attempts were maae to overcome some or tne problems of the church, but

Mr. Turner was no more successful than Mr. Henry had been in ending internal

dissension. It became difficult to get people to accept positions as Elders

and Deacons, and there was a period during which people resigned, changed

their minds, accepted positions and then resigned again. At one meeting

‘there was a heated discussion after which three Elders present left the meeting

saying they would never return’. And they did not. Mr. Andrew Thom Sr.

and Mr. Andrew Thom Jr. left the Free Church and joined the Established

Church in St. Andrews.

With this situation following so closely upon the previous troubles, the St.

Andrews Free Church Presbytery, and at the request of Mr. Turner, appointed

assessors to act as Kirk Session in Strathkinness. Although they did their best to

heal the rift between Mr. Turner and some of the members of the church they

did not succeed. They asked permission to resign but the Presbytery refused

their resignations and sent them back to Strathkinness. The assessors were

recalled in 1912 and the church struggled on. Women raised money from

Bazaars, repairs were made to church and manse, children had Sunday School

‘treats’, and they tried hard to fulfil their obligation to pay £80 every year to

the Central Fund, but membership was continuing to decline and in a letter

to the Presbytery written in 1914 they gave their reasons for the decline, with

a request to join with Guardbridge. They said:—

‘Strathkinness Church is situated in an unprogressive district. With no

industry in the Village the population is steadily decreasing and the church is

inevitably suffering. Farmers whose leases have expired and who were the best

supporters of the Church have left the district. Farm servants have removed

at the terms and their places have not been taken up by United Free members.

Young people growing up in the Church are having to go out of the District

to find Employment. The people who are comming (sic) into the Village

are a non Church going class from insanitary areas in St. Andrews. Membership

is 71 in which are included three or four who have not yet asked for their

Certificates.’

They go on to say that for the last two years they have been unable to

raise the £80 needed and it is impossible for such a small congregation to do so.

Nothing came from the proposal as Guardbridge joined with Leuchars

(which was not satisfactory and was later disjoined). There was also a

proposal to join with Dairsie, which was not done. In 1915 the United Free

Church in Strathkinness became involved in a long financial wrangle with the

Presbytery in St. Andrews, they refused to accept some instructions given them

by the Presbytery and obviously, much aggrieved by the Presbytery’s criticism

of the Strathkinness lack of numbers and the contributions raised by them for

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