Duncan Mearns (1779–1852) was a Scottish minister who served as

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Asse ...

in 1821. He was professor of divinity at

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

from 1816.

Life

The grave of Rev Prof Duncan Mearns, St Machar's Cathedral

He was born in the manse at

Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area incl ...

on 23 August 1779 the son of Rev Alexander Mearns, and his wife, Anne Morison, daughter of James Morison of Disblair, who had served as Provost of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

in 1745. Duncan entered

King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Abredonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Univers ...

with a bursary in 1791 (aged 12) to study divinity under Rev Prof Gilbert Gerard and Rev Prof George Campbell. He graduated MA in March 1795, aged 15. He was licensed to preach in the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

in the summer of 1799 and found a patron soon after in the Earl of Aberdeen, and he was ordained as minister of

Tarves Tarves (; gd, Tarbhais), Aberdeenshire, is a small village, situated in the Formartine area of North East Scotland and lies between Oldmeldrum and Methlick. History Much of the village was planned and laid out by the Marquess of Aberdeen in th ...

in November 1799. In October 1816 he became professor of divinity, replacing his mentor Prof Gilbert Gerard. In 1821 he was elected

. In 1823 he was created Chaplain in Ordinary in Scotland to King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

. In 1830 he was living at 1 Chaplainry on the grounds of

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

. He died after a long illness on 2 March 1852. He is buried in the churchyard of

St Machar's Cathedral St Machar's Cathedral usually called Old Machar (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-eaglais Naomh Machar), (or, more formally, the Cathedral Church of St Machar) is a Church of Scotland church in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is located to the north of the ...

Old Aberdeen Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It ...

. The grave lies against the east wall of the church.

Family

In 1808 in Udny manse he married Elizabeth (Eliza) Forsyth, daughter of William Forsyth of Huntly. They had two sons and six daughters including Rev William Morison Mearns DD (died 1891), minister of

Kinneff Kinneff is a roadside hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, just north of Inverbervie.Kinneff.

. His daughter Anne married Rev Prof Robert Macpherson (1806-1867), who succeeded him in the chair of divinity at Aberdeen. His daughter Jane was married to Dr Hercules Scott, who became professor of moral philosophy at Aberdeen.Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana vol.7 by Hew Scott

Publications

*''The Knowledge Requisite for the Attainment of Eternal Life'' (1825) *''Scripture Characters'' (posthumously in 1853)

References

Citations

Sources

* 1779 births 1852 deaths People from Aberdeenshire 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Academics of the University of Aberdeen Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland {{Scotland-reli-bio-stub