Pearson McAdam Muir (1846–1924) was the minister of

Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The cathedral was the seat of the Archbishop ...

and

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 1910. He served as Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Scotland. He was Chaplain in Ordinary in Scotland to King

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

Life

He was born in the manse in

Kirkmabreck Kirkmabreck is a civil parish in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the Dumfries and Galloway council area, Scotland. Situated in the historic Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and centred on the small town of Creetown on the east bank of th ...

Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative county ...

on 26 January 1846, the son of Rev John Muir (1805–1858) and his wife, Gloriana Pearson McAdam (1806–1888). He was educated at

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 ...

High School. He then studied 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 , ...

. He was licensed to preach in December 1868 and began his ministry assisting consecutively in

Monkton, Ayrshire Monkton is a small village in the parish of Monkton and Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The town of Prestwick is around south of the village, and it borders upon Glasgow Prestwick Airport. History The village was originally known as Pr ...

, before moving to

Prestwick Prestwick ( gd, Preastabhaig) is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, an ...

and then

Stevenston Stevenston ( sco, Steenstoun, gd, Baile Steaphain) is a town and parish in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Along with Ardrossan and Saltcoats it is one of the "Three Towns", all of similar size, on the Firth of Clyde coast; the easternmost parts of ...

. His first sole charge was to Catrine in 1870. He was minister at

Polmont Polmont ( gd, Poll-Mhonadh) is a village in the Falkirk council area of Central Scotland. It lies towards the east of the town of Falkirk, north of the Union Canal, which runs adjacent to the village. Due to its situation in Central Scotland, m ...

near

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

1872 to 1880, replacing Rev John Wightman Ker, then came to

Morningside, Edinburgh Morningside is a district and former village in the south of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies alongside the main arterial Morningside Road, part of an ancient route from Edinburgh to the south west of Scotland. The original village served several ...

to his first major city church. In 1893 Glsgow University awarded him an honorary doctorate (DD). In 1896 he was requested to replace the Rev George Stewart Burns at

. In 1909 he was appointed army chaplain to the

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

. Also in 1909 he gave

The Baird Lecture ''The Baird Lecture'' is a lectureship that was endowed by James Baird to promote the Christian religion. History and endowment In 1873 James Baird established The Baird Trust and gave into its care £500,000 to be used for aggressive Christian ...

his topic being "Modern Substitutes for Christianity". He retired to Edinburgh and died in 1924. He is buried in

Morningside Cemetery, Edinburgh Morningside Cemetery is a cemetery in south Edinburgh. It was established in 1878 by the Metropolitan Cemetery Company, originally just outwith the then city boundary, the nearest suburb then being Morningside. It extends to just over 13 ac ...

. The grave lies towards the south-east corner in one of the north-south rows.

Family

He married Sophia Ann Chrystal (died 1907) in 1871. She was the daughter of Rev James Chrystal DD LLD, himself moderator in 1879. They had five children: Sophia Playfair Muir, Rev James Chrystal Muir, John Joseph Johnston Muir, Gloriana Margaret Muir, and Jane Playfair Chrystal Menzies.

Publications

*''

Samuel Rutherford Samuel Rutherford (also Rutherfurd or Rutherfoord; – 29 March 1661) was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor and theologian who wrote widely read letters, sermons, devotional and scholastic works. As a political theorist, he is known for "L ...

'' (1881) *''History of the Church of Scotland'' (1890) *''Religious Writers of England'' (1898) *''Monuments and Inscriptions in Glasgow Cathedral'' (1898) *''Modern Substitutes for Christianity''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Pearson McAdam 1846 births 1924 deaths Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish Freemasons Alumni of the University of Glasgow Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland