The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, is the ecclesiastical 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 bishop was one Pehthelm, "shield of the Picts". According to Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical tradition, the bishopric was founded by Saint Ninian, a later corruption of the British name Uinniau or Irish Finian; although there is no contemporary evidence, it is quite likely that there had been a British or Hiberno-British bishopric before the Anglo-Saxon takeover. After Heathored (fl. 833), no bishop is known until the apparent resurrection of the diocese in the reign of King Fergus of Galloway. The bishops remained, uniquely for Scottish bishops, the suffragans of the Archbishop of York until 1359 when the pope released the bishopric from requiring metropolitan assent.[1] James I formalised the admission of the diocese into the Scottish church on 26 August 1430 and just as all Scottish sees, Whithorn was to be accountable directly to the pope.[2] The diocese was placed under the metropolitan jurisdiction of St Andrews on 17 August 1472 and then moved to the province of Glasgow on 9 January 1492.[2] The diocese disappeared during the Scottish Reformation, but was recreated by the Catholic Church in 1878 with its cathedra at Dumfries, although it is now based at Ayr.
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 731 - 735 | Pehthelm | Died in office. |
| d. 762 x 764 | Frithwald | |
| d. 776 x 777 | Pehtwine | |
| bp. 777 | Æthelberht of Whithorn | Was translated to the bishopric of Hexham around 789. |
| 790 - c. 803 | Beadwulf | Last known Bishop of the Northumbrian era. |
| align=center colspan=3 | Source(s):[3] |
| Tenure (an "x" between two years indicates a range of possible starting or ending dates) | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1128–1154 | Gille Aldan | |
| 1154–1186 | Christian of Whithorn | |
| 1189–1209 | John of Whithorn | |
| 1209–1235 | Walter of Whithorn | |
| 1235–1253 | Gilbert of Glenluce | |
| 1235 | Odo Ydonc (bishop-elect) | Elected in opposition to Gilbert, lost litigation and therefore was never consecrated, and never took possession of see. |
| 1253–1293 | Henry of Holyrood | |
| 1294–1324 x 1326 | Thomas de Kirkcudbright | Also called Thomas de Dalton and Thomas de Galloway. |
| 1326–1355 | Simon de Wedale | Previously Abbot of Holyrood. |
| 1355–1358 x 1359 | Michael MacKenlagh | |
| 1358 x 1359–1362 x 1363 | Thomas MacDowell (bishop-elect) | |
| 1363–1378 | Adam de Lanark | |
| el. 1378x1379; cons. 1379 | Oswald of Glenluce | Anti-Bishop of the Western Schism. Consecrated with the support of the Archbishop of York and Pope Urban VI, in opposition to the other Galloway bishops, who were supporter of the Avignon Pope. Never took possession of see. |
| 1378 x 1379 | Ingram de Ketenis | Received papal provision, but refused to accept the position. |
| 1379–1393 x 1394 | Thomas de Rossy | |
| 1409–1412 x 1415 | Elisaeus Adougan | |
| 1412 x 1415 | Gilbert Cavan (bishop-elect) | Pope Benedict XIII rejected his election in favour of Thomas de Buittle. |
| 1415–1422 x 1422 | Thomas de Buittle | |
| 1422–1450 | Alexander Vaus | Previously Bishop of Caithness. |
| 1450–1457/8 | Thomas Spens | Translated to the Bishopric of Aberdeen in 1457. |
| 1457 | Thomas Vaus | Dean of Glasgow, provided to bishopric on translation of Spens to Aberdeen in 1457; as this translation was not effective, and had to be repeated in 1458, but Vaus' provision was not repeated. |
| 1458–1480 x 1482 | Ninian Spot | |
| 1482–1508 | George Vaus | |
| 1508–1509 | James Beaton | Became Archbishop of Glasgow. |
| 1509–1526 | David Arnot | |
| 1526–1541 | Henry Wemyss | |
| 1541–1558 | Andrew Durie | |
| 1559–1560 | Alexander Gordon | Formerly Archbishop of Glasgow (1550–51), titular Archbishop of Athens (1551–53) and Bishop of the Isles (1553–59); appointed Bishop of Galloway by the Holy See in 1559; he became a Protestant when the Church of Scotland broke links with the Roman Catholic Church in 1560. |
| align=center colspan=3 | Source(s): |
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1560–1575 | Alexander Gordon | Died in office |
| 1575–1586 | John Gordon | Roger Gordon got crown provision and a mandate for consecration, but never actually seems to have taken control of the see. John Gordon resigned in 1586 in favour of his brother George. |
| 1578–1579 × 1587 | Roger Gordon | Got crown provision in 1578, but does not appear to have been able to oust John Gordon. |
| 1586–1588 | George Gordon | |
| 1588–1605 | See vacant | Due to hostility to episcopacy in Scotland, there was a lull in appointing new bishops in this period, though no bishops in possession were deposed. |
| 1605–1612 | Gavin Hamilton | |
| 1612–1619 | William Couper | |
| 1619–1634 | Andrew Lamb | Translated from the bishopric of Brechin. |
| 1635–1638 | Thomas Sydserf | Along with every other bishop in Scotland, he was deprived of his bishopric in 1638. He became bishop of Orkney in 1661 after The Restoration and the renewal of episcopacy. He died in 1663. |
| 1638–1661 | See abolished | The episcopacy was abolished in Scotland for this period. |
| 1661–1674 | James Hamilton | First bishop after the renewal of episcopacy. |
| 1676–1679 | John Paterson | Translated to the bishopric of Edinburgh. |
| 1679 | Arthur Rose | Previously Bishop of Argyll. He was translated to the Archbishopric of Glasgow, and later became Archbishop of St Andrews. |
| 1680–1687 | James Aitken | Previous Bishop of Moray. Resided mostly in Edinburgh. |
| 1687/8–1689 | John Gordon | Deprived of the temporalities in 1689 when episcopacy was permanently abolished in the Church of Scotland following the Glorious Revolution. |
| align=center colspan=3 | Source(s): |
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1689–1697 | John Gordon | After the Glorious Revolution, he continued as a nonjuring bishop until resigned the see in 1697. Later converted to Roman Catholicism and took the name James Clement Gordon. |
| 1697–1731 | See administered by the bishops of Edinburgh | |
| 1731–1733 | David Freebairn | Also Primus (1731–1738) and Bishop of Edinburgh (1733–1739) |
| 1733–1837 | See administered by the bishops of Edinburgh | |
| In 1837, the see became part of the united bishopric of Glasgow and Galloway | ||
| align=center colspan=3 | Source(s): | |
The modern Bishop of Galloway is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh.
The diocese was resurrected on 4 March 1878 from the Vicariate Apostolic of the Western District. The church of Saint Andrew in Dumfries served as pro-cathedral until it was destroyed by a fire in May 1961 and the seat moved to Ayr in 1962. The diocese covers an area of 9,332 km². The see is in the Ecclesiastical City of Ayr. Until 2007 the seat was located at the Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd which was built in 1957. In early 2007 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the petition of Right Reverend John Cunningham, the 7th Bishop of Galloway, to move the seat to St Margaret's Church, Ayr. After this took place, the Church of the Good Shepherd was closed and largely demolished.
(Any dates appearing in italics indicate de facto continuation of office. The start date of tenure below is the date of appointment or succession. Where known, the date of installation and ordination as bishop are listed in the notes together with the post held prior to appointment.)
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 22 March 1878 to 16 January 1893 | John McLachlan | Priest; ordained 23 May 1878; died in office |
| 16 June 1893 to 19 January 1914 | William Turner | Priest; ordained 25 July 1893; died in office |
| 25 May 1914 to 24 December 1943 | James McCarthy | Priest; ordained 9 June 1914; died in office |
| 24 December 1943 to 2 February 1952 | William Mellon | Coadjutor Bishop of Galloway; died in office |
| 19 July 1952 to 4 April 1981 | Joseph McGee | Priest;ordained 11 November 1952; retired |
| 4 April 1981 to 7 April 2004 | Maurice Taylor | Priest; ordained 9 June 1981; retired |
| 7 April 2004 to 22 November 2014 | John Cunningham | Priest; ordained 28 May 2004; retired |
| 22 November 2014 to 2022 | William Nolan | Priest; ordained 22 February 2015; became Archbishop of Glasgow |
| 22 December 2023 | Francis Dougan | Priest; ordained 9 March 2024. [4] |
| align=center colspan=3 | Source(s):[5] |