David Carment
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David Carment (1772–1856) was a minister of first the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
and then the Free Church of Scotland, who was involved in the
Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of Sc ...
and in the legal troubles of the aftermath regarding church property ownership.


Life

He was born on 28 September 1772 at
Keiss Keiss () is a fishing village at the northern end of Sinclair's Bay on the east coast of Caithness in Scotland's Highland Council area. Keiss castle Keiss Castle, which is now partially ruined, is located less than 1 mile north of the village ...
near Wick, the son of James Carment (d.1812) the local schoolteacher, and his wife, Elizabeth Dunnet. He was educated by his father His father was originally from Irongray, west of
Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
. The family had a strong
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
and Covenanting history. His father was baptised in the hills by John Welsh. In 1785 David was sent to the school at
Canisbay Canisbay is a rural hamlet located about southwest of Huna and southwest of John o' Groats in Caithness, Scottish Highlands, and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. It lies on the A836 coast road, which bypasses the hamlet to the n ...
on the north coast of
Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
to learn
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and
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. In October 1789, at the tender age of 17, he took on the role of parish schoolmaster in Kincardine on a salary of £5 per year but with free board in a room in the manse. However, he left this in November 1791 when he took up further studies at
King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Aberdonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Univer ...
.Ewing's Worthies of the Free Church He supplemented his income, to pay for the course, by tutoring the family of George Munro (1743-1832) of
South Uist South Uist (, ; ) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the ...
in the summer months. During this period he learned Gaelic which served him well in later life. He graduated MA at Aberdeen in the spring of 1795. He then found a post as schoolmaster of
Strath A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen, which is typically narrower and deep). Word and etymology An anglicisation of the Gaelic word , it is one of many that have been absorbed i ...
on the
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where he remained for four years. He interspersed this with studies at Divinity Hall in Aberdeen and was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Skye in April 1799. He then moved to be private tutor to Mr MacDonald's family on Scalpay, a small island near
Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...
, a period he much enjoyed. In March 1803 he became parochial assistant to Hugh Calder (1746-1822) in Croy, Inverness-shire, where services were in Gaelic. In January 1810 he was chosen as minister of the new Gaelic Chapel on Duke Street in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
. He was not yet licensed to preach, so after licensing by the Presbytery of
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he was ordained in April 1810. He gave two Gaelic services and one English service each Sunday. In March 1822 he translated to
Rosskeen Rosskeen is a parish in Ross and Cromarty on the Cromarty Firth in northern Scotland, containing the settlements of Invergordon, Bridgend and Saltburn, Ross and Cromarty, Saltburn. It lies on the A9 between Inverness and Thurso. Notable Buildi ...
as assistant to the elderly (72) John Ross and succeeded him as minister on his death in 1824. Rosskeen was a large parish, encompassing three villages, with a total population of 2600 to serve. During his service he established four new parochial schools and organised with the Bible Society of Scotland the supply of one bible for each household in both English and Gaelic. In 1825 he made an important speech to the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
debating the constitution of the Church. In the same year his congregation happily paid for a large new manse to house Carnent and his family. In 1832 the congregation paid for a huge new church, seating 1600 persons, the largest church in northern Scotland, to accommodate the huge crowds who now flocked to hear Carment. In the year prior to the
Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of Sc ...
he was a vocal advocate of the split and in 1843 he left the established church, and together with a majority of the local congregation, set up Rosskeen Free Church. Indeed, with 2950 out of 3000 following him, Rosskeen was one of the largest Free Church congregations outwith the major cities. However, the transition cost him the use of the manse and the right to be buried in the churchyard with his children. He went to live in a much smaller house in
Invergordon Invergordon (; or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was established in 1828. The area ...
thereafter. At the arrival of the new minister of the old parish church, John MacKenzie, Carment helped to quell the potential riot of his parishioners who were dismayed that the manse they had paid for was not given to their minister of choice. This example was one of the most important raised in the courts regarding the property rights of the Free Church as it exemplified that the law saw the building of a manse or church at the expense of the local parishioners as a gift to the church as an established body, and did not link to the parishioners who paid for it nor to the minister. He died on 26 May 1856 and is buried in the churchyard at Rosskeen.


Family

In May 1815 he married Margaret Stormonth (d.1874) daughter of James Stormonth of Airlie and granddaughter of Sir
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC, King's Counsel, KC (3 February 1733 – 2 January 1805) was a Scottish lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1761 and 1780 when he was ...
. Their children included: * Rev James Carment (1816-1880),
Free Church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...
minister of
Comrie Comrie may refer to: Places *Comrie (crater), a lunar crater *Comrie, Fife, a village in Fife, Scotland *Comrie, Perth and Kinross, a village and parish in Strathearn, Scotland People with the surname

*Aaron Comrie (born 1997), Scottish footba ...
,
Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...
* John Carment LLD SSC (1817-1901), solicitor in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
* David Carment (1819-1839) * Isabella (1821-1835) * Elizabeth (1823-1873) * Samuel (1825-1834) * Malcolm (1827-1842) * Margaret (1830-1834) * Joseph (born 1832) * Jane (born 1834) His wife went to live with John Carment in Edinburgh after David's death, and died at 36 Great King Street in October 1874.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1874


Published works

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Notes


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carment, David 1772 births 1856 deaths People from Caithness 19th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland 19th-century ministers of the Free Church of Scotland 19th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers