Prior of Durham explained

The Prior of Durham was the head of the Roman Catholic Durham Cathedral Priory, founded c. 1083 with the move of a previous house from Jarrow. The succession continued until dissolution of the monastery in 1540, when the priory was replaced with a Church of England deanery church.^[1]

After the Benedictine monastery was dissolved, the last Prior of Durham, Hugh Whitehead, became the first dean of the cathedral's secular chapter.^[2]

List

Priors of St Cuthbert's Cathedral Priory, Durham
From	Until	Incumbent	Citation(s)	Notes
1073x4 (Jarrow) 1083 (Durham)	died 1087	Aldwin	^[3]
1087	resigned 1109	Turgot		Became Bishop of St Andrews
1109	died 1137 x 1138	Algar
?1138	died 1149	Roger
1149	died 1154	Lawrence
1154	died 1158	Absalom
1161 x 1162	resigned 1162 or 1163	Thomas		Died 1173
1163	died 1189	Germanus
1189	died 1212 x 1213	Bertram
1212 x 1213	died 1218	William	^[4]
1218	died 1234	Ranulf Kerneth	^[5]
1234	died 1244	Thomas de Melsonby
1244	resigned 1258	Bertram de Middleton		Still alive in 1266
1258	resigned 1273	Hugh de Darlington
1273	resigned 1285	Richard de Claxton
1286	resigned 1290	Hugh de Darlington (again)
elected 1290	Richard de Hoton	^[6]	Died in 1308.^[7]
appointed 1300	Henry de Lusby		See above note
1308	resigned 1313	William de Tanfield	^[8]	Died 7 February 1314
1313	resigned 1321	Geoffrey de Burdon		Still alive in 1333; previously prior of Finchale and prior of Lyytham
elected 1321	William de Guisborough		Elected 6 February, renounced election 8 February 1321
1321	died 1341	William de Cowton
1341	died 1374	John Fossor	^[9]
1374	died 1391	Robert Berrington of Walworth	^[10]
1391	died 1416	John de Hemingbrough	^[11]
1416	died 1446	John de Washington
1446	resigned 1456	William Ebchester
1456	died 1464	John Burnby
1464	resigned 1479	Richard Bell
1479	died 1484	Robert Ebchester
1484	died 1494	John Auckland
1494	1519	Thomas Castell
1520	office abolished 1540	Hugh Whitehead		The monastery was surrendered to the king in 1540, after which a dean and twelve canons were appointed. Hugh Whitehead was this first dean; he died in 1551.^[12]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Durham Cathedral - North Bailey, Durham, UK . 11 July 2018 . Engineering Timelines . 4 November 2019 .
2. Book: 1827 . Directory, and Gazetteer, of the Counties of Durham . Sheffield . W. White & Co. . 160.
3. Knowles, Brooke, and London, (1972), Heads of Religious Houses , i, p. 43
4. Smith & London (eds.), Heads of Religions Houses, ii, pp. 37—8
5. Smith & London (eds.), Heads of Religions Houses, ii, p. 38
6. Smith & London (eds.), Heads of Religions Houses, ii, pp. 38—9
7. Fraser, C. M. (2004), "Hoton, Richard (d. 1308), prior of Durham", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13858, retrieved on 2009-01-28
8. Smith & London (eds.), Heads of Religions Houses, ii, p. 39
9. Smith & London (eds.), Heads of Religions Houses, ii, pp. 39—40
10. Smith & London (eds.), Heads of Religions Houses, ii, p. 40
11. Page, "Priory of St Cuthbert, Durham".
12. Knighton, "Whitehead, Hugh"