Alexander Hume (1558 – 4 December 1609) was a
Scottish poet who served as
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in the early 17th century.
Life
He was born in 1558 the son of Patrick Hume (d.1599).
The brother of
Patrick Hume of Polwarth
Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Redbraes (c.1550– June 1609) was a Scottish courtier and makar (court poet).
Family background
He was the eldest son of Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth & Redbrayes (d. May 1599) and his spouse Agnes, daughter of ...
, he was educated at the
University of St. Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
graduating in 1574 then studied Civil Law in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. He returned to Scotland in 1578 serving in the Court of Justice, but (ironically) found it too corrupt for his tastes and decided instead to devote himself to the service of the church, and became minister of
Logie Kirk
Logie Kirk is an isolated but operational church east of Stirling in central Scotland serving Church of Scotland pastoral duties in the areas of Cambuskenneth, Bridge of Allan, Causewayhead (eastern Stirling), and formerly the estate of Airthrey ...
in
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.
It borders Perth ...
in 1597. This appears to have been at least partly supported by
Alexander Home of North Berwick
Alexander Home of North Berwick (floruit 1570–1597) was a Scottish landowner and Provost of Edinburgh.
His surname is sometimes spelled "Hume". He was a son of Patrick Home of Polwarth (d. 1578) and Elizabeth Hepburn (d. 1571) daughter of Patri ...
, Provost of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. His
stipend
A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work p ...
(or at least the bulk of it) appears to have been paid by his own father rather than by the church.
His
manse stood to the west of the church in the grounds of
Airthrey Castle
Airthrey Castle is a historic building and estate which now forms part of the buildings and grounds of the University of Stirling in central Scotland. The 18th-century building with 19th-century additions occupies a beautiful setting in ...
and dated from 1590.
He served as
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland "several times": thought to be 1602, 1604 and 1607 (possibly also 1599).
On 6 May 1608 he was attacked by a parishioner (possibly his brother in-law), James Duncanson, with a heavy staff and never recovered. Duncanson is probably the same James Duncanson mentioned in parish records of April 1595 for having "carnal deal together" with Agnes Forester of Stirling, where the church forced them to marry.
Hume grew ill in May 1609 and died on 4 December of that year.
In his will he left a considerable number of books plus several musical instruments. To his best friend John Scherar a baillie in Stirling he left a gold ring to remember his "special love". He left his "love and Christian affection" to Dame
Marie Stewart,
Countess of Mar, the poet Lady
Elizabeth Melvil, Lady Comrie, John Gillespie minister of
Alva, Ninian Drummond minister of
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 ...
, William Stirling minister of
Port of Menteith
Port of Menteith ( gd, Port Loch Innis Mo Cholmaig) is a village and civil parish in the Stirling district of Scotland, the only significant settlement on the Lake of Menteith. It was established as a burgh of barony, then named simply Port ( g ...
, John Alison minister of
Kincardine, William Nairn minister of
Kippen
Kippen is a village in west Stirlingshire, Scotland. It lies between the Gargunnock Hills and the Fintry Hills and overlooks the Carse of Forth to the north. The village is west of Stirling and north of Glasgow. It is south-east of Loch Lo ...
and James Caldwell minister of
Bothkennar.
[Logie: A Parish History, Menzies Fergusson 1905: ''HMC 14th Report part 3: Hugh Hume Campbell of Marchmont'' (London, 1894), p. 92.]
His position at Logie Kirk was filled by Rev James Saittone or Seytoun of
Denny before the end of the year.
Works
He published in 1599 ''Hymnes, or Sacred Songs'', including the beautiful "The Day Estival" descriptive of a summer day. Other works included the following:
*''Thanks for the Deliverance of the Sicke''
*''Ane Epistle to Maister
Gilbert Montcrief''
Family
His sister Janet Hume married Lord David Hume of Law.
He was married to Marion Duncanson, daughter of
John Duncanson (1501–1601) Principal of
St Leonard's College in St Andrews, and later Dean of the Chapel Royal in Stirling. They had two daughters, Dinah and Naomi, and one son Caleb Hume, and they lived together in Logie manse. The family were asked to leave the manse in June 1610 to accommodate the new minister but were compensated £60.
His great nephew was
Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont
Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont (13 January 16412 August 1724), known as Sir Patrick Hume, 2nd Baronet from 1648 to 1690 and as Lord Polwarth from 1690 to 1697, was a Scottish statesman. His grandfather was the poet and courtier Sir Patrick ...
.
See also
*
Scottish literature
Scottish literature is literature written in Scotland or by Scottish writers. It includes works in English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Brythonic, French, Latin, Norn or other languages written within the modern boundaries of Scotland.
The earli ...
References
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hume, Alexander
1560s births
1609 deaths
16th-century Scottish writers
16th-century male writers
17th-century Scottish people
16th-century Scottish poets
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Castalian Band
Linguists of English
Middle Scots poets
Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
16th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland
17th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland