Scotland 1528 to 1546: Archbishops Beaton have Patrick Hamilton and George Wishart burned as heretics; Cardinal David Beaton is murdered three months after Wishart

In 1528 Archbishop James Beaton of St Andrews had the young priest Patrick Hamilton condemned by a council of bishops; he was burned the same day. His nephew, Cardinal David Beaton, had the preacher George Wishart arrested in 1546, condemned before himself and other judges and burned. On 29 May 1546 conspirators murdered the cardinal in his castle. Whether Wishart took part in a plot against Beaton is disputed in the reference works.

Period

1528-1546 (18 years)

Country

United Kingdom

Institutions

Archdiocese of St Andrews

Category

Heresy trials, Murder, Persecution

Level of evidence

B two independent scholarly sources · what does this mean?

Persons

James Beaton (Archbishop of St Andrews)
David Beaton (cardinal, Archbishop of St Andrews, murdered in 1546)
Patrick Hamilton (priest, burned as a heretic in 1528)
George Wishart (preacher, burned as a heretic in 1546)

Background

Why? Justification and motives (according to the sources)

1. Whether the preacher Wishart was involved in English plots against Beaton is disputed. The Beaton articles in the Britannica and the Catholic Encyclopedia consider it proven, while the Britannica article on Wishart considers it not proven and not probable.
   Evidence: Cambridge University Press (Wikisource), Artikel Beaton, David

   „in this plot Wishart is now proved to have been a willing agent“

   Evidence: Robert Appleton Company / The Encyclopedia Press (Wikisource), Artikel David Beaton

   „has been conclusively proved by the published State Papers of the time“

   Evidence: Cambridge University Press (Wikisource), Artikel Wishart, George

   „The case against the reformer is not proven and is not probable.“

Response of the Church

1. David Beaton, nephew of James Beaton, became a cardinal in 1538 and primate of Scotland in 1539. He had George Wishart arrested with the regent's help. On 28 February 1546 Wishart stood in the cathedral before the cardinal and other judges, was condemned and burned, according to the Dictionary on 2 March 1546.
   Evidence: Cambridge University Press (Wikisource), Artikel Beaton, David

   „On the 28th of February 1546 Wishart was brought to trial in the cathedral before the cardinal and other judges“

   Evidence: Smith, Elder & Co. (Wikisource), Artikel Beaton, David

   „condemned, and burnt on 2 March 1546“

See also

• Person 10 Nov 1483-18 Feb 1546 · 62 years old

  Martin Luther

  • Germany
  • Anti-Judaism
  • Heresy trials
• Person 1500-1569 · about 69 years old

  Edmund Bonner (c. 1500 to 1569): Bishop of London under Mary I, in whose diocese the most heretics were burned; the reference works dispute whether he acted merely officially

  • United Kingdom
  • Heresy trials
  • Persecution
• Person 1523-1536 · about 13 years old

  William Tyndale

  • Belgium
  • Germany
  • United Kingdom
  • Heresy trials
  • Persecution
  • Censorship

Scholarly literature and reference works

1. Reference work
   Cambridge University Press (Wikisource): Beaton, David, in: Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), Bd. 3, 1 January 1911. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
2. Reference work
   Cambridge University Press (Wikisource): Hamilton, Patrick, in: Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), Bd. 12, 1 January 1911. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
3. Reference work
   Cambridge University Press (Wikisource): Wishart, George, in: Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), Bd. 28, 1 January 1911. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
4. Reference work
   Smith, Elder & Co. (Wikisource): Beaton, David, in: Dictionary of National Biography, Bd. 4 (1885), 1 January 1885. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
5. Reference work
   Robert Appleton Company / The Encyclopedia Press (Wikisource): David Beaton, in: Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Bd. 2, 1 January 1907. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)

Last changed on 31 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.