John Wishart of Pitarrow

Last updated

Sir John Wishart of Pitarrow (died 1585) was a Scottish lawyer, courtier, comptroller of the exchequer, and rebel. [1]

Contents

Career

He was the eldest son of James Wishart of Cairnbeg in the parish of Fordoun in Aberdeenshire. His grandfather, James Wishart of Pittarrow had been clerk of the justiciary court and king's advocate. John succeeded his uncle, John Wishart, in the lands and barony of Pittarrow in 1545. Pittarrow is also often spelled "Pitarro".

On 14 March 1557 he joined Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll, Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn, the Lord James Stewart, and John Erskine of Dun, in signing a letter to John Knox, who was then at Geneva, inviting him to return to Scotland. [2] During the next few years Wishart continued one of the leading members of the Protestant party in Scotland. On 24 May 1559 they met at Perth to organise resistance to the queen regent Mary of Guise. Wishart and Erskine were chosen to assure the her envoys that, while the Lords of the Congregation had no disloyal intentions, but would firmly assert their privileges. On 4 June Wishart and Erskine had a conference at St Andrews with Argyll and Lord James Stewart, who had been suspected of leanings towards the regent's party since the destruction of the monasteries. Soon afterwards Wishart and William Cunningham of Cunninghamhead were appointed to negotiate with Mary of Guise, on the subject of liberty of worship. A second deputation, of which Wishart was one, failed to obtain more than vague promises, and they proceeded to demand the banishment of her French supporters from the kingdom. Finding it impossible to gain satisfactory assurances from her, the protestant lords met at Edinburgh in October and elected a council of authority, to which Wishart was chosen. [3] They drew up a manifesto in which it was declared that Mary of Guise had forfeited the office of Regent. In February 1560 he attended as commissioner the convention of Berwick, where the Duke of Norfolk, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, agreed to support the Lords of the Congregation with military force. [4] In April the English army reached Edinburgh, and Wishart was prominent in welcoming it and promising co-operation. On 11 April he took part in a conference with the English envoys. [5]

Wishart was named one of the commissioners of burghs in the Reformation parliament held at Edinburgh on 1 August 1560. [6] and on 10 Aug. he was chosen a temporal lord of the articles. [7] This parliament ratified the confession of faith. The government of the state in the interval between the death of the queen regent and the arrival of Mary, Queen of Scots was entrusted to a body of fourteen chosen from twenty-four persons nominated by parliament, of whom six, including Wishart, were selected by the nobility, and eight by Mary. On 24 January 1562 he was appointed a commissioner to value ecclesiastical property, with a view to compelling the clergy to surrender a third of their revenues for the support of the royal household. On 8 February 1562 he was knighted on the occasion of the marriage of the Earl of Mar and Annabell Murray.

On 1 March he was appointed comptroller and collector-general of teinds, [8] He became a member of the privy council. [9] where, however, he had sat as early as 6 December 1560. [10] In this capacity he became paymaster of the reformed clergy, many of whom resented the scantiness of their stipends. According to Knox, the saying was current, "The good laird of Pittarro was ane earnest professour of Christ; but the mekle Devill receave the comptrollar". [11] Wishart appointed a kinsman George Wishart of Drymme as a sub-collector, and his account includes payments made by Mary to Knox and his servants. [12]

Wishart distinguished himself at the battle of Corrichie, near Aberdeen, on 5 November 1562, by his services against the followers of the Earl of Huntly. In the parliament held at Edinburgh on 5 June 1563 he was one of those appointed to determine who should be included in the act of oblivion for offences committed between 6 March 1558 and 1 September 1560. [13]

John Knox told a story about the last words of Lord John Stewart in 1563, a half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots. Someone told her that Lord John's deathbed wish was that she would become a Protestant. Mary declared without hesitation that this was a lie invented by Wishart and her brother Moray's secretary John Wood. [14]

Pitarrow and his wife Janet Falconer dined with the English diplomat Thomas Randolph and the Earl of Moray on 27 February 1564. Pitarrow hoped Mary would marry "a good Christian" and "both the realms to live in friendship". [15]

Rebellion against Mary, Queen of Scots

Between 1557 and July 1565 he grants of lands in Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. [16] But his fortunes met with a sudden reverse. According to Knox, the queen hated him "because he flattered her not in her dancing and other things". In August 1565 he joined the Earl of Moray in opposing Mary's marriage with Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. He was denounced as a rebel, and compelled to fly to England, where he remained until the assassination of David Rizzio on 9 March 1566 and the alienation of Mary from Darnley enabled him to return. He received a royal pardon on 21 March, but he did not recover the office of comptroller, which was held by William Murray of Tullibardine.

