Maister Alexander Comrie — Jacobite

In 1676, Alexander Comrie became minister of Kenmore Parish. He was an ardent Episcopalian, and he and the first Earl of Breadalbane were Jacobites. At that time the Church of Scotland had not yet made up its mind whether to adopt some form of episcopacy to bring it into line with the Church of England. In the event, the anti-Episcopalian faction won the day, and the Revolution settlement of 1690 ensured the continuance of the
Presbyterian form of Church government without Bishops. Alexander Comrie, however, refused to accept the ruling of the General Assembly and retained his Episcopalian views. In spite of these difficulties with the Church authorities it appears that he was a well-loved pastor and kept a firm discipline over the people. Money continued to be given to the poor, who in return “must attend sermon and catechising or their names be struck off”. Alexander Comrie was presented with an Alms Dish which can still be seen in Kenmore Church along with a copy of the first translation of the Bible into the “Irish” language. The Hon. Robert Boyle, a Christian gentleman, who was anxious about the state of religion in the Scottish Highlands, and in Ireland, where the scriptures were not available except by second-hand translation from the English Texts, had Bibles printed in Irish characters. Of these, some two hundred found their way to the Highlands of Scotland. Nine copies were sent to the Minister of Kenmore for distribution to the Presbytery of Dunkeld, with the following memo: “Rev. Brother, Cause deliver, and keep the books carefully and clean
after you have received them, and see that they are never alienated to privat use. Get receipts from the ministers The Bible bears the inscription: ‘The donation of the Honourable, Pious and Learned Robert Boyle, Esq., a Principal member of the Royal Society, bestowed on the Church of Kenmore to continue there as a Church Bible for the use of the present minister, and his successors, ministers of the parish”. This inscription, dated 1688, is in the handwriting of Robert Kirk, who was minister at Balquhidder. Both Alexander Comrie and the Earl of Breadalbane came under pressure from the government authorities in Edinburgh, and from the Church courts because of their associations with the Jacobite cause.
Breadalbane was summoned to Edinburgh for questioning but Comrie sent a message to say that the Earl was “too ill” to attend. That very day, however, Breadalbane was meeting the Earl of Mar, the Jacobite General, at Logierait. Because he prayed openly for King James, Comrie was summoned several times to appear before the Presbytery. He was always “too ill to go”. However, the Presbytery finally deposed him in 1716. He refused to leave the Manse and when a visiting minister came from Dull to preach, the congregation, who were loyal to their own man, stoned the visitor and few attended church. In 1721 the Presbytery came in strength to Kenmore but “no one came to church in spite of the bell being rung
three times”. When eventually Alexander Comrie did leave the Manse to live in a house at Taymouth he took several items of church property with him and it was only after his successor, John Hamilton, had been resident for some months that he returned the Poor’s Box, the communion tokens, the communion plate and the English Bible. The Gaelic Bible and a New Testament were only returned after Comrie’s death in 1733. He must have been quite a character and it must have been difficult for the man who came after him. The Reverend John Hamilton began with a disaffected people, the only elder at his induction being John Graham, the Parish Schoolmaster. The minister persevered, however, and did his work among his parishioners and gradually won them round. He nderstood the value of education, and co-operated with his neighbouring ministers in the provision of schools for the people in remoter areas.

Return To Kenmore Church History