Reforming the Scottish Church

John Winram (c. 1492–1582) and the Example of Fife

Linda J. Dunbar

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781351905688
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

As Superintendent of Fife, John Winram played a pivotal role in the reform of the Scottish Church. Charting his career within St Andrews priory from canon to subprior, Linda Dunbar examines the ambiguity of Winram's religious stance in the years before 1559 and argues that much of the difficulty in pinning down Winram's views stems from the mis-identification of John Knox's un-named reforming sub-prior with Winram. In fact, as the book shows, this early reformer was probably Winram's own sub-prior, Alexander Young. The various reforming influences on Winram, and the gradual change in his religious stance is charted, together with his robust attempts at Catholic reform with St Andrews and his profound effect upon John Knox during the siege of the castle. In 1559, Winram eventually decided to side with the Protestants. The book concludes with an analysis of the difficulties experienced by Winram and the preponderance of accusations against him which led to his final relinquishing of office in 1577. In his transition from a Catholic to a Protestant reformer, Winram's experience is typical of that of many of his contemporaries in Scotland and in Europe.

Chapter One
St Andrews priory before 1560

In Early Modern Scotland the Fife town of St Andrews was one of the realm's most vital and vibrant centres. A 'Bird's Eye View' plan of St Andrews (c. 1580) illustrates the variety of functions which the town served.¹ (Map 1.1) The physical dominance of the Augustinian cathedral and the priory precinct, together with the archbishop's castle and the Dominican and Franciscan friaries indicate the town's ecclesiastical significance. Its educational importance is suggested by the plan's subtitle, Scotiae Universitas Metropolitana, and by the careful labelling of the university colleges. The commercial role of the burgh is evident from the harbour and its trading ships and the market square with its attendant tollbooth, market cross and tron.² It was here that John Winram spent most of his life, coming first as a student of St Leonard's College and, having become, amongst other things, the subprior of the Augustinian priory and the Superintendent of Fife, dying within the town some 70 years later. During this period Winram immersed himself in the activities of the town's ecclesiastical, as well as its educational establishments.

From canon to subprior

John Winram was born c. 1492, the son of James Winram of Ratho and Margaret Wilkie.³ Nothing is known of Winram's early life until 1515-16 when he is listed among the determinants of St Leonard's College, St Andrews who gained their Bachelor of Arts degrees at that time.⁴ The College was founded in 1512 at the instigation of the then prior, John Hepburn, who hoped the college would provide well-educated novices to bolster the number of canons in the priory.⁵ Winram entered the

Map 1.1 St Andrews c. 1580, Reproduced by kind permission of the Trustees of the National Library of Scotland.

college c. 1512-13 when aged about 20, considerably older than the average age of 15 years for entering university.⁶ He was a gifted scholar, gaining his Master of Arts sometime before 1532, and completing his doctorate in theology early in 1541.⁷

At an unknown date, probably during the priorship of John Hepburn (1483-1526), Winram joined the Augustinian priory.⁸ Winram's academic excellence in the college was paralleled by his rise through the ranks in the priory - from canon to subprior in only 30 months. Such rapid promotion was based more upon his ability to remain on good terms with his prior than upon his considerable academic and administrative prowess. In particular, elevation to the offices of thirdprior and subprior depended entirely upon the prior's patronage. Following his death in January 1526 prior John Hepburn was succeeded by his nephew, Patrick Hepburn, who had been provided as his coadjutor two years earlier.⁹ The priory chapter were unhappy with the new prior who was sexually promiscuous and violent.¹⁰ Within two years of his appointment the chapter formulated a complaint against him to King James V.¹¹ It seems that the complaint was never delivered. Patrick Hepburn continued as prior, promoting and demoting people within both the priory and the College of St Leonard as they fell in and out of favour with him. In the turbulent years following the martyrdom of Patrick Hamilton in February 1527/8 three subpriors have been recorded in office: James Weymes in March 1527/8;¹² Alexander Young between July 1532 and February 1534/5;¹³ and John Winram from December 1535.¹⁴ Neither Weymes nor Young died in office but were removed by Patrick Hepburn having, presumably, fallen from his favour.¹⁵

Alexander Young had risen from a canon regular to be the subprior within 18 months.¹⁶ His rapid rise was matched by his rapid downfall. Having held the post for a little over two years he was demoted, not to thirdprior, but back to the ranks of canons regular, where he remained until his death some 15 years later. John Winram's rise was also swift. From a canon regular in May 1532 he is recorded as thirdprior in July 1534 and February 1534/5,¹⁷ and as subprior by December 1535. To achieve these promotions Winram must have given his prior no cause for disapproval. He successfully avoided the fate of his two predecessors and remained as subprior until his death in 1582. The removal of the aggressive and impetuous Patrick Hepburn in 1538, to the bishopric of Moray and the abbacy of Scone in commendam, goes some way to explaining Winram's long period in office.¹⁸

The infant Lord James Stewart, bastard son of King James V and Margaret Erskine, daughter of John, 4th Lord Erskine, replaced Hepburn as commendator prior of St Andrews. One of many royal bastards, Lord James was born in 1531 and his mother seems to have been the King's favourite mistress. James V's infatuation was such that he was seen running up and down the streets of Paris buying trinkets to send to her, together with letters and tokens of his affection.¹⁹ The King even tried to marry Margaret by securing her divorce from Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven on the grounds of consanguinity.²⁰ When Pope Paul III refused to grant the desired annulment the King turned to providing alternative honours and financial security for Lord James, and thereby indirectly for Margaret.²¹

In 1534 James V obtained dispensation from Pope Clement VII that his bastard sons would be eligible to enlist in 'the spiritual army', despite the defects of their births. The Pope allowed the then two-year-old Lord James, and his three half-brothers, to receive, amongst other things, the tonsure when aged six and to be deemed capable of presiding over a Metropolitan or other cathedral when aged 23.²² Once Lord James attained the required six years of age stipulated in the Papal mandate the process of securing a clerical provision for him was initiated.

The King believed the priory of St Andrews was 'the first and most famous monastic house in Scotland'.²³ Through its land holdings and appropriated churches the priory's influence spread far beyond Fife. By 1500 28 parish churches and two chapels, extending from Aberdeenshire to Haddingtonshire, were appropriated to the priory.²⁴ The appropriation of their benefices and teinds contributed to the priory's wealth. Income from all sources was such that in 1524 the priory was reported to be 'as amply endowed as the archiepiscopate'.²⁵ This was the benefice the King intended for his son. In March 1537/8 a royal representative was sent to Rome to secure the necessary papal bulls providing Patrick Hepburn to the bishopric of Moray and the abbacy of Scone in commendam, to compensate him for demitting from St Andrews priory and leaving it vacant for Lord James.²⁶

In 1538, when in his seventh year, Lord James Stewart was admitted as commendator prior of St Andrews. The Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer show that Lord James lived in St Andrews immediately after his appointment.²⁷ Winram, the 46-year-old subprior, assumed something of a fatherly role to him and a strong, life-long friendship developed between them.²⁸ Lord James was too young to exercise his duties as commendator of the priory in his own right and the day-to-day running of the priory was controlled and administered by Winram. Even in July 1539, when the administration, both temporal and spiritual, was legally passed to Alexander Mylne, abbot of Cambuskenneth, Winram remained in effective control.²⁹ Because of his duties at Cambuskenneth, his activities at Court, and his commitments to the newly erected College of Justice Mylne spent little time in St Andrews. Winram also assisted Lord James in national affairs. Between 1546 and 1549, during the vacancy of the archbishopric, Winram served as co-vicar general with his prior.³⁰ Then 15, Lord James was still too young to fulfil the duties alone.

Based at Lochleven, 40 kilometres south-west of St Andrews, the young commendator's maternal family, the Douglases, tried to retain as much influence over Lord James and his affairs as they could. While James V was alive they had little or no influence over the priory's finances, which the King himself exploited.³¹ After the King's death in 1542 the Douglases saw an opportunity to gain control of the priory's wealth through control of Lord James. However, James Hamilton, second Earl of Arran and Regent of Scotland, had similar ideas.

In June 1543 Hamilton attempted to gain co...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Dedication
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of tables
• List of figures
• Acknowledgements
• Conventions and abbreviations
• List of maps
• Introduction
• 1 St Andrews priory before 1560
• 2 Changing religious convictions
• 3 Superintendency: The theory of the First Book of Discipline
• 4 Superintendency: The developments of the General Assembly
• 5 The practice of superintendency in Fife
• 6 The superintendent's court
• 7 Clerical admissions
• 8 The problems of superintendency
• 9 St Andrews priory after 1560
• 10 St Andrews University
• 11 Friends
• 12 Family
• Conclusion
• Appendix A Canons in St Andrews priory
• Appendix Β Fasti of post-Reformation St Andrews canons
• Bibliography
• Index