- James Law
Infobox Archbishop
honorific-prefix =
name = James Law
archbishop_of = Archbishop of Glasgow
honorific-suffix =
caption =
ordination =
consecration = 1610/1611
enthroned = 1615
ended = 1632
province =
diocese =
see =Archdiocese of Glasgow
predecessor =John Spottiswoode
successor = Patrick Lindsay
birth_name =
birth_date = mid-1550s
birth_place =Fife
death_date =October 13 ,1362
death_place =Glasgow
buried =
nationality =
residence =
parents = James Law of Spittal and Unknown
spouse =
children =
ocupation =
profession =
religion =Church of Scotland
alma_mater =
James Law (d. 1632)
archbishop of Glasgow , son of James Law of Spittal, portioner of Lathrisk in the county ofFife , and Agnes Strang of the house of Balcaskie. Entering the church after graduation from university, he rose to the position ofBishop of Orkney ] , reorganising the diocese, before rising to hold the position ofArchbishop of Glasgow .Early life
He graduated at the
university of St Andrews M.A. in 1581, and was ordained and admitted minister ofKirkliston inWest Lothian in 1585. During his incumbency there, he andJohn Spottiswoode , then minister ofCalder , afterwardsarchbishop of St Andrews , were censured by thesynod ofLothian for playing atfootball on Sunday.Bishop of Orkney
In 1600 he was put on the standing commission of the church, in 1601 appointed one of the royal
chaplain s, in 1605 titularbishop of Orkney , and in 1608moderator of the general assembly . He preached before theGlasgow assembly of 1610 in defence ofepiscopacy . He supported the cause of the people of Orkney against the oppression of Patrick Stewart,Earl of Orkney , and succeeded in getting the lands and jurisdiction of thebishopric separated from those of theearldom . He strengthened the rights and financial security of the bishopric of Orkney, and during his episcopateScots Law replaced the earlier Norse Law for most purposes.Archbishop of Glasgow
Through the influence of Archbishop Spottiswood, "his old companion at football and condiscipulus", he was promoted to the archbishopric of Glasgow in 1615, where he completed the leaden roof of the cathedral. In 1616 he was appointed by the general assembly one of a commission to prepare a book of canon for the church.
He died in 1632, and was buried in the chancel of Glasgow Cathedral, where there is a massive monument to his memory erected by his widow. Law was a favourite of King
James VI , and a zealous promoter of his ecclesiastical policy. He was a man of some learning, left in manuscript a commentary on a part of scripture, and was commemorated by Dr. Arthur Johnston in some Latin verses.Marriage and family
He married on several occasions. His first marriage was to Marion, a daughter of James Dundas of Newliston, West Lothian. They had one child, a daughter called Margaret, who married Patrick Turner, minister of Dalkeith, in 1612. His second marriage was to Grissel Boswell, and by her he fathered six children, four sons and two daughters: James Law of Brunton, Thomas Law, who later became the minister of
Inchinnan , George Law, John Law, Jean Law, and Isabella Law.References
:"This article incorporates text from the
Dictionary of National Biography (1892)"
* Keith, Robert, "An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688", (London, 1824)
* Sprott, G. W., "Law, James (1560?–1632), archbishop of Glasgow", "Dictionary of National Biography", (Oxford, 1892)
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