First Secession

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.

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.

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)
• OR = 'Old Relief'
• OSC = Original Secession Church (1827-1956)
• S = 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)

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

• Marrow Controversy
• Thomas Mair
• Thomas Nairn