Robert James Drummond (1858–1951) was a Scottish 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 ...

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 ...

in 1918. He served as Chaplain to the King (George V) in Scotland.

Life

The grave of Rev R J Drummond, Grange Cemetery

He was born on 1 June 1858 the son of Rev Robert Skeill Drummond DD of Belhaven United Presbyterian Church in Glasgow, and his wife Jeanie French, daughter of Rev Dr John French DD. He graduated MA from

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 , ...

in 1879 and gained a Bachelor in Divinity (BD) in 1882. He became a minister of the

United Presbyterian Church of Scotland The United Presbyterian Church (1847–1900) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. It was formed in 1847 by the union of the United Secession Church and the Relief Church, and in 1900 merged with the Free Church of Scotland to form the Unit ...

with his first ministry being in

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

. The church was an impressive stone-spired structure on Titchfield Street. In 1890 he replaced Rev James Aitken at Lothian Road United Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh on a stipend of £500 per annum ( a very healthy salary at that time). Aitken moved to Ryehill UP Church in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

. Lothian Road church was a major home to the Edinburgh

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

and Drummond was a signed member of the movement. Drummond was assisted at Lothian Road by Mr Henry Brown MA who joined the church only slightly before Drummond. Four elders (David Foulis, James Arnot, Hugh Grieve and Hugh Stoddart) had travelled to Kilmarnock to assess the suitability of Drummond. The local congregation did not appreciate their visit or its purpose of stealing their minister and they were told not to come back again. He was invited to preach to the Lothian Road congregation in July and formally admitted as their minister in December 1890. The was inducted by Mr Hunter 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 ...

, the then Moderator of the United Presbyterian Church, and Rev Dr Thomson of Broughton Place UP Church. After the induction 100 of the group had a celebration meal at the Cockburn Hotel at the foot of

Cockburn Street Cockburn Street is a picturesque street in Edinburgh's Old Town, created as a serpentine link from the Royal Mile#High Street, High Street to Waverley Station in 1856. It is named after the then recently-deceased Scottish lawyer, judge and lit ...

. Under Drummond the congregation grew from 960 in 1890 to over 1500 in 1909. Soon after Drummond arrived, in January 1891, Henry Brown left to take over the UP Church at

Earlston Earlston ( sco, Yerlston; gd, Dùn Airchill) is a civil parish and market town in the county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders. It is on the River Leader in Lauderdale, Scotland. Early history Earlston was originally called ''Arc ...

. He was replaced by Rev Robert Hamilton. Hamilton left in 1892 to take over the UP Church in Grangemouth in lace of Mr Lambie and Hamilton was replaced by Mr John Lewars in February 1893. Lewars went to

Lesmahagow Lesmahagow ( ; sco, Lismahagie or ''Lesmahagae'', gd, Lios MoChuda) is a small town in the historic county of Lanarkshire on the edge of moorland, near Lanark in the central belt of Scotland. Lesmahagow was also a civil parish. It lies west o ...

in 1895. In June 1891 the church commissioned

MacGibbon & Ross David MacGibbon (2 April 1831 – 20 February 1902) and Thomas Ross (10 November 1839 – 4 December 1930) were Scottish architects. Their practice, MacGibbon and Ross was established in 1872 and continued until 1914. They are best known today fo ...

to create new halls to the rear, and began discussing the introduction of instruments into the service (i.e. an organ). The new halls were built 1893/4. However, the project got the church into debt, which had been an ongoing issue since the church's foundation. This was occasionally eased through legacies from former congregation members. Finances were complicated by the closure of the Congregational Library which had run at a loss since the opening of the Carnegie library in the city centre. The Sabbath School Library survived. In 1895 Drummond organised for electric lights to be installed in the church: one of the first such installations in Edinburgh. This was carried out in 1897 at a cost of £165. Around 1897 the church purchased a Limelight

Magic Lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a si ...

to begin to give visual bible stories. In 1896 his senior assistant Rev Dr William Reid DD (1814-1896) died. The funds tangentially released from this death (£100 per annum) allowed Drummond's stipend to increase to £550 and a "Bible nurse" to be employed: a Miss Murray, formerly an urban missionary in

Old Calabar Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

. In 1897 a piano was installed, funded by the Total Abstinence Society who made use of the halls. However, the Church Secretary, Mr Cochrane, received a written complaint from the elders stating he had overstepped his authority in allowing this. Nevertheless, music came to the church. In October 1900 the United Presbyterian Church merged with part of the Free Church of Scotland creating the

. The Union had been two years in discussion. Drummond's stipend was increased to £600. In 1901 he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from

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 , ...

. Miss Murray resigned in 1906 and was replaced by Miss Sullivan. In 1907 he took a trip to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

with his wife and Rev Crerar of North Leith. They also visited

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

and

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

on the journey home. During his absence preachers at Lothian Road included Marcus Dods. In December 1909 he resigned his position at Lothian Road to take a chair in Practical Training at the UF College housed in Moray House on the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...

in Edinburgh. In 1918 Drummond succeeded Rev

Dugald Mackichan Dugald Mackichan FRSE (1851–1932) was a Scottish minister and missionary in India. He was also a physicist. He was Vice Chancellor of the University of Bombay 1888 to 1891 and Mackichan Hall there is named in his honour. He served as Moderator ...

, the highest position in the UF Church. He lived at 29 Chalmers Street near the

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

from at least 1895 to 1910. He died in Edinburgh on 20 July 1951 aged 93. He is buried with his wife in

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...

in south Edinburgh.

Family

He was married to Rhoda Constance Whitehorn (1862-1933). Their son Captain Robert Kenneth Drummond MC died of wounds serving with the Cameron Highlanders in Buzancy in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Their daughter Joan married Rev James Kyd Thomson, minister of North Mayfield Church in Edinburgh. Their son Rev Dr J W Drummond (1899-1976) married Helen Mary Collier (1890-1967). His sister Jane Elizabeth Drummond married Joseph H. Whitehorn of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

possibly the brother of Rhoda.

Publications

*The Relation of the Apostolic Teaching to the Teaching of Christ (1901)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drummond, Robert James 1858 births 1951 deaths Clergy from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow Ministers of the United Presbyterian Church (Scotland) Ministers of the United Free Church of Scotland