St Margaret of Scotland, Aberdeen
Encyclopedia
St Margaret of Scotland — also known as St Margaret's, Gallowgate — is a Scottish Episcopal
Church
, in Aberdeen
, Scotland
.
s. St Margaret's was founded in 1867 as a mission
church by Father John Comper
, one of the first followers in Scotland of the Oxford Movement
. Comper was at the time rector
of St John's, Aberdeen's oldest Anglican congregation. Comper felt that the poorer areas of Aberdeen were not being reached by the Church and felt obliged to respond, firstly with by founding St Margaret's Convent on the Spital and then the Gallowgate church.
The original church was a room rented by Comper on the Gallowgate. By 1870, a joint chapel-school had been consecrated and Comper had resigned from his post at St John's and become full-time priest
to the newly formed St Margaret's. In 1879, a separate school was built followed by the St Nicholas chapel and rectory in 1898 and 1906 respectively, designed by Comper's son, J. Ninian Comper
. A separate church hall was built in 1908.
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
Church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
, in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
The Gallowgate was one of the poorer areas of Aberdeen and in the mid-19th Century consisted of a large area of slumSlum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s. St Margaret's was founded in 1867 as a mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
church by Father John Comper
John Comper
Reverend John Comper was an Anglican Priest from Sussex, England who served in the Episcopal Church in Scotland. PMHe was an Episcopalian cleric who dedicated his life to helping the street children and prostitutes of Victorian Aberdeen is to be made the equivalent of a saint by his Church,...
, one of the first followers in Scotland of the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
. Comper was at the time rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St John's, Aberdeen's oldest Anglican congregation. Comper felt that the poorer areas of Aberdeen were not being reached by the Church and felt obliged to respond, firstly with by founding St Margaret's Convent on the Spital and then the Gallowgate church.
The original church was a room rented by Comper on the Gallowgate. By 1870, a joint chapel-school had been consecrated and Comper had resigned from his post at St John's and become full-time priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
to the newly formed St Margaret's. In 1879, a separate school was built followed by the St Nicholas chapel and rectory in 1898 and 1906 respectively, designed by Comper's son, J. Ninian Comper
Ninian Comper
Sir John Ninian Comper was a Scottish-born architect. He was one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects, noted for his churches and their furnishings...
. A separate church hall was built in 1908.