In September 1710 the presbytery of Meigle in Perthshire received a petition from the heritors and session of Glenisla. Having been without a minister for some time, they sought to divert the unpaid stipend to ‘pious uses within the paroch’. As well as the provision of essential items such as communion cups, this importantly encompassed the building of a bridge

The frequent mention of infrastructure projects such as bridges, harbours and roads in the minutes of church courts serves as a reminder of the practicalities that shaped church governance. This chapter outlines the material and historical factors shaping the operation of governance practices in the eighteenth century. It starts with an outline of some of the material factors, as these are perhaps too easily forgotten when considering the activities of church members. This is followed by an outline of the structures of the church in order to provide background to a more detailed discussion in later chapters of their operation. These structures emerged from and were shaped by the events of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and these are interwoven with a more detailed consideration of the evolution of detailed practices, derived from the existing historiography. This enables us to examine the attempts at codifying practice at the end of the seventeenth century, and to recognise that they were built on substantial foundations.

Structure of the church

Table 2.1 gives an indication of the organisational structure of the church in the eighteenth century. The numbers of parishes should be taken as a broad guide; there were some changes at the margin as parishes were either combined or divided, but the real movements came later as the church struggled to cope with the growth of population.

What these figures indicate is the weight of the two major synods based in Glasgow and Edinburgh in the affairs of the church. However, it is useful to delve a little deeper into the material characteristics of both presbyteries and parishes, as these could shape their operation.