| Notes |
- HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATIONS
OF THE
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
FROM 1733 TO 1900
Rev, ROBERT SMALL, D.D., Edinburgh
IN TWO VOLUMES
VOLUME 1l
EDINBURGH
DAVID M. SMALL, 3 HOWARD STREET
1904
PRESBYTERY OF ORKNEY
WICK (Antiburgher)
Page 476
Second Minister.-A.ti-D-R¥.^ Arrot, grandson of the Rev. Andrew
Arrot, Dunnichen ; but his father, instead of being the Rev. David Arrot of
Markethill, Ireland, was Mr William Arrot, who succeeded to the proprietorship
of Dumbarrow estate-who had also two sons-in-law Antiburgher
ministers, Messrs James Miller, Arbroath, and James Browning, Auchtermuchty.
Mr Andrew Arrot's call to Wick was opposed by several of the
leading members of the church, and this introduced bad feeling at the
very first. The Presbytery blamed Mr Arrot for declaring he would not
accept unless he were to be out of connection with those parties who were
opposing his settlement. This they considered as only fitted to make
reconciliation impossible. He acknowledged rashness, accepted the call,
was ordained, 14th December 1780, and differences were got over for the
time. But within four years Mr Arrot gave his people serious cause for complaint.
In January 1785 the Presbytery were informed that he had left his
congregation for thirteen or fourteen weeks, during which they had only had
supply one Sabbath. When summoned to answer for himself he pleaded
that owing to the state of his wife's health he took her to Ireland, when
they were south at the Synod, and that to his great concern he was detained
in Edinburgh five or six weeks because he could not get north. The
Presbytery sustained the excuse, but the wound refused to close ; and still
papers of complaint came up, specially from certain of the elders, about Mr
Arrot having stayed so long away, and having used indecent language
towards them for remaining dissatisfied notwithstanding his explanation.
P'or years irritation wrought on, till it was found that by far the larger
part of the congregation had withdrawn from Mr Arrot's ministry. Meanwhile
he had set about making himself master of the situation by bargaining with
the tenant of the ground on which it stood for possession of the church.
The Synod put down this attempt, and, to end the matter, loosed Mr Arrot
from his charge at their meeting iii May 1788. After this he seems
to have supplied as a preacher sometimes in Scotland and sometimes in
Ireland, and in 1793 he was called to Canone, near Donegal. His name
ultimately appears in connection with the Constitutional Presbytery. It is
understood that he finally settled down in Ireland about the year 1814.
The family property at Dumbarrow had now passed into other hands,
and all inquiry as to the time or place of Mr Arrot's death has been
baffled.
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1749 - 1831 (~ 82 years)
[1]