Relief Church

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Relief Church
Classification Protestantism
Theology Calvinism
Polity Presbyterian
Associationsmerged with the United Secession Church in 1847 to form United Presbyterian Church of Scotland
Founder Thomas Gillespie
Origin1761
Colinsburgh, Fife
Separated from Church of Scotland

The Relief Church (or Presbytery of Relief) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination founded in 1761. [1] In 1847 it united with the United Secession Church to form the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

Contents

In relation to the history of the Church of Scotland it is known as the Second Secession, relating to the First Secession of 1733.

History

The church was founded by Thomas Gillespie, a former minister of the Church of Scotland. He had been deposed by the General Assembly in 1752 after he refused to participate in inducting a minister to the Inverkeithing parish since the parishioners opposed the appointment. Gillespie was joined by Thomas Boston of Oxnam and Thomas Colier of Westmoreland. They held the first meeting of the Presbytery of Relief at Colinsburgh in Fife in 1761. The name was chosen to mean relief from the patronage that was common in the Church of Scotland at the time. [2]

The Relief body was liberal, welcoming independents, Episcopalians and other devout men to join them. [2] In 1766, the distinguished minister James Baine resigned from his presbytery of Paisley and joined the Relief Church. In his letter of resignation Baine asserted that his faith and belief in his former creed was unchanged, but he was resigning due to abuses of church power. [3]

The number of congregations grew rapidly, and a Relief Synod was formed in 1773, which in 1847 had under its jurisdiction 136 congregations. The Relief Church issued no distinctive testimonies, and a certain breadth of view was shown in the formal declaration of their terms of communion, first made in 1773, which allowed occasional communion with those of the Episcopal and Independent persuasion.

In 1794, the Relief Church adopted as its hymn-book Patrick Hutchison's Sacred Songs and Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture, and it was Hutchison who established the first systematic definition of the Relief Church's beliefs.

Timeline showing the evolution of the churches of Scotland from 1560 Reformed Scots Church Denominations.svg
Timeline showing the evolution of the churches of Scotland from 1560

A Relief theological hall was instituted in 1824. In 1847, a union was formed between all the congregations of the United Secession Church and 118 out of 136 of the Relief Churches, in what became the United Presbyterian Church. [4]



Churches [5]

................Church.........................Lifetime.............Relief....Notes
Aberdeen: Belmont Street17781778-91Rejoined Church of Scotland as Belmont Street chapel of ease 1791.
Aberdeen: Shiprow1780-1840 (60 yrs)1780-1807Split from Belmont Street. Left Relief 1807, joined Secession 1823, closed c. 1840.
Aberdeen: St Paul's18021802-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929.
Annan1833-47 (14 yrs)1833-47Merged with Annan Burgher Church in 1847.
Arbroath: St Paul's1835-1908 (73 yrs)1835-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Absorbed into High Street UFC 1908.
Auchtermuchty: West1762-1873 (111 yrs)1762-1847UPC 1847. United with East to form Auchtermuchty South UPC 1873.
Balfron1793-1880 (87 yrs)1793-1847UPC 1847. United with Holm of Balfron to form Balfron and Holm UPC 1880.
Banff1772-1886 (114 yrs)1772-1808Left Relief 1808 for Congregationalists. Dissolved.
Bathgate: West1812-2023 (211 yrs)1812-47UPC 1847, St John's UFC 1900, CoS 1929. U/w High to form Bathgate PC 2023.
Bonhill: North18311831-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929.
Brechin: Bank Street1830-1914 (84 yrs)1830-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. United with City Road 1914 to form St Ninian's UFC.
Burnhead or Penpont1799-1911 (112 yrs)1799-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. United with Penpont West to form Scaurbridge & Burnhead.
Castle Douglas (I)1800-17 (17 yrs)1800-17Dissolved.
Castle Douglas: Trinity1836-1923 (87 yrs)1836-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. United with Queen St & St George's to form Castle Douglas.
Ceres: East1795-1885 (90 yrs)1795-1847Split from Ceres Antiburgher Church. UPC 1847. United with Ceres West UPC 1885.
Coldingham1793-1940 (147 yrs)1793-1805Became Burgher 1805. USC, UPC, UFC, Col. St Andrew's PC 1929. U/w Priory 1940.
Cupar: Westport/Boston1770-1918 (148 yrs)1770-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Dissolved.
Cupar: Provost Wynd1828-1848 (20 yrs)1828-48Split from Cupar Westport. Minister and majority joined CoS (not UPC) 1848.
Dalkeith: King's Park1765-1912 (147 yrs)1765-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. United with St John's to form St John's & King's Park UFC.
Dumbarton: Bridgend17921792-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929.
Dundee: Chapelshade17891789-91Rejoined Church of Scotland as Chapelshade chapel of ease 1791.
Dundee: West Port1792-1810 (18 yrs)1792-99Left to become Independents 1799. United with Dundee Congreg. Church 1810.
Dundee: New Inn Entry1799-1818 (19 yrs)1799-1818Dissolved.
Dundee: Seagate1811-21 (10 yrs)1811-21Split from New Inn Entry. Dissolved.
Dundee: Dudhope Road1821-1909 (88 yrs)1821-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Dissolved.
Dundee: James' Church18371837-47Split f. Dudhope Rd. UPC '47, UFC '00. Named Clepington 1906. St James' PC 1929.
Dumfries: Townhead17871787-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929.
Dunfermline: Gillespie1761-1847 (86 yrs)1761-1847United with Maygate USC 1847 to form Gillespie and Maygate UPC.
Duns: South1762-1976 (214 yrs)1762-1847UPC 1847. Abs. West 1895. UFC, CoS 1929. U/w Old & Boston to form Duns 1976.
Dunscore: Renwick1814-1918 (104 yrs)1814-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. United with East to form Dunscore UFC 1918.
Edinburgh: College Street1765-1910 (145 yrs)1765-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. U/w Cowgate and Pleasance to form Union UFC 1910.
Edinburgh: St James Place1796-1933 (137 yrs)1796-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929. U/w Barony to form Barony & St James' Place.
Edinburgh: Roxburgh Place1800-56 (56 yrs)1800-21Became independent 1821, joined CoS 1833/34. Dissolved?
Edinburgh: Viewforth1818-1967 (149 yrs)1818-47UPC 1847. Bruntsfield UFC 1900. CoS 1929. U/w Barclay to form Barclay Bruntsfield.
Ed.: Roxburgh Terrace1824-42 (18 yrs)1824-42United with Arthur Street 1842.
Edinburgh: Arthur Street1825-42 (17 yrs)1825-42United with Roxburgh Terrace 1842.
Ed. Arth. St & Roxb. Terr.1842-1953 (111 yrs)1842-47UPC 1847, Arthur Street UFC 1900, Pleasance 1919. CoS 1929. U/w Charteris Mem.
Edinburgh: Stockbridge1825-28 (3 yrs)1825-28Dissolved.
Falkirk: West1767-1990 (223 yrs)1767-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929. U/w St Andrew's to form St Andrew's West 1990.
Ford1782-1949 (167 yrs)1782-1815Left for Burgher Church 1815. USC, UPC, UFC, CoS. U/w Cranstoun & Crichton.
Glasgow: Kelvingrove1766-1908 (142 yrs)1766-1847Named at first Dovehill. UPC 1847, UFC 1900. U/w College to form C. & K.
Glasgow: Anderston17691769-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Anderston Old PC 1929.
Glasgow: East Campbell St1792-1926 (134 yrs)1792-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. U/w Sydney Place to form Syd. Pl. & E Campbell St 1926.
Glasgow: John Street17981798-1847Split from Dovehill. UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929.
Glasgow: Hutchesontown1799-1926 (127 yrs)1799-1847Split from Dovehill. UPC 1847, UFC 1900. U/w Caledonia Road to form H&CR 1926.
Glasgow: Greenhead18051805-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Greenhead East PC 1929.
Glasgow: Tollcross18061806-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900.
Haddington1791-1800 (9 yrs)1791-1800Dissolved.
Hightae1797-1807 (10 yrs)1797-1807Dissolved.
Kettle17801780-1847UPC 1847, Kingskettle UFC 1900, Kettle West PC 1929.
Kilmaronock17721772-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900, Gartocharn PC 1929.
Kilsyth17681768-1847UPC 1847, Kilsyth Anderson UFC 1900, CoS 1929.
Kirriemuir (I)1792-99 (7 yrs)1792-99Dissolved.
Kirriemuir: Bank Street1829-1914 (85 yrs)1829-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. United with West to form Kirriemuir First UFC 1914.
Langholm: South1800-1925 (125 yrs)1800-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. United with North to form Langholm Erskine UFC 1925.
Leith: Junction Road1822-1975 (153 yrs)1822-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929. U/w St Thomas to form St Thomas Junction Road.
Mainsriddell1789-1893 (104 yrs)1789-1821Left Relief 1821 for United Secession. UPC 1847. Dissolved.
Musselburgh: Millhill1783-1960 (177 yrs)1783-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900, CoS 1929. U/w Bridge Street to form St Andrew's PC 1960.
Newburgh18411841-47Split from Newburgh Secession Church. Left for Ev. Union 1872, Cong. Union 1899.
Newlands1790-1910 (120 yrs)1790-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Absorbed into West Linton UFC 1910.
Newton Stewart1792-1924 (132 yrs)1792-1847UPC 1847. Newton Stewart York Road UFC 1900. U/w Trinity to form St John's 1924.
Old Kilpatrick: Bankside1793-1908 (115 yrs)1793-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Absorbed into Bowling UFC 1908.
Peebles: West1827-1918 (91 yrs)1827-47UPC 1847, UFC 1900. Absorbed into Peebles St Andrew's UFC 1918.
Port William1832-1907 (75 yrs)1832-47UPC 1847, Port William Main Street UFC 1900. U/w High to form Port William 1907.
Portobello1834-43 (9 yrs)1834-43Dissolved.
Stranraer: Bridge Street1817-68 (51 yrs)1817-47UPC 1847. United with Bellevilla to form Stranraer West UPC 1868.
Strathkinnes1800-16 (16 yrs)1800-16Dissolved.
Wamphray1776-1871 (95 yrs)1776-1847UPC 1847. Reduced to a preaching station 1871.
Waterbeck17901790-1847UPC 1847, UFC 1900
Wigtown1835-43 (8 yrs)1835-43Dissolved.

References

  1. ↑ Drummond, Robert J. (1944). "Traditions of the Relief Church". Scottish Church History Society: 43–54. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 Rankin 1879, p. 57.
  3. ↑ Annals..., p. 313-314.
  4. ↑ Mackelvie, William (1873). Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church. Oliphant & Elliot, Robertson. p.  41. 1847 United Secession Relief.
  5. ↑ https://archive.org/details/historyofpresbyt01smaluoft/

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