Borve Church

Historical Information

History File - Borve Church
Borve was established as a mission station in 1890 and remained so until the last serving mis-
sionary retired in 1976. The first church building was located at the west end of the village,
the foundations of which are still visible. The first missionary was George Beaton. He was
instrumental in teaching local people to read the Bible in Gaelic. He was also Session Clerk to
the congregation. He held morning and evening services on the Lord's Day and a Sabbath
School after the morning service. In addition to teaching Gaelic Psalm tunes, he taught and
examined local people once a year in the shorter catechism. This continued until 1976.
The present church was built in 1895 on the right-hand side of the main road opposite croft 28
Borve. A house was built for the missionary near the church. Dr Ross, the local doctor who
also served as an elder, is remembered for providing & organising much practical help and
financial support for work carried out to the church at Borve. He was a son of Kenneth Ross,
the respected Catechist from Crobeag. Over the years many improvements have been under-
taken to redevelop and upgrade the church building. Much of this work was carried out on a
voluntary basis. In 2000 the exterior walls were stripped and rough-casted. The neat finish
and scale of the bare stone that was exposed during this work bore testimony to the craftsman-
ship, skill and remarkable strength of all those who helped build the church.
The following missionaries served in Borve from 1890 - 1976:

i) George Beaton
ii) Alexander MacIver

iii) Angus MacKay

iv) John Smith

v) Alexander MacDonald

vi) John MacDonald

vii) Malcolm MacLeod

viii) Malcolm MacMillan

ix) Murdo Murray

x) Donald Smith

xi) Malcolm MacLeod (2nd Term)

Acknowledgements: the late Mrs Kenina Graham, 54 Borve

 

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Further History of Borve Church

The church premises and surrounding land in Borve are owned by the communities of Borve, High Borve and Melbost, under the stewardship of a democratically elected committee.

Dr. Roderick Ross was the GP in Borve in the late 1800s. He may well have been the first doctor in the area and was also very involved in church affairs throughout the Island.

Local history, passed down through the generations, suggests that Dr Ross acquired funds for the construction of Borve Church, raised money from medical colleagues and made a generous personal donation.

When plans were finalised for the construction of the church premises, not only did the men gather the stones required for constructing its external walls, the women and older children also helped. The church was completed in 1900.

John MacKenzie (“Burian”from High Borve) was one of the builders, being a stonemason of some repute.

More information, passed down to us, includes the following:

• there is a jar in the church foundations with the names of everyone who was involved in its construction
• the timber for the roof came by boat to Port of Ness and was taken to Borve by horse and cart
• down through the years, many people commented on the unusual, coloured glass panes in the church windows. Unfortunately, they could not be used for the new windows during a past renovation.
• it is possible that delivery of the original windows came through Port of Ness as well.

People locally were not generally well off financially by any means, but their faith was strong and the community of Melbost, High Borve and Borve have always donated what they could afford to maintain the church throughout the decades since it was built. They and the various committee members throughout the years ensured this maintenance was continued.

In the early 1980s an extension was added - housing the toilets. There is also a small meeting room – complete with its own mini-pulpit! A disabled access was added around that time too and the parking area at the church was upgraded with tarmac.

Between 2020 and 2024, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, Borve Church was used for funeral services only and very few committee meetings took place. The previously regular monthly Sunday evening services ceased due to the pandemic too and didn't resume until November 2024, following significant effort by the local community and a new committee.

The very capable committee chairman of many years - Colin MacLean, High Borve - sadly passed away in January 2022 and his loss was a considerable one for Borve Church and for the entire community.

Recent Activity
As the pandemic passed, there was clear interest in the future of the church building and in resuming services, and it was evident also that the local community considered the church a valuable community asset worthy of support. Consequently, a Special General Meeting was arranged for Sat 29th October 2022 to discuss the way forward. That meeting was well-attended.

Along with two of the previous committee members, a further 6 committee members were nominated and duly appointed at the SGM. Committee thereafter comprised:
Cathie Ann Morrison, High Borve (Chair)
Donna Dorris, High Borve (Secretary)
Donald A Macdonald, Borve (Treasurer)
Sina Morrison, Melbost
Mary M Morrison, Melbost
Peter Macdonald, Borve
Kenneth Graham, Borve
Sandy Jack, Borve

 

Committee activities since have included:
• Constitution formalised and adopted

• Risks assessments have been documented and are kept under review 
• A fire plan/fire safety policy is in place 
• Fire extinguishers have been installed
• New fire exit signage have been organised
• P. A. T. Testing and Wiring checks have been carried out
• The church is regularly and thoroughly cleaned
• New floor covering has been laid in the front entrance area
• New external lighting has been installed

More upgrade and maintenance is planned.

Update (March 2025): After generations of affiliation to the Free Church of Scotland, it was formally agreed to change the name by which the church was known to Borve Church.  This reflects its newly independent, unaffiliated and non-denominational status, and followed a decision by the Free Church of Scotland Kirk Session in Barvas to decline the unconditional recommencement of monthly services in Borve.