Highland Shepherd: James MacGregor, Father of the Scottish Enlightenment in Nova Scotia

by Alan Wilson

Overview

In 1786, the Reverend James MacGregor (1759–1830) was dispatched across the North Atlantic to establish a dissenting Presbyterian church in Pictou, Nova Scotia. The decision dismayed MacGregor, who had hoped for a post in the Scottish Highlands. Yet it led to a remarkable career in what was still the backwoods of colonial North America. Industrious and erudite, MacGregor established the progressive Pictou Academy, opposed slavery, and promoted scientific education, agriculture, and industry. Poet and translator, fluent in nine languages, he encouraged the preservation of the Gaelic language and promoted Scottish culture in Nova Scotia.

Highland Shepherd finally bestows on MacGregor the recognition that he so richly deserves. Alan Wilson brings MacGregor and his surroundings to life, detailing his numerous achievements and establishing his importance to the social, religious, and intellectual history of the Maritimes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442660755
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	07/27/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Alan Wilson is Professor Emeritus of History and Canadian Studies at Trent University.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements

Historiographical Introduction – by Barry Cahill

Presbyterian Organization Relating to Macgregor’s Life

Part 1: Getting There

Chapter 1: Awaiting the Verdict

Chapter 2: Honour Thy Father

Chapter 3: New Beginnings for Father and Son

Chapter 4: Glasgow and Alloa

Chapter 5: In Passage

Part 2: Adjusting

Chapter 6: Orienting

Chapter 7: Settling In and Broadening Out

Chapter 8: Letter to a Minister

Part 3: Missions

Chapter 9: On the Road

Chapter 10: Years of Trial

Part 4: Partnering

Chapter 11: A Threefold Cord and a Wedding

Chapter 12: East Side, West Side

Chapter 13: New Places, New Faces

Part 5: Community & Union

Chapter 14: Pictou & Progress

Chapter 15: Onward Christian Soldiers

Chapter 16: Last Calls

Chapter 17: Erring Shepherds

Chapter 18: The Dissenter as Moderator

Chapter 19: An Enduring Spirit

What People are Saying About This

Laurie Stanley-Blackwell

In Wilson’s hands, MacGregor, long heroized as Pictou’s Presbyterian patriarch, proves to be a compelling and charismatic figure, bold and brilliant, who involved himself in all facets of community life and mellowed under the influences of family and frontier. The fact that Wilson is able to navigate the dense forest of Maritime Canada’s early Presbyterian history without losing his readers in the underbrush of detail is a testament to his skill as a writer and storyteller.

David Marshall

Highland Shepherd is a fine portrait of the struggles and triumphs of an important minister in colonial Nova Scotia. It is an evocative and sensitive re-creation of MacGregor’s character and circumstance and an important contribution to the literature on the influence of Scottish thought, institutions, and culture within early Canadian society.

Editorial Reviews

‘Dr. Wilson is to be congratulated on a readable, informative, and fascinating treatment of a great and neglected Canadian original, giving James MacGregor his rightful place in the galaxy of Canadian pioneers.’

—Donald MacLeod, Haddington House Journal vol 19:2017

‘Wilson has done a fine job of demonstrating MacGregor’s importance as a pioneer and organizer of Presbyterianism in Nova Scotia… The book excels at sketching the hard life of a frontier preacher.’

—Andrew R. Holmes, Canadian Historical Review vol 98:03:2017

In Wilson’s hands, MacGregor, long heroized as Pictou’s Presbyterian patriarch, proves to be a compelling and charismatic figure, bold and brilliant, who involved himself in all facets of community life and mellowed under the influences of family and frontier. The fact that Wilson is able to navigate the dense forest of Maritime Canada’s early Presbyterian history without losing his readers in the underbrush of detail is a testament to his skill as a writer and storyteller.—Laurie Stanley-Blackwell, Department of History, Saint Francis Xavier University
Highland Shepherd is a fine portrait of the struggles and triumphs of an important minister in colonial Nova Scotia. It is an evocative and sensitive re-creation of MacGregor’s character and circumstance and an important contribution to the literature on the influence of Scottish thought, institutions, and culture within early Canadian society.—David Marshall, Department of History, University of Calgary

From the Publisher

'Wilson has done a fine job of demonstrating MacGregor's importance as a pioneer and organizer of Presbyterianism in Nova Scotia... The book excels at sketching the hard life of a frontier preacher.'

Canadian Historical Review vol 98:03:2017 - Andrew R. Holmes

'Dr. Wilson is to be congratulated on a readable, informative, and fascinating treatment of a great and neglected Canadian original, giving James MacGregor his rightful place in the galaxy of Canadian pioneers.'

Haddington House Journal vol 19:2017 - Donald MacLeod