James Craigie Robertson (1813 – 9 July 1882) was a Scottish Anglican churchman, canon of

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...

, and author of a ''History of the Christian Church''.

Life

Robertson was born at

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 ...

, where his father was a merchant; his mother's maiden name was Craigie. His early education was mainly at Udny Academy, but he is said to have been at twelve other schools. His father was a Presbyterian, but his mother's family was Episcopalian. Robertson studied for a time for the

Scottish bar The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a const ...

, but having decided on ordination in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, he entered

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1831, and graduated B.A. in 1834, and M.A. in 1838. He did not attempt to take honours, but spent vacations in Germany, and studied German literature. He was ordained in 1836. After serving two curacies, Robertson was instituted in 1846 to the vicarage of

Bekesbourne Bekesbourne is a village near Canterbury in Kent, South East England. The village is centred ESE of the city's cathedral and its centre stretches less than 1 km from its railway station to the A2 road to the south. Amenities The parish ch ...

, near Canterbury. There he concentrated on historical research. In 1859 he was made canon of Canterbury, and from 1864 to 1874 was professor of ecclesiastical history at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. In 1864 he was elected a member of the Athenæum Club as "a person eminent in literature". Robertson died at Canterbury on 9 July 1882, while working on the last volume of his "Memorials of Becket". He was a moderate

high churchman The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

, out of sympathy with ritualism. Close friends included William MacPherson,

John Murray III John Murray III (1808–1892) was a British publisher, third of the name at the John Murray company founded in London in 1777. Life The eldest son of John Murray II (1778–1843) by Anne Elliott, daughter of Charles Elliot, the Edinburgh publis ...

the publisher,

Dean Stanley Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, (13 December 1815 – 18 July 1881), known as Dean Stanley, was an English Anglican priest and ecclesiastical historian. He was Dean of Westminster from 1864 to 1881. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he w ...

, and

Alexander Dyce Alexander Dyce (30 June 1798 – 15 May 1869) was a Scottish dramatic editor and literary historian. He was born in Edinburgh and received his early education at the high school there, before becoming a student at Exeter College, Oxford, where ...

; and he knew

Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

well.

Works

In 1850 Robertson began his ''Church History'', his major work; volume i. appeared in 1852, and volume iv., bringing the narrative to the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, in 1873. A revised edition (in 8 vols.), entitled ''History of the Christian Church from the Apostolic Age to the Reformation'', was issued in 1874–5. While still a curate Robertson wrote a book entitled ''How shall we conform to the Liturgy?'' (1843, 3rd edit. 1869). It argued the impossibility of a literal compliance with all the rubrics, and the consequent need of tolerance and elasticity. Other works were: *

Peter Heylyn Peter Heylyn or Heylin (29 November 1599 – 8 May 1662) was an English ecclesiastic and author of many polemical, historical, political and theological tracts. He incorporated his political concepts into his geographical books ''Microcosmu ...

's ''History of the Reformation'' (1849), editor. *Writings on the

Gorham case George Cornelius Gorham (1787–1857) was a vicar in the Church of England. His legal recourse to being denied a certain post, subsequently taken to a secular court, caused great controversy. Early life George Cornelius Gorham was born on 21 Aug ...

(1850). *''Olshausen on the Romans'' (1850), translator. *''Sketches of Church History'', for the Christian Knowledge Society (pt. i. 1855, pt. ii. 1878). *''Becket: a Biography'' (1859). *''Plain Lectures on the Growth of the Papal Power'' (1876). He also edited

John Bargrave John Bargrave (1610 – 11 May 1680), was an English author and collector and a canon of Canterbury Cathedral.''Under the Sign: John Bargrave as Collector, Traveler, and Witness'' by Stephen Bann, Michigan, 1995 Early life Bargrave was born in K ...

's ''Alexander VII and the College of Cardinals'' (Camden Soc. 1866), and for the Master of the Rolls ''Materials for the History of Archbishop Thomas Becket'' (vol. i. 1875, vol. vi. 1882); the last volume was completed after Robertson's death by his coadjutor, Dr. J. Brigstocke Sheppard. Besides his other work, he was a learned contributor to the ''

Quarterly Review The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River ...

''.

Family

Robertson married in 1839 Julia Maria Stevenson, the sister of his college friend, Richard Stevenson, fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and had a large family.

Notes

;Attribution *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, James Craigie 1813 births 1882 deaths 19th-century Scottish Episcopalian priests 19th-century Scottish historians Clergy from Aberdeen Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People from Bekesbourne