Robert Arnot (1744–1808) was a Scottish

Presbyterian minister Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or ...

and professor of

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

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, who was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1794.

Early life

Arnot studied (most likely at St Andrews) and was licensed by

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fi ...

Presbytery on 5 Sept 1769. He was ordained minister at the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

Ceres, Fife Ceres is a village in Fife, Scotland, located in a small glen approximately over the Ceres Moor from Cupar and from St Andrews. The former parish of that name included the settlements of Baldinnie, Chance Inn, Craigrothie, Pitscottie and Tarvit ...

on 30 August 1770, where he oversaw (and perhaps even prepared) that parish's report for the

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. He was elected clerk to the presbytery in December 1777. He resigned this post on 16 October 1792 to take up his post as professor of divinity at New College, (nowadays, more commonly called

St Mary's College, St Andrews (In the Beginning was the Word) , established = , type = College , endowment = , staff = , faculty = , rector = , chancellor = , principal = Oliver D. Crisp , free_label = Teaching staff , free = 20 , ...

). This had been achieved as a result of much lobbying, and the support of Dundas, and possibly as compensation for a failure to get the chair of ecclesiastical history. Arnot seems not to have published anything and was described by one historian as "no scholar". He owed his career to the influence of Robert Dundas, who managed Scotland on behalf of his father

Henry Dundas Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18t ...

. The principal of St Andrews, George Hill, described him in 1791. "There is not a more staunch friend to the true principles of moderation, or a man more firmly attached to the Constitution, in the whole Church than Dr Arnot." He was therefore a loyal member of the so-called

Moderates Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...

in 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 Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

Thomas Chalmers Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a Scottish minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nine ...

in a letter from Anstruther 1800 says: "Dr Arnot resides in

Kingsbarns Kingsbarns is a village and parish in Scotland lies near the eastern coast of Fife, in an area known as the East Neuk, southeast of St Andrews and north of Crail. The name derives from the area being the location of the barns used to store ...

, and will, I believe, win over the people by the popularity of his manners". This related to the legal challenge of some of his congregation to his appointment as minister there in 1800, in conjunction with his appointment to the divinity professorship.

Moderator

In a similar fashion, in 1794 he was "elected" Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The king's letter to the assembly, written by

reflected the troubled times and urged "we cannot press too earnestly upon your minds the necessity of redoubling your common efforts to check that prevalent spirit of licentious innovation, by which the present times are so unhappily distinguished, and which threaten to fill the whole Christian world with violence and confusion". The assembly responded by indicating that the war against France had its full support, as did measures against disaffected people in Britain. However, they did add "it affords us the greatest satisfaction to be able to assure your Majesty, that the sound principles of loyalty, and of attachment to the constitution in Church and State, are fixed in the hearts of the great body of your Majesty's subjects in Scotland". The assembly published strict orders to all ministers to ensure the regular reading of the Bible in the Parish schools, along with the

Shorter Catechism The Westminster Shorter Catechism is a catechism written in 1646 and 1647 by the Westminster Assembly, a synod of English and Scottish theologians and laymen intended to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Sc ...

. They also required every minister to inspect the schools to ensure these activities took place regularly. In addition, the assembly thanked the king for his efforts to spread the Protestant religion in the Highlands and Islands.

Disputed appointments

In 1799, he was presented by the

heritor A heritor was a privileged person in a parish in Scots law. In its original acceptation, it signified the proprietor of a heritable subject, but, in the law relating to parish government, the term was confined to such proprietors of lands or house ...

to the parish of

, and took up the post in 1800, after seeing off a challenge that he could not be both a professor and a parish minister. This challenge went as far as the General Assembly, where a very heated debate took place. Some of the speeches against Dr Arnot were later printed—especially that of

William Laurence Brown William Laurence Brown (7 January 175511 May 1830) was a Scottish minister. Life Brown was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands. His father, William Brown, was minister of the English church there, but was then appointed professor of ecclesiast ...

, principal of

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

—and helped foment a growing opposition to the Moderates, which eventually led to the Great Disruption of the Church of Scotland, when the many ministers left on the principle of opposition to Patronage and formed the Free Church of Scotland.
In 1799 he lobbied hard, proclaiming his loyalty as good Dundas man, for principalship of the United College in St Andrews, along with a living at

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. He had strong support among the faculty, but so did his rival, and neither would give way so Dundas went outside the university for someone "independent".
Arnot was not averse to challenging appointments himself. In 1804, the professor of medicine, James Flint, tried to secure the succession of his son John to his post, by getting him appointed joint professor. Arnot refused to attend the inauguration and took the matter to court. the Court of Session turned down his challenge, but this was overturned five years later by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

Death

On 24 May 1772 he married Helen Barclay, who outlived him and died 4 April 1816. The Reverend Doctor Robert Arnot died on 2 July 1808.

Footnotes

References