The book Arran; - Cook Clan

THE CHURCH AFTER THE REFORMATION 143
Three years before his death Mr. Stewart and his parish
became implicated in one of the disputed cases that were
arising out of the practice of Patronage, which had already
forced one secession from the Church of Scotland and was
in time to cleave it in twain. To be assistant and successor
to the aged Mr. Stewart, the Duke of Hamilton had presented
another Mr. James Stewart of Kilwhinlick, who had been
minister of Kingarth in Bute, That living he had lost
through a perfectly irrelevant but discreditable action.
He had gone to give notice of removal to a woman who
was a cottar on the estate of Kilwhinlick (Stewarthall)
and apparently got into dispute over the business, for he
threatened to set the house on fire unless she removed.
The woman responded by handing him a burning peat and
challenging him to put his threat in execution, which the
reverend gentleman incontinently proceeded to do, so that
the house was burned to the ground. This incident long
kept in local minds the memory of ' Master Sheumais.' ^
This, then, was the man now presented to the parish
of Kilmorie, and a majority of the Presbytery of Kintyre
in February 1758 sustained the presentation. Two members,
however, appealed to the Synod of Argyll, and Mr. Stewart,
sen., who had not been able to attend the meeting of the
Presbytery, entered an appeal to the General Assembly.
On March 23 the Presbytery again met, and over this question
divided equally, Mr. Gershom Stewart, who was Moderator,
being among the objectors. Neglecting the appeals, three
of the ministers now proceeded to admit Mr. James Stewart,
and, as the opposite party in Kilmorie had taken possession
of the church, the ceremony had to be performed in the
churchyard. This was high-handed and irregular, and the
Assembly met the case by suspending Mr. John Hamilton,
minister of Skipness, for three months, and passing a severe
censure on his two colleagues in the offence.^ The dominat-
1 Annals of the Assembly, 1752-06, p. 160. ^ /jjof.