The Sinners of Cramond

The Sinners of Cramond
Author: Alison Hanham
Publisher: John Donald Publishers
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN:

Between 1651 and 1851 successive clerks to the Kirk Sessions of Cramond carefully recorded the allegations of misbehaviour that were brought against parishioners. Almost all of those who appeared before the session were 'working-class' men and women, and not all of them were as ready to confess and express their repentance as minister and elders wished. So while the eleven volumes of Cramond's session minutes over that time give a vivid picture of the sinners and their unallowable activities (as well as of the neighbours who reported on them), they also reveal the difficulties faced by a group of earnest men (some more likeable than others) who were charged with exercising godly authority over their community. The account is set against the background of national events as they affected Cramond and its kirk. It concludes by sketching some of the changes that have made the modern Edinburgh suburb so different from its forerunner of earlier centuries.

Finding the Family in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland

Finding the Family in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland
Author: Elizabeth Ewan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2017-03-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1351936433

In this interdisciplinary collaboration, an international group of scholars have come together to suggest new directions for the study of the family in Scotland circa 1300-1750. Contributors apply tools from across a range of disciplines including art history, literature, music, gender studies, anthropology, history and religious studies to assess creatively the broad range of sources which inform our understanding of the pre-modern Scottish family. A central purpose of this volume is to encourage further studies in this area by highlighting the types of sources available, as well as actively engaging in broader historiographical debates to demonstrate how important and effective family studies are to advancing our understanding of the past. Articles in the first section demonstrate the richness and variety of sources that exist for studies of the Scottish family. These essays clearly highlight the uniqueness, feasibility and value of family studies for pre-industrial Scotland. The second and third sections expand upon the arguments made in part one to demonstrate the importance of family studies for engaging in broader historiographical issues. The focus of section two is internal to the family. These articles assess specific family roles and how they interact with broader social forces/issues. In the final section the authors explore issues of kinship ties (an issue particularly associated with popular images of Scotland) to examine how family networks are used as a vehicle for social organization.

Religion and National Identity

Religion and National Identity
Author: Alistair Mutch
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2015-03-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1474403441

What is the enduring impact of Presbyterianism on what it means to be Scottish?Presbyterianism has shaped Scotland and its impact on the world. Behind its beliefs lie some distinctive practices of governance which endure even when belief fades. These practices place a particular emphasis on the detailed recording of decisions and what we can term a 'systemic' form of accountability.This book examines the emergence and consolidation of such practices in the 18th-century Church of Scotland. Using extensive archival research and detailed local case studies, it contrasts them to what is termed a 'personal' form of accountability in England in the same period. The wider impact of the systemic approach to governance and accountability, especially in the United States of America, is explored, as is the enduring impact on Scottish identity.This book offers a fresh perspective on the Presbyterian legacy in contemporary Scottish historiography, at the same time as informing current debates on national identity.Key Features:A novel focus on religion as social practice, as opposed to belief or organizationA strong focus on Scotland, but in the context of BritainExtensive archival work in the Church of Scotland records, with an emphasis on form as well as contentA different focus on the Church of Scotland in the eighteenth centuryOffers a detailed focus on local practice in the context of national debates

Reformation, Dissent and Diversity

Reformation, Dissent and Diversity
Author: Andrew T. N. Muirhead
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2015-02-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1441117768

This book examines and describes for the general reader the life and characteristics of the churches which flourished in Scotland between the Reformation and the mid-20th century. It will help both amateur and professional historians to understand the different denominations, and provides background to, and context for, their own research. Church influence on society has been particularly strong in Scotland and church records are a major source of pre-1844 information, but no recent book deals adequately with the church background. Here, the author explores how churches developed in, and interacted with, society. An overview of the churches of Scotland from the Reformation to 1960 is followed by a brief examination of each denomination including doctrinal issues, worship, organization, social and demographic factors, and mapping to show the geographical strengths of particular groups.

Reforming the Scottish Parish

Reforming the Scottish Parish
Author: John McCallum
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2016-04-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317069455

The Protestant Reformation of 1560 is widely acknowledged as being a watershed moment in Scottish history. However, whilst the antecedents of the reform movement have been widely explored, the actual process of establishing a reformed church in the parishes in the decades following 1560 has been largely ignored. This book helps remedy the situation by examining the foundation of the reformed church and the impact of Protestant discipline in the parishes of Fife. In early modern Scotland, Fife was both a distinct and important region, containing a preponderance of coastal burghs as well as St Andrews, the ecclesiastical capital of medieval Scotland. It also contained many rural and inland parishes, making it an ideal case study for analysing the course of religious reform in diverse communities. Nevertheless, the focus is on the Reformation, rather than on the county, and the book consistently places Fife's experience in the wider Scottish, British and European context. Based on a wide range of under-utilised sources, especially kirk session minutes, the study's focus is on the grass-roots religious life of the parish, rather than the more familiar themes of church politics and theology. It evaluates the success of the reformers in affecting both institutional and ideological change, and provides a detailed account of the workings of the reformed church, and its impact on ordinary people. In so doing it addresses important questions regarding the timescale and geographical patterns of reform, and how such dramatic religious change succeeded and endured without violence, or indeed, widespread opposition.

Offering and Embracing Christ

Offering and Embracing Christ
Author: John C. Biegel
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2023-11-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

The free offer of the gospel and the relation of saving faith to assurance, justification, and repentance were central issues in the Marrow controversy of the mid-eighteenth century. In Offering and Embracing Christ, John Biegel finds an unlikely stronghold of Marrow theology in the Established Church of Scotland: John Colquhoun. Biegel demonstrates that Colquhoun’s evangelical Calvinism reflected the thought of the Marrow men on offering and embracing Christ. Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson.