Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Ure, David
URE, DAVID (d. 1798), geologist, born at Glasgow, was the son of a weaver in that city. His father dying while he was still young, he was compelled to labour at his trade for the support of his mother. Resolving to enter the ministry, he obtained an education at the city grammar school, and afterwards at the university of Glasgow, where he graduated M.A. in 1776. His industry was great; he worked at his trade almost all night, studying his books while toiling at the loom. At the university he was a great favourite with the Greek professor, James Moor [q. v.] Dissuaded by him from wasting his energies on the first objects of his enthusiasm, perpetual motion and the philosopher's stone, he turned his attention to the undeveloped science of geology. While a student in divinity he was for some time assistant schoolmaster at Stewarton, and afterwards he taught a subscription school in the neighbourhood of Dumbarton. On 11 June 1783 he was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Glasgow, and afterwards became assistant to David Connell, minister of East Kilbride in Lanarkshire. During his residence in the parish he made careful researches into its history, and devoted himself more especially to the study of its mineral strata. He published the results of his labours in a volume entitled ‘The History of Rutherglen and East Kilbride’ (Glasgow, 1793, 4to), a work worthy especial notice as containing one of the first attempts to deal with the geological features of a small district in a scientific manner. On the death of Connell on 13 June 1790, Ure had some expectation of being appointed his successor, but, finding the parish not unanimous, he set off for Newcastle on foot, and acted for some time as assistant in the presbyterian church in the town. He remained there until he attracted the attention of Sir John Sinclair (1754–1835) [q. v.], who employed him in preparing the first sketches of the agricultural surveys of the counties of Roxburgh, Dumbarton, and Kinross for his ‘Statistical Account of Scotland.’ Ure's treatises were published separately by the London board of agriculture, the first two in 1794 and the last in 1797. He superintended the publication of several of the later volumes of the ‘Statistical Account’ and drew up the general indices. In appreciation of his labours in December 1795 he was presented by David Stewart, earl of Buchan, to the parish of Uphall in Linlithgow. He was ordained on 14 July 1796, and died unmarried on 28 March 1798 at Uphall.
[Scots Mag. 1808, pp. 903–5; Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scotican. I. i. 206; Chambers's Biogr. Dict. of Eminent Scotsmen, 1870; Addison's Roll of Glasgow Graduates, 1898.]