John Cairns (1857–1922) was a United Presbyterian Church minister, writer and biographer. He was born on 13 April 1857 at

Stichill Stichill is a village and civil parish in the historic county of Roxburghshire, a division of the Scottish Borders. Situated north of the Burgh of Kelso, Stichill lies north of the Eden Water and from the English Border at Coldstream. Stichi ...

in Roxburghshire. He was the son of Rev. David Cairns, United Presbyterian Church minister at

, and of Elizabeth Williamson Smith. He was educated at

Edrom Edrom is a parish and small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. The rural parish of Edrom is in east central Berwickshire being bounded on the north by ...

Parish School in

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

and at

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 ...

where he graduated

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1878. He trained for the ministry at United Presbyterian College, Edinburgh and at

Leipzig University Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...

.The

Fasti In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simil ...

of the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...

, 1900–1929. Edited by the Rev. John Alexander Lamb. Edinburgh and London: Oliver & Boyd, 1956. p.102. He wrote a biography of his uncle, John Cairns in the "Famous Scots Series". He died in Edinburgh on 13 May 1922.Birth and death information sourced from records held by the General Register Office for Scotland and accessed through the Scotlandspeople internet site

Career as Minister

* June 1882 – Licensed by U. P. Presbytery of Kelso * 1882-3 – Assistant at

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

Bridgend * 1883-4 – Assistant at

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

Buccleuch Street * 16 Oct 1884 – Ordained and inducted as Minister at

Buccleuch Street * April 1922 – Retired as Minister at

Buccleuch Street

Administrative Posts with UF Church

* 1907-8 – Vice-Convener of Continental Committee * 1909 – Convener of Continental Committee * 1913–22 – Convener of Colonial and Continental Committee

Publications

* '' Principal Cairns.'' Edinburgh:

Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier was a Scottish publishing company based in the national capital Edinburgh. It produced many hundreds of books mainly on religious and biographical themes, especially during its heyday from about 1880 to 1910. It is ...

, 1903, ( "Famous Scots Series") * ''Our Continental Mission Field and its Historic Background''. Edinburgh:

, 1921.

Sources

* ''The

of the

, 1900–1929''. Edited by the Rev. John Alexander Lamb. Edinburgh and London: Oliver & Boyd, 1956. p. 102. * Scotlandspeople internet site: www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, John 1857 births 1922 deaths Scottish biographers Scottish non-fiction writers 19th-century Scottish writers Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish clergy 20th-century Scottish clergy 20th-century Scottish writers Ministers of the United Presbyterian Church (Scotland) Ministers of the United Free Church of Scotland