4th of October

Saints Marcus and Marcian, and their companions, martyrs, beginning of 4th century. The Martyrs of Triers, 4th century. St Ammon, hermit, founder of the Hermitages of Nitria, 4th century. St Petronius, bishop of Bologna, confessor, 5th century. St Aurea, virgin and abbess, 666. St Francis of Assisi, confessor, founder of the Friar Minors, 1226.

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Born. – Cardinal Robert Bellarmin, eminent controversialist, Monte Pulciano, Tuscany; Edmond Malone, editor of Shakspeare, 1741, Dublin. 

Died. – St Francis, founder of the Franciscans or Gray Friars, 1226, Assisi.

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On this Day in Other Sources.

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Oct. 4 [1570]. – John Kello, minister of Spott, in Haddingtonshire, was executed in Edinburgh for the murder of his wife. The confession of this wretched man shows that he was tempted to the horrible act by a desire to marry more advantageously, his circumstances being somewhat straitened. He deliberated on the design for forty days; tried poison, which failed; then accomplished it by strangulation. His confession admits the amiable character of the victim; nay, he tells that, ‘in the verie death, she could not believe I bure her onie evil will, but was glad, as she then said, to depart, gif her death could do me either vantage or pleasure.’ According to a contemporary recital, ‘he stranglit her in her awn chamber, and thereafter closit the ordinar door that was within the house for his awn passage, and sae finely seemit to colour that purpose after he had done it, that immediately he passed to the kirk, and in the presence of the people made sermon as if he had done nae sic thing. And when he was returnit hame, he brought some neighbours into his house to vissie his wife, and callit at the ordinar door, but nae answer was made. Then he passed to another back passage with the neighbours, and that was fund open, and she hinging stranglit at the roof of the house. Then, with admiration, he cryit, as though he had knawn naething of the purpose, and they for pity in like manner cryit out. But, in [the] end, finding himself prickit with the judgments of God, of the grievous punishment wherewith transgressors have been plagued in time bygane, he thought gude to communicate his fact to ane of his brether in office, wha then was schoolmaster at Dunbar.’ – H. K. J.

– Domestic Annals, pp.45-55.

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At an early period we find special provision made for conducting the deliberations of the council with becoming dignity and order. By a minute in 1589 “it is statut, for keeping of a dew gravitie and amitie in counsall, and reverence to be borne to the provost baillies and honourable counsall of the toun, that quatsumever he be that injureis ane vther in counsalhous, be word or deid, salbe depryvit immediatelie of the counsall, and will nocht be admitted for the space of thrie yeiris thairafter, besyd vther punischment that the counsall sall think meet to enjoyne to tham for the tyme.”¹

– Old Glasgow, pp.215-237.

¹  4th Oct. 1589.

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ALEXANDER CAMPBELL THE LAIRD OF CALDER

HIS PURSMAISTERIS COMPT.

The fourth of October being Munounday in Litgow.

   Item giffin to Glassan to rin to Clarkintoun

xij d.

– Sketches, Appendix VIII.

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On the 4th day of October, this year [1595], John Maitland, Lord Thirlestane, Chancellor of Scotland, departed this life; a resolute, learned, wise man, as any in his time, who had been Chancellor of the realm some 10 years, from the parliament of Linlithgow [of] 1585, to this year.

– Historical Works, pp.340-416.

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Oct. 4 [1648]. – Oliver Cromwell paid his first visit to Edinburgh. He came hot from the destruction of the Duke of Hamilton’s semi-royalist Scotch army at Preston, designing to confer with the heads of the ultra-presbyterian party for the extinction of that kind of opposition in the northern part of the island. The Earl of Kirkcudbright and Major-general Holburn conducted him into the city, where he was lodged very handsomely in the Earl of Moray’s house in the Canongate; a strong guard of his own troops was mounted at the gate. ‘The Earl of Moray’s house,’ says Thomas Carlyle, ‘still stands in the Canongate, well known to the inhabitants there – a solid spacious mansion, which, when all bright and new two hundred years ago, must have been a very adequate lodging.’

– Domestic Annals, pp.257-277.

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There can be little doubt that one reason of the city spending so much in wine was that the taverns, which originally were almost entirely in the hands of women, were, many of them, now kept by officials of the burgh – bailies, deacon-conveners, and others. This had given rise to some scandal; so much so that in the end of the seventeenth century the town council was obliged to take up the matter. their minute bears that they had taken to their consideration “the severall abuses hes been committed these severall years past by electing and choiseing of magistrats and deacon-conveners in this burgh who keped change and publict taverns, which occasioned much debaushire and drunkenness, and poor people to spend their money needlesslie in said taverns; It is therefore hereby enacted statute and ordained in all tyme comeing that nae person or persones be elected and choisin to bear office as Proveist, baillies, Dean of Gild, Deacon Convener, Baillie of Gorballs or as Water baillie, wha keipis ane publict tavern or change house.”¹

– Old Glasgow, pp.215-237.

¹  4th Oct. 1690.

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In 1736 – the year in which McUre published his well-known history – there occurs this entry in the burgh records: “Remit to the Annual Committee the petition given in by John McUre, Writer, craving some consideratioun for defraying his charges in putting forth a book which he calls the Hystory of the present state of the City;”¹ and no doubt the petition received a favourable answer.

– Old Glasgow, pp.215-237.

¹  4th October, 1736.