Hugh Meiklejohn (12 June 1765 – 11 June 1831) was a Scottish minister who served as

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 ...

in 1810.

Life

He was born on 12 June 1765, the only son of Mary Cree, daughter of Hugh Cree, of Saline, Fife, and Rev George Meiklejohn, who was later a minister in the Carolinas in America. Hugh studied divinity at the

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

. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

as a

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 ...

minister in August 1788.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott In December 1791 he was ordained as minister of

Abercorn Abercorn (Gaelic: ''Obar Chùirnidh'', Old English: ''Æbbercurnig'') is a village and civil parish in West Lothian, Scotland. Close to the south coast of the Firth of Forth, the village is around west of South Queensferry. The parish had a p ...

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

under the patronage of James, Earl of Hopetoun in place of Rev John Ritchie. From 1799 he took on the additional role of Professor of Ecclesiastical History 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 ...

, but continued as minister of Abercorn. In March 1800 the University of Edinburgh awarded him an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

. He was elected

in 1810. From around 1810 he lived with his family at Merchant Street opposite

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 ...

Edinburgh's Old Town The Old Town ( sco, Auld Toun) is the name popularly given to the oldest part of Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh. The area has preserved much of its medieval street plan and many Reformation-era buildings. Together with the 18th/19th-cent ...

. In 1825, he writes to support his friend Rev John Somerville, in his invention of a safety catch for firearms. He died on 11 June 1831, and is buried with his family in Abercorn churchyard. The grave lies to the east side of the church. His position at Abercorn was filled by Rev Lewis Hay Irving.

Family

In 1792 he married Anne Liston (died 1852), eldest daughter of Very Rev Robert Liston, Moderator in 1787/8. They had nine children including Cpt James Hope Johnston Meiklejohn (1795-1856) of the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

, Hugh Cree Meiklejohn (1797-1847), Rev Robert Meiklejohn (1800-1859) minister of

Strathdon Strathdon (; Gaelic: ''Srath Dheathain'') is an area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated in the strath of the River Don, 45 miles west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. The main village in the strath is also called Strathdon, although it was o ...

, and Rev William Hope Meiklejohn (1811-1850) a missionary in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

Publications

*''Statistical Account of Abercorn'' (1799)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meiklejohn, Hugh 1765 births 1831 deaths 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Alumni of the University of Glasgow Academics of the University of Edinburgh Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 18th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland