The St Andrew's Scottish Church mission in Cape Town, 1838-1878

Abstract

When slaves at the Cape were emancipated at the end of 1838, St Andrew's Presbyterian (Scottish) Church became the first church in Cape Town to open its membership to Blacks. This accounts for the fact that ex-slave converts joined St Andrew's and not other churches. The St Andrew's Mission became an important 'westernizing agency' under the Rev. George Morgan and the Rev. G. W. Stegmann. It performed not only a religious function, but also became an educational and welfare organisation for ex-slaves during the 1840s. A clash between Morgan and Stegmann resulted in a split in the Mission and the establishment of an independent Coloured congregation at St Stephen's Church. Later, in 1878, dissension between the White congregation and the mission congregation at St Andrew's Church caused the closure of the continuing St Andrew's Mission. The mission to the Blacks was taken over by the newly formed Cape Presbytery in 1893.