David Ross (1857–1931) was a Scottish minister of the Free Church of Scotland who emigrated to Australia and founded

Scotch College, Perth , motto_translation = May God be with us, as He was with our forefathers , established = , founders = , type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day and ...

Life

He was born on 13 August 1857 in

Rosskeen Rosskeen is a parish in Ross and Cromarty on the Cromarty Firth in northern Scotland, containing the settlements of Invergordon, Bridgend and Saltburn. It lies on the A9 between Inverness and Thurso. Notable Buildings *Newmore Farmhouse (18 ...

near

Invergordon Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was established in 1828. The area beca ...

the son of Hugh Ross, a saddler, and his wife, Jessie Hood. He studied at

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

then trained as a minister of the Free Church of Scotland at

New College, Edinburgh New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Students ...

from 1877 to 1881. He was then licensed to preach by the Free Church of Scotland and assisted the Rev Charles Salmond at St Matthew's Free Church in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. He was ordained at the Free Kirk in

Crathie Crathie ( gd, Craichidh) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It stands on the north bank of the River Dee. Abergeldie Castle is away. It was built around 1550 and had 19th century additions. It was garrisoned by General Hugh Mackay in ...

in 1883. In 1892 he emigrated to Australia, settling in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

. He initially served as minister of St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Perth. In 1896 he was elected

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...

of the Presbyterian Church of Western Australia. During his period as Moderator he was invited to found the Scotch College in Perth, which opened in January 1897. He became minister of St Kilda West Presbyterian Church in 1899. In 1919 he served as Moderator of the

Presbyterian Church of Victoria The Presbyterian Church of Victoria is one of the constituent churches of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. It was established in 1859 as a union of Church of Scotland, Free Presbyterian and United Presbyterian congregations. The Presbyte ...

. He retired in 1930 aged 73. He died a few months after retiring, on 4 March 1931 in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

.Free Church Monthly April 1931

Family

In 1883 he married Georgina Elizabeth Thomson (d.1901), daughter of Rev John Thomson of

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

, at

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population ...

in Cheshire, England. Their daughter Ethel Isobel Ross died in 1928.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, David 1857 births 1931 deaths People from Ross and Cromarty 19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Australian Presbyterian ministers Scottish emigrants to Australia Protestant ministers and clergy in Australia 19th-century Australian Presbyterian ministers 20th-century Australian Presbyterian ministers