Series 6 > Perth Kirk Session books, 1577-1590

408
THE PERTH KIRK SESSION BOOKS: 1589
1589
[22v] Sexto Januarii 1589
Absentes Thomas Gall
Ordanis George Hunt to pay ten schillingis for breaking the saboth day.
Alexander Chalmer being accusit for committing adulterie with Marion
Wobster denyit the same.
Decimo tertio January 1589
Absentes Robert Mathow, Alexander Olyphant
ComperisViolat Broun efter lang inquisition haid and tane of hir neghgence
and slewth towardes hir young infant and bairne of hir selffe frely confest
that the bairne perisit throw hir necghgence. Thairfoir scho is ordanit on
Sonday nixt in lyning clase to mak hir repentance heirfoir and in tyme of
pretsching to be present in the repentance stuil. (Perising of bairnes)
Comperis lykwayis Bessy Gibson spouse to [ ] Robertson lykwayis and in
the foirsaid maner hir necghgence towards hir bairne and infant.1
[23r] Quhilk day Oliver Peblis being callit and upon his conscience inquyrit
ad as he wald answer to the greit god gif the bairne that Jean Thorneton was
with was his. And that becaus becaus [sic] of oppin and constant confession
of the samyn especially on hir birth and to the reider and elders that was
send to enquyr the same of hir efter hir birth besydis the greit bruit of the
samyn. He tuik it on his conscience sa mot his saul be saifte at the latter day
gif ever he maid sik occasion.2 (Oliver Peblis)
Vigesimo primo Januarii 1589
Ordanis Patrik Malloch for breaking of the saboth conforme to the act of
parhament to pay x s.3
1 A blank space is left for the husband’s forename.
2 His denial of paternity would later be confirmed by Thornton: see 21 Jan. 1589, her confession
of another adulterous relationship, this time with a servant of the earl of Crawford. Despite
her excommunication and her illegitimate child, she seems to have remained in Perth for
the time being: see 21 Oct. 1589, when she was found living with Thomas Moneypenny.
Meanwhile, by 1588 she had been put to the horn (NRS-WRH ms JC26/Box 2, High
Court of Justiciary Processes 1586-93, 22 Dec. 1588,‘Coram Perth adulteraris’).This made
it all the more important for Peblis to deny any contact with her, although Moneypenny's
sheltering her the following year does make one wonder about the effectiveness of horning.
3 In fact the parhamentary fine is 20s; 10s is more usual in Perth.