THE MINISTERS OF BELHELVIE NORTH KIRK

Belhelvie ministers and their reputations:

The role of Reverend David Lindsay in the tumultuous times of the seventeenth century will be addressed in a later section. His high political and religious profiles were matched by his literary efforts. In 1642 his paper entitled Scotlandis Halleluiah was published in Aberdeen. He also published A Dolorous Expression, An Exlog, and The Convert's Cordiall. The National Archives of Scotland hold a 400-page manuscript collection of his sermons given between 1623 to 1650, all written in beautiful Scots script. Reverend George Innes, who was the son of Alexander Innes of Blairton, ministered from 1668 until 1697, and he was followed by Alexander Mitchell. Mitchell was soon called to take up service at Old Machar in 1713, but the congregation there personally supported another man Dr Sharp. It was not until October 1714 that Reverend Mitchell took up his charge there.

After the tumult of the first Jacobite uprising, during which an Episcopalian priest, James Keith, 'intruded' at Belhelvie, Reverend William Dyce served the parish from 1716 until 1724. Reverend Thomas Ragg has previously been discussed with reference to his improvements on the old Belhelvie kirk. In 1725 Provost George Fordyce, who leased Eggie and obtained the authority to nominate the next minister, chose his brother-in-law, Reverend David Brown. The minister was married and served almost 20 years with an almost unblemished record, frequently condemning the parishioners for their behaviour. In fact a new pillory was acquired just three years after Reverend Brown's arrival. His sister, Elizabeth, was also a public figure, and acted as the sometime Provost of Aberdeen. However, in 1744 David Brown fell foul of his own pillory system when he was deposed for adultery. He apparently made public penitence and promised to depart for foreign shores, but the General Assembly took pity and decided to repeal his deposition in 1747. He died shortly thereafter in 1751.

The Reverend James Forsyth became the minister of Belhelvie between 1766-1790 and he oversaw the construction of the old manse. In 1791 he was succeeded by his more famous son, Alexander, who was also known as the 'Belhelvie Blacksmith'. Like his father before him, Reverend Dr. Alexander Forsyth was a long time incumbent and served for fifty-two years in the parish. Not only did he run a smiddy on his manse grounds, supplying locks and the odd penknife to his parishioners, but he also had an interest in chemistry and made important discoveries regarding the manufacture of gunpowder and the percussion lock for firearms. 

The advantage of the new system was that the original flash from flint-ignited guns was hidden from potential targets, and less susceptible to the damp. He travelled to London in 1806 to present his findings to the Government. The Master-General of the Ordnance, Lord Moira, provided Alexander with living quarters at the Tower of London and encouraged further experimentation with his design. However, through a change in staff at the Ordnance, Alexander fell out of favour in London and was made to wait a year before he got some payment for his work. He took out a patent in 1807 and Forsyth & Co. set up a business in Piccadilly, with which the reverend remained associated until 1819. Initially rejected by the British army, Forsyth’s invention proved to be of interest to the French, although he turned down their offer to buy it from him. By the 1840s his invention was eventually introduced and accepted by the British army.

Recognition for his work came too late for him. He in fact died before the first financial compensation reached him. In 1930 a memorial to Dr Forsyth was placed in the Tower of London, and a plaque can also be seen in the ‘Quad’ of King’s College at the University of Aberdeen. In addition to his work as a minister, blacksmith and inventor, Forsyth established and ran the local savings bank. He was also responsible for ensuring his parishioners were vaccinated against smallpox once Dr Jenner had announced the use of the vaccine. Reverend Forsyth died in 1843 and is buried in the old Belhelvie kirkyard alongside his father and family.

Reverend William Thomson, born in Woodside of a father who was connected with Grandholm Mills, had held several positions before becoming minister. He was a tutor to James Grant of Nairn, who later became famous as Lieutenant-Colonel J. A. Grant, C.B. He was also a teacher in Gordon's Hospital, and parish schoolmaster at Dyce and Belhelvie. In total he served for fifty years in public life. He died suddenly on 11^th October 1887 on his way to a synod meeting in Aberdeen and he too is buried in the old Belhelvie kirkyard. A poem by W. Geddes of Aberdeen, which can be seen in Appendix 1, commemorates Thomson and makes reference to his years of service. Reverend Thomson had ensured that his parish remained an active and generous one. In the late 19^th century the congregation of Belhelvie North church supplied funds for the likes of the American Colonial Scheme in March 1850 and again in August 1878, and for the India mission in July 1850 and again in February 1853. Interestingly, collections for international concerns by Belhelvians have continued to the present day with active fundraising and support for the distressed in Bosnia and Kosovo by members of the congregation orchestrated by the charity No Frontiers and Balmedie School sending no less than 588 Shoe Boxes to Romania via the New Hope Trust.

Malcolm Tower Sorley, who was employed from 1888 until 1933, succeeded Reverend Thomson at Belhelvie North. Reverend William Ewen followed from 1934 to 1947 and, more recently, David Stuart Forsyth from 1948 until 1992. As already mentioned, during Reverend Forsyth’s stay the two Belhelvie kirks were united in 1953 and he became the minister of both until the South kirk was closed and sold. Since then Reverend Douglas W. Clark served the parish in his first charge from 1993 until early 1998, bringing a certain modernity into the kirk and establishing the current church magazine. The minister who took the parish into the new millennium is Reverend Daniel Hawthorn, who joined the parish recently.