Alexander Bur (died 1397) was a 14th-century Scottish cleric. It is highly possible that Bur came from somewhere in or around Aberdeenshire, although that is not certain and is only based on the knowledge that Aberdeenshire is where other people bearing his surname come from in this period. He entered the service of King

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scots from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five, and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, beco ...

sometime after 1343, perhaps as a member of David's exiled court at

Château Gaillard Château Gaillard () is a medieval castle ruin overlooking the River Seine above the commune of Les Andelys, in the French department of Eure, in Normandy. It is located some north-west of Paris and from Rouen. Construction began in 1196 unde ...

. Although Alexander by this point in time already held prebends in both the bishopric of Aberdeen and the bishopric of Dunkeld (where he also held a

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

), on that date King David petitioned

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bl ...

for another canonry in the bishopric of Moray. Alexander had become a royal clerk and had obtained a Licentiate in

Canon Law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

by 1350. By the latter date, upon the death of Adam Penny (or Adam Parry), Archdeacon of Moray, Alexander himself became Archdeacon. In the autumn of this year King David II made an expedition into the north, apparently to escape the effects of the Black Death. David was also re-establishing his authority in the area, which involved seizing the castle of Kildrummy from its owner,

Thomas, Earl of Mar Thomas, Earl of Mar, (c. 1330-1377) was a 14th-century Earl of Mar, an earldom located in the County of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is sometimes styled Mormaer of Mar since ''mormaer'' was the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the English word earl. Becaus ...

. Soon after David reached Kildrummy, John de Pilmuir, Bishop of Moray, died. This gave King David the opportunity to secure the election of his close follower, Alexander Bur, as the successor to Pilmuir. David had moved to secure the episcopal castle at

Spynie Spynie was a seaport, burgh and ancient parish in Moray, Scotland, that survives as a small hamlet and civil parish. It is the location of the ruins of Spynie Palace, which was the principal residence of the Bishops of Moray between the 12th and ...

, and his presence there undoubtedly made sure that the canons carried out the king's will. Alexander was at Avignon in late December 1362, where he is mentioned as "bishop-elect and confirmed" of Moray, but he was not consecrated by the Pope until sometime between early January and early February 1363. Alexander Bur was involved in a famous conflict with Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan and

Lord of Badenoch Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

which famously led to the burning of

Elgin Cathedral Elgin Cathedral is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. The cathedral—dedicated to the Holy Trinity—was established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II outside the burgh of Elgin and close to the River Lossie. ...

. He died at

Spynie Palace Spynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the Bishops of Moray for about 500 years in Spynie, Moray, Scotland. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th century. It is situated about 500 m from the locat ...

on 15 May 1397.Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 215.

Notes

References

* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) *Grant, Alexander, "The Wolf of Badenoch", in W. D. H. Sellar (ed.), ''Moray: Province and People'', (Edinburgh, 1993), pp. 143–161 * Keith, Robert, ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688'', (London, 1924) * Oram, Richard, "Alexander Bur, Bishop of Moray, 1362—1397", in Barbara Crawford (ed.), ''Church Chronicle and Learning in Medieval and Early Renaissance Scotland'', (Edinburgh, 1999), pp. 195–213 * Watt, D.E.R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bur, Alexander 14th-century births 1397 deaths Bishops of Moray People from Aberdeenshire 14th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops