David the Scot

David the Scot (died c. 1138) was a Welsh or Irish cleric who was Bishop of Bangor from 1120 to 1138.

There is some doubt as to David's nationality, as he is variously described as Irish and Welsh. He was master of the cathedral school of Würzburg before 1110, and in that year accompanied the Emperor Henry V to Italy. He wrote an account of this expedition.

He was elected Bishop of Bangor, at the instigation of Gruffydd ap Cynan, king of Gwynedd, in 1120. The previous bishop, Hervé, had been expelled from his see by the Welsh, and deadlock between Gruffydd and the king of England concerning the choice of a new bishop had resulted in the see being vacant for around twenty years. Gruffydd threatened to get the new Bishop consecrated in Ireland, but eventually King Henry I of England agreed to the appointment of David to the see on condition that he accepted the supremacy of Canterbury. David was consecrated by Ralph, Archbishop of Canterbury on April 4, 1120 at Westminster.

David was responsible for the rebuilding of Bangor Cathedral, the earliest surviving parts of which date to his episcopate. In this he was aided by a large grant of money from Gruffydd ap Cynan. David is last recorded in attendance at the deathbed of Gruffydd ap Cynan in 1137. It is thought that he may have returned to Würzburg as a monk shortly before his death.

References

• John Edward Lloyd (1911) The history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest (Longmans, Green & Co.)

External links

• Notes on David at www.british-history.ac.uk