Norman Maclean (3 May 1869 – 15 January 1952) was a Scottish minister and religious author 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 1927. In his latter years he was Chaplain-in-Ordinary to the King.

Life

Maclean was born on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

in 1869. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Skye in 1892 and was appointed to the mission church on

Kyleakin Kyleakin (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Caol Àcain'') is a village situated on the east coast of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. The village is along the strait of Kyle Akin opposite the northwest Scottish mainland town of Kyle of Loch ...

. However, after only two weeks he was summoned to

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 ...

to meet Rev Norman MacLeod who asked him to take over

Benbecula Benbecula (; gd, Beinn nam Fadhla or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a ...

parish church. He stayed there for four months, lodging at an inn near North Ford. He was the minister of

St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh The Parish Church of St Cuthbert is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh. Probably founded in the 7th century, the church once covered an extensive parish around the burgh of Edinburgh. The church's current building was ...

from 1915 to 1936, succeeding Rev

William Lyall Wilson William Lyall Wilson (1866–1914) was a minister of the Church of Scotland who worked in the Scots Mission Church in Argentina. Life He was born in Dundee on 6 May 1866 the son of Amelia Swan and her husband, Thomas Wilson (1835-1909). He w ...

. In 1921 he was Convenor of the Scottish Churches Memorial Project overseeing war memorials across the country. He was specifically involved in the creation of the beautiful war memorial chapel in St Cuthberts, designed by the Glasgow architect

Peter MacGregor Chalmers Peter MacGregor Chalmers LLD (14 March 1859 – 15 March 1922) was a Scottish architect specialising in country churches, and also being involved in several important restoration schemes. Life Chalmers was born on 14 March 1859, the son of Georg ...

. In 1927 Maclean succeeded John Donaldson McCallum as Moderator. In 1929 he was Convenor of the Committee overseeing the reunification of the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...

with the established

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 ...

. In 1934 he was living at 6 Grosvenor Gardens in Edinburgh. Maclean retired to

Portree Portree (; gd, Port Rìgh, ) is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is the location for the only secondary school o ...

in Skye in 1936. His position at St Cuthbert's was filled by Rev Adam Wilson Burnett. From 1939 to 1941 he worked in St Andrew's Church in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. His advocation of the restoration of a Jewish homeland caused the church authorities to remove him in January 1941. He returned to Portree.

Publications

*''Dwellers in the Mist'' (1902) *''Stand Up, Ye Dead'' (1916) *''Hills of Home'' (1916) *''The Message of

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

'' (1926) *''A Christmas Message'' (1929) *''Services for Holy Week and Easter'' (1929) *''Jerusalem, the Mother of us All'' (1939) *''Christmas in Palestine'' (1940) *''His Terrible Swift Sword'' (1942) *''The Former Days'' (1945) (autobiography) *''Set Free'' (1949) (further autobiography)

Family

Maclean was father to

Margaret Hope MacPherson Margaret Hope MacPherson (born MacLean; 29 June 1908 – 21 October 2001) was a Scottish crofter, politician, author, and activist. During her later life, she was known as the "First Lady of Crofting". Early life MacPherson was born Margaret Ho ...

, known as the "First Lady of Crofting".''The Herald'' (newspaper), 24 October 2001.

References

1869 births 1952 deaths People from the Isle of Skye 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland {{Scotland-reli-bio-stub