Series 6 > Perth Kirk Session books, 1577-1590

THE PERTH KIRK SESSION BOOKS: 1578
101
comperance, that the minister excommunicat tham upon Sounday thairafter
following immediatly.
Comperit Cristian Buchan and confesses hir adultery with ane umquhill
James Gray and submittes hir self to the discipUn of the kirk thairfoir, and
is ordanit to compeir upon Wednesday nixt befoir the exerceis,79 thair to
ressaif hir injunctionis.
The assembly ordanis James Sim, uptaker of the cassuahties of the kirk, to
gif to Alexander Jhonston, officer to the kirk, for his travelles80 xl s, that is,
twenty s that is in Cristian Cudbertes and Alison Swards handes, farnica trices,
and uther81 twenty that is in to the handis of Wilham Kynloch of the six £
quhairof he is detful to the kirk.
The qhuilk day the elderis hes haird James Symes comptes of the intromis¬
sion of the accidentes concerning the puir sence the beginning of his collec-
tuary unto this day, and the elderis hes fund that he is only restand awand of
hes intromission the sum of xiiii s, and so be thir presentes dyscharges him
simpliciter unto this day.82
[24] 9 October 1578
Quhilk day Andro Mersser becam caution for his nures, Margreat Hillok,
that scho suld performe the injunctionis of the kirk quhilk was to be injoinit
unto hir, and thairupon thairafter hir bairne to be baptisit, and that under
the pain of x
were legally established by the General Assembly in 1581. Buchan will again be sent to the
Wednesday ‘assembly of the exercise of the ministers’ for adultery with another man on 18
May 1579. Since Perth had only one minister at this date, the plural, together with the tech¬
nical term ‘exercise’, suggests that ministers from surrounding parishes came into the town
on Wednesdays to ‘prophesy’ or preach to each other - as indeed they were instructed by the
First Book, 187-91. They may have followed the model of Enghsh puritans’‘prophesyings’,
allowing a public auditory of the sermons, then limiting responses and discussion to clergy
lest the authority of a preacher be undermined by pubhc criticism of his sermon. Certainly
the lay elders were required to attend the exercises in Perth (NRS ms CH2/521/7, p. 276).
Referring disciphnary cases to such a meeting is what makes it look like a presbytery. And
when a presbytery was formally established in Perth, it met on Wednesday, not the usual
weekday preaching day, Thursday. The ‘little skellit bell’ was ordered rung to ‘exercises or
assemblies’ (above, 6 Oct. 1578), rather than the bigger bourdon or ‘preaching bell’, which
also suggests a distinction between ‘exercises’ on Wednesday and preaching on Thursday or
Sunday for the whole parish.
80 Travails.
81 The other.
82 They will not hold him personally responsible for the 14s. The ‘accidents’ are penalties paid
to the kirk.
83 Omitted.