John Craig – The Reformation

 JOHN CRAIG  –
Knox`s colleague

Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, H Scott (1915) rev 1917, 1920

vol 4 p 331 Chapel Royal Stirling, 1579

 JOHN CRAIG, born about 1512, des cended from one of the Craigston family, who fell at Flodden ; educated at Univ.of St Andrews;became tutor to children of Lord Darcy,English Warden of the North ;joined the Dominican Order but being suspected of heresy was imprisoned. On his release in 1536 he went to England and thence to Rome. Through the influence of Cardinal Pole, C. was app. Master of Novices in the Dominican Convent at Bologna, of which Convent he was rector for several years. Through reading the Institutes of Calvin he again inclined to the reformed faith, was cast into the prison of the Inquisition at Rome and condemned to be burnt. He, however, managed to escape and proceeded to Vienna, where he preached as a Dominican. The Archduke Maximilian refused to deliver him up and gave him a safe conduct to England. In 1560 he returned to Scot land and preached in the chapel of St Magdalen in the Cowgate of Edinburgh ; trans, to Holyrood in 1561 ; trans, to St Giles as colleague to John Knox after18th June 1562, where he refused to proclaim the banns of marriage between Queen Mary and Bothwell ; app. Moderator of the General Assembly 2nd March1569 ; trans. to Montrose in 1571 ; trans, and adm. 6th Aug. 1573; app. Moderator of the General Assembly for a second time, 24th Oct. 1576,and for a third time,17th Oct. 1581 ; app. one of the chaplains to King James VI in 1579, he returned to Edinburgh 14th Sept. 1579,when he took part in the composition of The Second BooK of Discipline and National Covenant of 1580. In 1581 he wrote “Ane Shorte and General Confession of the True Christian Fayth and Religion according to God’s Worde and Actes of our Parliamentes,” which was signed by the King and Household. In Oct. 1583 the General Assembly app. him to intimate its approval of the seizure of the King by the Earl of Gowrie in the raid of Ruthven, and boldly rebuked James for his conduct. He denounced the Black Act passed by Parliament in 1584, restoring Episcopacy and recognising the Royal supremacy. At the conference at Falkland, to which he was summond by Royal command, he had a stormy scene with Arran. For refusing submission to the Royal Ordinance he was interdicted from preaching and threatened with banishment. He, however, acted as mediator between the extreme Presbyterians led by Melville and the King and was successful in making a compromise in the form of the Oath required as to the King’s supremacy in matters ecclesiastical “as far as the Word of God allows.” In 1585 he preached before Parliament and in 1590 composed, at the request of the General Assembly, “A Form of Examination before Communion” ; died 12thDec. 1600.

He marr. Marion Smaill, and had issue—William, Professor in College of Edinburgh (1599), and of Divinity, Samur(1601) ; died Nov. 1616; Margaret (marr. 29th Nov. 1598, Robert Fairlie, goldsmith, Edinburgh).