Some Incidents in Troqueer Parish. 145 



should nowayes prejudge ane intended annexatione of some parts 

 of the parishe of Troqueir to be joyned to his Little parishe of 

 Terregles." 



This act the Presbytery ratified in 1697. In 1701, how- 

 ever, the Heritors of Troqueer raised an action to compel the 

 Kirkconnel Heritors to contribute to the repair of the Troqueer 

 Manse. At first the dispute goes in favour of Mr Nisbet, 

 minister of Newabbe}', and that is the reason why so many of 

 the cases to be dealt with later are brought forward by Mr 

 Nisbet. In 1703, however, on a charge against two Kirkconnel 

 Catholics the Presbytery decides that it shall be processed before 

 the Session of Troqueer. Mr Nisbet thereafter will have nothing 

 to do with Kirkconnel, but the Protestants there petition not to be 

 separated from his charge. The Presbytery, while stating that 

 " they could not meddle with what was purely civil in the separa- 

 tion or annexation . . . nor knew of any legal annexation 

 of the saids lands to the Paroch of Newabbey, yet for the 

 People's greater convenience and better accommodation. They 

 appointed the minr of Newabbey to take pastoral inspection of 

 them." In Dec, 1706, Mr Nisbet again urges that "the people 

 of Kirkconnel's Lands might be devolved on Mr Simson, minister 

 of Troqueer, the said Lands being within that parish," and so 

 it seems to have been settled.^ 



Education. 

 The Church of Scotland appears in no more favourable light 

 at this time than when concerned with education. In face of 

 the prevailing apathy she made persistent efforts to promote it. 

 It could not be claimed that Scotland at this period was further 

 advanced in education than the rest of Europe, but for her 

 Church's endeavours to carry out the various Education Acts, the 

 latest of which was the " Act for Settling Schools " in 1696. It 

 required that a school should be established in every parish, that 

 the Heritors were to stent themselves for that purpose, and to 

 provide a salary of not less than one hunderd or more than two 

 hundred marks for the schoolmaster. ^ 



4. With reference to this see Chalmers' " Caledonia," v. 5, p. 335 



(new ed.), where he states that Kirkconnel was a separate 

 parish. 



5. Acts of Pari, of Scotl. x. 63. 



