Looking for a church address

mvy_1 · Post by **mvy_1** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:24 pm

Hello Everyone,
I am looking for an address for a church in Edinburgh and was wondering if anyone could help me. The address I have is on a letter written for my Grandfather before he left Scotland bound for Australia. No Letterhead just hand written and addressed at the top with

St John's Manse
Prospect Bank
Leith

Can anyone enlighten on where in Leith, Edinburgh I could find this address or Church.
Apparently the letter was written by the Minister of the Church at the time when my Grandfather was leaving Scotland to come to Australia. The letter is dated 1922.
Thank you
Margaret

WilmaM · Post by **WilmaM** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:21 pm

There is an area f present day Leith with Streets called Prospect Bank [Road, Street, Crescent] The houses look fairly old and substantial so could well have been around in the 1920's.

www.multimap.com search for Leith and zoom in below the central green part - Claremont Park - and you should find the streets.

On an old map [1890's] there was a large house called Prospect Bank in the area.

http://www.nls.uk/maps/townplans/townplans.html choose Edinburgh 1893, click the top right quarter then select square III.4.10 the house is around the centre of the bottom right quarter [zoom in and around].

I can't find any St John's Church, that the manse would have been associated with - but no doubt some more knowledgeable person will know about that.

Incidentally, what was the name of the minister who wrote the letter? that may help in locating it.

Post by **AndrewP** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:27 pm

Hi Margaret,

St John's was a Quoad Sacra parish within South Leith Parish. I can't see it on a map yet, but will keep looking.

All the best,

AndrewP

Post by **AndrewP** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:40 pm

A few minutes later...

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/t ... ry292.html tells us:
St John's quoad sacra parish church is situated on the E side of Constitution Street, adjoining the town hall.

http://www.nls.uk/maps/townplans/edinburgh500_ne.html
Just above the centre of the index map, you will find Sheets I.16.23 & I.16.24. St John's Church is split across the maps.
Sheet I.16.23 (just below centre of the east edge)
Sheet I.16.24 (just below centre of the west edge)

I don't see St John's Church, Leith in the current telephone directory. My best guess is that it may have amalgamated with South Leith Parish Church at some time.

http://www.slpc.co.uk/ has a page with contact details.

All the best,

AndrewP

Muriel · Post by **Muriel** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:02 pm

There is a church which shows on the maps as being in Constitution Street but it's not in use at present - there's only half a spire & the rest is more than a little dicey! The congregation is, I think, Episcopalian & meet in the church hall, which is accessed from Duncan Place. I have a feeling they don't have a phone so are not listed. I'd need to check if it is/was St. John's.

Muriel

WilmaM · Post by **WilmaM** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:08 pm

Muriel wrote:There is a church which shows on the maps as being in Constitution Street but it's not in use at present - there's only half a spire & the rest is more than a little dicey! The congregation is, I think, Episcopalian & meet in the church hall, which is accessed from Duncan Place. I have a feeling they don't have a phone so are not listed. I'd need to check if it is/was St. John's.

Muriel

The Episcopalian church marked on the 1893 map that I had looked at was St James [ I had high hopes of that one

].

We'll keep looking Margaret!

mvy_1 · Post by **mvy_1** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:14 am

Hello Wilma,
The Minister who signed the letter was a Donald M Begbie. He signs it off as Minister of St John's Parish. I have 'googled' this many times but to no avail. Now hoping someone knows some history that they can help me with. This letter is the only link I have with this part of my family. Until I get more info I really cannot go much further.
Thankyou to you Wilma and to others that have answered the query. I will continue to pursue this.

Sorry Lesley, you are right. It is Begbie, My typo. Many Thanks.

Post by **Liz Turner** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:02 pm

Hi there

Here's a link to history of the episcopal churches etc in the area:-

http://www.leithhistory.co.uk/2004/06/2 ... and-leith/

And here's somewhere you might find some interesting background info about the Parish of South Leith, from a Google search:-

http://www.scotsfind.org/south_leith/leith.pdf

On a slightly different topic - see you're searching for Melville from Kennoway in Fife. I've got a couple of distant Melvilles in my family from not too far away in Pittenweem, Fife.

John Melville - married Agnes Simpson Brown 26/1/1834 in Pittenweem
Elizabeth Melville d 4/5/1872 - married John Balsillie from Crail (1/1/1800-21/11/1882)
Margaret Melville married William Walker from Kilmany, Fife, 10/11/1774

Liz

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:49 pm

Hi Margaret

The Minister who signed the letter was a Donald M Begie.

Could the name be Begbie? There were a few Begbie families in the Leith area.

And could this be it in the NAS catalogue?
--------------------------------------
CH3 Records of Free, United Presbyterian (UP), United Free (UF) and Other Protestant Churches 1725-1891

Country code GB
Repository code 234
Repository National Archives of Scotland
Reference CH3/211
Title Leith Free St. John's Church
Dates 1824-1956
Access status Open

Admin history (Formerly New Kirk, later U.F. and St. John's West Church of Scotland)
--------------------------------------

Best wishes
Lesley

Hugo · Post by **Hugo** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:53 pm

"St John's was a Quoad Sacra parish within South Leith Parish."

What is a Quoad Sacra parish? I have never heard of this before.

Hugo