George Kay (c.1710–1766) was an 18th-century Scottish minister 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 was

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 1760.

Life

In 1729, he graduated with an MA from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. He was licensed by the Presbytery of

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...

in 1734 and ordained as minister of

Collessie Collessie is a village and parish of Fife, Scotland. The village is set on a small hillock centred on a historic church. Due to rerouting of roads, it now lies north of the A91. Though a railway embankment was constructed through the middle of ...

Parish Church in 1739 and translated to

Minto Minto may refer to: Places Antarctica *Mount Minto (Antarctica) Australia *Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Minto railway station * Minto County, Western Australia * Parish of Minto, New South Wales Canada * Minto City, British Col ...

in 1741.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott Making frequent steps he moved to Dysart in 1743 and

St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh The Parish Church of St Cuthbert is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh. Probably founded in the 7th century, the church once covered an extensive parish around the burgh of Edinburgh. The church's current building was ...

in 1747. From there he translated to New Greyfriars in 1752 and from there to "second charge" of Old Greyfriars in 1754, replacing Rev Robert Hamilton. The University of Edinburgh awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) in 1759 and in May 1760 he was elected

. In 1760 he was also given the additional role of Army Chaplain serving

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

. He died in

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

on 10 April 1766 and is buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

. His role at Greyfriars was filled by Rev John Erskine.Old Edinburgh Club: Greyfriars Church

Family

In 1747 he married Charlotte Sherriff and together they had two son: David (b.1749), Charles (1751-1762) and a daughter, Margaret (b.1757). In 1761 he married Ann Forth who died in 1788.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, George 1706 births 1766 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 18th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 18th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers