Financing Church Extension: The Case of the Edinburgh Savings Bank and St John's Parish Church, Edinburgh

Abstract

This paper describes the way in which St John's parish church, Edinburgh, was financed; highlighting the part played by the Directors of the Edinburgh Savings Bank. It further analyses the impact of the Disruption on the church's seat rent income; the primary means by which residual debt liquidation was to be accomplished. As a case study, it offers a revealing sidelight on the financial consequences of the Disruption at the congregational level.