Kirk ministers consider selling glebe land

Glebe land was used to allow ministers an area to graze cows or horses but with the practice having now fallen into disuse, the church has 12,500 acres that could be sold.

Iain Douglas, chairman of the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland, said: “You may know that historically ministers, particularly in rural charges, were provided with a glebe – a field in which they could keep a horse, or graze a cow.

“Not many ministers do that today.

“Some glebes provide useful income to the consolidated stipend fund for congregations, but there are other glebes that yield only a very small return.”

He added: “Consideration should be given to disposal of some of these glebes because if the proceeds of sale were invested in the consolidated stipend fund the return to congregations would be better than the income generated from rental.

“Any glebes that are bringing in little or no income should be investigated by Kirk Sessions and discussed with our Glebes committee.

“In some cases consideration should be given to disposal and investment of proceeds.”

About 35 people sit on the church’s board of trustees, including lawyers, accountants, architects, surveyors, farmers, construction managers and others.

And while they hold title to the majority of the properties, it is the presbyteries rather than the trustees who decide which buildings should be retained.

Mr Douglas said: “Over the years the administrative responsibilities of the general trustees have increased and today we act on behalf of the General Assembly in various areas, which include authorising sales and lets of property, approving alterations to buildings, assisting local congregations with maintenance and improvement work and giving financial assistance in a number of ways.”

Regarding the sale of glebe land following the introduction of new legislation, Malcolm Combe, a law lecturer at Aberdeen University, told our sister publication Scottish Legal News: “Some glebe land may be let under secure agricultural tenancies, and it may be that voluntary sale of such land would be appropriate to avoid any regulatory implications of the new Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.”