Robert de Prebenda

Robert de Prebenda or Robert de la Provendir (d. 1284) was a 13th century Anglo-French cleric who held the position of Bishop of Dunblane, Scotland.

He was the son of Geoffrey de Rotyngton, a minor land-owner in Nottinghamshire. By 1255, he was Dean of Dunblane, probably brought in by Bishop Clement. He held a canonries in the bishopric of Glasgow and in the bishopric of Dunkeld, which later got him in trouble with Pope Urban IV. He was bishop-elect of Dunblane by January 2, 1259. His consecration was delayed because he was in Rome attempting to gain the more prestigious bishopric of Glasgow by opposing the election of Nicholas de Moffat. In this he evidently failed, and was consecrated as Bishop of Dunblane sometime between August 22, 1259, and September 1, 1260.

Although Robert spent a lot of time in England, he tried to continue the attempts of his predecessor Clement to reinvigorate the bishopric of Dunblane. He attended the Second Council of Lyon in 1274. He was once appointed a papal Judge-Delegate (1275), and twice served as an ambassador for King Alexander III of Scotland in England (both in 1279). Robert was alive on February 5, 1284, but was dead by December 18. He was succeeded by William, Abbot of Arbroath.

References

* 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)
* Watt, D. E. R., "Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638", 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969)