GEDDES, Rev. William

Abt 1630 - 1694  (64 years)   Has no ancestors but more than 100 descendants in this family tree.

DUNBAR, Catherine

- Yes, date unknown

Died	Yes, date unknown
Father	DUNBAR, John
Mother	FRASER, Anna
Family	GEDDES, Rev. William,   b. Abt 1630, Moray, Scotland
Children	1. GEDDES, Andrew,   b. Abt 1670, Scotland + 2. GEDDES, Capt. John,   b. Abt 1670, Scotland

GEDDES, Andrew

Abt 1670 - Bef 1698  (28 years)

Birth	Abt 1670	Scotland
Died	Bef 24 May 1698	York County, Colony of Virginia, England
Father	GEDDES, Rev. William,   b. Abt 1630, Moray, Scotland
Mother	DUNBAR, Catherine

GEDDES, Capt. John

Abt 1670 - Aft 1720  (50 years)

Birth	Abt 1670	Scotland
Died	Aft Mar 1720	James City County, Colony of Virginia, UK
Father	GEDDES, Rev. William,   b. Abt 1630, Moray, Scotland
Mother	DUNBAR, Catherine
Family	DANSIE, Margaret,   b. Abt 1670, England
Married	Abt 1690	Colony of Virginia, England
Children	+ 1. GEDDES, Elizabeth,   b. Abt 1690, Colony of Virginia, England

• Name	GEDDES, William  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Prefix	Rev.
  Birth	Abt 1630	Moray, Scotland   [2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Education	1650	Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland   [2, 3, 4]
  	the University and King's College, graduating
  Individual Event	13 Nov 1650	Keith, Banff, Scotland   [2, 3, 4]
  	He became the schoolmaster
  Story	1681	Urquhart, Moray, Scotland   [2, 5, 6, 7]
  	Religious Persecution in 17th Century Scotland
  	Rev. William Geddes was a minister in the Episcopal church in the parishes of Wick from 23 November 1659 to 1677, and in Urquhart from 1677 to 1682, both in Inverness-shire, Scotland. James, the Duke of York, carried out the religious persecution and executions in Scotland for his older brother, Charles II. In 1681 James forced Parliament to pass the "Test Act", requiring all office holders, both public and religious, to swear an oath of loyalty to the king. This lead to a period known as "The Killing Time", when anyone could be stopped on the street and ask to say "God save the King". Non-compliance could mean a bullet to the head on the spot. Hundreds of ministers went into exile rather than take the oath. Rev. Geddes resigned from the the Urquhart parish in 1682, refusing to take the "Test". After the Glorious Revolution by William of Orange in 1688, the "Test" was resended in Scotland in 1690, and Rev. Geddes returned to the Wick parish in 1692 and was readmitted to the ministry, serving until his death in 1694. Back story: Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian style Church of Scotland, or kirk, and the primacy of its local leaders in religious affairs instead of the King's Bishops. The movement began in disputes over church structure and doctrine with James VI & I and his son Charles I, who were Catholic. In 1638, thousands of Scots signed the National Covenant, pledging to resist changes imposed by Charles I on the kirk. Following victory in the 1639 and 1640 Bishops' Wars, the Covenanters took control of Scotland's government and expelled the bishops from the kirk.. In 1643, the Solemn League and Covenant agreement with England brought them into the English Civil War on the side of Cromwell and the English Parliament against Charles I. But after the English Parliament had Charles I beheaded in 1649, the Scottish Covenanter government decided the English had gone too far, and restored his son, Charles II, to Scotland's throne after he reluctantly signed the Covenanter's National Covenant. They also proclaimed him to be the King of England and Ireland. This action brought Cromwell's army to defeat the Covenanters at Dundbar in 1651, killing 4,000 and taking 10,000 as prisoners. Charles II went into exile again and Cromwell ruled Scotland, England and Ireland until his death in 1658. In 1660 Charles II was restored to the three thrones, but he renounced the Covenanters and appointed Bishops to again control the Scottish Kirk as they had before the 1638 National Covenant. James, the Duke of York, carried out the religious persecution and executions in Scotland for his older brother, Charles II. In 1681 James forced Parliament to pass the "Test Act", requiring all office holders, both public and religious, to swear an oath of loyalty to the king. This lead to a period known as "The Killing Time", when anyone could be stopped on the street and ask to say "God save the King". Non-compliance could mean a bullet to the head on the spot. Hundreds of Covenanter ministers went into exile rather than take the oath. During this time, Charles II died and his younger brother, James VII & II, succeeded him, continuing the rigid Catholic control over the Scottish Kirk. In 1688, William of Orange with an army of 70,000, invaded England from France, driving James into exile in what was called the Glorious Revolution. William and his wife Mary were proclaimed King and Queen of England, Ireland and Scotland, beginning a constitutional monarchy beholden to Parliament. The Church of Scotland was re-established as a wholly Presbyterian structure without Bishops, but conceded to be subject to Parliament rather than the King. Most Covenanter ministers who refused to sign the Test Act were readmitted to Church of Scotland.
  Author	1683	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [2, 4]
  	a volume of pious verse, The Saint's Recreation; (third part) upon the State of Grace, published
  Occupation	Inverness-shire, Scotland   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  	Episcopal minister at the Wick and Urquhart parishes
  Death	1694	Wick, Caithness, Scotland   [2, 3, 4]
  Age	64 years
  Person ID	I5675	Cochrane Genealogy
  Last Modified	10 Jan 2026

