44 Rev. James Thomson, of Quarrelwood. 



perambulated the coimtrv from one place to another. He is 

 .said to have preached with ability and acceptance. Quarrelwood 

 being vacant he preached there, received a unanimous call from 

 the congregation, accepted it, and was settled in 1796. The 

 congregation of Quarrelwood at that time was spread over some 

 30 or 40 parishes. Geographically it comprehended the whole 

 of Annandale and Xithsdale .south of Queensberry, and the centre 

 of Keir, and the eastern part of Kirkcudbrightshire between the 

 Urr and Xith, thus extending nearly 20 miles to the west of 

 Quarrelwood. We saw that it was a collegiate charge, along with 

 Douglas and Scaurbridge, between John Courtass and John 

 Fairley, before 'Mr Thom.son's time. Xow it became a separate 

 charge. When iMr Thomson came to Quarrelwood there was 

 neither a Church nor a 'Manse, and he had to set about the 

 erection of both. His handiwork may still be seen on the pulpit 

 of Quarrelwood old church. The figure of the church is rather 

 unusual, being that of an octagon. 



His ministry was shared between the people of Dumfries- 

 shire and the Stewartry generally, each alternative month. In 

 Dumfriesshire. Quarrelwood was the usual place of worship, 

 where the manse was also situated ; in the latter the places varied 

 according to the circumstances, for the accommodation of the 

 people. Sometimes he preached at the farmhouses of members 

 in one parish, and sometimes in another ; from the tent in a field 

 in summer and in a barn in winter. On these occasions he did 

 not need to dwell "in his own hired house;" he was hospitably 

 entertained by one or another of the members of the congrega- 

 tion, who considered it a privilege and an honour to entertain the 

 servant of Christ. At (Quarrelwood he lectured from the Epistles 

 to the Hebrews and Jude, and the first six chapters of Revelation, 

 etc. ; and in the Stewartry from Hosea and the Song of Solomon. 

 The services in summer began at 11 o'clock a.m., and continued 

 to about 5 p.m., with three-quarters of an hour interval; and in 

 winter from 11 a.m. to about 3 p.m. without any interval. 

 (When mv late colleague was ordain.eii in (Quarrelwood, where he 

 preached for two years, the services were regularly about three 

 hours in length.) On Communion Sabbaths he commenced the 

 services with an introduction of some three-quarters of an hour's 

 length ; preached for about two and a half hours ; debarred from 

 the table, invited the penitent, and finished the first table service 



