Ralph of Irton (died 1292) was a medieval

Bishop of Carlisle The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York. The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The see is in the city o ...

Life

Ralph was a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

Gisborough Priory Gisborough Priory is a ruined Augustinian priory in Guisborough in the current borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1119 as the Priory of St Mary by the Norman feudal magnate Robert de Brus, also an ances ...

, an

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: * Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sai ...

foundation, sometime before 1257. Between 1257 and 1261 he was elected prior of Gisborough.Summerson "Irton, Ralph of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was elected to the

see of Carlisle The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 11 April 1132 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Cumbric descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, who was the k ...

on 14 December 1278. However, King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Duchy of Aquitaine, Aquitaine and D ...

objected to the election because no new licence had been obtained from the king after William de Rotherfeld refused the see. Ralph appealed to Pope Nicholas III and the election was quashed, however Nicholas then provided Ralph to the see and he was consecrated before 9 April 1280.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Carlisle: Bishops
' Ralph imposed taxation in his diocese to secure the completion of

Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle Cathedral is a grade-I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.Tim Tatton-Brown and Joh ...

. He also served Edward as a diplomat in the negotiations over the proposed marriage of the future

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

Margaret, the Maid of Norway Margaret (, ; March or April 1283 – September 1290), known as the Maid of Norway, was the queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 until her death. As she was never inaugurated, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historia ...

, which never came to pass after Margaret's death soon after the marriage was arranged. Ralph died on 1 March 1292Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 235 while attending a

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

at London, from a burst vein. His will provided that most of his belongings be left to his successors at Carlisle. He was buried in Carlisle Cathedral, but his tomb was destroyed soon after his burial by a fire in the cathedral.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ralph of Irton Bishops of Carlisle 1292 deaths 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Year of birth unknown