George Barry (1748–1805) was a Scottish minister, the author of a ''History of the Orkney Islands''.

Life

Barry was a native of

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

. He studied 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 ...

. After receiving a licence as a preacher from the Edinburgh presbytery of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

, he continued to act as tutor in a gentleman's family until in 1782 he obtained a presentation to the second charge of

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

. The dislike of a portion of the congregation to his preaching resulted before long in the formation of a

Secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

congregation in the parish. In 1793 he was translated to

Shapinsay Shapinsay (, sco, Shapinsee) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. There is one village on the island, Balfour, from which roll-on/roll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. Balfour Castle, ...

. He received in 1804 the degree of D.D. from the university of Edinburgh.

Works

Shortly before his death at Shapinsay on 11 May 1805 he published a ''History of the Orkney Islands, including a view of the ancient and modern inhabitants, their monuments of antiquity, their natural history, the present state of their agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and the means of their improvement.'' A second edition, with additions and improvements by the Rev. James Headrick, appeared in 1808. Barry's ''History'' contains his own research, but depends also on the unpublished manuscripts of

George Low George Michael Low (born Georg Michael Löw, June 10, 1926 – July 17, 1984) was an administrator at NASA and the 14th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Low was one of the senior NASA officials who made numerous decisions as m ...

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, George 1748 births 1805 deaths 18th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Scottish writers Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 18th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 18th-century Scottish educators Scottish non-fiction writers History of Orkney Religion in Orkney