Robert Haldane

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". ...

(27 January 1772 – 9 March 1854) was a British mathematician and minister 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 ...

Biography

Haldane was born on 27 January 1772, in

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, the son of a farmer at Overtown,

Lecropt Lecropt (''Leac Croit'' in Gaelic) is a rural parish lying to the west of Bridge of Allan, Scotland. The population of the parish of Lecropt is estimated to be around 75, consisting entirely of isolated farms and houses, as well as the Keir Esta ...

, on the borders of

and

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling ( ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. It borders Perthshir ...

; and was named after

Robert Haldane Robert Haldane (28 February 1764 – 12 December 1842) was a religious writer and Scottish theologian. Author of ''Commentaire sur l'Épître aux Romains, On the Inspiration of Scripture'' and ''Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans.'' Early ...

, then proprietor of

Airthrey Castle Airthrey Castle is a historic building and estate which now forms part of the buildings and grounds of the University of Stirling in central Scotland. The 18th-century building with 19th-century additions occupies a beautiful setting in ...

. He was educated at the school in

Dunblane Dunblane (, ) is a town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links to much of the Central Be ...

, and then at

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

. Haldane became a private tutor, first in the family at Leddriegreen,

Strathblane Strathblane (, ) is a village and List of civil parishes in Scotland, parish in the registration county of Stirling, situated in the southwestern part of the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area, in central Scotland. It lies at the foo ...

, and later with Charles Moray of Abercairnie. On 5 December 1797, he was licensed as a preacher by the presbytery of

Auchterarder Auchterarder (; , meaning Upper Highland) is a town north of the Ochil Hills in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and home to the Gleneagles Hotel. The High Street of Auchterarder gave the town its popular name of "The Lang Toun" or Long Town. The ...

, but he did not obtain a charge quickly. In August 1806, he was presented to the church of Drummelzier, in the presbytery of

Peebles Peebles () is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in ...

, and was ordained on 19 March 1807. When the chair of mathematics became vacant in the

University of St. Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...

in 1807, Haldane was appointed to the professorship, and resigned his charge at Drummelzier on 2 October 1809. He remained in the post until 1820, when he was promoted by the crown to the pastoral charge of St. Andrews parish, vacant by the death of Principal George Hill. His predecessor had held the principalship of St. Mary's College in St. Andrews in conjunction with his ministerial office, and the same arrangement was followed in the case of Haldane, who was admitted on 28 September 1820. As principal he was'' ex officio'' primarius professor of divinity. On 17 May 1827, Haldane was elected

moderator of the general assembly of the church of Scotland The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

. At the time of 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 Sc ...

Haldane was called to the chair ''ad interim''. 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 ...

in 1820, his proposers being George Dunbar, Robert Jameson,

Alexander Brunton Alexander Brunton FRSE FSA (2 October 1772 - 9 February 1854) was a Scottish minister in the Church of Scotland who rose to its highest rank, Moderator of the General Assembly in 1823. He was a noted academic, as Professor of Hebrew and Orien ...

and Patrick Neill. In 1828, his role as Moderator was succeeded by Rev

Stevenson McGill Stevenson McGill (1765–1840) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister of the Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1828. He was an author and was elected to be a professor of divinity at ...

. He died at

St Mary's College, St Andrews St Mary's College, founded as New College or College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the home of the Faculty and School of Divinity within the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland. History The college was founded in ...

, on 9 March 1854, in his eighty-third year, and was buried in the cathedral cemetery there. The grave lies on the north wall just left of the distinctive white military memorial to Lt Col Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair. Haldane's marble inscription is badly eroded. His portrait was in the hall of the university library at St. Andrews. He was succeeded by

John Tulloch John Tulloch (1 June 1823 – 13 February 1886) was a Scottish theologian and Presbyterian minister. Life Tulloch was born at Dron, south of Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, one of twin sons of Elizabeth (née Maclaren), the daughter of a Perthshi ...

. Haldane's only publication was a small work relating to the condition of the poor in St. Andrews (Cupar, 1841).

References

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Haldane, Robert 1772 births 1854 deaths Principals of the University of St Andrews Scottish mathematicians 18th-century British mathematicians 19th-century British mathematicians 18th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland 19th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland