Thomas Lyell r Lyelwas a Scottish

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

associated with the diocese of Ross in the late 14th century and early 15th century. After William de Tarbat,

Subdean {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019 A sub-dean is a person who acts as an assistant to a dean either in church circuit as a priest or minister or an academic institution. They are, however, not a vice-dean. A vice-dean is a person who can deputize a de ...

of Ross, was elected

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of Ross, on 1 May 1395, Thomas was provided as William's successor. Thomas however does not seem to have secured the position, losing out to John de Kylwos, a relative of the Bishop of Ross, Alexander de Kylwos. After the death of

Alexander de Waghorn Alexander de Waghorn (d. 1416 × 1418), Bishop of Ross, bears a surname that may suggest an origin in the Glasgow area of southern Scotland, though there are other possibilities. His pre-episcopal life is not very well documented, but when h ...

, Bishop of Ross, the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. ...

elected Lyell as Waghorn's successor. Lyell was at this stage holding an unnamed

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

and

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of t ...

in the diocese of Ross, the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of Kinnell in Angus in the

diocese of St Andrews The Archdiocese of St Andrews (originally the Diocese of St Andrews) was a territorial episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in early modern and medieval Scotland. It was the largest, most populous and wealthiest diocese of the mediev ...

and the chaplaincy of

Kirriemuir Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie or the ''Wee Red Toon'' ( gd, An Ceathramh Mòr; IPA: nˈkʰʲɛɾəvmoːɾ, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. It reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it is thought to have been a major ecclesiastical ...

, also in Angus in that diocese. His election was overturned by

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

on the grounds that he had previously reserved the see for his own appointment; on 9 March 1418, he provided John Bullock instead. On 16 March, Benedict issued a mandate to the

Abbot of Arbroath The Abbot of Arbroath or Abbot of Aberbrothok (and later Commendator) 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 an ...

to pay Lyell 40 gold crowns in compensation for the expenditure that Thomas Lyell had undertaken in order to follow up his failed election, which had involved him travelling to the papal curia at

Peñíscola Peníscola () or Peñíscola (), anglicised as Peniscola, is a municipality in the Province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d'Irta along the Mediterranean coast. It is a p ...

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. Two days later Benedict granted Thomas a canonry with expectation of a prebend in the

diocese of Aberdeen Diocese of Aberdeen was one of the 13 (14, after 1633) dioceses of the Scottish church, before the abolition of the episcopacy in 1689. Early history A see was founded in 1063 at Mortlach by Blessed Beyn. The earliest mention of the See of ...

, which he was allowed to hold alongside his other benefices. On 1 June, Benedict deprived one Thomas de Merton of his canonry and prebend in the

diocese of Brechin The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brechin, also known as the Diocese of Angus, was one of the thirteen pre- Reformation dioceses of Scotland. History The diocese was believed to have been founded by Bishop Samson in 1153, and based at the cath ...

because he was a "schismatic and adherent of

Oddo Colonna Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

calling himself

Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

", charges which Lyell had made while at Benedict's court; in two mandates to the Abbot of Arbroath, the latter was instructed to give Merton's canonry and prebend to Lyell, which again Lyell was allowed to hold without giving up his other benefices.McGurk (ed.), ''Papal Letters'', pp. 374–5.

Notes

References

* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) * McGurk, Francis (ed.), ''Calendar of Papal Letters to Scotland of Benedict XIII of Avignon, 1394–1419'', (Edinburgh, 1976) * Watt, D. E. R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyell, Thomas 14th-century births 15th-century deaths Bishops of Ross (Scotland) 15th-century Scottish Roman Catholic priests 14th-century Scottish Roman Catholic priests