John Rae (minister)

John Rae was an English parish minister.

Early life

He was the son of William Rae, burgess of Edinburgh. He served heir 7 February 1666. He was educated at the University of Glasgow and graduated with an M.A. in 1651.

Career

At the Restoration he was minister of Symington in the Presbytery of Biggar being admitted between 4 May and 2 November 1658. He was deprived by the Act of Parliament 11th June, and of Privy Council 1 October 1662. He became one of the most zealous of the Covenanting preachers; and for eight years peregrinated the country, conducting public worship on the hillsides and in private houses.

Arrest

A Conventicle Preacher before the Justices, painting by Robert Inerarity Herdman

Around the beginning of 1670, he was apprehended for preaching and baptizing in houses and sent to Edinburgh. He lay successively in the Canongate jail, in Stirling Castle, and Dumbarton Castle, till about the time of the granting of the second indulgence in September 1672, when he was liberated. By this indulgence, he was allowed to exercise his ministry within the parish of Cumbraes. But he declined to accept of this ensnaring boon, and associated with Mr John Welsh and others in preaching in the fields. Along with John Welsh and others, went about from place to place "holding conventicles, marrying, baptizing, and dispensing the Lord's Supper." For nine years he assiduously carried on these earnest labours.

In July 1674, he was publicly denounced a rebel and put to the horn. Hunter states that he fled to Holland although the source of this information is unclear. In August 1676, letters of intercommuning were issued against him. In 1681 he was captured and sent to the Edinburgh Tolbooth. On 15 February 1683 he was apprehended in Edinburgh, and on 15 September next year, the Council ordered him to be sent to the Bass Rock. He was sent at the same time as Sir Hugh Campbell but neither he nor Hugh's son Sir George Campbell was permitted to ride in a coach or on a horse someone provided. Like Mr John Blackadder, he lay there till released by the hand of death. His mortal remains were carried from his prison and interred in the churchyard of North Berwick.

Bibliography

• Inq. Ret. Gen., 4962
• Kirkton's and Wodrow's Histories
• Crichton's Memoirs of Blackadder

References

Citations

Sources

• Blackadder, John (1826). Crichton, Andrew (ed.). Memoirs of Rev. John Blackader : compiled chiefly from unpublished manuscripts and memoirs of his life and ministry written by himself while prisoner on the Bass : and containing illustrations of the Episcopal persecution from the restoration to the death of Charles II : with an appendix giving a short account of the history and siege of the Bass & / by Andrew Crichton (2 ed.). Edinburgh: Printed for A. Constable & Company.
• Crocket, W. S. (1900). Biggar : historical, traditional and descriptive. Biggar: J. B. Watson. pp. 63–64.
• Crookshank, William (1749). The history of the state and sufferings of the Church of Scotland, from the Restoration to the Revolution. With an introd., containing the most remarkable occurrences relating to that Church from the Reformation. Vol. 1. London: J. Oswald [etc.] p. 297.
• Crookshank, William (1812). The history of the state and sufferings of the Church of Scotland, from the Restoration to the Revolution. With an introd., containing the most remarkable occurrences relating to that Church from the Reformation. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: Thomas Turnbull. p. 7.
• Erskine, John (1893). Macleod, Walter (ed.). Journal of the Hon. John Erskine of Carnock, 1683-1687. Vol. 14. Edinburgh: Printed at University press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish history society. p. 84.
• Fairley, John A (1916). Extracts from the Records of the Old Tolbooth from The book of the Old Edinburgh Club. Vol. 9. Edinburgh: The Club. p. 155.
• Hay, Andrew (1901). Reid, Alexander George (ed.). The diary of Andrew Hay of Craignethan, 1659-1660. Edinburgh: Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society. p. 67.
• Hunter, William (1867). Biggar and the House of Fleming: an account of the Biggar district, archaeological, historical, and biographical. Edinburgh: William Paterson. pp. 241–242.
• Johnston, John C (1887). Treasury of the Scottish covenant. Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot. p. 586-587.
• Kirkton, James (1817). The secret and true history of the church of Scotland from the Restoration to the year 1678. Edinburgh: J. Ballantyne. p. 481.
• Laing, David, ed. (1848). Historical Notices of Scotish Affairs: Selected from the Manuscripts of Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T. Constable, printer to Her Majesty. p. 559.
• M'Crie, Thomas (1847). The Bass rock: Its civil and ecclesiastic history. Edinburgh: J. Greig & Son. pp. 370–371. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Paton, Henry, ed. (1929). The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland. Vol. 9 (The Register Of The Privy Council Of Scotland Edited And Abridged By Henry Paton, M.A., With An Introduction By Robert Kerr Hannay, Ll.D., Fraser Professor Of Scottish History And Palaeography In The University Of Edinburgh. Third Series, Vol. IX. A.D. 1685–1686. ed.). Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House. pp. 175–178.
• Reid, Alexander (1822). Prentice, Archibald (ed.). Life of Alexander Reid, a Scotish covenanter. Manchester: printed by J. Garnett. pp. 46–47.
• Scott, Hew (1915). Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. p. 260. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Wodrow, Robert (1828). Burns, Robert (ed.). The history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland from the restoration to the revolution, with an original memoir of the author, extracts from his correspondence, and preliminary dissertation. Vol. 1. Glasgow, Edinburgh: Blackie, Fullarton & co., and A. Fullarton & co. p. 325.
• Wodrow, Robert (1830). Burns, Robert (ed.). The history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland from the restoration to the revolution, with an original memoir of the author, extracts from his correspondence, and preliminary dissertation. Vol. 2. Glasgow, Edinburgh: Blackie, Fullarton & co., and A. Fullarton & co. p. 152.
• Wodrow, Robert (1829). Burns, Robert (ed.). The history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland from the restoration to the revolution, with an original memoir of the author, extracts from his correspondence, and preliminary dissertation. Vol. 3. Glasgow, Edinburgh: Blackie, Fullarton & co., and A. Fullarton & co. p. 5.
• Wodrow, Robert (1835). Burns, Robert (ed.). The history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland from the restoration to the revolution, with an original memoir of the author, extracts from his correspondence, and preliminary dissertation. Vol. 4. Glasgow, Edinburgh: Blackie, Fullarton & co., and A. Fullarton & co. p. 38.