Dúghall de Lorne
Encyclopedia
Dúghall of Lorne [or de Ergadia] (died 1403) was a late 14th century and early 15th century prelate
in the Kingdom of Scotland
. Probably a MacDúghaill (MacDougall) from the province of Lorne in Argyll
, he appears to have studied at the University of Oxford
before returning to Scotland for an ecclesiastical and administrative career. He obtained benefices in the diocese of Argyll, Dunkeld
, Dunblane
and St Andrews
, and acted as the secretary
and chaplain
of Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife (after 1398, Duke of Albany
), before becoming Bishop of Dunblane
. He held the bishopric of Dunblane until his death in 1403.
. His surname is given variously as de Lorne (of Lorne
) or as de Ergadia (of Argyll
), the surnames used by the higher ranking members of the MacDúghaill kindred
and the old lords of Argyll
; he was certainly a kinsman of John Gallda, the MacDúghaill Lord of Argyll who died sometime between 1371 and 1388. He was misidentified in Wood's Peerage (and those using that work thereafter) as a son of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, the ballie of the abthen of Dull
; this would have made him a brother of Anabella Drummond
, wife and queen to King Robert III of Scotland
. He is styled Petri in a few sources, meaning perhaps that his father's name was Peadar (or Peter), though this is far from certain as that name was unusual at the time anywhere in Scotland.
On March 30, 1364, Dúghall was granted a safe-conduct
by the English crown to come study at the University of Oxford
for two years; it was later related in a document dating to June 1380 that he had studied both canon law
and Roman law
for three years. Dúghall is found holding the parish church
of Kilmore
on October 12, 1371; this church was in the patronage of John Gallda. As there was a perpetual vicar
at the time, Kilmore must have been held without cure, i.e. allowing Dúghall to enjoy the revenues without having any pastoral obligations in the parish. Kilmore seems to have been turned into a prebend of Lismore Cathedral by the end of the decade, and Dúghall is found as a canon and prebendary of the diocese of Argyll by March 11, 1380.
The papal bull confirming the erection of this new prebend did not come however until May 5 of that year, shortly before Dúghall became bishop of the neighbouring diocese of Dunblane
. This letter stated that Dúghall "also holds a canonry and prebend in the diocese of Dunkeld". Dúghall can be found holding a canonry and prebend in the diocese of Dunblane as early as November 23, 1375, a prebend he held in plurality with Kilmore in Argyll. On March 11, 1380, he was provided to yet another benefice in the diocese of St Andrews, and then to another prebend and canonry in the diocese of Dunblane. By 1380, he was the secretary
and chaplain
of Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife (later Duke of Albany
), son of King Robert II of Scotland. At Avignon
on June 2, 1380, he presented a roll of petitions on the Fife's behalf to the pope.
On September 12, while still at Avignon, he was provided by Pope Clement VII to the bishopric of Dunblane; this provision apparently followed an earlier election. He had almost certainly received consecration by October 11, but his consecration had certainly occurred by February 13, 1381. On the latter date he was back in the Kingdom of Scotland, witnessing a charter of David Stewart, Earl of Strathearn
, brother of the earl of Fife.
Thereafter notice of Bishop Dúghall in the surviving sources is limited. He is next found on October 1, 1392, witnessing two charters of Euphemia I, Countess of Ross
at Stirling
, the royal burgh
on the edges of Menteith
and the diocese of Dunblane. A papal mandate of October 27, 1394, provided one Dómhnall de Bute as Dean
of Dunblane, annulling Bishop Dúghall's own provision of Dómhnall made "in ignorance of the reservation" earlier made by the pope. On September 4, 1395, the bishop is mentioned in a papal document concerning the succession to one of the churches in his diocese. In 1396, it is known that he travelled to Avignon once again; a roll of petitions presented by Dúghall on behalf of 20 Scottish people and 3 continental Europeans was granted by Pope Benedict XIII on August 1, 1396.
The last ever notice of Dúghall occurs in a charter of the lord of Byres, wherein Dúghall appears along with the Duke of Albany and Walter Trail
, Bishop of St Andrews
; the charter can be dated between 1398 (creation of the Duchy of Albany) and 1401 (the death of Walter Trail). It is not known for certain that he is death until September 10, 1403, when his successor Fionnlagh MacCailein
was provided as the new Bishop of Dunblane. It is likely his death occurred not long before the last date. A papal letter of April 27, 1413, claimed that he had granted a dispensation in order to allow Elizabeth de Danielston to marry Robert de Maxwell. There are indications that Bishop Dúghall may have increased the number of canons at Dunblane Cathedral, but this is very far from certain.
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
in the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
. Probably a MacDúghaill (MacDougall) from the province of Lorne in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
, he appears to have studied at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
before returning to Scotland for an ecclesiastical and administrative career. He obtained benefices in the diocese of Argyll, Dunkeld
Dunkeld
Dunkeld is a small town in Strathtay, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is about 15 miles north of Perth on the eastern side of the A9 road into the Scottish Highlands and on the opposite side of the Tay from the Victorian village of Birnam. Dunkeld and Birnam share a railway station, on the...
, Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
and St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, and acted as the secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
and chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife (after 1398, Duke of Albany
Duke of Albany
Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish, and later the British, royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover....
), before becoming Bishop of Dunblane
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
. He held the bishopric of Dunblane until his death in 1403.
Background and early career
Dúghall was from the diocese of ArgyllDiocese of Argyll
The Diocese of Argyll was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Scotland in the Middle Ages. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Argyll, and was based at Lismore....
. His surname is given variously as de Lorne (of Lorne
Lorne
Lorne is a given name and place name especially popular in Canada, due to the Marquess of Lorne, who was Governor-General of Canada . Lorne may refer to:-Given name:*Lorne Anderson , Canadian hockey player...
) or as de Ergadia (of Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
), the surnames used by the higher ranking members of the MacDúghaill kindred
Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan consisting of the descendants of Dubgall mac Somairle, son of Somerled, who ruled Lorne and the Isle of Mull in Argyll in the 13th century...
and the old lords of Argyll
Lord of Argyll
The sovereign or feudal lordship of Argyle was the holding of the senior branch of descendants of king Somhairle, this branch becoming soon known as Clan MacDougallConstruction of the Lordship of Argyll-Lorne essentially started with Donnchad mac Dubgaill....
; he was certainly a kinsman of John Gallda, the MacDúghaill Lord of Argyll who died sometime between 1371 and 1388. He was misidentified in Wood's Peerage (and those using that work thereafter) as a son of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, the ballie of the abthen of Dull
Dull
Dull may refer to:* Boring* Dull, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom* Dull Gret, a figure of Flemish folklorePeople with the surname Dull:* Jack Dull , professor at the University of Washington...
; this would have made him a brother of Anabella Drummond
Anabella Drummond
Anabella Drummond was the Queen Consort of Scotland as the wife of Robert III of Scotland.-Family:She was the daughter of Sir John Drummond, of Stobhall, near Perth, 11th Thane of Lennox and Chief of Clan Drummond, and Mary Montifex...
, wife and queen to King Robert III of Scotland
Robert III of Scotland
Robert III was King of Scots from 1390 to his death. His given name was John Stewart, and he was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age 53...
. He is styled Petri in a few sources, meaning perhaps that his father's name was Peadar (or Peter), though this is far from certain as that name was unusual at the time anywhere in Scotland.
On March 30, 1364, Dúghall was granted a safe-conduct
Safe-conduct
Safe conduct is the situation in time of international conflict or war where one state, a party to such conflict, issues to a person, usually an enemy state's subject, a pass or document to allow the enemy alien to traverse its territory without harassment, bodily harm, or fear of death. Safe...
by the English crown to come study at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
for two years; it was later related in a document dating to June 1380 that he had studied both canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
for three years. Dúghall is found holding the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Kilmore
Kilmore
-Places:Australia*Kilmore, VictoriaNorthern Ireland*Kilmore, County Armagh, a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland*Kilmore, County Down, a village, parish and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland*Kilmore, County Tyrone...
on October 12, 1371; this church was in the patronage of John Gallda. As there was a perpetual vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
at the time, Kilmore must have been held without cure, i.e. allowing Dúghall to enjoy the revenues without having any pastoral obligations in the parish. Kilmore seems to have been turned into a prebend of Lismore Cathedral by the end of the decade, and Dúghall is found as a canon and prebendary of the diocese of Argyll by March 11, 1380.
