Series 1 > Miscellany of the Scottish History Society (First volume)

400
TURNBULL’S DIARY
1701 20th.—Lectured and preacht on ditto.
Twesday, aprile 1.—I lett a litle blood, and purged that
same weeke.
Apr. Qth.—Lect. on 2 pet. 2; preacht on mat. 6, 33.
9^.—Att the desire of Mr. Hugh Darlin, minr att Enner-
weeke, 1 proposed a design of marriage betwixt him and Sarah
Riddell to Mr. Archbald Riddell, minr att Kirkcaldy hir
father,1 he being att Smeaton, and to the lady Smeaton her
aunt.2
1 Archibald Riddell, M.A., third son of Sir Walter Riddell of that ilk;
graduated at Edinburgh in 1666; ordained minister of Kippen about 1670;
became famous as a field preacher; apprehended in 1680, and imprisoned at
Jedburgh and Edinburgh. In 1681 he was sent to the Bass, where he remained
in confinement till the close of 1684, when he agreed to emigrate to New Jersey
in America, and on the voyage thither his wife died on shipboard of malignant
fever. Here he continued, exercising his ministry at Woodbridge, till June 1689,
when he sailed for England, but being captured, along with his son, by a French
man-of-war, they were carried prisoners to France, where they were subjected to
great hardships and rigorous treatment. Released at length through the inter¬
ference of the English government, who gave two French priests, who were
prisoners in Blackness, in exchange for them, he returned to Scotland, and was
settled at Wemyss in 1691 ; translated to Kirkcaldy in 1697, and to Trinity
College Church, Edinburgh, in 1702. Died 17th February 1708, in his seventy-
third year. His daughter Sarah, here mentioned, married Mr. John Currie,
minister of Oldhamstocks, and afterwards of Haddington, on the 26th November
1703.—Hock, p. 363; Scott’s Fasti.
2 Of this lady, Sarah Riddell, the wife of Patrick Hepburn of Smeaton, a
strange story appears in the Records of the Presbytery of Dunbar, under date
28th February 1675. ‘ The minister reportit that there is a great clamour of the
people anent a riot at Smeaton between Sarah Riddel, spous to Patrick
Hepburn at Smeaton, and James Drew, servitor, upon ane Antony Broune, an
English lad, who is said to have been kicked most cruelly three times, to the
great hazard of his life ; and that the general rumour is that the said Antony is
deid—at least cannot be found since; and that the minister and kirk-session in
this place were by the general voice of the people blamed for not taking notice
of the riot in representing it to the civil magistrate, especiallie seing the person
that suffered is a young man without friends in this nation; whereupon the
minister and session, judging it a matter criminal, and so not concerning them,
were very unwilling to act anything, fearing lest they might incur any suspicion.
Seing the said Sarah absents herself from publick and divine service of God in
this church, yet they thought fit to desire the minister to go to Smeaton, for
whom they have a very great respect, and acquaint him with the said riot, who
was supposed to be ignorant of the same; and to cause search for said Antony
Broune, and produce him publiklie, to stop the clamour of the people.’ It ap¬
pears from the minutes that this was done. Search was made, and the minister
—Mr. George Sheal—went to Edinburgh to consult the Lord Advocate—