n r.

NOTICE OF A REPORT, PRESERVED IN THE CHARTER HOUSE OF THE CITY OF , ON THE REVENUES OF THE PAROCHIAL BENEFICE F SHETLANO E SBEGINNIN TH E TH N I DF O G SEVENTEENTH CENTURY GILBERY B . T GOUDIE, TJSEASUUEK.

numbeA f yearo r s since I ,obtaine d permissio examino nt oldee th e r records and miscellaneous papers of the city of Edinburgh. The object of my inquiry was to ascertain what light might be thrown upon the stat f Orkneo e d Shetlane paperan yth y b sd relatine perioth o t dg during which the revenues of the Bishopric of were possessed by the city. It is not generally known that in 1641 the Magistrates and Council obtained fro e Crowmth nleasa f theseo e bishopric land r thfo es su £36,00f mo 0 Scots, whic ratifies hwa Parliameny db 1644n i t . They remained in possession of tlie lands and revenues for a period of eighteen years thereafter, having surrendered them to King Charles II. in 1662. During that perio a dvariet f interestinyo g deeds, reports d miscelan , - laneous papers connected wite islandth h s accumulate e citth y n i d archives largA . e number, probabl e mosyth f theseo t stile ar , l preserved, amond an g these therlaco n f interestin ko s e i g mattee ar r thos o fo r ewh curious to investigate the state of affairs in the at that time—a troublous time, embracing the civil war and Cromwell's Protectorate. 292 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 14, 1884.

documene Th t whiche subjecth s i f ,thi o t s communicatio formaa s ni l •report by a resident clergyman, the Rev. James Pitcairn, on the state of parise th he churc th kirk d han s revenue f evero s y paris Shetlandn hi — e earliesth t local recore kin th existencen di f knowns d o a r fa o .s , s almosi t I t unnecessar o remart y k thae origi th d subsequent an n t development of parochial organisation in , especially the fiscal arrangements obscuro s e d besear , ean t wit muco hs f conflictinho g data, t differena t times, that every contemporary writin f oldeo g n datd an e trustworthy character, hearing upon the subject, is of value; and no perio mors di e perplexing standd an , s mor neen i e f elucidationdo , than that succeeding' the distractions of the Reformation era. Between lay impropriators e hand on d greed an e , th y n w o churchme, ne e th f o n Episcopal order on the other, a very small residue of the old patrimony of the Church was left for the maintenance of ordinances and the support e parochiaoth f l clergy. "Whe a proposition s madewa n , about hala f century befor e dat f thith e eo s document, tha e ecclesiasticath t l revenues of the country should be divided into three parts—two of these to be e ejectegiveth o t nd Roman Catholic e thirclergyth dd e paran b , o t t divided between the Court and the Protestant ministry—Kuox saw only e schemth n i e "twa pairtis freel e thiry e th devillgevi th dd o an t n, mo devydee nb e devill."th s indignatiod d Hi an betwi1 d t no Go x s ni to be wondered at, for the outcome of the final adjustment was not only e miserablth y inadequate provisio e subsistencth r e clergynfo th t f eo bu , e actuath l strikin f moro f egof tha e churchea nthir th e landf do th f ,o s reducing their numbe 600.o rt fro4 2m92 There is ample evidence in the paper under notice that what was true of the state of matters on the Scottish mainland was equally true in the remote island parishes of the north—teinds made over to, or usurped by, layme severan i n; l cases neither mans glebr no eexistencn ei e; charge s vacant kirkd an ,ruinsn si . f Bundlo 9 . inventorie . papeVI e No Th s . i 73rp f Volum8n o o d e Chartee IIIth f o . r House Citye Book t bearth I f signature . o ssth f eo the Rev. James Pitcairne, minister of the parish of Northmaven from

1 M'Crie, Life of John Knox, period vii. - Rmve's Historie of the Kirk of Scotland (Wodrow Society). 83 . p , KEVENUES OF THE PAHOCHIAL BENEFICES OF . 293

1579 to his death in 1612;1 and as it is not dated, it can only be assigned with certainty to the period embraced by his incumbency,' though ther internas ei l evidence sufficient I think, indicato t , dats eit e as being early in the seventeenth century—not before 1607, but prior to e executioth Earf no l Patrick Stewart, which took plac 1615n ei . handwritine Th s distincgi t upo e wholeth n , thougw hfe thera e ear words illegibl r doubtfulo e . Ther e alsar eo some obscurities apart fro caligraphye mth , som f whico y eexplanator m e allude ar hn i o t d y notes. There is a separate report, forming part of the document, on " The RentdlKirke th f o Landis, viz. Stoicltis Prebendareis."d an These kirk- lands see havmo t e bee f verno y small extentacquirew w ho Ho d . dan e Churcth los o t t h o evidencthern s i e o showt e . The scarceln ca y y have bee remanene nth t portion e bishoprith f so c estate, which orginally lay intermixed with the earldom and private lands in every parish, but whic latey hb r excambio concentratiod nan larga o nt e extent disappeared, and has now no existence as such in Shetland. It is still, however, a separate estate in Orkney, administered by a chamberlain for the Crown, as coming in place of the Bishops of Orkney and Shetland. What is termed in this appended report the Channonis landis must be e propertth y belongin e tim th r previouslo et a ge Canonth o f t yo s St Magnus Cathedral at . These lands appear, by a document lately discovered o havt , e yeay them b th bee rt n i ,le n1539 , oa n nineteen years' tack, to their " weil belovit brothir and freynd Schyr (Sir) David Fallusdell, prebender of Sanct Duthockis Kyrk in Orknaye." n thaI t deee subjectth d e brieflar s y described hailr an ou ll s "a dAl landis lyan n Zetlani d d withi e paroschenth n f Dunrossneo n y on r o s place of Zetland quhilkis pertenis to us the said Channonis for am service

uphaldind an e mornth f go e mes r Laclys Ou sai t ea d altar withie th n Cathedral Kyrk of Orknaye, wyth thair pertinens." 2 It is scarcely necessar d thaad t o thest y e canons' lands, like canonth e s themselves, and their mornin gr Lady's masou t sa t MagnualtaS n i r s Church, have,

1 Fasti Ecclesice Scoticance, . 439fiarp . .v t 2 Paper e write"byth "Ancienn o r t Legal Documents connected with Shetland," Proceedings e Societyth f serieso w ne , , vol. iv. 195p . . 294 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 14, 1884.

s sncha , entirely disappeared fro e for w mth o par mn no f view o td an , inheritance of the Church. a lengthene r Fo d period aftee politicath r e witti l h Norwas wa y severed, the connection in Shetland with the mother Church of Norway t altogetheno d di e samr th cease t e A time .propert e th ,islande th n yi s belongin e Norwegiath o gt n Churc matted a not di s ha , f courseo r , pass over to the Scottish Church catholic after the impignoration of Orkney and Shetland to Scotland—at all events, did not descend to the Eeformed Church which succeeded it. The reference here is not to the public ecclesiastical revenues, but to private possessions of Churchmen, as such, f oChurco r h bodies. For instance e Monasterth , t Michael'S f o y n si Bergen (Munkalivs Cloister) possessed a considerable landed estate in Shetland specifies a , e Brevebog,th n di r Chartularyo monastery.e th f o , 1 How this estate passed into other hands is not at present known. The Provoste Domth f o Kirk, or Cathedral f Bergeno , d alsha o, various e islandslandth n si . These Norwegian churc ht include landno e ar s d presene th n i t accoune churcth f o ht properties werd an , e clearly there- s beeforeha ns a ,alread y remarked t reckoneno , de propert parth f o t f yo Reformee th d Churc f Scotlanho timee th t .da Indeed knoe ,w w thaa t portio f thesno e lands, 4J- marks lying runrig wit e manohth r landf so Sumburgh appropriates ,wa secular dfo r purposes purposesn ow s , i.e.,hi ,r fo by Earl Patrick Stewart, and disponed by him in 1592, and again in 160 5; thoug h suspicion dubioua f so confirmatora so t titl d ele y charter being afterwards obtained fro e kinm th f Denmark go comins a , placn gi e of the ancient Church of Norway, under the comparatively recent date of 28th August 1662.2 feature Theron greaf s ei o e t interest ecclesiologicall paped ol e r th n yi now under consideration. It gives, we may presume with tolerable accuracy, the names of the saints to whom most of the parish churches in Shetland were dedicated. In Protestant times, those ancient saints naturally enough fell into disfavour d graduallan , e remembrancth y e

1 Brevebog, si-ve Codex Diplomatarius Monasterii Sancti Michaelis, Bergensis, vulgo Munkalif dicti, 4to, Christiania, 1845. • Notic f Documenteo e Norsth n i se Language relatin Shetlando gt , Proceedings of tlie Society, vol. xiv. p. 13 et seqy. REVENUES OF THE PAHOCHIAL BENEFICES OF SHETLAND. 295

even of their names perished from the spots which were intended to commemorate them. Consequently the names now given are in most cases new discoveries; and I have attempted, on the basis of this, and of information derived from other quarters, to reconstruct a list of various churches and chapels in the islands, with their dedications so far as known f coursnumbee o lise lesth o s i n tTh o s t e, f thaincomo r. n30 - plete, and may probably, in some instances be inaccurate, but it will serv foundatioa s ea r furthefo n r inquiries hereafter n examinatioA . n lise oth tf will also show that many churche pren i d chapel e -san us n si Reformatio t onlno y nw disusedeithee timeno ar ruine n t i r sar bu r , so have wholly disappeared.

It does not appear how Pitcairne's report: assuming its date to be from 160 o 1615t 7 , came inte possessioth o f tho n e citf Edinburgho y , seeing that their entry to the bishopric was not until 1641. It has not been regarded by the city authorities as of much value; for it is put away in a bundle inventoried thus—" Item, several papers relating to the state of the Kirks in Orkney and Zetland, thought to be not very material thereford an , t particularlno e y inventoried." I had no leisure to transcribe more than this single paper, and I must content myself with printin t i gverbatim, adding merel furthew fe ya r explanatory notes. It is my duty to express my thanks to Mr Skinner, the City Clerk, and to Mr Adam, the City Chamberlain, both Fellows of the Society, for their courtesy in giving me access to the records, and in aiding niy inquiries.

