James Grierson (minister)

James Grierson (2 July 1791–22 January 1875) was a Scottish minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly to the Free Church of Scotland in 1854/55.
Life.
He was born in Ruthwell in Dumfriesshire on 2 July 1791.
He studied divinity at the University of Edinburgh.
In 1816 he was licensed to preach and began his ministry in Stirling as a minister for the Church of Scotland. In 1819 he moved to Errol and remained minister of the established church there until the Disruption of 1843. In 1843 he (and the bulk of the congregation) established the Free Church of Scotland in Errol. He remained in this role until his death in 1875.
He died on 22 January 1875 and is buried near his parents in Ruthwell churchyard.
Artistic recognition.
He was photographed by Hill & Adamson in 1855. He was photographed in 1860 ("illustrated" right) at the foot of the steps to New College with several other ex-Moderators of the Free Church.
Family.
In 1822 he married Margaret Moncrieff, daughter of Dr George Moncrieff of Perth, and granddaughter of Rev George Lyon of Longforgan. They had three daughters and two sons, one of whom was George Moncrieff Grierson (1829-1895).