In 1567 he joined the confederacy against the Earl of Bothwell, and on 25 July subscribed the articles in the general assembly. On 19 November he was appointed an extraordinary lord of session, and in October 1568 accompanied the regent Moray to York to support his charges against Mary. [17] He preserved his loyalty during the Earl of Huntly's rebellion in 1568, and was appointed an arbitrator in regard to the compensation to be made to those who had suffered by it. [18] Before Moray's assassination in January 1570, however, he had left his party, and attached himself to that of the Duke of Châtelherault. In 1570 he was protected from debts incurred during his term of office as comptroller by an act of the privy council. [19] In February 1572–3 he was appointed in the pacification between Châtelherault and the Earl of Morton one of the arbitrators to see that the conditions were carried out north of the Tay. [20]

He joined William Kirkcaldy of Grange in Edinburgh Castle, and became constable of the fortress. He was one of the eight persons by whose assistance Kirkcaldy undertook to hold the castle against all assailants, and on the capitulation to Morton and William Drury in May 1573 he became a prisoner. [21] On 11 June he was denounced as a rebel, and his lands and goods conferred on his nephew John Wishart, "son to Mr James Wishart of Balfeeth." He was also deprived of his judicial office, but on 18 January 1574 he was reappointed an extraordinary lord of session, and on 20 March took his seat in the privy council. [22]

Wishart died on 25 September 1576. He married Janet Falconer, sister of Sir Alexander Falconer of Halkerton in Kincardineshire, they had no children. He was succeeded in his estates by his nephew John Wishart, eldest son of James Wishart of Balfeith.

In 1573 John Davidson dedicated to Wishart his poem on Knox, Ane Brief Commendatiovn of Vprichtnes. The English ambassador Thomas Randolph had a very high opinion of Wishart, and described him as "a man mervileus wyse, discryte, and godly, withowte spotte or wryncle." [23] Wishart was one of those wittily portrayed in Thomas Maitland's squib representing a conference of the lords with the regent Moray.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton</span> Regent of Scotland during the minority of King James VI

James Douglas,4th Earl of Morton was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of Scots. However, he came to an unfortunate end, executed by means of the Maiden, a predecessor of the guillotine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray</span> Regent for King James VI of Scotland from 1567–70

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his half-nephew, the infant King James VI, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570. He was the first head of government to be assassinated with a firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lords of the Congregation</span> 16th-century Scottish nobles in support of the Protestant Reformation

The Lords of the Congregation, originally styling themselves the Faithful, were a group of Protestant Scottish nobles who in the mid-16th century favoured a reformation of the Catholic church according to Protestant principles and a Scottish-English alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaseabout Raid</span>

The Chaseabout Raid was a rebellion by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, against his half sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, on 26 August 1565, over her marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. The rebels also claimed to be acting over other causes including bad governance, and religion in the name of the Scottish Reformation. As the government and rebel forces moved back and forth across Scotland without fighting, the conflict became known as the "chase about raid." Queen Mary's forces were superior and the rebel lords fled to England where Queen Elizabeth censured the leader.

John Willock was a Scottish reformer. He appears to have been a friar of the Franciscan House at Ayr. Having joined the party of reform before 1541, he fled for his life to England. There he became noted as a zealous and taking preacher. This led to his arrest for heresy under an Act of Henry VIII., "for abolishing diversity of opinion" in matters of religion. He was found guilty of preaching against purgatory, holy water, priestly confession, and prayer to the saints, and of holding that priests might lawfully be married, he was for some time confined in the Fleet prison. After the accession of Edward VI he was chaplain to Henry, Duke of Suffolk, who had married King Henry's niece, and is best known as the father of Lady Jane Grey. He preached for a time in London, in St Katherine's Church, when both he and John Knox, his fast friend, were granted general license to preach anywhere in England. Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, presented him to the rectory of Loughborough in Leicestershire, a living which he continued to hold during King Edward's reign, and again during that of Queen Elizabeth for the rest of his life. Thus in his later years he was in the unique position of being at the same time a parish minister in both England and Scotland. When Mary Tudor came to the English throne in 1553, Willock fled to Embden, in the Protestant Duchy of Friesland. There he practised as a physician with much success, and rose to some eminence. In 1555, and again in 1556, the Duchess Anne of Friesland sent him to Scotland as her Commissioner on matters of trade. In 1558 he returned home, and preached for some time in Dundee, with much acceptance among the friends of reform. In 1559, when John Knox had to leave Edinburgh in peril of his life, Willook took his place as the evangelist of the Reformation. It was then that he conducted in St Giles what is believed to have been the earliest public celebration of the Holy Communion in Scotland after the reformed ritual. In 1560, when Queen Mary of Guise lay dying, the Earls of Argyll and Moray, and other Lords of the Congregation advised her to "send for a godly, learned man of whom she might receive instruction"; and Willock was chosen to minister to her, which he faithfully did. That same year he was made Superintendent of Glasgow and the West. He was also one of the six Johns entrusted with the drawing up of the First Book of Discipline, the others being John Knox, John Winram, John Spottiswood, John Douglas, and John Row. Sometime in that year he went to England, and brought home his wife, Katherine Picknavell, an English lady. He was chosen Moderator of the General Assembly in 1563, 1564, 1565, and 1568. In 1565 Queen Mary endeavoured to put a stop to his activity by having him imprisoned in Dumbarton Castle; but the Reformers were now too strong for her, and she had to depart from her purpose.

