Walter de Coventre

Walter de Coventre
Bishop of Dunblane
Walter's name as written on a charter of 1365: (dative) domino Waltero dei Gracia Episcopo Dunblanensi "Lord Walter, by God's grace, Bishop of Dunblane"
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Dunblane
In office	1361–1371 or 1372
Predecessor	William de Cambuslang
Successor	Andrew Magnus
Previous post(s)	Dean of Aberdeen (1348–1361) + various other benefices (see text)
Orders
Consecration	Between 18 June and 23 August 1361
Personal details
Born	unknown
Died	Between 27 March 1371 and 27 April 1372

Walter de Coventre (died 1371 or 1372) was a 14th-century Scottish ecclesiastic. There is no direct evidence of his birthdate, his family, or his family's origin, although he may have come from the region around Abernethy (in modern-day Perth and Kinross), where a family with the name de Coventre is known to have lived. Walter appeared in the records for the first time in the 1330s, as a student at the University of Paris. From there he went on to the University of Orléans, initially as a student before becoming a lecturer there. He studied the arts, civil law and canon law, and was awarded many university degrees, including two doctorates. His studies were paid for, at least partially, by his benefices in Scotland. Despite holding perhaps more than five benefices at one stage, he did not return to Scotland until the late 1350s.

Following his return to Scotland, Walter soon became Dean of Aberdeen Cathedral. From there he became engaged in high-level ecclesiastical affairs with the Scottish church and political affairs with the Earl of Mar. Sometime before June 1361, the cathedral chapter of Dunblane elected him Bishop of Dunblane. He went to France to secure confirmation from the Pope at Avignon, who authorised his consecration. Walter was bishop for 10 years after returning home to Scotland. Records of his episcopate are thin, but there are enough to allow a modest reconstruction of his activities: he presided over legal disputes, issued a dispensation for an important irregular marriage, attended parliaments, and acted as an envoy of the Scottish crown in England. He died in either 1371 or 1372.