James Wedderburn (poet)

James Wedderburn (* 1495 in Dundee, † 1553 in France) was a Scottish poet.

Life

Wedderburn studied at the University of St Andrews and toured France. 1539 were performed by him in Dundee a tragedy and a comedy, which provoked scandals because of their polemics against the Catholic Church. Wedderburn fled to France, where he died. 1540 and his brother John took off (by 1500-1556 ); he was a priest and spent two years in Wittenberg. Brother Robert (around 1510-1557 ) was also a priest; he also had suspicion of heresy escape, but he came back again in 1546 and was vicar of Dundee.

The three brothers co-wrote The Book of Godly and spirituall songs, which is also known as Dundee Psalms, a collection of satirical ballads and religious arrangements of folk songs. The first edition is known today dates from 1567, but the poems are likely to have originated much earlier.