William McGavin

William McGavin or M'Gavin (1773–1832) was a Scottish businessman and religious controversialist.

Life Born on 25 August 1773 at Darnlaw, in the parish of Auchinleck, Ayrshire, he was third son of James M'Gavin, farmer, by Mary M'Millan, a farmer's daughter of Muir-Kirk, in the same shire; the farm of Darnlaw belonged to James Boswell. In 1783 his father moved to Paisley. Almost entirely self-educated, McGavin in 1785 was bound apprentice to a weaver, but in 1790 he entered the service of John Neilson, then a Paisley printer and bookseller. During the three years that he remained there he studied English grammar and composition.

In 1793 McGavin went to assist his elder brother in running a school, of which he was soon given sole charge. About 1796 he set up a small thread business at Paisley, but was unsuccessful. In January 1799 he was engaged as bookkeeper to David Lamb, an American cotton merchant in Glasgow; to whose two sons he also acted as tutor. In 1803, on Lamb's return to America, the management of the business came into his hands, and on Lamb's death he entered in 1813 into partnership with his son. He also became an itinerant preacher and a director of religious societies at Glasgow.