As we move into Stage 3 of Mapping the Scottish Reformation, we are shifting our attentions beyond the Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale and to the other regions of Scotland.
We have been laying the groundwork for our data collection in Stage 3 by roughly mapping presbyteries and synods across Scotland that were active between 1560 and 1689 and logging them into Wikidata, our repository for structured data. We imported all 65 presbyteries into Wikidata with QuickStatements and using existing Wikidata properties. While the way we have structured this data may change as our work progresses, tracking different synods and presbyteries is essential work as we build our dataset beyond Lothian and Tweeddale.
We originally intended for this activity to be of internal use only — giving us a way to track our progress — but we soon realised it could also offer users a resource to see the administrative structures of the Church of Scotland in a clear (and somewhat interactive) way.
The layers button on the toplight of the map offers the ability to filter different synod regions. Each different colour denotes the presbyteries within a particular synod province (please note that these colours are chosen at random and will change when you reload the page).
Some health warnings: first, the locations of the presbyteries — denoted by the dots — only relate loosely to where a presbytery usually met or was centred. This is to provide a broad idea of where a presbytery was active. The process of mapping the changing boundaries of a synod region or presbytery is something we have tested elsewhere. Secondly, the presbyteries shown are a snapshot in time and, due to the parameters of our project, do not include presbyteries or synods formed after 1689. Equally, presbyteries that were newly created (like Biggar) during our survey period appear alongside the rest of Scotland’s ecclesiastical courts with no note.
Using the workflow we developed in Stage 2, we have also created this simplified Leaflet map by exporting our information from Wikidata. You can read more about the process here.
We have written about the distribution of parishes before on this blog, but seeing provincial assemblies and regional presbyteries mapped, even in this rough way, is of use. This map reflects the geographical distribution of people as well as ecclesiastical power in early modern Scotland. It also represents how far our project must travel to track religious change on a truly national scale.
Chris R. Langley
