Meeting Street Memories First Scots Presbyterian Church at 57 Meeting St.

By Peg Eastman

The iconic First Scots Presbyterian Church has a layered history that goes back to the early 18th century. The current building was constructed in 1814, making it the fifth-oldest church building in the city. This year, 2026, is the sestercentennial (250th⁾ anniversary of our nation’s founding. First (Scots) was the scene of divided allegiances — Patriot vs. Loyalist — during the Revolutionary era.

First (Scots) was organized in 1731 when a schism caused a dozen Scottish residents to leave the Independent Church of Charleston, located at the site of the Circular Congregational Church. They formed Scot’s Kirk or the Scotch Meeting House, and were associated with the Presbytery of Charleston and later the Presbyterian Church of the United States. The present church replaced an earlier one, which had been enlarged once before the American Revolution and twice afterwards. The second, built ca. 1763, stood south of the present church and is where Alexander Hewat preached before the Revolution.

Hewat was about 24 when he arrived in Charles Town in November 1763. He was born in 1739 in Roxburgh, Scotland, and came from a long line of Calvinist farmers, notaries and churchmen.

Shortly after his arrival, he was elected to the St. Andrew's Society, an organization of native-born Scotsmen that included some of the colony's leading citizens. According to tradition, Hewat became intimate with the family of Lieutenant Governor William Bull, probably because he, like Bull, was a royalist and not in sympathy with the spirit of revolt in the colonies.

Unfortunately, the insalubrious climate affected his health, and in 1766, he had to leave the colony to recover. He was much beloved by his parishioners, who paid his expenses and continued their subscriptions.

Hewat found Charles Town a most agreeable place and apparently had every intention of settling permanently, for he purchased 1,000 acres of land in Craven County, and in 1777, he bought 300 acres near Augusta for his brother.

When a British fleet commanded by Admiral Sir Peter Parker arrived off Charles Town in June 1776, it was driven off by Patriot troops on Sullivan’s Island, commanded by Col. William Moultrie and Col. William Thomson. Some members of Hewat’s congregation were imprisoned for refusing to take up arms against the British. He and other local ministers were ordered on August 3 to no longer pray for the king, and he complied and remained in Charles Town until the summer of 1777, when he refused to renounce the king and support the Congress. Returning to England, he was without funds and applied for money to sustain himself until he was allowed to return to the colony. In 1780, the British occupied Charles Town. Learning, however, that his congregation had dispersed and his church was being used to house Loyalist refugees from the country, Hewat remained in England.

In 1779, he published An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, in two volumes. The history covered the period from the discovery of America to the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. Despite the assistance he obtained from Bull, Hewat was hampered by a lack of historical material. In England, the sources of colonial history were not published, and manuscripts were difficult to use even when they were available. Records in S.C. were not accessible to him. Because he was forced to use confusing materials, some of his statements were erroneous. His work, however, is noteworthy primarily because it was the first history of the Palmetto State. After its publication in 1779, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Edinburgh University.

In 1785, Hewat appeared as a witness before the Royal Commission on the losses and services of American Loyalists. Hewat had remained loyal to the king during the American Revolution, and as a result, his property was confiscated by Patriot authorities, and he was forced to live on a small pension. His interest in S.C. continued until the end of his life.

Hewat married Mrs. Barksdale, a widow from Carolina, who was visiting England for the sake of her children’s health. She was probably the “Eliza, wife of the Reverend Doctor Hewat” whose death is recorded in the Gentleman's Magazine for May 1814.

Alexander Hewat died in Marylebone, London, on March 3, 1824, at the age of 85. He left an estate of £7,000 sterling (equivalent to almost £500,000 in 2000), including a small legacy to the Scots church in Charleston. Sadly, Howat and other Loyalists were casualties of war who never received the recognition or remuneration they deserved for their unwavering loyalty to the crown.

Meanwhile, in Charleston, in 1813-14, the current First Scots Presbyterian Church was built of stuccoed brick with twin domed bell towers rising above a pedimented Tuscan portico. Its design has been compared with Benjamin Henry Latrobe’s Baltimore Cathedral, begun in 1806. Its architect has not been identified, but there are several possibilities.

Latrobe’s star student, Robert Mills, was a Charleston native. Mills grew up attending First (Scots), and his parents are buried there. Latrobe unjustly accused Mills of being “a mere copyist.” Mills designed two Charleston churches — Circular Church, 1804-06, and First Baptist, 1819-22 — before achieving greater fame for designing the Washington Monument.

Two other church-designing architects attended First (Scots) and are buried there. Brothers James and John Gordon designed Second Presbyterian Church, built 1809-16, and St. Paul’s, Radcliffeborough, built 1811-16.

Hugh Smith, another member of First (Scots), is interred in the churchyard. Smith designed one of the city’s most elegant buildings, St. Andrew’s Hall, built 1814-15. John Gordon was on the building committee which approved Smith’s design for the Broad Street building. The St. Andrew’s Society, founded by Scots in 1729, had a close relationship with First (Scots).

The building committee at First (Scots) was chaired by David Haig, a member and later vice president of the St. Andrew’s Society. It was not unheard of for a committee, chair to design the intended building, so Haig is a possible designer of First (Scots). Haig operated a cooperage on Craft’s North Wharf. As a member of City Council, he served on committees with oversight of city buildings, including markets and the Work House.

Chairman Haig, in April-May 1813, received estimates for brickwork and carpentry. Materials were furnished by the building committee. A plan of the church was displayed at the Macaulay & Company store, 18 Broad St. It did not include the roof structure, as a plan for a flat ceiling was requested.

First (Scots) now has a beautiful coved ceiling. However, the interior has been changed due to earthquake damage in 1886 and a fire in 1945. Repairs in 1886-87 included the replacement of the east gable end with a jerkin-head roof.

The new church was dedicated on December 29, 1814, with a sermon by the Rev. Aaron W. Leland. (The vacated wooden church was sold and had been removed from its site.)

The stained-glass window over the main entrance displays the seal of the Church of Scotland. Memorial tablets inside include one to Lady Anne Murray (d. 1772), painted on wood, retrieved from the previous church.

Robert Mills’ Circular Church and Smith’s St. Andrew’s Hall were destroyed in the great fire of 1861.

A Charlestonian by birth, Margaret (Peg) Middleton Rivers Eastman is actively involved in the preservation of Charleston’s rich cultural heritage. In addition to being a regular columnist for the Charleston Mercury, she has published through McGraw Hill, The History Press, Evening Post Books and Carologue, a publication of the South Carolina Historical Society. She is a member of the city of Charleston History Commission and serves on the board of the Friends of the Old Exchange.