16th of August

St Hyacinth, confessor, 1257. St Roch, confessor, 14th century.

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Born. – Pierre Mechain, mathematician and astronomer, 1744, Laon. 

Died. – Jacques Bernouilli, mathematician and natural philosopher, 1705, Basel; Bartholomew Joubert, French general, killed at Novi, 1799.

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On this Day in Other Sources.

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Thane Donald added to the family possessions the level fields of Moy, near Forres, the half lands of Dunmaglass already mentioned, the lands of Little Urchany, closely adjoining his hereditary Thanage, and some roods in the burgh of Nairn. We know nothing more of him except that he must have given his son an education unusual among laymen at that time, to qualify him for the offices he held under the Crown.¹

– Sketches, pp.395-436. 

¹  We find Donalde of Kaldor thayne of that ilke with the Earl of Moray and the Bishop of Ross, Dame Mary of Ile, Lady of the Isles, and many of the best of Moray and Ross assembled at Chanounry of Rosmarkyng, 16th August, 1420. – Original instrument at Brodie, printed in Regis, Episc. Morav.

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The architect who designed [Falkland Palace], and superintended its erection, was in all probability Sir James Hamilton of Finnart, a natural son of the 1st Earl of Arran, who was cupbearer to James V., steward of the household, and superintendent of the royal palaces. He was accused of high treason, tried, convicted, and executed as a traitor, [on 16th] August, 1540. 

– Scotland Illustrated, pp.61-62.

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On the 16th of August [1566], [Queen Mary & Darnley] held a council, at Rodono, where they made an ordinance; reciting the scarcity of deer; and ordaining that they should not be shot, under the pains of law. 

– Life of Mary, pp.136-151.

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The lords returned from Lochleven to Stirling on the 16th of August [1567]; and three days after, came to Edinburgh. Here, met Murray and Maitland, on one side, and Throkmorton, on the other, who endeavoured, by orders of his mistress, to obtain some alleviation of the Queen’s imprisonment: But, Murray very fairly avowed, that though he had not been here, during the late action, which occasioned so great a change, yet, did he entirely approve of it, and support it. 

– Life of Mary, pp.184-206.

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The 16th day of August, this year [1568], the Regent held a parliament at Edinburgh, at which [James Douglas] the Earl of Morton did bear the sword, [Alexander Cunningham, Earl of] Glencairn the sceptre, and [John Erskine, Earl of] Mar the crown. There is no memory extant of this parliament among the printed statutes of [King James VI.], nor any mention of it. 

– Historical Works, pp.340-416.

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A Frenchman callit Paris, wha was ane of the devisers of the king’s death, was [Aug. 16, 1568,] hangit in Sanctandrois, and with him William Stewart, Lyon King of Arms, for divers points of witchcraft and necromancy.’ – H. K. J. 

– Domestic Annals, pp.35-44.

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No one was allowed to pasture his cattle apart from the common herd. There is a minute which bears that “John Hogisyarde is fund in the wrang and amercement of court for halding of ane kow by [apart from] the herde, contrare to the statuts of the toune; quhilk kow was fund and gottin in James Flemynges corne;” and the delinquent is ordained to make good “the skaitht to the said James.”¹

– Old Glasgow pp.175-181. 

¹  Council Records, 16th August, 1579.

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On a subsequent date, 16th August, 1628, the treasurer is ordained to have a warrant for the balance of £178, 15s. “debursed for poynting the tua stipillis of the Metropolitan Kirk” – that is, the centre spire and the western tower [of Glasgow Cathedral]. 

– Old Glasgow, pp.104-116.

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An amusing example of the control exercised in old times over medical men practising within the burgh is to be found in the “Seal of Cause” which the magistrates granted on 16th August 1656 in favour of the “Chirurgeounis and Barbouris” – these two professions being at that time united in one corporation. A seal of cause was a local charter of incorporation granted by the magistrates, in which was defined the conditions on which it was granted. In the one in favour of the surgeons and barbers – by which that corporation is authorized to exercise within burgh “the art of chirurgeourie and barbourie” – there occurs the following clause, which is too good to remain buried in the charter chest of the corporation. It provides “That no free mane presume to taik ane uzr freamans cuir af his hand untill he be honestlie payit for his bygaine paines, and that at the sight of the baillies, with the udvyce of thair visitour, in caice the patient find himself grived by the chirurgiane, under the payne of ane new upsett; excepting always libertie to the visitour and qrter maisters to tak patients from ane free man not fund qualified for the cuiring of them, and to put them to ane more qualified persoune as shall be thoght expedient after exact tryall.” 

– Old Glasgow, pp.215-237.

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Aug. 16 [1690]. – William Bridge, an Englishman, had come to Scotland about ten years ago, at the invitation of a coppersmith and a founder in Edinburgh, to ‘give them his insight in the airt of casting in brass;’ and now they had imparted their knowledge to James Miller, brasier in the Canongate. Bridge petitioned the Privy Council for some charity, ‘seeing he left his own kingdom for doing good to this kingdom and the good town of Edinburgh.’ The Council took that way of proving their benevolence on which Mr Sydney Smith once laid so much stress – ‘they recommend to the magistrates of Edinburgh to give the petitioner such charity as he deserves.’ 

– Domestic Annals, pp.342-354.

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During the rebellion of 1745-6, and especially amid the stir which preceded and followed its closing-scene in the neighbouring field of Culloden, the town had the harassing distinction, and reaped the bitter awards of being the virtual capital of the losing party in that trial of the dreadful game of war; and, among other characters of lugubriousness and horror which it was obliged to wear, it was the scene of the public execution of 36 of Prince Charles Edward’s men. Up to the period of the disarming act, its inhabitants stood constantly accoutred, or at least prepared for war; but, since 1746, they have witnessed an uninterrupted peace, and have learned to regard the stirring and sanguinary history of their town as belonging to a state of things which has entirely and for ever passed away, and have moved silently and fleetly along the delightful path of social amelioration and intellectual and moral improvement. No modern event of note has occurred except the earthquake on the night of the 16^th of August, 1816, when the ground was sensibly and alarmingly tremulous, the chimney-tops of many houses were projected into the streets, the bells were set-a-ringing, and many animals were strongly affected with terror. 

– Gazetteer of Scotland, Inverness, pp.24-35.