James Nicolson (1557–1607) was
Bishop of Dunkeld
The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first k ...
in 1607.
Life
He was born in
Cupar
Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fif ...
in central
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
in 1557 the second son of James Nicolson, a local burgess, and his wife, Margaret Philip. He spent most of his life in north
Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
. He was ordained as minister of
Cortachy
Cortachy is a village in Angus, Scotland. It lies in at the mouth of Glen Clova, on the River South Esk, four miles north of Kirriemuir. Nearby lies Cortachy Castle, seat of the Earls of Airlie
Earl of Airlie is a title of the peera ...
in 1580 and translated to
Meigle
Meigle ( gd, Mìgeil, ) is a village in Strathmore, Scotland. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross in the Coupar Angus and Meigle ward. It lies on the A94 road between Perth and Forfar. Other smaller settlements nearby are Balkee ...
parish church in 1583 and demitted this post in April 1607 when he was appointed
Bishop of Dunkeld
The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first k ...
.
[Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana by Hew Scott.]
He received a grant of a pension of £60 per annum on 6 February 1571, from Robert,
Bishop of Caithness
The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Ai ...
, payable from the
Priory of St Andrews, "becaus he hes bene twyis schorne of the stane, and is continewallie vexit with that infirmitie". He was a prominent man in 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 ...
soon after the Reformation, and was minister of Cortachy in 1580, and Meigle in 1583.
He was selected by the General Assembly to sit in conference regarding stipends in 1592, 1596, 1606, and 1607, was appointed
Bishop of Dunkeld
The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first k ...
on 23 April 1607.
Death
Nicolson died of a "heavy
melancholy" on 17 August 1607. When he died, Alexander Lindsay, was appointed to fill his place.
Family
He married Jane, daughter of Gilbert Ramsay of
Banff. Their daughter, Margaret, married
Bishop William Lindsay.
References
Sources
*
*
* Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), ''The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries'', The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolson, James
1607 deaths
Bishops of Dunkeld (Church of Scotland)
Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
1557 births