John Ashton – a “poor priest” John Ashton was one of the “poor priests” who went to preach to the people; he is variously described as a student, a bachelor of arts and a master of arts at Oxford University. By the summer of 1382 he had garnered sufficient notoriety in the Church`s eyes to […]
David Straiton and Norman Gourlay, Martyrs 1534. Straiton was the younger son of the laird of of Lauriston in Forfarshire, where his family had been for some six hundred years. His elder brother lived in the castle of Lauriston. David Straiton was proprietor of some lands at the mouth of the river Esk and also […]
Injunctions of Edward VI to the Church of England, 1547. [Paraphrase of the injunctions in Foxes Monuments, Ed. Geo. Townsend (1846) vol 5 p 706-713 ] 1. All clerics to obey the laws against the usurped powers of the pope . 2.To preach quarterly against the usurped powers of Rome. 3.Kings supremacy preached four times […]
The Restoration – a new Scottish Parliament approved. The Diary of John Nicoll (1660-1667) is a contemporaneous record that throws an insight upon the trials and tribulations of the time. There can be little doubt that the people were minded to accept change by 1660 and were over optimistic at what that might be. Some […]
The Protest at Speyer 1529.[ Extracted Rev. J A Wylie, History of Protestantism, vol i, p550-1] The elector, for himself; the princes, and the whole body of the Reformed party, now proceeded to read a Declaration, of which the following are the more important passages :‑ We cannot consent to its [the edict of 1526] […]
James Stuart, `Lord James`. The Reformation had many prominent persons that helped shape the establishment of the Protestant – Presbyterian, Church in Scotland. James Stuart, Earl of Moray was possibly the most eminent layman who, like Erskine of Dun, was a mediator and conciliator at times of crisis. James Stuart was born about 1531, a […]
THE ” TEST ” OF THE UNITED IRISHMEN. In the awful presence of God. I A. B., do voluntarily declare, that I will persevere in endeavouring to form a brotherhood of affection among Irishmen of every religious persuasion, and that I will also persevere in my endeavours to obtain, an equal, full, and adequate representation […]
List of Popes since St Peter 41 AD to 1846.Dates denote when they began their reign. [For large images click on thumbnail] 41-252 AD 253-498 AD 514-687 AD 701-897 AD 898-1004 AD Continued
Peter`s Pence or Romescot. Peter`s pence or Romescot began as a monetary donation to the coffers of the Church of Rome. It arose as an act of piety by King Ina, king of the West Saxons (AD 688-723) who granted one penny from every fire – house ( a house with a fireplace) throughout his […]
William Tyndale ( 1492-1536) The contributions made by William Tyndale and Thomas Cranmer are especially important to the story of the English Reformation as they steered Protestantism through the turbulent years of Henry VIII, Edward VI , and Mary Tudor. The introduction of printing by William Caxton (1422-1491) made available many more copies of William […]
Knox`s Appellation. The Appellation is also a helpful reprise of Knox`s doctrine. He taught, that there is no other name by which men can be saved but that of Jesus, and that all reliance on the merits of others is vain and delusive; that the Saviour having by his own sacrifice sanctified and reconciled to […]
. The heartland of resistance by the Covenanters was in Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and the south western counties of Dumfries and Galloway. But there were also pockets of staunch Presbyterians in Stirling, Fife and the Border counties of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. It was in all these places that the likes of John Welch, Samuel Arnot, […]
The Children of the Underclass or “The Dustbin Kids” In previous articles I wrote of the abuse of children brought about by a hostile environment and ignorance which over time translated into the use and abuse of children throughout the industrial era. There is now a third stage in history – that with social problems […]
Erasmus (1467-1536) Born in Rotterdam 28 October 1467 Desiderius, or Erasmus as he became known, was illegitimate, his parents never marrying. His father was a burgher named Gerard in Torgau; his mother Margaret was the daughter of Peter, a physician at Sevenbergen in Brabant. The father`s family refused to allow the couple to marry and […]