John Hill

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 ...

(27 April 1747–7 December 1805) was a Scottish minister and classicist. In 1783 he was one of the joint founders 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 ...

Life

The remnant grave of Rev Prof John Hill, Greyfriars Kirkyard

He was born in

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's four ...

on 27 April 1747 the son of Rev John Hill (d. 1764), minister of St Andrews, and his wife Elizabeth Gowdie, daughter of John Gowdie. His mother died at or soon after his birth. His father remarried and had more children, including George Hill. He attended St Andrews Grammar School then the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

where he graduated MA around 1767. From 1775 until 1793 he was joint Professor of Humanity at the University of St Andrews. 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 ...

awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1787. He then moved to the University of Edinburgh as the sole Professor of Humanity. His final years were spent at Brown Square in

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 died on 7 December 1805. He is buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a nu ...

against the western wall of the original area, north-west of the Adam mausoleum. The enclosure and monument are no longer present, but stood just south of the tablet to Sir James Hall. His house, just east of Greyfriars, was demolished in the 1860s to make way for Chambers Street. His position at Edinburgh University was filled by his pupil

Alexander Christison Alexander Christison FRSE (1751–1820) was a Scottish educator and mathematician during the Scottish Enlightenment. Life He was born in 1753, at Redpath House, Longformacus, Berwickshire. He was the eldest of seven children to a tenant sheep ...

Publications

*''Latin Synonyms'' *''The Life of

Hugh Blair Hugh Blair FRSE (7 April 1718 – 27 December 1800) was a Scottish minister of religion, author and rhetorician, considered one of the first great theorists of written discourse. As a minister of the Church of Scotland, and occupant of the C ...

'' (published 1807)

Artistic recognition

He was portrayed around 1801 by

Sir Henry Raeburn Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Biography Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a fo ...

seated on Raeburn's favourite red chair. His son stands beside him.

Family

He married Anne Macleod. Their daughter Elizabeth Hill (died 1869) married James Nairne of Claremont WS

(1782–1847) in 1807, and their other daughter, Mary Hill (died 1857) married Thomas Guthrie Wright

in 1809. He was uncle to Rev George Cook

and Norman Macleod

References

1747 births 1805 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish non-fiction writers Alumni of the University of St Andrews Academics of the University of St Andrews Academics of the University of Edinburgh Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard Scottish classical scholars {{Scotland-academic-bio-stub