John Hepburn (Bishop of Brechin)
Encyclopedia
John Hepburn was a 16th-century bishop
from the kingdom of Scotland
. Hepburn was provided bishop of Brechin
by Pope Leo X
on 29 October 1516, but there may have been a delay in consecrating
him due to his "defect of age". He may not have been consecrated until sometime between June 1522 and 23 February 1523, though the evidence is complex and contradictory.
Bishop Hepburn's first recorded appearance in parliament
comes on 16 November 1524, occurring thereafter with great regularity. He died at some stage between 27 March and 22 May 1557, dying on the eve of the Scottish Reformation
having served four decades in office.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
from the kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
. Hepburn was provided 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...
by Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...
on 29 October 1516, but there may have been a delay in consecrating
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
him due to his "defect of age". He may not have been consecrated until sometime between June 1522 and 23 February 1523, though the evidence is complex and contradictory.
Bishop Hepburn's first recorded appearance in parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
comes on 16 November 1524, occurring thereafter with great regularity. He died at some stage between 27 March and 22 May 1557, dying on the eve of the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
having served four decades in office.