Education
Born around 1540, he graduated in the early 1560s as Master of Arts from Street Leonard"s College, Street Andrews. Cunningham also studied Civil Law in France, at the University of Paris and the University of Bourges.
Born around 1540, he graduated in the early 1560s as Master of Arts from Street Leonard"s College, Street Andrews. Cunningham also studied Civil Law in France, at the University of Paris and the University of Bourges.
Additionally, on 22 March 1572, Cunningham became Provost of Bothwell Collegiate Church. After the appointment of Patrick Adamson as Archbishop of Street Andrews in December 1576, Cunningham replaced Adamson as the chaplain of James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, Regent of Scotland. With access to such high level magnate patronage, on either 5 October or 5 November 1577, Cunningham was elected as Bishop of Aberdeen, receiving consecration on 11 November.
In this year, too, he became Chancellor of King"s College, Aberdeen.
Cunningham would eventually enjoy a good relationship with the king, but his association with Regent Morton initially made him suspect. The death of his patron, Morton, in 1581, put his position under pressure, and he was forced to flee into the west for a little time.
He was also under pressure from the a large section of the Scottish church, which was becoming more hostile to episcopacy. In 1586, the General Assembly accused him of adultery, a charge which the king cleared him of in 1587.
He became a trusted servant of the king, James VI of Scotland, and it was Cunningham who was chosen to baptise the king"s son, Prince Henry, on 30 August 1594.
Cunningham helped negotiate reconciliation between the king and the devoutly Catholic George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly, and in 1598 was sent to Denmark and Germany to promote King James" claims to the throne of the Kingdom of England. Cunningham died on 30 August 1600, at Aberdeen. He was once married, but had no children.
He left assets of £3052 (Scots).
He founded a grammar school in Banff.