Bishop Adam Bellenden (c. 1569–1647) was a 17th-century Scottish churchman serving the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

and rising to be

Bishop of Aberdeen The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...

Life

Bellenden was the son of Sir John Bellenden of Auchnoul,

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...

, and Barbara Kennedy, daughter of Sir

Hugh Kennedy of Girvanmains Hugh or Huw Kennedy of Girvanmains was a Scottish courtier, soldier, and landowner. He was the son of Alexander Kennedy of Girvanmains in Ayrshire. The family lived at Dalquharran Castle. He was a supporter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus ...

by his spouse Janet Stewart, daughter to John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl. He graduated from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

on 1 August 1590, and was ordained a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister on 19 July 1593. In 1608 he was appointed minister of

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

, a position he held until 1615. He was promoted to the

bishopric of Dunblane The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane or Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland ...

, receiving a Crown provision on 24 September 1615 and was consecrated by April of the following year. Balfour Paul states that he was also appointed, c. 1633, Dean of the Chapel Royal at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

, and also held, as a personal right, Kilconquhar, succeeding to it upon the death of his nephew James, which was ratified in parliament in 1629.Balfour Paul, Sir James,

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

, ''

The Scots Peerage ''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert ...

'', Edinburgh, 1905, vol.ii: 66–7 However, it is evident that Bellenden was appointed Dean of the Chapel Royal much earlier than Balfour Paul stated, as in 1621 the Privy Council of Scotland ordered that the widow of the previous Dean, William Couper, Bishop of Galloway, hand over documents relating to the Chapel Royal to Bellenden, and specifically called Bellenden 'deane of his Majesteis Chaippell'. Bellenden was very active in secular affairs. He was appointed to Charles I's privy council in March 1626 and attended far more sessions than any other Scottish bishop. After holding the

Dunblane Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...

bishopric for several decades, on 2 August 1635, he was given the more prestigious

bishopric of Aberdeen Diocese of Aberdeen was one of the 13 (14, after 1633) dioceses of the Scottish church, before the abolition of the episcopacy in 1689. Early history A see was founded in 1063 at Mortlach by Blessed Beyn. The earliest mention of the See of ...

. On 13 December 1638, after the anti-

Episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Assembly in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, described by Spottiswoode as "the wild Assembly", he was deprived of this position and, with many others, excommunicated by the Scottish church. One contemporary recorded how his lodgings in Old Aberdeen were plundered by Covenanters in 1640 and that Bellenden 'escaping himselfe, he lived quietlie in ane husbandman's house' (possibly in

Aboyne Aboyne ( sco, Abyne, gd, Abèidh) is a village on the edge of the Highlands in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, approximately west of Aberdeen. It has a swimming pool at Aboyne Academy, all-weather tennis courts, a bowling green and ...

) before moving south to England. In 1642, he was appointed to the parish of

Porlock Porlock is a coastal village in Somerset, England, west of Minehead. At the 2011 census, the village had a population of 1,440. In 2017, Porlock had the highest percentage of elderly population in Britain, with over 40% being of pensionable ag ...

in county

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

(St Dubricius, Porlock, 1642 to 1647). In the 1640s, Bellenden was described as 'ane aged man and of ane good lyfe'.

Family

On 17 February 1595, Bellenden married Jean Abercrombie, daughter of Henry Abercrombie, of Kersie House near

St. Ninians St. Ninians is a long-standing settlement which is now a district of the city of Stirling in central Scotland. It is located approximately one mile south of the city centre. It was originally known as Eccles (i.e. 'church'), and may have bee ...

. Together they had 10 children, three daughters and seven sons, one of whom, David, was ordained and became minister of

Kincardine O'Neil Kincardine O'Neil ( gd, Cinn Chàrdainn, sco, Kinker) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated between the towns of Banchory and Aboyne approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Aberdeen on the north bank of the River Dee. ...

References

Notes

* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) * Keith, Robert, editor, ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688'', by John Spottiswoode, (London, 1924) * Watt, D.E.R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellenden, Adam 1647 deaths Bishops of Aberdeen Bishops of Dunblane Year of birth uncertain 17th-century Scottish Episcopalian bishops Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1617 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1617 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1628–1633 Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish bishops 1560–1638