John Somerville (minister)

John Somerville (1774–1837) was an early 19th century Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland who also had sporting links to curling.

[1] Born on the Dalmeny estate (west of Edinburgh) in 1774, Somerville was an agricultural worker in the employ of Neil Primrose, the Earl of Rosebery.

[2] In 1801 he began teaching Classics at George Heriot's School in central Edinburgh and became "House Governor" in 1805 with a reputation for "a happy mixture of severity and gentleness" and was a popular master.

[2] In August 1822 he was the minister who served at the laying of the foundation stone of the National Monument, Edinburgh a massive public ceremony headed by King George IV.

In 1824, following the loss of a friend in a hunting accident, he invented and patented one of the world's first safety catches for use on flintlock weapons.