Archibald Alison FRS FRSE (13 November 175717 May 1839) was a Scottish episcopalian priest and essayist.

Early life

He was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, to Patrick Alison a Edinburgh magistrate, himself a younger son of an Alison of Newhall, near

Coupar Angus Coupar Angus (; Gaelic: ''Cùbar Aonghais'') is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, south of Blairgowrie. The name Coupar Angus serves to differentiate the town from Cupar, Fife. The town was traditionally on the border between Angus and P ...

. After studying at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, where he established his lifelong friendship with

Dugald Stewart Dugald Stewart (; 22 November 175311 June 1828) was a Scottish philosopher and mathematician. Today regarded as one of the most important figures of the later Scottish Enlightenment, he was renowned as a populariser of the work of Francis Hut ...

, and at Balliol College, Oxford, he took orders in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, and was appointed in 1778 to the

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

Brancepeth Brancepeth is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about from Durham on the A690 road between Durham and Weardale. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 414. Brancepeth Castle was u ...

, near

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

. In 1784 he married Dorothea Gregory, youngest daughter of Professor Gregory of Edinburgh.

Career

The next 20 years of his life were spent in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, where he held in succession the livings of

High Ercall High Ercall, also known in the past as Ercall Magna, is a village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. The civil parish is still called Ercall Magna, and had a total population of 1,679 at the 2001 ce ...

, Rodington and

Kenley Kenley is an area within the London Borough of Croydon. Prior to its incorporation into Greater London in 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is situated south of Purley, east of Coulsdon, north of Caterham and Whyteleafe and w ...

. In 1800 he moved back to Edinburgh, having been appointed senior incumbent of St Paul's Chapel in the

Cowgate The Cowgate ( Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, which lies below the ele ...

. For 34 years he filled this position with much ability; his sermons were characterised by quiet beauty of thought and grace of composition. His preaching attracted so many hearers that a new and larger church was built for him. The new St Paul's Chapel on York Place in the

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 Stree ...

was completed in 1818, and Alison, along with Rev Robert Morehead served as clergy there. From 1791 until death he held the title of

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of th ...

to Salisbury Cathedral. In 1832 he was living at 44

Heriot Row Heriot Row is a highly prestigious street in central Edinburgh, virtually unchanged since its original construction in 1802. From its inception to the present day in remained a top address in the city and has housed the rich and famous of the cit ...

's city centre. His last years were spent at

Colinton Colinton ( gd, Baile Cholgain) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre. Up until the late 18th century it appears on maps as Collington. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north ...

near Edinburgh, where he died on 17 May 1839. He was interred at St John's Episcopal Churchyard in Edinburgh.

Family

He married Dorothea Gregory, the sister of James Gregory in 1784. She died in 1830. Their sons included

Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet, (29 December 179223 May 1867) was an England-born Scottish advocate (attorney) and historian. He held several prominent legal appointments. He was the younger son of the Episcopalian cleric and author Archib ...

and William Pulteney Alison.

Works

Alison published, besides a ''Life of Lord Woodhouselee'', a volume of sermons, which passed through several editions, and a work entitled ''Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste'' (1790), based on the principle of "association".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alison, Archibald 19th-century British philosophers 1757 births 1839 deaths Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Writers from Edinburgh Scottish biographers 18th-century Scottish Episcopalian priests Scottish educators Scottish philosophers 18th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century Scottish Episcopalian priests Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh People of the Scottish Enlightenment Enlightenment philosophers 18th-century Scottish educators 19th-century Scottish educators Burials at St John's, Edinburgh