Little Britain United Church, built between 1872 and 1874 by stonemason Duncan McRae, is the oldest United Church building in Manitoba. Initially Presbyterian, the original congregation was served by Reverend John Black, the first Presbyterian minister at the Selkirk Settlement. The church was constructed by two of the most important stonemasons of the era, John Clouston and Duncan McRae. The tower was added in 1920, a memorial to the dead of the First World War.
Next to the church is a plaque, erected in 1983 by the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba, in commemoration of stonemason Duncan McRae. A stone cairn near the church was erected in 1933 to commemorate the beginning of worship in this Parish under Reverend John Black in 1853. It was relocated from the original site on River Road North of the Lockport Dam and was rededicated on 30 September 2012 to celebrate the 160th anniversary of services.
Among the clerics who served at Little Britain United Church was Thomas Burridge Pearson.
Among the noteworthy people buried in its cemetery is Duncan McRae.
Plaques inside the church commemorate parishioners who were killed during military service in the First World War.

New roof on Little Britain United Church (August 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina

Little Britain United Church (December 2015)
Source: George Penner

Little Britain United Church (2016)
Source: Desiree Rolfe

Interior of Little Britain United Church (December 2015) Source: George Penner

Commemorative plaques inside Little Britain United Church (January 2021)
Source: Tanya Wiegand

Little Britain commemorative monument (December 2015) Source: George Penner
Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.10280, W96.94020 denoted by symbol on the map above
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First World War Casualties
Name |
Occupation |
Service |
Rank |
Birth Date |
Death Date |
Harry Cosbey Clarke
[Next of Kin, St. Andrews, Selkirk] |
Salesman |
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
30 December 1888 |
26 September 1916 |
William Calder Cumming
[St. Andrews, Selkirk] |
Student |
4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders |
Second Lieutenant |
10 June 1894 |
24 April 1922 |
Thomas James Davis
[St. Andrews, Selkirk] |
Farm Hand |
1st Company, Canadian Machine Gun Corps |
Private |
13 November 1896 |
9 April 1917 |
George Donald
[St. Andrews, Selkirk] |
Teamster |
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
3 February 1897 |
8 September 1916 |
Edwin Fidler
[St. Andrews, Selkirk] |
Farmer |
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
28 August 1892 |
12 August 1916 |
Jacob Martin Johnston
[St. Andrews, Selkirk, 108 Battalion] |
Scholar |
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Corporal |
28 October 1897 |
27 December 1917 |
Colin Angus McDonald
[St. Andrews, Selkirk] |
Farmer |
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
4 August 1895 |
28 September 1918 |
Thomas Mowat
[St. Andrews, Selkirk, 108 Battalion] |
Labourer |
78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
4 March 1887 |
9 April 1917 |
James Stewart Swain
[Armoury, St. Andrews, Selkirk] |
Labourer |
29th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Lance Corporal |
15 May 1890 |
13 August 1918 |
See also:
Church History Resources of Manitoba by G. B. King
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1944-45 Season
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Provincially Designated Historic Sites
Sources:
Little Britain United Church, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch
MHM - Duncan McRae - Little Britain MB, Waymarking.
The Old Stone Church. The History of Little Britain United Church (est. 1852) by K. Schneider and Gwen Fox.
We thank George Penner, Desiree Rolfe, Tanya Wiegand, and Rose Kuzina for providing information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Darryl Toews.
Page revised: 7 December 2021
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