Archibald Alison (author)

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Archibald Alison

Sir Archibald Alison, advocate
RelativesBrother-in-law of the physician James Gregory

Archibald Alison

Anglican
priest and essayist.

Early life

St Paul's Chapel on York Place, Edinburgh (opened 1818)
44 Heriot Row, Edinburgh, home of Rev Archibald Alison

He was born in Edinburgh, to Patrick Alison[1] a Edinburgh magistrate, himself a younger son of an Alison of Newhall, near Coupar Angus.[2]

After studying at the

curacy of Brancepeth, near Durham. In 1784 he married Dorothea Gregory, youngest daughter of Professor John Gregory of Edinburgh.[4] She had escaped an arranged marriage designed by her employer Elizabeth Montagu to marry her to her nephew and heir when she met Alison.[5]

Career

The next 20 years of his life were spent in England, where he held in succession the livings of High Ercall, West Lavington, Rodington and Kenley. From 1791 until death he held the title of Prebendary to Salisbury Cathedral.

In 1800 he moved back to Edinburgh, having been appointed senior incumbent of episcopalian St Paul's Chapel in the Cowgate. For 34 years he filled this position with much ability; his sermons were characterised by quiet beauty of thought and grace of composition. His preaching attracted so many hearers that a new and larger church was built for him.[4] The new St Paul's Chapel on York Place in Edinburgh's New Town was completed in 1818, and Alison, along with Rev Robert Morehead served as clergy there.[6]

In 1832 he was living at 44

St John's Episcopal Churchyard
in Edinburgh.

Family

He married Dorothea Gregory, the sister of

William Pulteney Alison.[8]

Works

Alison published, besides a Life of Lord Woodhouselee, a volume of sermons, which passed through several editions, and a work entitled Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste (1790), based on the principle of association of ideas.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Grant's Old and New Edinburgh vol III
  3. ^ "Alison, Archibald (1779 - 1806) (CCEd Person ID 9320)". The Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540–1835.
  4. ^ a b c d  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Alison, Archibald". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 672.
  5. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/65052
    , retrieved 7 August 2023
  6. ^ Storer, James; Storer, H. S. (Henry Sargant) (1820). Views in Edinburgh and its vicinity;. Edinburgh, A. Constable & Co.; [etc., etc.] p. 311. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Edinburgh Post Office annual directory, 1832–1833". National Library of Scotland. p. 4. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  8. ISBN 090219884X. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
Wikisource has the text of the 1885–1900 Dictionary of National Biography's article about Archibald Alison.
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