First Secession

For other uses, see Secession (disambiguation).

First Secession
Classification	Protestant
Polity	Presbyterian
Origin	1733
Separated from	reconstituted Church of Scotland
Separations	Burghers vs. Anti-Burghers

Ebenezer Erskine statue in the Old Town Cemetery, Stirling

The First Secession was an exodus of ministers and members from the Church of Scotland in 1733. Those who took part formed the Associate Presbytery and later the United Secession Church. They were often referred to as Seceders.

The underlying principles of the split focused upon issues of ecclesiology and ecclesiastical polity, especially in the perceived threat lay patronage represented to the right of a congregation to choose its own minister. These issues had their roots in seventeenth century controversies between presbyterian and episcopal factions in the Church of Scotland.

This was complicated by the fact that most ministers, by tradition, were the younger sons from the aristocratic families, and those same families were usually the local landowners. The local landowner therefore would often act as a "patron" to the church, not only through gifting of money, but through supply of their own relatives to fill the role of minister.

There were some ministers from more humble backgrounds, but these frequently found it hard to receive nomination for any post, lacking the family connections then required.

Unlike later schisms, where the country congregations were the main participants, the main advocates of the Secession Church were the town dwellers, and most large Scottish towns had a Secession Church.

History

The Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 laid a bed of general unrest amongst the Church of Scotland, laying down set rules on how ministers were to be chosen and based on very non-Scottish ideas of feudal hierarchy, more a product of the Act of Union 1707 than of traditional Scottish approach to issues.

The First Secession arose out of an act of the General Assembly of 1732, which was passed despite the disapproval of the large majority of individual presbyteries. This restricted to Heritors and Elders the right of nominating ministers to vacancies where the Patron had not nominated within six months. ^[1] When Ebenezer Erskine wished to have his dissent recorded, it was found that a previous act of the General Assembly of 1730 had removed the right of recorded dissent, ^[2] and so the protests of the dissenters were refused. In the following October, Ebenezer Erskine, minister at Stirling, and, at the time, Moderator of the Synod of Stirling preached a sermon referring to the act as unscriptural and unconstitutional. Members of the synod objected, and he was censured. ^[3] On appeal, the censure was affirmed by the Assembly in May 1733, ^[4] but Erskine refused to recant. ^[5] He was joined in his protest by William Wilson, Alexander Moncrieff and James Fisher. They were regarded by the Assembly as being in contempt. When they still refused to recant, in November the protesting ministers were suspended. They replied by protesting that they still adhered to the principles of the Church, whilst at the same time seceding.

Timeline showing the evolution of the churches of Scotland from 1560

In December 1733 they constituted themselves into a new presbytery. In 1734 they published their first testimony, with a statement of the grounds of their secession, which made prominent reference to the doctrinal laxity of previous General Assemblies. In 1736 they proceeded to exercise judicial powers as a church court, published a judicial testimony, and began to organize churches in various parts of the country. Having been joined by four other ministers, including the well-known Ralph Erskine, they appointed Wilson Professor of Divinity. For these acts proceedings were again instituted against them in the General Assembly, and they were in 1740 all deposed and ordered to be ejected from their churches. Meanwhile, the membership of their 'Associate Presbytery' increased, until in 1745 there were forty-five congregations, and it was reconstituted into an 'Associate Synod'.

In 1747 the Secession Church split following introduction of the Oath of Burghers, creating the Burghers and Anti-Burghers. In towns where the split occurred the churches were known as the Burgher Church and Anti-Burgher Church. In towns without such a split it continued to be known as simply the Secession Church.

A Second Secession from the Church of Scotland occurred in 1761, with Thomas Gillespie and others. This was called the Presbytery of Relief or more usually simply the Relief Church.

In 1847, this denomination united with the United Secession Church (formed in 1820 from the union of the New Licht Burghers and New Licht Anti-Burghers) to form the United Presbyterian Church.

Churches

Affiliations:

• AB = Antiburgher (1747-1820)
• B = Burgher (1747-1820)
• CAB = Constitutional or Auld Licht Anti-Burgher (1806-27)
• CoS = Church of Scotland
• FC = Free Church (1843-)
• ind. = independent
• OB = Original or Auld Licht Burgher (1798-1842)
• OSC = Original Secession Church (1827-1956)
• SC = Secession Church (1733-47)
• SoP = Synod of Protesters (1820-27)
• UFC = United Free Church (1900-29)
• USC = United Secession Church (1820-47)
• UPC = United Presbyterian Church (1847-1900)

Church...............................	From	To	Lifetime	Affiliations................................	Notes
Aberdeen (Melville)	1757	1962	205 yrs	B - OB - CoS - FC - UFC - CoS	Original Burgher 1800. CoS 1839. Aberdeen Melville FC 1843. UFC 1900. Parish Church 1929. U/w Carden Place to form Ab. Melville Carden Place PC 1962.
Aberdeen (Belmont Street)	1777	1921	144 yrs	AB - SoP - USC - UPC - UFC	Possibly a secession from Aberdeen Burgher Church. Synod of Protesters 1820. USC (not OSC) 1827. UPC 1847. Aberdeen Belmont Street UFC 1900. U/w East to form Ab. East and Belmont Street UFC 1921.
Aberdeen (Skene Terrace)	1807	1908	101 yrs	CAB - OSC	Possibly a secession from Aberdeen Antiburgher Church. OSC 1827. Dissolved.
Airdrie (Broomknoll)	1800	2016	216 yrs	OB - CoS - FC - UFC - CoS	CoS 1839. Airdrie Broomknoll FC 1843. UFC 1900. Parish Church 1929. U/w Aird. Flowerhill to form Cairnlea PC 2016.
Alloa (East/Melville)	1801	1909	108 yrs	OB - CoS - FC - UFC	CoS 1839. Alloa East FC 1843. Alloa Melville UFC 1900. Absorbed into Alloa Chalmers UFC 1909.
Alyth [Burgher]	1803	1818	15 yrs	B	Dissolved.
Alyth [Antiburgher]	1806	1839	33 yrs	CAB - OSC	OSC 1827. Dissolved.
Arbroath (High Street)	1782	1924	142 yrs	AB - CAB - OSC - FC - UFC	Antiburgher. Majority became CAB 1806. OSC 1827. Majority became Arbroath High St Free Church 1852. UFC 1900. U/w East UFC to form Arbroath St Ninian's UFC 1924.
Arbroath (Maule Street)	1852	1960s	110 yrs	OSC - ind.	When majority of Arbroath OSC joined Free Church 1852, a minority continued in the OSC. Remained independent beyond the end of the OSC in 1956.
Auchinleck	1756	1928	172 yrs	AB - SoP - OSC	Disjoined from Kilmaurs 1756. Synod of Protesters 1820. OSC 1827. Remained in OSC 1852. Dissolved.
Ayr	1770	1944	174 yrs	AB - SoP - OSC	Disjoined from Kilmaurs 1770. Synod of Protesters 1820. OSC 1827. Remained in OSC 1852. Dissolved.
Balfron	1829	1835	6 yrs	USC	Dissolved.
Balmullo	1787	1859	72 yrs	AB - CAB - OSC - FC	Disjoined from Ceres 1787. CAB 1806. OSC 1827. Majority joined Free Church 1852. Dissolved c. 1859.
Balmullo (OSC)	1852	1878	26 yrs	OSC	When majority of Balmullo OSC joined Free Church 1852, a minority continued in the OSC. Dissolved.
Ballynahinch, Ireland	1830			OB - IPC	Joined Irish Presbyterian Church 1830s. Later 3rd Presbyterian, Ballynahinch.
Ballylintagh/Dromore	1820			OB - OSC - IPC	Joined OSC 1841. Relocated to Dromore 1852. United with Toberdoney and joined Presbyterian Church of Ireland 1955.
Ballylintagh (FC)	1852			OSC - IPC	Minority of Ballylintagh OSC joined Free Church 1852. Ultimately joined IPC.
Bannockburn	1797	1837	40 yrs	B - OB	Disjoined from Stirling 1797. OB 1800. Dissolved.
Bathgate (Orig. Burgher)	1765	1856	91 yrs	B - OB - CoS - USC - UPC	Disjoined from Torphichen 1765. Majority became OBs 1799. CoS 1839. Left for USC 1841. UPC 1847. Dissolved.
Bathgate (New Licht Bu)	1799	1828	29 yrs	B - USC	When majority of Bathgate Burgher Church became OBs 1799, a minority continued as (New Licht) Burghers. USC 1820. Dissolved.
Birsay	c1800	1957	157 yrs	AB - CAB - OSC - CoS	CAB 1806. OSC 1827. Did not join FC 1852. Birsay Swannayside Parish Church 1956. Absorbed into Birsay PC 1957.

Theological professors

• William Wilson (1736–1741)
• Alexander Moncrieff (1741–1747)

See also

• Marrow Controversy
• Thomas Mair
• Thomas Nairn

References

Citations

1. Acts, 1732.
2. Acts, 1730.
3. Knight p. 494.
4. Acts, 1733.
5. Fraser, pp. 384 et seq.

Sources

• Blaikie, William Garden (1889). "Fisher, James"  . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 19. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Carlyle, Edward Irving (1900). "Wilson, William (1690-1741)"  . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 62. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Gordon, Alexander (1889). "Erskine, Ebenezer"  . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 17. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Gordon, Alexander (1889). "Erskine, Ralph"  . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 17. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Johnstone, Thomas Boston (1894). "Moncrieff, Alexander"  . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• McCrie, C. G. (1893). The Free Church of Scotland : her ancestry, her claims, and her conflicts. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. pp.  59-60. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
• McKerrow, John (1839a). History of the Secession Church. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: William Oliphant and Son. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
• McKerrow, John (1839b). History of the Secession Church. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: William Oliphant and Son. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
• Scott, Hew (1923). Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation. Vol. 4. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. pp.  197-198. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
• Small, Robert (1904a). History of the congregations of the United Presbyterian Church, from 1733 to 1900. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: David M. Small. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
• Small, Robert (1904b). History of the congregations of the United Presbyterian Church, from 1733 to 1900. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: David M. Small. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
• Thomson, Andrew; Struthers, Gavin (1858). Historical sketch of the origin of the Secession Church and the History of the rise of the Relief Church. Edinburgh and London: A. Fullerton and Co.
• Young, David; Brown, John (1849). Memorials of Alexander Moncrieff, M.A., and James Fisher, fathers of the United Presbyterian Church. Edinburgh: A. Fullarton.

Bibliography

• Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1730, 1732, 1734. Church Law Society, Edinburgh, 1843, British History Online
• Knight, Charles. The English Cyclopaedia: a New Dictionary of Universal Knowledge, Volume VIII, pp. 487-494. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1861.
• Fraser, Donald. The Life and Diary of the Reverend Ebenezer Erskine, A.M.: of Stirling, Father of the Secession Church, to which is prefixed a memoir of his father, the Rev. Henry Erskine, of Chirnside. W Oliphant, Edinburgh, 1831.
• VanDoodewaard, William. The Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition. Reformation Heritage Books, Grand Rapids, 2011.