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An appeal, lodged by the Free Church (continuing), claiming that the church and manse at Broadford in the Isle of Skye were owned by them, has been thrown out by three judges at the Court of Session. The judges unanimously concluded that the FCC had no basis to claim ownership of the property because they had left the Free Church. The Free Church of Scotland is relieved and thankful that this judgement has been made so decisively, and hopes that the ruling spells an end to the matter.

One of the judges, Lord Drummond Young, suggested at the end of his judgement, the possibility of coming to an arrangement to share property. The Free Church has always been open to discussion of reasonable arrangements for the joint use of properties, where that is possible and practical. Indeed, sharing of property already takes place in some areas. However, today’s judgement has made clear that hitherto disputed buildings belong to the Free Church of Scotland. We earnestly hope that we can now put this issue behind us and move on to better things.

You can find the Court of Session judgement here: Court of Session Appeal Ruling