Norman Maclean

Born on May 3, 1869, on the Isle of Skye, he became a Church of Scotland minister and spent much of his career in pastoral work. He was licensed to preach in 1892, served early on in Kyleakin and Benbecula, and later became minister of St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh, one of the city's best-known congregations.

Alongside his church work, he wrote a steady stream of religious and reflective books, including Dwellers in the Mist, Stand Up, Ye Dead, and later autobiographical volumes such as The Former Days and Set Free. His writing was shaped by faith, memory, and a strong sense of place, especially the Scottish Highlands.

In 1927 he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. After retiring from St Cuthbert's in 1936, he spent time in Jerusalem, where his views on the restoration of a Jewish homeland became controversial. He died on January 15, 1952.