Adam de Lanark
Encyclopedia
Adam de Lanark, O.P. was a 14th century Scottish
Dominican
friar
and prelate
. Possibly from a Lanark
burghess family, he was a Dominican and a priest by 1356, and by 1364 was styled Magister
, indicating the completion of a long university education. He first appears in the sources, c. 1355/6 as a confessor
of King David II of Scotland
; he retained this royal position through the 1350s and into the 1360s; Adam received a number of English safe-conducts (between May 1356 and August 1357) to visit King David, who for a time was a prisoner in England
.
Adam spent a great deal of time at the papal court in Avignon
, France
. He was there on 29 January 1359, as a proctor
for Patrick Leuchars, Bishop of Brechin
. He was sent there again at some point by the crown, receiving payment for this trip sometime between August 1362 and November 1364; he is not styled "bishop elect", meaning that this trip must have occurred before 1363. In 1363, Adam de Lanark was elected Bishop of Galloway
and received papal provision to the vacant bishopric
on 17 November 1363. He was consecrated by 2 January 1364. While seeking confirmation at the papal court, he probably presented a roll of petitions on behalf of King David II and did receive a number of faculties in order to grant dispensations in the bishopric of Galloway.
Bishop Adam's return to Scotland
is signalled by the grant of safe-conduct through England issued to him on 20 February. Sometime before 25 January 1365, he was in Galloway witnessing a charter of Thomas Fleming, Earl of Wigtown
. He was a frequent attender of royal councils and parliaments until 1371, when his patron David II died and was replaced on the throne by David II's long-time rival, Robert Stewart, Earl of Strathearn
, who became Robert II of Scotland
. Bishop Adam is thereafter a harder figure to trace, and little more is known about his activities besides the fact that he is said to have died at the papal court in Avignon during the vacancy of the papacy; that is, Bishop Adam died between the death of Pope Gregory XI
on 27 March 1378 and the consecration of Avignon Pope Clement VII on the following 31 October.
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...
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...
friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
and 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...
. Possibly from a Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
burghess family, he was a Dominican and a priest by 1356, and by 1364 was styled Magister
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...
, indicating the completion of a long university education. He first appears in the sources, c. 1355/6 as a confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
of King David II of Scotland
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
; he retained this royal position through the 1350s and into the 1360s; Adam received a number of English safe-conducts (between May 1356 and August 1357) to visit King David, who for a time was a prisoner in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Adam spent a great deal of time at the papal court in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was there on 29 January 1359, as a 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 Patrick Leuchars, Bishop of Brechin
Bishop of Brechin
The Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or Angus, based at Brechin Cathedral, Brechin. The diocese had a long-established Gaelic monastic community which survived into the 13th century. The clerical establishment may very well have traced their earlier origins...
. He was sent there again at some point by the crown, receiving payment for this trip sometime between August 1362 and November 1364; he is not styled "bishop elect", meaning that this trip must have occurred before 1363. In 1363, Adam de Lanark was elected 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 received papal provision to the vacant bishopric
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...
on 17 November 1363. He was consecrated by 2 January 1364. While seeking confirmation at the papal court, he probably presented a roll of petitions on behalf of King David II and did receive a number of faculties in order to grant dispensations in the bishopric of Galloway.
Bishop Adam's return to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
is signalled by the grant of safe-conduct through England issued to him on 20 February. Sometime before 25 January 1365, he was in Galloway witnessing a charter of Thomas Fleming, Earl of Wigtown
Thomas Fleming, Earl of Wigtown
Thomas Fleming, Earl of Wigtown was the second person to hold the title earl of Wigtown. He was the grandson of the previous earl, Sir Malcolm Fleming, through the latter's only son . His mother was a woman named Marjorie.Thomas had been the heir to the earldom since the death of his father in 1351...
. He was a frequent attender of royal councils and parliaments until 1371, when his patron David II died and was replaced on the throne by David II's long-time rival, Robert Stewart, Earl of Strathearn
Earl of Strathearn
The Mormaer of Strathearn or Earl of Strathearn was a provincial ruler in medieval Scotland. Of unknown origin, the mormaers are attested for the first time in a document perhaps dating to 1115. The first known mormaer, Maol Íosa I is mentioned by Ailred of Rievaulx as leading native Scots in the...
, who became Robert II of Scotland
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
. Bishop Adam is thereafter a harder figure to trace, and little more is known about his activities besides the fact that he is said to have died at the papal court in Avignon during the vacancy of the papacy; that is, Bishop Adam died between the death of Pope Gregory XI
Pope Gregory XI
Gregory XI was pope from 1370 until his death.-Biography:He was born Pierre Roger de Beaufort, in Maumont, in the modern commune of Rosiers-d'Égletons, Limousin around 1336. He succeeded Pope Urban V in 1370, and was pope until 1378...
on 27 March 1378 and the consecration of Avignon Pope Clement VII on the following 31 October.