William Cumin

William Cumin (or de Comyn or de Commines) (died ) was a bishop of Durham, and Justiciar of Scotland. Life Several Cumins were clerks in the chanceries of King Henry I of England and King Henry II of England, as well as in the dioceses of Rouen and Bayeux. A John Cumin, who became Bishop of Dublin in 1182 may also have been a relative. William Cumin was Archdeacon of Worcester by March 1125 and the chancellor of King David I of Scotland before 1136. David was the uncle of the Empress Matilda. Cumin was educated by Geoffrey Rufus, who had been chancellor to King Henry I of England and Bishop of Durham. Cumin was captured at the Battle of the Standard in August 1138, but was set free at the instigation of the papal legate, Alberic of Ostia. At the time of the death of Geoffrey Rufus, most of the diocese of Durham was under the control of King David. With the death of Geoffrey, David tried to gain control of the English diocese by installing his own candidate into Durham, this being his chancellor, Cumin. When David came south to meet with the Empress, he stopped in Durham, where he refused to allow the burial of the previous bishop until Cumin was allowed into the see. Cumin was intruded into the see of Durham about 11 May 1141, but was never consecrated. However, when the Empress was driven from London in June 1141, this deprived Cumin of some support. Cumin still had the support of one of Geoffrey's nephews and support in the cathedral chapter and castle. But he was opposed by Ranulf, the nephew of Bishop Ranulf Flambard, who was an archdeacon at Durham, and by the papal legate to England. Another supporter was William of Aumale, Earl of York, who attempted to marry one of his nieces to Cumin's nephew who held Northallerton in the North Riding of Yorkshire. By 1142, David had withdrawn his support, and Cumin resorted to using a forged letter of support from the papacy in an attempt to get consecrated. Eventually Cumin was deprived of his benefices by Pope Innocent II about 14 March 1143 as well as being excommunicated. Around this time his soldiers were described as by Simeon of Durham as "incessantly making forages; whatever they could lay their hands on they plundered....wherever these men passed it became a wilderness. Their torments were of many and various kinds, difficult to describe and difficult to believe.