Robert Small (minister)
Encyclopedia
Robert Small was a Scottish Minister who was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in 1791, which seems to have been a fairly routine meeing. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=60193 He was keenly interested in mathematics and astronomy and was a founder member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/archive/founding_fellows.pdf, (elected Fellow on 17 November 1783 http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Societies/FRSE.html) to whose Transactions he contributed a paper proving some theorems
in geometry
. He was Minister of the first charge (St Mary's) in the Parish of Dundee
, and used his mathematical abilities and enquiring spirit to compile, in 1792, an exemplary Report on his Parish for the First Statistical Account of Scotland.http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp/?monospace=&twoup=&nohighlight=&account=1&transcript=&session-id=0f4393fc65d83b2a84eab89af7a3d8f4&naecache=3&accountrec=004380&navbar=&action=publicdisplay&parish=Dundee&county=Forfar&pagesize= In 1804 he published an explanation of Kepler's laws of planetary motion
. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=As8NAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Robert+Small&hl=en&ei=s24LTazpCc24hAez9vC_Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false He was very active in social improvements in his parish, organising (in conjunction with Robert Stewart, a surgeon, a subscription for Voluntary Dispensary, and Surgery, which eventually became Dundee Royal Infirmary.
Robert was born on 12 December 1732 the son of the Minister of Carmyllie
in Angus
, Rev. James Small, from minor gentry background. Robert received his education at Dundee Grammar School and the University of St Andrews
which also awarded him a DD (Doctor of Divinity
) Degree on 29 October 1778http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~smalljd/lines/jlss.htm. He was elected by the Town Council of Dundee
to be preacher in the Cross Church and catechist and took up post on 2 May 1759. He was called to be minister of the first charge of the Parish of Dundee, St Mary's, where he was ordained on 20 May 1761. He was appointed chaplain to the Royal Highlanders (83rd Foot) in 1778. He was called before the General Assembly to reply to charges that, when ordaining Elders, on 9 Sept 1798, in his Parish he asked unconventional, surprise questions, and did not require them to subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith
. He was admonished and warned ot be more careful in future. On Thursday 29 May 1800, the Assembly voted to
He was reputed to be an excellent classical scholar and an interesting preacher, well versed in natural philosophy and mathematics and was a patron of literature.
His brother, Dr William Small
was by profession a physician
but seems to was more active in scientific and industrial concerns. He emigrated for a time to Virginia
, where he was Professor of Mathematics in William and Mary College and tutored Thomas Jefferson
, but returned to Britain, carrying a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin
to the industrialist Matthew Boulton
. In turn, Dr Small introduced Boulton to James Watt
. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Y7EgAAAAMAAJ&dq=Dr+Small+Dundee&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s Robert Small was an integral part of the Scottish Enlightenment
with world-wide connections to the broader Enlightenment
. Both the Small brothers played a crucial part in the education of the economist and mathematician William Playfair
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MMUcXPLqnI0C&pg=PA3&dq=Robert+Small+Marischal+College&ei=J_EMTefvHofGzQTAwPX2DQ&cd=2#v=onepage&q=Robert%20Small%20&f=false. Robert, in particular, recommended Playfair to James Watt
for the position of draughtsman and assistant.
Robert married Jean Yeaman, daughter of a merchant (and Provost) on 24 April in Dundee in 1764. His children were, Isabel, Lillias, James, Catherine and Agnes.He died on 23 August 1808 http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Societies/FRSE.html. His son, James, is described (in Fasti Ecclesiae) as "a manufacturer in Dundee, whose failure in business ruined his father".
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 1791, which seems to have been a fairly routine meeing. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=60193 He was keenly interested in mathematics and astronomy and was a founder member 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...
http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/archive/founding_fellows.pdf, (elected Fellow on 17 November 1783 http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Societies/FRSE.html) to whose Transactions he contributed a paper proving some theorems
Theorem
In mathematics, a theorem is a statement that has been proven on the basis of previously established statements, such as other theorems, and previously accepted statements, such as axioms...
in geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
. He was Minister of the first charge (St Mary's) in the Parish of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, and used his mathematical abilities and enquiring spirit to compile, in 1792, an exemplary Report on his Parish for the First Statistical Account of Scotland.http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp/?monospace=&twoup=&nohighlight=&account=1&transcript=&session-id=0f4393fc65d83b2a84eab89af7a3d8f4&naecache=3&accountrec=004380&navbar=&action=publicdisplay&parish=Dundee&county=Forfar&pagesize= In 1804 he published an explanation of Kepler's laws of planetary motion
Kepler's laws of planetary motion
In astronomy, Kepler's laws give a description of the motion of planets around the Sun.Kepler's laws are:#The orbit of every planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one of the two foci....
. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=As8NAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Robert+Small&hl=en&ei=s24LTazpCc24hAez9vC_Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false He was very active in social improvements in his parish, organising (in conjunction with Robert Stewart, a surgeon, a subscription for Voluntary Dispensary, and Surgery, which eventually became Dundee Royal Infirmary.
Robert was born on 12 December 1732 the son of the Minister of Carmyllie
Carmyllie
Carmyllie is a rural parish in Angus, Scotland. It is situated on high ground between Arbroath, on the coast, and the inland county town of Forfar. The main settlements in the parish are Redford, Greystone and Milton of Carmyllie. There is a Church of Scotland church and a primary school...
in Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Rev. James Small, from minor gentry background. Robert received his education at Dundee Grammar School and the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
which also awarded him a DD (Doctor 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...
