Peter Rollock or Rollo of Pilton (c. 1558–1632) was a Scottish law lord and Bishop of 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 ...

Life

The sixth and youngest son of Andrew Rollock, laird of

Duncrub Dunning is a small village in Perth and Kinross in Scotland with a population of about 1,000. The village centres around the 12th–13th century former parish church of St. Serf, where the Dupplin Cross is displayed (Historic Scotland; open in ...

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, ...

, and his wife, Marion Rollo, heiress of David Rollo of Menmuir, he became a Law

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

St Mary's College, St Andrews (In the Beginning was the Word) , established = , type = College , endowment = , staff = , faculty = , rector = , chancellor = , principal = Oliver D. Crisp , free_label = Teaching staff , free = 20 , ...

qualifying as an advocate in 1573 and further gaining a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in 1575. He did further studies in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

and Theology in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. In March 1585 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 ...

in place of James Paton and adopted the role in April, although he exercised few episcopal duties, the purpose of his appointment being to administer the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

and to be eligible to sit in the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

. Rollock became a royal judge and councillor, becoming an Extraordinary

Lord of Session The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session) ...

in May 1596 and an Ordinary Lord in December 1598. After travelling to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

with King James VI in 1603 to take part in his coronation in the capacity of King

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...

, Rollock was Comptroller of the King's Household for two years, returning to Scotland in 1605. As King James began reviving

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 ...

, Rollock was compelled to give up his

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

, and James Nicolson was appointed in his place in 1607. Rollock experienced a fluctuating position in the higher echelons of government, losing (1609) and regaining (1610) and then resigning (1620) his place on the bench, and going in (1587) and out (1610) and in again (1616) and then leaving (1625) the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. On 21 September 1611 an attempt was made on his life by two sons of Matthew Finlayson of Killeith or Kinleith, with whom he was in the midst of a lawsuit. They fired on him en route from Restalrig to Pilton.Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana vol.7 by Hew Scott He died at Pilton House near Edinburgh on 30 June 1632.

Family

He firstly married (1594) the twice-widowed Christian Cant, but had no children. He then married (1607) Elizabeth Weston, widow of John Fairlie of

Bruntsfield Bruntsfield is a largely residential area around Bruntsfield Place in Southern Edinburgh, Scotland. In feudal times, it fell within the barony of Colinton. Location Bruntsfield Place is less than south on the A702 main road from the West e ...

and had one son, Walter Rollock.

References

Sources

*Goodare, Julian, "Rollock, Peter, of Pilton (c.1558–1632)", in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, accessed 19 Feb 2007
* Watt, D.E.R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rollock, Peter 1550s births Date of birth unknown 1632 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews Bishops of Dunkeld (Church of Scotland) Members of the Privy Council of Scotland People from Perth and Kinross Members of the Faculty of Advocates 16th-century bishops of the Church of Scotland