KEIR p. 677

KEIR.

Formerly a vicarage belonging to Caerlaverock; and afterwards disjoined from the parish of Holywood.

1632. DAVID MERCHISTONE, A.M., son of Mr Richard, min. of Bower, and brother of Mr Thomas M., Archdeacon of Caithness, was laureated at the Univ. of Edinburgh 26th July 1623, he gave 1. merks towards building the Library of the Univ. of Glasgow about 1632; trans. to Ormiston in 1637.-[Reg. Laur. Univ. Edin., Kirk Pap., Mun. Univ. Glasg. iii., Test Reg]

1638. BERNARD SANDERSONE, A.M., obtained his degree at the Univ. of St Andrews in 1625, adm. schoolmaster at Leith 8th Oct. 1629, " under condition that he continue for fyve years, and shall not countenance or resort to any publick exercise of theologie in any Presb. meitings, nor present himselfe to any pulpit, and shall seldom resort to Edinburgh or other places." He came on trials before the Presb. of Haddington l0th Sept. 1634, and on his private trial “gave gude satisfaction to the brethren," and appears to have been assistant at South Leith previous to 13th July 1637. An Act of Parliament for xii^c merks was passed in his favour 15th March 1649, in consequence of his supplication stating "that in Sept. 1645 the Irish rebels under the late Lord Ogilvie, and Nathaniel Gordoun, being quartered in and about his dwelling houses a whole night and day, he being fled to Carleill for safety of his lyff, and his servants, and motherless children to the hills, destitute both of food and harbourie, entered by violence breaking the doors of the housses, chalmeris, and vther offices, brake up all his cofferis, chestis and almries, carried away his whole bedding, insicht, plenishing, and abulzementis of his owne and his wyffis, brunt and spoiled his buikis, chestis, chyres, stoolis, and other tymber work, eat up, spoyled, and destroyed his haill corns vpon his gleib-land, whereby his whole famalie were brought to a great strait and necessity. Is so far pressed and overcome through the height of civil burdings that unles they be pleased to help him in his strait and necessitie he cannot bot succumb, and so be disabled fra the free and comfortable discharge of his ministry, which to him would be more grievous than death itself." He demitted 16th Nov. 1659, "in regard of some differences betuixt him and his parishioners," and was recommended by the Synod lOth Oct. 1660 to the Committee of Estates for payment of the stipend "restand vnpayed," for which an Act of Parliament was passed 5th Feb. 1661. He marr. in Dec. 1630 Elizabeth Scot in the par. of South Leith, and bad a numerous family. A daugh. marr. Mr George Lang, min. at Newry in Ireland.-[Act. Rect. Univ. St. And., Haddingt., and Dumfries Presb., and S. Leith Sess. Reg., Commiss. to Ass. 1638, Tombst., Acts of Ass., and Part., vi., viii., and MSS., Reid's Ireland iii.]

1662. JOHN WISHEART, he continued 21st June 1678.-[Wodrow's Hist., Test. Reg. (Dumf.)]

1681. ALEXANDER GUTHRIE, A.M., trans. from Terregles, ousted by the people in 1689. Having been intruded against the wishes both of the gentry and parish, having informed against his parishioners, who were severely fined, and having been a. party to sending dragoons who killed four men and hanged them on a tree at Irongray, and who beat Bessie Smith to the great