 
 
 At that time in Scotland the outward paraphernalia 
 of a funeral were of the most gloomy and hope- 
 destroying description. It is indeed possible to go too 
 far in the opposite direction, and ignore alike the 
 natural feelings of the human heart and the awfulness 
 of God's severity, by adopting the untimely symbols of 
 gladness at a burial. But certainly in those days the 
 element of hope needed to be strongly accentuated in 
 order to make our funerals Christian, and evidently 
 the Cathedral Clergy set themselves to effect this 
 reform. For, when an infant child of Canon Chambers' 
 died, the obsequies were of the following character : — 
 *" The funeral procession started from the house at 8 
 a.m. It was led by a very young boy bearing a cross 
 with an interwoven o'own of everlasting flowers. This 
 is, in fact, the mere revival of the mute's staff, which 
 (originally a dressed cross) has become changed into a 
 nondescript dressed stick. Behind the little cross- 
 bearer followed six young girls in white, with hoods 
 and scarfs, carrying baskets of flowers, which they 
 scattered as the body was borne from the Church gate 
 up to the Chancel and back to the grave, into which, 
 after it was lowered, they emptied their baskets and 
 threw their wreaths. Behind them came the bier, 
 covered with a blue cloth with a white cross upon it, 
 borne by eight young females also dressed in white." 
 * Scottish Magazine, 1852, p. 249. 
 
314 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 There was a Celebration of the Holy Communion, and 
 " Since by man came death,'' from the " jSIessiah," was 
 sung as an Anthem in the Funeral Service. 
 
 *The number of Baptisms recorded respectively in 
 1850, 1851, and 1852 were 50, 28, and 21; of 
 Marriages — 1, 0, 1 ; of Funerals — 4, 0, 9 ; and, 
 altogether, 74 persons had been confirmed since the 
 opening of the Mission. This was encouraging, and 
 shewed what might be done, when the Church's 
 missionary character was fairly brought to bear on the 
 people. 
 
 tOn March 6th, 1852, "the Rev. John Comper, 
 Curate of Crieff, was admitted to the holy order of 
 Priests, and CUiarles M'Ghee Keith to that of Deacons 
 — the candidates being presented by the Rev. J. C. 
 Chambers. . . The Bishop (of Brechin) and Clergy 
 afterwards partook of a Lenten refreshment in the hall 
 of the College." 
 
 IThe latter was " a middle school, wherein the sons of 
 commercial men should be fitted for active employment ; 
 and those of them who are intended for the professions, 
 should be educated up to the point where specific 
 instruction in the faculty they are afterwards to culti- 
 vate commences. . The desire is to impress a 
 religious character on each individual." The maximum 
 number of boarders at any one time was 30, of whom 
 16 were choristers. There was, besides, a school for 
 the poor, the largest attendance at which was 80. 
 
 (IV). — We may conclude this chapter with a rapid 
 glance round the Diocese, of which S. Ninian's was now 
 the Cathedral. It was still the day of small things. 
 Excluding the Bishop and the clerical masters at 
 
 * Cathedral MS. Register. t Scottish Magazine, 1852, p. 193. 
 t Scottish Magazine, 1852, p. 293. 
 
The Diocese. 315 
 
 Glenalmoud, there were only 15 Clergy in the united 
 Diocese in 1849, and 21 in 1852. Small, however, as 
 these numbers were, an important change had come over 
 the scene. The Church, which had too long been but 
 the battered wreck of a stormy past, was at last confi- 
 dent that it had a future before it. 
 
CHAPTEE XXXII. 
 
 HOW BISHOP TORRY AUTHORIZED A SCOTTISH 
 PRAYER BOOK, 1847-1852. 
 
 It has at once to be confessed that the differences of 
 opinion, which attended the birth of the Cathedral, 
 became rather intensified than mitigated as time went 
 on. We have seen that, during the period, with which 
 we are dealing, the state of the Church at large has 
 been characterized as one of "Progress amid Controversy." 
 Substantial progress has already appeared in Perth. It 
 is now our duty to describe a. controversy, the effects 
 of which in our midst were by no means slight. 
 
 Why not pass it over in silence ? Because it is far 
 better to know the Truth. " Mag?ia est Veritas et 
 prcevalehit." It has unlooked-for ways of rewarding its 
 disciples. Secondly, because it seems hard that, on the 
 mere ground that they had to deal with difficulties, we 
 should forget not merely those, who were to blame, but 
 also those, who struggled hard to do their duty in 
 perplexing times. Thirdly, because the discussion is now 
 a thing of the long past, and an exhibition of its 
 subject-matter may serve, while not rekindling old 
 fires, as suggestive food for thought. And lastly, 
 because the episode, both in the Church at large and 
 even in Perth, where it was most severe and prolonged, 
 did less injury to progress than might have been 
 expected. 
 
 (I). — What, therefore, was the occasion of the present 
 controversy 1 
 
 It is to be remembered that, at the epoch, with 
 
English Prayer Book Abroad. 317 
 
 which Ave are dealing, the Law of the Scottish Church 
 was the Code of Canons of 1838. Now, it was 
 impossible for this, or any other Scotch Code whatever, 
 to accept the English "Book of Common Prayer" 
 sim,pliciter. For example, in a Church where Arch- 
 deacons were to all intents and purposes unknown, the 
 English Rubric directing that functionary to present 
 the Ordination candidates to the Bishop, simply could 
 not be officially adopted. It was equally impossible 
 that, in a Church, where there were no Archbishops, 
 the Rubrics, which assume the existence of such a 
 personage, should be authoritatively received. The 
 very attempt to do so would have produced serious 
 complications. It was also an impossibility that that 
 branch of the Catholic Church, which was in Scotland, 
 should adopt a Prayer Book, the title-page of which 
 described it as that of " The United Church of England 
 and Ireland." And again the title, " Articles agreed 
 upon hy the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces," 
 and ^^ His Majesty's Declaration," could not possibly 
 find formal place in a book, which, if it was to be 
 adopted in Scotland, could not be adopted on the 
 authority either of the Bishops, etc., of the Provinces 
 of Canterbury and York, nor yet on that of His 
 Majesty's Declaration. The only authority, on which 
 the Book could be adopted, was that of the Bishops 
 (and Synods) of the Province of the Church, which 
 consisted of Scotland. Considerations such as these are 
 absolute demonstration of the fact that the English 
 Prayer Book cannot, as it stands, be adopted sim2]lidter 
 as that of the Scottish Church. 
 
 This being the state of affairs, what is done? That 
 branch of the Church, which is in America, and that in 
 Ireland liave (the former always, and the latter since 
 
3i8 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 its Disestablishment) proceeded as follows : they have 
 both re-edited the Prayer Booh from beginning to end ; 
 have introduced important changes everywhere ; and 
 have authorized the results as the American and Irisli 
 Prayer Books respectively. The Scottish branch of the 
 Church has never gone so far as its sisters across the 
 seas. Its policy was, at the time, with which we are 
 dealing, as follows (and it has continued substantially the 
 same ever since) : by the Code of 1838, certain 
 portions, and certain portions only, of the English 
 Booh were made of entire obligation, i.e., Holy 
 Cominunion ; Morning and Evening Prayer , the Litany ; 
 the Baptismal Service , the Catechism ; and the Offices 
 of Ordination and Consecration, — and these, of course, 
 subject to such changes as have before been shown to 
 be absolutely necessary. The English Marriage, Visita- 
 tion, and Burial Services were less strictly enjoined, and 
 the English Confirmation Office nowhere so. Thus, not 
 the English Booh, simpUciter, but only those portions of 
 it now mentioned, were the authorized Services of the 
 Scottish Church ; and to these a most important 
 addition was made by the Code then in force, i.e., the 
 Scotch Communion Office. But, even of this (as now), 
 no particular edition was specified in the Canons, and 
 there were several differing from one another in 
 existence. 
 
 Altogether, while the English, American, and Irish 
 Churches can put a particular volume into an enquirer's 
 hands, and say, " This is my Prayer Book," the 
 Scottish (in common with the Indian, Canadian, South 
 African, and other branches of the Church) cannot do 
 so, and could not do so in Bishop Torry's time. She 
 could only say, "• Such and such portions of the English 
 Booh, with certain unavoidable changes, together with 
 
Bishop Torry's Prayer Book. 319 
 
 the Scottish Office, according to the traditional text, 
 constitute my Service Book.'' Whether this is the 
 most satisfactory arrangement or not, is- a different 
 question. So the case eanonically stood, however, for 
 Bishop Torry. 
 
 Under these circumstances, the idea was suggested 
 to him of compihng a volume, which should practically 
 represent the Scottish variation of the Booh of Common 
 Prayer. "In the mouth of Septemher, ISJ/J," he says,* 
 " when I went to Perth, Muthill, and Crieff, for 
 purposes peculiarly restricted to my official position, an 
 address was presented to me in the vestry-room of the 
 Church of Muthill, signed by seven of the Clergy of 
 my Diocese . . . stating that they were deejjly 
 sensible of the importance of having the Liturgy and 
 Usages of the Church in Scotland for the last century 
 attested by a Prelate of my age and experience, and 
 begging to express their desire that such a book might 
 be edited under my sanction, as shall serve for a 
 dcoument of reference and authority in regard to the 
 practice of our Church." 
 
 Accordingly, the work so recommended. was edited by 
 certain Presbyters of the Diocese, every proof being 
 forwarded to and revised by the Bishop. In April, 
 1850, it was published. 
 
 So far all was in order and calculated to be for the 
 benefit of the Church. The venerable editor had been 
 born so long ago as 1763, and there was probably no 
 one whose testimony to the usages of the Scottish 
 Church was more original, comprehensive, and accurate. 
 
 But, as a matter of fact, the appearance of the 
 book was the occasion of a perfect tempest, and it is 
 because this tempest had such lasting consequences to 
 * Neale's Torry, p. 273. 
 
320 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 the Church in Perth that it has been necessary to go 
 into the matter. 
 
 What was it which caused the storm ? If, indeed, 
 the Bishop had merely fulfilled the intention of the 
 original petition of editing " such a book as should 
 serve for a document of reference and authority in 
 regard to the practice of the Church," all would have 
 been well. But, as a matter of fact, there appeared 
 on the title-page these words : — " The Rook of Common 
 Prayer, etc., according to the use of the Church of 
 Scotlaiid," with nothing to shew that it was not official, 
 and the following certificate was actually prefixed by 
 the Bishop : — " I hereby certify that I have carefully 
 examined this edition of the Book of Common Prayer, 
 and that it is in strict accordance with the usage of 
 the Church of Scotland, and / accordingly recommend 
 it to the use of the Clergy of my own Diocese." 
 
 Thus the volume was distinctly something more than 
 the mere " document of reference,'' for which the seven 
 Clergy at Muthill had petitioned. And on account of 
 the Episcopal recommendation it was actually brought 
 into use as the Office Booh of a few Churches, the 
 Cathedral at Perth being one of the number. 
 
 Mr. Wordsworth wrote seven letters to the English 
 Guardian against the book. 
 
 His arguments may be gathered under three heads. 
 (1) He objected to the manner in which it had been 
 produced. The Diocesan Synod was the lawful Council 
 of the Bishop ; but, without consulting them, he had 
 allowed himself to be guided in the matter by a 
 party. (2) But granted that the book did have the 
 Bishop's authority fully enough, yet that authority 
 was inadequate for the matter in hand. Even allow- 
 ing that in the troublous times of the preceding 
 
Wordworth's Seven Letters. 321 
 
 century, when there was no Code of Canons, individual 
 Bishops had greater liberty in liturgical matters, yet, 
 now that he had signed the Code of 1838, every 
 Bishop had, for the good of the Church at large,- 
 recognised certain limitations on his own power and 
 certain powers to be possessed by the College of 
 Bishops for the sake of unity. And what the 
 limitations were in liturgical matters was made very 
 clear by Canon xxviii., the preamble of which stated 
 that " In all ordinary parts of Divine Service it is 
 necessary to fix by authority [i.e., not Episcopal, but 
 Canonical, authority) the precise form, from which no 
 Bishop, Presbyter, or Deacon shall depart by his own 
 alterations or insertions lest such liberty should 
 produce consequences destructive of decency and order." 
 And, in fact, " the very theory itself of General 
 Synods meeting to determine such points is at 
 variance with the claim of a single Bishop to legislate 
 in such matters for himself alone," as Bishop Torry 
 was taking upon himself to do. (3) And Mr. Words- 
 worth objected not only to the manner in which, and 
 the authority by which, the book was set forward 
 as " The Book of Common Prayer according to ike Use 
 of the Church of Scotland," but he also maintained that 
 the maftfr contained in it was an unfair representation of 
 the Church's use. (a) First, a book professing to be 
 the Prayer Book according to the Use of any Church 
 ought to have no omissions of any of that Church's 
 Offices. This Book, however, did not contain the 
 English f'liriununion Service, which was an official form 
 in the Scottish ■ Church, and used by 5 out of the 7 
 Scottish Bishops and 78 out of the 118 Clergy in the 
 countiy. By its omissions, therefore, it was not the 
 Prayer Book of the Scottish Church. (6) And secondly. 
 
322 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 he also disputed whether what actually appeared in the 
 book could rightly claim to be according, to the Use 
 of the Scottish Church. After mentioning some other 
 points, he directed attention to the Rubrics requir- 
 ing Absolution (i.e., private) on penitents before 
 re-admission to the Altar, the mixture of water with 
 the wine, liberty to celebrate with only one communi- 
 cant present, and Reservation for the sick. He 
 disputed the Canonical or Rubrical authority of these 
 requirements in Bishop Torry's book. 
 
 *As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the 
 Church decided that the weight of argument lay on 
 the Warden's side, and the Frayer Book was con- 
 demned in strong terms by the Episcopal and Diocesan 
 Synods. As a specimen of the resolutions arrived at, 
 that passed by a majority of more than two to one 
 in our own Diocese may be given. Its terms were as 
 follows : — 
 
 t(l) "That this Synod, having received and heard 
 the resolution of the Episcopal Synod ordering the 
 suppression of ' the Book,' desires to express its 
 entire concurrence in the said resolution, and to 
 convey to the Bishops its hearty thanks for the 
 same." 
 
 (2) " That this Synod feels bound in duty to 
 record its strong disapproval of the use of the Book, 
 which has bfeen so condemned, and also its deter- 
 mination, should the Book be adopted or recommended 
 by any Clergyman of the Diocese, to institute 
 Canonical proceedings against the offender." 
 
 Reviewing the whole controversy, we may observe 
 (1) that Bishop Torry had considerable reason for 
 
 * Neale's Torry, p. 283 ; Wordsworth's Annals, ii., p. 85. 
 + Wordsworth's Seven Letters, p. 9. 
 
Merits of the Case. 323 
 
 acting in the matter as he did. It was an excellent 
 practical idea to collect into one handy volume all 
 the canonically authorized Offices of the Scottish 
 Church, and that this was the Bishop's real intention 
 to the last is evidenced by these words, which he used 
 in his own defence : — *" What I did Avas merely to 
 recommend the Prayer Book to the use of the Clergy 
 of my Diocese, certifying that it was in strict con- 
 formity with the Usages of the Church of Scotland." 
 
 But (2) we can only say that there seemed even 
 more considerable reasons on the side of his opponents, 
 ilr. Wordsworth's arguments were surely conclusive 
 when he maintained that, as to its subject-matter, 
 the Book did not by any means perfectly represent 
 the Canonical Services of the Church. And as to the 
 authority, by which the work was issued, it is plain 
 that there was a wide distinction to be drawn between 
 the cases of the Prayer Book and the Cathedral. 
 Both, indeed, were alike, so far as they rested solely 
 on the Bishop's authority. But they were unlike in 
 this, i.e., that a Bishop had a right to fix his seat 
 formally at one Church within his jurisdiction, and to 
 gather round him an official " lesser Council " (or 
 Chapter) ; in a Avord, to constitute a Cathedral for his 
 own Diocese, but he had not a right to publish a 
 Service Book that purported on its title page to 
 represent the use of the whole Church officially. The 
 Bishop of S. Andrews, Dunkeld, and Dunblane could 
 constitute a Cathedral of ;S'. Andrews, Dunkeld, and 
 Di/,nhlane, but he could not issue an official " Prayer 
 Book according to the use of the Church of Scotland." 
 
 * Scottish Magazine, 1851, p. 337. 
 
CHAPTEE XXXIII. 
 
 HOW BISHOP TORRY DIED AND WAS BURIED, AND 
 HOW HIS SUCCESSOR WAS ELECTED. 
 
 But now the aged Prelate, who had ruled the Diocese 
 so faithfully since his Consecration to Duukeld in 1808 
 (for Dunblane and S. Andrews see chapter xxv., p. 254) 
 was about to pass away. On August 14th, 1852, 
 Bishop Torry wrote on the back of an envelope : — 
 " Unable to take any concern in the future matters of 
 the Church." Towards the end, of September he took 
 ill, and "at length, in his 89th year, on the morning 
 of Sunday, October 3rd, attended by the Rev. Dr. 
 Rorison, and surrounded by all the living members of 
 his family, without a groan or a sigh, his spirit returned 
 to God, who gave it." 
 
 *" At the earnest solicitation of the Provost and 
 Canons of Perth, and, indeed, in accordance with the 
 Bishop's request, it was agreed by the family that his 
 remains should be interred in his own Cathedral. 
 They were removed from Peterhead to Aberdeen on 
 October 12th ; were received in that City by the Primus 
 and some of the Clergy, and by them escorted to the 
 Southern Railway. At Perth Station the Canons and 
 others of the Cathedral body were in waiting ; the 
 Choristers and Vergers preceded the hearse to S. 
 Ninian's, and the Coffin was deposited in the Nave 
 under a Canopy of black cloth, emblazoned with the 
 arms of the three Sees, and surrounded by six lighted 
 
 *Neale's Torry, pp. 381-8. 
 
Bishop Tony's Funeral. 325 
 
 caudles. The Dean of the Cathedral, having laid on 
 it the Pastoral Staff and the Mitre,* took his place 
 at the head, and every three hours the various watchers, 
 all of them connected with the Cathedral, were relieved. 
 That," continues Dr. Neale, " was a second night at 
 S. Ninian's which I shall not easily forget. The 
 inhabitants of the Town were admitted about 9 o'clock, 
 passed round the coffin, and went out by the same 
 door, at which they had entered, and never, in any 
 foreign church, did I see so large a crowd conduct 
 themselves with greater decorum. It was very late 
 before all that wished had visited the scene ; the doors 
 were then closed, and the rest of the watch was kept 
 by the Cathedral Clergy alone. On the following day, 
 after an early Celebration, the funeral took place. The 
 pall was borne by the Warden of Trinity College and 
 seven other Clergy of the Diocese ; the Bishops of 
 Brechin and Moray were in attendance, and by the 
 former the service itself was performed. The Psalms 
 and Anthems were chanted by the Choir, by whom 
 also, at the conclusion of the solemnity, the Dies Iroe, 
 from the Hymnal Noted, was sung. The Bishop was 
 buried on the north side of the Altar, and, as the 
 ancient custom was, facing the west." 
 
 " Bishop Torry," Dr. Neale goes on to remark, 
 " presents an example of the service, which may be 
 wrought for God by the steady, uudeviating support 
 of one acknowledged principle. . . Possessed of no 
 extraordinary talents, he set himself to uphold the 
 Eucharistic treasure, of which he seemed to be the 
 providentially-constituted, guardian, and, in connection 
 
 * As had been done at the funeral of Bishop Torry's predecessor, 
 Archbishop Sharpe, in 1679 (Gordon's ScoticAronicon, iv., 94). 
 In his old age, Bishop Torry wore the Rochet and Chimere. 
 
326 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 with its defence, to maintain the independence of that 
 Church, in which he ruled, as well from external 
 danger as from Collegiate usurpation. For the 
 Scottish Office he may almost be said to have lived 
 during the last twenty years of his life, . . even 
 Perth Cathedral was chiefly interesting to him as 
 connected more or less with the National Liturgy." 
 
 The Kev. Gilbert Eorison, LL.D., Incumbent of 
 Peterhead, who, as we saw, attended the Bishop dur- 
 ing his last illness, spoke thus of him in a sermon 
 delivered in S. Peter's Church there : — " Though he 
 was mild and conciliating where no principle was 
 touched, on questions which he apprehended to involve 
 principle, he was rooted as a rock. ' Firm to the last ' 
 was his answer to me, when he mistakingly supposed 
 for a moment that he was solicited, in a letter from 
 a brother Bishop, to modify a certain course he had 
 deemed it his duty to pursue. Pattern of pristine 
 faith and godly simplicity, of apostolic manners and 
 unvarnished truth, he has been taken by the Master, 
 and we are left to lament his loss, or rather our 
 own." 
 
 In one respect Bishop Torrj' was unique, and that 
 is that he was probably the only Prelate in the 
 United Kingdom, who, in the sad year 1845, was 
 prepared heartily to welcome the representatives of 
 the Oxford Movement into his Diocese. Now, as it 
 was the all but universal reprobation of his views by 
 the Episcopal bench that made Newman feel an alien 
 in the English Church and look elsewhere for 
 sympathy, we may perhaps hazard the suggestion 
 that the old-fashioned, non-juring Theology of the 
 Scottish Church, which Bishop Torry represented, 
 although differing in certain respects from that of the 
 
Election Prospects. 327 
 
 Tractarians,* might, if it liad been more largely 
 disseminated, have availed to keep the future Cardinal 
 amongst us. 
 
 But, however that may be, " under the shadow of 
 his own Cathedral the Bishop awaits the reward of his 
 labours at the Second Coming of the Lord." 
 
 (2) But, whenever one general fails in the Church 
 militant here on earth, another must step forward to 
 take his place. Accordinglj', on October Hih, 1852, 
 the Primus issued a Mandate for an election to fill 
 up the vacant See, and the Dean of the Diocese 
 summoned the Clergy to meet in S. Anne's Church, 
 Coupar-Angus, for the purpose of choosing a successor 
 to his deceased Father. 
 
