The first General Assembly

Who met

The Assembly’s own register begins: “The Names of the Ministers and Commissioners of the particular Kirks of Scotland, convened to consult upon these things which are to set forward God’s glory, and the weal [welfare] of his Kirk in this Realm, in Edinburgh the 20th day of December 1560 years” [spelling modernised].¹

Calderwood calls it “the first General Assembly of the reformed Kirk of Scotland” [spelling modernised], and gives its members’ names so “that the reader may perceive what rarity of pastors there was in the infancy of our kirk, and what were the small beginnings of our Assemblies” [spelling modernised]. M’Crie and Hetherington also date it to 20 December 1560 at Edinburgh.²

The register names them with the kirks they came for. Those marked “minister” were ministers; the others were commissioners. Names and places are given as printed, with two words in modern spelling (“provost”, “younger”) and modern place names in brackets:³

• Johne Knox, minister; James Barron and Edward Hope, for Edinburgh
• Christopher Gudman [Goodman], minister; David Spens and Maister Robert Kynpont, for St Androes [St Andrews]
• Maister Johne Row, minister, for the towne of Perth and kirk thereof
• William Darroche and William Norvell, for the towne of Striveling [Stirling] and kirk thereof
• Charles Drummound, provost; James Witherspoone and Andrew Mylne, for Lynlithgow [Linlithgow]
• Hew Wallace of Carnall, Johne Fullerton of Dreghorne and Charles Campbell of Skeldoun, for the kirks of Kyle
• George Hoome of Spott, for the kirks of East Lauthiane [East Lothian]
• David Lindesay, minister; Andrew Lamb and Patrick Boyman, for Leith
• William Harlaw, minister, and Robert Fernelay of Braid, for St Cuthberts kirk
• William Christesone, minister; George Lovell and William Carmichaell, for Dundie [Dundee]
• Alexander Guthrie of Halkertoun, William Durhame of Grange, for Forfare [Forfar]
• Johne Areskine of Dunne and Andrew Mylne, for Montrose
• The lairds of Tullievaird and Fethercairne, for the kirks of the Mernes [Mearns]
• The laird of Gairlies, younger, for the kirks of Nithesdaile [Nithsdale]
• Maister David Weymis, for the kirk of Carnbie
• Maister Walter Balfour, for the kirk of Lyntoun
• Johne Broun, Thomas Boyd and James Polwart, for Torphichen
• William Lamb, William Bonkle, for Dumbar [Dunbar]
• James Douglas, James More, for Calder Comitis
• John Kincaid, for Kirklistoun
• Master Robert Wynrhame, for Ratho

The histories cited here agree that only six of its members were ministers; they differ over the total. M’Crie, in his Life of Knox, writes that “It consisted of forty members, only six of whom were ministers”, and M’Crie’s Story and Hetherington say the same. Cunningham counts forty-one and MacPherson forty-two. The record itself has forty-two entries; the name Andrew Mylne appears twice, for Linlithgow and for Montrose.⁴

The Assembly also named those it thought “most qualified for the ministering of the word of God and sacraments, and reading of the common prayers publicly in all kirks and congregations” [spelling modernised]. For St Andrews alone it named twenty-one men for ministering and teaching, among them John Rutherford, William Ramsay, James Wilkie and Robert Hamilton. In Kyle eight were named as readers, and John Chalmer as “apt to teach”.⁵

What it decided

On 21 December the Assembly found that the ministry of the word and sacraments for the whole parish of Restalrig should be within the kirk of Leith, “and that the kirk of Restalrig, as a monument of idolatry, be razed and utterly cast down and destroyed” [spelling modernised]. The same day it held that marriage “may be solemnised” [spelling modernised] between parties of the second, third and fourth degrees of affinity or kindred, “and others such as are not prohibited expressly by the word of God” [spelling modernised], and asked the Lords and Estates to “interpone [add] their authority” [spelling modernised].⁶

On 27 December “The kirk [church] appointed the election of the minister, elders and deacons to be in the public kirk, and the premonition [advance notice] to be made upon the Sunday preceding the day of the election.” [spelling modernised] Those who had served in “the ministry of the Pope’s kirk” [spelling modernised], if “good and well-conditioned persons” [spelling modernised], were to “live upon the alms of the kirk, with the number of poor” [spelling modernised]. And none were to be made magistrates, “as provost, bailies and officers of towns, except them who are known to be plain and true professors [those who profess the faith] of the Evangel [Gospel]” [spelling modernised].⁷

It petitioned that all judges, “such as the Lords of the Session, sheriffs, stewards, bailies [town magistrates], and other judges ordinary, be professors of the truth of the true word of God” [spelling modernised], that orphans be not defrauded in testaments, and that those named as still saying Mass, in Fife and elsewhere, be dealt with.⁸

The Assembly then adjourned “till the 15th day of January next to come” [spelling modernised], asking that at least one commissioner be sent from every kirk, and that each “bring a roll with them of the whole teinds [tithes], lands, annuals [annual rents], profits and emoluments of the parish kirks next adjacent to them, and what persons have tacks [leases] thereof” [spelling modernised].⁹

Of any January meeting there is no record. Cunningham writes: “Of the Assembly appointed to meet in January, if it ever met, we have no record”.¹⁰

There was not yet a moderator. M’Crie writes that “there were seven different meetings of Assembly without a moderator or president … The first person who occupied that place was John Willock”. MacPherson counts six.¹¹