Walter Whitford
Encyclopedia
Walter Whitford was a seventeenth-century Scottish
minister, prelate
and Royalist
. After graduating from the University of Glasgow
in 1604, he began a career in the Church of Scotland
taking a variety of posts until being appointed Bishop of Brechin
in 1635.
As a bishop, Whitford was already a suspicious figure among hardline Presbyterians, and he made himself more unpopular by backing the attempt by the monarchy to impose Archbishop William Laud
's prayer book on his congregation. After the abolition of episcopacy by the Church of Scotland in 1639, Whitford was deprived of his bishopric and fled to England. There he retained his sympathy for the monarchy, gaining a small position there before dying in 1647.
, by his wife Mary, daughter of Sir James Somerville of Cambusnethan
in Lanarkshire
. The family of Whitford derives its name from the estate of Whitford in Renfrewshire
on the river Cart
. Adam Whitford was accused of being concerned in January 1575–6 in a conspiracy against the regent, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
.
Walter was educated at Glasgow University, graduating in 1601, and afterwards acted as regent. On 10 May 1604 he was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Paisley
, and on 3 December 1608 he was presented by King James VI to the parish
of Kilmarnock
in Ayrshire
. In 1610 he was translated to Moffat
in Dumfriesshire
, where he was admitted before 8 June. In 1613 he was nominated on the commission of the peace for Annandale, and was involved in several of the family feuds with which the county abounded.
On 27 June 1617 Whitford signed the protestation to parliament in support of the liberties of the kirk, but he suffered himself soon after to be won over by the king, and on 15 June 1619 he was nominated a member of the court of high commission. On 30 August he was constituted minister of Failford
in Ayrshire by James VI, in addition to his other charge. In March 1620 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity
from Glasgow University; and on 4 August 1621 he was confirmed in his ministry by act of parliament
. In 1623 his commission as justice of the peace
was renewed, and he was appointed convener of the stewartry of Annandale.
In the same year James proposed to translate him to Liberton in Midlothian
, but failed to carry out his intention. On 25 October 1627 he was appointed one of the commissioners nominated by the king for taking measures against Catholics, which on 21 October 1634 was expanded into a high commission to cite and punish all persons dwelling in Scotland concerning whom there were unfavourable reports. On 9 December 1628 he was presented by Charles I to the sub-deanery of Glasgow, which after 1670 formed the parish of Old Monkland in Lanarkshire. In 1630 a dispute regarding the crown's right of patronage prevented him taking possession before there. On 21 October 1634 he was nominated to the commission for the maintenance of church discipline.
as successor to Thomas Sydserf
, holding the sub-deanery in commendam
until 1639, when he disponed his title to James Hamilton, third Marquis (afterwards first Duke) of Hamilton. On 16 April 1635 he was created a burgess of Arbroath
. Whitford used his episcopal authority to support the liturgical
changes which Charles I had introduced. The new service-book was very unpopular with the masses in Scotland, and in 1637, when Whitford announced his intention of reading it, he was threatened with violence. Undeterred he ascended the pulpit, holding a brace of pistols, his family and servants attending him armed, and read the service with closed doors. On his return he was attacked by an enraged mob, and escaped with difficulty.
The minister of Brechin, Alexander Bisset, refusing to obey Whitford's commands to follow his example, the bishop caused his own servant to read the service regularly from the desk. This obstinacy roused intense feeling against him, and towards the close of the year, after his palace had been plundered, he was compelled to flee to England, where, with two other bishops, he violently opposed the Scottish treasurer, Sir John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair
, whose moderation he disliked, drawing up a memorial against employing him as a commissioner to treat with the Scots.
by the Glasgow assembly, whose authority, in common with the other bishops, he had refused to recognise. In addition to the ecclesiastical offence of signing the declinature, he was accused of drunkenness and incontinence, and of "using of masse crucifixes in his chamber". On 23 August 1639 he and the other Scottish prelates drew up a protest against their exclusion from parliament.
On 28 December 1640 Whitford was living in London in great poverty, but on 5 May 1642, as a recompense for his sufferings, Charles presented him to the rectory
of Walgrave
in Northamptonshire
, where he was instituted. He suffered at the hands of the Long Parliament
, and there were attempts to remove him from his position. In 1646 he was expelled by the parliamentary soldiery; he died the following year, and was buried on 16 June in the middle aisle
of the chancel
of St. Margaret's, Westminster Abbey
.
