John Bullock (bishop)
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John Bullock O.S.A. (d. 1439 × 1440) was an Augustinian
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
and
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
active in the 15th century
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 Anglo-Sc ...
. While earning a university degree between 1409 and 1417, Bullock gained several benefices in Scotland, and claimed the headship of
St Andrews Cathedral Priory St Andrews Cathedral Priory was a priory of Augustinian canons in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was one of the great religious houses in Scotland, and instrumental in the founding of the University of St Andrews. History Plans were made for i ...
before becoming Bishop of Ross in 1418. He held the latter position until his death, which occurred in either 1439 or 1440.


Early career

Though his career has not been elaborated by modern historians, Bullock is known to have been a university graduate, having a B. Dec., i.e. a Bachelorate in Decrees (
canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
); he did not hold that degree in 1409, but did by 1417. Bullock was a
canon regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religiou ...
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 Scotland in the Late Middle Ages, medieval Scotland. It was the largest, most populous and ...
, and on 23 March 1409, is recorded as holding the
vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or Minister (Christianity), ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of n ...
of Dull in the diocese of Dunkeld when
Avignon Pope Benedict XIII Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor (25 November 1328 – 23 May 1423), known as () or Pope Luna, was an Aragonese nobleman who was antipope with the regnal name Benedict XIII during the Western Schism. Early life Pedro Martínez de Lu ...
granted his petition to hold the vicarage of
Tranent Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. Tranent lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies south of the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road that r ...
in the diocese of St Andrews. A letter of Benedict XIII, dated 5 June 1417, reveals that John Bullock was one of three clergymen claiming the title
Prior of St Andrews The Prior of St Andrews was the head of the property and community of Augustinian canons of St Andrews Cathedral Priory, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was established by King David I in 1140 with canons from Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire. It ...
, a claim which he seems to have given up in the following year when he had the chance to become Bishop of Ross.


Bishop of Ross

A papal mandate dated 9 March 1418, provided John, "elect of Ross", to "the bishopric of Ross, vacant by the death outside the curia of Alexander, late bishop under whom the bishopric was reserved to papal provision." On 11 March, an indult was issued to John allowing him to be consecrated by any bishop of his choice, assisted by two other bishops. Another papal letter, issued on 15 March, granted one John Begiert, OSA, B. Dec., canon of St Andrews, the vicarage of Dull, "vacant by the promotion of John Bullock, former vicar, to the bishopric of Ross". The pope has reserved the bishopric of Ross for his own appointment and, on 16 March, Thomas Lyell, who had been elected by 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. In ...
of
Fortrose Fortrose is a town and former royal burgh on the Black Isle in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland, about northeast of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th-century Fortrose Cathedral, cathedral, and as ...
"in ignorance of the reservation", was granted 40 crowns in compensation for his expenses, and two days later, he was granted a canonry in the
diocese of Aberdeen The Diocese of Aberdeen was originally believed to be the direct continuation of an 11th-century bishopric at Bishop of Mortlach, Mortlach in present-day Moray. However, this early date and the first bishops were based on a misinterpretation a ...
allowed to be held alongside his other benefices. Bullock was in possession of the temporalities of the bishopric by 1 August 1419.Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 268. He was consecrated between 16 July, when as "elect and confirmed" he sent a
proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...
to the Provincial Synod, and 16 August 1420, when he as "through the grace of Gode Byschop of Rosse", sealed a
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...
. As a sign of reconciliation and the ending of the
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Great Occidental Schism, the Schism of 1378, or the Great Schism (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 20 September 1378 to 11 November 1417, in which bishops residing ...
,
Pope Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born 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. His election effectively ended the We ...
confirmed Benedict XIII's provision and retrospectively confirmed Bullock's acts as bishop on 1 February 1423, after the translation of Gruffydd Young to the titular bishopric of
Hippo The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic Mammal, mammal native to su ...
. Most of the details of Bullock's episcopate are obscure. On 4 September 1439, Bishop Bullock appended his
seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...
to the contract between Joan Beaufort,
Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...
, and Sir
Alexander Livingston of Callendar Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar (died 1451) was a significant figure in the early part of the reign of King James II of Scotland. Life Livingston was the son of Sir John Livingston of Callendar House and his wife Marjorie, a daughter ...
, a contract that made Livingstone guardian of the boy king,
James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his fathe ...
.Borthwick, "Livingston, Sir Alexander, of Callendar (b. c.1375, d. in or before 1456); "Dowden, ''Bishops'', pp. 217-8. He is dead by 26 September 1440, when a papal mandate rejected the postulation of Andrew Munro and provided Thomas de Tulloch to the bishopric, explicitly vacant because of Bullock's death.


Notes


References

* Borthwick, Alan R., "Livingston, Sir Alexander, of Callendar (b. c.1375, d. in or before 1456)", in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, retrieved 10 Oct 2007
*
Dowden, John John Dowden /d͡ʒɒn ˈdaʊdən/ (29 June 1840 – 30 January 1910) was an Irish-born bishop and ecclesiastical historian. He served in the Scottish Episcopal Church as the Bishop of Edinburgh. Life He was born in Cork on 29 June 1840, ...
, ''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) * Watt, D. E. R. & Shead, N. F. (eds.), ''The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries'', The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullock, John 14th-century births 15th-century deaths Augustinian friars Bishops of Ross (Scotland) Priors of St Andrews 15th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops 14th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops