The Prior of Whithorn was the head of the monastic community at

Whithorn Priory Whithorn Priory was a medieval Scottish monastery that also served as a cathedral, located at 6 Bruce Street in Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway (54.7357N, 4.415954W; OS grid reference NX445405). History The priory was founded ...

, attached to the

bishopric of Galloway The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7t ...

Whithorn Whithorn (; ), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian church in Scotland, "White/Shining House", built by ...

. It was originally an Augustinian establishment, but became

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...

by the time of the second or third known prior. As most of the priors of Whithorn appear to be native Galwegian

Gaels The Gaels ( ; ; ; ) are an Insular Celts, Insular Celtic ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They are associated with the Goidelic languages, Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languages comprising ...

, it would appear that most priors before the 16th century at least were drawn from region, something unusual in medieval Scotland. The following is a list of abbots and commendators.

List of priors of Whithorn

* Edanus (Adam or Áedan), 1154 x 1161 * William (?), 1172x1178 * Michael, 1200 x 1209. * Malcolm, 1209 x 1226 * Paul, 1217 x 1235 * Duncan, 1235 * Gregory, 1235 x1253 * Duncan, 1273 * Dungal, 1279 * Thomas, 1287 * John, 1293 -1294 * Maurice, 1296 *

Michael MacKenlagh Michael MacKenlagh () was Bishop of Galloway or Whithorn (1355–58). He had previously been Prior of Whithorn, head of the cathedral's monastery and leader of the local religious elite. He was elected to the episcopate sometime between March 135 ...

(or de Makenlagh), 1355 * Gilbert, 1382-1413 * Thomas "Macilhachnisi" ("Makillehachuyfy"), 1413 -1431 * James Cameron, 1446 * William Douglas, 1447-1467 x 1468 * Fergus MacDowell, 1466-1470 * David Ralston, 1468 * David Lindsay, 1470 * Roger, 1473 * Patrick Vaus, 1474 -1503 * Patrick McCathroge acCaffrey? x 1477 * Thomas Adunnale, 1470s * Henry MacDowell, 1503-1514 x 1516

List of commendators

Alexander Stewart de Pitcairne Alexander Stewart (1477 – 19 December 1537) was a Scottish prince and prelate; also known as Alexander Stewart of Pitcairn. He was the son of Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, and his first wife Lady Catherine Sinclair, daughter of William S ...

, 1516-1518 * Silvio Passarini, 1516-1526 * Gavin Dunbar, 1518-1524 * William Dick, 1520 * John Maxwell, 1524 * Ninian Fleming, 1524-1537 x 1539 * Abraham Vaus, 1532 * Malcolm Fleming, 1539-1568 * Robert Stewart, 1568-1581 x 1582 * William Fleming, 1568-1594 *

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

, 1582-1605 *

Gavin Hamilton Gavin Hamilton may refer to: * Gavin Hamilton (archbishop of St Andrews) (died 1571), archbishop of St Andrews * Gavin Hamilton (bishop of Galloway) (1561–1612), bishop of Galloway * Gavin Hamilton (artist) (1723–1798), Scottish artist * Ga ...

, 1605-1612Also Bishop of Galloway, Commendator of Dundrennan and Commendator of Glenluce.

Notes

Bibliography

* Donaldson, Gordon, "The Bishops and Priors of Whithorn", in ''Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History & Antiquarians Society: Transactions and Journal of Proceedings'', Third Series, vol. 27 (1950), pp. 127–54 *

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) * 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), pp. 216–20

List of priors of Whithorn

List of commendators

Notes

Bibliography

See also