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PUBLICATIONS OF THE SCOTTISH HISTORY SOCIETY VOLUME XIV ERSK1NE OF CARNOCK’S JOURNAL December 1893 ’ in possession of Mr. H. D. Erskine of Car dross. .KM ; ' i' 'HE ■ I <i&8-lG87 Edited fi'om the origi u-.: uscript with Introduction and Note*, Rev. WALTER MACLEOD EDiNBuntir Printed a1 *'inverwtjr R- id A* t ■'■mtAMtx 1898 JOURNAL OF THE HON. JOHN ERSKINE OF CARNOCK 1683-1687 Edited from the original Manuscript with Introduction and Notes, by the Rev. WALTER MACLEOD EDINBURGH Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society 1893 C O N T E N T S PAGE Introduction—Colonel Erskine’s family history, . xi-xvi Notice of Henry, third Lord Cardross, . xvii-xviii Sketch of Erskine’s life as narrated in the Journal, . xviii-xxii Erskine’s career subsequent to termination of Journal, ...... xxvi-xliii 1683 June—Circuit Court at Stirling and Glasgow—Taking the Test—The hanging of Bogge, IVLQuharrie, and Smith—List of gentlemen who refused the Test— Gordon of Earlston taken prisoner—Charles Erskine sails for Holland, . 1-8 July—Proclamations at Edinburgh anent English rebels, Spanish millrees, magistrates, etc.—Scott of Harden taken prisoner—Taking the Test in Edinburgh—Aitken and Goulen condemned to death, . 8-12 August—Vienna besieged by Turks—Erskine resolves not to present himself for Laureation—The Priory of Inchmachomo, ..... 12-15 September—Mr. John Dick sentenced to death—Fast appointed for the King’s delivery from presbyterian conspiracy—Escape of prisoners from Tolbooth, . 16-19 October and November—Duke of Hamilton summoned on account of a conventicle—Rev. Thomas Hogg sent to prison—Arrival in Edinburgh of Scots vi ERSKINE’S JOURNAL prisoners from London—Scott of Harden fined for his wife leaving the church—Three men hanged at the Cross of Edinburgh—Surrender of the Duke of Monmouth, ...... 19-24 December—The Duke of Monmouth at Court—Pro- clamation anent Conventicles—Erskine summoned for not going to church, .... 24-27 1684 January—Edinburgh Magistrates summoned to answer for the escape of prisoners from Tolbooth—The Earl of Loudoun, Lord Melvile, etc., summoned for harbouring rebels, ..... 28-32 February—Papists in the Canongate—Scott of Harden imprisoned for non-payment of fine—Martin, Kerr, and Muir hanged for treason, 33-39 March—Execution of Mr. John Dick—Trial of Camp- bell of Cesnock—Riot in Parliament House, 39-53 April—Hogg banished from Scotland—Burial of Lady Napier—Examination of Captain John Paton—Pro- clamations against importation of Irish victual, etc. —Death of the Marquis of Montrose, 53-58 May—Erskine reproved for reading a Gazette on the Lord’s Day—Execution of Captain Paton—The King’s birth-day in Edinburgh, 59-63 June—Erskine fearing arrest, leaves Edinburgh, and travels by Kirkhill, Cardross, Isle of Menteith, to Glasgow, ...... 63-67 July—Lord Cardross sails for Carolina—Arrest of the laird of M'Farlane, Colonel Menzies, and the laird of Weem, ...... 67-74 CONTENTS August—Mr. William Erskine and Lady Caldwell are prisoners in Blackness Castle—Three men hanged in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh—Erskine visits prisoners in the Tolbooth—Mr. Spens, Argyle’s secretary tortured by the Boots and Thumbkins— Execution of James Nicol, .... 74-80 September—Death of Bishop Burnet—Thumbkins applied to William Carstairs—Sir John Dalrymple, Murray of Philiphaugh, and Earl Tarras, prisoners in Edinburgh, ..... 81-86 October—Search made for Lord and Lady Colvill— Prisoners sent to the American plantations— Halloween customs, .... 86-91 November—‘Lady Cardross fined for not going to church —Lawson and Wood executed at Glasgow—The lairds of Polwarth and Clowbum are prisoners in Edinburgh—Sudden death of laird Meldrum— Murder of Stewart and Kennoway, two of the King’s guard—Execution of three men in Edinburgh for treasonable practices—Death of John Knox, 91-96 December—Fish with 'nebs appear at Culross—Lady Colvill in Edinburgh Tolbooth—Trial of the Earl of Tarras—Baillie of Jerviswood hanged and quartered —Consecration and translation of bishops, 97-102 1685 January—Sentence of death and forfeiture passed upon the Earl of Tairas—Erskine sails for London, 102-105 February-—Illness and death of Charles n.—Erskine visits Bedlam, Moorfields, Westminster, Spittalfields, etc.—Search made in London for Scots people— Erskine leaves for Holland, but is driven into Dover, 105-108 viii ERSKINE’S JOURNAL March—Rumour of a French invasion of Britain— Erskine arrives in Rotterdam, visits Leyden, studies Hebrew, attends Professor Matthias’law classes, . 108-111 April—Travels to Amsterdam, meets Earl of Argyle and resolves to join his expedition to Scotland, . 111-114 May—Sails from Amsterdam with Argyle, lands with a party of men on Islay—Declaration read at Campbelltown—Rendezvous at Kintyre, Erskine carries the first Colours used in this Cause—Deser- tions of Islay men—Monmouth’s Declaration read at Ayr—Argyle refuses to carry out the plans agreed upon in Amsterdam—Rothesay plundered by Highlanders, . .114-122 June—Erskine with a party lands at Greenock; en- deavours to gain volunteers for the expedition in Stirlingshire—Argyle taken prisoner—Erskine a fugitive, . .122-132 July—Colonel Rumbold executed in Edinburgh—Sir John Cochran taken prisoner—Scene at Argyle’s execution—Defeat of Monmouth—Discovery of arms hid by Papists at Wright’s Houses, Edinburgh —Erskine receives news from Carolina—Argyle's son a prisoner in Edinburgh—Erskine in hiding in the west country, ..... 132-141 August—A bird with four feet and four wings—Perth and Queensberry’s factions at court—The Duke of York on reaching the throne proves himself a Papist, ...... 141-153 September—Escape of prisoners from Dunnottar Castle —Erskine resolves to leave the country; sails for Holland, ...... 153-160 CONTENTS ix October—A stormy passage. Reaches Rotterdam—Per- secution of Protestants in France, . 160-164 November—Erskine enters Professor Van Moyden’s law- classes at Utrecht, and resumes Latin, Greek, and Hebrew —At a dissection, .... 164-168 December—Search made in Hogg’s house, Rotterdam, 169-172 1686 January and February—Erskine takes colleges with Witsius, Van Moyden, and De Uries, 172-178 March—Shipment of muskets for Scotland—Account of Argyle’s expedition to Scotland—Jubilee of Utrecht College, ..... 178-183 April—Erskine visits Rotterdam, Leyden, Haarlem and Amsterdam—Receives from Madam Smith an account of Argyle’s expedition. 183-188 May and July—French edict against Protestants— Erskine travels to Leyden, Wyck, Rhenen, Nimue- gen, Cleves, Wesel, and Emmerick—At the court of the Elector of Brandenburgh—Meeting between the Elector and the Prince of Orange—Dr. Gilbert Burnet visits the Elector, .... 188-201 August—Military camp at Mockerhide—Fortifications at Wesel—Jesuits’ college at Radting—Three Wise Men of the East buried at Cologne—Raw, an English Quaker, preaching in Cleves, 201-208 September—Buda taken from the Turks—Hamburgh besieged by the King of Denmark, 208-210 October—Prospect of war between England and the United Provinces—Ireland suffering from Papists, 210-214 ERSKINE’S JOURNAL November—Design against the Prince of Orange —Inundation at Groningen—The magistrates of Glasgow and Edinburgh nominated by the King, 214-216 December—Illness of the King of France—A Swiss dwarf—Observance of Yule in Utrecht—Attack upon Captain Paton at Rotterdam, . 216-219 1687 January—The power of the Prince of Orange over the Provinces—The Earl of Rochester deposed from the office of Treasurer of England, . 219 APPENDIX I Indictment of Henry Lord Cardross, before the Lords of Privy Council, ..... 221-227 Memoranda of Henry, third Lord Cardross, . 227-231 APPENDIX II Notes by Erskine, written on blank pages of a letter from his brother William, .... 231-233 Fragment of Journal referred to in Introduction, . 233-238 Accompt—the funeral of Colonel Erskine, . 238-240 APPENDIX III Papers relating to the Darien Colony, . 240-246 INTRODUCTION The author of the following Journal was a younger son of David, second Lord Cardross. That lordship was erected by charter under the Great Seal, of date at Whitehall 27th March 1604, in favour of John, Earl of Mar, and compre- hended the lands which formerly belonged to the Priory of Inchemahomo and the abbeys of Cambuskenneth and Dry- burgh, including the place and mansion of Inchemahomo, the lands and barony of Cardross, and others, lying in the shires of Perth, Stirling, and Berwick, respectively. Four years later, in virtue of an arrangement between the Earl of Mar and his kinsmen, Alexander Erskine, commenda- tor of Dryburgh and Inchemahomo, and Adam Erskine com- mendator of Cambuskenneth, these quasi churchmen granted procuratories to Mr. Alexander Hay, secretary depute to the King, for resigning, ‘ with grit humilitie and reverence upone his kneis, their respective benefices, in his Majesty’s hands, to the effect that the two former abbacies should be given to Harie Erskine, son of John, Earl of Mar, and that of Cambus- kenneth to Alexander Erskine, also son of the Earl. This transaction took place in the palace of Greenwich, on 31st May 1608; and on the same day royal signatures were granted in terms of the resignation, and delivered by the King to the Earl of Mar, ‘ to be kept and used by him to the behoof of his said two sons.’ Accordingly, by charter, dated at Holyrood, 31st January 1617, and confirmed by the King on 13th March thereafter, xii ERSKINE’S JOURNAL the Earl of Mar granted to Henry Erskine, his second son, the fie of the lordship and barony of Cardross, reserving the granter’s liferent. Henry died before his father, leaving by his wife, Margaret Bellenden, an only son David, and a daughter Mary, who were, on 20th March 1629, placed under the tutelage of Captain Alexander Erskine, their father’s younger brother.