James Aitken Wylie

1808-1890

Was ordained at the Secessionist Church in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in 1831. In 1846 he left the church to become sub-editor of the The Witness, under Hugh Miller. In 1852, after joining the Free Church of Scotland, Wylie edited their Free Church Record, a role which he continued until 1860. He published his book The Papacy: its History, Dogmas, Genius, and Prospects in 1851, winning a prize of a hundred guineas from the Evangelical Alliance. The Protestant Institute appointed him Lecturer on Popery in 1860. He continued in this role until his death in 1890, publishing in 1888 his work The Papacy is the Antichrist. He died with his History of the Scottish Nation taken forward to 1286. Aberdeen University awarded him an honorary doctorate (LL.D.) in 1856.