
Alexander Adam (24 June 174118 December 1809) was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
teacher and writer on
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
antiquities.
Life

Alexander Adam was born near
Forres
Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There ...
, in
Moray, the son of a farmer. From his earliest years he showed uncommon diligence and perseverance in classical studies, notwithstanding many difficulties and privations. In 1757 he went to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, where he studied at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. During this period he lodged with a Mr watson on
Restalrig
Restalrig () is a small residential suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland (historically, an estate and independent parish).
It is located east of the city centre, west of Craigentinny and to the east of Lochend, both of which it overlaps. Restalri ...
.
His reputation as a classical scholar secured him a post as assistant at
Watson's Hospital and the headmastership in 1761.
[ This cites ''An Account of the Life and Character of A. A.'', by A. Henderson (1810).]
In 1764 he became private tutor to
Alexander Kincaid
Alexander Kincaid (1710–1777) was an 18th-century Scottish printer and publisher who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1776/77.
Life
He was born on 17 March 1710 in Falkirk the son of James Kincaid of Bantaskine House and his wife Isabell Rus ...
, afterwards Lord Provost of Edinburgh, by whose influence he was appointed in 1768 to the rectorship of the
High School
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
on the retirement of Mr Matheson, whose substitute he had been for some time before. From this period he devoted himself entirely to the duties of his office and to the preparation of his numerous works on classical literature. His popularity and his success as a teacher are strikingly illustrated by the great increase in the number of his pupils, many of whom subsequently became distinguished men, among them being
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
,
Lord Brougham
Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, (; 19 September 1778 – 7 May 1868) was a British statesman who became Lord High Chancellor and played a prominent role in passing the 1832 Reform Act and 1833 Slavery Abolition Act. ...
and
Francis Jeffrey
Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey (23 October 1773 – 26 January 1850) was a Scottish judge and literary critic.
Life
He was born at 7 Charles Street near Potterow in south Edinburgh, the son of George Jeffrey, a clerk in the Court of Session ...
.
He succeeded in introducing the study of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
into the curriculum of the school, notwithstanding the opposition of the university headed by Principal
William Robertson. In 1780 the University of Edinburgh conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
He lived his final years at 39
George Square
George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange S ...
.
He died after an illness of five days, during which he occasionally imagined himself still at work, his last words being, "It grows dark, boys, you may go".
He is buried near his home, in the small graveyard of
St. Cuthbert's Chapel of Ease
St Andrew's Orthodox Church is an Orthodox church located in the Southside, Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh’s Orthodox community was founded in 1948 and has, since 2013, occupied the former Buccleuch Parish Church, which was founded as a chapel ...
on Chapel Street (usually known as Buccleuch Parish Church). The grave lies on the north wall.
Selected publications
*''Principles of Latin and English Grammar'' (1772) (co-written with
Andrew Dalzell
Andrew Dalzell (sometimes shown as Andrew Dalzel or Andrew Dalziel) FRSE (1742–1806) was a Scottish scholar and prominent figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. In 1783 he was a co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Life
He was b ...
[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Andrew Dalzell]), which, being written in English instead of Latin, brought down a storm of abuse upon him.
*''Roman Antiquities'' (1791) — his best work, which passed through a large number of editions and received the unusual compliment of a German translation.
*''Summary of Geography and History'' (1794)
*''Compendious Dictionary of the Latin Tongue'' (1805)
The manuscript of a projected larger Latin dictionary, which he did not live to complete, lies in the library of the High School.
Family
Adam married first, in 1775, Agnes Munro, whose father was minister of Kinloss; and second, in 1780, Jean Cosser, a daughter of the controller of excise in Edinburgh.
Adam's daughter Agnes married the chemist
William Prout
William Prout FRS (; 15 January 1785 – 9 April 1850) was an English chemist, physician, and natural theologian. He is remembered today mainly for what is called Prout's hypothesis.
Biography
Prout was born in Horton, Gloucestershire in 1 ...
.
References
*
Further reading
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, Alexander
1741 births
1809 deaths
Scottish classical scholars
People from Moray
Scottish antiquarians
Scottish schoolteachers
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Linguists of English
Grammarians of Latin
Scottish lexicographers
18th-century Scottish writers
18th-century Scottish people
19th-century Scottish writers
18th-century lexicographers