Guide to the Records of the Free Church of Scotland (as filmed by the AJCP), 1851-1854

Summary

Collection number:

M1194

Creator:

Free Church of Scotland

Extent:

1 item

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference.

Background

Content Summary:

Letters from Australia and New Zealand to Rev. John Bonar, convenor of the Colonial Committee of the Free Church of Scotland, January 1851-November 1854. Bound in a single volume, including copies and extracts, the letters are arranged chronologically with an index at the beginning of the volume. The volume contains a few other items including reports from Auckland and Otago on the Presbyterian Church, extracts of minutes, a completed questionnaire and a few other printed items.

Biographical / Historical:

The Free Church of Scotland was formed in 1843, following several years of controversy within the Church of Scotland. Led by Thomas Chalmers, Evangelicals attacked the patronage system, which allowed landowners to select ministers, and called for the separation of church and state in Scotland. About 450 ministers left the Church of Scotland and set about building new churches, schools and manses throughout the country. A Sustentation Fund was created, to which Free Church congregations contributed according to their means, and each minister received an equal dividend. In 1900 the majority of Free Church congregations joined with the United Presbyterian Church to form the United Free Church of Scotland.

The Free Church set up a Colonial Committee in 1843 and it encouraged dissenting ministers to migrate to India, Canada, Australia and other colonies. The convenor of the committee from 1848 to 1855 was John Bonar (1799-1863). Bonar, who came from a family of ministers, was educated at the University of Edinburgh and was ordained in 1846. He was the minister of the Renfield Street Free Church in Glasgow from 1848 to 1855. He was the leading advocate for extending the influence of the Free Church to the colonies. In 1849 Bonar reported that in the previous year missionaries and teachers had been sent to Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the Mediterranean.

The 1843 Disruption led to debates among Presbyterians in Australia over their relationship with the Established Church in Scotland. In 1846 the Australian Synod resolved to retain their links, which led to three ministers breaking away and forming the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia. In Port Phillip a Free Presbyterian Synod was created in 1848, while Free Church presbyteries were set up in Tasmania (1853) and South Australia (1854). The original seceders were soon joined by a number of Free Church immigrants, including John Gardner (1850), William Nicolson (1851), Adam Cairns (1853) and Alexander McIntyre (1853). In time, most of the Australian Free Churches merged with United Presbyterian Churches, forming the Presbyterian Church of Victoria (1859), Presbyterian Church of New South Wales (1865) and Presbyterian Church of South Australia (1865). However, in each of these colonies Free Church congregations continued to exist and in 1913 they united to form the Free Presbyterian Church of Australia.

Most of the Scottish settlers who arrived in New Zealand belonged to the Free Church. In 1848 Dunedin was founded by Thomas Burns and William Cargill as a Free Church settlement and Presbyterian influence on the development of Otago was very strong. The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in New Zealand was formed in 1893.

Related

Existence and Location of Copies:

The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2250155] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.

Existence and Location of Originals:

National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. Collection Identifier: Acc.4633. For more information see Manuscript catalogue and guides at the National Library of Scotland (https://www.nls.uk/catalogues/manuscripts).

Conditions Governing Access:

Available for Access.

Conditions Governing Use:

Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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