Historian, Biographer, Minister of First Church, Belfast. ‘An Englishman by birth, a Scotsman by education and an Irishman by inclination’.
On Thursday, 22nd May, 2025, we had an illustrated talk in First Dunmurry (NS) Presbyterian Church about the great historian Alexander Gordon.
A distinguished minister in England and Ireland, he served at Aberdeen; Hope Street, Liverpool; Norwich and at First Church, Belfast, before becoming Principal of the Unitarian Home Missionary College, Manchester and a lecturer in Ecclesiastical History in the first Free Faculty of Theology in the British Isles.
His scholarship was widely acknowledged all over the world, contributing 778 entries to the Dictionary of National Biography, 39 articles to the eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and much more. A superb linguist and experienced traveller his researches took him all over Europe. Among other things he was closely involved in the creation of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland in 1910.
The talk looks at his education, his work as a biographer and historian, and his commitment to the churches in Ireland which he served as secretary to the Association of Irish Non-Subscribing Presbyterians and later being closely involved in the setting up of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland itself.
He was a distinguished minister at First Church but even after leaving for Manchester kept a very close connection with the Irish churches, particularly through Dunmurry where he was regarded as the unpaid curate of his friend the Rev J.A. Kelly, despite the incredible heavy work load of his high profile work. From 1895 until the year of his death in 1931 he only missed one communion service at Dunmurry – and that was because of an unexpected train timetable change that left him stranded in Dublin one weekend during the First World War. For a very experienced traveller, particularly rail traveller, this must have been especially galling for Gordon. The lecture also looks at Alexander Gordon as a travel writer.
It examines too his family background, which was frequently touched by tragedy. But he inspired great loyalty and affection in the generations of students he trained for the ministry.
He was buried in Dunmurry, just a short time after he conducted his final service there on 18th January 1931.
velvethummingbee 
Dear David,
Many thanks for this. He was obviously a force to be reckoned with. Where did these guys get their energy?
I very much like the group photo, and I wonder if you have the names of the men in it. How smartly dressed they are! As well as Alexander himself, the only other names I recognise are of the one immediately to Alexander’s left, arms folded, who I think is Herbert McLachlan.
Then, behind Herbert, somewhat more casually dressed, I think is the notorious Victor Grayson, about whom Leonard Smith and others wrote a few years ago.
They don’t make ’em like that any more!
See you at MOSA?
John.
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Hi John,
I photographed that picture, I think from ‘Christian Life’, but I don’t have it handy. It will date from 1904 to 1906 because that is when Herbert McLachlan and Victor Grayson overlapped as students. The only other person I can name is is the one on the right of AG – the Rev T.E. Manning who was the OT tutor. It would be possible to work out who was who using Herbert McLachlan’s ‘Register of Students’. It probably dates from about 1906 because Herbert McLachlan looks like the senior student. He was another remarkable individual. When I get the chance I will try and put the names to the faces. It must have been an amazing time to be a student for the Unitarian ministry.
Yes, hope to see you at MOSA.
David
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Thanks for this, David. I’d be interested to know who the other students are, especially the one on the extreme left, sitting backwards on his chair!
John.
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Yes he’s a confident looking chap isn’t he? There is likely to be a Hungarian there and some ministers who served in Ireland. I will see what I can do for names. It must have been an amazing place in those days.
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