Patrick Cumin or Cuming (1695–1776) was a senior clergyman in 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 ...

. He was three times

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...

Life

He was born in 1695 the eldest son of Robert Cumin of Relugas near

Forres Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There ...

Morayshire Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It w ...

. He studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

graduating with an MA in May 1716.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott He became personal chaplain to Lord Chief Justice Grange from 1717 to 1720. He was licensed to preach as a minister of the

by the Presbytery of

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...

and ordained as minister of

Kirkmahoe Kirkmahoe is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway. The parish contains the settlements Kirkton, where the parish church is located, Dalswinton and Duncow. It is bounded by the parishes of Dumfries to the south, Holywood and Dunscore to the w ...

in August 1720. He translated to

Lochmaben Lochmaben ( Gaelic: ''Loch Mhabain'') is a small town and civil parish in Scotland, and site of a castle. It lies west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway. By the 12th century the Bruce family had become the local landowners and, in the 14th ...

in March 1725. In January 1732 he moved to

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 ...

as second charge of Old Kirk, St Giles and in the summer of 1737 was appointed Professor of Church History at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...

a post he held until 1762. 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 ...

three times: 1749, 1752 and 1756. He was leader of the Moderate Party in the Church of Scotland and was consulted on the issue of church patronage. He died on 1 April 1776. His position in St Giles was filled by Robert Henry.

Family

In 1732 he married Jean Lauder (d.1769) daughter of David Lauder of Huntlywood, an advocate (and son of

John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall, 2nd Baronet, Lord Fountainhall (baptised 2 August 1646 – 20 September 1722) was one of Scotland's leading jurists who remains to this day an oft consulted authority. He was knighted in 1680 and matriculated his ...

). Their children included: *Robert Cumming, who succeeded Patrick as Professor of Church History in 1762 and continued to 1788 *John Cumming (b.1738) * Patrick Cumming (1741-1820), Professor of Oriental Languages at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

*George Cumming of Relugas WS (1746-1804) *Thomas Cumming (1749-1776) became a surgeon and died in India *Jean Cumming (1753-1775) His granddaughter married Sir

Thomas Dick Lauder Sir Thomas Dick Lauder of Fountainhall, 7th Baronet, FRSE FSA(Scot) LLD (13 August 178429 May 1848) was a Scottish author. He served as Secretary to the Board of Manufactures (1839–), on the Herring Fisheries Board, at the Royal Instituti ...

baronet.

Publications

*The Flight of the Timorous Clergyman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumin, Patrick 1695 births 1776 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh Ministers of St Giles' Cathedral Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland