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).