's regiment of foot on 13 June 1667. David and Walter (died c. 1686) are separately noticed. In 1660 Whitford's widow petitioned for a yearly allowance out of the rents of the bishopric of Brechin in consideration of the sufferings of her family in the royal cause.
His eldest son, John Whitford (died 1667), divine, was presented in 1641, at the instance of Laud, to the rectory of Ashton
in Northamptonshire, and instituted on 17 May. In 1645 he was ejected, and took refuge with his father. He was reinstated at the Restoration, and on 5 July 1661 received a grant of ₤100 in compensation for the loss of his books and other property. He died at Ashton on 9 October 1667. He married Judith (died 5 March 1707), daughter of John Marriott of Ashton.
The third son, Adam Whitford (1624–1647), soldier, born in 1624, was a king's scholar at Westminster school, and in 1641 was elected to Christ Church, Oxford
, whence he matriculated on 10 December, graduating B. A. on 4 December 1646. Like his brother David, he enrolled himself in the royal garrison at Oxford
, and was killed in the siege. He was buried in the south transept of Christ Church Cathedral
on 10 February 1647.
's Description of the Shire of Renfrew, ed. Robertson, 1818, pp. 56–7; Memoirs of Henry Guthry, 1748, p. 16; Irving's Upper Ward of Lanarkshire, 1864, ii. 420; Hewins's Whitefoord Papers, 1898; Kennet's Reg. and Chron. 1728, p. 204; Hamilton's Description of the Sheriffdoms of Lanark and Renfrew (Maitland Club), pp. 18, 79; Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, 1833, I. ii. 70; Munimenta Alme Glasguensis (Maitland Club), passim; Grub's Ecclesiastical Hist. of Scotland, 1861, ii. 353, iii. 32, 42, 44, 88; Acts of Parliament of Scotland, iv. 688, v. 46, 120, 129, 479, 505, 528, vii. 347; Spalding's Memorials of Trubles (Spalding Club), passim; Peterkin's Records of the Kirk, 1843, pp. 26–7, 99–106; Paterson's Hist. of Ayr and Wigton, 1866, ii. 466; Wood's Hist. and Antiq. of the Colleges of Oxford, ed. Gutch, p. 510; Misc. Gen. et Herald. 2nd ser. i. 289; Laud's Works (Library of Anglo-Catholic Theol.), iii. 313, vi. 434–5, 438, 590, vii. 427.
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...
minister, prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
and Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
. After graduating from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1604, he began a career in the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
taking a variety of posts until being appointed 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...
in 1635.
As a bishop, Whitford was already a suspicious figure among hardline Presbyterians, and he made himself more unpopular by backing the attempt by the monarchy to impose Archbishop William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
's prayer book on his congregation. After the abolition of episcopacy by the Church of Scotland in 1639, Whitford was deprived of his bishopric and fled to England. There he retained his sympathy for the monarchy, gaining a small position there before dying in 1647.
Early life and career
Born about 1581, he was the son of Adam Whitford of Milntown (later called Milton Lockhart) near CarlukeCarluke
The town of Carluke lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5.4 miles northwest of Lanark and 4 miles southeast of Wishaw....
, by his wife Mary, daughter of Sir James Somerville of Cambusnethan
Cambusnethan
Cambusnethan is a large suburb on the eastern edge of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire in Scotland. It is approximately 1.5 miles long, straddling both sides of the A722 on a hill overlooking Wishaw.-Transport:...
in Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
. The family of Whitford derives its name from the estate of Whitford in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
on the river Cart
River Cart
The River Cart is a tributary of the River Clyde, Scotland, which it joins from the west roughly midway between the towns of Erskine and Renfrew....
. Adam Whitford was accused of being concerned in January 1575–6 in a conspiracy against the regent, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he did manage to win the civil war which had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of...
.
Walter was educated at Glasgow University, graduating in 1601, and afterwards acted as regent. On 10 May 1604 he was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, and on 3 December 1608 he was presented by King James VI to the parish
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
. In 1610 he was translated to Moffat
Moffat
Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam...
in Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
, where he was admitted before 8 June. In 1613 he was nominated on the commission of the peace for Annandale, and was involved in several of the family feuds with which the county abounded.
On 27 June 1617 Whitford signed the protestation to parliament in support of the liberties of the kirk, but he suffered himself soon after to be won over by the king, and on 15 June 1619 he was nominated a member of the court of high commission. On 30 August he was constituted minister of Failford
Failford
Failford is a hamlet in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located west of Mauchline, where the Water of Fail flows into the River Ayr. The nearby Ayr Gorge Woodlands nature reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, notable for its ancient woodland of oak, ash and beech...
in Ayrshire by James VI, in addition to his other charge. In March 1620 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
from Glasgow University; and on 4 August 1621 he was confirmed in his ministry by act of parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
. In 1623 his commission as justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
was renewed, and he was appointed convener of the stewartry of Annandale.
In the same year James proposed to translate him to Liberton in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, but failed to carry out his intention. On 25 October 1627 he was appointed one of the commissioners nominated by the king for taking measures against Catholics, which on 21 October 1634 was expanded into a high commission to cite and punish all persons dwelling in Scotland concerning whom there were unfavourable reports. On 9 December 1628 he was presented by Charles I to the sub-deanery of Glasgow, which after 1670 formed the parish of Old Monkland in Lanarkshire. In 1630 a dispute regarding the crown's right of patronage prevented him taking possession before there. On 21 October 1634 he was nominated to the commission for the maintenance of church discipline.
Bishop of Brechin
In 1635 Whitford was consecrated as Bishop of BrechinBishop 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...
as successor to Thomas Sydserf
Thomas Sydserf
Thomas Sydserf [Sydserff] was a 17th century Scottish prelate. The eldest son of an Edinburgh merchant, Sydserf graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1602 before travelling to continental Europe to study at the University of Heidelberg. After returning to Scotland, he entered the...
, holding the sub-deanery in commendam
In Commendam
In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...
until 1639, when he disponed his title to James Hamilton, third Marquis (afterwards first Duke) of Hamilton. On 16 April 1635 he was created a burgess of Arbroath
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
. Whitford used his episcopal authority to support the liturgical
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
changes which Charles I had introduced. The new service-book was very unpopular with the masses in Scotland, and in 1637, when Whitford announced his intention of reading it, he was threatened with violence. Undeterred he ascended the pulpit, holding a brace of pistols, his family and servants attending him armed, and read the service with closed doors. On his return he was attacked by an enraged mob, and escaped with difficulty.
The minister of Brechin, Alexander Bisset, refusing to obey Whitford's commands to follow his example, the bishop caused his own servant to read the service regularly from the desk. This obstinacy roused intense feeling against him, and towards the close of the year, after his palace had been plundered, he was compelled to flee to England, where, with two other bishops, he violently opposed the Scottish treasurer, Sir John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair was a Scottish statesman, the son of John Stewart, the younger, of Traquair in Peeblesshire, of a branch, originally illegitimate, of the house of Buchan, and was created Baron Stewart of Traquair in 1628 and earl of Traquair in 1633.He was appointed...
, whose moderation he disliked, drawing up a memorial against employing him as a commissioner to treat with the Scots.
Exile in England
On 13 December 1638 he was deposed and excommunicatedExcommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
by the Glasgow assembly, whose authority, in common with the other bishops, he had refused to recognise. In addition to the ecclesiastical offence of signing the declinature, he was accused of drunkenness and incontinence, and of "using of masse crucifixes in his chamber". On 23 August 1639 he and the other Scottish prelates drew up a protest against their exclusion from parliament.
On 28 December 1640 Whitford was living in London in great poverty, but on 5 May 1642, as a recompense for his sufferings, Charles presented him to the rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
of Walgrave
Walgrave
Walgrave is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 822 people.-Landmarks:...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, where he was instituted. He suffered at the hands of the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
, and there were attempts to remove him from his position. In 1646 he was expelled by the parliamentary soldiery; he died the following year, and was buried on 16 June in the middle aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
of the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
of St. Margaret's, Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Family
He married Anne, fourth daughter of Sir John Carmichael of that ilk, and niece of the regent Morton. By her he had five sons, John, Adam, David, Walter, and James. He also had two daughters, Rachel and Christian. Rachel was married to James Johnstone, laird of Corehead, and Christian to William Bennett of Bains. James received a commission as ensign in the Earl of ChesterfieldEarl of Chesterfield
Earls of Chesterfield, in the County of Derby, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Philip Stanhope, 1st Baron Stanhope. He had already been created Baron Stanhope, of Shelford in the County of Nottingham, in 1616, also in the Peerage of England. Stanhope's youngest son...
's regiment of foot on 13 June 1667. David and Walter (died c. 1686) are separately noticed. In 1660 Whitford's widow petitioned for a yearly allowance out of the rents of the bishopric of Brechin in consideration of the sufferings of her family in the royal cause.
His eldest son, John Whitford (died 1667), divine, was presented in 1641, at the instance of Laud, to the rectory of Ashton
Ashton
-Surname:* Alan Ashton , co-founder of WordPerfect Corporation* Alan Ashton * Brian Ashton , English rugby player* Brian Ashton , Canadian politician* Chris Ashton, English rugby player...
in Northamptonshire, and instituted on 17 May. In 1645 he was ejected, and took refuge with his father. He was reinstated at the Restoration, and on 5 July 1661 received a grant of ₤100 in compensation for the loss of his books and other property. He died at Ashton on 9 October 1667. He married Judith (died 5 March 1707), daughter of John Marriott of Ashton.
The third son, Adam Whitford (1624–1647), soldier, born in 1624, was a king's scholar at Westminster school, and in 1641 was elected to Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, whence he matriculated on 10 December, graduating B. A. on 4 December 1646. Like his brother David, he enrolled himself in the royal garrison at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and was killed in the siege. He was buried in the south transept of Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral is the name of many Anglican cathedrals around the world, and may refer to:-Canada:*Christ Church Cathedral , New Brunswick*Christ Church Cathedral , Quebec*Christ Church Cathedral , Ontario...
on 10 February 1647.
Sources (from DNB article)
Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scoticanæ, I. ii. 655, II. i. 172, III. ii. 889; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss, iii. 1016; Keith's Catalogue of Scottish Bishops, 1824, p. 167; Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, 1620–33 pp. 243, 513, 1634–1651 pp. 40, 156, 214, 710; Bridges's Hist. of Northamptonshire, ed. Whalley, i. 284–5, 301, ii. 129–30; Baillie's Letters and Journals (Bannatyne Club), vol. i. passim; Nisbet's Heraldry, 1722, i. 376–7; Spottiswoode's Hist. of the Church of Scotland (Spottiswoode Soc.), i. 44; Calderwood's Hist. of the Kirk (Wodrow Soc.), vol. vii. passim; Black's Hist. of Brechin, 1839, pp. 51–2, 303–4; Row's Hist. of the Kirk of Scotland (Wodrow Soc.), pp. 269, 342, 388; Balfour's Annales of Scotland, 1825, i. 364, ii. 309; George CrawfurdGeorge Crawfurd
-Life:He was the third son of Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn. When Simon Fraser laid claim to the barony of Lovat, he employed Crawfurd to investigate the case, and to supply materials to support it...
's Description of the Shire of Renfrew, ed. Robertson, 1818, pp. 56–7; Memoirs of Henry Guthry, 1748, p. 16; Irving's Upper Ward of Lanarkshire, 1864, ii. 420; Hewins's Whitefoord Papers, 1898; Kennet's Reg. and Chron. 1728, p. 204; Hamilton's Description of the Sheriffdoms of Lanark and Renfrew (Maitland Club), pp. 18, 79; Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, 1833, I. ii. 70; Munimenta Alme Glasguensis (Maitland Club), passim; Grub's Ecclesiastical Hist. of Scotland, 1861, ii. 353, iii. 32, 42, 44, 88; Acts of Parliament of Scotland, iv. 688, v. 46, 120, 129, 479, 505, 528, vii. 347; Spalding's Memorials of Trubles (Spalding Club), passim; Peterkin's Records of the Kirk, 1843, pp. 26–7, 99–106; Paterson's Hist. of Ayr and Wigton, 1866, ii. 466; Wood's Hist. and Antiq. of the Colleges of Oxford, ed. Gutch, p. 510; Misc. Gen. et Herald. 2nd ser. i. 289; Laud's Works (Library of Anglo-Catholic Theol.), iii. 313, vi. 434–5, 438, 590, vii. 427.