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| Pittenweem Church Hall that began life as the burgh's Relief Church in 1846. Picture © Copyright Richard Sutcliffe and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence |
The kirk hall, sitting just back off the main road in Pittenweem, isn't really a building that tempts you to stop and admire or explore.
Yet a little research into its history reveals a fascinating tale of sectarianism, vandalism, pastoral opportunism, and there’s even a grassy knoll!
But, most of all, it is a story of admirable community resilience, hard work, generosity and faith in the late 1700s which, eventually, created this historic building.
Its foundations were laid at the Relief Church (1846). A year later it became the United Presbyterian Church, then the United Free Church (1900) and St Fillan’s (1929). In 1941 it took on its present identity at the church hall.
Its very beginnings, leading up to the opening of the Relief Church, were chronicled by the minister, Mr Kerr for the Relief Magazine in 1846. The extract below was published in the Dundee Courier in 1865.
Sketch of the United Presbyterian Church of Pittenweem
The appointment was by no means congenial to the majority of all the parishioners, many of whom strenuously resisted the settlement. A number of the objectors including Messrs Rodger and David Lawson, finding all opposition ineffectual, resolved to identify themselves with the Relief Church, as had been done at Colinsburgh by those parishioners at Kilconquhar who, in 1760, had resisted the settlement of Dr Chalmers, the grandfather of the distinguished founder of the Free Church.
The little band, although few in numbers, were resolute in spirit and they at once applied to the Relief Presbytery for sermon, which was readily granted.
The Rev Mr Scott, of Auchtermuchty, was appointed to preach and this being the first time dissent had made a public appearance here, the incident excited the most deep and general interest, and hundreds flocked to the service, which was conducted on the grassy knoll adjoining the old meeting house.
The discourse, the text at which was from Psalm xxxviii 5, was well suited to the occasion, and did much to animate and strengthen the hearts of the earnest and hopeful community, who, in the face of great discouragement, and even persecution, had thus fearlessly asserted the liberty of conscience.
The weather was remarkably calm and beautiful; but as Mr Kerr finely writes, "It was but the sunshine before the gloom - the smoothness of the stream before the dash below- for, as far as the Relief cause in Pittenweem was concerned, darker and heavier waves were to lash upon our shore."
After receiving preachers for some time from the Presbytery, the congregation at length resolved to apply for ground in order to build a church, and call a minister for themselves, the greater part of the ground for feuing belonged to the Kirk Session aad Magistrates, and to other public bodies of the town.
The open hostility of the first rendered an application hopeless to that quarter. But by the other parties, with one or other of whom they fondly expected to succeed, their offers were contemptuously refused, and had it not been that Sir Robert Anstruther uttered them the feu on which the old meeting-house stands, they must have continued to worship on the exposed sea- beach as before.
Having thus procured the ground, their hopes heightened, and they immediately set about pulling down an old house that stood upon it, which Sir Robert had formerly used as a kennel. As may be expected, the little band had great pecuniary difficulties to encounter in the building of a church, for the people that had as yet rallied round the Rebel standard were not only few, but, for the most part, very poor in circumstances; and, of course, in those sectarian times, they had nothing to expect from the general public.
But zeal and perseverance overcame every obstacle, although these in their case were of no ordinary kind.
In the first place, they were, by an undue stretch of magisterial authority, refused the common privilege of quarrying the rock on the seashore for stones; but this difficulty was removed by the discovery that the site of the church – their own property - was capable of yielding an abundance of material.
A greater grievance, however, than being refused the privilege of quarrying, was the cowardly and malicious conduct of some unprincipled or fanatical person who frequently pulled down during the night what the workmen had reared during the day. In order to expedite the undertaking, and to prevent the recurrence of these dastardly acts of malice, it was resolved to proceed with the work as unremittingly as possible and, accordingly, a number oi individuals belonging to the congregation volunteered their services for that purpose. Some quarried stones, some prepared the lime, and others carried stone up the scaffolding to supply the masons. In short, all did what they could to assist in the building, which was carried on night and day until it had been completed.
In these enlightened days we do not think there is an individual amongst us who will not admire the noble and heroic resolution of that little band who denied themselves sleep and made such sacrifices to accomplish what they conceived to be for the good of religion and for the advancement of their Saviour's glory.
It furnishes a melancholy illustration of the bitter and intolerant spirit of these times that, after the church had been roofed in, and so far completed as to admit of the congregation assembling in it, they were ruthlessly disturbed on the first Sunday while engaged in praise by some persons without breaking the glass in the windows with stones. So frequent, indeed, were such depredations committed, that it was found necessary to protect the windows with shutters.
After hearing a number of probationers, a call was given to, and accepted by, Mr Nicolson, who laboured with much apparent acceptability to a rapidly increasing congregation for about five years, when he was translated to Wamfrey.
There was a peculiar circumstance connected with Mr Nicolson's translation which deserves to be noticed. At the very time he was called to Pittenweem, he received a call from the church of Wamfrey also, and, although he preferred Pittenweem, he seems always to have thought that Wamfrey had the first claim upon him, and that he had preferred Pittenweem from an improper motive -the church here having held out to him the prospect of a larger stipend.
This impression appears to have disturbed his peace the whole time he ministered in this place, and when the church of Wamfrey became vacant, he made known his impressions to that people, and told them that if they were of the same mind regarding him, and gave him a second invitation, he would gladly make the sacrifice of stipend, and accept the call which he had formerly rejected. They eagerly embraced his offer, they called him, and, at his own request, he was translated to Wamfrey.
This was a severe blow to the Pittenweem congregation, who, up to the ordination of their late beloved pastor, Mr Kerr, were remarkably unfortunate in their ministers. One after another of their ministers were either called away to some other charge, or were obliged to leave them on account of moral impropriety, so that, in about sixty years previous to Mr Kerr’s induction, the congregation were seven times deprived of a spiritual guide.
The delicacy of the subject forbids us going into details, but we cannot withhold the following instance of spirit and zeal on the part of one of the female members of the church in that period of change and disaffection.
On account of the adverse circumstances of the church- the members being so few - debt had been contracted to pay the minister's stipend, to liquidate which it was proposed to sell the church. Hearing of this proposal, Mrs Greig, a devoted adherent of the church from the time it was first planted, called upon one of the elders and thus appealed, "David Mitchell, you've got a house and I I’ve got anither, and shall we keep oor ain houses allow the house of God to be selt?”
Fortunately the church did not require to be sold, nor was Mrs Greig required to make a sacrifice which she was ready to do.
Readers not acquainted with the locality, may gather from the foregoing the difficult position which Mr Kerr was called upon to assume when he accepted of the pastorate of the church in 1838, and it furnishes a gratifying instance of the success of his ministry that, in nine years afterwards, or in 1847, the congregation, which had greatly increased in numbers, undertook and effected the erection of the present ornate and commodious church, and, but a few years since, they also purchased a comfortable manse, while, for some time past, they have been altogether unburdened with debt.
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