  
  

  Family	DUNBAR, Catherine   d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	Y  [2, 3]
  Children	1. GEDDES, Andrew,   b. Abt 1670, Scotland d. Bef 24 May 1698, York County, Colony of Virginia, England (Age 28 years) +   2. GEDDES, Capt. John,   b. Abt 1670, Scotland d. Aft Mar 1720, James City County, Colony of Virginia, UK (Age 50 years)
  Family ID	F2224	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Sep 2021

  
  

• Notes

  (Research):Possible birth record on FindMyPast: Johnne Geddes, baptized 20 Dec 1638, St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, Scotland Father: James Geddes, Mother: ____ Milne

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - Abt 1630 - Moray, Scotland Education - the University and King's College, graduating - 1650 - Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland Individual Event - He became the schoolmaster - 13 Nov 1650 - Keith, Banff, Scotland Story - Religious Persecution in 17th Century Scotland - 1681 - Urquhart, Moray, Scotland Author - a volume of pious verse, The Saint's Recreation; (third part) upon the State of Grace, published - 1683 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Death - 1694 - Wick, Caithness, Scotland  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S1452] David Dobson, Book - Scots on the Chesapeake, Revised Edition 1621-1776, (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012.), 6 Aug 2021, p 54. Scots on the Chesapeake, Revised Edition - Capt. John Geddes & Andrew Geddes, p 54 [S1465] Rev. James Brown Craven D.D., Book - History Episcopal Church, Diocese of Caithness, Scotland, (Kirkwall, Scotland: William Peace & Son, 1908.), 27 Sep 2021, p 111, 119-126, 134, 144-145, 147, 195-196. Episcopal Church, Caithness, Scotland - Geddes, Rev William [S1466] The Scottish Episcopal Church, Internet - St. John the Evangelist Church - Wick, Scotland, (http://www.stjohnswick.org.uk/), 27 Sep 2021, accessed 27 September 2021), The people of St. John's, Wick - a congregational history, by Gordon Johnson, p 4. St. John's, Wick Church History, Wick, Scotland [S1457] Wikisource, Internet - Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900 (Great Britain), (https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900 : 2021), 11 Aug 2021, accessed 11 August 2021), Vol. 21, Geddes, William (1600?-1694) by Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography (Great Britain), Vol. 21, William Geddes [S1460] Rev. Murdoch Macdonald, Book - Covenanters in Moray & Ross (Scotland), (Nairn, Narinshire, Scotland, UK: J. T. Melven, 1875.), 29 Aug 2021, p 161. Covenanters in Moray & Ross - Rev. William Geddes - p 160-163 [S1464] Neil Oliver, Book - History of Scotland, (London: Phoenix, imprint of Orion Books Ltd., 2010.), 19 Sep 2021, p 245-287. [S214] Internet - Wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page), 4 Sep 2021, accessed 4 September 2021), "Scottish religion in the seventeenth century".