John Stevenson

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 Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

(1836–1903) was a 19th-century Scottish minister and amateur mycologist.

Life

He was born in

Coupar Angus Coupar Angus (; Gaelic: ''Cupar Aonghais'') is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the River Isla in the broad and fertile Valley of Strathmore, south of Blairgowrie. The A94 road from Perth to Forfar runs through the town, a ...

on 17 July 1836, the son of Patrick James Stevenson. He is thought to have studied Divinity at

Aberdeen University The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland, petitioned Pope Al ...

. His first post as a minister was as assistant at Aberdeen West Parish Church. In 1861 he was ordained as minister of Millbrex church, north-east of

Fyvie Castle Fyvie Castle is a castle in the village of Fyvie, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date from the 13th century – some sources claim it was built in 1211 by William the Lion. Fyvie was the si ...

. He moved to

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

in 1865. In 1873 he succeeded Rev Dr John Tannoch as minister of

Glamis Glamis is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located south of Kirriemuir and southwest of Forfar. It is the location of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. History The vicinity of Glamis has prehistoric t ...

Church. As minister for the area covering

Glamis Castle Glamis Castle is situated beside the village of Glamis (, ) in Angus, Scotland. It is the home of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and is open to the public. Glamis Castle has been the home of the Clan Lyon, Lyon family since the 14th cent ...

his parishioners included members of the

Bowes-Lyon The Bowes-Lyon family descends from George Bowes of Gibside and Streatlam Castle ''(1701–1760)'', a County Durham landowner and politician, through John Bowes, 9th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, chief of the Clan Lyon. Following the marr ...

family including

the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was also ...

and her brother

Fergus Bowes-Lyon Fergus Bowes-Lyon (18 April 1889 – 27 September 1915) was a British officer and older brother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who later became the queen consort of King George VI. He was killed during World War I. He was a maternal uncle of Elizabeth ...

though circumstances meant that he did not christen either. In 1888 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) 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 establis ...

. His proposers were Hugh Macmillan, Alexander Dickson,

James Geikie James Murdoch Geikie PRSE FRS LLD (23 August 1839 – 1 March 1915) was a Scottish geologist. He was professor of geology at the University of Edinburgh from 1882 to 1914. Early life He was born in Edinburgh, the son of James Stuart Geiki ...

and

John Gray McKendrick John Gray McKendrick (12 August 1841 – 2 January 1926) was a Scottish physiologist. He served as Regius Professor of Physiology at the University of Glasgow from 1876 to 1906, and was co-founder of the Physiological Society. Early life McKe ...

. Stevenson, along with

James Stirton James Stirton (1833 – 14 January 1917) was a Scottish physician and one of Scotland's leading experts on cryptogamic botany. His investigations in bryology and lichenology earned him a world-wide reputation. Biography Stirton was born in Coupar ...

, wrote an obituary for botanist Thomas King upon his death in 1896. It was published the following year in ''The Annals of Scottish Natural History.'' He died in Glamis on 27 November 1903. He was succeeded as minister by Rev John Stirton.

Family

In 1864 he married Elizabeth Valentine, daughter of John Vaklentine of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. They had one son and two daughters.

Publications

*''Mycologia Scotica'' (1879)''Introduction to the History of Mycology''; G. C. Ainsworth

References

1836 births 1903 deaths People from Perthshire Scottish mycologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{Scotland-scientist-stub