| Administrative History | Although the volume bears his signature in several places and is ascribed as 'ex libris Alexander Young' on the front end-paper in a handwriting similar to that of the text, it has been impossible to identify him as a graduate of any of the Scottish universities or as a minister of the Church of Scotland. An Alexander Young, Aberdeen, is listed as a member of the Arts Class of 1688-1672 at King's College, and another Alexander Young, minister of the second charge at Culross in the presbytery of Dunfermline from 1684 until deprived in 1689 and still resident in the parish in 1695, graduated MA at Edinburgh in 1681. However, there is no evidence that either were alive at the time of the compilation of the manuscript. |
| Custodial History | The volume, from inscriptions on the front endpaper, had belonged to Alexander Young and was probably compiled by him. It passed later through the hands of a 'James Ritchie'. Young may, according to a faint inscription on the front cover, have been in Aberdeen in 1704. The volume was deposited in Aberdeen Univeresity Library sometime before the period 1952-1966 and was initially catalogued in 1966 along with other manuscripts found there after the retirement of W. D. Simpson as Librarian, but its provenance is uncertain. It may have come from Pitcaple Castle, with other manuscripts deposited before 1952. |
| Description | Volume containing a collection of lectures, sermons and notes and extracts from devotional works made by Alexander Young in 1735, together with a list of dates, texts and preachers of sermons delivered at Peebles, Traquair and elsewhere during 1735 and 1736.
No names are given of the preachers of the lectures or sermons summarised in the volume apart from the last, which was delivered by John Gowdie (1682-1762). He was minister at Earlston, Lady Yester’s and New North Parish, Edinburgh, before becoming Professor of Divinity at Edinburgh University in 1733, and then Principal from 1754-1762. He was the author of 'The Propagation of the Gospel and the Blessed Effects Thereof' (Edinburgh, 1735). Notes are included from works by William Burkitt (1650-1703), rector of Milden, Suffolk; Theophilus Dorrington (d. 1715), rector of Wittersham, Kent; and Mr Foord (?d. 1719), perhaps related to Robert Foord or Ford, MA Edinburgh 1651, minister at Garvald and Bara (Hdg), (d. 1680, aged 49). Some of the sermons summarised have references to 'Tillotson' [probably John Tillotson (1630-1694), Archbishop of Canterbury from 1691].
[Entries concerning many of the ministers who preached at Peebles from 5 April 1735 to 9 May 1736, at Traquhair on 21 August 1735 and at the 'West Kirk' on 27 June 1736 are to be found in 'Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae', edited by H. Scott (revised edition, volume I).]
Contents:
Contents list and inscription (undated).
List of texts of sermons preached at Peebles by Messrs. 'Baird, Wallace, John Stoun, Hutcheson, Gentiles Hay' (23 July 1735).
Texts of sermons preached at Peebles by Mr. Plenderleath, Mr. Hay, Edinburgh, and others (5 April 1735-9 May 1736).
Texts of sermons printed at Traquair by Messrs. William Wallace, Hutcheson, Balantine, 'Blancher', Livingstone and Alexander Robertson (21 August 1735).
Folio 1 recto: texts of sermons preached at 'West Kirk' by Messrs. Walker, James Walker, McVicar, McDugal, Miln, Sinclair and Semple (27 June 1736).
Folio 1 recto-4 verso: Lecture 1st, Kaillie (Kailzie, Peb.); text: 2 Cor. v.1-13, verse by verse; marginal note on folio 1 verso mentions sermons at College Kirk, 25 October 1736 by Mr. Plenderleith in 'Lady Easter' on Prov. xiv.14, and by Mr. Lundie on John xvii. 15; ascription 'this book to me James Ritchie' (8 June 1735).
Folio 5 recto-8 verso: Lecture 2nd; text: 2 Cor. v. 14 to end, verse by verse (11 June 1735).
Folio 8 verso-13 recto: Lecture 3rd; text: 1 Cor. xiii. 1-5; verse by verse (undated).
Folio 13 recto-16 verso: Lecture 4th; text: 1 Cor. xiii. 6 to end; verse by verse; some folios have words in Greek (undated).
Folio 18-23: Sermon; text: Rom. vi. 21 (undated).
Folio 23-28: Sermon; text: Rom. vi. 21 (undated).
Folio 28-33: Sermon; text: Rom.vi.21; reference to Tillotson, vol. i. at end (undated).
Folio 34-38 recto: Sermon; text: Rom. vi. 21: reference to Tillotson, vol. I, at end (undated).
Folio 38 recto-40; Sermon; text: Heb. ix. 27; 'Foord' at end (undated).
Folio 41-43: Sermon; text: Heb. ix. 27; 'Foord' at end (undated).
Folio 44-47: Sermon; text: Heb. ix. 27; 'Foord' at end (undated).
Folio 48-52: Sermon; text: Rom. vi. 21-22; ends: 'Tillotson vol. I. Kaillie July 1735' (July 1735).
Folio 52-57: Sermon: Rom. vi. 22; has reference to Tillotson (undated).
Folio 57-61: [1st] sermon; text: Job xxxiv. 31, 32 (undated).
Folio 61-65: [2nd] sermon; text: Job xxxiv. 31, 32 (undated).
Folio 65-69: [3rd] sermon; text: Job xxxiv. 31, 32 (undated).
Folio 69-72: [4th] sermon; text: Job xxxiv. 31, 32. Reference to Tillotson at end; the four sermons on the same text are divided by being written alternately parallel to spine and from left to right (undated).
Folio 73-76: Sermon; text: Deut. xxxii. 29 (undated).
Folio 76-80: Sermon; text: Job xxxiii. 27, 28; reference to Tillotson (undated).
Folio 80 recto-verso: 'Prayer used before every sermon of Theophillus Dorrington’s family devotions vol. I.'; list of sermon texts in Dorrington’s family devotions vol. I., and quotation from his 'consolation to a friend on the death...' (undated).
Folio 81 recto: 'Mr Burkits paraphrase on our Lord’s Prayer' (undated).
Folio 81 recto-89 verso: Concluding portion of sermon 'delivered in the high Church of Edinburgh first Monday of January 1735 upon occasion of the Anniversary meeting of the Society in Scotland for prop[agation] of Christian Kn[owledge].by the Reverend Ma[ster] John Gowdie prof[essor] published at the Society’s desire'; this has been written at the back of the volume with the pages reversed and commencement on folios after 89 is now missing along with back endpaper. There are traces of the loss of at least one folio (January 1735). (Fasti Eccles. Scot. v., 19; Fast Eccles. Scot. vii., 382; Fasti Eccles. Scot. i., 363.) |