ABSTRACT

Authorities elsewhere in Europe had developed discriminatory poor relief systems that made clear distinctions between those who deserved local charity and those who did not. The Kirk leadership's aims to refine orthodoxy and loyalty following the Covenant had ramifications for local charitable activity. The English themselves reinforced the Kirk's central position in exhorting, gathering and distributing charity often, at least nominally, accepting it as the most effective conduit of poor relief. The Deanes's well-known mysticism did not preclude them from accepting the authority of the Kirk in Scotland as the most reliable structure to distribute poor relief. The most notable instance of the Kirk using its poor relief networks during the collection drive in the aftermath of the large fire that engulfed Glasgow in July 1652. Importantly, the Kirk was able to mobilise support for its position as central collector and gatherer of poor relief, and collections in most areas remained consistent, despite increased demand, even after the English invasion.