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Old Ecclesiastical Records of Badenoch. 117
So early as 1597 a deputation appears to have been appointed
by the General Assembly to visit the northern Highlands, and in
a report subsequently presented by the deputation to the Assembly,
James Melvin (one of their number) states as the results of his
own observations in the wild and then almost inaccessible district
of Badenoch. " Indeid, I have ever sensyne regrated the esteat
of our Hielinds, and am sure gif Cluyst war pretched amang
them they wald scham monie Lawland professours"—a prediction
which, if any fearless, independent member of the "Highland
Host " would ventui'e, after the manner of the old covenanting,
trumpet-tongued lady-friend of Norman Macleod, simply to ask
certain Lawland " Principals as well as Professours," to Gang
ower the fundamentals—might probably beheld to be verified even
in the present day.
According to Shaw, the historian of "The Province of IMoray,"
Kingussie was a parsonage dedicated to St Colum (Columba), and
Insh a vicarage dedicated to St Ewan. " How early", says
Shaw, " these parishes were united 1 lind not." Insh was erected
as a Parliamentary Church, declared to be a quoad sacra parish
by the General Assembly in 1833, and erected as such by the Court
of Teinds in 1 869. The village of Kingussie occupies the precints of
the ancient Priory founded by George, Earl of Huntly about the year
1490, and traces of the Chapel of the Monastery are still to be seen
in the old Church-yard behind the village. "There were," as stated
by Shaw, " Chapels at Invertromie and Noid, and Brigida's Chapel
at Benchar."
The existing Records of the Parish of Kingussie and Insh
date back to the induction of the Rev. William Blair as minister
of the Parish in September 1721. There is an unfortunate gap
from 2oth June 1732, to l-jth June 1746, in regard to which there
is an explanatory memorandum inserted to the effect "that through
thefrequent changes of Session Clerks, many confusions, defects, and
disorders have happened in the Minuts. The Minuts in Mr John
Macpherson's time, who dyed at Aberdeen, are lost, and also the
Minuts in time of Mr John Grant, schoolmaster and Session Clei-k."
The glimpses whichtheKirk-Session Records furnish of the religious
and social state of the Highlands during the last century, are such
as may, after all, tend to make the sighs for the so-called " Good
old Times" less deep, and render us somewdiat more contented
with the times in which wo now live. One of the most striking
features of these Records is the bui'ning zeal which appears t(j
have animated the Ministers and Eldei-s of the time in ferreting
out and chronicling the most minute particulars bearing upon the