The Business of Religion: Lending and the Church of Scotland in the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

This article is based on the examination of religion as a social practice. This approach to the history of the eighteenth-century Church of Scotland leads to the uncovering of extensive practices of lending on bond by local church bodies. Two implications of this are analysed in the article: light is shed on the debate about Protestantism and lending at interest; and connections between church bodies and nascent Scottish enterprises are indicated. The article starts by outlining the structure and governance practices of the Church, with particular emphasis on its corporate form and the extensive record keeping which supplies the evidence base for the discussion. There follows a review of the historiography of Protestantism and lending at interest, which frames the detailed discussion of eighteenth- century practice. This discussion outlines the broad framework before it examines some detailed cases, with a particular focus on lending to Glasgow businesses by local church bodies.