William (died on 24 January 1162) was a 12th-century
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
based in the
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...
. He occurs in the records for the first time as
Bishop of Moray in 1152 x 24 May 1153, late in the reign of King
David I of Scotland
David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim ( Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Mal ...
(1124–53) witnessing a grant from that monarch of the church of
Clackmannan
Clackmannan ( ; gd, Clach Mhanainn, perhaps meaning "Stone of Manau"), is a small town and civil parish set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated within the Forth Valley, Clackmannan is south-east of Alloa and south of Tillicoultry. ...
to the
Abbot of Cambuskenneth. The precise date of his accession is unknown but was probably in 1152.
William first witnessed a charter of King
Máel Coluim IV
Malcolm IV ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Eanric, label=Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Eanraig), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 11419 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest ...
at some date between May 1153 and April 1156. Bishop William travelled to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1159 on behalf of Máel Coluim probably regarding the proposal that the Bishopric of St Andrews be raised to metropolitan rank in order to thwart the
Archbishop of York's claim to authority over the Scottish Church. He had returned as
Papal legate with the usual powers to consecrate bishops and performed the consecration of Ernald of St Andrews on 20 November 1160. As demonstrated by his recorded actions it appears that he was an absentee bishop and seldom in his diocese.
[Oram, ''Elgin Cathedral'', p. 25] William died on 24 January 1162.
Notes
References
*
Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912)
* Keith, Robert, ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688'', (London, 1924)
* Lawrie, Sir Archibald, ''Early Scottish Charters Prior to A.D. 1153'', (Glasgow, 1905)
* Fawcett, Richard & Oram, Richard, ''Elgin Cathedral and the Diocese of Moray'', Historic Scotland (Edinburgh, 2014),
*
Watt, D.E.R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969)
* Watt, D.E.R., ''Medieval Church Councils in Scotland'', T&T Clerk Ltd, (Edinburgh, 2000),
{{DEFAULTSORT:William
1162 deaths
Bishops of Moray
12th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops
Year of birth unknown