Skipness Kirk Session Minutes
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SKIPNESS KIRK SESSION MINUTES
1799: That the (bearer?) Thomas Blacklock (----?) in (-----?) who was guilty
of the sin of fornication or adultery and submitted to all the con--- of the
church and now paid his legal fine and is absolved from church -----.
1802: Capt Normand McAlester from the East Indies has given of charity to the
poor of Skipness å£10. Such uncommon mark of liberality is (instituted?) to
the esteem of the whole parish.
1805: The Session at a former meeting had information that some members of
this congregation had been guilty of great impropriety of conduct on the
Lord's Day in the house of Mr McVicar, innkeeper at Skipness. They
reflected with regret that profanity in these times was become rather too
fashionable.
------- summoned Donald McAlester, Archibald Thomson, Angus Thomson and
Lachlan Thomson to appear before the Session. ‰*|‰*| He relates that upon his
going in they were all standing on the floor wrangling, that they were noisy
and indecent making use of scurrilous language damning each other for and
calling each other Sons of a Bitch ‰*| He further reports that on his reasoning
with them on the impropriety of their conduct and of their disrespect of the
Sabbath day that Donald McAlester (that?) he was quite willing to drop it for
that he thought it was not a proper day for fighting but Angus Thomson said
(to?or?) replied no time was better than the present time. Donald McAlester
answered him and told him if they would use violence with him he would think
himself justifiable in taking his knife to defend himself ‰*| the Session
unanimously agreed to dismiss with a Sessions rebuke. The Moderator over and
above proposed that each of them should pay a shilling in charity to some
distressed women in the parish of Skipness.
No date but l808 about right|: Mr Michael McKinven Taylor, Elder at
Corputant (?) was brought before the Session against Alexander Taylor in
Colfin and Malcolm Ouilhan his father in law for the profanation of the
Lord's Day on 8th November ‰*|‰*| if they continued therein there would be a
necessity to represent them as such transgressors to the Lords of the land.
James the 6th caused those who were guilty of profaning the Lord's Day to be
taken into custody and not discharged, under the penalty of paying twenty
shillings and if the offender were not moved to pay they were to be put in
the stocks or Joggs Hill sufficiently punished. Malcolm McQuinlan and
Alexander Taylor were called ‰*| They freely confessed their guilt ‰*|. However
the session judged proper to fine them twenty shillings in order to deter
others from like practices.
1809: John McMillan and his wife Christian Taylor made application to the
session in order to administer the sacrament of Baptism to their child for
John McMillan entertained no doubt but that the child had been his own. The
session has every reason to believe that the child was procreated (betwixt?)
adulterers and on that account were resolved to proceed with caution in the
business.
The session was of the opinion that the only steps most feasible to come at
the truth was to Interrogate her if she was clear to give her oath. She was
called in and after admonishing her to be ingenuous in her confession the
danger and the nature of a false oath was fully explained to her and she was
desired to raise her hand and to glorify God by telling the truth. But
instead of complying with this proposal she requested permission to walk out
with two of the Elders. There she made a free confession to them that her
last child was the fruit of adultery and that Duncan McCallum was the father
of her child.
She and Duncan McCallum were confronted and after some harsh altercation he
agreed to father the child. He appeared to be afterwards to be sensible of
the heinous nature of the Crime he had committed. Satisfied the church by
undergoing a public rebuke before the Congregation. John McMillan agreed to
pay a small fine to the poor rather than that his wife should stand before
the Congregation and the whole business was satisfied in this way. The
Session closed with prayers.
1815 "Cash given to widows and orphans of those who fell at Waterloo å£5.2s"
1818 8s to Mary Taylor, Kilpatrick
5s to Archibald Taylor, South Colfin
1819 (March 28) 15s to Archibald Taylor's coffin
Baptisms:
Archibald, lawful son of Duncan Nisbah (Nishan?) and Mary Hyndman, South
Colfin 26 Aug 1821
Ann, lawful daughter of Peter Hyndman and Ann Currie (Curran?) 2 Oct 1822
Also (listed at bottom of collections for 1833) Malcolm Currie, lawful son of
Hector Currie and Catherine Hill, residing in Upper Clarnaig (?) was born on
26 Jan 1783
Disbursements to poor include:
Effie Hyman, South Colfin 1817-1833
Mary Hyman, South Colfin 1832
James Hill, South Colfin (sometimes North) 3s disbursement Oct 1826 (also
received disbursements in June 1827, May 1826, Nov 1825 etc etc. Nothing
before 1822
Flora Currie Cregarn/Creegan (also Colfin) 1812-1824
Loads of Taylors (Christine, Barbara, Malcolm, John, Archibald, Betsie,
Chirsty, Effie)
Curries (Margaret, Hector, Mary, Alexander, Malcolm)
Few Hills (William, Chirsty)
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Copyright 1999 by Sandra McLellan