Religion
Religion is one of the largest influences on social
history; from birth to death, lives are marked with ceremonies and
beliefs. It has caused conflict and grief but has also provided
comfort and structure to many.
Religion is one of the largest influences on social history;
from birth to death, lives are marked with ceremonies and
beliefs. It has caused conflict and grief but has also
provided comfort and structure to many.
In the early medieval period in the south west, religion was
characterised by the existence of monasteries. The arrival
of Christianity,
sometime in the 4th century - advocated by historical figures such
as Ss. Ninian and Columba, saw the establishment of many of these
centres. Monasteries were also seats of learning and the main
foci of communities; the local populace paid rent for land and
occasionally gave produce from their agricultural work. Places
such as Whithorn were centres of pilgrimage for hundreds of
years.
Place names give a good indication of the spread of
Christianity; although some have corrupted over time, many still
show their ecclesiastical origins, such as Kilwinning and
Ecclefechan. The presence
of cill or egles in a name
reflects the presence of a church; St Winin and St Ernoc are
commemorated in Kilwinning and Kilmarnock respectively. Others
are more obscure, such as Lamlash, which derives from St Molaise -
it would at some point have been Cill mo
Luaise.
As the medieval period progressed, the Church maintained and
in some cases increased her power. In the Borders, the
11th -13th centuries saw several
great monasteries being built, notably the Cluniac foundation
at
Crossraguel, as well as Glenluce, Dryburgh, Melrose (where the
heart of Robert the Bruce was interred) and Sweetheart
Abbeys. The latter was founded by Devorgilla,
wife of John Balliol and is a good reminder that the Church and the
Crown often went hand in hand. The two greatest sources of
power in history often saw the benefits of collaboration, although
sometimes the balance was upset; some of the most fraught periods
in Scottish (and worldwide) history have been caused, directly or
indirectly, by a clash of ideals.
The
Reformation of 1560 had caused a lot of unsettlement; John
Knox and his followers were at the head of a break in religious
tradition, which essentially meant a move away from Catholicism.
Whereas Roman Catholic Bibles were printed in Latin, the
Reformers wanted them in English and Scots instead and Knox's Book
of Common Order was adopted by the Church in 1562. It had
started a few years previously, when figures on the Continent such
as Martin Luther were advocating changes; these influences filtered
through to Britain. The invention of the printing press meant
that propaganda from both sides was much more widely
available.
One of the legacies of the Reformation was the 'killing times'
of the Covenanters in
the 17thcentury. King James VI, and more so his
son, Charles I, intended to align the Scottish church to that of
England and work under a similar system - this included the
appointment of Crown-approved bishops, kneeling at Communion and
other changes, such as alterations of prayer books. This
seemed too much like a return to Catholic practices, as well as a
direct challenge to the Presbyterian doctrine which was governed
from within, so a rebellion followed.
Support for the dissenters to this new regime was summarised
in the National Covenant, copies signed throughout the area, and
thus the rebellion mass became known as the
Covenanters.
For years, civil war prevailed, until Oliver Cromwell unseated
Charles I and ruled Scotland with his own party until the
Restoration in 1660. Charles II followed but maintained the
previous changes, with the additional ruling that anyone adhering
to the Covenant would be outlawed. This resulted in secret
services - conventicles - conducted by preachers, one of the most
famous being Alexander Peden (1626-86, born in Sorn), who wore a
mask to conceal his appearance.
Presbyterianism was not re-established until 1690, when the
Protestant William and Mary took the throne.
However, although the Church was often the root cause of much
strife through the centuries, it has also been a source of solace
and in many communities have remained the centre of the
population.
Attendances have generally fallen towards the end of the
20th century, but most churches have
retained a loyal congregation.
