Series 6 > Perth Kirk Session books, 1577-1590

390
THE PERTH KIRK SESSION BOOKS: 1588
Quhilk day William Fleming12 being callit afoir the assemblie for reset¬
ting, gevin ludging, intertenement and convoying of the laird of Fentrie13
ane enemie to god and relligion and avowit papist and Jesuit excommu-
nicat for the same, and common traffequer for subversion of the trew
religion quhilk was aganis the command of god and expreshe against
the rewle of his word and lykwayis agains the actis maid be the kingis
majestic and assembleise general and particular especialy against the
act of our awin assemblie publisched from the pulpit and croce of this
burgh.14 Being heirfoir accusit answerit that nather for contempt of god
nor na gud rewle or act maid be the king or kirk he did the same, bot
rather of necgligence becaus he was in companye of the erle of Flontly
and was ressavit under his covirtor.15 (William Fleming ressait of Jesuites)
[16r] Confessing the same to have beine ane fault promises never to do
the elyk in tymes cuming and incaice he be found to contravene in tymes
cuming the penultie in the act contenit to streak on him all excuses being
put asyde quhilk fault the minister and elders overseis16 at this present in
houp of amendment.
Comperis David Ramsay and confessis his fornication with Janet Olyphant
and submittis him to the discipHne of the kirk.
Comperis Henrie Tailyor and Kathrene Garner and desyris their bannes to
be proclamit. Caution for the man Walter Ruthven, for the woman Jhon
Smyth.
12 If this were the former elder of this name, the entry would probably say so.
13 The General Assembly in October of 1583 ordered the minister of Dundee to admonish
Sir David Graham, the ‘young laird of Fentrie’, to subscribe the Confession of Faith or
be excommunicated for his popery. Although the king requested that they re-consider, by
February of 1587, the Assembly named him amongst others as an ‘excommunicate papist’
in a petition to James to summon them to appear before him for their offences. They
also accused him of having ‘seduced’ the chief of Dumbarton and ‘stolen away the hearts
of the commons by banqueting at Yule.’ In June the king requested nullification of the
excommunication, and the Assembly appointed several ministers to ‘deal with’ the laird to
convert him, but to no avail. He was eventually convicted for his part in a 1592 conspiracy
to invite the king of Spain to invade Scotland - and leave 5,000 troops there to proclaim
‘liberty of conscience’ to Scots Catholics. His fellow conspirator George Ker saved his own
neck by revealing the plot under torture, but Fentrie was beheaded in Edinburgh 16 Feb.
1593. See BUK ii, 638, 642, 700, 713; David Moysie, Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland ...
1572-1603 (Edinburgh, 1830), 100-101.
14 20 Nov. 1587. See also RPC iv, 107.
15 Protection. Hundy was a known Catholic.
16 Overlooks.