Henry Edgar (2 April 1698 – 22 August 1765) was a

Scottish Episcopal The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

minister who served as the Bishop of Fife from 1762 to 1765. He was born in Keithock, near

Brechin Brechin (; gd, Breichin) is a city and former Royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which continues today ...

, and baptised on 2 April 1698, the son of David Edgar and Elizabeth Guthrie., ''Scottish Episcopal Clergy'', p. 38., ''Scotichronicon, volume 2'', p. 293. He was educated at

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

, Abedeen from 1712 to 1714. He married Barbara Rait (1692–1774), daughter of the Reverend William Rait,

Incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Monikie Monikie is a village and civil parish in Angus, Scotland, north-east of Dundee. History The village grew from small beginnings as just one of many hamlets. The other large village in the parish is Newbigging. Because of the siting of the Railway ...

, and Isobel Yeaman, and sister of the Right Reverend

James Rait James Rait, MA (1689–1777) was an Anglican clergyman who served in the Scottish Episcopal Church as the Bishop of Brechin from 1742 to 1777. Biography He was consecrated the Bishop of the Diocese of Brechin on 4 October 1742 at Edinbur ...

Bishop of Brechin The Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or angus, Scotland, Angus, based at Dundee. Brechin Cathedral, Brechin is a parish church of the established (presbyterian) Church of Scotland. The diocese had a long-es ...

. His first

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

appointments were as assistant minister (1727–29) and then

(1729–32) at

Careston Careston is a hamlet in Angus, Scotland that is in the parish of the same name, 5 miles west of Brechin. The parish and hamlet supposedly took their name from a stone laid in commemoration of a Danish chieftain, called Caraldston. It has a castl ...

, followed by as the Incumbent of

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen. The ...

(1732–65); a post he held until his death. After the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

, Edgar was arrested for not praying for King

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

but the case dismissed by the local

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

s after he said that he had "prayed for the King". He was appointed

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

and

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fif ...

on 18 October 1759 by Robert White,

Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus on ...

, with bishops Falconer,

Rait Rait () is a small village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies northwest of Errol, in the Gowrie area west of Dundee, on a minor road crossing the Sidlaw Hills through the Glen of Rait. The village is mainly residential with stone cottage ...

, and

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

serving as co-

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

s., ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops'', p. 549. Following the death of Robert White in 1761, Edgar became Bishop of Fife on 24 June 1762. He died in office in

on 22 August 1765, aged 67, and was buried in the grounds of

Arbroath Abbey Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom ...

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, Henry 1698 births 1765 deaths Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Bishops of Fife