 As we have already seen, public opinion was in a 
 very excited state, and the Clergy of the Diocese were 
 divided into two opposite and, numerically speaking, 
 equal camps. This controversial position of affairs, 
 however, we must by no means altogether attribute 
 to local animosities. The fact is that, although the 
 late Bishop had welcomed the Tractarians from 
 England into his Diocese and protected them there 
 as restorers of the ancient ways, his death now made an 
 opening for those, who were opposing the Oxonians in 
 the south, to appear actively in our Diocese also. This 
 is what was happening. But, though the contest was 
 thus the widespread one of Tractarianism versus the 
 world, it, of course, assumed a special form in these 
 parts, which was as follows : — " Puseyism," led by 
 the Eev. G. Forbes, A. Lendrum, C. J. Chambers, 
 H. Humble, and Dean Fortescue, entrenched itself in 
 two positions, i.e., in Perth Cathedral and Bishop 
 
 * The statement on p. 269 that the two views of Theology 
 were identical perhaps puts the matter rather too strongly. 
 
328 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Torry's Prayer Book. The attack was led by the 
 Warden of Trinity College, who rallied half of the 
 Clergy of the Diocese, including Dean Torry, to his 
 standard. Only here it must be understood that our 
 Anti-Tractarianism did not assume a violently Protestant 
 hue. If Mr. Wordsworth could by no means be des- 
 cribed as a " Puseyite," yet he was not to be classed 
 either as a " Low " or a " Broad " Churchman. His 
 mind not being of a metaphysical or rationalistic 
 character, he had no sympathy with the latter ; and, 
 being an accomplished student acquainted with history, 
 the narrow individualistic views of the former could 
 never wholly satisfy him. His was an essentially 
 English mind — scholarly, objective, conservative. He 
 was perfectly satisfied with the English Church as it 
 was before the days of " Puseyism." He would simply 
 engraft some of the energy of the new Movement 
 upon things as they were in his native land. And 
 so it came to pass that the opposition to, our 
 local Tractarianism was made from the prevailing 
 " Church and State " point of view, and not chiefly 
 by a narrow Protestantism. 
 
 Such were the two parties, which found themselves 
 confronting one another, when Bishop Torry died. 
 With which was the victory to lie ? Was the leader, 
 who conscientiously believed it to be his mission to 
 prevent Tractarianism absorbing the Scottish Church ; 
 or was Puseyism, as embodied in the Cathedral and 
 Bishop Torry's Prayer Book, to carry the day ? When 
 the hour of election* came round, the candidates 
 proposed were Bishop Eden of Moray, who was the 
 excellent and judicious nominee of the Tractarians, 
 and the Rev. Charles Wordsworth, M.A., Warden of 
 * For a full report of which, see Scottish Magazine, 1 852, pp. 585-601 . 
 
The Election. 329 
 
 Glenalniond, the brilliant champion of the other side. 
 The speeches made on the occasion reflected the 
 excitement of the time, and, when the matter came to 
 the point, there were eight for the Bishop of Moray 
 and eight for the Warden. There was still one 
 elector who had not recorded his vote, and that was 
 Mr. Wordsworth. Evidently all depended on his 
 action. What was he to do under these excessivelj' 
 difficult circumstances? There was no difficulty at 
 all, said his opponents. Personal considerations clearly 
 shewed that he ought to vote for the Bishop of Moray. 
 In view of subsequent events we may say that that 
 might possibly have been the best course to take. 
 But in the thick of the contest matters did not 
 present themselves to the Warden at all in this light. 
 Let us do him justice. On the one hand he was 
 conscious to himself of no personal ambition for the 
 vacant Office. A man of his calibre and influence 
 must have known that, so far as ambition went, he 
 might do much better for himself.* " Friends," he 
 says, " in England shared my indifference. They 
 disliked the thought of my becoming a Scottish 
 Bishop, which they feared would entail banish- 
 ment from England permanently." On the other 
 hand, merely because it was a personally disagreeable 
 thing to vote for himself, was he to allow an extreme 
 faction to capture the Diocese and inflict a deadly 
 blow on the Scottish Church ? And, even if he were 
 himself inclined to allow this to happen, his friends in 
 the Diocese would not hear of it. They plied him 
 with eveiy argument in their power to support the 
 cause, which they deemed sacred, whatever his personal 
 aversion to doing so in the circumstances might be. 
 * "Wordsworth's Annals, vol. ii., pp. 125, 12S, 137. 
 
330 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 They carried the day. To vote for himself appeared 
 in the light of a duty to the Warden, and he did so. 
 Thus he was elected. But, because the Dean onlj-, 
 and not the majority of the electors, signed the return, 
 the Primus ruled that the latter was informal. A 
 second Mandate was, therefore, issued. But the result 
 was precisely the same. Of course it was appealed 
 against, but the College of Bishops decided that 
 the Warden's conduct was both canonically and 
 morally justifiable, and so the election was confirmed, 
 and the Consecration took place at Aberdeen on 
 January ZBtli, 1853 (Conversion of S. Paul). 
 
 On March 7th a deputation of the Laity of the 
 United Diocese waited on the new Bishop at Trinity 
 College, and presented to him a congratulatory 
 address, which had received the signatures of the great 
 body of the influential lay members (heads of families) 
 of the Diocese, to the number of 237. Certainly not 
 since the death of Bishop Rattray, one hundred and 
 ten years previously, had so strong a personality 
 presided over the See. *The new Bishop was the son 
 of Dr. Wordsworth, Master of Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge ; nephew of William Wordsworth, the celebrated 
 Lake Poet ; brother of Christopher Wordsworth, the 
 great Bishop of Lincoln ; and uncle of John Words- 
 worth, the present learned Bishop of Salisbury. Both 
 he and his two brothers, John and Christopher, were 
 distinguished for the remarkable number of University 
 prizes, which they carried oflf between them at Oxford 
 and Cambridge. Our Prelate had himself been the 
 winner of the University Latin Verse Prize on 
 MexicOjj the Christ Church Latin Verse Prize on 
 Athence, and a Fell Exhibition, all in 1827. For these 
 * See Annals, vol. i., passim. t Quoted on p. 166. 
 
Bishop Wordsworth. 331 
 
 distinctions he was named for a Senior Studentship 
 by the Dean of Christ Church at the end of the same 
 year, being the first in whose favour the system of 
 patronage nomination was laid aside. When he took 
 his B.A. degree in 1830, his name appeared in the 
 first class in Litterce humaniores. After completing 
 his own course at the University, he acted as private 
 tutor to a very distinguished roll of pupils, including 
 Hope Scott of Abbotsford, W. E. Gladstone (the future 
 Prime Minister), H. E. Manning (the future Cardinal), 
 Francis Doyle (the future Professor of Poetry), W. K. 
 Hamilton (the future Bishop of Salisbury), Lord Lincoln, 
 and others. It may not be amiss also to record that 
 he had been as distinguished for Athletics as for 
 Scholarship, having rowed in the first inter-University 
 boat race, and played in the first inter-University 
 cricket match. After leaving Oxford he became Second 
 Master and Fellow of Winchester, in which capacity 
 he had laboured zealously as well for the religious 
 as for the educational good of the boys — a thing, 
 which had been by no means so common as it is now 
 in the great English Schools. As we have seen, he 
 was Warden of Trinity College at the time of his 
 election to the Bishopric, a post which he continued 
 still to hold for a few years. 
 
 The present Episcopate brings us into a fresh era. 
 Alone of all his Right Reverend brethren. Bishop 
 Torry had survived to represent the Eighteenth in the 
 middle of the Nineteenth Century. He was the bond 
 of connection between the old and the new. With his 
 death the past was quite gone. With the advent of 
 his successor the Diocese assumed an Anglican, as 
 distinguished from a merely Scottish, complexion. The 
 directing mind was itself now part of that wave of 
 
332 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 life, which came north from England ; and, in that 
 mind, the Church to be directed was conceived of, not 
 merely as the descendant of the old Non-jurors, but 
 as the united body, which resulted from the amalga- 
 mation of that school of divines with the " Qualified " 
 Chapels. And, as the leading passion of Bishop Torry 
 had been the preservation of the "Scottish Office" so 
 the dominating enthusiasm of Bishop Wordsworth was 
 a scheme to effect union between the Establishment 
 and the Communion, in which he himself now held so 
 distinguished a position. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 HOW THE CATHEDRAL WAS ACCEPTED BY THE 
 DIOCESAN SYNOD OF 1853. 
 
 The Anti-Ritualists were thus established in power. 
 The question was therefore agitated amongst them : — 
 What to do with the two principal schemes of their 
 opponents : namely, the Cathedral, and Bishop Torry's 
 Prayer. Book ? 
 
 As for the latter we hear of it no more. The new 
 Bishop had publicly maintained that it was an utterly 
 unauthorized publication, and no attempt was made to 
 obtain his sanction for it. And, as all the sanction it ever 
 had was that of the Diocesan, it of course disappeared, 
 now that that was no longer forthcoming. Bishop 
 Wordsworth had destroyed one of the engines whereby 
 our Tractarians had hoped to disseminate their 
 principles. 
 
 But what about the Cathedral 1 Was it to be 
 wrested from them also ? Great must have been their 
 relief when a friend wrote as follows : — " We are 
 happy to hear that the Bishop of the Diocese has 
 exhibited the utmost anxiety to promote and further 
 the efficiency of this valuable institution." And shortly 
 afterwards his Lordship himself said : — *" No true 
 Churchman can fail earnestly to desire and to long for 
 the restoration of Cathedrals ... It is only a 
 question of time and place and means. In respect to 
 time and place as they concern S. Ninian's — considering 
 
 * The Report of Special Synod of 185S is the basis of what 
 follows. 
 
334 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 what has been aU-eady done, I trust that you will all 
 agree with me that it is the part alike of Christian 
 prudence and Christian charity to look upon the 
 decision as already made." 
 
 These being his ascertained sentiments, the Bisho]i 
 "was given to understand that, as his Predecessor had 
 been enthroned (by proxy) in the Church in question, 
 it was expected that the same ceremony of solemn 
 inauguration into his office should be performed for 
 him also." 
 
 But the Cathedral authorities were going on too 
 fast. It did not follow that because the Bishop was 
 willing to recognize S. Ninian's as his Cathedral, he 
 would do so, and that in such a public manner as 
 consenting to be enthroned there, until considerable 
 alterations had been made in its constitution. The 
 changes upon which he insisted were of three kinds : — 
 
 First, financial. The Institution was already nearly 
 £3,000 in debt, chiefly in connection with the Middle 
 School. Some remedy for this must be found, and .a 
 satisfactory minimum income secured for the future. 
 This reasonable requirement was at once munificently 
 met by two individuals. The Hon. G. F. Boyle 
 cleared ott' the entire deficit and also bound himself to 
 make over a capital sum of £3,000 at some time, 
 and, in the meanwhile, to guarantee an income of 
 £200 a year from himself ; and, on his part, Lord 
 Forbes promised £100 per annum. 
 
 So the first difficulty disappeared. The second 
 requirement was that the concurrence of the Diocesan 
 Synod should be secured. This the Bishop .proposed 
 to obtain, as it were, by instalments. He would hold 
 two meetings of the body referred to : the one he 
 would ask to affirm the general principle that. 
 
Special Synod of 1853. 335 
 
 supposing it were satisfactorily reformed, it would be 
 well to recognize S. Niuian's as the Cathedral ; and 
 the other he would ask actually to accept the 
 Institution as reconstituted. 
 
 Accordingly a special Synod assembled at Trinity 
 College, where the Bishop still resided, on April 6th, 
 I80S. At this his Lordship proposed : — " That the 
 act, by which our late holy and revered Diocesan con- 
 stituted S. Ninian's, Perth, to be the Cathedral of this 
 united Diocese, be ad interim accepted by this Synod, 
 pi-ovided — (a) that such arrangements be made as may 
 settle the Chapter upon the basis settled below {i.e., a 
 Dean with at least £200 a year secure ; two Canous 
 with £100 a year each, resident; and the Dean of the 
 Diocese as ex officio a Canon non-resident) ; (6) that 
 such other modifications be made in the existing Con- 
 stitution as the Bishop may think necessary, according 
 to the method, which the Constitution provides for its 
 own revision." This was the important part of the 
 Bishop's proposals. He now invited free discussion on 
 the general principle. 
 
 The Rev. G. Lyon bi S. Andrews moved an amend- 
 ment, to the effect "that, as there is no recognition of 
 Cathedral Churches with Deans and Chapters by the 
 Canons of this Church, it is incompetent for this 
 Diocesan Synod — or, if competent, inexpedient — to 
 acknowledge S. Ninian's, Perth, as anything more than 
 an ordinary Chapel of the Diocese ; and, therefore, the 
 question of recognising it as a Cathedral, even ad 
 interim, be postponed, until the subject be taken up 
 by a General Synod." 
 
 The Rev. W. Blatch of Pittenweem seconded the 
 amendment in a long speech. His first argument was 
 that, as they had all along been opposed to the 
 
336 Episcopal Histon' of Perth. 
 
 Cathedral, they would be stultifying themselves by 
 accepting it now. His second, that, as Cathedrals were 
 not in the Canons, it was incompetent even for a 
 Bishop to propose to create one. His third, that, as 
 the Church was so poor, it was inexpedient to spend 
 so much money as would be requisite on one under- 
 taking. His fourth, that in no case could they offer 
 to the Cathedral dignitaries " that learned leisure, 
 which was one great object, he believed, of kindred , 
 institutions in England." His fifth, that there were 
 no Cathedrals in America. His sixth, that the scheme 
 would excite the hostility of the Presbyterians. 
 And his seventh, that the Eitualism of Kome was not 
 to be tolerated. 
 
 The Rev. A. Lendrum followed, and replied to each 
 of these arguments at some length. (1) The Synod, 
 having never been consulted on the Cathedral question, 
 could not be stultifying itself, if it now expressed 
 approval of the scheme. (2) Cathedrals had only 
 disappeared from the Church's system against her will 
 at the Revolution : the Canons only professed to 
 regulate what was practically in existence in the year 
 1838, when they were drawn up : the fact, therefore, 
 that Cathedrals were not mentioned in them could not 
 be held to forbid them. (3) To create enthusiasm for 
 one large scheme would, so far from paralyzing effort 
 in other directions, stimulate Church life in a variety 
 of ways.. (4) "Learned leisure,'' in Mr. Blatch's sense, 
 so far from being the use, was the abuse of Cathedrals. 
 (5) Although there were no Cathedrals in America, a 
 movement in favour of erecting them was in progress 
 there. (6) As for the Presbyterians, he held that they 
 would speak w-ell of the Church only so long as it 
 did nothing. (7) As for Ritualism being a stumbling- 
 
Result of Synod. 337 
 
 block, the fact that foui- or five years ago there were 
 only 20 or 30 members belonging to S. Ninian's, whereas 
 now there were 200, proved the contrary. 
 
 When all the members of the Synod, and some of 
 the Laity (whom the Bishop, for the first time, had 
 invited to be present), had spoken, and spoken with 
 great fulness, the curious result appeared that all, who 
 had been hostile to his election, supported his present 
 proposal, and all, who had supported his election, were 
 hostile to his present proposal. Under these circum- 
 stances his Lordship evidently felt that he could count 
 on the concurrence of the Synod in his policy. His 
 late opponents were conciliated, and the present dissent 
 of his electors would not be carried so far as 
 active opposition to his plan, should he persevere with 
 it. Accordingly he summed up as follows : — " So then 
 I am prepared to defend the act of my revered 
 predecessor to a certain extent. I am prepared to 
 maintain its legality ; but I am not prepared to uphold 
 either the wisdom or the charity of all the steps, by 
 which it has been brought to its present condition." 
 And he concluded thus : — " I shall give my best con- 
 sideration to everything that has been stated here 
 to-day. I had no intention of putting anything to 
 the vote on the present occasion. I shall do the best 
 I can against the time of our next Synod." 
 
 Altogether the meeting had passed successfully off. 
 The Scottish Magazine, which was the organ of the 
 Cathedral party, remarked: — "Although this Synod 
 was assembled to consider a most knotty point, we are 
 happy to say that throughout the whole proceedings 
 the utmost fairness prevailed." It also congratulated 
 the Bishop on the happy idea of inviting the presence 
 of the Laity. 
 
 V 
 
338 Episcopal History of Pei'th. 
 
 So now two of the Bishop's requirements had been 
 met, the financial question was settled, and the pre- 
 liminary concurrence of the Synod obtained. His 
 Lordship therefore addressed himself to his thinl 
 demand, viz. : — That a new Constitution should bo 
 adopted. *Accordingly, with the help of the Rev. John 
 Jebb, Prebendary of Hereford, he set to work to prepare 
 a new draft of Statutes. His leading idea in doing 
 this was that the Chapter should no longer be an 
 imperium in imperio ; a close corporation, independent 
 of the Bishop and the Diocese. This seemed to strike 
 at the root of the primitive functions of a Cathedral. 
 He desired, on the contrary, "to maintain the unity 
 and singleness of Diocesan Episcopacy : not according 
 to the mediseval plan of checks and counterpoises of 
 Government (which arose in part out of the aggrandizing 
 spirit of the Church of Rome)." Accordingly his uev.- 
 Code depressed the power of the Chapter. They were 
 no longer to have the appointment of the Dean, Canons, 
 and other officials exclusively in their own hands ; 
 they were no longer to be the sole ■ originators of all 
 business at the meetings ; they were no longer to have 
 power to increase and decrease the number of stalls at 
 their pleasure ; in fact, the initiative in the government 
 of the Institution was to be no longer theirs. They 
 were to act strictly under the Bishop, whose powers 
 were therefore largely increased : he was to be no 
 longer passive, and merely sanctioning or vetoing what 
 came up to him from the Chapter. He was to be the 
 ordinary president of the Chapter ; he was to initiate 
 all business there ; he was to have the power of pro- 
 ceeding against the members of the Chapter for 
 
 * Bishop's Address to Special Synod of 1873; Annals, vol. ii., 
 152-6 ; Humble's Letter, pp. 63-73. 
 
Statutes of 1853. 339 
 
 insubordination, etc., and of making new laws or 
 altering the Statutes, provided he obtained a two- 
 thirds majority. As regards the Clergy of the Diocese 
 they were to be so connected with- the Cathedral that, 
 the Patronage of the (chapter having been done away, 
 the five oldest Presbyters in the Diocese were always 
 to be invited to become Prebendaries. Thus every 
 school of thought would have an opening. As for the 
 Scnttish Communion Office, though he would not interfere 
 vi-ith its actual 'exclusive use, yet, it must not stand 
 on the formal Statutes of the Cathedral, that any 
 Canonical Service, such as the English Office, was to 
 be constitutionally excluded. 
 
 When this Code had taken shape, copies were sent 
 to all the Bishops, to the Clergy, and to the leading 
 Laity of the Diocese, and suggestions invited. The 
 answers received were altogether extremely favourable. 
 
 Thus armed, the Bishop summoned another meeting 
 of the Synod at Glenalmoiid for July 6th.* It assembled 
 accordingly. Morning Prayer was said in the College 
 Chapel at 9 a.m., and the Litany sung at noon, the 
 Service concluding with the Holy Communion, according 
 to the Scotch Office. Immediately after Service the 
 Bishop and his Clergy took their appointed places- in 
 the Ante-chapel, where the Synod was formed ^nd 
 solemnly constituted with Prayer. i 
 
 After some preliminary business, the subject of " 'Hie 
 Position of S. Ninian's, Perth," came up. During the 
 course of a long address the Bishop remarked 'tKat he 
 had thoroughly considered the transa0fOns of the 
 last Synod, and that he now submitted'' to them his 
 new Draft of Statutes. He begged also to state that 
 " he would have made no progress whatever had it not 
 * Report of Ordinary Synod of 1S5S. 
 
340 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 been for the forbearing, considerate, and truly charitable 
 spirit, in which he was met by the Clergy and other friends 
 of S. Ninian's, and especially by Mr. Boyle:" he pleaded 
 for an exhibition of the same spirit on the other side. 
 Proceeding to give answers to all the objections 
 against the Cathedral that had been made at the last 
 Synod, he first developed Mr. Lendrum's argument 
 in favour of the legality of reviving Cathedrals : " it 
 was sufficient in this connection to say that what once 
 existed in our Church, and what she never of herself 
 repudiated or condemned, it cannot be against her 
 authority to restore." He next proposed to change the 
 title of the head of the Cathedral from " Dean " to 
 " Provost," in order that there might be no confusion 
 between the Dean of the Diocese and the Dean of the 
 Cathedral. Eventually he hoped that both offices 
 might be united in one person ; meantime " Provost " 
 was an ancient ecclesiastical designation. The alteration 
 with regard to the Scottish Liturgy was then explained. 
 Thus he put the thing in legal shape before them. 
 But now for an answer to the alleged inexpediency of 
 the project. It would work, he said, far more damage 
 to destroy an institution that has reached the present 
 dimensions of S. Ninian's, than to accept it on reason- 
 able terms ; by accepting the Cathedral " they would 
 encourage their best friends, give a new impulse to 
 other schemes, and take one of the most effectual steps 
 to secure peace amongst themselves." As for the 
 danger of Ritualism, the Cathedral Clergy were now 
 on the same footing as all the other Clergy of the 
 Diocese, and the Bishop would keep a vigilant watch 
 over them. His Lordship ended with an exhortation 
 to remember the importance and sacredness of the 
 question before them. 
 
Synod accepts Cathedral. 341 
 
 The Dean of the Diocese then moved : — " That the 
 Draft of Statutes for S. Ninian's, Perth, which the 
 Bishop has submitted to our deliberate counsel, be 
 unanimously approved and accepted by this Synod. 
 That the foregoing resolution be passed subject to the 
 approval of the next general Synod." 
 
 A full discussion having ensued, the resolution was 
 carried unanimously. 
 
