LAUDER, John Archdean of Tweeddale, 'secretarius', Reverend Mr ^{1 2}

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  General Notes:

"...the reason of this son John not appearing in the succession as Laird of Bass became apparent in his father's lifetime, for he entered the Church, became Archdean of Tweeddale, notary-public, and secretary to Cardinal Beaton. He officiated at the consecration, by the Cardinal, of the little chapel on the Bass rebuilt upon the site of the original one which supplanted the cell of St. Baldred. John Lauder, ' secretarius,' was well known in his day as the bitter accuser and opponent of George Wishart the martyr, who was burnt in front of the castle of St. Andrews, the Cardinal himself pompously conspicuous among the onlookers."

from The Grange of St Giles




"John Lauder, designated by Calderwood ' Parsoun of Marbottle,' and by Foxe, 'parson of Morebattle,' acted as public prosecutor in the trials of several of the Scots Worthies, about the middle of the sixteenth century. An interesting extract from The Works of John Knox will be found in the Appendix (p. xviii.) in re the trial of George Wishart, at which Lauder acted as public accuser.

John Lauder was educated at St. Andrews, and his name occurs among the Licentiates ' in Pedagogio,' in the year 1508. In a Decree dated at St. Andrews, 16th October, 1518, he designates himself: ' Ego Johannes Lauder, artium magister, clericus Sancti Andrese diocesis, publicus sacris Apostolica et Imperiali auctoritatibus notarius, ac in officio Scriptoris archivii Romane Curie matriculatus ac descriptus.' As may be seen from the extract just referred to, he was frequently employed in Church matters at Rome and elsewhere. As one of the auditors of the Chamberlain's accounts for the Archbishoprick of St. Andrews from 1540 to 1549, he was styled Archdeacon of Teviotdale; and in February, 1551, he was designated Archedene of Teviotdale and Notary Public of St. Andrews. According to the Extracta ex Varus Cronicis Scocie, 5th June, 1542,

'M. Villiem Gybsone, byschop of Libariensis and suffraganeus to Dawid Beton, Cardynall and Archebysschop of Santandros, consecrat and dedicat the paris kyrk in the craig of the Bass, in honor of Sant Baldred, bysschop and confessor, in presens of maister Jhon Lawder, arsdene of Teuidaill, noter publict.'

In 1551, this John Lauder signed a deed as 'Secretarius' of Archbishop Hamilton. A note to The Works of John Knox says: 'as this deed was cancelled, and reconfirmed in 1556, without any notice of his name, it may be conjectured that he died during that interval.' It is elsewhere stated, however, that John Lauder, Archdeacon of Tweeddale is witness to a confirmation charter of George Dury to the burgesses of Dunfermline, 2nd August, 1549. - (Henderson's Annals of Dunfermline, p, 197)."

from Family of Lauder ^{1 2}