Clement of Dunblane
Clement
Denomination
Roman Catholic Church
Senior posting
See
Diocese of Dunblane
Title
Bishop of Dunblane
Period in office
1233–1258
Consecration
1133
Predecessor
Osbert
Successor
Robert de Prebenda
Religious career
Priestly ordination Friar
Previous
bishoprics
None
Personal
Date of birth
unknown
Place of birth
Probably Scotland
Place of death
Dunblane, Scotland,
1258
Clement (died 1258) was a thirteenth cen-
tury Dominican friar who was the first
member of the Dominican Order in Britain
and Ireland to become a bishop. In 1233, he
was selected to lead the ailing diocese of
Dunblane in Scotland, and faced a struggle to
bring the bishopric of Dunblane (or "bishop-
ric of Strathearn") to financial viability. This
involved many negotiations with the powerful
religious institutions and secular authorities
which had acquired control of the revenue
that would normally have been the entitle-
ment of Clement’s bishopric. The negoti-
ations proved difficult, forcing Clement to
visit the papal court in Rome. While not
achieving all of his aims, Clement succeeded
in saving the bishopric from relocation to In-
chaffray Abbey. He also regained enough rev-
enue to begin work on the new Dunblane
Cathedral.
He faced a similar challenge with the im-
poverished bishopric of Argyll in the 1240s.
He was given the job of restoring the viability
of the diocese and installing a new bishop;
this involved forming a close relationship
with King Alexander II of Scotland. Clement
was with the king during his campaign in
Argyll in 1249 and was at his side when he
died during this campaign. In 1250 Clement
had been able to install a new bishop in
Argyll and had become one of the Guardians
appointed to govern Scotland during the
minority of King Alexander III. By 1250 he
had established a reputation as one of the
most active Dominican reformers in Britain.
Clement helped to elevate Edmund of Abing-
don and Queen Margaret to sainthood. After
his death, he received veneration as a saint
himself, although he was never formally