Author: Barclay, John
Biography:
BARCLAY, John (1733-98: ODNB)
Founder of the Berean (or Barclayite) sect; hymn-writer. He was born in Mar. 1733 at Muthill, Perthshire, to Ludovick Barclay, a farmer and miller, and Martha (MacInnes) Barclay, and attended the village school before going to the University of St Andrews. Having earned his MA, he studied divinity at St Mary’s College, where he became an ardent supporter of the theologian Archibald Campbell in believing that knowledge of God can come through scripture alone. Although he became assistant to the Rev. Anthony Dow at Fettercairn, his unorthodox views meant that he was overlooked as Dow’s successor in 1772. Barclay separated from the Church of Scotland to join the Presbyterians, and in 1773 Berean churches based on his teachings were established across Scotland. He began composing hymns at Fettercairn; distressed by hearing the parishioners singing old ballads, he wrote hymns set to the familiar ballad tunes. He was twice married, possibly to Isabella Scyth at Edinburgh on 13 Mar. 1774 and, after her death, to Margaret Spink on 22 Sept. 1784. He died at Edinburgh on 29 July 1798; there is a monument to his memory in the Old Calton cemetery. (ODNB 21 Feb. 2019; ancestry.co.uk 21 Feb. 2019, 6 Jan. 2025; The Works of John Barclay, A.M. [1852]) SR
Other Names:
- J. Barclay