Kirk pioneer had Kinross ties

Donald Abbott, a long-time collector of communion tokens – pieces of metal issued in Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries to members of Reformed churches to provide them entrance to the Lord’s Supper – takes us back today to a turbulent period in the nation’s history of organised worship.

He writes: “Most of your readers will be aware of the Church of Scotland’s Disruption of 1843 and the consequent setting up of the Free Church of Scotland. Not so well known today, perhaps, is the Secession of 1733, set in motion by Ebenezer Erskine and three of his fellow ministers.

“These ministers were later joined by Ebenezer’s brother Ralph, minister at Dunfermline. Ebenezer had been born in 1680 at Dryburgh in the Scottish Borders of covenanting parents, and covenanting principles played a part in the embryo Secession Church.

“The proponents were concerned with certain doctrinal matters proposed by a leading Church of Scotland academic, and so strong differences of theological opinion emerged.

“Erskine had served with distinction as Church of Scotland minister at Portmoak and later was minister of the Third Charge at Stirling. He was for a time moderator of the Synod and a sermon he gave at St Johns Kirk, Perth, against the General Assembly’s dictate of 1731 suggesting how ministers should be appointed, with the decision taken to send this suggestion down to presbyteries, was later confirmed as an act of the Church of Scotland.

“There was a proposal to discipline Ebenezer by way of censure for disrespect

and misuse of his moderator’s position, and at the General Assembly of 1733 he was rebuked for an offensive sermon which disturbed the peace of the church.

“Before the rebuke could be delivered formally, Erskine and his friends left a highly inflammatory document on the table and refused to withdraw it, before walking out. The seeds of secession were thus sown!

“After further acts not considered commensurate with Church of Scotland

practices and expectations, the rebel ministers, having been originally left in their kirks, were then suspended. It took until 1740 for them to be formally deposed.

“On December 3 1733, the five ministers concerned had met at Gairney Bridge near Kinross and became constituted as the Associate Presbytery. As it evolved further it became known as the Associate Synod and later as the First Secession Church.

“This was later to become a Scotlandwide body evolving through stages having firstly burgher congregations as well as antiburgher congregations – both bodies later dividing into a further four branches.

“By 1820, most of these separated congregations had again amalgamated to form the United Associate Synod, which was to evolve with the 1761 Relief Church in 1847 to form the United Presbyterian Church.

“In 1900, the United Presbyterian Church was to amalgamate with the Free Church to form the United Free Church of Scotland.

“A branch of my family were avid members of the Burgher Secession Church of Pitroddie in the Carse of Gowrie, whose congregation was formed in 1788.

“It later became a United Presbyterian church and later still a United Free church. In 1911, it amalgamated with the nearby Kinfauns United Free Church to form the joint congregation of Glendoick and Pitroddie United Free Church. In 1929, in tandem with many others, that congregation rejoined the Church of Scotland.”

This vintage picture of unidentified Arbroath factory staff from a date unknown was supplied by a Craigie fan, who asks: “Does anyone recognise a granny? And who were the three old photobombers at the back?” See below for more thoughts on the old photo.

Maurice Napier, from Arbroath, is keen to find out more about this mystery vessel seen here berthed at his home harbour in the late 1950s or early ’60s. See right for more.