Memoirs of the late John Kippen, cooper, in Methven, near Perth

MEMOIRS OF

THE LATE

JOHN KIPPEN,

COOPER,

In Methven, near Perth,

---

To which is added,

AN ELEGY ON

PETER DUTHIE,

Who was upwards of

EIGHTY YEARS

A FLYING STATIONER.

Stirling, Printed bv C. Randall.

Memoirs of John Kippen.

———

JOHN KIPPEN, the subject of the following short memoirs was the lawful son of industrious and honed parents; and was born in that beautiful and romantic district in Perthshire, known by the name of Logic Almond. He was born in the year 1735. His parents, though in a humble situation, did every thing in their power to cducate their son, as he shewed some very early marks of genius and ready wit. Their circumstances however, were so narrow, that they could only afford to send him to school a few months during the winter; & in the summer seasons he was employed intending the herds of a neighbouring farmer, In this way he was occupied for several years, until he came to be 12 or 13 years of age, when he was bound an apprentice to a cooper, who lived only about a mile from his father's house. During the time he had been at school, he had learned to read, and write a tolerable hand, knew the common rules of Arithmetic, and what is rather uncommon at a country school, he had learnt as much geography, as enabled him to describe the latitude and longitude of any place in the map. Thus accomplished, young Kippen went upon his new occupation, and though it was ill suited to his lively and enterprising disposition, he acquitted himself so well, that he had the applause of his master & the good will of ill the customers. In those days it was the common practice with country Coopers, to travel round among their customers, in order to repair their dairy, and other utensils; and in this way our hero had frequently an opportunity of displaying his wit, and excercising his satirical talents upon the young rustics in the neighbourhood, as well as of picking up every thing that was either edifying or witty, as it fell from the lips of his acquaintance.—His memory was strong and retentive, which joined to his ready wit, made him at once the terror and admiration of the neighbourhood; for when offence was given, his tongue or pin was sure to be employed to satirise the offending party; which he always did with such effect, that he never failed to render his opponents ridiculous; and these sallies of wit were not confined to the vulgar crowd, but were frequently levelled at the great, the rich, and the opulent. The fear of Kippen's lash made his friendship to be often courted, even by those who in other respects, were esteemed his betters.

Having now finished his apprenticeship, John resolved to travel, but as he had neither money nor friends, who were capable to do any thing for him, he was under the necessity, in order to gratify his mind, to hire himself to a drover who was going to England with cattle. In this humble situation he travelled several times as far as Smithfield market; and had made several observations in the course of his journies, which he imagined would be of use to him afterwards. These he communicated to several of his acquaintances at home. Among the rest of his ideas he had formed a resolution of going to the county of Norfolk to the hay making and harvest work. This resolution of our hero soon spread, and in a few days no less than 40 volunteers offered themselves to accompany him in this expedition. This took place in the summer of 1790, when this country had newly declared war against France. They accordingly left Logic Almond early in the morning, and arrived at the town of Inverkeithing in the evening, having marched about 48 miles. Here John learnt that here was a very strong Press-Gang posted at the South Queensferry, only a few miles distant, and that it was impossible, as they were all young fellows, that a single creature should escape. Had he told any of the rest, the danger they were in, his eloquence he well knew, could not have prevailed upon a single man of them to proceed. He however thought on another stratagem. He went privately and told his plan to his landlord, who was an old acquaintance, and prevailed upon him to land a broad sword he had in the house. In John's party there were several young highlanders who could play the bagpipe, and as he could himself play well on this instrument, he had fortunately taken a pair with him to divert himself and his company on the road. He therefore collected the whole band at an early hour next morning, and got them embarked on board one of the large boats. When they were about the middle of the passage, which here ⟨were⟩ two miles wide John addressed his ⟨companions⟩ in the following terms: ⟨My⟩ Friends, I can assure you there is a {{reconstruct|vcry strong and powerful press-gang ⟨at⟩ the south ferry, which are more ⟨than⟩ able to carry every man of us on board the tender. I have devised a ⟨scheme⟩, which I am certain will ⟨save⟩ ⟨the⟩ whole of us if you submit; if you do not, you are gone. I have not time to tell you the nature of my plan; but you are to obey my orders," Long before this period the people in his native place, had full confidence in Johns abilities, and they therefore gladly submitted to his command. The boat in a short time arrived at the shore, where the gang were standing on the pier. Our hero was the first who jumped ashore, and with the air of a veteran, ordered his whole company to fall in, with the piper at their head, while John went along and counted the files, and ordered the piper to play a favorite tune, while the whole band marched off at the word of command, and ⟨left⟩ the press gang in the full belief ⟨that⟩ they had seen a detatchment of recruits going to join a new Regiment, a number of whom where forming ⟨at⟩ the same time.

