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

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

Life

The sixth and youngest son of Andrew Rollock, laird of Duncrub,

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, 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, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

St Mary's College, St Andrews St Mary's College, founded as New College or College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the home of the Faculty and School of Divinity within the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland. History The college was founded in ...

qualifying as an advocate in 1573 and further gaining a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) 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. Those admitted to the degree have ...

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, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and Theology in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland 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 som ...

. 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 firs ...

in place of James Paton and adopted the role in April, although he exercised few

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

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, prov ...

and to be eligible to sit in the

Parliament of Scotland In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

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

Lord of Session The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland 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 ...

in May 1596 and an Ordinary Lord in December 1598. After travelling to England 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 Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...

, 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 member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

, 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. 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 Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; 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 road (Great Britain), A70 ...

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, 2004, accessed 19 Feb 2007] * D. E. R. Watt, 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 16th-century Scottish bishops