Archbp. Thomas Arundel: Constitution against Gospellers, 1409. Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (1397) was responsible for his `Constitution against Gospellers` (1409) that was meant to exterminate all unapproved preaching and teaching by any means. It was most thorough and swingeing in its coverage and left very little room to manoeuvre if charged with `error` or […]
The Murder of Cardinal David Beaton or Bethune. David Beaton or Bethune was born at Markinch in Fife in 1494, the third son of seven to John Beaton of Balfour in Fife and Isabel Moneypenny, daughter of Dasvid Moneypenny of Pitmilly. He studied at St Andrews and matriculated 26 October 1511, after which he went […]
SORROW HEALED. Is thy sorrow very great ? Wait, were mortal words to thee! Wait on God, poor mourner, wait; Thy sole comforter is He. ‘Tis the Maker of the heart, ‘Tis the sender of the grief, Can alone the balm impart That shall yield thee sweet relief. Tell to man thy bitter woes ; […]
The Augustine Orders in Medieval England. As their name implies, this Order was created by St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, in Africa. Founded in AD 1061 they first came into England in the reign of Henry I. They had some one hundred and seventy houses in total throughout the country. The largest were at Plympton, […]
Sir Hugh Campbell of Cessnock The vagaries of the Privy Council included attempts to ruin and hang (if possible) members of several prominent families including Gordon of Earlston and Sir Hugh Campbell, the Laird of Cessnock. Both families were of Lollard sympathies and their ancestors had been friends of Alesius and other Reformers. With this […]
The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women. ” To promote a woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion . or empire, above any realm, nation, or city, is repugnant to nature, contumely to God, a thing most contrarious to his revealed will and approved ordinance, and finally it is a subversion […]
Moffat and the Devil`s Beef Tub An early stopping place on my journeys to Scotland is the near border town of Moffat, where a welcome break and a cup of tea with a home baked scone can be taken in the cafeteria of the woollen shop. Moffat was for a long time an important junction […]
Covenanter CDs. Many of the Covenanter Memorials are scattered in the moors and hills of South West Scotland and may only be reached by the experienced hill walker. It is therefore a real pleasure to find a CD that is a dedicated collection of excellent photographs and includes some of these remoter monuments. The CD […]
Rev Donald Cargill . In every group or society there is always someone that everyone turns to for advice or guidance on a topic, and so it was with the Rev. Donald Cargill. By nature said to be timid and shrinking from confrontation, yet this belies the steel in his backbone that enabled him to be […]
Rev John Livingston The stories of the Covenanters and the bloody Killing Time understandably focus on the western shires of Scotland but it must be remembered that there were Covenanters in other less glamorous parts. Such was John Livingston of Ancrum in the Border country with England. Here too the persecutors caused the removal of […]
Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are […]
A CAMPBELL CLAN TALE Wherever you turn whether researching or just plain reading about the Clan Campbell it is difficult to keep track of their wide achievements. Not least among these is the fact that there are no less than 18 Houses or branches, including Argyll, in the Campbell pedigree. Not all the houses […]
Old Scottish Money Scottish money was abolished as a circulating currency at the Act of Union in 1707.However, the valued rent of land , and in many places, feu duties and ministers stipends , schoolmaster`s salaries, and other parochial payments were still reckoned by the pound Scots and the merk, or mark, for some considerable […]
The Solway Coast – Gretna to Dumfries. Singular advice to anyone exploring the Dumfries and Galloway region for the first time is to do some homework on what there is to see and enjoy. The certainty is that you will be amazed at the variety of places and scenes, and time to see it all […]