esentment of this Church against so uncommon and unprecedented a
behaviour in some of her undutiful sons, and that they would do this in
such a manner as shall appear to the venerable Assembly to be most
effectual for preventing the like in any of their members of whatever
degree in time coming." The zeal of Auchterarder was burning with a
holy fire.

In the course of the eighteenth century the best known members of the
Presbytery were the dynasty of Moncrieffs at Blackford, and Dr. John
Kemp, of Trinity-Gask. Of the former, three generations succeeded each
other from 1697 to 1775, in which year Sir Henry Moncrieff left
Blackford to become minister of the West Kirk, Edinburgh. Of Dr. Kemp,
who left Trinity-Gask {115} in 1776, to become minister of New
Greyfriars, Edinburgh, a full account will be found in Kay's _Edinburgh
Portraits_. He was three times married, his second and third wives
being Earls' daughters.

The century was now drawing to a close. Since the Reformation there
had been no church extension within the bounds of the Presbytery. At
last, however, there was to be an awakening from this long sleep. The
district of Ardoch formed the southern portion of the parish of
Muthill. In the centre of it lay the famous Roman Camp, one of the
most ancient historic spots in Scotland, whose earthen trenches had
been thrown up by the soldiers of Agricola. It was the traditional
site of the Battle of Mons Grampius, where Galgacus and his Caledonians
fought for liberty, and, after all that has been written on the
subject, is as probably the real site as any other. There, in 1780, a
chapel of ease was built, and opened for worship on March 25, 1781.
The bounds of the chapel also included a small portion of the parish of
Blackford, and a larger portion of that of Dunblane, the Presbytery
thus extending its jurisdiction down the banks of the Allan to within a
few miles of the cathedral city. The Chapel at Ardoch was the
Presbytery's first-born child. In later years, in connection with the
Church Extension movement, promoted by Dr. Chalmers, the West Church
was built in Crieff in 1838, and the Chapel of Blairingone, in the
parish of Fossoway, in 1840. Thus equipped, the Presbytery of
Auchterarder was to meet the storm of 1843.

In the earlier years of the nineteenth century there were even to
observant eyes no signs of the coming blast. The Act of Queen Anne,
restoring Patronage, though long protested against,