Thomas Chalmers - the end of the trail

Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh. The north wall. A very scrappy looking gravestone for such a noted historical Scottish figure.

What I like about this contemporary description is the typical 19th century savouring of the details of mortality - like Keats (Ode to a Nightingale 1884) they were "half in love with easeful death"!

On 18 May 1843, 470 clergymen withdrew from the general assembly and constituted themselves the Free Church of Scotland, with Dr Chalmers as moderator. He had prepared a sustentation fund scheme for the support of the seceding ministers, and this was at once put into successful operation. On 28 May of last-mentioned year he returned to his house at Morningside, near Edinburgh, from a journey to London on the subject of national education. On the following day (Saturday) he was busily employed in preparing a report to the General Assembly of the Free Church, then sitting. On Sunday, the 30th, he continued in his usual health and spirits, and retired to rest with the intention of rising at an early hour to finish his report. The next morning he did not make his appearance, and no answer being returned on knocking, his room was entered, and he was discovered lying tranquilly in bed quite dead. He had evidently died in a moment, without pain or even consciousness. He was interred in the Grange Cemetery, whither an immense assemblage of persons of all denominations accompanied his remains to the grave. (Conversations Lexicon, published by Blackie & Son, 1883.)

There is in today's Scotland on Sunday a follow up to the great ponce debate. The Frame Game

And also in the same edition a great article on David Hume - maybe another mini-series on Edinburgh worthies (this time an atheist more or less, in order to maintain balance)