190 The Church and Churchyard of Chirnside. 



1649; from which place he was ejected for Nonconformity in 

 1662, and suffered much in the cause of Presbytery. After- 

 wards he was for some time minister of a Presbyterian congre- 

 gation at ReevelaWy near Whitsome. Soon after the Revolution 

 he was appointed minister of Chirnside^ where he laboured till 

 his death, on the 10th August, 1696. Mr. Hennj Erskine was 

 the father of the two eminent individuals, Messrs. Ralph and 

 Ebenezer Erskine, the originators and fathers of the Secession 

 Church of Scotland. It appears that the Rev. Henry Areskine 

 had been in great poverty during his incumbency in Chirnside, 

 as we find in the Session records the following notice confirma- 

 tory of the fact: — *'Lent to Mr. Henry Areskine , June 11th, 

 the year 1695, upon ticket which lies in the Box (the poor's box), 

 the sum of o820 : 03 : 00.'^ It appears that he had not been able 

 to repay this during his life. But we find also in the same 

 record the following extract, alike honourable to his widow, 

 Mrs, Areskine, and the Session of Chirnside : — 



"May 27, 1711. 



'' The Minister [Mr, George Home) represented to the Sessione 

 that he had resieved from Misstresse Areskine, relict to the 

 deceased Mr. Hennj Areskine, sometime minister of Chyrnside, 

 the soum of Sixteen Pound Scottes, in part of payment of a 

 ticket of her late husband's for Twenty Pounds Scottes, lying 

 in the Poors' Box. The Sessione, considering the said soume 

 of Twentie Pounds has been long owing, and that the grait pairt 

 of it is now paide, and that the said Misstresse Areskine is not 

 well able to pay more of it, appointed the Ticket to be given 

 up, and the said Sixteen Pound Scottes to be put into the poors' 

 box." 



A full account of Mr. Henry Areskine is prefixed to the Life 

 of his son, the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, by the Rev. Dr. Donald 

 Frazer of Kennoway. The first Kirk Session of Chirnside after 

 Mr. Erskine*s settlement, consisted of the following members. 

 These names appear in the Session book in the autograph of Mr. 

 Erskine, May 20, 1691 :— 



Mr. Henry Areskine, Minister. 

 David Home of Ninewells, 

 George Home of Chirnside Mains, 

 George Aitchcssone, in Chirnside. 

 David Richardsone, there. 

 William Aitchcssone, there. 

 James Richardsone, there. 

 William Dunbar, there. 

 George Ralph, there. 



