Strathendrick, and its inhabitants from early times

24
HISTORY OF STRATHENDRICK
the Paroche of Balfrone, estimat in regaird of his absence to be werth of rent
yeirlie, vj chalderis, xv bollis victuall extending in money at lxxx li the chalder
to vj e xxxv li taxt to ... . xvij.li vij.s. iij d."
" 67. James Earle of Glencarne, his xl.s. land of the forrest of Balthrone
estimat to be werth of rent yeirlie aught bollis victuall extending in money at
lxxx li the chalder to xl li. taxt to ... . xxjs. xd "
The stipend of the minister of Balfron, and it is but a small one, now absorbs
all the teinds of the parish.
REV. ALEXANDER CALLENDAR.
The first Protestant minister of Balfron of whom there is any record was
Alexander Callendar, and all we learn of him is that he lived at Killearn,
" having Bawffrowne also under his charge." He had two readers under him,
James Hunter and John Snell, one or other of whom no doubt attended to
Balfron. Mr. Callendar was translated to Largs before 1574. 1
REV. JOHN FORTERFIELD.
The next minister of Balfron was Mr. John Porterfield. He had the over-
sight also of Kilmaronock, Inchcalleoch, Drymen, and Killearn, with a reader
at each place, the name of the reader at Balfron being William Russell. 2 Mr.
Porterfield's abode seems to have been either at Kilmaronock or in Ayrshire.
He is styled " Serviter to Alexander, Earl of Glencairn," and no doubt this cir-
cumstance procured for him both this parish and also Kilmaronock. He was
distinctly a pluralist, for besides the five Kirks he had in Strathendrick, he also
possessed the vicarage of Ardrossan, and he used all the influence he had with
" diverse great men " to secure for himself in addition the vicarage of Stevenston.
In this, however, he did not succeed. He was in 1571-1572 made Bishop or
Archbishop of Glasgow ; but he was not consecrated, and his appointment was
merely a temporary one, and apparently made to give an appearance of legality
to some questionable alienations of Church property in Glasgow. This was the
state of matters in 1574, but by 1580 both Mr. Porterfield and Mr. Russell
the reader were removed, the former to Ayr ; and though the parish was prob-
ably under the charge of one of the neighbouring ministers, we are nowhere
told so, and at the General Assembly held at Dundee, 24th April 1593, it was
reported that "Balfrone was unprovydit" with a minister. 3 In the General
Assembly held at Linlithgow in 1608 there was a complaint that many churches
1 Fast. Ecc. Scot., Part ill., p. 355.
2 Reg. of Ministers and Readers in 1574. Miscellany of the Wodrnv Society, p. 3S3,
3 Book of the Universal Kirk of Scotland, p. 3S3.