No man could be better calculated for an enterprise of this kind, than John Kippen, He was nearly 6 feet high, had a fine open countenance, was of a strong, muscular, athletic make, and besides his natural acuteness, he had by this time, though only twenty one years of age, learnt a good deal of smartness by travelling to and from England. These fortified by a little self-confidence, gave him an ascendancy wherever he went, that few people ever acquires, & very few indeed at this period of life.

Notwithstanding that few people in the world had higher notions of the principles of honor and honesty, than John Kippen, he had some very falacious ideas concerning the term honestly, which it was never in the power of itfelf to erradicate. For example, it was impossible to convince him that a fish of any kind was more the property of one man than of another, or that a wild fowl or quadruped who was not domesticated, could be properly claimed by any one, or in other words, he imagined that all these were the property of the sportsman, who had as much ingenuity as kill them. No doubt these ideas originated with him in the way he was brought up. Being always active and lively, he was frequently taken out by the young gentlemen in the neighbourhood to assist them in the diversions of the field and the river, and he soon became an excellent sportsman. The game he saw run from field to field, without any regard to the property they fed on, "These therefore (said John) belong to nobody, and I have as good a right to them as any man living, and as to the fish, is it not certain that they emigrate annually to the sea, and does not every proprietor on the backs of rivers, attempt to catch at many as he can, without any regard to the interest of another, and have not I a right to catch also? Who feeds these fishes? Do they cost any man any thing? No. Why then should any man claim a property in them more than me. I have learnt to kill game, and I will catch them, in spite of every opposition," Such were the doctrines held by this man, and, strange to tell, that his character was never impeached even by his enemies, for any breach in moral honesty in any other way whatever. This propensity of his, however frequently brought him to trouble, for the gentlemen on whole grounds John sported, were of very different opinion open this point; and he was frequently prosecuted for killing hares, and catching fish. On these occasions he commonly attended the courts of law in person, and defended himself with a degree of eloquence & ingenuity, which would have done honor to a man of a higher rank; however, unfortunately for John, there were several Acts of Parliament in direct opposition to his doctrine, & he was generally fined in a nominal sum, these who were his prosecutors rather wishing to frighten than to punish him; but as he continued his old practices, they at last determined to carry the law in execution against him. For this purpose officers were frequently sent from Perth to apprehend him; but he as frequently eluded their vigilance. At last it was determined that he should be imprisoned; and for this purpose two well known desperate sheriff officers were sent in company to his house in Methven to apprehend him. He happened to be at the harvest work at this time, about three miles from Methven. Connachar and Campbell the two officers, enquired at all the neighbours for John, but no one would tell them, and they were obliged at last to have recourse to a constable, in order to obtain information. This man told them where he was, but added, "When you bring Johnny Kippen thro' Methven, I'll gi'e you half a mutchkin o' whisky." The officers swore that they knew his character well, and they would take care he should not escape from them. The constable shook his head, and desired them to try their strength to the utmost. They accordingly found John at work in a field two miles west from Methven They immediately seized him, one on each arm, & were carrying him forward in triumph, when they met the honest farmer with when Kippen had been at work, going to the field. The Farmer then stopt them, and asked the reason for taking away his servant? John told him it was on account of the fishing. The Farmer said he would give bail to any amount for him, rather than he should go to prison. He was told no bail would be taken. John then looked very earnestly at his master, and said, Sir, my shoes are very bad, I believe they will not carry me to Perth, I would be much obliged to you, if you would exchange shoes, as I see yours are very good. O yes, said the Farmer, and immediately pulled off his shoes. John was held so hard by the officers at this time, that he had no alternative but press his own shoes off his feet by placing the toe of the one, against the heel of the other; however, when his master's shoes were off, he pressed down, and got one in each hand, and then put a hand in each shoe, as it to try their wideness, at same time he clenched his fists in the inside, and by a sudden jerk, not only disentangled his arms, but struck down the officers by a powerful ⟨stroke⟩ from each shoe, which were very weighty, being full of iron in the bottom. He then sprung from his guards like lightning, and did not ⟨again⟩ appear until his friends obtained a settlement for him, and restored his freedom. The poor officers had to retrace their fteps through Methven again, with sore heads, while the people were all coll cted at the end of the town to see their friend Johnny pass in the centre of his guards. But when the officers came in the same order they went they did not pass without jeering and flouting, as may well be imagined.

