John Cockburn of Ormiston (died 1623) was a Scottish lawyer and landowner.

Career

He was the son of

John Cockburn of Ormiston John Cockburn, (d. 1583) laird of Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland, was an early supporter of the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of William Cockburn of Ormiston and Janet Somerville. John was usually called "Ormiston." During his li ...

and Alison Sandilands (died 1584), a daughter of Sir John Sandilands of Calder. His older brother Alexander Cockburn died in 1563, his epitaph by

George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

recording his travels and achievements engraved on a brass plate is at the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...

. John Cockburn succeeded his father as laird of

Ormiston Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about . The village was the first planned village in Scotland, founded in 173 ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

in 1583.

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 ...

came to Ormiston to hunt deer on 22 November 1588. Cockburn was a member of the Privy Council and the council ruling Scotland when James VI was in Norway and Denmark. He was knighted at the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

on 17 May 1590, where he gave an oath of loyal service on behalf of the people of Scotland. He was again honored with knighthood at Parliament in 1592. Cockburn was

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Lord Beckett, who was appointed to the position on 4 February 2025, succeeding Lady Dorr ...

after

Lewis Bellenden Sir Lewis Bellenden of Auchnole and Broughton (c. 1552 – 27 August 1591) was a Scottish lawyer, who succeeded his father as Lord Justice Clerk on 15 March 1577. Family background He was the eldest son of Sir John Bellenden of Auchnole & Broug ...

. On 26 October 1591, during the

North Berwick witch trials The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St Andrew's Auld Kirk in North Berwick on Halloween night. They ran for two years, and implicated over 70 peopl ...

James VI gave him a commission to torture and punish those accused of witchcraft who refused to confess. Cockburn questioned David Graham of Fintry about the Spanish Blanks affair in February 1593. An English diplomat Robert Bowes noted that Cockburn had hosted the Earls of Angus, Huntly, Errol, and Sir James Chisholme at Ormiston on 11 October 1593. The Earls met the King on the road at Fala the next day. In December 1593, Cockburn was appointed to a committee to audit the account of money spent by the

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

, John Maitland of

Thirlestane Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wat ...

, on the royal voyages. The funds in question came from the English subsidy and the dowry of Anne of Denmark. As a member of the Privy Council, Cockburn went with others to

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

in May 1603 to discuss and investigate a controversy involving

who wished to take custody of her son, Prince Henry.

Later years

In old age Cockburn lost his eyesight and mobility, and in December 1622 there were discussions about a replacement in the role of Lord Justice Clerk. He died in June 1623 according to Balfour, but his will gives his date of death as October 1626.

Marriage and family

He married Janet Home, a daughter of Alexander Home of

Manderston Manderston House is a British stately home in Duns, Scottish Borders, Duns, Berwickshire. It is the seat of the Baron Palmer, Palmer family. It was completely rebuilt between 1901 and 1903 and has sumptuous interiors with a silver-plated stai ...

, and sister of the royal favourite Sir George Home. Janet Home was one of the women invited to attend

at her coronation in May 1590. Their children included: * Patrick Cockburn, who married Elizabeth Lawson, their son George Cockburn became laird of Ormiston * Margaret Cockburn, who married Patrick Sinclair, 9th Lord Sinclair * Catherine Cockburn, who married James MacGill of Cranstoun-Riddill, later made Viscount Oxenfurd * Helen Cockburn, who married William Hay of Linplum * Jean Cockburn, married (1) John Murray of Touchadam, (2) William Lauder of Haltoun He married, secondly, Elizabeth Bellenden, a daughter of John Bellenden of Auchnoule and Janet Seton, and widow of James Lawson of Humbie.Thomas Cockburn-Hood, ''House of Cockburn of that Ilk'' (Edinburgh, 1888), p. 142.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cockburn, John People from East Lothian

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

1623 deaths 17th-century Scottish people 16th-century Scottish people Lords Justice Clerk 17th-century Scottish landowners