1. Introduction
There were six well-attended churches in Langholm, belonging to four denominations. They give a good insight into Scottish ecclesiastical issues and local church influence.
Langholm had the first Sunday school in southern Scotland (see the North UF). By 1915, Sunday schools (sometimes called ‘Sabbath schools’) were thriving in all of the local churches.
Other religious organisations with a presence before and after the war included:
2. Denomination timeline
The Church of Scotland, the United Free Church of Scotland and Scottish Episcopal Church are shown in the timeline below, each marked with a red X in 1915. The Congregational Union of Scotland was a relatively minor denomination and is not shown.
3. Langholm denominations
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland is the country’s national church by law but, unlike the Church of England, is independent of the state. It was founded in 1560 during the Scottish Reformation which was led mainly by John Knox, breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church.
Although the UK monarch is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, he/she attends the Church of Scotland as an ordinary member and has been obliged since the Treaty of Union in 1707 to preserve it as ‘the settlement of the true Protestant religion as established by the laws made in Scotland’.
The church is presbyterian, meaning that it is governed by a decentralised system of elders, rather than a centralised structure of bishops (episcopalian). Its senior body is known as the General Assembly, chaired by a moderator who holds the position for a year.
It was sometimes referred to as the ‘Established Church’, distinguishing it from ‘dissenting’ or ‘secessionist’ denominations. It was structured geographically into ‘presbyteries’ (districts) and ‘parishes’ (local areas).
The Langholm presbytery consisted of the parishes of Langholm, Canonbie, Ewes, Westerkirk, Eskdalemuir and Castleton. The latter was in Roxburghshire, to the east of Ewes and Canonbie.
United Free Church of Scotland
The United Free Church of Scotland (‘UF’) was formed in 1900 from the merger of the United Presbyterian Church (‘UP’) and part of the Free Church of Scotland, both of which had their origins in splits from the Church of Scotland.
The UP Church traced its roots back to the First and Second Secessions (1733 and 1761). The Free Church was formed after a third secession, ‘the Disruption‘ (1843).
All three secessions involved protest about local congregations not being able to appoint their own ministers due to a patronage system controlled by landowners.
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church was formed in 1689 when the Church of Scotland abolished bishops, a decision rejected by Scottish episcopalians. (The Latin episcopus means bishop, from the Greek episkopos, ‘overseer’.)
Many of its congregations adopted Anglican forms of worship, and it is now a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, although retaining some independence from the Church of England.
It was sometimes referred to as the ‘Laird’s Kirk’, as a large proportion of the Scottish aristocracy were episcopalians, including the 6th and 7th Dukes of Buccleuch.
Congregational Union of Scotland
The Congregational Union of Scotland was formed in 1812 as part of a Protestant movement that adhered to the principle of each congregation being autonomous, with no overseeing body except to provide coordination and assistance.
Separately, the Evangelical Union was created in 1843 by Rev James Morison (1816-1893), who visited Langholm in 1870 to open the EU church there. Keir Hardie (1856-1915), a founder of the Labour Party, was an Evangelical Union preacher (see 26th September in the Diary regarding his death).
The Evangelical Union became part of the Congregational Union in 1896, although in Langholm it usually retained ‘Evangelical Union’ or ‘EU’ in its name due to its local history.
4. Other local entities
Young Men’s Christian Association
The YMCA was a parachurch (non-denominational) organisation founded in London in 1844 by draper George Williams, initially for ‘the improving of the spiritual condition of young men engaged in the drapery, embroidery, and other trades.’
The main organiser of the Langholm branch, founded in 1861, was also a draper, Robert Smellie. However, he died in 1913 and there is little mention of local YMCA activity afterwards.
Two speakers gave talks in 1915 to the Townfoot Literary Society about their work with the YMCA on the Western Front: see 13th June (William Herries, Langholm baker) and 2nd November (Rev Alister Stewart, Waterbeck, Dumfriesshire).
Plymouth Brethren
There was a property in the 1915 valuation roll with the Plymouth Brethren listed as the tenant, although there is no indication in the E&L of its activities in wartime years. It was a hall at 12 Factory Entry, one of various properties owned by mason Matthew Douglas.
The Brethren have their origins in Dublin, Ireland in the 1820s, with a nonconformist, low church approach. The movement spread through the UK via a base in Plymouth from the early 1830s.
Langholm native David Beattie (1881-1964), who retained close ties with Langholm after moving to Carlisle and contributed considerably to its historical records, belonged to the Plymouth Brethren.
Franciscan Catholics
There was no significant Catholic presence in Langholm until 1967 when Erkinholme house was converted into an eventide home, run by nuns from the order of St Francis of Assisi. A visiting priest held services there.
The former South United Free Church building was converted into St Francis of Assisi Catholic church in 2001, but it closed in 2010.