Notable People

I suppose I should really start with David de Bernham, Bishop of St.Andrews in the thirteenth century, although Bolton and Saltoun have certainly got no exclusive claim to his memory. In fact, between 1240 and 1249 the good Bishop consecrated no less than 140 churches in his diocese - which extended from around Aberdeen in the north, to the eastern Borders. There is no doubt that most of these were pre-existing buildings being brought into the episcopal fold, as it were, but nonetheless the actual task was quite staggering.

In a country without roads, with few tracks, and with large expanses of wild and bandit-infested forest, the Bishop and his small retinue traversed tirelessly back and forth. Pack horses for the gentry, mules and asses for the baggage; little assurance of safety or comfort or even of a bed for the night - it was a Herculean labour which can only be explained by the Church politics of the day. I have referred elsewhere in this site to the transcript of a lecture given more than thirty years ago by the Very Reverend Dr.David Steel, formerly of St.Michael's in Linlithgow, in which he explores the whole subject from the standpoint of one who has studied David de Bernham's original Service Book in the Louvre. Anyone interested in accessing this (unpublished?) transcript should contact me by clicking here . (Delete the word "cancelspam" from my email address before sending).

Anyway, in 1244 the Bishop found time while traversing these parts to perform the consecration rites for both Saltoun (in the spring) and Bolton (in the autumn). In 1994, seven hundred and fifty years later, special services were held and commemorative trees were planted beside both churches to mark the occasion.

In 1994 in Bolton the ceremony was led by Dr.David Steel himself and (not many people know this!) a Time Capsule was buried by the Fish People - the young people of the church - under its roots. In Saltoun the tree was dedicated by the parish minister, Rev.John Wilson. I have added some pictures of these events to this site, on another page (p.9).

For the next few paragraphs I am much indebted to Mrs.Margaret Wyllie's little book "A History of Saltoun and the Fletcher Family" dated 1986 and now sadly out of print.

Margaret writes: "In 1659 Patrick Scougall came as minister to Saltoun from Leuchars. He was appointed by Parliament as a commissioner for the trial of witches in nearby Samuelston. This tiny village was one of Scotland's major centres of witchcraft, and in 1661 Scougall and the other commissioners supervised the burning of thirteen unfortunate women whom they had found to be witches". [The present writer notes: To this tally might be added a Warlock or two, including my gt.gt.gt.gt.grand-uncle Alec Hamilton!]. Later Patrick Scougall left these parts when he was promoted to the Bishopric of Aberdeen.

The significant point is that when Patrick left for Aberdeen, he recommended that Sir Robert Fletcher should offer the living of Saltoun to the young Gilbert Burnet. Burnet was born in Edinburgh in 1643 and studied in Aberdeen. He was ordained priest in 1665, just two weeks after the death of his patron Sir Robert Fletcher, who had left in his hands the education of his two young sons, Andrew and Henry.

Gilbert was a remarkably energetic parish minister and a devoted tutor to the Fletcher boys. His history is a matter of public record, but his description of Saltoun church in his time may be illuminating. It was, he wrote "A plain building, oblong in shape, without spire or tower, in length 66 feet. A low stone wall divided the nave from the choir, in which were the seats for the gentry, and the pulpit. There was an earthen floor and the roof was covered with divots. There were no fixed seats or pews in the nave, and each worshipper provided a seat, usually a three-legged stool. There were small windows of half wood and half glass."

As reported by Clarke and Foxcroft ("A Life of Gilbert Burnet" 1907) there was no heating in the church and the men - including the minister - only took off their hats to pray.

In 1669, Gilbert Burnet left to become Professor of Divinity at Glasgow University. His parting gift to the congregation was two silver Communion Cups, which are still in use today.

From Glasgow Burnet went to London and then Holland. In 1689 he was made Bishop of Salisbury, with a seat in the House of Lords. He held this position until his death in 1715. In his Will, Burnet left 20,000 merks in trust to the lairds of Saltoun and Herdmanston, to be used for the education of thirty children, the erection of a new school-house, and inter alia, for adding fresh volumes to the library.

This library mentioned in Burnet's Will is probably the oldest private library in Scotland. It was founded in 1660 by the bequest of Norman Leslie, tutor to Sir Robert Fletcher and his brother. Burnet added some of his own books and the whole collection became known as the Burnet Library. It now includes many rare and fascinating volumes and is presently held by the National Library of Scotland, on behalf of the parish. Sadly, it was probably more widely read when it was simply on a shelf in the parish, than it is today, inside glass cases and handled only by librarians with gloves!

The one name most intimately connected with Saltoun has to be that of Andrew Fletcher known as "The Patriot". Born in 1653, and much influenced by Gilbert Burnet, Andrew Fletcher lived a life full of incident. (Perhaps that is putting it too mildly for a man who fought in Monmouth's Rebellion, was attainted for treason and sentenced in absentia to be executed, was imprisoned in Spain but escaped in mysterious circumstances, fought his way around most of Europe, was pardoned by William of Orange and restored to his Scottish estates and to his seat in the Scottish parliament). Today Fletcher is best remembered for his unflagging opposition to the Treaty of Union in 1707. It would take too much space here to give even a potted biography of the man, but Fletcher sites exist elsewhere. Try clicking the key symbol here.

Andrew Fletcher: 1653-1716

To this day, the Saltire Society holds an annual meeting in Saltoun church, beneath which Andrew Fletcher lies in the vault, and places a wreath in his memory below a plaque on the church wall.

In contrast to Saltoun, Bolton parish has very largely kept out of the limelight of history. Probably its only significant claim to anything like fame, is the fact that in the early 19th century Gilbert Burns, the brother of Robert Burns the poet, lived in the parish with his mother and family. Gilbert was an elder of Bolton Kirk, and seems to have acted in some manner like a Clerk of Works to the building of the present church in 1809. Gilbert was factor to the neighbouring estate of Lord Blantyre.

A previous minister at Bolton has gone so far as to say that Bolton Church itself stands as a memorial to Gilbert and the Burns family. It is a nice thought.

A plaque on the boundary wall of the churchyard tells the passers by: "In this churchyard lies (sic) the mortal remains of the mother, brother and sister of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns". This is true, and the graves can be seen today. Mrs.Burns and her family lived not far from the church, and the site of their house, and the well from which they drew water, can be seen today, marked by the local Burns Club and the Council.

Since the Reformation Bolton has had eighteen ministers, all of whom seem to have served quietly and without seeking distinction outside the parish. The only exception might be the Reverend John Courtney who was ordained into the parish in 1640 but, 21 years later "deserted his charge and went to Ireland". (Looking at the dates, one might say that if nothing worse than this troubled the parish, its people were very fortunate!)

Probably the only other point of note is that the Reverend William Hamilton was inducted into the parish in 1708 and passed the charge over to his son John Hamilton in 1743. John retired in 1797 - almost ninety years after his father came to the parish. This has to be some sort of record!

And that's about it! Throughout a turbulent millennium Bolton seems to have remained largely a haven of peace, almost entirely untouched by the affairs of the great. If there is truth in the old Chinese curse "May you live in Interesting Times", then Bolton has been fortunate indeed!