James Ramsay (bishop)
Encyclopedia
James Ramsay bishop of Dunblane
, bishop of Ross
, was son of Robert Ramsay (1598?–1651). The latter was successively minister of Dundonald
(1625–40), of Blackfriars or College Church, Glasgow
(1640–7), and of the High Church (now the cathedral), Glasgow (1647–51); was dean
of the faculty of Glasgow University 1646 and 1650–1, rector
in 1648, and principal from 28 August 1651 until his death in the following September. He is buried in Canongate Churchyard
. His grave is officially "lost" but the ornate, illegible stone on the east side of the church, now somewhat spuriously ascribed to Rizzio is probably his.
, in 1624, James was entered at Glasgow University on 31 March 1645, and was laureated in 1647. He was ordained to the ministry of Kirkintilloch
on 19 February 1653, but was charged by the English rulers "not to preach in that church, and the people not to hear him". The parishioners adhered to him nevertheless. In 1655 he was transferred to Linlithgow
. There he met with further obstruction, but the synod
declared him to be lawfully called and admitted. He joined the party of the resolutioners, and on 29 May 1661 celebrated the restoration
of Charles II
by publicly burning the Solemn League and Covenant
and the acts of parliament passed during the civil wars
.
In 1664 he was appointed parson
of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
, to which office was annexed the deanery
of Glasgow, and from 1665 to 1667 was rector
of Glasgow University. On 6 January 1666, in that capacity, he headed the list of subscribers to the oath of allegiance to episcopacy. He used his influence to protect the Duke of Hamilton
from injury at the skirmish of Pentland
on 28 November 1666. In 1669 he and Arthur Rose
, parson of Glasgow, drew up an address to the king protesting against the recent indulgence granted to presbyterian ministers. The council summoned Ramsay and Rose before it, declared the address to be illegal, and ordered it to be suppressed.
and Bishop Leighton
, with whose desire for a scheme of comprehension he sympathised. When Leighton was transferred in 1673 to the archiepiscopal see of Glasgow, Ramsay succeeded him as bishop of Dunblane
. He held his first synod there on 30 September the same year. In the second year of his episcopacy he came into conflict with James Sharp, archbishop of St Andrews
, whose arbitrary handling of the church had excited widespread discontent. The bishops of Brechin, Edinburgh, and Dunblane (Ramsay) formulated a demand for a national synod. When, however, in July 1674, Sharp called a meeting of the bishops in his own house to consider certain canons for the church, Ramsay alone ventured to insist on the need of "a national convocation of the clergy". He was not summoned to the second day's conference, and returned to his diocese
, leaving behind a letter denouncing the proposed canon
s as inopportune, and not within the province of a private consultative meeting of the bishops.
The king, on 16 July 1674, in reply to the address of Ramsay and his friends, expressed "displeasure against all factious and divisive ways", and ordered Sharp to translate Ramsay to the see of the Isles
. Ramsay, on receiving notice of the king's decision, petitioned the council (28 July) to present his case again to the king, and, despite Sharp's opposition, the petition was forwarded to Lauderdale
. An angry correspondence between Sharp and Ramsay followed. Sharp inhibited Ramsay, and proceeded to London. Thither, in April 1675, Ramsay followed him. The quarrel was submitted to the consideration of several English bishops of both provinces in September 1675, with the result that Ramsay retained the see of Dunblane.
During 1676 and 1677 Ramsay was engaged in a suit against Francis Kinloch of Gilmerton for an annuity
due to him as dean of the chapel royal
, annexed to his bishopric. The case is of importance in the history of Scottish ecclesiastical revenues.
. In 1686 he preached in the High Church, Edinburgh
, before the members of parliament a sermon against the act for the toleration of Roman catholicism. As a consequence he was called before the archbishop of St Andrews
and the bishop of Edinburgh
to answer a charge of defaming the archbishop and his brother Melfort. "This staging of the bishop of Ross was one of the various methods employed to get the act for toleration of Popery to pass".
On 3 November 1688, however, Ramsay signed the letter of the Scottish bishops to James, congratulating him on the birth of a son, and expressing amazement at the news of an invasion from Holland.
On the abolition of episcopacy Ramsay was expelled from office, and died at Edinburgh, in great poverty, on 22 October 1696. He was interred in the Canongate
churchyard. He married Mary Gartstair, and had eight sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Robert, was minister of Prestonpans.
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
, 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...
, was son of Robert Ramsay (1598?–1651). The latter was successively minister of Dundonald
Dundonald, South Ayrshire
Dundonald is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.-The village:The village is mostly known for Dundonald Castle, which was built in the 14th century by king Robert II, on the ruins of a castle built earlier Dundonald (Gaelic: Dùn Dhòmhnaill) is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.-The...
(1625–40), of Blackfriars or College Church, 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...
(1640–7), and of the High Church (now the cathedral), Glasgow (1647–51); was dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the faculty of Glasgow University 1646 and 1650–1, rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
in 1648, and principal from 28 August 1651 until his death in the following September. He is buried in Canongate Churchyard
Canongate Churchyard
The Canongate Kirkyard stands around Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The churchyard was used for burials from the late 1680s until the mid 20th century....
. His grave is officially "lost" but the ornate, illegible stone on the east side of the church, now somewhat spuriously ascribed to Rizzio is probably his.
Early career
Born in Irvine, North AyrshireIrvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
, in 1624, James was entered at Glasgow University on 31 March 1645, and was laureated in 1647. He was ordained to the ministry of Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch is a town and former burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal, about eight miles northeast of central Glasgow...
on 19 February 1653, but was charged by the English rulers "not to preach in that church, and the people not to hear him". The parishioners adhered to him nevertheless. In 1655 he was transferred to Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
. There he met with further obstruction, but the synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
declared him to be lawfully called and admitted. He joined the party of the resolutioners, and on 29 May 1661 celebrated the restoration
Restoration (1660)
The term Restoration in reference to the year 1660 refers to the restoration of Charles II to his realms across the British Empire at that time.-England:...
of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
by publicly burning the Solemn League and Covenant
Solemn League and Covenant
The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....
and the acts of parliament passed during the civil wars
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
In 1664 he was appointed parson
Parson
In the pre-Reformation church, a parson was the priest of an independent parish church, that is, a parish church not under the control of a larger ecclesiastical or monastic organization...
of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
, to which office was annexed 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, and from 1665 to 1667 was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Glasgow University. On 6 January 1666, in that capacity, he headed the list of subscribers to the oath of allegiance to episcopacy. He used his influence to protect the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
from injury at the skirmish of Pentland
Battle of Rullion Green
The Battle of Rullion Green in the Pentland Hills, Scotland on 28 November 1666 was the culmination of the brief Pentland Rising . At least 3000 men of the Scottish Royal Army led by Tam Dalyell of the Binns opposed about 900 Covenanter rebels.The Pentland Rising was in the context of the...
on 28 November 1666. In 1669 he and Arthur Rose
Arthur Rose
Arthur Rose was a seventeenth century Scottish priest, Archbishop of St Andrews, and Episcopal Primate of Scotland.-Life:The younger son of Elizabeth Wood and her husband, John Rose, minister of Birse, he was born in 1634...
, parson of Glasgow, drew up an address to the king protesting against the recent indulgence granted to presbyterian ministers. The council summoned Ramsay and Rose before it, declared the address to be illegal, and ordered it to be suppressed.
Bishop of Dunblane
Ramsay was on friendly terms with Gilbert BurnetGilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet was a Scottish theologian and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was respected as a cleric, a preacher, and an academic, as well as a writer and historian...
and Bishop Leighton
Robert Leighton (prelate)
Robert Leighton was a Scottish prelate and scholar, best known as a church minister, Bishop of Dunblane, Archbishop of Glasgow, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1653 to 1662. He was "noted for his Christian piety, his humility and gentleness, and his devotion to his...
, with whose desire for a scheme of comprehension he sympathised. When Leighton was transferred in 1673 to the archiepiscopal see of Glasgow, Ramsay succeeded him as bishop of Dunblane
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
. He held his first synod there on 30 September the same year. In the second year of his episcopacy he came into conflict with James Sharp, archbishop of St Andrews
Archbishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews and then, as Archbishop of St Andrews , the Archdiocese of St Andrews.The name St Andrews is not the town or church's original name...
, whose arbitrary handling of the church had excited widespread discontent. The bishops of Brechin, Edinburgh, and Dunblane (Ramsay) formulated a demand for a national synod. When, however, in July 1674, Sharp called a meeting of the bishops in his own house to consider certain canons for the church, Ramsay alone ventured to insist on the need of "a national convocation of the clergy". He was not summoned to the second day's conference, and returned to his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, leaving behind a letter denouncing the proposed canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
s as inopportune, and not within the province of a private consultative meeting of the bishops.
The king, on 16 July 1674, in reply to the address of Ramsay and his friends, expressed "displeasure against all factious and divisive ways", and ordered Sharp to translate Ramsay to the see of the Isles
Bishop of the Isles
The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an ecclesiastical unity to the careers of Olaf, King of the Isles,...
. Ramsay, on receiving notice of the king's decision, petitioned the council (28 July) to present his case again to the king, and, despite Sharp's opposition, the petition was forwarded to Lauderdale
Lauderdale
Lauderdale, denoting "dale of the river Leader", is the dale and region around that river in south-eastern Scotland.It can also refer to:-People:*Earls of Lauderdale*Lord Lauderdale, member of The Cabal of Charles II of England-Place names:Australia...
. An angry correspondence between Sharp and Ramsay followed. Sharp inhibited Ramsay, and proceeded to London. Thither, in April 1675, Ramsay followed him. The quarrel was submitted to the consideration of several English bishops of both provinces in September 1675, with the result that Ramsay retained the see of Dunblane.
During 1676 and 1677 Ramsay was engaged in a suit against Francis Kinloch of Gilmerton for an annuity
Annuity (finance theory)
The term annuity is used in finance theory to refer to any terminating stream of fixed payments over a specified period of time. This usage is most commonly seen in discussions of finance, usually in connection with the valuation of the stream of payments, taking into account time value of money...
due to him as dean of the chapel royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
, annexed to his bishopric. The case is of importance in the history of Scottish ecclesiastical revenues.
Bishop of Ross
In May 1684 he was transferred to the see of RossDiocese of Ross
The Diocese of Ross was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Scotland in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Ross, and was based at Fortrose. The diocese had only one Archdeacon, the Archdeacon of Ross, first attested in 1223 with the appearance of...
. In 1686 he preached in the High Church, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, before the members of parliament a sermon against the act for the toleration of Roman catholicism. As a consequence he was called before the archbishop of St Andrews
Archbishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews and then, as Archbishop of St Andrews , the Archdiocese of St Andrews.The name St Andrews is not the town or church's original name...
and the bishop of Edinburgh
Bishop of Edinburgh
The Bishop of Edinburgh is the Ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh.The see was founded in 1633 by King Charles I. William Forbes was consecrated in St. Giles' Cathedral as its first bishop on 23 January 1634 though he died later that year...
to answer a charge of defaming the archbishop and his brother Melfort. "This staging of the bishop of Ross was one of the various methods employed to get the act for toleration of Popery to pass".
On 3 November 1688, however, Ramsay signed the letter of the Scottish bishops to James, congratulating him on the birth of a son, and expressing amazement at the news of an invasion from Holland.
On the abolition of episcopacy Ramsay was expelled from office, and died at Edinburgh, in great poverty, on 22 October 1696. He was interred in the Canongate
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
churchyard. He married Mary Gartstair, and had eight sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Robert, was minister of Prestonpans.