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WISHART, ROBERT (d.
1316), bishop of Glasgow, belonged to the family of Wishart or Wiseheart
of Pittarrow, Forfarshire, and was either nephew or cousin of William
Wishart, bishop of St. Andrews and chancellor of Scotland. William
Wishart was bishop-elect of Glasgow in 1270, but before he was installed
he was transferred to the bishopric of St. Andrews, and Robert Wishart,
then archdeacon of St. Andrews, was preferred to the see of Glasgow. No
record exists of his early career, and his name first appears as bishop
of Glasgow, in which office he was consecrated at Aberdeen in 1272
(Chron. Melrose). Wishart rapidly achieved a leading position among the
prelates who directed affairs of state during the reign of Alexander
III, and after that monarch's death on 16 March 1285–6 he was appointed
one of the six guardians of the realm, the government of the land south
of the Forth being committed to Wishart, John Comyn, lord of Badenoch,
and James, high steward of Scotland. The succession to the crown had
been settled upon Margaret, the Maid of Norway, granddaughter of
Alexander III, and daughter of Eric, king of Norway, who was then only
three years old. So far as can be judged, Wishart remained true to her
interests, and when Eric sent plenipotentiaries to England to consult
with her grand-uncle, Edward I, as to the settlement of Scottish
affairs, Wishart was invited by Edward to meet these commissioners at
Salisbury. The treaty drawn up in 1289–90 left it in the power of Edward
to detain the Maid in England until he was satisfied that Scotland was
in a state of tranquillity. Meanwhile Edward had obtained a dispensation
from the pope to enable his son Edward to marry the Scottish queen, as
they were within the prohibited degrees; and when this project was
announced to the Scottish parliament at Brigham, it was accepted
readily, and Wishart appended his signature to a letter from the four
surviving guardians informing Eric of their consent to the proposal (Fśdera,
ii. 471). Wishart, bishop of Glasgow, and Fraser, bishop of St. Andrews,
were thus won over to the support of Edward I; but James, the high
steward, favoured the claims of Bruce, while Comyn was himself a
claimant.
When news was brought to Scotland that Margaret of Norway had died in
September 1290 on her way to assume the crown, Edward as lord-paramount
placed John Baliol on the throne with the concurrence of Wishart, who
swore fealty to Edward during his triumphal progress through Scotland in
1296. He was high in favour with the king in 1298, but the encroachments
of Edward upon the liberties of Scotland, which had been apparently
secured by the treaty of Salisbury, at length provoked Wishart to
revolt, and he earnestly took up and prosecuted the cause of Robert
Bruce. So active was Wishart's hostility to Edward that when he was
captured in 1301 and thrown into prison he was not released until he had
once more sworn fealty to Edward. His patriotism or love of intrigue
soon led him to disregard this sacred obligation, and Edward wrote
specially to Boniface VIII asking to have Wishart deprived of his see.
To this the pope would not consent, but he directed a special missive to
Wishart commanding him to desist from his opposition to Edward, and
denouncing him as ‘the prime mover and instigator of all the tumult and
dissension which has arisen between his dearest son in Christ, Edward,
king of England, and the Scots.’ This remonstrance had no deterrent
effect upon Wishart. He joined the little band of patriots under
Wallace, and the animosity with which Edward regarded him is shown by
the exclusion of Wishart from the fairly generous terms offered to the
defeated Scots at Strathord in February 1303–4. Wishart next appears
prominently in history as officiating at the coronation of Robert Bruce
at Scone on 27 March 1306, when he supplied robes for the king from his
own wardrobe. He shared the misfortunes of Bruce during that eventful
year. After the battle of Methven, Wishart fled to the castle of Cupar
in Fife, where he was captured by Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke,
and sent ‘fettered, and in his coat of mail,’ as a prisoner to
Nottingham. Thence he was removed to Porchester Castle and kept in
strict confinement. Here he spent eight years in captivity, and while in
prison he became blind. Not until after the battle of Bannockburn in
1314 did he regain his liberty, being one of the five prisoners
exchanged for Humphrey de Bohun, fourth earl of Hereford [q. v.] Wishart
returned to his diocese, and died there on 26 Nov. 1316, and was buried
in Glasgow Cathedral, where his tomb, with a recumbent effigy, is still
in existence.
In the character of Wishart the patriot was superior to the priest.
Twice he swore allegiance to Edward, and twice he broke his vow when his
country demanded his services. By a violation of the strict rules of the
church, he granted absolution to Bruce for the slaughter of Comyn,
though that murder had been committed on the steps of the altar. His
defence of the liberty of Scotland was consistent and self-sacrificing;
and he was held in high esteem by Robert Bruce, in whose interests he
had surrendered everything.
Research on Bishop Wishart
By Mitchell Stoker (pdf)
Further research proves above paper incorrect
By Michael Stroker (pdf) |
