John Clement Gordon

John Clement Gordon (1644–1726), originally just John Gordon, Bishop of Galloway, was born in Scotland on 1644 and was a member of the Gordon family of Coldwells, near Ellon in Buchan, Aberdeenshire.

Life

Gordon became a

At his conditional baptism he took the additional name of the reigning pontiff, and ever afterwards signed himself "John Clement Gordon". The pope, wishing to confer some benefice pension on the new convert, caused the sacred congregation of the inquisition to institute an inquiry into the validity of Gordon's Anglican orders. After a long investigation his orders were treated as if they were null from the beginning. The decree of the inquisition to this effect was issued on 17 April 1704. After this Gordon received the sacrament of confirmation, and Pope Clement XI conferred on him the tonsure, giving him the benefice of the Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria, by reason of which Gordon commonly went by the name of the "Abate Clemente". It is observable that he never received other than minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church.^[2]

Gordon died in Rome in 1726. He was resident in the

• Cooper, Thompson, "Gordon, John, D.D. (1644–1726), bishop of Galloway", in Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford, 1890)[4]
• Cooper, Thompson, "Gordon, John (1644–1726)", rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 , Retrieved 30 Sept 2007
• Keith, Robert, An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688, (London, 1824)

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Gordon, John (1644-1726)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Citations and notes