Murdoch MacKenzie (Scottish Gaelic: Muireadhach MacCoinnich) (1600 – 17 February 1688) was a 17th‑century Scottish minister and prelate who served as Protestant Bishop of Moray (1662–1677) and subsequently as Bishop of Orkney (1677–1688).
Early life and education
MacKenzie was born in 1600, the son of John MacKenzie of the Gairloch, an offshoot of the kin of the Earls of Seaforth. Details of his early education are not recorded in contemporary sources.
Military chaplaincy
He was ordained by John Maxwell, Bishop of Ross, and served as a chaplain in a regiment of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden during the Thirty Years’ War.
Ecclesiastical career in Scotland
After returning from Germany, MacKenzie held several parish ministries: he was the parson of Contin in Ross, later the minister of the church in Inverness, and subsequently the minister of Elgin.
Bishop of Moray (1662–1677)
Following the Restoration of the monarchy and the re‑establishment of episcopacy in Scotland, MacKenzie was appointed Bishop of Moray on 18 January 1662. He served in this capacity until his translation to the bishopric of Orkney.
Bishop of Orkney (1677–1688)
MacKenzie was translated to the See of Orkney on 14 February 1677. He retained full faculties until his death, despite his advanced age; contemporary accounts note that he remained mentally vigorous almost to the end of his life.
Personal life
He married Margaret MacLey, daughter of Dòmhnall Mac an Lèigh (Anglicised: Donald McLey), bailie of the burgh of Fortrose. The couple had several children, though their names and further details are not extensively documented.
Death
Murdoch MacKenzie died on 17 February 1688, at the age of approximately 88.
Legacy
MacKenzie’s episcopal tenure spanned a turbulent period in Scottish church history, encompassing the Restoration and the subsequent re‑imposition of episcopal governance. His long service as bishop of two Scottish dioceses marks him as a notable figure among 17th‑century Scottish clergy.
References
- Keith, Robert. An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688 (1924).
- M’Crie, Thomas, D.D. the younger. The Bass Rock: Its Civil and Ecclesiastic History (1847).
Note: For information on the cartographer Murdoch Mackenzie (1712–1797), see the separate entry “Murdoch Mackenzie (cartographer)”.