Not long after Prince Charlie's day there lived at Abbotrule, in
Rulewater, a laird named Patrick Kerr. Patrick Kerr was a Writer to His
Majesty's Signet, a dour man, with a mischancy temper. The kirk and
kirkyard of Abbotrule, as still may be seen, lay near the laird's
house--too near for the pleasure of one who had no love for the kirk and
who could not thole ministers. Most unfortunately, too, the laird took a
scunner at the minister of the parish of Abbotrule. It may be that he
and the minister saw too much of each other, and only saw each other's
faults, but of that no one now can tell. But, about the year 1770,
Patrick Kerr set about to put an end to Abbotrule Parish and Abbotrule
Kirk, that had seen many an open-air Sacrament on summer Sabbaths long
ago. For four years the laird laboured to attain his end, and a blithe
man was he when, in 1774, he got Eliott of Stobs and Douglas of Douglas
to side with him and wipe out for evermore the kirk and parish of
Abbotrule. The parish was joined to the parishes of Hobkirk and
Southdean, and the glebe--twenty-five acres of good land--which should
have been shared between the Southdean and Hobkirk ministers, was taken
by Patrick Kerr for his own use. Fifty acres of poor soil lying between
Doorpool and Chesters he certainly gave them in its stead, and must have
had pleasure in his bargain, for he had gained a rich glebe and had for
ever freed himself from his clerical neighbours.
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