A Short History of St John's Episcopal Church, Perth

Further historical information can be found in The Episcopal History of Perth, 1689-1894 by George Farquhar, from which book the greater part of this short history has been drawn.

In 1689 the Scottish Episcopal Church was disestablished and disendowed because of its adherence to the Jacobite cause. The two Perth clergy were turned out of St John’s Kirk which was the only Church in the city of Perth. At first things were very difficult but by the Toleration Act of 1712, Episcopalians were allowed to seek other meeting places, and in Perth they asked for the use of the unoccupied East Church, the Choir of St John’s Kirk, which in those days was divided into three. Perth Presbytery refused this and so they found a Meeting House elsewhere and various clergy kept services going.

Then came Good Queen Anne’s death, followed by the first Jacobite Rebellion in 1715. After it, the Perth episcopalian clergyman, Rev Henry Murray, and his assistant had to leave the city, and their Meeting House was demolished. By an Act passed in 1719 episcopalian clergy were forbidden to hold services unless they took an oath of loyalty to King George I. If they disobeyed they were imprisoned and their Meeting House closed for six months. However, Mr Murray with his assistant, Rev Laurence Drummond, returned in 1722.

In 1735 Mr Murray died. Mr Drummond was a semi-invalid, and so in 1739 rev Robert Lyon, a young man, was asked to come and assist him. This proved to be an unfortunate choice, as Mr Lyon introduced practices of which some of the congregation disapproved. They were so dissatisfied that they invited another clergyman, Rev George Sempill, to take his place. Bishop Rattray, however, officially deposed Mr Sempill but he continued to minister to his congregation. Mr Lyon and those who approved of his practices had to rent another Meeting House, and so out of this schism there came to be two episcopal congregations in Perth.

It had been difficult enough after the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion for episcopalians to worship. Now came a further catastrophe - the 1745 Rebellion. Rev Robert Lyon was an enthusiastic follower of Prince Charles and went as Chaplain to one of the Jacobite regiments.

When the rebellion failed, he was tried and executed for his part in it. Many Perth episcopalians of both congregations were imprisoned under very harsh conditions, including both Mr Drummond and Mr Sempill. The latter was accused of breaking the law which said that he might only minister to his own family and no more than four others, in his own house. Even Perth Presbytery were concerned about Mr Sempill, now an old man, fearing that prison conditions would kill him.

The Scottish Bishops continued to cling to their Jacobitism, and their clergy and congregations where therefore always liable to persecution and imprisonment. The Rev G Innes, ministering when he could to the other congregation, said at this time “I am hunted and watched every day”.

After the Rebellions of 1715 and 1745 there had sprung up, in many parts of Scotland, congregations which called themselves “English Chapels” and recognised the authority of an English or Irish Bishop. By this means, and by giving up their Jacobitism, they gained freedom from persecution. In 1750 that Perth congregation which had rejected Rev Robert Lyon decided to do this. It may be said that St John’s congregation is directly descended therefore more Mr Sempill’s congregation, and from the “English Chapel” set up in this way.

During the reset of the eighteenth century this congregation worshipped in the old Parliament House, off the High Street. The remains of this ancient building were revealed in the “rescue dig”, before the present Marks and Spencers department store was built.

By 1793 the Parliament House was in a state of dilapidation and so it was decided that a new Chapel should be built. In 1795 a site in Princes Street was bought, and in 1800 Colonel Mark Wood of Potterhill made it over to the congregation for £70. A condition of the sale was that “a place of worship in which only the services of the Church of England should be performed, must be built upon this spot”. In the same year the Chapel was built and the congregation moved in. The local nobility and gentry were greatly involved, for “Sir William Nairne, Lord Dunsinane, paid off the debt of about £550 after completion”, and in 1802 the Earls of Kinnoull and I Mansfield joined the congregation.

In 1809 and organ was installed in the Chapel - probably the first Church organ in Perth since the reformation. In 1810, according to the minutes, the Vestry decided that “considering that the time of service is lengthened by the organ, it will be necessary for to go in at 11 o’clock”.

During the 18th century, the episcopalian clergy had worn the black gown which is still the dress of the presbyterian minister. In 1808, however, Rev H Skete came to the CHapel and he was probably the first in Perth to wear a surplice. When he wore it to conduct a funeral, stones were thrown at him by some of the populace!

