332 NEWBATTLE [PRESB. OF
ALEXANDER AMBROSE (Edinburgh,
1606 27th July 1605); adm. 15th Oct.
1606 ; died 1st May 1615, aged about
30. He man. Helen Ramsay, who sur-
vived him, and had issue—Elizabeth (marr.
James Ramsay, writer, probably of Win
lands, Newbattle). — [Haddington Presb.
and Test. Reg.; Inq. Bet. Edin., 848 ; Pit-
cairn's Cr. Trials, iii.]
JOHN AIRD, born 1584, son of William
A., min. of St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh ;
educated at Univ. of Edinburgh
;
M.A. (28th May 1604); assistant at St
Cuthbert's, and a member of the kirk-
session ; min. of Newton 1614 ; pres. by
Robert, Earl of Lothian ; trans, and adm.
26th Sept. 1615 ; signed the Protestation
for the Liberties of the Kirk, June 1617
;
died 9th July 1638. He marr. Sarah
Donaldson, who died March 1665, and had
issue—William ; James ; Robert (Reg. of
Deeds, vi., 696).—[Test, and Edin. Reg.
(Bur.), Hope'sDiary, Livingston's Charac.
;
Reg. Old Dec, iii. ; Sed. Book of Teinds,
Orig. Lett., Law's Mem.']
ANDREW CANT, M.A. ; trans, from
1639 Pits%°; Pres - by William, Earl of
Lothian, in 1638 ; coll. 16th, and
inst. 20th May 1639; trans, to Aberdeen
in Dec. 1641.— [Livingston's Charac,
Blair's Autob., Balfour's Hist. Works,
Baillie's Lett., Stevenson's Hist,]
ROBERT LEIGHTON, born (place un-
known) in 1611, son of Dr Alex-
ander L., of the Usan family, parish
of Craig ; educated at Univ. of Edinburgh
;
M.A. (23rd July 1631); resided for some
years at Douay, in France ; produced a
testimonial from Presb. of Edinburgh 22nd
July 1641 ; pres. by William, Earl of
Lothian, in Sept., ord. 16th, and coll.
30th Dec. 1641 ; a member of the Commis-
sions of Assembly 1642, 1646, and present
at least thirty times throughout the latter
year. On 24th Jan. 1647 he was appointed
to preach before the Scottish Parliament.
From that date he was frequently absent
from his parish, visiting his father in
London, etc. In the troubles which arose
over what was known as the "unlawful
Engagement," he sympathised with the
cause of Charles, and did not himself at
first read the Declaration of the Commission
against the "Engagement," but relegated
the duty to the precentor. Leighton was,
on several occasions, remonstrated with by
the Presb. for an apparent supineness in
matters of Church policy, nevertheless he
was chosen unanimously by the Synod " to
repaire to London for negotiating the free-
dome and enlargement" of the brethren
who were confined in the Tower and other
places, after the battle of Worcester. He
was in England from May till about the
end of Nov. 1652, and on 16th Dec. the
Presb. had a letter presented from him
wherein he "demits his charge of his
ministry at N." His request, twice made,
was refused ; but on 27th Jan. 1653
Leighton again appeared and "desired to
be lowsed," the Town Council of Edin-
burgh having offered him the Principalship
of the College. A Commission to that
effect was produced on 3rd Feb., and
Leighton was freed from his parish on
account of the " greatness of the congrega-
tion far exceeding his strength," and the
" extreme weakness of his voice," not being-
able to reach the half of his congregation
when convened—reasons which he had
" often expressed to us." He became
Bishop of Dunblane and Archbishop of
Glasgow (q.v.).— [Acts of Ass., Irving's
Scott, Writ., Wodrow's Anal., Chambers's
Biog. Diet., Blair's Archbishop Leighton;
Butler's Life and Letters of Robert
Leighton, 1903; Diet, Nat, Biog.]
ALEXANDER DICKSON, M.A. ; called
1653 14th Aug., and ord. 7th Oct. 1653
;
trans, to the Professorship of Hebrew
in the Univ. of Edinburgh 11th Sept. 1656
(q.v.).—[Mtin, Univ. Glasg., iii. ; Grant's
Hist, of the Univ.]
[HEW ARCHIBALD, formerly of
Strathaven, took charge during the
vacancy, and a call to him, 27th July
1658, was set aside. He had, however,
500 merks allowed by Parliament out of
the vacant stipend.—[.4cts Pari., vii.]