Andrew Hunter (minister)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Hunter was a Minister in Edinburgh
. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in 1792, was Professor of Divinity
at Edinburgh University and a Founding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
.
Andrew Hunter of Barjarg, Dumfriesshire
, was born in 1743, eldest son of Andrew Hunter., W.S, in Edinburgh
, and Grisell Maxwell of Cardoness. He was educated at the High School and the University of Edinburgh
. He then spent a year in Utrecht
furthering his studies in Calvinist
Theology
.He was then made a licensed probationer by the Presbytery of Edinburgh in 1767, though it seemed he refused to take up any formal position while his father, whom he adored, lived. He was ordained as Minister to the Second Charge (the New Church) of the Parish of Dumfries
, on the 20th September 1770. He purchased the estate of Barjarg there and remained for nine years.
He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity
by Edinburgh University in 1779 and transferred to New Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, on the 25 November 1779. This post was to be held in conjunction with the Professorship of Divinity at the University, which he held jointly with the aging incumbent, Professor Hamilton, with no salary but with a view to succeeding him. From his own funds he establish a prize for the best Theology
essay by his students. On 21 October 1785, the Town Council presented him to the Tron Church, He took up post on 2 April 1786. Dr Hunter's lecturing and preaching style is described as "earnest and affectionate" and reports of his character portray him as amiable but unruffled. Even when urging against the dangers of public unrest, his language was "moderate and conciliatory". He was elected Moderator of Assembly
on 17 May 1792. It was the time of the French Revolution
and the British Government was anxious that the Church do all in its power to calm growing popular demands for political reform. The General Assembly was anxious to show its loyalty to the Government and passed motions urging Ministers to remind their parishioners forcibly of how blessed they were to live in a free country ruled over by a beneficent monarch. The Assembly sent congratulations to the Duke of York
on his marriage to the Princess of Prussia and approved measures to promote the Protestant religion in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (this was an annual measure, drawing upon funds specially donated by the Crown). In the year following he declined the customary appointment as one of His Majesty's Chaplains in Ordinary.
He was a Founding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
(and of its predecessor, the Newtonian Society). He took part in its deliberations, though not always successfully. He once turned up to give a talk, with a mass of papers under his arm, announcing he would deal with twelve topics. The Preses (Chairman) said he had twelve objections to this, and took some time to deliver them followed by six members took it in turn to add their objections. Dr Hunter listened glumly throughout the evening, then gathered his papers together and left in silence.
On 14 April 1779, he married the Hon. Mary Shaw Scott (born 5th Aug. 1756, died 9th Oct. 1806), the eldest daughter. of William, sixth Lord Napier, with whom he had three sons and three daughters
Andrew Hunter died on 21 April 1809. He had collapsed suddenly "with an inflammation" after having returned from a Holy Fair
(regional Communion Services
) in Leith
. He died after a few days illness, calmly assured of a future life.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
in 1792, was Professor of Divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
at Edinburgh University and a Founding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
.
Andrew Hunter of Barjarg, Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
, was born in 1743, eldest son of Andrew Hunter., W.S, in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and Grisell Maxwell of Cardoness. He was educated at the High School and the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. He then spent a year in Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
furthering his studies in Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
.He was then made a licensed probationer by the Presbytery of Edinburgh in 1767, though it seemed he refused to take up any formal position while his father, whom he adored, lived. He was ordained as Minister to the Second Charge (the New Church) of the Parish of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, on the 20th September 1770. He purchased the estate of Barjarg there and remained for nine years.
