What a " Relief " - a tale about our religious past and a forgotten Kirk that still stands!
The first Episcopal Church in Lodge Street
The new Relief Kirk aka Crieff Primary School Dining Hall
Crieff's first Baptist Church
Crieff's unknown buildings !
The Relief Kirk 2012
When future generations
study the social history of Strathearn and particularly the town of
Crieff , one specific
thing will no doubt stand out as being somewhat different
from other parts of rural Scotland . I refer specifically to the incredible number of places of worship wide scattered around with many located in the most
surprising places. I am no expert in the ecclesiastical idiosyncrasies of our
fore fathers but in the course of a
number of years I have realised that
much of what has been written about the
last few centuries fails to stand up to
scrutiny when one applies the basics of
historical analysis .
One associates
religious discord as being
a West of Scotland phenomenon where
the clash of Christian ideologies has
tarnished much of both present and past
. Strathearn historically can sadly compete on a similar scale and accounts of
disruption and conflict abound throughout the tumultuous centuries that
followed the Reformation. The troubles started in this airt in 1559 and had its
roots in the Fair City of Perth when Knox ( who had been ordained as a Catholic Priest) ,
preached in St Johns Church in the heart of the town . His sermon concerned his
opinion about regarding the idolatry of the Mass. In it, Knox spoke of the
odiousness of idolatry to God, of God's commandment to destroy all idols, and
of the Mass as an abomination to God. Shortly after Knox finished the sermon, a
priest attempted to serve a Mass in Perth, erecting an alter with an image upon
it. A young boy, so taken back by the scene, cried, "This is intolerable!
When God by His Word hath plainly damned idolatry, shall we stand and see it
used in despite?" At this, the priest struck the young boy, who retaliated
by throwing a stone and breaking the idol. Thereafter, the enraged crowd began
breaking all that had to do with idolatry in the town. Tolerance was no longer
an option
The multitude became so inflamed that the preachers,
magistrates, and nobles could not contain them. Knox refers to this mob that
destroyed not only the altar but also three Catholic monasteries in Perth as
"the Rascal Multitude" Neither Knox nor the leaders in Perth incited
the destruction of churches or monasteries. They believed that “ these remnants
of idolatries should be peacefully converted and their churches used for the
true and proper worship of God.”
The immediate post
Reformation format of the Scottish Kirk was essentially Episcopalian and not
Presbyterian .Immediate post Reformation records regarding the beliefs and attitudes of Crieff’s
parish ministers paint an interesting picture as to what line the good citizens
followed in pursuing their faith . Let
us look briefly at who these incumbents were and in what they believed .
Ministers of Crieff
Parish Church from the Reformation
1560 : Alexander Christie – Catholic Priest joined Reformed
Church- reader in Monzievaird in 1567 .
1563 : Thomas Drummond – probably knew John Knox ( Heavenor
)
1572 : Hugh Currie Rector of Crieff could have been
Catholic but pointed out that titles such as Rector could date back to
1560 “ an elementary but not uncommon error
to believe that there was any
religious significance in the use of such titles .
Everyone who held
office in the Church in 1560
continued for the rest of his
life to be designated as he had been in 1560 “
1574 : William Drummond
began his ministry . Probably both William and Thomas were connected with Drummond Castle . The Parish Ministers in those days often were poor relations of influential families . William
was a contemporary of Andrew Melville At this time Church half Presbyterian and
half Episcopalian
1592 : David Drummond was MA of Glasgow Gave up in 1636 and
went to Ireland
1635 : David Drummond ( nephew of above ) an MA of St Andrews had been his
uncle’s assistant . Son of James Drummond
, 5th Laird of Monzie – succeeded to lands of Kincardine and Trytoun and
purchased lands of Callander near
Barvick. These supplied considerable
income from tiends towards his stipend .
1638 : National Covenant signed pledging support for Presbyterianism .David Drummond supported
the but when Civil war broke out
he supported Royalists .Called before
Synod to answer charges that he raised
soldiers for the royalist cause . Charge
was proved and sentence of deposition
passed in 1649 . Appealed but
sentence not lifted . Continued to
preach and take stipend . Got fed up and
resigned in 1658 and became Rector of
Omagh in N Ireland .Later was murdered for unknown reason .
1658 : Gilbert Murray an MA of St Andrews succeeded .
Claimed he had made a pact with
Drummond to share the stipend .
Presbytery raised matter but Murray
refused to appear . Probably
connected to Murrays of Ochtertyre . Trimmed his sails according to the religious wind ! At outset
was a staunch Presbyterian but
became an Episcopalian and allowed to
continue his ministry .
