Columba De Dunbar
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Columba de Dunbar ( 1386 – 1435) was
Bishop of Moray The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. If the foundation charter of the monastery at Scone is reliable, then the Bishopric of Mor ...
from 1422 until his death at
Spynie Palace Spynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the Bishop of Moray, Bishops of Moray for about 500 years in Spynie, Moray, Scotland. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th century. It is situated about 500 ...
near
Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * Elgin, Manit ...
sometime before 7 November 1435. Columba was "of Royal race", the third "lawful son of
George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of Dunbar and March (1338–1422), 12th Lord of Annandale and Lord of the Isle of Man, was "one of the most powerful nobles in Scotland of his time, and the rival of the Douglases."Anderson (1867), vol.iv:74 Family ...
" and his spouse Christian née Seton. His father, who supported the so-called English Party in Scotland, later changed his allegiance and went over to King
Henry IV of England Henry IV ( – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. Henry was the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (a son of King Edward III), and Blanche of Lancaster. Henry was involved in the 1388 ...
. Along with his elder brothers, Columba moved to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in 1400. On 28 June 1401 Columba collected £100 given by King Henry to his father the Earl "for his special favour" and on 3 October 1401 Columba collected a further sum of £25/9s/7d for him. "Cristiana countess of Dunbarre" was also awarded £40/19s/3d "for her charges and expenses coming from the North" &c., and Columba collected this at the same time. On 26 February 1403 (1402/3), while studying at
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, "Columba son of George de Dunbarre earl of March of Scotland" was granted "the Deanery of the free chapel of St. Mary Magdalene of
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
" in
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
. This was thought to be a reward for the help provided by his father to King Henry in the battle of
Homildon Hill The Battle of Holmedon Hill or Battle of Homildon Hill was a conflict between English and Scottish armies on 14 September 1402 in Northumberland, England. The battle was recounted in William Shakespeare's ''Henry IV, Part 1''. Although Humbl ...
in 1402. More scandalously, in 1410, when a Commission into his activities as Dean was convened, it was found he had stripped lead from the roof of his churches, including that at nearby
Quatford Quatford is a village in the civil parish of Bridgnorth, in the Severn Valley, Shropshire, England. It is located on the A442, just south of the town of Bridgnorth and on the bank of the River Severn. The majority of residents in the village ...
, and sold it.''Quatford's 900 Years. A Guide - to its church and history'', by Alan Webb and Robert Curtis (1986), p.10. Columba had returned to
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, thus evading justice from England, in 1409 and by 1412 he was Dean of Dunbar
collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...
when he witnessed the foundation charter of
St Andrews University The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...
. In addition, he was the Deacon of the chapel of Ruthven, St. Andrews. On 1 May 1419, by Papal Dispensation, he was given the additional rectory of the parish church of Locherworth or
Borthwick Borthwick is a hamlet, parish and stream in Midlothian, Scotland. The parish includes the 15th century Borthwick Castle, which is to the east of the village and the villages of Gorebridge and North Middleton.''Gazetteer of Scotland'', publ. by ...
(£30 per annum), from which he was promoted to the post of Archdeacon of
Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...
. He Supplicated the Pope to be able to retain his former combined annual incomes which were in excess of £100 in addition to £120 for the Archdeaconry. Not only were these allowed but he continued to petition for other positions to be "annexed" to his Archdeaconry for further large sums. His request to retain the Deanery of Dunbar for another year, in April 1422, was contested. His appointment as Archdeacon was contested by another priest, Edward de Lawedre, who believed the appointment had been promised to him. The litigation continued until Columba's promotion to the See of Moray. Columba became Bishop of Moray on 3 April 1422 but no record of his consecration exists although it must have taken place between 12 February 1423 and 10 October when he witnesses a charter officially as bishop of Moray. On 1 December 1433, a Safe-conduct was issued by the young King Henry VI for Columba and his entourage of 30 servants "to pass through England on his way to the Roman Court" (Keith says as envoy of King James I of Scotland).Keith, Robert, ''Historical Catalogue of Scottish Bishops'', etc, Edinburgh, 1824, p. 143 He died before November 1435 and is thought, according to Keith, to have been buried in the aisle of St Thomas the Martyr (Becket) in
Elgin Cathedral Elgin Cathedral, a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, northeast Scotland, was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II of Scotland, Alexander II and stood outside the burgh of Elgin, close to ...
.


Notes


References

*Boardman, Stephen I: ''The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III, 1371–1406'', East Linton: Tuckwell Press, 1996, (The Stewart Dynasty in Scotland Series, Vol. I) *Fawcett, Richard & Oram, Richard, ''Elgin Cathedral and the Diocese of Moray'', Historic Scotland (Edinburgh, 2014), {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar, Columba De 1380s births 1435 deaths Bishops of Moray 15th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops Burials at Elgin Cathedral Year of birth uncertain