The Parish of Stenscholl and the Church of Scotland

The parish of Stenscholl was formed when a government ruling came into force called the Parliamentary, Church, Manse and Glebe Scheme, The parish of Stenscholl was organised under this scheme.

Sir Godfry Bosville MacDonald Baronet Lord Macdonald was probably the owner or landlord of Trotternish at the time the act came into force in 1824 and he surrendered in November 1828 his entitlement to part of the land referred to then as the farm of Gearrighfada now called Garafad on which the church, manse and glebe was settled, Sir Godfrey then was no longer responsible for the ministers stipend and school masters salary feu.

The minister's privileges in those days were peat cutting, drying and carting home from any convenient area in the neighborhood. He was also allowed to graze a horse and two cows on any one croft in the parish. The glebe then was much smaller than the size of the present glebe. The minister then had the right to graze sheep and cattle on common grazing if he so wished bit his horse and two cows were still to be grazed on adjoining crofts as mentioned before - This grazing was called the "minister's grass".

When the glebe was extended in later years the Church minister lost his right to the common grazing and also the "minister's grass" which was supplied by the parishioners. The only continuing concession was peat cutting which still carries on to the present day. This enlarged glebe now extends to10 acres. As the glebe extends to the Kilmartin river a strip of ten feet right along the bank was reserved for rod fishing such as trout and salmon and this strip is the ministers for all time to come.

The first minister that came to the newly formed parish was the Rev. John Nicolson. To the present day sixteen ministers have been ministers of this parish of Stenscholl. Our present minister is the Rev. Ivor MacDonald.

When this new church was formed the members and adherents had to pay for their pew either quarterly or yearly which was something new to them so it became to be looked upon as a church for the well off.

In 1892 after Major Ronald Livingston building Flodigarry house now a hotel he sent his joiners into the Church of Scotland the church of his fore fathers and gave it complete renewal. On the inside all joinery work was at his own expense - materials included.

It was like that till the late seventies and when the Rev. Donald Beaton was minister he decided along with the congregation that the church was much in need of renewing once again. The roof needed repairs and that was done first and then re slated. The inside was looked at and it was decided that it needed a complete renewal also the ceiling was lowered the seating arrangements altered from facing north to facing south the pulpit was done away with and a smaller and tidier pulpit placed to the south side, the pews the church ate the present time are the pews that were made in 1892 by the joiners of Flodigarry House.

Repairs are ongoing and alterations are being planned in the near future. I may mention that this church is one of the ten built to a design by Thomas Telford the Scottish Engineer. The cost of building both church & manse in those days was very little, compared to present day. The cost of both came to the sum of 1,750 or there about.