Robert Wodrow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robert Wodrow |
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portrait from Eastwood
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| Personal details | |
| Born | April (or September) 1679 |
| Died | 21 March 1734 |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Occupation | minister |
Robert Wodrow (born 1679 – died 1734) was a Scottish minister and a very important historian. He is famous for writing about and defending the Covenanters. The Covenanters were a group of Scottish Presbyterians who supported the Church of Scotland's independence.
Robert Wodrow was born in Glasgow. His father, James Wodrow, was a professor who taught about religion at the University of Glasgow. Robert also studied at the university. He worked there as a librarian from 1697 to 1701. From 1703 until he passed away, he was the minister for the church in Eastwood, a town near Glasgow. He had many children, sixteen in total! One of his sons, Patrick, was even mentioned in a poem by the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Robert Wodrow's Life Story
Robert Wodrow was the youngest son of James Wodrow. His father was a professor of divinity at the University of Glasgow. Robert was born in Glasgow in April or September 1679. An interesting story about his birth is that soldiers were searching his family's house. They had orders to arrest his father. But his father managed to escape by swapping clothes with the doctor's assistant!
Robert started studying at the University of Glasgow in 1691. He earned his Master of Arts degree in 1697. After university, he worked as a chaplain for his relative, Sir John Maxwell. For several years, he was also the librarian for the University of Glasgow.
In 1703, he became a licensed minister and was officially appointed to the church in Eastwood. Robert was very involved in important church matters. In 1707, he helped a group of Presbyterians. They were trying to protect the Scottish church from problems that might come from Scotland joining with England to form Great Britain.
When King George I became king in 1714, Robert was a key advisor. He helped five ministers who went to London. They wanted to ask the King to remove a rule called "patronage." This rule allowed landowners to choose ministers for churches, which many people felt was unfair.
Robert also helped write an important church law in 1731. This law was about how to choose ministers for churches that didn't have one. This law later caused some disagreements within the church. Robert was a popular minister. He was asked to move to churches in Glasgow and Stirling several times, but he always chose to stay in Eastwood. He passed away on March 21, 1734.
Robert was very passionate about collecting historical information. Especially about the history of the Church of Scotland. He left behind many interesting handwritten documents. Many of these papers were later printed by groups like the Wodrow Society. These valuable documents are now kept in the Advocates Library and the University of Glasgow Library.
Robert Wodrow's Family
In November 1708, Robert Wodrow married Margaret. She was the widow of Ebenezer Veitch, who was a minister in Ayr. Margaret's father was Patrick Warner, a minister in Irvine. Robert and Margaret had many children:
- Janet (born 1710)
- Robert, who became the minister in Eastwood after his father
- Patrick, who became a minister in Tarbolton
- James (1730–1810), who was a minister in Stevenston, Ayrshire. James kept many letters he exchanged with his friend Samuel Kenrick. These letters are now being published in books.
- Alexander, who moved to America and owned land there. He passed away around the time of the first American War.
- Mary, who never married
- Margaret, who married Matthew Biggar, a minister in Kirkoswald
- Marion, who never married
- Martha
- Six other children who passed away when they were young.
Robert Wodrow's Writings
Robert Wodrow's most important book is called The History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution. It was published in two parts in 1721 and 1722. This book described and criticized the harsh treatment of the Covenanters. This happened after the king returned to power in 1660, a period known as the English Restoration. He wrote about what he called "The Killing Times," a very difficult period for the Covenanters.
Wodrow was one of the first historians to use official records and original papers from that time. He included many stories from people who lived through these events. His book became a record of the martyrs (people who died for their beliefs) of the Church of Scotland. The church later looked back at his work during other difficult times.
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland approved his book. It was even dedicated to King George I. The King recognized how important this book was. On April 26, 1725, he even approved a payment of 100 guineas to Wodrow from the government's money.
Wodrow also wrote a book about his father's life, published in 1828. He left two other important works as handwritten papers:
- Memoirs of Reformers and Ministers of the Church of Scotland: This book was about important religious leaders and ministers. Parts of it were published later by historical clubs.
- Analecta: or Materials for a History of Remarkable Providences, mostly relating to Scotch Ministers and Christians: This work collected stories about amazing events, mostly involving Scottish ministers and Christians. It was also published later.
Robert Wodrow also left behind a huge collection of letters. Three volumes of these letters were published in the 1840s. The Wodrow Society was created in Edinburgh to honor his memory. This society existed from 1841 to 1847 and published several books.
