BLAIR, John, an eminent chronologist, was educated at Edinburgh, whence he afterwards proceeded to London,
and was for some time usher of a school in Hedge-Lane. In 1754 he presented to the world his valuable work, The Chronology and History of the World, from the Creation to the year of Christ 1753. This volume, which is dedicated to Lord Chancellor Hardwicke, was published by subscription, on account of the great expense of the plates. For this the author apologized in his preface, where he acknowledged great obligations to the Earl of Bath, and announced some chronological dissertations, in which he proposed to illustrate the disputed points, to explain the prevailing systems of chronology, and to establish the authorities upon which some of the particular eras depend. In January 1755 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1761 of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1756 he published a second edition of his Chronological Tables. In September 1757 he was appointed chaplain to the princess dowager of Wales, and mathematical tutor to the Duke of York; and on Dr Townshend's promotion to the deanery of Norwich, in 1761, the services of Dr Blair were rewarded with a prebend's stall in Westminster. The vicarage of Hinckley happening to fall vacant six days after, by the death of Dr Morris, Dr Blair was presented to it by the dean and chapter of Westminster; and in the August of that year he obtained a dispensation to hold with it the rectory of Burton Coggles in Lincolnshire. In September 1763 he attended his royal pupil the Duke of York in a tour to the Continent, when he had the satisfaction of visiting Lisbon, Gibraltar, Minorca, most of the principal cities in Italy, and several parts of France; after which he returned with the duke in August 1764. In 1768 he published an improved edition of his Chronological Tables, which he dedicated to the Princess of Wales, who had early expressed her approbation of the former edition. To the new edition were annexed fourteen maps of ancient and modern geography, for illustrating the tables of chronology and history; together with a Dissertation on the Progress of Geography. In March 1771 he was presented by the dean and chapter of Westminster to the vicarage of St Bride's in the city of London; which made it necessary for him to resign Hinckley, where he had never resided for any length of time. On the death of Mr Sims, in April 1776, he resigned St Bride's, and was presented to the rectory of St John the Evangelist in Westminster; and in June of the same year he obtained a dispensation to hold the rectory of St John, together with that of Horton, near Colebrook, Bucks. The fate of his brother Captain Blair, who fell gloriously in the service of his country in the memorable battle of the 12th April 1782, is believed to have accelerated his own death. Being at the time affected with an influenza, the disease continued to gain ground till it put a period to his life on the 24th of June 1782.