![Thomas McCrie the younger's grave, Greyfriars Kirkyard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Thomas_McCrie_the_younger%27s_grave%2C_Greyfriars_Kirkyard.JPG)
Thomas M'Crie (earlier spellings include McCree and Maccrie) (7 November 1797–9 May 1875) was a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
minister and church historian. He was a Scottish
Secession
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
minister who joined the
Free Church of Scotland and served as the
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 ...
to that church 1856/57.
Early life and ministry
He was born at 5 Buccleuch Street in
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 ...
, on 7 November 1797, the eldest son of
Thomas McCrie, by his first wife. He was educated at the
High School in Edinburgh then studied divinity 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 ...
. He then transferred to the Theological Hall, run by the Secessionist Church. He received his theological training partly under
Professor Bruce, Whitburn,
his father, and Robert Chalmers, Haddington
(his future father in law). Fellow students included
John Duncan John Duncan may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* John Duncan (painter) (1866–1945), Scottish painter
* John Duncan (artist) (born 1953), American artist and musician
* Big John Duncan (born 1958), Scottish punk musician
* John Duncan (harpist) ...
, and Robert Shaw who wrote a commentary on the
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard" ...
.
He was licensed on 15 August 1820. He was called to
Crieff
Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become ...
on 14 February 1821 being ordained as a minister there but loosed from his charge on 19 July 1826. He moved to
Clola
Clola is a hamlet in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Clola is situated on the A952 road. There is considerable evidence of local habitation by early man in the vicinity of Clola. Some of these nearby human traces are evident in Catto Long Barr ...
in
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
and was inducted on 16 April 1829. A couple of years later, in 1831, he was called to Midholm (that is Midlem in
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
) but declined.
Subsequent ministry
Following this he was translated to
Davie Street Church, Edinburgh, as successor to his father, on 9 June 1836 and on 13 May
of the same year was appointed Professor of Divinity, as successor to
Professor Paxton. M'Crie was Moderator of the
United Original Secession Synod, which united with the
Free Church of Scotland on 1 June 1852.
Angus Makellar
Angus Makellar (1780–1859) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1840. Leaving in the Disruption of 1843 he also served as Moderator of the General Asse ...
was the Free Church Moderator that year.
In the 1850s he was living at 58
George Square
George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange S ...
.
[Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1850] Was chosen Moderator of General Assembly of Free Church in May 1856. In October of same year demitted his charge, and removed to London, to succeed Professor Hugh Campbell in the Theological College of
English Presbyterian Church
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers.
Origins and history
The United Reformed Church resulte ...
. Owing to ophthalmia he resigned his chair, and returned to Scotland in 1866, and the rank of Emeritus Professor, and a retiring allowance to the close of his life, were voted him by the English Synod. He retired to
Gullane
Gullane ( or ) is a town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the ninth century. The ruins of the Old Church of St. Andrew built in the twel ...
in
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
due to failing eyesight, but retained an Edinburgh property.
Death and burial
M'Crie died in Edinburgh, 9 May 1875 at 39 Minto Street, and on 14 of same month was buried beside his father in the Greyfriars' Churchyard, Edinburgh. He is buried in the western extension to
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...
but has a separate stone, set high on the
Flodden Wall
There have been several town walls around Edinburgh, Scotland, since the 12th century. Some form of wall probably existed from the foundation of the royal burgh in around 1125, though the first building is recorded in the mid-15th century, whe ...
facing his father's monument, not far from the spot where the National Covenant was subscribed in 1638.
Denominational affiliations
McCrie's career illustrates the history of various Scottish denominations.
1. He was ordained in 1821 as a minister of the '
Old Light'
Anti-Burgher
The Anti-Burghers were opponents of the Burgher Oath on theological grounds.
History First Secession
In 1733 the First Secession from the Church of Scotland resulted in the creation of the "Associate Presbytery". This church split in 1747 ove ...
"Constitutional Associate Presbytery".
2. In 1827 the 'Old Light' Anti-Burgher Constitutional Associate Presbytery united with the 'Synod of Protesters' (which had left the 'New Licht' Anti-Burgher Synod in 1820-1) to form the 'Associate Synod of Original Seceders', also known as the
Original Secession Church
The Original Secession Church or United Original Secession Church was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1827 by the union of (1) the Anti-Burgher Old Lights, led by Thomas M'Crie the Elder and known as "the Constitutional Associa ...
. McCrie was a minister of this denomination throughout its existence.
3. In 1842 the Original Secession Church united with the portion of the
Old Light Burghers which had refused to merge with 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 ...
, to form the '
United Original Secession Church
The Original Secession Church or United Original Secession Church was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1827 by the union of (1) the Anti-Burgher Old Lights, led by Thomas M'Crie the Elder and known as "the Constitutional Associa ...
'.
4. In 1852 some of the members of the United Original Secession Church, including M'Crie, joined the
Free Church of Scotland formed by the
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland.
The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...
.
5. In 1856 he became a professor in the Theological College of the
English Presbyterian Church
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers.
Origins and history
The United Reformed Church resulte ...
.
6. He resigned from that post in 1866.
Family
He married Walteria Chalmers, a daughter of Robert Chalmers, the Secession minister at
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington ( sco, Haidintoun, gd, Baile Adainn) is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is ...
. They had no children.
Works
Was for several years editor of the British and Foreign Evangelical Review, and author of:
*"Life of
Thomas McCrie'' (1840-1855)
*"Sketches of Scottish Church History," 2 vols, 1841
*"Speech at Bicentenary of Westminster Assembly," 1843
*Translation of "Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal," 1848, pp. 410
*"Memoirs of Sir Andrew Ague of Lochnaw," Edin., 1850, pp. 442
*"Lectures on Christian Baptism" 1847
*"Memoir of Rev. J. D. Paxton, of Musselburgh," 1805
*"Thoughts on London with the Free Church of Scotland" (1862)
*"Annals of English Presbytery," 1872.
*Edited also a complete edition of the works of Dr James Hamilton, of Regent Square, London, in 1809-73
*"The Ancient History of the
Waldensian Church
The Waldensian Evangelical Church (''Chiesa Evangelica Valdese'', CEV) is a Protestant denomination active in Italy and Switzerland that was independent until it united with the Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy in the Union of Methodist and ...
", a Lecture.
*He farther edited "Barrow on the Supremacy," and three volumes of the Wodrow Society Publications, and his last work was his bringing down his Church History Sketches to the Disruption of 1843, under the title of "Story of the Scottish Church from the Reformation to the Disruption" .
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:M'Crie, Thomas (the younger)
1797 births
1875 deaths
Doctors of Divinity
Clergy from Edinburgh
Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard
Ministers of Secession Churches in Scotland
19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland