churches, such as Mortlach and Cabrach, or more rarely, were transformed into organisations that most closely resembled there former existence, ie as in the case of Monymusk, into a house of Augustinian canons regular. The mechanism for the generation of income for the diocese was now available. The parish churches with their guaranteed income were soon to be the subject of appropriation by the large ecclesiastical corporations—the monasteries and cathedrals. At Aberdeen, the process of annexation may have begun as early as Bishop Edward's tenure and increased in line with the development of the chapter. The enlargement was slow with incremental appointments of dignitaries continuing through to the mid-13th century when in 1249 Pope Innocent IV issued a bull to Bishop Peter Ramsay confirming the diocese constitution and a chapter consisting of five dignitaries and eight ordinary canonries all sustained on prebends. Appropriation of parish incomes to prebendary canons in the cathedral weakened the parish churches. The cathedral canons, possessing the fruits of both the parsonages and the vicarages, were responsible for appointing vicars to the parishes. Invariably, the vicars were paid meagre pensions and lacked security of tenure which resulted in inadequately educated clerics to deliver the cure of souls. By 1488 the cathedral chapter had expanded to 29 canons supported by the income from 54 parish churches and of those, 42 were prebendal, one mensal and 11 held in common. 42 other parish churches were appropriated to monasteries and other ecclesiastical foundations and only 4 parishes—Cushnie, Forvie, Tough and Tyrie—remained independent. The diocese also included eleven hospitals/almshouses for the poor, aged or infirm parishioners. The religious Orders were also well represented—a Tironensian priory at Fyvie, a priory for Augustinian canons at Monymusk and a monastery at Deer for Cistercians. The Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan and Trinitarian Friars all had houses in Aberdeen itself. The reconstruction of the cathedral began when Bishop Alexander Kininmund (1355-80), probably nearing the end of his episcopacy, heightened the walls of the west towers and the nave. Bishop Henry Lichton (1422-40) completed what Kininmund had started and established the north transept but left the construction of the central tower incomplete. He was followed by Ingram Lindsay (1441-58) who roofed and paved the nave. Thomas Spens (1457-80) finely furnished the interior and Bishop William Elphinstone completed the central tower begun by Lichton. Elphinstone also commenced the rebuilding of a larger choir. The south transept was completed