The Diocese of Galloway was one of the thirteen (after 1633 fourteen) dioceses of the pre-1689 Scottish Church. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Galloway

Bishop of Galloway

The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...

 and was centred on Whithorn Cathedral.

In the Middle Ages there was only one archdeacon, the Archdeacon of Galloway

Archdeacon of Galloway

The Archdeacon of Galloway was the only archdeacon in the medieval Diocese of Galloway , acting as a deputy of the Bishop of Galloway. The following is a list of archdeacons:-List of archdeacons of Galloway:* Robert, fl. 1154 x 1186...

. There are three known deaneries, the deaneries of Desnes

Kirkcudbrightshire

The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....

 (Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...

), Farines (Wigtown

Wigtown

Wigtown is a town and former royal burgh in the Machars of Galloway in the south west of Scotland. It lies south of Newton Stewart and east of Stranraer. It has a population of about 1,000...

) and Rhinns. The deaneries of Farines and Rhinns were combined by the 16th century.

List of known deans of Desnes

• Matthew, 1200 x 1209-1209 x 1222
• Thomas, fl. 1250
• John Wallace, fl. 1331
• Herbert Dunn, fl. 1529.

List of known deans of Farines and Rhinns

• John MacCraken, fl. 1538-1552
• Michael Hawthorn, fl. 1559