Christianity in the Scottish Highlands

The post is part of an account of revivals which occurred in the north of Scotland in the eighteenth century. The account is found in the magazine of the Original Secession Church. This post follows on from an account of revivals in Nigg, Rosskeen and Golspie. Rogart A weekly lecture at the request of the converts was held on Wednesdays, and a day of solemn thanksgiving was kept for the good work of grace vouchsaved to the parish. In the neighbouring parish of Rogart, where Mr. John Munro was minister, fifteen persons were awakened in 1740. In the following year these and other serious persons felt themselves ‘fallen under sad decays of soul’; and sorrowed over the indifferences that prevailed around them. Thereupon ‘they associated for prayer, and at their meetings mourned and wept over the cause of the Lord’s withdrawings from their own souls, and prayed earnestly for powerful days of the Son of Man.’ In 1743-44, about fifty more were awakened, who, in 1745, continued in a ho...

The post is part of an account of revivals which occurred in the north of Scotland in the eighteenth century. The account is found in the magazine of the Original Secession Church. This post follows on from an account of a revival in Nigg. The parish of Rosskeen, referred to by Mr. Balfour, lies on the north shore of the Cromarty Firth, a few miles west of Nigg. The curate, Mr. William Mackenzie, never conformed to Presbyterianism, and a fifty years’ incumbency ‘died in the enjoyment of the benefice’ in March 1714. After a vacancy of three years, Mr Daniel Beton (or Bethune) was called by the Presbytery from Ardesier, where he had earnestly laboured for four years, and settled in Rosskeen on 25th April, 1717. Here, as in other parishes under Prelatic supervision, ‘Sabbath was profaned without remorse.’ It was the practice of the people to meet at Ardross, in the upper part of the parish, on the Lord’s Day, to play at shinty, and to this practice the faithful minister determined t...

The following post (first of several) is part of an account of revivals which occurred in the north of Scotland in the eighteenth century. The account is found in the magazine of the Original Secession Church. It was well on towards the middle of the eighteenth century that the best days of the religious life of the North Highlands began. After the Revolution Settlement [1688], Church Courts struggled on amid manifold difficulties to supply Gospel ordinances, but the labourers were few. Along the shores of the Moray, Cromarty and Dornoch firths some very eminent ministers were settled, and by them ‘prayer was made without ceasing’ for a revived work, and times of refreshing. One of the first parishes to share the abundant blessing vouchsaved in answer to united prayer was Nigg, in the Presbytery of Tain. The worthy Mr John Balfour, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Caithness, was ordained minister of Logie-Easter in 1716, and was translated to Nigg in March 1729. He found the ...