Mr Skete had about 120 communicants. He continued the separateness of St John’s by renouncing his allegiance to the Bishop in 1810. He remained Rector until his death in 1846.

Now comes a period of great importance in our history. In 1847 Rev George Wood came to be Rector.

At this time Bishop Torry of St Andrews made an approach to the congregation and Mr Word advocated reconciliation with the Scottish Episcopal Church. At a special general meeting of the congregation in the George Hotel 108 voted in favour of reconciliation, 17 against.

In 1849 a document of reconciliation was drawn up, signed by Bishop Torry, Mr Wood and members of the Vestry. It was decided that the name “English Chapel” was no longer appropriate and should be changed to “St John the Baptist Episcopal Chapel”. So ended at last the schism which had begun in 1740.

By this time the Chapel was too small for the growing congregation. There was no room for free seating for the poorer people, nor was there room to accommodate the many English people who had come to Perth with the building of the railway.

In 1850, therefore, the Chapel was demolished to make way for a larger Church. The congregation moved into temporary quarters in Kinnoull Street where Gloag’s Whisky Bond stood prior to being replaced by flats.

The foundation stone of the present church was laid on September 28, 1850. The new church had been completed by June 1851. On October 22nd it was consecrated by the then-Bishop of Edinburgh, Bishop Terrot, since Bishop Torry of St Andrews was too old and infirm to attend. Morning Prayer and Communion followed the Consecration, about 80 communicants being present.

After lunch in the George Hotel, Evening Prayer was conducted at 4.00pm followed by the Confirmation of more than 30 candidates. A writer at the time said that “Everyone was pleased and delighted at the manner in which the service was conducted, and with everything connected with the day’s proceedings”.

A new pulpit, of Caen stone, was added in the 1850s and in 1872 this was enriched with carving by Miss Mary Grant. She was the daughter of Mr John Grant of Kilgraston, who was a member of the Vestry and a trustee of St John’s. Mary Grant was one of the first women to be a professional sculptor, and her works were regularly exhibited in the Royal Academy.

A new organ was put in in 1857, and a still better on in 1890.

From 1860 for about ten years, Bishop Wordsworth and his family attended St John’s, there having been a disagreement between himself and the staff at the Cathedral. He, however, left St John’s because he felt not enough was being done to provide a place of worship for the poorer people. He did this by opening the Chapel of St Andrew, near the railway station. The Chapel had a school attached, and in 1876, when the Bishop went to live in St Andrews, both came under the care of St John’s. This building has alos been replaced with housing in recent years.

It had been said in 1855 that St John’s had the largest congregation in the diocese. When Rev George Wood left, Bishop Wordsworth often preached in St John’s to help out in the vacancy. This Bishop had at one time proposed a union of the two Episcopal congregations in Perth, and the building of a fine new church to accommodate them. The plans for this Church were, in fact, drawn up and, according to Dean Farquhar, they hung on the wall of St John’s Vestry until at least 1894. But the Dean himself admits that the union was impracticable as the two congregations favoured two different styles of worship, and he says that “it was perhaps wisest, after all, to allow the two types of Churchmen to go their ways as friendly members of the same Communion, rather than to force on a marriage of convenience between them”.

St John’s was in a flourishing condition during this period. In 1871 there were 650 members. By 1873 there were not enough sittings for those who applied, and not nearly enough free places for those who wanted them. This was partly due to the fact that “the military” worshipped in St John’s. It is pleasant also to read that “the subscriptions forwarded to headquarters have long been amongst the very best in the Diocese”. St John’s was paying its way!

In 1871 clergy were still wearing the black gown. In that year the book of “Hymns, Ancient and Modern” was introduced. At the same time the afternoon service was dropped and an evening service introduced instead.

In 1893 a new Rectory was purchased at 6 Dupplin Terrace which remained as the Rectory until 1991 when it was sold.

In contrast to the two preceding centuries the twentieth century has been a more settled period in the life of St John’s. Such could not be said for the world at large which, in the first half of the century, had been engaged in two World Wars. The Rector of the time, Rev George Vallings, went to the front during the 1st World War as Chaplain. Families at St John’s, like others, faced the anxiety of those times. A Memorial to those who died in these two wars in now placed on the south wall of the sanctuary and the Chapel under the south gallery was dedicated as a War Memorial in 1951.

The ecumenical movement has been a very significant development in the twentieth century and in Perth joint worship, study and action are regular features of church life. Episcopal clergy have returned on occasions to preach and celebrate the sacrament in St John’s Kirk, so healing the memories of 300 years ago!

It should be noted, given the past history of the two episcopal congregations in Perth, that a growing relations of friendship and shared ministry has developed in recent years between St John’s and St Ninian’s Cathedral.

• In 1689 the two clergy in Perth were Rev Adam Barclay and Rev David Anderson, ministering to two congregations in St John’s Kirk.

• 1689: Episcopal Church Disestablished

David Anderson retired to Gowrie House and kept school. Adam Barclay and Rev Mr Blair were still active in a Perth Meeting House. Rev Thomas Murray and Rev George McGrouther were preaching at Mr Murray’s house in Perth.

• 1703 Rev Henry Murray was chosen for Perth Meeting House with an assistant, Rev Walter Stewart.

• 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. After the Rebellion Mr Stewart and Mr Murray had to leave Perth. Rev W Smith conducted services in his own house, until his death in 1718.

• 1722 Rev H Murray returned at the invitation of Perth episcopalians. He had a colleague, Rev Laurence Drummond.

• 1735 Mr Murray died. He had given “very faithful service to the Church in extremely difficult times”. Mr Drummond was left in sole charge.

• 1739 Rev Robert Lyon was chosen to assist Mr Drummond, who was now a semi-invalid.

• 1740 Schism. Rev George Sempill was chosen by the Managers to replace Mr Lyon. Mr Sempill was summoned to appear before Bishop Rattray but refused. The Bishop deposed him but he continued to minister to his congregation in Perth meeting House. Mr Lyon and those who supported him had to rent and other place.

• 1745 Rev Robert Lyon followed Prince Charles during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and was tried and executed after the Rebellion. Rev Laurence Drummond and Rev George Sempill were both imprisoned.

• 1750 St John’s congregation was officially “founded” as an English Chapel in 1750.

• 1750-1754 Rev A Wood - very little is known of him.

• 1754 - 1770 Rev John Cameron. He left to go to America.

• 1770 - 1804 Rev Adam Peebles. It is known that he presided at a meeting of the Literary and Antiquarian Society of Perth held in the Perth Academy in 1784. He was 63 at his death and had been incumbent for 34 years.

• 1805-1808 Rev Robert Fenwick; he left to go to England.

• 1808 to 1846 Rev Horace Skete. Mr Skete came from the Durham Diocese. He was probably the first in Perth to wear a surplice and had stones thrown at him when he took a funeral. There were about 120 communicants at this time. He renounced his allegiance to the Bishop of St Andrews in 1810, and St John’s remained a separated “English Chapel” during his incumbency. He died on Christmas day 1846, aged 68, after 38 years as Rector.

• 1847-1855 Rev George Wood. He came from Ingram in Northumberland, had six children and was a widower. He lived at Tayside. Bishop Torry at this time approached the congregation an reunion with the Scottish Episcopal Church. Mr Wood recommended this to the congregation and it took place in 1849. The other great even during Mr Wood’s time was the demolition of the Chapel in 1850 and the building and dedication of the present church in 1851.

• 1855-1879 Rev William Blatch. He had been a Wesleyan minister but had joined the Episcopal Church and been ordained by the Bishop of Edinburgh. He came to Perth from Pittenweem. His daughter married John Wood, a son of his predecessor at St John’s. It is said of Mr Blatch, “Under his supervision the congregation prospered and increased. On Easter Day 1867 there were thirty more communicants than there had been ever before, and by 1871 the membership of St John’s numbered 650”. Thee guaranteed stipend was £250 per annum, and in Mr Blatch’s day, for the first time, the Rector obtained a seat on the Vestry. Mrs Blatch left to go to England.

• 1879-1892 Rev Carl Weiss. He had been Mr Blatch’s curate and at one time had been a German Evangelical Pastor.

• 1892-1898 Rev H Armstrong Hall. It is said that “under his care St John’s began to enter upon a new period of life and vigour”.

• 1898-1901 Rev C.E. de Labiliere. After forming a Pentecostal League of which the Vestry of that time disapproved, he left to go to Birmingham. He is the grandfather of General Sir Peter de la Billiere who commanded the British Forces during the Gulf War in 1991.

• 1901-1910 Very Rev V.L. Rorison. He was Dean of the Diocese and had been at the Cathedral since 1885. He was so well-loved that several families followed him to St John’s.

• 1910-1947 Rev George Vallings. He was a Canon of Cumbrae Cathedral and of St Ninian’s, and was Hon Chaplain to the Forces. His period as Rector was the second longest in St John’s history.

• 1947-1965 Rev L Derrick-Large. He was a Canon of St Ninian’s and Padre to episcopalians at Queen’s Barracks. He was a keen Rotarian. He placed great stress on the importance of preaching and was closely involved in the organisation of a Scottish seminar on the subject. He died in 1965.

• 1966-1983 Very Rev Thomas Thurstan Irvine, known as Thurstan. He was Dean of the Diocese from 1959-1982. He had served as Precentor at the Cathedral from 1940-1943, and as Rector of Callander with Killin and Lochearnhead from 1943-1966. For the second time in its history St John’s had become the “Dean’s Church”. He died in 1985.

• 1983-1990 Rev Fergus Harris, known as Fergus. He came to Perth after ministries as Anglican Chaplain at Edinburgh University and Rector of St Peter’s Lutton Place, Edinburgh. He took an active part in the Perth Civic Trust and was its chairman for two years. For From 1983 he shared a team rectorship with Rev Bruce Cameron.

• 1988-1992 Rev Bruce Cameron. His previous ministries included youth and university chaplaincies, and team priest in the ecumenical parish of Livingston. Since 1988 he has been Convener of the Episcopal Church’s Mission Board. In June 1992 he was consecrated Bishop, and in August, left St John’s to become Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney.

• 1993-2006 The Rev Robert Clark Fyffe, previously provincial youth officer for the Scottish Episcopal Church.

During the twentieth century, many items of beauty have been added to the furnishings of St John’s:

• Altar Rails: these were paid for by subscription and dedicated at Easter 1911, in memory of Dean Rorison. They were designed by Heiton.

• Chancel Arch: also designed by Heiton and given in memory of Miss Isabella and Miss Mary Archer who had both taught in the Sunday School for over 50 years.

• Altar: consecrated in 1929, the Altar was given by Mrs Ross of Belwood, in memory of her husband William Ross, who died in 1926.

• Bishop’s Chair: in 1950 Mrs Gibb of Lundin Links gave the Bishops Chair which is some 200 years old.

• Lectern: the Eagle Lectern was presented by the Earl of Airlie in 1951 when his family chapel at Cortachy was being dismantled.

• Chapel: the Chapel under the South Gallery was dedicated on Remembrance Sunday 1951 as a War Memorial.

• Rector’s Stall: this was presented in 1954.

• Porch: this was reconstructed in 1951.

• Organ: the present fine organ was installed in 1971.

• Vestries: these, in the space formerly occupied by the organ, have been in use since 1976.

• Windows: on the South Wall there is the Derrick-Large memorial window, and a window in memory of Rosemary Anstice (née Moncrieff). Recently the Derrick-Large window was dismantled to make the new entrance to the corridor to the Threshold. Other memorial windows are to be found in the Chapel and the Porch.

• Bell: this was acquired from Killin in 1972.

• Tapestry: new altar kneelers were made by members of the congregation in 1986, and in the following year new hassocks were sewn for the choir stalls and front pews. The magnificent tapestry of the Lamb of God, the St John the Baptist symbol, was embroidered and given to the church by Mrs Jean Bean. This now hangs beside the font.

• Church Room: through another very generous gift it was possible, in 1987, to have screens constructed to match those of the chapel and a new room provided for meetings.

These many gifts, and others, are eloquent testimony to the deep affection of many people throughout the years for their church.

In 1988 dry-rot was discovered in parts of the church and major roof repairs were required. An Appeal was launched with a target of £40,000. In the event over £50,000 was raised and in addition to the major repair work, the church was redecorated; the east wall had the plaster removed and the original stone was pointed; the whole church was re-carpeted; and a variety of other improvements made.