Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
, professor of theology,
political economist, and a leader of both 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 ...
and of the
Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland may refer to:
* Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), seceded in 1843 from the Church of Scotland. The majority merged in 1900 into the United Free Church of Scotland; historical
* Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), rema ...
. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nineteenth-century churchman".
He served as Vice-president of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
from 1835 to 1842.
The
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
town of
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre.
History
Early Māori settlement
The orig ...
was named after Chalmers. A bust of Chalmers is on display in the Hall of Heroes of the
National Wallace Monument in
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
. The Thomas Chalmers Centre in
Kirkliston is named after him.
Early life
He was born at
Anstruther in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...
, the son of Elizabeth Hall and John Chalmers, a merchant.
Age 11 Chalmers attended the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
studying
mathematics. In January 1799 he was licensed as a preacher of the gospel by the St Andrews presbytery. In May 1803, after attending further courses of lectures 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 ...
, and acting as assistant to the professor of mathematics at St Andrews, he was ordained as minister of
Kilmany, about 9 miles from the university town, where he continued to lecture.
Kilmany was a small and predominantly agricultural parish, with a population under 800 in 1811.
Lecturer and minister
Chalmers made an issue within the University of St Andrews of the quality of mathematics teaching. It came to involve attacks on
John Rotheram
John Rotheram (1725–1789) was an English cleric, known as a theological writer.
Life
The second of the three sons of the Rev. William Rotherham (as the father spelt his name), who master of the free grammar school of Haydon Bridge, Northumber ...
, the professor of natural philosophy. His mathematical lectures roused enthusiasm, but they were discontinued by order of the authorities. Chalmers then opened mathematical classes on his own account which attracted many students; at the same time he delivered a course of lectures on
chemistry, and ministered to his parish at Kilmany. In 1805 he became a candidate for the vacant professorship of mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, but was unsuccessful.
In 1815 he became minister of the
Tron Church, Glasgow, in spite of determined opposition to him in the town council on the grounds of his evangelical teaching. From Glasgow his reputation as a preacher spread throughout the United Kingdom. When he visited London
Samuel Wilberforce wrote, "all the world is wild about Dr Chalmers." At this time he lived at Wellington Place in Glasgow.
Parochial work
In November 1817 Chalmers used a memorial sermon for
Princess Charlotte of Wales to appeal for a Christian effort to deal with the social condition of Glasgow.
His parish contained about 11,000 persons, and of these about one-third were not connected with any church. He considered that parochial organizations had not kept pace in the city with the growing population. He declared that twenty new churches, with parishes, should be erected in Glasgow; and he set to work to revive the old parochial economy of Scotland. The town council agreed to build one new church, attaching to it a parish of 10,000 persons, mostly weavers, labourers and factory workers, and this church was offered to Chalmers.
In September 1819 he became minister of the
church and parish of St John, where of 2000 families more than 800 had no connection with any Christian church. He first addressed himself to providing schools for the children. Two school-houses with four endowed teachers were established, where 700 children were taught, at moderate fees. Between 40 and 50 local
Sabbath schools were opened, where more than 1000 children were taught. The parish was divided into 25 districts with 60 to 100 families. Chalmers was the centre of the whole system, visiting families and holding evening meetings.
Moral philosopher and theologian
In 1823 Chalmers accepted the chair of moral philosophy at the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
, the seventh academic offer made to him during his eight years in Glasgow. His lectures led some students to devote themselves to missionary effort. Among his pupils were
William Lindsay Alexander,
Alexander Duff, and
James Aitken Wylie. At this period
Robert Morrison and
Joshua Marshman visited St Andrews.
In November 1828 Chalmers was transferred to the chair of theology at the University of Edinburgh. He then introduced the practice of following the lecture with a examination on what had been delivered. He also introduced text-books.
In 1834 Chalmers was elected fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
, and in the same year he became corresponding member of the Institute of France; in 1835 Oxford conferred on him the degree of DCL. At this time he was living at 3 Forres Street on the Moray Estate in the west end of
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 ...
.
In 1834 he became leader of the evangelical section of the Scottish Church in the General Assembly. He was appointed chairman of a committee for church extension, and in that capacity made a tour through a large part of Scotland, addressing presbyteries and holding public meetings. He also issued numerous appeals, with the result that in 1841, when he resigned his office as convener of the church extension committee, he was able to announce that in seven years upwards of £300,000 had been contributed, and 220 new churches had been built. His efforts to induce the
Whig government to assist in this effort were unsuccessful.
In 1840 Chalmers was unsuccessful in applying for the chair of divinity at the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
. It went to the
Moderate Alexander Hill.
