James Grierson (1662–1732) was a Scottish minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

who served as

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

in 1719. He was the first "second charge" to become Moderator.

Life

He was ordained as a minister of the

in Wemyss in September 1698. In 1709 he was "called" by the Presbytery of Edinburgh to be "second charge" of the highly influential and prestigious Trinity College Church. Although he is recorded as "second charge" it is unclear who (if any) was "first charge" when he arrived. In 1714 James Bannatine came as first charge, but in 1719 it was Grierson as second charge, not Bannatine as first charge, who was elected Moderator of the General Assembly. This peculiarity was partially redressed in 1739 when Bannatine in turn was elected Moderator. Grierson died of

palsy Palsy is a medical term which refers to various types of paralysisDan Agin, ''More Than Genes: What Science Can Tell Us About Toxic Chemicals, Development, and the Risk to Our Children'' (2009), p. 172. or paresis, often accompanied by weakness and ...

, following a long period of illness, on 5 July 1732.

Family

He married the daughter of Rev Matthew Selkrig (1643-1729), minister of Crichton, Midlothian.

References

;Citations ;Sources: * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grierson, James 1662 births 1732 deaths Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 17th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland 17th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers 18th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland 18th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers