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to bottom of pageThe Burgar/Burgess families in Shetland
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Recalcitrant Shetlanders
The crofters in Shetland were very resistant to the Presbyterian ministers. In 1629, 13 the Crown in Scotland, in the form of the Privy Council ordered the Sheriff of Orkney and his deputies to confront growing insubordination to the Presbyterian kirks and ministers in Shetland. The Shetlanders were accused of
impudent and proud refuisall in face of presbyterieis and in the presence of the magistrat to rander thair obedience, thair vyle raylings and imprecatiouns spewed out aganis the ministrie in thair faces, the upbraiding of thame at thair pulpits in the discharge of thair functiouns, the cartalling of thame at thair presbyteriall meetings, the threatning of thame to breake thair heads, to bullett thair bodeis, to battoun thame if they presoome to use the censures of the kirk aganis thame, the battoning of thair kirk officiars, the lying at await for the ministers awin lyffes, seeking thame be way of haimsuckin at thair awin houses for that effect, comming to the kirks on the Sabboth day with unlawfull weapouns to persew the ministers of thair lyfies, commanding thame most imperiouslie to forbeare the censuring of thame, threatning thame with present death if they dissobey. And besides this proud and malapert contempt of the ministrie and ordours and discipline of the kirk, the abominable cryme of incest is become most frequent and commoun within the saids bounds.
"Impudent and proud refusal in the face of the church and in the presence of the magistrate to give their obedience, their vile rantings and imprecations spewed out against the Ministers, to the Ministers' faces, their upbraiding of them (the Ministers) at the pulpits while they (the Ministers) are discharging their duty, the catching them (the Ministers) at their Presbytery meetings, threatening to break their (the Ministers) heads, to bullet their bodies, to beat them if they presume to use the censure of the church against the parishioners, to beat the church officials, the lying in wait for the Ministers lives, seeking them out by staking ? out their houses, coming to church on the Sabbath with unlawful weapons to pursue the Ministers lives, commanding the ministers imperiously to stop censuring them (the parishioners), threatening them (the Ministers) with immediate death if they disobey. And beside this proud and bad contempt of the Ministry and orders and discipline of the Church, the abominable crime of incest is become most frequent and common in Shetland".
It had been reported to the Privy Council in Scotland that the people of Shetland were becoming unruly. At the moment the people were confronting the Church Ministers and officials. They were verbally abusing them, beating them and threatening to kill them. Obviously, whoever reported these details to Edinburgh, made a good case against the Shetlanders, including suggesting that incest was common.
No doubt the Privy Council thought that this might lead to Scotland losing control of Shetland. Earlier, in 1600, Earl Patrick Stewart had built a castle in Scalloway and then one in Kirkwall, Orkney in 1607. In 1610 he was imprisoned in Edinburgh for treason. His son Robert Stewart was in open rebellion against the crown and was executed in 1615. The same fate befell his father later that year.