Non-intrusionism and the Free Church
Chalmers found himself at the head of the party 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 ...
which stood for "non-intrusionism": the principle that no minister should be intruded into any parish contrary to the will of the congregation. Cases of conflict between the church and the civil power arose in Auchterarder, Dunkeld and Marnoch. The courts made it clear that the Church, in their opinion, held its temporalities on condition of rendering such obedience as the courts required. The Church then appealed to the government for relief. In political manoeuvres with Westminster politicians, Chalmers was opposed by
John Hope.
In January 1843 the government put a final negative on the church's claims for spiritual independence. The non-intrusionist movement ended in the
Disruption: on 18 May 1843, 470 clergy withdrew from the general assembly and constituted themselves the
Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland may refer to:
* Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), seceded in 1843 from the Church of Scotland. The majority merged in 1900 into the United Free Church of Scotland; historical
* Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), rema ...
, with Chalmers as moderator. He had prepared a sustentation fund scheme for the support of the seceding ministers.
In 1844, Chalmers announced a church extension campaign, for new building. In 1846 he became the first principal of the
Divinity Hall of the Free Church of Scotland
New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Students ...
, as it was initially called.
Later in life he was quoted as saying: "Who cares about the Free Church compared with the Christian good of the people of Scotland? Who cares for any Church, but as an instrument of Christian good?"
Death
On 28 May 1847 Chalmers returned to his house at Church Hill in
Morningside, near Edinburgh, from a journey to London on the subject of national education. On the following day (Saturday) he was employed in preparing a report to the General Assembly of the Free Church, then sitting. On Sunday, the 30th, he continued in his usual health and spirits, and retired to rest with the intention of rising at an early hour to finish his report. The next morning he did not make his appearance, and he was discovered lying dead in bed.
Chalmers was interred in the
Grange Cemetery on 4 June, the very first burial in that cemetery. His grave is on the north wall, near the north-west access. A large crowd of persons of all denominations accompanied his remains to the grave. His wife Grace Pratt died 16 January 1850 and is buried with him, as is his daughter Grace Pratt Chalmers (1819–1851) and two of his other six daughters.
James Sievewright
James Sievewright (1783–1852) was a Scottish minister of the Free Church of Scotland and who served as Moderator of the General Assembly 1847/48.
Life
He was born the eldest son of James Sievewright at Drumdelgie in the parish of Cairnie in ...
, the moderator on the year he died, preached a eulogy.
Works
Chalmers's academic years resulted in a prolific literature of various kinds: his writings fill more than 30 volumes. Contemporaries regarded him highly as a
natural theologian
Natural theology, once also termed physico-theology, is a type of theology that seeks to provide arguments for theological topics (such as the existence of a deity) based on reason and the discoveries of science.
This distinguishes it from ...
. A series of sermons on the relation between the discoveries of astronomy and the Christian revelation was published in January 1817, and within a year nine editions and 20,000 copies were in circulation.
Political economy
In 1808 Chalmers published an ''Inquiry into the Extent and Stability of National Resources'', a contribution to the discussion created by
Bonaparte's commercial policy.
As a political economist he first dealt with: the relationship between the degree of the
fertility of the soil and the social condition of a community;
capital accumulation; and the general doctrine of a limit to all the modes by which national wealth may accumulate. He was the first also to advance that argument in favour of religious establishments which met on its own ground the doctrine of
Adam Smith, that religion—like other things—should be left to the operation of the
law of supply and demand.
In 1826 he published a third volume of ''The Christian and Civic Economy of Large Towns'', a continuation of work begun at St John's, Glasgow. In 1832 he published a ''Political Economy'', the chief purpose of which was to argue that the right economic condition of the masses is dependent on their right moral condition, so that character is the parent of comfort, not vice versa.
Poor law reform
Parochial machinery gave Chalmers experience in dealing with the problem of poor relief. He became an influential thinker on
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...
. Chalmers was a
Malthusian in his belief that the cause of
pauperism was the poor having too many children. He also thought that poor-relief officials should be tenured and business-like; and
voluntary taxation
Voluntary taxation is a theory that states that taxation should be a voluntary act. Under the theory, people should have the option to pay taxes instead of being forced to pay taxes by their government. Under this theory, the people would contr ...
was the correct way to support poor relief.
When Chalmers undertook the management of the parish of St John's, the poor of the parish cost the city £1400 per annum, and in four years the pauper expenditure was reduced to £280 per annum. The investigation of new applications for relief was given to the deacon of the district, and an effort was made to enable the poor to help themselves. At this time there were few parishes north of the
Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
and
Clyde where there was a
compulsory assessment for the poor, but the English method of assessment was spreading. Chalmers opposed compulsory assessment as counter-productive, and believed that relief should instead be raised and administered by voluntary means. It has been argued that Chalmers was both a
paternalist, on the moral plane, and a supporter of
economic individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-relianc ...
.
Critics replied to Chalmers that his approach was impossible in large cities.
William Pulteney Alison engaged in controversy with him; Chalmers countered with moral arguments.
In arguing that private charity should outweigh public expenditure in relieving poverty, he was one of a group of British writers of the period of similar views, that included also
Samuel Richard Bosanquet
Samuel Richard Bosanquet (1 April 1800 – 27 December 1882) was an English barrister, known as a writer on legal, social and theological topics.
Life
He was born on 1 April 1800 into the Bosanquet family of Forest House, Essex, and Dingestow C ...
,
Thomas Mozley and
Frederick Oakeley. The views from Chalmers and Edinburgh had a notable effect in Wales, through
Lewis Edwards, ''
Y Traethodydd'', and
Owen Thomas.
Moralist
In his St Andrews lectures Chalmers excluded mental philosophy and included the whole sphere of
moral obligation, dealing with man's duty to God and to his fellow-men in the light of Christian teaching. Many of his lectures were printed in the first and second volumes of his published works.
In the field of
ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...
he made contributions in regard to the place and functions of
volition and
attention
Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information. William James (1890) wrote that "Att ...
, the separate and underived character of the moral sentiments, and the distinction between the virtues of perfect and imperfect obligation.
Religion
At his own request the article on
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
was assigned to him in
David Brewster's ''
Edinburgh Encyclopædia''. The separate publication of this article, and contributions to the ''Edinburgh Christian Instructor'' and ''
The Eclectic Review'', enhanced his reputation as an author.
Chalmers's writings are a source for argument and illustration on the question of Establishment. "I have no veneration", he said to the royal commissioners in St Andrews, before either the voluntary or the non-intrusive controversies had arisen, "for the Church of Scotland ''qua'' an establishment, but I have the utmost veneration for it ''qua'' an instrument of Christian good."
Natural theology
Chalmers' ''
Bridgewater Treatise'', in the series ''On the Power, Wisdom and Goodness of God as Manifested in the Adaptation of External Nature to the Moral and Intellectual Constitution of Man'', appeared in two volumes 1833 and went through 6 editions. As noted by
Robert M. Young, these books effectively represent an encyclopedia of pre-evolutionary natural history, commissioned and published whilst
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
was on board the .
In the area of natural theology and the Christian evidences he advocated the method of reconciling the Mosaic narrative with the indefinite
antiquity of the globe which
William Buckland advanced in his ''Bridgewater Treatises'', and which Chalmers had previously communicated to him.
Gap creationism
In 1814 Chalmers lectured on the concept of
gap creationism
Gap creationism (also known as ruin-restoration creationism, restoration creationism, or "the Gap Theory") is a form of old Earth creationism that posits that the six-'' yom'' creation period, as described in the Book of Genesis, involved six li ...
, also known as the "gap theory", and subsequently spread its popularity of this idea which he credited to
Episcopius. He wrote of
Genesis 1:1: "My own opinion, as published in 1814, is that it forms no part of the first day but refers to a period of indefinite antiquity when God created the worlds out of nothing. The commencement of the first day's work I hold to be the moving of God's Spirit upon the face of the waters. We can allow
geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
the amplest time ... without infringing even on the literalities of the Mosaic record."
[
]
This form of
old Earth creationism
Old Earth creationism (OEC) is an umbrella of theological views encompassing certain varieties of creationism which may or can include day-age creationism, gap creationism, progressive creationism, and sometimes theistic evolutionism.
Broadly ...
posits that the six-day creation, as described in the
Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning" ...
, involved literal 24-hour days, but that there was a gap of time between two distinct creations in the first and the second verses of Genesis, explaining many scientific observations, including the
age of the Earth. Gap creationism differs from
day-age creationism
Day-age creationism, a type of old Earth creationism, is an interpretation of the creation accounts in Genesis. It holds that the six days referred to in the Genesis account of creation are not ordinary 24-hour days, but are much longer periods ...
(which posits that the "days" of creation were much longer periods - of thousands or millions of years), and from
young Earth creationism
Young Earth creationism (YEC) is a form of creationism which holds as a central tenet that the Earth and its lifeforms were created by supernatural acts of the Abrahamic God between approximately 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. In its most widespre ...
(which although it agrees concerning the six literal 24-hour days of creation, does not posit any gap of time).
The "
New College", as the Divinity School became known, was a centre of opposition to the ''
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'' (1844). Chalmers himself did not mention the work, but indirectly attacked its view of development in writing for the ''
North British Review''.
