Bishop of Aberdeen

List article of bishops of the Scottish church

This article is about the bishop of the Scottish church. For the bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church, see Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney.

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 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.

## Pre-Reformation bishops

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See also: Diocese of Aberdeen § Early history

### List of known bishops of Mortlach

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See also: Dufftown § Episcopal see

Bishops of Mortlach

Tenure  | Incumbent  | Notes
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

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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

From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
fl. 1131/2  | Nechtan of Aberdeen | Previously Bishop of Mortlach, moved to Aberdeen April 1132.
fl. 1147/51-1171  | Edward of Aberdeen |
1172  | 1199  | Matthew |
1199  | 1207  | John of Kelso |
1207  | 1228  | Adam de Kald |
1228  | 1229  | 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.
1228  | 1239  | Gilbert de Stirling |
1239  | 1247  | Radulf de Lamley |
1247  | 1256  | Peter de Ramsay |
1256  | 1270/2  | Richard de Potton |
1272  | 1281/2  | Hugh de Benin |
1282  | 1328  | Henry le Chen |
1329  | Walter Herok (bishop-elect) | He died at Avignon, perhaps before being consecrated.
1329  | 1343/4  | Alexander de Kininmund (I.) |
1344  | 1350  | William de Deyn |
1350  | 1354/5  | John de Rait |
1355  | 1380  | 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.
1380  | 1389  | Adam de Tyninghame |
1389  | 1421  | Gilbert de Greenlaw |
1422  | 1440  | Henry de Lichton | Translated from Moray.
1441  | 1458  | Ingram Lindsay |
1458  | 1480  | Thomas Spens | Translated from Galloway.
1480  | 1483  | Robert Blackadder (bishop-elect) | Translated to Galloway.
1483  | 1514  | 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.
1514/5  | 1518  | Alexander Gordon |
bef. 1515  | 1516  | Robert Forman | Provided by Pope, but resigned without ever possessing.
1518  | 1532  | Gavin Dunbar |
1529  | 1531  | George Learmond (coadjutor bishop only) | 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.
Source(s):[1][4][5]

## Post-Reformation bishops

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### Church of Scotland succession

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Church of Scotland Bishops of Aberdeen

From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
1577  | 1600  | David Cunningham |
1600  | 1616  | Peter Blackburn |
1616  | 1617  | Alexander Forbes | Translated from Caithness.
1618  | 1635  | Patrick Forbes |
1635  | 1638  | Adam Bellenden | Translated from Dunblane; died in 1648.
1638  | 1662  | Bishops were abolished in Scotland during the Interregnum.
1662  | 1663  | David Mitchel |
1663  | 1664  | Alexander Burnet | Translated to Glasgow.
1664  | 1682  | Patrick Scougal |
1682  | 1689 | 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

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Scottish Episcopal Church Bishops of Aberdeen

From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
1689 | 1715  | George Haliburton | After the Glorious Revolution, he continued as a nonjuring bishop
1715  | 1721  | See vacant
1721  | 1724  | Archibald Campbell | Resigned.
1724  | 1733  | James Gadderar |
1733  | 1746  | William Dunbar | Translated from Moray.
1747  | 1767  | Andrew Gerard |
1768  | 1786  | Robert Kilgour | Also Primus (1778–1788); resigned.
1786  | 1816  | John Skinner | Also Primus (1788–1816).
1816  | 1857  | William Skinner | Also Primus (1841–1857); son of the preceding.
1857  | 1864 | Thomas Suther | Became Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney
Source(s):[1][8]
Bishops of Aberdeen and Orkney
From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
1865  | 1883  | Thomas Suther | Died in office.
1883  | 1905  | Arthur Douglas | Died in office.
1906  | 1911  | Rowland Ellis | Died in office.
1912  | 1917  | Anthony Mitchell | Died in office.
1917  | 1943  | Frederic Deane |
1943  | 1955  | Herbert Hall | Died in office.
1956  | 1972  | Frederick Easson |
1973  | 1976  | Ian Begg |
1976  | 1991  | Frederick Darwent |
1991  | 2006  | Bruce Cameron | Installed 1992, Primus 2000–2006.
2006  | 2016[9] | Robert (Bob) Gillies
2018  | Incumbent[10] | Anne Dyer | First female bishop in the SEC

### Restored Roman Catholic succession

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(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

From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
16 September 1727  | 19 September 1727  | Father Alexander John Grant | Died in office.
12 February 1731  | 12 March 1773  | Bishop Hugh MacDonald | Priest; died in office.
12 March 1773  | 9 May 1779  | Bishop John MacDonald | Previously coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; died in office.
30 September 1779  | 9 September 1791  | Bishop Alexander MacDonald | Priest; died in office.
8 November 1791  | 8 July 1814  | Bishop John Chisholm | Priest; died in office.
8 July 1814  | 31 July 1818  | Bishop Aeneas Chisholm | Previously coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; died in office.
27 August 1819  | 13 February 1827  | Bishop Ranald MacDonald | Became Vicar Apostolic of the Western District.
Vicars Apostolic of the Northern District
From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
13 February 1827  | 23 February 1869  | Bishop James Kyle | Priest; died in office
23 February 1869  | 15 March 1878 | Bishop John MacDonald | Previously coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; became Bishop of Aberdeen.
Roman Catholic Bishops of Aberdeen
From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
15 March 1878 | 4 February 1889  | John MacDonald | Previously Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District; died in office.
16 July 1889  | 26 September 1889  | Colin Grant | Priest; ordained 13 August 1889; died in office.
14 August 1890  | 29 May 1898  | Hugh MacDonald CSSR  | Priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer; ordained 23 October 1890; died in office.
7 January 1899  | 13 January 1918  | Aeneas Chisholm | Priest; ordained 24 February 1899; died in office.
18 June 1918  | 25 December 1946  | George Bennett | Priest; ordained 1 August 1918; died in office.
2 August 1947  | 5 July 1950  | John Matheson | Priest; ordained 24 September 1947; died in office.
20 June 1951  | 22 July 1963  | Francis Walsh MAfr  | Priest of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) ; ordained 12 September 1951; resigned.
8 December 1964  | 28 May 1976  | Michael Foylan | Priest; ordained 25 March 1965; died in office.
28 February 1977  | 15 January 2002  | Mario Conti | Priest of Aberdeen; ordained 3 May 1977; translated to Glasgow.
13 October 2003  | 4 June 2011  | Peter Moran | Priest of Aberdeen; ordained 1 December 2003; resigned 4 June 2011.
4 June 2011  | present  | 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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* Bishops in the Church of Scotland

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "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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* Dowden, John (1912). Thomson, J. Maitland (ed.). The Bishops of Scotland. Glasgow: James Maclehose and Son.
* Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd, reprinted 2003 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
* Scott, Hew (1928). Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae. Vol. 7 (New ed.). Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.

## External links

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

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* Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh (Leo Cushley)
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