[1] He attended school in Jedburgh then went to Edinburgh University to study divinity alongside Edward Irving.
In 1851 he stood unsuccessfully for the Greek chair at Edinburgh University, losing to John Stuart Blackie.
[2] In 1866 he received an honorary doctorate (LLD) from his alma mater, recognising his contributions to scholastic literature.
He rented rooms in Edinburgh and had a holiday cottage in Langton to the south.
He is buried in a southern section of Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh.