George Hill (minister)
Encyclopedia
George Hill was a Minister of St Andrews
. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in 1789, but an active member for much longer, where he succeeded William Robertson
as leader of the Moderates
. He was Principal
of St Mary's College, St Andrews
as well as Dean of the Chapel Royal
and Dean of the Order of the Thistle.
. His father, John Hill, was one of the Minsters of that town. He was the eldest son of his second wife, Jean M'Cormick, but had older siblings from the first marriage. His family was intermarried with the other academic and clerical families in the town. George was educated with and mixed socially with the local aristocracy, including Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
, later Lord Chancellor
and The Earl of Kinnoul
. Both of these were very influential in the Crown patronage networks
operated by Henry Dundas
, effective ruler of Scotland (and also Chancellor
of St Andrews University, which itself had extensive patronage powers in the University and in appointments to clerical livings). He was educated at St Andrews Grammar School, then entered St Andrews University when he was eleven years old. There he displayed a remarkable memory and an aptitude for mathematics. He had intended to go on to study Divinity
but his father died when he was in his second year, leaving a large family in straightened circumstances. However, he went on to graduate M.A.
when he was fourteen. After spending some time in London and Pembrokeshire
as tutor to the son of the Member of Parliament
Pryce Campbell
, he accompanied his young charge to Edinburgh University, where he took the opportunity to continue his own studies in Divinity
. While there, he was regularly absorbed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
when it met there in the spring. He told his mother "spend most of my time there and have been highly entertained". He mixed with all the stars of the Scottish Enlightenment
while in Edinburgh, being particularly repelled by the what he thought were the vulgar manners and conversation of the philosopher David Hume
.
He returned to St Andrews
and became, on 21 May 1772, just short of his 22nd birthday, joint Professor of Greek (though his aged predecessor still monopolised the salary, leaving George the private tuition fees). He lectured once a fortnight, going over homework assignments in the intervening week. His lecture notes indicate his course was far more a Cultural Studies course - covering history, geography, literature, drama and philosophy - which is just as well as it appears many of his students could not recognise the Greek alphabet. He also organised "dancing assemblies" to keep them entertained, as well as entertaining supper parties to which the other professors were invited.
by the Presbytery of Haddington
, and soon afterwards began assisting the ailing Principal Tullideph in his parochial church of St Leonards
. He was a success in the pulpit, committing whole written sermons to his remarkable memory as he was too short sighted to read them out. In 1775, he was offered the living of Coldstream
by the Earl of Haddington
, a pupil of his father's, but he turned it down, preferring to stick with his duties in St Andrews. In 1778, he was ordained by the Presbytery of Haddington. In 1779 he was being urged by Principal Robertson to accept an offer by the Town Council of a post in Edinburgh, but he had reasons to think prospects were opening up nearer home, so he politely declined.
Later that year (1779) Principal Murison of St Andrews died, which set off a series of vacacies, leading to George Hill being appointed to a Minister's living in St Andrews, while still retaining the Professorship of Greek. A complaint was made to the General Assembly that it was in breach of Church law to have two posts, but this was dismissed and on 22 June 1780 George Hill was admitted to his father's old post of Minister of the Second Charge of St Andrews. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity on 7 May 1787. On 2 January 1788, he became Professor of Divinity at St Mary's College
. By 1799, it was clear that the Principal of the University, his uncle Dr M'Cormick was dying, and he was offered the chance to succeed him, but he turned it down as he would have lost money by having to give up his second charge Minister's post for the less lucrative one of St Leonard's. . He was made Dean of the Chapel Royal instead, with an additional stipend. Three years later, on 27 July 1791 he was appointed Principal of St Mary's College, while retaining his second charge Minister's post. In 1808, upon the death of the incumbent, Hill was moved to the even more lucrative first charge of St Andrews.
at its yearly meetings. When he became a minister and progressed as an academic, his influence in the assembly grew. His speaking skills were considerable and had always been an excellent networker, noted for his conciliatory approach. He had closely studied the history, law and procedures of the General Assembly, so he was a formidable operator. Principal William Robertson
was the leader of the so-called Moderates
. These saw themselves as enlightened Calvinists
and Presbyterians
who werer prepared to compromise with the Government in many matters - in particular, over the issue of Patronage - but not on the spiritual independence of the Church. George Hill was one of this party, and took over the leadership of it when Robertson died. He was a very sincere Calvinist and a proud Presbyterian, but did not take a gloomy view of the former, and accepted that landowners (the Heritors) who paid a Minister's salary had some rights in their appointment. But he was fiercely protective of the independence of the Church. In 1782, when the Lord Advocate seemed to threaten him for his views that the usual address to the Crown was too political, he said
During the French Revolutionary Wars
, he vigorously opposed a plan to get Parish Ministers to urge support for a voluntary levy, as compromising the political independence of the Church and unseemly for a pacific profession. He was much opposed and vituperated but he stood firm. He would willingly contribute himself, but would "strip the gown from his back rather than obey an order to promote it from the pulpit". This was extraordinary for a man renowned as a British patriot - he expressed the hope "that this island will continue, to the latest ages, the fair seat of regulated freedom, of rational religion and public virtue"- and a Moderate (inveterate compromisers with the Government according to their enemies). The plan was dropped. But he was usually conciliatory as well as effective. In the year he was Moderator
(1789) there were unusually violent squabbles over the appointment of a new Clerk to the General Assembly. At one point, Dr Hill had to suspend the Assembly. However, after the wrangles, the Assembly voted
who had written an Essay on Heat, which was thought to echo too closely some sceptical philosophic views of David Hume
, and were therefore "destructive of religion". Principal Hill agreed when the Assembly had been asked to censure him. The public crowded in to hear the obscure debates, but in the end, the Assembly dismissed the complaints..
. As indicated above, he thought the British Constitution was the most excellent protector of liberty in history. A sermon of his to that effect was printed in 1792, and 10,000 copies distributed, including 1000 in England. Earlier, although he thought that the British Government could have handled the American Colonists with more conciliation, he was in no doubt they were rebels to a legitimate and beneficent King. During his travels as a tutor, in 1768 he had witnessed some of the unrest associated with the election of John Wilkes
ad Member of Parliament
for Middlesex. He was appalled and it confirmed his horror of the common people participating in elections. During the trouble times of the French Revolutionary Wars
his fear of popular unrest grew. In 1798 The General Assembly issed "A Warning and Admonition to the People of Scotland" (against popular unrest) which was produced by a committee and strongly supported by Hill. He also opposed Catholic Emancipation, holding Roman Catholics owed allegiance to a foreign power, the Pope
, whom he considered a tool of the "power of France".
(as also, it is reputed, was that of Dr Hill as Principal). In 1800 his eldest son died in Jamaica
and in 1803 his younger son George and a daughter died of plague. Others were ill and in danger. Another son died in the service of the East India Company, while yet another progressed to a position of importance there. His son Alexander Hill followed him into the Ministry. His daughter married a fellow academic, Dr Cook whose brother, George Cook, was his biographer. So he was the brother of Hill's son-in-law, and a beneficiary of his patronage. He paints a portrait of a kindly, humorous but serious man who loved and was loved by his family. In his Ministry he was universally loved, according to Mr Cook, while anonymous letters (actually by Andrew M Thomson) suggesting that he worked the patronage system to his own, and his sons' advantage are dismissed. He did not let religious or party political differences harm good relationships and he certainly "did not regard religious controversy as a proper subject for general conversation". He was a member of various societies - for the sons and widows of clergymen, a Bible Society in St Andrews. He was also a founding member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
and became Rector
of the University.
Returning from the General Assembly in 1807 he was seized by a violent illness, probably suffering a fit. He recovered somewhat but by 1816 began to decline, with some slight attacks of apoplexy, impaired speech and movement. Most of his parochial work was done by an assistant but he still liked to preach. In his last appearance in Church, in 1819, he stumbled as he approached the pulpit and lost his train of thought while trying to deliver a sermon. He was bedridden thereafter. He maintained a confidence in providence till the end, though ruefully commenting that his stiped for the year 1819 was the biggest he had ever had, while he had done the least for it that year. He died on 19 November 1819
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
in 1789, but an active member for much longer, where he succeeded William Robertson
William Robertson (historian)
William Robertson FRSE FSA was a Scottish historian, minister of religion, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh...
as leader of the Moderates
Moderate Party (Scotland)
Moderates, in church terms is, normally, though not exclusively, used to refer to an important party of clerics in the Church of Scotland during the 18th century. They are often contrasted with Evangelicals, though this is very much a simplification...
. He was Principal
Principal (academia)
The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.-Canada:...
of St Mary's College, St Andrews
St Mary's College, St Andrews
St Mary's College of the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland - in full, the New College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - was founded in 1538 by Archbishop James Beaton, uncle of Cardinal David Beaton on the site of the pedagogy or St Johns College .St Mary's College was...
as well as Dean of the Chapel Royal
Dean of the Chapel Royal
Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's Chapel Royal, the ecclesiastical establishment which is part of the Royal Household and ministers to it.-England:...
and Dean of the Order of the Thistle.
Life
George Hill was born on 27 May 1750 in St AndrewsSt Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
. His father, John Hill, was one of the Minsters of that town. He was the eldest son of his second wife, Jean M'Cormick, but had older siblings from the first marriage. His family was intermarried with the other academic and clerical families in the town. George was educated with and mixed socially with the local aristocracy, including Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine KT PC KC was a British lawyer and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom between 1806 and 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background and childhood:...
, later Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
and The Earl of Kinnoul
Robert Hay-Drummond, 10th Earl of Kinnoull
Robert Auriol Hay-Drummond, 10th Earl of Kinnoull was a peer of Scotland and Lord Lyon King of Arms. He was the son of the Most Reverend Robert Hay and Henrietta Auriol. On 19 April 1779, he married his first wife, Julia Eyre. On 8 June 1781, he married again, this time to Sarah Harley...
. Both of these were very influential in the Crown patronage networks
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
operated by Henry Dundas
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville PC and Baron Dunira was a Scottish lawyer and politician. He was the first Secretary of State for War and the last person to be impeached in the United Kingdom....
, effective ruler of Scotland (and also Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of St Andrews University, which itself had extensive patronage powers in the University and in appointments to clerical livings). He was educated at St Andrews Grammar School, then entered St Andrews University when he was eleven years old. There he displayed a remarkable memory and an aptitude for mathematics. He had intended to go on to study Divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
but his father died when he was in his second year, leaving a large family in straightened circumstances. However, he went on to graduate M.A.
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
when he was fourteen. After spending some time in London and Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
as tutor to the son of the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Pryce Campbell
Clan Campbell of Cawdor
Clan Campbell of Cawdor is a highland Scottish clan. While the clan is recognised by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, the clan does not have a clan chief recognised by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs...
, he accompanied his young charge to Edinburgh University, where he took the opportunity to continue his own studies in Divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
. While there, he was regularly absorbed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
when it met there in the spring. He told his mother "spend most of my time there and have been highly entertained". He mixed with all the stars of the Scottish Enlightenment
Scottish Enlightenment
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By 1750, Scots were among the most literate citizens of Europe, with an estimated 75% level of literacy...
while in Edinburgh, being particularly repelled by the what he thought were the vulgar manners and conversation of the philosopher David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
.
He returned to St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
and became, on 21 May 1772, just short of his 22nd birthday, joint Professor of Greek (though his aged predecessor still monopolised the salary, leaving George the private tuition fees). He lectured once a fortnight, going over homework assignments in the intervening week. His lecture notes indicate his course was far more a Cultural Studies course - covering history, geography, literature, drama and philosophy - which is just as well as it appears many of his students could not recognise the Greek alphabet. He also organised "dancing assemblies" to keep them entertained, as well as entertaining supper parties to which the other professors were invited.
Ministry
On 3 May 1775, using family connections, he managed to have himself licensed to preach the GospelGospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
by the Presbytery of Haddington
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...
, and soon afterwards began assisting the ailing Principal Tullideph in his parochial church of St Leonards
St Leonards
- Places :in the United Kingdom:*St Leonards, Buckinghamshire*St Leonards, Dorset*St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex*St Leonards, East Kilbride*St Leonards, Edinburgh*St Leonards railway station*St Leonard's , Lambeth, London...
. He was a success in the pulpit, committing whole written sermons to his remarkable memory as he was too short sighted to read them out. In 1775, he was offered the living of Coldstream
Coldstream
Coldstream is a small town in the Borders district of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed the nearest village...
by the Earl of Haddington
Earl of Haddington
Earl of Haddington is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for the noted Scottish lawyer and judge Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Melrose. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1616 to 1625...
, a pupil of his father's, but he turned it down, preferring to stick with his duties in St Andrews. In 1778, he was ordained by the Presbytery of Haddington. In 1779 he was being urged by Principal Robertson to accept an offer by the Town Council of a post in Edinburgh, but he had reasons to think prospects were opening up nearer home, so he politely declined.
Later that year (1779) Principal Murison of St Andrews died, which set off a series of vacacies, leading to George Hill being appointed to a Minister's living in St Andrews, while still retaining the Professorship of Greek. A complaint was made to the General Assembly that it was in breach of Church law to have two posts, but this was dismissed and on 22 June 1780 George Hill was admitted to his father's old post of Minister of the Second Charge of St Andrews. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity on 7 May 1787. On 2 January 1788, he became Professor of Divinity at St Mary's College
St Mary's College, St Andrews
St Mary's College of the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland - in full, the New College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - was founded in 1538 by Archbishop James Beaton, uncle of Cardinal David Beaton on the site of the pedagogy or St Johns College .St Mary's College was...
. By 1799, it was clear that the Principal of the University, his uncle Dr M'Cormick was dying, and he was offered the chance to succeed him, but he turned it down as he would have lost money by having to give up his second charge Minister's post for the less lucrative one of St Leonard's. . He was made Dean of the Chapel Royal instead, with an additional stipend. Three years later, on 27 July 1791 he was appointed Principal of St Mary's College, while retaining his second charge Minister's post. In 1808, upon the death of the incumbent, Hill was moved to the even more lucrative first charge of St Andrews.
General Assembly
He was ordained an Elder on appointment as Professor of Greek and ever since then had been returned as representative of the University, or of the Presbytery, to the General Assembly of the Church of ScotlandGeneral Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
at its yearly meetings. When he became a minister and progressed as an academic, his influence in the assembly grew. His speaking skills were considerable and had always been an excellent networker, noted for his conciliatory approach. He had closely studied the history, law and procedures of the General Assembly, so he was a formidable operator. Principal William Robertson
William Robertson (historian)
William Robertson FRSE FSA was a Scottish historian, minister of religion, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh...
was the leader of the so-called Moderates
Moderate Party (Scotland)
Moderates, in church terms is, normally, though not exclusively, used to refer to an important party of clerics in the Church of Scotland during the 18th century. They are often contrasted with Evangelicals, though this is very much a simplification...
. These saw themselves as enlightened Calvinists
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
and Presbyterians
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
who werer prepared to compromise with the Government in many matters - in particular, over the issue of Patronage - but not on the spiritual independence of the Church. George Hill was one of this party, and took over the leadership of it when Robertson died. He was a very sincere Calvinist and a proud Presbyterian, but did not take a gloomy view of the former, and accepted that landowners (the Heritors) who paid a Minister's salary had some rights in their appointment. But he was fiercely protective of the independence of the Church. In 1782, when the Lord Advocate seemed to threaten him for his views that the usual address to the Crown was too political, he said
The Church of Scotland is independent of any party and any Ministry; he cared not for the threats of the learned gentleman, and he might tell his friends in power that he had said so.
During the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, he vigorously opposed a plan to get Parish Ministers to urge support for a voluntary levy, as compromising the political independence of the Church and unseemly for a pacific profession. He was much opposed and vituperated but he stood firm. He would willingly contribute himself, but would "strip the gown from his back rather than obey an order to promote it from the pulpit". This was extraordinary for a man renowned as a British patriot - he expressed the hope "that this island will continue, to the latest ages, the fair seat of regulated freedom, of rational religion and public virtue"- and a Moderate (inveterate compromisers with the Government according to their enemies). The plan was dropped. But he was usually conciliatory as well as effective. In the year he was Moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
(1789) there were unusually violent squabbles over the appointment of a new Clerk to the General Assembly. At one point, Dr Hill had to suspend the Assembly. However, after the wrangles, the Assembly voted
That the thanks of the House should be given to the Moderator for his most impartial, dignified, and able conduct in a very delicate and uncommon situation during all the preceding diets of this venerable Assembly.He continued to attend the Assembly until 1807 when he was too infirm to travel to Edinburgh. For instance, he argued strongly against Professor John Leslie
John Leslie (physicist)
Sir John Leslie was a Scottish mathematician and physicist best remembered for his research into heat.Leslie gave the first modern account of capillary action in 1802 and froze water using an air-pump in 1810, the first artificial production of ice.In 1804, he experimented with radiant heat using...
who had written an Essay on Heat, which was thought to echo too closely some sceptical philosophic views of David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, and were therefore "destructive of religion". Principal Hill agreed when the Assembly had been asked to censure him. The public crowded in to hear the obscure debates, but in the end, the Assembly dismissed the complaints..
Politics
Like most Presbyterians, he considered himself a Whig, and so no democratDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. As indicated above, he thought the British Constitution was the most excellent protector of liberty in history. A sermon of his to that effect was printed in 1792, and 10,000 copies distributed, including 1000 in England. Earlier, although he thought that the British Government could have handled the American Colonists with more conciliation, he was in no doubt they were rebels to a legitimate and beneficent King. During his travels as a tutor, in 1768 he had witnessed some of the unrest associated with the election of John Wilkes
John Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
ad Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Middlesex. He was appalled and it confirmed his horror of the common people participating in elections. During the trouble times of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
his fear of popular unrest grew. In 1798 The General Assembly issed "A Warning and Admonition to the People of Scotland" (against popular unrest) which was produced by a committee and strongly supported by Hill. He also opposed Catholic Emancipation, holding Roman Catholics owed allegiance to a foreign power, the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, whom he considered a tool of the "power of France".
Personal life
In 1782, he married Harriet Scott, daughter of Alexander Scott, an Edinburgh merchant and magistrate who had retired to St Andrews. Her portrait was painted by Henry RaeburnHenry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn was a Scottish portrait painter, the first significant Scottish portraitist since the Act of Union 1707 to remain based in Scotland.-Biography:...
(as also, it is reputed, was that of Dr Hill as Principal). In 1800 his eldest son died in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and in 1803 his younger son George and a daughter died of plague. Others were ill and in danger. Another son died in the service of the East India Company, while yet another progressed to a position of importance there. His son Alexander Hill followed him into the Ministry. His daughter married a fellow academic, Dr Cook whose brother, George Cook, was his biographer. So he was the brother of Hill's son-in-law, and a beneficiary of his patronage. He paints a portrait of a kindly, humorous but serious man who loved and was loved by his family. In his Ministry he was universally loved, according to Mr Cook, while anonymous letters (actually by Andrew M Thomson) suggesting that he worked the patronage system to his own, and his sons' advantage are dismissed. He did not let religious or party political differences harm good relationships and he certainly "did not regard religious controversy as a proper subject for general conversation". He was a member of various societies - for the sons and widows of clergymen, a Bible Society in St Andrews. He was also a founding member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
and became Rector
Rector of the University of St Andrews
The Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews is a university official chosen every three years by the students of the University of St Andrews...
of the University.
Returning from the General Assembly in 1807 he was seized by a violent illness, probably suffering a fit. He recovered somewhat but by 1816 began to decline, with some slight attacks of apoplexy, impaired speech and movement. Most of his parochial work was done by an assistant but he still liked to preach. In his last appearance in Church, in 1819, he stumbled as he approached the pulpit and lost his train of thought while trying to deliver a sermon. He was bedridden thereafter. He maintained a confidence in providence till the end, though ruefully commenting that his stiped for the year 1819 was the biggest he had ever had, while he had done the least for it that year. He died on 19 November 1819
Publications
- Advantages of searching the Scriptures. A sermon preached before the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge; at the anniversary meeting in the High Church of Edinburgh, on Thursday, June 7. 1787 (Edinburgh 1787)
- Heads of lectures in divinity, by Geo. Hill, ... 1796
- Instructions afforded by the present war, to the people of Great-Britain. A sermon preached at St. Andrew's, on Thursday the 18th of April 1793., ... 1793
- Present happiness of Great Britain. A sermon preached at St. Andrews, Oct. 7th, 1792. and in the High Church of Edinburgh, Nov. 18th, 1792., ... 1792
- Sermons,, ... 1796
- Sermons by James Gillespie, D.D. ... published from the author's manuscrip [sic], by George Hill D.D 1796
Sources
- The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany, Volume LXVII 1805 http://books.google.co.uk/booksid=eBEbAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA400&dq=Rev+Dr+William+Moodie+Edinburgh&ei=5YcXTZi5Fo7kzQTqkanNDw&cd=4#v=onepage&q=Rev%20Dr%20William%20Moodie%20Edinburgh&f=false
- Scott, Hew Fasti ecclesiæ scoticanæ; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation Edinburgh 1915
- Cook, Reverend George Life of the Late George Hill DD Archibald Constable and Company, Edinburgh 1820 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pwehAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Life+of+the+late+George+Hill+DD&ei=ZGwLTa-UFZn8ygTn7JSnBg&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false