William Gloag (c.1735–1802) 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 King's Almoner to King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

Life

He was born in the manse at West Calder the son of Rev Andrew Gloag (d.1770), the parish minister, and Christian Ronald, daughter of Thomas Ronald, Provost of Linlithgow. He was educated locally then studied at Edinburgh University - training as a minister. He was ordained as minister of

Cockpen Cockpen is a parish in Midlothian, Scotland, containing at its north-west corner the town of Bonnyrigg, which lies south-west of Dalkeith. It is bounded on the west and north by the parish of Lasswade, on the east, by Newbattle and on the south ...

in April 1758 and translated to

Lady Yester's Kirk Lady Yester's Kirk was a parish church of the Church of Scotland and one of the burgh churches of Edinburgh. Founded in 1647, it served the south-eastern part of Edinburgh's Old Town until its union with Greyfriars Kirk in 1938. Margaret, Lady ...

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 October 1767 in place of Rev John Drysdale. In February 1770 Edinburgh University awarded him an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

. In July 1772 he moved to New (West) Kirk of St Giles one of the four parishes then contained within St Giles Cathedral on the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

in Edinburgh. In May 1781 he was made Junior Clerk of the General Assembly. He was then living at upper Baxters Close off the

. In February 1799 he was created King's Almoner in Scotland to King

. In this role he was responsible for distributing monies (

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread p ...

) in the name of the King to people or charities. Gloag died at 3 Park Street in Edinburgh on 27 April 1802. Sir

Henry Moncrieff-Wellwood Henry Moncreiff-Wellwood 8th Baronet of Tullibole FRSE (6 February 1750–9 August 1827) was both a baronet in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and minister of the Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church ...

preached at Gloag's funeral service on 2 May 1802.

Family

In November 1773 he married Euphemia Wilson, daughter of William Wilson of Soonhope, an Edinburgh "writer" (lawyer). Their children included: *John Gloag, an Edinburgh merchant and magistrate, with warehouse premises on Blair Street (and living on Roxburgh St)Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1810 *Euphemia (b.1775) married William Kerr of the Edinburgh Post Office *Andrew (b.1777) died in infancy *Jean (1778-1803) *Susanna (b.1782) died in infancy *Henrietta (b.1785) *Martha (b.1790)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gloag, William 1802 deaths People from West Lothian Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Ministers of St Giles' Cathedral Year of birth uncertain 18th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland