Alexander Gordon (bishop of Galloway)

Alexander Gordon (c. 1516–1575) was a 16th-century Scottish churchman who was successively archbishop of Glasgow, titular archbishop of Athens, bishop of the Isles and bishop of Galloway. His father was John Gordon, Lord Gordon and his mother was Margaret Stewart, an illegitimate daughter of James IV of Scotland. He was the brother of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, the ex-Chancellor of Scotland. He acquired his first ecclesiastic appointment, as administrator of Caithness, despite competition with Robert Stewart, brother of the Earl of Lennox.^[3] He was provided and consecrated to the archdiocese of Glasgow in the year 1550. This see was resigned to the pope in 1551, and he was given a pension and the title archbishop of Athens in partibus, along with the commendam of Inchaffray. In 1553, he was translated to the bishopric of the Isles (Sodor) at Iona. In 1559, after the death of the bishop of Galloway, Alexander was translated that bishopric. Alexander became a Protestant, and died on 11 November 1575.

In 1544, Alexander described himself as a servant of Francis I of France, and he was a loyal and well rewarded servant to the Queen Dowager, Mary of Guise. Apart from his ecclesiastical preferments, Guise gave him a yearly pension of £200 on 17 January 1547. The next year Alexander claimed poverty because Robert Stewart had possession of his Caithness rents, but he wrote that he would not tempted by English offers, 'for suppose poverty banish me from your grace's service, riches shall not cause me offend.'^[4] Alexander sent Mary of Guise a vivid account of the capture of Ferniehirst Castle from the French in February 1549. He was there in the company of his brother George, Earl of Huntly.^[5]

Alexander travelled through England to Scotland with a retinue of 12 followers in April 1553.^[6] Alexander preached at the wedding of his niece Jean Gordon to the Earl of Bothwell on 24 February 1566.^[7] A year later, Alexander was a signatory to Ainslie's Tavern Band in April 1567, agreeing to the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to Bothwell.^[8]

John Gordon, future Bishop of Galloway, was the son of Alexander Gordon and his wife Barbara Logie. John seems to have been illegitimate; his parents married, perhaps clandestinely, only in 1546, before Alexander obtained ecclesiastical preferment.^[9]

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References

Bishop of Galloway / Whithorn
Pre-Reformation bishops of Galloway, x 1128–1560 Gille Aldan Christian of Whithorn John of Whithorn Walter of Whithorn Gilbert of Glenluce Odo Ydonc§ Henry of Holyrood Thomas de Kirkcudbright Simon de Wedale Michael MacKenlagh Thomas MacDowell§ Adam de Lanark Oswald of Glenluce§ Ingram de Ketenis§ Thomas de Rossy Elisaeus Adougan Gilbert Cavan§ Thomas de Buittle Alexander Vaus Thomas Spens Thomas Vaus§ Ninian Spot George Vaus James Beaton David Arnot Henry Wemyss Andrew Durie Alexander Gordon Post-Reformation bishops of Galloway, 1560–1689 Alexander Gordon John Gordon Roger Gordon§ George Gordon Vacant (1588–1605)§ Gavin Hamilton William Couper Andrew Lamb Thomas Sydserf Vacant (1638–1661)§ James Hamilton John Paterson Arthur Rose James Aitken John Gordon
§ non-consecrated, titular or doubtful