The Kirk Above Dee Water. Prefatory Note.

PREFATORY NOTE.

THIS little book is not a parish history, but merely embodies a few scattered notices of Balmaghie Church since the year 1615. It has been evolved from a very slender original. In 1893, the Author, desiring to procure some needful funds for a parish purpose, gave a lecture entitled “Some Old Ministers of Balmaghie, with illustrative pictures and other objects.” The method of this lecture, briefly put, was, wherever possible, to hang the lecturer’s remarks upon some distinct object which was exhibited. Accordingly, the lecture began with the production of Macmillan’s Cup, the date of which introduced the mention of Hew M‘Ghie.

The chapter entitled Roll-Call is practically, therefore, the nucleus of the book. The remaining chapters or “notices” were produced by way of amplifying the details there referred to, in any cases where materials for such larger treatment could be got.

The chapters on the Kirk and Kirkyard were a necessary addition to the whole. The Author cherishes the hope that they may at least serve as a reliable guide to any persons who may visit Balmaghie Church. He desires to state here his conviction, that a careful study of the Churchyard literature of Galloway would yield most interesting, perhaps valuable, results. It has long

viii. The Kirk above Dee Water.

been among his own dreams, to visit reverently every “God’s acre” in that province, and compile a “Guide to the Graves of Galloway.” But time is wanting for so large a task. To his reverend colleagues, however, he would humbly and earnestly appeal to do all in their power as curators of these parish cemeteries, to prevent important monuments from falling into decay. And he heartily wishes that, soon, some modern “Old Mortality” may arise to give his labour of love to the preservation of the martyrs’ stones, and not less (like the lamented “Auld Mortrie” [“Old Mortality”] of Crossmichael) to rescuing from “dark oblivion” the epitaphs of bygone parish ministers.

As regards the two little chapters at the close, the Author wishes to say that they embody an attempt to picture a Galloway Parson at his Sunday’s work. Some of the details may, to a highly refined taste, seem too homely and familiar; and some, perhaps, touch delicate subjects usually excluded from print. He accepts full responsibility for the whole. Should any sensitive reader deem these chapters beneath the dignity of the subject, he can only urge that real dignity cannot suffer from truth. And he has sought to tell that.

The dominating figure in the following pages is, of course, the great Macmillan, whose life-story the Author hopes one day to record at full length. In the course of passing this work through the press, he has been led to make extensive inquiries, and has received aid from many quarters, especially from Dr. John Grieve, a great-great-grandson of the Reformed Presbyterian Father. To him, as also to Rev. Matthew Hutchison, Old Cumnock;

Prefatory Note. ix.

Rev. W. P. Rorison, of Dalserf; and Rev. George Laurie, of the Macmillan Church, Castle-Douglas, he begs to tender his sincere thanks.

In writing the notice of Dr Martin, he received valuable help from Rev. James Brunton of Monimail, through whose kind offices he secured the old lithograph, from which the engraving in the present work was prepared.

A word must be said regarding the engravings. They have been obtained with a great deal of trouble, and from different sources. As above mentioned, the photograph of Dr Martin is a reduced copy of a large lithograph portrait, about 100 years old. That of Mr Stevenson is taken from a portrait widely circulated in the parish, and reproduced by permission of his widow. The picture of Mr Riach is copied from a photograph by Moffat, Edinburgh, by Mr Riach’s special permission. The remaining photographs are local productions, of whose merit the instructed reader must be left to judge.

Finally, it should be stated, that a small proportion of the literary matter appeared in various periodicals, and is republished by the kind permission of their proprietors.

MANSE OF BALMAGHIE,

Sept., 1895.