| 1835 |
Archibald Hamilton Charteris, Guild
founder,born in Wamphray, by Moffat |
| 1843 |
The Disruption - a schism within the established
Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the
Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's
relationship with the State to form the Free Church
of Scotland |
| 1856 |
Florence Nightingale returns from Crimea and starts
campaign for improved nursing |
| 1858 |
Archibald Charteris licensed as a minister |
| 1863 |
Charteris marries Catherine Anderson |
| 1880 |
Young Men's Guild founded by Charteris |
| 1884 |
Dr Charteris makes appeal to women of the Church,
through Life and Work magazine
to find out more about women's work - such as that
with the fisher women of Scotland |
| 1885 |
Charteris appeals to the Assembly for permission
to investigate and report back on the work being
done by women and the possibility of organising
an official working unit |
| 1886 |
Women allowed to train and practise as doctors
in Scotland |
| 1887 |
- Charteris and his Christian Life and Work
Committee reported back to the General Assembly
in May, and the following deliverance was passed:
“The General Assembly approve of the suggestions
for the better organisation of women’s
work in the Church, direct the committee to
proceed in carrying them into effect, and commend
the object of training women workers for service
in the home and foreign fields to the liberality
of the members and friends of the Church”
And so, the Church of Scotland Woman’s
Guild was formed
- Deaconess House opened; a home and school
for women to be trained as deaconesses. Run
by Alice Maxwell.
- Shortly after Guild starts, members agree
to build girl’s school in Kalimpong
|
| 1889 |
Miss Davidson, deaconess, appointed first lady
deputy to the work among the fisher folk. She had
previously been a ‘roving ambassador’
for the Guild, inspiring women to membership.
Women allowed to graduate from Scottish Universities
(although had been allowed to study certain subjects
for some time) |
| 1891 |
- First Guild conference, first deaconess, Lady
Grisell Baillie, allowed to preside over the
morning session.
- Lady Grisell Baillie died, aged 68, from influenza
- Guild launches a ‘mothers’ union’
movement
|
| 1892 |
Dr Archibald Charteris elected Moderator of the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland |
| 1893 |
- Guild agreed to build hospital adjacent to
the school in Kalimpong
- First Guild badge launched: price 10d, or
9d as a pendant
- Guild launches scheme to bring country produce
to poor of the city, at reasonable cost (Country
Produce Stores, Dalrymple Street, Edinburgh)
- 2nd(biennial) Guild conference
- First Guild hymn – written by Charteris
(text & tune no longer survive)
|
| 1894 |
- Deaconess Hospital opened – named (formally)
after Lady Grisell Baillie, first deaconess
and first president of the Guild
- Kalimpong hospital opens
(both funded and provided with equipment by
Guild members)
- Guild Temperance Council was formed to ascertain
number of abstainers in Guild
- Mrs Charteris started Guild ‘marriages’
– to link rural branches with city ones
to support and help each other (an early Guildlink)
- Auxiliary membership started (for those who
didn’t have a guild in their parish –
forerunner of Individual Membership)
|
End of century |
Second Guild hymn written: Oh
Christ who died for me - popular for short
time (text only to be found in Out
of Silence by Mamie Magnusson) |
| 1898 |
- Robinson Orphanage - responsibility for this
taken over by Life and Work Committee - run
by deaconesses, with Guild support
- Charteris retires
|
| 1904 |
Guild cottage opened in Lasswade, Midlothian,
for women who 'have fallen victim to intemperance' |
| 1905 |
Emmeline Pankhurst founds Suffragette Movement |
| 1907 |
Kirk Sessions empowered to bestow Guild Leader's
Diploma on women of 'particular zeal and ability' |
| April 1908 |
Dr Charteris dies - buried in Wamphray |
| 1912 |
- Arthur Gordon’s biography of Charteris
published with help from Mrs Charteris. She
sent copies of it to every Guild (765)
- Guild raised money to buy pulpit and falls
for Charteris Memorial Church (now Kirk o’
Field Church, Edinburgh
|
| 1913 |
Kalimpong school expansion continues and teacher
training begins |
| 1918 |
- Girls’ Guild started
- 18 November 1918, Mrs Charteris dies, buried
beside husband
- Guild Cottage closed (drinking amongst women
had decreased, possibly due to gaining control
of homes and lives while husbands at war)
|
| 1919 |
Guild funded the opening of two hostels for women
and girls - St Margaret's in Park Terrace, Glasgow,
and Lister House, The Mound, Edinburgh |
| Early 1920s |
Merging of Presbyterial Guild Council and Women’s
Association Foreign Missions Auxiliary to form one
united council - the recognised presbyterial unit
for women’s work in the church |
| 1924 |
- Temperance work handed over to new organisation
– Women’s Temperance Association
- Presbyterial Councils, with reps going to
Central Committee started.