In the year 1757, John had occasion to go to Glasgow on some pressing business and even to travel upon the Sabbath Day, a thing which he would not have done, but for the urgency of his business, for he was not only very religiously brought up but was actually impressed seriously in his own mind with the principles of religion. The weather was remarkably warm, and by the ⟨time⟩ John arrived at Kilsyth, he found ⟨himself⟩ exceedingly dry. He then enquired ⟨after⟩ a public house, and could not gain admittance, from one house he went to another until he had taken a circuit of the ⟨whole⟩ town, and was on the point of giving up ⟨the⟩ idea of obtaining a bottle of ale, when he accidentally observed the door of a public ⟨house⟩ open. in he went, & asked for a bottle. ⟨Na⟩ na said the landlady, we sell nae ale to ⟨souls⟩ that travel on the Lord's day, carrying bundles: Good woman, said John, if you knew what my bundle contains, you would not refuse me a bottle of ale. Ah! dear me, said the lad, what is't that's in your bundle? Indeed mistress I live in Stirling, and I had a brother, a wright lad in Glasgow, who died suddenly yesterday, and this is his winding sheet at the same time fitting down on a chair, & heaving a heavy sigh. The landlady's humanity was by this time roused, she ran to the bar for a bottle of brandy & gave John a hearty glass to keep him from fainting, & afterwards she treated him with bread and cheese, and would not take any thing from him but payment for the ale, Some readers may be inclined to censure poor John for this piece of duplicity, but it ought to be considered that it was only a little art which was applied on purpose to gain him necessary refreshment for his money. He had no intention to deceive, only to procure him this, and to take in the landlad was far from being his intention.

Another time coming down through England, on the west road, a gentleman asked him to carry a letter to a ⟨friend⟩ of his, (an aged lady) in Dumfries-shire, near Ecc(illegible text)lechan, and at same time told him that the lady was a Jacobite, that is a person who was attached to the interest of the house of Stewarts, and at same time added, you will be kindly dealt with, if you behave yourself. John took the hint, and though there was not a more loyal subject in the kingdom, he resolved for once to be a J cobite, or at least nearly allied to them. After delivering the letter, the lady kindly invited him to take dinner and a glass, in the course of which, a conversation ensued, & she observed he did not speak the dialect of that part of the country; she therefore asked him, what place he came from? to which John replied, Madam I came from Perthshire: Aye lad Perthshire, did ye ken the duke of Perth? yes Madam, and the Prince too. Is your parents alive? Madam, my mother is alive, but my father died on the ever memorable 16th April, one thousand, seven hundred, & forty fix, in a glorious cause, but ah Madam! aye lad! you need not say any more, there's half,a crown to yon, at the same time clapping a half-crown piece into John's hand, which was a necessary supply at the time, as John's stock was then low, and this enabled him to get home, without letting any one know he was in want.

It would be a tedious task to relate a tenth part of the anecdotes which might be told of John Kippen. Suffice it therefore to say, that he was one of those geniuses who are rarely to be met with It has been already stated that he was strong and muscular, but he was also nimble and agile to a degree scarcely to be credited. His ready wit made his company courted by people of all ranks. His work shop in Methven was the common lounge of the town: There the independant man who lived upon his money, could pass an hour either for amusement or instruction, & there too the tradesman could pass a pleasurable hour when he had as much time to spare. Mr Kippen had been in the habit of reading newspapers and other periodical work, from his childhood, and was also a keen observer of all that passed under his own eye, and having a strong memory, and a nice knack of telling a story, it was impossible to find a creature more diverting or indeed more edifying, His ear was always open to a tale of woe, and though he never could boast of affluence, his charities were extensive, and his recommendations in favor of the poor were powerful, his failings might truly be said to lean to virtue's side. This venerable man died at Methven in July ⟨1807⟩, lamented by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, and by many who had only heard of his shrewdness, and his many eccentricities.

ELEGIAC VERSES,

WRITTEN BY A FRIEND.

⟨Tho'⟩ ripe in years, and death expected too,
(illegible text)e eyes must water when thy turf we view;
⟨So⟩ long, dear Kippen! shall thy mem'ry last,
⟨Long⟩ shall thy friends think on the time that's past.

⟨Thy⟩ courage great that unsubdu'd by time,
⟨Thy⟩ actions noble, & thy thoughts sublime;
⟨Long⟩ feelings bring to every tender heart,
⟨And⟩ makes us sorry with our friend to part.

