Before becoming a bishop, he was Dean of Moray and had obtained a Bachelor's degree in Law.
By 28 November 1383 he is being spoken of in the documents of Avignon Pope Clement VII as bishop-elect of Orkney, and was probably fully appointed by 27 January 1384.
Within a few years of his translation to Dunkeld, Robert found himself involved in a serious dispute with William Blackburn, the abbot of Cambuskenneth.
Intervention by King Robert III probably gained him absolution within the following few year or so.
On 18 January 1395 he visited Cambuskenneth Abbey with a retinue of 56 horses, and was entertained there, an event which certainly points to some kind of reconciliation.