John Welsh, the Irongray Covenanter. 77 



best for convenient lodg'ing as near as they could to Irong-ray. 

 The Earl of Queensberry and some with him met companys 

 of them in their way. Mr Bid. and his company took off the 

 way of the rest to Caitloch, where he lodged that night, and 

 came to the Cross of Meiklewood,* a high place in Nithsdale 

 about 4 miles above Dumfries, a place where they might see 

 the country about. He came from Caitloch with many others 

 in company on Saturday, being about nine miles to the place 

 where was gathered a huge congregation. Mr Rad [Rae?] 

 lectured, Mr Bid. preached on these words — This do in remem- 

 brance of Me, Luke 22, 19; i Cor. 11, 24, whence he observed 

 these 2 chief points (i) That the remembrance of the Lord's 

 Supper and renewing- the administration thereof was not left 

 arbitrary to the church, but we are under a peremptory com- 

 mand to celebrate the same in convenient seasons ; tho' men 

 had now discharged and inhibit to do this contrarie to our 

 Master's command, which says to do this. Secondly, That 

 the great end of instituting, &c., ever after celebrating or 

 administering thereof, was to be done in remembrance of him, 

 where he pointed at several remarkable things which we are 

 bound to remember of him. Mr W. preached a little after, 

 and intimated the Communion to be the morrow upon a hill- 

 side on the muirs of Irongray, which was about 4 or 5 miles 

 distant for that. The place was not particularly named lest it 

 might be known to enemies before : However none missed 

 coming to it on the morrow more than it had been particularly 

 named to them. 



" On the morrow being Sabbath the congregation met att 



* Meiklewood Moss, in the parish of Dunscore, seven miles from 

 Dumfries and about nine miles from Caitloch, is situated between 

 the farm of Corsefield and Rosehill, named respectively on the old 

 Ordnance Survey Cross and Crossbill, appears to agree with the 

 place indicated. 



t In the printed Memoirs of Blackader, 1st Edition, WhitehiU 

 is the name given for the place of the Communion. This is cor- 

 rected to Skeochhill in the 2nd Edition. In the Blackader MS. 

 the name of the place was originally left vacant, but WhitehiU and 

 Skeochhill were added by other hands. Skeochhill is the correct 

 locality; WhitehiU is in Terregles. 