ELEGY,

On the ever to be lamented death of ⟨Peter⟩ Duthie, who departed this life at Perth, on ⟨the⟩ 1st day of October 1812, after having spent upwards of eighty years as a flying Stationer. ⟨He⟩ was born near the town of Kirrimuir in Forfarshire, in the month of May, 1721, and he ⟨took⟩ up the profession of a traveling bookseller ⟨when⟩ only about eight years of age, and continued in the same line till the day of his death, ⟨excepting⟩ about three years that he was a soldier or ⟨rather⟩ a prisoner; for Peter was impressed into ⟨his⟩ Majesty's service in the year 1755, but such ⟨was⟩ his attachment to the house of Stewart, that ⟨he⟩ never would handle arms under the ⟨Hanoverian⟩ family and the regiment to which he was attached, was obliged to discharge him, after having in vain tried every method to make him ⟨a⟩ soldier. Peter Duthie was well known in ⟨every⟩ city, town, village and hamlet in Great Britain and his many whimsicalities will long ⟨continue⟩ to be the theme of rural speculation.

⁠Lament ye people, ane an' a,
⟨For⟩ Peter Duthies e'en awa';
⟨Nae⟩ mair will Pate e'er travel round,
⟨The⟩ circle o his native ground;
⟨Nae⟩ mair shall he last speeches cry
⟨Nor⟩ in the barns will ever lie ;
⟨Nae⟩ mair shall he again appear
⟨To⟩ usher in the infant year
⟨With⟩ Almanacks frae Aberdeen,
⟨The⟩ best and truest was seen;
⟨Nae⟩ mair shall he again proclaim
⟨The⟩ prophecies in Rhymer's name;
⟨Nor⟩ cell again the great commands,
⟨Nor⟩ praise the neuk ca'd Meally Hands;
⟨Nor⟩ Arry's ware for lads and lasses,
⟨Which⟩ for the highest wisdom passes
⟨Nor⟩ shall he Jock and Maggy's tale
⟨Again⟩ expose to viewer sale;
⟨Nae⟩ mair shall he e'er gain a dram
⟨Upon⟩ the tricks o' Louden Tam;
⟨Buchanan's⟩ wit he cannot praise,
⟨As⟩ aft he did in former days;
⟨Nor⟩ tell how Leper threw the cat
⟨To⟩ auld Janet's boiling pat.——
⁠O Death! how awful thy command,
Thou kills the fairest in the land,
To thee baith-Kings and Princes yield,
Some in the bed, some in the field,
To strong or weak, to high or low,
No favor didst thou ever shew,
The greatest beauty, fiercest scold,
The strong, the weak, the young and old.
On earth no longer finds abode,
When smitten with thy fatal rod:
Thy sov'reign will nae doubt it was,
Altho' we canno' tell the cause,
To drive poor Peter from the earth,
An' cause sic mourning into Perth,
Where lang the honest body dwelt,
Where mony a hunder beuk he selt,
An' where ten thousand wad defend him,
And sae wad ilk ane done that kend him.
Alas! poor Pate! nae mair will ye
Tell tales again wi' mirth and glee;
Lang will the country lasses weary,
To see that face was ay sae cheery,
A face, weel kent o'er Britain's Isle,
A face ay painted with a smile.

⁠O wha will now fill up thy place,
⟨And⟩ fill it with so good a grace;
⟨There's⟩ only ane that I do ken,
⟨Amang⟩ the mortal sons o' men,
(illegible text)' that is Jackey; ance thy friend,
⟨The⟩ fittest fellow e'er I kend;
⟨Ony⟩ customers he knew right well,
(illegible text)' can a canty story tell,
(illegible text) winter nights, while round the ingle,
⟨The⟩ wheels an' reels an' plates do jingle,
(illegible text) let him now tak' up the trade,
(illegible text) then I'm sure his fortune's made.

EPITAPH.

RIGHT underneath these humble stores,
Lie honest Peter Duthie's bones.
⁠Who it appears,
Inhabited this world of ours,
Aided by the celestial powers,
⁠Full ninety years.

But like the rest of human kind,
To earth he was at last consign'd,
⁠And here he lies;
Such is the lot of mortals all,
Since ever man at first did fall.
⁠None liv'd but ⟨dies⟩

So Reader learn thy awful fate,
And know thy mortal, true estate.
⁠To sorrows born
No man but once must feel the smart,
Of Death's sure aiming fatal dart,
⁠Nor from it turn.

Let wisdom then be your true guide,
And ne'er be swell'd by earthly pride,
⁠For here at rest,
Or some such place both you and I,
Will be condemn'd a while to lie,
⁠By earth still ⟨prest⟩

FINIS.