 Thereupon the Bishop requested the Provost of S. 
 Ninian's to take the place which had been accorded 
 to him by the Synod, i.e., on his left hand, as second 
 in rank in the Diocese. The meeting then closed with 
 expressions of good will on the part of his Lordship 
 towards the Cathedral, and of thankfulness that such 
 a conciliatory spirit had been shewn on all sides in 
 discussing this burning question. 
 
 Certainly each party made real sacrifices in order 
 to meet the other half way. The Chapter had accepted 
 a Constitution, which was understood by the Synod greatly 
 to curtail their power, and, on the other side, the 
 Bishop and Diocese had accepted a Foundation, which 
 A\'as originalljf the creation of their opponents. So far 
 the Church might be congratulated on the course, 
 which- events had taken in the Diocese. 
 
 The Bishop, therefore, at last closed with the invita- 
 tion formerly mentioned, and was enthroned in the 
 Cathedral on S. Matthew's Day (September 21st), 185S. 
 He preached an eloquent sermon upon the occasion, 
 his subject being " S. Matthew ati example for Scot- 
 land." It was afterwards published with the following 
 dedication : — "To the Very Eev. John Torry, M.A., 
 Dean of the United Diocese, &c., and to the Very 
 Kev. E. B. K. Fortescue, M.A., Provost, and the 
 other members of the Chapter of the Cathedral Church 
 
342 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 in Perth, the following discourse, being the first, that 
 has been preached at the enthroning of a Scottish 
 Bishop for nearly two centuries, is affectionately 
 inscribed." 
 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 how matters went in perth during bishop 
 Wordsworth's first three years, 1853-6. 
 
 ITaving now narrated the reconstruction of the 
 Cathedral and its acceptance by the new Bishop and 
 the Diocesan Synod, let us leave these constitutional 
 questions and watch the establishment at work, con- 
 fining our view to the period, Avhen the Bishop resided 
 elsewhere than Perth. 
 
 Fortunatelj", it is characterized by an admirable 
 spirit of conciliation and consequent harmony. It 
 almost seemed as if the Fair City, having endured the 
 advent of the Tractarians and the onset of their 
 opponents, had already got over the epoch of con- 
 troversy, which marked the history of the Scottish 
 Church in the third quarter of the Nineteenth Century. 
 
 That this time of peace, however, was not gained 
 without some sacrifice soon appeared ; for Canon 
 Chambers found the new regime so uncongenial that 
 he sent in his resignation, which was accepted by the 
 Bishop. He certainly was a great loss. It was he, 
 who had originally gathered the Congregation together, 
 and we saw at the time of the Consecration what his 
 brethren of the Clergy and the leading Laity thought 
 of that work. To this day — that is, forty years after 
 the date, with which we are dealing — he is remembered 
 with respect and affection by the oldest members of 
 of the flock. It is related that, some years after he 
 resigned, one of our Perth people called on him in London, 
 and found him with his coat off in the garden, and 
 
344 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 that, when he looked up and suddenly recognized his 
 friend from S. Ninian's, he could scarcely restrain his 
 tears. Canon Haskoll also ceased to reside, not 
 approving of the recent changes. The two vacant 
 stalls were filled by the Revs. J. Sellar and R. 
 Campbell, who were to oversee the educational part 
 of the work. 
 
 The other Cathedral Clergy were also called upon 
 to put a considerable strain upon their loyalty to 
 the Bishop, but they yielded, if not gladly, yet at 
 least quietly. They had, as we have seen, taken the 
 utmost pains to study the subject of Ritual and to 
 make theirs as correct as possible. But at the demand 
 of their Ordinary they now made the following changes 
 in their use, " painful " as they confessed they were 
 to their feelings :* — (a) During the Introit the Celebrant 
 was to kneel at the North side, instead of in the 
 midst of the Altar. (6) The Celebrant was to receive 
 kneeling, (c) Not to Communicate with less than one. 
 (d) No lighted candles, (c) Choir not to go to the Nave 
 to hear the Sermon. (/) Offertory Sentences not to 
 be sung, (g) No singing during the Commimion of 
 the people, (h) The sacred vessels to be covered with 
 fair linen cloth instead of the silk veil before the 
 second Celebration. As for the Eastward Position, it 
 was the Bishop's own practice at this time in the 
 College Chapel, and therefore no objection was made 
 to its continuance in the Cathedral. 
 
 These preliminaries having been amicably arranged, 
 our Prelate paid his first visit to the Cathedral during 
 the Glenalmond summer holidays of 1853. It was 
 upon a week day, and his Lordship sat amongst the 
 Congregation. On August 29th, after returning home, 
 * Humble's Letter, pp. 7, 73. 
 
Bishop commends Cathedral. 345 
 
 he wrote as follows to Provost Fortescue : — *"I must not 
 omit to say how extremely pleased I was with all I 
 have seen of your Church Services (including the early 
 Service), both morning and evening, when I was in 
 Perth. 1 certainly never was present at any Celebration 
 of Divine Service which I liked — to speak with all 
 reverence — so well." And to Mr. Boyle he wrote in 
 the same strain. He thought the Cathedral Services 
 were simpler than many, and therefore better : "simpler, 
 he meant, from the use of Gregorian chants, and that 
 not only for the Psalms, but also for the Canticles, in 
 place of the elaborate and too often undevotional (so- 
 called) Services found in English Cathedrals, and from 
 the use of a plain hymn in place of the Anthem : 
 better, because the Choir was composed, for the most 
 part, of a better class of boys, carefully trained under 
 the Pi'ovost's own eye in his own house, while the 
 Organist was known to possess superior qualifications 
 for his office.'' And as for. the low celebration of the 
 Eucharist in the early morning, the Bishop liked it, 
 " because it was not of a character highly ritualistic. 
 Nothing but the plain Service plainly read, or rather 
 rehearsed from memory by the Provost; not in the 
 Choir, but in the North Transept, with no singing or 
 ritual of any kind, and with a congregation of say 
 half-a-dozen of all ages — such as in those days I 
 commonly joined in, when I was staying in the Cloister 
 at Westminster." 
 
 Their Diocesan having thus shown himself amongst 
 the Congregation, the latter felt that the way was now 
 open to address him on a certain point, t They claimed 
 the right of nominating their own Pastor, now that 
 
 * Address to Synod of 1873, p. 25. 
 
 "f Some Considerations respecting S. Ninian's. 1873, pp. 40-2, 34. 
 
346 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Mr. Chambers had retired. In a letter to Dr. White 
 the Bishop replied, pointiDg out that this claim was 
 inconsistent -with the new Constitution, which placed 
 the Patronage in the hands of the Bishop. A letter 
 from the Provost to his Lordship both closed the 
 discussion and shewed that not only the Cathedral 
 Chapter but also the Congregation were prepared to 
 yield to their Father in Christ. The Provost said : — 
 "It will, I am sure, afford you as much pleasure to 
 learn, as it does me to communicate, that those 
 present (forming a very distinct majority of the whole 
 body) unanimously agreed heartily to accept your 
 decision on the matter of the Patronage of the pastoral 
 care of the Congregation assembling in the Cathedral." 
 A slight counterbalancing concession on the part of 
 the Bishop was also acquiesced in. His Lordship had 
 suggested "the addition of one or more members to 
 the present number of lay Trustees, to be elected by 
 the Congregation," and the Provost reported that the 
 latter had agreed to the suggestion. 
 
 *In 1854 the Bishop (who had received the degree of 
 D.C.L. from Oxford University honoris causd) made a 
 short stay in Perth. " We returned," he says, " early 
 in September to our lodging in Kose Terrace — a 
 pleasant situation facing the North Inch, with the 
 glorious Tay flowing full in' view, and the woods of 
 Scone Palace spreading to the north-east." 
 
 On S. Matthew's day, the first anniversary of his 
 enthronement, he held the annual Synod in the 
 Cathedral. Besides this assembly there was also a 
 Visitation, by which was meant a combined meeting 
 of Clergy and Laity. It had occurred to the Bishop 
 that the latter ought to have a more prominent place 
 * For what follows, see- Annals, vol. ii. 
 
Primary Charge. 347 
 
 ill the Councils of the Church than was then accorded 
 to them. The addition of a Visitation therefore to the 
 purely clerical Synod seemed to him to be the best 
 way of meeting the difficulty under the circumstances. 
 At the latter there was a Sermon delivered by the 
 Provost. The Bishop reserved his charge for the 
 larger assembly. It was the first of that long series 
 of remarkable utterances on the subject of Union 
 between the Episcopal and Presbyterian Communions, 
 which were destined to make his name a household 
 word in Scotland. " At the close of the two days," 
 he says, " which were spent in the business of our 
 Synod and Visitation, it was remarked, publicly, and 
 I believe with perfect truth, that greater harmony of 
 sentiment, or more perfect evidence of cordial and 
 brotherly affection, could scarcely be conceived than 
 had been shewn amongst us." The Bishop also delivered 
 a striking series of Lectures on his favourite topic in 
 the City Hall. 
 
 Before the autumn was over he left for Bournemouth, 
 and in November the Provost's Father wrote thus to 
 him : — " Your residence in Perth has been a great 
 blessing to the Church and neighbourhood. My son's 
 letters have been filled with accounts of the advantages 
 resulting to the Cathedral and population from your 
 presence and preaching." And, even now (forty years 
 afterwards), there are those who can recal the crowds 
 that used to resort to the Cathedral to hear him at 
 this time. We may be sure that it was with con- 
 scientiously elaborated and intellectual discourses that 
 he edified them. He was a truly eloquent man. 
 
 After having settled his family at Bournemouth for 
 the winter, the Bishop returned in a few weeks to 
 Muthill, and then, about Whitsunday, 1855, having 
 
348 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 been rejoined by his household, toolc up his residence 
 at Birnam Cottage, Dunlceld. "While here," he says, 
 " I frequently went into Perth for the Sunday, to 
 preach either at S. Ninian's or at S. John's — especially 
 at the latter, the Incumbency of which was then 
 vacant, through the resignation of Mr. Wood." 
 
 " On one such occasion,'' he continues, " I was met 
 with a curious illustration of the effect which our 
 worship, as then conducted at the Cathedral, was 
 likely to have upon the minds even of the more 
 respectable portion of the humbler orders in Perth. 
 I was travelling outside the Inverness Mail from 
 Dunkeld, before the days of Highland Kailways, late 
 one Saturday evening, in order to preach at S. Ninian's 
 on the day following, and I had as a companion an 
 elderly and intelligent woman, whom I took to be the 
 wife of a small farmer, who had interested me by the 
 sensible and religious tone of her conversation. She 
 had no suspicion who I was, for the night was dark 
 and stormy, and I was wrapped up closely in travelling 
 costume ,; and, as we came to our journey's end, the 
 coach had stopped to allow a passenger to dismount at 
 the corner of the street opposite the Cathedral (which 
 had a light in the sacristy, probably for choral 
 practice). Pointing to the building, she said to me — 
 ' Were you ever in that place 1 ' and, without waiting 
 for an answer, continued — ' I was once there, but never 
 intend to go again. When I came out, I said to 
 myself, / wonder now whether they know what they have 
 been about, for I'm sure I don't 1 ' There was no' ill- 
 nature in the remark ; it was merely the simple record 
 of her own experience." 
 
 The Synod of this year (1855) was again held in the 
 Cathedral, and it will be interesting to quote the 
 
The Diocese. 349 
 
 following passage from the Bishop's Charge, in order to 
 show of what kind of a Diocese S. Ninian's was then 
 the centre : — 
 
 "In January, 1853," he saidy "the number of 
 Incumbencies in the Diocese was 16, now it is 20. 
 The number of souls in our several Congregations was 
 then returned as 2552 ; it is now 3239, making an 
 increase of nearly 700 — mostly, I should imagine, 
 arising from the children who have been added to our 
 schools. This will account for the smaller increase 
 (though still not inconsiderable), which appears in the 
 number of our Communicants. In 1853, they were 
 1132 ; in 1855, they are 1366. The increase in the 
 number of confirmed is not so large as might be 
 expected, being only the difference between 122 and 
 111; but this I attribute to the fact that during last 
 year (1853-4), being the first year of my Episcopate, 
 Confirmation had been administered to more than the 
 usual numbers. The return of the number of baptized 
 for 1853 was 91 ; for 1855, it is 213. The number- of 
 schools (which, though not returned in 1853, is known 
 to have been 9 in that year) is now 15, and the 
 number of children who attend them is 1193. I have 
 also added a column to the present schedule, which 
 exhibits the sum-total, both of the contributions made 
 by the Diocese to the Church Society, and of the 
 grants of all kinds made to the Diocese by the Church 
 Society. The former amounts to £371 3s. 7d. ; the 
 latter to £294 16s. 4d. : which leaves a balance in 
 favour of the Society of £77 7s. 7d., — a sum certainly 
 not greater than might reasonably have been expected, 
 considering the wealth and extent of this united 
 Diocese." The entire income of the latter for the year 
 was about £2500, and there were also four parsonages. 
 
350 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Ttirning now to the statistics of the Cathedral,* we 
 find that the number of souls was 519; of Communi- 
 cants, 121; that since 1853 there had been 137 
 Baptisms ; 25 Burials ; 40 Confirmed ; and only 1 
 Marriage is recorded, but possibly this return is 
 incomplete. " Reckoning by the number of Comniuni 
 cants," the Bishop said, " the Cathedral was thus the 
 third largest Congregation in the Diocese." Considering 
 that there was already the largest Congregation in the 
 Diocese (i.e., S. John's) in the Fair City, and taking 
 into account the prevailing prejudice against the 
 Church, it is evident that much earnest pastoral work 
 must have been done by the Cathedral Clergy in the 
 period under review. 
 
 At Whitsuntide, 1856, the Bishop left Dunkeld and 
 took up his abode at Pitcullen Bank, a commodious 
 house just out of Perth, on the east side, with grounds 
 pleasantly laid out. Here a new chapter of our 
 history opens. 
 
 * MS. Register. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 HOW THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR WAS WAGED, 
 1856-1886. 
 
 It has been so ordered by Providence, since the 
 Revolution of 1688, that whatever trials beset the 
 Disestablished Church of Scotland at large, they should 
 appear in their acutest form in Perth. In no district, 
 as we already observed, could the Presbytery have 
 been more severe towards the ousted Clergy than was 
 ours against those in this neighbourhood between 
 1689-1712. When the first Jacobite rising took place 
 in 1715, the Fair City had the doubtful privilege of 
 being made Prince James's headquarters. In 1716 
 our two Clergy had to fly the town, and the 
 subsequent penal laws pressed heavily on our people. 
 When Bishop Rose's death, in 1720, compelled the 
 Church at last to face the question of adopting a new 
 and permanent organization, nowhere could the result- 
 ing controversy have been keener or more prolonged 
 than it was here — from the dispute over the " College " 
 Bishop Norrie, to the schism of his party in the Fair 
 City in 1740. When the second Jacobite rising took 
 place in 1745, we had again the doubtful privilege of 
 providing headquarters for the Stuart Prince, and Mr. 
 Lyon, our Priest was hanged and disembowelled. The 
 subsequent repressive legislation further weakened our 
 cause by turning the anti-usage congregation into an 
 " English Qualified " charge, and had the further effect 
 of rendering the orthodox flock liable " to be 
 frighted at a shadow.'' The latter half of the 
 Eighteenth Century saw us afflicted with the continuance 
 
352 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 of the split, and the first half of the Nineteenth Century, 
 which in other places was marked by the reconciliation 
 of the separated bodies, produced in Perth the dis- 
 appearance of the orthodox and the thirty-six years' 
 triumph of the schismatics. The period 1846-1856 
 brought in, to be sure, a very substantial change of 
 fortune by the submission of the alienated Vestry and 
 the not unsuccessful launching of the Cathedral 
 scheme. But we have now reached a period, when 
 differences were again acute in the Church at large, and 
 we must be once more prepared to find that thej- 
 gathered more thickly round Perth, and stayed longer 
 there, than in other parts of the country. 
 
 To speak shortly, the controversies, upon which we 
 are now entering, were simply the exaggeration of 
 those, which we have already described as the results 
 of the coming of the Oxford Movement to our midst. 
 The Bishop, who looked upon it as his mission to 
 prevent the extravagances of Puseyism (as he con- 
 ceived them to be) from taking root in his adopted 
 country, had hitherto been too much occupied with 
 his duties as Warden and with the initiatory labours 
 of his Episcopate to devote his whole attention to 
 S. Ninian's, or even to take up his residence near it. 
 And on their side, the members of the Chapter, as 
 every true Churchman must, had been ready to make 
 even great sacrifices in order to meet the requirements of 
 their Diocesan. Birt now, by the latter's settlement 
 in Perth, the two parties were brought into close 
 proximity, and the result was that on his side the 
 Bishop felt that there was still something to be done 
 before his Cathedral was got into thorough working 
 order, and, owing to the progress ' of Ritualism in the 
 Church at large, this meant the abandonment of 
 
Bishop's Rights Limited. 355 
 
 certain practices, such as the Eastward Position, which 
 he himself had formerly considered lawful. On the 
 other side, the Cathedral Clergy reflected that they 
 had already made large concessions in their method of 
 conducting service, ^nd the new Episcopal demands 
 appeared to them i« the light of violations of the 
 Concordate, of 1853. We need not go into all the 
 ceremonial details, which the Bishop wished to have 
 changed, but the contro-ft^rsy lasted from 1856 to 1858. 
 To the question, how aould the Residentaries, who 
 had recognized the BishojD as actual head of the 
 Cathedral by the new Statutes of 1853, find a colourable 
 pretest for now resisting his 'requirements, the answer 
 is this — No doubt his Lordshjp's intention in formula- 
 ting the new Constitution, and the Synod's purpose 
 in agreeing to it, had. been to make the Diocesan 
 supreme even in details'. But the very clause, which 
 was intended to assert the Episcopal supremacy, really 
 placed definite limits to it.* " The Clergy uf the 
 Cathedral " (said the Statute) shall be subject to the 
 Bishop and amenable to canonical jurisdiction — pro- 
 vincial and diocesan — in all respects as the other Clergy of 
 the Diocese.'' Now, whatever the Bishop may be able to 
 effect in each of the Congregations of his Diocese by a 
 judicious use of his paternal authority and personal in- 
 fluence, it will not be disputed that he cannot issue and 
 
 *Iq fairness it must be remembered that the task of determining 
 the relative positions of Bishop, Provost, Residentaries, Non-resi- 
 dentaries, Chapter, Trustees, Synod, and Congregation in this, the 
 first Cathedral founded since the Reformation, was by no means 
 so easy a matter as outsiders may be disposed to imagine. The 
 circumstances of the great English Cathedrals were so different 
 that they could give little help. Experience was to be the great 
 teacher, and, as everyone knows, its methods of instruction are 
 not always pleasant at the time. 
 
354 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 enforce a formal Episcopal order against practices, which 
 are not contrary to the Rubrics and Canons. It followed, 
 therefore, that, in the present instance, those, who 
 commanded the majority of votes on the Chapter, were 
 within their formal rights, if, while submitting to the 
 Bishop's canonical jurisdiction, they began to demur to 
 his personal requests. This, at least, was the defence 
 of themselves, which they made. And, as we may be 
 sure that the Bishop was thoroughly persuaded that 
 he was acting iu accordance with the spirit of the 
 Statutes and of the Church's ritual, so we may believe 
 that the Chapter was conscientiously convinced that it 
 was acting lawfully for the good of Religion. Neither 
 party saw fit to bring the matter to a test before the 
 final Court of Appeal. 
 
 In the year 1858 the five Prebendaries, i.e., the Revs. 
 J. Torry (Dean), G. Milne, J. M'Millan, N. Johnstone, and 
 W. Farquhar, declared their disagreement with the 
 residentaries and their sympathy with the Bishop by 
 resigning their stalls.* 
 
 The controversy then took a wider scope, and the 
 fact was evidenced that the troubles at Perth were 
 only part of the larger movement going on all over 
 the country. In the same year, in which our Pre- 
 bendaries resigned, the Rev. P. (^heyne, Incumbent of 
 S. John's, Aberdeen, was at least temporarily suspended 
 from the exercise of his Priestly (though not Diaconal) 
 functions, on accoimt of the expression he had given 
 to high sacramental views. An agitation was also iu 
 progress against the Bishop of Brechin for his Charge 
 on the Holy Eucharist, which culminated in a some- 
 what mild sentence against him in March, 1860. 
 With a view to testifying their sympathy with the 
 * Humble's Letter, pp. 16, 97. 
 
Bishop leaves Cathedral. 355 
 
 beliefs of the accused Bishop and Priest, the Cathedral 
 Clergy drew up a declaration of their Faith* (although 
 without alluding to the legal proceedings), and it was 
 signed by 105 communicant members of the Congrega- 
 tion. Hereupon the Bishop, whose views, it was well 
 known, were adverse to those of Bishop Forbes on the 
 disputed points, ceased to attend the Cathedral, and 
 began, thenceforth, to officiate at S. John's. 
 
 This unfortunate climax had been preceded by the 
 resignation of Canons Campbell and Sellar and the 
 consequent closing of the Grammar School. Nevertheless 
 the communicants had increased during the four years 
 from 121 to 135; no less than 190 persons had been 
 baptized ; there had been 3 marriages performed, and 
 39 funerals taken.t 
 
 (2) 1860-1871.— With the termination of the Forbes 
 case in 1860, or at least with the General Synod of 
 1853, at which the English was accorded precedence 
 over the Scottish Office, as being of primary authority, 
 the period of the Eucharistic controversy may be said 
 to have come to an end in the Church at large. It 
 is a mistake to think of the incident as pure loss. It 
 directed men's minds to a question, which they had 
 not been in the habit of sufficiently considering, and 
 left them upon the whole with higher views. No one 
 would dream now of trying to procure a Synodical 
 condemnation of the views held by Bishop Forbes or 
 Mr. Cheyne. 
 
 But, whereas, before the great Controversy, the 
 revival had been due to a few ; now, after it was over, 
 fresh life seemed to stir everywhere. And, doctrine 
 being out of the way, the form, which this revival 
 took, was a business one. 
 
 * Humble'e Letter, pp. 15, 97. t MS. Register. 
 
356 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 With the exception of the Friendly Society for the 
 widows and orphans of the Clergy and the Gaelic 
 Society of 1830, our Communion had been devoid of 
 any general financial organization until the foundation 
 of the Church Society in 1838. This, indeed, had been 
 a vast improvement upon everything that had gone 
 before ; but by the year 1853 it was in a retrograding 
 condition, and in 1862 the annual income, which it 
 had to distribute, was only £2888. The year 1864, 
 however, marked a wonderful renewal of vitality.* New 
 i-egulations were adopted by the Society, and some- 
 thing like £16,000 were collected in the twelvemonth. 
 This, to be sure, was a special effort, which could not 
 be kept up, for in 1867 the receipts had fallen to 
 £8366. But, when this tendency to decline became 
 apparent, good w-as brought out of evil, for thoughtful 
 men began to enquire into its cause, and they perceived 
 that they had been running on lines too entirely 
 financial and business. The idea, therefore, took shape 
 that the Church would prosper more, if she were to 
 provide, not only for her own existing wants, but also 
 to gird up her loins for spiritual work of an aggressive 
 kind. It was hoped that, if her funds were treated as 
 the widow of Zarephath treated her oil and her flour 
 {i.e., given to others), a greater blessing would rest upon 
 herself. Hence sprang our Home and Foreign Mission 
 Movements, which ultimately brought such strength 
 to our ecclesiastical life. The year 1864 was also 
 marked by the repeal of the humiliating restriction of 
 the Relief Act of 1792. Henceforth Clergy in Scotch 
 (Orders became eligible for livings in England. 
 
 Active controversy, indeed, ceased in Perth with the 
 Bishop's withdrawal from the Cathedral in 1859, but, 
 * Scottish Guardian, 1864, p. 233. 
 
Chapel of S. Andrew. 357 
 
 alas ! it was Impossible for the new blood, which was 
 now coursing through the veins of the Church, 
 to make its way hither. So long as the relations 
 between the Diocesan and the Cathedral authorities 
 were so strained, the Institution, however strong 
 its case might really be, could not look for 
 public confidence in itself. And though the zeal of 
 Provost Fortescue and Canon Humble, who could go 
 on year after year with their bauds at the plough, 
 despite the heavy burden of their Bishop's displeasure 
 (unjust as, from their point of view, it appeared to 
 be), is worthy of admiration, yet it is not to be 
 wondered at, if they made little headway. Still, there 
 was an annual average of 33 baptisms in the Congre- 
 gation ; 26 candidates were coiafirmed in 1864 ; a new 
 school was acquired in 1865 ; and the Bishop occasion- 
 ally preached* in the Cathedral pulpit. 
 
 As for S. John's, it was a large and influential 
 Incumbency, quietly pursuing the even tenor of its 
 way ; but after the Bishop had been there about six 
 years, he was convinced that the exclusive spirit of 
 Congregationalism pervaded its members.t There was 
 plenty of wealth amongst them ; and, as they found 
 it so easy a thing to keep the Services going for them- 
 selves in a successful manner, they failed to realize 
 how necessary it was that they should help to support 
 the struggling mission congregations of poor people, 
 which were now springing into existence. The Bishop, 
 therefore, severed his particular connection with them, 
 and endeavoured to stimulate the Mission movement 
 in Perth by building the Chapel of S. Andrew* near 
 the Station, where, with the help of the Rev. James 
 
 * Some Considerations^ p. 25. 
 
 t Claims of the Poorer Brethren — a .sermou, 1866. 
 
358 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Christie, he began to officiate in 1868 in an always 
 crowded Church. He also delivered a course of 
 lectures in the City Hall in April, 1865. 
 
 In 1869 the Earl of Glasgow, who, along with Lord 
 Forbes, had already done so much for the Cathedral, 
 began to pay £400 per annum as a voluntary augmen- 
 tation, over and above the £200 for which he had 
 become responsible in 1853. 
 
 In 1871 Provost Portescue resigned his post, and 
 shortly afterwards seceded to the Church of Eome. 
 In announcing the fact to the Synod at S. Andrew's 
 Mission, the Bishop said :* — " Of Mr. Fortescue's uniform 
 courtesy and kindness to myself personally — and I am 
 sure I may say, as far as private intercourse extended, 
 to us all — and of his devoted fidelity to his own con- 
 victions upon all matters of public and official duty, 
 it would be impossible for me to speak too highly. 
 That his convictions led him, as statutable governor 
 and superintendent of our Cathedral, into a line, in 
 which few of you I believe were able to concur with- 
 him, and from which, as his Diocesan and Ordinary of 
 S. Ninian'.s, I felt obliged, no less conscientiously, to 
 withdraw, my countenance — this was a source of no 
 little distress, I am sure, to us both ; and it must be 
 added, I fear, of weakness to the Church throughout 
 the Diocese, and especially in Perth." 
 
 (3) 1871-1876. — The vacancy of the Provostship, and 
 the fact that only one member of the Chapter, i.e., 
 Canon Humble, now remained, seemed to open the 
 way for a fresh start. 
 
 The arrangement, which first commended itself to 
 the Bishop, was that " he should take upon himself 
 the duties of the Provostship for two years without 
 
 * Charge, 18/1, pp. 5-6. 
 
^ Provost Burton. 359 
 
 remuneration ; that the Precentor should retain the 
 senior stall with the title of Vice-Provost."* This 
 proposal, however, which had some obvious advantages, 
 came to nothing. After some correspondence, therefore, 
 with the Earl of Glasgow, the Bishop, as sole Patron, 
 offered the vacant post to Mr. Shute, who was 
 acceptable to that nobleman. After a fortnight's 
 consideration, Mr. Shute declined the offer. What 
 followed is best told in the Bishop's own words. " The 
 fact," he said, " that Mr. Burton had already laboured 
 for upwards of 20 years in the Diocese (at Blairgowrie, 
 Alyth, and Meigle), and consequently could not fail to 
 know more or less concerning the difficulties of the 
 post, and how those difficulties had arisen — this fact, 
 combined with the confidence, which I had reason to 
 feel in his ability, his learning, his conciliatory dis- 
 position, and, above all, in his faithfulness, appeared 
 to me to give him a superior claim ; and I am glad 
 to say that, after due consideration, he was induced 
 to undertake the office." " The Dean also, and Mr. 
 Johnstone, who withdrew from S. Ninian's fourteen 
 years ago, have, at my urgent request, consented to 
 act again as Prebendaries ; and, imder the difficulty of 
 determining the true term ' Presbyter of the Diocese,' 
 as used in the Constitution, six other seniors have 
 been added to the list of Prebendaries, pro hac vice, 
 instead of four, viz. : — the Eevs. H. Malcolm, J. Douglas, 
 a. Forbes, L. Tuttiett, W. Bruce, and W. Minniken." Also 
 the vacant Lay Trusteeships were filled by John Grant, 
 Esq. of Kilgraston ; Sir Patrick Keith Murray of 
 Ochtertyre ; and John Stirling, Esq. of Kippendavie. 
 
 tBy Canon Humble's advice the Congregation now 
 reasserted their right to appoint their own Pastor ; 
 * Synodical Address, 1872, p. 4. f Some Considerations, p. 40. 
 
360 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 but this claim was met by a reference to Provost 
 Fortescue's letter, by which, at the settlement of 1853, 
 the Congregation had recognized the Bishop as Patron. 
 The matter, therefore, went no further. 
 
 His Lordship now attended a morning Service at 
 the Cathedral, and began to preach there at night 
 regularly.* 
 
 Thus there seemed to be prospect of a new and 
 more prosperous state of affairs. But unfortunately 
 the events of 1856-1859 were precisely re-enacted. 
 +The new Provost began in a way, which was calculated 
 to please the Bishop. He abandoned a good many 
 points of ritual, which, it seems. Provost Fortescue 
 had lately been introducing after visits paid to Eng- 
 land and the Continent. And then he decided to 
 make the settlement, reached at the re-founding of the 
 Cathedral on the Bishop's accession in 1853, the rule 
 of his Services. That is, he went back to the state 
 of affairs, which prevailed before the Bishop settled in 
 Perth in 1856. 
 
 But as the latter objected in 1856 to what he had 
 (as he maintained, provisionally,) sanctioned in 1853, 
 so now again he found fault with that comparatively 
 reduced Ritual. Amongst other points he wrote to 
 the Provost saying, "(1) Your use of the chasuble in 
 the Altar Service, and (2) your eastivard posture in 
 the earlier part of that service and down to the Con- 
 secration Prayer, I consider objectionable." 
 
 The result was therefore exactly the same as it had 
 been under similar circumstances thirteen years pre- 
 viously. Provost Burton and Canon Humble were able to 
 gain a majority of votes in Chapter for the interpretation 
 of the Statutes, which had been formerly asserted, and 
 * Some Considerations, pp. 15, 42. + 76., pp. 14, 16. 
 
' Death of Canon Humble. 361 
 
 oil his side the Bishop prolonged his previous attitude. 
 Accordingly, he discontinued his resumed attendances 
 at the Cathedral (1876), and went to reside in 
 S. Andrews, leaving the Chapel, which he had built 
 near the Station, under the charge of the Incumbent 
 of S. John's. 
 
 This latter Congregation, indeed, as coming before the 
 public with the confidence of the Bishop, was *"no 
 longer (1873) able to accommodate all the applications 
 that were made for sittings, and the few pews that 
 were reckoned free, even if not forestalled by the 
 military, as mostly happened, were utterly insufficient 
 to meet the ordinary demand." But S. Ninian's 
 just held its own. The late Provost's secession 
 to Eome had been a severe blow to the Congre- 
 gation, and, to make matters worse, although Canon 
 Humble's zeal continued unabated (as testified by 
 his exclamation, that " he would live and die for 
 the Cathedral "), yet it was becoming apparent that 
 his health was in a far from satisfactory condition. 
 In the year after the catastrophe (1872), there are 
 only 8 Baptisms recorded ; but, by 1875, they had 
 gradually risen again to 22, and this gives a fair 
 indication of how matters were , going. 
 
 On Fehruary 7th, 1S7G, Canon Humble, who had 
 been ordered to a warmer climate for the sake of his 
 health, died in San Remo, at the age of 57. Dr. 
 Freeman, who attended him, relates that, when he was 
 sitting up for the fourth night with his patient, the 
 latter remonstrated with him and urged him to take 
 some rest. The physician at last yielded, and went to 
 his own house. At a certain hour of the night, 
 however, he woke up suddenly, and, looking at his 
 
 * Addrtss to Chapter, 1873. 
 
362 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 watch, said to himself: "Canon Humble died just now; 
 if I had been awake I should have seen him." On 
 dressing and going out, he found that his suspicion as 
 to the fact was exactly true. The funeral took place 
 at San Remo. At home, the east window of the 
 Cathedral was filled with stained glass in his memory. 
 
 From all accounts, Canon Humble appears to have 
 been a strong man. Local tradition considers that it 
 was his powerful will that enabled the two successive 
 Provosts to continue administering the Cathedral, 
 through evil report and good report, during twenty 
 years, on lines opposed to those demanded by the 
 Bishop. He had considerable knowledge of Ritual 
 and of Canon Law, and was the author of several 
 pamphlets, including A Letter to the Bishop of 
 S. Andreivs (1859); Convocation and the Scotch 
 Liturgy (1862); The Rights of the Faithful Laity 
 (1870) ; The Administration of Canon Lato (1873). 
 
 (4) 1876-1886. — We have now reached the last, and, 
 indeed, a mild phase of the " thirty years' war." 
 From Canon Humble's death till 1878, Provost Burton 
 was single-handed. In that year, however, the vacant 
 stall was at last filled. The new Canon and Precentor 
 was the Rev. Donald J. Mackey, B.A., Cantab., who, 
 notwithstanding his name, was an Englishman. His 
 previous clerical history consisted of Ordination in the 
 Diocese of London in 1868, 'and service as Chaplain in 
 India from 1870 to 1878. His ecclesip,stical views 
 were similar to those of his predecessor, and he con- 
 tinued that Priest's attitude towards the Bishop. By 
 arrangement with the Provost he confined his attention 
 at the Cathedral to the duties of the Precentorship, 
 the pastoral work of the Congregation being otherwise 
 provided for. Canon Mackey was thus able to devote 
 
Canon Mackey. 363 
 
 some of his energies to literature. He contributed 
 articles to several ecclesiastical Magazines ; published 
 Diocesan maps of England, Ireland, Scotland, and India; 
 composed a Communioyi Service in A ; compiled the 
 Scottish Report for the " Official Year Book of the 
 Church of England ; " and last, but not least, wrote a 
 " Life of Bishop Forbes." This last has scarcely had 
 justice done to it. According to the terms of that 
 Prelate's will, the time had not yet come, when his 
 MSS. could be put at the disposal' of the public, and 
 our Author has therefore been blamed for the im- 
 perfection of his Biography. But this is hardly fair. 
 What he proposed to do was to compile a "Life" of 
 the Bishop out of such nlaterial as had already been 
 printed, and this (if we except some remarks on 
 Bishop Wordsworth introduced into the Appendix) he 
 accomplished very successfully. Until we can have a 
 story based on private and original sources, it is 
 satisfactory to have the materials already existing 
 collected and put into order. In 1883 Canon Mackey 
 organized a Diocesan Choral Festival at the Cathedral, 
 and the Bishop accepted the invitation to preach on 
 the occasion. 
 
 The same year (1878) that brought our second 
 Precentor to Perth saw another addition to the 
 clerical staff there. 
 
 But to understand the exact natiu-e of the appoint- 
 ment, a slight retrospect is necessary. The following 
 letter, therefore, from the Rev. Canon Bruce, Dunimarle, 
 is quoted to explain the situation : — 
 
 "In reply," he says, "to your query regarding the 
 provision for supernumerary work in the Diocese before ^ 
 1878, I think I may say that there was none at all. 
 When I came to the Diocese nearly 47 years ago it 
 
364 Episcopal Histoiy of Perth. 
 
 was not so customary as it is now for the Clergy to 
 take holidays. There were hardly any railways ; 
 travelling by coach was costly ; and clerical work 
 was taken more quietly and easily than now, so that 
 the Clergy did not greatly suffer from the tear and 
 wear of over-exertion. Sometimes two brethren would 
 exchange for a fortnight or so — the rural parson and 
 his family going to some seaside place, while the sea- 
 board neighbour migrated with his belongings for the 
 same period to the landward Parsonage. But this 
 was not very common. Sometimes a Clergyman from 
 England would come on a visit to some country family, 
 and would kindly take the duty for a Sunday or two, 
 so letting the Incumbent away for a fortnight or three 
 weeks. This was the way, by which I got most of 
 my holidays while I was at Dunfermline. Then 
 latterly there were two or three retired Clergymen in 
 the Diocese. These would occasionally take a Sunday's 
 duty ; and there were also one or two stray parsons in 
 Edinburgh, who might be had on an emergency. 
 But, before the date you mention, I do not think there 
 was any regular provision for the taking of occasional 
 duty." 
 
 It was now determined, however, to make such 
 provision. . A Presbyter was to be attached to the 
 Cathedral, who, while working there during the week, 
 should be at the Bishop's disposal for duty in any 
 part of the !Diocese upon Sundays. Accordingly, the 
 Rev. S. B. Hodson, an Englishman, who had passed 
 through the Theological course at Glenalmond, and 
 was at present Curate of S. Mary Magdalene's, Dundee, 
 accepted the offer of the post. He was shorth' after- 
 wards installed as a Canon. To him the pastoral 
 oversight of the Congregation was delegated by 
 
Canon Hodson. 365 
 
 Provost Burton, and in this sphere he did an excellent 
 work. Owing to the illness and death of Canon 
 Humble and the two years, during which the Provost 
 had been left single-handed, the number of Communi- 
 cants in 1878 was not more than 60. In a few years 
 Canon Hodson's zeal in connection with parochial 
 visitation, the School, the Men's Club, and other 
 organizations raised the number to fully double what 
 he found it on his arrival. Another satisfactory result 
 also flowed from this Priest's labours. His duties as 
 Supernumerary took him not infrequently to S. 
 Andrews, and there he was so happy as, not only to 
 secure the Bishop's confidence in himself, but also in 
 some degree to restore his interest in the Cathedral, 
 from which he had been so long absent. The con- 
 sequence was that the Diocesan Synods began once 
 more to be held here in their natural home. In the 
 spring of 1883 Canon Hodson, at the Bishop's request, 
 undertook the opening of a Mission at Newport-on-Tay, 
 and, therefore, resigned the position which he held in 
 Perth. 
 
 In September of the same year his place was filled, 
 on the joint appointment of the Bishop and 
 Provost, by the Eev. George T. S. Farquhar, M.A., 
 at that time Curate of S. Mary Magdalene's, Dundee. 
 The new Assistant-Presbyter and Supernumerary made 
 it his endeavour to follow in the steps of his pre- 
 decessor, and to hope that the partial agreement, 
 which had been practically come to between the 
 Bishop and the Cathedral would ere long be 
 thoroughly completed. At Easter, 1885, the number 
 of those, who communicated in the Cathedral, was 116. 
 
 The reason why Provost Burton almost entirely 
 delegated the Pastoral work of the Congregation in 
 
366 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 these later years to his subordinates was to be found 
 in the state of his health. This was causing much 
 anxiety to those about him, and by the year 1883 he 
 was obliged, under medical advice, to spend the 
 winters in the south of England. At last, on July 
 8th, 1885, the end came rather suddenly. On the 
 Sunday previous he had taken his usual part in the 
 Cathedral Services, celebrating the Holy Cpmmunion 
 and preaching, but on Wednesday he became ill, and 
 died on Thursday at his residence of Newfargie, in 
 Glenfarg. On the following Monday the body was 
 brought to the Cathedral and received by the remain- 
 ing Clergy and a number of Communicants. Watch 
 was kept, chiefly by relatives, all night, and on the 
 following morning Canon Mackey celebrated the Holy 
 Eucharist. At 1 p.m. the Burial Office was begun in 
 the Cathedral by the Dean of the Diocese (Johnstone), 
 and ended at the grave in Wellshill Cemetery 
 by the Bishop. There was a considerable number 
 of mourners present, and the Choir sang their 
 portion of the Service. Provost Burton's memory 
 is recalled with affection by all, who knew him. 
 Although, on coming to Perth- in 1871, he had been 
 drawn into the contest between the Bishop, on the one 
 side, and Canon Humble and Lord Glasgow on the 
 other, and (contrary to his previous sentiments) had 
 been led to take part with the latter, he was person- 
 ally a man of peace, and possessed of a kindly and 
 amiable nature. As, under his auspices, monuments, 
 in the shape of a Reredos and the stained glass of 
 the east window, were erected to the memories 
 respectively of Bishop and Dean Torry and of Canon 
 Humble, so also ought something to be done to per- 
 petuate his name in the Cathedral, over which he presided. 
 
S. John's. 367 
 
 While dealing with this subject, it will be appropriate 
 to anticipate the course of events by a few months, and 
 to record the fact that Canon Mackey resigned in 
 October of the same year. His health also had given 
 way, and, after holding one or two brief appointments in 
 England, he was taken to his rest in the spring of 1 888. 
 
 The chief event, which occurred at S. John's during 
 this'period, was the resignation of the Rev. W. Blatch in 
 1879, on receiving preferment in England. Under him 
 the Congregation had been in a quiet but flourishing 
 condition, the only weak point being (in the Bishop's 
 words) that *" the sittings were mostly let at a rate 
 above the means of those who were in humbler life, and 
 about 200 of them practically excluded from public 
 worship." Mr. Blatch was succeeded by his Curate, the 
 Rev. Carl Weiss, who had at one time been a German 
 Evangelical Pastor. 
 
 * Claims of the Poorer Brethren, p. 10. 
 
CHAPTER XXXYII. 
 
 HOW A NEW START WAS MADE, 1885-1889. 
 
 The opportunity of making an entirely new start at 
 the Cathedral, which had once already come to Bishop 
 Wordsworth in 1871 and proved fruitless, had again 
 presented itself to him, when his age was now almost 
 exactly fourscore. This time he had no thoughts of 
 himself assuming the Provostship. On August SOth, 
 1886, therefore, he offered the vacant post to the Rev. 
 V. L. Rorison, M.A., Incumbent of Forfar, who accepted 
 the nomination. 
 
 The new Provost (a Scotchman) was the son of the 
 Rev. Gilbert Rorison, LL.D., Incumbent of Peterhead, 
 (who, as we saw, had attended Bishop Torry on his 
 deathbead, and who was the author of the well-known 
 hymn " Three in One," and of the Essay on " The 
 Creative Week," in " Replies to Essays and Reviews.") 
 Mr. Rorison was born in 1851 ; educated at Trinitj' 
 (!ollege, Glenalmond, and at Aberdeen University, 
 where he graduated. He was ordained in 1874 by 
 the Bishop of Aberdeen (Suther), and elected early in 
 1875, while still a Deacon, to the important charge of 
 Forfar. During his tenure of that post a new Church 
 was built free of debt, costing £10,000, and more than 
 600 persons were confirmed. At Christmas, 1875, the 
 communicants there numbered 89 ; when he left at 
 Christmas, 1885, they numbered 435. 
 
 A fortnight after his appointment, however, what 
 appeared to be a fatal blow fell upon the Cathedral. 
 
A Catastrophe. 369 
 
 Althoiigli the Earl of Glasgow heartily concurred in 
 the appointment, the days of that generous Nobleman's 
 influence had come to an end. For, owing to some 
 crisis in his private affairs, it was found that the 
 whole of the endowment, to the amount of £8750, 
 which, it was universally believed, he had made over 
 to the Cathedral, was no more available. Combined 
 with the effects of the "thirty years' war,'' as related 
 in the last chapter, this sudden loss of nearly all the 
 external support, on which the Cathedral leaned, rendered 
 it possible that it might have to be closed, like 
 Cumbrae College, which was involved in the same 
 disaster. Mr. Rorison, who had not yet resigned 
 Forfar, could honourably enough have now retired from 
 all connection' with the Provostship. 
 
