1746–1798

Introduction

portrait

Born: Sep­tem­ber 18, 1746, White­hill, Cair­nie, Ab­er­deen­shire, Scot­land.

Died: June 12, 1798, Ca­nis­bay, Caith­ness, Scot­land.

Buried:

It is mor­ti­fy­ing to think that not ev­en a com­mon slab in­di­cates the spot where re­pos­es the dust of one of the best po­ets of the Church of Scot­land.

James T. Cal­der
Sketch of the Ci­vil and Tra­di­tion­al History of Caith­ness from the 10th Cen­tu­ry, 2nd edi­tion (Wick: W. Rae, 1887)

In the Church of Scot­land in Cair­nie, Ab­er­deen­shire, a plaque reads:

Sacred to the Memory of
THE REV. JOHN MORRISON D.D.
Poet and Divine.
Born at Whitehill, Cairney, 18th Sept. 1746
Ordained Minister of the Par­ish of Canisbay,
26th Sept. 1780; Died there, 12th June 1798.
To him the Church of Scotland owes
Seven of the finest of her
Paraphrases:—
XIX,XXI,XXVII,XXVIII,XXIX,XXX,&XXV.
In Gratitude for which this Tablet
Was erected by the Church Guilds of
His native parish and other friends.
His power increasing still shall spread.
His reign no end shall know;
Justice shall guard his throne above,
And peace abound below. - Par. XIX.6.

Morison gra­du­at­ed from King’s Col­lege, Ab­er­deen, be­fore se­ver­al teach­ing jobs in Caith­ness He then stu­died Greek at Ed­in­burgh.

He was or­dained in 1780, and was soon in­volved at the As­sem­bly in re­vis­ing Trans­la­tions and Pa­ra­phras­es. He al­so wrote po­ems that ap­peared in the Ed­in­burgh Week­ly.

Sources

Lyrics

  1. Come, Let Us to the Lord Our God
  2. Race That Long in Dark­ness Pined, The
  3. To Us a Child of Hope Is Born
  4. ’Twas on That Night When Doomed to Know