Peter Hay Hunter (1854–1909) was a minister of 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 ...

and a prolific author.

Life

St George's and St Andrew's Church, Edinburgh

He was born 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 ...

on 10 September 1854 the son of James Hunter a paper merchant and his wife Ann Hay. Peter had a comprehensive university education including

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 ...

Leipzig University Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

in Germany and the

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de So ...

in Paris, France. He graduated MA from Edinburgh in 1877. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh in 1881.Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana by Hew Scott His first role was as assistant at

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Chatham-Kent, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario ...

Parish Church. He was ordained as minister of

Elie Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked v ...

Parish Church on the

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

coast in April 1883, translating to Yester Parish Church in

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the hi ...

in August 1886. This was almost certainly with the patronage of the

Marquess of Tweeddale Marquess of Tweeddale (sometimes spelled ''Tweedale'') is a title of the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1694 for the 2nd Earl of Tweeddale. Lord Tweeddale holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Tweeddale (created 1646), Earl of Gifford (1694), ...

for whom he acted in the official capacity as Chaplain to the Lord High Commissioner for the periods 1890 to 1892 and 1896 to 1897. In February 1896 he moved to the prestigious St Andrews Church in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...

. He was then living at 13

Regent Terrace Regent Terrace is a residential street of 34 classical 3-bay townhouses built on the upper south side of Calton Hill in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Regent Terrace is within the Edinburgh New and Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed ...

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 UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the ci ...

in east Edinburgh.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1897 Edinburgh University gave him an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

(DD) in 1902. He lived his final years at 35 Great King Street a magnificent Georgian house in Edinburgh's Second New Town. Hunter died in Edinburgh on Boxing Day 26 December 1909. His position at St Andrews Church was filled by Rev George Christie.

Family

In September 1886 he married Helen Dawson, daughter of James Dawson of

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-ce ...

Publications

Hunter wrote a curious mix of both religious subject matter and crime novels. Several of his books remain in print. As an author of crime he usually wrote as P. Hay Hunter. *The Story of Daniel (1883) *My Ducats and my Daughter (1884) *The Crime of Christmas Day (1885) *After the Exile: 100 Years of Jewish History and Literature (1889) *Sons of the Croft (1893) *James Inwick: Ploughman and Elder (1894) *The Silver Bullet (1894) *John Armiger's Revenge (1897) *Bible and Sword (1904) Hunter had two periods of writing serials for "Life and Work": Gruppy Davy in 1895 and The

Tacksman A tacksman ( gd, Fear-Taic, meaning "supporting man"; most common Scots spelling: ''takisman'') was a landholder of intermediate legal and social status in Scottish Highland society. Tenant and landlord Although a tacksman generally paid a year ...

of Uavaig in 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Peter Hay 1854 births 1909 deaths Writers from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish crime fiction writers Clergy from Edinburgh 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland