Angus Makellar

Makellar was born in Kilmichael on 22 June 1780. He was the son of Duncan Makellar, a farmer in Argyleshire. According to Beith he retained an Argylshire accent throughout his life.{{sfn|Beith|1874}} He studied divinity at Glasgow University and was licensed to preach in 1810.{{sfn|Scott|1915}}

He was ordained as a minister on 30 April 1812 and began as minister of Carmunnock.{{sfn|Scott|1920}} From 29 June 1814 he was minister of Pencaitland in East Lothian east of Edinburgh.{{sfn|Scott|1915}} He was succeeded in Carmummock by the Patrick Clason, and after being translated to Pencaitland, in Haddingtonshire, was married to Miss Helen Stirling.{{sfn|Wylie|1881|p=[https://archive.org/details/disruptionworthi00wyli/page/398/mode/1up?view=theater 398]}} He was a awarded a doctorate in divinity from Glasgow University in 1835.{{cite web |title=The University of Glasgow Story |url=https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH14361&type=P |website=University of Glasgow}} Makellar wrote the entry for Pencaitland in the New Statistical Account in May 1839 where he shows, amongst other things, concern for the young women of the parish.{{sfn|Makellar|1845}} He served almost 30 years in Pencaitland until the Disruption of 1843.

He left the Church of Scotland in the Disruption of 1843 and moved to Edinburgh. On leaving his country

parish, and coming to reside in Edinburgh, Makellar for some years exercised a sort of general superintendence over the missionary and educational operations of the Free Church, as Convener of the Board of Missions and Education.{{sfn|Maclagan|1876}} At the meeting of the Free Church General Assembly at Glasgow, in October 1843, Dr Makellar was unanimously appointed chairman of the Board of Missions. As these duties were "sufficient to occupy his whole time," and rendered it necessary that Dr Makellar should reside in Edinburgh, he was released from his pastoral charge; and his son, the William Makellar, was elected and ordained as his successor.{{sfn|Wylie|1881|p=[https://archive.org/details/disruptionworthi00wyli/page/402/mode/1up?view=theater 402]}}

Soon afterwards Dr Makellar removed to Edinburgh, and devoted his whole heart and energies to the cause of Missions. At such a time, when all the foreign missionaries of the Establishment declared their adherence to the Free Church, and when so many as between 200 and 300 congregations at home were unsupplied with ministers, it was most important that a competent person should be placed at the head of the Mission Board.{{sfn|Wylie|1881|p=[https://archive.org/details/disruptionworthi00wyli/page/402/mode/1up?view=theater 402]}}

From 1844 he was living at 8 Walker Street in the West End.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1846-7 In 1845 he became an Elder of St. George's.{{sfn|Maclagan|1876}} In 1852 he shared with Patrick Macfarlan the honour of being called a second time to occupy the Assembly's Chair, this time for the Free Church, having previously occupied that role in the Church of Scotland.{{sfn|Maclagan|1876}} Thomas M'Crie was Moderator of the United Original Secession Synod, which united with the Free Church of Scotland on 1 June 1852.{{sfn|Scott|1886|p=[https://archive.org/details/annalsstatistics00scot/page/544/mode/2up 545]}}

On the death of his father-in-law (around 1850) he inherited the Hampden and Kerr sugar plantations in Jamaica.{{cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/46162|title=Summary of Individual - Legacies of British Slave-ownership|website=Ucl.ac.uk|accessdate=7 October 2017}} The estate was (and is) a major producer of rum.{{cite web|url=http://thefatrumpirate.com/hampden-estate-gold-jamaica-rum|title=Hampden Estate Gold Jamaica Rum Review|date=24 February 2015|website=Thefatrumpirate.com|accessdate=7 October 2017}} He also inherited his wife's family home at 8 Charlotte Square one of the most prestigious addresses in Edinburgh and the family lived there thereafter. Although listed in some documents as a "slave owner" this is inaccurate as Britain had abolished slavery in its colonies at the time of his inheritance.{{cite web|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/46160|title=Summary of Individual - Legacies of British Slave-ownership|website=Ucl.ac.uk|accessdate=7 October 2017}} Makellar did however receive £246 10s 0d (approx £12,000) as compensation for loss of human property paid to slave-holding plantation owners, due to his wife's inherited interest in the Jamaica plantation at [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/claim/view/18902 Hampden estate] and £137 8s 1d as compensation for loss of human property at [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/claim/view/19431 Kerr estate] (approx £16,000). Hampden estate held 246 people enslaved in 1832 and Kerr held 100 people enslaved at that time.

He died at home in Charlotte Square on 10 May 1859 and is buried with his family in Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh.{{cite web|url=http://www.gravestonephotos.com/public/gravedetails.php?grave=75623&scrwidth=1200|title=Gravestone Photographs Resource grave details page|first=Charles|last=Sale|website=Gravestonephotos.com|accessdate=7 October 2017}} The grave lies at the extreme western end of the concealed southern terrace.

In 1814 he was married to Helen Stirling (1783-1859) daughter of William Stirling of Pentcaitland (born at 8 Charlotte Square in Edinburgh). She died about a month after her husband. They had offspring:

• Rev Dr William Makellar (1816-1896), minister of the Free Church, Pencaitland, 1843-5, subsequently a minister and elder of the Church of Scotland, without any charge, born 29 August 1816, died at Biarritz 5 November 1896
• Dr John Archibald Makellar born 26 September 1817 and
• Jane Anne Makellar born 2 September 1820.{{sfn|Scott|1915}}

• Three Occasional Sermons (Edinburgh, 1817-38).{{sfn|Scott|1915}}

;Citations

{{reflist |colwidth=30em}}

;Sources

{{refbegin|30em|indent=no}}

• {{cite book |last1=Beith |first1=Alexander |title=A Highland tour with Dr. Candlish |date=1874 |publisher=A. and C. Black |location=Edinburgh |edition=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/ahighlandtour00beituoft/page/n7/mode/2up|page=[https://archive.org/details/ahighlandtour00beituoft/page/n17/mode/2up 5]-8|author-link=Alexander Beith}}{{PD-notice}}
• {{cite book |last1=Hunter |first1=John |title=The character and blessedness of those who die in the Lord : two sermons preached in Lady Glanorchy's Chapel, Edinburgh, on the forenoon and afternoon of Sabbath, March 19, 1837, after the interment of the late Thomas Snell Jones |date=1837 |publisher=William Whyte |location=Edinburgh |url=https://archive.org/details/characterblessed00hunt/mode/2up}}
• {{cite book |last1=Maclagan |first1=David |author-link=David Maclagan|title=St. George's, Edinburgh |date=1876 |publisher=T. Nelson and sons |location=London, Edinburgh and New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/stgeorgesedinbu00unkngoog/page/n133/mode/2up 126]-128 |url=https://archive.org/details/stgeorgesedinbu00unkngoog}}{{PD-notice}}
• {{cite book |last=Makellar |first=Angus |title=The New Statistical Account of Scotland |volume=2|date=1845 |publisher=William Blackwood and Sons |location=Edinburgh and London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/b21365805_0002/page/n565/mode/2up 344]–355 |url=https://archive.org/details/b21365805_0002/page/n5/mode/2up|author-link=Angus Makellar}}
• {{cite book |last1=Martine |first1=John |editor1-last=Wilson |editor1-first=E. J . |title=Reminiscences and Notices of Ten Parishes of the County of Haddington |date=1894 |publisher=W. Sinclair |location=Haddington |page=[https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesan00wilsgoog/page/n32/mode/1up 8] |url=https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesan00wilsgoog}}
• {{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=David |title=Annals and statistics of the original Secession church: till its disruption and union with the Free church of Scotland in 1852 |date=1886 |publisher=Edinburgh : A. Elliot |url=https://archive.org/details/annalsstatistics00scot}}
• {{cite book |last=Scott |first=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |volume=1|page=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc01scot/page/387/mode/1up 387]|date=1915 |publisher=Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc01scot |author-link=Hew Scott}}{{PD-notice}}
• {{cite book |last=Scott |first=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |volume=3|page=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot/page/380/mode/2up 380]|date=1920 |publisher=Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot |author-link=Hew Scott}}
• {{cite book |last1=Wylie |first1=James Aitken |title=Disruption worthies : a memorial of 1843, with an historical sketch of the free church of Scotland from 1843 down to the present time |date=1881 |publisher=T. C. Jack |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/disruptionworthi00wyli/page/397/mode/2up 397]-404 |url=https://archive.org/stream/disruptionworthi00wyli|author-link=James Aitken Wylie}}{{PD-notice}}

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{{Internet Archive author |sname=Angus Makellar}}

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Category:1780 births

Category:1859 deaths

Category:19th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland

Category:19th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers

Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow

Category:Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

Category:People from Pencaitland