Diary of John Scott I

DIARY OF JOHN SCOTT, DIVINITY STUDENT
 15 December 1704 – 20 July1708
 
Excerpts from John Scott’s diary are to be found in John Stevenson’s book ‘Two Centuries of Life in Down 1600-1800’, which was re-published in 1990 by the White Row Press. According to Stevenson, the original diary belonged to Dr James F. St. Annesley of Derrylin, County Fermanagh, who was killed in the First World War.

BACKGROUND

In April 1605, King James 1 of England and V1 of Scotland granted Hugh Montgomery, the sixth Earl of Braidstone in Ayrshire, the lands of Great Ardes and the town of Blathewyc (Newtownards ) Included in that grant was the little seaside port of Donaghadee. Most of the Scottish Presbyterian settlers brought in by Hugh Montgomery would have come through Donaghadee.

In 1616, Hugh Montgomery received a royal warrant giving Donaghadee the monopoly of all trade between Ulster and Scotland with the result that the town developed into a flourishing port, though by modern standards it was still, of course, a very small place . Many men living in Donaghadee were mariners. John Scott’s father, Captain Matthew Scott, was one of those and there exists a rock between the shore and the Copeland Islands which is known as ‘the Matthew Scott rock’ which might well have been named after him.

There is also proof of other people called Scott living in the town during the seventeenth century. The oldest marked grave in the churchyard of Donaghadee Parish Church is that of a William Scott. The inscription on the headstone reads ‘Here lieth William Scott, Mariner, who died December 20, 1660.’ And there is an imbedded gravestone that is apparently no longer visible but which is that of one ‘Janet Scoot wife of John Ramza [presumably the stonemason meant to write ‘Ramsey’], departed this life April ye 4 day 1731 aged 82 years.’

Then there are two leases made out to members of the Scott family mentioned in a list of documents which the late Mrs Stone of the Manor House, Donaghadee, gave the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (though she did not give the documents themselves.) The leases are for a William Scott, Mariner, dated 8th March 1675 and for a Thomas Scott, Mariner, dated 10th April 1778. (Mrs Stone’s list has leases made out to two other mariners of the time: one for a John Ramsey, dated 1676, endorsed by John Brown, wigmaker of Scur Row and the other to a James Sherer who got a half lease in 1678.)
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In spite of the mariner tradition that surrounded him, John Scott chose instead to go into the Presbyterian Church and when he began his diary he was a divinity student. Some of his studies were undertaken in Glasgow and in his diary he records that it took him nine days to travel back from there to Donaghadee. In 1707, after many oral examinations by ministers of the Down Presbytery of the General Synod of Ireland, he was licensed to preach but the diary ends abruptly the next year, on July 20, 1708 and there is no further word of him in church records. The most obvious conclusion must be that he died. He certainly never married the girl of his heart, Jean Hamilton, the daughter of Donaghadee’s Presbyterian minister, the Reverend Henry Hamilton, whose Meeting House (known as ‘the Sod House’ because its walls were made of turf sods) is said to have been at Killaughey, outside the town.

The spelling and punctuation in some of the extracts quoted below are as they appear in John Stevenson’s book and are, presumably, all John’s own.

1704
“Fraiday 15th December I was att home and in company wth my father who was same day under Physick, when Hugh Campbell wth Wm. Pinkstane came to my father wth his Bill of Cost: presented it, & after some time, he was provoked, tho’ no cause was given, to give my father a blow, whereupon I gott up, gott him in my arms & desired him to be sober, and att length gott him pulled from my father and then interposing betwixt them quite him, he made towards my father the second time, I again interveans & desires him to give me the blow & not meddle with father, & so I gives him a blow wth my fist on the face he was afterward pretty sober, only told me he would give me a blow another time, and promising the same elsewhere namely Pinkstan’s in the audience of Capt. Montgomery, Jon McCormick of Newry & Arch Milling he was indeed as good as his word, for same night Fraiday 15th he came in Street door & chamber door being open; & as he entered the room door he drew his oak cudgel, wth this expression, were you not a base villan to beat me so in the morning & so let drive att me, but ever blessed be my God, who at all times safeguards his own, destined one of the beams of the house to receive it from me, & when it was over, namely, the blow, I clap’t in to him & gott hold on him and att length gott him under me, and so beat him wth my fists untill I was allmost weary, & at last I gott him putt out of the house, & while att the door & chamber window he threatened to put me from preaching & to burn the house upon us.”

