William Wilson

William Wilson (18 June 1808–14 January 1888) was a Scottish minister of the Free Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1866/67.

Life He was born in Westruther on 18 June 1808. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and befriended John Laird. They both then studied theology at Divinity Hall under Rev Dr Thomas Chalmers, graduating with an MA. Together with Robert McCheyne, Alexander Somerville, Horatius Bonar and Andrew Bonar they founded the Exegetical Society.

He was licensed to preach by the Church of Scotland and Presbytery of Lauder in 1833 but failed to find a patron, a then essential requirement and one of the main issues in the later establishment of the Free Church. While he awaited a patron he did parochial mission work south of the River Clyde in Glasgow. He also became editor of the Scottish Guardian: a twice weekly evangelical newspaper, in this period.

Wilson did much mission work and in 1863 was appointed Convenor of the Home Mission Committee for the Free Church, holding the post for ten years. In 1866 he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly. From 1888 he stepped down as the full-time minister of St Paul's and was replaced by his assistant, Richard Waterston, replaced in turn by Rev William Patrick during Wilson's life.

For his last 30 years he lived at 18 Afton Place in Dundee.

In 1877 the University of Edinburgh awarded him an honorary doctorate (DD).

In November 1887 he resigned all roles due to ill-health, and quickly became bed-ridden.

He died on 14 January 1888. He is buried in the Western Cemetery, Dundee.

Publications Statement of the Scriptural Argument against Patronage (Edinburgh, 1842) The Duty of Bringing Helpless Souls to Jesus (Dundee, 1850) The Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Edinburgh, 1859) The Heavenward Path (Edinburgh, 1862) Christ setting His Face towards Jerusalem (Dundee, 1878) Memorials of Robert Smith Candlish, D.D. (Edinburgh, 1880) The Presence of Christ in the Meetings of the Office-Bearers of His Church Free Church Principles [Chalmers Lecture] (1887) Christ's Gift to the Church and His Authority (1858). He edited Daniel Defoe's Memoirs of the Church of Scotland (Perth, 1844) and Stirling's Naphtali (Perth, 1845) Sermons XXII., CXXVI.; Lecture XIX. (Free Church Pulpit, i., ii.) Biography of David Welsh, D.D. (Disruption Worthies, Edinburgh, 1876) Account of the Parish (New Statistical Account Scotland, xi.).