He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
by Edinburgh University in 1779 and transferred to New Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, on the 25 November 1779. This post was to be held in conjunction with the Professorship of Divinity at the University, which he held jointly with the aging incumbent, Professor Hamilton, with no salary but with a view to succeeding him. From his own funds he establish a prize for the best Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
essay by his students. On 21 October 1785, the Town Council presented him to the Tron Church, He took up post on 2 April 1786. Dr Hunter's lecturing and preaching style is described as "earnest and affectionate" and reports of his character portray him as amiable but unruffled. Even when urging against the dangers of public unrest, his language was "moderate and conciliatory". He was elected Moderator of Assembly
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
on 17 May 1792. It was the time of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the British Government was anxious that the Church do all in its power to calm growing popular demands for political reform. The General Assembly was anxious to show its loyalty to the Government and passed motions urging Ministers to remind their parishioners forcibly of how blessed they were to live in a free country ruled over by a beneficent monarch. The Assembly sent congratulations to the Duke of York
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
on his marriage to the Princess of Prussia and approved measures to promote the Protestant religion in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (this was an annual measure, drawing upon funds specially donated by the Crown). In the year following he declined the customary appointment as one of His Majesty's Chaplains in Ordinary.
He was a Founding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(and of its predecessor, the Newtonian Society). He took part in its deliberations, though not always successfully. He once turned up to give a talk, with a mass of papers under his arm, announcing he would deal with twelve topics. The Preses (Chairman) said he had twelve objections to this, and took some time to deliver them followed by six members took it in turn to add their objections. Dr Hunter listened glumly throughout the evening, then gathered his papers together and left in silence.
On 14 April 1779, he married the Hon. Mary Shaw Scott (born 5th Aug. 1756, died 9th Oct. 1806), the eldest daughter. of William, sixth Lord Napier, with whom he had three sons and three daughters
Andrew Hunter died on 21 April 1809. He had collapsed suddenly "with an inflammation" after having returned from a Holy Fair
Holy Fair
The Holy Fair was a biennial rural celebration of the Communion once common in Scotland, attended not only by the people of the parish, but by large numbers of strangers from far and near. Their acts were of questionable decency, however, and were exposed and satirised by the poet Robert Burns in...
(regional Communion Services
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
) in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
. He died after a few days illness, calmly assured of a future life.
Publications
- Advice from a father to a son, just entered into the army, and about to go abroad into action. In seven letters. 1776
- Christ drawing all men unto Him: a sermon, preached before the Edinburgh Missionary Society, in Lady Glenorchy's Chapel, on Thursday, July 20. 1797, ... 1797
- Due attention to the public institutions of religion recommended. A sermon, preached at the opening of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, in the High church of Edinburgh, May 16. 1793.
- Duties of subjects. A sermon preached in the Tron Church, Edin. December 16th, 1792 1793
- Study of the scriptures recommended. : A sermon. Preached before the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge, June 9. 1775. / By Andrew Hunter, Minister of the Gospel in Dumfries. 1775
- The duties of the children of pious parents, a sermon, preached in the Tron Church of Edinburgh, May 20th, 1803. Before the society ... for the benefit of the sons of the clergy of the Established Church of Scotland ... To which is added, an account of the objects and constitution of the society. 1803
Sources
- Scott, Hew 'Fasti ecclesiæ scoticanæ; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation' Volume 1: synod of Lothian and Tweedale, p. 137, The Tron, Edinburgh 1915 http://www.dwalker.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Fasti%20Web%20pages/p.%20137%20The%20Tron.htm
- Kay, John A series of original portraits and caricature etchings, Volume 1, Part 2, page 298, Hugh Paton Edinburgh, 1838 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1K8EAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA298&dq=edinburgh+Dr+Andrew+Hunter&ei=3kEOTR6K8sgEyPjYog8&cd=2#v=onepage&q=edinburgh%20Dr%20Andrew%20Hunter&f=false
- Macphail's Edinburgh ecclesiastical journal and literary review, Vol XXXI, page 239, Edinburgh, 1861 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AkEEAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA239&dq=edinburgh+Dr+Andrew+Hunter&ei=3kEOTR6K8sgEyPjYog8&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Dr%20Andrew%20Hunter&f=false
- Anderson, William The Scottish nation: or The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland, Volume 2 p511. Edinburgh Fullarton & Co 1862 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=37QEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA617&dq=The+Scottish+Nation++Vol+3&ei=YgAOTaSnD9LTUNuq8d4L&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Erskine%20of%20Barjarg&f=false
- Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1638-1842 , Church Law Society, Edinburgh, 1843. (British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=599