25S ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



end Joseph Robertson, minister 

 of the gospel in Edinburgh, and 

 William Pearson, spirit- dealer, 

 in Canongate, accused of false- 

 hood, fraud, and forgery, and of 

 celebrating unlawful marriages. 



The act of the Scottish Parlia- 

 ment, under which celebrators 

 of clandestine marriages are liable 

 to be brought to trial, is the 34th 

 act of the first session of the first 

 Parliament of Charles II (1661, 

 cap. 34), intituled " anact against 

 clandestine and unlawful mar- 

 riages," whereby it is enacted, 

 " that the celebrator of such 

 marriages be banished the king- 

 dom, never to return therein, 

 under the pain of death." — Tlie 

 panels had pleaded Not Guilty. 



Alexander Ross, session clerk 

 of North Leith, knows Mr. 

 Robertson; he never but once 

 applied to the witness for a cer- 

 tificate of proclamation of bans, 

 and that was three years ago. 

 And being shown a certificate in 

 the name of Mooney, a soldier of 

 the 88th regiment, and a girl 

 named M'Pherson, he declares 

 it to be a forgery, and the name 

 Alexander Ross, at the bottom 

 of it, not to be the witness's hand- 

 writing ; and a certificate in 

 favour of a soldier of the 88th, 

 named Fitzgerald, and a girl 

 named Urquhart, shown to him, 

 he also declares to be a forgery. 



Sarah Urquhart, or Augart, 

 late servant to Mr. Grant, of 

 Rothiemurchus. Witness was 

 married in October last to Ed- 

 ward Fitzgerald, a private in the 

 88th regiment, by the Rev. Mr. 

 Robertson. She and her hus- 

 band, with Mooney and Margaret 

 M'Pherson, called upon Mr. 

 Robertson on a Sunday, about 



11 o'clock, and told him they 

 wanted to be married ; he said he 

 would do nothing then, as he 

 was going to church, but told 

 them to come back at one o'clock- 

 They returned at that hour, and 

 Mr. Robertson showed them into 

 a little room, and said he would 

 send his maid-servant along with 

 the men to a place where they 

 would get marriage-hnes. The 

 men went away for the lines, and 

 came back, saying they had been 

 refused them. Mr. Robertson 

 then desired them to go down to 

 one Pearson's, and perhaps he 

 might get lines for them. They 

 accordingly went down to Pear- 

 son's, and the men went into the 

 house, and Pearson went with 

 them to endeavour to get mar- 

 riage-lines. They went along 

 the South Bridge, but the men 

 came back, saying they had been 

 refused lines there already. 

 Pearson then went down to Mr. 

 Robertson's house, and the men 

 waited at the top of the close. 

 He returned directly, and the 

 whole went down to Mr. Robert- 

 son's house, but Pearson went 

 away. They then went down 

 again to Pearson's, but he was 

 not at home; they then walked 

 about for a little, and in the 

 evening the witness and Margaret 

 M'Pherson called at Mr. Robert- 

 son's house, and the men waited 

 at the door. Mr. Robertson told J 

 them all to go down to Pearson's, , 

 and he would follow them, and ' 

 come in at the back door, and to 

 tell Pearson so. They accord- 

 ingly wentdown, and were showed 

 into a little back room. Pearson 

 said he would do all he could to 

 advise Mr. R. to marry them. 

 Soihe time after, Mr. R. came 



into 



