Presbyterianism in the Eighteenth Century

Legislation known as the Penal Laws was passed in the Irish parliament between 1695 and 1728 by an overwhelmingly Anglican landed gentry anxious to preserve their privileged position by keeping Catholics in subjection. Catholics were not the only religious denomination to face institutional discrimination in this period. Presbyterians also felt aggrieved at laws which restrict their rights and freedom in certain areas. For example, marriages conducted by a Presbyterian minister were not recognised by the state and children born of such a marriage were regarded as illegitimate. In 1704 a law was passed which required persons holding public office to produce a certificate stating that they had received communion in a Church of Ireland church.

For many members of the establishment, Presbyterians were regarded as more of a threat than Catholics, especially because of their numerical superiority over Anglicans in much of Ulster.

In the early eighteenth century there occurred the first major dispute within Irish Presbyterianism.

Joymount 1642 presbytery memorial reduced

This was over the issued of subscription to the Westminster Confession of Faith. Those who denied the necessity of subscribing to the Confession were known as New Light Presbyterians. In 1725 for the sake of convenience those who took this stance were placed in the Presbytery of Antrim. Other brands of Presbyterianism originating in Scotland were established in Ulster during the course of the eighteenth century.

The Seceders as they were known, because they had seceded from the Church of Scotland in 1733, soon established congregations and presbyteries in Ulster. The first Irish presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church was established. The origins of this denomination went back to the National Covenant of 1638 and the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643.

The Reformed Presbyterians, or Covenanters as they were also known, refused to accept that the state had any authority over the church and did not participate in parliamentary elections. Both of these denominations provided an alternative to mainstream Presbyterianism.