List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is a complete list of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from the Reformation to the present day. Some listed below also currently have their own article. The location of the parish or other post during the Moderator's year in office is also listed.
Since 1714 the General Assembly has normally been held annually every May. Moderators-designate are nominated in the October of the previous year; a formal vote is taken at start of the General Assembly, then the new Moderator takes the chair. He/she holds office for one year; his/her final act is to formally open the following year's General Assembly and preside over the formal election of a successor.
The Moderator of the current year is styled "The Right Reverend", while past Moderators are styled "The Very Reverend".
16th century
- 1560 none mentioned
- 1561 none mentioned
- 1562 ' and 1568 ' John Knox
- 1563 none mentioned
- 1563 ', 1564 ' and 1568 ' John Willock
- 1564 , 1565, 1566 and 1572 ' John Erskine of Dun
- 1567 ' George Buchanan
- 1567 , 1576 , 1578 ' John Row
- 1569 ', 1577 ', 1582 ', 1586 ', 1593 ' and 1597 ' David Lindsay
- 1569 ' William Christison
- 1570 ', 1576 ', 1581 ' John Craig
- 1570 ', 1575, 1581 ', 1583 ', 1595 ' and 1597 ' Robert Pont
- 1571 ' George Hay
- 1571 ' Gilbert Gardin
- 1572 ' Robert Hamilton
- 1573 ' and 1578 ' David Ferguson
- 1573 ' and 1577 ' Alexander Arbuthnot
- 1574 ' and 1580 ' Andrew Hay
- 1574 ' John Duncanson
- 1575 ' James Boyd
- 1578 , 1582 , 1587 and 1594 Andrew Melville
- 1579 ' and 1583 ' Thomas Smeton
- 1580 ' James Lawson
- 1588 ' and 1592 Robert Bruce
- 1588 ' Thomas Buchanan
- 1589 none mentioned
- 1589 ' and 1590 ' James Melville
- 1590 ' and 1602 Patrick Galloway
- 1591 Nicol Dalgleish
- 1595 and 1606 James Nicolson
- 1597 ' Peter Blackburn
- 1597 ' Robert Rollock
- 1600 Robert Wilkie
17th century
- 1601 John Hall
- 1602,1604 and 1607 Alexander Hume
- 1605 John Forbes AM
- 1606 James Nicolson
- 1608 James Law AM
- 1610, 1616, 1617 and 1618 John Spottiswood AM
- 1615 James Saitonne or Seytoun
- 1638, 1641 and 1643 Alexander Henderson AM
- 1639, 1652 and 1653 David Dickson AM
- 1640 Andrew Ramsay AM
- 1642, 1645, 1647, 1649, 1651 Robert Douglas AM
- 1644 James Bonar AM
- 1646 Robert Blair AM
- 1647 Robert Douglas
- 1648 George Gillespie AM
- 1650 Andrew Cant AM
- 1651 Robert Douglas
- 1652 Gabriel Cunningham
- 1690 Hugh Kennedie AM
- 1692 and 1697 William Crichton AM
- 1694 John Law AM
- 1695 Patrick Simson
- 1698 and 1703 George Meldrum AM
- 1699 George Hamilton
- 1700 David Blair AM
18th century
- 1701 and 1704 Thomas Wilkie AM
- 1702 David Williamson AM aka "Dainty Davie"
- 1705, 1708, 1711 and 1715 William Carstares AM
- 1706, 1713, 1718, 1724 and 1728 William Wishart DD
- 1707 John Stirling
- 1709 John Currie
- 1710, 1714, 1717, 1722 and 1726 William Mitchell
- 1712, 1716, 1720, 1727 and 1730 William Hamilton DD
- 1719 James Grierson
- 1721 Thomas Black
- 1723 and 1731 James Smith
- 1725 and 1729 James Alston AM
- 1732 and 1737 Neil Campbell DD
- 1733 John Gowdie DD
- 1734 James Gordon DD
- 1735 Alexander Anderson AM
- 1738 and 1741 James Ramsay AM
- 1739 James Bannatyne
- 1740 George Logan
- 1742 Thomas Tullideph DD
- 1743 Robert Wallace DD
- 1744 John Adams
- 1745 William Wishart DD
- 1746 John Lumsden
- 1747 Robert Kinloch AM
- 1748 George Wishart DD
- 1749, 1752 and 1756 Patrick Cumming DD
- 1750 Robert Patoun AM
- 1751 James Mackie
- 1753 Alexander Webster DD
- 1754 and 1760 Robert Hamilton DD and minister of Old Greyfriars Kirk
- 1755 George Reid AM
- 1757 William Leechman DD
- 1758 Thomas Turnbull
- 1759 George Kay DD
- 1761 John Hyndman DD
- 1762 Robert Trail DD
- 1763 William Robertson DD
- 1764 Alexander Gerard DD
- 1765 James Oswald DD
- 1766 John Hamilton DD
- 1767 James Murison DD
- 1768 Gilbert Hamilton DD
- 1769 James MacKnight DD
- 1770 Alexander Carlyle DD
- 1771 Robert Walker
- 1772 Adam Fergusson
- 1773 and 1784 John Drysdale FRSE DD
- 1774 Robert Henry DD
- 1775 David Shaw DD
- 1776 John Ker DD
- 1777 James Brown AM
- 1778 Patrick Grant DD
- 1779 James Gillespie
- 1780 Harry Spens DD
- 1781 William Dalrymple DD
- 1782 Joseph McCormick DD
- 1783 Henry Grieve DD
- 1785 Sir Henry Moncrieff-Wellwood, Bart., DD
- 1786 Duncan Shaw DD
- 1787 Robert Liston
- 1788 Archibald Davidson DD
- 1789 George Hill DD Professor of Divinity, St Andrews University)
- 1790 John Walker MD, DD
- 1791 Robert Small DD, Mathematician and Astronomer
- 1792 Andrew Hunter DD
- 1793 Thomas Hardy DD
- 1794 Robert Arnot DD
- 1795 James Meek DD, Historian and Meteorologist
- 1796 William Greenfield DD
- 1797 John Adamson DD Professor of Civil History in the United College, St Andrews
- 1798 William Taylor DD
- 1799 William Moodie DD
- 1800 George Baird DD
19th century
- 1801 William Ritchie DD
- 1802 James Finlayson DD
- 1803 Gilbert Gerard DD
- 1804 John Inglis DD
- 1805 George Hamilton DD
- 1806 William Taylor DD, jr.
- 1807 James Sherriffs DD
- 1808 Andrew Grant DD
- 1809 Francis Nicoll DD
- 1810 Hugh Meiklejohn DD
- 1811 Alexander Rankin DD
- 1812 William MacMorine DD
- 1813 Andrew Brown DD
- 1814 David Ritchie FRSE DD
- 1815 Lewis Gordon DD
- 1816 John Cook DD
- 1817 Gavin Gibb DD
- 1818 John Campbell DD
- 1819 and 1843 Duncan Macfarlan DD
- 1820 Thomas MacKnight DD FRSE
- 1821 Duncan Mearns DD
- 1822 David Lamont DD
- 1823 Alexander Brunton DD
- 1824 Andrew Duncan DD
- 1825 George Cook DD FRSE
- 1826 Thomas Taylor DD
- 1827 Robert Haldane DD
- 1828 Stevenson McGill DD
- 1829 Patrick Forbes DD
- 1830 William Singer DD
- 1831 James Wallace DD
- 1832 Thomas Chalmers DD LLD
- 1833 John Stirling DD
- 1834 Patrick MacFarlan
- 1835 William Aird Thomson DD
- 1836 Norman Macleod DD
- 1837 Matthew Gardiner DD
- 1838 William Muir DD LLD
- 1839 Henry Duncan DD
- 1840 Angus Makellar DD
- 1841 Robert Gordon DD
- 1842 David Welsh DD
Post Disruption
- 1844 John Lee DD LLD MD
- 1845 Alexander Hill DD
- 1846 James Paul DD
- 1847 John Paul DD
- 1848 George Buist DD
- 1849 Alexander Lockhart Simpson DD
- 1850 John Graham DD
- 1851 John Macleod DD
- 1852 Lewis William Forbes DD
- 1853 James Barr DD
