Lasswade and Rosewell Parish Church facts for kids

Lasswade and Rosewell Parish Church is a special place of worship. It serves the towns of Lasswade, Poltonhall, and Rosewell in Midlothian, Scotland. This church is part of the Church of Scotland, which is the national church of Scotland. A "parish church" means it looks after the spiritual needs of people living in a specific area, called a parish.

The Old Lasswade Church

The old church building and its churchyard in Lasswade.

Before the year 1793, there was an even older church building in Lasswade. This was the original Lasswade Parish Church. It was built a very long time ago, before the Scottish Reformation (a big change in how the church worked in Scotland). This old building was eventually left empty in 1793. Much of it fell down in 1866.

One important minister who served this old church was Rev Prof James Fairlie. He was a minister there from 1644 to 1658.

Lasswade's Church Building Today

The church building used by the Lasswade congregation today was not always a Church of Scotland building. It was first built for a different church group called the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Later, it became part of the United Free Church of Scotland.

In 1929, the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church joined together. After this, the building became known as Lasswade Strathesk Church. In the late 1940s, a serious problem was found with the original Old Parish Church building. Because of this, in 1956, the Old Parish Church and Strathesk Church united. The old building was later taken down.

Rosewell's Church History

The church building in Rosewell was constructed in the 1870s. At first, it was considered a "daughter church" of Lasswade Parish Church. This means it was a newer church that grew out of the older Lasswade church.

In 1966, the Rev James H. Sinclair became the minister for Rosewell Parish Church. He was the last minister to serve only the Rosewell church. After he moved to a different town in 1987, the Rosewell church did not have a full-time minister for a while. Then, in 1991, the Rosewell church started "linking" with two other churches: Cockpen & Carrington Parish Church and Lasswade Parish Church.

Churches Working Together

Since 1977, the Lasswade church has been "linked" with Cockpen and Carrington Parish Church. Being "linked" means that these churches share the same minister. In 1991, both Lasswade and Cockpen & Carrington churches also linked with Rosewell Parish Church. This meant one minister served all three churches.

In 2008, the Lasswade and Rosewell parish churches officially joined together. This happened because not as many people were attending services at both churches. They became one single church congregation, called "Lasswade and Rosewell Parish Church." Even though they united, they kept both church buildings for worship.

Ministers Who Served

Here are some of the recent ministers who have led the congregations:

Ministers of Rosewell Church

• The Rev James Sinclair (1966-1987)

Ministers of Lasswade and Rosewell Parish Church

• The Rev Wendy Drake (1992-2007)
• The Rev Matthew Ross (2009-2014)
• The Rev Lorna M Souter

See also

• List of Church of Scotland parishes