|
| 1926 |
General Strike and start of Depression |
| 1928 |
Guild formed Sub-Committee on Service to train
Guild members in public speaking |
| 1929 |
Union of Church of Scotland and United Free Church
(Guild had been liaising with UF church for some
time to coordinate women’s
Groups in the churches. Groupings based on local
groups and councils. Committees: Foreign Mission,
Jewish Mission, Home Mission and Temperance. Mary
Lamond, Guild president, only woman to speak at
the official Act of Union event. |
| 1932 |
First mass annual meeting in Usher Hall during
General Assembly– to commemorate retiral of
Miss Lamond. Held yearly thereafter.
Request for Guild representative to be corresponding
member at General Assembly turned down. |
| 1935 |
- Part of Annual Meeting broadcast by BBC
- Lizzie Meredith first president to chair Guild
Central Committee - previously it was a man
from the Life and Work Committee!
|
| 1937 |
- Jubilee year – additional funds sent
to Kalimpong for expansion and remodelling of
school and hospital
- Annual Meeting held at Waverley Market (instead
of Usher Hall) to accommodate numbers wishing
to attend - 7000
- Long Service Certificates, with badge and
bar launched to recognise 25 years of service.
|
| 1939 |
- Annual Meeting held in McEwan Hall (instead
of Usher Hall) (Last meeting till 1943)
- Guild given responsibility for own finances
– first fee was per group dependant on
size, later becoming a capitation fee
- Four year limit put on period of service
for presidents – Lizzie Meredith last
one to served for more than 4 years
- Guild secretary now permitted to attend and
be part of committees
- Government Board of Trade authorised Guild
members to receive special vouchers so they
didn’t have to use own clothing coupons
to obtain wool to knit for the troops
|
| 1943 |
- Young Mother’s Groups started
- Ernest Bevin , Minister of Labour, invited
90 members of Guild to his conference of women
in London to discuss implications of new welfare
state
|
| 1947 |
60th anniversary celebrations included:
- first Broadcast service
- 3000 layettes sent out to German mothers
as reconciliation
|
| 1953 |
President, Lois Jarvis invited to Westminster
Abbey for Coronation |
| 1954 |
Kalimpong Hospital jubilee - funds sent for maternity
department |
| 1956 |
- Guild church at Barlanark dedicated
- Guild exhibition at St Cuthbert’s
- First Theme launched (list of previous themes
available by contacting the information officer
here)
|
| 1957 |
70th anniversary of Guild, and 25th anniversary
of first annual meeting in the Usher Hall. Joint
celebrations at the annual meeting on Tuesday 21
May. |
| 1959 |
- Ruling made by Central Committee that women
to leave Young Mother's Groups and go to the
'main' Guild when youngest child reaches 8 (this
was dropped in 1972)
- 'Bulletin' - Guild' first magazine started
and edited by Grace Hay, president
|
| 1962 |
Young Mothers' Fellowships given own constitution,
making them part of Guild. First rep from Fellowship
to serve on central committee was May Smith, later
Guild President |
| 1963 |
- Original committees disappearing and evolving
into work of church boards. Guild members served
on these boards and took news back to delegates
at annual meetings
- President Isobel Douglas set up policy committee
and organised questionnaire. Members agreed
to keep name as Woman’s Guild; president’s
tenure limited to 3 years; 3 women serving as
Board vice conveners invited to serve as Guild
national vice presidents, along with 3 vice
presidents nominated by Central Committee
- Isobel Douglas formed 6 vice presidents plus
President into President’s Group
|
| 1965 |
Young Mother's became the Young Wives and Mothers
- therefore including childless women |
| 1966 |
- First women elders ordained
- President Kathleen Grieve started Work Groups
to organise annual meeting, theme booklet, schedules,
conferences and started a new magazine, 'Spotlight'
|
| 1969 |
- Projects : Annual projects started (list of
past projects available from the information
officer here)
following Elizabeth Anderson’s trip to
the World Council of Churches conference in
Sweden; she was moved by the testimony of the
third world delegates
- First women ministers ordained
- Guild invited to join and attend first conference
of Women’s National Commission
|
| 1971 |
Guild set up Communications Group to ascertain
views of members on matters of social concern |
| 1972 |
- Young Wives and Mothers became Young Woman’s
Group, therefore including all women, not just
married ones.
