Letter from [Francis White] to [William Lesley], [1665]
Scotland
Mission reports
Other religious orders
Scottish schools
Letter from Francis White to [William Lesley?]. He writes that he has only received the letter from [William Lesley?] in June, as [Alexander] Winster did not want to risk forwarding it, since he did not know where White was. He describes problems between himself and a Dominican, and also with a protestant minister. He writes about the fact that he has so much to do in such difficult circumstances that were he to remain without help, he would have to leave the Highlands. He is grateful, however, for the provision, and for the schoolteacher. White notes that he would like to have another teacher, since on the islands there is a protestant teacher. He asks [William Lesley?] to excuse Eugenio Macalastrio [Alexander Macalister] for not having written the names of the schoolchildren and their parents [actually, Macalister did at least mention family names in his letter to Lesley, see APF SOCG 308, 224r-225v (database item 336)], because they fear that these will be communicated to the court, were these letters to be intercepted. He asks if it could be ordered that his brother Giouanni Bianchi [John White] be sent to help him. He would also need other priests, but they have to be excellent due to Highlanders viewing priests as saints on earth. He writes that the Highlands and islands could soon be Catholic, if only there were enough missionaries. Therefore he urges [William Lesley?] to see to the appointment of new missionaries. The letter is dated 14 June 1665.
Date discussed, 1665-11-09
Additional comments
There is no signature nor address on this document. However, we can be sure that it is written by Francis White, since he refers to John White as his brother. It is probably addressed to William Lesley, since the (copies of) other letters addressed to him use the exact same format.
[Francis White]
APF SOCG 308, 226r-228r
[1665]
Addressed to [William Lesley]
For a summary of this letter (as well as other letters from the same bundle) and the related decision see APF SOCG 308, 206r-208v, 231v (database item 331).
For the discussion of this letter, see: APF ACTA 34, 203r, 224v-227v (same information; not in this database).
Italian
Letter
337
Origin: Scotland, the highlands
Destination: [Rome]
Letter from Alexander Macalister to PF, 1665-06-27, Achidrum
Scotland
Mission reports
Non-Catholic Christians
Conversion
Scottish schools
Letter from Alexander Macalister to PF in which he explains that last year (before his conversion to Catholicism), he had a school on the Isle of Skye, where he taught at least 70 children of Protestant parents. When he converted to Catholicism, a large part of his students followed suit, and he was expelled by the ministers when they discovered this. When he asked Francis White for help, the latter gave him 24 students. He has never asked for money from the people there. He also underlines the fact that Francis White greatly needs other missionaries to help him fulfill his tasks. The letter signed and dated 27 June 1665.
Date discussed, 1665-11-09
Additional comments
NB: We are not sure about the modern equivalent of the place name given in the letter (Achidrum).
Alexander Macalister
APF SOCG 308, 222r, 223v
1665-06-27
Addressed to PF
For a summary of this letter (as well as other letters from the same bundle) and the related decision, see: APF SOCG 308, 206r-208v, 231v (database item 331).
For the discussion of this letter, see: APF ACTA 34, 203r, 224v-227v (same information; not in this database).
Original, signed and dated
Italian
Latin
Letter
335
Origin: Achidrum
Destination: Rome
Letter from Alexander Macalister to William Lesley, 1665-06-14
Scotland
Mission reports
Conversion
Scottish schools
Letter from Alexander Macalister, schoolteacher in Scotland, to William Lesley, procurator of the Scottish mission in Rome. He writes that he has 24 pupils at the house of count MacDonnell in Glengarry. The students are from the following families: "Macdonaldi, Cameroni, Mackmartini, Fraserij, Scotti, Stuardi, Makiuerij" [MacDonnell, Cameron, MacMartin, Fraser, Scott, Stuart and MacIver]; all but one have converted to Catholicism. Macalister adds that he is in great need of books. Winster has promised to have the necessary books sent from London, but Macalister is afraid that they will be seized. Its noted that some children have had to learn how to read from ‘heretic’ books. Macalister first taught on the Isle of Skye, but when the ministers noticed that he was Catholic and was converting his students, they banned him from the island. He never received any money from anyone, until he received 60 scudi from the prefect [Alexander] Winster, sent by PF. The letter dated 14 June 1665.
Date discussed, 1665-11-09
Additional comments
Alexander Macalister
APF SOCG 308, 224r-225v
1665-06-14
Addressed to William Lesley
For a summary of this letter (as well as other letters from the same bundle) and the related decision, see: APF SOCG 308, 206r-208v, 231v (database item 331).
For the discussion of this letter, see: APF ACTA 34, 203r, 224v-227v (same information; not in this database).
