Ebook Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ

The Synod Records from April 1639 to April 1661, in three volumes, and a volume from July 1690 to October 1707, were destroyed at the burning of the manse of Morebattle, 8th Jan. 1727. The Records are complete from 6th April 1708.

Presbytery of Duns

[Proposed to be erected by the General Assembly, 1581. The Register commences
8th Nov. 1659, and is continued to the present time, with blanks from 24th July 1660 to 7th May 1661, 31st July 1688 to 15th Sept. 1690, 21st Aug. 1733 to 14th April 1735, and 6th Oct. 1749 to 6th March 1770. From 7th Aug. 1690 to 19th Oct. 1698 this Presbytery was united to that of Chirnside. Each Presbytery has a copy of the minutes of this period. The parish of Hilton was in this Presbytery from 22nd Oct. 1707 to 1719.]


Abbey St Bathans and Strafontain, or Trefontaine

[These two parishes were united soon after the Reformation. Abbey St Bathans is named from its patron, Saint Bathan, second Abbot of Iona. There being a better known church of St Bathan at Yester, this one came to be called Abbey St Bathans, i.e. St Bathans belonging to the Abbey of Dryburgh, which had extensive possessions in the neighbourhood. St Bathan's Well was near the church. Towards the end of the thirteenth century, Ada, Countess of Dunbar, a natural daughter
of William the Lion, founded here a priory of Cistercian nuns, dedicated to St Mary. Strafontain, called also Trefontaine, was evidently dedicated to St Fintan. Its two names are formed from his, with the Cymric words Ystred and tref, both meaning hamlet (Ystred Fintain; Tref Fintain). In 1450 Strafontain was made a prebend of the Collegiate Church of St Mary at Dunglass. Near the church of Strafontain was founded in 1218 the hospital of Godscroft.]

William Colvill, reader in 1567.

Nicol Suddie [Suttie], reader in 1574.

Matthew Liddell, reader at Whittingehame and Tynninghame in 1570: min. at Cranshaws in 1572; trans. to Ellem in 1585; trans. and adm. in 1591; on 7th May 1608 he granted a discharge to John Renton of Billie for 34s., being four terms' rent for the Nunmeadow of Billie at St Bathans. - [Reg. Assig.; Milne Home MSS., 189.]

George Redpath [Ridpath], M.A. (Edinburgh, 1st Aug. 1590); min. of Ellem in 1596; trans. to Bunkle in 1599, but again at Ellem in 1607. He was trans. to this charge by 1624, and died in April 1628, aged about 58.