Robert Elder (minister)


The Very Rev Dr Robert Elder DD was a 19th-century Scottish minister of the Free Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly to the Free Church 1871/72.

Life

He was born in Inverary on 28 July 1808, where his father was Comptroller of Customs. The family nomed to Campbeltown while he was young and he was educated there.
He studied Divinity at Glasgow University and was ordained by the Church of Scotland at Kilbrandon in 1831. He was translated to Killin in 1834 and in 1838 to St Paul's in Edinburgh.
He left the established church in the Disruption of 1843 and moved to the Free West Church in Rothesay on the isle of Bute in 1847. In 1871 he succeeded the Rev John Wilson as Moderator of the General Assembly, the highest position in the Free Church. He was succeeded in turn in 1872 by Rev Charles John Brown.
He retired to 1 Admiral Terrace in Edinburgh in 1882.
He died in Edinburgh on 30 March 1892. He is buried in the East Preston Street Cemetery.

Family

In 1838 he married Margaret Robson from Oban.
They had at least four daughters, two of which married Free Church ministers. His son John Robson Elder, was also a Free Church minister.

Publications