William B. R. Macmillan (3 July 1927 – 16 October 2002) was a minister of 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 ...

. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1991.

Background and career

William Boyd Robertson Macmillan (better known as Bill) was born in

Keith, Moray Keith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile Chèith'', or ''Cèith Mhaol Rubha'' (archaic)) is a small town in the Moray council area in north east Scotland. It has a population of 4,734. Keith is historically in Banffshire, a name which persists in com ...

in 1927. He was a graduate of 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 ...

in arts and divinity; he also did

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. His first charge was at St Andrew's Church,

Bo'ness Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Fal ...

(1955-1960), followed by

Fyvie Fyvie is a village in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Geography Fyvie lies alongside the River Ythan and is on the A947 road. Architecture What in 1990, at least, was a Clydesdale Bank was built in 1866 by James Matthews. The ...

Parish Church, Aberdeenshire (1960-1967), then Bearsden South Parish Church (1967-1978). He was minister of

Dundee Parish Church (St Mary's) Dundee Parish Church (St Mary’s) is located in the east section of Dundee's "City Churches", the other being occupied by the Steeple Church. Both are congregations in the Church of Scotland, although with differing styles of worship. Dundee ...

from 1978 until his retirement in 1993. During this time he came to national prominence in the Church of Scotland, as Convener of the Business Committee of the General Assembly and Convener of the Church of Scotland's Board of Practice and Procedure. He was appointed a Chaplain to the Queen (1988), received an honorary Doctorate in Law from the

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

(1990), an honorary

Doctorate 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 ...

from the University of Aberdeen (1991) and served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1991. Following his Moderatorial year, his title was the Very Reverend Dr William B. R. Macmillan LLD DD.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macmillan, William 1927 births 2002 deaths Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland People associated with Dundee People from Keith, Moray 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland

Background and career

See also

References