Marginal Importance

Abstract

Comparison of the eighteenth century diaries of an English Dissenter and a Scottish Presbyterian indicates a contrast between English watchfulness and Scottish accountability. Attention to the genres of record keeping in Scotland, with a particular focus on the use of the margin, suggests systemic practices of accountability. The self-examination revealed by the diaries of the faithful needs to be set against the context of taken-for-granted practices in the broader church. Governance routines in the Church of Scotland, derived from belief and promulgated in guidance manuals before being shaped by local practice, formed a particular culture of accountability founded on detailed record keeping. The value of examining religion as social practice, as opposed to as belief system or institution, is that it points to enduring influences on the conduct of the faithful.