- President Madie Hart at forefront of fight
for equality of women in church life, low numbers,
despite previous legislation. She also fought
for inclusive language.
- She encouraged the timing of the annual meeting
to be changed (April) as women were able to
become commissioners to the Assembly (previously
couldn’t attend both) – the Guild
could therefore start to use Assembly Hall for
Annual Meetings
|
| 1973 |
First April Annual Meeting held in Assembly Hall |
| 1974 |
Guild representative invited to be Corresponding
Member, annually, at General Assembly |
| 1977 |
- Lizzie Meredith died; fund instituted in her
memory to finance Guild training sessions at
Carberry during 70s and 80s
- Former President, Madie Hart founded Scottish
Convention of Women
- Queen attended Guild’s 90th anniversary
AM
|
| 1980 |
Guild took training courses ‘on the road’
for those who couldn’t get to Carberry |
| 1982 |
- Anne Hepburn, national president, opens annual
meeting with ‘God, our Mother’ prayer
sparking controversy and debate at General Assembly
- Guild campaign to boycott South African oranges
as a protest against Apartheid
|
| 1987 |
- Guild Centenary – celebratory annual
meeting Assembly Hall, Edinburgh
- Discussion Topics launched (list of previous
topics available from the information officer
here)
- Guild Hymn written by Betty Ewart (Worship
we our Lord and Father)
- Sunday 26 April designated Guild
Sunday for centenary year only
|
| 1996 |
First Information officer appointed to take forward
elements of new structure ie Project Partnership
Scheme |
| 1997 |
- Church of Scotland Woman’s Guild becomes
Church of Scotland Guild
- New constitution
- Project Partnership Scheme started
- Three-year strategies launches – Riches
in Poverty 1997-2000
- Special celebratory Annual Meeting in Royal
Concert Hall, Glasgow
|
| 2000 |
- Millennium banner exhibition tour - Jan 2000
to Jan 2001, ending in London
- New strategy (and projects ) launched: Strength
for Living 2000-2003
|
| 2001 |
Banner exhibition commemorative book and video
launched |
| 2002 |
Thanks a Million
campaign to mark Project Partnership Scheme raising
£1m since 1997 |
| 2003 |
- New strategy (and projects) launched: Dare
to Care 2003-2006
- Revision of Constitution finalised–
more inclusive language
|
| 2004 |
First annual Guild Week - last week in November
– to encourage Guilds to raise awareness of
Guild work in their congregations and communities |
| 2006 |
New strategy (and projects) launched: Let’s
Live: body, mind and soul 2006 to 2009 |
| 2007 |
The Extra Mile - as part of Guild Week, members
were encouraged to walk two miles in support of,
and in solidarity with, those who have been trafficked.
This initiative led to the Guild staging an exhibition
at the Scottish Parliament and addressing MSPs
on the issue at a specially hosted meeting.
120th Anniversary of the Guild |
