George Shoreswood or Schoriswood (died 1462 × 1463), was a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

active in the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...

during the 15th century. He appears to have been of

English-speaking Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest langua ...

origin, from the family of Bedshiel in

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of t ...

.Dowden, ''Bishops'', p. 186 Shoreswood was a clerk of

William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale (1425 – 22 February 1452) was a late Medieval Scottish nobleman, Lord of Galloway, and Lord of the Regality of Lauderdale, and the most powerful magnate in Southern Scotland. He was ki ...

in 1446, holding the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

ship of Coulter in

Clydesdale Clydesdale is an archaic name for Lanarkshire, a traditional county in Scotland. The name may also refer to: Sports * Clydesdale F.C., a former football club in Glasgow * Clydesdale RFC, Glasgow, a former rugby union club * Clydesdale RFC, South ...

. After the death of Earl James in February 1452, he became a royal clerk. He also became vicar of Haddington at some point, holding the office until becoming a bishop in 1454. He was granted crown presentation to the Dunkeld chancellorship; this happened between 5 July 1451 and 22 June 1452, following the death of former chancellor Richard Clapham.Watt and Murray, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 145 George took possession soon afterward. He was involved in litigation in the papal curia with two other claimants to the office, John MacDonald and Thomas Penven, but still held the office when appointed bishop of Brechin on 8 March 1454. He was still chancellor on 20 March, most likely giving the position up shortly before or else upon his consecration as bishop later in the year (sometime before 1 July). Bishop George was auditor in the Exchequer at various points during the second half of 1454. He served as Chancellor of Scotland between 1457 and 1460. He went on a pilgrimage to

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, receiving a

safe-conduct Safe conduct, safe passage, or letters of transit, is the situation in time of international conflict or war where one state, a party to such conflict, issues to a person (usually an enemy state's subject) a pass or document to allow the enemy ...

for himself and 40 attendants in 1459. He is recorded as bishop for the last time on 11 November 1462, but died before 28 March 1463 when the see was granted to his successor Patrick Graham.Dowden, ''Bishops'', p. 186; Watt and Murray, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 55

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoreswood, George 1460s deaths Bishops of Brechin (pre-Reformation) Lord chancellors of Scotland People from the Scottish Borders 15th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Year of birth unknown 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Scotland