Robert Richardson was a Scottish Prior of St Mary's Isle and royal administrator.

Sir James MacGill, Lord Rankeillor of Nether Rankeillour. was a Scottish courtier and Senator of the College of Justice.

Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home was a Scottish nobleman and Warden of the Eastern March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Articles of Leith</span> 1559 truce between Scotland and the Protestant Lords of the Congregation

The Articles of Leith were the terms of truce drawn up between the Protestant Lords of the Congregation and Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland and signed on 25 July 1559. This negotiation was a step in the conflict that led to the Scottish Reformation. Although its immediate effect was the withdrawal of Protestant forces from Edinburgh, subsequent disputes over the content and observance of the treaty fuelled the crisis in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of St Andrews Castle</span> 1546–47 Siege of St Andrews Castle during the Rough Wooing

The siege of St Andrews Castle (1546–1547) followed the killing of Cardinal David Beaton by a group of Protestants at St Andrews Castle. They remained in the castle and were besieged by the Governor of Scotland, Regent Arran. However, over 18 months the Scottish besieging forces made little impact, and the Castle finally surrendered to a French naval force after artillery bombardment. The Protestant garrison, including the preacher John Knox, were taken to France and used as galley slaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cockburn of Ormiston</span>

John Cockburn, laird of Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland, was an early supporter of the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of William Cockburn of Ormiston and Janet Somerville. John was usually called "Ormiston." During his lifetime there was also a laird of Ormiston in Teviotdale near Eckford, a member of the rival Hepburn family.

Master John Wood, was a Scottish courtier, administrator and secretary to the Earl of Moray. He was assassinated on 15 April 1570.

Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay of the Byres, (1521–1589), Scottish courtier and Confederate lord.

The Comptroller of Scotland was a post in the pre-Union government of Scotland.

James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune (1529-1590) was a Scottish landowner.

William Murray of Tullibardine was a Scottish courtier and leader of the Clan Murray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham</span> Scottish landowner

John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham (1531–1563) was a Scottish landowner.

John Acheson was a Scottish goldsmith, mining entrepreneur, and official of the mint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Wishart of Drymme</span>

George Wishart of Drymme was a Scottish landowner, lawyer, and a financial administrator for Mary, Queen of Scots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartholomew de Villemore</span>

Bartolomew de Villemore was a French courtier and administrator to Mary of Guise, the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots.

References

  1. ↑ Adams, Sharon. "Wishart, Sir John, of Pittarow (d. 1585)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29796.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ↑ David Laing, History of the Reformation, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1846), pp. 267–74.
  3. ↑ Calendar State Papers, Scotland: 1547–63, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 255.
  4. ↑ Calendar State Papers, Scotland: 1547–63, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), pp. 313, 324
  5. ↑ Calendar State Papers, Scotland: 1547–63, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 347.
  6. ↑ Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, ii. p. 526.
  7. ↑ Calendar State Papers, Scotland: 1547–63, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 458.
  8. ↑ James Kirk, Books of Assunption of Thirds (Oxford, 1995), p. xvii.
  9. ↑ Register of the Privy Council: 1545–69, p. 21.
  10. ↑ Register of the Privy Council: Addenda, 1545–1625, p. 300.
  11. ↑ David Laing,History of the Reformation, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1846), p. 311.
  12. ↑ Gordon Donaldson, Scotland's History: Approaches and Reflections (Scottish Academic Press, 1995), pp. 63-4 citing National Records of Scotland E30/11.
  13. ↑ Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, ii, p. 536.
  14. ↑ David Laing, Works of John Knox, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1848), pp. 392–3.
  15. ↑ Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), pp. 130-2.
  16. ↑ Register of the Privy Seal: 1556-1567, 5:1 (Edinburgh, 1957), p. 638 no. 2226.
  17. ↑ Thomas Thomson, Memoirs of Sir James Melville (Edinburgh, 1827), p. 205.
  18. ↑ Register of the Privy Council: 1545–69, pp. 645, 665, 667; Register of the Privy Council: 1569–1578, p. 9.
  19. ↑ Register of the Privy Council: Addenda 1545–1625, p. 320.
  20. ↑ Register of the Privy Council: 1569–78, p. 195.
  21. ↑ Spottiswoode, History of Church of Scotland, (Bannatyne Club), ii. p. 193.
  22. ↑ Register Privy Council, 1569–1578, p. 346.
  23. ↑ Calendar State Papers, Scotland: 1547–1563, p. 513.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.