James Francis Montgomery

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(10 July 1818 – 21 September 1897) was trained as an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and served as Dean in St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. He is usually referred to as Dean Montgomery. He was an early photographic pioneer and was one of the youngest members of the

Edinburgh Calotype Club The Edinburgh Calotype Club (1843 – c.1850s) of Scotland was the first photographic club in the world. Its members consisted of pioneering photographers primarily from Edinburgh and St Andrews. The efforts of the Club's members resulted in ...

, one of the world's first photographic societies.

Life

He was born on 10 July 1818, the son of Elizabeth Mason and Robert Montgomery, Lord Treasurers Remembrancer (younger son of Sir James William Montgomery). He would have spent much time in his early life at the family home of

Stobo Castle Stobo Castle is located at Stobo in the Scottish Borders, in the former county of Peeblesshire. The Manor of Stobo was originally owned by the Balfour family. It became the family seat of the Graham-Montgomery Baronets from 1767. The buildin ...

. He originally studied law and was admitted to the Scottish bar as an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

in 1840. In the 1840s he is listed as an operational Edinburgh advocate working from 17 Atholl Crescent in the West End, living together with Robert Montgomery. In the mid-1850s, he had a change of direction and studied divinity at

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, graduating with a BA in 1858 before being

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

, and serving as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

Puddletown Puddletown is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated by the River Piddle, from which it derives its name, about northeast of the county town Dorchester. Its earlier name Piddletown fell out of favour, probably because o ...

. In 1858 he returned to

to serve at St Paul's. He transferred to St Marys Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh as a junior incumbent in 1864. He was appointed

Dean of Edinburgh The Diocese of Edinburgh is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers the City of Edinburgh, the Lothians, the Borders and Falkirk. The diocesan centre is St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. The Bishop of Edinburgh is ...

in 1873; and Provost of that St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh in 1879. In 1868, he was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

for his early photographic experiments, his proposer being

Philip Kelland Philip Kelland PRSE FRS (17 October 1808 – 8 May 1879) was an English mathematician. He was known mainly for his great influence on the development of education in Scotland. Life Kelland was born in 1808 the son of Philip Kelland (d.1847), ...

. He lived close to the cathedral at 17 Atholl Crescent, a large townhouse in Edinburgh's West End.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1895-96 He died at home on 21 September 1897 and is buried in the northern Victorian extension of

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

. The grave lies in the south-west section facing onto the southern path.

Memorials

A fine recumbent effigy of Montgomery exists on the north side of the choir stalls, sculpted by

James Pittendrigh Macgillivray James Pittendrigh MacGillivray (1856 – 29 April 1938) was a Scottish sculptor. He was also a keen artist, musician and poet. He was born in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, the son of a sculptor, and studied under William Brodie and John Mossman ...

five years after his death (1902).

Family

He married the Hon. Elizabeth Mary Elphinstone (1834-1902) on 17 January 1860. A brass plaque to her memory lies in the north aisle of St Marys Episcopal Cathedral. They had no surviving children.

Publications

*''Words from the Cross'' (1864) *''My Walk with God'' (1883)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, James Francis 1818 births Alumni of University College, Durham Provosts of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal) 1897 deaths Deans of Edinburgh