A historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland
Elgin Cathedral, a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, northeast Scotland, was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II and stood outside the burgh of Elgin, close to the River Lossie. It replaced the cathedral at Spynie located to the north, which was served by a small chapter of eight clerics. By 1226, the new and developing cathedral was staffed with 18 canons, a number that increased to 23 by 1242. A damaging fire in 1270 led to significant enlargement. It remained unscathed during the Wars of Scottish Independence but suffered extensive fire damage in 1390 when attacked by Robert III's brother Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, also known as the Wolf of Badenoch. In 1402, the cathedral precinct faced another incendiary attack by the Lord of the Isles followers.
As the cathedral grew, so did the number of clerics and craftsmen. Repairs following the fires of 1270 and 1390 resulted in the choir's doubling in length and the addition of outer aisles to both the nave and choir. While some parts of walls retain their full height, others are at foundation level, yet the overall cruciform shape is still discernible. A mostly intact octagonal chapter house dates from the major enlargement after the fire of 1270. The near intact gable wall above the double door entrance linking the west towers was rebuilt after the fire of 1390. It contains fragments of a large rose window with remnants of tracery work. The transepts and the south aisle of the choir contain recessed and chest tombs with effigies of bishops and knights. The now grass-covered floor bears large flat slabs marking early graves. The residences of the dignitaries, canons and chaplains within the chanonry were also destroyed during the fires of 1270, 1390 and 1402, forming part of the overall reconstruction process. Only the precentor's manse remains substantially intact, while two others have been incorporated into private buildings. Both west front towers, part of the initial construction, are mostly complete. A massive protective wall surrounded the cathedral precinct, but only two small sections have survived. Of the wall's four access gates, only the Pans Port remains.
By the time of the Scottish Reformation in 1560, the number of canons had increased to 25. After the Reformation the cathedral was abandoned, and its services transferred to Elgin's parish church of St Giles. The removal of the roof's lead waterproofing in 1567 marked the beginning of the cathedral's steady decay. Although still largely intact in 1615, a winter storm brought down the roof covering the eastern limb. In the spring of 1711, the central steeple above the crossing collapsed, taking the walls of the nave with it. Ownership shifted from the Church to the Crown in 1689, but made no difference to the building's continued deterioration. Conservation efforts began in the early 19th century and continued until the end of the 20th century, with significant improvements to the two western towers.
Early church in Moray.
The Diocese of Moray was a regional bishopric, unlike the pre-eminent see of the Scottish church, St Andrews, which had evolved from a more ancient monastic Celtic church and administered dispersed localities. It is uncertain whether there were bishops of Moray before c. 1120, but the first known prelate—possibly later translated to Dunkeld—was Gregory (or Giric, in Gaelic) and was probably bishop in name only. Gregory was a signatory to the foundation charter of Scone Priory, issued by Alexander I ("Alaxandair mac Maíl Choluim") between December 1123 and April 1124, and again in a charter defining the legal rights of the same monastery. He is recorded for the last time when he witnessed a charter granted by David I to Dunfermline Abbey in c. 1128. These are the only known details of Gregory with no basis for later assertions that he was a promoted monk in a 'Pictish Church'.
After the suppression of Óengus of Moray's rebellion in 1130, King David must have regarded the continued existence of a bishopric in Moray as essential to the stability of the province. However, the next bishop, William (1152–62) was an absentee titular bishop and King David's chaplain. Having been David's aide since 1136, he likely did little to improve the stability of the see by the time he died in 1162.
Felix was the next bishop and is thought to have been prelate from 1166 to 1171, although no accurate dates are certain. Little is known about his tenure, with only one instance of him appearing as a witness in a charter of William the Lion at his court held in Elgin.
After Felix's death, Simon de Toeni, a kinsman of King William and former abbot of Coggeshall in Essex, became the next bishop. Bishop Simon was the first of the early bishops to adopt a hands-on approach to managing his diocese. It is believed that he was buried in Birnie Kirk, near Elgin, after his death on 17 September 1184, although this claim only emerged in the 18th century.
Simon's successor was Richard of Lincoln, once again a royal clerk, and one who struggled to build up the revenues of the bishopric during and after the insurgence of Domnall mac Uilleim (Donald MacWilliam). Richard is regarded as the first significant resident bishop of the see.
During this early period, these bishops had no settled location for their cathedral, and sited it successively at the churches of Birnie, Kinneddar and Spynie. On 7 April 1206, Pope Innocent III issued an apostolic bull allowing bishop Brice de Douglas to fix his cathedral church at Spynie. The inauguration was held between spring 1207, and summer 1208. A chapter of five dignitaries and three ordinary canons was authorised and based its constitution on that of Lincoln Cathedral. Under David I, Elgin emerged as the lay centre of the province likely with the establishment of the first castle in the town. It may have been this castle, with its promise of better security, that prompted Brice to petition the Pope to move the seat from Spynie to Elgin before July 1216 . 
Cathedral church at Elgin.
Despite Brice's earlier appeal, it was not until Andrew de Moravia's episcopate that Pope Honorius III issued his bull on 10 April 1224 authorising his legates Gilbert de Moravia, Bishop of Caithness; Robert, Abbot of Kinloss; and Henry, Dean of Ross to examine the suitability of transferring the cathedra to Elgin. The Bishop of Caithness and the Dean of Ross performed the translation ceremony on 19 July 1224. On 5 July, Alexander II ("Alaxandair mac Uilliam") agreed to the transference in a writ referring to his previous land grant for this purpose. The land grant predated the Papal mandate and could indicate that work on a new church was already underway before Brice's death, but this is thought unlikely and that it was Bishop Andrew who commenced the building works on an unoccupied location.Construction of the cathedral was completed after 1242. Chronicler John of Fordun recorded (without explanation) that in 1270 the cathedral church and the canons' houses had been destroyed by fire. The cathedral was rebuilt in a larger and grander style, forming the greater part of the structure that stands today. This work is believed to have been completed by the outbreak of the Wars of Scottish Independence in 1296. Although Edward I of England took his army to Elgin in 1296 and again in 1303, the cathedral remained untouched, as it was by his grandson Edward III during his assault on Moray in 1336.
Soon after his election to the see in 1362–63, Bishop Alexander Bur requested funds from Pope Urban V to repair the cathedral, citing neglect and hostile attacks. In August 1370 Bur began protection payments to Alexander Stewart, Lord of Badenoch, also known as the Wolf of Badenoch, who became Earl of Buchan in 1380, and who was the son of the future King Robert II. Numerous disputes between Bur and Buchan led to Buchan's excommunication in February 1390. The bishop then turned for protection to Thomas Dunbar, the son of the Earl of Moray. In response, and possibly through frustration of the reappointment of his brother Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife as guardian of Scotland, Buchan descended from his island castle on Lochindorb and burned the town of Forres in May and Elgin, including the cathedral and its manses, in June. It is believed that he also burned Pluscarden Priory at that time, which was under the bishop's protection. Bur sought reparation from Robert III for his brother's actions in a letter stating: ;br ;{
Robert III granted Bur an annuity of £20 for his lifetime, and the Pope provided income from the Scottish Church over the following decade. In 1400, Bur complained to the Abbot of Arbroath about prebendary churches in the Moray diocese not paying their dues for the cathedral restoration. In the same year Bur wrote to the rector of Aberchirder church, telling him that he now owed three years' arrears of the subsidy that had been imposed on non-prebendary churches in 1397. Once again, on 3 July 1402, the burgh and cathedral precinct were attacked, this time by Alexander of Lochaber, brother of Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles, sparing the cathedral but burning the manses. For this, Lochaber and his captains were excommunicated, prompting Lochaber's return in September to make reparations and gain absolution.
In 1408, the money saved during an ecclesiastic vacancy was diverted to the rebuilding process, and in 1413 a grant from the customs of Inverness was provided. Increasingly, the appropriation of the parish church revenues led to many churches becoming dilapidated and unable to attract educated priests. By the later Middle Ages, the standard of pastoral care outside the main burghs had significantly declined.
Bishop John Innes (1407–14) made significant contributions to the cathedral's rebuilding efforts, as evidenced by the inscription on his tomb praising his work. Upon his death, the chapter met secretly—"in quadam camera secreta in campanili ecclesie Moraviensis" ("in the same secret chamber in the bell tower of Moray church")—and agreed that if one of its members was elected bishop, they would provide one-third of the bishopric income annually until the reconstruction was completed. The major alterations to the west front were completed before 1435 and bear the coat of arms of Bishop Columba de Dunbar (1422–35). The north and south aisles of the choir were likely completed before 1460, with the south aisle containing the tomb of John de Winchester (1435–60). The final significant feature to be rebuilt was the chapter house between 1482 and 1501, which displays the arms of Bishop Andrew Stewart.
Diocesan organisation.
The chapter was the total of dignitaries and canons and had the primary role of aiding the bishop in governing the diocese. As Moray adopted the constitution of Lincoln diocese, the bishop's involvement in the chapter was restricted to being an ordinary canon, while the dean took on the leadership role. This arrangement was also true for the bishops of Aberdeen, Brechin, Caithness, Orkney and Ross. Every morning, the canons met in the chapter house to listen to a reading from St Benedict's rulebook before the day's business was discussed. Bishop Brice presided over a small chapter comprising eight clerics, including the dean, precentor, treasurer, chancellor, archdeacon, and three canons. His successor, Bishop Andrew de Moravia expanded the chapter significantly by appointing two additional senior positions (succentor and subdean) and 16 more canons with prebends. By the time Andrew died, there were 23 prebendary canons, and two more were created before the Reformation. Churches that were either located in ecclesiastic lands or granted to the diocese by landowners were subject to assignment to canons as prebends. The de Moravia family, to which Bishop Andrew belonged, contributed greatly to these endowments.
"Deans of Christianity" oversaw the priests within the deaneries and carried out the bishop's directives. The Moray diocese was divided into four deaneries—Elgin, Inverness, Strathspey and Strathbogie. The parish churches within these deaneries provided income not only for the cathedral and chapter but also for other religious houses within and outside the diocese. Many churches were allocated to support designated canons and a smaller number were held in common. The bishop received mensal and prebendary income from the parish churches in his separate capacities as prelate and canon.
The diocese's