James Spottiswood DD

Arms of Dr John Spottiswoode
Archbishop of St Andrews

THE RT REV DR JAMES SPOTTISWOOD, LORD BISHOP OF CLOGHER, 1621-45

The surname of SPOTTISWOOD was assumed by the proprietors of the lands and barony of Spottiswood, in the parish of Gordon, Berwickshire, as soon as surnames became hereditary in Scotland.

The immediate ancestor of the family was

ROBERT DE SPOTTISWOOD, Lord of Spottiswood, who was born in the reign of ALEXANDER III, King of Scotland, and died in that of ROBERT THE BRUCE, leaving a son and heir,

JOHN SPOTTISWOOD, of that ilk, living in the reign of DAVID II, King of Scotland, whose son and heir,

ROBERT SPOTTISWOOD, of that ilk, married a daughter of the ancient family of Lichton, of Ulishaven, Forfarshire, sister of the celebrated Dr Henry de Lichton, first Bishop of Moray, and was father of

HENRY SPOTTISWOOD, of that ilk, who died in the end of the reign of JAMES II, of Scotland, leaving a son and successor,

JAMES SPOTTISWOOD, of that ilk, a staunch loyalist and firm adherent to the interest of JAMES III, for which he was forfeited, but reinstated subsequently, by JAMES IV; soon afterwards he died, leaving by his wife a son and heir,

WILLIAM SPOTTISWOOD, of Spottiswood, who fell at Flodden, in 1513, with JAMES IV.

He had married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Hop Pringle, and had issue (with a daughter and a son, Hugh), two elder sons,

David, his heir;
JOHN, of whom we treat.

The younger son,

JOHN SPOTTISWOOD (1510-85), DD, a man of great learning and piety, espoused Beatrix, daughter of Patrick Crichton, of Lugton and Gilmerton, and had issue (with a daughter), two sons,

John, his heir;
JAMES, of whom hereafter.

Dr Spottiswood's younger son,

THE RT REV DR JAMES SPOTTISWOOD (1567-1645), Lord Bishop of Clogher, was born at Calder in Scotland on the 7th September, 1567.

He was admitted to the University of Glasgow in 1579, and in 1581 entered royal service.

He travelled with JAMES VI, King of Scotland, on his voyage to meet his wife, Anne of Denmark, and in 1598 acted as secretary to ambassadors to Denmark and Germany.

After JAMES VI became also JAMES I of England, Spottiswood was ordained in the Church of England, 1603, and became Rector of Wells in Norfolk.

Dr Spottiswood remained there until 1616, when he was involved in a visitation of the University of St Andrews, from where he graduated Doctor of Divinity.

In 1621 Spottiswood accepted the bishopric of Clogher in Ulster, but fled to England when the Irish rebellion broke out in 1641.

He died at Westminster in 1645, and was buried in St Benedict's chapel in Westminster Abbey on the 31 March.

No record survives of his grave or of any inscription which may once have been on it.

Spottiswood had married before his ordination and left a son, Sir Henry Spottiswood, and a daughter Mary.

The latter married Abraham Crichton, ancestor of the Earls of Erne.

First published in December, 2019.