THE JUST KENTELIS OF THE BENEFICES CALLIT THE VICARAGES w* THE NUMBER THF O E KlRKIS PERTENING THA1RT S THAOA T HAVAD S AN E D SEINOL F EO THEY ARE NOW CALLIT IN PnEBENTIS. t Matthew.S t Magnus,S t Golme,S Kirke th Fair e ofth f yle.—In primie sth

Vicarag Dunrosnef eo cornn si e teind nyne peis peisk il e e calculati twento t t y

2

pundis the bowteind 1 communibua aiinis foure barrell butter the bot teind fyfe 3 gudlingis w* halff lamb halff wol e otheth l r half lamf o fwol d ban l usurpit and taken up be my Lord Orknay sine titulo bothe heir and frome the rest of 1 TSom teind—teind of cattle—mills cows. The word (Icelandic bti) still lingers in the Scottish term Steel-low. Bot-- (i.e., Boat) teind. 3 More probably fiff tie. 29G PKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 14, 1884.

the Vicarages within the cuntrie notwithstanding that the haill woll and lamb perteins to the Vicar properlie. The Vicarage hes thrie Kirkis in the maine of the cuntrie of Zetland and the fourt in the Fairyle. The Vicarage is set be Lawrence Sinclar Vicar and titular thairof to Malcome Sinclar of Quendell for sax scoir pundis. It hes ane manse and glebe. Srassa and fiurray.—Fyve pece of corne teind two barrell butter and ane teinw bo hald n thretii f e guidlingis w* halff wolhalfd an l f lam e uthibth r halff usurpit be my Lord as said is. Thair is bot twa Kirkis of olde and remainis as yet ane kirk in rek . . and hes bot sax mark land for the gleb lyand in Brassa and this Vicarage is set be umquhil Alex Kincaid to my Lord of Orknay for auchtein poimdis and wantis ane minister this fyftein yeris.1 Tingwell, Weisdaill.—The Archdeanrie is twentie sevin peise corne teind the bow teind fyve barrell butter the bot teind tlire scoir guidlingis w1 haill lamb and woll. Item thair pertenis to the Archdeanerie twentye last of land wk twell mark for the glebe and the samyne is set in. long takis and few to the lair Esselmonf do r JameSi e b ts Hay. This kirkisbenefica tw s .he e Sand, ordina a Twatt,tw e rth kirki thaid s an uthis ri quhil a rtw k concurio st thia callirtw t Gritting ani Aith.—The Vicarag f Aithstino e Sandstind gan g hes fyye pece corne tein a barreldtw l butte d half botian n ri f s teind threttie guidlingis w* halff woll kirkihala tw f s t lamwantsi he t bi s mans glebed san . Sandness, Wallis, Papa, Fulla.—The Vicarag f Waaio e pecx hald sa s an ef pece corne teinteinw dbo d thre barrell butter botis teind fourtie guidlingis w'

twentir tan i fo k t hailse e manso s an i glebd l wols d laman sd he an ean l t bi angelis yeirli Malcomo et e Sincla umquhie b r l Alex r Kincaid. Olafirthe, Laxo.—Delting hes five pece corne teind twa barrell halff barrell butter in bowteind threttie guidlingis in bot teind w* half woll and lamb it hes mansa a kirkisn glebr tw s sno .e he This benefice evi forcie l spilan e t b tpen - siowne taine from it be my Lord of Orknay quha also lies detenit twa barrell buttir assynit to the minister out of the Bishopis thridis this sevin year bygaine. , St Magnus, St Gregoreus.—Northmavin sax pece corne teind bow- teind thre barrell butti t teinbo r d fourtie guidlingis w* halff wollamd an l t bi hes nathe contracir w mans no thrid glebr d ha twasno o e t an t e i kirki d . ol f so t Jlion,S t Ola,S Hamnavoe Kirk t Magmts.—S The Vicarag f Zeleo nyns i l e peis com halfe e an tein f d estimaan d o xxxvt t ie peas Ith t e w' fyve barrell butte bowteinn ri d four scoi n guidlingite r t teindmanse sbo glebTh d .s an e off this vicarage is unjustlie possesit be my Lord Orknay it hes thre kirkis and is set in takis to Williame Bannatyne be Mr James Lader quha hes maid Sir Jhone Arnot assignay thairto.

Accordin Fasti,e th o gt William Umphra ministes ywa thif o r s parish from 1581 1 to 1636. How then could there be a vacancy for fifteen years ? KEVENUES OF THE PAKOGHIAL BENEFICES OF SHETLAND. 297

Lady Kirk Harildswik,at JhoneSt Wick,at Balyesta,in thrie all Ola in St

Unst.—The Vicarage of Unste is fourtein peice corne teind sax barrell buttir

t bovvteind four scoir guidlingis in bot teind w - manss and glebe and is set in long talci Arthuo st r Sincla umqnhie b r r JameSi l s Hay. Crocekirk—Fetler lies twa pece corne teind and ane halff peise twa barrell butter bouteind twentie guidlingi t teind.wbo s ' liaill wollamd an lliet e bi san kir mans* kWinglebo w d t t san .ese Bannatyn r JameM e eb s Lacier quhairinto r JhonSi mais ei d assignat presentliye d yan e possessi e Patricb t k Hoge bona fide beand presentit and collationat thairto. Nesting Kirk callit Ola,St Lunnasting callit Margaret,St Quhailsa Kirk Croce.—Nesting, Quhalsa, and Lunnasting is sevin pece corne teind four barrell butter bowteind fourtie guidlingi t teinsbo d w' halff woll half lamb w* manss and glebe it hes thre kirkis and is set in long tak to the guidman of burghe be Mr Alexander Spittell.

