Edward Brice or Bryce (c. 1569–1636) was a Scottish

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, the first Presbyterian with a living in Ireland.

Life

He was born at

Airth Airth is a Royal Burgh, village, former trading port and civil parish in Falkirk, Scotland. It is north of Falkirk town and sits on the banks of the River Forth. Airth lies on the A905 road between Grangemouth and Stirling and is overlooked by A ...

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

, about 1569, and is named Bryce in the Scottish records, but Brice in the Irish records. He entered the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in about 1589, and studied under Charles Ferme (or Fairholm). He laureated 12 August 1593. On 30 December 1595 he was admitted by the

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

presbytery to the parochial charge of Bothkennar. He was translated to

Drymen Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred aroun ...

on 14 May 1602 and admitted on 30 September by the

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

presbytery. At the synod of Glasgow on 18 August 1607, he bitterly opposed the appointment of

John Spottiswoode John Spottiswoode (Spottiswood, Spotiswood, Spotiswoode or Spotswood) (1565 – 26 November 1639) was an Archbishop of St Andrews, Primate of All Scotland, Lord Chancellor, and historian of Scotland. Life He was born in 1565 at Greenbank in ...

as permanent moderator, in accordance with the king's recommendation, adopted by the general assembly at

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...

on 10 December 1606. On 29 December 1613 Archbishop Spottiswoode and the presbytery of Glasgow deposed him for adultery. Robert Echlin,

bishop of Down and Connor The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick (located in County Down) and the village of Connor (located in County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. The title is still used by the Catholic Chur ...

then gave Brice the cure of Templecorran (otherwise known as

Ballycarry Ballycarry () is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is midway between Larne and Carrickfergus, overlooking Islandmagee, and is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 981. Ar ...

or Broadisland) in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

in 1613 (maybe 1614,

New Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...

). William Edmunstone, laird of Duntreath, Stirlingshire, who had joined in the plantation of the

Ards Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...

, County Down, in 1606, was now at Broadisland, having obtained a perpetual lease of on lands there on 28 May 1609. The tradition is that Brice preached alternately at Templecorran and

Ballykeel Ballykeel (from Irish An Baile Caol, meaning "the narrow townland/farmstead") is a townland, containing a large housing estate off the Crebilly Road in South-East Ballymena, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. History The Ballykeel estate is di ...

Islandmagee Islandmagee () is a peninsula and civil parish on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Whitehead. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rural ...

. In September 1619 Echlin conferred on him the prebend of

Kilroot , translit_lang1 = Irish , translit_lang1_type = Derivation: , translit_lang1_info = , translit_lang1_type1 = Meaning: , translit_lang1_info1 = Church of the redhead , image_sk ...

. The ''Ulster Visitation'' of 1622 says that Brice 'serveth the cures of Templecorran and Kilroot—church at Kilroot decayed—that at Ballycarry has the walls newly erected, but not roofed.' In 1629 Brice is described as aged man and in 1630, when present on a communion Sunday at Templepatrick, he was unable to preach as appointed. Henry Calvert (or Colwort), an Englishman, was brought in by Lady Duntreath of Broadisland, as assistant to Brice; in June 1630 Calvert became minister of Muckamore (or Oldstone), County Antrim. On Echlin's death, 17 July 1635, Henry Leslie succeeded as bishop, and held his primary visitation at Lisburn in July 1636, and requiring subscription from all the clergy. Brice and Calvert were among the five who refused compliance, two others being James Hamilton and

John Ridge John Ridge, born ''Skah-tle-loh-skee'' (ᏍᎦᏞᎶᏍᎩ, Yellow Bird) ( – 22 June 1839), was from a prominent family of the Cherokee Nation, then located in present-day Georgia. He went to Cornwall, Connecticut, to study at the Foreign Mis ...

. A private conference produced no result, and though on 11 August Leslie made concessions on the conduct of services, the subscription was still refused. Accordingly on 12 August sentence of perpetual silence within the diocese was passed, Brice, probably as the oldest, being sentenced first. Brice died soon after, and the Presbyterians appointed no regular successor to him till 1646. His tombstone at the ruined church of Ballycarry says that he died, aged 67, and left two sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Robert, acquired a fortune at Castlechester, then the point of departure for the Scottish mail; pennies are extant with his name, dated Castlechester, 1671.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brice, Edward 1569 births 1636 deaths 16th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Irish Presbyterian ministers