Catherine Evans
ODNB (Article: 15682)
Kirkwood was born in Dunbar, East Lothian around 1650 and graduated MA from Edinburgh University in 1670. He then served as chaplain to John Campbell, the Earl of Caithness, 1st Earl of Breadalbane between 1670 and 1676, while he also undertook theological study, becoming greatly interested in the Highlands. He was licensed as a probationer by the presbytery of Haddington on 13 July 1676 and then preached in several parishes, including Wemyss, Fife from 1677 to 1678. In 1679, he was appointed minster of Minto, Roxburghshire. However, he was deprived of this living in 1681 for refusing to take the test. He likely continued to preach at Colmonell, Ayrshire, but then moved Astwick in Bedfordshire, England, becoming rector there on 1st March 1685, where he remained until January 1702 when he was outed. After this, it is not known how he made his living. After being elected as member for Scotland for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) he moved back north to Haddingtonshire, living in Alderston and Ferrygate, near where he grew up. Throughout his life, he was greatly involved in advocating parish libraries throughout Scotland and distributing the Bible in Gaelic, developing a life long interest in the Highlands during his employment with Glenorchy. In 1690 he began corresponding with Robert Boyle, and was presented with 200 copies of his Bible in Gaelic to be distributed in the Highlands. However, these were in classical Gaelic and used Irish letter-forms, so they were not greatly accessible for the Scots. Boyle also subscribed towards printing 3,000 more Bibles to be distributed, with a separate issue of 1,000 New Testaments, in this case edited by Robert Kirk who altered the texts to conform with Scottish usage and provided a Scottish Gaelic glossary. In 1699 Kirkwood anonymously published a tract, "An Overture for Founding and Maintaining Bibliothecks in every Paroch throughout the Kingdom". He oversaw the raising of money and saw over 4,000 books and 2,000 pamphlets distributed, although the difficult political situation and the remoteness of the region meant that this occurred with limited success and was criticised. The last reference to Kirkwood is in July 1709, so it is assumed he died shortly after this.