burgher minister

The History and Geography of Auld Scotia

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hg
Posts: 290
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:08 pm
Location: born in Edinburgh now in Bristol

burgher minister

Post by hg » Fri Jan 02, 2009 1:29 am

Would anyone be able to tell me which religion a Burgher Minister belongs to?

many thanks

Helen
researching Glacken, in Edinburgh and Glasgow and Ireland, McCartney and McAnally in Glasgow, Belli in Italy and Edinburgh, O'farrel in Tyrone and edinburgh, Mchendrie, Dawson and Findlay from Banff then Edinburgh, Main in Edinburgh. Mcdonald.

Currie
Posts: 3924
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am
Location: Australia

Post by Currie » Fri Jan 02, 2009 2:14 am

Hello Helen,

Extract from “Protestant Nonconformity in Scotland”
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/noncon1.html

More significant was the secession of congregations of the Presbyterian Church. The first major split occurred in 1733 and by 1745 the Secession Church numbered some 46 congregations. This group broke into various factions: at first, known as the Burgher and Anti-Burgher, but there were later splits as well. Subsequently they became the major part of the United Presbyterian Church in 1847; in 1884 it had 558 congregations and 178,195 members. The other large breakaway group was the Free Church, dating from 1843 when its followers withdrew from the Church of Scotland. In 1884 they had 1,104 congregations and 300,000 members. In the dozen years before civil registration, there were more people worshipping outside the Church of Scotland than within it.

For very much more detail see http://www.google.com.au/books?id=V9RDA ... #PPA413,M1

Hope that helps,
Alan

hg
Posts: 290
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:08 pm
Location: born in Edinburgh now in Bristol

Post by hg » Fri Jan 02, 2009 12:48 pm

Thanks Alan. I knew some clever person would find something on the internet. I was there for ages. Yes, it does help with regards to the relegion but it confuses me further in another way. Why would a Catholic family be married by a Protestant Minister?

many thanks

Helen
researching Glacken, in Edinburgh and Glasgow and Ireland, McCartney and McAnally in Glasgow, Belli in Italy and Edinburgh, O'farrel in Tyrone and edinburgh, Mchendrie, Dawson and Findlay from Banff then Edinburgh, Main in Edinburgh. Mcdonald.

Currie
Posts: 3924
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am
Location: Australia

Post by Currie » Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:47 am

That’s okay Helen,

I can’t help much with the reason for the Protestant marriage, maybe it was a mixed marriage, and the Protestant ceremony was the choice or the only available option.

If the marriage was very early, as the Burgher thing suggests, then maybe the politics of the time were the cause. I’ve been trying to find something a bit more specific about the practical situation for Catholic Priests in Scotland in the 18th Century but haven’t found much.

There’s the Wiki at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Cath ... n_Scotland

“Catholicism in Scotland has had an often-turbulent history. After being firmly established in Scotland for a millenium, Catholicism was outlawed following the Scottish Reformation in 1560. Catholic Emancipation in 1793 helped Roman Catholicism regain civil respectability and the Roman Catholic hierarchy was re-established in 1878.”

Maybe the remnants of the abovementioned turbulence resulted in a shortage of Priests in some areas or something like that.

Just guessing,
Alan