Edinburgh - General Session

In Edinburgh at the Reformation the burgh church was the Collegiate Church of St Giles', but there were other nearby churches that would later be subsumed within the burgh. In 1584 the Town Council resolved to divide the burgh ecclesiastically into four quarters, each having its own church. This took effect in 1598. The division was: St Giles', serving the South-East; New for the North-West; Upper Tolbooth for the South-West; and Trinity College for the North-East. A further division of Edinburgh was made by the town council in 1641 to establish the following parochial areas: West St Giles (later Tolbooth) - North-West; High or East St Giles - North; Trinity College - North-East; Tron - South-East; Old or Middle St Giles - South; Greyfriars - South-West.The General Sessions of Edinburgh convened on a regular basis, mostly with the city magistrates, to consider matters of general concern. As there was technically one parish of the burgh Edinburgh there was one General Kirk Session.

Records available