- 1854 James Grant DD DCL
- 1855 Andrew Bell DD
- 1856 John Crombie DD
- 1857 James Robertson FRSE DD
- 1858 Matthew Leishman DD
- 1859 Prof John Cook DD
- 1860 James Maitland DD
- 1861 Colvin Smith DD
- 1862 James Bisset DD
- 1863 James Craik DD
- 1864 William Robinson Pirie DD
- 1865 James Macfarlane FRSE DD
- 1866 John Cook DD
- 1867 Thomas Jackson Crawford DD FRSE,
- 1868 James Strachan Barty DD
- 1869 Norman MacLeod DD
- 1870 George Ritchie DD
- 1871 Robert Horne Stevenson DD
- 1872 Robert Jamieson DD
- 1873 Robert Gillan DD
- 1874 Samuel Trail DD
- 1875 James Sellar DD
- 1876 George Cook DD
- 1877 Kenneth Macleay Phin DD
- 1878 John Tulloch DD LLD
- 1879 James Crystal DD LLD
- 1880 Archibald Watson DD
- 1881 James Smith DD
- 1882 William Milligan DD
- 1883 John Rankine DD
- 1884 Peter M'Kenzie DD
- 1885 Alexander Ferrier Mitchell DD
- 1886 John Cunningham DD LLD
- 1887 George Hutchison DD
- 1888 William Henry Gray DD
- 1889 Paton James Gloag DD LLD
- 1890 A. K. H. Boyd DD LLD
- 1891 James MacGregor DD
- 1892 Archibald Charteris DD LLD
- 1893 J. Marshall Lang DD LLD
- 1894 Robert Herbert Story DD LLD
- 1895 Donald Macleod DD
- 1896 Archibald Scott DD
- 1897 William Mair DD
- 1898 Thomas Leishman DD
- 1899 John Pagan DD
- 1900 Norman Macleod DD FRSE
20th century
- 1901 James Mitchell DD
- 1902 James Curdie Russell DD
- 1903 John Gillespie LLD
- 1904 John McMurtrie FRSE DD
- 1905 Andrew J. Milne LLD
- 1906 Thomas Brown William Niven DD
- 1907 James Robert Mitford Mitchell DD
- 1908 Theodore Marshall DD
- 1909 James Robertson DD
- 1910 Pearson McAdam Muir DD
- 1911 Alexander Stewart DD
- 1912 Samuel Marcus Dill DD
- 1913 Andrew Wallace Williamson DD
- 1914 Thomas Nicol DD
- 1915 David Paul LLD FLS
- 1916 John Brown DD
- 1917 James Cooper DD DCL DLitt
- 1918 James Nicoll Ogilvie DD
- 1919 William Paterson Paterson DD LLD
- 1920 Thomas Martin DD
- 1921 James A. McClymont CBE DD
- 1922 John Smith DD
- 1923 George Milligan DD DCL
- 1924 David Cathels DD
- 1925 John White DD LLD
- 1926 John Donaldson McCallum DD
- 1927 Norman Maclean DD
- 1928 James Montgomery Campbell DD
- 1929 Joseph Mitchell DD
- 1929 John White CH DD LLD
- 1930 Andrew Nisbet Bogle DD
- 1931 John Anderson Graham CIE DD
- 1932 Hugh Ross Mackintosh DD DPhil ThD
- 1933 Lauchlan MacLean Watt DD LLD
- 1934 Peter Donald Thomson DD
- 1935 Marshall B. Lang DD
- 1936 Daniel Lamont DD
- 1937 Dugald MacFarlane DD
- 1938 James Black DD
- 1939 Archibald Main DD LLD DLitt
- 1940 James Rae Forgan DD
- 1941 J. H. Cockburn DD TheolD LHD
- 1942 Charles William Gray Taylor CBE DD
- 1943 John Baillie DD DLitt
- 1944 Edward James Hagan OBE DD
- 1945 A. J. Campbell DD
- 1946 John McKenzie CIE DD
- 1947 Matthew Stewart DD
- 1948 Alexander Macdonald
- 1949 George Simpson Duncan OBE DD LLD DTh
- 1950 Hugh Watt DD DLitt
- 1951 William White Anderson MC DD
- 1952 George Johnstone Jeffrey DD
- 1953 James Pitt-Watson DD
- 1954 Ernest David Jarvis DD
- 1955 G. D. Henderson DD DLitt DTheol FBA
- 1956 Robert F. V. Scott DD
- 1957 George MacLeod MC DD
- 1958 John A. Fraser MBE TD DD
- 1959 Robert Henry Wishart Shepherd DD DLitt
- 1960 J. H. S. Burleigh DD BLitt
- 1961 Archibald Campbell Craig MC DD
- 1962 Nevile Davidson DD
- 1963 James Stuart Stewart DD
- 1964 Duncan Fraser DD PhD
- 1965 Archibald Watt DD STM
- 1966 Leonard Small OBE DD
- 1967 William Roy Sanderson DD
- 1968 James Boyd Longmuir TD DD
- 1969 Thomas Moffat Murchison MA DD
- 1970 Hugh O. Douglas KCVO CBE DD LLD
- 1971 Andrew Herron MA BD LLB
- 1972 Ronald Selby Wright CVO TD JP MA DD FRSE FSAScot
- 1973 George T. H. Reid MC MA BD DD
- 1974 David Steel MA BD DD
- 1975 James Gunn Matheson MA BD DD
- 1976 Thomas F. Torrance MBE DLitt DD FRSE
- 1977 John Rodger Gray VRD MA BD ThM
- 1978 Peter Brodie MA BD LLB DD
- 1979 Robert A. S. Barbour KCVO MC MA BD STM DD
- 1980 William Bryce Johnston MA BD DD
- 1981 Andrew Beveridge Doig BD STM DD
- 1982 John McIntyre CVO DD DLitt FRSE
- 1983 J. Fraser McLuskey MC DD
- 1984 John M. K. Paterson MA ACII BD
- 1985 David M. B. A. Smith BA BD DUniv
- 1986 Robert Craig CBE DLitt LLD DD
- 1987 Duncan Shaw Bundesverdienstkreuz PhD ThDr JP
- 1988 James A. Whyte MA LLD
- 1989 William J. G. McDonald MA BD DD
- 1990 Robert Davidson MA BD DD FRSE
- 1991 William B. R. Macmillan MA BD LLD DD
- 1992 Hugh R. Wyllie MA DD FCIBS
- 1993 James L. Weatherhead CBE MA LLB DD
- 1994 James A. Simpson BSc BD STM DD
- 1995 James Harkness KCVO CB OBE MA DD
- 1996 John H. McIndoe MA BD STM DD
- 1997 Alexander McDonald BA CMIWSc DUniv
- 1998 Alan Main TD MA BD STM PhD
- 1999 John B. Cairns LTh LLB LLD DD
- 2000 Andrew McLellan CBE MA BD STM DD
21st century
- 2001 John Miller BA BD DD
- 2002 Finlay Macdonald MA BD PhD DD
- 2003 Iain Torrance TD MA BD DPhil DD
- 2004 Alison Elliot OBE MA MSc PhD LLD DD
- 2005 David Lacy BA BD DLitt
- 2006 Alan McDonald LLB BD MTh DLitt
- 2007 Sheilagh M. Kesting BA BD DD
- 2008 David W. Lunan MA BD
- 2009 William C. Hewitt BD DipPS
- 2010 John Christie BSc BD
- 2011 A. David K. Arnott MA BD
- 2012 Albert O. Bogle BD MTh
- 2013 E. Lorna Hood OBE MA BD DD
- 2014 John Chalmers BD DD
- 2015 Angus Morrison MA BD PhD
- 2016 Russell Barr BA BD MTh DMin
- 2017 Derek Browning MA BD DMin
- 2018 Susan M. Brown BD DipMin
- 2019 Colin Sinclair BA BD
- 2020 W. Martin Fair BA BD DMin
Family Connections
- William Wishart - father of George Wishart
- William Hamilton - father of Robert Hamilton
- Alexander Gerard - father of Gilbert Gerard
- Robert Liston - father-in-law to Hugh Meiklejohn
- George Hill - father of Alexander Hill and maternal uncle of George Cook
- James MacKnight - father to Thomas MacKnight
- John Cook - brother-in-law of George Hill, father of George Cook, grandfather of John Cook
- Matthew Leishman - father to Thomas Leishman
- Thomas F. Torrance - father to Iain Torrance
- John Rankine - father-in-law of Archibald Scott
Moderators who were later Moderators of the Free Church
- Thomas Chalmers - Moderator of Free Church in 1843
- Patrick MacFarlan - Moderator of Free Church in 1845
- Angus Makellar - Moderator of the Free Church in 1852
Note
- DD - Doctor of Divinity. See also List of post-nominal letters.