William the Dean

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William the Dean was a 13th-century bishop of Dunkeld. He had been a dean of the diocese of Dunkeld, and was elected to the bishopric when news of the death of bishop-elect Hugo de Strivelin arrived from Rome. William soon travelled to Continental Europe for his consecration, and on the orders of the pope, was consecrated by Cardinal Ordonius, bishop of Tusculum. All of this happened by 13 December 1283, when it is related in a letter of Pope Martin IV. Unusually for bishops of Dunkeld, very little is known of his episcopate. The only thing we know he did after consecration was visit the shrine of Saint Cuthbert at Durham in 1285. As his successor Matthew de Crambeth is confirmed as bishop of Dunkeld in April 1188, it can be presumed that Bishop William died in either late 1287 or early 1288.

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William de Sancto Claro, or simply William Sinclair, was a 14th-century bishop of Dunkeld. He was the son of Amicia de Roskelyn and Sir William Sinclair, Baron of Roslin. He was the brother of Sir Henry Sinclair, baron of Roslin. After the death of Bishop Matthew de Crambeth in 1309, William was elected to the bishopric. The following year, on 24 February 1310, William was one of twelve Scottish bishops to swear fealty to King Robert the Brus. However, king Edward II of England had his own candidate in mind, John de Leck. William went to the Holy See, where his election was contested by the said John. The diocese of Dunkeld lay vacant for three years. Pope Clement V appointed Cardinal James, cardinal deacon of St George in Velabro, to judge the issue. However, the issue was more or less resolved when, on 22 May 1311, John de Leck was promoted to the Archbishopric of Dublin. When John de Leck took over the see of Dublin on 20 July, he retired from the dispute. The pope then declared William's election canonical, and sent him to Cardinal Berengar Fredol, bishop of Tusculum, in order to be consecrated. On 3 February 1313 king Edward II issued a safe-conduct to William, clearly indicating that the bishop was planning to arrive in England on his way back to Scotland, however Edward demanded cooperation in political matters as a condition. William became a frequent witness to King Robert's charters, but that did not prevent Bishop William, on 24 September 1332, being present at the coronation of Edward Balliol. Bishop William attended the latter's parliaments. William died on 27 June 1337, and was buried in the choir of Dunkeld Cathedral.

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Religious titles
Preceded by Bishop of Dunkeld
12831287X1288
Succeeded by