Gille (or Gilla) Aldan (Gaelic: "Servant of Saint Aldwin ), of

Whithorn Whithorn ( �ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian ...

, was a native Galwegian who was the first

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the resurrected Bishopric of Whithorn or

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

. He was the first to be consecrated by the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

, who at that time was

Thurstan :''This page is about Thurstan of Bayeux (1070 – 1140) who became Archbishop of York. Thurstan of Caen became the first Norman Abbot of Glastonbury in circa 1077.'' Thurstan or Turstin of Bayeux ( – 6 February 1140) was a medie ...

. The re-creation of the Bishopric suited both the ruler of Galloway, Fergus, and the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

, who had few

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

s and needed more in order to maintain his independence from

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

. We have the record of a mandate by

Pope Honorius II Pope Honorius II (9 February 1060 – 13 February 1130), born Lamberto Scannabecchi,Levillain, pg. 731 was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 December 1124 to his death in 1130. Although from a humble background, ...

, dating to December in 1128, confirming that Gille Aldan should seek consecration from Thurstan. Richard Oram argues that the creation of the Bishopric of Whithorn probably encouraged the wrath and enmity of Bishop

Wimund Wimund was a bishop who became a seafaring warlord adventurer in the years after 1147. His story is passed down to us by 12th-century English historian William of Newburgh in his ''Historia rerum anglicarum'', Book I, Chapter 24 entitled "Of bisho ...

of the

Isles Isles may refer to: Places *British Isles, often referred to as "the Isles" *Kingdom of the Isles, a medieval realm comprising the Hebrides, the islands of the Firth of Clyde, and the Isle of Man People * Carlin Isles (born 1989), American rugby ...

, who seems to have regarded the area as his natural area of authority.

William of Newburgh William of Newburgh or Newbury ( la, Guilelmus Neubrigensis, ''Wilhelmus Neubrigensis'', or ''Willelmus de Novoburgo''. 1136 – 1198), also known as William Parvus, was a 12th-century English historian and Augustinian canon of Anglo-Saxon des ...

records that Wimund made an attack on another Bishop in order to extort tribute. If Oram is correct, and his victim was in fact Gilla Aldan, then this attack would make perfect sense, as Wimund's See was the obvious loser out of the deal done between Fergus and York. Gilla Aldan's name is recorded for the last time in 1151, when he was told by

Pope Eugene III Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius III; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He w ...

to give homage to the new Archbishop of York,

Henry Murdac Henry Murdac (died 1153) was abbot of Fountains Abbey and Archbishop of York in medieval England. Early life Murdac was a native of Yorkshire.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 239 He was friendly with Archbishop Thurstan of York, who secured his ...

. We know that Gille Aldan was dead by 1154, because in that year his successor

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

was consecrated.

References

* Oram, Richard, ''The Lordship of Galloway'', (Edinburgh, 2000), pp. 164–76 {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldan, Gille 1154 deaths Bishops of Galloway (pre-Reformation) Medieval Gaels 12th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops History of Galloway Norse-Gaels People from Dumfries and Galloway Year of birth unknown