The 19th century Oxford Movement re-introduced the Scottish church to many pre-Reformation forms of worship
As the nineteenth century began the north-east remained the centre of the Church (even in the 1830s all the bishops were from the north-east and three lived within Aberdeen diocese).
Gradually, however, strength grew across the country and at the same time there was greater harmonisation with the Church of England. The 39 Articles of Religion were accepted at the Synod of Laurencekirk in 1804 (but it was not until 1864 that a priest ordained by a Scottish bishop could hold office in England). The Theological College was founded in Edinburgh in 1810 and was the first such College in the entire Anglican Communion. It moved to Coates Hall in Edinburgh in 1892 (and continued there until a dispersed Institute replaced the College, which was sold to Saint Mary's Music School in 1994).
The lifting of the penal laws did not bring back the church buildings, which had passed to the Presbyterian Church of Scotland following the Revolution settlement, and so there was a rapid expansion of ministry and of church building. A measure of the growth can be seen in the Diocese of Argyll where in 1808 the only clergy were the Bishop and the Dean. By 1838 there were seven priests and in 1855 there were fifteen, serving eighteen congregations.
The Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement, which began in 1833, had profound effects in Scotland. The Scottish Church had usually taken a high view of sacramental doctrine while its practice had been ascetic and simple. With the Oxford Movement came the introduction of vestments and ritual. It began at the Synod of 1838 when the use of the surplice replaced the black gown as 'the proper Sacerdotal Vestment'.
Religious Communities were also reintroduced. Three Sisters from the Society of Saint Margaret in East Grinstead came to Aberdeen and began the Community of Saint Margaret of Scotland in 1864. By the end of the century there were four other women's communities. (Only Saint Margaret's survives, although a new Community - the Society of our Lady of the Isles - was founded on the Island of Fetlar in 1988).
There was, however, a reaction to the change in practices begun by the Oxford Movement. Between 1842 and 1844 some congregations left the Scottish Episcopal Church in protest over the introduction of a Canon which prevented the use of non-liturgical services. By 1880 there were 11 such congregations. During the twentieth century these churches gradually re-entered the Episcopal Church, the last to do so being Saint Silas', Glasgow, in 1986.
Greater Lay Involvement in Church Governance
During the nineteenth century there was also a growing involvement of lay people in the administration of the Church. After the Revolution this had been entirely entrusted to the Bishops and only gradually did the clergy become involved.
St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, opened in 1879 (Source: Wikipedia)
John Skinner, Dean of Dunkeld and Dunblane, wrote a circular letter to the bishops and clergy in 1824 urging that lay delegates be appointed to Diocesan Synods, but it was not until 1863 that anything happened. Lay electors were then allowed a say in the choosing of bishops and in 1876 the Representative Church Council gave the laity a voice in the organisation of the Church's finances and mission. The membership of the Provincial Synod (prior to 1890 known as the General Synod) consisted of the Bishops, the Deans and representatives of the clergy, a total of around 45 people.
The Church did, however, become outward looking, seeking to meet the needs of the new population centres in Scotland as well as undertaking initiatives, such as the Aberlour Orphanage, founded by the Rector of Aberlour in 1875. The Church also reached overseas once more with the mission district of Chandra in India and the Diocese of Saint John's in Southern Africa adopted as places of special concern.
