The Culture of Controversy: Religious Arguments in Scotland, 1660-1714

311 Pages·2012·18.01 MB·English

by  Alasdair Raffe

spine 22mm E
28 Nov 11
Studies in R
Modern British a The Culture
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Religious History fe
The Culture of Controversy investigates
arguments about religion in scotland from of Controversy
the Restoration to the death of Queen Anne
and outlines a new model for thinking about
collective disagreement in seventeenth- and
eighteenth-century societies - in short, a new
T
way of understanding the religion and politics Cover: Alexander Shields, A Hind Let h
of the period. The book analyses religious Loose, or an Historical Representation of e
debates in terms of an early modern ‘culture the Testimonies, of the Church of Scotland A C
of controversy’, less rational and less urbanised (1687), NLS, A.107e. Reproduced R u
than the ‘public sphere’. As well as verbal with the permission of the Trustees of the g l
forms of discourse, controversial culture was National Library of Scotland. Series logo: u T
characterised by actions, rituals and gestures; King’s College Chapel by Walter Hoyle m u
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people from all social ranks and all regions of (Artist’s estate/Fry Art Gallery). e
scotland were involved in religious arguments. n e

Through his examination of the arguments T o
raging between and within scotland’s main s f
religious groups, the presbyterians and in C
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episcopalians, over such issues as Church
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government, state oaths and nonconformity, C n
Alasdair Raffe reveals hitherto unexamined o T
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debates about religious enthusiasm, worship T
and clerical hypocrisy. he also illustrates the l o
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changing nature of the fault line between
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the presbyterians and episcopalians and
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contextualises the emerging issues of religious
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toleration and articulate irreligion. 1 y
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AlAsdAiR RAffe is lecturer in history at 6 R
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northumbria university, newcastle upon Tyne.
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1660 –1714
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an imprint of Boydell & Brewer ltd
Po Box 9, Woodbridge iP12 3df (GB) and
668 mt hope Ave, Rochester ny 14620-2731 (US)
Alasdair Raffe
www.boydellandbrewer.com
STUDIES IN MODERN BRITISH RELIGIOUS HISTORY
Volume 28
THE cULTURE Of cONTROVERSY
RELIGIOUS aRGUMENTS IN ScOTLaND,
1660–1714
STUDIES IN MODERN BRITISH RELIGIOUS HISTORY
ISSN 1464–6625
General editors
Stephen Taylor – University of Durham
arthur Burns – Kings college, London
Kenneth fincham – University of Kent
This series aims to differentiate ‘religious history’ from the narrow confines of
church history, investigating not only the social and cultural history of religion,
but also theological, political and institutional themes, while remaining sensi-
tive to the wider historical context; it thus advances an understanding of the
importance of religion for the history of modern Britain, covering all periods of
British history since the Reformation.
Previously published volumes in this series are listed at the
back of this volume.
THE cULTURE Of cONTROVERSY
RELIGIOUS aRGUMENTS IN ScOTLaND,
1660–1714
aLaSDaIR RaffE
THE BOYDELL PRESS
© alasdair Raffe 2012
All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
The right of Alasdair Raffe to be identified as
the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988
first published 2012
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 978–1–84383–729–9
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3Df, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
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Printed in Great Britain by
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for my parents

contents
List of Maps and Illustrations viii
acknowledgements ix
abbreviations and conventions x
Introduction
1. The culture of controversy 3
2. Religious Groups and cultures 29
Part I: Controversial Discourse
3. The covenants and conscientious Dissent 65
4. Persecution 93
5. fanatics and Enthusiasts 121
6. clerical Reputations 149
Part II: Controversial Action
7. Nonconformity 179
8. crowd Violence 208
conclusion: concepts and consequences 234
Glossary 238
Bibliography 239
Index 277
Maps and Illustrations
Maps
1. Scotland’s traditional counties xiii
2. Scotland’s presbyteries, 1660–1714 xiv
Illustrations
1. [Robert Wodrow], The Oath of Abjuration, Considered, in a Letter 16
to a Friend ([Edinburgh?], 1712), NLS, 1.513(11), title-page.
Reproduced with the permission of the Trustees of the National
Library of Scotland.
2. [alexander Shields], A Hind Let Loose, or an Historical 106
Representation of the Testimonies, of the Church of Scotland
(n.p., 1687), NLS, a.107e, illustration facing title-page.
Reproduced with the permission of the Trustees of the National
Library of Scotland.
3. David Williamson (1635–1706), by Sir John de Medina. 170
Reproduced with the permission of St cuthbert’s church, Edinburgh.
4. Robert Wylie to Robert Wodrow, 14 Nov. 1712, NLS, Wod. Lett. 204
Qu. VI, fo. 242r. Reproduced with the permission of the Trustees
of the National Library of Scotland.
viii
acknowledgements
This book is the product of nearly a decade’s thinking, research and conver-
sation, undertaken in a series of admirable institutions. at the University of
Oxford, Jenny Wormald supervised my initial efforts to understand late seven-
teenth-century Scottish religious life. At the University of Edinburgh, I benefited
greatly from the supervision of Michael Lynch, alex Murdoch and, most of all,
Julian Goodare. Other early modernists at the university, particularly Sharon
adams, Katharine Glover, Mark Jardine, Laura Stewart and Douglas Watt
influenced my thinking in numerous ways. Tristram Clarke and Mark Goldie
provided an enjoyable viva, and have since been of much assistance. The staff
at the National Library of Scotland and the National archives (now National
Records) of Scotland, where I carried out much of my research, were courteous
and helpful.
I began to transform my doctoral thesis into this book at Durham University,
and I would like to thank Natalie Mears and Philip Williamson for offering me
employment and expanding my scholarly interests. Stephen Taylor helped me
to rethink the objectives of my research. Most recently, my colleagues at North-
umbria University have provided a welcoming and stimulating environment in
which to finish the book.
for reading and commenting on individual chapters, I am grateful to Sharon
adams, Karin Bowie, Julian Goodare, Gaby Mahlberg, David Raffe and Laura
Stewart. Tanja Bueltmann helped me with the maps. David Denniston of St
cuthbert’s kindly allowed me to photograph his distinguished predecessor.
Sasha Handley and Stephen Taylor enthusiastically read the entire book and
offered shrewd advice.
My postgraduate research was funded by the arts and Humanities Research
council. The publication of this book has been made possible by a grant from the
Scouloudi foundation in association with the Institute of Historical Research.
The School of arts and Social Sciences at Northumbria also contributed to my
publication expenses.
My greatest debts are acknowledged by the dedication.
ix