Alexander Carlyle MA DD

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(26 January 172228 August 1805) was a Scottish church leader, and autobiographer. He served as

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

in 1770/71.

Life

He was born on 26 January 1722 in the manse at Cummertrees the son of Rev Willam Carlyle, the local minister. The family moved to Prestonpans in 1724. He was educated in Prestonpans then studied first at Edinburgh University then

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 popu ...

before finalising his studies at Leyden University in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

which was famed for its teaching of

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

. He graduated MA from Edinburgh in 1743. He was a witness to the aftermath of the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745 where he was part of the government militia, the Edinburgh Volunteers. He had spent the night in his father's nearby

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from ' ...

, but missed the battle itself as it was over by the time he got dressed. He went to the assistance of the wounded on the battlefield, and found the officers of the Highland army "gentleman-like and very civil. He was licensed to preach as 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 Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

minister by the Presbytery of Prestonpans in July 1746. He was originally presented to the congregation of

Cockburnspath Cockburnspath ( ; sco, Co’path) is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. It is at the eastern extremity of the Southern Upland Way a long-distance footp ...

but declined this role. In February 1748, under patronage of the Duke of Buccleuch, he was presented to the congregation of Inveresk and was formally ordained there in August 1748. From 1748, until his death he was minister at Inveresk in

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east- central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinbu ...

(south west of Prestonpans). In 1756 he incurred the anger of the Presbytery of Dalkeith and the General Assembly for his involvement in the editing of

John Home Rev John Home FRSE (13 September 1722 – 4 September 1808) was a Scottish minister, soldier and author. His play ''Douglas'' was a standard Scottish school text until the Second World War, but his work is now largely neglected. In 1783 he w ...

's ''

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

'' and in its theatre production 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 ...

. He was present at its premiere on 15 December 1756. During his long career he rose to high eminence in the

as leader of the moderate or "broad" Church section. This was recognised in an honorary Doctor of Divinity granted by

King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Abredonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Univer ...

in 1760. In 1770 he succeeded Rev James MacKnight as

, being succeeded by Rev Robert Walker in 1771. In July 1785 he was made Dean of the Chapel Royal. In 1789 he was elected Principal Clerk of the General Assembly in opposition to

Andrew Dalzell Andrew Dalzell (sometimes shown as Andrew Dalzel or Andrew Dalziel) FRSE (1742–1806) was a Scottish scholar and prominent figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. In 1783 he was a co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Life He was b ...

. He was associated with Principal Robertson as an ecclesiastical leader. His strikingly ruddy complexion earned him the nickname of Jupiter Carlyle. His autobiography, which was edited by Hill Burton, and published 1860, though written in his closing years and not extending beyond the year 1770, is interesting as a picture of Scottish life, social and ecclesiastical, in the 18th century. Carlyle's autobiography recalled the

Porteous Riots The Porteous Riots surrounded the activities of Captain John Porteous (c. 1695 – 1736), Captain of the City Guard of Edinburgh, Scotland, who was lynched by a mob for his part in the killing of innocent civilians while ordering the me ...

of 1736, and his friendship with

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——� ...

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" '' Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment ph ...

Charles Townshend Charles Townshend (28 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the Ame ...

and

, the dramatist, for witnessing the performance of whose

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

''Douglas'' he was censured in 1757. He was also a member of The Select Society and of The Poker Club. He was a founder member 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 ...

in November 1783. He died on 25 August 1805 and was buried in Inveresk churchyard on 28 August.

Family

In October 1760 Alexander married Mary Roddam (1743-1804) daughter of Robert Roddam of Heathpool in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

. Their three daughters and one son each died young. On death Carlyle bequeathed his belongings to his nephew, Carlyle Bell.

Publications

*Reasons for applying to the King for Attgmentation of Stipend (Edinburgh, 1748) *An Argument to prove that the Tragedy of "Douglas" ought to be Burnt by the Hands of the Hangman (Edinburgh, 1757) *Faction Detected (1763) *Four single Sermons (Edinburgh, 1767-97) *Auto-biography (Edinburgh, 1860; republished Edinburgh, 1910) *Prologue to Herminius and Espasia (Edinburgh, 1754) *Statistical Account of Inveresk

Bibliography

*Dunbar Presb. Reg. *Scots Mag., li., lxvii. *Kay's Portr., ii. *Cockburn's Mem.

Notes

References