Less than half go to church in 1835!

Just to let you know that we have not always been as church going as we think. Here is some details from a census in 1835. 

NON-ESTABLISHED CHURCHES "SITTING"

FOR WORSHIP -PERTH 1835

Craigend United Seccession	413
North United Secession	1479
South United Secession	932
Old Light Burghers	730
Old Light Anti Burghers	602
1 Relievers	902
2 Relievers	574
Independents	735
General Baptists	450
Baptists	300
Methodists	800
Episcopalians	301
Roman Catholics	444
Glassites	165
TOTAL	8827

In 1831 the population of Perth was marginally over 20,000

ECCLESIASTICAL STATISTICS FOR

PERTH PARLIAMENTARY BURGH

	Places of Worship during 1851
5	Established Church
6	Free Church
7	United Presbyterian Church
1	Original Secession Church
3	Independents
2	Old Scot's Independents
3	Baptist Church
2	Wesleyan Methodists
1	Glassite Church
2	Episcopalian Church
2	Roman Catholic Church
1	Isolated Congregation

Harry Gow takeaway

Was in Inverness a week ago or so and found the newish Harry Gow takeaway at North Kessock on the west side going North after you have crossed the Kessock bridge.
Great site for a bakery takeaway catching workers and holiday makers alike... 

Perth Churches then...and now Please add to list thanks

Easy to get side tracked about Buchanites! I was starting to carry out research on Perth Churches.

 



Work in progress....










Quakers In The Mid 1750's there were 2 or 3 Quakers.By 1836 there was still no meeting house.
Bareans Old wifes listened to Mrs Buchan!
Cameronians ( Sometimes known as Mountaineers) They would fence the table for communion.
Jacobites meeting in Wrights hall Doing a work on Muirton extinct since 1790's

Mission station in South St 1857
Relief Church Canal Street
Relief Church South Street
Free Church St Stephens -Gaelic  Canal street then Paradise place
TCF Paradise Place
Roman Catholic Melville Street
Evangelical Union  High Street - Now Perth Theatre
Gospel Hall South Street now on western edge
East Church
West Church
Middle Church
North Church
St Pauls
St Leonards Free Victoria Street
ST Andrews  Parish Church
St Stephens Parish
St Marks Church -Letham
St Mary Magdalene RC
St Ninians- Cathedral
UPC
New Lights (Aikman)
Old lights ( W Taylor) Small Chapel Kinoull Street
Wilsons Chuch  Associated Presbterian High Street
North Church
Glassite High Street
Congregational ( Mill Street Independent Church)
Free West Church moved to Tay Street (St Matthews)
Baptist 1 now Perth Baptist Church -Western edge
Baptist 2 West Church joined Baptist 1
Knox Free Church
Elim Penticostal Priness Street
Wesleyan
United Free Church
Free Presbyterian Church near Bus station
St Lukes - came from the original Secession
Episcapalian Church St Johns
St Johns Kirk
Society of Balchristies
Salvation Army
Perth Riverside Church
Gateway Community Church
Oasis Church- Station Hotel
Church of the Nazarene- Trinity Church
Grace Baptist Church  Glover Street
Bible Baptist Church  Kinnoull Street
Pre reformation Orders Dominican, Carmelites ( Whitefriars) Carthusian, Franciscan ( Greyfriars)

Please add the missing ones in the comments...Past or present.

If you are interested here is a past post about ...
Burgher /Antiburgher

Build your Kingdom here Rend collection (experiment)

Hounded out of town...

Despite a little help form the local Burgh Fiscal who was an adherent Buchan found it difficult to continue her ways in the town. There were many times when violence was seen at the meetings as locals tried to capture the "witch wife." One time they drummed her out the town. It was not long until She again had to flee to Glasgow.

In 1783 Andrew Innes from Muthill met Buchan at a communion in Glasgow. Later after a meal and a walk on Glasgow Green, Innes was completely taken in by Buchan chats over scripture. Despite his family he decided to join the group in Irvine which was now about 40 in number.

Innes had persuaded the local s of Muthill that it would be worth hearing Buchan. So off the group went with Innes as body guard walking to Muthil from Irvine.  Rev Scott had taken special meeting in Muthill and denounced orthodox faith...claiming Buchan was to be the new incarnation of the Holy Ghost!

mean while the group in Irvine was growing and so was local hostility. By May 1784 the local magistrates were asked to proceed with action against the blasphemers.
The first night of the expulsion ws spent in a cart shed near Dundonald.
The group were now settling in Closeburn  south of Thornhill. General house keeping and some sort of established community was set up including care and finances.
In due time they were re housed in Buchan Ha at new Cample. The group now numbering 60.

