Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Sat 01 Jan 2007Presbyterian Church: NotesA Patronage Act (1712) resulted in appointments to Presbyterian congregations in Scotland being made by patrons. This right of congregations was inhibited, if not totally denied them. The Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) was divided and with the withdrawal from it (November 1733) of Rev Ebenezer Erskine and others (Erskinites), a Secession Church came into being.In time Secession ministers appeared in Ireland. An outstanding one was the Rev Dr Thomas Clark. He arrived from Scotland in 1749, having studied medicine as well as theology. For two years he was an itinerant evangelist for the Secession cause in Tyrone, Armagh, Down and Monaghan, before settling in 1751 as minister of Ballibay (sic), later to be known as Cahans.