James Playfair

Rev James Octavius Playfair DD FRSE (19 December 1738 – 26 May 1819) was a Scottish minister and author and an eminent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment

He was born at West Bendochy in Perthshire the son of George Playfair (d. 1786), a farmer, and his wife, Jean Roger (d. 1804).

He studied at St Andrews University and then became minister of Newtyle (1770–77) and Meigle (1777–1800). He was then appointed Principal of St Andrews University in 1800. During this period he was also minister of St Leonard's Church in St Andrews.

In 1779 St Andrews awarded him an honorary doctorate (DD). In 1787 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were John Playfair (a distant cousin) and Alexander Fraser Tytler.

He was the official histiographer of the then Prince of Wales.

He died at Dalmarnock near Glasgow. He is buried in Glasgow but is also memorialised on the grave of his wife in the churchyard of St Andrews Cathedral.

In 1773 he married Margaret Lyon (1751-1831), daughter of Rev George Lyon of Longforgan. Their ten children included Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair and Dr George M. Playfair.

He was grandfather to Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair.

• A System of Chronology(1782)
• A System of Geography Ancient and Modern(1810–14)
• General Atlas Ancient and Modern(1814)
• A Geographical and Statistical Description of Scotland(1819);

• Papers of Robert Lambert Playfair and other members of the Playfair family Catalogue record at archiveshub.ac.uk