William Annand (1633 - 1689), dean of Edinburgh

William was born at Ayr, Scotland, and was the son of the minister there, William Annand. The family migrated to Kent in the 1640s where William senior was vicar of Sailing, Kent in 1839, Throwley, Kent in 1649 and rector of Leaveland, Kent.

William junior was sent to University College, Oxford in 1651 and matriculated in 1652. He began ministry in 1656 at Weston on the Green, Oxfordshire, and after this he became vicar of Leighton Buzzard. In 1661 he published Fides Catholica, or, The Doctrine of the Catholick Church.

In 1662 he returned to Scotland, becoming the chaplain to the earl of Middleton, the royal commisioner in the parliament which restored episcopacy in Scotland. On 1st February 1663 he was appointed minister of Tolbooth, Edinburgh.

On 14th January 1670 William married Helen Lundie the daughter of John Lundie of Auchtermairnie. He transferred in 1672 to Tron Kirk and on 19th May 1676 he was collated dean of Edinburgh. In this role he was present on the scaffold at the execution of the earl of Argyll in 1685, and received from the earl 'his paper' (presumably the apology for the earls actions).

He died in Edinburgh 13th June 1689, and had outlived his wife and his daughter Barbara.