Rev. Murdo Macaulay was born
in Upper Carloway, Lewis, the eldest child of a family of four boys and two
girls. On the day of his birth the famous and saintly Mrs Maclver of
Carloway predicted that he was to be a minister of the Gospel. This
prediction, of which he had been informed, appeared to have no particular
bearing upon his early career. It was not until the great spiritual revival,
which began in the district of Carloway a few years before the outbreak of
the Second World War, that Mr Macaulay came to a saving knowledge of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever thoughts he may have entertained previously, it
was in a prisoner of war camp in Germany that he publicly made known his
decision to respond to his call to the ministry of the Free Church.
The Lord’s sovereignly in preparing him for the ministry could make
interesting reading. It included a full secondary education, a number of
years of military training, some years in business where he came to
understand the foibles of the public whom he had to serve, a graduation
course at Edinburgh University and a divinity Course in the Free Church
College.
Mr Macaulay has a studious mind, a retentive memory, and scholastic ability
for research. He has a good working knowledge of six languages, yet he is
more concerned about stating facts than about clothing them in attractive
language.
Statistical Accounts of the period treated are scanty in detail, and do not
cover certain areas. Records of Church Courts concern only their own
transactions. Anecdotes and peculiar incidents which have come down through
oral tradition required checking and rechecking in order to get the actual
facts. Present and future historians will appreciate this work, but it is
mainly written for the general public.
Norman MacLeod.
Aspects of the
Religious History of Lewis
Up to the Disruption of 1843 by Rev. Murdo MacAulay (1980) (pdf) |