1705
“Fraiday 16 March … in the evening went down to Mr Hamilton’s where I was for some space of time wth the mistris.”

“Wensday 14 March I was att no sermon the Sabbath before Mr Hamilton had given intimation that there would be no weak days sermon because of the sowing.”

“Teusday 17 April I went to Belfast and bought a hatt price 5s: 10d and two yards & 3 quarters of broad-cloath at 5 as I judge it may be, because it was not paid then p yeard. I returned same night.”

“Wensday 15 August I heard Mr Hamilton on Jon 4:2 and was domi per diem (at home.) Memorandum that same day I went to Tho: Wrights who was going to my father to Dublin & gave him the Key of my father’s chest & at my return I overheard Janet Barkley cursing Jon Blair whom I reproved but the wase she was at length I was a little out of humour through her & she was pleased to declare throughout the town that I abused her when God knows it was the glory of God & the good of her poor soul that I designed by the reproof by me reached her, but I fear poor woman she is given up of God.”

1706
“Saturday 8 June, I slept till near 4 in the afternoon, [ he had been riding from Antrim all the night before ] about 5 it was noised through the town that the Meeting house was on fire, as soon as I got my shooses on my feet & my coat on my back, I ran as fast thither as possibly I could and found true what was noised, but blessed be God it was soon quenched, so that it did not much harm, the occasion of it was Jamie allen the collrs son his firing a musquet at a bird that was upon the house, and the weather being dry & the forrage of the gun carring to the thatch set it on fire by him not designed I am persuaded.”

“Teusday 11th June I went to Belfast wth Mr Hamilton his wife & daughter who went thither to the school, Mrs Alice Crymble Ja: Kennedy & Tho: Lench were likewise in company; we left Belfast about 8 at night and came home about 1 in the morning.”

“Munday 20th September I was in Donoghadee it being a fair day. I was some time with Mr Ja. Hamilton in Ja. Kennedy’s & Ja. Hay’s, God pardon the sin of mispending time, precious time. Memorandum Mr James Hamilton sent with Mitchel to Edr [Edinburgh] for a perriwig about five & twenty or thirty shillings price . Mitchel was to return within 6 weeks.”

“Sabbath 3rd November I was in Donnoghadee and did lecture on Psa 17 & Preach on Gal. 2.20 both forenoon & after. Mr Hamilton was at Lisburn wth Mr Mtt Cracken who same day had his communion ever blessed be my good God, for what strength, furniture & sufficiency I had communicated to me from him, throughout the whole day both forenoon & after.”
Sabbath 10th November I was in Donnoghadee and heard Mr Hamilton p diem on Gal 3:1 and Col.1.17 for sermon. Memorandum that same day the boat wch Lady Land went off in upon Saturday the 9 day was again put back with a contrary wind, and was put in a little below the meeting house and staved to pieces: but all the passengers were safed & wonderfully preserved.”

1707
“Teusday 15th April I went to Belfast and bought as much black cloath 8 shil p
yeard as made me a coat viz 2 yeards and ½ and ½ quarter black cloath from Tho Lyle
I also bought as much serge dinnim as was for bretches. I also bought a hat price being 6 Shill ster. Memorandum that I heard at that time Mr David Thome preach in Belfast meeting-house on these words work out your salvation wth fear & trembling. I came to Donnoghadee same night.”
 
“Teusday 26th August I was domi p diem only after dinner I was in Mr Hamilton’s where I had occasion of seeing a letter from Mr (sic) Abigail Young to Mr John Moor signifying more than ordinary intimacy and familiarity betwixt them. Yea that they were in love and affection mutually engaged aye captivated.”