the Free Church of Scotland
/ðə ˌfriː tʃɜːtʃ əv ˈskɒtlənd/
/ðə ˌfriː tʃɜːrtʃ əv ˈskɑːtlənd/
- a large group of Scottish Protestants who left the Church of Scotland in 1843 and established their own branch of the Christian religion because they did not agree with the way the Church of Scotland chose its priests. In 1929 most members of the Free Church joined the Church of Scotland again. Some members, especially in the Highlands, remained independent, and they are often called the Wee Frees. (Wee is a Scottish word meaning small)
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the Free Church of Scotland