Once again locals in December 1784 were agitated to try and deal with this un-orthodox group.


Elspeth died in 1791 of natural causes.
(My Thanks to Richard Hopkins for some of the details of the last few days.)

Buchanites

Buchanites

Rev Hugh White. Duped or follower or even like minded

Elspeth having ran away from Banff shire to Glasgow avoiding potential murder by Captain Cook husband of Buchans convert Mrs Cook made a real connection with Rev White. He had recently returned from America and had seen first hand the "Shakers". White had been flattered by Buchans letters he allowed her to speak at his congregation in Irvine. Her doctrine was extreme with white trying to tone things down. Some of the congregation began to suspect the soundness of her faith and indeed whites.

She was given three weeks to leave town!
Before leaving she had made known her views on some of her theology like she good free people from the bondage of law.  This meant she advocated no marriage and a sharing of all assets and wifes.
White and Buchan were charged with heresy , White being ejected from his church (relief church) and both White and Buchan setting up a  meeting in a house in Seagate. Their meetings became so popular that  the had to erect a tent in the garden to accommodate the group.

A Society with Buchan at the head as "Friend Mother of the Lord" was set up and local hostility was not long in coming...  

Hard times brings spiritual wakening...

I am continuing the discovery of Mrs Buchan

The potters business did not perform and Robert went back to Glasgow presumably to get work leaving Elspeth and children at home in Banff shire to make ends meet.
She Elspeth raised living expenses from educational work by opening a school teaching basics including the ability to read.  However she got bored with the standard Scottish theology and returned to her young years visions and revelations which stimulated her into passing on her interpretation of the Bible. She started with fairly orthodox views which then grew into more unorthodox views.

As  an eager interested follower she mixed with a local fellowship meeting and on the face of it showed great Piety and value to the group. She was able to influence many that she had almost a direct access to the truth  and that she was a prophetess. Now it would seem she had found her mission in life .

The family and school suffered as she developed her mission with opposition coming from all parts including her children.

Gone was the sewing and teaching and then the money dried up. So off to Glasgow back to the husband in 1781 where she seems to have done very little apart from spending her husbands money so she could promote her thoughts.

Letters to the Rev Hugh White a relief church minister in Irvine had resulted in meetings together and for him to come under her "spell" believing together that she was the women in Revelation 12.

   Coming next group of followers ...heresies ...Muthill ...the Buchanites.

Mrs Buchan not Simpson

Mrs Buchan Elspeth Simpson daughter of John and Margaret Simpson was born in Banff-shire in 1739 in the parish of Fordyce. Her mother died when she was about three years old. Elspeth was brought up in hard situations. She was a herdswomen but did not like the work. As a girl she was allowed to run wild and spoke of seeing visions. A local relative tried to take her under her wing and taught her home skills like sewing and reading. The plan was to go to America with her cent husband and Elspeth to work in the plantations of Jamaica. Having spent some time in Greenock waiting for the appropriate ship the bored girl found the new life of the docks and city interesting and fun. She found her self in Ayr and fell in love with and ”married” Robert Buchan a potter. After having several children the couple moved to Glasgow allowing Robert to work at the Delftfield potteries. Elspeth managed to gain employment with the wife of one of the business partners of the pottery. Robert was ashamed of Elspeth's loose ways and thought that moving to Elspeth roots might help them regain some stability as a couple. They moved to Banff and set up their own pottery business. …..to be continued.


 Ann Lee (1736-1784) “Shakers”

Its a Grand Tour...of Sutherland

Spotted in various places in Sutherland last week were the three from  The Grand Tour, Clarkson May and whats his name. ( Hammond.)

Churches in Perth leads to Buchan!

I was researching to see if I could list all the major churches past and present associated with Perth, Scotland. I was reading George Pennys “Traditions of Perth”, did you know you can read it on Google playbooks and save a visit to the library. So I'm reading and note that there was a group of Bareans in Perth, of which I knew about from previous research when I come across this comment about some of the group being influenced by Mrs Buchan. Then as can happen one wanders...and wonders who was she this Mrs Buchan and what was she about? My first inclination was the wife of perhaps a Dyer or fabric maker, or local farmers wife maybe even a local important person of Perth. Well with in minutes I had the answer. Come back tomorrow to find out about Mrs Buchan (... not from Perth). Bareans

Alpacas Nearer to farming them?

For some time I have thought of farming alpacas. I have read a few books I have access to a couple of pet "boys" but the opportunity to move out on my own with these animals seems a challenge. firstly there is land to have them then the shelter and both need to be near where I live. I visited an alpaca frmn a few years ago in /near Bristol. It was an interesting time. Those at Valley farm were a great help

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 I just discovered today that they are dispersing the flock.

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