John Murray (c. 1786 – 1851) was a British science writer, lecturer, traveller and

scriptural geologist Scriptural geologists (or Mosaic geologists) were a heterogeneous group of writers in the early nineteenth century, who claimed "the primacy of literalistic biblical exegesis" and a short Young Earth time-scale. Their views were marginalised and i ...

during the early years of scientific development. He was born in

Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of L ...

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

, the son James Murray, sea-captain, and of Grace, his wife. He seemed to develop an interest in science early in life, and in 1815 published ''Elements of Chemical Science as Applied to Arts and Manufactures''. Beginning in 1816, he gave several sciences lectures a year at the Surrey Institute and Mechanics' Institutes becoming "one of the best lecturers in the world", according to

Lord Brougham Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, (; 19 September 1778 – 7 May 1868) was a British statesman who became Lord High Chancellor and played a prominent role in passing the 1832 Reform Act and 1833 Slavery Abolition Act. ...

. He wrote on chemistry, physics, geology, natural history, and medicine. He was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (joined in 1822) and of the Geological Society of London (1823), the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

(1819), and

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

(1824). Also, the Meteorological society of London, The

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

(1837) and the Mechanics' institutes of Exeter, Davonport, Portsmouth and Bristol. In the 1830s he was a prominent

, promoting a reconciliation between the geologic record and the

Genesis creation narrative The Genesis creation narrative is the creation myth of both Judaism and Christianity. The narrative is made up of two stories, roughly equivalent to the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis. In the first, Elohim (the Hebrew generic word ...

. He travelled extensively, but lived in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

most of his life. He was a loyal member 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 a strong

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

. He moved back to Stranraer in 1850, but a severe illness drained his health and finances and he died an invalid on 28 June 1851.

Bibliography

* (1815) ''The Elements of Chemical Science as applied to the arts and manufactures and natural phenomena''. * (1830) ''A Treatise on Pulmonary Consumption; its prevention and remedy''. * (1831) 840''The Truth of Revelation'', 276 pages
second edition
380 pages. * (1838) ''Portrait of Geology'', 214 pages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, John 1780s births 1851 deaths 19th-century Scottish scientists Fellows of the Geological Society of London Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Stranraer Scottish geologists Scottish scientists