) Degree on 29 October 1778http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~smalljd/lines/jlss.htm. He was elected by the Town Council of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
to be preacher in the Cross Church and catechist and took up post on 2 May 1759. He was called to be minister of the first charge of the Parish of Dundee, St Mary's, where he was ordained on 20 May 1761. He was appointed chaplain to the Royal Highlanders (83rd Foot) in 1778. He was called before the General Assembly to reply to charges that, when ordaining Elders, on 9 Sept 1798, in his Parish he asked unconventional, surprise questions, and did not require them to subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been...
. He was admonished and warned ot be more careful in future. On Thursday 29 May 1800, the Assembly voted to
enjoin Dr Small to be careful hereafter, to testify, by his whole conduct, that respect for the Standards of this Church, and for the fences wisely provided by our Ecclesiastical Constitution, against dangerous innovation, which corresponds to the declaration stated in his defences, as repeatedly made by him in the Kirk-session of Dundee, that he glorified in the Confession of Faith. http://books.google.co.uk/booksid=XLMKAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA6PA37&dq=J+Adamson,+Moderator+1797&ei=BdMQTdriJJPQzATmnsmpDw&cd=3#v=snippet&q=Dr%20Small%20&f=false
He was reputed to be an excellent classical scholar and an interesting preacher, well versed in natural philosophy and mathematics and was a patron of literature.
His brother, Dr William Small
William Small
William Small was born in Carmyllie, Angus, Scotland, the son of a Presbyterian minister, James Small and his wife Lillias Scott, and younger brother to Dr Robert Small. He attended Dundee Grammar School, and Marischal College, Aberdeen where he received an MA in 1755...
was by profession a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
but seems to was more active in scientific and industrial concerns. He emigrated for a time to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, where he was Professor of Mathematics in William and Mary College and tutored Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, but returned to Britain, carrying a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
to the industrialist Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
. In turn, Dr Small introduced Boulton to James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Y7EgAAAAMAAJ&dq=Dr+Small+Dundee&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s Robert Small was an integral part of the Scottish Enlightenment
Scottish Enlightenment
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By 1750, Scots were among the most literate citizens of Europe, with an estimated 75% level of literacy...
with world-wide connections to the broader Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
. Both the Small brothers played a crucial part in the education of the economist and mathematician William Playfair
William Playfair
William Playfair was a Scottish engineer and political economist, the founder of graphical methods of statistics....
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MMUcXPLqnI0C&pg=PA3&dq=Robert+Small+Marischal+College&ei=J_EMTefvHofGzQTAwPX2DQ&cd=2#v=onepage&q=Robert%20Small%20&f=false. Robert, in particular, recommended Playfair to James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
for the position of draughtsman and assistant.
Robert married Jean Yeaman, daughter of a merchant (and Provost) on 24 April in Dundee in 1764. His children were, Isabel, Lillias, James, Catherine and Agnes.He died on 23 August 1808 http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Societies/FRSE.html. His son, James, is described (in Fasti Ecclesiae) as "a manufacturer in Dundee, whose failure in business ruined his father".
Publications
- An account of the astronomical discoveries of Kepler, J Mawman, London 1804 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=As8NAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Robert+Small&hl=en&ei=s24LTazpCc24hAez9vC_Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Demonstrations of some of Dr Matthew Stewart's General Theorems, Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vol 2, 1785, read by the author 7 February 1785http://books.google.co.uk/booksid=vHkbAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA112IA2&dq=Royal+Society+of+Edinburgh+Robert+Small&ei=4m8LTbDBJKaeygSb-pCIDg&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false
- The importance of the poor illustrated, in a sermon preached, December 15th, 1793, on the occasion of making a charitable contribution, for the support of the Sunday-schools, lately opened in ... Dundee 1793 sold by Edward Lesslie
- Defence delivered by Dr. Small, at the bar of the General Assembly, Edinburgh, 1800.
- Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol 8, Number XI, page 192 et seq Town and Parish of Dundee by Rev Robert Small DD one of the Ministers of that City, Edinburgh 1792 http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp/?monospace=&twoup=&nohighlight=&account=1&transcript=&session-id=0f4393fc65d83b2a84eab89af7a3d8f4&naecache=3&accountrec=004380&navbar=&action=publicdisplay&parish=Dundee&county=Forfar&pagesize=
- The history of Dundee, from its origin to the present time : with a copious appendix containing a translation of the charter given by Charles I (Separately published version of his Statistical Report) Edinburgh 1842
Sources
- Scott, Hew 'Fasti ecclesiæ scoticanæ; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation' Vol V Synods of Fife and of Angus and Mearns, page 317, Edinburgh 1925
- Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of EdinburghThe 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...
Founder Members http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Societies/FRSE.html - Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1638-1842, Church Law Society, Edinburgh 1843. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=60193
- The life of James Watt: with selections from his correspondence Ja, es Patrick Muirhead, J Murray, London, 1858 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Y7EgAAAAMAAJ&dq=Dr+Small+Dundee&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s
- Descendants of James and Lillias Scott Small,Genealogy of David L. Craig http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~smalljd/lines/jlss.htm
- The Dundee book: an anthology of living in the city, Billy Kay, Mainstream, 1990 http://books.google.co.uk/books?ei=gHMLTYK8BpyGzASNsbiFDg&cd=2&id=IwMeAQAAIAAJ&dq=Dr+Small+Dundee&q=In+1794+
Other External Links
- Dundee in 1793 and 1833: the first and second statistical accounts http://books.google.co.uk/books?ei=gHMLTYK8BpyGzASNsbiFDg&cd=5&id=mdVnAAAAMAAJ&dq=Dr+Small+Dundee&q=Dr+Small
- The gazetteer of Scotland, Volume 1 By Robert Chambers, William Chambers, Jack 1844 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=u7NCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA235&dq=Dr+Small+Dundee&ei=gHMLTYK8BpyGzASNsbiFDg&cd=3#v=onepage&q=Dr%20Small%20Dundee&f=false