Archive of the Scottish Congregational College

The archive is composed of: in Box 1, applications for admissions, miscellaneous materials and documents, and material on endowments; in Box 2, material on the William Smith Bursary, the John Wemyss Bursary, the Baxter Scholarship, the Whitelaw Scholarship, the Agnes Bowie Bursary, and legal documents concerning Inverleith Road, Edinburgh, and Lochend Road, Edinburgh; in Box 3, material relating to the John Pillans Bursary, the John Sutherland Bursary, the James Smith Prize, the Ferguson Prize, the legacy from Agnes Goodwin, the Sir George Harvey Bursary, the David Dunlop Deans Bursary, material on bequests from Low, Macnair, Loudon, from Cambuslang, and from Hywel Hughes, and material relating to the Trustees, to Thornville Terrace, Glasgow, Montague Street, Edinburgh, and George Street and Gordon Street, Glasgow; in Box 4, legal documents in the form of feu contracts, instruments of sasine, notorial instruments, searches, and deeds, and material relating to Learmonth; in Box 5, material relating to Warriston Gardens, Edinburgh, Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh, and to Hope Terrace, Edinburgh; and, in Box 6, miscellaneous papers relating to constitutional matters, orders of service, reports, programmes, and photographs.

Even before they formed a union of churches, Congregationalists had come together in 1811 to found a theological hall. Later on, when the Congregational Union and the Evangelical Union united, they each had their own related theological institutes and together these places of learning formed a college - the Scottish Congregational College. The College was never denominationally-owned nor denominationally-managed. It always maintained a constitutional independence. There has been a strong ecumenical dimension to the College. For many years, Congregational and United Free ordinands learned together. More recently, there was a close association with the Scottish Episcopal college. Eric Henry Liddell, Olympic medal winner 1924, studied with the Scottish Congregational College prior to his becoming a missionary in China. Today the institution is known as the Scottish United Reformed and Congregational College, or The Scottish College. In 1995, the stock of the College library was amalgamated with the stock from the library of St Colm's College (Church of Scotland) and the Theological College Library of the Scottish Episcopal Church (formerly at Coates Hall) to form the United SCOC Library.

Generally open for consultation to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance.

The biographical/administrative history was compiled using the following material: (1) History. The Scottish College. Full-text [online]. The Scottish College: History [Accessed 6 November 2003].

Compiled by Graeme D Eddie, Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections Division.

Local lists.

Check the local Indexes for details of any additions.