The Church in the Late Medieval and Tudor Periods

The bishop of Durham's role was multifaceted, balancing ecclesiastical and secular lordship amid complex jurisdictional challenges. While his diocese extended across Northumberland and Durham, including Newcastle upon Tyne, his authority was fragmented by external liberties such as Hexhamshire (held by archbishops of York) and Tynedale/Redesdale (within the diocese but outside the palatinate). His secular control encompassed most of modern County Durham, along with enclaves in North Yorkshire and Northumberland. This study reveals that his influence was not uniform but rather a patchwork of overlapping jurisdictions, complicating his position as both a spiritual leader and temporal ruler.

(Ed.). (2018). The Church in the Late Medieval and Tudor Periods. The Northern Counties from AD 1000, 119–132. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315836607-18