THE EENTII THF LO E KIKK LANDIS, viz., STOWKI PREBENDAKEISD SAN . Item, the Stowk callit the Croce land set in few to Malcome Sinelar be his majesti r paymenfo e f twentof t y pnndi mailiw d fe disponis an s o Jamet t s Sinclar apperan Quendelf d of s lyfetimehi r fo l . Sinclaw Item,He f Channoni e r o Jameof rt th Si y e b sHa w sfe lanclin i t se s Burghe and payis yeirlie to his Majestie twenty pundis threttein shillingis foure pennies quhilk wes assignat to Thomas Swintowne in his stipeind be the Lordis modefeari checker o s r [the Exchequer]. Item, aine small Stowk in Northmavin callit St Michaelis Stowk it payis in few mail pundin te l s quhilk lyis vaican deceie db s of r JamefS s Hay. . Item, ane uthir lytell Stowk callit Osta sat in few to Jhone Umfra and payis ten poiidis few maill quhilk wes disponit to Andro Umfra younger for his lyfe- time. JVota, that everie guidlin twents gi y foure shillingis Scottis. Item, everie last land is auchtein mark. Item, everie mark extendi xxvo st i s viii d. J. PITCAIRNE, Minister at Northmaviny.

NOTES. I. THE PARISHES. Dunrossness.—Four churches are enumerated here, corresponding to the three civil parishe Dunrossnessf so , Sandwick Cunningsburghd an , , anFaie dth r Isle mile5 2 s distant l whical , h have been combine ministrye on s da during almost whole th e period sinc e Eeformationth e f thesO .e churches, tha Dunrossf o t - ness, situated near the sea-shore at Quendale, existed until the year 1791, when 8 29 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APEI , 188414 L .

a new church was built at some distance, and the stories were used for the erectio neighbourina of n g manor hous churcthe e; Sandwickat h , rebuilt some time since, became a preaching station of the minister of Dunrossness from the year 1593, when the parish ceased to be a separate charge, until 1833 when, it was made quoad sacra, with a resident minister; the church at Cunningsburgh has been a ruin for two centuries or more, and has latterly disappeared entirely. three Th e churche e vicaragth f so f Dunrossneso e s (apart frome th tha f o t Fair Isle) are noted in Pitcairn's report merely by their dedication names St Matthew, St Magnus, and St Ooline. Assuming that these are to be read in the same order in which the three parishes are usually quoted, it would follow tha churchee th t s woul referree db respective th o dt e parishes, thus— Parishes, Dunrossness, Sandwick, Cunningsburgh. Churches, t MatthewS t MagnusS t ColmeS , , . regrettee b o t s i dt I thaa matte t t f absolutno thio rs i s e certaintyl al r fo , knowledg f theseo e dedication s lonha sg since vanished anythind an , g thas i t known tends only to further uncertainty.- The pre-Seformation church of Dun- rossness proper, at Quendale, was known in later times as Grace KirJc (or Gross KirK), either fro crucifors mit m construction r froo , s havinmit g been dedicated to the Holy Cross. And the church at Cunningsburgh is noted in Timothy Font's map, early in the seventeenth century (published by Blaeu of Amster- churce dam)t Paul'sth S f s awaret a ,O hSandwicm a a . I s , a r kfa thero s , eis no traditiorecordo n dedicatioe d th an ,f no t Magnus S o nt . While, therefore, Pitcairn's accoun thesof t e dedication greaof sis t value cannoit , implicitlbe t y relied upon, without such corroboratio e discloseb y ma ds n a hereafte othey b r r evidence turthay . nup ma t A portion of the ecclesiastical revenue is said to be usurped by " my Lord Orknay. t i coul f I e decide"b d d whether this refers to- Lord Robert, firsf o t the Stewart Earls of Orkney, or to his successor, Earl Patrick, the uncertainty as to the date of the document would be narrowed. The former died in 1592, and the latter was executed in 1615. Other names occurring in the paper belong to the same- period, but none of the references are sufficiently pointed to date fixth . e withi years"e w usurpationfe Th na . sLory "b d Orkneo to e yar much matter of history to require to be commented on. Laurence Sinclair, the then vicar of Dunrossness, is not recorded in the Fasti Ecclesice Scoticance ministes a parishe th f t onlro bu ,reade s ya r there from 1571 to 1580, and agaiu at Sandwick in 1608. Malcolm'Sinclair of Quendale, to whom the vicarage was " set," was an extensive landowner in Shetland in the e sixteentth en f o dd beginnin han e seventeentth f o g e hh centurys wa t I . who received at Quendale the men of the Spanish Armada, wrecked at the Fair Isle in 1588. . - REVENUE E PAKOCHIATH F SO L BENEFICE SHETLANDF SO 9 29 .

n 157I 1 John Kingsone \vas appointed ministe f thio r s parish, including Sandwick and Cunningshurgh. His stipend is stated to have been xl merks (.£2, 16s. 8d.). In 1574 he appears to have had also Bressay and in charge, with Ixxx H (£6, 13s. 4d. stipendf )o . Bulke th n I of Assiynatiounis Ministerise th f o Reidarisd an Stipendise th r fo year 1576 followine ,th g entries occur :— Dunrosnes, Sandwick, Gunisburgh.—Malcolm Sinclair s stipendhi , e hail,th l vicarag f Dunrosneseo s quhairunt newlis i e oh e providit, extendine h H 0 8 go t payan reidare dth t thiea r Kirkis. Oroce Kirk, Fair Isle.—Laurence Sinclair reidare at thir Kirkes his stipend xx H to be pait be the new providit vicar. To the Commissionaire of Zetland is assigned, inter alia " the thricl of the Croce Stouk f Dunrosneo e xiiH j jv ss iiij d, an de bishopifurtth f o h s um- bothis of Zetland the rest; and for payment thereof vj barrellis." In these different quotations we have material to enable us to attempt to determine wha Churce th t h revenu parise havth y f eo h ma e been three centuries e confusioth t ago Bu f mone.o n y payment d valusan f paymenteo kinn i s d still leave mucn i t si h uncertainty. Bressay and Surra.—Alexander Kincaid, referred to as having "set" the vicarage to the , is not recorded in the Fasti. He was appointed mandatory by Bishop Adam Bothwell, for the induction of Alexander Spittell vicarage th o t Nestingf eo yeae th r n ,i 1567 s appear a , e Deeth f Preo y dsb - sentation preserved amon e papere Sherifgth th n si f Cour f Shetlando t d an , printed in the Proceedings of the Society, vol. iv. new series, p. 198. The united parish of Bressay, Burra, and Quarf is a very extensive one, and its being withou ministea t r fifteefo r n years show e deplorablth s e stat f cono e - fusion into which matters ecclesiastica driftedd lha . Tingwall.—Glebe lands said to be set to the "Laird of Esselmont" by Sir James Hay. Hay was vicar of Unst from 1574 till 1591. He was active and .influential d acquirean , d much' property. Hierome Chene, saio t d have bee famile nth f "Esselmonthf o y o , Aberdeenshire," was, accordine th o gt Fasti EcdesioB Scoticance, appointed ministe f Tingwalo r s wa n 1567i l d an , succeede n 1572i e Lair than n di Th f Esselmon.so d o t s charghi y b e t here alluded to was probably a son or near connection of this Sir Hierome, the Archdeacon ; and the territorial designation of Esselmont was claimed in Shetlan famila name lengthenea y th d b r f eyo fo d period after this date. churce Th f Tingwalho s dedicatewa l t Magnus;S o dt tha f Weisdalo t o et Our Lady. These dedications are not mentioned in the paper. Northmaven.—There hers i e agai ndifficulta y abou dedicationse th t . Three churche enumeratede sar , dedicated respectivel t OlafS t Magnuso yS ,t t S d an , Gregory remembrance Th . l thesal f eeo seem havo st e passee dth awad an y; parish church at Hillswick has, in later times, been referred to as dedicated to 0 30 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APKI , 188414 L .

t ColmS r Columba)e(o . Sibbald seem o agrest e with this pape callinn ri t gi Olla's.St Yell.—William Bannatyne, named as tacksman of the vicarage, was probably William Bannatyne of Gairsay, Orkney, who was active in the north in the beginning of the seventeenth century. Among other recorded references to him, we find him Chancellor of the Assize at Kirkwall at the trial, in 1616, of Elspeth Keoc r witchcrafthfo , whe e unfortunatth n e pane sentences wa l o dt "be " wirryet at ane staik quhill she be deid and therefter to be burnt in assis." James Lauder, from whom Bannatyne acquired the tack, was removed from Fetlar to the parish of Mid and South Yell in 1596. He was succeeded in that charg n 159,i e Andrey 9b w Edmonstoun r JoliSi . n Arnot, assignee th f o e well-knowa tack s wa , n citize f Edinburghno principaa d an , l credito Earf o r l Patrick Stewart. A letter from him to the Earl, dated 9th April 1605, is printe Peterkin'n di s Notes Orkneyn o Zetland d an (appendix). 58 . p , Fetlar.—Patrick Hog, name s ministea d f Croso r s Kirk e s stiltei th , n i d Fasti to have been a son of Mr Archibald Hog, minister of Durris ; to have been presente e Fetlayeao t dth rhavo n t i r1607 d e an die, d between 12th January 1622 and 1st September 1624. This would seem to establish the date of the document as subseqiient to 1607. Nesting, Whahay, and Lunnasting.—The " guidman of Burghe," named as tacksman here, was Sinclair of Burgh, an extensive landholder in Shetland at e time th t whosbu , e famil s lonha yg been extinct. Alexander Spittello wh , granted the tack to Sinclair, was presented to the vicarage of Nesting and Whalsay, as successor to Sir George Strang, by Bishop Adam Bothwell, in e forma1567Th . l presentation, writte n ni Latin n whics designei i , e h h d " son of Alexander Spittell of Blairloyy," was found by the writer among the old papers belongin e Sherifth o gt f Cour f Shetlando t s printei e d th n an ,di Proceedings of the Society, vol. xvi. p. 198.

. THII E KIRKXASDS. Some explanation o thest s sa e have been e introductiogiventh n i thio nt s communication, p. 293.

III. NATURE OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVENUES OF THE SHETLAND PARISHES. t wilI l have been observed that, throughout Pitcairn's report parochiae th , l revenues enumerate n everi e dar y instance termed "Vicarage. alss i e ot th I " case that in documents of the same period, and of earlier date, the parochial clergyme Shetlann ni e mosd th are r tt invariablyfo ,part no f i , , termed vicars, while several of those of Orkney appear as personis, or parsons. From this it might be inferred either that the whole parishes of Shetland were vicarages REVENUES OF THE PAROCHIAL BENEFICES OF SHETLAND. 301

pure and simple, or that the rights and dues of parsonage and vicarage had become intermixed r mergeo , d together. Ther s evidencei e e samth t ea , time, that the distinction between the two was not wholly lost sight of even a muc t a h later date r Giffordfo ; , writin n 1736i g , speake ministeth f o s r of Sandstin s beinga g "vicae parish,th f o rd havin "an g "for stipend half o f core th n whole tythesth d e an ,vicarag e tythes, amountin abovo gt merks0 e70 Scots per annum, with a glebe and manse." The same statement—of the minister having half the corn tithes and the whol1 e vicarage tithes—is repeated in the case of most of the other parishes. Here, therefore, the corn tithes are distinctly referred to as distinct from those of the vicarage, as indeed was the case everywhere else.. The corn tithes (of which, in these cases, onfv one-half reached the minister) were in reality the parsonage tithes (detinue rectorial or decimce garbales} which belonged to the parson or rector, and which, according to Erskine, comprehended, by the usage of Scotland, only the tithes of corns, as of wheat, barley, oats, peas, &c.2 The lesser teinds belonged to the vicar. Holders of benefices in Shetland would not naturally obtain appointments as members of the Cathedral chapter of St Magnus at Kirkwall, and hence there would be little occasion for rectors with substitutes (or vicars) for the performance of clerical duties in those remote parishes. Besides, the revenues provided, we may be well assured, would be barely sufficient for the main- tenanc a singl f o e e clergyman, leaving littl r nothino e e shareb o gt d with anothe f superioo r r rank.tha e d yetr other o se n tsomAn i ; y e 3one w , wa e - core halth nf o tithesf , which properly belonge e parsonth o disappeared t ha , d from the vicar's revenue, while not finding its way either to parson or bishop ; another indicatio e usurpatioth f o n r alienationo f Churco n h revenues, which became a great abuse everywhere, but especially in Scotland before and after the Reformation. There is another element of uncertainty that must be taken account of in attemptin estimato gt e positioeth f Shetlanno d parishe t thia s s time. While the distinctions of parsonage and vicarage were apparently everywhere recog- nise civin di ecclesiasticad an l l law muse ,w t consideratioe notth n ,i thesf no e matters guidee ,b d implicitl usage th Scotlandf y eyo b t musI . rememberee tb d that at the time we are speaking of, the islands had been only a century and a half under Scottisli rule theid an , r ecclesiastica civid an ll arrangements would Historical Description of the Zetland Islands, Reprint, 1879, p. 10. 1

- Institutes ow f La Scotland, e oth f titl. ex 3 The uniting of parsonage and vicarage all over Scotland was authoritatively aimen 1581i t a ds ordained— , whewa t i n " Quhai e parsonagth r d viccaragan e e severalw pensio no Kiry e an lkar beneficest na l unitial , e tb Jt and annexit in aue, for the better sustaining of the minister there." See proceedings at the Glasgow Assembl f 158yo 1 (Bookee Unircrsallth f o Kirlc f Scotlando Row'd an s Historicf o the Kirlc of Scotland). 302 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APEIL 14, 1884.

probably require to be viewed in connection with the system formerly prevail- ing in Norway, if we had the means of arriving at any very definite under- standin than go t subject. As, however, it would seem to be safe to conclude that what are here termed the "vicarage" dues embraced all that was exacted for the maintenance of the officiating clergymen, we have in the document before us a complete view of the ecclesiastical revenues of the whole of Shetland in the period succeeding the Reformation. It is noticeable how frequently the vicarages are stated to be " set," some- times in " long tak," to laymen. In many cases this might have been a matter of convenience, for a neighbouring landowner could more easily take up the tithes, along with his own rent paid in kind, than these could be collected by a clergyman. But there is room for suspicion that in many cases the tithes were made over by the incumbent mainly for an immediate payment, to suit interestn ow often'fod s hi an , perioa r d beyond life n .hi,ow s thereby impover- ishing his successor, and causing the." dilapidation " of tithes, as it was termed. probabls Iwa t tha y thin i y t swa vicarsy "la " cam , andein , along with them, confusion inextricable, which still taxes the ingenuity of the Teind Court to reconcil adjust.d ean 1

