The Kirk in Retreat: The Multi-Confessional British Army and Presbyterian Authority in Early Eighteenth-Century Scotland

Following the 1688–90 Revolution, the Presbyterian Kirk sought to assert its authority over the British army in Scotland in matters of worship and discipline. However, the multi-confessional composition of the troops, as well as the legal ambiguities of military and ecclesiastical law, complicated these efforts. In particular, the use of Anglican liturgy for English soldiers in Scotland was in line with military laws but contradicted ecclesiastical law. The ensuing jurisdictional disputes both contributed to, and were exacerbated by, the Toleration Act (1712), which weakened the Kirk’s control over the military population. Despite these setbacks, the Kirk adapted by working together with military authorities to provide worship for soldiers, particularly in Highland garrisons, albeit in a more collaborative and less authoritative role. Ultimately, the presence of a multi-confessional army in Scotland forced the Kirk to redraw a narrower boundary around its national church status within the bi-confessional British state.