somebody willing and able to maintain the manse garden and the surrounds of

the church. The problem of finding somebody to look after the boiler in the

church was sufficiently great that the Kirk Session considered the possibility

of installing electric heating in the church which they hoped would also

eliminate the need for constant repairs to the boiler, and after having con-

sidered the possibility several times, they eventually abandoned the idea because

of the cost.

The question of envelope collection was again brought up in 1945, but as

in 1929 when the matter was deferred, no decision was taken, and it was not

until 1959 that ‘Free Will’ envelopes were distributed along with the com-

munion cards and a covering note from the minister.

In 1945 the Presbytery asked the Kirk Session to ‘find out the mind of

the congregation on the proposed admission of women to the EIdership on the

same terms as men’. The Session expressed themselves not in favour of ‘such

far-reaching and revolutionary change in the order of the Church’, but their

opinion was to be ‘without prejudice’ to the congregational vote at a meeting

to be held in December. At that meeting two opposing motions were put;

one against the admission of women on equal terms as men, and one for the

admission of women on equal terms as men. There was a decisive defeat for

the admission of women as elders. The vote was twenty-two against the

admission of women as elders and two for the admission of women as elders.

There is no reason given why there were so few people present at a congre-

gational meeting which was voting on something which must have been of

some concern to at least some women at that time.

After Mr. Patterson’s departure the Rev. William Edgar was elected minister

in 1946. It was during Mr. Edgar’s ministry that the financial state of the

national church, as well as the local church, was brought to the congregation’s

attention. He stressed that there was a great need for people to increase their

giving to the church as all expenses had become so much greater. The question

of an increase in seat rents was brought up several times and no decision

reached until 1951 when they were increased from one shilling and sixpence

to two shillings and sixpence, which was the first increase since 1892 when

they were increased from one shilling, the original amount set in 1864 when

the church was built.

Mr. Edgar left Strathkinness for Dornoch in 1951 and the Rev. Charles

Nicoll from St. Mary’s in Dundee was elected the new minister. During Mr.

Nicoll’s ministry the time of the morning service was changed from 12 noon

to 11.15 a.m., and in 1955 he instituted a family pew service once a month

to encourage parents to bring their children to church. In 1952 it was decided

that a Congregational Board of elected members of the congregation would be

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