The more, the merrier: Irish (and Scottish) bishops in fourteenth-century collective indulgences from Avignon

This paper examines the occurrence of bishops of Irish dioceses among the grantors of so-called 'collective indulgences' at Avignon between 1322 and 1363 and attempts to demonstrate how these indulgences can facilitate our knowledge of the episcopate in Ireland during the fourteenth century. Over 140 references to Irish bishops have been collected and are discussed, along with twenty occurrences of bishops from Scotland for the same period, plus a handful of Scottish and Welsh bishops named in indulgences from the late thirteenth century. The paper discusses the nature of the Avignon collective indulgences and uses these documents to help reconstruct the movements and careers of the Irish prelates in question. The second part of the paper offers a more detailed consideration of the controversial bishopric of Annaghdown during the first half of the fourteenth century, in the light of the testimony of the indulgences. This case study also highlights problems relating to the collective indulgences as primary sources themselves, including their reliability. An listing the occurrences of Irish and Scottish bishops in collective indulgences is provided, arranged by diocese, and additional data about individual bishops is provided there.