Alexander Hewat
Who was Alexander Hewat?
First historian of South Carolina and Georgia
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Alexander Hewat (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Alexander Hewat (1739–1824) was born in Roxburgh, Scotland, and became the first important historian of South Carolina and Georgia. He studied at Kelso High School and the University of Edinburgh, learning the ideas of the Scottish Enlightenment before starting his career in the ministry. He moved to South Carolina, where he worked as a Presbyterian minister in Charleston, getting deeply involved in the local society and history, which he would later write about.
Hewat is best known for his two-volume book, An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, published in London in 1779. This was the first serious historical study of the two colonies, based on his firsthand observation, experience, and documents he accessed while living there. The book covers the development of the colonies from their early settlement up to the mid-eighteenth century, looking at their political, economic, and social changes with an unusual amount of scholarly attention for that time.
As the American Revolution heated up, Hewat's support for the British Crown put him in a tough spot. He stayed loyal to Britain even as most colonists turned against it. This loyalty led to serious problems for him in South Carolina. In 1777, colonial authorities took his property and expelled him. He went back to Britain, where he returned to his clerical work and continued writing.
After being expelled, Hewat settled in Scotland and later in England, living there until he died in 1824 at age eighty-four. Despite the forced departure from America, his historical writing is still a crucial source for scholars studying the colonial history of South Carolina and Georgia. While his Loyalist views sometimes affected his interpretations, they also offer a unique perspective that adds to the accounts by those who supported the Revolution.
Hewat's life reflected the struggles of a time when the connection between Britain and its American colonies was breaking apart. As both a minister and historian, he had a special role in colonial Charleston society, and his written work has lasted beyond the political disputes that marked his last years in America.
Before Fame
Alexander Hewat was born in 1739 in Roxburgh, in the Scottish Borders region, an area with a strong Presbyterian faith and a focus on education. He went to Kelso High School before studying at the University of Edinburgh, one of the top educational institutions in eighteenth-century Europe. During that time, Edinburgh was buzzing with Enlightenment ideas, and Hewat would have been exposed to the historical, philosophical, and scientific thoughts of the era.
After finishing his education, he joined the Presbyterian ministry and later moved to South Carolina to serve as a minister in Charleston. At that time, colonial Charleston was one of the richest and most culturally vibrant cities in British North America. Hewat's years there provided him with firsthand knowledge of colonial society, governance, and commerce. It was during this time, and due to his notable role in the community, that he embarked on the significant historical project he is well known for.
Key Achievements
- Authored An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, the first major historical work on those two colonies.
- Served as a Presbyterian minister in colonial Charleston, one of the most significant urban centers in British North America.
- Produced a detailed two-volume historical account that remains a valuable primary source for colonial historians.
- Educated at the University of Edinburgh, bringing Enlightenment scholarly methods to American colonial historiography.
- Recognized as the first historian of South Carolina and Georgia, establishing a foundation for subsequent historical scholarship on the region.
Did You Know?
- 01.Hewat's two-volume history was published in London in 1779, two years after he was expelled from South Carolina, meaning the work was completed in exile.
- 02.His history of South Carolina and Georgia is considered a primary source document as well as a historical narrative, since Hewat drew directly on his years of residence in colonial Charleston.
- 03.Hewat's property in South Carolina was confiscated by colonial authorities in 1777 specifically because of his declared Loyalist stance during the American Revolution.
- 04.He lived to the age of eighty-four, surviving long enough to see the United States become an established nation whose early colonial history he had helped document.
- 05.Hewat was educated at the University of Edinburgh during the height of the Scottish Enlightenment, a period that shaped an entire generation of thinkers, writers, and historians.