Thomas of Dalton

Thomas of Dalton (also Daltoun or of Kirkcudbright ) († between July 12, 1319 and 1324) was a Scottish clergyman. From 1294 he was Bishop of Whithorn .

Controversial election as bishop

After the death of Bishop Henry in 1293, there was a dispute between King John Balliol and Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale , over the appointment of a new bishop for the Diocese of Whithorn . The dispute was part of a larger conflict as both had claimed the Scottish throne by 1290 . During the vacancy of the diocese, the old archdeacon Henry , but also his nephew Master Johnclaims spiritual guidance. Master John, also known as John the Nephew, had been a supporter of John Balliol during the succession controversy and was now apparently the leading clergyman of the diocese. However, John Balliol was evidently reluctant to enforce his traditional right of nomination to elect a new bishop both as King and Lord of Galloway. Robert de Brus, however, prepared the election of Thomas of Dalton as bishop. Dalton had served as an official and chaplain to de Brus and was elected the new bishop by the prior and canons of Whithorn Priory in early 1294 . After the election there was a scandal when John Balliol appealed to the Archbishop of York against the election. He tried now by all means to prevent the consecration of a candidate of his opponent de Brus. He complained that his right to propose had been overlooked and accused the canons of having been bribed. However, the election was confirmed and Dalton was ordained bishop by Archbishop John of York in October 1294 . By pushing through the election of his protégé Dalton, Brus secured his family's influence on the Church in south-west Scotland, which was formally subordinate to the Archdiocese of York. At the same time he disrupted the influence of the Lord of Galloway, i.e. the king, on the cult of St. Ninian in Whithorn .

Role in the Scottish War of Independence

In 1296 war broke out with England in the dispute over sovereignty over Scotland . The English King Edward I defeated John Balliol in a swift campaign and forced him to abdicate. He then took over the administration of Scotland himself and received homage. Dalton also paid homage as bishop to the English king in August 1296 . There was an uprising against the English occupation from 1297 onwards. When the English king led a campaign to Galloway in 1300 , Dalton tried to mediate between the king and the rebellious Scots, but his attempts were rejected by the English king. When Robert Bruce , a grandson of his former employer Robert de Brus, declared himself King of the Scots in 1306, Dalton rejected his claim to the throne and was on the English side in 1307. Little is known about Dalton's further tenure. Bruce was able to finally gain control of Galloway by 1313. Dalton then went into exile in the English Archdiocese of York. He is said to have died in 1319, but according to other sources Robert Bruce traveled to Galloway in November 1322. There he is said to have prepared the election of Simon of Wedale as the new bishop. Dalton was still alive at the time, but either he was too old to serve as bishop or he was still in exile in York. In fact, Simon de Wedale was not ordained bishop until 1327 as Dalton's successor.

literature

John Dowden: The Bishops of Scotland. Being Notes on the Lives of all the Bishops, under each of the Sees, prior to the Reformation . James Maclehose, Glasgow 1912, pp. 359-360.

Individual evidence

^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 93.
↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 41.
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 111.
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 159.
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 248.
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 376.
↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 244.

predecessor	Office	successor
Henry	Bishop of Galloway 1294-1319 / 24	Simon of Wedale

personal data
SURNAME	Thomas of Dalton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Thomas of Daltoun; Thomas of Kirkcudbright
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Scottish clergyman
DATE OF BIRTH	13th Century
DATE OF DEATH	between July 12, 1319 and 1324

[1] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 93.

[2] Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 41.

[3] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 111.

[4] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 159.

[5] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 248.

[6] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 376.

[7] Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 244.