Spottiswoode Society > History of the affairs of the Church and State of Scotland from the beginning of the reformation to the year 1568 > Volume 1

xlvi BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE
Dukes of Hamilton, Gordon, Queensberry, and Douglas ; the
Marquis of Tweeddale ; the Earls of Aberdeen, Balcarras,
Dundonald, Eglinton, Kintore, Kinnoull, Loudon, Middle-
ton, Strathmore, Stair, Wigton, and Wemyss ; Viscounts
Arbuthnot, Oxenford, Primerose, and Stormonth ; Lords
Aberdour, Belhaven, Balraerino, Bruce, Crichton, Elphine-
stone, Garlies, Linton, Edward Murray, Napier, and Saltoun
— the last the grandson of Archbishop Sharp of St Andrews.
We have also the Duchess of Gordon, the Marchioness of
Douglas, the Countess of Stair, the Dowager Viscountess of
Stormonth, Lady Grizel Cochrane, and a few Jacobite ladies
of inferior rank, with several Baronets, and a number of
country gentlemen ; Bishops Freebairn, Gadderar, and Gil-
Ian ; some of the Clergy; Advocates, Writers to the Signet,
Physicians, Merchants, and about twenty Booksellers. In
the List is one English Nobleman — the Earl of Oxford.
This was Edward second Earl, who devoted himself much
to literature, and formed the valuable and celebrated Har-
leian Collection, purchased by Parliament from his Countess
in 1754 after his decease, and deposited in the British
Museum.
But although Bishop Keith presided at no more consecra-
tions after that of Bishop Alexander, the severities inflicted
by the Government on the clergy and laity of the Scottish
Episcopal Church did not prevent him from pursuing his
favourite researches in the ecclesiastical lore of his country.
About 1752, he removed from his residence in the Canon-
gate of Edinburgh to a small villa, his own property, called
Bonnyhaugh, near Bonnington, in the vicinity of Leith.
Bishop Russell observes — " Whether he continued to perform
the duties of his chapel in Edinburgh, and to retain the office
of Primus, I have no means of determining ; for, short as the
interval is since this distinguished person died, a cloud has
already sunk down on many of those smaller events in his
history, the knowledge of which could not fail to throw a
light both on his character and the fortunes of the Church
at a most interesting crisis." He seems to have been fond
of Archaeology, and directed his attention to the study of