Nathaniel Paterson (1787–25 April 1871) was a Scottish minister who served as

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 ...

to the Free Church of Scotland in 1850/51. He was a close friend of

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

and was included in his circle of "worthies".

Life

Rev-dr-nathaniel-paterson-d-d-free-church-minister

Rev-dr-nathaniel-paterson-1787-1871-of-st-andrews

He was born in Kells in

Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative coun ...

in 1787, the eldest son of Mary Locke and her husband, Walter Paterson a stone engraver, and grandson of Robert Paterson aka "

Old Mortality ''Old Mortality'' is one of the Waverley novels by Walter Scott. Set in south west Scotland, it forms, along with ''The Black Dwarf'', the 1st series of his ''Tales of My Landlord'' (1816). The novel deals with the period of the Covenanters, ...

". Nathaniel was educated at

Balmaclellan Balmaclellan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile MhicIllFhaolain'', meaning town of the MacLellans) is a small hillside village of stone houses with slate roofs in a fold of the Galloway hills in south-west Scotland. To the west, across the Ken River, the ...

. In 1804 he went to 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 ...

to study divinity. Not until 1816 was he licensed by the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

, initially being employed as an assistant at

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt o ...

. He took some time to find a patron and only in 1821 became minister of

Galashiels Galashiels (; sco, Gallae, gd, An Geal Àth) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensiv ...

. In 1833 he moved to St Andrews Church in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. This church stood on Greendyke Street near

Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History In ...

. In the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...

he left the established

and, together with a large part of his original congregation, created the Free St Andrews Church. They worshipped in a rear hall in the Black Bull Inn while the new church was built. The new church stood on the corner of Hanover Street and Cathedral Street. In 1850 he replaced Very Rev

Mackintosh MacKay Mackintosh MacKay (1793 – 1873) was a Scottish minister and author who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland in 1849. He edited the Highland Society's prodigious Gaelic dictionary ('Dictionarium Scoto-Celt ...

as Moderator of the Free Church. He in turn was succeeded in 1851 by Very Rev Alexander Duff. He lived at 19 Landsdowne Crescent in Glasgow. He retired to

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local govern ...

around 1864 and died there on 25 April 1871. He is buried in Glasgow Southern Necropolis on Caledonia Road in Glasgow. The Free St Andrews Church was demolished in the 20th century.

Publications

*''The Manse Garden'' (1836) *''The Cry of the Perishing'' (1842) *''Popery: The Enemy of the Souls of Man'' *''Popery Accommodated to Human Corruption''

Artistic recognition

The-moderator-and-ex-moderators-of-the-free-church

He was photographed by

Hill & Adamson Hill & Adamson was the first photography studio in Scotland, set up by painter David Octavius Hill and engineer Robert Adamson in 1843. During their brief partnership that ended with Adamson's untimely death, Hill & Adamson produced "the first ...

in 1850. He was photographed in 1860 at the foot of the steps to New College with several other ex-Moderators of the Free Church. A coloured version of this photograph has been produced.

Family

In February 1825 he married Margaret Laidlaw (1800-1864), daughter of Robert Laidlaw. His brother, Walter Paterson (1790-1849) was minister of Kirkurd.Ewings Annals of the Free Church

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paterson, Nathaniel 1787 births 1871 deaths People from Dumfries and Galloway 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland