Members and guest of Lanark and District Archaeological Society met to hear a lecture from Sandy Gilchrist. Sandy is a member of the CSA Churches Committee and had decided to investigate a subject new to him for his lecture; the result was a very interesting talk on the Episcopalian Church in Scotland. The Episcopalian Church was formed after the reformation in 1560 and differs from the Presbyterian Church in that the former had a hierarchy with Bishops, similar to the Church of England. In 1690 after William of Orange ascended to the throne he favoured the Presbyterian Church. Many of the Episcopalian Churches were disbanded at this time, but some lasted longer, such as the one in Haddington that continued until 1711 due to the personal popularity of the minister. Episcopalian congregations were left with no buildings and had to avail themselves of whatever premises they could get. Regulations limiting the size of their gatherings meant that they often had to employ ingenious method; Sandy Explain how the minister would conduct the service in one room while the bulk of the congregation were behind a door in a separate room.
The Episcopalian Church suffered further because of its partition into Jura faction, which composed a significant number of members of English origin and the less prosperous Non-Jura, or Jacobite faction. There was also significant movement out of the Episcopalian Church in the periods 1814-44 and it was not until 1986 until all of the various sections were finally reunited. There are currently over 300 Episcopalian Churches in Scotland and fifty of these trace their origins to 1690.