On George Street, planned originally as the main street of the New Town of Edinburgh, there are a series of statues. At the junction with Castle Street, there stands on a massive granite plinth the effigy of Thomas Chalmers, facing southwards towards the Castle. Those who accompany him in the gallery of honour are Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, William Pitt the Younger, distinguished Parliamentary Leader and Prime Minister, King George IV and Viscount Melville, "the uncrowned King of Scotland" from 1783 to 1801.
Why is the leader of the Evangelical Party of the Church of Scotland, the first Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland after the Disruption included in such august company? Who was he? What were his origins and what his achievements? This booklet attempts to re-discover something of the significance of this great Scotsman.
WM Mackay |
