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26 March 2016

Kirk Sessions, Isle of Coll - 3

Notes:
In general it's difficult to tell whether capital letters are being used or not on some words.
The people identified by patronymics: I am not able to guess at what their surnames (as we know them!) evolved to.
There are actually two entries here, August 15th and 19th. The latter records a very brief meeting occasioned by the absence of John Duigh at the former meeting.
Can anyone solve the mystery of what the [black]smith was making for the community (see second illustration below)?
The bedle (more familiarly, beadle) in the Church of Scotland was a lay person appointed as a church official to assist the minister during Sunday service.

Ballihough August 15th 1733
After prayer Sederunt
Mr. Hector McLean Modr )
The Laird of Coll )
Allan McLean of Tottranald ) Elders
Lachland McLean of Torastan )
Hector McLean of Knock )

          Christian nin Terlich vic Neil oig [being?] Inter
rogate befor the Session who was father to her [Child]
answered that it was John Duigh McKerlich vic [Neil]
oig who being absent, the session suspended [any?]
further Enquiry into this ^affair till their next meet
ing And the said woman found Baill for her
Submitting to Discipline & Censure & paying
her fines Namely James McLeane Coll's [Child?]
       The Session appoints that Lachlan Mc
IanIar doe stand in Sack-cloath and also the
woman with whom he Committed adultery
and have modifyd his fine into ten pounds Scot
and her fines into eight
      Neil McKinnon being Cited to this [Session?]
and charged with Immorality in violating
the Lords day Confessed himself ^guilty and was appointed
to stand befor the Congregation in token of
his Repentance on the next Lord's day and be
publicly reproved
      The session discharges Murdoch
Kennedy of his Intromission with his fine
proceeding the date hereof
(next page)
The session appoints [Church?] Treasurer to give
----- Shillings sterling to the ^Smith in this Com
----- for making [Joggs?] for their W-
      The Session appoints that the Ancient
custom of giving a Cheese to the Bedle together
with a Sheaf should be renewed & observed
by all in this country who have any Labouring
and orders that this be intimated on the next
Lords day Immediately after Sermon Closd with
prayer
      John Duigh McKerlich vc Neil oig
being ^late to the Session met August 19th 1733
and interrogate if he had guilt with [*] nian
Terlich vc Neill oig owned he had, nothing else
occurring they closd with prayer


[*] a Christian name appears to be missing here

© 2016 Brenda Dougall Merriman

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Brenda, I will get round to giving this some thought in next day or so. The style of writing is quite similar to the 1776 list and I worked my way through that - eventually.

Unknown said...

Based on the letter "T" and "g" on other pages I would say the blacksmith was to make "Toggs", whatever they were in 1730s

BDM said...

Ewen has kindly sent his own transcription of this particular entry. It is too long and repetitive to place as a "comment" because I find few if any differences in our readings. But thank you for your interest and especially for the "Toggs"! Now if only we knew what people were using them for.

J. Mc. said...

Hi Brenda
I think it may actually say "Joggs" which should actually be "Jougs" and old measurement referring to a Scottish pint.
They would have been a pewter measuring jug so the "smith" would probably have referred to a whitesmith or tinsmith.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joug

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=LhgMAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=The+joug+or+scottish+pint&source=bl&ots=S4CgKIb_P0&sig=OYdsQP8IORpVYI9xxkWTDFRuiOg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZlNSonprNAhXFKqYKHTqgClgQ6AEINTAF#v=onepage&q=The%20joug%20or%20scottish%20pint&f=false

Kind regards John

BDM said...

Aha! I think John McClean has solved it! Thank you. A "smith" was of course not always a blacksmith. Another lesson in (not) making assumptions :).