|
Admin
history |
On the 22nd January 1864, the United Presbyterian Presbytery of Banff was petitioned by a number of break away members of the Free Church, living in or around Portsoy, requesting that they be granted supply of ministry. The application was initially declined on account of the lack of numbers wishing to join the new congregation. In March 1864 however a committee from the Presbytery visited Portsoy and reported that 40 new names had since been added to the list of seceders from the Free Church, and it was felt that more would join the United Presbyterian congregation once it was established. Consequently, on the 19th April a station was set up, with a membership of 142, and in the following year, Nathanael Forsyth McDougall the first minister of Portsoy United Presbyterian was ordained. A month later the congregation set about the erection of a church and it was opened in 1866. In 1900, upon the union of the Free Church and the United Presbyterians, Portsoy United Presbyterian Church was renamed Portsoy East United Free and in 1913 Portsoy East was joined with the former United Presbyterian congregation of Portsoy West United Free. The two charges were joined under the name of Portsoy United Free. Following the 1929 union between the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland, Portsoy United Free became Portsoy West Church of Scotland and in 1955 the congregations of Portsoy East Church of Scotland and Portsoy West Church of Scotland were united. A further union later followed in 1972 with the charge of Fordyce, under the name of Fordyce. |