Timeline showing the evolution of the churches of Scotland from 1560
The Free Church of Scotland seceded from the Church of Scotland in theDisruption of 1843. The United Presbyterian Church was formed in 1847 by a union of theUnited Secession andRelief Churches, both of which had split from the Church of Scotland. The two denominations united in 1900 to form the United Free Church (except for a small section of the Free Church who rejected the union and continued independently under the name of theFree Church).
The minority of the Free Church, which had refused to join the union, quickly tested its legality. They issued a summons, claiming that in altering the principles of the Free Church, the majority had ceased to be the Free Church of Scotland and therefore forfeited the right to its assets – which should belong to the remaining minority, who were the true 'Free Church'. However, the case was lost in theCourt of Session, where Lord Low (upheld by the second division) held that the Assembly of original Free Church had a right, within limits, to change its position.
An appeal to theHouse of Lords, (not delivered until 1 August 1904 due to a judicial death), reversed the Court of Session's decision (by a majority of 5–2), and found the minority entitled to the assets of the Free Church. It was held that, by adopting new standards of doctrine (and particularly by abandoning its commitment to 'the establishment principle' – which was held to be fundamental to the Free Church), the majority had violated the conditions on which the property of the Free Church was held.
The judgement had huge implications; seemingly it deprived the Free Church element of the UF Church of all assets—churches, manses, colleges, missions, and even provision for elderly clergy. It handed large amounts of property to the remnant; more than it could make effective use of. A conference, held in September 1904, between representatives of the UF and the (now distinct) Free Church, to come to some working arrangement, found that no basis for agreement could be found. A convocation of the UF Church, held on 15 December, decided that the union should proceed, and resolved to pursue every lawful means to restore their assets. As a result, the intervention ofParliament was sought.
A parliamentary commission was appointed, consisting ofLords Elgin,Kinnear andAnstruther. The question of interim possession was referred to SirJohn Cheyne. The commission sat in public, and after hearing both sides, issued their report in April 1905. They stated that the feelings of both parties towards the other had made their work difficult. They concluded, however, that the Free Church was in many respects unable to carry out the purposes of the trusts, which, under the ruling of the House of Lords, was a condition of their holding the property. They recommended that an executive commission should be set up by act of parliament, in which the whole property of the Free Church, as at the date of the union, should be vested, and which should allocate it to the United Free Church, where the Free Church was unable to carry out the trust purposes.
The Churches (Scotland) Act 1905,[2] which gave effect to these recommendations, was passed in August. The commissioners appointed were those on whose report the act was formed, plus two others. The allocation of churches andmanses was a slow business, but by 1908 over 100 churches had been assigned to the Free Church. Some of the dispossessed UF Church congregations, most of them in the Highlands, found shelter for a time in the parish churches; but it was early decided that in spite of the objection against the erection of more church buildings in districts where many were now standing empty, 60 new churches and manses should at once be built at a cost of about £150,000. In October 1906 the commission intimated that the Assembly Hall, and theNew College Buildings, were to belong to the UF Church, while the Free Church received the offices in Edinburgh, and a tenement to be converted into a college, while the library was to be vested in the UF Church, but open to members of both. After having held its Assembly in university class-rooms for two years, and in another hall in 1905, in 1906 the UF Church again occupied the historic buildings of the Free Church. All the foreign missions and all the continental stations were also adjudged to the United Free Church. (Incidentally, the same act also contained provided for the relaxation of subscription in the Church of Scotland, thus Parliament had involved itself in the affairs of all Presbyterian churches.)
The United Free Church was during its relatively short existence the second largestPresbyterian church inScotland. The Free Church brought into the union 1,068 congregations, the United Presbyterians 593. Combined they had a membership of some half a million Scots. The revenue of the former amounted to £706,546, of the latter to £361,743. The missionaries of both churches joined the union, and the united Church was then equipped with missions in various parts ofIndia, inManchuria, in Africa (Lovedale, Livingstonia, etc.), in Palestine, inMelanesia and in theWest Indies.
The UFC was broadly liberal Evangelical in its approach to theology and practical issues. It combined an acceptance of the findings of contemporary science, and the more moderate results ofhigher criticism with commitment to evangelism and missions. The UFC's approach to doctrinal conformity was fairly liberal for a Presbyterian denomination at the time. In its 1906Act Anent Spiritual Independence of the Church, its General Assembly asserted the power to modify or define itsSubordinate standard (theWestminster Confession) and its laws. Although its subordinate standard remained, ministers and elders were asked to state their belief in "the doctrine of this Church, set forth in the Confession of Faith". Thus the Church's interpretation of doctrine was prioritised over the confession.[citation needed]
Unchanged: Annan Erskine, Annan St Andrew's, Eskdalemuir, Johnstone & Wamphray, Kirkpatrick Fleming, Lockerbie St Cuthbert's, Lockerbie Trinity, Moffat St Mary's, Moffat Well Road, Rigg of Gretna, Waterbeck
Unions: Dalkeith St John's + Dalkeith King's Park = Dalkeith St John's & King's Park 1912. Gorebridge East + Gorebridge St Paul's = Gorebridge 1921. Loanhead Erskine + Loanhead South = Loanhead 1904. Newlands + West Linton = West Linton & Newlands 1910.
Presbytery of Edinburgh (98 to 90)
Churches unchanged throughout the period: Balerno, Corstorphine, Cramond (renamed Davidson's Mains 1927), East Calder, Edinburgh Argyle Place, Edinburgh Arthur Street (renamed Edinburgh Pleasance 1919), Edinburgh Barclay, Edinburgh Braid, Edinburgh Bristo, Edinburgh Broughton Place, Edinburgh Bruntsfield, Edinburgh Cairns Memorial, Edinburgh Chalmers, Edinburgh Craigmillar Park, Edinburgh Dalry, Edinburgh Davidson, Edinburgh Fountainbridge (renamed Edinburgh Candlish 1901), Edinburgh Fountainhall Road, Edinburgh Gorgie, Edinburgh Grange, Edinburgh Greenbank, Edinburgh Guthrie Memorial, Edinburgh Haymarket, Edinburgh High, Edinburgh Hope Park, Edinburgh John Ker Memorial, Edinburgh Lady Glenorchy's, Edinburgh Lauriston Place, Edinburgh Leith Bonnington, Edinburgh Leith Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh Leith Ebenezer*, Edinburgh Leith Junction Road, Edinburgh Leith Kirkgate, Edinburgh Leith North Coburg Street, Edinburgh Leith North Ferry Road, Edinburgh Leith St Andrew's Place, Edinburgh Leith St Ninian's, Edinburgh Leith South, Edinburgh Leith Wardie, Edinburgh Liberton, Edinburgh London Road, Edinburgh Lothian Road 42, Edinburgh Mayfield, Edinburgh Morningside, Edinburgh New North, Edinburgh Newhaven, Edinburgh Nicolson Street, Edinburgh North Morningside, Edinburgh North Richmond Street, Edinburgh Palmerston Place, Edinburgh Pilrig, Edinburgh Portobello Regent Street, Edinburgh Portobello St Philip's, Edinburgh Portobello Windsor Place, Edinburgh Queen Street, Edinburgh Restalrig, Edinburgh Rose Street (renamed Edinburgh McDonald Road 1905), Edinburgh Roseburn, Edinburgh Rosehall, Edinburgh St Andrew's, Edinburgh St Columba's, Edinburgh St David's, Edinburgh St George's, Edinburgh St James', Edinburgh St James' Place, Edinburgh St Mary's, Edinburgh St Paul's, Edinburgh St Stephen's, Edinburgh Slateford, Edinburgh South Morningside, Edinburgh Stockbridge, Edinburgh Viewforth, Edinburgh Warrender Park, Juniper Green, Ratho & Kirknewton, South Queensferry, West Calder Harwood, West Calder Limefield*
Dissolutions: Berwick (transferred to English Presbyterian Church 1917), Horndean (1903), Spittal (1908)
Unions: Chirnside Erskine + Chirnside West = Chirnside 1919. Eyemouth East + Eyemouth St John's = Eyemouth 1917. Greenlaw East + Greenlaw West = Greenlaw 1903.
Presbytery of Galashiels (26 to 19)
Unchanged: Earlston, Ettrick, Galashiels East, Galashiels Ladhope, Galashiels St John's, Galashiels South, Galashiels West, Melrose High Cross, Melrose St Aidan's, Peebles Leckie Memorial, St Boswells, Selkirk Lawson Memorial, Yarrow
Unions: Bowden + Newtown 1929. Innerleithen Law + Innerleithen St John's = Innerleithen 1919. Lauder East + Lauder West = Lauder 1908. Peebles St Andrew's + Peebles West = Peebles St Andrew's 1918. Selkirk Forest + Selkirk West = Selkirk West 1915. Stow North + Stow South = Stow 1901.
Presbytery of Hawick (18 to 17)
Unchanged: Canonbie, Denholm, Hawick Allars, Hawick East Bank, Hawick Orrock Place, Hawick St Andrew's, Hawick St George's, Hawick West Port, Hawick Wilton, Holywell, Langholm Chalmers, Longtown St Andrew's, Newcastleton North, Newcastleton South, Wolflee
Unions: Langholm North + Langholm South = Langholm Erskine 1925. Lilliesleaf + Ashkirk (from Presbytery of Galashiels) = Lilliesleaf & Ashkirk 1909.
Presbytery of Jedburgh and Kelso (22 to 14)
Unchanged: Ancrum, Coldstream Rodger Memorial, Coldstream West, Crailing, Gordon (transferred to Presbytery of Duns and Chirnside 1912), Jedburgh Abbey, Kelso Edenside, Kelso Trinity, Leitholm, Makerstoun, Stichill
Dissolutions: Coldstream East (1905), Eccles (1923), Nenthorn (1914)
Unions: Jedburgh Blackfriars + Jedburgh Boston = Jedburgh Boston Blackfriars 1917. Kelso East + Kelso North = Kelso St John's 1906. Morebattle Gateshaw Brae + Morebattle St Lawrence = Morebattle 1907. Yetholm Border View + Yetholm St James' = Yetholm 1914.
The main hurdles were overcome by two parliamentary statutes, firstly theChurch of Scotland Act 1921, which recognised the Church of Scotland's independence in spiritual matters (a right asserted by itsArticles Declaratory of 1919). The second was theChurch of Scotland (Properties and Endowments) Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 33), which transferred the secular endowment of the church to a new body called theGeneral Trustees. These measures satisfied the majority of the UFC that the Church-state entanglement of the Church of Scotland, which had been the cause of theDisruption of 1843 had at last ended. In 1929, the merger with theChurch of Scotland largely reversed theDisruption of 1843 and reunited much of Scottish Presbyterianism. On 2 October 1929, at an assembly at the Industrial Hall on Annandale Street offLeith Walk inEdinburgh, the two churches merged.[5] The Hall is now the central bus depot forLothian Region Transport.
A relatively small minority stayed out of the union, and retained the name of U.F. Church.
Voluntaryism led some to oppose the union (the United Free Church Association, led byJames Barr – minister ofGovan and Labour MP forMotherwell). When it came, 13,000 UFC members remained outside, calling themselves the United Free Church (Continuing).[6] The phrase 'continuing' was used for five years to avoid confusion between the remaining United Free Church and the pre-union Church. It was dropped from the title in 1934. An agreement between the parties avoided the property disputes of the 1900 union. UFC members increased slightly during the 1930s, to a peak of 23,000 by 1939, but it never regained anywhere near the numbers it had had prior to the union with the Church of Scotland.[6]
The ongoing UFC continues in the 'broad evangelical' tradition.
The continuing UFC agreed to permit theordination of female ministers in 1929.[7] The church elected a woman as its moderator in 1960,[7] whenElizabeth Barr became the first female moderator of a general assembly of a Scottish church.[8]
The General Assembly of the United Free Church of Scotland meets annually, beginning on the Wednesday after the first Sunday in June, and lasting until the Friday. Since 2008, they have committed to having the General Assembly in a central location, meeting in the Salutation Hotel, Perth.[9]
In 2016, they had 60 ordained ministers, including retired and those serving part-time. There were three students, and a further three probationer ministers. The denomination has 388 Elders, and 255 Deacons, Managers or board members who are not Elders.
In 2023, there were 22 serving ministers, along with seven Ministry Assistants. There was one Student Minister, and 22 Retired Ministers. The denomination has 300 Elders, and 183 Deacons, Managers or board members who are not Elders. The total membership (Communicants) at the end of 2023 was 1782 individuals.[10]
In 2016, the UFC had 53 congregations in its three presbyteries.[9] By end 2023, this had reduced to 47 congregations.[10] These three presbyteries are 'The East', 'The West' and 'The North'.
The East: meets in Bo'ness and covers central Scotland, South Fife and the Lothians. It has 14 congregations.
The West which meets in Glasgow and covers Strathclyde, and has 21 congregations within its bounds.
The North meets in Aberdeen and Perth covering Tayside, The Highlands, Grampian and the Northern Isles. It has 12 congregations.
The following UFC churches, or sections of churches, are recorded in theFasti of the United Free Church (1900-29) as having remained outside the Union of 1929 with the Church of Scotland:
Alloa: Moncrieff (a minority of members, who took the buildings) (Presbytery of Stirling and Dunblane)
Auchterarder: West (some members) (Presbytery of Auchterarder)
Boddam (Presbytery of Deer)
Bo'ness: Craigmailen (Presbytery of Linlithgow and Falkirk)
Broughton (Presbytery of Lanark)
Burntisland: Erskine (Presbytery of Kirkcaldy)
Campbeltown: Lochend (Presbytery of Kintyre)
Closeburn (Presbytery of Dumfries and Penpont)
Dumfries: Loreburn (Presbytery of Dumfries and Penpont)
Dysart: Normand Road (Presbytery of Kirkcaldy)
Greenock: St Andrew's Square (Presbytery of Gourock)
Kilmaurs: Maxwell (Presbytery of Irvine and Kilmarnock)
Leith: Ebenezer (Presbytery of Edinburgh)
Lismore (Presbytery of Lorn)
Lochwinnoch: Calder (Presbytery of Paisley)
Newport: Trinity (Presbytery of St Andrews)
Sanday: East ("a considerable body of members") (Presbytery of Orkney)
Sauchie and Fishcross (Presbytery of Stirling and Dunblane)
West Calder: Limefield (Presbytery of Edinburgh)
Westray (a majority of members) (Presbytery of Orkney)
The following congregations were formed shortly after 1929:
Lerwick
Moderators of the General Assembly of the United Free Church
The dispute over assets between the Free Church and the United Free Church was satirised byNeil Munro in his Erchie MacPherson story "Erchie and the Free Church", first published in theGlasgow Evening News on 8 August 1904.[15]
^Munro, Neil, "Erchie and the Free Church", in Osborne. Brian D. and Armstrong, Ronald (eds.) (2002),Erchie, My Droll Friend,Birlinn Limited, Edinburgh, pp. 255 - 258,ISBN978-1-84158202-3
^Those are legal umbrella bodies which represent their member churches before the national government. They encompass multiple individual autonomous churches of differnet traditions which are themselves members of the CPCE.
