Alexander Hume

Alexander Hume (1558 – 4 December 1609) was a Scottish poet who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in the early 17th century.

He was born in 1558 the son of Patrick Hume (d.1599).

The brother of Patrick Hume of Polwarth, he was educated at the University of St. Andrews graduating in 1574 then studied Civil Law in Paris. He returned to Scotland in 1578 serving in the Court of Justice, but (ironically) found it too corrupt for his tastes and decided instead to devote himself to the service of the church, and became minister of Logie Kirk in Stirlingshire in 1597. This appears to have been at least partly supported by Alexander Home of North Berwick, Provost of Edinburgh. His stipend (or at least the bulk of it) appears to have been paid by his own father rather than by the church.