Fife - Religious Worship, 1851

A census of Religious Worship and Education was taken in 1851 at the same time as the census of population. A summary of the results was published in a British Parliamentary Paper in 1854.

This information tells us the number of different churches and the number of worshipers on Sunday March 30th, 1851.

Apart from the burghs, figures for individual towns, parishes or congregations were not published in this summary report.

The whole report has been made available by the University of Essex and is available online at histpop.

The tables for Religious Worship for Fife are as follows:

Fife. Population: 153546

The number of sittings was not returned for 90 of the above 199 places of worship. Of these, 8 belong to the Established Church, 1 to the Original Secession Church, 2 to the United Presbyterian Church, 2 to the Free Church, 1 to the Independents, 1 to the Wesleyan Original Connexion, 1 to the Evangelical Union, 1 to the Roman Catholics, 1 to the Catholic and Apostolic Church, and 2 to the Latter Day Saints.

The number of attendants is not returned for 8 of the above 199 places of worship. Of these, 5 belong to the Established Church, 1 to the United Presbyterian Church, 1 to the Episcopal Church, and 1 to the Roman Catholics.

Of the 186 places open in the morning, 19 did not return the number of their sittings: Established Church 8, Original Secession 1, United Presbyterian Church 1, Free Church 2, Independents 1, Wesleyans 1, Evangelical Union 1, Roman Catholics 1, Catholic and Apostolic Church 1, Latter Day Saints 2. In the afternoon, 13 did not return the number of their sittings: Established Church 4, Original Secession 1, United Presbyterian Church 1, Free Church 2, Independents 1, Wesleyans 1, Evangelical Union 1, Catholic and Apostolic Church 1, Latter Day Saints 1. In the evening, 5 did not return the number of sittings: Established Church 2, United Presbyterian Church 1, Wesleyans 1, Latter Day Saints 1.

Returns are altogether missing (i.e. 'reported to the Census Office as existing, but for which no Returns were received') for the following 20 churches: Established Church 8, United Presbyterian Church 2, Free Church 4, Episcopal Church 1, Independents 2, Baptists 1, Isolated Congregation 1, Roman Catholics 1.

Figures for the Burghs are as follows:

Burntisland (Parliamentary Burgh): Population of Parish 3158, Population of Burgh 2724:

Cupar (Parliamentary Burgh): Population of Parish 7127, Population of Burgh 5686:

Dunfermline (Parliamentary Burgh): Population of Parish 21687, Population of Burgh 13836:

Dysart (Parliamentary Burgh): Population of Parish 8739, Population of Burgh 8041:

Kirkcaldy (Parliamentary Burgh): Population of Parishes 13779, Population of Burgh 10475:

St Andrews (Parliamentary Burgh): Population of Parish 7327, Population of Burgh 5107:

Source: Census of Great Britain, 1851, Religious worship and education. Scotland. Report and tables. British Parliamentary Papers 1854 LIX (1764).