John Drysdale FRSE (29 April 1718-16 June1788) was twice Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, both in 1773 and in 1784. He was

Dean of the Chapel Royal The Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's chapel royal, the ecclesiastical establishment which is part of the royal household and ministers to it. England In England, ...

in Scotland 1766 to 1788, and Chaplain in Ordinary to

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 ...

. He was brother-in-law to

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

and father-in-law 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 wa ...

Life

Drysdale was born in Kirkcaldy in Fife on 29 April 1714, the third son of Anne Ferguson and her husband, Rev John Drysdale minister of Kirkcaldy Parish Church. His maternal grandfather, William Ferguson, was Provost of Kirkcaldy. He was educated at Kirkcaldy Parish School alongside Adam Smith and James Oswald each of whom became a lifelong friend. In 1732 John was sent to 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 ...

to study classics, philosophy and theology though taking no final degree. Around 1736 he began to specialise in divinity. He was licensed as a minister by the Presbytery of Kirkcaldy in 1740. His early service was as assistant in the

Trinity College Church Trinity College Kirk was a royal collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. The kirk and its adjacent almshouse, Trinity Hospital, were founded in 1460 by Mary of Gueldres in memory of her husband, King James II who had been killed at th ...

in Edinburgh.Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana by Hew Scott In August 1749 he was ordained as minister of

Kirkliston Kirkliston is a small town and parish to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland, historically within the county of West Lothian but now within the City of Edinburgh council limits. It lies on high ground immediately north of a northward loop of the Al ...

under the patronage of Lord Hopetoun. In August 1764 he translated to Lady Yester’s Kirk in

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(through the recommendation of James Oswald and Lord Bute) and in 1765

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity. In October 1767 he moved to the prestigious

Tron Kirk The Tron Kirk is a former principal parish church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a well-known landmark on the Royal Mile. It was built in the 17th century and closed as a church in 1952. Having stood empty for over fifty years, it was used ...

(as "second charge" under Rev George Wishart), following the sudden death (at the General Assembly) of Rev Dr John Jardine. This role ran concurrently with being

to George III. The

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

granted him an honorary doctorate (DD) in 1765. In terms of the

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

he served as Moderator in 1773, Principal Clerk from 1778, and Moderator for the second time in 1784. In 1775 he is listed as living at Shakespeare Square in Edinburgh. This now-demolished square stood at the eastern end of Princes Street with the Theatre Royal as its centrepiece. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1784. His proposers were William Robertson, Henry Grieve and

William Robertson, Lord Robertson The Hon William Robertson, Lord Robertson (5 December 1753 – 20 November 1835) was an 18th-century Scottish lawyer who rose to be a Senator of the College of Justice. Life Robertson was born on 5 December 1753 in Edinburgh, the first son of ...

. He died at his home 3 Princes StreetEdinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1784-1790 on 16 June 1788. He is buried in

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 ...

in the Adam family vault next to the

Robertson Robertson may refer to: People * Robertson (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Robertson (given name) * Clan Robertson, a Scottish clan * Robertson, stage name of Belgian magician Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763–1837) Places ...

vault, south-west of the church. His house was demolished around 1900 to build a Woolworths store. It is now the Apple Store.

Family

In June 1749 he married Mary Adam daughter of William Adam and sister of

and John Adam. They had four daughters: *Anne Drysdale (1751-1826) married

in 1786. Dalzell was Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the first lay-person to undertake this role) and the couple undoubtedly met through this connection. *Wilhelmina (1757-1766) *Mary (b.1760) *Elizabeth (1767-1773)

Publications

*''The Sermons of John Drysdale DD'' (2 vols)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drysdale, John 1718 births 1788 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard 18th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland People from Kirkcaldy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh