John Jamieson

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Notable work"Etymological Dictionary of The Scottish Language" (1808)
"History of the Culdees" (1811)
"Views of the Royal Palaces of Scotland" (1828)
SpouseCharlotte Watson (died 1837)
Notes
Fellow of the
Royal Literary Society
Member of the Highland Society

John Jamieson

antiquary. His most important work is the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language.[1][2]

Life

He was born in

He studied at the

Anti-burgher) congregation in Forfar, Angus. He was 23 years old at the time and was ordained on 23 August 1780 and the following August being involved in a "romantic, moonlit marriage".[6]

In 1788 he was asked to replace Rev

Anti-burgher church in Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, but did not accept this until its next vacancy, being inducted on 30 May 1797.[7] The union of the Burgher and Anti-Burgher "New Licht" churches to form the United Secession Church
in 1820 was largely due to his exertions.

He retired from the ministry in 1830, spending the rest of his life in Edinburgh. In the 1830s he is listed as living at 4 George Square on the south side of the city.[8]

Jamieson was elected a Fellow of the

Alexander Fraser Tytler, and William Moodie.[5] He was also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1816.[9]

In 1827 he was elected a member of the Bannatyne Club.[10]

He retired due to ill health in 1830 and died at home, 4 George Square, Edinburgh[11] on 12 July 1838 and is buried in St Cuthbert's churchyard. He was buried with his son Robert (who pre-deceased him) in a large and elaborate grave in the southern section. His inscription is on the rear of the monument.[12][13]

Works

John Jamieson by John Kay
The grave of Rev John Jamieson, St Cuthberts Churchyard, Edinburgh[12][13]

Jamieson's major work, the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language appeared in 2 vols. in 1808. A meeting the Danish scholar

Pictish influence on the Scots language.[14] A revised edition by John Longmuir and David Donaldson was issued in 1879–87. These volumes remained the standard reference work for the Scots language until the publication of the Scottish National Dictionary
in 1931.

Jamieson's other works included:[14]

  • Socinianism Unmasked, 1786.
  • The Sorrows of Slavery, 1789, a pamphlet on the
    African slave trade
  • Sermons on the Heart, 2 vols., 1791. Around the same time as The Sorrows of Slavery.
  • Congal and Fenella, a Metrical Tale, 1791.
  • Vindication of the Doctrine of Scripture, in reply to Joseph Priestley's History of Early Opinions, 2 vols., 1795.
  • A Poem on Eternity, 1798.
  • Remarks on Rowland Hill's Journal, 1799.
  • The Use of Sacred History, 1802, vol.1, vol.2
  • Important Trial in the Court of Conscience, 1806.
  • Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 2 vols 1808.
  • A Treatise on the Ancient Culdees of Iona also retitled A History of the Culdees, 1811, published, through Walter Scott's support, by Ballantyne.
  • Hermes Scythicus, 1814, expounding affinities between the Gothic and the classical tongues.
  • Supplement to the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 2 vols 1825.
  • Views of the Royal Palaces of Scotland (1828) published posthumously

Jamieson wrote on other themes: rhetoric, cremation, and the royal palaces of Scotland, besides publishing occasional sermons. In 1820 he issued edited versions of John Barbour's Bruce and Blind Harry's Wallace. Posthumous was Dissertations on the Reality of the Spirit's Influence (1844).[14]

Family

In 1781, Jamieson married Charlotte Watson (died 1837), daughter of Robert Watson, Esq., of

21st Fusiliers and was mother of Donald Mackenzie, Lord Mackenzie.[15]

References

Citations
  1. ^ "Jamieson's Dictionary of Scots". Jamieson's Dictionary of Scots.
  2. ^ Rennie 2012.
  3. ^ Bayne & Haigh 2004.
  4. ^ Anderson 1877, p. 565-567.
  5. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Small 1904a, p. 81-82.
  7. ^ Small 1904a, p. 429.
  8. ^ "(132) - Scottish Post Office Directories > Towns > Edinburgh > 1805–1834 - Post Office annual directory > 1832–1833 - Scottish Directories - National Library of Scotland". nls.uk.
  9. ^ "Member List". American Antiquarian Society.
  10. ^ Kay's Originals vol.2 p.320
  11. ^ Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory, 1835-36
  12. ^ a b Rogers 1871, p. 62-63.
  13. ^ a b Smith 1915.
  14. ^ a b c Bayne 1890.
  15. ^ Mair, Robert Henry (1871). Debrett's Illustrated House of Commons and the Judicial Bench. Dean & Son. p. 399.
Sources

External links