. LIS IV F PRE-REFORMATIOO T N CHURCHE CHAPELD AN S SHETLANN I S O DT WHICH DEDICATIONS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED. (The authorities are given. The present document, Pitcairn's report, is indicated by P.). DUNROSSNESS. Cross Kirk, t Quendala t Matthee(S w 1—P.). St Ninian's (St Niniaii's Isle.) St Columba's, at Clumlie.2 f 1617 o patrimons t hi pary o prelat Ac ,f n an o tallowey s t ur B 1le e wa yfo o t d longer term than ninetee ny churchma an years r no , n unde prelata r longea r fo e r term than their own lives and five years after, under the pains of deprivation and infamy—Erskine's Institutes, title x. § 8. I ventur2 mako et e this addition e dedicatetoth d site Dnnrossnesn si s parish—St Goluniba's at Clumlie. At this place an ancient church site is pointed out, named fCirJcifield. The ground around it has the a.ppearance of having been a burial place, but only one stone, a large flat grave slab, remains as an indication of its consecrated character. I saw it removed from the spot, fully thirty years ago, and it is now used pavemena s a t villagee stonth n ei . Clumli placa s greai ef e o t antiquity,f o buil t ou t materiale th vere partld th yan , n l likelihooysiteo larga al f o ,n e i s brougbha d t I . borne much of its present appearance from Pictish times, though the houses have, as a matte f coursero , been rebuil ageto e nam t fro e Th .whollms eag i y unlikf o y ean e Scandinaviath n place-name t explainablno e islandss etyy i th an -d n i sn an o e, mological ground known to me. May it not be simply a modified form of the Celtic, SEVENDES OF THK PAROCHIAL BENEFICES OF SHETLAND. 303

SANDWICK.1 St Magnus ? (P.) CuNNiNesBUK«H t . GokiieS . Accordin(P ? Blaeu'o gt s map—St Paul's). BRESSAY. St Olla, at Gnnilsta (Sir Eobert Sibbald). t Mary,S t Culbinsbrcmga h (do.). t John,S t Kirkabistea r (do.). t Lawrence,S BDRRAY t Papila . towerea , d church (Sibbald). TINGWALL. St Magnus. WHITENESS. St Ola (New Statistical Account, p. 69.) WEISDALE. Our Lady. SANDSTING. St Mary (Tradition—N, S. A., p. 110). WALLS. St Paul (Sibbald). BELTING. St Paul, at Scatsta (Sibbald). t Olla,S t Olnafirta h (do.). St Magnns (do.). NOKTHMAVEN. St Ola, at Hilswick (P., Sibbald, Blaeu). St Magnus (P., Sibbald). St Q-regorius (P., Blaeu). YELL. St John (P.). St Ola (P.). St Magnus (P.). UNST. Our Lady, at Haroldswick (P.). 2 St John, at Baliasta (P., at Norwick, Sibbald). Clioluimcillie, i.e., Clumlie (Colum-lie), a dedication to St Colum or Columba, a sur- vival fro Pictise mth h Church down throug e Scandinaviahth n age s? Ther s alsei o a Clnmlie in the parish of Sandwick in Orkney. Here, as at Clumlie in Shetland, ther loca s frontn ei hi d thera Loeh-Choluini-Cille an ;s i e r Columba'o , s Lochn i , the Isle of Skye, referred to by Mr-Jolly in a paper in the Society's Proceedings, vol. xi. p. 551. n typi t [SincI ehav pu above s eeth founwa e n unexpecteda d almosd an , t con- clusive, confirmatio suggestioe th f o n n that the nam f Clumlieo derives ei d froe mth Orkneyf greao p t ma sain , a lonaf perhap o tn I . e earliessth existencen i t , given ni Dutca h editio Camden'f no s Brtitania, publishe t Amsterdaa d 1617mn i parise ,th h church of Sandwick, now situated near to Clumlie, and probably originally at that place s designatei , t Colwiiban—dS awarem a a whicf I dedicationo , s a o hn r fa o s , hint or tradition seems to be preserved, unless it be in the name of Clumlie itself.] 1 Two other chapels can be traced in this parish, though no remnant of either remains—(1) t Irelanda , a towere, d church d (2) t an Levenwick,a , lattee th t r A . place ther vera s ei y ancient burying-place, still used stild an ,l terme d"kirkyard.a " The origin of the name, Levenwick, seems inexplicable. May not this chapel, of whic recoro hn r traditionado l knowledge remains, have been dedicate e Celtith o dt c St Leven, a favourite saint in Cornwall, and the bay and district named therefrom— Levenwick ? 2 A church in Unst, named by Sibbald Cross Kirk, is probably one of those named above. 304 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 14, 1884.

