Thomas de Dundee
Encyclopedia
Thomas de Dundee, also called Thomas Nicholay, was a Scottish
prelate
who held the bishopric of Ross during the First War of Scottish Independence
. Coming from a family of Dundee
burghesses, he was educated as the University of Bologna
, before entering into career in the church.
He obtained benefices in the diocese of Glasgow and the diocese of Brechin
, as well as in Ross
, and served as the chaplain
to a cardinal
before being appointed Bishop of Ross
by papal provision in 1295. After some delay, he was able to take up his position and held it until his death in early 1325.
named Nicholas. Detailed knowledge of Thomas' father is lacking, but one "Nicholas son of Robert" is found as a burghess of Dundee in a Lindores Abbey
document dated between 1237 and 1243. Another relevant Nicholas, "Nicholas the Chaplain", is found in 1281 residing in a Dundee tenement located next the tenement of Radulf de Dundee. It is possible both names referred to the same person, but at any rate either could have been Thomas' father.
Another Dundee burghess family in the period produced prominent churchman, the family of Hervey de Dundee, Bishop of Caithness
. There is no proof that the two families were kindred, although in the early 1310s Thomas was recorded as assisting Hervey's brother Radulf de Dundee obtain a loan for his daughter's marriage portion.
Thomas' father was prosperous, wealthy enough to send Thomas to the University of Bologna
in Italy
. Thomas was recorded as Magister ("Master"), i.e. possessing a Master's degree
, at Bologna
in 1286. He probably studied there alongside the aforementioned Radulf de Dundee, as well as one Michael de Dundee, whose exact family origin cannot be determined.
. On the former date he was at Scone
acting as proctor
for the cathedral chapter
of Glasgow at an arbitration conducted by Robert Wishart
, Bishop of Glasgow. Thomas had this role because the dean, Thomas Wishart, was absent, having travelled to Bologna. The arbitration agreement was settled at Glasgow on the latter date.
Perhaps soon after or soon before, Thomas inspected charters of Paisley Abbey
on behalf of Laurence de Ergadia
, Bishop of Argyll
. Here he is called Thomas Nicholay ("Thomas, son of Nicholas"). The reports confirm that he was the Glasgow subdean but the date of the inspection can be fixed no more precisely than some time between 1286 and 1295.
In 1295 he is found at the papal court acting as the commensalis ("table companion") and chaplain
of Cardinal Hugh Aycelin
(Hugh Seguin), the Dominican
Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia. Hugh was probably making use of Dundee's training as a lawyer. At this time Thomas is said to be Dean
of Brechin Cathedral
. The last known dean, William, is attested in 1269, and another dean was in possession by 24 May 1275, but the name of this dean is not known. This person is probably not Thomas as it is unlikely that he was Dean of Brechin and Subdean of Glasgow at the same time.
It is possible that Thomas was still at the papal court when the cathedral chapter of the diocese of Ross
were carrying out their elections for the successor of Robert de Fyvie
. Two separate elections took place in the period between 17 November 1292 and 18 November 1295, and it appears that the chapter elected both the cathedral precentor
, Adam de Darlington
, as well as Thomas de Dundee, who then held a canonry in the diocese.
Both Adam de Darlington and Thomas de Dundee resigned their rights to this episcopal see
, but nevertheless Cardinal Hugh Aycelin used his influence to secure Thomas papal provision as bishop on 18 November. In the following year Adam de Darlington was compensated by being appointed Bishop of Caithness
, the bishopric which adjoined Ross to the north.
Perhaps because of the political troubles in Scotland at the time, there is a two year gap between Thomas receiving provision to the see and gaining its "temporalities
", i.e. gaining actual possession of the office. Scotland's king, John de Balliol
, had been in a conflict of authority with the King of the English, who deposed King John in 1296. It was not until 31 July 1297 that the temporalities of the see were released to Thomas by King Edward I of England
, probably after a meeting between Thomas and King Edward at London
. According to one source King Edward had been told by Pope Boniface VIII
to install Thomas as bishop, Edward proceeded to judge the matter for himself. After doing so, and having received Thomas' oath of fealty, King Edward ordered John de Warrene, the Earl of Surrey
, to install Thomas into his episcopal temporalities.
Thomas had taken up his diocese in Scotland by 17 August 1298. On this date his seal
was attached to a document which recorded the losses suffered by Scone Abbey
following the Scottish rebel defeat by the English crown at the Battle of Falkirk
. In the first few years of the 14th century Thomas witnessed three charters of Coupar Angus Abbey
in the company of Robert Wishart
, Bishop of Glasgow, a known opponent of the English crown.
He witnessed another charter relating to that abbey, between 1300 and 1302, by John de Soules
, who issued it as Guardian of Scotland
acting in King John Balliol's name. After the resurgence of English power in Scotland in 1304 Thomas can be found co-operating with King Edward's officials. In the autumn of 1305 King Edward planned a council of advisors to assist his new governor, John of Brittany, and Bishop Thomas was thought trustworthy enough to be included in this council.
It appears that Bishop Thomas remained pro-English and pro-Balliol after the rising in 1306 of Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick
. Bruce had himself crowned king on 25 March (becoming King Robert I of Scotland
). Bishop Thomas' positions mirrored those of William II, Earl of Ross. On 7 December 1307 King Edward II of England
was seeking Bishop Thomas' support against King Robert.
However, the realities of de Brus power in this part of Scotland were pushed home in the following year. On 13 December 1307 King Robert secured the submission of Bishop Thomas' temporal protector, Earl William. After this submission Bishop Thomas acted as one of the sureties for Earl William's future loyalty. The other guarantor was David de Moravia
, Bishop of Moray
).
Record of Bishop Thomas' activity in the following years is scarce. The sources do not name him as an attendee of the St Andrews
parliament
of 17 March 1309, a parliament at which many of the Scottish clergy declared their support for King Robert. However, very few prelates or churchmen were mentioned individually, so that it is not possible to conclude anything about Bishop Thomas' attendance. He may have attended most or all of the assemblies and parliaments of the following decade, but only for the parliament held at Scone on 3 December 1318 is he specifically recorded as being present.
On 29 October 1312 he attached his seal to a treaty between King Robert and the King of Norway. Thomas was the recipient of a papal mandate issued on 1 June 1317 authorising him to give dispensation for the wrongful marriage between King Robert's brother Edward de Brus
and a daughter of Earl William of Ross. He is found on 1 November 1321 arranging to pay a loan which had been granted by Coupar Angus Abbey to Radulf de Dundee, a loan that had been granted all the way back in 1312.
His probable last occurrence in the sources concerned a conflict with Kinloss Abbey
regarding the prebendal parish church
of Avoch
. The parish of Avoch lay within Thomas' diocese, but the Abbot of Kinloss
claimed the primary right to possess it. A papal mandate was issued on 5 January 1325 to William de Lindores, the Chancellor
of Ross, commanding him to judge the dispute. Bishop Thomas was almost certainly alive on that date, but he was dead by 17 April, when Roger
, canon of Abernethy, received papal provision to the bishopric of Ross, said to be vacant by Thomas' death.
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
who held the bishopric of Ross during the First War of Scottish Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
. Coming from a family of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
burghesses, he was educated as the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, before entering into career in the church.
He obtained benefices in the diocese of Glasgow and the diocese of Brechin
Diocese of Brechin
The pre-Reformation Diocese of Brechin or Diocese of Angus was one of the thirteen historical dioceses of Scotland. The diocese was believed to have been founded by Bishop Samson in 1153, and based at the cathedral in Brechin, Angus...
, as well as in Ross
Ross
Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
, and served as the chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
before being appointed Bishop of Ross
Bishop of Ross
The Bishop of Ross was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Ross, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first recorded bishop appears in the late 7th century as a witness to Adomnán of Iona's Cáin Adomnáin. The bishopric was based at the settlement of Rosemarkie until the mid-13th...
by papal provision in 1295. After some delay, he was able to take up his position and held it until his death in early 1325.
Family background
Thomas was the son of a burghess of DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
named Nicholas. Detailed knowledge of Thomas' father is lacking, but one "Nicholas son of Robert" is found as a burghess of Dundee in a Lindores Abbey
Lindores Abbey
Lindores Abbey was a Tironensian abbey on the outskirts of Newburgh in Fife, Scotland. Now a much reduced and overgrown ruin, it lies on the southern banks of the River Tay, about north of the village of Lindores....
document dated between 1237 and 1243. Another relevant Nicholas, "Nicholas the Chaplain", is found in 1281 residing in a Dundee tenement located next the tenement of Radulf de Dundee. It is possible both names referred to the same person, but at any rate either could have been Thomas' father.
Another Dundee burghess family in the period produced prominent churchman, the family of Hervey de Dundee, Bishop of Caithness
Bishop of Caithness
The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Aindréas spent much if not all of his career outside his...
. There is no proof that the two families were kindred, although in the early 1310s Thomas was recorded as assisting Hervey's brother Radulf de Dundee obtain a loan for his daughter's marriage portion.
Thomas' father was prosperous, wealthy enough to send Thomas to the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Thomas was recorded as Magister ("Master"), i.e. possessing a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
in 1286. He probably studied there alongside the aforementioned Radulf de Dundee, as well as one Michael de Dundee, whose exact family origin cannot be determined.
Early career
Documents dating to 18 February and 24 April 1293, have Thomas as Subdean of Glasgow CathedralGlasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
. On the former date he was at Scone
Scone, Scotland
Scone is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The medieval village of Scone, which grew up around the monastery and royal residence, was abandoned in the early 19th century when the residents were removed and a new palace was built on the site by the Earl of Mansfield...
acting as proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
for the cathedral chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
of Glasgow at an arbitration conducted by Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart was Bishop of Glasgow during the Wars of Scottish Independence and a leading supporter of Robert Bruce. For Wishart and many of his fellow churchmen the freedom of Scotland and the freedom of the Scottish church were one and the same thing...
, Bishop of Glasgow. Thomas had this role because the dean, Thomas Wishart, was absent, having travelled to Bologna. The arbitration agreement was settled at Glasgow on the latter date.
Perhaps soon after or soon before, Thomas inspected charters of Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
on behalf of Laurence de Ergadia
Laurence de Ergadia
Laurence de Ergadia was a thirteenth century Scottish bishop. Probably from the MacDougall kindred of Argyll, Laurence had become a Dominican friar and presumably university graduate before being elected Bishop of Argyll, an election which took place sometime between 1262 and 1264...
, Bishop of Argyll
Bishop of Argyll
The Bishop of Argyll or Bishop of Lismore was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Argyll, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. It was created in 1200, when the western half of the territory of the Bishopric of Dunkeld was formed into the new diocese. The bishops were based at Lismore...
. Here he is called Thomas Nicholay ("Thomas, son of Nicholas"). The reports confirm that he was the Glasgow subdean but the date of the inspection can be fixed no more precisely than some time between 1286 and 1295.
In 1295 he is found at the papal court acting as the commensalis ("table companion") and chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of Cardinal Hugh Aycelin
Hugh Aycelin
Hugh Aycelin was a French Cardinal.-Life:He entered the Order of Dominicans in his youth and became Master of Sacred Palace ca. 1286. Pope Nicholas IV created him Cardinal-Priest of S. Sabina in the consistory of 16 May 1288...
(Hugh Seguin), the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia. Hugh was probably making use of Dundee's training as a lawyer. At this time Thomas is said to be Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Brechin Cathedral
Brechin Cathedral
The cathedral church of the Holy Trinity in Brechin, Angus, Scotland, belongs to the 13th century. It is in the Pointed style, but suffered maltreatment in 1806 at the hands of restorers, whose work was subsequently removed during the restoration completed in 1902...
. The last known dean, William, is attested in 1269, and another dean was in possession by 24 May 1275, but the name of this dean is not known. This person is probably not Thomas as it is unlikely that he was Dean of Brechin and Subdean of Glasgow at the same time.
Election and appointment as Bishop of Ross
Diocese of Ross
The Diocese of Ross was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Scotland in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Ross, and was based at Fortrose. The diocese had only one Archdeacon, the Archdeacon of Ross, first attested in 1223 with the appearance of...
were carrying out their elections for the successor of Robert de Fyvie
Robert de Fyvie
Robert de Fyvie [also de Fyvin] was a prelate based in the Kingdom of Scotland in the last quarter of the 13th century. Perhaps coming from Fyvie in Formartine, from a family of Teesdale origin, Robert was Archdeacon of Ross and a student at the University of Bologna by 1269...
. Two separate elections took place in the period between 17 November 1292 and 18 November 1295, and it appears that the chapter elected both the cathedral precentor
Precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
, Adam de Darlington
Adam de Darlington
Adam de Darlington [Derlingtun] was a 13th century English churchman based in the Kingdom of Scotland. Adam's name occurred for the first time in a Moray document datable between 1255 and 1271, where he was named as the Precentor of Fortrose Cathedral...
, as well as Thomas de Dundee, who then held a canonry in the diocese.
Both Adam de Darlington and Thomas de Dundee resigned their rights to this episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
, but nevertheless Cardinal Hugh Aycelin used his influence to secure Thomas papal provision as bishop on 18 November. In the following year Adam de Darlington was compensated by being appointed Bishop of Caithness
Bishop of Caithness
The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Aindréas spent much if not all of his career outside his...
, the bishopric which adjoined Ross to the north.
Perhaps because of the political troubles in Scotland at the time, there is a two year gap between Thomas receiving provision to the see and gaining its "temporalities
Temporalities
Temporalities are the secular properties and possessions of the Christian Church. It is most often used to describe those properties that were used to support a bishop or other religious person or establishment. Its opposite description would be the spiritualities.In the Middle Ages, the...
", i.e. gaining actual possession of the office. Scotland's king, John de Balliol
John of Scotland
John Balliol , known to the Scots as Toom Tabard , was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities include Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
, had been in a conflict of authority with the King of the English, who deposed King John in 1296. It was not until 31 July 1297 that the temporalities of the see were released to Thomas by King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, probably after a meeting between Thomas and King Edward at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. According to one source King Edward had been told by Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
to install Thomas as bishop, Edward proceeded to judge the matter for himself. After doing so, and having received Thomas' oath of fealty, King Edward ordered John de Warrene, the Earl of Surrey
Earl of Surrey
The Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England, and has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, a close companion of William the Conqueror...
, to install Thomas into his episcopal temporalities.
Episcopate
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
was attached to a document which recorded the losses suffered by Scone Abbey
Scone Abbey
Scone Abbey was a house of Augustinian canons based at Scone, Perthshire , Scotland. Varying dates for the foundation have been given, but it was certainly founded between 1114 and 1122....
following the Scottish rebel defeat by the English crown at the Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk (1298)
The Battle of Falkirk, which took place on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence...
. In the first few years of the 14th century Thomas witnessed three charters of Coupar Angus Abbey
Coupar Angus Abbey
Coupar Angus Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near Coupar Angus, in central Scotland, on the boundary between Angus and Gowrie.It was founded on the old royal manor of Coupar in 1161 x 1162 with the patronage of Máel Coluim IV , King of Scots, by Cistercian monks from Melrose Abbey...
in the company of Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart was Bishop of Glasgow during the Wars of Scottish Independence and a leading supporter of Robert Bruce. For Wishart and many of his fellow churchmen the freedom of Scotland and the freedom of the Scottish church were one and the same thing...
, Bishop of Glasgow, a known opponent of the English crown.
He witnessed another charter relating to that abbey, between 1300 and 1302, by John de Soules
John de Soules
Sir John de Soules was Guardian of Scotland from 1301 to 1304, at a crucial period in the Wars of Scottish Independence.-Life:...
, who issued it as Guardian of Scotland
Guardian of Scotland
The Guardians of Scotland were the de facto heads of state of Scotland during the First Interregnum of 1290–1292, and the Second Interregnum of 1296–1306...
acting in King John Balliol's name. After the resurgence of English power in Scotland in 1304 Thomas can be found co-operating with King Edward's officials. In the autumn of 1305 King Edward planned a council of advisors to assist his new governor, John of Brittany, and Bishop Thomas was thought trustworthy enough to be included in this council.
It appears that Bishop Thomas remained pro-English and pro-Balliol after the rising in 1306 of Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick
Earl of Carrick
The Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway...
. Bruce had himself crowned king on 25 March (becoming King Robert I of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
). Bishop Thomas' positions mirrored those of William II, Earl of Ross. On 7 December 1307 King Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
was seeking Bishop Thomas' support against King Robert.
However, the realities of de Brus power in this part of Scotland were pushed home in the following year. On 13 December 1307 King Robert secured the submission of Bishop Thomas' temporal protector, Earl William. After this submission Bishop Thomas acted as one of the sureties for Earl William's future loyalty. The other guarantor was David de Moravia
David de Moravia
David de Moravia was Bishop of Moray during most of the First War of Scottish Independence. He was elected Bishop of Moray, probably in early 1299. Extended details exist regarding the election because of an extant letter of Pope Boniface VIII. The result of the election was that David had 13...
, Bishop of Moray
Bishop of Moray
The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics...
).
Record of Bishop Thomas' activity in the following years is scarce. The sources do not name him as an attendee of the St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
of 17 March 1309, a parliament at which many of the Scottish clergy declared their support for King Robert. However, very few prelates or churchmen were mentioned individually, so that it is not possible to conclude anything about Bishop Thomas' attendance. He may have attended most or all of the assemblies and parliaments of the following decade, but only for the parliament held at Scone on 3 December 1318 is he specifically recorded as being present.
On 29 October 1312 he attached his seal to a treaty between King Robert and the King of Norway. Thomas was the recipient of a papal mandate issued on 1 June 1317 authorising him to give dispensation for the wrongful marriage between King Robert's brother Edward de Brus
Edward Bruce
Edward the Bruce , sometimes modernised Edward of Bruce, was a younger brother of King Robert I of Scotland, who supported his brother in the struggle for the crown of Scotland, then pursued his own claim in Ireland. He was proclaimed High King of Ireland, but was eventually defeated and killed in...
and a daughter of Earl William of Ross. He is found on 1 November 1321 arranging to pay a loan which had been granted by Coupar Angus Abbey to Radulf de Dundee, a loan that had been granted all the way back in 1312.
His probable last occurrence in the sources concerned a conflict with Kinloss Abbey
Kinloss Abbey
Kinloss Abbey is a Cistercian abbey approximately 3 miles east of Forres in the county of Moray, Scotland.The abbey was founded in 1150 by King David I and was first colonised by monks from Melrose Abbey. It received its Papal Bull from Pope Alexander III in 1174, and later came under the...
regarding the prebendal parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Avoch
Avoch
Avoch is a harbour-village located on the south-east coast of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth.Ormond Castle or Avoch Castle was a stronghold built on the site and served as a royal castle to William the Lion; passed on to the Morays of Petty then Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway, upon his...
. The parish of Avoch lay within Thomas' diocese, but the Abbot of Kinloss
Abbot of Kinloss
The Abbot of Kinloss was the head of the property and Cistercian monastic community of Kinloss Abbey, Moray, founded by King David I of Scotland around 1151 by monks from Melrose Abbey. The abbey was transformed into a temporal lordship for Edward Bruce, the last commendator, who became Lord Kinloss...
claimed the primary right to possess it. A papal mandate was issued on 5 January 1325 to William de Lindores, the Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of Ross, commanding him to judge the dispute. Bishop Thomas was almost certainly alive on that date, but he was dead by 17 April, when Roger
Roger (Bishop of Ross)
Roger was a churchman based in the 14th century Kingdom of Scotland, and active as Bishop of Ross from 1325 until 1350. Before attaining this position, Roger was a canon of Abernethy; it is possible that Roger was an Augustinian, because it is often thought that Abernethy did not become a...
, canon of Abernethy, received papal provision to the bishopric of Ross, said to be vacant by Thomas' death.