Alexander Ranken (1755–1827) was an 18th/19th century

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 Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

minister and historian, who served as

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...

in 1811.

Life

St David's Church and the entrance to Ramshorn Cemetery on Ingram Street, Glasgow

He was born in the village of

Currie Currie ( gd, Currach, IPA: �kʰuːᵲəx is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edi ...

just south of

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 ...

on 28 February 1755. He was presumably educated at the Church School in Currie which was run by Rev James Craig who had previously been a master at

George Heriot's School George Heriot's School is a Scottish independent primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff ...

. He certainly studied at

Edinburgh University 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 1582 ...

. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Edinburgh in April 1779. He was assistant to Rev Henry Moncrieff-Wellwood at

St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh The Parish Church of St Cuthbert is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh. Probably founded in the 7th century, the church once covered an extensive parish around the burgh of Edinburgh. The church's current building was ...

1779 to 1781, before being ordained as minister of

Cambusnethan Cambusnethan is a large village and suburb on the eastern edge of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire in Scotland. It is approximately long, straddling both sides of the A722 on a hill overlooking Wishaw. Etymology The name "''Cambusnethan"'' was his ...

in August 1791. On 5 July 1785 he was presented by the

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 popul ...

Magistrates and Council to the North West Parish in Glasgow also known as St David's Church or (more commonly to the locals) as the "Ramshorn Church", standing adjacent to the ancient

Ramshorn Cemetery The Ramshorn Cemetery is a cemetery in Scotland and one of Glasgow's older burial grounds, located within the Merchant City district, and along with its accompanying church, is owned by the University of Strathclyde. It has had various names, ...

. He was formally translated to this new position in September 1785. In April 1801

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

awarded him an honorart

Doctor 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 ...

. As a historian he is remembered for his huge "History of France". This was criticised as "inaccurate" by

Henry Hallam Henry Hallam (9 July 1777 – 21 January 1859) was an English historian. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, he practised as a barrister on the Oxford circuit for some years before turning to history. His major works were ''View of t ...

of the Edinburgh Review, but this is perhaps unfair given the scale and scope of the work, and in that it was based on other historical documents. In 1811 he succeeded

Hugh Meiklejohn Hugh Meiklejohn (12 June 1765 – 11 June 1831) was a Scottish minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1810. Life He was born on 12 June 1765, the only son of Mary Cree, daughter of Hugh Cree, of Sa ...

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

the highest position in the Scottish church. In 1824 the Ramshorn Church was rebuilt in a Gothic style, presumably with some direction from Ranken. He died at home at 106 (Upper) Montrose Street (just north-west of the Ramshorn) in Glasgow on 23 February 1827 shortly before his 72nd birthday. He is buried in the

next to his church.

Publications

*"The Importance of Religious Establishments" (1799) *"A History of France from the Time of the Conquest of Clovis to the Death of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

" - 9 vols. (1802-1822) *"The Nature of Baptism Briefly Stated" (1803) *"Institutes 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 the ...

" (1822)

Family

In 1782 he married Euphemia Thomson (1757-1822) daughter of James Thomson. They had one son and one daughter: *Margaret (1783-1786) *Andrew Rankin of Ashburn (1785-1851) who became a Glasgow merchant and baillie.

Artistic recognition

He was portrayed by

Peter Paillou Peter Paillou (c.1720 – c.1790) was a British artist best known for his paintings of birds, many of which were used as book illustrations. Life and career Little is known of his early life but it is believed that he came to Britain from Fr ...

.Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Portraits in the New Galleries of Art in Corporation Buildings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranken, Alexander 1755 births 1827 deaths Clergy from Edinburgh Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland