Account of the families of Birnie and Hamilton of Broomhill

68 ACCOUNT OF THE FAMILIE
worthie prelates. After much reasoning, hot eneugh upon the Earle s
syde, they both were, upon their positive refusal, dismissed. They were
attack'd for the second tyme, but with the same event, so both retourned
to Scotland, and the effect thereof was, that the good honest archbishop
was laid asyde, and John Paterson, Bishop of Edinburgh, put in his
room.
The aboue Mr John retourned to his charge, tho' the resentment
against him ran so, that in September and October 1688 his manse was
not only twice severely searched by a partie of dragoons under the com-
mand of a Popish officer, a part of a dale floor lifted, but some stones in
his church, with the ground of the pulpit also rais'd and searched for
arms and ammunition, said there to have been conceal'd. They found none,
and all this upon the information of a certain Popish gentleman thereabout.
In December after he received, early in the morning, a visit from a quyt
opposite partie, tho' of the same spirit, a Presbiterian rable of about fourty
men, well arm'd. His wyfe chanced to be up, and haue her cloaths on,
and upon their hard rapping opened the door, but being a strong well
hearted woman, clasp'd her hands on each syde of it, and would let none
of them enter till farther communing.
The commander did indeed order his men to retear, and then she told
him that was he not ashamed as the head of so many men, pretending so
much zeal for the Protestant religion, to come with a design to spoyle and
search their house, as thePapists, with a partie of dragoons, had twice
so very lately done : He seem'd a litle confus'd, but gaue her his hand that
no manner of harm should be done to her husband or any about her. By
this tyme Mr John had got on his cloaths, came and welcomed them very
kindly, gaue them sufficiently of meat and drink, and they went off, with
this promise, that with due convenience he should flitt from the manse,
which he very shortly did to a gentleman's house in the paroch, then
empty.
Mr John, by his good management and virtue, haveing attained to ane
handsome stock in mony, resolved to place his name and family again in
a land estate; and, accordingly, upon the 14th March 1688, he purchased
from Robert Maxwell of Kirkhouse the little lordship and regalitie of