James Bisset (1795–1872) was a 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 ...

and Latinist, 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 th ...

in 1862, the highest position in the Scottish church.

Life

He was born in April 1795 the second son of George Bisset, schoolmaster of Udny Academy north 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), and ...

. James took over the running of the Academy in 1812 at age 17. He attended

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- ...

sporadically (1808/9, 1817/8, 1818/9) and also attended

Edinburgh University 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 1582 ...

for some sessions. He became private tutor to the family of

Fraser of Strichen The Frasers of Strichen are a branch of the highland Clan Fraser of Lovat, which assumed the chiefship of the clan in the 19th century. After Archibald Campbell Fraser of Lovat, the third son of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, died without descen ...

(later known as

Lord Lovat Lord Lovat ( gd, Mac Shimidh) is a title of the rank Lord of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for Hugh Fraser, 1st Lord Lovat, Hugh Fraser by summoning him to the Scottish Parliament as Lord Fraser of Lovat, altho ...

. In March 1819 he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of

Ellon Ellon may refer to: *Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland *Ellon, Calvados Ellon () is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The following is ...

.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott In June 1825 under patronage of the Crown he was presented to the congregation of Bourtie and was formally ordained there in April 1826. Continuing occasional university attendance at Marischal College he eventually graduated MA in 1839 aged 44. In February 1850 they further 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 ...

. In 1862 he succeeded the Rev Colin Smith 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 ...

the highest position in the Scottish Church. He was succeeded in turn by Rev

James Craik James Craik (; 17276 February 1814) was Physician General (precursor of the Surgeon General) of the United States Army, as well as George Washington's personal physician and close friend. Biography Education and emigration to America Born on ...

. He died in the manse at Bourtie on 8 September 1872.

Family

In December 1829 he married Mary Bannerman Lessel (d.1836), daughter of Rev Robert Lessel minister of the neighbouring parish of

Inverurie Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and Don, about north-west of Aberdeen. Geography Inverurie is in the vall ...

. Their children included: *Mary Bisset (b.1830) married Rev Dr John Davidson her father's successor as minister of

*Susan Bisset (b.1832) married Henry Campbell Raikes as his first wife *James Bisset (1833-1901) became a banker in

Brantford Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...

in Canada *Christian Helen Bisset (1835-1857) died in

Cawnpore Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...

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 so ...

during the

Indian mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

*Robina Mary Bannerman Lessel Bisset (b.1836-1911) married Henry Campbell Raikes as his second wife His first wife died giving birth to Robina. In June 1840 he married Elizabeth Sinclair Smith (1823-1890) daughter of Rev William Smith of

Bower Bower may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Catherine, or The Bower'', an unfinished Jane Austen novel * A high-ranking card (usually a Jack) in certain card games: ** The Right and Left Bower (or Bauer), the two highest-ranking cards in the g ...

. Their children included: *George Thomas Bisset (1841-1852) *Sir William Sinclair Smith Bisset KCIE (1843-1917) Government Director of Indian Railways for all India *Elizabeth Sinclair Bisset (b.1845) married Dr Henry Muscroft of

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...

Publications

*Account of the Parish of Bourtie (1845) *Inquiry into the Spirit of the Constitution of the Church of Scotland (1866)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bisset, James 1795 births 1872 deaths Clergy from Aberdeenshire Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland