James Law (c. 1560 – 12 November 1632) was

Archbishop of Glasgow The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Catholic Church, the title was restored by Pop ...

. Entering the church after graduation from university, he rose to the position of

Bishop of Orkney The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The ...

, reorganising the diocese, before rising to hold the position of

Early life

Law was born the son of James Law of Spittal, a portioner (minor landowner) of Lathrisk, east of Falkland in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

and illegitimate grandson of King James IV of Scotland and Agnes Isabella Stewart, Countess of Bothwell. His mother was Agnes Strang of Balcaskie House, north of

Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...

in Fife. He graduated at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

M.A. in 1581 and was ordained and admitted minister of

Kirkliston Kirkliston is a village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland, historically within the county of West Lothian but now within the City of Edinburgh council area limits. It lies on high ground immediately north of a northward loop of the ...

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

in 1585. During his incumbency there he, and

John Spottiswoode John Spottiswoode (Spottiswood, Spotiswood, Spotiswoode or Spotswood) (1565 – 26 November 1639) was an Archbishop of St Andrews, Primate of All Scotland, Lord Chancellor, and historian of Scotland. Life He was born in 1565 at Greenbank in ...

, then minister of Calder (based in Mid Calder,

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

), afterwards

archbishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews (, ) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews (), the Archdiocese of St Andrews. The name St Andrews is not the town ...

, were censured by the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...

for playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

on a Sunday.

Bishop of Orkney

In 1600 he was put on the standing commission of the church, in 1601 appointed one of the royal

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

s, in 1605 titular

bishop of Orkney The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The ...

, and in 1608

moderator of the general assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

. He preached before the

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

assembly of 1610 in defence of

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 ...

. Law, along with

, David Lindsay, and Peter Blackburn, received some of James VI's episcopal appointments. Law became a nemesis to the Stewart earls who built for themselves a reputation as tyrants. He supported the cause of the people of Orkney against the oppression of

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

Earl of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally Scandinavian Scotland, founded by Norse invaders, the status ...

, and succeeded in getting the lands and jurisdiction of the

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 ...

separated from those of the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

. He strengthened the rights and financial security of the bishopric of Orkney, and during his episcopate

Scots Law Scots law () is the List of country legal systems, legal system of Scotland. It is a hybrid or mixed legal system containing Civil law (legal system), civil law and common law elements, that traces its roots to a number of different histori ...

replaced the earlier Norse Law for most purposes. Law relied on the support of a circle of influential merchant-lairds who were associated with local landed families. Towards the end of his Orkney tenure, Bishop Law had an important role in the aftermath of the 1614 rebellion of Robert, the son of

Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

. Government forces suppressing the rebellion had besieged Kirkwall Castle and utterly demolished it at the order of the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

. A similar fate was intended for the St. Magnus Cathedral, in which rebels had hidden. The intervention of the Bishop prevented that from happening, saving the Cathedral - considered a fine example of

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

. Law is also said to have succeeded in persuading Stewart to surrender his father's houses.

Archbishop of Glasgow

Through the influence of Archbishop Spottiswoode, "his old companion at football and condiscipulus", he was promoted to the archbishopric of Glasgow in 1615, where he completed the leaden roof of the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

. In 1616 he was appointed by the general assembly as one of a commission to prepare a book of canon for the church. He died in 1632 and was buried in the chancel of Glasgow Cathedral (in the south-east corner), where there is a massive monument to his memory erected by his widow. Law was a favourite of King

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

and a zealous promoter of his ecclesiastical policy. He was a man of some learning, leaving in manuscript commentary on a part of scripture, and was commemorated by Dr. Arthur Johnston in some Latin verses.

Marriage and family

He married twice. His first marriage was to Marion, a daughter of James Dundas of Newliston, West Lothian. They had one child, a daughter called Margaret, who married Patrick Turner, minister of Dalkeith, in 1612. His second marriage was to Grizel Boswell, a daughter of John Boswell of Balmuto, and by her he fathered six children, four sons and two daughters: James Law of Brunton, Thomas Law, who later became the minister of

Inchinnan Inchinnan (; ) is a small village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The village is located on the main A8 road between Renfrew and Greenock, just south east of the town of Erskine. History The name of Inchinnan village is derived from the Gaelic ...

, George Law, John Law, Jean Law, and Isobel Law. A great-grandson of John Law was the economist John Law (1671-1729).

References

* Keith, Robert, ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688'', (London, 1824) *

External links

* Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Law, James 1560 births 1632 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews Roman Catholic archbishops of Glasgow Bishops of Orkney Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1617 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1617 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1621 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1621 Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Burials at Glasgow Cathedral 17th-century bishops of the Church of Scotland 17th-century Scottish bishops Scottish bishops 1560–1638