John Bruce

John Bruce (30 November 1794–4 August 1880) was a senior Scottish minister in the 19th century who held positions in the Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland. Life He was born in the manse at Forfar on 30 November 1794 the son of John Bruce, minister of Forfar, and his wife Mary Fergusson (died 1844). He was schooled at Forfar then attended Marischal College in Aberdeen gaining an MA in 1812. He studied divinity at the University of St Andrews. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Forfar in April 1817. In September 1818 he was ordained as minister of Guthrie Parish Church, a small and remote rural charge. In 1831 he translated to the New North Church in Edinburgh a very busy urban church, and a great contrast to Guthrie. It was one of the four parish churches contained within St Giles Cathedral; New North occupying the western quarter. Bruce then lived at 43 Lauriston Place, south of the church by . In 1837 he replaced Andrew Grant as minister of St Andrews Church on George Street in the New Town. The significance of this move is now less visible, as moving from the city cathedral to an outer parish now looks like a negative step. However, in the 1830s a New Town location represented a far more affluent congregation, than the largely poor congregation still inhabiting the Old Town. Whilst serving St Andrews he lived at 4 Queen Street a large Georgian townhouse immediately north of the church.