Return to Humbie: Minister and Heritors in the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

The context of a significant eighteenth century court case involving the minister, session and heritors of the East Lothian parish of Humbie is reviewed using a range of documentation. Although the case has been seen as a significant one in the development of poor relief, the history of the dispute suggests that a broader struggle, perhaps particularly prevalent in the hinterland of Edinburgh, with its population of ‘enlightened’ lawyers and landowners, between the relative rights of church and the secular authorities, was overlaid with degrees of local personal animosity. These factors rather limited the impact of the legal decision.