ABSTRACT
The fifteen city churches connected with the Establishment were: West, South, East, St Clement’s, North, Greyfriars, Trinity, Union, Melville, Gaelic, Mariners’, John Knox, Bonaccord, Gilcomston, and Holburn. Of these all but three lay in the old city parish of St Nicholas. Until 1828 the old parish of St Nicholas had been a collegiate charge. Of the three churches in the parish the West Church had the highest status, both in terms of its historical origins and its congregation. With the division of St Nicholas parish in 1828 all three churches became recognised parish churches along with three others. The South Church was formerly a Relief Church, built about 1778, and was admitted to the Establishment in 1791 as a chapel-of-ease. Before the creation of quoad sacra parishes in 1834 by the Act of the General Assembly, none of other nine churches had the right to elect a kirk session, nor did the ministers have the right to attend church courts.
