Duncan Macfarlan (1771–1857) was a Scottish minister. He was twice

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

both in 1819 and in its most critical year of 1843. He was Principal of

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

from 1823 to 1857.

Life

The huge monument to Rev Duncan Macfarlan, Glasgow Necropolis

He was born on 27 September 1771 in the manse at

Drymen Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred arou ...

, a village north-east of

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 the son of Rev Duncan Macfarlan (1708-1791) minister of Drymen, and maternal grandson of Rev John Allan. His father was 63 years old when he was born. He was educated locally then went to

Glasgow University , 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 studied Philosophy and Literature, graduating MA in 1788. He then decided to take a further degree in Divinity. He was licensed to preach on 28 June 1791, two days before his father’s death. In 1792 he became minister of

church. Glasgow University awarded him an honorary doctorate (DD) in 1806. In 1819 he succeeded Rev John Campbell as

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 th ...

. In 1823 he was elected both Principal and Vice Chancellor of

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

. He remained Principal until his death in 1857, a remarkable 34 years in the role. He moved to take the ministry of Glasgow High Church in 1824. He died on 25 November 1857 at

. He is buried beneath a huge monument in the

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

. It stands in front of the

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

Monument, and forms an important part of the local Glasgow skyline.

Family

In 1797 he married his cousin, Anne Allan (1778-1814) of

Row Row or ROW may refer to: Exercise *Rowing, or a form of aquatic movement using oars *Row (weight-lifting), a form of weight-lifting exercise Math *Row vector, a 1 × ''n'' matrix in linear algebra. *Row (database), a single, implicitly structured ...

near

Cardross Cardross (Scottish Gaelic: ''Càrdainn Ros'') is a large village with a population of 2,194 (2011) in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton and Helensburgh. Cardross is in the historic geographical ...

. They had nine children.

Publications

*''The Right Appointment of Ministers'' (1840) *''Railway Travel on the Lord’s Day Indefensible'' (1841) a curious tract against Sunday travel *''Bible Temperance and Present Duty'' (1847) *''A Concise System of Theology'' (posthumous- 1860)

Artistic Recognition

He was portrayed by John Graham Gilbert RSA.Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Portraits in the New Galleries of Art in Corporation Buildings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macfarlan, Duncan 1771 births 1857 deaths Scottish scholars and academics Alumni of the University of Glasgow Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Principals of the University of Glasgow