Bishop of Aberdeen

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The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) 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. The names of three bishops of Mortlach are known, the latter two of whom, "Donercius" and "Cormauch" (Cormac), by name only. The Bishop of Aberdeen broke communion with the Roman Catholic Church after the Scottish Reformation. Following the Revolution of 1688, the office was abolished in the Church of Scotland, but continued in the Scottish Episcopal Church. A Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen was recreated in 1878.

Contents

Pre-Reformation bishops

List of known bishops of Mortlach

Bishops of Mortlach
TenureIncumbentNotes
fl. 1012 Beóán of Mortlach One of the four known bishops of Mortlach. Known from other sources.
c. 1000s (decade)"Donercius"One of the four known bishops of Mortlach. Nothing more is known.
c. 1000s (decade) Cormac of Mortlach One of the four known bishops of Mortlach. Nothing more is known.
fl. 1131/2 Nechtan of Aberdeen Became first Bishop of Aberdeen in April 1132
Source(s): [1] [2] [3]

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.

Pre-Reformation Bishops of Aberdeen
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
fl. 1131/2 Nechtan of Aberdeen Previously Bishop of Mortlach, moved to Aberdeen April 1132.
fl. 1147/51-1171 Edward of Aberdeen
11721199 Matthew
11991207 John of Kelso
12071228 Adam de Kald
12281229 Matthew the Scot (bishop-elect)Matthew or Mata had been the chancellor of William the Lion, King of Scots. 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 not know anything else about his background.
12281239 Gilbert de Stirling
12391247 Radulf de Lamley
12471256 Peter de Ramsay
12561270/2 Richard de Potton
12721281/2 Hugh de Benin
12821328 Henry le Chen
1329 Walter Herok (bishop-elect)He died at Avignon, perhaps before being consecrated.
13291343/4 Alexander de Kininmund (I.)
13441350 William de Deyn
13501354/5 John de Rait
13551380 Alexander de Kininmund (II.)
1380 Simon de Ketenis (bishop-elect)Elected by chapter sometime after 31 August, but was provided instead as Dean of Aberdeen on 18 November 1380.
13801389 Adam de Tyninghame
13891421 Gilbert de Greenlaw
14221440 Henry de Lichton Translated from Moray.
14411458 Ingram Lindsay
14581480 Thomas Spens Translated from Galloway.
14801483 Robert Blackadder (bishop-elect)Translated to Galloway.
14831514 William Elphinstone Translated from 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.
1514/51518 Alexander Gordon
bef. 15151516 Robert Forman Provided by Pope, but resigned without ever possessing.
15181532 Gavin Dunbar
15291531 George Learmond (coadjutor bishop only)Learmond had been appointed Dunbar's successor in 1529, but he died before Dunbar did.
15321545 William Stewart
15451577 William Gordon Because of the Scottish Reformation of 1560, he was the last bishop owing allegiance to Rome.
Source(s): [1] [4] [5]

Post-Reformation bishops

Church of Scotland succession

Church of Scotland Bishops of Aberdeen
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
15771600 David Cunningham
16001616 Peter Blackburn
16161617 Alexander Forbes Translated from Caithness.
16181635 Patrick Forbes
16351638 Adam Bellenden Translated from Dunblane; died in 1648.
16381662Bishops were abolished in Scotland during the Interregnum.
16621663 David Mitchel
16631664 Alexander Burnet Translated to Glasgow.
16641682 Patrick Scougal
16821689 George Haliburton Deprived of the temporalities when episcopacy was permanently abolished in the Church of Scotland in 1689. Continued as a nonjuring bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Source(s): [1] [6] [7]