1682 : His son
William Murray also an MA of St Andrews appointed his colleague and successor . Proved to be
convinced Episcopalian .Lord’s Prayer used in worship and the Doxology
was sung by the congregation and the
Apostles’ Creed was repeated at Baptisms – all of these frowned upon by the
Presbyterians of the time .
1688 : The “ Revolution” brought William and Mary to the throne .Murray
did not
support them and was deposed for
reading part of Psalm 118 after the Jacobite victory at Killiecrankie - “ This is the day God made , in it we’ll joy triumphantly ”
1690 : Episcopacy was
overthrown and Presbyterianism established officially . Crieff Church vacant for 9 years ( 1699 )
1699 : Appointment of John Drummond ( Glasgow University )
First problem was when the Presbytery
reported “ horrid abuse committed by some persons in the town of
Crieff ,by their drinking King James’ health publicly at the Cross and abusing
several inhabitants in the town .” Drummond
was asked to draw up a list of
offenders for the attention of the
Queen’s Advocate . Strict Presbyterianism had
arrived and Session Minutes
reflect the discipline which now
prevailed . It notes “ the frequent
profanation of the Lord’s Day by unnecessary walking in the fields , idle talking , bearing of
water . taking in of kail and the like “ Elders were asked to “ take
strict notice “ of such infringements
with a view to discipline ” .
1754 : John Drummond
died
1755 : Succeeded by Thomas Stewart
1770 : Stewart suspended for life because of drunkenness
which had been reported to them in 1763 .
Over two hundred years of resolute independence and free
thinking against the national trend clearly indicates that here in the Strath ,
the reformed religion very much followed a pattern not dis similar to that of
the pre Knox era ! Indeed the great reformer must
be blrling in his grave at the behavioural attitudes of the likes William Murray and the Drummonds !
As a card carrying member of the Kirk I find the
outpourings of the Victorian
Presbyterians totally unacceptable in a context of today’s World and their
distortions of the truth should be acknowledged without hesitation .
Enough of the rant ! Distortions of historical facts
concerning matters such as politics and religion are a serious failing. Regrettably
scholars of my generation were subjected
to these in a plenty .I recall in particular the attrocious syllabi which were presented to students in my vintage school
days of yesteryear . Boring and pointless to the extreme they put off countless numbers with their failure to deal with matters
closer to home than Caesar’s Gallic Wars
or indeed the Battle of Hastings !
I started this little essay with a promise to look at some of the more obscure places of worship in
and around Strathearn . Pictured above
are two buildings with an interesting
pedigree. The first in Lodge Street Crieff was the initial Episcopal Church in
the town before it moved to Perth
Road in a slightly older format than the
present occupant ! The other was , I
believe the first Baptist Church in the town located at the junction of Church
Street and Cornton Place . The third picture is probably a total mystery to most
readers . It is a pic of the old Relief Kirk hidden in comparative obscurity
between High Street and Addison Terrace . Last occupied as far back as the
1850s as a church it is a real microcosm of the past . The Relief Church was
one of the many Seceder groups to
abandon the established Kirk in the 18th Century . The Crieff
congregation were formed when, in 1782, a number of members took exception to the doctrine being preached by the incumbent minister the
Rev Stirling and departed for the newly formed relief Church in
Auchterarder . Perhaps it was a reflection on the attitude of the Crieff Kirk but
Relief numbers swelled and
eventually they determined to build
their church in Crieff . Half an acre of ground was bought at Gavelbeg near what was called the “
Bogle House “. It was not a great success
perhaps for its distance from the
centre of the town . Their new
minister John Baillie found himself in
conflict with his congregation and a period of disharmony resulted in his
departure and the
arrival of a fresh face in he Rev William Bell . The revitalised
congregation determined to move into the
centre of the town and land was
purchased to the rear of Cook’s the saddlers ( oldies will recall Charlie Farr who ran the business
in the 1980s ) and what is now McNees , the excellent deli near the cancer shop
. The church continued in this unlikely spot until 1856 under the guidance of the Rev John Martin .
It was then decided to move tpo larger
premise and ground was purchased at the east end of
Commissioner Street . The beautiful little church is now the Crieff Primary School Dining Hall .
But what of the little beut stuck between High Street and Addison Terrace ? Abandoned
! Doors closed , land locked and
forgotten! My pic above shows it as it stands in 2012 – a microcosm of the
town’s somewhat tempestuous religious past !!
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