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In the centuries following the Reformation, the Parish Kirk of Perth, St John's was divided into three, with three separate congregations, who took their names from their relative situations - East, Middle and West. [Above details taken from 'St Matthew's Church Perth, A Brief History', CH3/1284/93]
Perth Middle charge was opened in 1716, but supressed in 1740. After 1771, however, Middle was supplied with two ministers of St John's to conduct services, and in 1807 Perth Middle was erected as a parish in its own right. In 1843, at the Disruption, the minister at that time, Rev William Aird Thomson 'came out' with the majority of his congregation and joined the Free Church. However, a small number of members at Middle continued to adhere to the Church of Scotland, and remained as a Church of Scotland charge under the ministry of Rev John Murdoch. In October of 1921 a summons was presented to the Court of Teinds stating that the church of St John's, originally divided into three separate parishes (those of East, Middle and West), should be restored. This meant that the parishes of East, Middle and West would now be erected into two parishes; namely the parishes of St John and St Mark. It was decided that the churches of East, Middle and West should be combined into one church under the name of Perth St John's, with both the ministers of East and Middle parishes becoming ministers at St John's. The minister of the West Church congregation would move to the existing church at St Mark's. In 1971 Perth St John's later established a link with Perth Moncrieff, but the link was terminated soon afterwards in 1972. |