William Struthers
William Struther(s) (1578–1633) was a high-ranking Scottish minister. He was involved in an infamous witch trial in Edinburgh. He was renowned for his "spiced sermons". His huge endowment in his will created the Struthers Bursaries in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, which was responsible for funding many hundreds of Divinity students. Life. He was born in Glasgow around 1578 the son of the "reader" in Glasgow High Church. He studied at Glasgow University gaining an MA in 1599. He worked as an assistant ("expectant") in the Merse near Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1602. In 1607 he was ordained  as minister of Kirkintilloch. He translated to the High Kirk of Glasgow in 1612. In 1614 he translated to St Giles High Kirk in Edinburgh, then still having a collegiate format. He remained there in 1625 when it was slit into four parishes (and physically subdivided) with Struthers taking the south-east quarter. In 1619 he was appointed to the Court of the High Commission. He appears to have left St Giles at some point but rejoined in 1626 and rose to be Dean of the diocese of Edinburgh. At this time he lived 100m west of the church  on the north side of the Lawnmarket (the house is preserved and now called Gladstone's Land). He was one of the clergy who counselled Margaret Wood, a servant of his Edinburgh neighbour, James Crichton of Frendraught, to confess her perjury. Wood had been tortured with the boot for her testimony after a fire at Frendraught Castle. As a perjurer, she was whipped and banished. In 1632 he was involved in a witch trial which resulted in the execution of one woman and torture of two others. In this Marion Mure of Leith was accused of "folk healing". The trial  took place in Leith. Marion was found guilty and executed on 23 February 1632 (probably at the Pilrig gibbet). He died in Edinburgh on 9 November 1633 and is presumed buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. His will left 6000 merks (around £4000 or £1 million in 2020) to both Edinburgh University and Glasgow University to fund bursaries for Divinity students. In Glasgow this was merged with the Gilhagie Bursary in 1858. Family. He married Elizabeth Roberton (d.1641), daughter of Andrew Roberton of Stonehall. They had six children.