he was consecrated in St. Andrew's Church, Aberdeen, on 30 Oct. He at once attacked the old abuses. He immediately addressed to his clergy a long circular pastoral letter, dated 18 Nov. 1808, recommending strict adherence to the English liturgy in every office of the church, except that of the Holy Communion. In 1810 he suggested a plan for enabling the clergy to improve their education. On 20 Aug. 1816 he was appointed primus, but failed to fulfil the promise of his ordinary episcopate. The chief cause of his comparative failure in administration was his persistent and abortive interference in diocesan elections. During 1820–3 Gleig contributed some able articles to the ‘Scottish Episcopal Magazine,’ the organ of his friend, Dr. Russell. In June 1823 he made another journey to London, and did what he could to forward a measure for securing the regium donum for the church. Increasing infirmities obliged him to send in his resignation of the primacy on 15 Feb. 1837. He died 9 March 1840, and was buried in a chapel attached to the Greyfriars Church, Stirling, which belongs to the Graham Moirs of Leckie. In 1789 he married Janet, widow of Dr. Fullton, and youngest daughter of Robert Hamilton of Kilbrackmont. By this lady, who died 15 June 1824 (Scots Mag. new ser. xv. 255), he had three sons and one daughter. He survived all his children except the youngest son, George Robert Gleig [q. v.]. Besides various sermons and charges Gleig was the author of:
- ‘Some Account of the Life and Writings of William Robertson … late Principal of the College of Edinburgh,’ 8vo (1812), prefixed or intended to be prefixed to an edition of Robertson's works.
- ‘Directions for the Study of Theology in a Series of Letters from a Bishop to his Son on his admission into Holy Orders,’ 8vo, 1837 (in great part a reprint from periodicals).
He likewise edited Jerome Lobo's ‘Voyage to Abyssinia,’ 8vo, 1789, and Thomas Stackhouse's ‘History of the Holy Bible,’ 4to, 1817. He was attacked for lax views upon original sin expressed in his edition of Stackhouse. His letters to Alexander Henderson of Edinburgh, from 1810 to 1818, are in the British Museum (Additional MS. 28960), as is also a single letter addressed in 1792 to John Douglas, bishop of Salisbury (Egerton MS. 2186, f. 62).
[Life by William Walker, incumbent of Monymusk (1878); Life by G. R. Gleig in Encycl. Brit. (8th edit.) x. 676–7, which is full of extraordinary inaccuracies; Life in Encycl. Brit. (9th edit.) x. 677.]
GLEIG, GEORGE ROBERT (1796–1888), chaplain-general of the forces, son of George Gleig [q. v.] bishop of Brechin, was born at Stirling 20 April 1796. His childhood was spent at his father's country house at the foot of the Ochill Hills. So delicate was he in his early years that his life was at one time despaired of. Gleig received his early education from his father, and was then sent to the Stirling grammar school. His lessons were mastered with unusual ease, and then he kept the class idle by telling stories. From the grammar school he was removed at the age of ten and placed under Dr. Russell at Leith. He finished his school course at thirteen, and was sent to Glasgow University. Gaining a Snell exhibition to Balliol College, he proceeded to Oxford in 1811, but soon resigned his exhibition to enter the army.
Gleig obtained an ensigncy in the 85th regiment, joined his company at the Cove of Cork, and served with it there until February 1813. The 85th was then remodelled, Gleig was promoted in the course of a few months, and went out to Spain as lieutenant. He served in the Peninsular campaigns of 1813 and 1814, being present at the siege of San Sebastian, the passage of the Bidassoa, the battle of the Nivelle, where he was twice wounded, the battle of the Nive, where he was again wounded, and the investment of Bayonne. When not on active duty he would amuse his comrades by the production of squibs and songs. For his services in the war he received the medal with three clasps. He afterwards served in the American war, and took part in the engagements at Bladensburg, Baltimore, New Orleans, the capture of Washington, and Fort Bowyer. He was thrice wounded in America.
After the battle of Waterloo Gleig went upon half-pay, and returned to Oxford to keep his terms in 1816. He proceeded B.A. from Magdalen Hall in 1818, and M.A. in 1821. In 1819 he married a ward of his father, and daughter of Captain Cameron the younger of Kinlochleven. He lived for twelve months at Rockliffe Hall, Cumberland, and prepared himself for taking orders. He was ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Manners Sutton) in 1820, and appointed to the curacy of Westwell in Kent, worth only 70l. per annum. In 1821 the archbishop presented him to the perpetual curacy of Ash, valued at 130l. per annum, and in 1822 added the rectory of Ivy Church, worth 250l. He tried to increase his income by taking pupils, but finding the interruption of domestic quiet intolerable, he gave up the scheme.
While curate of Westwell, Gleig wrote his ‘Campaigns of the British Army at Washington and New Orleans.’ In 1826 he sold his half-pay, and wrote ‘The Subaltern,’ which first appeared in ‘Blackwood's Maga-
