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40-603: The Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 ( 10 Ann. c. 21) or Patronage Act is an act of the Parliament of Great Britain . The long title of the act is An Act to restore the Patrons to their ancient Rights of presenting Ministers to the Churches vacant in that Part of Great Britain called Scotland. Its purpose was to allow the noble and other Patrons in Scotland to gain control over

80-667: A Patron failed to nominate a candidate for a vacancy within six months, his right of Patronage fell to the Presbytery. Each Presbytery proceeded as it saw fit, but the General Assembly of 1732 passed an Act which regulated this, by establishing the 1690 rules, granting the Patronage right to the Heritors and Elders , with procedures to be followed if a congregation objected to a candidate. Some members, including Ebenezer Erskine wanted to see

120-535: A ceremonial or ancient financial obligation towards their notional "superiors" – were distinguished from others and were called heritors. In effect, they were the gentry of the Scots countryside, with legal privileges and obligations. Most ordinary farmers rented their land for a specific period of time from the heritors. Like the gentry in other countries, the heritors ruled the countryside. They were responsible for justice, law and order in their district and for keeping

160-454: A parish was called. However, by an act of the Parliament of Scotland (1567) presentation by laick (lay) patronages was expressly preserved, the patron being bound to present a qualified person within six months of vacancy occurring. By the same act, an appeal against the presented candidate by the congregation could only be on the basis of the qualifications of the presentee. By the "Golden Act" of 1592, which established Presbyterianism as

200-612: A purely civil right. Their case may have been strengthened by the fact that Article 20 of the Treaty of Union had preserved all heritable rights and jurisdictions of pre-Union Scotland. It also helped that the British Government distrusted popular participation in matters of importance, as the selection of parish ministers certainly was. Consequently, the Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 was passed, restoring to their original owners

240-454: A voice in the selection of ministers. The General Assembly introduced the innovation of deaconesses in 1898, created the concept of women elders in 1966, and the concept of women ministers in 1968. 10 Ann. Interregnum (1642–1660) Rescinded (1639–1651) This is a complete list of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain for the year 1711 . For acts passed until 1707, see

280-528: The Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1874 , 163 years after the 1711 Act, lay patronage was abolished for the Church of Scotland, thus enabling presbyteries to follow canon law in the choice of ministers. Initially, ministers were chosen by a meeting of all the heads of households and elders, but a sophisticated process of trials was then developed, which by the second half of the twentieth century, also allowed women

320-612: The Church of Scotland parish churches again, having lost that custom in the Glorious Revolution . The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland received large endowments of land, from the Monarch or landowners, to support Parishes, Abbeys, etc, often with the condition that the donor and his heirs had the right to nominate a suitable cleric or clerics to the enjoy the proceeds of the endowment. In

360-485: The Treaty of Union . The congregation of a Parish could only legally object to a presentee on the grounds of his suitability, so the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland laid down increasingly stringent educational, moral and practical qualifications for candidates for the ministry. Moreover, few patrons dared to suggest scandalously unqualified candidates. Appointments were, however, regularly contested through

400-767: The feudal landholders of a parish until the early 20th century. For example, in the early 20th century the heritors of the Highland Parish of Crathie and Braemar were the estates of Mar Lodge , Invercauld , Balmoral , and Abergeldie. Historically, land-holding in Scotland is feudal in nature, meaning that all land is technically "owned" by the Crown, which, centuries ago, gave it out – feued it – to various tenants-in-chief in return for specified services or obligations. These obligations became largely financial in time, or ceremonial or at least notional. Similarly, these tenants-in-chief gave parcels of land out to lesser "owners", and

440-526: The list of acts of the Parliament of England and the list of acts of the Parliament of Scotland . See also the list of acts of the Parliament of Ireland . For acts passed from 1801 onwards, see the list of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . For acts of the devolved parliaments and assemblies in the United Kingdom, see the list of acts of the Scottish Parliament , the list of acts of

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480-420: The presbytery . Presbyteries were to pay compensation, typically a year's stipend, to the owner of the abolished patronage, who was to provide a formal, written renunciation in return. The Treaty of Union , signed between Scotland and England in 1706, preserved and guaranteed the separate legal system in Scotland. By separate Acts of Union in the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England , whilst

520-436: The 67th act passed during the session that started in the 39th year of the reign of George III and which finished in the 40th year of that reign. Note that the modern convention is to use Arabic numerals in citations (thus "41 Geo. 3" rather than "41 Geo. III"). Acts of the last session of the Parliament of Great Britain and the first session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are both cited as "41 Geo. 3". Acts passed by

560-474: The Act remained in force for a considerable length of time. It was finally repealed by section 3 of the Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1874 (c. 82). An act of Parliament, 1719, required any presentee to declare his willingness to take up his patron's offer, to prevent a patron from presenting a candidate whom he knew would not take up a post, in order to profit himself from the stipend. Many optimistically thought this

600-515: The English Parliament abolished itself the Scottish Parliament was prorogued, and set up a single Parliament of Great Britain . A further act guaranteed the Presbyterian status of the Church of Scotland . It was to be important to future disputes on patronage that the Church of Scotland as a legal corporation had been established by Act of Parliament. Disputes hung upon the differences between

640-550: The Northern Ireland Assembly , and the list of acts and measures of Senedd Cymru ; see also the list of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland . The number shown after each act's title is its chapter number. Acts are cited using this number, preceded by the year(s) of the reign during which the relevant parliamentary session was held; thus the Union with Ireland Act 1800 is cited as "39 & 40 Geo. 3. c. 67", meaning

680-518: The Parliament of Great Britain did not have a short title ; however, some of these acts have subsequently been given a short title by acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (such as the Short Titles Act 1896 ). Before the Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793 came into force on 8 April 1793, acts passed by the Parliament of Great Britain were deemed to have come into effect on the first day of

720-575: The absence of a specific Patron, the Pope was regarded as the universal Patron. His patronage was exercised through local bishops. The Church in Scotland was Reformed under the guidance of John Knox and other Reformers. The king took over the lands of abbeys and bishoprics, turning many into lordships for his supporters, or giving some of them to universities or town councils. The lands associated with supporting parish clergy – or ministers, as they were now called – were generally undisturbed. The king took over

760-404: The army to impose a disputed appointment. The Act was highly opposed by the Church of Scotland because of its intrusion into church elections and was considered lay investiture . The General Assembly of 1712, inserted a clause in the instructions to its Commissioners to protest to Parliament and this instruction was repeated annually until 1784. However, due to the strength of the aristocracy ,

800-481: The buying and selling of church offices - Simony - was against Church law. When a Patron tried to sell his right (or, more normally, when this was advertised as part of the sale of an estate), the cry of Simony was raised. As no money passed to Ministers or from Ministers to Patrons, this charge had moral force, but no legal effect, either in Church or civil courts. Discontented Parishioners had many options open to them at every level of Church and Civil courts to question

840-570: The church courts - Kirk Session , Presbytery and Synod finally to be decided at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . As most objections were on the acceptability of the candidate, rather than his suitability, the Assembly usually decided in favour of the Patron, particularly as he could seek civil damages in the Court of Session otherwise. The civil courts were involved because disputes related to

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880-469: The civil benefices (depending upon civil law) and the spiritual benefices (determined by Church law) of the appointment of a Minister. The treaty and the acts came into force in 1707. Patronage was a much less disputed issue in the Anglican Church , and the dispossessed Scottish lay patrons were able to persuade the united, and mainly Anglican , Parliament of Great Britain that they had unjustly lost

920-473: The claims of the Stuart Pretenders ; a patron who refused was to appoint commissioners to exercise the patronage on his behalf. Patrons did not need to be members of the Church of Scotland . The act came into force on 1 May 1712. The Church of Scotland mainly acquiesced in this restoration, though it felt aggrieved and the General Assembly protested to Parliament almost every year that it was contrary to

960-403: The heritors and elders of their parishes to present candidates who met with General Assembly criteria in terms of education, character and practical ability. This group of ministers, heritors, elders and patrons – called Moderates - formed the dominant group in the Church of Scotland during the 18th century. Other Ministers, Heritors and Elders objected to Patronage on principle, as compromising

1000-508: The independence of the Church and the right of congregations freely to call their own Ministers. They viewed the whole of the 17th century as a struggle to achieve this, most notably during the Covenanter disturbances, culminating in the victory of the Glorious Revolution . Later, this Party of principled opposition was called the Evangelicals . It became dominant in the 19th century. Moreover,

1040-401: The only legal form of Church government in Scotland, Presbyteries were " bound and astricted to receive and admit whatsoever qualified minister is presented be (sic) his Majesty or laic patron ". If a congregation refused to accept a suitable nominee, the Patron was entitled to enjoy the fruits of the original bequest - stipend, lands, house, etc. By the beginning of the 17th century, patronage

1080-400: The only legal form of Church government in Scotland. A 1690 Act (again, by the Parliament of Scotland ) did not abolish patronage, but vested this power instead in the heritors and elders of each parish, who could propose a candidate to the whole congregation, to be either approved or disapproved by them. If they disapproved, they needed to give their reasons. Disputes were to be resolved by

1120-498: The presbytery. This event marked the end of the dominance of the Moderates and showed the strength of the Evangelicals . A series of civil actions in the period 1838 - 1841 in the Court of Session , and confirmed in the House of Lords declared the above Veto Act ultra vires , so it was unenforceable by law. They also indicated that the Church of Scotland , having been set up by statute,

1160-581: The regulations of 1649 applied, by which all heads of families in a congregation called a Minister. The fact that they could no longer have their objections recorded led to the first schism in the Church of Scotland - the Original Secession . The General Assembly of 1834 enacted the Veto Act, which prohibited the installation of a patron-presented minister in a congregation if the heads of a majority of member households objected to him and gave their reasons to

1200-401: The resulting reciprocal obligations too became financial – feudal dues – or notional. Often, though, conditions were imposed by the feudal superior at the time of the transaction – used in the 19th century as a form of planning control. The result was that "landowners" had differing rights to the land they "owned". However, those who held their land without limit of time – that is, only had

1240-477: The right to present suitably qualified candidates to Presbyteries in the event of a vacancy. Only those Patron's who had renounced their claim in writing in return for compensation were excluded from this, of which there were only three in 1711, Cadder, Old and New Monklands. The effect was the restoration of the situation as it was in 1592. Patrons were required to swear allegiance to the Hanoverian kings, and abjure

Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-566: The role of default patron, in the absence of any specific patron. The First Book of Discipline (1560) and the Second Book of Discipline (1578) laid down the rules for the reformed Church of Scotland . Both stipulated that ministers should be chosen by congregations. The First Book never became civil law, and neither did the part of the Second Book relating to patronage , as the right of the heirs of original donors to nominate suitable clerics to

1320-400: The session in which they were passed. Because of this, the years given in the list below may in fact be the year before a particular act was passed. The second session of the 3rd Parliament of Great Britain , which met from 7 December 1711 until 21 June 1712. This session was also traditionally cited as 10 Anne or 10 A. Heritor In Scotland the term heritor was used to denote

1360-518: The setting up of the Free Church of Scotland . This Church at the time had no doctrinal or theological difference with the majority of Ministers who remained in the Church of Scotland , but it contained the greater proportion of evangelical ministers. Those who remained within the Church of Scotland were determined to remain within the law, and in 1874 they secured abolition of the Patronage Act. By

1400-582: The stipends and property of Parishes, to ownership of the property of the right to Patronage, who had the right to exercise it and whether time limits had been breached. Eventually, as most ministers owed their appointment to a patron, they were unwilling to challenge the system. Many were also wary of more democratic involvement in Church governance. The status of the Church itself had been guaranteed by Act of Parliament, so it tended towards supporting legal procedures, though it protested against them. Many patrons were wary of provoking disputes, so tried to work with

1440-666: The suitability of a candidate, on educational, moral, or practical grounds, but more normally on the firmness of his attachment to the Westminster Confession of Faith . They could also query the right of a particular Patron, or his Commissioner, or the timing, or formal wording of a particular presentation, or whether formal Church processes had been properly carried out. In addition to formal, legal opposition, many disputed appointments were occasions for popular demonstrations of discontent, sometimes linked to political demands for more democracy . Presbyteries were empowered to call in

1480-731: Was soon overrun by the English. Despite further changes to Church government, (even despite Scotland having been incorporated into, the Puritan Commonwealth of England ), Patronage was not formally repealed. Nor was it during the Restoration and the reigns of Charles II and James VII . Following the Dutch invasion of England by the Presbyterian William of Orange , the so-called Glorious Revolution definitively restored Presbyterianism as

1520-514: Was subject to the law of the land in all civil matters. Its Presbyteries were liable to severe financial penalties if they resisted Patron's nominees using the Veto Act. Court orders were made forbidding the ordination of Ministers who might harm the interests of a Patron's nominee. This led to the Great Disruption of 1843 - a walk-out of about 40% of the Ministers, led by Thomas Chalmers - and

1560-420: Was the end of patronage, as no right-thinking Presbyterian would declare willingness to accept a patron's offer, but after an uncertain few years, patronage continued as the norm. An Act by the General Assembly of 1730, by which objectors to decisions of Church courts could no longer have these objections officially recorded, was regarded by Evangelicals as a move to silence their opposition to Patronage. When

1600-513: Was well established in custom and law. A patron could be the king, one of the universities, a town or burgh council or a landowner, such as the Duke of Argyle (who had nine patronages). The Golden Act was repealed as regards Church government by Charles I , but lay Patronage was not repealed. In 1649, just before the execution of Charles I , the Parliament of Scotland passed an Act abolishing Patronage, but it never received royal assent and Scotland

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