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James Beaton | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of St Andrews Primate of Scotland | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | St Andrews |
| Appointed | 10 October 1522[1] |
| Term ended | 14 February 1539 |
| Predecessor | Andrew Forman |
| Successor | David Beaton |
| Previous posts | Archbishop of Glasgow (1509–22) Bishop of Galloway (1508–09) |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 15 April 1509 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1473 |
| Died | 14 February 1539 (agedc. 66) |
| Parents | John Beaton of Balfour |
James Beaton (orBethune) (c. 1473 – 15 February 1539) was aRoman CatholicScottish church leader, the uncle ofDavid Cardinal Beaton and theKeeper of the Great Seal of Scotland.
James Beaton was the sixth and youngest son of John Beaton of Balfour, in Fife. He graduated as Master of Arts atSt. Andrews University in 1493, was appointedPrecentor ofDornoch Cathedral (Diocese of Caithness) in 1497 and in 1503 was appointed Provost of the Collegiate Church ofBothwell. In 1504 he becamePrior of Whithorn andAbbot ofDunfermline and in 1505 was madeLord High Treasurer of Scotland byJames IV.[2]
In 1508 he was elected asBishop of Galloway, in succession to George Vaus, but before his consecration he was chosen to succeedRobert Blackadder asArchbishop of Glasgow and was consecrated at Stirling on 15 April 1509. With the archbishopric he held the commendatory Abbeys of Arbroath and Kilwinning, and in 1515 he becameLord Chancellor of Scotland. KingJames V was at this time a child and Beaton, as one of the Council of Regency, was one of the most important people in the kingdom during the minority of the young king.[2]
In 1522 Beaton was transferred toSt. Andrewsbishopric, vacant by the death of Archbishop Forman. As primate he threw all his powerful influence into the scale against the intrigues of Henry VIII to obtain predominance in Scotland. He was chiefly responsible for the king's action in allying himself with France and not with England. The English ambassador described him as "greatest man both of lands and experience within this realm, and noted to be very crafty and dissimulating".[3]
His residence in the capital,Edinburgh, was at the foot of Blackfriars Wynd on theCowgate. This had a courtyard form and thecoat-of-arms of the Bethune family over the entrance.[4]
In 1528 he orderedPatrick Hamiltonburned at the stake for the allegedheresy ofLutheranism. The Regent Albany's jealousy had deprived Beaton of the chancellorship some years previously, and he was never reappointed, though he enjoyed the full favour of the king. A few months after the second marriage of James toMary of Guise, the primate got his nephewCardinalBeaton appointed hiscoadjutor with right of succession. Archbishop James Beaton died in the autumn of 1539 in his castle at St. Andrews.[2]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Galloway 1508 not consecrated | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Glasgow 1508/9–1522 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of St Andrews 1522–1539 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Alexander Stewart Archbishop of St Andrews | Lord Chancellor of Scotland 1515–1526 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland unknown – unknown | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Andrew Forman Archbishop of St Andrews | Chancellor of the University of St Andrews 1522–1539 | Succeeded by Cardinal Beaton Archbishop of St Andrews |
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| Known pre-Norman era bishops |  | |
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| Scoto-Norman era bishops |
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| Pre-Reformation archbishops | ||
| Post-Reformation archbishops | ||
Afterwards, see also:EpiscopalArchbishops of St Andrews, Bishops of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane (etc.) &Roman CatholicArchbishops of St Andrews and Edinburgh (etc.) | ||