James Kirkwood (c.1650–1708 or 1709) was a Church of Scotland minister, advocate of free parish libraries, and promoter of Scottish Gaelic language literacy.
from Edinburgh University in 1670, and after passing his trials before the presbytery of Haddington became domestic chaplain to John Campbell, Earl of Caithness, by whom, on 12 May 1679, he was presented to the living of Minto.
Deprived of this benefice after 1 November 1681 for refusing to take the test, Kirkwood, as one of the "outed ministers", migrated to England, where, on 1 March 1685, through the friendship of Gilbert Burnet, he was instituted to the rectory of Astwick, Bedfordshire.
The Overture is traced to Kirkwood by means of a second tract, A Copy of a Letter anent a Project for Erecting a Library in every Presbytery, or at least every County in the Highlands.
From a Reverend Minister of the Scots Nation now in England (no place nor date), to which is appended the statement:[3] The author of this Letter is a person who has a great zeal for propagating the knowledge of God in the Highlands of Scotland, and is the same who promoted contributions for the printing of Bibles in the Irish language, and sent so many of them down to Scotland.The general assembly approved the project, but without further action.