Extracts from the Session-Book of Hutton Parish. 219 



At Edinburgh the Marquis of Montrose's Declaration was 

 by the hangman cast into a fire lighted on a scaffold on the 

 east side of the cross*. He was defeated on the 27th 

 April. The thanksgiving day was kept in Lothian on the 

 loth Mayf. 

 1650, June 23. " Given to James ffarqrsone ane distrest man 



corned from Ireland — 12 sh." 



Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1560 was the occasion 

 of wide-spread terror. On July 22nd, he marched from 

 Berwick to Mordington House, where he encamped on the 

 23rd and 24th. " The Scots beacons were all set on fire ; 

 the men fled and drove away their cattle." " The Scots," 

 says Whitlocke, " are all gone with their goods towards 

 Edinburgh, by command of the Estates of Scotland, upon 

 penalty if they did not remove ; so that mostly all the men 

 are gone." j There is evidence that the people of Hutton 

 partook in the alarm. There is no entry in the Session- 

 Book of preaching from July 14th to September 1st. When 

 the minister left home the clerk tells where he sojourned, 

 but strict silence is observed on this occasion. The battle 

 of Dunbar was fought September 2nd, the day after the next 

 entry. From October 8th to November 17th, there appears 

 to have been another interruption of the services. 



1650, Dec. 8. "This day the collection for the prisoners was 

 intimat." Dec. 22. " Received this day from James Hog of 

 the collection for the prisoneris — 47 sh. 8 d. 



This was for the poor wretches captured at the battle of 

 Dunbar. There were 5,000 of them sent into England. 



1651, Jan. 12. "This day ane act of the Commission of the 

 Kirk against those that joynes with the Sectarian Armie of 

 the daite the 14 of December 1650 was read." 



The Committee of Estates speak of " Oliver Cromwell and 



his armey of sectaries and blasphemers" (Aug. 29th, 1650)§. 



" The clergy represent us to the people as if we were 



monsters of the world," says Bret ||. 



1651, May 8. " Given to a poor prisoner Jon Stewart — 6 sh." 

 „ June 1. "This day Hot. Nisbet being summoned and 

 called compeired, confessed that the first day he could not 

 come to the kirk for Trouppers, the nixt day he was sick and 



* "Nicoll's Diary." f Ibid. 



% Carlyle'a "Cromwell's Letters," &c., l2mo ed., iii., p. 10, 11. 



§ Balfour's " Annales," iv., p. 96, &c. 



|| Carlyle's " Cromwell," iii., p. 10. 



lc 



