FORMAN, Andrew, archbishop of St Andrews, Earl of Pittenweem, and of Cottingham in England, one of the lords of the regency appointed by the states during the minority of King James V. of Scotland, legate a latere, primate of all the kingdom of Scotland, and archbishop of Bourges in France, was descended from the family of the Formans of Hutton in the county of Berwick, and is considered as having been one of the best statesmen of the age in which he lived. He was employed in 1501, along with Robert Blackader, archbishop of Glasgow, and Patrick earl of Bothwell, to negotiate a match between James IV. of Scotland, and Margaret eldest daughter of Henry VII. of England, which next year was ratified by the Scottish ambassadors. He was afterwards frequently employed as Scottish ambassador to Rome, England, and France, upon the most important occasions. In 1514 he was translated from the see of Moray, to which he had been appointed in 1502, to that of St Andrews. During the time he possessed the former, he was employed as mediator between Pope Julius II. and Louis XII. of France, who were at that time at variance; and he happily succeeded in conciliating the difference. Having taken leave of the pope, he on his return home passed through France, where he was kindly received by the king and queen, who bestowed upon him the bishopric of Bourges in France, which brought [7:9:750] him annually 400 tuns of wine, 10,000 francs of gold, and other smaller matters. Besides this, he was most liberally rewarded by Pope Julius, who promoted him to the archbishopric of St Andrews, as has been already mentioned, conferred on him the two rich abbeys of Dunfermline and Aberbrothick, and made him his legate a latere. At that time, however, there were two other candidates for the archiepiscopal see. The learned Gavin Douglas, bishop of Dunkeld, having been nominated by the queen, had actually taken possession; but John Hepburn, a bold and factious man, having been preferred by the monks, drove out the officers of Gavin Douglas, and placed a strong garrison in the castle. And so great was the power of this man, that when Forman was nominated by the pope, no person could be found to proclaim the bulls for his election. At last Lord Home, at that time the most powerful nobleman in Scotland, was induced, by large promises, besides some considerable gifts, amongst which was the donation of the abbacy of Coldingham to his youngest brother David, to undertake the task. It was executed at Edinburgh and at St Andrews, to which places Lord Home’s brother proceeded with 10,000 men; though the doing of it, contrary to Forman’s inclination, proved a source of much trouble to that nobleman afterwards. The quarrel between Hepburn and Forman, however, was at last terminated by the latter surrendering the bishopric of Moray, as well as some years’ revenue of the archbishopric itself, and paying Hepburn three thousand French crowns annually out of his ecclesiastical revenues. On the appointment of the Duke of Albany to the regency, Hepburn endeavoured to undermine the primate’s credit with that nobleman, by representing him as one who had in a manner collected all the money in the country, and who consequently might endanger the tranquillity of the kingdom. These insinuations, however, were but little regarded by the regent; and Forman had the good fortune afterwards to compose a difference between him and the nobility, which was likely to be attended with bloodshed. In 1517 the archbishop was appointed by the states one of the lords of the regency, on the occasion of the Duke of Albany’s going to France. His embassy to Pope Julius II. has been already mentioned. In Mackenzie’s Lives we are informed, that in the collection of the Letters of the Scottish Kings from the year 1505 till the year 1626, in the Advocates’ Library, there is a letter from the pope to King James IV., in which he not only commends Forman highly, but likewise promises that at the first creation of cardinals he should be made one. This letter is dated the 6th of May 1511; but the pope died before he had an opportunity of performing his promise. In the same collection there is a letter from the Duke of Albany to Leo X., successor of Julius, in which he urges the pope to advance Forman to the dignity of a cardinal, promised him by his predecessor, and to continue him as legate a latere. Archbishop Forman died in the year 1521, and was buried at Dunfermline. Dempster says that he wrote a book against Luther, a book concerning the Stoical philosophy, and a collection out of the Decretals.