29228: United Free Church of Scotland, Kinloch

By the time the Rev John Mackay, Garrabost was inducted to the vacancy in the Free Church, Kinloch, steps were in hand nationally, preparing for the union between the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church. This union eventually took place on 30 October 1900, forming the United Free Church.

This union raised the question of who was to retain title to the properties. The matter was eventually settled in the highest Court of Appeal in the land, the House of Lords in 1904; judgement being in favour of the Free Church. Locally, the newly formed United Free congregation was under the ministry of the Rev John Mackay, who, along with most of the Island ministers, left the Free Church and joined the Union.

Rev Mackay continued to stay in the manse and the United Free congregation worshipped in the church. The Free Church congregation found themselves without minister, church or manse and until the matter was resolved some years later, led a nomadic existence, worshipping mainly in the open air. They eventually gained possession of the church after the House of Lords judgement when a nocturnal ‘locksmith’ changed the locks and granted them access on 11 December 1904. The United Free congregation then continued to worship in the manse until they were instructed to vacate it on 28 May 1906.

It was now the turn of the United Free congregation to worship in the open air which they continued to do until a temporary wooden church was provided by the Emergency Fund Committee and opened on 3 August 1906.

In 1929, a union took place between the Established Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland, thereafter called The Church of Scotland.