S2 Mr Tate on Longhougliton, &c. 



churcli. 1699. Buried Kathrine, wife of Claudius Blackly, 

 (a mighty good churcliman,) hiiide of Littlehoughton ; and 

 when he marries again in the following year he is *^ a very 

 good churchman." William Thew, and John Paterson, a 

 hinde of Longhougliton, are honoured with the same praise. 

 1712. Buried John Egden, (a very dissenter in his life, and 

 yet very good charitahle man ; he was some years before his 

 death brought to be a sincere member of the church) ; and 

 when his wife dies, in 1717, the record is " Thomasen the 

 good widow of John Egden, the said good dissenter who 

 came into the church." 1718. Christened Eleanor, daughter 

 of Mr. William Mien, (now come from the dissenters,) inn- 

 keeper of Longhougliton. Other dissenters, however, are 

 not so gently dealt with. 1714. Married Alexander Smith, 

 (a wicked k[nave] and a dissenter,) webster, of Longhough- 

 ton, and Susan Davison. Richard Gladstanes, herd of Little- 

 houghton, fares still worse ; when in 1719 his son John is 

 christened, he is called "a Janus herd;" when his daughter 

 Mary is christened in 1720, he is '' a Janus in religion;" and 

 in 1727 when his son John is buried, he is designated " (a 

 Janus tergiverse whig,*) herd of Littlehoughton." For such 

 characters, Littlehoughton must have enjoyed a bad notoriety, 

 for in 1725 was buried George Heymers "a tergivers Janus 

 whig, herd of Littlehoughton." 



This register presents a very unfavourable view of the 

 moral and religious condition of Longhoughton parish ; and 

 as the bad characters rather increase than decrease towards 

 the end of Mr. Doncan's ministry , the record tends to shew that 

 his influence over the people had been slight during the 

 thirty-four years he was the religious instructor and guide 

 of the parish. It may, however, be reasonably inferred 

 from the dogmatic tone of the record, that the Vicar was 

 cynical and prejudiced. Seldom indeed are such dogmatic 

 judgments just — they are almost always based on narrow 

 views ; and doubtless they would be greatly modified by 

 taking into consideration all sides of a character. 



We must try however, to part from our eccentric Vicar 

 with some pleasant impression. His last record is kindly, 

 and we may hope that he too died in charity with all men. 

 1729. Buried Mary, the daughter of Henry Taylor, {valde 

 pius et probis,) a webster of Longhoughton. 



* Whig, now the name of a political party, was originally a nickname of the 

 Covenanters of the south-west of Scotland, from xvMggum, a word used by them 

 in driving horses ; the Dissenters in Northumberland, being mostly Presbyter- 

 ians were called by this name, and it is still occasionally applied to them in a 

 jeering tone. 



