Andrew Young

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 letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1807–1889) was a Scottish

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...

and poet, known as the author of the hymn "

There Is a Happy Land ''There Is a Happy Land'' is a hymn by Andrew Young (1807–1889), a Scottish schoolmaster, and first published in 1838. It now may be sung to a tune arranged by Leonard P. Breedlove. Young's grave is on the western wall of Rosebank Cemetery i ...

Life

The second son of David Young, a teacher in Edinburgh, he was born in Edinburgh on 23 April 1807. He studied the arts and theology at 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 ...

, where he won John Wilson's prize for the best poem on the "Scottish Highlands". In 1828 Young was appointed by the town council of Edinburgh headmaster of Niddrie Street school, where he taught for 12 years, starting with 90 pupils and leaving with 600. In 1840 he became head English master of

Madras College Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell. History Madras ...

, St Andrews, from which he retired in 1853 moving back to Edinburgh, where he was until his death. In Edinburgh he was superintendent of the Greenside parish Sabbath school, being also actively engaged in other philanthropic work. He lived at 22 Elm Row at the top of

Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the centre of the city to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the street to the ...

. He attended Greenside Church on nearby

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 ...

. He was made a member of the

Kirk Session A session (from the Latin word ''sessio'', which means "to sit", as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called ''consistory'' or ''church board'') is a body of elected elders governing each local church within presbyteria ...

in 1875 and ran the

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

under Rev Archibald Scott. In 1881 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh 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 established i ...

. His proposers were

Robert Flint Robert Flint LLD DD (14 March 1838 – 1910) was a Scottish theologian and philosopher who wrote also on sociology. Life Flint was born at Greenburn, Sibbaldbie near Applegarth in Dumfriesshire on 14 March 1838, the son of Grace Johnston (' ...

, Alexander Buchan, Sir James Donaldson and

Alexander Campbell Fraser Alexander Campbell Fraser (3 September 1819 – 2 December 1914) was a Scottish theologian and philosopher. Life He was born in the manse at Ardchattan, Argyll, the son of the parish minister, Rev Hugh Fraser, and his wife, Maria Helen Camp ...

. He was found dead in bed on 30 November 1889. He is interred in

Rosebank Cemetery Rosebank Cemetery is a 19th-century cemetery in Edinburgh. It is located at the junction of Pilrig Street and Broughton Road in the Pilrig area, close to the historical boundary of Leith. The cemetery is protected as a category C listed buildi ...

, in north Edinburgh.

Works

In 1838 Young wrote a well-known hymn, "There is a happy land", first published in James Gall's "Sacred Songs", and later in hymn-books throughout the world. The words were written to an Indian air which he heard one night played on the piano by a lady. Many of Young's hymns and poems were contributed to periodicals. A collected edition was published in 1876 as ''The Scottish Highlands and other Poems''.

Family

Young was twice married. His first wife, Martha ("Maria") Myvart, whom he married in 1845, died in 1847. He married a second time in 1851 to Christina Lothian Allan (1827-1898), niece of

Sir William Allan Sir William Allan (178223 February 1850) was a distinguished Scottish historical painter known for his scenes of Russian life. He became president of the Royal Scottish Academy and was made a Royal Academician. Life and work Allan was born ...

. He was survived by her and a daughter.Grave of Andrew Young, Rosebank Cemetery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Andrew (schoolmaster and poet) 1807 births 1889 deaths Scottish male poets 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century British male writers