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| Topic: Covenanting Days |
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| 1. Author: Paralex Date: Mon 14th Oct 2024. 23:35 Having been in North Berwick last week meeting up with Buspasspar, he mentioned a Covenanter by the name of John Blackader whose grave is in a churchyard just south of the High Street, in North Berwick. It put me in mind to read up some of the circumstances of his life. This quotation, I thought, might be interesting to Fifers of West Fife. "Some of the conventicles in which John Blackader played a principal part, were very noteworthy. There was, for example, the gathering on the Hill of Beath, near Dunfermline, in the midsummer of 1670. It was a district where ignorance and profanity were prevalent and to ensure a sense of decorum and appropriate solemnity from a barbarous people, he took his friend John Dickson with him." (The folk on the Hill of Beath couldn’t have been that barbarous because they assembled on the hill at 8am and listened intently till 11am). Post Edited (Mon 14 Oct 23:43) Reply |
| 2. Author: red-star-par Date: Tue 15th Oct 2024. 14:20 "Ignorance and profanity were prevalent", it`s no` changed Reply |
| 3. Author: Paralex Date: Tue 15th Oct 2024. 14:44 From my part Red-star, I couldn`t go pointing any fingers because, all of my ancestors that I know of came from various parts of Fife, including West Fife. But it seems slightly strange that certain areas were regarded in that light during a period of Scottish history where great deeds of self sacrifice were being offered in the cause of national ecclesiastical freedom. I am fascinated in the reasons why so many, including John Blackader, were prepared to be imprisoned (on the Bass Rock, in his case) and eventually die, for a matter of the autonomy of the people of Scotland to establish and regulate their own form of Christian worship. There are many monuments and sites in Scotland associated with the Covenantors including the memorial in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh, where very bold young and older adherents of the National Covenant gave cheerful speeches from the scaffold. I don`t know of too many in Fife. But there is a grave with five Covenanters in a wood near Strathkinness. Reply |
| 4. Author: Buspasspar Date: Tue 15th Oct 2024. 21:50 http://www.covenanter.org.uk/whowere.html We are forever shaped by the Children we once were Reply |
| 5. Author: Paralex Date: Wed 16th Oct 2024. 00:15 Cheers Buspass, I`ll check out the one in Aberdour, next time I`m there. I think the one in Cupar is in a graveyard with a chained gate but I`ll find out about that too. It`s a wee hobby of mine. Reply |
| 6. Author: Bletchley_Par Date: Wed 16th Oct 2024. 20:19 Here is the entry on Blackadder from the Annals of Dunfermline and Vicinity (Ebenezer Henderson, 1879) the whole book is available online and in print, it covers Dunfermline history from 1069 - 1878 and is recognised as a book of historical and cultural importance. I remember reading about Blackadder`s name from it and his meeting on Hill of Beath. [b]CONVENTICLE MEETING ON HILL-OF-BEATH.—In the middle of June, 1670, a conventicler, or field meeting, was held on the Hill-of-Beath, four miles north-east of Dunfermline. The preacher was the celebrated and pious Mr. John Blackadder, the ejected minister of Troqueer, which produced a profound sensation in the parish; great numbers assembled from places 12 to 20 miles around. About 2000 are supposed to have been present at “the gathering.” Shortly after public worship had begun, on the Lord’s day, some officers of militia rode up, as if to disturb and disperse them. These officers were promptly met by the men on watch, armed for self-defence. The prudent interference of Mr. Blackadder prevented an “outbreak,” and worship under the canopy of heaven was continued without further molestation. There was a remarkable manifestation of spiritual influence in the sacred services of that day, long held in remembrance. The news of “this horrid insult,” as the treatment of these military officers was called, having reached Edinburgh, Archbishop Sharp caused a rigorous inquiry to be made as to who were there; so that many country gentlemen who were at the meeting were put to much trouble and expense in consequence. Among others, Robert Wellwood of Touch, one mile and a half east of Dunfermline, confessed before the constituted Council that he had been present, and was fined in 500 merks (£27 15s.6d. sterling), and ordered to lie in prison till he paid it, and to engage in a bond of 2000 merks to frequent no more such meetings. This was “the first armed conventicler after the Restoration.” In one way, this Prelatic “Persecution” between 1670 and 1688, was as bad as the Roman Catholic “Persecution” between 1538 and 1559. (Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol. i. p. 278, and Hist. Scot.)[/b] https://www.electricscotland.com/history/dunfermline/index.htm You can buy the "Annals of Dunfermline and Vicinity" on Amazon for about £18, it a great read even just to open at a random page and get some local history.  Reply |
| 7. Author: Paralex Date: Fri 18th Oct 2024. 21:23 Great stuff Bletchley_Par, if 2000 were there maybe the local inhabitants weren`t as barbaric as my book " Men of the Covenant ", was making out. Strange days when the UK Government were fining and imprisoning peaceful citizens for taking part in Christian meetings. The Archbishop Sharp, mentioned in your article also had 13 men, who had been pardoned, put to death. He met a violent end on a moor near St. Andrews. Reply |
| 8. Author: Buspasspar Date: Sat 19th Oct 2024. 09:21 paralex a bit about John Blackadder from the history of the St. Andrews/Blackadder Kirk in N/Berwick The whole article is here https://www.standrewblackadder.org.uk/our-history/ Blackadder? No, nothing whatever to do with Rowan Atkinson. The name refers to John Blackadder (1615-1685). John Blackadder was minister of Troqueer in Dumfriesshire. In the time of the Covenanters, he stood publicly against the appointment of bishops in the Church of Scotland. Because of this he was `outed` from his parish in 1662. He settled in Edinburgh after that, but travelled extensively across southern Scotland, preaching at open-air conventicles. (Preaching in the open air was illegal at that time.) His reputation was high and his services as a preacher were in great demand. Finally, in 1681, the government got their man and Blackadder was arrested for `preaching in the fields`. He was sentenced to imprisonment on the Bass Rock. The conditions were appalling - food was poor, water scarce and ventilation almost non-existent. Nevertheless, John Blackadder wrote his memoirs while imprisoned. He died on the Bass in 1685. The Bass Rock lay within the then parish of North Berwick, so Blackadder was duly buried in the kirkyard of the second St Andrew`s church, which was only about 20 years old at the time. When the Free Church of Scotland was formed at the disruption of 1843, the dissenting party in North Berwick identified their struggle with the principles for which John Blackadder had lived and died. Accordingly, they named their church Blackadder Church. It retained its name after the unions of 1900 and 1929. In 1989, the parishes of St Andrew and Blackadder were united to form the present parish of St Andrew Blackadder, continuing the commemoration of John Blackadder`s name. Both the Bass Rock and Blackadder`s grave lie within the present parish of St Andrew Blackadder. We are forever shaped by the Children we once were Reply |
| 9. Author: Paralex Date: Sat 19th Oct 2024. 22:34 Thanks for that BPP. That`s a good summary. These were different days indeed but maybe not too much difference from some parts of the world today. Looks like it wasn`t just the inhabitants of West Fife, who could be described as barbaric if they treated the prisoners on the Bass Rock like that. We didn`t get any real history of this period when I was at school. They gave a rosey picture of Bonny Prince Charlie and the Stewart Dynasty, ignoring the fact that Charles the Second was king during the worst of these abuses. Reply |
| 10. Author: NMCmassive Date: Sun 20th Oct 2024. 00:17 Paralex, Sat 19 Oct 22:34 I do find it rather odd that many parts of our history is skirted over. I don’t know if it’s political or not but it doesn’t take much scratching at the surface to see lots of inaccuracies and hypocrisy. COYP Reply |
| 11. Author: Paralex Date: Mon 21st Oct 2024. 00:23 I think, NMC, that Scottish history, possibly in common with many other countries, is complicated. Our complications include being a smaller country adjacent to a much bigger one, which created tensions. There was also the tension between lowland and highland Scots, when the clan system in the north was coming to the end of it`s useful life. And there was the major tension of the Reformation. The results of dealing with these 3 complications is that those communities ie England:Scotland-Highland:Lowland- Protestant: Catholic, would wish to put their own Political, Social or Religious spin on their view of history. Maybe keeping relative peace in a United Kingdom of continuing tension was more important to our history teachers than letting our kids know some of the details of the valid struggles that have shaped the nation, the Declaration of Arbroath and the signing of the National Covenant, being two very significant moments in our history. I personally take great inspiration from the pre Reformation church in Scotland, in relation to the former and the post Reformation hero`s, men and women, young and old, in their adherence to the National Covenant to the point of giving their lives. Reply |
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