Scottish Episcopal Church succession

Scottish Episcopal Church Bishops of Aberdeen
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
16891715 George Haliburton After the Glorious Revolution, he continued as a nonjuring bishop
17151721See vacant
17211724 Archibald Campbell Resigned.
17241733 James Gadderar
17331746 William Dunbar Translated from Moray.
17471767 Andrew Gerard
17681786 Robert Kilgour Also Primus (1778–1788); resigned.
17861816 John Skinner Also Primus (1788–1816).
18161857 William Skinner Also Primus (1841–1857); son of the preceding.
18571864 Thomas Suther Became Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney
Source(s): [1] [8]
Bishops of Aberdeen and Orkney
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
18651883 Thomas Suther Died in office.
18831905 Arthur Douglas Died in office.
19061911 Rowland Ellis Died in office.
19121917 Anthony Mitchell Died in office.
19171943 Frederic Deane
19431955 Herbert Hall Died in office.
19561972 Frederick Easson
19731976 Ian Begg
19761991 Frederick Darwent
19912006 Bruce Cameron Installed 1992, Primus 2000–2006.
20062016 [9] Robert (Bob) Gillies
2018Incumbent [10] Anne Dyer First female bishop in the SEC

Restored Roman Catholic succession

(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 Apostolic Vicariate of the Northern District (formerly the Apostolic Vicariate of the Highland District) was elevated to diocese status on 4 March 1878. The current bishop is the Right Reverend Hugh Gilbert , 11th Bishop of Aberdeen.

Vicars Apostolic of the Highland District
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
16 September 172719 September 1727Father Alexander John Grant Died in office.
12 February 173112 March 1773Bishop Hugh MacDonald Priest; died in office.
12 March 17739 May 1779Bishop John MacDonald Previously coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; died in office.
30 September 17799 September 1791Bishop Alexander MacDonald Priest; died in office.
8 November 17918 July 1814Bishop John Chisholm Priest; died in office.
8 July 181431 July 1818Bishop Aeneas Chisholm Previously coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; died in office.
27 August 181913 February 1827Bishop Ranald MacDonald Became Vicar Apostolic of the Western District.
Vicars Apostolic of the Northern District
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
13 February 182723 February 1869Bishop James Kyle Priest; died in office
23 February 186915 March 1878Bishop John MacDonald Previously coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; became Bishop of Aberdeen.
Roman Catholic Bishops of Aberdeen
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
15 March 18784 February 1889John MacDonaldPreviously Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District; died in office.
16 July 188926 September 1889 Colin Grant Priest; ordained 13 August 1889; died in office.
14 August 189029 May 1898 Hugh MacDonald CSSRPriest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer; ordained 23 October 1890; died in office.
7 January 189913 January 1918 Aeneas Chisholm Priest; ordained 24 February 1899; died in office.
18 June 191825 December 1946 George Bennett Priest; ordained 1 August 1918; died in office.
2 August 19475 July 1950 John Matheson Priest; ordained 24 September 1947; died in office.
20 June 195122 July 1963 Francis Walsh MAfrPriest of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers)  ; ordained 12 September 1951; resigned.
8 December 196428 May 1976 Michael Foylan Priest; ordained 25 March 1965; died in office.
28 February 197715 January 2002 Mario Conti Priest of Aberdeen; ordained 3 May 1977; translated to Glasgow.
13 October 20034 June 2011 Peter Moran Priest of Aberdeen; ordained 1 December 2003; resigned 4 June 2011.
4 June 2011present Hugh Gilbert OSB Abbot of Pluscarden (1992-2011); appointed 4 June 2011; ordained 15 August 2011.
Source(s): [11]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Historical successions: Aberdeen". Crockford's Clerical Directory. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Dowden 1912, The Bishops of Scotland, pp. 97–98.
  3. ↑ Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 317.
  4. ↑ Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 301–302.
  5. ↑ Dowden 1912, The Bishops of Scotland, pp. 98–143.
  6. ↑ Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 302–303.
  7. ↑ Scott 1928, Fasti Ecclesae Scoticanae, volume 7, pp. 392–402.
  8. ↑ Scott 1928, Fasti Ecclesae Scoticanae, volume 7, pp. 402–411.
  9. ↑ Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney announces his retirement.
  10. ↑ The Rt Rev Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney.
  11. ↑ "Diocese of Aberdeen". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Retrieved 14 June 2013.

Bibliography

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