 The precise date and place of his birth, or anything regarding his family connections, have not yet been ascertained, although he is almost certainly a member of one of the great Lauder families of that time - Lauder of The Bass, or Lauder of Haltoun.It appears that he had a liberal education and was probably intended for The Church.In the Registers of the University of St. Andrews the name "Willielmus Lauder, Lothian" is among the students who were incorporated in St Salvator's College in the year 1537.