John Fullarton (c.1645 – 1727), of Greenhall,

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

, was a Scottish clergyman and nonjurant Episcopal

Bishop of Edinburgh The Bishop of Edinburgh, or sometimes the Lord Bishop of Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh. Prior to the Reformation, Edinburgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews, under the Archbishop of St Andrews a ...

between 1720 and 1727.

Origins

Fullarton was the son of James McCloy, alias Fullarton, of Ballochindryan and Jean Stewart, the daughter of John Stewart of Ascog. His grandfather is thought to have been Duncan, or Donald McCloy, minister at

Kilmodan Kilmodan is a civil parish situated on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, in Scotland. It includes the valley of Glendaruel and surrounding areas, with Kilmodan Church located in the Clachan of Glendaruel. The alternative historical spelli ...

between at least 1609 and 1629, who was still alive as late as 1659, when he received a grant from the Synod of Argyll because of his poverty.

Career

Fullarton obtained the degree of

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 ...

from Glasgow University in 1665. Following his ordination, he was minister at

from 1669 to 1684 and at Paisley between 1684 and 1689, whence he was ejected at the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. Robert Wodrow recorded in 1703 that Fullarton was present with other Episcopal clergy at a service in Glasgow to commemorate the execution of Charles I, and he also preached there. The connection with Paisley had not been broken, and Fullarton was at the deathbed of the young Lady Dundonald in Paisley in 1710, and later celebrated

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

for the widowed Earl in

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a forme ...

, "the first instance of Communion at Yule so openly celebrated in this country," according to Wodrow. By 1712, Wodrow considered Fullarton to be "the man of that piscopalianparty in most repute in this country." John Fullarton was consecrated a

college bishop In the early days of the Scottish Episcopal Church, college bishops were men who were consecrated bishops in order to maintain apostolic succession but (extraordinarily) not appointed to any episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical ...

by the Archbishop of Glasgow, the

and

Bishop 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 Scot ...

on 25 January 1705 and was elected Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus in April 1720, with limited metropolitan powers, following the death of Dr Alexander Rose. He served as Bishop until his death on 27 April 1727''per'' Bertie; other sources suggest early May 1727. at his estate at Greenhall.

Episcopate

Following his election, Fullarton appears to have made strong protestations of loyalty to the

Old Pretender James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales from ...

(in exile) and to have had numerous dealings with the Old Pretender's agent, George Lockhart. (According to Thomas Stephen: "The hope of the restoration of the old dynasty was strong in the minds of the bishops...”) The ''Scottish Magazine and Churchman's Review'' summed up Fullarton's episcopate in this way: “...he greatly exerted himself to accommodate the differences which existed among the clergy respecting usages, and endeavoured also to restore a proper distribution of Episcopal superintendence, for which, however, the state of the Church was not then ripe".

Family

Fullarton married, first, Anna Haldane (who died 28 July 1679), secondly, Barbara Hamilton and, thirdly, Isobel Sinclair. His son by his second wife, John Fullarton of Greenhall, who did not long survive him, was a Surveyor of Customs.

Sources

*David M. Bertie, ''Scottish Episcopal Clergy, 1689–2000'' (Continuum International, 2000) *Thomas Stephen, ''The History of the Church of Scotland: From the Reformation to the Present Time, Vol. IV'' (John Lendrum, London, 1845) *''The Scottish Magazine and Churchman's Review'' (R. Lendrum & Co, Edinburgh, 1849) *Robert Wodrow, ''Analecta'' (1843); ''Correspondence'' (1842); ''Early Letters'' (1937)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fullarton, John Bishops of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow 18th-century Scottish Episcopalian bishops Nonjurors of the Glorious Revolution 1640s births 1727 deaths College bishops Primuses of the Scottish Episcopal Church