LEIGHTON, ROBERT ( Archbishop of Glasgow. He was born probably in Lon don in 1611. He entered Edinburgh Univer sity in 1627, took his degree of M.A. in 1631, and afterwards proceeded to Franee. Returning to Scotland. he was appointed, in 1641, to the parish of Newbattle. near Edinburgh: but he was not. militant enough to please his fierce co presbyters, while they appeared to him, who had studied far more deeply than any Scotchman of his time the various ecclesiastical polities of Christendom, truculent about trifles. In 1652 he resigned his charge, and in the following year was elected principal of the University of Edin burgh, a dignity which he retained for ten years. After the restoration of Charles II.. Leighton, who had long separated himself from the Pres byterian party, was, with much reluctance. in duced to accept a bishopric. Tie chose Dnnblane. because it. was small and poor. Unfortunately for Ins peace, the men with whom he was now allied were even more intolerant and unscrupulous than the Presbyterians. Twice he proceeded to London (in 1665 and 1669) to implore the King to adopt a milder course. Nothing was really done, though much was promised. and Leigh ton had to endure the mi.ery of seeing an
ecclesiastical system which he believed to be intrinsically the hest perverted and himself made the accomplice. In 1670, on the depri vation of Dr. Alexander Burnet, he was made Archbishop of Glasgow. an office which he accepted only on the condition that he should be assisted in ids attempts to carry out a liberal measure for "the comprehension of the Presbyterians." His. efforts. however, were vain; the high-handed tyranny of his colleagues was renewed, and Leighton resigned in 1674. After a short resi dence in Edinburgh, he went to live with his sister at. Broadhurst. in Horsted Keynes, he spent the rest of his days in retire ment. He died June 25. 1684. Leighton's cem plete works (he published nothing during his lifetime) are to be found in an edition published in London (ed. by West. 7 vols., 1869-75) : a volume of selections by Blair appeared in 1s83. The most admired of his writings is his com mentary on First Peter. Consult his biography by West and Blair in the editions mentioned above. A Leighton bibliography. compiled by Blair, is in the British and Foreign Evangelical Review for July, 1883.