For the whole of the Middle Ages, the real power in Glasgow was neither a king nor a merchant, but a bishop. From the restoration of the see in the twelfth century until the Reformation swept it away, the bishops of Glasgow were the lords of the town — and they were far more than churchmen. They built the great cathedral, turned the settlement into a trading burgh, founded its fair and its university, and rose at last to the rank of archbishops. To trace the story of the bishopric is to trace the making of medieval Glasgow itself.
This page follows that story: the restoration of the see, its freedom from York, the great building bishop, the bishops as feudal lords, the patriot bishop of the wars, the founder of the university, and the archbishops at the end.
The see restored
Glasgow had been a place of the church since the time of St Mungo, but the bishopric as a great medieval institution was the creation of the twelfth century. Around the years 1114 to 1118, Prince David — soon to be King David I of Scotland — re-established the diocese of Glasgow and installed as its bishop his own tutor and confidant, a cleric named John. David endowed the new see richly with lands across the surrounding country, and under his patronage the bishopric of Glasgow grew into one of the largest and wealthiest in all Scotland. From this endowment flowed the power and prestige that would make the bishops the masters of the medieval city.
A special daughter of Rome
A young diocese in Britain faced a delicate question of authority: to whom did it answer? The great archbishopric of York claimed jurisdiction over the Scottish church, and Glasgow’s bishops resisted that claim fiercely. Their independence was secured in 1175, when Pope Alexander III recognised Glasgow as a ‘special daughter’ of Rome, answerable directly to the Pope rather than to York. This freed the diocese from English ecclesiastical control and confirmed its standing as a great church in its own right — a status the bishops guarded jealously, and which lay behind their steady rise in wealth and importance through the centuries that followed.
Bishop Jocelin, the builder
The bishop who did most to shape the medieval city was Jocelin, who held the see from 1174 to 1199. It was Jocelin who set in hand the great enlargement of the cathedral around St Mungo’s tomb, laying the foundations of the noble building that still stands; when an earlier church was lost to fire, the present cathedral rose in its place and was consecrated in 1197. Jocelin’s influence reached beyond the church, too. In 1175 he obtained from King William the Lion the charter that made Glasgow a burgh, with the right to hold a market, and he secured the annual fair that still bears the city’s name. Cathedral, burgh and fair — three foundations of Glasgow — all owed much to this one remarkable bishop.
Lords of the burgh
The burgh that Jocelin created was a bishop’s burgh: Glasgow belonged not to the crown but to its bishop, who was its feudal superior and its lord. For four hundred years the bishops governed the town, drew its rents and dues, appointed its officers and administered its justice, ruling from their palace, the Bishop’s Castle, beside the cathedral. Their wealth and influence carried far beyond Glasgow: many of the bishops were among the greatest men in the kingdom, serving Scottish kings as chancellors, treasurers and councillors of state. The town prospered in their shadow, its fortunes bound tightly to those of the church that ruled it.
Wishart the patriot
No bishop of Glasgow played a greater part in the nation’s history than Robert Wishart, who held the see from 1271 until his death in 1316 — the years of the Wars of Scottish Independence. Wishart was a leading champion of Scottish freedom and a close ally of both William Wallace and Robert the Bruce; for him, the liberty of Scotland and the liberty of the Scottish church were one and the same cause. He supported Bruce’s bid for the throne, was captured and imprisoned by the English for his defiance, and became one of the great patriotic figures of the age. His tomb still lies in the lower church of the cathedral he served.
Turnbull & the university
In the following century another bishop left a lasting mark on the intellectual life of the city. William Turnbull, bishop from 1447 to 1454, obtained from Pope Nicholas V, in 1451, the papal bull that founded the University of Glasgow, and became its first chancellor. The new university began its work in the buildings around the cathedral, under the bishop’s protection, and grew into one of the great universities of Europe. Like the burgh and the fair before it, Glasgow’s university was a gift of its bishops — another of the enduring institutions that the medieval church planted in the city.
Archbishops of Glasgow
The bishopric reached its height at the very end of the fifteenth century. In 1492 Pope Innocent VIII raised the see of Glasgow to the rank of an archbishopric, giving it authority over a group of other Scottish dioceses and confirming Glasgow as one of the two great metropolitan churches of the kingdom. The first archbishop was Robert Blacader, who added the beautiful aisle at the cathedral that still bears his name. But the age of the great churchmen was drawing to a close. Within two generations the Reformation would sweep the old church away: in 1560 the last Catholic archbishop, James Beaton, fled to France, and with him the long rule of the bishops of Glasgow came to an end.
Key bishops
| Bishop | Known for |
|---|---|
| Bishop John | The restored see, from c. 1114 |
| Bishop Jocelin | The cathedral, burgh & fair, 1174–99 |
| Bishop Robert Wishart | Backed Wallace & Bruce, 1271–1316 |
| Bishop William Turnbull | Founded the university, 1451 |
| Archbishop Robert Blacader | First archbishop, from 1492 |
| Archbishop James Beaton | The last; fled at the Reformation |
Frequently asked questions
When was the bishopric of Glasgow founded?
There had been a church at Glasgow since the time of St Mungo, but the medieval bishopric was re-established around 1114 to 1118 by Prince David, later King David I of Scotland, who installed his confidant John as bishop and endowed the see with extensive lands.
Who was Bishop Jocelin?
Jocelin, bishop from 1174 to 1199, was the great builder-bishop of medieval Glasgow. He enlarged the cathedral around St Mungo’s tomb, obtained the 1175 charter making Glasgow a burgh, and secured its annual fair — three of the foundations of the later city.
Why were the bishops of Glasgow so powerful?
Glasgow was a bishop’s burgh, belonging not to the crown but to its bishop, who was its feudal lord. The diocese was among the wealthiest in Scotland, and many bishops served as great officers of state, so the bishops combined spiritual authority with great secular power over the town.
Who was Robert Wishart?
Robert Wishart, bishop from 1271 to 1316, was the ‘patriot bishop’ of the Wars of Scottish Independence. A close ally of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, he championed Scottish freedom, supported Bruce’s claim to the throne, and was imprisoned by the English for his defiance.
Which bishop founded the University of Glasgow?
The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451 by Bishop William Turnbull, who obtained the necessary papal bull from Pope Nicholas V and became the university’s first chancellor. Its earliest classes were held in the buildings around the cathedral.
When did Glasgow become an archbishopric?
In 1492 Pope Innocent VIII raised the see of Glasgow to the rank of an archbishopric, with authority over several other Scottish dioceses. The first Archbishop of Glasgow was Robert Blacader, who built the aisle at the cathedral that still bears his name.
What happened to the bishopric at the Reformation?
The Scottish Reformation of 1560 swept away the old church, and with it the rule of the bishops. The last Catholic archbishop of Glasgow, James Beaton, fled to France that year, taking the cathedral’s treasures and records with him, and the centuries-long power of the bishops came to an end.