Patrick Simson or Sympson (1628–1715) was 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 who served as

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 ...

in 1695. He was Dean of the Faculty of Divinity 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 , ...

. At the time of his death in 1715 he was the acknowledged

Father of the Church The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical pe ...

Robert Wodrow Robert Wodrow (167921 March 1734) was a Scottish minister and historian, known as a chronicler and defender of the Covenanters. Robert Wodrow was born at Glasgow, where his father, James Wodrow, was a professor of divinity. Robert was educate ...

described him as "the last of the

antediluvian The antediluvian (alternatively pre-diluvian or pre-flood) period is the time period chronicled in the Bible between the fall of man and the Genesis flood narrative in biblical cosmology. The term was coined by Thomas Browne. The narrative take ...

Presbyterian ministers in this church".

Life

He was born on 2 October 1628 the son of Rev. Adam Simson of

New Abbey New Abbey ( gd, An Abaid Ùr) is a village in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is south of Dumfries. The summit of the prominent hill Criffel is to the south. History The village has a wealth ...

and his wife Margaret Spens. His paternal grandfather (after whom he was named) was the eminent churchman

Patrick Simson Patrick Simson (1566-1618) was a presbyterian minster who served in Stirling during the reign of James VI of Scotland. Despite his opposition to Episcopalianism, he had the respect of king James and several of his court. He was born in Perth in ...

. He was sent 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 ...

for education under his maternal uncle Rev.

George Gillespie George Gillespie (21 January 1613 – 17 December 1648) was a Scottish theologian. His father was John Gillespie, minister of Kirkcaldy. He studied at St Andrews University, and is said to have graduated M.A. 1629, though the date is pro ...

who was then minister of Saint Giles Cathedral. Around 1644 he became private tutor to the family of

Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, 8th Earl of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell (March 160727 May 1661) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, and peer. The ''de facto'' head of Scotland's government during most of the conflict of the 1640s and ...

, a role he had for three years. Despite a lack of any formal university degree, in November 1653 he was ordained as minister of

Renfrew Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former ...

Parish Church south of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. In the upheavals of the 1660s he was deprived of office by an Act of Parliament in October 1662. In the "Indulgence" of

Kilmacolm Kilmacolm () is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area, and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, southeast of Greenock and aroun ...

of 1672 he was reallowed to preach but the position at Renfrew was not then empty and he had to wait. In November 1678 he was reprimanded by the Privy Council for preaching outwith his parish without permission (the location of this is unclear). He was denounced as a "rebel" but allowed back fully as minister of Renfrew at the "toleration" in August 1687 and formally reaccepted by the Act of Parliament in April 1690.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott In December 1690 he was created Dean of the Faculty of Divinity 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 , ...

and continued this role until 1696. In 1695 he succeeded Rev. John Law 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 ...

the highest position in the Scottish church. He died in Renfrew on 24 October 1715.

Family

In August 1654 he married Elizabeth Hay (d. 1662) daughter of his predecessor Rev. John Hay: Their children included: *Sarah (b. 1655) died in infancy *George (b. 1657) died in infancy *Patrick Simson (1659–1688) died in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

*Agnes (b. 1662) married John Simson of Kirktonhall in

West Kilbride West Kilbride ( gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Iar) is a village and historic parish in North Ayrshire, Scotland, on the west coast by the Firth of Clyde, looking across the Firth of Clyde to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran. West Kilbride and adjoining ...

, a Glasgow merchant and had 17 sons and no daughters. *Elizabeth, twin of Agnes, died in infancy Elizabeth died in childbirth giving birth to Agnes and Elizabeth. He next married Janet Peadie (d. 1714) daughter of James Peadie and widow of Robert Cullen, both Glasgow merchants. Their further children included: *James (1665–1667) * John Ramsay Professor of Divinity 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 , ...

*Margaret (1669–1758) married James Montgomerie *Rev. Matthew Simson of

Pencaitland Pencaitland is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, about south-east of Edinburgh, south-west of Haddington, and east of Ormiston. The land where the village lies is said to have been granted by William the Lion to Calum Cormack in 1169, ...

*Anna (b. 1674) married Rev. John Paisley of

Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch (; sco, Lochineuch, gd, Loch Uinneach) is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder, Lochwinnoch is c ...

*Still born son (b. 1677)

Publications

*Letter in Answer to Hackston's Ghost *The Larger Reply *Spiritual Songs or Holy Poems: A Garden of True Delight (6 vols.)

References

External links

Internet Archive '' Scottish Church History Society'', chapter on ''The levitical family of Simson; IV Final Records'', pages 118-125
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simson, Patrick 1628 births 1715 deaths Clergy from Dumfries and Galloway Academics of the University of Glasgow Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland