PRESHOME PLUNDERED—THE REV. JOHN GODSMAN ARRESTED; BUT SPEEDILY LIBERATED—IN CHARGE OF RATHVEN AS WELL AS BELLIE—MOVED ABOUT, PRIVATELY, DRESSED LIKE A FARMER—SAID MASS AND PREACHED IN BARNS; CHIEFLY AT MIDNIGHT—REMARKABLE RECONCILIATION WITH THE SOLDIERS—IN 1747 RESUMED HIS PRACTICE OF CELEBRATING IN A FIXED PLACE, WHICH WAS A LARGE COTTAGE—OVER 60 YEARS OF AGE WHEN MR. HAY JOINED HIM IN 1759—REPUTED “A MAN OF APOSTOLIC SANCTITY”—TWO CENTURIES EARLIER, AN ANCESTOR OF MR. HAY A PARSON IN THE SAME DISTRICT—MR. HAY’S DEFERENCE TO AND AFFECTION FOR THE BISHOP— GREAT WANT OF BOOKS—SPIRITUAL PRIVATION OF CATHOLICS—AN UNCOM­FORTABLE HOUSE—PROSPECTS OF RELIGION IMPROVING—MUCH STILL TO TRY THE PATIENCE AND EXHAUST THE PHYSICAL POWERS OF THE CLERGY— EXTRAORDINARY SICK CALL—ILLNESS OF BISHOP GRANT—MR. HAY AN ADMINISTRATOR—A FRIEND OF MR. HAY—JOHN M’DONALD COADJUTOR TO HIS UNCLE, BISHOP HUGH M’DONALD—MR. GEDDES ILL—STATE OF THE SEMI­NARIES—MR. GEDDES, PRESIDENT AT SCALAN—HIS MERIT—LIST OF EASTER AND CHRISTMAS COMMUNICANTS—BISHOP GRANT AT ABERDEEN—DEATH OF CARDINAL SPINELLI—HIS KINDNESS TO THE SCOTCH CLERGY.

For some time before the insurrection of 1745, Preshome had enjoyed comparative quiet. What­ever facilities it possessed were, on occasion of the ill-fated expedition, ruthlessly torn away. The brutal soldiery, who beat and butchered a few starved Highlanders at Culloden, pillaged the Church of Preshome, carried the Books and vestments to Cullen and burned them in the market place. Since that time till the arrival of Mr. Hay, the congregation had assembled in a small room in the greatest privacy.

The pastorate of the neighbouring parish of Bellie was, at this time, and for ten years longer, held by the Rev. John Godsman. From our earliest boyhood we have been accustomed to hear this worthy priest spoken of as a living saint. His mission was dedicated in honour of the Blessed Virgin. He was born in 1698. Although his parents were Protestants, living in a feu which they held of the Duke of Gordon, he often, when still very young, was present at Mass and felt strongly attracted towards the Catholic religion. But, how or why he could not tell. The priest at Fochabers, Rev. Mr. Hacket, took notice of him one day, was at pains to instruct him, finding him intelligent and tractable, and received him in due course, into the Catholic Church when he was about eleven years of age. Showing afterwards a warm desire to be a priest, application was made to the Rev. Charles Stewart for admission into the monastery of St. James in 1719. This could not be, however, as Abbot Stewart considered his age too great. He was, therefore, sent to Rome the following year. Mr. Godsman and his companions travelled through Germany in order to avoid a pestilence which was, at the time, raging in France. They reached the Scotch College of Rome, on January 21st, 1721. It was not long till Mr. Godsman became a favourite with his superiors, and particularly one of them, F. Wolfe, an Irishman and prefect of studies. When of age and his studies completed, he was ordained priest in the year 1730. When at Bordeaux, on his return to Scotland, he engaged for his passage with a Presbyterian shipmaster. This person was so won by his conversation and conduct on board, that he refused to charge him any fare. Arriving at Edinburgh early in August, it became his duty to celebrate mass in the lodg­ings of the titular Duchess of Perth. Having visited his friends in the Enzie, he was appointed in October to the mission of Dee Side. He was on the best of terms there with the neighbouring priests who were Jesuits. It was not long till Bellie, becoming vacant, 1734, he was removed to that mission. He dwelt for some time alone in the village of Auchenhalrig, adjoining the Park of Gordon Castle. Considering the times, it is noticeable that the Duke of Gordon’s factor, Mr. Alexander Todd, a Protestant, boarded, until his marriage, with Mr. Godsman. Soon after Mr. Godsman built for himself a cottage at Auchenhalrig. This cottage still forms part of the priest’s residence there. Three years after he undertook the mission of Bellie, he was afflicted by a severe attack of palsy, which disabled him for a whole year. During the disastrous time conse­quent on the defeat of Prince Charles, Mr. Godsman was arrested and conveyed a prisoner to Fochabers. There being no charge against him, he was immediately liberated. Additional duty was laid on Mr. Godsman in consequence of the prominent part Rev. J. Gordon of Preshome had taken on the side of the Prince. He could not appear safely in public for a long time after Culloden. Mr. Godsman, accordingly, was obliged to minister to the people of Rathven as well as those of Bellie. In his missionary excursions, he wore the dress of a farmer, celebrated Mass and preached in barns, chiefly at midnight, in order to elude the search of the soldiers. He scarcely ever slept in his own house; but changed from one cottage or farm house to another, in the more hilly places.

At length, the officers stationed at Fochabers, learning on the testimony of both Catholics and Protestants, that Mr. Godsman was not only inoffensive, but lived like a saint, arranged so as to secure him against all further molestation. They concerted with him to meet them, one night, at supper, in the house of a respectable tradesman of Fochabers, whose wife was a Catholic. The officer in charge asked Mr. Godsman, “What he was doing that made him so obnoxious to the Government?” Mr. Godsman replied that “he only said his prayers and endeavoured to make his neighbours good Christians.” “But, you pray against the King,” rejoined the officer. “No sir, I pray for the welfare of all men; of all whom the earth bears and the heavens cover.” The officer declared himself satisfied with this assurance, advised Mr. Godsman to be as quiet and cautious as he had hitherto been, and promised to molest him no more. In the summer of 1747, Mr. Godsman resumed his usual practice of holding public worship in a fixed place. This place was, at the time, nothing better than a large cottage. For a year more, the hour of meeting was still midnight. When Mr. Hay joined him in the Enzie missions, this venerable man was over sixty years of age, and was considered by all who knew him “a man of apostolic sanctity.”

Mr. Hay’s arrival at Preshome in 1759 was a great relief to Bishop Grant. It may be mentioned here, as a remarkable circumstance, that the recently ordained priest commenced his career, which was destined to be so brilliant, in the same district in which his namesake and collateral ancestor had officiated, as a parson, two centuries before.

Mr. Hay, as appears from his correspondence, deferred greatly to his superior, Bishop Smith, and entertained for him sincere affection. From a letter to this prelate it appears that he was much concerned on account of the want of books of instruction for his people of Rathven. “There is a great want,” he writes, “of proper books in the hands of the people. My heart bleeds to see the effect of that want. There are several of those pamphlets which I saw with you, such as, ‘The grounds of the Catholic religion;’ ‘The Roman Catholic’s reasons;’ ‘Short History of the Reasons;’ ‘Fenelon’s thoughts, etc,’ which might be of unspeakable advantage had we numbers of them. It would be a great charity to send us as many as you could of these pieces.” Mr. Hay laments in the same letter the spiritual privations to which Catholics are subjected owing to the tracts of country to which each priest is obliged to attend, being so extensive, and quotes the sad case of a man in Strathisla, who died “without any help or assistance,” In addition to the labours and fatigue of a missionary life, Mr. Hay was obliged to put up with the discom­forts of an old and greatly damaged house. Extensive repairs were necessary, but, in the state of the country, at the time, could not be undertaken. Rev. J. Godsman, writing to Bishop Smith, says “As he (Mr. Hay) has been accustomed with better accommodation, I fear the room he is in, which is that above Bishop Grant’s, is so cold in winter that it will impair his health. The flooring, ceiling and casements of the windows are so much worn that the wind and cold come in every way. I really think he is never warm in this weather but when in bed.” Mr. Hay himself says, in a letter to Bishop Smith, dated January 1st, 1760, “I am very sensible of the danger of making great repairs; and, therefore, we shall do the best we can, with as little noise as possible; and I hope Almighty God, will, through your good prayers, hinder any bad consequences from the coldness of my habitation.”

It afforded much comfort to Mr. Hay during the hardships of his first winter, to receive a most friendly and encouraging letter from the good Cardinal Protector at Rome. His Eminence congratulates his young friend on the improving prospects of religion in Scotland, and promises, ere long, to supply the scarcity of missionary priests, a subject which, he assures Mr. Hay, is very near his heart. The kindly prelate concludes by exhorting Mr. Hay “to assure himself, more and more, of his good will;” and adds “I take leave of you in the Lord, with my paternal bene­diction.
Yours most affectionately,
G. CARD. SPINELLI.”

Many discomforts attended the life of a missionary priest in Scotland at the time of which we are writing. Not the least of these was the very poor housekeeping to which economy compelled. It reminds one of primitive times and of the desert life to which persecution drove so many of the early Christians, to find a bishop contenting himself with such board as he could have for forty shillings a quarter, sitting by the same fire, using the same candle and sharing the same room with a parish priest. Yet in such humble ways did Bishop Grant and Mr. Hay appear to take delight. There was more still to try the patience, consume the time and exhaust the physical powers of the missionary priest. Sick calls were most frequently from a distance, requiring a journey of many miles over moors, by bad roads, through drifting snow, at times, and in the severest winter weather. Mr. Hay found it necessary to have a pony for such journeys. In relating incidents in which he was concerned, he was careful to avoid all mention of himself, On one occasion, however, he forgot his usual caution and began his narrative with the words “When I was priest at Preshome. “He immediately recollected himself. But it was too late; so he proceeded to tell the company that, one evening, about eleven o’clock, when every one had gone to bed, and he was himself finishing his prayers before retiring, a loud rapping, as if with a heavy whip handle at the outer door, made him start to his feet. The servants also were roused and went to the door; but, when it was opened, no one could be seen. Search was made in all directions, round the house, outside. But still nobody could be found. Mr. Hay was too agitated by this extraordinary occurrence to be able to sleep. At two o’clock in the morning, the rapping was repeated. Mr. Hay dressed with all possible haste, believing, surely, it must be a call to some sick person. He was not mistaken. On opening the door, he found a man with two saddle horses, waiting to conduct him to a lady who was dying, at a distance of twenty miles.

The continued illness of Bishop Grant occasioned great trouble to Mr. Hay. During the whole of the winter, 1759-60, the worthy prelate was ailing, and, sometimes, so severely, that his life was despaired of. Mr. Hay’s medical treatment, together with that of Dr. Donaldson, the Bishop’s regular physician, proved very successful. But, notwithstanding, it was considered that Bishop Grant could not survive any length of time, unless he was removed to a more southern country, where, also, he could have more comforts and better attendance. Accordingly, he set out for Edinburgh, travelling by easy stages. The change greatly improved his health; and this improvement continued throughout the whole winter.

While doing all in his power to promote the spiritual good of his flock, Mr. Hay, at the same time, gained the esteem and affection of his Protestant neighbours by his moderation and benev­olence. He gave medical advice and dispensed medicines to the poor of all denominations without distinction. With only one exception, there was never any controversial dissension in the parish. The one case which occurred of a self-willed young man whose father was a Cath­olic, aspiring to make a religion for himself, was conducted so prudently, that it led to no breach of the general harmony.

Mr. Hay was distinguished by great activity, tact, and business habits. All this, together with his superior address, won for him the confidence of his superiors and brethren. And thus it was that he came to be appointed one of the administrators of the temporal affairs of the mission, It had been the custom to assign this office to seven or eight of the senior missionary priests since its creation by Bishop Nicholson in 1701. Mr. Hay’s colleagues, Rev. John Godsman and Rev. William Reid, met him at Preshome, where, together with him, they addressed a joint letter to Cardinal Spinelli, dated, as was the custom, “ad ostium speae.” Later, Mr. George Gordon, another administrator, signed the letter at Aberdeen. The following month, Mr. Hay presented to Bishop Smith an abstract of his correspondence with Father Bruni, S. J., his former prefect of studies, on the subject of preparing youths for the Scotch College of Rome. Not long after, June 19, Mr. Hay wrote to the Procurator at Edinburgh, Mr. Gordon, in the name of Bishop Macdonald, then with him at Preshome, pointing out several material errors in the accounts of the mission, in a clear, business like, but deferential manner. Such letters Mr. Hay wrote in so masterly a way as to lead to the supposition that such like composition must have been a favourite study with him. He was not without private correspondents. One of the most valued of these was a lay gentleman, Mr. Alex Craw, formerly of Haughhead, but latterly resident in Edinburgh.

The clergy of the mission were now blessed to enjoy somewhat more peaceful times. This was more particularly the case in the Lowlands, Bishop Macdonald, whose family had taken an active part in the disastrous expedition of Prince Charles, was still an object of pursuit in the Highlands. This made it necessary for him to reside the greater part of the time out of his own district. He was now aged, greatly broken down by the fatigues of his office and the hardships incident to the disturbed times. He felt, in the circumstances, the want of a coadjutor. Having applied to Cardinal Spinelli, this kindly prelate immediately complied with his request; and desired him to name, according to the received form, three priests, from whom the Holy Father might select one for the Episcopal office. The choice fell on the Rev. John Macdonald, the Bishop’s nephew, who had been, for some time, a companion of Mr. Hay at Rome. Mr. McDonald had returned from his studies at the Scotch College of Rome in the year 1753; and was, from that time, engaged in the missions of Scotland. Lochaber was the first scene of his labours; and he was in charge of South Uist when his appointment to the coadjutorship took place. He retired to Shenval in order to prepare for consecration, under the guidance of his uncle. He was consecrated Bishop at Preshome, under the title of Tiberiopolis, by his venerable uncle, who was assisted, on the occasion, by Bishops Smith and Grant.

