The Reverend Mr John Skinner's Account of pillaging his own House: April 11. 1749.

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1236 (1236)
┍
Copy of a Paragraph of a Let-
ter (dated April 11. 1749) from
the RevdReverend Mr ✝ John Skinner
at Longside in Aberdeenshire.

The Story of the plundering my
House, take as follows: When our
Meet:Meeting house was burntburned, the Officer of Dra-
goons came to my House in quest of
me, but mistmissed me: After that, I was
often alarm’dalarmed, but never in danger:
Till July 29. that X Hardy &and 6 of Lou-
don’s Reg:Regiment came to my House: I was
that day at Rora, baptizing a Child,
or so, &and came not home, till pretty
late, when to my SurprizeSurprise I found 7
armed men at my Wife’s bedside,
who had lien in1 about 10 Days be-
fore, &and had not yet left her Bed:
I ask’dasked the fellow Hardy what he
wanted here, on qchwhich, in great Con-
fusion, he told me I was the KKings's
prisoner; &and behov’dbehooved to go to Aberdeen: This

✝
Vol: 5. pag: 1061.

X
This was a low mean Fel-
low, of whose Doings I have been informed by many. He
lived in Kintore, &and was exceedingly active in being
Guide to the Red-Coats (after Culloden-Battle)
to discover the Hiding-places of the distressed Gen-
tlemen, &and to shewshow them yethe Houses of reputed Jaco-
bites for pillaging. He it was, who guided yethe Party, ytthat
seized Mr Gordon of Terperse. However, Hardy at
last became so much neglected &and despised in his own
Country, that he was obliged to enlist as a Recruit in
the Dutch Service.

Robert Forbes, A: M:
1237 (1237)
This was Tuesday night, &and I was oblig’dobliged
to go under two screw’dscrewed Bayonets to
Mr Brown’s, for a letter to Hardy to
let me stay at my own House till
Friday: Brown it seems (our Presb:Presbyterian
T:Teacher) was in the Plot, &and as I’m inform’dinformed,
he &and other two of them had re-
ceiv’dreceived Hardy ^wtwith great Kindness, &and hounded him out
in Search of me: You may believe
it was no small Mortif:Mortification to me, to
apply to my Enemy for a favour,
but what could I do? It was my
Wife’s Condition that prevail’dprevailed wtwith
me, not my own fears, &and I’m con-
fident, had I been carry’dcarried off that
Night, as they threaten’dthreatened, I had lost
her: While I was at Brown’s, they
had packed up all my Shirts &and Stock-
ins, most of my Books, with several
other Bits of portable furniture, &and
10 sh:shillings St:Sterling of Money, &and carry’dcarried it off
to Brown’s where they deposited all
as in a Place of Shelter: Thus I was
left naked except what was on my
Back, &and Brown, like a good Christian
&and Clergyman, resetted2 chearfullycheerfully all
that the Ruffians plunder’dplundered me of. Har-
dy went down to Pitsligo, where he stay’dstayed
12 days, &and on his Return, because I was a missing 1238 (1238)
missing, threaten’dthreatened to burn my House,
Wife, Bairns &and all, to qchwhich good Action
Brown piously advis’dadvised him. But Pro-
vidence disapp:disappointed all these, &and deliver’ddelivered
me, &cetc.
┙

N: B: The Original of the
preceedingpreceding Paragraph is to
be found among my Papers.

Robert Forbes, A: M:

The above Mr Jo.John Skinner is Still
alive, his Son is a Bishop at Aberdeen,
and his Grandson is now coming from
Forfar to EdinrEdinburgh for Mr J.John Websters's
Chapel - Mr Skinner prayed for G.George
the 2.d, Sometime before the 1745, for
2 Sundays only, ~~has~~ he does it now
every day - altho’although past 80. He is an
excellent poet, he compose Tulloch
Gorm, John of Badenyon &and many
others — 1806.

An

Person	Rev.Reverend Mr. John Skinner
Date	11 Apr 1749
Place	Longside
Place