Kenneth Macleay Phin (1816–1888) was a Scottish minister who served as

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

in 1877. He ran the Church of Scotland’s Home Mission Scheme. As a church campaigner and pamphleteer he was known as The Investigator.

Life

The grave of Rev Kenneth Phin, Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh

He was born on 23 April 1816 the only son of Rev Robert Phin (1777–1840) minister of Wick and his wife Margaret Elizabeth, the daughter of Provost Macleay of Caithness. His mother died soon after he was born. He was sent to study at Edinburgh University and licensed to preach as a Church of Scotland minister by the Presbytery of

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

in November 1837. He was ordained as minister of Galashiels from May 1841 under patronage of Hugh Scott of Gala. He was a member of the Wodrow Society, based in Edinburgh 1841 to 1847. In 1863 he spoke against the admission of women into Scottish universities. He retired in 1870 and thereafter committed himself fully to Mission work in the Scottish cities. His position in Galashiels was filled by Rev Paton James Gloag. From 1863 to 1888 Phin was Convenor of the Army and Navy Chaplains Committee. Edinburgh University awarded him an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

in 1869. During his mission work he operated from 22 Queen Street in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...

and lived at 13 Chalmers Street near the

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

. He lived his final years at 13 Chalmers Street in Edinburgh. He died in Edinburgh on 12 January 1888. He is buried in Grange Cemetery. The grave lies on the south edge of the north-west section, backing onto the embankment.

Family

In March 1852 he was married to Margaret Thomson Pitcairn (1826-1905) of 8 Ainslie Place on the

Moray Estate The Moray Estate in Edinburgh was an exclusive early 19th century building venture attaching the west side of Edinburgh's New Town. Built on an awkward and steeply sloping site, it has been described as a masterpiece of urban planning. Backg ...

in Edinburgh's West End, daughter of the late James Pitcairn MD.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1852

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phin, Kenneth Macleay 1816 births 1888 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Caithness Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland