Gairloch in North-West Ross-Shire: Its Records, Traditions, Inhabitants, and Natural History, with a Guide to Gairloch and Loch Maree, and a Map and IllustrationsDixon, John H. (John Henry)
History
Gairloch in North-West Ross-Shire: Its Records, Traditions, Inhabitants, and Natural History, with a Guide to Gairloch and Loch Maree, and a Map and Illustrations
Dixon, John H. (John Henry)
Gairloch (Scotland) -- Guidebooks; Gairloch (Scotland) -- History; Ross and Cromarty (Scotland) -- History
Some time during the seventeenth century the Rev. Kenneth Mackenzie, an
Episcopalian clergyman, came from Bute, and bought the Kernsary estate.
He resided in the proprietor's house at Kirkton, still standing close to
the present Inverewe churchyard in Londubh, and officiated in the old
church there, some remains of which are still to be seen. His
great-great-grandson, the late Rev. Hector Mackenzie, minister of Moy,
stated, some few years ago, that he remembered his grandmother Mrs
Mackenzie of Kernsary (called Mali Chruinn Donn) shewing him an old
prayer-book in an oak chest at the house at Kirkton, and that she said
the chest and prayer-book had belonged to his ancestor who bought
Kernsary. A loose stone may be seen in the part of the ruined church
which was used as the burial-place of the Kernsary family; it is
inscribed "K M K 1678," and is believed to have recorded the date when
the Rev. Kenneth Mackenzie built or restored the little church. Possibly
this clergyman chose Gairloch as a comparatively safe refuge for an
Episcopalian in the covenanting times, and his services were most likely
purely voluntary, and not intended to compete with those of the minister
of the parish; or he may have voluntarily taken the place of Mr Farquhar
MacRae as minister for those parts of Gairloch which were considered to
be in Loch Broom parish.
The Rev. John Morrison became minister of Gairloch 1st March 1711.
Although Presbyterianism had now been established for more than twenty
years, it appears that some of Mr Morrison's parishioners still clung to
Episcopacy, and in consequence the poor man had a bad time of it.
At the first meeting of the presbytery after his admission, Mr Morrison
presented a petition, stating "that after two days sojourn, in going to
preach, he was interrupted at Kenlochewe by the tenants of Sir John
Mackenzie of Coul, who had laid violent hands on him and his servant,
rent his clothes, made prisoners of them, and kept them three days under
guard in a cottage full of cattle and dung, without meat or bedding the
first two days, the tenants relieving one another in turn by a fresh
supply every day. On the third day a short supply was allowed, but they
were yet kept prisoners in the same place without other accommodation.
When the fifth day came Mr John was carried to Sir John's house, who
declared no Presbyterian should be settled in any place where his
influence extended, unless Her Majesty's forces did it by the strong
hand."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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