William Ritchie (moderator)

Very Rev Prof William Ritchie FRSE DD (1758–1830) was a Scottish minister who rose to be Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1801.

Life

Former St. Andrew's by the Green Church
St Giles Cathedral

He studied divinity at Glasgow University and was ordained by the Church of Scotland. He was minister of St Andrew Church just north of Glasgow Green. The church is now in secular use.

In 1798 his alma mater gave him an honorary doctorate (DD). In the early 1800s he lived on Miller Street in Glasgow.[1] In 1801 he succeeded Very Rev George Husband Baird as moderator.

In 1809 he moved from Glasgow to Edinburgh to become professor of divinity at Edinburgh University he lived nearby at 5 Argyll Square (now demolished).[2] He also preached at St Giles Cathedral.

In 1810 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Alexander Christison, Rev Andrew Brown, and Archibald Alison. [3]

He retired in 1828 and died on 29 January 1830.

Artistic recognition

His portrait of 1827 by John Sheriff is held by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Glasgow Post Office Directory 1805
  2. ↑ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1810
  3. ↑ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X.
  4. ↑ https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/36792/rev-william-ritchie-1758-1830-professor-divinity-edinburgh-university
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