Son of Rev. David Blinshall (1668-1765), Minister of Lamington. He studied at Aberdeen and was licensed by the Presbytery of Biggar in 1744. From 1758 until 1764 he was Minister of the English Church in Amsterdam, before being appointed to St. Paul's in Dundee, a position he held until his death. In 1791 he organized a "Petition to the town council of Dundee concerning the necessity for establishing an infirmary in the town." and upon his death bequeathed £25 to the Dundee Infirmary.
Blinshall Street in Dundee is named after him.1
Boswell met Dr. Blinshall in Amsterdam on May 25, 1764, describing him as "a hearty, honest fellow, knowing and active, but Scotch to the very backbone". They dined together that same evening, Blinshall "talk[ing] of religious melancholy like a good sound fellow". Boswell went to Blinshall's sermon on the next day, which only served to rekindle his old gloomy presbyterian thoughts.
Blinshall's "'A sermon on the evidence of the future publication of the Gospel to all nations" was published by William Gray in 1780. It is available as print-on-demand via [Abebooks].