A Journey to London in 1840. 127 



When we came to Mid Calder we passed Calder House, the 

 residence of Lord Torphichen, in which John Knox administered 

 the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper for the first time in Scotland, 

 in the Protestant form, if he had not done so before in the Castle 

 of St. Andrews. An excellent original painting of the reformer 

 still adorns the room in Calder House in which the ceremony was 

 performed. The recently published portraits of Knox were en- 

 graved" from this picture. Of those who were present on the occa- 

 sion several afterwards made a figure in the ecclesiastical and 

 political history of their time. I refer in particular to James 

 Stewart, illegitimate brother of Queen Mary, afterwards so cele- 

 brated under the title of the Regent Murray, the founder of the 

 noble house of Moray. At this time John Spottiswood (1510- 

 1585), father of the distinguished historian Archbishop Spottis- 

 wood, was minister of the parish of Calder; he was afterwards 

 Superintendent of Lothian under the Pre.sbyterians. The Arch- 

 bishop was born in the parish in 1565. He survived the down- 

 fall of prelacy in 1638, dying in misery and dejection at London 

 towards the end of the subsequent year (November 26). His son, 

 who rose to the high office of President of the Court of Session, 

 was beheaded by the maiden at the Market Cross of St. Andrews 

 for having taken part with the Marquis of Montrose in support of 

 the royal cause in Scotland. His execution, which was attended 

 by circumstances disgraceful to the Presbyterians, took place in 

 1645.1 The title assumed by this judge when he was raised to the 

 bench (on 12th July, 1622), was Lord Newabbey, his father the 



I Archbishop having purchased for him the barony of that name in 

 Galloway. 



When passing through Whitburn I called to mind the worth 

 and simplicity of character of the late John Brown (1754-1832), 

 minister of the Secession Church of that place, and eldest son of 

 the famous John Brown of Haddington. This venerable person 

 addressed to me several letters on the subject of my publications, 

 particularly the Life of Samuel Rutherford, and he mentions 



I my name very kindly in his Distinctive Characters of Authors. 



' He was father of Dr John Brown (1784-1858), minister of Brough- 

 ton Place Chapel, Edinburgh, by common consent allowed to be 



1. Should be 1646. He was sentenced on January 16tli. Sir 

 Robert was the author of the well-known Practicl-a of the Law of Scot- 

 I land, the manuscript of -which is in the Advocate's Library. — J. A. F. 



