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REPRESENTING THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF 2X2 HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS ON THE INTERNET
Baptisms in Banton Loch, Kilsyth Chronicle
Strange Sect Which Has No Name - St. Monance, Scotland (now St. Monans)
Extract from the "Dundee Courier" April 19, 1924 -
Strange Preachers in Peterhead (Scotland)
May 5, 1905
KILSYTH CHRONICLE
9 Market Chambers
Kilsyth G65 OAZ Scotland
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BAPTISMS IN BANTON LOCH
On Sabbath afternoon curiosity tempted several hundreds of people to face the cold easterly breeze and showers on a pilgrimage to Banton Loch where a number of adults, converts to Edward Cooney, who styles himself ‘the tramp preacher,’ were immersed. For several weeks, Cooney, a native of Enniskillen in the North of Ireland, has been conducting in Kilsyth a mission in connection with the evangelistic body occupying the Wooden Hall, in West Burnside Street. The scene of Sunday’s proceedings was on the North side of the Loch where at the water side a canvas structure had been erected as disrobing room. The spot selected, whether advisedly or merely coincidentally, was at the spot from which it will be remembered a boy named Wilson, about two years ago, went in to bathe and was drowned. A goodly number sought vantage spots on the rubbish bing from the old Riskend Pit, while numerous others lined the West Bank and also the North bank, in the immediate vicinity of where the tent was erected.
Prior to the immersion proceedings, a religious service was held, and thereafter, females were the first to brave the cold water. They were conducted down the bank by one man and led out to where another (Mr. W. Abercrombie, Queenzieburn) was standing waist deep, who received them and dipped them beneath the water. The varying expressions on the faces of the immersed as each came to the surface, in some cases gasping and to all appearances chilled with the experience, gave room for much caustic comment and humourous remark from the spectators. The crowd was, however, of the most tolerant nature and beyond giving audible expression pretty freely to their opinions, in no way interfered with the ceremony. While the males were preparing for the baptism, Cooney held forth upon the rite of baptism, avowing himself a believer in adult baptism and giving an account of the rite as performed by the ancients and in the various religious bodies of the world. Afterwards, the men were dipped and interest in the proceedings, so far as the crowd was concerned, was at the end. While the ceremony was going on the Hall followers sang hymns. In all, eleven women and eight men underwent immersion.
STRANGE SECT WHICH HAS NO NAME
(No date given or source)
By a Correspondent
Late at night and in the early hours of morning pilgrims, standing waist deep in water, have been solemnly baptised in the Firth of Forth near St Monance (Scotland).
Carried out in secret, the remarkable ceremonies have formed part of the programme of a strange religious sect which has been holding its annual convention in the Fife fishing village.
For the past few years this has been its accepted meeting place. The religious services are held in the Town Hall Building, formerly the school, which are hired to them by the Town Council.
This body of men and women pass the greater part of each day in hymn-singing ¬and prayer. Among the 300 members are people of all classes—bakers, butchers, grocers, working people, and professional men and women..
Perhaps the most surpising fact is that it has no name. Locally the members are known as "Cooneyites," but the sect itself does not recognise this designation officially.
By Word of Mouth.
The annual convention is interesting in the extreme. The members area summoned not by letter, but by word of mouth. From widely scattered parts they come—from England, Ireland, and Wales.
There is no secretary, the sect has no fixed headquarters, it takes no collections, and has no clergy. Their faith lays down that if they organise into a “movement,” they would chase out the Holy Ghost.
There are a number of unpaid preachers who travel from town to town visiting members. They carry no money with them.
Each year during the Fife conference, there are a number of converts, and following the accepted custom, they are baptised in the Firth of Forth. Several ceremonies have been carried through this week. The hours chosen are late at night and early in the morning.
"The members stay in St. Monance for several days," one local resident informed me, "and although they have been coming here for years, we know as little about them as we did when they first came. They are not secretive; they simply keep their religion to themselves. They are all very devout people. We have rather taken to them, with their somewhat strange ways, and now welcome their annual visits."
TTT Editors Note: Possibly published in the paper formerly called “The Leven Mail” but now titled The East Fife Mail.” In earlier years, there were one or two other local newspaper covering the east coast fishing villages in Fife, but they may ceased and been swallowed up by the Leven Mail.
St. Monance (sometimes spelled St. Monhans) is north of Edinburgh, on the north side of the Firth of Forth.
Click here to view photo of baptism titled: “BAPTISM IN THE SEA AT ST. MONANCE.”
Pilgrims being baptized in the sea at St. Monance, Fife, during
the four days religious conference which was concluded last night.
Pilgrims from all parts of the country were present.
NOTES provided to TTT Editor: St. Monans may have been the first convention in Scotland.
St. Monance is a small fishing village. The name has now returned to its original "St. Monans."
I remember my mother telling me about convention at St. Monans. It was held in the Town Hall just yards from where she grew up. Special Meetings at Christmas time are still held there. I also my mother telling me about the baptisms. Due to the interest they aroused from outsiders, they tried to hold them at night or early in the morning on the beach outside the western boundary of the village.
Gartocharn, Dunbartonshire replaced St. Monans, perhaps in the early 1960's. I remember my mother saying it was there at St. Monans when she was a small girl (perhaps late 20's - early 30's at least.)
At the time the convention was in St. Monans, the village for its size must have had one of the healthiest numbers of professing folks. Out of a population of 800 to 900 then, there were four or five large meetings. Probably that's why the convention was held there. Those who came from afar stayed in the homes of the friends. Now, there is only one professing person in the village; in fact, that church is the only one in the whole Fife Region of Scotland which has an over all population of 350,000+. Now, there is only one Sunday am meeting, which is in Leven.
Extract from the "Dundee Courier" April 19, 1924
STRANGE PREACHERS IN PETERHEAD
DENY THEY ARE COONEYITES OR MORMONS
Some perturbation has been caused in religious circles in Peterhead by the visit of two young men, Frank Dennison, Tipperaray, Ireland, and James Tarvet, Fifeshire (Scotland), who have been conducting religious services in the town. Their teachings have been considered in some quarters to be rather mysterious and there have been all sorts of rumours regarding their sect.
Feeling has been aroused in the local Salvation Army by the fact that several young women members of that body, have been attending meetings and have been influenced by the teachings of the preachers.
In an interview Mr. Dennison stated that they were undenominational and were simply following the scriptures and acting on the same principles as Christ's disciples. They did not take collections at their meetings and were supported in the same way as the New Testament preachers. They had no antipathy towards any church in particular, but did not believe in commercialising the gospel. He emphatically denied the rumour that they were Cooneyites or Mormons.
It is understood that they have several followers in Peterhead and last night addressed a meeting in Buchanhaven.
NOTE: Peterhead is a fishing town in Northeast Scotland. James Tarvet, the young worker mentioned in the Peterhead article above, came from St. Monans.
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