THE PLAGUE STRIKES TERROR

1648, March 9th: Montrose, Angus: "Because of a fearful pursuing pestilence (which has) entered into the city, enlarging and spreading itself daily, destroying and cutting down many; which caused a scattering and ouitgoing of all the members of (the) Session to landward, to reside there in safety;

Therefore - there was no Session (meeting) nor collection (of offerings) in this our burgh of Montrose between the last (day) of May 1648, and the first of February, 1649, when the Session (meeting) was held in the churchyard, everyone standing at a distance from one another, believing theselves still not safe;

Therefore - one Session was held at Newmanswalls on the second of August, 1648."

By March, 1649 precautions were still neccessary, and the second Thursday of march was appointed as a day of humiliation, and in order that both town and country people run no risk of contagion, it was decreed that "those of the landward parish shall not come to our town, neither directly nor indirectly, on any Thursdays (market day), while we convene inside the church certifying that they shall have no entry. If any inhabitant sells either food or any other commodity on the said day, they shall pay (a fine of) 4 pounds; or if they open any shop door to sell any wares instead of keeping it holy to the Lord, they shall pay 4 pounds."

The church was also fumigated in March. 

[Montrose OPR]

PRECENTOR REPLACED AT STIRLING

20th November 1662: The burgh council of Stirling considered the inability of William Meiklejohn, "through sickness of body and dimness of sight" to fulfil his duties of reading and precenting at the burgh kirk. They decided to declare the post vacant and appointed a committee to see that William completes his registers and hands over all the Kirk Session papers when required to do so.

Two days later the committee reported that they had seen William and he was satisfied with the council's decision. The council then appointed Alexander Murray, formerly precentor at St. Ninian's, to serve the town in the offices of a reader in the kirk, clerk of the session, teacher of the music, and uptaker of the psalms - which offices they contracted with him for a salary of £80 per annum.

He also was given authority to "take schollage" [ have paying pupils] of towns children for teaching them the music at his own discretion, and to take out-of-town children as he and their parents can agree. The council also allows him 24 shillings Scots for every marriage, and ten shillings for every baptism, and the normal payments for the registers and the clerkship of the kirk.

CUSTOMS EMBEZZLER FREED

1st May, 1676. Aberdeen: Letter to the city council:

"I, Archibald Inglis, formerly Waiter [customs agent who waited for the arrival of ships] of His Majesty's customs at Aberdeen, whereas upon the complaint of the tacksmen of His Majesty's customs to the Magistrates of Aberdeen, for certain embezzlements by me of the loadings of two ships arrived there with wines and brandy in the months of January and February last, John Gillies and John Anderson being masters (of the ships), I have been detained in prison within their Tolbooth [the town prison] these several days past, upon my acknowledgement and confession of conniving with and accepting of money on the said account; and seeing I was most justly imprisoned, and that upon the obligement of the collectors of customs at Aberdeen I am now liberated, therefore by their presents for me, my heirs and executors I exonerate and discharge the said Magistrates and their successors of the said imprisonment... and shall never quarrel and impugn the same ... in time coming.

Signed before (these) witnesses : Alexander Bruce, Clerk Depute of Aberdeen, and James Martin, writer hereof."

[Comment:  It seems that after a full confession and a few days in jail, and the loss of his job, his former employers have asked for him to be freed.

This was not them being charitable. As the accusers in a commercial crime, in these days they would be responsible for his keep while in prison, so they are cutting their losses!]

BY WHOM THE BELL TOLLS

20th November, 1699. Musselburgh (Inveresk parish, Midlothian): "The council appoints the Treasurer to agree with John Muckell for the new dead bell, and pay for it, and if the same shall be broken by any succeeding bellman, that the same shall be repaired at his own expense, and the bell will remain the town's property."

The same day: "The day the Council appoints Andrew Kerr to be bellman in place of George Ramage, deceased, upon condition that he keeps an exact register of the dead, and shall give a third of the profits to the defunct's relict [widow of the deceased bellman] until Candlemas next."

This reference to profits is clarified by an entry dated 18th January, 1739:

"The bellman to have five shillings for every funeral, private or not, and two shillings for every child."

BAKERS SUPPORT SCHOOLING

28th August 1747 : The Incorporation of Bakers of Glasgow today ordered their Collector to give to Archibald Anderson, weaver in Andersone [Anderston ], one of the Elders of Barony parish of Glasgow, to be applied to help build a schoolhouse at Andersone as one of the schools of the said parish.........One pound five shillings sterling.

[The Incorporation of Bakers of Glasgow, pub. 1891, page 50]

FIRE PENALTY

30th August 1754: William Watson, one of the millers at Partick, Glasgow, was fined by having his wages reduced from 1d. sterling to 3/4d. per load of wheat grinded, for allowing the gudgeon of the nether miln wheel [pivot of the lower mill wheel]to become overheated for want of creish and oyle [grease and oil] whereby the axletree took fire.

[The Incorporation of Bakers of Glasgow, pub. 1891, page 51]

DUNDEE SHIP TRAGEDY

10th April 1869: The steam tug "Rennard" has brought into the river Tyne two survivors of the Dundee schooner "Elizabeth", registered in London, which foundered in heavy seas off the Northumberland coast en route from Sunderland to Dundee.

The survivors, picked up after floating for an hour and a half, holding onto part of the galley, are George Square[Squire?] of Perth and David Lowe of Dundee.

Lost were the master, John Hay of Perth; the mate, Hay Duncan of Perth; and a Lancashire sailer living in Berwick St., Dundee.

The vessel's owners have started an appeal fund for the families - two of the widows have four children each, and the third has two children, and the fund stood at 15 pounds within a few days.

By 30th April the owner of the cargo of 180 tons 4 cwts. of coal, Mr. P.M. Duncan, coal merchant, Dundee, had raised a court action against the ship owner, Mr. John Isles, castle Court, Dundee, for the value of the cargo, £83-6s-10d, claiming that the "Elizabeth" was unseaworthy, causing her to founder.

[NOTE: anyone with interest in this story should contact Andrea Hackney at ahackney.dragnet.com.au]

BUSTED LAWYER

25th May 1891: The Society of Writers to the Signet, the professional body of solicitors [i.e. lawyers] in Edinburgh, agreed to accept the gift from Mr. J. Gibson of a marble bust by Sir John Steel, R.S.A., of his grandfather, the late Mr. John Gibson, junior, W.S., who was for several years [1862-70 ] Treasurer to the Society.

[History of the Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet, pub. 1936, page 390]

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of our "oldnewspaper". Contributions are welcome for future issues, but please note that they must all be Scottish news items, and not less than about 70 years old (for copyright reasons). They may be emailed to gordon@kinhelp.co.uk

Copyright G. Johnson, 1999