John Drysdale (moderator)

Very Rev Dr John Drysdale FRSE DD (29 April 1718-16 June1788) was twice Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, both in 1773 and in 1784.[1] He was Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland 1766 to 1788, serving George III. He was brother-in-law to Robert Adam and father-in-law to Prof Andrew Dalzell.

Engraving of the Tron Kirk as it looked in 1766

Life
Memorial to Rev John Drysdale DD, Adam Mausoleum, Greyfriars Kirkyard

Drysdale was born in Kirkcaldy in Fife on 29 April 1714, the third son of Anne Ferguson and her husband, Rev John Drysdale of Kirkcaldy Parish Church.[2] His maternal grandfather, William Ferguson, was Provost of Kirkcaldy.[3]

He was educated at Kirkcaldy Parish School alongside Adam Smith and James Oswald each of whom became a lifelong friend. In 1732 John was sent to the University of Edinburgh to study classics, philosophy and theology though taking no final degree. Around 1736 he began to specialise in divinity. He was licensed as a minister in 1740. His early service was as assistant in the University Church. In 1748 he was appointed minister of Kirkliston due to the influence of Lord Hopetoun. In 1763 he was transferred to Lady Yester’s Church in Edinburgh (through the recommendation of James Oswald and Lord Bute)[3] and from there to the prestigious Tron Kirk in 1766, following the death of the Rev Dr John Jardine. This role ran concurrently with being Dean of the Chapel Royal to George III. The University of Aberdeen granted him an honorary doctorate (DD) in 1765.

In 1775 he is listed as living at Shakespeare Square in Edinburgh.[4] This now-demolished square stood at the eastern end of Princes Street with the Theatre Royal as its centrepiece.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1784. His proposers were William Robertson, Henry Grieve and William Robertson, Lord Robertson.[5]

He died at his home 3 Princes Street[6] on 16 June 1788. He is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard in the Adam family vault next to the Robertson vault.

His house was demolished around 1900 to build a Woolworths store. It is now the Apple Store.

Family

He married Mary Adam daughter of William Adam and sister of Robert Adam and John Adam. They had two daughters, one of whom, Ann Drysdale married Andrew Dalzell in 1786. Dalzell was Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the first lay-person to undertake this role) and the couple undoubtedly met through this connection.

Publications
  • The Sermons of John Drysdale DD (2 vols)

References
  1. "Lists of Royal Commissioners, moderators and clerks | British History Online". British-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  2. Rigg, James McMullen (1888). "Drysdale, John" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 16. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  3. "Significant Scots - Rev Dr John Drysdale". Electricscotland.com. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  4. Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1775-6
  5. 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.
  6. Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1784-1790
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