John Barclay AM (1734–1798) 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 ...
minister of religion
In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance ...
, and founder of the
Bereans
In ancient times, the Bereans were the inhabitants of the city of Berea, also referred to as Beroea in the Bible. Today, the city is known as Veria in what is today northern Greece. The name has been taken up by certain groups within Protestantism ...
.
Life

Barclay was born at
Muthill
Muthill (pronounced ) is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The name derives from Scottish Gaelic meaning “soft-ground”.
The village lies south of Crieff, just west of the former railway line connecting Crieff with Gleneagles.
H ...
in
Perthshire
Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...
the son of Ludovic Barclay a farmer and miller.
He studied Theology at
St. Andrews University, and was highly influenced by the thoughts of
Rev Archibald Campbell. After being licensed to preach by the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
through the presbytery of
Auchterarder
Auchterarder (; , meaning Upper Highland) is a town north of the Ochil Hills in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and home to the Gleneagles Hotel. The High Street of Auchterarder gave the town its popular name of "The Lang Toun" or Long Town.
The ...
in September 1759, he became assistant to Rev James Jobson, the parish minister of
Errol in
Perthshire
Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...
. Owing to differences with the minister, he left in 1763 and was then appointed assistant to
Antony Dow of
Fettercairn
Fettercairn (, ) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside.
The name comes from the Scott ...
in
Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the stewartry"), is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area on the ...
. During his period here he made several publications, and gained the reputation as a trouble-maker, distancing himself from the established church.
In 1772, lacking a patron as then required by the church, he was rejected as successor to Dow, and was also refused by the
presbytery the testimonials required in order to obtain another living. The refusal of the presbytery was sustained by the
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
. Dow was instead succeeded by Rev Robert Foote.
Barclay then left the established Scottish church and founded his own church in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
but also with branches
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and Sauchieburn (approximately 3 miles south of
Fettercairn
Fettercairn (, ) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside.
The name comes from the Scott ...
). His followers were called Barclayans, Barclayites or
Bereans
In ancient times, the Bereans were the inhabitants of the city of Berea, also referred to as Beroea in the Bible. Today, the city is known as Veria in what is today northern Greece. The name has been taken up by certain groups within Protestantism ...
, the latter because they regulated their conduct by study of the Scriptures after the biblical Bereans of Acts xvii. 11. They held to a modified form of
Calvinism
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...
. The Berean Church had congregations in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, but mainly merged with the
Congregationalists
Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
after Barclay's death.
His works, which included many hymns and paraphrases of the psalms, and a book called ''Without Faith, without God'', were edited by J. Thomson and D. Macmillan, with a memoir (1852).
In 1784 he was living in a house in Calton village on
Calton Hill
Calton Hill (; ) is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and f ...
. The houses still exist but it is unclear which house he lived in.
He continued to live on Calton Hill until his death. He died suddenly of
apoplexy
Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...
whilst kneeling in prayer at a friend's house in Edinburgh on 29 July 1798 and is buried in
Old Calton Burial Ground
The Old Calton Burial Ground is a cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on Calton Hill to the north-east of the city centre. The burial ground was opened in 1718, and is the resting place of several notable Scots, including philosoph ...
.
[ODNB: Rev John Barclay]
Publications
*''A Paraphrase of the Book of Psalms'' (1766) - this was part of Scottish hymnals until the late 20th century which were split into Psalms, Paraphrases and Hymns.
*''Rejoice Evermore'' or ''Christ All in All'' (1767)
*''Without Faith, Without God; or An Appeal to God Concerning His Own Existence'' (1769)
*''Eternal Generation of the Son of God'' (1769)
*''Assurance of Faith'' (1771)
*''The Epistle to the Hebrews Paraphrased'' (1783)
References
;Attribution
*
Sources
*''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.'' E. A. Livingstone. Oxford University Press, 2000
Further reading
*
*
External links
John BarclayThe Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
biography at ''Significant Scots''
Electric Scotland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, John
1734 births
1798 deaths
18th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland
18th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Scottish Protestant hymnwriters
Scottish religious writers