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66 HIGHLAND PAPERS
not carieing amies w 1 ay r of the parties till at last he wes
blinded by the false promises of the covenanting rebells
qo told him that all y r aimes was to have Montrose and
the Irish putt out of Scotland, and that aft. that they intended
to settle ye government of the Church and state as it
was in the king's hand at his fay r 's death ; upon these
faire promises he drew to armes and joined himself w*
Qn aii Major Horrie x qo commanded ane armie of horses
under the parli at to gward the Toun of Invernes ; and
manie more neighbours joined w* them to persew Montrose
and ye Irish. But qither be the providence of God or be
Doctor Goold, rector of the Kingis College of Old Abirdein, with sum uther
barronis and gentilmen, held ane Committe at the said Kingis Colledge, quhair
Mr. James Sandilandis, dischargit abefoir to be canonist, is now maid civilist,
loth to want all.
' Thairefter they cam all ryding wp the get, cam to Maucher Kirk, ordanit
our blissit Lord Jesus Christ his armes to be hewin out of the foir froont of the
pulpit thairof, and to tak doun the portrait of our blissit Virgyn Marie and hir
deir sone babie Jesus in hir armes, that had stand since the up putting thairof,
in curious wark, wnder the sylring at the wast end of the pend, quhairon the
gryte stepile standis, on movit quhill now ; and gave ordour to Collonell,
Maister of Forbes, to sie this done, quhilk he with all diligence obeyit : and
besydes whair there wes ony crucifixis set in glassin windois, this he causit pull
out in honest menis houssis. He causit ane mesoun strik out Christis armes in
hewin wark on ilk end of bischop Gawin Dumbaris tomb and siclike chissell out
the name of Jesus drawin ciphar wayis J.H.S. out of the tymber wall on the
foirsyd of Maucher Jyll, anent the consistorie dur. The crucifix on the Old
toun Cross dung doun : the Crucifix on the New toun Cross cloissit wp, being
loth to break the stane,—the crucifix on the wast end of Sanct Nicholas Kirk in
New Abirdeen dung doun, quhilk was never troublit before.' While the
domination of the kirk lasted similar proceedings went on elsewhere, e.g. at
Ruthwell. But in the Highlands at least they came to be regarded with disapprobation
by saner minds. Writing of the last illness of his chief, Hugh
Lord Lovat, who died in 1672, the Rev. James Fraser, minister of Kirkhill,
' writes : He would also reflect upon the loss of records and registers. God
would yet visit the kingdom for the cry of these sacred ruins, especially on
Beuly and Fern. That noble monument amongst the fatale overthrowes of
many mo within the nation were altogether razed at the dispose of some then in
commission in the fury of our confused Reformation whose over hearty actiones
in these behalfes hath left us a want of many truthes which otherwayes we
might have had, but sacrilegiously broken down and by purloining transferred to
far prophaner uses' ( Wardlaw MS., Scot. Hist. Soc, vol. xlvii. p. 506).
1 Sir John Hurrie. He was one of the prisoners executed by the Covenanters
after the battle of Carbisdale. A birth brief granted to his children is given in
the Inventory of the Lamont Papers (Scottish Record Society), p. 216.