i Ola,S t Wica kUNST (P.).. t Sineva,S t Baltasouna d (Sibbald). FETLAR. Cross Kirk (P.) (P.)a Ol . i S NESTING. LUNNASTING t MargaretS . (P.). WHALSAY. Gross Kirk (P.). e abovth n I e e lispredominancth t f northero e n e saintshonouth n f i ,o r dedication, is very noticeable—St Lawrence, St Magnus, St Ola, St Sineva. same th t e A time eminently Celtic saints, suc Columbs ha t NinianS d e aan ar , not neglected ; and this is rather suggestive of dedications to them being sur- vivals fro e Pictismth h Christianity which precede e Scandinaviadth n settle- e islandsmenth f o t . V. THE REV. JAMES PITCAIKNE. autho e e reporTh th f o r t upon which this communicatio bases ni d deserves to have a few words devoted to his memory in closing. The following account of him is given \ij Dr Hew Scott, in the Fasti Ecclesice Scoticance (part v. p. 439) :— "James Pitcairn s incorporatewa e s studen a dt Mary'S f o t s Colleget S , Andrew 1575n si ; became Reader, presentearis dwa Vicarage th o dt (Northf eo - inaven) by James VI., 10th June and 19th November 1578, admitted in 1579 ; he was nominated Constant Moderator of the Presbytery by the General Assembly, 1606; and they were charged by the Privy Council, 17th Januar}"- succeeding receivsucho s t ,a m , ewithihi n twenty-four hours after notice, under pain of rebellion. He was put in bond by Patrick, Earl of Orkney, until he composed an inscription which is still readable over the door of Scallovvay Castle; and died in March 1612, leaving. Ursula Sinclair relict, and four daughters, Janet, Martha, Christian, and Agnes. ' He had 16 hors pryce of the peice ouer-heid vili xiiis iiict, summa j°vili xiiis iiij A; 19 meires vitt, summa j°xiiijH oxen0 5 ; xlH, summa vc l [?]xH 6 k 5 y; pryce viiilt, summa iiij°xlvii 7 youn1 ; gjH stotti4 yei d quoyockid r an san aul 3 d f o s price vli, summa Ixxxvll; 14 stottis or quoyis of 2 and 3 yeir auld iiilt xiijs iiij d, summa s Ktviivi t j 6 cfyei1 ; r auld stirkis pryce xls, summa f yeirixxxio ; H sj lambi d yeilan s d scheip 662, comptan e x skoith si d o t r hundred, pryce xxs, summa vii ee barulxxxiil d th barneyair an en i ; i f o d Urafirthe, Uluaflrthe, Sandwick, Aithsgirth, and Hamnavo, 20 barrelis aittis, price of the barrell xl s, summa xliiij H ; in the saidis barnis and barneyairdis 7 barrelis beir, pryce of the barrell iiij H, summa xxviij H ; in the hous of Urafirth barreli6 e s malt , e barrelprycth f o el vli, summa xxxl boittis5 i; , price of the piece ouerheid xiiU, summa Ixli; ane meser weyand thirteen vnce, prycvnce th f ee o iijH , summa xxxixl silvee an ; l r case weyan vnce3 d1 , price of the vnce iij H, summa xxxix H ; ane silver goblet weyand seven vnce, pryce of the vnce iij H, summa xxitt; ane littel goblet for acquavitie pryce HEVENUE 'PAROCHIAE TH F O S L BENEFICE F SHETLANDO S 5 30 .

tliereof viij H; ane silver salt-fat weyan 2 vncc1 d , pryc f tbo e e vnce iijH, snmma xxxviH; 17 silver sporiis weyand 15 vnce, pryce of the vnce iij H, sumnia xlvli vtensiln i ; domicilsd san , wit abulzernentie hth defunetie th f so s bodie estimat to the sowine of iijcxiiH; the defunctis huikis estimat to the sovvme of Ixvili xiiis iiij ct, suimna of the Inventur ijmviij"lxviij' H xiij s iiij 3 ; awan Jameo t d s Mowa s son-in-lahi t w jmK. Frie . ijgeid m. viijd r cxcij H.— [Act. Reel. Univ. St Andrews, Rey. Pres. and Assig. Booke of the Kirk, Calder- woad's Hist. Priv. Council, d Test.an Reg. (Orkney'), Brand's Orkney Zetland,d an Ac.] The worthy minister must have been sufficiently prudent, from a worldly point of view, to have amassed such a highly respectable competency from the modest proceed vicarages hi s f dealino sHi . g with Earl Patrick Stewartn i , mattee inscriptioe th th f ro n ove entrance rth Scallowaf eo y Castle (built, anno 1600-1601) is thus related by Brand, writing exactly a century later— "After this, one Mr Pitcairne, minister of Northmevan, said to be a godly zealoud an s man s respect, hi e Earlcomin y th Eare o th pa ,t s l o gt desire m dhi composo t eversea , whic mighe h t upo e frontispiecpu t th n houss hi f e; o e from thie ministesth r took occasio y beforla f e Ear o o s greath t ne hi n l si t oppression, upon whic e Earl'th h s s ragange hi e s incensedh e n wa i r d an , threatene witm hi dh imprisonment. However e Earth , l afterwards coming to some composure of spirit, Mr Pitcairne said unto him—'Well, if you will hav a everse I ,shal froe mon l givu expresyo e s word f Holo s y Scripture,' Luke , whic6 h vers e Earth e l being pleased with, causede inscribth n o t i e lintle abov gatee th e , with Luke e verseadde6 th e ministe o th t d, r thereby insinuating that this house could not stand long, having such a sandy founda- tion as oppression. As indeed neither did it, for shortly after, the Earl being becomw beheadedno t takes i eno e hous ruinous.d th s n, an wa care, of e " Description of Orkney, Zetland, &c., p. 90. The inscription is given thus—Ctijus fundamen saxum est, domus ilia inane- bit ; Labilis e contra, si sit arena, peril: translated—That House whose founda- roca n tioko sande shals ni th t shaln i ,l o stand f i l t fallbu ;.