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Avonbridge Parish Church of Scotland
History of the Church
Avonbridge Associate Burgher Church
Avonbridge
Church has had many changes in denominational name since it was first built
in 1804. Before there was a
building, there was a congregation.
There had been about 80 seceders in the parish of Slamannan as well
as 70 in Muiravonside and 156 in Torphichen in the late 18th century and
the beginning of the 19th century.
In
1800 about 59 people in those parishes applied to the Associate Burgher
church to have services in the Avonbridge district, but the request was not
granted at that time.
Early
in 1803, a meeting was held in the house of William Roberts,
Bridgehill. A committee of
management was formed with John Hardy, Boagston, as preses, and William
Black, Drumtassie, as Clerk. It was
decided that they would have their own church in Avonbridge but they had to
decide which denomination to join; either the Associate Burgher Synod or
the Synod of Relief. The history of
the origin of those denominations can be found in any Scottish Church
history book. The preferences of the people of the parishes were tested. A
majority of 97 favoured the Associate Burgher Synod, and so the committee
of management petitioned that denomination to send someone to conduct
Sunday services. At the same time it
was decided to build a church on the site where the present church now
stands. The first service was held
on 13th March 1803, in a barn belonging to Patrick Gray, Middlestrath. That service was conducted by Reverend
John Brown, minister of the Associate Burgher church, Longridge.
The
Associate Burgher Presbytery of Stirling and Falkirk agreed to the request
of the Avonbridge people and promised to send preachers to conduct Sunday
services as often as they could.
That acceptance of Avonbridge as a congregation of the Associate
Burgher Synod took place on 5th April 1803.
To help the congregation some members of the Associate Burgher
Church in Bathgate were transferred to Avonbridge. At first the congregation worshipped in a
tent which was made for this use by James Taylor of Moss-side. On the 4th June 1804 the congregation
asked for permission from the Associate Burgher Presbytery of Stirling and
Falkirk to call a minister of their own.
This was agreed and so the congregation went ahead with a unanimous
call to the Reverend John Craig. The first call was signed by 78 members
and 33 adherents. The new minister
was to receive £70 per annum and a manse.
The first manse was in Blackston Road.
At
this time the church was being built by Charles Shaw of Dalquhairn and
Robert Waddell, Holehouse. The total
cost of the first church was £198.
The church was ready when Mr Craig was ordained and inducted to
Avonbridge Church on 6th November 1804. Although Mr Craig was plagued by
illness, the congregation must have increased because in 1815 galleries
were erected which brought the seating capacity of the church up to
308. In 1820 the church became a
congregation of the United Secession Church, when most of the Burghers and
Anti-Burghers came together to form the United Secession Church. In 1834 the membership of the church was
128 with 54 members from Muiravonside, 30 from Slamannan and 44 from
Torphichen. The stipend then was
£67, and the church had a debt of £165, which was wiped out in 1845. Before that date the congregation
suffered from some trouble from Falkirk and Bathgate. Many of the members had been drawn away
by the preaching of the Reverend James Morrison who had been brought up in
Bathgate where his father had been the minister of the Old Secession
Church. This led to the formation of
the Evangelical Union Church in Avonbridge in 1844.
In
1847 the denominational name of the Avonbridge Church underwent another
change when the United Secession Church and Synod of Relief joined together
to form the United Presbyterian Church.
During
the ministry of Reverend John L Robertson BD, a mission was started at
Crossroads in 1889 which continued for a number of years. A Sunday School was also established
there. In 1889 it was agreed that a
new church should be built. On 11th
September 1889 the foundation stone of the new church was laid by J C
Bolton Esq., the Member of Parliament for Stirlingshire. It was built on the site of the first church
and had seating for 200 while the small gallery at the west end of the church
seated 60. At the east end of the
church a hall was built to hold 70 people and under the same roof was the
minister's vestry and other conveniences.
The church was opened and dedicated by the Reverend John Smith,
Broughton Place, Edinburgh. At that
time there was still a debt of £160 outstanding. This debt was cleared off 5 years later
after a successful bazaar, opened by the Member of Parliament, J McKillop
Esq.
Church Organ History to
follow.
At this moment we need funds for
the restoration of our old and historic church organ theses will always be
gratefully received.
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