The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

in 1689; and, in the Catholic Church, the title was restored by Pope Leo XIII in 1878. In the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of the Episcopal bishopric of Glasgow and Galloway. The present Catholic archbishop is William Nolan, who was installed on 26 February 2022.

History

The Diocese of Glasgow originates in the period of the reign of David I, Prince of the Cumbrians, but the earliest attested bishops come from the 11th century, appointees of the Archbishop of York. The episcopal seat was located at Glasgow Cathedral. In 1492, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese by Pope Innocent VIII. After the Scottish church broke its links with Rome in 1560, the archbishopric continued under the independent Scottish church until 1689 when Episcopacy in the established

was finally abolished in favour of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

, requiring bishopric continuity to occur in the disestablished Scottish Episcopal Church. In the following centuries Catholicism slowly began a process of re-introduction, culminating in the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829. A new papally-appointed archbishopric in the Catholic Church was introduced when the Vicariate Apostolic of the Western District was elevated to archdiocese status on 4 March 1878 on the restoration of the Scottish hierarchy, and then to metropolitan archdiocese status on 25 May 1947.

Pre-Reformation office holders

Bishops of Glasgow

Archbishops of Glasgow

Post-Reformation office holders

Church of Scotland succession

Scottish Episcopal Church succession

Restored Roman Catholic bishopric

The archdiocese covers an area of 1,165 km². The

Metropolitan See Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ...

is in the City of Glasgow where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew. (Any dates appearing in italics indicate ''de facto '' continuation of office. The start date of tenure below is the date of appointment or succession. Where known, the date of installation and ordination as bishop are listed in the notes together with the post held prior to appointment.)

References

Bibliography

* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) * Keith, Robert, ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688'', (London, 1824) * Lawrie, Sir Archibald, ''Early Scottish Charters Prior to A.D. 1153'', (Glasgow, 1905) * Watt, D. E. R. & Murray, A. L., editors, ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae Medii Aevi Ad Annum 1638'', revised edition, Scottish Record Society, Edinburgh, 2003, p. 187–196. {{DEFAULTSORT:Archbishop of Glasgow Bishop of Glasgow Guardians of Scotland

Christianity in Glasgow *