Bishop of Aberdeen

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For the bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church, see Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney

The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Nechtan. It appears that the episcopal seat had previously been at Mortlach (Mòrthlach), but was moved to Aberdeen during the reign of King David I of Scotland. We know the names of three bishops of Mortlach, the latter two of whom, "Donercius" and "Cormauch" (Cormac), are known only by name. The Bishop of Aberdeen broke communion with the Roman Catholic Church after the Scottish Reformation. Following the Glorious Revolution, the office was abolished. A Roman Catholic diocese was recreated in Aberdeen in 1878.

Contents 1 List of known bishops of Mortlach 2 List of known bishops of Aberdeen 3 List of the modern Bishops of Aberdeen and its precursor offices 4 References 5 External links

[edit] List of known bishops of Mortlach

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes
fl. 1012x	Beóán	One of the three known bishops of Mortlach. Known for other sources.
c. 1000s	"Donercius"	One of the three known bishops of Mortlach. Nothing more is known.
c. 1000s	Cormac	One of the three known bishops of Mortlach. Nothing more is known.

[edit] List of known bishops of Aberdeen

The Bishopric of Aberdeen, as the Bishopric of Aberdeen, appears to date from the 1130s, as does the list of known bishops.

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes
fl. 1131x1132	Nechtan
fl. 1147x1151-1171	Edward
1172-1199	Matthew
1199-1207	John
1207-1228	Adam de Kald
1228 x 1229	Matthew the Scot (elect)	Matthew or Mata had been the chancellor of king William I of Scotland. He was postulated to the see of Aberdeen, before in turn being postulated to the higher ranking See of Dunkeld. At any rate, he died before consecration. His name indicates that he was a Gael, but we do anything else about his background.
1228-1239	Gilbert de Stirling
1239-1247	Radulf de Lamley
1247-1256	Peter de Ramsay
1256-1270 x 1272	Richard de Potton
1272-1281 x 1282	Hugh de Benin
1282-1328	Henry le Chen
1329	Walter Herok (elect)	He died at Avignon, perhaps before being consecrated.
1329-1343 x 1344	Alexander de Kininmund (I)
1344-1350	William de Deyn
1350-1354 x 1355	John de Rait
1355-1380	Alexander de Kininmund (II)
el. 1380	Simon de Ketenis	Elected by chapter sometime after August 31, 1380, but was provided instead as Dean of Aberdeen on November 18.
1380-1389	Adam de Tyninghame
1389-1421	Gilbert de Greenlaw
1422-1440	Henry de Lichton	Previously Bishop of Moray.
1441-1458	Ingram Lindsay
1458-1480	Thomas Spens	Previously Bishop of Galloway.
1480-1483	Robert Blackadder (elect)	He became Bishop of Glasgow.
1483-1514	William Elphinstone	Previously Bishop of Ross. He is one of the greatest of all medieval Scottish bishops, and is remembered today for, among other things, founding the University of Aberdeen.
1514 x 1515-1518	Alexander Gordon
x 1515-1516	Robert Forman	Provided by Pope, but resigned without ever possessing.
1518-1532	Gavin Dunbar
coadjutor: 1529-1531	George Learmond (coajutor)	George Learmond had been appointed Dunbar's successor in 1529, but he died before Dunbar did.
1532-1545	William Stewart
1545-1577	William Gordon	Because of the Scottish Reformation of 1560, he was the last bishop owing allegiance to Rome.
1577-1600	David Cunningham
1600-1616	Peter Blackburn
1616-1617	Alexander Forbes	Translated from Bishopric of Caithness.
1618-1635	Patrick Forbes
1635-1638	Adam Bellenden	Translated from the bishopric of Dunblane; died in 1648. Bishops were abolished in Scotland from 1638 to 1662.
1662	David Mitchel
1663-1664	Alexander Burnet	Translated to the archbishopric of Glasgow.
1664-1682	Patrick Scougal
1682-1689	George Haliburton	Episcopacy abolished in 1689.

[edit] List of the modern Bishops of Aberdeen and its precursor offices

(Any dates appearing in italics indicate de facto continuation of office. The start date of tenure below is the date of appointment or succession. Where known, the date of installation and ordination as bishop are listed in the notes together with the post held prior to appointment.) The modern Bishop of Aberdeen is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh. The diocese covers 29,068 km². The see is in the City of Aberdeen where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption. The Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District (formerly the Vicariate Apostolic of the Highland District) was elevated to diocese status on 4 March 1878. The current bishop is the Right Reverend Peter Antony Moran, the 10th Bishop of Aberdeen.

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes
Vicariate Apostolic of the Highland District
16 September 1727 to 19 September 1727	Bishop Alexander John Grant, Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District	Died in office
12 February 1731 to 12 March 1773	Bishop Hugh MacDonald, Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District	Priest; died in office
12 March 1773 to 9 May 1779	Bishop John MacDonald, Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Highland District; died in office
30 September 1779 to 9 September 1791	Bishop Alexander MacDonald, Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District	Priest; died in office
8 November 1791 to 8 July 1814	Bishop John Chisholm, Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District	Priest; died in office
8 July 1814 to 31 July 1818	Bishop Aenaes Chisholm, Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Highland District; died in office
27 August 1819 to 13 February 1827	Bishop Ranald MacDonald, Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District	Appointed Vicar Apostolic of Western District
Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District
13 February 1827 to 23 February 1869	Bishop James Kyle, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Priest; died in office
23 February 1869 to 15 March 1878	Bishop John MacDonald, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District; Becoming Bishop of Aberdeen
Diocese of Aberdeen
15 March 1878 to 4 February 1889	John MacDonald	Hitherto Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District; died in office
16 July 1889 to 26 September 1889	Colin Grant	Priest; ordained 13 August 1889; died in office
14 August 1890 to 29 May 1898	Hugh McDonald, CSSR	Priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer; ordained 23 October 1890; died in office
7 January 1899 to 13 January 1918	Aeneas Chisholm	Priest; ordained 24 February 1899; died in office
18 June 1918 to 25 December 1946	George Henry Bennett	Priest; ordained 1 August 1918; died in office
2 August 1947 to 5 July 1950	John Alexander Matheson	Priest; ordained 24 September 1947; died in office
20 June 1951 to 22 July 1963	Francis Raymond Walsh, M.Afr.	Priest of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) ; ordained 12 September 1951; resigned
8 December 1964 to 28 May 1976	Michael Foylan	Priest; ordained 25 March 1965; died in office
28 February 1977 to 15 January 2002	Mario Joseph Conti	Priest of Aberdeen; ordained 3 May 1977; appointed Archbishop of Glasgow
13 October 2003 to present	Peter Antony Moran	Priest of Aberdeen; ordained 1 December 2003

Roman Catholic Hierarchy in Scotland
Archbishops	Bishops
Glasgow	Motherwell | Paisley
Saint Andrews & Edinburgh	Aberdeen | Argyll & the Isles | Dunkeld | Galloway
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[edit] References

• Dowden, John, The Bishops of Scotland, ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912)
• Lawrie, Sir Archibald, Early Scottish Charters Prior to A.D. 1153, (Glasgow, 1905)
• Skene, William Forbes, Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alban, 2nd ed., (Edinburgh, 1887), vol. ii

[edit] External links

• Dauvit Broun's list of 12th century Scottish Bishops

Prelates of Medieval Scotland (post-1100)
Archbishops	Glasgow (1492) | St Andrews (1472)
Bishops	Aberdeen | Argyll | Brechin | Caithness | Dunblane | Dunkeld | Galloway | Glasgow | Isles (Sodor) | Moray | Orkney | Ross | St Andrews
Archdeacons	Aberdeen | Argyll | Brechin | Caithness | Dunblane | Dunkeld | Galloway | Glasgow | Isles (Sodor) | Lothian | Moray | Orkney | Ross | St Andrews | Shetland | Teviotdale
Abbots	Arbroath | Balmerino | Cambuskenneth | Coupar Angus | Crossraguel | Culross | Deer | Dercongal (Holywood) | Dryburgh | Dundrennan | Dunfermline | Fearn | Glenluce | Holyrood | Inchaffray | Inchcolm | Iona | Jedburgh | Kelso (Selkirk) | Kilwinning | Kinloss | Lindores | Melrose | Newbattle | Paisley | Saddell | Scone | Soulseat | Sweatheart | Tongland
Priors	Ardchattan | Beauly | Blantyre | Canonbie | Coldingham | Fogo | Fyvie | Inchmahome | Lesmahagow | May (Pittenweem) | Monymusk | Oronsay | Perth | Pluscarden | Restenneth | St Andrews | Strathfillan | St Mary's Isle | St Serf's Inch, Loch Leven | Urquhart | Whithorn