Copy, unsigned, dated
Italian
Letter
336
Origin: [Scotland]
Destination: Rome
Petition on behalf of [William Lesley] to PF, [1667-1668]
Scotland
Other secular missionaries
Petitions for faculties
Franciscans
Scottish schools
Scottish colleges
Retirement missionaries
Visitation
Petition on behalf of William Lesley, procurator of the Scottish mission, to PF. On behalf of the Scottish mission he asks for the following things: a) more Irish Franciscans to be sent to the Highlands; b) that a companion be sent to help Francis White, whether that be his brother John White or a certain Cussak, who is a secular Irish priest who has offered to go; c) that the rectors of the Scottish Colleges be ordered to search for students in the Highlands to teach them, and after ordaining them, send them back to the Highlands as missionaries; d) more schools be founded in the Highlands; e) that the missionaries find able young people who are disposed to become clerics and send them to these schools, and in case they are not able to pay for the schools, that PF or the Scottish Colleges subsidize them; f) that the missionaries and school teachers be sent books and devotional objects; g) that the missionaries be divided over the different provinces by the prefect; h) that all the Scottish who have been ordained ad titulum missionis in the Colleges but have subsequently entered a religious order, be ordered to go to Scotland immediately; i) that all priests write at least once a year to PF; j) that the regular missionaries be equally distributed throughout the country; k) that PF or the pope write a letter (or brief) in which they order the Scottish Catholics to financially support their own missionaries; l) that 13 secular missionaries be sent to each bishopric, plus one prefect and around 30 regular priests; Lesley is willing to go there himself in order to set an example; m) that John Walker be made prefect instead of [Alexander] Winster, who wants to resign; n) that the Scottish Colleges be visited in order to diminish certain bad practices; o) that the rector of the Scottish College in Paris be replaced; p) that likewise the Scottish monasteries in Germany be visited; q) that the faculties of the prefect and of the secular priests in Scotland be renewed, since they are about to expire; r) that these faculties be given to Alessandro Iruino [Alexander Irvin], and that all of them be restricted to certain areas; s) that the prefect of the mission should be ordered to visit all provinces at least once a year, and write letters describing the state of these areas, including their problems and needs; t) that the prefect be given the faculty to consecrate chalices and altar stones, since the current faculty is about to expire; u) that the cardinals have changed their minds regarding the location of a house where missionaries can retire, because if they were to find it in Dieppe as they currently intend to, the missionaries would have to retire in a land where they would be strangers; v) that the missionaries in the Highlands be given some chalices and vestments; w) that often students of the Scottish Colleges are ordained without dispensation, but they need a dispensation because they are former heretics or sons of heretics; x) that the Scottish mission be visited, and that the visitor may have ample faculties and instructions; y) that PF give the mission a bishop with the title of vicar apostolic, as has been done in Holland; and z) that the Duchess of Aiguillon be asked to approach her uncle, Cardinal Richelieu, to establish a nunnery in Scotland. The petition is undated.
Additional comments
The petition must be dated before the end of 1668 because that is when Alexander Winster stopped being the prefect of the mission (or at least till 1672, when Walker went to Italy for medical attention). Alexander Irvin also arrived there in March 1668.
William Lesley
APF SOCG 308, 363r-369r, 370v
[1667-1668]
Addressed to PF
Italian
Petition
360
Origin: [Rome]
Destination: [Rome]
Summary of a petition by [William Lesley] to PF, 1664
Scotland
Scottish schools
The procurator of the Scottish mission [William Lesley] asks for a provision for the schoolteacher [Alexander] Macalister who has been in the Highlands for the last two years; Macalister was initially encouraged by the assurance of the procurator (Lesley), that he would obtain an assignment for him. Since the procurator (Lesley) did not know that Macalister actually went there to teach, he never asked for it and is now requesting some form of subsidy for the toils of the last two years or, if this is not possible, at least for his current work, because he (Macalister) is in great need. At PF meeting of 30 June 1664 the cardinals decided to grant the usual subsidy for the years when he worked as a teacher, although PF did not know about it.
Date discussed 1664-06-30
Additional comments
[William Lesley]
APF SOCG 308, 59r,
1664
Addressed to PF
For the minutes of the PF meeting where this matter was discussed, see:APF ACTA 33, 91r (not in this database).
Original, unsigned and undated
Italian
Latin
Summary
317
Origin: [Rome]
Destination: Rome
Summary of the requests made in several letters and reports from the Scottish mission [1664]
Scotland
Petitions for faculties
Scottish colleges
Retirement missionaries
Scottish schools
Summary of the main requests drawn from a long report on the spiritual state of Scotland: a) the first request regards a provision for CM priest Francis White [written ‘Bianchi’]; b) the second request asks that the kings of France and Spain support the Catholics; c) the third request states that those priests who have just come out of colleges, should work for two or three years in France (among CM priests or in a retirement house for old missionaries), before going to the Scottish mission; d) the fourth request suggests that it would be useful if the missionaries acquired a particular skill, such as painter or watchmaker, so that they could enter the houses of Catholics without suspicion; e) the fifth request concerns a house where missionaries could retire in their old age or to which they could flee in times of danger; all kind of details on the location and how it could be financially supported are included in the summary; f) the six request states that there should be a financial contribution from PF for the sending of letters. PF wants to regularly receive letters but, as the prefect has written previously, this is very expensive; and g) the seventh request is regarding a teacher who should have left for the mission, a certain Fontana, but he refused because PF refused to give him missionary faculties. Now they propose [Alexander] Macalister instead; the school, they say, could be started in ‘Glengau’ [Glen Coe?] where the lord and most people are Catholic. A note states that the original writings will not be attached because it is a very big bundle. The decisions made by the PF meeting of 4 February 1664 regarding these requests are on f. 47v.
Date discussed 1664-02-04
Additional comments
The summary was probably written and sent to PF by William Lesley.
APF SOCG 308, 43v-44v, 46r, 47v
[1651]
See, for the discussion of this report: APF ACTA 33, 13r, 21r-23r (not in this database).
Original, unsigned and undated
Italian
Latin
Summary
313
Origin: Rome
Destination: