Wee Free

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The term Wee Free was an epithet commonly used to distinguish two Scottish Presbyterian Churches after the union of 1900: The Free Kirk and The United Free Kirk. Since the United Free were approximately 25 times larger, but hard to distinguish without some knowledge of Scottish history and theology, the rhyming Scottish diminutive became used as an epithet of the post 1900 Free Kirk. The epithet Wee Free was also applied to a small group in the 1918 Liberal Party who on principle did not want to go into coalition with the Conservative Party. The Wee Free Liberals either did not get, or refused, the coupon signed by David Lloyd George of the Liberals and Bonar Law of the Conservatives. [1] The Wee Free in modern usage is used, usually in a pejorative way, of any small group who because of their, arguably obscure, religious principles choose to remain outside or separate from a larger body. A Wee Free attitude might show as a preference for being part of a smaller but ideologically sound group rather than a larger compromised one. [2]

Contents

Origin

In 1900 the Free Church had been the second largest Presbyterian church in Scotland since the 1843 Disruption, its exit from the "Auld Kirk" (the Church of Scotland). [3] In the years leading up to 1900 the Free Kirk and the more theologically liberal United Presbyterian Church aligned themselves with each other, with full union as the goal. This led to Declaratory Articles being passed by their General Assemblies, changing or clarifying their doctrine so that there would be no barrier to union. The Free Kirk's Declaratory Act of 1892 was objected to by a minority some of whom formed the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, which continues to this day. Eight years later when Scotland's second and third largest Presbyterian denominations formally unified, a small group within the Free Church chose to stay outside the union. They were given the epithet the Wee Free Church (or Wee Frees) and, since they litigated for a share of the church's endowment [4] through the Scottish Courts and right up to the House of Lords, they became well-known and the phrase passed into common usage. The Lords decision in the case of Bannatyne v Overtoun was in favour of the small body, a decision which surprised many.

Background

A pair of rhyming jibes remain from the time of the heated split of the Disruption in 1843 when about a third [5] of the Auld Kirk of Scotland left to form the Free Kirk. The Free Kirkers who had sometimes given up homes as well as church buildings and started financially from scratch were taunted with the rhyme: "The Free Kirk, the wee kirk the kirk without the steeple." This rhyme linking the Free Kirk with the derogatory diminutive "wee" was offensive and a reply was devised in: "The Auld Kirk, the cauld kirk, the kirk without the people." It may even have been known in America. [6]

Politics

The Wee Free Liberals, [7] including Donald Maclean, were Liberals who did not go into the coalition of David Lloyd George with the Conservatives of Bonar Law when he took over as prime minister from H. H. Asquith (Asquith remained Liberal Party leader, although he was out of Parliament between the 1918 general election and the 1920 Paisley by-election). There were around 31 Wee Free MPs although political boundaries were not black and white. [8]

Modern usage

Denominations other than the Free Church are also regularly called Wee Frees in the press. For example, the epithet has been used about the Free Presbyterians, [9] [10] and even the United Free, [11] [12] a remnant of the very body the name was supposed to distinguish from, its greater part having united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. The Free Church has publicly tried to distance itself from the name, calling it a "derogatory and offensive slur". [13] [14] However, some people both inside [15] and outside [16] the denomination do not mind, even if it causes some to cringe. David Robertson, a Free Church minister, uses a version of it in his blog [17] after being called a flea by a well-known atheist.

The Wee Wee Frees

Timeline showing the evolution of the churches of Scotland from 1560 including pejorative epithets Churches of Scotland timeline.svg
Timeline showing the evolution of the churches of Scotland from 1560 including pejorative epithets

There is no group specifically known as the Wee Wee Frees. Groups coming out of the Free Church include the Free Presbyterian Church [18] [19] in 1893 from which the Associated Presbyterian Churches split in 1989. The Free Church (Continuing) sometimes is labelled with the derogatory Wee Wee Free or even Wee Wee Wee Free term. [20]

In literature

Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men is an epithet for his Nac Mac Feegle who appear in some of his Discworld novels. He denied they are caricatures of Scots or churchmen, saying, "The Nac Mac Feegle are not Scottish. There is no Scotland on Discworld. They may, in subtle ways, suggest some aspects of the Scottish character as filtered through the media, but that's because of quantum." [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterianism</span> Branch of Protestant Christianity in which the church is governed by presbyters (elders)

Presbyterianism is a Reformed (Calvinist) Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders. Though there are other Reformed churches that are structurally similar, the word Presbyterian is applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Scotland</span> National church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 259,200 members in 2023. While active membership in the church has declined significantly in recent decades, the government Scottish Household Survey found that 20% of the Scottish population, or over one million people, identified the Church of Scotland as their religious identity in 2019. The Church of Scotland's governing system is presbyterian in its approach, therefore, no one individual or group within the church has more or less influence over church matters. There is no one person who acts as the head of faith, as the church believes that role is the "Lord God's". As a proper noun, the Kirk is an informal name for the Church of Scotland used in the media and by the church itself.

<i>The Wee Free Men</i> 2003 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

The Wee Free Men is a 2003 comic fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, which takes place in his Discworld setting. It is labelled a "Story of Discworld" to indicate its status as children's or young adult fiction, unlike most of the books in the Discworld series. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 ; a third book called Wintersmith appeared in 2006; and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September 2010. The final book in the series, The Shepherd's Crown, was released in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk</span> Scottish term for church

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)</span> Calvinist church split from the Church of Scotland in 1843; itself split in 1900

The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the Disruption of 1843. In 1900, the vast majority of the Free Church of Scotland joined with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland. In 1904, the House of Lords judged that the constitutional minority that did not enter the 1900 union were entitled to the whole of the church's patrimony, the Free Church of Scotland acquiesced in the division of those assets, between itself and those who had entered the union, by a Royal Commission in 1905. Despite the late founding date, Free Church of Scotland leadership claims an unbroken succession of leaders going back to the Apostles.

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References

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