The papal bull confirming the erection of this new prebend did not come however until May 5 of that year, shortly before Dúghall became bishop of the neighbouring diocese of Dunblane
Diocese of Dunblane
The Diocese of Dunblane or Diocese of Strathearn was one of the thirteen historical dioceses of Scotland, before the abolition of episcopacy in the Scottish Church in 1689. Roughly, it embraced the territories covered by the old earldoms of Strathearn and Menteith. The diocese was founded by the...
. This letter stated that Dúghall "also holds a canonry and prebend in the diocese of Dunkeld". Dúghall can be found holding a canonry and prebend in the diocese of Dunblane as early as November 23, 1375, a prebend he held in plurality with Kilmore in Argyll. On March 11, 1380, he was provided to yet another benefice in the diocese of St Andrews, and then to another prebend and canonry in the diocese of Dunblane. By 1380, he was the secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
and chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife (later Duke of Albany
Duke of Albany
Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish, and later the British, royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover....
), son of King Robert II of Scotland. At Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
on June 2, 1380, he presented a roll of petitions on the Fife's behalf to the pope.
Bishop of Dunblane
David Stewart, Earl of Strathearn
David Stewart , Prince of Scotland, was a 14th century Scottish magnate. He was the eldest son of the second marriage of King Robert II of Scotland with Euphemia de Ross...
, brother of the earl of Fife.
Thereafter notice of Bishop Dúghall in the surviving sources is limited. He is next found on October 1, 1392, witnessing two charters of Euphemia I, Countess of Ross
Euphemia I, Countess of Ross
Euphemia I , also called Euphemia of Ross and Euphemia Ross, and sometimes incorrectly styled Euphemia Leslie and Euphemia Stewart , was a Countess of Ross in her own right.Euphemia was the elder daughter of Uilleam III, Mormaer of Ross...
at Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, the royal burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
on the edges of Menteith
Menteith
Menteith or Monteith , a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the Teith and the Forth. The region is named for the river Teith, but the exact sense is unclear, early forms including Meneted, Maneteth and Meneteth.First recorded as the Mormaerdom of...
and the diocese of Dunblane. A papal mandate of October 27, 1394, provided one Dómhnall de Bute as Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Dunblane, annulling Bishop Dúghall's own provision of Dómhnall made "in ignorance of the reservation" earlier made by the pope. On September 4, 1395, the bishop is mentioned in a papal document concerning the succession to one of the churches in his diocese. In 1396, it is known that he travelled to Avignon once again; a roll of petitions presented by Dúghall on behalf of 20 Scottish people and 3 continental Europeans was granted by Pope Benedict XIII on August 1, 1396.
The last ever notice of Dúghall occurs in a charter of the lord of Byres, wherein Dúghall appears along with the Duke of Albany and Walter Trail
Walter Trail
Walter Trail was a late 14th century Bishop of St. Andrews. He appears as an official in the Bishopric of Glasgow in 1378, as a Magister Artium and a Licentiate in Canon and civil law. In 1380, he is a doctor in Canon and Civil Law, as well as a Papal chaplain and auditor. In this year, Pope...
, Bishop of St Andrews
Archbishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews and then, as Archbishop of St Andrews , the Archdiocese of St Andrews.The name St Andrews is not the town or church's original name...
; the charter can be dated between 1398 (creation of the Duchy of Albany) and 1401 (the death of Walter Trail). It is not known for certain that he is death until September 10, 1403, when his successor Fionnlagh MacCailein
Fionnlagh MacCailein
Fionnlagh MacCailein or Finlay Colini was a medieval Scottish bishop. Both his early life and the details of his career as Bishop of Dunblane are not well known, however it is known that he held the latter bishopric between 1403 and his death in 1419...
was provided as the new Bishop of Dunblane. It is likely his death occurred not long before the last date. A papal letter of April 27, 1413, claimed that he had granted a dispensation in order to allow Elizabeth de Danielston to marry Robert de Maxwell. There are indications that Bishop Dúghall may have increased the number of canons at Dunblane Cathedral, but this is very far from certain.