Bishopric of Moray
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| Head | Bishop of Moray |
|---|---|
| Archdeacon(s) | Archdeacon of Moray |
| Known rural deans | Elgin, Inverness, Strathbogie, Strathspey |
| First attestation | 1114 x 1120 |
| Metropolitan before 1472 | None |
| Metropolitan after 1492 | Archbishop of St Andrews |
| Cathedral | Elgin Cathedral |
| Previous cathedral(s) | Birnie, Kinneddar and Spynie |
| Dedication | Holy Trinity |
| Canons | Secular |
| Catholic successor | Merged into resurrected Diocese of Aberdeen, 4 March 1878 |
| Episcopal successor | Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness |
Coordinates: 57°21′36″N 3°46′59″W / 57.360°N 3.783°W
The Diocese of Moray was one of the most important of the medieval dioceses in Scotland.
It was founded in the early years of the 12th century by David I of Scotland under its first bishop, Gregoir. It was suppressed in 1638 and never revived a s a titular see.
Bishop Bricius organised the constitution of the church, but it was Bishop Andreas who increased the number of dignitaries and prebend canons and was responsible for gaining large grants of land from his kinsmen, the powerful de Moravia lords, as well as the king. In the year of his death, Andreas changed the cathedral's constitution to that of Salisbury.
Other Bishops made a lasting impact on the diocese and probably the most important of these was Alexander Bur (1362—1397), who championed the right of the Moray church to retain its property against a ruthless magnate, Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan and called the Wolf of Badenoch.
Apparently the see served repeatedly as stepping stone:
The last of the Roman Catholic bishops was Patrick Hepburn, who alienated almost all of the lands pertaining to the church at the time of the Scottish Reformation.
The diocese covered a large area extending from Huntly in the east, within a few miles of the Knoydart Peninsula in the west and, in the south-west, to the Atlantic Ocean at an inlet of Loch Linnhe in Lochaber.
It was divided into the four deaneries of Elgin, Inverness, Strathbogie and Strathspey. Each of these deaneries contained a number of parishes that provided the mensal and prebendal means for the church.
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