Blair Collection > Book of Common Order, commonly called John Knox's Liturgy

Notices of Bishop Carswell. xix
' and Abbey in the Roman Court.' Keith remarks
upon the presentation, that 'all this provision was, no
' doubt, made with a view that he might dilapidate the
' temporality to the family of Argyll.' This statement,
however, is not consistent with a statement previously
made by the writer himself; for, in his notice of John
Campbell, whom he makes the predecessor 1 of Carswell,
he states that ' He dilapidated most part of the benefice
' in favour of his relations; and some heritable jurisdic-
' tions he conveyed to his own family of Calder.' It
seems very probable that Carswell has been mistaken
for Campbell, and that charges have been made against
him of which he was in a large measure innocent. The
low state of the diocesan revenue seems to have been
more his misfortune than his fault. At the same time,
there is reason to believe that it was through Carswell
the Argyll family became Commendators of the Abbey
of Iona, — an office from which they derive some privi-
leges to this day.
Carswell's acceptance of the Bishopric was offensive
to the church of which he was a member and minister
at the time. It is probably with reference to this that
Mr. Campbell of Kinzeancleuch would seem to have
1 According to the Register of the Privy Seal, M'Lane, as
already noticed, was the immediate predecessor of Carswell, and
this John Campbell was his successor; for it is recorded (II. xli.
pp. 75, 104) that John Campbell, Preacher of the word of God
and Prior of Ardchattan, was elected Bishop of the Isles in
Carswell's room, and that he got, on the 12th January 1572-3, a
precept approving his election and for installing him in the pastoral
office. If Bishop Keith be right in saying that Campbell dilapi-
dated the benefice to such an extent as he describes, it must have
been done after the days of Carswell. The probability is, how-
ever, that the benefice came in a very dilapidated condition into
Carswell's hands.