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Henry Sinclair (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Henry Sinclair lord-president of the court of session
and bishop of Ross
.
Henry Sinclair was brother of Oliver Sinclair
. He studied at St. Leonard's College, St. Andrews and was appointed lord of session, 1537. In 1541 he was named abbot or perpetual commendator of the abbey of Kilwinning. He was the negotiator a pace treaty between Flanders and Scotland in 1548 and was appointed dean of Glasgow in 1550. Between 1550 and 1554 he was in France. He was a commissioner for the treaty of Carlisle in 1556, and for that of Upsettlington in 1559. He was appointed President of the Court of Session, and Bishop of Ross. In 1561 he became a member of Mary, Queen of Scots privy council. Denounced by John Knox
, he maintained neutral religious attitude: wrote. additions to Hector Boece's
History of Scotland. He died at Paris in January 1565.
, general at Solway Moss
, and of John Sinclair (died 1566), bishop of Brechin
, was born in 1508. He studied at the university of St. Andrews, being incorporated in St. Leonard's College in 1521. Having gained the special favour of James V, he was admitted on 13 November 1537 an ordinary lord of session. On 16 December the same year he obtained the rector
y of Glasgow
from Archbishop Dunbar; in 1541 he was named abbot or perpetual commendator of the abbey of Kilwinning; and in 1550 he exchanged this office with Gavin Hamilton for the deanery
of Glasgow.
In 1548 he was sent into Flanders
to treat for a peace between Flanders and Scotland
. On 11 August 1550, he obtained a safe-conduct
to go into France
, and apparently did not return to Scotland until 1554. Immediately on his return he persuaded Robert Reid
, the bishop of Orkney
, then Lord President of the Court of Session
, to make certain statutes for the abbreviation of the processes and the reform of other abuses. He was a commissioner for the treaty of Carlisle in 1556, and for that of Upsettlington in 1559. On 2 December 1558, he succeeded the bishop of Orkney as Lord President of the Court of Session, and on the death of Bishop David Painter in the same year, he obtained a gift of the temporalities of the see of Ross, being consecrated — after some delay in obtaining the papal sanction — in 1560. In 1561 he was chosen one of Queen Mary's privy council
of twelve, the other eleven members being all laymen. The same year he and other bishops offered to give up a fourth of the rents of their benefices. On 28 December 1563, he was appointed one of a commission for the erection of jurisdiction in various parts of the country.
Apparently Sinclair possessed no special predilections for either the old or the new religion. He was content to retain the temporalities of his bishopric, and, as president of the court of session, he made it his duty to see that proper regard was paid to the laws in actual force, whether they favoured Protestants or Catholics. Thus, when the queen sought his advice in regard to the prosecution of several Catholics who had observed the mass, he advised "that she must see her laws kept, or else she would get no obedience". On the other hand, when John Knox
in 1563 penned a letter to "the brethren in all quarters" to assemble for the protection of certain persons who had made forcible entrance into the chapel of Holyrood
during mass, Sinclair sent a copy of the letter to the queen at Stirling
. Knox, on this account, denounces him as "ane perfect hypocrite, and ane conjured enemy to Christ Jesus". Yet Knox himself admits that Sinclair voted for his absolution
when brought before the council. "The bishop", he says, "answered cauldlie, 'Your grace may consider that it is neither affection to the man [Knox], nor yet love to his profession, that moveth me to absolve him; but the simple truth, which plainly appears in his defence'". It is clear that Sinclair was capable of acting justly, if not generously, towards an avowed enemy.
On the appearance of Bishop Jewell
's Apologia in 1562, Randolph, the ambassador of Elizabeth in Scotland, sent a copy to the bishop of Ross, expressing at the same time his intention to send one to the archbishop of St. Andrews, "not", he says, "to do them good, which I know is impossible, but to heap mischief upon their heads". Nevertheless Randolph afterwards describes him as "of that sort of men the best in Scotland". On 20 February 1564, Queen Mary applied to Elizabeth for a safe-conduct for Sinclair to go into France, that he "might seek cure and remedie of a certain maladie". The malady was the stone
, for which he underwent an operation; but he died at Paris
on 2 January 1565.
's History of Scotland, which his brother, John Sinclair, bishop of Brechin, brought from Paris after his death. It is supposed that John, rather than Henry, was the author of Sinclair's Practicks, a legal work contained in manuscript in the Advocates' Library
, Edinburgh.
Dempster (Historia Eccl.) and, following him, Thomas Tanner
(Bibliographia Britannica) split this Sinclair into two persons, one of them being represented as dean of Glasgow and lord of session and nephew of the bishop of Ross. The nephew is credited by Dempster with the following legal works: Legum Romanorum ad Leges Scotiæ Municipales Reductio, Lib. i.; Novæ Judiciarii ordinis Leges, Lib. i.; Abrogatio Juris Antiqui, Lib. i. Henderson wrote in the Dictionary of National Biography
that "These appellations are doubtless all paraphrastic amplifications by Dempster of the full title of the Practicks above referred to".
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
and bishop of Ross
Bishop of Ross
The Bishop of Ross was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Ross, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first recorded bishop appears in the late 7th century as a witness to Adomnán of Iona's Cáin Adomnáin. The bishopric was based at the settlement of Rosemarkie until the mid-13th...
.
Henry Sinclair was brother of Oliver Sinclair
Oliver Sinclair
Sir Oliver Sinclair de Pitcairnis , , was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss...
. He studied at St. Leonard's College, St. Andrews and was appointed lord of session, 1537. In 1541 he was named abbot or perpetual commendator of the abbey of Kilwinning. He was the negotiator a pace treaty between Flanders and Scotland in 1548 and was appointed dean of Glasgow in 1550. Between 1550 and 1554 he was in France. He was a commissioner for the treaty of Carlisle in 1556, and for that of Upsettlington in 1559. He was appointed President of the Court of Session, and Bishop of Ross. In 1561 he became a member of Mary, Queen of Scots privy council. Denounced by John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
, he maintained neutral religious attitude: wrote. additions to Hector Boece's
Hector Boece
Hector Boece , known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Aberdeen.-Biography:He was born in Dundee where he attended school...
History of Scotland. He died at Paris in January 1565.
Life
Henry Sinclair was the second son of Sir Oliver Sinclair of Roslin, and brother of Oliver SinclairOliver Sinclair
Sir Oliver Sinclair de Pitcairnis , , was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss...
, general at Solway Moss
Battle of Solway Moss
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border in November 1542 between forces from England and Scotland.-Background:...
, and of John Sinclair (died 1566), bishop of Brechin
Bishop of Brechin
The Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or Angus, based at Brechin Cathedral, Brechin. The diocese had a long-established Gaelic monastic community which survived into the 13th century. The clerical establishment may very well have traced their earlier origins...
, was born in 1508. He studied at the university of St. Andrews, being incorporated in St. Leonard's College in 1521. Having gained the special favour of James V, he was admitted on 13 November 1537 an ordinary lord of session. On 16 December the same year he obtained the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
y of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
from Archbishop Dunbar; in 1541 he was named abbot or perpetual commendator of the abbey of Kilwinning; and in 1550 he exchanged this office with Gavin Hamilton for the deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Glasgow.
In 1548 he was sent into Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
to treat for a peace between Flanders and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. On 11 August 1550, he obtained a safe-conduct
Safe-conduct
Safe conduct is the situation in time of international conflict or war where one state, a party to such conflict, issues to a person, usually an enemy state's subject, a pass or document to allow the enemy alien to traverse its territory without harassment, bodily harm, or fear of death. Safe...
to go into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and apparently did not return to Scotland until 1554. Immediately on his return he persuaded Robert Reid
Robert Reid (bishop)
Robert Reid was abbot of Kinloss, commendator-prior of Beauly, and bishop of Orkney. He was one of the greatest of the bishops of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Scotland, and his legacy was the founding of the University of Edinburgh....
, the bishop of Orkney
Bishop of Orkney
The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics within the territory of modern Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St...
, then Lord President of the Court of Session
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
, to make certain statutes for the abbreviation of the processes and the reform of other abuses. He was a commissioner for the treaty of Carlisle in 1556, and for that of Upsettlington in 1559. On 2 December 1558, he succeeded the bishop of Orkney as Lord President of the Court of Session, and on the death of Bishop David Painter in the same year, he obtained a gift of the temporalities of the see of Ross, being consecrated — after some delay in obtaining the papal sanction — in 1560. In 1561 he was chosen one of Queen Mary's privy council
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...
of twelve, the other eleven members being all laymen. The same year he and other bishops offered to give up a fourth of the rents of their benefices. On 28 December 1563, he was appointed one of a commission for the erection of jurisdiction in various parts of the country.
Apparently Sinclair possessed no special predilections for either the old or the new religion. He was content to retain the temporalities of his bishopric, and, as president of the court of session, he made it his duty to see that proper regard was paid to the laws in actual force, whether they favoured Protestants or Catholics. Thus, when the queen sought his advice in regard to the prosecution of several Catholics who had observed the mass, he advised "that she must see her laws kept, or else she would get no obedience". On the other hand, when John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
in 1563 penned a letter to "the brethren in all quarters" to assemble for the protection of certain persons who had made forcible entrance into the chapel of Holyrood
Holyrood
Holyrood is an anglicisation of the Scots haly ruid . It may refer to:*Holyrood , relics of the True Cross on which Jesus died-Scotland:* Holyrood, Edinburgh, an area of Edinburgh...
during mass, Sinclair sent a copy of the letter to the queen at Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
. Knox, on this account, denounces him as "ane perfect hypocrite, and ane conjured enemy to Christ Jesus". Yet Knox himself admits that Sinclair voted for his absolution
Absolution
Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This concept is found in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican churches, and most Lutheran churches....
when brought before the council. "The bishop", he says, "answered cauldlie, 'Your grace may consider that it is neither affection to the man [Knox], nor yet love to his profession, that moveth me to absolve him; but the simple truth, which plainly appears in his defence'". It is clear that Sinclair was capable of acting justly, if not generously, towards an avowed enemy.
On the appearance of Bishop Jewell
John Jewel
John Jewel was an English bishop of Salisbury.-Life:He was the son of John Jewel of Buden, Devon, was educated under his uncle John Bellamy, rector of Hampton, and other private tutors until his matriculation at Merton College, Oxford, in July 1535.There he was taught by John Parkhurst,...
's Apologia in 1562, Randolph, the ambassador of Elizabeth in Scotland, sent a copy to the bishop of Ross, expressing at the same time his intention to send one to the archbishop of St. Andrews, "not", he says, "to do them good, which I know is impossible, but to heap mischief upon their heads". Nevertheless Randolph afterwards describes him as "of that sort of men the best in Scotland". On 20 February 1564, Queen Mary applied to Elizabeth for a safe-conduct for Sinclair to go into France, that he "might seek cure and remedie of a certain maladie". The malady was the stone
Calculus (medicine)
A calculus is a stone that forms in an organ or duct of the body. Formation of calculi is known as lithiasis...
, for which he underwent an operation; but he died at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 2 January 1565.
Works
Sinclair wrote some additions to Hector BoeceHector Boece
Hector Boece , known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Aberdeen.-Biography:He was born in Dundee where he attended school...
's History of Scotland, which his brother, John Sinclair, bishop of Brechin, brought from Paris after his death. It is supposed that John, rather than Henry, was the author of Sinclair's Practicks, a legal work contained in manuscript in the Advocates' Library
Advocates' Library
The Advocates' Library is a law library belonging to the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh, founded in 1682. Until 1925 it was the deposit library for Scotland, after which the role was taken on by the National Library of Scotland....
, Edinburgh.
Dempster (Historia Eccl.) and, following him, Thomas Tanner
Thomas Tanner (bishop)
Thomas Tanner was an English antiquary and prelate.-Life:He was born at Market Lavington in Wiltshire, and was educated at Queen's College, Oxford, taking holy orders in 1694...
(Bibliographia Britannica) split this Sinclair into two persons, one of them being represented as dean of Glasgow and lord of session and nephew of the bishop of Ross. The nephew is credited by Dempster with the following legal works: Legum Romanorum ad Leges Scotiæ Municipales Reductio, Lib. i.; Novæ Judiciarii ordinis Leges, Lib. i.; Abrogatio Juris Antiqui, Lib. i. Henderson wrote in the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
that "These appellations are doubtless all paraphrastic amplifications by Dempster of the full title of the Practicks above referred to".