Peter Lorimer

Peter Lorimer (1812–1879) was a historian, religious author and minister of the Church of Scotland in London who became Moderator of the Synod of the English Presbyterian Church.

Life

He was born at 161 Rose Street in Edinburgh's First New Town in 1812, the son of John Lorimer, a master builder. He was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and then George Heriot's School. He won a bursary to Edinburgh University in 1827.

He was licensed to preach as a minister of the Church of Scotland by the Presbytery of Edinburgh. In September 1837 the Church sent him to one of the Scots Churches in London: Chadwell Street and Islington. He attended the Presbyterian Synod at Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1843. Returning to London in 1844 he was offered the chair in Theology at the English Presbyterian College. In 1851 he was elected Moderator of the English Presbyterian Synod. In 1857 the University Of New Jersey awarded him a Doctor of Divinity.

Family In 1840 he married Hannah Fox (1817-1884) of Whitehaven. They had a son John Archibald Lorimer (b.1847) a surgeon in Farnham and a daughter Annie Lorimer who married James Austin, a barrister.

Publications Healthy Religion Exemplified in the Life of Andrew Jack of Edinburgh (1852) Precursors of Knox (1857) The Scottish Reformation, a Historical Sketch (1860) The Function of the Four Gospels (1869) A Good and Faithful Servant (1871) John Knox and the Church of England (8 vols 1875) The Scottish Reformation: A Historical Sketch Patrick Hamilton, the First Preacher and Martyr of the Scottish Reformation

Artistic recognition

He was portrayed by John Pettie.