Prior of Durham

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

Notes

1. "Durham Cathedral - North Bailey, Durham, UK". Engineering Timelines. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
2. Directory, and Gazetteer, of the Counties of Durham. Sheffield: W. White & Co. 1827. p. 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"

References

• Fraser, C. M. (2004), "Hoton, Richard (d. 1308), prior of Durham", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, retrieved 2009-01-28
• Knighton, C. S. (2004), "Whitehead, Hugh (d. 1551), prior then dean of Durham", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, retrieved 2009-01-28
• Knowles, David; Brooke, C. N. L.; London, C. M, eds. (1972), The Heads of Religious Houses : England and Wales. 1, 940—1216, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-08367-2
• Page, William, ed. (1907), "Priory of St Cuthbert, Durham (later Durham cathedral)", A History of the County of Durham: Volume 2 (1907), British History Online, pp. 86–103, retrieved 2009-01-10
• Smith, David M.; London, C. M, eds. (2001), The Heads of Religious Houses : England and Wales. 2, 1216—1377, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-80271-7