John Howie (14 November 1735 – 5 January 1793) was a Scottish biographer. His best known work was ''Biographia Scoticana'', first published in 1775, which is often called ''The Scots Worthies''. It deals with Christians and particularly Presbyterians especially in their strivings with church and civil authorities.

Life

John Howie was an

East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire (; ) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood (district), Eastwood district of the Strathclyde region. The northeastern part of the council area is close to Glasgow and ma ...

farmer from Lochgoin, who claimed descent from an Albigensian refugee. The author was the 28th descendant in a direct line, all of whom were called John. Although he was a plain unlettered peasant, cultivating the same farm which his ancestors had occupied for ages, a natural predilection for literary pursuits induced him to take up the task of recording the lives of the martyrs and confessors of Scotland. His family home at Lochgoin Farm was a noted refuge for

Covenanter Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...

s, and was subject to several searches by government soldiers. The farmhouse was rebuilt in the 18th century, with the date 1187 on a lintel marking when the Howies first settled there. Several relics were kept in what has become a small museum, and in 1896 a stone

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

was erected nearby as a monument "in memory of John Howie, author of the ''Scots Worthies''". It now lies within the area of

Whitelee Wind Farm Whitelee Wind Farm is a windfarm on the Eaglesham moor in Scotland. The main visitor centre is located in East Renfrewshire, but the majority of turbines are located in East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. It is the largest on-shore wind farm in ...

and has track access from the visitor centre. Lochgoin Monument - geograph

Works

Howie wrote ''Lives'' of the Protestant worthies of

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 ...

from Patrick Hamilton, the first martyr, under the title of ''Biographia Scoticana'', first published in 1775. It became a classic of Scottish Church History and was often called ''The Scots Worthies''. He revised and enlarged the work, 1781–5, and this edition was reissued, with notes by William McGavin, in 1827. In 1870 the Rev. William Henderson Carslaw revised Howie's text and published it, with illustrations and notes, and a short biographical introduction; and in 1876 a further illustrated edition appeared, with biographical notice compiled from statements made by Howie's relatives, and an introductory essay by Dr. Robert Buchanan. ''A Collection of Lectures and Sermons by Covenanting Clergymen'' was issued by Howie in 1779, with an introduction by himself. He edited in 1780 Michael Shields's ''Faithful Contendings Display'd'', an account of 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 ...

between 1681 and 1691. He also wrote on the Lord's Supper, patronage, and other topics, and prefaced and annotated other religious works.

The ''Lives'' in ''Biographia Scoticana'' (2nd edition)

The list below reflects the chapter order in the book. For an alphabetical list see the "Scots Worthies" template at the foot of the page. * Patrick Hamilton *

George Wishart George Wishart (also Wisehart; c. 15131 March 1546) was a Scottish Protestant Reformer and one of the early Protestant martyrs burned at the stake as a heretic. George Wishart was the son of James and brother of Sir John of Pitarrow ...

* Walter Mill * James Stuart, Earl of Moray *

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

Robert Rollock Robert Rollock (c. 15558 or 9 February 1599) was a Scottish theologian and minister in the Church of Scotland, and the first regent and first principal of the University of Edinburgh. Born into a noble family, he distinguished himself dur ...

* John Craig * David Black * John Davidson *

William Row William Row (1563–1634) was a Scottish presbyterian divine. Early life and education William Row was born in 1563. He was the second son of John Row (reformer), John Row, the reformer and minister of Perth. His mother was Margaret, daughte ...

Andrew Melville Andrew Melville (1 August 1545 – 1622) was a Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European continent to study at Glasgow and St. Andrews. He was born at Baldovie, on 1 August 154 ...

* Patrick Simpson * Andrew Duncan * John Scrimgeour * John Welch * Robert Boyd *

Robert Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully dur ...

* Josias Welch * John Gordon, Viscount Kenmuir * Robert Cunningham * Alexander Henderson *

George Gillespie George Gillespie ( ; 21 January 1613 – 17 December 1648) was a Scottish theologian. Family He married Margaret Murray, who had £1000 sterling voted by Parliament immediately after his death, for the support of herself and family, but ...

John M'Clellan John M'Clellan (also spelled M'Lellan, M'Clelland, Mackleland, Makclellan, and Macleland; 1609–1650) was a seventeenth century teacher and minister. Educated in Scotland he started work as a schoolmaster at Newtownards. He also began to preach ...

David Calderwood David Calderwood (157529 October 1650) was a Scottish minister of religion and historian. Calderwood was banished for his nonconformity. He found a home in the Low Countries, where he wrote his great work, the ''Altare Damascenum'' which was a ...

* Hugh Binning * Andrew Gray * James Durham *

Samuel Rutherford Samuel Rutherford (also Rutherfurd or Rutherfoord; – 29 March 1661) was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor and theology, theologian and one of the Scottish Commissioners to the Westminster Assembly. Life Samuel Rutherford was born in t ...

* Archibald Campbell, Marquis of Argyle * James Guthrie * John Campbell, Earl of Loudon *

Robert Baillie Robert Baillie (30 April 16021662) was a Church of Scotland minister who became famous as an author and a propagandist for the Covenanters.

* David Dickson *

Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston (1611 – 1663) was a Scottish judge and statesman. He assisted Alexander Henderson in writing the Scottish National Covenant in 1638, and was appointed Procurator of the Kirk in the same year. He was said ...

* James Wood * William Guthrie * Hugh Mackail * John Nevay * John Livingston * John Semple * James Mitchell * William Gordon of Earlston * John Kid * John King * John Brown of Wamphray * Henry Hall of Haughhead * Richard Cameron * David Hackston of Rathillet *

Robert Ker of Kersland Robert Ker (the younger) (1634–1680) known as Robert Ker of Kersland was a Covenanter. He sympathised with the insurgents who fought at Rullion Green and consequently was declared a rebel and his lands became forfeit. He escaped to Holland bu ...

Donald Cargill Donald Cargill (1619 – 27 July 1681) was a Scottish Covenanter who worked to uphold the principles of the National Covenant of 1638 and Solemn League and Covenant of 1643 to establish and defend Presbyterianism. He was born around 1619, and wa ...

* Robert Garnock * Robert M'Ward * John Paton * John Nisbet of Hardhill * Alexander Peden * John Blackadder * James Renwick * Alexander Moncrieff * Angus MacBean * Thomas Hog * Robert Fleming * Alexander Shields * John Dickson * Sir Robert Hamilton of Preston * William Veitch * John Balfour of Kinloch * Robert Traill, father * Robert Traill, and son

References

Citations

Sources

* * Attribution * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howie, John 1735 births 1793 deaths Scottish biographers People from East Renfrewshire 18th-century Scottish farmers