Duncan, Henry, c 1843-1847

From a typed note pasted on the page: "Born in 1774, at the manse of Lochrutton. Son of George Duncan, minister of the parish. After studying for two sessions at St. Andrews Universty, Mr. Duncan became a clerk in a banking firm in Liverpool. In 1793 he resumed his studies for the ministry at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Ordained at Ruthwell, 1799. Married, 1805, Agnes Craig; and, 1836, Mary Gary or Lundie. In 1839 Dr. Duncan was Moderator of the General Assembly. Signed the Act of Separation and Deed of Demission. In 1810 his practical philanthrophy took a form which made his name known over the whole country. In that year the first savings bank was instituted ar Ruthwell, and by the indefatigable exertions of its founder, the merits of banks of the kind for popular use were speedily acknowledged by statesmen and philanthropists of all classes. To the antiquarian world Dr. Duncan rendered valued service by his discovery and restoration of the famous Ruthwell Runic Cross. In the field of geology there belongs to him the credit of having brought before geologists the footmarks of quadrupeds on the new red sandstone of Corncockle Muir, near Lochmaben. Few Disruption worthies made such sacrificies as the minister of Ruthwell. His manse, surrounded with garden and grounds which he had laid out with exquisite taste, was one of the finest residences of the kind in Scotland. But he cheerfully left the charming spot and took up his abode in a damp, unwholesome cottage by the highway side. On the appointment of a colleague and successor in 1845, Dr. Duncan removed with his family to Edinburgh; but returning early in the following year to visit his people, he was struck down while holding an evening prayer-meeting in the house of one of his old elders who had remained in the Establishment. He died on 12th February 1846. Publications.- The Cottage Fireside . William Douglas; or, The Scottish Exiles. The Sacred Philosophy of the Seasons (4 vols). Posthumous.- Memoir of Rev. Dr. Duncan, Ruthwell . By Rev. G. J. C. Duncan, his son. Dr. Duncan of Ruthwell . By Mrs. J. R. Hall, his great-grandaughter."