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The term Wee Free was an
epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...
commonly used to distinguish two Scottish Presbyterian Churches after the union of 1900: The Free Kirk and The United Free Kirk. Since the United Free were approximately 25 times larger, but hard to distinguish without some knowledge of Scottish history and theology, the rhyming Scottish
diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
became used as an epithet of the post 1900 Free Kirk. The epithet Wee Free was also applied to a small group in the 1918 Liberal Party who on principle did not want to go into coalition with the
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Party. The Wee Free Liberals either did not get, or refused, the coupon signed by
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
of the Liberals and
Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...
of the Conservatives. The ''Wee Free'' in modern usage is used, usually in a pejorative way, of any small group who because of their, arguably obscure, religious principles choose to remain without or separate from a larger body. A Wee Free attitude might show as a preference for being part of a smaller but ideologically pure group rather than a larger compromised one.


Origin

In 1900 the Free Church had been the second largest Presbyterian church in Scotland since the 1843 Disruption, its exit from the "Auld Kirk" (the Church of Scotland). In the years leading up to 1900 the Free Kirk and the more theologically liberal United Presbyterian Church aligned themselves with each other, with full union as the goal. This led to
Declaratory Articles The Articles Declaratory of the Constitution of the Church of Scotland – often known as the Declaratory Articles - were drawn up early in the 20th century to facilitate the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland. T ...
being passed by their General Assemblies, changing or clarifying their doctrine so that there would be no barrier to union. The Free Kirk's Declaratory Act of 1892 was objected to by a minority some of whom formed the
Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (FPC Church; , ) was formed in 1893. The Church identifies itself as the spiritual descendant of the Scottish Reformation. The Church web-site states that it is "the constitutional heir of the historic Chu ...
, which continues to this day. Eight years later when Scotland's second and third largest Presbyterian denominations formally unified, a small group within the Free Church chose to stay outside the union. They were given the epithet the Wee Free Church (or Wee Frees) and, since they litigated for a share of the church's endowment through the Scottish Courts and right up to the House of Lords, they became well-known and the phrase passed into common usage. The Lords decision in the case of Bannatyne v Overtoun was in favour of the small body, a decision which surprised many.


Background

A pair of rhyming jibes remain from the time of the heated split of the Disruption in 1843 when about a third of the Auld Kirk of Scotland left to form the Free Kirk. The Free Kirkers who had sometimes given up homes as well as church buildings and started financially from scratch were taunted with the rhyme: "The Free Kirk, the wee kirk the kirk without the steeple." This rhyme linking the Free Kirk with the derogatory diminutive "wee" was offensive and a reply was devised in: "The Auld Kirk, the cauld kirk, the kirk without the people." It may even have been known in America.


Politics

The Wee Free Liberals, including Donald Maclean, were Liberals who did not go into the
coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...
of
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
with the
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
of
Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...
when he took over as prime minister from
H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...
(Asquith remained Liberal Party leader, although he was out of Parliament between the 1918 general election and the
1920 Paisley by-election The 1920 Paisley by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 12 February 1920 for the UK House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons constituency of Paisley (UK Parliament constituency), Paisley in Scotland. It was caused by ...
). There were around 31 Wee Free MPs although political boundaries were not black and white.


Modern usage

Denominations other than the Free Church are also regularly called Wee Frees in the press. For example, the epithet has been used about the Free Presbyterians, and even the United Free, a remnant of the very body the name was supposed to distinguish from, its greater part having united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. The Free Church has publicly tried to distance itself from the name, calling it a "derogatory and offensive slur". However, some people both inside and outside the denomination do not mind, even if it causes some to cringe. David Robertson, a Free Church minister, uses a version of it in his blog after being called a flea by a well-known atheist.


The Wee Wee Frees

There is no group specifically known as the Wee Wee Frees. Groups coming out of the Free Church include the Free Presbyterian Church in 1893 from which the
Associated Presbyterian Churches The Associated Presbyterian Churches (APC) is a Presbyterian church, with congregations in Scotland, and formerly in Canada and New Zealand. It was formed in 1989 as a result of division in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. History ...
split in 1989. The Free Church (Continuing) sometimes is labelled with the derogatory ''Wee Wee Free'' or even ''Wee Wee Wee Free'' term.


In literature

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...
's Wee Free Men is an epithet for his Nac Mac Feegle who appear in some of his
Discworld ''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a fl ...
novels. He denied they are
caricatures A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
of Scots or churchmen, saying, "The Nac Mac Feegle are not Scottish. There is no Scotland on Discworld. They may, in subtle ways, suggest some aspects of the Scottish character as filtered through the media, but that's because of quantum."


See also

*
Ecclesiastical separatism Ecclesiastical separatism is the withdrawal of people and churches from Christian denominations, usually to form new denominations. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the separating puritans advocated departure from the Church of England. These peop ...
*
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
*
Schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
*
Sectarianism Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or Religious violence, religious conflicts between groups. Others conceiv ...


References

{{reflist Epithets Ethnic and religious slurs Political terminology in the United Kingdom