Thomas Tulloch (Bishop of Ross)

infobox bishopbiog
name = Thomas Tulloch


religion= Roman Catholic Church
See = Diocese of Ross
Title = Bishop of Ross
Period = 1440–1460 × 1461
consecration = Before October 14, 1440
Predecessor = John Bullock
Successor = Henry Cockburn
post = Archdeacon of Caithness (1428–1437)
Dean of Ross (1436/7–1440) | ordination =
bishops =
date of birth = unknown
place of birth = unknown
date of death = 1460 × 1461
place of death =

Thomas Tulloch [de Tulloch] (d. 1460 × 1461) was a prelate active in the Kingdom of Scotland in the 15th century. A letter of Pope Martin V in 1429 claimed that he was "of a great noble race by both parents".Dowden, "Bishops", p. 219.] Robert Keith believed that he had the surname "Urquhart", but that is not supported by the contemporary evidence and is probably spurious. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 219; Keith, "Historical Catalogue", p. 189.]

Pre-episcopal career

In November 1429, he was given the parish church of Longforgan, in Gowrie, in the diocese of St Andrews, to be held in "perpetual vicarage"; he was to hold this along with the Caithness archdeaconry and the prebend of Croy in the diocese of Moray. He had exchanged with Thomas de Greenlaw to become Archdeacon of Caithness a year before, and received papal provision on March 12, 1428, though it is not clear that he ever took possession; he resigned the position in exchange for parochial benefices on July 15, 1437, namely the parish of Tannadice, diocese of St Andrews. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 219; Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 71.]

In the same year (1437), Tulloch won his litigation against John de Innes for the position of Dean of Ross; after the death of William Fayrhar, probably in earlier in 1436, Tulloch received provision while Innes was collated to the position locally. [Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 272.] However,, Laurence Piot had also received provision for the position, and Tulloch likewise was involved against Piot in litigation; Tulloch retained possession of the deanery until resigning his right to James de Innes on September 23, 1440, three days before he was provided to the bishopric of Ross. [Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", pp. 268, 272.] On that same day, i.e. on September 23, he was provided as Subdean of Dunkeld, but resigned later in the day. [Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 116.]

Bishop of Ross

Tulloch received provision to the Ross bishopric on September 26 from Pope Eugenius IV at the papal court, and on October 14, he paid the papacy 600 gold florins; by the time of this payment, he had already received consecration.Dowden, "Bishops", p. 218; Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", p. 268.] On February 10, 1441, a safe-conduct was issued to Thomas Tulloch, at that time in Flanders, on his way back to Scotland from the papal court. The postulation to the bishopric of Andrew Munro, Archdeacon of Ross, by the cathedral chapter of Fortrose was rejected by Pope Eugenius IV.

He was in Scotland in May 1443. [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 218.] He was witness to a royal charter on January 24, 1450. He attended the Edinburgh parliament of September 24, 1451. On June 17, 1455, Bishop Thomas, along with the other bishops of Scotland, sealed the forfeiture of James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas. In the 18th century, Bishop Tulloch's name was apparently on an inscription, dated to 1460. [Keith, "Historical Catalogue", p. 569.] He seems to have died before March 23, 1461, when his successor Henry Cockburn received papal provision to the (now) vacant bishopric, though one early modern antiquarian claimed his death occurred "in 1463 before Oct [ober] ". [Dowden, "Bishops", p. 219; Watt, "Fasti Ecclesiae", pp. 268-9; the antiquarian is Major-general Stewart Allan, who did not cite his source.]

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)