Rev. Dr Thomas Davidson

Rev. Dr Thomas Davidson was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who assumed the surname Davidson upon inheriting his uncle's Muirhouse estate. Born at Inchture to a ministerial family, he studied at Glasgow and Leyden before being ordained in 1771. He served churches in Inchture, Glasgow's Outer High Church, Lady Yester's Church in Edinburgh, and finally the Tolbooth Church from 1785. Known as a zealous preacher and generous benefactor, he supported public charities and struggling divinity students throughout his career. Despite poor health in his later years, he continued advocating for church matters, notably opposing the reduction of churches in Edinburgh's Old Town shortly before his death. He married twice—first to Provost Anderson's sister and then to Lord Cockburn's sister—and was succeeded by his son Captain William Davidson. He died at Muirhouse in October 1827.