John of Whithorn

John (d. 1209) was a medieval Bishop of Galloway. His first appearance as bishop-elect is at the coronation of Richard, "Cœur de Lion" as King of the English at Westminster Abbey on September 3, 1189. [Oram, "Lordship of Galloway", p. 180; Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 128.] He was consecrated at Pipewell Abbey, Northamptonshire, on Sunday September 17, 1189. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 355; Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 128.]

The consecration was performed by Archbishop of Dublin, the Archbishop of Trier, and the Bishop of Annaghdown, and took place despite the fact that there was a formal vacancy in the Archbishopric of York; Geoffrey Plantagenet was Archbishop-elect of York at the time, and John in fact ordained him as a priest, despite the opposition of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who wished to use the opportunity to force York to make obedience to Canterbury as Primate. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 355; Oram, "Lordship of Galloway", p. 180.]

During his ten year episcopate he appeared often in England as a suffragan of the Archbishop of York, for instance, accompanying the archbishop to a church council held by King Richard in 1191. [Oram, "Lordship of Galloway", p. 181.] In Scotland, he witnessed one charter of Alan of Galloway and was appointed a judge-delegate by the papacy in a patronage-related dispute in the diocese of Glasgow. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 355.] He was said to have become a canon at Holyrood Abbey in 1206. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 355; Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 128; source reported by Watt is "Chron. Bower", i. 520. ] The "Chronicle of Melrose" reported his death under the year 1209. [Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 128.]

Notes

References

* 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, 1924)
* Oram, Richard, "The Lordship of Galloway", (Edinburgh, 2000)
* Watt, D. E. R., "Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638", 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969)