Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
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The Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is responsible for minute-keeping, correspondence and other documentation with regards to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
The Principal Clerk is an ordained minister within the Church of Scotland, who leaves parish ministry to take up the full time appointment of Principal Clerk.
Since the General Assembly is heavily dependent on them, Clerks can often carry some considerable influence beyond their strict remit. They are often found representing the Church of Scotland at events, or accompanying the Moderator of the General Assembly in their role to events and meetings.[1]
The principal clerk to the General Assembly holds a full-time position. Until 2010 the position of deputy clerk was also a full-time post but it has now reverted to being a part-time appointment. The clerks work together with the Procurator and the Solicitor of the Church to ensure the legal correctness of the actions of the Assembly.
There have been around 40 clerks of the General Assembly since the role began in the 1570s.[2]
List of Principal Clerks
Below is a list of Principal Clerks of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
- Thomas Nicholson (1596–1600's)[3][4]
- Andrew Ker (1600's)[5]
- Sir Archibald Johnston (1638–?)
- John Park (1694)
- John Bannantyne (1695–1700)
- David Dundas (1701–1703)
- John Dundas (1703–1731)
- William Grant (1731–1745)
- Dr. George Wishart (1746–1785?)[5]
- James Hogg (1762)[5]
- John Drysdale (1778–1788)[5]
- Prof. Andrew Dalzell (1789–1807) [the first layman to hold the role][5]
- Alexander Carlyle (1789)
- Andrew Duncan (1807–1827)[5]
- Dr. John Lee (1827–1835)[5]
- Alexander Lockhart Simpson (1859–1861)[5]
- John Cook (1862–1874)[5]
- Dr. John Tulloch (1875)[6][7]
- William Milligan (1876–?)[7]
- Robert Herbert Story (1895–1898)[7]
- Norman Macleod (1907–1911)[8]
- David Paul (1912–1926)[7]
- Thomas Caldwell (1949–1953)[9]
- James Boyd Longmuir (1953–1972)
- Donald Farquhar Macleod MacDonald (1972–1985)[10]
- James Weatherhead (1985–1996)
- Finlay MacDonald (1996–2010)
- John Chalmers (2010–2017)
- George Whyte (2017–2022)[2]
- Fiona Smith (2022–2025)[11]
- Alistair May (2026–)[12]