William Stewart (c. 1490–1545) was a late medieval
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
prelate. Born around 1490 in
Glasgow, he was the son of Thomas Stewart of Minto. Details about his early life are obscure, but it is known that he attended the
University of Glasgow before travelling to
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 ...
to study
theology and
canon law.
[Macfarlane, "Stewart, William (c. 1490–1545)".] The first benefice he held was the
parson
A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...
age of
Lochmaben, which he was in possession of by July 1528.
[Innes, p. lvi.] In the same year he became
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of
Ayr, while he had received crown presentation as
Provost of
Lincluden
Lincluden Collegiate Church, known earlier as Lincluden Priory or Lincluden Abbey (the name by which it is still known locally), is a ruined religious house, situated in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire and to the north of the Royal Bu ...
Collegiate Church in July 1529, a post he would hold along with his new position as
Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre- Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland.
Lord Treasurer
The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation'', ...
.
In 1530 he received a crown presentation to
Pope Clement VII for the deanery of Glasgow, a position he held until on 22 March 1532, when he was nominated by King
James V of Scotland to succeed
Gavin Dunbar as
Bishop of Aberdeen.
Stewart was consecrated as Bishop of Aberdeen in either March or April 1533. Stewart was an active and important servant of the Scottish king. He led the diplomatic expedition to England which, on 11 May 1534, agreed a peace treaty between James V and King
Henry VIII of England. He was sent to France in 1536, where he helped draw up the contract for his king's marriage to
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...
. He went on a further mission to England in December 1541.
[
As Bishop of Aberdeen, he strongly resisted the emerging protestant ]heresies
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
, attending condemnations in 1534 and 1540.[ Bishop Stewart laid down a new series of constitutions for his clergy, constitutions resembling and reinforcing similar such measures previously enacted by ]Bishop Elphinstone
William Elphinstone (143125 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.
Biography
He was born in Glasgow. His father, also William Elphinstone, later became the first Dean of the Fac ...
. He completed building work on King's College, Aberdeen, including a new library and sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
, as well as two new schools for his diocese. Bishop Stewart died at Aberdeen on 10 April 1545, and was buried in the south transept of Aberdeen Cathedral.[Dowden, ''Bishops of Scotland'', pp. 140-1; Innes, ''Registrum'', p. lviii; Macfarlane, "Stewart, William (c.1490–1545)".]
Notes
References
* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912)
* Innes, Cosmo, ''Registrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis: Ecclesie Cathedralis Aberdonensis Regesta Que Extant in Unum Collecta'', Vol. 1, (Edinburgh, 1845)
*Keith, Robert, ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688'', (London, 1924)
*Macfarlane, Leslie J., "Stewart, William (c.1490–1545)", in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, retrieved 30 April 2007
* Watt, D.E.R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, William
1490s births
1545 deaths
Bishops of Aberdeen
Chancellors of the University of Aberdeen
Clergy from Glasgow
Burials at St Machar's Cathedral
16th-century Scottish politicians
16th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops
Lord High Treasurers of Scotland