Descendant of Scotland's murdered cardinal tends the French cathedral where he was due to preach

In a pretty town in the Languedoc, a retired farmer from Fife can be found tending the medieval cathedral where his ancestor had been appointed bishop in the years before his murder.

Andrew Wedderburn-Bethune at Mirepoix Cathedral. PIC: Mirepoix Photos.

Andrew Wedderburn-Bethune sweeps the courtyard, hands out hymn sheets and now offers drops of hand sanitiser and face masks to the congregation at Mirepoix Cathedral.

It is here that his ancestor, Cardinal David Beaton, had been appointed as a bishop in 1537 – around nine years before the hugely powerful and enemy-laden figure was assassinated in St Andrews as the deadly pay-off of the Reformation deepened.

Mr Wedderbun-Bethune, 87, originally from Cupar, said: “You can usually see me working in the courtyard at the Bishop’s House, where David Beaton would have lived . I suppose there is a bit of poetic justice there, me there sweeping the leaves.”

The Catholic figurehead played a key role in deepening the ties between the nobility of Scotland and France and was appointed Bishop of Mirepoix after securing the marriage between the daughter of King Francis I and James V.

But Beaton only made a fleeting visit to the French town given he was then fast-tracked up the papal ranks with his appointment as Cardinal the following year and his post as Archbishop of St Andrews.

Mr Wedderburn- Bethune said: “It didn’t stop him looking at the accounts of the Diocese though. Then, you were taxed on the number of ewes you had in your flock and the Cardinal said it should be increased to the number of ewe lambs born into the flock. That really caused quite an upset – he screwed the farmers.”

Cardinal Beaton was no stranger to enemies as he and Mary of Guise, the second wife of James V, championed the maintenance of the Catholic faith to the antagonism of Henry VIII, who viewed the churchman as a dangerous obstacle to his policy in Scotland.

The Rough Wooing was launched to break the Auld Alliance with an estimated 6,000 to 15,000 Scots killed in a series of raids, with some blaming Beaton for the bloodshed.

Following the death of James V, he was appointed Chancellor of Scotland with it suggested he coerced his way into the role, which he used to levy the harshest of penalties against those accused of heresy, including George Wishart, a friend of John Knox, who was burned at the stake in. St Andrews in March 1546.

For some, it was the tipping point with the Cardinal assassinated by a group of Fife lairds at St Andrews Castle two months later. His naked body was hung from the castle walls, in full view of the town.

The retired farmer is likely descended from the family line of the Cardinal and Marion Ogilvy, with the couple having eight children and the church figurehead accepted to have fathered many more.

Asked if Mr Wedderburn- Bethune was proud of his family link, he said: “I am quite objective about it. He was a man of his time. His King, his Queen and his church was under attack.

"I think he was a man who was loyal. He was loyal to his country, he was working for Scotland against Henry VIII. He was loyal to his sovereign and he was loyal to his God.”

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