Professor Michelle D Brock and Dr Chris Langley
Clergymen served their flock through all of life’s rituals, from cradle to grave
Scottish history has no shortage of colourful characters. From infamous presbyterian firebrands who took up the sword in defence of their faith, to lesserknown preachers who guided their congregations through poverty and plague, few groups loom as large in the historical record as the clergy. Not all relationships between government and clergymen, or ministers and their parishioners, were harmonious. The records of the ecclesiastical courts are littered with tales of ministers behaving badly, showing up at the pulpit inebriated or arguing on the street with a neighbour.