- John Woodman
infobox bishopbiog
name = John Woodman
religion=Roman Catholic Church
See =Diocese of Ross
Title =Bishop of Ross
Period = 1476–1480 × 1481
consecration = unknown
Predecessor = Henry Cockburn
Successor =William Elphinstone
post =Abbot of Jedburgh (1468–1478) | ordination =
bishops =
date of birth = unknown
place of birth = unknown
date of death = BeforeAugust 3 ,1481
place of death =John Woodman [Wodman] (d. 1480 × 1481) was a 15th century churchman based in the
Kingdom of Scotland . Woodman was a canon of thediocese of St Andrews , and as such was locally madePrior of Pittenweem on the death of the previous prior,James Kennedy ,Bishop of St Andrews ; however, he was opposed by one Walter Monypenny, while the new bishop,Patrick Graham , desired the position for himself. [Watt & Shead, "Heads of Religious Houses", p. 146.] Woodman had lost litigation for this post to Monypenny bySeptember 17 ,1466 , and possession to the bishop, though Woodman was still claiming this priory as late as 1477 when he becameBishop of Ross . [Watt & Shead, "Heads of Religious Houses", pp. 146-7.]Some time after November 1465, he was collated as
Prior of Restenneth by Bishop Patrick Graham, which involved him in unsuccessful litigation against the sitting prior James Dunmain. [Watt & Shead, "Heads of Religious Houses", p. 184.] In 1468, while still litigating with Dunmain in the papal curia, he was provided asAbbot of Jedburgh . [Watt & Shead, "Heads of Religious Houses", pp. 119, 184.] The death of the previous abbot Andrew Bolton led theBishop of Glasgow to try to imposed Robert Turnbull as abbot, but it was Woodman who secured papal provision. [Watt & Shead, "Heads of Religious Houses", p. 119.]Woodman was provided to the
bishopric of Ross sometime beforeAugust 20 ,1476 , but afterJuly 22 . He occurs as Bishop-elect onAugust 17 ,1477 , and onOctober 16 made a payment to the papacy of 321 gold florins through Nicholas de Rabatis and Rayner de Ricolis. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 220; Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 269.] He occurs again as Bishop-elect of Ross (though unnamed) onMay 4 ,1478 .Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 269.] Woodman was in thearchdiocese of York in 1480, allegedly acting as asuffragan , though this may be doutbful. We have no knowledge of his consecration, and his successorWilliam Elphinstone was provided to the (now vacant) bishopric of Ross onAugust 3 ,1481 following the death of Woodman, though it is not possible to date Woodman's death more narrowly than either 1480 or 1481.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, 1824)
* Watt, D. E. R., "Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638", 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969)
* 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)
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