June 8th 1682

The minister of Kinkell

Kinkell is a small village on the banks of the Earn, about four miles from Auchterarder. Today there is a bridge crossing the river there but in the 17th century it was necessary to ford the Earn to reach the parish of Trinity-Gask on the other side.

It was in 1681 that a ‘Supplicasioune’ was presented to the synod of Dunblane against the minister Richard Duncan “representinge his gross ignorance in rebaptizing a child and other grosse, rude, and scandalous offences and misdemeanours committed by him.”  The trial took place on February 1st 1682. The Minister was urged to “acknowledge these faults and other guiltiness and be humbled for them before God and the Synod.”  Being somewhat loath to agree to such strictures he was deposed from his parish.

But there was worse to follow. While alterations were being made to the manse the body of a child was found under the hearthstone and this was alleged to have been born to Duncan by his maid servant. He was tried, this time in a civil court, and charged with being accessory to the murder of the child, found guilty and condemned to be hung. It was said by Lord Fountainhall that “he was convicted on very slender presumptions which however they might amount to degradation and banishment, yet it was thought hard to extend them to death.” 

Others took a similar view and efforts were made to secure a reprieve, particularly by James Drummond, son of the Earl of Perth. At the last moment a reprieve was granted and a messenger was sent post haste to stop the execution. He was seen by the crowd riding from the direction of Muthill but arrived twenty minutes too late. The Minister who had always protested his innocence asserted that after he was hung a white dove would alight on the gallows in token of his innocence. This was said actually to have happened.

Going back to the rhyme. The precenter was drowned while trying to ford the Earn at Kinkell in order to reach the church of Trinity-Gask on the other side. Kinkell church, which was already in a bad state of repair in Richard Duncan’s day, soon fell into ruins and the bell for some reason was sold to the church of Cockpen.