SPOT'TISWOODE, SPOT'TISWOOD, SPOT'ISWOOD, or SPOTS'WOOD, JOHN (1565-1639). Archbishop of Saint Andrews. lie was educated at the University of Glasgow, and on his father's death in 1583 succeeded him as parson of Calder. He was for many years an uncompromising Presbyterian, but he afterwards adopted English episcopal ideas. lie became the chief instrument of James I. and Charles I. in their attempts to reconstruct the Scottish Church after the English model. He was made Arch bishop of Glasgow 'in 1603 and member of the Scottish privy council in 1605. In 1610 he was moderator of the Assembly which gave its con sent to the introduction of episcopacy into Scot land. In 1615 Spottiswoode was translated to the see of Saint Andrews, which held the primacy in Scotland. In 1618 he persuaded the General Assembly to accept the Five Articles of Perth, ordaining certain ceremonial innovations, and he subsequently inforced the articles as far as he could. He took part in the revision of the Scottish Prayer-Book, but was opposed to the in troduction of the Laudian system into Scotland.
In 1633 Ile crowned Charles I. at llolyrood, and in 1635 he was made Chancellor of Scotland, a dig nity which no churchman had held since the Ref ormation. Finding that the King was determined to introduce the Prayer-Book, he, as usual, stifled his own scruples and acted energetically, accord ing to the King's wishes, but in the resulting dis orders he found it necessary to flee from Scot land. He was excommunicated and depo-sed by the Genera] Assembly, December 4, 1638. and Charles asked him to resigm the Chancellorship. Spottiswoode was the author of the History of the Church, and State of Scotland from. HIP Year of Our Lord 203 to the End of the Reign of King James the 17., 1625, an official compilation writ ten at the request of King James, first printed in London in 1655.