Michael Ochiltree ''Ouchtre(d. 1445 x 1447) was a 15th-century

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

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 ...

and administrator. A close associate of King

James I of Scotland James I (late July 1394 – 21 February 1437) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III of Scotland, Robert III and ...

, from the late 1410s he rose in rank from

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 ...

to Dean of

Dunblane Dunblane (, ) is a town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links to much of the Central Be ...

and then

Bishop of Dunblane The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane or Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotlan ...

. Ochiltree was responsible for the coronation of 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 ...

, and he obtained a grant from the crown which allowed the comparatively small

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

to attain historically unprecedented viability.

Biography

Early life

He probably came from Ochiltree in

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

; according to one source, he was the son of a priest and an unmarried woman, though this is contradicted by another source that claims he was the son of a married man and an unmarried woman; he was however certainly regarded as illegitimate, and later had to gain a dispensation for his

illegitimacy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

.McGladdery, "Ochiltree, Michael (d. 1445x7)". As a young man, Ochiltree obtained a Bachelorate in

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 ...

from the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. He became a

of the diocese of Dunblane and held the vicarage of Strogeith by 1418.Cockburn, ''Medieval Bishops'', p. 143.

Early career

Ochiltree was involved in a long dispute at the

Papal curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes us ...

over the

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

; his opponents were John Stewart and then John de Keremor. Bishop

William Stephani William Stephen, sometimes William Stephani (probably Stephenson), was a medieval prelate based in Scotland, who became Bishop of Orkney and then Bishop of Dunblane. A reader in divinity at the University of St Andrews at its first establishm ...

had appointed Ochiltree as dean following the death of the previous dean, probably Donald de Bute; however, the pope appointed John Stewart, M.A., B.L., who was rector of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Flysk and bastard son of King

Robert II of Scotland Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie Bruce, Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, h ...

. Litigation proceeded at Rome. John gave up his claim after 22 September 1421; but, according to the reconstruction of

James Hutchison Cockburn James Hutchison Cockburn DD ThD FSAScot (29 October 1882 – 20 June 1973) was a Scottish scholar and senior Church of Scotland clergyman. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1941 and 1942, the highest position in the Church of ...

, rumours that Ochiltree had been appointed

Bishop of the Isles The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of the Isles (or Sodor), one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompassing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as ...

(Sodor) led to John de Keremor petitioning for the vacant deanery. This confusion was apparently produced when a Michael Anchire, priest of the

Archdiocese of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Ire ...

, was provided to the see of Sodor. Even if Cockburn is wrong, Keremor was definitely unsuccessful, and Ochiltree retained the deanery. In 1425 Ochiltree became rector of the church of Inchmagranach in the diocese of Dunkeld, as well as holding the three-year vicarage of Tibbermore, also in Dunkeld. When this three years finished, he became rector of

Lilliesleaf Lilliesleaf is a small village and civil parish south east of Selkirk in the Roxburghshire area of Scottish Borders of Scotland. Other places nearby include Ancrum, Ashkirk, Belses, Hassendean, Midlem, Minto House, Old Belses, St Bos ...

in the diocese of Glasgow. However, he surrendered his benefices when, on 22 June 1429, he was provided as

Bishop of Dunblane

Ochiltree's

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

did not take place immediately. As part of a large group of ambassadors including John Cameron,

Bishop of Glasgow The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Catholic Church, the title was restored by Pope ...

and Henry de Lichton,

Bishop of Aberdeen The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...

, he was sent 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 January 1430 in order to secure peaceful relations while King James dealt with troublesome vassals within his own kingdom.Cockburn, ''Medieval Bishops'', p. 140. Ochiltree was finally consecrated some time between July 1430 and April 1431.Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 77. After the

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of King

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

on 21 February 1437, a rushed

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

took place for his seven-year-old son, who became King

. The coronation had to be done at

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a List of British royal residences, royal r ...

because

Scone A scone ( or ) is a traditional British and Irish baked good, popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often ...

, the traditional coronation site, was too dangerous. In these circumstances, Bishop Ochiltree conducted the ceremony of anointment, a role usually reserved for a higher ranking bishop. Ochiltree's greatest accomplishment transpired in 1442. In this year he persuaded the government of James II to grant the bishopric of Dunblane large tracts taken from the earldom of Strathearn, in royal hands since the execution of its last earl, Walter Stewart, in 1437. This land was conferred with extensive rights, the bishopric became a

regality A burgh of regality is a type of Scottish town. They were distinct from royal burghs as they were granted to "Lords of Regality, lords of regality", leading noblemen. (In distinction, burgh of barony, burghs of barony were granted to a tenant-in- ...

, and the town of Dunblane itself was elevated from an episcopal

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

to a

burgh of barony A burgh of barony was a type of Scottish town (burgh). Burghs of barony were distinct from royal burghs, as the title was granted to a landowner who, as a tenant-in-chief, held his estates directly from the crown. (In some cases, they might also ...

. As Cockburn put it, "For the first time in its history the Cathedral of Dunblane had the promise of sufficient revenue".

Michael Ochiltree and the crown

Ochiltree's career rise and the success of his episcopate were due, in large part, to the relationship he had with the Scottish royal family. He had been an "intimate friend" of King Robert III of Scotland and his wife Anabella Drummond, and then James I and his wife Joan Beaufort. Indeed, Ochiltree, despite his relatively low birth, had been brought up at the royal court. King James I called him "the familiar, the domestic and

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit f ...

of himself, his father and his mother". He spent a good period of time as

Almoner An almoner () is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The title ''almoner'' has to some extent fallen out of use in English, but its equivalents in other languages are often used f ...

-General to James I. His relationship with Queen Joan seems to have been particularly valuable, and it was probably her influence that led to the grant of 1442.

Death

Bishop Michael appears in the sources for the last time on 23 September 1446, witnessing 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 ...

at Perth. His successor(s) as bishop had been elected and provided sometime before 27 October 1447, meaning that the date of his death fell between these two dates. As well as the 1442 grant, he is remembered as having built the "Bishop's Bridge" between Ardoch and Muthill, and to have reconstituted the church at the latter location.Cockburn, ''Medieval Bishops'', p. 146. He is also remembered for his frequent attendance at

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, for which he was, among other things, an

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

of accounts.Cockburn, ''Medieval Bishops'', p. 147. Cockburn, minister and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

, asserted that "Since Clement, no Bishop of Dunblane had occupied the See with such comprehensive competence as Michael".

Notes

References

* Brown, M. H., "James I (1394–1437)", in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
retrieved 9 May 2007
* Cockburn, James Hutchison, ''The Medieval Bishops of Dunblane and Their Church'', (Edinburgh, 1959) * 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, 1824) * McGladdery, C. A., "Ochiltree, Michael (d. 1445x7)", in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
retrieved 8 May 2007
* Watt, D. E. R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ochiltree, Michael 1440s deaths University of Paris alumni Bishops of Dunblane People from Ochiltree 15th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops Year of birth unknown