A little later, in the winter of 1761-2, Mr. Geddes was sorely tried by illness which he caught in the stormy wilds of the Cabrach. In the spring he had an attack of spitting of blood. Mr. Hay travelled all the way from Preshome in order to visit his friend and prescribe for him. Bleeding was had recourse to, as was the practice at the time, and not without success.

During the few preceding years, the ranks of the missionary priests were greatly thinned by death. The Rev. John Gordon at Huntly, and the Rev. George Gordon, who enjoyed a great repu­tation for piety, were much lamented in the Lowlands. In the other district, also, several good priests were called to their reward; among the rest a very valuable missionary, the Rev. Aeneas MacDonald. In the whole Highlands there remained only three priests capable of doing duty. In some of the most destitute parts of his vicariate, Bishop Hugh Macdonald was on this account under the necessity of undergoing the labours of a missionary priest, notwithstanding the great risk to which he was thereby exposed. [If discovered, death might have been the consequence, as such was the penalty for a person under sentence of banishment, who returned home.]

The solicitude of the Bishop was now directed to the state of the seminaries, which was anything but satisfactory. Ever since the affair of 1745, the Government had so strictly watched the proceedings of the Catholics, that it was found to be impossible to make any provision, by means of seminaries, for the ecclesiastical wants of the mission. Bishop Macdonald did all that could be done as regarded the Highland district. He boarded a few boys in private houses near Fochabers, caused them to attend the common schools and receive spiritual instruction from the Rev. Mr. Godsman. This was nearly all that could be done for the benefit of the Highland vicar­iate. In the Lowlands there was a seminary, Scalan, which has already been mentioned. It was, however, in a very humble condition; and, in the evil days, could not be improved. It had some success under the presidency of the Rev. Mr. Duthie. On his departure to become prefect of studies at the Scotch College at Paris, and afterwards missionary apostolic at Huntly, Scalan lost, for a time, all its efficiency. This state of things continued till September, 1762, when the Rev. Mr. Geddes was recalled from Shenval and appointed president. This, worthy priest, who is always highly spoken of whenever we meet with his name, had now for three years been engaged, notwithstanding his wretched health, in a mission than which there was none more laborious in the Lowland vicariate. Bishop Grant bore testimony in glowing terms to his distin­guished services there. “He had not,” says the Bishop, been fully three years in that country (Auchendown) at the time of his removal, when by his ‘fervent zeal, unwearied activity, and much more by; the uncommon sweetness of his temper and his exemplary life, he was the means, under God, of the conversion of nine persons, fully instructed and confirmed last August; besides many others, not sufficiently disposed for the sacraments, when he was torn from his flock, notwithstanding the universal regret of all who knew him, both Catholics and Protestants, who, in spite of their prejudices against his; principles, esteemed and loved him.”

In 1762 Mr. Hay commenced keeping an account of his communicants. Their names, in his handwriting, are still preserved at Preshome, arranged under the Sundays and festivals from 1762 till 1767. So lately as 1828, a woman survived in that locality who had been prepared for her first communion by Mr. Hay, while officiating as a missionary priest at Preshome. There is a table still extant which shows the number of his communicants at Easter and Christmas during the years referred to. In addition there was every year a large Communion at the Assumption:
1762, Easter 460;
1763, Easter 460; Christmas 379.
1764, Easter 450; Christmas 332.
1765, Easter 475; Christmas 350.
1766, Easter 480; Christmas 360.
1767, Easter 520; Christmas 360.

Mr. Hay now earnestly suggested, founding on his medical knowledge, that Bishop Grant should pass the approaching winter at Aberdeen. This, he insisted, would greatly benefit his health. The Bishop accordingly, took a lodging in the house of a Mrs. Thomas Young.

There must now be chronicled a heavy loss which the mission sustained in 1763 by the death of Cardinal Spinelli. About ten years previously he found it torn by internal dissensions and opposed externally by the arbitrary and persecuting Government of the time. The latter evil, through the Divine goodness, was now greatly mitigated. The wise measures of the deceased Cardinal, firmly persevered in, had, almost entirely restored peace and union among the missionary priests. This happy result was chiefly brought about by discouraging the cabals and intrigues of certain parties that were not over friendly to the secular clergy in general. Cardinal Spinelli entertained a warm regard for the Scotch Bishops and clergy, extending his kindness even to the students. He also contributed or procured considerable pecuniary assistance to the mission and the seminaries. For these reasons the venerable prelate is justly numbered among the best benefactors of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Such was the affection entertained for him by the clergy that his death was felt by them as a personal loss.