William (Abbot of Arbroath & Bishop of Dunblane)
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William O. Tiron. was a late 13th century Tironensian abbot
and bishop
in the Kingdom of Scotland
. He appears in the extant sources for the first time on April 25, 1276; he is Abbot of Arbroath
. According to the Scotichronicon, the work of the 15th century historian Walter Bower
, William's predecessor Adam de Inverlunan had died in 1275, so William probably became abbot in either that year or in 1276.
William was abbot until 1284, when he was elected to be Bishop of Dunblane
. The abbots of Arbroath were ex officio canons
of Dunblane Cathedral
, and the bishopric in this period rotated between full-time Dunblane canons and ex officio canons such as the abbots of Arbroath. The election was apparently unanimous, and William set off to obtain confirmation at the papal curia; after going through the formality of resigning his rights to the bishopric to the Pope, he received papal provision, and on December 18, 1284, he was consecrated by Cardinal Ordonius
, Bishop of Tusculum.
During William's time as Bishop of Dunblane, a conflict of patronage arouse with Inchaffray Abbey
. After the vicar
of Strogeith Richard de Stirling had died, the Earl of Strathearn
, Maol Íosa III
, used his influence to get William to appoint Roger de Legerwood to the vacant vicarage. Though of English extraction, Roger was Maol Íosa's chaplain
, and the Bishop appointed him to the vicarage in the belief or desire that it was the bishopric's place to do so. Hugh, Abbot of Inchaffray
, however, bombarded the episcopal court with legal deeds in order to prove that Inchaffray's rights were superior. On September 21, 1287, at Arbroath
, the Bishop publicly admitted the superiority of Inchaffray's rights, and in the following week a final agreement was reached at Kenmore
. William backed down to Inchaffray's claims, but the abbot of Inchaffray appointed Legerwood anyway.
In 1291, Pope Nicholas IV
granted William permission to take oaths from everyone in his diocese regarding the property belonging to churches. Movable and unmovable goods, altars, lands, etc, were all valued, in order to facilitate the repayment of debts owed to the church; particularly in relation to unpaid funeral charges. The Pope also ordered Bishop William to ensure that his own property was left to the church; the former complained of the "evil custom" whereby the Earls of Strathearn would take the property of all deceased bishops.
William's episcopate was contemporaneous with the onset on the First War of Scottish Independence
. As Guillame Evesque de Dunblain he was one of the many great figures of the Kingdom who had confirmed the Treaty of Salisbury at the Birgham
assembly in 1290. On July 12, 1291, he gave an oath of fealty to the English king. The bishop was probably one of the forty commissioners chosen by John de Balliol
to make his case for the Scottish throne to King Edward I of England
, June 5, 1292 William did not live long enough to take any great role in the warfare that brewed up later in the decade, after 1296, as he does not appear again in any contemporary record. He probably died in either 1294 or 1295, as the election of his successor Alpín
fell sometime after May 4, 1295, but before October 16, 1296, when Alpín was consecrated as bishop.
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
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...
. He appears in the extant sources for the first time on April 25, 1276; he is Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath was the head of the Tironensian Benedictine monastic community of Arbroath Abbey, Angus, Scotland, founded under the patronage of King William of Scotland from Kelso Abbey and dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury. The abbot, John Gedy, was granted the mitre on 26 June 1396...
. According to the Scotichronicon, the work of the 15th century historian Walter Bower
Walter Bower
Walter Bower , Scottish chronicler, was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian.He was abbot of Inchcolm Abbey from 1418, was one of the commissioners for the collection of the ransom of James I, King of Scots, in 1423 and 1424, and in 1433 one of the embassy to Paris on the business of the...
, William's predecessor Adam de Inverlunan had died in 1275, so William probably became abbot in either that year or in 1276.
William was abbot until 1284, when he was elected to be 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...
. The abbots of Arbroath were ex officio canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland.-History:...
, and the bishopric in this period rotated between full-time Dunblane canons and ex officio canons such as the abbots of Arbroath. The election was apparently unanimous, and William set off to obtain confirmation at the papal curia; after going through the formality of resigning his rights to the bishopric to the Pope, he received papal provision, and on December 18, 1284, he was consecrated by Cardinal Ordonius
Ordonho Alvares
Ordonho Alvares was a Spanish Cardinal of the Papal Curia.He was secular abbot of Husillos in 1274 and later becamearchbishop of Braga . As Cardinal he was bishop of Frascati and Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals....
, Bishop of Tusculum.
During William's time as Bishop of Dunblane, a conflict of patronage arouse with Inchaffray Abbey
Inchaffray Abbey
Inchaffray Abbey was situated by the village of Madderty, midway between Perth and Crieff in Strathearn, Scotland. The only trace now visible is an earth mound and some walls on the island where the abbey once stood.-History:...
. After the 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...
of Strogeith Richard de Stirling had died, the Earl of Strathearn
Earl of Strathearn
The Mormaer of Strathearn or Earl of Strathearn was a provincial ruler in medieval Scotland. Of unknown origin, the mormaers are attested for the first time in a document perhaps dating to 1115. The first known mormaer, Maol Íosa I is mentioned by Ailred of Rievaulx as leading native Scots in the...
, Maol Íosa III
Maol Íosa III, Earl of Strathearn
Maol Íosa III of Strathearn, who ruled Strathearn 1271 to 1317, is the sixth known Mormaer of Strathearn; but this is a source problem and in no way means that he was the sixth in reality....
, used his influence to get William to appoint Roger de Legerwood to the vacant vicarage. Though of English extraction, Roger was Maol Íosa's 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...
, and the Bishop appointed him to the vicarage in the belief or desire that it was the bishopric's place to do so. Hugh, Abbot of Inchaffray
Abbot of Inchaffray
The Abbot of Inchaffray, before 1221 Prior of Inchaffray, and then by the end of the 15th century, the Commendator of Inchaffray, was the head of the community of Augustinian canons of Inchaffray Abbey and their lands. Inchaffray is in Strathearn, in southern Perthshire, Scotland...
, however, bombarded the episcopal court with legal deeds in order to prove that Inchaffray's rights were superior. On September 21, 1287, at Arbroath
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
, the Bishop publicly admitted the superiority of Inchaffray's rights, and in the following week a final agreement was reached at Kenmore
Kenmore
Kenmore may refer to:* Kenmore Appliances, a brand name of household appliances sold in stores owned by Sears Holdings Corporation* A brand name of Scotch whisky produced by Burn Stewart Distillers and sold exclusively in Marks and Spencer stores...
. William backed down to Inchaffray's claims, but the abbot of Inchaffray appointed Legerwood anyway.
In 1291, Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV , born Girolamo Masci, was Pope from February 22, 1288 to April 4, 1292. A Franciscan friar, he had been legate to the Greeks under Pope Gregory X in 1272, succeeded Bonaventure as Minister General of his religious order in 1274, was made Cardinal Priest of Santa Prassede and...
granted William permission to take oaths from everyone in his diocese regarding the property belonging to churches. Movable and unmovable goods, altars, lands, etc, were all valued, in order to facilitate the repayment of debts owed to the church; particularly in relation to unpaid funeral charges. The Pope also ordered Bishop William to ensure that his own property was left to the church; the former complained of the "evil custom" whereby the Earls of Strathearn would take the property of all deceased bishops.
William's episcopate was contemporaneous with the onset on the First War of Scottish Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
. As Guillame Evesque de Dunblain he was one of the many great figures of the Kingdom who had confirmed the Treaty of Salisbury at the Birgham
Birgham
Birgham is a village in Berwickshire, parish of Eccles in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, near Coldstream and the River Tweed, on the A698...
assembly in 1290. On July 12, 1291, he gave an oath of fealty to the English king. The bishop was probably one of the forty commissioners chosen by John de Balliol
John of Scotland
John Balliol , known to the Scots as Toom Tabard , was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities include Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
to make his case for the Scottish throne to King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, June 5, 1292 William did not live long enough to take any great role in the warfare that brewed up later in the decade, after 1296, as he does not appear again in any contemporary record. He probably died in either 1294 or 1295, as the election of his successor Alpín
Alpín of Strathearn
Alpín of Strathearn was late 13th century Scottish prelate and graduate of the University of Bologna. The description of him as being of "noble birth" and his appellation de Stratherne indicate he was probably from the kin-group of the mormaers of Strathearn...
fell sometime after May 4, 1295, but before October 16, 1296, when Alpín was consecrated as bishop.