Alexander Gordon (bishop of Aberdeen)

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Alexander Gordon (died 1518) was a late medieval Scottish churchman. He was member of the kindred of the Earl of Huntly, being cousin to the reigning earl. He was the third son of James Gordon, Laird of Haddo. [1]

Kingdom of Scotland Historic sovereign kingdom in the British Isles from the 9th century to 1707

The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England. It suffered many invasions by the English, but under Robert I it fought a successful War of Independence and remained an independent state throughout the late Middle Ages. In 1603, James VI of Scotland became King of England, joining Scotland with England in a personal union. In 1707, the two kingdoms were united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain under the terms of the Acts of Union. Following the annexation of the Northern Isles from the Kingdom of Norway in 1472 and final capture of the Royal Burgh of Berwick by the Kingdom of England in 1482, the territory of the Kingdom of Scotland corresponded to that of modern-day Scotland, bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest.

Laird Scottish gentry title

Laird is a generic name for the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate, roughly equivalent to an esquire in England, yet ranking above the same in Scotland. In the Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranks below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank is only held by those lairds holding official recognition in a territorial designation by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. They are usually styled [name] [surname] of [lairdship], and are traditionally entitled to place The Much Honoured before their name.

Contents

Career

From at least 1504, probably earlier, until 1516, he was Precentor (chanter) of the diocese of Moray. [2]

A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is præcentor, from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before".

Chanter part of the bagpipes

The chanter is the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder. On more elaborate bagpipes, such as the Northumbrian bagpipes or the Uilleann pipes, it also may have a number of keys, to increase the instrument's range and/or the number of keys it can play in. Like the rest of the bagpipe, they are often decorated with a variety of substances, including metal (silver/nickel/gold/brass), bone, ivory, or plastic mountings.

Diocese of Moray

The Diocese of Moray was one of the most important of the medieval dioceses in Scotland.

From 1507 until he became Bishop of Aberdeen in 1514 he was the Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland.

Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland Wikimedia list article

The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal. The office has remained unfilled since the death of Gavin, Marquess of Breadalbane in 1922.

After the death of William Elphinstone (d. 24 October 1514), the canons of Aberdeen prepared to elect a successor. According to later tradition, Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly, arrived and pressured the canons to elect his own cousin, the Precentor of Moray. [3]

William Elphinstone Roman Catholic bishop

William Elphinstone was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.

Canon (priest) Ecclesiastical position

A canon is a member of certain bodies subject to an ecclesiastical rule.

Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman. He was a member of Parliament, a member of the Privy Council, a regent and Lieutenant of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, at Rome Pope Leo X had provided Robert Forman, dean of Glasgow, to the vacant see, while at the same time the Duke of Albany had nominated one James Ogilvie, who quickly became Abbot of Dryburgh instead. Forman was persuaded by his brother Andrew Forman, Archbishop of St Andrews, to yield his claim to Gordon upon the promise of the next vacancy. [4]

Pope Leo X Pope from 1513 to 1521

Pope Leo X, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was pope from 9 March 1513 to his death in 1521.

Duke of Albany

Duke of Albany was a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Windsor.

James Ogilvie [Ogilvy] was a late medieval Scottish prelate. After the death of William Elphinstone, the bishopric of Aberdeen became vacant. Ogilvy was nominated for the vacancy by John Stewart, Duke of Albany. At Rome however, Pope Leo X provided Robert Forman to the vacant see, while the canons of Aberdeen elect Alexander Gordon, allegedly under pressure from the latter's cousin Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly.

Death

He died on 30 June 1518. [5] It is possible that he eventually received the ritual of consecration, [1] though it is not very likely, although he was clearly ruling bishop for 3 years or over. [2]

Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word consecration literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups. The origin of the word comes from the Latin stem consecrat, which means dedicated, devoted, and sacred. A synonym for to consecrate is to sanctify; a distinct antonym is to desecrate.

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References

  1. 1 2 Keith, Historical Catalogue, p. 119.
  2. 1 2 Watt, Fasti Ecclesiae, p. 225.
  3. Dowden, Bishops of Scotland, p. 135, quoting John Spottiswoode (i. 209).
  4. Dowden, Bishops of Scotland, pp. 135-6; Innes, Registrum, pp. li-ii.
  5. Innes, Registrum, p. lii; Watt, Fasti Ecclesiae, p. 3.

Sources

Political offices
Preceded by
William Elphinstone
Bishop of Aberdeen
Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
15071514
Succeeded by
David, Abbot of Arbroath
Religious titles
Preceded by
Adam Gordon
Precentor of Moray
x 15041516
Succeeded by
Alexander Lyon
Preceded by
William Elphinstone
Bishop of Aberdeen
x 15151518
Succeeded by
Gavin Dunbar