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]

A list of the Bishops, Priors and Deans of Durham as seen on the wall of St. Cuthbert's shrine in Durham Cathedral.

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 28 January 2009
• Knighton, C. S. (2004), "Whitehead, Hugh (d. 1551), prior then dean of Durham", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, retrieved 28 January 2009
• 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 10 January 2009
• 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