 But, having said that he would undertake the post 
 when the weather seemed fair, he would not withdraw, 
 simply because the sky had become suddenly overcast. 
 Indeed the Bishop had many years before expressed an 
 opinion, which seemed strange at the time, that *"he 
 wished to see Lord Glasgow released from some portion 
 of his yearly contribution, which ought no longer to 
 be required in full." He had always been of opinion 
 that there would be a termination of the Cathedral 
 difficulties, if the institution were no longer almost 
 entirely dependent on one man's munificence, but if 
 the necessar}' income were to be provided by the 
 Diocese at large. The catastrophe, therefore, he 
 thought, might ultimately prove to be a blessing in 
 disguise. These sentiments were so far shared by 
 the Provost designate that, while deploring the mis- 
 fortune of the generous Earl and regretting the loss 
 of his support, he trusted that, despite all that had 
 * Synodal Address, 1873, p. 31. 
 
370 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 occurred, the Diocese would rally to the aid of their 
 Cathedral in the day of its distress. 
 
 It was while matters were in this doubtful state 
 that the Precentor, Canon Mackey, resigned, as 
 related in last chapter. Inasmuch as the endowment 
 of his stall had happily been secured to tha 
 Cathedral by Lord Forbes, about £200 a year was 
 now set free, and would suffice to keep the work 
 going until the Diocese had obtained time to fill the 
 gap caused by Lord Glasgow's failure. 
 
 Accordingly, on November 26th, the Rev. G. T. S. 
 Farquhar, M.A., who, as we have seen, was already 
 attached to the Cathedral in the capacity of Diocesan 
 Supernumerary, was appointed to the vacant Canonry, 
 it being understood that he should also retain his 
 Supernumeraryship. The new Precentor was the son 
 of the Rev. W. Farquhar, M.A., of Pitscandly, Forfar 
 (one of the Prebendaries who resigned in 1859, and 
 author of a learned work, " Prelacy not Presbytery "). 
 Mr. Farquhar was thus a Scotchman, like the new 
 Provost, and also a former pupil of Trinity College, 
 Glenalmond. He had graduated at Keble College, 
 Oxford, in 1882. 
 
 Despite the misfortune, therefore, Service was kept 
 up without a break, and the Congregation cared for 
 during the necessary months of anxious waiting. At 
 Christmastide there were about 100 persons, who 
 communicated. Such was the flock which had sur- 
 vived the thirty years' war. 
 
 Before the festival that long period shewed unmistak- 
 able signs of being at a full end. By this time it had 
 been ascertained that the Diocese, or at least many 
 of its prominent members, were truly anxious to do 
 all that was possible to set the finances of the 
 
Turn of the Tide. 371 
 
 Cathedral on a satisfactory basis. As a result of this 
 favourable disposition on their part, the Bishop came 
 to Perth on December 16th, and formally installed the 
 Provost, who subsequently, at the same Service, 
 installed the Precentor. The whole Chapter was also 
 once more re-constituted, the list of Prebendaries 
 being as follows : — Eevs. H. Malcolm, B.A., Dunblane ; 
 J, J. Douglas, B.D., Kirriemuir; L. Tuttiett, S. Andrews; 
 W. Bruce, B.D., Culross ; Hon. John Baillie, M.A., 
 Cupar Fife, Senior Canon of York. On the death of 
 the last of these, his place was taken by the Rev. 
 R. Cole, M.A., Doune, Synod Clerk. 
 
 At the beginning of 1886 the leading Laity, amongst 
 whom the Earl of Strathmore was prominent, were 
 forwarding the cause of the Cathedral so successfully 
 in the Diocesan Council, that the Provost was at last 
 justified in formally resigning his Forfar Incumbency, 
 and coming to reside in Perth. This was towards the 
 end of February, by which time an income of £300, 
 and £100 to help with the Services, had been 
 guaranteed by the Diocese. 
 
 The tide had at length turned, and it was soon 
 observed with joy that it bore promise of being a full 
 one. Shortly after the Provost had come into residence, 
 the Scottish Guardian published the following para- 
 graph : — " All friends of the Diocese will be glad to 
 hear that affairs at the Cathedral are looking bright. 
 The Provost has only been in Perth for a week or two, 
 but on Sunday the Cathedral was filled with large 
 congregations, both forenoon and evening. Altogether, 
 although he is quite clear that one, who is buckling on 
 his armour, ought not to boast as one that taketh 
 it off, he declares that things are looking very 
 hopeful, and all the more so, as the Bishop is soon 
 
372 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 coming to encourage us and ordain an assistant 
 Deacon." 
 
 Both in 1856 and in 1871 his Lordship's arrival had 
 been followed by outbreaks of the ritual controversy ; 
 but on the present occasion he assured the Clergy that, 
 although he did not wish to be quoted as responsible 
 for every custom observed at the Cathedral, yet it was 
 far from his desire to find fault with anything. The 
 Services were carried on by Provost Rorison just as 
 they had been at his predecessor's death. At the early 
 Celebrations the Eastward Position, Scotch Office, Linen 
 Vestments, Lights, Mixture, and Ablutions were con- 
 tinued, and at midday all these usages, with the 
 exception of the Vestments and Lights, were likewise 
 retained. In no quarter was any disposition shewn to 
 rekindle a dispute on such points. Henceforth there 
 was a thoroughly good understanding between the 
 Bishop and Chapter. 
 
 And so there was nothing, as in former instances, 
 to prevent the early promise of the Provost's incum- 
 bency bringing forth fruit. A new phenomenon 
 persistently appeared. The Cathedral was constantly 
 crowded to a surprising extent. The following descrip- 
 tion of the Christmas of 1886 may be taken as typical 
 of the state of affairs between that and Christmas 
 1889, that is, as long as the Congregation worshipped 
 in the Building as erected in 1849. " The Cathedral," 
 said the Scottish Guardian, " is always well filled on 
 Sunday mornings, and regularly everj' Sunday evening 
 it is simply crowded. But on the Sunday after 
 Christmas ' crowded ' is not the word to express the 
 state of affairs, because, though it quite expresses it 
 inside the building, it does not suggest to the reader 
 the knowledge of the fact that the crowding began 
 
The Church Popular. ^y^ 
 
 more than an hour before the commencement of the 
 Service, and that, all through that hour, numbers of 
 people were continually arriving, a great proportion of 
 whom, including many faithful members of the con- 
 gregation, had simply to turn and go home again. 
 And it was not only the Nave and Transepts, including 
 all the passages, that were crowded, and not only the 
 Chancel, including the very Altar steps, but, bitterly 
 cold though the weather was, the temporary entrance 
 porch as well." 
 
 And this phenomenon shewed itself not only within 
 the walls of the Cathedral, but elsewhere also. For 
 the Provost, having been invited by the Ancient Order 
 of Foresters to preach a Sei-mon to them one Sunday 
 evening, foxmd that it would have been hopeless to 
 accommodate the assembly in the Cathedral. About 
 2000 people were therefore gathered together in the 
 City Hall, and took part in the devotions of the Book 
 of Common Prayer, the Provost officiating in his 
 Surplice. At the same hour the usual Evensong was 
 conducted in the Cathedral and S. John's in the 
 presence of what, not so long before, would have been 
 considered good congregations. No doubt this very 
 uncommon state of affairs partook to some extent of 
 the nature of a temporary wave of excitement. The 
 Church having been hitherto vexed by controversy; the 
 public had been able to ignore it, and now it had all 
 the novelty of a new discovery. But, even if it had 
 only been a temporary wave of excitement, yet, even 
 so, it would have been a remarkable occurrence. 
 Readers of this History will know only too well that 
 a fit of popular enthusiasm in favour of the Scottish 
 Episcopal Church in Perth had been an impossibility 
 for nearly 200 years. Evidently there had been 
 
374 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 a great change in the northern ecclesiastical atmos- 
 phere. 
 
 But it would be altogether a mistake to imagine 
 that the movement was merely a passing craze and no 
 more. In the first place, the Cathedral continued to 
 be overcrowded for, at least, the four years, with which 
 this chapter deals. In the second place, the candidates, 
 who presented themselves for Confirmation, were numer- 
 ous beyond precedent. In 1886 the Bishop administered 
 the Apostolic Ordinance to 34 persons; in 1887 to 62; 
 in 1888 to 40 ; in 1889 to 37 : that is, in all, to 173 
 people. And this number is, of course, exclusive of 
 members of other congregations, who received the 
 laying-on of hands here. In the third place, that this 
 addition to the communicants was not merely formal 
 is evident from the fact that whereas, as we have seen 
 at Christmas, 1885, the number of those, who knelt at 
 the Altar, was about 100, it was pretty nearly 250 in 
 1889. Nor can any one rightly say that these 
 Confirmations and Communions were merelj' formal, 
 because it is God only, who sees the heart, and there 
 was every sign of spiritual earnestness about the 
 worshippers. And lastly, we may point to the solid 
 and lasting results, which sprang from the new state of 
 affairs, and which will be recounted in the next 
 (Chapter. 
 
 During this pei-iod two candidates were ordained to 
 the Diaconate and Priesthood, and afterwards licensed 
 to serve as Chaplains at the Cathedral. These were 
 the Rev. W. Arbuthnot, now Chaplain at Taymouth, 
 and the Rev. F. Smith, now Rector of S. Luke's, 
 (xlasgow, and both did good work while they were 
 here, the latter being the successor of the former. 
 Such help was all tlie more needed, as the Provost 
 
The Cathedral School. 375 
 
 was prostrated by an illness in 1889, which obliged 
 hira to be absent for six months. 
 
 As an appendix to this Chapter, we may conclude 
 with a short sketch of the fortunes of the Primary 
 .School attached to the Cathedral. Previous to the 
 Education Act of 1872, the headmaster for 2.5 years 
 had been Mr. Joshua Stott, who was known as 
 a strict disciplinarian and a good teacher. He was 
 succeeded by one of his pupils, Mr. Leslie Macdonald, 
 who brought the School into a high state of 
 efficiency. But, as if misfortunes never come single, 
 just at the very time that Lord Glasgow's support 
 failed, the Education Department sent notice that 
 our Buildings were condemned. Amid the general 
 crash, there appeared to be no other course but to 
 make preparations for reluctantly closing the establish- 
 ment. The teachers were therefore informed that their 
 services would no longer be required after the next 
 Inspection. Thereupon Mr. Leslie Macdonald accepted 
 the headmastership of Jedburgh Church School. Mrs. 
 Campbell, however, struggled on at the request of the 
 Managers, although by this time merely a handful of 
 children remained. But, just when the end seemed 
 certain and near, the Earl of Strathmore intervened 
 with his influence and his purse, and the School was 
 saved. A substantial stone building, in accordance 
 with government requirements, was erected. Mr. 
 Kobert Macdonald, another of Mr. Stott's former 
 jnipils, was engaged as headmaster, with Miss Helen 
 J. Dorward (succeeded in 1893 by Miss E. Sim) as 
 Mistress of the Infant Department. Thenceforth, under 
 their efficient control, the School, with an average 
 attendance of over 200 (213 in 1893), has been enabled 
 to pay its own w^y without recourse to subscriptions. 
 
376 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 except at first. It is certainly not the least valuable 
 work done in connection with the Cathedral. In the 
 Board Schools Keligion may or may not be a part of 
 the education given. The play of Hamlet, in fact, 
 may be represented without the Prince of Denmark. 
 But by means of the Cathedral School, and that in 
 connection with S. John's at S. Andrew's Mission . 
 Chapel, witness is borne in Perth to the sadly forgotten 
 principle that no education is complete, which, even 
 while providing to perfection for the intellectual and 
 physical development of those submitted to its training, 
 ignores and neglects the need of doing something (and 
 doing it under Christ) for the spiritual element in 
 their nature. Nor have the working classes hitherto 
 failed to respond in an encouraging manner to the 
 uprightness of the Church's intentions towards them 
 in this matter. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVIIl. 
 
 HOW THE NAVE OF THE CATHEDRAL WAS 
 BUILT, 1886-189O. 
 
 Considering the financial disaster, which had occurred, 
 and also the fact that, so far, the only remedy forth- 
 coming was an income of no great magnitude temporaril}- 
 guaranteed by the Diocese, the friends of the Cathedral 
 now desired to provide something permanent. A certain 
 amount of progress was accordingly made towards the 
 creation of an endowment and the building of a Provost's 
 residence. 
 
 But this movement was for the time brought to a 
 standstill. The unexpectedly large additions to the 
 Congregation, which have been described in the last 
 chapter, pointed to the imperative necessity of at once 
 securing further accommodation in the Cathedral. 
 The Provost, therefore, determined that the matter 
 should be brought before the Diocesan Council. After 
 communicating with the Bishop, he accordingly laid 
 the subject before the meeting in October, 1886, at 
 which there was a considerable attendance of Clergy 
 and Laity. In the absence of his Lordship and the 
 Dean, the Earl of Strathmore was appointed Chairman. 
 After the transaction of other business, the following 
 letter from the Bishop was read : — 
 
 *" I am sorry that I shall not be able to be with you 
 
 in Perth to-morrow, but it must not be supposed that 
 
 my absence is due to indifference to the cause,, for which 
 
 For the quotations in this Chapter, see the Scottish Gimrdiaii. 
 
378 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 your meeting is to be held. I am very anxious that 
 everything should be done that can be done to help 
 S. Ninian's out of its difficulties, and to place it upon 
 a firm and satisfactory basis ; and I am glad and thank- 
 ful that such a harmonious spirit has been shewn, 
 both by the Clergy and Laity of the Diocese, to 
 endeavour to accomplish that result. It is greatly to 
 be wished that the Congregation should be in a position 
 to do more for itself ; and, with that view, / begin to 
 look forward to the ti?ne, ivhen the building shall he 
 completed, as a condition almost indispensible towards 
 permanent and effectual improvement in that respect." 
 
 A long and interesting discussion followed, in which 
 the necessity and advantages of enlarging the edifice 
 (which, it will be remembered, consisted at that time 
 only of the Chancel, quasi-Transepts, and one Bay of 
 the Nave) were dwelt upon by several speakers. The 
 Provost urged the meeting to consider the endowment 
 fund, and the project of a residence for himself as of 
 secondary importance in the meantime. An estimate 
 for the completion of the Nave, without the two western 
 towers, was submitted. From this it appeared that 
 the cost would be about £3000. It was eventually 
 agreed unanimously : — 
 
 " That the Council resolves to turn its attention 
 specially to the enlargement of the Cathedral by the 
 completion of the Nave in accordance with the original 
 designs, the present accommodation being altogether 
 inadequate." 
 
 It was further resolved : — 
 
 " That the Council authorizes the transfer from the 
 endowment fund of any donations, which the donors 
 prefer to give to the building fund." 
 
 Before the meeting closed one subscription of £250, 
 
Appeal for Funds. 379 
 
 two of £100, and one of £50 (soon afterwards doubled), 
 were intimated. This gave a start and spirit to the 
 movement. 
 
 A small sub-oommittee, which was appointed, drew 
 up the following appeal : — 
 
 " The accompanying report of the meeting of the 
 Diocesan Council, held iu Perth on October 29th, fully ex- 
 plains the grounds, on which we appeal for funds to aid in 
 the completion of S. Ninian's Cathedral, so as to make it 
 more worthy of the name, and also more efficient as 
 the Cathedral of the Diocese. The 'practical necessity 
 for the enlargement of the building, so as to 
 accommodate the members desirous of attending the 
 Services, has now become a matter for serious and 
 immediate consideration ; and it is believed that the 
 expenditure of comparatively so small a simi as £3000, 
 which is the estimated cost of the proposed extension 
 of the Nave, will make the Cathedral not only more 
 useful and seemly, but, as indicated in the last 
 paragraph of the letter written by the Bishop of 
 S. Andrews, and quoted in the report above referred 
 to, will enable it, to a much larger extent than is at 
 present possible, to contribute to its own support. — 
 Strathmore, Lay Representative (i.e.. Elector) ; A. Hay 
 Drummond, CromlLr ; Y. L. Rorison. Provost of the 
 Cathedral ; T. T. Oliphant, Hon. Treasurer ; P. Stirling, 
 Kippenross ; F. Buchanan White, Lay Ilejyresentative ; 
 C. L. Wood, Fredand." 
 
 Along with this appeal a letter from the Bishop was 
 circulated, in which his Lordship emphasised the resolu- 
 tions of the Council and the statements of the Com- 
 mittee, and added : — 
 
 " Under these circumstances, it appears to me to be 
 a very plain duty to endeavour to carry out the 
 
j8o Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 scheme now proposed, and, with this view, I earnestly 
 and heartily recommend the foregoing appeal." 
 
 All those, who have read our History ffom the 
 beginning, will see that this meeting of the Diocesan 
 Council in October, 1886, was a very memorable one. 
 It afforded proof, on the one hand, that the contro- 
 versies of the middle of the century, which came to an 
 end in the Church at large about the year 1863, had 
 at last terminated, even in Perth ; and, on the other, 
 that the attitude of the general Presbyterian public had 
 undergone a very great change for the better towards 
 the disestablished Church. 
 
 It was one thing, however, to resolve to build the 
 Nave, and another to do it. There was the strongest 
 objection expressed from the first against having any 
 resort to bazaars, and such-like means of raising money. 
 It was felt that all, which should be subscribed for a 
 Cathedral, ought to be given directly and simply as, a 
 gift to the House of God. There was nothing, there- 
 fore, for it but to circulate appeals as widely as might 
 be ; and so, armed with the Committee's letter, as 
 endorsed by the Bishop, more than one person began 
 to ask for contributions, and that not altogether 
 unsuccessfully. But it is merely the barest justice to 
 say that all the other labourers in this good work were 
 completely out-distanced by the Provost. The energy, 
 with which he undertook the toil, and the success, 
 which crowned his efforts, not only delighted, bat 
 astonished, the fi-iends of the scheme. 
 
 The result was that, when the Diocesan Council re- 
 assembled in September, 1887, Mr. Oliphaut, as Hon. 
 Treasurer, was enabled to submit a report, from which 
 the following is a summarized extract : — 
 
 " The result has been satisfactory beyond expectation. 
 
Building Committee. 381 
 
 Up to the present date (ouh' ten months from the 
 date of the resolution), £2500 has been subscribed, 
 mainly owing to the untiring energy and personal 
 influence of the Provost ; and the Diocesan Standing 
 Committee, at a recent meeting, have come to ' the 
 conclusion that this Council wquld now be justified in 
 obtaining plans and specifications from the architect, 
 in accordance with the original designs, with a view to 
 commencing the work next spring, and carrying it on, 
 as far as the funds then in hand permitted." 
 
 After full discussion, the following resolution, moved 
 by Colonel Stirling of Kippendavie, and seconded by 
 Captain the Hon. A. Hay Drummond of Cromlix, was 
 unanimously agreed to : — 
 
 " That this meeting, having heard Mr. Oliphant's 
 report, are of opinion that the funds promised, and in 
 hand, are sufficient to warrant the building of the 
 Cathedral being proceeded with in spring, and that a 
 Building Committee be appointed, etc., etc." 
 
 The Committee was accordingly appointed, as follows : — 
 The Earl of Strathmore, Chairman ; the Very Rev. the 
 Provost ; T. T. (Jliphant, Esq., Secretary ; Patrick 
 Stirling, Esq. of Kippendavie ; C. L. Wood, Esq. of 
 Freeland ; Canon the Hon. .J. Baillie ; E. Baxter, Esq. 
 of Teasses ; J. B. Don, Esq. ; Sir Robert Moucreiffe 
 of MoncreifFe ; Henry Mercer, Esq. of Gorthy ; Rev. 
 Canon Malcolm ; C. T. C. Grant, Esq. of Kilgraston ; 
 Lord Forbes ; and to these were afterwards added the 
 Ji'iarl of Kinnoull and the Precentor. 
 
 In October, for the tirst time for fourteen years, there 
 was a meeting of the Chapter presided over by the 
 Bishop. The building, being vested in their name, it 
 was necessary that their consent shoidd be obtained 
 before the scheme was actually put into execution. 
 
382 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 It was, of course, given unanimously, — a recommenda- 
 tion being added that the matter should be so gone 
 about as that no debt should be incurred. 
 
 Mr. Butterfield now got his plans into working 
 order, and made the following announcement with 
 regard to an important change, which commended 
 itself to his judgment : — 
 
 " The west end of the Cathedral will abut so closely 
 on the wall of the Queen's Barracks, as to make a 
 western entrance impossible. One high western tower 
 takes the place, in the present design, of the two very 
 much smaller towers in the first plan. In the absence 
 of a central tower at the intersection of the Choir and 
 Nave with the transepts, it is felt by the architect 
 that a single tower is more suitable than two would be. 
 Two towers in that position demand a third, which, in 
 this case, does not exist. Neither of the two towers 
 in the first design would have been imposing features, 
 and in one only of them would there have been bells 
 to justify its existence. The single tower, with its 
 spire, as now proposed, is of imposing proportions : it 
 will be a commanding feature in any distant view of 
 the Fair City, and will serve for a full peal of bells." 
 
 To carry out this design in its entirety, it was 
 estimated that about £10,000 would be required. 
 Such a sum, indeed, was considered more than it was 
 prudent to aim at in the meantime. But, seeing that the 
 £3000 needed for the completion of the Nave, without 
 the western ToAver (which was the extent of their 
 original ambition), had now been nearly all promised, 
 the Building Committee resolved to endeavour to 
 collect another £2000, and carry the Tower, without 
 its Transepts, as high as the apex of the Nave 
 roof. 
 
Building Begun. 383 
 
 As therefore the appeals on behalf of the Nave had 
 been entirely successful, another effort must now be 
 made on behalf of the Tower, its Transepts, and some 
 necessary internal fittings. The Provost renewed his 
 exertions ; the Building Committee personally con- 
 tributed £1125 in addition to their previous donations, 
 and a Committee of the Congregation made themselves 
 responsible for £200 to be raised by any legitimate 
 means in their power. The consequence was that, 
 when the Diocesan Council met in August, 1888, Mr. 
 Oliphant was able to announce both that building 
 operations had been begun in Spring, and also that 
 the sum subscribed now stood at £4649. It was 
 thereupon resolved that not only should the Tower to 
 the height of the Nave roof be added to the original 
 working scheme, but also its Transepts and the 
 internal fittings, which were necessary. 
 
 So then from the Spring of 1888 there were not 
 only interesting discussions on the subject being held 
 in the Diocesan Council and appeals being vigorously 
 issued, but the contractors, Messrs. Fraser &, Morton 
 of Perth, were busily engaged in practical operations 
 at the Cathedral. It may possibly be considered 
 interesting hereafter by members of the Congregation 
 to know how the present site of the Nave and Tower 
 used to be occupied. That of the North Aisle was 
 filled by a temporary room, which was at first used as 
 the School and afterwards as the Library, and in 
 which Bishop Wordsworth delivered many of his 
 celebrated " Charges." He used to read them sitting 
 where there is now an archway leading from the west 
 door into the North Aisle. In the centre of the 
 present Nave used to stand buildings utilized for 
 Vestry and lesser Schoolroom, and the site of the 
 
584 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 South Aisle and Western Porch were parts of the 
 girls' playground and Schoolmaster's garden respectively. 
 
 At the beginning of 1889, while the Provost was 
 absent on account of his illness, and when the walls 
 had now risen to a considerable height, some anxiety 
 and delay were caused by the sinking of the Tower. 
 The cause of this was the excessively soft and 
 unsubstantial nature of the soil beneath the foundations. 
 The settlement, however, soon reached its limits, 
 and no more damage was done than could be 
 remedied. Mr Butterfield therefore ordered the Con- 
 tractors to resume operations, and by October the 
 Nave was so far advanced that the old temporary 
 west wall was pulled down. The new and the old 
 parts therefore formed, at last, one large Church, as it 
 it now. 
 
 At the usual Autumn meeting of the Diocesan 
 Council this year (1889), the Earl of Strathmore, who 
 had all along actively performed the duties of 
 Chairman of the Building Committee, made the 
 following observations, which will shew how the 
 finances stood at this time ; — 
 
 " Thej' must,'' he said, " express their thanks to 
 Mr. Oliphant for the very hearty way, in which he 
 had entered upon the report he had just given them, 
 and to the Very Rev. the Provost for the great 
 number of applications, which he had made, and the 
 money he had obtained by them. It had been rather 
 a hard work for the Building Committee to get on 
 with the funds up to the present time, since the 
 matter was first set on foot three years ago. There 
 was then a rough estimate that £3000 would be 
 needed, and everybody wondered how that would be 
 raised. Not only, however, was this now accomplished, 
 
The Nave Completed. 385 
 
 but they had raised the sum to about £5500, and 
 now all except the Spire would be completed." 
 
 The long-wished-for goal was thus nearly within 
 reach: at Christmas, 1889, the Cathedral was "ap- 
 proaching completion." It may here therefore be 
 recorded that, just as S. Giles', Edinburgh, was 
 restored after the completion of S. Mary's Cathedral 
 in that City, so now that S. Ninian's, Perth, was in 
 the same condition, the public began to hear of a 
 design to restore their old Church of S. John.* Our 
 Communion may be small in numbers, but there can 
 be no doubt that its presence in the midst of Scotland 
 has been the means of preserving the knowledge of 
 more than one article of the Faith, which would have 
 been forgotten without her. These present instances 
 of the renovation of true principles of ecclesiastical 
 building are matters of congratulation. For not 
 Eloquence, nor Music, alone have the power of setting 
 forth the Truth, but Architecture also can help in its 
 own degree to preach Catholicism, even to a rationalistic 
 generation. 
 
 But to return. Immediately before Easter the Nave 
 was completed, and Service was held in it for the first 
 time on that great Festival. The Building consists of 
 the original Choir, dwarf Transepts, and one bay of the 
 Nave, together with the three new bays of the Nave, 
 and the space under the Tower and its Transepts at 
 the west end. The new portion is, of course, in 
 harmony with the old as to style. The whole is 200 
 feet in length ; the Nave 70 feet in height and 50 
 feet in breadth. Although the funds at the Architect's 
 disposal were but small for the erection of a Cathedral, 
 yet it cannot be denied that, by throwing all his 
 ■*The Choir, or East Church, has actually been restored. 
 
386 Episcopal History of Perth, 
 
 strength into the general outline rather than on 
 elaborateness of detail, Mr. Butterfield has been 
 successful in producing a very stately edifice, decidedly 
 of a Cathedral, and not merely of a parochial 
 character. 
 
 And not only was S. Ninian's now completed, but 
 completed clear of debt. For at the meeting of the 
 Diocesan Council in Septemher, 1890, Mr. Oliphant 
 was able to make the following satisfactory report on 
 the finances : — 
 
 BuiLDiNQ Fund. — The total coat of Completing the Cathedral, 
 which, as all present know, had been consecrated a few weeks 
 ago, was £6842 9 9 
 
 1. The subscriptions prior to the 
 
 date of Consecration were, £5909 15 
 
 2. Grant from Walker Trustees, 500 
 
 3. Collection on day of Consecration, 258 6 3 
 
 4. Sums since received, 39 18 3 
 
 £6707 18 3 
 
 Deficit, £134 11 6 
 
 And as this deficit of £134 was at once cleared off by 
 the Lay Members of the Building Committee, there was 
 not a penny of debt left at the completion of the 
 arduous undertaking. 
 
 This will be the proper place to add that before 
 long at least another £1000 was spent on the 
 Cathedral. On the death of Mr. Carnegy of Stronvar, 
 who had been a generous contributor to the various 
 schemes, his son, the present Laird, filled in the great 
 west window with stained glass, by Burlisson and Grills, 
 to his Father's memory. The present Lord Forbes 
 also presented one of the Nave windows as a memorial 
 to the original Founders, Walter, Lord Forbes, and 
 the Earl of Glasgow. The collections, too, at the 
 
Poetical Appendix. 387 
 
 Children's Services, supplemented by offerings made at 
 Baptisms, sufficed to fill a second Nave window. 
 Somewhat later the Earl of Kinnoull presented a third 
 in memory of various members of his family. And om 
 the deaths of C. T. C. Grant, Esq. of Kilgraston, Lay 
 Representative, and of Henry Mercer, Esq. of Gorthy, 
 two of the Clerestory windows were filled in, as was 
 also a third by T. T. Oliphant, Esq., the Treasurer of 
 the Building fund. A tablet was ' also erected to Mr. 
 Grant's memory, and the Countess of Glasgow sub- 
 sequently presented a handsome Alter Frontal and a 
 Cope. Various other offerings from working people, as 
 well as from their richer brethren, were also made for 
 the Service of the Sanctuary. 
 
 Appendix to Chapter xxxviii. 
 
 The matter-of-fact narrative, contained in the Chapter, gives a 
 true account of the building of the Nave. And yet it is not 
 altogether true, inasmuch as it is not full. There was something else 
 at work all the time besides Committees on business and finance. 
 There was a religious enthusiasm animating the various workers 
 in the scheme. The story is not complete without some attempt 
 to chronicle this ; and, therefore, here follows a series of Sonnets 
 written at the time by the Precentor to express it — preceded by 
 a set of verses on the same subject by the Bishop ; — 
 
 Ad G. T. S. F. 
 Aedis S. Niniani apud Pertham Praecentorem et Poetam. 
 
 Solvere juheo te, Poeta jam noster. 
 si quod olim in Conditore Thebano, 
 Lapides canendo que movere oallebat, 
 Accidere posset, te canente tam belle ! 
 Turn quam repente surgeret Cathedralis 
 Perfecta moles ; tumque cordibus gratis 
 Quot vota cwlo solverentur exultim ! 
 Et qui Poeta es, Oonditor fores noster. 
 
 — Episcop. Swnct. Andr. 
 
388 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Translaiion. 
 All hail to thee, who art become our bard ; 
 
 1 that Am'phiou's wonder-working lyre, 
 Which built the walls of Thebes, might be transferred 
 
 To thee, who sing'st so sweetly ! All entire 
 How swiftly then would our Cathedral pile 
 
 Rise up ! How full would the exulting strain 
 Of thanks to Heaven be raised ! And thou, meanwhile, 
 
 " Building the lofty rhyme," would'st build our Fane ! 
 
 — Bishop of S. Andrews. 
 
 The Sonnets. 
 1. — On the prospect of seeing the Cathedral completed, 1886. 
 Through many tribulations must we go 
 
 Before to Heav'n's high kingdom we attain ; 
 Ifor must our feet reluctantly disdain 
 To tread the footsteps of our Master's woe. 
 By this the patient Church was taught to grow ; 
 Through many griefs her upward path hath lain ; 
 Nor least in Scotia hath she suffered pain — 
 Deprest and to a shadow's shade brought low. 
 But see ! God breaks her Scottish gloom at last : 
 At His command the long black night departs. 
 And the blue day returns. Awhile remain 
 To us, dear life ! . for here approacheth fast 
 
 The gladness longed for by our prayerful hearts — 
 The hope to see S. Niniau's' full-grown fane ! 
 
 2. — Prayer for the Cathedral in 1887. 
 
 Prevent us, Lord, with Thy continual aid. 
 In whatso'er we do ; but chiefly now 
 Advance the work, for which full many a vow 
 
 Ascends to Thee. May offerings still be made 
 
 For Thy dear sake, until, securely laid. 
 
 We see the last stone on the topmost row 
 Of these Cathedral walls, that all may know 
 
 A debt of love has here to Thee been paid. 
 
 And let not sin make void our future hours 
 With empty rites ; but kindle brightly here 
 In many souls the Faith's authentic flame. 
 
Cathedral Sonnets. 389 
 
 Add here one more to Zion's own true towers ; 
 O'er this new Fane shed grace, so rich and clear, 
 That it may spread the glory of Thy Name ! 
 
 3. — Building hegun 1888. 
 If 'tis enquired, wherefore I tune my lyre 
 
 To these Cathedral songs, I proudly say 
 
 That, while I'm weaving thus my humble lay, 
 I see an end to which I would aspire ; 
 For though 'tis much that other men should tire 
 
 Body and mind throughout the livelong day ; 
 
 And though 'tis much that they should give away 
 Their wealth to gain the end of our desire. 
 Yet there is left me one thing to fulfil — 
 One thing which, if it be beyond my skill, 
 
 Is yet a wise delight to have essayed : 
 I fain would leave a message to proclaim. 
 When I shall only be a bye-gone name. 
 
 With what deep joy were these foundations laid ! 
 
 4. — A reply to Sanhallat, Geshem, and Tohiah, 1888. 
 There are who view our dear Emprise with scorn, 
 
 And, never guessing at our inward glow 
 
 Of love, demand sagaciously to know 
 How we shall fill this Church each holy morn 
 When 'tis complete. But I have still forborne 
 
 To answer questions, which are seen to grow 
 
 From hearts whose stream of sympathy runs low. 
 And would not rise though we were left forlorn. 
 Since, when this growing Pile stands forth at length 
 
 A perfect whole, I hope perhaps that less 
 Shall we fill it, than it shall wondrously 
 Fill us with sense of soul-subduing strength ; 
 
 Fill us with sense of sacred loveliness ; 
 Fill us with sense of God's own Majesty ! 
 
 5. — On seeing the Masons at work, 1888. 
 
 Beside the Ministers of the South, 'tis true. 
 
 As fits the Northern Church of our small isle — 
 
 A Church all strange to this world's friendly smile — 
 
 Thou wilt seem slight, when strangers come U> view. 
 
 Nor will thy walls be rich with age's hue, 
 
390 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Nor kings bedeck ihee in their gorgeous style, 
 Nor ancient memories hang round each aisle, 
 But thou will be unhistoried and new. 
 Yet, though in many a way thou'lt be surpassed, 
 Let all the coming generations know 
 1 Thou art the birth of fervent Christian prayer : 
 
 Thy goodly columns, tall as some ship's mast. 
 Are traced by Christian hands, and as they grow, 
 I Our hearts rise with them through the upper air ! 
 
 6. — Suggested hy the Very Rev. the Provost's lUness. 
 
 Delightful task, indeed, to watch the hand 
 Of sturdy craftsman ply the skilful steel, 
 Compelling so the shapeless stones to feel 
 
 The pressure of his powerful blows, and stand 
 
 New-formed and comely as his purpose planned ! 
 Delightful, too, as ever upwards steal 
 The rising walls, to note the builders seal 
 
 Each well-hewn block in its appointed band ! 
 
 But ah ! the pain when we ourselves are stones. 
 And the great Builder of the Eternal Fane 
 Hews us and moulds us for its walls on high ! 
 
 His loving strokes are answered by our groans. 
 Until, at last, the soul's new form made plain. 
 We joy to own our heavenly destiny ! 
 
 7. — While watching the Masons at worTc, 1889. 
 
 A strong desire still moves me to behold 
 The slowly-growing fabric day by day : 
 I love to haunt the spot, and dreaniingly 
 
 Descry the finished vision all unrolled 
 
 Before my wistful eyes. Then uncontrolled 
 My sanguine fancy ranges on its way. 
 And sees the Church successfully essay 
 
 To don the glory, which was hers of old. 
 
 And yet do I desire this thing aright ? 
 
 Is there no mingling wish that I may then 
 Win reflex glory from the triumph gained ? 
 
 Put this thought from me. Lord, and by Thy might 
 
 Make love of Church one with the love of men 
 And of Thine Image in their souls revealed ! 
 
Cathedral Sonnet. 391 
 
 8 — Our point of vieio explained to Posterity, 1890. 
 
 Rejoiced to see those sacred walls arise, 
 
 In simple strains I sang my gratitude, 
 
 Proelaming that where once a sheep-fold stood, 
 This noble Pile now points us to the skies. 
 Whereon methought, " Such words will breed surprise. 
 
 Perchance, in future minds to learn what food 
 
 For rapture lay in this Cathedral — good. 
 Yet oft surpassed, where happier England lies." 
 But if the next age choose to m'arvel so, 
 I judge they have no bitter cause to know 
 
 How deep the Church can fall through adverse fate ? 
 For, if they felt what crushed our father's heart 
 They would not ask why, playing Jeshua'st part. 
 
 Our souls with humbler mercies grow elate ! 
 
 t See Ezra, iii, 'j. 
 
 Information derived from the Kilmaveonig MS. after the preceding 
 pages were in print : — • 
 
 (a) Add on p. 220, concerning the Rev. W. Jolly, that a, few 
 cimgregational subscriptions are recorded for 1786-7. 
 
 (h) To the proofs of the existence of the Congregation under 
 the Rev. A. Walker given on p. 234, add that seat-rents to the 
 amount of ^£26 are recorded for 1803, and to the amount of £16 
 for 1804 ; also that on Apr. 3, 1806, a meeting of the Congregation 
 was held to consider a letter from Bishop Watson, the result being 
 that subscriptions to the amount of £62 were proipised. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 HOW THE NAVE WAS CONSECRATED, l8gO. 
 
 Nothing now remained but to consecrate the newly- 
 raised edifice to God. Thursday, August 7th, 1890, 
 was selected as the memorable day for the performance 
 of this duty. The weather was fortunately all that 
 could be wished. It may have been fanciful, but 
 there were those to whom it occurred at the time, 
 that the bright summer sun, which smiiled upon the 
 completion of the labour, was a good omen, when 
 contrasted with the cold winter's, day on which the 
 older part of the building had been consecrated in 
 1850. 
 
 The religious services of the day were begun by an 
 administration of the Holy Eucharist according to the 
 Scottish rite, which had been the- sole Use of the 
 Cathedral since its foundation. The Celebrant was 
 assisted by the Eev. V. Fortesoue, a son of the first 
 Provost. At 11 o'clock the worshippers were ad- 
 mitted. Of these there were about 1000, and the 
 Nave was completely filled by a congregation drawn 
 from all ranks of Society. A very large number of 
 people had come from a distance, but places were also 
 reserved for members of the Congregation. It was 
 generally remarked that the arrangements for receiving 
 and seating the worshippers were carried out so 
 smoothly that there were none of the small worries, 
 which sometimes, on such occasions, disturb the 
 devotional atmosphere of Churches. 
 
The Procession. 393 
 
 The Bishops, Clergy, and Choristers robed in the 
 Schoolroom, and entered by the North-West door. So 
 long was the surpliced procession that a Priest, who 
 was coming down from Glenalmond to take part in it, 
 had only reached the Jubilee Building in the Dunkeld 
 Road, when he saw the leaders beginning to quit the 
 Schoolroom and enter the Cathedral, and yet he was 
 able to walk rapidly down, put on his robes, and fall 
 into his place amongst the rest. The order of the 
 Procession was as follows : — 
 
 Cross Bearer. 
 
 Tile Choir (about 60 in number). 
 
 Stranger Clergy (28 in number). 
 
 Diocesan Clergy (17 in number : others of them followed later). 
 
 The Warden of Glenalmond. 
 
 Three English Canons. 
 
 Two Scotch Canons. 
 
 Five Canons of the Cathedral. 
 
 Deans of Moray, Edinburgh, and S. Andrews. 
 
 The Very Rev. the Provost, 
 
 Bishop Mitchinson. 
 
 Bishop of Glasgow, and Chaplain. 
 
 Bishop of Edinburgh, and Chaplain. 
 
 Bishop of Argyll, and Chaplain. 
 Bishop of Aberdeen, and Chaplain. 
 
 Bishop of Moray, and Chaplain. 
 
 Bishop of Lichfield, and Chaplain. 
 
 Archbishop of Dublin, and Chaplain. 
 
 Bishop of Brechin, Primus, and Chaplain. 
 
 Bishop of S. Andrews, and Chaplain. 
 
 Rev. J. W. Hunter, Ceremoniarius. 
 
 It was a happy circumstance that not only were 
 English, Irish, and Scottish Clergy here mingled 
 together, but also that every one of the Scottish 
 Bishops was present. The opening voluntary, played 
 by the Organist, Mr. J. E. Piriie, was the Overture 
 
394 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 to the Messiah, after which, as the Clergy pro- 
 ceeded up the Nave, " I'he Ohurch'a One Fowndation,'" 
 was sung. Prayers were intoned by the Precentor, the 
 Responses being Tallis' Festival in 6. The Proper 
 Psalms were the 24th, 34th, and 87th. The first 
 lesson (Isaiah Iviii., 8 to end) was read by the Rev. 
 Prebendary Stephenson, Treasurer of Wells Cathedral, 
 and the Second {1 S. Peter ii., 1-10) by the Very 
 Rev. the Dean of Edinburgh. The Te Deum was 
 Dykes in F, and the Anthem {" T was glad") by Dr. 
 E. Bennet. Instead of the Collect for the day, the 
 Bishop of the Diocese said special prayers in which he 
 besought God " to accept the work of His servants' 
 hands, whom he had moved to erect and enlarge this 
 House." At the conclusion of Matins the formal 
 presentation of the deed of Consecration was made by 
 the Earl of Strathmore, as Chairman of the Building 
 .Committee, accompanied by Colonel Stirling and Mr. 
 T. T. Oliphant, as Diocesan Trustees for the Cathedral, 
 and Mr. C. T. C. Grant, as Lay Representative of the 
 Congregation. The document having been read, it was 
 signed by the Bishop upon the Altar. Thereafter, 
 prefaced by the Hymn " Word of God above" the 
 Communion Service was proceeded with. The Ofifice 
 used was that in the English '■' Booh . of Common 
 Prayer," the Bishop considering that this was required 
 by Canon upon such an occasion as the present. 
 To many it seemed a great pity that the distinguished 
 ecclesiastics from England and Ireland should have 
 been deprived of this opportunity of joining in the 
 grand and primitive Liturgy of the Scottish Church. 
 The Provost was the Celebrant, the Bishop of Moray, 
 Epistoler, and the Primus, Gospeler. The Sermon was 
 preached by the Right Rev. Dr. Maclagan, Bishop of 
 
Bishop of Lichfield's Sermon. 395 
 
 Lichfield (now Archbishop of York), who wore his 
 scarlet robes. 
 
 Taking as his text Eph. iii., 10, and after some 
 preliminary remarks, his Lordship said :■ — 
 
 " Look at the story of your own Church, the Church 
 of your forefathers — yours and mine. What a lineage, 
 what a heritage is yours ! Think of your own S. 
 Ninian, and of the place which he occupies in the 
 religious life of Scotland. Himself one of the few 
 survivors of an ancient Christanity well nigh extinguished 
 by a savage heathenism ; yet, destined to be one of 
 the spiritual forefathers, not only of the Church of 
 Scotland, but of Northern England also, and not the 
 least in my own Midland Diocese. It was through the 
 Church of S. Ninian ; through S. Columba and S. 
 Aidan ; , from Candida Casa, through lona and Lindis- 
 farne that my good predecessor, S. Chad, was sent 
 forth to restore the life of the Church in heathen 
 Mercia. Not through Augustine and his companions, 
 but through Scotland and her Saints, did the light of 
 the Gospel shine forth out of the darkness in that 
 ancient See now committed to my unworthy hands. 
 Its earliest Bishop was a Scot, who was succeeded by 
 another. I need not tell you, for you know better 
 than I, through what troubles and adversities your 
 Church has fought its way from the days of S. Ninian 
 to the present hour ; you know the cruel sorrows and 
 the sad mistakes, and the many failures, which have 
 marked its course ; but you know too the heroic faith, 
 the steadfast hope, the fervent love that from time to 
 time have been displayed by its persecuted members. 
 You do not forget the almost incredible restrictions 
 imposed upon its worship till within a century ago. 
 And, as you watch it now and mark its reviving life 
 
396 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 and power, even within one short lifetime, you may 
 well see in its growth and progress ' the manifold 
 wisdom of God.' You have behind you the record of 
 a great history. There lies before you the possibility 
 of a great future ; but it is beset by exceptional 
 difficulties. We find around us here as elsewhere great 
 religious communities, more or less powerful, and more 
 or less instinct with true spiritual life, who do not 
 appreciate the advantages we enjoy, nor realize the 
 blessing of our spiritual lineage and heritage. We 
 long that they may be with us, that we all may be 
 one ; but, for the time, the barriers seem almost in- 
 surmountable, and the estrangement remains. In 
 such a case we have special need of patience — I do 
 not say the patience of Job, but what is far higher 
 and more beautiful, the patience of God. His longing 
 for the oneness of His people is older than ours, older 
 and stronger and wiser ; and even in the delay of 
 our hope we must acknowledge ' the manifold wisdom 
 of God.' In His good time and in His own way the 
 blessing will come. Though it tarry, we must wait for 
 it, because it will surely come — it will not tarry." 
 After this, with an- exhortation to let the heavenly 
 watchers see us growing, not only in outward strength, 
 but also in inward devotion, the Bishop concluded his 
 , discourse, and the Holy Comtnunion proceeded (with 
 the addition of certain special and appropriate prayers, 
 said by the Bishop of the Diocese) to its usual 
 end. 
 
 In the afternoon a public luncheon took place in the 
 City Hall. About 400 persons were present. The 
 Provost presided, and was supported by the Bishops of 
 S. Andrews, Moray, Lichfield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, 
 Argyll, Mitchinson, the Archbishop of Dublin, the 
 
Bishop Wordsworth's Speech. 397 
 
 Earls of Strathmore, Kinnoull, Stamford, and Caithness, 
 Lord Provost Whittet, and many others. 
 
 Colonel Stirling of Kippendavie proposed the toast 
 of the Bishop of the Diocese. And it was certainly 
 not the least striking incident of the day's proceedings, 
 when the venerable Dr. Wordsworth, then in his 85th 
 year, rose amid great enthusiasm to reply. He said ; — 
 " Mr. Provost, my first duty is to thank Colonel Stirling 
 for the compliment he has paid me, and for the kind, 
 the far too kind, expressions, which he used, when 
 proposing my health. And next I have to thank you 
 all, Christian friends and brethren, for the very cordial 
 manner in which you have received it. But I have 
 other and more solemn thanks to render upon this 
 occasion — I have to thank our Heavenly Father for 
 having permitted me to live to see this day. While 
 almost everybody, whether clergyman or layman, 
 connected with the early days of our Cathedral — 
 though almost all, if not all, of them younger than 
 myself — have been called away, I have been spared. 
 There is, indeed, one more notable exception, and I 
 am sorry he is not with us today. I mean our 
 distinguished friend Mr. Butterfield, who has now the 
 satisfaction of seeing his noble specimen of pure 
 ecclesiastical architecture brought almost to its final 
 completion. And now, looking back for a moment to 
 the past, I cannot but remember that there have been 
 anxious times — times of difficulty, times of struggle, 
 and times, I regret to think, even of conflict : but 
 this, perhaps, was only to be expected, when men 
 equally earnest, but taking different views, were brought 
 together to carry out a new undertaking without being 
 agreed upon the principles, upon which it would be best 
 and most expedient to conduct it. For my own part, 
 
3g8 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 it has been my aim and endeavour all along that our 
 Cathedral should command the confidence, not of 
 one party only in the Church, but of all — that it should 
 be, as it professes to be in name, the Church of the 
 Bishop, "who if he is wise, will know nothing of " High " 
 or " Low " or " Broad " or " Narrow," but only what 
 is good and what is true. I wished it should be diocesan 
 m the fullest and widest sense — that is, as wide and 
 comprehensive as the Diocese itself. I have further 
 wished that it should be so administered that, not only 
 the Clergy, but also the Laity should feel an interest 
 in it — that they should be prepared to rally round 
 it and take pride and pleasure in its success. Such, I 
 am thankful to say, is now the case ; and, therefore 
 in looking forward to the future, I see nothing 
 but what is hopeful, nothing but what is encouraging, 
 and — which is better than all, and for which we are 
 mainly indebted to the many admirable qualities of 
 our Provost — nothing but what is harmonious. God 
 grant that no evil influence may ever arise, no untoward 
 accident ever occur to mar or to blight this cheerful 
 prospect. And if it be so, I shall feel I am handing 
 down to my successor an invaluable instrument, by 
 which he will be enabled to administer the affairs of 
 the Diocese far more effectually than it has been 
 in my power to do ; by which he will not only 
 be enabled to secure its welfare, but to promote 
 its growth and to turn its resources to better 
 account to God's glory and the good of His 
 people in this distracted land. I will not detain you 
 longer, but will once more thank you most heartily 
 for the good wishes that have been conteyed to me 
 in the toast which has been so kindly given and 
 received." 
 
The Provost's Speech. 399 
 
 When the applause which loudly greeted the Bishop's 
 speech had subsided, the Provost rose, and, after dwelling 
 gratefully at some length upon the benefactors of old 
 time, added, concerning the work so lately finished : — 
 " During these four and a half or five years they had 
 rather a stiff task before them, but from the beginning 
 there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God 
 had touched. Certain laymen of this diocese, who were 
 not content to dwell in ceiled houses, while the House 
 of God lay waste, had stood round him. They had 
 never suffered him to be defeated or thrown back in 
 his building, or in his work in any respect. When 
 he proposed the benefactors and founders of the 
 Cathedral, he would include in that description 
 almost everyone present. The work of building 
 S. Ninian's had been mainly performed by a few 
 laymen of the Diocese, who were determined to 
 make the Cathedral worthy of its name, and worthy 
 of the Diocese of S. Andrews. Although, however, he 
 was grateful to every one of these laymen and to the 
 Congregational Guarantee Committee, who had stood 
 round him, yet among these laymen there was one 
 whom he must mention as their main benefactor, the 
 Chairman of the Building Committee, the Earl of 
 Strathmore." 
 
 In the course of his reply the latter said : — "There 
 were present two friends of his own, whom he would 
 specially select as being real benefactors to the Cathedral 
 more truly than himself, not only from having given 
 their money, but from having worked heart and soul 
 in the cause. He meant his friend, the Provost, and 
 the indefatigable Secretary, Mr. T. T. Oliphant. The 
 former had left the charge of Forfar, where, by the 
 influence he exerted, he was able to do much good. 
 
400 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 He had left a comfortable home and an assured 
 income and come to Perth. And what did he find ? 
 An unfinished Cathedral, a scattered congregation, no 
 residence, and no income ; and, as if that were not 
 sufficient, the school buildings were in such a state 
 that the Government Inspector had said that, unless 
 new buildings were erected, the grant would not be 
 given in the following year. The first thing was to 
 go to the Scottish Department and get a year's grace 
 for the Schools. Before the year's grace was out, the 
 Schools were built. Then £6800 had been expended 
 on the Cathedral. He thought no one could have 
 entered it that day without admiring that fine 
 interior. Altogether, during the last four years, 
 £15,000 had, in one way or another, been devoted to 
 the work in connection with the Cathedral. Speaking 
 for himself (and he was also sure he spoke for every 
 gentleman of the Committee), this had been a day of 
 extreme gratitude and thankfulness to Almighty God." 
 The Earls of Kinnoull and Stamford, the Bishops of 
 Lichfield, Edinburgh, and Moray, the Lord Provost of 
 l^erth, Mr. Spier, Mr. Oliphant, and Mr. Grant also 
 addressed the meeting. 
 
 There was Evensong in the Cathedral at 7.30 p.m., 
 a large congregation being present. Prayers were 
 intoned by the Provost, the lessons were read by the 
 Bishops of Edinburgh and Argyll, and the Sermon was 
 preached by the Archbishop of Dublin. His grace 
 divided his remarks under three heads. (1) First, the 
 Services of that day seemed to him to furnish a proof 
 of Church Life. He might almost have said of Church 
 resurrection. Perhaps he could not more signally 
 emphasize what he meant than by recalling the fact, 
 when, forty years ago, the first stone of the Cathedral 
 
The Archbishop's Sermon. 401 
 
 was laid, there was presiding over this See of S. 
 Andrews, a Bishop, who could himself remember the 
 time within the compass of his own Ministry, when it 
 was illegal for more than four persons to worship 
 within the walls of any Church belonging to this 
 Communion. Yes, the late Bishop Torry, of whom he 
 was now speaking, began his Ministry in a kitchen, 
 and for several years had no better accommodation. 
 The Church was reduced to the " shadow of a shade ; " 
 there were only 46 clergymen left in all Scotland. A 
 century only had passed since the repeal of the penal 
 laws, and what see we now? The number of its clergy 
 increased at least sixfold ; new Sees have been filled 
 and new Churches and Cathedrals have been erected 
 to the glory of God, amongst them the noble Cathedral 
 of Edinburgh. Yes, and what is of far more moment, 
 a fresh outburst of spiritual vigour has been manifested. 
 (2) But, again, the Services of to-day supply to those 
 who may need it, a proof of Christian Unity. The 
 fact that, upon the occasion of the Consecration of the 
 Nave of this Cathedral by your own revered and 
 beloved Diocesan, the Pulpit has been occupied in the 
 morning by an English, and in the evening by an 
 Irish, Bishop, will ever stand forth in the history of 
 our proceedings as a token of that sisterly fellowship, 
 which, thank God, exists between the three independent 
 Churches, which represent the Anglican Communion in 
 the British Isles.'' The Archbishop then proceeded 
 naturally to speak at some length on the subject 
 of the union of Christendom at large, and then (.3) he 
 turned to the last thought, which the Services of 
 the day suggested, namely, that " after all, the one 
 great aim, with which the whole work had been 
 undertaken, was to make further and more fitting 
 
402 Episcopal History of Pertli. 
 
 provision for tliem who desire to ' draiv near to God.' " 
 His Grace dwelt witli mucii earnestness . and at con- 
 siderable length upon this last thought, and concluded 
 with these words. " May this Cathedral, in which 
 we are assembled, prove in very truth, for genera- 
 tions yet unborn, a Sanctuary to all, who come 
 hither to meet their God ! No matter how troublous 
 the days in store for your Church or mine ; no 
 matter what strife or tumult may rage in the woi;ld 
 without ; no matter what fears or temptations may 
 disquiet your breast within, — here, at least, may 
 there ever be found a refuge from the storm, 
 whither many an anxious one may come to worship 
 God in peace and safety — a tranquil haven where 
 many may yet find, in the presence of a loving- 
 Father, a way of escape from cowardly forebodings 
 and torturing doubts ; and may thus be enabled, by 
 their own blessed experience, to realize the full 
 meaning of the Psalmists exulting words, " It is good 
 for me to draiv near to God." 
 
CHAPTER XL. 
 
 HOW THE CATHEDRAL FARED DURING BISHOP 
 WORDWORTH'S last THREE YEARS, 189O-2. 
 
 We must now return from the great occasional events 
 of the last two chapters, and resume our narrative of 
 ordinary affairs at the point where we left it off at 
 the end of Chapter XXXVII. And it will be convenient 
 to group the events, with which we are to deal, under 
 three heads : — 
 
 (a) First, Congregational. In the three years 1890-2 
 pastoral affairs were carried on at the Cathedral under 
 conditions quite new in its history. There were no 
 penal laws in force against the Church, nor any 
 controversies raging within. On the other hand, 
 indeed, the excitement of novelty, which had produced 
 such an effect from 1886 to 1890, had worn off. But 
 permanent work was nevertheless on an altogether 
 larger scale than had been possible in former times. 
 The number of Baptisms was 141 ; of Confirmations, 
 154 ; of ilarriages, 23 ; of Burials, 73 ; and the 
 number of those, who communicated at Easter in 1892, 
 was 290. 
 
 The Clergy, who served during this period as 
 Chaplains, were the Revs. James Farquhar, B.A. (1889- 
 91), now of Dunblane; W. Dundas Walker, M.A. 
 (1890-91), now Rector of Burntisland ; John Dunn, 
 M.A. (1891-92), now English Chaplain at Parame- 
 les-bains; J. F. K. Branford, M.A. (1892-93), now 
 Curate at Nottingham; and J. Meeser (1892-94), 
 now Rector of Aberchirder. In this connection it is 
 
404 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 right to state that Captain the Hon. A. Hay Drummond 
 of Cromlix has afforded invaluable help by providing 
 for the support of one of the Chaplains. 
 
 Mention may here be made of two or three Services 
 of a rather unusual character, which occurred in tha 
 present period. (1) At Christmas, 1889, the state of 
 the building operations was such that ouly the Chancel' 
 of the Cathedral was available. No attempt was 
 therefore made to hold the ordinary forenoon worship. 
 But there 'nas a series of Eucharists beginning at 5 
 a.m., and those, who were present at one or more of 
 these, will not soon forget the strange sensation of 
 making their way, at those early hours through the 
 Nave, which, though completed externally, Avas nothing' 
 internally but a scene of confusion, filled with scaffolding 
 and heaps of rubbish, lying upon the undulating 
 surface of the unlevelled earth. (2) Another most 
 interesting Service was held on Sexagesima, 1890. 
 While they were excluded from S. Ninian's, the 
 Congregation used to assemble in the City Hall, but 
 on the evening of the Sunday referred to this was 
 impossible. The Rev. W. Stevenson, M.A., Minister of 
 the Middle Church, was therefore generous enough to 
 put that place of worship unconditionally at the 
 Provost's disposal. Evensong was accordingly taken 
 there at the time mentioned. The Choir, having 
 vested in the Session House of the East Church, 
 entered the Transepts of old S. John's singing a 
 processional Hymn. The Prayers were intoned by the 
 Precentor, and the Sermon preached by the Provost. 
 About 1500 people are estimuted to have been present. 
 This was the first Service conducted in this Church 
 by Clergy of Episcopal Ordination since that held by 
 Mr. Armstrong in the presence of Prince Charlie in 
 
The Cathedral Choir. 405 
 
 1745. (3) The other noteworthy Service was the first 
 oelebratcd in the completed Cathedral, which took 
 place on Easter Day, 1890. Both morning and evening 
 the building was crowded. It was, indeed, a red-letter 
 day to all. While we are on the subject of worship 
 in the Cathedral, a word may be added about the 
 Choir. Previous to 1885, of course, it was easy to 
 make provision for having not onlj' the Sunday but 
 also the Daily Offices chorally rendered. From that 
 date to 1890, under Mr. J. E. Pirrie as Organist, 
 the choristers, both men and boj's, attended altogether 
 voluntarily. The work which they did was very 
 creditable, but from the nature of the case (all having 
 their week-day occupations to attend to), could only 
 be given on Sundays and the greater Festivals. After 
 that year, under Mr. Stephen Kichardsou, enough 
 payment was given to render the attendance of the 
 necessary voices on Sundays certain, and consequently 
 there was an improvement in the quality of the 
 music, which was thoroughly satisfactory, but the 
 Daily Offices were still plainly read. The fact is, 
 while the Congregational Services are well provided 
 for, something still remains to be done in order to 
 enable a sufficient body of efficient singers to be 
 always available on strictly Cathedral and Diocesan 
 occasions. 
 
 The reference to money matters leads us naturally 
 on to speak of a development in the way of organisation 
 amongst those worshipping in the Cathedral. The 
 original idea was that the entire financial management 
 of the Institution in all its aspects should be undertaken, 
 at its quarterly meetings, by the Chapter, assisted by 
 the Lay Trustees. When, however, the latter fell into 
 abeyance, owing to Bishop Wordsworth's withdrawal, 
 
4o6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 and the governing body was reduced to the Provost 
 and Precentor, it came about that till 1876 the latter 
 of these, and after that the former, took the manage- 
 ment into his own hands. So long as the principal 
 source of revenue was supplied by the Earl of Glasgow, 
 no fault was found with this arrangement. And even 
 after that Nobleman's failure, at the end of 1885, 
 when the Collections made in the Cathedral and the 
 contributions given by the Diocese had taken his place, 
 the same system of administration was continued. 
 But at last, when the offerings made at Service 
 came to be practically the chief source of income 
 (except for the stipends of the Provost and Precentor), 
 it was thought better that the Congregation should 
 control the funds, which they themselves provided. 
 And so a Congregational Committee was formed, and 
 a constitution granted to it over and above the 
 Cathedral statutes by the Bishop. Of this the Provost 
 is ex officio Chairman, and Dr. F. Buchanan White 
 and Sir R. MoncreifFe have successively held the post 
 of Convener ; Mr. Norie Miller being Secretary. A still 
 more satisfactory plan would be, as has indeed been 
 suggested, to revert to the original idea, viz : — to 
 allow the Chapter to transact all the business of the 
 Institution with the aid of the Lay Trustees, amongst 
 whom the congregational deputies might find a place. 
 
 The history of S. John's had meantime been of a very 
 much quieter and more uneventful nature. In August, 
 1892, however, the Rev. C. AVeiss, Ph.D., resigned 
 the charge, and was succeeded by the present Rector, 
 the Rev. H. Armstrong Hall, B.D., of Durham Univer- 
 sity, and formerly Vicar of S. Mary's, Spring Grove, 
 near Isle worth, Middlesex. Under his care it began 
 to enter upon a new period of life and vigour. 
 
Cathedral and Diocese. 407 
 
 Secundly, there was substantial progress made with 
 the Cathedral, as such, as well as with the Congrega- 
 tion. Of course, the task, which emerged for the 
 Churchmen of the Diocese at this time, was to provide 
 from a public soiu-ce that support, which had been 
 so muniiicently given by a private individual up to 
 the end of 188.5. Towards this end, a most suitable 
 house for the Provost, called " The Deanery," was 
 purchased in Barossa Place in September, 1891, at the 
 cost of £2400 (fully paid), and the greater part of 
 £5000 was promised as endowment for his Stall. 
 Thus a substantial beginning was made in the work 
 of consolidation. 
 
 Thirdly, some account must be given of Diocesan 
 affairs. This will now be done for the most part 
 according to the order of their occurrence. In the 
 Autumn of 1889 the Clergy made an arrangement 
 amongst themselves, which would have proved very 
 beneficial had it been set on foot earlier. The only 
 opportunity, which they ever had previously of meeting 
 together in at once a brotherly and clerical capacity, 
 was on the day of the annual Sj'nod and Council. 
 But this was practically no opportunity at all, as the 
 meetings had generally begun before all had hurried 
 up from the Station, and were no sooner over than 
 trains for the return home had at once to be caught. 
 At a meeting, however, held in Perth on October 31st 
 of the year in question, the Eev. A. S. Aglen, M.A., 
 of Alyth, proposed the formation of a Clerical Society, 
 and his motion was unanimously carried. Since then 
 monthly meetings, during the winter half of the year, 
 have been held at the various houses of the members. At 
 these a combination of theological discussion and brotherly 
 intercourse has produced the most satisfactory results. 
 
4o8 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 On April 21st, 1890, a meeting of the Clergy was 
 held in the Cathedral for the purpose of electing 
 representatives to the General Synod held that year. 
 The Eevs. J. W. Hunter, S. J. Howard, and J. Leslie 
 were chosen. In preparation for this important gather- 
 ing, the Diocesan Synod of 1889, which was held in 
 the ante-room of the City Hall, Perth, and lasted for two 
 days, was entirely taken up with the proposed revision 
 of the Qanons and of the Scotch Office. The aged 
 Bishop presided over all the meetings with great 
 efficiency. The Synod of the succeeding year (1890) 
 was memorable in at least one way, inasmuch as it 
 was the first to be held in the completed Cathedral. 
 In his charge the Bishop commented upon the new 
 Code of Canons. The Synod of 1891 was remarkable 
 for the Bishop's able charge on Old Testament criticism. 
 In this he showed cause for expecting that, as Wolff's 
 disintegrating theories on Homer had at first been 
 welcomed by scholars, but afterwards looked upon 
 more coldly, so the disintegrating theories of Well- 
 hausen on the Old Testament would probably run a 
 similar course. The Synod of 1892 was also doubly 
 remarkable. It was the first assembly of the kind, 
 over which Bishop Wordsworth had not presided in 
 person for 40 years. It was also noteworthy on 
 account of his charge, which was read by the Dean. 
 This was the great Advocate of Union's last official 
 appeal to the Presbyterians to consider his scheme of 
 amalgamation. There were also contained in it some 
 touching words of farewell to his Clergy. 
 
 There was another matter of importance dealt with 
 at the Synod of 1890. And this was the Decanal 
 succession. On the death of Dean Torry on December 
 loth, 1879, at the age of 79, he had been succeeded 
 
Dean and Archdeacon. 409 
 
 by the Rev. N. Johnstone of Kirkcaldy. The latter, 
 after an extremely uneventful tenure of office, died at 
 the age of 85 on September 19th, 1890. It fell, there- 
 fore, to the Bishop to appoint his successor at the 
 ensuing Synod. The .course, which he followed, was 
 unexpected in one respect. That the Provost of the 
 Cathedral should be nominated to the vacant post was 
 not vmlooked for ; but what surprised the Clergy was 
 that the Bishop should also revive the Archidiaconate, 
 a dignity not only little known in the Scottish Church, 
 but also deliberately considered to be unnecessary by 
 the late General Synod. At the same time it must be 
 admitted (especially by those, who consider that Bishop 
 Torry was Avithin his right in constituting a Cathedral 
 on his own responsibility, when such institutions were 
 not mentioned in the Canons) that it was also com- 
 petent for Bishop Wordsworth to create an Archdeacon, 
 if he chose. And the case of the Archdeacon was so 
 far stronger than that of the Cathedral, previous to 
 its recognition by the Diocesan Synod in 1853, that, 
 although there was no discussion in the proper sense 
 of the word, yet the Synod was formally asked and forth- 
 with gave its consent to the revival of the Archidiaconal 
 Office in 1890. Since, then, the thing was to be, all 
 were satisfied that a better appointment could not have 
 been made than that, which the Bishop did make, when 
 he promoted the Kev. A. S. Aglen, M.A., of Alyth. 
 The Archdeacon was subsequently installed as a Canon 
 of the Cathedral. He is the Author of Commentaries 
 on several of the Old Testament Books in Bishop 
 Ellicot's Commentary and in Cassell's Bible Educator, 
 and of the article on Eschatology in the new edition 
 of the Encydopiadia Britannica. 
 
CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 HOW BISHOP WORDSWORTH DIED AND BISHOP 
 WILKINSON SUCCEEDED, 1892-3. 
 
 After the Consecration of the Nave of the Cathedral 
 in 1890, the Bishop, although he had then reached 
 the advanced age of 85, and was failing in his bodily 
 faculties, continued in the full possession of his great 
 intellectual powers. Besides the Charges mentioned in 
 the last chapter, as delivered to his Synod, he published 
 in 1890 a volume containing all the Collects of 
 the Prayer Book turned into Latin Verse ; a volume 
 of Sermons entitled " Primary Witness to the Truth 
 of the Gospel" (1892); " An?ials of my Early Life" 
 (1891); and only a few weeks before the end he wrote 
 several vigorous letters to the Scotsman and Scottish 
 Guardian containing,- in a few terse sentences, an 
 Apologia for his Re-union Movement. But, though 
 mentally he was strong to the very last, he was more 
 than once confined for weeks at a time to his bed. 
 Conseqnentlj' he gradually withdrew from the discharge 
 of such duties as involved phj'sical exertion. 
 
 Under these circumstances he suggested the idea of 
 the Consecration of a Coadjutor, but the Bishop of 
 Glasgow (Dr. Harrison) was so readj' to afford him all 
 the help necessary (just as Bishop Forbes had assisted 
 his aged predecessor) that the project was entirely 
 dropped. Towards the end of November, 1892, the 
 Bishop's condition was such as to cause anxiety to his 
 friends. To many throughout the Diocese, indeed, it 
 seemed difficult to realize that the end of an Episcopate, 
 
Death of Bishop Wordsworth. 411 
 
 which had been begun before they were born, and 
 which had filled a larger space in the history of the 
 Scottish Church than it has entered within the scope 
 of these pages to describe, was approaching its end. 
 But so it was. The Bishop himself realized clearly but 
 calmly what was coming. All, who had access to his sick 
 chamber, were impressed by the earnest spirit of charity 
 towards men and devotion towards God which prevailed 
 there, and at length, on December 5th, this distinguished 
 Prelate peacefully drew his last breath. 
 
 The interment took place on Friday, December 9th, 
 at S. Andrews. The weather was bitterly cold. Both 
 on the day preceding and on that following, snow was 
 falling heavily ; but the 9th itself was gloriously 
 bright and frosty. The Funeral Services consisted of 
 an early Celebration of the Holy Communion, followed 
 by the Burial Office at 1.30 p.m. The Primus read 
 the Lesson in Church. A procession of about 30 
 surpliced Clergy was then formed and preceded the 
 hearse along South Street to the new part of the 
 Cathedral Cemetery. Many spectators lined the route, 
 along which, as a mark of respect, the shops were 
 closed. The Bishops of Edinburgh and Glasgow took 
 the Service at the grave, and not a few tears were 
 shed ere the mourners turned away. 
 
 Many tributes of respect were paid to the late 
 Prelate's memory, both in the press and in the pulpit. 
 Those only, which were uttered in Perth, concern us in 
 these pages. The new Pv,ector of S. John's spoke a 
 few sympathetic words, such as became one recently 
 settled in the Diocese. The Minister of the East 
 Parish gracefully expressed his sense of the loss, which 
 not only Scottish Episcopalians, but the entire Chris- 
 tianity of the country, had sustained. The Dean 
 
412 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 preaching at the Cathedral on the forenoon of Sunday, 
 December 11th (3d in Advent), enlarged upon the 
 Bishop's power of standing alone against the world in 
 whatever cause he deemed just. He also called 
 attention to the great work, which he had done in 
 proclaiming the duty of Christian union in a schism- 
 distracted land. In his evening Sermon at the 
 Cathedral, the Precentor endeavoured to give snmethinfi- 
 like a complete outline of the Bishop's life-work.. He 
 dwelt not only on the scheTiie of re-union with the 
 Presbyterians, but recalled the brilliant scholastic work 
 of the departed at Oxford, Winchester, and Glenalmond, 
 and the Christian character, which he tried to impress 
 upon it. He mentioned Dr. Wordsworth's contributions 
 to general literature, such as his delightful " Shakespeare 
 and the Bible ; " his eloquence in the Pulpit and in 
 the chair of the Synod, and described the internal ' 
 progress of the Diocese during the late Episcopate. 
 '•In this department," he said, "it was evident that a 
 great development had taken place during the late 
 Prelate's rule." 
 
 What that development had been will be best 
 described through comparing the figures given for 1853 by 
 the Bishop himself (in his Charge for 1855, for which 
 see Chapter xxxvi.) with those given in the " Year 
 Book" of 1893 for 1892:— 
 
 Incumbencies. Souls. Communicants, Confirmed. Baptized. Parsonagep. 
 
 1853, 16 '2552 1132 122 91 2 
 1892, 26+ 6665 3283 1528 208 20 
 
 Increase, 10 4113 lilSl 1406 117 18 
 
 t -\dd also 18 Jlissious, Private Chaijels, etc. 
 
 Altogether, although strong men and strong theolo- 
 gians, such as Bishop Rattray ; contemplative Saints, 
 like Bishop Jolly ; able administrators, like Bishop 
 
Bishop Wordsworth. 413 
 
 John Skinner ; powerful intellects, like Bishop Gleig ; 
 and hard-working theological Saints, like Bishop Alexander 
 Forbes, have held the Episcopate in Scotland since the 
 disestablishment in 1689, it may well be doubted 
 whether Bishop Charles Wordsworth does not stand 
 out pre-eminent amongst them for a certain largeness 
 of personality, and it is certain that he surpassed 
 them all in the manner, in which his utterances 
 commanded the ear of the Scottish public' AVhether 
 the particular means, by which he proposed to bring 
 about a reconciliation between Episcopacy and Presby- 
 terianism be considered feasible or not, it must on all 
 hands be admitted that he impressed the duty of 
 Unity upon Scottish Christians as it never had been 
 impressed before, and this not upon the shifting basis 
 of Indifferentism, but, as he always maintained, upon 
 the solid foundation of the Historic Episcopate. 
 
 (2) Only sixteen years of the nineteenth century 
 were not covered by the united rules of the last two 
 Prelates. Bishop Watson, as we saw, had occupied 
 the first eight years of the century, and the question 
 now arose. Who was to preside for the last eight, or 
 at least a part of that time ? 
 
 It was very strongly felt by many, even of those, 
 who acknowledged with gratitude the invaluable stimulus 
 to Church life, which had come from England at the 
 middle of the Century, that that impetus had now 
 been long enough in motion to justify them in looking for 
 a Scottish Prelate as the very fruit of its success. It 
 was keenly felt that while the Church is a Catholic 
 body, knowing neither Jew nor Gentile, Greek nor 
 Barbarian, Bond nor Free, and therefore glad to 
 welcome Englishmen in Scotland, as she welcomes 
 Scotchmen, even to the Thrones of Canterbury and 
 
414 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 York, in England, yet that to go on having an 
 overwhelming majority of non-native Prelates upon the 
 Scottish bench was stretching the principle somewhat 
 too far. 
 
 And doubtless these considerations would have 
 triumphed on the present occasion. Only it so 
 happened that the Right Rev. George H. Wilkinson, 
 D.D., who had resigned the Diocese of Truro some 
 years before on account of illness, but had now quite 
 recovered, was still living in retirement. And it at 
 once became apparent that the heart of the Diocese 
 was drawn towards him with wonderful harmony. Of 
 course, the names of others were considered, and their 
 merits warmly discussed in private, but, when the 
 Electors formally met, under the presidency of the 
 Dean, in the Cathedral on February 9th, 1893, it was 
 found that, while even the minority had resolved to 
 bring forward no other name, the majority were eager 
 to secure the oversight of so exceptionally experienced 
 a Prelate. The result, therefore, was that no division 
 took place, and Bishop Wilkinson was chosen with 
 practical unanimity in both the Clerical and Lay 
 Chambers. 
 
 Having duly considered the outcome of the vote, 
 the Bishop-elect acquiesced in the result, which had 
 been confirmed by the Episcopal Synod. 
 
 After receiving the Deed of Collation from the 
 Primus, nothing remained but that his Lordship 
 should be publicly enthroned. As no consecration 
 was necessary, it was determined that this ceremony 
 should be surrounded with every circumstance of 
 solemnity. Accordingly when the appointed day 
 {April 27th) arrived, about 70 Clergy and perhaps 
 1000 people, including the Lord Provost and Magis- 
 
Bishop Wilkinson Enthroned. 415 
 
 trates, assembled at the Cathedral. Again, as on 
 the day of Consecration in 1890, the arrangements for 
 seating so large a concourse were admirable. Pimctu- 
 ally at 11 a.m. the surpliced Procession (at the rear 
 of which came the Bishops of Jloray, Aberdeen, and 
 S. Andrews in Rochet, Chimere, Stole, and Scarf, and 
 the Primus in Cope and Mitre) left the Schoolroom, 
 emerged in brilliant sunshine into Jlethven Street, 
 and, passing thence into Athole Street, reached the 
 west door of the Cathedral. Here the Bishop of the 
 Diocese was met by the Dean and Chapter, and 
 requested to be enthroned. The procession then 
 advanced up the Nave, singing the appointed Psalms, 
 and took their proper places. After this the Primus 
 placed the Pastoral Staff in the Diocesan's hand, and 
 the Dean led' his Lordship to the Throne. When this 
 was accomplished the Primus proceeded with the 
 , Eucharist according to the Scottish form. The Bishop 
 •himself preached the Sermon, as his predecessor had 
 done 40 years before. The text was Revelations i. 
 12-13, " / saw seven golden candlesticks, and in the 
 midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of 
 Man." First the vision of Christ glorified was dwelt 
 upon ; then the long waiting and the seeming failures, 
 which the beloved Apostle had to endure before his 
 Saviour thus revealed Himself : then the fear of 
 S. John on beholding the sight ; then the Lord's 
 words of encouragement with respect to the Disciple's 
 personal life, to the Church which he loved, and to 
 the final victory of Christ. Then came the application 
 of all this to the occasion — an exhortation to act in 
 harmony with the words,, which Christ had so uttered, 
 — i.e., to begin with personal religion ; to go on to 
 share in the larger life of the Church, especially 
 
4i6 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 " this (Scottish) branch to which we belong — this 
 branch that has all the marks of God's election 
 (poverty, small in the eye of man, martyrs, saints, 
 confessors, holy men, godly matrons) ; this Church 
 that can lift up her hands and shew the mark of the 
 nails. Go out and help her : stand by us." And 
 finally they were to endure as seeing the Invisible, 
 " where now (the Preacher added) their late Bishop 
 was at rest together with the ten thousand times 
 ten thousand, who have washed their robes and made 
 them white in the Blood of the Lamb." 
 
 After the Service was over there was. luncheon in 
 the City Hall. At this the Dean, who presided, read 
 a telegram from the Archbishop of Canterbury — 
 " Gratia et pax et sahis in Domino ! " — and pointed 
 out that this was the first occasion, at least within 
 the period subsequent to 1689, on which one, who 
 had ruled an English, had been translated to a 
 Scottish Diocese. Mr. Speir of Ciildees testified to 
 the great religious work, which the Bishop had done 
 at S. Peter's, Eaton Square, in London. The Bishop 
 himself, who was enthusiastically cheered, " scarcelj' 
 knew how fitly to acknowledge the great kindness, with 
 which he had been received from the time at which 
 he had been called to this See by the imanimous 
 election of Clergy and Laity. He could no longer 
 feel as a stranger as letter after letter reached him, 
 and hand after hand grasped his hand with an un- 
 mistakable touch, which spoke to him of a heart 
 that was ready to respond, of a life that' was ready 
 to be given up willingly in helping him to the work 
 that had been entrusted to him." Tlie Primus 
 " believed they had got a Bishop appointed over them 
 that day to take up, as it were, the mantle of Bishop 
 
Speech by the Primus. 417 
 
 Forbes, and who came very much in the same spirit. 
 He did not believe they could have chosen throughout 
 the length and breadth of the Anglican Commiuiion 
 a man so able to take up and carry on that great 
 torch and spiritual liglit which Bishop Forbes lighted 
 up, and sent from hand to hand througbo\jt the whole 
 of Scotland." 
 
 After several more able speeches from K. T. Oliphant, 
 Esq. of Gask, Rev. V. S. Coles, M.A., Vice-Principal of the 
 Pusey House, Oxford, and others, the meeting broke 
 up, and those present returned " to their work and 
 to their labour." 
 
lEpilogue. 
 
 With the enthronement of our present Diocesan we 
 have reached a date so recent that any attempt at a 
 systematic history of events, subsequent to that 
 important occurrence, would be out of the question. 
 With a few notes, therefore, on the present position of 
 affairs (Ascensiontide, 1894), sind a questioning glance 
 into the future, we shall conclude our narrative. 
 
 As for the present, we note that the Bishop has 
 resided at Birnam since his accession to the See. 
 Nevertheless his Lordship has taken pains to impress 
 upon all that he looks upon the Cathedral, both 
 theoretically and practically, as the centre of the 
 Diocese. The Synods and Councils continue to be held 
 there : it is to be the point, to which candidates for 
 Ordination are to come: the Bishop frequently takes part 
 in its Services : the Chapter is once more a reality : the 
 Lay Trustees are to have more active duties assigned 
 them : a beginning has been made in the revision of 
 the Statutes, with a view to rendering the Institution 
 more practically efficient : within its walls and immediate 
 vicinity Conferences and Quiet days, both for men and 
 women, have been held by the Bishop himself, from 
 which it is hoped that an impetus to the life of the 
 Diocese will result. £800 has also been raised towards 
 building a. Chapter House to the memory of the late 
 Bishop. And, if we turn from the Cathedral to the 
 Pastoral side of things, here, too, some encouraging 
 signs can be honestly chronicled. Considering the 
 collapse of the Church in Perth during the first half 
 
The Present and Future. 419 
 
 of the Nineteenth Century, it is with gratitude that 
 we record the fact that at Easter, 1893, the number 
 of those who communicated in S, Ninian's reached 300 
 for the first time, and that at the same festival of 
 1894 the combined totals of those, who approached the 
 Altar in the two congregations of the Fair City, was 
 500. Only a few years ago it would have appeared 
 visionary to expect such a thing. Then, too, a Con- 
 gregational Chaplaincy, held at present by the Rev. J. 
 Philip, ^l.A., has been established. Various organiza- 
 tions also, such as the Day School, the Sunday School, 
 the Mothers' Meeting, the Young Womens' Guild, and 
 the Boys' Brigade, are in a more or less flourishing 
 condition in connection with the Atholl Street con- 
 gregation, not to mention the similar agencies attached 
 to that in Princes Street. A legacy of £10,000 has 
 also been made over to S. John's by the will of the 
 late Professor Sandeman. Humanly speaking, this 
 comparatively favourable aspect of affairs, unparalleled 
 (as readers of this History will know) during the 
 course of the last 205 years, is due to one cause, and 
 that is the Peace, that has reigned since the close of 
 the thirty years' war. The Church has seen a new 
 thing in Perth from that time, viz., a combination of 
 Toleration from without and Harmony within. May 
 He, who alone fighteth for us against foes, both 
 external and internal, continue to give Peace in our 
 time ! 
 
 Surely, as regards the future, it cannot be the will 
 of God that our bush, which has been burning for 
 more than two centuries, and yet has not been con- 
 sumed — nay 1 has budded and put forth leaves in the 
 end of the days — should perish vainly after all ! 
 Rather (we would fain believe) God has some purpose 
 
420 Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 for this Church to fulfil, as in the country at large, so 
 also in Perth. How that providential design will be 
 attained we cannot tell. It may be that the now 
 great and powerful Communion, which took our place 
 as the National Establishment at the beginning of this 
 History, is destined to share the same fate as befel us 
 at that time. And it is possible that, in the unsettle- 
 ment, which such a catastrophe is calculated to bring 
 about, our long-despised assertion of the need of 
 historical continuity with the visible Church, which 
 Christ founded when He sojourned on earth, may at 
 last be welcomed by many as a pearl of great price. 
 We know not ; but of one thing we are convinced, and 
 that is, that we have not been preserved through so 
 many crushing disasters for nothing. The message of 
 the hour to us in this City and throughout Scotland 
 is, that we should make ourselves as profoundly 
 efficient Christians, intellectually, morally, practically, 
 and religiously, as we can, and be ready for the issue 
 whenever and however it comes ! But who is sufficient 
 for these things? 
 
List of Authorities Cited. 
 
 (a) MANUSCiuPTst : — 
 
 Perth Presbytery Records, 1690 to 1750. 
 
 Perth Kirk Session Records, 1690 to 1750. 
 
 Forth Town Council Records, 1746. 
 
 MSS. contained in the Episcopal Chest, Edinburgh. t+ 
 
 MSS. belonging to Episcopal Theological College. tt 
 
 Muthill MS. Register (Episcopal Church). 
 
 Minute Books of S. John's, Princes Street. Perth. 
 
 MSS. Records of the Cathedral, Perth. 
 
 MSS. belonging to J. R. Anderson, Esq. 
 
 Scotl's MSS. in the Advocates' Library. 
 
 MS. Record of the Diocese of Dunkeld. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Gordon's MSS. 
 
 The Torry MSS. 
 
 MSS. Records of tlie Dioceses of Brechin and Aberdeen. 
 
 MSS. lent by Rev. W. W. Hawdon. 
 
 Minute Book of the Perth Congregation, 1740-45 (Kil- 
 
 mavo^nig MS.) 
 The Duniraarle Ring and Pincushion. 
 (h) Printed Adthobities : — 
 
 Rev. Thomas Stephen's " History of the Church of 
 
 Scotland," vols. 3 and 4. 
 Rev. J. P. Lawson's "Episcopal Church since the 
 
 Revolution." 
 Professor Grub's "Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," 
 
 vols. 3 and 4. 
 The Scottish Magazine, 1849-54 (6 vols.) 
 The Scottish Guardian (various volumes). 
 The Scottish Standard Bearer (Dr. Walker's articles). 
 Scott's '^ Ftusti Eedcsiie Scoticanoi.^' 
 "The Despot's Champion" ("Life of Claverhou.se.") 
 
 t In quoting from 7.[SS., I have not alwjiys been at painB to preserve the ohi spell- 
 ing. In many instances, also, I have used my authorities without referring to them 
 in a footnote. — CI. T. B. F. 
 
 tt Ainiiiigst mauy other nocuments, these contain Letters by Bishop Rattray, Rev 
 <i. Semi'ill, Rev. 11. Lyon, the Tertli ManagcFh, and the Rev. i^eorge Innes. 
 
Episcopal History of Perth. 
 
 Penny's " Traditions of Perth." 
 
 Stephen's Episcopal Magazine, 1834-7 (4 vols.) 
 
 Marshall's " Historic Scenes of Perthshire." 
 
 Wilson's " Perth Presbytery." 
 
 Lyon's " History of S. Andrews." 
 
 Bishop Dowden's "Annotated Ssotoh Communion Office." 
 
 Letter from a Gentleman in Edinburgh, 1711. 
 
 Fittis's " Gleanings concerning Perthshire." 
 
 Fittis's "Sketches of the Olden Time in Perthshire.'' 
 
 Oliphant's " The Jacobite Lairds of Gask." 
 
 Wood's " East Neuk of Fife." 
 
 Skinner's " Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," vol. 2. 
 
 Skinner's " Annals of Scotch Episcopacy." 
 
 Scottish Episcopal Journal. 
 
 Dr. Gordon's " Scotichronicon," vols. 4, 5, and 6. 
 
 Poem on Bishop Rattray in Episcopal Chest. 
 
 The Gentleman's Magazine for November, 1746. 
 
 Wodrow's Correspondence (Parker Society). 
 
 Lord Rosebery's Preface to List of Rebels in 1746. 
 
 Thackeray'.'i "Four Georges." 
 
 Chambers's "History of the '45." 
 
 Bishop Pocooke's Diary. 
 
 Harrington's "Brief Notes on the Church of Scotland." 
 
 Dr. Neale's " Life of Bishop Torry." 
 
 Dr. Walker's " Life of Bishop Gleig." 
 
 Dr. Walker's " Life of Bishop Skinner." 
 
 Rev. W. Blatch's " Life of Bishop Lovp.'' 
 
 J. M. Connolly's " Life of Bishop Lovp." 
 
 Canon Mackey's " Life of Bishop Forbes.'' 
 
 Bishop WordsvForth's "Annals of My Life," vols. 1 and 2. 
 
 Canon Archibald's " Church in Keith." 
 
 Canon Archibald's " Historic Episcopate in Moray." 
 
 A Narrative of the Repeal of Disabilities Bill, 1792. 
 
 Statistical Account of Perth. 
 
 Dr. Walker's " Last Hundred Years of Scotch Episco- 
 pacy," 1889. 
 
 Bishop Wordsworth's privately-printed Pamphlets on the 
 Cathedral. 
 
 Bishop Wordsworth's Charges. 
 
 Dr. Rorison's Sermon on Bishop Torry. 
 
 Report of the Synod held at Glenalmond in 1853. 
 
List of Authorities. iii. 
 
 English Guardian, August, 1885. 
 
 Canon Humble's Letter to the Bishop of S. Andrews. 
 Rev. J. B. Craven's "Journals of Bishop R. Forbes." 
 Rev. J. B. Craven's " Episcopal Church in Moray." 
 Rev. J. C. Chambers's Sermons. 
 
 Wt- BfilNIOLS UBRARY 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 PRICE TWO SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE. 
 
 Sonnets. 
 
 "They are admirable." — Canon Liddon. 
 
 " Their sentiment and language are alike elevated : their lines 
 move with a stately march and with a rhythm that pleases by 
 its steadiness." — Scotsman. 
 
 Sold by CHRISTIE, S. John Street, Perth.