 Mackenzie left in 1844 , and although he had achieved a great deal , the weakness of the St Kildans ' dependence on external authority was exposed in 1865 with the arrival of Rev. John Mackay . Despite their fondness for Mackenzie , who stayed in the Church of Scotland , the St Kildans " came out " in favour of the new Free Church during the Disruption . Mackay , the new Free Church minister , placed an uncommon emphasis on religious observance . He introduced a routine of three two @-@ to @-@ three @-@ hour services on Sunday at which attendance was effectively compulsory . One visitor noted in 1875 that : " The Sabbath was a day of intolerable gloom . At the clink of the bell the whole flock hurry to Church with sorrowful looks and eyes bent upon the ground . It is considered sinful to look to the right or to the left . " 