Family
Chalmers' eldest daughter Anne married
William Hanna, who wrote a long biography of his father-in-law.
His brother, Charles Chalmers, founded the
Merchiston Castle School. Charles' son,
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
(Thomas' nephew) was a noted industrialist and owner of the
Cowan & Co. paperworks.
References
Bibliography
* Brown, Stewart J. (1982). ''Thomas Chalmers and the Godly Commonwealth in Scotland''. Oxford
xfordshire Oxford University Press. . .
* Topham, Jonathan R. (2022). ''Reading the Book of Nature How Eight Best Sellers Reconnected Christianity and the Sciences on the Eve of the Victorian Age''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. . .
* .
Attribution:
*
* Endnotes:
**Memoirs by his son-in-law, W. Hanna, LL.D., 4 vols. 1849–52;
**Selection from Correspondence, 1 vol.;
**Biographical Notice from Transactions of Royal Society of Edin., by Dean Ramsay; North British Review, May 1852 and November 1856 (articles ascribed to Isaac Taylor);
**Peter's Letters to his Kinsfolk (John Gibson Lockhart);
**Carlyle's Reminiscences, vol. i.;
**McCosh's Scottish Philosophy;
**The Chalmers' Lectures, 1st series, by Rev. Sir Henry W. Moncreiff, bart., D.D.;
**Records of General Assembly of the Free Church, 1849;
**Witness newspaper, 1 and 9 June 1849;
**Dodds's Thomas Chalmers, a Biographical Study;
**Walker's Thomas Chalmers;
**Fraser's Men worth Remembering;
**Chalmers's Proceedings at the Centennial Celebration of the Birth of Dr. Chalmers, 1880.
Further reading
*
Bayne, Peter, 1890, ''Men Worthy to Lead; Being Lives of
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
,
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually bec ...
, Thomas Chalmers,
Thomas Arnold,
Samuel Budgett
Samuel Budgett (27 July 1794 – 29 April 1851) was an English merchant.
Rising from humble origins, Budgett built up a wholesale grocery business called H.H. & S. Budgett, based in Kingswood Bristol, covering a large area of Southern and We ...
,
John Foster'', London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. Ltd, Reprinted:
Bibliolife
BiblioBazaar is, with Nabu Press, an imprint of the historical reprints publisher BiblioLife, which is based in Charleston, South Carolina and owned by BiblioLabs LLC.
BiblioBazaar / Nerbles, LLC produced, in printable electronic form, 272,930 ...
, .
*
Blaikie, William Garden, ''Biography of Thomas Chalmers''
* Chalmers, T., ''On the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God. As Manifested in the Adaptation of External Nature to the Moral and Intellectual Constitution of Man''; Bridgewater Treatises, W. Pickering, 1834 (reissued by Cambridge University Press, 2009; )
* Chalmers, T., ''A Series of Discourses on the Christian Revelation, Viewed in Connection with the Modern Astronomy''; John Smith and Son, 1817 (reissued by Cambridge University Press, 2009; )
* Chalmers, T. ''The Expulsive Power of a New Affection''; (Sermon: date unknown
Read on www.theologynetwork.org* Chalmers, T
''The Christian and civic economy of large towns'' C. Scribner's Sons, 1900
* Chalmers, T
''The application of Christianity to the commercial and ordinary affairs of life : in a series of discourses'' Chalmers & Collins, 1820.
* Chalmers, T
''The evidence and authority of the Christian revelation'' William Blackwood, 1817.
* Chalmers, T
''Tracts on pauperism'' William Collins, 1833.
* Among the biographical accounts and academic studies of the life and works of Thomas Chalmers are those of
John Roxborogh,
Alexander Campbell Cheyne
The Rev. Professor Alexander Campbell Cheyne (1 June 1924 – 31 March 2006), commonly known as A. C. Cheyne, was one of the foremost Scottish scholars of Church History, teaching at New College, Edinburgh from 1958 until his retirement in 1986.
...
,
Friedhelm Voges and S. J. Brown.
External links
resource on the life and work of Dr. Thomas ChalmersThomas Chalmers on the history of social work timelinea paper (1999) by John Roxborogh
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalmers, Thomas
1780 births
1847 deaths
British Christian creationists
19th-century British economists
19th-century British mathematicians
19th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
19th-century British male writers
19th-century Scottish writers
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Academics of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Burials at the Grange Cemetery
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland
19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland
Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
People from Anstruther
Port Chalmers
Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Scottish mathematicians
Scottish male writers
Scottish evangelicals
Authors of the Bridgewater Treatises