Neil McVicar (1672–1747) was a minister 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 ...

. Fluent in both Gaelic and English, McVicar began his ministry in Fort William before moving to Edinburgh's West Kirk in 1707. McVicar was a strong supporter of the Hanoverian succession against waves of Jacobite rebellion throughout the 18th century. He also ministered to Edinburgh's growing Gaelic-speaking population. McVicar remained at the West Kirk until his death in 1747.

Life

McVicar was born in 1672; his family name literally means "son of the vicar". He was

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of Fort William in the late 17th century. In this role, he served both the English-speaking troops in the fort plus the local Gaelic-speaking locals and was fluent in each. In May 1707 he became minister of Edinburgh's West Kirk: one of the oldest and most important charges in Scotland. This was in place of Thomas Paterson, who had moved from Collegiate charge (McVicar's role) to first charge. McVicar stayed in his role for over 40 years with several ministers passing through the first charge during his ministry, most notably George Wishart. He was then the only Gaelic-speaking minister in the city and so was charged with providing extra services in Gaelic to the highland inhabitants of the city who could not speak English.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; vol. 1; by Hew Scott McVicar was strongly anti- Jacobite and also refused the

Oath of Abjuration Abjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. The term comes from the Latin ''abjurare'', "to forswear". Abjuration of the realm Abj ...

in 1712. In 1729 he was given the formal title of

Almoner An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '. History Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

in Scotland. Although a "traditionalist" he opposed the Law of Patronage along with the majority of Scottish ministers of the period. During their occupation of Edinburgh during the

Rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took p ...

, the Jacobites restricted worship within the city churches yet worship continued in St Cuthbert's as usual. McVicar avoided the proclamation to pray for

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

.Stephenson, Marigold H.; Hunter, Ailsa B. J.; Thow, Jean (1994). ''The Kirk below the Castle''. St Cuthbert's Parish Church, p. 14. McVicar instead offered the prayer: "Bless the King. Thou knowest what King I mean. As for the man that is come among us seeking an earthly crown, we beseech Thee in mercy to take him to Thyself, and give him a crown of glory." In 1746 Sir James Campbell of Auchinbreck presented him to the congregation of

Knapdale Knapdale ( gd, Cnapadal, IPA: �kraʰpət̪əɫ̪ forms a rural district of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. It includes two parishes, ...

but McVicar declined the post. He died in Edinburgh on 29 January 1747 aged 74 and is buried in the churchyard of St Cuthberts.

Family

He was married twice, firstly in July 1705 to Lillias Dunbar (1686-1732), daughter of Alexander Dunbar WS. Their thirteen children included: *Hugh McVicar, minister of

Dalziel Dalziel, Dalzell or Dalyell ( ) is a Scottish surname. Pronunciation The unintuitive spelling of the name is due to it being an anglicisation of Scottish Gaelic ''Dail-gheal'', meaning bright dale. The sound now spelled with a or is historica ...

*Alexander McVicar, merchant in Edinburgh *Neil McVicar, merchant in Edinburgh *Jean McVicar, married Rev David Black of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

*Marion *Patrick McVicar WS *Catherine, Ann, Rachel, Archibald, Lilias, Mary and an unnamed child who died the dy he was born. Secondly in 1737 he married Bridget Balfour (d.1764), sister of James Balfour of Pilrig.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McVicar, Neil 1672 births 1747 deaths People of the Jacobite rising of 1745 17th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 18th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland