Andrew Nevile Davidson, (13 February 1899 – 20 December 1976) was a senior

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. He served as Moderator of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

between May 1962 and May 1963.

Early life and education

Davidson was born on 13 February 1899 to the Revd James Davidson and his wife Constance (daughter of

Sir Andrew Agnew, 8th Baronet Sir Andrew Agnew, 8th Baronet DL (2 January 1818 – 25 March 1892) was a British politician and baronet. Early life Agnew was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 2 January 1818 into the Scottish Lowlands Clan Agnew.George Edward Cokayne, editor, ' ...

). He was a "

son of the 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 ...

", as his father was a

minister. He was educated at North Berwick High School. He studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

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 1 ...

and graduated with an

undergraduate Master of Arts The degree of Master of Arts (MA; , ) in Scotland is an undergraduate degree. The degree can be either a three-year general or four-year ''Honours degree'' in humanities or social sciences, awarded by one of several institutions. Chiefly, the ...

(MA Hons) degree in 1921. Having graduated from university, Davidson remained in

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

for the next three years. From 1921 to 1924, he was an

assistant lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from prem ...

and

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

at the University of Edinburgh. He worked under Professor

Norman Kemp Smith Norman Duncan Kemp Smith, FBA, FRSE (5 May 1872 – 3 September 1958) was a Scottish philosopher who was Professor of Psychology (1906–1914) and Philosophy (1914–1919) at Princeton University and was Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at th ...

. During this time, he also studied

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

New College, Edinburgh 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 ...

in preparation for ordained ministry in the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...

Ordained ministry

From 1924 to 1925, Davidson served as an assistant minister at St George's, Edinburgh, as part of his training for ordination. In May 1925, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in the

and called to be the minister of St Mary's Church,

Old Aberdeen Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It ret ...

. It was during his time at St Mary's, in 1929, that the United Free Church of Scotland was incorporated into the

, and he therefore became of minister of the latter. In March 1932, he moved to

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

where he had been elected the minister of St Enoch's Church; he had been the only nominee. He only spent two years in Dundee before moving on. In November 1934, Davidson was elected the minister of

Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The cathedral was the seat of the Archbisho ...

in succession to the Very Revd

Lauchlan Watt Lauchlan MacLean Watt FRSE (24 October 1867 – 11 September 1957) was the minister of Glasgow Cathedral from 1923–34, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1933. He was a published poet and author, and ...

. He took up the appointment in 1935 and remained until his retirement. In 1936, he founded the Society of Friends of Glasgow Cathedral. In July 1946, he was appointed a Chaplain-in-Ordinary in Scotland to

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

; the appointment ended on King George's death in 1952. In August 1952, he was appointed a Chaplain-in-Ordinary in Scotland to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

; the appointment ended in 1969. He was elected

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 ...

, serving between May 1962 and May 1963. Davidson belonged to the

high church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

tradition of

Presbyterianism 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 n ...

. He served as president of the

Scottish Church Society The Scottish Church Society is a Church of Scotland society founded in 1892. Leading founders were Thomas Leishman and William Milligan, and the first secretary was James Cooper. Background Although always a minority within the Church of Scotlan ...

twice; from 1945 to 1947, and from 1967 to 1970. Davidson retired from full-time ministry in 1967.

Military service

On 21 October 1935, Davidson was appointed an honorary chaplain in the

Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original R ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served as a chaplain in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

. From 1940 to 1942, he served as a

Chaplain to the Forces The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

attached to the

52nd (Lowland) Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowl ...

, Territorial Army.

Later life

Davidson died on 20 December 1976. His funeral was held at

on 24 December. He is buried with his wife in

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

, Glasgow, Scotland.

Personal life

Davidson's engagement to his future wife was announced in the newspapers on 23 November 1943. On 19 January 1944, he married Margaret Helen de Carteret "Peggy" Martin (1918-1991) during a service at

Honours

In July 1947, Davidson was appointed an Officer of the Venerable Order of St John (OStJ). In June 1950, he was promoted to Chaplain of the Venerable Order of St John (ChStJ). On 30 July 1962, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the

Lord Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. Elected by the city councillors, the Lord Provost serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. The office is equiv ...

. In April 1969, he was appointed an Extra-Chaplain in Scotland to

. Davidson was the recipient of the 1961

St Mungo Prize The St Mungo Prize is a prize awarded triennially to the person who has done most to improve and promote the city of Glasgow. The full text of the conditions for the prize states that it is to be awarded to the person "deemed to have done most in ...

, awarded to the individual who has done most in the previous three years to improve and promote the city of Glasgow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Nevile 1899 births 1976 deaths 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish military chaplains 20th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Deputy Lieutenants of Glasgow Chaplains of the Order of St John Burials at the Glasgow Necropolis People educated at North Berwick High School Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel British Army personnel of World War II Ministers of Glasgow Cathedral