Account of the families of Birnie and Hamilton of Broomhill

xii PREFATORY REMARKS.
" The Generall Assemblie now sitting,* upon the complaint of severall
ministers and heretors, that ther parishes was too spacious and great to
be overseen and orderly catechised, they had devyded severall of these
parishes by erectiones of two kirks where the teinds would allow the same.
Allentoune being a ruleing elder, his allya Edstoune being commissioner
to the parliament, for they nether that satt. At the same tyme,
Sir James Stewart was provost of Edenburgh, being likewayes a member
thereof, who had great power with the kirk, that ruled all the affairs of
the kingdome. Being soe weill stated both in the church and state,
Allentoune gives in a petitione to the Generall Assemblie, wherein he
informes them of the lenth, breadth, populacie of the muirs, and all other
inconveniences of Camnethen parrish, allready mentioned by me, and
then craved, that as ther wisdomes had already devyded severall parishes
within the kingdome, and of late the parish of Munckeland, and appoyrited
ane other kirk there, soe they would be pleased to grant ane act for
building a new kirk in some convenient place beyond Auchter Water,
for accommodatione of the muirs, the communicants being now as many
there as in the laigh countrey, and the parish of as large extent as that
of the Munckeland.
" This petitione undoubtedly should have been granted at ther next
sitting, if information therof had not quickly been given to the trusties
of James Duke of Hamiltoune, who was titular of the teynds of that
parish, as tacksmen to the Lord Archbishope of Glasgow, who, albeit all
of them was clessed doune as malignants for the engadgement, yet had
they ther oune freinds both in the kirk and state, with whom they dealt
earnestly to withstand the passing of that act, as tending greatly to the
duke's losse, in takeing from him the wholl of the teynds of that parish,
and withall they furnished them with severall reasons to perswad the
• 1649.