William Wilson

Very Rev Dr William Wilson DD (18 June 1808–14 January 1888) was a 19th century Scottish minister of the Free Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1866/67.

Life

He was born in Westruther on 18 June 1808. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and befriended John Laird. They both then studied theology at Divinity Hall under Rev Dr Thomas Chalmers, graduating with an MA. Together with Robert McCheyne, Alexander Somerville, Horatius Bonar and Andrew Bonar they founded the Exegetical Society.

He was licensed to preach by the Church of Scotland and Presbytery of Lauder in 1833 but failed to find a patron, a then essential requirement and one of the main issues in the later establishment of the Free Church. While he awaited a patron he did parochial mission work south of the River Clyde in Glasgow. He also became editor of the Scottish Guardian: a twice weekly evangelical newspaper, in this period.

In 1837 he finally found a patron and was ordained at Carmyllie a village east of Dundee. This post was relatively short-lived as he left the Church of Scotland in the Disruption of 1843 and joined the Free Church. Unfortunately insufficient parishioners left with him and they were unable to establish a new church in the parish. Instead he and those who left worshipped in barns or the fields of sympathetic farmers. However, also losing his manse, he livef six miles away from the parish. In 1845 a church and manse were finally built at Carmyllie. However, Wilson then left the parish in 1848 to serve the Mariners Church in Dundee, a former Secessionist Church. Ownership issues forced the Free Church of Scotland to sell the church in 1850 and establish their own church. This was finished in 1852 and named St Paul's Free Church. It stood on the Nethergate and had a congretation of 440.

Wilson did much mission work and in 1863 was appointed Convenor of the Home Mission Committee for the Free Church, holding the post for ten years. In 1866 he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly. From 1888 he stepped down as the full-time minister of St Paul's and was replaced by his assistant, Richard Waterston, replaced in turn by Rev William Patrick during Wilson's life.

For his last 30 years he lived at 18 Afton Place in Dundee.

In 1877 the University of Edinburgh awarded him an honorary doctorate (DD).

In November 1887 he resigned all roles due to ill-health, and quickly became bed-ridden.

He died on 14 January 1888. He is buried in the Western Cemetery, Dundee.

Publications

• The Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ
• Christ Setting His Face Towards Jerusalem
• The Memoirs of Robert Candlish
• Scriptural Argument Against Patronage
• Christ's Gift to the Church and his Authority

Artistic recognition

His portrait by James Michael Brown is held by Dundee Art Gallery.