John de Innes (c. 1370 – 1414) was medieval Scottish churchman. Born probably in Moray, he went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in his youth, receiving a bachelorate in civil law from the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

by 1396 and 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 1407.Ditchburn, "Innes, John (c. 1370–1414)". His education was partly paid for by the prebend of Duffus and a grant from

Alexander Bur 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 peopl ...

, Bishop of Moray, taken by Bur from the judicial profits of his

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

. During Innes' study period, he was also pursuing an ecclesiastical career, being Archdeacon of Caithness from 1396 until 1398, and Dean of Ross, from some point between 1396 and 1398 until 1407. He gave up the latter position in that year, having been elected as Bishop of Moray sometime in late 1406, and receiving consecration from

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

in either

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or southern

in the following January.Dowden, ''Bishops of Scotland'', p. 157; Ditchburn, "Innes, John (c. 1370–1414)"; Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 215; Ditchburn gives Marseilles, Dowden gives Avignon, and Watt gives Italy. Innes was bishop for over seven years, and died at Elgin on 2 August 1414. Innes has been traditionally credited with supervising much of the rebuilding to

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. ...

. The historian David Ditchburn believes Innes was an ally, and possibly even a client, of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar, and perhaps his father Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, the latter of whom was the warlord responsible for burning down Elgin Cathedral during the episcopate of Alexander Bur.

Notes

References

* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) *Ditchburn, David, "Innes, John (c. 1370–1414)", in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
retrieved 24 Feb 2007
* Watt, D.E.R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Innes, John De 1370 births 1414 deaths Bishops of Moray University of Paris alumni 15th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops