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Papers of Earle Monteith MacPhail (1861-1937), Professor of History and Economics, Madras Christian College

 Fonds
Identifier: MS MCP

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Lecture notes taken during classes at New College, Edinburgh, 1883-1890. 16 quarto exercise books. Notes are written by Earle Monteith MacPhail, apart from in instances specifically noted. Earle MacPhail was the son of Rev. James Calder MacPhail, minister of Pilrig. Earle gives his address as Pilrig Manse in the front of each notebook. Some notebooks bear a stamp in the back, indicating that they were part of a student notebook offer run by Gardiner’s Stationers on South Bridge and Teviot Place, Edinburgh.

MS MCP 1: Notes on Hebrew, session 1883-1884. Professor giving lectures not identified. Title page dated 8 November 1883. The volume begins with a grammar which is split into 8 numbered sections, and the rest of the pages are blank. Several draft assignments and exercised graded in red ink are laid in towards the rear of the volume. (Old ref. MS MCP 10)

MS MCP 2: Notes on the Psalms, 1883-1884. Professor giving lectures identified as Rev. Dr. Andrew Bruce Davidson. Contents covers Psalms i-xxiv. (Old ref. MS MCP 6)

MS MCP 3: Notes on Natural Science Class and on Peter the Great, session 1883-1884, volume 2. Professor giving lectures identified as Professor John Duns, FRSE. The first section is made up of numbered entries, span 7 January 1884 – 22 January 1884. The second section is an extended essay on Peter the Great, and his prominence in the history of Russia. (Old ref. MS MCP 12)

MS MCP 4: Untitled notebook, with lecture notes relating to the history of doctrine. Professor giving lectures not identified. The first two entries date 6 November 1884 and 7 November 1884, but the rest of the volume spans 15 November 1888 to 8 March 1889. Several items laid in, including some loose notes, a letter to Rev. J. A. Bain regarding an advert in the Theological Review, and another copy of a lecture schedule for ‘A series of Open Conferences on the Conduct of Public Worship'. (Old ref. MS MCP 13)

MS MCP 5: Notes on Systematic Theology, session 1884-1885. Professor giving lectures identified as Professor John Laidlaw, D.D. Entries span 13 January 1885 to 18 March 1885 – although this final entry is blank after the title, so the last full set of notes is from 16 March 1885. A graded assignment is laid in to the entry for 10 January 1885. (Old ref. MS MCP 9)

MS MCP 6: Notes on Senior Dogmatic Theology, session 1887-1888. Professor giving lectures identified as Professor John Laidlaw, D.D. Entries span 3 November 1887 to 18 November 1888. Large sections of the volume remain blank, with pencil notes on Soteriology and Christ’s Authority, and a short ink section on Eschatological questions near the rear. Final pages are made up of statistical notes relating to Madura, Vizianagaram and Rajahmundry. These final notes are in MacPhail’s hand, but appear unconnected to the rest of the volume. (Old ref. MS MCP 8)

MS MCP 7/1: Church History, session 1887-1888, volume 1. Professor giving lectures not identified. Entries span 21 November 1887 to 23 January 1888. Lectures are accompanied by explanatory notes indicating whether they were spoken or written. MacPhail’s lecture notes for 15 December 1887 are incomplete, and are supplemented by notes copied from Robert S. Simpson.(Old ref. MS MCP 4/1)

MS MCP 7/2: Church History, session 1887-1888, volume 2. Professor giving lectures not identified. Entries span 25 January 1888 to 9 March 1888. Lectures are accompanied by explanatory notes indicating whether they were spoken or written. MacPhail’s lecture notes from 25 January 1888 are copied from Murdo Mackenzie.(Old ref. MS MCP 4/2)

MS MCP 7/3: Church History, session 1887-1888, volume 3. Professor giving lectures not identified. Entries span 12 March 1888 to 23 March 1888 – although this final entry is blank, so the last full set of notes is from 21 March 1888.(Old ref. MS MCP 4/3)

MS MCP 8: Notes on Church History; Historical Facts, session 1887-1888. Professor giving lectures not identified. Entries span 24 November 1887 to 16 February 1888.(Old ref. MS MCP 7)

MS MCP 9/1: Notes on Church History Lectures, session 1888-1889, volume 1. Professor giving lectures identified as Very Rev. Dr. Robert Rainy, during his tenure as Principal. Entries span 12 November 1888 to 14 December 1888. (Old ref. MS MCP 1)

MS MCP 9/2: Notes on Church History Lectures, session 1888-1889, volume 2. Professor giving lectures identified as Very Rev. Dr. Robert Rainy, during his tenure2as Principal. Entries span 17 December to 20 February 1889. (Old ref. MS MCP 1)

MS MCP 9/3: Notes on Church History Lectures, session 1888-1889, volume 3. Professor giving lectures identified as Very Rev. Dr. Robert Rainy, during his tenure as Principal. Entries span 20 February 1889 to 21 March 1889. Most notes are written directly into the notebook, but those from 12 March 1889 are adhered in out of sequence and from another source.(Old ref. MS MCP 3)

MS MCP 10: Notes on the Church, session 1888-1889. Professor giving lectures identified as Rev. Prof. William Garden Blaikie. Entries span 13 November 1888 to 4 March 1889. A lecture schedule for ‘A series of Open Conferences on the Conduct of Public Worship’ is laid in. The second half of the volume is blank, but several pages have been cut from close to the end. (Old ref. MS MCP 11)

MS MCP 11/1: New Testament Exegesis, session 1889-1890, volume 1. Professor giving lectures not identified. Contents covers the first 10 chapters of the Gospel of John. Entries are continuous, rather than dated. A set of 20 questions on the history of the canon is laid in Chapter IV.(Old ref. MS MCP 5/1)

MS MCP 11/2: New Testament Exegesis, session 1889-1890, volume 2. Professor giving lectures identified as Rev. Dr. Marcus Dods. Volume is split into two parts. In the first part, entries are dated and span 29 November 1889 to 14 March 1890. A printed table of discourses and miracles within the Gospels is laid in at lecture VIII, 14 March 1890. In the second part, contents is undated, and covers chapters 10 through 21 of the Gospel of John. A lecture from 4 March 1890 is written in pencil from the back.(Old ref. MS MCP 5/2)

Dates

  • Creation: 1883-1890

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Generally open for consultation to bona fide researchers at Centre for Research Collections, University of Edinburgh Main Library, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LJ. Contact repository in advance: is-crc@ed.ac.uk

Full Extent

16 items

Language of Materials

English