Henry Edgar

Henry Edgar (2 April 1698 – 22 August 1765) was a Scottish Episcopal minister who served as the Bishop of Fife from 1762 to 1765.

The Right Reverend Henry Edgar
Bishop of Fife
Church	Scottish Episcopal Church
Diocese	Fife
In office	1762-1765
Predecessor	Robert White
Successor	Vacant see
Orders
Consecration	18 October 1759 by Robert White
Personal details
Born	2 April 1698 Keithock, Scotland
Died	22 August 1765 (aged 67) Arbroath, Scotland
Buried	Arbroath Abbey
Nationality	Scottish
Denomination	Anglican
Previous post	Coadjutor Bishop of Fife (1759-1761)

Styles of Henry Edgar
Reference style	The Right Reverend
Spoken style	My Lord or Bishop

He was born in Keithock, near Brechin, and baptised on 2 April 1698, the son of David Edgar and Elizabeth Guthrie.[1][2] He was educated at Marischal College, Abedeen from 1712 to 1714.[1] He married Barbara Rait (1692–1774), daughter of the Reverend William Rait, Incumbent of Monikie, and Isobel Yeaman, and sister of the Right Reverend James Rait, Bishop of Brechin.[1]

His first pastoral appointments were as assistant minister (1727–29) and then Incumbent (1729–32) at Careston, followed by as the Incumbent of Arbroath (1732–65); a post he held until his death.[1] After the Jacobite rising of 1745, Edgar was arrested for not praying for King George II but the case dismissed by the local magistrates after he said that he had "prayed for the King".[1]

He was appointed coadjutor bishop of Fife and consecrated at Cupar on 18 October 1759 by Robert White, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, with bishops Falconer, Rait, and Alexander serving as co-consecrators.[1][2][3] Following the death of Robert White in 1761, Edgar became Bishop of Fife on 24 June 1762.[1]

He died in office in Arbroath on 22 August 1765, aged 67, and was buried in the grounds of Arbroath Abbey.[1][2]

References

1. Bertie 2000, Scottish Episcopal Clergy, p. 38.
2. Gordon 1867, Scotichronicon, volume 2, p. 293.
3. Keith 1824, An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops, p. 549.

Bibliography

• Bertie, David M. (2000). Scottish Episcopal Clergy, 1689–2000. Edinburgh: T & T Clark. ISBN 0567087468.
• Gordon, J. F. S. (1867). Scotichronicon: Comprising Bishop Keith's Catalogue of Scottish Bishops. Volume 2. Glasgow: John Tweed.
• Keith, Robert (1824). Russel, Michael (ed.). An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down To The Year 1688. Edinburgh: Printed for Bell and Bradfute.