GORDON, John of Birkenbush, Jacobite 1745, Former RC Priest ^{1 2}

   User ID: F901.

  General Notes:

"(Gordon), John, of Birkenbush, to his brother George h. of conq. gen. S. H., 21 May 1754; 23 Nov. 1753"

"(Gordon), John, of Birkenbush, to his father James of Birkenbush h. gen. S. H., 21 May 1754; 23 Nov. 1753"

"(Gordon), John, son of James of Birkenbush, to his uncle John of Dallachy h. gen. S. H., 29 May; 15 June 1770"

from Services of Heirs




"John Gordon (1706 Birkenbush Enzie); [from Paris]; 1732-1734; 1734 Scalan; Preshome (1735-42), Aberdeen (1742-5), Buchan (1747-50), deserted Mission (1750), apostasised and later married, d.1783"

from The Forbidden College 1716-1799




"John Gordon was born at Birkenbush situated in the Enzie. He was sent to the Scots College Paris in 1724 and expelled in 1732 for holding strong Jansenist views. He received his subdiaconate in Troyes from Jacques Bossuet, a notorious Jansenist, thus he avoided. subscribing to Unigenitus. He was admitted to Scalan in1732 and was ordained by Bishop Gordon in 1734. He served at Preshome from 1735 to 1742 then moved to Aberdeen for three years. His last move was to Buchan in 1747. In 1750 he left the mission, apostatised, and later married. He died in1783."

from http://www.scalan.co.uk/scalannews37.htm

Note:

1783 is incorrect as year of death in the above extracts. As will be seen below, John Gordon was dead by 10 June 1782




"John Gordon was the son of a Birkenbush [Enzie] cousin of Bishop Gordon and the first whom he baptised. He was ordained priest at Scalan on 21st September 1734.Mr James Donaldson (a convert son of a minister and Aberdonian) who at his death 17th March 1740 had spent thirty years at Preshome out of fifty-two years of priesthood, was now very infirm and Mr Gordon was given to him as assistant. He became very active in finding recruits for Prince Charlie, being then sole clergyman at Preshome, and therefore, or from fear or laziness, remained in hiding during part of 1746 and 1747, leaving the burden of his mission to poor Mr Godsman. Sent to Buchan in 1748 he soon after, on some pretence, went up to London. Rumour began to speak of his falling into evil courses, and he put an end to rumour by returning with a woman whom he called his wife, residing with her on a farm in the very neighbourhood of Banff. One day Fr Alexander Duguid the Jesuit (J..uncle of Miss Irvine in Elgin, where he died) was riding past when he heard the voice of a woman passionately shouting: 'Come down ye damn Jesuit, come down)' Jesuits being scarce in Buchan, he naturally believed the amiable salute was directed at himself, and rode on with a meekness designed to disarm his foe by apparent submissiveness. But happening to look round, he perceived poor John Gordon on top of a haystack and recalled his hasty judgement of her hatred of Jesuits, seeing that it was simply a development of conjugal happiness."

from https://www.scalan.co.uk/scalannewsed015.htm

Note:

In an article on secular clergy in Lowland Scotland published in the Innes Review John Gordon of Birkenbush is referred to as second cousin to Bishop James Gordon, though there is no way of knowing what the author understood by that. John's father was a first cousin of the bishop, so John was a first cousin once removed, the common ancestor being Dr Thomas Gordon in Elgin.



"Gordon
John
20/6/1782
of Birkenbush
Confirmed Inventory
Aberdeen Commissary Court
CC1/6/49A"

from Wills and Testaments ^{3 4 5}

John married Margaret BREBNER.¹ (Margaret BREBNER was born about 1725 and died after 29 May 1782.)

  Marriage Notes:

"Inventory of the Goods Gear debts and Effects which pertained and belonged and were resting and owing to the deceased John Gordon of Birkenbush the time of his decease .... last given up by Margaret Brebner residing in Banff Widow of the said Defunct and Executrix qua Relict ...."

from Wills and Testaments ¹