Henry McIlree Williamson (1824–1898) was an Irish-born minister of the Free Church of Scotland who served 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 t ...

to the

Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI; ga, Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Prisbytairin Kirk in Airlann'') is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Prote ...

in 1896.

Life

Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, Belfast - geograph

He was born in Lisnadill in

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has ...

in what is now

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

in 1824. He was the son of David Williamson and his wife, Leoncia McIlree. He studied at

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. He then trained as a minister for the newly created Free Church of Scotland, training 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 1845 to 1849. He was ordained as a minister of the Free church of Scotland in 1850 at

Dunblane Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...

. In 1855 he translated to Huntly, Aberdeenshire and in 1867 to the Free High Kirk of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

. In Aberdeen he lived at 44 King Street. In 1870 he left the Free Church of Scotland and returned to Ireland as minister of Fisherwick Church in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

, as a minister of the

. This was initially as assistant to Rev Dr James Morgan, but from 1873 he became minister in charge. In 1896 he succeeded Rev George Raphael Buick as

. He died on 29 December 1898. A stained glass window in Fisherwick Church is dedicated to his memory.

Family

The name of his first wife is not known but he is listed as a "widower" in the 1851 census. In 1855 he married the 18-year-old Catherine Charlotte Robertson (1837-1864). They had four sons and one daughter, one son dying in infancy. Their son James Robert David Williamson (1856-1891) also became a Free Church minister. His namesake son, Henry McIlree Williamon (1858-1948) died in Edinburgh. In 1866 he married the 22-year-old Jessie Maria Gibson (b.1842 in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

. His daughter Barbara Williamson married William Henderson Calvert and were parents to the poet Raymond Calvert. His son Charles Frederick Williamson (1868-1915) married a nurse, Edith Nugent, and they moved to

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. They had seven further children: three sons and for daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Henry McIlree 1824 births 1898 deaths People from County Armagh Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Moderators of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland