Reverend William Proudfoot 1788-1851

An outstanding Presbyterian missionary and church leader, William Proudfoot was born near Peebles, Scotland and educated at the University of Edinburgh. Ordained in 1813, he served in Scotland until 1832 when he came to Upper Canada. A year later, he settled in London. An energetic, authoritative man, Proudfoot made numerous preaching tours and organized congregations and missionary stations throughout Upper Canada and in the United States. In 1834, he founded the Missionary Presbytery of the Canadas in connection with the United Secession Church of Scotland and, in 1844, he opened a divinity school in London to train Canadian clergy. Proudfoot wrote exclusively on religious and secular matters, and his diaries and letters provide a valuable account of 19th-century life in Upper Canada.

Missionnaire et chef religieux exceptionnel, William Proudfoot naquit près de Peebles, en Ecosse. Eduqué à l’Université d’Edimbourg, ordonné en 1813, il servit en Ecosse jusqu’en 1832 puis vint au Haut-Canada. Une année plus tard, il s’installa à London. Homme énergique et d’autorité, Proudfoot effectua de nombreuses tournées de predication et organisa des congregations et des missions à travers le Haut-Canada et aux Etats-Unis. En 1834, il fonda le Missionary Presbytery of the Canadas, relié à la United Secession Church of Scotland et, en 1844, il ouvrit un séminaire à London pour former le clergé canadien. Proudfoot écrivit beaucoup sur les questions religieuses et séculieres’ son journal et sa correspondance fournissent des renseignements précieux sur la vie au 19e siècle au Haut-Canada.