Like the North UF, the South UF had various names over time. Being at the south (foot) of the town, it was sometimes referred to as the Townfoot Church.

It was originally known as the Relief Church, as part of a denomination formed in the Second Secession in 1761.

It became the South UP (United Presbyterian), then the South UF (United Free). It merged with the North UF in 1925 and moved its activities to the North’s building, with the combined congregations being named the Erskine Church.

The congregation had its roots in nearby Canonbie in 1797 where it met in a field. The catchment area soon incorporated Langholm and by 1802 its centre had moved there. After initially meeting in the open air in Langholm, the congregation was given a building in Drove Road by Dr Archibald Graham of Holmfoot house. A new building was constructed on the same site in 1883-1884 with a stone carving of its first minister, Rev William Watson, above the entrance.

The minister from 1908 to 1925 was Rev James Macdonald, originally from Inverness. Like Rev George Orr of the North UF, he had a strong academic background. Afterwards he moved to Airdrie in Lanarkshire.

His predecessor in 1901-1907 was Rev Thomas Cairncross who published stories and poems and was a mentor to Christopher Grieve (Hugh MacDiarmid). MacDiarmid was a Sunday School teacher at South UF in his teens, but the two fell out later over MacDiarmid’s public criticism of one of Cairncross’s publications.

The church’s Roll of Honour of Great War participants lists 53 people. Nine were killed, including John Warwick in the Gallipoli campaign on 12 July 1915.