James Macfarlane

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This so ...

(1808–1866) was a Scottish minister and ecclesiastical author 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 1865. He was minister of

Duddingston Kirk Duddingston Kirk is a Parish Church in the Church of Scotland, located adjacent to Holyrood Park in Duddingston Village, on the east side of the City of Edinburgh. Regular services are held at the kirk, conducted by the minister, Rev Dr James ...

from 1841 until death.

Life

He was born in

Waterbeck Waterbeck is a small village in Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway. It is located on Beck Water in the parish of Middlebie Middlebie is a hamlet and parish in the historic county of Dumfriesshire in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. ...

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. ...

on 27 April 1808, the son of Rev John Macfarlane (1770–1829). His father later took over the Relief Church at

Bridgeton, Glasgow Bridgeton ( sco, Brigtoun, gd, Baile na Drochaid) is a district to the east of Glasgow city centre. Historically part of Lanarkshire, it is bounded by Glasgow Green to the west, Dalmarnock to the east and south, Calton to the north-west at Ab ...

and James was educated at the High School in Glasgow. He then studied divinity at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, graduating MA in 1825. He then began helping his father in the Relief Chapel. He was licensed to preach in 1830 and initially spent two years at the North Church in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

. In 1832 he moved to St Bernard’s Chapel in

Stockbridge, Edinburgh Stockbridge is a suburb of Edinburgh, located north of the city centre, bounded by the New Town and by Comely Bank. The name is Scots ''stock brig'' from Anglic ''stocc brycg'', meaning a timber bridge. Originally a small outlying village, ...

. He then lived at 11 Carlton Street. In 1841 he replaced Rev John Thomson at

south of

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 ...

. In 1857 he was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

, his proposer being James Grant. In 1848

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

gave him an honorary doctorate (DD). In 1865 he succeeded

William Robinson Pirie William Robinson Pirie (1804–1885) was a Scottish minister who served as Principal of Aberdeen University. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1864, the highest position in the Church of Scotland. He active ...

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...

. He died before a successor was chosen. He died on 6 February 1866 in

Duddingston Duddingston ( sco, Duddiston) is a historic village in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, next to Holyrood Park. Origins and etymology The estate wherein Duddingston Village now lies was first recorded in lands granted to the Tironensian monks ...

manse. He is buried with his children, Mary, John and James, in Duddingston Kirkyard. The grave is set into the original Norman entrance on the south side of the church.

Publications

*''A Nation’s True Glory'' (1838) *''A Version of the Prophecies of Ezekiel'' (1845) *''A Glance at the Temple'' (1847) *''The Church and the Nation'' (1849) *''Lectures on Popery'' (1854) *''The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved'' (1855) *''The Indian Mission of the Church of Scotland'' (1856) *''The Reign of Harmony'' (1859) *''The Railway'' (1863)

Family

In July 1841 he was married to Agnes Jane Goodsir of

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( gd, Baile an t-Sagairt, Scots: ''The Pans'') is a small mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the Council area of East Lothian. The population as of is. It is near the site of the 1745 ...

(d.1895). They had nine children, all born in Duddingston manse. Following James’ death she remarried to John Gunn, Secretary of the

British Linen Bank The British Linen Bank was a commercial bank based in the United Kingdom. It was acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 1969 and served as the establishment's merchant bank arm from 1977 until 1999. History Foundation The Edinburgh-based British ...

. His eldest daughter Agnes Goodsir Macfarlane (b. 1842) married Rev John Adam Macfarlane of

Urray Urray ( gd, Urrath) is a scattered village and coastal parish, consisting of Easter, Old and Wester Urray and is located in the county of Ross in the Scottish council area of the Highland. Urray is also a parish in the district of Wester Ross an ...

. Helen (b.1843) married Rev Robert K. D. Home of

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporated ...

. Other children included Eliza (b.1844), John (1845-1878), Mary died in infancy, Alexander Goodsir Macfarlane (1849-1897), James (1852-1880), William (b. 1855), Malcolm David Macfarlane (1860-1895) a lawyer.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macfarlane, James 1808 births 1866 deaths 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Scottish non-fiction writers Alumni of the University of Glasgow Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh