The bishop of Glasgow is lord of Glasgow, which William the Lion made a burgh of the bishop in the 1170s, with a market and later a yearly fair; the town grew round the cathedral and St Kentigern's shrine.
Glasgow is the second see of Scotland, reaching over Clydesdale, Teviotdale and much of the south-west. On 1 January 1200 it is held by an elect who is also the king's chancellor.
Who holds it
- Name
- William Malveisin
- Title
- Bishop-elect of Glasgow
- Since
- Elected October 1199; consecrated 24 September 1200
- Confidence
- high
Probably French-born, of a family from the lower Seine valley; made chancellor of Scotland, probably on 8 September 1199, and elected to Glasgow the next month after the see had lost both Bishop Jocelin and the elect Hugh de Roxburgh in 1199. Consecrated at Lyon by Archbishop Renaud de Forez on 24 September 1200; translated to St Andrews in 1202.
What it holds
- The burgh of Glasgow, held by the bishop (William the Lion's charter to Bishop Jocelin, 1170s), with its market and fair
- The bishop's barony round the city
- Church lands in Clydesdale and the Borders (thin)
- St Kentigern's shrine and the cathedral rebuilt under Jocelin
How it was acquired
Royal grants to the see restored by David I; the burgh charter from William the Lion to Bishop Jocelin.
How things stand that morning
Held by the elect William Malveisin as the king's man.
Wealth
Burgh market and fair; pilgrims to St Kentigern; church lands in Clydesdale.
Threats
- The elect's translation elsewhere (he moves to St Andrews in 1202)
Advocates and rivals
The king, whose chancellor is the elect; the lords of Galloway and Carrick to the west; York's old claim over Glasgow, rejected by Rome.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 24 September 1200Malveisin is consecrated at Lyon by Archbishop Renaud de Forez.Depends on: Papal confirmation and his journey abroad. Stopped by: A papal objection or a royal recall.
Places of note
- Glasgow cathedral: Shrine of St Kentigern
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Malveisin's dates are well attested; the burgh charter's date and the bishop's estates are from general knowledge, thin for 1200.
On the map: Drawn as the burgh and its barony; the bishop's wider estates are not drawn.
Primary sources for Scotland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Holyrood, Anonymous (canons of Holyrood, Edinburgh) (about 1150 to 1170, with later additions). Gives nothing for 1200: its original text ends in 1163 and the few additions stop before William the Lion's last decades. Read online
- Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of the Kings of Mann and the Isles, Anonymous (monks of Rushen abbey, Mann) (about 1257, with continuations to 1316). The only native record of the kingdom of Mann and the Hebrides. Read online
- History of English Affairs, William of Newburgh (about 1196 to 1198). Ends in 1198, so it gives no 1200 entries of its own; the Stanley continuation has only a line or two for 1200. Read online
- Saga of the Earls of Orkney, Anonymous (Icelandic) (about 1200 to 1230; surviving text mainly from Flateyjarbok, about 1390). The saga's last chapters are about Earl Harald Maddadsson, who in 1200 held Orkney under King Sverre of Norway and Caithness under William the Lion: his long rule, his quarrel with the Scottish king that cost him Caithness in 1196 to 1197, his recovery of it, and the maiming of Bishop John of Caithness and the king's revenge in 1201 to 1202. Read online
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
- The Great Life of Saint Hugh of Lincoln, Adam of Eynsham (about 1210 to 1215). The last book is a day by day account of Hugh's final year by the chaplain who was with him: his dealings with John at the start of the reign, his journey to France and the Grande Chartreuse in 1200, his illness in London, his death at the Old Temple on 16 November 1200 and the funeral at Lincoln on 23 November attended by King John, William the Lion of Scotland, three archbishops and a crowd of bishops and earls. Read online
2 more in the sources library for The British Isles.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.