James Robert Mitford Mitchell (1843–1914) was a Scottish minister. He 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 1907. He was Chaplain in Ordinary in Scotland to both

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

and King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

Life

Plaque to Rev Mitford Mitchell, Kirk of St Nicholas, Aberdeen

He was born on 20 February 1843 in

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

the son of the civil engineer, Joseph Mitchell and educated at Inverness Academy and

Merchiston Castle School Merchiston Castle School is an independent boarding school for boys in the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has around 470 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 7 and 18 as either boarding or day pupils; it was modelled a ...

in Edinburgh. He studied divinity at

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 ...

and

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He was ordained as a

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 ...

minister at Kirkmichael in August 1868. He was translated to

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a for ...

in September 1875. He was further translated to the West

Kirk of St Nicholas The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the ''"Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting"''. It is also known as ''"The Mit ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

in February 1878. In September 1888 he took on the additional role as Chaplain to Queen Victoria in Scotland and on her death he became Chaplain to King Edward VII. He was awarded a Doctor of Divinity by Aberdeen University in February 1892. In 1883 he presented a marble bust of his father, by Alexander Munro to Inverness Town Hall. From 1898 until 1909 he was Convenor of the Church of Scotland's Colonial Committee. He retired to

living at 39 Palmerston Place. He died on 26 September 1914. He is buried in the churchyard of the

in Aberdeen.

Recognition

A plaque to his memory was erected in the

around 1920.

Family

In November 1876 he married Agnes Jane Dobbie of Gyleburn. They had one daughter: Christian Elisabeth Mitchell born 1878.

References

1843 births 1914 deaths People educated at Merchiston Castle School People from Inverness 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland {{Scotland-reli-bio-stub