GORDON, James of Comber parish, Reverend Mr ^{1 2}

   Another name for James was GORDOUNE, James, Mr.¹

   User ID: E722.

  General Notes:

"The Rev. James Gordon, minister of Comber, Co. Down, was the son of Alexander Gordon of Salterhill, a fact borne out by the following entry in the Elgin Commissary Record : 1649, Oct. 17. - On this date the following document was made out:

'Be it kend me, Mr James Gordoune, minister at Comber in Ireland, sone lauchfull to umqll. Alexander Gordoune of Salterhill: forasmeikle as in the contract of wedsett of the lands of Aikenheid of dait - 1640 yeires past betwixt James, Earle of Murray, and the said umqll. Alexander, provydit to me in fee the sume of 3000 merks for quhilk the said lands were impignorat: now for the love and favour quhihe I have to Alexander Gordon, sone lauchfull to the said umqll. Alexander and my laughful brother: Witt ye me to have resigned 500 merks out of the said 3000 merks in favour of my said brother Alexander.'

The document was registered April 1, 1653.

Another extremely interesting proof of James's origin occurs in the Elgin Sasines as follows :

1678, Oct. 9. - Sasine (30 Sept. 1678) to Mr James Gordone now in Ireland, eldest lawfull son to the deceist Alex. Gordon in Saterhill, his father, of the lands of Aikenhead and mylne of Kinneddor upon precept of clare constat to him as heir forsaid be Alex. Brodie of that ilk, superior of said lands, dated 6 Mav. 1678." (page 19)

"Like Captain George Gordon, the chaplain did not end his career in Ireland by fighting. According to the Montgomery MSS. (examined for Mr Armistead Gordon by Mr Philip Crossle, Newry), he became private chaplain to the widow of his colonel. Lord Montgomery, who died in 1642 and who had a house at Comber, and from this post he seems to have been appointed to be the first minister of the church at Comber; to which, according to Killen's 'Presbyterian Church in Ireland,' he was ordained by the Presbytery of Down, 'about the vear 1645. Mr Gordon was deposed for nonconformity in 1661, but afterwards conformed...' " (page 23)

from The Gordons of Salterhill




"... in 1641 the Roman Catholics (in Ireland) rebelled. They felt aggrieved about the loss of their lands and the suppression of their religion. This was a bitter religious war and rumours would have reached Comber of great cruelty being meted out to the settlers in other places. Comber came under attack as the rebels approached from the Killinchy direction. But the settlers were victorious... A Scots army arrived in Ulster with the task of putting down the rebellion on behalf of the English, who were paying them. This was largely a Presbyterian army, and in 1642 they formed the first presbytery on Irish soil to provide for their spiritual needs. Applications were made by a number of parishes to be taken under the care of this presbytery, and Comber was one of them.

And so James Gordon came as a Presbyterian minister to Comber in 1645. Gordon was a Scotsman from Morayshire, born around 1620. He began as minister at St Mary's, as this was the only church in Comber. However, it is interesting that the congregation of 1st Comber dates its formation from Gordon's arrival. His position was helped by the widow of the 2nd Viscount Montgomery, the former Lady Jean Alexander, who had been a daughter of James I's Secretary of State for Scotland. She herself was a Presbyterian. But relations became strained in 1649 over the baptism of the 3rd Viscount's infant daughter. He had been brought up as a Presbyterian, but when he accepted a commission in the army of Charles II without telling the Kirk Session, he was condemned and changed to Episcopalianism. When Lady Jean sought to have her granddaughter baptised, permission was refused unless the Viscount would acknowledge his offence and repent, which he refused to do.

In 1657 James Gordon is reported as a preacher in salary with a dwelling house and 6 acres of land. Then in 1660 the exiled Charles II was restored to his throne. It was hoped he would support the Presbyterians as he had signed the Covenant. But in 1661 he brought back the bishops. Jeremy Taylor was appointed as Bishop of Down, and he gave ministers the option to either conform to the Anglican form of worship or be thrown out. Gordon was thrown out, and replaced by William Dowdall.

But there was trouble when Dowdall was attacked in the church, an incident reminiscent of one in 1637 when a riot broke out in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. On that occasion Jenny Geddis famously threw a stool at the preacher. Dowdall merely had his robes pulled off. Once again, the culprits were mainly women, who were brought for trial to Downpatrick. Here one of them boasted 'These are the hands that poo'd the white sark ower his heed'.

Gordon had no church for the next ten years or so. But it seems he remained active. In 1663 Colonel Thomas Blood tried to seize Dublin Castle and murder the Lord Lieutenant. Gordon and a number of other ministers were accused of involvement in Blood's Plot, and arrested. No evidence could be found against most of these men, and after a few weeks they were given a choice to either leave the country or remain in prison. However, somehow Gordon was allowed to return to Comber, and it seems that he had Lady Montgomery to thank for that. He is mentioned as a tenant in Ballyhenry in the Mount Alexander Rent Roll of 1684."

from Christianity in Comber ^{1 3}

  Research Notes:

DOUBT REGARDING ANCESTRY OF SHEEPBRIDGE GORDONS

"Mr Armistead Churchill Gordon holds that the founder of his family was the Rev. James Gordon of Comber, Co. Down, for he makes him the ancestor of the Gordons of Sheepbridge, County Down. If this suggestion is correct, the descendants of the minister can be numbered by the hundred, for though the direct line actually owning Sheepbridge died out in 1891, the house has been extremely prolific. Mr Gordon has constructed a pedigree (running into 51 pages of typewritten quarto), and last year he wrote a life of his grandfather, General William Fitzhugh Gordon, 1787-1858, issued by the Neale Publish ing Company of New York (8vo. : pp.412)...." (pages 3 and 4)

" .... I am not satisfied that the Rev. James Gordon of Comber was the father of James of Sheepbridge. If that could be proved, the minister would be doubly interesting." (page 4)

"The descent of the Gordons of Sheepbridge and of Ballinteggart, both in County Down, from the Rev. James Gordon of Comber, is at present a great difficultv. Mr Armistead Gordon is inclined to believe that James Gordon I. of Sheepbridge was the son of the minister of Comber; but Mr Philip Crossle,of Dundalk, who has made elaborate investigations into the history of the Irish Gordons, thinks that James Gordon I. of Sheepbridge, and Robert Gordon I. of Ballintaggart, were probably brothers and sons of Robert, the brother of the Rev. James Gordon of Comber." (pages 39 and 40)

from The Gordons of Salterhill ¹

James married Marie SIMPSON.¹ (Marie SIMPSON was born about 1625 and died in 1694 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland ².)

  Marriage Notes:

"I do not know when the Rev. James Gordon died. His will has not been found, despite an exhaustive search, nor any grant of administration on his estate. Part of the Comber property which he owned formed part of the same Abbey lands in the Barony of Newry, as were those at Sheepbridge, which were granted to the first James Gordon of Sheepbridge in 1692.

The Rev. James Gordon married (as her second husband) Marie Simpson, the daughter of the Rev. James Simpson minister of Airthland." (page 33)

"The Rev. James Gordon refers in his letters to only three children, a son (of whom he speaks in the letter to his daughter Jean as 'your poore prodigall brother'), and two daughters. Mr Armistead Gordon, however, gives him three sons as follows :

1. (?) James Gordon of Sheepbridge near Newry, a family that became extinct in the direct male line in 1891.

2. (?) Robert Gordon of Ballinteggart, progenitor of the Gordons of Florida, Manor and Altamont, Co. Down.

3. (?) Hugh Gordon of Killyleagh, Co. Down. Mr (Armistead) Gordon is doubtful of his parentage, but points out the name of Hugh, which was the same as that of the Rev. James Gordon of Comber's patron, Lord Montgomery, and also that two of Hugh's daughters, Betty and Jean, bear the same names as James's daughters, as is shown by Hugh's will, which was proved in 1686 ...." (pages 35 and 36)

"4. Elizabeth Gordon is referred to in her father's letter as being married to an officer garrisoned in 1680 at Galway. Mr Armistead Gordon calls him Lieut. Packington, identifying her with the Elizabeth Gordon, 'alias Packington,' who was a beneficiary under the will of the Rev. Alexander Gordon of Rathfriland in 1708. (page 38)

5. "Jean Gordon .... " (pages 38 and 39)

from Gordons of Salterhill ^{1 2}