James Octavius Playfair FRSE (1736–1819) was a Scottish minister, academic and author and a figure in the Scottish Enlightenment.

Life

He was born on 7 December 1736 at Knowhead of Bendochy (a farm) in Perthshire the son of George Playfair (d. 1786), a farmer, and his wife, Jean Roger (d. 1804). He studied at

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

and then was ordained as minister of

Newtyle Newtyle is a village in the west of Angus, Scotland. It lies north of Dundee in the southwest of Strathmore, between Hatton Hill and Newtyle ( Heather Hill) in the Sidlaws. The village sits on gently sloping ground with a northwest aspect. T ...

(1770–77) and then translated to

Meigle Meigle ( gd, Mìgeil, ) is a village in Strathmore, Scotland. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross in the Coupar Angus and Meigle ward. It lies on the A94 road between Perth and Forfar. Other smaller settlements nearby are Balk ...

(1777–1800). He was then appointed Principal of St Andrews University in 1800. During this period he was also minister of St Leonard's Church in St Andrews. In 1779 St Andrews awarded him an honorary doctorate (DD). In 1787 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were

John Playfair John Playfair FRSE, FRS (10 March 1748 – 20 July 1819) was a Church of Scotland minister, remembered as a scientist and mathematician, and a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He is best known for his book ''Illu ...

(a distant cousin) and Alexander Fraser Tytler. He was the official histiographer of the then Prince of Wales. He died at

Dalmarnock Dalmarnock (, gd, Dail Mheàrnaig) is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated east of the city centre, directly north of the River Clyde opposite the town of Rutherglen. It is also bounded by the Glasgow neighbourhoods of P ...

near

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 26 May 1819. He is buried in Glasgow but is also memorialised on the grave of his wife in the churchyard of

St Andrews Cathedral The Cathedral of St Andrew (often referred to as St Andrews Cathedral) is a ruined cathedral in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was built in 1158 and became the centre of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland as the seat of the Archdiocese of ...

Family

In September 1773 he married Margaret Lyon (1751-1831), daughter of Rev George Lyon of

Longforgan Longforgan is a village and parish in the Carse of Gowrie, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies west of Dundee on the main A90 road. History A record survives of Sir Patrick Gray, as Baron of Longforgan, holding a baronial court here in 13 ...

. Their ten children included

Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair (20 February 1787 – 19 January 1861) was a Scottish politician, army officer and photographic pioneer. He was Provost of St Andrews from 1842 until his death in 1861. Biography He was born in Meigle in Perthshire ...

. He was paternal grandfather to

Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair (1 May 1818 – 29 May 1898) was a British scientist and Liberal politician who was Postmaster-General from 1873 to 1874. Early life Playfair was born at Chunar, Bengal, the son of George Playfair (1782-1846 ...

through his son George Playfair.

Publications

* ''A System of Chronology'' (1782) * ''A System of Geography Ancient and Modern'' (1810–14) * ''General Atlas Ancient and Modern'' (1814) * ''A Geographical and Statistical Description of Scotland'' (1819);

References

Sources

Papers of Robert Lambert Playfair and other members of the Playfair family
Catalogue record at archiveshub.ac.uk 1738 births 1819 deaths Principals of the University of St Andrews People from Perthshire {{Academic-administrator-stub